JPH05278365A - Paper post-treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately perform the post-treatment of paper at a high treatment speed. CONSTITUTION:A staple unit 600 and a chuck unit 602 are integrally movable in the arranging direction of bins 350 and the staple unit 600 performs operating binding the paper bundle P on each of the bins 350 by staples. The chuck C of the chuck unit 602 is reciprocally moved in a horizontal direction and moved from a home position (a) to a chuck position (b) to hold the paper bundle P on each of the bins 350 and further moved to the staple position (e) of the staple unit 600 to perform operation returning the paper bundle P to the return position (e) of each of the bins 350. The home position (a) of the chuck C is set between the staple position (c) and the return position (c) and the chuck C is controlled so that the chuck unit 602 starts up-and-down movement at the up-and-down movable position (d) between the home position (a) and the return position (c).

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 that sorts, collates, staples and post-processes sheets on which images are recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a sheet post-processing apparatus of this type has a plurality of bins for sorting sheets, and performs post-processing by stapling a bundle of sheets on the bin or punching holes. Is configured. In order to perform this post-processing, the sheet bundle is held by the chuck of the moving mechanism and reciprocates between the discharge position on the bin and the post-processing position, and the reciprocating mechanism is movable in the bin arrangement direction. is there.

Conventionally, a reciprocating mechanism of this kind is constructed such that a chuck is reciprocally moved by a DC motor and a spiral gear, and the discharging position and the post-processing position on a bin are detected by two sensors for control. Has been done. Further, as another reciprocating mechanism, the chuck is reciprocally moved at a constant speed by a stepping motor, a worm gear, a guide rail, etc., and the discharging position and the post-processing position on the bin are detected by two sensors for control. Some are configured like this.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
In the conventional sheet post-processing device using the C motor, the speed of the reciprocating mechanism changes depending on the load such as the number of sheets of the sheet on the bin, the size, the thickness, and the variation of the power source and the motor itself. Must be set to the slowest speed, which naturally slows down the processing speed.

Similarly, in the conventional sheet post-processing apparatus using the above stepping motor, the chuck is also reciprocally moved at a constant speed, so that the sheet bundle is formed due to the load such as the number, size and thickness of the sheet bundle on the bin. In order to hold the chuck so that it does not shift, the horizontal movement speed of the chuck must be set to the slowest speed, and the processing speed also becomes slow.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus capable of increasing the post-processing speed.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, a first means is a sorting means for sorting and discharging sheets into a plurality of upper and lower bins, and a sorting means along the bin arranging direction. A post-processing unit that is movable and post-processes the sheet bundle discharged onto the bin, and is movable along the arrangement direction of the bin, and holds the sheet bundle discharged onto the bin. A sheet holding unit that can move horizontally to the post-processing position of the post-processing unit, a first position where the sheet holding unit is a home position, and a second position that holds the sheet bundle discharged onto the bin. A position, a third position which is a post-processing position of the post-processing means, and a control means for controlling the horizontal movement between a fourth position where the movement to the next bin is started. It is configured.

In the second means, the sheet holding means of the first means has a stepping motor, one of the first to fourth positions is detected by a sensor, and the control means is the first to fourth positions. The other three positions are set to be controlled by counting the drive pulses of the stepping motor.

In the third means, the sensor of the first means detects the first position which is the home position of the paper holding means, and the control means sets the count value of the drive pulse of the stepping motor to the first position. It is set to initialize at the position.

In the fourth means, the control means of the first means is
The sheet holding means and the post-processing means are controlled so as to start moving to the next bin after the sheet holding means reaches the fourth position, and the counting is performed when the sheet holding means reaches the first position. It is set to initialize the value.

The fifth means is a sorting means for sorting and discharging sheets into a plurality of bins arranged vertically and a movable means along the arrangement direction of the bins, and the sheets discharged onto the bins. Post-processing means for post-processing the stack and movable along the direction of arrangement of the bins, and holding the stack of sheets discharged onto the bin and moving horizontally to the post-processing position of the post-processing means And a first movement step for moving the sheet holding means from the reference position to a position for holding the sheet bundle discharged onto the bin, and a position for holding the sheet bundle after the post-processing means. A second movement step of moving to the processing position, a third movement step of returning the sheet bundle from the post-processing position of the post-processing means to the bin, and a fourth movement step of returning the sheet bundle to the bin and then returning to the reference position. Each speed pattern is different It has a configuration in which a control means for controlling so.

