JPH10310315A - Sheet processing device and image forming device employing the sheet processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a sheet processing device which enhances collatable properties of a sheet high in frictional coefficient and a sheet easily charged with static electricity. SOLUTION: A sheet S on a staple tray 38, delivered by a first delivery roller 17, is moved to the side of an abutting member 20 by means of a delivery collating belt 19 making turning movement in abutment against the sheets. In addition a belt moving arm 62 is made turning movement of the abutting member 20 side to forcibly deform the delivery collating belt 19 and to move the position of contact of the delivery collating belt 19 with the sheets to the collating abutting member side. The collatable properties of a bundle of sheets are thus ensured.

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 and binding sheets on which images are formed by an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a sheet processing apparatus for stacking and stapling a plurality of sheets, an alignment belt that rotates in synchronization with a discharge roller for discharging the sheets is provided, and the sheets are aligned and pushed by the frictional force of the belt. The alignment is performed by abutting against the abutting member.

Here, since the alignment belt is rotated by rollers of the discharge roller so as to rotate in synchronization with the discharge roller, the rear end of the sheet drops to a position slightly away from the alignment belt. Since alignment by the alignment belt cannot be performed as it is, the tray on which the sheets are stacked is angled so that the sheets fall in the direction of the alignment belt.

[0004]

However, even when the sheet is set at an angle with respect to the tray on which the sheet is to be stacked, recycled paper having an unstable friction coefficient or paper which is liable to be stuck due to static electricity is charged. When used, the sheet cannot drop under its own weight and does not enter the lower side of the alignment belt, so that the sheet may not be aligned with the alignment abutment plate.

According to the present invention, even when a paper having a large coefficient of friction or a sheet which is apt to be charged with static electricity is used, the alignment is ensured.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet processing apparatus that improves sheet consistency.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
Discharging means for discharging the sheet, stacking means for placing the discharged sheet, an alignment butting member for hitting and aligning the rear end of the sheet discharged on the stacking means, and A deformable alignment rotator that abuts and rotates on the discharged sheet to move the sheet toward the alignment abutting member; and a contact of the alignment rotator with the sheet by forcibly deforming the alignment rotator. Rotating body moving means for moving a position toward the alignment abutting member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet detecting means for detecting a sheet discharged to the stacking means, and the rotator moving means is driven after a predetermined time from the sheet detection by the sheet detecting means. Features.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the alignment rotating body rotates in synchronization with the discharge means.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the rotating body moving means is a rotatable belt moving arm for pushing an inner peripheral surface of the rotating body moving means.

The invention according to a fifth aspect is characterized in that it has a binding means for binding a sheet bundle aligned on the stacking means.

[Operation] Based on the above configuration, when the sheet is discharged onto the stacking means by the discharging means, the sheet comes into contact with the sheet.
The sheet is moved to the aligning butting member side by the rotating flexible aligning body, and the aligning rotating body is forcibly deformed by the rotating body moving means, and the contact position with the sheet is moved to the aligning butting member side. I do.

With the above configuration, it is possible to securely abut the sheet against the alignment abutment plate to perform alignment. Also, when the next sheet is discharged to the stacking means, since the alignment rotating body is moving to the alignment abutting member side, the rear end of the discharged sheet does not need to be largely positioned downstream, for example, When the stacking means is tilted so that the upstream side becomes lower, the sheet can be moved to the aligning butting member side.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a copying apparatus which is an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a sheet processing apparatus main body according to the present invention;
00 is a copying apparatus main body, 200 is a cassette for stacking a plurality of sheets of different sizes, and 300 is a document feeder (hereinafter, referred to as an ADF) for automatically feeding a document.

First, in the copying apparatus main body 100, 10
Reference numeral 1 denotes a platen glass on which a document is loaded; 103 and 104 each a scanning reflection mirror (scanning mirror) for changing the optical path of the reflected light of the document; 105 a lens having focusing and zooming functions; A first scanning mirror having an illumination lamp and a mirror for reading the read original;
Reference numeral 107 denotes a registration roller, reference numerals 108 and 110 denote photosensitive drums and pressure rollers, reference numeral 111 denotes a conveyance belt for conveying a sheet on which an image has been recorded to the fixing side, and reference numeral 112 denotes a fixing device for thermocompressing the conveyed sheet.

