JPH04341458A - Sheet post-processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent arrangement of a bundle of sheet from being disturbed in loading it on a sheet bundle loading tray in a sheet post-processing device in which the bundle of sheet stored once in a sheet supporting pan is fed to the sheet bundle loading tray and re-loaded for each bundle of sheet. CONSTITUTION:A sheet arranged on a sheet receiving pan is fed through a pair of rollers 1 and 4 and, when a bundle of sheet is loaded on a sheet bundle loading tray 13, the sheet bundle loading tray 13 starts to move in the direction of feeding. Also a pressing member 18 for pressing the bundle of sheet aginst the loading tray 13 is provided to prevent dislocation of the bundle of sheet.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing device, and more particularly, to a sheet post-processing device, for example, for processing a sheet-like member such as copy paper that is discharged after image formation from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printing machine, or a laser beam printer. The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing device having a post-processing function after sorting and storing sheets in sequential trays (hereinafter referred to as "bin trays").

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, sheets have a post-processing function that allows sheet bundles to be sorted and stored in a number exceeding the number of bin trays, without being limited by the number of bin trays installed on the discharge section side of an image forming apparatus. Post-processing devices (hereinafter referred to as sorting devices) are known. In this type of known device, sheet bundles that have been sorted and stored on each bin tray and have reached a predetermined number are sequentially discharged via a conveying means, and a sheet bundle stacking device of a sheet stacking device located behind the sheet stacking device is discharged. (hereinafter referred to as a stack tray). As a result, the empty bin trays are again filled with sheet-like members, so that the sheet-like members can be sorted into a number greater than the number of bin trays. The transport means used in the above device are as follows:
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-63561, a sheet bundle on a bin tray is held between fingers that can be opened freely, and the fingers are moved to carry the sheet out of the bin tray, or a pair of rollers that can be opened freely. Some bin trays hold a bundle of sheets between them and carry them out of the bin tray by rotation of rollers.

0003

However, the above conventional example using only fingers has the following problems.

[0004] When the sorting device is a sorter having multiple bin trays, the fingers enter between two adjacent bin trays and sandwich the sheet bundle, so at least the fingers enter between the two bins in an open state. The bin trays must be spaced sufficiently apart from each other, making it difficult to accommodate a large number of bin trays within a given space.

(2) The fingers holding the sheet bundle have to move a sufficient distance to carry out the sheet bundle, which increases the size of the device and increases the cost.

[0006] Furthermore, when the sheet bundle is unbound, the following problems occur when the sheet bundle is carried out using only rollers.

[0007] When the rollers nip and convey the sheet bundle, rotational force and clamping force act on the rollers, so the conveyance progresses, and the moment the trailing edge of the sheet bundle comes off the nip of the rollers, the sheet Misalignment of bundles occurs.

[0008]

[Means for solving the problems (and effects)] The present invention has the following features:
The purpose of this device is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional device, and it is possible to transport and stack sheet bundles in a number greater than the number of bin trays onto the stack tray while keeping them aligned, and to handle unbound sheets. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing device that can accurately align and stack sheets.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a sheet stacking device attached to a sorting device having at least one bin tray for sorting and storing sheet-like members, in which a sheet bundle is conveyed to a stack tray. The present invention is characterized by having a transport unit provided with a means for carrying out the transfer, and a stack tray unit provided with a stack tray that can be reciprocated in the transport direction.

Based on the above configuration, the sheet bundles aligned and stored on the bin tray of the sorting device are
The sheet bundle is transported to the stack tray by the transport unit, and the stack tray is moved in the transport direction in synchronization with the transport to stack the sheet bundle onto the stack tray.

