JPH08101551A - Sheet post-processing device and image forming device provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the visibility and the workability at the time of staple jamming processing in a post-processing means provided with a stapler. CONSTITUTION: In a sorter provided with at least one bin tray housing a sheet, a sheet ejection means ejecting the sheet to the bin tray and a post-processing means filing the sheet housed in the bin tray, the post-processing means is provided with a stapler device filing the sheet stacked on the bin tray. The motor-driven stapler 56 of the stapler device is constituted so as to be rotated on nearly the same plane as the bin tray and is turned so that the clinch part of the stapler 56 may face to this side or the stapler 56 may return to a home position by being linked with the operation of drawing out/housing the stapler device from/in a sorter main body.

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, and more specifically, a tray for sequentially receiving sheet members such as copy sheets discharged after image formation from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printing machine, a laser beam printer. The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus having a post-processing function after sorting and storing in (hereinafter referred to as "bin tray").

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printing machines, and laser beam printers are equipped with a sheet post-processing device for binding sheets after image formation. In the sheet post-processing apparatus, for example, in a sorter equipped with a stapling function, the stapler is configured to advance and retreat to a binding position in a predetermined direction with respect to the sheets stacked on the bin tray. In the case of exchanging the staple cartridge of the stapler or the staple jam process, the operator moves the stapler on the extension line in the advancing / retracting direction to perform the process.

[0003] For example, the stapler is directed to the diagonal back side corresponding to the front one-point binding direction of the sheet bundle, and the stapler is equipped so as to be able to move forward and backward in the diagonal direction with respect to the sheet bundle. Alternatively, it is arranged in the middle of the rear side of the apparatus corresponding to the binding of the sheet bundle at two positions, and is equipped so as to be able to move forward and backward in a direction orthogonal to the sheet bundle. When a staple jam occurs in the stapler, the stapler is retracted from the bin tray on the extension line of the advancing / retracting direction, the upper jaw is rotated around the rotation axis to open the clinch portion, and the staple jam is removed. Was there.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when the operator performs the staple jam processing, the stapler of the stapler has the front end direction of the clinch portion obliquely facing the inner side of the apparatus main body, or the stapler is the inner side of the apparatus. Since it is located at the position, the operator may have a poor visibility of the needle jam and it may take time to work. In addition, the stapler is not only moved in the advancing / retracting direction, but also equipped with a mechanism for rotating the upper jaw for handling the jam, which complicates the configuration of the stapler.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art,
An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus in which the visibility and workability of post-processing means equipped with a stapler during needle jam processing are improved.

[0006]

A typical constitution of the present invention for achieving the above object is to provide at least one sheet tray for storing a sheet, and a sheet discharging means for discharging the sheet to the sheet tray. In a sheet post-processing apparatus having post-processing means for binding sheets stored in the sheet tray, the post-processing means includes a stapler unit for binding sheets stacked on the sheet tray, The stapler unit is configured to be rotatable in substantially the same plane as the sheet tray, and the clinch portion of the stapler faces the front side or the stapler is at the home position in conjunction with the operation of pulling out and storing the stapler unit with respect to the apparatus body. It is characterized by rotating so as to return to.

[0007]

According to the above construction, since the clinch portion of the stapler can be rotated to the front side when the stapler unit is pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, the visibility is good when the staple jam of the stapler is performed, and the staple jam occurs. Easy to process.

Further, the operability is further improved by interlocking with the operation of pulling out and accommodating the stapler unit with respect to the apparatus main body, by turning the clinch portion of the stapler toward the front side or rotating the stapler so as to return to the home position. , Work can be done quickly.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the sheet post-processing apparatus applied to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

A sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a sheet post-processing device provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is exemplified.

As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic document feeder 2 for automatically circulating the originals is installed on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1, and n bin trays B are provided downstream (on the left side in the figure).
A sheet post-processing device (hereinafter referred to as “sorter”) 11 having (B ₁ , B ₂ ... B _n ) is attached.

The image forming apparatus 1 uses a well-known electrophotographic method, and a detailed description thereof is omitted here, but a document positioned on the platen glass 3 is placed on the photosensitive drum 4 by an optical system (not shown). The image is formed on the sheet, the image is transferred to the sheet by the developing device 5, the transfer electrode 6 and the like provided around the drum 4, and the image is permanently fixed on the sheet by the fixing device 7.

(Overall Structure of Sheet Post-Processing Device) Sorter 11
Is a pair of front and rear side plates 12, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
In addition to having a sorter main body 15 including a base 13 and a cover 14, a large number of bins B are stored, and a bin unit 17 that can move up and down along guide rails 16 provided on the sorter main body 15 is provided.

The sorter main body 15 has a carry-in port for carrying in the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 such as a copying machine.
18 is provided, and the bin unit is introduced from the carry-in port 18.
A first sheet conveying path 19 is formed in the 17 direction, and a second sheet conveying path 20 is branched from the first sheet conveying path 19. An upper discharge roller pair 21 that discharges non-sorted sheets (sheets that are not classified) is arranged on the downstream side of the first sheet conveying path 19, and a sorted sheet (sorts) on the downstream side of the second sheet conveying path 20. A lower discharge roller pair 22 for discharging a sheet) is arranged.

(Description of Shape of Discharging Roller) As shown in FIG. 4, the upper discharging roller pair 21 is a driving-side discharging roller 21.
It is equipped with a and a discharge roller 21b on the driven side that presses against this. Cylindrical rollers are arranged at four positions in the axial direction of the discharge roller 21a, and ribs 21c, 21d, 21e, and 21f are formed upright in the circumferential direction on both side edges of the peripheral surface of each discharge roller 21a. .

When the discharge roller 21a and the discharge roller 21b sandwich the sheet, the discharge roller 21a is arranged at a position where it is always caught by the ribs 21c and 21d or the ribs 21e and 21f at both axial ends of the discharge roller 21a. . This is the rib on the inner side in the axial direction of the discharge roller 21a when the sheet S is stiffened.
This is to prevent the paper edge from gradually approaching the inside when the paper is applied only to the rib 21c or the rib 21f, and the paper edge does not come out of the discharge roller 21b.

Further, the discharge rollers 21b pressed against the respective discharge rollers 21a are pressed against the discharge rollers 21a, 21a at the central portion in the axial direction at the central portions of the rollers, respectively, and the discharge rollers 21a, 21a at both ends in the axial direction. Is 3mm from the center of the roller
It is pressed at a position that is slightly offset to the outside. This is to secure a gap between the sheet end of the sheet that is not simultaneously applied to the rib portions on both ends of the discharge roller and the nip between the discharge roller 21a and the discharge roller 21b. If the gap between the sheet end and the nip is not secured to some extent, when the sheet S skews or is sent at a position shifted in the axial direction of the roller, the sheet end interferes with the discharge roller 21b and the sheet is damaged. Or, the behavior of the seat may become unstable.

Of the discharge rollers 21a, the ribs 21c, 21d on the left and right of the discharge rollers 21a, 21a at the center in the axial direction are formed at the same height, and the discharge rollers 21a, 21 on both ends in the axial direction are formed.
The ribs 21e and 21f of a are formed so that the outer rib 21e is low and the inner rib 21f is high. Specifically, rib 21
c, 21d height about 2mm, rib 21f height about 2.5
mm, and the height of the rib 21e was formed to be about 1.5 mm. The inner rib 21f is made higher than the outer rib 21e, and the rib
The rib 21f is slightly higher than the ribs 21c and 21d.
This is because even if the pressing position of the discharge roller 21a on the discharge roller 21a is deviated, the shape of the body is made uniform in the axial direction similarly to the central portion side. If the sheet is too strong, it may leave marks on the sheet, and if it is too weak, stable discharge cannot be achieved. Therefore, it is desirable that the sheet be as uniform in shape as possible.

The discharge roller 21a is made of ABS resin, hard rubber or the like, and the discharge roller 21b is made of polyacetal resin or the like. The above discharge roller
21a and the discharge roller 21b are provided at four locations in the axial direction, but are not limited to this, and may be provided at more locations or less locations.

According to the above construction, when the sheet S is sandwiched by the upper discharge roller pair 21 and discharged, the ribs 21c, 21d, 21e and 21f formed upright on the discharge roller 21a provide rigidity in the discharge direction. Be done. At this time, in order to secure a gap from the edge of the sheet, the discharge roller 21b is
Even if a position outside the central portion of a is pressed, the ribs 21f and 21e formed on the discharge rollers 21a at both ends in the axial direction are formed so that the height of the ribs 21f and 21e is high inside and low outside. The added stiffness can be made uniform with the central portion, and the stackability can be improved.

Further, since the discharge roller 21b presses only the sheet on the ribs on both ends of the discharge roller 21a on both ends in the axial direction, both ends of the sheet shift toward the central portion when the sheet S is stiffened, It is possible to prevent the sheet S from escaping from the nip between the discharge roller 21a and the discharge roller 21b. Depending on the size, the sheet end is not pinched by the discharge roller 21a and the discharge roller 21b, or the sheet end is There is no danger that the behavior will become unstable due to contact with the side surface of the discharge roller 21b and competition, and it will be discharged obliquely.
The discharging operation can be stabilized.

A pair of carry-in rollers 23 and a deflector 24 are arranged at the branch portions of the sheet conveying paths 19 and 20.
When the non-sort mode (the mode in which the sheets are not classified) is selected, the deflector 24 is displaced so as to guide the sheet S to the first sheet conveying path (hereinafter, referred to as “non-sort path”) 19, and also the sorting mode. When the (sheet classification mode) is selected, the sheet S is displaced so as to be guided to the second sheet conveying path (hereinafter referred to as “sort path”) 20.

In the sort path 20, a relay roller pair 25 is arranged between a carry-in roller pair 23 and a discharge roller pair 22,
The position is arranged so that the smallest size sheet (the smallest size in the sheet feeding direction) discharged from the main body can be conveyed.

Further, the sort path 20 has a tip portion (downstream of the relay roller pair 25) as a tip path 26, and the tip path 26 is a drive roller of the relay roller pair 25.
It is rotatable about 25a.

