JP4617033B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the same, and more particularly to a sheet alignment operation performed when processing a sheet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, for example, in order to reduce the labor required for binding processing for a sheet such as a copy sheet after image formation, the sheets after image formation are sequentially processed. Some of them are provided with a sheet processing apparatus that takes in the sheet and performs a binding process on the sheet.
[0003]
Here, such a sheet processing apparatus is provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body on the side of the sheet discharge port, and after printing on the image forming apparatus main body side, the sheets supplied sequentially from the discharge port are sequentially stacked. There is known a type in which the sheets are stacked and aligned and then subjected to binding processing and discharged.
[0004]
By the way, as such a sheet alignment method, the sheet is aligned by pressing the sheet against the reference wall using a paddle or a roller provided in the intermediate stacking portion, or the sheet is opposed to the reference wall by the jogger member. In general, the side is pressed and aligned. These alignments are performed regardless of the distinction between the sheet conveying direction and the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional sheet processing apparatus that performs such an alignment operation, when the alignment operation is performed, there are many types in which the succeeding sheet is discharged onto the upper surface of the aligned preceding sheet. For this reason, if a means for keeping the alignment of the preceding sheet is not provided, the preceding sheet is pushed out by rubbing with the succeeding sheet, resulting in poor alignment.
[0006]
Regarding alignment in the sheet conveyance direction, for example, if alignment is performed using a jogger member, the preceding sheets stacked on the intermediate stacking unit can be kept in an aligned state at all times. When the jogger member is configured to be pressed down, it is not preferable to deal with a large size sheet because the range of movement of the jogger member in the sheet conveyance direction becomes wide and the apparatus becomes large.
[0007]
Further, regarding the alignment in the width direction of the sheets, for example, the preceding sheet can be always kept in alignment by pressing the side edge of the preceding sheet stacked on the intermediate stacking unit with a pressing member. However, when pressing the side edge of the preceding sheet in this way, if the position where the sheet is pressed is within the range where the sheet passes, the preceding sheet can be pressed before the subsequent sheet passes the sheet pressing position, When the succeeding sheet passes, it is necessary to retract the pressing member to a position where it does not collide with the sheet.
[0008]
When the pressing member is retracted to a position where it does not collide with the sheet in this way, the preceding sheet is in an unstable state during that period, and a problem of misalignment due to extrusion or the like by the succeeding sheet occurs.
[0009]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a current situation, and when processing sheets, the sheets stacked on the intermediate stacking unit are misaligned with the sheets already stacked on the intermediate stacking unit. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus capable of preventing the occurrence and an image forming apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on a sheet on which an image is formed. place When doing , Intermediate loading section for loading Can move in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction Provided, Above Of the sheets loaded in the intermediate loading section Sheet Press one end perpendicular to the transport direction , Move in a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction. Sheet Matching means to match; The preceding sheets are already aligned and stacked In the intermediate loading section Following When sheets are stacked, Preceding An alignment deviation prevention means for pressing the sheet, and the alignment deviation prevention means In the width direction Set the sheet presser position , When sheets are stacked on the intermediate stacking unit The It is characterized in that it is located outside from the cart carry-out route.
[0011]
Further, in the present invention, the alignment shift prevention means includes a pressing member that presses a sheet that is already aligned and stacked on the intermediate stacking unit from an upper surface, and a release unit that releases the pressing operation of the pressing member, The release means is operated after the sheets are stacked on the intermediate stacking unit.
[0012]
In the invention it is preferable that the release means is a solenoid.
[0013]
The present invention also provides the prevention of misalignment. means Is located upstream of the intermediate stacking unit in the sheet conveying direction.
[0014]
In the invention, it is preferable that the intermediate stacking unit includes a conveyance direction aligning unit that aligns sheets in the sheet conveyance direction.
[0015]
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the alignment deviation prevention means performs a pressing operation in conjunction with the alignment operation of the transport direction alignment means.
[0016]
Further, the present invention is characterized in that a drive transmission unit is provided for transmitting the drive of the conveyance direction alignment means to the alignment deviation prevention means.
[0017]
Further, the invention is characterized in that the alignment deviation preventing means performs a pressing operation in conjunction with the alignment operation of the alignment means.
[0018]
In addition, the present invention is characterized in that a drive transmission unit that transmits the driving of the alignment unit to the alignment shift prevention unit is provided.
[0019]
In the invention, it is preferable that the intermediate stacking unit includes a sheet processing unit.
