JP4582598B2 - Stapler - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a saddle stitching stapler that binds a bundle of sheets stacked by a predetermined number of sheets by driving a needle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a needle punching unit for driving needles into a sheet bundle and a folding unit for bending both ends of the needles driven into the sheet bundle are separately provided, and the sheet bundle fed therebetween is folded with the needle punching unit. A stapler is known that clamps with a bending unit and folds the tip of a needle that has been driven into a sheet bundle inwardly and then saddle-stitches (see, for example, JP-A-6-63342).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in this type of stapler, when clamping a sheet bundle, the needle driving unit and the folding unit are swung by a cam mechanism, but the conventional one swings the needle driving unit and the bending unit. Since the mechanism to be operated and the cam mechanism are provided separately, a space for disposing the cam mechanism has to be provided separately, and there is a problem that the stapler is increased in size accordingly.
[0004]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the stapler by providing a cam mechanism integrally with the swing mechanism of the needle driving unit and the bending unit.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the invention, the sheet guide and staple driving unit sheet conveyed on the implanting needle to the sheet bundle stacked plates, both ends of the needles implanted in the sheet bundle A staple unit comprising a folding unit for folding the needle striking unit and the pair of guide shafts in which the needle striking unit and the folding unit move in the left-right direction; A moving shaft that transmits a moving force in the direction and the left and right sides of the needle driving unit or the bending unit, respectively, spanned between a pair of front and rear guide shafts, and with the movement of the needle driving unit or the bending unit the guide in the axial direction of the shaft is supported on movable guide shaft, the path for guiding the sheet between the sheet guide plates Te And id member, and a spring member which spanned between the guide shaft and the path guide member, the staple driving unit or folding unit when moving the guide shaft, the path guide member of the moving direction The folding unit moves in the same direction by expansion and contraction of the spring member, and the bending unit folds a fixed frame, a movable frame supported by the fixed frame in a swingable manner, and a needle inserted in the movable frame. It has an anvil body that bends and an eccentric cam that rotates on the surface of the fixed frame to swing the movable frame .
[0006]
According to the present invention, since the mechanism for swinging the needle driving unit and the bending unit and the cam mechanism can be provided integrally, there is no need to separately provide a space for disposing the cam mechanism, and the stapler can be reduced in size accordingly. Can be
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the movable frame of the bending unit is supported so as to be swingable up and down around the rear guide shaft of the pair of front and rear guide shafts that movably support the path guide member. It is characterized by that.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a path guide member is attached to a spring member wound around the guide shaft, and the spring member expands and contracts as the needle driving unit and the bending unit move along the guide shaft. And it is characterized by moving in the axial direction of the guide shaft by the expansion and contraction .
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the path guide member is disposed so as to face the sheet guide plate below a moving shaft that transmits a lateral movement force to the needle striking unit or the bending unit. And
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a stapler according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a stapler according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a needle punching unit and a folding unit disposed so as to face the unit, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the bending unit. is there.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, the stapler S in this embodiment forms a frame structure with a pair of left and right side plates 1a and 1b and a back plate 2 connecting the upper back sides of the side plates 1a and 1b. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stapler S includes a head unit 3 as a needle punching unit and an anvil unit 4 as a bending unit in a state of being vertically divided into two. The head unit 3 located on the lower side separates one staple needle from a staple needle band in which a large number of staple needles are connected in a band shape, and the separated staple needle is formed in a U shape. It is configured to be molded and driven through in the thickness direction toward a sheet bundle fed between the anvil unit 4 and the sheet bundle. On the other hand, the anvil unit 4 disposed opposite to the head unit 3 receives both leg portions of the staple needles driven into the sheet bundle, and forms both ends of the staple unit inwardly to form the sheet bundle. It is configured to bind.
[0018]
The head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 are supported so as to be movable along a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the sheet bundle while being synchronized with each other via respective guide mechanisms. Further, the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 are configured to move integrally while maintaining a relative positional relationship constant by a moving mechanism described later.
[0019]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide mechanism of the head unit 3 is constituted by a columnar guide shaft 6 spanned between a pair of left and right side plates 1a and 1b. A guide block 8 integral with the housing frame 7 is provided at the lower part of the head unit 3, and a guide shaft 6 is inserted into a guide hole formed in the guide block 8 to guide the sliding movement of the head unit 3. Yes.
