JP2019000944A - Punching system, control method of the same, sheet processing device, and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve punching efficiency and productivity by shortening a time required for one punching operation of punching a sheet by reciprocating a punching member.SOLUTION: In a punching system 100, a control part 80 for controlling a punching drive motor 48 to make a punching member 21 reciprocate in an axial direction and make a punching blade 22 on one end punch a sheet, brakes a punching drive motor by applying an electric brake so as to stop the punching member after punching operation of the sheet at a home position. Fictional determination is made on a state that the punching drive motor stops rotating by the braking based on a rotation amount after the braking, and a start of next punching operation of the sheet by the punching member is determined. The rotation amount of the punching drive motor is detected as a pulse count, pulse width, pulse period of a pulse signal output from an encoder 55.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 31

Description

  The present invention relates to a punching system for automatically punching holes in a sheet-like workpiece such as a paper sheet or a plastic sheet, and a control method therefor. The present invention further relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system provided with such a punching system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, punching devices for punching file binding holes, for example, on sheets such as paper sheets carried out from image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printing machines, facsimile machines, and bookbinding apparatuses have been widely used. . Such a perforating apparatus is a stand-alone one that is independent from other devices (for example, see Patent Document 1), or a type that is incorporated in or attached to an image forming apparatus or a sheet processing apparatus as a post-processing apparatus (for example, (See Patent Documents 2 and 3).

  Many of these conventional punching devices convert a rotary motion of a DC (direct current) motor into a reciprocating motion so that the punch reciprocates up and down from a predetermined home position to make one punch hole into a sheet in one reciprocating stroke. Drill. At this time, in the punching device described in Patent Document 3, the reciprocating punch and die are moved in the sheet transport direction so that the transported paper is not stopped at the punching position one by one. The punching operation is performed while moving at the same speed as the transport speed.

  In general, every time one punch hole is punched, the punch returns to the home position and stops, and the next punching operation is started from the stop position. In order to perform one punching operation in a short time, it is necessary to reciprocate the punch at a high speed and stop the punch in the backward stroke at a desired home position quickly and accurately. Therefore, for a predetermined time from when the punch blade enters the home position, the DC motor for driving the punch blade is subjected to reverse brake control, and after the predetermined time has elapsed, the reverse braking of the motor is extended based on time monitoring, There has been proposed a paper punching device and a control method in which a punch blade is quickly stopped (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

  In addition, when the punching operation of the punch member is controlled by the amount of rotation of the drive motor, the motor rotation amount varies depending on the sheet thickness, material, etc., so the punch member stop position may vary, and the punching operation is executed continuously. When this occurs, the operation position of the punch member gradually shifts, causing problems such as sheet jamming (paper jam). Therefore, it has been proposed to control the timing for braking the drive motor so as to vary in accordance with the thickness of the sheet (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

JP 2006-289512 A JP 2005-144576 A JP 2013-43224 A JP 2008-1000078 A JP 2012-139815 A

  When a punch member that reciprocates in this manner and punches a sheet is used to continuously punch a plurality of punch holes, particularly 32 holes or the like, at a narrow pitch in one sheet, one punch Productivity is improved by shortening the time required for operation and increasing the drilling efficiency. In particular, in a drilling system in which the punch motor is continuously reciprocated by reversing the drive motor for each drilling operation, the punch member that has finished drilling and returned to the home position can be used for the next drilling operation without overrunning. In addition, it is necessary to stop in a shorter time. Even in a drilling system in which the punch motor is continuously reciprocated by rotating the drive motor in the same direction, similarly, stopping the punch member at the home position in a shorter time also increases the stopping accuracy for the next drilling operation. It is important to improve.

  In general, in order to stop the rotation of the DC motor, a so-called short brake is often used in which the power supply is shut off and at the same time, both ends of the DC motor are short-circuited to form a short brake circuit and braking is performed by the counter electromotive force. . When the short brake is applied, the DC motor continues to rotate for a while after that, so it usually takes some time to complete the stop. On the other hand, if the DC motor is reversely rotated before it is completely stopped, a large burden is generated on the coil and the contact, and a problem arises in that the counter electromotive force is added to the current in the reverse direction and the current load increases.

  In the drilling system described above, as a method of determining when the drive motor stopped rotating, the rotation of the drive motor is detected by a pulse signal, and the number of pulses after a short brake is counted, or the elapsed time after the short brake is measured. It is possible to do. The number of pulses and the elapsed time until the rotation of the drive motor is stopped can be easily obtained by conducting a test in advance and confirming the state in which the rotation is reliably stopped from the pulse signal of the drive motor.

  However, even if the drive motor is not completely stopped in rotation, if the back electromotive force due to the short brake is not substantially generated, even if the current is applied in the reverse direction, the problem of the current load described above on the drive motor. Does not occur. In other words, it is considered practically possible to start the reverse rotation of the drive motor with a pulse number or elapsed time that is less than the pulse number or elapsed time when a reliable rotation stop state was confirmed by a preliminary test or the like. It is done. Based on such knowledge, the inventors of the present application have come up with the present invention as a result of various investigations of the state until the drive motor stops rotating after a short brake.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the time required for one punching operation to a minimum in a punching system that punches a sheet using a punch member that reciprocates by a drive motor, thereby improving punching efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the productivity, and the productivity can be improved particularly in the drilling of multi-holes.

In order to achieve the above object, the drilling system of the present invention comprises:
A punch member having a perforated blade at one end in the axial direction and reciprocating in the axial direction;
A drive motor for reciprocating the punch member in the axial direction from the home position and perforating the sheet with a perforating blade;
A control unit for controlling the drive motor so as to cause the punch member to reciprocate in the axial direction to cause the punching operation of the sheet,
The controller brakes the drive motor so that the punch member stops at the home position after punching the sheet, and the rotation amount after the start of braking of the drive motor indicates that the drive motor has stopped rotating due to braking. Based on this, it is determined in a pseudo manner, and the start of the next punching operation of the sheet by the punch member is determined.

  In this way, the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on the rotation amount after the start of braking, so that the next drilling operation can be started without waiting for the drive motor to stop rotating completely. can do. As a result, the time required for one drilling operation can be shortened to the minimum, thereby increasing the drilling efficiency and improving the productivity. In addition, since an additional mechanism and complicated control are not required for determining the rotation stop state of the drive motor, an increase in cost and an increase in the size of the apparatus can be avoided.

  In an embodiment, by braking the drive motor with an electric brake, the drive motor can be stopped in a shorter time from the start of braking, and the drilling efficiency can be further increased.

  In another embodiment, an encoder for detecting the rotation amount of the drive motor as a pulse signal is further provided, and the control unit artificially determines the rotation stop state of the drive motor using the pulse signal output from the encoder. . Thereby, the time required for one drilling operation and the start of the next drilling operation can be controlled more easily and with high accuracy.

  In an embodiment, the control unit artificially determines the rotation stop state of the drive motor based on the number of pulses of the pulse signal. Since the controller only needs to count the number of pulses, the control is simple.

  In another embodiment, the control unit artificially determines the rotation stop state of the drive motor based on the pulse width of the pulse signal. In another embodiment, the control unit artificially determines the rotation stop state of the drive motor based on the pulse period of the pulse signal. Thereby, the rotation stop state of the drive motor can be determined by one preset threshold value regardless of the difference in thickness and material of the sheet.

  In some embodiments, the punch member is movable with the sheet in a predetermined transport direction by engaging a punch hole in the sheet being punched so as to punch a sheet being transported in a predetermined transport direction. . By punching while conveying the sheet in this way, the punching efficiency and productivity can be further improved.

  In another embodiment, the control unit continuously executes the sheet punching operation with the punch member by alternately rotating the drive motor forward and backward. As a result, the next drilling operation can be started with higher efficiency and higher control in a shorter time from the position where the punch member and the drive motor are stopped after the previous drilling operation.

The drilling system control method of the present invention comprises:
A punch member having a perforating blade at one end in the axial direction and capable of reciprocating in the axial direction, and a drive motor for reciprocating the punch member in the axial direction from the home position and perforating the sheet by the perforating blade A control method for a drilling system,
The drive motor is activated, the punch member is reciprocated in the axial direction so as to perforate the sheet, and then the drive motor is braked so as to stop at the home position, and this braking causes the drive motor to stop rotating. This is characterized in that it is determined in a pseudo manner based on the rotation amount of the drive motor after the start of braking, and the start of the next punching operation of the sheet by the punch member is determined.

  In this way, by determining the rotation stop state of the drive motor based on the amount of rotation after the start of braking, the next drilling operation can be performed without confirming that the drive motor has completely stopped rotating. Can be controlled to start. Thereby, the time required for one drilling operation can be shortened to the minimum, and the drilling efficiency and productivity can be improved. In addition, since no additional mechanism or complicated control is required for determining the rotation stop state of the drive motor, the drilling system can be provided at low cost.

  In some embodiments, by braking the drive motor with an electric brake, the drive motor can be controlled to stop in a shorter time from the start of braking, resulting in higher drilling efficiency.

  In another embodiment, the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on the counter electromotive force generated in the drive motor by the electric brake. Since the back electromotive force of the drive motor can be detected by measuring the drive voltage of the drive motor, the rotation stop state of the drive motor can be easily and reliably determined.

  In another embodiment, the rotation amount of the drive motor is detected as a pulse signal, and the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner using the detected pulse signal. Thereby, the time required for one drilling operation and the start of the next drilling operation can be controlled more easily and with high accuracy.

  In an embodiment, the control can be easily performed by artificially determining the rotation stop state of the drive motor based on the number of pulses of the pulse signal.

  In another embodiment, the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on the pulse width of the pulse signal. In yet another embodiment, the rotational stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on the pulse period of the pulse signal. Thus, the rotation stop state of the drive motor can be determined only by setting one threshold value in advance, regardless of differences in sheet thickness, material, and the like.

  In one embodiment, the sheet is punched continuously by the punch member by alternately rotating the drive motor forward and backward. Thereby, the next drilling operation can be started in a shorter time from the position where the punch member and the drive motor are stopped after the previous drilling operation, and the control can be performed more efficiently and highly.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the sheet is provided with the above-described punching system of the present invention, whereby the time required for one punching operation is short, and the sheet has a punching function capable of exhibiting high punching efficiency and productivity. A processing device is provided.

  In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, the above-described drilling system or sheet processing apparatus of the present invention is provided, so that the time required for one punching operation is short, and high drilling efficiency and productivity can be exhibited. An image forming apparatus having a punching function is provided.

