JP7202059B2 - SHEET PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for folding a stack of sheets that are sequentially conveyed from an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing such that a folded sheet is not opened later, and an image forming apparatus having the same.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a processing apparatus that collates and staples sheets delivered from an image forming apparatus or folds them into a booklet is widely known. Some of these processing apparatuses saddle-stitch sheets with staples or adhesives in the middle and fold them into a booklet. In such an apparatus, a bundle of 2, 3 to 30 sheets is folded in two. It was running low.
For this reason, there is known a process of pressing the sheet bundle again from the front and back sides of the loop portion of the double-folded sheet that has been folded once.

Patent Document 1 filed by the applicant of the present invention discloses a device that moves along a folding loop of a double-folded sheet while being pressed by a pair of pressing rollers that narrow in steps from the top and bottom of the folding loop. According to this, instead of pressing only the fold line of the sheet against the presser roller as in the conventional art, the presser roller presses the sheet in stages to form an inwardly directed crease, so that an inwardly directed crease is formed in the fold of the sheet. Folded sheets that have been folded by hand become difficult to open, and the amount of stacking can be improved.

JP 2016-11191 A

However, the present inventor has confirmed that there is room for further improvement in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 as well. In other words, it is true that multiple rows of pressing rollers facing each other at different intervals create creases on the inside, making it more difficult to open than the conventional one. However, it was found that there were not many creases near the edges and it was not possible to fold the paper securely. As a result of clarification, it was found that the stiffness of the sheet was strong at the center in the width direction of the fold loop of the folded sheet, and it was caused by weakening toward the edges. In addition, it has been found that creases are less likely to form on the carry-out side than on the entrance side of a plurality of pressing rollers having different intervals. This is presumed to be caused by the fact that the sheet continues in the direction of travel on the entrance side and the sheet continues less on the discharge side, resulting in a weaker stiffness of the folded sheet.

The present invention has been devised to further improve the above, and in addition to suppressing the entire widthwise fold loop of the folded sheet, the widthwise end portion of the folded sheet is also secured by pressing the widthwise end portion a plurality of times. Its main task is to fold it into and execute it as needed.

The present invention employs the following configurations to solve the above problems. That is, a pair of cylindrical pressers arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction along the fold loop are arranged facing each other across the fold loop to press the fold loop of the folded sheet consisting of a plurality of sheets. While moving in the width direction , all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members move from an initial position where all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members are separated from one end of the folding loop in the width direction. In the moving direction toward the end position spaced apart from the other end of the fold loop in the width direction, the plurality of fold loops are arranged such that the distance between the pair of pressing members facing each other in the plurality of rows narrows stepwise from downstream to upstream. A support unit for supporting a pair of pressing members in a row; and a control section for controlling the supporting unit, wherein the control section moves the pair of pressing members in a plurality of rows of the support unit from the initial position to the terminal position. and when the thickness of the folded sheet exceeds a predetermined thickness , all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members of the support unit move to a predetermined end portion of the folded sheet sandwiching the folded loop. and controlling the support unit to perform end region movement in which a pair of pressing members in a plurality of rows of the support unit reciprocate between the region and either one of the initial position and the terminal position. characterized by

According to the present invention, by having the above solution, the central portion of the sheet in the width direction is folded, and when the number of sheets is large, the width direction end portion is selectively pressed repeatedly as necessary, so that the end portion can be folded. Folding is performed more reliably, the folded sheets are less likely to open, the appearance is improved, and stackability is improved when stacking the bundle of folded sheets.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration in which an image forming apparatus and a folding unit according to the present invention are incorporated and combined as a sheet processing apparatus; FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory diagram of a sheet processing apparatus incorporating a folding unit according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of folding processing of folding rollers in the sheet processing apparatus; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a movement mechanism of a support unit that supports a pressing roller, viewed from the bundle outlet side; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the folding unit in FIG. 4 as viewed from the side of the folding roller as viewed from arrow d; FIG. 5 is a perspective view from the folding roller side of a supporting unit that supports a pressing roller unit that moves in the folding unit of FIG. 4 ; FIG. 7 is a front view from the folding roller side of the support unit of FIG. 6 with the front upper base plate removed; FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a pressing roller and a guide plate in FIG. 7; 6 is a view for explaining the presser roller unit supported by the support unit shown in FIG. 7 and the guide plate attached thereto, FIG. 9(a) shows the guide plate positioned at the second upper presser roller unit. is a perspective view. FIG. 9(b) is a cross-sectional explanatory view of this perspective view. Another embodiment showing the positioning of the pressing roller unit and the guide plate is shown. FIG. 10(a) is a support diagram showing the positioning of the first upper pressing roller unit and the guide plate. FIG. 10(b) is a cross-sectional explanatory view of this perspective view. FIG. 11 is a front view of a support unit that supports the pressing rollers shown in FIGS. 4 to 10 and is in an initial position; FIG. 11 is a front view of the support unit shown in FIGS. 4 to 10 in a state of being moved to the middle in the width direction; Fig. 11 is a front view of the support unit shown in Figs. 4 to 10 in the end state in the width direction; FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 are explanatory diagrams of a folded sheet booklet in which a plurality of folding lines are formed by folding in stages, and FIG. is. FIG. 14(b) is a diagram showing a pressed state by the second upper pressing roller and the second lower pressing roller. FIG. 14(c) is a diagram showing a state pressed by the final third upper pressing roller and third lower pressing roller. FIGS. 14A and 14B show the booklet pressed by the pressing roller, and FIG. 15A shows the bundle of folded sheets pressed by the support unit shown in FIGS. ing. FIG. 15(b) is an explanatory view of the folding state of the sheet width direction end on the entry side of the support unit, and FIG. 15(c) is an illustration of the folding state of the sheet width direction end on the carry-out side of the support unit. It is a diagram. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram for investigating the cause of insufficient folding of the sheet end portion of FIG. 15; 11 to 14 for explaining the movement state of the support unit, FIG. 17(a) shows the operation of discharging a sheet bundle each time the support unit moves in the width direction, and FIG. 17(b) shows the movement of the support unit FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an operation state of the support unit having room for improvement up to FIG. 15 that discharges the sheet bundle after reciprocating to the carry-out side after entering; Fig. 18(a) shows a state in which a portion of the sheet loop is reciprocated and pressed by the end of the support unit on the unloading side, and Fig. 18(b) shows the state where the support unit is on the unloading side. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a portion of the seat loop is also reciprocated and pressed at the end and then returned to the entry side; FIG. 19A is a view showing another embodiment of the support unit according to the present invention. FIG. 19A shows the sheet after the support unit reciprocates at the entrance side end and the discharge side end in the width direction of the folded sheet. FIG. 19B is a diagram showing a state in which a bundle is discharged, and FIG. 19B shows the support unit returning to the entrance side after the support unit reciprocates at both the entrance side end and the carry-out side end in the width direction of the sheet. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet bundle is discharged after being discharged; FIG. 20A shows a bundle of folded sheets pressed by the support unit, and shows a folded sheet bundle whose creases are clarified by the reciprocating motion of the width direction end portions of the sheet loops of the support unit. It shows the condition of the booklet folded more tightly than in FIG. 15(a). FIG. 20(b) is an explanatory view of a booklet in a folded state in which the sheet width direction end on the entrance side of the support unit is reciprocatingly pressed, and FIG. 20(c) is a sheet width direction end on the discharge side of the support unit. It is a booklet explanatory view in a state in which the is pressed back and forth. 21 is a diagram for explaining the moving state of the support unit shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 for finishing the booklet of FIG. 20; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the movement of the support unit across the entire width direction and the reciprocation of the end portion according to the number of folded sheets. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration including a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention;

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiments. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B, and the sheet processing apparatus B incorporates a folding unit 50 .

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
The image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 feeds a sheet from a paper feeding section 1 to an image forming section 2 , prints the sheet in the image forming section 2 , and then carries out the sheet from a body outlet 3 . Sheets of a plurality of sizes are stored in sheet feeding cassettes 1 a and 1 b , and sheet feeding section 1 separates designated sheets one by one and feeds them to image forming section 2 . The image forming unit 2 includes, for example, an electrostatic drum 4 , a print head (laser emitter) 5 and a developing device 6 , a transfer charger 7 and a fixing device 8 arranged around the electrostatic drum 4 . A light emitting device 5 forms an electrostatic latent image, a developing device 6 applies toner to the image, a transfer charger 7 transfers the image onto a sheet, and a fixing device 8 heats and fixes the image. Sheets on which images have been formed in this way are sequentially carried out from the body outlet 3 . FIG. 9 shows a circulation path, in which the sheet printed on the front side from the fixing device 8 is reversed through the main body switchback path 10 and then fed again to the image forming section 2 to print on the back side of the sheet. This is the path for double-sided printing. The sheet printed on both sides in this way is turned upside down in the main body switchback path 10 and then discharged from the main body outlet 3 .

FIG. 11 is an image reading device, in which a document sheet set on a platen 12 is scanned by a scanning unit 13 and electrically read by a photoelectric conversion element 14 via a reflecting mirror and a condensing lens. This image data is, for example, digitally processed by the image processing section, transferred to the data storage section 17, and sent to the laser emitter 5 as an image signal. 15 in the drawing is a document feeding device, which is a feeder device for feeding the document sheets accommodated in the document stacker 16 to the platen 12 .

A control unit (controller) is provided in the image forming apparatus A configured as described above, and image forming conditions such as sheet size designation, color/monochrome printing designation, number of print copies designation, single-sided/double-sided printing designation, enlargement/reduction can be selected from the control panel 18 . Printout conditions such as print designation are set. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus A, the image data read by the scanning unit 13 or the image data transferred from the external network is stored in the data storage unit 17, and the image data is transferred from the data storage unit to the buffer memory. Data signals are sequentially transferred from the buffer memory 19 to the laser emitter 5 .

