JP6488901B2 - Paper processing apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an apparatus that stacks a plurality of sheets on which images are formed by a copying machine or a printer and executes a saddle stitching process or a center folding process to produce a booklet is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  Among copying machines or printers, those that form an image by electrophotography print an image on a sheet by fixing toner on the sheet. Of the toner thus fixed, the portion where the toner is weakly fixed is on the folding line of the sheet, that is, on the ridge line side of the sheet.

  Further, when stacking sheets on which images are formed as a pre-process for saddle stitching or folding, in order to avoid collision with an installation member such as a stapler on the downstream side of the conveyance path, There is a device in which a regulating member is provided on the side (see, for example, Patent Document 2). The restricting member guides the landing position of the paper so that the paper is stacked on the front side of the installation member.

  As described above, in the conventional techniques as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the sheets are stacked, the collision with the installation member on the downstream side in the transport direction is avoided.

JP 2014-105089 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-51818

  However, in the conventional techniques as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the sheets conveyed from the upstream side of the conveying path are stacked on the already loaded sheets while being rubbed. In particular, when a fold is formed on the sheet by the saddle stitching process or the center folding process, the sheet is stacked while rubbing the ridge line side of the already stacked sheets at the apex side vertex of the sheet fold.

  Therefore, when sheets having creases formed thereon are stacked, if there is an image on the ridge line side of the sheet, a portion where toner fixing is weak is rubbed. Therefore, each time the sheet is conveyed, the toner is scraped off by the apex on the front end side of the sheet. As a result, the sheets are stacked while being contaminated with toner.

  In other words, the conventional techniques as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot stack sheets without being contaminated with toner while avoiding a collision with an installation member on the downstream side of the conveyance path.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and the object of the present invention is to stack sheets without contaminating them with toner while avoiding a collision with an installation member on the downstream side of the conveyance path. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, a paper processing apparatus according to the present invention is a paper processing apparatus for stacking a plurality of papers on which images are printed on the upstream side to produce a booklet, wherein the paper landing position, retreat area And a hooking member that hooks and stacks the sheets, a first alignment member that retracts the sheets to the retracting area upstream of the landing position, and a downstream side of the retracting area A second alignment member that moves the paper to a certain hitting area; and a position control unit that controls the position of each of the first alignment member and the second alignment member; The first alignment member is used to retract the sheet to the retreat area every time the apex on the front side of the crease formed on the sheet reaches the landing position.

  According to this sheet processing apparatus, sheets can be stacked without being contaminated with toner while avoiding a collision with an installation member on the downstream side of the conveyance path.

  In the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention, the sheet processing apparatus further includes a saddle stitching unit that is provided on the downstream side of the landing position and above the hook member and performs a saddle stitching process of hitting the fold. The hitting area is below the saddle stitching section, and the position control section causes the second alignment member to move the sheet, which has been retreated to the retraction area by the first alignment member, for a preset number of sheets. It is preferable that the needle is moved to the hitting area.

  According to this paper processing apparatus, it is possible to strike the paper stacked on the paper without being contaminated with toner.

  Further, in the paper processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the state of the front end side vertex is set, the position control unit determines the position of the first alignment member based on the set state of the front end side vertex. Is preferably controlled.

  According to this sheet processing apparatus, it is possible to cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on a sheet.

  In the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the printing rate of the fold portion is set, the position control unit controls the position of the first alignment member based on the set printing rate. It is preferable.

  According to this sheet processing apparatus, it is possible to cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on a sheet.

  Further, in the paper processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the stiffness of the paper on which the fold portion is formed is set, the position control unit is configured to adjust the first alignment member based on the set stiffness. It is preferable to control the position.

  According to this sheet processing apparatus, it is possible to cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on a sheet.

  In the paper processing apparatus according to the present invention, the paper processing apparatus further includes a middle folding portion that is provided on the upstream side of the hook member and performs a middle folding process for forming the fold portion, and a transport portion that transports the paper, When the saddle stitching process or the saddle folding process is set, the transport unit transports the sheet on which the fold part is formed by the saddle folding part to the hook member, and the saddle stitching process or the saddle stitching process is performed. When the folding process is not set, it is preferable that the sheet on which the fold portion is not formed by the middle folding portion is discharged.

