JP2019111698A - Sheet binding apparatus, sheet processing apparatus, and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a binding apparatus capable of obtaining appropriate tightening force regardless of a material of a sheet.SOLUTION: A pressure binding apparatus 29 comprises: a pair of pressure members 33 having pressure teeth 35 arranged in a dentition direction; and a movement mechanism movable between an engaging offset position where one of the pair of pressure members 33 is moved relative to the other one in the dentition direction and a normal position where the teeth are not moved. When it is recognized that a sheet bound by the pressure binding apparatus is a sheet containing polyethylene, the pressure members are set to the offset position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet binding apparatus that performs binding processing on sheets obtained by stacking sheets in a bundle, a sheet processing apparatus using such a sheet binding apparatus, and an image forming system using such a sheet processing apparatus.

  A sheet binding apparatus that performs a binding process on sheets obtained by stacking a plurality of sheets in a bundle is used in a sheet processing apparatus or the like in an image forming system. As a binding processing mechanism, a staple binding mechanism for binding sheets with staples is widely known. However, when the stapling process is performed using staples, it is necessary to remove the staples from the sheet when discarding the sheet for recycling or applying it to a shredder. For this reason, in recent years, a needleless binding mechanism for binding sheets without using staples has attracted attention. As such a needleless binding mechanism, a crimping and binding mechanism is known in which fibers of a sheet are entangled and crimped by sandwiching and pressing a sheet between a pair of crimping members having chevron shaped concavo-convex teeth.

JP, 2013-32021, A

In such a crimping and binding mechanism, the sheet is sandwiched between a pair of crimping members, and the sheet overlapping the top of the convex portion of one crimping member and the apex of the convex of the other crimping member is deformed in the opposite direction In the stretched state, the sheet is mainly pressed on the side surfaces of the uneven teeth to bind the sheet by tying the fibers of the sheet. The material of this sheet is generally paper or cellophane, etc., and those obtained by laminating polyethylene or the like on these materials are known. For example, medical packing paper used in medicine packaging etc. contains polyethylene in paper or cellophane, and in order to bind the sheets, welding processing to bind the paper fibers and bind the polyethylene is effective It becomes.

  In the case where the sheet contains polyethylene, the longer the length of the region pressed by the side surfaces of the upper and lower uneven teeth, the larger the thermal energy generated by friction and the stronger the cohesion by welding. However, in the case of a sheet of paper, tearing of the sheet is more likely to occur as the frictional force generated on the side surface of the uneven teeth is larger.

  An object of the present invention is to perform an optimum binding process in accordance with the material of sheets to be bound.

In view of the above-described object, the sheet binding device of the present invention includes a pair of crimping members having a plurality of crimping teeth arranged in parallel in the dentition direction, the crimping teeth of the pair of crimping members being interposed between the sheets. A sheet binding device for pressing and binding sheets by meshing with each other,
It has changing means capable of changing the meshing of the crimp teeth in accordance with the material of the sheet to be stapled by the crimp teeth.

In the sheet binding device, at least one of the two side surfaces of the pair of crimping members of the plurality of crimp teeth of the plurality of crimp teeth facing the dentition direction is formed such that the width in the dentition direction of the tip of the crimp teeth is narrower than the root And the inclined side surfaces of the plurality of crimping teeth of one crimping tooth member and the inclined side surfaces of the plurality of crimping teeth of the other crimping tooth member mesh a pair of crimping members When placed opposite to be located. Therefore, when the sheet contains polyethylene, the energy generated by the friction is increased by increasing the length in the meshing direction of the region pressed by the side surfaces of the concavo-convex teeth on the upper and lower sides to increase the cohesion by welding. On the other hand, when binding a sheet of paper, by using the above-mentioned engagement changing means, the length in the engagement direction of the area pressed by the side surface of the concavo-convex tooth is made shorter than in the case of binding a sheet containing polyethylene. .
Therefore, by moving the pair of pressure-bonding members between the normal position for binding the paper and the offset position for binding the sheet containing polyethylene, it is possible to obtain an optimal binding force depending on the type of material of the sheet.

  In the sheet binding device, when the force applied by the pair of pressure-bonding members reaches a predetermined value when the one of the pair of pressure-bonding members approaches the other, the pair of pressure-bonding members are in the pressure-bonding position It is preferable to detect that it has reached and stop the approach of the pair of crimping members. This makes it possible to locate the optimal position in the meshing direction of the pair of crimping members at the crimping position of the pair of crimping members depending on the relative positional relationship between the pair of crimping members in the dentition direction and the type of sheet.

  In one embodiment, the binding process drive mechanism includes a binding drive motor, and a transmission mechanism that converts the rotation of the binding drive motor into an operation to move the pair of pressure-applying members closer to and away from each other and transmits the motion to the pair of pressure-adhering members. And the binding processing control device causes the pair of crimping members to receive the electric current supplied to the binding drive motor when the pair of crimping members approach each other reaches a predetermined threshold value. It is possible to detect that the pressing position has been reached and to stop the rotation of the binding drive motor.

  The meshing position moving mechanism includes a meshing drive motor, a feed screw formed with an external thread on an outer peripheral surface and rotated by the meshing drive motor, and a block to which one of the pressure-bonding members is attached. It is preferable that a female screw hole extend through in a direction and be screwed to the male screw portion of the feed screw. Thereby, when moving the crimping member from the normal position to the offset position, the side surface of the thread of the feed screw that presses the crimping member in the dentition direction is a screw of the feed screw by the force acting on the block from the crimping member at the time of meshing Since it is in contact with the side surface of the screw groove of the female screw hole that presses the mountain, when the pair of crimping members arranged at the offset position is engaged, the crimp between the screw thread and the screw groove It can suppress that a member moves.

