JPH04358893A - Bookbinding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arrange a bookbinding device almost a horizontal plane of projection of a sheet depositing device, then make a sheet transportable and dischargable in every direction along the depositing device, and improve the ease of sheet delivery operation with the minimization of a device installation area by allowing a sheet transport track to be positioned between the support part of the bookbinding device and the sheet depositing device. CONSTITUTION:A main stapler system 302 is supported by a support shaft 303, and stores staples to be driven into a sheet bundle S. A pair of staple pad 306a bend the tips of staples piercing through the sheet bundle S. The main stapler system 302 and the staple pad 306a are arranged at opposite positions across the sheet bundle S deposited on a finish tray 400 and bind the sheet bundle S on the tray 400, drawing close to each other relatively. The support shaft 303 is arranged on the same side as the main stapler system 302 against the transport rack of the sheet transported by transport rollers 901a to 901c or a side fence or both transport devices. In addition, the sheet transport track is arranged so that it is positioned between the support shaft 303 and the tray 400.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bookbinding apparatus, and for example, to a bookbinding apparatus used in a copying machine or the like to bind sheets on which images have been formed.

0002

[Prior Art] In recent years, the number of post-processing devices for copying machines, laser printers, facsimile machines, etc. has been remarkable. It is being The functions of the post-processing device include sorting and collating paper on which images have been formed.
In addition to the sorting and stacking functions, binding (stapling)
There is a bookbinding function including operation. In general, bookbinding technology has a long history, and many bookbinding methods have been proposed up to the present, mainly in the printing industry. Many bookbinding devices have also been proposed. Bookbinding methods can be roughly classified into the following methods.

<Gluing method> This method has been proposed for a long time, and is generally a method in which the spine binding portion of the printed matter used for gluing is cut and pasted. Furthermore, in order to prevent printed matter from falling apart, a device is used to attach cloth to the spine binding section. <Central stop method> This method is most commonly used today, and is often used in general magazines such as weekly magazines. After page alignment, a stop is provided at the center of the paper stack, and the paper is centered around the stop. This is the orthodox method of folding the bundle in half.

<Method of stapling after paper folding> This method involves folding a bundle of printed matter in half, for example, and then binding the bundle of printed matter with a stapler. <Method of stapling the front cover, back cover, etc. after stacking the paper stack> This method has become commonly used in post-processing devices such as copying machines in recent years. In this method, after the covers are stacked, the stack of sheets is stapled together with the front and back covers using a stapler.

<Method of simply stapling a bundle of sheets> This method is the simplest method in which a bundle of sheets is directly stapled using a stapler. On the other hand, as bookbinding apparatuses employing the above-mentioned bookbinding method, those described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 62-196677 and 2-33065 are known.

The former document described in the publication adopts the above-mentioned method of stapling after paper folding, and uses one sheet staple tray and a stapler (binding means such as a stapler) provided on the sheet staple tray. Prepare,
For example, after folding A3 size paper into a Z-shape to make A4 size, the stack of paper is stapled in the staple tray, the end fence that supports one edge of the paper is released, and the stack of paper is lifted from the staple tray by its own weight. The sheets are discharged onto a sheet storage tray provided downward. The stapler is composed of a staple main body for driving a staple into a stack of sheets, a support section that supports the staple main body, and a staple receiving section that is fixed to this support section and bends the tip of the staple that has passed through the paper stack. It is provided above and below the paper stack so as to pass near the edge of the paper stack. Furthermore, the stapler is placed near one of the opposite ends of the paper in the direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction.In other words, if the paper conveyance direction is the lateral direction of the apparatus, the stapler is placed on the front side or the rear side of the apparatus. has been done.

On the other hand, the latter publication adopts the above-mentioned method of simply stapling a bundle of sheets, and is equipped with one sheet staple tray and a stapler provided on this sheet staple tray. After the paper bundle is stapled within the paper stack, an end fence that supports one end edge of the paper stack is moved in the paper transport direction, that is, in the lateral direction of the apparatus, and the paper stack is discharged from the staple tray to the sheet storage tray. This stapler also has the same configuration as described above.

[0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, with these conventional bookbinding devices, the installation area of the bookbinding device becomes large or the operability deteriorates due to the reasons described below. There were some problems. That is, in the conventional bookbinding apparatus, the stapler is placed near either side edge of the sheet along the conveyance direction.
At this position, the support portion of the stapler was provided so as to extend above and below the sheet stack. Therefore, assuming that the paper conveyance direction is the lateral direction of the device, the direction in which the paper bundle is discharged from the staple tray is the direction in which the stapler is not located, that is, the direction in the front-back direction of the device where the stapler is not located; Alternatively, it was necessary to set it in the lateral direction of the apparatus along the paper conveyance direction (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-33065), or in the direction of gravity (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 196677-1987).

When a stack of sheets is discharged in the front-to-back direction of the apparatus where the stapler is not located, in consideration of operability, the stapler protrudes to the rear of the apparatus and the sheet storage tray protrudes to the front of the apparatus. I will do it. In particular, extra space will be provided at the rear of the device. Therefore, the dimensions of the device other than the front of the device are increased, and the installation area of the device is increased.

On the other hand, if the paper stack is discharged in the lateral direction of the apparatus along the paper conveyance direction, the sheet storage tray protrudes laterally of the apparatus, increasing the dimensions of the apparatus other than the front of the apparatus. , the installation area of the device becomes large. Furthermore, since the operator has to take out the ejected paper bundle from the side of the apparatus, the removal operation becomes complicated and the operability is reduced.

On the other hand, when the paper stack is discharged in the direction of gravity, the paper stack is discharged into the device below the staple tray, so the operator has to reach down and into the device to take out the paper stack. This makes the retrieval operation very large and reduces operability. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the installation area of a bookbinding apparatus and to improve operability.

0012

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 provides a stacking means for stacking a plurality of sheets of paper and stacking them as a stack of sheets, and a stacking means for transporting the plurality of sheets to the mounting means. , or a conveying means for ejecting a stack of sheets from the stacking means, or conveying a plurality of sheets to the stacking means and discharging the stack of sheets from the stacking means, and storing a needle and driving the needle into the stack of paper. A binding means having a needle driving body that penetrates the needle driving body, a support unit that supports the needle driving body, and a needle receiver that bends the tip of the needle that has passed through the paper bundle; The receivers are arranged so as to face each other with the paper stack placed on the stacking means in between, and the stapler body and the needle receiver come relatively close to each other, thereby binding the stack of paper on the stacker. In the bookbinding device, when the trajectory of the paper conveyed by the conveyance means is defined as the paper conveyance locus, the support portion of the binding means is disposed on the same side as the stapler body with respect to the paper conveyance locus, and The trajectory is located between the support part of the binding means and the mounting means, and the invention according to claim 2 provides, in addition to the structure of claim 1, The needle ejecting position is located on a plane perpendicular to the conveyance direction near the center of the paper of the maximum paper size when the paper is placed on the loading means, In addition to the structure of claim 1 or claim 2, the invention according to claim 3 has a paper mounting surface that contacts the lowest paper on the mounting means, and a needle receiver of the binding means. is characterized in that the portion is arranged substantially near the paper loading surface of the loading means,
In addition to the structure described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the invention according to claim 4 provides a sheet-facing body that extends in the sheet conveyance direction and faces the surface of the sheet. When the stapler main body is located at the standby position when the stapler body is stopped at a predetermined standby position during non-stapling operation, one end of the paper facing surface of the stapler main body on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction and the mounting means. The first separation distance perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction is greater than the maximum thickness of a stack of sheets that can be placed on the loading means, and the distance between the other upstream end of the sheet facing surface in the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet loading means The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that a second separation distance perpendicular to the conveying direction is larger than the first separation distance. In addition to the configuration, when the needle driver main body of the binding means is arranged below the placement means and the needle receiver is arranged above the placement means, a second drive unit that drives the needle drive main body in the needle driving direction is provided. and a second driving means for driving the needle receiver in a direction in which the needle receiving portion approaches the needle driver main body;
The first driving means drives the needle driving body after the driving means drives the needle receiver.

