JPH11147651A - Sheet after processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To place upper/lower both surfaces of a sheet sheaf respectively into contact with a regulating means, surely adjusted, even in the case of simultaneously adjusting two sheets of sheets, in a sheet after processor. SOLUTION: The sheet after processor is provided with a pair of rollers 410 as a first adjusting means connected to a lower surface of a sheet accumulated on a processing tray 4 to place an end face of the sheet into contact with a vertical wall 4a of a regulating means, and a pair of paddles 420 as a second adjusting means connected to an upper surface of the sheet accumulated on the processing tray 4 to place an end face of the sheet into contact with the vertical wall 4a of a reference means, both the upper/lower surfaces of a sheet sheaf are placed respectively into contact with the regulating means, the sheet sheaf is surely adjusted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus used for aligning a plurality of sheets conveyed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile or a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of sheet post-processing apparatus,
A predetermined number of sheets conveyed from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine are stacked, aligned, and post-processed such as stapling. For this reason, the sheet is temporarily stocked on the sheet storage means, and the sheet is first brought into contact with the regulating means to align both ends in the sheet conveying direction.

In such a sheet post-processing apparatus,
A stacking tray is used as the sheet storage means, and the stacking tray is arranged obliquely with its upstream side downward and its downstream side upward in the sheet conveyance direction. Further, a reference surface for sheet alignment is provided by raising the upstream end of the stacking tray in a right angle direction. Further, a paddle is provided on the upstream side of the stacking tray so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the sheet and draw the sheet toward the reference surface. Therefore, when the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus is dropped onto the stacking tray, the sheet slides on the inclined surface of the stacking tray to the lower upstream side due to its own weight, and further, the sheet slides on the upstream side by the conveyance of the rotating paddle. It is hit against the reference plane at the end.
Thus, the sheets are aligned.

[0004]

However, in a conventional sheet post-processing apparatus, if a mechanism for simultaneously aligning two sheets is provided with an increase in the speed of the image forming apparatus, for example,
When trying to align these sheets with a paddle,
The paddle touches the upper sheet and rakes in toward the upstream, aligning the upper sheet, but the paddle does not contact the lower sheet, so the lower sheet cannot be conveyed toward the upstream reference plane . For this reason, there is a problem that an alignment failure occurs.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem. In a sheet post-processing apparatus, even when two sheets are aligned at the same time, both upper and lower surfaces of a sheet bundle are brought into contact with regulating means. The purpose is to ensure consistency.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, in a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, an end face of a sheet is brought into contact with a regulating means by contacting a lower surface of a sheet accumulated in a sheet accommodating means. A first means, and a second means for contacting the upper surface of the sheets stacked in the sheet storage means and abutting the end face of the sheet against the regulating means. Align the sheet bundle reliably.

[0007]

1 to 19 show a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 includes a post-processing apparatus main body 20 for executing predetermined processing and an integrated processing apparatus main body 50, each of which is an independent casing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the post-processing apparatus main body 20 transfers the image-formed sheets S sequentially discharged from the copying machine 2 to the collecting tray 3 when no post-processing is performed, and when the post-processing is performed, A front-stage conveyance unit 5 that conveys to the processing tray 4 (sheet storage unit) so as to be sortable, and an auxiliary tray 13 (shown in FIG. 4) disposed above the processing tray 4 and below the front-stage conveyance unit 5 so as to be able to advance and retreat. Aligning means 6 for aligning the plurality of sheets S received on the processing tray 4, and first gripping means 7 for gripping and transporting the aligned sheet bundle S '
And a stapler 8 for stapling the sheet bundle S ′ held by the first holding means 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, the post-processing apparatus main body 20 includes a vertical wall 20a serving as a reference surface for storing the sheet S with respect to the processing tray 4, an opening 20b through which the sheet S is discharged,
Rail grooves 20c and 20d that allow movement of an alignment member 30 and a holding member 34, which will be described later, a rail groove 20e that allows movement of the first holding means 7, and a sheet after stapling by being held by the first holding means 7. An opening 20f (FIG. 1) that allows the cooperative movement of the bundle S 'from the processing tray 4 to the two-stage stacking trays 9A and 9B is formed. The opening 20
f is parallel to the processing tray 4 as shown in FIG.
The stacking trays 9A and 9B are also parallel. Therefore, the sheet bundle S ′ is moved from the processing tray 4 to the collecting tray 9.
As a result, the sheet bundles S ′ to be stacked on the stacking trays 9A and 9B are properly maintained.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the stacking apparatus main body 50 includes stackable trays 9A and 9B for stacking the sheet bundle S 'after being bound by the stapler 8;
While being held by the first holding means 7, the stacking trays 9A, 9A
A second gripping unit 10 that inherits and grips the sheet bundle S ′ transported toward B and transports the sheet bundle S ′ to a predetermined position on the stacking trays 9A and 9B, as shown in FIGS.
Sheet height detection means (paper surface detection sensor) 1 for detecting the height of the sheet bundle S 'accumulated on the accumulation trays 9A and 9B.
1, an intermediate removal sensor 14 for detecting that an operator has removed all or a part of the sheet bundle while the sheet bundle is being accumulated on the accumulation trays 9A and 9B, and an operation of raising and lowering the accumulation trays 9A and 9B. 7 to 9, and a shutter 15 that is linked with the raising and lowering of the stacking trays 9A and 9B.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vertical wall 50a for positioning and alignment with which one side of the sheet bundle S 'conveyed to the stacking trays 9A and 9B abuts, as shown in FIG.
A horizontal opening 50b which allows the second gripping means 10 to move in the horizontal direction, and a vertical opening 50c which communicates with the horizontal opening 50b and allows the second gripping means 10 to rotate in the vertical direction. I have.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the main part of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 will be sequentially described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stacking tray 3 is obtained by inclining the upper portion of the outer frame of the post-processing apparatus main body 20, and its upstream side is located downward and its downstream side is located upward. A vertical wall 3a is formed from the upstream end of the stacking tray 3, and an opening 3b for discharging is provided in an upper portion of the vertical wall 3a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pre-stage conveying means 5 has a conveying port 21 opened on one side surface of the post-processing apparatus main body 20 on the rear side, and the conveying port 21 is connected to a discharge port (not shown) of the copying machine 2. )
Is matched to. A motor-driven conveying roller pair 22 is provided inside the conveying port 21. On the downstream side, the conveying path of the sheet S is connected to a path 24A on the upper stacking tray 3 and a processing tray on the lower side. 4 side route 24
A flapper 23A for switching to B is provided. The transport path 24A is provided with transport roller pairs 25A and 25B, and the transport path 24B is provided with discharge rollers 26A and 26B.
And a sensor 17 are provided. Also, the transport path 24
A reversing path 24C is provided between A and 24B. When the sheet S is turned over and discharged to the processing tray 4, when the rear end of the sheet passes the reversing flapper 23B provided in the conveying path 24A, the pair of conveying rollers The rotation of the rollers 25A and 25B is reversed to reverse the conveyance direction of the sheet S,
C. In addition, reversal flapper 2
A sensor 23C is attached to 3B.