  It is preferable that the two side surfaces in the dentition direction of the pair of pressure-bonding members be formed to be inclined such that the tips of the pressure-bonding teeth are thinner than the roots of the pressure-bonding teeth.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet stacking unit for stacking sheets sent from an upstream side in a bundle at a predetermined binding position, and a sheet obtained by bundling sheets stacked in the sheet stacking unit. There is provided a sheet processing apparatus including the above-described sheet binding apparatus that performs processing.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet, and a sheet processing unit for performing a binding process on a sheet obtained by stacking sheets sent from the image forming unit in a bundle. An image forming system is provided, wherein the sheet processing unit is the above-described sheet processing apparatus.

According to the present invention, the binding force can be adjusted by the material of the sheet, and according to the material of the sheet, it is possible to select the meshing position which produces the binding force suitable for each sheet.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an entire configuration of an image forming system provided with a sheet binding device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an entire configuration of a sheet processing apparatus in the image forming system shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an entire configuration of a pressure bonding device as a sheet binding device incorporated in the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2; It is explanatory drawing which showed the internal structure of one Embodiment of the crimping | compression-bonding part of the crimping | compression-bonding binding apparatus shown by FIG. 3 in the cross section. It is explanatory drawing which showed the internal structure of other embodiment of the crimp binding part of the sheet binding apparatus shown by FIG. 3 in the cross section. It is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the crimp binding apparatus shown by FIG. 3, (a) is a waiting state before binding processing operation, (b) is a state at the start of binding processing operation, (c) is binding processing It shows the state where the operation is finished. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the image forming system shown by FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the crimp binding operation | movement in a sheet binding processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship of the crimping tooth and sheet of a pair of crimping members in the process of crimping binding operation when a pair of crimping members is arrange | positioned in a normal position, (a) is a pair of crimping members waiting positions (B) shows the state in which the crimping / stitching operation is started, (c) shows the state in which the crimping teeth are in contact with the sheet, and (d) shows that the crimping teeth pinch and deform the sheet. In the state, (e) shows a state in which the pair of crimping members has reached the crimping position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship of the crimping tooth and sheet of a pair of crimping members in the process of crimping binding operation when a pair of crimping members is arrange | positioned in an offset position, (a) is a pair of crimping members waiting positions (B) shows a state in which the crimping / stitching operation has been started, (c) shows a state in which the crimping teeth are in contact with the sheet, and (d) shows a state in which the pair of crimping members has reached the crimping position Is shown. 1 shows a tabletop binding device using the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming system using a binding processing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 1 shows an image forming system using a binding processing device according to the present invention. The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B. The sheet processing apparatus B incorporates a sheet binding apparatus C as a unit. The sheet processing apparatus B includes an image forming apparatus A. The sheet having the image formed thereon is collated and stacked, and the stacked sheet is subjected to a binding process by the sheet binding apparatus C and stored in the downstream stack tray. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus A, the sheet processing apparatus B, and the sheet binding apparatus C will be described in detail.

[Image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus A includes a sheet feeding unit 1, an image forming unit 2, a sheet discharging unit 3, and a signal processing unit (not shown) in an apparatus housing 4. The sheet feeding unit 1 is composed of a plurality of cassettes 5 for storing sheets, and can store sheets of different sizes. Each cassette 5 incorporates a sheet feeding roller 6 for feeding out a sheet, and a separating means (not shown) such as a separating claw for separating sheets one by one or a separating roller.

  Further, a sheet feeding path 7 is provided in the sheet feeding unit 1, and a sheet is fed from each cassette 5 to the image forming unit 2. A pair of registration rollers 8 is provided at the end of the sheet feeding path 7 so that the sheets sent from the cassettes 5 are aligned at the leading edge and kept in standby, and the sheet is fed according to the image forming timing of the image forming unit 2. I do.

  The image forming unit 2 may be configured to form an image on the sheet sent from the sheet feeding unit 1, and various image forming mechanisms for forming an image on the sheet can be adopted. In the illustrated embodiment, an electrostatic image forming mechanism is used as the image forming unit 2. However, the image forming unit 2 is not limited to the illustrated electrostatic image forming mechanism, and an inkjet image forming mechanism, an offset image forming mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of photosensitive drums 9 composed of photosensitive members (photoconductors) are provided in the apparatus housing 4 according to color components, and each photosensitive drum 9 is provided. A light emitter 10 such as a laser head and a developing device 11 are provided every 9 to form latent images (still images) on the respective photosensitive drums 9 by the light emitter 10, and toner ink is attached by the developing device 11. It is supposed to The ink image deposited on the photosensitive drum 9 is transferred to the transfer belt 12 for each color component and synthesized.

  The transfer image formed on the transfer belt 12 is transferred onto the sheet fed from the paper feed unit 1 by the transfer charger 13, fixed by the fixing device (heating roller) 14, and then sent to the paper discharge unit 3. The sheet discharge unit 3 has a sheet discharge port 16 for discharging a sheet into a sheet discharge space 15 formed in the apparatus housing 4 and a sheet conveyance path 17 for guiding a sheet from the image forming unit 2 to the sheet discharge port 16. It is configured. In addition, a duplex path 18 to be described later is continuously provided in the sheet discharge unit 3 so that the sheet on which the image is formed on the front side can be reversed again and fed to the image forming unit 2 again.

  An image reading unit D for reading an image document is provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus A configured as described above, and a document feeding unit E is mounted on the upper part of the image reading unit D. The image reading unit D includes a platen 19a formed of transparent glass and a reading carriage 19b reciprocating along the platen 19a, and scans the image of a document sheet placed on the platen 19a with the reading carriage 19b. Is supposed to read. Further, the document feeding unit E includes a sheet feeding tray 20a and a sheet discharging tray 20b, and the document sheet placed on the sheet feeding tray 20a is separated one by one and automatically set on the platen 19a of the image reading unit D. , And the image is read and stored in the discharge tray 20b.

