JPH0699679A - Finishing device in image forming equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To reduce the stapling time. [Structure] Select the staple mode, enter the number of copies, and press the copy start button. Ejection unit 2
5 moves to the position of the uppermost sort tray 23. The stapler unit 27 moves up to the position of the sort tray 23 at the lower stage of the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts. When the discharge of the paper to each sort tray 23 is completed,
The discharge unit 25 moves up to the uppermost position and stands by. The stapler unit 27 is raised by one step to perform the paper binding work.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a finisher device having a stapling function, which is attached to a sheet discharge port of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional finisher device having a stapling function, a so-called staple sorter, has a structure as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet that has entered from the transport port 1 is discharged to the non-sort tray 3 in the non-sort mode by the gate switching claw 2 and to the sort tray 4 in the sort mode or the staple mode.

The sort tray 4 in the sort mode or the staple mode has a guide rail 5 and a guide roller 6.
Each time the paper is ejected one by one, the paper is raised and lowered by one step and the paper from the transport path 7 is stored. The tray frame 8 also moves up and down in conjunction with the sort tray 4.

The sheets stored in each sort tray 4 are aligned on the stapler 10 side by a stapler guide bar 9. When a specified number of sheets of paper copied by the copying machine are stored in each sort tray 4, the sort tray 4 is moved up and down to staple the paper.

[0005]

In the conventional staple sorter, since the sort tray 4 and the tray frame 8 move up and down in the sort mode or the staple mode, the image quality of the copied sheets stored in the sort tray 4 is confirmed. I can't. Therefore, when the sheets are taken out from the sort tray 4 and the image quality is checked in the sort mode or the staple mode, the sort tray 4 moves up and down, and the interval between the trays 4 becomes narrow.
There is a possibility that a hand may be caught between the sort trays 4.

Further, since the sort tray 4 and the tray frame 8 are lifted and lowered, a space for arranging the sort tray 4 in the frame of the tray frame 8 must be secured, and for this space, each sort tray is arranged. The interval of 4 is narrow. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to put in a hand and it is difficult to take out the sheet after the stapling process from the sort tray 4.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a staple sorter in which sheets of a sort tray can be easily taken out and safety is taken into consideration.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plurality of sort trays 23 arranged in the finisher device main body 20 in the vertical direction, and a discharge for discharging sheets to each sort tray 23. The unit 25 and the stapler 2 for binding the sheets stored in each sort tray 23
6. A stapler unit 27 having 6; a discharge unit elevating unit 28 for elevating and lowering the ejecting unit 25; a stapler unit elevating unit 29 for elevating and lowering the stapler unit 27; and a stapler unit 27 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. A horizontal moving unit 30 for horizontally moving is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control means for driving the stapler 26, the ejection unit elevating / lowering portion 28, the stapler unit elevating / lowering portion 29, and the horizontal moving portion 30. The control portion corresponds to the number of sorts. A stapler unit standby means for waiting the stapler unit 27 is provided at the position of the final sort tray 23 or the position of the next sort tray 23 of the final sort tray 23.

[0010]

In the above means for solving the problems, when the staple mode is selected, the number of sorts is input and the copy start button is pressed, the discharge unit 25 moves to a position corresponding to the uppermost sort tray 23. Further, the stapler unit 27 has the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts.
Then, it rises and stands by so as to correspond to the next sort tray 23.

When the discharge of the sheets to each sort tray 23 is completed, the discharge unit 25 rises to the uppermost position and stands by so as not to interfere with the paper binding work by the stapler 26.

After that, the stapler unit 27 is raised by one step and the work of binding the sheets of the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts is performed. Here, when performing a paper binding operation at a plurality of locations, the stapler unit 27 horizontally moves in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction. When this operation is repeated and the binding work of the sheets on the uppermost sort tray 23 is completed, the stapler unit 27 descends and stands by at the lowest position.

