JP2004114196A - Sheet bundle cutting device, sheet processing device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact sheet bundle cutting device for cutting a thick sheet bundle with small cutting force to have an excellent cutting surface at a low cost and a sheet processing device having the sheet bundle cutting device. <P>SOLUTION: This sheet bundle cutting device has a base for mounting the sheet bundle thereon, a pressing means to hold and suppress the sheet bundle with the base, a load applying means for applying load on a planar blade for cutting the sheet bundle, a longitudinal direction driving means for reciprocatingly moving the blade in the longitudinal direction and a receiving member for receiving a cutting edge of the blade, as typical characteristics. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet bundle cutting device that cuts a sheet bundle, and mainly incorporates a sheet formed by an image forming apparatus into a sheet bundle and incorporates the sheet into a sheet processing device that performs predetermined post-processing. However, it can also be used as a sheet bundle cutting device that cuts a sheet bundle as a single unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As shown in FIG. 23, a conventional method of cutting a sheet bundle is roughly divided into the following four methods.
[0003]
(1) FIG. 23A shows a method in which a load is applied to the plate-shaped blade 800 to cut the sheet bundle P <b> 1, and after cutting, the blade 800 is abutted against the mat 803. The blade edge and the image forming surface of the sheet bundle P1 are in a parallel relationship, and the blade 800 generally cuts at an inclination of about 30 ° with respect to the thickness direction of the sheet bundle P1. This method is particularly common in a sheet bundle cutting machine used in the printing industry, and this method is used for all thick sheet bundles (about 100 sheets or more). As a feature, a very good cutting surface can be obtained, but the cutting force is as large as about 500 kgf.
[0004]
(2) FIG. 23 (b) shows a case where two blades 801a and 801b are used, one blade 801a is fixed, and the other blade 801b is moved to move the two blades 801a and 801b. This is a method in which the sheet bundle P1 is sandwiched and cut. It is just a cutting method like cutting a sheet with scissors. As a feature of this method, cutting must be performed while pressing both blades. When a thick sheet bundle is cut, a sheet bundle enters between the blades and cutting is difficult. Therefore, it is suitable for cutting up to about 30 sheets, but not for cutting a large number of sheets.
[0005]
(3) FIG. 23C shows a method in which the sheet bundle P1 is cut while rotating using a disk-shaped blade 802, and the blade 802 is abutted against the mat 803 after the cutting. The feature of this method is that a thin sheet bundle can be cut with a very small force, but a thick sheet bundle has a large cutting force. For this reason, there is a method of cutting into several steps and cutting with a small cutting force, but the cutting edge once passes through the cut surface, a step occurs in the cutting surface between the steps, and it is good for thick sheet bundles Cannot be obtained.
[0006]
(4) FIG. 23D shows a method in which a disk-shaped blade 802 is pressed against a plate-shaped fixed blade 801b to cut and sandwich a sheet bundle. In this method, since the cutting is performed while being pressed in the same manner as in the method (2), the method is not suitable for cutting a large number of sheets. This method is used only for cutting a small number of sheets as in (2).
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional technique, when a thick sheet bundle, for example, 50 sheets or more is to be cut, a method of cutting by the method of (1) or a method of cutting while dividing by the method of (3) must be adopted. . However, in the method of (1), since the cutting is performed in one process, the cutting force is as large as about 500 kgf. As a result, high power is required, the device requires high rigidity, and the cost is also increased. If cutting is performed while dividing in the method of (3), cutting can be performed with a small force, rigidity is not required, and cost is reduced. However, as described above, a step is generated in the cut surface, and a good cut surface is obtained. There is a problem that it cannot be obtained.
[0008]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a compact sheet bundle cutting device that cuts a thick sheet bundle with a small cutting force, has a good cut surface, is low in cost, and a sheet processing device having the same. I have.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, typical features of the sheet bundle cutting device according to the present invention include a base on which a sheet bundle is placed, a pressing unit that sandwiches the sheet bundle with the base, and suppresses the sheet bundle. It is characterized by comprising load applying means for applying a load to a plate-shaped blade for cutting a bundle, longitudinal driving means for reciprocating the blade in the longitudinal direction, and a receiving member for receiving the blade edge of the blade.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A sheet bundle cutting device, a sheet processing device, and an image forming device according to the present invention will be described.
[0011]
(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured by connecting a sheet processing apparatus B to an apparatus main body A. Further, the sheet processing apparatus B has a function of aligning sheets recorded by the image forming apparatus main body A, gluing, binding, and cutting the sheets, as described later.
[0012]
The image forming apparatus main body A optically reads a document automatically fed from a document feeding apparatus 1 mounted on the upper portion of the apparatus by a scanner section 2 and converts the information into a digital signal as an image forming means, for example, to an image forming section 3. This is transmitted and recorded on a recording sheet such as plain paper or an OHP sheet.
