This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2022-093040, filed on Jun. 8, 2022, and 2023-061670, filed on Apr. 5, 2023, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a medium processing apparatus and an image forming system incorporating the medium processing apparatus.
Medium processing apparatuses are known in the related art that bind, into a bundle, sheet-shaped media on which images are formed by image forming apparatuses. Since sheets of paper are widely known as an example of sheet-shaped media, a “sheet bundle” that is a stack of sheets of paper is used as an example of a bundle of sheet-shaped media in the following description. Some medium processing apparatuses include a crimper that can perform so-called “crimp binding” without metal binding needles from a viewpoint of resource saving and reduction in environmental load. Specifically, the crimper sandwiches a sheet bundle with serrate binding teeth to press and deform the sheet bundle.
An increased number of sheets of the sheet bundle hamper the binding teeth in biting into the sheet bundle and may cause some sheets to peel off from the bound sheets. Thus, the crimp binding has some difficulties in keeping the sheet bundle bound as appropriate. To cause the binding teeth to easily bite into the sheet bundle, some medium processing apparatuses that execute the crimp binding include a liquid applier that applies liquid by an amount corresponding to the number of sheets to be bound to a “binding position” where the binding teeth contact the sheet.
The amount of liquid to be applied by the liquid applier changes due to product variations or aging of the medium processing apparatus. As a result, the liquid may be excessively or insufficiently applied, resulting in insufficient binding strength.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a novel medium processing apparatus includes a liquid applier, a post-processing device, and circuitry. The liquid applier applies liquid to a part of a medium, the medium being at least one medium. The post-processing device binds a bundle of media including the medium to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier. The circuitry controls operations of the liquid applier and the post-processing device. The circuitry causes the liquid applier to apply different amounts of liquid to a plurality of sample areas in the medium.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a novel image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and the medium processing apparatus described above. The image forming apparatus forms an image on the medium. The circuitry of the medium processing apparatus causes the liquid applier to apply the different amounts of liquid to the plurality of sample areas in the medium on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus.
A more complete appreciation of embodiments of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the several views.
In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.
Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
For the sake of simplicity, like reference numerals are given to identical or corresponding constituent elements such as parts and materials having the same functions, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted unless otherwise required.
As used herein, the term “connected/coupled” includes both direct connections and connections in which there are one or more intermediate connecting elements.
With reference to the drawings, a description is now given of an image forming system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The image forming system 1 has a function of forming an image on a sheet P as a sheet-shaped medium and performing post-processing on the sheet P on which the image is formed. As illustrated in
The image forming apparatus 2 forms an image on the sheet P and outputs the sheet P bearing the image to the post-processing apparatus 3. The image forming apparatus 2 includes a tray that accommodates the sheet P, a conveyor that conveys the sheet P accommodated in the tray, and an image forming device that forms an image on the sheet P conveyed by the conveyor. The image forming device may be an inkjet image forming device that forms an image with ink or an electrophotographic image forming device that forms an image with toner. Since the image forming apparatus 2 has a typical configuration, a detailed description of the configuration and functions of the image forming apparatus 2 will be omitted unless otherwise required.
Now, a description is given of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.
The post-processing apparatus 3 performs post-processing on the sheet P on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2. An example of the post-processing according to the present embodiment is binding or a binding process as a “crimp binding process” to bind, without staples, a plurality of sheets P on each of which an image is formed as a bundle of sheets P, which may be referred to as a sheet bundle. Another example of the post-processing according to the present embodiment is binding or a binding process as a “stapling process” to bind, with staples, a plurality of sheets P on each of which an image is formed as a bundle of sheets P (i.e., sheet bundle). In the following description, the bundle of sheets P as a bundle of recording media may be referred to as a “sheet bundle Pb.”
More specifically, the “crimp binding process” according to the present embodiment is a process called “crimp binding” to apply pressure to the binding position corresponding to a part of the sheet bundle Pb to deform (pressure-deform) the binding position and bind the sheet bundle Pb. The binding that can be executed by the post-processing apparatus 3 includes edge binding and saddle binding. The edge binding is a process to bind an end (including an edge) of the sheet bundle Pb. The saddle binding is a process to bind the center of the sheet bundle Pb.
The post-processing apparatus 3 includes conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19 serving as conveyors and a switching claw 20. The conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19 convey, inside the post-processing apparatus 3, the sheet P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2. More specifically, the conveyance roller pairs 10 to 13 convey the sheet P along a first conveyance passage Ph1. The conveyance roller pairs 14 and 15 convey the sheet P along a second conveyance passage Ph2. The conveyance roller pairs 16 to 19 convey the sheet P along a third conveyance passage Ph3.
