JPH08133572A - Sheet after processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a sheet after processing device excellent in stack aligning property at sheet distribution in which a distributed sheet bundle can be discharged in the horizontal state, when successively pulled out from each bin and housed in a large capacity stacker, to make the device compact. CONSTITUTION: At sheet distribution, a bin is controlled to keep the inclined state, attaching importance to stack aligning property, while the bin from which a distributed sheet bundle CS is pulled out is controlled to be at least in the horizontal posture when the sheet bundle CS is successively pulled out from each bin and housed in a large capacity stacker 60.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electrophotographic copying machine, OA.
The post-processing function of the image-recorded sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus such as the printer and the printing machine, especially the post-processing function of the sheet bundle sequentially distributed and collected in the sort tray (hereinafter referred to as “bin tray”) of the sorter. The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing device that the user has.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a system in which a sheet post-processing device mainly including a sorter is installed on the discharge side of an image forming apparatus, it is an important technical subject to make the entire system as compact as possible. .

In recent years, a sheet post-processing apparatus of this type collects the image-recorded sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus in each sort tray of the sorter, and then collects a part of each sheet bundle reaching a predetermined number. Adopts a structure in which stapling is performed for binding, and so-called jogging processing is performed to put the sheets in the sorted state again, and then the sheets are stacked on the stack tray of the stacker located behind the sheet post-processing device in the sheet conveying direction. Tend to
The demand for compactness is increasing more and more.

For example, when the stacker is positioned behind the sorter in the sheet post-processing device in the sheet conveying direction, both stackers are lined up in a line in the sheet conveying direction, and the size of the main body such as a copying machine becomes very large. It takes a lot of installation space for the system. Further, when the operator takes out the stack of sheets on the stack tray after the copying operation is completed after inputting the copy operation on the operation unit of the main body of the copying machine or the like, the operation unit and the stacker are separated from each other. You have to go around to the outlet side,
The workability is very bad.

For this reason, conventionally, a sheet post-processing apparatus of this type has the following structure. That is, the copied sheets are distributed and stacked on the sort tray which is arranged in multi-stages vertically and inclined upward in the sorting direction, and the alignment arms are pressed to align both side edges of the sheets, and then the trailing edges of the sheets are bound with a stapler. After that, in order to take out the bound sheet bundle from each sort tray, the moving member that pushes out the rear end of the sheet bundle is moved to push the sheet bundle, thereby pushing the sheet bundle orthogonally to the sheet discharge direction and stacking the sheet bundle. Load on the tray. Also, when stacking the sheet bundles of each sort tray on the stack tray without binding the trailing edge of the sheets with a stapler, the bundles are shifted in order to separate each sheet bundle, so-called stacking in a so-called stacked state. In the mode, the stack tray is moved in the sheet bundle discharge direction according to the sheet bundle discharged from the sort tray for each stage, and the sheet bundle is stacked and stored in a stacked state. In this jogging, the sheet bundle taken out from the sort tray is taken out in a posture inclined upward in the sorting direction downstream side, and when stacked on the stack tray, it is biased and cannot be jogged. It is inevitable to move, and this movement requires a movement space on the front side, and it is necessary to hold the stack tray in a horizontal position in order to move the stack tray in the sheet bundle discharge direction and perform jogging. A projecting space for the entire length of the stack tray is required, and as a result, a considerable space is required on the front side.

With such a configuration, when the operator takes out the sheet bundle after finishing stacking the sheets on the sort tray, the operator does not have to go around to the downstream side of the sort tray, but is located near the operation portion of the image forming apparatus. The stack of sheets can be taken out from the stack tray, which greatly improves the work.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, from the viewpoint of making the sheet post-processing apparatus compact, from the side of the sort tray of the sorter to the stack tray of the stacker in the same horizontal plane. The projecting length (the amount of protrusion to the operator's front side) is still relatively large due to the structure.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide excellent stack alignment during sheet distribution, and to draw the distributed sheet bundle sequentially from each bin and store it in a large-capacity stacker. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet post-processing device that enables discharge in a horizontal state and makes the device compact.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a sort tray for sequentially distributing and accumulating image-recorded sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, and a sort tray. In a sheet post-processing apparatus having a take-out means for taking out the obtained sheet bundle from the sort tray and a stacker for stacking and accommodating the sheet bundle taken out by the take-out means, the sort tray is arranged in the sheet distribution direction during sheet distribution and accumulation. The tray posture displacing means is provided so as to be inclined with respect to the sheet bundle and take a horizontal posture when the sheet bundle is taken out from the sort tray (claim 1).

The tray posture displacing means is provided in the front and rear of the sheet distributing direction and supports the sort tray so as to be vertically movable up and down, and drives the elevating supporting means to move in the sheet distributing direction at the time of stacking the sheets. On the other hand, it comprises an elevating and supporting drive means for inclining the sort tray so that the sort tray is in a horizontal posture when the sheet bundle is taken out (claim 2).

The elevating and supporting means on the upstream side in the sheet distribution direction is arranged so that the upper side is inclined in the sheet distribution direction (claim 3). Further, the elevating and lowering support means has a notch portion which allows the take-out means to take out the sheet bundle taken out in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sheet distribution direction (claim 4). Further, the elevating and lowering driving means separately drives the elevating and lowering supporting means before and after the sheet distribution direction (claim 5).

The take-out means grips the leading end of the sheet bundle by the gripping means and draws out the sheet bundle in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sheet distribution direction, guides the leading end of the sheet bundle in a substantially vertical direction, and the rear end of the sheet bundle is The sheet bundle is released after the sheets are completely discharged (claim 6). Further, the stacker is provided so as to be offset on the operation portion side in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sorting direction of the sheet post-processing device (claim 7). Further, the stacker has a stack tray and a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the stack tray according to the height of the sheet bundle placed thereon (claim 8). Further, the stacker has a jogging mechanism that reciprocates the stack tray in a direction substantially parallel to the sorting direction when sequentially stacking the sheet bundle on the stack tray (claim 9).

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the sheets are distributed, the sort tray is emphasized and the tilt of the sort tray is maintained, and when the distributed sheet bundles are sequentially drawn from the sort trays and stored in the stacker, the sheet bundles are sorted. By controlling the tray at least in a horizontal position, stack alignment is excellent at the time of sheet distribution, and moreover, it is possible to discharge in a horizontal state when the distributed sheet bundle is sequentially drawn from each bin and stored in a large-capacity stacker. The device can be made compact.

According to the second aspect, the sort tray can be tilted with respect to the sheet distribution direction at the time of sheet distribution and stacking with a simple structure, and can be in a horizontal posture when the sheet bundle is taken out from the sort tray.

According to the third aspect, the sort trays are displaced in the sheet distributing direction, so that the sort trays placed on the upper and lower sides can be arranged so as to overlap each other, and the vertical device can be made compact.

According to the present invention, the sheet bundle can be taken out to the operator side while arranging the elevating and lowering support means in the sheet bundle take-out range, and as a result, the sheet distribution direction can be made compact.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to freely adjust and control by tilting the sheet bundle in the sheet distribution direction at the time of sheet distribution and stacking, and setting the sheet bundle in a horizontal posture at the time of taking out the sheet bundle from the sort tray. .

According to the sixth aspect, the sheet bundle can be taken out to the operator side.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, since the stacker is provided so as to be shifted in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sorting direction of the sheet post-processing apparatus and on the side of the operating portion, the apparatus is made compact and the workability of the operator is improved. be able to.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the stacker has a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the stack tray according to the stacking height of the sheet bundle, so that a large capacity stock can be obtained.

According to the ninth aspect, since the stack tray has the jogging mechanism for jogging in the direction substantially parallel to the sorting direction, the sheet bundle can be put in the sorted state again even in the mode in which the stapling is not performed. it can.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, a sheet post-processing device 2 mainly including a sorter is installed on the discharge side of an electrophotographic copying machine 1 which is an image forming device.

Although not shown, the copying machine 1 is provided with an automatic document feeder, and under the program control, a desired number of copies of a document of a plurality of pages are made, and the image-recorded sheet S is made. The sheets are sequentially discharged from the copying machine 1. Here, for the sake of convenience of description, the direction of the discharged sheet S is assumed to be a state in which the short side is parallel to the discharging direction (vertical state), as suggested in FIG.