[0013]
A plurality of sheet cassettes 4 containing sheets of various sizes are mounted at a lower portion of the image forming apparatus main body A, and the sheets conveyed from the sheet cassettes 4 by the conveying rollers 5 are image-formed in the image forming section 3 by electrophotography. Record the image. That is, based on information read by the scanner unit 2, a laser beam is irradiated from the light irradiation unit 3a to the photosensitive drum 3b to form a latent image, which is developed with toner and transferred to a sheet. And is permanently fixed by application of heat and pressure. The sheet can be fed not only from the sheet cassette 4 but also from the multi tray 8.
[0014]
In the case of the single-sided recording mode, the sheet is fed to the sheet processing apparatus B, and in the case of the double-sided recording mode, the sheet is conveyed to the retransmission path 7 by switchback, and the sheet recorded on one side is conveyed to the image forming unit 3 again. After forming an image on the other side, the image is sent to the sheet processing apparatus B. Before feeding the sheet, a signal such as the paper size is sent from the image forming apparatus main body A to the sheet processing apparatus B, and the path in the sheet processing apparatus B is switched in advance.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet processing apparatus B includes, for example, a transport aligning unit C and a trimmer unit D as a sheet bundle cutting apparatus as alignment means. Can be selectively performed, and cutting can be performed in three directions other than the glued surface. The sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A to the sheet processing apparatus B is conveyed by the conveying roller pairs 10a to 10d in the normal mode (step S7 in FIG. 17), discharged to the stack tray 11, and until the job is completed. It is repeated (step S8). In the glue binding mode, the sheet is discharged to the stacking tray E after performing a predetermined process.
[0016]
(Loading on the aligned vertical path)
In the bookbinding mode (step S1 in FIG. 17), the sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A is fed to the bookbinding paper path 14 by the operation of the first flapper 12 and the second flapper 13 (step S1). S2). The first flapper 12 switches between the non-sort path 15 and the cover path 16, and the second flapper 13 switches between the bookbinding path 14 and the cover path 16.
[0017]
As the sheet conveying means, for example, the sheet P conveyed by the conveying roller pairs 10a, 17a, and 17b (step S3) discharges the sheet P to the alignment vertical path 35 by the discharging roller pair 18, and then the half-moon roller 19 and the discharging roller pair 18 Thus, the sheet P is returned to a position where the rear end of the sheet P contacts the rear end stopper 20 (see FIG. 3), thereby performing alignment in the sheet conveying direction (step S4). Then, the sheet P is pushed in the direction of the sheet center by the alignment plate 21 to perform alignment in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction (step S5).
[0018]
When discharging the sheet P to the alignment vertical path 35, if the discharge speed of the discharge roller pair 18 is high, the sheet P that has passed through the discharge roller pair 18 is discharged so as to fly out, and it takes time to pull back. I will. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the rear end of the sheet P passes through the discharge roller pair 18, the rotation speed of the discharge roller pair 18 is controlled to be low. As a result, the sheet P discharged to the alignment vertical path 35 is reliably pulled in by the rotation of the half-moon roller 19, and the rear end alignment can be performed.
[0019]
Whether or not the rear end of the sheet passes through the discharge roller pair 18 can be determined by detecting a predetermined time after the sheet P has passed the discharge sensor 22 or by detecting the number of rotations of the motor.
[0020]
(Half moon roller)
Next, the half-moon roller 19 that pulls the sheet P discharged onto the alignment vertical path 35 in a direction opposite to the discharge direction will be described. The half-moon roller 19 has a half-moon-shaped notch as shown in the figure, and the cut-off portion of the half-moon roller 19 is usually located on the alignment vertical path 35 side, and is discharged from the discharge roller pair 18. The discharge of the sheet P is not prevented. Each time one sheet P is discharged onto the alignment vertical path 35, the sheet P rotates in a direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction, contacts the rear end of the sheet P on the alignment vertical path 35, and is generated between the sheet P and the sheet P. The sheet P is pulled back by the frictional force.
[0021]
(Aligned vertical pass plate)
The alignment vertical path plate 36 can be moved in the direction of arrow a shown in FIG. 3 by an alignment vertical path motor 207 (not shown) (see FIG. 14) so as to adjust the distance between the alignment vertical paths 35. It is configured. In the present embodiment, in order to keep the contact pressure between the half-moon roller 19 and the uppermost sheet discharged on the alignment vertical path 35 substantially constant, the alignment is performed in accordance with the number of sheets discharged on the alignment vertical path 35. The vertical path plate 36 is moved in the direction in which the path spreads. With this configuration, the contact pressure between the uppermost sheet P on the alignment vertical path 35 and the half-moon roller 19 is always kept constant irrespective of the number of stacked sheets P, so that a stable return force is obtained. As a result, it is possible to prevent the sheet P from being returned too much due to a change in the contact pressure of the half-moon roller 19 against the sheet P.
