JPH09142723A - Sheet processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing device having a small-sized entire arrangement. SOLUTION: An intermediate tray 16 is located in the upper part of a body 16, being substantially horizontally extended. An endless belt in a sheet bundle push-out mechanism 50 is tuned around in a counterclock direction, and a sheet bundle aligned with a rise-up surface 44 in a contact condition is dropped downward laterally from the intermediate tray 16 into a sheet bundle conveying pass 68. An end part of a sheet bundle projected outward from an outlet of a branch conveying path 68B by a sheet bundle push-up mechanism 72, is clamped by a gripper unit 84, and is moved to a left position by a gripper moving mechanism 86. Thus, on the way of moving by the gripper moving mechanism 86, the sheet bundle is stapled in a predetermined pattern by a staple unit 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus for stacking a plurality of image-formed sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus and executing sheet processing, for example, a plurality of stacked sheets. The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus for stapling sheets and binding them in a batch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various sheet processing apparatuses for stapling a plurality of stacked sheets and binding them together have been developed and put into practical use. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-41360, when the staple mode is not set and the sort mode is set,
Multiple bins where sheets are ejected in a predetermined sequence,
A staple tray, which is disposed below the lowermost bin, on which a stapled sheet bundle is once placed in a state where the staple mode is set, and a stack tray from which the stapled sheet bundle is discharged Also disclosed is a three-tier tray structure.

[0003]

However, in the sheet processing apparatus disclosed in such a conventional publication, each of the three-stage trays extends in the same direction, and as a result, the staple mode is set. When the sheet once discharged to the bin is moved onto the staple tray via the transport path, the transport path must be formed in a curved state. For this reason, it has been pointed out that it is difficult to achieve miniaturization because the space between the bin and the staple tray must be increased.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus capable of downsizing the entire structure.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention, according to claim 1, has a main body, an intermediate tray disposed above the main body, and sheets stacked on the intermediate tray. The sheet bundle is pushed out along the direction orthogonal to the sheet discharging direction and dropped from the intermediate tray, and the sheet bundle dropped by the sheet bundle pushing means is moved to a position directly below the intermediate tray. A sheet bundle pushing-up means for pushing up, a staple means arranged immediately below the intermediate tray for stapling the sheet bundle pushed up by the sheet bundle pushing-up means, and a staple means arranged just below the stapling means. And a stack tray on which the sheet bundle stapled by the means is accumulated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the second aspect, in the apparatus according to the first aspect, the end portion of the sheet bundle pushed up by the sheet bundle pushing-up means is gripped, It is characterized by further comprising grip means for pulling out the sheet bundle in a substantially horizontal direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the stapling means staples the sheet bundle held by the grip means. It is characterized by that.

According to a fourth aspect of the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the second aspect, the stapling means is in a direction orthogonal to the pull-out direction of the sheet bundle by the grip means. It is characterized by being movable along.

According to a fifth aspect of the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the second aspect, the stack tray is stapled after the gripping by the gripping means is released. It is characterized in that it is arranged at a position for receiving a sheet bundle.

Further, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, in the apparatus according to the first aspect, one side of the intermediate tray along the sheet discharge direction stands upright. It is characterized by further comprising an aligning unit which has a surface formed in an upright state and which brings the sheet discharged onto the intermediate tray into contact with the standing surface and aligns the position along the discharge direction.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the sheet processing apparatus is arranged on one side of the intermediate tray and is pushed out by the sheet bundle pushing means. And a drop conveyance path that guides a sheet bundle that falls from the intermediate tray to the bottom of the main body in an upright posture, and a branch conveyance path that branches from a midway portion of the drop conveyance path and extends immediately below the intermediate tray. Is further provided.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the sheet processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect is the apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the sheet bundle pushing-up means falls in a standing posture up to the bottom of the drop conveyance path. And a pushing-up driving means for pushing the pushing-up member until the leading end of the sheet-bundle received above the pushing-up member projects outward from the branch conveyance path. And a flapper that closes a portion of the drop conveyance path where the branch conveyance is branched and opens the branch conveyance path before the pushing-up drive of the pushing-up member, and the sheet bundle pushed up by the sheet bundle pushing-up means. ,
It is characterized in that it is taken out immediately below the intermediate tray through the branching means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the sheet bundle pushing means is arranged in the intermediate tray in a direction orthogonal to the discharging direction. At least one long groove formed so as to extend to, and inserted into the long groove,
It is characterized in that it is provided with an extruding piece that comes into contact with the sheet bundle stacked on the intermediate tray, and a moving means that moves this extruding piece along the long groove.