The processing tray 4 is located below the collecting tray 3 and is inclined parallel to the collecting tray 3. In order to stap the sheets on which images have been formed by the stapler 8 every plural sheets, a series of sheets S
2 are sequentially transported in the discharge direction A by the discharge rollers 26A and 26B at the end of the path 24B. This processing tray 4
As shown in FIG. 3, a vertical wall 4a is formed with an inclined lower end rising up in a direction orthogonal to the tray surface, and an inner surface of which contacts one side of a sheet S extending in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the discharge direction A. Become. This vertical wall 4a is a regulating means for aligning the sheet S.

As shown in FIG. 10, the processing tray 4 also has a first rotating body (the first rotating body (the first rotating body) that contacts the lower surface of the stacked sheets S and abuts the end surface of the sheets S against the vertical wall 4a (restriction means). 1 matching means) 410 and this first rotating body 410
And a second rotating body (second aligning means) 420 that contacts the upper surface of the sheets S stacked on the processing tray 4 and similarly abuts the end surface of the sheet S against the vertical wall 4a. Have.

Here, a pair of rollers is used for the first rotating body 410. Hereinafter, the first rotating body 410 is simply referred to as a roller 410. As shown in FIG. 11, at least the center of the pair of rollers 410 is formed of a resin material having a high friction coefficient with respect to the sheet, such as a rubber material 411, and flanges 412 on both sides thereof have a friction coefficient higher than that of the rubber material 411. The sheet S is made of a resin material that is low and can slide. These rollers 410 are attached to the processing tray 4
And is fixed to both sides of a rotating shaft 413 arranged in the width direction of the processing tray 4 in the vicinity of the vertical wall 4a below the processing tray 4 and faces the opening 4b formed on the plane of the processing tray 4 and has a predetermined amount. Only slightly protruding. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
1 is attached, which is the second and third gears G2, G3.
The rollers 410 are operatively connected to the transport rollers 22 of the transport port 21 via the gears, and each of the rollers 410 is rotated at a constant speed together with the transport rollers 22. It is driven to rotate. Therefore, each roller 410 is constantly driven to rotate while the transport roller 22 is rotating, and is rotated in a direction for feeding the sheet S on each processing tray 4 toward the vertical wall 4a. The driving source of the pair of rollers 410 can be variously changed.

As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of paddle members having at least one alignment blade 420w is used for the second rotating body 420. Hereinafter, the second rotating body 42
0 is simply called paddle 420. This pair of paddles 420
The matching blade 420w is formed of a resin material having a high friction coefficient. As shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a predetermined height above the processing tray 4 and a vertical wall 4a.
And the torque limiter 4 on both sides of the rotating shaft 421 (as shown in FIG. 11, facing the peripheral surface of each of the pair of rollers 410) arranged in the width direction of the processing tray 4 a.
The alignment blades 420w of the paddle 420 can be brought into contact with the sheet S on the processing tray 4 via the processing tray 4. The torque limiter 430 on the rotating shaft 421 is operatively connected to the discharge roller 26 </ b> B of the preceding conveyance unit 5. Therefore, the torque limiter 430 is connected to the discharge roller 26B.
It can rotate in the same direction as. Torque limiter 430
In addition, the operation is controlled by engagement and disengagement of a paddle timing solenoid 440 disposed close to the torque limiter 430 with an operating unit. That is, while the paddle timing solenoid 440 is pulling the operating portion, the torque limiter 430 rotates the rotary shaft 4 that rotates together with the discharge roller 26B.
21 and the paddle 420 aligns the blade 420 w
Is held at a predetermined retracted position from the processing tray 4. Further, when the paddle timing solenoid 440 releases the pulling of the operating portion, the torque limiter 430 turns the rotation shaft 421
To rotate the paddle 420 together, and the alignment blades 420w transfer the sheet S on the processing tray 4 to the vertical wall 4.
It is rotated in the direction of scraping toward a. The driving source of the pair of paddles 420 can be variously changed.

The pair of paddles 420 rotate for a predetermined time at least between the time when the auxiliary tray 13 described later starts to transfer the sheet S onto the processing tray 4 and the time when the sheet conveyed from the copying machine 2 is received again. It is set as follows. As shown in the timing chart of FIG. 22, it is assumed here that the entire system of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 aligns two sheets S at the same time. The pair of paddles 420 is set to rotate only once each time it is dropped. Therefore, for a certain period of time before this timing, the torque limiter 430 is idled by the release of the pulling operation of the paddle timing solenoid 440, the rotation of the paddle 420 is stopped, and the auxiliary tray 13 is retracted (submerged). When the sheet S is dropped onto the processing tray 4, the torque limiter 430 is rotated integrally with the paddle 420 together with the rotation of the discharge roller 26B due to the pulling operation of the operating portion of the paddle timing solenoid 440.

