JP7032218B2 - Sheet loading device and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet loading device and an image forming system for accumulating sheets printed by an image forming unit such as an inkjet method.

Conventionally, a printing process is performed on a sheet by an image forming apparatus, the printed sheet is once placed on a processing tray, post-processing such as binding processing and shift paper ejection processing is performed, and the printed sheet is ejected to a stack tray. Image forming systems are known (eg, Patent Document 1). In recent years, the number of such image forming systems having an inkjet type image forming unit has increased, and a system for performing post-processing on a sheet printed by an inkjet method is also known (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-16970 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-132636

When printing with a large amount of ink (for example, printing a solid image on the entire surface) when printing the sheet by the inkjet method as in the above patent document, the sheet is processed by the post-processing device and discharged from the processing tray to the stack tray. The slidability between the sheet (the sheet ejected to the processing tray at the beginning of the job when forming a sheet bundle) and the sheet already placed on the processing tray, stack tray or stack tray It is bad and may not be discharged normally.

Also, if the top sheet is a sheet printed with a large amount of ink among the sheets already placed on the stack tray instead of the sheet to be processed, the sheet to be ejected and this top sheet There is a possibility that the ink cannot be discharged normally due to poor slidability between the ink and the ink.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is a sheet loading device and image forming capable of normally ejecting a sheet from a processing tray to a stack tray even if the slidability is poor. To provide a system.

In order to solve the above object, the sheet loading device of the present invention mounts a sheet received from the image forming device in the sheet loading device for loading the sheets printed by the inkjet image forming apparatus. A first sheet mounting means, a discharging means for discharging the sheet mounted on the first sheet mounting means in a predetermined discharging direction, and a second sheet mounting for mounting the sheet discharged by the discharging means. The means, the partition paper discharging means for discharging the partition paper to the first sheet mounting means and / or the second sheet mounting means, and the sheet from the first sheet mounting means to the second sheet mounting means. In the job to be discharged, the printing rate by the image forming apparatus for the sheet first mounted on the first sheet mounting means and / or the top sheet already mounted on the second sheet mounting means is a predetermined value. When it is higher than the above , the partition paper is discharged by the partition paper discharging means, and the second sheet placing means is used to eject the partition paper from the first sheet placing means with the partition paper interposed between the sheet and the second sheet placing means. It is characterized in that the sheet is discharged to the sheet placing means.

The sheet loading device and the image forming system of the present invention provide a partition paper even when the sheets are ejected from the processing tray (first sheet mounting means) to the stack tray (second sheet mounting means) even if the slidability is poor. Since the sheet is discharged through the sheet, the sheet can be discharged normally.

Sectional drawing of the whole structure of the image formation system of this embodiment. The operation diagram in the bundle formation processing of the post-processing unit of this embodiment. The operation diagram following FIG. 2 of the post-processing unit of this embodiment. The block diagram which shows the control composition of this embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of the bundle formation process of this embodiment. A modified example of the operation in the bundle forming process of the post-processing unit of the present embodiment. The figure which shows the sheet presence / absence detection mechanism on the stack tray of this embodiment. A modified example of the overall configuration of the image forming system of the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the present specification.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the image forming system 100 includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B attached to the image forming apparatus A. The image forming apparatus A includes a paper feeding unit 10, an image forming unit 20, and an image reading unit 30. The sheet processing device B includes a relay transfer unit 60 and a sheet post-processing unit 70.

<Paper unit>
The paper feed unit 10 is provided on the lower side of the image forming apparatus A, and is composed of a plurality of cassette mechanisms 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d for accommodating image forming sheets of different sizes, and is a main body control unit (not shown). A sheet of the size specified from is fed out to the paper feed path P1. The cassette mechanisms 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are detachably installed from the paper feed unit 10, and each has a built-in separation mechanism for separating the internal sheets one by one and a paper feed mechanism for feeding out the sheets. An inexpensive thin paper used as a partition paper is stored in any one of the cassette mechanisms (referred to as a cassette 10d in the present embodiment), and is conveyed to the post-processing unit 70 as a partition paper as needed.

A large-capacity cassette 10e and a manual feed tray 10f are connected to the paper feed path P1. The large-capacity cassette 10e and the manual feed tray 10f are provided on one side (right side in FIG. 1) of the device housing 1, and the device housing 1 has a corresponding sheet supply port (paper feed opening). 16 and 17 are provided. The large-capacity cassette 10e is composed of an optional unit for storing a sheet having a size to be consumed in large quantities. The manual feed tray 10f is configured to be able to supply special sheets such as thick paper sheets, coating sheets, and film sheets that are difficult to separately feed.

The paper feed path P1 is a pair of transport rollers that feed the sheets supplied from the cassette mechanisms 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and the large-capacity cassette 10e (via the paper feed paths P1a, P1e, etc.) to the downstream side. 11 and a resist roller pair 12 for aligning the tips of the sheets are provided at the end of the path.

