CN101289149B - Slice treating device and slice treating method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheet processing device and a sheet processing method capable of stably retracting a stapled sheet bundle from the stapler regardless of the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle or conveying resistance. Here, when the stacker moves the stapled sheet bundle from the stapler in the retracting direction, the aligning roller abuts against the sheet bundle held by the stacker to assist the movement of the sheet bundle.

Description

Sheet processing device, sheet processing method

technical field

The present invention relates to a sheet processing technique for performing predetermined processing on a sheet.

Background technique

Conventionally, in a sheet processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing such as stapling processing or folding processing on sheets, after stapling processing is performed on a sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is moved to a position where folding processing is performed.

During the movement of the sheet bundle at this time, the stopper for adjusting the sheet bundle used in the stapling process is moved, and the sheet bundle is moved by its own weight to a predetermined folding processing standby position along with the stopper.

However, as in the prior art described above, in the configuration in which the stapling-processed sheet stack is retracted away from the stapling device by its own weight, when the number of sheets constituting the stapling-processed sheet stack is large, or due to static electricity, etc. When the conveying resistance of the sheet stack is large due to the influence of the influence, the sheet stack may not be conveyed normally.

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing device and a sheet processing method that can stably perform retraction operations for a stapled sheet bundle to retract from the stapler regardless of the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle or conveyance resistance.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sheet processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information on a sheet bundle to be folded by a folding knife and information on an environment in which the folding process is performed. At least one type of information among the information; the folding position adjustment unit adjusts a position where the folding knife comes into contact in the sheet bundle to be processed by the folding process based on the information acquired by the information acquiring unit.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sheet processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a stacking device that holds a sheet stack and can move substantially parallel to the sheet surface of the sheet stack; The sheet surface of the sheet on the device can abut or separate, so that the rotating roller surface abuts on the sheet, so that the sheet hits the reference position in the above-mentioned stacking device and is integrated; The alignment rollers align the stack of sheets that has been moved to a predetermined position by the stacking device to be stapled; The rotating alignment roller is brought into contact with the sheet bundle held by the stacking device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention relates to a sheet processing method. The sheet processing apparatus of the above-mentioned sheet processing method includes: a stacking device that holds a sheet stack and moves substantially parallel to the sheet surface of the sheet stack; , with respect to the contact and separation of the sheet surface of the sheet held by the stacking device, the sheet is collided to a reference position in the stacking device and aligned by bringing the rotating roller surface into contact with the sheet; and a binding device performing a stapling process on the stack of sheets that has been aligned by the aligning rollers and moved to a predetermined position by the stacking device, and in the sheet processing method described above, the stack of sheets that has been subjected to the stapling process is moved from the stapling When the device moves in a retracting direction, the rotating alignment roller is brought into contact with the sheet bundle held by the stacking device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sheet processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a pressing unit as a binding unit that performs binding processing on a sheet bundle transported to a binding position in the sheet transporting path, and presses when performing the binding process. The sheet surface of the above-mentioned sheet stack; the stapling unit is disposed so as to face the interior of the sheet transport path from an opening provided on the inner wall of the sheet transport path, and the receiving unit for receiving the sheet stack pressed by the pressing unit operates together to The stack of sheets is stapled and fixed; the elastic member is supported on either one of the wall surface of the sheet conveying path and the receiving portion, and covers the vicinity of an upstream end of the receiving portion in the sheet conveying direction of the sheet conveying path. .

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a sheet processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a roller pair capable of conveying a sheet at a first conveying speed and a second conveying speed higher than the first conveying speed; The standby position is moved to the nipping portion of the pair of rollers, and the sheet to be folded is stacked on the pair of rollers driven at the first conveyance speed; the conveyance control unit changes the conveyance speed of the sheet by the pair of rollers from The first conveying speed is switched to the second conveying speed, and the predetermined timing is after the folding knife pushes in the sheet bundle and starts the return operation to the standby position, until the folding knife pushes in the stack. A predetermined timing during which the rear end of the sheet stack of the nip portion of the pair of rollers passes through the nip portion of the pair of rollers.

In order to solve the above problem, a sheet processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a sensor for detecting a relatively moving sheet; a size calculation unit for calculating the size of the sheet based on a detection result of the sensor; and a processing position adjustment unit. Based on the sheet size calculated by the size calculation unit, a position at which the predetermined processing is performed on the sheet bundle to be processed is adjusted.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a sheet processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first sheet conveyance path for conveying a sheet; performing zigzag conveyance, including at least one of an opening, a protrusion, and a recess in the vicinity of a meeting position with the first sheet conveyance path in the conveyance path; The two sheet conveying paths are pulled out of the device as a whole.

Description of drawings

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a sheet processing apparatus 1F and an image processing apparatus M including the sheet processing apparatus 1F according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a basic configuration of a sheet processing apparatus 1F according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram for explaining the operation of the sheet being conveyed in the conveying path A after it comes into contact with the stacking claw 21 of the stacking device 2 until it is sorted;

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram for explaining the lateral integration part for integrating the side ends of the sheets in the stacking tray 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the vicinity of the stacking tray 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the vicinity of the accumulation tray 1;

7 is an explanatory view for explaining in detail a sheet folding mechanism in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

8 is an explanatory view for explaining in detail a sheet folding mechanism in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail a sheet folding mechanism in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the flow of operations of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the flow of operations of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the flow of operations of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the flow of operations of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the flow of operations in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the flow of operations of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

16 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the flow of operations of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the above-mentioned problem in the folding process of the sheet bundle;

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the above-mentioned problem in the folding process of the sheet bundle;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the above-mentioned problem in the folding process of the sheet bundle;

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram for explaining in detail the above-mentioned problem in the folding process of the sheet bundle;

21 is a functional block diagram of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

22 is a functional block diagram of the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram for explaining operations in the second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 24 is a timing chart showing driving timing of auxiliary rollers and the like;

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing the detailed configuration of the vicinity of the pair of folding rollers 89 in the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a detailed configuration of the vicinity of the pair of folding rollers 89 in the third embodiment of the present invention;

27 is a functional block diagram of a sheet processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a structural diagram illustrating a drive mechanism for rotationally driving the pair of folding rollers 89 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 29 is a structural diagram illustrating a driving mechanism for rotationally driving the folding roller pair 89 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 30 is a timing chart illustrating drive control in rotational drive of the folding roller pair 89 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

31 is a functional block diagram of a sheet processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 32 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the drawer structure of each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

33 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the drawer structure of each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

34 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the drawer structure of each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

35 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the drawer structure of each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 36 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the drawer structure of each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

37 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the drawer structure of each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 38 is an explanatory view for explaining a sheet processing apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

39 is an explanatory view for explaining a sheet processing apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 40 is an explanatory view for explaining a sheet processing apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of a sheet processing apparatus 1F and an image processing apparatus M including the sheet processing apparatus 1F according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the image processing apparatus M in this embodiment includes: an image reading apparatus 1A for reading an image of a document; an image forming apparatus 1P for forming an image on a sheet; and a sheet processing apparatus 1F for A predetermined post-processing is performed on the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 1P. In the configuration example shown in the figure, a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 1P is conveyed in the sheet conveyance direction (arrow direction) in the figure, and supplied to the sheet processing apparatus 1F.

Next, the sheet processing apparatus 1F according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a basic configuration of a sheet processing apparatus 1F according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The sheet processing apparatus 1F according to this embodiment has the following functions: a folding processing function for performing half-folding processing on a sheet supplied from the image forming apparatus 1P by using the center position in the sheet conveyance direction as a folding position; The binding device 5 binds the stack of sheets moved to a predetermined position by the stacking device 2 . Hereinafter, the unit that performs the above-mentioned folding process and the unit that performs the stapling process are collectively referred to as a saddle unit.

In addition, in the sheet processing apparatus 1F and the image processing apparatus M according to this embodiment, not only paper media such as plain paper or cardboard, but sheets such as OHP films may be processed as media. However, for convenience of description, a case where the sheet to be processed is a paper medium in the sheet processing apparatus 1F and the image processing apparatus M will be described as an example.

The saddle unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1F is arranged at a position as low as possible in the vertical direction of the sheet processing apparatus 1F. Sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus 1P pass through the conveyance path A and are temporarily accumulated and stored in the accumulation tray 1 . The stacking tray 1 in this embodiment is arranged obliquely with respect to the vertical direction. The auxiliary roller 42 driven by rotation assists the sheets stacked and accommodated in the stacking tray 1 to slide downward.

It is determined based on the sheet detection timing of the pay-out roller sensor (this sensor has a function as an optical sensor and a medium sensor and can detect the reflectance, surface roughness, thickness, etc. of the sheet surface) 41 included on the conveyance path A. The timing of sheet movement based on the auxiliary roller 42 . In this way, the stack of sheets temporarily stacked and stored in the stacking tray 1 is aligned by the lateral aligning mechanism 3 sandwiching both end positions in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction.

The binding process is performed on the stack of sheets on the stacking tray 1 integrated as described above by the binding devices 5 provided near both ends in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction.

The sheet bundle subjected to the binding process by the bookbinding device 5 is folded in half by the folding knife 100 and the folding roller pair 89 .

The additional folding process is performed by the additional folding roller 7 on the sheet bundle that has been subjected to the above-mentioned half-folding process and the half-folded portion is conveyed to the nipping position of the additional folding roller 7 .

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram for explaining operations from the time the sheets conveyed in the conveyance path A are stopped by the stacking claws 21 of the stacking device 2 to being integrated.

In the conveyance mechanism that conveys the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus 1P to the accumulation tray 1 , the driving force from the conveyance motor 40 is transmitted to the gear/pulley 402 a through the gear trains 401 a and 401 b. The driving force transmitted to the gear/pulley 402a is transmitted to each conveying roller through the timing belt 403 wound around the gear/pulley 402a.

