JP6988968B2 - Teeth, binding tools, paper processing equipment and image forming systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to teeth, binding tools, paper processing devices and image forming systems.

Conventionally, a binding tool for binding a bundle of paper in which a plurality of sheets of paper are laminated, a paper processing device equipped with the binding tool, and the like have been widely used. It was common to use staples as the binding tool, but in recent years, binding means that do not use metal materials such as staples have been attracting attention from the viewpoint of resource saving, environmental measures, and recyclability. As a binding means that does not use a metal material, for example, a paper bundle is bound by pressing the paper bundle in the thickness direction with a pair of upper and lower teeth and crimping the paper bundle.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a paper is configured such that the absolute value of the inclination angle of the inclined surface portion of a pair of teeth with respect to the tooth contact / separation direction is less than 38 °, and is laminated between the teeth on the inclined surface portion of the tooth. A binding tool for binding paper by pressing a bundle together with stretching of the paper material is described. Further, Patent Document 2 includes a fixed tooth mold capable of forming an uneven pressure deformed portion on a bundle of paper and a movable tooth mold capable of being brought into contact with and separated from the fixed tooth mold, and the end portion of the top surface is provided. A paper processing apparatus for binding a bundle of paper by a fixed tooth mold and a movable tooth mold having a rounded shape is described.

International Publication No. 2014/208237 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-121865

However, with the binding tool described in Patent Document 1 described above, when a large number of sheets are to be bound, a region (pressure contact surface) for crimping cannot be secured and the number of sheets to be bound cannot be increased. In order to increase the number of sheets to be bound, it is necessary to secure a distance that can be pressed by the side surface portions of the paired teeth in the binding thickness after crimping. However, when binding two sheets with the minimum number of sheets, the pressure contact distance becomes large, so in order to obtain the same pressure as before, it is necessary to increase the binding load according to the pressure contact distance, and by increasing the load, binding is performed. There was a problem that the paper was torn when the number of sheets increased.

Further, in the paper processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 described above, it is possible to prevent the paper from being torn by rounding the ends and ridges of the binding teeth, but it is attempted to bind a large number of sheets of paper. In this case, simply rounding the corners and ridges of the teeth is not sufficient as a countermeasure against tearing of the paper, and there is a problem that the binding strength is lowered.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to reliably prevent tearing of paper when a bundle of paper is pressure-bonded by increasing the binding load in order to bind a large number of sheets. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tooth portion, a binding tool, a paper processing device and an image forming system capable of performing.

The tooth portion according to the present invention is a pair of tooth portions having a plurality of convex portions arranged so as to mesh with each other when they are brought close to each other, and the convex portions of at least one of the pair of tooth portions. When the pair of tooth portions are meshed with each other, the contact surface that abuts on the facing surface facing the convex portion of the other tooth portion and the convex portion of the other tooth portion, and the convex portion of the other tooth portion. It has a non-contact surface that does not come into contact with the portion.

Further, the tooth portion according to the present invention is a pair of tooth portions having a plurality of convex portions arranged so as to mesh with each other when they are brought close to each other, and the tooth portions of at least one of the pair of tooth portions. When the pair of tooth portions are meshed with each other, the convex portion has a contact surface that abuts on the facing surface facing the convex portion of the other tooth portion and the convex portion of the other tooth portion, and the other tooth portion. The plurality of convex portions of the pair of tooth portions are arranged so as to be aligned in a predetermined direction, and the plurality of convex portions arranged in the predetermined direction are arranged. Of the plurality of convex portions, the length in the longitudinal direction of the facing surface of the convex portions arranged at both ends is larger than the longitudinal length of the facing surface of the convex portions arranged in the intermediate portion among the plurality of convex portions. It has a long structure .
Further, the tooth portion according to the present invention is a pair of tooth portions having a plurality of convex portions arranged so as to mesh with each other when they are brought close to each other, and the tooth portions of at least one of the pair of tooth portions. When the pair of tooth portions are meshed with each other, the convex portion has a contact surface that abuts on the facing surface facing the convex portion of the other tooth portion and the convex portion of the other tooth portion, and the other tooth portion. The plurality of protrusions of the pair of teeth are arranged so as to be aligned in a predetermined direction, and the pair of teeth has a length in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of the convex portions having the facing surfaces having different sizes are alternately arranged.

Further, the tooth portion according to the present invention is a tooth portion for crimping and binding a bundle of papers by engaging a pair of the first tooth and the second tooth, and the first tooth is a top surface portion. A front surface portion, a side surface portion, an inclined surface portion provided between the top surface portion and the front surface portion, and a third ridge line portion provided between the inclined surface portion and the side surface portion. The second tooth is provided between the top surface portion, the front surface portion, the side surface portion, the inclined surface portion provided between the top surface portion and the front surface portion, and between the inclined surface portion and the side surface portion. A third ridge line portion is provided, and half of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion of the first tooth when the first tooth and the second tooth are meshed with each other at a certain interval. Let A be the length, and let B be half the length of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion of the second tooth, and the third ridge line portion of the first tooth and the third ridge line portion of the second tooth. The length of the common tangent portion with the portion is C, the length from the intersection of the third ridge line portion of the first tooth and the straight portion of the inclined surface portion to the common tangent portion is D, and the second Let E be the length from the intersection of the third ridge of the tooth and the straight portion of the inclined surface portion to the common tangent portion, and the center point of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion of the first tooth and the second tooth. The length between the center point of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion of the tooth is F, (A + B + C + D + E) / F is the elongation rate, and the first tooth and the second tooth are spaced apart from each other at a constant distance. Let X and Y be the elongation rates of the two locations where the positions of the first tooth and the second tooth are different in the longitudinal direction when the first tooth and the second tooth are engaged with each other. When the distance from the position of the rate Y is Z and (Y-X) / Z is the rate of change in the rate of elongation, the rate of change in the rate of elongation is 0.4 or less.

Further, the binding tool according to the present invention includes the tooth portion and a drive portion that can be driven in a direction in which the pair of tooth portions are brought into contact with each other and separated from each other.

Further, the paper processing apparatus according to the present invention has a transport unit for transporting paper, a loading unit for loading paper conveyed by the transport unit, and the binding tool for binding a bundle of paper loaded by the loading unit. It is prepared.

Further, in the image forming system according to the present invention, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on paper, a conveying unit for conveying the paper on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus, and a paper conveyed by the conveying unit are loaded. It is provided with a loading unit to be loaded and the above-mentioned binding tool for binding a bundle of paper loaded on the loading unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by providing the non-contact surface portion on the facing surface, it is possible to alleviate the local elongation of the paper at the time of crimping by engaging the paired teeth and binding the paper bundle. This makes it possible to prevent the paper from tearing. Further, according to the first aspect of the present invention, by forming the inclined surface on the top surface, the local elongation of the paper can be further relaxed and the tearing of the paper can be prevented.