The first conveyance passage Ph1 is a passage extending to an output tray 21 from a supply port through which the sheet P is supplied from the image forming apparatus 2. The second conveyance passage Ph2 is a passage branching from the first conveyance passage Ph1 between the conveyance roller pairs 11 and 14 in a conveyance direction and extending to an output tray 26 via an internal tray 22. The third conveyance passage Ph3 is a passage branching from the first conveyance passage Ph1 between the conveyance roller pairs 11 and 14 in the conveyance direction and extending to an output tray 30.
The switching claw 20 is disposed at a branching position of the first conveyance passage Ph1 and the second conveyance passage Ph2.
The switching claw 20 can be switched between a first position and a second position. The switching claw 20 in the first position guides the sheet P to be output to the output tray 21 through the first conveyance passage Ph1. The switching claw 20 in the second position guides the sheet P conveyed through the first conveyance passage Ph1 to the second conveyance passage Ph2. When a trailing end of the sheet P entering the second conveyance passage Ph2 passes through the conveyance roller pair 11, the conveyance roller pair 14 is rotated in the reverse direction to guide the sheet P to the third conveyance passage Ph3. The post-processing apparatus 3 further includes a plurality of sensors that detects the positions of the sheet P in the first conveyance passage Ph1, the second conveyance passage Ph2, and the third conveyance passage Ph3. Each of the plurality of sensors is indicated by a black triangle mark in
The post-processing apparatus 3 includes the output tray 21. The sheet P that is output through the first conveyance passage Ph1 is placed on the output tray 21. Among the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2, the sheets P that are not bound are output to the output tray 21.
The post-processing apparatus 3 further includes the internal tray 22 serving as a receptacle, an end fence 23, side fences 24L and 24R, an edge binder 25, a stapling unit 155, and the output tray 26. The internal tray 22, the end fence 23, the side fences 24L and 24R, the edge binder 25, and the stapling unit 155 perform the edge binding on the sheet bundle Pb constructed of the plurality of sheets P conveyed through the second conveyance passage Ph2. Among the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2, the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the edge binding is output to the output tray 26.
The “edge binding” includes “parallel binding,” “oblique binding,” and “vertical binding.” The “parallel binding” is a process to bind the sheet bundle Pb along one side of the sheet bundle Pb parallel to the main scanning direction. The “oblique binding” is a process to bind a corner of the sheet bundle Pb. The “vertical binding” is a process to bind the sheet bundle Pb along one side of the sheet bundle Pb parallel to the conveyance direction.
In the following description, a direction in which the sheet P is conveyed from the conveyance roller pair 15 toward the end fence 23 is defined as a “conveyance direction” of the sheet P. In other words, the “conveyance direction” herein corresponds to a direction in which the sheet P that has been output from the image forming apparatus 2 is moved toward the output tray 26 by, for example, the conveyance roller pair 10 and then is moved toward the end fence 23 by the conveyance roller pair 15. A direction that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction and a thickness direction of the sheet P is defined as a “main scanning direction” or a “width direction of the sheet P.”
The sheets P that are sequentially conveyed through the second conveyance passage Ph2 are temporarily placed on the internal tray 22 serving as a receptacle. The end fence 23 aligns the position, in the conveyance direction, of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The side fences 24L and 24R align the position, in the main scanning direction, of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The edge binder 25 and the stapling unit 155 bind an end of the sheet bundle Pb aligned by the end fence 23 and the side fences 24L and 24R. Then, the conveyance roller pair 15 outputs the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the edge binding to the output tray 26.
The post-processing apparatus 3 further includes an end fence 27, a saddle binder 28, a sheet folding blade 29, and the output tray 30. The end fence 27, the saddle binder 28, and the sheet folding blade 29 perform the saddle binding on the sheet bundle Pb constructed of the sheets P that are conveyed through the third conveyance passage Ph3. Among the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2, the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the saddle binding is output to the output tray 30.
The end fence 27 aligns the positions of the sheets P that are sequentially conveyed through the third conveyance passage Ph3, in a direction in which the sheets P are conveyed. The end fence 27 is movable between a binding position where the end fence 27 causes the center of the sheet bundle Pb to face the saddle binder 28 and a folding position where the end fence 27 causes the center of the sheet bundle Pb to face the sheet folding blade 29. The saddle binder 28 binds the center of the sheet bundle Pb aligned by the end fence 27 at the binding position. The sheet folding blade 29 folds, in half, the sheet bundle Pb placed on the end fence 27 at the folding position and causes the conveyance roller pair 18 to sandwich the sheet bundle Pb. The conveyance roller pairs 18 and 19 output the sheet bundle Pb subjected to the saddle binding to the output tray 30.