1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a drilling system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the drilling system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the drilling system of FIG. 1. Sectional drawing in the IV-IV line of FIG. The perspective view which shows embodiment of the punching unit by this invention. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the punching unit of FIG. 5. The front view of the punching main-body part of a punching unit. The top view of a perforation main-body part. The side view which abbreviate | omits and shows the side part plate of a drilling main-body part. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the perforation main-body part in the XX line of a figure. The exploded perspective view of the base unit part of a perforation unit. The disassembled perspective view of the slide base part of a base unit part. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the base unit part in the XIII-XIII line of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the assembly | attachment to the housing of a piercing | piercing unit. The block diagram which shows the control structure of the drilling system of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a sheet supply unit in a state where a sheet is placed on a sheet feed tray of a punching system. FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a sheet supply unit in a state where a sheet is fed out from a sheet feeding tray. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a sheet tip is abutted against a registration roller of a perforation unit. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the leading end of the sheet has reached a punching position of the punching unit. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the leading end of the sheet has reached a sheet discharge portion of the punching unit. FIGS. 4A and 4B are a partial cross-sectional side view and a top view of the punch member of the punching unit in which the punch member is at the top dead center position in the sheet punching process. FIGS. 4A and 4B are a partial sectional side view and a top view of a punch member showing an operation state of the punching unit in which the sheet pressing portion starts pressing the sheet in the sheet path. (A) Drawing and (b) figure are the fragmentary sectional side views and the top view of a punch member which show the operation state of the punching unit in which the blade edge of the punch member fell to the sheet upper surface position. (A) A figure and (b) figure are the fragmentary sectional side views and the top view of a punch member which show the operation state of the punching unit which the punch member reached the bottom dead center position. FIGS. 5A and 5B are a partial cross-sectional side view and a top view of the punch member showing an operation state of the punching unit in which the cutting edge of the punch member is raised to the upper surface position of the sheet in the process of returning from the punch hole. FIGS. 5A and 5B are a partial cross-sectional side view and a top view of a punch member showing an operation state of the punching unit in which the sheet pressing portion releases the pressing of the sheet in the sheet path. FIGS. 5A and 5B are a partial cross-sectional side view and a top view of the punch member showing an operation state of the punching unit in which the punch member returns to the top dead center position. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the base unit part in the maximum movement position of the slider from which a punch member leaves | separates from the punch hole of a sheet | seat. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the base unit part in the state in which the slider was stopped by the stopper member. The elements on larger scale which show the buffer mechanism of FIG. The timing chart explaining the control of the drilling operation | movement in the drilling system of this invention, and its 1st Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows 2nd Embodiment of control of the drilling operation | movement by this invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of a drilling system according to the present invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the integration of the drilling unit in the drilling system of FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The punching system of the present embodiment is an independent stand-alone device that punches, for example, a file binding hole while conveying a plurality of sheets such as paper sheets one by one.

  1 to 4 show the overall configuration of a drilling system 100 according to the present invention. The punching system 100 includes a punching device main body 1 and a punching unit 2 attached to the punching device main body. The punching device main body 1 includes a generally box-shaped housing 101 and a sheet conveying unit 102 provided in the housing. The punching unit 2 is detachably attached to the housing 101 as will be described later.

  The sheet conveyance unit 102 includes a sheet conveyance path 105 for conveying the sheet from the sheet supply port 103 to the sheet discharge port 104. The sheet supply port 103 is provided at an upper portion of one side (right side in FIGS. 1 and 4) of the housing 101, and a sheet supply tray 106 for mounting a sheet to be punched is attached. The sheet discharge port 104 is provided at a lower portion of the one side portion, and a sheet discharge tray 107 for stacking perforated sheets is attached thereto. The sheet supply tray 106 and the sheet discharge tray 107 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction.

  The sheet conveyance path 105 includes an upstream path extending substantially linearly from the sheet supply port 103 to the other side of the housing 101, and a downstream extending generally linearly from the other side to the sheet discharge port 104. It is provided in a U-shape comprising a side path and a curved intermediate path connected to the upstream path and the downstream path on the other side. The sheet conveyance path 105 is formed by an inner guide member that forms the U-shaped inner side and an outer guide member that forms the outer side. In the upstream path, the punching unit 2 is disposed slightly before the intermediate path.

  In order to convey the sheet along the sheet conveyance path 105, the sheet conveyance unit 102 includes a plurality of conveyance rollers that will be explained to squid. A feeding roller 110 for feeding a sheet from the sheet supply tray 106 to the sheet conveying path 105 is provided in the upstream path of the sheet conveying path 105. Further, the upstream path is provided with a feeding roller 111 for transporting the fed sheet downstream, and a separation roller 112 for separating the fed sheet into one sheet.

  Three pairs of upper and lower pairs of registration rollers 113 and 114 are provided symmetrically on the upstream side of the punching unit 2, and three pairs of upper and lower pairs of unloading rollers 115 and 116 are provided on the downstream side of the punching unit 2. . The registration rollers 113 and 114 are fed to the perforating unit 2 on the downstream side after the leading ends of the sheets conveyed from the feeding roller 111 and the separation roller 112 are brought into contact with and aligned with the press contact portions. The carry-out rollers 115 and 116 carry out the sheet punched by the punching unit 2 to the intermediate path.

  In the downstream path, intermediate conveyance rollers 117 and 118 are disposed on the exit side of the intermediate path, and discharge rollers 119 and 120 are disposed immediately before the sheet discharge port 104. The sheet conveyed to the intermediate path is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 107 by the intermediate conveyance rollers 117 and 118 and the discharge rollers 119 and 120. The plurality of sheets placed on the sheet supply tray 106 are stacked on the sheet discharge tray 107 in the order of the pages placed on the sheet discharge tray.

  Immediately inside the sheet supply port 103, a drive shaft 122 that pivotally supports the feeding roller 110 so as to integrally rotate in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction is disposed above the sheet conveying path 105. On the lower side of the sheet conveyance path 105, a separation roller 112 that press-contacts the feeding roller 111 from the lower side is pivotally supported.

  A pair of swing arms 123 extending from the drive shaft in the direction opposite to the sheet conveyance direction and spaced apart in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction are pivotally supported on the drive shaft 122. The swing arm 123 is connected to the drive shaft 122 so as to be rotatable integrally with the drive shaft 122 via a torque limiter at the base end portion. A support shaft 124 is rotatably mounted on the tip of the swing arm 123 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and a feeding roller 110 is pivotally supported on the support shaft so as to be integrally rotatable. The support shaft 124 is connected to the drive shaft 122 via a belt transmission mechanism 125 including a pulley fixed to one end of the drive shaft 122 and a belt wound around these pulleys.

  Between the sheet supply tray 106 and the separation roller 112, a sheet guide 126 that forms a part of the inner guide member of the sheet conveyance path 105 and a sheet alignment member 127 are provided. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the sheet aligning member 127 has an L shape in which the front end portion in the sheet conveyance direction is bent upward at a substantially right angle, and the base end portion on the sheet supply tray 106 side can swing. It is pivotally supported by. The sheet aligning member 127 forms a sheet aligning surface 128 in which the upward bent portion of the front end makes the front end of the sheet placed on the sheet supply tray 106 contact and align, as will be described later.

  The leading end side of the sheet aligning member 127 is supported by an eccentric cam 131 disposed below the sheet aligning member 127. The eccentric cam 131 has a substantially circular cam surface 132 on the outer periphery thereof, and is attached to a cam shaft 133 that extends in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction so as to rotate integrally. As shown in FIG. 4, the eccentric cam 131 is arranged in a standby state before starting punching of the sheet, the sheet alignment member 127 is disposed at the highest position, and the upward folding curved surface 128 blocks the sheet conveyance path 105, It is disposed at a rotational position that prevents the sheet from entering the separation roller 112 side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a sheet feeding motor 134 is attached to the back surface of the housing 101. The front end portion of the rotating shaft 134a of the sheet feeding motor 134 and the outer end portion of the drive shaft 122 protruding from the rear surface of the housing 101 are composed of pulleys 135 and 136 attached thereto and a belt 137 wound around the pulley. It is connected by a belt transmission mechanism. Further, the drive shaft 122 and the cam shaft 132 are coupled via a gear mechanism so as to be able to transmit a driving force. The gear mechanism includes gears 138 and 139 attached to the outer end portion of the drive shaft 122 and the outer end portion of the cam shaft 132 protruding from the rear surface of the housing 101, and an intermediate gear 140 meshing with the gears.

  Accordingly, when the sheet feeding motor is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the drive shaft 122 is rotationally driven in the sheet conveying direction, and the feeding roller 111 is similarly rotated in the sheet conveying direction. On the other hand, the cam shaft 132 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 to rotate the eccentric cam 131 in a direction in which the distance from the cam shaft to the cam surface 132 becomes smaller. Further, by the rotation of the drive shaft 122, the swing arm 123 rotates in a direction to lower the feeding roller 110 toward the upper surface of the sheet guide 126.

  The lower registration roller 113 is pivotally supported by a registration roller drive shaft 143 that traverses the housing 101 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction so as to be rotationally driven. On the other hand, the upper registration roller 114 is rotatably supported by a registration roller support shaft 144 that crosses the back surface and the front surface of the housing 101 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.

  Similarly, the lower carry-out roller 115 is pivotally supported by a carry-out roller drive shaft 145 that traverses the housing 101 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction so as to be rotationally driven. On the other hand, the upper carry-out roller 116 is rotatably supported by a carry-out roller support shaft 146 that crosses the housing 101 in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.

  The upper registration roller support shaft 144 and the carry-out roller support shaft 146 are respectively provided to the lower registration roller drive shaft 143 and the carry-out roller drive shaft 145 by coil springs 147 and 148 provided at the upper part of the housing 101. Energized by pressure. Thereby, the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper registration roller 114 and the carry-out roller 115 press the corresponding outer peripheral surfaces of the lower registration roller 113 and the carry-out roller 115 with the predetermined pressure, respectively. With this pressing force, each of the resist and the carry-out roller sandwiches the sheet in the sheet conveyance path 105 from above and below and conveys the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction by the rotation of the registration roller drive shaft and the carry-out roller drive shaft.

  The lower intermediate conveyance roller 117 is pivotally supported by an intermediate conveyance roller drive shaft 151 that crosses the housing 101 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction so as to be rotationally driven. On the other hand, the upper intermediate conveyance roller 118 is rotatably supported by an intermediate conveyance roller support shaft 152 that crosses the housing 101 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.

  Similarly, the lower discharge roller 119 is pivotally supported by a discharge roller drive shaft 153 that crosses the housing 101 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction so as to be rotationally driven. On the other hand, the upper discharge roller 120 is rotatably supported by a discharge roller support shaft 154 that crosses the housing 101 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a sheet conveying motor 155 is attached to the front surface of the housing 101. A front end portion of the rotation shaft 155a of the sheet conveying motor 155 and an end portion of the registration roller driving shaft 143 protruding from the front surface of the housing 101 are pulleys 156 and 157 attached thereto and a belt 158 wound between the pulleys. Are connected by a belt transmission mechanism.

  Similarly, the end portions of the registration roller driving shaft 143, the carry-out roller driving shaft 145, the intermediate transport roller driving shaft 151, and the discharge roller driving shaft 153 that protrude from the front surface of the housing 101 are pulleys 157, 160, and 161 attached to the ends. 162 and belts 163, 164, and 165 wound around the pulleys adjacent in the sheet conveying direction. Accordingly, when the sheet conveying motor 155 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2, the registration roller driving shaft, the unloading roller driving shaft, the intermediate conveying roller driving shaft, and the discharge roller driving shaft are rotationally driven in the sheet conveying direction. Similarly, the rollers 113 and 114, the carry-out rollers 115 and 116, the intermediate conveyance rollers 117 and 118, and the discharge rollers 119 and 120 rotate in the sheet conveyance direction.

  The punching system 100 is provided with a plurality of sheet sensors for detecting the position of the sheet. As shown in FIG. 4, an empty sensor 166 for detecting that a sheet is placed is attached to the sheet supply tray 106. The sheet conveyance path 105 is provided with four sheet edge sensors 167 to 170 for detecting the leading edge and the trailing edge of the conveyed sheet. The operation of these sheet sensors will be described later.

  FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the drilling unit 2 according to the invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the punching unit 2 includes a punching main body 3 that performs a punching operation of a sheet, and a base unit 4 that supports the punching main body so as to reciprocate in the sheet conveyance direction. The drilling main body 3 and the base unit 4 are integrated by screwing a fixing screw 6 penetrating the mounting surface 4a of the base unit from the back side into the mounting hole 3a at the bottom of the drilling main body 3. The integrated punching unit 2 is detachably attached to the housing 101 by the base unit portion 4 as one independent module device.

