JP4229010B2 - Booklet stacking apparatus, post-processing apparatus, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a booklet stacking device for stacking and discharging booklets that are bound by a saddle stitching means such as a staple or a gluing device, and a post-processing device equipped with the booklet stacking device. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus provided with the post-processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a booklet stacking apparatus is known that stacks a plurality of sheets on which images have been formed using a post-processing device and then bookbinding a booklet that has been bound and saddle-stitched.

  In many cases, a booklet that has been folded or saddle-stitched has a shape in which the binding side is swollen as seen in weekly magazines, and this swollenness becomes noticeable as the number of booklets increases.

  When the booklet with the binding side swelled in this manner is stacked and stacked in the vertical direction as it is, the booklet may be tilted as it is stacked, and the booklet may slide off or collapse.

  As a countermeasure against such a problem, a technique is known in which a booklet is stacked on a long belt conveyor so that the swollen portion of the booklet is shifted and overlapped like a scale.

  As described above, by discharging and stacking the booklet on a long belt conveyor, the problems caused by the swelling on the binding side of the booklet can be solved, but the belt conveyor becomes large and combined with an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. In order to use it, a large installation space is required, which is unsuitable for use in an office or the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a booklet stacking apparatus that can stably load booklets and can flexibly respond to installation space, user requests, and the like.

  The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.

  (1) In a booklet stacking apparatus that receives a bound booklet and stacks it on a stacking tray, the stacking tray can be expanded and contracted, and the booklet stacked on the stacking tray is transported in a predetermined direction of the stacking tray. The booklet stacking apparatus is characterized in that it has means and is configured to change the transport path length of the transport means while maintaining the booklet transport force in conjunction with expansion and contraction of the stacking tray.

  (2) It has a detection means for detecting that the booklet that has been bound is loaded on the stacking tray, and when the detection means detects that the booklet is loaded on the stacking tray, The booklet stacking apparatus according to (1), further comprising a control unit that controls the actuator to operate.

  (3) A stopper that stands at the end of the stacking tray to stop the progress of the booklet, and a transport release member that releases the transport of the booklet by the transport means on the upstream side of the stopper in the booklet transport direction. The booklet stacking apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the booklet stacking apparatus is provided.

  (4) The booklet stacking apparatus according to (3), wherein the stopper and the conveyance release member are detachable.

  (5) A post-processing device for creating a booklet, comprising the booklet stacking device according to (1) or (2).

  (6) A post-processing device for creating a booklet provided with the booklet stacking device according to (3) or (4), wherein a stopper of the booklet stacking device also serves as a part of the exterior of the post-processing device. A post-processing device.

(7) An image forming apparatus comprising the post-processing device according to (5) or (6).
(8) In a booklet stacking apparatus that receives a bound booklet and stacks it on a stacking tray, the stacking tray has a first tray and a second tray, and is configured to protrude from the booklet stacking apparatus main body. The first tray is provided so as to be slidable with respect to the booklet stacking apparatus body, and the second tray is provided so as to be slidable in the same direction as the sliding direction of the first tray with respect to the first tray, The first tray and the second tray are provided with conveying means for conveying the booklet by driving in the same direction as the direction in which the stacking tray protrudes even when the stacking tray protrudes from the booklet stacking device main body. Booklet loading device.
(9) The conveyance belt as the conveyance unit is stretched between a pulley provided on the first tray and a pulley provided on the second tray. Booklet loading device.
(10) The first tray has a first pulley at an upstream end in the booklet transport direction, a fourth pulley at a downstream end, and the second tray is a downstream side in the booklet transport direction. A second pulley is provided at the end, a third pulley is provided at the upstream end, and the conveying belt as the conveying means includes the first pulley, the second pulley, the third pulley, and the fourth pulley. The booklet stacking apparatus according to (8) or (9), wherein the booklet stacking apparatus is wound in the order of
(11) A booklet stacking device according to any one of (8) to (10) is provided, which includes means for producing a booklet using paper on which an image has been formed, and receives the produced booklet. A post-processing device for producing a feature booklet.
(12) The post-processing device according to (11), including an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet, and producing a booklet from a plurality of sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming unit. An image forming apparatus.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the booklet stacking apparatus that receives the booklet that has been bound and loads the booklet on the stacking tray, the stacking tray can be expanded and contracted, and the booklet stacked on the stacking tray can be stored on the stacking tray. The conveyance means of the booklet is configured to change the conveyance path length of the conveyance means while maintaining the booklet conveyance force in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the stacking tray. Since the stacking tray length can be set and used according to the installation space, usage pattern, and the like without losing, the booklet stacking apparatus that is extremely easy to use can be provided.