(Explanation of Leading Edge Path) The leading edge path 26 is located at a usable position 26a (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) during normal sheet conveyance, and its lower portion is positioned by hitting a pushing-up mechanism described later. Then, the position is detected by the detecting means 27 such as a micro switch.

Further, the leading end path 26 is moved to the retracted position 26b by the pushing-up mechanism when the stapler described later is driven.
It can be pushed up to (the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3). A detection means 28 such as a micro switch is provided at the position pushed up by a predetermined amount to detect the presence of the above position.

The push-up mechanism is, as shown in FIG.
An eccentric cam 29 in which a driving force from a drive motor (not shown) of a sheet conveying system is transmitted via a one-way clutch to rotate.
a and a rotary damper 29c that meshes with a fan-shaped gear 29b integrally formed with the eccentric cam 29a to apply a rotational load. The eccentric cam 29a does not rotate because the driving force is not transmitted by the one-way clutch when the motor rotates forward (when the sheet is conveyed), but the driving force is transmitted by the action of the one-way clutch when the motor rotates in the reverse direction (when the sheet conveying is stopped). Being rotated.

Therefore, the eccentric cam 29 at the time of reverse rotation of the motor
By the rotation of a, the rotating roller 26c provided under the tip path 26 is pushed up to the retracted position 26b (the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3) (state in FIG. 5A). When the pushing-up by the eccentric cam 29a is released, the tip path 26 tries to descend due to gravity, but at the same time, the sector gear 29b integrally formed with the eccentric cam 29a meshes with the rotary damper 29c to rotate the rotation. A rotational load is applied to the eccentric cam 29a that is in contact with the roller 26c (see FIG. 5).
(State of (b)), the leading end path 26 is gently lowered by the rotational load of the rotary damper 29c, and the position can be used.
It is rotated and positioned up to 26a (solid line position in FIG. 3) (state in FIG. 5C).

(Description of Bin Unit) The bin unit 17 has an upright portion 30a and a bottom portion 30 on the front side and the back side, respectively.
and a pair of bin frame 30 having a frame structure, and the bottom of the bottom portion 30b of the bin frame 30 has a bin slider.
31 is attached, and the upright portion 30a of the bin frame 30 is further attached.
The bottle slider 31 and the bottle slider 31 are fixed by a bottle cover 32 at their tip portions.

(Penetration sensor) Also, the above-mentioned bin unit 17
A penetration sensor 151 for detecting the presence / absence of sheets on the bin trays is provided inside, and the notch 152 provided at the same position when viewed from above each bin tray penetrates the entire bin tray in the vertical direction, The presence / absence of the sheet is detected by blocking / opening the notch 152 by the sheet (see FIG. 2). It should be noted that the penetration sensor 151 is located within the minimum size sheet area discharged onto the bin tray.
In addition, the sheets are arranged in an overlapping region when the sheets are aligned and when the sheets are pushed out for taking out, and it is possible to detect whether the sheet is located at any position on the bin tray.

(Alignment Rod) A support plate 33 is fixedly provided on the rear side of the base end of the bin frame 30 as shown in FIG. On the support plate 33, a rotation center shaft 36 having upper and lower ends fixed to the upper arm 34 and the lower arm 35 is provided.
It is rotatably supported by a rotary shaft (not shown) provided in and a rotary shaft 32a provided in the bin cover 32.
A fan gear 37 is rotatably arranged on the support plate 33 about a rotation shaft provided on the support plate 33, and the lower arm 35 is fixed to the fan gear 37. Furthermore,
A pulse motor 38 is arranged below the support plate 33,
A gear 39 fixed to the output shaft of the pulse motor 38 meshes with the fan gear 37. At the tip of the lower arm 35 and the tip of the upper arm 34, there is provided an alignment rod 41 that penetrates the notches 40 provided in each bin tray B over all the bin trays, and the alignment rod 41 is a fan gear. The rotation of 37 causes the inside of the notch 40 to swing. Further, the lower arm 35 is provided with a light shielding plate 42, and by rotating the light shielding plate 42 integrally with the lower arm 35, the home position sensor 43 arranged on the back side of the bin frame 30 is turned on. / Is configured to turn off.

(Reference Guide) A reference guide 55 is installed at a position facing the alignment rod 41, passing through a notch 153 formed in each bin tray B. As shown in FIG. 7, the reference guide 55 is composed of a slide guide 55a that slides along the sheet discharge direction and a swing guide 55b that swings with the slide guide 55a as a reference. In order to perform, it is configured to slide and swing according to various conditions (sheet size, etc.).

In the above reference guide 55, the sliding guide 55
a is a belt extending in the sheet discharge direction and stretched in parallel with a guide rail 154a supported below the bin cover 32.
It is fixed to 154b. One of the belts 154b is hung on a motor pulley 154d of a pulse motor 154c fixed below the bin cover 32, and the other is hung on an idler pulley 154e. As the motor 154c rotates forward and backward, as shown in FIG. Is retracted to the outside of the bin tray area P ₁
And a reference position P ₂ that acts when aligning the sheets and a push-up position P ₃ that acts when pushing up the sheets. Incidentally, in FIG. 6, the lower portion of the reference guide 55 is slidably supported by a rail member (not shown) to regulate the rattling in the direction of arrow 900.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a mold member 55c with a knurl is attached to the contact surface of the reference guide 55 with the sheet, which moves from the retracted position P ₁ to the pushed-up position P ₃ . At this time, the trailing edge of the sheet is prevented from hanging down as shown in FIG. 8 '(FIG. 8'shows the behavior of the sheet S without the knurled mold member).

As shown in FIG. 9, in the reference guide 55, the swing guide 55b is swingably supported by the slide guide 55a, and is aligned by a drive mechanism (not shown) according to the sheet size. It swings to the reference position (~).

(Multi-guide) In addition, the above-mentioned reference guide 55
A multi-guide 156 is arranged on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction through the notch 155 formed in each bin tray B. The multi-guide 156 is swingably supported in the bin unit 17, and is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) as shown in FIG.
In synchronism with the swing of 55b, the swing reference position (to) corresponding to the sheet size is swung.

The multi-guide 156 takes positions (, FIG. 10) in order to restrict the deviation of the leading end of large size paper (LDR, A3, B4, A4R, LGL, etc.). Here, the case of taking the position of will be described. The position of is for small size paper (A4R,
This is the case of 1-point binding and 2-point binding on the front side of the LTR, B5). At this time, in aligning the sheets, the rocking guides 55b are displaced to the respective positions, and the aligning rods 41 align the sheets.
After the alignment is completed and after the predetermined binding (unbinding is possible), when the front bundle pressing of the sheets to be described later is performed, the corner portion 995 of the sheet bundle S is guided so as not to be caught by the bin slider 31 or the like. (See Figure 39). Further, when the sheets are stacked on the bin B again in the state of FIG. 39, the sheet on the bin is prevented from rotating toward the bin side by the vibration of the bin shifting in the direction of arrow 996.

(Sheet Alignment) The reference guide 55 and the multi-guide 156 are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 when the stapler 56, which will be described later, binds at two locations or at one location on the back side.
As shown in, the alignment reference position is changed according to the sheet size in order to keep the distance from each binding position to the sheet side edge uniform or constant according to the sheet size.

That is, in the sheet alignment in the case of binding at two places, the reference guide 55 moves to the reference position P ₂ , and the swing guide 55b of the reference guide 55 adjusts the alignment reference position (,,,) according to the sheet size. ), And in synchronization with this, the multi-guide 156 swings to the alignment reference position (,,,) corresponding to the sheet size. When the sheet is discharged onto each bin tray, the aligning rod 41 at the position opposite to the reference guide 55 moves in the direction of arrow 990 and swings to each aligning position that presses the sheet back side edge to align the sheet. Is done. As a result, the distances (T ₁ , T ₂ , T _{3 in} FIG. 9) from each binding position to both side edges of the sheet can be kept uniform for each sheet size.

Further, in the sheet alignment in the case of binding one place on the back side, the sheet alignment is performed so as to coincide with the binding position on the back side of the two-place binding. The reference guide 55 is at the reference position P ₂
And the swing guide 55b of the reference guide 55 swings to the alignment reference position (,) corresponding to the sheet size, and in synchronization with this, the multi-guide 156 aligns the alignment reference position (,) according to the sheet size. ) Rocks. When the sheet is discharged onto each bin tray, the aligning rod 41 located at the position opposite to the reference guide 55 swings to the aligning position to align the sheet. Thus, it is possible to keep the stapling position the distance (in Fig. 9 T _4, T ₅₎ to the sheet side edge to be constant, the rear-side one place binding is performed at the binding position of the rear side of the two sites binding Therefore, it is not necessary to make the notch of the bin tray large (or the notch is separately provided) for binding at one place on the back side, and thus it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the stackability while maintaining the rigidity of the bin tray.

The designation of the binding stop position for performing the above-mentioned sheet alignment is usually performed by inputting a signal from an operation panel (not shown) of the image forming apparatus, which is performed before image formation. After the sheets are sorted on the upper side, that is, after all the operations are completed, it is possible to specify the binding position for aligning the sheets when the binding by the stapler described below is performed.
The rearward designation is made by a signal input from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus or a signal input from an operation panel 157 installed on the front side of the upper portion of the sorter 11 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the operability of the device is improved, and it is possible to meet the various needs of the operator.

(Pressing the sheet bundle) After the above sheet alignment is completed,
For small size sheets (B5, A4, etc.), the bin tray B should be set so that it can be taken out from the front side of the device.
The seat side edge is pushed out from above.
The pushing out of the sheet bundle is performed by the alignment rod 41 and the reference guide 55.

The extrusion operation made the (further was done stapling by the stapler to be described later) sheet bundle consistent with as described above, first, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the sheet at the reference position P ₂ The reference guide 55, which was in contact with the side end of the, is moved to the retracted position P ₁ by the pulse motor 154c. At this time, since the movement path of the reference guide 55 is in the direction (step K) away from the sheet bundle side end, there is no deviation of the sheet bundle due to the movement.

Then, the alignment rod 41 is driven by the pulse motor 38 to move from the alignment position by a predetermined amount L _a (L _a > K). With the movement of the aligning rod 41, the sheets are pressed the side end, the extruded L _a by the direction of the arrow as the front side of the apparatus along the stopper 158 (in the drawing the position S ₁ → S _2).