The auxiliary roller 42 requires a certain degree of elasticity and frictional force in order to align the sheet against the stack claw 21 serving as a reference stopper. In addition, it is preferable that the auxiliary roller 42 is made of a material that even if the amount of rotational driving of the auxiliary roller 42 exceeds the normal amount when the sheet is collided with the stack claw 21 in a state where the sheet is completely nipped by the auxiliary roller 42 , this material can also absorb excess force applied to the sheet to a certain extent, inhibiting buckling of the sheet. Therefore, in this embodiment, a roller made of sponge, for example, is used as the auxiliary roller 42 . Of course, as the material of the auxiliary roller 42, other materials may be used as long as they have the above-mentioned required properties.

The auxiliary roller 42 is rotated by transmitting the driving force from the conveyance motor 40 through the timing belt 421 wound separately around the gear/pulley 402 a around which the timing belt 403 is wound. In order to contact the sheets accumulated in the accumulation tray 1, the auxiliary roller 42 moves in the moving direction shown in FIG.

The auxiliary roller 42 rotates in the arrow B direction which is the same rotation direction as the delivery roller 43 which is supported by the above-mentioned support shaft together with the gear/pulley 402b. Thus, in the state where the auxiliary roller electromagnetic assembly 422 is turned on and the auxiliary roller 42 is in contact with the stacking tray 1, the sheet conveyed in the direction of the arrow C shown in FIG. 1, the end of the sheet can be collided with the stacking claw 21 as a reference stopper and aligned.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a lateral aligning portion for aligning side ends of sheets in the stacking tray 1 .

Here, the lateral aligning portion has a function of aligning end portions in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the stack of sheets stacked on the stacking tray 1 . The horizontally integrated part includes: a driving part including a horizontally integrated motor 30 as a stepping motor, a gear 301, a rack 302a, and a rack 302b; 32.

The driving force from the laterally integrated motor 30 is transmitted to the gear 301 . The racks 302a and 302b mesh with the gear 301 respectively, and as the gear 301 rotates, the racks 302a and 302b move in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4 . The racks 302a and 302b are respectively attached to the laterally integrating plates 31a and 32b, and the laterally integrating plates 31a and 32b move in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by the movement of the racks 302a and 302b.

Furthermore, based on the detection result in the horizontal integration motor HP sensor 33 provided on the frame 32, the positions in the moving direction of the horizontal integration plates 31a, 31b are managed by pulses of the horizontal integration motor 30. In addition, the HP here refers to the original position (home position).

5 and 6 are perspective views for explaining the configuration of the accumulation tray 1 and its vicinity.

The stacking portion as a positioning stopper for the lower end of the sheet stack stacked on the stacking tray 1 includes: a driving portion including an integrated motor 20 as a stepping motor, a gear 201, a gear/pulley 202, and a timing belt 203; The claw 21a, the accumulation claw 21b, and the support part 22 for supporting these components.

The driving force from the stacker motor 20 is transmitted to the gear/pulley 202 through the gear 201 , and is transmitted to the timing belt 203 wound on the gear/pulley 202 . Thereby, the support part 22 fixedly connected to the timing belt 203 moves in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6 (up-down direction in this figure).

The support part 22 has stacking claws 21a and 21b, and as the support part 22 moves, the stacking claws 21a and 21b move in the arrow directions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 .

In this way, in the folding process, when the folding knife 100 is brought into contact with the stack of sheets, the stacker in the present embodiment can hold the stack of sheets and can also align with the surface direction of the sheet when the folding knife 100 is brought into contact. Move roughly in parallel.

Furthermore, the stacking claws 21a and 21b respectively include flexible members 210a and 210b by which the stack of sheets stopped by the stacking claws 21a and 21b is pressed and held on the reference plane.

Further, based on the detection result in the stacker motor HP sensor 23 , the position in the moving direction of the stacker claws 21 a , 21 b is managed by the pulse of the stacker motor 20 .

Next, the half-folding mechanism in this embodiment will be described.

7 to 9 are explanatory views for explaining in detail the sheet folding mechanism in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the sheet folding unit 92 includes: a pair of folding rollers 89, which are used to fold the stack of sheets clamped at the nip into two parts; The pressing part of the stack; the guide part (restricting part) 102 holds the vibrating plate 100 so that it can move toward the folding roller pair 89, and limits the movement of the folding knife 100 before the sheet stack is pressed into the bite part. Swing in the direction where the direction crosses.

The pair of folding rollers 89 includes a fixed folding roller (first roller) 89a and a movable folding roller (second roller) 89b.

The movable folding roller 89b is rotatably fixed to an unillustrated device frame. In addition, the movable folding roller 89b is rotatably supported by the one end portion 104b of the arm portion 104, and moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the folding knife 100, and can come into contact with and separate from the fixed folding roller 89a. , wherein the arm 104 is rotatably held on a device rack not shown in the figure so that it can rotate around the fulcrum 104a.

A spring 106 is attached to the other end 104c of the arm 104, and the movable folding roller 89b urged by the arm 104 rotating around the fulcrum 104a presses against the fixed folding roller 89a to form a biting portion. In addition, a first support hole 104d is provided at one end 104b of the arm 104 so that the movable folding roller 89b can move linearly instead of arcing when the arm 104 is turned. Moreover, the fixed folding roller 89a and the movable folding roller 89b are rotationally driven by the drive motor which is not shown in figure.

The folding knife 100 includes: a plate portion 90 that pushes the stack of sheets; a first holding member 108 and a second holding member 110 that clamp and hold the plate portion 90 ; and side plates 112 attached to the second holding member 110 , Both ends in the direction perpendicular to the direction of plate movement.

At the front of the side plate 112, that is, on the side of the folding roller pair 89, a stud bolt 114 is provided, and a shaft 116 (first protrusion 114 and second protrusion 116) is arranged at the rear, and the folding knife 100 passes through the double bolt. 114 and shaft 116 are slidably held on guide member 102 . In addition, the longer the distance between the stud bolt 114 and the shaft 116, the more stable the posture of the folding knife 100 is. Therefore, in this embodiment, the installation position of the stud bolt 114 is set to be closer to the front end of the plate portion 90. On the position of folding roller pair 89 sides.

In addition, the stud bolt 114 and the shaft 116 as sliding members are not limited to the above-mentioned configurations, and both the first protrusion 114 and the second protrusion 116 may be studs or shafts, or both may be rotatable rollers. In addition, the attachment position of the stud bolt 114 with respect to the side plate 112 is not limited to the said structure, either.

Furthermore, drive units 118 for sliding the folder knife 100 are provided at both ends of the shaft 116 . The driving unit 118 includes: a cam shaft 120 ; a grooved cam 122 formed with a groove portion 122 a and rotatable around the cam shaft 120 ; and a driven member 124 . A roller 126 such as a roller follower serving as a contact is rotatably guided in the groove portion 122 a of the grooved cam 122 , and the roller 126 is attached to the follower member 124 .

A driven member rotation shaft 128 is provided at one end of the driven member 124 , and the driven member rotation shaft 128 is attached to a device frame (not shown). Further, the groove cam 122 is rotationally driven by an unillustrated drive motor connected to one end of the cam shaft 120 . When the roller 126 is guided along the groove portion 122a by the rotation of the grooved cam 122, the follower 124 repeats the reciprocating motion of a swing member around the follower rotation axis 128 according to the eccentricity of the groove 122a.

Next, the driving mechanism of the folding roller pair 89 and the folding knife 100 will be described in detail.

The folding mechanism part includes a folding motor 800 as a DC motor, a timing belt 801, a one-way clutch 802, gears 803a, 803b, 803c, 804d, 803e, 803f, 803g, 901a, 901b, and an electromagnetic clutch 900 (see FIGS. 8 and 9 ). .

First, the driving force from the folding motor 800 is transmitted to the gear 803a through the timing belt 801 hung between the folding motor 800 and the gear 803a. As the gear 803a rotates, the electromagnetic clutch 900 and the gear 803b are rotationally driven. The gear 803b includes a one-way clutch 802, and when the folding motor 800 is rotated in the normal direction, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the gear 803b to the folding roller 89a through the gear 803c, the gear 803d, and the gear 803e. On the other hand, when the folding motor 800 is rotated in the reverse direction, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the gear 803b to the folding roller 89a through the gear 803f, the gear 803g, the gear 803d, and the gear 803e.

In this embodiment, the driving of the folding knife 100 also utilizes the driving force from the folding motor 800. After the electromagnetic clutch 900 is turned on, the driving force is transmitted to the gear 901a and the gear 901b, and is connected to the gear 901b through the The rotation of the drive unit 118 drives the folding knife 100 .

In addition, based on the detection results of the code execution device 810 connected to the folding motor 800 and the folding motor code sensor 811 , the rotation speed of the folding roller pair 89 and the moving position of the folding knife 100 are managed by the code pulse of the folding motor 800 .

10 to 16 are explanatory views for explaining the flow of operations in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the operation flow when stacking and storing sheets on the stacking tray 1 will be described.

When the image forming apparatus issues a signal to eject the first page by folding in half, the conveyance motor 40 starts to be driven (S1), and the stacker 2 and the horizontal aligning plates 31a and 31b are moved to the standby position (S2, S3).

After that, the sheet is detected by the discharge roller sensor 41, and after the sensor is detected to be disconnected (Off) (S4a, Yes), only when the sheet reaches the predetermined pulse drive of the stacking tray 1 (S4b, Yes), the auxiliary roller electromagnetic is turned on. Component 422 (S5).

By turning on the auxiliary roller electromagnetic assembly 422 , the auxiliary roller 42 conveys the sheet conveyed to the accumulation tray 1 to the accumulation device 2 .

After the auxiliary roller electromagnetic assembly 422 is turned on, when the conveying motor is only driven with a predetermined number of pulses (S6, Yes), the drive of the transverse aligning motor 30 is started, and the transverse aligning operation of the sheet is performed (S7).

