JPH05105312A - Paper sheet aftertreatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain space saving at low cost in the case of performing the multistage connection of paper sheet aftertreatment devices and enable simple and mechanical connection while performing electrical connection all from the front side so as to make connecting time and labor as less as possible. CONSTITUTION:The paper discharge port 181 of a skewing part 100 or a sorter/ stapler unit 800, the paper supply port 201 of the sorter/stapler unit 800, the receiving side connecting bracket 180 of the slanting part 100 or sorter/stapler unit 800, and the insert side connecting brackets 220 of the sorter/stapler unit 800 are disposed in such a way that the paper discharge port 181 is opposed to the paper supply port 201 when the insert side connecting bracket 220 is placed on the receiving side connecting bracket 180 by insertion. Positioning is thereby performed only by placing one connecting bracket 220 on the other connecting bracket 180 so as to dispense with special adjustment.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus for sorting, collating, or stapling sheets on which images have been recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine for post-processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a sheet post-processing apparatus such as a sorter has a plurality of bins for sorting sheets and is configured to perform post-processing by binding a bundle of sheets sorted by a stapler. ing. However, in such a sheet post-processing apparatus, the number of sheet bundles that can be sorted is limited to the number of bins. Therefore, in recent years, in order to increase the number of sheet bundles that can be sorted, this sheet post-processing apparatus is used. It is known that multiple stages are connected.

Conventionally, in this type of sheet post-processing apparatus, a connecting harness is connected to the copying machine body on the rear side.
Also, among the paper post-processing devices of this type, floor-type devices make subtle adjustments or make the paper receiving opening larger than necessary in order to match the paper ejection opening of the copier body. It was

[0004]

By the way, if an intermediate transport unit for transporting a sheet from the main body of the copying machine to the sorter / stapler is incorporated in the apparatus, if the intermediate transport unit is connected to two or three, the intermediate transport unit is unnecessary. However, it will be attached, so it will be costly,
It takes extra space. Further, as described above, in the conventional post-processing device, the harness is connected to the main body of the copying machine on the rear side, but the rear side of the machine is usually attached to the wall of the room. It had to be docked and then moved to the wall, which was troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the actual state of the prior art as described above, and an object thereof is to completely divide an intermediate conveyance unit so that it can be attached and detached, and when a plurality of sorters / staplers are connected, the intermediate conveyance is performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing device that can reduce the cost because the unit can be omitted and save space.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing device which can be mechanically connected easily, all electrical connections can be made from the front side, and the labor of connection can be reduced as much as possible.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a first means is a skewing unit for skewing a sheet conveyed from the copying machine main body with the center of the sheet as a reference to an end face reference conveyance, and a sheet feeding unit. An intermediate transport that has at least one of a transport unit with a paper reversal function that reverses and a skew unit with a paper reversal function that reverses and skews the paper discharge surface, and has a connection part on the paper discharge side on the receiving side The unit and a sorter / separator unit, which are provided separately from the intermediate transport unit and have a connection part on the paper feed side on the insertion side, and a stapler / stapler unit for stapling, receive the intermediate transport unit or the sorter / stapler unit. When the insertion side connection part of the sorter / stapler unit is inserted and placed on the connection part on the side, Sheet discharge port sorter / stapler feeding port facing the way discharge outlet Lee stapler unit, a paper feed port, and both connecting portions has a structure which is arranged.

The second means is constructed so that the intermediate transport unit and the sorter / stapler unit, or at least two sorter / staplers that are continuously connected are electrically connected from the front side.

[0009]

In the first means, the positioning is performed only by placing the connection part on the insertion side of the sorter / stapler on the connection part on the reception side of the intermediate transport unit or the sorter / stapler unit by the connection means, and in particular, the adjustment is performed. No need.

In the second means, since the electrical connection between the intermediate conveyance unit and the sorter / stapler unit or the electrical connection between the sorter / stapler units can be made from the front side of the device, the device is installed first. Can be performed, and the effort for connection can be minimized.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a post-processing system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a main portion showing a drive system of a slanted portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a drive system of a connecting unit of FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of essential parts shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state during connection work.