[Structure of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
The sheet processing apparatus B connected to the above-described image forming apparatus A includes the first discharge tray 21 and the second discharge tray 22 in the casing 20 as shown in FIG. 23 is provided. A carry-in sensor Sen for detecting the carry-in of the sheet is arranged downstream of the carry-in roller 24 .

The sheet carry-in path P1 is formed in the casing 20 as a substantially horizontal linear path. A first switchback conveying path SP1 and a second switchback conveying path SP2 branch from the sheet carry-in path P1 and transport the sheet in the reverse direction. The first switchback transport path SP1 and the second switchback transport path SP2 are branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 on the downstream side of the path and on the upstream side of the path, respectively, and the two transport paths are arranged at a distance from each other.

With such a route configuration, the carry-in roller 24 and the paper discharge roller 25 are arranged in the sheet carry-in route P1. The discharge roller 25 is reversible. A path switching piece (not shown) for guiding the sheet to the second switchback transport path SP2 is arranged on the sheet carry-in path P1 and connected to an operating means such as a solenoid. Further, in the sheet carry-in path P1, a single-sheet punching unit 28 for punching the sheets from the carry-in port 23 one by one is provided downstream of the carry-in roller 24 and the carry-in sensor Sen1.

[Configuration of first switchback transport path SP1]
As shown in FIG. 2, the first switchback transport path SP1 is constructed as follows. A discharge roller 25 is provided at the exit end of the sheet carry-in path P1, and a processing tray 29 for supporting the sheet on the discharge roller 25 is provided. A reversible roller 30 is arranged above the processing tray 29 so as to be vertically movable between a position in contact with the sheet on the tray and a standby position away from the tray. When the forward/reverse roller 30 is connected and the sheet enters the processing tray 29, it rotates clockwise in FIG. controlled to rotate. Therefore, the first switchback transport path SP1 is formed on the processing tray 29. As shown in FIG. An end-face binding stapling device 33 is arranged at the rear end of the processing tray 29 in the sheet ejection direction. The stapling device 33 staples the trailing edge of the sheet bundle stacked on the processing tray 29 at one or more locations. The bound sheet bundle is discharged to the first discharge tray 21 .

[Configuration of second switchback transport path]
The configuration of the second switchback transport path SP2 branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the second switchback transport path SP2 is a transport path that guides the sheet that is nipped by the discharge roller 25 and is switchback-transported from the forward rotation to the reverse rotation. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying path is arranged substantially vertically in the casing 20, with conveying rollers 36 at the entrance of the path and exit conveying rollers 37 at the exit of the path. A stacker section 35 constituting a second processing tray for sorting and temporarily stacking the sheets fed from the second switchback conveying path SP2 is provided downstream of the second switchback conveying path SP2. The illustrated stacker section 35 is composed of a transport guide for transporting sheets. A saddle stitching stapler 40 and folding rollers 45 are arranged in the stacker section 35 . These configurations will be described in order below.

[Structure of Stacker]
The stacker section 35 is formed of a guide member that guides sheet conveyance, and is configured to stack and store sheets on this guide. The illustrated stacker section 35 continues to the second switchback transport path SP2 and is arranged substantially vertically in the central portion of the casing 20 . As a result, the device is made small and compact. The stacker portion 35 is formed in a lengthwise shape to accommodate the maximum size sheets inside, and the illustrated one is curved so as to protrude toward the side on which the saddle stitching stapler 40 and the folding rollers 45 (45a, 45b), which will be described later, are arranged. Or it is configured in a bent shape.

A switchback entry path 35a is connected to the rear end of the stacker section 35 in the transport direction so as to overlap the exit end of the second switchback transport path SP2. This stacking is performed by overlapping the leading edge of the incoming (following) sheet sent from the exit conveying roller 37 of the second switchback conveying path SP2 and the trailing edge of the loaded (preceding) sheet supported by the stacker section 35. This is to ensure the page order of the sheet to be printed. In the stacker section 35 , a leading edge regulating member (hereinafter referred to as a stopper 38 ) as stopper means for regulating the leading edge of the sheet in the carry-in direction is arranged downstream of the guide. The sheet is supported by a guide rail or the like so as to be moved by shift means (not shown) to a position where the sheet is carried into the stacker section 35, a position where the sheet is bound in the middle of the stacking direction, and a position where the folding roller 45 folds the sheet. Further, an aligning member 39 for aligning the sheets is provided in the middle of the stacker section 35 in the conveying direction, and aligns the sheets by pressing the side edges each time the sheets are carried.

[Description of saddle stitching stapler]
Next, the saddle stitching stapler 40 positioned above the stacker unit 35 is composed of a driver unit 41 for driving staples into the sheet bundle and a clincher unit 42 for bending the legs of the driven staples in directions facing each other. The respective units are arranged at positions facing each other with the stacker section 35 interposed therebetween, and the sheets are usually bound at the binding position indicated by X in the figure, which is 1/2 of the sheet length.
The saddle stitching stapler 40 may use a metal needle as a staple for binding a bundle of sheets, or may bind the sheets by applying pressure or notching without using paper needles or needles.

[Description of Folding Roller]
Next, the configuration of the folding roller 45 will be described. At the folding position Y arranged downstream of the saddle stitching stapler 40, as shown in FIG. is provided. Referring to FIG. 3, the folding roller 45 is composed of an upper pressing roller 45a and a lower pressing roller 45b which are pressed against each other, and the upper pressing roller 45a and the lower pressing roller 45b are formed slightly longer than the width of the maximum sheet. . The folding rollers 45 are biased against each other by a compression spring (not shown). The pair of folding rollers 45 are made of a material having a relatively large coefficient of friction, such as rubber rollers.

At the pressing position of the folding roller 45, a folding blade 46 is arranged so as to move forward and backward. After the sheet bundle is saddle-stitched by the saddle-stitch stapler 40, the folding blade 46 moves so as to push the binding position into the folding roller 45, and the folding roller 45 rotates under pressure in conjunction with this operation. Fold the binding sheet and fold it in half. During this process, the folding blade 46 returns to its original position to prepare for the next sheet bundle. The position of movement of the folding blade 46 is shown in FIG. 2 as the folding position Y, which corresponds to the position X where the sheets are stapled together as a stack.

Here, the procedure for folding a bundle of sheets stacked or saddle-stitched will be described with reference to FIG. The sheets are stopped by the stopper 38 to form a bundle, and the stopper 38 rises to perform the binding process by the saddle stitching stapler 40 at the middle position of the sheets in the conveying direction. After the binding process, the bound sheet bundle is lowered and the stopper 38 is stopped so that the sheet binding position becomes the folding position. This state is shown in FIG. 3(a). This position is stopped so as to coincide with the pressing position of the upper pressing roller 45 a and the lower pressing roller 45 b of the folding roller 45 . After that, the upper pressure roller 45a and the lower pressure roller 45a are rotated in the same direction by a driving motor (not shown), and the folding blade 46 is pushed into the pressure contact position. This state is shown in FIG. 3(b).

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the upper pressure roller 45a and the lower pressure roller 45b continue to rotate in the same direction, and the folding blade 46 temporarily stops before the pressure contact position. The folding blade 46 is now retracted by moving in the original return direction. Thereafter, when the upper pressure roller 45a and the lower pressure roller 45b continue to rotate in the same direction, the folded sheet bundle BS is folded along a constant loop BL as shown in FIG. 3(d). This sheet bundle consists of a folding loop leading edge BL1 that serves as a fold line pierced by the folding blade 46, an upper loop BL2 that bulges upward around this point, a lower loop BL3 that bulges downward, and a loop that presses the sheets so as to maintain the loop. A base end portion BL4 is formed, and the process is temporarily stopped in this state.

By the way, the reason why a loop is generated at the fold line is that the sheet bundle itself exerts a force to open outward at the fold line position. Therefore, the greater the number of sheets in the folded sheet bundle BS, the stronger the force to open and spread. are pushed step by step by the presser roller 70 to perform step folding.

[Description of folding unit]
Now, the folding unit 50 which is a part of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention for preventing the folded sheet bundle BS which has undergone the folding process from being opened will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of this unit viewed from the discharge side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the side of the folding roller 45 indicated by arrow d in FIG. Further, the support unit 56 that moves along the folding loop in the width direction of the folded sheet in the folding unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 6, which is a perspective view from the side of the folding roller 45, and FIG. After that, the relationship between the guide plate 201 positioned between the pressing rollers 70 and the pressing rollers 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, and the step folding operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. FIG.

First, returning to FIG. 2, the folding unit 50 is arranged so as to traverse the folded sheet conveying path BP on the downstream side of the folding roller 45 . More specifically, in the folding unit 50, the folding roller 45 folds the folded sheet bundle BS and folds the folded sheet bundle by pressing the sheet bundle with the pressing rollers 70 having different intervals. The folding unit 50 faces the crease of the folded sheet bundle BS having a constant loop and having a crease in the sheet width direction.

