JP2017019660A - Sheet bundle binding processing apparatus and image forming system provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet bundle binding processing apparatus capable of easily peeling a sheet bundle subjected to needleless binding processing from a crimp tooth.
A corner portion Sc of a sheet bundle Sb accumulated on a processing tray 24 is subjected to a crimping deformation between crimping teeth 54 and 55 of a needleless binding device 51 and then subjected to a binding process, and then a conveying roller 48b is placed on the upper surface of the sheet bundle. The binding portion can be easily peeled off from the crimping tooth by bringing the sheet bundle into contact with each other and feeding the sheet bundle a little in the carrying-out direction and applying a rotation operation around the corner portion in close contact with the crimping tooth to the sheet bundle.
[Selection] Figure 9-2

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet bundle binding processing apparatus for automatically binding a plurality of sheets sent from an image forming apparatus, for example, and performing stapleless binding processing, and further includes an image forming system including the sheet bundle binding processing apparatus. About.

  Conventionally, there is a needleless binding device that stacks a plurality of sheets and sandwiches them between a pair of concave and convex crimping teeth and presses the sheets together to bind a sheet bundle without using a metal needle. It is used. However, such a needleless binding device has a problem that the sheet bundle sticks to one of the crimping teeth when the crimping teeth are separated.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a stapleless binding by kicking, that is, feeding out, a sheet bundle that has been bound from the side using a side alignment member that aligns and aligns the sheet bundle on the processing tray in a direction orthogonal to the carry-out direction. A sheet bundle binding processing apparatus is disclosed which is peeled off from the pressing surface of the means. The side aligning member is driven by an aligning motor and once backswings to a position away from the position where it engages with the sheet side edge, and then moves to the sheet center side to kick the sheet bundle.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-20339

  In Patent Document 1, since the sheet bundle is fed out in a fixed linear direction, it may be difficult to peel off the sheet bundle from the uneven pressure surface of the crimping teeth of the needleless binding means.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to perform sheetless binding processing in a sheet bundle binding processing device or an image forming system including the sheet bundle binding processing device. It is to be able to easily peel the sheet bundle from the crimping teeth.

The sheet bundle binding processing device of the present invention is made to achieve the above object, and in order to perform a stapleless binding process on a plurality of sheets,
A processing tray for stacking a plurality of sheets;
A binding device having a pair of crimping teeth for processing a plurality of sheets on a processing tray into a sheet bundle without a needle;
In order to peel off the binding portion of the sheet bundle that is in close contact with the crimping tooth after the stapleless binding process, the sheet bundle is imparted to the sheet bundle on the processing tray so as to rotate around the binding portion. And a peeling mechanism for feeding the sheet bundle in the carry-out direction by a roller brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet.

  The rotation operation of the sheet bundle by the peeling mechanism acts to twist the binding portion of the sheet bundle with respect to the pressure-bonding tooth to which the sheet bundle is in close contact. The binding portion can be peeled off from the crimp tooth relatively easily. Since such a large peeling force is not required, there is no need to provide a large peeling mechanism or a powerful driving means, and the size, weight, or cost of the entire apparatus can be avoided.

  In a certain embodiment, it further has the conveyance roller for conveying the sheet | seat bundle peeled off from the crimping tooth on the processing tray in the carrying-out direction, and this conveyance roller comprises the roller of the peeling mechanism. As described above, it is advantageous because the carry-out roller and the function provided for conveying the sheet bundle in the conventional sheet bundle binding apparatus can be used as they are or with a slight modification of the structure.

  In another embodiment, the conveyance roller is composed of a pair of conveyance rollers that are spaced apart in a direction substantially perpendicular to the carrying-out direction of the sheet bundle, and the peeling mechanism roller is included in the pair of conveyance rollers. By being the transport roller far from the binding device, even if the roller has the same force to send out the sheet bundle, a larger rotational movement is generated in the sheet bundle, making it easier to peel off the binding portion from the crimping teeth. Can be done.

  In one embodiment, the sheet bundle binding processing apparatus further includes a side alignment mechanism that moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to the carry-out direction to align a plurality of sheets stacked on the processing tray. As a result, when performing the binding process, the sheet bundle can be aligned in advance with the orientation of the sheet bundle properly aligned with the binding apparatus, and the sheet bundle can always be bound and processed at an appropriate binding position.

  In another embodiment, when the sheet bundle peeled off from the pressure-bonding teeth is conveyed on the processing tray in the unloading direction, the posture of the sheet bundle is corrected with respect to the unloading direction by the side alignment mechanism. As a result, after the binding process, the posture of the sheet bundle tilted by the rotation operation to be peeled off from the pressure-bonded teeth can be properly corrected and discharged.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a sheet bundle binding processing unit that accumulates a plurality of sheets sent from the image forming unit and performs stapleless binding processing, An image forming system is provided in which the sheet bundle binding processing unit is any one of the sheet bundle binding processing apparatuses of the present invention described above.