  7 to 10 show the entire configuration of the perforated main body 3. The perforation main body 3 includes a sheet perforation unit 11, a perforation driving unit 12, and a frame 13. The frame 13 includes a lower frame 14 for guiding a sheet to be perforated and for attaching the perforation main body 3 to the base unit 4, and an upper frame 15 for assembling the sheet perforation 11 and the perforation driving unit 12. Consists of

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the lower frame 14 is formed of a substantially rectangular flat plate member, and the upper surface thereof has a horizontal and flat sheet support surface 14a for supporting a sheet of a workpiece to be drilled. Define. The upper frame 15 has a lower plate 16 disposed so as to face the seat support surface 14a with a certain slight gap. A slight gap between the sheet support surface 14a and the lower plate 16 defines a sheet path 17 for passing the sheet to the punching position.

  The lower frame 14 and the lower plate 16 of the upper frame 15 are integrally coupled with the spacer plate 17a interposed at the end opposite to the seat passage 17. The height dimension of the sheet passage 17 is substantially determined by the thickness of the spacer plate 17a. In the present embodiment, the height dimension of the sheet path 17 is set smaller than the height of the sheet conveyance path 105 before and after the punching unit 2 in the sheet conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper frame 15 is provided with the sheet punching portion 11 on the sheet path 17 side and the punching drive portion 12 on the opposite side. The upper frame 15 is vertically suspended from a side plate 18 that is bent vertically upward from an end of the lower plate 16 opposite to the perforation driving unit 12 and from an upstream end of the lower plate 16. The side plate 19 is suspended upward from the downstream end of the lower plate 16, and the upper end of the side plate 19 is inwardly parallel to the lower plate 16 so that a U-shape is formed when viewed from the side of FIG. And an upper plate 20 bent horizontally.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the sheet punching portion 11 includes a circular rod-shaped punch member 21 that extends in the vertical direction and has a substantially constant diameter over the entire length. The punch member 21 has a cylindrical punching blade 22 formed at the lower end thereof. The perforating blade 22 is formed so as to cut out the cylindrical peripheral edge of the punch member 21 in a V shape when viewed from the side, that is, to define a V-shaped notch at a certain facing side surface position of the cylindrical peripheral edge. Is formed. The punch member 21 has two diametrical through-holes 23 and 24 formed in the upper and lower portions, and a relatively narrow circumferential groove 25 is provided around the entire circumference in the vicinity of the center in the axial direction. Yes.

  Circular through holes 26 and 27 are formed in the lower plate 16 and the upper plate 20 of the upper frame 15 at positions corresponding to the vertical direction, respectively. An upper end portion of the punch member 21 is inserted into the upper through hole 27 and a lower end portion thereof is inserted into the lower through hole 26 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the axial direction. A circular die hole 28 for punching a sheet by the punching blade 22 is provided in the lower frame 14 at a position corresponding to the through hole 26 of the lower plate 16 in the vertical direction.

  The punch member 21 is externally provided with a cam member 31 formed of a cylindrical cam concentrically therewith. The cam member 31 can be composed of a substantially cylindrical upper cam half 31a and a lower cam half 31b. The upper cam half body 31a and the lower cam half body 31b are assembled so as to be able to rotate integrally in the circumferential direction by fitting each other vertically.

  An upper cam surface 32a is formed on the lower surface of the upper cam half 31a so as to be continuous over the entire circumference along the outer peripheral edge thereof. A lower cam surface 32b is formed on the upper surface of the lower cam half 31b so as to be continuous over the entire circumference along the outer peripheral edge thereof. By integrating the two cam halves 31a and 31b as described above, an endless cam groove 33 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 31 in the circumferential direction.

  A cam pin 34 projects horizontally from the upstream side plate 19 toward the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 31. The cam pin 34 is disposed so as to fit into the cam groove 33 and engage with the upper cam surface 32a and / or the lower cam surface 32b.

  On the lower surface of the cam member 31 (lower cam half 31b), a narrow groove 35 having a predetermined depth extending in the diameter direction from the periphery of the shaft hole through which the punch member 21 is inserted is formed. On the upper surface of the cam member 31 (upper cam half 31a), a step 36 having a predetermined width and depth is provided along the periphery of the shaft hole through which the punch member is inserted.

  The narrow groove 35 on the lower surface of the cam member 31 is fitted with both end portions of the connecting pin 37 inserted through the lower through hole 24 of the punch member 21 and projecting from both ends of the through hole. For example, a rubber ring 38 is fitted into the step 36 on the upper surface of the cam member 31, and an E ring 39 is fitted into the circumferential groove 25 of the punch member 21 immediately above. Accordingly, the cam member 31 is integrally attached to the punch member 21 in the axial direction and the circumferential direction.

  A sensor flag member 41 is integrally fixed to the upper surface of the cam member 31 as a position detecting member for a position sensor described later. The sensor flag member 41 is formed of a fan-shaped light shielding plate having a fixed width and extending horizontally outward in the radial direction around the axis of the punch member 21.

  A driven gear 42 is concentrically mounted on the punch member 21 at an upper end portion protruding upward from the through hole 27 of the upper plate 20. As will be described later, the driven gear 42 is a worm wheel or a helical gear that meshes with a worm or screw gear on the driving side. The driven gear 42 is formed with a narrow groove 43 extending in the diametrical direction from the periphery of the shaft hole through which the punch member 21 is inserted.

  The narrow groove 43 of the driven gear 42 is fitted with both end portions of the connecting pin 44 inserted through the upper through hole 23 of the punch member 21 and projecting from both ends of the through hole. The both end portions of the connecting pin 44 are disposed in the narrow groove 43 so as not to move in the rotational direction of the cam member 31 and to be slidable in the axial direction of the cam member. Further, the driven gear 42 is supported with its lower surface in sliding contact with the upper surface of the upper plate 19. Thus, the driven gear 42 is held so as to be integrally rotatable in the circumferential direction with respect to the punch member 21 and relatively movable in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the upper frame 15 is provided with a sheet pressing portion 70 for pressing the sheet S in the sheet passage 17 against the sheet support surface 14 a on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the sheet punching portion 11. Yes. The sheet pressing portion 70 includes a leaf spring member 71 obtained by bending a thin metal plate made of a spring material such as spring steel into a V shape. The leaf spring member 71 has the bent portion 74 in the seat with the upper surface of the upper spring plate portion 72 facing the lower surface of the cam member 31 and the lower surface of the lower spring plate portion 73 facing the seat support surface 14a. It arrange | positions toward the upstream of a conveyance direction.

  The sheet pressing portion 70 further includes a swing arm 75 for supporting the leaf spring member 71 and a fixture 76 fixed to the side plate 19 of the upper frame 15. The swing arm 75 is formed by a plate portion bent at a right angle downward from both side edges of the upper spring plate portion 72, and is pivotally supported by the fixture in the vicinity of the end portion on the bent portion 74 side so as to be swingable up and down. ing. Accordingly, the leaf spring member 71 is supported on the side plate 19 of the upper frame 15 so as to be swingable up and down between the cam member 31 and the seat support surface 14a.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the upper spring plate portion 72 has a distal end bent slightly downward to form a cam receiving portion 77 for contacting the lower surface of the cam member 31. The lower spring plate portion 73 is bent slightly upward from the vicinity of the middle portion thereof to form a sheet presser 78 for pressing the sheet S in the sheet passage 17 against the sheet support surface 14a.

  The sheet presser 78 has a leading end that opens in a Y shape toward the downstream side, and is provided so that the punch member 21 can penetrate through the inside thereof without contacting the sheet presser 78 up and down. The sheet presser 78 abuts on a sheet portion formed by or formed around the punch hole by the punch member 21. The front end of the sheet presser 78 is bent slightly upward so as to come into contact with the upper surface of the sheet without being caught.

  When the cam receiving portion 77 is pushed down to the lower surface of the cam member 31 and the distance between the upper spring plate portion 72 and the lower spring plate portion 73 is reduced, the plate spring member 71 exerts a biasing force, and the sheet presser 78 is The sheet S is pressed against the sheet support surface 14a. The pressing force applied from the sheet presser 78 to the upper surface of the sheet S increases or decreases depending on the displacement amount of the leaf spring member 71 caused by the cam receiving portion 77 being pushed down to the lower surface of the cam member 31, that is, the axial displacement amount of the lower surface of the cam member. To do.

  The piercing drive unit 12 includes a piercing drive motor 48 for rotationally driving the punch member 21. In the upper frame 15, a vertical plate 46 is disposed opposite to the side plate 18 between the punching drive motor 48 and the sheet punching unit 11. The punching drive motor 48 is mounted horizontally on the vertical plate 46 with its output shaft 49 protruding horizontally toward the sheet punching portion 11.

  A driving gear 50 is attached to the tip of the output shaft 49. The drive gear 50 meshes with an intermediate gear 52 that is rotatably mounted on a horizontal rotating rod 51 that is rotatably supported between the vertical plate 46 and the side plate 18. A worm 53 is formed on the rotating rod 51 and meshes with the driven gear 42. Thereby, the rotation of the punching drive motor 48 can be transmitted to the punch member 21, and the punch member can be rotated at a reduced speed.

  In the punching drive motor 48, for example, an optical transmission type encoder 55 is provided on the side opposite to the sheet punching unit 11 in order to detect the rotation amount. Thereby, the rotation of the perforation driving motor 48 can be controlled with higher accuracy in relation to the position of the sheet with respect to the perforation main body 3, for example.

  In the upper frame 15, a position sensor 60 for detecting the rotational position of the punch member 21 is attached to an extending portion 47 on the opposite side of the vertical plate 46 from the rotating rod 51. The position sensor 60 is a transmissive photosensor, and includes a rectangular box-shaped light projecting unit 62 and a light receiving unit 63 that project toward the punch member 21. The light projecting unit 62 and the light receiving unit 63 are arranged so as to face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween so that the sensor flag member 41 that rotates horizontally can pass through the gap. The position sensor 60 is turned off when light passes from the light projecting unit 62 to the light receiving unit 63, and is turned on when light is blocked by the sensor flag member 41.

  The position sensor 60 is not limited to the transmissive photosensor of the present embodiment described above. If a detector that rotates integrally with the punch member 21 such as the sensor flag member 41 is used, various known sensors such as a reflective photosensor, a magnetic sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor may be used. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the base unit 4 includes a slider 7 that integrally fixes the punching body 3, a base 8 that supports the slider so as to reciprocate within a predetermined movable range in the sheet conveying direction, The unit 2 includes an attachment stay 9 for attaching the unit 2 to the housing 101. The slider 7 is formed of a relatively thick plate-like block, and has a substantially rectangular flat upper surface that is the mounting surface 4a for the above-described perforated main body 3.

  On one side of the slider 7 along the sheet conveyance direction, that is, in the direction of movement of the slider, a slide guide 171 projects downward from the lower surface along the side. The slide guide 171 is formed with a guide hole 172 that penetrates the slide guide 171 in the slider moving direction. On the other side portion of the slider 7, one slide portion 173 protrudes horizontally outward from the side surface. Further, two retaining projections 174 projecting horizontally outward from the side surface of the other side portion are provided with a slight gap between the lower end of the slide portion 173 in the vertical direction and the horizontal side direction. It is provided so that it may be located on both sides of a slide part.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the base portion 8 includes a support member 176 that has a generally rectangular shallow box shape with an open top. Between the end walls 176a and 176b of the support member 176 facing each other in the sheet conveying direction, a guide rod 177 and a spring holding rod 178 are installed in the sheet conveying direction. The guide rod 177 is disposed along a side portion corresponding to the one side portion of the slider 7. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide rod 177 is slidably inserted into the guide hole 172 of the slider 7, and supports the slider so as to be movable in the axial direction thereof.