[0022]
(Operation timing of half-moon roller)
The operation timing of the half moon roller 19 is such that the discharge roller pair 18 is operated after the trailing end of the sheet P is released. Specifically, after a certain period of time has passed after the rear end of the sheet P has passed the discharge sensor 22 provided on the upstream side of the discharge roller pair 18, the half-moon roller 19 is rotated in a direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction. I have to.
[0023]
(Cover path)
When all the intermediate sheets have been completed (step S6), the cover is finally attached to the sheet bundle. The sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A is fed to the cover path 16 by the operation of the first flapper 12 and the second flapper 13 (step S10 in FIG. 18). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in the middle of the cover path 16, a pair of registration rollers 23 and a registration tip sensor 23a arranged upstream thereof are provided. The registration roller pair 23 is stopped when the cover sheet P2 is guided to the cover path 16, and the leading end of the cover sheet P2 comes into contact with the registration roller pair 23 and starts rotating after a predetermined time. Whether the front end of the cover sheet P2 has contacted the registration roller pair 23 can be determined by detecting a predetermined time after the cover sheet P2 has passed the registration front end sensor 23a, or by detecting the number of motor revolutions. . With such control, a loop is formed at the end of the cover sheet P2 guided to the cover path 16, and the skew of the cover sheet P2 can be corrected (step S11).
[0024]
The registration roller pair 23 is configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by a rack 38 via a cover motor 37. After the rear end of the cover sheet P2 has passed through the transport roller pair 17a, the registration roller pair 23 moves in the direction b shown in FIG. 4 while pressing and transporting the cover sheet P2, and after the registration sensor 24 blocks light, c After the registration sensor 24 is opened, it moves by a fixed amount and stops. Since the registration sensor 24 is disposed at the paper edge position of the sheet bundle P1 in the alignment vertical path 35, the cover sheet P2 in the cover path 16 and the sheet bundle P1 in the alignment vertical path 35 are perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. It moves to a position shifted by a fixed amount in the direction. The registration roller pair 23 receives the paper size signal 9 from the image forming main body A, transports the cover sheet P2 in the cover path 16 by a specified amount to the gluing position according to the paper size, and stops (step S12).
[0025]
(Gripper)
The gripper 41 is located below the alignment vertical path 35, and has a function of gripping the sheet bundle P1 stacked on the alignment vertical path 35 and guiding it to the cover sheet P2. Specifically, usually, the apparatus waits outside the inter-pass distance of the alignment vertical path 35, stacks a specified number of sheets in the alignment vertical path 35, and presses the sheet bundle P <b> 1 from both sides of the sheet bundle P <b> 1 by driving (not shown), It is configured to hold the bundle P1.
[0026]
(Glue unit)
2, 3 and 5 are schematic views of the gluing unit 25. The gluing unit 25 includes a tub 25a, a glue roller 25b, a glue 25c, a tub heater 25d, a shaft 25e, and a tub drive unit 25f. As shown in FIG. 5, the tub 25a is movable along the axis 25e in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction to the sheet width or more, and has two retreat positions outside the sheet width, and It is moved by the part 25f. With the movement from the first retreat position to the second retreat position, a part of the tub 25a pushes a part of the link 26 engaged with the rear end stopper 20, and the rear end stopper 20 It moves in a direction to retract from below P1 (step S14). The glue roller 25b is attached to the tub 25a, and is configured to rotate in synchronization with the movement of the tub 25a.
[0027]
The tub heater 25d is attached to the outside of the tub 25a. When the bookbinding mode starts, the tub heater 25d heats the tub 25a to melt the glue 25c in the tub 25a. The glue roller 25b is rotated by the movement of the tub 25a by the tub drive unit 25f, so that the melted glue 25c spreads over the entire outer peripheral surface of the glue roller 25b. The sheet bundle P1 stacked in the alignment vertical path 35 is held by the gripper 41, and the tub 25a is moved from the first retracted position to the second retracted position, so that the rear end stopper 20 is retracted from below the sheet bundle P1. Then, the gluing unit 25 applies the glue 25c to the lower end surface of the sheet bundle P1.
[0028]
(Bookbinding process)
As shown in FIG. 6A, the shutter path 27 is located downstream of the cover path 16, and when the cover sheet P2 is being conveyed, the shutter path 27 is closed.
[0029]
During the bookbinding process, as shown in FIG. 6B, the shutter rack 29 is driven by the shutter motor 28, and the shutter path 27 is moved to the open position by the spring 30 that engages the shutter path 27 with the shutter rack 29. After the shutter path 27 is opened, the shutter path 27 comes into contact with a stopper (not shown), and the shutter path 27 stops. After applying the glue 25c to the sheet bundle P1 held by the gripper 41, the gripper 41 is moved so that the glued sheet bundle P1 is pressed against the cover sheet P2 on the creasing table 34, and the sheet bundle P1 is moved to the cover sheet P2. (Step S15).
