JPH0228467A - Sheet accommodation device of sheet folding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure the arrangement performance and accommodation performance of a sheet according to the necessity by varying the distance between the bottom surface of a tray and a discharge means by driving a means for raising and lowering a part of the bottom surface of the tray according to the prescribed sheet folding mode. CONSTITUTION:In the non-sheet-folding mode, a solenoid 602 is in OFF-state, and a swinging member 18B is turned around the axis Z of the first guide bar 19A by the urging power of the second spring, and held at the first position, together with a door member 18C. In this state, the distance between a discharge roller 202 and the upper surface of a tray 18 is reduced, and the influence of the floating-up force due to the air interposed between the discharged sheet and the upper surface of the tray is reduced, and the discharged sheet is arranged free from the position deflection. In the sheet folding mode and binding adjustment mode, the swinging member 18B and the door member 18C are shifted to the second position.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a sheet storage device of a sheet folding device, particularly for folding and collating sheets discharged from an image forming device such as a copying machine into a predetermined shape. The present invention relates to a sheet storage device of a sheet folding device suitable for use in a sheet finisher that performs binding.

[Prior Art] A sheet folding device generally has a half-folding mode in which a sheet is folded in half, a so-called Z-folding mode in which the folded half is further folded in half, and a non-sheet-folding mode.

Conventionally, in such a sheet folding apparatus, processed sheets are discharged from a discharge roller or the like onto a predetermined tray and stored in a stack, regardless of the sheet folding mode. In the case of sheet folding, the thickness of the folded sheet is multiple times that of the sheet that is not folded. Therefore, in order to increase the storage capacity of the Ikioi sheets, the distance between the bottom of the tray and the ejection means is increased.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, in such a conventional sheet storage device,
If the distance between the bottom of the tray and the ejecting means is large, for example in non-sheet folding mode, the area occupied by the ejected sheet is large and the weight per unit area is small, causing problems in sheet alignment. arise.

That is, there is a problem in that a buoyancy force acts on the sheets due to the influence of air interposed between the sheets and the bottom surface of the tray, making it difficult for the sheets to be accommodated in an aligned state.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet storage device for a sheet folding device that solves the problems of the conventional device, ensures alignment and storage capacity of sheets as needed, and has a simple and compact structure. be.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sheet folding device which has a plurality of sheet folding modes and which discharges sheets onto a tray from a discharge means. The present invention is characterized in that the distance between the bottom surface of the tray and the ejection means is changed by driving means for raising and lowering a part of the bottom surface of the tray depending on the sheet folding mode.

[Function] According to the present invention, the means for raising and lowering a portion of the bottom of the tray is driven according to the sheet folding mode, and the distance between the bottom of the tray and the ejection means is changed. For example, when a part of the bottom of the tray is raised in the non-sheet folding mode, the height difference becomes smaller, and the influence of air interposed between the sheet and the bottom of the tray is reduced and the alignment is improved. Conversely, if a portion of the bottom of the tray is lowered in the sheet folding mode, the head becomes larger and the storage capacity can be increased. In this case, since the sheet has a large weight per unit area, it is hardly affected by the buoyancy force of the air, and alignment is not impaired.

[Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a sheet storage device of a sheet folding device according to the present invention is applied to a sheet finisher will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet finisher 10 has a main body 12 placed on a pedestal 16 equipped with casters 14. The main body 12 is provided with an upper tray 18 for receiving discharged sheets and a lower tray 20 for cumulatively storing processed sheets.

22 is a partition plate.

The sheet finisher IO according to the present embodiment includes a sheet folding mechanism for folding a sheet discharged from a copying machine (not shown) and brought in. Sheet discharge angle variable mechanism 200 that changes the discharge angle. A tray shift mechanism 300 that sorts the discharged sheets. Stitching mechanism 4aa3 for stitching discharged sheets
B Sheet alignment mechanism 500 necessary before stitching. A tray rise mechanism for improving the alignment of ejected sheets on the upper tray 18; an escape mechanism 600 for releasing sheets processed on the upper tray 18 to the lower tray 20; and an escape mechanism 600 for improving the storage capacity on the lower tray 20. Each of the above-mentioned mechanisms will be explained in sequence below.

A. Sheet folding mechanism 100 The sheet folding mechanism 100 is connected to the carry-in path 10 as shown in FIG.
2. Downward conveyance path 104. Sheet storage path 1 that is continuous with this downward conveyance path 104 and temporarily stores the leading edge of the sheet.
06. Upward conveyance path 108. A horizontal conveyance path 110 is provided for conveying sheets that are not folded.

Further, at the tip of the carry-in path 102, there is a pair of carry-in rollers 112 for pinching and feeding the sheet carried in from the feed port 22.
is provided.

The member 24 in which the feeding port 22 is formed is the upper and lower guide member 2.
6.28, and its vertical position can be adjusted according to the ejection position of a copying machine (not shown) or the like.