According to invention of Claim 2, it has a detection means to detect that the bound booklet was loaded on the stacking tray, and when the detection means detects that the booklet was loaded on the stacking tray, By having control means for controlling the transport means to operate for a predetermined time, it is possible to change the interval between adjacent booklets on the stacking tray. For example, by shifting the bulge part of the fold part of the booklet so that it overlaps like a scale, the booklet is stacked in a stable state without shifting the booklet or falling from the stacking tray. I can do it.
According to the invention of claim 3, the stopper which stands at the end of the stacking tray and stops the progress of the booklet, and the booklet transport by the transport means is released upstream of the stopper in the booklet transport direction. By having the transport release member, it is possible to store the transported booklet, and the transport force of the booklet sent to the front of the stacking tray is lost. It is possible to prevent irregular overlaps and subsequent booklets from entering the previous booklet.

  Therefore, the operator only has to collect the booklet regularly, and since the booklet is regularly loaded on the stacking tray, the collecting operation can be easily performed.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the stopper and the conveyance release member are detachable, it is possible to select a booklet stacking method on the stacking tray according to the use state.

  According to the invention of claim 5, by providing the booklet stacking device according to claim 1 or claim 2, it is possible to provide a convenient post-processing device.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the stopper of the booklet stacking device also serves as a part of the exterior of the post-processing device, thereby reducing the number of components and reattaching the exterior components after storing the booklet stacking device when not in use. It is possible to provide a post-processing apparatus that can save labor.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus provided with a convenient post-processing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a booklet stacking apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The booklet stacking apparatus in this embodiment is mounted on a post-processing apparatus that creates a booklet, and the post-processing apparatus is connected to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on each sheet of the booklet.

  Note that the bound booklet is a book in which sheets are bound, for example, a plurality of sheets folded and a crease stapled, or a back part of a plurality of sheets glued. .

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus.

  A is an image forming apparatus, DF is an automatic document feeder, LT is a large capacity feeder, and B is a post-processing apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus A includes an image reading unit (image input device) 1, an image processing unit 2, an image writing unit 3, an image forming unit 4, paper feed cassettes 5A, 5B, and 5C, a manual paper feed tray 5D, and a first paper feed. Units 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E, registration rollers 6F, a fixing device 7, a paper discharge unit 8, an automatic double-sided copy paper supply unit (ADU) 8B, and the like.

  An automatic document feeder DF is mounted on the upper part of the image forming apparatus A, and a post-processing apparatus B is integrally connected to the left side of the drawing.

  A1, A2, B1, B2, and B3 are image forming apparatus control means, image forming apparatus operation means, post-processing apparatus control means, post-processing apparatus operation means, and booklet stacking apparatus control means, respectively.

  The document d placed on the document table of the automatic document feeder DF is conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and an image on one or both sides of the document is read into the image sensor CCD 1A by the optical system of the image reading unit 1.

  The analog signal photoelectrically converted by the image sensor CCD 1A is subjected to analog processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, image compression processing, and the like in the image processing unit 2, and then sent to the image writing unit 3 as an image information signal. .

  The image forming unit 4 is a part where an image is formed using an electrophotographic process, and processing such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, separation, and cleaning is performed on the photosensitive drum 4A. In the exposure processing step, output light of a semiconductor laser (not shown) based on the image information signal is applied to the photosensitive drum 4A to form an electrostatic latent image. Further, in the developing process, a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed.

  When any one of the sheet feeding cassettes 5A to 5C, the manual sheet feeding tray 5D, the large capacity sheet feeding device LT, and the first sheet feeding units 6A to 6E corresponding thereto is selected, the sheet S is registered as a registration roller. It is transported toward 6F. The sheet S is synchronized with the toner image on the photosensitive drum 4A by the registration roller 6F, and is conveyed toward the transfer unit 4B to transfer the toner image.

  The sheet S carrying the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 7 and sent from the paper discharge unit 8 to the post-processing device B.

  In the case of double-sided image formation, the sheet S image-formed on one side is sent to the automatic double-sided copy paper feeding unit 8B by the conveyance path switching plate 8A, and image formation is performed on the opposite side in the image forming unit 4, After fixing by the fixing device 7, the paper is sent from the discharge unit 8 to the post-processing device B.

