JP6761607B2 - Paper binding device, paper processing device and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper binding device, a paper processing device and an image forming system.

Conventionally, it is known that an image forming system is provided with a paper processing device provided with a paper binding device for binding a bundle of paper on which an image is formed by the image forming device using a binding tool which is a binding means. Has been done.

In the paper processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the fibers of the paper are entangled by strongly engaging the paper bundle with the crimping teeth which are a pair of crimping members having an uneven shape without using a metal needle, and the papers are crimped to each other. A crimp-binding type paper binding device that binds a bundle of paper by causing the paper to be bound is provided. By binding the paper bundle by crimp binding without using a metal needle, it is possible to save the trouble of removing the metal needle from the paper bundle when discarding the paper bundle or applying a shredder.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a pair of crimping teeth described in Patent Document 1. FIG. 24 is a view seen from a direction parallel to the paper surface of the paper bundle and orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the crimping teeth.
As shown in FIG. 24, the top of the convex portion 172a of the lower crimping tooth 261b is a surface parallel to the paper surface of the paper bundle. The recess 172b of the lower crimping tooth has a V-shaped groove shape. The convex portion 171a of the upper crimping tooth 261a has a V-shape, and the concave portion 171b has an inverted V-shaped groove shape.

As shown in FIG. 24, when the pair of crimping teeth are engaged, the convex portion 171a of the upper crimping tooth 261a comes into contact with the concave portion 172b of the lower crimping tooth 261b, and the concave portion 171b of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b. A gap S is formed between the convex portion 172a and the convex portion 172a.

According to this Patent Document 1, when pressure is applied from above and below, the load of the paper fibers applied to the whole is eased by the gap S, the elongation exceeding the limit of the fibers is partially avoided, and the fibers are separated from each other without tearing. Can be intertwined. Therefore, it is stated that the whole is not torn and the binding strength is maintained.

However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the convex portion 171a of the upper crimping tooth 261a is V-shaped, and the top portion is sharp. Therefore, there is a problem that the pressure is concentrated on the contact portion of the upper crimping tooth 261a of the paper bundle with the top of the convex portion 171a, and the paper of the paper bundle is torn.

Further, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, since a gap is formed only between the concave portion 171b of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the convex portion 172a of the lower crimping tooth 261b, the elongation sufficiently exceeds the limit of the fiber. However, there was also a problem that the paper in the paper bundle was torn.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper binding device, a paper processing device, and an image forming system capable of suppressing damage to paper.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a pair of crimping members having a plurality of convex portions and binding the paper bundle by sandwiching the paper bundle, and the convex parts of each of the pair of crimping members. The portion has an inclined surface, and when the pair of crimping members are engaged with each other, the inclined surfaces are in contact with each other, and the pair of crimping members are viewed from the arrangement direction of the convex portions in a state where the inclined surfaces are in contact with each other. When the slanted surfaces are in contact with each other, the shape of the portion is hexagonal, and the shape of the convex portion when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the convex portions of the crimping member are arranged and the direction in which the paper bundle is sandwiched is It is characterized in that the top has a trapezoidal shape substantially parallel to the paper surface .

According to the present invention, damage to the paper can be suppressed.

(A) and (b) are schematic block diagrams showing an example of the overall configuration of the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention, respectively. The schematic block diagram which shows one structural example of the image forming apparatus of the image forming system which concerns on this embodiment. The plan view which shows one configuration example of the paper processing apparatus of the image formation system which concerns on this embodiment. Front view of the paper processing device. Explanatory drawing which shows the home position of the branching claw which branches the paper received in a paper processing apparatus. Explanatory drawing which shows the position of the branching claw when branching the paper received in a paper processing apparatus into a branch path. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the binding tool in a state where a tooth mold is open, and its drive mechanism. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the binding tool in a state where a tooth mold is closed, and the driving mechanism thereof. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus which has completed the initialization process, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus when paper is received, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus when the position in the width direction of the paper is positioned, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus when the position of the rear end of the paper is positioned, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus when the subsequent paper is received, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus when the subsequent paper is received, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus before the alignment processing of the paper bundle is completed and the binding processing is started, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus at the time of starting the ejection of the paper bundle which has completed the binding process, respectively. (A) and (b) are a plan view and a front view showing the inside of the paper processing apparatus when the paper bundle having been bound has been ejected, respectively. Explanatory drawing of crimp binding method. Top view of the lower crimp tooth. The figure seen from the A direction of FIG. FIG. 21 is a view seen from the direction B of FIG. The figure explaining the behavior of the paper bundle at the time of crimp binding. A graph showing the results of the verification test. The figure which shows a pair of conventional crimping teeth.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1A and 1B are schematic configuration diagrams showing an example of the overall configuration of the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention, respectively. The image forming system 100 of FIG. 1A is a configuration example in which a paper processing device 201 is incorporated in an image forming device 101 as an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet of paper based on an input image. Further, the image forming system 100 of FIG. 1B is a configuration example in which the paper processing device 201 is connected to the image forming device 101.