[0030]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the shutter motor 28 is driven (Step S16 in FIG. 19), the cam 32 driven by the belt 31 from the shutter motor 28 further rotates, and the guide shaft 33 rotates the creasing table 34. Is configured to slide. Creases are made for a certain time by the crease table 34, and the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is completed. Note that the crease table 34 has a relief mechanism to cope with a change in the paper thickness.
[0031]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6D, by rotating the cam 32, the crease table 34 is retracted, the bookbinding sheet bundle P <b> 3 is pushed downstream by the pushing rollers 39, and the rotating stage 301 is moved through the bundle curvature path 40. (Step S17).
[0032]
(Buffer mechanism)
Here, the buffer mechanism 50 for temporarily retracting the sheet P conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body A during sheet post-processing such as glue binding will be described. Normally, in the bookbinding mode, the sheet P is conveyed to the alignment vertical path 35 and pulled back by the half-moon roller 19 in the direction of the rear end stopper 20 until the rear end of the sheet P comes into contact with the sheet P. To go.
[0033]
However, when a plurality of copies are selected in the sheet post-processing mode such as the bookbinding mode, the sheets P are stacked and aligned on the alignment vertical path 35 to create the first bookbinding, and then operations such as gluing are performed. In the process, the bundle of sheets P continues to exist in the alignment vertical path 35. Therefore, the sheet P for the second bookbinding cannot be conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body A, and the work such as gluing of the first book is completed. Until the sheet P is discharged, the conveyance of the sheet P is stopped, which leads to a decrease in productivity.
[0034]
Therefore, a buffer mechanism 50 is provided as shown in FIG. 3, and when the job is not completed when the sheet is post-processed (step S13 in FIG. 18), the work such as gluing the first sheet bundle is performed. It is possible to temporarily evacuate the sheet P carried in from the image forming apparatus main body A for the second bookbinding before the sheet is discharged from the alignment vertical path 35 (see FIG. 3). Buffer operation shown in FIG. 21).
[0035]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the buffer mechanism 50 is configured to be movable in the same direction and the direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction, and when the buffer mechanism 50 is moved in the same direction as the transport direction. Only the electromagnetic clutch gear 50c is operated so that the drive of the motor is transmitted, the drive is transmitted to the rack 50e via the gear 50d, and the buffer mechanism 50 is moved. At this time, the position and the amount of movement of the buffer mechanism 50 in the same direction as the transport direction are controlled by using the photo sensor 50f and the protrusion provided at one end of the buffer mechanism 50 for shielding the light.
[0036]
Further, when moving in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction, a current is sent only to the electromagnetic clutch gear 50g so that the drive of the motor is transmitted, and the drive is transmitted to the rack 50b via the gear 50h, and a buffer mechanism is provided. The cradle 50a of 50 is moved. At this time, the position and the amount of movement of the buffer mechanism 50 in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction are controlled by using the photosensor 50i and the projection provided on one end of the rack 50b that shields the photosensor 50i. . The cradle 50a of the buffer mechanism 50 is retracted outside the width of the sheet P shown in FIG. 7 except when the sheet P must be buffered, so that it does not hinder the sheet conveyance. Absent.
[0037]
As a basic operation of the buffer mechanism 50, first, as shown in FIG. 3, there is a stacked and aligned sheet bundle P1 in the alignment vertical path 35, and the sheet bundle P1 has not yet been discharged from the alignment vertical path 35. At this time, in order to buffer the sheet P continuously conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body A, the receiving table 50a is moved from the retracted position so as not to hinder the conveyance of the sheet P, as shown in FIG. The slide is moved to a position where P is received (step S31 in FIG. 21).
[0038]
The sheet is guided to the alignment vertical path 35 by the first flapper 12 (step S32). When the sheet bundle P1 is discharged from the alignment vertical path 35, the buffer mechanism 50 is moved in the same direction as the transport direction as shown in FIG. It is moved toward the end stopper 20. When the buffered sheet P is aligned in the transport direction and the vertical direction (steps S34 and S35), and the trailing end is supported by the trailing end stopper 20 (step S36), the movement is stopped and the cradle 50a is moved. It is moved to the evacuation position (step S37). Finally, the buffer mechanism 50 is returned in the direction opposite to the rear end stopper 20, moved to the first retreat position (home position), and the process ends. Then, the operation returns to the position C shown in FIG. 17, and the above operation is repeated until the target number of bookbinding copies is completed.
[0039]
(Rotating stage)
Next, the rotation stage 301 for rotating the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 to be conveyed into the trimmer unit D will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8A, the bundle transport unit 302 in the rotary stage 301 rotates around a rotary shaft 330 by winding a wire 305 fixed to a lifting gear 304 driven by a lifting motor 303. When the sensor 306 detects the protrusion 302a of the transport unit, the elevating motor is stopped and the apparatus stands by at the position shown in FIG.
