JPS5920589B2 - sheet folding device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sheet folding device that folds sheets such as paper sheets carried in from a predetermined position.

There is already a sheet folding device that automatically folds sheets fed from copying machines, printing machines, etc. from a predetermined position, and then presses the folded part of the sheet to create a strong crease before sending it out. Are known.

However, in the conventional sheet folding device, after the sheet is folded from a predetermined position in the folding mechanism section and stored in the storage section, the conveyance direction of the sheet is changed by 900 degrees to improve the feed, and the sheet is folded at right angles to the line direction of the folding of the sheet. Since the sheet is pressed by press rollers arranged in parallel in the direction, and the sheet is sent out with a crease marked, the sheet folding roller row and the press roller row are installed in separate locations. This increases the size of the apparatus and requires means for changing the conveying direction of the sheet, making the apparatus complicated and disadvantageous in terms of reliability, durability, and maintainability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet folding device that is easy to downsize, has a simple configuration, and has excellent reliability, durability, and maintainability.

A feature of the present invention is that a press roller is brought into continuous pressure contact with the row of folding rollers that fold the sorted sheets, and the press roller works together with the folding roller, so that folding and pressing of the sheet can be performed continuously. There is a particular thing.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to an illustrated embodiment in which a binding device is also provided.

In FIG. 11ζ, a copying machine designated by the symbol h$ is shown, and a sheet carrying-in end of a sheet conveying device 3 incorporating a folding machine and a binding machine is connected to a sheet carrying-out 32 of the copying machine.

In the sheet conveying device 3, as shown in FIG.
After the sheet 4 sent from the copying machine 1 is carried in the same direction to the position A, the sheet 4 is carried in a direction perpendicular to this carrying direction f and is carried downward to the position B of the sheet 4 while being carried along the center line of the sheet 4. Fold the sheet 4 along the same direction, then carry it out in the opposite direction to the direction of conveyance to the B position, and while further pressing the folded part of the sheet 4, turn the sheet 4 over to the B position.
At position C, the sheets are temporarily stocked by a predetermined number of sheets as described above, and then these sheets are stapled by the stapler 1, and the bound 7 sheets are placed at position C. Send it to the rear D position, and further,
While feeding the bound sheets in a direction perpendicular to position D and in the opposite direction to the carrying direction to position A, the posture of the bound sheets is changed by 90 feeds in a plane, and the conveying direction is further changed to the perpendicular direction, and the sheets are transferred to the conveying device. The tray 5 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the front surface of the tray 3 at position E. The mechanism of each part that causes such sheet movement will be explained below.

Figures 3 and d Figure 4 show the appearance of the upper layer with the upper cover 6 (see Figure 1) removed from the sheet conveying device 3, and Figure 5 shows the upper layer, FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion including the upper layer, with the substrate and guide plate removed. In FIGS. 3 to 6, a protective cover 8 of the $1 transmission mechanism is fixed to the rear edge of the board 7 (in the upward direction from the left end to the right in FIG. 3). A parallel sheet guide plate 9 is set upright, and a horizontal piece 10a on the guide plate (in an angular shape) opens toward the sheet discharge end of the copying machine. A diagonally bent guide plate 10 is fixed with an appropriate gap between the horizontal piece and the board 7. Also, the right edge of the board 7 has a planar shape of approximately L. A suitable gap is provided between the guide plate 11, which has a letter-shaped shape and is bent obliquely so that the edges 11a and 11b, with the sheet input end facing away, open toward the sheet input end, and the board 7. As shown in FIG. 5, below the substrate 7, two conveyance rollers 12a and 12b are coaxially integrated at the sheet conveyance end and are fixed in the sheet conveyance direction. There are also two conveyor rollers 13a and
13b is coaxially integrated, and the rollers 12a, 12
It is provided to rotate in a plane parallel to b.

