JP2809731B2 - Post-processing device for image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is provided in connection with an image forming apparatus, and sorts recording paper sequentially discharged from the apparatus into a predetermined number of sheets.
Alternatively, the present invention relates to a post-processing device of an image forming apparatus that binds and binds recording paper.

(Prior Art) As a conventional post-processing apparatus of this type, for example, there is one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-188067 shown in FIG. 17th
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a post-processing device connected to a copying machine 2 as an image forming device, and the post-processing device 1 includes a folding device 3 and a finisher device 4. Then, the folding device 3 of the post-processing device 1 receives the recording paper 5 discharged from the copying machine 2 at the entrance 6a of the first transport path 6 and transports the recording paper 5 along the first transport path 6 by the pair of rollers 7 and 8 as it is. , Through the outlet 6b to the finisher device 4 or
Alternatively, the first transport path 6 is switched by the switching claw 9.
The recording paper 5 is fed into the second transport path 10 branching downward from the entrance 6a side of the printer, and after the recording paper 5 is folded by the folding mechanism 11, the outlet 6b of the one transport path 6 is again moved along the second transport path 10. To the finisher device 4 through the outlet 6b. Reference numerals 12, 13 and 14
Is a pair of rollers provided sequentially along the second conveyance path 10, and reference numeral 15 is a roller paired with one of the pair of rollers 8 on the exit 6b side of the one conveyance path 6. The recording paper 5 is conveyed along the second conveyance path 10 by being driven by the pair of rollers 12, 13, 14 and the roller 15 and one of the pair of rollers 8.

On the other hand, the finisher device 4 includes an upper stacker section 16, an intermediate staple section 17, a lower storage tray 18, and a transport unit 19 having a reversing function, which will be described later, and records sent from the first transport path 6 of the folding apparatus 3. The paper 5 or the folded recording paper 5 is transported to the stacker unit 16 through the third transport path 20 of the transport unit 19, and is switched to the deflector 21 to branch downward from the entrance side of the third transport path 20. The sheet is conveyed to the staple unit 17 through the fourth conveyance path 22 of the unit 19. Reference numerals 23, 24, and 25 denote a transport roller group, a transport pair roller, and a discharge roller group provided along the third transport path 20, respectively. These rollers are driven by the folding device 3 to the finisher device 4,
The recording paper 5 sent to the transport unit 19 is a stacker unit.
It is transported to 16. Similarly, reference numerals 26 and 27 denote transport pair rollers provided along the fourth transport path 22, respectively, and driven by these rollers to transport the recording paper 5 to the staple unit 17. Then, the recording paper 5 conveyed to the staple unit 17 is stacked on the processing tray 28, further pulled by a belt 29 driven together with the pair of conveying rollers 27, and provided with a stopper 30 provided at the rear end of the processing tray 28. Is positioned in the front-rear direction. In this manner, the recording papers 5 sequentially stacked and stacked on the processing tray 28 are further aligned in the width direction by the pair of width-adjusting plates 31 provided in the width direction of the recording papers 5, and when the number reaches a predetermined number. The book is bound by the stapler 32, bound, and further dropped and stored in the storage tray 18.

FIG. 18 shows how to place a document on the automatic document feed mechanism in the copying machine 2 (A), the staple position of the recording paper 5 accumulated on the processing tray 28 of the staple unit 17 (B), and the recording after binding. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a case where a paper 5 (C) is a horizontally written original (D) and a case where a paper 5 (C) is a vertically written original (E). No.
In FIG. 18, when the original is a horizontally written original (D), the recording paper 5 is superimposed with the image facing upward, and the position of the staples to be stapled in the staple section 17 is recorded as shown in the column (B) of FIG. At the lower right of paper 5,
For this reason, the staple position after bookbinding becomes the left shoulder as shown in the column (C), and there is no particular problem when the bound recording paper 5 is turned. However, when a vertically written original (E) is copied in the same procedure and bound without turning over the recording paper 5, the staple position is the right shoulder as shown in the column (C) and the right hand is stuck. When turning over the recording paper 5 while holding the writing implement, there is a disadvantage that the recording paper 5 is hard to be turned over. For this reason, the staple unit in the post-processing device 1 in FIG.
It is necessary to turn the recording paper 5 upside down before it is sent to 17, and such a reversing operation of the recording paper 5 is executed by the transport unit 19 of the finisher device 4. That is, in FIG. 17, the recording paper 5 sent to the transport unit 19 from the first transport path 6 of the folding device 3 through the outlet 6b is moved along the transport unit 19 by switching the deflector 21 and driving the transport roller group 23. The sheet is conveyed to the pair of conveying rollers 24, and is further fed into the fourth conveying path 22 along the back surface of the deflector 21 by stopping and reversing the conveying roller group 23. Then, the recording paper 5 is driven by the pair of conveying rollers 26 and 27 so that
Is transported to the processing tray 28 along with the image, and the images are stacked on the processing tray 28 with the image facing downward. Therefore, the stapling position of the recording paper 5 is located at the lower right of the back surface, as shown in the column (B) when the vertically written original (E) is reversed in FIG.
As shown in the column (C), the staple position after bookbinding becomes the left shoulder, so that the above-mentioned disadvantage can be solved.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such a conventional post-processing apparatus of the image forming apparatus, the position of the stapler 32 of the staple unit 17 is fixed, and the bookbinding is performed by turning the recording paper 5 upside down. Since the position of the subsequent staple is aligned with the left shoulder of the recording paper 5, the order of the pages of the bound recording paper 5 may be reversed in some cases, and the page order of the recording paper to be copied on the copying machine side each time. Had to get it. For this reason, depending on the type of the copying machine, it is impossible to cope with it, and there is a problem that the applicable range is narrowed.

That is, in FIG. 17, when the vertically written original (E) shown in FIG. 18 is copied and the recording paper 5 discharged from the copying machine 2 is sent to the post-processing apparatus 1 in the order of 1 to N pages. Are inverted by the transport unit 19 of the finisher device 4 and bound one by one in the order of 1 to N with the image facing downward as shown in FIG.
Regarding the bound recording paper 5, the staple position is the left shoulder and the pages are arranged in order, so that no problem occurs. However, when the recording paper 5 is in the reverse order of pages, that is, N to 1
Is sent to the post-processing device 1 in the order of
Although the staple position of the bound recording paper 5 is not a problem, the recording paper 5 is inverted as shown in FIG. The page order of the paper 5 is reversed from N to 1.
Therefore, in the case of copying and binding the vertically written original (E) shown in FIG. 18, the recording paper 5 must be arranged so as to be sent to the post-processing apparatus 1 in the order of 1 to N each time. However, as described above, depending on the model of the copying machine 2, it becomes impossible to use the copying machine 2 and its application range is narrowed. Further, since the method of pulling out the staple unit 17 is not specified, it is conceivable that a troublesome operation may occur when a staple replacement operation or a recording paper jam occurs in the staple unit 17.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of one of the problems of the related art as described above, and is intended to replace a staple device with a staple unit and to prevent a recording paper jam in a staple unit. An object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing device of an image forming apparatus that can easily perform a processing operation and improve operability.

(Constitution of the Invention) According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in a post-processing apparatus for performing bookbinding processing of recording paper discharged from an image forming apparatus, recording paper discharged from the image forming apparatus is placed in an overlapping manner. A staple unit integrally comprising a staple tray, a staple means for binding the recording paper placed on the staple tray, and a moving means for moving the recording paper bound by the staple means from the staple tray; The unit is capable of being pulled out in a direction perpendicular to a discharge direction of the recording paper discharged to the staple tray, and further, the staple unit is configured to align the recording paper placed on the staple tray. It is characterized by having means.

Hereinafter, a specific description will be given based on examples of the present invention.
1 to 16 show an embodiment of the post-processing device of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

 First, the configuration will be described.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 41 denotes a post-processing device connected to a copying machine 42. The post-processing device 41 is provided with a predetermined position from a shift tray section 43 provided at an upper portion, a stapler portion 44 provided at a lower portion, and a copying machine 42. And a transport unit 46 for transporting the recording paper 45 discharged according to the above order to the shift tray section 43 or the stapler section 44. The above-described copying machine 42 constitutes an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and the predetermined order of the recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine 42 is, for example, a method of copying an N-page original and attaching the same to the recording paper 45. Page N is one of the order from 1 to N and the reverse order from the last page N to 1 applied to the recording paper 45.