  As described above, by providing a sheet bundle binding processing device that can relatively easily peel off the binding portion of the sheet bundle from the pressure-bonding teeth with a relatively small force, and can avoid an increase in size, weight, or cost. Further, without increasing the size of the entire image forming system, the sheets stacked from the image forming unit can be stapled into the sheet bundle in a continuous state in a continuous process.

1 is an explanatory diagram of an overall configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention. Side surface sectional drawing which looked at the post-processing unit from the apparatus front side. It is explanatory drawing of the sheet | seat carrying-in mechanism of a post-processing unit, (a) A figure discharges to a processing tray, (b) A figure shows carrying in to the back side of a processing tray. Explanatory drawing which looked at the processing tray of the post-processing unit from the perpendicular | vertical upper direction of the paper mounting surface. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of a sheet bundle carrying-out mechanism, in which FIG. 5A shows a standby state, FIG. 5B shows a conveyance state, and FIG. 5C shows a discharge state to a stack tray. (A) The figure is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a needleless binding apparatus, (b) The figure is the elements on larger scale of the binding part of the sheet | seat bundle which carried out the needleless binding process, (c) A figure is the BB line of (b) figure FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration of the image forming system in FIG. 1. FIGS. 5A to 5C are schematic explanatory views showing a process of stacking and binding a bundle of sheets carried on a processing tray from above the paper loading surface of the processing tray. FIGS. 4D and 4E are schematic explanatory views showing a process of stacking and binding the sheet bundles carried on the processing tray from above the paper loading surface of the processing tray. FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic explanatory views similar to FIGS. 8A and 8B showing a process of peeling a sheet bundle from a stapleless binding device and discharging the bundle to a stack tray. FIGS. 9C and 9D are schematic explanatory views similar to FIGS. 8B and 8C, showing a process of peeling a sheet bundle from the stapleless binding device and discharging it to the stack tray.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the present specification.

  In the present specification, “offset conveyance of a sheet bundle” refers to a movement of a sheet bundle in which sheets carried on a processing tray from a sheet discharge port are stacked in a direction perpendicular to (or intersects with) the sheet conveyance direction ( “Offset amount” refers to the amount of movement. In addition, “sheet bundle alignment” refers to a plurality of sheets of different sizes carried on the processing tray from the paper discharge outlet according to a predetermined reference (for example, a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction of the processing tray, that is, a width direction). Center alignment, or one-side reference set on one side in the width direction). For example, “offset after aligning sheets” means that after aligning a plurality of sheets of different sizes according to the reference, the entire sheet is moved in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction in that state. means. Here, the term “perpendicular” includes not only the case of intersecting at an accurate angle of 90 ° but also the case of intersecting at an angle of about 90 °, substantially or substantially perpendicular.

  The sheet bundle binding processing apparatus according to this embodiment is for performing a needleless binding process on a sheet bundle obtained by aligning and accumulating a plurality of sheets formed with an image in the image forming system illustrated in FIG. The image forming system of FIG. 1 includes an image reading unit A, an image forming unit B, a post-processing unit C, and an automatic document feeding unit D. In this specification, the front side of the image forming system in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front side of the apparatus, and the back side is referred to as the rear side of the apparatus.

  The image reading unit A includes a platen 1 made of transparent glass and a reading carriage 2 that reciprocates along the platen in order to read a document image. An automatic document feeding unit D feeds document sheets on the sheet feeding tray one by one to the platen 1, and this is a line sensor (photoelectric conversion element) in which a reading carriage 2 is arranged in the document width direction (main scanning direction). ) Is reciprocated in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, so that it is read in line order.

  In order to form an image on a sheet based on the image data of the original read by the image reading unit A, the image forming unit B includes a paper feeding unit 4 built in the apparatus housing 3, an image forming unit 5, and a discharge unit. And a paper portion 6. The sheet feeding unit 4 aligns the sheet fed from the cassette 7 by the sheet feeding roller 8 to the image forming unit 5 via the sheet feeding path 9, and aligns the leading end of the sheet by the registration roller pair 10, and the image of the image forming unit 5. Paper is fed according to the formation timing. The image forming unit 5 includes, for example, an electrostatic image forming mechanism, and forms a latent image (electrostatic image) with a light emitter 12 on a drum 11 composed of a photoconductor (photoconductor), and a toner ink with a developer 13. Is transferred to a sheet by a transfer charger 15, fixed by a fixing device (heating roller) 16, and then sent to a paper discharge unit 6. The paper discharge unit 6 guides the image-formed sheet through the paper discharge path 17 and carries it out from the paper discharge port 18 to the post-processing unit C.

