JPH08169624A - Sheet after-processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make high speed after-processing possible even in after-processing a small number of sheets by sending a plurality of successive sheets continuously delivered at high speed from an image forming device to a processing unit after temporarily accumulating sheets during after-processing of the preceding sheets. CONSTITUTION: The end part of an elastic piece describes a circular orbit by the rotation of a conveyance auxiliary rotational member 204. The closest distance (gap) between the circular orbit and the sheet loaded surface of an intermediate stacker 210 is designed to be smaller than the maximum thickness of the sheet bundles loaded and stored on the intermediate stacker 210. In other words, when the number of sheet P loaded on the intermediate stacker 210 is small, the sheet P conveyed from a second conveyance passage 201 through a conveyance roller pair 202 moves backward on the intermediate stacker 210 and facilely slips down on the sheet bundle by the inclination of the intermediate stacker 210 and the tare weight of the sheet P. The rear end part of the sheet P easily enters into the frame of a stopper member 231 formed in an U shape, abuts on the stopper and the sheet rear ends are arranged properly.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus for automatically binding and discharging recording sheets (sheets) on which images have been recorded by an image forming apparatus by binding means (staplers), and particularly to high-speed processing. Sheet post-processing apparatus compatible with the image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sheet post-processing device called a finisher is used as a device for collating a plurality of image-recorded sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus for each number of copies and binding them by a stapler.

The finisher has a function connected to the image forming apparatus main body and is driven in response to the sequence operation of the copying process.

Therefore, for an image forming apparatus capable of high-speed processing of the copy process, a finisher capable of high-speed processing capable of following the speed and performing its function is required.

Regarding such a finisher capable of high-speed processing, JP-A-56-74265 and JP-A-60-14235 have already been proposed.
No. 9, No. 60-158463, No. 62-239169, and JP-A No. 62-28
No. 8002, No. 63-267667, JP-A No. 2-276691, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-3
The proposals disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 504 and 5-41991 are disclosed.

In the sheet post-processing apparatus, the image-recorded sheets carried out from the main body of the image forming apparatus are sequentially stacked while being aligned in the intermediate stacker, and a set of sheet bundles are stored and then stapled or the like. The sheet post-processing is performed, and the bound sheet bundle is placed on a discharge belt provided at the bottom of the intermediate stacker and conveyed, and is sandwiched by a pair of upper and lower discharge rollers and discharged to a discharge tray. .

[0007]

In the conventional sheet post-processing apparatus provided with only one intermediate stacker, the succeeding number of sheets of the second set are kept until the stapling process for the first sheet of the intermediate stacker is completed. There is a problem that the stapling process cannot be performed on the sheet. Therefore, JP-A-57-120952
In the invention described in the publication, this problem is solved by performing high-speed processing in a single flow from stacking sheets to stapling a bundle of sheets and discharging the stapled bundle of sheets. I am trying to solve it, but in order to perform a very quick reciprocating motion due to its mechanism,
There was a problem with noise and durability.

A copying machine equipped with a finisher described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-41991 has a plurality of compiler trays (stackers) and is continuously supplied when the number of copy sheets reaches the number of originals. Switch the gate to guide the copy paper to another compiler tray,
This is to operate the stapling device provided on the compiler tray after the copying paper has been supplied. In the sheet post-processing apparatus having such a two-stage stacker (compiler tray), when the post-processing of three or more copy sheets (sheets) is performed in the staple mode, the first stacker is While the first set of sheets is stacked and the stapling process is performed after the alignment, the second set of sheets is continuously introduced into the second stacker, stacked and aligned, and the staple process is performed from the first stacker. After discharging the completed sheets, the third set of sheets is introduced into the first stacker and stapled. However, if the number of sheets in each set is small (for example, 4 sheets or less), the time from the start of storing sheets in each stacker to the end of the stapling process is short, so the third set of sheets is loaded into the first stacker. At this time, since the first sheet is not yet discharged from the first stacker and is waiting until the post-processing of the preceding sheet is completed, copy productivity is reduced.

As a result of solving the above problems and improving the object, the present invention is sufficiently applicable to an image forming apparatus for high speed printing of about 90 to 100 sheets per minute, and a small number of sheets of various sizes. However, it is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus (finisher) that can perform post-processing quickly without waiting by performing parallel processing.