  According to this sheet processing apparatus, even when the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process is set, the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process can be performed without soiling the sheet with toner.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming system according to the present invention includes the sheet processing apparatus described above.

  According to this image forming system, the quality of the produced booklet can be improved.

  According to the present invention, each time a sheet is transported, the sheet is retracted to the retreat area, so that the sheet is stacked without being contaminated with toner while avoiding a collision with the installation member on the downstream side of the transport path. Can do.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the sheet processing apparatus 300. FIG. FIG. 3 is an overall view of the sheet processing apparatus 300 as viewed from above. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a sheet processing apparatus 300. FIG. It is a figure explaining the stain | pollution | contamination location Y of the booklet produced by overlapping paper P1-PN in a prior art example. It is a figure which shows the state by which the paper P1 was hooked on the hook member 330 in the prior art example. It is a figure which illustrates specifically the location of the arrow A of FIG. 6 in a prior art example. It is a figure explaining the state when the paper P2 is stacked on the paper P1 in the conventional example. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state when a sheet of paper P1 has landed at a landing position X. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P1 is transported to the downstream side of the transport path. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state when a sheet P1 is retracted to a retracting area E. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P2 has landed at a landing position X. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P2 is transported to the downstream side of the transport path. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P2 is retracted to a retreat area E. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which sheets P1 and P2 are moved to a hitting area F. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a sheet processing apparatus 300. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the sheet processing apparatus 300.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 100, an intermediate conveyance apparatus 200, a sheet processing apparatus 300, and a side stitching processing apparatus 400.

  The image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on the paper P. Specifically, for example, the image forming apparatus 100 pulls out and conveys the paper P stored as a recording medium from the paper tray. The image forming apparatus 100 develops a toner image corresponding to bitmap data formed by screen processing on a primary transfer member such as a transfer roller. The image forming apparatus 100 transfers the toner image developed on the primary transfer member to a secondary transfer member such as the transfer drum 150. The image forming apparatus 100 transfers the toner image transferred to the secondary transfer member to the conveyed paper P by pulling it out of the paper tray. The image forming apparatus 100 fixes the toner image transferred onto the paper P. The image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on the paper P by fixing the toner image on the paper P, and the image is printed on the paper P. The image forming apparatus 100 is connected to the intermediate conveyance device 200 and transfers the paper P on which an image is printed to the intermediate conveyance device 200.

  The intermediate transport apparatus 200 is an apparatus that can perform creasing and cutting on the paper P while temporarily waiting for the paper P. Specifically, the intermediate conveyance device 200 conveys the sheet P conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be lowered, and temporarily stops and waits in a state where the surface of the sheet P is aligned downward. The intermediate conveyance device 200 aligns the position of the standby paper P. The intermediate transport apparatus 200 performs scoring on the aligned paper P. The intermediate conveyance device 200 cuts a margin portion of the paper P while conveying the creased paper P. The intermediate transport device 200 transports the paper P with the margins cut to the paper processing device 300 and delivers it. The intermediate transport apparatus 200 can also deliver the paper P to the paper processing apparatus 300 without performing some or all of the various processes described above.

  The sheet processing apparatus 300 is an apparatus that performs a folding process, a saddle stitching process, a cutting process, and the like. The half-folding process is a process for folding the paper P in half, that is, folding it in half. The saddle stitching process is a process for producing a saddle stitch booklet by overlapping and binding a predetermined number of sheets P folded in half. The cutting process is a process of cutting a booklet of a saddle stitch booklet.

  Note that the paper processing apparatus 300 can also deliver the paper P to the side stitching processing apparatus 400 without performing some or all of the various processes described above. Further, the paper processing apparatus 300 may further perform a square fold process for shaping the spine of the saddle stitch booklet.