After the drive of the horizontal integration motor 30 starts, when the conveying motor 40 is only driven with a specified number of pulses, the auxiliary roller electromagnetic assembly 422 is disconnected (S8), and after that, when the horizontal integration action is overlapped, the horizontal integration motor 30 is reversed. direction, that is, the opening direction, and drives the laterally integrating plates 31a and 31b to the standby position (S9).

Also, in S4 shown in FIG. 10 , after the feeding roller sensor 41 detects the trailing end of the sheet, when the sheet currently being processed (the sheet for which the trailing end has been detected) is the first page, the conveying speed is reduced. This is because there is no sheet on the stacking tray 1 at the time of the first sheet, so the frictional force applied to the sheet is small, and when the sheet is discharged from the delivery roller 43 as the last roller of the transport path A to the stacking tray 1, There is a phenomenon that flakes fly upward excessively. Therefore, as long as there is one sheet of sheets on the stacking tray 1 such as sheets after the second page, the sheets will rub against each other, so that there is no problem of excessive flying of the sheets.

From S5 shown in FIG. 10 to S8 shown in FIG. 11 , the predetermined pulse for turning on (On) the auxiliary roller 42 and the standby position of the stacker 2 are different for each sheet size specified by the image forming apparatus. Similarly, it also varies with the size of the flakes.

The predetermined pulse in S6 shown in FIG. 11 differs depending on the conveyance speed of the sheet after the first page or the second page. This is because, due to the lateral aligning operation of the lateral aligning plates 31a and 31b, when the auxiliary roller 42 is located at the standby position, it is necessary to bring the lateral aligning plates into contact with their ends in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. The driving of the transverse aligning operation (S7) is also overlapped at a predetermined time before the timing (S8) of stopping only the auxiliary roller 42 .

Next, the flow of operations when stapling and folding are performed on the sheet bundle stacked and stored in the stacking tray 1 will be described.

After the operations up to S9 in FIG. 11 of FIG. 11 for stacking and storing on the stacking tray 1 are stacked, and the number of sheets for folding processing is stacked (S10, Yes), the lateral aligning motor 30 is driven in the aligning direction again. , and perform horizontal integration (S11).

Afterwards, drive the horizontally integrating motor 30 in the opening direction, and drive the horizontally integrating plate to a guiding position for binding (S12).

Simultaneously with the start of the action of S12, the first binding device motor positioned at the inner side of the left and right binding devices is driven to perform binding processing (S13).

After a predetermined time has elapsed since the driving of the first binding device motor in S13 (S14), the second binding device motor on the operator's side is driven to complete the bookbinding process (S15).

After the binding process performed on the sheets by the binding device 5, the lateral alignment motor 30 is driven in the opening direction to move the lateral alignment plate from the binding guide position to the standby position (S16).

After a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the driving of the horizontal integration motor in S16 (S17), the stacking motor 20 is driven to move the stacking position from the stapling position to the folding position, and the stack conveyance operation is performed (S18).

After stacking in the stack conveying action, drive the horizontal integration motor 30 in the integration direction again to perform the horizontal integration action (S19), then drive to the opening direction, and then drive to the guiding position when performing the folding action (S20).

Simultaneously with the start of driving the horizontally integrated motor 30 in S20, the folding motor 800 and the electromagnetic clutch 900 are turned on to start the folding operation (S21). In addition, because the folding operation of the folding motor 800 requires a high torque, and the load applied to the electromagnetic clutch 900 is also large, so after turning on the electromagnetic clutch 900, it is also possible to wait for a predetermined period of time and then restart. The drive of the folding motor 800.

Folding is carried out, and the discharge and conveyance by the folding roller pair 89 is carried out. When the additional folding position detection sensor 7 detects a stack of sheets (S22), the stacking motor 20 and the lateral aligning motor 30 are driven to move to their original positions (S23, S24).

On the other hand, from the sheet bundle detection timing of the additional folding position detection sensor 71 (refer to FIG. 2 ) in S22, the folding roller pair 89 is driven only with a predetermined pulse, and when the front end of the sheet bundle reaches the additional folding position (S25, Yes ), the driving of the folding motor 800 is stopped, and the sheet stack is stopped at the additional folding position (S26).

When the stack of sheets stops at the additional folding position, drive the additional folding motor to drive the additional folding roller 7 from the original position to the front of the folding roller pair (S27), and then drive from the folding roller pair to the original position (S28) to implement additional folding. fold handle.

Next, when there is a next job, during the additional folding operation of S28, the stacker motor 20 is driven to move the stacker to the receiving position of the next sheet (S29).

After the additional folding process is completed, the folding motor 800 is driven to start the discharge and conveyance operation (S30).

Starting from the driving of the folding motor in S30, after driving the specified pulse (S31), as with the stacking device, when there is the next operation, drive the horizontal integration motor 30 to move the horizontal integration plate to the receiving position of the next sheet (S32) .

When it is detected that the discharge sensor is turned off (S33, Yes), the folding motor 800 is driven with a predetermined pulse (S34), and then the folding motor 800 is stopped (S35).

Next, if there is a next job, the processing is continued from S4 shown in FIG. 9 , and when there is no next job, the overlapping processing is waited for a stop command from the image forming apparatus.

(Control of stacker standby position during folding process)

In the above configuration, when performing folding processing on the sheet bundle, if the number of sheets constituting the folded sheet bundle is large, or when folding processing is performed on a heavy sheet such as thick paper, the The stacking device positions the sheet stack on a defined integration point. However, due to the influence of gravity or frictional force, the stack of sheets slides downward during the folding process, causing deviations in the accuracy of the folding process.

17 to 20 are explanatory views for explaining in detail the above-mentioned problems in the folding process of the sheet bundle.

As shown in FIG. 17, for example, when the number of sheets to be folded is small, in S18 shown in FIG. In the case of the position of 100, the folding process after S21 is performed, and as shown in FIG. 18, the accuracy of the folding position can be obtained (folding after forming a folding mark at the center position of the sheet).

However, as shown in FIG. 19 , for example, when the number of sheets to be folded is large, the central portion of the sheet is adjusted to the position of the folding knife 100 in the process of S18 even as in the case shown in FIG. 17 . And the folding process is performed, however, since the sheet stack S′ is heavy as a whole, when the folding knife 100 presses it into the folding roller pair 89, the sheet stack S′ does not follow. That is, during the folding process, due to the influence of gravity g, the sheet stack S' slides downward, and the folding roller pair 89 is clamped at a position higher than the original center position K of the sheet stack S', so that it cannot be moved. The appropriate folding position folds the sheet stack (see FIG. 20 ).

Then, in order to solve such a problem, the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment adopts the following configuration.

21 is a functional block diagram of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The sheet processing apparatus 1F according to this embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 1101 and a folding position adjustment unit 1102 . In addition, the folding position adjustment unit 1102 may be hardware independent of the CPU 801, may be combined with the software of the CPU 801, or may be combined with software of a processor different from the CPU 801. For example, the folding position adjustment unit 1102 can be realized by the CPU 801 executing a program stored in the MEMORY 802, but it is not limited thereto.

The information obtaining unit 1101 obtains at least one of information on a sheet bundle to be folded by the folding knife 100 and information on an environment in which the folding process is performed.

Specifically, the information acquiring unit 1101 acquires at least one of the following information: for example, the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded (acquired, for example, from the image forming apparatus 1P); The material of the sheet (for example, acquired from the delivery roller sensor 41); the thickness of the sheet constituting the sheet bundle to be folded (for example, acquired from the delivery roller sensor 41); the type of the sheet constituting the sheet bundle to be folded (for example, obtained from the image forming apparatus 1P); the direction of the sheets constituting the sheet stack when the folding process is performed (for example, obtained from the image forming apparatus 1P); temperature and humidity (for example, obtained from the temperature sensor or humidity sensor not shown).

In addition, various information to be acquired by the information acquiring unit 1101 is not necessarily acquired only from within the sheet processing apparatus 1F, but may also be acquired from an external device connected so as to be communicable with the image forming apparatus 1P or image processing apparatus M depending on the situation.

The folding position adjusting unit 1102 controls the stacker motor 20 based on the information acquired by the information acquiring unit 1101 to change the position of the stacking claw 21 to adjust the position where the folding knife 100 contacts the sheet bundle to be folded.

Specifically, when the information acquiring unit 1101 acquires information related to the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded, the greater the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded, the lower the fold position adjustment unit 1102 will be as the number of sheets to be folded. The position on the target sheet stack that comes into contact with the folding knife 100 (raise the stacking claw 21 ). In addition, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet stack is an extremely small number of one or two pages, there is little influence on the folding position, and it does not affect the folding position until a predetermined number of pages (for example, five pages) is reached. The adjustment of the abutting position of the folding knife 100 is performed only when the stack of sheets consists of six or more sheets.

In addition, when the information acquiring unit 1101 acquires information on the coefficient of friction of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded, the lower the coefficient of friction of the sheets constituting the stack to be folded, the easier the sheet bundle is to be folded. Since it slides downward, the folding position adjusting unit 1102 can also lower the position where the folding knife 100 abuts on the sheet bundle to be folded.

In addition, when the information acquiring unit 1101 acquires information related to the sheet types constituting the sheet bundle to be folded, the larger the size of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded, the greater the weight of the entire sheet bundle, and the greater the weight of the sheet bundle at the time of folding processing. Since it tends to slide downward, it is preferable for the folding position adjusting unit 1102 to lower the position where the folding knife 100 abuts on the stack of sheets to be folded.

In this way, the higher the bending rigidity of the sheet bundle to be folded or the heavier the weight of the sheet bundle to be folded, the more difficult it is to push the sheet bundle in by the folding knife 100 . The information acquired by the information acquiring unit 1101 lowers the position where the folding knife 100 is brought into contact with the sheet bundle to be folded.