[0020]
On the other hand, the guide mechanism of the anvil unit 4 is also configured by a columnar guide shaft 10 spanned between a pair of left and right side plates 1a and 1b, as described above. A guide block 12 attached integrally with the fixed frame 11 is provided on the upper part of the anvil unit 4, and a guide shaft 10 is inserted into a guide hole formed in the guide block 12 to guide the sliding movement of the anvil unit 4. is doing.
[0021]
The head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 are moved along the guide shafts 6 and 10 by a moving mechanism. The moving mechanism includes a pair of screw rods 14 and 15 rotatably supported at both ends by the left and right side plates 1a and 1b and disposed in parallel to the guide shafts 6 and 10, and the screw rods 14 and 15 And a motor 16 for driving the motor. The motor 16 is mounted on the shaft of the screw rod 14 on the head unit 3 side outside the one side plate 1a, and directly drives the screw rod 14 to rotate, and is fixed to the protruding end of the screw rod 15 on the anvil unit 4 side. The driving force of the motor 16 is transmitted to the driven gear 17 via the timing belt 18 so that both screw rods 14 and 15 rotate in the same direction at the same speed. A tension roller 19 is in elastic contact with the timing belt 18. Ball screw grooves 20 and 21 are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of screw rods 14 and 15, respectively, and engagement pins (projecting from the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4) in the ball screw grooves 20 and 21 ( (Not shown) engage with each other, and the units 3 and 4 can be slid in accordance with the rotational drive of the screw rods 14 and 15.
[0022]
Next, the configuration of the head unit 3 and the swing mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. In the head unit 3, a head housing 24 is attached to the housing frame 7 described above, and a head 25 disposed in the head housing 24g is supported in a swingable manner. Note that a staple needle band cartridge is detachably attached to the head 25. A shaft pin (not shown) of the head 25 is slidably guided in the long holes 27 provided on both sides of the head housing 24, and a cam mechanism is engaged with the shaft pin. The cam mechanism includes left and right arm portions 29 that engage with the shaft pins, and a transmission gear 30 that transmits the swing to the arm portions 29. The arm portion 29 has a substantially central portion pivotally supported by the housing frame 7 and provided with an elliptical cam hole 31 on the rear side. The transmission gear 30 is pivotally supported at the center by the housing frame 7, and a pin 32 protrudes from the outer peripheral portion. The pin 32 is inscribed in the cam hole 31. Therefore, when the transmission gear 30 rotates, the pin 32 moves along the inner peripheral edge of the cam hole 31, and the head 25 moves up and down by swinging the arm portion 29.
[0023]
The transmission gear 30 is driven by a driving force from a driving shaft 33 disposed in parallel with the guide shaft 6. The housing frame 7 is loosely fitted to the drive shaft 33 having a square cross section, and drive gears 34 are fitted to both sides of the housing frame 7. The driving gear 34 meshes with the transmission gear 30, and the driving force is transmitted to the transmission gear 30 by the rotation of the driving shaft 33.