[0011]

[Embodiments] Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a sheet post-processing device embodying the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a sorting device 100 (finisher, sorter, etc.) having one or more bin trays is an image forming device 2.
00 (equipped with an automatic document feeder R that automatically feeds documents to a platen), and a sheet bundle stacking device 300 is attached to the side of this sorting device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, which is a top view of FIG. and a pull-out grip 101 that is movable in the Y direction, and is configured to make it possible to move the sheet bundle ejected by the image forming apparatus 200 and stacked on the bin tray b of the sorting device 100 to the sheet bundle stacking device 300 side. It has become.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the sorting device 100 has an alignment reference member 141 fixedly attached to the bin cover from 121 to the bottom 119b of the bin frame 119, which abuts a sheet-like member.

The image forming apparatus 200 internally includes a sheet supplying means, a sheet conveying means, a registration roller, a developing means,
It includes a transfer means, a photosensitive drum, a fixing means, an intermediate tray for both sides, etc. Note that 210 in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a discharge roller.

A support plate 123 is fixed on the rear side of the base end of the bottle frame 119, and on the support plate 123, the upper end is connected to an upper arm 125, and the lower end is connected to a lower arm. A rotation center shaft 127 fixed to 126 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft (not shown) provided on the support plate 123 and a rotation shaft 129 provided on the bin cover 121. Further, the support plate 123 is provided with a fan-shaped gear 13.
1 is rotatably arranged around a rotating shaft provided on the support plate 123, and the lower arm 126 is fixed to the sector gear 131. Further, a pulse motor 132 is arranged below the support plate 123, and a gear 133 fixed to the output shaft of the pulse motor 132 meshes with the sector gear 131. At the tip of the lower arm 126 and the tip of the upper arm 125, there is an alignment rod 1 that passes through the notches 135 provided in each bin B over all the bins.
36 is installed, and the matching rod 136 is connected to the fan-shaped gear 13.
It is configured to swing by one rotation. Furthermore,
A light-shielding plate 137 is provided on the lower arm 126, and by rotating together with the lower arm 126, the light-shielding plate 137 turns on and off the home position sensor 139 arranged on the back side of the bin frame 119. is configured to do so.

In FIG. 3, 189 is a guide that guides the sheet discharged from the copying machine to a bin tray, and 190 is a discharge roller. The sheet is discharged to a bin tray via this discharge roller 190. The bin tray is raised or lowered step by step so as to face the discharge roller 190.

Next, the sheet bundle stacking device 300 will be explained. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the main parts, and FIG.
It is a XX sectional view of. The sheet stack stacking device 300 includes a conveyance unit supported by a pair of side plates 22, a stack tray unit, and a paper pressing unit installed on the stack tray unit.

The conveyance unit includes an upper conveyance shaft 2 on which one or more upper conveyance rollers 1 are disposed, two upper swinging arms 3 that support the upper conveyance shaft 2, and an upper A lower conveyance shaft 5 on which a lower conveyance roller 4 is arranged so as to be in rolling contact with the conveyance roller 1, and a lower swing arm 6 that supports the lower conveyance shaft 5.
There are two. The upper conveyance shaft 2 and the lower conveyance shaft 5 are connected to pulleys and belts 62 by starting the conveyance drive motor 7.
and can be rotated via gear 63. A roller 8 is attached to each of the upper swing arm 3 and the lower swing arm 6, and through the roller 8, the upper swing arm 3 connects to the upper swing cam 9, and the lower swing arm 6 connects to the lower swing cam. It is in contact with cam 10. The upper swing cam 9 and the lower swing cam 10 are eccentric cams, and the belt 64 and shaft 6 are driven by the swing drive motor 11.
1 to swing the upper swing arm 3 and the lower swing arm 6.

The stack tray unit includes stack tray support rollers 12 installed on both side plates, a stack tray 13 that can be moved back and forth in the conveying direction on the stack tray support rollers, and a stack tray drive motor 14 that causes the movement. It consists of a stack tray drive device with a A detector 15 is attached to the side plate, and there is a first home position P1 where the sliding stack tray 13 stops, and a second home position P2.
and shift limit position P3, and the stack tray drive device (Figure 6(b)
), the motor 14 is controlled by a control circuit.
, a pinion 6 that transmits the output of this motor to the rack 13a.
0) controls the operation of the stack tray 13.