Now, a detailed description is given of the edge binder 25.
As illustrated in
The liquid applier 31 applies liquid that is stored in a liquid storage tank 43 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. In the following description, the application of liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb may be referred to as “liquid application” whereas a process to apply liquid may be referred to as a “liquid application process.”
More specifically, the liquid that is stored in the liquid storage tank 43 to be applied includes, as a main component, the liquid state of a compound of hydrogen and oxygen represented by the chemical formula H2O. The liquid state of the compound of hydrogen and oxygen is at any temperature. For example, the liquid state of the compound of hydrogen and oxygen may be so-called warm water or hot water. The liquid state of the compound of hydrogen and oxygen is not limited to pure water. The liquid state of the compound of hydrogen and oxygen may be purified water or may contain ionized salts. The metal ion content ranges from so-called soft water to ultrahard water. In other words, the liquid state of the compound of hydrogen and oxygen is at any hardness.
The liquid that is stored in the liquid storage tank 43 may include an additive in addition to the main component. The liquid that is stored in the liquid storage tank 43 may include residual chlorine used as tap water. Preferably, for example, the liquid that is stored in the liquid storage tank 43 may include, as an additive, a colorant, a penetrant, a pH adjuster, a preservative such as phenoxyethanol, a drying inhibitor such as glycerin, or a combination thereof. Since water is used as a component of ink used for inkjet printers or ink used for water-based pens, such water or ink may be used for the “liquid application.”
The water is not limited to the specific examples described above. The water may be water in a broad sense such as hypochlorous acid water or an ethanol aqueous solution diluted for disinfection. However, tap water may be used simply to enhance the binding strength after the binding process because tap water is easy to obtain and store. A liquid including water as a main component as exemplified above enhances the binding strength of the sheet bundle Pb, as compared with a liquid of which the main component is not water.
Now, a description is given of the configurations of the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32.
The liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 can be moved together in the main scanning direction by a driving force transmitted from the edge-binder movement motor 50. A liquid application position to which the liquid is applied on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 31 corresponds to a crimp binding position to be crimped and bound by the crimper 32. For this reason, in the following description, the liquid application position and the crimp binding position are denoted by the same reference numeral.
As illustrated in
The liquid applier 31 includes a lower pressure plate 33 serving as a receptacle for the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, an upper pressure plate 34, a liquid-applier movement assembly 35, and a liquid application assembly 36. The components of the liquid applier 31 such as the lower pressure plate 33, the upper pressure plate 34, the liquid-applier movement assembly 35, and the liquid application assembly 36 are held by a liquid application frame 31a and a base 48.
The lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 are disposed downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The sheets P or the sheet bundle Pb that is placed on the internal tray 22 is also placed on the lower pressure plate 33. The lower pressure plate 33 is disposed on a lower-pressure-plate holder 331. The upper pressure plate 34 is movable in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb at a position where the upper pressure plate 34 faces the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. In other words, in a space where the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 face each other, the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 are disposed to face each other in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb so as to sandwich the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. In the following description, the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb may be referred to simply as “thickness direction.” The upper pressure plate 34 has a through hole 34a penetrating in the thickness direction at a position where the through hole 34a faces an end of a liquid application member 44 held via a joint 46 attached to a base plate 40.
The liquid-applier movement assembly 35 moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, and the liquid application member 44 in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The liquid-applier movement assembly 35 according to the present embodiment moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, and the liquid application member 44 in conjunction with each other by a single liquid-applier movement motor 37. The liquid-applier movement assembly 35 includes, for example, the liquid-applier movement motor 37, a trapezoidal screw 38, a nut 39, the base plate 40, columns 41a and 41b, and coil springs 42a and 42b.
The liquid-applier movement motor 37 generates a driving force to move the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, and the liquid application member 44. The trapezoidal screw 38 extends in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb and is attached to the liquid application frame 31a so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. The trapezoidal screw 38 is coupled to an output shaft of the liquid-applier movement motor 37 via, for example, a pulley and a belt. The nut 39 is screwed to the trapezoidal screw 38. The trapezoidal screw 38 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions by the driving force transmitted from the liquid-applier movement motor 37. The rotation of the trapezoidal screw 38 causes the nut 39 to reciprocate on the trapezoidal screw 38.
The base plate 40 is positioned apart from the upper pressure plate 34.