Before and after the folding unit 50 in FIG. 2, a bundle carry-in detection sensor (SEN3) 129 for detecting the spine and fore edge of the folded sheet folded and conveyed by the folding roller 45 and discharge from the bundle discharge roller 49 are detected. Bundle discharge sensors (SEN4) 131 are arranged respectively.
The folding unit 50 shown in FIG. 2 is installed between the folding roller 45 and the bundle discharge roller 49 as a discharge member for discharging to the outside of the machine. It can also be installed downstream of roller 49 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the folding unit 50 comprises a right side plate 53 arranged on one side of the device, a left side plate 54 opposite to the right side plate 53, and a connecting angle 55 connecting these above the right side plate 53 to form the frame of the entire device. ing. A support unit 56 is arranged between the right side plate 53 and the left side plate 54 to support and move a plurality of rows of pressing rollers 70 that reciprocate between the side plates. The reciprocating movement between the side plates of the support unit 56 is performed by sliding along an upper guide rail 57 and a lower guide rail 58 positioned above between the right side plate 53 and the left side plate 54 . That is, the upper slide block 60 attached above the support unit 56 slides on the upper guide rail 57, and the lower slide block 61 attached below the support unit 56 slides on the lower guide rail 58. supported as possible.

Above the support unit 56, a moving belt 65 is stretched between the right side plate 53 and the left side plate 54 of the device. As shown in FIG. 4, a right pulley 63 and a left pulley 64 are positioned on the right side plate 53 side and the left side plate 54 side, respectively, and a moving belt 65 is wound therearound. One end of the moving belt 65 is fixed to the upper end of the support unit 56 by a belt fixing portion 65b. Therefore, when the moving belt 65 is moved to move the belt fixing portion 65b from the front side (left side) of the apparatus to the back side (right side), the support unit 56 also moves along the upper guide rail 57 and the lower guide rail 58 to move the apparatus shown in FIG. It moves from the near side (left side) to the far side (right side). When the moving belt 65 moves in the opposite direction, the belt fixing portion 65b also moves in the opposite direction, and the support unit 56 also moves in the opposite direction.

In this mechanism, a plurality of pairs of presser rollers 70, which will be described later, move from the wider side to the narrower side to press the folding loop step by step. upstream side. In other words, the movement direction (arrow UB direction) is from left to right in FIG. 4, the right side is the downstream side, and the left side is the upstream side.

On the left pulley 64 around which the moving belt 65 is wound, a reversible unit drive motor 69 is attached to a motor gear unit 68 provided on the left side plate 54 . The rotational drive of this unit drive motor 69 is connected to the left pulley 64 of the moving belt 65 via the transmission gear 66 provided in the motor gear unit 68 from the motor output gear 67 .

Therefore, by selecting the driving rotation direction of the unit drive motor 69, the support unit 56 also presses the folding loop from the front side (left side) to the back side (right side) of the apparatus, and conversely, from the back side (right side) to the front side (left side). ) can be selectively moved back to As shown in FIG. 5, near the upper end of the support unit 56 on the side of the left side plate 54 (the right side in FIG. 5), there is a home position (HP) positioned near the left side plate 54. A unit flag 107 is provided. When the unit flag 107 is detected by the home position sensor 108, the support unit 56 is positioned at the home position (HP). From this position, the unit moves to the outline arrow UB in FIG. 5 to press the folding loop step by step.

When the support unit 56 moves from this home position (HP) in the direction of the arrow UB, the position is determined by a pulse generator (not shown) incorporated in the unit drive motor 69, and the position is positioned at the folding position near the right side plate 53. It is determined that At this folded position, the unit drive motor 69 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the support unit 56 is controlled to move toward the home position (HP) this time. Therefore, the support unit 56 is a unit moving member that is moved by the moving belt 65 or the like.

[Configuration of support unit]
Next, the configuration of the support unit 56 that moves left and right in the drawing will be described. 5 is a view from the folding roller 45 side, the support unit 56 consists of a unit base plate 62a (FIG. 4) constituting the rear side of this unit, a front upper base plate 62b divided into upper and lower parts, and a front lower base plate 62b. It is surrounded by the plate 62c, the preceding unit side plate 95 and the succeeding unit side plate 96 on the side thereof, and the unit top plate 59a and the unit bottom plate 59b on the upper and lower sides thereof.

As shown in FIG. 6, the leading unit side plate 95 is provided with a leading side plate opening 97 that is relatively large, and the trailing unit side plate is provided with a trailing side plate opening 98 that is narrower than the leading side plate opening 97. . These openings are provided for the support unit 56 to move across the folding line of the sheet, and start pressing the folding loop BL from the leading side plate opening 97 side.

The inside of the support unit 56 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, but the front upper base plate 62b is omitted for explanation. First, from the side of the side plate 95 of the preceding unit toward the side plate 96 of the following unit, a pair of pressing rollers (the pressing rollers are collectively indicated by reference numeral 70) consisting of a plurality of rows and three rows in this embodiment are provided. It is These pressing rollers 70 have different intervals between pairs of rollers (folding loop thickness direction) for each row. That is, the rollers in the first row are arranged such that the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 are arranged at positions substantially equal to each other with the sheet crease position as the center and at a position separated by a predetermined distance. These pressing rollers 70 are configured as a pressing roller unit 81 as will be described later, and this pressing roller unit supports the pressing rollers 70 .

In the illustrated one, a first upper pressing roller shaft 78a, which is the shaft of the first upper pressing roller 71, is attached to a first upper pressing roller supporting arm 91a that supports the first pressing roller supporting arm 91a. It is attached to a first upper pressing roller frame 86a which is made of a member and is formed by bending a sheet metal into a hollow shape to form a unit.

Further, between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the top plate of the first upper pressing roller frame 86a, the first upper pressing roller 71 is always attached in a direction (downward direction in FIG. 8) to press the folding loop. A biasing first upper pressing roller pressing spring 147a is arranged. A support arm elongated hole 94 is provided in the first upper pressing roller support arm 91a. Therefore, the first upper pressing roller shaft 78a is movable within this range, and when attached to the support unit 56, the support arm elongated hole 94 regulates the movement of the first upper pressing roller 71. Become.

Similarly, the first lower pressing roller shaft 78b, which is the shaft of the first lower pressing roller 72, faces the first lower pressing roller 72 across the folding loop BL of the folded sheet. It is attached to the lower pressing roller support arm 91b. The first lower pressing roller support arm 91b is also made of a molded member and is attached to a first lower pressing roller frame 86b formed by bending a sheet metal into a hollow shape to form a unit. Similarly, between the first pressing roller 72 and the top plate of the first pressing roller frame 86b, the first pressing roller 72 is always placed in the direction of pressing the folding loop (upward direction in FIG. 8). A biasing first lower pressing roller pressing spring 147b is arranged.

Further, a support arm elongated hole 94 is provided in the first lower pressing roller support arm 91b. Therefore, the first lower pressing roller shaft 78b is movable within this range, and when attached to the support unit 56, the support arm elongated hole 94 regulates the upward movement of the first lower pressing roller 72. do.

A second upper pressing roller unit 83a supporting the second upper pressing roller 73 in the second row, a second lower pressing roller unit 83b supporting the second lower pressing roller 74, and a third upper pressing roller in the third row. A third upper pressing roller unit 84a that supports the roller 75 and a third lower pressing roller unit 84b that supports the third lower pressing roller 76 are also configured to face each other as in the first row.

Therefore, each of the pressing rollers 70 is supported by the pressing roller support arm 90 and pre-assembled as a pressing roller unit 81 together with the pressing roller pressing spring 146 to form a unit. can be done The unit structure of the pressing roller 70 will be explained again with reference to FIG.

[Relationship between Presser Rollers in Support Unit]
Next, the relationship between the pressing rollers 70 in the support unit will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the interval L1 between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 is always kept constant. In this embodiment, this L1 is set to approximately 14 millimeters. Also, the first upper pressing roller pressing spring 147a and the first lower pressing roller pressing spring 147b shown in FIG. 8 are set so that a load of approximately 4.0 kg is applied to each roller when the two rollers are in contact with each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the interval L2 between the second upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74 is always kept constant. In this embodiment, this L2 is set to approximately 7 millimeters. Also, the second upper pressing roller pressing spring 148a and the second lower pressing roller pressing spring 148b shown in FIG. 8 are set so as to apply a load of approximately 4.0 kilograms each when the two rollers are in contact with each other. .

As described above, the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 in the first row are spaced apart by a predetermined distance L1 (approximately 14 mm in this embodiment) as shown in FIG. The upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74 are similarly separated by a predetermined distance L2 (approximately 7 mm in this embodiment). The movement range of the pressing roller support arm 90 for supporting each pressing roller 70 is regulated by the long hole of the pressing roller support arm 90, and the attachment position of the pressing roller units 81 of the first and second rows to the supporting unit is set. there is Accordingly, the pressing rollers 70 in the first and second rows are positioned so as not to become narrower than a predetermined width.

However, the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 in the third row as the final row in this embodiment are elastically biased so as to always be in pressure contact as shown in FIGS. It is This defines the position of the pressing roller unit 81 in the third row so that the roller interval L3=0. In this embodiment, the third upper pressing roller pressing spring 149a and the third lower pressing roller pressing spring 149b shown in FIG. 8 are also set so that a load of approximately 4.0 kg is applied at the roller contact position. ing. As a result, while a load exceeding 4 kg is applied to both sides of the folding loop (folding line BL1 at the leading edge of the loop) of the folded sheet bundle BS, the pressing roller 70 sequentially presses the folding loops to perform step folding. Therefore, each pressing roller 70 is biased in the direction of pressing the sheet. This step-folding operation will be described later with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG.

[Explanation of the guide plate]
Here, the guide plate 201 arranged between the pressing rollers 70 and guiding the folding loop will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. As shown in the figure, a first upper guide plate 201a is arranged between the first upper pressing roller 71 of the first row and the second upper pressing roller 72 of the second row. A second upper guide plate 202a is arranged between the third upper pressing roller 75 and the second upper guide plate 202a. A first lower guide plate 201b is arranged between the first lower pressing roller 72 in the first row and the second lower pressing roller 74 in the second row, which are opposed to these with the folding loop interposed therebetween. A second lower guide plate 202b is arranged between the second lower pressing roller 74 and the third lower pressing roller 76 in the third row.