[0040]
The bookbinding sheet bundle P3 bound in the bookbinding step is transported by the bundle transport roller pair 307, and the transport belts 309, 310, 320, and 321 are driven by the transport belt motor F322 and the timing at which the leading end of the booklet sheet bundle P3 is detected by the sensor 308. It is configured to rotate in the direction of the arrow by being driven by the conveyor belt motor R323.
[0041]
When the trailing end of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 conveyed by the bundle conveying roller pair 307 into the conveying path 311 of the bundle conveying unit 302 passes through the sensor 308, the lifting motor 303 rotates in reverse, and the bundle conveying unit 302 is moved to the position shown in FIG. ) (Step S18). When the sensor 312 detects the protrusion 302 a of the bundle transport unit 302, the drive of the lifting / lowering motor 303, the transport belt motor F 322, and the transport belt motor R 323 is stopped, whereby the bookbinding sheet bundle P 3 is transported by the transport belts 310 and 321 and the weight 313. , And waits in a state of being sandwiched between the weight rollers 314 at the tip of the.
[0042]
At this timing, the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is aligned by the aligning plate F315 and the aligning plate R316 driven by a motor (not shown) as alignment means for positioning the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 at a predetermined position, and is positioned on the aligning plate R side. At this time, the binding sheet bundle P3 is bound with the front cover shifted when bound by the alignment vertical path 35 and the cover path 16, so that it is possible to accurately position the alignment sheet R when aligning with the alignment plate. Become. At the same time, when the timing belt 317 is driven by a motor (not shown), the abutment plate 318 fixed to the timing belt 317 moves from the position of the sensor 319 to a designated position, and the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is moved into the trimmer unit D. It is transported (step S19). At this time, the bound sheet bundle P3 is conveyed while the three sides are regulated by the alignment plates F and R and the abutment plate, so that the conveyance accuracy to the trimmer portion can be improved.
[0043]
When cutting is started in the trimmer unit D (B and D shown in FIG. 19), the alignment plate pair and the abutment plate 318 move to the home position and stand by. When the cutting is completed, the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 sandwiched between the weight rollers 314 by rotating the conveyor belts 309, 310, 320, and 321 in the counterclockwise direction has the weight rollers 314 near the center of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3. At which point the conveyor belts 309, 310, 320, 321 stop. Thereby, the sheet bundle is pulled back from the trimming position (Step S20 in FIG. 20). After that, it is determined how many times it has been rotated (step S21). If it is the first time, the conveyor belts 309, 310 and the conveyor belts 320, 321 rotate in opposite directions as shown by the arrows in FIG. The bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is rotated by 90 degrees about the roller 314 (step S22). After the rotation by 90 degrees, the process returns to E shown in FIG. 19, the conveyance belts 309, 310, 320, and 321 are stopped. The sheet is transported to a predetermined position in the unit D and cut. In the case of the second time, the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is conveyed to the weight roller 314 by the same operation and then rotated by 180 degrees (step S23), and returns to E shown in FIG. At the third time after the cutting is completed, the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is conveyed to the weight roller 314 and rotated by 90 degrees (step S24). Then, the conveying belts 309, 310, 320, and 321 are moved in the arrow direction in FIG. By rotating, the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is transported to the stacking tray E (step S25). At the same time, by rotating the abutting plate 318 once in the direction of the arrow, it operates to push out the rear end of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 being conveyed, so that the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 can be reliably discharged to the stacking tray E. It is composed.
[0044]
(Device configuration of the trimmer)
Next, the trimmer unit D, which describes the configuration of the trimmer unit D, which is a sheet bundle cutting device according to the present invention, has a purpose of finishing a higher-quality sheet bundle, and has a sizing unit 25 that performs sizing and binding. The bundle is cut on three sides excluding the glued end faces.
[0045]
Here, when cutting a thick sheet bundle, for example, a bundle of 50 sheets or more, if the cutting is performed in one step, the cutting force is increased, and the rigidity and power consumption of the apparatus are increased. Can be obtained. However, if the cutting is performed with a small force, the cutting cannot be performed in one step. By dividing the cutting step, a step is generated, and a good cut surface cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize both features. That is, cutting is performed while dividing, but the cutting edge does not pass through the cut area once.
[0046]
Therefore, the present invention is characterized in that the blade is moved while applying a load by pressing the plate-shaped blade against the sheet bundle to cut the sheet bundle. However, the pressing load is considerably smaller than that of the conventional example, and a load of several kgf may be sufficient for about 500 kgf.