The sixth means is set so that the speed gradually decreases before the speed patterns of the first and second movement strokes of the fifth means reach the stop position.

The seventh means is set so that the third and fourth speed patterns of the fifth means have almost the maximum speed immediately before the stop.

In the eighth means, the speed pattern of the first to fourth movement strokes of the fifth means is the size of the paper on the bin,
It is set according to at least one of the thickness and the number of sheets.

The ninth means is set so that the acceleration becomes smaller as the speed pattern of the first to fourth movement strokes of the fifth means approaches the maximum speed.

[0016]

According to the first means, the sheet holding means starts moving to the next bin from the fourth position, not from the first position, which is the home position, so that the post-processing speed can be increased. You can

In the second means, the absolute position of the paper holding means is detected by one sensor, and the other three relative positions are detected by the number of drive pulses of the stepping motor, so the position of the paper holding means is detected. Therefore, the number of sensors can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

In the third means, the home position of the paper holding means is detected by one sensor and the number of drive pulses is initialized, so that it can be constructed at low cost and can be controlled simply and accurately. It will be possible.

In the fourth means, the paper holding means and the post-processing means start moving from the fourth position to the next bin to start the first operation.
Since the count value is initialized at the position of, the post-processing speed can be increased and the cumulative error of the count value can be prevented.

In the fifth means, since the speed patterns of the first to fourth movement strokes differ depending on the purpose of movement of the sheet holding means, it is possible to prevent the sheet bundle from shifting and to improve the post-processing speed. Can be fast.

In the sixth means, the speed gradually decreases before the speed patterns of the first and second moving strokes reach the stop position, so that the paper holding means is provided at the position for holding the sheet bundle and the post-processing position. Can be stopped accurately.

In the seventh means, since the third and fourth speed patterns have almost the maximum speed immediately before the stop, the paper holding means is provided at the return position and the reference position on the bin where the stop position may not be accurate. Can be moved quickly.

In the eighth means, since the speed patterns of the first to fourth movement strokes are controlled by at least one of the size, thickness and number of sheets on the bin, it is possible to prevent deviation of the sheet bundle. In addition, the post-processing speed can be increased.

In the ninth means, the acceleration becomes smaller when the speed patterns of the first to fourth movement strokes are closer to the maximum speed, so that the deviation of the sheet bundle can be prevented and the post-processing speed is increased. be able to.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the movement of the chuck of FIG. 1 in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 3 is a detailed configuration of the chuck unit of FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the operation of the chuck shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a front view showing a detailed configuration of the stapling unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation, and FIG.
6 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus.

In FIG. 1, a plurality of bins 350 are arranged in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the drawing, and the tips are arranged so as to face upward. Paper P indicated by alternate long and short dash line
Are sequentially discharged onto the bottle 350 from the direction of arrow A in the figure, and the rear end thereof is brought into contact with the fence 350a by its own weight and aligned in the transport direction. The side fence shaft 401 of the fence unit (not shown) is arranged so as to extend in the arrangement direction of the bins 350, that is, in the vertical direction, and is movable in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction depending on the size of the paper P.

The stapling unit 600 and the chuck unit 602 can move integrally in the arrangement direction of the bin 350, and the stapling unit 600 binds the sheet bundle P on the bin 350 with staples (needle). The chuck C of the chuck unit 602 reciprocates in the horizontal direction, moves from the home position a to the chuck position b to hold the sheet bundle P on the bin 350, and from the chuck position b to the staple position e of the staple unit 600. To the return position c on the bin 350.

The jogger unit 500 is provided with a sheet bundle P.
Are aligned with each other in the width direction by abutting on the side fence shaft 401, and the staple unit 600 and the chuck unit 602 can move independently in the arrangement direction of the bins 350. This jogger unit 500
Is controlled so that it is positioned below the bin 1 or more so as not to collide with the chuck unit 602 or the like.