  The side stitching processing device 400 is a device that performs a side stitching process on a plurality of sheets P. Specifically, for example, the side stitching processing apparatus 400 performs a stapling process on a plurality of sheets P delivered from the sheet processing apparatus 300, that is, a plurality of sheets P delivered from the sheet processing apparatus 300. Hit the needle. The flat stitching processing apparatus 400 cuts off a part of the end portions in order to align the end portions in parallel with the spine cover among the plurality of sheets P subjected to the stapling process. Further, the side stitching processing apparatus 400 discharges the paper P. Note that the side stitching processing apparatus 400 can also discharge the paper P without performing some or all of the various processes described above.

  Next, the sheet processing apparatus 300 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the sheet processing apparatus 300. FIG. 3 is an overall view of the sheet processing apparatus 300 as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 300.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet processing apparatus 300 includes a housing 300 </ b> A. Inside the housing 300A, for example, a center folding unit 310, a transport unit 320, a hook member 330, a saddle stitching unit 340, a cutting unit 350, a discharge unit 380, and the like are provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet processing apparatus 300 includes a first alignment member 371 and a second alignment member 372. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet processing apparatus 300 includes a regulating member 360.

  The middle folding part 310 is provided on the upstream side of the hook member 330 and performs a middle folding process for forming a crease part B on the paper P as shown in FIG. The transport unit 320 transports the paper P. For example, the conveyance unit 320 conveys the sheet P that has been subjected to the folding process, that is, the sheet P on which the fold portion B is formed, to the hook member 330. For example, the conveyance unit 320 conveys the paper P that has not been subjected to the middle folding process to the side stitching processing apparatus 400.

  As will be described later, the hooking member 330 includes a landing position X, a retreat area E, and a needle hitting area F of the paper P, and the paper P is hooked and stacked. The saddle stitching part 340 is provided on the downstream side of the landing position X and above the hook member 330, and performs the saddle stitching process of hitting the crease part B. The cutting unit 350 performs a cutting process for cutting the edge portion of the saddle-stitched booklet, and delivers the result to the discharge unit 380. The discharge unit 380 discharges the saddle stitch booklet that has been subjected to the cutting process to the outside.

  As will be described in detail later, the first alignment member 371 retreats the paper P to the retreat area E on the upstream side of the landing position X. The second alignment member 372 moves the paper P to the hitting area F on the downstream side of the retreat area E as will be described in detail later.

  The regulating member 360 causes the paper P that has been transported by the transport unit 320 to land at the landing position X. Specifically, the regulating member 360 guides the paper P, which has been conveyed by the conveying unit 320, onto the landing member 330 after landing at the landing position X. The regulating member 360 is provided to be inclined so as to approach the hook member 330 as it goes from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, the sheet P conveyed from the conveying unit 320 is pushed out toward the gap between the hook member 330 and the regulating member 360 and guided by the regulating member 360, and then landed at the landing position X and then the hook member. It progresses along the 330 from the upstream side of the hook member 330 toward the downstream side.

  Next, the paper P on which the crease portion B is formed in the conventional example will be specifically described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a dirty portion Y of a booklet produced by stacking sheets P1 to PN in the conventional example. FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the paper P1 is hooked on the hook member 330 in the conventional example. FIG. 7 is a diagram for specifically explaining a portion indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 6 in the conventional example. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P2 is stacked on the paper P1 in the conventional example.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. The factors that cause the dirty portion Y will be described in order with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the paper P <b> 1 on which the crease portion B is formed is stacked on the hook member 330. Of the toner T fixed on the paper P1 in FIG. 6, the toner T in the crease portion B comes into contact with the paper P1 because the crease portion B is formed on the paper P1, as shown in FIG. The number of parts is smaller than that of other sheets P1. Therefore, the toner T on the crease portion B, that is, the ridge line side of the paper P1, has a weaker fixing state than other portions of the paper P1.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the paper P <b> 2 on which the crease portion B is formed is conveyed to the hook member 330. At this time, the sheet P2 is conveyed by the regulating member 360 in FIG. 4 while the front end side vertex B1 of the crease B is rubbing the ridge line side of the sheet P1. Therefore, when the paper P2 is transported to the hooking member 330, the toner T of the paper P1 is scraped off, and in particular, among the folds B from the front end side vertex B1 to the rear end side vertex B2 of the paper P2, the front end side vertex. The scraped toner T may adhere to B1. By repeating such an operation, the booklet composed of the sheets P1 to PN may be contaminated with the toner T at the apex B1 on the front end side.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to avoid the state described above, each time the first apex B1 of the fold part B formed on the paper P is landed at the landing position X, the first alignment member 371 A configuration for retracting the paper P to a later-described retreat area E will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P1 has landed at the landing position X. As shown in FIG. 9, the regulating member 360 is provided so that the landing position X is an installation member on the downstream side of the conveyance path, that is, the upstream side of the saddle stitching portion 340. Therefore, the regulating member 360 avoids a collision between the paper P and the saddle stitching portion 340.