In addition, it is preferable that the acquisition of various information by the information acquisition unit 1101 is performed on a sheet that is a folding target constituting the folding knife 100 that has a particularly large influence on the relationship with the folding roller pair 89 in the folding process. The side closest to the folding roller 89 (the side not close to the folding knife) in the sheets of the stack of sheets.

The CPU 801 has a role to perform various processes in the sheet processing apparatus 1F, and also has a role to realize various functions by executing programs stored in the MEMORY 802. The MEMORY 802 includes, for example, a ROM or a RAM, and plays a role of storing various information or programs used in the sheet processing apparatus 1F.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, for example, a sheet processing apparatus having the following configuration can be provided.

(1) In the sheet processing apparatus having the above configuration, the folding position adjusting unit lowers the bending stiffness of the sheet bundle to be folded as the bending stiffness is higher, based on the information acquired by the information acquiring unit. The position where the above-mentioned folding knife abuts against the stack of sheets.

(2) In the sheet processing apparatus having the above configuration, the folding position adjusting unit lowers the weight of the sheet bundle to be folded as the weight of the sheet bundle to be folded is lower based on the information acquired by the information acquiring unit. The stacked position where the above-mentioned folding knife abuts.

(3) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the information acquiring unit acquires information on the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be processed by the folding, As the number of sheets increases, the position at which the folding knife comes into contact with the sheet bundle to be folded is lowered.

(4) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the information acquiring unit acquires information on the friction coefficient of the sheet constituting the sheet bundle to be processed by the folding process, The lower the sheet friction coefficient is, the lower the position where the folding knife comes into contact with the sheet stack to be folded is lowered.

(5) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the information acquiring unit acquires information related to sheet types constituting the sheet bundle to be processed by the folding process, and the folding position adjusting unit is configured to obtain information on the sheet bundle constituting the target to be folded. As the size of the sheet becomes larger, the position where the folding knife comes into contact with the sheet bundle to be folded is lowered.

(6) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the information obtaining unit obtains a position on a side closest to the folding knife among the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded by the folding knife.

(7) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, there is provided a stacking device that holds the stack of sheets when the folding knife is brought into contact with the stack of sheets during the folding process, and can be connected with the folded sheet. The direction of the surface of the sheet when the knife comes into contact moves substantially in parallel.

The folding position adjusting unit is a sheet processing device that adjusts a position where the folding knife comes into contact with the sheet bundle to be folded by changing the position of the stacking device.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to stably realize high-precision folding processing regardless of the number of sheets or the material of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded.

(second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modified example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Hereinafter, parts having the same functions as those already described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(Assisted by auxiliary rollers during sheet stack conveyance)

Conventionally, in a sheet processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing such as stapling processing or folding processing on sheets, after stapling processing is performed on a sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is moved to a position where folding processing is performed.

In the movement of the sheet stack at this time, there is known a configuration in which the stopper for positioning the sheet stack used in the stapling process is moved, and the sheet stack follows the stopper based on its own weight to move the stack. to the specified folding processing standby position.

However, as in the prior art described above, in the configuration in which the stapling-processed sheet stack is retracted from the stapling device by its own weight, the number of sheets constituting the stapling-processed sheet stack is large, or due to the influence of static electricity, etc. If the conveyance resistance of the sheet bundle becomes large, the sheet bundle may not be conveyed normally.

Then, in order to solve such a problem, the following configuration is adopted in the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

22 is a functional block diagram of a sheet processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 24 is a timing chart showing driving timing of auxiliary rollers and the like. In addition, in FIG. 23 , in the stacking tray 1, the center position of the sheet bundle when the stapling process is executed is N1, and the center position of the sheet bundle when the folding process is executed is N2. The conveying distance of the sheet stack is set to l.

The sheet processing apparatus 1Fb according to this embodiment includes a drive control unit 2001 and an information acquisition unit 2002 . In addition, the drive control unit 2001 may be hardware independent of the CPU 801, may be a combination of the CPU 801 and software, or may be a combination of other processors different from the CPU 801 and software. For example, the drive control unit 2001 can be realized by the CPU 801 executing the program stored in the MEMORY 802, but it is not limited thereto.

The auxiliary roller 42 (alignment roller) is the same as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can contact and separate from the sheet surface of the sheet held by the stacker 2, and has the function of bringing the rotating roller surface into contact with the sheet. , so that the sheet is pushed to the reference position in the stacking device 2 and integrated.

The drive control unit 2001 rotates and drives the transport motor 40 when the stacker 2 moves the sheet bundle S′ on which the stapling process is performed in the direction of retracting from the stapling device 5 (the direction of moving to the position where the folding process is performed), and the auxiliary The roller 42 has a conveying force, and when the auxiliary roller solenoid unit 422 is turned on, the auxiliary roller 42 is brought into contact with the sheet bundle S′ held by the stacker 2 to assist the movement of the sheet bundle S′.

The information acquisition unit 2002 acquires at least one of the following information: information related to the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be processed by the binding device 5 (acquired, for example, from the image forming apparatus 1P); 5, the sheet thickness-related information of the sheet bundle to be stapled by the stapler 5 (acquired, for example, from the feed roller sensor 41), and the size of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be stapled by the stapler 5 in the moving direction of the stacker 2 Related information (for example, acquired from the image forming apparatus 1P).

When the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be bound is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the drive control unit 2001 causes the auxiliary The roller 42 comes into contact with the sheet bundle held by the stacker 2 . In general, if the number of sheets constituting the sheet stack is large, the thickness of the entire sheet stack will increase, and the friction between the wall surface of the stacking tray and the sheet stack will increase (the transport resistance of the sheet stack will increase). ). Therefore, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle is large, the auxiliary conveyance by the auxiliary roller is performed, so that the sheet bundle can be stably moved in the direction of retreating from the binding device 5 .

Furthermore, the drive control unit 2001 is configured such that when the stacker 2 moves the bundle of sheets subjected to the stapling processing in the direction of retreating from the stapling device 5 , the thickness of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be bound is The thicker it is, the longer it takes for the auxiliary roller 42 to abut against the sheet bundle held by the stacker 2 .

This is because, if the thickness of the sheets constituting the sheet stack is thick, the thickness of the entire sheet stack increases, and the frictional force between the wall surface of the stacking tray and the like tends to increase (the conveying resistance of the sheet stack increases). Therefore, the time for assisting sheet stack conveyance is prolonged.

Furthermore, when the drive control unit 2001 moves the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process by the stacker 2 in the retracting direction from the stapling device 5 (that is, the direction in which the sheet bundle is conveyed to the sheet standby position when the folding process is performed), Preferably, the assist roller 42 is brought into contact with the sheet bundle held by the stacker 2 at an earlier timing as the size of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be stapled is larger. When the size of the sheets constituting the sheet stack is large, the lower ends of the sheets held by the stacking tray are positioned below the lower ends of the sheets, so it is preferable to advance the timing of bringing the auxiliary roller 42 into contact with the sheet stack.

In addition, the drive control unit 2001 makes the auxiliary roller 42 abut against the sheet bundle held by the stacker 2 until a timing later than the stacking of the retracting operation that makes the sheets subjected to the stapling process by the stacker 2 The stack moves in the retracting direction from the binding device 5 . As a result, at the time of stacking in the retraction operation described above, the end portions of the sheet stack can be reliably aligned at the reference position of the stacker 2 .

In addition, after the auxiliary roller 42 is brought into contact with the sheet bundle held by the stacking device 2, the drive control unit 2001 controls the conveyance motor 40 and the auxiliary roller electromagnetic assembly 422 so that the auxiliary roller 42 is driven to Leave the sheet stack. Thereby, a sheet gap assisted by conveyance by the auxiliary roller 42 can be ensured, and wrinkles or bends in the sheet bundle can be prevented.

In addition, when the stacker 2 moves the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process in the retracting direction from the stapler 5 , it is preferable that the drive control unit 2001 is rotationally driven to abut against the stacker 2 at a circumferential speed faster than the retraction speed of the stacker 2 . Auxiliary roller 42 for sheet stack. Accordingly, when the conveying speed of the auxiliary roller 42 is slower than the retracting speed (speed for moving the sheet bundle) of the stacker 2 , it is possible to prevent the auxiliary roller 42 from obstructing the conveyance of the sheet bundle by the stacker 2 .

In addition, it is preferable that in this embodiment, the auxiliary roller 42 is disposed so as to be able to abut against the stacker at the timing when the stacker 2 starts retracting the stack of sheets subjected to the stapling process in the retracting direction away from the stapler 5 . The position on the downstream side of the center in the retracting direction of the sheet stack held by the device. This is because, if the movement of the sheet bundle is assisted by the auxiliary roller 42 abutting on the upstream side in the retraction direction, there is a disadvantage that the sheet bundle whose rear end is pressed is bent.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, even if the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle is large, or the conveyance of the sheet bundle is difficult due to the influence of static electricity, etc., the stapling process is executed by the stacker. When the sheet stack moves in the direction of retreating from the binding device, the sheet stack can be conveyed normally.

Furthermore, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, for example, a sheet processing apparatus having the following configuration can be provided.

(1) The sheet processing apparatus configured as described above further includes a folding processing unit located on a moving path of the stacking device and performing folding processing on the sheet bundle conveyed to a predetermined folding position. Wherein, when the stacking device moves the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process from the predetermined position to the predetermined folding position, the drive control unit makes the aligning roller abut against the sheet bundle held by the stacking device to assist the stacking of the sheets. stacked movement.

(2) The sheet processing apparatus configured as described above further includes a folding processing unit located on a moving path of the stacking device and performing folding processing on the sheet bundle conveyed to a predetermined folding position. When the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process is moved from the predetermined position to the predetermined folding position by the stacker, the drive control unit makes the aligning roller abut against the sheet bundle held by the stacker, and assists the folding of the sheet bundle. move.