[Sheet processing apparatus]
The sheet processing apparatus B is configured as a terminal apparatus of an image forming system, and the sheet processing apparatus B incorporates a sheet binding apparatus C as a binding unit.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus B is disposed downstream of the apparatus housing 21, the sheet conveyance path 22 provided in the apparatus housing 21, and the sheet discharge outlet 22 b of the sheet conveyance path 22. A tray 23 and a stack tray 24 disposed further downstream of the processing tray 23 are provided.

  In the processing tray 23, there are a sheet loading means 25 for loading a sheet, a sheet edge regulating member 26 and a side edge aligning member 27 as position regulating means for positioning the loaded sheet at a predetermined binding position, And a sheet binding device C that performs binding processing on the stacked and stacked ones). In the illustrated embodiment, as the sheet binding device C, a staple binding device 28 for binding sheets using staples and a pressure binding device 29 for binding sheets by pressure bonding without using staple needles are provided.

  In the apparatus housing 21, as shown in FIG. 2, a sheet conveying path 22 having a carry-in port 22a and a sheet discharge port 22b is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the sheet is received through the sheet feeding port 22a, conveyed in a substantially horizontal direction, and conveyed out of the discharge port 22b. The sheet conveyance path 22 incorporates a conveyance mechanism for conveying a sheet.

  The transport mechanism is constituted by a pair of transport rollers arranged at predetermined intervals according to the path length, and the pair of carry-in rollers 30 is arranged near the carry-in port 22a and the pair of paper discharge rollers 31 is arranged near the sheet discharge port 22b. ing. The carry-in roller pair 30 and the paper discharge roller pair 31 are driven by the same drive motor (not shown) and convey the sheet at the same peripheral speed. Further, the sheet conveyance path 22 is provided with a sheet sensor Se1 that detects at least one of the front end and the rear end of the sheet.

  A processing tray 23 is disposed on the downstream side of the sheet discharge outlet 22 b of the sheet conveyance path 22 and below the sheet discharge outlet 22 b with a level difference. The processing tray 23 is provided with a paper loading surface 23a for supporting at least a part of the sheets in order to stack the sheets carried out from the paper discharge outlet 22b upward and to stack them in a bundle. After the sheets stacked in a bundle are aligned in a predetermined posture, they are subjected to a binding process and are delivered to the downstream stack tray 24.

  In addition, a sheet loading unit 25 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge port 22 b, and conveys the sheet carried out from the discharge port 22 b to a predetermined position of the processing tray 23. In the illustrated embodiment, a paddle rotating body is provided as the sheet carrying-in means 25, and furthermore, the processing tray 23 is a scrape conveying means for guiding the leading end of the sheet to abut the sheet end regulating member 26. 32 are provided. The scraping conveyance means 32 is disposed on the upstream side of the sheet end regulating member 26, and in the illustrated embodiment, a ring-shaped belt member is provided as the scraping conveyance means 32, and this belt member is a paper The sheet is engaged with the uppermost sheet of the sheet on the loading surface 23a and is rotated in the direction of conveying the sheet toward the sheet end regulating member 26.

  A sheet end regulating member 26 for positioning the sheet is provided at the leading end of the processing tray 23 (the rear end in the sheet discharging direction in FIG. 2), which is carried out from the sheet discharge port 22 b and The leading end of the sheet carried into the processing tray 23 abuts against the sheet end position regulating member 26, and the position thereof is regulated. In this manner, the sheet end position regulating member 26 aligns the sheets stacked on the processing tray 23 at a predetermined processing position.

  Further, the processing tray 23 is provided with a side edge alignment member 27 which positions the width direction of the sheet positioned in the sheet end regulating member 26 on a predetermined reference line (center reference or side reference). In the illustrated embodiment, the side edge alignment member 27 is constituted by a pair of left and right alignment plates, and the sheet carried out of the sheet discharge outlet 22b and positioned on the sheet edge regulating member 26 is placed on the sheet of the processing tray 23. It is aligned on the surface 23a in a direction perpendicular to the sheet discharge direction, and is positioned and aligned with a predetermined reference line.

  In the processing tray 24, as the sheet binding device C, a staple binding device 28 and a pressure binding device 29 which perform binding processing on the sheet whose contact with the sheet edge regulating member 26 is regulated and which is positioned in the width direction by the side edge aligning member 27 And are further provided. Since the sheet binding processing mechanism and the binding processing operation by the staple binding device 28 are already well known, the description thereof is omitted.

[Crimp binding device]
The pressure bonding device 29 presses and deforms a plurality of sheets stacked in a bundle so as to engage with each other, and binds them. For this reason, the crimping and binding device 29 is provided with a clamp mechanism that clamps and sandwiches a plurality of sheets so as to engage the concavo-convex portions formed facing each other.

  Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the crimping and binding device 29 includes a pair of crimping members 33 (33 a, 33 a, 33 b, 33 b, 33 b, 33 c 33b) and a binding process drive mechanism 34 for moving the pair of crimping members 33 closer to and away from each other, sandwiching the sheet S between the pair of crimping members 33 and forming a plurality of crimpings formed on the pair of crimping members 33 The sheet S is pressed by pressing the sheet S by meshing the concavo-convex portions including the teeth 35 with each other. The binding processing drive mechanism 34 presses the back and front sides of the sheet S by the crimping teeth 35 of the pair of crimping members 33 when the sheet S is disposed between the pair of crimping members 33 and crimps the crimping position Ap 6) and a standby position (engagement release position) Wp (see FIG. 6) for moving the pair of crimping members 33 away from each other from the crimping position Ap in a direction away from each other (see FIG. 6) It is controlled to move 33 relative to one another. The pair of crimping members 33a and 33b are fixed on the blocks 38a and 38b supported by the frame members 36 and 37, respectively, and one frame member 36 can be pivoted by the other frame member 37 by a pivotal support shaft 39 Is linked to The pair of frame members 36 and 37 are attached to the unit frame 40 so that the pair of crimping members 33 supported thereby can be moved between the crimping position Ap and the standby position Wp.

