JP2005096202A - Sheet bonding apparatus and image forming apparatus provided with the apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly melt an entire toner layer by heating a sheet from the edge direction of the sheet and uniforming the adhesive force between the sheets.
SOLUTION: A sheet bonding apparatus 100 is provided such that a heating member 111 incorporating a heater 112 is disposed so as to be in contact with a side surface of an edge of the sheet, and a pressure member 109 is pressed from the thickness direction of the sheet. The heating member 111 heats the toner layer 115 from the side surface of the edge of the sheet, and the pressure member 109 pressurizes the toner layer 115 in the direction perpendicular to the sheet surface. Can be adhered to each other and the sheets can be heated uniformly.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet bonding apparatus that binds a sheet bundle by using toner as an adhesive, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet bonding apparatus in an apparatus main body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer, a toner layer for adhering sheets formed on end portions of a sheet separately from a toner image is heated and pressed in the apparatus main body. A sheet bonding apparatus for bonding sheets and binding a sheet bundle may be provided. In this case, the sheet bonding apparatus is connected to the apparatus main body as one of the components of the image forming apparatus.

  In such a sheet bonding apparatus, the toner layers of the stacked sheets are pressed from the thickness direction of the sheets by a heating and pressing member and simultaneously heated from the same direction to bond the sheets to each other. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 49-1333039 A (FIG. 7)

  However, such a conventional sheet bonding apparatus heats and presses a plurality of overlapping sheets in the thickness direction of the sheets in a lump, so that heat is not easily transmitted to the toner layer as the distance from the heat source increases, and the toner on all the sheets It was difficult to dissolve the layer uniformly. For this reason, there is a variation in the adhesive strength between the sheets, and there is a problem that a sheet farther from the heat generation source is more easily peeled off. In particular, this phenomenon was more noticeable as the number of sheets increased.

  In order to cope with such a problem, it is conceivable to raise the temperature at which the sheet is heated so that sufficient heat is transmitted to the toner layer away from the heat source. However, there is a possibility that another problem of scoring the sheet near the heat source and deteriorating the aesthetic appearance of the sheet bundle may occur.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet bonding apparatus in which a sheet is heated from the edge direction of the sheet to uniformly melt all the toner layers, and the adhesive force between the sheets is made uniform.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus including a sheet bonding apparatus in an apparatus main body.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sheet bonding apparatus according to the present invention includes a heating unit that heats the toner layer from the edge direction of the sheet having a toner layer that bonds the sheets, and the toner layer that is formed from the thickness direction of the sheet. Pressurizing means for pressurizing.

  The sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention includes temperature adjusting means for detecting the temperature of the sheet and adjusting the heating temperature of the heating means.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention, the temperature adjusting means has a temperature detection sensor that is provided in at least one of the pressurizing means and the heating means and detects the temperature of the sheet.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention, the toner layer is formed on the surface of the sheet along the edge of the sheet, and the heating means can contact and separate from the edge.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention, the heating means is also used as one of a pair of alignment members that align the sheets with both end edges of the sheet interposed therebetween.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention, the pressurizing means is a pair of discharge rotators for rotating and discharging the sheet bundle while sandwiching the sheet bundle from both sides of the thickness.

  The sheet bonding apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet stacking unit on which the sheets are stacked, and the pressing unit and the heating unit pressurize and heat the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention, the pressurizing unit is a discharge rotating body that presses and rotates the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking unit to discharge the sheet bundle.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention, the heating means has a ceramic heater.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet on which a toner image and a toner layer for adhering the sheets are formed on a sheet, and a sheet on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit. A sheet bonding apparatus that binds the toner layer by heating and pressurizing, and the sheet bonding apparatus is any one of the sheet bonding apparatuses described above.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus of the present invention, the heating means is disposed so as to be able to contact the side surface of the edge of the sheet, and the pressing means is disposed so as to press from the thickness direction of the sheet. The toner layer can be heated from the side surface of the edge, and the pressing means can press the toner layer in the direction perpendicular to the sheet surface (the thickness direction of the sheet) to adhere the sheets to each other. And between each sheet | seat can be heated uniformly. As a result, regardless of the number of sheets in the sheet bundle, the sheet bonding apparatus can uniformly and enhance the adhesive force between the sheets, and can reliably bind the sheet bundle so that the sheets are not peeled off. it can.