  The spring holding rod 178 is disposed inside and parallel to the guide rod 177. A substantially U-shaped positioning plate 180 is suspended from the bottom surface of the support member 176 slightly upstream from the center in the sheet conveying direction. The positioning plate 180 is arranged so that each surface thereof faces the end walls 176a and 176b of the support member, and the spring holding rod 178 is loosely inserted into the U-shaped groove.

  A return spring 181 and a spring receiving ring 182 are fitted to the spring holding rod 178 between the positioning plate 180 and the end wall 176b on the downstream side of the support member 176 along the sheet conveying direction. The slider 7 can be moved upstream in the sheet conveying direction by the biasing force of the return spring 181. The return spring 181 of this embodiment is a coil spring as illustrated.

  Further, the spring holding rod 178 is provided with a buffer mechanism for mitigating and reducing the impact when stopping the slider 7 that is moved by the urging force of the return spring 181. The buffer mechanism includes a buffer spring 183 and an elastic stopper 184 that are fitted to the spring holding rod 178 along the sheet conveying direction between the positioning plate 180 and the upstream end wall 176a of the support member 176. The buffer spring 183 is a coil spring as illustrated. The elastic stopper 184 has a short cylindrical shape having a flange at the upstream end, and is formed of, for example, a rubber material so as to exhibit high elasticity in the axial direction.

  On the side of the support member 176 opposite to the guide rod 177, a horizontal guide rail 185 is formed by bending the side wall inward at a substantially right angle and extending linearly along the sheet conveying direction. Yes. As shown in FIG. 6, the slider 7 is mounted so as to be sandwiched between an upper slide portion 173 disposed on the guide rail 185 and two retaining projections 174 disposed below the slider 173. Accordingly, the slider 7 is supported by the slide portion 173 sliding on the guide rail 185 in addition to the slide guide 171 inserted through the guide rod 177 so as to be stably movable on both the left and right sides in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 13, on the lower surface of the slider 7, a return tab 187 projecting downward is provided integrally at the approximate center thereof. The return tab 187 is formed with a through hole 188 for loosely inserting the spring holding rod 178. The return tab 187 is disposed between the positioning plate 180 and the return spring 181 by inserting the spring holding rod 178 into the through hole 188. Due to the action of the return spring 181 that presses the return tab 187, the slider 7 is always urged upstream in the sheet conveying direction.

  On the other hand, the elastic stopper 184 is always urged to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction by the action of the buffer spring 183. Accordingly, in the initial state shown in FIG. 13, the elastic stopper 184 gently protrudes the short cylindrical portion 184 a into the U-shaped groove of the positioning plate 180, and the flange 184 b is the peripheral edge of the U-shaped groove of the positioning plate. It is held in a state of being brought into contact with and locked to the part. At this time, the dimension of the elastic stopper 184 is determined so that the short cylindrical portion 184a protrudes the end surface on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction to the downstream side from the positioning plate 180. Therefore, the return tab 187 is always brought into contact with the downstream end surface in the sheet conveying direction of the short cylindrical portion 184a of the elastic stopper slightly before the positioning plate 180 and locked.

  The elastic moduli of the return spring 181, the elastic stopper 184, and the buffer spring 183 are set so that the initial state of FIG. 13 described above can be maintained. Therefore, it is preferable that at least the combined elastic modulus of the elastic stopper 184 and the buffer spring 183 is larger than the elastic modulus of the return spring 181.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the mounting stay 9 is formed by processing a relatively high rigidity metal plate, for example, a flat horizontal plate portion 190, and two vertical plate portions 191 bent at a right angle downward from the horizontal plate portion. Are formed. The horizontal plate portion 190 has a plurality of (three in this embodiment) attachment holes 192 for attachment to the lower surface of the base portion 8 and one attachment hole 193 for attachment to the housing 101. Each vertical plate portion 191 is provided with one attachment hole 194 for attachment to the housing 101. The mounting stay 9 is integrated with the base portion by passing a fixing screw 195 through the mounting hole 192 from the back side of the horizontal plate portion 190 and screwing it into a corresponding screw hole (not shown) on the bottom surface of the base portion 8. Fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the housing 101 is provided with an attachment portion 200 for the perforation unit 2 by cutting out a part of the rear panel 101 a. The attachment portion 200 has two screw holes 196 formed in the vertical portion of the back panel 101a corresponding to the attachment holes 194 of the attachment stay 9. Further, the mounting portion 200 has one screw hole 197 formed in the horizontal portion bent substantially perpendicularly from the vertical portion inside the notch portion so as to correspond to the mounting hole 193 of the mounting stay 9.

  When the drilling unit 2 is mounted on the housing 101, the drilling unit 2 is disposed on the horizontal portion in the notch portion of the mounting portion 200. The mounting screw 198 is inserted into the mounting hole 194 of the vertical plate portion 191 of the mounting stay 9 from the outside in the horizontal direction and is screwed into the screw hole 196 of the vertical portion of the back panel 101a. Further, the mounting screw 199 is inserted from above into the mounting hole 193 of the horizontal plate portion 190 of the mounting stay 9 and screwed into the screw hole 197 of the horizontal portion of the rear panel 101a. As a result, the drilling unit 2 is integrally and detachably assembled to the housing 101 of the drilling system 100 as one module device having an independent drilling function.

  FIG. 15 schematically shows a control configuration of the drilling system 100 of the present embodiment. The punching system 100 further includes a control unit 80 for controlling the punching operation of the sheet by the punching unit 2 and the sheet transport by the sheet transport unit 102. The control unit 80 includes a CPU 81 that controls drive voltages applied to the punching drive motor 48, the sheet transport motor 155, and the sheet feeding motor 134, and a memory that stores information and data necessary for punching processing, sheet transport, and control thereof. 82 and a timer 83.

  The punching drive motor 48, the sheet conveying motor 155, and the sheet feeding motor 134 are connected to a common power source (not shown). The controller 80 is connected to a drive motor drive circuit 84, a transport motor drive circuit 85, and a feed motor drive circuit 86 that are connected between these motors and the common power source. The drive motor drive circuit 84 is provided with a short circuit (so-called short brake circuit) having a suitable resistance between terminals of the perforation drive motor 48. The controller 80 can quickly stop the rotation of the perforation drive motor 48 by connecting the short circuit.

  The control unit 80 is connected to the punching drive motor encoder 55 and the punch member position sensor 60 of the punching unit 2. Furthermore, encoders 87 and 88 and four sheet sensors 166 to 169 provided in the sheet conveying motor and the sheet feeding motor of the sheet conveying unit 102 are connected to the control unit 80. The control unit 80 determines the rotational position of each motor based on the output of each encoder, the operating position of the punch member of the punching unit 2 based on the output of the position sensor, and the output of each sheet sensor. The presence or position of the sheet can be detected.

  Further, an input unit 90 provided in the drilling system 100 is connected to the control unit 80. The user can input information and / or data necessary for performing the punching process by the punching system 100 to the control unit 80 via the input unit 90 in advance. The control unit 80 stores information and data directly input from the input unit 90 by the user or sent from the outside in the memory 82 as necessary, and retrieves the information and data from the memory to control punching processing and sheet conveyance.

  In the housing 101, a punch waste collection box 91 for receiving and collecting punch waste generated from the punched sheet is disposed below the punching unit 2. The punch scrap collection box 91 has, for example, a rectangular box shape with the top opened, and is easily attached to the housing 101. Further, in the housing 101, a sensor (not shown) for detecting whether or not the punch waste collection box 91 is mounted, and detecting that the punch waste collection box is filled with punch waste (including a state close to that). A sensor (not shown) can be provided. These sensors are connected to the control unit 80, which generates a warning to the user of the drilling system 100 when it detects the absence of the punch scrap collection box 91 and / or the full state of the punch scrap collection box.

  Hereinafter, a series of operations in the punching system 100 for conveying a sheet from the sheet supply tray 106 to perform punching processing and discharging the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 107 will be described. First, a process of conveying sheets from the sheet supply tray 106 to the sheet discharge tray 107 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 16 shows an initial state in which a plurality of sheets S are placed on the sheet supply tray 106. In the sheet supply port 103, the sheet aligning member 127 is at the uppermost position, and the sheet aligning surface 128 prevents the sheet from entering the sheet conveying path 105. The position and orientation of the sheet S are aligned by bringing the leading end into contact with the sheet aligning surface 128. The swing arm 123 provided with the feeding roller 110 is held at the upper standby position. At this time, an ON signal is output from the empty sensor 166 of the sheet supply tray 106 to the control unit 80.

  The sheet supply port 103 is provided with a first sheet end sensor 167. The first sheet edge sensor 167 includes a sensor body 203 and a sensing lever 204. The sensor body 203 is fixed above the sheet alignment member 127. The upper part of the sensing lever 204 is pivotally supported by the sensor main body 203 so as to be swingable along the sheet conveying direction, and extends downward and obliquely downward from the upper part to the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction. Yes.

  When the sensing lever 204 rotates to a preset angular position, the first sheet edge sensor 167 detects this by the sensor body 203 and generates an ON signal. As shown in FIG. 4, the sensing lever 204 is positioned at the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the sheet aligning surface 128 at a natural position where there is no sheet in the sheet supply tray 106. At this natural position, the output signal of the first sheet edge sensor 167 is off.

  In FIG. 16, the sensing lever 204 is positioned at a position corresponding to the thickness of the sheet S from the natural position to the downstream side in the sheet transport direction beyond the sheet alignment surface by the leading edge of the sheet S contacting the sheet alignment surface 128. It is rotating until. In this way, when the sensing lever 204 rotates beyond the sheet alignment surface 128 in a state where the punching operation start switch of the punching system 100 is not turned on, the sensor body 203 detects and outputs an ON signal to the control unit 80. be able to. Accordingly, the control unit 80 can determine that the sheet can be punched.

  When the start switch of the punching system 100 is turned on in the state of FIG. 16, the control unit 80 controls the feeding motor drive circuit 86 to rotate the sheet feeding motor 134 counterclockwise. As a result, the drive shaft 122 rotates to rotate the feeding roller 111 in the sheet conveying direction. At the same time, the rotation of the drive shaft 122 causes the swing arm 123 to swing downward from the standby position, and the feeding roller 110 rotates in the sheet conveying direction via the belt transmission mechanism 125.

  Further, the rotation of the drive shaft 122 causes the cam shaft 133 to rotate via the gear mechanism, causing the eccentric cam 131 to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. Accordingly, the sheet aligning member 127 swings to a lower position where the sheet aligning surface 128 does not prevent the sheet S from entering the separation roller 112 side.

  FIG. 17 shows a state in which the sheet S on the sheet supply tray 106 is fed to the feeding roller 111 side by the feeding roller 110 in contact with the uppermost surface after the sheet aligning member 127 moves to the lower position. Show. The fed sheet S is separated only by the uppermost sheet by the pressure of the separation roller 112 that presses the feeding roller 111 and is fed into the sheet conveyance path 105 from the feeding roller 111.

  On the other hand, the swing arm 123 stops swinging downward by the action of the torque liter according to the reaction force received from the sheet S via the feeding roller 110. Similarly, the feeding roller 110 also stops rotating. At this time, in the first sheet edge sensor 167, the sensing lever 204 is rotated to a height position substantially the same as the pressure contact position between the feeding roller 111 and the separation roller 112 by the sheet S that has been fed out. When the sensor body 203 detects this and outputs an ON signal, the control unit 80 determines that the sheet S has been fed out to the feeding roller 111.

  FIG. 18 shows a state where the leading edge of the sheet S is conveyed to the registration rollers 113 and 114. The sheet S is pushed out from the upstream side by the feeding roller 111 while the leading end of the sheet S is in contact with the pressure contact portion between the registration rollers, and the position of the leading end and the orientation of the sheet are adjusted. Thereafter, the registration rollers 113 and 114 are rotated, and the sheet S is conveyed so as to pass through the punching unit 2.

