JP7451160B2 - Sheet pressing device and image forming system equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet pressing device that performs a folding process on a sheet, and an image forming system including a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunctional device thereof.

Conventionally, sheet folding processing devices (post-processing devices) installed in image forming systems such as copying machines and printers have been used to prevent the increase in the thickness (folding height) of the folds formed on sheets during the folding process. In order to prevent this, there is a known method in which a sheet is folded once in a folding section to form a crease, and then the fold is further pressed (additional folding) by another pressing member.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that when folding is performed on sheets (paper) that are continuously conveyed, the preceding sheets that have been folded are temporarily stacked on another conveyance path. After the folding process for the subsequent sheet is completed, the stacked preceding sheet and subsequent sheet are conveyed to the additional paper folding section, and the preceding sheet and subsequent sheet are overlapped and placed on the fold line of the sheet. A sheet folding device is disclosed in which a repressing roller is moved along the fold line in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet to repress both folded portions (fold lines).

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses that the roller supporting member is pressed between a plurality of rollers arranged along the side direction of the fold of a booklet being conveyed and supported by the roller supporting member and a mounting table while pressing the fold of the sheet. A booklet additional folding mechanism is disclosed that performs additional booklet folding processing by moving the booklet along the fold line. In the booklet additional folding mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 2, the roller support member has an L-shape including a horizontal plate parallel to the mounting table and a vertical plate extending perpendicularly to the horizontal plate in a direction along the fold line of the booklet. The shaft guide is fixed to a movable pressing means that moves a roller support member toward the folded side of the booklet and presses the plurality of rollers against the folded side of the sheet on the mounting table. The roller support member is moved along the folds of the booklet by fixing the shaft to the vertical plate at an angle and moving the shaft relative to the shaft guide as the movable and pressing means presses. There is.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-171727 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-189404

The sheet folding device disclosed in Patent Document 1 mentioned above performs additional folding processing by moving one repressurizing roller along the fold line of the sheet from one end of the fold line to the other end of the fold line. Therefore, there is a problem that the additional folding processing time becomes long. Furthermore, since it is necessary to provide a conveyance path and a space for stacking the preceding sheets, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes larger and the cost increases.

In addition, in the booklet additional folding mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 2 mentioned above, a plurality of rollers are supported by a roller support member in a range longer than the length of the fold line of the sheet, and the arrangement of the rollers is changed during additional folding. It is only necessary to move the roller along the fold by a distance slightly larger than one pitch, and the time required for additional folding can be shortened compared to the sheet folding device disclosed in Patent Document 1. However, because a large number of rollers are arranged in a range longer than the fold line of the sheet, the space required on the side of the sheet increases to allow movement of the roller support member that supports multiple rollers, and the equipment There is a problem in that the size of the roller increases and the cost of the roller increases. Furthermore, since the force that presses the roller support member toward the folds of the sheet is distributed among multiple rollers, the pressure applied by one roller to the folds of the sheet is reduced, and sufficient pressure is not applied to the folds of the sheet. In order to apply this force, it is necessary to apply a large force to the roller support member.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet pressing device that can efficiently perform additional folding while suppressing the increase in size and cost of the device, in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art. be.

In view of the above object, the present invention provides, as a first aspect, a conveyance member that conveys a sheet on which a crease has been formed by a folding process, and an additional fold provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyance member. The unit includes a plurality of pressing members that rotate around a rotation axis extending in the conveyance direction, a pressing unit that presses the fold, and a facing member that is arranged to face the plurality of pressing members. a pressing position where the plurality of pressing members and the opposing member press the fold; and a retracting position where the plurality of pressing members move in a direction away from the opposing member with respect to the pressing position. the pressing unit is movable , and in a state where the pressing unit is located at the pressing position, the pressing unit is moved relative to the opposing member in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rotating shaft. a moving mechanism that causes the plurality of pressing members to press the fold of the sheet by moving the sheet, and in a state in which the pressing unit is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position by the moving mechanism. A pressing member provided at one end of the plurality of pressing members in the intersecting direction contacts the opposing member, and a pressing member provided at the other end of the plurality of pressing members in the intersecting direction. The pressing member provided at one end of the sheet is in contact with the fold line of the sheet, and after the moving mechanism moves the pressing unit from the retracted position to the pressing position, the pressing member provided at one end of the sheet contacts the fold line of the sheet. The sheet is characterized in that the pressing unit is moved in a direction from the one side toward the other side to a position where the pressing member provided at the other end contacts the facing member and comes into contact with the fold line. A pressing device is provided.

According to the present invention, by simply moving the pressing unit in one direction, the entire area from one end of the sheet fold to the other end can be pressed by the pressing member, so that additional folding can be performed efficiently. is possible.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming system including a sheet pressing device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing main parts of a folding mechanism and an additional folding unit (corresponding to a sheet pressing device) of the folding pressure device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a view of the additional folding unit of the folding processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the discharge port side. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a mechanism that is provided inside the additional folding unit shown in FIG. 3 and urges additional folding rollers toward the sheet. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the additional folding section when performing additional folding processing on a sheet in the additional folding unit, and (a) shows the first fold located on the leading end side of the sheet in the carrying direction received by the additional folding section; (b) is a state in which the additional fold roller is moved to the pressing position and the first fold of the sheet is pressed by the additional fold roller; (c) is the state in which the additional fold roller is moved to the pressing position and the first fold of the sheet is pressed. (d) shows a state in which the additional folding roller has been moved from the state shown in (c) to the first retracted position. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the additional folding section when performing additional folding processing on a sheet in the additional folding unit, and (e) is a diagram showing the operation of the additional folding section when the additional folding process is performed on the sheet; FIG. (f) is a state in which the additional fold roller is moved to the pressing position and the second fold of the sheet is pressed by the additional fold roller, (g) is the state in which the additional fold roller is moved to the pressing position and the second fold of the sheet is pressed. (h) shows a state in which the additional folding roller has been moved along the second fold, and (h) shows a state in which the additional folding roller has been moved from the state shown in (g) to the second retracted position. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the additional folding section when performing additional folding processing on a sheet in the additional folding unit, and (a) to (d) are respectively shown in (a) to (d) of FIG. 5. FIG. This shows the additional folded portion seen from the side. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the additional folding section when performing additional folding processing on a sheet in the additional folding unit, and (e) to (h) are respectively shown in (e) to (h) of FIG. This shows the additional folded portion seen from the side.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, similar components are designated with like reference numerals.