Among the parts provided in the above-described post-processing device 41, the transport unit 46 includes a duct-like first transport path 47 for transporting the recording paper 45 discharged from the copier 42 to the upper shift tray 43, and the recording paper 45. Is transported to the lower stapler section 44, and is also provided with a second transport path 48, also in the form of a duct.
Is provided at substantially the center in the height direction of the post-processing device 41, and has a horizontal entrance 47a at one end for receiving the recording paper 45 discharged from the copier 42, and a vertical end connected at the lower end to the other end of the entrance 47a. The discharge section 47c is connected to the upper end of the section 47b and the vertical section 47b, and rises inclining leftward in the figure. Also, the second
The transport path 48 includes an inclined portion 48a and an inclined portion 48a whose upper end branches downward from the other end of the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47 and goes downward.
And a U-shaped discharge portion 48b connected to the lower end. In addition, each connection part where the entrance part 47a, the vertical part 47b, and the discharge part 47c of the first conveyance path 47 are connected to each other, and the inclined part 48a of the second conveyance path 48 are branched from the entrance part 47a of the first conveyance path 47. Of course, each of the branch portions is formed in a smooth curved shape so that the conveyance of the recording paper 45 is not affected. Further, a driving roller 49a for driving the recording paper 45 along the entrance 47a and a driven roller 49b for nipping and following the recording paper 45 with the driving roller 49a are provided at the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47. The drive roller 49a and the driven roller 49b constitute a first transport roller 49.
Similarly, a second transport roller 50, a third transport roller 51, and a fourth transport roller 52 are disposed at equal intervals in the vertical portion 47b, and a first discharge roller 53 is provided at an outlet of the discharge portion 47c. Like the first transport roller 49, the second to fourth transport rollers 50, 51, 52 and the first discharge roller 53 are driven by a drive roller with a suffix (a) and a driven roller with a suffix (b), respectively. It is configured. On the other hand, reference numeral 54 denotes a first drive motor, and an output shaft 54a of the first drive motor 54 is connected to a rotation shaft of a drive roller 49a of the first transport roller 49 via a timing belt 55. 49a is the first
The recording paper 45 is driven and rotated by the driving motor 54, and drives the recording paper 45 along the entrance 47a together with the driven roller 49b. Also,
Although not shown, the rotation axis of the driving roller 49a of the first transport roller 49 is controlled by a second timing belt via a plurality of timing belts.
The drive roller 50a of the transport roller 50, the drive roller 51a of the third transport roller 51, the drive roller 52a of the fourth transport roller 52, and the drive roller 53a of the first discharge roller 53 are connected to respective rotating shafts. 50a, 51a, 52a and 53a are driven and rotated by a first drive motor 54 in synchronization with a drive roller 49a of a first transport roller 49, and vertically rotate the recording paper 45 together with driven rollers 50b, 51b, 52b and 53b. It is driven along the section 47b and the discharge section 47c and transported to the shift tray section 43.

Similarly, the fifth transport roller 56 and the sixth transport roller 57 are provided on the inclined portion 48a on the second transport path 48 branched from the first transport path 47.
And a seventh transport roller 58 are disposed at equal intervals, and a second discharge roller 59 is provided at the tip of the discharge section 48b. The fifth to seventh transport rollers 56, 57, 58 and the second discharge roller Like the first transport roller 49 described above, 59 is composed of a drive roller with a suffix (a) and a driven roller with a suffix (b). The output shaft 60 a of the second drive motor 60 provided opposite to the first drive motor 54 with the entrance 47 a of the first transfer path 47 interposed therebetween is connected to the fifth transfer roller 56 via a timing belt 61. Drive roller
Although not shown, the rotary shaft of the drive roller 56a of the fifth transport roller 56 is connected to the drive shaft 57a of the sixth transport roller 57 via a plurality of timing belts. The driving roller 58a of the roller 58 and the second
The drive rollers 57a, 58a, and 59a of the discharge roller 59 are connected to the respective rotation shafts of the drive rollers 59a.
The recording paper 45 is driven by the driving motor 60 to rotate and driven along the inclined portion 48a and the discharge portion 48b together with the driven rollers 56b, 57b, 58b and 59b, respectively.
Transport to Reference numeral 62 denotes a main body discharge sensor provided at a discharge unit of the copying machine 42, and reference numeral 63 denotes an entrance of the first transport path 47.
A feed sensor 47a provided upstream of the first transport roller 49 at 47a, and reference numerals 64 and 65 denote first feed rollers provided upstream of the first discharge roller 53 of the discharge portion 47c of the first transport path 47, respectively. Discharge sensor and second discharge roller of second transport path 48
This is a second paper ejection sensor provided upstream of 59. The paper feed sensor 63 and the first paper ejection sensor 64 detect the rear end 45b and the front end 45a of the recording paper 45 conveyed along the first conveyance path 47, respectively, and the second paper ejection sensor 65 The leading end 45a of the recording paper 45 conveyed along the second conveyance path 48 is detected.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 71 denotes an entrance 47 of the first transport path 47.
a switching claw provided at a branch portion of the inclined portion 48a of the second conveyance path 48 and the switching claw 71. The switching claw 71 is urged by a spring 72 so that the conveyance direction of the recording paper 45 at the branch portion is always changed to the first conveyance path. 47
From the entrance portion 47a to the vertical portion 47b, and driven by the switching solenoid 73 to change the conveyance direction of the recording paper 45 into the entrance portion of the first conveyance path 47.
It is configured to switch from 47a to the inclined portion 48a of the second transport path 48. For this reason, by switching the switching claw 71,
As described above, the transport unit 46 can transport the recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine 42 to the shift tray unit 43 or the stapler unit 44. Further, the first crawling roller 49, the second conveyance roller 50, the third conveyance roller 51, the fourth conveyance roller 52, and the first discharge roller 53 disposed along the first conveyance path 47 have the switching claw 71 that is the first conveyance roller. A first roller group 74 that is switched to the transport path 47 and transports the recording paper 45 along the first transport path 47 to the shift tray section 43 is configured. The first roller group 74 is independent of the first drive motor 54. Driven by Similarly, a fifth transport roller 56, a sixth transport roller 57, a seventh transport roller 58, and a second discharge roller 59 disposed along the second transport path 48.
The switching pawl 71 is switched to the second transport path 48 side so that the recording paper 45
To the stapler section 44 along the second transport path 48
The second roller group 75 is independently driven by a second driving motor 60. And the transport unit
At 46, the output shaft 54a of the first drive motor 54 rotates forward, and the recording paper 45 is driven by the first roller group 74, from the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47 to the discharge section 47c via the vertical section 47b. When the leading end 45a of the recording paper 45 passes through the first paper ejection sensor 64 and is detected by the first paper ejection sensor 64, the first driving motor 54 is stopped and rotated in the reverse direction. The driving motor 60 can be driven. Therefore, the recording paper 45 in the first transport path 47 passes through the rear surface of the switching claw 71 with the rear end 45b at the head and is transported to the inclined portion 48a of the second transport path 48, and at the same time, the recording paper 45 is turned upside down. In this state, the sheet is conveyed to the stapler section 44 by the second roller group 75 driven by the second driving motor 60. In the transport unit 46, the switching claw 71 is driven by the switching solenoid 73 to change the transport direction of the recording paper 45 from the entrance 47 a of the first transport path 47 to the second
Switching to the inclined portion 48a of the transport path 48, the recording paper 45 is transported from the entrance 47a to the inclined portion 48a of the second transport path 48, and the leading end 45a of the recording paper 45 is detected by the second paper ejection sensor 65. In this case, it is also possible to reverse the rotation after stopping the second drive motor 60. For this reason, the recording paper 45 in the second transport path 48
The first transport path 47 passes through the back surface of the switching claw 71 with the 45b at the top.
Is driven by the first drive motor 54 in a state where the recording paper 45 is turned upside down at the same time.
The sheet is conveyed to the shift tray section 43 by the roller group 74. That is, the first transport path 47, the second transport path 48, the first roller group 74, the second roller group 75, the first driving motor 54 and the second
The drive motor 60 constitutes the transport unit 46 of the post-processing device 41 and is provided in the transport unit 46. The reversing mechanism reverses the recording paper 45 and transports the recording paper 45 to the shift tray unit 43 or the stapler unit 44. Make up 76. Therefore, the reversing mechanism 76 in the present embodiment includes the first transport path 47 and the second transport path 48 branched from the first transport path 47,
A first roller group 74 and a second roller group 75 provided on the first transport path 47 and the second transport path 48, respectively, for transporting the recording paper 45 along the first transport path 47 and the second transport path 48; Needless to say, a first drive motor 54 and a second drive motor 60 for independently driving the first roller group 74 and the second roller group 75 are provided.

The stapler unit 44 on which the recording paper 45 is transported by the transport unit 46 includes a staple unit 81 and a discharge tray unit 82, of which the staple unit 81 is a stapler 83, a stapler moving mechanism 84, a pair of left and right jogger fences 85, 86, a jogger fence moving mechanism 87, a discharge belt mechanism 88, and a fur brush mechanism 89, and a discharge tray unit 82 further includes a discharge tray
90 and a discharge tray moving mechanism 91.

