JP2016193783A - Sheet aligning mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a paper alignment mechanism that stabilizes the posture of a sheet falling toward a paper stacking unit and can accurately align the sheets stacked on the paper stacking unit. A paper alignment mechanism includes a table, a right alignment plate, a front alignment plate, and a rear rail portion. The table 110 can stack the sheets 8A. The right alignment plate 140 and the front alignment plate 150 can position the paper 8A stacked on the table 110 at a predetermined position. The rear rail portion 1810 is provided on the upper side with respect to the table 110 and on the rear side with respect to the front alignment plate 150. The rear rail portion 1810 includes a first surface 1811A. The rear rail portion 1810 is displaced by the motor 182 between an initial position where the first surface 1811A extends horizontally and a specific position where the first surface 1811A is inclined downward toward the front side. [Selection] Figure 17

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper alignment mechanism.

  The paper alignment mechanism accumulates and aligns a plurality of conveyed sheets. For example, the paper alignment mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 aligns the paper discharged from the discharge port. The paper alignment mechanism includes a frame and two guide plates. The frame functions as a paper stacking unit in which the paper discharged from the discharge port is stacked. Each of the two guide plates is provided on the upper surface of the frame. The sheets stacked on the frame are aligned at positions where they contact each of the two guide plates.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-318960

  In the paper alignment mechanism, the posture of the paper falling from the discharge port toward the frame body may become unstable. Thereby, there is a possibility that the sheets stacked on the frame cannot be accurately aligned.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet aligning mechanism that can stabilize the posture of a sheet falling toward the sheet stacking unit and can accurately align the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit.

  The paper alignment mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a first direction substantially parallel to a horizontal direction, a second direction substantially parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the first direction, and the first direction. Sheets having a length in each of the third direction, which is the opposite direction, and the fourth direction, which is the opposite direction to the second direction, are stacked and placed in the first direction. And a member extending perpendicularly to the first direction at a first facing position facing the end of the paper stacking unit in the first direction, and placed on the paper stacking unit A first restricting member that is in contact with an end of the paper in the first direction and restricts the paper from moving in the first direction from the first facing position; and A member extending perpendicularly to the second direction at a second facing position facing the end in the second direction. And a second regulating member that regulates movement of the paper in the second direction from the second facing position in contact with the second direction end of the paper placed on the paper stacking unit. And a member that extends in parallel with the first direction above the paper stacking unit and is rotatable about an axis extending in parallel with the first direction, the paper being conveyed in the first direction. One of the second direction and the fourth direction among the first contact surface contacting from the lower side and the sheet extending in the first predetermined direction from the first contact surface and contacting the first contact surface. A first contact member having a first facing surface facing an end in a specific direction which is one direction; and provided in the second direction at a distance from the first contact member and parallel to the first direction. A member extending from the lower side to the sheet conveyed in the first direction. A second contact surface that extends in the second predetermined direction from the second contact surface and that faces the end portion in the direction opposite to the specific direction among the paper that contacts the second contact surface. A second contact member having a surface and means for displacing the first contact member between a first support position and a first rotation position, wherein the first contact surface is The rotation position extends substantially parallel to the opposite direction, and the first rotation position includes drive means that is a rotation position in which the first contact surface faces the opposite direction. To do.

  According to the first aspect, when the sheet is conveyed, the driving unit displaces the first contact member from the first support position to the first rotation position. The sheet comes into contact with the first contact surface and the second contact surface while the movement in the direction parallel to the specific direction is restricted by the first facing surface and the second facing surface. When the first contact surface at the first rotation position faces the opposite direction, the posture of the sheet can be stabilized. The positions of the sheets stacked in the sheet stacking unit are stabilized, and the sheets are aligned with high accuracy. Therefore, the paper aligning mechanism can stabilize the posture of the paper falling toward the paper stacking unit, and can accurately align the paper stacked in the paper stacking unit.

  The paper alignment mechanism according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a first direction substantially parallel to a horizontal direction, a second direction substantially parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the first direction, and the first direction. Sheets having a length in each of the third direction, which is the opposite direction, and the fourth direction, which is the opposite direction to the second direction, are stacked and placed in the first direction. And a member extending perpendicularly to the first direction at a first facing position facing the end of the paper stacking unit in the first direction, and placed on the paper stacking unit A first restricting member that is in contact with an end of the paper in the first direction and restricts the paper from moving in the first direction from the first facing position; and A member extending perpendicularly to the second direction at a second facing position facing the end in the second direction. And a second regulating member that regulates movement of the paper in the second direction from the second facing position in contact with the second direction end of the paper placed on the paper stacking unit. And is provided on the upper side of the paper stacking unit and on the fourth direction side of the second regulating member at the second opposing position, and is rotatable about an axis extending in parallel with the first direction. A member extending in parallel with the first direction, the first contact surface contacting the paper conveyed in the first direction from below, and extending in a first predetermined direction from the first contact surface; And a first contact member having a first facing surface facing the end in the fourth direction of the paper in contact with the first contact surface, and the first contact member at the first support position and the first rotation. Means for displacing the position between the first contact position and the first contact surface. A rotation position extending substantially parallel to the second direction, wherein the first rotation position includes drive means that is a rotation position in which the first contact surface faces the second direction. And

  According to the second aspect, when the sheet is conveyed, the driving unit displaces the first contact member from the first support position to the first rotation position. The sheet is guided to the second direction side and the lower side by the first contact surface while the movement in the fourth direction is restricted by the first facing surface. The sheet can be stabilized in posture by the first contact surface at the first rotation position facing the second direction. The positions of the sheets stacked in the sheet stacking unit are stabilized, and the sheets are aligned with high accuracy. Therefore, the paper aligning mechanism can stabilize the posture of the paper falling toward the paper stacking unit, and can accurately align the paper stacked in the paper stacking unit.

1 is a perspective view of a bookbinding apparatus 1. FIG. 1 is a front view of a bookbinding apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a paper alignment mechanism 100 and a glue application mechanism 300. FIG. It is a perspective view of a paper alignment mechanism. 3 is a perspective view of a bundle operation unit 130. FIG. FIG. 6 is a right side view of a paper alignment mechanism in a paper stacking process. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in an initial state. It is a perspective view of the movable part 401 in an initial state. FIG. 7 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism in the paper stacking process following FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism in the paper stacking process following FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism and the glue application mechanism in the glue application process following FIG. 10. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in the cover sheet transport process. FIG. 13 is a left side view of the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in the cover sheet transport process following FIG. 12. It is a right view of the paper alignment mechanism and cover holding mechanism in a cover sticking process. FIG. 15 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism and the cover holding mechanism in the cover sticking process following FIG. 14. FIG. 16 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism and the cover holding mechanism in the cover sticking process following FIG. 15. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a paper alignment mechanism 1100 that is a modification of the paper alignment mechanism 100. FIG. 10 is a front view of a table 110 of a paper alignment mechanism 1100. It is a flowchart of a paper stacking process. It is a right side view of a paper alignment mechanism 1100 that accumulates thin paper 8B. FIG. 21 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism 1100 that stacks the thin paper 8B, following FIG. 20. FIG. 22 is a right side view of the paper alignment mechanism 1100 that stacks the thin paper 8B, following FIG. 21. It is a right side view of a paper alignment mechanism 1100 for stacking thick paper 8C. FIG. 6 is a right side view of a paper alignment mechanism 1101.

<1. Schematic structure of bookbinding apparatus 1>
A schematic structure of the bookbinding apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the lower left side, upper right side, upper left side, lower right side, upper side, and lower side in FIG. 1 are defined as the front side, rear side, left side, right side, upper side, and lower side of the bookbinding apparatus 1, respectively. In the present embodiment, the vertical direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1 is substantially parallel to the vertical direction. The bookbinding apparatus 1 includes a main body frame 2, a first printer 3, a second printer 4, a sheet supply unit 5, a cover sheet supply unit 6, a paper alignment mechanism 100, a glue application mechanism 300, a cover sheet holding mechanism 400, and a control unit 900. . The main body frame 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame structure. The paper alignment mechanism 100, the glue application mechanism 300, the cover holding mechanism 400, and the control unit 900 are disposed inside the main body frame 2.

  The first printer 3 is placed on an installation table 25 provided on the left side of the main body frame 2. The first printer 3 is a printer that prints an image on a plurality of sheets 8A (see FIG. 4) constituting the contents (or text) of a booklet created by the bookbinding apparatus 1. The second printer 4 is placed on the top plate 21 that covers the upper surface of the main body frame 2. The second printer 4 is a printer that prints an image on a cover 9 (see FIG. 12) of a booklet created by the bookbinding apparatus 1. The cover sheet 9 has a size and shape that can cover a sheet bundle 8 described later.

  The paper supply unit 5 conveys the printed paper 8 </ b> A discharged from the first printer 3 to the paper alignment mechanism 100 from the left side of the main body frame 2. The paper supply unit 5 includes a detection unit 5A capable of detecting the conveyed paper 8A. The detector 5A is a non-contact sensor as an example. The detection unit 5A may be a contact type sensor. The cover supply port 22 is provided at the front edge of the top plate 21. The cover sheet supply unit 6 is provided on the top plate 21 and is located between the cover sheet supply port 22 and the second printer 4. The cover sheet supply unit 6 guides the printed cover sheet 9 discharged from the second printer 4 toward the cover sheet supply port 22.

  The paper alignment mechanism 100 is a mechanism that holds the paper bundle 8 and executes paper alignment. The sheet bundle 8 is a plurality of sheets 8A stacked in a predetermined stacking direction (in the present embodiment, the up-down direction). The alignment of the sheet bundle 8 is an operation of aligning the end face of the sheet bundle substantially flush along the stacking direction. The sheet bundle end surface is an end surface of the sheet bundle 8 in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction. The front end face of the sheet bundle 8 is the front sheet bundle end face. The right end face of the sheet bundle 8 is the right sheet bundle end face.

  The glue application mechanism 300 is a mechanism that forms an adhesive portion on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 to which the cover sheet 9 can be attached. The cover holding mechanism 400 is a mechanism for holding the cover 9 supplied from the cover supply unit 6 and sticking the held cover 9 to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8. The control unit 900 is a controller including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like not shown. The CPU controls the bookbinding operation of the bookbinding apparatus 1 based on a program stored in the ROM. The control unit 900 may be a computer (for example, a personal computer, a microcomputer, or an ASIC) that can execute control according to the present disclosure.

<2. Paper Alignment Mechanism 100>
The paper alignment mechanism 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the paper alignment mechanism 100 excluding the bundle operation unit 130 and a part of the conveyance unit 102. FIG. 6 illustrates the movable unit 101 excluding the bundle operation unit 130 and the pressing plate 200 in the paper alignment mechanism 100 (the same applies to FIGS. 9 to 11 and 14 to 16 described later). FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the paper supply unit 5 and the contact member 103 (the same applies to FIGS. 9 and 10 described later). As shown in FIG. 3, the paper alignment mechanism 100 includes a movable unit 101, a transport unit 102, and a contact member 103.

  The movable part 101 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the movable part 101 includes a table 110, a support base 111, a connecting part 112, four support pillars 113, a vibration motor 114, a drive motor 117, a bundle operation part 130 (see FIG. 3), a right alignment plate. 140, a front alignment plate 150, and the like. The support base 111 is a rectangular plate-like member that extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction and is long in the left-right direction. The connecting portion 112 is a member having a nut (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the support base 111.

