JP2007153481A - Sheet conveying system and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten time for a sheet aligning process required when sheet processes such as a stapling process, a punching process and a bookbinding process are applied to sheets between sheet carrying devices connected with each other in the sheet carrying direction, and to prevent misalignment and stacking failure during discharge on a stacking means. <P>SOLUTION: Based on a detection result of an end part of a sheet S in the direction orthogonal to the sheet carrying direction by a sheet posture detecting means 150, positional relationships between a fixation plate 180 and an adjustment plate 190 and a fixation plate 183 and an adjustment plate 192 are adjusted to prevent positional deviation and skew in the direction orthogonal to the sheet carrying direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and a multifunction machine, and a sheet conveying apparatus such as a finisher and a stacker connected thereto. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus having an adjustable connecting mechanism.

Conventionally, in a sheet conveying apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, as described in Patent Document 1, it is connected in series with the image forming apparatus on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction. The devices are connected by a fixed positioning member and a connecting member.
JP 2005-119137 A

  However, when a plurality of sheet conveying apparatuses are connected in series, the individual apparatuses are connected at a specified position. Therefore, as the apparatus becomes a downstream apparatus, the positional deviation in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, the sheet Is more susceptible to skew deviations that are discharged diagonally. Considering the influence of sheet conveyance errors that occur in each apparatus, the apparatus connected on the downstream side tends to have a considerably large positional deviation amount and skew deviation amount.

  For this reason, the alignment operation for aligning the end surfaces of sheets for sheet processing such as stapling, punching, folding, and bookbinding has a problem of alignment time or poor alignment. Further, when the sheets are discharged as they are onto the stacking means, stacking defects have occurred in which they are stacked out of alignment in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction or stacked obliquely. From the above, the apparatus tends to be large in order to secure a gap so that the sheet end portion does not interfere with other parts such as a side plate in the apparatus in the sheet conveyance path.

  The sheet conveying system of the present invention can connect a plurality of sheet conveying devices in the sheet conveying direction, and has a connecting means for connecting one of the sheet conveying devices connected to each other to the other sheet conveying device. The connecting means has an adjustment function capable of changing at least one of a position in the sheet conveying direction and a position in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction of one sheet conveying apparatus with respect to the other. Features.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that at least one of the plurality of sheet conveying apparatuses includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to correct misalignment and skew of the conveyed sheet between the sheet conveying apparatuses. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time of sheet alignment processing required when performing sheet processing such as stapling processing, punching processing, bookbinding processing, and the like, and it is possible to prevent alignment failure and stacking failure when discharged onto the stacking unit. Furthermore, since the amount of deviation of the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction is reduced, the size can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the constituent members of the embodiments described below, and can be implemented in various embodiments in which some or all of the constituent members are replaced with other constituent members having equivalent functions. is there.

  1 to 6 are views for explaining a sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention. The same parts as those in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

<Overall configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a main cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 900 as a sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention including an automatic document feeder 950 and a double-side reversing device 901. The image forming apparatus 900 operates as follows. The transfer paper set in the paper feed cassettes 902a to 902d is transported to the image forming unit 905 by the paper feed rollers 903a to 903d and the transport roller pair 904. On the photosensitive drum 906 constituting the image forming unit 905, an exposure unit 908 that exposes digital document data read by the image reading device 951 with a primary charger 907, a developing unit 909, and a document previously fed from the automatic document feeder 950. Thus, the process from the electrostatic latent image to the visible image is performed, and a copy toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 906. When the registration roller 910 conveys the leading edge of the transfer paper and the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 906 to the transfer section at a timing that matches the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 906, a transfer bias is applied to the transfer paper. Transition to the side. The transferred transfer paper is transported to the fixing device 912 by the transport belt 911 and is sandwiched between the heating roller and the pressure roller to thermally fix the toner image. At this time, foreign matters such as residual toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 906 without being transferred onto the transfer paper are scraped off by the blade of the cleaning device 913 to prepare the surface for the next image formation. The fixed transfer sheet is conveyed to the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 as it is by the sheet discharge roller 914 by switching the flapper 915 or is conveyed to the double-side reversing apparatus 901 and image formation is performed again. .

