JP4432864B2 - Punching device and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a punching device for punching a file hole in a sheet and an image forming system for forming an image on a sheet to be punched.

  There are various punching apparatuses for punching holes for files on paper, from punchers operated by hand to punching apparatuses that process a large number of papers in large quantities. What perforates as post-processing has become widespread.

  The punching process is a process of punching a plurality of holes along the binding side at the time of file. Generally, a punching process is performed in which a hole is provided at a certain distance from the edge of the binding side.

On the other hand, when the punching process is performed on the folded paper, the position of the hole can be changed in consideration of the fact that the edge of the binding side is shifted in the direction perpendicular to the binding side by the thickness of the paper. This is proposed in Patent Document 1.
JP 2002-68777 A

  In general, straight bar-shaped clasps as shown in FIG. 1a are most widely used in files, but in addition to straight shapes, elliptical and circular clasps as shown in FIGS. 1b and 1c are also ring files. Is widely used.

  For example, if the paper is bound in the ring file shown in FIG. 1c, the paper is accumulated in the file with the edge being shifted in a circular shape, and it is difficult to turn the page when opening the file. There are problems, such as the edge of the filed paper protruding from the file.

  In Patent Document 1, it is proposed that the perforation process is performed by changing the distance from the edge of the binding side, but since the position of the hole is not changed according to the shape of the clasp of the file, the above problem is It is not solved.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the problem that the position of a filed sheet is shifted due to the shape of a file clasp, resulting in inconvenience in handling the file.

The object is achieved by the following invention.
1.
Drilling means,
Punching position changing means for changing the position of the hole to be punched by the punching means in a direction orthogonal to the binding side when the paper is filed;
Number counter,
A memory storing information of the shape of the file clasp, and
Control means,
The control means controls the punching position changing means based on the number counter and the information on the shape of the file clasp, and the distance from the edge of the binding side of the hole punched by the punching means A perforating apparatus characterized by setting.
2.
2. The punching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the punching position changing means changes the position by moving the punching means.
3.
2. The punching apparatus according to 1, further comprising a processing position setting unit that sets a sheet as a punching processing position, wherein the punching position changing unit changes a setting position of the processing position setting unit.
4).
The operation unit has the operation unit, and the control unit reads out the information on the shape of the file clasp from the memory based on the information on the type of the file clasp designated in the operation unit. The punching device according to any one of?
5).
The punching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit sets the distance based on information on a thickness of the sheet.
6).
An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet and the punching device according to any one of 1 to 5 above, wherein the control unit is configured based on information on a shape of the number counter and the file clasp. An image forming system that sets a distance of an image writing position from an edge of a binding side.

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the edge of the filed paper can be aligned in a straight line regardless of the shape of the file clasp.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the edge of the file to be filed can be aligned with the clasps of various shapes.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, not only the edge of the paper but also the image can be formed at a fixed position regardless of the shape of the clasp.

The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.
<Image forming system>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the entire image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus A and a post-processing apparatus B. A drilling device for drilling holes is provided.

  In the image forming apparatus A, a charging unit 2, an exposure unit (writing unit) 3, a developing unit 4, a transfer unit 5A, a charge removing unit 5B, a separation claw 5C, and a cleaning unit 6 are arranged around the rotating photoreceptor 1. An image forming unit C is provided, and the surface of the photosensitive member 1 is uniformly charged by the charging unit 2, and then exposure scanning based on image data read from the document is performed by the laser beam of the exposure unit 3 to form a latent image. Then, the latent image is reversely developed by the developing means 4 to form a toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 1.

  On the other hand, the paper S fed from the paper storage unit 7A is sent to the transfer position. The toner image is transferred onto the paper S by the transfer means 5A at the transfer position. Thereafter, the charge on the back surface of the sheet S is erased by the charge removing unit 5B, separated from the photoreceptor 1 by the separation claw 5C, conveyed by the intermediate conveying unit 7B, and subsequently heated and fixed by the fixing unit 8, and the conveyance path switching plate 7D. Is once transported to the lower reverse transport path 7E, and then transported in the reverse direction and discharged from the paper discharge section 7C with the image surface facing downward.

  When image formation is performed on both sides of the sheet S, the sheet S heated and fixed by the fixing unit 8 is branched from the normal sheet discharge path by the conveyance path switching plate 7D, and is switched back in the reverse conveyance path 7E. After the reversal, the paper is introduced into the paper feed path via the double-sided copy conveyance path 7F. After the image is transferred by the image forming unit C, the sheet S is fixed by the fixing device 8 and discharged out of the device by the paper discharge unit 7C. The paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 7C is sent to the receiving unit 10 of the post-processing apparatus B.