  The four support pillars 113 are erected on the upper surface of the support base 111. The four support pillars 113 support the table 110 from below at four points sandwiching the center of the table 110 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 6, each support column 113 includes a fixed shaft 113A and a movable shaft 113B. The fixed shaft 113A is a cylindrical body that extends upward from the support base 111, and accommodates a compression coil spring (not shown). The movable shaft 113B is a cylindrical body that extends upward from the inside of the fixed shaft 113A, and is urged upward by a compression coil spring. The upper end portion of the movable shaft 113B is connected to the lower surface of the table 110.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the table 110 is a rectangular plate-like member that extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction and is long in the left-right direction. The table 110 has a placement surface 110 </ b> A that is a surface on which the sheets 8 </ b> A conveyed inside the main body frame 2 can be stacked and held. The upper limit value of the vertical length of the sheet bundle 8 that can be held on the placement surface 110A (that is, the upper limit value of the thickness of the sheet bundle 8) is referred to as the upper limit value of the sheet bundle thickness. The placement surface 110 </ b> A is slightly larger than the paper 8 </ b> A printed by the first printer 3.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the vibration motor 114 is provided on the upper surface of the support base 111 and is disposed immediately below the table 110. The vibration motor 114 can reciprocate a vibration shaft 114A extending upward in the vertical direction. The bearing 115 is provided above the vibration motor 114 and supports the peripheral surface of the vibration shaft 114A. The connecting portion 116 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the table 110. The upper end portion of the vibration shaft 114 </ b> A is connected to the connecting portion 116.

  When the vibration motor 114 does not drive the vibration shaft 114A, the table 110 is biased upward via each movable shaft 113B and is held at a predetermined vertical position. When the vibration motor 114 drives the vibration shaft 114A, the table 110 moves in the vertical direction in conjunction with the vibration shaft 114A. Each movable shaft 113B moves downward against the urging force of the compression coil spring as the table 110 moves downward. Thereby, the table 110 vibrates up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the right alignment plate 140 is a rectangular plate-like body that is provided on the right side of the table 110 and extends in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. The right alignment plate 140 extends upward from the placement surface 110A and faces the right end surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A from the right side. The vertical length from the placement surface 110A to the upper end of the right alignment plate 140 is larger than the upper limit value of the sheet bundle thickness. In the present embodiment, the length of the right alignment plate 140 in the front-rear direction is approximately one third of the length of the table 110 in the front-rear direction. The right alignment plate 140 is provided at a position facing the central portion of the right side of the table 110.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the front aligning plate 150 is a substantially L-shaped plate-like body extending in the left-right direction along the front end portion of the table 110 in the right side view. The front aligning plate 150 has a facing surface 150A and a support surface 150B. The left and right lengths of the facing surface 150 </ b> A and the support surface 150 </ b> B are substantially equal to the horizontal length of the table 110. The facing surface 150A and the support surface 150B extend in directions orthogonal to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the rotation shaft 151 is a shaft that is provided below the front end portion of the table 110 and extends in the left-right direction. The rotation shaft 151 penetrates the front alignment plate 150 in the left-right direction on the side opposite to the facing surface 150A across the support surface 150B. The front alignment plate 150 can rotate in conjunction with the rotation shaft 151. The pulley 119 is provided at the right end of the rotating shaft 151.

  The drive motor 117 is provided on the front side portion of the lower surface of the table 110. The drive motor 117 can rotate a rotating shaft 117A extending rightward. The pulley 118 is provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 117A. The belt 120 is stretched around pulleys 118 and 119. The rotating shaft 151 rotates via the pulleys 118 and 119 and the belt 120 when the rotating shaft 117A is driven to rotate. Thereby, the front alignment plate 150 can be displaced between the first rotation position and the second rotation position.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, when the front alignment plate 150 is in the first rotation position, the facing surface 150 </ b> A is disposed at the contact position. The contact position is a position where the facing surface 150A can contact the front end of the paper 8A supplied to the placement surface 110A. The facing surface 150A at the contact position is disposed on the front side of the table 110 and extends in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. At this time, the facing surface 150A extends upward from the placement surface 110A and faces the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A from the front side. The vertical length from the placement surface 110A to the upper end of the front aligning plate 150 (that is, the vertical length of the facing surface 150A) is larger than the upper limit value of the sheet bundle thickness.

  When the front alignment plate 150 is in the first rotation position, the support surface 150B is disposed at the support position. The support position is a position where the support surface 150B supports the front edge portion of the sheet bundle 8 from the lower side on the front side of the placement surface 110A. The support surface 150B at the support position is disposed on the front side of the table 110 and extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. At this time, the support surface 150B is substantially flush with the placement surface 110A and continuously extends forward from the placement surface 110A. The front end portion of the support surface 150B is connected to the lower end portion of the facing surface 150A.

  When the front alignment plate 150 is in the second rotation position, the front alignment plate 150 is disposed below the table 110 (see FIG. 11). The facing surface 150A is disposed at a non-contact position. The non-contact position is a position where the facing surface 150A is separated from the paper 8A supplied to the placement surface 110A. The support surface 150B is disposed at the non-support position. The non-supporting position is a position where the support surface 150B is separated from the front edge of the sheet bundle 8.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bundle operation unit 130 includes a support frame 131, a lifting motor 134, a movable plate 141, a pressing plate 200, and the like. The support frame 131 includes a pair of support columns 131A, an upper connecting plate 131B, and a lower connecting plate 131C. The pair of support pillars 131 </ b> A are columnar members provided on the left and right sides of the table 110 and extending upward from the upper surface of the support base 111. The pair of support pillars 131A are slightly in front of the right alignment plate 140 in a side view and extend upward from the contact member 103 described later. The upper connecting plate 131B is a plate-like member extending in the left-right direction, spanned over each upper end portion of the pair of support columns 131A. The lower connecting plate 131C is a plate-like member extending in the left-right direction and spanned between the pair of support columns 131A below the upper connecting plate 131B.

  The L-shaped metal fitting 133 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the upper connecting plate 131B. The L-shaped metal fitting 133 has a bottom wall fixed to the upper surface of the upper connecting plate 131B and a right wall extending upward from the right end portion of the bottom wall. The elevating motor 134 is fixed to the right surface of the right wall of the L-shaped metal fitting 133. The raising / lowering motor 134 can rotate the axis | shaft which penetrates the right wall of the L-shaped metal fitting 133 and extends to the left. The bevel gear 135 is provided at the tip of the shaft of the lifting motor 134.

  The bearing 132 is provided at the center in the left-right direction of the lower connecting plate 131C. The screw shaft 136 extends upward from the bearing 132. The bearing 132 supports the screw shaft 136 rotatably. The upper end portion of the screw shaft 136 extends upward through the upper connecting plate 131 </ b> B and the bottom wall of the L-shaped metal fitting 133. The bevel gear 137 is provided at the upper end of the screw shaft 136. The bevel gear 137 meshes with the bevel gear 135. The nut 138 is provided between the upper connecting plate 131B and the lower connecting plate 131C. The screw shaft 136 is inserted through a nut 138 to constitute a known ball screw.

  The movable plate 141 is a plate-like member that is connected to the front side of the nut 138 and extends in the left-right direction. The pair of guide rails 139 are provided between the upper connecting plate 131B and the lower connecting plate 131C, and extend in the vertical direction on both the left and right sides of the screw shaft 136. The movable plate 141 is movable in the vertical direction along the pair of guide rails 139. The pair of connecting plates 142 are plate-like members that extend downward from the left and right ends of the movable plate 141. The pair of connecting plates 142 supports the pressing plate 200 below the movable plate 141.

  With the above structure, when the elevating motor 134 is driven to rotate, the screw shaft 136 rotates via the bevel gears 135 and 137, and the nut 138 moves in the vertical direction. The pressing plate 200 also moves up and down via the movable plate 141 and the pair of connecting plates 142. As a result, the pressing plate 200 can be displaced to a pressing position at a lower portion of the movable range and a non-pressing position at an upper portion of the movable range. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressing position is a position where the pressing plate 200 presses the sheet bundle 8 held on the placement surface 110A downward (see FIG. 10). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the non-pressing position is a position where the pressing plate 200 is separated from the sheet bundle 8 held on the placement surface 110A.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressing plate 200 includes a first plate 201, a second plate 202, a drive motor 209, and the like. The first plate 201 is a rectangular plate-like member that extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction and is long in the left-right direction. The horizontal length of the first plate 201 is substantially equal to the horizontal length of the table 110. Each lower end portion of the pair of connecting plates 142 is connected to the rear edge portion of the upper surface of the first plate 201. The lower surface of the first plate 201 is a substantially horizontal first pressing surface 201A. 201 A of 1st press surfaces oppose the front edge part of 110 A of mounting surfaces in an up-down direction.

  The pair of shaft support portions 203 are provided on the front edge portion of the upper surface of the first plate 201 and are arranged on the left and right sides of the center in the left-right direction of the first plate 201. The rotation shaft 205 extends in the left-right direction between the pair of shaft support portions 203. The pair of shaft support portions 203 rotatably supports both end portions of the rotation shaft 205. The worm wheel 206 is provided at the center of the rotating shaft 205 in the left-right direction. The drive motor 209 is provided on the upper side of the first plate 201 and on the rear side of the rotation shaft 205. The drive motor 209 can rotate a shaft (not shown) extending downward. A worm (not shown) is provided on the shaft of the drive motor 209. The worm of the drive motor 209 meshes with the worm wheel 206 to constitute a known worm gear.

  The pair of support portions 204 are fixed to the left and right edges of the rotating shaft 205. Each support portion 204 has a protruding portion that is a portion protruding outward in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 205 from the pair of shaft support portions 203. The protruding portion of each support portion 204 is connected to the second plate 202. The second plate 202 is a rectangular plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction. The horizontal length of the second plate 202 is substantially equal to the horizontal length of the first plate 201. Of the second plate 202, the plane facing downward at the action position described later is the second pressing surface 202A.

  With the above structure, when the drive motor 209 is driven to rotate, the rotating shaft 205 rotates via the worm (not shown) and the worm wheel 206. The second plate 202 also rotates through the pair of shaft support portions 203. Thereby, the 2nd board 202 can be displaced to an action position and a non-action position.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the second plate 202 is in the operating position, the second plate 202 is disposed on the front side of the first plate 201. The second pressing surface 202A is substantially flush with the first pressing surface 201A and continuously extends forward from the first pressing surface 201A. At this time, the second pressing surface 202A is opposed to the support surface 150B (see FIG. 6) at the support position in the vertical direction. The longitudinal length of the second pressing surface 202A is substantially equal to the longitudinal length of the support surface 150B. As shown in FIG. 6, when the second plate 202 is in the non-operating position, the second plate 202 is disposed above the first pressing surface 201A.

  The conveyance unit 102 will be described. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transport unit 102 is provided below the support base 111 and includes a transport motor 121, a screw shaft 125, a pair of guide rails 126, and the like. The transport motor 121 is provided at the rear end of the transport unit 102 and can rotate a shaft (not shown) extending rearward. The pulley 122 is provided on the shaft of the transport motor 121. The screw shaft 125 extends in the front-rear direction above the transport motor 121. The screw shaft 125 is inserted into a nut (not shown) of the connecting portion 112 to constitute a known ball screw. The pulley 123 is provided at the rear end portion of the screw shaft 125. The belt 124 is stretched over the pulleys 122 and 123.