Next, the post designation will be described. When the designation is made before the image formation as described above, the swing guide 55b and the multi-guide 156 are moved to predetermined positions and the alignment rod 41 performs the binding after the alignment.

However, when the unbound binding is designated by the image forming apparatus with the above configuration, for example, A4R is the swing guide 55b in the front side one-point binding and the back side one-point binding.
The position of the multi-guide 156 is different (the alignment position is different), and it does not matter if the binding is performed on either side, but for example, one binding position on the back side (swing guide 55)
(b is the position and the multi-guide 156 is the position), and if the front side one-position binding is designated later, the sheets are aligned on the back side, so the front side binding cannot be performed.

Therefore, in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention, all the sheets are aligned at the back-side one-position binding position or two-position binding position shown in FIG. 10 (A in FIG. 45 (a)).
4R example). Then, by the later designation, the above binding (back side 1
When binding in two places or binding in two places is designated, the same binding operation as described above is performed at that position. If the front side one-position binding is specified later, the swing guide 55b and the multi-guide 156 at the alignment position are switched to the front side one-position binding position, and then the sheet bundles of all the bins are aligned by the alignment rod 41. Are pressed together and rocked to a position where the sheet end hits the rocking guide 55b and the multi-guide 156 (FIG. 45).
(B) shows an example of A4R). Then, after the movement, the stapler performs binding at one binding position on the front side. With the above configuration, it is possible to staple to an arbitrary position even in the case of subsequent designation.

In the above construction, after the completion of the alignment, the sheet is aligned at the front side 1-position binding side by the alignment rod 41 at the time of the later designation, but the sheets are aligned at the front side 1-position binding position, and the rear side is designated by the rear designation. When 1-position binding or 2-position binding is specified, after moving the aligning rod 41 to a predetermined aligning position, the multi-guide 15
Of course, the sheet bundles of all the bins may be moved to the predetermined position on the aligning rod 41 side by the 6 and the swing guide 55b to perform the predetermined binding operation. Further, in this configuration, since the sheet alignment position is aligned with the staple binding position of the stapler, it is possible to minimize the notch for entering the stapler of the bin, which is also advantageous in stacking sheets.

Then, the reference guide 55 retracted to the retracted position P ₁ moves to the push-up position P ₃ while pushing up the rear end of the sheet, as shown in FIG. 11 (b). At this time, the rear end of the sheet is the reference guide 55 and the stopper 158.
Then, the side end is supported by the aligning rod 41 and the position is converted to be inclined on each bin tray B (position S ₂ → S _{3 in the} figure).

Further, in this state, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the aligning rod 41 moves in the direction of the arrow by a predetermined amount L _b .
A space X sufficient for the sheets to pass through is provided on the front cover 14 side of the sorter 11, and a guide member for guiding and holding the pushed sheet bundle is provided on the cover 14.
14a is provided, and the sheet side end is completely pushed out of the machine by the movement of the _Lb of the aligning rod 41 (position S ₃ → S _{4 in the} figure).

The reference guide 55 at the push-up position P ₃ moves to the reference position P ₂ as shown in FIG. 11D, and at the same time, a guide member provided on the cover 14 on the front side of the sorter 11. The end of the sheet bundle abuts against 14a and is held (position S ₄ → S _{5 in the} figure). This allows the reference guide
Since the sheet 55 and the sheet rear end are separated from each other, after the sheet bundle is pushed, when there is a remaining number of copies to be sorted, the bin tray is held at the position S _{5 in the} figure even if it is moved vertically. The sheet does not come into contact with the mold member 55c provided on the sheet contact surface of the reference guide 55. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being caught by a knurl or the like due to the contact between the sheet and the mold member 55c of the reference guide 55.

If the sorting of the set number of copies is completed, the operation of the apparatus is ended. On the other hand, if there is a remaining number of sheets to be sorted, the remaining number of sheets is sorted on the sheet bundle (position S _{5 in the} drawing) held on each bin tray by the same operation as described above, and the above-mentioned alignment and extrusion are performed. The operation is performed in the same manner, and the operation of the apparatus ends.

In this embodiment, the guide member 14a provided on the front cover 14 is brought into contact with and held by the guide member 14a (see FIG. 11).
(See (d)) is illustrated, but a supporting portion 164 having the same role as the guide member 14a is provided on the upright portion 30a on the front side of the bin unit, and the end portion of the sheet bundle pushed out is brought into contact with the supporting portion 164. By doing so, the same effect can be obtained (see Fig. 46).

After all the above operations are completed, the penetration sensor 151
When the sheet detection signal is generated by
The state of the sheet bundle holding position shown in (d) is held. Thus, when the operator pulls out the sheet bundle from each bin tray, it is possible to prevent the sheet bundle from being accidentally pushed into the space between the bin trays. When the operator finishes pulling out the sheet bundle, the detection signal from the penetration sensor 151 indicates that there is no sheet, and the alignment rod 41 moves from the sheet bundle holding position to the home position (retracted position).

<< Bin Tray >> (Curving of Bin Tray) Further, since the rigidity of the bin tray B accommodated in the bin unit 17 is lowered due to the above-mentioned cutouts or the like, the bin tray B is bent due to the weight of the stacked sheets and the like. It may not be possible to keep the surface horizontal. When the conventional bottle is warped downward after molding, when the sheet S is ejected from the ejection roller pair 951 (in the direction of arrow 952) as shown in FIG.
Some of them have a slight amount of warpage on the upper side so as not to go to the lower side because they hit the dotted chain line Bd) and cause ejection failure. However, since the bin tray B according to the present invention corrects the bending of the bin due to the decrease in rigidity, the bin tray B shown in FIG.
As shown in, the amount of bending (downward warp) when it is stored in the bin unit 17 due to its own weight is previously curved upward (upward warp).
Shaped into a shape. As a result, when the bin tray B is stored in the bin unit 17, the sheet stacking surface thereof becomes horizontal as shown in FIG.

(Acute Angle Forming of Stopper) Further, when the bin tray B is stored in the bin unit 17, the bin tray B is set to be inclined so that the upstream side is lower than the downstream side in the sheet discharging direction. Therefore, a stopper 158 for holding the sheet end is provided on the most upstream side of the sheet, and the stopper 158 forms an angle θ with the sheet stacking surface.
Are formed to have an acute angle (see FIG. 13). As a result, it is possible to prevent the sheet edge that has warped and floated after being discharged from rising, and further, when binding the sheet bundle by the stapler 56, the sheet guides the sheet S by the guide surface 113a of the upper guide member 113 provided on the upper part of the stapler. When the point S'of which the edge is lifted is pushed down to the loading surface B'side of the bin B, the point S'will try to move in the direction of the arrow 901, but as the surface 158 'of the stopper 158 goes downward, it becomes a right angle. Since it is configured to be wider than the stopper of No. 1, the rear end S ′ of the lifted sheet S can be pushed up smoothly and stapled without disturbing the sheet bundle (see FIGS. 13 and 41 (a)). . The angle θ is preferably 90 ° or less, more preferably about 80 °.

(Friction member provided on the stopper) Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 13, on the rising surface (contact surface with the sheet) of the stopper 158, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. Friction member 159 to prevent
Is affixed. As shown in FIG. 13, this friction member 159 uses a felt-like member that restricts the movement of the sheet in the direction of arrow 905 when the sheet is lifted, and more specifically, it has a high coefficient of friction such as suede or sponge. A member having is used. The friction member 159 attached to the standing surface of the stopper 158 is continuously or dividedly attached to the standing surface of the stopper 158 over the entire sheet width direction. This friction member is indicated by the arrow at the end of the seat.
A one-way restricting member that can move in the 906 direction and restricts the movement in the arrow 905 direction is preferable. For example, a member with flocked hair with the flocking direction facing downward (see Fig. 41 (b)) or a ratchet-shaped member. It may be a member (see FIG. 41 (c)).

(Hook-like portion above stopper) Further, a hook-like portion 158a is formed on the upper portion of the stopper 158 for restraining the sheet end portion that is warped after the sheet is discharged and floats up. As shown in FIG. 6, the hook-shaped portion 158a according to the present embodiment is formed continuously in the vicinity of the central portion of the bin tray B in the sheet width direction (the direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction) or over the entire area. There is. This makes it possible to handle various sheet sizes from a small size sheet to a large size sheet. Further, the hooked portion 158a is shown in FIG.
The stopper side corner 158b of the extruded sheet as shown in (d) is prevented from climbing over the stopper upper surface (see FIG. 40 (a)), and the plural parts S ₁ , S on the bin are prevented.
_2, ... it has beneficial effects on S _n loading (see FIG. 40 (b)).

(Shape of Bin Roller) As shown in FIG. 6, each bin tray B housed in the bin unit 17 has bin rolls 44a fixed to both ends of the base end thereof, and further outside thereof. Further, a trunnion 44b having a diameter smaller than that of the bin roller 44a is rotatably arranged. Bincolo
44a and trunnion 44b are upright portions 30a of the bin frame 30.
Projecting from a slit 45 provided in the guide rail 16, the bin roller 44a is fitted in the guide rail 16 so as to be stacked (see FIGS. 13 and 14).

As shown in FIG. 15 (a), each of the bottle rollers is
On the outer peripheral surface of 44a, a convex portion 44a1 is provided on the upper side,
Further, a concave portion 44a2 is provided on the lower side so that the concave and convex portions of the upper and lower bin rollers 44a are engaged and locked. Here, the bin roller 44a is provided with a member (not shown) that restricts rotation in the circumferential direction, and the position in the circumferential direction is held in the state shown in the figure. As a result, the bincoro 44
15A is stacked on the guide rail 16 and is supported by a lead cam surface 51 'of a lead cam 51 described later.
Load all the bins on it as shown in (a).
Since it is received by a '(arrow g _{1 in the} figure) and its force is received by the bin roller 44b (arrow g _{3 in the} figure), if there is no convex / concave portion, it is at the bottom as shown in FIG. 15 (c) as described above. while thus deflected bins B, for receiving a force to be to deflect the bottle uneven portion engaging portion as in FIG. 15 (a) (in the drawing g _2), to (anhedral bin tray is bent by the aforementioned weight ) Can be prevented.