In the middle of the downward conveyance path 104, the conveyance path 104
A first pair of conveyance rollers 116 is provided facing the conveyance rollers 116 whose nipping operation can be turned on and off by driving a solenoid 114. In addition, there are two
A second pair of transport rollers 118 and 120 is provided.

A first flapper 122 is provided at the end of the carry-in path 102 and is driven by a solenoid 124 to select either the downward conveyance path 104 or the sideways conveyance path 110 as the conveyance direction of the carried-in sheet. Further, at the end of the upward conveyance path 108, a second flapper 128 is provided which switches the conveyance direction of the conveyed sheet to either the horizontal conveyance path 110 or a second pair of press rollers to be described later using a solenoid 126. There is.

Further, a first pair of press rollers 130 is provided at the continuous portion of the downward conveyance path 104 and the sheet storage path 106, and a second press roller pair 132 is provided at the end of the upward conveyance path 108 and the sideways conveyance path 110. There is.

Further, the sheet storage path 101i is provided with a plurality of stoppers that abut against the ends of the sheets and restrict their movement.

These stoppers are set according to the form of sheet folding and sheet size. The A3H stopper 134, which is used when folding an A3 size sheet in half, is of a fixed type and is provided at the lowest end of the sheet storage path 106.

136 is B4 size and B4H used when folding in half
The stoppers 138 are the first A3Z stoppers used when Z-folding the A3 size paper, and 140 are the first B4Z stoppers used when Z-folding the B4 size paper. and is driven so as to protrude into the sheet storage path 106.

Furthermore, a second ^3z, which is used when Z-folding an A3 size paper, is also installed on the horizontal conveyance path 110 as a similar stopper.
A stopper 142 and a second B4Z stopper 144 used for Z-folding with B4 size are provided, and the horizontal conveyance path 11 is controlled by solenoids 142A and 144A, respectively.
It is driven to protrude to 0.

Note that a guide member 146 is provided on the exit side of the second press roller pair 132 to guide the sheet to a discharge roller pair to be described later.

Furthermore, a downward conveyance path 104 downstream of the first conveyance roller pair
and second press roller pair 132 downstream guide member 1
46 is provided with sensors 148 and 150 for detecting arrival and passage of sheets, respectively, and sensor 148
is a reflective photosensor, and the sensor 150 is a photointerrupter with a trip added.

B. Sheet discharge angle variable mechanism 200 The sheet discharge angle variable mechanism 200 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. A drive shaft 204 on which a plurality of discharge rollers 202 are mounted is rotatably supported by a bracket 206 fixed to the main body frame. Discharge roller 202
A rotary shaft 210 on which a plurality of pinch rollers 208 that come into contact with are mounted is rotatably supported by a support bracket 212 that is swingably supported around the drive rJJJ@204.

The ejection roller 202 and the pinch roller 208 are hereinafter referred to as an ejection roller pair 203. A solenoid 214 and a support shaft 216 are fixed to the bracket 206, and the support shaft 216 has an arm member 2 formed with a slot 218^.
18 is rotatably supported.

Further, a stopper piece 220 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the bracket 206, and a pin 224 to which one end of a spring 222 is locked is implanted. The other end of the spring 222 is connected to a first pin 226 embedded in the support bracket 212.
A second pin 228 , also implanted in the support bracket 212 , is secured to the slot 218 of the arm member 218 .
Eight is engaged. Movable rod 2 of solenoid 214
14A is connected to the arm member 218 by a connecting plate 230.

The dimensions of each of the above-mentioned components are such that when the solenoid 214 is deenergized, the sheet ejection angle determined by the plane including the common contact point of the ejection roller 202 and the pinch roller 208 is approximately QI=lO'' when the solenoid 214 is deenergized, with respect to the horizontal plane. Approximately Q
2=30''.The upper tray 18 is provided with its middle portion inclined by approximately 30 degrees.

That is, during demagnetization, the support bracket 212 is pulled by the biasing force of the spring 222, and the arm member 218 rotates clockwise as shown in the fourth figure, but the movable rod 214A
comes into contact with the stopper piece 220, whereby the initial discharge angle Q is set to +10°.

C. Tray shift mechanism 300 and binding mechanism 4
00 Next, the tray shift mechanism 300 and the binding mechanism 4
00 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

A bracket 302 is fixed to the lower side of the upper tray 18.

The motor 304 is connected to the tray chassis 1 on the side of the upper tray 18.
The cam wheel 3 is fixed to the cam wheel 9 and has a pin 306 implanted therein.
08 is rotated. One end of the connecting plate 310 is engaged with the pin 306 implanted in the cam wheel 308.
The other end is connected to the aforementioned bracket 302 with a pin 312. Every half rotation of the cam wheel 308, the upper tray 18 is shifted in the left and right directions.