<Overview of sheet conveying device>
The sheet conveying apparatus 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 900 is transferred to the inlet roller pair 102 of the sheet conveying apparatus 100. At this time, the sheet delivery timing or the like is detected by the entrance sensor 101. The sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 102 passes through the conveyance path 103, passes through roller portions 170 and 171 having a contact / separation mechanism, and is further conveyed downstream.

  Thereafter, the paper passes through the transport roller pairs 110 and 111 and the roller portions 172 and 173 having the second contact / separation mechanism, and is transported by the second buffer roller pair 115 and then discharged to the upper tray 136. The upper path switching flapper 118 is in a state indicated by a broken line in the drawing by a driving means such as a solenoid (not shown) and is guided to the upper path transport path 117 and then discharged to the upper tray 136 by the upper discharge roller 120. .

  When the sheet is not discharged to the upper tray 136, the sheet conveyed by the second buffer roller pair 115 is guided to the bundle conveyance path 121 by the upper path switching flapper 118. Thereafter, the sheet is sequentially transported in the transport path by the third buffer roller pair 122 and the bundle transport roller pair 124. When saddle (saddle stitching) processing is performed on a sheet, the saddle path switching flapper 125 is moved to a broken line position by a driving means such as a solenoid (not shown), so that the sheet is conveyed to the saddle path 133 and the saddle inlet roller pair 134 performs saddle unit. Guided to 135, saddle processing (saddle-stitch bookbinding processing) is performed. Since the saddle processing (saddle stitch binding processing) is a general bookbinding processing, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  When the conveyed sheet is discharged to the lower tray 137, the sheet conveyed to the bundle conveying roller pair 124 is conveyed to the lower path 126 by the saddle switching flapper 125. Thereafter, the sheet discharged to the processing tray 138 by the lower discharge roller pair 128 is conveyed on the processing tray by the return means such as the paddle 131 or the knurled belt 129, and the sheet end in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. The matching process of aligning the parts is performed. Thereafter, after a binding process is performed by the stapler 132 as necessary, the bundle is discharged onto the lower tray 137 by the bundle discharge roller pair 130.

  In order to save processing time for the saddle processing, alignment processing, and binding processing described above, the flappers 114 and 116 are switched based on the sheet detection by the buffer sensors 109 and 116, and the first buffer roller pair 112 to the third buffer roller pair 122 are used. Next, the first several sheets of the sheet bundle to be processed are stacked and temporarily retained. Further, in order to align the sheet end of the sheet conveyed in the sheet conveying apparatus 100 in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, the shift unit 108 corrects the deviation in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. Based on the detection result of the lateral registration detection sensor 104, the shift unit 108 moves in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction while the sheet is held between the shift roller pairs 105 and 107.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a top view of the image forming apparatus 900 and the sheet conveying apparatus 100 as viewed from above. The center line CL, which is a reference for conveying the sheet, coincides between the image forming apparatus 900 and the sheet conveying apparatus 100.

  4A to 4E are state diagrams of the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus 900 as viewed from above. A broken line indicates the set sheet conveyance area. In this embodiment, the lower side of the drawing will be described as a front side where the operator stands for the operation of the image forming apparatus 900, and the upper side of the drawing will be described as the back side of the image forming apparatus 900. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an ideal discharge state in which the center line of the discharged sheet S coincides with the center line of the apparatus, and the phenomenon that the sheet S moves obliquely does not occur. is there.

  FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a skewed state in which the back side of the sheet S precedes the transport direction, and the front side of the sheet S is opposite to the transport direction. It is the figure which showed the skew state of the front side advance which precedes.

  FIG. 4D is a diagram showing a state in which the sheet S is entirely displaced toward the front side in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state where the sheet is displaced and displaced to the back side in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction as a whole. Of course, there is a case where the sheet is discharged while both skew and positional deviation occur.

  Generally, the above-described positional deviation and skew have a tendency unique to the apparatus. For example, it is known that the image forming apparatus 900 in which the skew advances toward the back side is discharged with the same tendency toward the back side even if the type, weight, and size of the sheet are changed. Therefore, if the downstream sheet conveying apparatus 100 can be installed in accordance with the posture of the sheet S discharged from the upstream image forming apparatus 900, the sheet can be delivered in an ideal state.