Each guide plate 201 has a guide portion 203 extending from the peripheral surface of each pressing roller 70 at its tip, and is attached to the pressing roller unit 81 at its base end. The structure of this attachment will be explained in FIG. 9, but the guide portion 203 is designed to support the pressing roller 70 when the pressing roller 70 is moved by the movement of the support unit 56 (movement in the direction of arrow UB in FIG. 8). The pressing roller 70 and the guide portion 203 of the guide plate 201 form a cross section of the funnel (an isosceles triangle with the third row roller as the apex) so that the folding loop ends can be positioned at the respective intervals. It is biased to be caught between the pressing rollers 70 .

Next, the positional relationship between the pressing roller 70 and the guide portion 203 formed on the tip side of the guide plate 201 will be described with particular reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, four guide plates 201 are arranged in two pairs each on the upper and lower sides. explain. The tip of the first upper guide plate 201a bulges out to extend from the first upper pressing roller 71, the second upper pressing roller 73, and the first upper guide projection (projection) 211a located between the rollers. A protruding first upper guide portion 203a is formed. The first upper guide portion 203a is inclined downward in the drawing from a first upper guide downstream portion 209a on the first upper pressing roller 71 (downstream) side toward the second upper pressing roller 73 (upstream) side. It has an inclined portion 205a. This extension and inclination are provided to prevent the end of the folding loop BL from being caught or caught between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the second upper pressing roller 73 .

The relationship between the first upper pressing roller 71, the second upper pressing roller 73, and the first upper guide portion is the moving direction of the support unit 56 of the first upper pressing roller 71 on the downstream side with respect to the first upper guide inclined portion 205a. The circumferential surface of the first upper pressing roller 71 on the downstream side forms a substantially right angle with a perpendicular line n passing through the first upper pressing roller shaft 78a, which is the central axis of the first upper pressing roller 71 on the downstream side in a substantially orthogonal direction. The tangential line T is arranged so as to intersect the first guide inclined portion 205a (relationship in which the arrow of T abuts). In this case, the tangent line T may be within the range that guides the end of the folded loop BL.

Further, the relationship between the first upper guide inclined portion 205a and the second upper pressing roller 73 located upstream is the above-described position passing through the second upper pressing roller shaft 79a, which is the central axis of the second upper pressing roller 73. In the range of the peripheral surface of the second upper pressing roller 73 on the upstream side of the first upper guide inclined portion 205a surrounded by a straight line m along the moving direction of the support unit 56 and a perpendicular line n forming a substantially right angle with the straight line m. The upper guide upstream portion 207a is arranged in a corresponding relationship (a relationship in which the PT arrow abuts, and a relationship in which the second upper pressing roller 73 is substantially positioned within a quarter of the peripheral surface of the lower left part of FIG. 8). There is.

By establishing the above-described relationship, the guide portion 203 extends in the moving direction of the support unit 56 and exposes the front and rear pressing rollers 70 to expose the front and rear pressing rollers 70. The folding loop is guided in a substantially isosceles triangle shape with the upstream side as the apex, and stepwise folding can be performed relatively smoothly.

[Attaching the guide plate to the presser roller unit]
In this embodiment, since the guide portion of the guide plate 201 and the pressing rollers 70 are set in the relationship described above, it is necessary to perform mutual accurate positioning. Therefore, a mounting configuration as shown in FIG. 9 is provided. FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view of the guide plate positioned on the second upper pressing roller unit. FIG. 9(b) is a cross-sectional explanatory view of this perspective view. FIG. 10 is a modification of the mounting arrangement of FIG. This will be explained below.

Although a little touched on here, a description of the second upper pressing roller unit 83a will be added first. As shown in FIG. 9A, the second upper pressing roller unit 83a includes a rotatable second upper pressing roller 73 that presses the fold loop BL, and a second upper pressing roller that supports the second upper pressing roller 73. It has a second upper pressing roller frame 87a (frame) that slidably holds the roller bracket 142a on its inner wall.
Between the second upper pressing roller frame 87a and the second upper pressing roller bracket 142a, a second upper pressing roller pressing spring 148a (elastic spring) for biasing the second upper pressing roller 73 in the sheet pressing direction is provided as shown in the figure. ) are attached to the left and right via second upper pressing roller spring bearings 162a.

Further, on the left and right surfaces of the second upper pressing roller frame 87a shown in the figure, there are provided second upper pressing roller shafts 79a of the second upper pressing roller 73 which are movably supported by support arm elongated holes 94. A roller support arm 92a is attached. The attachment of the second upper pressing roller support arm 92a is stopped by an arm hook 92af fitted in an opening provided in the side portion of the second upper pressing roller frame 87a. On the other hand, the supporting arm slot 94 of the second upper pressing roller supporting arm 92a is also movably attached by an E-ring 158 to a roller bracket shaft 157 separately provided on the second upper pressing roller bracket. These are combined into a second upper pressing roller unit 83a.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the second upper pressing roller support arm 92a is engaged with the arm hook 92af to form a unit. Easy to install. This configuration is the same for all the pressing roller units 81 shown in FIGS. A second upper pressing roller unit adjustment screw 182a is attached to the top of the second upper pressing roller unit 83a so that the position of the second upper pressing roller unit 83a can be adjusted with respect to the support unit 56. As shown in FIG.

As described above, the second upper pressing roller unit 83a, in which the second upper pressing roller 73, the second upper pressing roller pressing spring 148a for urging the second upper pressing roller 73, and the like are unitized, can be attached to the support unit 56, so that it is easy to assemble. Become. Further, the second upper pressing roller unit 83a is provided with a second upper pressing roller unit adjustment screw 182 that can be vertically adjusted with respect to the support unit 56. As shown in FIG. This makes it possible to set the most appropriate pressing position for the folding loop BL.

Next, the mounting structure of the first upper guide plate 201a located downstream in the movement direction of the support unit 56 with respect to the second upper pressing roller unit 83a will be described.
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 9(a), on the outer wall on the upstream side of the second upper pressing roller frame 87a of the second upper pressing roller unit 83a, a frame cutout is provided by notching a portion of the frame as shown. A right cutout portion 145a and a left frame cutout portion 145b are provided. With respect to this notch, the second upper pressing roller unit 83a side surface (downstream side surface/rear surface) of the first upper guide plate 201a has a second upper pressing roller unit 83a on the mounting portion side above the first upper guide portion 203a. A first upper guide protrusion (projection) 211a is formed to protrude toward 83a. Further, as well shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 9B, a second upper pressing roller unit 83a is provided at the upper end of the first upper guide plate 201a opposite to the first upper guide portion 203a. There is provided a guide locking portion 213a that fits into.

The first upper guide protrusion (projection) 211a is formed by cutting out a part of the frame as shown in the drawing. The positional relationship between the second upper pressing roller 73 and the first upper guide plate 201a can be set when the unit is assembled. According to this, the positional relationship between the first upper guide portion 203a of the upper guide plate 201a and the second upper pressing roller 73 can be set with good accuracy.

In the illustrated one, the upper guide plate 201a is attached in this concave-convex relationship, and is sandwiched between the second upper pressing roller unit 83a and the first upper pressing roller unit 82a, and there are no attachment screws or the like. Both can be easily installed.
According to the above configuration, the first guide portion 203a of the first upper guide plate 201a and the second upper pressing roller 73 can be accurately aligned.

Each of the other guide plates 201 and the pressing roller unit 81 on the upstream side of this guide plate 201 are also configured similarly.
As a result, when the pair of presser rollers 70 for the folding loop are arranged in a row, the guide plate 201 which prevents the sheet edge from being caught between the front and rear presser rollers 70 can be easily and easily fitted by the uneven portions. It can be installed while maintaining positional accuracy.

Next, a modification of FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the first upper guide plate 201a is attached to the upstream second upper pressing roller unit 83a. It is positioned and attached by the unit 82a.
Also in this modified example, the first upper pressing roller support arm 91a for holding the first upper pressing roller 71 is unitized by an arm hook 91af engaged with the side notch of the first upper pressing roller frame 86a. It has the same configuration as that of FIG.

The first upper pressing roller frame 86a of the first upper pressing roller unit 82a shown in FIG. A downstream projecting portion (convex portion) 306 provided on the downstream side surface of the first upper pressing roller unit 82a is fitted into the upstream notch portion 302. As shown in FIG. According to this, the positional relationship between the first upper guide portion 203a of the upper guide plate 201a and the first upper pressing roller 71 can be set with good accuracy.

[Description of the operation of the support unit]
11 to 13, the carrying-in of the support unit 56 in the folding unit 50 to the folded sheet bundle BS and the stepwise pressing operation will be described. 11 to 13 show the support unit 56 viewed from the bundle outlet side, and the unit base plate 62a of the support unit 56 is omitted for convenience of explanation. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the support unit 56 is positioned at the home position (HP) and is waiting for the loading of the bundle of folded sheets BS. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the support unit 56 moves to the middle of the folded sheet bundle BS in the width direction, and folds stepwise across the sheet bundle width BW of the folding loop BL by three rows of rollers. FIG. 13 shows a state in which stepwise folding by three rows of rollers is completed and the support unit 56 is positioned at the end position (EP), which is the folding position. Each state will be described below.

First, in FIG. 11, the unit flag 107 of the support unit 56 having three rows of pressing rollers is detected by the home position sensor 108 attached to the right side plate 53, and the support unit 56 is positioned at the home position (HP). At this position, if the later-described "staged folding mode" is set, it waits for the folded sheet bundle BS that has been folded by the folding rollers 45 and is conveyed along the folded sheet conveying path BP.