[0013] In addition to the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 4, the invention as set forth in claim 6 includes a spring supported by the stapler main body of the binding means, and a spring that is rotatably driven and engageable with the spring. The present invention is characterized in that a cam is provided, and the stapler main body of the binding means is pressed and driven by the cam via a spring, so that the bundle of sheets on the mounting means is stapled.

[0014]

[Operation] In the invention as set forth in claim 1, the supporting portion of the binding means is arranged on the same side as the stapling main body with respect to the paper conveyance locus, and the paper conveyance locus is arranged on the same side as the supporting portion of the binding means. By being located between the means, it is possible to arrange the binding means on the carrier means, ie approximately in the plane of horizontal projection of the carrier means. In addition, the support part does not interfere with the conveyance of paper or a stack of paper, and the paper can be carried from any direction and the stack of paper can be ejected in any direction as long as it is along the loading means. becomes possible.

[0015] In the invention as claimed in claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the needle driving position of the needle driving main body is adjusted in the conveying direction of the paper of the maximum paper size when the paper of the maximum paper size is placed on the loading means. By arranging the needle near the center on a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction, it becomes possible to drive the needle near the center of the bundle of sheets. In the invention according to claim 3, claim 1 or claim 2
In addition to this effect, by arranging the staple receiving portion of the binding means near the sheet loading surface of the loading means, the staple receiving portion is prevented from interfering with the sheets being conveyed to the loading means.

[0016] In the invention as claimed in claim 4, in addition to the effects of any one of claims 1 to 3, the first separation distance is made larger than the maximum thickness of the paper bundle that can be placed on the placing means, and the first separation distance is By making the second separation distance larger than the first separation distance,
The paper is guided by the paper facing surface of the binding means and is reliably conveyed onto the placement means. In the invention set forth in claim 5, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 1 to 4, the stapler main body of the binding means is disposed below the mounting means, and the needle receiver is arranged below the mounting means. When placed above, by driving the stapler main body part by the first driving means after driving the staple receiving part by the second driving means, it is possible to avoid disturbing the conveyance of the paper and to remove the paper stack on the loading means. To securely bind a bundle of sheets by a binding means without shifting the sheets.

In the invention as set forth in claim 6, in addition to the effects of any one of claims 1 to 4, the cam presses and drives the stapler main body of the binding means via a spring, so that the maximum sheet size is As long as the thickness is within the bundle thickness, it becomes possible to press the stapler main body while preventing galling of the cam, regardless of the thickness of the paper bundle.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings. 1 to 38 are diagrams showing a first embodiment of a bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention, which is an example applied to a copying machine. First, the features of this embodiment will be briefly explained, and their detailed structure and operation will be explained later in <Stapling Unit 300>.

1, FIG. 18, FIG. 34, and FIG. 35, 400 is a finish tray on which a plurality of sheets are stacked and placed as a sheet stack S.
0 constitutes a mounting means. The image-formed paper discharged from the copying machine main body 1 is transferred to the conveyance roller 901 of the post-processing device 3.
It is conveyed to the downstream side by a. A switching pawl 902 is provided downstream of the conveyance roller 901a, and by switching the switching pawl 902, the paper is transferred to the first and second sheet conveyance paths 903,
904. First sheet conveyance path 903
The paper transported is discharged onto the proof tray 905. Further, the paper conveyed to the second sheet conveyance path 904 is conveyed onto the finish tray 400 via conveyance rollers 901b and 901c. Therefore, the conveyance roller 9
01a, 901b, 901c are finish trays 40
A conveying means for conveying the paper to the paper is configured. On the other hand, the paper stack placed on the finish tray 400 is ejected to the front side in FIG. constitute means. In this embodiment, conveyance rollers 901a to 901c,
Although the side fences 103 and 104 are each used as independent conveyance means, a combination of both may be used as the conveyance means.

301 is a stapler; stapler 3;
01 is a stapler main body part (staple driving main body part) 302, a support shaft (support part) 303, and staple receiving parts 306a, 306.
It has b. The stapler main body 302 has staples 304
is housed, and the staple 304 is driven into and penetrates the paper bundle S. The support shaft 303 supports the stapler body 302, and the staple receivers 306a and 306b bend the tip of the staple 304 that has passed through the paper bundle S.

[0021] Stapler main body part 302 and staple receiving part 3
06a and 306b are arranged to face each other with the sheet stack S placed on the finish tray 400 in between,
Stapler main body part 302 and staple receiving parts 306a, 30
6b relatively approaches, the stack of sheets S on the finish tray 400 is bound. Conveyance rollers 901a to 901c or side fence 10
3, 104, or both conveyance means, the support shaft 303 is disposed on the same side as the stapler main body 302 with respect to the sheet conveyance locus, and is located between the support shaft 303 and the finish tray 400. That is, the support shaft 303 is located directly above or directly below the paper conveyance trajectory, and is in a position where the paper or the bundle of sheets to be conveyed does not interfere with the support shaft 303.

As shown in FIG. 1, conveyance rollers 901a~
Assuming that the paper conveyance direction by 901b is the direction of arrow K, the staple ejection position H of the stapler main body 302 is in the conveyance direction near the center of the conveyance direction of the paper of the maximum paper size when it is placed on the finish tray 400. placed on orthogonal planes. The largest size sheet in this case corresponds to cover C, which will be described later.

The finish tray 400 has a paper placement surface 4 that contacts the lowest paper on the finish tray 400.
00a, and the needle receivers 306a and 306b are arranged near the paper placement surface 400a of the finish tray 400. The stapler main body 302 has a paper facing surface 302h that extends in the paper transport direction and faces the surface of the paper, and is adapted to stop at a predetermined standby position (the position shown in FIG. 18) during non-stapling operations. . Also, Figure 34
As shown in FIG.
The first separation distance perpendicular to the paper transport direction between one end of the downstream side in the paper transport direction of 2h and the finish tray 400 is larger than the maximum thickness of a stack of paper that can be placed on the finish tray 400, and the paper on the paper facing surface 302h A second separation distance between the other end on the upstream side in the transport direction and the finish tray 400, which is perpendicular to the paper transport direction, is set to be larger than the first separation distance. Note that when the support shaft 303 is disposed on the opposite side of FIG. 34, the relationship between the first and second separation distances is shown as shown in FIG. 35.

Reference numeral 305 denotes a leaf spring, and the leaf spring 305 is supported by the stapler body 302. 307a, 3
07b is an eccentric cam that can engage with the leaf spring 305, and the eccentric cams 307a and 307b are rotationally driven. The stapler body 302 is pressed and driven by the eccentric cams 307a and 307b via the leaf spring 305, so that the stack of sheets S on the finish tray 400 is stapled.