  The positional relationship between the transport unit 320 and the hooking member 330 is determined based on a constraint condition such as the following formula (1).

  That is, the distance h1 between the transport unit 320 and the hook member 330 is set to be equal to or greater than the maximum number of sheets P stacked. For example, when the maximum number of sheets P is 50 and the thickness of the sheet P is 0.1 mm, the maximum number of sheets P is 5 mm. Therefore, in this case, the conveyance unit 320 and the hook member 330 are provided so that the distance h1 is 5 mm or more.

  On the hook member 330, a distance L1 between the downstream end portion of the hook member 330 and the point Z on the vertical direction of the downstream end portion of the saddle stitching portion 340 is expressed by the following equation (2). It is determined based on various constraints.

  In other words, the distance L1 between the downstream end portion of the hook member 330 and the point Z on the vertical direction of the downstream end portion of the saddle stitching portion 340 is equal to or greater than the minimum stapling distance. The minimum stapling distance is, for example, 10 mm away from the edge of the paper P.

  On the hook member 330, the distance L2 between the downstream end of the hook member 330 and the landing position X of the paper P is determined based on a constraint condition such as the following equation (3).

  That is, the distance L2 between the downstream end portion of the hook member 330 and the landing position X of the paper P is vertically above the downstream end portion of the hook member 330 and the downstream end portion of the saddle stitching portion 340. It is made larger than the distance L1 between a certain point Z. Due to such a restriction condition, the paper P is landed upstream of the saddle stitching portion 340.

  The position of the conveyance unit 320 is determined based on the constraint conditions such as the following expressions (4) and (5).

  The distance L3 is obtained by adding a tolerance α to the maximum width of paper P that can be passed. For example, when the maximum sheet-passable width is 331 mm and the tolerance α is 10 mm, the distance L3 is larger than 341 mm.

  The distance L4 is larger than the distance L2 between the downstream end of the hook member 330 and the landing position X of the paper P.

  Next, changes in the positions of the first alignment member 371 and the second alignment member 372 when the paper P is conveyed and the conveyed paper P is hooked and stacked on the hook member 330 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P1 is transported to the downstream side of the transport path. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P1 is retracted to the retreat area E. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P2 has landed at the landing position X. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P2 is transported to the downstream side of the transport path. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P2 is retracted to the retreat area E. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the sheets P1 and P2 are moved to the hitting area F.

  First, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the first sheet P, that is, the sheet P <b> 1 is guided by the regulating member 360 and is abutted against the first alignment member 371 by driving the conveyance unit 320. Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the first alignment member 371 moves the paper P1 to the upstream side of the landing position X, abuts against the second alignment member 372, and retracts the paper P1 to the retreat area E. Let

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the second paper P, that is, the paper P <b> 2 is transferred from the middle folding portion 310 of FIG. 1 to the hook member 330. At this time, the landing position X and the retreat area E are determined so that the relationship of the following formula (6) is established between L2 and L5.

  The distance L2 is a distance between the downstream end of the hook member 330 and the landing position X of the paper P as described above. That is, the distance L2 is a distance to the landing position X of the paper P as shown in the equation (6). On the other hand, the distance L5 is the distance between the downstream end of the hook member 330 and the front end of the retracted paper P1. That is, as shown in Expression (6), the distance L5 is a distance to the retracted position of the stacked paper P1. By making the distance L5 longer than the distance L2, when the leading edge B1 of the paper P2 lands on the hook member 330, the leading edge B1 of the paper P2 and the ridge line side of the paper P1 are separated. Thereby, when the leading end side vertex B1 of the paper P2 lands on the hook member 330, the leading end side vertex B1 of the paper P2 does not contact the ridge line side of the paper P1.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the sheet P <b> 2 is guided by the restriction member 360 and is abutted against the first alignment member 371 by driving the conveyance unit 320. Here, in addition to the equation (6), the save area E is set so that the relationship represented by the following equation (7) is also established.