In FIG. 1, in this post-processing system,
The sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 with its center aligned is inclined to the image forming apparatus 1 in the frontmost stage, and is discharged from the inclined portion 100 and the inclined portion 100 for making the width closer to one side edge. The parent post-treatment procedure 800a, the child post-treatment procedure 800b, and the grandchild post-treatment procedure 800c for processing the formed sheets are connected in this order. Post-treatment measures 800a, 800
b and 800c are switching claws 801a, 801b and 80 for selectively guiding the paper from the preceding device toward the self bin or toward the subsequent post-processing device.
1c and a connection unit 802 for discharging the paper from the switching claws 801a to 801c to the post-processing device in the subsequent stage.
a, 802b, 802c. Although not shown, the oblique portion 100 and the connecting units 802a-80
2c both have a door open sensor and a paper input sensor,
Each of these detection signals is transmitted to an upstream device via a communication device to be described later.

Oblique section 100 and post-treatment measures 800a-80
0c has the same physical relationship such as the paper carry-in position, the paper discharge position, the connector, etc., and the same belt 1 as described later.
The post-treatments 800a to 800c are mechanically configured in the same manner regardless of the parent, child, and grandchild relationships so that they can be driven simply by multiplying them by 04,814. Furthermore, the oblique portion 10
0 and the post-treatments 800a to 800c are electrically connected to the downstream post-treatments 800a to 800c via a communication module 920, which will be described later, and the connection state changes the I / O port 903. Is detected through.

Next, FIG. 2 corresponding to an enlarged view of part A of FIG.
The drive system of the inclined portion 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Oblique part 1
In the case of 00, the sheet discharged by the center alignment from the copying machine is inclined, and the parent post-processing device 80
A drive roller shaft 101 for driving a belt or the like (not shown) discharged to 0a is provided. In the vicinity of the drive roller shaft 101, idlers 102 and 103 for transmitting the rotation of the roller shaft 810 of the master post-processing device 800a to the drive roller shaft 101 are provided, and these idlers 102 and 103 are attached to the drive roller shaft 101. Pulley 101a and idler 10
The belt 104 is wound around the pulleys 810a that are attached to the roller shafts 810 of the parent and post-processing device 800a. The roller shaft 810 is configured to be located at the same position regardless of the relationship between the parent, child, and grandchild. When the master post-processing apparatus 800a is connected to the inclined portion 100, the parent post-processing apparatus 800a is pushed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be adjacent to the oblique section 100, and the parent post-processing apparatus 800a pulley is connected. The belt 104 hung on the roller 810a is attached to the pulley 101a on the roller shaft 101 side.
The driving force on the roller shaft 810 side is transmitted to the driving roller shaft of the inclined portion 100.

The above-mentioned connection is as shown in FIG. 6 which is an explanatory view at the time of connection work (FIG. 6A shows a state before connection and FIG. 6B shows a state after connection). Connecting bracket 180 as a receiving side connecting portion provided in the lower part of the
By inserting and mounting the coupling bracket 220 as a connection portion on the insertion side provided on the parent-post processing device 800a, the sheet ejection port 181 of the oblique portion 100 and the parent-post processing device 800.
Both brackets 180 and 220 are configured so that the position of the receiving port 201 of a is determined.

Next, FIG. 3 corresponding to an enlarged view of the portion B of FIG.
The drive system of the connection units 802a to 802c will be described with reference to FIG. For the connection units 802a to 802c,
A drive roller shaft 811 is provided for discharging the paper discharged from the upstream oblique portion 100 or the post-processing device 800 to the downstream post-processing device 800. An idler 8 for transmitting the rotation of the roller shaft 810 described above to the drive roller shaft 811 is provided near the drive roller shaft 811.
12, 813 are provided, and these drive roller shafts 81
Pulleys 810a, 81 axially attached to 0, 811, respectively
A belt 814 is wound around the la and the idlers 812 and 813. Also in this case, as in the case where the parent post-processing device 800a is connected to the slanted portion 100, the child post-processing device 800b is pushed from the front surfaces of the image forming apparatus 1 and the slanted portion 100 to drive the drive roller shaft 811 of the coupling unit 802a. A belt 814 is attached to a pulley 811a axially attached to the pulley 811a, and a belt 814 is attached to a pulley 810a axially attached to a roller shaft 810 of the child post-processing device 800b. Communicate to. Similarly, the grandchild post-processing device 800c is also connected to the child post-processing device 800b from the front side.

