JP2004009337A - Sheet handling device and imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform handling efficiently when a stapling mode is selected at a plurality of positions by a user. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet handling device comprises a stapling tray for containing and arranging carried sheets, an end face stapler provided on the most downstream side of the stapling tray in the carrying direction of sheet and stapling a bundle of sheets contained in the tray, a plurality of intermediate staplers provided on the upstream side of the end face stapler in the carrying direction of sheet and stapling a bundle of sheets contained in the tray, and a discharge belt having discharge claws for carrying the bundle of sheets to the stapling position or carrying out the bundle of sheets from the tray wherein the bundle of sheets is stapled at a plurality of positions simultaneously by means of the intermediate stapler. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is provided integrally or separately with an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a printing machine, and performs predetermined processing such as binding, punching, aligning, and folding on paper (recording medium) on which an image has been formed. The present invention relates to a paper processing apparatus for performing and discharging paper and an image processing system including the paper processing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Various paper post-processing apparatuses have been provided which automatically perform processing such as sorting / punching / stapling on paper discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer. The needs for diversification / advancement have increased, and in particular, the need for alignment accuracy (alignment state) of a staple-processed sheet bundle has become extremely high. In order to meet such needs, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-286368 discloses that, in addition to bridge stapling, saddle stitching is possible, and it is possible to reduce the cost without increasing the size and complexity of the apparatus. For this purpose, the staple unit is arranged on one end side of the alignment tray member, and staple means for end binding to bind one edge of a plurality of sheets arranged on the alignment tray member, and is arranged at an intermediate portion of the alignment tray member, Sheet moving means for moving a plurality of sheets aligned by the alignment sheet aligning member so as to move the bundle of sheets so that the center thereof is positioned at the middle and nourish staple means; and the staple means or saddle stitching for the end stapling. A sheet post-processing apparatus including a sheet discharging unit that discharges a bundle of sheets bound by a staple unit is disclosed.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the invention disclosed in the above publication, the staple unit for end stapling and the staple unit for saddle stitching are separately provided to enable saddle stitching in addition to end stitching. Since the binding function is clearly divided, it has not been possible, for example, to bind more efficiently according to the number of sheets to be bound.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation of the related art, and has as its object to provide a paper processing apparatus and an image forming system capable of efficiently processing when a plurality of binding modes are selected by a user. Is to do.
[0005]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system capable of maximally performing a binding operation in consideration of the number of bindable sheets when a plurality of binding units having different numbers of bindable sheets are provided. .
[0006]
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system capable of binding sheets at a minimum cost without disturbing a sheet bundle.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the first means is provided at a paper storage means for storing and aligning the carried-in paper, and at a most downstream side of the paper storage means in the paper transport direction, and is provided at the paper storage means. A first binding unit that binds the accommodated sheet bundle; and a plurality of second binding units that are provided upstream of the first binding unit in the sheet transport direction and bind the sheet bundle accommodated in the sheet accommodation unit. And a sheet bundle moving unit that conveys the sheet bundle to the binding position or unloads the sheet bundle from the sheet storage unit, and performs a binding operation by the second binding unit when binding a plurality of positions to the sheet bundle. And a control unit for performing the control.
[0008]
With this configuration, when a plurality of binding modes are selected by the user, a plurality of second binding units arranged at a position upstream of the first binding unit of the sheet storage unit in the sheet transport direction, for example, at the center. Since the binding process can be performed at a time by the binding means, the productivity of the entire copying system can be improved.
[0009]
A second means is the first means, wherein the second binding means has a function of binding an end portion of the sheet bundle and a central portion of the sheet bundle. With this configuration, the second binding unit also serves as a saddle binding unit that binds the central portion of the sheet, so that end face binding and saddle binding can be performed without complicating the apparatus.
[0010]
The third means is characterized in that, in the first means, a moving means for moving the first binding means in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction is provided. With such a configuration, the first binding unit can move in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, when the number of sheets that can be bound by the second binding unit is smaller than the number of sheets that can be bound by the first binding unit, the first binding unit Even when the multiple binding mode that is equal to or more than the maximum number of sheets that can be bound by the second binding means is selected, if the number of binding sheets that can be bound is less than or equal to the number of binding sheets that can be bound by the first binding means, the end face can be bound at a plurality of locations and the center binding can be performed. It is also possible for users who do not need to bind the end face at a plurality of locations with minimal changes.
[0011]
In a fourth aspect, in the first aspect, the moving speed of the sheet bundle moving means is a speed after the binding process performed on the sheets aligned in the sheet storage means to the binding position of the second binding means. The transport speed is set to be higher. With such a configuration, since the sheet is conveyed at a high speed after the binding processing, productivity can be improved.
[0012]
Fifth means is that, in the first or second means, a sheet bundle holding means for holding a sheet bundle is provided downstream of the second binding means, and when the sheet bundle is bound by the second binding means. The sheet bundle is held by the sheet bundle holding means. With this configuration, when the binding process is performed by the second binding unit, the sheet bundle is clamped by the sheet bundle clamping unit disposed downstream, so that a predetermined distance from the binding position of the second binding unit is achieved. For example, it is possible to press a sheet bundle having a size longer than the distance to a sheet discharge roller described later, so that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem that the alignment of the sheet bundle is disturbed or the binding position is shifted.
[0013]
A sixth means is the fifth means, wherein, when the sheet bundle holding means discharges the sheet or the sheet bundle to the shift tray, the sheet bundle opening / closing guide plate for applying a conveying force to the sheet or the sheet bundle, and the sheet discharge device It is characterized by comprising a roller provided on the opening and closing guide plate. When the sheet discharge opening / closing guide plate is provided with the sheet bundle sandwiching function in this manner, it is possible to stably hold the sheet bundle by using a configuration provided in advance.