Here, the angles α, β of the convex portion 44a1 and the concave portion 44a2 are set to about 45 °, which facilitates the entry when the bin roller 44a comes into contact with the distant position ( 42 (a) and (b)). Here, the respective angles are preferably 45 ° ± 30 °.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the bin roll 44
Although an uneven portion of about 45 ° is provided on the outer periphery of a, an uneven portion having a substantially right angle portion 161 and a slope portion 162 may be used as shown in FIG. 43 (a). Further, as shown in FIG.
It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained with the uneven portion having the portion 163.

The lowermost bin roller 44a abuts the lower guide roller 46a supported by the upright portion 30a of the bin frame 30, and the uppermost bin roller 44a is supported by the upright portion 30a of the bin frame 30. Abutting on the rollers 47a, each bin tray B is supported by the bin unit 17 so that the bin interval is kept constant and equal to the diameter of the bin rollers 44a.

In the bin unit 17, the upper guide roller 47a and the lower guide roller 46a are attached to the guide rail 16a.
It is adapted to be fitted in the guide rail 16 and movable in the vertical direction along the guide rail 16. Furthermore, each of the guide rollers 46a, 47
A trunnion 46b, 47b having a smaller diameter than the roller is provided on the outside of a.
Are rotatably arranged, and the trunnion 46b,
47b is guided by a lead cam 50, which will be described later, and the bin unit 17 moves in the vertical direction.

Further, the diameter of the trunnion 44b (and the trunnions 46b and 47b) is set to the bin roller 44a (and the guide roller 46).
a, 47a), the diameter of
As shown in (b), each bin tray B held by the diameter of the bin roller 44a at equal intervals is provided with a lead cam described later.
When moving vertically by 51, the spiral cam surface of the lead cam 51 smoothly scoops up the trunnion 44b (or makes it easier to enter).
That is, the vertical movement of the bin tray B by the lead cam 51 is smoothly performed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, at the positions of the front and rear side plates 12 facing the lower discharge roller pair 22, as shown in FIGS.
Cam shaft holders 48 (see FIG. 2) are respectively arranged, and lead cam shafts 50 are rotatably arranged between the cam shaft holder 48 and the base 13 via bearings 49 carrying a thrust load. ing. Above the lead cam shaft 50, the lead cams 51 each having a spiral cam surface are provided.
Is fixed, and the sprocket 52 is fixed below.
A chain is provided between the sprocket 52 and the shift motor 53.
54 is suspended, and the lead cam 51 can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions by a shift motor 53 which is selectively rotated in both forward and reverse directions.

Further, the lead cam 51 is disposed so as to face the lower discharge roller pair 22 provided in the center of the sorter body 15, and the trunnion of each bin tray B moving to the position facing the lower discharge roller pair 22. 44b is placed on a spiral cam surface and guided, and the bin roller 44a is coaxial with the trunnion 44b.
Is moved up and down along the guide rail 16 (see FIGS. 13 and 14). For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the lead cam
One rotation of arrow 51 in the direction of arrow A moves the trunnion 44b ₂₃ to the intermediate position of the lead cam 51 (position 44b _{22 in the} figure), and one more rotation passes the lead cam 51 (position 44 in the figure).
b ₂₁ )). And the lower discharge roller pair
Between the bin tray B ₂ that receives the sheet from the lower discharge roller pair 22 at a position facing the bin 22 and the bin trays B ₁ and B ₃ located on both the upper and lower sides of the bin tray B ₂ , the distance between the other bin trays B. _Two wide openings X ₁ and X ₂ are formed.

(Paper pressing means) The sheet is the opening X
After being discharged onto the bin tray B ₂ forming ₁ , the normal bin tray moves up or down. When the bin tray moves upward, the bin tray B ₂ rises to the position of the bin tray B ₁ shown in FIG. 13 and forms a narrow opening X ₃ . When the bin tray moves down, the bin tray B ₂ is B ₃ ,
Go down to the position of B ₄ . When the bin tray is lowered to the position of the B _4, the bin tray to form a narrow opening X _4.
If a sheet is ejected in a state where the edge of the sheet is lifted and warped, the sheet interferes with the sheet to be ejected next, so that correct ejection and stacking cannot be performed, but the bin tray once has a narrow opening X ₃ , X. By forming ₄ , the raised edges of the sheet are pressed down so that the sheet does not interfere with the next ejected sheet.

[0069] However, the bin tray when switched the moving direction of the bin tray, that is _{B 1, B 2, B 3} ... bin tray of B _1, B _2, B _n when using the bin tray in B _n is once wide opening After a sheet is formed and a sheet is discharged, the next sheet S may be discharged before the narrow opening is formed.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the paper holding means 160 for holding the sheet on the bin tray at the opening portions X ₁ and X ₂ is provided so as to hold the end portion of the sheet even when the moving direction of the bin tray is changed. I am able to

Even in the so-called group mode in which a plurality of sheets are continuously discharged to one bin tray, the next sheet is discharged without narrowing the opening of the bin tray. Operate each time and press the edge of the sheet.

Further, when the sorter is connected to an image forming apparatus having a particularly large sheet curl, even if the sheet edge is once held down by the narrow opening, the sheet edge may be lifted again due to the vibration when the bin tray is moved. is there. For this reason, in the present invention, especially for a sheet having a large curl, the sheet holding means 160 is operated to hold the sheet end portion before the bin tray is moved and the next sheet is discharged.

The opening X ₁ (bin trays B ₁ , B
Bin tray B ₂ on the sheet in ₂ between), and sheets on the bin tray B ₃ in the opening X ₂ (between bin trays B _2, B _3), when curled after discharge has lifted sheet edge, the opening The upper and lower jaws of the stapler 56 entering the X ₁ and X ₂ may push out the sheets on the bin trays B ₂ and B ₃ . In the present invention, the sheet pressing means 160 presses the sheet end portion before the stapler 56 enters the openings X ₁ and X ₂ .

As shown in FIG. 16, the paper pressing means 160 includes a solenoid 160a, an arm 160b which is turned by turning on / off the solenoid 160a, and a sliding member 160c which is moved up and down by turning the arm 160b. And an upper pressing member 160d and a lower pressing member 160e which are rotated by the vertical movement of the sliding member 160c.

In the figure, reference numeral 160f is a support, and the solenoid 160a is fixed to the bottom of the support.
The arm 160b is rotatably supported. Further, the pressing members 160d and 160e are rotatably supported on the side portions of the support base 160f, and the sliding member 160c is slidably supported by screws. Also, the support 16
A part of 0f and a part of the sliding member 160c are connected by a spring 160g, and the sliding member 160c is pulled downward.

In the paper pressing means 160 having the above structure, when the solenoid 160a is turned on, the sliding member 16 is resisted against the force of the spring 160g from the state shown in FIG. 17 (b).
0c moves upward, and the pressing members 160d and 160e rotate and move to the pressing position. As shown in FIG.
_2, B presses the sheet bundle end on _3. Then, when the solenoid 160a is turned off, the sliding member 160c moves downward due to the restoring force of the spring 160g from the state shown in FIG. 16, and the pressing members 160d and 160e rotate and move to the retracted position, As shown in FIG. 17 (b), the bin tray B ₂ ,
The pressing of the end of the sheet bundle on B ₃ is released.

Since the sheets on the bin trays B ₂ and B ₃ in the openings X ₁ and X ₂ are pressed by the paper pressing means 160, a sheet jam occurs due to the sheet end portion floating on the bin tray. In addition, the upper and lower jaws of the stapler 56 that enter the openings X ₁ and X ₂ do not push out the sheets on the bin trays B ₂ and B ₃ , and the sheet discharging and conveying and the stapler binding operation are smooth. To be done.

The paper pressing means 160 having the above-mentioned structure is disposed near a stapler 56, which will be described later.
Along with the sheet edge 56, it is movable in the sheet width direction (direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction) (see FIG. 20). As a result, the pressing of the sheet end portion is always in the vicinity of the binding position, so that the effect of preventing the sheet from being pushed out by the stapler 56 is further improved.

Further, in the present invention, the paper pressing means shares the one for improving the carrying and stacking ability and the one for preventing the pushing out by the stapler 56.
Independent paper pressing means may be provided for each purpose.

(Explanation of stapler) Also, the sorter main body 15
An electric stapler 56, which faces the bin B facing the lower discharge roller pair 22 and binds the sheets stored in the bin B ₂ , is arranged in the paper. Then, by the stapler moving mechanism described later, the sheets S ₁ , S discharged onto the bin are discharged.
Front one place binding for ₂ (stapling position H _1), 2 places binding on the sheet S ₁ (stapling position H _2,
H ₃ ), and binding to the sheet S _{2 at} one position on the back side (binding stop position H ₃ ).

At the positions where the above-mentioned stapling of each bin tray B is performed, the notches 57 and 57 are formed so as not to interfere with the stapler 56.
58 and 59 are provided.

The stapler 56 is indicated by an arrow Y in FIG.
_It is configured to be movable in the ₁ and Y ₂ directions, and slides at each position (56a ← → 56c) to perform stapling.

(Description of Stapler Device) Next, the stapler device 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.
The orientation of the stapler 56 shown in FIG. 19 shows the state when stapling is performed at the binding stop positions H ₂ and H ₃ in FIG.

The stapler 56 is fixed to a first support member 62 having a support shaft 61 fixed thereto. The second support member 63 is 2
The first support member 62 is formed by the holes of the two support portions 64a and 64b.
A support shaft 61 of is rotatably supported.

A spring member 65 is provided at one end of the first support member 62, and the other end is fixed to the second support member 63 so that the first support member 62 is supported on the second support member 63. axis
It is biased in the direction of arrow C around 61 and positioned by a stopper 66.

A link 68 connected to a solenoid 67 fixed to the second support member 63 is connected to the opposite side of the spring member 65 and the support shaft 61.

Further, the lower portion of the second supporting member 63 is swingably engaged with the two rails 70a and 70b provided on the third supporting member 69 so that the second supporting member 63 can be moved in the direction of arrow D. A guide member 71 is provided to support the.