The image forming system 100 of the present embodiment forms an image composed of a toner image on paper by an electrophotographic method, but an image may be formed by another method such as an inkjet method. .. Further, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus in which the image forming apparatus 101 and the paper processing apparatus 201 are combined will be described, but the present invention is also applied to the image forming apparatus in which the paper processing apparatus 201 is built in the image forming apparatus 101. it can.
The present invention can also be applied when the paper processing device 201 has a configuration independent of the image forming device 101. In this case, the sheet processing apparatus may be provided with a cassette or tray in which the sheets to be bound are set, a tray in which the sheet bundle is output, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration example of the image forming system 100 according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 2, the image forming system 100 is an indirect transfer type tandem color image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer body. An image forming unit 110 as a toner image forming means is arranged at substantially the center of the image forming apparatus 101. The image-creating unit 110 is a four-color (Y: yellow, M: magenta, C: cyan, K: black) image-forming stations 111Y, 111M, 111C, 111K (hereinafter, appropriately, appropriately) arranged so as to be arranged in a predetermined direction. The subscripts Y, M, C, and K are omitted.).

Further, the image forming apparatus 101 includes a paper feed tray 120 which is a plurality of paper feed units as a recording medium supply means provided below the image forming unit 110. Further, the paper feed transport path (vertical transport path) 130 for transporting the paper as the recording medium picked up by the paper feed tray 120 to the secondary transfer unit 140 and the fixing unit 150 is provided. Further, the image forming apparatus 101 reverses the branch discharge path 160 for transporting the paper on which the image (toner image) is fixed to the paper processing apparatus 201 side and the paper on which the image is formed on the first surface (front surface). A double-sided transport path 170 for forming an image on the second surface (back surface) is provided.

Further, the image forming apparatus 101 includes a scanner unit 180 as an image reading means and an automatic document feeding device (ADF) 185 as a document supplying means. The scanner unit 180 reads an image of a document which is an image reading object set on a glass surface which is a document base and converts it into an electric signal. Further, in the automatic document feeder (ADF) 185, a plurality of sheets or one document whose image is read by the scanner unit 180 is set, and each document is conveyed so as to be fed onto the glass surface at the scanning position of the scanner unit 180. To do.

The image forming unit 110 includes a photoconductor drum as an image carrier for each color of YMCK of the image forming station 111. Around each photoconductor drum, a charging unit as a charging means, a developing unit as a developing means, a primary transfer unit, a cleaning unit, and a static elimination unit as a static elimination means are provided along the outer circumference thereof. ing. Further, the image forming unit 110 includes an optical writing unit (not shown) as an exposure means and an intermediate transfer belt 112 as an intermediate transfer body. The optical writing unit is arranged under each image forming station 111, and irradiates each photoconductor drum with light for each color based on the image data generated from the reading result of the scanner unit 180 to perform electrostatic latency. Form an image. The intermediate transfer belt 112 is arranged above the image forming station 111, and the image (toner image) formed on each photoconductor drum is transferred by the primary transfer unit.

The intermediate transfer belt 112 is rotatably supported by a plurality of support rollers. One of the plurality of support rollers, the support roller 114, faces the secondary transfer roller 115 at the secondary transfer unit 140 via the intermediate transfer belt 112. The image (toner image) on the intermediate transfer belt 112 is secondarily transferred to the paper by the secondary transfer unit 140. A replaceable toner storage container 116 is arranged above the intermediate transfer belt 112.

Since the image forming process of the image forming apparatus (indirect transfer type tandem color image forming apparatus) having the above configuration is known and is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The fixed paper that has been fixed by the fixing unit 150 is conveyed by the transfer roller 162, and the transfer direction is switched by the transfer path switching member 161. As a result, the fixed paper is conveyed to the branch discharge path 160 or the double-sided transfer path 170.

The paper processing device 201 of the present embodiment includes a transport path binding mechanism as a paper binding means for binding a paper bundle as a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of papers as a post-processing of a plurality of papers including a paper on which an image is formed. ing. This transport path binding mechanism has a configuration in which papers are overlapped and aligned in a paper transport path, and a binding tool as a binding means for binding the overlapped papers.

3 and 4 are a plan view and a front view showing a configuration example of a paper processing device 201 having a transport path binding mechanism provided in the image forming system 100 of the present embodiment, respectively.
The paper processing device 201 includes an inlet sensor 202, an inlet roller 203, a branch claw (switching claw) 204, a paper ejection roller 205, a shift link 206, a shift cam 207, a shift cam stud 208, a shift home position sensor 209, and a binding tool 210. ..

The inlet sensor 202 detects the front end, the rear end, and the presence / absence of the paper carried into the paper processing device 201 from the paper ejection roller 102 of the image forming apparatus 101.
The inlet roller 203 is located at the entrance of the paper processing device 201 and has a function of carrying paper into the paper processing device 201. The roller nip of the inlet roller 203 can be used to correct the abutting skew of the paper. The inlet roller 203 is driven by a controllable drive source (not shown). This drive source is controlled by a control means (not shown), which controls the rotational drive and stop of the inlet roller 203 by the drive source, and the amount of paper conveyed by the inlet roller 203. The control means may be provided in the image forming apparatus 101.

The branch claw 204 is a rotatable claw that switches a transport path provided to guide the rear end of the paper to the branch path 241. Further, the branch claw 204 has a configuration in which the paper can be pressed against the branch path transport surface, and the paper can be fixed by this pressing.

