JP7064713B2 - 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, a streak processing means for performing a streak processing on a sheet, a folding processing means for performing a sheet folding process, and a skew correction means for correcting the skew of the sheet between the streaking processing means and the folding processing means are provided. A equipped sheet processing device is known.

In Patent Document 1, in the above-mentioned sheet processing apparatus, the sheet transporting distance from the transporting means arranged between the skew correcting means and the scoring processing means to the skew correcting means is determined by the sheet scoring processing means from the sheet tip to the sheet scoring processing means. The length up to the streak attached by is described. By making the length from the sheet tip to the line of the sheet longer than the sheet transport distance from the transfer means to the skew correction means, the sheet tip is abutted against the skew correction means and between the skew correction means and the transfer means. When the sheet is bent and skew correction is performed, the streaks can be positioned on the upstream side in the sheet transport direction with respect to the transport means. It is described that this can prevent the formation of unintended creases due to streaks when the sheet is bent during skew correction.

However, in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form the streaks of the sheet at a position where the length from the tip of the sheet to the streaks is longer than the sheet transport distance from the transport means to the skew correction means, and the streaks are formed. There was a problem that there were restrictions on.
It should be noted that the above-mentioned problems are not limited to those that form streaks on the sheet, and similar problems also occur in those that form perforations on the sheet.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a scoring processing means for scoring a sheet, a fold processing means for folding the sheet, and the scoring processing means and the fold. In a sheet processing apparatus provided with a skew correction means for correcting the skew of the sheet among the processing means, the control means for controlling the skew correction means is provided based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process. The control means is characterized in that the skew correction control when both the scoring process and the folding process are performed is different from the skew correction control when only the folding process is performed .

According to the present invention, it is possible to relax the restriction on the position of the streaks formed on the sheet.

The figure which shows the system configuration of the image formation system which includes the image formation apparatus, and the sheet processing apparatus which consists of a plurality of sheet processing units. The figure which shows the other example of the system configuration of an image formation system. The figure which shows another example of the system system configuration of an image formation system. The figure which shows still another example of the system system configuration of an image formation system. The figure explaining the image forming apparatus. The figure explaining the perforation forming unit. Schematic diagram of the perforation forming portion. Perspective view of the pressing mechanism. The figure explaining the sheet transfer in the perforation forming unit. Explanatory drawing explaining the perforation forming operation of the perforation forming part. Schematic block diagram of the folding processing unit. (A) to (d) are explanatory views which show an example of the folding part formed by the folding process by a folding process apparatus, respectively. (A) to (h) are explanatory views for demonstrating a general operation at the time of Z folding processing by a folding processing apparatus. (A) to (h) are explanatory views for demonstrating the general operation at the time of the inner tri-fold processing by the folding processing apparatus. (A) to (h) are explanatory views for demonstrating the general operation at the time of the outer tri-fold processing by the folding processing apparatus. (A) to (h) are explanatory views for demonstrating a general operation at the time of folding in half by a folding processing apparatus. A block diagram of a main part of a folding processing unit provided with a scoring processing unit. The figure which shows the example which gave the function of the skew correction means to the 2nd transfer means which consists of the 1st forward / reverse roller and the pressing roller. The figure which shows an example of the post-processing setting screen displayed on the operation display part of an image forming apparatus. The figure explaining the occurrence mechanism of M-shaped break. The figure explaining the occurrence mechanism of the folding position shift due to a folding habit. The control block diagram which shows the main part of this image formation system 4. The control flow diagram of the skew correction before the folding process in this image formation system. The figure which shows the main part of the image formation system of the modification 1. FIG. 3 is a control flow diagram of skew correction before folding processing in the first modification. FIG. 3 is a control flow diagram of skew correction before folding processing in the second modification.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system 4 including an image forming apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment and a sheet processing apparatus 2 including a plurality of sheet processing units. In the present embodiment, the sheet processing device 2 is provided after the image forming device 3. The sheet processing device 2 is provided with a perforation forming unit 2a, a folding processing unit 2b, and a post-processing unit 2c in this order.

The image forming apparatus 3 forms an image on a sheet based on the input image data or the image data of the read image. For example, a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a digital multifunction device having at least two of these functions corresponds to this. The image forming apparatus 3 is a known method such as an electrophotographic method or a droplet ejection method, and any image forming method may be used. In this embodiment, an electrophotographic copying machine is used.

Examples of the post-processing unit 2c include a punch drilling device for punching punch holes in a sheet, a sheet binding device for binding a bundle of sheets with a stapler, and a sorting discharge device for sorting and discharging image-formed sheets into a plurality of discharge trays. Can be mentioned.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of the system configuration of the image forming system 4.
The sheet processing device 2 of the image forming system 4 shown in FIG. 2 is composed of a processing unit 2d and a post-processing unit 2c that perform perforation forming and folding processing.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the system system configuration of the image forming system 4.
The sheet processing device 2 of the image forming system 4 shown in FIG. 2 has a perforation forming unit 2a arranged in the body of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing still another example of the system system configuration of the image forming system 4.
The sheet processing device 2 of the image forming system 4 shown in FIG. 4 has a processing unit 2d for performing perforation forming and folding processing arranged in the body of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus 3.
In the image forming apparatus main body 400, a feeding cassette for accommodating a sheet as a recording medium is arranged below the image forming portion. The sheets stored in the feed cassettes are fed by the feed rollers 414a and 414b, respectively, and then transported upward along a predetermined transport path to reach the resist roller pair 413.

The image forming unit includes a photoconductor drum 401 as an image carrier, a charging device 402, an exposure device 410, a developing device 404, a transfer device 405, and a cleaning device 406.

The charging device 402 is a charging means that uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 401. The exposure device 410 is a latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 401 based on the image information read by the image reading device 100. The developing device 404 is a developing means for adhering toner to an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 401 to form a visible image. The transfer device 405 is a transfer means for transferring the toner image on the photoconductor drum 401 to the sheet. The cleaning device 406 is a cleaning means for removing the toner remaining on the photoconductor drum 401 after transfer.

Further, on the downstream side of the image forming portion in the sheet transport direction, a fixing device 407 as a fixing means for fixing the toner image to the sheet is arranged.

The exposure device 410 scans the laser unit 411 that emits the laser light based on the image information under the control of the control unit and the laser light from the laser unit 411 in the rotation axis direction (main scanning direction) of the photoconductor drum 401. A polygon mirror 412 is provided.

Further, an automatic document transfer device 500 is connected to the upper part of the image reading device 100. The automatic document transfer device 500 includes a document table 501, a document separation feed roller 502, a transfer belt 503, and a document ejection tray 504.

When a document is set on the document table 501 and a reading start instruction is received, the automatic document transfer device 500 feeds the documents on the document table 501 one by one by the document separation feeding roller 502. Then, the document is guided on the platen glass 309 by the transport belt 503 and temporarily stopped.

Then, the image information of the document temporarily stopped on the platen glass 309 is read by the image reading device 100. After that, the transport belt 503 resumes the transport of the original, and the original is ejected to the original paper ejection tray 504.

Next, the image reading operation and the image forming operation will be described.
When the original is transferred onto the platen glass 309 by the automatic document transfer device 500, or the original is placed on the platen glass 309 by the user and the copy start operation is performed on the operation panel, the copy is started on the first traveling body 303. The light source 301 lights up. At the same time, the first traveling body 303 and the second traveling body 306 are moved along the guide rail.

Then, the document on the platen glass 309 is irradiated with the light from the light source 301, and the reflected light is guided to the mirror 302 on the first traveling body 303, the mirrors 304 and 305 on the second traveling body 306, and the lens 307. Then, the light is received by the CCD 308. As a result, the CCD 308 reads the image information of the document, and the image information is converted from analog data to digital data by the A / D conversion circuit. This image information is sent from the information output unit to the control unit of the image forming apparatus main body 400.

On the other hand, the image forming apparatus main body 400 starts driving the photoconductor drum 401, and when the photoconductor drum 401 rotates at a predetermined speed, the surface of the photoconductor drum 401 is uniformly charged by the charging device 402. Then, an electrostatic latent image based on the image information read by the image reading device is formed on the surface of the charged photoconductor drum 401 by the exposure device 410.

After that, the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 401 is developed by the developing device 404 to become a toner image. Further, the sheet stored in the feeding cassette is fed by the feeding rollers 414a and 414b, and is temporarily stopped by the resist roller pair 413.