Regarding the engaging hole of the guide member 71, the hole that engages with one rail (70a or 70b) is a round hole, the hole that engages with the other rail is a round elongated hole, and the second hole including the stapler 56 is used. The play of the support member 63 in the directions of the arrows F ₁ and F ₂ is suppressed.

A rack gear 72 is provided on the second support member 63, and a motor 74 having a pinion gear 73 meshing with the rack gear 72 is fixedly provided on the third support member 69.

By the rotation of the motor 74, the second support member 63 is guided by the rails 70a and 70b and moves in the direction of arrow D.

[0091] Furthermore, the lower portion of the third support member 69, two rails 76a provided in the fourth support member 75, engages the 76 b, movably third supporting member 69 in the arrow F ₂ direction Supporting guide members 77a and 77b are provided. The guide members 77a and 77b have holes that engage with the rails 76a and 76b, one of which is a round hole 78 and the other of which is a long round hole 79, and is used to prevent looseness in the arrow F ₁ and D direction of the third support member 69. There is.

The fourth support member 75 includes a belt pulley.
A motor 81 that drives 80 and an idler pulley 83 that rotates around a shaft 82 are fixedly installed. Furthermore, the two pulleys 8
A belt 84 is stretched between 0 and 83.
Is fixed to a fixing portion 85 which is a part of the third supporting member 69. Incidentally, 86 is a belt tensioner. The rotation of the motor 81 transmits the driving force to the belt 84, and the third support member 69 is guided by the rails 76a and 76b to move in the arrow F ₂ direction.

The first, second and third support members 62,
Detection means 87, 88, 89 such as microswitches are provided to detect the respective standby positions of 63, 69 (see FIG. 20).

The fourth support member 75 is an acryl rail.
It is supported by 90 or the like, and is detachable from the main body for maintenance. Normally, it is positioned and mounted on the sorter main body 15 by a lock mechanism described below.

(Stapler Locking Mechanism) The fourth support member 75 is pulled out to the front side (left side in FIG. 20) by the operator when the staple cartridge mounted on the electric stapler 56 is replaced or the staple jam is removed. At this time, if the fourth support member 75 can be pulled out even when the electric stapler 56 is at an arbitrary position, the electric stapler 56 and the bottle stopper 158 may interfere and be damaged. For this reason,
A front side locking mechanism is provided so that the fourth support member 75 cannot be pulled out except when the third support member 69 carrying the stapler 56 is at the home position.

The front side locking mechanism will be described. In FIG. 20, the lock pin 15a is provided on the sorter body 15 side.
And the lock pin 15 is provided on the fourth support member 75.
A lock member 75a that can be locked to a is rotatably attached. Further, the lock member 75a is usually the lock pin 15
The stopper 75b is fixed to a position where it is locked to a, and the stopper 75b is configured so that the locked state is released when the third support member 69 moves to the home position. Specifically, in FIGS. 44 (a) and (b) viewed from the direction of arrow G in FIG. 19, the stopper 75b is fixed to the fourth support member 75 so as to be swingable in the direction of the arrow, and the third support member 69 is abutted. When not in contact with each other, the lock member 75a is in a position to be locked as shown in FIG. 7A, and the third support member 69 is moved to the home position and brought into contact with the stopper 75b as shown in FIG. Then, it rotates to release the locked state of the lock member 75a. Further, the handle 75c is provided coaxially with the rotation center of the lock member 75a,
A torsion coil spring 75d is attached to the handle 75c and the stopper 75b.
Has been fixed. Therefore, when the handle 75c is pulled in the direction of the broken arrow in the figure, the stopper 75b is unlocked from the lock pin 15a via the torsion coil spring 75d.

Therefore, when the third support member 69 is not located at the home position, even if the handle 75c is pulled, the stopper 75b does not rotate the lock member 75a, and the third support member 69 does not rotate.
When the support member 69 is moved to the home position, when the handle 75c is pulled to release the locked state of the stopper 75b, the lock member 75a rotates and the locked state with the lock pin 15a is released to release the fourth support. The member 75 can be pulled out to the front side of the sorter body 15. When the fourth support member 75 is mounted on the sorter body 15, when the grip 75c is mounted while being gripped and then released, the lock member 75a is locked by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 75d. When the fourth support member 75 moves, the stopper 75b is locked by the lock member.
Lock and lock 75a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator from inadvertently pulling out the fourth support member 75 regardless of the position of the stapler 56, and improve the safety and reliability.

When the fourth supporting member 75 is mounted on the sorter main body 15, the electric stapler 56 mounted on the fourth supporting member 75 and the first, second and third supporting members 62 for supporting the electric stapler 56,
When the fourth support member 75 abuts on the back side due to the weight of 63, 69, etc., they may move to the back side of the apparatus due to inertia, and the electric stapler 56, the tip path 26, and the stopper 158 may interfere and be damaged. . Therefore, the third support member 69
Is provided with a back side locking mechanism for locking the moving mechanism.

The back side locking mechanism will be described below.
In FIG. 20, the motor gear 81 attached to the motor 81
The small-diameter gear 81b of the two-stage gear meshes with a,
A ratchet 81d is attached to the large-diameter gear 81c so that it can be engaged. The ratchet 81d is configured to be engaged / disengaged with the large diameter gear 81c by a solenoid 81e. Normally, the solenoid 81e is in the OFF state, the ratchet 81d and the large-diameter gear 81c are in the engaged state at this time, and the solenoid 81e is turned on and brought into the disengaged state only when the motor 81 is turned on. .

As a result, since the belt pulley 80 does not rotate, the third support member 69 does not move even if the fourth support member 75 is pulled out from or mounted on the sorter body 15. In particular, when the fourth support member 75 is attached, it is possible to prevent the third support member 69, which mounts the electric stapler 56 due to inertia, from moving to the back side due to inertia, and thus it is possible to improve safety and reliability.

Next, the specific structure and basic operation of the stapler 56 will be described. In Figure 21, the stapler
56 is an alligator shape, and the upper forming part 101
And a staple table 102 on the lower side. A needle cartridge 103 is removably attached to the forming unit 101, and about 5,000 needles H connected in a plate shape are loaded in the needle cartridge 103. The plate needle H loaded in the needle cartridge 103 is urged downward by a spring 104 provided on the uppermost side of the needle cartridge 103, and the feed roller 10 arranged on the lowermost side.
It is configured to give conveyance force to 5. The needle H fed by the feeding roller 105 is formed by the forming unit 101.
By swinging, each is formed into a U-shape.

In the forming section 101, when the staple motor 106 is activated, the eccentric cam gear 108 rotates via the gear train 107, so that the eccentric cam mounted integrally with the eccentric gum gear 108 acts as shown in FIG. As shown by the arrow, the clinching operation (needle binding operation) is performed by swinging to the staple table 102 side.

The stapling state of the staple H loaded in the staple cartridge 103 is detected by a reflection type sensor 109 provided at the lower portion of the staple cartridge 103. Here, the timing of detecting the last staple H is configured so that it can be detected with the number of bin trays B (n) × the number of stitch points (2), that is, the state in which 2n or more staples remain. As a result, the job can be completed even if the staple is lost during the stapling operation.

Detection of staple jam (staple clogging) of the staple H sent out from the staple cartridge 103 will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. In FIG. 22, the staple motor 106 has a cord 10 through which a drive current is passed.
6a is connected, and the cord 106a is equipped with a current sensor (abnormality detection means) 106b as load detection means for detecting the value of the flowing current.

FIG. 23 shows the waveform of the value of the current flowing through the staple motor 106 in one stroke of the stapling detected by the current sensor 106b.

W1 is a waveform when the staple H is normally ejected, penetrates the sheet bundle S and is bent, and W2 is a waveform when the staple is ejected (the staple H is not operated even if the stapler 56 is operated). It is a waveform. At the time of blank ejection, there is no load when the needle H penetrates the sheet bundle S and no load at the time of bending the staple, so the level of the current value becomes small. W3 is a waveform when a stapling failure, stylus jam or the like occurs. At this time, overload generally occurs, and the level of the current value rises extremely.

Therefore, when the current level is near the I ₀ value (initial setting value), it is possible to judge that the needle is being struck normally, and when I> I ₀ + C (C is a variation), the needle jam and the needle are jammed. I <I ₀
In the case of -C, it can be determined that the ball has been hit.

As shown in FIG. 24, the stapler-free state or the staple-jam state generated in the stapler 56 is as shown in FIG.
The needle-free display portion (abnormality display means) 15b and the needle jam display portion (abnormality display means) 15c formed on the front side of the upper surface of 15 are respectively displayed. When the stapler 56 is in the stapleless state, the stapleless indicator 15b is made to blink and the stapler
When a needle jam occurs at 56, the needle jam display portion 15c is made to blink to notify the operator.

(Explanation of the paper detecting means of the stapler)
As shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 25, an upper guide member 113 and a lower guide member 114 are attached to the forming unit 101 and the staple table 102, respectively. The upper guide member 113 has the prism 110, and the lower guide member 114 has the LE.
A light emitting element 111 such as D and a light receiving element 112 such as a CdS cell and a phototransistor are provided. The light emitting element 111 and the light receiving element 112 are formed by the forming unit 101 of the staple 56 and the staple table 10 during the staple operation.
It detects whether or not the sheet S exists between the two sheets, and prevents the staple 56 from being idle. Staple
This is because not only the needle H is wasted when 56 is idled, but also the idler needle H is prevented from being scattered in the device.

As shown in FIG. 25, the sheet detection sensor detects the light emitted from the light emitting element 111 by being reflected by the prism 110 and detected by the light receiving element 112. Therefore, the presence or absence of the sheet S is detected by the light emitted from the light emitting element 111 being blocked by the sheet S. The upper and lower guide members 113
If the sheet S is detected by the sheet detection sensors provided at 114, 114, the staple 56 is surely moved by the movement of the staple 56, and no blanking is performed.