  Hereinafter, a sheet bonding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a laser beam printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus including the sheet bonding apparatus in an apparatus body will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In addition to the laser beam printer, the image forming apparatus includes a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a complex machine thereof. The sheet bonding apparatus is not provided only in the main body of the laser beam printer.

  The sheet bonding apparatus is separate from the apparatus main body of the laser beam printer and is detachable. However, the sheet bonding apparatus may be fixed to the apparatus main body or incorporated in the apparatus main body.

  Further, the sheet bonding process performed by the sheet bonding apparatus of the present embodiment is performed by heating the toner layer formed on the sheet bonding portion separately from the toner image in the apparatus main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer. It is a process of pressing and bonding sheets together. The bonded sheet bundle is in a bound state.

(Laser beam printer apparatus main body and sheet bonding apparatus according to the first embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a four-color full-color laser beam printer 1 provided with the apparatus main body 1A of the sheet bonding apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus main body 1A from which the sheet bonding apparatus 100 is removed. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the entire printer.

  In an apparatus main body 1A of a laser beam printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) 1, a printing process unit 13Y, 13M, 13C, 13Bk including a laser scanner 2 and photosensitive drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk, an intermediate transfer belt A unit 16, a transfer roller 9, a fixing device 4, a registration roller pair 8, a paper feed cassette 6, a paper feed roller (pickup roller) 7 and the like are provided.

  The image forming unit 29 including the printing process units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13Bk, the intermediate transfer belt 16, and the transfer roller 9 is an example of an image forming unit.

  A sheet-like recording material (hereinafter simply referred to as “sheet”) S stacked and stored in the sheet feeding cassette 6 is fed by a sheet feeding roller 7 that rotates counterclockwise in the drawing, and is fed to a sheet guide 18. It is guided and sent to the nip portion of the registration roller pair 8. Next, the sheet S is sent between the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the secondary transfer roller 9 by the registration roller pair 8.

  Photosensitivity of each color provided in the printing process units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13Bk having developer (toner) of each color in the order of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk). The surfaces of the drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3Bk are exposed to laser beams emitted from the laser scanners 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2Bk corresponding to the photosensitive drums, and developed by a developing device to form a toner image. The

  The photosensitive drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3Bk on which the toner images are formed rotate counterclockwise in the drawing and perform primary transfer on the intermediate transfer belt 16 that rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Then, at the nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the secondary transfer roller 9, the toner image is secondarily transferred onto the sheet S conveyed by the registration roller pair 8.

  Thus, the toner image is formed on the sheet S on which the toner image is transferred. The sheet S is sent to the fixing device 4 and heated and pressed by the fixing device 4. A fixing roller 22 and a pressure roller 21 are provided in the fixing device 4 to form a nip. When the sheet passes through the nip portion, the toner image is fixed.

  The bookbinding toner layer 115 (see FIG. 5) is formed on a part of the sheet S at the same time as the toner image is formed on the sheet S in the image forming process of the printer 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the amount of toner used by each printing process unit is sequentially written in the memory chips 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27Bk mounted on the printing process units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13Bk. . The written usage amount is read by the antennas 28Y, 28M, 28C, and 28Bk that read the contents of the memory chips 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27Bk provided in the printer 1, and the usage amount of each color toner is stored in the memory information control communication. The signal is transmitted to the engine control unit 32 by the unit 31. The engine control unit 32 recognizes the remaining amount of toner, causes the image formation control unit 33 to select the toner with the most remaining amount of the toner colors, and sets the toner layer 115 of the toner of that color. Form on a sheet.

  The printer 1 according to the present embodiment employs a method of reading information from the memory chip. However, a configuration in which the remaining toner amount is directly recognized by the toner remaining amount detection mechanism, or the printer starts using the process cartridge. The same effect can be obtained even if a toner color is selected by calculating and recognizing the remaining amount of toner from the image pattern printed from the sheet and the number of sheets.