According to the invention of claim 8 , by setting the rate of change of the elongation rate to 0.4 or less, the paper at the time of crimping the paper bundle by engaging the paired first tooth and the second tooth. Local elongation can be mitigated, which can prevent the paper from tearing.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the image formation system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of a post-processing apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the post-processing apparatus in the case of performing a binding process (the 1). It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the post-processing apparatus in the case of performing a binding process (the 2). It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the post-processing apparatus in the case of performing a binding process (the 3). It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the post-processing apparatus in the case of performing a binding process (the 4). It is a figure for demonstrating the operation example of the post-processing apparatus in the case of performing a binding process (the 5). It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the binding apparatus. It is a side view which shows the structural example of the binding apparatus. It is a top view which shows the structural example of the binding apparatus. It is a front view which shows the structural example of the binding apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the binding apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the binding tooth. It is a figure which shows the operation example of the binding apparatus in the case of performing a crimp binding process. It is a figure which shows the process example of crimping and binding a bundle of paper by a binding tooth. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the lower tooth of a binding tooth (the 1). It is a figure which shows the structural example of the lower tooth of a binding tooth (the 2). It is a figure which shows the example of the cross-sectional structure in the state which the lower tooth and the upper tooth of a binding tooth are meshed with each other. It is a figure for demonstrating the binding position of the binding part. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the modification of the binding tooth (the 1). It is a figure which shows the structural example of the modification of the binding tooth (the 2). It is a figure which shows the structural example of the modification of the binding tooth (the 3). It is a figure which shows the structural example of the modification of the binding tooth (the 4). It is a figure which shows the structural example of the modification of the binding tooth (the 5). It is a figure for demonstrating the side separation distance and the pressure contact distance. When using multiple types of binding teeth and changing the distance between the lower and upper teeth of each binding tooth and changing the side separation distance so that the pressure contact distance becomes 0 mm, the paper bundle It is a figure which shows the verification result of the holding force in a binding part. It is a figure for demonstrating the growth rate. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the side surface side in the state where the lower tooth and the upper tooth are meshed with each other. It is a figure which shows the elongation rate in each cross section of a binding tooth. It is a graph which shows the change rate of each elongation rate in a plurality of types of binding teeth. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of an image formation system. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the post-processing apparatus in the case of executing a print job including a binding command.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensional ratios in the drawings have been expanded for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[Configuration example of image forming system 300]
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the image forming system 300. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 300 includes an image forming apparatus 100 for forming an image on paper and a post-processing apparatus 200 for performing crimp binding or the like on a plurality of sheets of paper on which an image is formed. ing. The post-processing device 200 constitutes an example of the paper processing device.

The image forming apparatus 100 includes a document conveying unit 160, an image reading unit 170, a paper feeding unit 130, an image forming unit 110, a fixing unit 120, a display unit 140, and an input unit 150.

The document transfer unit 160 feeds the document sheet set in the transfer tray to the glass table. The image reading unit 170 generates image data by scanning a document set on a glass table or a document fed by the document transporting unit 160 with a laser beam and reading it with a photoelectric exchange element. The paper feed unit 130 has a plurality of stages of paper feed trays for accommodating paper P of sizes A4, A3, etc., and takes out the paper P of the specified paper type with the start of the print job and takes out the paper P of the designated paper type to the image forming unit 110. Transport to.

The image forming unit 110 forms a predetermined toner image by performing charging, exposure, and development processing on the surface of the photoconductor drum based on the input image data, and the surface of the paper P conveyed from the paper feeding unit 130. Transfer the image to. As the image forming unit 110, a configuration capable of forming only a monochrome image may be adopted, or a configuration capable of forming a color image may be adopted.

The fixing unit 120 presses and heat-treats the paper P on which the image is transferred by the image forming unit 110 to fix the image on the paper P. The paper P that has been fixed by the fixing unit 120 is sequentially carried out to the post-processing device 200 from the carry-out port. Further, in the case of double-sided printing, after the front and back sides of the paper P are reversed via a paper inversion path (not shown), the image is transferred to the back side of the paper P and carried out to the post-processing device 200 from the carry-out port. To.

The display unit 140 and the input unit 150 can be configured by a touch panel, operation buttons provided around the touch panel, and the like. In the display unit 140 and the input unit 150, in addition to the image forming conditions such as the paper size and the number of prints, the presence / absence of crimp binding by crimping using binding teeth, staple binding using staples, the number of bindings, the binding position, etc. It is configured so that post-processing condition settings can be entered using the operation screen or operation buttons.

FIG. 2A is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the aftertreatment device 200, and FIG. 2B is a side view thereof. In FIG. 2, the right side of the paper surface corresponds to the lower side of the aftertreatment device 200, and the left side of the paper surface corresponds to the upper side of the aftertreatment device 200.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the post-processing device 200 is connected to the downstream side of the paper transport direction D of the image forming apparatus 100, and the image is formed by the image forming apparatus 100 with respect to the paper bundle of the paper P. Create a booklet by performing crimp binding and staple binding. In the following, as for staple binding, a known technique can be adopted, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The post-processing device 200 includes transfer paths R1 and R2, a transfer path switching unit 204, a binding device 210, and a paper loading unit 280.

The transport path R1 is a path through which the paper P is transported when the binding process such as crimp binding is not performed, and extends horizontally from the carry-in port to the carry-out port. The transport path R2 is a path in which the paper P is transported when a binding process such as crimp binding is performed. The transport path R2 branches from the transport path R1 and extends in a substantially U-shape, and is transported on the downstream side of the branch portion. It joins the route R1.

The transport path switching section 204 is arranged at a branch portion of the transport paths R1 and R2, and switches the transport path based on the presence or absence of a binding process such as crimping. For example, a solenoid can be used for the transport path switching unit 204.

The paper loading unit 280 has a transport roller 282, 283, side joggers 286, 287, a paper loading platform 290, a guide member 291 and an end wall 292. The paper loading unit 280 is provided in the transport path from the lower side to the upper side of the transport path R2.

The transport rollers 282 and 283 are provided so as to be capable of forward rotation and reverse rotation, and the paper P carried into the transport path R2 is switchback-transported and accommodated in the paper loading unit 280, or the booklet for which the binding process has been completed is loaded on the paper. It is sent out from the unit 280 to the output tray 206. The method of ejecting the booklet to the paper ejection tray 206 is not limited to the method using the conveying rollers 282 and 283, and the booklet is conveyed by holding the booklet by the conveying means having a claw portion to eject the paper. It may be discharged on the tray 206.

The side joggers 286 and 287 are provided between the transport rollers 286 and 283 at positions corresponding to the side surface portions of the paper P (both sides of the transport path R2). The side joggers 286 and 287 are configured to be movable in the paper width direction, and align the side surface positions of the paper P accumulated in the paper loading unit 280.

The paper P to be conveyed to the paper loading unit 280 is sequentially loaded on the paper loading platform 290. The guide member 291 is formed in a substantially L shape from the front side of the binding position of the binding device 210 along the side surface, and guides the paper bundle accumulated on the paper loading platform 290 to the binding position of the binding device 210. As a result, the bundle of paper can be conveyed to the binding position so as not to be caught in the gap of the binding device 210 or the binding teeth 250A.

The end wall 292 has a substantially U-shaped side surface, is arranged below the paper loading platform 290, and supports the leading end portion (lower end portion) of the paper P to be conveyed to the paper loading portion 280. The end wall 292 is movably provided along the paper transport direction of the transport path R2 so as to be movable between the home position (initial position) and the binding position. In the present embodiment, the end wall 292 and the guide member 291 are integrally formed, but they can also be formed separately. Two notches 292a and 292b are formed at the lower end of the end wall 292. An electric stapler (not shown) can be arranged in the notches 292a and 292b. The electric stapler may be configured to move between the notches 292a and 292b and change the binding position with respect to the paper bundle to bind one or two places.

The binding device 210 is provided in the paper loading unit 280, and binds the paper bundles accumulated in the paper loading platform 290 by crimping them with a pair of binding teeth 250A. In the present embodiment, an example in which the binding device 210 is fixedly installed is described, but the binding device 210 may be configured to be movable so that the binding position can be changed. At this time, the binding device 210 may be movable to the notch portions 292a and 292b described above. The configuration and operation of the binding device 210 will be described later.