Then, at the timing when the tip portion of the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 401 reaches the transfer portion facing the transfer device 405, the toner image is sent to the transfer portion by the resist roller pair 413. When the sheet passes through the transfer portion, the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 401 is transferred onto the sheet by the action of the transfer electric field.

After that, the sheet on which the toner image is placed is conveyed to the fixing device 407, undergoes fixing treatment by the fixing device 407, and then discharged to the perforation forming unit 2a in the subsequent stage. The transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor drum 401 without being transferred to the sheet in the transfer unit is removed by the cleaning device 406.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a perforation forming unit 2a.
As shown in FIG. 6, the perforation forming unit 2a includes an inlet roller pair 11, a swing guide plate 13, a perforation forming portion 20, and a paper ejection roller pair 12 from the inlet side along the transport path 14.

The inlet roller pair 11 is located at the entrance of the perforation forming unit 2a, and has a function of receiving the sheet discharged by the paper ejection roller 408 of the image forming apparatus 3 and carrying it into the perforation forming portion 20.
A swing guide plate 13 is arranged at the rear stage of the inlet roller pair 11. The swing guide plate 13 is provided so as to be swingable with the downstream end in the transport direction as a fulcrum. When the sheet is conveyed, it is located at the guide position shown in FIG. 6, and when the perforations are formed by the perforation forming portion 20, it swings counterclockwise in the figure and is located at the retracted position.
The paper ejection roller pair 12 is located immediately before the outlet of the last stage of the perforation forming unit 2a and has a function of ejecting the sheet.

7A and 7B are schematic configuration views of the perforation forming portion 20, FIG. 7A is a view of the perforation forming portion 20 as viewed from the sheet width direction, and FIG. 7B is a sheet transporting the perforation forming portion 20. It is a figure seen from the upstream side in the direction. Further, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the pressing mechanism 30.
As shown in FIG. 7, the perforation forming portion 20 mainly includes a blade 41 on which a plurality of blades 41a are formed, and a pressing mechanism 30 for pressing the sheet against the blade 41. Both ends of the pressing mechanism 30 are supported by the side plates 1a of the perforation forming unit 2a, and can be moved in the seat width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7B) on a pair of guide rails 38 provided side by side in the sheet conveying direction. It is supported.

Further, the perforation forming portion 20 is provided with a drive device 50 for moving the pressing mechanism 30 in the seat width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7B). The drive device 50 includes a drive motor 54, a drive pulley 53 in which the drive force of the drive motor 54 is transmitted via a timing belt 55, and a driven pulley 51 arranged on the side opposite to the side on which the drive pulley 53 is arranged. A moving timing belt 52 stretched around the drive pulley 53 and the driven pulley 51 is mainly provided. The pressing mechanism 30 is attached to the moving timing belt 52.
The moving timing belt 52 moves endlessly by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 54, so that the pressing mechanism 30 is reciprocated in the seat width direction.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the pressing mechanism 30 is a holder as a support member that supports the roller member 32 as a moving member and the roller member 32 so as to be rotatable and swingable in the vertical direction of the seat. It mainly includes a 33, a slider 34 that rotatably supports the holder 33 and is slidably supported by a pair of guide rails 38, and a coil spring 37 as a pressurizing means.

A groove 32a is formed in the center of the roller member 32 in the rotation axis direction (seat transfer direction). The groove 32a faces the blade 41. The roller member 32 is rotatably supported by a shaft 32b attached to the roller support portion 33c of the holder 33. Further, a boss portion protruding in the rotation axis direction may be provided at the center of rotation of the roller member 32, and this boss portion may be rotatably supported by the roller support portion 33c of the holder 33.

The holder 33 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 33b attached to the slider 34. As a result, the roller member 32 is supported so as to be swingable in the vertical direction of the seat with the support shaft 33b as a fulcrum. Further, the holder 33 may be provided with a boss portion, and the boss portion may be rotatably supported by the slider 34. Further, the holder 33 has a spring pedestal 33a for receiving one end of the coil spring 37.

The slider 34 has through holes 34a at both ends in the sheet transport direction, and the guide rail 38 penetrates through these through holes 34a. As a result, the slider 34 is supported by the guide rail 38 so as to be slidable in the seat width direction. Further, the slider 34 has a spring pedestal 34b that faces the spring pedestal 33a of the holder 33 and receives the other end of the coil spring 37. The coil spring 37 is fixed to the slider 34 with a screw and urges the holder 33 toward the cutting tool 41. As a result, the roller member 32 supported by the holder 33 is urged toward the blade side, and the sheet can be pressed against the blade 41.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, a retracting table 42 on which the roller member 32 of the retracted pressing mechanism 30 rides is provided outside the paper passing region outside both ends of the blade 41.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating sheet transfer in the perforation forming unit 2a.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the inlet roller pair 11 receives the sheet P ejected from the image forming apparatus by the paper ejection roller 408 of the image forming apparatus 3, and the sheet P is sent to the perforation forming portion 20. Transport. At this time, the swing guide plate 13 is located at the guide position. The sheet P conveyed by the inlet roller pair 11 is guided by the swing guide plate 13 and conveyed to the perforation forming portion 20.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when the swing guide plate 13 is in the guide position, the tip of the swing guide plate 13 is closer to the pressing mechanism 30 side (upper side in the figure) than the cutting edge of the blade 41a of the blade 41. positioned. Therefore, the sheet P guided by the swing guide plate 13 passes over the blade 41a, and the sheet can be conveyed without being caught by the blade 41a of the blade. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of jam and the occurrence of skew.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the tip of the sheet P reaches the paper ejection roller pair 12, and the sheet P is narrowly transported to the inlet roller pair 11 and the paper ejection roller pair 12. Then, when the perforation position of the sheet P faces the blade 41, the rotation of the inlet roller pair 11 and the paper ejection roller pair 12 is stopped.

Next, the swing guide plate 13 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing to position the swing guide plate 13 at the retracted position shown in FIG. 9 (c). When the swing guide plate 13 is positioned at the retracted position, the pressing mechanism 30 is moved in the sheet width direction, and the sheet P is pressed against the cutting tool 41 by the pressing mechanism 30 to form a perforation at a predetermined position on the sheet P.

After the perforation forming portion 20 forms a perforation at a predetermined position on the sheet P, the swing guide plate 13 is swung from the retracted position to the guide position. While the swing guide plate 13 is swinging from the retracted position to the guide position, the swing guide plate 13 comes into contact with the seat P and lifts the seat P. As a result, the blade 41a pierced into the sheet P can be separated from the sheet. As described above, in the present embodiment, the swing guide plate 13 has a function as a separating means for separating the sheet from the blade.

Next, when the swing guide plate 13 is located at the guide position, the rotation of the inlet roller pair 11 and the paper ejection roller pair 12 is restarted, and the sheet transfer is restarted, as shown in FIG. 9B. Since the blade 41a pierced by the swing guide plate 13 is separated from the sheet P and then the sheet is conveyed, the sheet P is torn off by the pierced blade 41a or caught by the pierced blade 41a to cause jam. It can be prevented from occurring.

Next, the perforation forming operation of the perforation forming portion 20 will be described.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a perforation forming operation of the perforation forming portion 20.
As shown in FIG. 10A, before the perforation forming operation, the pressing mechanism 30 is located at the retracted position, and the roller member 32 rides on the retracted table 42. When the sheet P is stopped, the drive motor 54 is started to be driven, and the pressing mechanism 30 is moved from one end side (left end in the drawing) to the other end side in the paper width direction. Then, the roller member 32 moves in the direction of arrow D in the figure while rolling on the cutting edge.

When the pressing mechanism 30 moves in the direction of arrow D in the drawing, the roller member 32 comes into contact with the sheet P, and the sheet P is sandwiched between the roller member 32 and the cutting tool 41, as shown in FIG. 10B. The roller member 32 is urged toward the blade side by the coil spring 37 via the holder 33. Therefore, the sheet P is pressed against the blade 41 by the roller member 32, and the blade 41a of the blade 41 pierces the sheet P and penetrates the sheet to form a perforation. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, a groove 32a is provided at a position where the roller member 32 faces the blade 41. As a result, when the roller member 32 comes into contact with the sheet, a gap is formed between the groove 32a and the sheet. Therefore, the blade 41a can surely penetrate the sheet P and form perforations well.

Further, in the present embodiment, the holder 33 supports the roller member 32 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction of the seat. As a result, the roller member 32 can follow the unevenness of the cutting edge of the blade 41, suppress the hooking on the blade 41a of the blade 41, and smoothly move the pressing mechanism 30 in the sheet width direction. In addition, it is possible to suppress an increase or decrease in the pressing force due to a manufacturing error, and it is possible to satisfactorily form perforations on the sheet.