  A duplex transport unit 15 is provided inside the printer apparatus main body 1A. The sheet S on which the toner image is fixed is selectively guided to a paper discharge port formed on the upper and side surfaces of the apparatus main body 1A of the printer 1 or a duplex conveyance unit 15 by the conveyance switching guide 11 and the conveyance switching guide 12. Is done.

  The sheet S on which the toner image is formed (printed) is guided to the upper surfaces of the conveyance switching guide 11 and the conveyance switching guide 12 whose leading ends are switched downward and conveyed to the conveyance roller pair 10, and further to the conveyance switching guide 25. Whether the sheet is guided and discharged in a so-called face-down state with the image surface (the surface on which the toner image is formed) facing down on the sheet discharge tray 19 on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1A of the printer 1 by the sheet discharge roller pair 5. Alternatively, the sheet is guided by the conveyance switching guide 25 and sent to the sheet bonding apparatus 100.

  Further, the sheet is guided by the upper surface of the conveyance switching guide 11 whose leading edge is switched downward and the lower surface of the conveyance switching guide 12 whose leading edge is switched upward, and is conveyed by the face-up (FU) paper discharge roller pair 14. Then, the image surface (toner image) is also discharged from the side surface of the apparatus main body 1A of the printer 1 in a so-called face-up state.

  Further, the sheet is guided by the lower surface of the conveyance switching guide 11 whose leading edge is switched upward, is sent to the reverse conveyance path 20, and is sent to the duplex conveyance unit 15. During this time, the sheet is conveyed in a switchback and turned upside down. The sheet that is turned upside down is conveyed again through the conveyance path 23 in the apparatus main body 1A of the printer 1, guided to the sheet guide material 24, and sent to the nip portion of the registration roller pair 8. Thereafter, the sheet undergoes a process similar to that when a toner image is formed on one side (first side), and a toner image is also formed on the other side (second side). At this time, the toner layer 115 may be formed on the other surface.

  In the above sheet conveying operation, the sheet conveying direction is selected based on information input by the user to the control panel 30 (see FIG. 3). That is, when the user selects to discharge the sheet to the discharge tray 19 or to discharge the sheet from the face-up discharge roller pair 14, the engine control unit 32 performs the transfer switching guide 11 and the transfer as described above. The switching guide 12 is switched.

  When the user selects to bind the sheet bundle, the engine control unit 32 and the image forming control unit 33 control to form the toner layer 115 on the sheet and send the sheet to the sheet bonding apparatus 100. When binding a sheet bundle by the sheet bonding apparatus 100, the sheet is discharged to the stacking tray 104, which is a sheet stacking unit with the toner image forming surface facing down, so the toner layer 115 is formed on the first sheet. Do not form. If the toner layer 115 is formed on the first sheet, the toner layer is formed on the surface of the first sheet and the appearance is deteriorated.

  However, when a toner image is formed on both sides of a sheet for bookbinding, the surface on which the toner image is formed (first surface) is first up and the sheets are stacked on the stacking tray 104. The toner layer 115 may be formed on the surface (first surface) on which the toner image is formed starting from the sheet. In this case, the toner layer 115 is not formed on the last sheet. If the toner layer 115 is formed on the last sheet, the toner layer is formed on the surface of the last sheet and the appearance is deteriorated.

  In the present embodiment, the toner layer 115 is formed from the second sheet in order to describe the case where a toner image is formed on one side of the sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet S on which the toner image is formed in the apparatus main body 1 </ b> A of the printer 1 is conveyed to the apparatus main body 1 </ b> A of the printer 1 by conveyance by the conveyance roller pair 10 and guidance by the conveyance switching guide 25. The sheet passes through the discharge port 26 to the formed sheet bonding apparatus 100 and is sent to a pair of conveying rollers 101 provided inside the sheet bonding apparatus 100. Then, the sheet is conveyed by conveyance by the conveyance roller pair 101, guidance by the sheet guide 103, and conveyance by the conveyance roller pair 102, and is discharged onto the stacking tray 104.