The sheet post-processing device 2 has a sorter 3 having a sort tray 10 for distributing and collecting the image-recorded sheets S discharged from the copying machine 1, and a bundle of sheets CS distributed and collected on the sort tray 10. Is pulled out to the front side in the direction (Y direction) substantially orthogonal to the sorting direction (X direction), that is, the side where the operation portion 1a is present, and is moved upward (Z direction).
And a large-capacity stacker 60 for sequentially receiving, accumulating, and accommodating each sheet bundle CS dropped by the releasing operation of the drawing means 40. Further, the sheet post-processing device 2 is used as a finishing device that is selectively used in accordance with an operation mode instructed by the copying machine 1, and the sheet S is transferred to the sorter 3.
Before handing over the sheet S, a pair of binding holes (usually 2
It has a dual punch means 7 (see FIGS. 15 and 16) for exposing individual sheets, and a stapler device 50 (see FIG. 17) for stapling each sheet bundle CS pulled out by the grip means 41 and binding the sheets one by one.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, the image-recorded sheet S discharged from the copying machine 1 in the non-sorting mode (non-sort mode) passes through the carry-in roller pair 3a to the upper side of the flapper 4 and is non-sorted. It passes through the path 5 and is discharged onto the non-sorting top tray 6 by the discharge roller pair 5a. The top tray 6 also serves as an upper cover of the sorter 3.

On the other hand, in the sorting mode (sort mode), the sheet S passes through the lower side of the switched flapper 4 and enters the sorting conveyance path 8 side, and punches provided in the middle of the sorting conveyance path 8 are carried out. After passing through the means 7, the sorter 3 is discharged to the sort tray B from the lower discharge roller pair 9 arranged so as to face the substantially center of the sorter 3. "Punching mode" using the punching means 7 in the case of the sort mode
Whether or not to use the stapler device 50 or the "staple mode" using the stapler device 50 is determined by the operator. In the punching mode, the punching means 7 punches the sheets one by one, that is, each time a sheet passes. In the staple mode, the stapler device 50 performs stapling. (1) Sorter a) Sorting mechanism The sorter 3 includes a sort tray 10 which constitutes a multi-stage (here, 20 stages) bin B for distributing and collecting the image-recorded sheets S discharged from the copying machine 1, and a sort tray 10 for these. Sort tray 1
And a bin moving means 20 for moving 0 up and down.

The sort trays 10 are each sort tray 10.
Around the four corners of the sheet, in this case the sheet conveyance direction (shown by the arrow X in FIG. 2).
The direction) has engaging pins 11 protruding from both sides. The bin moving means 20 includes a total of four engaging pins 11 protruding from both sides of each sort tray 10 and a total of four rotatably erected at positions corresponding to the engaging pins 11. The lead cams 21 and 22 are composed of rod-shaped lead cams 21 and 22.
A cam surface 23 that engages with the engagement pin 11 is engraved as a spiral groove on the outer periphery of the. These four lead cams 2
The pair of first lead cams 21 and 21 located upstream of the sheet conveying direction and the pair of second lead cams 22 located downstream of the sheets 1 and 22 are selected in both forward and backward directions. Dedicated drive motors 24 and 2 that rotate
5, the belts 26 shown in FIG. 4 can be rotated independently in both forward and reverse directions. However, it is also possible to use an electromagnetic clutch to obtain the rotational driving force of the lead cams 21, 22 from a common motor drive shaft.
In addition, in order to prevent the engagement pin 11 from rotating together when the lead cams 21 and 22 rotate, a slit 27 through which the engagement pin 11 penetrates from the inside is provided near the inside of the lead cams 21 and 22.
A guide plate with (Fig. 3) is provided.

As the lead cams 21 and 22 rotate, the lead cams 21 and 22 place the engaging pins 11 of the bins B on the spiral cam surface and move all the bins B up and down at the same time. Thereby, for example, the sort tray 1 shown in FIG.
0b, 10c, and 10d move to the positions of 10a, 10b, and 10c by one rotation of the lead cams 21 and 22 in the direction of arrow A, respectively. At that time, the leads of the lead cams 21 and 22 have portions 21a, which face the lower discharge roller pair 9 in the middle.
The lead pitch in 22a is larger than the lead pitch in other portions, and the lead enlarged portion 2
1a and 22a, the vertical height (vertical distance) of the bin Ba at a position facing at least the lower discharge roller pair 9 and the vertical height of the bin Bb below the bin Ba are larger than those of the other bins B. It is supposed to do. This is for facilitating the distribution of the sheets to the bin Ba and facilitating the removal of the sheet bundle accumulated on the bin Ba from the bin Ba. The reason why the upper and lower intervals of the lower bin Bb are also widened is that the sort trays 10a, 10b, 1 which are located before and after the position facing the lower discharge roller pair 9 which is the sorter inlet.
For 0c, the lower jaw 4 of the grip means 41 described later
The reason for this is to allow room for 3 to be placed in the vertical height of the bin (vertical spacing). In the illustrated embodiment, the original bin Ba,
Prior to the expansion operation at the Bc position, the sort tray 1 is set in advance.
Expand the upper and lower intervals for the bin Bc between 0d and
The follow-up operation is made smooth.

B) Means for aligning the lower edge of the sheet by the inclination of the bin The lead enlarged portions 21a and 22a have different vertical height positions, and the lead enlarged portion 22a of the downstream second lead cam 22 is The first lead cam 21 on the upstream side is positioned higher than the lead enlarged portion 21a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, all the bins B1 to B20 are tilted in a state where the downstream side of the bins in the sheet discharge direction is at a high position. Therefore, the sort trays 10a to 10c
Also, the second lead cam 22 side is tilted higher than the first lead cam 21 side, and the tilt angle θ
The bottles Ba to Bc are opened at the inlet of the sorter while maintaining the inclined state (FIG. 2). In addition,
The inclination angle θ is 30 ° here, but may be any other angle of about 20 to 45 ° that allows the sheet to be conveyed by its own weight.

The chain lines in FIGS. 2 and 3 show the initial state in which the sort tray 10b is positioned at the inlet of the sorter in a tilted state. For the sort tray 10b (bin Ba) in this inclined state, the sheet is fed from the lower discharge roller pair 9 to the state shown in FIG.
Is sent in the X direction. Each sort tray 10 has a lower end, that is, an upstream (rear) end in the sheet discharge direction, and an upright wall (hereinafter referred to as a “rear wall”) that is perpendicular to the sheet stacking surface of the tray in an L shape. 12) is formed, and its inner surface functions as a sheet alignment reference surface in the sheet conveyance direction. That is, the sheet discharged to the bin Ba falls slightly backward due to its own weight due to the inclination of the sort tray 10 after the rear end of the sheet slightly exceeds the lower end of the sort tray 10b, and falls to the rear wall. It hits 12 and stops. By this movement, the lower edge (long side) of the sheet is aligned by the rear wall 12 which is the sheet alignment reference surface.

In short, the inclination of the sort tray 10 and the rear wall 12 function as a sheet aligning means (first sheet aligning means) in the vertical direction (downward direction) of the sheets. The rear wall 12 also functions as a sheet slip prevention device.

Next, the sheets are laterally aligned by the second sheet aligning means 16. The second sheet aligning means 16 vertically aligns the aligning rod 17 penetrating through the opening 13 provided in the sort tray 10 and the rocking motion that reciprocates the aligning rod 17 in the lateral direction of the sheet (X direction in FIG. 2). Dynamic mechanism 1
8 and. The rocking mechanism 18 is the alignment rod 1 here.
7, a rotating shaft 18a which runs vertically in parallel with the rotating shaft 18a,
A motor 19 for rotating the motor in both forward and reverse directions via a belt 18b, a pulley (not shown) fixed to both ends of the rotating shaft 18a, and a pulley (not shown) fixed to another rotating shaft (not shown). And a belt 18c to which the alignment rod 17 is attached.