  The post-processing unit C includes the sheet bundle binding processing device 20 according to the present embodiment, aligns a plurality of sheets carried out from the image forming unit B, accumulates them in a sheet bundle, performs a binding process, and performs a downstream stack. It has a function of storing in a tray. Note that the post-processing unit C of this embodiment is configured in a stand-alone structure independent of the image reading unit A and the image forming unit B, and these units are connected to each other by a network cable to form a system. In another embodiment, the post-processing unit C can be configured in an inner finisher structure in which a sheet bundle binding processing device is incorporated as a unit in a paper discharge space formed in the device housing 3 of the image forming unit A.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet bundle binding processing device 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the device housing 21, the paper discharge path 22 provided in the device housing, and the paper discharge port 23 of the paper discharge path. A processing tray 24 and a stack tray 25 disposed further downstream are provided. In order to execute the function of the post-processing unit C described above, a sheet carry-in mechanism 26 for carrying the sheet discharged from the paper discharge outlet 23 to the back side of the processing tray 24, and the processing tray 24. A sheet alignment mechanism 27 for accumulating and aligning a plurality of sheets loaded above, a binding processing mechanism 28 for performing stapleless binding processing on the aligned sheet bundle, and a bound sheet bundle And a sheet bundle carrying-out mechanism 29 for carrying out the paper to the stack tray 25.

  The paper discharge path 22 uses a predetermined pair of transport rollers such as a carry-in roller pair 31 and a paper discharge roller pair 32 in order to transport the sheet received from the image forming unit B from the carry-in entrance 30 to the paper exit 23 in a substantially horizontal direction. And feeder mechanisms arranged at intervals. In the paper discharge path 22, sheet sensors Se1 and Se2 for detecting the leading edge and / or trailing edge of the conveyed sheet are arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the processing tray 24 is disposed on the downstream side of the paper discharge outlet 23 of the paper discharge path 22 with a step d from the paper discharge outlet. The processing tray 24 is provided with a paper loading surface 24a for supporting at least a part of the sheets in order to stack a plurality of sheets discharged from the paper discharge outlet 23 vertically and accumulate them in a bundle, that is, in a sheet bundle. . In the present embodiment, a structure (so-called bridge support structure) in which the front side portion of the sheet is supported by the stack tray 25 along the carry-out direction and the rear side portion opposite to the sheet is supported by the processing tray 24 is employed. As a result, the overall size of the tray is reduced in the unloading (loading) direction.

  The sheet carry-in mechanism 26 conveys the sheet discharged from the paper discharge outlet 23 through the step d toward the back of the processing tray 24 in a correct posture, that is, the right and left edges thereof straight and smoothly in the carry-in direction. In order to do so, a transport roller device 46 is provided. The conveyance roller device 46 includes a roller pair including an upper conveyance roller 48 and a lower driven roller 49 with the processing tray 24 interposed therebetween. The transport roller 48 is rotatably supported at the tip of an elevating bracket 50 that is swingably supported above the processing tray 24, and the driven roller 49 is rotated to a fixed position just below the processing tray. It is provided freely.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, when the trailing edge of the sheet Sh discharged from the paper discharge outlet 23 reaches the processing tray 24, the lifting bracket 50 rotates downward to move the upper conveying roller 48 above the processing tray. The sheet is brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet. Next, the transport roller 48 is driven, for example, by a belt by a drive motor (not shown), and is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing. Thus, the sheet Sh is conveyed on the processing tray 24 in the loading direction, that is, in the direction opposite to the stack tray 25 side until the leading end (right end in the figure) of the sheet hits the regulating member 35. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the restricting member 35 is formed of a channel-shaped member having a U-shaped cross section, and a leading end of a sheet conveyed on the processing tray 24 is brought into contact with the inside thereof. And a regulating surface 35a for stopping.

  The sheet carry-in mechanism 26 further includes a scraping rotator for guiding the leading edge of the sheet toward the regulating member 35 in order to cope with a curl or skew of the sheet that may occur when the processing tray 24 is conveyed to the regulating member 35. 36. The scraping rotary body 36 is configured by a ring-shaped or short cylindrical belt member that is disposed above the processing tray 24 and in front of the regulating member 35 so as to be rotatable in the sheet loading direction. The belt member engages with the upper surface of a new sheet conveyed on the uppermost sheet stacked on the processing tray 24, and rotates counterclockwise in the drawing while pressing the leading edge of the sheet. Then, it is fed until it comes into contact with the regulating surface 35a of the regulating member 35.