The paper ejection roller 205 is located at the outlet of the paper processing apparatus 201 and has a function of conveying, shifting, and ejecting paper. Further, the paper ejection roller 205 is driven by a controllable drive source (not shown). This drive source is controlled by a control means described later, which controls the rotational drive and stop of the paper ejection roller 205 by the drive source, and the amount of paper conveyed by the paper ejection roller 205.

The transporting means for transporting paper in the paper processing apparatus 201 of the present embodiment is composed of, for example, an inlet roller 203, a paper ejection roller 205, and a drive source for driving them.

The shift link 206 is provided at the shaft end of the paper ejection roller 205, and is a portion that receives the moving force of the shift.
The shift cam 207 is a disk-shaped component that has a shift cam stud 208 and rotates. The rotation of this component shifts the paper ejection roller 205 connected to the slotted hole of the shift link 206 via the shift cam stud 208.
The shift cam stud 208 is interlocked with the elongated hole portion of the shift link 206, and changes the rotational movement of the shift cam 207 into the axial linear movement of the paper ejection roller 205.

The shift home position sensor 209 detects the position of the shift link 206, and sets the detected position as the home position (standby position).

The binding tool 210 is a tool or device for binding a bundle of papers by drawing and crimping without using a metal needle. In the present embodiment, a binding tool 210 is used in which the paper is deformed and the fibers are entwined by holding the paper bundle with a pair of tooth molds consisting of an upper tooth mold and a lower tooth mold having irregularities on the surface. As the binding tool 210 of this type, for example, a known binding tool as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 36-013206 can be used. Further, the paper bundle is U-shaped cut and bent, and a slit is opened at the same time in the vicinity of the bending source so that the cut and bent tip portion is not unraveled through the slit so that the paper cannot be unwound without using a metal needle. A binding tool for binding the bundle may be used (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 37-007208). The binding means for binding the bundle of paper is not limited to the binding tool of the present embodiment, as long as it has a function of crimping the paper to each other and entwining the fibers of the paper to bind the paper by squeezing and crimping. Good.

The paper edge sensor 220 as the paper edge detecting means is a sensor that detects the side edge of the paper. When aligning the paper, the paper is aligned based on the detection position detected by this sensor.

The binding tool home position sensor 221 is a sensor that detects the position of the binding tool 210 that can move in the width direction intersecting the paper conveying direction. The home position (standby position) is a position where the binding tool 210 is located at a position where it does not interfere with the transportation of the maximum size paper, and this position is detected by the binding tool home position sensor 221.

The binding tool movement guide rail 230 is a rail that guides the movement of the binding tool 210 so that the binding tool 210 can move stably in the width direction of the paper.

The transport path 240 is a normal route for transporting and discharging the received paper. The branch path 241 is a transport path provided for stacking and matching the sheets, and is carried in from the rear end side by the switchback of the sheets.

The abutting surface 242 is a reference surface for abutting and aligning the rear end of the paper in the binding processing tray (staple tray) 243 as a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating the paper to be bound. The crimping tooth 261 is, for example, in the present embodiment a tooth shape having a shape in which a pair of irregularities mesh with each other, and by holding the paper tightly, the paper is deformed and fibers are entangled.

5 and 6 are explanatory views showing a detailed configuration example of the branch claw 204 for branching the paper received by the paper processing apparatus 201 and its surroundings, respectively. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the home position of the branch claw 204. Further, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the positions of the branch claws when the paper received by the paper processing device 201 is branched into the branch path 241.

The branch claw 204 is rotatably configured to switch between the transport path 240 and the branch path 241. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotation position at which the paper received from the right side in the drawing can be conveyed without resistance is the home position of the branch claw 204. As shown in FIG. 5, the branch claw 204 is constantly pressurized by the spring 251. The spring 251 is hung on the branch claw movable lever portion 204a. A branch solenoid 250 is also connected to the branch claw movable lever portion 204a via a link. Further, the transport surface of the branch path 241 and the branch claw 204 are configured so that the paper in the transfer path can be held narrowly. To switch the transport path, by turning on the branch solenoid 250, the branch claw 204 rotates in the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. 6, closes the transport path 240, and guides the paper to the branch path 241.

In the present embodiment, the means for superimposing a plurality of sheets to be bound into a paper bundle are an inlet roller 203, a paper ejection roller 205, a branch claw 204, a binding processing tray 243 having an abutting surface 242, and a binding processing tray 243 thereof. It is composed of a drive source that drives the.

7 and 8 are explanatory views showing an example of the configuration and operation of the binding tool 210, respectively. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an example of the binding tool 210 with the crimping tooth 261 open and its driving mechanism, and FIG. 8 is an example of the binding tool 210 with the crimping tooth 261 closed and its driving mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows. The configuration of the binding tool 210 is not limited to the configurations of FIGS. 7 and 8.

In FIG. 7, the crimping tooth 261 has an upper crimping tooth 261a and a lower crimping tooth 261b, and has a shape in which they mesh with each other. The upper crimping tooth 261a is assembled to the tip of the movable link member 263. The lower crimping tooth 261b is assembled to the fixed link member 264 so as to face the upper crimping tooth 261a. The movable link member 263 is configured such that the crimp teeth 261 are brought into contact with each other by the rotation of the pressurizing lever 262. The pressurizing lever 262 is rotated in the direction of arrow A3 in FIG. 8 by a cam 266 that rotates in the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. The cam 266 is given a driving force by the drive motor 265 to rotate, and is controlled to be located at the detection position based on the detection information of the cam home position sensor 267. The detection position of the cam home position sensor 267 is set to the home position (standby position) of the cam 266, and the pair of crimp teeth 261 is in an open state at this position.