The base plate 40 holds the liquid application member 44 with the end of the liquid application member 44 projecting from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34. The base plate 40 is coupled to the trapezoidal screw 38 via the nut 39 so as to reciprocate along the trapezoidal screw 38 when the trapezoidal screw 38 rotates in the forward and reverse directions. The position of the base plate 40 in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb is detected by a movement sensor 40a illustrated in
The columns 41a and 41b project from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34 around the end of the liquid application member 44. The columns 41a and 41b are movable relative to the base plate 40 in the thickness direction. The columns 41a and 41b hold the upper pressure plate 34 with the respective ends closer to the lower pressure plate 33 than the other ends of the columns 41a and 41b. The other ends of the columns 41a and 41 are provided with stoppers that prevent the columns 41a and 41b from being removed from the base plate 40. The coil springs 42a and 42b are fitted around the columns 41a and 41b, respectively, between the base plate 40 and the upper pressure plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b bias the upper pressure plate 34 and the columns 41a and 41b toward the lower pressure plate 33 with respect to the base plate 40.
The liquid application assembly 36 applies liquid to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. More specifically, the liquid application assembly 36 brings the end of the liquid application member 44 into contact with the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb to apply the liquid to at least one sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb. The liquid application assembly 36 includes the liquid storage tank 43, the liquid application member 44, a liquid supplier 45, and the joint 46.
The liquid storage tank 43 stores the liquid to be supplied to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The amount of liquid that is stored in the liquid storage tank 43 is detected by a liquid amount sensor 43a. The liquid application member 44 applies the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 43 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb. The liquid application member 44 is attached to the base plate 40 with the end of the liquid application member 44 oriented toward the upper pressure plate 34.
The liquid application member 44 is made of a porous material having a relatively high liquid absorption or a fiber material that can absorb liquid by capillary action. The liquid application member 44 is not limited to a particular kind provided that the liquid application member 44 is made of a material having a property of absorbing and holding the liquid and has a property of being crushed according to a pressing force applied when the liquid application member 44 is in contact with the sheet P. For example, the liquid application member 44 may be a foam material such as a sponge or a fiber material that can absorb liquid by capillary action.
The liquid supplier 45 is an elongated member having a base end (proximal end) immersed in the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 43 and a distal end coupled to the liquid application member 44. Like the liquid application member 44, for example, the liquid supplier 45 is made of a material having a relatively high liquid absorption. Accordingly, the liquid is absorbed from the base end of the liquid supplier 45 and travels through the liquid supplier 45 by capillary action to be supplied to the liquid application member 44. Although the liquid application member 44 and the liquid supplier 45 are separately disposed in the embodiment described above, the liquid application member 44 and the liquid supplier 45 may be made of materials having like properties to be a single unit. In this case, like the embodiment described above, the liquid that is stored in the liquid storage tank 43 is absorbed by capillary action. This case further attains cost reduction.
A protector 45a is an elongated cylindrical body (for example, a tube) that is fitted around the liquid supplier 45. The protector 45a prevents the liquid absorbed by the liquid supplier 45 from leaking or evaporating. Each of the liquid supplier 45 and the protector 45a is made of a flexible material. The joint 46 fixes the liquid application member 44 to the base plate 40. Accordingly, the liquid application member 44 keeps projecting from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34 with the end of the liquid application member 44 facing downward when the liquid application member 44 is moved by the liquid-applier movement assembly 35.
A liquid-applier shaft 562 provided with a drive transmission gear 562a is fixed to a bottom face of the liquid application frame 31a that holds the components of the liquid applier 31. The liquid-applier shaft 562 and the drive transmission gear 562a are held by the base 48 on which the liquid application frame 31a is disposed, so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. The drive transmission gear 562a meshes with an output gear 563a of a liquid-applier pivot motor 563. The liquid applier 31 can be rotated in the forward and reverse directions about the liquid-applier shaft 562 on the base 48 by a driving force transmitted from the liquid-applier pivot motor 563 to the liquid-applier shaft 562 via the output gear 563a and the drive transmission gear 562a.
The crimper 32 serving as a post-processing device sandwiches, with serrate upper crimping teeth 32a and serrate lower crimping teeth 32b, at least a part (in other words, the liquid application position) of the sheet bundle Pb to which liquid is applied by the liquid applier 31 to press and deform at least the part of the sheet bundle Pb. Thus, the crimper 32 binds the sheet bundle Pb. In the following description, such a binding way in which the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b sandwich and press the sheet bundle Pb to deform at least a part of the sheet bundle Pb may be referred to as “crimp binding.” In other words, the crimper 32 crimps and binds the sheet bundle Pb or performs the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. In short, the crimper 32 binds the sheet bundle Pb without binding materials such as staples. The components of the crimper 32 such as the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are disposed on a crimping frame 32c.