Here, FIG. 2 is a section F of FIG. 1, that is, a stapler.
83 and an enlarged view of the stapler moving mechanism 84, FIG.
III-III view of the figure, i.e., jogger fence 85, 8
6, jogger fence moving mechanism 87 and discharge belt mechanism 8
FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 4 and FIG.
6 is a perspective view of the jogger fences 85 and 86 and the discharge belt mechanism 88, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion G of FIG. The configuration of the staple unit 81 will be described with reference to FIGS.

2 and 3, reference numeral 92 denotes a stapler base for supporting and fixing the above-described stapler 83.
Reference numeral 93 denotes a stapler slider that horizontally moves the stapler 83 together with the stapler base 92. The stapler base 92 includes a plate portion 92a and a plate portion 9 to which the stapler 83 is fixed.
The stapler slider 92 includes a pair of flanges 92b and 92c which are bent at right angles to both sides of the stapler 2a and are elongated in the vertical direction.The stapler slider 93 extends in parallel to the outside of the flanges 92b and 92c of the stapler base 92, respectively. Pair of support plates
The stapler 92 includes a connecting plate 93c for connecting the supporting plate portions 93a and 93b to each other. The connecting plate 93c is provided in parallel with the plate portion 92a of the stapler base 92. A pair of flange portions 92b, 9 of the stapler base 92
2c is provided with a pair of pins 94a, 94b and a pair of pins 95a, 95b respectively protruding outward, and a pair of pins 94a, 94b of the flange portion 92b and a pair of pins 95a, 95b of the flange portion 92c are provided. A pair of vertically elongated slots 96a, 96b and a pair of elongated slots 97a, 9 protruding from the pair of support plate portions 93a, 93b of the stapler slider 93, respectively.
7b are movably fitted respectively. For this reason, the stapler base 92 is supported by the stapler slider 93 together with the stapler 83, and at the same time, can be moved in the vertical direction along each of the long holes 96a, 96b, 97a, 97b as shown by the phantom lines in FIG. is there. Furthermore, the plate portion of the stapler base 92
At the top of 92a is a connecting plate 93c for stapler slider 93
And a fixed shaft 98 that projects through the rear of the connecting plate 93c.
A guide roller 99 is rotatably supported at the distal end of the fixed shaft 98. In addition, the code in FIG.
Reference numeral 100 denotes a vertically long hole formed in a penetrating portion in which the fixed shaft 98 penetrates the connecting plate portion 93c of the stapler slider 93 so as not to hinder the above-described vertical movement of the stapler 83 and the stapler base 92. It is provided in.

2 and 3, reference numeral 101 denotes the post-processing device 4.
The guide rod 101 is a guide rod supported and fixed at both ends by the frames 41a and 41b of the first stapler slider 9.
The stapler slider 93 is movably supported in the horizontal direction through support members 93f and 93g provided above the pair of support plate portions 93a and 93b. Reference numeral 102 denotes a moving belt of the stapler base 92, and the moving belt 102 is a third belt.
It is wound around a driving pulley 103 shown in the figure, and is driven by a stapler moving motor 104 to move in a horizontal direction. Then, the moving belt 102 is fixed to the fixing member 1 as shown in FIG.
The stapler slider 93 is fixed to the connecting plate 93c of the stapler slider 93 via the 05, so that the stapler 83 can be moved horizontally along the guide rod 101 by being driven by the stapler moving motor 104 together with the stapler 83. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 106 denotes a gear block, which is interposed between the stapler moving motor 104 and the driving pulley 103 to transmit the rotation of the stapler moving motor 104 to the driving pulley 103 and rotate the same. Although it is provided so as to reduce the speed and is not shown, it goes without saying that a driven pulley is provided on the frame 41a side facing the drive pulley 103. further,
The stapler moving motor 104 is preferably a step motor so that the stapler 83 can be moved in the horizontal direction and stopped at a predetermined stapling position. Reference numeral 107 denotes a back side of the stapler slider 93 and both ends of the frame 41a, 4
This is a channel-shaped stay fixed to 1b and provided horizontally.The web 107a of the stay 107 is rotatable via a pin 108 to a bracket 93d formed by bending a lower portion of a connection plate 93c of a stapler slider 93. The guide roller 109 is supported by the stapler 83, the stapler base 92, and the stapler slider 93.
The guide rod 101 is provided in order to restrict rotation based on its own weight about the guide rod 101 and to make horizontal movement smooth. A guide cam 110 is fixed to the upper part of the stay 107 along the stay 107 in the horizontal direction.
When the stapler slider 93 is moved via the moving belt 102 by the stapler moving motor 104, the stapler base 9 is brought into contact with the guide roller 99.
2 and are provided to guide the stapler 83. As shown in FIG. 3, the cam surface 110a of the guide cam 110 is formed so that both ends are horizontal and the central portion is formed in a smooth concave shape, and the stapler 83 moves in the horizontal direction together with the stapler base 92 and the stapler slider 93. When moved, the stapler base 92 moves along the concave portion of the cam surface 110a and the pins 94a, 9
4b, 95a, 95b and long holes 96a, 9 of stapler slider 93
The stapler 83 is moved down by the action of 6b, 97a, 97b, avoiding the projecting ends of the lower fences 144b, 145b of the driven pulley 129 and the guide plates 144, 145 described later. Further, reference numeral 111 denotes a home position sensor of the stapler 83. The home position sensor 111 includes a light emitting element 111a and a light receiving element 111b facing each other, and the stapler 83 is driven by the stapler moving motor 104 to move leftward in FIG. When moved to, the shielding plate 93e provided at the upper end of the connection plate 93c of the stapler slider 93 is inserted between the light emitting element 111a and the light receiving element 111b, and the stapler 83 blocks the transmission and reception of the light beam therebetween. The home position sensor 111 can detect that it is at the leftmost home position in FIG. In addition, the above-mentioned stapler stand 92,
Stapler slider 93, guide roller 99, guide rod
101, moving belt 102, driving pulley 103, stapler moving motor 104, guide roller 109 and guide cam 11
Each member and device of 0 constitute the above-described stapler moving mechanism (moving means) 84.

In FIG. 3, the pair of left and right jogger fences 85 and 86 shown in FIG. 5 are fixed to a left slider 112 and a right slider 113, respectively, and both ends of the left and right sliders 112 and 113 are supported by frames 41a and 41b. The horizontal jogger fence guide rod 114 penetrated, the left slider 112 together with the jogger fence 85 and the right slider 1
13 is guided by the jogger fence guide rod 114 together with the jogger fence 86 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. Reference numeral 115 denotes a jogger fence driving motor provided on the right frame 41b in FIG. 3. A driving pulley 116 is attached to an output shaft 115a of the jogger fence driving motor 115, and a driving side pulley 116 is provided. A timing belt 118 is wound around the pulley 116 and a driven pulley 117 attached to the left frame 41a. Then, a left slider 112 is provided on the lower horizontal portion 118a of the timing belt 118,
The right slider 1 is located on the upper horizontal portion 118b of the timing belt 118.
13 are fixed by fixing members 119 and 120, respectively.
When the driving pulley 116 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by being driven by the jogger fence driving motor 115, the jogger fences 85 and 86 move together with the left slider 112 and the right slider 113 toward the center. Move,
When the driving pulley 116 rotates clockwise in the drawing, the jogger fences 85 and 86 move together with the left slider 112 and the right slider 113 so as to be separated from the center. Further, since the jogger fence guide rod 114 is located below the jogger fences 85 and 86, guide rollers 121 and 122 are provided rotatably on the rear side above the jogger fences 85 and 86, respectively. The rollers 121 and 122 move together with the jogger fences 85 and 86 while rotating while being in contact with guide stays 124 and 125 provided on the upper end of the plate 123 connecting the frames 41a and 41b on the back of the jogger fences 85 and 86, The tops of the fences 85 and 86 are prevented from falling. Further, reference numeral 126 denotes a home position sensor for a jogger fence, and the home position sensor 126 is a light emitting element 126 similar to the home position sensor 111 of the stapler 83.
a and a light receiving element 126b. When the jogger fences 85 and 86 are separated from each other by being driven by the jogger fence driving motor 115 and move in the left and right directions in FIG. The plate 112a is inserted between the light emitting element 126a and the light receiving element 126b, and the home position sensor 126 can detect that the jogger fences 85 and 86 are at the leftmost and rightmost home positions in FIG. 3, respectively. I have. In addition,
The above-described left slider 112, right slider 113, jogger fence guide rod 114, jogger fence driving motor 11
5.Each member and device of the driving pulley 116, the driven pulley 117, and the timing belt 118 constitute the jogger fence moving mechanism 87 described above, and the jogger fence moving mechanism 87 and the jogger fences 85, 86 constitute alignment means. doing.