That is, the parent post-processing device 800a for the oblique portion 100, the child post-processing device 800b for the parent post-processing device 800a, and the grandchild post-processing device 800c for the child post-processing device 800b are these devices. The system is connected from the front side, and further, the belts 104 and 814 are hung from the front side to construct the whole as one system.
In this way, the connecting units 802a to 802c are basically driven by the main motor of the downstream post-treatment device, and the oblique portion 100 is driven by the main motor of the parent post-treatment treatment 800a. Therefore, the child post-treatment 800b and the grandchild post-treatment 800c on the downstream side do not need to drive the inclined portion 100, and therefore the post-treatments 800a to 800c.
The load of each main motor is averaged regardless of the position, and it is not necessary to change each main motor according to the system configuration or to unify the main motors with a large power.

In FIG. 4, this control system is mainly composed of a CPU (central processing unit) 900, a ROM (read only memory) 901, and a RAM (random access memory).
902, I / O (input / output) ports 903 and 904,
A clock timer controller (CTC) 905 and a universal asynchronous receiver controller (UAR)
T) A microcomputer control system composed of 906, 907 and the like.

The CPU 900 uses the RAM 902 as a work area according to a program written in advance in the ROM 901, and I / O signals from the sensor and switch groups.
It takes in through the O port 903 and outputs the control signal of each load to the driver 908 and 909 of the transistor group through the I / O port 904, and the constant voltage driver group 910 and the constant current through the phase generation IC group 912. Driver group 911
By performing the output to, the post-processing control of the paper is performed. The CPU 900 receives a pulse via the I / O port 903 or a timer value via a clock timer controller (CTC) 905 to detect the paper conveyance timing, jam detection, load control, and abnormality. Detect.

The controller (UART) 906 is connected to the main body of the copying machine and the post-processing device in the preceding stage via a receiver 913 for performing photoelectric conversion, a driver 914, and an optical fiber module 915. Serial communication is used to exchange instruction signals and status with the previous device. Similarly, the controller (UART) 9
07 is connected via a receiver 916, a driver 917, and an optical fiber module 918 for performing photoelectric conversion to a post-processing device of a subsequent stage, and this control system exchanges an instruction signal and a status with the device of the subsequent stage. Use serial communication.

Here, a controller (UART) 906, a receiver 913, and a driver 9 connected to the preceding apparatus.
14. The optical fiber module 914 is configured to be able to detect whether the device at the preceding stage is the slanting portion 100 or the post-processing device. Also, a controller (UART) 90 connected to the post-processing device in the subsequent stage.
7, the receiver 916, the driver 917, and the optical fiber module 918 are mounted on a small printed circuit board different from other circuits to be modularized, and this module 920 is the post-processing device when the post-processing device of the subsequent stage is not connected. Not attached to. Therefore, it is possible to prevent wasteful cost, malfunction due to ambient light, fiber connection error, and the like.

Next, the operation of the CPU 900 will be described with reference to FIG. First, it is checked whether or not a post-processing treatment is connected downstream (step S1), and if not connected, it is checked whether or not an online model code from a lower order is received (step S8). When this online model code is received, a connection failure of the downstream connector may be considered, so a connection abnormality signal is transmitted upstream (step S7).

On the other hand, when the post-treatment is connected downstream in step S1, a status request signal is transmitted downstream at the time of rising (step S2). Next, it is checked whether or not the online model code is received from the downstream (step S3), and if it is not received within a fixed time (step S6), the power supply failure on the downstream side, the control board abnormality, the fiber harness Since a defect is considered, a connection abnormality signal is transmitted upstream (step S7).

In step S3, when the online model code from the downstream is received within a certain period of time, the currently recognized online model code is compared with the received online model code (step S4). Sends this new online model code upstream (step S5). It should be noted that such a process can be prevented, for example, from being performed while the sheets are being sorted, but can be prevented from being caused by a change in connection recognition during sorting.