Reference numerals 113 and 117 denote transport rollers for transporting the sheet; 114, a flapper for switching the transport direction of the transported sheet; 115, a transport roller for transporting the sheet in the direction of the sheet processing apparatus 1; A reversing path for reversing the front and back, 118 is a transport roller for transporting the sheet from the paper feed cassette to the photosensitive drum unit, 1
Reference numerals 19, 120, and 121 denote rollers, a manual feed tray, and a separation pad for conveying a sheet from the hand holding unit. 1
Reference numerals 22, 123, and 125 denote a laser and a polygon mirror for forming an image on the photosensitive drum, and a mirror for changing an optical path. Reference numeral 124 denotes a motor for driving the polygon mirror 123.

Reference numeral 200 denotes a paper feed cassette for stacking sheets of each size by type and supplying the sheets to the main body by type according to a signal from the copying apparatus main body 100; 201, a conveying roller for extracting the sheets from the cassette; This is an intermediate roller that transfers the sheet pulled out from the upper side.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 108 is made of a photoconductor and a seamless photoconductor using a conductor. The drum 108 is rotatably supported by a shaft and operates in response to pressing of a copy start key. The main motor (not shown) starts to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. When the predetermined rotation control and the potential control processing (pre-processing) of the drum 108 are completed, the original placed on the original table glass 101 is illuminated by an illumination lamp integrated with the first scanning mirror 106, and the original is illuminated. The reflected light passes through the lens 105 via the scanning mirrors 103 and 104 and forms an image at the light receiving element inside the lens unit.

Here, the reflected light image from the original is converted into an electric signal by a light receiving element and sent to an image processing section (not shown), while a predetermined data received by the main body from the user in the image processing section. After the processing is performed, it is sent to the laser 112. Then, the electric signal subjected to the data processing is converted into light by the laser unit 112, and then converted to a polygon mirror 123 and a mirror 125.
Is reflected on the photosensitive drum 108 to form an electrostatic latent image, is visualized by toner, and is transferred onto a transfer sheet as described later.

The sheets set on the cassette 200 or the manual feed tray 120 are fed by a paper feed roller 118,
The paper is sent into the copying apparatus main body 100 by 119, 201, and 202, and is sent by the registration roller 107 in the direction of the photosensitive drum 108 at an accurate timing, so that the leading edge of the latent image coincides with the leading edge of the sheet sheet. Thereafter, the sheet passes between the photosensitive drum 108 and the roller 110, so that the toner image on the drum 108 is transferred onto the sheet.

After that, the sheet is separated from the drum 108, guided to the fixing device 112 by the conveyor belt 111, and transferred by pressing and heating. Then, the sheet on which an image is formed in this manner is
The sheet is advanced in the direction of the sheet discharge roller 115, and is discharged to the sheet processing apparatus 1 with the print surface facing upward.

On the other hand, in the ADF 300, reference numeral 301 denotes a stacking tray on which a stack of originals 302 is set.
5 and the entire surface of the belt 306, the sheet is conveyed to the exposure position of the original table glass 101 through the paths I to II, and then stopped to prepare for the start of the copying operation.

After copying is completed, the original is sent to the path VI by the large conveying roller 307 via the path IV, and is returned to the upper surface of the original bundle 302 again by the discharge roller 308.
Reference numeral 309 denotes a recycle lever for detecting one cycle of the document.
When the originals are sequentially fed and the trailing edge of the final original falls through the recycle lever 309 and falls under its own weight, one cycle of the original is detected.

On the other hand, in the case of a two-sided original, the original is temporarily
A switching flapper 31 that is guided from II to III and is rotatable there.
By switching to 0, the leading edge of the document is guided to the path IV. The document is conveyed onto the document table glass 101 by the conveyance belt 306 through the path II by the conveyance roller 305 and stopped. That is, the document is reversed by the large conveying roller 307 along the route of the paths III to IV to II.

By the way, in the upper part of the sheet processing apparatus 1,
A stopper member 2 is provided, and when the sheet processing apparatus 1 is connected to the copying apparatus main body 100, the sheet processing apparatus 1 is positioned and attached to the holding portion 133 formed on the side surface of the copying apparatus main body 100 by the stopper member 2. Further, a folding machine unit or a mounting table 70 is formed below the sheet processing apparatus 1, and a caster 80 is movably mounted on the table 70.