[0014]
A seventh means is characterized in that, in the first means, when the first or second binding means performs the binding processing, the driving of the paper discharge roller is stopped. When the driving of the paper discharge roller is stopped in this way, the roller that presses a sheet bundle having a size longer than the distance of the paper discharge roller 6 from the binding position of the second binding means during the binding processing rotates, and scratches and roller marks are removed. Occurrence can be prevented.
[0015]
Eighth means is a paper processing apparatus according to any of the first to seventh means, and an image which is provided integrally or separately with the paper processing apparatus and forms a visible image on a recording medium based on input image information. An image forming system is constituted by the forming apparatus. By configuring the system in this way,
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
[0017]
1. overall structure
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Shows part of the device.
[0018]
In FIG. 1, a sheet post-processing device PD is attached to a side portion of the image forming device PR, and a sheet (recording medium) discharged from the image forming device PR is guided to the sheet post-processing device PD. The sheet passes through a conveyance path A having a post-processing unit (a punch unit 100 as a punching unit in this embodiment) for performing post-processing on one sheet, and is conveyed to a conveyance path B leading to an upper tray 201 and a shift tray 202. A branching claw 15 and a branching claw 16 are arranged so as to be distributed to a conveying path C for guiding and a conveying path D for guiding to a processing tray F (hereinafter, also referred to as a staple processing tray) for performing alignment and stapling.
[0019]
The sheet guided to the staple processing tray F via the conveyance paths A and D, and subjected to alignment, stapling, and the like in the staple processing tray, is guided to the shift tray 202 by the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide 55 serving as deflecting means. The path C is configured to be sorted to a processing tray G for performing folding and the like (hereinafter, also referred to as a center folding processing tray). Led to. A branching pawl 17 is disposed in the transport path D, and is held in a state shown in the figure by a low-load spring (not shown). By rotating at least the conveying roller 9 out of 11, the trailing end of the sheet is guided to the sheet storage section E so that the sheet stays and can be conveyed while being superimposed on the next sheet. By repeating this operation, two or more sheets can be conveyed in a superimposed manner.
[0020]
A transport path A common to each of the upstream of the transport path B, the transport path C and the transport path D has an entrance sensor 301 for detecting a sheet received from the image forming apparatus, and an entrance roller 1, a punch unit 100, and a punch downstream thereof. The scrap hopper 101, the transport roller 2, the branch claws 15, and the branch claws 16 are sequentially arranged. The branch claw 15 and the branch claw 16 are held in a state shown in FIG. 1 by a spring (not shown). By turning on a solenoid (not shown), the branch claw 15 rotates upward and the branch claw 16 rotates downward. Thus, the sheet is distributed to the transport path B, the transport path C, and the transport path D. When guiding the sheet to the transport path B, the branch claw 15 is turned on in the state of FIG. 1 and when the sheet is guided to the transport path C, the solenoid is turned on from the state of FIG. When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path D, the solenoid is turned off while the branch claw 16 is in the state shown in FIG. 1, and the branch claw 15 is moved from the state shown in FIG. When the solenoid is turned on, the solenoid is turned upward.
[0021]
In this sheet post-processing apparatus, a sheet is punched (punch unit 100), sheet alignment + edge binding (jogger fence 53, end face binding stapler S1), paper alignment + saddle binding (jogger fence 53, saddle stapler stapler). S2), various processes such as sheet sorting (shift tray 202) and center folding (folding plate 74, folding rollers 81 and 82) can be performed.
[0022]
In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus PR forms a latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum by performing optical writing on an image forming medium such as a photosensitive drum based on the input image data, and This is an image forming apparatus using a so-called electrophotographic process in which toner is developed, transferred to a recording medium such as paper, fixed and discharged, and the image forming apparatus itself using the electrophotographic process is publicly known. The description and illustration of such a configuration are omitted. In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process is illustrated. However, in addition to this, a known image forming apparatus such as an inkjet printer or a printing machine and a system using a printing machine (printer) may be used. Needless to say.
[0023]
2. Shift tray section
The shift tray discharge unit I located at the most downstream portion of the sheet post-processing device PD includes a shift discharge roller 6, a return roller 13, a sheet surface detection sensor 330, a shift tray 202, a shift mechanism (not shown) and a shift mechanism. It is composed of a tray elevating mechanism. As shown in FIG. 1, a paper surface detection sensor 330 is provided in the vicinity of the return roller 13 as a paper surface position detecting means for detecting the paper surface position of the sheet or sheet bundle discharged onto the shift tray 202.
[0024]
Although not shown in detail in FIG. 1, the paper surface detection sensor 330 includes a paper surface detection lever, a paper surface detection sensor (for stipple), and a paper surface detection sensor (for non-stipple). The paper surface detection lever is provided rotatably about a shaft portion of the lever, and includes a contact portion that contacts the rear end upper surface of the sheets stacked on the shift tray 202 and a fan-shaped shielding portion. The paper surface detection sensor (for staples) located above is mainly used for staple paper ejection control, and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-staples) is mainly used for shift paper ejection control.
[0025]
In the present embodiment, the paper surface detection sensor (for stipple) and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-stipple) are turned on when blocked by the shielding unit. Therefore, when the shift tray 202 moves up and the contact portion of the paper surface detection lever rotates upward, the paper surface detection sensor (for stipple) is turned off, and when the contact portion is further rotated, the paper surface detection sensor (for non-staple) is turned on. When the paper surface detection sensor (for staples) and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-stipple) detect that the stacked amount of paper has reached the predetermined height, the shift tray 202 is lowered by a predetermined amount by driving the tray lifting motor. As a result, the paper surface position of the shift tray 202 is kept substantially constant.