  The pair of guide rails 126 extend in the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides with the screw shaft 125 interposed therebetween. The pair of guide rails 126 extend forward to the cover holding mechanism 400 (see FIG. 1) via the glue application mechanism 300. The pair of guide rails 126 are provided below the left and right edges of the support base 111 and support the support base 111 so as to be movable. When the conveyance motor 121 is driven to rotate, the screw shaft 125 rotates through the pulleys 122 and 123 and the belt 124, and the connecting portion 112 moves in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the movable portion 101 linearly moves in the front-rear direction inside the main body frame 2 along the pair of guide rails 126.

  The table 110 can move in the front-rear direction within a predetermined movable range as the movable portion 101 moves. The movable range of the table 110 includes the first transport position. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the first transport position is a front-rear direction position of the table 110 from which the paper 8 </ b> A supplied by the paper supply unit 5 is discharged onto the placement surface 110 </ b> A. The table 110 at the first transport position is disposed slightly forward of the sheet 8A immediately after being discharged from the sheet supply unit 5 in plan view. The long side and the short side of the paper 8A discharged from the paper supply unit 5 are parallel to the left-right direction and the front-rear direction of the bookbinding apparatus 1, respectively. The right end of the paper 8A discharged from the paper supply unit 5 is a downstream end in the transport direction of the paper 8A.

  The facing surface 150A at the contact position comes into contact with the front end portion of the paper 8A falling toward the placement surface 110A from the front side in a state where the table 110 is at the first transport position, and the front end portion is set to the first restriction position. Positioning is possible. The first restriction position is a predetermined appropriate position of the front end portion of the paper 8 </ b> A accumulated on the table 110. The first restriction position is a position on an imaginary straight line extending in the left-right direction in plan view. That is, the facing surface 150A at the contact position is a reference surface that extends in the substantially vertical direction through the first restriction position. The first restricting position is included in a glue application region described later.

  The right alignment plate 140 can contact the right end portion of the paper 8A falling toward the placement surface 110A from the right side with the table 110 in the first transport position, and the right end portion can be positioned at the second restriction position. is there. The second restriction position is a predetermined appropriate position at the right end of the paper 8 </ b> A stacked on the table 110. The second restriction position is a position on a virtual straight line extending in the front-rear direction on the right side of the table 110 in plan view. That is, the left surface of the right alignment plate 140 is a reference surface that extends in the substantially vertical direction through the second restriction position.

  The contact member 103 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the contact member 103 is provided on the rear side of the bundle operation unit 130 and on the right side of the paper discharge position. The paper discharge position is a position where the paper 8A is discharged from the paper supply unit 5 (see FIG. 6). The vertical position of the contact member 103 is above the table 110 and slightly below the paper discharge position. The contact member 103 includes a rear contact portion 180 and a front contact portion 190.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the rear contact portion 180 is provided below the rear side of the paper discharge position in a side view. The rear contact portion 180 is slightly behind the table 110 in plan view. The rear contact portion 180 includes a rear rail portion 181, a drive motor 182, and a shaft portion 183. The rear rail portion 181 is a plate-like member extending in the left-right direction, and has an L shape when viewed from the left side. The rear rail portion 181 extends in the left-right direction from the table 110 in plan view.

  The two surfaces forming the inner corners of the rear rail portion 181 are a first surface 181A and a second surface 181B. The first surface 181A and the second surface 181B extend in directions orthogonal to each other. The shaft portion 183 is a shaft that extends in the left-right direction and is fixed along the inner corner of the rear rail portion 181. The left end portion of the shaft portion 183 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 2. A right end portion of the shaft portion 183 is connected to a drive motor 182 fixed to the main body frame 2. The drive motor 182 can rotate the shaft portion 183.

  When the drive motor 182 rotates the shaft portion 183, the rear rail portion 181 rotates about the shaft portion 183 and can be displaced between the initial position and the operating position. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, when the rear rail portion 181 is in the initial position, the first surface 181A is an upward horizontal surface, and the second surface 181B is a forward vertical surface. At this time, the length in the front-rear direction of the first surface 181A is larger than the length in the vertical direction of the second surface 181B. Although not shown, when the rear rail portion 181 is in the operating position, the first surface 181A is a forward vertical surface, and the second surface 181B is a downward horizontal surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the front contact portion 190 is provided below the front side of the paper discharge position in a side view. The front contact portion 190 is slightly behind the front edge of the table 110 in plan view. The front contact portion 190 is substantially front-rear symmetrical with the rear contact portion 180 and includes a front rail portion 191, a drive motor 192, and a shaft portion 193. The front rail portion 191 is a plate-like member extending in the left-right direction, and has an L shape when viewed from the right side. The two surfaces forming the inner corners of the front rail portion 191 are a first surface 191A and a second surface 191B. The shaft portion 193 is fixed along the inner corner portion of the front rail portion 191. The left end portion of the shaft portion 193 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 2. A right end portion of the shaft portion 193 is connected to a drive motor 192 fixed to the main body frame 2.

  When the drive motor 192 rotates the shaft portion 193, the front rail portion 191 rotates about the shaft portion 193 and can be displaced between the initial position and the operating position. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, when the front rail portion 191 is at the initial position, the first surface 191A is an upward horizontal surface, and the second surface 191B is a rearward vertical surface. When the front rail portion 191 is in the operating position, the first surface 191A is a rearward vertical surface, and the second surface 191B is a downward horizontal surface (see FIG. 9).

<3. Structure of glue application mechanism 300>
The structure of the glue application mechanism 300 will be described with reference to FIG. The glue application mechanism 300 is disposed in front of the table 110 at the first transport position. The glue application mechanism 300 includes a movable part 301 and a transport part 302. The movable part 301 includes a support part 311, a drive motor 319, a glue application part 340 and the like. The support portion 311 is a rectangular plate-like body that extends in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The upper guide portion 312 is a member provided at the upper end portion of the support portion 311 and has a hole penetrating in the left-right direction. The lower guide portion 313 is a member provided at the lower end portion of the support portion 311 and is provided with a nut (not shown).

  The glue application part 340 is provided on the rear surface side of the support part 311. The glue application unit 340 is a box-shaped body that can accommodate the glue application roller 350 and glue therein. The glue application roller 350 is rotatably supported inside the glue application unit 340. The glue application roller 350 is a cylindrical body that has a peripheral surface to which glue can be attached and is rotatable about an axis (not shown) extending in the vertical direction. The glue stored in the glue application unit 340 is heated and dissolved by a heater (not shown).

  The upper end of the shaft of the glue application roller 350 protrudes upward from the glue application part 340. The pulley 317 is provided at the upper end portion of the shaft of the glue application roller 350. The drive motor 319 is provided on the upper portion of the rear surface of the support portion 311. The pulley (not shown) is provided on a shaft (not shown) extending downward from the drive motor 319. The belt 316 is stretched over a pulley 317 and a pulley provided on the shaft of the drive motor 319.

  The glue application port 346 is an opening cut out forward from the rear surface of the glue application part 340. The glue application port 346 exposes a part of the peripheral surface of the glue application roller 350 from the inside of the glue application unit 340 in the backward direction. A portion of the peripheral surface of the glue application roller 350 exposed from the glue application port 346 is referred to as a glue application surface of the glue application roller 350. The glue application surface is at a position in the front-rear direction substantially the same as the first restriction position described above. The glue application surface extends in the vertical direction from the sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A.

  The transport unit 302 includes a transport motor (not shown), a screw shaft 303, a guide shaft 304, and the like. The bottom portion 302 </ b> A is a plate-like member that is provided below the front portion of the pair of guide rails 126 and extends in the left-right direction with respect to the transport unit 102. The pair of side plates 302B are plate-like members that extend upward from both ends in the left-right direction of the bottom portion 302A and are opposed to each other on both the left and right sides of the conveyance unit 102.

  The screw shaft 303 is disposed above the bottom portion 302A and extends in the left-right direction between the pair of side plates 302B. The screw shaft 303 is inserted through a nut of the lower guide portion 313 to constitute a known ball screw. The conveyance motor is provided at the left end of the bottom 302A and can rotate the screw shaft 303. The guide shaft 304 is a shaft body that spans the upper ends of the pair of side plates 302B. The guide shaft 304 is inserted through the hole of the upper guide portion 312. The guide shaft 304 supports the support portion 311 through the upper guide portion 312 so as to be movable.

  When the conveyance motor of the conveyance unit 302 rotationally drives the screw shaft 303, the lower guide unit 313 moves in the left-right direction. As a result, the support portion 311 moves in the left-right direction along the guide shaft 304 inserted through the upper guide portion 312. The glue application unit 340 moves in the left-right direction on the front side of the table 110 at the first transport position as the support unit 311 moves. The glue application unit 340 is movable in the left-right direction within the movable range of the table 110. The locus on which the glue application surface moves as the glue application unit 340 moves is referred to as the glue application region of the glue application unit 340.

  The glue application roller 350 rotates via a belt 316 and a pulley 317 when the drive motor 319 is driven to rotate. The glue supplied to the peripheral surface of the glue application roller 350 inside the glue application unit 340 moves to the glue application port 346. The glue is applied to an object that is in contact with or close to the glue application surface. Thus, the glue application unit 340 can apply glue in the glue application area while moving in the left-right direction over at least the length of the sheet bundle 8 in the left-right direction.

<4. Cover holding mechanism 400>
The cover holding mechanism 400 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows the positional relationship of the second printer 4, the cover sheet supply unit 6, and the cover sheet holding mechanism 400 in the left side view (the same applies to FIGS. 12 and 13 described later). The cover holding mechanism 400 is disposed in front of the table 110 and the glue application mechanism 300 (see FIG. 3). The cover holding mechanism 400 includes a movable part 401 and a conveying part 402.

  The movable portion 401 is disposed within the range of the cover sheet supply port 22 (see FIG. 1) in plan view. The movable portion 401 includes a support plate 411 that is a substantially square plate-like body when viewed from the front. On the back side of the support plate 411, a butting plate 460, a first clamp 403, and a second clamp 404 are provided. The abutting plate 460 is a rectangular plate-like body that extends in the left-right direction and is provided substantially at the center in the up-down direction on the rear surface side of the support plate 411.

  The first clamp 403 is a member that can sandwich the cover 9 supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400 from the front and rear directions. The first clamp 403 includes an upper clamp 430 and a lower clamp 440 that are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. The upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 are movable in the vertical direction along the rear rails 415 and 416.

  The upper clamp 430 includes a rear plate 431, a front plate 432, and a pair of solenoids 433 and 435. The rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 are rectangular plate-like bodies arranged to face each other in the front-rear direction. The pair of solenoids 433 and 435 move the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 in the direction approaching or separating from each other via the opening and closing links 434 and 436, respectively. The lower clamp 440 has the same structure as the upper clamp 430. The lower clamp 440 includes a rear plate 441, a front plate 442, and a pair of solenoids 443 and 445. The pair of solenoids 443 and 445 move the rear plate 441 and the front plate 442 in directions toward or away from each other via the opening and closing links 444 and 446, respectively.