Further, since the roller member 32, which is a moving member that moves on the seat, moves on the seat while rotating, the resistance to movement can be reduced, and the pressing mechanism 30 can be smoothly moved in the seat width direction. ..

In this way, the pressing mechanism 30 is moved in the direction of the arrow D in the drawing to form perforations on the sheet P. Then, when the pressing mechanism 30 moves to the retracted position at the right end in the figure shown in FIG. 10 (d) and the roller member 32 rides on the retracted table 42 on the right side in the figure, the perforation forming operation ends. Then, when forming a perforation with respect to the next sheet, the pressing mechanism 30 is moved in the direction opposite to that in FIG. 10 (to the left in the figure) to form the perforation. Further, when the rear end of the sheet on which the perforations are formed passes through the facing portion of the blade 41, the pressing mechanism 30 is moved in the direction opposite to that in FIG. 10 and moved to the retracted position on the left side in the drawing to form the sheet. On the other hand, the moving direction when forming the perforation may be limited to the direction shown in FIG.

The blade 41 is configured to be removable from the main body of the apparatus, and the perforation forming unit 2a can be made into a scoring processing unit by attaching a crease blade instead of the sewing machine blade. Further, by replacing the perforation blade with a perforation blade having a different perforation pitch, the perforation desired by the user can be formed.

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of the folding processing unit 2b.
The folding processing unit 2b includes a through transport path W1 for transporting the sheet P discharged from the perforation forming unit 2a to the post-processing unit 2c in the subsequent stage without folding. Further, the sheet P is branched from the through transport path W1 and is provided with a branch transport path W2 for folding the sheet P discharged from the perforation forming unit 2a and transporting the sheet P to the post-processing unit 2c in the subsequent stage. There is.

An inlet roller pair 211 as a first transport means is arranged on the inlet side (right side in the drawing) of the through transport path W1 that receives the sheet P discharged from the perforation forming unit 2a. The inlet roller pair 211 is composed of a pressing roller 211a which is a rotating member and a driving roller 211b which is an opposing member, and the driving roller 211b is rotationally driven by the driving force of the inlet motor 211m which is a driving source and a DC motor. do. Further, on the outlet side (left side in the figure) of the through transport path W1, the first folding roller 212, the first forward / reverse roller 213 arranged in contact with the first folding roller 212, and the first forward / reverse roller 213 are provided. A pressing roller 214 arranged in contact with each other is provided. By passing through the nips of the first folding roller 212 and the first forward / reverse roller 213, the sheet P can move from the through transport path W1 to the branch transport path W2. Further, by passing through the nips of the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the pressing roller 214, the sheet P can be conveyed to the post-processing unit 2c in the subsequent stage via the through transfer path W1.

Further, in the present embodiment, a second folding roller 215 arranged in contact with the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 is provided on the outlet side of the branch transfer path W2. Further, the branch transport path W2 sandwiches the nip between the first folding roller 212 and the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213 into which the sheet P from the through transport path W1 enters, and is on the opposite side of the second folding roller 215. A pair of two forward / reverse rollers 216 is provided. The second forward / reverse roller pair 216 is composed of a pressing roller 216a which is a rotating member and a driving roller 216b which is an opposing member, and the driving roller 216b is rotationally driven by the driving force of the forward / reverse motor 216m which is a driving source. do.

The first forward / reverse roller 213 can be rotationally driven so as to be capable of forward / reverse rotation by the driving force of the folding motor 213m, which is a DC motor as a drive source. The first folding roller 212, the pressing roller 214, and the second folding roller 215, which are arranged in contact with the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213, are all driven rollers that rotate in a driven manner as the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213 rotates. Is.

Further, the drive roller 216b constituting the second forward / reverse rotation roller pair 216 can be rotationally driven so as to be capable of forward / reverse rotation by the driving force of the forward / reverse rotation motor 216m as a drive source. The pressing roller 216a constituting the second forward / reverse roller pair 216 is a driven roller that is driven to rotate with the rotation of the drive roller 216b.

In the present embodiment, all the driven rollers are urged by the pressure springs 211s, 212s, 214s, 215s, 216s as urging means, respectively, thereby niping between the roller shafts and the opposing rollers. Is being formed.

Further, in the present embodiment, an inlet sensor 217 is provided on the upstream side of the inlet roller pair 211 in the sheet transport direction (through transport path W1 inlet side) as a sheet end detection means for detecting the end of the seat P. ing. When the tip of the sheet P conveyed from the perforation forming unit 2a reaches the detection area, the inlet sensor 217 outputs a tip detection signal to that effect to the control unit. As such an inlet sensor 217, a known sensor can be widely used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tip of the sheet P is on the downstream side in the sheet transfer direction (outlet side of the through transfer path W1) of the second sheet transfer means composed of the first forward / reverse reversal roller 213 and the pressing roller 214. A sheet detection sensor 218 is provided as a sheet tip detecting means for detecting the above. When the tip of the sheet P conveyed through the through transport path W1 reaches the detection region, the sheet detection sensor 218 outputs a tip detection signal to that effect to the control unit. As such a sheet detection sensor 218, a known sensor can be widely used as in the above-mentioned inlet sensor 217.

Further, in the present embodiment, a sheet detection sensor 219 for detecting the tip of the sheet P is provided on the downstream side of the second forward / reverse roller pair 216 in the sheet transfer direction (the side opposite to the outlet side of the branch transfer path W2). ing. When the tip of the sheet P sent from the through transport path W1 to the branch transport path W2 reaches the detection area, the sheet detection sensor 219 outputs a tip detection signal to that effect to the control unit. As such a sheet detection sensor 219, a known sensor can be widely used as in the above-mentioned inlet sensor 217 and sheet detection sensor 218.

In the present embodiment, the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the pressing roller 214 form a second transport means, and the first folding roller 212 and the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 form a first folding portion forming means 220a. Has been done. Further, in the present embodiment, the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213 and the second folding roller 215 constitute the second folding portion forming means 220b.

As the second transport means, a structure of an adhesive roller or a suction belt may be adopted instead of such a structure of a roller pair. Further, in the present embodiment, the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 constituting the second transport means and the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the second folding roller 215 constituting the folding portion forming means are common rollers. However, the second transport means and the fold portion forming means may be configured separately and independently by using separate rollers.

On the downstream side of the second folding portion forming means 220b in the sheet transporting direction (outlet side of the branch transport path W2), the additional folding means 280 that presses the folding portion of the sheet P to perform additional folding is arranged.
The additional folding means 280 is composed of an additional folding roller 281, a transport guide plate 282, and a compression spring 283. The additional folding roller 281 has a pressing convex portion 281a. A compression spring 283, which is an elastic member, is provided on the surface of the transport guide plate 282 opposite to the fold roller 281. Then, when the pressing convex portion 281a of the additional folding roller 281 comes into contact with the transport guide plate 282 via the sheet P, the transport guide plate 282 is pushed upward, the compression spring 283 contracts and deforms, and the transport guide plate 282 is pressed. An urging force is generated toward the additional folding roller 281. As a result, the folded portion of the sheet P sandwiched between the pressing convex portion 281a of the additional folding roller 281 and the transport guide plate 282 is pressed and increased by the pressing convex portion 281a of the additional folding roller 281 and the transport guide plate 282. Folded.

The sheet P folded by the first folding portion forming means 220a and the second folding portion forming means 220b is further folded by the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the second folding roller 215 along the transport guide plate 282. Will be transported towards. At this time, the pressing convex portion 281a of the additional folding roller 281 is located at a position not facing the transport guide plate 282, and a predetermined gap is formed between the transport guide plate 282 and the additional folding roller 281.

When the first folding portion of the sheet P is conveyed to the vicinity of the additional folding means 280, the transfer of the sheet P by the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213 and the second folding roller 215 is stopped, and the additional folding roller 281 starts to rotate. .. As a result, the vicinity of the first folded portion of the sheet P is sequentially pressed in the pressing roller axial direction by the pressing convex portion 281a of the additional folding roller 281.

After pressing the entire width direction of the first folding portion of the sheet P, the pressing convex portion 281a of the additional folding roller 281 is positioned at a position not facing the transport guide plate 282, and the first forward / reverse roller 213 and the second folding portion are folded again. The sheet P is conveyed by the rollers 215. When the second folding portion of the sheet P is conveyed to the vicinity of the additional folding means 280, the sheet P by the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the second folding roller 215 is stopped, and the vicinity of the second folding portion of the sheet P is stopped. The pressing convex portion 281a of the additional folding roller 281 sequentially presses in the pressing roller axial direction. After pressing the entire width direction of the second folded portion of the sheet P, the sheet P is conveyed again by the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the second folded roller 215.