[0026]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a sheet discharging unit to the shift tray 202. 1 and 2, the shift discharge roller 6 includes a drive roller 6a and a driven roller 6b, and the driven roller 6b is supported on the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction and is provided with an opening / closing guide plate that is swingably provided in a vertical direction. 33 is rotatably supported at the free end. The driven roller 6b comes into contact with the drive roller 6a by its own weight or biasing force, and the sheet is nipped and discharged between the rollers 6a and 6b. When the bound sheet bundle is discharged, the open / close guide plate 33 is lifted upward and returned at a predetermined timing. This timing is determined based on a detection signal of the shift discharge sensor 303. Is done. The stop position is determined based on a detection signal of the sheet ejection guide plate opening / closing sensor 331, and is driven by the sheet ejection guide plate opening / closing motor 167. The discharge guide plate opening / closing motor 167 is driven and controlled by turning on / off a discharge guide plate opening / closing limit switch 332.
[0027]
3 staple processing tray
3.1 Overall configuration of staple processing tray
The configuration of the staple processing tray F that performs staple processing will be described in detail.
[0028]
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the staple processing tray F viewed from a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying surface. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the staple processing tray F and its driving mechanism. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a sheet bundle discharging mechanism. It is. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the sheets guided to the staple processing tray F by the staple discharge rollers 11 are sequentially stacked on the staple processing tray F. In this case, alignment in the vertical direction (paper transport direction) is performed by the hitting roller 12 for each sheet, and alignment in the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction-also referred to as the paper width direction) is performed by the jogger fence 53. The end face stapling stapler S1 is driven by a stapling signal from the control device 350 (see FIG. 14) between the breaks of the job, that is, from the last sheet of the sheet bundle to the leading sheet of the next sheet bundle, and the binding process is performed. The sheet bundle on which the binding process has been performed is immediately sent to the shift discharge roller 6 by the discharge belt 52 having the discharge claw 52a protruding therefrom, and discharged to the shift tray 202 set at the receiving position.
[0029]
3.2 Paper ejection mechanism
As shown in FIG. 5, the home position of the discharge claw 52 a is detected by a discharge belt HP sensor 311, and this discharge belt HP sensor 311 is turned on by the discharge claw 52 a provided on the discharge belt 52.・ Turn off. Two ejection claws 52a are arranged at opposing positions on the outer periphery of the ejection belt 52 composed of a timing belt, and alternately move and convey the sheet bundle accommodated in the staple processing tray F. If necessary, the discharge belt 52 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the stack of sheets stored in the staple processing tray F on the back surface of the discharge claw 52a and the discharge claw 52a 'on the opposite side are waiting to move the sheet bundle. The leading ends in the transport direction may be aligned. Therefore, the ejection claw 52a also functions as a unit for aligning the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 3, the ejection belt 52 and its driving pulley 62 are arranged on the ejection shaft 65 that is the driving shaft of the ejection belt 52 driven by the ejection motor 157 at the alignment center in the sheet width direction. A discharge roller 56 is disposed and fixed symmetrically with respect to the drive pulley 62. Further, the peripheral speed of the discharge rollers 56 is set to be higher than the peripheral speed of the discharge belt 52.
[0031]
The discharge belt 52 transmits the driving force of the discharge motor 157 via a timing belt and a timing pulley 62. Here, the timing pulley (drive-side pulley) 62 and the discharge roller 56 are configured by being arranged on the same axis (discharge shaft 65). When changing the speed relationship between the discharge roller 56 and the discharge belt, the discharge roller 56 is allowed to idle on the discharge shaft 65, and the driving force divided from the discharge motor 157 is transmitted to the discharge roller 56 to reduce the reduction ratio. The setting may have a degree of freedom.
[0032]
Further, the cylindrical surface of the discharge roller 56 is formed of a high friction member such as rubber, and the conveying force is applied to the sheet or the sheet bundle sandwiched therebetween by the weight or the urging force of the pressure roller 57 which is a driven roller. Can occur.
[0033]
3.3 Processing mechanism
As shown in FIG. 4, the hitting roller 12 is given a pendulum motion by a hitting SOL (solenoid) 170 about the fulcrum 12a, and acts intermittently on the sheet fed to the staple processing tray F, thereby causing the sheet to move to the rear end fence. Hit 51. The hitting roller 12 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. The beating roller 12 is driven by a beating roller motor 156 independently of other driving sources. The drive control is performed by a CPU 360 described later via a motor driver 380. Since the beating roller motor 156 is formed of a stepping motor, it is driven by a motor driver 380 that drives the stepping motor 381. The hit SOL 170 is also driven via the driver 390, and is driven and controlled by the CPU 360.
[0034]
The jogger fence 53 is driven via a timing belt by a jogger motor 158 capable of rotating forward and backward, and reciprocates in the sheet width direction.
[0035]
As can be seen from the perspective view showing the stapler S1 in FIG. 6 together with the moving mechanism, the end-face stapling stapler S1 is driven via a timing belt by a stapler moving motor 159 which can be rotated forward and backward to bind a predetermined position of the sheet end. Moves in the paper width direction. At one end of the moving range, a stapler moving HP sensor 312 for detecting the home position of the end stapling stapler S1 is provided, and the stapling position in the paper width direction is the moving amount of the end stapling stapler S1 from the home position. Is controlled by As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 7, the end-face stapling stapler S1 allows the stapling angle to be changed to be parallel or oblique to the paper end, and furthermore, only the stapling mechanism of the stapler S1 is predetermined at the home position. The staple is rotated obliquely so that the staple needle can be easily replaced. The stapler S1 is rotated obliquely by the oblique motor 160, and when the needle replacement position sensor 313 detects that the needle has reached a predetermined oblique angle or reaches the needle replacement position, the oblique motor 160 stops. When the oblique driving is completed or the needle replacement is completed, the needle is rotated to the original position to prepare for the next staple.