The paper pressing unit is installed on the stack tray 13, and when a sheet bundle that is being conveyed is loaded onto the stack tray 13, it comes into contact with and further slides on the already stacked sheet bundle. This prevents the stacked bundles from shifting due to this. Paper holder drive motor 1
6 is connected to a paper pressing shaft 17 via a drive belt and a pulley, and a paper pressing member 18 is fixed to the tip of the paper pressing shaft 17. The paper pressing member 18 is made of, for example, rubber, and stops in a bent state above the sheet bundle, and uses the bending force to press the stacked sheets and prevent the stacked sheet bundle from shifting due to the sheet bundle being conveyed.

Next, the flow of operation will be explained. The sheet-like member S on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 200 is discharged and stored in the bin tray b. As shown in Figure 4,
The sheet-like member S moves toward the rear end stopper b' by its own weight on a bin tray b arranged with the rear end stopper B' inclined downward. Further, the alignment rod 136 is moved by a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow E from the standby position 136' by the pulse motor 132 that rotates based on a pulse signal corresponding to the sheet size, and presses the side edge of the sheet-like member S against the alignment reference member 141. . Further, after the alignment rod 136 has moved a predetermined amount, it returns to the standby position in preparation for discharging the next sheet-like member S. The above-mentioned operation is repeated every time one sheet is discharged, and a sheet bundle consisting of one or more sheet-like members S is placed in one bin tray b with the side edge facing the alignment reference member 141 and the rear edge facing the bin tray b.
The rear end stopper b' is brought into contact with and aligned with the rear end stopper b'. Furthermore, all the alignment rods 136 pass through the bin trays b..., and the sheet-like members S... stored in the other bin trays B... are also aligned in the same way.

When all image formation is completed, the sheet bundle A consisting of one or more sheet-like members to which images have been transferred is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the aligning reference member 141 that is held in the pull-out grip 101 attached to the sorting device 100 and transported first in the X direction and then in the Y direction is brought into contact with the alignment reference member 141.
The upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 are separated from each other and are waiting with the upper swing arm 3 and the lower swing arm 6 open.
(Figure 7).

The detector 20 detects that the sheet bundle A has been inserted.
When detected, the swing drive motor 11 starts rotating and the openings of the upper swing arm 3 and the lower swing arm 6 are closed.
The sheet bundle A is pressed against the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 (FIG. 8). When an appropriate pressure is applied between the upper conveyance roller and the lower conveyance roller 4, the swing motor 11 stops, then the conveyance motor 7 starts, and the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 move at a constant speed. By rotating, the sheet bundle A is conveyed.

When the detector 21 detects the rear end of the sheet bundle A, the conveyance motor 7 stops rotating, and then the swing motor 1
1 to release the pressure between the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 (FIG. 9). With the rear end of the sheet bundle A in the middle of being conveyed being in contact with the lower conveying roller 4 and the leading end being in contact with the stack tray 13, the stack tray drive device is started, and the stack tray is moved to the first home position P1. The stopped stack tray 13 is moved in the transport direction a. Then, the sheet bundle A is dragged along with the movement of the stack tray 13 due to the frictional force between the front end of the sheet bundle and the surface of the stack tray, and finally the rear end of the sheet bundle is pulled onto the stack tray 13 and the paper pressing member 18 due to its own weight. (Figure 10). By the above-described method, the sheet bundle A that has been once aligned by the sorting device can be stacked on the stack tray while maintaining the alignment. The width direction of the sheet bundle is aligned by the side plates 19. When the holding member 18 is removed, the side plate 19
Pressed by

When the shift limit position P3 of the stack tray 13 during sliding movement is detected by the detector 15 and the protrusion 13d (FIG. 10), the stack tray 13 is stopped by the stack tray drive device. As shown in FIG. 11, when the paper pressing member 18 is currently stopped on the stack tray 13 and the sheet bundle A is stacked on the paper pressing member 18, the paper pressing member 18 is moved by the paper pressing drive motor. When the paper holding shaft 17 is rotated with a torque stronger than the friction between the stack trays 13, the paper holding member 18 increases the amount of flexure and finally closes in the hole 22 provided in the stack tray.
, comes into contact with the sheet bundle A, stops with an appropriate amount of deflection, and presses the sheet bundle A vertically downward in the conveying direction (
Fig. 11(c), Fig. 12).