Next, the stitching mechanism 400 is rotatably provided on a bracket 402 fixed to the main frame (not shown) on the side of the upper tray 18 around a pin 404 implanted in the bracket 402. A base plate 406 is provided.

A motor 408 is fixedly installed on the lower side of the bracket 402.
A cam wheel 412 on which a pin 410 is installed is driven to rotate. A slot 406A is formed in the base plate 406 in parallel with the sheet discharging direction.
The pin 410 is engaged with A. Also, base plate 4
A stapler 414 is placed on the top surface of the stapler 414, and its stable position fi414A is at the corner of the upper tray 18 as shown in FIG. The entire structure is laid out so as to be located in a notch 18G formed in the section.

D. Sheet alignment mechanism 500 Before explaining the sheet alignment mechanism 500, FIG.
The upper tray 18 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 3, although details will be described later.

The upper tray 18 mainly includes a tray body 188 and a swinging member 18B.
.

The tray main body 18A and the swinging member 18B are integrally formed with side walls 18E and 18F on their respective sides, and the door member 18G and the gate plate 180 are made up of four parts: a door member 18C and a gate plate 18D. It is provided so that it can be opened and closed. And this side wall 18E,
IIIF and gate plate 18D are orthogonal to each other on their extended lines.

An opening 18H is formed in the gate plate 18D closer to the notch 18G, and the friction roller 540 of the sheet alignment mechanism 500 comes out from this opening 18) 1 during sheet alignment.

Therefore, the sheet alignment mechanism 500 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11.

A support bracket 504 is fixed to the main body frame 502 that supports the secondary press roller 132 described above. The support bracket 504 is partially bent into a cross-sectional shape and includes a side plate portion 504A and an upper plate portion 504B. The side plate portion 504^ has a guide groove 5040 whose terminal end is slightly curved upward, and the upper plate portion 504B has an oblique guide groove 504.
D is formed respectively. Further, a motor 506 is fixedly attached to an extension of the side plate portion 504A and drives a pulley 508. A pulley 512' is further rotatably supported on the side plate portion 504A via a bracket 510 (see FIG. 8).

Furthermore, as shown in detail in FIG. 8, a rail member 514 provided with stoppers 512 at both ends is fixed to the side plate portion 504A located below the upper plate portion 504B. A slider pair 51B is slidably provided above and below this rail member 514, and this slider pair 516 is fixed to a retaining plate 518. The above-mentioned pulleys 508 and 51 are mounted on the holding plate 518.
Both ends of a wire 520, which is stretched across the wire 520, are fixed respectively. A pin 522 is implanted in the holding plate 518 and is fitted into a hole 524A at one end of the link plate 524 to be rotatably supported. A first joint member 526 is rotatably fitted into the hole 524B at the other end of the link plate 524.

The first joint member is shown enlarged in FIG.
A guide groove 50 formed in the first cylindrical portion 52δA and the side plate portion 504A into which the hole 524B of the link plate 524 fits.
4C, and annular grooves 526C and 526D for engaging washers are formed at respective ends of the cylindrical portions 526A and 526B.

Also, at one end there is a yoke 528 of the second joint part.
It has a protrusion 526E that can be connected with a pin. The protrusion 528B of the second joint member 528 is connected to a yoke 530A formed at one end of the connecting rod 530 with a pin. Therefore, the first joint member 5
26, second joint member 528, and connecting rod 53
0 constitutes a universal joint.

Further, an arm 532 whose tip is bent and formed into an L-shape is fixed to the end of the connecting rod 530, and a guide groove 504D formed in the upper plate portion 504B is located near the yoke 530A of the connecting rod 530. A gate-shaped member 534 having an engaging follower 534A is rotatably provided.

A holding member 538 that holds the jacket of the flexible wire 536 is fixed to the arm 532 .

The tip of the flexible wire 536 is connected to a shaft 542 that supports a friction roller 540, and the other end is connected to a driven shaft of the second press roller pair 132 (see FIG. 7).

When the pulley 508 is driven by the motor 506 and the holding plate 518 is moved to the right in FIG. The arm 532 and the connecting rod 530 rotate integrally around the connecting portion between the first joint member 526 and the second joint member 528. Follower friction roller 54
0 moves while keeping its height approximately constant and passes through the opening 18H of the gate plate 180, as shown in FIG.

Further, as the holding plate 518 moves to the right, the first joint member 52 guided by the guide groove 504C
6 is lifted upward according to the curved shape of the rear end of the guide groove 5040, and the arm 532 and the connecting rod 530 rotate integrally around the connecting portion with the gate-shaped member 534. Therefore, the friction roller 540 descends and contacts the upper surface of the upper tray 18, as shown in FIG.

At this time, it is preferable that the rotation plane of the friction roller 540 be inclined at about 15 degrees with respect to the gate plate 18D of the upper tray 18.