However, the distance between the rollers 13a and 13b is set wide so that the sheet of maximum width to be carried in can be smoothly conveyed. Furthermore, two end face alignment rollers 14a, 14b are also provided at the right end of the substrate 7.
A feeding roller 15 to the sheet folding section is provided coaxially and integrally so as to rotate in a plane parallel to the rollers 13a and 1, and is located near the right end of the front end of the substrate 7.
It is provided so as to be rotatable in a vertical plane perpendicular to 3b. As shown in FIG. 4, each of these rollers partially peeks out from a square hole drilled in the substrate 7, or the top surface of each roller is exposed to the substrate 7 as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the upper surface is set to be slightly lower than the upper surface of the substrate 7. It is also assumed that the corners of each roller are chamfered as shown in FIG. Each roller 12a, 12b, 14
Electromagnetic ball conveying devices 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b, 18 are provided on the a, 14b, 15 via appropriate arms extending from appropriate immovable parts such as the protective cover 8. These electromagnetic ball conveying devices include an electromagnet 19 and a steel ball guided so as to be vertically movable below the electromagnet 19, as represented by one 18 in FIG. 6C.
When the steel ball 9 is not excited, the steel ball 20 falls from its own weight E, and the sheet between the roller and the steel ball 20 is brought into pressure contact with the roller to apply a sheet conveying force, and when the electromagnet 19 is excited, the electromagnet 19 is adapted to attract the steel balls 20 and release the sheet conveying force. Hey, roller 13
Above a and 13b are steel balls 21 dropped into vertical holes of blocks 148 and 149 fixed on guide plates 10 and 11.
, 22 (see FIG. 5) are always in pressure contact. Further, on the right side of the roller 12a and between the rollers 14b and 15, there are light emitting parts 23a of sort sensors 23 and 24 that detect the sheets that have been conveyed. 24a, and light receiving parts 23b. 24b is provided. Immediately after the sheet sensor 23 detects the sheet, the electromagnetic ball conveying devices 16a and 16b are deenergized and the sheet is conveyed. The sheet sensor 24 activates the electromagnetic ball conveying devices 17a and 17b and de-energizes the tortoise-magnetic ball conveying device 18 after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the sheet sensor 24 detects the sheet. If the sensor 24 does not operate even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the sensor 24 has activated, or if the sensor 24 remains activated, it is assumed that a paper jam has occurred, and all electromagnetic ball conveying devices are energized to remove the sheet. Cζ is arranged to release the conveying force. On the upper surface of the right end of the board 7 are sheet edge alignment claws 25, 2.
5 is erected. In front of the right half of the board 7 is the board 7.
parallel to the front edge of the board, with a slight gap from the front edge of the
and roller rows 26, 2 that press against each other downward.
7, 28, 29, and 30 are rotatably provided.

As shown in FIG.
, 32, and each roller end protruding outward from the side plate 32 has gears 34, 35, 36,
37 and 38 are fixed, and the gears adjacent to each other are mutually connected! At the same time, a suitable drive gear meshes with one of the gears, driving the adjacent rollers to rotate in opposite directions as shown by the arrows in FIG. It's becoming. At the upper and lower ends of the 11111 slope 31, bearing blocks 39, 39 are protruded outward, and these bearing blocks are... Bearing blocks 41, 41 protruding from the side wall 40 of the feeding device have a shaft 4 in the vertical direction of the frame.
2, 42.

Therefore, the frame 33 supporting the roller row can rotate about the connecting shafts 42, 42 in a horizontal plane, but the load of the frame 33 is supported entirely by the shafts 42, 42tζ. Because it is difficult to
, 44 are provided rotatably in a vertical plane, and the wheels are placed on a stepped horizontal surface 46 of the main body of the conveying device, so that the load of the frame 33 is supported by the wheels 44, 44. The reason why the roller row is supported by the rotatable frame 33fζ is to facilitate the maintenance and inspection of the sheet conveyance section described above and the sheet folding section and binding section described later. Usually, the frame 33 is closed so as to be parallel to the front end of the substrate 7, and is locked by a suitable locking device.

In the state 1 in which the frame body 33 is closed as shown in ζ, the joining line between the rollers 26 and 27 faces the gap between the substrate 7 and the guide plate 11.
Therefore, in FIG. 6, the sheet conveyed left and right between the substrate 7 and the guide plate 11 is moved by the rollers 26, 27
As these rollers rotate, the sheet 1 is further fed out to the left lζ of Cζ. On the left side of the roller 27 in FIG.
The guide member 47 is provided with an appropriate gap between the guide member 47 and
The paper is held between rollers 27 and 28 while being reversed along the same direction. Below the substrate 7, a sixth
As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG.
8 and 49 are fixed with a suitable gap above and below,
The front can part 48a (the left end in FIG. 6) of the guide plate 48 is bent toward the joining line of the rollers 27 and 28, and the front end part 49a of the guide plate 49 is bent toward the joining line of the rollers 28 and 29. It is bent in the opposite direction.

A stopper 50 is fixed to the rear end of the guide plate 48, and a bent portion 50a of the stopper 50 passes through the guide plates 48, 49 once above and below. It is assumed that the distance from the junction of the mouth rollers 28 and 29 to the bent portion 50a of the stopper 50 is set to be 1$, and the length of the long side of the 7th point is 1a. Therefore, when the sheet is conveyed between the rollers 27 and 28, the folded portion 48a of the sheet (j guide plates 48 and 49)
, 49a, and is fed into the guide plates 48 and 49, but when the sheet has been fed in, the end of the sheet comes into contact with the stopper 50, and movement of the sheet is prevented. However, since the rollers 27 and 28 still forcefully send out the remaining sheet, the sheet is
It is bent in an arc shape in the space formed by the rollers 8 and 29, and this bent part is held between the rollers 28 and 29,
The sheet is folded at the long side of the sheet at the position A, and then fed out to the left in FIG. These rollers 27, 28, and 29 form sheet folding rollers, and the principle of sheet folding is the same as that of conventional sheet folding machines. In FIG. 6, on the left side of the roller 29, there is a guide member 51 formed along the cylindrical surface of the roller 29.
9 is provided with an appropriate gap between the rollers 28 and 29, and the sheet conveyed between the rollers 28 and 29 is guided
The rollers 29 and 30 hold the paper in their mouths while being reversed along the line 1.