By the way, the support units 56 positioned at the home position (HP) are arranged with a pressure roller 70 which is pressed against the support unit 56 in order from the direction of movement, and the last row is provided with a pressure roller 70 . As already explained, in the present embodiment, the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 in the first row are arranged with an interval of approximately 14 mm. Also, the second upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74 in the second row have an interval of approximately 7 mm. Furthermore, the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 in the third row are in pressure contact with each other in the region R1. Further, the center of separation and pressure contact between these rollers is arranged so as to substantially coincide with the folding loop leading edge (folding line) BL1 of the folded sheet, which is the center of the bundle of folded sheets BS.

When the folding loop of the folded sheet bundle BS reaches a predetermined size (in this embodiment, the vertical direction of the loop is, for example, 22 mm), the folding roller 45 is stopped and the support unit 56 is moved to the right side of FIG. It is moved by driving the drive motor 69 . When this movement starts, the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 ride over the left (one) edge (sheet edge) of the folded sheet bundle in the drawing, and the folded sheet bundle is slightly above the leading end loop BL1 of the folded sheet. Move to the left while making a crease at the position of . As mentioned earlier, the size of the loop in this embodiment is approximately 22 mm, and the distance between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 is approximately 14 mm. They overlap by approximately 4 millimeters, which gives the first fold line 100 shown in FIG. 14(a).

Further, since the gap between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 is large, these rollers can ride over the edge of the folded sheet bundle BS without much damage. A pressing roller 70 including a first upper pressing roller 71 and a first lower pressing roller 72 is axially supported in the same direction as the sheet conveying direction, and is rotatably supported on this shaft. This rotation also facilitates getting over the edge of the bundle of folded sheets.

Further, a first upper guide plate 201a and a second upper guide plate 202a are arranged between the first upper pressing roller 71, the second upper pressing roller 73 and the third upper pressing roller 75 in the moving direction. On the other hand, a first lower guide plate 201b, a second lower guide plate 201b, and a second lower guide plate 201b are provided between the first lower pressing roller 72, the second lower pressing roller 74, and the third lower pressing roller 76 facing each other across the folding loop BL in the moving direction. A plate 202b is arranged. As a result, the folding loop BL of the bundle of folded sheets BS is smoothly guided between the pressing rollers 70 on the upstream side without entering between the rollers.

As the support unit 56 continues to move, the loop pressed by the gap between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 is further moved slightly between the second upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74. The loop of the bundle of folded sheets BS is pressed at the narrowed interval to form the second crease. Further, in this embodiment, the distance between the second upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74 is set to approximately 7 millimeters, which is higher or lower than the distance between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72. , respectively, by approximately 3.5 mm, which gives the second fold line 101 shown in FIG. 14(b).

Following this, the folding line BL1 is step-folded by the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76, which are rollers in the third row. In other words, the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 are in a substantially press-contact state with the distance therebetween being 0, so that the third upper pressing roller pressing spring 149a pushes the sheet in the thickness direction of the crease. The sheet is folded in stages while being pressed by the third lower pressing roller pressing spring 149b, thereby giving the final folding line 102 shown in FIG. 14(c).

FIG. 12 shows a state in which the folded sheet bundle BS is pressed stepwise within one unit and the support unit 56 is positioned substantially at the center of the folded sheet bundle BS in the sheet width direction. From this state, the support unit 56 further moves toward the right side of the drawing while giving a folding line to the sheet step by step by the pressing rollers 70 whose mutual interval is narrowed in the thickness direction of the folding line of the sheet. As a result of this movement, the right and left (one) ends (sheet ends) of the folded sheet bundle are passed by the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 in the third row, and the pressing rollers sequentially press and step fold.

After this passage, the support unit 56 reaches an end position (EP), which is a folding position on the side of the left side plate 54 shown in the figure. This state is shown in FIG. When the turn-back position is reached, the drive of the unit drive motor 69 is stopped. After that, it waits for the folded sheet bundle BS that has been step-folded (completely pressed by the pressing roller 70) to be discharged by the rotation of the folding roller 45 and the bundle discharging roller 49 in the discharging direction. When the completion of discharge of the folded sheet bundle BS that has been step-folded is detected by the bundle discharge sensor (SEN4) 131 shown in FIG. to prepare for carrying in the next bundle of folded sheets BS.

In the above description, after the folded sheet BS that has been folded in stages as shown in FIG. 13 again, and the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 press the crease of the folded sheet bundle BS again to the home position ( HP), the stage folding of the last row can be made more reliable.

As described above, in this embodiment, the folded sheet bundle BS is folded in three steps by the support unit 56 . The folded sheet bundle BS discharged after performing this folding operation will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 serving as sheet bundle pressing members according to the present invention are used to fold the folded sheet bundle BS in the crease thickness direction (folded sheet bundle BS conveying direction at the crease). ), a plurality of creases are formed by moving in the crease direction the locations where creases are formed by the folding rollers 45 and the fold loops BL are generated.

As already explained, the interval between the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 in the first stage is slightly narrower than the fold loop (in this embodiment, the interval is approximately 22 mm for the loop height of 22 mm). 14 mm) and moves along the crease made by the folding rollers 45 to create the first stage crease. This is the first folding line 100 indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 14(a), and in FIG. 15(a) it appears as the first folding line 100 as a thin line on the folded sheet bundle BS. This is because, as shown in FIG. 14(a), the looped portion pressed by the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 receives a concentrated load, and the sheet bundle is buckled and folded. This is because the first folding line 100 appears due to the movement of the upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 in the width direction.

Next, in the second step, the interval between the second upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74 as pressing members for the sheet bundle is slightly narrower than the loop formed by pressing in the first step (in the present embodiment). (approximately 7 millimeters in diameter) and moves along the crease made by the folding rollers 45 to form the second stage crease. This is the second folding line 101 indicated by the solid arrow located on the dorsal side of the first folding line 100 shown in FIG. 14(b), and in FIG. It appears as 101. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the looped portion pressed by the second upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74 receives a concentrated load, and the sheet bundle buckles and folds. This is because the first folding line 101 appears due to the movement of the upper pressing roller 73 and the second lower pressing roller 74 in the width direction.

In the final stage, the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 as pressing members for the sheet bundle are pressed by the elastic force of the third upper pressing roller pressing spring 149a and the third lower pressing roller pressing spring 149b. ing. In this final row, there is no space between the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 as in the first stage and the second stage. (The regulation interval in this embodiment is 0 mm).

Therefore, in the last row, the pressed thickness position of the folded sheet bundle BS is pressed by the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 and moved in the crease direction. The folding line of the pressing roller 70 in the last row is the final folding line 102 indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 14(c) on the folded sheet bundle BS, and in FIG. It appears as fold line 102 .

At the widthwise end of the folded sheet bundle BS, an end crease 103 is formed when the folded sheet bundle BS is pushed onto the sheet from the state of pressure contact between the folding roller 45 and the pressing roller 70 . The portion pressed by the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 which are in substantially pressure contact state appears as a final folding line 102 in which the crease is reinforced.

As described above, the pressure rollers 70 are buckled at different intervals to form creases, thereby forming the first fold line 100, which is the first thin line, and the second fold line, which is the second thin line. At each line position of the second folding line 101 and the final folding line 102, which is a relatively dark line generated according to the thickness of the folded sheet bundle BS on the last row, the closing direction of the folded sheet bundle BS (conveyance passing through the folding line) Since the folding direction is directed to the direction line ) side, the folded sheet bundle BS is opened even after discharge compared to the conventional crease pressing roller that presses the edge, resulting in lower alignment and accumulation. can be prevented.

[Folded sheet with step folding]
As described above, the folded sheet is less likely to be opened than the conventional method that presses only the crease, but it has been found that there is room for further improvement. 15 shows the booklet pressed by the pressing roller in FIG. 14, and FIG. 15(a) shows the bundle of folded sheets pressed by the supporting unit shown in FIGS. In the case of the folded sheet, the edges in the width direction of the folded sheet were loosely folded and not firmly folded. As shown in FIG. 15(b), the end portion 100HT of the first folding line 100, which is the first stage thin line on the home position (HP) side of the support unit 56, and the second folding line 100HT, which is the second stage thin line. A clear fold line did not appear at the end 101HT of the line 101 . In particular, the end portion 100ET of the first fold line 100, which is the first thin line on the end position (EP) side, which is the folding position, and the end portion 101ET of the second fold line 101, which is the second thin line, are It was found that the crease line was not provided so much.

The present inventor investigated the reason why both ends of the folded sheet in the width direction, in other words, the ends on the home position (HP) side and the end position (EP) side of the support unit 56 are not securely folded. It was clarified that the reaction force, which is the stiffness of the folded loop, is different. FIG. 16 shows an experiment conducted to confirm this. The sheets used were A4 size, grammage 81.4 g/m ² and width 240 mm. 30 mm position Pr1 and 60 mm position Pr2 from the edge of the bundle of folded sheets on the side and the center position Pr3 in the width direction of the folded sheet were measured by pushing the push gauge up to 15 mm. The measurement results are shown in the table below. Note that the BW notation in FIG. 16 indicates the width of the bundle of sheets, and the half width is expressed by 2/BW.

As can be seen from the above table, the stiffness (reaction force) of the folding loops of the folded sheet is highest at the center and lowest at the edges. Further, when the support unit 56 is actually moved and the folding loop portion of the folded sheet is observed, the folding line to the end Pr1 on the home position (HP) side and the end position (EP It was also found that the folding line from Pr4 to the end of the sheet bundle on the ) side is more difficult to attach. Actually, when the support unit 56 is moved, it seems to be related to the presence or absence of sheet continuation in the movement direction. Therefore, depending on the number of sheets to be folded, the support unit may be partially reciprocated so that the folding line is provided only on the terminal position side.