  A second sheet edge sensor 168 is provided immediately in front of the registration rollers 113 and 114. The second sheet edge sensor 168 includes a sensor body 205 and a sensing lever 206. The sensor body 205 is fixed at an upper position upstream of the registration roller. The upper part of the sensing lever 206 is pivotally supported by the sensor main body 205 so as to be swingable along the sheet conveying direction, and extends obliquely downward from the upper part to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction.

  As indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 18, the output signal of the second sheet edge sensor 168 is when the sensing lever 206 is in the natural initial position where the sheet conveying path 105 is blocked on the upstream side of the registration roller. Is off. As indicated by the solid line in the figure, when the sensing lever 206 is rotated to an upper position that is substantially the same height as the pressure contact position between the registration rollers by the sheet S having at least the leading edge reaching the registration rollers, The sensor body 205 detects and outputs an ON signal to the control unit 80. Accordingly, the control unit 80 can determine that the leading edge of the sheet S has reached the registration roller.

  When the sheet S is further conveyed downstream in the sheet conveyance path 105 and the trailing ends thereof pass the registration rollers 113 and 114, the sensing lever 206 swings downward from the upper position to the initial position. As a result, the output signal of the second sheet edge sensor 168 is switched from on to off, so that the control unit 80 can determine that the trailing edge of the sheet S has passed the registration roller.

  FIG. 19 shows a state in which the leading end of the sheet S is conveyed to the punching position by the punching unit 2. As shown in FIG. 1, a third sheet edge sensor 169 is provided at a position substantially the same as the punching unit 2 in the sheet conveyance direction and near the center in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. The third sheet edge sensor 169 includes a sensor body 207 fixed at an upper position immediately downstream of the registration roller in the sheet conveyance direction, and a sensing lever 208. Similar to the sensing lever 203 of the first sheet edge sensor, the upper part of the sensing lever 208 is pivotally supported by the sensor body 207 so as to be swingable along the sheet conveying direction, and from the upper part to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. Extending diagonally downward, the tip bends upward in a sickle shape.

  As indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 19, the third sheet edge sensor 169 outputs an output signal when the sensing lever 208 is in a natural initial position where the sheet conveying path 105 is blocked downstream of the registration roller. Is off. As indicated by a solid line in the figure, when the sensing lever 208 is rotated to an upper position substantially at the same height as the sheet S by at least the sheet S whose leading end has reached the punching position, the sensor body 207 detects this. Then, an ON signal is output to the control unit 80. Accordingly, the control unit 80 can determine that the leading edge of the sheet S has reached the punching position of the punching unit 2.

  When the sheet S is perforated by the perforation unit 2 and further conveyed downstream in the sheet conveyance path 105 and the rear end thereof passes through the perforation position of the perforation unit, the sensing lever 208 is moved downward from the upper position. Swing to the initial position. As a result, the output signal of the third sheet end sensor 169 is switched from on to off, so that the control unit 80 determines that the punching of the sheet S has ended and the trailing end has passed the punching position. be able to.

  FIG. 20 shows a state where the leading edge of the punched sheet S is conveyed to the upstream side of the discharge rollers 118 and 119 beyond the intermediate conveying rollers 117 and 118. A fourth sheet edge sensor 170 is provided between the intermediate conveyance roller and the discharge roller. The fourth sheet edge sensor 170 includes a sensor main body 209 fixed at an upper position immediately downstream of the intermediate conveyance roller in the sheet conveyance direction, and a sensing lever 210. Like the sensing levers 203 and 208 of the first and third sheet edge sensors, the upper part of the sensing lever 210 is pivotally supported by the sensor body 209 so as to be swingable along the sheet conveying direction. It extends obliquely downward and downstream in the sheet conveying direction, and its tip is bent upward in a sickle shape.

  As shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 20, the fourth sheet edge sensor 170 outputs an output signal when the sensing lever 210 is in a natural initial position where the sheet conveyance path 105 is blocked downstream of the intermediate conveyance roller. Is off. As indicated by a solid line in FIG. 6, when the sensing lever 210 is rotated to the upper position at substantially the same height by the sheet S conveyed in the sheet conveying path 105, the sensor main body 209 detects this, and the control unit 80 An ON signal is output to. Accordingly, the control unit 80 can determine that the leading edge of the sheet S has been conveyed to a position immediately before the discharge rollers 118 and 119.

  When the sheet S is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 107 by the discharge roller, when the trailing end of the sheet passes through the fourth sheet end sensor 170, the sensing lever 210 moves downward from the upper position to the initial position. Swing. As a result, the output signal of the fourth sheet edge sensor 170 is switched from on to off, so that the control unit 80 substantially discharges the punched sheet S from the sheet discharge port 104 to the sheet discharge tray 107. Can be judged. Further, the control unit 80 can count the number of punched sheets S stacked on the sheet discharge tray 107.

  Next, a series of operations in which the punching unit 2 punches punch holes in the sheet S moving at a predetermined transport speed in the sheet transport path 105 and the control by the control unit 80 are performed as illustrated in FIGS. This will be described with reference to the state diagram and the timing chart of FIG. 31, the horizontal axis represents time, the vertical axis represents the drive voltage applied to the punching drive motor 48, the flag signal output from the position sensor 60 of the punch member 21, and the pulse signal output from the encoder 55 of the punching drive motor 48. It is.

  21 (a) and 21 (b), in the drilling main body 3 of the drilling unit 2, the return tab 187 is stopped by the elastic stopper 184 within a range in which the slider 7 of the base unit 4 can move on the guide rod 177. It is located at the most upstream home position. The punch member 21 and the cam member 31 are at the top dead center position that is the uppermost position in the axial direction, and the punching blade 22 stands by in the through hole 26 of the lower plate 16.

  In this standby state, when the leading edge of the sheet S conveyed through the sheet conveyance path 105 is detected by the second or third sheet edge sensor 168, 169, the control unit 80 uses the timer 83 and thereafter. The elapsed time can be measured. The control unit 80 calculates the product of the measured elapsed time and the sheet conveyance speed of the registration roller 113, thereby conveying the sheet S from the position of the second or third sheet end sensor 168, 169, that is, the sheet. The position of the sheet S in the transport direction can be accurately detected.

  In the standby state, when the sheet S is transported through the sheet transport path 105 and reaches a preset punching operation start position, the control unit 80 operates the punching drive motor 48 to start the punching operation. Thereby, the punch member 21 descends along the axial direction from the top dead center position together with the cam member 31 while rotating clockwise in FIG. 21B according to the profile of the cam groove 33. The descent start of the punch member 21 is detected by the control unit 80 when the position sensor 60 detects the end 41a of the sensor flag member 41.

  Further, in the standby state, the sheet presser 78 of the sheet pressing unit 70 is in contact with the upper surface or the sheet support surface 14a of the sheet S being conveyed through the sheet passage 17 of the punching main body unit 3. At this time, a slight gap is provided between the cam receiving portion 77 and the lower surface of the cam 31. Therefore, only a part of the weight of the leaf spring member 71 is acting downward from the sheet presser 78, and the urging force of the leaf spring member 71 is not acting at all. The sheet in the sheet path 17 is conveyed at a predetermined speed substantially without being disturbed by contact with the sheet presser 77, and the sheet conveyed from the upstream side smoothly enters the sheet path.

  22A and 22B show a state in which the punch member 21 and the cam member 31 are lowered, the lower surfaces thereof come into contact with the cam receiving portion 77, and are pressed downward. At this time, the pressing force acting on the sheet S from the sheet presser 78 is large enough that the displacement amount of the leaf spring member 71 is small and does not substantially delay or prevent the movement of the sheet. The punching main body 3 is still held at the home position, and the sheet S continues to move in the sheet path 17 at a predetermined conveyance speed in the sheet conveyance direction.

  23A and 23B show a state in which the punch member 21 and the cam member 31 are further lowered, and the leading end of the punching blade 22 reaches the lower end position of the sheet passage 17, that is, the upper surface of the sheet S. From this state, punching of the sheet S substantially starts when the punch member 21 further descends.

  In the state of FIG. 23A, the sheet S is supported by the sheet support surface 14a with a relatively large pressing force from the sheet presser 78 by the cam receiving portion 77 being pushed down from the position of FIG. Pressed against. As a result, the sheet S immediately before punching is not displaced up and down in the sheet passage 17, so that the axial position of the punch member 21, that is, the height position of the sheet in the punching direction is always fixed and maintained. Accordingly, it is possible to always start punching at the same timing at a desired punch hole punching position of the sheet.

  Further, a frictional force due to the pressing force from the sheet presser 78 is generated between the sheet presser 78 and the sheet support surface 14 a and the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet S. On the other hand, when the punching blade 22 starts to punch the sheet S, the peripheral surface on the upstream side of the punch member 21 is engaged with the peripheral edge of the punch hole just punched, and the punch member is moved downstream from the peripheral edge of the punch hole. Acting force is generated in the direction of pushing to the side. At substantially the same time, the frictional force generated between the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet S and the sheet presser 78 and the sheet support surface 14a acts to pull the punching device 1 in the sheet conveying direction A.

  Due to the force acting from the sheet S, the perforating main body portion 3 punches the punch hole while moving downstream at the same speed as the sheet against the urging force of the return spring 181 acting on the slider 7. Set up. At this time, the force required to move the perforation main body 3 integrally with the sheet includes the area near the punch hole of the sheet S held by the sheet presser 78 and held between the sheet support surface 24a, the punch It is shared with the hole periphery. As a result, the reaction force that the punch hole periphery receives from the outer peripheral surface of the punch member 21 is reduced, so that the possibility of damaging the punch hole periphery is eliminated or greatly reduced. Further, since the punching main body 3 does not require separate driving means or control means for moving integrally with the sheet S, it is easy to reduce the size of the entire apparatus.

  24A and 24B, the punch member 21 and the cam member 31 are lowered to the bottom dead center position, the punching blade 22 enters the lowest position in the die hole 28, and the punch hole is formed in the sheet S. The formed state is shown. After this, the punching drive motor 48 continues to rotate, so that the punch member 21 rises in the axial direction from the bottom dead center position while rotating, and disengages upward from the punch hole so that the lower plate 16 A return process for returning to the standby position in the through hole 24 is started.

  In the timing chart of FIG. 31, after starting the punching drive motor 48 from the standby state at time t1, the punch member 21 descends, the tip of the punching blade 22 contacts the upper surface of the sheet, and punching is started at time t2. The time until the time, that is, the time lag ΔT1 can be obtained in advance from the test result or the like. When the sheet conveyance distance obtained by multiplying the time lag ΔT1 by the sheet conveyance speed of the registration roller 113 is calculated backward from the planned position for punching holes on the sheet, the position of the sheet S where the punching operation should be started, that is, the punching operation start position is obtained. can get.

  Generally, the number and position of the binding holes formed in the file sheet are standardized for each sheet size. Therefore, when forming a standard binding hole in a standard dimension sheet, it is possible to calculate in advance a punching operation start position of each binding hole, that is, a punch hole, for each sheet dimension, and convert it into a table value. Such table values can be stored in the memory 82 of the control device in advance.

  The control unit 80 determines whether the sheet size and the number and position of the punch holes are in accordance with the standard or the standard from the information and data sent from the input unit 90 and the main body side. In the case of the standard, the control unit 80 selects the sheet size in the sheet conveyance direction and the punching operation start position of all punch holes to be punched from the table values stored in the memory 82. When the sheet size or the number and / or position of punch holes are out of specification, the control unit 80 may calculate the punching operation start position of each punch hole from the time lag and the sheet conveyance speed before starting the punching operation. it can. The timing at which the sheet S reaches the punching operation start position is determined by the control unit 80 based on the elapsed time counted from the detection of the sheet leading edge by the second or third sheet edge sensor 168, 169.