According to the above arrangement, the sheet S is detected during the stapling operation within the width of the stapler 56. Thereby, the space for providing the detecting means for detecting the sheet S separately from the stapler 56 can be omitted, and the cutout width formed in the bin tray B can be minimized to prevent the integrity of the sheet S and the reduction of the strength of the bin tray B. . Also,
The presence / absence of the sheet can be reliably detected even when the back surface of the sheet (light emitting side, light receiving element side) is black.

Further, in FIG. 21, an upper guide member 113 and a lower guide member 114 are attached to the forming section 101 and the staple table 102, respectively. When the staple 56 enters the binding position 56c during the stapling operation, the taper surface 114a of the lower guide member 114 enters the lower portion of the bin tray B, and the upper guide member 113 and the lower guide member 114 are placed on the staple table 102. And the stapling position for the sheet S is determined. Further, the upper guide member 113 and the forming portion 101 do not disturb the stacking property and the consistency when the staple 56 enters the binding position 56c and the sheet end stacked on the bin tray B hits the guide surface 113a. It guides between the staple tables 102.

The guide operation by the upper and lower guide members 113 and 114 will be described. In FIG. 26, when the stapler 56 enters the binding position 56c during the stapling operation, the upper part of the sheet bundle S indicated by a chain line in the figure Edge of paper S _a
Is constrained downward along the taper surface (guide surface) 113a of the upper guide member 113, and as shown by the broken line in the figure,
Guided between 113 and bin tray B. Next lower guide member
When the bin tray B is gradually lifted by 114 and the stapler 56 is further moved to support the bin tray B on the staple table 102, the stapling position is determined and the stapling operation is performed by the forming unit 101.

According to the above construction, after the sheet bundle S is first guided to the bin tray B by the taper surface 113a of the upper guide member 113 during the stapling operation, the binding position is maintained without disturbing the sheet stacking property and the matching property. It is possible to prevent the slippage and smoothly perform the binding operation. Also the upper guide member
When the stapler 56 enters the binding stop position 56c by holding the sheet edge by 113 and guiding the entry,
It is possible to prevent the sheet edge from hitting and disturbing the stacking property, and the sheet edge can be smoothly entered.

Now, the stapling operation of the staple 56 will be specifically described. In FIG. 27A, the plate-like stapler H accommodated in the staple cartridge 103 is
The feed rollers 105 feed the sheets one by one from the bottom side,
The needle H1 is sent to the needle bending block 115 and the leading end of the needle H1 holds the center portion in the holding groove 115a of the needle bending block 115. Then, when the eccentric cam gear 108 rotates and the forming part 101 moves to the lower operation position, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Is pushed down and the plunger 116a is pushed down. At this time, the push claw 116b formed on a part of the plunger 116a.
Thus, the U-shaped bending block 117 is pressed and pressed onto the needle bending block 115. Then, the needle bending block 115
The stapler H held in the holding groove 115a of FIG.
As shown in (a), it is bent in a U shape.

The plunger 116a is further pushed down so that the pushing claw 116b is disengaged from the U-shaped bending block 117, and only the plunger 116a is pushed down to make the needle bending block 115.
27, the needle bending block 115 is reached.
(B) Only the most advanced needle H1 bent in a U-shape while being pushed away to the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line (in the direction of the broken line arrow in the figure) is sheared between the needle H1 and the needle cutting member 118, and the needle H1 is cut into sheets S. The sheet S, and further presses it against the staple table 102 side to bind the sheets S together. When the eccentric cam gear 108 rotates and the forming portion 101 moves to the upper standby position, the driver 116 is pulled up and the plunger 116a moves upward to return to the standby position, and the stapling operation is performed. One stroke ends.

(Needle Cartridge) Next, the structure of the needle cartridge 103 and the method for loading the staple H stored in the cartridge 103 will be described. As the needle cartridge 103, as shown in FIG. 28, a transparent case integrally formed of a case-like plastic or resin having an open bottom is used. A spring 104 is attached to the upper surface of the needle cartridge 103.
The stapling needle H loaded in the 103 is urged downward. The staple H loaded in the staple cartridge 103 is locked by locking means such as click (not shown) so as not to drop from the opening.

The stapling needle H is loaded in the cartridge 103 in a state in which a plurality of rod-shaped needles connected to each other and formed into a plate shape are stacked. Before loading, the staple H is made by stacking a plurality of plate-shaped staples,
Both sides are held in a U shape by a wrapping paper 119, and a tape 120 is wrapped around the plate needle to be bundled. A handle 120a is pulled out from the tape 120,
The handle 120a can be easily peeled off by pulling.

On one side surface of the staple cartridge 103, an arrow 103a is formed which serves as an index indicating the loading direction of the staple H. The arrow 103a is formed by a method such as printing or forming a grain on the case. An arrow 119a indicating the loading direction of the staple H is also formed by printing on the side surface of the wrapping paper 119 that holds the staple H. This is to prevent the stapling H from being effectively carried out when the stapling needles H are loaded in the staple cartridge 103 in the front-rear direction and in the front-back direction.

When the stapling needle H loaded in the staple cartridge 103 is detected by the reflection type sensor 109 provided in the lower portion of the staple cartridge 103, the operator sees the sorter main body as shown in FIG. The fourth support member 75 is pulled out from 15, and the needle cartridge 103 mounted on the stapler 56 is pulled out upward as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 28, the staple H held by the wrapping paper 119 is loaded into the staple cartridge 103 by pushing the staple 120 against the spring 104 by aligning the arrows 119a and 103a with each other, and then pulling the handle 120a. Tape that bundles the needles H
The loading operation is completed by peeling off. And
The operation is completed by mounting the staple cartridge 103 loaded with the staple H again on the stapler 56 and mounting the fourth support member 75 on the sorter body 15.

According to the above construction, the wrapping paper 119 for holding the arrow 103a and the needle H formed on the side surface of the needle cartridge 103.
By mounting the needle H together with the arrow 119a, it is possible to prevent the operator from mistakenly loading the needle H into the needle cartridge 103 in the front-rear direction or the front-back direction, and to effectively staple the sheet S.

As shown in FIG. 29, a cam 62a is integrally formed on the first support member 62 for supporting the stapler 56, and the plate cam 12 is provided on the frame body (not shown) of the sorter body 15.
1 is fixed. The stapler 56 is set at a position (home position) in which the first support member 62 is pulled by the spring member 65 and corresponds to the binding at one front position, that is, the front end portion is directed obliquely toward the rear side of the apparatus.

When a staple jam occurs in the stapler 56, when the fourth support member 75 is pulled out toward the front side of the apparatus (left side in FIG. 20) by grasping the handle 75c as described above, the cam 62a is initially thinned by the plate cam 121. When the stapler 56 is brought into contact with the portion 121a and moves in the direction of the arrow, the thick portion 12 passes through the inclined cam surface.
Contact 1b. At this time, the first support member 62 rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 61 against the elastic force of the spring member 65,
The clinch portion of the stapler 56 rotates toward the front side. Further, when the fourth support member 75 is housed on the rear side of the apparatus (right side in FIG. 20), the cam 62a first contacts the thick portion 121b of the plate cam 121, and the spring member 65 moves as the stapler 56 moves. The elastic force causes the first support member 62 to rotate clockwise around the support shaft 61, and when the storage operation is completed, the thin portion 12
The stapler 56 returns to the home position by contacting the 1a.

According to the above construction, since the clinch portion of the stapler 56 is located on the front side when the fourth support member 75 is pulled out, the operator has good visibility during needle jam processing,
Jam removal work can be done easily. Further, by using the support shaft 61 of the first support member 62 used for the stapling operation such as the front one-point binding and the two-point binding as the rotation shaft for the needle jam processing, the rotation shaft and the like are provided on the stapler 56 itself as in the conventional case. Since it does not need to be provided, the jam processing configuration can be simplified.
Further, since the stapler 56 can be rotated in conjunction with the pulling out / storing operation of the stapler unit, the operability is good, and the staple jam processing can be performed quickly.

In this embodiment, the first support member 62 is configured to rotate in association with the pulling out / storing operation of the fourth support member 75. However, the first support member 62 is not necessarily the fourth support member. The configuration does not have to be interlocked with the member 75. For example, the first support member 62 is eccentrically supported about the support shaft 61, and when the stapler 56 is in the home position,
The support member 62 is locked to a locking member such as a claw, the fourth support member 75 is pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, and then the locked state is released by a button operation. Thus, the clinch portion of the stapler 56 may be configured to turn toward the front side by rotating around the support shaft 61. During storage, the cam formed on the first support member 62 contacts the frame body on the sorter body side, the first support member 62 rotates in the opposite direction, and the stapler 56 is re-engaged at the position where it returns to the home position. You may comprise so that it may be locked to a member.

The stapler device 60 has the above configuration. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 and the sorter 11 are provided with control devices (CPU) 1A and (CPU) 11A, respectively, to control and pass each operation (see FIG. 1).

Since the present embodiment has the above-mentioned structure, the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is in the non-sort mode (the mode in which the sheets are not classified) or the sort mode (the sheet is sorted) from the carry-in entrance 18. In a mode for classifying), and is guided to the deflector 24 which is displaced and is introduced into the first sheet conveying path 19 or the second sheet conveying path 20.

(Binding Stopping Operation) Next, the binding stopping operation of the plurality of bins B will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 34 to 38.

<One-side binding on front side> In the binding operation of a plurality of bins B, it is most effective if the binding is sequentially performed from the last bin B from which the sheets have been discharged and stored (S113).

First, one front side binding (binding position H
The operation in case ₁ ) will be described. In FIG. 34, as described above, the second support member 63 is moved together with the stapler 56 on the first support member 62 to move the stapler 56 to the standby position 56a.
When the binding of the first bin is completed by moving the stapler 56 to the stapling position 56c, the motor 74 is rotated counterclockwise (S117), and the stapler 56 is moved to the intermediate standby position 56b without returning to the position 56a. Then, the motor 74 is stopped (S119). The intermediate standby position 56b is detected by the detecting means 91 (S118) (see FIGS. 3 and 30).

Then, based on the bin shift completion signal (S120), the stapler 56 is moved from the intermediate standby position 56b to the binding stop position 56c for the sheet of the second bin by the same driving means as described above. Intermediate standby position again
Returned to 56b. The next bin shift operation is performed by a series of operation completion signals of the stapler 56, and the binding operation is automatically completed by repeating this operation. When the binding of the final bin is completed, the second support member 63 is returned together with the first support member 62 and the stapler 56, and the stapler 56 is returned from the binding position 56c to the standby position 56a.