(3) In the sheet processing method configured as described above, the sheet processing device further includes a folding processing unit located on a moving path of the stacking device and performing folding processing on the sheet bundle conveyed to a predetermined folding position. When the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process is moved from the predetermined position to the predetermined folding position by the stacker, the aligning roller is brought into contact with the sheet bundle held by the stacker to assist movement of the sheet bundle.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is provided a technique for stably performing retracting operation of the stapled sheet bundle away from the binding device regardless of the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle or conveyance resistance.

(third embodiment)

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modified example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Hereinafter, parts having the same functions as those already described in the above-mentioned embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(prevents paper jams near the staple unit by the elastic sheet)

In general, it is preferable that the binding device 5 for performing binding processing on sheets and the pair of folding rollers 89 be close to each other from the viewpoint of device miniaturization or the like.

In such a configuration where the two are close to each other, it is very difficult to provide a conveyance guide or a gate constituting the wall surface of the sheet conveyance path between the binding device 5 and the folding roller pair 89, and it is very difficult to convey the sheet between the conveyance surface and the stapler. Paper jams are prone to occur.

Then, in order to solve such a problem, the following configuration is adopted in the sheet processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 are explanatory diagrams showing the detailed configuration of the vicinity of the pair of folding rollers 89 in the third embodiment of the present invention.

The staple device 5 in the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a clincher (pressing portion) 5 b and a driver (receiving portion) 5 a.

The pressing head 5b has the function of bending the tip of the needle. When the binding process is performed, the tip of the needle presses the sheet surface of the sheet stack against the sheet stacking reference plane of the driving unit 5a, and the driving unit 5a drives the sheet stack into it.

Also, the driving unit 5a is arranged to face the inside of the sheet conveyance path from an opening provided in the inner wall of the sheet conveyance path, and functions to elastically receive the sheet stack pressed by the press head 5b and to provide stapling.

In this way, the binding process of the sheet bundle is performed through the cooperation of the press head 5b and the drive unit 5a.

In addition, in the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment, in order to guide the front end of the sheet conveyed to the staple device 5 to the sheet stacking reference plane of the drive unit 5a, a flexible elastic sheet (corresponding to an elastic member) is provided. )51. The elastic sheet 51 is formed of, for example, a resin film member or the like.

One end of the elastic sheet 51 is supported by a holding member 52 formed of a relatively rigid material (for example, metal or resin) fixed to the drive portion 5a so as to face the inner wall of the sheet conveyance path on the side where the drive portion 5a is provided or the folding roller. The pair 89 extends obliquely toward the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction (at least to a position near the end of the roller surface covering the folding roller on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction).

By arranging the elastic sheet 51 in this way, it is possible to prevent the stack of sheets or the binding device from being damaged when the stacker 2 lowers the sheet bundle subjected to the binding process by the binding device 5 to the folding position of the folding roller pair 89 (folding processing section). Pull toward the elastic sheet 51 . In addition, since the elastic sheet 51 covers the gap between the binding device 5 and the pair of folding rollers 89, it is possible to prevent the sheet from entering the gap and jamming.

In addition, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the sheet conveyed through the conveyance path A is accumulated on the stack tray 1 , in order to prevent the front end of the sheet from interfering with the fold roller pair 89 , there is provided a roller that can cover the fold roller pair 89 . Gate 88. The elastic sheet 51 fixed to the drive unit 5a lifts the front end of the sheet passing through the upper surface of the shutter 88, and guides the front end of the sheet toward the sheet stacking reference plane of the drive unit 5a.

The drive unit 5a in this embodiment can move 10 mm from the sheet conveyance path in the retracting direction during the stapling process, and the elastic sheet 51 follows the movement of the drive unit 5a without causing the sheets on the sheet stacking reference plane of the drive unit 5a to move. The stacked state of the stack and the like are disturbed, and deformation occurs along the outer shape of the folding roller 89b.

In this way, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, sheet jams can be prevented, and the pair of folding rollers 89 for folding processing and the binding device 5 for stapling processing can be arranged close to each other, which contributes to improvement in productivity.

In addition, as the sheet guiding member to the sheet stacking reference plane of the drive unit 5a, an elastic sheet is used, so that no matter whether the sheet to be bound is thick paper or thin paper, it can be flexibly responded to, and it is possible to achieve no binding Binding processing that is adversely affected by sheet deformation during binding processing.

(fourth embodiment)

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modified example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Hereinafter, parts having the same functions as those already described in the above-mentioned embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(Control of sheet bundle conveyance speed by folding roller pair during folding processing)

In a sheet processing apparatus that performs folding processing by the folding roller pair 89 and the folding knife 100 on a sheet bundle, after the sheet bundle to be folded is pressed into the folding roller pair 89, the folding process by the folding roller pair 89 is completed. Until then, a large rotational load is applied to the pair of folding rollers 89 . Therefore, in general, in order to make the folding roller pair 89 exert a strong torque, the rotation speed of the motor is reduced by the gear train, and only in the state of the decelerated rotation speed (low-speed rotation and high torque state), the rotation drive 89 pairs of folding rollers.

However, very large torque is required in the folding process of the sheet bundle only after the sheet bundle to be folded is pressed into the folding roller pair 89 and until the folding process by the folding roller pair 89 is completed. Rotational driving of the folding roller pair 89 during other periods does not necessarily require a high torque, for example, conveying the folded sheet bundle to the downstream side.

Therefore, in the case of simple sheet bundle conveyance that does not require high torque, driving the folding roller pair 89 in a low-speed rotation state for exerting high torque has a problem in terms of productivity.

Next, drive control of the folding roller pair 89 in the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

27 is a functional block diagram of a sheet processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 28 and 29 are diagrams illustrating the structure of a driving mechanism for rotationally driving the folding roller pair 89 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. A timing chart of drive control in rotational drive of the folding roller pair 89 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

First, the functional blocks of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

The sheet processing apparatus 1Fc according to this embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 4001, a transport control unit 4002, a CPU 801, and a MEMROY 802. In addition, the transportation control unit 4002 may be hardware independent of the CPU 801, may be a combination of the CPU 801 and software, or may be a combination of a processor different from the CPU 801 and software. For example, the transport control unit 4002 can be realized by the CPU 801 executing the program stored in the MEMORY 802, but it is not limited thereto.

The information acquisition unit 4001 acquires the following information: information on the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be processed by the folding knife 100 (acquired, for example, from the image forming apparatus 1P); Information about the sheet thickness of the sheet bundle to be folded (acquired, for example, from the delivery roller sensor 41 ) and the like.

The conveyance control unit 4002 controls the folding motor 800 so that the sheet conveyance speed by the folding roller pair 89 is switched from the first conveyance speed to the second conveyance speed at a predetermined timing, wherein the predetermined timing is started from the folding knife 100. The period between when the sheet stack is pushed in and the return operation to the standby position is started until the rear end of the sheet stack pushed into the nip portion of the folding roller pair 89 by the folding knife 100 passes through the nip portion of the folding roller pair 89 (preferably The method is a predetermined timing from the start of the reset operation to the time when the folding knife 100 stops at a predetermined standby position).

The driving control of the folding motor 800 by the conveyance control unit 4002 described above is performed based on information such as data tables, timing charts, and functions stored in the conveyance control unit 4002 or MEMORY 802.

Next, drive control of the folding roller pair 89 in the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

A one-way clutch 802 is connected to a gear 803 b for transmitting drive from the folding motor 800 to the folding roller pair 89 .

For example, the folding motor 800 is rotated in the arrow E direction shown in FIG. 28 . Then, the gear 803b is rotated in the arrow H direction by the timing belt 801, the gear 803a, and the electromagnetic clutch 900. When the gear 803b rotates in the arrow H direction, the drive is transmitted to the gear 803c, and the drive side folding roller 89a is driven to rotate in the arrow J direction through the gear 803d and the gear 803e.

In this way, the folding motor 800 is rotated in the direction of the arrow E, and the driving force is transmitted by using the gear train of the gear 803c with a large reduction ratio, so that the folding roller 89 can be rotated at a low rotational speed (first conveying speed) and a high torque. .

On the other hand, when the folding motor 800 is rotated in the arrow F direction shown in FIG. 29, the timing belt 801, the gear 803a, and the electromagnetic clutch 900 are driven in a direction opposite to the rotation direction shown in FIG. In the electromagnetic clutch 900, the gear 803b rotates in the arrow I direction. When the gear 803b rotates in the arrow I direction, the drive is transmitted to the gears 803f and 803g, and the driving side folding roller 89a is driven to rotate in the arrow J direction through the gears 803d and 803e.

In this way, the folding motor 800 is rotated in the direction of the arrow F, and the driving force is transmitted using the gear train of the gears 803f and 803g having a small reduction ratio, so that the folding roller 89 can be rotated at a high speed (second conveying speed).

In addition, according to the mechanism shown in FIG. 28 and FIG. 29, not only the folding motor 800 is rotated in the E direction, but also when the folding motor 800 is rotated in the F direction, the driving side folding roller 89a is also rotated in the arrow J direction. Therefore, the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle by the folding roller pair 89 can be made the same direction.

According to the mechanism described above, during the folding process, the folding motor 800 is rotated in the direction of the arrow E in the rotation direction with a high reduction ratio, thereby performing low-speed, high-torque driving, and the folding motor 800 moves from the standby position toward the nipping portion of the roller pair. The sheet cutter 100 presses the sheets to be processed into the nipping portion of the roller pair driven at the first conveying speed. Then, after the sheet bundle is folded, the folding motor 800 is once stopped, and the folding motor 800 is rotated in the direction of the arrow F in the opposite direction during the sheet bundle conveyance, so that the sheet bundle can be conveyed at high speed.