  A gap between the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 is an operation region 430A. A gap between the rear plate 441 and the front plate 442 is an operation region 440A. The operation areas 430A and 440A are spaces extending in the left-right direction to which the cover 9 is supplied from the cover holding mechanism 400. When the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 move in a direction approaching each other, the operation region 430A is closed. When the rear plate 431 and the front plate 432 move away from each other, the operation area 430A is opened. Similarly, the operation area 440A can be changed between an open state and a closed state.

The elevating motor 450 is provided slightly on the left side of the upper end portion of the movable portion 401. The pulleys 451 and 452 are provided at the upper left end and the lower left end of the movable unit 401, respectively.
A shaft (not shown) extending in the left direction from the lifting motor 450 is connected to the pulley 451. The belt 453 is stretched over pulleys 451 and 452. The connecting portion 454 is a member that connects the rear plate 441 and the belt 453. The positioning plate 455 is a plate-like body provided slightly below the upper right end portion of the movable portion 401.

  With the above structure, when the lifting motor 450 is driven, the lower clamp 440 moves along the rear rails 415 and 416. When the lower clamp 440 is not in contact with the upper clamp 430, the upper clamp 430 is held at the upper reference position. The upper reference position (see FIGS. 7 and 8) is the vertical position of the upper clamp 430 where the positioning projection of the rear plate 431 is supported by the positioning plate 455. The lower clamp 440 that moves upward contacts the upper clamp 430 at the upper reference position from below, and moves upward while supporting the upper clamp 430. The upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 move to the upper end of each movable range in a state where they are aligned in the vertical direction.

  When the lower clamp 440 moves downward from the upper end of its movable range, the upper clamp 430 supported by the lower clamp 440 moves downward to the upper reference position by its own weight. Thereafter, the lower clamp 440 moves away from the upper clamp 430. The lower clamp 440 moving downward is movable to the lower end of the movable range via the lower reference position. The lower reference position (see FIGS. 7 and 8) is the vertical position of the lower clamp 440 that is symmetrical with the upper reference position in the vertical direction with the abutting plate 460 interposed therebetween. The distance from the upper reference position to the lower reference position is slightly smaller than the vertical length of the cover 9 supplied to the cover holding mechanism 400.

  The 2nd clamp 404 is a member which can clamp the booklet 10 (refer FIG. 16) from an up-down direction. The second clamp 404 includes an upper clamp 470 and a lower clamp 480 disposed on both upper and lower sides with the abutting plate 460 interposed therebetween. The upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 are movable in the vertical direction along the front rails 417 and 418. The clamp body 472 is a plate-like body that protrudes downward from the rear end portion of the upper clamp 470. The clamp body 482 is a plate-like body that protrudes upward from the rear end portion of the lower clamp 480.

  The lifting motor 490 is provided at the center of the upper end of the movable part 401. The lifting motor 490 can rotate a screw shaft 491 extending downward from the lifting motor 490 about the axis. The screw shaft 491 is inserted through a nut (not shown) of the upper clamp 470 and a nut (not shown) of the lower clamp 480. When the screw shaft 491 rotates in one direction, the nut of the upper clamp 470 converts the rotational motion of the screw shaft 491, and the linear motion of the lower clamp 480 nut converts the rotational motion of the screw shaft 491. Are directions opposite to each other.

  With the above-described structure, when the lifting motor 490 rotates the screw shaft 491, the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 move in the direction of approaching or separating from each other in a vertically symmetrical manner with the abutting plate 460 interposed therebetween. The upper clamp 470 is movable downward to a position where it comes into contact with the upper end portion of the abutting plate 460. The lower clamp 480 can move upward to a position where it comes into contact with the lower end of the abutting plate 460. When the upper clamp 470 moves to the lower end of the movable range and the lower clamp 480 moves to the upper end of the movable range, the vertical distance between the clamp bodies 472 and 482 becomes the smallest. At this time, the vertical distance between the clamp bodies 472 and 482 is smaller than the vertical length of the booklet 10.

  The transport unit 402 is provided on the front side of the movable unit 401. The transport unit 402 moves the support plate 411 in the vertical direction by the driving force of the transport motor 422. At this time, the movable part 401 moves in the vertical direction inside the main body frame 2 and in front of the glue applying part 340. When the movable portion 401 is at the lower end of the movable range, the entire movable portion 401 is accommodated inside the main body frame 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 7). The movable part 401 is movable upward to a position where the movable part 401 protrudes above the main body frame 2 through the cover sheet supply port 22 (see FIG. 12). The movable range of the movable part 401 includes the reference position for pasting. The sticking reference position is the vertical position of the movable portion 401 where the abutting plate 460 covers the entire sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A in front view.

<5. Bookbinding Operation of Bookbinding Device 1>
Hereinafter, the bookbinding operation of the bookbinding apparatus 1 will be described for each process. When the user inputs a bookbinding operation start instruction to the control unit 900 (see FIG. 1), the following bookbinding operation is executed under the control of the control unit 900.

<5-1. Initialization process>
First, the control unit 900 executes an initialization process for returning the bookbinding apparatus 1 to an initial state. By the initialization process, the paper alignment mechanism 100, the glue application mechanism 300, the cover holding mechanism 400, and the like are each controlled to the initial state. When the paper alignment mechanism 100 is controlled to the initial state, the table 110 is in the first transport position (see FIGS. 3 and 4). As shown in FIG. 6, the front alignment plate 150 is in the first rotation position. The pressing plate 200 is in a non-pressing position. The second plate 202 is in the non-operating position. In the contact member 103, the rear rail portion 181 and the front rail portion 191 are in their initial positions.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the glue application mechanism 300 is controlled to the initial state, the glue application unit 340 is positioned at the retracted position, and the rotation of the glue application roller 350 is stopped. The retracted position is the right end portion of the movable range of the glue application unit 340 on the right side of the movable range of the table 110. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the cover holding mechanism 400 is controlled to the initial state, the movable portion 401 is at the lower end of the movable range. In the first clamp 403, the upper clamp 430 is at the upper reference position and the lower clamp 440 is at the lower reference position. The operation areas 430A and 440A are both in a closed state. In the second clamp 404, the upper clamp 470 is at the upper end of the movable range, and the lower clamp 480 is at the lower end of the movable range.

<5-2. Paper accumulation process>
After the initialization process is executed, the first printer 3 (see FIG. 1) sequentially prints the images represented in the booklet on the plurality of sheets 8A in response to a print instruction from the control unit 900 or a user's print instruction. The control unit 900 executes a paper stacking process in parallel with the printing operation of the first printer 3. The paper stacking process is a process of stacking the paper 8A printed by the first printer 3 by the paper aligning mechanism 100.

  The paper stacking process will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 6, 9, and 10. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the control unit 900 first drives the paper supply unit 5 to convey the printed paper 8 </ b> A discharged from the first printer 3 into the main body frame 2. The controller 900 drives the vibration motor 114 to vibrate the table 110.

  The paper supply unit 5 discharges the paper 8A from the paper discharge position toward the space between the rear rail 181 and the front rail 191 at the initial position. The discharged paper 8A moves to the right by inertia and falls by its own weight toward the rear rail portion 181 and the front rail portion 191. The trailing end of the falling paper 8A contacts the rear rail 181 and is supported from below by the first surface 181A. The front end portion of the falling paper 8A contacts the front rail portion 191 and is supported from below by the first surface 191A. At this time, the second surfaces 181B and 191B regulate the back and forth movement of the paper 8A and guide the paper 8A to the right.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the controller 900 drives the drive motor 192 (see FIG. 4) to displace the front rail 191 from the initial position to the operating position. The front end of the paper 8A is separated from the first surface 191A and falls to a position lower than the rear end of the paper 8A on the first surface 181A. Accordingly, the paper 8A falls while moving right forward by the inertial force and gravity acting on the paper 8A. The rear end portion of the paper 8A is separated from the first surface 181A to the front side. At this time, the controller 900 may drive the drive motor 182 (see FIG. 4) to displace the rear rail 181 from the initial position to the operating position. Thereby, the paper 8A can be dropped more smoothly.

  The paper 8A falling from the contact member 103 falls toward the placement surface 110A in a posture inclined downward to the right front side via the lower side of the pressing plate 200 at the non-pressing position. The first sheet 8A falls directly on the placement surface 110A. The second and subsequent sheets 8A overlap the sheet 8A that has been placed on the placement surface 110A. That is, the contact member 103 supplies the paper 8A to the placement surface 110A so that the paper 8A is urged to the right front side. The front end portion of the sheet 8A comes into contact with the facing surface 150A at the contact position and is positioned at the first restriction position. The right end portion of the sheet 8A comes into contact with the right alignment plate 140 and is positioned at the second restriction position.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the controller 900 displaces the front rail 191 from the operating position to the initial position before the next sheet 8A is discharged from the sheet discharge position. The controller 900 repeats the process of displacing the front rail portion 191 from the initial position to the operating position every time the next sheet 8A is discharged from the sheet discharge position. The plurality of sheets 8A that have fallen on the placement surface 110A are stacked on the table 110 with their front end portions and right end portions positioned.

  The plurality of stacked sheets 8A form a sheet bundle 8 on the placement surface 110A. By the vertical vibration of the table 110, the air intervening in the gap between the adjacent sheets 8A in the vertical direction is expelled. In the sheet bundle 8, the sheets 8 </ b> A adjacent in the vertical direction are in surface contact with each other. The front end surface and the right end surface of the sheet bundle 8 are substantially flush with each other along the first restriction position and the second restriction position. The front edge of the sheet bundle 8 is supported on the support surface 150B at the support position. Thereafter, the control unit 900 stops the vibration motor 114 and ends the vertical vibration of the table 110.

<5-3. Paper pressing process>
The controller 900 executes the paper pressing process after the paper stacking process. The sheet pressing step is a step of pressing the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110 with the pressing plate 200. With reference to FIG. 10, the paper pressing step will be described. First, the controller 900 drives the drive motor 209 (see FIG. 5) to displace the second plate 202 from the non-operating position to the operating position. The first pressing surface 201A and the second pressing surface 202A form a substantially flat surface that is substantially flush with each other. Note that the controller 900 may displace the second plate 202 to the operating position in advance before starting the paper pressing process (for example, the initialization process or the paper stacking process).

  Next, the control unit 900 drives the elevating motor 134 (see FIG. 5) to move the pressing plate 200 downward from the non-pressing position and displace it to the pressing position. That is, the pressing plate 200 moves downward to the pressing position in a state where the second plate 202 is displaced to the operating position. The first pressing surface 201A and the second pressing surface 202A press the sheet bundle 8 substantially simultaneously from above. A part of the sheet bundle 8 is sandwiched between the first pressing surface 201A and the placement surface 110A. The front edge of the sheet bundle 8 is sandwiched between the second pressing surface 202A at the operating position and the support surface 150B at the support position. As a result, the plurality of sheets 8 </ b> A are aligned without gaps at the front edge of the sheet bundle 8.

<5-4. Paste application process>
The controller 900 executes the glue application process after the paper pressing process. The glue application step is a step of applying glue to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8. With reference to FIG. 11, the glue application process will be described. FIG. 11 shows a glue application unit 340 in the glue application mechanism 300 (see FIG. 3).

  First, the controller 900 drives the drive motor 209 (see FIG. 5) to displace the second plate 202 from the operating position to the non-operating position. The controller 900 drives the drive motor 117 to displace the front alignment plate 150 from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. The facing surface 150A and the support surface 150B are displaced to a non-contact position and a non-support position, respectively. As a result, the second plate 202 and the front aligning plate 150 move in directions away from each other. The front edge of the sheet bundle 8 is released from the second pressing surface 202A and the support surface 150B, and protrudes forward from the table 110 and the pressing plate 200.