  Next, an outline of the post-processing apparatus B will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

  2 is a front view of a post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a right side view, FIG. 4 is a left side view, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the flow of paper in the post-processing apparatus.

  In each figure, arrows X, Y, and Z are orthogonal coordinate axes representing directions, and the positive direction of each coordinate is referred to as the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, and the negative direction is the reverse X direction, reverse Y direction, and reverse Z direction. Shall be referred to as

  In addition, the case where the arrow is orthogonal to the paper surface and the arrow is directed toward the front surface is represented by ◎, and the case where the arrow is directed toward the back surface of the paper is represented by ◯.

  The sheet S on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus is subjected to a conveyance path that is discharged as it is without being processed by the conveyance path switching means at the entrance of the post-processing apparatus B, or a half-folding process and a saddle stitching process. It is transported to one of the transport paths.

  A plurality of sheets S sent to the conveyance path for performing the half-folding process and the saddle stitching process are folded in a stacked state, stacked on a reverse V-shaped stacking unit, and the number of stacked sheets reaches a predetermined number. After reaching, the saddle stitching process is performed, and then the sheet is taken out by the paper take-out means, cut by the cutting device according to the present invention, and then discharged.

  First, the transport path of the paper S that has entered the transport path R1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The sheet S sent to the conveyance path R1 by the conveyance path switching unit G1 is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance rollers 203 to 207, and is conveyed to either the conveyance path R3 above or below the conveyance path switching unit G2. Be transported.

  The paper S transported to the upper transport path R3 is discharged by a paper discharge roller 208 to a sub paper discharge tray (top tray) 209 disposed at the top of the post-processing apparatus B.

  The sheet S conveyed to the lower conveyance path R4 is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance rollers 210 to 213, and is sent to another post-processing device or the like by the paper discharge roller 214.

  Next, the conveyance of the sheet S that has entered the conveyance path R2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The sheet S that has entered the transport path R2 by the transport path switching unit G1 is transported in the reverse Y direction, and is temporarily stopped and stored at a predetermined position (position P1 shown in the drawing).

  At the position P1, the subsequent small number of sheets S are stacked and stored.

  Although the number of stored sheets is three in the present embodiment, the number of stored sheets is not limited to this and can be set as appropriate.

  The three sheets S accommodated at the position P1 are superposed and conveyed in the Z direction by conveying rollers 215, 216, guide plates (not shown), etc., and then deflected in the X direction to the position P2. Stop temporarily (conveyance path R5).

  In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the sheet S is simply referred to as the sheet S instead of the three sheets (or a plurality of sheets).

  The paper S temporarily stopped at the position P2 is transported in the Y direction by transport rollers 217, 218, guide plates and the like at a predetermined timing and then deflected in the reverse Z direction (transport path R6).

  The sheet S deflected in the reverse Z direction is sent to the center folding means 230 by the conveyance alignment belt 220.

  Here, the center folding means 230 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the long side direction of the paper S is configured to coincide with the conveyance direction of the conveyance alignment belt 220.

  The middle folding means 230 includes an alignment member 232, middle folding rollers 234 and 235, a middle folding knife 236, and the like.

  The alignment plate 232 is disposed at a position half the length of the long side direction of the sheet S from the contact point between the folding rollers 234 and 235.

  The sheet S conveyed in the reverse Z direction is pushed by an alignment claw 221 provided on the conveyance alignment belt 220 and is conveyed on a guide plate 251 that constitutes a half-folded sheet conveyance means 250 described later. Stops at a position where it hits the alignment member 232.

  Subsequently, the alignment claw 221 moves backward and forward by forward / reverse rotation of the conveyance alignment belt 220, and the trailing edge of the sheet S (three sheets) is pressed to align the width in the conveyance direction.

  After completion of the aligning operation described above, the center folding knife 236 provided below the contact points of the center folding rollers 234 and 235 pushes up the central portion in the long side direction of the sheet S on the guide plate 251 and rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. The sheet S is bitten into the middle folding rollers 234 and 235.

  The creased sheet S is creased at the center in the long side direction by the center folding rollers 234 and 235, and then returned to the guide plate 251 by the reverse rotation of the center folding rollers 234 and 235. It is conveyed in the X direction by the conveying means 250.

  When the paper size is changed, the position of the alignment plate 232, the operation of the conveyance alignment belt 220, and the like are changed according to the paper size by a control unit (not shown).