In this way, the ejection unit 25 and the stapler unit 27 can be moved up and down, and the sort tray 23
Since the sheet is fixed, it is possible to confirm the image quality of the sheet discharged to the sort tray 23. In addition, the stapler unit 27 is used for the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts.
Since it is lifted up and made to stand by so as to correspond to the next sort tray 23, the rising time of the stapler unit 27 can be shortened.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A staple sorter, which is a finisher device of the present embodiment, has a sorter main body 20 mounted on the discharge side of a copying machine main body 22 having an automatic document feeder 21, as shown in FIG.

In this staple sorter, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of sort trays 23 are vertically arranged side by side in a sorter main body 20 and are connected to a sheet discharge port of a copying machine main body 22.
A discharge unit 25 that discharges the sheets from the sheets to each sort tray 23, and a stapler unit 27 that includes a stapler 26 that binds the sheets accommodated in each sort tray 23
A discharge unit elevating unit 28 for elevating the ejecting unit 25; a stapler unit elevating unit 29 for elevating the stapler unit 27; and a horizontal moving unit 30 for horizontally moving the stapler unit 27 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. And a control unit that drives the stapler 26, the ejection unit elevating unit 28, the stapler unit elevating unit 29, and the horizontal moving unit 30.

The sort tray 23 is a flat plate whose one end on the copying machine side is bent, and a paper regulating plate 23a is formed on the front side surface thereof. The sort tray 23 is attached to the tray frame 31 fixed to the sorter body 20 with a sufficient space so that the stored sheets can be easily taken out. A non-sort tray 32 is fixed to the top of the tray frame 31.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transport section 24 has a non-sort transport path 33 for guiding the sheets to the non-sort tray 32,
A sort conveyance path 34 for guiding the sheets to the sort tray 23,
A gate switching claw 35 that switches the transport path 24, a transport roller 36 rotatably supported by the sorter body 20 and a non-sort discharge roller 36a, and a transport belt that transports the sheets in the sort transport path 34 toward the discharge unit 25. 37 and.

The carrying roller 36 is disposed at the carrying port 24a connected to the paper discharge port of the copying machine main body 22.

The gate switching claw 35 is a conveyance roller 36.
It is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction, is swingably supported by the sorter body 20, and is swung by the gate switching solenoid.

That is, when the solenoid is turned on, the gate switching claw 35 swings downward, and the paper is gate switching claw 35.
Is guided to the non-sorting conveyance path 33, is swung upward by turning off the solenoid, and the sheet is guided to the sorting conveyance path 34 through the inner surface of the gate switching claw 35.

The conveyor belt 37 is wound around a pair of upper and lower rollers 38 rotatably supported by the sorter body 20. The roller 38 is driven by a drive motor 38a. In addition, the conveyor belt 3 is installed in the sorter body 20.
A plurality of wires are stretched in parallel at a certain interval such as 7.
A sorting transport path 34 is formed between the transport belt 37 and the plurality of wires.

The ejecting unit 25 has a guide plate 39 for guiding the sheets conveyed in the sort conveying path 34 into the ejecting unit main body 25a, and a sheet from the guide plate 39 rotatably supported by the ejecting unit main body 25a. 23, and a paper pressing roller 4 that is arranged so as to face the paper discharging roller 40 and presses the paper in the sort tray 23.
1 and.

The guide plate 39 has a curved shape that closes the sorting conveyance path 34 and is arranged between the conveyance belt 37 and the wires.

As shown in FIG. 4, the paper pressing roller 41 is L-shaped.
It is rotatably supported by the character-shaped support body 42, and the support body 42 is rotatably supported by the discharge unit main body 25a via the shaft 43, and is rotated by turning on and off the paper pressing solenoid.

That is, when the solenoid is turned on, the solenoid is turned to switch to a paper pushing attitude for pressing the paper in the sort tray 23, and when it is off, the paper is held in a paper ejection attitude facing the paper ejection roller 40.

The stapler unit 27 comprises a stapler 26 and a swinging portion 44 for switching the stapler 26 between a paper binding position facing the sort tray 23 and a standby position separated from the sort tray 23.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stapler 26 includes a stapler main body 45 having a built-in staple and a staple push-out plate 4.
6, staple driving table 47, staple spring plate 47a
And the needle pushing plate 46 and the needle driving table 47.
A cam plate 48 for vertically moving the
A cam 49 for operating the cam plate 48 and the cam 4
Stapler drive motor 50 for rotating 9 through gears
Consists of.