It goes without saying that the number of bin shifts at the time of automatic binding may be repeated by the number of bin shifts at the time of sorting.

From the binding stop position 56c to the intermediate standby position
The moving distance L ₁ of the stapler 56 to 56b is the binding stop position.
Shorter than the moving distance L ₂ from 56c to the standby position 56a (Fig.
19). This is because the retracting distance (L ₁ ) of the stapler 56 when continuously performing the stapling operation is set to the minimum necessary moving distance that does not interfere with the bin during the bin shift. It enables processing time to be shortened.

<Binding at Two Locations> In FIGS. 35 and 36, when a signal for starting the binding at two locations of sheets is sent from the control means (S201), the solenoid 67 is turned on (S202), and the stapler 56 and the The 1 support member 62 rotates in the counterclockwise direction about the support shaft 61 and is positioned (state of the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 31). Then, the end of the rotation is detected by the detecting means 92 (S203). The second support member
63, whether or not the third support member 69 is in the standby position is detected by the detection means 88, 89 (S204, 206), and when it is not in the standby position, it is returned to the standby position (home position) (S205, 207).

Before and after the above operation, the motor 81 rotates counterclockwise (S208), and the third support member 69 is moved to the position 69.
Move from a to position 69b and stop the motor 81 (S
210).

The position 69b of the third supporting member 69 is a detecting means.
It is detected by 93 (S209).

As the motor 81, for example, a DC motor or the like may be used, and the rotation thereof may be stopped by the detecting means 93.
In addition, the third support member using a stepping motor or the like
The detection means 89 for detecting the standby position of 69 may be moved by a predetermined amount and then stopped. In this case, the detection means 93 has a role of confirming and detecting the stop position.

Before and after the above operation, in the leading end path 26, the drive motor (not shown) of the sheet conveying system reverses from the detection state of the detection means 27 (S211) (S212), and the eccentric cam 29a of the pushing-up mechanism described above. The rotation moves from the usable position 26a (solid line position in FIG. 3) to the retracted position 26b (two-dot chain line position in FIG. 3).

When the detection means 28 detects that the leading end path 26 has reached the retracted position 26b (S213), the drive motor (not shown) is stopped (S214) and held at that position.

When the detection means 93, 92, 28, 88 inform the control means that they have all moved to the predetermined positions, the control means sends the second support member in the same manner as the front one-point binding. A signal for permitting movement of 63 to the binding stop position is issued (S215), and the motor 74 rotates clockwise (S215).
216), the stapler 56 is moved from the intermediate standby position 56b to the binding stop position 56c, and after detection by the detection means 94 (S217),
The motor 74 is stopped (S218), and the needle H is driven into the binding stop position H ₂ of the sheet S (S219) (FIGS. 31 and 32).
reference).

Here, if the detection by the detecting means 28 is not performed, that is, if the leading end path 26 has not moved to the retracted position (the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 3), then the second support member is used.
63 movements are prohibited.

In the above operation, the retracted position of the tip path 26
26b is set at a position where it does not interfere when the stapler 56 moves to the binding stop position 56c. Furthermore, the stapler
Since the position of 56 is determined by the detecting means 28, 93, 92, and 88 (in particular, the detecting means 28), the stapler 56 does not interfere with the bin B and the leading end path 26. Further, the movement of the tip path 26 and the first support member 62, the third support member
The movement of 69 may be performed while the second support member 62 is being detected by the detection means 88, and if the stapler 56 is at the standby position 56a, either may be performed first or the processing may be performed simultaneously.

Then, the staple driving by the stapler 70 is completed.

In the case of the one-bin process (S220), the motor 74 is rotated counterclockwise in order to move the stapler 56 to the intermediate standby position 56b for the same reason as described above (S220).
225), after the detection by the detection means 91, the motor 74 is stopped (S227) and returned.

Next, the motor 81 is rotated counterclockwise (S228) to move the third support member 69 to the position 69c. The position 69c of the third support member 69 is detected by the detecting means 95 (S230) (see FIG. 33).

At the above position, the second support member
63 is moved and the motor 74 is rotated clockwise (S
231), the stapler 56 is moved from the intermediate standby position 56b to the binding stop position 56c, and after detection by the detection means 94 (S23
2) The motor 74 is stopped (S233), the two places other stapling position H ₃ binding implanted needle H (S234),
For binding one bin (S234), the motor 74 is rotated counterclockwise (S226), the stapler 56 is moved from the binding stop position 56c to the standby position 56a, and after detection by the detection means 88 (S337), the motor is rotated. Stop 74 (S338), 1
The binding for the bin is completed.

When the detection means 88 detects that the second support member 63 is in the standby position, the drive motor (not shown) of the sheet conveying system is rotated in the reverse direction (S239), and the leading end path 26 is moved to the usable position 26a. (The position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3), the detection means 27 detects it (S240), and the drive motor stops (S241).

Next, the binding operation of the plurality of bins B will be described.

First, the third support member 69 is moved to the position 69b, and the final discharge bin is bound to the binding position H ₂ (the stapler 56 is in the standby position 56a → the binding position 56c).

In S201 to S220, the stapler 56 is moved from the binding position 56c to the intermediate standby 56b by rotating the motor 74 counterclockwise (S221), and after the detection by the detecting means 91 (S222), the motor 74 is turned on. Stop (S223
).

Then, the bin shift completion (S224
), The above-described operation (intermediate standby position 56b → binding position 56c → intermediate standby position 56b) is repeatedly performed, and the binding at the binding position H ₂ of the sheets on the bin corresponding to the number of copies is completed.

Then, at the position of the final binding bin for binding at the binding stop position H ₂ , the third support member 69 is moved to the position 69c as described above.
To (S220-S230).

At that position, the stapler 56 is moved from the intermediate standby position 56b to the binding stop position 56c to perform stapling (S231 to S232), and the motor 74 is rotated counterclockwise to the intermediate standby position 56b. (S242) The motor 74 is moved and detected by the detecting means 91 (S243), and then the motor 74 is stopped (S244) and returned.

Then, the bin is shifted in the direction opposite to the bin-shifted direction (S245), and the same operation (intermediate standby position 56b → binding stopping position 56c → intermediate standby position 56b) is repeated with bin shifting to perform binding. S231 ~ S
234).

After the binding at the binding position H ₃ of the last bin (the bin first bound at the binding position H ₂ ) is completed (S235), the stapler 56 is returned to the standby position 56a, Binding at two locations is completed (S226, 237,
238).

Then, at a predetermined timing, the third support member 69
Moves from position 69c to position 69a. When the standby position 56a of the stapler 56, that is, the second support member 63 is detected by the detection means 88, the leading end path 26 is moved to the usable position 26a (solid line position in FIG. 3). After returning, the position 26a is detected by the detecting means 27 (S239 to S241).

When the second supporting member 63 is not detected by the detecting means 88, the movement of the tip path 26 to the usable position 26a is prohibited.

Needless to say, in FIG. 3, the detecting means 27 and the stapler 56 are arranged at positions where they do not interfere with each other in the thrust direction (front side in the drawing).

<One-side binding on the back side> When the control means sends a one-point binding on the back side of the sheet (position for binding the sheet S _{2 in} FIG. 33 (binding position H ₃ )) (S301) The solenoid 67 is turned on (S302), and the stapler 56 is in the state shown in FIG. (The above-mentioned position is detected by the detecting means 92 (S303
)).

Then, as described above, the initial position of each part is the detection means.
89, 88 detect (S304, 306), if not detected, return to the standby position (S305, 307), and the third support member 69 rotates the motor 81 counterclockwise to the position 69c (S308). The motor 81 is moved, and its position is detected by the detection means 95, and the motor 81 is stopped (S310).

Further, the leading path 26 is moved to the retracted position 26b by reversing the drive motor (not shown) of the sheet conveying system (S312) from the state in which the detecting means 27 is detected (S311) in the same manner as the above two-point binding. , Detecting the detecting means 28 (S313),
The drive motor is stopped (S314).

Operation of the tip pass 26 and the first, second, and third
The operations of the support members 62, 63, 69 may be performed in any order.

When all the operating positions are confirmed by the detecting means 95, 92, 88, 2863 similarly to the above, a movement permission signal is issued (S315) and the second supporting member 63 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the motor 74. (S316), move to the driving position,
The stapler 56 is moved from the standby position 56a to the binding stop position 56c, and after the detection by the detection means 94 (S317), the motor 74 is moved.
Is stopped (S318), performs the binding of the stapling position H ₃ (S319), if one bin (S320), the motor 74 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction (S321), moves to the position of the standby position 56a After the detection by the detecting means 88 (S322), the motor 74 is stopped (S323), and the binding is completed. Here, if the detection is not performed by the detection means 28, that is, if the leading end path 26 is not moved to the retracted position 26b, the sheet driving movement of the second support member 63 is prohibited.

When the detection means 88 detects that the second support member 63 is in the standby position, the drive motor (not shown) of the sheet conveying system is rotated in the reverse direction (S323), and the leading end path 26 becomes the usable position 26a. (Solid line position in FIG. 3). Detection means
After the detection by 27 (S324), the drive motor is stopped (S325).

Here, when the detection means 88 does not detect the second support member 63, the usable position of the tip path 26.
Movement to 26a is prohibited.

Next, the binding stopping operation of the plural bins B will be described.

Similarly to the above, the third support member 69 is moved to the position 69c, the tip path 26 is moved to the retracted position 26b, and
The locations binding as well as the stapler 56 is moved to the waiting position 56a → stapling position 56c performs stapling to stapling position H ₃ (S301 to 320), and then rotates the motor 74 in the counterclockwise direction ( S326), returning to the intermediate standby position 56b detected by the detection means 91 (S327), the motor 74
Is stopped (S328).

After the binding position H ₃ of the sheet of the first bin is bound, the bin shift is completed (S329) and the stapler 56 moves (intermediate standby position 56b ← → binding position 56).
c) and the stapling operation are repeated, and after stapling for a predetermined number of copies is completed (S316 to 320, S326 to 329), the stapler 56
Is returned to the standby position 56a (S321 to S323).