  It is also possible to perform Z-folding (three-folding) on the paper S using the roller 237, the folding knife 238, and the like.

  2 and 5, the sheet S with a crease at the center in the long side direction is moved in the X direction by a conveyance claw 252 provided on the conveyance belt of the half-fold sheet conveyance means 250 and a guide plate (not shown). And loaded on the loading means 310 (conveyance path R7).

  Next, the stacking means 310, the needle hitting means 350 and the needle receiving means 370 constituting the saddle stitching means will be described with reference to FIG.

  The stacking unit 310 includes a fold support member 311 having an inverted V shape and an edge support member 312 having an inverted V shape. The fold support member 311 has a valley side surface of the creased sheet S ( The lower edge is supported in the vicinity of the crease a, and the edge support member 312 supports the edge of the valley side surface of the sheet S with the crease.

  Here, the valley side surface of the creased sheet S refers to the sheet surfaces that face each other on the inner side when the sheet is folded along the crease, and the outer sheet surface is referred to as a crest side surface.

  Above the stacking means 310, a pressing means 330 movable in the vertical direction and a fixed needle hitting means 350 are arranged.

  A needle receiving means 370 is disposed below the fold line a of the stacked sheets S so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  The needle-stitching means 350 and the needle-receiving means 370, which are paper binding means, are disposed at two locations in the central distribution as viewed in the paper crease direction.

  With the above configuration, when the number of sheets S stacked on the stacking means 310 reaches a predetermined number, the holding means 330 is lowered and the needle receiving means 370 is raised while the sheet S is pressed, and the staple needles are moved by the staple driving means 350. The booklet Sa is bound by punching at two places in the fold portion of S.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, taking out of the booklet Sa subjected to the saddle stitching process will be described.

  The take-out means 420 for taking out the booklet Sa includes a support means 421, a drive means (without reference numerals), and the like.

  The support unit 421 includes support members 422 and 423 disposed at both ends of the booklet Sa stacked on the stacking unit 310, and the support members 422 and 423 support the folds of the booklet Sa. It is formed of a rod-like member having bent portions 422A and 423A whose one end is bent at a right angle.

  The other ends of the support members 422 and 423 are rotatably supported around the support shaft 424.

  The support members 422 and 423 are configured to be detachable from the folds of the booklet Sa so as to support the booklet Sa stacked by the driving means when viewed in the left-right direction in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the support members 422 and 423 are provided between the take-out position for taking out the booklet Sa stacked on the stacking means 310 and the delivery position for transferring the booklet SaS to the conveyor 500. Is pivoted about the support shaft 424.

  With such a configuration, when the predetermined number of sheets S are stacked on the stacking unit 310 and the saddle stitching process is completed by the saddle stitching unit, the support members 422 and 423 are inserted in the vicinity of the folds of the stacked sheets and the booklet Sa. After the fold portion is supported, the fold portion is rotated from the take-out position to the delivery position, placed on the receiving conveyor 500, and the placed booklet Sa is sandwiched by the grip 501.

  The booklet Sa sandwiched between the grips 501 is conveyed obliquely downward in conjunction with the rotation of the receiving conveyor 500, released from the grips 501, and then delivered to the cutting conveyor 600.

  The cutting conveyor 600 is in a horizontal state after the booklet Sa is delivered, and then the booklet Sa is conveyed to the cutting means 700 side and held at a predetermined position while the fold portion is pressed by a fold pressing member described later. Then, the fore edge (the free end on the opposite side of the fold) that is not aligned is cut by the cutting device 700 to align the fore edge.

  Next, the cutting apparatus 700 and insertion and removal of the booklet Sa from the cutting apparatus 700 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a cutting mechanism 600 and a booklet Sa transport mechanism, and FIG.

  First, referring to FIG. 6, a mechanism for transferring the booklet Sa that is folded and saddle-stitched from the receiving conveyor 500 to the cutting conveyor 600 and stopping at a predetermined position in order to perform a small cutting by the cutting apparatus 700 after the transfer. explain.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the grip 501 is opened near the end point on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the receiving conveyor 500, and the booklet Sa held is released.

  The released booklet Sa is close to the belt on the upper side of the conveying belt 601 of the cutting conveyor 600 that is inclined and stopped, slides on the slope on the paper placing table 602 provided in parallel, and is fixed to the conveying belt 601. The stopper pawl 603 comes into contact with and stops.

  After the booklet Sa is stopped, the alignment member 604 is rotated from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the dotted line.