Therefore, when performing a jam clearance process near the paper discharge section of the copying machine main body 100 or a jam clearance process at the transfer section between the sheet processing apparatus 1 and the copying machine main body 100, the stopper member 2 is shown in FIG. By rotating in the X direction to release the engagement with the holding unit 133, and then moving the sheet processing apparatus 1 in the horizontal direction to separate the copying apparatus main body 100, the copying can be easily performed. I have.

On the other hand, the sheet on which an image has been formed is conveyed to either the sheet processing apparatus 1 or a folding device (not shown) provided inside the mounting table 70 in accordance with the subsequent processing. .

That is, when a sheet is processed by the sheet processing apparatus 1, the upstream end of the first flapper 3 near the copying apparatus main body 100 shown in FIG. By positioning the upstream end of the second flapper 4 on the downstream side upward, the sheet is sent to the first conveying path 6 through the roller pair 5 and further sent downstream from the first conveying path 6. Become.

When the sheet is conveyed to the folding device, the upstream side end of the first flapper 3 is positioned upward as shown in FIG. It is sent to the folding device located ahead in the direction of the dashed arrow in the figure.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 8 denotes a second transport path (buffer path), 9 denotes a buffer roller,
15, 16 are buffer rollers, 10, 11, 12, 13
Is a sheet detection sensor that detects a passing sheet, a staying sheet, and the like. Reference numeral 17 denotes a first discharge roller (discharge means), reference numeral 18 denotes a press roller, and reference numeral 19 denotes a discharge alignment belt (alignment rotating body), which is sandwiched between the first discharge roller 17 and the press roller 18 and rotates. In addition, an endless rib (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of the central portion on the inner side of the belt as a measure to prevent the belt from coming off, and the belt is engaged with the first discharge roller 17 and rotates.

A belt roller 61 for moving the belt is arranged inside the discharge matching belt 19, and can be swung by a driving source (not shown) by a belt moving arm 62. The belt moving arm 62 and the belt roller 61 constitute a rotating body moving means for forcibly deforming the discharge alignment belt 19.

The snowboard shutter 34 can move up and down, and when the tray unit 26 moves while loading the sheets, the tray unit 26 closes the hatched area shown by F in FIG. And tray 24
When the sheet is discharged, the sheet is moved below the discharge roller 32 so as not to hinder the discharge of the sheet.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a width adjusting plate for aligning the sheets when aligning the sheets. Reference numeral 20 denotes an abutment plate (alignment abutment member) for regulating the trailing end of the sheet. The abutment member 20 is used when the sheets are sequentially stacked and when the stapler (binding means) 22 moves back and forth. When the position of the stapler 22 is changed, the abutting member 20 that is in the same phase as the stapler 22 is rotated to the position shown by the broken line to be retracted. Is available.

In this embodiment, the alignment of the sheet in the width direction is performed by the width adjusting guide 21 shown in FIGS.
Done by Further, the stapler 22 performs stapling by moving in a range indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3 so as to perform binding at two places of the sheet, binding at one place at the front side, and binding at one place at the back side.

Although the description of the operation of the stapler 22 is omitted here, the stapler 22 itself has almost the same configuration as that of a commercially available electric (solenoid) or motor-driven automatic stapler. In this configuration, the sheets are stapled and the sheets are bound. 3 and 4, reference numeral 21a is an alignment reference plate.

On the other hand, in FIG. 2, reference numerals 23, 24, and 25 denote first and second sheets for stacking sheets discharged from a discharge port 50 formed in the side wall surface 1a of the sheet processing apparatus main body 1.
A second and third tray 26 is a tray unit to which the first, second, and third trays 23, 24, and 25 are attached in a vertically inclined state toward the main body 1 side.
Here, the tray unit 26 is mounted on the side wall surface 1a of the sheet processing apparatus main body 1 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is moved in the vertical direction by a driving source (not shown) built in a lower part thereof. .

Further, on the side wall surface 1a of the main body 1, the sheet discharged to the upstream side of the sheet stacked on the first, second, and third trays 23, 24, and 25 comes into contact with the inclined end. Upper and lower regulating members (hereinafter referred to as upper and lower snow guides) 27 and 27a for preventing or supporting backflow.
Is provided.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 31 denotes a swinging guide, which rotatably holds the movable discharge roller 33, and at the time of discharging the sheet, the cam 35 shown in FIG. 5 to swing downward about the swing shaft 31a as a fulcrum, and press the movable discharge roller 33 against the discharge roller 32 as shown in FIG.