[Movement of support unit]
Next, the movement of the support unit in the sheet width BW direction with respect to the folding loop of the support unit 56 will be described. An arrow UB indicates the moving direction of the support unit 56, FIG. 17 illustrates the movement of the support unit 56 shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 already described, and FIGS. Fig. 3 shows an improved movement according to the invention; A description will be given below.

[Previous support unit movement]
Since FIG. 17 has already been described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. In FIG. Then, the folding loop of the folded sheet is sequentially pressed by the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 to the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76 which are in sequential pressure contact with each other to form the folded sheet. to discharge. In FIG. 17B, the support unit 56 reciprocates in the direction of the sheet bundle width BW to press the folding loop. Here, in particular, the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76, which are in pressure contact with each other, press the folding loop twice, so that folding can be performed more than the pressing shown in FIG. 17(a). However, it is particularly difficult to crease the edge of the folding loop on the end position (EP) side, and as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the crease is weak and there is room for improvement.

[Movement of support unit according to the present invention]
FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 show creasing lines made by pressing the end portion, especially a partial region of the end portion on the end position (EP) side, a plurality of times.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 18 shows a state in which the support unit 56 is partly reciprocated on the end position (EP) side of FIG. When the support unit 56 reaches the end position (EP) side of the folded sheet as shown in the figure, it returns to the home position (HP) side. This return movement is set to about 1/4 to about 1/5 of the sheet bundle width. When the support unit 56 moves about 1/4 to about 1/5 of this, it moves again toward the end position (EP) side, passes through the folding loop of the folded sheet, moves to the end position (EP), and presses the folded sheet. Discharge the sheet bundle and wait for the next folded sheet to be brought in. According to this, the edge of the folded sheet on the end position (EP) side is pressed a plurality of times by the pressing roller 70. Therefore, compared to the folded sheet pressed by the support unit 56 in FIG. Part side is definitely folded.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 18(b) shows that the support unit 56 of FIG. 18(a) is at the end position (EP) side end, and after the reciprocating movement of the support unit end movement end movement UBT1, UBT2, it returns to the home position position (HP). return. After that, the first folded sheet bundle is discharged, and the next folded sheet bundle is awaited at this home position (HP). According to the second embodiment, the folding loops of the folded sheet are overlapped and pressed even in the process of returning the supporting unit 56 from the end position (EP) to the home position (HP). The fold is made more securely, and creases are easier to form than in the case of the first embodiment. The reciprocating range of the support unit end movement end movement UBT1 and UBT2 is set to about 1/4 to about 1/5 of the sheet bundle width, which is the same as in the first embodiment. .

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 19(a). Here, the support unit 56 reciprocates in the vicinity of both ends on the home position (HP) side and the end position (EP) side in the width direction of the folded sheet. That is, the support unit 56 moves from the home position (HP) to the folding loop of the folded sheet, performs the reciprocating movement of the support unit end movement end movement UBT1, UBT2 in the vicinity of this position, and then the end position (EP ). When this movement is completed, the folded sheet is discharged and the next folded sheet is waited for. 18, the support unit 56 reciprocates in the vicinity of the ends of the range of about 1/4 to about 1/5 of the width of the bundle of sheets even on the home position (HP) side. Therefore, both ends of the fold loop are folded more firmly.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of movement of the support unit 56 will be described with reference to FIG. 19(b). In this embodiment, the support unit 56 reciprocates in the vicinity of both the home position (HP) side and the end position (EP) side in the width direction of the folded sheet, and then moves the support unit 56 to the end position (EP). to the home position (HP). After that, the folded sheet bundle is discharged and the next folded sheet bundle is brought in. Although it takes time to process a part of the sheet bundle, the folding accuracy is further improved. Also in this case, the support unit 56 reciprocates in the vicinity of the end of the range of about 1/4 to about 1/5 of the width of the sheet bundle. Needless to say, the reciprocating motion may be performed on the end position (EP) side first, and then turned back to perform the reciprocating motion on the home position (HP) side, which is the initial position.

[Folded sheet partially reciprocating at both ends of support unit]
FIG. 20 shows the folded sheet after the reciprocating movement of the support unit end movement end movement UBT1 and UBT2 for the folded sheet of the third and fourth embodiments in FIG. 19 described above. This figure is compared with FIG. 15 in which the sheet end portion is not reciprocated by the support unit 56. As shown in FIG. A second folding line 101 is clearly provided to ensure that the edge is folded.

FIG. 20(b) shows an end portion 100HT of the first folding line 100, which is the first stage thin line on the home position (HP) side, which is the entrance side of the support unit, and the second folding line 100HT, which is the second stage thin line. The edge 101HT of the line 101 shows a state in which a distinct folding line appears. Also, as shown in FIG. 20(c), the end portion 100ET of the first fold line 100, which is the first-step thin line on the end position (EP) side, which is the folding position, and the second-step thin line, the second fold line 100ET. A folding line is also added to the end portion 101ET of the two-folding line 101 . As a result, by partially reciprocating the support unit 56 at the width direction end portion of the folded sheet, the crease is surely provided, and the folded portion is less likely to open even after the sheet is discharged to the second discharge tray 22, thereby stacking the folded sheet. It is now possible to provide a folded booklet that is also more attractive and has a better appearance.

In FIG. 20, the support unit 56 is partially reciprocated only on the end position (EP) side corresponding to FIG. If only the end position (EP), which is relatively weak, is performed, the booklet after ejection is less likely to be opened at the crease, so reciprocation of only one support unit 56 is sufficient in some cases.

(Example 5)
Here, the pressing movement of the support unit 56 with respect to the folding loops (folding lines) of the folded sheets shown in FIGS. When the operator gives an instruction to press the fold from the control panel 18 (FIGS. 1 and 23), the folded sheet folded by the folding roller 45 is carried into the folding unit 50 and stopped at a predetermined position (F1 ). When the folded sheet is completely carried in, the support unit 56 that supports the pressing roller that presses the fold in stages starts to move from the home position (HP) (F2).

Next, when the support unit 56 is moved only over the entire width of the folded sheet and the end portion is not reciprocated (F3) according to the previous instruction from the operator, in addition to the movement of the support unit 56 over the entire width of the folded sheet, EP) alone (F4), and in addition to the movement of the support unit 56 over the entire width of the folded sheet, both ends of the folded sheet at the home position (HP), which is the initial position, and the end position (EP). (F5) is selected when partial reciprocating motion is performed at . Further, the support unit 56 waits in the outward path from the home position (HP) to the end position (EP) and discharges the folded sheet, or moves from the home position (HP) to the end position (EP) and further initializes. It is also possible to select (F12) to discharge the folded sheets after returning to the home position (HP), which is the position, and carry in the folded sheets for the second copy to the folding unit (six ways from F6 to F11). there is

17A corresponds to FIG. 21F6, and FIG. 17B corresponds to FIG. 21F7. 18(a) corresponds to FIG. 21(F8), and FIG. 18(b) corresponds to FIG. 21(F9). Furthermore, FIG. 19(a) corresponds to FIG. 21(F10), and FIG. 19(b) corresponds to FIG. 21(F11). Therefore, as indicated by the lower arrow in FIG. 21, if the time required for stepwise folding of the folding loop increases, the folding accuracy is improved. Of course, it is also possible to select to discharge the folded sheet folded by the folding roller 45 without folding it by the pressing roller of the support unit 56 . So far, an example has been shown in which the operator manually inputs the movement of the support unit 56 from the control panel 18, but the movement may be changed according to the number and thickness of the folded sheets as described below.

(Example 6)
Up until now, the operator has input and selected the movement of the support unit 56. However, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. OK, I'll explain this below. Execution of "folding loop step-folding" is instructed from the control panel 18. - 特許庁Then, first, the number of sheets to be folded is counted. This count is performed by the carry-in sensor SEN1 on the downstream side of the carry-in roller 24, but it may be set by receiving count information from the main body of the image forming apparatus. In the case of thickness measurement, the distance between the axes of the folding rollers may be measured. Below is an example of the number of sheets.

A folding sheet stage folding control section 124 (control section), which will be described later, determines whether or not the number of folding sheets exceeds 10 (S1). If the number of folded sheets does not exceed 10 (No) in this judgment, the support unit 56 moves to the right in the drawing and only moves the entire bundle of folded sheets, waiting at the end position (EP) (FIG. 17(a)). ), the folded sheet bundle is discharged, and if there is a next sheet, the bundle is waited for (S6).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of sheets exceeds 10, it is further determined whether or not the number of sheets exceeds 15 (S3). If it does not exceed this determination, it proceeds to the left side of the drawing, moves the entire width of the folded sheet by the support unit 56 and reciprocates the end portion of the end position (EP), and waits at the end position (EP) (FIG. 18(a)). )), the folded sheet bundle is discharged, and if there is a next sheet, the bundle is waited for (S6). Here, if the number of sheets exceeds 15, after the support unit 56 moves the entire width of the folding sheet and reciprocates both ends of the end position (EP) to the home position (HP), the sheet bundle is discharged, and the next sheet is discharged. If there is, wait for the delivery of the bundle (S6).

As described above, depending on the number of folded sheet bundles, it is automatically determined whether reciprocation is to be performed at the ends in the width direction, and if so, whether to perform only the end position (EP) side or both ends. By setting in this manner, the pressing time of the pressing roller 70 can be shortened and the folding accuracy can be improved. It goes without saying that when the number of folded sheets is about 1 to 3, the bundle can be discharged by folding only the folding roller 45 without moving the support unit 56, thereby increasing the processing speed.