  FIG. 5 is a view of the image forming apparatus 900 and the sheet conveying apparatus 100 as viewed from above, and shows the direction of the positional relationship. In the figure, the sheet conveying direction is X. The front side of the apparatus is XF and the back side is XR. By changing the positional relationship between XF and XR, it is possible to cope with the case where the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus 900 is skewed. Further, if the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction is Y, it is possible to cope with a case where the sheet S is displaced by changing the positional relationship between the image forming apparatus 900 and the sheet conveyance apparatus 100 in the Y direction.

  6A to 6C are top views of the sheet conveying apparatus 100 as viewed from above. The posture detection of the sheet S will be described with reference to FIG. The sheet S conveyed from an apparatus such as an image forming apparatus is delivered by the entrance roller 102 and delivered to the sheet conveying apparatus. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6A, the sheet S stops when the leading edge of the sheet passes through the sheet posture detecting means 150 (see FIG. 1) disposed on the downstream side of the inlet roller. The sheet orientation detection unit 150 can detect the sheet conveyance direction, move in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and detect an end portion of the sheet S in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. After the sheet S stops, the sheet posture detection unit 150 moves until it detects the end of the sheet S in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. Thereafter, the sheet orientation detection unit 150 moves in a direction away from the end of the sheet, and the sheet S is conveyed by a predetermined amount. As shown in FIG. 6B, the trailing edge of the sheet stops at a position where it does not pass through the sheet posture detecting means 150, and moves in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction until the edge of the sheet S is detected again.

  FIG. 6C is a diagram schematically illustrating the above-described detection state. In FIG. 6, L1 is detected by the sheet posture detection unit 150 for the second time from the position where the end of the sheet S is first detected. L2 indicates the difference in the amount of movement from the standby position (HP) of the sheet posture detection means 150, and the sheet inclination ( The amount of skew). Further, the positional deviation in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction is calculated from the amount of movement of the sheet attitude detection unit 150 from the standby position (HP). The value is calculated by the control unit (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 900 or the sheet conveying apparatus 100 with either the first or second value or the average value of the first and second times.

  As described above, the calculated sheet posture information such as the skew feeding amount and the positional deviation amount of the sheet S is displayed on the display unit (not illustrated) provided in the image forming apparatus 900 or the sheet conveying apparatus 100.

  FIG. 7A is a view of the connecting portion between the image forming apparatus 900 and the sheet conveying apparatus 100 as viewed from the front of the apparatus. In the drawing, the fixing plate 180 constituting the connecting means and the fixing fastened to the fixing plate 180 are shown. The pins 181 are provided in the image forming apparatus 900. The adjustment plate 190 is fastened to the sheet conveying apparatus 100 through a long hole extending in the X direction so as to be adjustable in the X direction in the drawing. Based on the posture information of the sheet S, the positional adjustment in the XF direction shown in FIG. 5 can be performed by changing the positional relationship between the adjustment plate 190 and the scale 182 engraved on the fixed plate 180. A similar configuration is also provided on the back side of the apparatus, and the position in the XR direction shown in FIG. 5 can be adjusted by adjusting in the same manner as the connecting portion on the front side of the apparatus.

  FIG. 7B is a left side view of the image forming apparatus 900 viewed from the sheet conveying apparatus 100 side. In the drawing, the fixing plate 183 and the fixing pin 184 fastened to the fixing plate 183 are provided in the image forming apparatus 900. The adjustment plate 191 is fastened to the sheet conveying apparatus 100 so as to be adjustable in the Y direction in the drawing. Based on the calculated orientation information of the sheet S described above, the positional relationship between the scale 192 engraved on the adjustment plate 191 and the fixed plate 183 is changed, and the adjustment plate 192 is fastened to the sheet conveying apparatus 100. This makes it possible to adjust the position in the Y direction shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8 shows a situation after the sheet conveying apparatus 100 is adjusted and installed in accordance with the attitude of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 900. It can be seen that the positional relationship of the sheet conveying apparatus 100 is changed with respect to the discharged sheet S.

