JPH02233430A - Sheet after-treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent mis-stapling from being produced by positioning a device down a switch-over means and providing a static electricity removal member at the combined section of a feeding path and a feeding path for waiting. CONSTITUTION:The first sheet for next job is guided from a deflector 72 to the third feeding path 111, remains in the feeding path 111 and, after a bundle of sheets for previous job is exhausted to a stack plate 103, exhausted to a treatment tray 77 with the second sheet lapped on it. Although two sheets P1 and p2 are lapped at the combined section A of the first and third feeding paths 73 and 111 and fed, static electricity on the upper surface of the sheet P1, remaining in the feeding path 111, and the lower surface of the sheet P2 fed from the feeding path 73 is removed simultaneously by a static eraser 200 and these two sheets P1 and P2 are combined with each other under the most static electricity-free condition. Thus, sticking of these two sheets P1 and P2 in an exhausting process can be prevented, consistency can not be disturbed, and mis-stapling can not be produced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing device used in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and laser beam printers. The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing device that includes a first post-processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a processing tray) and a second post-processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a sheet storage tray) that performs post-processing such as binding or punching on sheets.

(Ex) Conventional technology Conventionally, sheet post-processing devices have been known that are equipped with a processing tray and a sheet storage tray for performing post-processing such as binding or punching on sheets 1 to 1. , sheets on which images have been formed are discharged from the image forming apparatus, are bound or punched on a processing tray, and then stacked on a lay in sheet 1/storage 1. (c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional apparatus described above, in order not to reduce the productivity of the image forming apparatus, while performing sheet post-processing such as stipple, the first sheet of the next job is sheets are kept on standby in the standby conveyance path, and after finishing the post-processing of the previous job, the first sheet and the second sheet are merged and the two sheets are ejected at the same time. There was a risk that the two sheets would stick to each other due to static electricity caused by friction, disrupting the alignment of the sheets and causing a stibling error. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing device that solves the above-mentioned problems by disposing a static eliminating member at an appropriate location on a sheet conveyance path. (2) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been developed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example, a sheet (S) is post-processed. Processing tray (77) and sheet inlet (
a conveyance path (73) that guides the sheet (S) carried in from 71), a standby conveyance path (111) that communicates with this conveyance path (73), and the conveyance path (73) and the standby conveyance path. Switching means (72) for sheet conveyance to (111)
In the sheet post-processing device q (27) having A feature is that a member (200) is provided. (1 Effect) Based on the above-mentioned configuration, the sheet (P1) staying in the standby conveyance path (111) and the sheet (P2) conveyed from the conveyance path (73) are overlapped at the confluence part (A) and conveyed. At this time, the front surface of the sheet (P1) and the back surface of the sheet (P2) are simultaneously neutralized by the static eliminating member (200).

It should be noted that the above-mentioned symbols inside brackets are shown for reference and do not limit the structure of the present invention in any way. (f) Examples Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a copying machine 1 has a copying section 2 that forms an image on a sheet S, and the copying machine 1 has a copying section 2 for forming an image on a sheet S. A post-processing device 27 is connected. Copying machine 1 as both image forming devices
has a main body 3 containing a copying section 2, and the main body 3 includes a platen 5, a light source 6, mirrors 7, 8, 9, 1.
0, Lens 11, 2 What kind of cassette 1 stores the sheet S
2.13 and deck 15. Above cassette 1
2.13 and the upper part of the deck 15 are paper feed rollers 16, respectively.
, 17.19 are arranged. Then, paper feed roller 1
A conveying section 20 is disposed on the machine main body 3 side downstream of the paper feed rollers 16, 17, 18.
A pair of registration rollers 21 is arranged downstream of the roller. Further, the copying section 2 is disposed downstream of the roller pair 21, and a conveying belt 22 and a fixing device 23 are disposed downstream of the copying section 2. And the fixing device 23
A pair of discharge rollers 24, a flapper 25, and a pair of paper discharge rollers 26 are arranged downstream of the paper discharge roller pair 26. A sheet post-processing device 27 is provided which includes a folding section 27a that folds sheets S in half or Z-folds, and a finisher section 27b that stacks or stabilizes sheets S. Also,
A re-conveyance path 29 is provided branching off from the flapper 25, and the re-conveyance path 29 is provided with an intermediate tray device 30. Note that numerals 81, 82, and S3 indicate the sensors, respectively. On the other hand, the copying machine main body 3 is provided with an automatic document feeder 31 on its upper part, and the feeder 31 has a document tray 32 on which documents M are stacked. A paper feed roller 3 for feeding the document M on the tray 32 is placed near the tray 32.
3 is disposed, and downstream of the roller 33, a separation belt 35 that rotates counterclockwise and a conveyor belt 36 that rotates counterclockwise are disposed. In addition, the belt 3
6, there is a sensor 37 for detecting the size of the document M;
39 are arranged linearly in the transverse direction with respect to the document conveyance direction, and downstream of the sensors 37 and 39, a drive roller 40
A conveyor belt 42 is stretched between the roller 41 and the driven roller 41. Further, a flapper 45 is disposed at the document discharge section on the left side of the belt 42, and around the flapper 45 are transport paths 46, 47 that are switched and guided by the flapper 45.
．． 49 are provided.