[Description of control configuration]
The control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus B including the folding unit 50 described above and the image forming apparatus A including the sheet processing apparatus B will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. An image forming apparatus control unit 110 having image forming means inputs desired processing from an input means 111 provided on the control panel 18 . This input controls the sheet processing apparatus control section 115 of the sheet processing apparatus B by the mode setting means. Further, the image forming apparatus control section 110 controls the sheet feeding control section 110 b of the sheet feeding section 1 and outputs information on the number of folded sheets or the thickness of the folded sheets to the sheet processing apparatus control section 115 .

The processing modes of the sheet processing apparatus B of this embodiment include the following modes.
(1) A “printout mode” in which sheets on which images have been formed are accommodated in the first paper discharge tray 21 . (2) A "stapling mode" in which the sheets from the main body discharge port 3 are aligned into a bundle and stored in the first paper discharge tray 21 after being stapled by the end-face binding stapling device 33 (3) From the main body discharge port 3 The sheets are sorted into a bundle by a stacker unit 35 which is a second processing tray, and after the middle of the bundle of sheets is bound by a saddle-stitching stapler 40, the sheets are folded into a booklet and stored in a second discharge tray 22. "Bunch saddle stitch bundle folding mode". (4) The support unit 56 is moved to the fold loop of the sheet bundle folded into a booklet by saddle-stitching, and the press roller gradually presses the fold loop to fold the sheet bundle step by step, and the sheet bundle is placed on the second sheet discharge tray 22 . "Step-by-step folding mode" for storage. These modes are configured so that they can be specified. In this "step folding mode", depending on the number of sheets to be folded, part of the folding loop ends of the folded sheet on the end position (EP) side or the home position position (HP) side and the end position (EP) side are reciprocated. It is designed to increase folding accuracy. Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 21, the folding accuracy may be selected by manual input.

The sheet processing apparatus B includes a sheet processing apparatus control section 115 which is operable in the specified mode, a ROM 113 storing an operation program, and a RAM 114 storing control data. The sheet processing apparatus control section 115 includes a sheet conveyance control section 116 for controlling sheet conveyance within the apparatus, and a single sheet perforation control section 117 for performing pressing processing by the one sheet perforation unit 28 for each sheet. , a processing tray control unit 118 that controls stacking of sheets on the processing tray 29, an end surface binding control unit 119 that binds the end surfaces of the sheets stacked as a sheet bundle on the processing tray 29, and discharges the sheets after binding, and this processing tray. A first discharge tray lift control unit 120 is provided for controlling elevating and the like of the first discharge tray 21 in accordance with the amount of stacking in order to stack the sheet bundles that have been bound in step 29 .

When saddle-stitching or folding the sheet bundle in the vicinity of 1/2 in the sheet conveying direction, the stacker unit control unit 121 stacks the sheet bundle in the sheet stacker unit 35 . The stacker section control section 121 aligns the leading edge of the sheets brought into the stacker section 35 one by one by a stopper 38 and an aligning member 39 to generate a sheet bundle. Further, a saddle stitching controller 122 controls a saddle stitching stapler so as to drive a staple or the like into the middle of the sheet bundle, and a folding blade 46 pushes the saddle stitched sheet bundle into folding rollers 45 for center folding. A sheet center folding control unit 123 for controlling is provided. The sheet center folding control unit 123 is connected to a bundle introduction detection sensor (SEN3) 129, which is an encoder sensor (not shown), and controls a folding motor for driving the folding roller 45 based on its output signal.

For this folded sheet bundle BS, according to the "staged folding mode" described above, a unit driving motor 69 for moving the support unit 56 that supports a plurality of rows of pressing rollers 70 is connected to the folded sheet staged folding control for controlling this. A unit 124 (control unit) is provided. This sheet folding sheet stage folding control section 124 (control section) is also connected to a home position sensor 108 for confirming that the folding unit is at the home position (HP). Further, particularly related to the present invention, a carry-in sensor S1 positioned downstream of the carry-in roller 24 to detect the sheet being carried into the apparatus, and a bundle carry-in sensor (SEN3) 129 downstream of the folding roller 45 to detect the carry-in of the folded sheet bundle BS. is also connected to

Then, the folded sheet bundle BS for which the step folding has been completed is discharged and stacked on the second paper discharge tray under the control of the center-folded sheet discharge control section 125 connected to the bundle discharge roller drive motor for driving the bundle discharge roller 49 . . This center-folded sheet discharge controller is connected to a bundle discharge sensor (SEN4) 131 to check the discharge operation of the folded sheet bundle BS.

The step-folding control including the partial reciprocating movement of the end portion of the folded sheet, which is particularly relevant to the present invention, has been described above with reference to the description of each mechanism and the operation state diagrams of FIGS. 18 to 22. Although the description is omitted, the movement of the support unit 56 in the folding unit 50 is controlled so as to execute the step folding according to the contents.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the following effects are obtained.
1. A pair of presser members (presser rollers 70) for pressing the folded loop BL of the folded sheet BS, and a plurality of presser members that move in the width direction of the folded sheet and are gradually narrowed in the moving direction. A support unit 56 for supporting the rows, and a control section (folded sheet step-folding control section 124) for controlling the movement of the support unit in the width direction. All-area movement in which the entire width area is pressed by the pressing member, and edge-pressing movement in which, in addition to this all-area movement, a reciprocating motion is performed in the sheet edge area to press the width edge of the fold loop. It is a sheet processing device.

According to this, the central portion in the width direction of the sheet is folded, and the end portions in the width direction are selectively pressed repeatedly as necessary, such as when the number of sheets is large, so that the end portions can be folded more reliably. , the folded sheets are more difficult to open, the appearance is improved, and stackability is improved when stacking the bundle of folded sheets.

2. The sheet processing apparatus according to 1 above, wherein the control unit moves the end region of the support unit when the thickness of the folded sheet exceeds a predetermined thickness.

According to this, since the edge pressing is performed when the thickness of the folded sheet exceeds the predetermined thickness, it does not take time to process unnecessary folded sheets.

3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section carries out the end pressing movement of the support unit when the number of folded sheets exceeds a predetermined number.

According to this, since the edge pressing is executed when the number of folded sheets exceeds the predetermined number, it does not take time to process unnecessary folded sheets.

4. A pair of presser rollers 70 for pressing the folding loop BL of the folded sheet BS, and a pair of presser rollers 70 that move from the initial position (home position (HP)) to the end position (EP) in the width direction of the folded sheet. A support unit 56 that supports a plurality of rows by gradually narrowing the interval between the rollers 70 in the moving direction, and a control unit (folded sheet step-folding control unit 124) that controls the movement of the support unit in the width direction. In the support unit 56, the pressing rollers (the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76) in the last row in the movement direction of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing rollers 70 are pressed against each other, The pressure rollers (second upper pressing roller 73, second lower pressing roller 74) are positionally regulated so as to be maintained at a predetermined interval (L2), and the control section controls the support unit to cover the entire sheet width area of the folding loop. to press the fold loop by the pressing roller 70, and in addition to this full-area movement, reciprocating motion is performed in the sheet end region to press the width end of the fold loop by the pressing roller 70. It is a sheet processing apparatus that selectively performs movement.

According to this, the central portion in the width direction of the sheet is folded, and the end portions in the width direction are selectively pressed repeatedly as necessary, such as when the number of sheets is large, so that the end portions can be folded. , the folded sheets are more difficult to open, the appearance is improved, and stackability is improved when stacking the bundle of folded sheets.

5. The control section (folded sheet stage folding control section 124) executes end area movement of the support unit when the thickness of the folded sheet exceeds a predetermined thickness or when the number of folded sheets exceeds a predetermined number. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to 1 above.

According to this, according to this, the central portion in the width direction of the sheet is folded, and the end portion in the width direction is selectively pressed repeatedly as necessary, such as when the number of sheets is large or when the number of sheets is large. The processing time does not increase when the sheets are thin or when the number of sheets is small.

6. When the thickness of the folded sheet or the number of folded sheets exceeds a predetermined number, the control section (folded sheet stage folding control section 124) further moves the end region of the support unit according to the exceeded state. 6. The sheet processing apparatus according to 5 above, in which it is selected whether to execute at the terminal end of the folding loop or to execute the edge region movement at both ends.

According to this method, the terminal position or both ends of the folded loop are selected according to the number and thickness of the folded sheets, so that the folding accuracy and the processing time are well balanced.

7. The control section (folded sheet stage folding control section 124) stops the end area movement of the support unit when the thickness of the folded sheet exceeds a predetermined thickness or when the number of folded sheets exceeds a predetermined number. 6. A sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing is performed near the position.

According to this, when the thickness of the number of sheets is within a certain range, only the end position (EP) side where the folding is relatively insufficient is pressed, so that the processing corresponding to the folded sheet can be performed.

8. The sheet processing according to 7 above, wherein the control section (folded sheet stage folding control section 124) moves the end region of the support unit near the terminal position and then further moves the end region near the initial position. It is a device.

According to this, since the pressure is applied on the home position (HP) side of the end position (EP) side and the initial position side, the folded sheet can be folded more securely.

9. The control section (folded sheet step-folding control section 124) moves the edge area near the initial position by the support unit, then moves the entire area, and subsequently moves the edge area near the end after moving the entire area. 6. The sheet processing apparatus according to 5 above, which executes movement.
According to this, since both end pressing is selected and both ends are pressed when necessary, the end is folded more reliably, the folded sheets are less likely to open, and the appearance is improved, resulting in a bundle of folded sheets. stacking improves integration.