[0025]

As described above, the skew unit for skewing the sheet transported from the copying machine main body with respect to the center of the sheet to the end face standard transport, the transport unit with the sheet reversing function for reversing the sheet, and the sheet The sheet feeding unit has at least one of the skewed units with the paper reversing function that reverses and skews the discharge surface, and the intermediate transport unit that has the receiving side connection part on the paper discharge side and the intermediate transport unit separately. It is provided with a sorter / stapler unit for sorting and stapling, which is provided with a connection part on the paper feed side on the insertion side, and a sorter / stapler unit at the connection part on the receiving side of the intermediate transport unit or the sorter / stapler unit. When the insertion side connection part is inserted and placed, the output port of the intermediate transport unit or sorter / stapler unit is According to the invention of claim 1, wherein the paper discharge port, the paper feed port, and both connection parts are arranged so as to face the paper feed port of the stapler, the connection part on the sorter / stapler side is located on the intermediate conveyance unit side. Since it can be positioned and connected simply by inserting it into the connection portion of and mounting it, an intermediate conveyance unit for connection is unnecessary, cost reduction and space saving can be realized, and connection work is extremely simple.

According to the invention of claim 2, the electrical connection between the intermediate transport unit and the sorter / stapler unit or between the sorter / stapler unit and the sorter / stapler unit is made from the front side. Connection work can be performed easily.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a post-processing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an essential part showing a drive system of an oblique part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of essential parts showing a drive system of the connection unit of FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the post-processing device in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a connecting portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 100 Oblique parts 180, 220 Connection bracket 181 Paper discharge port 201 Paper feed port 800a-800c Post-treatment

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 26, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Detailed explanation of the invention

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus for sorting, collating, or stapling sheets on which images have been recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine for post-processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a sheet post-processing apparatus such as a sorter has a plurality of bins for sorting sheets and is configured to perform post-processing by binding a bundle of sheets sorted by a stapler. ing. However, in such a sheet post-processing apparatus, the number of sheet bundles that can be sorted is limited to the number of bins. Therefore, in recent years, in order to increase the number of sheet bundles that can be sorted, this sheet post-processing apparatus is used. It is known that multiple stages are connected.

Conventionally, in this type of sheet post-processing apparatus, a connecting harness is connected to the copying machine body on the rear side.
Also, among the paper post-processing devices of this type, floor-type devices make subtle adjustments or make the paper receiving opening larger than necessary in order to match the paper ejection opening of the copier body. It was

[0004]

By the way, if an intermediate transport unit for transporting a sheet from the main body of the copying machine to the sorter / stapler is incorporated in the apparatus, if the intermediate transport unit is connected to two or three, the intermediate transport unit is unnecessary. However, it will be attached, so it will be costly,
It takes extra space. Further, as described above, in the conventional post-processing device, the harness is connected to the main body of the copying machine on the rear side, but the rear side of the machine is usually attached to the wall of the room. It had to be docked and then moved to the wall, which was troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the actual state of the prior art as described above, and an object thereof is to completely divide an intermediate conveyance unit so that it can be attached and detached, and when a plurality of sorters / staplers are connected, the intermediate conveyance is performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing device that can reduce the cost because the unit can be omitted and save space.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing device which can be mechanically connected easily, all electrical connections can be made from the front side, and the labor of connection can be reduced as much as possible.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a first means is a skewing unit for skewing a sheet conveyed from the copying machine main body with the center of the sheet as a reference to an end face reference conveyance, and a sheet feeding unit. An intermediate transport that has at least one of a transport unit with a paper reversal function that reverses and a skew unit with a paper reversal function that reverses and skews the paper discharge surface, and has a connection part on the paper discharge side on the receiving side The unit and a sorter / separator unit, which are provided separately from the intermediate transport unit and have a connection part on the paper feed side on the insertion side, and a stapler / stapler unit for stapling, receive the intermediate transport unit or the sorter / stapler unit. When the insertion side connection part of the sorter / stapler unit is inserted and placed on the connection part on the side, Sheet discharge port sorter / stapler feeding port facing the way discharge outlet Lee stapler unit, a paper feed port, and both connecting portions has a structure which is arranged.