[Operation example of post-processing device 200]
3 to 7 are diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of the post-processing device 200 in the case of performing the binding process. 3 (A), FIG. 4 (A), FIG. 5 (A), FIG. 6 (A), and FIG. 7 (A) are plan views of the post-processing apparatus 200, and FIGS. 3 (B) and 4 (B). B), FIG. 5 (B), FIG. 6 (B), and FIG. 7 (B) are side views thereof. In addition, in FIGS. 5 to 7, it is assumed that it is a bundle of papers on which two or more sheets of paper P are loaded. Further, in FIGS. 3 to 7, the right side of the paper surface corresponds to the lower side of the post-processing device 200, and the left side of the paper surface corresponds to the upper side of the post-processing device 200.

The paper P on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus 100 is conveyed to the conveying path R2 of the post-processing apparatus 200. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the paper P transported to the transport path R2 is switchback-transported by the transport rollers 282 and 283 and sequentially placed on the paper loading platform 290.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the paper P is placed on the paper loading platform 290, the contact state of the transport rollers 282 and 283 with the paper P is released. At the same time, the rotation is stopped. Subsequently, each of the side joggers 286 and 287 moves inward to align the side positions of the paper P. The operation of aligning the side positions of the paper P may be performed for each sheet of paper or for each sheet of paper. Further, when the side surface position is based on one end side of the paper P, only the side joggers 286 and 287 on one side may be moved.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the side alignment of the specified number of sheets of paper P is completed, the side joggers 286 and 287 sandwich the side surface portion of the paper bundle PP. , Moves to the binding device 210 side in the paper width direction. That is, the side joggers 286 and 287 move the bundle of paper to the binding position, and the paper width direction of the binding position is aligned.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the movement by the side joggers 286 and 287 is completed, the end wall 292 moves upward. That is, the paper bundle is moved to the binding position by the end wall 292, and the binding position in the paper transport direction is aligned. As a result, the paper bundle PP is set at the binding position designated by the user, and the binding device 210 performs the binding process on the paper bundle. In the above-described embodiment, the paper bundle PP is formed and then moved to the binding position, but the paper P may be directly moved to the binding position in units of one sheet.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the binding process is completed, the transport rollers 282 and 283 are brought into contact with the paper P again and are rotationally driven. As a result, the bound paper bundle PP is conveyed from the paper loading platform 290 and discharged onto the paper ejection tray 206 via the paper ejection roller.

[Configuration example of binding device 210]
8 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the binding device 210, FIG. 9 is a side view thereof, FIG. 10 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 11 is a front view thereof. 12 (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 11, and FIG. 12 (B) is an enlarged view of the main part A thereof. In FIGS. 8 to 12, the side where the binding tooth 250A is provided is the front end side, and the opposite side is the rear end side.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, the binding device 210 equipped with an example of the drive unit includes a drive motor 212, an eccentric cam 216, a home position sensor (hereinafter referred to as an HP sensor) 218, and a timing sensor 220. , With a binding tool 230. The drive unit is not limited to the one described in the present embodiment.

The drive motor 212 is composed of, for example, a DC motor, a stepping motor, or the like, and is rotationally driven based on a binding command.

The eccentric cam 216 is a disk cam, which is connected to the motor gear 213 of the drive motor 212 via the gear 214, and rotates eccentrically with the rotation of the drive motor 212. The eccentric cam 216 may be controlled to return to the home position in one rotation, or may be controlled to return to the home position by, for example, rotating to the maximum load position and then rotating in the reverse direction.

A drive shaft 217 is projected on the surface of the eccentric cam 216 opposite to the drive motor 212. A fan-shaped detection piece 219 for the HP sensor and a detection piece 221 for the timing sensor are attached to the drive shaft 217 from the eccentric cam 216 side, respectively. As an example, since the detection piece 221 detects the rotation position of the eccentric cam 216 at 180 ° intervals, the detection piece 221 has a larger central angle than the detection piece 219 and is formed at 180 ° or less.

The HP sensor 218 is composed of, for example, a transmissive type or a reflective type optical sensor, and is arranged in the vicinity of the detection piece 219. The HP sensor 218 detects whether the eccentric cam 216 is in the home position based on the presence or absence of the detection piece 219. The timing sensor 220 is composed of, for example, a transmission type or reflection type optical sensor, and is arranged in the vicinity of the detection piece 221. The timing sensor 220 detects the rotational position of the eccentric cam 216 based on the presence / absence of the detection piece 221.

The binding tool 230 has a pressing lever 232, an upper arm 234, a lower arm 236, a return spring 238, an elastic member 240, and a binding tooth 250A. The upper arm 234 and the lower arm 236 form an example of a drive unit.

The pressing lever 232 is an elongated flat plate member, and the outer surface on one end side is in contact with the peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 216. At the other end of the pressing lever 232, protrusions 233 and 233 extending from the side surface thereof in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the pressing lever 232 are provided. The protrusions 233 and 233 are fitted from the outside into the rear end portion of the upper arm 234, and are rotatably attached to the upper arm 234 via a lever fulcrum portion 246 made of a shaft member.

The upper arm 234 has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape with an opening on the lower side. The lower arm 236 has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape with an opening on the upper side, and is arranged so as to face the upper arm 234. The upper arm 234 and the lower arm 236 are configured to be rotatable with each other via an arm fulcrum portion 242 made of a shaft member slightly on the distal end side from the central portion.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the configuration of the binding tooth 250A as an example of a pair of tooth portions having a plurality of convex portions. As shown in FIGS. 12B and 13, the binding tooth 250A is composed of a pair of lower teeth 260 and upper teeth 270. The lower teeth 260 are detachably attached to the tip end side of the lower arm 236, and the upper teeth 270 are detachably attached to the tip end portion side of the upper arm 234. The lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270 engage with each other in a state where the paper bundle is interposed, thereby crimping and binding the paper bundle. The binding tooth 250A will be described later.

Returning to FIGS. 8 to 12, the return spring 238 is composed of, for example, a tension spring, one end of which is attached to the inside of the substantially central portion of the upper arm 234, and the other end of which is the inside of the substantially central portion of the lower arm 236. It is attached to. When no load is applied to the pressing lever 232, the tip of the upper arm 234 and the tip of the lower arm 236 are separated from each other by the urging of the return spring 238.

The elastic member 240 is composed of, for example, a compression spring and is attached to the inside of the rear end portion of the lower arm 236. The pressing member 244 is composed of a shaft member and is attached so as to straddle between the protruding portions 233 and 233, and its outer peripheral surface is elastically supported by the upper end portion of the elastic member 240. The pressing member 244 moves to the rear side while pressing the elastic member 240 with the rotation of the pressing lever 232, and moves the lever fulcrum portion 246 in a direction away from the upper arm 234. The elastic member 240 can also be made of a leaf spring, rubber, a resin material, or the like.

[Operation example of binding device 210]
14 (A) to 14 (C) are views showing an example of the operation of the binding device 210 in the case of performing the crimp binding process. As shown in FIG. 14A, the eccentric cam 216 is in the home position until the binding command is received, and the binding teeth 250A provided on the tip ends of the upper arm 234 and the lower arm 236, respectively. Is in a separated state.

