JP7052454B2 - Sheet processing equipment and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system.

Conventionally, in an image forming system, a system including a sheet processing apparatus for binding a bundle of sheets such as paper on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus is known. As the binding processing means for performing the binding process, a binding means with a needle for binding using a stipple (metal) needle and a binding means without a needle for binding without using a stipple needle are known. As a needleless binding means, a crimp binding device is known in which a binding tooth constituting an uneven drawing is pressed against a sheet from the thickness direction of the sheet bundle with a large pressure to deform the sheet constituting the sheet bundle and crimp it. ..

As a sheet processing device of this type, a device having the needle-attached binding means, an apparatus having the needleless binding means independently, and an apparatus having both of them are known. As an example of the latter, for example, the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-20823 (Patent Document 1) is known.

In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the needle-attached binding means is arranged in the sheet carry-in area of the processing tray so that the position can be moved, and the needle-less binding means is arranged outside the sheet carry-in area. Then, the needle-attached binding means binds the sheet bundles accumulated on the processing tray at that position, and the needle-less binding means moves the predetermined amount of sheet bundles by the offset means in the direction orthogonal to the sheet loading direction. The binding process is performed at that position.

By the way, in the binding processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when the sheet is sent to the needleless binding means, the needle-attached binding means is moved, and the paper guide member is lowered in conjunction with this movement to accept the sheet. .. However, the paper guide member only guides the sheet bundle when moving or accepting the sheet bundle, and does not hold the sheet bundle. Therefore, when the sheet bundle is bound by the needleless binding means, the sheet bundle may be displaced and the binding position accuracy may be lowered, which has the same problem as the crimp binding device.

Normally, when performing needleless binding such as this crimp binding, it is necessary to provide a sheet holding mechanism so that the sheet does not shift during crimping. At that time, for example, if the sheet retainer (tapping roller) is far from the rear end reference fence that regulates the rear end of the sheet bundle and the needleless binding means that performs needleless binding (see FIG. 15), the binding position accuracy is inevitably reduced. I will invite you.

That is, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the binding process is performed by the needleless binding means, the needle-attached binding means is used, and the sheet guide is performed by the paper guide member in conjunction with the movement. However, it does not have a function to hold or hold the sheet bundle so that the sheet does not shift during the needleless binding process. Therefore, when pressure-bonding is performed by the needleless binding means, the sheet bundle may move due to the pressure applied to the sheet bundle, which may impair the binding accuracy.

Therefore, an object to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of misalignment of the sheet bundle during the needleless binding process and to enable the needleless binding process with high position accuracy.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention includes a transport means for transporting a sheet and a front.
A plurality of the above-mentioned using a regulating member abutting on the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction and a needle.
A binding means with a needle for binding a bundle of sheets made of sheets, and a plurality of the above-mentioned sheets without using a needle.
A needleless binding means for binding a sheet bundle made of a sheet is provided, and the needle- attached binding means is the width of the sheet bundle when the sheet bundle is bound by the needleless binding means.
It is characterized by a sheet processing device that presses the sheet bundle between the needleless binding means and the restricting member .

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of misalignment of the sheet bundle during the needleless binding process and perform the needleless binding process with high position accuracy. Issues, configurations and effects other than the above will be clarified in the following description of the embodiment.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the whole structure of the image formation system provided with the sheet processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the main part structure of the control system of the image formation system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the transport path binding mechanism of the post-processing apparatus in FIG. It is a top view of the transport path binding mechanism in FIG. It is an operation explanatory view which shows the matching operation of the sheet matching mechanism in 1st Embodiment. It is an operation explanatory view which shows the operation of the needleless binding unit and a sheet bundle in 1st Embodiment. It is operation explanatory drawing which shows the binding operation of the needleless binding unit in 1st Embodiment. It is an operation explanatory view which shows the conventional operation at the time of binding a bundle of sheets by a needleless binding unit. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the operation of 1st Embodiment at the time of binding a bundle of sheets by a needleless binding unit. It is a top view which shows the relationship between the sheet bundle, the transfer roller, the needleless binding unit, and the rear end reference fence at the time of needleless binding in the conventional example. It is a top view which shows the relationship between the sheet bundle at the time of needleless binding in 1st Embodiment, a transfer roller, a needleless binding unit, and a rear end reference fence. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the transport path binding mechanism in the post-processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the transport path binding mechanism shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the sheet bundle holding at the time of the conventional needleless binding. It is a top view which shows the state of the conventional sheet bundle holding. It is a perspective view which shows the state at the time of stitchless binding in 2nd Embodiment.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY In the sheet processing apparatus provided with the needle-attached binding means and the needle-less binding means, the needle-attached binding means also functions as a paper retainer, and the sheet bundle is placed at a position close to the rear end reference fence and the needleless binding means. It is characterized by improving the binding position accuracy by pressing and holding. The sheet processing apparatus in the present invention is intended for an apparatus for post-processing a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus, and the sheet in the present specification includes paper, film, synthetic paper, etc. to be image-formed. Including all paper leaves. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the entire image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In each of the following figures, the same reference numerals are given to the parts that can be regarded as the same or the same, and duplicate description will be omitted as appropriate.

In FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 is composed of an image forming apparatus 100 and a post-processing apparatus (finisher) 200 as a sheet processing apparatus mechanically and electrically connected to the subsequent stage of the image forming apparatus 100. .. In the present embodiment, the post-processing device 200 is connected to the subsequent stage of the image forming device 100, but an image forming system in which the post-processing device 200 is built in the main body of the image forming device 100 may be used. Further, an image forming system may be provided in which a separate post-processing device having another function such as a folding processing function is provided between the image forming device 100 and the post-processing device 200.

The image forming apparatus 100 has a copying function, a printer function, and the like. The copying function is a function of converting an image read by an image reading device into image information, visualizing the image information, forming the image on a sheet, and outputting the image. The printer function is a function of forming an image on a sheet and outputting it based on image information input from an external device such as a personal computer. These functions are realized by using a known image forming engine such as an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, and a thermal transfer method. In this embodiment, the engine used for image formation is not particularly limited.

As shown in FIG. 1, the post-processing device 200 includes two units, a needleless binding unit 210 and a needle binding unit 220. The needleless binding unit 210 functions as a needleless binding means, and the needleless binding unit 220 functions as a needleless binding means. Both are selectively driven, and when the former is selected, for example, crimp binding is performed, and when the latter is selected, so-called stippling binding using, for example, a metal needle is performed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control system of the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110 and a communication unit 120, and is electrically connected to a display operation unit 130 provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 110 is composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls each unit in the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 110 controls each unit by executing the program stored in the ROM by the CPU using the RAM as a work area. The communication unit 120 is for communicating with the post-processing device 200. The display operation unit 130 is a user interface with a user. The user can operate the document by input functions such as key input or touch input, and can confirm the processing status on the image forming apparatus 100 side and the input information of the user from the information displayed on the display of the display operation unit 130. can.

The post-processing device 200 includes a binding processing control unit 201, a needleless binding unit 210, a needle binding unit 220, a sheet matching mechanism 230, a needle binding unit moving mechanism 240, and a post-processing communication unit 250. The binding processing control unit 201 controls each part of the post-processing device 200 including the needleless binding unit 210, the needle binding unit 220, the sheet matching mechanism 230, and the needle binding unit moving mechanism 240. The sheet alignment mechanism 230 aligns the length direction and the width direction of the sheets 202 and stacks them to create a sheet bundle 203. The needle binding unit moving mechanism 240 moves the needle binding unit 220 to the binding position and the holding position along the guide shaft 241 installed parallel to the rear end portion of the sheet bundle 203 on the most upstream side in the sheet transport direction. ..

The post-processing communication unit 250 performs communication processing with the communication unit 120 of the image forming apparatus 100. The binding processing control unit 201 executes control for binding processing based on the control information from the control unit 110 of the image forming apparatus 100 received via the communication unit 120. Further, the post-processing communication unit 250 transmits the state information of each unit of the post-processing device 200 and the processing information of the sheet from the binding processing control unit 201 to the communication unit 120 of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 110 controls each unit based on the received state information and processing information on the post-processing device 200 side and the operation information from the display operation unit 130.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the transport path binding mechanism 205 of the post-processing device 200 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the transport path binding mechanism 205 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transport path binding mechanism 205 of the post-processing device 200 includes a needleless binding unit 210, a needle binding unit 220, a sheet matching mechanism 230, and a needle binding unit moving mechanism 240.