[0047]
In the model of the cutting apparatus using the plate-like blade shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 16 shows a part of the study of the relationship between the load applied to the cutting blade, the amount of movement, the sheet width, and the number of cut sheets. From the graph shown in FIG. 16A, it can be seen that, when the width of the sheet and the load on the cutting edge are kept constant, the amount of movement of the blade and the number of cut sheets have a proportional relationship. From the graph shown in FIG. 16B, it can be seen that when the load on the blade edge and the amount of movement of the blade are kept constant, the sheet width and the number of cut sheets decrease in inverse proportion to the number of cut sheets. From the graph shown in FIG. 16C, it can be seen that, when the sheet width and the moving amount of the blade are constant, the load on the blade edge and the number of cut sheets have a proportional relationship. From the above results, it can be said that the number of cut sheets increases by increasing the load applied to the blade edge and the moving amount of the blade. From this relationship, by reducing the load applied to the cutting edge and positively increasing the moving amount of the blade, the number of cut sheets can be increased, and cutting can be performed with a small force.
[0048]
Further, in the present invention, a reciprocating means is provided for the movement of the blade in the longitudinal direction in order to prevent the longitudinal length of the blade from being lengthened by positively moving the blade. By reversing the moved blade at a certain position and moving in the opposite direction, the amount of movement can be increased even if the length of the blade in the longitudinal direction is short. Thereby, the length of the blade in the longitudinal direction can be reduced to the width of the maximum sheet width of the cutting + the reciprocating movement amount of the blade, thereby preventing the apparatus from being enlarged. In addition, this method cuts while dividing, but the cutting edge always moves not only in the longitudinal direction of the blade but also in the thickness direction, and the cutting edge is cut once because the cutting edge is cut continuously. The sheet does not pass, and no step occurs on the end face of the sheet bundle. Also, by increasing the moving speed of the blade, the cut surface and the side surface of the blade are rubbed violently, and the cut surface is polished, whereby a glossy and better cut surface can be obtained.
[0049]
FIG. 10 shows the configuration of the trimmer unit D in the present embodiment. The cutting blade 81 for cutting the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is plate-shaped and has a blade surface on only one side. The longitudinal direction of the cutting blade 81 is longer than the maximum sheet width to be cut, and is formed to have a length that the cutting blade 81 always rides on the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 in order to move in the longitudinal direction. For example, assuming that the maximum sheet width is at the time of cutting in the longitudinal direction of A4, a length equal to or more than the width of the A4 sheet (297 mm) + the moving distance of the cutting blade 81 is required. The movement of the cutting blade 81 cutting the sheet is performed while reciprocating in a direction parallel to the cutting section. A similar motion is that of cutting a tree with a saw.
[0050]
The cutting blade 81 is fixed to a parallel moving member 82 that is slidable only in parallel to a cutting section of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 by a horizontal motor 85 in a longitudinal direction as a longitudinal driving unit, for example. . The parallel moving member 82 is supported by rollers 83a and 83b. As shown in FIG. 11, the rollers 83a and 83b relatively rub against each other along the abutting surfaces 84a and 84b of the parallel moving member 82, and thus the parallel moving member 82 is parallelized. The moving member 82 moves only parallel to the cutting plane. The parallel movement is performed by a horizontal motor 85, and the drive is transmitted to a rotation receiver 87 via a rotation cam 86 to perform a reciprocating movement. The speed change of the reciprocating motion can be freely changed by providing the horizontal motor 85 with an encoder.
[0051]
The movement of the cutting blade 81 in the thickness direction of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is performed by a vertical moving member 88, and the cutting blade 81 moves vertically along the long grooves 89c and 89d of the columns 89a and 89b connected to the base 80. The vertical grooves 89c and 89d regulate vertical movement. Since the vertical moving member 88 includes the rollers 83a and 83b that support the parallel moving member 82, by moving the parallel moving member 82 vertically, the cutting blade 81 also moves in the vertical direction. The vertical moving member 88 is provided with, for example, tension springs 90a and 90b as a load applying means for applying a load to the cutting blade 81.
[0052]
These mechanisms allow the cutting blade 81 to reciprocate while moving in the sheet bundle thickness direction. However, a mat 91 as a receiving member is provided below the cutting blade 81 of the base 80 for the purpose of preventing the cutting blade 81 from being damaged. The mat 91 is preferably made of a soft material such as rubber, mold, urethane or the like. The shape of the mat 91 is a roller shape, and the chips after cutting can be rotated by the dust box 93 and dropped. Further, when the mat 91 and the cutting blade 81 come into contact many times to form a groove in the mat 91, the cut surface of the lowermost sheet of the sheet bundle (the sheet that is in direct contact with the mat 91) becomes ragged. Or a problem that it cannot be cut occurs. However, by forming the mat 91 in a roller shape, the position where the cutting blade 81 comes into contact is shifted before the groove is formed in the mat 91, and the mat 91 is moved to a new area where no groove is formed to cut the bookbinding sheet bundle P3. And the durability of the mat 91 can be extended.