  The distance L6 is a distance between the downstream end portion of the hook member 330 and the rear end side end portion of the paper P2 when the paper P2 is abutted against the first alignment member 371. That is, the distance L6 indicates the length of the paper P2 along the transport direction. On the other hand, the distance L5 is the distance to the retracted position of the stacked paper P1 as described above. Therefore, when the paper P2 is abutted against the first alignment member 371, there is an overlapping portion between the paper P2 and the paper P1.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the first alignment member 371 moves the paper P2 to the upstream side of the landing position X, causes the paper P2 to abut against the second alignment member 372, and causes the paper P2 to be retracted. E is evacuated. As a result, the paper P2 overlaps the paper P1, and the paper P1 and the paper P2 are stacked on the hook member 330. Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the second alignment member 372 moves the paper P <b> 1 and the paper P <b> 2 until they abut against the first alignment member 371. As a result, the sheets P1 and P2 are moved to the hitting area F.

  In the above description, the paper P stacked on the hook member 330 is the paper P1 and the paper P2. However, when more paper P is stacked, the paper P is retracted by the first alignment member 371. The process of saving to the area E is repeated. That is, every time the paper P reaches the landing position X, the first alignment member 371 causes the paper P to be retreated to the retreat area E. When the sheet P is retreated to the retreat area E by the preset number of sheets, the sheet P retreated to the retreat area E is moved to the needle hitting area F by the second alignment member 372 as described above. .

  Next, an example of the main control body of the positions of the first alignment member 371 and the second alignment member 372 will be described. FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 300. The control unit 301 shown in FIG. 16 is configured mainly with a CPU, ROM, RAM, and I / O interface (not shown), and the CPU performs various programs according to the processing contents from the ROM or the storage unit (not shown). Is read out and expanded in the RAM, and the operation of the sheet processing apparatus 300 is controlled by cooperating with the expanded various programs.

  That is, the control unit 301 controls the operation of the sheet processing apparatus 300 and can be realized by a microcomputer mainly composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an I / O interface (not shown).

  Specifically, a function including a setting determination unit 302, a sheet state determination unit 303, a sheet number determination unit 304, and a position control unit 305, which will be described in detail later, is realized by the control unit 301 executing a predetermined control program. Is done.

  The setting determination unit 302 determines the setting contents of the user. Specifically, the setting determination unit 302 determines whether or not the state of the apex B1 of the fold portion B of the paper P is set, and transmits the determination result to the position control unit 305. The setting determination unit 302 determines whether the printing rate of the crease portion B is set, and transmits the determination result to the position control unit 305. The setting determination unit 302 determines whether the stiffness of the paper P on which the crease portion B is formed is set, and transmits the determination result to the position control unit 305. The setting determination unit 302 determines whether the saddle stitching process or the half-folding process is set, and transmits the determination result to the paper state determination unit 303.

  The paper state determination unit 303 determines whether or not the middle folding process for forming the fold part B of the paper P is performed, and transmits the determination result to the transport unit 320 and the position control unit 305. The sheet number determination unit 304 determines whether a predetermined number of sheets P have been conveyed to the hooking member 330 and transmits the determination result to the position control unit 305.

  The position control unit 305 controls the positions of the first alignment member 371 and the second alignment member 372. Specifically, the position control unit 305 retracts the sheet P to the retreat area E by the first alignment member 371 each time the leading end apex B1 of the crease B formed on the sheet P reaches the landing position X. It is something to be made. More specifically, the position control unit 305 determines that the sheet P conveyed by the conveyance unit 320 has landed at the landing position X, and the sheet P landed at the landing position X is abutted against the first alignment member 371. The first alignment member 371 causes the paper P to be retreated to the retreat area E.