Specifically, the conveyance control unit 4002 switches the sheet conveyance speed by the folding roller pair 89 from the first conveyance speed V1 to the second conveyance speed V2 at a predetermined timing, which is when the folding knife 100 folds the sheet bundle. Downstream of the folding roller pair 89 in the moving direction when the front end of the folding knife 100 that has started moving to the standby position passes through the folding action of the folding knife 100 after the push-in action and the reset action to the standby position are started. The specified timing for the period up to the side end position. In this way, switching from the first conveying speed to the second conveying speed can be performed as quickly as possible after the folding process, thereby contributing to an improvement in the productivity of the entire apparatus.

In addition, the larger the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded, or the thicker the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded, it is preferable that the conveyance control unit 4002 postpones the use of the sheet by the folding roller pair 89. The timing at which the conveying speed is switched from the first conveying speed to the second conveying speed.

In this way, when the object is a sheet bundle requiring high torque for folding processing, the folding processing can be reliably performed by maintaining the time for conveying the sheet bundle at the first conveying speed (low speed, high torque) for a long time.

In addition, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded is less than a predetermined number of sheets, it is preferable that the conveyance control unit 4002 starts the return to the standby position after the folding knife 100 pushes in the sheet bundle to fold the sheet bundle. After the operation, the folding roller pair 89 is only driven at the second conveyance speed until the rear end of the sheet bundle pressed into the nip of the folding roller pair 89 by the folding knife 100 passes through the nip of the folding roller pair 89 .

Generally, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded is less than the specified number, the rotational drive of the folding roller pair 89 does not require a large torque. Conveying at high speed and low torque from the stage of 89 can contribute to the improvement of productivity.

Next, the acceleration control during the driving of the folding roller pair 89 by the transport control unit 4002 will be described.

Generally, if the conveying speed is changed rapidly while the sheet bundle is being conveyed by the pair of folding rollers 89, wrinkles may be generated on the folded sheet bundle or the sheet itself may be damaged.

Therefore, as the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded increases, the conveyance control unit 4002 in this embodiment performs PWN control using the motor step signal of the folding motor 800 to further reduce the 89 is the acceleration A2 when the sheet conveyance speed is switched from the first conveyance speed to the second conveyance speed. This is because, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded is large, if the folding roller pair 89 is suddenly accelerated, wrinkles are likely to be generated in the sheet bundle.

On the other hand, if the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be folded is thicker, the conveyance control unit 4002 performs PWM control using the motor step signal of the folding motor 800 to further increase the number of sheets to be folded by the folding roller pair 89. The acceleration when the conveying speed is switched from the first conveying speed to the second conveying speed. This is because when the sheets constituting the sheet stack to be folded are thin, sudden acceleration of the folding roller pair 89 may cause damage to the sheet stack, but when the sheets are thick, sudden acceleration can be tolerated.

Furthermore, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, for example, a sheet processing apparatus having the following configuration can be provided.

(1) The sheet processing apparatus configured as described above includes an information acquiring unit for acquiring information on a sheet thickness constituting a sheet bundle to be subjected to folding processing by a folding knife. The thicker the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be processed, the more the conveyance control device increases the acceleration when switching the sheet conveyance speed by the roller pair from the first conveyance speed to the second conveyance speed. acceleration.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to greatly improve the productivity when the sheet bundle folded by the folding process is carried out to the downstream side after the folding process is performed on the sheet bundle, and it is also possible to prevent the folded sheet bundle from being wrinkled during the folding process.

(fifth embodiment)

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modified example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Hereinafter, parts having the same functions as those already described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(Correction based on the detection result of the position where the sheet stack is placed on standby by the stacker)

Generally, when stapling or folding is performed on a sheet bundle, the number of sheets in the conveyance direction of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to be processed is calculated based on predetermined values of sheet sizes (for example, A3, A4, B4, B5, etc.). size, and when it is judged that the sheet size deviates from the specified value, an error notification is performed.

In a conventional sheet processing apparatus, when a user supplies a sheet of an unspecified size as an object of stapling processing or folding processing, these processings may not be performed.

Next, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the drive control of the stacker 2 during stapling processing and folding processing will be described in detail.

31 is a functional block diagram of a sheet processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

The sheet processing apparatus 1Fd according to this embodiment includes a size calculation unit 5001 and a processing position adjustment unit 5002 . In addition, the processing location adjustment unit 5002 may be hardware independent of the CPU 801, may be a combination of the CPU 801 and software, or may be a combination of a processor different from the CPU 801 and software. For example, the processing position adjustment unit 5002 can be realized by the CPU 801 executing a program stored in the MEMORY 802, but it is not limited thereto.

The size calculation section 5001 calculates the size in the conveyance direction of the sheet passing through the discharge roller sensor 41 based on the detection result in the discharge roller sensor 41 . Specifically, the size calculation unit 5001 calculates the sheet length based on the number of driving steps of the transport motor 40 during the period from when the delivery roller sensor 41 detects the front end of the sheet to when the rear end of the sheet is detected.

The processing position adjustment unit 5002 adjusts the position at which the stapling process or the folding process is performed on the sheet bundle to be stapled or folded based on the sheet size calculated by the size calculating unit 5001 .

Next, the adjustment of the processing position of the sheet stack in this embodiment will be described in detail.

Assuming that the distance from the original stapling position of the stapling device 5 to the standby position of the stacker claw 21 is L0, the theoretical value of the length in the conveying direction of the specified sheet size is referred to as L1, and the distance from the stapling position to the folding position is The distance is set to L2.

When the sheet length (actual measurement value) calculated by the size calculation unit 5001 is set to L4, for example, when the actual measurement value L4 is "L4>L1", the processing position adjustment unit 5002 sets a distance of "(L1-L4)/2". The stacking motor 20 is driven to lower the stacking claw 21 .

At the above position, the sheets are stacked up to the last page on the stacking tray 1 and the stacked sheet bundle is bound and then the stacking claw 21 is driven only at "L2" to be folded and discharged.

On the other hand, for example, when the sheet length calculated by the size calculation unit 5001 is L4, for example, when the actually measured value L4 is “L4<L1”, the processing position adjustment unit 5002 only calculates the length of “(L1-L4)/2”. The stacking motor 20 is driven by distance, and the stacking claw 21 is raised.

According to such a configuration, even if the designated sheet size is different from the measured value of the sheet actually supplied from the image forming apparatus 1P, by adjusting the processing position, the stapling and folding processing can be performed with high precision.

In this way, first, the stacking claw 21 is put on standby at a position corresponding to the sheet size, and only the error amount needs to be corrected. Therefore, the error correction can be performed in a short time, which is preferable in terms of productivity.

In addition, although the configuration of calculating the size of the sheet to be stapled or folded based on the detection result of the delivery roller sensor 41 is shown here, the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration not shown A sheet end detection sensor is shown, and the sheet length is calculated based on the detection result of the sensor, and the sheet end detection sensor is used to detect the end of the sheet moved by the stacking device 2 .

For example, the correction of the processing position of the sheet stack is performed by the following processing flow.

First, the processing position adjustment unit 5002 drives the stacking motor 20 to move the stacking claw 21 to the sheet waiting position, and waits for the stack of sheets to be processed to be aligned.

Next, the processing position adjustment unit 5002 raises the stack claw 21 until the sheet end detection sensor is turned on.

here,

L0 = distance from the stapling position to the stacking claw 21 in the sheet-waiting state

L1 = theoretical value of flake length (standard value)

L2 = distance from the sheet end detection sensor to the stacking claw 21 in the state of waiting for the sheet

L3 = distance from the position where the stapling process is performed to the position where the folding process is performed

In this case, the actually measured length of the sheet can be obtained from the moment when the sheet end detection sensor is turned on.

When the condition is:

L0＝L1/2+(maximum sheet length-theoretical value of sheet length)

L2＝L1+(maximum sheet length-theoretical value of sheet length)

At this time,

Sheet length=L2-number of sheet end detection moving steps×moving distance of 1 step.

The size calculation unit 5001 calculates the actually measured length of the sheet to be processed based on the above calculation formula.

The processing position adjustment unit 5002 moves the center position in the conveyance direction of the sheets to the stapling position based on the following calculation formula.

The number of moving steps of the binding position =

(Number of moving steps for sheet end detection - (maximum sheet length - theoretical value of sheet length)/moving distance of 1 step)/2

(When the calculation result here is positive, it increases; when the calculation result is negative, it decreases)

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the dimensional accuracy (length) of the sheet used is inaccurate when performing the sheet folding or folding processing, it is possible to perform high-precision stapling processing and folding processing on the sheet.

(sixth embodiment)

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modified example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Hereinafter, parts having the same functions as those already described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(Sheet handling device that can pull out the saddle unit as a whole)

In a conventional sheet processing apparatus that performs stapling processing or folding processing, there is a configuration including a stapling device for performing stapling processing on sheets, a pair of folding rollers and folding knives for performing folding processing on the sheets, and a Sheets are conveyed to these bookbinding devices or zigzag route conveying sections of folding roller pairs.

In order to remove a sheet or perform maintenance when a paper jam (sheet jam) occurs, in such a conventional sheet processing apparatus, there is known a configuration in which only a portion of the conveyance guide is pulled out of the sheet processing apparatus, The conveyance guide constitutes a sheet conveyance path that holds a sheet when a predetermined process is performed by the stapler and the pair of folding rollers, or pulls out only the vicinity of the pair of folding rollers to the outside of the sheet processing device. In a conventional sheet processing apparatus configured in this way, generally, for example, a conveyance guide, etc., which are configured to perform zigzag conveyance, is unfolded while being held in the sheet processing apparatus to remove clogged sheets. the delivery path.

However, even if the conveyance guide is unfolded in the sheet processing apparatus, it cannot be said that there is enough space for removing the sheet, and it is often difficult to remove the sheet.