  The sheet alignment mechanism 27 includes a sheet end regulating portion 37 and a side alignment mechanism 38. The sheet end regulating portion 37 has the regulating member 35 described above, and the position of the sheet carried on the processing tray 24 from the paper discharge port 23 is set in the loading (or unloading) direction, and the leading end (or unloading) of the sheet is performed. (Rear end of direction) The side alignment mechanism 38 moves the sheet and the sheet bundle on the processing tray 24 in a direction perpendicular to the carry-in (or carry-out) direction, that is, the width direction, and regulates and / or aligns the position in the width direction at the side edge.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the side alignment mechanism 38 includes a pair of side alignment members 39 and 40 arranged on the left and right sides with the center reference Sx interposed therebetween. The side alignment members 39 and 40 are configured by flat plate-like members that extend vertically upward from the paper loading surface 24a of the processing tray 24 with their inner surfaces facing each other. The inner surfaces of the side alignment members 39 and 40 are respectively engaged with adjacent side edges in the width direction of the sheet Sh on the processing tray 24, and are used as regulating surfaces 39a and 40a that regulate the position in the width direction of the sheets. Function.

  The side alignment members 39 and 40 are respectively connected to movable support portions 41 and 42 disposed on the back side of the processing tray 24 and linear slits (not shown) in the width direction provided in the processing tray. They are joined together. By individually rotating the pinions 43 and 44 meshing with the racks 41a and 42a formed on the respective support portions by the drive motors M1 and M2, the side alignment members 39 and 40 are independently moved toward or away from each other. It can be moved to a desired direction and stopped at a desired width direction position. Thus, the positions of the side alignment members 39 and 40 are individually set according to the size of the sheet carried into the processing tray 24, and the position and movement of the sheet bundle are moved in the width direction (offset conveyance). The amount and offset amount can be determined.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the sheet bundle carrying-out mechanism 29 includes a conveyor device 45 and the above-described conveyance roller device 46. The conveyor device 45 includes a conveyor belt 47 that is wound around a driving pulley 47a and a driven pulley 47b that are driven by a driving motor M3, and moves in both directions along the sheet unloading direction. A regulating member 35 that also functions as an extrusion member that moves along the paper loading surface 24a of the processing tray 24 and pushes the sheet bundle Sb in the carry-out direction is fixed to the conveyor belt 47. The regulating member 35 is driven by an initial position in the vicinity of the rear end of the processing tray 24 shown in FIG. 5A, a driving pulley 47a shown by a solid line in FIG. 5B and an imaginary line in FIG. 5C. It is provided so as to be movable in both directions between a maximum extrusion position that is substantially in the middle of the pulley 47b.

  The transport roller device 46 is arranged such that the transport roller 48 and the driven roller 49 sandwich the sheet bundle Sb from above and below so that the sheet tray Sb can be transported near the front end of the processing tray 24 in the unloading direction. As shown in FIG. 4, in the transport roller device 46, each pair of the left and right rollers is arranged symmetrically with respect to the center reference Sx. Left and right lifting brackets 50 that respectively support the left and right transport rollers 48a and 48b so as to be rotatable are supported so as to be swingable by selecting one or both of them.

  When carrying out the bound sheet bundle Sb from the processing tray 24 to the stack tray 25, as shown in FIG. 5A, the regulating surface 35a of the regulating member 35 is brought into contact with the rear end of the sheet bundle in the carrying-out direction. . By driving the conveyor device 45 and moving the regulating member 35 in the unloading direction to the maximum pushing position, the sheet bundle Sb is pushed out on the processing tray 24 to the position shown in FIG. 5B in the unloading direction. At the same time, the lifting bracket 50 of the transport roller device 46 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing, and both the left and right transport rollers 48a and 48b are pressed against the upper surface of the sheet bundle Sb.

  Next, the conveying roller 48 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing by, for example, a drive motor (not shown) to convey the sheet bundle Sb in the carrying-out direction, and stacks from above the processing tray 24 as shown in FIG. 5C. It is carried out to the tray 25. Since the regulating member 35 of the conveyor device 45 abuts the rear end of the sheet bundle Sb on the regulating surface 35a and holds the whole inside the regulating member, it can be driven at a relatively high speed. On the other hand, since the conveyance roller 48 is in direct contact with only the uppermost surface of the sheet bundle Sb, it is preferable to rotate the sheet at a relatively low speed and gradually feed the sheet bundle toward the stack tray 25. On the other hand, the regulating member 35 returns to the initial position by moving the conveyor belt 47 in the reverse direction.