With the above-described structure, the conventional mechanism for swinging the vertical alignment rod in the horizontal plane as the sheet aligning means is used for aligning the seat vertically and horizontally.
Although the type was required, the sheet aligning rod for the first sheet aligning means for aligning the longitudinal direction of the sheet and the swing mechanism thereof are not necessary. Therefore, regarding the first sheet aligning means, it is not necessary to provide each sort tray 10 with an opening or a notch for penetrating the aligning rod for vertically aligning the sheets. Therefore, according to the first sheet aligning means constituted by the slanting of the sort tray 10 and the rear wall 12 as described above, the device structure can be improved as compared with the configuration using the two types of aligning rods in the vertical direction and the lateral direction. Can be greatly simplified and the cost can be reduced. As a component of the first sheet aligning means, instead of providing the entire sort tray with an inclination, one corner of the surface area of the sort tray 10 may be bent to slide the sheet on the rear wall 12.

C) Leveling mechanism for bins When the sheet bundle distributed and collected in each bin as described above is taken out by the pull-out means 40, the take-out bin B
The sort tray 10b of a is moved from the tilted state of 30 ° (shown by a chain line in FIG. 2) to a substantially horizontal state (shown by a solid line in FIG. 2) by the bin leveling mechanism. As shown in FIG. 3, the leveling mechanism is configured such that the downstream lead cam 22 has the first lead enlarged portion 22a.
It is embodied by the second lead enlarged portion 22b formed following the lower side.

That is, the sort trays 10a, one side of which is engaged with the lead enlarged portion 21a of the upstream side lead cam 21.
The other side of 10d is normally engaged with the first lead enlarged portion 22a of the downstream side lead cam 22 as shown by the wavy line in FIG. However, when pulling out the sort bundle on the sort tray 10b, the motor 25 is rotated and the lead cam 22 is rotated 5 times based on the signal of the sheet pull-out mode execution from the image forming apparatus while the motor 24 is kept stopped. By doing so, the other side of the sort trays 10a to 10d is connected to the downstream side lead cam 22 as shown by the solid line in each bin in the sort mode shown by the chain line in FIG.
The position of engaging with is moved from the lead enlarged portion 22a to the lead enlarged portion 22b side. As a result, the inclinations of the sort trays 10a to 10d in which the vertical intervals of the bins are widened are reduced, and the bins shift to the horizontal state shown by the solid lines in FIGS. In addition, the lead cam 2 for shifting to a horizontal state
The rotation amount of 2 is appropriately set according to the cam shape (pitch) of the lead cam 22.

Thus, the gripping means 41 of the pulling-out means 40 is ready to pull out the sheet bundle horizontally from the side of the sort tray 10b, that is, in the Y direction in FIG.
When the sheet bundle is pulled out at a substantially right angle to the sorting direction, a part of the inclined second lead cam 22 overlaps the region in the pulling direction, which hinders sheet conveyance. A notch (not shown) is provided in a part of the lead cam 22 and the edge portion on the rear wall 12 side of the sheet bundle passes through the notch when pulled out. This structure is considered to be superior to the retracting operation of the lead cam itself in terms of strength and compactness of the entire device.

D) Relaxation of tilt of sort tray at non-acting position Further, comparing the lead pitches of the first lead cam 21 on the upstream side and the second lead cam 22 on the downstream side, the size of the intermediate portion Lead enlarged portions 21a, 22a and 2
Areas above and below 2b (action position) (non-action position) 2
In the comparison between 1c and 22c, the size of the lead pitch is different as follows. That is, in the upper portion 21c and the lower portion 21c of the first lead cam 21, and the upper portion 22c and the lower portion 22c of the second lead cam 22, the lead pitch of the first lead cam 21 is the second.
It is finer than that of the lead cam 22.

Therefore, the lead enlarged portions 21a, 2 in the middle are
The inclination angle of 30 ° of the sorting tray 10 which is maximum inclined at the positions 2a and 22b becomes gradually smaller as the sorting tray 10 moves to the upper side or the lower side. That is, after passing through the operation position where the sheets are stacked in the bin, the inclination of the sort tray 10 becomes gentle, and the height of the apparatus can be reduced accordingly. This relationship will be clarified by comparing the tilt angle of the sort tray in the lowest bin B20 with the tilt angle of the sort tray 10b in the bin Ba at the operating position in FIG.

E) Incline of the longitudinal axis of the lead cam In order to avoid the bulky stacking of the sort trays 10,
One of the lead cams 21 and 22, here, the rear wall 12
Of the pair of lead cams 21 on the upstream side, the center line of the vertical axis is inclined to the pair of lead cams 22 on the downstream side by an angle α (here, about 10 °) from the vertical line. The engaging pin 11 of each sort tray 10 is placed on the cam surface 23 to engage with the inclined first lead cam 21. For this reason, in each sort tray 10, the higher the first lead cam 21 is, the more the rear wall 12
Is displaced toward the second lead cam 22 side. As shown in FIG. 2, this amount of deviation is due to the sort trays 1 that are vertically adjacent to each other.
Regarding 0 and 10, the size is such that at least the rear wall 12 of the upper sort tray enters the inside of the rear wall 12 of the lower sort tray. Here, this relationship is obtained by inclining the inclination angle α, that is, the tray movement locus from the vertical by about 10 °.

In this way, by tilting the lead cam 21 on the upstream side to the downstream side by about 10 ° from the vertical, the sort trays 10 are made to sequentially insert the upper one inside the lower one and achieve a compact stacking state. Because
As a result, the space occupied in the vertical direction of the device is reduced.

When the upstream side lead cam 21 is vertical, each sort tray 10 rises while changing its angle,
Since it descends, the rear walls 12 of the upper and lower sort trays collide with each other, but this problem can be solved by inclining the tray movement locus about 10 ° from the vertical as described above. In other words, in the case of this embodiment, the inclination angle α of the upstream side lead cam 21 (about 10
(°) is the angle at which the standing surfaces of the rear wall 12 do not come into contact with each other even if the angle θ of the sort tray 10 changes, and the entire device is as compact as possible. Further, due to the inclination of the lead cam 21, the upper part of the lead cam 21 above the sheet pull-out position is located in the area for pulling out the sheet, and the lead cam portion at the sheet pull-out position hinders pulling out of the sheet. The problem is dealt with by cutting out the part that hinders it. Of course, the cutout portion is provided at a position avoiding the cam position, and the lead cam 21 is positioned when the sheet is pulled out.

By the way, all sort trays 10 have the same structure to reduce the manufacturing cost. this is,
Alignment rod 17 of second sheet aligning means 16 and rotating shaft 1
It also means that the position of the opening 13 of each sort tray 10 through which 8a penetrates also shifts by an equal amount due to the inclination of the lead cam 21. Therefore, the postures of the alignment rod 17 and the rotary shaft 18a are also inclined in parallel with the lead cam 21 according to the positional deviation of the opening 13 of the sort tray 10.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 3 and FIG. 22, in order to make the entire apparatus compact as much as possible, the empty space portion DS below the transport section DA where the sorting transport path 8, punch means 7 and the like exist. The lead cam 21 and a part of the sort tray 10 are housed. The transport unit DA is provided with an opening / closing door 29 that can be opened to the upper and lower door pieces 29a and 29b so that the inside can be viewed during maintenance. At the end faces facing each other when closed, a protrusion 291 is formed on one door piece 29a, and a micro switch 292 is attached to the other door piece 29b. When the opening / closing door 29 is closed, the micro switch 292 is attached. Actuator 293
Is in contact with the protrusion 291 and is in an ON state.

In this state, for example, when the upper door piece 29a is rotated clockwise about the shaft 294 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 23) to open, the protrusion 291 causes the microswitch 29 to move.
The micro switch 292 is turned on, apart from the second actuator 293. In addition, the lower door piece 29b is attached to the shaft 29.
When it is rotated clockwise about 5 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 23) and opened, the actuator 293 of the microswitch 292 separates from the protrusion 291 and thus the microswitch 292 also turns ON. In short, both door pieces 29a, 2
Not only when 9b is opened simultaneously, but also when 29a or 29b is opened independently, the microswitch 2
92 is turned on to inform that the door 29 is not completely closed.

F) Expansion / contraction mechanism of sort tray When the first lead cam 21 is tilted by the angle α as shown in FIG. 3 as described above, between the first lead cam pair 21 and the second lead cam pair 22. The higher the distance, the shorter the distance. That is, the length of the required bin varies depending on the height position of the bin. On the other hand, although the length of the sort tray 10 may be always the same, the sort tray 10 is configured to project further downstream than the second lead cam 22. This is inconvenient because the length of the device in the X direction is increased and the device is accordingly increased in size. Therefore, the length of the sort tray 10 is expandable.