  Further, the stacking tray 104 is provided at a distance from the discharge tray 19 at a position where the sheets discharged to the discharge tray 19 can be easily taken out without blocking the discharge tray 19 provided in the printer 1 from above. . The discharged sheet S is abutted against the vertical registration aligning plate 105 shown in FIG. 4 and the rear end is abutted against the vertical registration aligning wall 106 to align the longitudinal direction of the sheet S. That is, the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet are aligned.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, the lateral registration aligning plate 107 is arranged between the pinion 34 and the rack 35 in the lateral direction of the sheet S, which is a direction intersecting the ejection direction of the sheet ejected by the conveying roller 102. By moving by the mechanism, abutting against one end edge Sa of the sheet S along the sheet discharge direction, and further moving, abutting the other end Sb of the sheet S against the lateral registration alignment pin 108 Be aligned. As a result, both end edges Sa and Sb of the sheet are aligned. The lateral registration alignment plate 107 and the lateral registration alignment pin 108 are a pair of alignment members.

  Next, an operation of bonding sheets with a toner layer will be described.

  5 to 7, a toner layer 115 is formed on the adhesive portion of the sheet S. The position of the toner layer 115 is formed in a band shape along one edge Sb. For example, the pressurizing member 109 which is a pressurizing unit is formed in a position and a shape in which the toner layer 115 can be uniformly pressed along one edge Sa of the sheet. A temperature detection sensor 113 for detecting the surface temperature of the sheet S is disposed on the contact surface where the pressing member 109 contacts the surface of the sheet.

  For example, the heating member 111 which is a heating means includes a heater 112 and a temperature detection sensor 114. The heating member 111 is formed in a shape along the edge Sa of the sheet S. Further, a plurality of notches 121 (see FIG. 4) for avoiding the lateral registration alignment pins 108 are formed in the heating member 111 so as to correspond to the lateral registration alignment pins 108. Furthermore, the heating member 111 moves up and down and comes in contact with and separates from one edge Sa of the sheet S as shown in FIGS. 5 (a), 5 (b), and 6 (a). .

  The temperature at which the heater 112 heats the sheet is adjusted based on temperature information detected by the temperature detection sensors 113 and 114 by the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 shown in FIG.

  The sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 also controls the raising / lowering operation of the heating member 111 and the pressure member 109. The heater 112 employs a heater that can rise to a set temperature in a short time, such as a ceramic heater.

  Information relating to the toner color forming the toner layer 115 read from the memory chips 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27Bk provided in the process unit 13 is sent from the engine control unit 32 to the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 of the sheet bonding apparatus 100. Sent. Based on the information, the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 sets the temperature for heating the toner layer 115 as the bonding condition for bonding the toner layer 115, the pressure for pressing the sheet, and the time for heating and pressing the sheet to the conditions suitable for the toner layer 115. Set.

  As shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 7 and 8, the sheet bonding apparatus 100 loads the sheet S on the stacking tray 104 (S 101) every time the sheet S is stacked on the stacking tray 104. The four sides of the sheet are aligned by the registration alignment wall 106 and the lateral registration alignment plate 107 and the lateral registration alignment pins 108 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (S102). Note that a plurality of sheets may be aligned together.

  When a predetermined number of sheets are supplied to the stacking tray 104 and the alignment is completed, the sheet adhesion control unit 131 lowers the pressure member 109 and the heating member 111. The pressure member 109 descends and comes into contact with the sheet S from the thickness direction of the sheet S (the arrow direction in FIG. 5B), and holds the sheet bundle with the pressure receiving member 110 for a predetermined time. On the other hand, the heating member 111 descends along the side edge of the sheet bundle, and the heater 112 built in the descending member 111 heats the sheet to heat the toner layer 115 at a predetermined temperature (S104).

  The toner of the toner layer 115 is melted by the pressurization of the pressurizing member 109 and the heating of the heating member 111 and serves as an adhesive to bond the sheets together. The temperature detection sensor 114 detects the temperature of the heating member 111. The sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 controls the heater 112 based on the temperature information and adjusts the heating temperature of the heating member 111 to the toner layer 115 to a predetermined temperature (S106).