Each of the cassette mechanisms 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and the large-capacity cassette 10e is provided with a pickup roller 13 and a transport roller pair 14, respectively, and supplies sheets one by one to the paper feed path P1. A transfer roller pair 15 is provided in the vicinity of the sheet supply port 17 of the manual feed tray 10f in the apparatus housing 1, and the sheet manually supplied by the user is conveyed toward the resist roller pair 11.

<Image formation unit>
The image forming unit 20 is provided on the transport path P2 at the upper part of the cassette mechanism 10a, and includes, for example, an inkjet printing unit. The image forming portion 21 is provided at a position facing the transport belt 22 with the transport path P2 interposed therebetween. The image forming unit 21 prints by injecting a liquid such as ink onto the sheet supported by the transport belt 22 along the transport path P2 to adhere the liquid to the sheet. The image forming unit 21 of the present embodiment is composed of a line head capable of simultaneously injecting ink in a width direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the sheet conveying direction.

The image forming unit of the present application is not limited to the inkjet method, and is, for example, an electrostatic printing mechanism, which is a rotating photosensitive drum, and a light emitter or a developing device that emits an optical beam and is arranged around the rotating photosensitive drum. , A cleaner may be provided. In that case, a latent image is optically formed on the photosensitive drum with a light emitter, and toner is attached to the latent image using a developing device. The sheet is transferred to the transfer path P2 at the timing of forming an image on the photosensitive drum, the image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer charger, and the image is fixed by the fixing roller arranged on the downstream side in the sheet transfer direction.

The sheet subjected to the image forming process is conveyed to the sheet inversion path P3, the transfer path P4 for discharging to the first discharge unit 40a, or the transfer path P5 for transporting to the relay transfer unit 60. In the route switching unit 23, a flapper guide (not shown) moves according to the transfer destination of the sheet, and guides the sheet to any of the transfer paths P3, P4, and P5.

The sheet reversal pass P3 is a transport path for reversing the front and back of the sheet, and can be used for double-sided printing, or even for single-sided printing, face-down (with the printed side of the sheet facing down) after the sheet, which will be described later. It is used when transporting to the processing device 70.

The transport path P4 is a transport path for discharging the sheet to the first discharge unit 40a. When the sheet is ejected to the first ejection unit 40a, the sheet is delivered from the transfer path P2 to the transfer path P4 by the route switching unit 23, and the printed surface of the sheet (the surface printed for the second time in the case of double-sided printing) is The sheet is ejected to the sheet mounting surface (mounting portion) 41 in a face-down state facing downward. The transport path P4 is curved upward (in an arc) from the substantially horizontal transport path P2 starting from the route switching portion 23, and from there toward the sheet discharge port 24 (provided in the device housing 1). It is formed like this.

When the sheet is conveyed to the relay transfer unit 60, the route is not switched by the route switching unit 23, and the sheet is conveyed straight along the transfer path P2. When the sheet is conveyed to the relay transfer unit 60, if it is conveyed face-up (with the printed surface of the sheet facing up), it is conveyed face-down without performing the inversion process by the sheet inversion pass P3. In this case, the front and back of the sheet are inverted using the sheet inversion pass P3, and then the sheet is conveyed.

<Image reading unit>
The image reading unit 30 is provided above the first ejection unit 40a and the transport path P4, and includes an image reading unit 33 for reading an image of a document, a document feeding tray 31 for placing a document to be fed, and an image. It is composed of a document ejection tray 32 in which documents read by the scanning unit 33 are ejected. The image reading unit 30 photoelectrically converts the original image read by the image reading unit 33 into image data and outputs it as an electric signal to the image forming unit. The image of the original may be read by using the platen on which the original is placed, the carriage reciprocating along the platen, and the image reading unit 33 provided on the carriage.

<Relay transport unit>
The relay transport unit 60 is a unit for transporting the sheet image-formed by the image-forming unit 20 to the post-processing unit 70 side, and has a route switching unit 61. The path switching unit 61 includes a transport path P5 for discharging the sheet to the stack tray 171 (third discharge unit 40c) of the post-processing unit 70, and a sheet mounting surface 71a on the upper surface of the unit housing 71 of the post-processing unit 70. The transport path is switched between the transport path P6 for discharging to (the second discharging unit 40b) and the transport path P6.

The switching between the stack tray 171 and the sheet mounting portion 71a is switched depending on whether or not post-processing such as binding processing is performed on the sheet. In the present embodiment, since the sheet is discharged straight to the sheet mounting surface 71a, the sheet is discharged face-down to the first discharge section 40a, and to the face-up discharge section 40b. The mode may be divided so as to discharge. When the discharge roller 63 provided in the transport path P6 is configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction, the second discharge unit 40b shifts the sheet in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the transport direction). You can eject the jog by letting it.