[0010]

The above object is to convey a plurality of sheets conveyed from an image forming apparatus to a stacker by a conveying means, stack them, align them by an aligning means, and then perform a binding process by a binding means, In a sheet post-processing device that discharges a bundle of sheets after binding processing by discharge means and discharges them to a discharge tray, an accumulator stacker for temporarily accommodating sheets sent out from the conveying means and an opening portion of the accumulator stacker can be opened and closed. A movable member that moves to the first position, and a control unit that controls opening and closing of the movable member. The movable member conveys the sheet sent from the conveying unit to the stacker by the control unit.
Second supply path and a second sheet for branching the sheet sent out from the conveying means to an accumulator stacker and conveying the sheet temporarily.
The sheet post-processing apparatus is characterized in that the sheet is controlled to be conveyed to the supply path and the third supply path for conveying the sheet temporarily accommodated in the accumulator stacker to the stacker. .

Another object of the present invention is to convey a sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus, a stacker for stacking the sheet sent out from the conveying means, an aligning means for aligning the sheets on the stacker, and an aligning means. Binding means for binding the stacked sheets, discharge means for discharging the bound sheets, an accumulator stacker for temporarily accommodating the sheets sent out from the conveying means, and an opening part of the accumulator stacker that can be opened and closed. A movable member and a driving unit for operating the movable member, and the movable member is moved by the driving unit to directly feed the sheet sent from the conveying unit to the stacker; and the conveying unit. Sheet fed from the accumulator stacker to the accumulator stacker and the sheet temporarily stored in the accumulator stacker. It is achieved by a sheet post-processing apparatus and performs the door selectively to be fed into the stacker.

Further, the above-mentioned object is to align a sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus, a stacker for stacking the sheets discharged from the conveying means, and an aligning means for aligning the sheets on the stacker. A plurality of sets of stacker units, each of which includes a binding unit that binds the stacked sheets, a discharging unit that discharges the bound sheets, and an accumulation stacker that temporarily stores the sheets sent from the transporting unit; and The present invention is achieved by a sheet post-processing apparatus characterized in that it has a switching gate means for switching a transport path of any one of a plurality of stacker units and feeding a sheet at the entrance of the transport path of the transport means.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a copying machine equipped with a sheet post-processing device. 10 is a copying machine main body, 20 is a circulation type automatic document feeder (RDH device), and 30 is a sheet post-processing device (finisher). , Hereinafter also referred to as FNS device).

The copying machine main body 10 includes a scanning exposure unit 11, an image forming unit 12, a paper feeding unit 13, a conveying unit 14, a fixing unit 15, a paper discharge switching unit 16,
It is composed of a plurality of sheet feeding cassettes 17 and a double sided recording sheet refeeding device (ADU device) 18.

In the figure, the alternate long and short dash line indicates the conveyance path of the sheet P. An image is formed on the sheet P stored in the paper feed cassette 17 at the lower part of the copying machine body 10 by the image forming unit 12, and then the FNS device 30 passes through the conveying unit 14, the fixing unit 15, and the discharge switching unit 16.
And a circulation route to the sheet feeding unit 13 of the copying machine body 10 after the sheets P branched from the sheet discharge switching unit 16 are once stocked in the ADU device 18 and then re-fed. Consists of.

The document D stacked on the document mounting table of the RDH device 20 is fed by the operation of the copy button on the operation panel of the copying machine main body 10, and is fed through the paper feeding section 21 to the conveyor belt.
It is conveyed by 22 onto the platen glass 11A and set at the exposure position.

The original document D is read by receiving the exposure scan of the original image by the operation of the scanning exposure unit 11, and after the reading is completed, the conveyor belt 22 is rotated again and fed, and is fed through the reverse sheet discharge path 23. It is accommodated in the lowermost layer of the original stack on the original placing table.

Although the circulation of the document D has been described above, the RDH device 20 is an automatic document feeder (ADF).
In this case, the document D, whose image has been read, advances straight and is discharged and stacked on the discharge tray 24 via the discharge rollers.

The copy image of the original D obtained by the exposure scanning is recorded on the sheet P fed from the paper feeding cassette 17 through the image processing process of the copying machine main body 10.

The sheet P on which an image is recorded is the above-mentioned ADU.
The sheet is once fed to the device 18, turned upside down, discharged from the discharge switching unit 16 with the image surface facing downward, and fed to the FNS device 30 of the present invention. The FNS device 30 is installed by adjusting the position and height so that the receiving roller 31 of the sheet P is aligned with the sheet discharge port of the copying machine main body 10, and is controlled so as to be driven according to the operation of the copying machine main body 10. Connected to the system.