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the temperature detection sensor 113 provided on the pressure member 109 continues to detect the temperature of the surface of the sheet S while the pressure member 109 holds the sheet S. . The sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 adjusts the heating temperature, the heating time, the pressing force, and the pressing time, which are conditions for bonding the toner layer 115, based on the information on the surface temperature of the sheet S (S106).

  That is, the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 controls the heater 112 based on the temperature of the surface of the sheet S detected by the temperature detection sensor 113 of the pressure member 109 so that the toner in the toner layer exhibits the most adhesiveness. It is designed to control the melting temperature of the toner that can be produced. Therefore, if the temperature detection sensor 113 is provided in the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131, the temperature detection sensor 114 is not necessarily provided in the heating member 111. However, the temperature detection sensor 113 is provided in order to quickly raise the heater 112 to a predetermined temperature and to quickly detect and not burn the sheet when the heater 112 rises to an abnormal temperature. It is provided from the aspect of safety. When the heater 112 rises to an abnormal temperature, the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 cuts off the power supply to the heater 112 and causes the user to enter an abnormal state to stop the bonding operation of the sheet bonding apparatus 100. .

  Further, the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 controls the heater 112 by causing the temperature detection sensor 114 of the heating member 111 to detect the temperature of the sheet S, so that the toner in the toner layer can exhibit the most adhesiveness. You may make it control to melting temperature. In this case, the temperature detection sensor 113 of the pressurizing member 109 is not necessarily required. The temperature detection sensor 114 has a function of quickly raising the heater 112 to a predetermined temperature, and the heater 112 is abnormal. When the temperature rises, the structure can be simplified by providing a function from a safety aspect that quickly detects and does not burn the sheet.

  An example of the temperature adjusting means is formed by the configuration of at least one of the temperature detection sensor 113 and the temperature detection sensor 114 and the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131.

  When a predetermined time elapses after the heating member 111 starts heating the sheet bundle and the pressing member 109 presses the sheet bundle (S107), the sheet bonding apparatus control unit 131 displays the information shown in FIG. ), The pressure member 109 is raised and separated from the surface of the sheet S. Further, the temperature detection sensor 113 cuts off the power supply to the heater 112 of the heating member 111, stops the heating of the toner layer 115 by the heating member 111, raises the heating member 111, and separates it from the side surface of the sheet edge. (S108).

  The bound sheet bundle is discharged to a discharge tray 117 shown in FIG. 4 based on a discharge operation described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6B, the lateral registration alignment pin 108 is lowered and moved to the avoidance position. Then, when the lateral registration aligning plate 107 aligns the sheet bundle, it moves in the same direction, and moves the sheet bundle to the discharge roller pair 116. At this time, the vertical registration aligning plate 105 shown in FIG. 4 is separated from the sheet bundle so as not to disturb the conveyance of the sheet bundle. Thereafter, the discharge roller pair 116 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6B with the sheet bundle sandwiched therebetween, and is sent out onto a discharge tray 117 provided outside the side surface of the sheet bonding apparatus 100. The paper discharge tray 117 receives the entire discharged sheet bundle (see FIG. 7).

  When the discharge of the sheet bundle is completed, the horizontal registration alignment plate 107 and the horizontal registration alignment pin 108 are returned to a predetermined position in order to bond the next sheet bundle.

  The toner layer described above is formed in a strip shape along the edge of the sheet, but may be formed in a corner portion of the sheet. In this case, the heating member 111 can efficiently melt the toner in the toner layer when the toner layer is heated from the two directions of the corner edge surface.

  In the above description, the case where the toner layer is formed on one side of the sheet has been described, but the sheet bundle may be bound by forming the toner layer on both sides of the sheet.

  The sheet bonding apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform an operation of bonding sheets after the plurality of sheets are stacked on the stacking tray 104, but the sheets are stacked on the stacking tray 104. You may perform the operation | movement which adhere | attaches every time.