  When the punch member 21 reaches the bottom dead center position, the pressing force from the leaf spring member 71 to the sheet S, and thus the frictional force between the sheet S and the sheet presser 78 and the sheet support surface 14a is maximized. Until the punch member 21 is completely removed from the punch hole, the perforating main body 3 is configured so that the acting force from the periphery of the punch hole to the outer peripheral surface of the punch member, the sheet presser, the sheet support surface, and the sheet S surface And the frictional force, the sheet S continues to move together.

  25A and 25B show a state in which the sheet S has reached the lower end position of the sheet passage 17 from the bottom dead center position, that is, the upper surface of the sheet S, from the bottom dead center position. Immediately after this, the punching body part 3 is released from the engagement with the punch hole when the punch member 21 is completely detached from the punch hole.

  Also in the returning process, the sheet S is pressed against the sheet support surface 14a by the leaf spring member 71 until the tip of the punching blade 22 reaches the upper surface of the sheet from the bottom dead center position (FIG. 25A). Thus, the punch member 21 can be detached from the punch hole in a shorter time. Therefore, even when the sheet S is conveyed at a high speed, the possibility that the edge of the punching blade 22 touches the periphery of the punching edge 22 when it comes out of the punched hole or deteriorates the quality of the punched hole is eliminated or greatly reduced. The

  When the punch member 21 is completely detached from the punch hole, the perforated main body 3 is quickly moved horizontally by the urging force of the return spring 181 and returned to the home position. Since the time for the punch member 21 to detach from the punch hole is very short, the punching main body can be automatically returned to the home position more quickly.

  Further, a sufficient pressing force similar to that in the punching process is applied to the sheet S from the leaf spring member 71 until at least the tip of the punching blade 22 reaches the upper surface of the sheet from the bottom dead center position. Accordingly, it is possible to generate the frictional force necessary to move the perforated main body 3 between the sheet presser and the sheet support surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, when the punch member 21 rises to a height position at which the lower surface of the cam member 31 is separated from the cam receiving portion 77, the downward biasing force of the leaf spring member 71 is completely released. The Accordingly, the sheet in the sheet path 17 is conveyed at a predetermined speed without being substantially prevented from contacting the sheet presser 77. Further, the next sheet conveyed from the upstream side can smoothly enter the sheet path 17.

  When the punch member 21 reaches the top dead center position as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, the punch member 21 stops rising and continues to rotate at this top dead center height. In the timing chart of FIG. 31, the control unit 80 cuts off the power supply from the power source to the drilling drive motor 48 in the drive motor drive circuit 84 at time t3 after the punch member 21 reaches the top dead center position, and The short circuit is connected to brake the rotation of the drilling drive motor.

  The time t3 at which the punching drive motor 48 starts to be braked can be set in advance based on the test result and stored in the memory 82 as a table value. Similarly to the above-described punching operation start position, the control unit 80 brakes the punching drive motor based on the elapsed time counted from the detection of the sheet leading edge by the second or third sheet edge sensor 168, 169. Decide to start.

  In the timing chart of FIG. 31, when the pulse signal of the encoder 55 is continuously turned on or off for a certain period of time, it can be determined that the perforation drive motor 48 has completely stopped rotating. In the same figure, the punch member 21 decreases the speed together with the perforation drive motor 48 by the inertial rotation of the perforation drive motor 48 until the perforation drive motor 48 completely stops at the time t4 from the start of braking at time t3. Continues rotating and stops at a predetermined rotational position. The rotation stop position of the punch member 21 is a home position, that is, a standby position for the next drilling operation.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 21 (a) to 27 (a), the cam groove 33 according to the present embodiment causes the punch member 21 to reciprocate between a top dead center position and a bottom dead center position to perform a punching operation. There is only one cam mountain. Therefore, even if the punching drive motor 48 starts to be braked after the punch member 21 reaches the top dead center position, the punching member 21 is not overrun to enter the next drilling process, and the home position has a sufficient margin. Can be stopped.

  The time lag ΔT2 from when the drilling drive motor 48 is completely stopped at the time t4 to the time when the drilling drive motor 48 is completely stopped can be obtained in advance from the test results, and therefore the time t4 can be easily calculated in advance. . Based on these times t2, t3, t4, time lags ΔT1, ΔT2 and time T0, the control unit 80 can control the driving of the perforation driving motor 48 easily and accurately.

  In another embodiment, a cam crest for allowing the punch member 21 to reciprocate between the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position in the cam groove 33 of the cam member 31 in a circumferential direction is continuously provided. Two or more can be formed. In such a case, it is necessary to stop the punch member 21 from overrunning and entering the next cam peak after reaching the top dead center position over one cam peak.

  In this embodiment, the control unit 80 cuts off the power supply from the power source to the drilling drive motor 48 in the drive motor drive circuit 84 at the same time when the punch member 21 is detached from the punch hole, that is, before reaching the top dead center position. In addition, the rotation of the perforation drive motor can be braked by connecting the short circuit. Thus, by controlling the driving of the perforation drive motor 48, the punch member 21 can be reliably stopped at the home position. Furthermore, since the time during which the punch member 21 is engaged with the punch hole of the sheet S can be minimized, the possibility of damage to the punch hole due to the cutting edge of the punching blade 22 and deterioration in quality can be more reliably eliminated or further reduced. The

  In another embodiment, the timing t3 when the controller 80 connects the short circuit and brakes the rotation of the drilling drive motor 48 can be determined by the rotation amount of the drilling drive motor 48. The rotation amount of the perforation drive motor 48 is detected by the encoder 55 as described above and sent to the control unit 80. The controller 80 causes the timer 83 to start counting the pulse signal sent from the encoder 55 simultaneously with the detection of the sheet leading edge by the second or third sheet edge sensor 168, 169.

  The number of count pulses corresponding to time t3 can be obtained in advance from the test result or the like. Similarly, the number of count pulses corresponding to other times, time lags, and times can be obtained in advance from test results and the like. By storing these count pulse numbers in advance in the memory 82 as table values and appropriately reading them out, the control unit 80 can easily and accurately control the driving of the perforation drive motor 48.

  In another embodiment, the timing for starting the braking of the punching drive motor 48 can be determined based on the on / off of the flag signal output from the position sensor 60 instead of the detection of the sheet leading edge. In this case, the rising and falling edges of the flag signal indicate the axial position of the punch member 21 and, for example, the timing of punching start and punch hole removal, or the start of lowering from the top dead center position and the timing of reaching the top dead center position. The sensor flag member 41 can be provided so that the two match. Thereby, the braking start of the punching drive motor 48 can be directly determined from the reciprocation of the punch member 21 in the axial direction at the timing when the flag signal changes from OFF to ON as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the next drilling operation is started by rotating the punching member 21 in the reverse direction from the home position by reversing the drilling drive motor 48 from the previous drilling operation. That is, every time one punching operation is completed, the rotation direction of the punching drive motor 48 is reversed in the forward and reverse directions, and the punch member 21 is reciprocated between the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position. Is performed continuously.

  At this time, the punch member 21 also rotates alternately in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction in accordance with the rotation direction of the perforation drive motor 48. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the axial position and rotational position of the punch member 21 based on the rotation amount of the perforation drive motor 48 and to control the drive motor 48.

  As described above in connection with the problem of the present invention, when the perforation drive motor 48 is reversely rotated before it is completely stopped, a large burden is generated on the coil and the contact, and the counter electromotive force is added to the current in the reverse direction, so that the current Problems such as high load occur. On the other hand, if the counter electromotive force due to the short brake is not substantially generated, even if a current in the reverse direction is applied to the perforation drive motor 48, the above-described problem does not occur or is negligible. This counter electromotive force is represented as a negative voltage value in the motor drive voltage in the timing chart of FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the perforation drive motor 48 and the punch member 21 are substantially stopped based on whether or not the counter electromotive force is substantially generated in the perforation drive motor 48 after the short brake is applied. It is determined whether or not it is in a state where the next drilling operation can be started by applying a current in the reverse direction. This determination is made in a pseudo manner by setting a stop determination condition in advance and storing it in the memory 82, and the control unit 80 compares the stop determination condition with the actual state of the drilling drive motor 48. The control unit 80 determines the start of the next drilling operation based on the comparison result.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the pulse signal output from the encoder 55 is counted as the rotation amount of the drilling drive motor 48, and the stop state of the drilling drive motor 48 is simulated based on the counted number of pulses. Judgment. Specifically, in the timing chart of FIG. 31, counting of pulse signals is started from time t3 when the short brake is applied. Due to the short brake, the motor drive voltage drops greatly from positive to negative voltage at time t3. When the first pulse signal I1 immediately after the short brake is set as the first pulse and the predetermined number m of the pulse signal Im is counted, the control unit 80 determines that the perforation drive motor 48 is in a stoppable reversible state. . The number m of pulses can be obtained in advance from the test results and stored in the memory 82.

  Thus, the next drilling operation can be started earlier by time ΔTs than the time t4 when the drilling drive motor 48 is in the complete stop state. The controller 80 can determine the start of the next drilling operation at any time after determining the stop state of the drilling drive motor 48. For example, at the same time as determining the stop state of the drilling drive motor 48, the next drilling operation can be started and the drilling drive motor 48 can be reversed to continue the drilling operation. Accordingly, since the cycle time from one punching operation to the next punching operation is significantly shortened, the sheet conveyance speed can be increased correspondingly, and productivity is improved. This is particularly advantageous when punching a multi-hole such as 32 holes in a sheet.

  As described above in relation to the prior art, the rotation amount of the punching drive motor 48 during the punching operation depends on the thickness and material of the sheet to be punched, in other words, the resistance that the punch member 21 receives from the sheet during punching. It varies depending on the size of. For example, the thick sheet is slower than the thin sheet in which the elevation speed of the punch member 21, that is, the rotation speed of the perforation driving motor 48 is thin. Therefore, the amount of rotation (time, number of rotations, etc.) until the perforation drive motor 48 stops rotating after the short brake is also smaller for the thick sheet than for the thin sheet.

  If the number of pulses for determining the stop state of the punching drive motor 48 is set to only one regardless of the difference in sheet thickness, material, etc., in the case of a thin sheet, the punching drive motor 48 is not stopped. In the state where the counter electromotive force is generated, there is a possibility that it is reversed for the next drilling operation. Conversely, if the number of pulses for determining the stop state of the punching drive motor 48 is determined in accordance with the thin sheet, the cycle time of the punching operation cannot be shortened much in the case of a thick sheet. Therefore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the number m of pulses for determining the stop state of the punching drive motor 48 is determined in advance according to the difference in the thickness, material, and the like of the sheet.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, the pulse width of the pulse signal output from the encoder 55 is measured as the rotation amount of the drilling drive motor 48, and the stop state of the drilling drive motor 48 is determined based on the measured pulse width. judge. As shown in FIG. 32, the control unit 80 measures and stores the pulse width PW1 of the first pulse signal I1 immediately after the time t3 when the short brake is applied, and stores the second and subsequent pulses. The pulse width PW of the signal is measured. When the pulse width PW is greater than or equal to an n-multiplier by multiplying the pulse width PW1 of the first pulse signal by a predetermined multiplier n, the control unit 80 assumes that the perforation drive motor 48 has entered a stopped state in which the perforation drive motor 48 can be reversed. judge.