A pair of conveying rollers 50 is provided on the conveying path 46, a pair of conveying rollers 51 is provided on the conveying path 47, and a discharge port-roller 5' is provided on the conveying path 49.
2 are installed. Note that the sensor indicated by 84 is a sensor that detects one cycle of the sheet. Furthermore, the sheet post-processing device 27 is equipped with a control section 61, as shown in FIG. 2, and the control section 61 is a central processing unit! (CPU) 62, a ROM 63 that stores a control program to control the CPU 82, and a RAM 85 that serves as a main storage device; an output interface 66 that outputs control signals to loads such as the main motor; and an output interface 66 that inputs detection signals from each sensor. input interface 67
, are connected to 5. Further, each load, each sensor, etc. of the copying machine main body 3 and the automatic document feeder 31 are similarly connected via each interface (not shown).

The output interface 66 is connected to an east transport motor Ml, an m-movement motor M2, a stepping motor 82, a stabler motor M3, a tray lifting motor M4, and a transport motor M5.
The seat detection sensors 35 and 36, the board home position sensor S7, the seat level sensor 105, and the microswitch 97 are connected to. Furthermore, the above-mentioned seat post-processing equipment? ! ! 27 is an engagement member 69 provided on the side surface of the copying machine main body 3, as shown in FIG.
It has a movable hook 70 that engages with the engagement member 69, and when the hook 70 engages with the engagement member 69, the sheet post-processing device 27 is positioned. A carry-in port 7l is provided on the side of the device 27 to carry in the sheet S discharged by the pair of paper discharge rollers 26, and a deflector 72 is disposed downstream of the carry-in port 71. ing. Further, on the downstream side of the deflector 72, a first
A conveyance path 73 is provided, and a conveyance roller pair 75 is disposed on the conveyance path 73.

Furthermore, a pair of paper ejection rollers 76 is provided on the downstream side of the first conveyance path 73.
A processing tray 77 is provided downstream of the pair of rollers 76 .

A belt 7 is attached to the lower roller 76a of the four-ra pair 76.
The lower end of the belt 79 is in contact with the processing tray 77. In addition, the tray 7
7 is provided with a movable width board 80 and a positioning plate (not shown) for aligning the width direction of the sheet S, and a rack 81 is provided at the bottom of the width board 80. The rack 81 is connected to a pinion gear 83 driven by a stepping motor 82 disposed below the processing tray 77.
It meshes with the Further, a stapler 85 is disposed adjacent to the processing tray 77, and the stapler 85 is adapted to staple the sheets s stacked on the tray 77 at the front and rear ends thereof. A paper ejection roller 86 is disposed at the tip of the tray 77, and the roller 86 has the following features:
A seeding roller 89 disposed at one corner of a seeding guide 88 that is swingably supported by a shaft 87 comes into contact with the seeding roller 89 . Further, a guide lever 90 is provided upright on the swing guide 88, and a spring 92 whose one end is fixed to a protrusion of the fuselage frame 91 is connected to the lever 90.
As a result, the seeding guide 88 is urged counterclockwise. Furthermore, a disc 93 rotated by a swing motor M2 is disposed adjacent to the guide lever 90, and a pin 95 that engages with the guide lever 90 is provided upright on the disc 93. ．． Then, close to the disk 93, the front view L
A letter-shaped leaf spring 96 is swingably supported, and a microswitch 97 is disposed adjacent to the spring 96. Further, a rail plate 99 is provided on the body frame 91 so as to extend in the horizontal direction, and a rotatable roller 101 provided on the drainboard guide 100 is supported by the rail plate 99.