  Note that the position control unit 305 may not cause the paper P to be retracted to the retreat area E by the first alignment member 371. Specifically, when the state of the front end side vertex B1 is set, the position control unit 305 controls the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set state of the front end side vertex B1. More specifically, the position control unit 305 determines that the first tip vertex B1 is larger than a preset folding angle threshold, that is, if the leading vertex B1 is loose, The operation of retracting the paper P to the retreat area E by the alignment member 371 is not performed.

  Further, when the printing rate of the crease portion B is set, the position control unit 305 controls the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set printing rate. More specifically, when the set printing rate is smaller than a preset printing rate threshold value, that is, when it is considered that no image is printed on the ridge line portion of the paper P, the position control unit 305 The operation of retracting the paper P to the retreat area E by the one alignment member 371 is not performed.

  Further, when the stiffness of the paper P on which the crease portion B is formed is set, the position control unit 305 controls the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set stiffness. More specifically, when the stiffness of the set paper P is smaller than a preset stiffness threshold, that is, when the stiffness of the paper P is low, the position control unit 305 causes the first alignment member 371 to perform the paper P Is not performed in the save area E.

  Further, the position control unit 305, when the necessary number of sheets P for preparing a booklet are prepared, the sheet in the retreat area E in the staple area F in which the plurality of sheets P are saddle stitched by the saddle stitching section 340. Move P. Specifically, the position control unit 305 moves the sheet P, which has been retreated to the retraction area E by the first alignment member 371, to the needle hitting area F by the second alignment member 372 by a preset number of sheets. It is.

  The position control unit 305 performs the above-described processing when the paper P is transported from the transport unit 320 to the hook member 330. The transport unit 320 transports the paper P to the hook member 330. And a process when the paper P is not transported to the hook member 330.

  Specifically, when the saddle stitching process or the half-folding process is set, the transport unit 320 transports the sheet P on which the fold part B is formed by the middle folding part 310 to the hook member 330. On the other hand, when the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process is not set, the transport unit 320 discharges the paper P on which the fold part B is not formed by the middle folding part 310. Here, discharging the paper P includes discharging to a post-processing apparatus other than flat binding or discharging to the outside of the machine (actual machine mounting specification).

  Next, in the sheet processing apparatus 300, an operation of stacking the sheets P without polluting the front end side vertex B1 with the toner T during the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process will be specifically described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the sheet processing apparatus 300.

  In step S11, the setting determination unit 302 determines whether the saddle stitching process or the half-folding process is set. When the saddle stitching process or the half-folding process is set, the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, when the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process is not set, the process ends.

  In step S <b> 12, the paper state determination unit 303 determines whether or not the fold portion B is formed on the paper P by the middle folding unit 310. When the crease B is formed on the paper P, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, when the crease B is not formed on the paper P, the process waits.

  In step S <b> 13, the transport unit 320 transports the paper P to the hook member 330. In step S <b> 14, the position control unit 305 causes the first alignment member 371 to retreat the paper P in the retreat area E.

  In step S <b> 15, the number determination unit 304 determines whether a preset number of sheets P have been conveyed to the hooking member 330. When the preset number of sheets P are conveyed to the hook member 330, the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the preset number of sheets P has not been conveyed to the hook member 330, the process returns to step S13.

  In step S <b> 16, the position control unit 305 moves the paper P that has been retreated to the retreat area E to the hitting area F by the second alignment member 372. Thereby, the process ends.

  From the above description, the sheet processing apparatus 300 includes the retraction area E and the stapling area F of the sheet P in the hook member 330. Further, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can move the sheet P to either the retreat area E or the needle hitting area F by controlling the positions of the first alignment member 371 and the second alignment member 372.

  Accordingly, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can retract the sheet P to the retreat area E every time the sheet P is conveyed. Specifically, the sheet processing apparatus 300 retracts the sheet P to the retreat area E by the first alignment member 371 each time the leading end apex B1 of the crease portion B formed on the sheet P lands at the landing position X. Can be made. As a result, when the front end side vertex B1 is landed at the landing position X, the paper processing apparatus 300 can separate the front end side vertex B1 from the ridge line side of the paper P already stacked on the hook member 330. . Therefore, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can stack the sheets P without being contaminated with the toner T while avoiding a collision with the installation member on the downstream side of the conveyance path.