On the other hand, the release belt mechanism of the aforementioned staple unit 81
Reference numeral 88 denotes an endless discharge belt 127 provided vertically in the center between the jogger fences 85 and 86, and an upper portion 88 for driving the wound discharge belt 127, as shown in FIGS. , A driven pulley 128 on the lower side around which the release belt 127 is wound, a tension pulley 130 that abuts against and presses against the back portion 127b of the release belt 127 to apply tension to the release belt 127, and both ends. Are supported on the upper portions of the frames 41a and 41b, and a driving shaft 131 is fixed at the center and is rotatably provided together with the driving pulley 128. The driving shaft 131 is provided at the right end of the driving shaft 131 in FIG. Center pulley 132, drive pulley 134 connected to intermediate pulley 132 via transmission belt 133, frame 41b
Side and a drive pulley 134 via a gear block 135
Belt driving motor 136 for driving and rotating
As shown in the figure, a hook 137 fixed to the front part 127a of the discharge belt 127 and formed in a projecting shape outside the front part 127a.
Consists of Then, the discharge belt driving motor 136
Is driven, the drive pulley 128 is rotated via the gear block 135, the drive pulley 134, the transmission belt 133, the intermediate pulley 132, and the drive shaft 131, and the hook 137 is thereby moved together with the front surface portion 127a of the discharge belt 127. It moves up and down. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 138 denotes a home position sensor for detecting that the position of the hook 137 is at the lowermost home position. In FIGS. 3 and 6, reference numeral 139 denotes a guide plate provided so as to cover the front surface portion 127a of the discharge belt 127 from the back side. The guide plate 139 prevents the long discharge belt 127 from bending, and further records. As described later, when the paper 45 is inserted between the jogger fences 85 and 86, it has a function as a paper guide for supporting and guiding the recording paper 45.

3 to 5, the jogger fence 86 on the right side of the pair of jogger fences 85 and 86 described above is used.
The bottom plate 86a, which is elongated in the vertical direction, is formed by being bent at the lower part of the bottom plate 86a, and a hook-shaped lower fence 86b that opens upward, and the right outer portion of the bottom plate 86a is bent at right angles in two steps. It is bent and opened inward, and the lower end portion of the upper side plate 86d of the side fence 86c and the side fence 86c formed in substantially the entire vertical direction of the bottom plate 86a is formed by bending,
The upper plate 86d is composed of a guide plate 86e that rises gently. It should be noted that the jogger fence 85 on the left side in the figure is
6, the corresponding members are denoted by subscripts a to e, and detailed description is omitted. The left slider 112 and the right slider 113 are fixed to the back surface of the bottom plate 85a of the jogger fence 85 and the bottom plate 86a of the jogger fence 86, respectively.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numerals 141 and 142 denote a pair of fur brushes provided symmetrically with respect to the discharge belt 127 of the discharge belt mechanism 88.
Of the second roller group 75 of the transport unit 46 described above, it is coaxially fixed to the drive shaft 143 that drives the drive roller 59a of the second discharge roller 59, and rotates in synchronization with the drive roller 59a of the second discharge roller 59. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive roller 59a of the second discharge roller 59 is divided into a central portion facing the discharge belt 127 and right and left portions facing the jogger fences 85 and 86, respectively. Fur brush 141, 142
Are arranged so as to sandwich the discharge belt 127 and the central driving roller 59a. Furthermore, the fur brushes 141 and 142 are the seventh type.
As shown in FIG. 9A, a large number of hairs are radially implanted in boss portions 141a, 142a and boss portions 141a, 142a, respectively, coaxially fixed to the drive shaft 143, and have a cylindrical outer periphery. It comprises brush parts 141c and 142c composed of state bodies 141b and 142b. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of left and right guide plates 144 and 145 are provided on the back side of the lower part of the jogger fences 85 and 86 with the discharge belt 127 of the discharge belt mechanism 88 interposed therebetween. The tips of the hairs 141b and 142b of the rotating fur brushes 141 and 142 come into contact with the guide plates 144 and 145, respectively. Further, the guide plates 144 and 145 are formed with vertically elongated ribs 144a and 145a, respectively, which protrude toward the drive roller 59a adjacent to the release belt 127, and as shown in FIG. The bottom plates 85a and 86a of 85 and 86 are respectively guide plates 144
And the guide plate 145, so that when the recording paper 45 is fed between the jogger fences 85 and 86, the left and right sides of the recording paper 45 are moved by the bottom plates 85a and 86a, and Is lifted off the guide plates 144 and 145 by the ribs 144a and 145a. Further, the left and right middle portions of the recording paper 45 are fur brushes 141.
And 142 are pressed against the guide plates 144 and 145, so that the recording paper 45 undulates in the left-right direction to increase the rigidity in the up-down direction.
In the present embodiment, the buckling of the recording paper 45 leaned against the plate 123 and the guide plates 144 and 145 is prevented.
Reference numerals 4 and 145 constitute a staple tray on which the recording paper discharged from the copying machine 42 is placed in an overlapping manner. The fur brushes 141 and 142 and the guide plates 144 and 145 described above are used.
The fur brush mechanism 89 includes the drive shaft 143. Also, below the guide plates 144 and 145,
It projects downward along both sides of the drive pulley 129 of the discharge belt mechanism 88, and the lower fence 85 of the jogger fences 85 and 86.
The lower fences 144b and 145b provided at the same height as the lower fences 85b and 86b have the same configuration as the lower fences 85b and 86b.

In FIG. 1, the discharge tray unit 82
The discharge tray driving mechanism 91 of the discharge tray 90 and the discharge tray moving mechanism 91 is rotatably provided on the tray base 146 for fixing the base end of the discharge tray 90, and is not shown. However, the tray table 146 is engaged with a guide rail provided on the front frame 41c of the post-processing device 41.
And a plurality of guide rollers 147 for guiding the discharge tray 90 together with the discharge tray 90, between the front frame 41c and the tray base 146, and urging the tray base 146 upward to discharge the discharge tray 90.
And a pair of lift springs 148 provided on the left and right with respect to the longitudinal direction. Reference numeral 149 indicates the tray base 14.
6 is a connecting pin for a lift spring 148 provided at both ends of the front frame 41c for guiding the connecting pin 149.
Guide slit. Then, as described later, the recording papers 45 superimposed and bound in the staple unit 81 are sequentially conveyed by the discharge belt mechanism 88 and sent to the discharge tray 90 where they are accumulated. Lift spring 1 with 146
It automatically descends against 48 energizing forces. The staple unit 81 that constitutes the above-described stapler unit 44 is housed in the post-processing device 41 and has a complicated structure. I need to take it out. For this reason, the staple unit 81 is integrally hung except for the fur brushes 141 and 142, and a pair of roller guide rails 151 provided on the left and right lower portions in the frames 41a and 41b of the post-processing device 41 in FIG. It is supported by 152 and can be easily pulled out as needed in the front of the drawing, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the recording paper discharge direction.

Here, FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the function of the fur brush mechanism 89 described above. In FIG. 7 (a),
The recording paper 45 conveyed along the second conveyance path 48 by the second roller group 75 shown in FIG. 1 is moved between the jogger fences 85 and 86 by the second discharge rollers 59 of the second roller group 75. , 145, 139 and the plate 12, and when the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 jumps out of the driving roller 59a and the driven roller 59b, the fur brush which rotates in the counterclockwise rotation direction in FIG. 141, 142 hairs
The bristle tips of 141b and 142b contact the vicinity of the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 and are drawn between the guide plates 144 and 145 and the brush portions 141c and 142c of the fur brushes 141 and 142. Further, with the rotation of the fur brushes 141 and 142, the recording paper 45 is scraped off along the guide plates 144 and 145, and as shown in FIG. The recording paper 45 is positioned vertically by contacting the lower fences 85b, 86b of the jogger fences 85, 86 and the lower fences 144b, 145b of the guide plates 144, 145 shown in the figure. FIG. 7 (a)
A virtual line indicates the vicinity of the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 which is sequentially retracted by the rotation of the fur brushes 141 and 142. At this time, the driven roller 5 of the discharge portion 48b of the second transport path 48
The guide plate 48c located on the 9b side has a length from its end to the center of the driven roller 59b.
It is configured to be longer than the distance between the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 protruding from b and the center of the driven roller 59b,
Should the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 be the guide plate 48c and the fur brush 14
The fur brushes 141 and 142 can push the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 back toward the guide plates 144 and 145 even when inserted between the first and second brushes 142 and 142. In FIG. 7A, reference numeral 153 denotes a curl press provided at the lower ends of the guide plates 85e and 86e of the jogger fence 85 and the jogger fence 86, respectively. Similarly, reference numeral 154 denotes a cover for covering the drive shaft 143. It is a curl press provided between the end of the guide plate 48d on the drive roller 59a side of the discharge unit 48b formed in a semicircle and the guide plates 144, 145, both of which are film-shaped elastic bodies,
For example, it is made of a polyester film. And
The curl presser 153 presses the recording paper 45 fed by its elastic force toward the guide plates 144 and 145 to assist the functions of the fur brushes 141 and 142 and to prevent the transferred recording paper 45 from buckling. Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the curl presser 154 is formed by fur brushes 141 and 142 in which the recording paper 45 supported by the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 abutting against the lower fences 85b, 86b, 144b and 145b. The recording paper 45 is constantly pressed against the guide plates 144 and 145 by its elastic force so as not to be further scraped off and buckled as indicated by the phantom line in the figure. It should be noted that reference numerals in FIG.
Reference numeral 155 denotes a static elimination brush provided at the end of the guide plate 48c of the discharge unit 48b. The static elimination brush 155 is conveyed in the second conveyance path 48 and removes static electricity from the charged recording paper 45 to make subsequent operations smooth. It is provided in.