A tray moving table 102 is supported on the guide 100 so as to be movable up and down, and a stack tray 103 is disposed on the moving table 102. Further, the swing guide 88 is provided with a sheet I-level sensor 105 that detects the level of the sheets S loaded on the stack tray 103. Sensor lever 106 and photo sensor 10 that come into contact with sheet S
It is composed of 7. On the other hand, the second conveyance path 11 is branched to the deflector 72.
09 is disposed, and a deflector 110 is disposed at the end of the conveyance path 109. In addition, the deflector 1
A bending third conveyance path 111 is provided downstream of the conveyance path 10 , the inner guide surface of the conveyance path 111 is constituted by a large roller 112 , and the conveyance path 111 communicates with the first conveyance path 73 . ing.

As shown in FIG. 4, at the junction A of the first conveyance path 73 and the third conveyance path 111, a static elimination needle 200, which constitutes a main part of the present invention, is disposed.

Further, the folding conveyance path 11 is branched to the deflector 110.
3 is provided, and the folding portion 27a is provided downstream of the conveyance path 113. In addition, what is indicated by 85 and SS in the figure is a sheet detection sensor that detects the sheet. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

When the power is turned on, the CP[J62 clears the storage number counter to O (Fl), reverses and starts the stepping motor 82, and moves the board 80 toward the home position. Then, the CPU 62 determines whether or not the wide board 80 is located at the home position based on the signal from the horizontal board home position sensor S7 (F2), and if it is determined that the wide board 80 is located at the home position, Stop the stepping motor 82 (F3-), and then
2, the tray lifting motor M4 is turned on, and the stack tray 103 comes into contact with the sensor lever 106, and the lever 106
, and determines whether the sheet level sensor 105 is ONL (F4). Then, the CPU 62 stops the tray lifting motor M4 and ends the movement of the stack tray 103 (F5). 103 is in a state where the seat S can be stored.If it is determined in F2 that the home position sensor S7 is not ON, the stepping motor 82 is reversed until the sensor S7 is ON (F8). Further, in the above-described embodiment, if it is determined that the sheet level sensor 105 is not turned on, the tray lifting motor M4 is rotated upward until the sensor 105 is turned on (F7), and the document M (see FIG. ) is loaded on the document tray 32 and a start key (not shown) is turned on, a motor (not shown) is rotated to drive the paper feed roller 33, and the separation belt 35 and conveyance belt 36 are rotated counterclockwise. The originals M stacked on the original tray 32 are fed by a paper feed roller 33, and are separated and transported one by one from the bottom by a separation belt 35 and a transport belt 36. Then, the document M is conveyed between the platen 5 and the conveyor belt 42, and conveyed and stacked on the document reference position on the platen 5 by the conveyor belt 42. , 8.9.10, the image is read by the lens 11 and formed on the copying section 2. Meanwhile, the cassette 12.
13 or the sheet S from the deck 15 is transferred to the paper feed roller 16
．． 17 or 19, and the sheet S is further conveyed by a pair of registration rollers 21 in synchronization with the image formed on the copying section 2. Then, the sheet S is transferred to the copying section 2.
The image is copied by the printer, and further transported to the fixing device 23 by the transport belt 22. Next, the image is fixed on the sheet S by a fixing device 23, and in the case of single-sided copying, the sheet S is guided by a flapper 25 and conveyed to a sheet post-processing device 27 by a pair of paper discharge rollers 26. In addition, in the case of multiple copying or double-sided copying, sheet S
is branched and guided by the flapper 25 to the re-transport route 29
will be transported to. Furthermore, by the same operation as described above, the sheet S
The image is copied onto the back side of the sheet, and the sheet is conveyed to the sheet post-processing device 27. On the other hand, when the CPtJ62 of the sheet post-processing device 1f27 receives the start signal from the copying machine 3, it turns on the conveyance motor M5 to drive each roller (F8). At this time, if the binding mode is selected from the operation unit (not shown) of the copying machine 3, the CPtJ62 will move the disc 9 by the seeding motor M2.
3 by a predetermined amount of rotation, and the bottle 9 rotates integrally with the disc 93.
5, the guide lever 90 is swung clockwise.
(See Figure 7). Further, due to the swinging of the lever 9, the seeding guide 88 swings clockwise about the shaft 87, and the driven roller 89 and the paper discharge roller 86 are separated from each other. The sheet S discharged from the copying machine 3 is then transported to the loading port 7.
1, and is transported through the first conveyance path 73 by the deflector 72.
Or it is guided to the second conveyance path 109. For example, in the non-folding mode, the sheet S is guided to the first conveyance path 73, and conveyed by a pair of conveyance rollers 75 to a pair of discharge rollers 76 (see FIG. 8(a)). At this time, the CPU 82 determines whether or not the sensor S5 has detected the leading edge of the sheet S based on the signal from the sheet detection sensor S5 (F9), and if it is determined that the leading edge of the sheet S has been detected, the sensor S5 Determine whether or not the rear end of the seat S is detected (F10). Then, if it is determined that the sensor S5 has detected the rear end of the seat S,
The CPU 82 starts a tray storage timer set at a predetermined time (Fil). Then, the sheet S is ejected by the paper ejection reel pair 76 across the processing tray 77 and the stack tray 103 ( (see FIG. 8(b)), the width direction is aligned by being abutted against the positioning plate by the width board 80, and the first
Only the first sheet S is brought into alignment in the front-rear direction by being brought into contact with the base end of the processing tray 77 by the discharge roller 86 rotating clockwise and the belt 79 rotating counterclockwise. Furthermore, when the tray storage timer ends (Fl2
), the CPIJ 82 increments the stored sheet number counter (F13), and then, based on the signal from the sensor S4, determines whether or not the original M has gone through one cycle, that is, whether one cycle of copying processing has been completed (F14). ), furthermore, 1
If it is determined that the copy process of the cycle has not been completed, the CPU 62 checks the height of the stack tray 103 in the same manner as F4 and F5 described above, and then performs the operations from F9 onwards.