  After the alignment member 604 is rotated, the conveying belt 601 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow F in the figure, and the fold portion of the booklet Sa is brought into contact with the alignment member 604 and stopped by the stopper claw 603.

  In this way, the booklet Sa is brought into contact with the alignment member 604, whereby the bending of the booklet Sa in the transport direction is corrected.

  After stopping the stopper claw 603, the crease pressing member 605 descends in the direction indicated by the arrow G in the figure, and the booklet Sa is placed between the receiving plate 606 provided so as to have substantially the same plane as the paper placing table 602. Hold it.

  When the clamping of the booklet Sa is completed, the cutting conveyor 600 is rotated and the stopper claw 603 is retracted to a position indicated by a dotted line in the drawing.

  When the stopper claw 603 is retracted, the alignment member 604, the crease pressing member 605, and the receiving plate 606 are integrated with the cutting conveyor 600 while holding the booklet Sa, with the center of the pulley 607 of the cutting conveyor 600 as a fulcrum. It rotates to the horizontal position shown in 6 (b) and stops.

  When the rotation of the cutting conveyor 600 is completed, the booklet Sa moves in the direction of the arrow H in the figure while sliding on the paper placing table 602 while being sandwiched between the crease pressing member 605 and the receiving plate 606 constituting the inserting means 600A. Then, it stops at a predetermined position determined by the size of each sheet.

  When the booklet Sa is stopped at a predetermined position, as shown in FIG. 7, the fore edge pressing member 701 is lowered, and the fore edge receiving member 702 holds the vicinity of the fore edge of the booklet Sa.

  When the booklet Sa is sandwiched, the lower blade 703 rises until the tip slightly bites into the fore edge pressing member 701, and performs the fore edge cutting process of the booklet Sa.

  When the edge cutting process is completed, the lower blade 703 is lowered to a predetermined position, and the edge holding member 701 is raised to a predetermined position.

  After the fore edge pressing member 701 is lifted, when the crease pressing member 605 and the receiving plate 606 holding the vicinity of the fold portion of the booklet Sa return to the position shown in FIG. 6B, the crease pressing member 605 is lifted and aligned. 604 is retracted below the sheet conveying surface, and the holding of the booklet Sa is released.

  Subsequently, the cutting conveyor 600 is rotated, and the booklet Sa which has been cut by the stopper claw 603 falls in the direction indicated by the arrow from the front end of the cutting conveyor 600 as shown in FIG. It is loaded on the loading tray of the device 800.

  Next, details of the booklet stacking apparatus 800 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10. FIG.

  8 is a plan view of the booklet stacking apparatus 800, FIG. 9 is a side view of the booklet stacking apparatus 800 viewed in the J direction of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line KK of FIG.

  Reference numeral 801 denotes an expandable / contractible stacking tray, which includes a substantially U-shaped first tray 802 and a second tray 803 as shown in FIG.

  The first tray 802 is slidably attached to the side plates 804 and 805 of the booklet stacking apparatus 800 via a slide rail 806, and can reciprocate in the direction of arrow L in FIG.

  The second tray 803 is inside the first tray 802, is attached to the first tray via the slide rail 806, and can reciprocate in the direction of arrow L in FIG.

  In this manner, the stacking tray 801 expands and contracts as the first tray 802 and the second tray 803 slide.

  In the present embodiment, for example, a slide rail 806 having a structure as shown in FIG. 13 is applicable.

  In FIG. 13, a slide rail 806 has a substantially U-shaped cross-section fixing member 806A, an intermediate slide member 806B that is slidable within the fixing member 806A, and a substantially cross-sectional shape that supports the intermediate slide 806B slidably. A letter-shaped slide member 806 </ b> C and a plurality of bearings 806 </ b> D provided in the longitudinal direction in order to make the slide operation smooth between these members.

  FIG. 13 shows a state in which the fixing member 806A is attached to the first tray 802 and the slide member 806C is attached to the second tray 803.

  Note that the slide rail 806 is not limited to this, and can be applied as long as it has the same function.

  Returning to FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, reference numeral 807 denotes a conveying belt composed of two timing belts provided at a predetermined interval. Although details will be described later, the cutting belt 600 is placed on the stacking tray 801. The fallen booklet Sa is configured to be conveyed in the direction of arrow M in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the conveyor belt 807 includes a pulley 808 provided at an upstream end portion of the first tray 802 and a pulley 809 provided at a downstream end portion of the second tray 803 in the conveyance direction of the booklet Sa. It is stretched over a pulley 810 provided at the upstream end of the second tray 803 and a pulley 811 provided at the downstream end of the first tray 802.