Next, the stack tray drive device moves the stack tray 13 in the opposite direction to the transport direction a, and the detector 15 and the protrusion 13c move the stack tray 13 to the second home position P2.
When is sensed, the stack tray 13 stops (Fig. 13
position shown).

Next, if there are two or more sheet bundles, the bin tray of the sorter is raised or lowered by one step, the next bin tray is placed opposite the stack unit, and the sheet bundle B in that bin tray is pulled out by the pull-out grip. It is carried between the conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 (FIG. 13). When the detector 20 detects the sheet bundle B, it is thereafter conveyed in the same manner as the sheet bundle A (FIGS. 14 and 15), and is stacked on the sheet bundle A and the paper pressing member 18 (FIGS. 16 and 17). The position of the stack tray 13 before conveyance is the first position for the sheet bundle A.
Since the home position is P1 and the second home position P2 for sheet bundle B, the two sheet bundles are
They will be loaded with the same spacing as between the two home positions. The stack tray 13 during sliding movement is detected by the detector 15 to be at the shift limit position P3.
When detected, the stack tray drive device stops the stack tray.

Next, when the paper presser shaft starts rotating by the paper presser drive motor, the paper presser member 8 slides over the sheet bundle A while increasing the amount of deflection, and is pressed onto the sheet bundle B (
Figure 18). Next, the stack tray drive device moves the stack tray 13 in the opposite direction to the transport direction α, and stops at the first home position P1.

Sheet bundle C is also conveyed in the same manner as sheet bundles A and B (the bin tray of the sorter is raised or lowered by one step to face the pull-out grip) (FIG. 19).
), the position of the stack tray 13 before conveyance is also the same as that of the sheet bundle A, so that the sheet bundle B is stacked at the same position as the sheet bundle A with a gap therebetween. When the detector 15 detects the shift limit position P3, the stack tray 13 is stopped by the stack tray drive device, and the paper press member 18 is pressed onto the sheet bundle C by the paper press drive motor.

Subsequently, the stack tray 13 is moved again by the stack tray drive device in the opposite direction to the transport direction α, and stopped at the second home position P2. Thereafter, the home position at which conveyance is started is changed for each sheet bundle, and conveyance and stacking up to the final sheet bundle is performed.

As described above, by stacking the sorted sheet bundles on the bin tray of the sorter at arbitrary intervals,
It becomes possible to sort each sheet bundle.

In the above embodiment, after all the bin trays have been loaded with sheet bundles, the bin trays are shifted one stage at a time to face the stack tray unit for extrusion processing, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, transfer the sheet stack from the bin tray where the last sheet of the sheet stack was ejected to the stack tray, then shift the bin tray one step to eject the last sheet of the sheet stack to the next bin tray, and then transfer the sheet stack from the bin tray to the stack tray. Sheet discharge and sheet gripping may be performed alternately, such as transferring a sheet bundle to a stack tray.

Note that the stack tray unit (stack tray 13, motor 14, presser unit 17, 18)
, pinion 60, sensor 15, roller 12, etc.) are provided so as to be movable up and down relative to the side plate 22, and the stack tray unit is lowered every time a sheet bundle of a predetermined height is loaded onto the stack tray 13. Since a constant height is always maintained for sheets 1 and 4, the sheet bundles are stacked correctly. The elevating means includes a motor disposed on the side plate 22, a chain for elevating and lowering the stack tray 13 in response to rotation of the motor, and a detecting means for detecting the height of the tray 13 (sheet stack height). Vertical slots 22α and 22b shown in the side plate 22 in FIG. 1 are guide means for guiding the stack tray 13 up and down, and a motor, chain, etc. are provided on the back side of the side plate 22.