Then, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the following configuration is adopted in the sheet processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

32 to 37 are explanatory diagrams illustrating the drawing structure of each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

The saddle unit 3000 in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe that performs the stapling process and the half-folding process includes rail portions 3001 a and 3001 b fixedly connected to the saddle unit 3000 as shown in FIG. 33 . The guide rail parts 3001a and 3001b are supported by the guide part 3400 on the main body frame of the post-processing device in such a way that they can slide in the direction of the reader perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 32 , thus, as shown in FIG. The entire range enclosed by a dotted line X shown in FIG. 32 ) can be pulled out toward the front side of the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe. Here, the frame portion (for example, refer to FIG. 33 ) corresponds to the slide portion, and the frame portion supports the rail portion 3001a, the rail portion 3001b, the guide portion 3400, the binding device 5, the folding roller pair 89, and the like as a whole.

Here, the first conveyance path is used to convey the sheets to be stapled or folded in half to the processing position, and the second conveyance path is used to zigzag the sheets conveyed on the first sheet conveyance path for stapling or folded in half. delivery. In addition, the second conveyance path here has at least one of an opening, a protrusion, and a recess (a shape that is likely to be caught by a sheet) in the vicinity of the meeting position (see FIG. 32 ) with the first sheet conveyance path within the conveyance path. one. In general, in the conveyance guide constituting the second sheet conveyance path, on the conveyance guide on the downstream side in the sheet traveling direction in the first sheet conveyance path, there is a portion of the above-mentioned shape that is likely to catch the sheet, and it is particularly likely to occur. Flakes clogged.

Here, the amount by which the saddle unit 3000 is pulled out of the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe is set to be at least an amount that pulls the entire mechanism portion of the saddle unit 3000 out of the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe. For example, the configuration is such that when the dimension in the depth direction of the image forming apparatus 1P is large and there is only a distance Y between the front of the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe and the front of the image forming apparatus 1P (see FIG. 34 ), only the saddle unit is moved toward the sheet. The processing apparatus 1Fe pulls out the above-mentioned pull-out amount plus the distance Y. Thus, the slider in the present embodiment can pull out the first conveyance guide and the second conveyance guide until the deployment of the first conveyance guide and the second conveyance guide described later is not prevented by the image forming apparatus 1P. obstructed position.

In the saddle unit 3000 drawn out of the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe, the first guide 3110 constituting the outer wall surface in the direction of the radius of curvature of the first sheet conveyance path includes a pull-out handle 3111 so that the lower side end can be The structure of the fulcrum rotation. By pulling the extraction handle 3111 toward the user, the first guide 3110 can be deployed as shown in FIG. 35 . On the main body frame of the saddle unit 3000, conveyance guide holding members 3200a, 3200b are provided, and normally, as shown in FIG. 33, the first conveyance guide 3110 is held in a closed state.

In addition, like the first conveying guide 3110, the second conveying guide 3120 can be rotated with the lower side end as a fulcrum, and can be deployed as shown in FIG. 36. The second conveying guide constitutes the first sheet The wall surface on the inner side in the direction of the radius of curvature of the conveying path.

The first conveying guide 3110 and the second conveying guide 3120 are connected by the connecting member 3300, and have the first state shown in FIG. 35 and the second state shown in FIG. 36 and FIG. 37, the first state is the first conveying guide The second state is a state in which the member 3110 is unfolded only by a predetermined angle, and the second state is a state in which the first conveyance guide 3110 is further unfolded after the first conveyance guide 3110 is unfolded from the first state.

In the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the configuration is such that the first conveyance guide 3110 is deployed from the above-mentioned first state to the second state by the action of the connecting member 3300, and the second conveyance guide 3120 is also deployed accordingly. The expansion.

Thus, since the first conveyance guide 3110 and the second conveyance guide 3120 can be deployed in stages, it is naturally easy to remove the sheet in the sheet conveyance path, and, as shown in FIG. It is also very easy to remove the sheet in the zigzag portion of the transport path on the inner side of the device and near the pair of folding rollers 89 .

In addition, in this embodiment, a material with high transparency is used for the first transport guide 3110 , and a material with low transparency and a color close to black is used for the second transport guide 3120 . Thereby, the visibility of the sheet remaining in the sheet conveyance path can be improved in the state in which the saddle unit 3000 is pulled out of the apparatus and in the state in which the conveyance guide is unfolded. In addition, the form of the 1st conveyance guide 3110 is not limited to the said structure. For example, an opening may be formed in the first transport guide 3110, and clogged sheets can be checked through the opening. In this case, the opening formed on the first conveyance guide 3110 is preferably, for example, a long hole extending in the sheet conveyance direction. Thereby, between the first conveyance guide 3110 and the second conveyance guide 3120 , a wide range in the sheet conveyance direction can be visually recognized from the outside of the first conveyance guide 3110 , which contributes to the improvement of maintainability. Of course, by using a highly transparent material for the first conveyance guide 3110 and forming the above-mentioned opening, it is undoubtedly possible to contribute to further improvement in maintainability.

In addition, here, the configuration in which the first sheet conveyance path, the second sheet conveyance path, the staple device 5 , the folding roller pair 89 , and the folding knife 100 can be pulled out of the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe as a whole by the sliding portion is shown, however, And it doesn't stop there.

When the folding knife 100 and the pair of folding rollers 89 for folding are arranged near the zigzag position (merging position) for downsizing, paper jams easily occur near the pair of folding rollers 89 .

Therefore, in such a case, it is possible to easily cope with jams occurring near the pair of folding rollers 89 by forming a configuration in which the sliding portion can move at least the first sheet conveyance path, the second sheet conveyance path, and the pair of folding rollers 89 pulls out the configuration outside the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe as a whole.

On the other hand, when the binding device 5 is arranged near the zigzag position (merging position) for downsizing, paper jams easily occur near the binding device 5 .

Therefore, in such a case, it is possible to easily cope with paper jams occurring near the binding device 5 by forming a configuration in which the sliding portion can at least connect the first sheet conveying path, the second sheet conveying path, and the binding device 5 as a whole Pull out the configuration outside the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe.

Furthermore, the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe according to the present embodiment includes a plate-like member 3500 extending at least in the sliding direction of the sliding portion and covering at least part of the unit that can be pulled out of the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe through the sliding portion. Part of the outer side in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding part.

In this way, the outside of the saddle unit in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction is covered by the plate-shaped member 3500 extending in the sliding direction, thereby preventing the member or clothes from being caught when the saddle unit is accommodated in the sheet processing apparatus 1Fe. Case. In addition, the plate-shaped member 3500 here is the top portion of the saddle unit, but it is not limited thereto, and may be disposed on the side wall portion or the bottom portion of the saddle unit.

Furthermore, according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, for example, a sheet processing apparatus having the following configuration can be provided.

(1) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the second guide is expanded following the expansion operation of the first guide.

(2) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the first guide is formed with at least one opening for visually confirming the first sheet conveyance path from the outside when the first guide is not deployed.

(3) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, a plate-shaped member extending at least in the sliding direction of the sliding unit, the plate-shaped member covering at least a part of the unit that can be pulled out of the sheet processing apparatus through the sliding portion, The outer side in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding part.

(4) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the second guide is expanded following the expansion operation of the first guide.

(5) In the sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, the first guide is formed with at least one opening for visually confirming the first sheet conveyance path from the outside when the first guide is not deployed.

(6) In the sheet processing method configured as described above, the second guide is expanded following the expansion operation of the first guide.

(7) In the sheet processing method configured as described above, the first guide is formed with at least one opening that enables the first sheet conveyance path to be visually recognized from the outside when the first guide is not deployed.

In this way, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to contribute to improvement of maintainability when a sheet jam or the like occurs near the zigzag position.

(seventh embodiment)

Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modified example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Hereinafter, parts having the same functions as those already described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(Control of the movement timing of the stacking device and the horizontally integrated board to the standby position)

In the prior art, the horizontally integrated board and the stacking claws manage the position based on the number of pulses of the stepping motor until the selected process is all stacked and do not return to the original position, wherein the horizontally integrated board is used for the integrated implementation The stacking claw blocks and aligns the ends in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction during stapling and folding processing.

Therefore, due to the influence of individual differences in components or individual differences in device assembly, etc., positional deviations of the lateral integration plates and stoppers tend to occur. Therefore, for example, when a plurality of sheets are processed or a plurality of different processes are continuously performed on the sheets, if the above-mentioned positional deviations accumulate, a large positional deviation may occur as a result.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the following methods are known: that is, by moving the stacking device, the stack of sheets subjected to the stapling process or the folding process is returned to the original position once to ensure the control method of the positional accuracy. However, horizontally integrating the plates and stacking The claws also function to guide the stack of sheets. Therefore, there is a problem that if the timing of returning to the original position is wrong, the accuracy of the folding position will be deviated. In addition, starting the driving of the horizontally integrated boards and stacking claws after the folding process and stacking will cause unnecessary waiting time, leading to the problem of increasing the processing time.

Therefore, in the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the following configuration is employed. FIG. 38 is an explanatory view for explaining a sheet processing apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

In the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the horizontal aligning plates 31a and 31b and the stacking claws 21 play a role in the sheet conveyance direction during the folding process by the folding roller pair 89 until the folding roller pair 89 bites into the sheet bundle. The role of positioning and guidance in the width direction (for example, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5). Among them, the horizontal aligning plates 31a and 31b align the end portions of the sheet stack in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and the stacking claw 21 collides with the end portions of the sheet stack in the sheet conveying direction, and makes it align with different sheets. The categories correspond to the reference positions of the staple position and the fold position.