According to a tenth aspect of the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the push-out piece is attached to the endless belt which is endlessly run while standing upright. It is characterized by that.

According to the eleventh aspect of the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the tenth aspect, the endless belt is arranged directly below the intermediate tray. It has a feature.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of an embodiment of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Schematic Description of Overall Configuration] As shown in FIG. 1, a sheet processing apparatus 10 of this embodiment is an electronic copying apparatus with a fax function (hereinafter simply referred to as a copying machine) 100 as an image forming apparatus. It is configured to process sheets discharged from the. More specifically, the sheet processing apparatus 10 includes a main body 12 mounted adjacent to the copying machine 100, and a fax image formed by the copying machine 100 when the fax mode is set. The completed sheets are sequentially ejected, and the fax tray 14 as an ejection tray on which the sheets are stacked together and the copied sheets ejected from the copying machine 100 are sequentially ejected when the staple mode is set. An intermediate tray 16 that is stacked in a lump, a staple unit 18 that is disposed below the intermediate tray 16 and performs a stapling process, and a stack tray that discharges a sheet bundle stapled by the stapling unit 18 And 20.

Here, the above-mentioned fax tray 14 is used.
Is located at the bottom of the body 12 above which a small number of sheets (eg, fax imaged sheets) (eg,
It is set so that copied sheets (30 sheets or less) are discharged and stacked. Also, stack tray 2
0 is disposed immediately above the fax tray 14, and on top of this, in addition to the stapled sheet bundle, a large number of sheets that have not been stapled (for example, more than 30 sheets) have been copied. It is set to be discharged and loaded. Although detailed description will be omitted, the stack tray 20 is provided with a jog mechanism (not shown).
The stack tray 20 is configured to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction of the sheets, and when the jog mode (that is, the sorting mode) is set, the stack tray 20 is discharged regardless of the number of discharged sheets. The copied sheets are set to be discharged and stacked.

Further, the above-mentioned fax tray 14
Is fixedly arranged on the bottom surface of the main body 12, and the copying machine 100
It is configured so as to extend obliquely upward toward the side opposite to the mounting side. On the other hand, the above-mentioned intermediate tray 16 is
It is arranged in the upper part of the main body 12 and is attached so as to extend substantially horizontally. Here, this stack tray 20
Is configured so that the height position thereof can be sequentially lowered via a tray elevating mechanism (not shown) according to the number of sheets stacked on the tray.

[Description of Sheet Conveying Mechanism 26] Next, the sheet conveying mechanism 26 for selectively conveying the sheets discharged from the copying machine 100 to the fax tray 14, the intermediate tray 16 and the stack tray 20. The configuration of will be described.

The sheet conveying mechanism 26 is used in the copying machine 100.
The sheet introducing port 28 is formed on the side surface of the main body 12 so as to face the sheet discharging port (not shown). First and second sheet conveying paths 32A and 32B are arranged in the main body 12 with the sheet introduction port 28 as a starting point. Here, the first sheet conveyance path 32A is routed upward so as to convey the taken-in sheet toward the intermediate tray 16, and the second sheet conveyance path 32B is arranged so as to convey the taken-in sheet to the stack tray 20. It is routed downward so that it can be transported toward.