Next, the overall configuration of the copying machine will be briefly explained. In FIG. 1, 1 is a copying machine main body;
A circulating document feeder 2 is provided at the top of FIG. 1, and a post-processing device 3 is provided at the right side of the copying machine main body 1 in FIG. Note that FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section when the copying machine is viewed from the front on the operating side. An operation display section 500 shown in FIG. 2 is provided on the top surface of the main body 1 of the copying machine 1 on the near side in FIG. Information related to copying operations, bookbinding operations, etc. is also displayed. The post-processing device 3 is shown in FIGS.
Bookbinding control section 800 and jogging section 1 whose details are shown in FIG. 38
00, a staple section 300, and a discharge section 200. Commands related to bookbinding operations are input from the operation display section 500 to the bookbinding control section 800, and the bookbinding control section 800 controls the jogging section 100, the stapling section 300, the ejecting section 200, etc. based on these commands. 11-14
1 is a paper feed cassette, and since the copying machine main body 1 itself is a known device that forms images by electrophotographic recording, a description of its configuration and operation will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the operation display section 500 of the copying machine main body 1,
The detailed configuration of each part of the post-processing device 3 including the circulating document feeder 2 will be explained in order. <Operation Display Unit 500> In FIGS. 2 and 3, 501 is a mode clear/preheating key, and the mode clear/preheating key 501 serves both as a mode clearing key and a preheating key. That is, when the mode clear/preheat key 501 is momentarily pressed, it functions as a mode clear key, and when it is kept pressed, it functions as a preheat key. The mode clear key is a key that is pressed to return each mode described later to the standard mode, and the preheating key 501 is a key that is pressed to put the machine in the apparatus into a preheating state and to cancel the preheating state. 502 is an enter key that is pressed when inputting numerical values for zoom magnification and binding margin; 503 is an interrupt key that is pressed when making an interrupt copy; and 504
is the print key pressed when starting the copying operation. This print key 504 also serves as a ready/wait display, with a green LED lighting up when ready and a red LED lighting up when waiting.

[0027] 505 is a numeric keypad;
is used when setting the number of copies and when inputting numerical values for zoom magnification and binding margin. 506 is a clear stop key, and the clear stop key 506 has the function of a clear key during standby and a stop key during copying operation. The clear key is a key that is pressed to cancel the set number of copies. On the other hand, the stop key is a key that is pressed to interrupt the copying operation, and the machine stops when the copying operation at the time the stop key is pressed is completed. 550 is a liquid crystal display section;
The details are shown in FIG. 551 is a message display that displays information about the machine, and the message display 551 includes, for example, "You can copy.", "
Please replenish paper. ” and other messages are displayed. Reference numeral 507 denotes an automatic density key. The automatic density key 507 is a key selected when automatically adjusting the copy density according to the background density of the original. When selected, the automatic density display section 554 lights up. Density adjustment keys 508 and 509 are pressed when manually adjusting the copy density, and each time the density adjustment keys 508 and 509 are pressed, the LED 55 of the density display section
5 lights up moves to the right or left. 510 is a paper selection key, and each time the paper selection key 510 is pressed, a paper selection display frame 559 moves one after another to select automatic paper selection, manual paper feeding, or which cassette among paper feed cassettes 11 to 14 is selected. It is now displayed to show what has been done. "Auto Paper Selection" is selected to automatically select a paper cassette containing paper of the same size as the original, and "Manual Feed" is selected when feeding paper manually without using the paper cassette. selected. Reference numeral 558 denotes a display unit that displays the paper size and paper empty state of each paper feed cassette.

511 is the same size key, 512 is the enlarged key, 5
Reference numeral 13 indicates a reduction key, and these keys are pressed when specifying a same size copy, enlargement to a standard size, and reduction, respectively. 514 is a zoom up key, and 515 is a zoom down key, which are keys to press when specifying any magnification between 64% and 142%. Reference numeral 516 is a paper specifying magnification key used to automatically reduce or enlarge the original image according to the specified paper size. . 517 is a duplex key, and the duplex key 517 is pressed to select whether to convert a single-sided original to double-sided, to convert a double-sided original to double-sided, or to convert a double-sided original to single-sided, and the selected mode is known. The LED above the key lights up. Reference numeral 518 is a binding margin key that is pressed when setting the binding margin, and if the margin is 21 mm or less, the binding margin can be set on either the left or right side. Furthermore, in the case of double-sided copying, the binding margin can be set on the back side independently of the front side. The set value is displayed in the message area. 51
9 is a staple selection key, and staple selection key 5
Reference numeral 19 is a key that is pressed when selecting the one-place staple mode, the two-place staple mode, or the no-staple mode. 5
20 is a cover function selection key, and a cover function selection key 52
0 is a key pressed when selecting front cover mode, back cover mode, both front and back cover mode, or no cover mode. These cover modes indicate whether one sheet of the same size as the sheet bundle is added to the front side, the back side, or both sides of the sheet bundle on which an image has been formed, or whether no sheet is added at all. Staple selection key 519
Since bookbinding using the cover function selection keys 520 is already well-known, a detailed explanation of the modes selected by these keys will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the simple bookbinding mode, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 521 is a simple bookbinding key, and the simple bookbinding key 521 enables the simple bookbinding mode (hereinafter referred to as S.S.
B. mode), S. S. B. A release mode is selectable. Normally, when a document is set on the document table of the circulating document feeder 2, the appropriate paper is selected taking into consideration the magnification ratio. S. The paper selected when B mode is selected has a longitudinal direction that matches the front-back direction of the copying machine connecting the front side and the back side in Figure 1 (all front-back directions described below refer to this direction). These are the sheets set in the paper feed cassette, and even if they are the same size, those in the width direction are not selected. It is desirable that the paper for the cover has the same length in the transverse direction as the length in the longitudinal direction of the paper selected above, and the size in the longitudinal direction is at least twice the length in the transverse direction of the paper selected above. For example, if the document is A4 size, a standard A3 size may be selected as the cover, but in practical use, it is preferable to use a cover that is about 5 mm longer in the longitudinal direction than a standard size such as A3. Therefore, in addition to regular size paper, it is preferable to store such irregular size paper in the paper feed cassette as special cover paper. Also S. S. B. In the mode, you can select whether or not to make a cover copy. S
．． B. Mode and no cover S. S. B. It is possible to select between modes. S with cover. S. B. This mode is selected when the document already has a cover, and the final document in the document stack is determined to be the cover, and the image of the cover document is copied from the paper feed cassette to the paper fed as the cover, and then the post-processing device 3 This is the mode for transporting No cover S. S. B. This mode is selected when the original does not have a cover, and is a mode in which the sheet that will become the cover is directly conveyed from the paper feed cassette to the post-processing device 3 after the final original has been copied. These S. S
．． B. mode and no cover S. S. B. The mode can be selected by operating the bookbinding key 521. S. S
．． B. A sheet of paper bound according to the mode is shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, S is a stack of sheets, and C is a cover.

[0030] Normal S. S. B. The mode is S with cover, assuming that the document stack has a cover. S. B. mode is set. Furthermore, S. S. B. The front cover mode and two-position staple mode are automatically selected, and the staple mode and cover mode are automatically canceled to reduce the burden on the operator. For these staple selection key 519, cover function selection key 520, and simple bookbinding key 521, the LEDs above the keys light up to indicate the selected mode.The flow of these key operations is shown in Figure 5. ~ Shown in Figure 8.

<Circulating Original Feeding Device 2> FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the circulating original feeding device 2. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the CPU 701 includes a ROM 701a, a RAM 701
b, AD converter 701c, serial communication port 70
It consists of a one-chip microcomputer in which 1d is integrated, and an output port 702 and an input port 703 are externally connected. A motor driver 707 for driving a document conveyance motor 704, a belt drive motor 705, and a document discharge motor 706 at a constant speed is connected to the output port 702, and drives each motor as necessary. Furthermore, the CPU 701 also drives loads such as a document feed clutch 708 and a partition pawl solenoid 709 through an output port 702. Input port 70
3 is connected to signals from a conveyance sensor, document size sensor, etc., and is configured to obtain necessary information. Hereinafter, the document feeding operation of the circulating document feeding device 2 will be explained in order, including some detailed configurations.

