JP2006151570A - Sheet alignment post-processing apparatus provided with upper surface regulating member for alignment guide slide carry-in guide - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely cause a phenomenon that a carry-in sheet is surely carried on an aligning means that also serves as a sheet support means and the leading end of the sheet is rounded in the vicinity of an introduction portion in the aligning means. prevent.
SOLUTION: For sheets printed on the image forming apparatus main body side, sheets supplied sequentially from a discharge port are stacked on an aligning unit that also serves as an intermediate stacking unit and a sheet supporting unit, and sequentially aligned as a sheet supporting unit. In the sheet post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing and discharges after being aligned by the means, the upper surface regulating member arranged between the retracted full-load detection flags (thrust direction) is fixedly provided and supplied Is guided by the upper surface regulating member, so that it is surely carried on the aligning means which also serves as the sheet supporting means without colliding with the steep face of the retracted full load detection flag.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet alignment post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer is provided with a sheet post-processing device that performs post-processing such as stapling (needle striking) and ejects a plurality of sheets on which images have been formed (printed) with alignment. There is something that is. As such a sheet post-processing apparatus, sheets that are provided on the downstream side of the sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body and that are sequentially printed from the image forming apparatus main body side are the intermediate stacking unit and the sheet There is known a type that is stacked on an aligning unit that also serves as a support unit, and after being sequentially aligned by an aligning unit that also serves as a sheet support unit, performs post-processing and discharges.

For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 can be cited as conventional examples.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-67400 JP 2002-274727 A

  In the sheet post-processing apparatus having such a stapling function, the sheet supplied from the image forming apparatus main body side is surely carried on the aligning means that also serves as the sheet supporting means, and is neatly aligned with the staple unit. is important.

  However, in the case of a large sheet such as a leading edge curl, the sheet supplied from the image forming apparatus main body side successfully collides with the surface of the full load detection flag that has been retracted, so that it can be successfully loaded onto the aligning means that also serves as the sheet support means. In some cases, a phenomenon may occur in which the vicinity of the introduction portion in the matching unit is curled.

  In the present invention, for the sheets printed on the image forming apparatus main body side, the sheets sequentially supplied from the discharge port are stacked on the aligning unit that also serves as the intermediate stacking unit and the sheet supporting unit, and the alignment that also serves as the sheet supporting unit sequentially. In the sheet post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing and discharges after being aligned by the means, the upper surface regulating member disposed between the retracted full-load detection flags (thrust direction) is fixedly provided and supplied Is guided by the upper surface regulating member, so that it is surely carried into the aligning means that also serves as the sheet supporting means without colliding with the steep surface of the full load detection flag being retracted. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the phenomenon that the leading end of the sheet is curled around the introduction portion in the aligning means.

  As described above, according to the present invention, for the sheets printed on the image forming apparatus main body side, the sheets sequentially supplied from the discharge port are stacked on the aligning unit that also serves as the intermediate stacking unit and the sheet supporting unit, and sequentially supports the sheet. For the sheet post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing and discharges after being aligned by the aligning means that also serves as the means, an upper surface regulating member that is disposed between the retracted full-load detection flags (in the thrust direction) is fixedly provided. The supplied sheet is guided by the upper surface regulating member, so that it is surely loaded onto the aligning means that also serves as the sheet supporting means without colliding with the obtuse angle against the surface of the retreating full load detection flag. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the phenomenon that the leading end of the sheet is curled around the introduction portion in the aligning means.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, an example of a sheet post-processing apparatus mounted on a printer apparatus typified by a laser beam printer will be described.

  First, the configuration and a series of operations of the printer main body and the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus (printer) according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a printer main body as an image forming apparatus, which is connected to a computer alone or connected to a network such as a LAN, based on image information, print signals, etc. sent from these computers and networks. The apparatus forms (prints) an image on a sheet by the image forming process and discharges the sheet.