  On the other hand, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 after the sheet S is separated is cleaned by the cleaning unit 6 downstream of the separation claw 5C, and the developer remaining on the surface is removed.

On the upper front side of the image forming apparatus A, an operation unit 9 for selecting and setting an image forming mode and a post-processing mode is disposed. On the upper part of the image forming apparatus A, an image reading apparatus D provided with an automatic document feeder of a document moving type reading system is installed.
<Post-processing device>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the entire post-processing apparatus B.

  In the post-processing apparatus B, a fixed discharge tray 30 is arranged at the upper stage in the figure, and the punching means 40, the shift means 50 and the discharge means 60 are arranged in series on a substantially horizontal plane in the middle stage, and are bound at the lower stage. The processing unit 70 and the folding processing unit 80 are arranged in series on the same plane forming an inclined surface. Further, on the left side of the post-processing apparatus B in the figure, a lifting / discharging tray 61 for stacking a shifted sheet S and a side-bound sheet bundle Sa and a processed sheet that has been folded in three or two. A fixed sheet discharge tray 62 on which the sheet bundle Sb is stacked is disposed. In the receiving unit 10, the sheet S that has been subjected to image formation processing is introduced from the image forming apparatus A. A punching means 40 is disposed downstream of the receiving unit 10 in the sheet conveyance direction. The configuration and driving of the punching means 40 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. A registration roller 11 is arranged on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the punching position by the punching means 40, and a conveyance roller 12 is arranged on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the paper S that has been punched by the punching means 40. The figure shows an example (two-hole file) in which holes h1 and h2 or j1 and j2 are punched at two locations along the binding edge LE when the paper S is filed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, on the downstream side of the punching means 40 in the paper transport direction, a paper branching means comprising switching means G1, G2 is provided. Switching means G1 and G2 are driven by a solenoid (not shown) to any one of three paper transport paths, that is, one of the first transport path R1, the second transport path R2, the middle transport path R2, and the lower third transport path R3. Branch selectively.

  In simple paper discharge, the switching unit G1 blocks the second transport path R2 and the third transport path R3 and opens only the first transport path R1. The paper S passing through the punching means 40 and passing through the first transport path R1 is sandwiched and lifted by the transport roller 31, is discharged by the discharge roller 32, is placed on the fixed paper discharge tray 30, and is sequentially stacked. The

  In the shift process, the switching means G1 retracts upward, and the switching means G2 blocks the third transport path R3 and opens the second transport path R2 to allow the paper S to pass. The sheet S passes through a sheet passing path formed between the switching units G1 and G2. The image-formed paper S discharged from the image forming apparatus A, the paper S fed from the first paper feed unit 20A, or the paper S fed from the second paper feed unit 20B is punched by the punching unit. 40, passes through the intermediate paper path between the switching means G1 and G2, is shifted by the shift means 50 so as to be moved by a predetermined amount in the direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction, and is discharged by the paper discharge means 60. Is done.

  When paper is discharged to the lifting / lowering tray, the paper S that has passed through the shift means 50 is discharged to the lifting / lowering tray 61 outside the apparatus by the paper discharge means 60 and sequentially placed. The lifting / lowering tray 61 is configured to descend sequentially when a large number of sheets S are discharged.

  When the binding process is set in the operation unit 9, the image-formed sheet S that has been subjected to the image forming process in the image forming apparatus A and sent to the receiving unit 10 of the post-processing apparatus B passes through the punching unit 40. Then, it is sent to the third transport path R3 below the switching means G2, and is sandwiched by the transport rollers 13 and transported downward. In the third transport path R3, the paper S is transported by the transport roller 14, and the front end of the paper comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the entrance transport roller pair 15 to be stopped, and enters a standby state. At a predetermined timing, the inlet transport roller pair 15 is driven and rotated to sandwich and transport the paper S and discharge it onto the paper mounting table 71. After the trailing edge of the sheet S is discharged from the holding position of the entrance conveyance roller pair 15, the sheet S descends on the inclined surface of the sheet placing table 71 by its own weight, and slides on the rotating entraining belt 16. Then, the trailing end of the sheet comes into contact with the abutting member 72 provided in the vicinity of the binding means 77 and stops. In this stop position, the width aligning means 73 performs the width alignment. When a predetermined number of sheets S are stacked and aligned on the sheet placing table 71, the binding unit 77 performs a binding process, and the sheet bundle Sa is bound. The bound bundle of sheets Sa is placed on the discharge belt 75 with the trailing edge of the sheet S being pressed by the discharge claw 76 of the discharge belt 75, and slides on the loading surface of the sheet loading table 71. The paper is pushed upward, is sandwiched between the discharge rollers 63 of the paper discharge means 60, and is discharged onto the lift paper discharge tray 61.