  In the illustrated embodiment, a crimp attached to a block (hereinafter, referred to as “fixed side block”) 38 a supported by the fixed side frame member (hereinafter, referred to as “fixed frame”) 36. Block (hereinafter referred to as "movable side block") supported by a member (hereinafter referred to as "fixed side member") 33a and a movable frame member (hereinafter referred to as "movable frame") 37b The movable side member 33b is moved relative to the fixed side member 33a by causing the movable frame 37 to swing relative to the fixed frame 36 and the crimped member (hereinafter referred to as "movable side member") 33b attached to the 38b. The clamp mechanism is configured by the binding process drive mechanism 34 for moving the sheet closer to and away from each other, and the sheet S placed on the processing tray 23 can be fixed side member 33a and movable side member 33b. So that the sandwiched and pressed between.

  The fixed frame 36 is integrally fixed to the unit frame 40, and the movable frame 37 is pivotally supported around a pivotal support shaft 39 fixed to the fixed frame 36. The peristaltic spindle 39 may be fixed to another member such as the unit frame 40 instead of the fixed frame 36. Further, the fixed block 38 a is supported at the end of the fixed frame 36, and the movable block 38 b is supported at the end of the movable frame 37. Thus, the fixed side member 33a attached to the fixed side block 38a supported by the fixed frame 36 and the movable side member 33b attached to the movable side block 38b supported by the movable frame 37 are the fixed frame 36. The movable frame 37 is pivoted about the pivotal support shaft 39 to pressurize the sheet S (the pressing position Ap) and the non-pressurized state (standby position Wp) away from the sheet S. Move between

  In the crimping and binding device 29 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fixed frame 36 is formed of a frame member having a U-shaped cross section (channel shape) formed of metal, reinforced plastic or the like, and both side walls of the fixed frame 36 A movable frame 37 is pivotally supported by a pivotal support shaft 39 between 36a and 36b. With such a configuration, the movable frame 37 is guided by the side walls 36 a and 36 b of the fixed frame 36 and performs peristaltic motion around the pivotal support shaft 39. Further, a return spring 41 is connected to the movable frame 37 to bias the movable frame 37 toward the standby position Wp. In the illustrated embodiment, the return spring 41 is disposed between the movable frame 37 and the unit frame 40, but may be disposed between the fixed frame 36 and the movable frame 37.

  In the present embodiment, one of the two frame members 36 and 37 is fixed to the unit frame 40, and the other frame member 37 is movably supported relative to the unit frame 40. However, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which the two frame members 36 and 37 are both movably supported with respect to the unit frame 40.

  The pair of pressure-bonding members 33 are arranged such that the unevenness formed by the plurality of pressure-bonding teeth 35 respectively formed on the surfaces facing each other are engaged with each other. The shape (especially the edge shape) of each crimp tooth 35 is an optimum shape in which the sheets S are not damaged when pressed by the crimp teeth 35, and the overlapping sheets are deformed so as to be engaged with each other. Configure to In addition, at least one of the two side surfaces of each crimp tooth 35 facing in the dentition direction is formed to be inclined such that the width in the dentition direction of the tip of the crimp teeth is smaller than the root of the crimp teeth And the inclined side surfaces of the plurality of crimping teeth 35 of one crimping member 33a and the inclined side surfaces of the plurality of crimping teeth 35 of the other crimping member 33b face each other when engaging the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b It is arranged to be located. In the illustrated embodiment, both side surfaces of the crimp teeth 35 facing in the dentition direction are inclined so that the width of the tip of the crimp teeth 35 in the dentition direction becomes narrow. The sheet pinched by the uneven surface constituted by such a plurality of crimping teeth 35 is the top of the crimping teeth (convex portion) 35 of one crimping member 33a and the crimping teeth (convex portion) of the other crimping member 33b. The overlapping sheets are tied together by pressing between the side surfaces of the crimping teeth 35 in a state of being pressed in the diametrical direction with the top of the 35 and deformed in a gathered shape (wave shape) and stretched. Be done.

  Next, the binding process drive mechanism 34 will be described with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A movable side block 38b to which the movable side member 33b is attached is supported at the tip end of the movable frame 37 supported so as to be able to slide around the fixed frame 36. A follower roller (cam follower) 42 is provided at the base end located on the opposite side. The movable side member 33 b and the follower roller 42 are disposed in a positional relationship in which the action of the forceps (a power boosting mechanism) works through the pivotal support shaft 39.

  In addition, a cam member (in the illustrated embodiment, a cylindrical cam) 43 is provided at the proximal end of the fixed frame 36. The cam member 43 is supported by a cam shaft 44 rotatably supported by the fixed frame 36, and the cam member 43 and the follower roller 42 are disposed in such a positional relationship that they engage with each other. Furthermore, the rotation of the binding drive motor DC1 is transmitted to the camshaft 44 via the transmission mechanism 45, and the cam member 43 is connected to the camshaft 44 so that it rotates forward and reverse with the forward and reverse rotation of the binding drive motor DC1. It is done.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the binding drive motor DC1 is attached to the unit frame 40, and the rotation of the drive shaft 46 is controlled by the transmission gears G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5 constituting the transmission mechanism 45. The cam member 43 is transmitted to the cam shaft 44 via the cam shaft 44, and the cam member 43 connected to the cam shaft 44 rotates. In the illustrated embodiment, the cam member 43 is configured to repeat counterclockwise rotation (CCW) and clockwise rotation (CW) within a predetermined angle range in forward and reverse rotation of the binding drive motor DC1. . The cam surface 43 a of the cam member 43 engages with the follower roller 42 to cause the movable frame 42 integral with the follower roller 42 to make a peristaltic movement around the pivotal support shaft 39.