  Next, the control unit 900 drives the conveyance motor of the conveyance unit 302 (see FIG. 3) to reciprocate the glue application unit 340 in the left-right direction, and drives the drive motor 319 (see FIG. 3) to apply the glue application roller. Rotate 350. The glue application surface of the glue application roller 350 applies glue to the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 in the glue application area of the glue application unit 340. As a result, an adhesive portion is formed on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 without having to move the sheet bundle 8 after the plurality of sheets 8A are stacked.

<5-5. Cover transport process>
After execution of the initialization process, the second printer 4 (see FIG. 1) prints an image represented on the cover of the booklet on the cover 9 according to a print instruction from the control unit 900 or a print instruction by the user. In parallel with the printing operation of the second printer 4, the control unit 900 executes a cover sheet transporting process. The front cover transporting step is a step of transporting the front cover 9 printed by the second printer 4 into the main body frame 2.

  With reference to FIG.12 and FIG.13, a cover conveyance process is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 12, first, the control unit 900 moves the movable unit 401 upward from the lower end of the movable range and positions it at the receiving position. The receiving position is a vertical position of the movable portion 401 where the movable portion 401 protrudes above the main body frame 2 through the cover sheet supply port 22 (see FIG. 1). The control unit 900 moves the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 to the upper end of each movable range and positions them directly below the cover sheet supply unit 6.

  Next, the control unit 900 controls the operation areas 430A and 440A (see FIG. 8) to the open state. The cover 9 printed by the second printer 4 is guided toward the cover supply port 22 by the cover supply unit 6. The cover 9 discharged from the cover supply unit 6 enters the operation area 430A of the upper clamp 430. Further, the cover sheet 9 enters the operation area 440A of the lower clamp 440 located immediately below the upper clamp 430. When the lower side portion of the cover 9 enters the operation area 440A, the control unit 900 closes the operation area 440A. The lower side portion of the cover sheet 9 is sandwiched between the rear plate 441 (see FIG. 8) and the front plate 442 (see FIG. 8).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 900 moves the lower clamp 440 holding the lower side portion of the cover 9 downward. At this time, the upper clamp 430 is moved downward to the upper reference position by its own weight in a state where the cover 9 is inserted in the operation area 430A. After the upper clamp 430 reaches the upper reference position, the lower clamp 440 is moved away from the upper clamp 430 to the lower reference position. When the lower clamp 440 moves to the lower reference position, the control unit 900 closes the operation region 430A. The upper side portion of the cover sheet 9 is sandwiched between the rear plate 431 (see FIG. 8) and the front plate 432 (see FIG. 8). Thereby, the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 hold the cover 9 in a posture extending in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  Next, the control unit 900 moves the movable unit 401 that holds the cover 9 downward to the reference reference position. In the present embodiment, when the movable part 401 is at the sticking reference position, the vertical center of the cover 9 held by the movable part 401 and the vertical center of the sheet bundle 8 (see FIG. 11) on the table 110 are the same. It almost agrees. When the movable portion 401 is at the reference position, even if the vertical center of the print area of the cover 9 held by the movable portion 401 and the vertical center of the sheet bundle 8 on the table 110 substantially coincide with each other. Good.

<5-6. Covering process>
The controller 900 executes a cover sheet attaching process after the cover sheet conveying process and the glue applying process. The cover sticking step is a step of sticking the cover 9 held by the cover holding mechanism 400 to the sheet bundle 8 coated with glue. With reference to FIGS. 14-16, a cover sticking process is demonstrated. FIG. 14 schematically shows the upper clamp 430, the lower clamp 440, the abutting plate 460, the upper clamp 470, and the lower clamp 480 in the cover holding mechanism 400 in the initial state (see FIG. 8). 15 and 16 schematically show the abutting plate 460, the upper clamp 470, and the lower clamp 480 in the cover holding mechanism 400.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the controller 900 drives the transport motor 121 (see FIG. 3) to move the table 110 forward from the first transport position. The sheet bundle 8 moves forward while being sandwiched between the first pressing surface 201A and the placement surface 110A. The table 110 is moved forward to the second transport position. The second transport position is a position in the front-rear direction of the table 110 where the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 is pressed against the abutting plate 460.

  The table 110 passes through the third transfer position while moving from the first transfer position to the second transfer position. The third transport position is a front-rear direction position of the table 110 where the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 contacts the cover sheet 9 held by the cover sheet holding mechanism 400. A position where the adhesive portion formed on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 and the cover sheet 9 contact each other is referred to as a contact position. As indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 14, the upper clamp 430 holds the cover sheet 9 above the contact position, and the lower clamp 440 holds the cover sheet 9 below the contact position.

  The cover sheet 9 held by the upper clamp 430 and the lower clamp 440 is attached to an adhesive portion formed on the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 when the table 110 reaches the third transport position. The control unit 900 opens the operation areas 430A and 440A when the table 110 moves from the third transport position to the second transport position. As a result, as the table 110 moves from the third transport position to the second transport position, the upper side portion of the cover sheet 9 released from the upper clamp 430 falls out from the operation area 430A. At the same time, the lower side portion of the cover sheet 9 released from the lower clamp 440 comes out upward from the operation area 440A. When the table 110 reaches the second transport position, the front end surface of the sheet bundle 8 is pressed against the abutting plate 460 through the cover sheet 9. As a result, the cover sheet 9 is securely attached to the adhesive portion of the sheet bundle 8.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 900 drives the lifting motor 490 (see FIG. 8) to move the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 in directions close to each other. The clamp body 472 moving downward biases the cover sheet 9 from the upper side toward the front edge of the sheet bundle 8 and bends the upper part of the cover sheet 9 backward. The clamp body 482 that moves upward urges the cover sheet 9 from below to the front edge of the sheet bundle 8 and bends the lower part of the cover sheet 9 backward. A booklet 10 (see FIG. 16), which is a sheet bundle 8 wrapped with a cover sheet 9, is created. The clamp bodies 472 and 482 sandwich the front edge of the booklet 10 from the upper and lower sides on the rear side of the abutting plate 460.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the controller 900 drives the lifting motor 134 (see FIG. 5) to move the pressing plate 200 upward from the pressing position and displace it to the non-pressing position. Further, the controller 900 drives the transport motor 121 (see FIG. 3) to move the table 110 rearward from the second transport position to the first transport position. As a result, the booklet 10 is separated from the table 110 to the front side. The booklet 10 hangs downward and rearward due to its own weight in a state where the front edge portion is sandwiched between the clamp bodies 472 and 482. Thereafter, the controller 900 drives the lifting motor 490 (see FIG. 8) to move the upper clamp 470 and the lower clamp 480 in a direction away from each other. The operator collects the booklet 10 released from the clamping by the clamp bodies 472 and 482 from the inside of the main body frame 2.

<6. Paper Alignment Mechanism 1100>
A paper alignment mechanism 1100 that is a modification of the above-described paper alignment mechanism 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the same structure as the paper alignment mechanism 100, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted. The paper alignment mechanism 1100 is a mechanism for stacking the thin paper 8B or the thick paper 8C on the table 110. The thin paper 8B is 30 kg paper, for example. The thick paper 8C is, for example, 90 kg paper. Hereinafter, the thin paper 8B and the thick paper 8C are collectively referred to as paper 8A. The paper alignment mechanism 1100 according to the present embodiment accumulates A4 size or B4 size paper 8A on the table 110.

  In FIG. 17, illustration of a drive motor 161, a cam member 162, and an arm member 164, which will be described later, shown in FIG. FIG. 18 conceptually illustrates a front view of the table 110. 20 to 23, illustration of extending portions 181C and 191C and extending portions 181D and 191D (described later) shown in FIG. 17 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the paper alignment mechanism 1100 includes a left alignment unit 160. The left aligning unit 160 can align the left end of the sheets 8A stacked on the table 110. The left alignment unit 160 includes a drive motor 161, a cam member 162, an arm member 164, and a left alignment plate 163. The drive motor 161 is a motor that is driven and controlled by the control unit 900. The drive motor 161 is provided on the left side of the movable area of the table 110. The drive motor 161 can rotate an output shaft extending in the vertical direction. The cam member 162 is provided on the output shaft of the drive motor 161. The arm member 164 extends upward from the upper surface of the cam member 162 and bends to the right. The lower end portion of the arm member 164 is rotatably provided on a pin (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the cam member 162.

  The left alignment plate 163 is fixed to the right end portion of the arm member 164. The left alignment plate 163 is a rectangular plate-like body extending in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. That is, the left alignment plate 163 is a rectangular plate-like body that extends orthogonal to the left-right direction.

  With the above structure, when the drive motor 161 drives the output shaft, the cam member 162 rotates, and the arm member 164 can move the left alignment plate 163 between the separation position and the restriction position along the left-right direction. . The separation position is the left end position of the movable range of the left alignment plate 163. The left alignment plate 163 at the separation position is separated to the left from the paper 8 </ b> A accumulated on the table 110. In FIG. 18, the left alignment plate 163 at the separation position is illustrated by a solid line.

  The left aligning plate 163 in the restricting position can come into contact with the left end portion of the paper 8 </ b> A stacked on the table 110. The limit position is a predetermined reference position. In the present embodiment, there are two restriction positions according to the size of the paper 8A accumulated on the table 110. One of the two restriction positions (hereinafter referred to as the first restriction position) is the right end position of the movable region of the left alignment plate 163. The other of the two restriction positions (hereinafter referred to as the second restriction position) is an intermediate position in the left-right direction of the movable region of the left alignment plate 163. The left alignment plate 163 in the first restriction position can contact the left end portion of the A4 size paper 8A. The left alignment plate 163 in the first restriction position can position the left end portion of the A4 size paper 8A in the third restriction position. The left alignment plate 163 in the second restriction position can contact the left end portion of the B4 size paper 8A. The left alignment plate 163 in the second restriction position can position the left end portion of the B4 size paper 8A at the third restriction position. The third restriction position is a predetermined appropriate position at the left end portion of the paper 8 </ b> A stacked on the table 110. There are a plurality of third restriction positions depending on the size of the paper 8A.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the paper alignment mechanism 1100 includes a contact member 1030 instead of the contact member 103 (see FIG. 4). The contact member 1030 includes a rear contact portion 1800 and a front contact portion 1900.

The rear contact portion 1800 includes a rear rail portion 1810 instead of the rear rail portion 181. The rear rail portion 1810 can rotate around the shaft portion 183, similarly to the rear rail portion 181. The rear rail portion 1810 includes a first surface 1811A, a second surface 181B, an extending portion 181C, and an extending portion 181D. The first surface 1811A is longer than the first surface 181A in the direction orthogonal to the second surface 181B. The second surface 181B of the rear rail portion 1810 is the same as the second surface 181B of the rear rail portion 181.
As an example, the second surface 181B of the present embodiment extends from the first surface 1811A in a direction orthogonal to the first surface 1811A. Hereinafter, the direction in which the second surface 181B extends from the first surface 1811A is referred to as a first predetermined direction. The first predetermined direction may be a direction that forms an acute angle or an obtuse angle with the first surface 1811A instead of the direction orthogonal to the first surface 1811A. The extending portion 181C is fixed to the right end portion of the first surface 1811A. That is, the extending portion 181C is provided on the first predetermined direction side with respect to the first surface 1811A and on the front side with respect to the second surface 181B. The extending portion 181C has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and extends perpendicular to the left-right direction.