When the saddle stitching process is set in the operation unit 9, the binding unit 77 of the binding processing unit 70 strikes the binding needles at two central positions in the transport direction of the aligned sheet bundle Sa. The folding processing unit 80 includes a folding plate 81, folding rollers 82, 83, and 84, a conveyance switching member 85, an abutting member 86, and the like, and performs a folding process and a folding process on the sheet bundle Sa.
<Punching device>
The punching device includes a punching unit 40, a paper transport unit in the vicinity of the punching unit 40, and a control system thereof.

  5 and 6 show the drilling operation. FIG. 7 shows the structure of the punching means 40.

  The registration roller 11 is disposed at the entrance of the punching means 40, and the transport roller 12 is disposed at the exit. The leading edge of the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus A contacts the registration roller 11 in a rotation stopped state. Thereafter, the registration roller 11 and the conveyance roller 12 are driven and rotated by a driving unit (not shown), and the sheet S is nipped and conveyed by the registration roller 11 and the conveyance roller 12. After the trailing edge of the sheet S is detected by the light transmissive sheet trailing edge detection sensor PS2, the driving rotation of the registration roller 11 and the conveying roller 12 is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the sheet S is predetermined in the sheet conveying direction. Stop at position.

  On the upstream side in the transport direction of the punching means 40, a paper rear end pushing member 45 and a paper rear end pushing member driving motor M3 are arranged. Downstream of the punching means 40 in the transport direction, the transport rollers 12A and 12B, a paper transport motor M3 that drives and rotates the transport rollers 12A and 12B, and a solenoid (separation means) SOL1 are driven to be able to contact and separate from the transport roller 12A. A driven roller 12A1 supported and a driven roller 12B1 driven by a solenoid (separating means) SOL2 and supported so as to be able to contact and separate from the conveying roller 12B are arranged.

  The sheet S introduced into the post-processing apparatus B is nipped and conveyed by the registration rollers 11, passes over the sheet rear end pusher member 45 retracted below the conveying path, and is nipped and conveyed by the conveying rollers 12A and 12B. (See FIG. 5 (b)).

  When the trailing edge of the sheet S being conveyed is detected by the sheet trailing edge detection sensor PS2, the driving of the motor M3 is stopped and the rotation of the conveying rollers 12A and 12B is stopped (see FIG. 5C).

  By driving the solenoids SOL1 and SOL2, the pressure contact of the driven rollers 12A1 and 12B1 is released, and the rollers are separated from the outer peripheral surfaces of the transport rollers 12A and 12B. Thereafter, when the motor M2 starts to be driven, the paper trailing edge pusher member 45 is raised to block the paper conveyance path, the rear edge of the paper S is pressed, and the punching means 40 is moved to the punching processing position. The bending of the sheet S is corrected by this sheet movement (see FIG. 5D).

  The sheet trailing edge pushing member 45 further moves and reaches an almost upright position and stops. In this movement process, the paper trailing edge pushing member 45 presses the trailing edge of the paper S, corrects the bending of the paper S, and stops at a predetermined position (paper trailing edge stop position during punching processing). After the sheet S is stopped, the driving of the solenoids SOL1 and SOL2 is released, and the driven rollers 12A1 and 12B1 are pressed against the outer peripheral surfaces of the transport rollers 12A and 12B to sandwich the sheet S (see FIG. 6A).

  When the motor M1 of the punching means 40 starts to be driven, the movable punch 41 is lowered, fitted into the fixed die 42, and punching processing is performed on the paper S (see FIG. 6B).

  After completion of the punching process, the conveyance rollers 12A and 12B are driven and rotated by the start of driving of the motor M3, and the sheet S is nipped and conveyed, and sent to the downstream next process. By driving the motor M2, the paper rear end pushing member 45 moves and retracts below the paper transport path, thereby allowing the subsequent paper S to pass.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a changing mechanism for changing the position of the punching means 40.

  The support arm 46 to which the punching means 40A and 40B for punching the holes h1 and h2 in FIG. 4 are fixed is fixed to a belt 47 driven by a stepping motor M4 as a punching position changing means, and driven by the motor M4. 4 moves in the direction X orthogonal to the binding side LE in FIG. As a result, as shown by j1 and j2 in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control system in the perforating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, the memory MR comprises a rewritable non-volatile memory, and a calculation formula or hole for determining hole positions corresponding to various clasp shapes for the file shown in FIG. Stores position data.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of a hole position in the case of a ring file clasp.

