JPH115667A - Postprocessor of image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a postprocessor that is compact in size and inexpensive in cost while quipping a punching function, and also installable even in the existing image forming device. SOLUTION: In this postprocessor 1 of an image forming device M, made up so as to receive a sheet discharged out of this image forming device M from an inlet part 10, and discharge it after applying a required process inside, two gate means (feed rollers 15a and 15b) stopping a tip edge of the moving sheet are installed in the point midway a route feeding the sheet, while a punch press 50 is set up in the specified position so as to be punchable from the tip edge of the sheet stopped once, and further such a space for play 55 as capable of bending the sheet is installed in a spot short of this punch press 50.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention accepts an image-recorded sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, a printing machine, etc. from an introduction section, performs necessary processing inside, and discharges the sheet. It relates to a post-processing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is a post-processing apparatus which takes in an image-recorded sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, performs internal sorting, inversion, binding, and other necessary processing, and discharges the processed sheet. Conventionally.

[0003]

If a punching device is incorporated in the post-processing device, the sheet can be punched. For this purpose, the sheet is completely taken into the post-processing device and stopped, and the punching device is arranged with the aim of punching on the stationary sheet. However, this structure requires a large space for taking in the sheet and stopping the sheet, and there is a problem that the size of the post-processing device is increased.

On the other hand, before the sheet is completely taken into the post-processing apparatus, that is, when the sheet is stopped while the second half of the sheet is held in the image forming apparatus, the size of the post-processing apparatus is reduced. It becomes possible.
However, in such a case, it is necessary to change the control of the image forming apparatus in order to stop the sheet, so that the cost is high, and further, there is a problem that the image forming apparatus cannot be used in the existing image forming apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing apparatus which has a punching function, is compact and inexpensive, and can be attached to an existing image forming apparatus. .

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus which receives a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus from an introduction section, performs necessary processing inside the sheet, and discharges the processed sheet. In the post-processing apparatus, a gate means for stopping the leading edge of the moving sheet is provided in the middle of the sheet feeding path, and a punching device is installed so that the sheet can be punched at a predetermined position from the leading edge of the temporarily stopped sheet. Further, the present invention provides a post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus, in which a play space for allowing a sheet to bend is provided in front of a punching device.

In the above post-processing apparatus, the leading end of the sheet is stopped by the gate means and punched by the punch. On the other hand, the sheet feeding of the image forming apparatus is continued irrespective of the operation of the post-processing apparatus, and the latter half of the sheet is fed toward the post-processing apparatus even during the punching process. Therefore, the sheet
During the perforation process, only the leading end is stopped by the gate means, so that the intermediate portion bends in a loop and escapes into the play space. Then, after the punching process is completed, the sheet feeding of the post-processing device is restarted.

Further, as set forth in claim 2, a feed roller may be provided in the middle of the path for feeding the sheet, and the feed roller may be ON / OFF controlled to serve as the gate means. By doing so, there is no need to provide a gate means independently, which is advantageous in cost.

The feed roller preferably has a structure in which two drive rollers are opposed to each other. If the feed roller is formed by two drive rollers in this manner, the resistance increases when the feed roller is stopped, and the stop position of the sheet becomes constant because the sheet hardly runs idle even if the sheet collides.

[0010]

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the post-processing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the post-processing apparatus partially seen through, and FIG.
4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a passage route and a branch path, FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of a branch path and a main part of an inclined reversing tray, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of sheet conveying means, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the inclined reversing tray, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the tray guide and the feed roller, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of an introduction portion showing another form of the play space. is there.

As shown in FIG. 2, the post-processing apparatus 1 has an appearance in which an upper tray 3a and a lower tray 3b are arranged side by side on a box-shaped body 2, and as shown by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. It is attached to the side on the discharge side of M. A moving wheel 4 is provided on the bottom surface of the post-processing apparatus 1 and is movable within a range that does not come off the rail member 5 of the image forming apparatus M. The post-processing apparatus 1 is moved by holding the handle 6 provided at the center of the front surface of the lower tray 3b, for example, when collecting punched dust and removing the jammed sheet S, which will be described later. If the post-processing device 1 is moved by holding the handle 6 provided on the tray in this way, even if the sheet S is placed on the tray and the center of gravity is shifted to the tray side, the handle 6 Balance can be achieved with the applied force. Therefore, the moving operation of the post-processing device 1 can be performed smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 1, the post-processing apparatus 1 detects a safety switch 8 which is pressed by a pin 7 of the image forming apparatus M and is turned on, that is, a connection between the post-processing apparatus 1 and the image forming apparatus M. A safety switch 8 is provided, and when the post-processing apparatus 1 is separated from the image forming apparatus M, the safety switch 8 is provided.
Operates to automatically turn off the power of the post-processing apparatus 1. By providing the safety switch 8, there is no danger of electric shock when the post-processing apparatus 1 is separated from the image forming apparatus M and work is performed, compared with a structure in which the power supply is manually turned on and off one by one. There is no simple mistake of turning on the power when connected to M.