<Post-processing unit>
The post-processing unit 70 is a unit that performs post-processing such as binding processing on the sheet received from the relay transfer unit 60. The post-processing unit of the present embodiment is equipped with a sheet binding processing mechanism that aligns and accumulates a plurality of conveyed sheets to form a sheet bundle and binds the sheet bundle.

The post-processing unit 70 has a sheet supply port 72, a transfer path P15, a paper ejection roller 73, a processing tray 74, a sheet carrying member 75a, 75b, a staple binding processing unit 76, a sheet edge regulating member 77, and a sheet width in the unit housing 71. The matching member 79 and the bundle discharge member 78 are stored, and a stack tray 171 that can move up and down is provided on the opposite side of the sheet supply port 72.

The sheet carrying member is composed of a paddle 75a and a belt 75b, and a direction in which the rear end of the sheet on the processing tray 74 (the upstream end in the sheet transporting direction conveyed by the paper ejection roller 73) is abutted against the sheet edge regulating member 77. It is a member for transporting a sheet to the belt. The paddle 75a and the belt 75b are configured to be movable between a retracted position separated from the seat and an operating position that rotates in contact with the seat, and the seat is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 at the operating position to rotate the seat. Transport.

The width matching member 79 is composed of a pair of movable matching members on the side of both ends of the seat in the sheet width direction, and the seat is brought into contact with the retracted position separated from the edge in the sheet width direction and the edge in the sheet width direction. It is configured to be movable to and from the operating position to be moved in the width direction. It should be noted that the matching members on both sides do not necessarily have to move, and one matching member may be a fixed regulating member, and only the other matching member may move to perform sheet width matching with respect to the fixed regulating member. .. Further, the other matching member does not need to be in contact with the edge in the sheet width direction and move, and a member that is in contact with the upper surface of the sheet and can be moved in the sheet width direction or a roller member that conveys the sheet in the sheet width direction is used. By providing it, the seat width matching operation is possible.

The staple binding processing unit 76 performs binding processing on a bundle of sheets aligned and integrated in the sheet transport direction and the sheet width direction on the processing tray 74. The staple binding processing unit 76 is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction, and can perform binding processing at a predetermined position on the edge of the sheet in contact with the corner portion of the sheet bundle or the sheet edge restricting member 77. In this embodiment, a needle binding mechanism using staples is adopted, but a needleless binding mechanism that does not use staples may be adopted, and the needle binding mechanism and the needleless binding mechanism are post-processed respectively. It may be provided on the front side and the rear side of the unit 70, respectively, and the staple binding and the needleless binding may be switched according to the user's setting.

The bundle discharge member 78 discharges the sheet bundle on the processing tray 74 to the stack tray 171 by pushing out the rear end edge of the sheet bundle. The bundle discharge member 78 is retracted below the processing tray 74 until the sheet bundle is formed, and after the sheet bundle is formed on the processing tray 74 (after the binding process is performed, the binding process is performed). ) It is configured to move along the guide member 78a so as to come into contact with the trailing edge of the sheet bundle and push the sheet bundle toward the stack tray 171.

The details of the configurations of the paper ejection roller 73, the processing tray 74, the sheet loading members 75a and 75b, the staple binding processing unit 76, the sheet edge regulating member 77, the sheet width matching member 79, and the bundle ejection member 78 described so far are detailed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-16970, and various post-processing units such as staple binding, needleless binding, punching (drilling), and folding processing can be applied. Further, the sheet can be shifted in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction) and discharged to the stack tray 171 without performing the binding process, which can also be included in the post-processing. The case of shifting the sheet in the width direction can be achieved by changing the alignment position by the width matching member 79 or changing the sheet ejection position by a mechanism in which the paper ejection roller pair 73 shifts in the sheet width direction.

In the present embodiment, the sheets image-formed by the image forming unit 20 are accumulated in the processing tray 74 to form a sheet bundle, and when the sheet bundle is discharged to the stack tray 171, the processing tray 74 and / or By sandwiching the partition paper between the sheet on the stack tray 171 and the sheet bundle to be discharged, the bundle of sheet bundles can be smoothly discharged.

In particular, the printing rate on the lower surface side (the surface on the processing tray 74 side) of the lowest sheet (the first sheet of the job in the bundle) in contact with the processing tray 74 in the sheet bundle is high (the image forming unit 20 covers a wide range of the sheets). When the amount of ink ejected is large), the μ of the bottom sheet is high, and the slidability between the sheet bundle and the sheet already loaded on the stack tray 171 is poor, which may cause a bundle ejection failure. Therefore, if the printing rate of the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle to be ejected next is high when the sheets are already loaded on the stack tray 171, the partition paper is ejected to the processing tray 74 and / or the stack tray 171. , A bundle of sheets is formed on the partition paper, and then the bundle of sheets is discharged to the stack tray 171.