As illustrated in
In the process of supplying the sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb to the internal tray 22, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are apart from each other as illustrated in
The configuration of the crimper 32 as a crimping assembly is not limited to the configuration according to some aspects of the embodiment described above, provided that the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b of the crimping assembly are engaged with each other. For example, the crimping assembly may be a crimping assembly disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6057167 or its corresponding U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014-0219747, which is hereby incorporated by reference as though disclosed herein in its entirety. In this case, the crimping assembly brings the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b into contact with each other and separates the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b from each other with a link assembly and a driving source that simply rotates forward or that rotates forward and backward. Alternatively, the crimping assembly may employ a linear motion system to linearly bring the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b into contact with each other and separate the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b from each other with a screw assembly that converts the forward and backward rotational motions of a driving source into linear reciprocating motion.
A crimper shaft 54 provided with a drive transmission gear 54a is fixed to a bottom face of the crimping frame 32c that holds the components of the crimper 32. The crimper shaft 54 and the drive transmission gear 54a are held by the base 48 on which the crimping frame 32c is disposed, so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. The drive transmission gear 54a meshes with an output gear 56a of a crimper pivot motor 56. The crimper 32 can be rotated in the forward and reverse directions about the crimper shaft 54 on the base 48 by a driving force transmitted from the crimper pivot motor 56 to the crimper shaft 54 via the output gear 56a and the drive transmission gear 54a.
As illustrated in
The liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are attached to the base 48 so as to be adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction. The guide shaft 49 extends in the main scanning direction at a position downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The guide shaft 49 supports the base 48 movably in the main scanning direction. The edge-binder movement motor 50 generates a driving force to move the edge binder 25. The driving force transmission assembly 551 transmits the driving force of the edge-binder movement motor 50 to the base 48 via pullies 551a and 551b and a timing belt 551c. As a result, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 integrated by the base 48 move in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 49.
In other words, as illustrated in
The edge-binder movement motor 50 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a servo motor that can stop the edge binder 25 at a target position (i.e., a binding position B1) without returning the edge binder 25 to an origin position (for example, the standby position HP described later) each time the edge binder 25 is moved.
As illustrated in
However, a specific method of stopping the edge binder 25 at the target position without returning the edge binder 25 to the origin position is not limited to the aforementioned example. As another example, the post-processing apparatus 3 may include a sensor that detects the arrival of the edge binder 25 at a given target position.
Now, a description is given of a modification of the edge binder 25 described above.
Specifically, referring now to
The edge binder 25′ is different from the edge binder 25 described above in that the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are integrated as a single unit.
In the following description, components like those of the edge binder 25 described above are denoted by like reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof may be omitted unless otherwise required.
As illustrated in
The liquid application crimper 310 applies liquid LQ stored in the liquid storage tank 43 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The liquid application crimper 310 can be moved in the main scanning direction by the driving force that is transmitted from the edge-binder movement motor 50 to the base 48 by the driving force transmission assembly 551. The liquid application crimper 310 includes the upper pressure plate 34, the upper crimping teeth 32a, the lower crimping teeth 32b, a liquid-application-crimper movement assembly 350, and a liquid supply assembly 360. The components of the liquid application crimper 310 are held by the liquid application frame 31a and the base 48. A liquid-application-crimper shaft 54′ provided with a drive transmission gear 54a′ is fixed to a bottom face of the liquid application frame 31a. The liquid-application-crimper shaft 54′ and the drive transmission gear 54a′ are held by the base 48 on which the liquid application frame 31a is disposed, so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions. The drive transmission gear 54a′ meshes with an output gear 56a′ of a liquid-application-crimper pivot motor 56′. The liquid application crimper 310 can be rotated in the forward and reverse directions about the liquid-application-crimper shaft 54′ on the base 48 by a driving force transmitted from the liquid-application-crimper pivot motor 56′ to the liquid-application-crimper shaft 54′ via the output gear 56a′ and the drive transmission gear 54a′.
The liquid-application-crimper movement assembly 350 moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, and the upper crimping teeth 32a in conjunction with each other in the thickness direction of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by an electric cylinder 370. The base plate 40 holds an upper-crimping-teeth holder 32a1 and the upper crimping teeth 32a via the joint 46. The base plate 40 movably holds the upper pressure plate 34 via the columns 41a and 41b. The base plate 40 is attached to an end of a rod 371 of the electric cylinder 370 via a connecter 401.