  In other words, the sheet processing apparatus 300 moves the conveyed sheet P back to the retreat area E, thereby separating the leading end apex B1 from the ridge line side of the sheet P already stacked on the hook member 330. Therefore, the paper P can be stacked without being contaminated with the toner T while avoiding a collision with the installation member on the downstream side of the transport path.

  In addition, when the paper P is in the needle-striking area F, the paper processing apparatus 300 can strike the paper P by the saddle stitching unit 340. The sheet processing apparatus 300 can move the sheet P that has been retreated to the retreat area E by a preset number of sheets to the hitting area F. Therefore, the paper processing apparatus 300 can strike the paper P by moving the paper P that has been retreated to the retreat area E by the preset number of sheets to the stapling area F. Therefore, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can strike the sheet P stacked without being contaminated with the toner T because the sheet P retracted in the retreat area E is stacked without being contaminated with the toner T.

  In addition, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can control the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set content by setting the state of the leading end apex B1 of the sheet P. Therefore, when the state of the leading end apex B1 of the sheet P is set, the sheet processing apparatus 300 controls the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set state of the leading end apex B1 of the sheet P. be able to. Therefore, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can give the user choices of control contents, and thus can cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on the sheet P.

  Further, by setting the printing rate of the crease portion B, the position of the first alignment member 371 can be controlled based on the set content. Therefore, when the printing rate of the fold portion B is set, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can control the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set printing rate of the fold portion B. Therefore, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can give the user choices of control contents, and thus can cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on the sheet P.

  Further, by setting the rigidity of the paper P on which the crease portion B is formed, the position of the first alignment member 371 can be controlled based on the set content. Therefore, when the stiffness of the paper P is set, the paper processing apparatus 300 can control the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set stiffness of the paper P. Therefore, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can give the user choices of control contents, and thus can cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on the sheet P.

  In addition, the paper processing apparatus 300 can control the transport destination of the paper P based on the set processing by setting various processing. Specifically, when the saddle stitching process or the half-folding process is set, the sheet processing apparatus 300 forms the fold part B on the sheet P and conveys the sheet P on which the fold part B is formed to the hook member 330. can do. On the other hand, when the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process is not set, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can discharge the sheet P in which the fold part B is not formed on the sheet P and the fold part B is not formed.

  Therefore, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is set when the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process is set in order to retract the sheet P to the retreat area E every time the front end side vertex B1 of the fold part B reaches the landing position X. However, the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process can be performed without soiling the paper P with the toner T.

  The image forming system 1 includes a sheet processing apparatus 300. Since the sheet processing apparatus 300 can stack the sheets P without being contaminated with the toner T while avoiding a collision with an installation member on the downstream side of the conveyance path, the image forming system 1 is configured to store images. A booklet can be produced without staining the printed paper P with the toner T. Therefore, the image forming system 1 can improve the quality of the produced booklet.

  In this way, according to the paper processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, the paper processing apparatus 300 that stacks a plurality of sheets of paper P on which images are printed on the upstream side to produce a booklet, A hook member 330 that includes the position X, the retreat area E, and the stapling area F and that loads and stacks the paper P, and a first alignment member 371 that retreats the paper P to the retreat area E on the upstream side of the landing position X. And a second alignment member 372 that moves the paper P to the needle hitting area F on the downstream side of the retreat area E, and a position control unit that controls the respective positions of the first alignment member 371 and the second alignment member 372 305, and the position control unit 305 retracts the sheet P to the retreat area E by the first alignment member 371 each time the leading end apex B1 of the crease B formed on the sheet P lands at the landing position X. Let

  Accordingly, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can stack the sheets P without being contaminated with the toner T while avoiding a collision with an installation member on the downstream side of the conveyance path.

  In addition, according to the sheet processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, the saddle stitching unit 340 is provided on the downstream side of the landing position X and above the hook member 330 and performs the saddle stitching process of hitting the fold portion B. And the position control unit 305 uses the first alignment member 371 to store the paper P that has been retreated into the retreat area E by a first number of sheets. The second alignment member 372 is moved to the hitting area F.