When binding the paper, it operates as shown in FIG. With the pair of crimping teeth 261 open, the paper P is inserted between them, and the cam 266 is rotated in the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. 8 by the rotation of the drive motor 265. The pressure lever 262 rotates in the direction of arrow A3 in the figure due to the displacement of the cam surface. The rotational force increases the force via the movable link member 263 using a lever, and is transmitted to the upper crimping tooth 261a at the end thereof. When the cam 266 rotates by a certain amount, the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b mesh with each other to hold the paper P tightly. Due to this narrowing, the paper P is deformed and pressurized, and the fibers of adjacent papers are entangled and bound. After that, the drive motor 265 rotates in the reverse direction and stops at the detection position of the cam home position sensor 267. Further, the pressurizing lever 262 has a spring property and bends when an overload is applied, so that the overload is released.

In the binding tool 210 having the configurations shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 above, the binding force, which is the meshing force of the pair of crimping teeth 261 holding the paper P so as to deform and pressurize, changes, and the fibers of the papers are entangled with each other to form a bundle of papers. The binding strength when the is bound changes. The binding force when the pair of crimp teeth 261 mesh with each other changes depending on the rotational force (torque) when the pressurizing lever 262 is rotated via the cam 266, that is, the torque (moment of force) generated by the drive motor 265. To do. The torque generated by the drive motor 265 changes according to the motor current supplied to the drive motor 265. Therefore, by controlling the motor current supplied to the drive motor 265, the binding force of the binding tool 210 is changed and the binding strength of the paper bundle is changed according to the binding mode such as the main binding mode and the temporary binding mode. be able to.

Next, an example of the binding operation of the paper processing device 201 will be described.
9 to 17 are a plan view and a front view of the paper processing apparatus 201 when the binding operation of this example is being executed. 9 to 17, each of FIGS. 9 to 17 shows a plan view of the paper processing device 201, and a front view of the paper processing device 201.

First, in FIGS. 9A and 9B, when the output of the paper is started from the image forming apparatus 101, each part moves to the home position and completes the initialization process (initial process).

Next, in FIGS. 10A and 10B, before the paper P output from the image forming apparatus 101 is carried into the paper processing apparatus 201, the paper processing apparatus 201 receives the operation mode information and the paper P. Receives information, and based on that information, enters the acceptance standby state. The operation modes in the present embodiment are, but are not limited to, a straight mode, a shift mode, and a binding mode.

Here, the operation of the paper processing apparatus 201 in the straight mode and the shift mode will be described.

First, the operation of the paper processing apparatus 201 in the straight mode will be described.
The paper processing apparatus 201 that has received the information on the straight mode and the information on the paper P goes into the acceptance standby state in the straight mode. Specifically, the inlet roller pair 203 and the paper ejection drive roller 205a each start rotation in a predetermined rotation direction so that the received paper P is conveyed in a predetermined transfer direction (left direction in the drawing). .. The paper P is fed to the paper processing device 201 in the acceptance standby state by the rotation of the paper ejection roller 102 of the image forming device 101. The paper P fed to the paper processing device 201 is sequentially conveyed and discharged by a paper ejection roller pair including an inlet roller pair 203, a paper ejection drive roller 205a, and a paper ejection driven roller 205b. Then, when the final paper is ejected, the inlet roller pair 203 and the paper ejection drive roller 205a are stopped.

Next, the operation of the paper processing apparatus 201 in the shift mode will be described.
The paper processing apparatus 201 that has received the shift mode information and the paper P information is put into the shift mode acceptance standby state. Specifically, as in the straight mode, the inlet roller pair 203 and the paper ejection drive roller 205a are respectively in the predetermined rotation direction so as to convey the received paper P in the predetermined transfer direction (left direction in the drawing). It starts to rotate. The paper P is fed from the image forming apparatus 101 to the paper processing device 201 in the acceptance standby state. The paper fed to the paper processing device 201 is conveyed by the inlet roller pair 203 and the paper discharge roller pair as in the straight mode. Next, when the rear end of the paper passes through the inlet roller pair 203, the shift cam 207 rotates by a certain amount, and the paper ejection drive roller 205a moves in the axial direction. At this time, the paper P also moves with the movement of the paper ejection drive roller 205a. When the paper P is ejected, the shift cam 207 rotates to return to the home position and prepares for the next paper. The operation of the paper ejection drive roller 205a is repeated until the same "part" of paper is ejected. When the next "part" of paper is carried in, the shift cam 207 rotates in the direction opposite to the previous rotation, and the paper moves to the opposite side and is ejected.

On the other hand, the paper processing apparatus 201 that has received the binding mode information and the paper P information is put into the acceptance standby state of the binding mode. In the acceptance standby state in the binding mode, the inlet roller 203 stops, and the paper ejection roller 205 rotates in the arrow A6 direction in the drawing so as to convey the received paper P in a predetermined conveying direction (left direction in the drawing). Start. Further, the binding tool 210 moves to a standby position (home position) retracted by a certain amount from the widthwise end of the paper P and stands by.