If the printing rate of the bottom sheet is high and the slidability between the sheet bundle for discharging the bundle and the processing tray 74 or the sheet bundle for discharging the bundle and the stack tray 171 is poor, the first bundle of sheets is formed. A partition paper may be used. In the present embodiment, the stack tray 171 is provided with ribs (not shown), and the contact area with the discharged sheet is reduced to improve the slidability between the sheet and the stack tray 171.

The worst conditions for discharging bundles are as follows. (1) The sheet size (sheet length in the sheet bundle discharge direction) is large. (2) The number of sheets in the bundle when forming the sheet bundle is large (the number of sheets to be bound is large when the binding process is performed). (3) The printing rate of the bottom sheet is high (the amount of ink ejected over a wide range is large and the water content is high). (4) The sheet is already loaded on the stack tray 171. In the present embodiment, when all of the above conditions are satisfied (when all of St01 to St04 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 are Yes), the bundle discharge process is performed using the partition paper, but even one of the conditions is satisfied. A partition paper may be used when each condition is combined. When the condition is not satisfied (when any one of St01 to St04 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is No), a sheet bundle is formed on the processing tray 74 and the binding process is executed as before (St09 in FIG. 5), and the sheet is executed. The bundle is discharged to the stack tray 171 (St10 in FIG. 5).

In the present embodiment, (1) it is determined that the sheet size is large for the sheet whose sheet length in the sheet bundle discharge direction is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of A4. Further, (2) it is determined that the number of bundles formed is 10 or more, which is large. (3) Regarding the print rate of the bottom sheet, when the image data is in the range of 70% or more of the sheet, it is determined that the print rate is high and the ink ejection amount is large. As for (4) whether or not the stack tray 171 has a sheet, as shown in FIG. 7, a sheet presence / absence detection lever 172 is provided on the stack tray 171 and the second control CPU 87, which will be described later, is a sheet presence / absence detection lever. The presence or absence of the sheet is determined by receiving the detection result of 172. Note that FIG. 7A shows a state without a seat, and FIG. 7B shows a state with a seat. It goes without saying that the threshold value used for the above determination is not limited to the above-mentioned contents and can be appropriately set according to the performance of the device and the like.

Hereinafter, the operation of satisfying the above conditions and performing the bundle discharge processing using the partition paper will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the sheet bundle SB0 is already loaded on the stack tray 171 and is waiting for the next job of forming the sheet bundle. When the job of forming the sheet bundle is input in this state, the partition paper S1 is supplied from the cassette 10d (FIG. 2 (B), FIG. 5 St05). After the partition paper S1 is discharged onto the processing tray 74 (and the stack tray 171) by the paper ejection roller 73, the paddle 75a moves from the retracted position to the operating position and scrapes into the rear end of the partition paper S1. The end portion on the upstream side in the transport direction by the paper ejection roller 73) is moved in a direction closer to the sheet edge regulating member 77 (FIG. 2 (C)).

The paddle 75a is separated from the partition paper S1 before the rear end of the partition paper S1 comes into contact with the sheet edge restricting member 77. In the present embodiment, the paddle 75a is moved to the retracted position when the partition paper S1 is conveyed to the sheet edge regulating member 77 side by 20 mm (St06 in FIG. 5). When the rear end of the partition paper S1 is brought into contact with the sheet edge restricting member 77, not only the sheet bundle SB1 but also the partition paper S1 is combined when the sheet bundle SB1 (formed on the partition paper S1) is subsequently bound. Therefore, it is necessary to stop the transport at a position where the rear end of the partition paper S1 does not abut on the sheet edge restricting member 77. In other words, the partition paper S1 may be discharged outside the area where the binding process for the sheet bundle SB1 is performed.

The sheet to be ejected next (the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle SB1) in a state where the partition paper S1 is ejected from the paper ejection roller 73 and placed on the processing tray 74 (a state in which the paddle 75a is not scraped). ) Passes through the upper part of the rear end of the partition paper S1 and is discharged (when the tip of the bottom sheet does not hit the rear end of the partition paper S1 or slip under the partition paper S1). The scraping operation by the paddle 75a is unnecessary. When it is desired to reliably eject the bottom sheet onto the partition paper S1 as in the present embodiment, the rear end of the partition paper S1 is placed between the position directly below the paper ejection roller 73 and the sheet edge regulating member 77. The paddle 75a may be moved to the retracted position by performing a scraping operation with the paddle 75a until it is positioned at the position.

After the partition paper S1 is set on the processing tray 74 in FIG. 2C, a sheet bundle SB1 is formed on the partition paper S1 (FIG. 3A). When forming the sheet bundle SB1, the sheets are discharged one by one onto the processing tray 74 (on the partition paper S1), the rear end of the sheet is abutted against the sheet edge regulating member 77 by the paddle 75a and the belt 75b, and the belt 75b. The width matching member 79 performs alignment in the sheet width direction while the upper surface of the sheet is held down. This operation is repeated for the number of bundles, and when the sheet bundle SB1 is formed on the partition paper S1, the staple binding processing unit 76 performs the binding processing only on the sheet bundle SB1 (St07 in FIG. 5).