In the staple mode, which will be described later, the swing guide 31 swings upward so as to separate the movable discharge roller 33 from the discharge roller 32 so that the two rollers 32, 33 can be carried out. From the first sheet to a sheet unloadable state.

In FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, reference numeral 30 denotes a stopper which rotates around the rotation shaft 30a when the tray is moved, and fits into the groove 34a of the rising saw blade shutter 34 as shown in FIG. When the tray 24 passes through the outlet 50 while closing the outlet 50, the tray 2
4 to prevent the sheets S stacked on the sheet No. 4 from flowing back to the discharge port 50.

When the sheet is to be ejected, the stopper 30 is rotated in the Y direction shown in FIG. 5 to release the lock of the slingshot shutter 34.
In the staple mode, which will be described later, as shown in FIG. 8, similarly to the swing guide 31, it is configured to rotate in a direction to release the discharge port 50. In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a rib formed on the upper snowboard guide 27.

Next, the operation of the sheet processing apparatus thus configured will be described.

For example, when discharging sheets without performing stapling, the first, second, and third trays 23, 24, 2
5 is directly discharged. FIG. 9 shows a case where the sheet is discharged to the second tray 24.

When the non-staple mode is selected by the user, the cam 35 (see FIG. 6)
As shown in FIG.
Swings to a position where it is pressed against the discharge roller 33. Note that, at this time, the stopper 30 rotates in the Y direction and stops. In addition, the scraper shutter 34 is located below the discharge roller 32 so as not to block the discharge of the sheet.

The sheet discharged from the copying apparatus main body 100 in this state is passed to the roller pairs 5 and 17 through the transport path 6 shown in FIG. 2, and further discharged further downstream by the roller pairs 5 and 17. Thereafter, the sheet is directed in the direction of the tray 24 by the swinging guide 31, is discharged from the discharge port 50 via the discharge rollers 32 and 33, and is sequentially stacked on the tray 24.

On the other hand, when a large number of normal sheets S are to be taken, first, there are paper sensors 23a, 24a, 25a installed in the first, second, and third trays 23, 24, 25 (FIG. 2).
After confirming that no sheets remain on the trays 23, 24, and 25, the tray unit 26
The first tray 23 is moved to a predetermined position for receiving the first sheet.

Further, when the number of stacked sheets reaches a certain number, the tray unit 26 is lowered to a predetermined position such that the upper surface of the stacked sheets is substantially the same as the surface receiving the first sheet. When the above operation is repeated to detect that the maximum amount of sheets has been stacked in the tray, a stop signal is issued to the copying apparatus main body 100 to temporarily stop the sheet discharge.

Next, the tray unit 26 is the second tray 2
In order to stack the sheets on the sheet No. 4, the sheet is lowered to a position where the first sheet on the second tray 24 is set to be stacked. Thereafter, the copying apparatus main body 100 restarts the copying operation and restarts the stacking of the sheets. Thereafter, the same operation as described above is repeated until the tray 24 is full. The third tray 2
When sheets are stacked on the first tray 23, the second tray
This is the same as when moving to the tray 24.

In the present embodiment, the copying apparatus main body 100 is of a digital type, and such a copying apparatus main body 100 includes a scanner section for reading an image of a document and a printer section for reproducing the image. Has been
Each can operate independently. That is, the scanner unit irradiates the original with a lamp and decomposes the reflected light into small points (pixels) by a light receiving element and converts it into an electric signal (photoelectric conversion) according to the density of the original. Irradiates the drum with laser light based on the electric signal sent from the unit, creates an electrostatic latent image on the drum,
A copy image is formed through developer, transfer, and fixing.

By connecting an interface 500 to the digital copying machine as shown in FIG. 1, an original signal read by the scanner unit can be transferred to another facsimile machine 501 and, conversely, an electric signal received from another facsimile machine 501 can be transmitted. Can be sent to the printer unit through the interface 500 to print out the image on a sheet.

Similarly, an image signal received from a computer device 502 such as a personal computer is
0 to a printer unit, copy the image to a sheet, or read an image read by a scanner unit through an interface 500.
It can be imported to a personal computer through the Internet.

As described above, in the current digital copying machine, the original sent from the ADF 300 and the original
1. Not only is the original placed on top read and copied, but also through the interface 500,
It can be used as a facsimile or as a printer for a personal computer.