[0036]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the distance from the rear end fence 51 to the staple position of the saddle stitch stapler S2 is a distance corresponding to a half of the maximum sheet size in the transport direction of the saddle stitch stapler S2. The two arrangements are made symmetrically with respect to the alignment center in the paper width direction, and are fixed to the stay 63. Since the saddle stitching stapler S2 itself is a known configuration, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, when performing saddle stitching, the jogger fence 53 aligns the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction and strikes the rear end fence 51. After the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle is aligned by the rollers 5, the ejection belt 52 is driven to lift the rear end of the sheet bundle with the ejection claw 52, and the center of the sheet bundle in the conveyance direction is positioned at the binding position of the saddle stapler S2. Position and stop at this position to execute the binding operation. Then, the bound sheet bundle is conveyed to the center folding processing tray G side and is folded in the middle. Details will be described later. In FIG. 3, the number of the saddle stapling stapler S2 is two for simplification, but three or more may be provided. These numbers are set according to design conditions.
[0037]
In the drawing, reference numeral 64a denotes a front side plate, 64b denotes a rear side plate, and reference numeral 310 denotes a paper presence / absence sensor for detecting presence / absence of paper on the staple processing tray F.
[0038]
4. Paper bundle deflection mechanism
The sheet bundle on which the saddle stitch has been performed on the staple processing tray F is folded at the center of the sheet. This center folding is performed on the center folding processing tray G. For that purpose, it is necessary to transport the bound sheet bundle to the center folding processing tray G. In this embodiment, a sheet bundle deflecting unit is provided at the most downstream side in the transport direction of the staple processing tray F, and transports the sheet bundle to the center folding processing tray G side.
[0039]
The sheet bundle deflecting mechanism includes a branch guide plate 54 and a movable guide 55 as shown in the enlarged views of the staple processing tray F and the center folding processing tray G in FIGS. The branch guide plate 54 is provided so as to be vertically swingable about a fulcrum 54a as shown in the operation explanatory views of FIGS. 8 to 10, and a rotatable pressure roller 57 is provided downstream thereof, and a spring 58 As a result, pressure is applied to the discharge roller 56 side. Further, the position of the branch guide plate 54 is defined by the contact position of the cam 61 rotating with the driving force obtained from the bundle branch driving motor 161 with the cam surface 61a.
[0040]
The movable guide 55 is swingably supported by the rotation shaft of the discharge roller 56, and a link rotatably connected to one end of the movable guide 55 (an end opposite to the branch guide plate 54) by a connecting portion 60 a. An arm 60 is provided. The link arm 60 includes a shaft fixed to the front side plate 64a shown in FIG. 5 and an elongated hole 60b, whereby the swing range of the movable guide 55 is restricted. 7 is held at the position shown in FIG. 7 by being urged downward by the spring 59. Further, when the link arm 60 is pressed by the cam surface 61b of the cam 61 which rotates by being driven by the bundle branch drive motor 161, the connected movable guide 55 rotates upward. The bundle branch guide HP sensor 315 detects the shielding portion 61c of the cam 61 and detects the home position of the cam 61. Thus, the stop position of the cam 61 is controlled by counting the drive pulses of the bundle branch drive motor 161 based on the home position.
[0041]
FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide 55 when the cam 61 is located at the home position. The guide surface 55 a of the movable guide 55 has a function of guiding a sheet in a path to the shift sheet discharge roller 6.
[0042]
In FIG. 9, when the cam 61 rotates, the branch guide plate 54 rotates counterclockwise (downward) in the figure about the fulcrum 54 a, and the pressure roller 57 contacts the discharge roller 56 and pressurizes. FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram showing a state in which the state is in the state of FIG.
[0043]
FIG. 10 shows that, when the cam 61 is further rotated, the movable guide 55 is rotated clockwise (upward) in the figure, and a path leading from the staple processing tray F to the center folding processing tray G is formed by the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide. 55 is an operation explanatory view showing a state formed by the steps 55 and 55. FIG. FIG. 3 shows the positional relationship in the depth direction.
[0044]
In this embodiment, the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide 55 are operated by a single drive motor. However, a separate drive motor is provided so that the movement timing and the stop position can be controlled according to the sheet size and the number of sheets to be bound. You may.
[0045]
5. Center folding tray
11 and 12 are explanatory views of the operation of the moving mechanism of the folding plate 74 for performing the half-folding.
The folding plate 74 is supported by loosely fitting a long hole portion 74a to each of two shafts 64c set on the front and rear side plates 64a and 64b. Further, a shaft portion 74b erected from the folding plate 74 is connected to a link arm 76. When the link arm 76 swings around the fulcrum 76a, the folding plate 74 reciprocates left and right in FIGS. 11 and 12. That is, the shaft portion 75b of the folding plate drive cam 75 is loosely fitted in the long hole portion 76c of the link arm 76, and the link arm 76 swings due to the rotational movement of the folding plate drive cam 75. At 13, the folding plate 74 reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the upper and lower bundle transfer guide plates 91 and 92.
[0046]
The folding plate drive cam 75 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The stop position is determined by detecting both ends of the half-moon-shaped shielding portion 75a by the folding plate HP sensor 325.
[0047]
FIG. 11 shows the home position where the processing tray G is completely retracted from the sheet bundle storage area. When the folding plate driving cam 75 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the folding plate 74 moves in the direction of the arrow and projects into the sheet bundle accommodating area of the processing tray G. FIG. 11 illustrates a position where the center of the sheet bundle of the processing tray G is pushed into the nip of the folding roller 81. When the folding plate driving cam 75 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the folding plate 74 moves in the direction of the arrow, and retreats from the sheet bundle storage area of the processing tray G.
[0048]
In this embodiment, it is assumed that a sheet bundle is folded for center folding, but the present invention can be applied to a case where one sheet is folded. In this case, saddle stitching is not necessary for only one sheet, so when one sheet is discharged, it is sent to the center folding processing tray G side, the folding process is performed by the folding plate 74 and the folding roller, and the sheet is discharged to the lower tray. To do.