On the other hand, as shown by the thick broken line in FIGS. 3 and 5,
When the recording paper 45 is between the jogger fences 85 and 86, the back is the guide plate 139, the plate 123 and the guide plates 144 and 1.
In the state supported by 45, the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 is further supported by the lower fences 85b and 86b of the jogger fences 85 and 86 and the lower fences 144b and 145b of the guide plates 144 and 145 and positioned vertically. And in FIG.
The jogger fence driving motor 115 of the jogger fence moving mechanism 87 is driven to rotate forward and backward repeatedly once to several times. Accordingly, the jogger fences 85 and 86 approach and separate from each other by the same number of times along the jogger fence guide rod 114 via the driving pulley 116, the timing belt 118, the left slider 112 and the right slider 113, and sequentially carry out the second conveyance. The recording paper 45 sent by the second roller group 75 through the path 48 and overlapped is directed in the transport direction, and its left and right ears are aligned. Then, a predetermined number of recording sheets 45
Are superposed and aligned both up and down, left and right, the stapler 83 of the staple unit 81 shown in FIG. 2 binds the end of the recording paper 45 in the transport direction. That is, the stapling unit 81 is provided with a stapler 83 that binds the end of the recording paper 45 in the transport direction that is transported by the transport unit 46 and sequentially superimposed. In FIG. 3, the stapler 83 of the staple unit 81 is moved by the stapler moving mechanism 84 in the left-right direction in the figure, that is, in the left-right direction toward the conveyance direction of the recording paper 45, and is further overlapped between the jogger fences 85 and 86. End of the recording paper 45,
In the present embodiment, at the rear end of the recording paper 45 in the transport direction, and at least one of the left and right ends facing the transport direction, it is possible to bind both the left and right ends as necessary. Is composed. And
In FIG. 3, the discharge belt driving motor 136 of the discharge belt mechanism 88 rotates, and the discharge belt 127 is moved upward through the drive pulley 134, the transmission belt 133, the intermediate pulley 132, the drive shaft 131, and the drive pulley 128. Along with this, a predetermined number of recording papers 45 bound together move upward with the rear end 45b supported by the hook 137 shown in FIG.
It is discharged to the discharge tray 90 of the discharge unit 82 shown in FIG. Note that, at this time, the jogger fences 85 and 86 are provided from the vicinity of the second discharge roller 59 of the second roller group 75 to the vicinity of the discharge tray 90. The recording paper 45 is guided in the left-right direction and is smoothly discharged to the discharge tray 90.

Here, the configuration of the shift tray section 43 of the post-processing device 41 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 8 to 14. In FIG. 1, the shift tray section 43 includes a tray 161, a fur brush mechanism 162, a tray shift mechanism 163, and a tray vertical movement mechanism 164. As shown in FIG. 8, the tray 161 is formed in a trapezoidal shape in which the width of the distal end portion is reduced, and a plurality of convex portions 161a formed on the base end portion are formed on the abutment plate 165 in the vertical direction. In the recess 165a. And tray 16
1 is such that the protrusions 161a are movable in the vertical direction by being guided by the recesses 165a of the abutment plate 165, respectively. It moves in the direction. On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows the base end of the tray 161 and the discharge section 47c of the first transport path 47 as viewed from the direction of arrow H in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the outlet of the first embodiment.
The drive roller 53a of the discharge roller 53 is coaxially fixed to the rotation shaft 166, and the rotation shaft 166 is driven by the first drive motor 54 shown in FIG. 1 to rotate together with the first discharge roller 53, and faces the drive roller 53a. The driven roller 53b provided is driven to rotate. Further, a pair of fur brushes 167 and 168 are disposed immediately below the drive roller 53a of the first discharge roller 53, and are connected to the output shaft 54a of the first drive motor 54 shown in FIG. The fur brushes 167 and 168 are coaxially fixed to the rotating shaft 169. The fur brushes 167 and 168 are fur brushes of the fur brush mechanism 89 of the staple unit 81 shown in FIG.
It has the same mechanism as 141 and 142, and the first
The tray 1 is rotated from the discharge unit 47c by the drive motor 54.
The recording paper 45 transferred to 61 is scraped toward the abutment plate 165 side, and the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 is brought into contact with the convex portion 165b of the abutment plate 165 after the recording paper 45 sequentially transferred. Ends 45b are aligned. Fur brushes 167 and 168, rotating shaft
169, a timing belt (not shown) and the first drive motor 54 constitute the fur brush mechanism 162 described above.

FIG. 10 is a view taken along the line XX in FIG. 1, that is, a tray shift mechanism 163 in which the tray 161, the discharge portion 47c of the first transport path 47, the first discharge roller 53, and the fur brushes 167 and 168 are omitted. 11 is a perspective view of a main part of the tray shift mechanism 163 viewed from the direction of arrow I in FIG. 10 and 11, the tray shift mechanism 163 supports the abutment plate 165 via a pair of bearings 170a and 170b so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, and is mounted on the left and right frames 41a and 41b of the post-processing device 41. A horizontal spindle-shaped shift guide 171 having both ends fixed, a rod 174 having one end rotatably supported via a pin 173 to a support bracket 172 fixed to the back surface of the recess 165a of the abutment plate 165, A crank 175 connected to the other end of the 174 and reciprocating the butting plate 165 along the shift guide 171; a tray shift motor 176 for driving the crank 175; Gear train 177 and one end connected to the gear train 177 and the other end fixed to the output shaft 176a of the tray shift motor 176 via the gear 178.
It comprises a drive shaft 180 connected to 79. The tray shift motor 176 is supported by the frame 41b of the post-processing device 41, and the drive shaft 180 is connected to the gear train 17 via the bracket 181.
7 are supported by the frame 41b via brackets 182, respectively. In FIG. 10, reference numerals 183 and 184 denote shafts that support the respective gears of the gear train 177, respectively.
Of these, the shaft 183 rotatably supports the crank 175. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 185 denotes the gear train 1
77 is an opening provided so that an input gear of 77 protrudes from the frame 41b and is connected to the tray shift motor 176. When the tray shift motor 176 is driven, the crank 175 rotates about the shaft 183 via the pinion 179, the gear 178, the drive range 180, and the gear train 177 of the output shaft 176a. The abutment plate 165 reciprocates along the shift guide 171 together with the tray 161 shown in FIG.
The tray 161 is configured to shift in the left-right direction with respect to the recording paper 45 discharged from the discharge unit 47c of the transport path 47. In FIG. 10, reference numerals 186 and 187 denote a pair of shift detection plates provided on the back surface of the abutment plate 165, along the shift direction of the abutment plate 165 of the pair of shift detection plates 186 and 187. Tray shift mechanism 1
A shift detection sensor 188 is provided on a movement path where the 63 cranks 175 are substantially equal to the amount of movement for reciprocating the butting plate 165, and furthermore, the shift detection plates 186 and 187 are moved together with the butting plate 165. Shift detection sensor 188
By detecting the shift detection plates 186 and 187, it can be determined that the butting plate 165 has shifted once.