As shown in FIG. 14B, when the binding command is received, the eccentric cam 216 is rotated by the rotational drive of the drive motor 212 to press one end side of the pressing lever 232, and the pressing lever 232 is attached to the upper arm 234. Move in the approaching direction. The pressing member 244 moves to the rear side while pressing the elastic member 240 according to the applied load, and moves the lever fulcrum portion 246 of the pressing lever 232 in a direction away from the lower arm 236. Along with this, the rear end side of the upper arm 234 is pushed upward, so that the tip end side of the upper arm 234 moves to the lower arm 236 side with the arm fulcrum portion 242 as a fulcrum, and the upper teeth 270 mesh with the lower teeth 260. It will be in a state of being.

As shown in FIG. 14C, when the engagement between the upper teeth 270 and the lower teeth 260 is set to the maximum load state, the eccentric cam 216 is rotated by the rotational drive of the drive motor 212, and the pressing lever 232 is the upper arm 234. Move in the direction closer to. Along with this, the pressing member 244 moves to the rear side while pressing the elastic member 240 according to the maximum load applied. As a result, the rear end portion of the upper arm 234 is pushed up slightly upward, and the meshing between the lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270 becomes the maximum load. Further, the elastic member 240 contracts due to the maximum load from the pressing member 244 to release the load and prevent the pressing lever 232 from stopping and being locked.

15 (A) to 15 (D) show an example of a process of crimping and binding a bundle of paper PP by engaging the binding teeth 250A. As shown in FIG. 15A, the paper bundle PP having the tips and sides aligned is conveyed to the binding position between the lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270. Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 15B and 15C, the upper tooth 270 moves downward, and the upper tooth 270 meshes with the lower tooth 260. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15 (D), when the maximum load is applied to the upper teeth 270, the paper bundle PP is deformed into an uneven shape and crimped. By such a process, a booklet bound by crimping is produced.

[Structure example of binding tooth 250A]
16 (A) is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the lower tooth 260 constituting the binding tooth 250A according to the present invention, and FIG. 16 (B) shows the main part thereof. 17 (A) is a plan view of the lower tooth 260, FIG. 17 (B) is a front view thereof, and FIG. 17 (C) is a side view thereof. FIG. 18A is a side view of the binding tooth 250A when the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 are meshed with each other, and FIG. 18B is a plan sectional view taken along the line BB. Since the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 have the same configuration, only the configuration of the lower tooth 260 will be described below as a representative.

As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the lower tooth 260 includes a base 261 having an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape and a tooth portion 262 as an example of a plurality of convex portions formed on the base 261. .. The tooth portion 262 is an elongated convex strip, and is made of a metal material such as SK material (carbon tool steel) or SUS material. The tooth portion 262 has a side surface portion 263 as an example of a facing surface facing the convex portion of the other tooth portion, a front surface portion 266A which is an end surface portion as an example of an end surface configured as a surface along the convex direction, and a crown. It has a surface portion 268 and an inclined surface portion 269. A first ridge line portion 267a is provided at the boundary portion between the front surface portion 266A and the side surface portion 263. A second ridge line portion 267b is provided at the boundary portion between the front surface portion 266A and the inclined surface portion 269. A third ridge line portion 267c is provided at the boundary portion between the inclined surface portion 269 and the side surface portion 263. Each of the first ridge line portion 267a, the second ridge line portion 267b, and the third ridge line portion 267c is, for example, a curved surface having a roundness.

The side surface portion 263 is a surface facing the side surface portion of the upper teeth 270 when the paired upper teeth 270 are engaged, and the papers are pressed against each other by sandwiching the paper P between the upper teeth 270 and the upper teeth 270. It has a function to combine. The side surface portion 263 has a contact surface portion 264 and a non-contact surface portion 265.

The contact surface portion 264 is a surface that is continuous with the top surface portion 268 and is a surface that abuts (contacts) with the facing contact surface portion 274 of the upper teeth 270 when the upper teeth 270 are meshed without the paper P. Is.

The non-contact surface portion 265 is a surface continuous with the contact surface portion 264 and is provided between the contact surface portion 264 and the first ridge line portion 267a. The non-contact surface portion 265 has a gap between the upper teeth 270 and the facing side surface portions of the upper teeth 270 when the upper teeth 270 are engaged without the paper P (does not abut on the side surface portions of the upper teeth 270). It is a face. The non-contact surface portion 265 has a function of crimping a bundle of paper, although it is weaker than the contact surface portion 264. Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the non-contact surface portion 265 of the lower teeth 260 has an end face portion having a distance from the non-contact surface portion 275 (side surface portion 273) of the upper teeth 270 when the upper teeth 270 are engaged. As an example, the size increases toward the front portion 266A side (front). By providing the non-contact surface portion 265, it is possible to relax the local elongation of the paper at the first ridge line portion 267a, the second ridge line portion 267b, and the third ridge line portion 267c. In the present embodiment, the non-contact surface portion 265 is composed of two surfaces having different angles, but it may be composed of one surface or three or more surfaces.

The top surface portion 268 is a surface provided on the top of the tooth portion 262, and is composed of a curved surface. The top surface portion 268 may be formed of a flat surface.

The inclined surface portion 269 is a surface inclined from the top surface portion 268 toward the front surface portion 266A. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17C, the angle α formed by the top surface portion 268 and the inclined surface portion 269 is set in the range of 0 ° <α ≦ 20 °. Within this range, as will be described later, it is possible to prevent local elongation of the paper during the binding process of the bundle of paper, and it is possible to prevent tearing of the booklet.

The front surface portion 266A is configured to bend from one end side of the side surface portion 263 and to be inclined at an angle of more than 45 ° with respect to the horizontal plane of the base 261. It faces the center side (inside) of the stack of paper. The rear surface portion 266B of the binding tooth 250 faces the outside of the paper bundle, and is composed of, for example, a curved surface.

The plurality of tooth portions 262 are arranged so as to be aligned in a predetermined direction along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the tooth portions 262, and each of the plurality of tooth portions 262 in the longitudinal direction is parallel to each other. It is arranged so as to be.

In FIG. 17A and the like, the lengths of the plurality of tooth portions 262 in the longitudinal direction are the same, but the length is not limited to this. For example, the length of the tooth portions 262 arranged on both ends of the plurality of tooth portions 262 in the longitudinal direction may be longer than the length of the tooth portions 262 arranged in the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. can. Further, the lengths of the side surface portions 263 and the like of the plurality of tooth portions 262 may be different from each other, and the plurality of tooth portions 262 having different lengths in the longitudinal direction may be alternately arranged. The length of the tooth portion 262 in the longitudinal direction may be composed of two lengths, a first length and a second length longer than this, or may be composed of three or more different lengths. Is also good.

Further, the upper tooth 270 is different from the lower tooth 260 shown in FIGS. 16 (A) and 16 (B) only in the reference numeral, and has the same configuration other than that. Although not shown, the upper teeth 270 have a side surface portion 273 including a contact surface portion 274 and a non-contact surface portion 275, a front surface portion 276A as an example of an end face portion, a top surface portion 278, an inclined surface portion 279, and a first portion. It is provided with a tooth portion 272 having a ridge line portion 277a of No. 1, a second ridge line portion 277b, and a third ridge line portion 277c (see FIGS. 16A and 16B).

[About the binding position of the binding part]
19 (A) to 19 (J) are views for explaining the binding positions of the binding portions Pa to Pj obtained by crimping the paper bundle with the binding teeth 250A and binding.

As shown in FIG. 19A, the binding portion Pa is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the arrangement direction of the unevenness formed by crimping the binding process (hereinafter referred to as the unevenness of the binding portion) is the side P1. Is formed along. As shown in FIG. 19B, the binding portion Pb is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the uneven arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pb is formed along the side P1 and the entire binding portion Pb is a side. It is formed closer to the P2 side. Further, it may be applied to the side P2.