  In the binding process drive mechanism 34 shown in FIG. 3, a non-engaging portion Cpx (see FIG. 6A) is formed on the cam surface 43a of the cam member 43, and the follower roller 42 engages in this area When the movable frame 37 is moving, the movable frame 37 is not subjected to the action of the force from the cam surface 43a via the follower roller 42, and is urged toward the standby position (the meshing release position) Wp by the action of the return spring 41. Therefore, when the follower roller 42 is engaged with the non-engagement portion Cpx, the movable frame 37 moves to the standby position Wp by the spring force of the return spring 41 and stops at that position. From this state, when the binding drive motor DC1 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3, the cam member 43 rotates in the counterclockwise direction around the cam shaft 44 to cause the follower roller 42 to follow and move the movable frame The movable side member 33b is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction around the pivotal support shaft 39 and supported by the movable frame 37 via the movable side block 38b. The standby position Wp shown in FIG. 6A. And moves toward the pressing position Ap shown in FIG. 6 (c).

  Specifically, when the follower roller 42 reaches the peristaltic start position Cps of the cam surface 43a shown in FIG. 6A, the cam surface 43a causes the movable frame 37 to pivot around the pivotal support shaft 39 via the follower roller 42. The application of force is started, and the movable frame 37 is moved to the movable frame 37 via the movable side block 38b at the pressure start position Cpm (the position differs depending on the thickness of the sheet S) on the cam surface 43a shown in FIG. The pressure on the sheet S is started by the movable side member 33b supported, and the movable side is movable at the pressure end position Cpe (the position differs depending on the thickness of the sheet S) shown in FIG. 6C. The side member 33b applies the maximum pressure to the sheet S, and the pressure operation is completed. Thus, the pressure bonding of the sheet S is completed. Thereafter, the cam member 43 is rotated clockwise by the clockwise rotation of the binding drive motor DC1, and the position at which the follower roller 42 engages with the cam surface 43a is the pressurization start position Cpm, the pressure start position Cpm, the wobbling start position It moves to the non-engagement part Cpx via Cps, and the return operation to the standby position Wp is performed.

  In the above embodiment, the follower roller 42 is provided on the movable frame 37 and the cam member 43 is provided on the fixed frame 36. However, the cam member 43 may be provided on the movable frame 37 and the follower roller 42 may be provided on the fixed frame 36 is there. In this case, the rotation may be directly transmitted to the cam shaft 44 by the binding drive motor DC1 attached to the unit frame 40.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the crimping and binding device 29 further includes a meshing position moving mechanism 47 that moves one of the pair of crimping members 33 in the direction of the teeth relative to the other. In the illustrated embodiment, the stationary side member 33a is moved in the dentition direction with respect to the movable side member 33b by moving the stationary side block 38a in the dentition direction with respect to the movable side block 38b by the meshing position moving mechanism 47. It is moved to However, if the meshing position moving mechanism 47 can relatively move the fixed side member 33a and the movable side member 33b in the dentition direction, the movable side block 38b and the fixed side member 33a to which the movable side member 33b is fixed are Both of the fixed side blocks 38a that are fixed may be moved, or the movable side member 33b or the fixed side member 33a may be moved directly in the dentition direction.

  One embodiment of the meshing position moving mechanism 47 is shown in FIG. A concave movable side block receiving portion 48 is formed at the tip of the movable frame 37, and the movable side block 38b is press-fit into the movable side block receiving portion 48 and fixedly supported by the movable frame 37. There is. In addition, although the fixed side block receiving portion 49 having a concave shape is also formed at the tip end portion of the fixed frame 36, the fixed side block receiving portion 49 is configured such that movement in the dentition direction is permitted. Is inserted in the The fixed side block 49 is formed with a female screw hole 50 extending in the dentition direction, and the feed is supported at its both ends rotatably on the two side walls 49a, 49a opposed in the dentition direction of the fixed side block receiving portion 49. A male screw portion 51 a formed on an outer peripheral portion of the screw 51 is screwed into the female screw hole 50. In addition, a tab portion 52 that protrudes and extends outward in the dentition direction is formed at an end portion on the surface side to which the stationary side member 33 a of the stationary side block 38 a is fixed. It abuts on the upper end surfaces of at least the side walls 49a, 49a facing each other in the dentition direction. A meshing drive motor DC2 is connected to the feed screw 51 via transmission gears G6 and G7, and the feed screw 51 is rotated as the meshing drive motor DC2 rotates in the forward and reverse directions. The meshing drive motor DC2 is attached to the unit frame 40. The feed screw 51 may be directly driven to rotate by the meshing drive motor DC2 without using the transmission gear.

  With such a configuration, when the meshing drive motor DC2 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, the feed screw 51 is rotated, and the fixed block 38a is opposed to the fixed block receiving portion 49 in the tooth row direction by the tab portion 52a, It moves in the direction of teeth while being guided along the upper end face of 49a, and the fixed side member 33a attached to the fixed side block 38a moves in the direction of teeth relative to the movable side member 33b attached to the movable side block 38b Do.