The needleless binding unit 210 is a device for binding a bundle of sheets without using a binding needle. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 described later, a crimp binding mechanism using upper and lower binding teeth 211 and 212 having uneven meshing teeth formed on the surface is used. In the crimp binding mechanism, the sheet bundle 203 is sandwiched between the upper binding tooth 211 and the lower binding tooth 212, and pressure is applied from above and below to deform the sheet bundle 203, and the adjacent sheets 202 are crimped to each other. The needle binding unit 220 is a device for binding a bundle of sheets using a so-called metallic stippling needle.

The sheet matching mechanism 230 includes a stipple tray 231, a pair of rear end reference fences 232, a pair of left and right jogger fences 233, and a transport roller 237.

The stipple tray 231 is for loading the sheets 202 discharged or conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 as a sheet bundle 203 and performing a binding process. The rear end reference fence 232 is provided with two rising portions, and is arranged at the uppermost stream (paper rear end side) of the stipple tray 231 in the sheet transport direction. A transport roller 237 is provided on the upper part of the stipple tray 231 on the most downstream side in the sheet transport direction so as to be able to move up and down. The transport roller 237 transports the sheet 202 discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 onto the stipple tray 231 to the rear end reference fence 232 side, and transports the sheet bundle 203 after the binding process further downstream from the stipple tray 231. It is for doing.

When the sheet 202 is received in the stipple tray 231, the transfer roller 237 is separated above the stipple tray 231 and carries the sheet 202 between the sheet 202 and the stipple tray 231. When aligning the rear ends of the sheets and when carrying out the sheet bundle 203, the transport roller 237 comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet 202 or the sheet bundle 203 to apply a transport force to the sheet 202 or the sheet bundle 203. The inner surface of the rising portion of the rear end reference fence 232 is a reference surface that abuts and aligns with the rear end of the sheet 202 conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100. The jogger fence 233 is a pair of matching plates for matching the sheets 202, and the sheets 202 conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 are sandwiched and matched from both sides in the width direction. The jogger fence 233 is driven by a drive mechanism arranged on the back surface of the stipple tray 231.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram showing the matching operation of the sheet matching mechanism 230 in FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 3A, the sheet 202 conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 and fed between the transfer roller 237 and the stipple tray 231 at the separated position descends until it comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet 202. It is conveyed to the sheet matching mechanism 230 by the transfer roller 237. In the seat matching mechanism 230, the transport roller 237 transports the sheet 202 to the rear end reference fence 232 side as shown in FIG. Hit. As a result, the length direction (sheet transport direction) of the sheet 202 is aligned.

The seat 202 whose rear end is abutted against the rear end reference fence 232 is provided in the width direction (with the seat transport direction) by a pair of jogger fences 233 provided on both sides of the stipple tray 231 as shown in FIG. Parallel directions) are aligned. After the rear ends of the seat 202 are aligned, the jogger fence 233 reciprocates symmetrically from the side portion of the seat 202 (direction orthogonal to the transport direction) so as to face each other, sandwiches the side portion of the seat 202, and sandwiches the side portion of the seat 202. Align the width direction of. In this way, the sheets 202 are aligned in the length direction and the width direction for each sheet ejected, and the sheet bundle 203 in which the vertical and horizontal directions are aligned is formed on the stipple tray 231 and laminated.

In FIG. 4, the needle-attached binding unit moving mechanism 240 includes a needle-attached binding unit moving guide shaft (hereinafter, abbreviated as a guide shaft) 241, a needle-attached binding unit home position sensor 242, and a needle-attached binding unit drive device. The guide shaft 241 is provided along the width direction of the seat 202 on the upstream side of the rear end reference fence 232 of the stipple tray 231 in the seat transport direction. The guide shaft 241 guides the movement of the binding unit 220 with needles so that the binding unit 220 can move stably over the entire width in the paper width direction.