In FIGS. 10 and 12, reference numeral 189 denotes a paper surface pressing mechanism for pressing the vicinity of the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 superimposed on the tray 161 to prevent the recording paper 45 from shifting in the left-right direction when the tray 161 is shifted. The paper surface pressing mechanism 189 includes a pair of brackets 190 provided to protrude from the upper rear surface of the abutment plate 165 to the shift guide 171 side of the tray shift mechanism 163.
191, 190, a support bracket composed of a plate member 192 c connecting the base ends of a pair of arm members 192 a, 192 b and 192 a, 192 b parallel to the 191, and rotatably supported on 190, 191 via pins 193. 192, a roller pin 194 fixed at both ends to arm members 192a and 192b of the support bracket 192, a pair of pressers rotatably supported by the roller pin 194 and protruding toward the tray 161 side of the butting plate 165. Roller 19
5 and 196 and a sensor arm member 197 protruding from the arm member 192b of the support bracket 192 to the rear side of the abutment plate 165. In FIG. 9, the fur brushes 167 and 168 of the fur brush mechanism 162 rotate, and the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 transferred from the discharge portion 47c of the first transport path 47 to the tray 161 is brought into contact with the abutment plate 165. When pressed against the recording paper 45, the press rollers 195 and 196
And the recording paper 45 is moved to the tray 16 by its own weight.
Pressing to prevent the recording paper 45 from being displaced as described above. Therefore, the paper surface pressing mechanism 189 has an auxiliary function of the tray shift mechanism 163, and furthermore, when the height of the recording paper 45 transferred and superimposed on the tray 161 is increased, or a tray vertical movement mechanism 164 described later. When the tray 161 is moved upward, the sensor arm member 197 rotates in the direction of arrow J in FIG. 12 around the pin 193, and the sensor 197 is fixed by the paper surface detection sensor 199 fixed to the abutment plate 165 via the bracket 198. Detected and paper 45 or tray 1
It is determined that the upper surface of 61 has reached the prescribed height.

On the other hand, the configuration of the tray vertical movement mechanism 164 of the shift tray section 43 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. In addition,
FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a portion K in FIG. 1, and FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the portion L in FIG. In FIG. 13, reference numeral 201 denotes a tray support for fixing and supporting the base end portion of the tray 161. The tray support 201 is a tray vertical moving base via roller bearings 202a and 202b in the left and right double rows.
As described above, when the butting plate 165 is driven by the tray shift mechanism 163, the tray
161 can be freely shifted together with the butting plate 165. Reference numerals 204a and 204b denote a pair of guide rails provided on the left and right frames 41a and 41b, respectively, in the vertical direction toward the front frame 41c of the post-processing device 41, and reference numerals 205a and 205b denote the tray vertical moving table 203, respectively. The roller is rotatably supported by a side plate 203a provided on the frame 41a side and a side plate 203b provided on the frame 41b side. Then, the rollers 205a and 205b are inserted into the guide rails 204a and 204b, respectively, and slide and rotate, so that the tray vertical moving table 203 can move up and down along the guide rails 204a and 204b together with the tray supporting table 201 and the tray 161. At the same time, the weight of the tray 161 and the weight of the recording paper 45 transferred and superimposed on the tray 161 are determined by the guide rails 204a and 204b.
To prevent the tray 161 from falling over.

13 and 14, reference numerals 206a and 206b denote left and right side plates 203a and 203b of the tray vertical moving table 203, respectively.
b, and a pair of timing belts 206a and 206b are respectively provided on a pair of driving pulleys 207a and 207b provided on the upper left and right and a pair of timing belts provided on the lower left and right as shown in FIG. Driven pulleys 208a and 20
It is wrapped around 8b. Then, the driving pulleys 207a, 20
7b is coaxially fixed to a horizontal drive shaft 209 whose both ends are rotatably supported by frames 41a and 41b, respectively, and a one-way clutch 210a is provided on the frame 41a side of the drive shaft 209.
Is provided. Also, gear 210
Is the gear train 211, the worm wheel 2 as shown in FIG.
12.Warm 213, large pulley 214, belt 215 and small plate 216 are connected to tray up / down motor 217,
When the tray up / down motor 217 is driven, the gear 210 rotates via the above-described members. At this time, the one-way clutch 210a of the gear 210 is connected to the drive shaft 209, the drive pulleys 207a, 2
When the gear 210 rotates in the direction to raise the tray vertical moving table 203, that is, the tray 161 via the 07b and the timing belts 206a and 206b, the tray
The torque of 17 is transmitted to the drive shaft 209, and when the gear 210 rotates in the reverse direction, it becomes free and releases the drive shaft 209. Also, when the tray up / down motor 217 is stopped, the one-way clutch 210a is locked to fix the drive shaft 209 by the self-holding force of the worm wheel 212 and the worm 213,
Therefore, the tray 161 does not descend. That is,
The tray 161 is fixed at the stop position when the tray up / down motor 217 stops, and when the tray up / down motor 217 rotates in a direction to raise the tray 161, the one-way clutch 210a is locked, and the tray 161 moves along the guide rails 204a and 204b. When the tray up / down motor 217 is rotated in the direction of lowering the tray 161, the one-way clutch 210 a is released, and the tray 161 is moved along with the tray support table 201 and the tray up / down table 203 by its own weight to the guide rail 204.
descend along a, 204b. When the tray 161 is lowered, the one-way clutch 210a is free. Therefore, even if the tray 161 is stopped by an external force such as a human hand, the tray up / down motor 217 only rotates idly. Troubles such as pinching a finger between the overloaded or descending tray 161 and the front frame 41c or the like can be prevented beforehand. In addition, the tray
An upper and lower detection plate 218 is provided at a fixing portion where the side plate 203b fixes the timing belt 206b, and when the upper and lower detection plate 218 moves up and down together with the tray 161, it is provided above and opposed to the upper and lower detection plate 218. The upper limit sensor 219 and the lower limit sensor 220 shown in FIG. 1 detect the upper and lower detection plates 218, respectively, so that it can be determined whether the tray 161 is located at the upper limit or the lower limit.

FIG. 15 shows the shift tray unit 43, the stapler unit 44, and the transport unit 46 that constitute the post-processing device 41 are provided with sensors, drive motors and main operating members, respectively.
FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing a mechanism, and reference numerals 221, 222, and 223 in the figure.
The components other than the tray paper sensor, the rotation sensor, the staple sensor, and the staple motor indicated by reference numerals 224 and 224 have been described in the description of the configurations of the shift tray unit 43, the stapler unit 44, and the transport unit 46. And the detailed description is omitted. The above-described tray paper presence / absence sensor 221 detects the presence / absence of the recording paper 45 on the discharge belt 127 of the discharge belt mechanism 88, and the one-rotation sensor 222
The stapler 83 detects whether the recording paper 45 superposed between the jogger fences 85 and 86 has been bound, the stapler presence sensor 223 detects the presence or absence of a stapler for stapling the stapler 83, and furthermore, the staple motor 224. Is a drive source for driving the stapler 83 and binding the superposed recording paper 45 with a staple.

On the other hand, FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the control unit 231 of the post-processing device 41 for controlling the operations of the shift tray unit 43, the stapler unit 44, and the transport unit 46. It comprises a first control unit 232 and a second control unit 233,
Although not shown, it is stored in the control panel and the post-processing device 41
It is provided on the upper part. The first control unit 232 controls the operation of the tray shift motor 176 of the shift tray unit 43, the tray up / down motor 217, and the first drive motor 54 of the transport unit 46. The circuits 236, 235, and 234 are connected to the first CPU 237, and the shift detection sensor 188, the paper surface detection sensor 199, the upper limit sensor 219, and the lower limit sensor 220 of the shift tray unit 43 are connected to the first CPU 237 via the interface 238, The paper feed sensor 63 and the first paper discharge sensor 64 of the transport unit 46 are connected to the first CPU 237 via the interface 239. On the other hand, the second control unit 233 includes the stapler moving motor 104 of the stapler unit 44, the jogger fence driving motor 115, the discharge belt driving motor 136, the staple motor 224, the second driving motor 60 of the transport unit 46, and the switching solenoid 73.
The above-described devices are connected to the second CPU 245 via servo control circuits 240 to 244, respectively, similarly to the first control unit 232 except for the staple driving motor 104. The motor for use 104 is connected to the second CPU 245 via the step motor control circuit 246.
Further, the home position sensor 11 of the stapler section 44
1, 126, 138, tray paper existence sensor 221, one rotation sensor 22
2, the needle presence sensor 223 via the interface 248,
The second paper ejection sensor 65 of the transport unit 46 is an interface
Each is connected to the second CPU 245 via 247. Sign
Reference numeral 249 denotes a data bus connecting the first CPU 237 and the second CPU 245, and has a function of exchanging data with each other based on the signals of the respective sensors input to the first CPU 237 and the second CPU 245 or the operating states of the respective devices. Also, the symbol 250
Is a first mode changeover switch connected to the first CPU 237 via the interface 251. When the post-processing device 41 is switched to the shift tray mode by switching the first mode changeover switch 250, in FIG. Is fed to the shift tray section 43 through the first transport path 47 of the transport unit 46, and when the post-processing device 41 is switched to the staple mode by switching the first mode switch 250. 45 is the second transport route
The paper is conveyed to the stapler section 44 through 48. Further, although not shown, the control unit 231 of the post-processing device 41 is connected to the control unit of the copier 42, and controls and aligns the operations of the respective mechanisms in cooperation with each other. A signal of the main body discharge sensor 62 of the copying machine 42 is input to the first CPU 237.