For example, if the discharged sheet is in the state shown in Sl as shown in FIG. 11, the sheet comes into contact with the side wall 18F of the upper tray 18 and the gate plate 180 as the friction roller 540 rotates, and the sheet is in the state shown in Sl. are aligned.

It is preferable to form a folded portion in the tray 18 near the position where the friction roller 540 contacts the upper surface of the upper tray 18, since this can prevent the sheet from bending convexly downward and curling.

E. Tray rise mechanism and escape mechanism 600 The above-mentioned upper tray 18 is attached to the main body frame 5 as shown in FIG.
It is freely placed on a tray chassis 19 fixed to the tray chassis 19.

The tray chassis 19 has two guide bars 19A and 1
9B is installed horizontally.

In the upper tray 18, as shown in detail in FIG. 13, a roller 18 is transferred on the guide bar 19B of the tray chassis 19 via a bracket 18J to the lower surface of the tray body 18A.
K is provided.

Furthermore, the guide bar 1 of the tray chassis 19 is also placed on the bottom surface.
Bearing block 18L and solenoid 8 in sliding contact with 9A
A bracket 18M for attaching 02 is fixedly provided.

Further, a boss 18N through which a guide bar 19A is inserted is integrally formed on the lower surface of the swinging member 18B. Thus, the swinging member 18B swings about the axis Z of the guide bar 19A.

A movable rod 602A of a solenoid 602 for driving the swinging member 18B is connected via a connecting plate 604 to an arm member 606 fixed to the boss 18N of the swinging member 18B.

Next, in FIG. 14, the swinging member 18B and the door member 1
8G and is connected to be rotatable relative to axis Y.

Further, a first bracket 60 is provided on the side of the tray main body 18A.
8 is fixedly installed, and this rotatably supports the gate plate 18D via a boss portion 18P formed integrally therewith. First bracket 608 laterally to tray body 18
A second bracket 609 is provided below the bracket 609, and a third bracket 611 is provided at a predetermined distance from the second bracket 609 with a plurality of studs 610. A solenoid 612 is fixed to the first bracket 608, and a solenoid 612 is fixed to the first bracket 608.
A bottle 613 is installed. The first pin 613 is provided with a first spring 61B that biases the arm member 614 in the clockwise direction shown in the figure, and supports the arm member 614 so as to be rotatable.

One end of the arm member 614 is engaged with a slot 618A formed in the connecting plate 618, and the other end is engaged with a slot 620A of an arm member 620 fixed to the boss portion 18P of the gate plate 18D.

One end of the connection plate 618 is connected to the movable rod 612A of the solenoid 612, and the other end is connected to the third bracket 61.
It is engaged with a slot 624A at one end of a bell crank 624 which is rotatably supported by a second pin 622 implanted in the bell crank 624.

The other end of the bell crank 624 engages with a slot 628A of a first stopper release arm 628 rotatably supported by a third pin 626 implanted in the third bracket 611.

Next, the lock mechanism 630 will be explained. Lock mechanism 6
30 has a housing 632, an actuating rod 636 housed within the housing 632 and biased in the projecting direction by a spring 634, and a pawl 638 screwed onto the tip of the actuating rod. In this embodiment, two identical mechanisms are used as the first and second lock mechanisms 630A and 630B, respectively.

That is, the first locking mechanism 630A is connected to the bracket 64.
0 through the first position 611^ of the third bracket 611
is provided to restrict movement of the gate plate 180.

Although not shown, the second lock mechanism 630B is provided at a second position 611B of the second bracket 611 via a bracket to restrict movement of the door member 18G.

Then, the end of the first lock release arm 628 is engaged with the claw 638 of the first locking mechanism 630A, and the clockwise rotation of the arm 628 causes the actuation rod 636 to retract into the housing 632. .

Furthermore, the second bracket 609 includes a fourth bin 644.
, the fifth bottle 646 is installed, and the bracket 6
A solenoid 648 is fixedly installed via 42.

A movable rod 648^ of the solenoid 648 is connected by a connecting plate 652 to one end of a bell crank 650 rotatably supported on the fourth pin 644.

The fifth bin 646 has a slot 654A and a hole 654.
An arm member 654 having a shape B is rotatably supported, and a sixth bottle 656 is implanted in the hole 654B.

The other end of the bell crank 650 has a slot 658 in the midsection.
A slot 658 is connected to the other end of an arm member 658 having a seventh pin 658B provided at one end thereof.
The sixth pin 656 implanted in the arm member 654 engages with A.

A seventh bin 65 provided at one end of the arm member 658
8B engages with a slot 662A of a second unlocking arm 662 rotatably supported by an eighth pin 660 implanted in the third bracket 611. The other end of the second lock release arm 662 engages with the pawl 638B of the aforementioned second locking mechanism 630B (not shown), and the arm 662
The locking function of the second locking mechanism 630B is released by rotating counterclockwise.