The needle binding unit home position sensor 242 is for detecting the home position of the needle binding unit 220 on the guide shaft 241. The needle binding unit drive includes a motor and a motor drive force transmission mechanism. As the driving force transmission mechanism, for example, a mechanism using a screw shaft, a mechanism using a wire, and the like are known. The binding processing control unit 201 sets the position detected by the needle binding unit home position sensor 242 as the home position of the needle binding unit 220, and is a post-processing device 200 including the driving force transmission mechanism, a driver for executing binding, and a clincher. Control each part. In FIG. 4, the needleless binding unit 210 is installed at a position close to the end on the right side (upper side in the drawing) of the guide shaft 241 in the sheet transport direction 300.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram showing the operation of the needleless binding unit 210 and the sheet bundle 203, and FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram showing the stitching operation of the needleless binding unit 210.

As shown in FIG. 6, the needle binding unit 220 is guided by the guide shaft 241 and can move along the rear end of the sheet bundle 203 (the edge on the most upstream side in the sheet transport direction). The stop position (binding position) is set by the binding processing control unit 201, is input, or is moved to a preset position by a driving force transmission mechanism including a motor of the binding unit drive device with a needle, and a staple needle 203n is used. The binding process is performed. Reference numeral 221 indicates an example of the binding position bound by the stipple needle 203n. Since the operation of the binding with a needle using the stipple needle 203n is a conventional technique, the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the needleless binding unit 210 includes an upper binding tooth 211, a lower binding tooth 212, and a crimping drive mechanism for closely crimping the upper binding tooth 211 to the lower binding tooth 212. For crimp binding, as shown in FIG. 7A, the sheet bundle 203 is inserted between the upper binding tooth 211 and the lower binding tooth 212, and the upper binding tooth 211 and the lower binding tooth 211 are inserted from the thickness direction of the sheet bundle 203 by the crimping drive mechanism. This is done by pressurizing with the binding teeth 212. By this pressurization, a binding tooth mark 213 is formed on the crimped portion. Since this type of crimp binding itself is also a conventional technique, detailed explanation is omitted. As shown in FIG. 6B, the sheet bundle 203 has the upper binding teeth sandwiching the sheet bundle 203 aligned by the rear end reference fence 232 and the jogger fence 233 on both sides in the width direction by the jogger fence 233. It is inserted between the 211 and the lower binding tooth 212. The crimped sheet bundle 203 is bound by the fibers of the sheet 202 being entangled with each other.

8 and 9 are operation explanatory views showing an operation when the sheet bundle 203 is bound by the needleless binding unit 210. FIG. 8 shows a conventional example, and FIG. 9 shows the present embodiment. 8 and 9 show a state in which the rear end of the seat bundle 203 is viewed from the extension direction of the axis of the guide shaft 241. Further, FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the relationship between the sheet bundle 203, the transfer roller 237, the needleless binding unit 210, and the rear end reference fence 232 in the conventional example, and FIG. 11 shows the same relationship in the present embodiment. It is a plan view.

Conventionally, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 6B, when binding with the needleless binding unit 210, the needle binding unit 220 stands by at a home position deviating from the width direction of the sheet bundle 203. When the sheet bundle 203 is moved to the needleless binding position by the jogger fence 233 in this state, the upper right corner of the sheet bundle 203 is inserted between the upper binding tooth 211 and the lower binding tooth 212 of the needleless binding unit 210. Then, needleless binding is performed at that position.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the sheet bundle 203 is moved to the needleless binding position by the jogger fence 233 as shown in FIG. 6B, the needle binding unit 220 is moved to the sheet holding position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line. The position A in FIG. 11 corresponds to the position of this alternate long and short dash line. At this time, the sheet bundle 203 is located in the binding portion 220a of the needle-attached binding unit 220 with the rear end portion 203a abutted against the reference surface 232c of the rear end reference fence 232. At the same time, the upper right corner of the sheet bundle 203 in FIG. 6B is located in the binding portion 210a of the needleless binding unit 210. That is, the sheet bundle 203 is inserted between the upper binding tooth 211 and the lower binding tooth 212 of the needleless binding unit 210 in the state of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the needle binding unit 220 includes a main body portion 220b and a holding portion 220c. The main body 220b is provided with a driver for ejecting the stipple needle 203n, and the holding portion 220c is provided with a clincher for bending the ejected stipple needle 203n to bind the sheet bundle 203. The holding portion 220c is rotatably or swingably supported by the rotary support shaft 220d with respect to the main body portion 220b on the upper surface side of the seat bundle 203, and can be moved to the holding position and the separated position by the drive motor 220e. .. The holding position is a position where the sheet bundle 203 is pressed and held in the binding portion 220a, and is positioned during the needleless binding process. The separation position is a position where the holding portion 220c is separated from the sheet bundle 203. At this position, the holding portion 220c is separated from the upper surface of the sheet bundle 203 to hold the sheet bundle 203 or bind the sheet bundle 203. Can not. The drive motor 220e is included in the needle-attached binding unit 220, and the drive is controlled by the binding processing control unit 201.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the upper right corner of the sheet bundle 203 is located between the upper binding tooth 211 and the lower binding tooth 212 of the needleless binding unit 210, and the needle binding unit 220 is located at the alternate long and short dash line position. When the movement to is completed, the holding portion 220c is rotated toward the holding position side. As a result, the rear end of the sheet bundle 203 is held at a position very close to the rear end reference fence 232. When the holding of the sheet bundle 203 is completed, the upper binding tooth 211 moves to the lower binding tooth 212 side in that state, the sheet bundle 203 is pressurized as described above, and crimp binding is performed.