The columns 41a and 41b have respective lower ends holding the upper pressure plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b are fitted around the columns 41a and 41b, respectively, between the base plate 40 and the upper pressure plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b bias the upper pressure plate 34 and the columns 41a and 41b in a direction away from the base plate 40.
The liquid supply assembly 360 includes the liquid storage tank 43, a liquid supply pump 431, and the liquid supplier 45. The liquid supply pump 431 supplies the liquid LQ via the liquid supplier 45 to a liquid reservoir 320 of the upper-crimping-teeth holder 32a1 as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Referring now to
In the process of supplying the sheet P to the internal tray 22, as illustrated in
When the sheet bundle Pb constructed of a given number of sheets P is placed on the internal tray 22, the electric cylinder 370 is further contracted to move the upper crimping teeth 32a toward the lower crimping teeth 32b. As illustrated in
Now, a detailed description is given of the stapling unit 155 having a function of executing a stapling process.
The stapling unit 155 includes a stapler 62 that binds the sheet bundle Pb with staples. The stapler 62 is disposed downstream from the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction and apart from the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction.
The stapler 62 serving as a post-processing device has a configuration of performing so-called “stapling” (i.e., stapling process) to bind the sheet bundle Pb with a staple or staples. More specifically, the stapler 62 includes a stapling-part drive motor 62d illustrated in
As illustrated in
The edge binder 25 and the stapling unit 155 are supported by the common guide shaft 49. The edge-binder movement assembly 47 and the stapling-unit movement assembly 77 move the edge binder 25 and the stapling unit 155 in the main scanning direction along the common guide shaft 49. The edge-binder movement assembly 47 and the stapling-unit movement assembly 77 can independently move the edge binder 25 and the stapling unit 155.
The stapling unit 155′ is different from the stapling unit 155 in that the stapling unit 155′ includes a second liquid applier 612 in addition to the stapler 62. As illustrated in
The second liquid applier 612 executes “liquid application” of applying liquid stored in a second liquid storage tank 73 to the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb supported on the internal tray 22. A given area including a position to which the liquid is applied on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the second liquid applier 612 corresponds to a binding position to be stapled. As illustrated in
In the binding process, the stapling unit 155′ that is illustrated in
Now, a description is given of a control block of the post-processing apparatus 3.
As illustrated in
The CPU 101 is an arithmetic unit and controls the overall operation of the post-processing apparatus 3. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written at high speed. The CPU 101 uses the RAM 102 as a work area for data processing. The ROM 103 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium that stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a non-volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written and has a relatively large storage capacity. The HDD 104 stores, for example, an operating system (OS), various control programs, and application programs.
By an arithmetic function of the CPU 101, the post-processing apparatus 3 processes, for example, a control program stored in the ROM 103 and an information processing program (application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104. Such processing configures a software controller including various functional modules of the post-processing apparatus 3. The software controller that is thus configured cooperates with hardware resources of the post-processing apparatus 3 to construct functional blocks that implement functions of the post-processing apparatus 3. In other words, the CPU 101, the RAM 102, the ROM 103, and the HDD 104 construct the controller 100 as circuitry that controls the operation of the post-processing apparatus 3.
The I/F 105 is an interface that connects the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the contact-separation motor 32d, the crimper pivot motor 56, the liquid-applier movement motor 37, the liquid-applier pivot motor 563, the edge-binder movement motor 50, the stapling-part drive motor 62d, the stapler pivot motor 82, the stapling-unit movement motor 80, the movement sensor 40a, the liquid amount sensor 43a, the edge-binding standby position sensor 51, the encoder sensor 541, and a control panel 110 to the common bus 109. The controller 100 controls, via the I/F 105, the operations of the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the contact-separation motor 32d, the crimper pivot motor 56, the liquid-applier movement motor 37, the liquid-applier pivot motor 563, the edge-binder movement motor 50, the stapling-part drive motor 62d, the stapler pivot motor 82, and the stapling-unit movement motor 80.
On the other hand, the controller 100 acquires detection results from the movement sensor 40a, the liquid amount sensor 43a, the edge-binding standby position sensor 51, and the encoder sensor 541. Although
As illustrated in
Now, a description is given of a binding process.
Specifically, a description is now given of a flow of a binding process executed by the edge binder 25 included in the post-processing apparatus 3.