  Note that the pulley 810 is disposed between the pulley 808 and the pulley 811.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the pulley 808 is attached to a drive shaft 813 rotatably supported by the first support member 812A and the drive shaft support members 812B and 812C together with the drive pulley 814, and the first support member 812A, The drive shaft support members 812B and 812C are attached to the upstream end of the first tray 802 as viewed in the booklet Sa transport direction.

  In view of the booklet Sa conveyance direction, a motor-side pulley 815 is provided on the upstream side of the drive pulley 814, a fixed-side pulley 816 is provided on the downstream side of the drive pulley 814, and the drive pulley 814 is provided in the vicinity of the drive pulley 814. Two guide rollers 817 and 818 are provided, and a drive belt 819 formed of a timing belt is stretched between the pulleys and the guide rollers.

  The motor-side pulley 815 is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 820 via a gear (not shown) or the like, and the fixed-side pulley 816 is rotatably supported by the side plate 804.

  Guide rollers 817 and 818 are rotatably supported by drive shaft support members 812A and 812B.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the pulley 809 is fixed to a rotation shaft 825, and the rotation shaft 825 is rotatably attached to a second support member 826, and the second support member 826 is in the transport direction of the booklet Sa. In view of this, it is attached to the downstream end of the second tray 803.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the pulley 810 is fixed to a rotation shaft 827, and the rotation shaft 827 is rotatably attached to a third support member 828, and the third support member 828 is in the transport direction of the booklet Sa. In view of this, it is attached to the upstream end (see FIG. 8) of the second tray 803.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the pulley 811 is fixed to a rotation shaft 829, and the rotation shaft 829 is rotatably attached to a fourth support member 830, and the fourth support member 830 is in the transport direction of the booklet Sa. In view of this, it is attached to the downstream end of the first tray 802.

  As described above, the transport unit 800A that transports the booklet Sa stacked on the stacking tray 801 includes the transport belt 807, the drive belt 819, the drive motor 820, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 9, 840 is a stopper having a vertical wall surface, and is erected on the downstream end (end portion) of the second tray 803 and attached to the second tray 803 in the conveyance direction of the booklet Sa. It can be removed depending on the usage situation.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 9, the stopper 840 is a part of the exterior Ba of the post-processing device when the first tray 802 and the second tray 803 are accommodated in the booklet stacking device 800 and the stacking tray 801 becomes the shortest. It is comprised so that it may serve as.

  Reference numeral 841 denotes a conveyance release member that is rotatable above the booklet conveyance surface of the conveyance belt 807 and about a support shaft 842 provided on the stopper 840 in the direction of arrow N in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the transport release members 841 are arranged at three positions at predetermined intervals when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the booklet Sa.

  It should be noted that the leading end portion of the transport release member 841 is retracted from the top surface of the transport belt 807 on the stacking tray 801 and, in the state where the second tray 803 is pulled out, abuts on the top surface of the second tray 803 and the second tray. In the state stored in the first tray 802, it is configured to contact the upper surface of the first tray 802.

  By disposing the transport release member 841 in this way, the transport of the booklet Sa in the vicinity of the upstream side of the stopper 840 is canceled in the booklet transport direction.

  As shown in FIG. 9, reference numeral 850 denotes detection means including a microswitch or the like, and is arranged at an intermediate portion between the cutting conveyor 600 and the booklet placing device 800.

  When the detection means 850 detects the fall of the booklet Sa, a drop detection signal is sent from the detection means 850 to the control means B3 (see FIG. 1) of the booklet stacking apparatus 800, and the control means B3 is a drive motor 820, that is, a conveyor belt. 807 is operated for a predetermined time, and the booklet Sa on the stacking tray 801 is conveyed by a predetermined length.

  The control unit B3 is configured as a part of a post-processing device control unit B1 (see FIG. 1) including an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit, and the like.

  The operating time of the drive motor 820 can be changed to a desired time from the post-processing device operating means B2 (see FIG. 1).

  The detecting means 850 is configured to operate by the weight of the booklet Sa when the booklet Sa falls from the cutting conveyor 600 onto the stacking tray 801.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the stacking device 800 is provided with a stopping means 860 so that the stacking tray 801 can be stopped and used at a desired length. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the stopping means 860 of FIG.

  The stop means 860 includes a ball 861, a compression spring 862, and a holder 863 fixed to the second tray 803.