As will be described later, the CPU 900 controls the sorting of the sheets P on the bin 350, the horizontal movement control of the side fence shaft 401 according to the sheet size, the vertical movement control of the staple unit 600 and the chuck unit 602, and the chuck C. Horizontal movement, holding and release control of the sheet bundle P, etc., and each drive is performed via a stepping motor or solenoid. In FIG. 1, the sheet bundle P is chucked by the chuck C at the chuck position b, and the staple unit 6 at the staple position e.
The sheets are bound by 00 and returned to the bin 350 by the chuck C at the return position c before the chuck position b. The home position a of the chuck C is set between the staple position e and the return position c, and as shown in FIG. 2, the chuck C is at the chuck unit at the vertically movable position d between the home position a and the return position c. 602 is controlled to start moving up and down.

Next, a detailed structure of the chuck unit 602 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The chuck unit 602 includes a mechanism W for reciprocating the chuck C in the horizontal direction, in addition to the chuck C for gripping the sheet bundle P. A pair of upper chuck lever 631 and lower chuck lever 63 for holding and releasing the bundle of sheets P on the chuck C.
0 is attached so that it can be opened and closed vertically. The upper chuck lever 631 is connected to the lever 6 via a spring 634.
33, and the chuck solenoid 635 rotates the lever 633 to move the upper chuck lever 63.
1 and the lower chuck lever 630 are opened and closed in the vertical direction.

The spring 636 is provided to assist the upper chuck lever 631 and the lower chuck lever 630 in opening in the vertical direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the levers 631 and 630 of the chuck C are arranged at an angle of 30 ° with respect to the horizontal. This is because the bin 350 is inclined to align the sheet bundle P in the transport direction. Because it is. The stapler 601 of the staple unit 600 is arranged so as to be inclined by 25 ° with respect to the horizontal so as to match the deflection of the sheet bundle P at the staple position.

3 and 4, the structure of the moving mechanism W will be described. The moving shaft W of the chuck C is fixed to the chuck bracket 641. The sliding shaft 642 is provided on the slide bracket 643. The bearing 645 is attached together with the stopper so as to fit. Then, the slide bracket 643 uses the groove 646 formed in the chuck bracket 641 as a guide so that the slide bracket 643 does not rotate around the slide shaft 642.
It is attached through 8. That is, roller 648
Prevents the slide bracket 643 from rotating by entering into the groove 646 formed in the chuck bracket 641.

The horizontal movement of the chuck C is performed by a chuck motor 656 attached to the chuck bracket 641 and a pulley 657 fixed to the shaft of the chuck motor 656.
A pulley 659 rotatably attached to a shaft 658 formed on the chuck bracket 641 and a pulley 65.
The timing belt 660 is wound around 7,659 and a mounting plate 661 for mounting the timing belt 660 to the slide bracket 643. Therefore, when the chuck motor 656 rotates, the timing belt 660 reciprocates in the horizontal direction, and the slide bracket 643 reciprocates in the horizontal direction. The chuck motor 656 is composed of a stepping motor, and its moving distance and moving speed are controlled by the CPU 900.

A chuck home sensor 662 composed of a photo interrupter is attached to the chuck bracket 641. The chuck home sensor 662 detects the detection bracket 663 attached to the slide bracket 643 to detect the slide bracket 6.
The home position a of 43 is detected.

In the staple mode, first, the chuck solenoid 635 is off and the upper chuck lever 6 is
31 and the lower chuck lever 630 are opened, and when the chuck motor 656 rotates, the upper chuck lever 631 and the lower chuck lever 630 move at a speed as described below.
To the chuck position b (FIG. 4) in the direction of. And
When the chuck solenoid 635 is turned on, the lever 63
3 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 651, and the spring 634 attached to the lever 633 rotates the upper chuck lever 631 around the shaft 652 clockwise in FIG.