The rollers 29 and 301 constitute a cobless roller, and while the folded part of the sheet that has been conveyed is snatched first and the folded part is further strongly pressed between the rollers 29 and 30, the sheet is moved as shown in the figure. Fj is being conveyed to the right. Among the rows of rollers, roller 27
is the first roller, roller 28 is the second roller, roller 29 is the third roller, and roller 30 is the fourth roller, then the second roller 28 and the third roller 2
9;: constitutes a sheet folding roller that grips and folds the bending portion of the sheet formed based on the sheet conveying force by the first roller 27 and the second roller 28 and the sheet regulating force by the stopper 501; Third roller 29 and fourth roller 30: A breath roller that grips the sheet folded by the second roller 28 and third roller 29 from the folded end and presses the folded portion of the sheet more strongly. It is configured. Therefore, the second roller 28i serves both as a transport roller for introducing the sheet into the folding section and as a folding roller, and the third roller 29 serves as both a folding roller and a press roller. In this way, the sheet folding section and the press roller section are continuously and compactly assembled. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, below the guide plates 48 and 49, a guide plate 53 is further provided above the board 52 and the board with an appropriate gap. Front end 53a of the guide plate 53: bent obliquely toward the center of rotation of the curler 29;
2, an i$ guide plate 54 extends obliquely toward the joining line of the rollers 29 and 30. A light emitting part 55a and a light receiving part 55b of a sheet sensor are provided on the front end 53a of the guide plate 53 and the guide plate 54, respectively, so as to face each other. Furthermore, a downwardly directed protrusion 53b is formed horizontally at the intermediate portion of the bent front end 53a of the guide plate 53. Further behind the guide plate 53, there are shown figures 6 and 8.
Figure: As shown, a guide plate 56 is fixed to the substrate 52 with an appropriate gap between them.

The front end edge 56a of the guide plate 56 is bent once so as to face forward and stand up diagonally, and an appropriate number of slots 56b are bored in the front-rear direction. In FIG. 8, the front corner of the left edge of the substrate 52 is cut out at a right angle to form an L-shaped planar shape, and the tray 5 is provided in the cutout. A guide plate 57 is fixed on the substrate 52 at the rear of the tray 5 with an appropriate gap between the guide plate 57 and the substrate 52 . The rear half 57a of the right edge of the guide plate 57 is bent obliquely upward, and a sheet presser piece 58 is protruded from the center of the front end of the guide plate 57 toward the tray 5. On the guide plate 53, two rollers 59,
The rollers 59 and 5 are supported so that the rollers 59 and 59 can rotate together coaxially and in a vertical plane in the front and back direction.
9 protrudes downward from a hole bored in the guide plate 53. Also, two rollers 60, 60 at the rear of the rollers 59, 59 are coaxially integrated, and the rollers 59,
Rotatably supported in a plane parallel to the rotation plane of 59? A portion of the rollers 60, 60 protrudes downward from a hole bored in the guide plate 53.

Furthermore, two holes 61 are also provided at the rear end of the guide plate 53.
, 61 are independently and rotatably supported via supports 62, 62 in a plane parallel to the rotating surfaces of the rollers 60, 60, and the lower half of the rollers 61, 61 is connected to a guide plate. As shown in FIG. 6, electromagnets 63 are fixed at two locations on the lower surface of the front end of the board 52, protruding downward from the holes drilled in the board 52. At the upper end of the plunger 64 of the electromagnet, a board 52 is attached.
A plate spring 65 is fixed, which is bent at a right angle so as to follow the shape of the front end.

The electromagnet 63 is energized when the sheet sensor consisting of the light emitting part 55a and the light receiving part 55b detects the sheet, and causes the plunger 64 to protrude upward and the rear end of the leaf spring 65 to be crushed by the roller 59. It's summery. A free end portion of a leaf spring 66 extending rearward and obliquely upward from below the substrate 52 is in pressure contact with the roller 60.
Furthermore, two levers 68 that can swing around a support shaft 67 are provided on the lower side of the substrate 52, and rollers 69 are rotatably supported at the free ends of the levers, respectively.
As the lever 68 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6, the roller 69 comes into pressure contact with the roller 60. Further, a roller 70, which is pivotally supported below the substrate 52, is constantly in pressure contact with the rollers 61, 61 within the gap between the substrate 52 and the guide plate 53. The leaf springs 65, 65 at the front end of the board 52
In between, there are provided two needle ejection mechanisms of the stapler as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12. That is, on the lower surface of the substrate 52, a channel-shaped needle receiver 71 is held upwardly and slidably in the front-back direction via appropriate means, and the front end of the needle receiver 71 is A guide block 72 is fixed, and a support member 73 is superimposed and fixed in front of the guide block 72. Prok 72 and abutment member 73: Elongated holes 72a and 73a of the same shape and size in the vertical direction are bored through these in the front-rear direction.
Further, on the front side of the block 72, a groove 72b is formed with an open upper end. A sliding plate 74 is inserted into the groove 72b, and the channel of the needle receiver 71 communicates with the groove 72b. A needle presser 75 formed in the same channel shape is slidably dropped into the channel hole of the needle guard 71, and is housed in the needle guard 71 by adjusting the elasticity of a suitable spring. The stitching needle row 76 is attached to the abutting member 7.
The rear surface of 3 is designed to press down. The sliding plate 7
4 is a cylindrical tip 78a1 of an arm 78 that extends integrally from the rotation shaft 77, and is loosely passed through the elongated holes 72a and 73a of the block 72 and the abutting member 73, so that the arm 78 is shown in FIG. By rotating the shaft 77 in the clockwise direction, the sliding S. 74 slides upward in the concave groove 72b, and the needles in the foremost row of the staple array 76 in the needle receiver 71 are ejected upward from the concave groove 72b. Note that both arms 79a, 79a of an operating block 79 are pivotally supported on both sides of the abutting member 73, and the operating proc 79 is rotatable in a vertical plane. Since the repulsion spring 80 is interposed between the rear surface of the block 79 and the rear surface of the block 79,
As shown in FIG. 12, it has a tendency to rotate in the direction of the clock hands in the figure.