As shown in FIG. 19C, the binding portion Pc is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the uneven arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pc is formed along the side P2. As shown in FIG. 19D, the binding portion Pd is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the uneven arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pd is formed along the side P2, and the entire binding portion Pd is a side. It is formed closer to the P1 side. Further, it may be applied to the side P1.

As shown in FIG. 19E, the binding portion Pe is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pe is approximately 45 ° with respect to the sides P1 and P2. It is formed. As shown in FIG. 19F, the binding portion Pf is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pf is approximately 45 ° with respect to the sides P1 and P2. Both ends are formed at positions protruding from each side P1 and P2 (positions straddling the corners).

As shown in FIG. 19 (G), the binding portion Pg is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pg is the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pe shown in FIG. 19 (E). It is formed so as to be slightly inclined with respect to the side P1. As shown in FIG. 19 (H), the binding portion Ph is formed in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pg, and one end portion protrudes from the side P2. It is formed in the above position.

As shown in FIG. 19 (I), the binding portion Pi is in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle, and the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pi is the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pe shown in FIG. 19 (E). It is formed so as to be slightly inclined with respect to the side P2. As shown in FIG. 19 (J), the binding portion Pj is formed in the vicinity of the corner portion of the paper bundle in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the unevenness of the binding portion Pi, and one end portion protrudes from the side P1. It is formed in the above position.

In any of the cases shown in FIGS. 19A to 19J, the front surface portion 266A as an example of the end face portion of the binding tooth 250A is arranged so as to face the center side (inside) of the paper bundle. There is. By arranging the front portion 266A in this way, it is possible to increase the peeling load when peeling the paper from the crimp-bound paper bundle and make it difficult for the paper to be peeled off.

In the present embodiment, the case where the binding portions Pa to Pj are arranged at the binding position in the range of 0 ° to 90 ° at the corners of the paper bundle has been described, but the paper grain direction of the paper P is more preferable. It is preferable to form the binding portion in the range of 0 ° to less than 30 °.

[Modification of binding teeth]
20 (A) is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250B according to the present invention, FIG. 20 (B) is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 20 (C) is a front view thereof. Yes, FIG. 20 (D) is a side view thereof. The elements having substantially the same functional configuration as the binding tooth 250A are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted. Further, since the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 have the same configuration, only the configuration of the lower tooth 260 will be described below as a representative.

The lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250B includes a base 261 and a plurality of tooth portions 262 formed on the base 261. The tooth portion 262 includes a side surface portion 263 including the contact surface portion 264 and the non-contact surface portion 265, a front surface portion 266A as an example of the end face portion, a first ridge line portion 267a, a top surface portion 268, and an inclined surface portion 269. have. The binding tooth 250B is configured such that the inclination angle of the inclined surface portion 269 is smaller than that of the binding tooth 250A and the surface thereof is formed by a curved surface.

21 (A) is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250C according to the present invention, FIG. 21 (B) is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 21 (C) is a front view thereof. Yes, FIG. 21 (D) is a side view thereof. The elements having substantially the same functional configuration as the binding tooth 250A are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted. Further, since the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 have the same configuration, only the configuration of the lower tooth 260 will be described below as a representative.

The lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250C includes a base 261 and a plurality of tooth portions 262 formed on the base 261. The tooth portion 262 has a side surface portion 263 including the contact surface portion 264 and the non-contact surface portion 265, a front surface portion 266A as an example of the end face portion, a first ridge line portion 267a, and a top surface portion 268. .. The binding tooth 250C is different from the configuration of the binding tooth 250A in that the inclined surface portion is not provided.

22 (A) is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250D according to the present invention, FIG. 22 (B) is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 22 (C) is a front view thereof. Yes, FIG. 22 (D) is a side view thereof. The elements having substantially the same functional configuration as the binding tooth 250A are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted. Further, since the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 have the same configuration, only the configuration of the lower tooth 260 will be described below as a representative.

The lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250D includes a base 261 and a plurality of tooth portions 262 formed on the base 261. The tooth portion 262 includes a side surface portion 263 including the contact surface portion 264 and the non-contact surface portion 265, a front surface portion 266A as an example of the end face portion, a first ridge line portion 267a, a second ridge line portion 267b, and a top surface portion. It has 268 and an inclined surface portion 269. The binding tooth 250D is configured so that the area of the inclined surface portion 269 is smaller than that of the binding tooth 250A and the inclination angle of the front surface portion 266A is smaller.

23 (A) is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250E according to the present invention, FIG. 23 (B) is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 23 (C) is a front view thereof. Yes, FIG. 23 (D) is a side view thereof. The elements having substantially the same functional configuration as the binding tooth 250A are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted. Further, since the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 have the same configuration, only the configuration of the lower tooth 260 will be described below as a representative.

The lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250E includes a base 261 and a plurality of tooth portions 262 formed on the base 261. The tooth portion 262 includes a side surface portion 263 including the contact surface portion 264 and the non-contact surface portion 265, a front surface portion 266A as an example of the end face portion, a first ridge line portion 267a, a second ridge line portion 267b, and a top surface portion. It has 268 and an inclined surface portion 269. The binding tooth 250E is configured so that the area of the inclined surface portion 269 is smaller than that of the binding tooth 250A and the inclination angle of the front surface portion 266A is smaller.

FIG. 24A is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250F according to the present invention, FIG. 24B is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 24C is a front view thereof. Yes, FIG. 24 (D) is a side view thereof. The elements having substantially the same functional configuration as the binding tooth 250A are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicated description will be omitted. Further, since the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 have the same configuration, only the configuration of the lower tooth 260 will be described below as a representative.

The lower tooth 260 of the binding tooth 250F includes a plurality of tooth portions 262. The tooth portion 262 includes a side surface portion 263 including the contact surface portion 264 and the non-contact surface portion 265, a front surface portion 266A as an example of the end face portion, a first ridge line portion 267a, a second ridge line portion 267b, and a top surface portion. It has 268 and an inclined surface portion 269. The binding tooth 250F is different from the configuration of the binding tooth 250A in that a base is not provided.

[Relationship between side separation distance M and pressure contact distance N]
Next, a suitable side surface separation distance M and a pressure contact distance N when crimp binding the paper bundle will be described. The binding tooth 250A according to the present embodiment has a pressure contact distance N of 0 mm or more when the side surface separation distance M when the paper bundle is crimped is 0.23 mm or more and 0.35 mm or less.

FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining the side surface separation distance M and the pressure contact distance N. As shown in FIG. 25, the side surface separation distance M is the contact surface portion 264 of the lower teeth 260 and the contact surface portion 274 of the upper teeth 270 when the lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270 are engaged with each other and the paper bundle is crimped. The length of the normal between and. The pressure contact distance N is such that the contact surface portion 264 of the lower tooth 260 and the contact surface portion 274 of the upper tooth 270 face each other in parallel when the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 are engaged with each other and the paper bundle is crimped. be.

In FIG. 26, a plurality of types of binding teeth are used, the distance O between the lower and upper teeth of each binding tooth is changed, and the side separation distance M is changed so that the pressure contact distance N becomes 0 mm. The verification result of the holding power at the binding portion of the paper bundle in the case of the above is shown. The distance O is the distance between the ridges and valleys of the lower teeth (upper teeth). Further, in Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, the binding teeth 250A of the present invention having similar shapes having different sizes were used.