  The binding processing mechanism 28 includes a stapleless binding device 51 that performs stapleless binding processing on a sheet bundle. The needleless binding device 51 of the present embodiment is configured by a press binding mechanism that binds a sheet bundle by crimping deformation between crimping teeth having an uneven surface. In the needleless binding device 51, as shown in FIG. 6A, a movable frame member 53 is supported by a base frame member 52 so as to be swingable by a support shaft 53a. The base frame member 52 is formed with a lower crimping tooth 54 at one end, and the movable frame member 53 is formed with an upper crimping tooth 55 at a position facing the lower crimping tooth.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (a) in an enlarged manner, the upper crimping tooth 55 includes a plurality of rib-shaped protrusions 55a extending in a direction orthogonal to the tooth arrangement direction, and a concave groove 55b having a shape adapted thereto. Are formed alternately. Similarly, a plurality of rib-shaped protrusions 54a extending in a direction orthogonal to the tooth arrangement direction and concave grooves 54b having a shape adapted to the rib-shaped protrusions 54a are alternately formed in the lower crimping tooth 54. The upper pressure-bonding teeth 55 and the lower pressure-bonding teeth 54 are arranged so as to be aligned so that the protruding ridges and the concave grooves facing each other are engaged with each other.

  As a result, the binding portion Sc of the sheet bundle Sb clamped between the upper crimping tooth 55 and the lower crimping tooth 54 is deformed into a corrugated plate shape as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C. It can be adhered. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the upper and lower crimping teeth 55, 54 are toothed so that the corrugated shape of the binding portion Sc is formed obliquely with respect to the side of the sheet bundle Sb. Are arranged obliquely with a certain angle with respect to the center reference Sx of the processing tray 24.

  The movable frame member 53 is integrally provided with a follower roller 56 at the end opposite to the upper crimping tooth 55 with the support shaft 53a interposed therebetween. The base frame member 52 is integrally provided with a drive cam 57 formed of an eccentric cam at the end opposite to the lower crimping tooth 54. The follower roller 56 is disposed such that its follower surface engages with the cam surface of the drive cam 57.

  A spring member (not shown) is arranged between the base frame member 52 and the movable frame member 53 so that the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth are separated from each other, and accordingly, the follower surface of the follower roller 56 and the cam surface of the drive cam 57. Is always urged in a direction to engage. Therefore, when the drive cam 57 is rotated by the drive motor M4, the movable frame member 53 swings around the support shaft 53a by following the cam surface. Thereby, the upper crimping tooth 55 and the lower crimping tooth 54 can be driven so as to be engaged with each other and pressed or separated.

  In addition, the spring member disposed between the base frame member 52 and the movable frame member 53 performs the operation of separating the upper and lower crimping teeth more smoothly and quickly from the state in which the bound sheet bundle is clamped. Is called. Further, a position sensor (not shown) can be arranged on the base frame member 52 in order to detect whether the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 55 and 54 are in the pressure contact position or the separated position. By the signal representing the relative positional relationship between the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth from the position sensor, it is possible to smoothly and efficiently perform the process of peeling the bound sheet bundle from the pressure-bonding teeth.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the binding processing position Ep for performing the stapleless binding processing of the sheet bundle is immediately behind the rear side of the apparatus, that is, the left corner 24b in the drawing, on the rear side in the loading direction of the processing tray 24. The outer side is set so as not to overlap the processing tray. The stapleless binding device 51 is disposed just outside the corner 24b of the processing tray 24 corresponding to the binding processing position Ep. Accordingly, the sheet bundle Sb carried on the processing tray 24 is subjected to stapleless binding processing with the corner portion on the rear side of the apparatus at the back side in the carrying direction as the binding portion.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows a control configuration of the image forming system of FIG. The image forming system according to this embodiment includes a main body control unit 60 that controls the image forming unit B, and a binding process control unit 61 that controls the post-processing unit C.

  The main body control unit 60 includes a print control unit 62, a paper feed control unit 63, and an input unit 65 connected to the control panel 64. The input unit 65 can set an image forming mode and a post-processing mode via the control panel. In the image forming mode, image forming conditions such as color / monochrome printing, duplex / single-sided printing mode setting, sheet size, sheet paper quality, number of copies, enlargement / reduction printing, and the like are set.

  In the post-processing mode, for example, a print-out mode or a binding processing mode is selected and set. In the printout mode, the sheets discharged from the paper discharge outlet 23 are stored in the stack tray 25 via the processing tray 24 without being bound. In this case, the sheets from the sheet discharge outlet 23 can be stacked and stacked on the processing tray 24, and the stacked sheet bundle can be collectively conveyed to the stack tray 25 by a jog end signal from the main body control unit 60.

