JPH04364993A - Bookbinding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a bookbinding device wherein papers can be stitched at optional stitching positions. CONSTITUTION:A finish tray 400 on which paper bundles are to be placed, and an end fence 102 for supporting an end of the paper bundle, in the direction of an arrow J1 arranged movably in the direction of the arrow J1 with respect to the finish tray 4 are provided. There are also provided side fences 103, 104 which are reciprocally movable in an arrow J2 direction to the finish tray 400 for aligning both edges of the paper bundle on the finish tray 400 with respect to the direction of an arrow J2 by reciprocating motion, a stapler 301 for driving staples in the paper bundle to pass through it, clinching tips of the staples, stitching the paper bundle, and a movement control means consisting of a microcomputer which controls the movements of the end fence 102, side fences 103 and 104 before the stapler 301 stitches the paper bundle and makes the paper bundle move to a fixed position.

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 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 may be placed on the front side or the back side of the apparatus. ing.

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, in these conventional bookbinding devices, although it is possible to change the relative position of the stapler and the paper stack in the paper transport direction by moving the end fence and the stapler, Since the relative position in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction cannot be changed,
It was not possible to drive the staple at any position on the paper stack, that is, to bind the paper stack at any binding position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a bookbinding device that can bind a bundle of sheets at any binding position.

0010

[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 and stacking them as a stack of sheets, and a vertical direction of the sheets on the mounting means. ,
When one of the horizontal directions is defined as a first direction and the other as a second direction, supporting means is provided to be movable in the first direction with respect to the mounting means and supports one end of the paper in the first direction; , an aligning means that is provided so as to be reciprocally movable in a second direction with respect to the loading means, and aligns both ends of the sheets on the loading means in the second direction by reciprocating; and an aligning means that is supported by the supporting means; a binding means for driving a needle through the stack of sheets on the mounting means aligned by the stack and bending the tip of the needle to staple the bundle of sheets; and a support means before the binding means binds the bundle of sheets on the mounting means. and a movement control means for controlling the movement of the alignment means and moving the stack of sheets on the placement means to a predetermined position. In addition to the structure of claim 1, the binding means is fixed to the mounting means. Stapling position input means for inputting a staple driving position of the paper bundle is provided, and the movement control means controls the movement of the supporting means and the alignment means so that the staple is driven into the staple driving position input to the binding position input means. It is characterized by:

[0011]

[Operation] In the invention as claimed in claim 1, before the stack of sheets on the loading means is bound by the binding means, the bundle of sheets is moved in the first direction by the supporting means and moved in the second direction by the aligning means to a predetermined position. move to position. Therefore, it becomes possible to drive the needle into any position on the paper bundle.

In the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, since the binding means is fixed to the mounting means, the structure of the binding means is simplified, and the support means and alignment means are simplified. Position control becomes easier. In the invention of claim 3,
In addition to the effects of claim 1 or 2, the staple is driven into the position input to the binding position input means, so that the operator can specify the binding position at any position.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings. 1 to 35 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention, and are examples in which the bookbinding apparatus is applied to a copying machine. First, the configuration of the characteristic parts of this embodiment will be briefly explained, and their detailed configuration and operation will be explained later in <Operation display section 500><Stapling section 300><Control section 800 of post-processing device> .

In FIGS. 1, 14 to 19, reference numeral 400 denotes a finish tray on which a plurality of sheets are stacked and placed as a sheet bundle S, and the finish tray 400 constitutes a placing means. Here, one of the vertical and horizontal directions of the paper on the finish tray 400 is defined as a first direction, and the other direction is defined as a second direction. In this embodiment, the direction of arrow J1 in FIG. 19 is the first direction, and the direction of arrow J2 in FIG. 19 is the second direction. Reference numeral 102 denotes an end fence that is movably provided in the direction of arrow J1 in FIG. 19 with respect to the finish tray 400, and the end fence 102 constitutes a support means that supports one end of the paper in the first direction.

Reference numerals 103 and 104 designate side fences that are movable in the direction of arrow J2 in FIG. side fence 10
3, 104 is the finish tray 40 due to this reciprocating movement.
This is for aligning both ends of the paper on the paper in the direction of arrow J2 in FIG. 19, and constitutes an alignment means.

Reference numeral 301 denotes a stapler fixed to the finish tray 400, and the stapler 301 is supported by the end fence 102 and is attached to the side fence 1.
Finish tray 40 aligned by 03, 104
The needle 304 is driven into the paper stack S on the top of the paper stack S, and the needle 304
Fold the leading edge of the paper stack S and bind it. therefore,
The stapler 301 constitutes a binding means.