[0020]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and a sheet processing apparatus that performs a binding process on a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit. It is characterized by being.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a laser beam printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0023]
In the figure, reference numeral 100A denotes a laser beam printer, and reference numeral 100 denotes a laser beam printer main body (hereinafter referred to as a printer main body). The laser beam printer 100A is independently connected to a computer or a network such as a LAN. Based on the sent image information, print signal, etc., an image is formed (printed) on a sheet by a predetermined image forming process and discharged.
[0024]
Reference numeral 300 denotes a sheet processing apparatus. The sheet processing apparatus 300 is arranged above the printer main body 100, and passes a sheet discharged from the printer main body 100 to the outside of the apparatus via a conveyance unit in the sheet processing apparatus. Then, after being placed on the first stacking unit 300B, which is an intermediate stacking unit, in a face-down state with the image side down, alignment is performed by an alignment unit 301 described later, and the sheets are bundled for each predetermined job. One or a plurality of these are stapled and discharged and stacked on the second stacking unit 325, or simply discharged and stacked on the second stacking unit 325 by face-down.
[0025]
Here, the sheet processing apparatus 300 and the printer main body 100 are electrically connected by a cable connector (not shown). In addition, the sheet processing apparatus 300 includes a casing part 300 </ b> A that stores each part, and is detachable from the printer main body 100.
[0026]
Next, the configuration of each unit of the printer main body 100 will be described along the conveyance path of the conveyed sheet S.
[0027]
In the printer main body 100, a plurality of sheets S are stacked in the feeding cassette 200, and the uppermost sheet S1 is sequentially separated and fed one by one by various rollers. The sheet S fed from the feeding cassette 200 by a predetermined print signal supplied from a computer or a network is first placed on the upper surface of the image forming unit 101 that forms a toner image by a so-called laser beam type image forming process. The toner image is transferred, and subsequently, heat and pressure are applied by the fixing device 120 on the downstream side, whereby the toner image is permanently fixed.
[0028]
Next, the sheet S on which the image has been fixed is folded back in a substantially U-shaped sheet conveyance path up to the discharge roller 130, so that the image surface is reversed, and the image surface is thus on the lower side. Then, the printer body 100 is discharged face down to the outside.
[0029]
Here, the sheet S is face-down provided on the upper portion of the printer main body 100 by, for example, a discharge roller 130 according to the position of the flapper 150 of the printer main body 100 that rotates based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown). (FD) Whether to be discharged to the discharge unit 125 or to the second stacking unit 325 of the sheet processing apparatus 300 is selected.
[0030]
Next, the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 300 and the movement of each part when the sheet S conveyed from the printer main body 100 goes to the sheet processing apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0031]
In FIG. 2, 330a is a paper discharge upper roller, 330b is a paper discharge lower roller, M is a jogger motor as a drive source, 322 is a paddle, and 323 is a reference wall for abutting the rear end of the sheet. Here, as shown in the figure, the roller pair 330 constituted by the paper discharge upper roller 330a and the paper discharge lower roller 330b is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the flapper 150, and is not shown in the drawing. It is rotationally driven by.
[0032]
Further, the paper discharge upper roller 330a is pivotally supported by an arm 330c that can rotate around a paddle shaft 350. The jogger motor M is a motor for driving slide guides 301 and 302 described later, and a stepping motor is used in the present embodiment.
[0033]
Further, the paddle 322 serving as a conveyance direction alignment unit is made of a flexible material such as rubber, and a plurality of paddles 322 are fixed to the paddle shaft 350 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. When the sheet is discharged from the printer main body 100, the paddle shaft 350 is driven to rotate clockwise, whereby the sheet S moves in the direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction and contacts the reference wall 323. Touch and be aligned. By providing the paddle 322 in this way, the consistency can be further improved.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 3, in the sheet processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, a slide guide 301 and a slide guide 302, which will be described in detail later, are provided as alignment members that perform alignment in the sheet width direction. In the figure, H is a stapler that is a binding means that staples the sheet bundle and performs binding processing on the sheet bundle. This stapler H is provided at the upper left corner of the image surface of the image-formed sheet. In order to bind the sheets by punching, they are fixedly arranged on the slide guide 301 side.
[0035]
The sheet processing apparatus 300 configured as described above is configured to perform stapling processing based on a command output in advance from a computer or the like. Before S is discharged by the conveying roller 121 (see FIG. 1) provided in the printer main body 100, the flapper 150 is rotated counterclockwise by a solenoid (not shown) as shown in FIG. The paper path is switched to the sheet processing apparatus side.
[0036]
As a result, the sheet S is carried into the sheet processing apparatus 300 by the conveying roller 121. The sheet S thus carried into the sheet processing apparatus 300 is detected by rotating the flag 391 of the entrance sensor 390 in the clockwise direction, thereby causing the photo sensor 392 to transmit light. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed upward by the inlet roller pair 363.
[0037]
By the way, in the present embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can staple and stack the sheets on the second stacking unit 325 and can discharge and stack the sheets on the second stacking unit 325 simply face down. It has become.
[0038]
Next, an operation for discharging and stacking sheets on the second stacking unit 325 in a face-down manner will be described.
[0039]
In this case, as shown in FIG. 4A, the bottom surfaces of the slide guide 301 on the right side and the slide guide 302 on the left side with respect to the sheet carrying-in direction are not in contact with the sheet S that is carried in, that is, the sheet. Retracted to a position outside by a predetermined amount from the width direction of S.
[0040]
Therefore, after the sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 363 passes through the staple roller pair 320, the sheet passes through the opening of the stapler H and is then conveyed by the paper discharge roller pair 330. The arrow (b) and (b) of FIG. As shown in (2), the sheet falls toward the second sheet discharge unit 325.
[0041]
Next, an operation of stapling sheets and discharging and stacking them on the second stacking unit 325 will be described.
[0042]
In this case, the slide guides 301 and 302 are arranged so that the reference pins 303 and 304 provided on the wall surfaces of the slide guides 301 and 302 do not interfere with the sheet S that is carried in as shown in FIG. The sheet S is retracted to a position outside by a predetermined amount from the width direction of the sheet S.
[0043]
At this time, the distance between the end surfaces of the bottom surfaces of the two slide guides 301 and 302 is smaller than the width of the sheet S, and the two slide guides 301 and 302 are in such a position (first position). The first stacking unit 300B that supports the entering sheet S can be configured.
[0044]
Accordingly, the sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 363 passes through the staple roller pair 320 and then passes through the gap between the staplers H and is then conveyed by the paper discharge roller pair 330 to be configured by the slide guides 301 and 302. The sheet is conveyed onto the guide surface of one sheet stacking unit 300B.
[0045]
Here, as shown in FIG. 5A, the guide surface of the first sheet stacking unit 300B is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and is mutually on the upstream side and the downstream side in the sheet loading direction. Specifically, a bent portion 300C that is bent at an inclination angle α is formed between a predetermined section on the upstream side and a predetermined section on the downstream side. In addition, by having such a bending part 300C, the bending of the central part of the sheet S that is not guided by the slide guides 301 and 302 is prevented.
[0046]
On the other hand, immediately after the first sheet is thus conveyed on the surface formed by the slide guides 301 and 302, the arm 330c rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. As a result, the paper discharge upper roller 330a pivotally supported by the arm 330c is retracted upward, and the paper discharge roller pair is separated.
[0047]
At the same time, the drive connected to the paper discharge roller pair 330 is disconnected, and the rotation of the paper discharge upper roller 330a and the paper discharge lower roller 330b is stopped. As a result, when the trailing edge of the sheet S completely passes through the staple roller pair 320, the sheet S returns to the direction opposite to the conveyance direction by its own weight and moves toward the reference wall 323.
[0048]
Next, only the left slide guide 302 operates, and the alignment operation in the width direction of the sheets S stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 300B is started. Specifically, when the slide guide 302 is driven by the motor M and moves to the right side in FIG. 3, the reference pin 304 provided on the slide guide 302 comes into contact with the left side surface of the sheet S and the sheet is moved to the slide guide 301 side. Press S.
[0049]
Then, when the right side surface of the sheet S abuts on a reference pin 303 provided on the slide guide 301, the slide guide 302 moves to the position shown in FIG. 6, and alignment in the width direction of the sheet is performed. The sheet S is set to move to a stapling position set at a position where the sheet contacts the reference pin 303 and is aligned. After the alignment operation, the slide guide 302 moves in a direction wider than the width of the sheet S so that the next sheet can be conveyed again at the standby position.
[0050]
Here, the configuration of the slide guides 301 and 302 will be described in detail.
[0051]
Each of the slide guides 301 and 302 is guided by a total of four guide pins 313a provided on the mold frame F and guide pins 313b provided on the sheet metal frame F as shown in FIG. It can be reciprocated in the direction, that is, the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction (width direction) and moved by the driving force from the jogger motor M.
[0052]
Further, when viewed from the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, the slide guides 301 and 302 support the wall portions for guiding both sides of the sheet S and the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet S as shown in FIG. Each of the sheets discharged onto the first sheet stacking portion 300B is supported by the lower surface of the U-shape, and the widthwise central portion of the sheet S is It has a structure that does not guide.
[0053]
Further, the slide guide 302 is provided with a slide rack portion 310 having a flat gear that meshes with the step gear 317. A slide rack 312 having a flat gear that meshes with the step gear 317 is also attached to the slide guide 301.
[0054]
Here, the slide rack 312 is provided to be movable relative to the slide guide 301 via a coiled spring 314. The spring 314 has one end abutting on the slide guide 302 and the other end abutting on the slide rack 312 and urges the slide guide 301 and the slide rack 312 to expand. The slide rack 312 has a square hole 312a for moving the embossed portion 301a on the slide guide 301 side.
[0055]
Further, two reference pins 303 made of metal having excellent wear resistance are provided on the side wall of the slide guide 301, and two reference pins 304 are provided on the side wall of the slide guide 302, respectively. When doing so, the slide guide 302 moves as described above, and the reference pins 304 and 303 come into contact with the both side end faces 305 and 306 of the sheet.
[0056]
The slide guide 301 and the slide guide 302 are supported in the height direction by a step gear 317 and a jog sheet metal frame F.
[0057]
Next, the operation of each slide guide 301, 302 will be described.
[0058]
When the sheet processing apparatus 300 is turned on, the staple roller pair 320 starts rotating, and then the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, whereby the slide rack portion 310 of the slide guide 302 is driven. Retract to the outside.
[0059]
Further, when the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, the slide guide 301 first moves the slide rack 312 relatively, and the square hole portion 312a of the slide rack 312 moves to the right side of the embossed portion 301a of the slide guide 301 in FIG. After coming into contact with the end face, it is retracted to the outside by being pressed by the square hole 312a.
[0060]
The slide guide 301 is provided with a slit portion 301S, and when the slit portion 301S moves to a predetermined retraction distance, the photosensor 316 transmits light as shown in FIG. M stops. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as a home position.
[0061]
On the other hand, when a signal that the sheet S enters the sheet processing apparatus 300 is input from the printer main body 100, the jogger motor M rotates, the slide guides 301 and 302 move inward, and the sheet that enters as shown in FIG. Stop at a position wider than the width of S by a predetermined amount d. At this position, the slide guide 301 is in a state where the stopper 301b abuts against the guide pin 313a and cannot move further inward. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as a standby position. In this standby position, the side surface of the slide guide 301 becomes the reference position for the alignment operation.
[0062]
Here, in the present embodiment, when the size (width) of the sheet S is the maximum possible size, the slide guides 301 and 302 are on standby so that the gaps on both sides become the predetermined amounts d and d, respectively. The position is set.
[0063]
When aligning a narrower sheet than this, the slide guide 302 moves to the right by an amount corresponding thereto, so that the left gap at the standby position shown in FIG. . On the other hand, in this case, the gap between the sheet and the slide guide 302 widens by half the amount that is narrower than the predetermined amount d.
[0064]
On the other hand, after the alignment in the width direction is performed by the slide guides 301 and 302 as shown in FIG. The sheet S is brought into a movable state in the sheet conveyance direction. After that, as shown in FIG. 5B, the paddle 322 rotates once while contacting the upper surface of the sheet S clockwise around the paddle shaft 350, so that the sheet S is abutted against the reference wall 323. Align.
[0065]
These operations enable alignment in the sheet conveying direction and the width direction. In order to maintain such an aligned state, a lever 400b provided with a friction member 400a as shown in FIG. 7 described later is provided in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the right end surface of the aligned sheet as shown in FIG. The stamp part 400 which presses the sheet S moved and aligned is provided.
[0066]
Then, after the aligning operation is finished by the stamp unit 400, the sheet in the aligned state is moved by pressing the upper surface of the sheet before the next entering sheet comes into contact with the aligned sheet. Therefore, the alignment is prevented from being disturbed.
[0067]
In addition, after the alignment of the first sheet is completed in this way, the second sheet is conveyed. In this case, when the second and subsequent sheets are conveyed, the discharge roller pair 330 is separated. Therefore, when the trailing edge of the sheet S completely passes through the staple roller pair 320, the sheet returns to the direction opposite to the conveyance direction by its own weight and moves toward the reference wall 323. Since the alignment operation from here is exactly the same as that of the first sheet, description thereof is omitted.
[0068]
Then, such an operation is repeated to perform an operation of aligning the last (nth) sheet (Sn) of one job, and each reference pin 304 provided on the slide guide 302 moves the left side surface of the sheet along the slide guide 301. 6 in a state where the movement of the slide guide 302 is stopped, the position on the right side of the rear end is stapled by a small stapler H located on the right side of the rear end of the sheet bundle.
[0069]
Here, according to this configuration and operation, during the alignment operation of each sheet, the slide guide 301 stops and does not move at the reference position, and only the slide guide 302 moves and the left end portion of each sheet moves to the reference position. Thus, the binding process by the stapler H fixedly arranged on the slide guide 301 side is performed accurately and reliably.
[0070]
Furthermore, even when the width of each sheet carried in one job varies or when the sheet size changes within one job, for example, from LTR to A4, the position of the left end of each sheet is made uniform. Therefore, the finish of the binding process by the stapler H becomes accurate and beautiful, and an excellent effect is obtained.
[0071]
On the other hand, when the stapling operation is completed in this manner, as shown in FIG. 5C, the paper discharge upper roller 330a pivotally supported by the arm 330c moves downward by rotating the arm 330c clockwise. Then, simultaneously with the formation of the paper discharge roller pair 330, the paper discharge roller pair 330 is driven to start the rotation of the paper discharge upper roller 330a and the paper discharge lower roller 330b. Accordingly, the sheet bundle S is nipped by the paper discharge roller pair 330 and conveyed onto the first stacking unit 300B formed by the slide guides 301 and 302.
[0072]
After that, when the sheet bundle S is completely discharged from the paper discharge roller pair 330, the jogger motor M is rotationally driven to move the slide guide 302 from the state shown in FIG. When the slide guide 302 starts to move, the slide rack 312 moves to the right in FIG. 6 on the slide guide 301 side, and the slide guide 301 itself does not move immediately.
[0073]
When the position of the slide guide 302 passes the standby position shown in FIG. 3, the embossed portion 312a of the slide rack 312 comes into contact with the end surface of the square hole portion 310a of the slide guide 301, and the slide guide 301 is moved to the right side in FIG. The movement starts and both slide guides 301 and 302 move.
[0074]
After this, when the distance between the slide guides 301 and 302 becomes near or wider than the width of the sheet, the stapled sheet bundle supported by the slide guides 301 and 302 is shown in FIG. In such a manner, it falls downward and is loaded on the second loading unit 325. The above is the configuration and series of operations of the printer main body and the sheet processing apparatus in the present embodiment.
[0075]
Incidentally, as described above, in the present embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is mounted on the upper portion of the printer main body 100 and the sheet conveyance path of the sheet discharged from the printer main body 100 is switched by the flapper 150, whereby the sheet is inverted. It can be discharged and loaded.
[0076]
Here, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is mounted on the upper portion of the printer main body 100 in this way, and the sheets are reversed and discharged and stacked, whereby the sheets on which images have been formed are discharged in the order of pages without providing a switchback mechanism. Can be loaded. Further, there is no inconvenience that the sheet interval has to be widened for switchback.
[0077]
As described above, in the printer main body 100 (image forming apparatus) that discharges the sheet to the upper surface of the apparatus, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is provided above the discharge unit on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and the sheet is reversed or reversed. The sheet processing apparatus 300 can be simplified in configuration by selectively performing the operation of discharging the sheet to the second stacking unit 325 after the sheet is processed. The installation area and cost of the processing apparatus 300 and the printer main body 100 (image forming apparatus) including the processing apparatus 300 can be reduced.
[0078]
In the above description, only the slide guide 302 operates and the slide guide 301 does not operate during the sheet alignment operation. However, the slide guide 301 may operate during the sheet alignment operation. In this case, for example, the slide guide 301 can be realized by using the same configuration as the slide guide 302.
[0079]
Furthermore, although the two slide guides 301 and 302 are configured to operate when the sheet after the alignment operation is dropped downward, only one of the slide guides 301 and 302 may be configured to operate when the sheet S is dropped downward.
[0080]
In the description so far, the case where the binding process is performed as the process for the sheet has been described, but according to this configuration, the puncher for punching the sheet or the sheet for performing the process of creating a sheet bundle by gluing the sheet. The same effect can be obtained with the processing apparatus.
[0081]
Incidentally, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the stamp unit 400 described above which is a means for preventing misalignment. As shown in FIG. 7, the stamp unit 400 is provided with a friction pad 400a at the tip and a shaft 400b. An arm lever 400a which is a pivotable pressing member as a fulcrum, a solenoid 401 which is a releasing means for rotating the arm lever 400a to release the pressing operation of the arm lever 400a, and a direction indicated by an arrow 402 in the arm lever 400a. That is, a torsion coil spring (not shown) that urges the sheet S in a direction to press the sheet S in the direction of the slide guide 301 is provided.
[0082]
Here, the arm lever 400a of the stamp unit 400 is moved from the sheet conveyance path through which the succeeding sheet Sb passes through the aligned preceding sheet Sa as shown in FIG. The pressing is performed outside, that is, at a position outside the sheet passing range.
[0083]
As a result, it is possible to prevent the arm lever 400a from coming into contact with the succeeding sheet Sb to be discharged next, and the preceding sheet Sa that is already held in alignment with the first stacking unit 300B is the succeeding sheet Sb. Can be prevented from being pushed out.
[0084]
On the other hand, when the subsequent sheet Sb is completely discharged, the subsequent sheet Sb moves in the direction of the arrow 403 shown in FIG. 8A in accordance with the movement of the slide guide 302 described above. And while the succeeding sheet Sb moves in this way, the solenoid 401 is turned on. As a result, the arm lever 400a rotates in the direction of the arrow 404 shown in FIG. 5B, and as a result, the succeeding sheet Sb enters under the arm lever 400a.
[0085]
Thereafter, after the alignment in the sheet conveyance direction by the paddle 322 is performed, the slide guide 302 returns to the standby position, but in this embodiment, the slide guide 302 returns to the standby position and the subsequent sheet is loaded. The solenoid 401 is turned off before the preparation is completed. As a result, the arm lever 400a presses the preceding sheet Sa again, and as a result, the preceding sheet Sa can be prevented from being pushed out by the subsequent sheet Sb that is subsequently conveyed.
[0086]
As described above, when the sheets are stacked, the preceding sheet Sa that has already been aligned and stacked on the first stacking unit 300B is pressed by the arm lever 400a of the stamp unit 400, whereby the preceding sheet Sa Misalignment can be prevented.
[0087]
Further, by setting the sheet pressing position of the arm lever 400a of the stamp unit 400 to the outside of the sheet carry-out path when the subsequent sheet Sb is stacked on the first stacking unit 300B, even when the subsequent sheet Sb is stacked. The preceding sheet Sa can be pressed, and the deviation of the preceding sheet Sa due to the succeeding sheet Sb can be prevented.
[0088]
In the present embodiment, the stamp unit 400 is located upstream of the first stacking unit 300B. By providing the stamp unit 400 at such a position, the entire apparatus can be made small regardless of the sheet size. Can be Further, by configuring the stamp unit 400 so as to press the preceding sheet Sa from the upper surface, the configuration is simplest, reliable, and cost can be reduced.
[0089]
Furthermore, as described above, since the sheet can be constantly pressed during conveyance, not only can the alignment shift be suppressed as much as possible, but also the release can be canceled during the alignment, and when the alignment is completed, the pressing is completed again. The time until sheet discharge can be shortened. Furthermore, by using the solenoid 401, the timing and the number of times of pressing the sheet can be variously changed according to the size of the sheet.
[0090]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0091]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the stamp unit of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 7 denote the same or corresponding parts.
[0092]
In the figure, reference numeral 453 denotes an inner peripheral cam provided outside the sheet passing range of the paddle shaft 350, and reference numeral 451 denotes an arm which is provided with a friction member 451a at the tip and is rotatably supported in the vertical direction about the shaft 452. It is a lever.
[0093]
Here, the arm lever 451 always receives a force in a counterclockwise direction by a torsion coil spring (not shown) and has a shaft 454 that is locked to the inner peripheral cam 453 at the center portion. When the inner peripheral cam 453 rotates with the rotation, the arm lever 451 rotates in the vertical direction according to the shape of the inner peripheral cam 453.
[0094]
In this embodiment, the inner peripheral cam 453, together with a torsion coil spring (not shown), drives the paddle 322, and in this embodiment, the drive transmission transmits the rotation of the paddle shaft 350 to the arm lever 451 of the stamp unit 400. The inner peripheral cam 453 is shaped so that the arm lever 451 (friction member 451a) does not contact the succeeding sheet Sb at least while the paddle 322 returns the succeeding sheet Sb. It has a different shape.