That is, after the sheet bundle 203 is received at the binding position of the needleless binding unit 210, the binding processing control unit 201 drives the drive motor 220e of the needle binding unit 220 to hold the holding unit 220c on the holding side of the sheet bundle 203. And press the sheet bundle 203. After that, the binding processing control unit 201 drives the upper binding teeth 211 of the needleless binding unit 210 to execute crimp binding.

At that time, it is preferable that the stitch binding unit 210 holds the sheet bundle 203 so as to be sandwiched and pressed from the thickness direction as shown in FIG. As a result, a pressing force can be applied to the sheet bundle 203, and the accuracy of the binding position when performing needleless binding becomes higher. Further, in order to sandwich and press the sheet bundle 203 from the thickness direction, an urging means such as a spring may be provided above the holding portion 220c to apply pressing force.

When the binding is completed, the above procedure is reversed, and the sheet bundle 203 is released from the needleless binding unit 210 and the needle binding unit 220. After that, the sheet bundle 203 is conveyed downstream in the sheet conveying direction by the conveying roller 237, is conveyed from the top of the stipple tray 231 to the subsequent stage, or is discharged to a stacker or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the needle binding unit 220 can move along the guide shaft 241 over the entire width direction of the rear end of the sheet bundle 203. Therefore, when performing needleless binding by the needleless binding unit 210, it is possible to arbitrarily set the position to be held as long as it can be moved along the guide shaft 241 shown in FIG. That is, as shown by reference numeral B in FIG. 11, it is possible to set the position very close to the needleless binding unit 210 closer to the needleless binding unit 210 than to the rear end reference fence 232, and the sheet bundle can be set at that position. The 203 can be held and held.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the frontage width 220g for receiving the sheet bundle 203 by opening the receiving frontage 220f of the binding portion 220a of the binding unit 220 with needles without binding the sheet bundle 203 and the sheet bundle Stop 203 with a width that can be held down. As a result, the stitch binding unit 220 is used as a holding means for the sheet bundle 203. By using the needle binding unit 220 as a holding means for the sheet bundle 203 in this way, the sheet bundle 203 can be held near the rear end reference fence 232 and the needleless binding unit 210.

That is, conventionally, when binding with the needleless binding unit 210, a large force is applied to the sheet bundle 203, and a moment with the transfer roller 237 or the rear end reference fence 232 as a fulcrum acts on the sheet bundle 203. Therefore, in the past, the sheet bundle 203 may move due to the action of this moment, and the binding position accuracy may decrease. However, in the present embodiment, since the sheet bundle 203 is pressed and the crimp binding process is performed at a position close to the needleless binding unit 210 and the rear end reference fence 232, the moment generated in the sheet bundle 203 during the binding process can be suppressed. can. As a result, the amount of movement of the sheet bundle 203 can be suppressed, and the binding position accuracy can be improved.

At that time, the existing needle binding unit 220 is used as a holding means for the sheet bundle 203, and it is not necessary to newly introduce another member or mechanism. Can be provided.