The conveying path for the sheet P connected to the rear side of the receiving roller 31 is an offset conveying path 101 (first conveying path) in the upper stage, a second conveying path 201 in the middle stage, and a third conveying path 3 in the lower stage.
It is branched into three systems of 01, and switching gates G1 and G
The sheet P is fed to any one of the transport paths by selecting the angle occupied by 2. U1 is a first stacker unit forming the second conveyance path, and U2 is a second stacker unit forming the third conveyance path.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the FNS device 30.

A pair of conveying rollers (conveying means) 202 of the second conveying path 201 feeds the sheet P to the intermediate stacker 210 arranged at a predetermined inclination angle. A conveyance assisting belt member (guide belt) 203 is rotatably provided above the inclined lower end portion of the intermediate stacker 210, and the rear end portion of the sheet P is sent to the stapler portion. A conveyance assisting rotation member (impeller) 204 is provided on the lowermost roller shaft of the three rollers around the guide belt 203, and the sheet P is switched back to descend on the intermediate stacker (stacker) 210. At this time, the sheet P is surely brought into contact with the stopper member 231 described later by the sliding contact action of the impeller 204. A discharged paper pressing member 205 is swingably supported coaxially with the roller shaft of the impeller 204.

The intermediate stacker 210 is installed with a predetermined inclination angle, and the upper surface side thereof is flush with the upper surface side of the discharge belt 211. The discharge belt 211 is wound around a driving roller and a driven roller, and is integrally provided with a discharge claw 211A that pushes out and conveys a bundle of sheets that have undergone the binding process and a projection portion 211B for home position detection.

The intermediate stacker 210 and the discharge belt 211
Below the lower end side of the stopper member 231, the paper pressing means 23
2, sheet transfer means 230 including transfer lever 233
And a stapling unit (stapler) ST1 are movably provided.

On the downstream side of the sheet stack conveyance of the intermediate stacker 210, a sheet discharge unit 280 including a pair of upper and lower sheet discharge rollers is provided near the sheet discharge section of the FNS device 30.

The second conveying path 201 is located downstream of the switching gate G2 and has a pair of conveying rollers 202, a guide belt 203 and an impeller 20.
4, a transport unit composed of the discharged paper pressing member 205 and a stopper member
231, a sheet pressing unit 232, a sheet delivery unit 230 including a delivery lever 233, an alignment unit 240, a stapler unit 260 including a binding unit (stapler) ST1, an intermediate stacker 210, a discharge unit including a discharge belt 211, and discharge of the sheet. It is composed of a paper unit 280, the above-mentioned transport unit, sheet passing unit 230, aligning unit 240, stapler unit 260,
The discharge part is supported by the moving substrate of the second unit U2 and is configured to be attached to and detached from the FNS device 30 via a pair of left and right guide rails R1. By opening the door on the front side of the FNS device 30 in the drawing, the first stacker unit U1 is pulled out, and maintenance such as jam processing and supplement of staples is performed.

The third conveying path 301 is located downstream of the switching gate G1 and has a pair of conveying rollers 302, a guide belt 303, and an impeller 30.
4, a transport unit composed of the discharged paper pressing member 305 and a stopper member
A sheet delivery means 330 including a sheet holding lever 332, a paper pressing lever 332, and a delivery lever 333, and a binding means (stapler) ST
Two-stage stapler unit 360 and intermediate stacker 31
0, a discharging unit including the matching unit 340 and the second discharging belt 311;
And a sheet discharging unit 380, and has the same configuration as the second transport path. The above-mentioned conveying section and sheet transfer means 33
The second stacker unit U2 including 0, the alignment unit 340, the staple unit, and the discharge unit is connected to the FN via the guide rail R2.
It is detachable in the S device 30.

Further, on the right side of the FNS device 30, a paper discharge tray elevating means 400 is arranged. A pair of support members 412 and 422 are provided on the paper discharge tray elevating means 400 before and after engaging with a plurality of guide rollers 411 and 421 and moving up and down, and the first discharge members are provided on the support members 412 and 422. Paper tray T1
And the second discharge tray T2 are respectively supported and vertically moved along the pair of fixed rails 401.

The pair of support members 412 and 422 are fixed to the elevating wires 414 and 424 stretched between the individual dedicated motors M1 and M2 and the pulleys 413 and 423, respectively.
The rotation of 2 allows the first paper discharge tray T1 and the second paper discharge tray T2 to be individually moved in parallel in the vertical direction.

The control circuit built in the copying machine main body 10 and the FNS device 30 is composed of a basic circuit as shown in the block diagram of FIG. Prior to the start of the copy operation, the paper discharge mode (staple mode or non-sort mode) is selected, and the number of documents and the number of copies are set.