The head of the post-processing apparatus 1 is provided with an openable lid member 1a as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The post-processing apparatus 1 has an upper tray 3a and a lower tray 3
b, two discharge units 9a and 9b are provided.

Next, the internal structure of the post-processing apparatus 1 will be described. On the side of the post-processing apparatus 1 facing the image forming apparatus M, an introduction section 10 for the sheet S is formed at substantially the same height as the discharge section 9a of the upper tray 3a.
0 is provided with an introduction guide 12 that can swing about a short axis 11 (see FIG. 1). The introduction guide 12 is adapted to fit into the discharge port M1 of the image forming apparatus M, stabilizes the cam surface 12a by placing its own cam surface 12a on the step portion M2 of the discharge port M1, and allows the post-processing apparatus 1 to perform image forming. When detached from the device M, it loses its support and its tip is lowered by its own balance.

[0015]

[Passing path] The path from the introduction section 10 to the upper discharge section 9a is a passing path 13. This passage 13
A pair of upper and lower sheet guides 14 following the introduction guide 12
And first feed rollers 15 a and 15 b facing the middle of the sheet guide 14 and second feed rollers 16 a and 16 b located near the discharge unit 9.

Of the first feed rollers 15a and 15b, the upper roller 15a is a rotatable so-called idler roller, and the lower roller 15b rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Roller. Then, the sheet S is conveyed at the same speed as the sheet feeding speed of the image forming apparatus M with the sheet S interposed between the two feed rollers 15a and 15b. The rotating shaft 17 of the lower feed roller 15b
Has a well-known clutch mechanism, not shown, and the transmission from a power source (not shown) is intermittently operated by the function of the clutch mechanism to switch the feed roller 15b between a rotating state and a stopped state. Further, the clutch mechanism has a so-called one-way structure in which power is transmitted only in a certain direction. When a reverse rotation phenomenon occurs in which the conveying speed of the sheet S exceeds the feeding speed of the feeding roller 15b, the feeding roller 15b It switches to follow following. As such a one-way clutch mechanism, for example, a ball siren ratchet employed between a sprocket and a shaft of a bicycle can be applied.

The upper roller 16a of the second feed rollers 16a and 16b is a rotatable idle roller, and the lower roller 16b rotates counterclockwise integrally with the rotary shaft 18 in FIG. Roller. Then, the sheet S is conveyed at the same speed as the sheet feeding speed of the image forming apparatus M with the sheet S interposed between the two feed rollers 16a and 16b. The upper feed roller 16 a is attached via a resilient arm 21 to a movable sheet guide 20 that can swing about a hinge 19. Therefore, the upper feed roller 16a can be opened integrally with the sheet guide 20 when a sheet jam occurs in the passage path 13. The sheet guide 20 has a knob 20a at its tip.
And the tip of the knob 20a is connected to the lid member 1a.
It protrudes outside from underneath. Therefore, if the end of the sheet guide 20 is lifted by holding the knob 20a, the lid member 1a can be opened together.

[0018]

[Tilted reversal tray] In the area just below the passing path 13,
An inclined reversing tray 23 is provided via a branch path 22 described later. The inclined reversing tray 23 is inclined so that the end on the discharge section 9b side is higher, and the lower end is
That is, the sheet stopper 24 is provided at the end on the introduction unit 10 side. The inclination of the inclined reversing tray 23 is determined by the angle α formed between the sheet S and the surface on the high side of the inclined reversing tray 23 when the sheet S sent from the branch path 22 described later contacts the inclined reversing tray 23 (see FIG. 1). (Hereinafter simply referred to as approach angle α)) is set to be an acute angle.