In the present embodiment, when the sheet bundle 203 is received in the binding portion 210a of the needleless binding unit 210, the sheet bundle 203 is moved by the jogger fence 233 after the alignment in the length direction and the width direction is completed. It is configured in. However, instead of this, the sheet bundle 203 may be conveyed toward the needleless binding unit 210. Further, the needleless binding unit 210 may be moved while the sheet bundle 203 is stopped so as to be received by the binding portion 210a.

Further, in the present embodiment, the sheet bundle 203 is held by the holding portion 220c forming the receiving frontage portion (binding portion 220a) of the sheet bundle 203 of the binding unit 220 with needles. As a result, the functions of receiving and holding the sheet bundle 203 can be shared, which is preferable in that the device can be miniaturized. However, a holding portion may be provided separately from the member forming the receiving frontage portion for receiving the sheet bundle 203 so as to hold the sheet bundle 203.

Further, in the present embodiment, the holding portion 220c is configured to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum parallel to the side where the sheet bundle 203 is bound, but the rotation mechanism is not limited to this. The sheet bundle 203 may be configured to rotate about a rotation fulcrum extending in a direction orthogonal to the side to be bound. Further, the holding portion 220c may be translated in the paper bundle thickness direction by using a mechanism such as a solenoid.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the holding portion 220c is not provided with an interlocking mechanism such as a link mechanism for rotating the holding portion 220c, the configuration is not complicated.
[Second Embodiment]

In the first embodiment, the sheets 202 conveyed on the stipple tray 231 by the transfer roller 237 are aligned, and after binding, the sheet bundle 203 is carried out from the stipple tray 231. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the sheet 202 is aligned by using the tapping roller and the return roller instead of the transport roller 237, and the sheet bundle 203 is carried out after binding.

In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the parts that are the same as or can be regarded as the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and duplicate description will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a transport path binding mechanism 205 in the post-processing apparatus 200 as the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view of FIG.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, the return roller 234 and the tapping roller 235 are arranged in the center of the stipple tray 231 from the upstream side along the sheet transport direction in this order. The tapping roller 235 moves the sheet 202 ejected on the stipple tray 231 from the paper ejection roller pair 141 provided at the most downstream portion of the transport path of the image forming apparatus 100 by tapping it toward the rear end reference fence 232 side. be. The sheet 202 moved to the rear end reference fence 232 side by the tapping roller 235 is returned to the rear end reference fence 232 side while being held by the return roller 234. The sheet 202 is abutted against the rear end reference fence 232 by the return roller 234, and the rear end of the sheet 202 is aligned with the rear end reference fence reference. As a result, the so-called length directions of the sheets 202 are aligned.

Further, in the present embodiment, a pair of movable guide members 236 are provided on the stipple tray 231 adjacent to the jogger fence 233. The movable guide member 236 can be swung with respect to the shaft 236a by a movable guide member drive motor. The movable guide member 236 is separated from the seat surface when the seat 202 is knocked down toward the rear end reference fence 232 and the length direction is aligned with respect to the rear end reference fence 232, and comes into contact with the seat surface when the binding process is performed. Driven to. The return roller 234, the tapping roller 235, and the movable guide member 236 are included in the drive control system of the seat matching mechanism 230, and the motor for driving each is controlled by the binding processing control unit 201.

In the present embodiment, the sheet 202 carried into the stipple tray 231 is abutted against the rear end reference fence 232 by the tapping roller 235 and the return roller 234 for each sheet 2021 to align the length direction, and then the jogger fence is used. 233 aligns the width direction.

At that time, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 14, the stitch binding unit 220 is moved to a position deviating from the binding position of the sheet bundle 203, the sheet bundle 203 is pressed by the tapping roller 235, and the stitchless binding unit 210 is used to hold the sheet bundle 203. The crimp binding shown in No. 7 was performed. When the sheet bundle 203 was pressed by the tapping roller 235 in this way, the position where the sheet bundle 203 was pressed was far (distance L) from the needleless binding unit 210 and the rear end reference fence 232 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the moment generated in the sheet bundle 203 when pressurized by the needleless binding unit 210 becomes large. As a result, the amount of movement of the sheet bundle 203 including the rotation of the sheet bundle 203 increases, which causes a decrease in binding accuracy.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state at the time of stitchless binding in the present embodiment. When performing needleless binding, in the present embodiment, the needle binding unit 220 is moved to a position close to the needleless binding unit 210. This position is closer to the needleless binding unit 210 than the rear end reference fence 232 on the side closer to the needleless binding unit 210, and corresponds to the B position in FIG.