Further, the evaluation index of the holding force of the binding portion shown in FIG. 26 is as follows.
⊚: The binding part is firmly attached, and it can withstand practical use as a binding booklet.
◯: The binding part does not easily come off when the paper is turned up.
X: The binding part is easily peeled off when the paper is turned up.

As shown in FIGS. 26, according to Examples 1 to 3, the distance O between the ridges and valleys of the lower teeth is 0.63 mm to 0.96 mm, the side separation distance M is 0.23 mm or more, and 0. By setting the pressure contact distance N to 0 mm when the pressure contact distance is 35 mm or less, the binding holding force of 2 sheets, 5 sheets, and 10 sheets is "◯" or "⊚".

On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the pressure contact distance N when the distance O between the ridge and the valley of the lower tooth is 0.27 mm and 0.55 mm and the side separation distance M is less than 0.23 mm is set. When it was set to 0 mm, the binding holding power of 2 sheets and 5 sheets was "○", but the binding holding force of 10 sheets was "x". This is because when the number of sheets of paper is 10, the pressure contact distance N is lost, the bonding force between the sheets is weakened, and the binding holding force is lowered.

Further, in Comparative Example 3, even when the distance O between the ridges and valleys of the lower teeth is 1.09 mm and the side separation distance M exceeds 0.35 mm and the pressure contact distance N is 0 mm, five teeth are used. The binding holding power of 10 sheets was "○" or "◎", but the binding holding power of 2 sheets was "×". This is because when there are two paper bundles and the side separation distance M is more than 0.35 mm, the load due to crimping is insufficient and sufficient binding cannot be performed.

As described above, when the side surface separation distance M when the paper bundle is crimped is 0.23 mm or more and 0.35 mm or less, the pressure contact distance N can be 0 mm, and the binding tooth 250A according to the present embodiment can be set. By using the above, it is possible to appropriately crimp and bind a bundle of 2 to 10 sheets of paper, which is generally used for crimp binding, without tearing.

In this example, the binding tooth 250A according to the present embodiment is used as the binding tooth, but the present invention is not limited to this, and even when the above-mentioned binding teeth 250B to 250F are used, the result shown in FIG. 26 is used. It was found that the same result as was obtained. Further, even in the binding tooth (not shown) provided with no non-contact surface portion or inclined surface portion, the pressure contact distance N shall be 0 mm or more when the side surface separation distance M is 0.23 mm or more and 0.35 mm or less. It was found that the same result as that shown in FIG. 26 can be obtained. Further, it was found that the same result as the result shown in FIG. 26 can be obtained even when the pressure contact distance N is more than 0 mm when the side surface separation distance M is 0.23 mm or more and 0.35 mm or less.

[Growth rate and rate of change in growth rate]
Next, the rate of change in the suitable elongation rate when the paper bundle is pressure-bonded will be described. In the present embodiment, the binding teeth 250A having the non-contact surface portions 265 and 275 and the inclined surface portions 269 and 279 are used, and the rate of change in the elongation rate is smaller than in the conventional case to prevent the booklet from being torn after the binding process. is doing.

First, the growth rate will be described. FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining the elongation rate, and shows a part of a cross section in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the tooth 250. In FIG. 27, the side surface separation distance M (see FIG. 25) between the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 is 0.09 mm. The side separation distance M = 0.09 mm corresponds to the thickness of a bundle of paper after crimping two general copy papers.

In the present embodiment, the elongation rate virtually indicates the elongation of the paper bundle with respect to the reference length when the paper bundle is not crimped when the paper bundle is engaged and crimped by the teeth 250. The elongation rate is defined by the following formula (1) based on the lengths A to E of each part of the binding tooth 250A shown in FIG. 27.

Elongation rate = (A + B + C + D + E) / F ... (1)
A: Half the length of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion 269 of the lower tooth 260 B: Half the length of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion 279 of the upper tooth 270 C: The third ridge line portion 267c of the lower tooth 260 and the upper tooth 270 Length of common tangent to the third ridge of 277c D: Length along the curved line from the intersection of the third ridge of the lower tooth 260 to the straight part of the inclined surface portion 269 to the common tangent. E: Length along the curved line from the intersection of the third ridge line portion 277c of the upper tooth 270 and the straight line portion of the inclined surface portion 279 to the common tangent portion F: The center point of the straight line portion of the inclined surface portion 269 of the lower tooth 260 The length between the center point of the straight line portion of the inclined surface portion 279 of the upper tooth 270.

FIG. 28 shows a side view of a state in which the lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270 are in mesh with each other. 29 (A) to 29 (D) show the elongation ratio in each cross section of the binding tooth 250A shown in FIG. 28. 29 (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the ww line of the binding tooth 250A, FIG. 29 (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the xx line of the binding tooth 250A, and FIG. 29 (C) is a cross-sectional view. FIG. 29 (D) is a cross-sectional view taken along the yy line of the binding tooth 250A, and FIG. 29 (D) is a cross-sectional view taken along the zz line of the binding tooth 250A. The cross section along the ww line shown in FIG. 29 (A) is a cross section at the position ww where the lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270 start to mesh with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 29 (A) to 29 (D), since the binding tooth 250A is provided with the non-contact surface portion 265 and the inclined surface portion 269, it extends toward the second ridge line portion 267b on the front surface portion 266A side. The rate can be gradually reduced. In this way, by gradually changing the elongation rate from the top surface portion 268 to the front surface portion 266A, it is possible to prevent a sudden change in the elongation rate when the engagement start of the binding teeth 250A is used as a reference. In the illustration of FIG. 28, the front surface portion 266A shows an example in which the front surface portion 266A is provided with a flat surface portion, but the front surface portion 266A is not necessarily provided with the flat surface portion, and the front surface portion 266A is composed of a curved surface. Is also good.

Next, the rate of change in the growth rate will be described. In the present embodiment, the rate of change in the elongation rate is the rate of change in the elongation rate between the two cross sections in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the binding tooth 250A, and indicates the ease of tearing of the paper bundle during crimping. It is an index. The rate of change in the elongation rate is defined by the following equation (2).

Rate of change in elongation rate = (elongation rate Y-elongation rate X) / distance Z ... (2)
Elongation rate X: Elongation rate in cross section X Elongation rate Y: Elongation rate distance in cross section Y Z: Distance between cross section X and cross section Y

FIG. 30A is a graph showing the rate of change in the elongation rate when a plurality of types of binding teeth are used. In FIG. 30A, the vertical axis is the rate of change in the elongation rate, and the horizontal axis is the distance from the start of tooth meshing. FIG. 30B shows the shapes of the binding teeth used in FIG. 30A, and also shows the verification results of tearing of the binding booklet when the paper bundle is bound using these binding teeth. ing. The binding tooth A is the binding tooth 250A described in the present embodiment, and has a non-contact surface portion 265,275 and an inclined surface portion 269,279. The binding tooth D is a conventional binding tooth and has a configuration that does not have a non-contact surface portion and an inclined surface portion. The binding teeth B and C have a non-contact surface, and the inclined surface portion has a curved surface shape. The bundle of paper used was composed of 10 sheets.

As shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, when the binding tooth A is used, the non-contact surface portions 265 and 275 and the inclined surface portions 269 and 279 are provided, so that the ratio of the elongation change rate meshes with each other. It gradually increases from the beginning and gradually decreases with a value less than 0.4 as the peak value. As a result, as shown in FIG. 30 (B), when the binding tooth A is used, the rate of change in the elongation rate does not exceed 0.4 as the peak value, so that the paper bundle is rapidly elongated at the time of crimping. Since the change can be prevented, no tear occurred in the booklet after the binding process.