The auxiliary tray 13 is a rectangular tray as shown in FIGS. 4 and 16, and is provided between the processing tray 4 and a discharge roller pair 26 which is rotated by the drive of the transport motor.
Are located. The auxiliary tray 13 includes the processing tray 4
The length is shorter and the width is narrower, and the processing tray 4 is provided to be able to move forward and backward on the reference position side. That is, the auxiliary tray 13
Are slidably supported by upper and lower guide rollers 45, and a pinion gear 47 is
Are slid and driven by the driving of the pinion gear 47 in conjunction with the driving of the auxiliary tray motor 48. still,
The illustrated state is a state in which the auxiliary tray 13 is moving forward.

In this manner, the auxiliary tray 13 temporarily receives the sheet conveyed from the copying machine 2 and transfers it to the lower processing tray 4 at a predetermined timing under the control of the entire system. is there. That is, while the series of sheets S is discharged onto the processing tray 4 and the sheet bundle S ′ is aligned, the sheet S advances before the next series of sheets S is conveyed, and the next sheet S is advanced. S
And the sheet bundle S being conveyed (during stapling)
′.

As shown in FIG. 17, the auxiliary tray 13 has a return function of transporting the sheet S in the return direction C opposite to the discharge direction A when the sheet S is placed on the auxiliary tray 13. Have. This return function is performed by the discharge roller 2
6A and a discharge roller 26B elastically contacting the discharge roller 26A
Is performed by The diameter of the discharge roller 26B is larger than that of the discharge roller 26A and is formed of a soft material, and the outer peripheral surface thereof comes into light contact with the sheet S on the auxiliary tray 13 so that the leading end of the sheet S comes into contact with the backing plate 20a. The sheet is sent in the return direction C.

Since only about one or two sheets S are placed on the auxiliary tray 13, a mechanism for changing the thickness of the sheets S is unnecessary. Further, the timing of the advance and retreat of the auxiliary tray 13 is such that the leading end of the sheet discharged by the discharge rollers 26A and 26B is disposed upstream of the processing tray 4 by the discharge rollers 26A and 26B as discharge means. The detection is performed based on the detection result of the detection sensor 17 in FIG. 4 that detects that the sheet reaches the upper sheet or the previous sheet S stacked on the processing tray 4.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of rail grooves 20c, 20d, and 20e extend in the processing tray 4 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet S discharging direction. Accordingly, when the sheets S are not stacked on the processing tray 4 and the first sheet S is directly discharged to the processing tray 4, the buckling of the leading end of the sheet S due to the height of the processing tray 4, Alternatively, the above-described rail grooves 20c, 20d, 20e
There is a fear that the device may be caught on the device. Further, even when the sheets S are stacked on the processing tray 4, there is a possibility that the leading end of the next sheet S abuts on the preceding sheet S and buckles. Furthermore, the above-mentioned sheet bundle S ′ and the next sheet S must be separated.

Therefore, the sheet S is detected by the detection sensor 17.
By detecting the leading end of the sheet S, the auxiliary tray 13 is advanced, and by detecting the trailing end of the sheet S by the detection sensor 17, the auxiliary tray 13 is retracted, thereby solving the above-described problem.

At this time, the sheet S is composed of a set of sheet bundle S '.
It is conceivable that a plurality of sheet sizes are mixed. Therefore, the retreat timing of the auxiliary tray 13 by the auxiliary tray motor 48 based on the sheet size information output from the copying machine 2 and the sheet detection result by the detection sensor 17 determines whether the sheet size information output from the copying machine 2 is larger. The smaller the size, the faster the buckling can be prevented in accordance with the sheet size. Even when the sheet sizes are not mixed, the evacuation timing may be set earlier as the sheet size becomes larger than an arbitrary sheet size (for example, A4 landscape).

Then, the sheet bundle S 'on the lower processing tray 4 is moved to the first holding means (transfer means) 7 as described later.
During the transfer to the stacking trays 9A and 9B, at least the auxiliary tray 13 holds the sheet S sent from the copying machine 2 side, but the first gripping means 7 moves the sheet bundle S 'to the After the transfer to the gripping means 10, the auxiliary tray 13 may be immersed (retracted) to drop the sheet S to the lower processing tray 4 side.

In order for the post-processing device to post-process the sheets S successively conveyed from the high-speed image forming apparatus at a high speed, the first gripping means 7 transfers the sheet bundle S 'to the stacking tray 9A, If it is necessary to transfer the sheet S to the auxiliary tray 13 until the sheet S is transported to the 9B side and returns to the original predetermined position, the speed of the post-processing is hindered.
Even if the auxiliary tray 13 drops the sheet S to the lower processing tray 4 side when the gripper 7 transfers the sheet bundle S ′ to the second gripper 10 and returns to the original predetermined position, the sheet S ′ is Since the sheet bundle S 'is placed on the first holding means 7 and is separated from the stacking trays 9A and 9B of the sheet bundle S', it is desirable to prevent the sheet S from jamming.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, the first sheet gripping means 7 flattens the upper part 41 and further places a member 41a such as a rubber sheet having a high friction coefficient on the upper part 41, thereby positively holding the sheet S. To be separated from the stacking trays 9A and 9B, so that the sheet bundle S 'is
After the sheet S has been delivered, it is possible to prevent the sheet S from being pulled in the same direction, thereby preventing the sheet S from being jammed or turned over.

FIG. 16 shows a state in which a relatively large sheet S is being conveyed to the processing tray 4.
In this case, the sheet S on the auxiliary tray 13 is supported so as to hang from the auxiliary tray 13 onto the processing tray 4. When a small-sized sheet S is conveyed, it can be placed only by the auxiliary tray 13.