That is, the sort tray 10 is shown in FIGS.
, Two tray pieces 14, 15 that are mutually slidable in the sheet discharge direction (X direction), that is, an upper tray body 14 and a lower guide piece 15,
As shown in the cross section in FIG. 5, the side edge portion 14a of the tray main body 14 on that side is slidably held in the lower guide piece 15. The above-mentioned engagement pin 11 is attached to the side edge portion of the lower guide piece 15.

With this expansion / contraction mechanism, when the height of the sort tray 10 is changed between high and low positions, or when it is changed between the inclined posture of the angle θ and the horizontal posture, the required length of the sort tray 10 is required. Accordingly, the upper tray body 14 slides in the lower guide piece 15 in the discharge direction upstream or downstream. That is, each sort tray 10
Does proper expansion and contraction, which allows the sort tray 1
It is possible to cope with the required change in the length of the sort tray 10 due to the inclination of 0 or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper tray body 14
A convex portion 14b extending in the sheet width direction (Y direction) is formed on the sheet storage surface of the sheet at a position slightly near the center of the rear wall 12, and the convex portion 14b gives the seat in the sheet width direction a waist during alignment. There is. Therefore, the sheet can be easily moved to the alignment reference vertical surface portion 14d which is the alignment reference position, and even when the curl paper is stored in the bin B, the sheet end portion does not curl up due to the waist of the sheet, and the sheet is not bent as in the conventional case. It is possible to prevent curling and misalignment. Therefore, the consistency is improved. By the way, since the alignment reference upright portion 14d (the paper pressing position by the alignment rod) which is the alignment reference position is deviated from the center (on the lower side), the paper is normally aligned due to the center of gravity for large size paper. The paper tends to rotate when trying to push it into the reference position. Therefore, in order to improve the matching property with respect to large-sized sheets, the corner portion 14c of the sort tray 10 on the tray downstream side opposite to the matching reference is bent and bent. For this reason, when the large-sized paper sheet rides on this corner portion 14c, it is slid to the alignment reference position (alignment reference elevation surface portion 14d) at the lower position by the bent and raised slope of the corner portion 14c, and is aligned well. . g) Lead Cam Drive Motor Load Reducing Mechanism In FIGS. 6 to 8, one load reducing mechanism 30 is provided for each of the upstream lead cam 21 and the downstream lead cam 22. The load reducing mechanism 30 will be described for the downstream side lead cam 22. For example, a power transmission mechanism 31 that decelerates the rotation of the lead cam 22 at a ratio of 20 to 1 and transmits it to the winding cam 32, and a predetermined cam surface 33. The winding cam 32 has a winding cam 32, a wire 34 whose one end is pulled up to the cam surface 33 of the winding cam 32, and a coil spring 35 for a lead cam support whose one end is pulled and tensioned. . Power transmission mechanism 31
Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the force is transmitted from the pulley 31a fixed to the shaft of the lead cam 22 to the intermediate pulley 31c by the belt 31b, and the force is transmitted from the gear 31d coaxial with the intermediate gear 31e to the intermediate gear 31e. The pulley 31f coaxial with the take-up cam 32 by the belt 31g from the coaxial pulley 31f.
It is configured to transmit force to h. Then, when the lead cam 22 rotates and the sort tray 10 rises or falls, the winding cam 32 rotates in the direction of the arrow 32a or 32b by an angle corresponding to the number of raised or lowered stages, and the spring 35 expands or contracts. In other words, the spring 35 gives a torque T (T = F * r) in the opposite direction that resists the torque applied to the winding cam 32 from the lead cam 22. However, F
Is the force of the spring 35, and r is the radius of the winding cam 32.

Here, when the cam surface 33 of the winding cam 32 is a simple arc, the rate at which the spring 35 extends with respect to the winding length of the wire 34 is constant. In accordance with the spring characteristic of, the larger the spring extension (mm), that is, the lower the sort tray 10,
There is a relationship that the restoring force of the spring 35 increases. This is because the load on the drive motor 25 increases as the sort tray 10 descends, and a significant difference occurs in the magnitude of the load when the sort tray 10 rises and when the sort tray 10 descends. This means that the lifting operation is adversely affected.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the cam surface 33 of the winding cam 32 has a value (mm) of the extension of the spring 35 at any height position of the sort tray 10.
Regardless of, the torque for reducing the load by the spring 35 is set to be constant. Therefore, the spring 35 always applies a force for canceling the rotational load of the lead cam 22 to ensure a smooth lifting operation.

Load reducing mechanism 30 for the upstream side lead cam 21
Is provided on the upper side and the load reducing mechanism 30 on the downstream side lead cam 22 is provided on the lower side, but the configurations of both are exactly the same except for the directionality of the winding cam 32. When the mechanism for winding the wire 34 engaged with the spring 35 by the rotation operation of the lead cams 21 and 22 when the tray descends in this way is used, the spring 35 is extended, and the springs 35 are applied to the lead cams 21 and 22. Auxiliary power is added. Therefore, when the sort tray 10 is raised, the force of the extended spring 35 to return (lead cam 2
The force applied in the direction of rotation when ascending 1, 22) acts,
The load on the motors 24 and 25 is reduced. The load on the motors 24 and 25 when the tray is lowered becomes larger than usual.

(2) Draw-Out Means The draw-out means 40 draws out the sheet bundle collected in the bin Ba from the side of the sort tray 10b horizontally (Y direction in FIG. 2) by the grip means 41 and further upward (as it is). 2), specifically, the leading end of the sheet bundle is conveyed and guided in a substantially vertical direction, and the trailing end of the sheet bundle releases the sheet bundle after the sheet is completely discharged.

A) Structure In FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the pull-out means 40 is
Grip means 41 having an upper jaw 42 and a lower jaw 43 which can be opened and closed, and the grip means 41 for moving the grip means 41 to at least two positions P1 and P2.
And a transfer device 49 for changing the posture of the robot.

The upper jaw 42 of the grip means 41 is the lower jaw 4
3, the lower jaw 43 can rotate about the rotation center axis 43a with respect to the mounting frame 44. Inside the upper jaw 42, there is provided an intermediate member 45 (FIG. 13) that further rotates against the force of the elastic body to grip the sheet bundle CS when the thickness of the sheet bundle CS is large.

The first position P1 at which the transfer device 49 moves the grip means 41 is a position where the sheet bundle CS on the bin Ba can be gripped from the side (Y direction in FIG. 2) and faces the bin Ba. At the position, it is a position (grip position) P1 that is projected into the tray movement region 28, and at the second position P2, the grasped sheet bundle CS is pulled out of the tray movement region 28, and is almost at the sheet surface of the sheet bundle CS. It is a position (pulling position) P2 of the grip means 41 that can be pulled up in the orthogonal upward direction (Z direction). In the stapling mode of "two staples striking" in which the sheet bundle needs to be pulled up to the highest position, the lower end CSE of the sheet bundle is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the height position is in contact with the surface of the stack tray 61 or the sheet bundle CS on the stack tray 61. The latter pull-up position P2 here also functions as a home position for keeping the grip means 41 normally outside the tray movement area 28. The grip means 41 is provided between the first position P1 where the sheet bundle is gripped and the second position P2 which is the home position, and the size information of the sheet bundle and the stapler processing information (whether the staple is used or not). It moves to a position according to the grip transport distance set by (single-point hitting).

The transfer device 49 includes slits 47, 48, 5 provided on the upper and lower sides of a pair of mounting side plates 46 fixed to the machine frame.
9 and the grip means 4 is provided in one of the slits 47.
A pin 51 pivotally attached to the upper portion of the main body frame 44 of the first and a pin 51 pivotally attached to the upper portion of the main body frame 44 at a distance near the upper jaw 42 of the grip means 41 in the other slit 48. 52 is provided in the slit 59, and the pin 5 is provided at the other end of the entrainment member 53 rotatably supported with respect to the pin 51.
3a are slidably fitted together. Then, as a drive source for moving the assembly, an endless belt 57 is wound between the pulleys 55 and 56 arranged above and below, and the other end of the entrainment member 53 whose one end is pivotally attached to the pin 51 is
It is rotatably attached to the endless belt 57 using the back pressing member 54. The lower pulley 56 has a smaller diameter than the upper pulley 55. Reference numeral 58 denotes a tension roller for the endless belt 57, which is provided near the lower pulley 56.