  The ball 861 is urged by a compression spring 862 disposed in the holder 863 and slightly protrudes from the hole 864 provided in the second tray 803, and the hole 864 and the hole 865 provided in the first tray 802 Are matched, the head of the ball 861 is fitted into the hole 865, and the first tray 802 and the second tray 803 are locked with each other.

  The lock is released by shifting one of the trays.

  By providing the stop means 860 as described above, the stacking tray 801 can be set to a desired length.

  The operation of the booklet stacking apparatus 800 configured as described above will be described.

  First, changes in the state of the transport belt 807 and the drive belt 819 in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the stacking tray will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the states of the transport belt 807 and the drive belt 819 change as the stacking tray expands and contracts.

  FIG. 11A shows the state of the transport belt 807 and the transport belt 807 when the stacking tray is the shortest, that is, when the first tray and the second tray are stored in the booklet stacking apparatus. The position of each pulley to be stretched, FIG. 11B, the state of the conveyor belt 807 when only the second tray is pulled out most, and the position of each pulley to stretch the conveyor belt 807, FIG. c) shows the state of the conveyor belt 807 when the first tray and the second tray are most pulled out, and the position of each pulley over which the conveyor belt 807 is stretched.

  11D shows the state of the drive belt 819 corresponding to FIG. 11A and the position of each pulley that stretches the drive belt 819, and FIG. 11E corresponds to FIG. 11C. The state of the drive belt 819 and the position of each pulley that stretches the drive belt 819 are shown.

  When the second tray is pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 11A, the pulleys 809 and 810 provided integrally with the second tray move from the position shown in FIG. 11A to the position shown in FIG.

  Further, when the second tray is pulled out, the first tray moves, and the pulleys 808 and 811 provided integrally with the first tray and the pulleys 809 and 810 provided integrally with the second tray are simultaneously shown in FIG. It moves to the position shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, the drive pulley 814 and the guide rollers 817 and 818 move from the position shown in FIG. 11 (d) to the position shown in FIG. 11 (e) as the pulley 808 moves from FIG. 11 (b) to FIG. 11 (c). To do.

  In this way, the conveyance path length of the conveyance belt 807 between the pulleys 808 and 809 changes in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the stacking tray, but the conveyance belt determined by each pulley is stretched without slack and tension is increased. Therefore, the booklet dropped on the stacking tray can be transported to the front end of the stacking tray at an arbitrary distance while maintaining the booklet transporting force of the transport belt 807.

  Therefore, even if the length of the stacking tray is changed according to the usage situation, the booklet on the stacking tray is reliably conveyed, so that a convenient booklet stacking apparatus can be obtained.

  Next, operations of the stopper 840 and the conveyance release means 841 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The booklet Sa dropped on the stacking tray 801 is transported by the transport belt 807, but is picked up by the transport release member 841, stops transporting, is pushed by the subsequent booklet Sa, and hits the stopper 840. Even if the booklet Sa is sequentially sent, the booklet Sa in the vicinity of the stopper 840 has lost its conveying force due to the conveyance release member 841, so that the booklets blocked by the stoppers may be irregularly overlapped with each other or may be on the previous booklet. Subsequent booklets can be prevented from entering.

  Next, the conveyance control of the booklet Sa dropped on the stacking tray will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the control means of the booklet stacking apparatus.

  It is determined whether the booklet Sa has dropped from the cutting conveyor 600 and the detecting means 850 has been operated by the weight of the booklet Sa (ST1). When the drop is detected (ST1; Y), the drive motor 820 is operated for a certain time (ST2). Subsequently, it is determined whether the number (n) of booklet stacks has reached a desired number (N). If the number has reached the desired number (ST3; Y), the control operation is terminated.

  If the detection means 850 does not detect the fall of the booklet Sa in ST1 (ST1; N), the operation of ST1 is repeated. That is, it waits until the booklet Sa falls.

  If the number (n) of booklet stacks does not reach the desired number (N) in ST3 (ST3; N), the process returns to ST1.

  Note that the operating time of the drive motor 820 can be set to an arbitrary time from the post-processing device operating means as described above.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the booklet is displaced by operating the drive motor 820 for a time corresponding to the movement of the transport belt 807 by the distance SL so that the bulging portion of the booklet Sa is displaced and overlapped like a scale. The booklet can be stacked like a scale in a stable state without dropping from the stacking tray.