Next, the flow and operation of the folding process of forming the folding portion on the sheet P by the folding processing unit 2b will be described. 12 (a) to 12 (d) are explanatory views showing an example of a folded portion formed by the folding process by the folding processing unit 2b of the present embodiment.

The folding processing unit 2b of the present embodiment can perform a Z-folding process of forming two outer folding portions with respect to the sheet P and making them Z-folded as shown in FIG. 12 (a). Further, in the folding processing unit 2b of the present embodiment, the sheet P is divided into substantially three equal parts to form two inner folding portions, and as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the inner tri-folding is performed. Processing can be performed. Further, in the folding processing unit 2b of the present embodiment, the sheet P is divided into substantially three equal parts to form two outer folding portions, and as shown in FIG. 12 (c), the outer tri-folding is performed. Processing can be performed. Further, it is possible to perform a bi-folding process in which the sheet P is divided into substantially two equal parts so that one folding portion is formed and the sheet P is folded in half as shown in FIG. 12 (d).

13 (a) to 13 (h) are explanatory views for explaining a general operation when Z-folding is performed by the folding processing unit 2b. The tip of the sheet P, which is conveyed by being subjected to the conveying force from the paper ejection roller pair 12 of the perforation forming unit 2a, is first detected by the inlet sensor 217. As a result, the control unit that receives the tip detection signal output from the inlet sensor 217 controls the inlet motor 211m to start the rotation of the inlet roller pair 211 (FIGS. 13A and 13B). .. After that, when the tip of the sheet P enters the nip of the inlet roller pair 211, the sheet P is conveyed toward the outlet side of the through transfer path W1 by applying a conveying force from the inlet roller pair 211.

The tip of the sheet P conveyed through the through transfer path W1 enters the nip of the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the pressing roller 214, and after passing through this nip, is detected by the sheet detection sensor 218. The control unit that has received the tip detection signal from the sheet detection sensor 218 that has detected this performs the following control. That is, when the tip of the sheet P protrudes by a predetermined protrusion amount Δ1 from the nip position of the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the pressing roller 214 (FIG. 13 (c)), the folding motor 213 m is controlled. The rotation of the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213 is stopped. At the same time, the inlet motor 211m is controlled to stop the rotation of the drive roller 211b of the inlet roller pair 211.

The protrusion amount Δ1 at this time is appropriately determined depending on the length of the sheet P in the sheet transport direction and the content of the folding process (folding method, etc.). The protrusion amount Δ1 of the tip of the sheet P can be grasped from, for example, the reception timing of the tip detection signal output from the sheet detection sensor 218 and the rotation amount of the pressing roller 214.

After that, the folding motor 213m is controlled to start the reverse rotation of the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 in the direction of returning the seat P to the inlet side of the through transfer path W1, and also to start the rotation of the inlet roller pair 211. As a result, a deflection is formed in the seat portion between the inlet roller pair 211 and the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213 (FIG. 13 (d)). Then, the bent portion (folded portion) enters the nip between the first folded roller 212 and the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213, so that the first folded portion is formed in the folded portion. The first folding portion that has passed through the nip between the first folding roller 212 and the first forward reversing roller 213 enters the branch transport path W2 (FIG. 13 (e)) and reverses the branch transport path W2 in the second forward direction. Transported towards roller pair 216.

Then, the first folded portion of the seat P enters the nip of the second forward / reverse roller pair 216, and after passing through this nip, is detected by the seat detection sensor 219. The control unit that has received the tip detection signal from the sheet detection sensor 219 that has detected this performs the following control. That is, when the first folded portion of the seat P protrudes by a predetermined protrusion amount Δ2 from the nip position of the second forward / reverse roller pair 216 (FIG. 13 (f)), the folding motor 213 m is controlled to perform the first. The rotation of the forward / reverse roller 213 is stopped. At the same time, the rotation of the second forward / reverse roller pair 216 and the inlet roller pair 211 is stopped. The protrusion amount Δ2 at this time is also appropriately determined depending on the length of the sheet P in the sheet transport direction and the content of the folding process (folding method, etc.). The protrusion amount Δ2 of the first folded portion of the sheet P can be grasped from, for example, the reception timing of the tip detection signal output from the sheet detection sensor 219 and the rotation amount of the second forward / reverse roller pair 216.

After that, the forward / reverse rotation motor 216m is controlled to start the reverse rotation of the second forward / reverse rotation roller pair 216 in the direction of directing the seat P toward the outlet side of the branch transfer path W2, and the reverse rotation of the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213. And the rotation of the inlet roller pair 211 is restarted. As a result, a deflection is formed in the seat portion between the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the second forward / reverse reversing roller pair 216 (FIG. 13 (g)). Then, the bent portion (folded portion) enters the nip between the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the second folded roller 215, so that the second folded portion is formed in the folded portion.

The second folded portion that has passed through the nip between the first forward / reverse roller 213 and the second folded roller 215 is conveyed toward the outlet side of the branch transfer path W2 (FIG. 13 (h)). Then, the sheet P having the two folded portions formed in this way receives the conveying force from the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and is conveyed to the post-processing unit 2c in the subsequent stage.

14 (a) to 14 (h) are explanatory views for explaining a general operation when the inner tri-folding process is performed by the folding processing unit 2b. 15 (a) to 15 (h) are explanatory views for explaining a general operation when the outer tri-folding process is performed by the folding processing unit 2b. The operation flow of the inner tri-fold process and the outer tri-fold process is the same as that of the Z-fold process described above, but the protrusion amounts Δ1 and Δ2 are different. Therefore, the timing at which the reverse rotation of the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213 and the second forward / reverse rotation roller pair 216 is started differs between the Z-fold processing, the inner tri-fold processing, and the outer tri-fold processing.

16 (a) to 16 (h) are explanatory views for explaining a general operation when folding in half by the folding processing unit 2b. In the two-fold process, the tip of the sheet P conveyed through the through transport path W1 is not allowed to enter the nip between the first forward / reverse roller 213 and the pressing roller 214, and the first forward / reverse roller 212 and the first forward / reverse roller 213 are folded. The flow of the operation is the same as that of the Z-folding process described above, except that the point of entering the nip between the two and the protrusion amount Δ2 is different. In this bi-folding process, the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 and the pressing roller 214 correspond to the first transport means, and the second forward / reverse reverse roller pair 216 corresponds to the second transport means.

Further, the folding processing unit 2b may be provided with a streak processing unit.

FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of a main part of the folding processing unit 2b provided with the scoring processing unit.
As shown in FIG. 17, the crease processing unit 233 has a crease blade 233b and a pressing unit 233a that presses the sheet against the crease blade 233b. The sheet P delivered from the perforation forming unit 2a is conveyed by the carry-in roller pair 231 and the sheet is temporarily stopped when the line forming portion of the sheet is conveyed to the scoring processing unit 233. Next, the pressing portion 233a of the streak processing unit 233 is lowered, and the streak forming portion of the sheet is pressed against the crease blade 233b to form streaks at the streak forming portion of the sheet. When the scoring process by the scoring processing unit 233 is completed, the sheet transfer is restarted by the carry-in roller pair 231 and the transfer roller pair 232.

A bending space 234 is provided between the transport roller pair 232 and the inlet roller pair 211. The inlet roller pair 211 has a function of a skew correction means for correcting the skew of the sheet, and the tip of the sheet conveyed by the carry-in roller pair 231 and the transfer roller pair 232 abuts against the inlet roller pair 211. .. Even after abutting against the inlet roller pair 211, the transport roller pair 232 continues to transport the sheet, so that the sheet bends in the bending space 234. When the sheet bends in this bending space 234, the tip of the sheet is pressed against the inlet roller pair 211 by the stiffness of the sheet, and skew correction is performed. After the skew correction, the inlet roller pair 211 is rotated to convey the sheet, and the folding process is performed by the predetermined folding operation described above.

The processing unit 2d that performs the perforation forming and folding processing described above has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 17 except that the perforation processing unit 233 is replaced with the perforation forming unit 20.

As shown in FIG. 17, by performing skew correction before the folding process, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems such as tilting of the folded portion, and it is possible to form the folded portion satisfactorily.

Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the second transport means composed of the first forward / reverse roller 213 and the pressing roller 214 may have the function of the skew correction means. In the configuration in which the second transport means has the function of the skew correction means, a bending space 234 is provided between the inlet roller pair 211 and the second transport means. Further, by providing the second transport means with the function of the skew correction means, the transport roller pair 232 for bending the sheet between the inlet roller pair 211 and the scoring processing unit 233 becomes unnecessary, and is shown in FIG. The size of the device can be reduced as compared with the configuration. In the configuration in which the second transport means is provided with the function of the skew correction means, the first fold portion forming means 220a is used for folding in half.

As for the folding processing unit 2b shown in FIG. 11 which does not have the scoring processing unit 233, a bending space 234 is provided between the inlet roller pair 211 and the second conveying means, as in the configuration shown in FIG. It is preferable that the second transport means is provided with the function of the skew correction means so that the skew correction of the sheet can be performed before the folding process.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a post-processing setting screen displayed on the operation display unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 3.
The operation display unit 510 includes a display unit including a liquid crystal display (LCD) and the like, and an operation unit having a numeric keypad and a start button. The display unit has a touch panel function, and can detect the contact position of the user as well as various displays.
The post-processing setting screen shown in FIG. 19 is an image in which the sheet processing apparatus includes a folding processing unit 2b, a perforation forming unit 2a, and a post-processing unit 2c, which do not have the scoring processing unit 233 shown in FIG. This is an example of the post-processing setting screen in the case of the formation system. By replacing the blade 41 of the perforation forming portion 20 from the perforation blade to the crease blade, the process can be switched from the perforation forming process to the streaking process.

As shown in FIG. 19, the post-processing setting screen has a perforation / crease setting unit 521, a folding processing setting unit 522, and a preview unit 523. By unchecking the check box 521a of the perforation / crease setting unit 521, it is possible to set not to execute the perforation / crease processing. Similarly, by unchecking the check box 522a of the folding process setting unit 522, it is possible to set not to execute the folding process.

The perforation / crease setting unit 521 includes a blade type input unit 521b for allowing the user to input the type of the blade attached to the perforation forming unit 20, and a position designation unit 521c for designating the position of the perforation or the streak to be attached to the sheet. Have. When the blade attached to the perforation forming portion 20 is a crease blade, the user selects "crease" of the blade type input unit 521b, and when the blade attached to the perforation forming portion 20 is a perforation blade, the user selects "crease". Select the "perforation" of the blade type input unit 521b.

Further, when the user selects "perforation", a screen for inputting the pitch information of the perforation of the perforation blade attached to the perforation forming unit 20 is displayed in a pop-up to allow the user to input the pitch information of the perforation. You may do so. The blade type information input by the user is stored in the non-volatile memory.

Further, the user can set the position of the perforation or the streak by operating the position designation unit 521c. The position information of the perforations or streaks set by the operation of the position designation unit 521c is stored in the non-volatile memory. Further, by operating the position designation unit 521c, the position of the chain line K displayed on the preview unit 523 changes. This allows the user to know at which position on the sheet the perforations or streaks are formed. When the blade type is a crease blade, a streak is formed not only at the position specified by the user in the position designating portion 521c but also at the folding position.

Further, a designated portion for designating the number of perforations or streaks may be provided so that a plurality of perforations or streaks can be formed on the sheet.

The folding processing setting unit 522 has a folding seed setting unit 522b and an adjusting unit 522c for adjusting the folding position. The user selects one of the fold types displayed on the fold type setting unit 522b, so that the fold type is set. The set folding type information is stored in the non-volatile memory. Further, when the user selects a fold type, the default fold position is displayed in the adjustment unit 522c, and the fold positions R1 and R2 are displayed in the preview unit as solid lines.

Further, the folding position is adjusted by the user operating the adjustment unit 522c on the folding type setting screen. The adjusted folding position information is stored in the non-volatile memory. Further, when the folding position is changed by operating the adjusting unit 522c, the positions of the solid line folding positions R1 and R2 displayed on the preview unit 523 change. This allows the user to know at which position on the sheet the fold is formed.

In an image system including a perforation forming unit 20 and a streak processing unit 233, a perforation setting unit and a crease setting unit can be provided on the post-processing setting screen, respectively, and the perforation position and the streak position can be set respectively. To do so.

When skew correction is performed on a sheet having streaks or perforations, the sheet may be bent at the positions of weak streaks or perforations, and the sheet may have a crease. As described above, when the folding process is performed on the sheet having a folding habit, various problems such as M-shaped folding occur.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the mechanism of occurrence of M-shaped folds.
As shown in FIGS. 20 (a) to 20 (c), the tip of the sheet, which is conveyed to the folding processing unit 2b and has the streaks S formed at the folding position in the streaking processing unit 233, abuts against the inlet roller pair 211. In this state, if the rotation drive of the transfer roller pair 232 is continued to continue the transfer of the sheet, the sheet bends. At this time, the sheet begins to bend with respect to the position of the streaks with weak stiffness, and finally, as shown in FIG. 20 (d), the sheet bends with respect to the position S of the streaks. When the sheet transfer of the inlet roller pair 211 is started in such a state, the sheet bending of the bending space 234 is eliminated, but the bending of the sheet with respect to the streak position S is not eliminated, the bending habit remains, and the streak position remains. It is conveyed so that S protrudes.

Then, as shown in FIG. 20 (e), when the first folding portion forming means 220a is entered with a folding habit and is folded, an M-shaped fold that is folded into an M-shape occurs. .. As for the problem of the M-shaped fold, if the position of the perforation is close to the fold position, the M-shaped fold also occurs. Further, in a place where the position of the perforation or the position of the streak is far from the folding position, there is a possibility that the sewing machine is folded in an N shape.

In addition, there is a possibility that the folding position shifts due to such a folding habit.
FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for generating a folding position shift due to a folding habit.
As shown in FIG. 21, when the first forward / reverse reversing roller 213 is rotated in the reverse direction, if there is a bending habit O in the region X between the inlet roller pair 211 of the sheet and the first forward / reverse rotation roller 213, the entrance roller pair The bending of the sheet between the 211 and the first forward / reverse roller 213 is not stable, and a part other than the target folding position M1 enters the nip between the first forward / reverse roller 212 and the first forward / reverse roller 213. Folding position shift may occur.

The above bending habit is caused by a large amount of bending during skew correction. That is, since the amount of deflection during skew correction is large, the sheet is bent until it breaks from the streaks or perforations as the base point, and a folding habit occurs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when perforations or streaks are formed on the sheet, the amount of bending in the skew correction before the folding process is smaller than the amount of bending when only the folding process is performed.

FIG. 22 is a control block diagram showing a main part of the image forming system 4.
As shown in FIG. 22, the control unit 450 that controls the entire image forming system 4 includes a CPU 451, a RAM 453, a ROM 452, a non-volatile memory, and the like. A perforation forming unit 2a, a folding processing unit 2b, and the like are connected to the control unit 450, and the perforation forming unit is based on the detection results of various sensors provided in the perforation forming unit 2a and the folding processing unit 2b. It controls a motor that is a drive source provided in 2a and the folding processing unit 2b.

Further, the control unit 450 has a skew correction control unit 454 that performs skew correction control before the folding process. The skew correction control unit 454 mainly controls the sheet transfer start timing of the skew correction roller pair (inlet roller pair 211 in FIG. 17, second transfer means in FIG. 18) to which the tip of the sheet abuts, and the skew correction roller pair. The sheet transfer speed of the roller pair (transfer roller pair 232 in FIG. 17 and inlet roller pair 211 in FIG. 18) for feeding the sheet into the bending space 234 after the sheet is abutted against the surface is adjusted.

Further, the control unit 450 has a skew correction control changing unit 455 that changes the skew correction control by the skew correction control unit 454. The skew correction control changing unit 455 performs skew correction control when the perforation / crease setting is “Yes” (the check box 521a of the perforation / crease setting unit 521 on the post-processing setting screen shown in FIG. 19 is checked). The skew correction control by the unit 454 is changed.

Further, the control unit 450 has a sheet information acquisition unit 456 that acquires the sheet information to be used. The non-volatile memory stores the sheet information set in the paper feed cassette of the image forming apparatus 3. The sheet information acquisition unit 456 acquires sheet information from the non-volatile memory based on the information on which paper cassette the user uses.

Further, the control unit 450 has a streak / perforation type acquisition unit 457. The blade type information input by the user in the blade type input unit 521b of the post-processing setting screen shown in FIG. 19 above is stored in the non-volatile memory, and the streak / perforation type acquisition unit 457 is this non-volatile. Acquire the blade type information from the memory.