The slits 47 and 48 include upper and lower linear portions 47a, 48a and 59a which are parallel to each other, and a lower curved portion 47 which bends toward the tray moving area side below the linear portions.
b and 48b. Both slits 47, 48 are close to each other at the lower curved portions 47b, 48b. The curved portion 47b of the inner slit 47 ends below the lower end portion of the endless belt 57, and the curved portion 48b of the outer slit 48 exceeds the lower end portion of the endless belt 57 at a position closer to the tray moving area. It is terminated.

Since the slits 47 and 48 are formed as described above, the grip means 41 is provided in the tray moving area 2
8 is located at the home position P2 outside, the upper and lower jaws 42 and 43 are in a downward facing posture, and when located at the gripping position P2 protruding into the tray movement area 28, the upper and lower jaws 42 and 43 are Takes a sideways posture. The entrainment member 53 can be rotated by the action of the back pressing member 54 even on the endless belt 57 side, so P2 in FIG.
It is possible to change from the solid line to the chain line from the position to the P1 position. That is, a change in which the grip means 41 is projected into the tray moving area 28 can be realized only by moving from the uppermost part to the lowermost part of the straight part of the endless belt 57. But,
In spite of such a configuration, it is possible to realize a change in which the grip means 41 is projected into the tray moving region 28 by moving the connecting portion with the endless belt 57 to the circular arc portion of the lower pulley 56.

Since the grip means 41 is moved up and down by being guided by the slits 47 and 48 as described above, the movement path of the grip means 41 becomes the conveyance path of the sheet bundle CS. That is, the grip means 41 is the sheet bundle C
Since it serves as a guide for S-conveyance, it is not necessary to dispose guide members on both sides of the upper surface and lower surface of the sheet as in the case of a normal roller conveying system.

B) Gripping Operation of Grip Means 41 FIG. 13 shows the gripping operation sequence of the grip means 41.

The grip means 41 is at the home position P2.
13A, the upper jaw 42 and the lower jaw 43 are opened around the rotation center shafts 42a and 43a as shown in FIG. 13A. Next, the lower jaw 43
It is brought to a position near the lower surface of the initially set sheet bundle CS by a mechanically set motion (FIG. 13).
(B)). Next, the rotation center shaft 42a is driven to rotate by the force of an electric motor (not shown), so that the upper jaw 42 rotates and comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet bundle CS, and the sheet bundle C
Grip S (FIG. 13C). In this way, since the lower jaw 43 is first moved to the predetermined position and then the upper jaw 42 is lowered to the gripping position, even if the height position of the upper surface of the sheet bundle changes depending on the number of sheets (thickness), It can be adapted to and accurately gripped. The sheet bundle C
When the thickness of S is as large as 50 sheets, for example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the middle member 45 in the upper jaw 42 further elastically moves to firmly grip the sheet bundle CS.

The holding of the grip means 41 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the gear ratio from the motor shaft to the output shaft is made large (decelerated greatly) so that even if a rotational force (due to the returning force of the spring that gives the grip pressure) acts on the output shaft, the self-locking state ( Even if the power is turned off, the holding condition is maintained), and the gripped state can be maintained.

C) Pulling out the sheet bundle CS and stapling The gripping means 41 pulls out the grasped sheet bundle CS out of the tray moving area 28 in accordance with the movement of the timing belt 57 of the transfer device 49, and in the substantially vertical direction. That is, the sheet bundle CS is pulled up in the upward direction (Z direction) substantially orthogonal to the paper surface. At this time, the height at which the grip means 41 pulls up the upper end of the sheet bundle CS (control of the release position)
Varies depending on whether or not the staple driving mode is set, and also in the staple driving mode, depending on the condition of one-point driving or two-point driving.

Basically, the stack tray 6 as much as possible
1 or avoiding a fall from a state of being completely separated from the surface of the sheet bundle, and as shown by arrows A1 and A2 in FIG.
The rear end is placed on or in contact with the stack tray 61 or the surface of the sheet bundle on the stack tray 61, that is, the rear end is slid up and slid onto the surface of the sheet bundle and the falling is performed while sliding. This allows the stack tray 61 to also serve as a lower guide for the sheet bundle, thereby improving the stackability on the stack tray 61. That is, if the trailing edge of the sheet bundle becomes completely free (no guide at all) during sheet bundle grip conveyance, the tip of the trailing edge will be flipped up during stacking on the stack tray. There is a possibility that it will end up. Therefore, as will be described later, in cooperation with the micro switch 64 (FIG. 12) as the stack height detector, the rear end of the sheet bundle is always brought into contact with the stack tray (conveyance) during conveyance, The height position of the stack tray 61 is set.

(I) In the case of stapling mode When the stapler device 50 strikes staples at two places, the grip means 41 is pulled up to the uppermost pulling position P2 as shown in FIG. 12 through the state of FIG. .

The stapler device 50 is arranged on the conveying path SF (FIG. 19) of the sheet bundle conveyed in the substantially vertical direction, and moves to a position where stapling is possible as the sheet bundle is taken out. The vertical portion of the sheet bundle conveyance path SF in which the stapler device 50 is arranged is determined by the upper and lower linear portions 47a and 48a of the slits 47 and 48. The reason for disposing the stapler device 50 in the vertical portion of the sheet bundle conveying path in this way is that the grip means is
The stapling process is performed while holding the sheet bundle, so if you staple to a curved sheet bundle,
This is because, in the case of striking at two points, the one-sided sheet is bent. As can be seen from FIG.
By pulling out the sheet bundle upward, the amount of protrusion of the apparatus toward the operator side can be reduced, and space can be saved.

FIG. 17 shows a moving mechanism of the stapler device 50. The stapler device 50 is pivotally attached to a front end 501b of a first arm 501 rotatable about a fulcrum 501a and a front end 502b of a second arm 502 rotatable about a fulcrum 502a. Fulcrum 501a, 5
02a, 501b, 502b constitute a quadrilateral link having a pivot as a fulcrum, and the axis of the fulcrum 501a is used as a drive axis,
A forward / reverse rotation motor (not shown) connected to this
As a result, the driving force is transmitted from the fulcrum 1a to the arm 501, the arm 501 is rotated, and the stapler device 50 is moved. That is, it is possible to move between the parallel striking position 503 shown by the solid line and the retracted position 505 shown by the broken line in FIG.

The two arms 501 and 502 connecting the stapler device 50 have different lengths, and the posture of the stapler device 50 can be changed based on the difference in the lengths of the arms 501 and 502. . That is, it is possible to move between the diagonal striking position 504 shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 17 and the retracted position 505 shown by the broken line. in short,
With one link, the parallel striking position 503, the diagonal striking position 504, and the retracted position (standby position) 50
You can move between three positions of five.

The stapler device 50 moves horizontally from the retracted position 505 to the parallel striking position 503 in the case of two-point striking or at the same time as the sheet bundle is taken out.
In case of spot hitting, diagonal hitting position 5 indicated by the chain double-dashed line
Rotate to 04. At the position after this movement, one side edge (long side) of the sheet bundle CS, the upper end of which is gripped by the grip means 41, has the stapler of the stapler device 50 just and the stapler main body 50a for driving the stapler into the sheet bundle and the sheet. It passes through between the staple and the anvil 50b which bends the staple tip of the stapler driven into the bundle (see FIG. 12). Therefore, the stapler device 50
Serves to guide the conveyance of the sheet bundle. In either case of parallel striking or diagonal striking, after the operation is completed, the retracted position 505 is entered, and the adverse effect on the passage of the sheet bundle CS is avoided. The retracted position 505 is controlled by the position sensor HS1, the parallel striking position 503 is controlled by the position sensor HS2, and the oblique striking position 504 is controlled by the position sensor HS3.

Now, returning to FIG. 12, the stapler device 50 horizontally moves from the retracted position 505 to the parallel striking position 503 together with taking out the sheet bundle so as to strike at two points. At the position after this movement, the sheet bundle C
One side edge of S is guided between the stapler body and the anvil. Then, the sheet bundle CS suspended by the grip means 41
In the state in which the straight line portion of the stapler passes between the stapler body 50a and the anvil 50b (solid line position in FIG. 18), the first time of the stapler device 50 is operated, and then the sheet bundle CS is further pulled up (FIG. 18), the second time of the stapler device 50 is actuated, whereby staples are struck at two edge portions on the longitudinal side of the sheet bundle CS.