Also, when one cycle of copy processing is completed, the CPU
82 starts the swing motor M2 and rotates the disc 93 clockwise (F15) Then, as the disc 93 rotates, the biasing force of the pin 95 on the guide lever 90 disappears, and the lever 90 It is biased counterclockwise by a spring 92. Then, when the lever 90 comes into contact with the leaf spring 96 and moves the spring 96 counterclockwise, the microswitch 97 is turned on and off by the ON signal of the switch 97.
PIIJ82 stops swing motor M2 (Fl6).

At this time, due to the movement of the lever 90, the swing guide 88 is also moved counterclockwise together with the lever 90, and the paper ejection roller 86 and the discharging roller 89 come into contact with each other.

Then, after the CPU 62 confirms that the sheet S is present on the processing trays 7 through a sensor (not shown),
Operate the stapler 85 to staple the sheet bundle S...
F17). Then, when the stapling is finished (F18
), the CPU 62 turns on the bundle conveyance motor M1 (not shown).
L/ (Fl 9), the sheet bundle S-... is transferred to the stack tray 1 by the paper ejection roller pair 86 and the feeding roller pair 89.
03 (see Figure 8 (C)). At this time, the sensor lever 106 is pushed up by the sheet bundle S, and the beam of the photosensor 107 is turned on (see FIG. 9).Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained.