[0024]
Next, the configuration and swing mechanism of the anvil unit 4 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a fixed frame 11 fixed to a guide block 12 is slidably attached to the guide shaft 10, and is urged by a coil spring 57 to the fixed frame 11. The movable frame 40 is pivotally supported so as to be swingable. The anvil unit 4 is swingably attached to the movable frame 40. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a cylindrical collar 42 is provided at the rear end of the fixed frame 11, and this collar 42 is attached to a drive shaft 43 having a quadrangular section in parallel with the guide shaft 10. It is loosely fitted. A collar 44 that is loosely fitted to the drive shaft 43 is also provided at the rear end portion of the movable frame 40 and is fitted inside the collar 42 of the fixed frame 11. Further, the drive gear 70 fitted into the collar 44 is slidably fitted to the guide shaft 43. Thus, since the rotation center of the movable frame 40 is configured by fitting the collars 42 and 44, the swinging posture of the movable frame 40 with respect to the fixed frame 11 is always stable.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 3, the anvil unit 4 includes an anvil body 45 having a box structure and a contact plate 47 that is pressed against the anvil body 45 by a pair of left and right coil springs 46. The swing part 48 and the clincher support frame 49 are accommodated. A pair of insertion holes 50, 51 are opened on the left and right side surfaces of the anvil body 45, and a support shaft 52 protruding from the side surface of the clincher support frame 49 is provided on the side surface of the movable frame 40 through the front insertion hole 50. The long hole 53 is slidably fitted. Further, the support shaft 54 protruding from the side surface of the clincher swinging portion 48 is provided on the side surface of the movable frame 40 through the insertion holes 55 and 51 provided in the clincher support frame 49 and the anvil body 45 on the same axis. It is supported by an inverted triangular support hole 56. Thus, by supporting the support shafts 52 and 54 on the movable member 40, the anvil unit 4 in which the clincher swinging portion 48 and the clincher support frame 49 are incorporated in the anvil main body 45 is configured, and the movable frame 40 is attached to the movable frame 40. On the other hand, it is possible to move up and down within the range of the long hole 53 and the support hole 56. The left and right frame members of the clincher support frame 49 are also formed with tapered projections 58 extending upward, and are inserted into guide holes 59 formed on the upper surface of the movable frame 40. The guide hole 59 is formed wider than the protrusion 58, and enables the anvil unit 4 to swing within a range in which the protrusion 58 moves in the guide hole 59.
[0026]
A pair of left and right clincher portions 60 are rotatably supported on the front surface of the clincher swinging portion 48, and a distal end portion of a substantially L-shaped leaf spring 61 is locked to an outer end portion of the clincher portion 60. Yes. As shown in FIG. 6, the leaf spring 61 has a central bent portion 62 spanning the support shaft 54 and a U-shaped hook portion 63 provided at the rear end engaged with the roller shaft 64. As a result, the posture of the clincher swinging portion 48 is maintained. A substantially U-shaped pressing member 67 that slides by rotation of the clincher driving cam 66 is in contact with the roller portion 65 provided at the center of the roller shaft 64. When the roller portion 65 is pushed forward by the pressing member 67, the clincher oscillating portion 48 oscillates around the support shaft 54 against the spring pressure of the leaf spring 61, and the clincher portion 60 is pushed up at the tip portion. Rotate. The tip of the needle inserted into the anvil body 41 from the slits 45a and 49a provided on the lower surfaces of the anvil body 45 and the clincher support frame 49 is bent inward by the rotating clincher portion 60 by the driving of the needle. . The rotating shaft 69 of the clincher driving cam 66 is rotatably supported on the side surface of the movable frame 40.
[0027]
The anvil unit 4 is normally urged downward by a coil spring 46 compressed between the movable frame 40, but as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the sheet bundle 68 is clamped at the time of clamping. The amount of rotation differs depending on the thickness, and the amount by which the anvil unit 4 is pushed up when stapling varies. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the sheet bundle 68 is thin, the amount of rotation of the anvil unit 4 when clamped is large. Therefore, the amount of push-up of the anvil unit 4 when the needle is driven by the head unit 3 is small. The sheet bundle 68 is stapled in a state where the support shafts 52 and 54 of the anvil unit 4 are lowered to the vicinity of the lower end portions of the long holes 53 and the support holes 56 formed on the side surface of the movable frame 40, as shown in FIG. When the sheet bundle 68 becomes thicker, the amount of rotation of the anvil unit 4 at the time of clamping becomes smaller than in the previous case. Therefore, when the staple is stapled, the amount of pushing up of the anvil body 45 is increased and the spring force of the coil spring 46 is resisted. As a result, the anvil body 45 moves toward the movable frame 40, and the support shafts 52 and 54 move in the elongated holes 53 and the support holes 56. At that time, the support shaft 54 can move in the support hole 56, and the protrusion 58 at the tip of the clincher support frame 49 can also move in the guide hole 59 provided on the upper surface of the movable frame 40. The anvil unit 4 swings about the support shaft 52, and the tip of the driven needle is guided to the slit 45a of the anvil body 45 while changing the posture so that the lower surface of the anvil body 45 follows the seat surface. Thus, the support shaft 54 moves freely to some extent within the support hole 56, and there is a gap between the support portion 58 and the guide hole 59, so that the anvil body 45 swings around the support shaft 52 as the rotation center. This is possible, and there is no difference in the clinch mechanism due to the difference in the paper thickness of the sheet bundle 68.