First, with reference to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of an image forming system including a folding device having an additional folding unit, which is a sheet pressing device according to the present invention, will be described. The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus A, a folding apparatus B, and a post-processing apparatus C. After that, a further downstream post-processing device C performs stapling processing, alignment processing, etc. as necessary, and discharges the paper onto the storage tray 27 on the downstream side. Image forming systems include those of various structures, such as copying machines, printers, printing machines, and the like. The image forming apparatus A, the folding apparatus B, and the post-processing apparatus C will be described in detail below.

[Image forming device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus A includes an image forming unit A1, an image reading unit A2, and a document feeding unit A3. The image forming unit A1 includes a paper feeding section 2, an image forming section 3, a paper discharging section 4, and a data processing section 5 within the apparatus housing 1.

The paper feed section 2 includes a plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, and each of the cassettes 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d can store sheets S of different standard sizes selected in advance. . Each cassette 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d has a built-in separation mechanism that separates the sheets S therein one by one, and a paper feeding mechanism that feeds out the sheets S. The sheets S stored in the sheet feeding section 2 having such a configuration are fed into the sheet feeding path 6 in a size specified by a main body control section (not shown). The paper feed path 6 includes a transport roller 7 which is arranged in the middle and transports the sheets S supplied from the plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d to the downstream side, and a transport roller 7 which is arranged at the end of the path and transports each sheet S to the leading edge. Registration rollers 8 for alignment are provided, and the sheets S whose leading edges are aligned by the registration rollers 8 are fed to the image forming section 3 on the downstream side at a predetermined timing.

The image forming section 3 only needs to be configured to form an image on the sheet S sent from the paper feeding section 2, and various image forming mechanisms can be employed. In the illustrated embodiment, the image forming section 3 is an electrostatic image forming mechanism. However, the image forming section 3 is not limited to the illustrated electrostatic image forming mechanism, but may also employ an inkjet image forming mechanism, an offset image forming mechanism, or the like.

The image forming section 3 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a photoreceptor 9 (drum, belt), a light emitter 10 that emits an optical beam on the photoreceptor 9, a developing device 11 (developer) and a cleaner. (not shown) are arranged around the rotating photoreceptor 9. The one shown is a monochrome printing mechanism, in which a latent image is optically formed on a photoreceptor 9 by a light emitting device 10, and toner ink is applied to this latent image by a developing device 11. The ink image (ink toner) adhered to the photoreceptor 9 is transferred to the sheet S sent from the paper feed section 2 by the transfer charger 12, and after the image-transferred sheet S is fixed by the fixing roller 13, The paper is sent to the paper discharge path 14. Further, the image forming section 3 is provided with a circulation path 17, and after the sheet S from the paper ejection path 14 is reversed inside out in a switchback path, it is sent to the registration rollers 8 again, and an image is formed on the back side of the sheet S. The paper is removed and sent to the paper discharge path 14. In the paper ejection path 14, a paper ejection roller 15 is disposed, and a paper ejection port 16 is formed at the end thereof, and the sheet S is conveyed from the paper ejection port 16 to the folding device B by the paper ejection roller 15. do.

At the top of the image forming unit A1 configured as described above, there is provided a document reading unit A2 that optically reads the document image to be formed by the image forming section 3. A feeding unit A3 is mounted.

The image reading unit A2 includes a first platen 18 and a second platen 19 made of transparent glass, a reading carriage 20, a light source mounted on the reading carriage 20, a photoelectric conversion element 21, and mirrors and lenses. The scanning carriage 20 scans the reading carriage 20 along the first platen 18 to illuminate the image of the original sheet S placed on the first platen 18 with light from the light source. The reflected light from the image on the original sheet S is guided to the photoelectric conversion element 21 by the reduction optical system 22, and the image is read. The photoelectric conversion element 21 converts the image data into an electrical signal and transfers it to the image forming section 3.

The document feeding unit A3 includes a paper feed tray 23, a paper feed path 24, and a paper ejection tray 25, and conveys the documents placed on the paper feed tray 23 one by one along the paper feed path 24. Then, the sheet passes over the second platen 19 and is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 25. Note that when reading a document fed from the document feeding unit A3 and passing over the second platen 19, the reading carriage 20 is stopped below the second platen 19 in advance, and Image data is generated from the image passing through.

[Post-processing device]
The post-processing device C is connected to the further downstream side of the folding device B which is connected to the image forming device A, and the post-processing device C is connected to the downstream side of the folding device B which is connected to the image forming device A. The sheet S is received and subjected to stapling processing, alignment processing, etc. as necessary.

A post-processing path 26 is provided inside the post-processing device C, and post-processing devices (not shown) such as a stapling unit and an alignment unit are arranged along the post-processing path 26. The post-processing device C receives the sheet S ejected from the image forming apparatus A via the folding device B, and performs stapling processing on the received sheet S using a post-processing device such as a stapling unit or an alignment unit as necessary. After the sheet S is subjected to the alignment process and the like, the sheet S is discharged to the storage tray 27 and stored therein.

[Folding device]
A folding device B connected to the image forming apparatus A is a device that receives a sheet S on which an image has been formed and is discharged from the paper discharge port 16 of the image forming apparatus A, and performs a folding process on the sheet S.

FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the folding device B. As shown in FIG. Inside the folding processing device B, a conveyance path 101 is provided that extends in a substantially horizontal direction. On the conveyance path 101, one or more conveyance roller pairs 102 and a folding mechanism 103 disposed downstream of the conveyance roller pair 102 are provided. An additional folding unit 104 corresponding to a sheet pressing device according to the present invention is further provided at the end of the path 101. The folding device B performs a folding process on the sheet S conveyed along the conveyance path 101 by a folding mechanism 103, and then performs an additional folding process by an additional folding unit 104, and then performs the folding process and the additional folding process. The sheet S can be delivered to the post-processing device C.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance path 101 is arranged so as to be continuous with the paper discharge port 16 of the image forming apparatus A, and the sheet S discharged from the paper discharge port 16 is passed through the conveyance path 101. It can be carried into the folding processing apparatus B. Further, the ejection port of the additional folding unit 104 is also arranged so as to be continuous with the post-processing path 26 of the post-processing device C, so that the sheet S ejected from the additional folding unit 104 enters the post-processing device C via the post-processing path 26. It is ready for import.