10. An image forming section 2 for forming an image on a sheet, and a sheet processing apparatus B for performing predetermined sheet processing on the sheet from the image forming section. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of .

According to this,

According to this, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus having the effects described in 1 to 9 above.

According to this, the central portion in the width direction of the sheet is folded, and the end portions in the width direction are repeatedly pressed, so that the end portions are folded more reliably, and the folded sheet is more difficult to open, and the appearance is improved. As a result, when stacking the bundle of folded sheets, stackability is improved.

In the description of the effects of the above embodiment, each constituent element in the scope of claims of each part of the present embodiment is shown in parentheses or denoted by reference numerals to clarify the relationship between the two. The control section (folded sheet stage folding control section 124) may be provided in the image forming apparatus A instead of the sheet processing apparatus B, or may be included in a separate controller.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Subject to invention. Although the preferred embodiments have been described so far, those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements from the contents disclosed in this specification. are possible and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

A Image forming apparatus B Sheet processing apparatus X Binding position Y Folding position BS Folded sheet bundle BL Folding loop BL1 Tip of folding loop (folding line)
PA Sheet bundle movement direction UB Support unit movement (initial pressing) direction 35 Stacker section 40 Saddle stitch stapler 45 Folding roller 49 Bundle discharge roller 50 Folding unit 53 Right side plate 54 Left side plate 55 Connection angle 56 Support unit 57 Upper guide rail 58 Lower guide Rail 60 Upper slide block 61 Lower slide block 62 Stage folding base plate 63 Right pulley 64 Left pulley 65 Moving belt 66 Transmission gear 67 Motor output gear 68 Motor gear unit 69 Unit drive motor 70 Pressing roller (pressing member)
71 First upper pressing roller 72 First lower pressing roller 73 Second upper pressing roller 74 Second lower pressing roller 75 Third upper pressing roller 76 Third lower pressing roller 77 Pressing roller shaft 78a First upper pressing roller shaft 78b First Lower pressing roller shaft 79a Second upper pressing roller shaft 79b Second lower pressing roller shaft 80a Third upper pressing roller shaft 80b Third lower pressing roller shaft 81 Pressing roller unit 82a First upper pressing roller unit 82b First lower pressing roller unit 83a Second upper pressing roller unit 83b Second upper pressing roller unit 84a Third upper pressing roller unit 84b Third lower pressing roller unit 85 Pressing roller frame 86a First upper pressing roller frame 86b First lower pressing roller frame 87a Second upper Presser roller frame 87b Second lower presser roller frame 88a Third upper presser roller frame 88b Third lower presser roller frame 90 Presser roller support arm 91a First upper presser roller support arm 91af Arm hook 91b First lower presser roller support arm 92a 2 Upper presser roller support arm 92af Arm hook 92b Second lower presser roller support arm 93a Third upper presser roller support arm 93b Third lower presser roller support arm 94 Support arm oblong hole 95 Leading unit side plate 96 Trailing unit side plate 97 Leading side plate Opening 98 Trailing side plate opening 100 First folding line 100HT Home position (HP) side end 100ET End position (EP) side end 101 Second folding line 101HT Home position (HP) side end 101ET End position (EP ) side edge portion 102 final folding line 103 edge folding line 115 sheet processing device control section 124 folded sheet stage folding control section (control section)
140 Pressing roller bracket 141a First upper pressing roller bracket 141b First lower pressing roller bracket 142a Second upper pressing roller bracket 142b Second lower pressing roller bracket 143a Third upper pressing roller bracket 143b Third lower pressing roller bracket 144 Bracket long hole 145a Frame cutout right 145b Frame cutout left 146 Pressing roller pressing spring 147a First upper pressing roller pressing spring 147b First lower pressing roller pressing spring 148a Second upper pressing roller pressing spring 148b Second lower pressing roller pressing spring 149a Third upper pressing roller pressing spring 149b Third lower pressing roller pressing spring 157 Roller bracket shaft 158 E-ring 160 Pressing roller spring receiver 161a First upper pressing roller spring receiver 161b First lower pressing roller spring receiver 162a Second upper pressing roller spring receiver 162b Second Lower pressing roller spring receiver 163a Third upper pressing roller spring receiver 163b Third lower pressing roller spring receiver 180 Unit adjusting screw 181a First upper pressing roller unit adjusting screw 181b First lower pressing roller unit adjusting screw 182a Second upper pressing roller unit adjusting screw 182b Second lower pressing roller unit adjusting screw 183a Third upper pressing roller unit adjusting screw 183b Third lower pressing roller unit adjusting screw 185 Base plate adjusting hole 186b First lower frame adjusting hole 187b Second lower frame adjusting hole 188b Third lower frame Adjustment hole 201 Guide plate 201a First upper guide plate 201b First lower guide plate 202a Second upper guide plate 202b Second lower guide plate 203 Guide portion 203a First upper guide portion 203b First lower guide portion 204a Second upper guide portion 204b Second lower guide portion 205 Guide inclined portion 205a First upper guide inclined portion 205b First lower guide inclined portion 206a Second upper guide inclined portion 206b Second lower guide inclined portion 207 Guide upstream portion 207a First upper guide upstream portion 207b First lower guide upstream portion 208a Second upper guide upstream portion 208b Second lower guide upstream portion 209 Guide downstream portion 209a First upper guide downstream portion 209b First lower guide downstream portion 210a Second upper guide downstream portion 210b Second lower guide Downstream portion 211 Guide projecting portion 211a First upper guide projecting portion (convex portion)
213 Guide locking portion 213a First upper guide locking portion 300 Frame upstream side surface 302 Upstream side notch portion 304 First upper guide plate downstream side surface 306 Downstream side projecting portion (convex portion)
BW Sheet bundle width UBT1 Support unit end movement UBT2 Support unit end movement

Claims (8)

and a pair of cylindrical presser members arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction along the fold loop so as to press the fold loop of the folded sheet made up of a plurality of sheets. ,
While moving in the width direction, all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members move from the initial position where all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members are separated from one end of the fold loop in the width direction. In the movement direction toward the end position spaced apart from the other end of the folded loop, the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members are arranged so that the spacing between the plurality of rows of pressing members facing each other gradually narrows from downstream to upstream. a support unit that supports the pressing member;
A control unit that controls the support unit,
The control unit
full-area movement in which a plurality of rows of a pair of pressing members of the support unit move from the initial position to the terminal position;
When the thickness of the folded sheet exceeds a predetermined thickness, all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members of the support unit are positioned at a predetermined edge region of the folded sheet sandwiching the folded loop, the initial position, and the terminal end. an end region movement in which a pair of pressing members in a plurality of rows of the support unit reciprocates between one of the positions;
A sheet processing apparatus, wherein the support unit is controlled to perform and a pair of cylindrical presser members arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction along the fold loop so as to press the fold loop of the folded sheet made up of a plurality of sheets. ,
While moving in the width direction, all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members move from the initial position where all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members are separated from one end of the fold loop in the width direction. In the movement direction toward the end position spaced apart from the other end of the folded loop, the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members are arranged so that the spacing between the plurality of rows of pressing members facing each other gradually narrows from downstream to upstream. a support unit that supports the pressing member;
A control unit that controls the support unit,
The control unit
full-area movement in which a plurality of rows of a pair of pressing members of the support unit move from the initial position to the terminal position;
When the number of folded sheets exceeds a predetermined number, all of the plurality of rows of the pair of pressing members of the support unit are positioned between a predetermined edge region of the folded sheet sandwiching the folding loop, the initial position, and the terminal position. an end region movement in which a pair of pressing members in a plurality of rows of the support unit reciprocates between one of them;
A sheet processing apparatus, wherein the support unit is controlled to perform 1 or claim 1, wherein a pair of pressing members in a last row in said movement direction of said pair of pressing members in said plurality of rows are in pressure contact with each other, and a pair of pressing members in front of said last row are positionally regulated so as to maintain a predetermined distance. Item 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to item 2. The control unit
a plurality of rows of a pair of pressing members of the support unit move from the initial position toward the terminal position by pressing the folding loop;
A pair of pressing members in a plurality of rows of the support unit are reciprocally moved between a predetermined end region of the folded sheet in which the folding loop is formed closer to the terminal position than the initial position and the terminal position. pressing the end region of the fold loop multiple times;
4. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support unit is controlled so as to The control unit
a plurality of rows of a pair of pressing members of the support unit move from the initial position toward the terminal position by pressing the folding loop;
A pair of pressing members in a plurality of rows of the support unit reciprocate between a predetermined end region of the folded sheet formed with the folded loop closer to the terminal position than the initial position and the terminal position. pressing the end region multiple times with
Thereafter, a pair of pressing members in a plurality of rows of the support unit presses the folding loop while moving to the initial position.
4. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support unit is controlled so as to The controller controls the folding loop closer to the initial position than the terminal position when the pair of pressing members in the plurality of rows moves from the initial position toward the terminal position by pressing the folding loop. and the initial position, and after pressing a predetermined end region of the folded sheet on which the folded loop is formed by the reciprocating motion a plurality of times, the 4. The sheet processing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support unit is controlled so as to reciprocate between the end region and the end position and press the end region a plurality of times. Device. The controller controls the folding loop closer to the initial position than the terminal position when the pair of pressing members in the plurality of rows moves from the initial position toward the terminal position by pressing the folding loop. After the reciprocating movement between the predetermined end region of the folded sheet on which the is formed and the initial position to press the end region a plurality of times, controlling said supporting unit to press said end region multiple times by said reciprocating movement between said region and said end position, and then pressing said fold loop while moving to said initial position. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
a sheet processing device for performing predetermined sheet processing on the sheet from the image forming unit;
with
An image forming apparatus, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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