The inclined reversing tray 23 has a sheet S on its upper surface.
In order to reduce the friction with the sheet S, a plurality of ribs 25 protrude from the upper surface. Further, a tray guide 26 is provided above the inclined reversing tray 23, and a plurality of sheets S can be stored between the tray guide 26 and the tray guide 26. The tray guide 26 also has a plurality of ribs 27 protruding from the surface for the purpose of reducing friction with the sheet S.

The inclination reversing tray 23 is provided with an alignment unit 29 for aligning one side of the stored sheet S with the fixed reference wall 28 on one side. The alignment unit 29 includes an L-shaped sliding member 2 provided at an end opposite to the fixed reference wall 28.
9a and a swing arm 29b for moving the sliding member 29a
Consists of The sliding member 29a fits into a slit 23a formed in the inclined reversing tray 23 and can linearly slide in a direction orthogonal to the sheet S feeding direction. On the other hand, the swing arm 29b is configured to reciprocate within a certain range by a drive source such as a motor or a solenoid (not shown).
The sliding member 29a is moved in conjunction with the swing arm 29b as shown in FIG.
A reciprocating linear motion is performed between the solid line and the two-dot chain line. The contact point between the sliding member 29a and the swing arm 29b is provided with a leaf spring-shaped cushion member 29c as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6, and when a large resistance is applied to the sliding member 29a, The cushion member 29c bends and the sliding member 29a
To prevent excessive movement.

FIG. 5 shows the bottom of the inclined reversing tray 23.
The sheet conveying means 30 as shown in FIG. The sheet conveying means 30 includes an endless timing belt 3 circulating along the bottom surface of the inclined reversing tray 23.
1 and a T-shaped feeding claw 32 projecting from the timing belt 31, and the feeding claw 32 is projected from a traveling line 33 opened on the inclined reversing tray 23, and the timing belt 3
1 makes only the feed claw 32 tilt the reversal tray 23
It protrudes from the upper surface of the vehicle and runs. Two sets of the timing belt 31 and the traveling line 33 are provided at an interval, and the sheet S on the upper surface of the inclined reversing tray 23 is pressed evenly by two feeding claws 32.

It should be noted that two feed claws 32 are provided for one timing belt 31 so that they alternately protrude from the upper surface of the inclined reversing tray 23, so that useless movement of the timing belt 31 is prevented. Efficiency is improved by eliminating it. Further, since the feed claw 32 performs an operation of pushing the sheet S in contact with the edge of the sheet S, the key portion may be formed in an inverted L-shape to face the sheet S in order to fulfill its function. The reason why the feed claw 32 is intentionally formed in the T-shape is to improve the workability by attaching the feed claw 32 in either direction and to prevent the occurrence of defective products due to a work mistake. Further, the timing belt 31 of the sheet conveying means 30 is merely an example, and other than that, a chain or a string may be used, or
The feed claw 32 may be run by a linear motor.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the inclined reversing tray 23 is formed with a notch 34 at one corner of the sheet stopper 24, and an electric stapler 35 attached to the body 2 side. It faces the notch 34. Stapler 3
5 is set so that the binding point is optimized by slightly moving the stationary sheet S hitting the sheet stopper 24 upward. Therefore, when the stapler 35 is operated, the bundle of sheets S is moved by the sheet conveying means 30 to the binding point of the stapler 35, and the sheet S is temporarily stopped there. By doing so, the stapler 35 can be arranged closer to the center of the body 2, which is effective in reducing the size of the entire post-processing apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 7, the inclined reversing tray 23 has a bulging portion 23b formed around the notch portion 34. As shown in FIG. Also, a bulging portion 26a is formed at a position facing the bulging portion 23b of the inclined reversing tray 23, and both bulging portions 23b, 2b are formed.
6a makes the gap between the inclined reversing tray 23 and the tray guide 26 narrower than other portions. The bulging portion 23
The b and 26a may not be provided on both the tilt reversing tray 23 and the tray guide 26, but may be provided on only one of them.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, reference numeral 36 denotes a sheet sensor provided on the fixed reference wall 28, which detects the presence or absence of the sheet S based on a signal from the sheet sensor, thereby preventing the stapler 35 from hitting idly. Reference numerals 37 and 38 denote two sheet sensors provided on the sheet stopper 24.
The signals of the two sheet sensors 37 and 38 are combined to combine the size of the sheet S (in this embodiment, the A4 size indicated by a two-dot chain line (see reference sign SA) and the letter size indicated by a one-dot chain line (reference sign). SL) are detected. Reference numeral 39 denotes a home position sensor of the feed claw 32, and a protruding piece 32a protruding from the feed claw 32.
Is detected, and the timing belt 31 is controlled by the signal to stop the feed claw 32 at the home position. As described above, the optical sensors are used as the sensors 36 to 38 in the embodiment, but a micro switch, a reed switch, or the like may be used. Further, in FIG. 5, reference numeral 40 denotes a support base of the sheet conveying means 30 and reference numeral 41 denotes a shaft 4.
2, a pulley for the timing belt 31 attached to the belt 2;
Reference numeral 4 denotes a drive motor for the timing belt 31.