  The predetermined multiplier n can be obtained from a test result or the like in advance and is stored in the memory 82. Further, the predetermined multiplier n is an index for comparing the first pulse width PW1 and the second and subsequent pulse widths PWi, and therefore can be determined regardless of the difference in sheet thickness or material. Actually, the control unit 80 measures the first pulse width PW1, stores the pulse width PWn of n times, and compares it with the second and subsequent pulse widths PW, or 2 The stop state of the perforation drive motor 48 is determined by comparing the first and subsequent pulse widths PW with the first pulse width PW1 and determining whether the pulse width PW is n times or more.

  As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, the control unit 80 can start the next drilling operation by time ΔTs ′ earlier than the time t4 when the drilling drive motor 48 is in the complete stop state. Accordingly, the cycle time required for one punching operation is significantly shortened, and the sheet conveyance speed can be increased correspondingly, thereby improving productivity. Moreover, in the second embodiment, there is no possibility that the perforation driving motor 48 is not stopped depending on the thickness or material of the sheet to be perforated, even if only one predetermined multiplier n is set. . After determining the stop state of the punching drive motor 48, the control unit 80 can always determine the timing for starting the next punching operation in consideration of the pitch of the punched holes to be punched in the sheet, and can start the punching operation.

  In the modification of the second embodiment, the pulse period of the pulse signal output from the encoder 55 can be used as the rotation amount of the perforation drive motor 48. As shown in FIG. 32, the controller 80 measures and stores the pulse period PT1 of the first pulse signal I1 immediately after the time t3 when the short brake is applied, and stores the second and subsequent pulses. The pulse period PT of the signal is measured. When the pulse period PT becomes equal to or greater than a multiple of k multiplied by a predetermined multiplier k of the pulse period PT1 of the first pulse signal, the control unit 80 determines that the perforation drive motor 48 is in a stoppable stop state.

  The predetermined multiplier k can be obtained in advance from a test result or the like and is stored in the memory 82. Further, the predetermined multiplier k is an index for comparing the first pulse period PT1 with the second and subsequent pulse periods PT. Therefore, as in the case of the pulse width, the predetermined multiplier k does not depend on the difference in sheet thickness or material. Can be determined. Therefore, also in this modified example, the excellent operational effects of the second embodiment described above can be obtained.

  In another embodiment, the punching drive motor 48 is rotated only in the forward rotation direction (or the reverse rotation direction), and the punch member 21 is driven while rotating in one direction (clockwise or counterclockwise in this embodiment). Thus, the drilling operation can be continuously performed. Also in this case, as in the above embodiments, it is determined whether or not the back electromotive force due to the short brake is substantially generated in the perforation drive motor 48, that is, whether or not the next perforation operation can be started. Thus, the start of the drilling operation can be determined.

  When the cam groove 33 of the cam member 31 is provided with only one cam crest for reciprocating the punch member 21 between the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position as in this embodiment, as described above. Even if braking of the punching drive motor 48 is started after reaching the top dead center position of the punch member 21, the punch member 21 can be stopped at the home position without overrunning. In this case, the timing for starting the next drilling process is determined in consideration of the operation time or the rotation amount of the drilling drive motor 48 until the punch member 21 starts to descend in the axial direction from the rotation stop position, that is, the home position. Is preferred.

  On the other hand, when two or more cam peaks are continuously formed in the cam groove 33, the punch member 21 that has returned to the top dead center position from the drilling operation may overrun and enter the next cam peak. There is. Therefore, it is preferable to set the timing of braking early in consideration of the operation time or the rotation amount of the drilling drive motor 48 until the drilling drive motor 48 is determined to be in the rotation stop state after braking by the short brake.

  In another embodiment, on / off of a flag signal output from the position sensor 60 can be used as a starting point for measuring the rotation amount of the drilling drive motor 48 in order to determine the stop state of the drilling drive motor 48. . In this case, the sensor flag member 41 matches the rising and falling of the flag signal with the axial position of the punch member 21, for example, the timing of punching start and punch hole removal, or the start of lowering from the top dead center position and It can be provided so as to coincide with the timing of arrival at the top dead center position.

  For example, in FIG. 31, when the rise of the flag signal from OFF to ON is set in accordance with the punch hole removal timing of the punch member 21, the first pulse signal output from the encoder 55 immediately after the time ta is This is a starting point for measuring the rotation amount of the perforation drive motor 48. Based on the number of pulses of the pulse signal of the encoder 55 output after the time ta, the pulse width or the pulse period, the stop state of the perforation drive motor 48 can be determined in a pseudo manner.

  In this case, if the timing for starting the braking of the perforation drive motor 48 is also determined based on the on / off of the flag signal of the position sensor 60, the control unit 80 will brake the hole driving motor 48 based on the same starting point. This is advantageous because it can control the determination of the start and rotation stop states. In particular, when two or more cam crests are continuously formed in the cam groove 33, if the rising and falling edges of the flag signal are matched with the timing of the drilling start and punch hole removal, the punching drive motor 48 is braked. This is advantageous because it can start earlier than the top dead center of the member 21 is reached.

  When the punch member 21 is detached from the punch hole and the perforated main body 3 is returned to the home position at a high speed by the urging force of the return spring 181, noise is generated by the impact of the slider 7 hitting the stopper, or the slider itself And / or the base portion 8 may be damaged. In order to eliminate or alleviate such a problem, the base unit portion 4 of the present embodiment includes the buffer mechanism as described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the buffer mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 28 to 30.

  After the punching drive motor 48 is rotated and the punching operation is started, before the punch member 21 actually starts punching the sheet (FIGS. 21 to 23), the slider 7 moves to the home position shown in FIG. Is retained. That is, in the slider 7, the return tab 187 comes into contact with the stop surface of the elastic stopper 184 locked to the positioning plate 180, that is, the end surface on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the short cylindrical portion 184a by the urging force of the return spring 181. Still in position.

  When the punch member 21 starts punching the sheet, the slider 7 is integrated with the punch body 3 against the urging force of the return spring 181 by the engagement between the punch member and the peripheral edge of the punch hole to be processed. Move with the sheet in the direction. FIG. 28 shows a state in which the slider 7 has been moved to the maximum movement position, that is, to the position immediately before the punch member 21 is released from the punch hole. Thereafter, the slider 7 is returned to the home position all at once by the urging force of the return spring 181 integrally with the perforated body 3.

  FIG. 29 shows a state where the slider 7 is returned to the home position and the return tab 187 is stopped by the elastic stopper 184. Since the inertia force of the perforated main body 3 that moves integrally is applied to the slider 7, a considerable impact is generated between the return tab 187 and the elastic stopper 184 at the time of collision. Due to this impact, the elastic stopper 184 and the buffer spring 183 of the buffer mechanism are elastically deformed in the compression direction.

  FIG. 30 is a partially enlarged view of the elastic deformation state of the elastic stopper 184 and the buffer spring 183. In the figure, the solid line portion shows the state where the elastic stopper and the buffer spring are elastically deformed to the maximum by the collision of the return tab 187, and the imaginary line portion shows the initial state of FIG. In the drawing, Lr1 and Lr2 are axial lengths of the elastic stopper 184 in the initial state and maximum elastic deformation, and Ls1 and Ls2 are axial lengths of the buffer spring 183 in the initial state and maximum elastic deformation. . D and d are amounts of protrusion of the elastic stopper 184 from the positioning plate 180 to the downstream side in the initial state and the maximum elastic deformation.

  In this embodiment, the impact load received from the return tab 187 is shared by the elastic stopper 184 and the buffer spring 183, and is converted into deformation energy and absorbed. The maximum deformation amounts of the elastic stopper 184 and the buffer spring 183 are ΔLr = Lr1−Lr2 and ΔLs = Ls1−Ls2, respectively, and their total value ΔL = ΔLr + ΔLs is the maximum deformation amount of the entire buffer mechanism. This is equal to the change amount Δd = D−d of the amount of protrusion of the elastic stopper 184 from the positioning plate 180 to the downstream side.

  If the return tab 187 collides with the positioning plate 180, noise and / or damage to them may occur. In order to prevent them, it is necessary that the amount of protrusion of the elastic stopper 184 from the positioning plate 180 to the downstream side at the time of maximum elastic deformation, d = D− (ΔLr + ΔLs)> 0. Accordingly, the dimensions and elastic modulus of the elastic stopper 184 and the buffer spring 183 are set so that this equation is established. This is because an elastic stopper is used so that the above equation is established with respect to the kinetic energy of the slider and the perforation main body calculated based on the mass of the slider 7 and the perforation main body 3, the speed immediately before the collision, the maximum movement amount, and the like. The size and elastic modulus of 184 and buffer spring 183 can be determined by simulating.

  Naturally, the present invention is not limited to the stand-alone drilling system 100 of the embodiment described above. The punching system and the control method thereof according to the present invention can be incorporated into an image forming apparatus and other various sheet processing apparatuses, and the sheet processing apparatus is applied as an image forming system connected to the image forming apparatus as a post-processing apparatus. You can also.

  FIG. 33 schematically illustrates the configuration of a drilling system according to another embodiment of the present invention. The punching system according to the present embodiment is an insert device 220 for inserting an insertion sheet such as a front cover, a back cover, a cover paper, and an identification tag paper between sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus. . As shown in the figure, an insert device 220 is connected between an image forming apparatus 221 which is a copying machine, for example, and a post-processing apparatus 222, thereby constituting the image forming system of the present invention as a whole.

  As the image forming apparatus 221, a printing machine, a facsimile machine, or the like can be used in addition to the copying machine of this embodiment. The post-processing device 222 has a function of performing various sheet processing such as sheet bundle binding processing, sheet cutting, trimming processing, or folding processing as necessary. However, in the present embodiment, since the insert device 220 has a punching function for punching holes in the sheet, it is not necessary for the post-processing device 222 to have a punching function for sheets.

  The insert device 220 is provided with a substantially horizontal sheet conveyance path 224 that traverses the inside of the insert device in the left-right direction in order to convey the sheet unloaded from the image forming apparatus 221 to the post-processing device 222. A sheet inlet end 225 at the right end of the sheet conveyance path 224 in the drawing is disposed so as to be connected to a sheet carry-out port 226 of the adjacent image forming apparatus 221. A sheet exit end 227 at the left end of the sheet conveyance path 224 in the drawing is disposed so as to be connected to the sheet carry-in entrance 228 of the adjacent post-processing device 222.

  The insert device 220 includes an insertion sheet tray 230 on the top thereof, on which a plurality of insertion sheets Si can be placed. The insertion sheet tray 230 is provided on the opposite side of the image forming apparatus 221 from the upper part of the insert apparatus 220, that is, on the left side in the drawing so as to be inclined obliquely upward above the post-processing apparatus 222.

  An insertion sheet conveyance path 231 is provided in the insert device 220 in order to convey the insertion sheet Si from the insertion sheet tray 230 to the sheet conveyance path 224. The insertion sheet conveyance path 231 includes an intermediate portion 231a extending substantially vertically on the right side inside the insert device 220, and an upper curved portion 231b and a lower curved portion 231c connected to the upper end and the lower end of the intermediate portion, respectively.

  The upper curved portion 231b has a sheet supply port 231 at the tip thereof opened to the base end portion of the insertion sheet tray 230, that is, the upper right end in the drawing, and the upper portion of the sheet supply port is formed in the punching system 100 of FIG. Similarly to the sheet conveying unit 102, a feeding roller 233 is provided. Although not shown, the insertion sheet tray 230 is provided with a bottom panel at the base end portion that can be lifted and lowered at least partially, as in a known paper feed tray conventionally used in image forming apparatuses. Thereby, when the insertion sheet Si is fed from the insertion sheet tray 230 to the insertion sheet conveyance path 231, the right end portion of the insertion sheet Si is lifted and the uppermost surface thereof can be pressed against the feeding roller 233 from below. .