  As a result, the paper processing apparatus 300 can strike the paper P stacked without being contaminated with the toner T.

  Further, according to the sheet processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, when the state of the front end side vertex B1 is set, the position control unit 305 performs the first alignment based on the set state of the front end side vertex B1. The position of the member 371 is controlled.

  Thus, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on the sheet P.

  Further, according to the sheet processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, when the printing rate of the crease portion B is set, the position control unit 305 determines the position of the first alignment member 371 based on the set printing rate. To control.

  Thus, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on the sheet P.

  Further, according to the sheet processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, when the stiffness of the sheet P on which the fold portion B is formed is set, the position control unit 305 performs the first matching based on the set stiffness. The position of the member 371 is controlled.

  Thus, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can cope with various error factors that may occur when various processes are performed on the sheet P.

  Further, according to the sheet processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, the folding unit 310 that is provided on the upstream side of the hook member 330 and performs the folding process for forming the fold part B, and the transport unit 320 that transports the sheet P. When the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process is set, the transport unit 320 transports the sheet P on which the fold part B is formed by the middle folding part 310 to the hook member 330, and the saddle stitching process. Alternatively, when the center folding process is not set, the sheet P on which the fold portion B is not formed by the center folding portion 310 is discharged.

  Accordingly, the sheet processing apparatus 300 can perform the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process without smearing the paper P with the toner T even when the saddle stitching process or the middle folding process is set.

  Further, the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the sheet processing apparatus 300.

  Thereby, the image forming system 1 can improve the quality of the produced booklet.

  The sheet processing apparatus 300 according to the present invention has been described above based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, although an example of controlling the first alignment member 371 based on the state of the tip apex B1, the printing rate of the crease portion B, and the stiffness of the paper P has been described, the basis weight of the paper P is not limited thereto. The first alignment member 371 may be controlled based on the paper thickness, smoothness, or surface specific resistance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 100 Image forming apparatus 150 Transfer drum 200 Intermediate | middle conveyance apparatus 300 Paper processing apparatus 301 Control part 302 Setting determination part 303 Paper state determination part 304 Sheet number determination part 305 Position control part 310 Folding part 320 Conveyance part 330 Hanging member 340 Saddle stitching part 350 Trimming part 360 Restriction member 371 First alignment member 372 Second alignment member 380 Discharge part 400 Saddle stitching processing apparatus

Claims (7)

A paper processing apparatus for stacking a plurality of papers on which images are printed on the upstream side to produce a booklet,
A hooking member that includes a landing position, a retreat area, and a needle hitting area of the paper, and hooks and stacks the paper;
A first alignment member that retracts the sheet to the retracting area upstream of the landing position;
A second alignment member that moves the paper to the needle hitting area downstream of the retreat area;
A position controller for controlling the respective positions of the first alignment member and the second alignment member;
The position controller is
A sheet processing apparatus that retracts the sheet to the retreat area by the first alignment member each time the apex on the front side of the crease formed on the sheet reaches the landing position. A saddle-stitching portion that is provided on the downstream side of the landing position and provided above the hooking member and that performs a saddle stitching process for hitting the crease portion;
The hitting area is
Below the saddle stitching portion,
The position controller is
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet that has been retreated to the retraction area by the first alignment member is moved to the needle hitting area by the second alignment member by a preset number of sheets. The position controller is
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the state of the front end side vertex is set, the position of the first alignment member is controlled based on the set state of the front end side vertex. The position controller is
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the printing rate of the fold portion is set, the position of the first alignment member is controlled based on the set printing rate. The position controller is
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the rigidity of the sheet on which the fold portion is formed is set, the position of the first alignment member is controlled based on the set rigidity. A middle fold portion provided on the upstream side of the hook member and performing a middle fold process for forming the fold portion,
A transport unit that transports the paper;
The transport unit is
When the saddle stitching process or the half-folding process is set, the sheet in which the fold part is formed by the middle folding part is conveyed to the hook member,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the saddle stitching process or the half-folding process is not set, the sheet on which the fold part is not formed by the middle folding part is discharged.   An image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.