  In the binding processing mode, a predetermined number of sheets discharged from the paper discharge outlet 23 are stacked on the processing tray 24 and stacked on the sheet bundle, and after the binding processing, are carried out to the stack tray 25. The main body control unit 60 stores information such as the selection of the post-processing mode, the number of sheets in the sheet bundle to be bound, the number of sheet bundles to be created, and the thickness of the sheet to be imaged in the binding processing control unit 61. Forward. Further, the main body control unit 60 transfers a job end signal to the binding processing control unit 61 every time image formation on each sheet is completed.

  The binding process control unit 61 operates the post-processing unit C according to the setting of the post-processing mode input from the input unit 65 of the main body control unit 60. The binding process control unit 61 according to the present embodiment includes a control CPU 66 as a control unit, and a ROM 67 and a RAM 68 are connected to the control CPU. The sheet bundle binding processing operation and the paper discharge operation by the post-processing unit C are executed based on the control program stored in the ROM 67 and the control data stored in the RAM 68. Therefore, the control CPU 66 is connected to the drive circuit of each drive motor so as to perform start, stop, and forward / reverse control of all the drive motors mounted in the post-processing unit C.

  When the binding processing mode is designated, the binding processing control unit 61 brings the left side alignment member 39 on the side of the stapleless binding device 51 close to the binding processing position Ep before the sheet is loaded onto the processing tray 24. It moves to the retracted position shown by the solid line in FIG. Further, the binding processing control unit 61 places the opposite right side alignment member 40 in a retracted position sufficiently away from the center reference Sx toward the front side of the apparatus so as not to hinder the movement of the sheet carried on the processing tray 24. Move.

  The process from the standby state to stacking the sheet bundle on the processing tray 24 and performing the binding process will be described with reference to FIGS. 8-1 (a) to (c) and FIGS. 8-2 (d) and (e). . As shown in FIG. 8A, when the sheet Sh is discharged from the paper discharge port 23 of the apparatus housing 21 onto the processing tray 24, the binding processing control unit 61 outputs the sheet Sh from the paper discharge sensors Se1 and Se2. Detecting by the signal, the conveyance roller 48 of the sheet carry-in mechanism 26 is rotated. As a result, the sheet Sh on the processing tray 24 is carried in the direction opposite to the carrying-out direction to the stack tray 25, that is, the back of the processing tray 24. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the sheet is conveyed by the rotation of the scraping rotator 36 until the leading end of the sheet in the conveyance direction comes into contact with the restriction surface 35 a of the restriction member 35 and stops.

  When the carry-in of the sheet is stopped by the restriction member 35, the binding processing control unit 61 moves the left and right side alignment members 39 and 40 in the retracted position in FIG. 8-1 (b) inward so as to sandwich the sheet Sh from both sides. Let The side alignment members 39 and 40 are moved to positions where the regulating surfaces 39a and 40a engage with both side edges of the sheet Sh, respectively, and the distance between the regulating surfaces coincides with the width dimension of the sheet Sh. As a result, the center of the width of each sheet Sh coincides with the center reference Sx of the processing tray 24 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the binding processing control unit 61 returns the left and right side alignment members 39 and 40 to the retracted position in FIG.

  The above-described processes of FIGS. 8-1 (a) to (c) are repeated until a predetermined number of sheets to be bound as one sheet bundle are stacked on the processing tray 24 with their positions aligned as described above. When a predetermined number of sheets Sh are aligned and stacked on the processing tray 24, the binding processing control unit 61 does not return the left and right side alignment members 39 and 40 to the retracted position, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet is offset and moved in the width direction toward the binding processing position Ep while being sandwiched from both sides as one sheet bundle Sb. The left and right side alignment members 39 and 40 are stopped at a position where the side edge on the rear side of the sheet bundle Sb slightly exceeds the binding processing position Ep in the width direction.

  In the position of FIG. 8-2 (d), the side edge of the sheet bundle Sb on the apparatus rear side is sufficiently between the upper and lower pressure-bonding teeth 55, 54 of the separated needleless binding device 51 from the pressure-bonding teeth. Are spaced apart from each other. In this state, the binding processing control unit 61 drives the conveyor device 45 of the sheet bundle carry-out mechanism 29 to move the regulating member 35 that is an extrusion member in the carry-out direction, and pushes out the sheet bundle Sb in the carry-out direction. The offset is moved by the distance of. The regulating member 35 stops the side edge of the sheet bundle Sb in the carry-out direction at a position slightly before the binding processing position Ep. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, the corner portion Sc of the sheet bundle Sb to be bound is positioned at the binding processing position Ep.

  Next, the binding processing control unit 61 transmits a command signal to drive the needleless binding device 51 to execute the needleless binding processing. As a result, the needleless binding device 51 binds the corner portion Sc of the sheet bundle Sb between the upper and lower crimping teeth 55 and 54 to be engaged with each other by crimping and deforming into the corrugated shape shown in FIG. After the binding process, the needleless binding device 51 separates the upper and lower crimping teeth 55 and 54 and transmits a processing end signal to the binding process control unit 61.