The aligning means 6 is provided with a vertical wall 4a as a restricting means on the processing tray 4, in order to align the plurality of sheets S stored on the processing tray 4 in the discharge direction before and after, as described above. After making the sheet S abutable,
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a shutter type regulating member 30 is provided with a sliding type aligning member 30 on one side of the processing tray 4 so that the sheet S can be raised and lowered on one side and the other side, as shown in FIG. The means 31 is pressed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the moving mechanism of the alignment member 30 includes a rail 32 extending in the width direction below the processing tray 4.
A holding member 34 that supports the alignment member 30 so as to be able to travel by a conical roller 33 inside the rail 32 is provided.
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a belt 36 is hung between a pair of pulleys 35A and 35B, and a part of the holding member 34 is fixed in the middle of the belt 36.
Then, one pulley 35B is aligned with the alignment motor 37 (FIG. 19).
), The alignment member 30 moves. In this manner, while the sheet S is being sequentially conveyed in the discharge direction A, the alignment member 30 is in the retracted open position,
After a predetermined number of sheets S are received, the sheets are pressed against the regulating means 31 by advance and aligned.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18, the regulating means 31 includes a fixed plate 311 fixed to the inner wall of the post-processing device main body 20 via a bracket, a shutter solenoid 312 attached to the fixed plate 311 and a fixed member. A shutter plate 313 movably mounted on the plate 311 and operatively connected to a shutter solenoid 312 via a link mechanism.
And a retracting means for retracting the sheet S from the aligned end face of the sheet S.

Here, two guide rollers 314 are provided vertically on both sides of the fixed plate 311 to guide the shutter plate 313 in the elevating direction. As shown in FIG. 18B, the guide rollers 314 on each side and the upper and lower sides are arranged with their axes shifted, and the distance between the upper guide roller 314 and the fixed plate 311 is smaller than that of the lower guide roller 314. The distance from the fixed plate 311 is set to be slightly larger by a predetermined dimension. Therefore, a straight line connecting the upper and lower guide rollers 314 is set obliquely with respect to the vertical plane of the fixed plate 311.

Further, the shutter solenoid 312 is provided as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the first, second, third, and fourth link members 315, 316, 317, and 318 are fixed to the upper portion of one side of the fixed plate 311 and have an operation portion thereof.
Are sequentially connected. These link members 315, 3
16, 317, 318, the first and second link members 315, 316 are joined at two places, one of which is fixed, and the other is fixed plate 3
It is supported by a pin 319 fixed to 11.
The second and third link members 316 and 317 are pivotally supported by pivot pins 320. The third and fourth link members 317 and 318 are pivotally supported by pins 321 fixed to the shutter plate 313. This fourth
The link member 314 also has a guide pin 32 at one end thereof.
2 and a slit-shaped guide groove 323 at the other end, and an insertion hole 3 for inserting the pin 321 at substantially the center thereof.
24 is provided in a long hole shape toward the longitudinal direction of the link member 318.

On the other hand, the shutter plate 313 comprises a shutter portion 313S in which the shutter plate 313 is arranged to face the fixed plate 311 and guide portions 313G protruding at substantially right angles on both sides thereof. The shutter 313S has a pin 313P substantially at its center.
And a guide hole 313a in the form of a long hole is formed on one side in the vertical direction.
The upper and lower guide rollers 3 on both sides of the fixing plate 311
An elongated guide hole 313b is formed obliquely in the vertical direction corresponding to the oblique arrangement between the fourteen. The shutter plate 313 thus formed is a fixed plate 3
11 and the guide rollers 314 on both sides of the fixing plate 311 are inserted into the guide holes 312b on both sides and assembled, and the center pin 313P is inserted into the guide groove 323 of the fourth link member 318. The guide pin 322 of the fourth link member 318 is incorporated into one of the guide holes 313a.

The shutter plate 313 is moved up and down in the process of transporting one sheet bundle S 'from the processing tray 4 to the collecting trays 9A and 9B under the control of the entire sheet post-processing apparatus 1. Under the control, after the sheet S is aligned, the aligning member 30 is separated from the sheet bundle S ′, and the shutter plate 313 of the restricting unit 31 is retracted from the transport path to the next stage, and the transfer unit (first The sheet bundle S ′ is transported by the gripping means 7).
Under such control, the first, second, third, and fourth link members 31 are activated by the activation of the shutter solenoid 312.
5, 316, 317, and 318 are pivotally displaced upward, and the shutter plate 313 is moved to the guide holes 313b on both sides.
Is guided by the engagement of the guide rollers 314 on both sides of the fixing plate 311, and is lifted up while being separated obliquely upward from the alignment surface of the sheet bundle S ′, and is retracted from the conveying path of the sheet bundle S ′. When one sheet bundle S ′ is conveyed from the processing tray 4 to the stacking trays 9A and 9B, the sheet S serving as the base of the next sheet bundle S ′ is discharged onto the processing tray 4. In order to enable the alignment of the sheet S as a base, the shutter solenoid 31 is used.
By the operation of 2, the shutter plate 313 is lowered and brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet bundle S 'in the course of conveyance.

The first gripping means (transporting means) 7 sandwiches the rear end of the sheet bundle S 'aligned on the processing tray 4 from above and below and transports the sheet bundle S' in the transport direction B orthogonal to the discharge direction A. Further, as shown in FIG.
The movable frame 40 is provided with upper and lower sandwiching levers 41 that open and close, and a detailed mechanism is not shown, but one side of the sheet bundle S ′ is gripped with the operation of the bundle holding solenoid 43.
The movement of the holding lever 41 is performed by driving a holding lever motor 42 shown in FIG.

The stapler 8 binds the vicinity of the edge of the sheet bundle S 'with staples (binding needles), and is disposed near the front end of the vertical wall 20a of the processing tray 4 on the side of the stacking apparatus main body 50. I have.