  As shown in the figure, the distances of the intersections hp1, hp2,... Hpn between the clasp RF and the stacked sheets s1 to sn from the binding sides LE of the stacked sheets s1 to sn are different as dhp1, dhp2,. By changing the values so that the values are equal to each other, the page turning side RE (hereinafter referred to as an open side) opposite to the binding side LE of the stacked sheets s1, s2,.

  The memory MR stores the calculation formula or position data of the drilling position shown in FIG. The clasp RF has various shapes as shown in FIGS. 1a to 1c, and there are various circular shapes in FIG. 1c with different radii. Necessary data is stored in the memory MR. Can be added.

  At the time of punching processing, the operator designates the file type from the operation unit 9, whereby the control means CR selects and reads the clasp shape information corresponding to the designated file from the memory MR. The control means CR obtains the position of the hole based on the number information from the number counter CT, the paper thickness information from the operation unit 9 and the information of the file used from the operation unit 9, operates the stepping motor M4, and punches the hole. The means 40A and 40B are moved in the direction X in FIG. The punching means 40 performs the punching process at the position set in this way. By such a punching process, as shown in FIG. 10, the sheets s1 to sn on the open side RE are aligned.

  In the example described above, the hole position is changed by moving the punching means 40. However, the punching means 40 is fixedly installed, for example, the registration roller 11 and the paper rear end pusher in FIGS. It is also possible to change the punching position by changing the stop position of the paper S by moving the processing position setting means constituted by the member 45.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of control in image formation accompanied with punching processing.

  In STEP1, a file type is selected. This file type selection is performed based on information input by the operator through the operation unit 9 or file type designation information included in an image formation command from an external device such as a personal computer.

  Next, the paper thickness information is read in STEP2. The processing of STEP2 is also performed based on setting in the operation unit 9 or designation information from an external device.

  In STEP 3, the number of sheets S is counted. STEP 3 is performed based on a paper detection signal of the sensor PS1 disposed in the paper feeding unit 7A.

  In STEP 4, the image position and the drilling position are calculated. This calculation is a process of calculating the distance dhpn shown in FIG. 8 based on the file type information, the paper thickness information, and the sheet number information, and a calculation formula or calculation corresponding to the file type stored in the memory MR. It is done using the data for.

  In STEP 5, an image is formed on the recording paper S by controlling the image position obtained by the calculation in STEP 4, that is, the writing position in the main scanning direction. Control of the writing position is performed by controlling the exposure means 3. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of such write position control.

  The writing position, which is the rise time of the image area signal GS in the main scanning direction, is set for each sheet according to the number of recording sheets, such as t1, t2,... Tn, and scanning exposure is performed.

  In STEP 6, a punching process is performed. The punching process is performed by changing the punching position for each sheet as shown in positions sp1, hp2,... Hpn by controlling the number of driving pulses of the stepping motor M4 as shown in FIG.

  When the output of all pages is completed, the process ends (STEP 7).

It is a figure which shows the shape of various clasps. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a post-processing apparatus having a perforating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the paper by which the punching process was carried out. It is a figure which shows perforation operation | movement. It is a figure which shows perforation operation | movement. It is a figure which shows the structure of a punching means. It is a figure which shows the change mechanism which changes the position of a punching means. It is a block diagram of the control system in the perforation apparatus concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the hole position in the case of a ring file clasp. It is a flowchart of the control in the image formation accompanied with a punching process. It is a conceptual diagram of writing position control.

Explanation of symbols

9 Operation unit 40 Punching means A Image forming apparatus B Post-processing apparatus CR control means MR memory M4 stepping motor

Claims (6)

Drilling means,
Punching position changing means for changing the position of the hole to be punched by the punching means in a direction orthogonal to the binding side when the paper is filed;
Number counter,
A memory storing information of the shape of the file clasp, and
Control means,
The control means controls the punching position changing means based on the number counter and the information on the shape of the file clasp, and the distance from the edge of the binding side of the hole punched by the punching means A perforating apparatus characterized by setting. The punching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the punching position changing means changes the position by moving the punching means. 2. The punching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising processing position setting means for setting a sheet as a punching processing position, wherein the punching position changing means changes a setting position of the processing position setting means. An operation unit is provided, and the control unit reads out information on the shape of the file clasp from the memory based on the information on the type of the file clasp designated in the operation unit. The perforation apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3. The punching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the distance based on information on a thickness of the sheet. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet and the punching apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit is based on information on the shape of the number counter and the file clasp. An image forming system, wherein a distance of an image writing position from an edge of the binding side is set.

Images