  The binding processing control unit 61 that has received the processing end signal from the stapleless binding device 51 performs a peeling process for peeling off the corner portion Sc of the sheet bundle Sb that is in close contact with one of the separated crimping teeth 55 and 54. Do. FIGS. 9-1 (a), (b), FIGS. 9-2 (c), and (d) show the process from peeling the sheet bundle Sb to carrying it on the processing tray 24 and discharging it to the stack tray 25. The process is shown.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the binding processing control unit 61 moves the left side alignment member 39 to a position away from the side edge of the adjacent sheet bundle Sb by a small distance. . Next, only the conveying roller 48b farther from the binding processing position Ep of the conveying roller device 46 is moved down to bring the lifting arm 50 down into pressure contact with the upper surface of the sheet bundle Sb in the unloading direction.

  The binding processing control unit 61 drives the conveyance roller 48b to slightly push out the sheet bundle Sb in the carry-out direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9-1 (b), the sheet bundle Sb is imparted with a clockwise rotation operation around the corner portion Sc, that is, the binding portion. Since the sheet bundle Sb is released to the rear side of the apparatus when the left side alignment member 39 is separated from the left edge, by causing the pushing force by the conveying roller 48b to act on the leading end side in the unloading direction of the sheet bundle Sb, The rotation operation occurs. However, the range in which the sheet bundle Sb rotates is limited by the left and right side alignment members 39 and 40.

  This rotation operation acts to twist the corner portion Sc of the sheet bundle Sb with respect to the one crimping tooth that has been in close contact. As a result, the sheet bundle portion that has been sandwiched between the upper and lower crimping teeth of the corner portion Sc and deformed into a corrugated plate shape is not peeled off with a strong force at all, but rotated in the surface direction of the sheet bundle. It becomes possible to peel off gradually little by little. As a result, the entire corner portion Sc of the sheet bundle Sb can be peeled off from the crimping tooth relatively easily. After the end of the rotation operation, the transport roller 48b raises the lifting arm 50 and returns it to the original upper position.

  For the rotation operation of the sheet bundle Sb, a relatively small force of only one of the pair of transport rollers 48 for carrying the sheet bundle Sb from the processing tray 24 to the stack tray 25 is sufficient. Since the needleless binding device 51, which is a relatively heavy component, is not moved at all, there is no need to use a large driving force or to provide an additional structure, thereby avoiding an increase in size, weight, and cost of the entire device. it can.

  When the peeling process of the sheet bundle Sb is completed, the stapleless binding device 51 transmits a processing end signal to the binding processing control unit 61. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9B, the sheet bundle Sb that has been peeled off remains inclined obliquely with respect to the unloading direction on the processing tray 24 by the rotation operation. In order to store all the sheet bundles Sb in the stack tray 25 in a state where all the sheet bundles Sb are aligned, it is preferable to carry out each sheet bundle with its posture straightened with respect to the carrying-out direction.

  For this purpose, in the present embodiment, the sheet bundle Sb is carried out while the left and right side alignment members 39 and 40 are stopped at the alignment positions shown in FIGS. 8-1 (d) and (e), respectively. As described above, the process of carrying out the sheet bundle Sb to the stack tray 25 is performed by combining the operation of the conveyor device 45 of the sheet bundle carry-out mechanism 29 and the operation of the transport roller device 46.

  The binding processing control unit 61 that has received the processing end signal of the peeling processing from the stapleless binding device 51 moves the left side alignment member 39 inward to the alignment position in FIGS. 8-1 (d) and (e). return. Thereby, the left edge of the sheet bundle Sb is pushed inward by the regulating surface 39a of the left side alignment member 39, and rotates in the opposite direction to the peeling process, that is, counterclockwise in the drawing. When the left side alignment member 39 returns to the alignment position, the posture of the sheet bundle Sb is straightened with respect to the unloading direction between the restriction surface 40a of the opposite right side alignment member 40.

  Next, the binding processing control unit 61 drives the conveyor device 45 to move the restricting member 35 in the unloading direction and bring the restricting surface 35a into contact with the rear end of the sheet bundle Sb in the unloading direction. As shown in FIG. 9-1 (c), the regulating member 35 moves to the maximum pushing position in FIG. 5 (b) and stops while pushing out the sheet bundle Sb. At the same time, the binding processing control unit 61 lowers both the lifting arms 50 of the transport roller device 46 and presses both the left and right transport rollers 48 against the upper surface of the sheet bundle Sb. The restricting member 35 is returned to the initial position shown in FIG.