(1) Setting the original In FIG. 10, the original on the original placing table is placed between a side guide 601 that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the original transport direction, and a side guide 601 that is movable in the transport direction on the rear side of the original transport direction. It is regulated by an end plate 604. Further, the presence or absence of a document on the document table is detected by a reflective sensor provided on the document table.

(2) Document size detection In FIG. 10, a document size detection sensor 602 is attached to the side guide 601, and the document size detection sensor 602 generates a detection signal corresponding to the document size in the direction perpendicular to the document conveyance direction. output, and its signal terminal is 5V,
Connected to GND and signal line, and output voltage to CPU70
The width of the document is detected by reading it with the AD converter 700c in 1. Furthermore, the length of the document in the transport direction is detected depending on which sensor among the plurality of document length sensors 603 attached to the side plate of the document table detects the click claw 605 of the end plate 604, and the length of the document in the conveyance direction is detected. In combination with width and document length detection, it supports a wide variety of document sizes.

(3) Document end detection FIGS. 11 and 12 show the mechanism for document end detection.
The operation of this document end mechanism will be explained. Original partition claw 60
6, the partition pawl solenoid 709 is turned on before feeding the document.
By turning N/OFF, it moves between the solid line position (when the solenoid is ON) and the virtual line position (when the solenoid is OFF) in FIG. 12. In addition, the solenoid for the document partition claw 606 is OFF.
At times, it can rotate from the imaginary line position in FIG. 12 to the dotted line position in FIG. 12, and when located at the dotted line position in FIG. 12, it engages with the document partition claw sensor 610. When a stack of originals is placed on the original partitioning claw 606 while the original partitioning claw 606 is engaged with the original partitioning sensor 610, the original partitioning claw 606 causes the partitioning arm 608 to move to the partitioning claw rail due to the turning on of the partitioning claw solenoid 709. 611, the document partition claw 6
06 slips out from the bottom of the original. Along with this operation, the lifting pin 612 is also guided by a pin rail (not shown) and moves, and the tip of the original partition claw 606 is lifted.Furthermore, there is a magnet 609 above the partition claw, and the lifting plate 6
13 is attracted, the document partition claw 606 moves to the top. After that, the partition pawl solenoid 607 is turned off.
Then, the biasing force of the spring moves it to the upper side of the document. When all the documents below the document partition claw 606 are fed by the copying operation, the document partition claw 606 is accommodated in the document partition claw sensor 610, and the last sheet of the document is detected. (4
) Document conveyance control The circulating document feeder 2 of this embodiment is designed to feed the last sheet of the document stack.
Since the cover page comes last, the operation is as follows.

(a) Timing diagram 13 (a) of the first part
) is a timing chart for the first copy, which shows the timing of document feeding, paper feeding, document exposure, and document ejection. First, after the document is fed, the signal from the document partition claw sensor 610 is checked at a predetermined timing to determine whether or not the document is the last sheet. If it is not the last paper, the paper is fed from a paper feed cassette, and then document exposure is started at the timing when the image and the paper match. The above-mentioned original is set on the contact glass 21 shown in FIG. 1 before exposure. Immediately after exposure is completed, the original is ejected by the original belt. For the next document, feeding is started prior to the above-described paper ejection operation. The same operation is repeated until the final document is reached, but when the final document is detected, the paper is fed from the paper cassette selected for the cover page instead of from the previous paper cassette. Ru. The exposure timing at this time is controlled so that the image is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the cover sheet. Therefore, compared to the normal image,
The registration roller 22 in FIG. 1 starts rotating early.

(b) Timing for second and subsequent copies Once the first copy is completed as described above, the number of originals up to the final document has been recognized, so the second and subsequent copies are done as shown in FIG. 13(b). In addition, the copying operation proceeds according to the timing determined by the document replacement operation without detecting the last sheet each time the paper is fed.

(5) Processing at paper end S. S. B.
When adding the cover C in this mode, two paper feed cassettes are used, one for paper and one for the cover, as described above. The processing at the end of the paper at this time is as follows. (b) When copying paper, the paper reaches the end of the paper...the machine stops (b) When copying the paper, the cover reaches the end of the paper......
Paper copy continues, machine stops when copying cover (c) Paper reaches paper end when copying cover...Cover copy executes, machine stops when copying paper (d) Cover ends paper when copying cover...machine stops <Jogging section 100> Figure 14 to 17,
101 is a brush roller, and the brush roller 101 is
The paper discharged onto the finish tray 400 by the conveyance roller 901 shown in FIG.
2 to align the leading edges in the paper conveyance direction. Further, the front and back directions of the sheets are aligned by jogging operations of the rear side fence 103 and the front side fence 104, which will be described later.

The end fence 102 is a fence for positioning the sheet in the transport direction, and is fixed to an end fence moving belt 105 as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.
It is supported movably in the paper conveyance direction by an end fence moving motor 106. The position of the end fence 102 is determined so that stapling, which will be described later, can be done at any position according to the paper size or the operator's preference (for example, the margin of the document, the binding margin value created by the copying machine). The reference position of the end fence 102 is a position where the convex portion 102a of the end fence 102 is detected by the end fence home position sensor 107. The end fence home position sensor 107 is set at a position where the end of the largest sheet of paper that can be copied can be stapled.

[0039] The side fences 103 and 104 are positioning fences in the front and rear direction, and each side fence 103 and 104 is a fence for positioning in the front and back direction, and each side fence 103 and 104 is a
, 109 on the upper side of the paper. The moving belts 108 and 109 are supported by pulleys 116 to 119, and are independently driven by side fence moving motors 111 and 110. That is, side fence 1
03 and 104 are reciprocated independently of each other in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 16, so that the sheets are aligned in the front-rear direction. Patterns 112 and 113 are provided at predetermined positions on the moving belts 108 and 109.
The positions of the side fences 103 and 104 where 113 is detected by the sensors 114 and 115 are the reference positions. Note that the operation of aligning the sheets in the front-rear direction, that is, the jogging operation, is performed every time one sheet of paper is ejected.

[0040] End fence 102, side fence 1
03, 104, the positional relationship of the stapler main body 302 of the stapler 301, which will be described later, is as clear from FIGS.
and the side fence 103 between the stapler main body 302
, 104 are arranged. After the jogging operation is completed, the stapler 301 completes stapling, which will be described later.
As shown in FIG. 17, the side fences 103 and 104 are
move in the same direction and eject the paper toward the front of the device. In addition,
When the paper is ejected, the front side fence 104 moves along the circumference of the pulley 116, so that it does not interfere with the ejection of the paper bundle S. Further, the rear side fence 103 needs to move at least a distance until the paper bundle S falls from the finish tray 400 when discharging the paper, but this distance may be changed depending on the paper size. Furthermore, since the front side fence 104 may be stopped at a height that allows the sheet bundle S to pass through, there is no need to provide a retraction space for the side fence. After paper ejection is completed, the side fence 103,
104 moves in the same direction, returns to its original position, and moves on to the next cycle.

On the other hand, after stapling is completed, it is also possible to align the end fence 102 to a fixed position regardless of the paper size, and then discharge the paper using the side fences 103 and 104. By operating in this manner, the end portion of the paper bundle S can be guided by the end fence 102 and ejected at a fixed position. <Staple section 300> In FIG. 18, 301 is a stapler, and the stapler 301 is a stapler body section 3 that is separated with a finish tray 400 in between.
02 and needle receivers 306a and 306b. Although only two needle receivers are shown in FIG. 18, it is preferable to provide a large number of needle receivers to accommodate various paper sizes. The stapler main body 302 includes a stapler 302a, a staple accommodating portion 302b, a plate-like projection 302c, and an arm 302e. The needle driving section 302a and the needle storage section 302b are rotatably supported by a shaft 303. The needles 304 stored in the needle storage section 302b are pushed out one by one downward in FIG. As a result of the operation, the needle 304 passes through the stack of sheets S arranged on the finish tray 400, and the tip of the needle 304 reaches the needle receivers 306a, 3.
06b, and the stapling of the sheet bundle S is thereby completed.