After the binding process is performed, the sheet bundle extrusion member 78 moves along the guide member 78a, so that the sheet bundle SB1 and the partition paper S1 are pushed out toward the stack tray 171 and the bundle is discharged, and a series of operations is completed. (FIG. 3 (B), FIG. 5 St08). When discharging the bundle, the partition paper S1 is interposed between the top sheet of the sheet bundle SB0 already loaded on the stack tray 171 and the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle SB1, so that the bottom sheet is printed. Even when the rate is high, the sliding load is suppressed and the bundle can be discharged smoothly. Further, as described above, since the rear end of the partition paper S1 and the rear end of the sheet bundle SB1 are displaced, when the sheet bundle SB1 and the partition paper S1 are discharged to the stack tray 171, the sheet bundle SB0 and the sheet bundle SB1 become The sheet bundle SB1 and the partition paper S1 can be easily distinguished from each other by accumulating the sheets of the partition paper S1 between them in a protruding state.

In the present embodiment, the mode of performing the binding process by the staple binding member 76 is shown, but in the mode in which the sheet bundle is formed on the processing tray 74 without the binding process and the bundle is discharged by shifting in the width direction. If the printing rate of the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle is high, the partition paper S1 can be used to smoothly eject the bundle. In that case, since the partition paper S1 is not stapled together with the sheet bundle SB1, the rear end of the partition paper S1 may be abutted against the sheet edge restricting member 77. However, if the sheet size of the sheet bundle SB1 and the partition paper S1 are the same, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the sheet bundle SB1 and the partition paper S1, so that the sheet size of the partition paper S1 is different from the sheet size of the sheet bundle SB1. It is desirable to use. If the sheet sizes are the same, the sheet bundle SB1 and the partition paper S1 can be distinguished by shifting the rear end position of the partition paper S1 and the rear end position of the sheet bundle SB1 as described above.

The post-processing unit 70 (and the relay transfer unit 60) of the present embodiment is installed on the table 50 on the side of the image forming apparatus 100. The pedestal 50 is composed of an installation portion 51, a leg portion 52, and an opening 53, and is fixed by hooking a hook member 54 provided on the side of the image forming apparatus 100 on the opening 53. The installation unit 51 is provided with a slide rail (not shown), and the post-processing unit 70 is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction of FIG. By separating the post-processing unit 70 (and the relay transfer unit 60) from the image forming apparatus 100, it is possible to perform jam removal processing when the sheet is jammed.

When the post-processing unit 70 moves to the tip end side of the installation portion 51, a force is applied to the stand 50 in the counterclockwise direction, but the leg portion 52 is supported by the hook member 54 and the side surface portion 1c of the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, the table 50 will not fall down.

<Discharge section>
In the present embodiment, a plurality of discharging units for discharging the processed sheet are provided. As described above, the first discharge unit 40a discharges the sheet image-formed by the image forming unit 20 in a face-down manner, or inverts the front and back of the sheet with the sheet inversion pass P3 and discharges in a face-up manner. It is a discharge part. The first discharge portion 40a is a so-called in-body paper discharge portion of the image forming apparatus A, and is composed of a space partitioned by a standing surface 1a, a ceiling surface 1b, and a mounting surface 41 of the apparatus housing 1.

The second discharge unit 40b is a discharge unit using the upper surface 71a of the unit housing of the post-processing unit 70, and either the sheet image-formed by the image forming unit 20 is discharged straight face-up, or the sheet is ejected by the sheet inversion pass P3. Invert the front and back and eject with face down. That is, the first discharge unit 40a and the second discharge unit 40b can be discharged to either of them according to the user's setting, but in the case of face-down, face-up to the first discharge unit 40a is performed. In that case, it is desirable to discharge to the second discharge unit 40b.

Further, it is also possible to determine whether to discharge the ink to the first discharge unit 40a or the second discharge unit 40b according to the amount (printing rate) of the ink adhering to the sheet by the image formation process by the image forming unit 20. For example, when the printing rate is low, it is not necessary to dry the ink adhering to the sheet. .. However, when the printing rate is high, it is necessary to dry the ink adhering to the sheet. Therefore, the sheet is once conveyed to the sheet inversion pass P3 to gain time for ejection to dry the sheet. After the sheet is conveyed by the sheet reversal pass P3, the face-up sheet is discharged to the first discharge unit 40a, and the face-down sheet is discharged to the second discharge unit 40b. If a drying member such as a fan is provided on the sheet reversing pass P3, the drying effect can be further enhanced.