By the way, in order to use the present apparatus 100 in this way, the sheets are sorted into different trays and stacked, or if desired by the user, each tray is numbered so that the user can It is necessary to load the sheets on the tray.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, for example, facsimile output paper on the first tray 23, output paper from a personal computer on the second tray 24, and output paper in the copy mode on the third tray 25. Is to be loaded.
Next, the operation of discharging sheets to each tray will be described.

First, a case where sheets S in the copy mode are stacked from a state where a certain number of output sheets from the personal computer shown in FIG. 10 are received, that is, a case where the third tray 25 is used will be described.

When the third tray 25 is used after receiving a certain number of output sheets from the personal computer, the tray unit 26 moves down to the position where the first sheet of the third tray 25 is received. This operation is the same as that in the copy mode except that the number of sheets stacked in the tray is lowered even if it is not the maximum.

Next, a case where output paper such as a facsimile is stacked in a state where a certain number of output papers of a personal computer are received on the second tray 24, that is, a case where the first tray 23 is used will be described.

With the sheets stacked on the second tray 24,
The tray unit 26 moves up to stack sheets on the first tray 23. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the sheet shutter 34 rises and closes the space of the F section so that the sheet S does not enter the space of the F section shown by oblique lines in FIG. It is possible to move upward with the load. Note that this snowboard shutter 34
The sheet abutting surface is formed in a rib shape so that the sheet S can slide easily similarly to the sheet abutting surface 31b (see FIG. 6) of the swing guide 31 and the lower snowboard guide 27a.

With such a configuration, the sheet S can pass through the discharge port 50 without flowing backward, so that the tray 24 can move upward while the sheets S are stacked. Becomes Further, by using the sheet abutting surface 31b of the swing guide 31 as a part of the upper sliding guide 27, the interval between the trays can be reduced, and the tray unit 26 can be used.
Can be reduced in size.

The operation described above is an operation in the case of moving from the second tray 24 to the first tray 23, but is the same regardless of which tray is started.

Next, the stapling operation of the sheet processing apparatus will be described.

First, at the time of staple sorting in which copying is performed by stapling, the sheets are not directly stacked on the stacking trays 23, 24 and 25, but are stacked on the staple tray (stacking means) 38 in FIG.

When the staple sort mode is selected by the user, the sheet processing apparatus operates as follows. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state where sheets are stacked on a staple tray.

First, when the first sheet is conveyed, as shown in FIG.
Is in the lowered position, and the sheet S is
And the second conveyance roller 32 conveys it in the left direction in FIG.

Here, a method of driving the transport roller 32 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the second transport roller 32 is connected to a gear 604. In FIG. 24, when the gear 601 connected to the motor M rotates in the direction of arrow A, the gear 603 is rotated in the direction of arrow B via the two-stage gear 602. At this time, the gear 603
The pendulum plate 608 is rotatably supported by a shaft. The pendulum plate 608 is rotatable around the rotation axis of the gear 602, and is swingable between the gears 604 and 605a.

Here, the gear 603 and the pendulum plate 608 are
A constant axial load is applied (load means not shown)
Therefore, the gear 602 is urged in the direction of arrow B by rotation. Therefore, the small-diameter gear portion of the two-stage gear 603 is pressed against and meshes with the gear 604 to rotate the gear 604 in the direction of arrow C. Therefore, the second transport roller 32 can transport the sheet in the downstream direction.

Here, when the small-diameter gear portion of the two-stage gear 603 and the gear 604 are engaged, they are separated from the gear 605a. The stopper 607 is urged in the direction of the arrow in the figure, but is pushed down by the swing guide 31b. The trailing end of the sheet S is a sheet ejection sensor (sheet detecting means) 1
FIG. 11 (b) shows a state where a predetermined time has passed after passing through No. 3 and the sheet has further advanced downstream from the discharge matching belt. In this state, the second discharge roller 32 stops. Further, the sheet S stops at a position advanced by a predetermined amount from the discharge alignment belt 19 rotating together with the first paper discharge roller 17.

Next, the sheet S on the staple tray 38
FIG. 11 (c) shows a state in which is forcibly pulled back to the upstream side. Here, when the gear 601 coupled to the motor M in FIGS. 23 and 25 rotates in the direction of arrow D, the gear 603 is rotated in the direction of arrow E via the two-stage gear 602. Therefore, the small-diameter gear portion of the two-stage gear 603 is
The gear 605 is pressed against and meshes with the gear 05a to rotate the gear 606 in the direction of arrow F via the gear 605b.