When the binding tooth B is used, the rate of change in the elongation rate rises sharply from the beginning of meshing of the binding tooth B, but the peak value of the rate of change in the elongation rate does not exceed 0.4, so the booklet after the binding process. In, no tear occurred.

On the other hand, when the binding tooth C was used, the rate of change in the elongation rate sharply increased from the beginning of meshing to exceed 0.4, and then sharply decreased. When the binding tooth D is used, the rate of change in the elongation rate rises with a larger inclination than that of the binding tooth A, exceeds 0.4, and then gradually decreases. In these cases, as shown in FIG. 30B, when the paper bundle is crimped, a sudden change in elongation occurs at the second ridge line portion 267, the third ridge line portion 267c, and the like, and as a result, after the binding process. A tear occurred in the booklet.

[Example of block configuration of image forming system 300]
FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming system 300. As shown in FIG. 31, the image forming system 300 includes an image forming apparatus 100 and a post-processing apparatus 200.

The image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 102 for controlling the operation of each component unit. The control unit 102 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. The CPU executes various functions related to the image forming process by reading and executing the program stored in the ROM.

The display unit 140 and the input unit 150 are connected to the control unit 102, respectively. The display unit 140 and the input unit 150 supply information such as post-processing conditions input by the user to the control unit 202, and display a predetermined image on the screen based on the control from the control unit 202.

Further, an external device 500 is connected to the control unit 102 via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) as an example. The external device 500 is composed of a personal computer, an information portable terminal, or the like, and communicates with the control unit 102 regarding image formation processing such as a print job.

The post-processing device 200 includes a control unit 202 for controlling the operation of each component unit. The control unit 202 is connected to the control unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100, and interlocks with the control unit 102 to execute a function related to post-processing including crimp binding. The control unit 202 has a CPU, a ROM, and the like, like the control unit 102.

The binding device 210, the paper transport unit 284, the paper loading unit 280, the door open / close detection unit 294, and the power supply unit 296 are connected to the control unit 202, respectively.

The binding device 210 includes a drive motor 212, an HP sensor 218, a timing sensor 220, and an encoder 224.

The drive motor 212 is driven based on the drive signal supplied from the control unit 202 to rotate the eccentric cam 216. By setting an upper limit value for the current value supplied to the drive motor 212, damage to the drive motor 212 due to overcurrent may be prevented. Further, as the stop control of the drive motor 212, a short brake, a reverse brake, and a return at the time of overrun can be adopted.

The HP sensor 218 detects the presence or absence of the detection piece 219 indicating whether the eccentric cam 216 is in the home position, and supplies the detection signal to the control unit 202.

The timing sensor 220 detects the presence / absence of the detection piece 221 indicating the rotation position of the eccentric cam 216 and supplies the detection signal to the control unit 202. For example, when the control unit 202 has an abnormality such as a failure of the binding device 210 during the binding process and the timing sensor 220 is on, the eccentric cam 216 is ahead of the half position and the load is increased. Is after the peak, so the drive motor 212 is controlled so that the eccentric cam 216 returns to the home position by forward rotation. On the other hand, when an abnormality occurs and the timing sensor 220 is off, the control unit 202 uses the eccentric cam 216 because the eccentric cam 216 has not advanced from the half position and the load is before the peak. The drive motor 212 is controlled so as to return to the home position by reverse rotation.

The encoder 224 is attached to the motor gear 213 (see FIG. 10) of the drive motor 212, detects the rotational speed of the drive motor 212, and supplies the detection signal to the control unit 202. The control unit 202 controls, for example, the noise of the drive motor 212 by controlling the rotation speed of the drive motor 212 based on the rotation speed of the drive motor 212 detected by the encoder 224.

The paper transport unit 284 is composed of, for example, a DC motor, a stepping motor, or the like, and is driven based on a drive signal supplied from the control unit 202 to carry the transport roller of the transport path R1 or the transport rollers 282, 283 of the transport path R2. Etc. are driven to rotate.

The paper loading unit 280 has a jogger drive unit 288 and an end wall drive unit 293. The jogger drive unit 288 is composed of, for example, a DC motor, a stepping motor, or the like, and moves the side joggers 286, 287 in the paper width direction by driving based on a drive signal supplied from the control unit 202.

The end wall drive unit 293 is composed of, for example, a DC motor, a stepping motor, or the like, and is driven based on a drive signal supplied from the control unit 202 to move the end wall 292 to a binding position provided in the paper transport direction. ..

The door open / close detection unit 294 detects the open / close operation of the open / close door provided on the front side of the aftertreatment device 200 and supplies the detection signal to the control unit 202. The power supply unit 296 is, for example, an AC power supply of 100 V, and supplies electric power to the post-processing device 200. When the control unit 202 acquires the detection signal from the door open / close detection unit 294, the control unit 202 controls the power supply unit 296 to stop the supply of electric power to the aftertreatment device 200. As a result, the power can be turned off when the post-processing device 200 stops abnormally.

[Operation example of post-processing device 200]
FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing an example of a binding operation including a binding command. The CPU of the control unit 202 executes the process shown in FIG. 32 by reading a program from a memory such as a ROM.

In step S100, the control unit 202 determines whether or not the print job including the binding command is transmitted from, for example, the control unit 102. If it is determined that the print job including the binding command has been transmitted, the control unit 202 proceeds to step S110, and if it determines that the print job including the binding command has not been transmitted, the control unit 202 waits until there is a binding command.

In step S110, the control unit 202 rotates and drives the drive motor 212 when the paper bundle on which the image is formed is set at the binding position. As a result, the eccentric cam 216 rotates once, and the teeth 250 change from the separated state to the meshed state, the paper bundle is crimped and bound, and a booklet is created.

In step S120, the control unit 202 sets a timer for determining an abnormality and starts counting with the rotational drive of the drive motor 212.

In step S130, the control unit 202 determines whether or not the HP sensor 218 is turned on. That is, it is determined whether or not the eccentric cam 216 makes one rotation and returns to the home position again. When the HP sensor 218 is turned on, the control unit 202 determines that the crimping process of the paper bundle by the binding teeth 250A is completed, proceeds to step S140, and stops the rotation of the drive motor 212.

On the other hand, if the control unit 202 determines in step S130 that the HP sensor 218 is not turned on, the control unit 202 proceeds to step S150. In step S150, the control unit 202 determines whether or not the set timer has timed out. If the timer has not timed out, the control unit 202 determines that the binding process by the teeth 250 has not been completed, returns to step S130, and continues driving the drive motor 212.

On the other hand, when the control unit 202 determines that the timer has timed out, it determines that an abnormality has occurred due to a failure of the drive motor 212 or the like, and proceeds to step S160 to stop the rotational drive of the drive motor 212.

In step S160, the control unit 202 displays an error on the screen of the display unit 140 or the screen of the external device 500 to the effect that the binding process has not been completed normally. In the present embodiment, such a process is repeatedly executed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the binding tooth 250A or the like, a non-contact surface portion 265 is provided between the contact surface portion 264 and the first ridge line portion 267a, or the top surface portions 268 and the second Since the inclined surface portion 269 is provided between the ridge line portion 267b and the ridge line portion 267b, the local elongation of the paper P at the time of crimping can be relaxed. That is, the boundary between the side surface portion 263 and the inclined surface portion 269 and the first ridge line portion 267a and the second ridge line portion 267b can be gently changed. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the paper P from being torn. Further, since the paper P can be prevented from being torn even when the pressing load at the time of crimping is increased, the number of sheets to be bound can be increased by increasing the pressing load. For example, it is possible to satisfactorily bind a bundle of paper of about 5 to 10 sheets by crimp binding.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the starting point at which the crimp-bound booklet starts to peel off and the starting point at the crimping portion of the booklet are brought close to each other, the holding force at the binding portion of the booklet bundle can be improved.