In FIG. 16, reference numeral 252 denotes a second mode changeover switch connected to the second CPU 245 via the interface 253, and the second mode changeover switch 252 shifts the post-processing device 41 by switching the first mode changeover switch 250. The reversing mechanism 76 of the post-processing device 41 transports the recording paper 45 according to the transport mode for transporting the recording paper 45 along the transport unit 46 of the post-processing device 41 according to the tray mode or the staple mode, and the shift tray mode or the staple mode of the post-processing device 41. And has a function as switching means for switching to any one of the inversion modes in which the inversion is performed.
In FIG. 1, when the predetermined order of the recording paper 45 discharged from the copier 42 and sent to the post-processing device 41 is the order of the pages attached to the recording paper 45 as described above, When the post-processing device 41 is switched to the reverse mode by the two-mode switch 252, and the predetermined order of the recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine 42 is the reverse order from the last page of the recording paper 45, the second mode is switched. The switch 252 switches the post-processing device 41 to the transport mode.

 Next, the operation will be described.

When the copying operation of the copying machine 42 is started in FIG. 1 in a state where the first mode changeover switch 250 is switched and the post-processing device 41 is switched to the shift tray mode shown in FIG. The tray shift motor 176 of the mechanism 163 is driven, and the crank 175 rotates via the pinion 179, the gear 178, and the gear train 177 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and is simultaneously connected to the crank 175 via the rod 174. The abutment plate 165 moves in the horizontal direction in FIG. 8 together with the tray 161 shown in FIG. And tray 16 as above
When the shift operation 1 is started, in FIG. 10, the shift detection sensor 188 detects the other one of the shift detection plates 186 and 187 that was detected before the start of the shift operation of the tray 161 and detects the other. A signal is output to the first CPU 237 in FIG. 16, and based on this signal, the tray shift motor 176 stops and the shift operation of the tray 161 ends. After the shift operation is completed, the tray up / down motor 217 shown in FIG.
5, large pulley 214, worm 213, worm wheel 212,
The tray 161 is raised via the gear train 211, the gear 210, the driving pulleys 207a and 207b, and the timing belts 206a and 206b, and the pressing rollers 196 and 19 of the paper surface pressing mechanism 189 shown in FIG.
5 comes into contact with the tray 161 and the sensor arm member 197 of the paper surface pressing mechanism 189 is detected by the paper surface detection sensor 199, and the paper surface detection sensor 199 outputs a signal to the first CPU 237 in FIG.
Based on this, the tray up / down motor 217 stops, the lifting of the tray 161 ends, and the preparation for receiving the shift tray unit 43 is completed.

Hereinafter, the conveyance of the recording paper 45 discharged from the copier 42 by the conveyance unit 46 and the reception of the recording paper 45 in the shift tray unit 43 will be described, but the input of the output signal of each sensor of the conveyance unit 46 and the shift tray unit 43 will be described. The control of the respective drive motors of the transport unit 46 and the shift tray unit 43 based on this is all performed by the first control unit 232 shown in FIG. 16, so the first control unit 232 shown in FIG. Is not mentioned unless otherwise required. In FIG.
The recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine 42 is sent to the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47, and at the same time, the first drive motor 54 is driven, and the recording paper 45 is discharged from the copying machine 42 by the first roller group 74. The paper is transported along the first transport path 47 at a transport speed equal to the speed. When the trailing end 45b of the recording paper 45 is detected by the paper feed sensor 63, the speed of the first drive motor 54 is increased, and the recording paper 45 is transported at a transport speed higher than the discharge speed of the copier 42. Further, when the leading end 45a of the recording paper 45 is detected by the first paper ejection sensor 64, the first driving motor 54
Is reduced to make the transport speed of the recording paper 45 equal to the discharge speed of the copier 42, and then the recording paper 45 is discharged to the tray 161 of the shift tray unit 43 through the discharge unit 47c and is transferred. At this time, as shown in FIG.
The second fur brushes 167 and 168 rotate, and the recording paper 45 transferred to the tray 161 is scraped by the butting plate 165, and the rear end 45b
Abuts against the abutment plate 165 so that the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 is aligned, and at the same time, the vicinity of the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 is sandwiched between the pressing rollers 195 and 196 of the paper surface pressing mechanism 189 and the tray 161.

In this way, when the recording paper 45 is sequentially superimposed on the tray 161 and the height of the accumulated recording paper 45 increases,
The pressing rollers 195 and 196 of the paper surface pressing mechanism 189 are pushed up, and the sensor arm member 197 of the paper surface pressing mechanism 189 rotates in the direction of arrow J in FIG. The tray up / down motor 217 shown in FIG. 13 is driven in the downward direction of the tray 161 based on the detection signal of the paper surface detection sensor 199, and the worm wheel 212, the self-holding force of the worm 213 and the locking of the one-way clutch 210a of the gear 210 are locked. The tray 161 is released and the weight of the tray 161 and the tray
The recording paper 45 superimposed on 161 descends along the guide rails 204a and 204b by its own weight. With the lowering of the tray 161, the recording paper 45 contacting the pressing rollers 195 and 196 is lowered, and the sensor arm member 197 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow J, and the output of the detection signal of the paper surface detecting sensor 199 is changed. Gone
At the same time, the tray up / down motor 217 stops, and the tray 161 stops due to the self-holding force of the worm wheel 212 and the worm 213 and the locking of the one-way clutch 210a of the gear 210. Then, the above operations are sequentially repeated, and the tray
When the lower limit sensor 220 shown in FIG. 1 detects the upper / lower detection plate 218 provided on the tray vertical motion base 203, the tray vertical motor 217 stops and the tray 161 further lowers. Never.

On the other hand, when a predetermined number of recording papers 45 have been discharged from the copying machine 42, a signal is output from the control unit of the copying machine 42 to the first CPU 237 of the control unit 231 shown in FIG. The motor 176 is driven to perform the shift operation of the tray 161 as described above. When one step of the shift operation is completed, the tray shift motor 176 stops again. Tray 1
The recording paper 4 transferred to the tray 161 by the shift operation of 61
The stacking position of the recording paper 45 is divided right and left in the transport direction for every predetermined number of sheets 5, and the recording sheets 45 are sequentially sorted. Then, when the final recording paper 45 after the copying operation in the copying machine 42 is discharged, the tray up / down motor 217 of the tray up / down movement mechanism 164 is driven in the lowering direction of the tray 161 and the up / down detection plate 218 is moved to the lower limit. The tray 161 stops at the position lowered to the sensor 220, and the operation of the post-processing device 41 in the shift tray mode ends.

The first mode changeover switch 250 shown in FIG. 16 is switched to switch the post-processing device 41 to the staple mode. Further, when the number of pages of the recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine 42 is N, If the order is the order of the pages of the recording paper 45, the post-processing device 41 is switched to the reverse mode by the second mode changeover switch 252 shown in FIG. And
In FIG. 1, when the copying operation of the copying machine 42 is started, in FIG. 3, the home position sensor 111 of the stapler moving mechanism 84 detects the shielding plate 93e of the stapler slider 93 and the stapler 8 of the stapling unit 81.
If 3 is at the home position sensor, the stapler moving motor 104 is driven, and the stapler 83, together with the stapler slider 93, corresponds to the left and right width of the recording paper 45 via the gear block 106, the driving plate 103 and the moving belt 102. Move to a predetermined stapler position. If the stapler 83 is not at the home position, the stapler 83 returns to the home position once by the stapler moving motor 104, and further moves to the above-described predetermined stapling position. Next, the home position sensor 126 of the jogger fence moving mechanism 87 detects the shielding plate 11 of the left slider 112.
If 2a is detected and the jogger fences 85 and 86 are at the home position, the jogger fence drive motor 115 is driven, and the jogger fence is driven via the drive pulley 116, the timing belt 118, the left slider 112 and the right slider 113.
85 and 86 move, and stop at predetermined positions corresponding to the left and right widths of the recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine. If the jogger fences 85 and 86 are not at the home position, the jogger fence 8
5, 86 return to the home position once, and further move to the above-described predetermined position, and the preparation for receiving the stapler unit 44 is completed.