The conveyance roller pair 102 is formed of rubber rollers and includes an upper conveyance roller 102a disposed on the upper side and a lower conveyance roller 102b disposed on the lower side facing the upper conveyance roller 102a. In this embodiment, the upper conveyance roller 102a is connected to a conveyance roller drive motor (not shown) and rotates as the conveyance roller drive motor rotates, while the lower roller 102b is connected to a conveyance roller drive motor (not shown). The upper conveyance roller 102a is pressed against the upper conveyance roller 102a by the biasing force of a spring that is not rotated, so that the conveyance roller 102a is driven to rotate. However, the pair of conveying rollers 102 is not limited to the above-described configuration as long as it can convey the sheet S, and any suitable configuration can be adopted.

The folding mechanism 103 includes a pair of folding rollers 105 and a veneer 107. The folding roller pair 105 is formed of a rubber roller and includes an upper folding roller 105a disposed on the upper side and a lower folding roller 105b disposed on the lower side facing the upper folding roller 105a. The lower folding roller 105b is pressed against the upper folding roller 105a by the biasing force of a spring (not shown), and the upper folding roller 105a and the lower folding roller 105b are driven by a common folding roller drive motor (not shown). The folding roller drive motor rotates in opposite directions as the folding roller drive motor rotates. The veneer 107 is disposed between the transport roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105, and is connected to a veneer drive motor (not shown). It is designed to move parallel to the conveyance path on the side.

The transport path 101 between the transport roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105 is provided with an upper transport guide 108, a lower transport guide 109, an upper folding guide 110, and a lower folding guide 111.

The upper conveyance guide 108 is formed from immediately behind the conveyance roller pair 102 to above the thrust plate 107 so as to guide the leading end of the sheet S from the conveyance roller pair 102 to the thrust plate 107 . The upper conveyance guide 108 is for regulating the flow of the sheet S conveyed through the conveyance path 101, and is arranged above the conveyance path 101, and has a shape that is bent downward toward the downstream side. . Further, the upper folding guide 110 is disposed between the upper conveyance guide 108 and the pair of folding rollers 105, and the upper folding guide 110 is arranged between the pair of folding rollers 105 so as to guide the leading edge of the sheet S and the folded portion of the sheet S, which will be described later, to the pair of folding rollers 105. It extends to the front. The upper folding guide 110 is for regulating the flow of the sheet S in the folding mechanism 103, and is provided above the conveyance path 101 on the downstream side of the upper conveyance guide 108.

The lower conveyance guide 109 is for regulating the flow of the sheet S conveyed through the conveyance path 101, and is disposed at the lower side of the conveyance path 101, and similarly to the upper conveyance guide 108, the flow of the sheet S is adjusted toward the downstream side. It has a downwardly curved shape. The lower conveyance guide 109 is interrupted before the veneer 107, and an open space is formed downstream of the lower conveyance guide 109. The lower folding guide 111 is disposed on the downstream side of the veneer 107 and extends across the upstream and downstream sides of the folding roller pair 105. The portion has a horizontal surface for guiding the leading edge of the sheet S to be conveyed and a folded portion of the sheet S, which will be described later, to the nip portion of the pair of folding rollers 105, and an inclined surface for facilitating guidance to the horizontal surface.

The veneer plate 107 is horizontally moved by a veneer driving device and a control unit (not shown). Further, the veneer plate 107 fills the space between the lower conveyance guide 109 and the lower folding guide 111 when the sheet S is conveyed along the conveyance path 101 to the folding roller pair 105 by the conveyance roller pair 102. The leading edge of the sheet S being conveyed is guided to the lower folding guide 111. When the control unit recognizes that the leading edge of the sheet S is nipped by the pair of folding rollers 105, the control unit moves the veneer plate 107 horizontally to a retracted position below the lower conveyance guide 109 in order to form a folded portion. Thus, a space for forming a loop is formed between the lower conveyance guide 109 and the lower folding guide 111. After the loop creation space is formed, when the sheet S is conveyed by a predetermined amount with the leading end of the sheet S being nipped by the pair of folding rollers 105, the middle part of the sheet S is bent downward in the loop creation space. Create a loop section. In this state, the veneer 107 is moved in the horizontal direction from the retracted position toward the folding roller pair 105 to form a folded portion, and after the veneer 107 reaches this side of the folding roller pair 105, the folding roller pair 105 is moved. By driving and conveying the sheet S, the first fold line 132 is formed, and further, after moving the veneer plate 107 to the retracted position, the sheet S is conveyed by the pair of folding rollers 105 to nip the loop portion. A second fold line 133 is formed by this, and the Z-folded sheet S is conveyed downstream.

Next, the configuration of the additional folding unit 104 will be explained with reference to FIG. The additional folding unit 104 is arranged above the lower folding guide 111 on the downstream side of the pair of folding rollers 105 in the conveying direction of the sheet S. The additional folding unit 104 includes a movable supporting member 112, a plurality of additional folding rollers 114 supported by the supporting member 112, a regulating member 115 attached to the supporting member 112, and a lower folding guide for the supporting member 112. 111, and a second moving mechanism 117, which moves the support member 112 horizontally along the fold line of the sheet S. The portions of the upper folding guide 110 and the lower folding guide 111 arranged vertically opposite to each other on the downstream side of the pair of folding rollers 105 function as a pair of carry-in guides 118 that guide the sheet S into the additional folding unit 104. , the upstream end portions of the pair of carry-in guides 118 constitute a carry-in opening 119 of the additional folding unit 104. Further, an additional folding section is configured by the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 supported by the support member 112 as described above and the lower folding guide 111.

The plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are pressed so that each of them can rotate around a rotation axis extending in the conveying direction of the sheet S (a direction parallel to the upper surface of the lower folding guide 111 and perpendicular to the fold line of the sheet S). They are arranged in a line in the direction of the fold line of the sheet S in the member arrangement area, spaced apart from each other at regular intervals, and supported by the support member 112 . Further, the first moving mechanism 116 moves the support member 112 that supports the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 in a direction toward and away from the lower folding guide 111. As a result, the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are moved toward and away from the lower folding guide 111, and each additional folding roller 114 folds the sheet S disposed between each additional folding roller 114 and the lower folding guide 111. and a lower folding guide 111, and a retracted position where a plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are moved from the pressing position in a direction away from the sheet S. In addition, the second moving mechanism 117 can move the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 along the folds of the sheet S by moving the support member 112 in the horizontal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3) at the pressing position. ing. Note that the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 and the lower folding guide 111 are in direct contact with each other if the sheet S is not interposed between them at the pressing position. The length of the pressing member arrangement area (that is, the distance between the additional folding rollers 114 arranged at both ends of the pressing member arrangement area) is the length of one of the pressing member arrangement areas when the pressing member arrangement area is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position. One end of the fold of the sheet S (the upstream end in the moving direction of the additional folding rollers 114) is arranged between two additional folding rollers 114 arranged adjacent to each other, and the other end position is arranged. Additional folding rollers 114 are arranged on the fold line. One of the pressing member arrangement areas shown above refers to the area from the center to the end of the pressing member arrangement area in the direction in which the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are lined up; The other side is from the center to the end in the direction in which the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are lined up. More preferably, the length of the pressing member arrangement area is such that one of the folds of the sheet S is between two additional folding rollers 114 arranged adjacently at one end position when the pressing member is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position. An additional folding roller 114 is arranged on the fold line, and an additional folding roller 114 is arranged at the other end position. Preferably, as in the illustrated embodiment, the length of the pressing member arrangement area, that is, the length between the additional folding rollers 114 arranged at both end positions of the pressing member arrangement area, is the same as the length between the additional folding rollers 114 that are carried into the additional folding unit 104. The length of the fold line of the sheet S is shorter by one pitch of the arrangement of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 (one interval between two additional folding rollers arranged next to each other). In this case, the number of additional folding rollers 114 required can be reduced, and the cost of the additional folding rollers 114 can be reduced. In addition, since the number of additional folding rollers 114 supported by the support member 112 decreases, when applying the same force to the support member 112, the pressing force per one additional folding roller 114 against the sheet S increases, resulting in an increase in the number of additional folding rollers 114. The folding effect is improved, and additional folding can be done efficiently with less force.

In the additional folding unit 104, a plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are arranged at the retracted position or the receiving position which is further away from the pressing position toward the retracted position with respect to the lower folding guide 111. After receiving the sheet S, the position of the sheet S is detected by a sheet position detection means (not shown) provided upstream of the folding roller pair 105, and when the fold of the sheet S increases and reaches below the folding roller 114. The sheet S is stopped, and the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are moved to the pressing position with respect to the lower folding guide 111 by the first moving mechanism 116. When the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 move to the pressing position of the sheet S, one end of the fold (the upstream end in the direction of movement along the fold) is located at one position in the pressing member arrangement area. While the other end of the fold (the downstream end in the direction of movement along the fold) is placed between the two additional folding rollers 114, the The paper is carried into the additional folding unit 104 so as to be placed outside the additional folding roller 114 at the other end position. Further, by moving the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 along the folds of the sheet S with respect to the lower folding guide 111 at the pressing position by the second moving mechanism 117, the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 can fold the folds of the sheet S. Press over the entire area of the crease to make additional folds and strengthen the crease. In this way, each additional folding roller 114 and the lower folding guide 111 function as a pressing member.

Further, a regulating member 115 having a generally L-shaped cross section and attached to the support member 112 is disposed on the outside of the additional folding rollers 114 at both end positions and between the additional folding rollers 114 that are spaced apart and adjacent to each other. During the additional folding process in which the additional folding roller 114 is moved along the fold line of the sheet S at the pressing position against the lower folding guide 111 to perform additional folding, the regulating member 115 presses the bottom surface of the regulating member 115 (i.e., The distance d1 between the upper surface of the lower folding guide 111 (the surface facing the lower folding guide 111) and the upper surface of the lower folding guide 111 forms the height of the normal conveyance route, for example, the carry-in route that continues to the carry-in entrance 119 of the additional folding unit 104. It is arranged at a regulation position that is shorter than the distance d2 between the pair of carry-in guides 118 (upper carry-in guide 118a and lower carry-in guide 118b), and moves along the fold of the sheet S together with the support member 112 while maintaining the distance d1. . Here, the distance d1 between the bottom surface of the regulating member 115 and the top surface of the lower folding guide 111 is determined so that these members do not come into direct contact. As a result, prior to the pressing by the additional folding rollers 114, the sheet S is Additional folding can be performed by pressing the crease.

Note that the gaps between the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 and the lower folding guide 111 and the gaps between the regulating member 115 and the lower folding guide 111 are kept constant over the entire area in the direction along the fold line of the sheet S. It's dripping.

As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are each rotatably attached to an auxiliary member 113 that is movably supported with respect to the support member 112, and formed on the support member 112. It is preferable that a spring 121 is disposed between the spring receiving portion 120 and the upper end of each auxiliary member 113 to urge the additional folding roller 114 toward the lower folding guide 111. With this configuration, when the supporting member 112 of the additional folding unit 104 and the regulating member 115 attached thereto move downward toward the lower folding guide 111, the additional folding roller 114 prevents the sheet S from being folded. The support member 112 and the regulating member 115 stop moving downward when they come into contact with the lower folding guide 111 through the cable, while the contraction of the spring 121 allows the support member 112 and the regulating member 115 to continue moving further downward, and the bottom surface of the regulating member 115 and the regulating member 115 stop moving downward. It becomes possible to stop the regulating member 115 when the distance from the upper surface of the lower folding guide 111 reaches a desired value and the regulating member 115 reaches the regulating position. Furthermore, if each auxiliary member 113 is biased by an individual spring 121, even if the support member 112 is slightly tilted and moves along the fold line of the sheet S, each additional folding roller 114 will not move along the fold line of the sheet S. It is possible to apply a constant pressing force, and it is possible to suppress uneven additional folding due to the pressing force changing depending on the fold line portion.