A ninth bin 664 screwed onto the side surface of the door member 18C is engaged with the slot 654A of the arm member 654.

Note that a second spring 666 and a third spring 668 are stretched between the swinging member 18B and the first bracket 608 and between the door member 18G and the first bracket 608, respectively. .

F. Tray Angle Control Mechanism 700 As shown in FIG. 16, the lower tray 20 has a plurality of tabs 2OA on its base end, a through hole 20B in the side wall into which the rod 702 is inserted, and a notch 20C that engages with the shaft 704. have. The tab 2OA is inserted into a hole (not shown) formed in the partition plate 22, and the lower tray 20 can swing around this base end.

The shaft 704 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 502, and has a hook plate 706 fixed to one end thereof.

The rod 702 passes through an arcuate long hole 502A formed in the main body frame 502, and one end thereof is connected to the hook plate 706.
It is disposed so as to be able to engage with the stepped portion 706A formed in the. This rod 702 is always urged upward by a spring 710 whose one end is locked to a pin 708 implanted in the main body frame 502.

A hole 706B provided at an end of the hook plate 706 engages with a collar 714 supported at one end of a bell crank 712 rotatably supported by a pin 711 on the main body frame 502. The other end of the bell crank 712 is the main frame 50
Movable rod 716A of solenoid 718 fixed to 2
and is connected via a connecting plate 718. Further, the hook plate 706 is biased counterclockwise in the drawing by a spring 720 whose one end is locked to the main body frame 502.

Thus, when the solenoid 716 is in the OFF state, the stepped portion 706A of the hook plate 706 and the rod 702 engage, and the lower tray 20 is held at a predetermined angle.

When a predetermined number of sheets are accumulated on the lower tray 20, the solenoid 716 is energized and the bell crank 712 is energized.
The hook plate 706 is rotated against the spring 720 and disengaged from the rod 702.

Then, depending on the weight of the lower tray 20 and the weight of the accumulated sheets, the lower tray 20 rotates about its base end so as to enlarge its acceptance angle.

When the maximum number of sheets accommodated is reached, the notch 20G and the shaft 704 engage, and the lower tray 20 is held substantially horizontally.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be explained.

A. When the non-sheet folding mode is set in the non-sheet folding copying machine main body, the solenoid 124.12 is activated by a command from a control circuit configured using a microcomputer (not shown), etc.
6 and 214 perform predetermined operations. That is, the first flapper 122 and the second flapper 128 are switched to the solid line position shown in FIG. 2, and the variable sheet discharge angle mechanism 200 is set to the initial discharge angle Q1 of 10 degrees.

At the same time, the solenoids 142A and 144 are turned off and the second A3Z stopper 142 and B4Z stopper 1 are turned off.
44 are both retracted from the horizontal conveyance path 110.

Then, the sheet discharged from the copying machine or the like is nipped by a pair of carry-in rollers 112, passes through a horizontal conveyance path 110°, passes through a second press roller 132, reaches a pair of discharge rollers 203, and is discharged to the upper tray 18 at a discharge angle Q+. Ru.

B. When the half-folding mode for the half-folded sheet is set, the solenoids 124, 126 and 214 perform predetermined operations in response to commands from a control circuit (not shown). And the first flapper 1
22 at the second dashed line position, the second flapper 128 at the solid line position, and the variable sheet ejection angle mechanism 200 at the ejection angle Q.
Each is set to 2430°. Also, the solenoid 136^ is controlled according to the size of the sheet. For example, if the seat is ^3 size, turn off solenoid 136^,
If the size is B4, the solenoid 136A is turned on to cause the B4H stopper 138 to protrude into the accommodation path 106.

Thus, the sheet carried in from the feed port 22 is nipped by the pair of carry-in rollers 112, passes through the first flapper 122, and enters the downward conveyance path 104. The downward conveyance path 104 has a first
A pair of transport rollers 116 are installed, and a pair of transport rollers 1
The sheet conveyed by the receiving path 12 is taken up and further transferred to the receiving path 1.
Transport to 06.

The rear end of the sheet conveyed to the storage path 106 leaves the pair of carry-in rollers 112, and the conveyance function is performed only by the pair of rollers 115 at the first conveyance port.

A3)1 stopper 134 provided in the accommodation path 106
and B4H stopper 136 are the first press roller pair 130
The distance to the nip location is set to be half the length of the A3 and B4 sheets, respectively.

The seat is a stopper 134. Or arrive at 136 t
1 second (calculated as the difference between the expected arrival time and elapsed time based on the feed speed of the first m2 feed roller pair 116 and the sheet size after the sensor 148 detects the passage of the leading edge of the sheet).