  The meshing position moving mechanism is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, and other configurations may be employed. For example, as in the meshing position moving mechanism 47 'of another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, it extends in the dentition direction to the surface of the fixed block 38a opposite to the surface to which the fixed member 33a is fixed. By providing the rack portion 53 and engaging the pinion 54 driven by the meshing drive motor DC2, the stationary block 38a is penetrated in the dentition direction, and both ends thereof are side walls 49a of the stationary block receiving portion 49, The stationary block 38a may be moved in the dentition direction along the guide shaft 55 supported by the shaft 49a.

    In the crimping and binding device 29 described above, at least one of the two side surfaces of the plurality of crimping teeth 35 formed on the pair of crimping members 33 facing the dentition direction is the dentition direction of the tip of the crimping teeth 35 Has a generally mountain-like shape formed to be thinner than the root of the crimping tooth 35, and a plurality of inclined side surfaces of the plurality of crimping teeth 35 of one crimping member 33a and a plurality of other crimping members 33b. The inclined side surfaces of the crimp teeth 35 are disposed to be opposed to each other when the pair of crimp members 33 are engaged. Therefore, when the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b are moved relative to each other in the dentition direction, the length of contact between the inclined side surfaces of the crimping teeth changes. For example, the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b are positioned such that the top of each crimping tooth 35 of one crimping member 33a meshes with the deepest portion of the recess formed between adjacent crimping teeth 35 of the other crimping member 33b. Is arranged in a position (offset position) in which one crimping member 33a is moved in the dentition direction from a position (normal position) at which the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b are moved in a meshing direction, The crests of the respective pressing teeth 35 of one pressing member 33a come into contact with the inclined side surfaces of the pressing teeth 35 longer than the deepest portions of the recesses between the adjacent pressing teeth 35 of the other pressing member 33b. . As a result, when the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b are moved from the normal position to the offset position, the relative movement distance in the meshing direction until the crests of the respective crimping teeth 35 of one crimping member 33b contact the other crimping member 33a. Becomes short, and the frictional force generated between the side surfaces of one of the plurality of crimping teeth 35 of the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b becomes large.

  Therefore, even when the sheet S is pressed between the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b, the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b is compared with the case where the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b are disposed in the normal position. Since the frictional energy generated between the one side surfaces of the crimping teeth 35 when the is disposed at the offset position is large, frictional heat is generated, and it becomes possible to strongly weld the sheet containing polyethylene.

[Control device]
Next, the configuration of the control device 60 of the image forming system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 60 includes an image formation control unit 65 that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus A, and a sheet processing control unit 70 that controls the operation of the sheet processing apparatus B. The image forming processing unit 65 includes an image forming apparatus control CPU, and a control panel 66 provided in the image forming apparatus A and a mode setting unit 67 are connected to the image forming apparatus control CPU 65. The image forming conditions and the binding processing mode are input through the control panel 66 and set in the mode setting unit 67. As to the binding processing mode, it is selected whether the binding processing is performed by the staple binding device 28 or the binding processing is performed by the crimping binding device 29.

  The sheet processing control unit 70 is configured of a sheet processing device control CPU, and a RAM 71 and a ROM 72 are connected to the sheet processing device control CPU. The sheet processing device control CPU 70 calls an execution program stored in the ROM 71 to execute sheet processing. Further, control data such as pressing time of the binding operation by the pressure bonding device 29 is stored in the RAM 72.

  The sheet processing control unit 70 includes a stacking control unit 70 a, a binding processing control unit 70 b, a meshing position control unit 70 c, and a stack control unit 70 d. The stacking control unit 70 a controls the operation of each unit of the sheet processing apparatus B so that the sheets sent from the image forming apparatus A are collated and stacked on the processing tray 23. The binding processing control unit 70b operates the staple binding device 28 to perform binding processing when the staple binding mode is selected, and performs binding processing when the pressure binding binding mode is selected. The operation is performed to perform the binding process. The meshing position control unit 70c determines whether the sheet is a normal paper sheet or a sheet including a coated or laminated sheet containing polyethylene based on the sheet information set by the operator when the pressure bonding mode is selected. According to the control of the movable side block 38b by controlling the operation of the meshing position moving mechanism 47 of the crimping and binding device 29 to "normal binding position (paper binding position +)" or "offset binding position (polyethylene binding)". The fixed block 38a is moved to change the meshing position of the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b between the normal position and the offset position. The stack control unit 70 d controls a transport mechanism (not shown) provided on the processing tray 23 to discharge the sheets S subjected to the binding process to the stack tray 24.

  In the illustrated embodiment, a binding drive motor DC1 for moving the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b in a direction in which they approach each other and a meshing drive motor DC2 for changing the meshing position of the pair of crimping members are DC currents. It is configured by a motor. The binding process control unit 70 b is connected to a motor driver 73 for driving the binding drive motor DC 1, an encoder 74 attached to the binding drive motor DC 1, and a current detection circuit 75. Relative position of the movable frame 37, ie relative position of the movable side member 33b to the fixed side member 33a, while detecting the current value supplied to the motor driver 73 by the current detection circuit 75, and the current value is predetermined. When the threshold value is reached, the pressure applied to the sheet S reaches a predetermined value, and the stationary side member 33a supported by the stationary frame 36 via the stationary side block 38a is movable via the movable side block 38b. It can be determined that the movable side member 33b supported by the movable frame 37 has been moved to the crimping position. To have. Further, the meshing position control unit 70c is connected to a motor driver 76 for driving the meshing drive motor DC2 for moving the fixed block 38a in the dentition direction, and an encoder 77 attached to the meshing drive motor DC2. By detecting the position of the fixed side member 33a fixed to the fixed side block 38a by the encoder 77, the meshing position of the fixed side member 33a with respect to the movable side member 33b fixed to the movable side block 38b in the dentition direction It can be grasped and moved to a desired positional relationship.