[0053]
As shown in FIG. 2, the chips dropped by the mat 91 are conveyed to a dust box 93 by a pusher 92 movable by a motor (not shown).
[0054]
When cutting the end face of the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle P3 is pressed by a sheet presser 98, for example, as pressing means shown in FIG. The rotation of the vertical motor 99 shown in FIG. 14 controls the rotation of the cam 94 shown in FIG. 13A, whereby the link 95 operates to the lower fulcrum and stops. The presser spring 96 is compressed to press the bookbinding sheet bundle P3. This mechanism controls the rotation of the cam 94, operates the link 95 to the upper fulcrum, and releases the sheet presser 98, as shown in FIG. It also serves as a mechanism for raising the cutting blade 81 in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle via the vertical moving member 88 when hitting the contact 88a. The position control of the link 95 by the cam 94 can be controlled by providing a cam position sensor (not shown) at a predetermined cam position.
[0055]
As the control means of the present invention shown in FIG. 14, for example, the CPU 200 stores therein a control program or the like corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 17 to 22, and is electrically connected as described in detail later. Based on information from various sensors and the like, a control program is executed, various motors and the like are driven and controlled via various drivers, and control in the sheet processing apparatus B and communication with the image forming apparatus main body A are performed.
[0056]
(Trimmer operation)
Next, the operation of the present embodiment and the trimmer unit D having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is transported by the rotary stage 301 to the cutting position. At this time, the trimming width of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is about 2 to 20 mm. After the conveyance of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3, the CPU 200 rotates the vertical motor 99 (step S40), thereby controlling the rotation of the cam 94 to operate and stop the link 95 to the position of the lower fulcrum. As shown, the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is pressed by the sheet presser 98. At this time, since the cutting blade 81 also moves via the vertical moving member 88 together with the sheet presser 98, the cutting blade 81 comes into contact with the bookbinding sheet bundle P3. At this time, the spring pressure of the tension springs 90a and 90b acts on the cutting blade 81 and the sheet bundle P3, and a load for cutting the sheet is applied.
[0057]
After the pressing operation of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is completed, the CPU 200 drives the horizontal motor 85 as shown in FIG. 11 (step S41), and rotates the cam in one direction to rotate the rotating cam 86, thereby connecting to the rotating cam 86. The driving is transmitted from the roller 100 to the rotation receiver 87, and the cutting blade 81 reciprocates in the longitudinal direction of the blade. At this time, the stroke of the cutting blade 81 is determined by the distance from the center of the rotating cam 86 to the roller 100.
[0058]
However, as a method of reciprocation, a method using a rack 103 and a pinion 104 as shown in FIG. In this case, it is necessary to detect the reciprocating position. As a detecting means, for example, the sensor flag 102 detects the reciprocating ends by passing through the horizontal sensors 101a and 101b, and rotates the horizontal motor 85 in reverse. Enable reciprocating movement. That is, the position of the cutting blade 81 in the longitudinal direction can be detected by the horizontal sensors 101a and 101b and the sensor flag 102. In addition, if the configuration uses the rack 103 and the pinion 104, the moving direction can be reversed at an arbitrary position. Therefore, even when the sheet bundle is thin, the moving direction of the cutting blade 81 must be reversed at least once during cutting. And the cut surface can be improved.
[0059]
The bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is cut by the reciprocating movement of the cutting blade 81 in a direction parallel to the sheet surface. In addition, the cutting blade 81 is pulled by the tension springs 90a and 90b, and is moved in the thickness direction of the bookbinding sheet bundle P3. Moving.
[0060]
As shown in FIG. 10, as a detecting means for detecting that the cutting blade 81 has reached a predetermined distance from the mat, for example, the vertical moving member 88 is provided with a blade position flag 97b, and the support post 89a is provided with a blade position flag 97b. Is provided. When receiving the signal from the blade position sensor 97a, the CPU 200 continuously operates the horizontal motor 85 for a preset time based on the processing data stored in the CPU 200, and rotates the cutting blade 81 a predetermined number of times in the sheet longitudinal direction. Stop control after moving.
[0061]
For example, assuming that the cutting blade 81 is set at a distance of 1 mm from the mat 91 when the blade position sensor 97a detects the blade position flag 97b, assuming that the thickness of the sheet P is 0.1 mm, about 10 sheets are detected from the detection. Sheet P must be cut.
[0062]
Here, assuming that the cutting blade 81 can cut the six sheets P in one reciprocation, the reciprocating operation is terminated at the time when two reciprocations have been performed since the detection. That is, the amount of movement of the cutting blade 81 in the sheet thickness direction is equal to the thickness of the sheet to be cut. By operating in this manner, the number of times the mat 91 and the cutting blade 81 rub immediately after cutting the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 can be minimized, and the durability of both the cutting blade 81 and the mat 91 can be improved.