When the non-sort mode in which binding is not required is set, the switching gates G1 and G2 are held in the initial state, the sheet P advances straight, and the receiving roller 31, the intermediate roller 32, the conveyor belt 102, and the offset roller. Vs 103,
The first sheet discharge tray T on the upper stage is discharged to the outside of the machine through the first transport path (offset transport path) 101 formed of the discharge rollers 104.
1 is placed and stored on top.

When the offset mode is selected as the sheet discharge mode, the switching gates G1 and G2 are held in the initial state, the sheet P is fed upward, and the sheet P is fed upward.
The sheet is fed to 101, and is ejected onto the first sheet ejection tray T1 via the conveyor belt 102, the offset driven roller pair 103 and the ejection roller 104. The pair of offset rollers 103, which includes a driving roller and a driven roller, includes an offset driving unit that can reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the drawing, and shifts after the trailing edge passage detection of the sheet P (sensor S4). It is configured so that the sheets P can be driven to be alternately shifted to the left and right in the sheet discharge direction according to the number of copies to be stacked and easily sorted.

When the binding mode is selected as the paper discharge mode, the switching gate G2 rotates, and the sheet P fed by the receiving roller 31 goes straight and is fed to the second conveying path 201. , Is sandwiched by the pair of transport rollers 202 in the first stacker unit U1 and once pushed up and placed on the intermediate stacker 210, the trailing edge of the sheet P is continuously rotated by the guide belt 203 and the weight of the sheet P. Slide down on the inclined surface of the intermediate stacker 210, and the stapler ST1
Binding portion (stopper member 2 of the sheet transfer means 233)
You will be guided to 31).

First sheet P corresponding to the number of originals D
After the last sheet of the sheet is detected by the sensor S1, the switching gate G1 is rotated, the sheet P of the second copy is fed downward and is fed to the third conveyance path 301, and is guided in the same manner as described above. Belt 3
Due to the action of 03, the stacker is pushed up and placed on the intermediate stacker 310. The sheet delivery means 330 of the second stacker unit U2 has the same structure as the sheet delivery means 230 of the first stacker unit U1.

On the other hand, while the second set of sheets P is being fed,
The sheet P of the first copy, which has been laminated, is the stapler S.
Binding is performed by the operation of T1, and then the intermediate stacker 210 is pushed by the pushing back operation of the sheet passing means 233.
It is pushed up against the gravity to a predetermined position and held.

While the discharge belt 211 is driven by a motor, the rotation of the discharge belt 211 is released through a power transmission means such as a gear or a belt, and the discharge claw 211A pushes up the rear end surface of the sheet P to make one revolution and then stop. The bound bundle of sheets P of the first copy is discharged onto the first paper discharge tray T1.

During this period, the stacking of the second set of sheets P is completed, the switching gate G2 is restored again, and the second set of sheets P is operated by the operation of the stapler ST2.
The bundle of the second set of sheets P bound together is the second
The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray T2.

Since a plurality of sheets P on which images are recorded in this manner can be collated and bound in parallel at two upper and lower positions without any particular time difference, post-processing of the sheets P can be performed quickly. Will be seen.

Further, the motors M1 and M2 are operated according to the discharge amount of the sheet P, and the first paper discharge tray T1 and the second paper discharge tray T2 are lowered by the number of processing plates, The sheet P can be discharged and stacked.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the sheet receiving portion and the sheet discharging portion, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the sheet in the direction of arrow A, and FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the conveying means. Although these drawings show the sheet conveying means in the second conveying path 201, the third conveying path 301 has the same structure, and therefore the second conveying path 201 will be described below as a representative.

The sheet P carried out from the guide plate of the second carrying path 201 is nipped by the carrying roller pair 202 composed of the driving roller 202A and the driven roller 202B which are driven and rotated, and is pushed up onto the surface of the intermediate stacker 210. Can be posted in this way. The drive shaft 202C of the drive roller 202A is connected to a drive source (not shown) via a coupling 202E and is driven and rotated. A plurality of drive pulleys 202D are fixed to the drive shaft 202C. The guide belt 203 that winds the drive pulley 202D winds a plurality of driven pulleys 206 provided above the bottom of the sheet stacking inclined surface of the intermediate stacker 210 and the stopper member 231 and a tension pulley 207A. It is an endless belt that does. The guide belt 203 is used to convey sheets of various sizes (B5 size or A size shown in FIG. 5).
It is placed at a predetermined position corresponding to 3 types of 7 types).
A plurality of winding rollers 207 made of a foamed elastic body are integrally formed coaxially with the tension pulley 207A.