Next, detailed configurations of the first moving mechanism 116 and the second moving mechanism 117 in the illustrated embodiment will be described.

The support member 112 of the additional folding unit 104 is attached to a slider 124 movable up and down via a bracket 125 on a slider 124 that is movable along a guide rail 123 fixed to a housing 122 of the folding device B, etc. It is adapted to move horizontally in conjunction with the slider 124. A rack 127 is provided on the slider 124 and meshes with a pinion (not shown) that rotates integrally with the pulley 126. The rack 127 drives the additional folding drive motor 128 and transfers its rotation to the pulley via a belt 129. 126 to rotate the pulley 126, the slider 124 can be moved horizontally along the guide rail 123.

Further, the support member 112 is formed with a cam groove 131 that engages with a contact 130 fixed to the casing 122 of the folding device B or the like. As the support member 112 moves horizontally, the cam groove 131 moves while engaging with the contact 130, and the support member 112 moves while being guided according to the shape of the cam groove 131. The cam groove 131 includes a first bottom horizontal portion extending in a substantially horizontal direction, a first inclined portion extending upward from the end of the first bottom horizontal portion, and a first inclined portion extending substantially horizontally from the end of the first inclined portion. a top horizontal portion that extends in the direction; a second sloped portion that extends downwardly from the terminal end of the top horizontal portion; and a second bottom horizontal portion that extends substantially horizontally from the terminal end of the second sloped portion. . The support member 112 is moved in the horizontal direction in FIG. The member 112 moves toward and away from the lower folding guide 111, that is, in the vertical direction in FIG. In this way, the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion of the guide rail 123, slider 124, bracket 125, pulley 126, rack 127, additional folding drive motor 128, belt 129, contactor 130, and cam groove 131 are 1 of the moving mechanism 116. In addition, by moving the support member 112 in the horizontal direction in the figure with respect to the housing 122 using the slider 124 while engaging the top horizontal portion of the cam groove 131 with the contact 130, the support member 112 and the support member 112 are supported by the slider 124. A plurality of additional folding rollers 114 move along the fold line of the sheet S in the horizontal direction in FIG. 3 relative to the lower folding guide 111. In this way, the guide rail 123, slider 124, bracket 125, pulley 126, rack 127, additional fold drive motor 128, belt 129, contactor 130, and the top horizontal portion of the cam groove 131 constitute the second moving mechanism 117. ing. In the illustrated embodiment, the contact 130 is fixed to the housing 122 or the like, and the cam groove 131 is formed in the support member 112. Needless to say, it may be formed on the body 122.

Note that, as in the illustrated embodiment, when a plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are arranged at regular intervals, all of the folds located between adjacent additional folding rollers 114 are used as additional folding rollers. 114 and the lower folding guide 111, a plurality of additional folding rollers 114 must be pressed against the lower folding guide 111 at the pressing position by at least the distance between adjacent additional folding rollers 114 (that is, the distance of one pitch). It is necessary to move the folding roller 114 along the fold. In the configuration of the first moving mechanism 116 described above, by moving the slider 124 in the horizontal direction while engaging the contactor 130 and the first inclined portion of the cam groove 131, the plurality of movement mechanisms supported by the support member 112 are moved. The additional folding roller 114 approaches the lower folding guide 111 and is moved to the pressing position. Further, in the configuration of the second moving mechanism 117 described above, by moving the slider 124 in the horizontal direction while engaging the contact 130 and the top horizontal portion of the cam groove 131, the plurality of The additional folding roller 114 moves along the fold line at the pressing position. Therefore, the length of the top horizontal portion of the cam groove 131 in the horizontal direction (direction along the fold line) is equal to or longer than one pitch between the adjacent additional folding rollers 114.

Next, the operation of the additional folding unit 104 of the illustrated embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. Here, the explanation will be given assuming that the sheet S, which has been subjected to Z-folding processing by the folding processing mechanism 103 and has a first fold line 132 and a second fold line 133, is carried into the additional folding unit 104.

When the sheet S from the folding mechanism 103 is received into the additional folding unit 104 through the carry-in path formed by the carry-in port 119 and the upper carry-in guide 118a and the lower carry-in guide 118b, ), the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 supported by the support member 112 are arranged at the receiving position, which is the home position. At this time, the lower ends of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 supported by the support member 112 regulate the upper side of the carry-in route, and the lower folding guide 111 regulates the lower side of the carry-in route, so that the sheets S to be carried in are It functions as a guide that guides the first fold line 132 between the additional folding roller 114 and the lower folding guide 111. Further, at this time, the contactor 130 is located at the end of the first bottom horizontal portion of the cam groove 131. In the illustrated embodiment, the second retracted position, which will be described later, is the receiving position. However, if the position is closer to the retracted position (first retracted position or second retracted position) than the pressing position, and there is a distance between the additional folding roller 114 and the lower folding guide 111, the receiving position cannot be changed. It may be set at a position different from the second retracted position.