In this state, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 8, the upper right corner of the sheet bundle 203 is located in the binding portion 210a of the needleless binding unit 210, and the rear end portion 203a is the stitched binding unit 220. It is located in the binding portion 220a. Further, in the present embodiment, the tip end portion of the movable guide member 236 also abuts on the upper surface of the sheet bundle 203 to hold down the sheet bundle 203. In this state, the needleless binding unit 210 pressurizes and drives the upper binding tooth 211 as described in the first embodiment, and press-bonds the sheet bundle 203 with the lower binding tooth 212.

The movement of the needle binding unit 220 along the guide shaft 241 is performed by the needle binding unit moving mechanism 240 including the drive motor. The control system of the drive mechanism of the jogger fence 233, the drive mechanism of the movable guide member 236, the drive mechanism of the return roller 234, and the drive mechanism of the tapping roller 235 is included in the control system of the seat matching mechanism 230, and is included in the control system of the seat matching mechanism 230 by the binding processing control unit 201. Be controlled. The control system of the stitch binding unit moving mechanism 240 is also controlled by the binding processing control unit 201.

Other parts not particularly described are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment and operate in the same manner.

As described above, conventionally, when binding with the needleless binding unit 210, a large force is applied to the sheet bundle 203, and a moment with the tapping roller 235 or the rear end reference fence 232 as a fulcrum acts on the sheet bundle 203. Therefore, the sheet bundle 203 may move, and the binding position accuracy may decrease. However, in the present embodiment, the sheet bundle 203 is pressed and crimped at a position closer to the needleless binding unit 210 and the rear end reference fence 232, and further at a position closer to the tension binding unit 210 than the rear end reference fence 232. The binding process can be performed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the moment generated in the sheet bundle 203 during the binding process. As a result, the amount of movement of the sheet bundle 203 can be suppressed, and the binding position accuracy can be improved.

At that time, the existing needle binding unit 220 is used as a holding means for the sheet bundle 203, and it is not necessary to newly introduce another member or mechanism. Can be provided.

As described above, if the present invention corresponds to the first and second embodiments, the following effects can be obtained. In the following description, correspondence is taken for each part of the first and second embodiments and each component in the claims, and if the terms of both are different, the latter is shown in parentheses and corresponds. A reference code was added to clarify the correspondence between the two.

(1) According to the first and second embodiments, a stapled binding unit 220 (needle-based binding means) for binding a sheet bundle 203 using a stipple needle 203n (needle) and a sheet without using a stipple needle 203n. The needleless binding unit 210 (needleless binding means) for binding the bundle 203 is provided, and the needle binding unit 220 holds the sheet bundle 203 when the sheet bundle 203 is bound by the needleless binding unit 210. I tried to do it. As a result, when needleless binding is executed, the end of the sheet bundle 203 on the binding side is held by the needle-less binding unit 220 near the needleless binding unit 210, so that the sheet during the needleless binding process is held. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of bundle misalignment. As a result, needleless binding can be performed with high position accuracy. At that time, since the sheet bundle 203 is held by the existing needle binding unit 220, it is not necessary to separately provide a holding mechanism for the sheet bundle 203.

(2) Since the binding unit 220 with needles includes a binding processing control unit 201 (frontage width setting means) for setting a frontage width 220 g of a receiving frontage 220f for receiving the sheet bundle 203 when holding the sheet bundle 203. The frontage width 220 g can be changed according to the thickness of the sheet bundle 203.

(3) Since the binding unit 220 with needles includes a binding processing control unit 201 (holding force adjusting means) for adjusting the sheet holding force by setting the frontage width 220 g of the receiving frontage 220f for receiving the sheet bundle 203, the sheet bundle The frontage width 220 g can be changed according to the thickness of 203 to adjust the seat holding force.

(4) Since the binding processing unit 220 with needles includes a binding processing control unit 201 (distance setting means) for setting a distance from the binding unit 210 without needles when holding the sheet bundle 203, the binding processing control unit 201 Can control the needle-attached unit moving mechanism 240 to set the distance from the needle-less binding unit 210 and adjust the position for holding the sheet bundle 203.