When the stack tray 13 reaches the bottom, an alarm such as a lamp or buzzer sounds to notify the operator. When the operator removes the sheet bundle group from the stack train 13, the stack tray 13 rises and stacking starts again.

(Other Embodiments) Next, an example will be described in which the paper pressing member 18 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction than in the previous example. Since the configuration is the same except for the position, the explanation will be omitted and the operation will be explained.

When all image formation is completed, the sheet bundle A consisting of one or more sheet-like members on which the image has been transferred is held by the pull-out grip 101, and the pull-out grip 101 moves in the X direction and then in the Y direction. This avoids the alignment reference member 141 that was in contact with it, and transports it between the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4, which are waiting with the upper swing arm 3 and the lower swing arm 6 open. (
Figure 20). When the detector 20 detects that the sheet bundle A has been inserted, the swing drive motor 11 starts rotating, the openings of the upper swing arm 3 and the lower swing arm 6 are closed, and the sheet stack A is inserted. is pressed against the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 (FIG. 21). When an appropriate pressure is applied between the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4, the swing motor 11 stops, then the conveyance motor 7 starts, and the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 move at a constant speed. By rotating at , the sheet bundle A is transported in the direction of arrow α. Now, in a state where the paper holding member 18 has an appropriate deflection on the stack tray 13 and is stopped at that home position, as the conveyance progresses, the leading end of the sheet bundle A will press the paper holding member 18. The paper passes over the stack tray 13, contacts the stack tray 13, and continues to be transported while making contact with the stack tray 13. When the detector 21 detects the rear end of the sheet bundle A, the rotation of the conveyance motor 7 is stopped, and then the swing drive motor 11 is rotated to release the pressure between the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4. (Figure 22). In a state (home position (FIG. 23(a)) in which the rear end of the sheet bundle A in the middle of conveyance is in contact with the lower conveyance roller 4 and the leading end is in contact with the stack tray 13 (home position (FIG. 23(a)), as shown in FIG. When the paper presser drive motor rotates the paper presser shaft 117 with a torque stronger than the frictional force between the paper presser member 118 and the stack tray 13, the paper presser member 118 increases the amount of deflection (FIG. 23(b)). is stack tray 1
3, comes into contact with the sheet bundle A, has an appropriate amount of deflection, and stops at the home position (FIG. 23(c)), thereby pressing the sheet bundle A vertically downward in the conveying direction ( Figure 24). This pressing is provided to prevent sheet bundle A from shifting due to penetrating force for moving and stopping the stack tray 13, which will be described later, or from sheet bundle shifting caused by contact with the next sheet bundle to be conveyed. It is. After the above operation is completed, the stack tray drive device is started and the first
Stack tray 1 stopped at home position P1
3 in the conveyance direction α, the rear end of the sheet bundle A that was in contact with the lower conveyance roller falls onto the stack tray 13 due to its own weight (FIG. 25). Due to the above-mentioned direction, the sheet bundles once aligned by the sorting device can be stacked on the stack tray without shifting while maintaining the alignment.

When the shift limit position P3 of the stack tray 13 during sliding movement is detected by the detector 15, the stack tray 13 is moved by the stack tray drive device.
3 is stopped, then moves in the opposite direction to the conveying direction α, and when the detector 15 senses the second home position P2, the stack tray 13 is stopped.