Here, the first sheet conveying path 32A which is routed upward is terminated in a state of facing the position directly above the intermediate tray 16. This first sheet conveying path 32
A first discharge roller pair 34A, 34B is arranged at the terminal end of A so as to sandwich the transport path 32A vertically, and the sheet transported up to this point is discharged onto the intermediate tray 16. ing. On the other hand, the second sheet conveyance path 32B routed downward is terminated in a state of facing the position directly above the stack tray 20. The second discharge roller pair 36 is provided at the end of the second sheet transport path 32B.
A and 36B are arranged so as to sandwich the conveyance path 32B in the upper and lower sides, and the sheets conveyed up to this point are discharged onto the stack tray 20.

The sheet inlet 28 is, in other words,
At the base end portions of the first and second sheet conveying paths 32A and 32B, the sheet conveying paths taken in here are provided at the first and second positions.
Alternatively, a first flapper 38 for selectively switching to the second sheet conveyance paths 32A and 34B is provided. The first flapper 38 is provided with a first switching position for switching the transport path to the first sheet transport path 32A, and for switching to the second sheet transport path 32B by an actuator (not shown) such as a rotary solenoid. It is swingably mounted to and from the second switching position.

On the other hand, a third sheet carrying path 32C branches off from a midway portion of the second sheet carrying path 32B, and the third sheet carrying path 32C is provided in the fax tray 14.
Ends directly above. The third discharge roller pair 40 is provided at the end of the third sheet conveying path 32C.
A and 40B are arranged so as to sandwich the transport path 32C vertically, and the sheets transported up to this point are discharged onto the fax tray 14.

Further, at the base end portion of the third sheet conveyance path 32C, in other words, at the branch portion of the third sheet conveyance path 32C from the second sheet conveyance path 30B, the second sheet conveyance path 30B is formed. A second flapper 42 for selectively switching the conveyance path of the sheet conveyed to the third sheet conveyance path 32C is provided. This second flapper 42
Is a first switching position for allowing the sheet to pass through the first sheet transport path 32A as it is by an actuator (not shown) such as a rotary solenoid, and a second switching position for switching to the third sheet transport path 32C. It is mounted so that it can swing freely.

[Explanation of Intermediate Tray 16] The above-mentioned intermediate tray 16 is arranged substantially horizontally, and a base end portion of the intermediate tray 16 serves as a reference for the position of the sheet bundle stacked on the intermediate tray 16 in the sheet conveying direction. The standing surface 44 is formed in an upright state. Above the intermediate tray 16, there is provided an alignment mechanism 46 for bringing the sheet discharged here into contact with the above-mentioned standing surface 44 and aligning the position along the sheet conveying direction. The intermediate tray 16 has a pair of long grooves 48A and 48B extending in the width direction of the sheet orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction.
A sheet bundle pushing mechanism 5 described later is provided in 8A and 48B.
Zero push-out pieces 52A and 52B are movably fitted in the width direction.

Although not shown in detail, the periphery of the intermediate tray 16 is formed with a peripheral wall except for the end edge located on the far side in the width direction. The standing surface 44 described above is defined from the inner surface of the peripheral wall. on the other hand,
Since the peripheral wall is not formed at the edge of the intermediate tray 16 located on the far side in the width direction, the sheet bundle can be dropped from here.

[Description of Alignment Mechanism 46] This alignment mechanism 46
Is a drive shaft 54 rotatably supported around a fixed axis orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, a drive pulley (not shown) coaxially fixed to the drive shaft, and a fixed axis line of the drive shaft 54. And a driven pulley (not shown) coaxially fixed to the driven shaft 56. The driven shaft 56 is provided with an alignment roller. 58 is fixed coaxially. Further, an endless belt (not shown) is stretched around the drive pulley and the driven pulley. Further, the driven shaft 56 is rotatably supported by the tip end of a swing arm 60 whose base end is attached to the drive shaft 54 via a friction clutch (not shown). The drive shaft 54 is rotationally driven by a reversible alignment motor (not shown).