  Next, the binding processing operation of the pressure bonding device 29 will be described with reference to FIG. The current value to be supplied to the drive motor DC1 in order to obtain the pressing force necessary for the binding of the sheets S is set in advance by experiment and stored in the RAM 72 in regard to the pressure bonding using the pressure bonding device 29. Further, the difference in position between when the meshing position of the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a and 33b is the normal position and when it is the offset position is preset, converted into the number of pulse signals from the encoder 77 and stored in the RAM 72 The RAM 72 stores information on the material of the sheet when switching between the normal position and the offset position.

When a sheet on which an image is formed is sent from the image forming apparatus A to the sheet processing apparatus B, the accumulation control unit 70a controls the transport mechanism and the like of the sheet processing apparatus B so as to accumulate the sheets on the processing tray 23. . At this time, the sheet processing control unit 70 acquires whether the sheet material sent from the image forming apparatus A to the sheet processing apparatus B includes polyethylene (step S1), and determines whether the number of sheets is equal to or more than a predetermined number. It confirms (step S2). The meshing position control unit 70c drives the meshing drive motor DC2 of the meshing position moving mechanism 47 in a state in which the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a and 33b are disposed at the standby position Wp, thereby generating polyethylene ( When it does not contain polyethylene etc., the fixed block 38a is moved so that the meshing position of the crimp teeth 35 of the fixed side member 33a with the movable side member 33b becomes the normal position (step S3). When polyethylene or the like is contained, the fixed block 38a is moved so that the meshing position of the crimp teeth 35 of the fixed side member 33a with respect to the movable side member 33b becomes the offset position (step S10).

  Further, in the control panel 66 of the image forming apparatus A, a binding force (binding force) can be designated, for example, in a "binding force strong" mode and a "binding force weak" mode. The pair of pressure members 33a and 33b Even when the meshing position is the normal position for binding the paper, when the "weak binding strength" mode is specified, the meshing position of the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a and 33b becomes the offset position. The fixed block 38a is moved (step S4).

  Here, although the meshing position is determined based on the sheet material information received from the image forming apparatus A and the information input to the control panel 66 of the image forming apparatus A, so-called manual feed processing and desktop binding apparatus In this case, it may be determined by a button or the like for selecting "paper binding" and "polyethylene binding", and in the illustrated embodiment, there are two types of setting of the meshing position, but 2 It is also possible to set and switch one or more offset positions.

  As shown in FIG. 9 (a), after the pair of crimping members 33a, 33b are arranged in the normal position at the standby position Wp, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), on the processing tray 23. When the stacked sheet S is disposed between the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a and 33b, the binding processing control unit 70b drives the binding drive motor DC1 of the binding processing drive mechanism 34 to start the binding processing operation. The movable side member 33b is approached toward the fixed side member 33a (step S5). At this time, the binding process control unit 70b monitors the value of the current supplied from the motor driver 73 to the binding drive motor DC1 through the current detection circuit 75, and the value of the current supplied to the binding drive motor DC1 is read from the RAM 72 The movement of the movable member is continued until the threshold A for the normal position is reached (step S6). As shown in FIG. 9 (c), as shown in FIG. 9 (d), the tops of the plurality of crimp teeth 35 of the movable side member 33b and the fixed side member 33a are in contact with the sheet S. Further, when the movable side member 33b is further approached toward the fixed side member 33a, the resistance value of the sheet S causes the current value supplied to the binding drive motor DC1 to increase. When the current value supplied to the binding drive motor DC1 reaches the threshold A, the binding processing control unit 70b causes the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a and 33b to reach the pressure-bonding position Ap as shown in FIG. It is determined that the pressure applied to the sheet S has reached a predetermined value, and the binding drive motor DC1 is stopped (step S7).

  Next, the binding process control unit 70b maintains the pressed state for a predetermined time, and then moves the movable side member 33b in a direction away from the fixed side member 33a by reversely rotating the binding drive motor DC1. Then, the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a, 33b are arranged at the standby position Wp where the pressure-bonding teeth 35 of the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a, 33b have been disengaged from each other (step S9). Thereafter, the stack control unit 70d discharges the sheet S subjected to the binding process to the stack tray 24.

  When the meshing of the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b is switched to the offset position in step S10, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b are in the standby position Wp. It is placed at the offset position. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the sheets S stacked on the processing tray 23 are disposed between the pair of pressure-bonding members 33a and 33b, the binding processing control unit 70b performs binding. By driving the binding drive motor DC1 of the processing drive mechanism 34, the binding processing operation is started, and the movable side member 33b is made to approach the fixed side member 33a (step S11). At this time, the binding process control unit 70b monitors the value of the current supplied from the motor driver 73 to the binding drive motor DC1 through the current detection circuit 75, and the value of the current supplied to the binding drive motor DC1 is read from the RAM 72 The movement of the movable side member 33b is continued until the threshold B for the offset position is reached (step S12). As shown in FIG. 10 (c), the movable side member 33a and the movable side member 33a are further moved toward the stationary side member 33 from the state where the crests of the plurality of crimp teeth 35 of the movable side member 33b and the stationary side member 33a abut the sheet S. When 33b approaches, the resistance value of the sheet S causes the value of the current supplied to the binding drive motor DC1 to increase. When the current value supplied to the binding drive motor DC1 reaches the threshold value B, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the binding processing control unit 70b causes the pair of crimping members 33a and 33b to reach the crimping position Ap. It is determined that the pressure applied to the sheet S has reached a predetermined value, and the binding drive motor DC1 is stopped (step S7) as in the case of the normal position, and the pressed state is maintained for a predetermined time. After that, the movable side member 33b is moved in a direction away from the fixed side member 33a by rotating the binding drive motor DC1 in reverse (Step S8), and the crimp teeth 35 of the pair of crimp members 33a and 33b release the meshed state The pair of pressure-bonding members 33a and 33b are disposed at the standby position, and the binding operation is ended (step S9). Thereafter, the stack control unit 70d discharges the sheet S subjected to the binding process to the stack tray 24.