When there are two or more sheet bundles, the next sheet bundle, sheet bundle B, is carried between the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4 by the pull-out grip 101 in the same manner as the sheet bundle A. (Figure 26). Here, the tray is configured to move in the direction of arrow 501 using a tray lifting means so as to keep the height of the top surface 500 of the sheet bundle or the top surface of the tray constant. Thereafter, the conveyance proceeds in the same manner as sheet bundle A (FIG. 27), and the drive of the upper and lower conveyance rollers is stopped and the pressure is released, so that the rear end of sheet bundle B is transferred to lower conveyance roller 4.
At the top, the tip end is in contact with the stack tray 13. Subsequently, in the same manner as described above, when the paper presser shaft 117 starts rotating by the paper presser drive motor, the paper presser member 1
18 slides on the sheet bundle A while increasing the amount of deflection, and presses against the sheet bundle B. Next, the stack tray 13 starts moving in the transport direction α by the stack tray drive device,
The rear end of the sheet bundle B that is in contact with the lower conveyance roller is dropped onto the stack tray 13 and stacked thereon. Here, the position of the stack tray 13 before conveyance is the first home position P1 for the sheet bundle A, and the second home position P2 for the sheet bundle B, so the two sheet bundles have two home positions. They will be loaded with the same spacing between positions. When the shift limit position P3 is detected by the detector 15 (FIG. 28), the stack tray 13 that is in the sliding movement is stopped by the stack tray drive device, and then moves in the opposite direction to the conveying direction α and moves to the first position. Stopped at home position.

Sheet bundle C, which is the next sheet bundle after sheet bundle B, is also conveyed in the same manner as the sheet bundle (FIG. 29).
After being pressed by the paper pressing member 118 and moving the stack tray 13 in the transport direction α, the paper is stacked on the stack tray 13. The problem with sheet bundle C is that the position of the stack tray 13 before conveyance is the same as sheet bundle A, so it is stacked at the same position as sheet bundle A and with a gap from sheet bundle B. becomes. When the detector 15 detects the shift limit position P3 (Fig. 30
), is stopped by the stack tray drive device, then moves in the opposite direction to the transport direction a, and is stopped at the second home position P2. Thereafter, the home position at which conveyance is started is changed for each sheet bundle, and conveyance and stacking up to the final sheet bundle is performed. As described above, by stacking sheet bundles at arbitrary intervals, it becomes possible to sort each sheet bundle.

In this embodiment, a rubber member was used as the paper pressing member, but a plate spring, a coil spring, etc. may also be used.

Further, an embodiment will be shown below in place of the pressing effect by rotating the elastic paper pressing member described above.

FIG. 31 represents this embodiment. The conveying device and method are the same as described above, and FIG. 31 is a comparison with FIG. 23. As shown in FIG. 31(a), the paper pressing member 229
A pin 225 is provided near the center, and one end is rotatably connected to the solenoid 224 by a pin 260. A cam member 223 having a groove 228 cut therein is disposed on both sides of the paper pressing member 229.
The pin 225 is inserted into the hole 8. Also,
A detector 226 is attached to the guide plate 232, and the elevating table 227 is raised and lowered by a lifting means such as a motor in accordance with the detection. Valve members 232 and 233 are attached to the groove portion 228, and the pin 225 moves only in the directions of arrows B and C.

Next, the flow of operations in the above configuration will be explained. As shown in Figure 31(a), the solenoid OF
When the detector 226 detects that the leading end of the sheet bundle A' has come into contact with the stack tray 231 while the paper pressing member 229 is waiting on the stack tray 231 at F, the solenoid is turned on. The paper pressing member 229
The pin 225 provided in the groove 228 moves in the direction of arrow B along the straight part of the groove 228, and as shown in FIG. 31(b),
The paper pressing member 229 holds the sheet bundle A' and the stack tray 2.
Get out of 31. Next, as shown in FIG. 31(b),
When the height of the upper surface of the sheet bundle A' is detected by the detector 226, the elevating table 227 is raised to an appropriate height as the paper pressing member 229 presses against the sheet bundle. Then the solenoid is O
In the FF state, the pin 225 moves in the direction of the two-dot chain arrow C shown in FIG. 31(b), and the paper pressing member 229 accurately presses against the sheet bundle A' (FIG. 31(C)). Furthermore, instead of raising and lowering the lifting table 227, it is of course possible to raise and lower the tray as described above.

This embodiment describes a conveying means for a bundle of unbound sheets, but even if the sheet-like members discharged from the image forming apparatus are stapled by a sorting device having functions such as stapling and gluing, the above-mentioned It becomes possible to transport and load by the same method. A binding means such as a stapler is usually arranged on the side of the bin tray b on the stopper b' side at the height of the discharge roller 190 in FIG.