Note that the first sheet S of the next job is
2 to the third conveyance path 11, stay in the path 11, and after discharging the sheet bundle S of the previous job, are discharged onto the processing tray 77 in a stacked manner with the second sheet S. (Figure 8 (
d)). At this time, as shown in FIG.
The front surface of the sheet P2 that had been retained in the sheet P2 and the back surface of the sheet P2 conveyed from the first conveyance path 73 are simultaneously neutralized by the static elimination needle 200, and the two sheets are separated in a state with the highest static elimination effect. Since P1 and P2 can be merged, it is possible to prevent the two sheets P1 and P2 from sticking together when they are ejected. In addition, the elastic effect of the tip at the tip of the static elimination needle 200 greatly contributes to stabilizing the conveyance when the sheet P1, which has been conveyed along the guide and has remained in the third conveyance path 111, is conveyed to the confluence section A. It will be done. Furthermore, the CPU 62 starts the tray lifting motor M4 to lower the stack tray 103 (
F20), and starts a timer for the amount of descent according to the number of stored sheets counter (F21). For example, if the thickness of the sheet is 0.1, this timer value is a value that decreases by 2lIl when the counter value is 10, and a value that decreases by 3■ when the counter value is 20. The thickness is set slightly larger than the sheet thickness. When the timer expires (F22), the CPU 62 turns off the tray lifting motor M4 (F23). At this time, the CPU 62 moves the stack tray 103 and the drainboard guide 100 in the sheet width direction using a drive means (not shown), offsets the sheet bundle S loaded on the tray 103, and moves the stack tray 103 and the drainboard guide 100 to the stable needles. Make sure the part does not swell. Then, the CPU 62 executes the above-mentioned F1
After performing initial processing from to F5 (F24)
, performs the operations from F9 onwards for the next job.

In addition, in the above-mentioned F16, the microswitch 97 is turned off.
If there is no NL/, that is, if there is a foreign object (for example, a hand, finger, book, etc.) on the processing tray 77, the CPU 62 stops the system (F25).

Further, when the folding mode is selected, the sheet S carried in from the carry-in entrance 71 is guided by the deflector 72 to the deflector 110, and the sheet S is guided by the deflector 110 to the fourth
It is guided through the conveyance path 113 to the folding section 27a, and the folding section 27a is
It is folded in half or Z-folded by the folding part 27a. Then, the folded sheet S is transferred to the third path 11 by the large roller 112.
1, and the operations after F8 described above are performed.

Note that when the non-stable mode is selected, the feeder roller 89 is in a position where it is in contact with the paper ejection roller 86 (see Figure 3).
The sheet S carried in from the carry-in port 71 is guided to the first conveyance path 73 by a deflector 72 and onto the stack tray 103 by a pair of paper discharge rollers 76, a paper discharge roller 86, and a driving roller 89. It is directly discharged. In this embodiment, the first conveyance path 73 and the third conveyance path 11
Confluence with 1. We have described the case where the static eliminating needle 200 is provided as the static eliminating member in A, but by using mylar or film coated with a conductive substance as the static eliminating member, the static eliminating effect and guide action of these can be used to separate the two sheets. It is possible to merge smoothly. (G) Effects of the Invention As explained above, according to the present invention, the confluence part ( A) Static elimination member (200)
Since the transport path (73) and the standby transport path (11
Sheets PL and P are conveyed and stacked from 1) respectively.
2, static electricity is removed at the same time by the static elimination member (200), and it is possible to prevent both sheets PL and P2 from sticking together due to static electricity, and the alignment of the sheets PL and P2 is improved, so that stapling work can be performed smoothly. Can be done. It should be noted that the above-mentioned symbols inside brackets are shown for reference and do not limit the structure of the present invention in any way.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front sectional view showing a post-processing device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing its control section, Fig. 3 is a front sectional view showing the main parts, and Fig. 4 is a main part of the system. FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the confluence of sheet conveyance paths showing embodiments of the invention; FIGS.
The figure is a flowchart showing the operation of the sheet post-processing device according to the present invention, and FIGS. 7 to 9 are operational diagrams of the sheet post-processing device. 1... Image forming device (copying machine), 27... Sheet post-processing device 71... Sheet inlet 72...
Switching means (deflector) 73... Conveyance path (first conveyance path) A... Merging section 0... Static elimination member

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A processing tray that performs post-processing of sheets, a conveyance path that guides sheets carried in from the sheet import entrance, a standby conveyance path that communicates with this conveyance path, and a connection between the conveyance path and the standby conveyance path. A sheet post-processing device having a sheet conveyance switching means, characterized in that a static eliminating member is provided downstream of the switching means and at a confluence between the conveyance path and the standby conveyance path. Processing equipment.