[0026]

[Branch Path] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, a branch path 22 is provided between the passage path 13 and the inclined reversing tray 23. The branch path 22 is formed by the tray guide 2
6 and a branch feeder extending over the tray guide 26 and the body 2. The branch feed means is third feed rollers 45a and 45b attached to the tray guide 26 and the body 2, respectively. Third feed roller 45
a and 45b, the roller 45a of the tray guide 26 is a rotatable idle roller, and the other roller 45b
Is a driving roller that rotates clockwise in FIG. 4 integrally with the rotating shaft 46. Then, both feed rollers 45a, 45
b and the first feed roller 15 with the sheet S interposed therebetween.
The sheet S is conveyed at a higher speed (in the embodiment, approximately doubled) than the sheet feed speeds a and 15b (= the sheet feed speed of the image forming apparatus M). Although not shown, the feed roller 45a on the tray guide 26 side is attached via an elastic arm similar to the second feed roller 16a, and is in contact with the feed roller 45b with a predetermined pressure.

The third feed roller 45a of the branch path 22,
The mounting position of 45b is set so that the distance from the contact point of the feed rollers 45a and 45b to the sheet stopper 24 of the inclined reversing tray 23 is shorter than the sheet length. Therefore, even if the leading end of the sheet S reaches the sheet stopper 24, the trailing end of the sheet S still remains on the feed rollers 45a and 45b.
a, 45b push the rear end, and further impeller 47 described later
The leading edge of the sheet S surely hits the sheet stopper 24 because the blade pushes the blade.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, a plurality of impellers 47 are fixedly mounted on the rotating shaft 46 of the third feed roller 45b. The blades of the impeller 47 are elastic and easily bend on the seat surface as shown by the broken line in FIG. The impeller 47 is always rotating integrally with the rotating shaft 46, and the trailing end of the sheet S is
At the moment when the sheet S is separated from the sheet S, the rear end of the sheet S is kicked out toward the upper end of the inclined reversing tray 23.

[0029]

[Switching gate] The first feed rollers 15a and 15b and the second feed rollers 16a and
An oscillating switching gate 48 is provided between 16b. The switching gate 48 is connected to a solenoid (not shown) via a drive shaft 49. When the solenoid is excited, the end is lowered as shown by the solid line in FIG. In the state where the solenoid is demagnetized, the end is raised as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The switching of the flow path by the switching gate 48 is an alternative, and the branch path 22 is closed while the passage path 13 is open.
Conversely, the passage route 13 is closed with the branch route 22 opened.

[0030]

[Punching Device] A punching device 50 is provided in the passage 13 before the switching gate 48. The punching device 50 is provided with a cam follower 53 by an eccentric cam 52 integrated with a rotating shaft 51.
It is a known device for vertically moving a perforation blade 54 integral with the blade.
In connection with this punching device 50, the first feed roller 15
a and 15b are gate means for stopping the leading end of the sheet S. That is, while the punching device 50 is operating, the rotation of the first feed rollers 15a and 15b is stopped and the sheet S
It stops sending. Instead of using the first feed rollers 15a and 15b as gate means, for example, a shutter-shaped component that opens and closes the passage 13 may be provided in the middle of the passage 13. However, in this case, since a gate means is separately provided, it causes a cost increase. In other words, the feed rollers 15a,
If the sheet S is stopped by stopping the feed rollers 15a and 15b and the sheet S is stopped in that state, the sheet S is perforated. Since there is no need to separately provide sheet stoppers, cost reduction can be achieved.