  Further, the binding processing control unit 61 rotates both the conveyance rollers 48 to convey the sheet bundle Sb in the carrying-out direction, and carries the sheet bundle Sb from the processing tray 24 to the stack tray 25 as shown in FIG. At this time, the conveyance roller 48 is rotated at a relatively low speed so that the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle Sb does not slip with respect to the lower sheet, and the sheet bundle Sb is gradually fed toward the stack tray 25. preferable.

  As shown in FIGS. 9-2 (c) and 9 (d), the restricting member 35 and the two conveying rollers 48 are located at a position shifted by a considerable distance from the center of the sheet bundle Sb in the width direction. However, since the left and right side edges of the sheet bundle Sb are regulated by the left and right side alignment members 39 and 40, a straight attitude with respect to the carrying-out direction is maintained while the sheet bundle Sb is carried out by the regulating member 35 and the two conveying rollers 48. Is done.

  In another embodiment, the rotation speed of the conveying roller 48 that performs the peeling process of the sheet bundle Sb can be set to be different depending on the surface state of the sheet bundle Sb, that is, the surface roughness, the slip condition, and the like. For example, the degree of biting and biting on the pressure-bonding teeth of the sheet varies depending on the roughness and hardness of the paper fibers forming the sheet. In the case of a sheet that is relatively strong and has a rough surface, the conveyance roller 48 is rotated at a relatively low speed so that the rotation operation of the sheet bundle is relatively slow, and the load on the drive motor of the conveyance roller is not excessive. It is preferable to do so. On the other hand, in the case of a sheet having a smooth surface such as so-called coated paper, it is difficult for the crimping tooth to bite, and therefore it is easy to peel off from the crimping tooth. For this reason, the conveying roller 48 can be rotated at a relatively high speed and the sheet bundle Sb can be efficiently carried out without imposing an excessive load on the drive motor, so that productivity can be improved.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in relation to the preferred embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the technical scope, it can implement with a various change or deformation | transformation. Needless to say. For example, the binding position of the sheet bundle and the position of the binding device can be set to different positions with respect to the processing tray. In this case as well, a rotation operation is given to the sheet bundle by driving the transport roller far from the binding position. By doing so, the peeling process from the crimping tooth can be easily performed.

Ep Binding processing position Sb Sheet bundle Sc Corner portion Se1, Se2 Paper discharge sensor Sh Sheet Sx Center reference 20 Sheet bundle binding processing device 21 Device housing 22 Paper discharge path 23 Paper discharge port 24 Processing tray 25 Stack tray 26 Sheet carry-in mechanism 27 Sheet Alignment mechanism 28 Binding processing mechanism 29 Sheet bundle carry-out mechanism 35 Restriction member 36 Scraping rotary body 37 Sheet end restriction portion 38 Side alignment mechanism 39, 40 Side alignment member 39a, 40a Restriction surface 45 Conveyor device 46 Conveyance roller device 48 Conveyance roller 51 Needleless binding device 54 Lower crimping tooth 55 Upper crimping tooth 60 Main body control unit 61 Binding process control unit

Claims (6)

A sheet bundle binding processing device for stapleless binding processing of a plurality of sheets,
A processing tray for collecting the plurality of sheets;
A binding processing device having a pair of crimping teeth for needleless binding processing of the plurality of sheets on the processing tray into a sheet bundle;
In order to peel off the binding portion of the sheet bundle that is in close contact with the crimping tooth from the crimping tooth after the stapleless binding process, the sheet bundle is rotated on the processing tray around the binding portion. And a peeling mechanism for feeding out the sheet bundle in the carry-out direction by a roller brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet bundle.   The conveyance roller for conveying the sheet bundle peeled off from the pressure-bonding teeth on the processing tray in the unloading direction, and the conveyance roller constitutes the roller of the peeling mechanism. The sheet bundle binding processing apparatus according to 1.   The conveyance roller is composed of a pair of the conveyance rollers that are spaced apart in a direction substantially perpendicular to the carrying-out direction of the sheet bundle, and the roller of the peeling mechanism is the one of the pair of conveyance rollers, The sheet bundle binding processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance roller is located farther from the binding processing apparatus.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a side alignment mechanism that moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to the carry-out direction and aligns the plurality of sheets stacked on the processing tray. The sheet bundle binding processing apparatus described.   The posture of the sheet bundle is corrected with respect to the unloading direction by the side alignment mechanism when the sheet bundle peeled off from the pressure-bonding teeth is conveyed in the unloading direction on the processing tray. The sheet bundle binding processing apparatus according to 4. An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
A sheet bundle binding processing unit that accumulates a plurality of sheets sent from the image forming unit and performs stapleless binding processing,
6. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the sheet bundle binding processing unit is the sheet bundle binding processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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