[0049]
6. Control device
As shown in FIG. 14, the control device 350 is composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 360, an I / O interface 370, etc., switches of a control panel of the image forming apparatus PR main body, etc., an entrance sensor 301, and an upper paper ejection sensor 302. , Shift discharge sensor 303, pre-stack sensor 304, staple discharge sensor 305, paper presence / absence sensor 310, release belt home position sensor 311, staple movement home position sensor 312, and stapler oblique home position sensor 313. Is input to the CPU 360 via the I / O interface 370. The CPU 360 drives a tray elevating motor 168 for the shift tray 202, a discharge guide plate opening / closing motor 167 for opening / closing the opening / closing guide plate, a shift motor 169 for moving the shift tray 202, and a hitting roller 12 based on the input signal. Beating roller motor 156, beating SOL 170, and other solenoids, a conveying motor for driving each conveying roller, a discharging motor for driving each discharging roller, a discharging motor 157 for driving the discharging belt 52, and a stapler for moving the end face binding stapler S1. The driving of a moving motor 159, an oblique motor 160 for rotating the end face binding stapler S1 obliquely, a jogger motor 158 for moving the jogger fence 53, and the like are controlled. Since the beating roller motor 156 is formed of a stepping motor, it is driven via a motor driver 380 for the stepping motor 381, and the beating SOL 170 is driven via a SOL driver 390. The pulse signal of a staple transport motor (not shown) for driving the motor staple discharge roller is input to the CPU 360 and counted, and the hitting SOL 170 and the jogger motor 158 are controlled according to the count. Further, the punch unit 100 also performs the drilling according to the instruction of the CPU 360 by controlling the clutch and the motor.
[0050]
The control of the sheet post-processing device PD is performed by the CPU 360 executing a program written in a ROM (not shown) while using a RAM (not shown) as a work area.
[0051]
7. motion
Hereinafter, the operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, which is executed by the CPU 360, will be described.
[0052]
7.1 Operation according to processing mode
In the present embodiment, the following discharge modes are adopted according to the post-processing mode.
In the present embodiment, the following discharge modes are adopted according to the post-processing mode.
{Circle around (1)} Non-staple mode a: the sheet is discharged to the upper tray 201 through the transfer path A and the transfer path B.
{Circle around (2)} Non-staple mode b: the sheet is discharged to the shift tray 202 through the transfer path A and the transfer path C.
{Circle around (3)} Sort / stack mode: the sheet is discharged to the shift tray 202 through the transfer path A and the transfer path C. At this time, the sheets to be discharged are sorted by the shift tray 202 swinging (shifting) in the direction perpendicular to the sheet discharging direction for each section break.
{Circle around (4)} Stipple mode: the sheet is aligned and bound on the processing tray F via the transport path A and is discharged to the shift tray 202 via the transport path C.
{Circle around (5)} Saddle stitching mode: alignment and central binding are performed on the processing tray F via the transport path A and the transport path D; further, center folding is performed on the processing tray G, and the sheet is discharged to the lower tray 203 through the transport path H. .
[0053]
The operation in each mode is as follows.
In the non-staple mode a of (1), the sheet distributed from the conveyance path A by the branching claw 15 is guided to the conveyance path B, and is discharged to the upper tray 201 by the conveyance roller 3 and the upper discharge roller 4. The state of paper discharge is monitored by an upper paper discharge sensor 302 that is disposed near the upper paper discharge roller 4 and detects the discharge of paper.
[0054]
In the non-staple mode b of (2), the paper distributed from the transport path A by the branch pawls 15 and the branch pawls 16 is guided to the transport path C and discharged to the shift tray 202 by the transport rollers 5 and the shift discharge rollers 6. You. Further, the state of the paper discharge is monitored by a shift paper discharge sensor 303 which is disposed near the shift paper discharge roller 6 and detects the discharge of the paper.
[0055]
In the sorting and stacking modes of (3), the same conveyance and discharging as in the non-staple mode b is performed. At this time, the sheets to be discharged are sorted by the shift tray 202 swinging in the direction orthogonal to the sheet discharging direction for each section break.
[0056]
In the staple mode of (4), the sheet distributed from the conveyance path A by the branch claws 15 and the branch claws 16 is guided to the conveyance path D, where the conveyance rollers 7, the conveyance rollers 9, the conveyance rollers 10, the staple discharge rollers 11 discharges to the processing tray F. In the processing tray F, the sheets sequentially discharged by the sheet discharge rollers 11 are aligned, and when the number reaches a predetermined number, a binding process is performed by the end face binding stapler S1. Thereafter, the bound sheet bundle is conveyed downstream by the release claw 52a, and is discharged to the shift tray 202 by the shift discharge roller 6. Further, the state of the paper discharge is monitored by a shift paper discharge sensor 303 which is disposed near the shift paper discharge roller 6 and detects the discharge of the paper.
[0057]
The processing tray F operates in the stapling mode as follows.
When the staple mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 4, the jogger fence 53 moves from the home position and stands by at a standby position 7 mm away from the width of the sheet discharged to the processing tray F on one side. When the sheet is conveyed by the staple discharge roller 11 and the trailing end of the sheet passes through the staple discharge sensor 305, the jogger fence 53 moves inward from the standby position by 5 mm and stops.
[0058]
Further, the staple discharge sensor 305 detects this at the time of passing the trailing edge of the sheet, and the signal is input to the CPU 360. The CPU 360 counts the number of pulses transmitted from a staple transport motor 155 (not shown) that drives the staple discharge roller 11 from the time when this signal is received, and turns on the tapping SOL 170 after transmitting a predetermined pulse. The beating roller 12 is driven by a beating roller motor 156, and performs a pendulum motion by turning on and off the beating SOL 170. When the beating SOL 170 is on, it hits the sheet to return downward and strikes the rear end fence 51 to align the sheets. At this time, every time a sheet stored in the processing tray F passes through the entrance sensor 101 or the staple discharge sensor 305, a signal thereof is input to the CPU 360, and the number of sheets is counted.