  Further, when the booklets Sa are stacked densely and continuously without being overlapped, each time the detection means 850 is operated, the booklet Sa is driven for a time corresponding to the distance that the transport belt 807 moves by the length in the transport direction of the booklet Sa. By operating the motor 820, booklets Sa can be stacked densely and continuously without overlapping, enabling more stable stacking and checking the finished condition of each loaded booklet Sa. Have.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a post-processing device. The schematic front view of a post-processing apparatus. The right view of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. The left view of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the flow of paper in the post-processing apparatus. The schematic diagram of the cutting conveyor 600 and the conveyance mechanism of the paper S. FIG. The principal part sectional drawing of the cutting apparatus 700. FIG. The top view of the booklet stacking apparatus 800. FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view of the booklet stacking apparatus 800 as viewed in the J direction in FIG. 8. KK sectional drawing of FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the change of the conveyance belt and drive belt accompanying expansion / contraction of a stacking tray. The flowchart of the control means of a booklet stacking apparatus. Detailed view of slide rail. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of a stop means.

Explanation of symbols

A Image forming apparatus B Post-processing apparatus B3 Booklet stacker control means 230 Middle folding means 310 Stacking means 330 Pressing means 350 Needle hitting means 370 Needle receiving means 420 Picking means 421 Support means 500 Receiving conveyor 600 Cutting conveyor 600A Inserting means 601 Conveying belt 602 Sheet loading table 603 Stopper claw 604 Alignment member 605 Crease pressing member 606 Receiving plate 607 Pulley 700 Cutting device 701 Small edge pressing member 702 Small edge receiving member 703 Lower blade 800 Booklet loading device 800A Conveying means 801 Loading tray 802 First tray 803 Second tray Tray 804, 805 Side plate 806 Slide rail 807 Conveyor belt 808, 809, 810, 811 Pulley 814 Drive pulley 819 Drive belt 820 Drive motor 840 Stopper 841 Conveyance release member 850 detection means

Claims (12)

In a booklet stacking apparatus that receives a bound booklet and stacks it on a stacking tray, the stacking tray can be extended and retracted, and transporting means for transporting the booklet stacked on the stacking tray in a predetermined direction of the stacking tray is provided. And
A booklet stacking apparatus configured to change the transport path length of the transport means while maintaining the booklet transport force in conjunction with expansion and contraction of the stacking tray. It has a detecting means for detecting that a booklet that has been bound is loaded on the stacking tray, and when the detecting means detects that the booklet is loaded on the stacking tray, the conveying means is operated for a predetermined time. The booklet stacking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the booklet. A stopper standing on the end of the stacking tray to stop the progress of the booklet, and a transport release member for releasing the transport of the booklet by the transport means on the upstream side of the stopper in the booklet transport direction. The booklet stacking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The booklet stacking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the stopper and the conveyance release member are detachable. A post-processing device for creating a booklet, comprising the booklet stacking device according to claim 1. A post-processing apparatus for creating a booklet provided with the booklet stacking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a stopper of the booklet stacking apparatus also serves as a part of an exterior of the post-processing apparatus. Post-processing device. An image forming apparatus comprising the post-processing device according to claim 5. In a booklet stacking device that receives a bound booklet and loads it on a stacking tray,
The stacking tray has a first tray and a second tray, and is configured to be able to protrude from the booklet stacking device main body,
The first tray is slidably provided with respect to the booklet stacking apparatus main body,
The second tray is slidable in the same direction as the sliding direction of the first tray with respect to the first tray,
Even in a state in which the loading tray is protruded from the booklet stacking apparatus body, said first tray and said second tray conveying means for the loading tray carries a booklet is driven in the same direction as the direction of projecting comprises Characteristic booklet loading device. 9. The booklet stacking apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a conveying belt as the conveying unit is stretched between a pulley provided on the first tray and a pulley provided on the second tray. . The first tray has a first pulley at the upstream end in the booklet transport direction, and a fourth pulley at the downstream end,
The second tray has a second pulley at the downstream end in the booklet transport direction, and has a third pulley at the upstream end,
The booklet stacking apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a conveying belt as the conveying means is wound in the order of the first pulley, the second pulley, the third pulley, and the fourth pulley. . 11. A booklet comprising a booklet stacking device according to any one of claims 8 to 10 which has means for producing a booklet from image-formed paper and receives the produced booklet. Post-processing device. 12. A post-processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet, wherein the booklet is made of a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by the image forming unit. An image forming apparatus.

Images