Here, in the driven shaft 56, the alignment roller 58 fixed to the driven shaft 56 in accordance with the rotation of the drive shaft 54 (ie, in response to the swing of the swing arm 60) is located above the intermediate tray 16. It is oscillated between the retracted retracted position and the operating position where it abuts the upper surface of the sheet on the intermediate tray 16. The retracted position is defined by the swing arm 60 contacting a stopper (not shown).

Since the aligning mechanism 46 is constructed as described above, the aligning motor is activated in the forward direction to drive the drive shaft 54 to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing, whereby the aligning roller 5 is rotated.
8 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, and the swing arm 60 is swing driven from the retracted position to the operating position by the action of the friction clutch. As a result, the sheet on the intermediate tray 16 is moved along the direction opposite to the discharge direction and returned until it comes into contact with the standing surface 44.

On the other hand, when the matching motor is started in the opposite direction,
The aligning roller 58 is driven to rotate clockwise in the figure, but the action of the friction clutch causes the swing arm 60 to swing from the operating position to the retracted position.
The aligning roller 58 as a whole is swingably driven from the operating position toward the retracted position and is held at this retracted position.

[Description of Sheet Bundle Extruding Mechanism 50] This sheet bundle extruding mechanism 50 is arranged on the front side in the width direction directly below the intermediate tray 16 as shown in FIG.
A drive pulley 62A that is rotatable about an axis extending along the sheet conveying direction and a drive pulley 62A that is disposed on the other side in the width direction immediately below the intermediate tray 16 and that rotates around an axis extending along the sheet conveying direction. A movable driven pulley 62B, an endless belt 64 stretched over the drive pulley 62A and the driven pulley 62B, and a pushing drive motor 66 that rotationally drives the drive pulley 62A. 50B is an endless belt 64
It is fixed upright on the outer surface of the.

Here, each extruding piece 50A, 50B is
It is set so as to protrude outward from the corresponding long grooves 48A and 48B by a predetermined distance. As a result, the drive motor 66 of the sheet bundle pushing-out mechanism 50 is activated to drive the endless belt 64 to travel in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 so that the alignment mechanism 46 described above stands on the intermediate tray 16. The sheet bundle aligned so as to contact the surface 44 is pushed out to the left side in the drawing in FIG. 2 and dropped laterally downward from the intermediate tray 16.
The sheets fall within the sheet bundle conveying path 68.

[Description of Sheet Bundle Conveying Path 68] As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet bundle conveying path 68 temporarily removes the sheet bundle pushed and dropped by the sheet bundle pushing mechanism 50 from the bottom of the main body 12. A drop conveyance path 68A that guides up to the vicinity in an upright posture, and a branch conveyance path 68B that extends inwardly of the main body 12 obliquely upward from the midpoint of the drop conveyance path 68A are provided. A third flapper 70 is arranged at the joining portion of. Further, a sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 for pushing up the sheet bundle that has dropped to the bottom of the drop conveyance path 68A is provided. The sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 will be described later.

Although not shown, the drop conveyance path 68A
An aligning member for performing an aligning operation on the sheet bundle in the standing posture pushed out by the sheet bundle pushing-out mechanism 50 and dropped is disposed in a part of the position in the left and right direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the stapling unit 18 described above is provided at the exit of the branch conveyance path 68B.
Are arranged. The end of the sheet bundle pushed out from here by the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 is gripped by a grip mechanism 74, which will be described later, and pulled out to the right in the drawing. This grip mechanism 74
The sheet bundle is gripped by and is pulled out to the right in the figure, so that the staple position of the staple unit 18 on the sheet bundle is changed. That is, with this configuration, the sheet processing apparatus 10 can perform multi-staple processing.

Although not shown, the drop conveyance path 68A
A vertically elongated guide groove for allowing a lifting operation of a sheet bundle lifting mechanism 72, which will be described later, is formed below the branch conveyance path 68B.