The second means is constructed so that the intermediate transport unit and the sorter / stapler unit, or at least two sorter / staplers that are continuously connected are electrically connected from the front side.

[0009]

In the first means, the positioning is performed only by placing the connection part on the insertion side of the sorter / stapler on the connection part on the reception side of the intermediate transport unit or the sorter / stapler unit by the connection means, and in particular, the adjustment is performed. No need.

In the second means, since the electrical connection between the intermediate conveyance unit and the sorter / stapler unit or the electrical connection between the sorter / stapler units can be made from the front side of the device, the device is installed first. Can be performed, and the effort for connection can be minimized.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a post-processing system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a main portion showing a drive system of a slanted portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a drive system of a connecting unit of FIG. 4 and 5 are block diagrams showing a control system of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIGS. 4 and 5, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of connection work.

In FIG. 1, in this post-processing system,
The sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 with its center aligned is inclined to the image forming apparatus 1 in the frontmost stage, and is discharged from the inclined portion 100 and the inclined portion 100 for making the width closer to one side edge. The parent post-treatment procedure 800a, the child post-treatment procedure 800b, and the grandchild post-treatment procedure 800c for processing the formed sheets are connected in this order. Post-treatment measures 800a, 800
b and 800c are switching claws 801a, 801b and 80 for selectively guiding the paper from the preceding device toward the self bin or toward the subsequent post-processing device.
1c and a connection unit 802 for discharging the paper from the switching claws 801a to 801c to the post-processing device in the subsequent stage.
a, 802b, 802c. Although not shown, the oblique portion 100 and the connecting units 802a-80
2c both have a door open sensor and a paper input sensor,
Each of these detection signals is transmitted to an upstream device via a communication device to be described later.

Oblique section 100 and post-treatment measures 800a-80
0c has the same physical relationship such as the paper carry-in position, the paper discharge position, the connector, etc., and the same belt 1 as described later.
The post-treatments 800a to 800c are mechanically configured in the same manner regardless of the parent, child, and grandchild relationships so that they can be driven simply by multiplying them by 04,814. Furthermore, the oblique portion 10
0 and the post-treatments 800a to 800c are electrically connected to the downstream post-treatments 800a to 800c via a communication module 920, which will be described later, and the connection state changes the I / O port 903. Is detected through.

Next, FIG. 2 corresponding to an enlarged view of part A of FIG.
The drive system of the inclined portion 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Oblique part 1
In the case of 00, the sheet discharged by the center alignment from the copying machine is inclined, and the parent post-processing device 80
A drive roller shaft 101 for driving a belt or the like (not shown) discharged to 0a is provided. In the vicinity of the drive roller shaft 101, idlers 102 and 103 for transmitting the rotation of the roller shaft 810 of the master post-processing device 800a to the drive roller shaft 101 are provided, and these idlers 102 and 103 are attached to the drive roller shaft 101. Pulley 101a and idler 10
The belt 104 is wound around the pulleys 810a that are attached to the roller shafts 810 of the parent and post-processing device 800a. The roller shaft 810 is configured to be located at the same position regardless of the relationship between the parent, child, and grandchild. When the master post-processing apparatus 800a is connected to the inclined portion 100, the parent post-processing apparatus 800a is pushed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be adjacent to the oblique section 100, and the parent post-processing apparatus 800a pulley is connected. The belt 104 hung on the roller 810a is attached to the pulley 101a on the roller shaft 101 side.
The driving force on the roller shaft 810 side is transmitted to the driving roller shaft of the inclined portion 100.

The above-mentioned connection is as shown in FIG. 7 which is an explanatory view at the time of connection work (FIG. 7A shows a state before connection and FIG. 7B shows a state after connection). Connecting bracket 180 as a receiving side connecting portion provided in the lower part of the
By inserting and mounting the coupling bracket 220 as a connection portion on the insertion side provided on the parent-post processing device 800a, the sheet ejection port 181 of the oblique portion 100 and the parent-post processing device 800.
Both brackets 180 and 220 are configured so that the position of the receiving port 201 of a is determined.

Next, FIG. 3 corresponding to an enlarged view of the portion B of FIG.
The drive system of the connection units 802a to 802c will be described with reference to FIG. For the connection units 802a to 802c,
A drive roller shaft 811 is provided for discharging the paper discharged from the upstream oblique portion 100 or the post-processing device 800 to the downstream post-processing device 800. An idler 8 for transmitting the rotation of the roller shaft 810 described above to the drive roller shaft 811 is provided near the drive roller shaft 811.
12, 813 are provided, and these drive roller shafts 81
Pulleys 810a, 81 axially attached to 0, 811, respectively
A belt 814 is wound around the la and the idlers 812 and 813. Also in this case, as in the case where the parent post-processing device 800a is connected to the slanted portion 100, the child post-processing device 800b is pushed from the front surfaces of the image forming apparatus 1 and the slanted portion 100 to drive the drive roller shaft 811 of the coupling unit 802a. A belt 814 is attached to a pulley 811a axially attached to the pulley 811a, and a belt 814 is attached to a pulley 810a axially attached to a roller shaft 810 of the child post-processing device 800b. Communicate to. Similarly, the grandchild post-processing device 800c is also connected to the child post-processing device 800b from the front side.

That is, the parent post-processing device 800a for the oblique portion 100, the child post-processing device 800b for the parent post-processing device 800a, and the grandchild post-processing device 800c for the child post-processing device 800b are these devices. The system is connected from the front side, and further, the belts 104 and 814 are hung from the front side to construct the whole as one system.
In this way, the connecting units 802a to 802c are basically driven by the main motor of the downstream post-treatment device, and the oblique portion 100 is driven by the main motor of the parent post-treatment treatment 800a. Therefore, the child post-treatment 800b and the grandchild post-treatment 800c on the downstream side do not need to drive the inclined portion 100, and therefore the post-treatments 800a to 800c.
The load of each main motor is averaged regardless of the position, and it is not necessary to change each main motor according to the system configuration or to unify the main motors with a large power.

In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, this control system is
A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 900 as a center, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 901, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 902, an I / O (Input / Output) port 903.
904 and a clock timer controller (CTC) 90
5 and a universal asynchronous receiver controller (UART) 906, 907 and the like.

The CPU 900 uses the RAM 902 as a work area according to a program written in advance in the ROM 901, and I / O signals from the sensor and switch groups.
It takes in through the O port 903 and outputs the control signal of each load to the driver 908 and 909 of the transistor group through the I / O port 904, and the constant voltage driver group 910 and the constant current through the phase generation IC group 912. Driver group 911
By performing the output to, the post-processing control of the paper is performed. The CPU 900 receives a pulse via the I / O port 903 or a timer value via a clock timer controller (CTC) 905 to detect the paper conveyance timing, jam detection, load control, and abnormality. Detect.

The controller (UART) 906 is connected to the main body of the copying machine and the post-processing device in the preceding stage via a receiver 913 for performing photoelectric conversion, a driver 914, and an optical fiber module 915. Serial communication is used to exchange instruction signals and status with the previous device. Similarly, the controller (UART) 9
07 is connected via a receiver 916, a driver 917, and an optical fiber module 918 for performing photoelectric conversion to a post-processing device of a subsequent stage, and this control system exchanges an instruction signal and a status with the device of the subsequent stage. Use serial communication.

Here, a controller (UART) 906, a receiver 913, and a driver 9 connected to the preceding apparatus.
14. The optical fiber module 914 is configured to be able to detect whether the device at the preceding stage is the slanting portion 100 or the post-processing device. Also, a controller (UART) 90 connected to the post-processing device in the subsequent stage.
7, the receiver 916, the driver 917, and the optical fiber module 918 are mounted on a small printed circuit board different from other circuits to be modularized, and this module 920 is the post-processing device when the post-processing device of the subsequent stage is not connected. Not attached to. Therefore, it is possible to prevent wasteful cost, malfunction due to ambient light, fiber connection error, and the like.

Next, the operation of the CPU 900 will be described with reference to FIG. First, it is checked whether or not a post-processing treatment is connected downstream (step S1), and if not connected, it is checked whether or not an online model code from a lower order is received (step S8). When this online model code is received, a connection failure of the downstream connector may be considered, so a connection abnormality signal is transmitted upstream (step S7).