FIG. 12 shows the positional relationship in height between the grip means 41, the stapler device 50, and the sheet bundle CS under the second stapling condition. It will be understood that the lower end CSE of the sheet bundle CS is not separated from the sheet bundle CS of the stack tray 61, and thus the sheet bundle CS is lifted only to the minimum required height. The reason for doing this is that after the sheet bundle CS has exited from the tray movement area 28 (state of FIG. 18) and has entered the stack tray area of the large-capacity stacker 60, the trailing edge CSE of the sheet bundle CS continues to move thereafter. This is because the time to be used is only wasted as a dead time of the device operation.

After the second stapling, the grip means 41 is opened and the sheet bundle CS is released. At this time, the lower end CSE of the sheet bundle CS is in contact with the stack tray 61 or the sheet bundle on the stack tray 61, and the sheet bundle CS is released under this state. Accordingly, the sheet bundle CS smoothly drops while sliding on the stack tray 61 or the sheet bundle on the stack tray 61,
The short side edges are aligned by hitting the alignment plate 62. The release position of the grip means 41 is controlled by the sheet size and stapling information instructed by the copying machine. As for the operation abnormality of the stapler device 50, as shown in FIG. 27, the abnormality is detected by monitoring the overcurrent detection signal over time. That is, a large amount of current flows even when the staple is driven, but the reference current value I is set to a value higher than this value and lower than the permanent current value that flows when the motor locks, and the upper side is defined as the abnormal region. , Reference current value I
If the current exceeding 0.1 continues for a predetermined time or longer, it is determined that some abnormality such as motor lock has occurred. In order to ensure the alignment of the sheet bundle CS, the alignment plate 62 is provided with a rubber paddle 63 so that a part of the alignment plate 62 is exposed (see FIG. 14). This paddle 6
3 usually has a function of pressing the sheet bundle CS on the stack tray 61, but during the period when the sheet bundle CS is released, the sheet bundle 3 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The lower end of the sheet bundle is attracted when the sheets are stacked and accumulated, and the stacking property is enhanced.

When stapling one staple, the grip means 41 is raised until the desired position for stapling the sheet bundle CS with respect to the stapler device 50 is reached. The stapler device 50 is rotationally moved from the retracted position 505 to the diagonal striking position 504 indicated by the chain double-dashed line as the sheet bundle is taken out, and at a predetermined position of the sheet bundle, for example, at one corner of the sheet bundle CS as shown in FIG. Strike.
After the stapling is performed, the grip means 41
Releases the sheet bundle CS. Therefore, this sheet bundle CS
The height position at which the staples are released is lower than that in the case where the above-mentioned staples are hit at two places, and the time loss is reduced.

(Ii) In the mode without stapling In this mode, the sheet bundle CS is placed in the stack tray 6
It suffices if the sheet bundle CS can be pulled into the area of No. 1, and there is no need to have a straight portion for stapling in the pulled-up sheet bundle CS. Therefore, the sheet bundle CS is released at a position lower than when one staple is hit. In short, the grip means 41 releases the sheet bundle after the rear end of the sheet bundle CS is completely discharged. This makes it possible to minimize the distance that the sheet bundle CS slides in the opposite direction.

In this mode, the grip means 41 after being released can be moved up and down by a slight amount at a time, which eliminates the possibility that the grip means 41 will remain attached between the upper and lower jaws 42 and 43. , It is useful for causing the complete release of the sheet bundle CS. (3) Large-capacity stacker The large-capacity stacker 60 is pulled out from the bin Ba by the grip means 41 and is dropped from above each sheet bundle C.
S is accumulated, and about 1000 sheets can be stacked.

The large-capacity stacker 60 includes an operation unit 1a in a direction orthogonal to the rear of the sheet post-processing device 2 in the sheet conveying direction.
Side, that is, the stack tray 61, which is provided at a position closer to the operator, and the micro switch 64 as a stacking height detector, cooperate to move the stack tray 61 downward in accordance with the stacking amount of the sheet bundle. Tray height adjustment mechanism 65 (Fig.
4). Furthermore, the large-capacity stacker 6 of this embodiment
When the sheet bundle CS in the non-staple mode is sequentially placed on the stack tray 61, the stack tray 61 is reciprocated laterally, that is, in a direction substantially parallel to the sorting direction. It also has a so-called jogging mechanism 66 (FIG. 14) that puts the vehicle in the divided state again.

The stack tray 61 is provided on the operator side in order to improve workability, so if it is installed horizontally, it will take up a considerable place and become an obstacle. Therefore, the stack tray 61 is tilted to reduce the portion protruding toward the operator side (small). Although the inclination angle of the stack tray 61 is set to 45 ° here, it can be set to any other angle as long as the sheet bundle does not buckle. Further, cutouts 61b and 61c are provided in the stack tray 61 in order to make it easy to take out the paper.
The stack tray is provided with a home position during the jogging operation so that the notches 61b and 61c act effectively. That is, the initial stacking position is determined, and the stacking position is aligned with the notch 61b side to improve the take-out property.
a) Tray height adjusting mechanism In FIG. 14, an elevating stand 70 is provided in order to adjust the height position of the stack tray 61. The lifting platform 70 has both side walls 71 penetrating through the slits 67 provided in the alignment plate 62 at the top and the bottom to project toward the lifting mechanism 80, and the rod 85 of the lifting mechanism 80 is supported thereby. The stack tray 61 is fixed to the upper slope 72 of the elevating stand 70 with screws 73.

In this elevating mechanism 80, a pair of rotating shafts 82 and 83 are vertically provided on a support frame 81 juxtaposed on the aligning plate 62.
A belt 84 is wound around pulleys fixed to the rotary shafts 82 and 83, two rods 85 are laterally fixed to the belt 84, and the rotary shaft 82 is rotated by a lifting motor 86. By rotating the lifting motor 86, the rod 85 moves up and down along the slit 87,
The elevating platform 70 connected to this and the stack tray 61 fixed thereto also move up and down together. When the sheet bundle CS is placed on the stack tray 61 by a predetermined height, the micro switch 64 (FIG. 12) described above detects this and turns on. In response to this, the lifting motor 86 normally rotates to lower the stack tray 61, and when the micro switch 64 is turned off, the lifting motor 86 stops.

By repeating this operation, the stack tray 61 is gradually moved downward in accordance with the amount of the sheets placed, and the upper surface of the uppermost sheet bundle on the stack tray 61 is always released from the grip means 41 and dropped. The bundle CS is received at a position as close as possible. Therefore,
In the two-staple staple mode, as shown in FIG. 12, the sheet bundle lower end CSE operates so as to hold the position where it contacts the upper surface of the uppermost sheet bundle on the stack tray 61.

When moving to the lowest position, the lifting motor 86 is reversed and the stack tray 61 is returned to the initial upper position.

By the way, the stack tray 61 is used for the alignment plate 6
Since the sheet bundle CS is arranged obliquely with respect to 2, and moves up and down while maintaining its inclined state, the sheet bundle CS on the stack tray 61 may bite between them. Therefore, in order to eliminate the bite into the sheet bundle CS, FIG.
In the above, the comb-teeth portion 6 is provided on the lower end of the stack tray 61 where they both contact and the face of the matching plate 62 that faces the lower end.
1a, a comb tooth portion 62a is formed, and both comb tooth portions 61a, 62
The stack tray 61 is fitted to each other so that the stack tray 61 can move up and down with respect to the aligning plate 62.

B) Jogging mechanism Referring to FIG. 14, the elevating / lowering stand 7 is moved up and down as described above.
A motor 74 that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions and a first output shaft 7 that is rotated via a gear 75 during the forward rotation
6 and a second gear that is rotated through another gear 77 during reverse rotation
And an output shaft 78 of.

On the other hand, in the support frame 81 of the lifting mechanism 80, the wide guide groove 8 running vertically on the side facing the lifting platform 70.
7, the eccentric cam 88 is housed in the guide groove 87, and the shaft 89 of the cam 88 penetrates through the slits 68 provided on the upper and lower sides of the matching plate 62 and is connected to the first output shaft 76. ing.