Further, in this embodiment, when the detector 21 detects the rear end of the sheet bundle, the upper conveyance roller 1 and the lower conveyance roller 4
The configuration was such that the stack tray 13 was moved after the rotation of the rollers was stopped and the pressure between the rollers was released, but the rotational speed and pressure of both rollers remained unchanged, and when the detector 21 detected the trailing edge of the sheet bundle, the stack tray 13 was moved. At the same time, only the stack tray 13 may be moved to stack the sheet bundle, and at the same time the detector 21 detects the rear end of the sheet bundle, the pressure between both rollers is released without changing the rotational speed of both rollers. After that, the same effect can be obtained by moving the stack tray 13 and stacking the sheet bundle.

Although the above-mentioned examples are all examples in which both the upper conveying roller 1 and the lower conveying roller 4 are driven, it is possible to further increase the pressure between the upper conveying roller 1 and the lower conveying roller 4 using a pressure spring. Accordingly, the upper transport roller 1 may be driven by only the lower transport roller 4, or the lower transport roller 4 may be driven by only the upper transport roller 1.

Although the combination of a sorter and a stack tray unit has been described, the present invention can also be applied to a combination of a discharge stack device having one tray and a stack tray unit.

Furthermore, the gripping means is not limited to this, but may be configured to push out the sheet bundle to the stack tray unit from a direction perpendicular to the direction of discharging the sheets to the bin tray.

[0048]

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above explanation, the sheet bundles that are once aligned by the sorting device are stacked on the stack tray while being kept in an aligned state by preventing the sheet bundles from being misaligned when they are discharged by the conveyance rollers. It becomes possible. By adopting the configuration of the device of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the device, and
It becomes possible to reduce costs.

Furthermore, by providing a simple method of providing a paper pressing member that moves in synchronization with the stack tray and presses the top of the sheet stack downward perpendicular to the transport direction, it is possible to prevent the stack tray from shifting when it stops. Even when a new sheet bundle is transported and stacked on top of a sheet bundle that has already been stacked on the stack tray, when the sheet bundles come into contact with each other, or when the sheet bundle is transported while touching the already stacked sheet bundle, each It becomes possible to reliably stack the sheet bundle on the stack tray without shifting the sheet bundle.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a sheet post-processing device embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the main parts of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the sorting device.

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an overall front view of the sheet bundle stacking device.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper pressing member 18 in FIG. 10. FIG.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 15 is a front view of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 17 is a front view of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of the operation in FIG. 6;

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of another embodiment.

FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of still another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Upper conveyance roller 4 Lower conveyance roller 18 Paper holding member 13 Stack tray 15, 20, 21 Detector 3 Upper swing arm 6 Lower swing arm 16 Paper holder drive motor

Claims (3)

[Claims] [Claim 1] At least one device for classifying and storing sheets.
a sheet receptacle, and a sheet bundle conveying means for transporting the sheet bundle stored on the sheet receptacle to a sheet bundle stacking tray different from the sheet receptacle, and the sheet bundle stacking tray is configured to A sheet post-processing device characterized in that it is movable in a conveying direction of a sheet bundle in synchronization with a sheet bundle conveying means. 2. A tray for stacking sheets, a sheet conveyance means for conveying the sheets to the tray, a moving means capable of reciprocating the tray in the sheet conveyance direction in synchronization with the sheet conveyance means, and a movement means synchronized with the tray. A sheet post-processing device comprising: a pressing member that moves and presses sheets stacked on a tray. [Claim 3] At least one device for classifying and storing sheets.
a sheet receptacle, and a sheet bundle conveying means for transporting the sheet bundle stored on the sheet receptacle to a sheet bundle stacking tray different from the sheet receptacle, and the sheet bundle stacking tray is configured to An image forming apparatus comprising a sheet post-processing device that is movable in a conveying direction of a sheet bundle in synchronization with a sheet bundle conveying means.