The staple 304 is an eccentric cam 307a for stapling.
, 307b. That is, two eccentric cams 307a and 307b are provided at a predetermined upper position of the stapler main body 302 in FIG. In addition, the eccentric cam 30
The number of 7a and 307b may be one or three or more. Normally, the eccentric cams 307a and 307b are stopped and on standby at a position where they do not come into contact with the needle driving portion 302a, as detected by a sensor (not shown) or the like (state shown in FIG. 18). During stapling, the through shaft 308 is driven one rotation by a motor (not shown) via a gear or the like. Due to this rotation, the eccentric cam 307
pressurizes a leaf spring 305 supported by the stapler body 302, and the reaction force of the leaf spring 305 presses and rotates the stapler 302 downward about the shaft 308. As described above, the needle 304 is pushed out and stapling is performed.

The arm 302e is fixed to the tip of the stapler 302a and engages with the staple switching arm 312. Staple switching arm 312 is fixed to shaft 313 and rotates with shaft 313. During stapling, the staple switching arm 312 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 18 by the solenoid 314, and the staple switching arm 312 is separated from the arm 302e. As a result, the tip of the stapler body 302 falls under its own weight and comes into contact with the topmost sheet of the stack of sheets S stacked below. Therefore, the stapler main body portion 302 presses the paper stack S from above, and serves as a paper guide to prevent the paper stack S from shifting during stapling. On the other hand, when not stapling, the staple switching arm 312 is biased counterclockwise by the spring 315, and the stopper 312 is biased counterclockwise by the spring 315.
16, and therefore, except during stapling, the stapler main body 302 is in a state where it is lifted upward by the staple switching arm 312, that is, in a state where it is separated from the stack of sheets S that is sequentially conveyed and stacked. Retained.

The needle receiving portions 306a and 306b are provided separately (divided) below the eccentric cams 307a and 307b, respectively, and are located almost in line with or slightly below the paper placement surface 400a of the finish tray 400, that is, the paper placement surface 400a. 400
It is placed near a. Therefore, when the stapler main body 302 is in the standby state, the paper is
02 and the needle receivers 306a and 306b without being caught between them.

The stapler body 302 is fixed to a belt 325, and can be moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 18 by driving the belt 325. Therefore, the stapler body 302 can staple at two positions directly above the staple receivers 306a, 306b by rotating the eccentric cams 307a, 307b. <Discharge section 200> 3a is a frame of the simple post-processing device 3, and an opening 201 is formed on the front side of the frame 3a in FIG. 19, that is, on the operation front side. The opening 201 is formed along the extending direction of the finish tray 400 described above, and below the opening 201 is a paper discharge tray 20.
2 are arranged, and the paper discharge tray 202 is supported by the frame 3a. The stapled paper stack S on the finish tray 400 passes through the opening 201 by moving the side fences 103 and 104 and is delivered to the paper output tray 202 outside the apparatus.
It is designed to be discharged upward.

<Control Unit 800 of Post-Processing Apparatus> In FIG. 20, 800 is a control unit of the post-processing apparatus 3. The configuration and control operation of the control unit 800 will be explained below in order. (1) In the configuration diagram 20, the CPU 801 includes ROM 801a, R
Consists of a one-chip microcontroller that integrates AM801b and serial communication port 801c, output port 802,
Staple control input/output port 803, input port 804
is attached externally. This control circuit receives commands from the copying apparatus main body 1 through the serial communication port 801c and performs necessary operations. Its command and contents are shown below. The output port 802 has a jogger motor 850 (corresponding to the side fence movement motors 110 and 111), an end fence movement motor 806, a staple back and forth movement motor 807, a conveyance roller drive motor 808, a lift belt motor 809, etc. A motor driver 810 for driving the motors at high speed is connected, and each motor is driven as necessary. Furthermore, loads such as the switching pawl solenoid 811 are also driven via the output port 802. The staple control input/output port 803 is
A staple vertical movement motor 812, a staple operation motor 813, etc. are connected, and the staple control input/output port 803 is independently provided with signals necessary for operating the staple unit. The input port 804 is configured to connect signals from a home position sensor, a transport sensor, etc., and obtain necessary information.

Here, a list of commands from the copying machine main body 1 is shown. Mode Command: Staple mode, non-staple mode Size Command: Paper size information Position Command: Staple position information (front/back direction, left/right direction) Motor on Command: Transport motor ON, motor OFF
Command: Conveyance motor OFF paper send Command: Paper conveyance cover send Command: Cover conveyance staple Command: Execute stapling The processing upon reception of the above command is shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 21 to 29.

(2) Operation control The operations of the post-processing device 3 include: discharging the paper to the proof tray 905; discharging the paper to the finish tray 400; aligning the paper; binding; discharging the paper to the discharge tray 202; There are various actions. Hereinafter, the operation control by the control unit 800 will be described as (a) to (e).
Each item will be explained in order: (a) Selection of the tray from which the paper is to be ejected The tray from which the paper is to be ejected is selected by a mode command sent from the copying machine main body 1 at the start of the copying operation. Depending on this mode command, no staple mode, normal staple mode, S. S. B. Select one of the three modes and operate according to each mode. If the sent mode command is a no-staple mode command, the switching claw 902 is moved to the proof tray 90.
5 side, staple mode and S.5 side. S. If it is B mode, it is switched to the finish tray 400 side.

(b) Determining the stapling position In the stapling mode, the sheets are ejected to the finish tray 400, the ejected sheets are temporarily stacked, the sheets are aligned, and the stapling operation is performed when one copy is completed. , and then discharges the stapled paper bundle S. The staple position can be changed by changing D1 to the end fence 102 and D2 to the stapler body 302 shown in FIG. 30, and the information is given by a position command. for that,
Side fences 103, 104 and end fence 102
need to be moved into position. The control is as follows.

If the first mode command sent is a staple command, the size command sent after the mode command is referred to, and the side fences 103 and 104 are
is moved to a position corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the paper size by driving the side fence moving motors 110 and 111, and the end fence 102 is moved to a position corresponding to the lateral direction of the paper by driving the end fence moving motor 806. let Since the stapler main body 302 is fixed at a position facing the end fence 102, the position of the end fence 102 determines the stapling position of the paper. The distance of this stapling position from the longitudinal end surface of the sheet is given by a position command.

(c) Discharging the paper to the finish tray 400 When recorded paper is sent from the copying machine main body 1 to the post-processing device 3, a paper send command is sent in the case of normal paper before the paper is sent to the cover. For paper, a cover send command is sent. The cover send command is the S. S. In the case of B mode, it is also a signal that the size of the paper sent from the main body is more than twice the length of the previous paper size. When the paper is carried into the finish tray 400, the two side fences 103 and 104
are moved in opposite directions in synchronization with each other by driving the side fence moving motors 110 and 111 to align the sheets in the front-back direction. As described later, the side fences 103 and 104 also serve as paper ejecting means, and therefore each has a driving means independently. The state of this jogging motion is shown in FIG. 15 as described above, and the side fence 103,
The speed waveform of No. 104 during jogging is shown in FIG.

