JP6702367B2 - Sheet processing apparatus, image forming system, sheet processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, an image forming system, and a sheet processing method, and more particularly to a method for processing a sheet conveyed in a folded state.

In recent years, computerization of information has tended to be promoted, and image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles used to output computerized information and scanners used to computerize documents have become indispensable devices. Such an image processing apparatus is often configured as a multifunction machine that can be used as a printer, a facsimile machine, a scanner, and a copier by having an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like.

Among such multifunction machines, there is known a multifunction machine equipped with a folding processing device that draws an image by forming an image on a fed sheet and then performs folding processing on the sheet on which the image is formed. Has been. When a sheet is folded in such a folding device, the folds are weak and incomplete as they are, and the fold height is high. Therefore, in such a multi-function machine, in addition to the folding processing device, by performing an additional folding process for reinforcing the fold by pressing the fold formed by the folding process, the fold is reinforced and the fold height is increased. There is known a multi-function machine equipped with an additional folding device that reduces the size (for example, see Patent Document 1).

As a method of performing the additional folding process in such an additional folding device, for example, an additional folding roller having a length of about the width of a sheet that is laid across in a direction (main scanning direction) parallel to a fold formed by the folding process. There is a method of pressing a crease formed on the sheet while the sheet is being conveyed by. Further, as another method of performing the additional folding process in the above-described additional folding device, for example, the conveyance of the sheet is temporarily stopped at the position where the additional folding process is performed, and the direction perpendicular to the fold line formed by the folding process is performed. By moving the additional folding roller that rotates around (the sub-scanning direction) as the rotation axis in the main scanning direction on the stopped paper, the folds formed on the paper are sequentially pressed in the main scanning direction. There is a method.

However, the additional folding method as described above has a problem that folding wrinkles and pressing marks are generated on the sheet after the additional folding processing. It should be noted that such a problem is not limited to a sheet for image formation and output, and a sheet-like object may similarly cause a problem.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, in a sheet processing apparatus for reinforcing the fold of the sheet conveyed in the folded state, the quality of the sheet after reinforcing the fold The purpose is to improve.

In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention includes a shaft, comprising a pressing member, and a sheet processing apparatus for pressing a fold of the sheet by the pressing member, the pressing member is pre SL shaft The contact portion is arranged such that the position for pressing the fold by the rotation of the shaft is sequentially different in the axial direction of the shaft, and the contact portion is moved to the sheet by the rotation of the pressing member around the shaft. a valley of the folds pressing of is performed, and characterized by entering into the folds from the surface to which the folds are formed.

According to the present invention, in a sheet processing apparatus for reinforcing the folds of a sheet conveyed in a folded state, it is possible to improve the quality of the sheet after the folds are reinforced.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a simplified overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows typically the hardware constitutions of the image forming apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows typically the functional structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the folding processing unit and the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention when the folding processing unit and the additional folding processing unit are performing the folding processing and the additional folding processing, respectively, as viewed from the main scanning direction. .. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the folding processing unit and the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention when the folding processing unit and the additional folding processing unit are performing the folding processing and the additional folding processing, respectively, as viewed from the main scanning direction. .. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the folding processing unit and the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention when the folding processing unit and the additional folding processing unit are performing the folding processing and the additional folding processing, respectively, as viewed from the main scanning direction. .. It is a figure which shows an example of the shape of the folding-processed paper in which the folding processing was performed by the folding processing unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above and in the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a front view of the additional folding roller according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the sub-scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a side view of the additional folding roller according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above and in the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a front view of the additional folding roller according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the sub-scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a side view of the additional folding roller according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above and in the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a front view of the additional folding roller according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the sub-scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a side view of the additional folding roller according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above and in the main scanning direction. It is the front view which looked at the additional folding roller concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the subscanning direction. FIG. 3 is a side view of the additional folding roller according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the main scanning direction. It is the figure which looked at the pressing force transmission part concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the main scanning direction in the state where it is arranged at the additional folding roller rotating shaft. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of only a mechanical section related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit when the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is performing the additional folding processing, as viewed from the main scanning direction. A conventional additional folding processing unit presses a sheet folded so that the first fold is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction from the surface opposite to the surface on which the fold is formed. It is a figure showing a situation at the time. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of only a mechanical section related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit when the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is performing the additional folding processing, as viewed from the main scanning direction. 7 is a graph showing a load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft when the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is performing an additional folding processing operation. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation moment which acts on the additional folding roller rotating shaft when the additional folding process unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention is performing an additional folding process operation. 7 is a graph showing a load torque applied to the additional folding roller drive motor when the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is performing an additional folding processing operation. It is the figure which looked at the additional folding roller drive device concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the main scanning direction. It is a perspective view of the additional folding roller drive device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which a conventional additional folding processing unit presses a sheet folded so that a fold is located at a front end in the transport direction from a surface opposite to a surface on which the fold is formed. When the conventional additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention presses a sheet folded such that the fold is located at the front end in the transport direction from the surface opposite to the surface on which the fold is formed, It is a figure which shows a mode. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above and in the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the additional folding processing device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the main scanning direction. It is the figure which looked at the additional folding roller drive device concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the main scanning direction. It is a perspective view of the additional folding roller drive device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of only the mechanical section related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit after the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention finishes the additional folding processing, as viewed from the main scanning direction. After the additional folding processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention is stopped in the middle of performing the additional folding processing, only the mechanism portion related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit when the paper is pulled out from the main scanning direction. FIG. It is a perspective view of a stop device concerning an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a transparent view of the stop device according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen from a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction. It is the figure which looked at the stop device concerning the embodiment of the present invention from the main scanning direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, after the image is formed on the fed sheet, a direction (hereinafter, referred to as “main The folding process is performed so as to form a fold line in the scanning direction), and the fold line formed by the folding process is increased and pressed by a folding roller in order to reinforce the fold line formed by the folding process and reduce the folding height. An image forming apparatus that performs additional folding processing by doing so will be described as an example.

In such an image forming apparatus, one of the gist of the present embodiment is that when pressing a sheet to reinforce the fold formed on the sheet, the sheet is pressed from the surface on which the fold is formed. is there. With such a configuration, the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment can prevent the occurrence of folding wrinkles, pressing marks, or the like on the sheet after the additional folding process. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, it is possible to improve the quality of the sheet after the folds are reinforced.

First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a simplified overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an image forming unit 2, a folding processing unit 3, an additional folding processing unit 4, and a scanner unit 5.

The image forming unit 2 generates drawing information of CMYK (Cyan Menta Yellow Key Plate) based on the input image data, and based on the generated drawing information, performs image forming output on the fed paper. Run. The folding processing unit 3 performs folding processing on the image-formed sheet conveyed from the image forming unit 2. That is, in the present embodiment, the folding processing unit 3 functions as a folding section. The additional folding processing unit 4 performs the additional folding processing on the fold line formed on the folded-processed sheet conveyed from the folding processing unit 3. That is, in this embodiment, in fold processing unit 3 and the additional folding processing unit 4 functions as a sheet processing apparatus.

In the scanner unit 5, a plurality of photodiodes are arranged in a line, and a document is read by a linear image sensor in which light receiving elements such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor are arranged in parallel. By doing so, the manuscript is digitized. The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) that can be used as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and a copier by having an imaging function, an image forming function, a communication function, and the like. ..

Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 includes, in addition to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2, a scanner, a printer, an engine for realizing folding processing, additional folding processing, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the same configuration as a general server or a PC (Personal Computer). That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 40, and an I/F 50 are buses. It is connected through 90. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 60, an operation unit 70, and a dedicated device 80 are connected to the I/F 50.

The CPU 10 is a calculation means and controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 1. The RAM 20 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 10 processes information. The ROM 30 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 40 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

The I/F 50 connects and controls the bus 90 and various hardware and networks. The LCD 60 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit 70 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse for the user to input information to the image forming apparatus 1.

The dedicated device 80 is hardware for realizing dedicated functions in the image forming unit 2, the folding processing unit 3, the additional folding processing unit 4 and the scanner unit 5, and in the image forming unit 2, the image forming unit 2 forms an image on a paper surface. It is a plotter device that executes output. Further, the folding processing unit 3 is a transport mechanism for transporting a sheet and a folding mechanism for folding the transported sheet.