  The extending portion 181D is fixed to the left end portion of the first surface 1811A. That is, the extending portion 181D is provided on the first predetermined direction side with respect to the first surface 1811A and on the front side with respect to the second surface 181B. The extending portion 181D has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and extends perpendicular to the left-right direction.

  When the drive motor 182 rotates the shaft portion 183, the rear rail portion 1810 of the paper alignment mechanism 1100 can be displaced between an initial position (see FIG. 17) and a specific position (see FIG. 21). When the rear rail portion 1810 is in the initial position, the first surface 1811A is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction. When the rear rail portion 1810 is in a specific position, the first surface 1811A is inclined downward toward the front direction. That is, the first surface 1811A faces the front side. In this embodiment, the gradient with respect to the horizontal direction of the first surface 1811A displaced to the specific position is 45 ° as an example. Note that the specific position of the rear rail portion 1810 may be a position rotated approximately 90 ° counterclockwise from the initial position in a right side view. Even in this case, the first surface 1811A at the specific position faces the front side.

The front contact portion 1900 includes a front rail portion 1910 instead of the front rail portion 191. The front rail portion 1910 can rotate around the shaft portion 193, similarly to the front rail portion 191. The front rail portion 1910 is provided in front of the rear rail portion 1810 with a space therebetween. The front rail portion 1910 includes a first surface 1911A, a second surface 191B, an extending portion 191C, and an extending portion 191D. The first surface 1911A is longer in the direction orthogonal to the second surface 191B than the first surface 191A. The second surface 191B of the front rail portion 1910 is the same as the second surface 191B of the front rail portion 191.
As an example, the second surface 191B of the present embodiment extends from the first surface 1911A in a direction orthogonal to the first surface 1911A. Hereinafter, the direction in which the second surface 191B extends from the first surface 1911A is referred to as a second predetermined direction. The second predetermined direction may be a direction that forms an acute angle or an obtuse angle with the first surface 1911A, instead of being a direction orthogonal to the first surface 1911A. The extending portion 191C is fixed to the right end portion of the first surface 1911A. That is, the extending portion 191C is provided on the second predetermined direction side with respect to the first surface 1911A and on the rear side with respect to the second surface 191B. The extending portion 191C has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and extends perpendicular to the left-right direction.

  The extending portion 191D is fixed to the left end portion of the first surface 1911A. The extending portion 191D is provided on the rear side of the second surface 191B. The extending portion 191D has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and extends perpendicular to the left-right direction.

  When the drive motor 192 rotates the shaft portion 193, the front rail portion 1910 of the paper alignment mechanism 1100 can be displaced between an initial position (see FIGS. 4 and 17) and a specific position (see FIG. 20). is there. When the front rail portion 1910 is at the initial position, the first surface 1911A is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction. When the front rail portion 1910 is at a specific position, the first surface 1911A is inclined downward in the rearward direction. That is, the first surface 1911A faces the rear side. In this embodiment, the gradient with respect to the horizontal direction of the first surface 1911A displaced to the specific position is 45 ° as an example. Note that the specific position of the front rail portion 1910 may be a position rotated from the initial position by approximately 90 ° clockwise as viewed from the right side (see FIG. 6 according to the first embodiment). Even in this case, the first surface 1911A at the specific position faces the rear side.

<7. Paper accumulation control by paper alignment mechanism 1100>
With reference to FIGS. 6 and 19 to 23, the paper stacking control that can be executed by the paper aligning mechanism 1100 will be described. After the user inputs an instruction to start the paper stacking control to the control unit 900, the paper stacking control by the paper aligning mechanism 1100 is executed. Note that the control unit 900 performs the above-described initialization process before the sheet accumulation control is executed, and drives the drive motor 161 to move the left alignment plate 163 to the separation position. Further, the control unit 900 drives the vibration motor 114 to vibrate the table 110 while the paper accumulation control is executed.

<7-1. Paper accumulation control when thin paper 8B is supplied>
As shown in FIG. 19, paper information is acquired (S11). The paper information is information regarding the paper 8 </ b> A supplied by the paper supply unit 5. The sheet information includes size information that is information regarding the size of the sheet 8A and thickness information that is information regarding the thickness of the sheet 8A. In the present embodiment, the size information includes “A4 size” and “B4 size”, and the thickness information includes “30 kg paper” and “90 kg paper”. For example, the user inputs “A4 size” and “30 kg paper” to the control unit 900. The CPU of the control unit 900 stores “A4 size” and “30 kg paper” in a RAM (not shown) (S11).

  The left alignment plate 163 is moved to the limit position (S13). For example, when the size information of the paper information acquired in S11 is A4 size (S11), the CPU of the control unit 900 drives the drive motor 161 to move the left alignment plate 163 from the separation position to the first restriction position. (S13).

  It is determined whether or not the paper 8A supplied by the paper supply unit 5 is a thin paper 8B (S15). The CPU of the control unit 900 determines that the supplied paper 8A is the thin paper 8B when the thickness information acquired in S11 is “30 kg paper” (S15: YES). On the other hand, when the thickness information acquired in S11 is “90 kg paper”, the CPU of the control unit 900 determines that the supplied paper 8A is not the thin paper 8B (S15: NO).

  When it is determined that the supplied paper 8A is the thin paper 8B (S15: YES), the drive mode of the drive motors 182 and 192 is set to the first mode (S17). The first mode is a drive mode of the drive motors 182 and 192 when the thin paper 8B is accumulated on the table 110. The first mode is a drive mode in which the drive motors 182 and 192 continuously execute intermittent operations. When the first mode is set, the CPU of the control unit 900 monitors the pulse signal output by the encoder provided in each of the drive motors 182 and 192 every predetermined time (S17).

  It is determined whether the thin paper 8B is supplied by the paper supply unit 5 (S19). The CPU of the control unit 900 determines whether or not the thin paper 8B is supplied based on the detection result of the detection unit 5A. For example, when the detection unit 5A does not detect the thin paper 8B, the CPU of the control unit 900 determines that the thin paper 8B is not supplied (S19: NO) and enters a standby state. On the other hand, when the detection unit 5A detects the thin paper 8B, the CPU of the control unit 900 determines that the thin paper 8B is supplied (S19: YES), and advances the processing to S21.

  The drive motors 182 and 192 are kept waiting for a predetermined time (S21). The predetermined time is the time from when the thin paper 8B is detected by the detection unit 5A until the detected thin paper 8B falls to the rear rail portion 1810 and the front rail portion 1910. The predetermined time in this embodiment is, for example, 2 seconds. The CPU of the controller 900 causes the drive motors 182 and 192 to wait until 2 seconds have elapsed after determining that the thin paper 8B has been supplied (S19: YES) (S21). By executing S19 and S21, the timing at which the thin paper 8B detected by the detection unit 5A falls to the rear rail unit 1810 and the front rail unit 1910 is acquired. As shown in FIG. 6, the rear end portion of the thin paper 8B is supported from below by the first surface 1811A, and the front end portion of the thin paper 8B is supported from below by the first surface 1911A.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the front rail portion 1910 is displaced from the initial position to the specific position (S23). The CPU of the controller 900 drives the drive motor 192 to displace the front rail portion 1910 from the initial position to the specific position (S23). As shown in FIG. 20, the rear end of the thin paper 8B is restricted from moving backward by the second surface 181B. Accordingly, the front end portion of the thin paper 8B is gradually displaced downward along the first surface 1911A and is curved downward.

  In this case, the second surface 191B faces the front end portion of the thin paper 8B, thereby restricting the movement of the thin paper 8B to the front side. The extending portion 191C (see FIG. 17) faces the front side and the right end of the thin paper 8B, and restricts the thin paper 8B from moving to the right. The extending portion 191D faces the front and left end portions of the thin paper 8B, and restricts the thin paper 8B from moving to the left. Thereby, the position of the thin paper 8B supported by the first surface 1911A is stabilized.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the rear rail portion 1810 is displaced from the initial position to the specific position (S25). The CPU of the control unit 900 drives the drive motor 182 to displace the rear rail unit 1810 from the initial position to the specific position (S25). The rear end portion of the thin paper 8B is gradually displaced downward along the first surface 1811A (see FIG. 21).

  In this case, the second surface 181B is opposed to the rear end portion of the thin paper 8B, thereby restricting the movement of the thin paper 8B rearward. The extending portion 181C (see FIG. 17) faces the rear and right end of the thin paper 8B, and restricts the thin paper 8B from moving to the right. The extending portion 181D is opposed to the rear and left end portions of the thin paper 8B and restricts the thin paper 8B from moving to the left. Thereby, the position of the thin paper 8B supported by the first surface 1811A is stabilized.

  Since the thin paper 8B displaced downward is displaced downward along the first surface 1811A and the first surface 1911A, the posture of the thin paper 8B is stabilized. When the front end portion of the curved thin paper 8B is displaced to the lower side of the first surface 1911A, the front end portion is displaced into a linearly extending posture. By displacing the curved front end of the thin paper 8B into a linearly extending posture, a biasing force directed to the front lower side acts on the thin paper 8B. The thin paper 8B is displaced toward the facing surface 150A of the front aligning plate 150 at the contact position. The first surface 1811A guides the thin paper 8B toward the facing surface 150A. Therefore, the front end portion of the thin paper 8B that has fallen on the table 110 is likely to come into contact with the facing surface 150A at the contact position. The front end of the thin paper 8B is easily positioned at the first restriction position by the facing surface 150A.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the right alignment plate 140 faces the right end portion of the thin paper 8 </ b> B falling on the table 110. The right alignment plate 140 is in contact with the right end portion of the thin paper 8B and restricts the thin paper 8B from moving to the right. The right end of the thin paper 8B comes into contact with the right alignment plate 140 and is positioned at the second restriction position. Further, the left alignment plate 163 in the first restriction position faces the left end portion of the thin paper 8B that falls on the table 110. The left alignment plate 163 in the first restriction position contacts the left end portion of the thin paper 8B and restricts the thin paper 8B from moving to the left. The left end portion of the thin paper 8B comes into contact with the left alignment plate 163 at the first restriction position and is positioned at the third restriction position.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the front rail portion 1910 is displaced from a specific position to an initial position (S27). The CPU of the control unit 900 drives the drive motor 192 to displace the front rail unit 1910 from the specific position to the initial position (S27). As shown in FIG. 22, the front rail portion 1910 is displaced to the initial position earlier than the rear rail portion 1810. The front rail portion 1910 returns to a posture capable of supporting the subsequent thin paper 8B earlier than the rear rail portion 1810.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the rear rail portion 1810 is displaced from a specific position to an initial position (S29). The CPU of the control unit 900 drives the drive motor 182 to displace the rear rail unit 1810 from the specific position to the initial position (S29). The front rail portion 1910 and the rear rail portion 1810 return to the initial position (see FIGS. 6 and 17).