The upper chuck lever 631 and the lower chuck lever 630 are attached to rollers 653a and 65, respectively.
3b, the lower chuck lever 630 rotates around the shaft 654 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 in response to the movement of the upper chuck lever 631, and holds the sheet bundle P. here,
The amount of movement of the upper chuck lever 631 and the lower chuck lever 630 is determined by the center of rotation of the levers 631 and 630, the force point, and the action point. In the present embodiment, the relationship between the distance between the action point of the upper chuck lever 631 and the rotation fulcrum and the distance between the force point and the rotation fulcrum is set to approximately 3: 1, and the distance between the action point and the rotation fulcrum of the lower chuck lever 630 is set. And the relationship between the distance between the power point and the rotation fulcrum is set to approximately 1: 1 and the relationship between the movement amounts of the upper chuck lever 631 and the lower chuck lever 630 is set to approximately 3: 1.

The chucking force is determined by a spring 634 connecting the lever 633 and the upper chuck lever 631. The spring 634 is the upper chuck lever 631.
The chucking force is increased as the number of sheets of the sheet bundle P gripped by the lower chuck lever 630, that is, the thickness of the sheet bundle P is increased, and thus the disturbance of the sheet bundle P due to insufficient chucking force can be prevented.

When the chuck motor 656 rotates in the reverse direction, the upper chuck lever 631 and the lower chuck lever 630 move to the staple position e at a speed to be described later, and the side edge of the sheet bundle P is bound by the staple 601 as shown in FIG. .. Here, as shown in FIG.
A chuck paper presence / absence sensor 670 including an actuator and a photo interrupter is attached to 41, and the CPU 900 detects the paper bundle P by pressing the chuck paper presence / absence sensor 670. That is,
For example, when the user removes the sheet bundle P on the bin 350, the CPU 900 does not operate the staple 601 to prevent the blank ejection.

When the stapling operation is completed, the chuck motor 656 rotates forward and the chuck C moves toward the bin 350 to return the sheet bundle P to the return position c. Then, the chuck solenoid 635 is turned off and the upper chuck lever 6
31 and the lower chuck lever 630 are opened, and the sheet bundle P is released at the return position c on the bin 350. In this case, the upper chuck lever 631 and the lower chuck lever 630 make the spring 63
6 assists the opening, and the stopper 664 limits the opening amount.

Next, the chuck motor 656 starts reverse rotation and the chuck C starts moving toward the home position a. Then, the CPU 900 counts the number of drive pulses of the chuck motor 656, and when performing the stapling operation on the next bin 350, when the chuck C reaches the vertically movable position d, the staple unit 600 is vertically moved. The driving of a staple vertical motor (not shown) is started. That is, the chuck C returns from the vertically movable position d to the home position a, moves to the next bin 350, and stops when reaching the home position a. And C
The PU 900 initializes the counter each time the chuck C returns to the home position a, and prevents the accumulated error of the counter.

Next, the general operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, the operation mode signal (interrupt tray discharge signal) from the copying machine is received (step 6-
1) Receive the paper size data (step 6-
2) When the sorter start signal (motor on signal) is received (step 6-3), the operation mode and size data are determined by the motor on signal, and the interrupt mode from step 6-4 or below or the sort stack from step 6-7 or below. Switch to mode. The sort / stack mode is activated when the motor-on signal is received from the copying machine when not in the interrupt mode.

In the interrupt mode, it is checked whether or not the interrupt tray is at the interrupt position of the sheet conveyance path (step 6-5), and if it is not at the interrupt position, the interrupt tray is moved to the interrupt position (step 6). −
6). In this interrupt mode, this post-processing device only ejects the paper onto the interrupt tray, and ignores the size data, the ejection destination bin data, and the ejection signal from the copying machine.

In the sort / stack mode, first, it is checked whether or not the interrupt tray is at the sheet receiving position where it does not interrupt the conveyance path to the bin 350 (step 6-
7) If it is not at the paper receiving position, move the interruption tray to the paper receiving position (step 6-8). Then
The main motor is turned on (step 6-9), the size data is confirmed, and it is checked whether the paper size is jogging (step 6-10). When jogging is possible, the side fence shaft 401 is moved according to the paper size (step 6-11).

Then, the size data from the copying machine is received again (step 6-12), the bin data of the discharge destination is received (step 6-13), and the paper discharge signal is received (step 6-14). Paper is loaded from the copier. Here, when the copying machine ejects the paper by centering, a slant portion for slanting the paper and aligning it with the side edge is provided between the copier and the post-processing device. The pressure release solenoid for driving the motor is turned on and off (step 6-25).