Further, the additional folding processing unit 4 is an additional folding processing mechanism for reinforcing the folds of the sheet that has been folded by the folding processing unit 3 and then conveyed. Further, the scanner unit 5 is a reading device that reads an image displayed on the paper surface. The configuration of the additional folding processing mechanism included in the additional folding processing unit 4 is one of the gist of the present embodiment.

In such a hardware configuration, a program stored in a storage medium such as the ROM 30, the HDD 40, or an optical disk (not shown) is read into the RAM 20, and the CPU 10 performs an operation according to the program loaded in the RAM 20 to thereby perform a software control unit. Is configured. The combination of the software control unit configured in this way and the hardware constitutes a functional block that realizes the function of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

Next, the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 3, electrical connections are indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of sheets or a bundle of documents is indicated by broken arrows.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a controller 100, a paper feed table 110, a print engine 120, a folding processing engine 130, an additional folding processing engine 140, a scanner engine 150, and an ADF (Auto Document Feeder). : Automatic document feeder 160), a paper discharge tray 170, a display panel 180, and a network I/F 190. The controller 100 also includes a main control unit 101, an engine control unit 102, an input/output control unit 103, an image processing unit 104, and an operation display control unit 105.

The paper feed table 110 feeds paper to the print engine 120, which is an image forming unit. The print engine 120 is an image forming unit included in the image forming unit 2, and draws an image by performing image forming output on the paper conveyed from the paper feed table 110. As a specific mode of the print engine 120, an image forming mechanism using an inkjet method, an image forming mechanism using an electrophotographic method, or the like can be used. The image-formed sheet on which the image is drawn by the print engine 120 is conveyed to the folding processing unit 3 or is ejected to the sheet ejection tray 170.

The folding processing engine 130 is provided in the folding processing unit 3 and performs folding processing on the image-formed sheet conveyed from the image forming unit 2. The folded sheet that has been folded by the folding engine 130 is conveyed to the additional folding unit 4. The additional folding processing engine 140 is provided in the additional folding processing unit 4, and performs additional folding processing on the folds formed on the folded-processed paper conveyed from the folding processing engine 130. The additional-folded paper that has been subjected to the additional fold processing by the additional-fold processing engine 140 is ejected to the paper ejection tray 170, or a post-processing (not shown) for performing post-processing such as stapling, punching, and bookbinding processing. It is transported to the unit.

The ADF 160 is provided in the scanner unit 5 and automatically conveys a document to the scanner engine 150 which is a document reading unit. The scanner engine 150 is a document reading unit that is included in the scanner unit 5 and includes a photoelectric conversion element that converts optical information into an electric signal. The scanner engine 150 is set on a document that is automatically conveyed by the ADF 160 or a document table glass (not shown). The document is optically scanned and read to generate image information. The document automatically conveyed by the ADF 160 and read by the scanner engine 150 is discharged to the discharge tray 170.

The display panel 180 is an output interface that visually displays the state of the image forming apparatus 1, and also serves as a touch panel when the user directly operates the image forming apparatus 1 or inputs information to the image forming apparatus 1. It is also an interface. That is, the display panel 180 includes a function of displaying an image to be operated by the user. The display panel 180 is realized by the LCD 60 and the operation unit 70 shown in FIG .

The network I/F 190 is an interface for the image forming apparatus 1 to communicate with other devices such as a terminal for an administrator via the network, and is an Ethernet (registered trademark), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, or a Bluetooth (registered). Interfaces such as trademark, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), and FeliCa (registered trademark) are used. The network I/F 190 is realized by the I/F 50 shown in FIG.

The controller 100 is composed of a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, a control program such as firmware stored in a non-volatile storage medium such as the ROM 30 or the HDD 40 is loaded into the RAM 20, and the CPU 10 performs an arithmetic operation in accordance with these programs, and a software control unit and an integrated circuit. The controller 100 is configured with hardware such as. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus 1.

The main control unit 101 has a role of controlling each unit included in the controller 100 and gives an instruction to each unit of the controller 100. Further, the main control unit 101 controls the input/output control unit 103 to access another device via the network I/F 190 and the network. The engine control unit 102 controls or drives driving units such as the print engine 120, the folding processing engine 130, the additional folding processing engine 140, and the scanner engine 150. The input/output control unit 103 inputs signals and commands input via the network I/F 190 and the network to the main control unit 101.

Under the control of the main control unit 101, the image processing unit 104 generates drawing information based on the document data or image data included in the input print job. The drawing information is data such as CMYK bitmap data, and is information for the print engine 120, which is an image forming unit, to draw an image to be formed in the image forming operation. Further, the image processing unit 104 processes the image pickup data input from the scanner engine 150 to generate image data. The image data is information stored in the image forming apparatus 1 as a result of the scanner operation or transmitted to other devices via the network I/F 190 and the network. The operation display control unit 105 displays information on the display panel 180 or notifies the main control unit 101 of information input via the display panel 180.

Next, an operation example when the folding processing unit 3 and the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment perform the folding processing and the additional folding processing, respectively, will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 are main scans of the folding processing unit 3 and the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment when performing the folding processing and the additional folding processing, respectively. It is sectional drawing seen from the direction. The operation of each operation unit described below is performed by the control of the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102.

When the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment performs the folding processing operation in the folding processing unit 3, first, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the folding processing unit 3 is arranged from the image forming unit 2 to the entrance roller pair 310. The image-formed sheet 6 that has been conveyed to the folding processing unit 3 is conveyed toward the conveyance path switching claw 330 while lateral registration correction is performed by the registration roller pair 320 and the conveyance timing is measured.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the folding processing unit 3 uses the first folding processing conveyance roller pair 340 to convey the sheet 6 conveyed to the conveyance path switching claw 330 by the registration roller pair 320 by the conveyance path switching claw 330. Induce to. As shown in FIG. 4C, the folding processing unit 3 causes the sheet 6 guided by the transport path switching claw 330 to the first folding processing transport roller pair 340 by the first folding processing transport roller pair 340. The sheet is conveyed toward the second folding conveyance roller pair 350.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the folding unit 3 first conveys the sheet 6 conveyed by the first pair of folding and conveying rollers 340 to the second pair of folding and conveying rollers 350. It is further transported by the roller pair 340 and the second folding processing transport roller pair 350. As shown in FIG. 5B, the folding processing unit 3 measures the timing for folding the paper 6 at a predetermined position, and reverses the rotation direction of the second folding processing conveyance roller pair 350, so that the paper 6 is folded. While bending at the predetermined position, the first folding processing conveyance roller pair 340 and the second folding processing conveyance roller pair 350 move the sheet 6 to the creasing conveyance roller pair 360 so that the bending position does not change. Carry towards.

At this time, in the folding processing unit 3, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control the respective units based on the conveyance speed of the sheet 6 and the sensor information input from the sensor 370, so that the above timing is measured. Is becoming

As shown in FIG. 5C, the folding processing unit 3 conveys the sheet 6 conveyed by the second folding processing conveying roller pair 350 to the crease conveying roller pair 360 in the conveying direction of the crease conveying roller pair 360. When the sheet 6 is rotated, the bending of the sheet 6 is sandwiched to make a crease at the predetermined position, and the sheet 6 is conveyed toward the gap between the additional folding roller 410 of the additional folding processing unit 4 and the sheet support plate 420. .. That is, in the present embodiment, the crease feeding roller pair 360 functions as a sheet feeding unit. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the present embodiment, one of the first folding processing conveyance roller pair 340 also serves as one of the crease conveyance roller pair 360.

An example of the shape of the sheet 6 that has been folded in this way is shown in FIGS. FIGS. 7A to 7H are views showing an example of the shape of the folded sheet 6 that has been folded by the folding unit 3 according to the present embodiment.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6A, the additional folding processing unit 4 transfers the sheet 6 conveyed to the gap between the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet supporting plate 420 by the crease conveying roller pair 360 to the sheet supporting plate 420. Is supported from the pressing direction, and the additional folding is performed by increasing the folds formed on the sheet 6 and pressing the folding roller 410 while rotating the folding roller 410 in the transport direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the additional folding roller 410 functions as a pressing portion, and the sheet supporting plate 420 functions as a sheet supporting portion.

At this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 allow the folding information regarding the folding method in the folding processing unit 3, the paper information regarding the size of the paper 6, the conveyance speed of the paper 6, and the additional folding roller 410. The timing of pressing the paper 6 is measured by controlling each part based on the rotation speed of the. Alternatively, at this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control the respective units based on the conveyance speed of the sheet 6, the rotation speed of the additional folding roller 410, and the sensor information input from the sensor 430. By controlling, the timing of pressing the paper 6 is measured.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the additional folding roller 410 is driven by the driving force of the additional folding roller driving motor 471 transmitted from the additional folding roller driving device 470 via the timing belt 472, and the folding The scoring/conveying roller pair 360 is driven by a crease/conveying roller driving motor (not shown). Then, the drive of the additional folding roller drive motor 471 and the drive of the crease feed roller drive motor are performed under the control of the engine control unit 102. That is, in the present embodiment, the additional folding roller drive motor 471 functions as a rotation drive braking unit, and the engine control unit 102 functions as a rotation control unit and a conveyance control unit.

As described above, when the additional fold processing unit 4 performs the additional fold by pressing the fold line formed on the sheet 6 with the additional fold roller 410, the additional fold processing sheet 6 is subjected to the additional fold processing transport roller. It is conveyed toward the pair 440.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the additional folding processing unit 4 discharges the sheet 6 that has been subjected to the additional folding processing, which has been conveyed from the gap between the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet support plate 420, as it is, The paper 6 is conveyed toward the paper ejection roller pair 450 by the additional folding processing conveyance roller pair 440. Then, the additional folding processing unit 4 discharges the sheet 6 that has been subjected to the additional folding processing, which has been conveyed to the sheet discharge roller 450 by the additional folding processing conveyance roller pair 440, to the sheet discharge tray 170 by the sheet discharge roller 450. This completes the folding process operations and additional folding processing operation in engagement Ru images forming apparatus 1 in this embodiment.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6C, the additional folding processing unit 4 staples or punches the sheet 6 that has been subjected to the additional folding processing that has been conveyed from the gap between the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet support plate 420. When post-processing such as bookbinding processing is performed, the paper 6 is transported toward the post-processing transport roller pair 460 by the additional folding transport roller pair 440. Then, the additional folding processing unit 4 transfers the sheet 6 that has been subjected to the additional folding processing, which has been conveyed to the post-processing conveyance roller pair 460 by the additional-folding processing conveyance roller pair 440, to the post-processing unit (not shown) by the post-processing conveyance roller pair 460. Transport. This completes the folding process operations and additional folding processing operation in engagement Ru images forming apparatus 1 in this embodiment.

Next, structural examples of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, 11 to 13, 14 to 16, and 17 to 19, respectively.

First, a first structural example of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen from diagonally above and in the main scanning direction. FIG. 9 is a front view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the sub-scanning direction. FIG. 10 is a side view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen from the main scanning direction.

In the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment, as a first structural example, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10, a plurality of pressing force transmission portions 412 are mutually constant in the rotation direction of the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411. With an angular difference of, the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 is arranged at regular intervals in the main scanning direction.

Here, the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 is a rotation shaft of the additional folding roller 410 that is horizontally stretched across the additional folding processing unit 4 in the main scanning direction and that rotates about an axis that penetrates in the main scanning direction. Reference numeral 412 is a pressing member that expands and contracts in a specific direction and transmits the pressing force to the fold formed on the paper 6 by the elastic force when the expansion and contraction.

When the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment is configured as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the additional folding roller 410 can sequentially press the fold line from one end to the other end. It becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of folding wrinkles.

Next, a second structural example of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. 11 illustrates the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment in an oblique direction in the main scanning direction. It is the perspective view seen from the upper side. FIG. 12 is a front view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen from the sub-scanning direction. FIG. 13 is a side view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen from the main scanning direction.

In the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment, as a second structural example, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13, an odd number of pressing force transmission portions 412 are formed at the center of the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 in the main scanning direction. So that they are symmetrical with respect to each other, they are arranged around the additional folding roller rotary shaft 411 with a constant angular difference in the rotational direction of the additional folding roller rotary shaft 411 at regular intervals in the main scanning direction.

Next, a third structural example of the additional folding roller 410 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as viewed from diagonally above and in the main scanning direction. FIG. 15 is a front view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen from the sub-scanning direction. FIG. 16 is a side view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the main scanning direction.

In the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment, as a third structural example, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, an even number of pressing force transmitting portions 412 are used as a reference with respect to the center of the additional folding roller 410 in the main scanning direction. So as to be symmetrical with each other, the additional folding roller rotary shaft 411 is arranged around the additional folding roller rotary shaft 411 at a constant interval in the main scanning direction with a certain angular difference therebetween.

Next, a fourth structural example of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as viewed from diagonally above and in the main scanning direction. FIG. 18 is a front view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen from the sub scanning direction. FIG. 19 is a side view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen from the main scanning direction.

The additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment, as a fourth structural example, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the pressing force transmitting portion 412 shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 is arranged on the additional folding roller rotating shaft. 14 to 16 and the arrangement mode of the pressing force transmitting portion 412 on the additional folding roller rotation shaft shown in FIGS. 14 to 16 are combined with a predetermined angular difference in the rotation direction of the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411. Composed. When the additional folding roller 410 according to this embodiment is configured as shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the additional folding roller 410 has no gap in the main scanning direction, that is, the entire fold line formed on the sheet 6. It is possible to press the entire space without any gap.

When the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment is configured as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, 14 to 16, and 17 to 19, the additional folding roller 410 has fold lines from the center to both ends. Since it can be sequentially pressed toward, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of folding wrinkles.

Next, a structural example of the pressing force transmitting portion 412 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20B are views of the pressing force transmitting portion 412 according to the present embodiment seen from the main scanning direction in a state where the pressing force transmitting portion 412 is arranged on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411. As shown in FIG. 20A, the pressing force transmitting portion 412 according to the present embodiment includes a fixing portion 412a for fixing the pressing force transmitting portion 412 around the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411, and a fixing portion 412a. An elastic body 412b that is attached and expands and contracts to generate an elastic force in the expansion and contraction direction, and a pressing roller 412c that is attached to the elastic body 412b and is composed of a rotating body that rotates around an axis that penetrates in the main scanning direction. To be done. That is, in this embodiment, the pressing roller 412c functions as a pressing force acting portion.

As described above, the pressing force transmitting portion 412 is configured to include the elastic body 412b. Assuming that the elastic body 412b is a rigid body, the additional folding roller 410 is configured such that one of the pressing force transmitting portions 412 is This is because the sheet cannot be rotated when it comes into contact with the sheet support plate 420. That is, in the present embodiment, the elastic body 412b functions as an elastic body that generates an elastic force according to the amount of change due to the change in the physical shape.

Although FIG. 20A shows an example in which the elastic body 412b is composed of a leaf spring, it may be composed of a compression spring, rubber, sponge, plastic resin or the like. ..

During the additional folding process, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment rotates the additional folding roller 410 configured as described above with the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 as a rotation axis, so that the additional folding roller 410 is rotated in the main scanning direction. The formed folds can be sequentially pressed in the fold direction by each pressing force transmitting portion 412.

This is because the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of pressing force transmitting portions 412 that are arranged around the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 with a certain angular difference in the rotation direction of the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411. This is because they are arranged at regular intervals in the scanning direction.

Therefore, in the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, the pressing force is not dispersed in the entire main scanning direction during the additional folding processing, and the concentrated pressing force by each pressing force transmitting portion 412 is folded. Can be applied over the entire area.

It should be noted that the elastic body 412b may be attached with a simple pressing rod 412d as shown in FIG. 20B, instead of the pressing roller 412c constituted by a rotating body. However, when the pressing force transmitting portion 412 is configured in this manner, the pressing rod 412d damages the paper 6 during pressing, and the contact portion of the pressing rod 412d to the paper 6 is abraded significantly. However, if the contact portion of the pressing rod 412d with respect to the sheet 6 is formed into a smooth shape and the frictional force of the contact portion is reduced, the above problem can be alleviated.

The additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment rotates the additional folding roller 410 configured as described above with the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 as a rotation axis, thereby pressing each fold formed in the main scanning direction. The transmission portion 412 is capable of sequentially pressing in the folding direction.

Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can intensively apply the pressing force of each pressing force transmitting portion 412 over the entire fold line in a short time. Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can apply a sufficient pressing force to the fold line without reducing the productivity while reducing the load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411. .. As a result, it is possible to provide a high-productivity, small-sized, and low-cost additional folding device.

Next, details of an operation example when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment performs the additional folding processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of only the mechanical section related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit 4 when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing, as viewed from the main scanning direction. .. Note that, in FIG. 21, an example in which the additional folding process is performed on the sheet 6 on which the Z- fold having the first fold line 6a is formed will be described. The operation of each operation unit described below is performed under the control of the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102.

When the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment starts conveying the sheet 6 as shown in FIG. 21A, the additional folding roller 410 is formed on the sheet 6 as shown in FIG. 21B. Further, the timing until the first folding line 6a is brought into contact with the first folding line 6a is calculated, and then the rotation of the additional folding roller 410 is started.

At this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 allow the folding information regarding the folding method in the folding processing unit 3, the paper information regarding the size of the paper 6, the conveyance speed of the paper 6, and the additional folding roller 410. By controlling the respective units based on the rotation speed of, the timing until the additional folding roller 410 comes into contact with the first fold line 6a formed on the sheet 6 is calculated. Alternatively, at this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control the respective units based on the conveyance speed of the sheet 6, the rotation speed of the additional folding roller 410, and the sensor information input from the sensor 430. By controlling, the timing until the additional folding roller 410 comes into contact with the first fold line 6a formed on the sheet 6 is calculated.

Then, as shown in FIG. 21C, the additional folding processing unit 4 conveys the sheet 6 until the first fold 6a is located immediately below the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411, and then the sheet 6 is completely conveyed. Then, the additional folding roller 410 starts contact with the first fold line 6a formed on the sheet 6 to start pressing the first fold line 6a. Then, the additional folding processing unit 4 presses the first fold line 6a formed on the sheet 6 by continuing to rotate the additional folding roller 410 while stopping the sheet 6 as shown in FIG. Continue.

At this time, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, the sheet 6 folded so that the first fold 6a is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction, the first fold 6a One of the main points is to press from the formed surface. Here, as described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment uses the paper 6 that is folded so that the first fold line 6a is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction. The significance of pressing from the surface on which the fold line 6a is formed will be described with reference to FIGS. 22(a) to 22(c) show a case where a conventional additional folding processing unit has a sheet 6 folded such that the first fold line 6a is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction. It is a figure which shows a mode when it presses from the surface on the opposite side to the surface in which the fold line 6a was formed.

As shown in FIG. 22( a ), the conventional additional folding processing unit prints a sheet 6 folded such that the first fold line 6 a is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction. When pressed from the surface opposite to the surface on which the fold line 6a is formed, due to the thickness of the first fold line 6a, as shown in FIGS. 6d will occur.

Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment has an object to prevent the press marks 6c and the folding wrinkles 6d from being generated on the sheet 6 in this way. For this reason, as described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the paper 6 that is folded such that the first fold line 6a is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction is first It is configured to press from the surface on which the first fold line 6a is formed.

With the configuration described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can prevent occurrence of folding wrinkles, pressing marks, or the like on the paper 6 after the additional folding processing. Therefore, according to the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the quality of the sheet 6 after the folds are reinforced.

At this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control the respective units based on the folding information regarding the folding method in the folding processing unit 3 to form the first fold line 6a. The paper 6 is conveyed to the position where the additional folding process is performed so as to press the paper 6 from the surface that is cut.

After that, the additional folding processing unit 4 calculates the timing until the additional folding roller 410 separates from the sheet 6 as shown in FIG. 21E, and at the time when the additional folding roller 410 separates from the sheet 6. The conveyance of the paper 6 is started.

At this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control each unit based on the rotation speed of the additional folding roller 410, so that the additional folding roller 410 is separated from the sheet 6. It is designed to calculate timing.

Then, the additional folding processing unit 4 finishes the additional folding processing by conveying the sheet 6 separated from the additional folding roller 410 without pressing the fold line 6b. As described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 conveys the sheet 6 separated from the additional folding roller 410 without pressing the folds 6b because the folds 6b cannot be pressed from the fold side. Is. If the additional folding processing unit 4 is configured to include the additional folding rollers 410 both above and below the sheet supporting plate 420, the folds 6b as well as the folds 6a should be pressed from the fold side. Is possible.

As shown in FIGS. 21A to 21E, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is folded such that the first fold line 6a is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction. When pressing the sheet 6, the sheet 6 is configured to be pressed from the surface on which the first fold line 6a is formed. The additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above as one of the gist. With the configuration described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can prevent occurrence of folding wrinkles, pressing marks, or the like on the paper 6 after the additional folding processing. Therefore, according to the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the quality of the sheet 6 after the folds are reinforced.

If the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to the example shown in FIG. 21, the additional folding roller 410 first collides with the sheet support plate 420 at a timing corresponding to FIG. Comes into contact with the sheet 6. Therefore, when the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to the example shown in FIG. 21, a collision sound between the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet support plate 420 is generated in the additional folding processing unit 4.

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 21, the additional folding roller 410 comes into contact with only the sheet 6 and therefore indirectly collides with the sheet support plate 420 via the sheet 6. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 21, the sheet 6 functions as a cushioning material between the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet support plate 420, and it is possible to suppress the collision noise as described above. In particular, such an effect is more easily obtained as the number of times the sheet 6 is folded is increased. This is because the more the number of times the sheets 6 are folded, the more the sheets are overlapped with each other, so that the thickness is increased and the buffering effect is increased.

Further, if the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to the example shown in FIG. 21, the additional folding roller 410 first collides with the sheet support plate 420 at a timing corresponding to FIG. The sheet 6 comes into contact with the sheet 6, but the sheet 6 comes into contact with the open portion formed in the upper portion of the first fold line 6a. Therefore, when the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to that of the example shown in FIG. 21, there is a problem that folding wrinkles may occur on the paper 6. Such a problem tends to occur remarkably as the number of times the sheet 6 is folded increases. This is because the more the number of times the sheets 6 are folded, the more the sheets overlap and the thickness increases.

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 21, the additional folding roller 410 comes into contact with the opposite side of the opening formed in the upper part of the first fold line 6a. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 21, there is no problem of folding wrinkles on the sheet 6 regardless of the number of times the sheet 6 is folded.

As described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment increases the number of sheets depending on the type and thickness of the sheet 6, the shape of the folded sheet 6, the folding method, the number of folds, the position of the folds, and the like. By changing the rotation direction of the folding roller 410, it is possible to suppress the collision noise and prevent the occurrence of folding wrinkles.

Next, details of another operation example when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment performs the additional folding processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of only the mechanical section related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit 4 when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing, as viewed from the main scanning direction. .. Note that, in FIG. 23, an example in which the additional folding process is performed on the sheet 6 on which the Z- fold having the second fold line 6b is formed will be described. The operation of each operation unit described below is performed under the control of the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102.

When the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment starts conveying the sheet 6 as shown in FIG. 23A, the additional folding roller 410 is formed on the sheet 6 as shown in FIG. 23B. Further, after calculating the timing until the second fold 6b is contacted, the reversal of the additional folding roller 410 is started.

At this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 allow the folding information regarding the folding method in the folding processing unit 3, the paper information regarding the size of the paper 6, the conveyance speed of the paper 6, and the additional folding roller 410. By controlling the respective units based on the rotation speed of, the timing until the additional folding roller 410 comes into contact with the second fold line 6b formed on the sheet 6 is calculated. Alternatively, at this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control the respective units based on the conveyance speed of the sheet 6, the rotation speed of the additional folding roller 410, and the sensor information input from the sensor 430. By controlling, the timing until the additional folding roller 410 comes into contact with the second fold line 6b formed on the sheet 6 is calculated.

Then, as shown in FIG. 23C, the additional folding processing unit 4 conveys the sheet 6 until the second fold 6b is positioned immediately below the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411, and then the sheet 6 is completely conveyed. in after having stopped, additional folding roller 410 starts pressing against the second fold 6 b by starting a contact to the second fold 6b formed on the sheet 6. Then, as shown in FIG. 23D, the additional folding processing unit 4 continues to rotate the additional folding roller 410 while the sheet 6 is stopped, so that the second folding line 6 b formed on the sheet 6 is formed. Continue pressing.