[Explanation of Third Flapper 70] This third flapper 70 is normally urged to a position for closing the entrance portion of the branch conveyance path 68B, as shown by the solid line in FIG. When a detection sensor (not shown) detects that the sheet bundle has fallen to the bottom of the drop conveyance path 68A, an actuator such as a rotary solenoid is activated before the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 is activated, and the image is imagined in FIG. As indicated by the line, the portion corresponding to the branch portion of the falling transport path 68 to the branch transport path 68B is closed, and the branch transport path 68B is closed.
Is configured to open the entrance portion of the.

Since the third flapper 70 is constructed in this manner, the sheet bundle pushed out from the intermediate tray 16 by the sheet bundle pushing mechanism 50 is dropped and conveyed on the falling conveyance path 6.
8A, and surely falls to the bottom thereof, and when the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 is activated, the branch conveyance path 68B
Will be reliably pushed outward from the outlet of this.

[Description of Sheet Bundle Pushing Up Mechanism 72] FIG. 2
As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 is disposed on the side of the drop conveyance path 68A and at the lower position and is rotatable about an axis extending along the sheet conveyance direction. And an upper pulley 76 that is disposed on the side of the drop conveyance path 68A and near the entrance of the branch conveyance path 68B and is rotatable around an axis extending along the sheet conveyance direction.
B, an endless belt 78 stretched over the pair of upper and lower pulleys 76A and 76B, a push-up drive motor 80 that engages with the endless belt 78 to drive it, and a state of standing up on the endless belt 78. A push-up piece 82 fixed to the push-up piece 82.
Are inserted into the vertically long guide grooves.

Here, the push-up piece 82 is set so as to protrude outward from the vertically long guide groove by a predetermined distance. As a result, the drive motor 80 of the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 is activated, and the endless belt 78 is driven to travel in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2, so that the pushing-up piece 82 has fallen to the bottom of the drop conveyance path 68A. The sheet bundle that has been engaged upward is pushed upward in FIG. 2 and passes through the third flapper 70 to the branch conveyance path 68B.
Will be projected outward from the exit.

[Explanation of Staple Unit 18] The stapling unit 18 for executing the stapling process has a well-known structure, and one stapling needle is moved by the stapling operation on the first floor, and the stop position is changed by the stopper members 66A and / or 66B. The sheet bundle is configured to be driven into a defined sheet bundle, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the staple unit 18 is movably supported in the sheet discharging direction, and the rack member 10 attached to the lower portion of the staple unit 18 is movable.
2 and a pinion gear 106 coaxially attached to the drive shaft of the drive motor 104, so as to move within a predetermined range along the sheet discharge direction in response to the activation of the drive motor 104. Has been done. As a result, the staple position along the sheet discharge direction can be adjusted.

[Explanation of Grip Mechanism 74] This grip mechanism 74 has a gripper unit 84 as shown in FIG.
And a gripper moving mechanism 86 that reciprocally drives the gripper unit 84.

First, the gripper unit 84 is provided with a unit main body 88 and a pair of upper and lower grip arms 90A and 90B attached to the unit main body 88. Both grip arms 90A and 90B are interposed between them by a grip motor (not shown). The sheet bundle can be pinched.
When releasing the grip, the lower grip arm 90
B is set so as to face a substantially upright position.

The gripper moving mechanism 86 is used for the intermediate tray 16
And a left side pulley 92A which is disposed at a left position in the drawing and is rotatable around an axis extending in the sheet conveying direction, and a lower side of the intermediate tray 16 and a right side in the drawing. And a right pulley 92B which is rotatable around an axis extending in the sheet conveying direction, an endless belt 94 laid over the pair of left and right pulleys 92A and 92B, and the endless belt 94. The unit main body 88 is fixed to the lower side portion of the endless belt 94.

In this way, the gripper unit 84
Is driven to move in response to the start-up of the motor 96 for moving a unit and the traveling drive of the endless belt 94. That is, the end portion of the sheet bundle that is pushed up by the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 and protrudes outward from the exit portion of the branch conveyance path 68B is nipped by the gripper unit 84 and moved to the left position in the figure by the gripper moving mechanism 86. Will be done. As described above, the staple unit 18 performs a predetermined stapling process on the sheet bundle while being moved by the gripper moving mechanism 86. The operation of the gripper moving mechanism 86 is interrupted while the stapling process is being executed.