Therefore, when the motor 74 is rotated in the normal direction, the eccentric cam 88 rotates in the guide groove 87. At this time, since the lifting mechanism 80 side is fixed, the eccentric cam shaft 89 side, that is, the alignment plate 62, the lifting mount. 70 and the stack tray 61 side fixed to this 70 reciprocate left and right. That is, with respect to the sheet bundle CS falling on the stack tray 61, the stack tray 6 includes the odd-numbered and even-numbered sheet bundles CS.
The position of 1 is different. For example, the position of the stack tray 61 for the odd-numbered sheet bundle CS is changed to the left, and the position of the stack tray 61 for the even-numbered sheet bundle CS is changed to the right. The bundle is cued. During the jogging operation, the comb tooth portion 6
Since they are fitted to each other by 1a and 62a, the aligning plate 62 moves together with the stack tray 61. Further, the paper pressing (scraping) paddle 63 moves together with the stack tray 61 while pressing the paper.

As described above, by making the sheet conveying direction from the copying machine main body and the jogging direction the same, the protrusion of the apparatus to the operator side can be extremely reduced. If the jogging direction is orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction from the copying machine body, a larger occupied space is required.

On the other hand, the second output shaft 78 has the paddle 6
3 is engaged with the belt 69 for rotating the
When the sheet is rotated in the reverse direction, the paddle 63 rotates, and the sheet bundle CS falling on the stack tray 61 is knocked in.

The above-mentioned jogging operation is effective for putting a break in the sheet bundle in the mode in which no staple is applied. However, in the stapling mode, it is also possible to sort the processing sheets into predetermined amounts. That is, it is possible to apply the jogging mechanism, which has been conventionally used only to the unprocessed sheet bundle, to the processed sheet bundle, and to make it easy to take out the sheet bundle with a boundary for each fixed amount of sheet bundle. (4) Operation Here, a case will be described as an example where punching is not performed and staples are punched at two locations in the sort mode.

In FIGS. 1 and 24, the sheets (sheets) S ejected from the copying machine 1 pass through the sorting roller conveyance path 8 (length L) from the carry-in roller pair 3a, and are punched one by one by the punching means 7 on the way. The holes are punched and discharged to the sort tray 10. The carry-in roller pair 3a is configured as a so-called registration roller, and the sheet is abutted against the lower discharge roller pair 9 to stand by and the orientation of the sheet is corrected. Using this waiting period, the punching means 7 carries out a punching operation. Therefore,
The situation where the sheet being punched does not pop out onto the lower discharge roller pair 9 or the r-bin tray does not occur. The reason for doing this is that the A4 horizontal sheet and the B5 horizontal sheet have a short interval (time) between sequentially conveyed sheets, and it is necessary to move the bin tray in sequence during the punching process. This is because if it jumps up, the bottle cannot be moved. An example of the structure of this dual punch means 7 is shown in FIGS. As shown in the drawing, the punch means 7 includes a closed loop frame 91 having a passage 92 through which the sheet S can pass, and an electromagnet 9 attached to the frame 91.
3 is used as a drive source, and two actuators 97 each having a blade 96 formed at the tip of an iron piece 95 that is attracted against the return spring 94 by the electromagnet are attached. When the two electromagnets 93 are energized at the same time, a large inrush current flows, so that the energization timing is slightly shifted. This reduces the load applied to the punching process at one time. The punch holes formed by the punching process are long holes in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction in order to be able to cope with a slight lateral shift of the sheet during the punching process. However, a circular hole having a large diameter can also be used. In FIG. 24, 98 is punch means 7.
It is a guide member that can be pulled out from the front, and when it is turned upside down, it also functions as a punch waste box. Originally, the punch device itself functions as a part of the transport guide for the transport path guide near the punch mechanism. However, since the punch mechanism is optional, in the normal case where the punch mechanism is not equipped, as shown in FIG. As shown in, the guide surface is attached so that the punch means 7 faces the main body side. When the punching means 7 is optionally provided, the guide member 98, which is always provided, is turned upside down as shown in FIG. You can This makes it possible to easily attach the punch mechanism even if it is desired to attach it later. The fullness of punch scraps is detected by a transmissive sensor. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the punched sheet S enters the sorter 3. The sorter 3 has a large number of bins B arranged in a stack so as to be vertically movable, and the bin moving means 20 moves the bins B step by step to sort the sheets from the copying machine 1. At the time of sorting operation, the bin B is set to about 3
Posture that tilts the leading edge of the paper upward from 0 ° horizontal (Fig. 3
The paper is received in the bin Ba.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 21, the paddle aligning means PD is moved to the stacking tray Ba (sort tray 10).
b) and its upper and lower bins (sort trays 10a, 10c)
It is provided in. In this, the paper discharged to the sort tray 10b is aligned by the paddle alignment means (the paper is scraped and aligned at the alignment reference position by the paddle), but at this time, the bin moves so that the alignment is performed at the ejection position. I don't have enough time. Therefore, the paddle aligning means P is also applied to the upper and lower bins (sort trays 10a and 10c) that have been moved.
D is provided so as to align at this position. still,
The function of the paddle aligning means PD is exerted as the bin B is placed in a horizontal posture.

At the end of the sorting operation, by rotating the lead cam 22 of the step mechanism for the bin B in the inclined posture (the lead cam 21 is fixed), the posture of the bin B is displaced substantially horizontally, and then the side direction is changed. Grip means 41 provided in the
The upper and lower jaws 42 and 43 are opened to sandwich the sheet bundle. The grip means 41 normally stands by outside the toilet movement area 28 shown in FIG. 12, but enters the tray movement area 28 (grip position P1) during the post-processing operation to sandwich the sheets accumulated on the tray. Then, the paper is moved to the outside of the tray moving area 28 (the pulling position). At this time, since the lower jaw 43 moves to the vicinity of the lower surface of the sheet and the upper jaw 42 moves to the vicinity of the upper surface of the sheet, the grip means 41 firmly grips the sheet bundle even if it is a relatively thick sheet bundle. Then, the grip means 41 pulls out the bundle of sheets CS from the bin Ba. In addition, when post-processing the subsequent sheet bundle,
According to the rotational positional relationship between the lead cam 21 and the second lead cam 22, the position of the bin Ba is sequentially moved to another sort tray, and the post-processing is sequentially performed on the sheets in that tray.

Next, the stapler device 50 is moved in parallel to the parallel striking position 503 in conjunction with the lifting operation of the sheet bundle by the grip means 41, and the stapler device 50 is moved.
Is operated to execute the stapling operation for the predetermined two positions of the sheet bundle. It should be noted that when stacking stapled sheet bundles, the stacking height becomes high only at the same stapling position, so the stapling position can be shifted during the stapling process. The processed sheet bundle is dropped on the large-capacity stacker 60 provided on the side of the sort tray 10 (bin B) and is stacked on it. The large-capacity stacker 60 sequentially moves downward in accordance with the number of stacks of a stack of sheets, and a total of about 1000 sheets can be stacked.

After the end of the sorting operation, the control device controls as follows at the timing of prohibiting post-processing. That is, when sheets are left in the stacker 60 at the end of the sorting process, the subsequent processes (stapling, jogging, discharging to the stacker, etc.) are prohibited, and the stack of sheets in the stacker 60 is taken out. Wait for The following control is performed according to the stack amount and the next accumulation amount. That is, with respect to the above post-processing prohibition timing, the possibility of the subsequent processing (the margin of the stacker 60) is judged from the empty space of the stacker 60 and the number of sheets in the sort tray 10, and the stacker 60 has a margin. For example, the subsequent processing is continued, and if there is no margin, this is not performed and the standby state is set. This is to effectively use a large-capacity stacker of 1,000 sheets.

In the non-stapling mode in which the sheets are not bound, the drop position of the sheet bundle with respect to the large-capacity stacker 60 is relatively changed by the movement of the stack tray 61, so that the upper and lower sheet bundles are aligned with each other. Shift to separate each sheet bundle.