(5) Since the rear end reference fence 232 (regulatory means) for regulating the end position of the rear end portion 203a (side) facing the needle binding unit 220 of the sheet bundle 203 is provided, the rear end reference fence 232 is used. The sheet bundle 203 is held in the vicinity of the rear end portion 203a (side) where the positions of the sheet bundle 203 are aligned, and the deviation of the sheet bundle 203 during needleless binding can be further suppressed.

(6) The stitched binding unit 220 in the above (5) has a rear end portion 203a on the side closer to the needleless binding unit 210 than the rear end reference fence 232 when binding the sheet bundle 203 by the needleless binding unit 210. Since the sheet bundle 203 is held (on the side facing the needle-attached binding means), the sheet bundle 203 is held at a position very close to the needle-less binding unit 210, and as a result, the accuracy of the binding position can be improved. can.

(7) The needle-attached binding unit 220 includes a holding portion 220c that receives the sheet bundle 203 by opening the receiving frontage and holds the sheet bundle 203, and the holding portion 220c is a sheet bundle by the needleless binding unit 210. Since the sheet bundle 203 is held in contact with the sheet bundle 203 when the 203 is bound, the holding portion 220c can form the receiving frontage 220f of the sheet bundle 203. That is, since the member forming the receiving frontage 220f also serves as the holding portion 220c of the sheet bundle 203, the holding configuration of the sheet bundle 203 can be made small and simple.

(8) Since the image forming system 1 includes the post-processing apparatus 200 (sheet processing apparatus) and the image forming apparatus 100 shown in the above (1) to (7), it is shown in the above (1) to (7). It is possible to provide an image forming system 1 that exhibits the above effect.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are all. It is the subject of the present invention. Although the above-described embodiment shows a suitable example, those skilled in the art can realize various alternative examples, modified examples, modified examples, or improved examples from the contents disclosed in the present specification. These are included in the technical scope set forth in the appended claims.

1 Image forming system 100 Image forming device 200 Post-processing device (sheet processing device)
201 Binding processing control unit (frontage width setting means, holding force adjusting means, distance setting means)
203 Sheet bundle 203a Rear end (side)
203n Stipple needle (needle)
210 Needleless binding unit (needleless binding means)
220 Stitch binding unit (needle binding means)
220c Holding part 220f Receiving frontage 220g Frontage width 232 Rear end reference fence (regulatory means)
240 Needle unit movement mechanism

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-020823

Claims (9)

The means of transporting the sheet and
A regulating member that abuts on the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction,
A needle-based binding means for binding a bundle of sheets composed of the plurality of sheets using a needle,
A needleless binding means for binding a bundle of sheets composed of the plurality of sheets without using a needle is provided.
The needle-attached binding means is used when binding the sheet bundle by the needle-less binding means.
Between the needleless binding means and the restricting member in the width direction of the sheet bundle.
A sheet processing device that presses a bundle of sheets. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the binding means with needles includes a frontage width setting means for setting a frontage width of a receiving frontage for receiving the sheet bundle when the sheet bundle is pressed . The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stitched binding means includes a holding force adjusting means for adjusting a sheet holding force by setting a frontage width of a receiving frontage for receiving the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stitched binding means includes a distance setting means for setting a distance from the needleless binding means when pressing the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is provided with a regulating means for regulating the end position in the width direction of the sheet bundle in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction . The needle-attached binding means is used when binding the sheet bundle by the needle-less binding means.
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sheet bundle is pressed on a side facing the needle-attached binding means on the side closer to the needle-less binding means than the regulating means. The needle-attached binding means includes a holding portion that receives the sheet bundle by opening the receiving frontage and presses the sheet bundle.
The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the holding portion abuts on the sheet bundle and holds the sheet bundle when the sheet bundle is bound by the needleless binding means. Above the sheet bundle, it is rotatably provided in the transport direction of the sheet.
Further has a movable member (236)
The movable member is the sheet when the needleless binding means binds the sheet bundle.
The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which comes into contact with the bundle. An image forming apparatus that forms an image of the sheet, and an image forming apparatus.
An image forming system comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 .

Images