(d) Stapling operation The flow of the stapling operation is shown in FIG. When a staple command is sent from the copying machine main body 1, a staple flag is set, and the copying machine waits for sheets to be conveyed into the finish tray 400 by the number of paper send commands and cover send commands sent so far. When the number of sheets matches the number of commands, the stapling operation motor 813 is turned on and the eccentric cams 307a and 307b are rotated once, thereby stapling the sheet bundle S. After the stapling operation is completed, the staple flag is reset, the number memory for counting the number of sheets conveyed into the finish tray 400 is cleared, and the ejection flag is set, thereby moving on to the next ejection operation.

(e) Paper ejection The paper is delivered through the side fences 103 and 104 as described above.
is discharged due to the movement of FIG. 32 shows velocity waveforms of the side fences 103 and 104 during jogging and paper ejection, and the ejection (forward) portion shows the velocity waveforms during paper ejection. After the side fences 103 and 104 jog the side fences 103 and 104, the stapling of the stack S is completed. First, the end fence 102 moves to keep the paper ejection position constant regardless of the size, that is, the trailing end of the paper stack S is placed at a predetermined ejection position. After matching, they are sent to the front side of the device at a constant speed by side fences 103 and 104. At this time, of the two side fences that started moving at the same time, the front side fence 104 stops when it retreats from the moving path, but the rear side fence 103 moves further and just before the paper stack S falls. Slow down for a moment. This deceleration operation is for reducing the impact when the paper bundle S falls. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing the difference in the stopping position depending on the paper size.
Efforts are being made to shorten the discharge time. When the ejection of the paper bundle S is completed, it returns at a faster speed than the moving speed toward the front side due to the reduced load, and prepares for the next jogging operation.

In this embodiment, only one stapler 301 is provided, but as shown in FIG. 36, a plurality of stapler main bodies 302 are provided so that multiple locations can be stapled in one binding operation. You can also do this. Further, as shown in FIG. 37, a plurality of stapler main bodies 302 may be provided and fixed to a support shaft 303, so that two or more stapling operations can be performed at one time without moving the stapler main bodies 302. In either case, the binding operation time can be shortened.

According to this embodiment, since it is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained. First, the support shaft 303 of the stapler 301 is arranged on the same side as the stapler main body 302 with respect to the sheet conveyance locus, and the sheet conveyance locus is positioned between the support shaft 303 and the finish tray 400. Therefore, stapler main body 3
02 can be arranged directly above or directly below the mounting means, that is, approximately within the horizontal projection plane of the mounting means. Furthermore, since the support shaft 303 no longer obstructs the conveyance of paper or a bundle of paper, the paper placement surface 40 of the finish tray 400
A sheet or a bundle of sheets can be conveyed in any direction as long as the direction is approximately along 0a. That is, the direction in which sheets are conveyed to the finish tray 400 and the direction in which they are discharged from the finish tray can be arbitrarily set. In this embodiment, the sheets can be conveyed in the lateral direction of the apparatus, and the paper bundle can be discharged in the front direction of the apparatus. can. Therefore, the paper output tray 202 can be installed on the front side of the apparatus without the stapler 301 protruding in the longitudinal and lateral directions of the apparatus, which reduces the installation area of the apparatus compared to conventional ones. It is possible to improve the operability of taking out the paper bundle.

Second, the staple ejecting position H of the stapler main body 302 is set on the surface perpendicular to the conveyance direction near the center of the conveyance direction of the paper of the maximum paper size when it is placed on the finish tray 400. Therefore, as in this embodiment, a cover C made of paper of twice the size is placed in the paper stack S.
can be attached and bound. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 38, the present invention can also be used to bind a double-sized sheet bundle S without a cover.

Third, the staple receiver 30 of the stapler 301
6a and 306b are arranged almost near the paper placement surface 400a of the finish tray 400, so that the paper conveyed to the finish tray 400 is placed near the staple receiver 306a,
306b can be prevented. Fourth
The first separation distance perpendicular to the paper transport direction between one end of the paper facing surface 302h of the stapler body 302 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction and the finish tray 400 is determined as the maximum number of sheets S that can be placed on the finish tray 400. thickness, and the second separation distance between the other end of the paper facing surface 302h on the upstream side in the paper transport direction and the finish tray 400, which is perpendicular to the paper transport direction, is larger than the first separation distance. It is possible to reliably transport the paper onto the finish tray 400 while omitting unnecessary operations of the main body portion 302 and guiding the paper by the paper facing surface 302h.

Fifth, the stapler main body 3 is moved by the cam.
02 is pressed through the spring 305, the stapler body 302 can be pressed while preventing the cam from galling, regardless of the thickness of the sheet bundle as long as it is within the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle. Sixth, after stacking sheets of paper approximately twice the size of the paper stack S as a cover C on top of the paper stack S, and aligning one end of the paper stack and the cover C, the cover C is placed near the approximate center of the cover C.
Since the needle 304 is driven into the paper stack S from above and the tip of the needle 304 is bent, the paper stack S is bound together with the cover C.
By simply folding the cover C in half toward the paper stack S, both the front and back sides of the paper stack can be covered with the cover, and the appearance of the paper stack after bookbinding can be improved. Also needle 304
Since the bent part at the tip of the needle 304 is also covered by the cover C, it is possible to reliably prevent the bent part from injuring the fingertips, getting caught by other objects, or easily dislodging the needle 304. be able to. Therefore, the quality of bookbinding can be improved.

Seventh, a sheet of paper approximately twice the size of the sheet bundle S is conveyed onto the sheet bundle S as a cover C, and the sheet S is transferred to the cover C.
As mentioned above, high-quality binding can be achieved simply by binding the paper together, which simplifies the configuration of the device.
Cost can be reduced. 39 and 40 are diagrams showing a second embodiment of the bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention. In addition,
In FIGS. 39 and 40, the same components as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 38 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted.

In FIGS. 39 and 40, the stapler 35
0 has a stapler main body portion 351, a support shaft 353, and a staple receiving portion 360. The stapler main body part 351 is arranged below the finish tray 450, and the stapler body part 351 is arranged below the finish tray 450.
60 is arranged above the finish tray 450. The stapler main body 351 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 353, and is driven in the staple driving direction by an eccentric cam 357 rotating about a shaft 358 via a leaf spring 354 during a stapling operation. Therefore, the eccentric cam 357 constitutes the first drive means. During non-stapling operation, the stapler main body 3
The tip of the stapler 51 abuts against the stopper 355 due to its own weight, and this abutting position becomes a standby position where the stapler body 351 is separated from the finish tray 450 by a predetermined distance. As shown in FIG. 40, the finish tray 450 has cutouts 450a formed at positions corresponding to the staple positions. The staple receiving section 360 is rotatably provided around a shaft 361, and during the binding operation, the plate spring 36 is rotated by the rotation of the eccentric cam 363 before the stapler main body section 351 starts rotating.
The needle receiver 360 stops in a state where it presses the paper bundle S through the needle receiver 4. That is, the eccentric cam 363
A second driving means is configured to drive the stapler body portion 351 in a direction in which the stapler body portion 351 approaches the stapler body portion 351. When not operating, needle receiver 3
60 is a stopper 36 which is biased by a tension spring 365.
6, and this abutting position becomes the standby position of the needle receiver 360. Therefore, when the stapler main body section 351 and the staple receiving section 360 are in the standby state, the sheets are conveyed without being caught between them, and the sheet bundle is stapled by the same operation as in the first embodiment.