The sheet bundle S 'to be bound by the stapler 8
The binding position and the number of bindings are performed as the first gripper 7 and the second gripper 10 convey. That is, when binding is performed at one location, the document is held by the first gripping means 7 and stopped while the sheet is conveyed at a predetermined position in accordance with the stapler 8 to perform binding. In the case of binding at two places, after binding and transporting by the first gripping means 7 and binding the first position to the stapler 8,
After switching to the second gripping means 10, the second position is bound to the stapler 8 and bound. Note that the stapler 8 may be provided so as to be movable in the discharge direction A so that the stapling position can be changed.

The stacking trays 9A and 9B are arranged in front of the processing tray 4, that is, in parallel to each other, shifted in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction A, and have recesses 9C for removal in the side edges on the upper surface.
9D is formed. Each of the stacking trays 9A and 9B is provided with a sheet presence / absence detection sensor 9E or 9F.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the stacking trays 9A and 9B are provided with side walls 50L,
A vertical wall 50a of the main body 50 of the integrated processing device serves as an integrated reference surface. The position of this accumulation reference plane is determined by the vertical wall 4a of the processing tray 4.
Is set at a distance d (see FIG. 10) in the discharge direction A from the position of.

Both ends in the width direction of the stacking trays 9A and 9B are:
The U-shaped elevating frame 52 is fixedly supported by the side walls 50L and 50R.
It is guided so as to be able to move up and down along a vertical groove 54 provided in L, 50R.

The upper frame 62 and the lower frame 63 on the back side of the main body 50 have a pulley 55,
A belt 57 is hung between the upper and lower pulleys 55, 56, and a driven gear 58 fixed to a rotation shaft of the pulley 55 meshes with a driving gear 59 of the accumulation tray motor 60 to rotate the upper pulley 55. Driven. The elevating frame 52 is fixed in the middle of the belt 57 by a fixture 52a, and moves up and down as the belt 57 runs.

A spring 65 is mounted between the lifting frame 52 and the upper frame 62.
The urging force of No. 5 obtains an upward carrying force, so that the weight of the sheet bundle S ′ on the stacking trays 9A and 9B does not excessively act on the stacking tray motor 60.

The elevating frame 52 is provided with a transmission type upper tray position detection sensor 61 and a lower tray position detection sensor 64, and is integrated depending on whether or not light is shielded by a light shielding plate 66 attached to the side wall 50R. The positions of the trays 9A and 9B can be detected.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the second holding means 10 is held by the first holding means 7 and is conveyed so as to be pushed out of the processing tray 4 onto the collecting tray 9A or 9B. The second holding means 10 has upper and lower holding levers 71 and 72 for pressing the upper surface and the lower surface of the sheet bundle S 'in a plane, and holding and releasing the sheet bundle S' by an opening / closing mechanism. At the same time, the held sheet bundle S ′ is transported by the transport mechanism in the transport direction B orthogonal to the discharge direction A. Further, the gripping portion of the sheet bundle S 'gripped in the inclined state is pivoted to a horizontal state by the pivoting mechanism, and is also slightly moved to the stacking trays 9A and 9B.

First, the upper holding lever 71 is pivotally supported at its base end by a first shaft 74 with respect to a swing frame 73, and the lower holding lever 72 is connected to the swing frame 73 by a second shaft 75. It is pivotally supported. A first arm 76 is pivotally supported on the first shaft 74 so as to rotate integrally with the partial gear 77, and a tip pin 76 a of the first arm 76 engages with a groove 71 a of the upper holding lever 71 to open and close. . Similarly, a second arm 78 is pivotally supported on the second shaft 75, and a tip pin 78a of the second arm 78 engages with a groove 72a of the lower holding lever 72 to open and close. 7
9, the gear portion 79 meshes with the partial gear 77 of the first arm 76, and the upper and lower holding levers 71 and 72 are rotated as the arms 76 and 78 rotate in conjunction with each other.
Is provided to rotate.

The other part of the partial gear 77 includes the swing frame 7
The drive gear 8 of the opening / closing motor 83 having the swing frame 73 mounted on the intermediate gear 81 which rotates with the pinion gear 80 supported by the pinion gear 80
2 mesh with each other to form an opening / closing drive mechanism. In addition,
The open / close state of the upper and lower holding levers 71 and 72 is detected by a sensor (not shown) of the operating piece 84 that rotates integrally with the upper holding lever 71.

At the time of opening and closing operation of the second gripping means 10, since the diameter of the partial gear 77 of the upper gripping lever 71 is large and the diameter of the gear portion 79 of the lower gripping lever 72 is small, their opening angles are different. 71 opens about 30 °, while the lower holding lever 72 opens about 90 ° downward (see FIG. 15).

The swing frame 73 has a swing shaft 85 at the lower end.
Accordingly, the movable frame 87 is pivotally supported by the movable frame 87. A rotating gear 89 is supported on a moving frame 87 by a shaft 88 parallel to a swing shaft 85, and an eccentric position of the rotating gear 89 and a rear portion of the swing frame 73 above the swing shaft 85 are connected by a link 90. With the rotation of the rotary gear 89, the swing frame 73 is swung via the link 90 between the retracted position in FIG. 14 and the protruding position in FIG.

A pinion gear 91 pivotally supported by the moving frame 87 in a direction orthogonal to the swing shaft 85 meshes with the outer peripheral gear portion of the rotary gear 89, and the moving frame 87 is engaged with an intermediate gear 92 integral with the pinion gear 91. The drive gear 93 of the swing motor 94 attached to the gears meshes to form a swing mechanism.

The transport mechanism of the moving frame 87 is such that a running member 95 protruding left and right in front of and behind the moving frame 87 is provided in a guide groove (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction formed in a guide frame 100 fixed to the main body. The moving frame 87 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (transport direction B).