A sheet position detection means (not shown) provided upstream of the folding roller pair 105 detects the position of the sheet S, and as shown in FIG. When it is recognized that the first fold line 132 on the leading edge side in the carrying direction of the sheet S carried in at 119 has reached the lower part of the additional folding roller 114, the conveyance of the sheet S is stopped and the additional folding drive motor 128 is driven. As a result, the support member 112 is moved in the horizontal direction together with the slider 124 via the rack 127 and the pinion that rotates integrally with the pulley 126. As a result, the portion where the contactor 130 engages with the cam groove 131 moves from the first bottom horizontal portion to the first inclined portion, and accordingly, the support member 112 descends toward the lower folding guide 111. As shown in FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 7(b), the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 supported by the supporting member 112 fold the first portion of the sheet S between the lower folding guide 111 and the lower folding guide 111. It moves to a pressing position where the fold line 132 is sandwiched and pressed. At this time, one end of the first fold 132 of the sheet S (the upstream end in the moving direction of the additional folding rollers 114 on the outward path) is between two adjacent additional folding rollers 114 arranged at one position. The additional push roller 114 disposed at the other end position is placed on the first fold line 132 of the sheet S, and the other end of the first fold line 132 of the sheet S (on the outgoing path) is placed on the first fold line 132 of the sheet S. The downstream end of the additional folding roller 114 in the moving direction) is arranged outside the pressing member arrangement area (see FIG. 5(b)). In FIGS. 5(b) and 7(b), one end of the first fold line 132 of the sheet S is arranged at an intermediate position between two adjacent additional folding rollers 114 arranged at the end positions. , the pressing point of the additional folding roller 114 located at the end position is located at the first point of the sheet S "between two adjacent additional folding rollers 114 located at the end position" as described above. A position that coincides with one end of the fold line 132 is also included. Further, since the auxiliary member 113 to which the additional folding rollers 114 are attached is urged toward the lower folding guide 111 by the spring 121, the supporting member 112 is lowered, and the additional folding rollers 114 are moved through the sheet S. Even after contacting the lower folding guide 111, the support member 112 can further descend. Along with this, the regulating member 115 also descends further and presses the first fold line 132 of the sheet S located below the additional folding roller 114, thereby reducing the first fold line of the sheet S to a predetermined thickness or less. 132 thickness is regulated. Note that the carry-in direction in this specification means the direction in which the sheet S is carried from the pair of folding rollers 105 through the carry-in port 119 into the additional folding unit 104.

When the supporting member 112 is further moved in the horizontal direction together with the slider 124 by driving the additional folding drive motor 128 from the state shown in FIGS. 5(b) and 7(b), FIGS. As shown in c), the point where the contactor 130 engages with the cam groove 131 moves from the first inclined portion to the top horizontal portion. Then, the regulating member 115 attached to the supporting member 112 regulates the thickness of the first fold 132 of the sheet S to be less than or equal to a predetermined thickness (corresponding to the distance d1), and the sheet S is supported by the supporting member 112. The plurality of additional folding rollers 114 move along the first fold line 132 of the sheet S with respect to the lower folding guide 111 at the pressing position by a distance equal to or more than one pitch of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114, and move in the moving direction. The leading additional folding roller 114 moves until it passes the other end of the first fold 132 of the sheet S (the downstream end in the moving direction of the additional folding roller 114 on the outward path). Specifically, the other end of the first fold line 132 of the sheet S is arranged between two adjacent additional folding rollers 114 arranged at the other end position, and the additional folding roller 114 is arranged at one end position. The roller 114 is placed on the first fold of the sheet S, and one end of the first fold 132 of the sheet S (the upstream end in the moving direction of the additional folding roller 114 on the outward path) is pressed. It is arranged outside the member arrangement area (see FIG. 5(c)). In FIGS. 5(c) and 7(c), the other end of the first fold line 132 of the sheet S is arranged at an intermediate position between two adjacent additional folding rollers 114 arranged at the end positions. , the pressing point of the additional folding roller 114 located at the end position is located at the first point of the sheet S "between two adjacent additional folding rollers 114 located at the end position" as described above. A position coinciding with the other end of the fold line 132 is also included. In this way, the first fold line 132 is pressed over the entire area by the additional folding rollers 114 and the lower folding guide 111 to strengthen the first fold line 132, that is, to perform additional folding.

When the supporting member 112 is further moved in the horizontal direction together with the slider 124 by driving the additional folding drive motor 128 from the state shown in FIGS. 5(c) and 7(c), the contactor 130 engages with the cam groove 131. The meeting point moves from the top horizontal portion to the second bottom horizontal portion via the second sloped portion. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5(d) and 7(d), the supporting member 112 rises in the direction away from the lower folding guide 111 together with the regulating member 115, and the plurality of support members supported by the supporting member 112 The additional folding rollers 114 move to the first retracted position located above and close to the position where the pressing ends, and the first additional folding process is completed. The first retreat position is a position different from the acceptance position which is the home position.

When the first additional folding process is completed and the state shown in FIGS. 5(d) and 7(d) is reached, the sheet S is It becomes possible to transport. The sheet S is transported from the state shown in FIG. 5(d) and FIG. 7(d) by the transport roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105, and the sheet The position of the sheet S is detected, and as shown in FIG. When it is recognized that the sheet S has arrived, the conveyance of the sheet S is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 8(e), when the second fold 133 of the sheet S is stopped below the additional folding roller 114, the additional folding drive motor 128 is rotated in the direction opposite to the forward path. By driving, the support member 112 is moved in the horizontal direction along with the slider 124 via the rack 127 and the pinion that rotates integrally with the pulley 126 in the opposite direction to the forward movement. As a result, the portion where the contactor 130 engages with the cam groove 131 moves from the second bottom horizontal portion to the second inclined portion, and in conjunction with this, the support member 112 descends toward the lower folding guide 111. As shown in FIGS. 6(f) and 8(f), the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 supported by the supporting member 112 fold the second folding rollers of the sheet S between the lower folding guide 111 and the lower folding guide 111. It moves to a pressing position where the fold line 133 is sandwiched and pressed. At this time, the position of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114, that is, the position of the starting point of the return path is the same as the position of the end point of the outward path. Furthermore, at this time, one end of the second fold 133 of the sheet S (the upstream end in the moving direction of the additional folding roller 114 on the return trip) is located at one position of the two adjacent additional folding rollers 114. The additional folding roller 114 disposed between and at the other end position is placed on the second fold line 133 of the sheet S, and the other end of the second fold line 133 of the sheet S (return path (the downstream end in the moving direction of the additional folding roller 114) is arranged outside the pressing member arrangement area (see FIG. 6(f)). Further, since the auxiliary member 113 to which the additional folding roller 114 is attached is urged toward the lower folding guide 111 by the spring 121, the supporting member 112 is lowered and the additional folding roller 114 is moved through the sheet S. Even after contacting the lower folding guide 111, the support member 112 can further descend. Along with this, the regulating member 115 also descends further and presses the sheet portion of the sheet S located below the additional folding roller 114 and the second fold line 133, thereby reducing the thickness of the sheet S to a predetermined thickness or less. The thickness of the fold line 133 of No. 2 is regulated.