The sheet bundle is, as indicated by the broken line,
By being conveyed to the right position in the drawing, it is brought to the end position, and the gripped state of the gripper unit 84 is released at this end position, so that the stapled sheet bundle is transferred to the stack tray. 20 will be dropped.

[Description of Stack Tray 20] As shown in FIG. 1, the stack tray 20 starts from a position immediately below the terminal end of the second sheet conveying path 32B in the main body 12.
It is arranged so as to be inclined obliquely upward. As a result, the leading end of the stapled sheet bundle released from the grip mechanism 74 first comes into contact with the middle portion of the stack tray 20, and then slides down on the stack tray 20 according to the inclination of the stack tray 20 due to its own weight. It will be.

Here, the stack tray 20 is supported so as to be able to move up and down, and is driven up and down by a tray lifting mechanism (not shown). Although the detailed description of the tray elevating mechanism will be omitted, when a large number of sheets are stacked on the stack tray 20, the second mechanism is used.
It is provided in order to prevent the sheet discharging operation of the sheet conveying path 32B from being blocked by the stacked sheets and making the sheet discharging operation impossible.

The ascending / descending operation is controlled by a control unit (not shown) so that the height position is sequentially lowered according to the number or thickness of the sheets or sheet bundle discharged onto the stack tray 20. Is configured.
Here, in the standby position of the stack tray 20, that is, in the state where no sheet has been discharged onto the stack tray 20, as shown in the drawing, the stack tray 20 is placed immediately below the discharge port of the second sheet conveying path 32B. Is set so that the base end portion of is located.

[Description of Operation] -When the Fax Mode is Set-First, when the fax mode is set in the copying machine 100, first, in the sheet conveying mechanism 26, the first and second flappers are set. Both 38 and 42 are oscillated and driven so that both are brought to the position where the second and third sheet conveying paths 32B and 32C are closed. And the first
The pair of discharge rollers 34A and 34B are driven to rotate so as to convey the sheet toward the fax tray 14.
In this way, the sheet having the fax image formed thereon, which is brought into the sheet introduction port 28, is fed to the first sheet conveying path 3
It will be ejected onto the lower fax tray 14 via 2A.

When this fax mode is set, all fax image-formed sheets are set to be discharged onto the fax tray 14 regardless of the number of discharged sheets.

-When a small number of sheets are ejected (no staple mode or jog mode is set) -On the other hand, when the normal copy mode is set, neither the staple mode nor the jog mode is set. If the number of discharged sheets is small, for example, 30 sheets or less, the sheet is conveyed through the first sheet conveying path 32A in the same manner as when the fax mode is set.
All sheets are set to be ejected onto the fax tray 14.

--- When a large number of sheets are ejected (no staple mode setting) ---- Also, when the normal copying mode is set, the staple mode is not set, and the ejected sheets are not set In the case where the number of sheets is large, for example, more than 30, the first and second flappers 38 and 42 in the sheet conveying mechanism 26 have the second and first sheet conveying paths 32.
It is rockingly driven so as to bring both B and 32A into a closed position. Then, the third discharge roller pair 40A, 4A
0B is rotationally driven so as to convey the sheet toward the stack tray 20. In this way, the copied sheet introduced into the sheet introduction port 28 is discharged onto the stack tray 20 via the third sheet conveying path 32C.

When the staple mode is set: On the other hand, when the normal copy mode is set and the staple mode is set, the sheet conveying mechanism 26 is irrespective of the number of discharged sheets. In, the first flapper 38 is swingably driven so as to be brought to a position where the first sheet conveyance path 32A is closed. That is, the second
Only the sheet conveyance path 32B of is opened. And the second
The discharge roller pairs 36A and 36B are driven to rotate so as to convey the sheet toward the intermediate tray 16. In this way, the copied sheet brought to the sheet introduction port 28 is first passed through the second sheet conveying path 32B,
It will be discharged onto the intermediate tray 16. Incidentally, when the staple mode is set in this way, the staple unit 18 is moved from the standby position (in this embodiment, the left end position in the drawing) to a predetermined staple position.