  On the other hand, the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 includes a first sheet stacking unit in a face-down state in which the sheet discharged from the printer main body 100 to the outside of the apparatus is faced down via a conveying unit in the sheet post-processing apparatus. And aligning by the aligning means, bundling the sheets for each predetermined job, stapling one or more of the sheets and discharging and stacking them on the stacking unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus, or simply face down The apparatus for discharging and stacking on the stacking unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  Here, the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 and the printer main body 100 are electrically connected by a cable connector (not shown). The sheet post-processing apparatus 300 has a casing part 300A for storing each part, and is detachable from the apparatus main body 100A of the printer main body 100 described later.

  Next, the configuration of each unit of the printer main body 100 will be described along the conveyance path of the conveyed sheet S.

  In the printer main body 100, a plurality of sheets S are stacked in the feeding cassette 200, and the uppermost sheet among them 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 forms a toner image in the printer main body 100 by a so-called laser beam type image forming process. The toner image is transferred to the upper surface of the sheet by the unit 101, and then the toner image is permanently fixed by applying heat and pressure by the fixing device 120 on the downstream side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet S on which the image is fixed is folded back in a substantially U-shaped sheet conveyance path to the discharge roller 130, so that the image surface is reversed and the image surface is on the lower side. In this state, the paper is discharged face down from the printer main body 100 by the discharge roller 130. Next, the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 and the movement of each part when the sheet S conveyed by the discharge roller 130 goes to the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 2A, 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.

  A roller pair 330 composed of an upper discharge roller 330a and a lower discharge roller 330b is disposed on the upper downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown).

  Further, the paper discharge upper roller 330 a is pivotally supported by an arm 330 that can rotate about a paddle shaft 350.

  The jogger motor M is a motor for driving slide guides 310 and 311 to be described later. In this embodiment, a stepping motor is used.

  The paddles 322 are 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 conveying direction. When the paddle shaft is driven and rotated clockwise, the sheet S is moved in the direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction, and the end surface of the sheet S is brought into contact with the reference wall 323 for alignment.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, a slide guide 301 and a slide guide, which will be described in detail later, are used as guide members that perform alignment in the sheet width direction. 302 is provided.

  As a result, the sheet S is carried into the inlet 390 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 by the roller pair 120 provided in the printer main body 100.

  The sheet S carried into the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 is detected by causing the flag 361 of the entrance sensor 360 to transmit the photo sensor 362. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed upward by the inlet roller pair 320.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus 300 can be stapled and discharged and stacked on the stacking unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus, and can be discharged and stacked on the stacking unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  First, an operation of discharging and stacking on the stacking unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, the bottom surfaces of the right slide guide 301 and the left slide guide 302 with respect to the sheet carry-in direction are in contact with the sheet S that is carried in. The sheet S is retreated to a position where the sheet S is not moved, that is, a position outside the sheet S by a predetermined amount, and is conveyed directly to the stacking unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  The conveyed sheet passes through the entrance roller pair 320, then passes through the opening of the staple H, is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 330, and is stacked on the sheet discharge unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  Next, an operation of stapling and discharging and stacking on the stacking unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 3A, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, a reference plate 303 and a reference plate 304 provided on the wall surfaces of the right slide guide 301 and the left slide guide 302 with respect to the sheet carry-in direction. However, the sheet S is retracted to a position outside by a predetermined amount from the width direction of the sheet S so as not to interfere with the sheet S that is carried in. The interval between the end surfaces of the bottom surface of the slide guide is at a position smaller than the width of the sheet S, and the entry of the sheet S is waited. This position is set as a standby position.

  The sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 363 passes through the staple roller pair 320 and then passes through the gap of the staple H, and is then conveyed by the paper discharge roller pair 330 to be configured by the slide guide 301 and the slide guide 302. The sheet is conveyed onto the guide surface of the first sheet stacking unit 300B.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6A, 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. The inclination angles are different, and specifically, a bent portion 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. The guide surface of the first sheet stacking unit 300 </ b> B has such a bent portion, thereby preventing the bending of the central portion of the sheet S that is not guided by the slide guides 301 and 302.