[0028]
The anvil unit 4 is rotated by receiving a driving force from a driving shaft 43 disposed in parallel with the guide shaft 10. As shown in FIGS. 2, 9, and 10, the drive gear 70 is fitted to the drive shaft 43 having a square cross section at the substantially central portion of the movable frame 40. The drive gear 70 meshes with a driven gear 72 provided on the same rotation shaft 69 as the clincher drive cam 66 via a transmission gear 71. Further, half-moon-shaped eccentric cams 73 are disposed on both left and right sides of the rotating shaft 69 in order to swing the anvil unit 4 in a narrow space between the fixed frame 11 and the movable frame 40. The eccentric cam 73 uses the fixed frame 11 as a cam follower. As shown in FIG. 10, the eccentric cam 73 rotates on the surface of the fixed frame 11 to swing the movable frame 40 with respect to the fixed frame 11. be able to. In this embodiment, since the eccentric cam 73 is attached to the movable unit 40 that rotates integrally with the anvil unit 4 and is stored between the fixed unit 11, the rotation mechanism can be made compact.
[0029]
9 and 10 show the swing of the anvil unit 4 by the eccentric cam 73. FIG. FIG. 9 shows a state when the anvil unit 4 is waiting, and the movable frame 40 is urged toward the fixed frame 11 by the coil spring 57. FIG. 10 shows a state when the sheet bundle is clamped. When the drive shaft 43 rotates, the drive gear 70 rotates accordingly, and this rotational force is transmitted to the driven gear 72 via the transmission gear 71. The eccentric cam 73 is rotated by the rotation of the driven gear 72, and the movable frame 40 is rocked and pushed down against the spring force of the coil spring 46 using the fixed frame 11 as a cam follower. The anvil unit 4 is pushed down together with the movable frame 40, and the sheet bundle is clamped on the lower surface thereof. On the other hand, the clincher driving cam 66 rotates with the rotation of the eccentric cam 73 and pushes the pressing member 67, so that the clincher portion 60 swings and the needle bending operation is completed.
[0030]
One end of the drive shaft 33 of the head unit 3 spanned between the left and right side plates 1a and 1b protrudes outward from the side plate 1a, and a drive transmission gear 35 is attached to the protruding end. Then, a driving force from a drive motor (not shown) is transmitted to the drive shaft 33 via the drive transmission gear 35. The other end of the drive shaft 33 protrudes to the outside of the other side plate 1b, and a transmission gear 75 is attached to the protruding end. On the other hand, the drive shaft 43 of the anvil unit 4 also has an end protruding outside the side plate 1b, and a driven gear 76 is attached to the protruding end. An endless gear belt 77 is stretched between the transmission gear 75 and the driven gear 76, and the rotational drive of the drive shaft 33 of the head unit 3 is transmitted to the drive shaft 43 of the anvil unit 4 via the gear belt 77. Can do.