Further, in relation to the punching device 50, a position before the punching device 50, that is, from the punching device 50 to the image forming apparatus M
A play space 55 that allows the sheet S to bend is provided up to the discharge port M1. The play space 55 is provided between the seat guide 14 and the introduction guide 12 as shown in FIG. 3, for example, and the introduction guide 1 is provided as shown in FIG.
2 and the discharge port M1, and FIG.
And FIG. 9 may be combined. As will be described later, the size of the minimum required play space 55 is determined during the time when the leading end of the sheet S is stopped in relation to the operation of the punching device 50.
It is determined by how many sheets S are sent from the image forming apparatus M. Note that an elastic synthetic resin plate 56 is provided in the play space 55, and when the sheet S bends in a large loop and is bent, the synthetic resin plate 5 is pushed by the sheet S.
6 is elastically deformed like a bow. This has the effect of making the bent sheet S less likely to wrinkle. In addition, a box 57 for punch swarf is attached to the perforation device 50 below the passage 13 and beside the tray guide 26.

[0032]

[Upper tray, lower tray] As described above, the discharge sections 9a and 9b
Is provided with an upper tray 3a and a lower tray 3b for receiving the sheet S. The upper tray 3a is detachable from the body 2, but does not move in a fixed position in the attached state. On the other hand, the lower tray 3b is detachable from the body 2, and changes its position up and down according to the amount of sheets. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower tray 3b is connected to an elevating device 58 including a motor 58a, a gear group 58b, a screw shaft 58c, an elevating arm 58d, and the like. The height of the sheet S is detected by a sensor (not shown) and the signal is used to control the motor 58a to move up and down so that the level of the sheet S is kept constant. The elevating device 58 is provided with sensors 58e and 58f to detect upper and lower limit positions of the elevating arm 58d.

[0033]

Next, the operation of the post-processing apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described. Post-processing device 1 as described above
Is attached to the side surface on the discharge side of the image forming apparatus M, and is pressed by the pin 7 of the image forming apparatus M to turn on the safety switch 8.
It is in the energized state.

First, a case where the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus M is passed as it is will be described. Normally, since the switching gate 48 closes the flow path of the passage 13 by raising the tip as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the solenoid is excited to lower the tip of the switching gate 48 as shown by the solid line in FIG. The path of the path 13 is opened. Then, the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus M is discharged from the first feed rollers 15a and 15b to the upper tray 3a through the second feed rollers 16a and 16b as shown in FIG. When punching a sheet S, first, the first feed roller 15b is stopped to stop the leading end of the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus M. In this state, if the eccentric cam 52 is rotated once and the perforation blade 54 is moved up and down, a hole is formed in the edge of the sheet S. On the other hand, the second half of the sheet S is continuously sent out from the image forming apparatus M while the leading edge of the sheet S is stopped by operating the perforating apparatus 50 in this manner. However, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The center of the sheet S flexes as much as it does and escapes into the play space 55. And play space 55
The perforating operation is completed before the sheet S is filled, and the first feed roller 15b rotates to feed the sheet S to the second feed rollers 16a and 16b.

The punch dust generated by the perforation falls and accumulates in a box 57 below the perforation device 50.
Therefore, it is necessary to periodically collect and discard punch waste. In that case, the post-processing apparatus 1 may be pulled by holding the handle 6 of the lower tray 3b, the post-processing apparatus 1 may be separated from the image forming apparatus M, and the box 57 may be attached and detached.

Next, a case where one sheet S is inverted and discharged will be described. Normally, the switching gate 48 has its tip raised as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Accordingly, the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus M is sent from the first feed rollers 15a and 15b to the third feed rollers 45a and 45b through the switching gate 48 as shown by arrow z in FIG. As described above, the third feed rollers 45a, 45b are connected to the first feed rollers 15a, 15b.
Higher than the sheet feed speed of
As soon as the leading end of the sheet is gripped by the third feed rollers 45a and 45b, it is pulled in at a high speed. At this time, the sheet S
Is sandwiched between the first feed rollers 15a and 15b. However, since the one-way clutch mechanism is interposed between the first feed roller 15b and the power source as described above, the sheet S Is automatically switched to an idler roller that follows the movement of the sheet S from the moment when the reverse rotation phenomenon in which the transport speed of the sheet S exceeds the own feed rate occurs.