However, J hook portions 79b, 79b are formed on the upper surfaces of the free ends of the side arms A 9a, 79a, as shown in FIG.
When the integrally formed members 71, 72, 73 are pushed into a predetermined position, the hooks 79b, 79b
is engaged with a suitable fixed hook (not shown), so that the block 79 and its side arms 79a, 79a are maintained in a substantially horizontal position. In addition, a handle 81 is integrated with the IC hanging from the bottom surface of the block 79, and when you put your finger on the handle 81 and pull it toward you in the state shown in FIG. 10, the block 79 resists the elasticity of the spring 80 Rotate the hook 79
b, 79b are removed from hooks (not shown), the integrated members 71, 72, 73 are moved by hand, and the engagement between the sliding plate 74 and the tip 78a of the arm 78 is released. At this point, if you put your finger out of the handle 81, the state as shown in FIG. 12 will be created, and the staple holder 71 can be refilled with the binding staples 76. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, there is a rotating shaft 8 above the needle injection mechanism of each of these needles.
2, the bases of the receiving arms 83, 83 of the step puller 1 are fixed, and the end surfaces of the downwardly bent tips 83a, 83a of the arms 83, 83 (well, the arms 83, 83 are When the sliding plate 7 is rotated to the
It is located directly above 4.

The control mechanism for the arms 78 and 83 described above is based on the first
As shown in Figs. 3 to 15, jζ is connected.

13 to 15, the end of an L-shaped fluoroaper bar 84 is integrally fixed to the shaft 77, and
One end of the lever 85 is fixed, and due to the elasticity of a spring 86 interposed between the other end of the lever 85 and the stationary part, these integral members 78, 77, 84, 851: Fig. 13 I
Here, the habit of rotating in the direction of the clock hands is given, but the roller 87, which is pivoted at the other end of the fluoro lever 84, hits the large diameter cam edge of the gradual opening cam 88. Rotation due to the above-mentioned habit is regulated due to contact. Further, the arm 83 is fixed to a lever 89 (5) through a shaft 82, and the elasticity of a spring 90 interposed between the -PIQ end of the lever 89 and the immovable part causes these integral members 82, 83 to , 89 has the tendency to rotate in the direction of the clock hands in FIG. Rotation according to the above-mentioned notes is prevented. Fluoro lever 91: It is rotatable around a shaft 92, and is supported by a spring 93 interposed between the tip of the P1 lever and the stationary part. It has a tendency to rotate in the direction of the clock hand in Figure 13 due to its elasticity, but
In the state shown in Fig. 13, the roller 94, which is pivotally supported by the roller lever 91, comes into contact with one of the large diameter cam edges of the triangular cam 95, causing the above-mentioned rotation! It has been stopped. The cam 88 and the cam 951 are integrally formed with the same shaft, and these cams are designed to be connected to the general guide block 1J-97 via a one-rotation gear 96. Radial step 88 connecting the radius and the minimum diameter
a, as shown in FIG. α, the contact U of the wheel 94 even with respect to the cam 95, and the center angle β formed by the minimum diameter part of the cam 95 being equal to each other. /5..Therefore, when the cams 88 and 95 are set to true 13 (2z and counterclockwise), first, the force of the small diameter part is cm1-94 or cam 950. ;This 1 (, 1J; Because it's falling, the lever 91 U) 8: rδ:) Dingwa, l;
-Bulk lever 89J) -11:l: Push the stone and lever 8
Let's learn 9;: (Go and turn the counterclockwise hand at the same time, and then go to the bottom of the dial. -94, the most part of Tsumu 95, from C to C; Izu-chi. ; The tips of the knife mills A 9 and H 91 engage with the hook 89a below the lever 89, and the 14th
Hold the arm 83 shown in the box in a substantially horizontal position. Then, when the cams 88 and 95 rotate at an angle α (;/)}-Ji, the angle . Based on groaning force, cm
The radius 87 suddenly falls from the stepped portion 88a of the cam 88 toward the smallest diameter portion, and the integrated members 77, 78, 84, 85
suddenly rotates one turn in the direction of the clock hand, and as a result, as shown in Fig. Ilj Stitching Needle 7
6 and stitch several sheets stacked between the bent end 83a of the arm 83 and the sliding plate 74 with the stitching needle S.
It is becoming more and more like binding. The cams 88, 95 are
The rotation clutch 96 makes one rotation and stops, allowing each member to return to its original state as shown in FIG. next i
The control mechanism for the lever 68 is constructed as shown in FIG. 16.