Each unit 454 to 457 included in the control unit 450 is realized by a program stored in the ROM 452 and a CPU 451 that executes the program.

FIG. 23 is a control flow diagram of skew correction before folding processing in this image forming system.
As shown in FIG. 23, when only the folding process is set, the control unit executes normal skew correction control before the folding process (NO in S1, YES in S2, S4, S5).

On the other hand, when there is a perforation / crease setting (YES in S1) and there is a crease setting (Yes in S7), the skew correction control change unit 455 changes the content of the skew correction control from the skew correction control when only the folding process is performed. Change (S8).

The skew correction control changing unit 455 changes the content of the skew correction control so that the amount of deflection at the time of skew correction is the amount of deflection at which no bending habit occurs at the time of skew correction. Specifically, the control content is changed so that the transfer start timing of the skew correction roller pair (inlet roller pair 211 in FIG. 17) where the tip of the sheet abuts is faster than the transfer start timing when only the folding process is performed. The amount of bending of the sheet during skew correction is made smaller than the amount of bending when only the folding process is performed.

As a result, the sheet is bent with respect to the streaks and perforations at the time of skew correction, the skew correction is completed before the bending habit is formed, and the sheet is conveyed. As a result, the skew-corrected sheet can be folded, problems such as tilting of the folded portion can be suppressed, and M-shaped folding and folding position deviation can be suppressed.

Further, in the above description, the transfer timing of the skew correction roller pair is changed, but the transfer roller pair (in FIG. 17, the transfer roller pair 232) transfers the sheet to the bending space 234 after the sheet tip hits the skew correction roller pair. ) May change the sheet transport speed. Specifically, the skew correction control changing unit 455 reduces the sheet transfer speed of the transfer roller pair after the sheet tip abuts against the skew correction roller pair. As a result, the amount of bending of the sheet at the time of skew correction can be made smaller than the amount of bending at the time of only the folding process, and the sheet is bent at the base point of the streaks and perforations at the time of skew correction, and the sheet is skewed before the bending habit is formed. The correction is completed and the sheet is transported.

Further, based on the sheet information used, the control content of the skew correction when there is streak / perforation processing may be changed. Since the sheet used is thin paper or other sheet with weak stiffness, it is easy to bend, so it is difficult for the sheet to bend from the position of the streaks or perforations. Therefore, when the sheet used is a sheet with a weak stiffness such as thin paper, the amount of deflection at the time of skew correction may be increased as compared with the case of plain paper. In this way, by increasing the amount of bending, skew correction can be performed more reliably, and the occurrence of problems such as tilting of the folded portion can be further suppressed.

Further, since the sheet used is a thick paper or the like, which is hard to bend, the force is easily concentrated on the positions of the weak streaks and perforations, and the sheet is likely to be bent. Therefore, when the sheet used is a strong sheet such as thick paper, the amount of deflection at the time of skew correction is reduced as compared with the case of plain paper. As a result, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress the occurrence of folding habits when the sheet is strong.

The seat information to be used is acquired by the seat information acquisition unit 456 of the control unit 450, and the skew correction control change unit 455 changes the content of the skew control based on the sheet information acquired by the seat information acquisition unit 456.

Further, the control content of the skew correction may be changed depending on whether the processing on the sheet is perforated or streaked. Perforations that make holes in the sheet are less stiff than the streaks. Therefore, at the time of the perforation, the amount of bending at the time of skew correction is weaker than that at the time of the streak, so that the occurrence of bending habit at the time of the perforation can be satisfactorily suppressed. Further, by making the amount of bending at the time of the streak larger than the amount of bending at the time of the perforation, it is possible to perform skew correction better than at the time of the perforation. Further, at the time of perforation, the control content of skew correction may be changed based on the perforation pitch.

Further, the control content of the skew correction may be changed based on the positions of the streaks and perforations. Specifically, the control content of skew correction is changed according to the length from the tip of the sheet to the streaks and perforations. The length Y1 from the sheet tip to the streaks and perforations is equal to or greater than the length L1 in the sheet transport direction from the transport roller pair for transporting the sheet to the bending space 234 to the skew correction roller pair + the bending amount α when only the folding process is performed. In some cases, the streaks and perforations do not enter the bending space during skew correction, so no creases occur. Therefore, when Y1 ≧ L1 + α, the control content of the skew correction is not changed. This makes it possible to perform good skew correction. On the other hand, when Y1 <L1 + α, the control content of skew correction is changed so that the amount of deflection at the time of skew correction is reduced.

Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.
[Modification 1]
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a main part of the image forming system of the first modification.
As shown in FIG. 24, in this modification, a second skew correction roller pair 236 is provided in front of the streak / perforation forming processing unit 460. The perforation / perforation processing unit 460 is for forming perforations or making streaks on the sheet by changing the blade. Further, a second bending space 235 is formed between the carry-in roller pair 231 and the second skew correction roller pair 236.

FIG. 25 is a control flow diagram of skew correction before the folding process in the first modification.
When the post-processing is only the folding setting (S11NO, S12YES), the sheet is abutted against the inlet roller pair 211 to perform skew correction (S18), and then the folding processing is executed (S19).

When only the folding process is performed, by performing skew correction before the folding process, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress problems such as tilting of the folded portion.

On the other hand, when the streak / perforation processing is set (YES in S11), the tip of the sheet is abutted against the second skew correction roller pair 236 in front of the streak / perforation processing unit 460. After performing skew correction (S14), perforations or streaks are formed on the sheet by the streaking / perforation forming processing unit 460 (S15). In this way, since the skew of the sheet is corrected before the streaking or perforation forming process, the streaks and perforations can be satisfactorily formed at the target position.

When the folding setting is set (YES in S16) after the processing is completed by the scoring / perforation forming processing unit 460, the skew correction (skew correction before the folding processing) at the inlet roller pair 211 is not performed. The folding process is executed (S17). In this way, when perforations or streaks are formed on the sheet, it is possible to prevent creases from forming by not performing skew correction before the fold process, and M-shaped folds and fold position shifts occur. It can be suppressed from occurring. Further, since the skew correction is performed by the second correction roller pair, the skew of the sheet during the folding process can be suppressed as compared with the case where the skew correction is not performed by the second correction roller pair, and the folded portion is tilted. It is possible to suppress the trouble of.

[Modification 2]
FIG. 26 is a control flow diagram of skew correction before the folding process in the second modification.
In this modification 2, in the case of the setting of performing only the scoring / perforation processing (YES of S21, NO of S27), the setting of performing both the scoring / perforation processing and the folding processing (S21YES, S27YES) Skew correction before folding is not performed. On the other hand, in the case of setting to perform only folding processing (S21NO, S22YES), skew correction is performed. As a result, it is possible to suppress problems such as tilting of the folded portion when only the folding process is performed, and when both the streaking / perforation processing and the folding process are performed, M-shaped folds and fold position shifts occur. It can be suppressed from occurring.

What has been described above is an example, and has a unique effect in each of the following aspects.
(Aspect 1)
Correcting the skew of the sheet between the scoring processing means such as the scoring processing unit 233 that performs the scoring process on the sheet, the fold processing means that folds the sheet, and the scoring processing means and the folding processing means. In a sheet processing apparatus provided with skew correction means such as an inlet roller pair 211, a control unit 450 such as a control unit 450 for controlling the skew correction means is provided based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process.
The applicant has conducted diligent research on the cause of the formation of unintended creases due to the streaks during skew correction when both the folding process and the streaking process are performed. As a result, it was found that by suppressing the amount of bending of the sheet at the time of skew correction, even if there are streaks between the skew compensating means and the transporting means, unintended creases due to the streaks are not formed.
Therefore, in the first aspect, the skew correction means is controlled based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process. As a result, the control of the sheet correction means can be changed between when both the streaking process and the folding process are performed and when only the folding process is performed. As a result, when both the streaking process and the folding process are performed, the amount of sheet bending during skew correction is reduced as compared with the case where only the folding process is performed, so that the part where the streaks are formed is suppressed from bending. It is possible to prevent the formation of unintended creases. As a result, even if the streaks are formed at positions where the length from the tip of the sheet to the streaks of the sheet is shorter than the sheet transport distance from the transport means to the skew correction means, unintended creases are not formed and the streaks are not formed. The restriction on the formation position can be relaxed.
Further, when only the folding process is performed, the sheet can be sufficiently bent to correct the skew, so that the skew of the sheet can be reliably corrected and the folded portion can be formed satisfactorily.