  As described above, in the sheet bonding apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the heating member 111 including the heater 112 is disposed so as to be in contact with the side surface of the edge of the sheet, and the pressing member 109 is in the sheet thickness direction. Since the heating member 111 heats the toner layer 115 from the side surface of the edge of the sheet, the pressing member 109 applies pressure to the toner layer 115 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet surface. By applying pressure, the sheets can be bonded to each other, and the sheets can be heated uniformly. As a result, regardless of the number of sheets in the sheet bundle, the adhesive force between the sheets can be increased uniformly, and the sheet bundle can be reliably bound so that the sheets are not peeled off.

  In addition, the sheet bonding apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is provided with the temperature detection sensor 113 that detects the surface temperature of the sheet in the pressure member 109, so that the temperature can be adjusted to the bonding condition corresponding to the surface temperature of the sheet. In addition, the adhesive strength between sheets can be controlled with high accuracy, and the sheet bundle can be reliably bound.

  In the sheet bonding apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the pressing member 109 is provided with a pressing function, and the heating function is provided in the heating member. Therefore, the pressing member 109 can be reduced in size. For this reason, the pressure member 109 can be disposed in the vicinity of the lateral registration alignment pin 108 which is an alignment member for aligning sheets, and the toner layer 115 can be formed near the edge of the sheet. The sheet can be used effectively by reducing the cost.

(Sheet bonding apparatus 200 of the second embodiment)
9 to 12 show a sheet bonding apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment. The sheet bonding apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment has a simple structure with a structure in which the heating member 111 and the lateral registration alignment pins 108 are integrated in the sheet bonding apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given mainly of parts different from the sheet bonding apparatus 100 of the first embodiment.

  That is, the lateral registration alignment shutter 118 corresponding to the lateral registration alignment pin 108 includes a heater 112 and a temperature detection sensor 114 therein. For example, the horizontal registration aligning shutter 118 serving as a heating means is formed in a prismatic shape so as to be able to uniformly contact the edge of the sheet.

  When the sheet S is supplied to the sheet stacking tray 104, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the horizontal registration alignment plate 107 is moved by the pinion 34 and the rack 35, and the horizontal registration alignment shutter is moved. 118, the side edges Sa and Sb of the sheet S are aligned. The horizontal registration aligning plate 107 returns to a predetermined standby position and waits until the next sheet S is conveyed. The lateral registration alignment plate 107 and the lateral registration alignment shutter 118 constitute a pair of alignment members. The lateral registration alignment shutter 118 is one alignment member of a pair of alignment members.

  When a predetermined number of sheets S are supplied to the sheet stacking tray 104 and the alignment of the four sides of the sheets is completed, the pressure member 109 descends from the vertical direction (sheet thickness direction) of the surface of the sheet S and comes into contact. Then, the sheet bundle is held between the pressure receiving member 110 for a predetermined time. At this time, the heater 112 built in the heating member 111 is also operated to heat the toner layer 115 at a predetermined temperature. As a result, the toner layer 115 is heated and pressurized, and the toner in the toner layer 115 is melted to bond the sheets together.

  When the bonding operation is finished, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the pressure member 109 is raised and the lateral registration alignment shutter 118 is lowered to return to the retracted position. Then, the lateral registration aligning plate 107 is pressed in the same direction as when aligning the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle is moved to the discharge roller pair 116. At this time, the vertical registration aligning plate 105 (see FIG. 9) is separated from the sheet bundle so as not to interfere with the conveyance of the sheet bundle.

  The sheet bundle is conveyed outside the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 116, and is dropped and stacked on a sheet discharge tray 117 provided on the side surface of the sheet bonding apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. When the discharge of the sheet bundle is completed, the lateral registration alignment plate 107 and the lateral registration alignment shutter 118 return to predetermined positions in order to bond the next sheet bundle.

  Also in this embodiment, the temperature detection sensor may be provided on at least one of the pressure member 109 and the lateral registration alignment shutter 118.

  As described above, the sheet adhering apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment is also configured such that the lateral registration alignment shutter 118 having a heating function uniformly heats the sheets from the edge side surface of the sheet. The sheet bundle can be reliably bound so that the sheet is not peeled off.