As described above, the first feed rollers 15a, 1
5b, the sheet S is drawn in at substantially the same speed as the feed speed of the image forming apparatus M, and its feed rollers 15a, 15b
If the sheet conveying speed of the third feed rollers 45a and 45b provided behind the first feed roller 15b is set higher than that, and the one-way clutch mechanism is incorporated in the first feed roller 15b, the image forming apparatus M It is possible to process the sheet S introduced at a low speed in synchronism with the high-speed processing inside the post-processing apparatus 1. Of course, the second feed rollers 16a, 16b in the passage 13 are replaced with the first feed rollers 15a,
It may be faster than 15b. In this case, the loss caused by the drilling operation can be recovered by high-speed transport.

Next, when the leading end of the sheet S reaches the inclined reversing tray 23, the entering angle α of the sheet S into the inclined reversing tray 23 is acute,
The tip of the sheet S naturally flows in the direction of the sheet stopper 24 along the inclination of. At this stage, the sheet S is upside down. Then, immediately after being fed by the third feed rollers 45a and 45b, the leading end of the sheet S reaches the sheet stopper 24. As described above, the attachment position of the third feed rollers 45a and 45b is determined by the contact (release point) of the feed rollers 45a and 45b and the sheet stopper 2 of the inclined reversing tray 23.
4 is set to be shorter than the sheet length, so that even if the leading end of the sheet S reaches the sheet stopper 24, the trailing end of the sheet S still remains on the feed rollers 45a and 45b. Therefore, thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the sheet S flexes gently and separates from the feed rollers 45a and 45b. Further, the impeller 4 is provided on the rotation shaft 46 of the third feed roller 45b.
7, the sheet S is rotated together with the feed roller 45b. At the moment when the rear end of the sheet S is separated from the feed rollers 45a and 45b, the rear end of the sheet S is kicked toward the inclined reversing tray 23 as shown by the broken line in FIG. Will be issued.

Next, the timing belt 31 of the sheet conveying means 30 is operated, and the feed claw 32 pushes the sheet S through the traveling line 33 of the inclined reversing tray 23. When the timing belt 31 makes a half turn, the sheet S is moved to the lower tray 3b.
At the position where the feed claw 32 has wrapped under the inclined reversing tray 23. At this time, the other feed claw 3
2 stands by at the home position. In the case where the sheet S is turned over, a hole can be formed in the edge of the sheet S by the punching device 50 in the same manner as described above. When the sheet S is jammed in the branch path 22 or the inclined reversing tray 23, first,
The post-processing apparatus 1 may be separated from the image forming apparatus M by holding the handle 6 of the lower tray 3b, the box 57 of the punch dust may be removed, and then the user may hold the finger hook 26b of the tray guide 26 and pull it forward. Then, the tray guide 26 rotates around the upper hinge portion 26c (see FIGS. 1 and 8) and opens, so that the jammed sheet S can be easily taken out.

Next, the case of binding a plurality of sheets S will be described. First, the sheets S are sent to the inclined reversing tray 23 one by one from the first page in the above-described manner. In this case, the sheet S is fed in a substantially continuous state for high-speed processing.
Since the trailing end of the sheet S coming out of a and 45b is kicked out by the impeller 47 toward the inclined reversing tray 23, there is no possibility that the trailing end of the preceding sheet S and the leading end of the succeeding sheet S come into contact with each other.

Each time one sheet S is fed to the inclined reversing tray 23, the alignment unit 29 operates once, and the sliding member 2
The sheet S is fed laterally by one reciprocating operation 9a, and one end thereof is brought into contact with the fixed reference wall 28 to be aligned. When the number of sheets is increased to some extent, the gap between the bulging portions 23b and 26a is narrow and the feeding of the sheet S is tight. However, since the bulging portions 23b and 26a are partial and have a small area, the resistance is relatively small. Then, when the set number of sheets is completed, the feed claw 32 of the sheet conveying means 30 is operated, and the bundle of sheets S is moved to the spelling point of the stapler 35 and stopped. Subsequently, the stapler 35 operates to bind the bundle of sheets S with a metal needle. At this time, since the bundle of sheets S is pressed by the bulging portions 23b and 26a, the sheets are easily bound.

Next, the feed claw 32 of the sheet conveying means 30 is operated again, and the stapled bundle of sheets S is transferred to the lower tray 3b.
To be discharged. At this time, the feed claw 32 is set so as to initially convey the sheet S at a high speed and to reduce the speed before discharging the sheet S to the lower tray 3b. By doing so, the sheet S
There is no danger of jumping out of the lower tray 3b even if the sheet is transported at a high speed. As described above, the lower tray 3b can be moved up and down, descends sequentially according to the sheet amount, and automatically rises when the sheet S is removed.