A pulley 102 is provided inside and behind the guide frame 100 with a pulley shaft 101 (one is not shown).
And the belt 103 is hung. A moving frame 87 is fixed to a part of the belt 103 by a clamp member 104, a driven pulley 105 is fixed to an end of one pulley shaft 101, and a driving shaft of a transport motor 108 attached to a lower portion of the guide frame 100 is driven. A drive belt 106 is hung between the pulley 107 and the pulley 107.

Then, the moving frame 87 moves forward or backward in the conveying direction B together with the second gripping means 10 by the forward or reverse driving of the conveying motor 108. The initial position (home position) of the second gripping means 10 is a receiving position close to the processing tray 4 side.
Is moved to the intermediate stop position for binding and the most advanced discharge position. The opening and closing operation of the second gripping means 10 is performed at the initial position and the release position, and swinging is performed at the release position.

Further, such a transport mechanism, an opening / closing mechanism of the second gripping means 10 and a swing mechanism are arranged in the cover of the main body 50 of the stacking apparatus, the moving range is covered, and a slit-shaped horizontal The opening 50b is opened, the second gripping means 10 moves while holding the sheet bundle S 'along the horizontal opening 50b, and the upper and lower holding levers 71, 72 which swing at the discharge end protrude. .

As shown in FIG. 5, in the seat height detecting means 11, a rotation detecting body 110 having an arc-shaped tip is pivotally supported on the frame of the fixed portion.
The spring 11
1 is provided so as to be rotatable in and out. The tip of the rotation detector 110 can contact the upper surface of the sheet bundle S 'on the stacking trays 9A and 9B, and the amount of rotation detects the position of the upper surface of the sheet bundle S' on the processing tray 4 so that the processing tray 4 To control the vertical movement of

The operation of each mechanism is coordinated and controlled by a control unit, and the number of sheets, the number of sets, the presence or absence of staples, the staple position, and the like are set by an operator on the control panel, and the driving of each unit is controlled based on these settings. You.

When the stacking tray 9A passes through the horizontal opening 50b, the sheet bundle S 'on the stacking tray 9A is caught in the horizontal opening 50b or enters the stacking tray 9A as the stacking tray 9A tilts. A shutter plate 16 for opening and closing the horizontal opening 50b, and a drive unit 18 for moving the shutter plate 16 up and down.

As shown in FIG. 9, the shutter plate 16 is provided with long holes 16A at the top and bottom on both sides, and as shown in FIG. 8, is movable up and down by pins 16B provided on the side walls 50L and 50R. It is supported by. The shutter plate 16 has a horizontal opening 16C and openings 16D to 16D.
16F is provided.

The opening 16D is, as shown in FIG.
The shaft 16H is supported by 6G and is covered with a movable plate 16J that rotates. As shown in FIG.
It is pushed out by the 0 rotation operation.

A lift plate 16K is supported on both sides of the opening 16E by guides 16L so as to be able to move up and down, and is pushed down by the rotation of the second gripping means 10 as shown in FIG. The return is performed by the spring 16M. Therefore, when the second gripping means 10 does not rotate, the movable plate 16J and the elevating plate 16K are closed, which is safe.

The opening 16F is a hole through which the rotation detectors 110 and 14A of the sensors 11 and 14 enter and exit.

The shutter plate 16 is provided with a rack 16N, an open position detecting lever 16P, and a closed position detecting lever 16Q.

On the other hand, a support frame 18A is horizontally mounted between the side walls 50L and 50R, and includes a driving unit 18, a sensor 18B for detecting an open position detecting lever 16P, and a sensor 18C for detecting a closed position detecting lever 16Q. Is provided.

The driving section 18 includes a pulse motor 18D, a timing pulley 18E, a timing belt 18F,
It has a timing pulley 18G and a pinion 18H that meshes with the rack 16N.

When the copying operation is started, the shutter plate 16 is lowered to open the horizontal opening 16C in line with the horizontal opening 50b, and is raised and closed when the set number of copying operations is completed.

By the way, the various driving systems described above correspond to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the parallel I / O 1 is controlled by input / output signals from the CPU 120 and storage means 121 such as ROM and RAM.
The drive 22 is controlled.

Next, a post-processing step of the sheet S will be described with reference to FIGS. In the flowcharts of FIGS. 20 and 21 showing a series of post-processing steps and the timing chart of FIG. 22, it is assumed that two sheets S (of the same size) are stapled as a sheet bundle S ′ and then stacked. In addition, the numbers attached to the reference character M in the drawing indicate the operation divisions of each unit or the operation time.

One of the two trays 9A and 9B is moved to the discharge port depending on the state of the paper presence / absence detection sensors 9E and 9F and the tray position detection sensors 61 and 64 on the accumulation trays 9A and 9B. When the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 2 is started, the motor 18D is driven, the shutter plate 16 is lowered, and the opening position detecting lever 16P is
When B is detected, the motor 18D stops. In this state, the horizontal opening 50b coincides with the horizontal opening 16C of the shutter plate 16, and the opening 50b is opened as shown in FIG.

In the flowchart, as an initial setting, the number of conveyed sheets N of the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 is set.
= 0, and the sheet alignment flag is set to F0 = 0 assuming that the previously conveyed sheet has been aligned.
(Alignment completed) (S1, S2). The sheet S is sequentially discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 (S3), and at this time, the auxiliary tray 13 is protruded and conveyed to increase the N,
A series of plural (two) sheets S are stacked (S4, S
5, S6), N = 0 is set for the next transport (S7). Assuming that the sheets have been aligned (S8), the auxiliary tray 13 enters and the sheet bundle S 'falls onto the processing tray 4 and is stored (S9, S10).