  Further, in the sheet bonding apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, the lateral registration alignment shutter 118 having a heating function also has a sheet alignment function and is also used as a sheet alignment member. However, the structure can be simplified, and the size and cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

(Sheet bonding apparatus 300 of the third embodiment)
A sheet bonding apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment is shown in FIGS. In the sheet bonding apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment, instead of the pressure member 111 and the pressure receiving member 110 in the sheet bonding apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, for example, a discharge relay roller pair 119, which is a discharge rotating body pair, 120 is provided to simplify the structure and facilitate discharge of the bound sheet bundle. Hereinafter, a description will be given mainly of parts different from the sheet bonding apparatus 100 of the first embodiment.

  When the sheet S is supplied to the sheet stacking tray 104, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the horizontal registration alignment plate 107 is moved by the pinion 34 and the rack 35, and the horizontal registration alignment shutter is moved. 118, the side edges Sa and Sb of the sheet S are aligned. The horizontal registration aligning plate 107 returns to a predetermined standby position and waits until the next sheet S is conveyed.

  The lateral registration alignment shutter 118 includes a heater 112 and a temperature detection sensor 114 inside. When a predetermined number of sheets S are stacked on the stacking tray 104, as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), for example, the discharge relay roller top 119, which is a pressing unit, is a toner layer 115 on the sheet S. Is moved (lowered) so as to be in contact with the sheet S from the vertical direction (sheet thickness direction), and the sheet bundle is sandwiched from both sides of the thickness with the lower discharge relay roller 120. At the same time, the horizontal registration aligning shutter 118 heats the toner layer 115 from the side surface direction of the edge Sb of the sheet S, and bonds the sheets to bind the sheet bundle.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B, the lateral registration alignment shutter 118 is lowered to avoid the bound sheet bundle as shown in FIGS. Then, the discharge relay roller pair 119, 120 rotates to send the bound sheet bundle to the discharge roller pair 116. As shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the sheet bundle is conveyed by the discharge relay roller pair 119 and 120 and the discharge roller pair 116 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 117.

  Note that the lower discharge relay roller 120 is not always necessary. Without providing the lower discharge relay roller 120, the sheet bundle may be stacked on the stacking tray 104, and the sheet bundle may be sent to the discharge roller pair 116 on the upper discharge relay roller 119.

  Also in this embodiment, the temperature detection sensor may be provided on at least one of the discharge relay roller top 119 and the lateral registration alignment shutter 118.

  As described above, in the sheet bonding apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, the lateral registration aligning shutter 118 having a heating function also heats the sheets uniformly from the edge side surface of the sheet. The sheet bundle can be reliably bound so that the sheet is not peeled off.

  Further, in the sheet bonding apparatus 300 of the present embodiment, the bound sheet bundle is not discharged by the horizontal registration aligning plate 107 but is discharged by the discharge relay roller pair 119, 120. , The rack 35 can be shortened, and the apparatus itself can be downsized. That is, the lateral registration aligning plate 107 of the sheet bonding apparatus 300 of the present embodiment operates as shown in FIGS. 6B and 11B in the operation diagrams of the sheet bonding apparatuses 100 and 200 of the first and second embodiments. The rack 35 is shortened accordingly.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a four-color full-color laser beam printer including a sheet bonding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention in an apparatus main body. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus main body from which the sheet bonding apparatus is removed in the laser beam printer of FIG. 1. It is a control block diagram of the whole laser beam printer. It is a perspective view of the laser beam printer of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining sheet alignment processing operation and adhesion processing operation in the sheet bonding apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. (A) It is a figure of the state which is in sheet alignment. (B) It is a figure of the state which is carrying out the adhesion process of the sheet | seat. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining sheet discharge processing operation following FIG. 5. (A) It is a figure of the state which left | separated the horizontal registration alignment plate, the pressurization member, and the heating member from the sheet | seat. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state where the sheet bundle is discharged by the horizontal registration aligning plate. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet bundle subjected to the adhesion process is discharged to a sheet discharge tray following FIG. 6. It is a flowchart for operation | movement description of the sheet bonding apparatus of 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the laser beam printer provided with the sheet bonding apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the alignment processing operation | movement of a sheet | seat in the sheet bonding apparatus of 2nd Embodiment shown in FIG. (A) It is a figure of the state which is sheet alignment. (B) It is a figure of the state which is carrying out the adhesion process of the sheet | seat. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining sheet discharge processing operation following FIG. 10. (A) It is a figure of the state which left | separated the horizontal registration alignment plate, the pressurization member, and the heating member from the sheet | seat. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state where the sheet bundle is discharged by the horizontal registration aligning plate. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet bundle subjected to the adhesion process is discharged to a sheet discharge tray following FIG. 11. It is a perspective view of the laser beam printer provided with the sheet bonding apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the alignment processing operation | movement of the sheet | seat in the sheet bonding apparatus of 3rd Embodiment shown in FIG. (A) It is a figure of the state which is in sheet alignment. (B) It is a figure of the state which is carrying out the adhesion process of the sheet | seat. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining sheet discharge processing operation following FIG. 14. (A) It is a figure of the state which left | separated the horizontal registration alignment plate, the pressurization member, and the heating member from the sheet | seat. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state where the sheet bundle is discharged by the discharge relay roller pair. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining sheet discharge processing operation following FIG. 15. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet bundle is discharged by a discharge relay roller pair and a discharge roller pair. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the bonded sheet bundle is discharged to a discharge tray.