Next, when the staple start signal is received (step 6-15), stapling is performed during sorting (step 6-16). Then, the deflection solenoid is turned on so that the sheet is guided onto the bin 350 according to the bin data of the ejection destination (step 6-17), and it is detected that the sheet is ejected to the bin 350 (step 6). -18), the above-mentioned discharge end bin data is transmitted to the copying machine (step 6-19), and the deflection solenoid is turned off (step 6-20).

Next, when the size of the paper discharged onto the bin 350 can be jogged (step 6-21), the jogger unit 500 is driven to align the width direction of the paper (step 6-22). If no sort end signal is received from the copying machine, step 6-23.
Then, the procedure returns to step 6-12 and the above operation is repeated. When the sort end signal is received, the main motor is turned off (step 6-24), and this processing ends. Even if the motor-on signal from the copying machine is turned off, if the paper is being conveyed, the operation is continued until all the paper is discharged to the bin 350.

Next, the stapling operation will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, the start staple bin instruction data from the copying machine is received (step 7-
1) Then, when a staple start signal is received (step 7-2), this staple operation is started regardless of whether sorting is in progress or after sorting is finished (step 7-3).

First, it is checked whether or not the staple start bin is the first bin (home position of the staple unit 600) (step 7-4). If the staple start bin is the first bin, as shown in FIGS. 2, the chuck motor 656 is rotated so as to advance the chuck C from the home position a to the chuck position b (step 7-7), and then the staple sequence counter is set to "1" (step 7-8). ). When the staple start bin is not the first bin, the staple unit 600 and the chuck unit 602 are lowered to the bin position according to the instruction data of the start staple bin (step 7-5).
Then, the staple sequence counter is set to "5" (step 7-6). Then, the staple sequence counter is checked (step 7-9), and depending on the respective values "1" to "6", each of FIGS.
The control shown in (g) is performed.

When the staple sequence counter is "1", the driving pulse of the chuck motor 656 corresponding to the moving distance of the chuck C is checked as shown in FIG. 7B (step 7-10) to check the chuck position. When it reaches b, the chuck motor 656 is stopped (step 7-
11). Then, the chuck C turns on the chuck solenoid 635 for chucking the sheet bundle P (step 7-12), and then starts the timer (step 7-13). Then, it is checked whether or not the timer value has passed, for example, 150 msec (step 7-14), and when it has passed, the staple sequence counter is set to "2" (step 7-15), and step 7 shown in FIG. −
Return to 9. The timer value is the time for determining whether the chuck C has sufficiently chucked the sheet bundle P,
The timer value is not limited to the above.

When the staple sequence counter is "2", the sheet bundle is moved from the chuck position b to the staple position e as shown in FIGS. Figure 7
As shown in (c), first, when the jogger unit 600 is located in the same bin as the chuck unit 602, the jogger unit 600 and the chuck unit 602 interfere with each other, so that the jogger unit 600 moves to another bin. Wait until (step 7-16). And
When the jogger unit 600 is not located in the same bin as the chuck unit 602, the reverse rotation of the chuck motor 656 is started so that the chuck C moves to the staple position e (step 7-17), and the predetermined drive pulse number is set. When output (step 7-18), the chuck motor 65
6 is stopped (step 7-19).

Next, the paper presence / absence sensor 670 for detecting the sheet bundle P is checked (step 7-20). When the sheet bundle is detected, the process proceeds to step 7-21 and below, and when it is not detected, the step 7- is conducted. Jump to 25. In step 7-21, the staple unit 600 turns on the staple motor for binding the sheet bundle, and then,
When the staple motor returns to the home position (step 7-
22) Then, the staple motor is turned off to bind the sheet bundle (step 7-23). Then, a staple count signal indicating that the stapling operation is completed once is transmitted to the copying machine (step 7-24), and then the staple sequence counter is set to "3" (step 7-25), as shown in FIG. Return to step 7-9 shown in a).