Here, the shaded portion 606a of the gear 606 meshes with the gear 607, and further rotates the gear 604 in the direction of arrow G. Accordingly, the second discharge roller coupled to the gear 604 also rotates in the direction of arrow G, and pulls the sheet S back upstream in the transport direction.

Further, the gear 606 rotates in the direction of arrow F,
23 and 25, the pin portion 606b of the gear 606 raises the arm portion 31a of the swing guide.
Therefore, after the swing guide 31 is raised to a position as shown in FIG. 11D, the position is detected by a sensor (not shown) and stopped.

As the swing guide 31 is raised, the stopper 607 is rotated in the direction of the arrow to rotate the arm 31b upward. Here, the pendulum plate 608 and the gear 60
3. Since the tip end portion 603a of the gear shaft also rotates toward the gear 605a, the rib portion 607a of the stopper 607 (back surface)
However, the gear 603 is engaged with the gear shaft tip portion 603a, and the gear 603 is stopped at a position where the mesh with the gear 605a is rotatable and does not come off.

The staple tray 38 is mounted inside the main body 1 at an angle such that the sheets S are stacked on the staple tray 38 by its own weight. The tray 24 supports the rear end of the sheet S and assists the sheet S to return to the upstream side in the discharge direction. As shown in FIG. 12, the tray 24 is positioned above the non-staple mode. Has become.

On the other hand, as shown in the figure, the sheet S discharged onto the staple tray 38 is
The inclination of the tray 8 and the position of the tray 24 are set to be higher to assist in dropping their own weight to the upstream side in the discharge direction. It is urged in the upstream direction on the tray 38.

Therefore, the sheet S hits the butting plate 20 and is aligned in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction. The alignment of the sheet S in the width direction is started by the width adjusting guide 21 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) at a predetermined time when the sheet S falls on the staple tray 38 and hits the abutment plate 20. The sheet S is aligned in the front direction by operating from the back side of the main body to the front side by a predetermined dimension rather than the width dimension of the sheet S.

Here, the discharge matching belt 19 is made of a rubber member having flexibility (elasticity) and a high coefficient of friction. Therefore, when the sheet S is rotated to align it in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12, the sheet S bends due to its elasticity and is deformed downstream in the sheet discharging direction of the sheet S as shown in FIG. Therefore, the rear end of the sheet S that is conveyed next falls at the downstream position 19 a of the deformed belt 19.

When a large number of sheets are stacked on the staple tray 38, the belt 19 has a considerable thickness, so that the belt 19 is greatly deformed downstream. Therefore,
The drop position of the sheet S is also discharged to a position 19b (FIG. 13) further downstream than the position 19a,
As shown by the reference numeral G in FIG. 13, in the case of a thick sheet bundle, the sheet bundle sags downstream and becomes difficult to return when the sheet S returns under its own weight.

In particular, in the case of using recycled paper in which static electricity is easily charged and the friction coefficient between the sheets is unstable, the sheet S cannot return to the lower side of the discharge matching belt 19, Staple alignment failure may occur.

Next, the operation in the staple mode according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 14 shows a state immediately after the staple mode sheet S is discharged to the staple tray 38.

Here, the belt roller 61 is disposed inside the discharge alignment belt 19 and is swingable by a belt moving arm 62. Since the discharge alignment belt 19 uses a member having elasticity, the discharge alignment belt 19 can be easily deformed by the belt roller 61. Normally, when the discharge roller 17 rotates in the paper discharge direction, the discharge alignment belt 19 is deformed to the downstream side in the transport direction by its own frictional force (FIG. 12), but by rotating the belt moving arm 62 in the direction of the arrow, Belt roller 61
Pulls the belt 19 back in the upstream direction.

Accordingly, the conveyed sheet S is
The rear end drops to a position 19c upstream of the position 19a shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, it is easy to drop the sheet by its own weight without dropping to a position jumping out of the stacked sheet bundle.

Further, since the time when the sheet is discharged to the staple tray 38 can be detected by the sensor 13 (FIG. 2), the belt moving arm 62 is moved for a predetermined time after the sheet is discharged to the staple tray 38. It rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 15 and moves the belt roller 61 in the downstream direction.
Therefore, since the discharge alignment belt 19 is rotated in synchronization with the discharge roller 17, its own frictional force and elastic force are used as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.