Explanation of symbols

S Recording material (sheet)
1 Laser beam printer (image forming device)
1A Main Body of Laser Beam Printer (Image Forming Apparatus) 29 Image Forming Unit (Image Forming Unit)
31 memory information control communication unit 32 engine control unit 33 image forming control unit 34 pinion 35 rack 100 sheet bonding apparatus 104 stacking tray (sheet stacking means)
107 Horizontal registration alignment plate (a pair of alignment members)
108 Horizontal registration alignment pin 109 Pressurizing member (pressurizing means)
110 Pressure receiving member 111 Heating member (heating means)
112 heater 113 temperature detection sensor (temperature adjusting means)
114 Temperature detection sensor (temperature adjustment means)
115 toner layer 116 discharge roller pair 117 discharge tray 118 lateral registration alignment shutter (heating member, one alignment member of a pair of alignment members)
119 On discharge relay roller (discharge rotating body pair, pressurizing means)
120 Under discharge relay roller (pair of rotating rotating bodies)
121 Notch 131 Sheet Bonding Device Control Unit (Temperature Control Unit)
200 Sheet bonding apparatus 300 Sheet bonding apparatus

Claims (10)

Heating means for heating the toner layer from the edge direction of the sheet having a toner layer for adhering the sheets;
A pressurizing means for pressurizing the toner layer from the thickness direction of the sheet;
A sheet bonding apparatus comprising:   The sheet bonding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature adjusting unit that detects a temperature of the sheet and adjusts a heating temperature of the heating unit.   The sheet bonding according to claim 2, wherein the temperature adjusting unit includes a temperature detection sensor that is provided in at least one of the pressurizing unit and the heating unit and detects the temperature of the sheet. apparatus.   The sheet adhesive according to claim 1, wherein the toner layer is formed on a surface of the sheet along an edge of the sheet, and the heating unit is capable of contacting and separating from the edge. apparatus.   3. The sheet bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is also used as one of a pair of alignment members that align the sheet with both end edges of the sheet interposed therebetween.   4. The sheet bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressurizing means is a pair of discharge rotators for rotating and discharging the sheet bundle from both sides of the thickness.   7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sheet stacking unit on which the sheets are stacked, wherein the pressing unit and the heating unit pressurize and heat the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking unit. The sheet bonding apparatus according to Item.   8. The sheet bonding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pressurizing unit is a discharge rotating body that presses, rotates, and discharges the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking unit.   The sheet bonding apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7, wherein the heating means includes a ceramic heater. An image forming unit that forms a toner image on the sheet and a toner layer that adheres the sheets to each other, and the toner layer of the sheet on which the toner image is formed by the image forming unit is heated and pressed to bind the sheet bundle. An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet bonding apparatus, wherein the sheet bonding apparatus is the sheet bonding apparatus according to claim 1.

Images