When the supporting member 112 is further moved horizontally with the slider 124 from the state shown in FIGS. 6(f) and 8(f) by driving the additional folding drive motor 128, ) and FIG. 8(g), the location where the contactor 130 engages with the cam groove 131 moves from the second inclined portion to the top horizontal portion. Then, the regulating member 115 attached to the supporting member 112 regulates the thickness of the second fold 133 of the sheet S to be less than or equal to a predetermined thickness (corresponding to the distance d1), and the sheet S is supported by the supporting member 112. The plurality of additional folding rollers 114 move in the opposite direction to the forward path with respect to the lower folding guide 111 at the pressing position along the second fold line 133 of the sheet S by a distance equal to or more than one pitch of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114. Then, the leading additional folding roller 114 in the moving direction moves until it passes the end of the second fold line 133 of the sheet S. In this way, the additional folding rollers 114 and the lower folding guide 111 press the entire second fold 133 to strengthen the second fold 133, that is, to perform additional folding.

When the additional fold drive motor 128 is driven to move the support member 112 together with the slider 124 in the horizontal direction in the opposite direction to the forward path from the state shown in FIGS. 6(g) and 8(g), the contactor 130 The portion that engages with the cam groove 131 moves from the top horizontal portion to the first horizontal portion via the first inclined portion. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6(h) and 8(h), the supporting member 112 rises in the direction away from the lower folding guide 111 together with the regulating member 115, and the plurality of support members supported by the supporting member 112 The additional folding rollers 114 move to a second retracted position located close to the position where the pressing ends, and the second additional folding process is completed. In this embodiment, the second retreat position is set to the same position as the acceptance position, which is the home position. However, it is also possible to set the second retracted position at a position different from the receiving position.

After completing a series of additional folding operations in this manner, the sheet S is conveyed toward the post-processing device C on the downstream side by the conveying roller pair 102 and the folding roller pair 105 located on the upstream side in the carrying direction. Note that the lower ends of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 that have been moved to the retracted position and the bottom surface of the regulating member 115 also function as guides when discharging the additionally folded sheet S.

When the pressing member arrangement region covers the entire fold of the sheet S, the pressing member is placed on the upstream side in the moving direction of the additional folding roller 114 along the fold, and at least on the outside of the fold of the sheet S in the moving direction. It is necessary to secure a space on the side of the fold of the sheet S for the member arrangement area, and in addition to the pressing member arrangement area arranged outside the fold of the sheet S in the movement direction on the downstream side in the movement direction. It becomes necessary to secure a space to allow the support member 112 to move to the side of the fold of the sheet by at least the amount of movement along the fold for pressing. However, in the illustrated additional folding unit 104 in the folding processing apparatus B, the additional folding roller 114 at the leading end in the moving direction is located on the fold line of the sheet S at the initial position of movement in the fold direction, so the pressing member arrangement area are not located outside the folds of the sheet S in the direction of movement. Therefore, the additional folding unit 104 can be made smaller because there is no pressing member arrangement area located outside the fold of the sheet S in the movement direction at the initial position of movement along the fold.

Further, in the additional folding unit 104, when the additional folding roller 114 is moved with respect to the lower folding guide 111 from the retracted position or the receiving position to the pressing position by the first moving mechanism 116, one end of the fold of the sheet S (the upstream end in the direction of movement along the fold) is arranged between the two additional folding rollers 114 at one position in the pressing member arrangement area, and the other end of the fold (the upstream end in the direction of movement along the fold) (the downstream end in the direction of movement) is arranged outside the pressing member arrangement area (that is, outside the additional folding roller 114 at the other end position in the pressing member arrangement area). On the other hand, when a plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are arranged at regular intervals in the direction of movement along the fold, all of the folds located between adjacent additional folding rollers 114 are In order to press between the folding guide 111 and the lower folding guide 111, it is necessary to move the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 along the fold by a distance equal to or more than the distance between adjacent additional folding rollers 114 (that is, a distance of one pitch). be. Therefore, if the plurality of additional folding rollers 114, that is, the support member 112, are moved along the fold by a distance equal to or more than one pitch of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114, which is the minimum required for performing additional folding, the The additional folding roller 114 at the end position on the upstream side in the direction of movement crosses the edge of the sheet S on the upstream side in the direction of movement, and is positioned adjacent to the additional folding roller 114 at the end position on the upstream side in the movement direction at the beginning of movement. At the beginning of the movement, the end portion of the sheet S located between the two additional folding rollers 114 at the upstream end position in the moving direction is pressed and additionally folded. .

Further, in the additional folding unit 104, preferably, the pressing member arrangement area is shorter than the length of the fold line of the sheet by one pitch of the arrangement of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114, and the second moving mechanism 117 moves the pressing member to the retracted position or the receiving position. When the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 are moved from the lower folding guide 111 to the pressing position, the edge of the fold of the sheet is located between the two additional folding rollers 114 adjacent to the end position of the pressing member arrangement area. It is set to be placed. Therefore, if the additional folding rollers 114 at the upstream end position in the direction of movement along the fold of the sheet S are arranged near the end of the fold of the sheet S, one pitch of the arrangement of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 can be arranged. By moving the additional fold roller 114 at the downstream end position in the direction of movement along the fold along the crease by a distance slightly larger than and then moves beyond the end of the sheet S on the downstream side in the movement direction, and at the beginning of the movement, the end portion of the sheet S located on the downstream side in the movement direction of the pressing member arrangement area is pressed and folded additionally. be able to. In other words, by moving the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 a distance slightly longer than one pitch, which is the minimum required for performing additional folding, additional folding can be performed over the entire fold of the sheet S, and the time required for additional folding processing can be reduced. can suppress the increase in In addition, in this case, the space on the side of the fold line of the sheet S that is required to allow movement of the pressing member arrangement area and the support member 112 can be significantly reduced, and the additional folding unit 104 can be further downsized. becomes possible.