In FIG. 22, 801 is a CPU (Cen
tral Processing Unit),
Before the stapler 301 staples the stack of sheets S on the finish tray 400, the CPU 801
02 and side fences 103 and 104 to move the paper stack S to a predetermined position on the finish tray 40.
Move above 0. Therefore, the CPU 801 constitutes movement control means.

In FIG. 2, 530 is a binding position input key, and 505 is a numeric keypad. Binding position input key 5
30 and the numeric keypad 505 are keys by which the needle driving position of the paper bundle S can be input, and constitute binding position input means. On the other hand, the CPU 801 controls the movement of the end fence 102 and the side fences 103 and 104 so that the needle 304 is driven into the needle driving position input to the binding position input means consisting of the binding position input key 530 and the numeric keypad 505.

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 includes a bookbinding control section 800, a jogging section 100, a stapling section 300,
A discharge section 200 is provided. Commands related to bookbinding operations are input to the bookbinding control unit 800 from the operation display unit 500, and the bookbinding control unit 800 controls the jogging unit 100, stapling unit 300, and ejecting unit 200 based on these commands.
control etc. 11 to 14 are paper feed cassettes, and since the copying machine main body 1 itself is a known device for forming images by electrophotographic recording, a description of its structure and operation will be omitted. The image-formed paper discharged from the copying machine main body 1 is
The paper is transported downstream by the transport roller 901 of the post-processing device 3. A switching claw 902 is provided downstream of the conveyance roller 901, and by switching the switching claw 902, the paper is transferred to the first
, the second sheet transport path 903 or 904. The paper conveyed to the first sheet conveyance path 903 is discharged onto a proof tray 905. Further, the paper conveyed to the second sheet conveyance path 904 is transferred to the finish tray 400.
transported upwards.

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.

[0021] 505 is a numeric keypad;
is used when setting the binding position, 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, and details of the liquid crystal display section 550 are shown in FIG. 551 is a message display that displays information regarding the machine;
1 displays a message such as "You can copy" or "Please replenish paper." 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.
Each time is pressed, the lighting of the LED 555 in the concentration display section 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, allowing automatic paper selection, manual paper feeding,
Alternatively, which paper cassette has been selected among the paper feed cassettes 11 to 14 is displayed. "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 to add one sheet of the same size as the paper stack to the front side, the back side, or both sides of the paper stack on which an image has been formed, or to add no paper at all.

[0023] The binding position input key 530 is a key that is pressed when inputting the position where the staples are driven into the paper bundle. Each time the binding position input key 530 is pressed, the binding position input mode is switched between setting and canceling. It has become. When set to the binding position input mode, the driving position of the staple 304 of the paper bundle S can be input using the numeric keypad 505. Staple selection key 519, cover function selection key 52
Since bookbinding by 0 is already 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.

[0025] 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 Feeder 2> FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the circulating original feeding apparatus 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 positioning fence in the paper conveyance 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. In addition, the end fence 102 is designed to allow stapling, which will be described later, to be performed at any binding position in the direction of arrow J1 in FIG. The position is determined by the CPU 801 (described later),
The end fence 102 is moved to this position after the jogging operation and before the stapling operation. The reference position of the end fence 102 is the reference position of the end fence 102.
The convex portion 102a is the position 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.

[0034] The side fences 103 and 104 are positioning fences in the front and rear direction, and each side fence 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. In addition, the positions of the side fences 103 and 104 are determined by the CPU 801, which will be described later, so that stapling, which will be described later, can be performed at any binding position in the direction of arrow J2 in FIG. Before the stapling operation, place the side fence 103 at this position.
104 is designed to move.