Here, the contact point 1 between the belt 19 and the sheet S
9d is movable to the downstream side from the position of 19c, so that the discharge alignment belt 19 can draw the sheet S in the upstream direction without the sheet S falling.

The above operation is repeated until the second and subsequent sheets S are all stacked on the staple tray 38 by the number set by the user.

When the number of sheets set by the user is aligned on the staple tray 38, the swing guide 31 descends and presses the sheet bundle. Thereafter, the stapler operates to perform an operation of stapling to a position set by the user.

FIG. 11E shows this state. Furthermore,
After the stapling, the discharge roller 32 rotates in the direction of transporting the sheet to the downstream side, and the stapled sheet bundle is stacked as shown in FIG.

The above operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26.

First, FIG. 25 shows a state where the swing guide 31 is stopped at the upper limit position. From this state, when the motor rotates the gear 601 in the direction of arrow D, the gear 606 is rotated.
Is rotated in the direction of arrow F and the pin portion 606b is rotated downward, whereby the swing guide 31 starts to descend.

When the pin portion 606b is at the position shown by the solid line in FIG.
The rotation force of the swing guide 31 is not generated in the gear 606 due to its own weight.

Next, when the pin portion 606b starts rotating in the direction F and reaches the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 21, the force P 'applied from the swing guide 31 is displaced from the rotation axis of the gear 606. , F, a force for rotating the gear 606 is generated.

Since the swing guide 31 has a relatively heavy own weight, the swing guide 31 also generates a force for rotating the gears 605b and 605a. Here, if there is no stopper 607, the force by which the gear 605a is rotated by the own weight of the swing guide 31 is much larger than the force by which the gear 603 is pressed in the direction of the arrow E by the rotational force of the motor. Therefore, the meshing between the small gear portion of the gear 603 and the gear 605a is disengaged, and the swing guide falls by its own weight.

Therefore, by installing the stopper 607, the stopper 607a of the stopper 607 is
3 holds the gear shaft tip portion 603a,
The mesh between the gear 05a and the gear 603 does not separate, and the lowering speed of the swing guide 31 depends on the speed control of the motor.

Further, in order to discharge the sheet bundle stacked on the staple tray 38 to the downstream side in the transporting direction, the swing guide 31 is moved to a position where the sheet bundle is lowered to a position having a predetermined thickness and width. The paper roller 32 must be rotatable in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. FIG. 26 shows a state in which the swing guide 31 has been lowered to the above position.

When the swing guide 31 descends to the position shown in FIG. 26, the arm tip 31b of the swing guide 31 hits the stopper 607, and pushes the stopper 607 down to the position shown. At this position, the stopper 607a of the stopper 607 is disengaged from the tip end of the gear shaft 603a, and the gear 603 and the pendulum plate 608 can move in any direction of the arrow G about the axis of the gear 602.

Here, when the motor M (FIG. 23) rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow D in FIG. 25, the state becomes almost the same as the state shown in FIG. 24, and the sheet stacked on the staple tray 38 is discharged. The second paper discharge roller 32 can be rotated in the direction of arrow C.

On the other hand, in the stapling operation, since the sheets are sequentially discharged from the copying apparatus 100, the first sheet discharged from the next job is retained in the main body 1,
An operation is performed in which the sheet is discharged while being superposed on the second sheet.

The operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22. FIG. 19 shows a state in which the sheet S has begun to enter the apparatus main body 1.

The first sheet S1 discharged from the copying apparatus 100 is sent to the buffer path 8 because the upstream ends of the flappers 3 and 4 are located downward. The sheet S1 sent to the buffer path 8 is sent in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure so as to be wound around the buffer roller 9. Here, the flapper 39 rotates so that the sheet S1 is fed in the direction of the roller 15, and the sensor 11 detects the leading end of the sheet S1 and stops in a state as shown in FIG.

Then, as shown in FIG. 20, when the second sheet S2 enters, the buffer roller 9 starts rotating, and as shown in FIG. 21, the first and second sheets S1 , S2 are stacked and conveyed. Further, when the rear end of the first sheet S1 passes the position of the flapper 39, the flapper 39 rotates so that the sheet S is sent toward the discharge rollers 17 and 18 as shown in FIG. The sheets are discharged onto the staple tray 38 while being stacked.