[0095]
Next, a sheet pressing operation of the stamp unit 400 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the rotation angle of the paddle shaft 350 and the arm lever 451 and the paddle 322. The paddle shaft 350 does not rotate while the succeeding sheet Sb is being discharged.
[0096]
This is the state shown at θ = 0 ° in the figure. At this time, the arm lever 451 is positioned so as to press the preceding sheet Sa stacked and aligned on the first sheet stacking unit 300B outside the sheet discharge path. Yes, the paddle 322 is not in contact with the preceding sheet Sa.
[0097]
Here, by pressing the arm lever 451 against the preceding sheet Sa in this manner so that the paddle 322 does not contact the preceding sheet Sa, it is possible to prevent the paddle 322 from coming into contact with the succeeding sheet Sb to be discharged next. In addition, it is possible to prevent the preceding sheet Sa already being held in alignment with the first stacking unit 300B from being pushed out by the succeeding sheet Sb.
[0098]
Next, when the succeeding sheet Sb is completely discharged, the succeeding sheet Sb starts to move by the slide guide 302 in the direction of the arrow 455 shown in FIG. When the succeeding sheet Sb starts to move in this way, the paddle shaft 350 starts to rotate. As a result, for example, when θ = 45 ° as shown in FIG. 10, both the arm lever 451 and the paddle 322 are moved. It is separated from the preceding sheet Sa. As a result, the succeeding sheet Sb enters below the arm lever 451, and alignment is possible.
[0099]
Next, after the succeeding sheet Sb enters below the arm lever 451 and the succeeding sheet Sb is perfectly aligned, for example, when θ = 90 ° as shown in FIG. 10, the paddle 322 is moved to the succeeding sheet Sb. Abuts and starts alignment in the sheet conveying direction. In this state, the arm lever 451 is in a separated state due to the shape of the inner peripheral cam 450 on the paddle shaft 350, so that alignment by the paddle 322 is possible.
[0100]
After the alignment in the sheet conveying direction by the paddle 322 as described above, the arm lever 451 is again at a position where the subsequent sheet Sb is pressed between θ = 180 ° and 290 °, for example. Thereafter, the slide guide 302 returns to the standby position, and the preparation for carrying in the succeeding sheet is completed.
[0101]
In this way, when the sheets are stacked, the preceding sheet Sa that has already been aligned and stacked on the first stacking unit 300B is pressed by the arm lever 451 of the stamp unit 400, so that the succeeding sheet Sa can be moved by the succeeding sheet Sb. It is possible to prevent the deviation from occurring.
[0102]
Further, as in the present embodiment, the arm lever 451 performs a pressing operation in conjunction with the alignment operation of the paddle 322, thereby causing a timing shift between the operations of the arm lever 451 and the paddle 322. Without fail. Furthermore, another drive source for the arm lever 451 is not required, and cost reduction and downsizing can be achieved.
[0103]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0104]
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the stamp unit of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 7 denote the same or corresponding parts.
[0105]
In the figure, 500 is a slide guide cam that moves integrally with the slide guide 302, 502 is an arm lever that is rotatably supported in the vertical direction about a shaft 503, and 501 is provided on the arm lever 502. This is an arm cam projecting toward the cam 500.
[0106]
The arm cam 501 and the slide guide cam 500 constitute a drive transmission unit that transmits the drive of the slide guide 302, that is, the movement of the slide guide 302 to the arm lever 502 of the stamp unit 400 in the present embodiment. As the slide guide 302 moves through the arm cam 501 and the slide guide cam 500, the arm lever 502 rotates in the vertical direction. The arm lever 502 is always subjected to a counterclockwise force by a torsion coil spring (not shown).
[0107]
12A shows a state in which the slide guide 302 is in the standby position in the stamp portion having such a configuration. In this state, the succeeding sheet Sb is conveyed, and at this time, the preceding sheet Sa is moved. The arm lever 502 holds the position outside the sheet carry-out path. In the figure, reference numeral 502 a denotes a friction member provided at the rotating end of the arm lever 502.
[0108]
On the other hand, after that, when the succeeding sheet Sb is completely discharged, the slide guide 302 moves, whereby the succeeding sheet Sb moves in the direction of the arrow 504 shown in FIG. Here, when the slide guide 302 moves in this way, the slide guide cam 500 slides integrally therewith, and the arm cam 501 is pushed up accordingly, whereby the arm lever 502 is centered on the rotation shaft 503. The slide guide 302 is moved away from the preceding sheet Sa before reaching the alignment position. As a result, the succeeding sheet Sb enters under the arm lever 502, and alignment is possible.