In FIG. 1, the recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine 42 is sent to the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47, and the leading end 45a of the recording paper 45 passes through the paper feed sensor 63 and is detected by the paper feed sensor 63. Then, the switching claw 71 of the reversing mechanism 76 shared by the transport unit 46 is switched to the position shown by the solid line in the figure, and the transport direction of the recording paper 45 is switched from the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47 to the vertical portion 47b. Can be The recording paper 45 sent from the copying machine 42 to the entrance 47a is moved from the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47 to the vertical portion 4 by the first roller group 74 driven by the first drive motor 54.
When the leading edge 45a of the recording paper 45 passes through the first paper ejection sensor 64 and is detected by the first paper ejection sensor 64 via the first paper ejection sensor 64, the first drive motor 54 is stopped and then rotated in the reverse direction. At the same time, the second drive motor 60 is driven. Then, the recording paper 45 in the first transport path 47 passes through the back surface of the switching claw 71 with the rear end 45b as the leading end and is transported to the inclined portion 48a of the second transport path 48, and at the same time, the recording paper 45 is turned upside down. Roller group 75
Is transported along the discharge section 48b. Next, in FIG. 7A, the recording paper 45 is sent upward by the second discharge rollers 59 of the second roller group 75 between the jogger fences 85 and 86 along the guide plates 144, 145, 139 and the plate 123. At the same time, the charge of the recording paper 45 charged during conveyance by the charge removing brush 155 is removed. When the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45 jumps out of the driving roller 59a and the driven roller 59b, it is pulled in by the rotation of the fur brushes 141 and 142 of the fur brush mechanism 89, and as shown in FIG. Ends 45b are jogger fences 85, 86 shown in FIG.
Lower fences 85b, 86b and guide plates 144, 145
The lower fences 144b and 145b are positioned vertically. On the other hand, the leading end 45a of the recording paper 45 is
When the recording paper 45 is positioned in the vertical direction as described above after a predetermined time has passed after passing through 5, the jogger fence driving motor 115 of the jogger fence moving mechanism 87 is driven in FIG. 85 and 86 are repeated one to several times along the jogger fence guide rod 114 via the drive side pulley 116, the timing belt 118, the left slider 112 and the right slider 113 to approach and separate from each other, and in the transport direction of the recording paper 45. The left and right ears are positioned opposite to each other, and then the jogger fences 85 and 86 return to the home position by driving the jogger fence driving motor 115. Then, the N-page recording paper discharged from the copying machine 42
45 are sequentially transported by the transport unit 46 in the same procedure as described above, and are reversed by the reversing mechanism 76 and sent to the stapler section 44. Further, the same operation as described above in the stapler unit 44 is repeated on the sequentially fed recording paper 45, and the recording paper 45 is superimposed, and at the same time,
Available in left and right directions. At this time, since the recording paper 45 of N pages is turned upside down by the reversing mechanism 76, as shown in FIG. Then, as described above, the stapler 83 that has moved to the predetermined stapling position and is on standby is in the second position.
The recording paper 45 driven and driven by the staple motor 224 shown in FIG. 15 is bound. The predetermined stapling position of the stapler 83 is set in advance to be the left shoulder of the recording paper 45 so that the bound recording paper 45 is easy to read,
If necessary, it can be set to the right shoulder, and after binding the left shoulder, the stapler 83 can be moved to bind the right shoulder. The discharge belt mechanism 88 is detected by the tray paper presence / absence sensor 221 shown in FIG.
The presence or absence of the recording paper 45 on the discharge belt 127 is detected, and the binding of the recording paper 45 is determined by the one-rotation sensor 222,
Further, the presence / absence of the binding staples of the stapler 83 is detected by the staple presence / absence sensor 223, and the operation of the stapler 83 is accurately controlled correspondingly.

Next, in FIG.
Is driven, the release belt 127 moves upward via the gear block 135, the drive pulley 134, the transmission belt 133, the intermediate pulley 132, and the drive side pulley 128, and accordingly, the hook 137 previously located at the home position is moved. Rises while eating the rear end 45b of the recording paper 45, and the bound N-page recording paper 45 is discharged to the discharge tray 90 of the discharge unit 82 shown in FIG. The work ends. When the recording sheets 45 sequentially bound from the staple unit 81 are transferred to the discharge tray 90, the discharge tray 90 naturally goes down via the discharge tray moving mechanism 91 due to its own weight.

On the other hand, the post-processing device 41 is in the staple mode by the first mode changeover switch 250 shown in FIG. 16, and the predetermined order of the N-page recording paper 45 discharged from the copying machine 42 is changed to the last page N of the recording paper 45. If the order is the reverse of
The post-processing device 4 is operated by the second mode changeover switch 252 shown in FIG.
1 is switched to the transport mode. In FIG. 1, the switching claw 71 of the reversing mechanism 76 is switched at the position indicated by the imaginary line in the figure, and the recording paper 45 is not reversed from the entrance 47a of the first transport path 47 along the second transport path 48. Is transported to the stapler 44. Since the N-page recording paper 45 conveyed sequentially is superposed on the discharge belt mechanism 88 between the jogger fences 85 and 86 with the front facing upward, the superposed recording paper 45 is in the order of pages from above. Then, the recording paper 45 bound in the page order is discharged to the discharge tray 90 by the same operation as in the reverse mode.

Thus, in this embodiment, the staple unit
81 can be pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the recording paper discharged to the guide plate 139, the plate 123, and the guide plates 144 and 145. When a jam occurs, processing can be performed easily,
Operability can be improved. In addition, since the recording papers are aligned by the jogger fences 85 and 86, the recording papers can be reliably aligned and bound. Further, in this embodiment, the stapler 83 of the staple unit 81 is connected to the recording paper.
45 can be moved in the left and right width directions, and the post-processing device 41 can be easily moved in the transport mode according to the order of the pages of the recording paper 45 sent from the copying machine 42 to the post-processing device 41 by the second mode switching switch 252. Alternatively, the mode can be switched to the inversion mode. For this reason, horizontal writing of the original copied by the copying machine 42,
Regardless of the vertical writing, the position of the staple to be stapled by the stapler 83 is always set to a desired position, and the recording paper 45 to be fed further is set.
Regardless of the page order, the recording paper 45 can always be bound in the correct page order. As a result, the post-processing device 41 can cope with all functions of the copying machine 42, so that the application range of the post-processing device 41 can be widened.

In addition, not only in the case of the staple mode of the post-processing device 41, but also in the case where the post-processing device 41 is switched to the shift tray mode, the second mode switch 252 of FIG. It is possible to flip the paper 45. That is, in FIG. 1, the recording paper 45 is sent from the entrance portion 47a of the first transport system path 47 to the second transport path 48, and the recording paper 45 is switched by the reverse rotation of the second drive motor 60 to switch the switching pawl 71.
The recording paper 45 conveyed to the shift tray section 43 can be turned upside down by being conveyed to the vertical portion 47b through the back surface of the recording paper 45.

(Effect) According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily perform the operation of replacing the staple of the staple unit and the operation of processing when a recording paper jam occurs in the staple unit.
Operability can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the recording paper can be securely aligned and bound.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 16 are views showing an embodiment of a post-processing apparatus of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a front sectional configuration view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 1, taken along the line III-III, FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion G in FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is a plan view of a tray and an abutment plate of the shift tray portion, FIG. Is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of the base end of the tray viewed from the direction of arrow H in FIG. 1,
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the main part of FIG. 1 taken along arrow XX, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the main part of the shift tray mechanism viewed from the direction of arrow I in FIG. 10, and FIG. FIG. 13 shows the first
FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a portion K in FIG. 14, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a portion L in FIG.
FIG. 15 is an overall configuration diagram of the sensor, drive motor, main operating members, and mechanisms, and FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the control unit. 17 and 18 are views showing an example of a conventional post-processing apparatus. FIG. 17 is a front cross-sectional view of the apparatus, and FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the positions and positions of staples of recording paper corresponding to how to place the original. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a state of recording paper after bookbinding, and FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining a problem of a conventional example. 41 post-processing device, 42 copier (image forming device), 45 recording paper, 81 stapling unit, 83 stapler (staple means), 84 stapler moving mechanism (moving means), 85, 86: jogger fence (alignment means), 87: jogger fence moving mechanism (alignment means), 123: plate (staple tray), 139: guide plate (staple tray), 144, 145: guide plate (Staple tray).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-63-101267 (JP, A) JP-A-63-109448 (JP, A) JP-A-62-290668 (JP, A) JP-A-2- 276692 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B65H 37/04 G03G 15/00 534 B42C 1/12

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A post-processing apparatus for performing bookbinding processing of recording paper discharged from an image forming apparatus, comprising: a staple tray on which recording paper discharged from the image forming apparatus is stacked and placed; A staple unit that integrally includes a staple unit that binds the recording paper and a moving unit that moves the recording paper bound by the staple unit from the staple tray, and the staple unit is discharged to the staple tray. A post-processing apparatus for an image forming apparatus, wherein the post-processing apparatus can be pulled out in a direction perpendicular to a recording paper discharge direction. 2. The post-processing device according to claim 1, wherein the staple unit has an aligning unit that aligns the recording sheets placed on the staple tray.