  Immediately after the first sheet is conveyed on the surface formed by the slide guide 301 and the slide guide 302, the arm 331 rotates counterclockwise so that the paper discharge upper roller a supported by the arm 331 is supported. Retracting upward, the drive connected to the paper discharge roller pair 330 is cut off at the same time as the paper discharge roller pair is separated, and the rotation of the paper discharge upper roller 330a and paper discharge lower roller 330b is stopped.

  When the sheet S completely passes through the entrance 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.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, only the left slide guide 302 operates, and the alignment operation in the width direction of each sheet stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 300B is started. It has become so. Specifically, when the slide guide 302 is driven by the motor M to move inward, the reference plate 304 provided on the slide guide 302 contacts the left side surface of the sheet S and pushes the sheet S toward the slide guide 301 side. . Then, the right side surface of the sheet S abuts on a reference plate 303 provided on the slide guide 301 and a reference plate 303-B provided in the vicinity of the staple, whereby alignment of the sheets in the width direction is performed. The sheet S is set to move to a staple position set at a position where the sheet S is in contact with and aligned with the reference plates 303 and 303-B. After the alignment operation, the slide guide 310 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.

  Here, the configuration of the slide guide will be described in detail. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of the slide guide. 4 (a), 4 (b), 5 (a), and 5 (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the slide guide.

  Each of the slide guides 301 and 302 is guided by a total of four guide pins 313a provided on the mold frame and guide pins 313b provided on the sheet metal frame, so that the left and right directions in FIG. It can be reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the direction (sheet width direction), and moves by transmission of driving force from the jogger motor M.

  When viewed from the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, the slide guides 301 and 302 are each a wall portion that guides both sides of the sheet S and a support portion that supports the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet S, as shown in FIG. Therefore, each sheet discharged onto the first sheet stacking portion 300B is supported by the lower surface of the U-shape, and the central portion in the width direction of the sheet S is not guided. It has a configuration.

  The slide guide 302 is provided with a slide rack portion 310 having a flat gear that meshes with the step gear 317. On the other hand, a slide rack 312 having a flat gear that meshes with the step gear 317 is also attached to the slide guide 301. Here, the slide rack 312 is provided to be movable relative to the slide guide 301 via a coiled spring 314. Here, one end of the spring 314 is in contact with the slide guide 301, and the other end is in contact with the slide rack 312, so that the slide guide 301 and the slide rack 312 are expanded. The slide rack 312 has a square hole 312a for moving the embossed portion 301a on the slide guide 301 side.

  One reference plate 303 is provided on the side wall of the slide guide 301, one reference plate 303-B is provided in the vicinity of the staple, and one reference plate 304 is provided on the side wall of the slide guide 302. Sometimes, as will be described later, the slide guide 302 moves, and the reference plate 304 and the reference plates 303 and 303-B come into contact with both side end surfaces 305 and 306 of the sheet.

  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.

  3 to 5, H is a stapler that strikes a sheet. The stapler H is fixedly arranged on the slide guide 301 side in order to staple each sheet at the upper left corner of the image surface of the image-formed sheet and bind the sheets.

  Next, the operation of each slide guide 301, 302 will be described. When the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 is turned on, the discharge roller 320 driven by the drive motor starts rotating, and then the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, whereby the rack of the slide guide 301 is rotated. The part 310 is driven and retracts to the outside. When the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, the slide guide 312 first moves relative to the slide guide 301, and after the square hole portion 312 a of the slide rack 312 comes into contact with the emboss 301 a of the slide guide 301, By being pressed by the hole 312a, it retracts to the outside.

  The slide guide 301 is provided with a slit portion 301S (FIG. 3B). When the slit portion 301S moves to a predetermined retraction distance, the photosensor 316 transmits light as shown in FIG. 5A. At that time, the jogger motor M stops. This position is the home position.