When the staple sequence counter is "3", the bundle of sheets P is returned from the staple position e to the sheet returning position c as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7D, first, the chuck motor 656 is rotated so that the chuck C moves forward (step 7-26), and the number of drive pulses corresponding to the distance to the paper return position c is output ( In step 7-27), the chuck motor 656 is stopped (step 7-28). Then, the chuck solenoid 635 is turned off (step 7-29), the timer is started (step 7-30), and the timer value is set to 1 for example.
When 00 msec has elapsed (step 7-31), chuck C
(Step 7-32). Then, the staple sequence counter is set to "4" (step 7-33), and the process returns to step 7-9 shown in FIG. 7 (a).

Similarly, this timer value is a time for determining whether or not the sheet bundle P is sufficiently separated from the chuck C, and is not limited to the above timer value. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper return position c is displaced from the paper chuck position b by about 10 mm, but it may be any distance as long as it does not prevent the jogger unit 500 and the stapling unit 600 from moving up and down. By returning the chuck position b to the front side, the post-processing time can be shortened.

When the staple sequence counter is "4", the chuck C is retracting, but as shown in FIG. 7 (e), the process differs depending on whether or not all the sheet bundles P have been stapled. (Step 7-34). First, when the unprocessed sheet bundle P remains, the chuck C returns to the vertically movable position d shown in FIG. 8 (step 7-
35), driving the motor that moves the staple unit 600 and the chuck unit 602 up and down starts the descent to the next bin (step 7-3).
6). Then, when the chuck C returns to the home position a (step 7-37), the chuck motor 656 is stopped (step 7-38). Then, the staple sequence counter is set to "5" (step 7-39), and the process returns to step 7-9 shown in FIG. 7 (a).

When all the sheet bundles P have been stapled, the chuck motor 656 is stopped by the number of drive pulses when the chuck C is retracted to the home position a (steps 7-40 and 7-41). Then, the staple sequence counter is set to "6" (step 7-4).
2) and returns to step 7-9 shown in FIG. In addition,
As shown in FIG. 2, the vertically movable position d of the chuck C is shown.
Is shifted to the front side 15 mm from the paper return position c,
Any distance may be used as long as it does not hinder the vertical movement of the chuck C. By starting the vertical movement of the staple unit 600 and the chuck unit 602 before returning to the home position a, the processing speed can be increased.

When the staple sequence counter is "5", the staple unit 600 is descending. As shown in FIG. 7F, first, the chuck C is placed in the bin 350.
It is checked whether or not the stapling unit 600 has descended to the advance-possible position that is not hindered by (step 7-
43), if YES, the chuck C is moved forward in the direction of the sheet bundle P (step 7-44). That is, the chuck C can quickly chuck the sheet bundle P by considering the vertical position of the staple unit 600, the forward movement speed of the chuck C when descending, and the position of the end surface of the sheet bundle P. Then, when the staple unit 600 reaches the position of the next bin (step 7-45), the staple unit 600 is stopped (step 7-46), and then the staple sequence counter is set to "1" (step 7- 47), step 7-shown in FIG.
Return to 9.

When the staple sequence counter is "6", as shown in FIG. 7 (e), the staple process for all the sheet bundles P has been completed. In FIG. 7 (g), a mode cycle end signal indicating that is transmitted to the copying machine (step 7-48), and then the staple unit 6
00 to the home position (steps 7-49, 50, 5
1). Then, the staple sequence counter is cleared (step 7-52) and step 7 shown in FIG.
Return to -9.

The stroke S1 in which the chuck C moves from the home position a to the chuck position b, the stroke S2 in which it moves from the chuck position b to the staple position e, the stroke S3 in which it moves from the staple position e to the return position c, and the return position c. Step S of returning to the home position a via the vertically movable position d
The general operation of the No. 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the step S1 of moving from the home position a to the chuck position b, the accuracy with which the chuck c stops at the chuck position b affects the position accuracy of the sheet bundle P at the staple position e. It is restricted to slow down slowly as it approaches b. As a result, it is possible to prevent positional displacement at the staple position e due to the inertia of the sheet bundle P due to its mass.

In the step S2 of moving from the chuck position b to the staple position e, the chucked sheet bundle P is driven at high speed without being suddenly started or stopped so as not to shift. ..