), the solenoid 114 is operated to release the nip of the first conveyance roller 116, and the sheet hits the stopper due to its own weight and inertia. At that time, the seat is in a state where the restraint is released, so it stands at right angles to the stopper. Therefore, even if a sheet is brought in diagonally from a copying machine or the like, the inclination of the sheet is corrected here.

Furthermore, when the solenoid 114 is operated and the sheet is nipped and conveyed again by the first conveying roller 116, the middle of the sheet whose front end hits the stopper and whose movement is restricted faces the first pair of press rollers 130, and the sheet is conveyed by the first conveying roller 116. A downward conveyance path 104 and a storage path 106 have a shape that smoothly swells in the direction.
The intermediate portion thereof is curved and nipped by the first pair of press rollers 13G. The contact line of the first pair of press rollers 130 and the stopper surface are parallel, and the sheet is folded parallel to the edge.

The sheet folded by the first pair of press rollers 130 is conveyed to the upward conveyance path 10g. The upward conveyance path 108 is provided with two pairs of second conveyance rollers 118 and 12G for conveying the sheet folded in half.

In the second pair of transport rollers 118 and 120, the driven rollers are preferably independently suspended in order to prevent wrinkles from occurring due to skewing of the sheet.

The sheet is guided via a second flapper 128 to a first pair of press rollers 132.

The half-folded sheet is pressed by the second pair of press rollers 132 and the first
The paper is pressed with a higher pressure than the press roller pair 130, and is discharged from the discharge roller pair 203 via the guide member 146.

When the Z-folding mode for the C- and Z-folding sheets is set, the solenoids 124, 126 and 214 perform predetermined operations in response to commands from a control circuit (not shown). And the first flapper 1
22 and the second flapper 128 respectively at the second broken line position shown in the figure, and the sheet ejection angle variable mechanism 200 at the ejection angle Q2.
Set to 430°.

Also, depending on the size of the seat, solenoid 138A or 140A and solenoid 1428 or 14
Performs 4A control. For example, if the size is A3, solenoids 138A and 142A are turned on, and if the size is B4, solenoids 140A and 144A are turned on.

Corresponding stoppers are thus projected into the storage path 106 and the lateral transport path 110, respectively.

A typical case of Z-folding an A3 size sheet will be explained.

The sheet coming from the feed port 22 is transferred to the carry-in roller 112.
The sheet is nipped by the paper sheet and conveyed to the storage path 106 via the downward conveyance path 104 in the same manner as when folding in half.

In the accommodation path 101i, the first A3Z stopper 138 is in a protruding state.

This A3Z stopper 138 and B4Z stopper 140
are set such that the distance to the nip location of the first pair of press rollers 130 is % of the length of each sheet.

The method for correcting the sheet inclination and folding the sheet is exactly the same as for half-folding.

The sheet folded from the leading edge of the sheet at the proper position by the first pair of press rollers 130 is guided through the upward conveyance path 108 to the horizontal conveyance path 110 opened by the second flapper 128 . In the horizontal conveyance path 110, the second A3Z stopper 142 is in a protruding state.

The second ^3z stopper 142 and the B4Z stopper 144 for secondary folding are each set so that the distance to the nip location of the second press roller pair 1.32 is the length of the scrap on the edge of each sheet. ing.

Then, the first press roller pair 130 hits the fold of the sheet folded at the moon position from the tip, and the movement of the sheet is restrained, and further the upward conveyance path 10
When the trailing edge of the sheet is conveyed by the second pair of conveyance rollers 120 provided at 8, the sheet that has no place to go is pressed against the upper guide of the horizontal conveyance path 11G, and the length of the waste from the fold of the sheet, that is, the length of the sheet. It is nipped by the second press roller pair 132 at the middle position. Here, the sheet is folded in the opposite direction to the primary fold by the first pair of press rollers 130, and the Z-shaped sheet is finally folded by the guide member 1 in the same way as when folding in half.
46 and is discharged from a pair of discharge rollers 203.

The discharge angle at this time is approximately 30°.

As shown in Figure 3, the Z-folded sheet S is placed in the upper tray 1.
8, the height of the side where the fold is present becomes higher than the other side, and the tip of the ejected sheet tends to push out the sheets that have already been accumulated.
This can be prevented by increasing the discharge angle as described above.

D Sorting is performed by a shift mechanism 300 provided at the bottom of the upper trunk 18. The sheets discharged by the pair of discharge rollers 203 are stored in the upper tray 18 in order.

Therefore, when sorting mode is selected, guide member 1
The sensor 150 provided at the guide member 148
Manage sheets passing through. t2 after the front seat passes
When the next sheet is not detected for a second, the motor 304 on the top of the tray 18 is driven to rotate the cam wheel 308 by half a revolution. Then, the tray 1 is connected via the connecting plate 310.
8 is shifted by a predetermined amount.