In FIG. 16, a lever 68 is attached to a lever 98 via its rotation shaft 67, and the lever 98 is connected to a plunger 100 of an electromagnet 101 via a connecting rod 99. The lever 98 has a tendency to rotate counterclockwise in the figure due to the elasticity of the spring 102.
Therefore, in the normal state as shown by the solid line, the force of the lever 68 integrated with the lever 98 is rotated in the direction of the counterclockwise hand and the roller 69 is separated from the roller 60, but the tortoise magnet 101
When the plunger 100 is energized and sucked downward, the levers 68 and 98 rotate against their natural instincts, and are brought into pressure contact with the roller 69b≦the roller 60, as shown by the chain line. . Note that the lower rear Tc of the roller 60 corresponds to the regulation lever 1 rising from below the substrate 52.
The free end of 03 is located at TL. Lever 103 is shaft 1
It is rotatably supported around 04, and the shaft 104
It is integrally connected to the lever 105 via. Lever 1
Due to the spring 106 being applied between one arm of 05 and the stationary part, the hands 105 and 103 have the habit of rotating in the counterclockwise direction, but the normal state as shown by the solid line So,
The lever 103 that has passed through the hole 52a of the board 52 is connected to the hole 52a.
a0) By making contact with the edge 1, the lever 103,1
While 05 was holding the Vertical Cry, the circulation based on the above practice was blocked. In the normal state, the upper end portion 1d11 of the lever 105. The levers 105 and 103 are also prevented from rotating against the customary conditions because the one end of the lever 9B is in contact with the groove. , 12 electromagnet 101: = appropriate manual or 1t command: shall be energized by this. 6 and 9 are located near the rear edge of the board 52.
As shown in the figure, two rollers 107 and 108 are rotated from separate rotation axes f at the bottom of the same substrate.
The rollers 107, 107 are rotatably supported at right angles to the rotating surfaces of the rollers 61, 61.
08 projects upwardly from the hole in the substrate 52.

1 CI$ on these rollers 107, 108, as shown in FIGS. 112 are pressed against each other by their own weight. Further, in the plurality of slot holes 56b of the guide plate 56, the bent end flange portion 113a of the stop flange 113 is formed with an eight-toothed tip and is bent downward at right angles.
is fitted loosely. It is assumed that the upper end portion 113a of the upper end 113a also loosely passes through the grooves bored in the base plate 52 in the same way as the above-mentioned hole 56b, and the stopper 1131 is also positioned along these grooves in the front-rear direction. It is adjustable so that it can be adapted to the size of the sheet being transported. Then, as shown in FIG. 17, the roller 6
1 and roller 70, and roller 107 and steel ball 1.
The dimension between the joint point of roller 61 (5 rollers 70 and the stopper) is set to be slightly shorter than the dimension in the carrying direction of the sheet 4 to be conveyed; The dimension between the bent end 113a of the board 52 and the front end surface is set to be slightly longer than the dimension in the loading direction of the tray 4. At the rear of the cut section 1, as shown in FIG. 9, two rollers 114 and 115 are provided at the front and rear below the substrate 52, and the rollers 107 and 108 are rotated by separate rotation shafts. In the plane of rotation in the direction perpendicular to the plane (one rotatably supported).
14,115 part 1$, said roller 107,108
Similarly, it is assumed that one part protrudes upward from the hole of the 1C board 52. In addition, the upper part of the rollers 114 and 115 is the eighth
As shown in Figures 1 and 9, steel balls 118 and 119 inserted through the vertical holes of blocks 116 and 117 fixed on the guide plate 57 are in close contact with each other. . The mutual distance between a line extending in the axial direction of the roller 108 from the contact point between the roller 108 and the steel ball 112 and a line extending perpendicular to the axis of the roller 114 from the contact point between the roller 114 and the steel ball 118 is: The rollers 107 and 108 are set to be sufficiently narrower than the length of the sheet being fed in the conveying direction.
, 108 and the sheet being conveyed is the roller 11.
The position of the roller is set so that it rides 4 f times. Note that the corners of the rollers 107, 108, 114, and 115 are chamfered by 1 dollar. Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention purchased as above will be explained.