The third discharge unit 40c is a stack tray 171 of the post-treatment unit 70, and the sheet post-treated by the post-treatment unit 70 is discharged. The stack tray 171 is configured to be able to move up and down, and moves up and down according to the seat load capacity. Further, since the post-processing unit 70 of the present embodiment has a mechanism for shifting the sheet in the width direction, the sheet is discharged in a state of being shifted in the width direction on the stack tray 171 without staple binding processing. Can be made to.

Further, in the present embodiment, a configuration is disclosed in which a sheet having a high printing rate is processed by the post-processing unit 70 as described above, but a sheet having a higher printing rate (for example, a solid image of a dark color on the entire surface) is disclosed. Since the printed sheet) cannot be processed by the post-processing unit 70, such a sheet may be discharged to the first discharge unit 40a or the second discharge unit 40b.

Further, when the post-treatment is performed by the post-treatment unit 70, the productivity is lowered as compared with the straight discharge. Therefore, even in the mode in which productivity is emphasized, the products may be discharged to the first discharge unit 40a or the second discharge unit 40b.

<Control configuration>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a control configuration of the image forming system 100 of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B have control CPUs 81 and 87, respectively, and can exchange information with each other. The first control CPU 81 on the image forming apparatus A side is connected to the image forming control unit 82, the first drive control unit 83, the read control unit 84, and the first signal control unit 85. The first control CPU 81 sends the print data received from the read control unit 84 to the image formation control unit 82, and the image formation control unit 82 controls the image formation unit (print head) 21 to perform image formation processing. Further, the first control CPU 81 issues a command to the first drive control unit in response to input information (detection of the seat edge, etc.) from various sensors connected to the first signal control unit 85, and the roller that conveys the sheet. The seat is conveyed by controlling the drive motor and flapper guide drive unit. Further, the first control CPU 81 is connected to an input unit 86 for inputting information such as a print mode, an ejection mode, and a post-processing mode from the user, and controls each control unit according to the input information. Mode information is transmitted to the second control CPU 87 of the sheet processing device B.

From the input unit 86, "image formation mode" and "post-processing mode" are set. The image formation mode sets mode settings such as color / monochrome printing and double-sided / single-sided printing, and image formation conditions such as sheet size, sheet quality, number of printouts, and enlarged / reduced printing. Further, the "post-processing mode" is set to, for example, "printout mode", "staple binding processing mode", "eco-binding processing mode", "jog sorting mode" and the like. The device shown in the figure is provided with a "manual binding mode", in which the sheet bundle binding processing operation is executed offline separately from the first control CPU 81 of the image forming unit A.

The second control CPU 87 on the sheet processing device B side is provided in the post-processing unit 70, and the second control CPU 87 controls not only the post-processing unit 70 but also the operation of the relay transfer unit 60. The second control CPU 87 is connected to the second drive control unit 88 and the second signal control unit 89, and the second control CPU 81 is input information (sheet end) from various sensors connected to the second signal control unit 89. It issues a command to the second drive control unit in response to (detection of the unit, etc.), and controls the drive motor of the roller that conveys the seat and the flapper guide drive unit to convey the seat. Further, the second drive control unit 88 is also connected to a binding drive control unit, a width matching drive control unit, and a scraping drive control unit, and executes a post-processing operation.

Further, the first control CPU 81 transfers data to the second control CPU 87, such as post-processing mode, sheet number information (bundle formation number), copy number information, and sheet type information such as the size and thickness of the sheet to be image-formed. At the same time, the first control CPU 81 transfers the job end signal to the second control CPU 87 each time the image formation is completed. Further, in the present embodiment, print information, particularly information on the amount of ink ejected from the sheet (print rate information) is transferred to the second control CPU 87. The print information includes, in addition to the ink ejection amount to the sheet, the image information read by the image reading unit C, the ink ejection amount calculated from the image information, and the like. Here, the above-mentioned print ratio can be obtained from the area of the image data with respect to the sheet size. Therefore, a high printing rate is determined to mean, for example, that the printing rate is high because image data exists in 70% of the entire sheet and there are many portions where ink is ejected to the sheet.

The second control CPU 87 determines whether or not the partition paper is required based on the sheet number information, the number of copies information, the sheet type information, and the print information received from the first control CPU 81, and if the partition paper is required, the second control The CPU 87 issues a command to the first control CPU 81 to convey the partition paper to the post-processing unit 70 before the image forming operation, and conveys the partition paper from the cassette 10d to the post-processing unit 70 from the image forming apparatus 100.