[0095]

In summary, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

(1) According to the first aspect of the invention, when the sheets are distributed, the sort tray is emphasized and the sort tray is kept inclined, while the distributed sheet bundle is sequentially drawn from each sort tray and stored in the stacker. Is excellent in stack alignment during sheet distribution by controlling the sort tray that pulls out the sheet bundle to at least a horizontal posture. Moreover, when the distributed sheet bundle is sequentially pulled out from each bin and stored in a large-capacity stacker, It is possible to discharge in the state and to make the device compact.

(2) According to the second aspect of the invention, the sort tray is tilted with respect to the sheet distribution direction at the time of sheet distribution and stacking with a simple structure, and is placed in a horizontal position when the sheet bundle is taken out from the sort tray. You can

(3) According to the invention of claim 3, the respective sort trays are displaced in the sheet distribution direction, so that the sort trays placed on the upper and lower sides can be arranged so as to overlap each other, thereby making the apparatus compact in the vertical direction. it can.

(4) According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to take out the sheet bundle to the operator side while arranging the elevating support means in the sheet bundle taking-out range, and as a result, it is possible to make the sheet distribution direction compact. .

(5) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to incline with respect to the sheet distribution direction at the time of sheet distribution and stacking, and to set the sheet bundle in the horizontal position when taking out the sheet bundle from the sort tray, simply by drive control. It can be adjusted and controlled freely.

(6) According to the invention of claim 6, the sheet bundle can be taken out to the operator side.

(7) According to the invention of claim 7, the stacker is provided so as to be shifted in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sorting direction of the sheet post-processing apparatus and on the side of the operating portion, so that the apparatus can be made compact and the operator can operate it. The workability of can be improved.

(8) According to the invention of claim 8, since the stacker has a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the stack tray according to the stacking height of the sheet bundle, the stacker has a large capacity. You can stock.

(9) According to the invention of claim 9, the stack tray has a jogging mechanism for jogging in a direction substantially parallel to the sorting direction. It can be placed in a separate state again.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of a sort tray in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a bin and a bin moving unit in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a portion of a sort tray and a large-capacity stacker in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a telescopic mechanism by a guide piece on the lower side of the sort tray.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a load reducing mechanism of a lead cam drive motor.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a load reducing mechanism of a lead cam drive motor.

8 is a view of the load reducing mechanism of the lead cam drive motor as viewed from the right side of FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a load reducing mechanism of a lead cam drive motor.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the load reduction mechanism of the lead cam drive motor.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of an apparatus including a sheet bundle pulling-out means from the copying machine side.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing details of the drawing means of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a gripping operation of grip means.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the large capacity stacker.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the configuration of punch means.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an actuator that constitutes punch means.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing three positions in which the stapler device can move.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet bundle is pulled out.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between the sheet bundle drawing path and the stapler device.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a gear train that constitutes an opening / closing mechanism of the grip means.

FIG. 21 is a view showing paddle alignment means provided on a sort tray.

FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing the vicinity of an entrance conveyance section in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing the opening / closing door portion of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a diagram which is used for describing an entrance conveyance section in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a schematic view showing the sheet post-processing device of FIG. 24 from the entrance side.

FIG. 26 is a schematic view showing a guide member of punch means of the sheet post-processing apparatus of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining abnormality detection of the stapler device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Copier 1a Operation part 2 Sheet post-processing device 3 Sorter 3a Carry-in roller pair 4 Flapper 5 Non-sort path 5a Ejection roller pair 6 Top tray 7 Punching means 8 Sorting conveyance path 9 Lower ejection roller pair 10 Sort tray 10a to 10d Sort Tray 11 Engaging pin 12 Standing wall (rear wall) 13 Opening 14 Upper tray body 14a Side edge 14b Convex portion 14c Corner 14d Alignment reference elevation 15 Lower guide piece 16 Second sheet aligning means 17 Alignment rod 18 Swing mechanism 18a Rotating shaft 18b Belt 18c Belt 19 Motor 20 Bin moving means (tray attitude displacing means) 21 First lead cam (elevating support means) 21a Lead enlarged portion 22 Second lead cam (elevating support means) 22a First lead enlarged portion 22b Second lead enlarged portion 23 Surface 24, 25 drive motor (lifting / supporting drive means) 26 belt 27 slit 28 tray moving area 29 opening / closing doors 29a, 29b door piece 30 load reduction mechanism 31 power transmission mechanism 31a pulley 31b belt 31c intermediate pulley 31d gear 31e intermediate gear 31h Pulley 32 Winding cam 33 Cam surface 34 Wire 35 Coil spring 40 Drawer means 41 Grip means 42 Upper jaw 42a Rotation center shaft 43 Lower jaw 43a Rotation center shaft 44 Mounting frame 45 Middle member 46 Mounting side plates 47, 48 Slits 47a, 48a Upper and lower linear parts 47b, 48b Curved part 49 Transfer device 50 Stapler device 50a Stapler body 50b Anvil 51, 52 Pin 53 Entrainment member 54 Back pressing member 55, 56 Pulley 57 Endless belt 58 Tension roller 59 Slipper 60 Large-capacity stacker 61 Stack tray 61a Comb teeth 61b, 61c Notch 62 Matching plate 62a Comb teeth 63 Paddle 64 Micro switch (stack height detector) 65 Tray height adjustment mechanism 66 Jogging mechanism 67 Slit 68 Slit 70 Lifting platform 71 Side wall 72 Upper slope 73 Screw 74 Motor 75 Gear 76 First output shaft 77 Gear 78 Second output shaft 80 Lifting mechanism 81 Support frame 82, 83 Rotating shaft 84 Belt 85 Rod 86 Lifting motor 87 Guide groove 88 Eccentric cam 89 Shaft 91 Frame body 92 Passage 93 Electromagnet 94 Return spring 95 Iron piece 96 Blade 97 Actuator 98 Guide member (punch scrap box) 291 Protrusion 292 Micro switch 293 Actuator 294, 295 Shaft 501, 502 Arm 501a, 02a fulcrum 501b, 502b fulcrum 503 parallel striking position 504 diagonal striking position 505 retracted position B bin (sort tray) Ba to Bc bins B1 to B20 bin S sheet CS sheet bundle CSE sheet bundle rear end DA transport unit DS lower empty space Part F Spring force L Length of transport path for sorting P1 Gripping position P2 Lifting position PD Paddle alignment means r Radius of winding cam SF Transport path T Torque θ Tilt angle of sort tray α Lead cam tilt angle PS1, PS2, PS3 position Sensor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Satoru Matsuki 430 Kobayashi, Masuho-machi, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture 1 Niska Corporation

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A sort tray for sequentially distributing and accumulating image-recorded sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, a take-out means for taking out the sheet bundle obtained on the sort tray from the sort tray, and a take-out means for taking out the sheet bundle. In a sheet post-processing apparatus having a stacker for stacking and accommodating a sheet bundle, a tray posture in which the sort tray is inclined with respect to the sheet distribution direction during sheet distribution and stacking and is in a horizontal posture when the sheet bundle is taken out from the sort tray. A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising a displacement means. 2. The tray attitude displacing means is provided in the front and rear of the sheet distribution direction and supports the sort tray so as to be vertically movable up and down. 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an elevating / supporting drive means for inclining the sort tray with respect to the direction so that the sort tray is in a horizontal posture when the sheet bundle is taken out. 3. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elevating support means on the upstream side in the sheet distribution direction is arranged so that the upper side is inclined in the sheet distribution direction. 4. The elevation support means on the upstream side in the sheet distribution direction has a notch portion that allows the take-out means to take out a sheet bundle taken out in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sheet distribution direction. The sheet post-processing device described. 5. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elevating and supporting driving means drives the elevating and supporting means before and after the sheet distribution direction separately. 6. The take-out means grips the leading end of the sheet bundle by the gripping means and pulls out the sheet bundle in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sheet distribution direction, conveys the leading end of the sheet bundle in a substantially vertical direction, and 3. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet bundle is released after the end of the sheet is completely discharged. 7. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stacker is provided so as to be offset from the operation unit side in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sorting direction of the sheet post-processing apparatus. 8. The stacker comprises a stack tray,
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a height adjusting mechanism that adjusts a height position of the stack tray according to a height of a sheet bundle placed on the stack tray. 9. The stacker has a jogging mechanism for reciprocating the stack tray in a direction substantially parallel to the sorting direction when sequentially stacking the sheet bundle on the stack tray. The sheet post-processing device according to 7 or 8.