Note that the stapler main body 351 is attached to the support shaft 3.
The support shaft 35 is slidably supported by the support shaft 53.
3 may be movable in the extending direction. In this case, Figure 1
A drive mechanism similar to the drive mechanism using the belt 325 shown in FIG. 8 is disposed below the finish tray 450, and the stapler main body 351 is moved by this drive mechanism. Furthermore, when the stapler body 351 is moved, the tip of the stapler body 351 slides on the stopper 355 and is guided by the stopper 355, so the stapler body 351 can be moved while maintaining the standby position.

[0062] In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as in the first embodiment described above.
51 is arranged below the finish tray 450, and the staple receiver 360 is arranged above the finish tray 450, so even when the lower side of the paper stack placed on the finish tray 450 is the cover side, can be accommodated. In addition, since the eccentric cam 357 drives the stapler main body 351 after the eccentric cam 363 drives the staple receiver 360, the staple receiver 360 and stapler main body 351 do not interfere with paper conveyance, and the finish tray The stapler 350 can staple the sheaf S of sheets S on the stapler 350 without shifting the sheaf S on the sheet 450.

FIGS. 41 to 45 are diagrams showing a third embodiment of the bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention, which is an example applied to a copying machine in which the paper bundles are ejected in different directions. In FIG. 41, in this embodiment, the staple tray 1306 constitutes a loading means, and the stapler 1399 constitutes a binding means. In addition, the stapler 1399 has a staple unit (staple main body)
1400, staple guide (support part) 1401, 14
02 and a needle receiver (for example, similar to the needle receivers 306a and 306b described above), which are not shown. Conveyance rollers 1500 to 1503, end fence 1308
Each constitutes a conveying means. When the trajectory of the paper transported by these transportation means is defined as the paper transportation trajectory, the staple guides 1401 and 1402 are arranged on the same side as the stapling unit 1400 with respect to the paper transportation trajectory, and the paper transportation trajectory is 1401,
1402 and staple tray 1306. The detailed configuration and operation of these will be described later.

The path of the paper entering from the sheet receiving port 1301 is switched by the staple switching claw 1302,
The discharge tray 130 is moved by the conveyor rollers 1500 to 1504.
3 or sent to the conveyance path 1304 on the finish tray 1306 side. In addition, 1301 is a sheet receiving port, 1304 is a conveyance path, 1305 is an alignment brush, 1309
is a lift belt, and 1310 is a lift hook. The sheets that have passed through the staple conveyance path 1304 are aligned in a staple tray 1306 by an alignment brush 1305. Also, the position of the paper stack S is at the back fence 13.
08 can be changed up and down, thereby adjusting the binding position in the paper conveyance direction.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 42, an alignment brush 1305, a jogger 1307, and a back fence 1308 are provided around the staple tray 1306, and the alignment brush 1305 is connected from the transport path 1304 to the staple tray 1306 side. It serves to discharge the paper and align the paper to the back fence 1308 side. The alignment brush 1305 also prevents the paper on the staple tray 1306 from being pushed up by the paper carried out from the conveyance path 1304. The jogger 1307 is supported by a jogger guide 1312, and is drivingly connected to a jogger motor 1314 via a timing belt 1313 provided parallel to the jogger guide 1312. The rotation of this jogger motor 1314 moves the jogger 1307 in the lateral direction (
Align the device in the front-to-back direction). Note that the position of the jogger 1307 differs depending on the size of the paper, but its positioning is determined by the output signal of a jogger home sensor (not shown) and the number of movement pulses of the jogger motor 1314. The same goes for positioning the lift belt 1309. As shown in FIG. 43, the lift hook 1310 rotates the rotary member 1321, and at a predetermined rotation position, the optical sensor 1322 is released from the light-shielded state, so that the reference position is reached. This is done by counting the number of drive pulses of the belt drive motor.

[0066] The stapling unit 1400 moves back and forth along two staple guides 1401 and 1402, and is capable of stapling sheets at predetermined locations (for example, two locations). As shown in FIGS. 44 and 45, the staple unit 1400 includes a staple portion 1450 that is movable up and down, a slide screw 1403 that supports the staple portion 1450, and a guide rod 1404 that guides the staple portion 1450 in the vertical direction. , and a staple vertical motor 1405 that moves the staple section 1450 in the vertical direction. The staple part 1450 is provided with a dot member 1451 sandwiched between a front face 1452 of the staple part and a presser member 1453.
51 is connected to a slide screw 1457 via a coupling member 1454, a push-down arm 1455, and a coil spring 1456, and moves up and down as the slide screw 1457 rotates to eject a needle 1461. Further, the slide screw 1457 is rotationally driven by a staple motor 1458 via a gear stage 1459.

The needle 1461 pushed downward by the dotting point member 1451 penetrates the sheet stack S aligned on the finish tray 400 by the jogging operation, and the needle 1461
The leading end of the sheet 461 is bent by the staple receiver, thereby completing the stapling of the sheet bundle S. Further, the sheet bundle S stapled together with the cover sheet C by the stapling unit 1400 is moved to the staple tray 13 by a lift hook 1310 provided on the lift belt 1309.
06 and the staple ejection tray 1311
is discharged.

On the other hand, during stapling, the staple up and down motor 1405 is driven in response to each operation of paper loading, loading, stapling, and unloading of the post-processing device 3, and thereby the stapling unit 1400 (stapling unit) It stops at three stop positions during one bookbinding operation. These three stop positions are standard conditions in which the staple motor 1458 is driven in the other direction (reverse drive), the dot member 1451 is raised, and the staple portion 1450 is the most distant from the staple tray 1306 (separated by a predetermined distance, for example, 35 mm). A microswitch 1406 (standby position detection means) provided on the lower surface of the stapling unit 1450 contacts the top sheet of the paper stack S to switch ON/OFF (for example, ON/OFF).
) and a standby position where the stapling unit 1450 is close to the paper stack S; and a stapling position where the staple motor 1458 rotates in the one direction and the dotting member 1451 drives out the staple 1461 to staple the paper stack S. It's the location. Note that when the microswitch 1406 is turned on, the staple vertical motor 1405 is stopped, and the staple unit 1450 is stopped at the standby position.

In the standard position, the staple tray 130
Even if the speed at which the paper is carried onto the stapling unit 1400 is increased, the paper does not come into contact with the lower part of the stapling unit 1400. In addition, at the standby position, the staple unit 1400 is close to the paper stack S in such a state that there is no problem in arranging (jogging) the paper stack S loaded on the staple tray 1306, and at the binding position, the staple unit 1400 1400
When the dot point member 1451 approaches the needle receiver, the tip of the ejected needle 1461 is bent by the needle receiver to bind the sheet bundle S. Further, when the stapling unit 1450 stops at the standby position, the paper loading guide portions 1307a of the left and right joggers 1307 are arranged so that the paper is loaded on the lower surface of the stapling unit 1450 from the portion closest to the paper loading surface of the staple tray 1306. It is located on the mounting surface side. That is, at the standby position, the gap between the sheets of the sheet bundle S is minimized, and by performing the alignment operation using the jogger 1307 in this state, it is possible to accurately align the plurality of sheets at a predetermined position.

As described above, in this embodiment as well, the staple guides 1401 and 1402 of the stapler 1399 are arranged on the same side as the staple unit 1400 with respect to the sheet conveyance locus, and the sheet conveyance locus is on the same side as the staple guides 1401 and 1402. Since it is located between the staple trays 1306, the paper conveyance direction of the staple trays 1306 can be arbitrarily set, similar to the first embodiment described above.

Furthermore, the stapler 1399 can be placed within the horizontal projection plane of the staple tray 1306, preventing the stapler 1399 from protruding from the apparatus in the horizontal direction, and the installation area can be reduced.