In the above-described embodiment, an example (St02 in FIG. 5) of determining whether or not to use the partition paper in the bundle forming process is determined based on the number of bundles formed at one time, but the thickness of the sheet is shown. In combination with the information, a partition paper may be used when the weight of the sheet bundle is heavier than the predetermined value. Further, when the sheet thickness is too thin and the number of bundles formed is small, the stiffness of the sheet bundle is weak when the sheet bundle SB1 is discharged, and the friction between the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle SB1 and the top sheet of the sheet bundle SB0 is weak. Since the friction coefficient may be lost, the partition paper may be used even when the sheet thickness is thinner than the predetermined number and the number of bundles formed is smaller than the predetermined number.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the partition paper is used when the sheet is on the stack tray 171 is shown, but when the printing rate of the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle is high without using the partition paper, the stack is used. The bundle may be discharged only when there is no sheet in the tray 171. In that case, if the first control CPU 81 receives a job from the user and determines that the printing rate of the bottom sheet (first sheet) is high, the second control CPU 87 receives the detection result by the sheet presence / absence detection lever 172 and the stack tray. If there is no sheet on 171, the job is executed. If there is a sheet, the job is not executed. A message such as "Please remove the sheet from the stack tray" is displayed on the display part (not shown), and the stack tray 171 Run the job when the sheet is removed from.

Further, in the present embodiment, when high-density print data is printed over a wide range of sheets, it is determined that the printing rate is high, and an example of using partition paper is shown, but only the bottom sheet is printed at low density. The partition paper may not be used. Such an aspect in which the partition paper is not used is effective when the sheet for the partition paper is not stored in the cassette 10d.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example of using the partition paper when the printing rate of the bottom sheet of the bundle ejected is high is shown. For example, the sheet bundle SB0 and the sheet bundle SB1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are used. When continuously forming a bundle and discharging the bundle, even if the printing rate of the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle SB1 is low, the upper surface side of the top sheet of the sheet bundle SB0 (on the sheet bundle SB1 side when the sheet bundle SB1 is discharged). When the printing rate on the surface) is high, if the sheet bundle SB1 is discharged using the partition paper S1, the slidability of the sheet bundle SB0 with the top sheet is improved and the bundle can be smoothly discharged.

In this case, since the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle SB0 dries when a predetermined time or more elapses after discharging the sheet bundle SB0, the sheet bundle SB1 is formed after a predetermined time or more has elapsed after discharging the sheet bundle SB0. It is not necessary to use a partition paper when discharging a bundle. If both the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle SB1 and the top sheet of the sheet bundle SB0 have a high printing rate, the partition paper is naturally used to discharge the bundle of the sheet bundle SB1.

Further, in the present embodiment, a protrusion (not shown) is formed on the stack tray 171 to reduce the contact area with the discharged sheet, but the slidability between the discharged sheet and the stack tray 171 is shown. In a poorly configured configuration, even if there are no sheets on the stack tray 171 but the printing rate of the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle is high, the bundle is formed smoothly using partition paper and the bundle is discharged. Can be discharged.

In the present embodiment, the partition paper S1 uses a sheet having the same size as the sheet bundle, but it is sufficient if the partition paper S1 has a size that can cover the print area of the sheet, and cannot cover the entire print area. However, the size may be sufficient to cover the area where the amount of ink ejected is particularly large in the print area. In that case, it is desirable to use a paddle 75a or a width matching member 79 to change the position where the partition paper is set according to the printing area.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which a bundle of sheets is discharged from the processing tray 74 to the stack tray 171 is shown, but a partition paper may also be used when discharging one sheet from the processing tray 74 to the stack tray 171. can. In that case, it is determined whether or not to use the partition paper according to the printing rate of the discharged sheet and the sheet type, and if necessary, the sheet is discharged from the processing tray 74 to the stack tray 171 with the partition paper interposed therebetween. .. That is, when one sheet is ejected, that sheet becomes the "first sheet of the job".

In the present embodiment, even when one sheet is ejected to the stack tray 171, the sheet is once placed on the processing tray 74 and then ejected to the stack tray 171. However, the sheet is placed on the processing tray 74. It may be discharged directly to the stack tray 171 without being placed. In that case, a member such as a transport roller is provided at the end of the processing tray 74 on the stack tray 171 side. When the printing rate of the sheet to be ejected to the stack tray 171 and / or the top sheet placed on the stack tray 171 is high, the partition paper S1 is ejected onto the top sheet of the stack tray 171 and then printed. The sheet is discharged onto the partition paper S1.

In the present embodiment, a configuration is shown in which the sheet bundle SB1 is formed in a state where the partition paper S1 is placed on the processing tray 74 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, but on the stack tray SB0 as shown in FIG. The sheet bundle SB1 may be formed after the partition paper S1 is discharged.

In the configurations of FIGS. 2 and 3, the effect of improving the slidability between the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle SB1 and the processing tray 74 can be obtained, but the slidability between the bottom sheet and the processing tray 74 can be obtained. If there is no problem, the partition paper S1 may be discharged onto the sheet bundle SB0 in advance.

In this embodiment, if it is determined that the printing rate of the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle SB1 to be formed is high or the printing rate of the top sheet of the sheet bundle SB0 already loaded on the stack tray 171 is high, the image forming apparatus 100 The partition paper S1 is conveyed from the cassette 10d of the above to the post-processing unit 70, and is discharged to the processing tray 74 by the paper ejection roller 73. When the partition paper S1 is discharged to the processing tray 74, the partition paper S1 is conveyed to the sheet edge regulating member 77 side by the paddle 75a (FIG. 6A).