Although the present invention has been described using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-described embodiments. Various changes or improvements can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the non-contact surface portion 265 is provided on both side surface portions 263 of all the tooth portions 262 in the binding tooth 250A and the like has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the non-contact surface portion 265 may be provided only on the side surface portion 263 on one side of the tooth portion 262, or the non-contact surface portion 265 may be provided only on a specific tooth portion 262 among the plurality of tooth portions 262. You can do it. Further, the non-contact surface portion 265 may be provided only on one of the lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270. The same applies to the inclined surface portion 269.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the binding device 210 is mounted in the post-processing device 200 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the binding device 210 may be mounted in the image forming apparatus 100. In this case, the binding device 210 is installed on the downstream side of the paper transport direction D from the fixing portion 120.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the corners of the paper bundle are pressure-bonded by the binding device 210 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the vicinity of the folded portion of the center-folded booklet is pressure-bonded. You may try to create a booklet. In this case, it is preferable that the uneven arrangement direction of the crimp binding is along the crease.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the tooth portions 262 such as the binding tooth 250A are arranged linearly has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lower teeth 260 and the upper teeth 270 may be arranged in a curved shape or an annular shape instead of a linear shape, may be arranged in a plurality of rows, or may be arranged in a grid pattern.

100 Image forming device 200 Post-processing device (paper transfer device)
212 Drive motor (drive unit)
230 Binding tool 232 Press lever 234 Upper arm (drive unit)
236 Lower arm (drive unit)
242 Arm fulcrum (shaft)
250A, 250B, 250C, 250D, 250E, 250F Binding tooth 260 Lower tooth (first tooth)
262 Tooth part 263 Side part 264 Contact surface part 265 Non-contact surface part 267a First ridge line part 267b Second ridge line part 267c Third ridge line part 268 End face part (front part)
269 Inclined surface 270 Upper tooth (second tooth)
280 Paper loading section (accumulation section)
284 Paper transport section (transport section)
300 image formation system

Claims (11)

A pair of teeth with a plurality of protrusions arranged to mesh with each other when brought close to each other.
The convex portion of at least one of the pair of teeth has the convex portion of the other tooth on the facing surface facing the convex portion of the other tooth when the pair of teeth are meshed with each other. the abutting contact surface parts, does not contact the convex portion of the other teeth and a non-contact surface possess,
The convex portion of the one tooth portion has an apical surface formed on one end side in the convex direction.
The tooth portion is characterized by having an inclined surface inclined toward the apex. The convex portion of the one tooth portion has an end surface that is bent from one end side of the facing surface and is configured as a surface along the convex direction.
The tooth portion according to claim 1, wherein the non-contact surface is provided between the contact surface and the end surface. The tooth portion according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of convex portions of the pair of tooth portions are arranged so as to be arranged in a predetermined direction. The non-contact surface of the convex portion of the one tooth portion, when the pair of tooth portions are engaged, the distance from the non-contact surface of the convex portion of the other tooth portion increases toward the end face side. The tooth portion according to claim 2 , wherein the tooth portion is configured to be large. A pair of teeth with a plurality of protrusions arranged to mesh with each other when brought close to each other.
The convex portion of at least one of the pair of teeth has the convex portion of the other tooth on the facing surface facing the convex portion of the other tooth when the pair of teeth are meshed with each other. It has a contact surface that abuts on the portion and a non-contact surface that does not abut on the convex portion of the other tooth portion.
The plurality of convex portions of the pair of teeth are arranged so as to be aligned in a predetermined direction.
Of the plurality of convex portions arranged in a predetermined direction, the length of the convex portions arranged at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the facing surface is the convex portion arranged in the intermediate portion of the plurality of convex portions. teeth you wherein the longer composed than the longitudinal length of the facing surface of the. A pair of teeth with a plurality of protrusions arranged to mesh with each other when brought close to each other.
The convex portion of at least one of the pair of teeth has the convex portion of the other tooth on the facing surface facing the convex portion of the other tooth when the pair of teeth are meshed with each other. It has a contact surface that abuts on the portion and a non-contact surface that does not abut on the convex portion of the other tooth portion.
The plurality of convex portions of the pair of teeth are arranged so as to be aligned in a predetermined direction.
The pair of teeth, teeth you, characterized in that the length in the longitudinal direction is arranged alternately a plurality of the convex portions having different the opposing surface. Before SL and engage the pair of teeth, and the contact surface of the facing surface of the projection of the one tooth portion, the normal between the abutting surface of the facing surface of the convex portion of the other teeth When the length is 0.23 mm or more and 0.35 mm or less, the contact surface of the facing surface of the convex portion of the one tooth portion and the contact surface of the facing surface of the convex portion of the other tooth portion face each other in parallel. The tooth portion according to claim 1, wherein the facing length is 0 mm or more. It is a tooth part that crimps and binds a bundle of paper by engaging the first tooth and the second tooth that form a pair.
The first tooth is provided between a top surface portion, a front surface portion, a side surface portion, an inclined surface portion provided between the top surface portion and the front surface portion, and between the inclined surface portion and the side surface portion. With a third ridgeline
The second tooth is provided between the top surface portion, the front surface portion, the side surface portion, the inclined surface portion provided between the top surface portion and the front surface portion, and between the inclined surface portion and the side surface portion. With a third ridgeline
When the first tooth and the second tooth are engaged with each other at a certain interval,
Let A be half the length of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion of the first tooth, B be the half length of the straight portion of the inclined surface portion of the second tooth, and the first of the first teeth. Let C be the length of the common tangential portion between the ridgeline portion of 3 and the third ridgeline portion of the second tooth, and the intersection of the third ridgeline portion of the first tooth and the straight line portion of the inclined surface portion. Let D be the length from the common tangent portion to the common tangent portion, and let E be the length from the intersection of the third ridge line portion of the second tooth and the straight line portion of the inclined surface portion to the common tangent portion. Let F be the length between the center point of the straight line portion of the inclined surface portion of the tooth and the center point of the straight line portion of the inclined surface portion of the second tooth, and let (A + B + C + D + E) / F be the elongation rate.
When the first tooth and the second tooth are meshed with each other at a certain interval, the first tooth and the second tooth are displaced from each other in the longitudinal direction. When the elongation rate is X and Y, the distance between the position of the elongation rate X and the position of the elongation rate Y is Z, and (YX) / Z is the change rate of the elongation rate, the elongation rate is A tooth portion characterized by a change rate of 0.4 or less. A binding tool comprising the tooth portion according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a drive portion that can be driven in a direction in which the pair of tooth portions are brought into contact with each other and separated from each other. A transport unit that transports paper and
A loading unit for loading paper transported by the transport unit, and a loading unit.
A paper processing apparatus including the binding tool according to claim 9 , which binds a bundle of paper loaded by the loading unit. An image forming device that forms an image on paper,
A transport unit for transporting paper on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus, and a transport unit.
A loading unit for loading paper transported by the transport unit, and a loading unit
An image forming system comprising the binding tool according to claim 9 , which binds a bundle of paper loaded on the loading unit.

Images