After that, when the paper P is carried into the paper processing device 201, the tip of the paper P is detected by the inlet sensor 202. From this detected timing, the paper P is conveyed by a certain distance (the distance at which the tip of the paper P abuts against the nip of the inlet roller 203 and causes a certain amount of bending). After the transfer, the inlet roller 203 starts to rotate. As a result, the skew of the paper P is corrected.

Next, in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the amount of the paper P conveyed is counted based on the detection information of the inlet sensor 202 that detects the rear end of the paper P, and the position information of the paper P is grasped. ing. When the rear end of the paper P passes through the nip of the inlet roller 203, the inlet roller 203 stops for the next paper acceptance. At the same time, the shift cam 207 rotates in the direction of arrow A7 (clockwise) in FIG. 11A, and the paper ejection roller 205 starts moving in the axial direction together with the paper P. Then, the paper P is conveyed while skewing in the direction of the arrow A8 in FIG. 11 (a). After that, when the paper edge sensor 220 attached to or incorporated in the binding tool 210 detects the paper P, the shift cam 207 stops and then reverses. The reverse rotation of the shift cam 207 is stopped when the paper edge sensor 220 is in the non-detection state. When the above operation is completed and the rear end of the paper P passes the tip of the branch claw 204, the rotation of the paper ejection roller 205 in the direction of arrow A9 in the drawing is stopped.

Next, in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the branch claw 204 rotates in the direction of arrow A10 (clockwise) in FIG. 12B, and the transport path is switched. After that, the paper ejection roller 205 rotates in the reverse direction in the direction of arrow A11 (counterclockwise) in the drawing, and the paper P is conveyed to the arrow A12 in the drawing so that the rear end portion of the paper P is carried into the branch path 241. By this transfer, the paper P is abutted against the abutting surface 242 of the binding processing tray 243 and aligned, and the paper ejection roller 205 is stopped. Here, the paper ejection roller 205 is set to have a weak carrying force so as to slip when the paper P hits the paper.

Next, in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), the branch claw 204 rotates in the direction of arrow A13 (counterclockwise) in FIG. 13 (b), and the rear end of the paper P in the branch path 241 is the branch claw. It is strongly pressed by the contact surface of 204 and stands by. When the subsequent paper P'is output from the image forming apparatus 101, the inlet roller 203 performs an operation of skew-correcting the paper P'as in the case of the first paper P. Further, at the same time as the rotation of the inlet roller 203 starts, the paper ejection roller 205 also starts rotating in the rotation direction (A6 direction in the drawing) for conveying the paper.

Next, in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the operations of FIGS. 11 and 12 described above are performed for the second and subsequent sheets P'', ..., And the sheets are sequentially placed at the target positions. By moving and overlapping, the aligned paper bundles Ps are stacked in the transport path.

Next, in FIGS. 15A and 15B, when the operation of superimposing the final paper on the aligned paper bundle Ps is completed, the paper ejection roller 205 transfers the paper bundle Ps by a certain amount in FIG. b) Rotate in the direction of arrow A14 (clockwise) in the middle and stop. By the operation of the paper ejection roller 205, it is possible to eliminate the bending generated when the rear end of the paper is abutted against the abutting surface 242. After that, the branch claw 204 rotates in the direction of arrow A15 (clockwise) in FIG. 15B to switch the direction of the tip, and the pressing force applied to the paper bundle Ps is released.

Next, in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the position of the crimping tooth 261 of the binding tool 210 and the processing position (binding position) of the paper coincide with each other by rotating the paper ejection roller 205 in the direction of arrow A16. Paper bundles Ps are conveyed and stopped by the distance to be used. As a result, the position of the crimping tooth 261 of the binding tool 210 in the paper transport direction and the processing position (binding position) of the paper are aligned. Further, the binding tool 210 moves in the direction of arrow A17 in FIG. 16A and stops by a distance that coincides with the position of the crimping tooth 261 of the binding tool 210 and the processing position of the paper. As a result, the position of the crimping tooth 261 of the binding tool 210 in the paper width direction and the processing position (binding position) of the paper are aligned. At this time, the branch claw 204 rotates in the direction of arrow A18 (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. 16B to switch the direction of the tip and return to the paper receiving state. After that, the drive motor 265 of the binding tool 210 is turned on, and the paper bundle Ps is pressed by the crimping teeth 261 to perform drawing, so that the fibers of the paper P are entwined with each other and the paper bundles Ps are bonded to each other. Is bound.

Next, in FIGS. 17A and 17B, when the paper ejection roller 205 further rotates in the direction of arrow A16 in the drawing, the bound paper bundle Ps is ejected. Then, after the paper bundle Ps is ejected, the shift cam 207 rotates in the direction A19 in the drawing and returns to the home position, and the binding tool 210 moves in the direction of the arrow A20 in the drawing and returns to the home position. As described above, the operation of the binding process of the paper bundle Ps is completed.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a crimp binding method.
As shown in FIG. 18A, in the binding tool 210, the upper crimping teeth 261a and the lower crimping teeth 261b having an uneven shape are arranged at positions facing each other so as to sandwich the paper bundle Ps. Then, as shown in FIG. 18B, at least one of the crimping teeth is moved, and the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b are engaged with each other so as to sandwich the paper bundle Ps, and pressure is applied to the paper bundle Ps. As the pressure is increased, the fibers of the paper are entangled and the binding of the paper bundle Ps is completed. In this crimp binding, the paper bundle Ps can be bound by pressure-welding and squeezing the paper bundle Ps by fitting the unevenness, and the paper bundle Ps can be bound by the entanglement and sticking of the fibers between the papers.

Then, as shown in FIG. 18C, at least one crimping tooth is moved again to separate the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b. As shown in FIG. 18D, the concave-convex shape is transferred to the pressure-bonded paper bundle Ps.

In the present embodiment, the uneven shape of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b has a slope portion having an arbitrary angle. Further, when the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b mesh with each other, the top of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the bottom of the lower crimping tooth 261b do not come into contact with each other. As a result, the paper bundle Ps is crimped on the uneven slope portion of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b. As shown in FIG. 18D, the concave portion 6a of the paper bundle Ps is an extended portion narrowed by the convex portion of the upper crimping tooth 261a, and the convex portion 6b of the paper bundle Ps is the convex portion of the lower crimping tooth 261b. It becomes a stretched part narrowed down by. Further, the slope portion 6c of the uneven shape portion of the paper bundle Ps is a portion bound by crimping.

Next, the uneven shape of the pair of crimping teeth, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described. Since the shape of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the shape of the lower crimping tooth 261b are the same, only the lower crimping tooth 261b will be described in the following description.

19 is a plan view of the lower crimping tooth 261b, FIG. 20 is a view seen from the A direction of FIG. 19, and FIG. 21 is a view seen from the B direction of FIG. The dotted line in FIGS. 20 and 21 is the upper crimping tooth 261a, and the alternate long and short dash line indicates the paper bundle Ps.
As shown in FIG. 19, the lower crimping tooth 261b forms an uneven shape by arranging a plurality of convex portions 70b side by side at predetermined intervals.

Each convex portion 70b has a shape like a quadrangular pyramid cut in parallel with the bottom surface near the central portion in the height direction, and the top portion 71b is a surface parallel to the paper surface of the paper bundle. The term "plane parallel to the paper surface" as used herein includes a surface substantially parallel to the paper surface, and as shown in FIG. 20, includes a surface having a slightly mountain-shaped shape. Further, the four side surfaces having each side of the bottom surface of each convex portion 70b as the bottom side and one side of the top surface as the top side are slope portions 72b that are inclined with respect to the paper surface of the paper bundle Ps.

Further, B in FIG. 20 is the crimping height, and indicates the contact portion between the slope portion 72b of the lower crimping tooth 261b and the slope portion 72a of the upper crimping tooth 261a. Further, the arrow Z in FIG. 20 is a portion where the paper is stretched by the convex portion 70b. Further, θ2 in FIG. 21 is a rake angle on the turning side, and is set to 60 ° in the present embodiment. Further, S in FIG. 21 is a crimping area where the paper is crimped.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the behavior of the paper bundle Ps during crimp binding.
As shown in FIG. 22A, when one of the crimping teeth is moved and the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b are engaged so as to sandwich the paper bundle Ps, the paper is formed on the convex portion of each crimping tooth. It is squeezed and stretched by the tops 71a and 71b. In the present embodiment, since the top portions 71a and 71b of the convex portions of the crimping teeth are parallel to the paper surface of the paper bundle Ps, the pressure between the top portions 71a and 71b of the convex portions of the crimping teeth and the paper bundle Ps. Can be kept low. As a result, it is possible to prevent the paper bundle Ps from being torn by the top portions 71a and 71b of the convex portion.

Further, in the process of meshing the upper crimping tooth 261a and the lower crimping tooth 261b, the paper bundle Ps was sandwiched between the slope portion 72a which is the side surface of the convex portion 70a of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the slope portion 72b of the lower crimping tooth 261b. When the portion (the portion circled in FIG. 22A) is rolled, the fibers are entangled with each other.

In the present embodiment, the paper is crimped at the slopes 72a and 72b inclined with respect to the paper surface of the paper bundle Ps. The vertical upward pressing force applied to the paper bundle Ps from the slope portion 72b of the lower crimping tooth 261b is parallel to the slope portion 72b when divided into a direction orthogonal to the slope portion 72b and a direction parallel to the slope portion 72b. The direction of the component force in the direction is the direction toward the top 71b of the lower crimping tooth 261b. Similarly, the direction of the component force in the direction parallel to the slope portion 72a of the vertically downward pressing force applied to the paper bundle Ps from the slope portion 72a of the upper crimping tooth 261a is the direction toward the top portion 71a of the upper crimping tooth 261a. .. Therefore, at the crimping portion of the paper bundle Ps circled in the drawing, the paper on the lower crimping tooth side moves upward along the slope portion 72b, and the paper on the upper crimping tooth side moves downward along the slope portion 72a. Move to. As a result, the paper is ground at the crimping portion of the paper bundle Ps, the fibers of the paper can be more entangled with each other, and the paper can be bound with a strong binding force.