[0059]
After a predetermined time has elapsed after the hit SOL 170 is turned off, the jogger fence 53 is further moved inward by 2.6 mm by the jogger motor 158 and temporarily stopped, thereby completing the horizontal alignment. The jogger fence 53 then moves outward by 7.6 mm, returns to the standby position, and waits for the next sheet. This operation is performed up to the last page. Thereafter, the sheet bundle is again moved inward by 7 mm and stopped, and both sides of the sheet bundle are pressed to prepare for the stapling operation.
[0060]
In the case of one-end stapling, the end stapling stapler S1 is operated by a staple motor (not shown) after a predetermined time elapses from a state in which both side edges of the sheet bundle are pressed to prepare for the stapling operation, and the stapling process is performed. When the binding process is completed, the ejection motor 157 is driven, and the ejection belt 52 is driven. At this time, the shift discharge motor 153 is also driven, and the shift discharge roller 6 starts rotating to receive the sheet bundle lifted by the discharge claw 52a.
[0061]
On the other hand, in the case of binding at a plurality of end faces, the ejection motor 157 is driven and the ejection belt 52 is driven from a state where both sides of the sheet bundle are pressed to prepare for the stapling operation. At this time, the discharge guide plate opening / closing motor 167 is also driven, and the opening / closing guide plate 33 is opened. Then, when the ejection claw 52a conveys the sheet bundle to the binding position of the saddle stapler S2 at the predetermined speed V1, the driving of the ejection motor 157 is stopped, and the sheet bundle stops. Further, the driving of the shift paper discharge motor 153 also stops, and the rotation of the shift paper discharge roller 6 stops. Thereafter, the paper ejection guide plate opening / closing motor 167 is driven again, the opening / closing guide plate 33 is closed, and the saddle stitch stapler S2 is operated by a staple motor (not shown) to perform the binding process. That is, in the present embodiment, the sheet bundle is bound at two locations by the saddle stapler S2 while the sheet bundle is held between the opening and closing guide plates 33.
[0062]
When the binding process is completed, the discharge guide plate opening / closing motor 167 is driven to open the opening / closing guide plate 33, and further, the discharge motor 157 and the shift discharge motor 153 are driven to discharge the sheet bundle at the predetermined speed V2. Pushing up, the shift discharge roller 6 starts rotating. At this time, V1 <V2 is set.
[0063]
In the case where a plurality of bindings are designated, the stapling movement motor 159 is driven after the binding processing at one location is completed, and the end binding stapler S1 is moved to the proper position along the rear end of the sheet. And the second binding process is performed. Further, when the third and subsequent locations are designated, this is repeated / configured so that it can be repeated, and the sheet post-processing apparatus having no saddle stitching function (having no saddle stapler S2) is provided. It corresponds to the binding of the end face at a plurality of places.
[0064]
(5) In the saddle stitching mode, the sheet distributed from the conveyance path A by the branching claws 15 and the branching claws 16 is guided to the conveyance path D, and is processed by the conveyance rollers 7, the conveyance rollers 9, the conveyance rollers 10, the staple discharge rollers 11 The sheet is discharged to the tray F. In the processing tray F, the paper sequentially discharged by the paper discharge roller 11 is aligned in the same manner as in the case of (4) staple mode, and the same operation is performed until immediately before the staple (FIG. 15). Thereafter, the sheet bundle is carried to the position shown in FIG. 15 (a predetermined distance downstream position set for each sheet size) by the ejection claw 52a, and at that time, the SOL 170 is turned on and the hitting roller 12 presses the sheet bundle. At this time, the rotation drive of the hitting roller 12 (rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4) is stopped. The sheet bundle in the aligned state is bound by the saddle stapler S2 at the position shown in FIG. The bound sheet bundle is conveyed downstream by the ejection claw 52a for a predetermined distance set for each sheet size, and temporarily stopped. This moving distance is managed by the drive pulse of the discharge motor 157.
[0065]
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 17, the leading end of the sheet bundle is sandwiched between the discharge roller 56 and the pressure roller 57, and passes through the path guided to the processing tray G by the rotation of the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide 55. In order to do so, the sheet is again conveyed downstream by the ejection claw 52a and the ejection roller 56. The discharge roller 56 is provided on a drive shaft of the discharge belt 52 and is driven in synchronization with the discharge belt 52. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the sheet bundle is moved from the home position to a position corresponding to the sheet size in advance by the upper bundle transport roller 71 and the lower bundle transport roller 72, and stopped to guide the lower end surface. It is transported to the movable rear end fence 73. At this time, the discharge claw 52a stops at a position where another discharge claw 52a 'arranged at a position facing the outer periphery of the discharge belt 52 reaches the vicinity of the rear end fence 51, and the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide 55 returns to the home position and prepares for the next sheet.
[0066]
As shown in FIG. 19, the press of the lower bundle transport roller 72 is released from the bundle of sheets abutted against the movable rear end fence 73. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 20, the vicinity of the bound staple portion is pushed by the folding plate 74 in a substantially right angle direction, and is guided to the nip of the folding roller 81 opposed thereto. The folding roller 81 that has been rotated in advance presses and conveys the sheet bundle to fold the center of the sheet bundle. As shown in FIG. 21, the folded sheet bundle is reinforced by the second folding roller 82 and is discharged to the lower tray 203 by the lower discharge roller 83. At this time, when the trailing end of the sheet bundle is detected by the folding section passage sensor 323, the movable rear end fence 73 of the folding plate 74 returns to the home position, the pressure of the lower bundle transport roller 72 is restored, and the next sheet is fed. Prepare. Also, if the next job is the same sheet size and the same number of sheets, the movable rear end fence 73 may wait at that position.