At this time, a pair of rollers 410 protruding from the processing tray 4 are rotated at a constant speed together with the transport roller 22 of the upstream transport means 5. Further, at the time when the auxiliary tray 13 is retracted and stored by the completion of the discharge of the second sheet, the paddle timing solenoid 440 and the torque limiter 430 cooperate to directly above the pair of rollers 410 above the processing tray 4. The pair of arranged paddles 420 is rotated only once. Therefore, the pair of paddles 420 on the pair of rollers 410 rotating at a constant speed
Is rotated to hold down the sheet S on the processing tray 4, and the pressing force generates a conveying force on the sheet S. That is, the lower sheet is pulled in by the pair of rollers 410 toward the vertical wall 4a under the inclination of the processing tray 4, and the sheet end face is abutted. On the other hand, the upper sheet is scraped in the same direction by a pair of paddles 420, and the sheet end face is abutted. In this way, one side of the two sheets S comes into contact with the regulating means on the storage end face, and the left and right directions of the sheets are aligned (M1: operation of a sheet ejection sensor and a conveyance motor not shown). When the alignment of the processing tray 4 with the regulating means is completed, the two sheets S are transferred to the pair of rollers 410.
The upper part is supported by the flanges 412 on both sides and is in a floating state. Since the flanges 412 on both sides have a smaller coefficient of friction than the rubber material 411 at the center of the peripheral surface of the roller 410, the sheet S is easily slid in the axial direction of the roller 410. Subsequently, the alignment member 30 is moved, and the sheet S is easily pushed from the rear side, and the front side is pressed against the shutter plate 313 of the regulating means 31. In this way, the front-back direction of the sheet S is aligned (S11, M2: alignment). During alignment of the sheets S (F0 = 1), the auxiliary tray 13 is protruded when a next series of sheets S is carried in (M0).
3) The next sheet S is held and separated from the sheet S being aligned and conveyed below (S11 to S14).

FIG. 23 shows a state in which the sheet bundle S ′ is transported from the processing tray 4 to, for example, the stacking tray 9A (to the left in FIG. 23) by the first gripping means 7 for the second gripping. The process up to the transfer to the means 10 is shown. 3A, 3B, and 3C show states in which the conveyance of the sheet bundle S 'proceeds sequentially.
The stapler 8 and the stapler 8 are in a fixed position during the moving stroke.

When the alignment is performed, the first gripping means 7 moves to the initial position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 12) (S15, M
Four). At this time, the second gripping means 10 is at the initial position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 12) (S16). Here, a flag indicating whether or not the sheet bundle S 'is being transferred is set to F1 = 0 (not being transferred) (S17). The sheet bundle S in the above alignment state
'The rear side is gripped (nipped) by the first gripping means 7 (S18, S19, M5, shown by a chain line in FIG. 23A).

The shutter plate 313 of the regulating means 31 is raised (S20, M6). At this time, the shutter plate 313 is lifted and retracted while being separated obliquely upward with respect to the alignment surface of the sheet bundle S ', so that the load due to contact with the sheet bundle S' is small when the shutter plate 313 is raised, and the driving force is reduced. I have. After waiting for a new transfer of the sheet bundle S 'in this way (F1 = 1, S21), the sheet bundle S' is made movable in the transport direction B, and then the first gripping means 7 is driven forward to move it by a predetermined amount. By moving the sheet bundle S ′ forward to the first staple position in the direction of the stacking tray 9A intersecting the discharge direction A (S22, M7, indicated by a solid line in FIG. 23A), the stapler is moved. The first position is bound by 8 (S23, M8). When the shutter plate 313 of the restricting means 31 rises, it immediately descends after waiting for the sheet bundle S 'to enter. However, the sheet bundle S' is lightly pressed in this lowered state, and the passage is enabled. ing.

Subsequently, the first holding means 7 moves further forward and stops at the second stapling position (S24,
M9, (b) of FIG. 23, and the state of the solid line of FIG. 3). At this time, the second gripping means 10 is moved to the initial position on the processing tray 4 side (FIG. 1).
2, the position of the solid line in FIG. 13), and swings to the retreat position in FIG.
The gripping means 10 inherits and grips one side of the sheet bundle S 'in the inclined state on the reference position side in the stopped state (S25, M10).

After performing the above-described gripping by the second gripping means 10, the gripping of the first gripping means 7 is released (S26,
M11, (c) in FIG. 23), the first gripping means 7 moves to the holding position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 12) to hold the next sheet bundle S '(S27), and the next sheet bundle S 'Can be transferred (S28). Then, the second position is bound by the stapler 8 (S29, M12). The transfer amount of each of the staple positions is set for the first gripping means 7 based on an instruction from the operator.

Subsequently, the second gripping means 10 moves to the front release position (the position indicated by the dashed line in FIGS. 12 and 13), ends the transport in the transport direction B, and stops (S30, M13). At this release position, the second gripping means 10 is swung from the retreating swinging position shown in FIG. 14 to the protruding position shown in FIG. 15, and the gripping state by the second gripping means 10 becomes a horizontal state and in the transport direction. It is moved in a direction orthogonal to B (S31, M14).
When the second gripping means 10 swings from the retracted swinging position in FIG. 14 to the projecting position in FIG. 15, the movable plate 16J is rotated by the second gripping means 10 and the elevating plate 16K is lowered. .

An end position corresponding to the reference position on the processing tray 4 is gripped and conveyed by the second gripping means 10 as shown in FIG. 14, and is swung to the state shown in FIG. The end is moved to the stacking tray 9A side. The moved position substantially coincides with the reference surface 50a of the stacking tray 9. With this movement, the end of the sheet gripped becomes horizontal (M14), and the upper and lower holding levers 71, 7
2 is opened as indicated by the chain line (S32, M1
5) The gripped sheet bundle S 'falls downward and is discharged as it is, and is stacked on the sheet bundle S' already accumulated on the accumulation tray 9.

At this time, the end of the sheet bundle S 'does not largely deviate from the end of the sheet bundle S' stacked below, and the end of the falling sheet bundle S 'is shifted downward.
Stack without being locked at the staple position.