At this time, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, the sheet 6 folded so that the second fold 6b is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction, the second fold 6b One of the main points is to press from the formed surface. In this way, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment uses the sheet 6 folded such that the second fold line 6b is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction, to the second fold line 6b. The significance of pressing from the surface on which is formed is as described with reference to FIGS.

With the configuration described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can prevent occurrence of folding wrinkles, pressing marks, or the like on the paper 6 after the additional folding processing. Therefore, according to the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the quality of the sheet 6 after the folds are reinforced.

At this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control the respective units based on the folding information regarding the folding method in the folding processing unit 3 to form the second fold line 6b. The paper 6 is conveyed to the position where the additional folding process is performed so as to press the paper 6 from the surface that is cut.

After that, the additional folding processing unit 4 calculates the timing until the additional folding roller 410 separates from the sheet 6 as shown in FIG. 23E, and at the time when the additional folding roller 410 separates from the sheet 6. The conveyance of the paper 6 is started.

At this time, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the main control unit 101 and the engine control unit 102 control each unit based on the rotation speed of the additional folding roller 410, so that the additional folding roller 410 is separated from the sheet 6. It is designed to calculate timing.

Then, the additional folding processing unit 4 finishes the additional folding processing by transporting the sheet 6 separated from the additional folding roller 410 without pressing the fold line 6a. In this way, the additional folding processing unit 4 conveys the sheet 6 separated from the additional folding roller 410 without pressing the folds 6a because the folds 6a cannot be pressed from the fold side. Is. If the additional folding processing unit 4 is configured to include the additional folding rollers 410 both above and below the sheet supporting plate 420, the folds 6a as well as the folds 6a should be pressed from the fold side. Is possible.

As shown in FIGS. 23A to 23E, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is folded such that the second fold line 6b is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction. When the sheet 6 is pressed, the sheet 6 is pressed from the surface on which the second fold line 6b is formed. The additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above as one of the gist. With the configuration described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can prevent occurrence of folding wrinkles, pressing marks, or the like on the paper 6 after the additional folding processing. Therefore, according to the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the quality of the sheet 6 after the folds are reinforced.

If the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to the example shown in FIG. 23, the additional folding roller 410 first has a portion where the sheet 6 does not overlap at the timing corresponding to FIG. Will come into contact with. Therefore, when the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to the example shown in FIG. 23, in the additional folding processing unit 4, the cushioning action of the sheet 6 between the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet support plate 420 is weak. And a collision sound is generated.

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 23, the additional folding roller 410 abuts only the portion of the sheet 6 where the sheet 6 is overlapped, so that the additional folding roller 410 collides with the sheet support plate 420 via the portion where the sheet 6 is overlapped. .. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 23, the folding amount of the sheet 6 increases, and the sheet 6 functions as a cushioning material between the folding roller 410 and the sheet supporting plate 420, so that it is possible to suppress the above-described collision noise. Becomes In particular, such an effect is more easily obtained as the number of times the sheet 6 is folded is increased. This is because the more the number of times the sheets 6 are folded, the more the sheets are overlapped with each other, so that the thickness is increased and the buffering effect is increased.

Further, if the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to the example shown in FIG. 23, the additional folding roller 410 first has a portion where the sheet 6 does not overlap at the timing corresponding to FIG. However, the contact is made toward the open portion formed in the lower portion of the second fold line 6b. Therefore, when the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction opposite to that of the example shown in FIG. 23, there is a problem that folding wrinkles may occur on the paper 6. Such a problem tends to occur remarkably as the number of times the sheet 6 is folded increases. This is because the more the number of times the sheets 6 are folded, the more the sheets overlap and the thickness increases.

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 23, the additional folding roller 410 comes into contact with the opposite side of the opening formed in the upper part of the second fold line 6b. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 23, the problem of folding wrinkles occurring on the sheet 6 does not occur regardless of the number of times the sheet 6 is folded.

As described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment increases the number of sheets depending on the type and thickness of the sheet 6, the shape of the folded sheet 6, the folding method, the number of folds, the position of the folds, and the like. By changing the rotation direction of the folding roller 410, it is possible to suppress the collision noise and prevent the occurrence of folding wrinkles.

Next, the load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 24 is a graph showing the load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing operation. Note that, in FIG. 24, the total load on the additional folding roller rotating shaft 411 in the configuration of the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 is shown by a solid line graph.

In addition, the broken line graph in FIG. 24 shows the additional folding when it is assumed that each set of the pressing force transmitting portions 412 forming the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 presses the sheet 6 independently. It is a graph which shows the load to the roller rotating shaft 411, and it is the 1st set in the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17-19 in order from the left toward FIG. 15 is a graph of the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the 15th set.

In the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the first set is different from the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the second set to the fifteenth set. It includes only one pressing force transmitting portion 412. Therefore, it is assumed that the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the first set presses the sheet 6 independently, and the load on the additional folding roller rotating shaft 411 is independently applied by the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the other set. It is half of what it would be if 6 was pressed.

The alternate long and short dash line graph in FIG. 24 is a graph showing the load on the rotary shaft of the additional folding roller when the conventional additional folding processing unit is in the additional folding processing operation.

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 24, one set is assumed assuming that each set of the pressing force transmitting portions 412 forming the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 presses the sheet 6 independently. The load on the additional folding roller rotating shaft 411 is smaller than the load on the rotating shaft of the additional folding roller in the conventional additional folding processing unit.

Further, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 24, the total load on the additional folding roller rotating shaft 411 in the configuration of the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 is also the same as that of the additional folding roller in the conventional additional folding processing unit. Smaller than the axis of rotation. This is because, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, 14 to 16, and 17 to 19, each set of the pressing force transmitting portions 412 constituting the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment, respectively. This is because the sheet 6 is configured to be pressed sequentially in the main scanning direction at different timings.

Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can obtain the same or more additional folding effect with a smaller pressing force than the additional folding roller in the conventional additional folding processing unit. It is possible to reduce the load on the folding roller rotation shaft 411. That is, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can apply a sufficient pressing force to the fold while reducing the load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411.

Next, the load torque on the additional folding roller drive motor 471 when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining the rotation moment applied to the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing operation.

As shown in FIG. 25, when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing operation, after the pressing roller 412c of the pressing force transmitting portion 412 starts contacting the sheet 6, the elastic body A rotational moment is generated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the additional folding roller 410 until the expansion/contraction direction of 412b becomes parallel to the perpendicular line drawn from the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 to the sheet support plate 420. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 25, when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is in the additional folding processing operation, after the elastic member 412b extends and contracts in parallel with the perpendicular, the pressing force transmitting portion 412 is pressed. Until the pressing roller 412c separates the sheet 6, a rotational moment is generated in the same direction as the rotational direction of the additional folding roller 410.

Therefore, it is assumed that each set of the pressing force transmitting portions 412 forming the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment independently presses the sheet 6, and the rotational moments of these groups are applied to the additional folding roller drive motor 471. It becomes load torque.

However, the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment is configured as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, 14 to 16, and 17 to 19, and therefore, as shown in FIG. Since the rotational moments generated by the pressing force transmitting portions 412 and the rotational moments generated by the pressing force transmitting portions 412 of the other sets are generated in opposite directions, the rotational moments cancel each other out, and the total sum of the rotational moments becomes small. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can reduce the load torque to the additional folding roller drive motor 471 during the additional folding processing operation. Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can apply a sufficient pressing force to the fold while reducing the load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 25, the angle formed by the vertical line and the expansion/contraction direction of the elastic body 412b forming the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of one set is α, and the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of another set is formed. When the angle formed by the direction of expansion and contraction of the elastic body 412b and the perpendicular is β, when α and β are the same, the rotational moment generated by the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the certain set and the other The rotational moments generated by the pressing force transmitting portions 412 of the set completely cancel each other out, and the total sum becomes zero.

On the other hand, the force to be canceled is a force in the direction of rotation centered on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411, and is a force in the vertically downward direction from the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411, that is, the elastic force of the elastic body 412b. It does not affect the pressing force on 420. Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can apply a sufficient pressing force to the fold while reducing the load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411.