  It is determined whether or not the supply of the thin paper 8B by the paper supply unit 5 is completed (S31). The CPU of the control unit 900 determines whether or not the supply of the thin paper 8B is finished depending on whether or not the detection unit 5A detects the thin paper 8B within a predetermined time (S31). When the detection unit 5A detects the thin paper 8B within a predetermined time, the CPU of the control unit 900 determines that the supply of the thin paper 8B has not been completed (S31: NO), and returns the process to S21. By repeatedly executing S21 to S31 by the CPU of the control unit 900, the thin paper 8B supplied by the paper supply unit 5 is sequentially aligned at the contact position by the front rail portion 1910 and the rear rail portion 1810. Guided toward the facing surface 150A of the plate 150. That is, every time the thin paper 8B is supplied by the paper supply unit 5, S21 to S31 are repeatedly executed.

  If the detection unit 5A does not detect the thin paper 8B for a certain period of time, it is determined that the supply of the thin paper 8B has ended (S31: YES). The left alignment plate 163 is moved to the separation position (S33). For example, the CPU of the controller 900 drives the drive motor 161 to move the left alignment plate 163 from the first limit position to the separation position (S33). The paper accumulation control by the paper alignment mechanism 1100 ends.

  Although not shown, the same processing is executed when the B4 size thin paper 8B is supplied. That is, the CPU of the control unit 900 acquires “B4 size” and “30 Kg paper” as the paper information and stores them in the RAM (not shown) (S11). The CPU of the controller 900 displaces the left alignment plate 163 from the separation position to the second restriction position (see FIG. 18) (S13). By executing S17 to S33 described above, the B4-size thin paper 8B is accumulated on the table 110.

<7-2. Paper accumulation control when thick paper 8C is supplied>
With reference to FIGS. 19 and 23, sheet stacking control by the sheet aligning mechanism 1100 when A4 size thick sheets 8C are stacked on the table 110 will be described. As shown in FIG. 19, the above-described S11 to S15 are executed. For example, the user inputs “A4 size” and “90 kg paper” to the control unit 900. The CPU of the control unit 900 stores “A4 size” and “90 kg paper” in a RAM (not shown) (S11).

  When it is determined that the supplied paper 8A is not the thin paper 8B (S15: NO), the drive mode of the drive motors 182 and 192 is set to the second mode (S35). The second mode is a drive mode of the drive motors 182 and 192 that accumulate the thick paper 8C on the table 110. The second mode is a drive mode in which the drive motors 182 and 192 continue to stop the rear rail portion 1810 and the front rail portion 1910 at specific positions, respectively. The CPU of the control unit 900 supplies predetermined power to each of the drive motors 182 and 192 (S35). The predetermined power is a power necessary for the rear rail portion 1810 and the front rail portion 1910 to be displaced from the initial position to the specific position and continue to stop.

  The front rail portion 1910 is displaced from the initial position to the specific position (S37). The CPU of the control unit 900 drives the drive motor 192 to displace the front rail unit 1910 from the initial position to the specific position (S37).

  The rear rail portion 1810 is displaced from the initial position to the specific position (S39). The CPU of the control unit 900 drives the drive motor 182 to displace the rear rail unit 1810 from the initial position to the specific position (S39).

  As shown in FIG. 23, the thick paper 8C sequentially supplied by the paper supply unit 5 falls while both ends in the left-right direction are in contact with the first surfaces 1811A and 1911A, respectively. The rigidity of the thick paper 8C is larger than the rigidity of the thin paper 8B. Therefore, the thick paper 8C falls toward the table 110 in a stable posture. The cardboard 8C falling on the table 110 is restricted to move rightward by the extending portions 181C and 191C (see FIG. 17), and leftward by the extending portions 181D and 191D (see FIG. 17). Be regulated.

  The front end portion of the cardboard 8C falling on the table 110 comes into contact with the facing surface 150A at the contact position and is positioned at the first restriction position. The right end portion of the thick paper 8C comes into contact with the right alignment plate 140 and is positioned at the second restriction position. The left end portion of the cardboard 8C comes into contact with the left alignment plate 163 at the first restriction position and is positioned at the third restriction position. As a result, the cardboard 8 </ b> C falling on the table 110 is accurately collected at a position where it contacts the front alignment plate 150, the right alignment plate 140 and the left alignment plate 163.

  It is determined whether or not the supply of the thick paper 8C by the paper supply unit 5 is completed (S41). The process executed in S41 is the same as S31. When the CPU of the control unit 900 determines that the supply of the thick paper 8C has not been completed (S41: NO), the CPU 900 enters a standby state. That is, when the thick paper 8C is sequentially supplied within a certain time, the rear rail portion 1810 and the front rail portion 1910 maintain the state of being displaced to a specific position regardless of the detection result by the detection portion 5A. The supplied cardboard 8C is sequentially accumulated on the table 110.

  When it is determined that the supply of the thick paper 8C by the paper supply unit 5 is completed (S41: YES), the front rail unit 1910 is displaced from the specific position to the initial position (S43), and the rear rail unit 1810 is initialized from the specific position. The position is displaced (S45). The CPU of the controller 900 drives the drive motor 192 to displace the front rail portion 1910 to the initial position (S43), and drives the drive motor 182 to displace the rear rail portion 1810 to the initial position (S45). After the above-described S33 is executed, the paper alignment control by the paper alignment mechanism 1100 ends.

  Although not shown, the same processing is executed when B4 size cardboard 8C is supplied. That is, the CPU of the control unit 900 acquires “B4 size” and “90 Kg” as paper information and stores them in a RAM (not shown) (S11). The CPU of the controller 900 displaces the left alignment plate 163 from the separation position to the second restriction position (see FIG. 18) (S13). By executing the above-described S35 to S45 and S33 in order, the B4 size cardboard 8C is accumulated on the table 110.

<8. Illustrative effects of this modification>
According to this modification, when the thin paper 8B is supplied, the drive motor 182 displaces the rear rail portion 1810 from the initial position to the specific position. The thin paper 8B is guided to the front side and the lower side by the first surface 1811A while the backward movement is restricted by the second surface 181B. The thin paper 8B falls on the table 110. The thin paper 8B is accumulated on the table 110 at a position where movement is restricted by the front alignment plate 150, the right alignment plate 140, and the left alignment plate 163, respectively. Since the thin paper 8B is guided by the rail portion 1810 after being displaced to a specific position, the posture can be stabilized. Thereby, the position of the thin paper 8B accumulated on the table 110 is stabilized, and the thin paper 8B is accurately aligned. Therefore, the paper alignment mechanism 1100 can stabilize the posture of the thin paper 8B falling toward the table 110, and can accurately align the thin paper 8B accumulated on the table 110.

  When the thin paper 8B is supplied, the drive motor 192 displaces the front rail portion 1910 from the initial position to the specific position. The front end portion of the thin paper 8B that comes into contact with the second surface 191B takes a posture curved downward. Thereafter, the front end portion of the thin paper 8B is in a posture extending linearly. Thereby, the urging | biasing force which faces the front side and the lower side acts on the thin paper 8B. The thin paper 8B tends to fall toward the front alignment plate 150. Therefore, the paper alignment mechanism 1100 can stabilize the posture of the thin paper 8B falling toward the table 110, and can accurately align the thin paper 8B accumulated on the table 110.

  An extending portion 181C is provided on the first surface 1811A. The sheet 8A with which the first surface 1811A contacts from below is restricted from moving rightward by the extending portion 181C. Therefore, the position in the left-right direction of the paper 8A in contact with the first surface 1811A is stabilized.

  An extending portion 181D is provided on the first surface 1811A. The sheet 8A with which the first surface 1811A contacts from below is restricted from moving leftward by the extending portion 181D. Therefore, the position in the left-right direction of the paper 8A in contact with the first surface 1811A is stabilized.

  An extending portion 191C is provided on the first surface 1911A. The sheet 8A with which the first surface 1911A contacts from below is restricted to move rightward by the extending portion 191C. Therefore, the position in the left-right direction of the paper 8A in contact with the first surface 1911A is stabilized.

  An extending portion 191D is provided on the first surface 1911A. The sheet 8A with which the first surface 1911A contacts from below is restricted from moving leftward by the extending portion 191D. Therefore, the position in the left-right direction of the paper 8A in contact with the first surface 1911A is stabilized.

  Each time the thin paper 8B is supplied (S31: NO), the control unit 900 displaces the front rail portion 1910 and the rear rail portion 1810 in the order of the initial position, the specific position, and the initial position (S21 to S29). . Thereby, the paper alignment mechanism 1100 can accumulate the thin paper 8B sequentially supplied on the table 110 with high accuracy. On the other hand, the control unit 900 displaces each of the front rail portion 1910 and the rear rail portion 1810 to a specific position while the thick paper 8C is supplied (S41: NO). Since the rigidity of the thick paper 8C is larger than that of the thin paper 8B, the thick paper 8C falls in a stable posture. The paper alignment mechanism 1100 can accumulate the successively supplied thick paper 8C on the table 110 with high accuracy. As described above, the paper aligning mechanism 1100 can diversify the method of stacking the paper 8A on the table 110.

  When the thin paper 8B is accumulated (S15: YES), before the drive motor 182 displaces the rear rail portion 1810 from the specific position to the initial position (S29), the drive motor 192 moves the front rail portion 1910 from the specific position to the initial position. Displace to. (S27) Thereby, the front-end part of the thin paper 8B supplied sequentially can contact the 1st surface 1911A more reliably.

  The control unit 900 acquires paper information (S11), and sets the drive mode of the drive motors 182 and 192 to the first mode or the second mode according to the acquired paper information (S15, S17, S35). Therefore, the paper alignment mechanism 1100 can execute the accumulation of the paper 8A in accordance with the paper information.

  The left alignment plate 163 in the restriction position is in contact with the left end portion of the paper 8A stacked on the table 110 and restricts movement to the left from the restriction position. As a result, the left end portion of the paper 8A stacked on the table 110 is accurately positioned at the third restriction position.

  The control unit 900 displaces the left alignment plate 163 to the first restriction position or the second restriction position according to the size information included in the acquired paper information. (S13). The paper alignment mechanism 1100 can accumulate the paper 8A on the table 110 with high accuracy according to the size of the paper 8A.

  In this modification, the table 110 is an example of the “paper stacking unit” in the present invention. The right alignment plate 140 is an example of the “first regulating member” in the present invention. The first rotation position is an example of the “second opposing position” in the present invention. The front alignment plate 150 is an example of the “second regulating member” in the present invention. The first surface 1811A is an example of the “first contact surface” in the present invention. The second surface 181B is an example of the “first opposing surface” in the present invention. The rear rail portion 1810 is an example of the “first contact member” in the present invention. The drive motors 182 and 192 are an example of the “drive means” in the present invention. The first surface 1911A is an example of the “second contact surface” in the present invention. The second surface 191B is an example of the “second opposing surface” in the present invention. The front rail portion 1910 is an example of the “second contact member” in the present invention. The extending portion 191C is an example of the “second extending portion” in the present invention. The extending portion 191D is an example of the “second extending portion” in the present invention. The extending portion 181C is an example of the “first extending portion” in the present invention. The extending portion 181D is an example of the “first extending portion” in the present invention. The left alignment plate 163 is an example of the “third regulating member” in the present invention. The drive motor 161 is an example of the “moving unit” in the present invention.