Thereafter, the sheet discharged by the pair of discharge rollers 203 is stored at a position shifted by a predetermined amount from the previously stored sheet. By repeating this process, the front and rear sheets can be distinguished, and the sorting operation can be performed until the maximum number of sheets that can be accommodated in the tray 18 is reached.

In this case, sorting can be performed regardless of whether the non-sheet folding mode, half-folding mode, or Z-folding mode is selected.

E. Stitching When the stitching mode is selected, the guide member 14
The sheet alignment mechanism 500 detects the passage of the sheet by the sensor 150 installed at 6, and after t5 seconds and t4 seconds after the sheet has passed, or until the next sheet is detected.
The sheets stored in the tray 18 are aligned.

As described above, the sheet alignment mechanism 500 is normally installed on the lower side of the guide member 146. And sensor 15
When the passage of the sheet is detected, the motor 506 is started and the friction roller 540 passes through the opening 18H provided in the gate plate 180 and appears on the tray 18 as described above. Then, the sheet stored there is transferred to the friction roller 5.
It is fed into the corner of the upper tray 18 where the notch 18G is formed with a friction force of 40 degrees. The edge of the sheet is fed by the friction roller 540 and touches the side wall 18F of the upper tray 18.
and are aligned by coming into contact with the gate plate 18D.

Such sheet alignment operation is performed for a predetermined number of sheets.

By performing the alignment operation using the friction roller 540 in this manner, it is possible to align the sheets even if they are of different sizes. Then, a predetermined number of sheets aligned at the corners by the friction rollers 540 are moved to a stable position by shifting the tray 18. This position is the same as the shift position used in the aforementioned sorting mode. Tray 18
At the same time, the stitching mechanism 4 moves to the stable position.
00 also operates, starting the motor 408 and starting the stapler 41.
4 also moves to the stable position. Then, when it is confirmed by a sensor (not shown) that the tray 18 and stapler 414 have moved to the stable position, stabilization is performed.

After stabilization, both the tray 18 and the stapler 414 return to their home positions.

Note that the direction of the stable is a direction that is inclined with respect to both sides at the corner of the sheet, so that the bound sheet bundle can be easily turned over.

F. Tray Rise The tray rise operation is performed according to the finisher 0 mode selection.

That is, when the sheet is not folded, the door member 18G and the swinging member 18B, which constitute the base end of the tray 18, are raised upward as shown in FIG.
The members 18G and 18B are held in the lower position to improve sheet alignment, and after the sheet is folded, the members 18G and 18B are held in a lowered second position to improve sheet storage.

When the finisher 10 is in the non-sheet folding mode, the solenoid 602 is in the OFF state, and the swinging member 18
B is rotated about the axis Z of the first guide bar 19A by the biasing force of the second spring 666, and is held at the above-mentioned first position shown in FIG. 15 together with the door member 18G.

In this state, the distance between the discharge roller 202 and the top surface of the tray 18 is shortened, and the influence of the buoyancy force due to the air interposed between the discharged sheet and the tray top surface is small, and the discharged sheets are aligned without misalignment. be done.

In addition, in order to facilitate this alignment operation, the gate plate 1
A plurality of air vent holes 18Q are bored in 8D.

Next, when the finisher IO is in the sheet folding mode and the binding mode, the swinging member 18B and the door member 18C are moved to the second position shown by the solid line in FIG. 15.

First, when the above mode is selected, the solenoid 612 is energized, and the initial stroke of the movable rod 612^ releases the lock of the gate plate 180 by the tenth locking mechanism 630A, and the later stroke releases the lock of the gate plate 180.
Rotate around axis X.

That is, the bell crank 624 rotates via the connecting plate 618 at the initial stroke of the movable rotor 12^.

At this time, the arm member 614 does not move due to the action of the slot B18A of the connecting plate 618. bell crank 6
The rotation of 24 is transmitted to the first lock release arm 628, and the lock release arm 628 retracts the actuating rod 838 through the claw 638 of the tenth claw mechanism 630A, and releases the lock of the gate play)-18D.

Further, as the stroke of the movable rod 612A advances, the gate plate 180 is opened via the arm member 620.

In this state, the solenoid 602 is energized, and the arm member 606 fixed to the boss 18N of the swing member 18B is rotated via the connection plate 604.

Then, the swinging member 18B resists the second spring 666 and moves @
The door member 18C rotates downward centering on Z, and at the same time, the door member 18C connected centering on axis Y also descends downward.

The door member 18G is biased by the third spring 668 in the direction of rotation about the axis Y, but this rotation is caused by the door member 18G moving against the side wall 18F provided on the side of the swinging member 18B. It is blocked by coming into contact with the extension 18R, and its position is determined.

Thereafter, the solenoid 612 is demagnetized and the first spring 61
At the same time as the gate plate 18D is returned to its original position by B, the first locking mechanism is also returned to its original position, and the gate plate 1
Lock 80.