  When a signal for the sheet S to enter the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 is input from the printer main body 100 to the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, the jogger motor M rotates, and the slide guide 301 and the slide guide 302 move inward. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the vehicle stops at a position wider than the width of the entering sheet S by a predetermined amount d. At this position, the slide guide 301 is in a state where the stopper 301b abuts against the end surface 313c of the guide pin 313a and cannot move further inward. This position shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is set as a standby position, and at this standby position, the side surface of the slide guide 301 becomes a reference position during the alignment operation.

  In the present embodiment, when the size (width) of the sheet S is the maximum size through which paper can be passed, the standby positions of the slide guide 301 and the slide guide 302 are set so that the gaps on both sides become predetermined amounts d and d, respectively. Is set.

  When aligning a narrower sheet in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, the slide guide 301 moves inward by an amount corresponding thereto, so that the gap between the slide guide 301 and the sheet S at the standby position is reached. Is always the predetermined amount d. On the other hand, in this case, the gap between the sheet and the slide guide 302 is wider than the predetermined amount d by half of the narrowed amount.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, after the lateral alignment is performed by the slide guides 301 and 302, both slide guides are retracted to the outside by a small amount, and the regulation of the lateral alignment direction of the sheet S is set to a rough state. The sheet S is movable in the sheet conveying direction. After that, as shown in FIG. 6B, the paddle 322 rotates clockwise about the paddle shaft 350 so that the paddle abuts against the upper surface of the sheet S, and the sheet S abuts against the reference wall 323 for alignment. To do.

  With these operations, alignment in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance direction is possible. In order to maintain this aligned state, a lever provided with a friction member as shown in the arrow A in the vicinity of the right end surface of the sheet aligned as shown in FIG. It has a stamp means 400 for pressing the aligned sheet, and the lever presses the upper surface of the sheet after the alignment operation is finished and before the next entering sheet comes into contact with the aligned sheet, so that the next sheet Prevents moving the aligned sheets.

  Next, the second and subsequent sheets will be described.

  When the second and subsequent sheets are conveyed, the pair of paper discharge rollers are separated from each other. Therefore, when the trailing end 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 the reference wall Move in direction 323.

  Since the alignment operation from here is exactly the same as that of the first sheet, the description thereof is omitted.

  By repeating such an operation, the operation of aligning the last (nth) sheet (Sn) of one job is performed, and the reference plate 304 provided on the slide guide 302 moves the left side surface of the sheet to the reference plate of the slide guide 301. 303 and a reference plate 303-B provided in the vicinity of the staple, and in a state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B in which the movement of the slide guide 302 is stopped, the sheet bundle is bundled with a small stapler H on the slide guide 301 side. Staple.

  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, only the slide guide 302 moves, and the end on the slide guide 301 side of each sheet moves to the reference position. Since they are aligned, the binding process by the stapler H fixedly arranged on the slide guide 301 side is performed accurately and reliably. Further, even when the width of each sheet carried in one job varies, or when the sheet size changes within, for example, LTR to A4, the end of each sheet on the slide guide 301 side is Since they are uniformly arranged, the finish of the binding process by the stapler H becomes accurate and beautiful, and an excellent effect is obtained.

  In the first embodiment, when the stapling operation is completed in this manner, as shown in FIG. 6C, the arm 331 is rotated clockwise, so that the paper discharge upper roller a supported by the arm 331 is supported. Moves downward to form the discharge roller pair 330, and at the same time, drives are connected to both rollers of the discharge roller pair 330 to start rotation of the upper discharge roller 330a and lower discharge roller 330b.

  By this operation, the sheet bundle S is nipped by the paper discharge upper roller 330a and the paper discharge lower roller 330b and conveyed onto the surface formed by the slide guide 301 and the slide guide 302.

  When the sheet bundle S is completely discharged from the paper discharge roller pair 330, the jogger motor M is driven to rotate, so that the slide guide 302 spreads outward from the state shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). Moving. At the start of movement of the slide guide 302, only the slide rack 312 moves to the right in FIG. 4 on the slide guide 301 side, and the slide guide 301 itself does not move immediately.