In order to perform additional folding processing on the sheet bundle that has been folded by the folding roller pair 89, after the sheet is detected by the additional folding position detection sensor 71, the horizontal aligning plates 31a and 31b and the stacking pawl 21 are moved to their original positions. The folding additional position detection sensor 71 is used to detect the position of the sheet bundle discharged from the folding roller pair 89 .

Based on the driving pulse when the folding knife 100 is driven, determining whether or not the stack of sheets is bitten by the pair of folding rollers 89 depends on the moving distance until the stack of sheets is actually bitten by the pair of folding rollers 89, so the deviation is large.

On the other hand, if the detection result of the folding position detection sensor 71 disposed downstream of the folding roller pair 89 in the transport direction is used, it can be reliably determined whether or not the sheet bundle is bitten by the folding roller pair 89 .

In this way, according to the configuration of moving the laterally aligning plates 31a and 31b and the stacking claw 21 to their original positions after the sheet is detected by the fold additional position detection sensor 71, the horizontally aligning plates 31a and 31b and the stacking claw 21 can be positioned at an appropriate position. Integrating the sheet stack can contribute to the improvement of the accuracy of the folding position and the binding position.

(eighth embodiment)

Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is a modified example of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Hereinafter, parts having the same functions as those already described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

(Control of the movement timing of the stacking device and the lateral integration plate to the receiving position of the next sheet)

In a conventional sheet processing apparatus that performs stapling or folding, the laterally integrating plate and stacking claws move to the next receiving position for the sheet to be processed after the stapling or folding is stacked. The plate is used to integrate the ends in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheets when the above-mentioned stapling process or folding process is performed, and the stacking claw is used to collide with and position the ends in the conveying direction of the sheets.

However, there is a problem in terms of productivity because extra waiting time is generated for starting the driving of the laterally aligning boards or stacking claws after the actual stacking of the sheet bundle for aligning the next page.

On the other hand, if the movement of the horizontal integration plate or the stacking claw starts before the folding process of the stack of sheets is completed, there is a problem that, for example, after the folding process is performed on the large-sized sheet stack, the small-sized stack is then folded. When the stack of sheets is being folded, the horizontally aligning plate or stacking claws that start moving ahead of time interfere with the stack of sheets being folded, causing flaws on the stack of sheets being folded.

Therefore, in the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the following configuration is employed.

39 and 40 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the sheet processing apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

In general, very large torque is required for the folding process of the sheet bundle, and the folding roller pair 89 is rotationally driven at a low speed during the folding process by the folding roller pair 89 . In addition, since the sheet bundle that has passed through the folding roller pair 89 is stopped for performing additional folding processing again, when the stacking claw 21 is moved to a position for receiving the next sheet for processing, the stacking claw 21 In contact with the rear end of the sheet stack being folded.

Therefore, it is preferable to set the timing at which the stacking claw 21 starts to move from the original position or the stop position where the folding process is performed to the position for receiving the next sheet to be processed so that no stacking of sheets during the folding process occurs and The timing at which the trailing end of the sheet bundle being conveyed comes into contact after the folding process.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the folding motor 800 is stopped after the folding process of the sheet bundle, and the laterally aligning plate and the stacking claws are operated between the start of the additional folding process of driving the additional folding roller 7 and the stop of the implementation. Move to the position where the sheet that should be processed on the next page should be accepted.

In addition, for example, if the stacking claw 21 starts to be driven at the timing when the folding knife 100 abuts against the sheet stack, and moves at the same moving speed as the sheet stack conveyance speed by the folding roller pair 89, the end of the sheet stack can be held by the stacking claw 21. , until the folding knife 100 bites the stack of sheets into the pair of folding rollers 89 .

On the other hand, with respect to the laterally integrating plates 31a and 31b, when a large-sized sheet is subjected to folding processing, and the sheet bundle to be processed next is a small-sized sheet bundle, as shown in FIG. The horizontal aligning plate is moved from the aligning position Q of the previous sheet stack to the receiving position T which is a standby position. Therefore, it is necessary to move the horizontal aligning plates 31 a and 31 b to the receiving position of the sheet to be processed next after the timing of ejecting the sheet stack from the stacking tray 1 .

Therefore, it is preferable that the timing when the laterally aligning plates 31a and 31b move from the original position or the stop position when the folding process is performed to the receiving position of the next sheet bundle to be processed is that the rear end of the folded sheet bundle has passed. The timing of passing through the vicinity of the center of the nip portion of the folding roller pair 89 (refer to the dotted line shown in FIG. 40 ).

Each step of the processing (sheet processing method) in the above-described sheet processing apparatus is realized by causing the CPU 801 to execute the sheet processing program stored in the MEMROY 802.

In this embodiment, the case where the function for implementing the present invention is pre-recorded in the device has been described, but it is not limited to this, the same function can be downloaded from the network, and the recording medium storing the same function can also be installed. inside the device. The recording medium may be in any form as long as it is a CD-ROM or the like that can store a program and is readable by a device. In addition, functions obtained by installation or downloading in the above-mentioned form realize their functions in cooperation with an OS (Operating System) or the like inside the device.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with specific embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for stably performing retracting operation of a stapled sheet bundle from the binding device without being limited to the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle, conveyance resistance, or the like.

Claims (18)

1. A sheet processing device, comprising: a stacking device holding the sheet stack and moving substantially parallel to the sheet surfaces of the sheet stack; The unifying roller abuts and separates with respect to the sheet surface of the sheet held on the stacker, and the sheet is collided to a reference position in the stacker by bringing the rotating roller surface into contact with the sheet and integrate; a binding device that performs binding processing on the sheet bundle that is integrated by the integrating roller and moved to a predetermined position by the stacking device; and When the stacker moves the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process in a retracting direction from the stapling device, the control unit causes the rotating aligning roller and the The stack of sheets abuts. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an information obtaining unit for obtaining information on the number of sheets constituting the sheet stack, When the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of sheets, when the stacking device moves the sheet bundle in a retracting direction from the binding device, the control unit causes the aligning rollers to abuts against the sheet stack held on the stacking device. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning roller is arranged to be in contact with the center of the sheet stack in the vertical direction when the binding device binds the sheet stack, and is arranged below position. 4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning roller abuts against the sheet stack moving to a position lower than the predetermined position in a circumferential direction greater than the moving speed of the stacking device. speed rotation. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, the unifying roller abutting on the sheet stack until a timing later than the moving stack of the stacking device. 6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: an information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on the thickness of the sheets constituting the sheet stack, When the thickness of the sheets is thicker, when the stacking device moves the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process in a retracting direction from the stapling device, the control unit makes the aligning roller and the The longer the sheet stack remains in abutment on the stacking device. 7. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: an information obtaining unit for obtaining information on a size of sheets constituting the sheet stack in a moving direction of the stacking device, When the stacking device moves the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling processing in a retracting direction from the stapling device, the control unit may increase the size of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle targeted for the stapling processing. Then, the aligning roller is brought into contact with the sheet stack held on the stacking device at an earlier timing. 8. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: After the aligning roller abuts against the sheet stack, it still rotates away from the sheet stack. 9. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: roller pairs; and a folding knife that presses the sheet moved by the stacking device into the nip of the pair of rollers by moving from a standby position to the nip of the pair of rollers, After the sheet stack has been moved to the prescribed folding position by the stacking device and the integrating rollers are separated from the sheet stack, the folding knife presses the sheet stack into the nip of the roller pair. into the Ministry. 10. A sheet processing method, the sheet processing apparatus of the sheet processing method comprising: a stacking device holding a sheet stack and moving substantially parallel to a sheet surface of the sheet stack; abutment and separation of the sheet surfaces of the held sheets, the sheets are collided to a reference position in the stacking device and aligned by abutting the rotating roller surface against the sheets; The stack of sheets that is aligned by the aligning roller and moved to a predetermined position by the stacking device is subjected to a binding process, In the flake processing method, When the stacking device moves the bundle of sheets subjected to the binding process in a retracting direction from the binding device, the rotating alignment roller and the sheets held by the stacking device are aligned. stack butt. 11. The sheet processing method according to claim 10, wherein, acquiring information on the number of sheets constituting the sheet stack, When the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of sheets, when the stacker moves the sheet bundle from the binding device in the retracting direction, the aligning rollers are brought into contact with the The sheet stack held on the stacking device. 12. The sheet processing method according to claim 10, wherein, The aligning roller is disposed at a position abutting on a position lower than the vertical center of the sheet bundle when the binding device binds the sheet bundle. 13. The flake processing method according to claim 10. in, The aligning roller abuts against the sheet stack moving below the predetermined position, and rotates at a peripheral speed greater than the moving speed of the stacking device. 14. The sheet processing method according to claim 10, wherein, The unifying roller abuts on the sheet stack until a timing later than the moving stack of the stacking device. 15. The sheet processing method according to claim 10, wherein, obtaining information relating to the thickness of the sheets making up the stack, When the thickness of the sheets is thicker, when the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process is moved from the stapling device in a retracting direction by the stacking device, the aligning roller is held in the The longer the stack is in abutment on the stacking device. 16. The sheet processing method according to claim 10, wherein, obtaining information on the size of the sheets constituting the sheet stack in the moving direction of the stacking device, When the stacking device moves the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process in the retracting direction from the stapling device, the larger the size of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle targeted for the stapling process, the earlier the The timing is such that the unifying roller abuts against the sheet stack held on the stacking device. 17. The sheet processing method according to claim 10, wherein, After the aligning roller abuts against the sheet stack, it still rotates away from the sheet stack. 18. The sheet processing method according to claim 10, wherein, The sheet processing apparatus further includes: a pair of rollers; and a folding knife for stacking the sheet moved by the stacking device into the pair of rollers by moving from a standby position to a nip portion of the pair of rollers. the bite part, After the sheet stack has been moved to the prescribed folding position by the stacking device and the integrating rollers are removed from the sheet stack, the folding knife presses the sheet stack into the nip of the roller pair. into the Ministry.

Images