(Aspect 2)
In the first aspect, the control means such as the control unit 450 makes the skew correction control when both the scoring process and the folding process are performed different from the skew correction control when only the folding process is performed.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, the skew correction control when both the scoring process and the fold process are performed is different from the skew correction control when only the fold process is performed. When both folding processes are performed, the amount of sheet bending at the time of skew correction can be different from that when only the folding process is performed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of bending during skew correction when performing both the streaking process and the folding process so that the streaks do not bend, and when performing only the folding process, the amount of bending is large. Therefore, skew correction can be performed satisfactorily.

(Aspect 3)
In the first or second aspect, the second skew correction roller pair 236 or the like controlled by the control means such as the control unit 450 upstream in the sheet transport direction of the streak processing means such as the streak / perforation processing unit 460. It has two skew correction means, and the control means performs skew correction by the second skew correction means or skew correction by the skew correction means based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process. To decide.
According to this, as described in the first modification, when the setting is to perform only the folding process, the skew correction means similar to the folding process is used, and when both the folding process and the streak are set, the second skew is performed. It can be a correction means. As a result, when only the folding process is set, the skew correction can be performed before the folding process, and the folding process can be performed satisfactorily. on the other hand,
When both the fold process and the streak are set, it is possible to prevent the sheet from having creases (creases), and it is possible to suppress M-shaped folds and fold position shifts.

(Aspect 4)
In the first or second aspect, the control means such as the control unit 450 changes the sheet transfer start timing of the skew correction means based on the settings of the streaking process and the folding process.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, the sheet transfer start timing of the skew correction means when both the scoring process and the fold process are performed is earlier than the sheet transfer start timing when only the fold process is performed. It is possible to change to. Therefore, the amount of bending of the sheet at the time of skew correction when both the streaking process and the folding process are performed can be made smaller than the amount of bending when only the folding process is performed, and the occurrence of folding habits on the sheet is suppressed. can do.

(Aspect 5)
In aspects 1, 2 or 4, the sheet transfer speed to the skew correction means is changed based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, the control means such as the control unit 450 determines the sheet transfer speed to the skew correction means such as the inlet roller pair 211 when both the scoring process and the folding process are performed. It is possible to change the speed so that it is slower than the sheet transport speed when only the folding process is performed. Therefore, the amount of bending of the sheet at the time of skew correction when both the streaking process and the folding process are performed can be made smaller than the amount of bending when only the folding process is performed, and the occurrence of folding habits on the sheet is suppressed. can do.

(Aspect 6)
In aspects 1, 2, 4 or 5, the control means controls the skew correction means based on the scoring process, the folding process, and the type of sheet.
According to this, the control means such as the control unit 450 can perform skew correction control when performing both the scoring process and the folding process based on the type of sheet.
A sheet with a strong stiffness will bend with a smaller amount of bending than a sheet with a weak stiffness. In this way, the amount of bending that bends from the streak as the base point differs depending on the type of sheet, so by performing skew correction control when performing both the streaking process and the folding process based on the type of sheet, It is possible to prevent creases from occurring in any of the sheets with strong stiffness and sheets with weak stiffness. In addition, for a sheet with a weak waist that is unlikely to bend based on the streaks, the skew correction should be performed better by increasing the amount of deflection during skew correction compared to the case of a sheet with a strong stiffness. Can be done.

(Aspect 7)
In the first or second aspect, the control means such as the control unit 450 determines whether or not to execute the skew correction control based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process.
According to this, when both the scoring process and the folding process are performed, the skew correction can be performed, and when only the folding process is performed, the skew correction can be performed. As a result, when only the folding process is performed, the sheet skew can be suppressed and the folding process can be performed, and a good folding process can be performed. On the other hand, when both the scoring process and the folding process are performed, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of M-shaped folding and folding position deviation.

(Aspect 8)
In the first to seventh aspects, the first transport means such as the inlet roller pair 211 that transports the sheet on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the streak processing means such as the streak processing unit 233, and the sheet transport direction rather than the first transport means. A second transport means arranged on the downstream side is provided, and the sheet is transported in the opposite direction by the second transport means with the sheet sandwiched between the first transport means and the second transport means to bend the sheet. , The bent portion of the sheet is introduced into a folding processing means such as the first folding portion forming means 220a to fold the sheet.
According to this, the sheet can be folded without using a blade member or the like.

(Aspect 9)
A perforation forming means such as a perforation forming portion 20 for performing perforation processing on a sheet, a folding processing means for folding a sheet on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the perforation forming means, and a perforation forming means and folding. A control for controlling the skew correction means based on the perforation processing and folding processing settings in the sheet processing apparatus 2 provided with skew correction means such as an inlet roller pair 211 that corrects the skew of the sheet between the processing means. Equipped with control means such as a part.
According to this, even if the perforations are formed at the positions where the length from the tip of the sheet to the perforations of the sheet is shorter than the sheet transport distance from the transport means to the skew correction means in the first aspect, unintended creases are formed. It is not formed, and the restriction on the perforation formation position can be eliminated.
Further, when only the folding process is performed, the sheet can be sufficiently bent to correct the skew, so that the skew of the sheet can be reliably corrected and the folded portion can be formed satisfactorily.

(Aspect 10)
In the ninth aspect, the control means such as the control unit 450 makes the skew correction control when both the perforation process and the folding process are performed different from the skew correction control when only the folding process is performed.
According to this, the same effect as that of the second aspect can be obtained.

(Aspect 11)
In embodiments 9 and 10, a second skew correction roller pair 236 and the like controlled by a control means such as the control unit 450 are located upstream in the sheet transport direction of the perforation forming means such as the streak / perforation processing unit 460. It has two skew correction means, and the control means performs skew correction by the second skew correction means or skew correction by the skew correction means based on the settings of the perforation process and the folding process. Decide whether.
According to this, when both the perforation processing and the folding processing are performed, the skew correction can be performed by the second skew correction means. Thereby, the same effect as that of the third aspect can be obtained.

(Aspect 12)
In aspects 9 and 10, the control means such as the control unit 450 changes the sheet transfer start timing of the skew correction means.
According to this, it is possible to advance the sheet transfer start timing of the skew correction means such as the inlet roller pair 211 when performing both the perforation process and the fold process to the sheet transfer start timing when only the fold process is performed. Will be. Thereby, the same effect as that of the fourth aspect can be obtained.

(Aspect 13)
In aspects 9, 10 or 12, the control means such as the control unit 450 changes the sheet transfer speed to the skew correction means based on the settings of the perforation process and the fold process.
According to this, it is possible to make the sheet transfer speed to the skew correction means such as the inlet roller pair 211 when both the perforation process and the fold process are performed slower than the sheet transfer speed when only the fold process is performed. Will be. Thereby, the same effect as that of the fifth aspect can be obtained.

(Aspect 14)
In aspects 9, 10, 12 or 13, the control means such as the control unit 450 controls the skew correction means based on the perforation process, the folding process, and the type of the sheet.
According to this, it becomes possible to perform skew correction control when performing both perforation processing and folding processing based on the type of sheet, and the amount of bending when the sheet is thick and the amount of bending when the sheet is thin can be performed. It is possible to control less than. Therefore, the same effect as that of the sixth aspect can be obtained.

(Aspect 15)
In any of aspects 9, 10, 12 to 14, the perforation forming means such as the perforation forming portion 20 can change the type of the cutting tool 41 for perforating the sheet, and the control means such as the control unit is described above. The skew correction means is controlled based on the perforation process, the folding process, and the type of the cutting tool attached to the perforation forming means.
According to this, the skew correction control when performing both the perforation processing and the folding processing can be performed based on the type of the blade attached to the perforation forming means. As a result, the pitch of the perforation blade is narrow and the perforation pitch formed on the sheet is narrow. It can be made smaller than the amount of deflection at the time of skew correction when the blade is made of.
As a result, it is possible to prevent bending habits from occurring at any perforation pitch.

(Aspect 16)
In aspect 9 or 10, the control means such as the control unit 450 determines whether or not to execute the skew correction control based on the settings of the perforation process and the fold process.
According to this, when both the perforation process and the fold process are performed, the skew correction is not performed, and when only the fold process is performed, the skew correction can be performed. As a result, when only the folding process is performed, the sheet skew can be suppressed and the folding process can be performed, and a good folding process can be performed. On the other hand, when both the perforation process and the fold process are performed, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of M-shaped folds and fold position shifts.