  When the position of the slide guide 302 passes the standby position shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the embossed portion 312 a of the slide rack 312 comes into contact with the end surface of the square hole portion 310 a of the slide guide 301, and the slide guide 301 starts to move outward, and both slide guides 301 and 302 move in the direction of spreading outward.

  Furthermore, the stapled sheet bundle falls downward as shown in FIG. 6C when the distance between the supported slide guides 301 and 302 becomes near or wider than the width of the sheet. . As a result, the sheet bundle falls to the stacking unit 325 of the sheet post-processing apparatus and is stacked.

  The above is the configuration and series of operations of the printer main body and the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Next, the configuration of the full load detection flag 400 in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the sheet post-processing apparatus of this embodiment, a full load detection flag 400 that detects the stacking height of the sheets stacked on the stacking unit 325 is disposed at the end of the discharge roller pair 330. ing. The full load detection flag 400 is rotatable about a shaft 401 disposed above the pair of paper discharge rollers, and as shown in FIG. 7B, the print sheets are sequentially stacked on the stacking unit 325 without stapling. In the mode, the sheets are sequentially discharged while rotating the full load detection flag 400 when being discharged. When the stacked height of the sheets stacked on the stacking unit 325 exceeds a certain level, the full load detection flag 400 is rotated by the stacked sheets, and the stacked sheets are stacked up to a certain height as shown in FIG. When the full load detection flag 400 is rotated to a certain angle, a detection means (not shown) detects that the load is full and stops the operation of the apparatus.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D, the alignment of the full load detection flag 400 and the movement during the stapling operation in this embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present embodiment, the sheet discharge upper roller 330a is set before the apparatus receives a staple mode signal and the first sheet is carried into the intermediate stacking unit. The full guide flag 400 is also lifted and retracted by the roller shaft 406 in conjunction with the movement of the paper discharge upper roller 330a, with the upper guide 404 revolving around the fulcrum 403 and retreating around the fulcrum 405.

  During this state, as shown in FIG. 9A, the slide guides 301 and 302 move from the retracted position to the standby position, and the full load detection flag 400 enters the inner area of both slide guides.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 8C, the paper discharge upper roller 330a and the upper guide 404 return to the normal positions. The full load detection flag 400 tries to return to the normal position while rotating around the shaft 401 in conjunction with the return of the roller shaft 406. However, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the full load detection flag 400 gets on the bottom surfaces of the slide guides 301 and 302. Stop at the correct position.

  After the first sheet is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 303 at this position, as shown in FIG. 8D, the discharge upper roller 330a and the upper guide 404 are rotated again to the retracted position. Performs alignment operation and sheet reception after the first eye.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, after the stapling operation is completed, the discharge upper roller 330a and the upper guide 404 are rotated to the normal position to discharge the stapled sheet bundle, and in synchronization with this operation. As shown in FIG. 10C, the slide guides 301 and 302 move to the retracted position, the sheet bundle is dropped and stacked on the stacking unit 325, and the full load detection flag 400 is rotated to the normal position.

  However, in such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the leading end of the sheet is generated between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide when the full load detection flag 400 is retracted when the second and subsequent sheets are carried. The leading edge of the sheet collides with the surface of the full load detection flag 400 at an obtuse angle, and the leading edge of the sheet is carried into the slide guide while being full, and JAM may be generated.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, an upper surface regulating member 407 is fixed between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the sheet conveyance direction in the vicinity of the full load detection flag 400 and in the vicinity of the full load detection flag 400 in the thrust direction. Is provided.