[0035] 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,
During paper ejection, the front side fence 104 moves along the circumference of the pulley 116, so 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 move in the same direction, return to their original positions, and move 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. <Stapling part 300> In FIGS. 18 and 19, 30
Reference numeral 1 denotes a stapler, and the stapler 301 is composed of a stapler body part 302 and a staple receiving part 306, which are separated with a finish tray 400 in between. In this embodiment, only one stapler body 302 and one staple receiver 306 are provided, but a plurality of each may be provided. Stapler main body 30
2 is composed of a needle driving part 302a, a needle storage part 302b, a plate-shaped projection 302c, a leaf spring 302d, and an arm 302e. The needle driving section 302a and the needle storage section 302b are rotatably supported by a shaft 303. Needle storage section 302
The needles 304 stored in b are pushed out one by one in the downward direction in FIG. The tip of the needle 304 passes through the stack of sheets S aligned on the tray 400, and the tip of the needle 304 reaches the needle receiver 3.
The paper bundle S is bent along the surface shape of the paper bundle S, thereby completing the stapling of the paper bundle S. The needle 304 is pushed out by rotation of the staple eccentric cam 307. That is, an eccentric cam 307 is provided at a predetermined upper position of the stapler main body 302 in FIG. Note that there may be a plurality of eccentric cams 307 depending on the number of stapler main body parts 302 and staple receiving parts 306. In addition, the stapler main body part 302 and the staple receiving part 3
A case in which two eccentric cams 307 and 307 are provided is shown in FIG. Normally, the eccentric cam 307 is stopped and stands by at a position where it does not come into contact with the needle punching part 302a by position detection 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 the leaf spring 302d, and the leaf spring 302
The needle driver 302 is pressed and rotated downward about the shaft 308 by the reaction force d. 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 receiver 306 is separately (divided) arranged below the eccentric cam 307 in the finish tray 400 on the same surface or below (with the needle receiver 306 not protruding). For this reason, the stapler main body 302
If the stapler body 302 is in a standby state, the paper is conveyed between the stapler body 302 and the staple receiver 306 without being caught between them. <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. 21, 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. 22, 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 22, 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 includes a jogger motor 850 (corresponding to the side fence movement motors 110 and 111), an end fence movement motor 806, a conveyance roller drive motor 808, and a motor for driving a lift belt motor 809 at a constant speed. A driver 810 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 connected to a staple vertical movement motor 812, a staple operation motor 813, etc., and the staple control input/output port 803 is independently provided with signals necessary for the operation of the staple unit. The input port 804 includes a home position sensor,
It is configured to be connected to signals from conveyance sensors, etc., and to 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. 23 to 31.

(2) Operation control The operations of the post-processing device 3 include: discharging paper to the proof tray 905; discharging paper to the finish tray 400; discharging paper to the finishing tray 400; aligning paper; moving paper bundle; binding; There are various actions to eject. 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. Staple position (
Binding position) is D1 shown in FIG. 32 at end fence 102.
By moving D2 to the side fences 103 and 1042
This information can be changed by moving the position command. For that purpose, the side fence 103
, 104 and the end fence 102 must be moved into position. The control is as follows. If the first mode command sent is a staple command,
Referring to the size command sent after the mode command, the side fences 103 and 104 are driven by the side fence moving motors 110 and 111 to move the end fences 102 to positions corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the paper size. The end fence is moved to a position corresponding to the hand direction by driving the end fence moving motor 806. Since the stapler body 302 is fixed to the finish tray 400, the stapling position of the paper is determined by the position of the end fence 102 and the positions of the side fences 103 and 104. end fence 102
When the positions of the side fences 103 and 104 are determined, the position data is changed, and the end fence 102 and the side fence 103 are set so that the sheets are stapled at these positions after the jogging operation and before the stapling operation.
104 is moved.

(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) The paper is ejected from the side fences 103 and 104 as described above.
is discharged due to the movement of FIG. 34 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. 35 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.

According to this embodiment, since it is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained. First, before the sheet bundle S on the finish tray 400 is stapled by the stapler 301, the end fence 102 moves the sheet stack S in the direction of arrow J1 in FIG.
, 104 can move in the direction of arrow J2 in FIG. 19, the needle 304 can be driven into any position on the paper stack S, and the paper stack S can be bound at any binding position. Can be done.

Second, since the stapler 301 is fixed to the finish tray 400, the stapler 301
01 structure can be simplified, and the binding position of the paper bundle S can be changed to the end fence 102 and the side fence 1.
Positioning can be performed by only moving 03 and 104, and binding position control can be facilitated. Thirdly, since the operator can input the binding position using the binding position input key 530 and the numeric keypad 505, the operator can specify the binding position at any position, improving usability.

Fourthly, the paper stack is stapled at an arbitrary binding position by moving the paper stack rather than by moving the stapler 301. This simplifies the overall structure of the device while also allowing the paper stack to be moved. The binding position can be set at any position. That is, the end fence 102 and side fences 103, 10 for moving the paper stack
4 is originally movable in order to accommodate the paper size and align the edges of the paper, and it is possible to simply control the position of the fence without creating a new structure for changing the binding position.
The binding position can be changed. Furthermore, if one were to move the stapler to change the binding position, it would be necessary to provide a large number of staple receivers, but it would be impossible to set the binding position at every position on the stack of sheets. on the other hand,
This would be possible if the staple receiver could be moved together with the stapler body, but with this structure,
The device structure becomes very complicated.