In addition, in the additional folding unit 104, the movement of the plurality of additional folding rollers 114 along the folds performs additional folding at the first fold on the outgoing path, and folds one sheet, such as Z-folding or internal tri-folding. If a plurality of folds are formed on S, additional folding is performed at the second fold on the return trip. Therefore, it is possible to perform additional folding processing on multiple folds by pressing different folds on the outward and return journeys, so the increase in time required for additional folding processing can be suppressed and multiple folds can be processed efficiently and in a short time. You can perform additional folding processing.

Furthermore, in the above description, the additional folding process by the additional folding unit 104 was explained when the sheet S was Z-folded. It is also possible to handle sheets that have three or more folds. When only one fold is formed on a sheet, such as when folding in half, an additional fold is performed on the fold of the preceding sheet on the outgoing pass, and then the preceding sheet is ejected, and on the return pass, the fold is folded on the fold of the following sheet. By performing additional folding, it is possible to perform additional folding processing on continuous sheets efficiently and in a short time. Furthermore, if the sheet has three or more folds, such as when folded in four, the conveyance of the sheet is stopped each time the fold reaches the bottom of the additional folding roller 114, and the conveyance of the sheet is stopped along the fold on the outward or return trip. The additional folding may be performed by moving the plurality of additional folding rollers 114. In addition, the object of the folding process may be a sheet bundle, a single sheet, a bound sheet bundle, or a sheet bundle that has not been bound.

Although the sheet pressing device and the image forming system including the same according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the first moving mechanism 116 includes a guide rail 123, a slider 124, a bracket 125, a pulley 126, a rack 127, an additional fold drive motor 128, a belt 129, a contact 130, and a cam groove 131. The second moving mechanism 117 includes a guide rail 123, a slider 124, a bracket 125, a pulley 126, a rack 127, an additional fold drive motor 128, a belt 129, a contact However, if the support member 112 can be moved toward and away from the lower folding guide 111 and the support member 112 can be moved along the fold line of the sheet S, The configurations of the first moving mechanism 116 and the second moving mechanism 117 are not limited, and for example, linear motion mechanisms may be employed as the first moving mechanism 116 and the second moving mechanism 117. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the additional folding rollers 114 are moved relative to the lower folding guide 111 by moving the additional folding rollers 114, but by moving the lower folding guide 111, The additional folding rollers 114 may be moved relative to the lower folding guide 111. Of course, both the additional folding roller 114 and the lower folding guide 111 may be moved. When moving the lower folding guide 111, a lifting mechanism may be provided in the lower folding guide 111. Further, instead of the additional folding roller 114, the lower folding guide 111 may be urged toward the additional folding roller 114 by a spring.

A Image forming device B Folding device C Post-processing device 104 Additional folding unit 110 Upper folding guide 111 Lower folding guide 112 Support member 113 Auxiliary member 114 Additional folding roller 116 First moving mechanism 117 Second moving mechanism 118 Carrying guide 118a Upper carrying-in guide 118b Lower carrying-in guide 119 Carrying inlet 121 Spring 130 Contact 131 Cam groove 132 First fold 133 Second fold

Claims (9)

a conveyance member that conveys a sheet with creases formed by folding;
an additional folding unit provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the conveyance member, the press unit having a plurality of press members rotating around a rotating shaft extending in the conveyance direction as a rotation center and pressing the fold;
a facing member arranged to face the plurality of pressing members;
The pressing unit is moved to a pressing position where the plurality of pressing members and the opposing member press the crease, and a retreating position where the plurality of pressing members move in a direction in which the plurality of pressing members retreat from the opposing member with respect to the pressing position. is possible, and in a state in which the pressing unit is located at the pressing position, the pressing unit is moved relative to the opposing member in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the rotating shaft, thereby applying the plurality of pressing forces. a moving mechanism that presses the fold of the sheet with a member,
When the pressing unit is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position by the moving mechanism, a pressing member provided at one end of the plurality of pressing members in the intersecting direction contacts the opposing member. , a pressing member provided at the other end of the plurality of pressing members in the intersecting direction is in contact with a fold line of the sheet;
After the pressing unit is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position, the pressing member provided at the one end comes into contact with the fold line of the sheet, and the pressing member provided at the other end contacts the opposite end. moving the pressing unit in a direction from the one side toward the other side to a position where it comes into contact with the member;
A sheet pressing device characterized by: When the pressing unit is moved from the retracted position to the pressing position by the moving mechanism, in the intersecting direction, a pressing member provided at the one end and an adjacent pressing member provided at the one end The sheet pressing device according to claim 1, wherein an end of the sheet is located between the pressing member and the pressing member. In the intersecting direction, the distance from the pressing member provided at one end of the plurality of pressing members to the pressing member provided at the other end is shorter than the fold line of the sheet. The sheet pressing device according to claim 1 or 2. In the intersecting direction, the distance from the pressing member provided at one end of the plurality of pressing members to the pressing member provided at the other end of the plurality of pressing members is equal to the distance between adjacent pressing members among the plurality of pressing members. The sheet pressing device according to claim 3, wherein the sheet pressing device is shorter than the fold line of the sheet by an interval of . The moving mechanism includes a contact and a guide groove that engages the contact and guides movement of the pressing unit along the intersecting direction at the pressing position,
Any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the guide groove has a region extending in the intersecting direction over a length equal to or longer than the distance between adjacent pressing members among the plurality of pressing members. The sheet pressing device described in . When the pressing unit performs additional folding on a sheet on which a first fold and a second fold are formed, the moving mechanism moves the pressing unit from the one side when pressing the first fold. moving the pressing unit in a direction toward the other side and pressing the second fold, moving the pressing unit from the other side to the one side;
The sheet pressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The pressing unit includes the plurality of pressing members, another facing member provided between adjacent pressing members among the plurality of pressing members in the intersecting direction and facing the facing member, and the plurality of pressing members. The sheet pressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a biasing member that biases the member toward the opposing member. a folding unit that performs folding processing on sheets;
The sheet pressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which presses a fold of the sheet subjected to the folding process by the folding unit;
A sheet processing device comprising: an image forming device that forms an image on a sheet;
a sheet processing device that performs a folding process on a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming device;
The sheet pressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which presses a fold of a sheet subjected to the folding process by the sheet processing device;
An image forming system comprising:

Images