On the other hand, when the post-treatment is connected downstream in step S1, a status request signal is transmitted downstream at the time of rising (step S2). Next, it is checked whether or not the online model code is received from the downstream (step S3), and if it is not received within a fixed time (step S6), the power supply failure on the downstream side, the control board abnormality, the fiber harness Since a defect is considered, a connection abnormality signal is transmitted upstream (step S7).

In step S3, when the online model code from the downstream is received within a certain period of time, the currently recognized online model code is compared with the received online model code (step S4). Sends this new online model code upstream (step S5). It should be noted that such a process can be prevented, for example, from being performed while the sheets are being sorted, but can be prevented from being caused by a change in connection recognition during sorting.

[0025]

As described above, the skew unit for skewing the sheet transported from the copying machine main body with respect to the center of the sheet to the end face standard transport, the transport unit with the sheet reversing function for reversing the sheet, and the sheet The sheet feeding unit has at least one of the skewed units with the paper reversing function that reverses and skews the discharge surface, and the intermediate transport unit that has the receiving side connection part on the paper discharge side and the intermediate transport unit separately. It is provided with a sorter / stapler unit for sorting and stapling, which is provided with a connection part on the paper feed side on the insertion side, and a sorter / stapler unit at the connection part on the receiving side of the intermediate transport unit or the sorter / stapler unit. When the insertion side connection part is inserted and placed, the output port of the intermediate transport unit or sorter / stapler unit is According to the invention of claim 1, wherein the paper discharge port, the paper feed port, and both connection parts are arranged so as to face the paper feed port of the stapler, the connection part on the sorter / stapler side is located on the intermediate conveyance unit side. Since it can be positioned and connected simply by inserting it into the connection portion of and mounting it, an intermediate conveyance unit for connection is unnecessary, cost reduction and space saving can be realized, and connection work is extremely simple.

According to the invention of claim 2, the electrical connection between the intermediate transport unit and the sorter / stapler unit or between the sorter / stapler unit and the sorter / stapler unit is made from the front side. Connection work can be performed easily. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 26, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Brief description of the drawing

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a post-processing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an essential part showing a drive system of an oblique part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of essential parts showing a drive system of the connection unit of FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a part of a control system of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

5 is a block diagram showing another part of the control system of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the post-processing device of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a connecting portion.

[Explanation of reference numerals] 1 image forming apparatus 100 oblique portion 180, 220 coupling bracket 181 sheet discharge port 201 sheet feed port 800a to 800c post-treatment

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 1]

[Figure 4]

[Figure 5]

[Figure 6]

[Figure 7]

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Keiji Maeda 2-28-24 Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Yokota Building Ricoh Elemex Co., Ltd. (72) Masatoshi Hosoi 2-28 Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi 24 YOKOTA BILL Ricoh Electrics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuru Ichikawa 2-28, Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture YOKOTA BILL Ricoh Electrics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Yuji Ueno 2-Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture 28-24 Yokota Building Ricoh Elemex Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A skew unit for skewing a sheet conveyed from the main body of the copying machine with respect to the center of the sheet to end face standard conveyance, a sheet reversing conveyance unit for reversing the sheet, and a sheet discharge surface for reversing. An intermediate transport unit that includes at least one of the skewed units with a paper reversing function for skewing and has a receiving side connection portion on the paper discharge side, and a sheet feeding unit that is provided separately from the intermediate transport unit. It consists of a sorter with a connecting part on the insertion side and a sorter / stapler unit that performs stapling, and the connection part on the insertion side of the sorter / stapler unit is connected to the connection part on the receiving side of the intermediate transport unit or sorter / stapler unit. When inserted and placed, the paper exit of the intermediate transport unit or sorter / stapler unit is the paper entrance of the sorter / stapler. A sheet post-processing apparatus in which a sheet discharge port, a sheet feed port, and both connecting portions are disposed so as to face the sheet finisher. 2. The sheet post-processing according to claim 1, wherein electrical connection between the intermediate conveyance unit and the sorter / stapler unit or at least two sorter / staplers connected in series is made from the front side. apparatus.