  The right direction is an example of the “first direction” in the present invention. The forward direction is an example of the “second direction” and the “opposite direction” in the present invention. The left direction is an example of the “third direction” in the present invention. The backward direction is an example of the “fourth direction” and the “specific direction” in the present invention. The initial position of the rear rail portion 1810 is an example of the “first support position” in the present invention. The specific position of the rear rail portion 1810 is an example of the “first rotation position” in the present invention. The initial position of the front rail portion 1910 is an example of the “second support position” in the present invention. The specific position of the front rail portion 1910 is an example of the “second rotation position” in the present invention. The restriction position is an example of the “third counter position” in the present invention.

  The control unit 900 that executes S17 is an example of the “setting unit” in the present invention. The control unit 900 that executes S19 and S21 is an example of the “acquiring unit” in the present invention. The control unit 900 that executes S25 and S29 is an example of the “first operation control means” in the present invention. The controller 900 that executes S23 and S27 is an example of the “second operation control means” in the present invention. The control unit 900 that executes S37, S39, and S41 is an example of the “stop control unit” in the present invention. The control unit 900 that executes S11 is an example of the “paper information acquisition unit” and “size information acquisition unit” of the present invention. The control unit 900 that executes S13 is an example of the “movement control unit” in the present invention.

  The paper alignment mechanism 1100 can be further variously changed. The front rail portion 1910 of the paper aligning mechanism 1100 may be fixed at the initial position instead of being provided rotatably. Even in this case, the first surface 1811A at the specific position contacts the rear end portion of the paper 8A falling on the table 110, so that the paper 8A can easily move toward the front alignment plate 150.

  The rear rail portion 1810 may be fixed at an initial position instead of being provided rotatably. Even in this case, the first surface 1911A at the specific position comes into contact with the front end portion of the paper 8A falling on the table 110, so that the paper 8A can easily move toward the front aligning plate 150. In this case, the rear rail portion 1810 fixed at the initial position is an example of the “second contact member” in the present invention. The front rail portion 1910 is an example of the “first contact member” in the present invention. The forward direction is an example of the “specific direction” in the present invention. The backward direction is an example of the “opposite direction” in the present invention.

  The left alignment plate 163 may be fixed instead of being provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction by the drive motor 161. Even in this case, the left alignment plate 163 is in contact with the left end portion of the paper 8 </ b> A stacked on the table 110. The sheet 8 </ b> A is restricted from moving leftward from the right surface of the left alignment plate 163. The paper 8A is collected on the table 110 with high accuracy. The fixed left alignment plate 163 may be formed integrally with the table 110. Further, the paper alignment mechanism 1100 may not include the left alignment plate 163. Further, the right alignment plate 140 may be formed integrally with the table 110.

  The paper alignment mechanism 1100 may include a cylindrical body that extends in the vertical direction instead of the front alignment plate 150. The cylindrical body only needs to be able to move between a position facing the front end of the table 110 at the first transport position in proximity to the front and a position separated from the movable range of the table 110. The cylindrical body facing the front end of the table 110 is in contact with the front end portion of the paper 8 </ b> A accumulated on the table 110. Thus, the paper 8A is accurately collected on the table 110.

  With reference to FIG. 24, a paper alignment mechanism 1101 that is a modification of the paper alignment mechanism 1100 will be described. The paper aligning mechanism 1101 has the same configuration as the paper aligning mechanism 1100 except that the front contact portion 1900 is not provided. For example, when the thin paper 8B is supplied by the paper supply unit 5, the rear rail portion 1810 rotates from the initial position to the first rotation position by driving the drive motor 182 of the paper alignment mechanism 1101. The rear end portion of the thin paper 8B is guided toward the front lower side by the first surface 1811A at the specific position while the rearward movement is restricted by the second surface 181B. Therefore, the posture of the thin paper 8B falling toward the table 110 can be stabilized. Therefore, the thin paper 8B is accurately collected on the table 110. In this case, the rear rail portion 1810 is an example of the “first contact member” in the present invention.

5A Detection section 8A Paper 8B Thin paper 8C Thick paper 110 Table 140 Right alignment plate 150 Front alignment plate 150A Opposing surface
161, 182, 192 Drive motor 163 Left alignment plate 181B, 191B Second surface 181C, 191C Extension portion 181D, 191D Extension portion 900 Control portion 1100, 1101 Paper alignment mechanism 1810 Rear rail portion 1811A, 1911A First surface 1910 Front Rail part

Claims (13)

A first direction substantially parallel to the horizontal direction, a second direction substantially parallel to the horizontal direction and orthogonal to the first direction, a third direction opposite to the first direction, and the second direction A sheet stacking unit that has a length in each of the fourth direction, which is the opposite direction, and on which the sheets sequentially conveyed in the first direction are stacked and placed;
A member extending perpendicularly to the first direction at a first facing position facing the end portion in the first direction of the paper stacking unit, the first of the sheets placed on the paper stacking unit A first restricting member that contacts an end portion in one direction and restricts the sheet from moving in the first direction from the first facing position;
A member extending perpendicularly to the second direction at a second facing position facing the end in the second direction of the paper stacking unit, the first of the sheets placed on the paper stacking unit A second restricting member that contacts the end portions in two directions and restricts the sheet from moving in the second direction from the second facing position;
A member that extends parallel to the first direction on the upper side of the paper stacking unit and is rotatable about an axis extending in parallel to the first direction, and is disposed below the paper transported in the first direction. One of the second direction and the fourth direction among the first contact surface that contacts the first contact surface and the paper that extends from the first contact surface in the first predetermined direction and contacts the first contact surface. A first contact member having a first facing surface facing an end in a specific direction that is a direction;
A second contact that is provided in the second direction at a distance from the first contact member and extends in parallel with the first direction, and contacts the sheet conveyed in the first direction from below. And a second facing surface that extends in the second predetermined direction from the second contact surface and faces an end portion in a direction opposite to the specific direction among the paper that contacts the second contact surface. A second contact member;
A means for displacing the first contact member between a first support position and a first rotation position, wherein the first support position is a rotation in which the first contact surface extends substantially parallel to the opposite direction. A paper aligning mechanism, wherein the first rotating position is a driving means that is a rotating position in which the first contact surface faces the opposite direction. The second contact member is rotatable about an axis extending in parallel with the first direction,
The drive means faces the second contact member, a second support position that is a rotational position in which the second contact surface extends substantially parallel to the specific direction, and the second contact surface faces the specific direction. The paper alignment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the paper alignment mechanism is displaced between a second rotation position and a rotation position. The first rotation position is a rotation position where the first contact surface is inclined downward in the opposite direction,
The paper alignment mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the second rotation position is a rotation position where the second contact surface is inclined downward in the specific direction.   A first extending portion including a portion provided at a position on the first predetermined direction side with respect to the first contact surface and on the opposite direction side with respect to the first facing surface, 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first extending portion that extends perpendicular to the direction and faces an end portion of the sheet in the first direction that contacts the first contact surface. 5. The paper alignment mechanism described.   A first extending portion including a portion provided at a position on the first predetermined direction side with respect to the first contact surface and on the opposite direction side with respect to the first facing surface, 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first extending portion that extends perpendicular to the direction and faces an end portion of the sheet in the third direction that contacts the first contact surface. The paper alignment mechanism described.   A second extending portion including a portion provided at a position on the second predetermined direction side with respect to the second contact surface and on the specific direction side with respect to the second facing surface, 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second extending portion that extends perpendicular to the direction and faces an end portion of the sheet in the first direction that contacts the second contact surface. The paper alignment mechanism described.   A second extending portion including a portion provided at a position on the second predetermined direction side with respect to the second contact surface and on the specific direction side with respect to the second facing surface, 7. A second extending portion extending perpendicularly to the direction and facing an end portion of the sheet in the third direction that contacts the second contact surface. The paper alignment mechanism described. Setting means for setting the drive mode of the drive means to any one of a first mode and a second mode different from the first mode;
Detection means capable of detecting the paper supplied toward the first contact member and the second contact member;
An acquisition means for acquiring a fall timing, which is a timing at which the paper detected by the detection means falls toward the first contact member and the second contact member each time the detection means detects the paper;
Control means for controlling the driving means to control the rotation position of the first contact member and the rotation position of the second contact member, respectively.
The control means includes
When the setting unit sets the first mode, every time the acquisition unit acquires the fall timing, the rotation position of the first contact member is set according to the acquired fall timing. First operation control means for displacing in order of the support position, the first rotation position, and the first support position;
When the setting unit sets the first mode, every time the acquisition unit acquires the fall timing, the rotation position of the second contact member is changed according to the acquired fall timing to the second mode. A second operation control means for displacing the support position, the second rotation position, and the second support position in this order;
When the setting unit sets the second mode, the first contact member is displaced to the first rotation position regardless of the detection result by the detection unit, and the second contact member is The paper aligning mechanism according to any one of claims 2 to 7, further comprising: a stop control unit configured to displace the second rotational position.   The second operation control unit is configured so that the first operation control unit displaces the first contact member from the first rotation position to the first support position every time the acquisition unit acquires the fall timing. 9. The paper alignment mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the second contact member is displaced from the second rotation position to the second support position. Paper information acquisition means for acquiring paper information that is information relating to the paper supplied to the paper stacking unit;
10. The paper alignment according to claim 8, wherein the setting unit sets the first mode or the second mode according to the paper information acquired by the paper information acquisition unit. mechanism.   A member extending perpendicularly to the third direction at a third facing position facing an end portion in the third direction of the paper stacking unit, and the first of the sheets placed on the paper stacking unit. The third regulating member for regulating the movement of the sheet in the third direction from the third facing position in contact with the end portions in the three directions. The paper alignment mechanism described in Crab. Size information acquisition means for acquiring size information which is information relating to the size of the paper supplied to the paper stacking unit;
A member extending orthogonally to the third direction and contacting an end of the paper in the third direction placed on the paper stacking unit at any one of a plurality of predetermined reference positions. A third restricting member for restricting movement of the paper in the third direction;
Moving means for moving the third regulating member;
Movement control means for controlling the movement means to displace the third restricting member to one of the plurality of reference positions according to the size information acquired by the size information acquisition means. The paper alignment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein A first direction substantially parallel to the horizontal direction, a second direction substantially parallel to the horizontal direction and orthogonal to the first direction, a third direction opposite to the first direction, and the second direction A sheet stacking unit that has a length in each of the fourth direction, which is the opposite direction, and on which the sheets sequentially conveyed in the first direction are stacked and placed;
A member extending perpendicularly to the first direction at a first facing position facing the end portion in the first direction of the paper stacking unit, the first of the sheets placed on the paper stacking unit A first restricting member that contacts an end portion in one direction and restricts the sheet from moving in the first direction from the first facing position;
A member extending perpendicularly to the second direction at a second facing position facing the end in the second direction of the paper stacking unit, the first of the sheets placed on the paper stacking unit A second restricting member that contacts the end portions in two directions and restricts the sheet from moving in the second direction from the second facing position;
Provided on the upper side of the paper stacking unit and on the fourth direction side of the second regulating member at the second opposing position, and is rotatable about an axis extending in parallel with the first direction, A member extending in parallel with the first direction, a first contact surface contacting the sheet conveyed in the first direction from below, a first contact surface extending in a first predetermined direction, and the A first contact member having a first facing surface facing an end portion in the fourth direction of the paper in contact with the first contact surface;
Means for displacing the first contact member between a first support position and a first rotation position, wherein the first support position is a rotation of the first contact surface extending substantially parallel to the second direction; A paper aligning mechanism, wherein the first rotating position is a rotating position in which the first contact surface faces the second direction.

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