[0109]
Next, after the subsequent sheet Sb enters below the arm lever 502 and the subsequent sheet S2 is completely aligned, the paddle 322 starts alignment in the sheet conveyance direction. After the alignment in the sheet conveying direction by the paddle 322 as described above, the arm lever 502 is moved to a position where the succeeding sheet S2 is pressed by the action of the slide guide cam 500 and the arm cam 501 when the slide guide 302 returns to the standby position. Move and prepare for further transport of subsequent sheets.
[0110]
As described above, when the sheets are stacked, the preceding sheet Sa that is already aligned and stacked on the first stacking unit 300B is pressed by the arm lever 502 of the stamp unit 400, so that the succeeding sheet Sa can be moved by the succeeding sheet Sb. Misalignment can be prevented.
[0111]
Further, as in the present embodiment, the arm lever 502 performs the pressing operation in conjunction with the alignment operation of the slide guide 302, so that each operation of the arm lever 502 and the slide guide 302 can be performed at the operation timing. It can be performed reliably without causing a shift. Further, another drive source for the arm lever 502 is not required, and the cost can be reduced and the size can be reduced.
[0112]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when a sheet is stacked on the intermediate stacking unit, the alignment misalignment preventing unit presses the sheet already aligned and stacked on the intermediate stacking unit, and the alignment misalignment preventing unit By setting the sheet pressing position outside the sheet carry-out path when the sheets are stacked on the intermediate stacking unit, the sheets that are already stacked and aligned with the intermediate stacking unit by the sheets conveyed when processing the sheets It is possible to prevent occurrence of misalignment.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a laser beam printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus and the movement of each unit when a sheet conveyed from a printer main body goes to the sheet processing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a plan view and a side view of main parts of the sheet processing apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where a sheet bundle is dropped when a slide guide provided in the sheet processing apparatus is located at a home position.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the movement of each part in the binding operation of the sheet processing apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which sheets are aligned by the slide guide.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a stamp unit provided in the sheet processing apparatus.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a state of the stamp unit during sheet alignment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a stamp unit provided in a sheet processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a view showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the paddle shaft of the stamp portion and the arm lever and paddle.
FIG. 11 illustrates a configuration of a stamp unit provided in a sheet processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the stamp unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
100A laser beam printer
100 Printer body
300 Sheet processing device
300B first loading section
301,302 Slide guide
322 paddle
350 paddle shaft
400 Stamp part
400a Arm lever
401 Solenoid
453 Inner cam
451 Arm lever
500 Slide guide cam
501 Arm cam
502 Arm lever
S sheet
Sa preceding sheet
Sb Subsequent sheet
H Stapler

Claims (11)

In a sheet processing apparatus that processes a sheet on which an image is formed,
When performing the processing, the intermediate stacking portion for stacking sheets over bets,
Movably disposed in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, to press an end perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction of the sheets stacked on the intermediate stacking portion is moved in a direction perpendicular to the sheet over preparative conveying direction Aligning means for aligning the sheets ,
An alignment misalignment preventing means for holding the preceding sheet when the succeeding sheet is stacked on the intermediate stacking unit on which the preceding sheet is already aligned and stacked ;
With
Sheet processing apparatus, characterized in that the sheet pressing position in the width direction of the aligning displacement preventing means, and the outside of the sheet over preparative out path when the sheet to the intermediate stacking portion are stacked.   The alignment shift prevention means includes a pressing member that presses a sheet that is already aligned and stacked on the intermediate stacking unit from above, and a release unit that releases the pressing operation of the pressing member. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the release unit is operated after the sheets are stacked.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the release unit is a solenoid. 4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the misalignment prevention unit is located upstream of the intermediate stacking unit in a sheet conveying direction. 5.   5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyance direction alignment unit configured to align sheets in a sheet conveyance direction in the intermediate stacking unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignment displacement prevention unit performs a pressing operation in conjunction with the alignment operation of the conveyance direction alignment unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a drive transmission unit configured to transmit the driving of the conveyance direction alignment unit to the alignment displacement prevention unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignment shift prevention unit performs a pressing operation in conjunction with the alignment operation of the alignment unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a drive transmission unit configured to transmit the driving of the alignment unit to the alignment shift prevention unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate stacking unit includes a sheet processing unit. In an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and a sheet processing device that performs a binding process on a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is the apparatus according to claim 1.

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