The plurality of driven pulleys 206 are rotary shafts 206A.
It is supported and fixed to. On the axis of the rotary shaft 206A,
A conveyance assisting rotation member (impeller) 204 is fixed adjacent to the driven pulley 206 and can rotate integrally with the rotation shaft 206A. The transport assisting rotation member 204 includes a hub portion 204A fitted and fixed to the rotation shaft 206A, and at least one thin plate-like elastic piece portion 204B protruding from the hub portion 204A.

By the rotation of the conveyance assisting rotation member 204,
The tip of the elastic piece draws a circular locus. The distance (clearance) at which the circular locus and the sheet mounting surface of the intermediate stacker 210 are closest to each other is set to be smaller than the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle stacked and accommodated on the intermediate stacker 210. That is, when the number of sheets P stacked on the intermediate stacker 210 is small, the sheet P conveyed from the second conveying path 201 via the conveying roller pair 202 moves backward on the intermediate stacker 210, and the inclination of the intermediate stacker 210. The corners and the weight of the sheet P easily slide down on the sheet bundle, and the rear end of the sheet P easily enters the frame of the U-shaped stopper member 231 and abuts the stopper surface. Justification is performed. When the number of sheets P stacked on the intermediate stacker 210 becomes large and the sheet bundle becomes thick (about 30 to 50 sheets), the sheet P is switched back on the sheet stack and the sheet P slides down. There is a case where the end portion jumps up and does not surely enter the frame of the stopper member 231, but comes into contact with the vicinity of the inlet and rises up to cause a jam.

The conveyance assisting belt member 203 guides and conveys the sliding rear end of the sheet P toward the stopper member 231 along the rotating belt surface. Further, the conveyance assisting rotation member 204 taps the trailing end of the slipping sheet P with the rotating elastic piece 204B to lightly press the bulky sheet stack on the intermediate stacker 210. It is conveyed and surely brought into contact with the stopper surface 231A of the stopper member 231.

Since it is most effective to rotate the conveyance assisting rotation member 204 near the entrance of the stopper member 231 immediately before the stapler, the thickness of the sheet bundle is about 60 mm at a position where it does not hit the stapler opening. The position where the number of sheets exceeds 30 is set to a position where the rotation locus of the elastic piece portion 204B approaches approximately 7 mm above the upper surface of the intermediate stacker 210.

The sheets P described in the intermediate stacker 210 are regulated and aligned within the space between the reference surface 210A of the intermediate stacker 210 and the movable aligning plate 221.

Sheet P conveyed on the intermediate stacker 210
As shown in FIG. 5, when the size is B5 or A4, which is the minimum size, the three conveyance auxiliary belt members 203 and the three conveyance auxiliary rotation members 204 are brought into contact with the stopper member 231 to align the rear end sheets. Done. B4 size sheet P is 4
The rear end sheet alignment is uniformly performed on the group P and the A3 size sheets P by the group of the respective conveyance auxiliary belt members 203 and the conveyance auxiliary rotation member 204.

2 and 4, an accumulation stacker 510 is installed above the intermediate stacker 210, and an accumulation stacker 520 is installed above the intermediate stacker 310. Figure 9 for these accumulation stackers
It will be described in detail below.

FIG. 7 shows a stapler unit 260 including staplers ST1 _R and ST1 _L and sheet passing means 230.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of moving means 250. The above-mentioned unit 260 and moving means provided downstream of the upper second transport path 201 and the unit 360 and moving means provided on the lower third transport path 301 have substantially the same structure, and hence the following description of the upper stage is made. The structure and operation of the unit and the moving means provided downstream of the second transport path 201 will be described.

The sheet transfer means 230 and the staplers ST1 _R and ST1 _L are an integral unit 2 on the moving substrate 261.
The slide rail 251 and a slide roller (not shown) are slidable on the fixed substrate 253. On the fixed substrate 253, a rotatable timing belt TB stretched between a drive pulley TP1 connected to a drive source (stepping motor M6) and a driven pulley TP2.
It is fixed to a part of 1 by a locking member 255. The drive pulley TP1 has gears Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5, Z.
It is connected to a stepping motor M6 which is a drive source through a gear train 256 composed of six. Then, the stapler unit 260 including the sheet delivery means 230 and the staplers ST1 _R and ST1 _L is moved to a designated position by the drive and control means of the stepping motor M6.