Further, the stapler 26 is provided with a stapler home position sensor 51 for detecting a staple jam or the like by detecting whether the staple push-out plate 46 and the staple driving table 47 are in the home position.

The swinging portion 44 is, as shown in FIGS.
A swing lever 52 attached to the stapler 26, a swing cam 53 that swings the lever 52, a swing motor 54 that rotates the cam 53, the stapler 26, and the cam 5
3 and the base 55 to which the swing motor 54 is attached, and the stapler 26 is swung about the shaft 26a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the discharging unit elevating part 28 has an endless belt 60 to which the discharging unit 25 is fixed.
And the endless belt 60 is wrapped around the sorter body 20.
A pair of upper and lower rollers 61 rotatably supported by a roller, and a discharge unit lifting motor 62 that drives the lower roller 61.
Consists of.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 9, the stapler unit elevating / lowering section 29 includes a stapler unit mounting base 63 on which the stapler unit 27 is detachably mounted, and a pair of front and rear lead cams for vertically moving the stapler unit mounting base 63. 64, a stapler unit lifting motor 65 that drives the lead cam 64, and a pair of front and rear guide shafts 66 that are fixed to the sorter body 20 and that guide the stapler unit mounting base 63 in the vertical direction.

A lead cam 64 and a guide shaft 66 pass through the front and rear portions of the stapler unit mounting base 63, and a projection (not shown) is attached to the penetrating portion of the lead cam 64.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lead cam 64 is rotatably supported by the sorter body 20 and has a spiral groove 64 on its outer peripheral surface.
a is formed, and the protrusion of the stapler unit mounting base 63 slides along the spiral groove 64a. Both lead cams 64 are connected to a stapler unit lifting motor 65 via pulleys, drive belts, etc., and driven synchronously.

When the lead cam 64 makes one revolution,
As the protrusion moves up and down along the spiral groove 64a of the lead cam 64, the stapler unit 27 moves to a position corresponding to the sort tray 23 one step above or one step below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the horizontal moving section 30 is attached to the upper surface of the stapler unit mounting base 63, which is mounted on the upper surface of the stapler unit mounting base 63 in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, that is, in the front-back direction, and the base 55 of the stapler unit 27. It is composed of a pinion gear (not shown) that is engaged with the rack gear 67 and a drive motor that rotationally drives the pinion gear. The board 55 is a stapler unit mount 63.
Is slidably engaged with.

Therefore, the stapler unit 27 horizontally moves on the rack gear 67 of the stapler unit mounting base 63. As shown in FIG. 7, the sort tray 23 has two notches 68a and 68b for stapling, so that stapling can be performed at two points.

It should be noted that the tray frame 31 shown in FIG.
10, a stapler guide bar 69 for aligning the discharged sheets on the sort tray 23 is rotatably supported, and the stapler guide bar 69 is guided along a guide hole 70 formed on the sort tray 23. A drive transmission unit composed of a plurality of gears for rocking and a rocking motor are arranged.

The control section is composed of a microcomputer installed inside the main body 21 of the copying machine, and selects and executes each mode by the output from the operation keys for switching the sort mode, the group mode, the staple mode and the non-sort mode. .

When the number of sorts is input in the staple mode, the control unit waits the stapler unit 27 at the position of the sort tray 23 next to the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts. And a discharge unit avoiding function for avoiding the discharge unit 25 at the uppermost position above the uppermost sort tray 23 during stapling, and a stapler unit for avoiding the stapler unit 27 at the lowermost position below the lowermost sort tray 23 except during stapling. It has a unit avoidance function.

In the above structure, the automatic document feeder 21
When the originals are set on, the non-sort mode is selected, and the copy start button is pressed, the originals are automatically fed in the ejection unit 25 and the stapler unit 27 at the home position shown in FIG. Processing is performed. The copied paper is fed from the paper exit to the transport roller 3
6, the sheet is guided to the non-sorting conveyance path 33 by the gate switching claw 35, and is discharged to the non-sorting tray 32 by the non-sorting paper discharge roller 36a, and the non-sorting mode ends.