In the state where the second gripping means 10 is released, the swinging frame 73 is retracted (S33, M16), and then the transporting direction B is set so that the second gripping means 10 returns to the initial state.
(S34, M17).
At this time, even if the next sheet bundle S ′ is sent out, the sheet bundle S ′ does not interfere with the upper sheet holding levers 71 and 72 because the upper sheet holding levers 71 and 72 are sufficiently opened.
Subsequently, in the initial position, the closing operation is performed and the next sheet bundle S
'Can be gripped.

As described above, when the second gripping means 10 is swung horizontally (M14), the actuator (bundle holding solenoid) 112 operates, and the rotation detecting body 110 enters the sheet bundle holding state ( S35) The seat height is detected (S36), the operation of the actuator 112 is subsequently released, and the holding state is released (S37, M1).
8). When it is higher than the predetermined position, the collecting tray 9A is
The lowering operation is performed to a predetermined level by the operation of the lifting / lowering means 12 (S
38, M19). Further, when the sheet bundle S ′ that has been accumulated in the middle is taken out by the operator, the sheet bundle S ′ is moved up in response to the detection of the middle take-out sensor 14.

Since the second gripping means 10 is moved within the cover when transported in the front-rear direction, the second gripping means 10
And a transport mechanism for the sheet bundle S ′ on the accumulation tray 9A.
Does not interfere with the operator trying to retrieve the.
Further, since the sheet bundle S ′ is conveyed in a gripped state,
During the conveyance, the alignment of the sheet bundle S 'is not disturbed.
Here, when the sensor 11 detects that a predetermined number or more sheets have been stored in the stacking tray 9A, for example, the motor 60 shown in FIG. 5 is driven to raise the elevating frame 52 and store the lower tray 9B. Stops when moved to position.
At this time, the shutter 15 is closed and the stacking tray 9 is closed.
The sheet on A does not enter the horizontal opening 50b. Thereafter, the sheet bundle is similarly accumulated on the accumulation tray 9B.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the copying machine 2 as an image forming means has been described.
Can be applied to various types of image forming means (image recording apparatus) such as a printing machine (including a laser printer) and a facsimile, in addition to being applied to both digital and analog systems.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a front external perspective view of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view in which a part of the sheet post-processing apparatus is broken.

FIG. 4 is a side view in which a part of the main body of the post-processing apparatus is cut away.

FIG. 5 is a side internal structure diagram of the integrated processing apparatus main body.

FIG. 6 is a front internal structural diagram of an integrated processing apparatus main body.

FIG. 7 is a front external view of an integrated processing apparatus main body.

FIG. 8 is a structural view of the back surface of the shutter 15.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a mechanism of the shutter 15;

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a roller, a paddle, and a driving mechanism provided for the processing tray.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a positional relationship between a roller and a paddle.

FIG. 12 is a plan sectional view of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front view of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a side surface of the sheet post-processing apparatus in an initial state of a second gripping unit.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a side surface of the sheet post-processing apparatus in a state where a sheet bundle is dropped by a second gripping unit.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an auxiliary tray in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of an auxiliary tray in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged front view illustrating a regulating unit in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a control system of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 20 is a first half flowchart showing a post-processing step of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 21 is a second half flowchart illustrating a post-processing step of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 22 is a timing chart illustrating a post-processing step of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIGS. 23A to 23C are explanatory diagrams illustrating, in chronological order, steps of transferring a sheet bundle from a processing tray to a collecting tray in a post-processing step of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S sheet S 'sheet bundle 1 sheet post-processing device 2 copying machine (image forming means) 4 processing tray (sheet storing means) 4a vertical wall (regulating means) 410 roller (first rotating body, first aligning means) 411 Rubber material 412 Flange 420 Paddle (second rotating body, second aligning means) 420w Alignment blade 7 First holding means (transfer means) 8 Stapler (post-processing means) 9A, 9B Stacking tray (stacking section) 10 Second Holding means (transfer means) 13 Auxiliary tray (auxiliary loading section) 30 Alignment member 31 Regulation means

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising: a sheet storage unit configured to store a sheet supplied from an image forming apparatus; and performing a predetermined process on a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit. Regulating means for regulating the edge of the sheet to be processed, and first and second aligning means for contacting the upper surface and the lower surface of the sheet bundle accommodated in the sheet accommodating means and abutting the end surface of the sheet against the regulating means. Sheet post-processing equipment. 2. A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising a sheet storage unit for storing a sheet supplied from an image forming apparatus, and performing a predetermined process on a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit. Regulating means for regulating the edge of the sheet to be transported, and temporarily receiving the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus located above the sheet accommodating means and delivering it to the lower sheet accommodating means at a predetermined timing. An auxiliary stacking portion, first alignment means for contacting the lower surface of the sheet transferred to the sheet storage means and abutting the end face of the sheet against the regulating means, and contacting the upper surface of the sheet transferred to the sheet storage means. And a second aligning means for abutting the end face of the sheet against the regulating means. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first and second aligning means are first and second rotating bodies, respectively, and the first and second rotating bodies are arranged to face each other. 3. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to 1 or 2. 4. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotating body is a roller, and the second rotating body is a paddle having at least one alignment blade. 5. The second rotating body rotates for a predetermined time at least between the time when the auxiliary stacking unit starts delivering a sheet to the sheet processing unit and the time when the second rotating body receives the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus again. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein 6. The sheet post-processing device according to claim 4, wherein at least the center of the peripheral surface of the roller is formed of rubber, and both sides are formed of a material having a smaller coefficient of friction than rubber. 7. A transfer means for transferring a sheet bundle on which predetermined processing has been performed on the sheet storage means in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which sheets are conveyed from the image forming apparatus.
Or the sheet post-processing apparatus according to 2.