In the step S3 of moving from the stapling position e to the returning position c, the bundle of sheets P is already bound, and even if the movement is suddenly started, the sheet bundle P is not displaced, so that the movement is rapidly started. Further, since the stop position may be overshot, the stop position is moved at the highest speed, and the stop position is suddenly stopped. Finally, since it is required to quickly return from the return position c to the home position a via the vertically movable position d, the vehicle is driven so as to start moving at the highest speed and stop suddenly.

The chuck position b and the staple position e
Since each stop position accuracy affects the needle position accuracy on the sheet bundle P, the needle position on the sheet bundle P can be adjusted. In this case, the adjustment can be made by increasing or decreasing the pulse number of one of the strokes S1 and S2, but the moving time is increased by increasing or decreasing the pulse number at the maximum speed in the strokes S1 and S2. Can be adjusted without.

[0063]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, sorting means for sorting and discharging sheets into a plurality of upper and lower bins, and movable along the arrangement direction of the bins. Yes, a post-processing unit for post-processing a bundle of sheets discharged onto the bin, and a post-processing unit that is movable along the arrangement direction of the bin and holds the bundle of sheets discharged onto the bin. A sheet holding unit that is horizontally movable to a post-processing position of the unit, a first position where the sheet holding unit is a home position, and a second position where a sheet bundle discharged onto the bin is held; Since the control means for controlling the horizontal movement between the third position, which is the post-processing position of the post-processing means, and the fourth position for starting the movement to the next bin, is provided. First position in which the holding means is the home position Rather than al, it starts to move from the fourth position to the next bin, thus, it is possible to increase the post-processing speed.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the sheet holding means according to the first aspect has a stepping motor, one of the first to fourth positions is detected by a sensor, and the control means is the first to fourth positions. Since the driving pulses of the stepping motor are counted in the other three positions of the fourth position, the number of sensors can be reduced, and thus the cost can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the sensor according to the first aspect is the home position of the sheet holding means.
Position is detected and the control means initializes the count value of the drive pulse of the stepping motor at the first position, so that it can be constructed at low cost and can be controlled simply and accurately.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the control means according to the first aspect causes the sheet holding means and the post-processing means to start moving to the next bin after the sheet holding means reaches the fourth position. The post-processing speed can be increased and the cumulative error of the count value can be prevented because the count value is initialized when the paper holding unit reaches the first position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sorting means for sorting the sheets into a plurality of upper and lower bins and discharging the sheets.
A post-processing unit that is movable along the bin arrangement direction and post-processes a sheet bundle discharged onto the bin, and is movable along the bin arrangement direction and is discharged onto the bin. A sheet holding means for holding the formed sheet bundle and horizontally moving it to a post-processing position of the post-processing means, and a sheet holding means for moving the sheet bundle from a reference position to a position for holding the sheet bundle discharged onto the bin. A first moving step for moving the sheet bundle, a second moving step for moving the sheet bundle from the position for holding the sheet bundle to the post-processing position of the post-processing means, and a step of returning the sheet bundle to the bin from the post-processing position of the post-processing means. Since the moving stroke of No. 3 and the control means for controlling the speed patterns of the fourth moving stroke to return to the reference position after returning the sheet bundle to the bin are all different, the sheet bundle is prevented from shifting. As you can and after It is possible to increase the physical speed.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the speed gradually decreases before the speed patterns of the first and second moving strokes according to the fifth aspect reach the stop position. The sheet holding means can be accurately stopped at the post-processing position.

In the invention described in claim 7, since the third and fourth speed patterns described in claim 5 have almost the maximum speed immediately before the stop, the stop position does not need to be accurate and the return position on the bin is The paper holding means can be moved to the reference position quickly.

In the invention described in claim 8, since the speed patterns of the first to fourth moving strokes described in claim 5 are controlled by at least one of the size, thickness and number of sheets on the bin, The deviation of the bundle can be prevented, and the post-processing speed can be increased.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the acceleration becomes smaller when the speed pattern of the first to fourth moving strokes described in the fifth aspect approaches the maximum speed, so that the deviation of the sheet bundle can be prevented. The post-processing speed can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a horizontal movement of the chuck of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a detailed configuration of the chuck unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the operation of the chuck shown in FIG.