Now, when the sheet 4 is carried out from the sheet carrying end 2 of the copying machine 1 (see Fig. 1), the sheet 4 is placed between the board j and the guide plate 10 shown in Figs. 3 to 6. When the ball is fed into the gap, it is fed between the inlet rollers 12a, 12b and the electromagnetic ball conveying devices 16a, 16b.

In the electromagnetic ball conveying devices 16a and 16b, the steel balls in the devices are normally raised because the electromagnets in the devices are excited, but when the sensor 231 reaches the sheet, the excitation force of the electromagnets is renewed, Steel balls in the device fall under their own weight and press the sheet 4 against the rollers 12a, 12b. Moreover, since the rollers 12a, 12b are rotationally driven in the clockwise direction in FIG.
The sheet 4 is conveyed from the left toward the upper right in FIG. Rollers 13a, 13
b is also rotationally driven in the same direction, and the rollers 13a,
Since the steel balls 21 and 22 are always in pressure contact with the steel balls 13b due to their own weight, the sheet 4 and the rollers 13a and 13b (5 are further conveyed in the same direction by the cooperation of the steel balls 21 and 22. 14a and 14b also rotate in the same direction,
While the steel balls are also pressed against the rollers 14a and 14b by their own weight, the belt 4 is further transported in the same direction by 1ζ. but. At this time, the sheet sensor 24 detects the sheet, and the leading edge of the sheet in the traveling direction is aligned with the end face alignment claws 25, 2.
After sufficient time has elapsed to reach the position 5, the electromagnetic ball sending devices 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b (7
) The electromagnet is energized, the steel ball is attracted to the upper blade, the bow 1 is separated from the rollers 12a, 12b, 14a, and 14b, and the sheet conveying force by the rollers 12a, 12b, 14a, and 14b is released. Incidentally, the seat posture at this point;
Well, the sheet is conveyed by the rollers 14a, 14b and the steel balls of the electromagnetic ball conveying devices 1ra, 17b working together Cζ, and the sheet end surface is pressed against the end surface alignment claws 25, 25, so that the skew is corrected. be. Furthermore, since the sheet conveying means is a point contact between a roller and a steel ball, and the steel ball can rotate in any direction, this skew correction action is more effective than in the case of pressure contact between a roller and a roller. The process is extremely smooth. After a sufficient time has elapsed to perform the skew correction action, the conveying action by the single rollers 14a and 14b is released as described above, so buckling of the sheet is prevented and the skew correction error is prevented. and paper jams can be prevented. The roller 14a, 1
When the sheet conveying force is released by 4b, there is a slight delay of one moment, and the electromagnetic ball conveying device 18, which had been excited until then,
The excitation of the electromagnet is cut off, and the steel balls fall onto the delivery roller 15 due to the force of the steel balls of the conveyance device.

The sheet 4 has already been moved by the roller 1 during the skew correction.
5, the steel balls press the sheet against the roller 15, and as the roller 15 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6, the sheet is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. After the sheet sensor 24 performs the sheet detection operation in this manner, when sufficient time has elapsed to finish conveying the sheet, the electromagnetic ball conveying devices 16a, 16b, 17
The excitation of the ICs a and 17b is cut off, and the magnetic ball transfer device 18 is excited, thereby returning the ICs to their original states. In addition, if the sheet sensor 23 near the carry-in end of the sheet is activated and the sheet sensor 24 is not activated even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, or if the sensor 24 is activated but remains activated even after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the sheet sensor 24 may not activate. If it does not return, it means that a paper jam has occurred, so in this case, all the electromagnetic ball conveying devices are energized to attract these steel balls, and the conveying force by each roller is released. In addition, if such a paper jam occurs, a sheet jam prevention device as shown in FIG. 19 (shown in FIG. In other words, in FIG. 19, a horizontal shaft 120 is pivotably supported in front of the sheet loading end of the board 7, and a guide plate 121 is rotatably supported by the guide plate. Although the sheet receiving port is normally opened due to the habit, the plunger 123 of the electromagnet 122 is pivotally attached to the end of the arm extending integrally from the guide plate 121, and the operation of the sheet sensors 23 and 24 is controlled as described above. When a paper jam is detected from the timing, the electromagnet 122 is energized to attract the plunger 123, the guide plate 121 is rotated against its habit, and the sheet receiving opening is closed as shown by the chain line in FIG. In addition, sheets sent from the copying machine are transferred to the guide plate 121 and the upper cover 124 of the conveying device.
The paper is fed into the receiving tray on the cover 124 along the slope. The sheet sent out by the cooperation of the roller 15 and the electromagnetic ball conveying device is transferred to the roller 2.
As mentioned above, the front half of the sheet in the traveling direction is once sent between the guide plates 48 and 49 by the rollers 27 and 28 while being guided by the guide member 47 and reversed, and the sheet is held at the stopper. The advance of the sheet is prevented by the 50 folds BlS5Oa.