[0067]
7.2 Processing procedure
Hereinafter, the processing procedure when performing the operation in each of the modes will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the multiple-end binding mode using the saddle stapler S2, FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the end binding mode using the end binding stapler S1, and FIG. 24 is a processing procedure in the saddle binding mode. It is a flowchart which shows. In FIGS. 22 to 24, the same processes are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate.
[0068]
In FIG. 22, when a plurality of portions on the end face are bound by the saddle stapler S2, first, each of the transport rollers 2, 3, 5, 7, etc. , And the rotation of the hitting roller 12 are started (step S101), the branch pawls 15 and 16 are operated to bring the sheet to the staple processing tray F side (step S102), and the home position sensor of the discharge pawl 52a is set to the home position. After the detection by the position sensor 311, it is moved to the standby position (step S103), and the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide plate 55 are positioned at the home position, that is, the position for transporting the sheet bundle upward (on the shift tray side) ( Step S104).
[0069]
Next, the entrance sensor 301 detects the conveyance of the sheet (steps S105 and S106), and when the sheet is conveyed to the staple processing tray F (steps S107 and S108), the hitting roller 12 is turned on for a predetermined time to move the sheet to the rear end. By moving the jogger fence 53 inward by moving the jogger fence 53 a predetermined amount inward by moving the jog fence 53 toward the fence 51 and aligning the jog fence 53 in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction, the standby position is moved. (Step S110). This operation is repeated until the last sheet of the set (step S111), and the last sheet is discharged. When the discharge operation of the set of sheets is completed, the jogger fence is moved inward by a predetermined amount to hold the sheet bundle ( Step S112). The opening / closing guide plate 33 is opened (step S113), the ejection claw 52 is moved by a predetermined amount at the speed V1 as described above, and the sheet bundle is nipped by the shift discharge roller 6, and the end of the sheet bundle is saddle stapled. Lift to the S2 position (step S114). When the sheet bundle reaches the position, the shift sheet discharging roller 6 is stopped (step S115), and the open / close guide plate 33 is closed (step S116), and the end of the sheet bundle is held by the open / close guide plate 33. The staple motor of the saddle stapler S2 is turned on to bind a predetermined position at the end of the sheet bundle.
[0070]
When the sheet bundle is bound, the opening / closing guide plate 33 is opened (step S118), the rotation of the shift sheet discharging roller 6 is started (step S119), and the ejection claw 52a is moved by a predetermined amount at the speed V2 (step S120). When the discharge belt HP sensor 311 is turned on (step S121), the discharge claw 52 and the jogger fence 53 are moved to the standby positions, respectively (steps S122 and S123). This is repeated until the last part of the job (step S124), and when the processing of the last part is completed, the ejection claw 52 and the jogger fence 53 are moved to their home positions (steps S125 and S126), respectively. The rotation of the rollers is stopped (step S127), and the transfer path is switched to the shift tray 202 side by the branch claws 15 and 16, and the process is completed. Here, the job refers to a series of operations for copying and binding a plurality of copies for one document.
[0071]
In FIG. 23, when the end face of the sheet bundle is bound by the end face binding stapler S1, the same processing as that of the saddle stapling stapler S2 shown in FIG. 22 is executed from step S101 to step S112. At this time, the end face stapling stapler S1 is moved to the designated staple position in a stage subsequent to step S201. Then, after moving the jogger fence 53 inward by a predetermined amount to hold the sheet in step S112, the staple motor of the end-face stapler S1 is turned on, and the lower end of the sheet bundle is stapled at the position moved in step S201 (step S201). S202).
[0072]
Since the number of paper binding locations is not limited to one, it is checked in step S203 whether a plurality of locations are to be bound (step S203). If the binding mode is for one location binding, the open / close guide plate 33 is opened (step S207). ), The ejection claw 52a is moved to discharge the sheet bundle (step S208). On the other hand, in the case of the mode for binding at a plurality of positions, the end face binding stapler S1 is moved to the designated next binding position (step S204), and the stapling motor is turned on to execute the binding operation by the end face binding stapler S1 (step S204). In step S205, when the binding operation at all the designated locations is completed (step S206), the sheet is carried out (steps S207 and S208). Then, similarly to the processing shown in FIG. 22, the processing from step S121 to step S128 is executed, and the end face binding by the end face stapler S1 is completed.
[0073]
In FIG. 24, when the saddle stapling is performed by the saddle stapler S2, first, the processing from the above-described steps S101 to S112 is executed, and then the discharge belt 52 is rotated by a predetermined amount to bind the center of the sheet bundle. Then, the stapler motor of the saddle stapler S2 is turned on to execute saddle stitching (step S302). Next, rotation of the upper bundle transport roller 71 and the lower bundle transport roller 72 is started (step S303), and after detecting the home position of the movable fence 73, the movable fence 73 is moved to the standby position (step S304). The ejection claw 52a is moved by a predetermined amount, and the leading end of the sheet bundle passes through the nip between the ejection roller 56 and the pressure roller 57 by a predetermined amount (step S305). Then, the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide plate are displaced by a predetermined amount to form a path for conveying the sheet to the side of the center folding tray G (step S306). The bundle is transported to the center folding processing tray G side (Step S307). The bundle arrival sensor 321 detects the arrival of the sheet bundle (step S308), and after passing the predetermined amount, stops the rotation of the upper and lower bundle transport rollers 71 (step S309), and determines that the transport belt HP sensor 311 is turned on. Wait (step S310).