FIG. 8A is a plan view of the aligning means 240, the stapler unit 260, and the sheet discharge portion, and FIG. 8B is A-.
Sectional view A and FIG. 8C are sectional views taken along line BB. Reference numeral 240 is an aligning means for aligning the width of the sheets P stacked on the intermediate stacker 210.

The delivery lever 233 of the sheet delivery means 230 reciprocates only when the bound sheet bundle is discharged.

The discharge belt 211 starts to rotate in the direction of the arrow through the gears Z10, Z11, the timing pulleys TP10, TP11, and the timing belt TB10 by the driving of the stepping motor M3, and the discharge claw 211A moves the sheet P behind the sheet P. The first set of sheets P bound together is ejected onto the first paper ejection tray T1 while the end face is pushed up and makes one revolution and then stops.

During this time, the stacking of the second set of sheets P is completed and the switching gate G2 is restored again.
The stapler ST2 operates to bind the second set of sheets P, and the second set of sheets P bound by the rotation of the discharge belt 311 is discharged onto the second discharge tray T2 as described above. To be done.

As described above, according to the FNS device 30 of the present invention, a plurality of sheets P on which images are recorded can be collated and bound in parallel at two places without any particular time difference. The post-treatment of P will be performed quickly.

The stepping motor M3 operates according to the discharge amount of the sheet P, and the above-mentioned first step is performed according to the number of processed sheets.
The sheet discharge tray T1 and the second sheet discharge tray T2 are lowered so that the sheet P can be discharged.

Both the staplers ST1 and ST2 are located at one position (ST1 _R ) on the intermediate stackers 210 and 310, respectively.
By providing the sheet P in the vertically long position, the upper left one position can be bound by stapling when the sheet P is ejected in a vertically long position, but if the stapler ST1 _L is additionally installed, binding by two positions can be performed. When P is placed horizontally and ejected, the upper left part can be bound by a stapler.

FIG. 9A is a sectional view of the first accumulation stacker 510 of the first stacker unit U1, FIG. 9B is a front view showing the drive system of the accumulation stacker 510, and FIG.
4 is a plan view of the accumulation stacker 510 as viewed from the direction of arrow A. FIG. Since the second accumulation stacker 520 of the second stacker unit U2 has the same structure as the first accumulation stacker 510, the first accumulation stacker 510 will be described below as a representative.

The frame 511 of the accumulation stacker 510 is fixed above the intermediate stacker 210 (see FIG. 4). A guide plate 512 is fixed to a part of the frame body 511, and guides the sheet P carried out from the pair of transport rollers 202 to the intermediate stacker 210 or a movable member (slide shutter) 517 described later. A static elimination brush 513 is fixed to the leading end of the guide plate 512 to remove static electricity accumulated on the sheet P carried out from the pair of transport rollers 202. A hole 512A is formed in the guide plate 512, and a paper passage detection sensor S80 attached to a bracket 514 is provided inside the hole 512A. The paper passage detection sensor S80
Is a photo sensor that detects the presence or absence of the sheet P and the number of passing sheets P.

Two guide posts (guide shafts) 515 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction of the frame body 511 (direction parallel to the sheet conveying direction). A carriage 516 is fitted to each of the two guide posts 515 and is slidable in the axial direction of the guide post 515. A movable member (slide shutter) 517 is fixed to each carriage 516 and is movable together with the carriage 516.

A motor M7 is arranged on the side of the frame body 511 to drive and rotate the drive shaft 518 via gears Z21 and Z22. Two drive timing pulleys TP21 are fixed near both ends of the drive shaft 518, and the driven shaft 519
The two timing belts TB20 stretched between the two driven timing pulleys TP22 fitted to each other are rotated. TP23 is a tension pulley which stretches the timing TB20. The carriage 516 is fixed to a part of the timing belt TB20 by a locking member 516A. When the motor M7 is driven, the drive shaft 518 is driven and rotated via the gears Z21 and Z22, and the timing belt TB2
By rotating 0, the carriage 516 and the slide shutter 517 fixed to the timing belt TB20 are moved in the axial direction of the guide post 515.

A shutter position detecting sensor S8 for detecting the position of the slide shutter 517 is provided on the side of the frame body 511.
1 and S82 are arranged to detect the test position provided on the carriage 516. The sensors S81 and S82 are, for example, limit switches, and detect a predetermined position of the carriage 516 by a protrusion dog (not shown) provided on the movable carriage 516. The sensors S81 and S82 may be optical sensors. In the sensor S81, the slide shutter 517 has the guide belt 2
Detects the stop position when moving forward to the 03 side. Sensor S82
Detects the stop position when the slide shutter 517 retracts to the initial position.