  For convenience of explanation, the description has been given using the sheet conveying apparatus 100 disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the image forming apparatus 900, but the image forming apparatus 900 on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction is another sheet conveying apparatus. But the effect does not change. The sheet conveying apparatus 100 may be connected to the upstream side of the image forming apparatus 900 in the sheet conveying direction. Further, when a plurality of sheet conveying apparatuses are connected, it is not specified which of the plurality of sheet conveying apparatuses performs the above-described adjustment installation. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the fixing plates 180 and 183 and the adjusting plates 190 and 192 constituting the connecting means having the adjusting function exhibit the same effect regardless of which is attached upstream or downstream.

  As described above, in a system in which a plurality of apparatuses are connected as described above, each apparatus is provided with an adjustable connecting means with respect to the sheet conveying direction of the apparatus disposed on the downstream side and the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. By connecting the gaps, it is possible to correct misalignment and skew in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction.

  Note that it is not always necessary to adjust both the sheet conveyance direction and the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. For example, by adjusting only the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, the time for sheet alignment processing can be sufficiently shortened. The effects of the present invention such as downsizing of the apparatus can be obtained. However, it goes without saying that the effect is further increased by simultaneously adjusting the sheet conveying direction and the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the posture of the conveyed sheet S is detected by a detection unit, and the image forming apparatus 900 is based on the detected information. The position of the sheet conveying apparatus 100 is adjusted, but in the present invention, the conveyed sheet S is stopped in the sheet conveying apparatus 100, and the end of the stopped sheet S is guided to the guide 151. The measurement is performed based on information measured using the scales 153 and 156 from the openings 152 and 154 provided in the screen. When the user or the service person visually confirms the deviation using the scales 153 and 156 as an index, a complicated mechanism and control using the sheet detection sensor become unnecessary.

Sectional drawing explaining an image forming apparatus Sectional drawing explaining sheet conveying apparatus The figure which shows the connection state of an image forming apparatus and a sheet conveying apparatus The figure which looked at the state of the sheet S discharged from the sheet conveying apparatus from above. The figure which shows the connection adjustment location of an image forming apparatus and a sheet conveying apparatus The figure which shows the sheet | seat detection in the sheet conveying apparatus of 1st Embodiment. (A) Front view showing an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment and an attachment portion of the sheet conveying apparatus, (b) Side view of the image forming apparatus viewed from the sheet conveying apparatus side. The figure which shows the connection state of the image forming apparatus and sheet conveying apparatus after adjustment The figure which shows the sheet | seat detection in the sheet conveying apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Sheet conveying apparatus 150 Sheet | seat attitude | position detection means 151 Guide 152 Opening part 153 Scale (Y direction)
154 Opening 156 Scale (X direction)
180 Fixed plate 181 Fixed pin 182 Scale (X direction)
183 Fixing plate 184 Fixing pin 190 Adjustment plate (X direction)
191 Adjustment plate (Y direction)
192 scale (Y direction)
900 Image forming device CL Center line S sheet

Claims (5)

In a sheet conveyance system in which a plurality of sheet conveyance devices can be connected in the sheet conveyance direction,
A connecting means for connecting one of the sheet conveying apparatuses connected to each other to the other sheet conveying apparatus;
The connecting means has an adjustment function capable of changing at least one of a position in a sheet conveying direction and a position in a direction crossing the sheet conveying direction of one sheet conveying apparatus with respect to the other. Sheet transport system.   The connecting means is attached to a plurality of locations side by side in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction, and the sheet conveying device is changed by changing a distance in the sheet conveying direction between the sheet conveying devices at an attachment location of each connecting means. The sheet conveying system according to claim 1, wherein an inclination between the two is adjusted.   Of the sheet conveying apparatuses connected to each other, the sheet conveying apparatus on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction has a detecting unit that detects an end of the conveyed sheet in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction, and the detection result of the detecting unit The sheet conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit is adjusted based on the sheet.   The sheet conveying device downstream of the sheet conveying direction among the sheet conveying devices connected to each other includes an index indicating an end position in a direction intersecting with the sheet conveying direction of the conveyed sheet. The sheet conveying system according to 1 or 2.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sheet conveying apparatuses includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet.

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