Needless to say, a plurality of sheets S
Even if the sheets are inverted and bound.
Can make a hole in the edge of the sheet S. Further, the operation of replenishing the metal needles of the stapler 35 is performed by separating the post-processing apparatus 1 from the image forming apparatus M.

[0044]

Embodiment 2 Embodiment 2 of the present invention is characterized in that the feed rollers 15a and 15b constituting the gate means are both driven rollers. That is, the upper roller 15
A gear (not shown) is fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 17a of the lower roller 15b and the end of the lower shaft 15a at the same peripheral speed as the lower roller 15b. It turned to the direction. The difference between the driving roller and the idler roller is that when the sheet S collides in the tangential direction in the stopped state, the idler roller is pushed by the sheet S and slightly rotates, whereas the drive roller is connected to the drive source. Due to the resistance, it does not rotate when pressed against the sheet S. Accordingly, the gate can be more firmly closed by using both the feed rollers 15a and 15b as drive rollers, and as a result, the stop position of the sheet S becomes constant, so that the punching accuracy is increased. As described above, the rotating shaft 17 of the lower feed roller 15b has a clutch mechanism. However, since the rotating shaft 17 and the rotating shaft of the upper feed roller 15a are connected by a gear, the clutch action of the rotating shaft 17 is performed. Applies to the upper feed roller 15a as it is.

Further, by using both the feed rollers 15a and 15b as drive rollers, it is possible to prevent a problem that occurs when the post-processing device 1 is not used for a long time. That is, since the feed rollers 15a and 15b have an elastic structure such as rubber, if they are not used for a long period of time while applying a strong pressure, the contact portion is deformed flat, the shape becomes distorted, and sheet feeding becomes unstable. Could be On the contrary,
When both the feed rollers 15a and 15b are drive rollers,
The gap between the two feed rollers 15a and 15b can be made smaller than the thickness of the sheet S so that no contact occurs. If the two feed rollers 15a and 15b are not in contact with each other, there is no possibility of deformation even if they are not used for a long time. However, in reality, since the thickness of the sheet S is extremely thin, it is difficult to set the feed rollers 15a and 15b in a non-contact state.
Although a and 15b are lightly contacted with each other, even if they are not used for a long time and are deformed, the degree of deformation is slight and there is no practical problem.

[0046]

As described above, in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention, the play space is provided in front of the punching apparatus to allow the sheet to bend. Drilling can be performed without stopping feeding. Accordingly, since it is possible to pierce the image forming apparatus while leaving the latter half of the sheet, the post-processing apparatus can be made compact, and the sheet feeding of the image forming apparatus does not have to be stopped in conjunction with the piercing processing. Therefore, there is almost no need to change the control of the image forming apparatus. Therefore,
The cost can be reduced, and it can be easily installed in an existing image forming apparatus.

Further, as set forth in claim 2, a feed roller is provided in the middle of a sheet feeding path, and the feed roller is ON / OFF controlled to be the gate means. Since there is no need to provide them, it is extremely advantageous in terms of cost.

Further, when the feed roller has a structure in which two drive rollers are opposed to each other, the resistance increases when the feed roller is stopped, and the sheet hardly runs idle even if it collides with the sheet. Therefore, the stop position of the sheet becomes constant, and the punching accuracy can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a post-processing device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a post-processing device partially seen through.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of a passage route and a branch route.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a branch path and an inclined reversing tray.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sheet conveying means.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the inclined reversing tray.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a tray guide and a feed roller.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of an introduction section showing another form of the play space.

[Explanation of symbols]

 M: image forming apparatus S: sheet 1: post-processing apparatus 10: introduction sections 15a, 15b: feed rollers (gate means) 50: punching apparatus 55: play space

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kameyama 1945 Dota, Kani-shi, Gifu Pref.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus, which receives a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus from an introduction unit, performs necessary processing inside the sheet, and discharges the processed sheet, is moving along a sheet feeding path. A gate means for stopping the leading edge of the sheet is provided, and a punching device is installed so as to be able to punch at a predetermined position from the leading edge of the temporarily stopped sheet,
A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus, further comprising a play space for allowing a sheet to bend in front of a punching device. 2. A post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a feed roller is provided in the middle of a path for feeding the sheet, and the feed roller is turned on / off to be used as the gate means. . 3. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the feed roller has a structure in which two drive rollers face each other.