[0074]
When the conveyance belt HP sensor 311 is turned on, the branch guide plate 54 and the movable guide plate 55 are set to the home position (the position where the sheet bundle is conveyed to the shift tray 202) (step S311), and the ejection claw 52a is set to the standby position (step S311). The sheet bundle is moved to step S312) to release the holding pressure of the lower bundle transport roller 72 (step S313), the folding plate 74 is advanced to start the folding operation, and the sheet bundle is pushed into the folding roller 81 by the folding plate 74. (Step S314). On the other hand, the rotation of the folding rollers 81 and 82 and the lower discharge roller 83 are started (step S315), and when the sheet bundle passes the folding section passage sensor 323 (steps S316 and S317), the lower bundle transport roller 72 is pressurized (step S316). In step S318), the folding plate 74 is moved to the home position (step S319). When the sheet bundle has passed the position of the lower discharge sensor 324 (steps S320 and S321), the folding rollers 81 and 82 and the lower discharge roller 83 are set. Is stopped (step S322), and the folding operation ends. Then, in step S123, the jogger fence 53 is moved to the standby position (step S123). This operation is repeated until the last copy of the job (step S124). When the last copy is reached, the release claw 52a is moved to the home position in step S125, and the processing up to step S128 is executed to prepare for the next job.
[0075]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when binding a plurality of locations to a sheet bundle, the binding operation is performed by the plurality of second binding units, so that the binding mode of the plurality of locations is selected by the user. In this case, binding operations at a plurality of locations can be performed in one process, thereby enabling efficient processing without complicating the apparatus.
[0076]
Further, according to the present invention, when the first binding unit and the second binding unit differ in the number of sheets that can be bound and the second binding unit cannot perform the binding, the first binding unit can perform the binding. Thereby, the difference in the number of sheets to be bound can be maximally adapted.
[0077]
Further, according to the present invention, when binding the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is held by the sheet bundle sandwiching means constituted by, for example, the opening / closing guide plate, so that the sheet bundle can be stapled at minimum cost without being disturbed. Become.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image processing system mainly including a sheet post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a sheet discharging unit to a shift tray of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a staple processing tray of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance surface.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a staple processing tray of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment, its driving mechanism, and an independent driving source of a hitting roller.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a sheet bundle discharging mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an end-face binding stapler of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment together with a moving mechanism.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an oblique rotation mechanism of the end stapling stapler in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment, showing a state in which sheets or a sheet bundle are discharged to a shift tray.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment, and shows a state in which the branch guide plate has turned to the discharge roller side from the state of FIG.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of the operation of the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment. The movable guide rotates toward the branch guide plate from the state shown in FIG. 9 and deflects the sheet bundle toward the center folding processing tray. This shows a state in which a path is formed.
FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory view of a folding plate moving mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment, showing a state before a center folding operation is started.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the folding plate moving mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment, and shows a state when returning to an initial position after center folding.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating details of a staple processing tray and a center folding processing tray of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram mainly showing a configuration of a control system of the image forming system according to the embodiment, particularly a control configuration of a sheet post-processing apparatus.
FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a sheet bundle stacked on the staple processing tray in the saddle stitching mode.
FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the sheets are stacked on the staple processing tray and saddle-stitched in the saddle stitching mode;
FIG. 17 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet bundle that is saddle stitched on the staple processing tray is deflected by the sheet bundle deflection mechanism in the saddle stitch binding mode.
FIG. 18 is an operation explanatory diagram showing a state in which a sheet bundle stapled by the staple processing tray is deflected by the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism and sent to the center folding processing tray in the saddle stitching mode.
FIG. 19 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet bundle is positioned at the center folding position on the center folding processing tray in the saddle stitching mode.
FIG. 20 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the center folding plate is operated on the center folding processing tray in the saddle stitching mode to start the center folding operation of the sheet bundle;
FIG. 21 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet bundle is center-folded by a center-folding roller and discharged from a center-folding processing tray in the saddle stitching mode.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a control procedure when a plurality of end faces are bound by a saddle stapler;
FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure when performing end face binding by the end face binding stapler;
FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure when saddle stitching is performed by the saddle stapler stapler.
[Explanation of symbols]
52 Release Belt
52a release claw
53 Jogger fence
350 control circuit
360 CPU
370 I / O
380 motor driver
390 driver
F staple processing tray
G Half-fold processing tray
PD paper post-processing device
PR image forming device
S1 End-face stapler
S2 Saddle stapler

Claims (8)

A paper storage unit for storing and aligning the incoming paper;
A first binding unit that is provided on the most downstream side of the sheet storage unit in the sheet conveyance direction and that binds a sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit;
A plurality of second binding units that are provided upstream of the first binding unit in the sheet transport direction and bind the sheet bundle stored in the sheet storage unit;
A sheet bundle moving unit that conveys the sheet bundle to the binding position or carries out the sheet bundle from the sheet storage unit;
Control means for causing the second binding means to perform a binding operation when binding a plurality of places to the sheet bundle;
Paper processing device provided with 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second binding unit has a function of binding an end portion of the sheet bundle and a central portion of the sheet bundle. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that moves the first binding unit in a direction orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction. The moving speed of the sheet bundle moving unit is set to be higher than the conveying speed after the binding process than the conveying speed of the sheet aligned in the sheet storing unit to the binding position of the second binding unit. The paper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein A sheet bundle holding means for holding the sheet bundle downstream of the second binding means is provided, and when the sheet bundle is bound by the second binding means, the sheet bundle is held by the sheet bundle holding means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein When the sheet bundle holding means discharges a sheet or a sheet bundle to the shift tray, the sheet bundle holding means includes a sheet discharge opening / closing guide plate for applying a conveying force to the sheet or sheet bundle, and a roller provided on the sheet discharging opening / closing guide plate. 6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the first or second binding unit performs the binding process, the driving of a sheet discharge roller is stopped. A sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An image forming apparatus provided with the sheet processing apparatus integrally or separately, and forming a visible image on a recording medium based on input image information;
An image forming system comprising:

Images