[0031]
Next, the stapling operation of the stapler S having the above configuration will be described. Between the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4, flat sheet guide plates 78 are disposed between the left and right side plates 1 a and 1 b, and on both sides of the anvil unit 4, the guide shaft 10 and the drive shaft 43 are arranged. Between them, a rod-shaped path guide member 79 is bridged. The path guide member 79 is disposed so as to face the sheet guide plate 78, the front end is fixed to one end of a thin coil spring 80 wound around the guide shaft 10, and the rear end is free to the drive shaft 43. Because it is fitted, it can move as the anvil unit 4 slides along the guide shaft 10. The sheets conveyed between the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 are stacked at predetermined positions while being guided by the sheet guide plate 78 and the path guide member 79 to form a sheet bundle. The screw rods 14 and 15 are rotated by driving the motor 16 based on the control signal, and the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 are guided to predetermined positions. At this time, the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 move together in the same direction in synchronization and stop at the same position. Next, as the drive shafts 33 and 43 rotate, the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 swing in synchronization. At this time, only the head 25 is swung to the anvil unit 4 side by the movement of the arm portion 29 having the cam hole 31 on the head unit 3 side, and the head housing 24 is kept as it is without being swung. On the other hand, on the anvil unit 4 side, the movable frame 40 is swung by the rotation of the eccentric cam 73, and the staple is driven into the sheet bundle by clamping the sheet bundle with the head 25. Further, the clincher driving cam 66 is rotated together with the eccentric cam 73 to operate the clincher portion 60, and the front end of the staple passing through the sheet bundle is bent inward to saddle-stitch the sheet bundle. At that time, as described above, the anvil unit 4 swings according to the thickness of the sheet bundle, and the needle is bent at an appropriate anvil position. When the aforementioned cam rotates once and the head 25 and the anvil unit 4 return to their original positions, the drive shafts 33 and 43 stop rotating, and the screw rods 14 and 15 rotate again to attach the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 to the seat. It is moved to a predetermined position in the width direction, and saddle stitching similar to the above is performed.
[0032]
In the present invention, the swing mechanism of the movable frame 40 is not limited to the eccentric cam 73 of the above-described embodiment, and can be swung by a mechanism used for swinging the head 25, for example. In the above embodiment, the case where the anvil unit 4 side is swung to clamp the sheet bundle with the head unit 3 at a predetermined position has been described. However, the head unit 3 side can be swung. Of course, the head unit 3 and the anvil unit 4 can be swung with respect to each other.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the overall configuration of a stapler according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a head unit and an anvil unit disposed to face the unit.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an anvil unit.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure of a rotation center portion of the anvil unit.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a swing mechanism of a clincher unit.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the anvil unit showing the height position of the anvil body relative to the movable frame when a thin sheet bundle is clamped.
FIG. 8 is a side view of the anvil unit showing the height position of the anvil body relative to the movable frame when a thick sheet bundle is clamped.
FIG. 9 is a side view showing the posture of the anvil unit before swinging.
FIG. 10 is a side view showing a posture when the anvil unit swings and clamps the sheet bundle.
FIG. 11 is a side view of the stapler showing the drive force transmission means of the drive shaft.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 Head unit (needle punching unit)
4 Anvil unit (folding unit)
7 Housing frame (base frame)
11 Fixed frame (base frame)
33, 43 Drive shaft 16 Motor 40 Movable frame 73 Eccentric cam

Claims (4)

In a staple including a needle punching unit that stacks sheets conveyed on a sheet guide plate and drives needles into the sheet bundle, and a bending unit that bends both ends of the needles driven into the sheet bundle,
A pair of front and rear guide shafts in which the needle driving unit and the bending unit move in the left-right direction;
A moving shaft that is arranged in the middle portion thereof and transmits a lateral movement force to the needle striking unit and the bending unit;
Arranged on the left and right sides of the needle striking unit or the bending unit, spanned between a pair of front and rear guide shafts, and movable in the axial direction of the guide shaft as the needle striking unit or the bending unit moves. A path guide member that is supported by a guide shaft and guides the sheet to and from a sheet guide plate ;
A spring member spanned between the path guide member and the guide shaft ;
When the needle driving unit or the bending unit moves the guide shaft, the path guide member on the moving direction side moves in the same direction by the expansion and contraction of the spring member ,
The bending unit includes a fixed frame, a movable frame supported by the fixed frame in a swingable manner, an anvil main body that bends a needle inserted in the movable frame, the fixed frame, and the movable frame. And an eccentric cam that rotates on the surface of the fixed frame to swing the movable frame .   The movable frame of the bending unit is supported so as to be swingable up and down around a rear guide shaft as a rotation center among a pair of front and rear guide shafts that movably support the path guide member. Stapler.   The path guide member is attached to a spring member wound around the guide shaft, and the spring member expands and contracts as the needle striking unit and the bending unit move along the guide shaft. The stapler according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stapler moves in an axial direction of the shaft.   4. The path guide member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the path guide member is disposed so as to face the sheet guide plate below a moving shaft that transmits a lateral movement force to the needle driving unit or the bending unit. The listed stapler.

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