[0063]
After cutting the bookbinding sheet bundle P3, the CPU 200 drives the vertical motor 99 to control the operation of the cam 94 and the link 95 to the position shown in FIG. The sheet presser 98 is released, and at the same time, the cutting blade 81 is retracted from the mat 91. Some chips have fallen in the dust box 93, but some chips have not completely fallen and remain on the mat 91. The mat 91 is rotated to forcibly drop it into the dust box 93 (step S42), and then the chips are pushed into the dust box 93 by the pusher 92 (step S43) (step S44). After the mat 91 rotates, the process returns to D in FIG. 19, and the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is rotated to cut the next side, or the bookbinding sheet bundle P3 is discharged to the stacking tray E by the rotating stage 301.
[0064]
(Configuration of control system of sheet processing device)
Here, the configuration of the control system of the sheet processing apparatus B will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In the figure, as a control unit, for example, the CPU 200 includes a paper size signal 9, a discharge sensor 22, a registration tip sensor 23a, a registration sensor 24, a photo sensor 50f, a photo sensor 50i, a blade position sensor 97a, sensors 306, 308, 312, and 319. And the like.
[0065]
Then, based on the signals, via each of the drivers D1 to D15, the shutter motor 28, the cover motor 37, the electromagnetic clutch gear 50c, the horizontal motor 85, the vertical motor 99, the first flapper solenoid 201, the second flapper solenoid 202, Control input pulse or rotation amount of each of the non-sort path conveyance motor 203, bookbinding path conveyance motor 204, cover path conveyance motor 205, matching vertical path motor 207, lifting motor 303, conveyance belt motor F322, conveyance belt motor R323, etc. The moving amount, speed, and the like are controlled by the encoder input.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the sheet bundle cutting apparatus, the sheet processing apparatus, and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the sheet bundle is cut while the plate-shaped blade is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction, thereby cutting the thick sheet bundle into small pieces. The apparatus can be cut by force, has a good cut surface, and can be a low-cost and compact apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet processing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a surface configuration of a matching vertical path.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of skew removal and registration of a cover path.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a gluing unit.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for bonding a cover to a glued sheet bundle.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a buffer mechanism using a matching standing path.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a rotary stage.
FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a rotary stage.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism of a trimmer section.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a trimmer unit.
FIG. 12 is a diagram in which a reciprocating means for moving the cutting blade of the trimmer section is constituted by a rack and a pinion.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet bundle holding mechanism.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the sheet processing apparatus.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a model of a cutting device using a plate-like blade.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing part of a study of the relationship between the load applied to the cutting blade, the amount of movement, the sheet width, and the number of cut sheets.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the sheet processing apparatus in the bookbinding mode.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the sheet processing apparatus in the bookbinding mode.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the sheet processing apparatus in the bookbinding mode.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the sheet processing apparatus in the bookbinding mode.
FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a buffer operation.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a trimmer operation.
FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a conventional method for cutting a sheet bundle.
[Explanation of symbols]
A: Image forming apparatus main body
B: Sheet processing device
C: Transport alignment unit
D: Trimmer unit
80 ... Base
81 ... Cutting blade
82 ... translation member
83a ... roller
83b ... roller
84a ... butting
84b ... butting
85 ... Horizontal motor
86… Rotating cam
87… rotating receiver
88 Vertical member
88a ... butting
89a… Prop
89b… Prop
89c… Long groove
89d… Long groove
90a ... tension spring
90b… Tension spring
91 ... mat
94… Cam
95… link
96… Paper holding spring
97a ... Blade position sensor
97b… Blade position flag
98… Sheet presser
99 ... vertical motor
100 ... roller
101a ... Horizontal sensor
101b ... Horizontal sensor
102… Sensor flag
103… Rack
104… pinion
200 ... CPU

Claims (6)

A base on which the sheet bundle is placed,
Pressing means for holding down the sheet bundle by sandwiching it with the base;
Load applying means for applying a load to a plate-shaped blade for cutting the sheet bundle,
Longitudinal driving means for reciprocating the blade in the longitudinal direction,
And a receiving member for receiving the blade edge of the blade. 2. The sheet according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect that a blade edge of the blade has reached a predetermined distance from the receiving member, and restricting movement of the blade in accordance with an output of the detection unit. 3. Bundle cutting device. The sheet bundle cutting device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect a position of the blade in a longitudinal direction. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal drive unit reverses the moving direction of the blade at least once from when the blade edge of the blade abuts on the sheet bundle to when the cutting of the entire sheet bundle is completed. The sheet bundle cutting device according to any one of the above items. Loading means for loading sheets,
Alignment means for aligning a plurality of stacked sheets;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: the sheet bundle cutting apparatus according to claim 1. Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet,
Conveying means for conveying the sheet,
Alignment means for aligning the plurality of conveyed sheets to form a sheet bundle;
An image forming apparatus, comprising: the sheet bundle cutting device according to claim 1.

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