As shown in FIG. 22B, when the upper crimping tooth 261a is moved to the bottom dead center, between the top 71b of the convex portion 70b of the lower crimping tooth 261b and the bottom portion 73a of the concave portion of the upper crimping tooth 261a, and A gap S is formed between the top portion 71a of the convex portion 70a of the upper crimping tooth 261a and the bottom portion 73b of the concave portion of the lower crimping tooth 261b. As described above, in the present embodiment, at the crimping portion of the paper bundle Ps circled in FIG. 21A, the paper on the lower crimping tooth side moves upward along the slope portion 72b, and the upper crimping tooth The paper on the side moves downward along the slope portion 72a. Since the paper rubs at the crimping portion in this way, as shown in FIG. 22B, the paper bends in a wavy manner in the gap S between the tops 71a and 71b of the convex portions and the bottoms 73a and 73b of the concave portions. .. Unlike the present embodiment, when the top of each convex portion is in contact with the bottom of the concave portion and the gap S is not formed, the deflection generated between the top of each convex portion and the bottom of the concave portion is generated. Eventually, it will be crushed and damage such as wrinkles will occur on the paper. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the upper crimping tooth 261a is moved to the bottom dead center, a gap S is formed between the top portions 71a and 71b of each convex portion and the bottom portions 73a and 73b of the concave portion, so that the deflection occurs. Will not be crushed. On the contrary, it is appropriately pressurized by the drawing by the convex portions 70a and 70b, and the fibers of the paper can be entangled with each other in the gap S between the top portions 71a and 71b of the convex portions and the bottom portions 73a and 73b of the concave portions. Paper bundles can be bound tightly.

Further, when pressure is applied to the paper bundle Ps on the slope portions 72a and 72b, the rubbed paper can move to the gap S. As a result, the paper can be satisfactorily ground at the crimped portion, and a good binding force can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, the paper is squeezed and stretched by the convex portions 70a and 70b, and the paper is crushed at the crimping portion circled in FIG. 22A, so that the fibers of the paper are entangled and the paper bundle Ps is crimp-bound. Will be done. The longer the crimping height B, which is the contact range between the slope portion 72b of the lower crimping tooth 261b and the slope portion 72a of the upper crimping tooth 261a shown in FIG. 20, the larger the crimping area S (see FIG. 21) and the stronger the crimping area S. A bundle of paper can be bound to. However, the longer crimping height B means that the length from the top 71b of the convex portion of the lower crimping tooth 261b to the top 71a of the convex portion of the upper crimping tooth 261a when meshed becomes longer. As a result, the paper is stretched by that amount, and the stretch of the paper exceeds the limit, which may cause tearing.

Therefore, the present inventors conducted an diligent verification test to find the optimum crimping height B. The verification test conducted by the present inventors will be described below.

In the verification test, a binding tool having a crimping height B of 0.45 mm, a binding tool having a crimping height B of 0.6 mm, and a binding tool having a crimping height B of 0.7 mm were prepared, and each binding tool was prepared. The binding force was measured. Since the binding force is generally about 5 sheets of paper, each binding tool binds 5 sheets of paper and measures the binding force of the bundle.

In addition, other conditions of each binding tool are as follows.
・ Pressurization: 2000N
・ Number of teeth: 6 teeth (number of convex parts)
・ Turning side rake angle θ2: 60 °

FIG. 23 is a graph showing the results of the verification test. FIG. 23 shows the results of a verification test of the binding force of the first sheet of the paper bundle (top paper) and the binding force of the paper at the center of the paper bundle (third sheet from the top). Further, FIG. 23 plots the minimum value of the binding force measured a plurality of times.

As shown in FIG. 23, by setting the crimping height B to 0.45 mm or more, the binding force could be made higher than the target level. Further, when the crimping height B was 0.6 mm, the binding force peaked, and the binding force of the binding tool having the crimping height B 0.7 mm was lower than that of the binding tool having the crimping height B of 0.6 mm. .. Since the binding force decreases when the paper is torn, the binding force is lower than 0.6 mm even though the crimping height B is lengthened. The paper is bound with a binding tool with a crimping height of B0.7 mm. Is considered to be torn

From the above verification test, it was confirmed that by setting at least the crimping height B to 0.45 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less, good binding force can be obtained without tearing the paper.

Even when the crimping height is 0.45 mm or less, it is possible to increase the binding force to the target level or higher by increasing the number of teeth (the number of convex parts) or increasing the pressing force. is there. However, by increasing the number of teeth, the binding tool becomes large, the material cost increases, and the cost of the device increases. In addition, a large amount of material is consumed, which wastes resources. Further, when increasing the pressing force, it is necessary to increase the driving force of the driving source required for pressurizing, which has a demerit that the power consumption of the device increases. On the other hand, by setting the crimping height to 0.45 mm or more, the number of teeth can be suppressed, the material cost can be suppressed, and the cost increase of the device can be suppressed. In addition, resource saving can be achieved. In addition, the pressing force can be suppressed and energy saving can be achieved.