Next, the partition paper S1 is discharged to the stack tray 171 by the sheet bundle extrusion member 78 (FIG. 6B). After that, the sheet bundle SB1 is formed on the processing tray 74 in the same manner as in the conventional case, and the binding process is performed as necessary (FIG. 6C), and the sheet bundle SB1 is partitioned by the sheet bundle extrusion member 78 to partition the stack tray 171. The bundle is ejected onto the paper S1 (FIG. 6 (D)).

In the post-treatment unit 70 of the present embodiment, when only the partition paper S1 is discharged to the stack tray 171, the sheet bundle extrusion member 78 is used to discharge the partition paper S1 and then the sheet bundle SB1 is formed. Therefore, FIGS. 2 and 3 As shown in the above, it is better to discharge the sheet bundle SB1 and the partition paper S1 at the same time for better processing efficiency. If a discharge member (for example, a discharge roller that can be brought into contact with the sheet or a paddle 75a) discharges the sheet to the stack tray 171 side at the end of the processing tray 74 (opposite side of the sheet edge regulating member 77), the processing tray 74 If the paddle 75a is provided at the end of the paper, it is not necessary to reverse-transport the partition paper S1 once, so that there is no problem of processing efficiency.

Further, FIG. 8 is a modified example of the relay transfer unit 60. As shown in FIG. 8, when the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a route switching unit 23 for switching a route from the transfer path P2 to the transfer path P4, the transfer path P5, or the transfer path P6, the transfer path P5 and the transfer path P5 are provided. The relay transfer unit 60 may be provided so as to be connected to the outlets of the paths P6. In this case, the transport path P6 becomes a straight path continuous from the transport path P2.

Further, in the present embodiment, the example in which the partition paper S1 is stored in the cassette 10d on the image forming apparatus 100 side is shown, but the post-processing unit 70 may be provided with a tray for storing the partition paper S1.

Further, in the present embodiment, the mode in which the partition paper S1 is discharged straddling the processing tray 74 and the stack tray 171 and the mode in which the partition paper S1 is discharged onto the stack tray 171 are shown, but the processing tray 74 is a sheet. If it is long in the discharge direction, the partition paper S1 may be discharged only on the processing tray 74 and discharged to the stack tray 171 together with the sheet bundle SB1.

100 Image formation system A Image formation device B Sheet processing device 1 Device housing 10 Paper feed unit 20 Image formation unit 30 Image reading unit 40a First discharge unit 40b Second discharge unit 40c Third discharge unit 50 Stand 60 Relay transfer unit 70 Processing unit 71 Unit housing 73 Paper ejection roller 74 Processing tray 75a Paddle 75b Belt 76 Staple binding processing unit 77 Sheet edge control member 78 Sheet bundle extrusion member 79 Width matching member 81 First control CPU
87 Second control CPU
171 Stack tray 172 Sheet presence / absence detection lever S1 Partition paper SB1 Sheet bundle SB0 Sheet bundle

Claims (4)

In a sheet loading device that loads sheets that have been printed by an inkjet image forming device.
A first sheet mounting means for mounting the sheet received from the image forming apparatus, and
A discharge means for discharging the sheet mounted on the first sheet mounting means in a predetermined discharge direction, and a discharge means.
A second sheet mounting means for mounting the sheet discharged by the discharging means, and
The partition paper discharging means for discharging the partition paper to the first sheet placing means and / or the second sheet placing means, and the partition paper discharging means.
In the job of ejecting a sheet from the first sheet mounting means to the second sheet mounting means, the sheet is first mounted on the first sheet mounting means and / or already mounted on the second sheet mounting means. When the printing rate of the top sheet to be placed by the image forming apparatus is higher than a predetermined value, the partition paper is discharged by the partition paper discharging means, and the partition paper is discharged between the sheet and the second sheet placing means. A sheet loading device characterized in that the sheet is discharged from the first sheet mounting means to the second sheet mounting means in a state of passing through a partition paper. The discharging means is a combination of the partition paper mounted on the first sheet mounting means and the sheet that has been printed and placed on the partition paper from the first sheet mounting means. 2. The sheet loading device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is discharged to the sheet mounting means. The first sheet placing means is a sheet bundle forming means for forming a sheet bundle from a plurality of sheets printed by the image forming apparatus, and a sheet bundle formed by the sheet bundle forming means in a predetermined area. It has a binding means to perform binding processing,
The sheet loading device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the sheet bundle is bound by the binding means, the partition paper discharging means discharges the partition paper out of the predetermined area. An image forming device that forms an image on a sheet,
A sheet loading device for loading a sheet sent from the image forming apparatus is provided.
The image forming system, wherein the sheet loading device is the sheet loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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