By performing the above operations, the stapler 22
During the stapling operation, the discharge rollers 17 and
The sheet S is not ejected from 18, the stapling operation can be executed, and the operation of the copying apparatus 100 does not stop.

In order to further increase the time for performing the stapling operation, it is possible to wind the third or more sheets S around the buffer roller 9.

[0103]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A flexible alignment rotator that abuts and rotates on the sheet discharged onto the stacking means to move the sheet to the alignment abutment member side is forcibly moved to the alignment abutment member side by the alignment rotary body moving unit. Because it is deformed, the contact position of the alignment rotating body with respect to the sheet can be moved to the alignment abutting member side,
Even when a sheet having a large coefficient of friction, a sheet having an unstable coefficient of friction such as recycled paper, or a sheet where static electricity is easily charged is used, the sheet discharged onto the stacking means can be surely aligned. . Further, when the sheet bundle on the stacking unit is stapled by the binding unit, the staple consistency of the sheet bundle can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus to which a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the staple tray unit.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the staple tray unit.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the swing guide unit.

FIG. 7 is an operation diagram showing a state in which a snowboard shutter closes a space portion F;

FIG. 8 is an operation diagram of the swing guide unit in the staple mode.

FIG. 9 is an operation diagram for discharging a sheet to a second stacking tray of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 10 is an operation diagram in which sheets from the personal computer are stacked on a second stacking tray.

FIG. 11 is a view showing the operation of discharging sheets to a staple tray in the staple mode.

FIG. 12 is an operation diagram of a discharge alignment belt for aligning sheets on a staple tray.

FIG. 13 is an operation diagram of a discharge alignment belt for aligning sheets on a staple tray.

FIG. 14 is an operation diagram of a discharge alignment belt for aligning sheets on a staple tray.

FIG. 15 is an operation diagram of a discharge alignment belt that aligns sheets on a staple tray.

FIG. 16 is an operation diagram showing a state in which the set sheets are discharged to a staple tray.

FIG. 17 is an operation diagram during discharge of a sheet bundle after stapling.

FIG. 18 is an operation diagram showing a state after the sheet bundle is discharged after stapling.

FIG. 19 is an operation diagram showing a state where a sheet is carried into the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 20 is an operation diagram showing a state where the first sheet is wound around a buffer roller.

FIG. 21 is an operation diagram of a state in which the first and second sheets S1 and S2 are conveyed in an overlapping manner.

FIG. 22 is an operation diagram showing a state in which two sheets are discharged in a stacked state.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a drive mechanism of a swing guide and a second sheet discharging roller unit.

FIG. 24 is an operation diagram of the drive mechanism when the swing guide is lowered.

FIG. 25 is an operation diagram of the drive mechanism when the swing guide is raised.

FIG. 26 is an operation diagram of a drive mechanism in the same manner as the swing guide is being lowered.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S Sheet 1 Sheet Processing Device 13 Sheet Detecting Means 17 First Discharge Roller 18 Pressing Roller 17, 18 Discharge Means 19 Discharge Alignment Belt (Alignment Rotating Body) 20 Butt Member (Alignment Abutment Member) 22 Stapler (Binding Means) 31 Swing guide 32 Second discharge roller 33 Moving discharge roller 38 Staple tray (stacking means) 61 Belt roller 62 Belt moving arm 61, 62 Rotating body moving means 100 Copying apparatus main body (image forming apparatus main body) 108 Photosensitive drum (image forming section) )

Claims (6)

[Claims] An ejecting means for ejecting the sheet, a stacking means for placing the ejected sheet, an alignment striking member for striking and aligning a rear end of the sheet ejected on the stacking means, A deformable alignment rotator that abuts and rotates on the sheet discharged onto the stacking means to move the sheet toward the alignment abutting member; and A rotating body moving unit configured to move a contact position of the alignment rotating body toward the alignment abutting member; 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet detecting unit for detecting a sheet discharged to the stacking unit, wherein the rotating unit moving unit is driven a predetermined time after the detection of the sheet by the sheet detecting unit. A sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignment rotator rotates in synchronization with the discharge unit. 4. The seat according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body moving means is a rotatable belt moving arm for pushing an inner peripheral surface of the rotating body moving means. Processing equipment. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a binding unit that binds the sheet bundle aligned on the stacking unit. 6. A sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, an image forming section for forming an image on a sheet, a discharge unit for discharging the image-formed sheet to the sheet processing apparatus, An image forming apparatus comprising: