JP7545657B2 - SHEET INSERTION DEVICE, LAMINATION DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a sheet insertion device that inserts an inner sheet after peeling off the non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet made of two overlapping sheets joined at a joint, a lamination processing device that includes the same, an image forming device such as a copier, printer, facsimile, or a combination machine or printing machine thereof, and an image forming system.

Conventionally, there has been known a sheet insertion device (laminating device) in which a polymerized sheet made of two sheets superimposed and joined at one end thereof is peeled off and an inner sheet is inserted (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In detail, the laminating device (sheet insertion device) in Patent Document 1 separates (peels off) two sheets of a laminate sheet (polymerized sheet) having one side joined at one end thereof, and inserts a protective paper (middle sheet) between them.

In conventional sheet insertion devices, when a perforated inner sheet is inserted between two sheets of a perforated (punched) polymerized sheet, the punch holes in the polymerized sheet and the punch holes in the inner sheet become misaligned. As a result, even if an attempt is made to file a polymerized sheet with an inner sheet inserted using the punch holes, it is not possible to file the sheet satisfactorily due to the misaligned punch holes.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a sheet insertion device, lamination processing device, image forming device, and image forming system that are less likely to cause problems such as misalignment between the punch holes in the polymerized sheet and the punch holes in the inner sheet.

The sheet insertion device of the present invention is a sheet insertion device that inserts a middle sheet between two sheets in a state in which the non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet having one end side joined as a joint is peeled off, and is provided with a perforation processing unit that performs a perforation process on the polymerized sheet in a state in which at least the leading end portion of the middle sheet is inserted, and the perforation processing unit performs a perforation process on the one end side of the polymerized sheet in a state in which the leading end portion of the middle sheet is inserted and the other end sides of the two sheets are peeled off .

The present invention provides a sheet insertion device, lamination processing device, image forming device, and image forming system that are less susceptible to problems such as misalignment of punch holes in a polymerized sheet and punch holes in an inner sheet.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a sheet insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1A is a side view showing a state in which the gripping member has been moved to a gripping position, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a state in which the gripping member has been moved to a retracted position. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which the gripping member has been moved to a gripping position, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state in which the gripping member has been moved to a retracted position. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an operation of the sheet insertion device. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet insertion device subsequent to FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet insertion device subsequent to FIG. 5 . 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet insertion device subsequent to FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet insertion device subsequent to FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet insertion device subsequent to FIG. 8 . 13 is a view showing a state in which a peeling claw is inserted into a polymerized sheet in the width direction. FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the operation of the peeling claw. 10 is a flowchart showing a control process performed in the sheet insertion device. 13 is a flowchart showing the control following FIG. 12 . FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a moving mechanism of a peeling claw. FIG. 4 is a view showing the punching processing portion in the width direction. 1A is a diagram showing the polymerized sheet and the middle sheet after the first perforation mode, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the polymerized sheet and the middle sheet after the second perforation mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a lamination processing device as a first modified example. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to a second modified example. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an image forming system according to a third modified example. 13A is a diagram showing a sheet insertion device as modified example 4, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a lamination processing device.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that in each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals, and the repeated explanations will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

First, the overall configuration and operation of a sheet insertion device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The sheet insertion device 1 is a device that inserts a middle sheet PM between two sheets P1 and P2 in a state where the non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet PJ (see Figure 11, etc.) in which two sheets P1 and P2 are stacked and joined at one end side as joint A is peeled off.
In particular, in this embodiment, the polymerization sheet PJ is made by stacking two sheets P1 and P2 and joining one of the four sides as a joint A. That is, the polymerization sheet PJ (two sheets P1 and P2) is connected by heat welding or the like at only one side (joint A), and the other parts are not joined. Moreover, transparent film sheets (laminate sheets) can be used as the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerization sheet PJ.
Then, the sheet insertion device 1 peels off the two sheets P1, P2 that make up the polymerized sheet PJ (separating the other end sides of the two sheets P1, P2 opposite the joint A while maintaining the joint A), and inserts an inner sheet PM (at least one sheet of plain paper, a photograph, etc.) between the two peeled sheets P1, P2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet insertion device 1 is provided with first and second feed trays 11, 12, first and second feed rollers 2, 3, first to fourth pairs of conveying rollers 4-7 as conveying means, a discharge tray 13 as a sheet stacking means, first to fifth sensors 41-45, an abnormality detection sensor 46 as an abnormality detection means, a winding roller 20, a moving mechanism 30, a peeling claw 16 as a peeling member (see FIG. 6, FIG. 11, etc.), a perforation processing section 10 (punch processing section), and the like.
Further, the sheet insertion device 1 is formed with a plurality of transport paths, such as a first transport path K1, a second transport path K2, a third transport path K3, a first branch transport path K4, a second branch transport path K5, etc. Each of these transport paths K1 to K5 is for guiding the transport of a sheet (such as a superimposed sheet PJ or a middle sheet PM), and is formed by two opposing transport guide members (guide plates).
In particular, in this embodiment, the first transport path K1 is a reversing transport path that reverses the front and back of the polymerized sheet PJ fed from the first feed tray 11. The second transport path K2 is a straight transport path that does not reverse the front and back of the intermediate sheet PM fed from the second feed tray 12. The first transport path K1 and the second transport path K2 join at a joining point and are connected to the third transport path K3, which is a straight transport path.

More specifically, the polymerization sheets PJ are stacked on the first feed tray 11. The uppermost polymerization sheet PJ on the first feed tray 11 is fed by the first feed roller 2 and is then transported by the first transport roller pair 4 along the first transport path K1.
In this manner, the first feeding tray 11, the first feeding roller 2, etc. function as a first feeding unit that feeds the polymerized sheet PJ. The first feeding unit feeds the polymerized sheet PJ from the first feeding tray 11 by rotating the first feeding roller 2 under the control of the control unit (control unit).
Further, middle sheets PM are stacked on the second feeding tray 12. The uppermost middle sheet PM on the second feeding tray 12 is fed by the second feeding roller 3.
In this way, the second feeding tray 12, the second feeding roller 3, etc. function as a second feeding means for feeding the middle sheet PM (a sheet inserted between the two sheets P1, P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ from which the non-jointed portion has been peeled off). The second feeding means rotates the second feeding roller 3 under the control of the control unit (control means) to feed the middle sheet PM from the second feeding tray 12.

In the present embodiment, the sheet insertion device 1 controls the second feeding means 3, 12 to start feeding the middle sheet PM after the polymeric sheet PJ has been fed by the first feeding means 2, 11 and before the operation of peeling off the non-jointed portion of the polymeric sheet PJ is completed.
That is, in this embodiment, feeding of the polymerized sheet PJ and feeding of the middle sheet PM are not performed by separate operations (operations of the operation display panel 49 by the user), but can be performed by a single operation. Specifically, when the user presses a button on the operation display panel 49 once to start the processing operation, a peeling operation in which the polymerized sheet PJ is fed and an insertion operation in which the middle sheet PM is inserted between the peeled polymerized sheets PJ are automatically performed together based on that single command.
The operation of starting to feed the middle sheet PM from the second feed tray 12 is not performed after the peeling operation of the overlay sheet PJ is completed, but before the peeling operation of the overlay sheet PJ is completed. Therefore, the time required for a series of steps from feeding the overlay sheet PJ from the first feed tray 11 to completing the insertion of the middle sheet PM is efficiently shortened, improving the productivity of the device. In other words, the time from the start to the end of processing in the sheet insertion device 1 is shortened.

Here, the first to third conveying roller pairs 4 to 6 each consist of a drive roller and a driven roller, and convey the sheet sandwiched between them. In the third conveying path K3, from the upstream side, the second conveying roller pair 5, the wrapping roller 20, and the third conveying roller pair 6 are installed. In particular, the wrapping roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6 can rotate forward and backward, and the third conveying roller pair 6 is configured to be able to convey the sheet in both the forward direction (left direction in FIG. 1) and the reverse direction (right direction in FIG. 1). In addition, downstream of the third conveying roller pair 6 (left side in FIG. 1) and upstream of the fourth conveying roller pair 7 (right side in FIG. 1), a perforation processing unit 10 is installed for performing a perforation process (punch process) on the laminated sheet with the leading edge of the middle sheet inserted. The fourth conveying roller pair 7 functions as a discharge roller pair that discharges the processed sheet out of the device.

The first to fifth sensors 41 to 45, which serve as sheet detection sensors, are all reflective photosensors that optically detect whether or not a sheet is present at that position. The first sensor 41 is disposed near the downstream side of the first conveyor roller pair 4 in the conveying direction, the second sensor 42 is disposed near the downstream side of the second feed roller 3 in the conveying direction, the third sensor 43 is disposed near the downstream side of the second conveyor roller pair 5 in the conveying direction, the fourth sensor 44 is disposed near the downstream side of the winding roller 20 in the forward direction (to the left of the winding roller 20 in FIG. 1) and upstream of the third conveyor roller pair 6 in the forward direction (to the right of the third conveyor roller pair 6 in FIG. 1), and the fifth sensor 45 is disposed downstream of the third conveyor roller pair 6 in the forward direction (to the left of the third conveyor roller pair 6 in FIG. 1).

2, 3, 5B-5D, 6A, etc., the winding roller 20 is a roller member that rotates in a predetermined rotation direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 5) at a winding start position W (see FIG. 5B) with the other end side of the polymerization sheet PJ (the side opposite the side where joint A is formed, and the leading end side in the transport direction in which the sheet is transported to the right in FIG. 1) gripped by gripping member 32 (gripping portion) to wrap the polymerization sheet PJ. The winding roller 20 is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotation shaft 20a by the drive of a drive motor controlled by a control unit.
Specifically, the polymerized sheet PJ is conveyed in the forward direction on the third conveying path K3 by the second conveying roller pair 5 via the first conveying path K1 from the first feeding tray 11, passes through the winding start position W of the winding roller 20, and is conveyed to the position of the third conveying roller pair 6 (a position just before the rear end of the polymerized sheet PJ passes through the fourth sensor 44 and passes through the third conveying roller pair 6). The polymerized sheet PJ is then conveyed in the reverse direction to the position of the winding roller 20 (winding start position W) by the reversed third conveying roller pair 6, and the other end side (tip side) is gripped by the gripping member 32. The polymerized sheet PJ is then further conveyed with the other end side (tip side) gripped, and is wound by the winding roller 20 rotating in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1.

Then, referring to FIG. 5(C') and the like, when the polymerized sheet PJ is wound by the winding roller 20, the winding length is proportional to the roller diameter, so the winding length of the first sheet P1 on the inner peripheral surface side of the roller becomes shorter than the winding length of the second sheet P2 on the outer peripheral surface side of the roller. Therefore, a shift occurs in the part where the first sheet P1 and the second sheet P2 are in close contact (attached part) other than the joint part A and the gripped part B, and the first sheet P1 is bent (slackened) relative to the second sheet P2 due to the shift, and as shown in FIG. 5(D), FIG. 6(A), and the like, a gap C (the gap C formed by the upper first sheet P1 being bent upward) is formed between the two sheets P1 and P2 on the side of the joint part A of the polymerized sheet PJ (one end side, the upstream side in the conveying direction conveyed to the right in FIG. 1). In this way, the two sheets P1 and P2 go from a state where they are in close contact with each other without a gap to a state where they are peeled off (separated).
In particular, in this embodiment, in order to significantly form the gap C as described above (to increase the difference in the winding lengths of the sheets P1 and P2), the polymerization sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 at least one revolution.
In this manner, in the present embodiment, by providing the winding roller 20 around which the polymerized sheet PJ is wound, it is possible to peel off the polymerized sheet PJ without increasing the size and cost of the sheet insertion device 1 significantly.

Here, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5(B'), the gripping member 32 is configured to grip the gripped portion B without contacting the end face of the other end side (the side of the gripped portion B, which is the tip side in the conveying direction conveyed to the right in Fig. 1) of the polymerization sheet PJ. In this way, the polymerization sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 from the other end side (tip side) while the other end sides (tip sides) of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerization sheet PJ do not move relative to each other.
In detail, the gripping member 32 is configured to pinch and grip the gripped portion B between itself and the receiving portion 20b of the winding roller 20, without contacting the other end face of the polymerization sheet PJ with any member. The receiving portion 20b is formed on the outer periphery of the winding roller 20 so as to be exposed to the outside and to be able to face the gripping member 32.
Specifically, the polymerized sheet PJ is not held between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b with the other end face (tip face) abutting a specific member (for example, the gripping member 32 itself), but rather is held between the outer gripping member 32 and the inner receiving portion 20b without the other end face (tip face) abutting any member.
Therefore, compared to the case where the leading end surface is butted, the problem of the polymerization sheet PJ (particularly the leading end portion) being damaged can be reduced. In particular, if the leading end surface of the polymerization sheet P is damaged, it becomes difficult to laminate that portion, so the configuration of the present invention is useful.
In this embodiment, the polymerization sheet PJ wound around the winding roller 20 has a joint A formed on one end side opposite to the other end side that becomes the gripped portion B.

In this embodiment, at least one of the gripping member 32 (grip portion) and the receiving portion 20b is formed of an elastic material such as rubber.
This makes it possible to increase the gripping force on the polymerization sheet PJ and to prevent damage to the surface of the polymerization sheet PJ, as compared with a case in which both the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b are made of a rigid body such as a metal material or a resin material. In particular, when both the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b are made of an elastic material, such an effect is significantly obtained.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the moving mechanism 30 moves the gripping member 32 between a gripping position (the position shown in Figures 2(A) and 3(A)) where the gripping member 32 can grip the polymerization sheet PJ and a retracted position (the position shown in Figures 2(B) and 3(B)) where the gripping member 32 is retracted from the gripping position.
In detail, the moving mechanism 30 is made up of an arm member 31, a compression spring 33 as a biasing member, a cam 34, a motor (not shown) that drives the cam 34 to rotate in forward and reverse directions, and the like.
The arm member 31 holds the gripping member 32 and is held by the winding roller 20 so as to be rotatable together with the gripping member 32 around the support shaft 31a. In this embodiment, the gripping member 32 is integrally formed (held) at the tip of the arm member 31. Alternatively, the gripping member 32 may be a separate member from the arm member 31, and the gripping member 32 may be installed (held) on the arm member 31. In any case, the arm member 31 holding the gripping member 32 rotates together with the winding roller 20 around the rotation shaft 20a.
The compression spring 33 functions as a biasing member that biases the arm member 31 so that the gripping member 32 moves from the retracted position shown in Fig. 2(B) to the gripping position shown in Fig. 2(A). Specifically, one end of the compression spring 33 is connected to a fixed position near the rotating shaft 20a, and the other end is connected to one end side of the arm member 31 (the side opposite to the side where the gripping member 32 is provided across the support shaft 31a).
The cam 34 pushes the arm member 31 against the bias of a compression spring 33 (biasing member) so that the gripping member 32 moves from the gripping position shown in Fig. 2(A) to the retracted position shown in Fig. 2(B). The cam 34 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions at a desired rotation angle by a motor controlled by the control unit. The cam 34 is held by the device housing so as to be rotatable about a cam shaft 34a, independently of the winding roller 20.

2A and 3A, when the cam 34 is not in contact with the arm member 31, the arm member 31 is biased by the compression spring 33, and the gripping member 32 is in pressure contact with the receiving portion 20b (closed state). In this closed state, the polymerization sheet PJ can be gripped.
2B and 3B, when the cam 34 presses the arm member 31, the arm member 31 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2B about the support shaft 31a against the bias of the compression spring 33, and the gripping member 32 is separated from the receiving portion 20b (open state). This open state is a state in which the polymerized sheet PJ cannot be gripped (gripped state).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the roller portion of the winding roller 20 is divided into multiple parts (seven parts) in the axial direction, and the cam 34 is also divided into multiple parts in the axial direction to match the division positions.
In this way, by dividing the position at which the polymerized sheet PJ is gripped in the axial direction rather than over the entire axial area, it is possible to distribute the load required to grip the polymerized sheet PJ. This configuration is useful when the required gripping force is large.

1, 4(D), 5(A), etc., the sheet insertion device 1 in this embodiment is provided with a fourth sensor 44 (sheet detection sensor) that detects the polymerized sheet PJ transported between the winding roller 20 and the third transport roller pair 6. The movement mechanism 30 is controlled based on the detection result of the fourth sensor 44 that detects the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ transported by the third transport roller pair 6 toward the winding roller 20.
Specifically, the fourth sensor 44 is disposed on the conveying path between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6. Then, as shown in FIG. 4D, FIG. 5A, etc., when the polymerized sheet PJ is conveyed in the reverse direction toward the position of the winding roller 20 by the third conveying roller pair 6 with the gripped portion B at the front, the fourth sensor 44 detects the leading edge (the leading edge during reverse conveying). Then, the timing of detection is used as a trigger to adjust and control the timing of stopping the polymerized sheet PJ at the gripping position and the timing of gripping the gripped portion B by the gripping member 32. Specifically, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ was detected by the fourth sensor 44, the reverse conveying of the polymerized sheet PJ by the third conveying roller pair 6 is stopped, and the cam 34 is rotated to rotate the arm member 31 (moving mechanism 30) so that the gripping member 32 moves from the retracted position shown in FIG. 2B to the gripping position shown in FIG. 2A.
By performing such control, the other end (tip side) of the polymerized sheet PJ can be precisely clamped between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b without the end face of the polymerized sheet PJ hitting any member.

As described above, the third conveying roller pair 6 is a conveying roller pair that conveys the polymerized sheet with the other end side (the side of the gripped portion B) leading toward the winding roller 20 (winding start position W) on the third conveying path K3 (conveying path) formed between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6.

Also, referring to Figures 6(A) to (C), 10, 11(A) to (E), 14, etc., the peeling claw 16 as a peeling member is a claw-shaped member which is moved from a standby position shown in Figure 11(A) and inserted into a gap C formed between two sheets P1, P2 at a predetermined position with respect to the polymerization sheet PJ.
More specifically, the peeling claw 16 is inserted from a standby position at the widthwise end into the gap C formed between the two sheets P1, P2 between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6, with the polymerized sheet PJ being wrapped around the other end side (the side of the gripped portion B) by the winding roller 20 and having one end side (the side of the joint A) clamped by the third conveying roller pair 6 (conveying roller pair).

More specifically, in this embodiment, the peeling claws 16 are a pair of peeling claws arranged at both ends in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 6, and the left-right direction in Figs. 10 and 14). As shown in Fig. 11, the peeling claws 16 are formed so that their length in the up-down direction (the thickness direction of the polymerized sheet PJ) gradually increases from their leading end on the widthwise center side to their trailing end on the widthwise outer side. Furthermore, the peeling claws 16 are configured to be movable in the width direction by a moving mechanism 76 (see Fig. 14) controlled by the control unit.
The peeling claw 16 thus configured normally waits at a standby position (a position on the outer side in the width direction of the sheet P as shown in FIG. 11A) where it does not interfere with the transport of sheets such as the overlay sheet PJ in the third transport path K3. When separating the overlay sheet PJ (two sheets P1, P2), the peeling claw 16 enters the gap C in the overlay sheet PJ to secure the gap C as shown in FIGS. 10, 11B, etc.

As shown in Fig. 14, a moving mechanism 76 for moving each of the pair of peeling claws 16 in the width direction is composed of a motor 77, a gear pulley 78, a pulley 79, a timing belt 80, etc. The gear pulley 78 is formed in a stepped shape with a gear that meshes with a motor gear installed on the motor shaft of the motor 77 and a pulley that stretches and supports the timing belt 80 together with the pulley 79. Of the pair of peeling claws 16, the fixed portion 16a of one peeling claw 16 is fixed to a part of one belt surface of the timing belt 80 (the upper belt surface in Fig. 14), and the fixed portion 16a of the other peeling claw 16 is fixed to a part of the other belt surface of the timing belt 80 (the lower belt surface in Fig. 14).
When the motor shaft of the motor 77 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 14 (clockwise direction) by the moving mechanism 76 configured in this way, the gear pulley 78 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the timing belt 80 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and the pair of peeling claws 16 moves from the outer side in the width direction toward the center in the width direction (the pair of peeling claws 16 move in the direction toward each other). On the other hand, when the motor shaft of the motor 77 is rotated in the opposite direction to the direction of the arrow in Fig. 14, the pair of peeling claws 16 moves from the center side in the width direction toward the outer side in the width direction (the pair of peeling claws 16 move in the direction away from each other).

This peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C with respect to the polymerized sheet PJ and moves relatively from one end side (the side of the joint A) to the other end side B (the side of the gripped portion B), and then moves in the width direction between the two sheets P1 and P2 at the end side of the other end of the polymerized sheet PJ.
In detail, under the control of the moving mechanism 76 (see FIG. 14) by the control unit, the pair of peeling claws 16, while inserted into both widthwise ends of the gap C with respect to the polymerized sheet PJ, move relatively toward the other end until the other end side ends pass 16a as shown in FIG. 11(B) and (C), and then move from both widthwise ends to the widthwise center between the two sheets P1, P2 at the other end side ends of the polymerized sheet PJ as shown in FIG. 11(D). To enable such operation of the pair of peeling claws 16, the moving mechanism 76 is configured to enable the pair of peeling claws 16 to move from a standby position to a position close to each other.

The mechanism for peeling off the polymerized sheet PJ by winding the polymerized sheet PJ with the winding roller 20 and inserting the peeling claw 16 can be made smaller than a mechanism for peeling off the polymerized sheet PJ using a large-scale device such as a vacuum. In other words, the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerized sheet PJ can be satisfactorily peeled off without the sheet insertion device 1 becoming larger.
In particular, in this embodiment, the peeling claw 16 moves over almost the entire width of the other end of the polymerized sheet PJ (the rear end in the forward direction), so that the other end of the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerized sheet PJ on the opposite side of the joint A can be sufficiently peeled off (separated). Therefore, the other end of the opposite side of the joint A is not sufficiently peeled off, and the middle sheet PM (see FIG. 11E) cannot be inserted from the other end of the polymerized sheet PJ. Furthermore, the function of the peeling claw 16 as a switching member (the function of separately guiding the two sheets P1 and P2 to the two branched transport paths K4 and K5) described below is easily achieved.

Here, in this embodiment, the peeling claw 16 as a peeling member also functions as a switching member that separately guides the two sheets P1, P2 peeled off by the peeling claw 16 to two branched conveying paths K4, K5 that branch off in different directions.
7C and other figures, the two branched transport paths K4 and K5 branch off in different directions across the third transport path K3 between the peeling claw 16 (peeling member) and the winding roller 20. Specifically, the first branched transport path K4 is formed so as to branch off upward from the third transport path K3, and the second branched transport path K5 is formed so as to branch off downward from the third transport path K3.
Then, as shown in Fig. 7A to 7C, after the peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C, the third conveying roller pair 6 conveys the polymerized sheet PJ to one end side (the left side in Fig. 7) so that the other end side of the polymerized sheet PJ is released from the winding roller 20 (see Fig. 11A to 11C). After that, as shown in Fig. 11D, the peeling claw 16 is moved to the center in the width direction, and the third conveying roller pair 6 conveys the polymerized sheet PJ again to the other end side (the right side in Fig. 7) while maintaining that state, and the two sheets P1 and P2 peeled off by the peeling claw 16 are guided separately to the two branched conveying paths K4 and K5 by the peeling claw 16. That is, the first sheet P1 is guided to the first branched conveying path K4, and the second sheet P2 is guided to the second branched conveying path K5. Then, as shown in Figures 8 (A) to (C) and 11 (E), the peeling claw 16 is moved to a standby position, and the middle sheet PM is transported toward one end of the third transport path K3 so that the middle sheet PM is inserted between the two sheets P1, P2 in the peeled state.

In this manner, the peeling claw 16 in the present embodiment functions as a peeling member that peels (separates) the non-jointed portions of the two sheets P1, P2 that make up the polymerized sheet PJ, and also functions as a switching member that separately guides the two peeled sheets P1, P2 to the two branched transport paths K4, K5. Therefore, the sheet insertion device 1 can be made smaller and less expensive than when a peeling member and a switching member are provided separately. In other words, the two sheets P1, P2 that make up the polymerized sheet JP can be efficiently and satisfactorily peeled off.
In this embodiment, the peeling claw 16 is configured to function as a peeling member and also as a switching member, but a member that functions as a switching member may be provided separately from the peeling claw 16 that functions as a peeling member.

6(A), (C), etc., the first guide member 25 functions as a limiting member that limits the amount of slack (warping) of the first sheet P1, of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerization sheet PJ, which is wound on the inside by the winding roller 20, between the peeling claw 16 and the winding roller 20 in the third transport path K3.
In detail, the first guide member 25 as a restricting member is a transport guide member arranged on the side where the winding roller 20 is arranged (above the imaginary plane S1) in the third transport path with respect to the imaginary plane S1 (a virtual plane passing through the winding start position W of the winding roller 20 and the nip of the third transport roller pair 6, see FIG. 6A). The first guide member 25 is formed in a substantially triangular prism shape so as to cover a part of the outer periphery of the winding roller 20 at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery of the winding roller 20, and also functions as a transport guide member between the third transport path K3 and the first branch transport path K4. That is, the first guide member 25 guides the sheet transported on the third transport path K3, the sheet transported on the first branch transport path K4, and the sheet wound around the winding roller 20.
In particular, in the third transport path K3, the upward bending of the polymerized sheet PJ (particularly, the upward bending of the first sheet P1) is limited by the first guide member 25 between the winding roller 20 and the third transport roller pair 6, so that a gap C of the polymerized sheet PJ (particularly, the upward bending of the first sheet P1) is formed in a concentrated manner between the first guide member 25 and the third transport roller pair 6. Therefore, the spacing of the gap C can be increased without increasing the amount of the polymerized sheet PJ wound around the winding roller 20, and the operation of inserting the peeling claw 16 into the gap C to peel off the polymerized sheet PJ can be performed without any problems.

Also, referring to Figures 6 (A), (C), etc., the second guide member 26 functions as a guide member that guides the second sheet P2, of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerization sheet PJ, which is wrapped around the outside by the winding roller 20, between the peeling claw 16 and the winding roller 20 in the third transport path K3.
More specifically, the second guide member 26 as a guide member is a transport guide member arranged on the side of the third transport path where the winding roller 20 is not arranged with respect to the imaginary surface S1 (see FIG. 6A ) (below the imaginary surface S1). The second guide member 26 is arranged to face the lower surface of the sheet from the vicinity of the upstream side of the second transport roller pair 5 to the vicinity of the downstream side of the third transport roller pair 6. That is, the second guide member 26 guides the sheet transported on the third transport path K3.
In particular, in the third transport path K3, the distance between the first guide member 25 and the second guide member 26 between the winding roller 20 and the third transport roller pair 6 is set to a value that allows a sheet of the maximum sheet thickness to be transported, and the distance between the sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ between the first guide member 25 and the second guide member 26 is restricted so as not to become large, so that a gap C (particularly, an upward bending of the first sheet P1) of the polymerized sheet PJ is formed in a concentrated manner. Therefore, the operation of inserting the peeling claw 16 into the gap C to peel off the polymerized sheet PJ can be performed without any problems.

6 etc., the abnormality detection sensor 46 functions as an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormal state in which a gap C exceeding a predetermined distance is not formed between the two sheets P1, P2 at a predetermined position (between the third conveying roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20) before the peeling claw 16 moves from the standby position (movement from the standby position shown in FIG. 14 to the peeling position shown in FIGS. 10 and 11(A)). In other words, the abnormality detection sensor 46 as an abnormality detection means detects an abnormal state in which a gap C exceeding a predetermined distance is not formed between the two sheets P1, P2 at a predetermined position before the peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C.
In other words, the abnormality detection sensor 46 as an abnormality detection means detects, as an abnormal state, a state in which no gap C is formed at all or a state in which a sufficient gap C is not formed at the timing when a gap C should be formed between two sheets P1, P2, as shown in Figures 5 (D) and 6 (A).
In this embodiment, when an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection sensor 46 (abnormality detection means), the occurrence of the abnormality is notified. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation display panel 49 (operation display unit) is provided on the exterior of the sheet insertion device 1 for displaying various information about the sheet insertion device 1 and inputting various commands. When the abnormality detection sensor 46 detects that the gap C is not formed with a sufficient interval in the superposition sheet PJ, the operation display panel 49 displays a message indicating that an abnormality has been detected. Such a message may be, for example, "Since an abnormality has occurred, the process of inserting the middle sheet will be stopped. Please check the setting direction of the superposition sheet in the first feed tray. Also, if the setting direction is correct and the same abnormality is repeated, please contact a serviceman."
Such an abnormality detection sensor 46 (abnormality detection means) can be a lever-type sensor that contacts the laminated sheet PJ (the upper first sheet P1) in which a gap C exceeding a predetermined distance is formed.

Here, in the sheet insertion device 1 in this embodiment, a perforation processing section 10 for performing perforation processing on a sheet is arranged at one end side in the conveying direction (the left side in Figure 1, the forward direction tip) relative to the third conveying roller pair 6 (conveying roller pair).
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the punching processing section 10 is provided with a first frame 10a and a second frame 10b.
The first frame 10a holds a substantially rod-shaped blade portion 10c (punch portion) so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, and is disposed above the conveying path of the sheet P. The first frame 10a holds a movable plate 10d, to which a plurality of blade portions 10c (three blade portions 10c in this embodiment) are fixed, so as to be movable up and down via a bearing. The movable plate 10d is biased upward by a tension spring 10f, and a cam 10e abuts on its upper portion. Then, the cam 10e is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 15(A) or the position shown in FIG. 15(B) by the control of a motor (not shown) by the control unit, so that the blade portion 10c moves up and down together with the movable plate 10d with respect to the first frame 10a, whose position in the vertical direction is fixed. In this way, a punch hole Q is formed in the sheet (particularly, the laminated sheet PJ into which the middle sheet PM is inserted).
The second frame 10b is disposed to face the first frame 10a with a gap in a predetermined direction (the vertical direction, which is the direction in which the blade portion 10c moves). The first frame 10a and the second frame 10b are fixed and held by studs. The second frame 10b is also formed with a hole 10b1 into which the tip of the blade portion 10c is inserted after penetrating a sheet (particularly, the polymerized sheet PJ with the middle sheet PM inserted) conveyed between the first and second frames 10a and 10b during punching processing.
Although not shown in Figure 15, a punch scrap collection container is detachably installed below the second frame 10b in order to collect punch scraps generated when the blade portion 10c penetrates the sheets (PJ, PM) after the punch scraps fall under their own weight through the hole portion 10b1.
Moreover, the punching process by the punching processor 10 is executed when the user operates the operation display panel 49 to select “punching process”.

Now, referring to Figure 9, in this embodiment, the perforation processing unit 10 performs perforation processing on the polymerized sheet PJ in which at least the leading end portion of the middle sheet PM (the leading end portion in the conveying direction, which is the left end portion in Figures 1 and 9) is inserted.
In other words, even if the entire middle sheet PM is not necessarily inserted into the overlapping sheet PJ (the state where insertion of the middle sheet PM is completed), as long as the leading end of the middle sheet PM is inserted into the overlapping sheet PJ (the state after insertion of the middle sheet PM has started) as shown in Figure 9 (B) and the leading end (one end side), which is the perforation position, has reached the perforation processing section 10, the perforation processing can be performed on the leading end (one end side) by the perforation processing section 10.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the punching process is performed with the middle sheet PM inserted in the portion of the polymerized sheet PJ that is to be punched. In other words, the punching process is performed on the polymerized sheet PJ and the middle sheet PM together. Therefore, compared to inserting a middle sheet that has been punched between two sheets of the polymerized sheet that has been punched (inserting the middle sheet PM into the polymerized sheet PM after punching the polymerized sheet PJ and the middle sheet PM separately), the problem of misalignment of the punch holes Q in the polymerized sheet PJ and the punch holes Q' in the middle sheet PM is less likely to occur. Therefore, the polymerized sheet PJ with the middle sheet PM inserted can be filed well using the punch holes Q.

In detail, the perforation processing unit 10 in this embodiment performs perforation processing on one end side (the side closest to joint A) of the polymerized sheet PJ in which the leading end portion (the side closest to joint A) of the middle sheet PM is inserted and the other end sides (rear end portions) of the two sheets P1, P2 have been peeled off, as shown in Figure 9.
In order to configure the perforation processing unit 10 so as to perform perforation processing when the entire middle sheet PM is inserted into the polymeric sheet PJ (the state in which insertion of the middle sheet PM is complete), it is necessary to position the perforation processing unit 10 at a position sufficiently distant from the third conveying roller pair 6, which would increase the length of the device in the conveying direction and result in the device becoming larger.
In contrast, in the present embodiment, the perforation process is performed before the insertion of the middle sheet PM into the polymeric sheet PJ is completed, so that the perforation processing unit 10 can be positioned near the third conveying roller pair 6, thereby preventing the device from becoming larger.

More specifically, in this embodiment, as described above, the two sheets P1 and P2 peeled off by the peeling claw 16 (peeling member) are guided to the two branched transport paths K4 and K5 by the peeling claw 16 (switching member), respectively, and the middle sheet PM is transported toward one end side (the left side in FIG. 9) of the third transport path K3 so that the middle sheet PM is inserted between the two peeled sheets P1 and P2. Then, in this embodiment, the polymerized sheet PJ with the middle sheet PM inserted therein is transported to the perforation processing section 10 by the third transport roller pair 6 (transport roller pair) as shown in FIG. 9(A), and then the transport of the polymerized sheet PJ is stopped as shown in FIG. 9(B) and the perforation processing section 10 performs the perforation processing.

Hereinafter, the operation of the sheet inserting device 1 for peeling off the superimposed sheet PJ and inserting the intermediate sheet PM and then performing the punching process will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the description of the operation, the operation of the peeling claw 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 as appropriate, and the control flow will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, the polymerized sheet PJ is fed from the first feed tray 11 by the first feed roller 2 and the first conveying roller pair 4 (FIG. 12: step S1), and then, as shown in FIG. 4 (A), in the third conveying path K3, the polymerized sheet PJ is conveyed in the forward direction (from right to left in FIG. 4) by the second conveying roller pair 5 with the joint A at the front.
At this time, the moving mechanism 30 is controlled so that the gripping member 32 is located at the gripping position. That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotation position where it does not press the arm member 31. When the gripping member 32 is located at the gripping position in this manner, the gripping member 32 does not interfere with the transport of the sheet in the third transport path K3. Also, the peeling claw 16 is waiting at a standby position (the position in FIG. 11A ) where it does not interfere with the transport of the sheet in the third transport path K3.
Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the timing at which the joint A (the forward leading end side, one end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the third sensor 43 is used as a trigger to transport the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X1 by the third conveying roller pair 6 until the gripped portion B (the forward trailing end side, the other end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ passes the position of the winding roller 20 ( FIG. 12: steps S2 and S3).
4C, in this state, the conveyance of the polymerization sheet PJ by the third conveyor roller pair 6 is temporarily stopped, and the gripping member 32 is moved from the gripping position to the retreated position (FIG. 12: step S4). That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotation position where it presses the arm member 31. In this state, the gripped portion B of the polymerization sheet PJ can be received between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b.
4D, the third conveyor roller pair 6 is rotated in the reverse direction to start conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in the reverse direction (FIG. 12: step S5). At this time, the fourth sensor 44 detects the gripped portion B (the leading edge in the reverse direction, the other end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), the timing at which the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44 is used as a trigger to transport the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X2 by the third transport roller pair 6 until the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ reaches the position of the winding roller 20 (winding start position W), and then the transport roller pair 6 stops (FIG. 12: steps S6 and S7).
Then, as shown in Fig. 5(B), in this state, the gripping member 32 is moved from the retracted position to the gripping position (Fig. 12: step S8). That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotational position where it does not press the arm member 31. In this state, as shown in Fig. 5(B'), the other end face of the polymerization sheet PJ does not abut against any member, and the gripped portion B is gripped between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b.
Then, as shown in Fig. 5C, the winding roller 20 rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise direction) while the gripping member 32 grips the polymerization sheet PJ, and the third conveyor roller pair 6 rotates in the reverse direction again. At this time, as the rotation of the winding roller 20 continues, a gap C is formed between the two sheets P1, P2 of the polymerization sheet PJ between the winding roller 20 and the third conveyor roller pair 6, as shown in Fig. 5D. At this time, the deflection of the polymerization sheet PJ is limited by the first and second guide members 25, 26 in the vicinity of the winding roller 20. Therefore, the gap C of the polymerization sheet PJ is formed in a concentrated manner at a position close to the third conveyor roller pair 6.

In this way, the fourth sensor 44, which is arranged downstream in the reverse direction from the third conveying roller pair 6, detects the reverse leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ, and that timing is used as a trigger to determine the timing for gripping the polymerized sheet PJ by the gripping member 32.Therefore, regardless of variations in sheet length relative to the required sheet conveying amount X2 (this is an error that exists even for sheets of the same size), the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ can be transported with high precision to the desired gripping position.
In addition, since the fourth sensor 44 detects the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ in the reverse direction, the required sheet transport amount X2 can be shortened regardless of the sheet length, thereby suppressing variation in the transport amount X2 and enabling the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ to be transported to the desired gripping position with high precision.
For this reason, it is preferable that the fourth sensor 44 be disposed in a position close to the winding roller 20 .

Also, previously, the mechanism by which a gap C is generated in the polymerized sheet PJ between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6 by winding the polymerized sheet PJ around the winding roller 20 was explained using FIG.
The mechanism will be further explained below.
The polymerized sheet PJ wound around the winding roller 20 is gripped by the gripping member 32 and is in a state where sheet misalignment is regulated, so that slippage occurs by the circumferential difference on the winding roller 20, and the conveyance amount of the inner sheet P1 becomes smaller than the conveyance amount of the outer sheet P2. As a result, bending (slack) occurs in the inner sheet P1 between the nip between the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20. At this time, by winding the polymerized sheet PJ around the winding roller 20 one or more times, a difference in circumferential length occurs between the inner and outer circumferences by the thickness of the sheet thereafter, and bending (slack) occurs in the same manner.
Specifically, if the thickness of the inner sheet P1 is ΔR and the distance from the rotation shaft 20a (shaft center) of the winding roller 20 to the inner sheet P1 is R, then the distance from the rotation shaft 20a (shaft center) of the winding roller 20 to the outer sheet P2 is R + ΔR. Since the radius differs by the thickness ΔR of the inner sheet P1, when the polymerization sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 once, a difference in circumferential length of 2×ΔR×π occurs between the inner sheet P1 and the outer sheet P2. Therefore, if the number of times the polymerization sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 is M, slack will occur in the inner sheet P1 by 2×ΔR×π×M.
Then, eventually, deflection (slack) accumulates between the third conveying roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20, and a gap C equivalent to 2×ΔR×π×M is formed between the two sheets P1, P2.

6A, when the amount of transport by the third transport roller pair 6 reaches a predetermined amount X3 after the winding of the polymerization sheet PJ by the winding roller 20 starts, transport by the third transport roller pair 6 is stopped and winding of the polymerization sheet PJ by the winding roller 20 is stopped (FIG. 12: step S9). In this state, the polymerization sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 one or more times, and normally, the gap C of the polymerization sheet PJ (the distance between sheets P1 and P2) is sufficiently widened.
At this time, it is determined whether the abnormality detection sensor 46 has detected that a gap C of a predetermined distance F or more has been formed in the superimposed sheet PJ (FIG. 12: step S29).
As a result, if it is determined that a sufficient gap C equal to or larger than the predetermined gap F has been formed, it is determined that there will be no problem if the peeling claws 16 are subsequently used for peeling, and the peeling claws 16 are inserted into the gap C in the sufficiently spread polymerized sheet PJ as shown in Fig. 6(B) (Fig. 12: step S10). That is, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11(A), the pair of peeling claws 16 are each moved from the standby position to the peeling position.
Then, as shown in Fig. 6C, with the peeling claw 16 inserted into the gap C, the third conveyor roller pair 6 starts rotating in the forward direction, and the winding roller 20 starts rotating in the forward direction (clockwise direction) (Fig. 12: step S11). That is, as shown in Figs. 11A to 11C, the peeling claw 16 inserted into the gap C moves relatively to the polymerized sheet PJ from one end side A to the other end side B. Note that in this embodiment, such relative movement is achieved by the polymerized sheet PJ itself moving in the direction of the arrow shown in Figs. 11A to 11C, without changing the position of the peeling claw 16 in the conveying direction.