  With this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, in the area A between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the transport direction and in the vicinity of the discharge roller pair, the leading edge of the sheet The upper surface is guided by the upper surface regulating member 407 so that the front end of the sheet collides with an acute angle. In the region B between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the conveying direction and downstream of the flow region A, the front end of the sheet The upper surface is guided by the surface of the full load detection flag 400 and the upper surface regulating member 407 so that the leading edge of the sheet collides sharply, so that the sheet is conveyed from the discharge roller pair 330 to the slide guide without curling the leading edge of the sheet. Is realized.

  Further, since the upper surface regulating member 407 in this embodiment is fixed and provided at the upper part with respect to the normal position of the discharge roller pair 330, as shown in FIG. 14, the print sheets are sequentially stacked on the stacking unit 325 without stapling. Even in the stacking mode, the conveyed sheet does not come into contact with the upper surface regulating member 407 and does not hinder sheet conveyance.

  Next, the configuration of the sheet trailing edge pressing member in the second embodiment of the sheet stacking apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 15, the upper surface is not overlapped with the full load detection flag 400 in the thrust direction and in the vicinity of the full load detection flag 400 and between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the sheet conveying direction. A regulating member 408 is fixed and provided. The upper surface regulating member 408 in this embodiment is elastically installed via a spring 411 with respect to the upper surface regulating base portion 410 on which the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 409 is fixed and arranged.

  With such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, in the area A in the vicinity of the paper discharge roller pair in the area between the paper discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the transport direction, The upper surface is guided by the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 409 so that the leading edge of the sheet collides with an acute angle. In the region B between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the conveying direction, the region B is downstream of the flow region A. The top end of the sheet is guided by the surface of the full load detection flag 400 and the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 409 so that the front end of the sheet collides with an acute angle, so that the front end of the sheet is not curled and the slide roller 330 moves to the slide guide. It is possible to carry in sheets. Also, in this embodiment, the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 409 is installed with elasticity, so that it is possible to guide by absorbing impact without damaging the sheet tip when the sheet tip such as cardboard collides with the guide surface. is doing.

  Next, the configuration of the sheet trailing edge pressing member in the third embodiment of the sheet stacking apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 17, the upper surface is not overlapped with the full load detection flag 400 in the thrust direction and in the vicinity of the full load detection flag 400 and between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the sheet conveying direction. A regulating member 412 is fixed and provided. In this embodiment, the upper surface regulating member 412 can be rotated about the rotation shaft 416 elastically via a spring 415 with respect to the upper surface regulating base portion 414 on which the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 413 is fixed and arranged. is set up.