Specifically, the sheet taken out from the discharge port of the second sheet conveying path 32B is discharged onto the upper surface of the intermediate tray 16. Then, the sheet on the intermediate tray 16 is forcibly moved by the aligning mechanism 46 to a position where it comes into contact with the standing surface 44. In this way, as shown in FIG. 5, with the final sheet discharged, the intermediate tray 1
The sheet bundle is aligned on the sheet 6 while being in contact with the standing surface 44.

This sheet bundle is a sheet bundle pushing mechanism 5
It is pushed out from above the intermediate tray 16 by 0, and is dropped to the bottom of the sheet bundle conveying path 68 via the dropping conveying path 68A. Then, the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 is temporarily placed on the pushing-up piece 82 with its lower edge supported. After that, when the detection sensor (not shown) detects that the sheet bundle has finished falling, the third flapper 7
0 is oscillated to a position where it closes the drop conveyance path 68A and opens the branch conveyance path 68B, and subsequently the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 is activated to push up the pushing piece 82. As a result, the sheet bundle on the push-up piece 83 projects outward from the exit of the push-up piece 83 via the branch conveyance path 68B.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 6, the end portion of the sheet bundle protruding from the exit of the branch conveyance path 68B is gripped by the gripper unit 84 of the grip mechanism 74, and in response to the activation of the unit moving mechanism 86. , Will be moved to the right in the figure. Then, the stapling unit 18 operates at an arbitrary position during the movement to execute the stapling process, and the sheet bundle that is gripped by the grip mechanism 74 and is moving is bound by the staple.

Then, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, when the gripper unit 84 is moved to the end position, the gripping in the gripper unit 84 is released, and the stapled sheet bundle falls onto the stack tray 20. Then, it will be sequentially stacked on this.

[Explanation of Effect] As described above, in this embodiment, when the staple mode is set, the paper is
Once stacked on the upper intermediate tray 16, the sheets are aligned along the sheet discharge direction, and the aligned sheet bundle is dropped to the other side in the main body 12 by the sheet bundle pushing mechanism 50. The dropped sheet bundle is pushed up by the sheet bundle pushing-up mechanism 72 and gripped by the gripper unit 84 of the grip mechanism 74. While the gripper unit 984 is being moved by the unit moving mechanism 86, the staple unit 18 is used. It is configured to be stapled. In this way, the upper intermediate tray 1
Since 6 and the middle stack tray 20 are not connected by a curved conveyance path, it is possible to set a narrow interval between the two, and as a result, the overall height of the sheet processing apparatus 10 is kept low. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the device.

[Explanation of Modifications] Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus 10 is the electronic copying apparatus 100 with the fax function.
However, the present invention is not limited to such an application, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to, for example, an electronic copying apparatus having no fax function. It goes without saying that it can be applied to a printing device such as a printer.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is explained that a friction clutch (not shown) is provided between the drive shaft 54 and the swing arm 60, but the present invention has such a structure. The configuration is not limited, and for example, an electromagnetic clutch may be provided. In this case, the timing of the swing drive of the swing arm 60 can be arbitrarily defined by turning on / off the electromagnetic clutch, and the certainty of the operation is further ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the side, with a part thereof omitted.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 together with a configuration that could not be shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a moving structure of a staple unit.

FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which sheets are ejected to an intermediate tray and aligned.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state where the sheet bundle is gripped by a grip mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Sheet Processing Apparatus 12 Main Body 14 Fax Tray 16 Intermediate Tray 18 Staple Unit 20 Stack Tray 26 Sheet Conveying Mechanism 28 Sheet Inlet 32A; 32B; 32C First to Third Sheet Conveying Paths 34A; 34B First Ejecting Roller Pair 36A; 36B 2nd discharge roller pair 38 1st flapper 40A; 40B 3rd discharge roller pair 42 2nd flapper 44 Standing surface 46 Alignment mechanism 48A; 48B Long groove 50 Sheet bundle pushing mechanism 52A; 52B Pushing piece 54 Drive Axis 56 Driven shaft 58 Alignment roller 60 Swing arm 62A Drive pulley 62B Driven pulley 64 Endless belt 66 Pushing drive motor 68 Sheet bundle transport path 68A Drop transport path 68B Branch transport path 70 Third flapper 72 Sheet stack lifting mechanism 74 Grip mechanism 76A Lower pulley 76B Upper pulley 78 Endless belt 80 Push-up drive motor 82 Push-up piece 84 Gripper unit 86 Unit moving mechanism 88 Unit body 90A; 90B Gripper arm 92A Left pulley 92B Right pulley 94 Endless belt 96 unit Motor for movement 100 Image forming apparatus 102 Rack 104 Drive motor 106 Pinion gear

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location B65H 31/30 B65H 31/30 39/11 39/11 KG03G 15/00 530 G03G 15/00 530 550 550

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A main body, an intermediate tray arranged above the main body, and a sheet bundle stacked on the intermediate tray are extruded in a direction orthogonal to a sheet discharge direction, and the intermediate tray is pushed. A sheet bundle pushing means for dropping the sheet bundle from above, a sheet bundle pushing up means for pushing up the sheet bundle dropped by the sheet bundle pushing means to a position just below the intermediate tray, and a sheet bundle pushing means arranged just below the intermediate tray. A stapling unit for stapling the sheet bundle pushed up by the sheet bundle pushing-up unit; and a stack tray arranged immediately below the stapling unit for accumulating the sheet bundle stapled by the stapling unit. A sheet processing apparatus characterized by the above. 2. The sheet according to claim 1, further comprising grip means for gripping an end portion of the sheet bundle pushed up by the sheet bundle pushing-up means and pulling out the sheet bundle in a substantially horizontal direction. Processing equipment. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stapling means staples the bundle of sheets gripped by the grip means. 4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stapling means is movable along a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the grip means pulls out a sheet bundle. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stack tray is disposed at a position for receiving a stapled sheet bundle that has been released from being gripped by the grip means. 6. A standing surface is formed in an upright state on one side of the intermediate tray in the sheet discharging direction, and the sheet discharged onto the intermediate tray is brought into contact with the standing surface. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an aligning unit that aligns positions along the discharge direction. 7. A drop conveying path disposed on one side of the intermediate tray for guiding a sheet bundle pushed out by the sheet bundle pushing means and falling from the intermediate tray to a bottom portion of the main body in an upright posture, and a drop conveying path. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a branch conveyance path that branches from a midway portion of the conveyance path and extends right below the intermediate tray. 8. The sheet bundle pushing-up means receives a sheet bundle that has fallen up to the bottom portion of the drop conveyance path in an upright posture, and a pushing up member on which the sheet bundle push-up member is received. And a push-up drive unit that drives the push-up drive until the tip of the sheet bundle protrudes outward from the branch transport path, and closes a portion of the drop transport path where the branch transport branches before the push-up drive. The flapper which opens a branch conveyance path is provided, The sheet bundle pushed up by the said sheet bundle pushing-up means is taken out just under the said intermediate tray through the said branching means, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Sheet processing equipment. 9. The sheet bundle pushing means comprises at least one long groove formed in the intermediate tray so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the discharging direction, and is inserted into the long groove so that the sheet bundle pushing means is disposed on the intermediate tray. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an extruding piece that comes into contact with the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stack; and a moving unit that moves the extruding piece along the long groove. 10. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the push-out piece is attached to an endless belt that runs endlessly while standing upright. 11. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the endless belt is arranged immediately below the intermediate tray.