FIG. 26 shows how the load torque applied to the additional folding roller drive motor 471 changes when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing operation. FIG. 26 is a graph showing the load torque on the additional folding roller drive motor 471 when the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is performing the additional folding processing operation. In addition, in FIG. 26, the total sum of the load torques to the additional folding roller drive motor 471 when the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 in the configuration of the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. It shows with.

In addition, the dotted line graph in FIG. 26 shows the additional folding when it is assumed that each set of the pressing force transmitting portions 412 forming the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 presses the sheet 6 independently. It is a graph which shows the load torque to the roller drive motor 471, and it is the 1st group in the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17-19 in order from the left toward FIG. Is a graph for the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the 15th set.

In the additional folding roller 410 shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the first set differs from the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of the second set to the fifteenth set. It includes only one pressing force transmitting portion 412. Therefore, the load torque applied to the additional folding roller drive motor 471 on the assumption that the first set of pressing force transmitting portions 412 presses the sheet 6 independently, the pressing force transmitting portions 412 of the other set independently. It is half of what it is when the paper 6 is pressed.

As shown in FIG. 26, the absolute value of the load torque applied to the additional folding roller drive motor 471 during the additional folding processing operation of the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is the rotation of the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411. It can be seen that when the angle is in the range of 38° to 173°, it is smaller than when it is assumed that each set of the pressing force transmitting units 412 presses the sheet 6 independently. This is because, as described above, the rotational moment of the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of one set and the rotational moment of the pressing force transmitting portion 412 of another set cancel each other out. Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can apply a sufficient pressing force to the fold while reducing the load on the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411.

Next, the structure of the additional folding roller driving device 470 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28. FIG. 27 is a diagram of the additional folding roller driving device 470 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the main scanning direction. FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller driving device 470 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the additional folding roller drive device 470 according to the present embodiment is provided at one end of the additional folding roller 410 in the main scanning direction, and includes an additional folding roller drive motor 471, a timing belt 472, and a reversing gear. 473, an additional folding roller rotary gear pulley 474, and an additional folding roller rotary pulley 475.

The additional folding roller drive motor 471 is a motor that rotates the reversing gear 473. The additional folding roller rotation gear pulley 474 is a pulley that includes a gear that meshes with the reversing gear 473, and when the reversing gear 473 rotates, it rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the reversing gear 473. The timing belt 472 is an endless belt for transmitting the rotation of the additional folding roller rotary gear pulley 474 to the additional folding roller rotary pulley 475. The additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 is connected to the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411, and is rotated in the same direction as the additional folding roller rotation gear pulley 474 by the timing belt 472 as the additional folding roller rotation gear pulley 474 rotates. The additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 is rotated in the rotation direction.

When the additional folding roller drive device 470 configured as described above rotates the additional folding roller 410 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 28, first, the additional folding roller drive motor 471 is driven according to the control of the engine control unit 102. By rotating the reversing gear 473 in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in FIG. 28, the reversing gear 473 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in FIG. As a result, the additional folding roller rotation gear pulley 474 rotates in the same direction as the arrow shown in FIG. 28, and transmits the rotation to the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 via the timing belt 472.

When the additional folding roller rotating pulley 475 rotates, the additional folding roller rotating shaft 411 rotates in association with the rotation, whereby the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 28. When the additional folding roller driving device 470 rotates the additional folding roller 410 in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in FIG. 28, each rotates in the opposite direction.

As described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, in the additional folding processing, as shown in FIGS. 21( a) to (e) and FIGS. 23( a) to (e), 6 presses the sheet 6 to reinforce the first fold 6a and the second fold 6b formed on the sheet 6, the sheet 6 is pressed from the surface on which the first fold 6a and the second fold 6b are formed. It is one of the gist that it is configured to do. With the configuration described above, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can prevent occurrence of folding wrinkles, pressing marks, or the like on the paper 6 after the additional folding processing. Therefore, according to the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the quality of the sheet 6 after the folds are reinforced.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described with reference to FIGS. 21A to 21E and FIGS. 23A to 23E, the fold is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction. An example of pressing the folded paper 6 has been described. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 7C, the folded paper 6 may have a fold at the front end or the rear end in the transport direction. It is possible to obtain the same effect as the effect according to the present embodiment when pressing. Here, the reason will be described with reference to FIGS. 29A and 29B and FIGS. 30A and 30B. 29(a), (b) and FIGS. 30(a), (b), the conventional additional folding processing unit is for folding the paper 6 such that the first fold line 6a is located at the front end in the transport direction. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state when pressing from the surface opposite to the surface on which the first fold line 6a is formed.

As shown in FIG. 29A, a conventional additional folding processing unit forms a sheet 6 folded such that the first fold 6a is located at the front end in the transport direction, and the first fold 6a is formed. When pressed from the surface opposite to the surface, as shown in FIG. 29B, due to the friction between the pressing roller 412c and the paper 6, the portion overlapping the first fold line 6a increases and follows the rotation of the folding roller 410. Then, the state becomes the same as the state shown in FIG. As a result, the conventional additional folding processing unit forms the sheet 6 folded such that the first fold 6a is located at the front end in the transport direction on the surface opposite to the surface on which the first fold 6a is formed. When pressed from above, pressing marks 6c and folding wrinkles 6d are generated on the sheet 6 as shown in FIGS.

As described above, even when pressing the folded sheet 6 such that the fold is located at the front end or the rear end in the transport direction, the fold is positioned so that the fold is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction. As in the case of pressing the formed sheet 6, a pressing mark 6c and a folding wrinkle 6d are generated on the sheet 6. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in addition to pressing the folded sheet 6 so that the fold is located between the front end and the rear end in the transport direction, the fold is located at the front end or the rear end in the transport direction. It is possible to obtain the same effect as the effect according to the present embodiment when pressing the folded sheet 6 as described above.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the additional folding processing unit 4 has described the example in which the additional folding roller 410 is rotated only in one direction only once to press the one folding line from the specific direction only once. However, the additional folding roller 410 may be configured to be pressed a plurality of times in a specific direction by rotating the additional folding roller 410 only in one direction, or the additional folding roller 410 may be rotated in both directions. Therefore, one fold may be configured to be pressed a plurality of times in both the paper transport direction and the opposite direction. With such a configuration, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment can obtain a larger additional folding effect.

Further, the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the structure shown in each of FIGS. 8 to 10, 11 to 13, 14 to 16 and 17 to 19, and includes a plurality of pressing forces. Each of the transmission units 412 is different in timing from at least one of the other pressing force transmission units 412 in accordance with the positional relationship with the sheet support plate 420 that changes with the rotation of the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411. The same effect can be obtained if the elastic body 412b is expanded and contracted by receiving the stress from 420 and is arranged around the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 in the main scanning direction.

In addition to such a structure, the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment may be configured by attaching a pressing force transmission roller 413 to the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 as shown in FIG. FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller 410 according to the present embodiment as seen obliquely from above and laterally in the main scanning direction. In FIG. 31, the pressing force transmission roller 413 is a roller for transmitting the pressing force to the fold formed on the paper 6 by pressing the paper 6 against the paper support plate 420.

Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the image forming unit 2, the folding processing unit 3, the additional folding processing unit 4, and the scanner unit 5 are provided in the image forming apparatus 1 has been described, but each unit is a different independent device. The image forming system may be configured by connecting these devices.

Further, as shown in FIG. 32, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment may be configured to include an impact cushioning sheet 422 between the paper 6 and the additional folding roller 410. FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view of the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment as seen from the main scanning direction. The additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment thus includes the shock absorbing sheet 422 between the sheet 6 and the additional folding roller 410, so that the additional folding roller 410 contacts only the shock absorbing sheet 422. Since the sheet 6 is not in contact with and directly touched, it is possible to more effectively prevent the occurrence of folding wrinkles, pressing marks, or the like on the sheet 6 after the additional folding process. Therefore, according to the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to further improve the quality of the sheet 6 after the folds are reinforced.