The rear half of the sheet is further sent out by the rollers 27, 28, but the front half of the sheet cannot bend because it is between the guide plates 48, 49, and the tips of the rollers 27, 28, 29 and the guide plates 48, 49 The central part of the sheet in the area surrounded by the sheet bends downward in an arc shape, and this bent part is held between the rollers 28 and 29 to form a crease along the center line of the sheet. It will be done. The position of the stopper 50 is adjustable in the front-rear direction, so that a crease can always be formed along the center line of the sheet depending on the size of the sheet being conveyed. The sheet creased by the rollers 28 and 29 is conveyed by these rollers ml and is held between the rollers 29 and 30 while being reversed along the guide member 51. The rollers 29 and 30 form breath rollers, and the guide plate 53 is folded while making the folds of the sheet stronger.
The gap between the bent end portion 53a and the guide plate 54 is inserted.
At this time, the sheet sensor consisting of the light emitting part 55a and the light receiving part 55b detects the 7th point and excites the electromagnet 63, causing the leaf spring to energize.
65 is brought into pressure contact with the roller 59. Since the roller 59i is rotating counterclockwise in FIGS. 6 and 18, the sheet fed between the roller 59 and the leaf spring 65 is rotated as shown in FIGS. 18, the front end of the sheet in the feeding direction is pressed by the leaf spring 66 against the roller 60 which is rotating counterclockwise, and due to the rotational force of the roller 60, the front end of the sheet in the feeding direction is further pushed to the right in the figure. However, the regulating lever 103 stands up immediately after the roller 60, and the lever 103 is pushed over one side edge of the hole 52a of the substrate 52 and the lever 981, as shown by the solid line in FIG. Since the sheet is prevented from rotating in any direction, the sheet is prevented from being conveyed by the lever 103.
From there, the copied sheets are continuously fed in page order, and after passing through the above-described path, the sheets are sequentially fed in a folded state from the press rollers 29 and 30.

Each time, the electromagnet 63 is excited based on the detection operation of the sensor, and the leaf spring 65 rises one step as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 18, presses against the roller 59, feeds the sheet to the right, and stacks the sheets in page order. . In this way, the sheets are stacked one after another between the substrate 52 and the guide plate 53 in the front-rear direction (
The length (in the left-right direction in FIG. 18) is the length of the regulating lever 10.
Since the length is sufficient to straddle most of the leaf spring 65 from position 3, each time a sheet is fed one after another, the already stacked sheets also rise with the rise of the temporary spring 65, and continue to be fed. The space into which the incoming sheets can enter is restricted, and there is a risk that the incoming sheets may slip between the sheets that are already stacked. However, information board 5
Since the bent end portion 53a1 of No. 3 has one downward protrusion 53b formed in the horizontal direction, the rear end of the already stacked sheets curls and lifts up against the guide plate 53. Even in this case, the sheet does not rise above the protrusion 53b, and a predetermined space is secured between the sheet and the bending tip 53a, and the subsequent sheet is not placed between the sheets that are already stacked. The pages are stacked in an orderly manner without any digging. When sheets of a predetermined number of pages have been stacked in this manner, the one-turn clutch 96 (see FIG. 15) is activated by a manual command operation on the copying machine 1 or a command operation f on the side of the conveyance device 3, and the cams 88, 9
Rotate 5 once.

During one rotation of the cams 88, 95, as already explained in FIG.
The arm 78 rotated based on the elasticity of the arm 83 presses the sliding plate 74 vertically from below, and at this time, the sliding plate 74 ejects the binding needle 76 (see FIG. 10), and the bent end of the arm 83 The stitching needle 7 connects the rear edge of the stacked sheets between the sheet 83a and the sliding plate 74 in the feeding direction.
Bound by 6. In this case, the lever 89 integrated with the arm 83 is engaged with the lever 91, and the arm 83 is in a position to prevent rotation due to pushing up of the sliding plate 74, so that the sheet binding operation by the stapler 76 is performed. can be done reliably. The arms 78, 83 and sliding plate 7 described above
As mentioned above, the four-piece stapler is placed side by side in two places, so the sheets can be bound in two places.
When the stapling operation is performed in this manner and the cams 88 and 95 make one revolution and stop, the stapler 11 consisting of the arms 78 and 83 is opened. It returns to its original position and waits until the next binding operation. When the above-mentioned binding operation is completed, the electromagnet 101 (the first
(see Figure 6) is excited, and the electromagnet 101 is activated by the plunger 10.
By suctioning 0, the levers 68 and 98 are rotated against their habit, and when the lever 98 releases the lock of the lever 105, the roller 69 moves in the direction in which it comes into pressure contact with the roller 60, and the roller 69 A roller 60 presses the front edge of the sheet stacked above the sheet and bound at the rear edge as described above. The pressure exerted by the roller 691 is stronger than the pressure exerted by the leaf spring 66, and due to the pressure exerted by the rollers, a strong conveying force acts on the sheets, and the bound sheets rotate the regulation lever 103. Figure 16 1 while rotating against the tendency to move.
It is then transported to the right side. On this conveyance path, there is a conveyance means consisting of rollers 61, 570, from which the material is further conveyed in the same direction. When the sheet passes, the levers 68, 98, 103, 105 have their respective rotational habits 1
From this, it returns to its original state. When the leading edge of the sheet 04 conveyed by the rollers 61 and 70 in the traveling direction reaches the joining point between the rollers 107 and 108 and the steel balls 111 and 112, the sheet 4 pushes up the steel balls 111 and 112 and the rollers 107, 108 and the steel balls 111, 112, and as the rollers 107, 108 rotate, the sea 5
A conveyance force acts in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, but while the rear end of the sheet is held between the rollers 61 and 70, the sheet moves in the conveyance direction by the rollers 107 and 108. It is not possible.