Next, the accumulation stacker 51 according to the present invention
The operation of 0,520 will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 11, the slide shutter 517 is moved forward to move the first supply path 501.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the accumulation stacker showing a state in which the second supply path for the sheet P is formed by shutting off (see FIG. 4), and FIG. 12 shows a state where the third supply path for the sheet P is formed by retracting the slide shutter 517. FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the stacker unit showing
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a conveyance and supply path of the sheet P, FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operating process of the accumulator stackers (accumulators) 510 and 520, and FIG. 15 is a timing chart of a sheet post-processing process.

The operation of the accumulation stackers 510 and 520 will be described below with reference to these figures.

(1) The slide shutter 517 of the upper accumulation stacker 510 is opened to form the upper first supply path 501 (see FIG. 4).

(2) The slide shutter 517 of the lower accumulation stacker 520 is opened to form the lower first supply path 501.

(3) The first stack of sheets P1 passing through the first supply path 501 is stacked on the upper intermediate stacker 210, and after alignment, the bundle of sheets bound by the stapler ST1 is discharged by the discharge belt 211 and discharged. It is stored in the paper tray T1.

(4) When it is detected by the sensor S42 that the passing count number of the copied sheet P1 has reached the number of originals, the sheet is guided to the intermediate stacker 310 in the lower stage of the second sheet P2 to be continuously supplied. The gate G1 is switched.

(5) The sheets P2 that have passed through the first supply path 501 are stacked on the lower intermediate stacker 310, and after alignment, the sheet bundle bound by the stapler ST2 is ejected by the ejection belt 311 and the sheet ejection tray T2. To house.

(6) When the number of originals (the number of copies) is set to a small number (for example, 4 or less), the first set of sheets P1 carried on the intermediate stacker 210 on the upper stage is aligned,
The sheet P3 of the third copy enters the intermediate stacker 210 before the stapling and discharging are completed.
Interference with the sheet P1 of the first copy causes a conveyance failure. In order to solve this, in the present invention, the accumulation stacker 510 is provided in the upper stage and the accumulation stacker 520 is also provided in the lower stage. This accumulation stacker 510 is used for the third sheet P3 when the number of originals (the number of copies) is less than the set number.
Before the sheet is carried into the intermediate stacker 210, the motor M7 is driven to close the slide shutter 517, shut off the first supply path, and form the second supply path 502 (see FIG. 11). As a result, the sheet P3 that is carried out while being sandwiched by the pair of transport rollers 202 is guided by the guide plate 512 and is stacked on the slide shutter 517 and the frame body 511 through the second supply path 502.

(7) When the paper passage detection sensor S80 in the accumulation stacker 510 detects the passage of all the sheets P3 of the third copy, the motor M7 is driven, the slide shutter 517 is opened, and the third supply path 503 is opened. The sheet P3 is formed and dropped onto the intermediate stacker 210 by its own weight. Before opening the slide shutter 517, the preceding first sheet P1 is printed.
Has finished the post-processing and is not on the intermediate stacker 210, but is discharged to the paper discharge tray T1 (see FIG. 12).

(8) The sheet P3 slides down the intermediate stacker 210, hits the stopper member 231, is aligned in width by the aligning means 240, and is bound by the stapler ST1.
When the sheet is delivered to the outside of the intermediate stacker 210 by the sheet delivery means 230 and the delivery belt 211, the slide shutter 517 is opened by the drive of the motor M7, and the first supply path 50 is again provided.
1 is formed to allow reception of the fifth sheet in the intermediate stacker 210.

(9) The lower stacker 520 is also
By operating in the same manner as described above, the sheet for the fourth copy is temporarily prepared for storage during the post-processing for the second copy.

Thus, by providing the accumulator stacker 510 (520) above the intermediate stacker 210 (310), by supplying the subsequent sheet to the accumulator stacker 510 (520) during the processing of the preceding sheet. No need to wait for processing a small number of sheets,
It has become possible to increase the copy processing speed.

In the above description, the intermediate stacker 210
Although two sets of (310) and the accumulation stacker 510 (520) are provided, the present invention can be applied to a sheet post-processing apparatus having three or more sets.