(Aspect 17)
In the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of aspects 9 to 16, the first transport means such as the inlet roller pair 211 that transports the sheet on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the perforation forming means such as the perforation forming portion 20. A second transport means arranged on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the first transport means is provided, and the sheet is reversed by the second transport means with the sheet sandwiched between the first transport means and the second transport means. The sheet is conveyed in the direction to bend the sheet, and the bent portion of the sheet is introduced into a folding processing means such as the first folding portion forming means 220a to fold the sheet.
According to this, the same effect as that of the seventh aspect can be obtained.

(Aspect 18)
In aspects 8 or 17, the skew correction means is a first transfer means such as an inlet roller pair 211 or the second transfer means.
According to this, the skew correction can be performed immediately before the folding process, and the folding process can be performed satisfactorily.

(Aspect 19)
A processing means such as a scoring / perforation processing unit 460 that performs either scoring or perforation processing on the sheet, and a folding process that folds the sheet on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the processing means. In a sheet processing apparatus provided with a means and a skew correction means for correcting the skew of the sheet between the processing means and the folding processing means, the processing means is configured so that the blade is replaceable, and the blade is replaced by replacing the blade. The sheet is subjected to either streaking or perforation processing, and the type of the blade attached to the perforation forming means, the processing setting of the processing means, and the setting of the folding processing are set. Based on this, a control means for controlling the skew correction means is provided.
According to this, the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained. Further, the skew correction control when performing both the perforation processing and the folding processing can be performed based on the type of the blade attached to the processing means. The perforations are less stiff than the streaks. By making the amount of deflection during skew correction when the blade attached to the processing means is a sewing machine blade smaller than the amount of deflection during skew correction when crease is used, creases occur at both perforations and streaks. Can be prevented from occurring.

(Aspect 20)
In an image forming system including an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a sheet processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the sheet, the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 19 is used as the sheet processing apparatus. Using.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, the folded portion can be formed satisfactorily.

(Aspect 21)
In an image forming system including an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a sheet processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the sheet, the sheet processing apparatus of aspect 6 or 14 is used as the sheet processing apparatus, and the type information of the sheet is used. It is equipped with a sheet information acquisition means (composed of an operation display unit, a control unit, etc.) for acquiring the image.
According to this, skew correction control can be performed based on the type of sheet.

(Aspect 22)
In an image forming system including an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a sheet processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the sheet, the sheet processing apparatus of aspect 15 or 18 is used as the sheet processing apparatus, and type information of a blade is used. It is equipped with a blade information acquisition means (consisting of an operation display unit, etc.) to acquire the image.
According to this, skew correction control can be performed based on the type of the blade.

2: Sheet processing device 2a: Perforation forming unit 2b: Folding processing unit 2c: Post-processing unit 2d: Processing unit 3: Image forming device 4: Image forming system 11: Inlet roller pair 12: Paper ejection roller pair 13: Swing Guide plate 20: Perforation forming portion 30: Pressing mechanism 32: Roller member 32a: Groove 33: Holder 34: Slider 37: Coil spring 38: Guide rail 41: Blade 41a: Blade 42: Retracting table 50: Drive device 51: Driven Pulley 52: Movement timing belt 53: Drive pulley 54: Drive motor 55: Timing belt 211: Inlet roller pair 212: First folding roller 213: First forward / reverse roller 214: Pushing roller 215: Second folding roller 216: Second forward / reverse roller pair 217: Inlet sensor 220a: First folding portion forming means 220b: Second folding portion forming means 231: Carry-in roller pair 232: Conveying roller pair 233: Striking processing portion 233a: Pressing portion 233b: Creeze blade 234: Flexion space 235: Second deflection space 236: Second skew correction roller pair 280: Additional folding means 281: Additional folding roller 281a: Pressing convex portion 282: Conveying guide plate 283: Compression spring 450: Control unit 454: Skew correction control unit 455: Skew correction control change unit 456: Sheet information acquisition unit 457: Perforation type acquisition unit 460: Perforation formation processing unit 510: Operation display unit 521: Crease setting unit 521a: Check box 521b: Blade type input Section 521c: Position designation section 522: Folding process setting section 522a: Check box 522b: Folding type setting section 522c: Adjustment section 523: Preview section M1: Folding position O: Folding habit P: Sheet S: Line position W1: Through transport path W2: Branch transport path Δ1: Overhang amount Δ2: Overhang amount

Japanese Patent No. 5870893

Claims (20)

A striating processing means that performs striking processing on the sheet,
Folding means for folding the sheet and
In a sheet processing apparatus provided with a skew correction means for correcting skew of the sheet between the streak processing means and the folding processing means.
A control means for controlling the skew correction means based on the setting of the scoring process and the folding process is provided .
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the skew correction control when both the scoring process and the folding process are performed is different from the skew correction control when only the folding process is performed . In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
A second skew correction means controlled by the control means is provided upstream of the sheet transport direction of the scoring processing means.
The control means is characterized in that it determines whether skew correction is performed by the second skew correction means or skew correction by the skew correction means, based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process. Sheet processing equipment. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the sheet transfer start timing of the skew correction means is changed based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 3 ,
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the sheet transfer speed to the skew correction means is changed based on the settings of the streaking process and the folding process. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , 3 or 4 .
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the skew correction means is controlled based on the scoring process, the folding process, and the type of the sheet. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The control means is a sheet processing device, characterized in that it determines whether or not to execute skew correction control based on the settings of the scoring process and the folding process. In the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .
A first transport means for transporting the sheet on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the scoring processing means and a second transport means arranged on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the first transport means are provided.
With the sheet sandwiched between the first transport means and the second transport means, the sheet is conveyed in the opposite direction by the second transport means to bend the sheet, and the bent portion of the sheet. Is introduced into the folding processing means to fold the sheet. Perforation forming means for performing perforation processing on the sheet,
Folding means for folding the sheet and
In a sheet processing apparatus provided with a skew correction means for correcting skew of the sheet between the perforation forming means and the folding processing means.
A control means for controlling the skew correction means is provided based on the settings of the perforation process and the fold process .
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the skew correction control when both the perforation processing and the folding processing are performed is different from the skew correction control when only the folding processing is performed . In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
A second skew correction means controlled by the control means is provided upstream of the perforation forming means in the sheet transport direction.
The control means is characterized in that it determines whether skew correction is performed by the second skew correction means or skew correction by the skew correction means based on the settings of the perforation process and the fold process. Sheet processing equipment. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the sheet transfer start timing of the skew correction means is changed based on the settings of the perforation process and the fold process. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 10 .
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the sheet transfer speed to the skew correction means is changed based on the settings of the perforation process and the fold process. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8, 10 or 11 .
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the skew correction means is controlled based on the perforation processing, the folding processing, and the type of the sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8, 10 to 12 .
The perforation forming means can change the type of the blade for perforating the sheet.
The control means is a sheet processing device that controls the skew correction means based on the perforation processing, the folding processing, and the type of a blade attached to the perforation forming means. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
The control means is a sheet processing apparatus, characterized in that it determines whether or not to execute skew correction control based on the settings of the perforation process and the fold process. In the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 14 ,
A first transport means for transporting the sheet on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the perforation forming means and a second transport means arranged on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction from the first transport means are provided.
With the sheet sandwiched between the first transport means and the second transport means, the sheet is conveyed in the opposite direction by the second transport means to bend the sheet, and the bent portion of the sheet. Is introduced into the folding processing means to fold the sheet. In the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7 or 15 .
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the skew correction means is the first transport means or the second transport means. A processing means for performing either scoring or perforation processing on the sheet, and
Folding means for folding the sheet and
In a sheet processing apparatus provided with a skew correction means for correcting skew of the sheet between the processing means and the folding processing means.
The processing means is configured such that the blade is replaceable, and by replacing the blade, either the streaking or the perforation processing is performed on the sheet.
A sheet processing apparatus including a control means for controlling the skew correction means based on the type of the blade attached to the processing means, the processing setting of the processing means, and the setting of the folding process. .. An image forming device that forms an image on a sheet,
In an image forming system provided with a sheet processing device that performs a predetermined process on the sheet,
An image forming system comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17 as the sheet processing apparatus. An image forming device that forms an image on a sheet,
In an image forming system provided with a sheet processing device that performs a predetermined process on the sheet,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 12 is used as the sheet processing apparatus.
An image forming system comprising a sheet information acquisition means for acquiring the sheet type information. An image forming device that forms an image on a sheet,
In an image forming system provided with a sheet processing device that performs a predetermined process on the sheet,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 13 or 17 is used as the sheet processing apparatus.
An image forming system including a blade information acquisition means for acquiring the type information of the blade.

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