Fifth, a sheet of paper approximately twice the size of the sheet bundle S is stacked on top of the sheet bundle S as a cover C, and the sheet bundle and the cover C are stacked together.
After aligning one end, a needle 304 is driven into the paper stack S from above the cover C near the center of the cover C, the tip of the needle 304 is bent, and the paper stack S is bound together with the cover C. By simply folding the paper stack in half toward the paper stack S side, both the front and back sides of the paper stack can be covered with covers, and the appearance of the paper stack after bookbinding can be improved. In addition, since the bent part at the tip of the needle 304 is also covered by the cover C, it is ensured that this bent part does not injure your fingertips, other objects get caught in the bent part, or the needle 304 becomes easily detached. can be prevented. Therefore, the quality of bookbinding can be improved.

Sixth, 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. Seventhly, since the stapler main body 302 and the staple receiving part 306 are separated above and below the paper stack, the stapler main body 302 and the staple receiving part 3
06 stapler 301 to the finish tray 40.
This method prevents the stapler 301 from protruding from the side of the apparatus, compared to the conventional stapler in which the stapler is disposed at the side end of the finish tray 400 and protrudes from the side of the apparatus. The installation area of the device can be reduced.

Eighth, as mentioned above, the stapler main body 3
02 and the needle receiver 306 are separated, the bound paper stack can be ejected from three sides other than the end fence 102 side. For example, as in this embodiment, the paper stack can be ejected from the front side of the device. can be done. Ninth, since the bundle of bound sheets is ejected on the front side of the device, the width of the device can be shortened compared to a device that has an ejection tray for bookbinding on the side of the device. The installation area of the equipment can be reduced.

Tenthly, since the bound paper bundle is discharged to the paper output tray 202 on the front side of the apparatus, compared to the conventional system which had a paper output tray in the lateral direction of the apparatus.
The paper stack can be taken out from the paper ejection tray 202 with a small movement, and operability can be improved.

[0053]

According to the invention as set forth in claim 1, before the stack of sheets on the stacking means is bound by the binding means, the stack of sheets is moved in the first direction by the supporting means and moved in the second direction by the alignment means. Therefore, the staple can be driven into any position on the paper stack, and the paper stack can be bound at any position.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the binding means is fixed to the alignment means, the structure of the binding means can be simplified, and the binding position of the paper bundle can be adjusted by the support means and the positioning means. Positioning can be performed simply by moving the alignment means, and binding position control can be facilitated. According to the third aspect of the invention, since the binding position input means is provided, the operator can input the binding position using the binding position input means. Therefore, the operator can specify the binding position to an arbitrary position, and the usability can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a copying machine to which an 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 showing the positional relationship between the staple section and the jogging section in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the staple portion in FIG. 18;

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

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

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

24 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C1 in FIG. 23. FIG.

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

26 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C3 in FIG. 23. FIG.

27 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C4 in FIG. 23. FIG.

28 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C5 in FIG. 23. FIG.

29 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C6 in FIG. 23. FIG.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C7 in FIG. 23;

31 is a diagram showing a processing flow following connector C8 in FIG. 23. FIG.

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

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

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

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

[Explanation of symbols]

102 End fence (support means) 103, 104
Side fence (alignment means) 301 Stapler (binding means) 304 Staples 400 Finish tray (placing means) 530
Binding position input key (binding position input means) 505 Numeric keypad (binding position input means) 801 CPU (movement control means) S Paper stack

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claim 1: A loading means for stacking a plurality of sheets of paper as a stack of sheets, and one of the vertical and horizontal directions of the sheets on the loading means is a first direction and the other is a second direction. When the paper is placed in the first direction, the
a support means for supporting one end in the direction; and an aligning means provided to be reciprocating in a second direction with respect to the placing means, and aligning both ends of the paper on the placing means in the second direction by reciprocating movement. a binding means for driving a needle through the stack of sheets on the placing means supported by the supporting means and aligned by the aligning means and bending the tips of the needles to bind the bundle of sheets; the binding means is on the placing means; 1. A bookbinding apparatus comprising: a movement control means for controlling the movement of a support means and an alignment means to move the paper bundle to a predetermined position on a mounting means before binding the paper bundle. 2. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the binding means is fixed to the mounting means. 3. Binding position input means for inputting a staple driving position of the paper bundle, and movement control means controlling the support means and alignment so that the staple is driven into the staple driving position input to the binding position input means. 3. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bookbinding apparatus controls movement of the placing means.