Then, as shown in Fig. 7A, after the third conveying roller pair 6 has conveyed the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined distance X4 by forward rotation, the forward rotation of the third conveying roller pair 6 and the forward rotation of the winding roller 20 are stopped (Fig. 12: step S12). At this time, the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ is positioned on the third conveying path K3 (the winding start position W shown in Fig. 5B) (it is in a state where it can be released from gripping). Also, as shown in Fig. 11C, the peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C with respect to the polymerized sheet PJ and moves relatively toward the other end side B, and then stops at the other end side.
In this state, the gripping member 32 is moved from the gripping position to the retracted position ( FIG. 12 : step S13). That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotational position where it does not press the arm member 31. In this state, the gripping of the polymerized sheet PJ by the gripping member 32 is released. Note that in this embodiment, the cam 34 (moving mechanism 30) is moved to release the gripping by the gripping member 32, but if the pulling force caused by the conveyance of the third conveying roller pair 6 is greater than the gripping force by the gripping member 32, the gripping by the gripping member 32 can also be released by the pulling force caused by the conveyance of the third conveying roller pair 6 without moving the cam 34 (moving mechanism 30).
After that, as shown in FIG. 7B, the third conveying roller pair 6 is rotated forward again to start conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in the forward direction (FIG. 12: step S14). After the gripped portion B (forward rear end, one end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ passes through the branching portion of the third conveying path K3 and the branch conveying paths K4 and K5, the gripping member 32 is moved from the retreated position to the gripping position. Furthermore, at this time, the gripped portion B (forward rear end, other end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44. Then, the timing at which the forward rear end of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44 is used as a trigger to convey the polymerized sheet PJ by a predetermined amount X5 by the third conveying roller pair 6 and stop it, and then the peeling claw 16 is moved in the width direction as shown in FIG. 11D (FIG. 12: steps S15, S31). As a result, as shown in Fig. 7B, the forward direction rear ends of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the superposition sheet PJ are largely separated and opened (see Fig. 11D). At this time, the peeling operation of the superposition sheet PJ is started.
Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, the third conveying roller pair 6 is rotated in the reverse direction to start conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in the reverse direction (FIG. 12: step S16). At this time, the peeling claw 16 is located at a switching position (position shown in FIG. 11D) that blocks the entry of the polymerized sheet PJ into the third conveying path K3, so that the two sheets P1 and P2 in the peeled state are guided to the two branched conveying paths K4 and K5, respectively, as shown in FIG. 7C. At this time, the fifth sensor 45 (see FIG. 1) detects the joint A (reverse rear end, one end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ. Then, the timing at which the reverse rear end of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the fifth sensor 45 (see FIG. 1) as a sheet detection means is used as a trigger to start feeding the middle sheet PM from the second feeding tray 12 by the second feeding roller 3 (FIG. 12: steps S17 and S18).

Then, as shown in Fig. 8A, the timing at which the rear end of the polymerized sheet PJ in the reverse direction is detected by the fifth sensor 45 (see Fig. 1) is used as a trigger to transport the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X6 by the third transport roller pair 6 and then stop (Fig. 12: step S19). At this time, the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ is at the nip position of the third transport roller pair 6 or in a position slightly to the left of the nip. In other words, one end side of the polymerized sheet PJ is sandwiched between the third transport roller pair 6. This is the state in which the peeling operation of the polymerized sheet PJ is completed.
Moreover, before the peeling operation of the overlay sheet PJ is completed, the middle sheet PM has already started to be fed from the second feeding tray 12. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8A, when the peeling operation of the overlay sheet PJ is completed, the leading edge (leading edge in the forward direction, one end side) of the middle sheet PM is close to the insertion position between the overlay sheets PJ.
On the other hand, the leading edge (leading edge in the forward direction, one end side) of the middle sheet PM is detected by the third sensor 43. Then, the detection timing is used as a trigger to move the peeling claw 16 to the standby position at a timing that does not interfere with the middle sheet PM, as shown in FIG.
8C and 11E, the timing at which the forward leading edge of the middle sheet PM is detected by the third sensor 43 is used as a trigger to transport the middle sheet PM a predetermined amount X7 by the second transport roller pair 5, and then transport of the overlapping sheet PJ in the forward direction by the third transport roller pair 6 is resumed (FIG. 12: steps S20 and S21). At this time, the middle sheet PM is sandwiched between the two sheets P1 and P2 in a state of being precisely aligned at the desired position.

9A, the overlapping sheet PJ after the insertion of the middle sheet PM has started is conveyed by the third conveying roller pair 6 toward the punching processing unit 10. At this time, it is determined whether the punching process has been selected by the user's operation of the operation display panel 49 (FIG. 13: step S41), and if the punching process has not been selected, the overlapping sheet PJ with the middle sheet PM inserted therein is discharged outside the apparatus by the fourth conveying roller pair 7 (FIG. 13: step S46) and placed on the discharge tray 13 (see FIG. 1).
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S41 that the punching process is selected, the third conveying roller pair 6 conveys the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X8 and stops when the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the fifth sensor 45 (see FIG. 1) as a trigger (steps S42 and S43 in FIG. 13). At this time, as shown in FIG. 9B, the desired punching position on the leading end side of the polymerized sheet PJ is positioned at the punching processing unit 10 (blade portion 10c). Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, in the punching processing unit 10, the blade portion 10c moves downward to form a punch hole Q in the polymerized sheet PJ into which the middle sheet PM has been inserted (step S44 in FIG. 13). That is, the punching process is performed by the punching processing unit 10.
After the punching process is completed, as shown in Fig. 9C, the conveyance of the laminated sheet PJ is resumed by driving the third conveyor roller pair 6 (Fig. 13: step S45). Then, the laminated sheet PJ after the punching process and into which the middle sheet PM has been inserted is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the fourth conveyor roller pair 7 (Fig. 13: step S46) and placed on the discharge tray 13 (see Fig. 1).
In this manner, in the present embodiment, the punching process is not performed separately on the polymer sheet PJ and the intermediate sheet PM, but is performed simultaneously together, which reduces the risk of the punch hole Q in the polymer sheet PJ and the punch hole Q' in the intermediate sheet PM becoming misaligned.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S29 of FIG. 12 that an abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection sensor 46, that is, if a sufficient gap C of at least the predetermined gap F has not been formed in the polymerized sheet PJ, then it is determined that various problems will arise if the peeling claw 16 is used to perform the peeling operation thereafter, and therefore the peeling claw 16 is not moved from the standby position to the peeling position. At this time, the operation display panel 49 (see FIG. 1) is notified that the peeling operation, the insertion operation of the middle sheet PM, and the punching process have been stopped due to the occurrence of an abnormality (FIG. 12: step S30).

Here, the sheet insertion device 1 in this embodiment is configured to be switchable between a first punching mode in which punching is performed on the middle sheet PM along with the overlapping sheet PJ, and a second punching mode in which punching is performed only on the overlapping sheet PJ, avoiding the middle sheet PM.
In detail, when the user selects the "first punching mode" by operating the operation display panel 49, punch holes Q are formed in the overlapping sheet PM and the intermediate sheet PM for the overlapping sheet PJ with the intermediate sheet PM inserted, as shown in FIG. 16 (A).
In contrast, when the user selects the "second punching mode" by operating the operation display panel 49, as shown in Figure 16 (B), for the overlapping sheet PJ with the intermediate sheet PM inserted, punch holes Q are not formed in the intermediate sheet PM, and punch holes Q are formed only in the overlapping sheet PM.
Such mode switching is performed by adjusting the relative position of the intermediate sheet PM with respect to the overlapping sheet PM when the intermediate sheet PM is inserted into the overlapping sheet PM. Specifically, when switching between the first punching mode and the second punching mode, the predetermined amount X5 in step S15 in Fig. 12 described above is changed, or the predetermined amount X7 in step S21 in Fig. 12 is changed.
In this manner, by configuring the first punching mode and the second punching mode to be switchable, the user has more options when performing punching processing.