Further, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is provided with the shock absorbing sheet 422 between the sheet 6 and the additional folding roller 410 as described above, so that the shock absorbing sheet 422 is connected to the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet. The impact with the support plate 420 is mitigated, and the collision sound at that time is absorbed, so that the collision sound can be suppressed. Like the shock absorbing material 421, the shock absorbing sheet 422 is made of a shock absorbing material such as rubber, sponge, or plastic resin. That is, in the present embodiment, the shock absorbing material 421 and the shock absorbing sheet 422 function as a shock absorbing material.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet support plate 420 are arranged as shown in FIGS. 4A to 6C has been described, but a fold line is formed. As long as it is arranged so as to press the paper 6 from the opposite side, it may be arranged upside down with respect to the arrangement shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 6(c).

Embodiment 2.
In the first embodiment, as described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28, the additional folding roller 410 is rotatable in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions with the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 as a rotation axis. I explained. In this case, as described with reference to FIGS. 21A to 21E and FIGS. 23A to 23E, the additional folding processing unit 4 causes the fold line formed on the paper 6 to move in the sub-scanning direction. It is possible to press from both directions.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the additional folding roller 410 can rotate only clockwise or counterclockwise with the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 as a rotation axis. In this case, the additional folding processing unit 4 can press the fold line formed on the sheet from only one direction in the sub-scanning direction, but the additional folding roller 410 should be rotated in the direction opposite to the rotatable direction. Therefore, the driving force of the additional folding roller drive motor 471 for achieving the above can be used for another drive system. The details will be described below. In addition, about the structure attached|subjected with the code|symbol same as Embodiment 1, it shows the same or equivalent part, and detailed description is abbreviate|omitted.

First, the structure of the additional folding roller driving device 470 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 33 and 34. FIG. 33 is a diagram of the additional folding roller driving device 470 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the main scanning direction. FIG. 34 is a perspective view of the additional folding roller driving device 470 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, the additional folding roller drive device 470 according to the present embodiment includes a one-way clutch 476, a reverse rotation gear 477, a one-way clutch 478, a reverse clutch in addition to the structure shown in FIGS. 27 and 28. A rotating cam 479 is provided.

The one-way clutch 476 is provided inside the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475, and rotates the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 in the same direction only when the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 rotates in a specific direction, thereby performing additional folding. When the roller rotation pulley 475 rotates in the direction opposite to the specific direction, the roller rotation pulley 475 idles and the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 is not rotated. That is, in the present embodiment, the one-way clutch 476 functions as a driving force cutoff unit.

The one-way clutch 476 according to the present embodiment rotates the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 in the same direction only when the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 rotates in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. When the pulley 475 rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 34, it is assumed that the pulley 475 is configured to idle.

The reverse rotation gear 477 is a gear that meshes with the reverse gear 473, and when the reverse gear 473 rotates, it rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the reverse gear 473, that is, in the same direction as the additional folding roller rotary gear pulley 474. .. The one-way clutch 478 is provided inside the reverse rotation gear 477, and similar to the one-way clutch 476, the reverse rotation cam 479 is rotated in the same direction only when the reverse rotation gear 477 is rotated in a specific direction. When the 477 rotates in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned specific direction, the reverse rotation cam 479 is prevented from rotating by idling.

The one-way clutch 478 according to the present embodiment rotates the reverse rotation cam 479 in the same direction only when the reverse rotation gear 477 rotates in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. When rotating in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow B shown, it is assumed to be configured to idle.

Since the one-way clutch 476 and the one-way clutch 478 are configured as described above, only one of the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 and the reverse rotation cam 479 rotates even when the additional folding roller drive motor 471 rotates. It will be. Further, the rotation directions of the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 and the reverse rotation cam 479 are opposite to each other.

The counter-rotating cam 479 has a curved surface whose distance from the rotation shaft of the counter-rotating gear 477 is not constant, and the rotational movement of the counter-rotating cam 479 is increased in a portion of the curved surface where the distance from the rotation shaft of the counter-rotating gear 477 is long. It is connected to a reverse rotation drive transmission unit 480 for transmitting to a drive system other than the folding roller 410.

When the additional folding roller drive device 470 configured as described above rotates the additional folding roller 410 in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 34, first, the additional folding roller drive motor 471 is operated under the control of the engine control unit 102. By rotating the reversing gear 473 in the direction opposite to the arrow A shown in FIG. 34, the reversing gear 473 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. As a result, the additional folding roller rotation gear pulley 474 rotates in the same direction as the arrow A shown in FIG. 34 and transmits the rotation to the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 via the timing belt 472.

When the additional folding roller rotating pulley 475 rotates, the additional folding roller rotating shaft 411 rotates in association with the rotation, whereby the additional folding roller 410 rotates in the direction shown in FIG. At this time, the reverse rotation gear 477 does not rotate due to the function of the one-way clutch 478.

On the other hand, in order for the additional folding roller driving device 470 thus configured to utilize the driving force of the additional folding roller driving motor 471 for another drive system, first, the additional folding roller driving motor 471 is controlled according to the control of the engine control unit 102. 34 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow B shown in FIG. 34, whereby the reverse rotation gear 477 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow B shown in FIG.

As a result, the reverse rotation cam 479 rotates in the same direction as the arrow B shown in FIG. 34, and transmits the rotational movement thereof to the drive system other than the additional folding roller 410 via the reverse rotation drive transmission unit 480. At this time, the additional folding roller rotation pulley 475 does not rotate due to the function of the one-way clutch 476. That is, in this embodiment, the reverse rotation drive transmission part 480 functions as another drive transmission part.

With such a configuration, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment provides the driving force of the additional folding roller drive motor 471 for trying to rotate the additional folding roller 410 in the direction opposite to the rotatable direction. It can be used for other drive systems.

When the additional folding roller driving device 470 is configured in this manner, the additional folding roller 410 and the sheet support plate 420 are separated from each other in the direction of gravity as shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 6(c). Therefore, it is desirable that the additional folding roller 410 is arranged on the lower side and the sheet supporting plate 420 is arranged on the upper side. This is because after the additional folding roller 410 presses the sheet 6, it can return to an appropriate standby position by its own weight as shown in FIGS. 35(a) and 35(b). 35(a) and 35(b), only the mechanism section related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit 4 after the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment finishes the additional folding processing is viewed from the main scanning direction. FIG.

Further, in the case where the additional folding roller drive device 470 is configured in this way, as shown in FIG. 36, when the additional folding roller 410 is stopped while pressing the sheet 6, the additional folding roller driving device 470 starts from the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. Even if the paper 6 is pulled out, the additional folding roller 410 idles in that direction, so that it is possible to prevent the paper 6 from being torn and the mechanical parts from being damaged. FIG. 36 shows only the mechanism portion related to the additional folding processing in the additional folding processing unit 4 when the sheet 6 is pulled out after the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is stopped in the middle of performing the additional folding processing. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view seen from the main scanning direction.

Further, in the case where the additional folding roller drive device 470 is configured in this way, when the additional folding processing unit 4 tries to stop the rotation of the additional folding roller 410, first, the rotation of the additional folding roller drive motor 471 is stopped. However, due to the function of the one-way clutch 476, the additional folding roller 410 continues to rotate in the same direction for a while due to the rotational moment due to its own inertial force. This is because even if the rotation of the additional folding roller drive motor 471 is stopped, the rotational moment due to the inertial force cannot be canceled from the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the additional folding roller 410 by the function of the one-way clutch 476. ..

Therefore, even if the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment intends to rotate the additional folding roller 410 by a predetermined angle θ and stop at the rotation angle θ, the additional folding roller 410 does not actually rotate at the predetermined angle θ. Since it rotates more than θ and stops, the accurate rotation angle of the additional folding roller 410 is lost.

Therefore, when the additional folding roller driving device 470 is configured in this way, a stop device is required to rotate the additional folding roller 410 by the predetermined angle θ and accurately stop at the rotation angle θ. Therefore, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment includes a stop device 490 for stopping the additional folding roller 410 at a predetermined position. That is, in the present embodiment, the stop device 490 functions as a rotation stop unit.

Here, the structure of the stop device 490 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 37 to 39. FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the stop device 490 according to this embodiment. FIG. 38 is a transparent view of the stop device 490 according to the present embodiment seen from a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. FIG. 39 is a view of the stop device 490 according to the present embodiment as seen from the main scanning direction.

As shown in FIGS. 37 to 39, the stop device 490 according to the present embodiment is provided on the opposite side of the additional folding roller driving device 470 with respect to the main scanning direction of the additional folding roller 410, and the stopping device fixing portion 491. The rotary unit 492, the rotary screw 493, the connecting unit 494, the rotation stopping unit 495, the torsion spring 496, the sensor 497, the sensor shielding unit 498, and the rotation stopping acting unit 499.