However, as shown in FIG. 17, the sheet 4 separates from between the rollers 61 and 70 just before the tip of the sheet 404 comes into contact with the bent portion 113a of the stopper 113.
Due to the conveyance force 1 based on the cooperation of the rollers 107, 108 and the steel balls 111, 112, the cant 4 is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the previous conveyance direction (upward in FIG. 9). 0
- The tip of the sheet 4 in the conveying direction, which is conveyed based on the rotation of the rollers 107 and 108, is connected to the roller 114 and the steel ball 11.
When the sheet 4 reaches the position of the conveying means 8, the leading edge of the sheet 4 pushes up the steel balls 118 and slips between the rollers 114 and the steel balls 118. A conveying force in the perpendicular direction acts.

At this point in time 1ζ, the rear end of the sheet 4 is in only point contact with the roller 108 and the steel ball 112, and the steel ball 112 is moving in all directions (ζ since it is rotating, Conveying means 108, 112 and conveying means 11
4,118 interaction] From this, the sheet 4 gradually turns its posture toward the tray 5 (see FIG. 8), and furthermore, the sheet position is regulated by the direction change guide pin 150 and the roller 115 is rotated. With the addition of the conveyance force from the ball 119, the attitude finally changes to 90 degrees. Thus sheet 4
After the posture of the transport means 114, 118 and 115, 119 has changed, the sheet 4 is moved in the direction of its long side and in the front-rear direction of the transport device 3 (left-right direction in FIG. 9). It is transported and sent out on i-Ray 5. The reason why the posture of the sheet is changed by 90 degrees and fed out in the direction of the long side of the tray 4 is because the seating space of the tray 5 is limited in the left and right direction. If there is enough space between the seats, there is no need to change the seat position. According to the present invention, a press roller is brought into continuous pressure contact with a row of folding rollers for folding the sort, and the same press roller is made to work together with the folding roller.This allows the folding and pressing of the sheet to be performed continuously. Because of this, the folding rollers and press rollers are not located in separate locations as in conventional folding devices, but are installed in one continuous place, and one of the folding rollers is attached to the press roller. Since it also serves as a special breath roller release, it is easy to simplify and downsize the device, thereby improving reliability, durability, and maintenance efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention connected to a copying machine, Fig. 2 is an oblique view showing the sheet movement mode in the above embodiment, and Fig. 3 is an oblique view of the embodiment in the above embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the top layer with the top cover removed; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the top layer with most of the upper components removed; FIG. 6 is a perspective view with the board and guide plate removed; FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the front part of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the lower layer of the above embodiment including the sheet binding device. FIG. Plan view removed, No. 10
The figure is a perspective view showing only the above-mentioned binding device, No. 11.
The figure is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a part of the above binding device, Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a different aspect of the same binding device, Fig. 13 is a side view showing the control mechanism of the above binding device, and Fig. 14 is a side view of the above binding device. 15 is a side view showing five different modes of operation of the 1-control mechanism, FIG. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the cam drive unit used in the above-mentioned 1-control mechanism, and FIG. 16 is a cam drive unit used in the lower section. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the mechanism section, and FIG. 18 is a side view showing the dimensional relationship between the roller and the sheet in the lower layer section.
: A vertical sectional view showing a part of the lower layer part. FIG. 19 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of a receiving part for sheets from the outside. 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b...
... Carrying roller 15... Carrying out rollers 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b, 18... Electromagnetic ball conveying device, 20, 21, 22... Steel balls, 23, 24... Woot sensor, 25...
- Sheet edge alignment claw, 28, 29...Bending roller, 29,30...Breath roller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A first roller, a second roller, a third roller, and a fourth roller are brought into pressure contact with each other in this order, and the rotational drive mechanism of each of these rollers is such that the rollers that are in pressure contact with each other are driven to rotate in opposite directions. A stopper is provided on the sheet conveyance path by the first roller and the second roller, and the dimension from the junction point of the first roller and the second roller to the position of the stopper is The length of the second roller and the third roller are set to be smaller than the length of the sheet, and the second roller and the third roller control the sheet to be formed based on the sheet conveying force by the first roller and the second roller and the sheet regulating force by the stopper. The third roller and the fourth roller constitute a sheet folding roller that grips and folds the bending portion, and the third roller and the fourth roller constitute press rollers that grip the folded sheet from the folded end and press the folded portion of the sheet more strongly. A sheet folding device.