[0078]

As described above, according to the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention, even in the case of the post-processing of a small number of sheets, the succeeding number of sheets which are continuously carried out from the image forming apparatus at a high speed can be preceded. Since the sheets can be temporarily stored during the post-processing of the sheet and then sent to the processing unit, it is possible to improve the productivity of copying as compared with the conventional stapling processing.
In particular, the present invention enables high-speed post-processing by being applied to a sheet post-processing device connected to an image forming apparatus that performs high-speed processing.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the copying machine is connected is shown, but it is also possible to connect the copying machine to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile and use the copying machine alone.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a copying machine including a sheet post-processing device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a sheet post-processing device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the basics of a control system.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a sheet receiving portion, an accumulation stacker, and a stacker unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the sheet receiving portion and the sheet discharging portion as viewed in the direction of arrow A.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a conveying unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stapler unit and a moving unit.

FIG. 8 is a plan view, an AA sectional view, and a BB sectional view of an aligning unit, a stapler unit, and a sheet discharging unit.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an accumulation stacker and a front view of a drive system of the accumulation stacker.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an accumulation stacker.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of an accumulation stacker having a second supply path.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an accumulation stacker having a third supply path.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a sheet conveyance supply path.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operating process of the accumulation stacker.

FIG. 15 is a timing chart of a sheet post-processing process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 Sheet post-processing device (finisher, FNS device) 201, (301) Second (third) conveying path 202 Conveying roller pair (conveying means) 210, 310 Intermediate stacker (stacker) 211, 311 Discharging belt 230, 330 Sheet passing Means 240, 340 Aligning means 250 Moving means 260, 360 Stapler unit 280, 380 Discharging means 400 Discharging tray elevating means 501 First supply path 502, Second supply path 503, Third supply path 510, 520 Accumulation Stacker (accumulator) 511 Frame 512 Guide plate 513 Static elimination brush 515 Guide post 516 Carriage 517 Movable member (slide shutter) 518 Drive shaft 519 Driven shaft G1, G2 Switching gate P, P1, P2, P3 Sheet S80 Paper passage detection sensor S81 , S82 Shutter position detection sensor ST1, ST2 Stapler T1, T2 Paper ejection tray U1, (U2) First (second) stacker unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of sheets carried out from an image forming apparatus are conveyed to a stacker by a conveying means, stacked and aligned by an aligning means, then bound by a binding means, and a sheet bundle after the binding processing is performed. In a sheet post-processing device that sends out by a discharge means and discharges to a discharge tray, an accumulator stacker that temporarily stores the sheet sent out from the conveying means, a movable member that opens and closes an opening of the accumulator stacker, and A control means for controlling opening / closing of the movable member is provided, and the movable member is fed by the control means from the first feeding path for feeding the sheet fed from the feeding means to the stacker, and the feeding means. A second supply path for branching and transporting the sheet to the accumulator stacker and temporarily accommodating the sheet, and a sheet temporarily accommodated in the accumulator stacker. A sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the sheet is controlled and conveyed to a third supply path for conveying the formed sheet to the stacker. 2. Conveying means for conveying the sheet carried out from the image forming apparatus, stacker for stacking the sheets sent out from the conveying means, aligning means for aligning the sheets on the stacker, and aligned sheets Binding means for binding the sheets, discharge means for discharging the sheets after binding, an accumulator stacker for temporarily accommodating the sheets sent out from the conveying means, and a movable member for opening and closing the opening of the accumulator stacker. Driving means for activating the movable member, and by moving the movable member by the driving means, the sheet sent from the conveying means is directly sent to the stacker, and the sheet is sent out from the conveying means. Sending a sheet to the accumulator stacker and stacking the sheets temporarily stored in the accumulator stacker. A sheet post-processing device characterized by selectively feeding to a sheet. 3. Conveying means for conveying the sheet carried out from the image forming apparatus, stacker for stacking the sheets sent out from the conveying means, aligning means for aligning the sheets on the stacker, and aligned sheets A plurality of stacker units each including a binding unit that binds the sheets, a discharging unit that discharges the sheets after the binding, and an accumulation stacker that temporarily stores the sheets sent from the transporting unit, and further, A sheet post-processing apparatus having a switching gate means for switching a transport path of any one of a plurality of stacker units to feed a sheet at a transport path entrance. 4. The accumulator stacker is provided above the stacker, and the movable member is a shutter member that moves an opening from the accumulator stacker to the stacker so as to be openable and closable. The sheet post-processing device according to any one of 3 above. 5. When the number of sheets in one set of the bundle of sheets to be bound is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the sheets sent out from the conveying means are temporarily stored in an accumulation stacker and then sent to the stacker. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.