5 is a front view showing a detailed configuration of the staple unit in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a schematic operation of the post-processing device in FIG.

7 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 350 bin 600 staple unit 602 chuck unit 900 CPU (central processing unit)

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 12, 1993

[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 an explanatory diagram showing an example of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a horizontal movement of the chuck of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a detailed configuration of the chuck unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the operation of the chuck shown in FIG.

5 is a front view showing a detailed configuration of the staple unit in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a schematic operation of the post-processing device in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a schematic operation of the post-processing device in FIG.

8 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

9 is a flowchart for explaining the stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

10 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

11 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

12 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

13 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

14 is a flowchart for explaining a stapling operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 5]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 4]

[Figure 9]

[Fig. 13]

[Figure 6]

[Figure 7]

[Figure 8]

[Figure 10]

FIG. 11

[Fig. 12]

FIG. 14

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location G03G 15/00 113 7369-2H 114 7369-2H (72) Inventor Nobuyoshi Seki Nobuyoshi Higashi Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Izumi 2-28-24 YOKOTA BILL Ricoh Electrics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Keiji Maeda 2-28-24 Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi YOKOTA BILL Ricoh Electrics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tetsuji Watanabe Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture 2-28-24 Izumi, Higashi-ku, Yokota Building Ricoh Electrics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Nobuyuki Morii 2-28-24, Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Pref. Ricoh Electrics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Minoru Hattori Aichi 2-28-24 Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Japan Yokota Building, Ricoh Elemex Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shimada Masashi 2-28-24 Izumi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Yokota Building, Ricoh Elemex Co., Ltd.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A sorting means for sorting and discharging sheets into a plurality of upper and lower bins, and a stack of sheets which is movable along the arrangement direction of the bins and is post-processed. And a post-processing unit that is movable along the arrangement direction of the bins,
A sheet holding unit that holds the bundle of sheets discharged onto the bin and is horizontally movable to a post-processing position of the post-processing unit; a first position where the sheet holding unit is a home position; Horizontally between a second position for holding the discharged sheet bundle, a third position which is a post-processing position of the post-processing means, and a fourth position for starting the movement to the next bin. A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls to move the sheet to a sheet. 2. The paper holding means has a stepping motor, one of the first to fourth positions is detected by a sensor, and the control means controls the other three of the first to fourth positions. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus is controlled by counting drive pulses of the stepping motor. 3. The sensor detects a first position which is a home position of the paper holding means, and the control means initializes a count value of drive pulses of the stepping motor at the first position. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2. 4. The paper holding means is the fourth control means.
The paper holding means and the post-processing means are controlled so as to start moving to the next bin after reaching the position, and the count value is initialized when the paper holding means reaches the first position. 3. The sheet post-processing device according to item 3. 5. A sorting unit for sorting and discharging sheets into a plurality of bins arranged vertically, and a stack of sheets discharged onto the bin, which is movable along the arrangement direction of the bins. And a post-processing unit that is movable along the direction in which the bins are arranged,
A sheet holding unit that holds the sheet bundle discharged onto the bin and horizontally moves to the post-processing position of the post-processing unit, and a sheet bundle discharged from the reference position by the sheet holding unit onto the bin. A first moving step of moving to a holding position, a second moving step of moving from a position of holding the sheet bundle to a post-processing position of the post-processing means, and a sheet bundle from the post-processing position of the post-processing means. Paper post-processing including a third moving step of returning to the bin and a control means for controlling a fourth moving step of returning the sheet bundle to the bin and then returning to the reference position such that each speed pattern is different. apparatus. 6. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the speed patterns of the first and second moving strokes are set such that the speed gradually decreases before reaching the stop position. 7. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the third and fourth speed patterns are set so as to have a substantially maximum speed immediately before the stop. 8. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the speed patterns of the first to fourth movement steps are performed based on at least one of the size, thickness, and number of sheets on the bin. 9. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the speed patterns of the first to fourth movement strokes are set so that the acceleration becomes smaller as the speed becomes closer to the maximum speed.