For example, the controller 100 starts the binding process illustrated in
The binding command includes, for example, the type of the sheet P (i.e., information affecting the spread of liquid, such as material and thickness), the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb, the number of sheet bundles Pb to be bound, the binding position on the sheet bundle Pb, and the binding posture of the edge binder 25. In the following description, the number of sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb may be referred to as “given number” whereas the number of sheet bundles Pb to be bound may be referred to as “requested number of copies.” The liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are in the parallel binding posture and at the standby position HP as illustrated in
When the posture that is instructed by the binding command is the “oblique binding posture,” in step S1301, the controller 100 drives the liquid-applier pivot motor 563 and the crimper pivot motor 56 to rotate the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 of the edge binder 25 into the oblique binding posture. Alternatively, when the posture that is instructed by the binding command is the “oblique binding posture,” only the crimper 32 may be rotated to the oblique binding posture while the liquid applier 31 may not be rotated. In this case, the driving assembly may be simplified as compared with a case where both the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are rotated in the forward and reverse directions, and thus effects of cost reduction, downsizing of the apparatus, and reduction of failure of the device are exhibited.
On the other hand, when the posture that is instructed by the binding command is the “parallel binding posture,” the controller 100 omits the aforementioned operation of rotating the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 of the edge binder 25 to the oblique binding posture. In step S1301, the controller 100 also drives the edge-binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid applier 31 faces a liquid application position B1 instructed by the binding command as illustrated in
Subsequently, in step S1302, the controller 100 rotates the conveyance roller pairs 11, 14, and 15 to accommodate the sheet P on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2 in the internal tray 22. In step S1302, the controller 100 also moves the side fences 24L and 24R to align the position, in the main scanning direction, of the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. In short, the controller 100 performs so-called jogging.
Subsequently, in step S1303, the controller 100 causes the liquid applier 31 facing the liquid application position B1 to apply liquid to the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P, which has been placed on the internal tray 22 in the immediately preceding step S1302, according to liquid application control data adjusted in advance.
In other words, the controller 100 drives the liquid-applier movement motor 37 to cause the liquid application member 44 to contact the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P placed on the internal tray 22 as illustrated in
More specifically, the controller 100 retrieves, from the HDD 104, an amount of liquid to be applied, which is represented by a liquid application level corresponding to the type of the sheet P indicated by the binding command. Then, in step S1303, the controller 100 causes the liquid applier 31 to apply the retrieved amount of liquid to the binding position on the sheet P. In other words, the controller 100 causes the liquid applier 31 to apply the liquid to the binding position on the sheet P placed on the internal tray 22, by the amount input through a screen for setting the amount of liquid to be applied.
Subsequently, in step S1304, the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has reached the given number instructed by the binding command.
When the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has not reached the given number (NO in step S1304), the controller 100 executes the operations of steps S1302 and S1303 again. In other words, the controller 100 executes the operations of steps S1302 and S1303 each time the sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. Note that the liquid applier 31 may apply liquid to all or some of the sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb. For example, the controller 100 may cause the liquid applier 31 to apply the liquid to the sheet P at intervals of one in every “n” sheets.
By contrast, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has reached the given number (YES in step S1304), in step S1305, the controller 100 drives the edge-binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction so that the crimper 32 faces the binding position B1 as illustrated in
Subsequently, in step S1306, the controller 100 causes the crimper 32 to perform crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22.
In step S1307, the controller 100 causes the conveyance roller pair 15 to output the sheet bundle Pb thus crimped and bound by the crimper 32 to the output tray 26.
Specifically, the controller 100 drives the contact-separation motor 32d to cause the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b to sandwich the binding position B1 on the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The sheet bundle Pb is pressed and deformed between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b. Thus, the crimper 32 crimps and binds the sheet bundle Pb. Thereafter, the controller 100 rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to output the sheet bundle Pb thus crimped and bound to the output tray 26.
The sheet bundle Pb that is placed on the internal tray 22 has a crimping area (corresponding to the binding position B1) sandwiched between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b in step S1306. The crimping area overlaps a liquid application area (corresponding to the liquid application position B1) contacted by the end of the liquid application member 44 in step S1303. In other words, the crimper 32 crimps and binds an area to which the liquid has been applied by the liquid applier 31 on the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The crimping area that is sandwiched by the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b may completely or partially overlaps the liquid application area contacted by the end of the liquid application member 44, to obtain a sufficient binding strength.
Subsequently, in step S1308, the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheet bundles Pb thus output has reached the requested number of copies indicated by the binding command.
When the controller 100 determines that the number of sheet bundles Pb thus output has not reached the requested number of copies (NO in step S1308), the controller 100 executes the operations of step S1302 and the following steps again. In other words, when NO in step S1308, the controller 100 repeats the operations of steps S1302 to S1307 until the number of sheet bundles Pb output to the output tray 26 reaches the requested number of copies.