G. Escape After the above-mentioned stitching operation is completed, the gate plate 18D, the swinging member 18B, and the door member 18C are opened simultaneously, and the sheet bundle is transferred from the upper tray 18) to the lower tray 2.
An escape operation is performed to drop it to 0.

Solenoid 612 and solenoid 648 are energized after a predetermined time after the end of the binding operation is detected.

Then, as described above, the lock by the 10th lock mechanism 630A is released and the gate plate 18D opens, and at the same time, the lock by the 20th lock mechanism 630B is released by the initial stroke of the movable rod 648A of the solenoid 648, and the door member 18G is opened by the later stroke. Swing member 18B is opened.

That is, the bell crank 650 rotates with the initial stroke of the movable rod 648A, and the arm member 658 is stretched three times.

At this time, the sixth pin 6 implanted in the arm member 654
56 is engaged with the slot 658A of the arm member 658, so it only slides within the slot 658A, and the arm member 654 does not move.

The movement of the arm member 658 is caused by the movement of the second lock release arm 66.
0, and the door member 18C is unlocked by the second locking mechanism 630B.

Further, as the stroke of the movable rod 648A advances, the arm member 654 rotates around the fifth pin 646, and the door member 18G is rotated about the axis Y via the ninth pin 664 engaged in the slot 654A. Rotate it as As the rotation of the door member 18G progresses, the swinging member 18B also rotates about the axis Z together with the door member 18c. This movement is absorbed by the engagement of the movable rod 602A of the solenoid 602 and the slot 604A of the coupling plate 604.

After the sheet bundle falls to the lower tray 20, the solenoid 61
2 and 648, and return the gate plate 18D, door member 18G, and swinging member 18B to the second position in FIG. At this time, the solenoid 648
12 degaussing is delayed.

H1 Lower tray angle switching When the sheet bundle falls from the upper tray 18 to the lower tray 20 held at a predetermined angle and is accumulated, especially in the case of Z-folded sheets, the side where the fold exists is the other side. Since the thickness is more than three times that of the sheet stack SO, the effective angle for receiving the sheet bundle SO is narrowed, as shown in FIG.

In order to ensure a wide effective acceptance angle, in this embodiment, when the number of sheets reaches 120, the solenoid 716 is temporarily energized.

Due to this excitation, the engagement between the hook plate 706 and the rod 702 is released as described above, and the lower tray 20 rotates around its base end according to its own weight and the weight of the sheet, thereby expanding the acceptance angle.

Note that when the sheets stored in the lower tray 20 are removed, the lower tray 20 returns to its original position due to the restoring force of the spring 710 and is automatically locked, thereby preventing the lower tray 20 from bouncing due to the impact when the sheet bundle S0 falls. To prevent.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the distance between the bottom of the tray and the ejection means is changed depending on the predetermined sheet folding mode, so that sheets can be ejected as needed. It is possible to ensure sheet alignment and accommodation. Further, since a part of the bottom surface of the tray is raised and lowered, a sheet storage device having a simple and compact structure can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment in which a sheet storage device of a sheet folding device according to the present invention is incorporated into a finisher, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an outline of the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. A perspective view showing a variable sheet ejection angle mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-rV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 and FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a non-stitching state and FIG. 6 is a stitching operation state. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a sheet alignment mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the variable sheet discharge angle mechanism omitted for simplicity of the drawing. Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the same as the above, Fig. 9 is a partially enlarged perspective view thereof, Fig. 10 is a side sectional view of the gate plate section to explain the behavior of the friction roller, and Fig. 11 is the upper tray and the friction roller. 12 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship of the tray chassis of the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the upper tray of the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 14 15 is an exploded perspective view showing the rise mechanism and escape mechanism of the upper tray according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating the raising operation of the upper tray, and FIG. 16 is an angle of the lower tray according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the variable control mechanism, and a side view for explaining its operation. 18... Upper tray, 18^... Upper tray body, 18B... Swinging member, 18G... Door member, 18D... Gate plate, 18N... Boss, 100... Sheet folding Mechanism, 200... Sheet discharge angle variable mechanism, 300... Tray shift mechanism, 400... Sheet binding mechanism, 500... Sheet alignment mechanism, aOO-) - Ray rise and escape mechanism, 602
．． 612... Solenoid, 606... Arm member, 700... Lower tray angle control mechanism. Honyaku 0 - Diagonal view showing the big request d Figure 1 Figure 8 Bad decoration #sK Harine Akira Figure 9 Yosawa Laura/) 葎! Figure 10

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) In a sheet folding device having a plurality of sheet folding modes and discharging sheets onto a tray from a discharging means, means for raising and lowering a part of the bottom surface of the tray according to a predetermined sheet folding mode is provided. A sheet storage device for a sheet folding device, characterized in that the sheet storage device is driven to change the distance between the bottom surface of the tray and the ejection means.