As described above, when the standby position 56a of the stapler 56 is detected by the detecting means 88, the leading end path 26 is in the usable position 26a.
(The position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3) is returned (when the detection means 88 does not detect, the movement of the tip path 26 is prohibited), and the third support member.
69 is also returned to the position 69a (S324, 325).

As described above, one place on the front side of the stapling operation,
Regarding the two-position binding and the one-back-side binding, the binding of one copy and a plurality of copies has been described.

Regarding the binding stop mode, staple is automatically started after the sorting operation is completed even after the post-stapling operation performed by a stapling start button (not shown) after the sheets are distributed and stacked on the bin by the sorting operation. It does not matter if it is a sort operation.

It is of course possible to perform the above operation in the group mode (mode in which the same original copy sheets are distributed and stacked on the same bin).

[0173]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the clinch portion of the stapler can be rotated to the front side when the stapler unit is pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, the visibility can be improved when the stapler is jammed. Good, since the clinch portion faces the front side, it is possible to facilitate the needle jam processing. Further, since the rotating mechanism of the stapler uses the rotating mechanism at the time of stapling, the device configuration can be simplified.

Further, the operability is further improved by interlocking with the operation of pulling out and accommodating the stapler unit with respect to the apparatus main body, by turning the clinch portion of the stapler toward the front side or rotating the stapler so as to return to the home position. , Work can be done quickly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical side view of a sheet post-processing device according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus equipped with the same.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which a part of the sheet post-processing device is cut away.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a lower discharge roller pair of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a push-up mechanism that swings a leading end path in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bin unit in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a bin unit in the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing a moving position of a reference guide.

FIG. 9 is a top view showing an operating state of a reference guide, an alignment rod, and a multi-guide.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation relationship between a reference guide, an alignment rod, and a multi-guide.

FIG. 11 is a top view showing a state where sheets are aligned and pushed up on a bin tray.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bin tray.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a bin tray opening operation by a lead cam in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional plan view of a bin roller and a trunnion mounted on the bin tray and a lead cam that drives the bin roller and the trunnion.

FIG. 15 is a schematic side view showing a relationship between bin rollers mounted on the bin tray.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram of a sheet pressing mechanism.

FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of a sheet pressing mechanism.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a bin tray portion of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 19 is a vertical sectional side view showing a stapler portion in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of the stapler unit and the bin tray unit.

FIG. 21 is a side view showing the configuration of the stapler section.

FIG. 22 is a plan view showing the configuration of the stapler unit.

FIG. 23 is a waveform diagram showing a current value flowing through the staple motor during one stapling operation by the stapler.

FIG. 24 is a plan view showing a staple-free display portion that displays a staple-free state that has occurred in the stapler and a staple jam display portion that displays a staple-jam state.

FIG. 25 is a vertical sectional view of a guide member of a stapler.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of entering the stapler into the bin tray.

FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing a staple driving configuration of a forming unit of a stapler.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram of a staple cartridge and staples.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram of a rotation mechanism of a support member on which a stapler is mounted.

FIG. 30 is a plan view of the stapler unit and the bin tray unit during the stapling operation of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 31 is a plan view of a stapler unit and a bin tray unit during a stapling operation of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 32 is a plan view of the stapler unit and the bin tray unit during the stapling operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 33 is a plan view of the stapler unit and the bin tray unit during the stapling operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing a stapling operation of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing a stapling operation of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing a continuation of FIG. 34 relating to the stapling operation of the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing a stapling operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

38 is a flowchart showing a continuation of FIG. 36 regarding the stapling operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus. FIG.

FIG. 39 is a top view of the bin unit in the sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 40 is an explanatory diagram of a hook-shaped portion of a stopper in the bin tray.

FIG. 41 is a schematic explanatory view of the vicinity of a stopper in the bin tray.

FIG. 42 is a schematic explanatory view showing a contacting / separating state of concave and convex portions between bin rollers.

FIG. 43 is an explanatory diagram showing another shape of the uneven portion of the bin roller;

FIG. 44 is a schematic explanatory view of a front side lock mechanism.

FIG. 45 is a diagram showing an operation relationship between a reference guide, an alignment rod, and a multi-guide.

FIG. 46 is a top view showing a holding state of the sheet pushed out on the bin tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

B ... bin tray _{(B 1, B 2 ... B} n) H 1, H 2, H
₃ ... stapling position K ... step S ... sheet (S ₁ ~S ₅
… Seat position) P ₁ … Retracted position P ₂ … Reference position P
₃ ... pushed position X ... space X _1, X ₂ ... opening T
_{1 to} T ₅ , L ₁ , L ₂ ... Distance 1 ... Image forming apparatus 1A
Control device (CPU) 2 Automatic document feeder 3 Platen glass 4 Photosensitive drum 5 Developing device 6 Transfer electrode 7 Fixing device 11 Sheet post-processing device (sorter) 11A
Control device (CPU) 12 ... Side plate 13 ... Base 14 ... Cover 14a ... Guide member 15 ... Sorter body 15a ... Lock pin 15b ... Needle-free display 15c ... Needle jam display 16
... guide rail 17 ... bin unit 18 ... carry-in port 19 ... first sheet transport path 20 ... second sheet transport path 21 ... upper discharge roller pair
22 ... Lower discharging roller pair 22a ... Discharging roller 22b ... Discharging rollers 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f ... Rib 23 ... Carrying roller pair 24 ... Deflector 25 ... Relay roller pair 25a ... Driving roller 26 ... Tip path 26a ... Usable position 26b … Retreat position 26c… Rotating rollers 27, 28… Detection means
29a ... Eccentric cam 29b ... Fan gear 29c ... Rotary damper 30 ... Bin frame 30a ... Upright portion 30b ... Bottom portion
31 ... bin slider 32 ... bin cover 32a ... rotating shaft 33
… Support plate 34… Upper arm 35… Lower arm 36… Rotation center axis 37… Fan gear 38… Pulse motor 39… Gear 40… Notch 41… Alignment rod 42… Shading plate 43… Home position sensor 44a… Bin roller 44a1… Convex part 44a2 ... Recess 44b ... Trunnion 45 ... Slit 46 ... Lower guide roller 47 ... Upper guide roller 48 ... Cam shaft holder 49 ... Bearing 50 ... Lead cam shaft 51 ... Lead cam
52 ... Sprocket 53 ... Shift motor 54 ... Chain
55 ... Reference guide 55a ... Sliding guide 55b ... Swing guide 55c ... Mold member 56 ... Electric stapler 56a ...
Standby position 56b ... Intermediate standby position 56c ... Binding stop position
57, 58, 59 ... Notch 60 ... Stapler device 61 ... Spindle 62
... first support member 62a ... cam 63 ... second support member 64
a, 64b ... Support portion 65 ... Spring member 66 ... Stopper 67 ...
Solenoid 68 ... Link 69 ... Third support member 70a, 70
b ... Rail 71 ... Guide member 72 ... Rack gear 73 ... Pinion gear 74 ... Motor 75 ... Fourth support member 75a ... Lock member 75b ... Stopper 75c ... Handle 75d ... Torsion coil spring 76a, 76b ... Rail 77a, 77b ... Guide member 78 ... Round hole 79 ... Round hole 80 ... Belt pulley 81
... Motor 81a ... Motor gear 81b ... Small diameter gear 81c ... Large diameter gear 81d ... Ratchet 81e ... Solenoid
82… Shaft 83… Idler pulley 84… Belt 85… Fixed part 86… Belt tensioner 87, 88, 89… Detection means
90 ... Acculide rail 91, 92, 93, 94, 95 ... Detection means 101 ... Forming unit 102 ... Staple table
103… Needle cartridge 103a… Arrow 104… Spring 10
5… Feed roller 106… Staple motor 106a… Code 106b… Current sensor 107… Gear train 108… Eccentric cam gear 109… Reflective sensor 110… Prism 111…
Light emitting element 112 ... Light receiving element 113 ... Upper guide member 113a
... Guide surface 114 ... Lower guide member 114a ... Tapered surface
115… Needle bending block 115a… Retaining groove 116… Driver
116a… Plunger 116b… Pushing claw 117… U-shaped bending block 118… Needle cutting member 119… Wrapping paper 119a… Arrow 120… Tape 120a… Handle 121… Plate cam 151…
Penetration sensor 152, 153, 155… Notch 154a… Guide rail 154b… Belt 154c… Pulse motor 154d… Motor pulley 154e… Idler pulley 156… Multi-guide
157 ... Operation panel 158 ... Stopper 158a ... Hook 158b ... Corner 159 ... Friction member 160
… Paper pressing means 160a… Solenoid 160b… Arm 16
0c ... sliding member 160d ... upper pressing member 160e ... lower pressing member 160f ... supporting member 160g ... spring 161 ... substantially right angle part
162 ... Slope 163 ... R part 164 ... Support part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. At least one sheet tray for storing sheets, sheet discharging means for discharging the sheets to the sheet tray, and post-processing means for binding the sheets stored in the sheet tray. In the sheet post-processing apparatus, the post-processing means includes a stapler unit for binding sheets stacked on the sheet tray, and the stapler unit is configured to be rotatable in substantially the same plane as the sheet tray, A sheet post-processing apparatus characterized in that the clinch portion of the stapler is turned toward the front side or the stapler is rotated so as to return to the home position in association with the pulling out / storing operation of the stapler unit with respect to the apparatus main body. 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating operation of the stapler is performed by bringing a supporting member having the stapler mounted thereon into contact with a cam on the apparatus main body side. 3. At least one sheet tray for storing sheets, sheet discharging means for discharging the sheets to the sheet tray, and post-processing means for binding the sheets stored in the sheet tray. The post-processing means includes a stapler unit that binds the sheets stacked on the sheet tray, and the stapler unit is configured to be rotatable in substantially the same plane as the sheet tray. An image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet post-processing apparatus that rotates in such a manner that a clinch portion of a stapler faces toward the front side or a stapler returns to a home position in association with a drawing / storing operation with respect to the apparatus body.