The stopping device fixing portion 491 is a fixing portion for fixing the stopping device 490 to the additional folding processing unit 4. The rotating portion 492 is fixed to the stop device fixing portion 491 by the rotating screw 493 so that the rotating portion 492 can rotate about the rotating screw 493 in the direction of arrow C shown in FIGS. 37 and 39. The rotating screw 493 fixes the rotating portion 492 to the stop device fixing portion 491 so as to be rotatable about the rotating shaft of the rotating portion 492 in the direction of arrow C shown in FIGS. 37 and 39. The connection part 494 connects the rotation part 492 and the rotation stop part 495. The rotation stop portion 495 is connected to the rotation portion 492 by the connection portion 494, and thus rotates about the rotation screw 493 as a rotation axis in the direction of arrow D shown in FIGS.

The torsion spring 496 is a torsion spring attached around the portion where the rotating portion 492 is attached to the stopping device fixing portion 491 by the rotating screw 493, one of which is fixed to the stopping device fixing portion 491 and the other of which is the rotation stopping portion. It is fixed at 495. With such a configuration, the torsion spring 496 exerts a force to prevent the rotation of the rotation stop portion 495 about the rotation screw 493 as a rotation axis due to the elastic force of the torsion spring 496, and the rotation stop portion 495 is rotated to the original position. It is possible to return to the position. The elastic force of the torsion spring 496 according to this embodiment is larger than the inertial force of the additional folding roller 410.

The sensor 497 includes an infrared irradiating unit that irradiates infrared light and an infrared light receiving unit that receives the infrared light. When the infrared light radiated from the infrared irradiating unit toward the infrared light receiving unit is shielded by the sensor shielding unit 498, The engine control unit 102 is notified of that fact. The sensor shielding portion 498 is fixed to the additional folding roller rotation shaft 411 and rotates together with the additional folding roller 410. When the additional folding roller 410 rotates by a predetermined angle θ, the infrared irradiation unit of the sensor 497 irradiates the infrared reception unit. Shields the infrared rays generated. With such a configuration, in the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, the sensor shielding portion 498 shields the sensor 497 as described above, so that the additional folding roller 410 rotates by the predetermined angle θ. This can be detected, and at that time, control for stopping the additional folding roller 410, that is, control for stopping the rotation of the additional folding roller drive motor 471 can be performed.

The rotation stop acting portion 499 is provided at the tip of the sensor shielding portion 498, and is configured to come into contact with the rotation stop portion 495 when the additional folding roller 410 rotates by the predetermined angle θ.

The additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment is provided with the stop device 490 configured as described above, so that the additional folding roller 410 is rotated by the predetermined angle θ to stop at the rotation angle θ. When the rotation of the folding roller drive motor 471 is stopped, the rotational moment due to the inertial force of the additional folding roller 410 can be canceled in the opposite direction.

Therefore, in the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, even when the additional folding roller driving device 470 is configured as shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, the additional folding roller 410 is moved to the predetermined angle θ. It is possible to prevent the additional folding roller 410 from continuing to rotate in the same direction for a while even when the rotation of the additional folding roller drive motor 471 is stopped when the rotation is performed only for the rotation angle θ to stop. Become.

That is, the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment actually intends to rotate the additional folding roller 410 by the predetermined angle θ and stop at the rotation angle θ. It does not stop after rotating more than the angle θ. As a result, in the additional folding processing unit 4 according to the present embodiment, even when the additional folding roller driving device 470 is configured as shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, the additional folding roller 410 is set to the predetermined angle. It is possible to rotate by θ and accurately stop at that rotation angle θ, and it is possible to always know the accurate rotation angle of the additional folding roller 410.

1 Image Forming Apparatus 2 Image Forming Unit 3 Folding Processing Unit 4 Additional Folding Processing Unit 5 Scanner Unit 6 Paper 6a First Fold 6b Second Fold 10 CPU
20 RAM
30 ROM
40 HDD
50 I/F
60 LCD
70 operation unit 80 dedicated device 90 bus 101 main control unit 102 engine control unit 103 input/output control unit 104 image processing unit 105 operation display control unit 110 paper feed table 120 print engine 130 folding processing engine 140 additional folding processing engine 150 scanner engine 160 ADF
170 Paper output tray 180 Display panel 190 Network I/F
310 Inlet Roller Pair 320 Registration Roller Pair 330 Conveyance Path Switching Claw 340 First Folding Treatment Conveying Roller Pair 350 Second Folding Treatment Conveying Roller Pair 360 Creasing Conveying Roller Pair 370 Sensor 410 Additional Folding Roller 411 Additional Folding Roller Rotation Shaft 412 Pressing force transmitting part 412a Fixed part 412b Elastic body 412c Pressing roller 413 Pressing force transmitting roller 420 Paper support plate 421 Impact cushioning material 422 Impact cushioning sheet 430 Sensor 440 Additional fold processing Conveying roller pair 450 Discharging roller 460 Post-processing conveying roller pair 470 Additional folding roller drive device 471 Additional folding roller drive motor 472 Timing belt 473 Reversing gear 474 Additional folding roller rotary gear pulley 475 Additional folding roller rotary pulley 476 One-way clutch 477 Reverse rotation gear 478 One-way clutch 479 Reverse rotation cam 480 Reverse rotation drive transmission unit 490 Stopping device 491 Stopping device fixing part 492 Rotating part 493 Rotating screw 494 Connecting part 495 Rotation stopping part 496 Torsion spring 497 Sensor 498 Sensor shielding part 499 Rotation stop acting part

JP, 2013-060246, A

Claims (14)

A sheet processing apparatus comprising a shaft and a pressing member, wherein the pressing member presses a fold line of a sheet,
The pressing member is
Position which presses the crease by the rotation of the front Symbol shaft has a contact portion disposed sequentially different in the axial direction of the shaft,
By the rotation of the pressing member about the axis, the contact portion is on the valley side of the fold in which the sheet is pressed, and the fold can be entered from the surface on which the fold is formed. Characteristic sheet processing device. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member sequentially presses the folds in a fold direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member presses the entire area of the fold with no gap. A sheet support portion that supports the sheet at a position opposite to the pressing member with the sheet interposed therebetween,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the fold line of the sheet is pressed, the contact portion comes into contact with the sheet support portion via the sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the contact portions are arranged along the axial direction of the shaft. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is arranged on the shaft via an elastic member. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the fold line of the sheet is pressed, the conveyance of the sheet is stopped. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotation direction of the shaft is one direction. A driving force for rotating the contact portion, and a rotation drive braking portion for generating a braking force for stopping the rotation of the contact portion,
Of the driving force generated by the rotational drive braking unit, only the driving force for rotating the contact unit in a specific rotation direction is transmitted to the contact unit, and the contact unit is defined as the specific rotation direction. A driving force cutoff portion that cuts off the driving force for rotating in the opposite direction from the contact portion,
9. The contact portion presses the fold line by rotating about a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the sheet is conveyed and parallel to a sheet surface as an axis. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: another drive transmission unit that transmits the drive force blocked from the contact unit to another drive unit. The driving force cutoff portion transmits only the driving force for rotating the contact portion in the rotation direction when pressing the fold line of the sheet, to the contact portion in a direction opposite to the rotation direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the driving force for rotating the sheet processing device is cut off from the contact portion. A sheet supporting portion that supports the sheet from a direction facing a pressing force,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the contact portion and the sheet support portion are arranged such that the contact portion is on a lower side and the sheet support portion is on an upper side with respect to a gravity direction. .. An image forming apparatus that executes image forming output on the sheet,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: forming the fold line on the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus, and pressing the formed fold line. Characteristic image forming system. A sheet processing method in a sheet processing apparatus, comprising a shaft and a pressing member, wherein the pressing member presses a fold line of a sheet,
The pressing member, the position which presses the crease by the rotation of the front Symbol shaft has a contact portion disposed sequentially different in the axial direction of the shaft,
The contact portion is on the valley side of the fold in which the sheet is pressed by the rotation of the pressing member about the axis, and is made to enter the fold from the surface where the fold is formed. Characterizing sheet processing method.