When the sort mode is selected, the number of copies is input and the copy start button is pressed, the discharge unit 25 moves to a position corresponding to the uppermost sort tray 23, as shown in FIG. Then, the sheet conveyed in the same manner as described above is guided to the sorting conveying path 34 by the gate switching claw 35, and is guided from the guide plate 39 of the discharging unit 25 to the uppermost sort tray 23 by the discharging roller 40. The paper is ejected. After that, the stapler guide bar 69 is swung to press the paper against the paper regulating plate 23a, and the paper pressing roller 41
Press from above to align.

When the stapler guide bar 69 returns to the original position, the endless belt 60 is rotated by the ejecting unit elevating / lowering motor 62, and the ejecting unit 25 is lowered so as to correspond to the sort tray 23 one step below.

When the designated number of sheets have been copied and the sheet is ejected, the next original is fed and similarly copied and ejected. At this time, the sheets are discharged and aligned from the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts, and the discharge unit 25 is raised one step at a time. This is continued until the final document, and when the next copy start button is pressed, the discharge unit 25 returns to the home position and the sort mode ends.

When the stapling mode is selected, the number of copies is input and the copy start button is pressed, as shown in FIG.
Move to the position corresponding to 3. Further, the lead cam 64 is rotated by the stapler unit lifting motor 65,
The stapler unit 27 rises to a position corresponding to the lower sort tray 23 of the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts, and stands by.

For example, if there are 20 sort trays 23 and the number of sorts is 17, the copying machine main body 2
When this sort number is input to the 1st side, as shown in FIG.
Climb to position 3 and wait.

When the operation similar to the sort mode ends,
The ejection unit 25 moves up to the uppermost position, and the stapler 26
Stand by so as not to interfere with the stapling work by.

After that, the stapler guide bar 69 is swung three times to align the sheets, and the lead cam 64 is rotated.
The stapler unit 27 is raised by one step to the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts.

When the stapler 26 swings to the paper binding position shown in FIG. 7 and the stapler drive motor 50 is started, the needle push-out plate 46 is lowered and the staple driving table is passed through the cam plate 48 as shown in FIG. 47 rises. At this time, the home position sensor 51 moves the cam 4
The contact is disengaged by 9 and the stapler 26 itself determines that it is operating.

When the stapler drive motor 50 continues to rotate, the staple needles are crushed by the staple push-out plate 46 and the staple driving table 47, and the paper between them is bound by the staples.

When performing stapling at two locations, the stapler unit 27 horizontally moves in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the stapler unit mount 63 via the rack gear 67 and the pinion gear to staple the sort tray 23. A second stapling process is performed in the notch 68b.

After that, when it is detected that the cam 49 pushes the home position sensor 51 to return to the home position, the stapler drive motor 50 stops, the stapler guide bar 69 returns to the separated position, and the stapler 26
Is swung to the standby position as shown in FIG.

When all of these are returned to their original positions, the stapler unit lifting motor 65 is driven, and the lead cam 64 is moved.
Rotates, and the stapler unit 27 moves up one step.
At the time of this ascent, the stapler 26 is at the standby position, so it can ascend without hitting the sort tray 23.

By repeating this operation, as shown in FIG. 17, when the staple processing of the sheets on the uppermost sort tray 23 is completed, the stapler unit 27 descends, stands by at the lowest position, and the staple mode ends.

In this way, the ejection unit 25 and the stapler unit 27 can be moved up and down, and the sort tray 23
By fixing the, the spacing of the sort tray 23 can be widened,
During the sort mode or the staple mode, it is possible to confirm the image quality of the sheets discharged to the sort tray 23. Moreover, it is easy to take out the sheets from the sort tray 23, and the hands are not caught when taking out the sheets.

Further, since the stapler unit 27 can move horizontally in the front-rear direction, it is possible to carry out stapling at a plurality of locations.