[0072]

According to the invention as set forth in claim 1, since the paper conveyance locus is located between the support part of the binding means and the placing means, it can be placed almost within the horizontal projection plane of the placing means. It is possible to transport and eject sheets or stacks of sheets in any direction. Therefore, the installation area of the apparatus can be reduced, and the operability of taking out the stack of sheets can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the needle driving position of the needle driving main body is set in the transport direction near the center in the transport direction of the paper of the maximum paper size when the paper is placed on the loading means. Since they are arranged on orthogonal planes, it is possible, for example, to attach a cover made of double-sized paper to a stack of paper for bookbinding. According to the third aspect of the invention, since the needle receiver is disposed substantially near the paper loading surface of the loading means, it is possible to prevent the paper conveyed to the loading means from being obstructed by the needle receiver. be able to.

In the invention according to claim 4, the first separation distance is made larger than the maximum thickness of the paper bundle, and the second separation distance is made larger than the maximum thickness of the paper bundle.
Since it is made larger than the separation distance, the paper can be reliably conveyed onto the placement means while being guided by the paper facing surface while omitting unnecessary operations of the stapler main body. In the invention according to claim 5, after driving the second driving means, the first driving means is driven.
Since the driving means is driven, the staple receiver and the stapler main body can reliably bind the bundle of sheets by the binding means without interfering with the conveyance of the sheets or shifting the bundle of sheets on the loading means. can.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to press the stapler main body while preventing the cam from galling, regardless of the thickness of the paper stack, as long as it is within the maximum thickness of the paper stack.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a copying machine to which a first embodiment of a bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the operation display section in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the liquid crystal display section in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bundle of sheets bound by the copying machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing flow of each key related to bookbinding of the copying machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector A in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector B in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the circulating document feeder in FIG. 1;

10 is a diagram illustrating a document size detection operation of the circulating document feeder in FIG. 1. FIG.

11 is a perspective view showing a main part of a final document detection mechanism of the circulating document feeder in FIG. 1. FIG.

12 is a diagram illustrating the detection operation of the final document detection mechanism in FIG. 11. FIG.

FIG. 13 shows the timing of document feed/discharge, paper feed, and document exposure of the copying machine in FIG. 1; (a) is part 1;
The timing chart of the first part, (b) is the timing chart of the second part.

14 is a perspective view of a main part of the jogging section in FIG. 1. FIG.

15 is a front view of main parts of the jogging section in FIG. 1. FIG.

16 is a diagram showing a jogging operation of the jogging section in FIG. 1. FIG.

17 is a diagram illustrating a sheet bundle discharge operation of the jogging section in FIG. 1. FIG.

18 is a perspective view of essential parts of the staple portion in FIG. 1. FIG.

19 is a perspective view of the discharge section in FIG. 1. FIG.

20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control section of the post-processing device in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a bookbinding command of the post-processing device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C1 in FIG. 21;

23 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C2 in FIG. 21. FIG.

24 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C3 in FIG. 21. FIG.

25 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C4 in FIG. 21. FIG.

26 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C5 in FIG. 21. FIG.

27 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C6 in FIG. 21. FIG.

28 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C7 in FIG. 21. FIG.

29 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C8 in FIG. 21. FIG.

30 is a diagram illustrating the stapling position of the post-processing device in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a stapling processing flow of the post-processing device in FIG. 1;

32 is a diagram showing a velocity waveform of the side fence of the jogging section in FIG. 14. FIG.

33 is a diagram illustrating the stop position of the side fence on the rear side of the jogging section in FIG. 14. FIG.

34 is a diagram showing a separated state between the stapler main body and the finish tray in FIG. 18. FIG.

35 is a diagram showing another aspect of the separated state of FIG. 34. FIG.

36 is a diagram showing a first example of another aspect of the stapler main body in FIG. 1. FIG.

37 is a diagram showing a second example of another aspect of the stapler main body in FIG. 1. FIG.

38 is an explanatory diagram of the operation when a double-sized cover is not attached to the paper bundle in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 39 is a schematic sectional view showing a second embodiment of the bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention.

40 is a schematic perspective view of the main parts of the bookbinding device in FIG. 39. FIG.

FIG. 41 is a schematic sectional view showing a third embodiment of the bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention.

42 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the staple tray in FIG. 41. FIG.

FIG. 43 is an explanatory diagram of a lift belt positioning method in FIG. 41;

44 is a front sectional view of the stapling part of the staple unit in FIG. 41. FIG.

45 shows the staple unit in FIG. 41, in which (a) is a side sectional view and (b) is a front sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

103, 104 Side fence (transport means) 301
, 350 Stapler (binding means) 302, 351
Stapler main body part (stapling main part) 302h Paper facing surface 303, 353 Support shaft (support part) 304 Staples 305, 354 Leaf springs 306a, 306b Stapling parts 307a, 307b, 357 Eccentric cams 400, 45
0 Finish tray (loading means) 400a Paper loading surfaces 901a to 901c Conveyance roller (conveyance means) 130
8 End fence (conveyance means) 1399 Stapler (binding means) 1400 Staple unit (stapling main body) 14
01 Staple guide (support part) S Paper bundle H Staple launch position

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claim 1: A loading means for stacking a plurality of sheets as a stack of sheets, and a means for conveying the plurality of sheets to the loading means, ejecting the stack of sheets from the loading means, or loading the plurality of sheets. A conveying means for transporting the paper bundle to the stacking means and discharging the paper bundle from the stacking means, a needle driver body that stores a needle and drives the needle into and penetrates the paper bundle, a support unit that supports the needle driver main body, and the paper. binding means having a needle receiving part for bending the tip of a needle penetrating the bundle, the stapler main body part and the needle receiving part of the binding means facing each other across the paper bundle placed on the placing means. In a bookbinding device in which a stack of sheets on a loading means is bound by relatively approaching a stapler body and a needle receiver, the trajectory of the paper conveyed by the conveyance means is referred to as the paper conveyance trajectory. When doing so, make sure that the support part of the binding means is located on the same side as the stapler body with respect to the paper transport locus, and that the paper transport locus is located between the support part of the binding means and the mounting means. Features of bookbinding equipment. 2. The needle striking position of the needle striking body of the binding means is on a plane perpendicular to the carrying direction near the center of the paper carrying direction when paper of the maximum paper size is placed on the mounting means. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bookbinding apparatus is arranged at. 3. The placement means has a paper placement surface that contacts the lowest sheet of paper on the placement device, and the staple receiving portion of the binding device includes:
3. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bookbinding apparatus is arranged substantially near the sheet loading surface of the loading means. 4. The stapler main body has a paper facing surface that extends in the paper conveyance direction and faces the surface of the paper, and stops at a predetermined standby position during a non-binding operation, and the stapler main body has a When located at the standby position, a first separation distance perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction between one end of the sheet facing surface of the stapler main body on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction and the loading means is such that the sheet can be placed on the loading means. A second separation distance, which is larger than the maximum thickness of the paper bundle and is perpendicular to the paper transport direction between the other end of the paper facing surface on the upstream side in the paper transport direction and the mounting means, is larger than the first separation distance. The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. When the needle driving body of the binding means is disposed below the placing means and the needle receiver is disposed above the placing means, the needle driving body is driven in the needle driving direction. a first driving means; and a second driving means for driving the needle receiver in a direction in which the needle receiver approaches the needle driver main body;
The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first driving means drives the needle punching main body after the driving means drives the needle receiver. 6. A spring supported by the stapler main body of the binding means, and a cam that is rotatably driven and can be engaged with the spring, wherein the cam causes the stapler main body of the binding means to move through the spring. 5. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bookbinding apparatus is driven by being pressed so that the bundle of sheets on the mounting means is bound.