<Modification 1>
As shown in FIG. 17, a lamination device 50 as the first modified example has the sheet insertion device 1 shown in FIG. 1 built therein.
The lamination device 50 is provided with a lamination processing section 51 downstream (downstream in the forward direction) of the fourth conveying roller pair 7 of the sheet insertion device 1, which performs lamination on the polymerized sheet PJ (processed normally) in a state in which the middle sheet PM is inserted between the two sheets P1 and P2 peeled off by the sheet insertion device 1. Therefore, in the first modification, the perforation processing section 10 is disposed upstream (on the right side in FIG. 17) of the lamination processing section 51, and the perforation processing is performed by the perforation processing section 10 before the lamination processing is performed.
The lamination processing section 51 is provided with a plurality of pairs of heat and pressure rollers that apply heat and pressure to the polymerized sheet PJ with the intermediate sheet PM inserted therein while conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in the forward direction. A fourth conveying path K6 is provided between the fourth conveying roller pair 7 and the lamination processing section 51.
4 to 9, the polymerized sheet PJ (which has been peeled off, has the intermediate sheet PM inserted, and has been perforated) passes through the fourth transport path K6 and is transported to the lamination processing unit 51. The polymerized sheet PJ that has passed through the lamination processing unit 51 is then bonded over its entirety with the intermediate sheet PM inserted inside. The polymerized sheet PJ that has been laminated in this manner is then discharged outside the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 8 and placed on the discharge tray 13.
In this way, the lamination processing device 50 in variant example 1 performs a series of operations including the steps of feeding the sheets PJ and PM, peeling off the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ, inserting the middle sheet PM between the two peeled sheets P1 and P2, perforating the polymerized sheet PJ with the middle sheet PM inserted, and laminating the polymerized sheet PJ after the perforation process and with the middle sheet PM inserted, thereby improving user convenience.
Moreover, the lamination device 50 in the first modified example performs the punching process before the lamination process, which prevents a problem that occurs when punching is performed after the lamination process, in which heat is transferred from the heated polymerized sheet PJ to the punching process section 10 after the lamination process, causing thermal deterioration of members such as the blade section 10c and reducing durability.
The lamination device 50 is provided with an operation display panel 49. When it is determined that an abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection sensor 46, the operation display panel 49 displays a message indicating that the peeling operation, the insertion operation of the middle sheet PM, or the punching process has been stopped due to the occurrence of the abnormality.
In addition, when lamination processing is not required, the sheet may be branched off from the fourth conveying path K6 between the lamination processing unit 51 of the fourth conveying path K6 and the fourth conveying roller pair 7, and merged with the fourth conveying path K6 between the lamination processing unit 51 of the fourth conveying path K6 and the discharge roller pair 8, thereby bypassing the lamination processing unit 51 and discharging the sheet to the discharge tray 13.

<Modification 2>
As shown in FIG. 18, an image forming apparatus 100 as the second modified example has a lamination device 50 shown in FIG.
18, in image forming apparatus 100, first, document D is transported (fed) from the document table in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a transport roller of document transport device 110, and passes over document reading device 102. At this time, document reading device 102 optically reads image information of document D passing above.
The optical image information read by the document reading device 102 is converted into an electrical signal and then transmitted to the writing device 103. Then, the writing device 103 emits laser light based on the image information of the electrical signal toward the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K for each color, and an exposure process is performed.
Then, a charging process, an exposure process, and a development process are performed on the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K of the image forming units 104Y, 104M, 104C, and 104K, respectively, to form desired images on the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K, respectively.
Thereafter, the images formed on the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K are transferred as a color image onto the intermediate transfer belt 178 in a superimposed state. Furthermore, the color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 178 is transferred to a position facing the secondary transfer roller 189 onto a sheet P (which will become the middle sheet PM) fed and conveyed by a feed roller 197 from the feed device 112 as a second feeding means.
Thereafter, the sheet P (middle sheet PM) onto which the color image has been transferred is conveyed to the position of the fixing device 120. Then, the color image transferred onto the front surface is fixed onto the sheet P.
Thereafter, the sheet P is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 100 by the pair of discharge rollers 131, and is fed as the middle sheet PM into the lamination processing device 50. At this time, in the lamination processing device 50, the process previously described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 (the process of peeling off the polymerized sheet PJ) has been completed, and the process described with reference to Figure 8 (the process of inserting the middle sheet PM into the polymerized sheet PJ) is performed after the middle sheet PM has been inserted into the lamination processing device 50. Furthermore, after the lamination process is performed on the polymerized sheet PM with the middle sheet PM inserted in the lamination processing unit 51, the polymerized sheet PJ is discharged out of the apparatus by the pair of discharge rollers 8 and placed on the discharge tray 13.
In this way, a series of image forming processes (printing operations) in the image forming apparatus 1 and a series of sheet peeling and laminating processes using the intermediate sheet PM on which an image has been formed are completed.
In this way, in the first modification, the feeding device 112 installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 functions as a second feeding means for feeding the middle sheet PM. On the other hand, the transport path K1 for transporting the polymerized sheet PJ is installed in the lamination processing device 50. Therefore, the transport path for the polymerized sheet PJ is shorter than the transport path for the middle sheet PM, and the feeding of the middle sheet PM can be started before the peeling operation of the polymerized sheet PJ is completed, thereby improving the overall productivity.
In the second modification, the lamination device 50 is provided in the image forming apparatus 100, but the sheet insertion device 1 shown in FIG.
The image forming apparatus 100 is also provided with an operation display panel 49. When it is determined that an abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection sensor 46, a message is displayed on the operation display panel 49 indicating that the peeling operation or the insertion operation of the middle sheet PM has been stopped due to the occurrence of the abnormality.
In addition, in the second modification, the present invention is applied to a color image forming apparatus 100, but it is of course possible to apply the present invention to a monochrome image forming apparatus. In addition, in the second modification, the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to other types of image forming apparatus (for example, an inkjet type image forming apparatus, a stencil printer, etc.).

<Modification 3>
As shown in FIG. 19, in an image forming system 200 serving as the third modified example, the lamination device 50 shown in FIG. 17 is detachably installed in the image forming device 100 that forms an image on a sheet P shown in FIG.
Referring to Figure 19, in the image forming system 200, after going through the image forming process previously described using Figure 17, the sheet P (which is the middle sheet PM on which the desired image has been formed) discharged from the discharge roller pair 131 of the image forming apparatus 100 is fed into the lamination processing device 50 and then inserted into the polymerized sheet PJ in the same manner, after which the lamination process is performed, and the sheet P is discharged by the discharge roller pair 8 and placed on the discharge tray 13.
Here, the feeding device 112 installed in the image forming apparatus 100 functions as a second feeding means for feeding the middle sheet PM. On the other hand, the transport path K1 for transporting the polymerized sheet PJ is installed in the lamination processing device 50. Therefore, the transport path for the polymerized sheet PJ is shorter than the transport path for the middle sheet PM, and the feeding of the middle sheet PM can be started before the peeling operation of the polymerized sheet PJ is completed, thereby improving the overall productivity.
Furthermore, if such lamination processing is not performed, in the image forming system 200, the sheet P on which an image has been formed through the image formation process is discharged outside the apparatus from the second discharge roller pair 132 of the image forming apparatus 100 and placed on the second discharge tray 150.
Here, the lamination processing device 50 is installed so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus 100, and when the lamination processing device 50 is not required, it can be removed from the image forming apparatus 100. When the lamination processing device 50 is removed in this manner, the placement surface 149 on which the lamination processing device 50 was placed functions as a discharge tray, on which the sheet P (the sheet P on which the desired image is formed) discharged from the discharge roller pair 131 to the outside of the apparatus is placed.
In the third modified example, the lamination device 50 is detachably installed in the image forming system 200. However, the sheet insertion device 1 shown in FIG.
The image forming system 200 is also provided with an operation display panel 49. When it is determined that an abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection sensor 46, a message is displayed on the operation display panel 49 indicating that the peeling operation or the insertion operation of the middle sheet PM has been stopped due to the occurrence of the abnormality.