Further, in the stapling mode, the stapler unit 27 is raised so as to correspond to the next sort tray 23 of the final sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts, and stands by. Compared to when starting, the smaller the number of sorts, the shorter the rise time of the stapler unit 27 and the more efficient document creation.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the staple mode, the standby position of the stapler unit 27 may be the position of the sort tray 23 corresponding to the number of sorts. Further, the positions of the ejection unit 25 and the stapler unit 27 may be switched up and down.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the paper pressing roller 71 may be swingably attached to the stapler unit 27. The paper pressing roller 71 is used for the stapler 2
The gear 72 is rotated by the rotation of the gear 72 at the time of stapling by 6.
When a pin 73 attached at a position deviated from the center pushes the moving lever 74 in the A direction, the pin 73 swings downward and pushes the sheets in the sort tray 23.

When the rotation of the gear 72 further progresses after the stapling and the pin 73 is disengaged from the moving lever 74, it is returned in the B direction by the spring 75 and returns to the original position. At this time, the paper pressing roller 71 moves the sort tray 23.
The stapler unit 27 can be moved away from the rear end of the stapler unit 27. 19 and 20, reference numeral 76 denotes a paper pressing roller mounting frame fixed to the base 55 of the stapler unit 27.

[0061]

As is apparent from the above description, according to claim 1 of the present invention, since the ejection unit and the stapler unit can be moved up and down and the sort tray is fixed, the image quality of the sheets ejected to the sort tray is sequentially confirmed. be able to. Moreover, it is easy to take out the sheets from the sort tray, and the hands are not caught when taking them out. Further, since the stapler unit can move horizontally in the front-rear direction, it is possible to perform paper binding processing at a plurality of places.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the stapler unit is lifted to the standby position corresponding to the position of the final sort tray corresponding to the number of sorts or the position of the next sort tray of the final sort tray, and is made to stand by. Compared with the case where the stapler unit is lifted after being ejected, there is an excellent effect that the rising time of the stapler unit can be shortened and efficient document preparation can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a staple sorter of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Overall view of a copying machine equipped with a staple sorter

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a sheet conveying unit of a staple sorter.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the paper is pressed by a paper pressing roller.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stapler.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a swing portion of a stapler.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the stapler at the paper binding position.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the stapler in the standby position.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a stapler horizontal movement unit.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing alignment of sheets on a sort tray by a stapler guide bar.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a staple sorter in a non-sort mode.

FIG. 12 is an operation flowchart of the staple sorter in the non-sort mode.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of a staple sorter in a sort mode.

FIG. 14 is an operation flowchart of the staple sorter in the sort mode.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a staple sorter before sorting in a staple mode.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a stapler in operation.

FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram of a staple sorter during staple processing in a staple mode.

FIG. 18 is an operation flowchart of the staple sorter in the staple mode.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a stapler with a paper pressing roller attached.

FIG. 20 is a configuration diagram showing a drive mechanism of the paper pressing roller when the paper pressing roller is attached to the stapler.

FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram of a conventional staple sorter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 Finisher Device Main Body 23 Sort Tray 25 Ejection Unit 26 Stapler 27 Stapler Unit 28 Ejection Unit Elevating Section 29 Stapler Unit Elevating Section 30 Horizontal Moving Section

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A finisher device main body comprising a plurality of sort trays arranged side by side in a vertical direction, a discharge unit for discharging sheets to each sort tray, and a stapler for binding the sheets accommodated in each sort tray. A stapler unit, a discharge unit raising / lowering unit for raising / lowering the discharge unit, a stapler unit raising / lowering unit for raising / lowering the stapler unit, and a horizontal moving unit for horizontally moving the stapler unit in a direction orthogonal to the sheet transport direction. A finisher device in an image forming apparatus. 2. The finisher device according to claim 1, further comprising a controller for driving and controlling the stapler, the ejection unit elevating unit, the stapler unit elevating unit, and the horizontal moving unit, and the controller is a final unit corresponding to the number of sorting units. A finisher device in an image forming apparatus, comprising a stapler unit standby means for waiting a stapler unit at a position of a sort tray or a position of a sort tray next to a final sort tray.