  In the offset position, the fixed side member 33a is moved from the normal position in the dentition direction with respect to the movable side member 33a, so when moving the movable side member 33b from the standby position Wp toward the fixed side member 33a The sheet S is clamped between the inclined side of the crimp tooth 35 of the movable side member 33b and the inclined side of the crimp tooth 35 of the fixed side member 33a earlier than in the normal position, and the movable side The area of the region for pressing the sheet S is reduced between the inclined side surfaces of the crimping teeth 35 of the member 33 b and the inclined side surfaces of the crimping teeth 35 of the fixed side member 33 a. That is, the frictional force generated between the pressing teeth 35 of the movable side member 33b and the pressing teeth 35 of the fixed side member 33a increases, and as a result, when the sheet S contains polyethylene, welding due to frictional heat occurs. Cohesion is increased. Therefore, when the sheet material contains polyethylene, selecting the offset position enables appropriate bundling.

  Although the binding processing apparatus according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, only one type of offset position is set, but two or more types of offset positions may be set, and the binding force may be switched more finely according to the thickness of the sheet S, etc. It is possible.

Note that this crimping and binding processing apparatus is not limited to the apparatus included in the image forming system as described above, but as shown in FIG. 11, like a desktop type apparatus 100 for the operator to perform so-called manual insertion processing. It may be in the form of In this case, in place of the input means (control panel) 66, a switch 101 or the like can be provided which allows the operator to select whether it is a normal sheet or a medicine package, and the meshing position is determined based on the signal. The switch 102 performs binding processing.

A image forming apparatus B sheet processing apparatus C sheet binding apparatus 29 crimping binding apparatus 33 crimping member 33a fixed side member 33b movable side member 34 binding processing drive mechanism 35 crimping tooth 47 meshing position moving mechanism 50 female screw hole 51 feed screw 51a male screw 53 Rack part 54 pinion 55 guide shaft

Claims (8)

A pair of crimping members having a plurality of crimping teeth arranged in parallel in the direction of the dentition, the crimping teeth of the crimping members being engaged with each other with the sheet bundle interposed therebetween, the sheet bundle is crimped and stapled A sheet binding device,
A meshing position moving mechanism for moving one of the pair of pressure-bonding members in the direction of the tooth relative to the other;
A binding process drive mechanism for causing the pair of pressure-bonding members to move toward and away from each other;
The normal position and the pair of crimping members are disposed such that the plurality of crimping teeth of one of the pair of crimping members are engaged with the plurality of crimping teeth of the other crimping member by controlling the operation of the meshing position moving mechanism. An interlocking position control device for relatively moving the pair of pressure-bonding members between an offset position in which one of the pressure-sensitive adhesive members is moved in the dentition direction from the normal position with respect to the other pressure-bonding member;
The operation of the binding process driving mechanism is controlled to press the sheet bundle between the pair of pressure-bonding members, and the pair of pressure-bonding between the pressure-bonding position and the standby position where the pair of pressure-bonding members are separated from each other. A binding processing control device for causing members to approach and depart from each other;
And at least one of the two side surfaces of the plurality of crimp teeth directed in the direction of the teeth is formed to be inclined such that the width in the direction of teeth of the tips of the crimp teeth is narrower than the root of the crimp teeth When the inclined side surfaces of one of the plurality of crimping teeth of the pair of crimping members and the inclined side surfaces of the other crimping teeth of the other of the pair of crimping members mesh the pair of crimping members Are placed opposite to the
When the binding processing control device recognizes binding of a sheet containing polyethylene, the binding processing drive is performed so as to mesh the teeth of the pair of crimping members in a state in which the pair of crimping members are disposed at the offset position. A sheet binding device characterized in that the pair of pressure-bonding members are brought close by a mechanism.   The binding processing control device causes the force applied by the pair of crimping members to reach each other when the one of the pair of crimping members approaches the other crimping member reaches a predetermined value. The sheet binding device according to claim 1, detecting that the member has reached the pressure contact position, and stopping the approach of the pair of pressure contact members.   The binding process drive mechanism includes a binding drive motor, and a transmission mechanism that converts the rotation of the binding drive motor into an operation for moving the pair of pressure members close to and away from each other and transmits the operation to the pair of pressure members. When the control device causes the current value supplied to the binding drive motor to reach a predetermined threshold when the pair of pressure-bonding members approach each other, the pair of pressure-bonding members reach the pressure-bonding position The sheet binding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet binding device detects the sheet feeding position and stops the rotation of the binding drive motor.   A value smaller than the threshold when the pair of crimping members disposed at the normal position are caused to approach each other is set as the threshold when the pair of crimping members disposed at the offset position are caused to approach each other. The sheet binding device according to claim 3.   The meshing position movement mechanism extends through a meshing drive motor, a feed screw having an external thread formed on an outer peripheral surface and rotated by the meshing drive motor, and one of the pressure-bonding members penetrating in the dentition direction The sheet binding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sheet binding device is constituted by a female screw hole screwed to the male screw portion of the feed screw.   The two side surfaces of the pair of crimping members in the dentition direction are both formed to be inclined such that the tips of the crimping teeth are thinner than the roots of the crimping teeth. A sheet binding device according to any one of the preceding claims. A sheet stacking unit that stacks sheets sent from the upstream side in a bundle at a predetermined binding position;
The sheet binding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a binding process is performed on sheets obtained by bundling sheets stacked in the sheet stacking unit.
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
A sheet processing unit that performs a binding process on a sheet obtained by stacking sheets sent from the image forming unit in a bundle;
And the sheet processing unit is the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7.