  The lower curved portion 231c has a lower end connected to the sheet conveying path 224 from above. A connection portion between the lower curved portion 231c and the sheet conveyance path 224 is provided with a conveyance path switching unit including a flapper 234 that can swing toward the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. When the sheet from the image forming apparatus 221 is conveyed to the post-processing apparatus 222, the conveyance path switching unit is configured so that the upstream side of the sheet conveyance path 224, that is, the sheet inlet end 225 side is the downstream side, that is, the sheet outlet end 227. The flapper 234 is swung upward so as to block the insertion sheet conveyance path 231. Conversely, when the insertion sheet from the insertion sheet tray 230 is conveyed to the post-processing device 222, the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 is connected to the downstream side of the sheet conveyance path 224 so as to block the upstream side of the sheet conveyance path. The flapper 234 is swung downward.

  In the insertion sheet conveyance path 231, a feeding roller 235 and a separation roller 236 that presses the feeding roller 235 are disposed immediately downstream of the feeding roller 233. Similar to the feeding roller 111 and the separation roller 112 in the punching system 100 of FIG. 1, only the topmost sheet of the insertion sheet Si fed from the insertion sheet tray 230 by the feeding roller 233 is separated by the separation roller 236. The feeding roller 235 conveys the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 downstream.

  Further, in the insertion sheet conveyance path 231, a conveyance roller pair 237 and a registration roller pair 238 are arranged in the intermediate portion 231 a from the upstream side along the sheet conveyance direction. The registration roller pair 238 is pivotally supported so that one of the registration rollers rotates integrally with the rotation drive shaft, and the other registration roller is rotatably supported by the support shaft, and the roller surfaces of the both registration rollers are pressed against each other. Held in a state. The registration roller pair 238 temporarily contacts and abuts the leading end of the insertion sheet sent from the insertion sheet tray 230 to the pressure contact portion, adjusts the leading end position and orientation of the insertion sheet, and then rotates to rotate the sheet conveyance path 224 side. Transport to.

  In another embodiment, a known sheet reversing mechanism (not shown) can be provided in the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 between the conveyance roller pair 237 and the registration roller pair 238. The sheet reverse mechanism includes, for example, a first branch path branched from the insertion sheet transport path 231 downstream of the transport roller pair 237, a sheet reverse path provided continuously in the first branch path, and the sheet reverse path. A second branch path returning to the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 upstream of the registration roller pair 238, between the first branch path and the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 and between the first branch path and the second branch path. A switching member that switches the conveyance direction of the inserted sheet and a pair of reversing rollers provided in the sheet reversing path can be used. Thus, the insertion sheet Si on the insertion sheet tray 230 can be inserted as a front cover and a back cover between sheets or sheet bundles carried out from the image forming apparatus 221 without repeating front and back.

  In order to punch holes in the sheet conveyance path 224 on the downstream side of the connecting portion, punch holes are formed in the sheet from the image forming apparatus 221 conveyed through the sheet conveyance path 224 and the insertion sheet from the insertion sheet tray 230. A perforation unit 2 is provided. As shown in FIG. 34, the perforation unit 2 is attached at a predetermined position by fixing the attachment stay 9 of the base unit portion 4 to the housing 240 of the insert device 220. Since the configuration and operation of the drilling unit 2 are the same as those of the drilling system 100 of FIG. 1, further description thereof is omitted.

  A transport roller pair 241 is provided immediately upstream of the punching unit 2, and a carry-out roller pair 242 is provided immediately downstream. In order to convey the sheet and the insertion sheet straight along the sheet conveying path 224, a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers 241 and a pair of unloading rollers 242 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet conveying path and Arranged symmetrically with respect to the center.

  The conveyance roller pair 241 functions as a registration roller pair for the sheet fed from the image forming apparatus 221 to the sheet conveyance path 224. In other words, the sheet from the image forming apparatus 221 is fed to the downstream punching unit 2 after aligning the leading end of the sheet with the pressure contact portion between the rollers of the conveying roller pair 241. The unloading roller pair 242 unloads the sheet that has passed through the punching unit 2 to the post-processing device 222 regardless of whether the punching unit 2 punches.

  Further, a sheet sensor 243 is disposed on the downstream side of the connection portion of the sheet conveyance path 224 and immediately upstream of the conveyance roller pair 241. The sheet sensor 243 detects the leading edge of the sheet and the insertion sheet that are transported toward the punching unit 2 that is transported through the sheet transport path 224. As in the case of the second sheet edge sensor 168 in the punching system 100 of FIG. 1, in order to control the driving of the punching drive motor 48, the subsequent elapsed time is measured starting from the detection of the sheet leading edge by the sheet sensor 243. Or the pulse signal from the encoder 55 is counted.

  Next, the sheet conveyance and the punching operation by the punching unit 2 in the insert device 220 will be described. This punching operation can be controlled by a control unit provided in the image forming apparatus 221 (or the post-processing apparatus 222). Note that the operation of punching a sheet from the image forming apparatus 221 and its control are substantially the same as those of the above-described punching system 100, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The insertion sheet Si stacked on the insertion sheet tray 230 is fed out of the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 from the inlet end toward the feeding roller 235 by a feeding roller 233 that abuts on the uppermost surface thereof. Only the uppermost sheet of the fed insertion sheet Si is separated by the separation roller 236 that presses the feeding roller 235, and is conveyed downstream by the feeding roller 235 through the insertion sheet conveyance path 231.

  Further, the insertion sheet Si is conveyed downward along the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 by the conveyance roller 237, but the conveyance is temporarily stopped when the leading end abuts against the pressure contact portion of the registration roller pair 238. As a result, the leading end position and orientation of the insertion sheet Si before being sent from the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 to the sheet conveyance path 224 are adjusted.

  The registration roller pair 238 is configured to form an image so that the insertion sheet Si waiting on the registration roller pair is inserted into a predetermined number of positions with respect to the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 221. The rotation is started in synchronization with the sheet conveyance timing from the apparatus 221. At the latest just before this, the flapper 234 of the conveyance path switching unit is operated to connect the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 to the insertion sheet conveyance path 231. Thus, the insertion sheet Si is introduced into the sheet conveyance path 224 without colliding with or overlapping with the sheet from the image forming apparatus 221. Thereafter, the flapper 234 is driven so as to open the sheet conveying path 224 toward the sheet inlet end 225 unless the insertion sheet Si is continuously fed.

  The insertion sheet Si transported toward the sheet exit end 227 through the sheet transport path 224 can punch holes by the punching unit 2 when passing through the punching unit 2. When the leading edge of the insertion sheet Si is detected by the sheet sensor 243, the control unit of the image forming apparatus 221 (or the post-processing apparatus 222) performs sheet conveyance based on the elapsed time and the sheet conveyance speed of the conveyance roller pair 241. The position of the insertion sheet Si in the path 224 is accurately detected.

  When the insertion sheet Si reaches a predetermined punching operation start position, the punching unit 2 operates the punching drive motor 48 to start the punching operation. Thereby, the punch member 21 moves up and down between the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position in the axial direction while rotating, and punch holes are formed while conveying the insertion sheet Si. Since the specific drilling operation and control of the drilling unit 2 are substantially the same as those of the drilling system 100 of FIG. 1 described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 27, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The punched insertion sheet Si is unloaded from the sheet exit end 227 of the sheet conveyance path 224 by the unloading roller pair 242 and is sent to the post-processing device 222. When punch holes are not formed in the insertion sheet Si, the insertion sheet Si is conveyed from the insertion sheet tray 230 through the insertion sheet conveyance path 231 as described above, enters the sheet conveyance path 224, and passes through the punching unit 2 as it is. It is carried out to the processing device 222.

  The insert device 220 is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. For example, in another embodiment, the insertion sheet is not a single sheet, but the roll paper can be cut and fed one by one with a cutter. Further, the insert device 220 can be configured integrally with the post-processing device 222. In this case, the image forming system of the present invention can be similarly configured by directly connecting the post-processing device 222 to the image forming device 221.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in relation to preferred embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the technical scope, it can implement by adding various change or deformation | transformation. Needless to say. For example, as long as the punching system and the punching unit include a punch member that reciprocates vertically in a horizontally conveyed sheet and punches, various configurations other than the above embodiment are applied. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Punching device main-body part 2 Punching unit 3 Punching main-body part 4 Base unit part 7 Slider 8 Base part 21 Punch member 22 Punching blade 31 Cam member 33 Cam groove 41 Sensor flag member 48 Punching drive motor 55 Encoder 60 Position sensor 80 Control part 100 Punching system 101 Housing 102 Sheet conveying section 105 Sheet conveying path 106 Sheet supply tray 107 Sheet discharge tray 220 Punching system 221 Image forming apparatus 222 Post-processing device 224 Sheet conveying path 231 Inserted sheet conveying path

Claims (18)

A punch member having a perforation blade at one end in the axial direction and reciprocating in the axial direction;
A drive motor for reciprocating the punch member from the home position in the axial direction and perforating a sheet by the perforating blade;
A control unit for controlling the drive motor so as to cause the punch member to reciprocate in the axial direction to cause the punching operation of the sheet;
The drive motor brakes the drive motor to stop the punch member at the home position after the punching operation of the sheet, and the drive motor is in a state where the drive motor has stopped rotating due to the braking. A punching system that makes a false determination based on the rotation amount after the start of braking and determines the start of the next punching operation of the sheet by the punch member.   The drilling system according to claim 1, wherein the drive motor is braked by an electric brake.   An encoder for detecting the amount of rotation of the drive motor as a pulse signal is further provided, and the control unit artificially determines the rotation stop state of the drive motor using the pulse signal output from the encoder. The perforation system according to claim 1 or 2.   The drilling system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit artificially determines the rotation stop state of the drive motor based on the number of pulses of the pulse signal.   The drilling system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit artificially determines a rotation stop state of the drive motor based on a pulse width of the pulse signal.   The drilling system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit artificially determines a rotation stop state of the drive motor based on a pulse period of the pulse signal.   The punch member is movable with the sheet in the predetermined conveying direction by engaging with a punch hole of the sheet being punched so as to punch a sheet conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction. Item 7. The drilling system according to any one of Items 1 to 6.   The punching system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit continuously executes the punching operation of the sheet by the punch member by alternately rotating the drive motor forward and backward. A punch member having a perforation blade at one end in the axial direction, and a punch member capable of reciprocating in the axial direction, and a drive for reciprocating the punch member in the axial direction from a home position and perforating the sheet by the perforation blade A method for controlling a drilling system comprising a motor,
The drive motor is activated, the punch member is reciprocated in the axial direction so as to perforate the sheet, and then the drive motor is braked so as to stop at the home position. It is determined in a pseudo manner that the rotation has stopped due to braking based on the rotation amount of the drive motor after the start of braking, and the punching member determines the start of the next punching operation of the sheet by the punch member. System control method.   The drilling system control method according to claim 9, wherein the drive motor is braked by an electric brake.   The drilling system control method according to claim 10, wherein the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on a counter electromotive force generated in the drive motor by the electric brake.   The drilling system control according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the rotation amount of the drive motor is detected as a pulse signal, and the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner using the detected pulse signal. Method.   The drilling system control method according to claim 12, wherein the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on the number of pulses of the pulse signal.   The drilling system control method according to claim 12, wherein the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on a pulse width of the pulse signal.   The drilling system control method according to claim 12, wherein the rotation stop state of the drive motor is determined in a pseudo manner based on a pulse period of the pulse signal.   The punching system control method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the punching operation of the sheet by the punch member is continuously executed by alternately rotating the drive motor forward and backward.   A sheet processing apparatus comprising the punching system according to claim 1.   An image forming apparatus comprising the punching system according to claim 1 or the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 17.

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