The above description is an example, and the present invention exerts a unique effect for each of the following aspects.
(Aspect 1)
A crimp binding method for binding a bundle of paper by engaging the unevenness of a pair of crimping members such as a pair of crimping teeth in which a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions are arranged in parallel and alternately with the paper bundle sandwiched between them. In a paper binding device such as the tool 210, in each of the pair of crimping members, the top portions 71a and 71b of the convex portion are parallel to the paper surface of the paper bundle, and the side surface of the convex portion is on the paper surface. On the other hand, it is an inclined surface such as inclined slope portions 72a and 72b, and when the unevenness of the pair of crimping members is engaged with each other, the inclined surfaces are in contact with each other and with the top portion 71a of the convex portion of one crimping member. A pair of crimping members so that a gap S is formed between the bottom portion 73b of the concave portion of the other crimping member and between the top portion 71b of the convex portion of the other crimping member and the bottom portion 73a of the concave portion of the one crimping member. Was configured.
According to (Aspect 1), when the pair of crimping members are meshed with each other, the inclined surfaces which are the side surfaces of the convex portions of the pair of crimping members are in contact with each other. It is bound under pressure on an inclined surface. At this time, either between the top of the convex portion of one crimping member and the bottom of the concave portion of the other crimping member, or between the top of the convex portion of the other crimping member and the bottom of the concave portion of one crimping member. Also has a gap. Therefore, the load on the paper fibers can be further reduced as compared with the configuration described in Patent Document 1 in which there is a gap only between the top of the convex portion of one crimping member and the bottom of the concave portion of the other crimping member. it can. As a result, elongation exceeding the limit of the fiber can be avoided as compared with Patent Document 1, and the fibers can be entangled with each other without being torn as compared with Patent Document 1.
Further, since the tops of the convex portions of both crimping members are parallel to the paper surface of the paper bundle, the points where the convex portions of one of the crimping teeth of the paper bundle come into contact with each other and the paper bundle Any part of the contact with the convex portion of the other crimping tooth is in surface contact to prevent pressure from concentrating. As a result, it is possible to prevent the paper bundle from being torn during crimp binding.

(Aspect 2)
In (Aspect 1), when the pair of crimping members are viewed from a direction parallel to the paper surface and orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the concave portion and the convex portion, the length of the portion where the inclined surfaces come into contact with each other. A paper binding device characterized in that (crimping height B) is 0.45 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less.
According to (Aspect 2), as described in the verification test, the length of the portion where the inclined surfaces contact each other (crimp height B) is set to 0.45 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less, so that the paper can be used. It is possible to suppress tearing and obtain good binding force.

(Aspect 3)
In the paper processing device 201 provided with at least a paper binding device such as a binding tool 210 that performs a binding process on the paper bundle Ps, the paper binding device according to (Aspect 1) or (Aspect 2) is used as the paper binding device. There was.
According to (Aspect 3), as described in the embodiment, tearing of the paper can be suppressed and good binding force can be obtained.

(Aspect 4)
In an image forming system 100 including an image forming apparatus 101 for forming an image on paper and a paper binding device such as a binding tool 210 for performing a binding process on a bundle of sheets on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 101. As the paper binding device, the paper binding device of (Aspect 1) or (Aspect 2) was used.
According to (Aspect 4), it is possible to suppress tearing of the paper and bind a bundle of paper on which an image is formed with a good binding force.

70a, 70b: Convex 71a, 71b: Top 72a, 72b: Slope 73a, 73b: Bottom 100: Image forming system 101: Image forming device 201: Paper processing device 210: Binding tool 261: Crimping tooth 261a: Upper crimping tooth 261b: Lower crimp tooth Ps: Paper bundle

WO2009 / 110298

Claims (8)

It has a plurality of convex portions, and is provided with a pair of crimping members for binding the paper bundle by sandwiching the paper bundle.
Each of the convex portions of the pair of crimping members has an inclined surface.
When the pair of crimping members are engaged with each other, the inclined surfaces are in contact with each other, and when the pair of crimping members are viewed from the arrangement direction of the convex portions in a state where the inclined surfaces are in contact with each other, the inclined surfaces are in contact with each other. The shape of the contacting part is hexagonal ,
A paper binding device characterized in that the shape of the convex portion when viewed from the direction in which the convex portions of the crimping member are arranged and the direction orthogonal to the direction of sandwiching the paper bundle is a trapezoidal shape in which the top portion is substantially parallel to the paper surface. .. In the paper binding device according to claim 1,
The shape of the portion where the inclined surfaces come into contact with each other is centered on a line connecting the intersections of the inclined surfaces of the convex portions of the pair of crimping members when the pair of crimping members are viewed from the arrangement direction of the convex portions. A paper binding device characterized by being symmetrical. In the paper binding device according to claim 1 or 2.
The inclined surface of the convex portion of the pair of crimping members has a planar shape.
A paper binding device characterized in that a bundle of paper is sandwiched between the planar shapes of the inclined surface. In the paper binding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
A paper binding device characterized in that the top of the convex portion of the pair of crimping members is a slightly mountain-shaped surface . In the paper binding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The pair of crimping members is a paper binding device characterized in that a bundle of papers is crimped at a portion where the inclined surfaces come into contact with each other. In the paper binding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
Equipped with a transport member that transports a bundle of paper
The pair of crimping members is a paper binding device characterized in that a paper bundle is bound by sandwiching the paper bundle in a state where the transport of the paper bundle by the transport member is stopped. In a paper processing apparatus equipped with at least a paper binding apparatus for binding a bundle of papers,
A paper processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the paper binding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used as the paper binding device. An image forming device that forms an image on paper,
In an image forming system including a paper binding device that performs a binding process on a bundle of paper on which an image is formed by the image forming device.
An image forming system characterized in that the paper binding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used as the paper binding device.

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