<Modification 4>
In the sheet insertion device 1 shown in Figure 20 (A), the positions of the first feeding tray 11 (first feeding means) that feeds the overlapping sheet PJ and the second feeding tray 12 (second feeding means) that feeds the middle sheet PM are swapped with respect to those in Figure 1.
In addition, in the lamination processing device 50 shown in Figure 20 (B), the positions of the first feeding tray 11 (first feeding means) that feeds the polymerized sheet PJ and the second feeding tray 12 (second feeding means) that feeds the middle sheet PM are swapped relative to those in Figure 17.
In this way, in variant example 4, the length of the transport paths K1, K3 along which the polymerized sheet PJ is transported from the first feeding tray 11 (first feeding means) to the insertion position (near the nip of the third conveying roller pair 6) where the middle sheet PM is inserted into the polymerized sheet PJ is configured to be shorter than the length of the transport paths K2, K3 along which the middle sheet PM is transported from the second feeding tray 12 (second feeding means) to the above-mentioned insertion position.
20A and 20B, the conveying paths K1 and K3 along which the overlapping sheet PJ is conveyed and the conveying paths K2 and K3 along which the middle sheet PM is conveyed join at a confluence point. The conveying paths K1 and K3 along which the overlapping sheet PM is conveyed are linear conveying paths that do not invert the front and back of the overlapping sheet PJ. In contrast, the conveying path along which the middle sheet PM is conveyed is the conveying path K2 from the second feeding tray 12 (second feeding means) to the confluence point, which is a reversing conveying path that inverts the front and back of the middle sheet PM.
In this way, in variant example 4, the transport path for the polymeric sheet PJ is formed shorter than the transport path for the middle sheet PM, so that the time required for the series of processes of feeding the polymeric sheet PJ, then feeding the middle sheet PM and inserting it between the polymeric sheets PJ can be shortened, thereby improving the overall productivity of the device.
In the fourth modification, the transport path through which the superimposed sheet PJ is transported can be an inverting transport path that inverts the superimposed sheet PJ, and the transport path through which the middle sheet PM is transported can also be an inverting transport path that inverts the middle sheet PM. In this case, the first feeding cassette 11 (first feeding means) is provided at a position closer to the junction where the transport path through which the superimposed sheet PJ is transported and the transport path through which the middle sheet PM is transported join together, compared to the second feeding cassette 12 (second feeding means). That is, in FIG. 20, the first feeding cassette 11 is disposed below the second feeding cassette 12, and two-stage feeding trays 11 and 12 are configured, so that the first transport path K1 is shorter than the second transport path K2. In such a case, the overall productivity of the device can also be improved.

As described above, the sheet insertion device 1 in this embodiment is a sheet insertion device that inserts an intermediate sheet PM between two sheets P1, P2 in a state in which the two sheets P1, P2 are stacked and one end side is joined as joint A, and the non-jointed portion of the polymerized sheet PJ is peeled off, and is provided with a perforation processing unit 10 that performs a perforation process on the polymerized sheet PJ in a state in which at least the tip portion of the intermediate sheet PM has been inserted.
This can reduce the problem of the punch holes Q in the layered sheet PJ being misaligned with the punch holes Q in the intermediate sheet PM.

In this embodiment, the two branched transport paths K4 and K5 are configured to branch off in different directions with the third transport path K3 (transport path) sandwiched between the peeling claw 16 (peeling member) and the winding roller 20. Alternatively, the two branched transport paths K4 and K5 can be configured to branch off in different directions with the third transport path K3 (transport path) sandwiched between them at the position of the peeling claw 16 (peeling member).
In addition, in this embodiment, the two branched conveying paths K4, K5 are formed in an approximately U-shape so as to spread out from the branching portion to the right in Figure 1, but the shape of the two branched conveying paths K4, K5 is not limited to this. For example, the two branched conveying paths K4, K5 can be formed in an approximately U-shape so as to spread out from the branching portion to the left in Figure 1, or the two branched conveying paths K4, K5 can be formed in an approximately S-shape so as to spread out from the branching portion in different directions to the left and right in Figure 1.
Even in such cases, the same effects as those of this embodiment can be obtained.

It is clear that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and that within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, this embodiment may be modified as appropriate in ways other than those suggested in this embodiment. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the components are not limited to this embodiment, and may be any number, position, shape, etc. that is suitable for implementing the present invention.

In this specification, the "end face" of a polymerized sheet is defined as the face (side face) in the thickness direction that connects the front and back faces of the polymerized sheet. Therefore, a rectangular polymerized sheet has four end faces, front, back, left and right.

1 sheet insertion device,
6 third conveying roller pair (conveying roller pair),
10 Perforation processing section,
16 peeling claw (peeling member, switching member),
20 Winding roller,
50 Lamination processing device,
100 Image forming device (image forming device main body),
200 Image forming system,
P, P1, P2 sheets,
PM Medium seat,
PJ Polymerized sheet,
A joint part, B gripped part, C gap,
K4, K5: Branch transport path.

JP 2006-160429 A

Claims (9)

A sheet insertion device for inserting an intermediate sheet between two sheets in a state where a non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet having two sheets overlapped and one end side joined as a joint portion is peeled off, the sheet insertion device comprising:
a perforation processing unit that performs a perforation process on the polymerized sheet in a state in which at least the leading end portion of the intermediate sheet is inserted ,
The perforation processing unit is characterized in that the sheet insertion device performs a perforation process on one end side of the polymerized sheet in a state in which the leading end portion of the middle sheet is inserted and the other end sides of the two sheets are peeled off . A sheet insertion device for inserting an intermediate sheet between two sheets in a state where a non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet having two sheets overlapped and one end side joined as a joint portion is peeled off, the sheet insertion device comprising:
a perforation processing unit that performs a perforation process on the polymerized sheet in a state in which at least the leading end portion of the intermediate sheet is inserted,
A sheet insertion device characterized in that it is switchable between a first punching mode in which the intermediate sheet is punched together with the overlapping sheet, and a second punching mode in which the intermediate sheet is avoided and only the overlapping sheet is punched. A sheet insertion device for inserting an intermediate sheet between two sheets in a state where a non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet having two sheets overlapped and one end side joined as a joint portion is peeled off, the sheet insertion device comprising:
a perforation processing section that performs a perforation process on the polymerized sheet in a state in which at least the leading end portion of the intermediate sheet is inserted;
a winding roller that rotates in a predetermined direction to wind the polymerized sheet;
a pair of conveying rollers that convey the polymerized sheet toward the winding roller along a conveying path formed between the pair of conveying rollers and the winding roller;
a peeling member that is inserted into a gap formed between the two sheets between the winding roller and the pair of conveying rollers with respect to the polymerized sheet in a state in which the polymerized sheet is wound from the other end side by the winding roller and the one end side is sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers;
a switching member that guides the two sheets peeled off by the peeling member to two branched conveying paths that branch off in different directions;
Equipped with
The sheet insertion device is characterized in that the punching processing section is disposed on the one end side of the pair of conveying rollers. The sheet insertion device described in claim 3, characterized in that after the peeling member is inserted into the gap, the polymerized sheet is transported toward the one end side by the pair of conveying rollers so that the other end side of the polymerized sheet is released from wrapping around the winding roller, and then the polymerized sheet is transported again toward the other end side by the pair of conveying rollers, and the two sheets peeled off by the peeling member are guided to the two branched conveying paths by the switching member, respectively, and the middle sheet is transported toward the one end side of the conveying path so that the middle sheet is inserted between the two peeled sheets, and then the polymerized sheet with the middle sheet inserted is transported by the pair of conveying rollers to the perforation processing unit, and then conveying is stopped and perforation processing is performed by the perforation processing unit. A sheet insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
a lamination processing unit that performs a lamination process on the polymerized sheet in a state in which the intermediate sheet is inserted between the two sheets peeled off by the sheet inserting device;
A lamination processing device comprising: 6. The lamination processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a perforation process is performed by the perforation processing section before the lamination process is performed. 7. The lamination processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lamination processing section is disposed on the one end side with respect to the punching processing section. A sheet insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 or a lamination processing device according to any one of claims 5 to 7;
an image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: An image forming system, characterized in that a sheet insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or a lamination processing device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, is detachably installed in an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet.

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