  With this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, in the area A between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the conveyance direction and in the vicinity of the discharge roller pair, the leading edge of the sheet The upper surface is guided by the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 413 so that the leading edge of the sheet collides sharply. In the region B between the discharge roller pair 330 and the slide guide in the conveying direction, the region B is downstream of the flow region A. The leading edge of the sheet is guided by the surface of the full load detection flag 400 and the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 413 so that the leading edge of the sheet collides with an acute angle. It is possible to carry in sheets. Further, in this embodiment, the upper surface regulating sheet guide surface portion 413 is installed so as to be rotatable with elasticity, and the sheet receiving angle of the guide surface can be changed by elastically rotating when the front end of the sheet collides with the guide surface. For example, it is possible to guide the leading edge of the sheet with a balance that reduces the impact on the leading edge of the sheet even at any angle of entry to the guide surface of the leading edge of the sheet.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a printer equipped with a sheet post-processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the sheet | seat post-processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining operation | movement of the slide guide in 1st Embodiment, and shows the state which has a slide guide in a standby position. It is sectional drawing explaining operation | movement of the slide guide in 1st Embodiment, and shows the state which the sheet | seat aligned with the slide guide. It is sectional drawing explaining operation | movement of the slide guide in 1st Embodiment, and shows the state in which a slide guide is located in a home position and a sheet | seat bundle falls. The figure which shows the state which aligned the sheet | seat by the said slide guide. The movement of the full load detection flag in the mode of loading without stapling in the first embodiment is shown. The movement of the full load detection flag in the staple mode in the first embodiment is shown. The movement of the slide guide in the staple mode in the first embodiment is shown. The movement of the full load detection flag in the staple mode in the first embodiment is shown. The mechanism by which the leading edge of the sheet is rounded in the staple mode is shown. The arrangement | positioning of the upper surface control member in 1st Embodiment is shown. The time of carrying in a sheet in the first embodiment is shown. The movement of the sheet in the mode of stacking without stapling in the first embodiment is shown. The arrangement | positioning of the upper surface control member in 2nd Embodiment is shown. The time of carrying in a sheet in the second embodiment is shown. The arrangement | positioning of the upper surface control member in 3rd Embodiment is shown. The time of carrying in a sheet in the third embodiment is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Printer main body 100A Apparatus main body 130 Discharge roller (sheet conveyance means)
200 Feed cassette 300 Sheet post-processing device 300A Device main body (casing)
300B First sheet stacking section 300C Bending section 301 Slide guide R (alignment means, guide member)
301a Square hole portion 301b Stopper 301s Slit portion 302 Slide guide L (alignment means, guide member)
303 Second reference plate on the receiving side 303-B First reference plate on the receiving side 304 Reference plate on the pressing side 305 Sheet left side 306 Sheet right side 310 Slide rack portion L
312 Slide rack R
312a Slide rack boss 313a Guide pin (mold F)
313b Guide pin (sheet metal frame)
313c End surface of guide pin 313a 314 Coil spring 316 Photo sensor 317 Step gear 320 Inlet roller pair 322 Paddle 1
323 Rear end abutting reference wall 325 Sheet post-processing apparatus discharge unit 330 Roller pair 330a Upper discharge roller 330b Lower discharge roller 331 Arm 350 Paddle shaft 360 Entrance sensor 361 Sensor flag 362 Photo sensor 400 Full load detection flag 401 Full load detection flag times Movement center shaft 403 Discharge upper roller rotation center shaft 404 Upper guide 405 Upper guide rotation center shaft 406 Discharge upper roller shaft 407 Upper surface restriction member 408 Upper surface restriction member 409 Upper surface restriction sheet guide surface portion 410 Upper surface restriction base portion 411 Spring 412 Upper surface restriction Member 413 Upper surface restriction sheet guide surface portion 414 Upper surface restriction base portion 415 Spring 416 Rotating shaft

Claims (10)

  In the intermediate stacking unit, in the alignment post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing by aligning the sheets stacked on the intermediate stacking unit by an aligning unit that also functions as a sheet support unit disposed on the downstream side of the discharge roller. The upper surface is located between the sheet conveyance path between the discharge roller pair and the aligning means that also serves as the sheet support means and at a position that does not overlap with the full load detection means in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. In the upstream region between the sheet conveying path between the discharge roller pair and the aligning means that also serves as the sheet supporting means when the aligning sheet is loaded, the upper surface restricting member is provided in the sheet conveying height direction in the sheet conveying height direction. It is located at a low position with respect to the detection means, and is disposed at the same or lower position with respect to the full-load detection means in the sheet conveyance height direction in the region substantially downstream. It is characterized in.   2. The alignment post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge roller pair is spaced apart from when the first alignment sheet is loaded and when the post-processed bundle is discharged.   The post-alignment processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the full load detection unit rotates about a fixed shaft disposed above the pair of discharge rollers.   The alignment post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the full load detecting means is also retracted to the upper part of the pair of discharge rollers in conjunction with the separation of the pair of discharge rollers.   The alignment post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sheet guide surface of the upper surface regulating member is fixedly disposed.   The alignment post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sheet guide surface of the upper surface regulating member is arranged with elasticity.   The alignment post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet guide surface of the upper surface regulating member is rotatably arranged with elasticity.   The alignment post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignment unit that also serves as the sheet support unit performs an alignment operation in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction.   9. The matched post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing apparatus is a stapling apparatus.   The post-matching processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the post-matching processing apparatus is disposed beside an apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus.

Images