By contrast, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheet bundles Pb output to the output tray 26 has reached the requested number of copies (YES in step S1308), in step S1309, the controller 100 drives the edge-binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 to the standby position HP as illustrated in
When the posture that is instructed by the binding command is the “oblique binding posture,” in step S1309, the controller 100 also drives the liquid-applier pivot motor 563 and the crimper pivot motor 56 to rotate the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 into the parallel binding posture.
By contrast, when the posture that is instructed by the binding command is the “parallel binding posture,” the controller 100 omits the aforementioned operation of rotating the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 to the parallel binding posture. As a result, the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 return to the standby position HP position illustrated in
Note that, in steps S1301 and S1309, the execution order of the movement in the main scanning direction and the rotation in the forward and reverse directions of the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 is not limited to the aforementioned order and may be reversed.
Now, a description is given of a process for adjusting the liquid application level.
In the process for adjusting the liquid application level, the amount of liquid to be applied to the sheet P by the liquid applier 31 is adjusted. In the following description, the amount of liquid to be applied may be referred to simply as “liquid application amount.”
The process for adjusting the liquid application level is executed at a desired time, for example, during the manufacturing process of the post-processing apparatus 3 or at the time of maintenance of the post-processing apparatus 3.
A plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6, which specifies different liquid application amounts, is stored in the HDD 104. The liquid application levels 1 to 6 may be referred to simply as “L1” to “L6.” The liquid application amount in the present embodiment is smallest at the liquid application level 1, gradually increases toward the liquid application level 6, and is largest at the liquid application level 6. However, the number of liquid application levels 1 to 6 is not limited to the aforementioned example.
First, in step S701, the controller 100 prepares a liquid sample.
The liquid sample refers to the sheet P on which the liquid has been applied to different positions in the main scanning direction by the liquid application amounts indicated by the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6. In other words, the liquid sample is the sheet P including a plurality of sample areas separated from each other in the main scanning direction. In each of the plurality of sample areas, the liquid is applied by the liquid application amount indicated by any one of the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6.
Referring now to
The controller 100 instructs the image forming apparatus 2 to form images for a liquid sample. As illustrated in
Then, the sheet P bearing the images illustrated in
Subsequently, the controller 100 drives the edge-binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid applier 31 faces the sample area corresponding to the liquid application level 1 as illustrated in
Subsequently, the controller 100 causes the liquid applier 31 to face the sample area corresponding to the liquid application level 2 as illustrated in
In other words, on the sheet P placed on the internal tray 22, the liquid is sequentially applied to each of the plurality of sample areas separated from each other in the main scanning direction, by the liquid application amount indicated by the corresponding liquid application level. Thus, the liquid sample is prepared. A specific method for adjusting the liquid application amount is not particularly limited. For example, the liquid application amount may be adjusted by adjusting the number of times of contact by the liquid application member 44, the contact time, or the contact pressure applied by the liquid application member 44. Thereafter, the controller 100 drives the edge-binder movement motor 50 to move the edge binder 25 to the standby position HP as illustrated in
Subsequently, in step S702, the controller 100 initializes a variable N to be 1. The variable N is a value corresponding to each of the liquid application levels 1 to 6.
In step S703, the controller 100 displays, on the display of the control panel 110, the screen for confirming the amount of liquid to be applied, which is illustrated in
For example, when the variable N is 1, the screen for confirming the amount of liquid to be applied asks an operator whether the sample area at the liquid application level 1 is wet, as illustrated in
In step S704, the controller 100 receives the pressing of the “Yes” key or the “No” key by the operator through control panel 110. Pressing the “Yes” key is an example of an input indicating that the sample area corresponding to the liquid application level N is wet. Pressing the “No” key is an example of an input indicating that the sample area corresponding to the liquid application level N is not wet.
When the controller 100 receives the pressing of the “No” key (NO in step S704), in step S705, the controller 100 determines whether the variable N has reached 6 (in other words, a value corresponding to the maximum liquid application level 6).
When the variable N is less than 6 (NO in step S705), in step S706, the controller 100 increases the variable N by 1. Then, the controller 100 executes the operations of step S703 and the following steps again. In other words, when NO in step S704, the controller 100 asks the operator whether the sample area is wet through the screen for confirming the amount of liquid to be applied in order from the sample area containing the smallest liquid application amount, until the operator determines that the sample area is wet.
When the variable N reaches 6 (YES in step S705), the controller 100 executes the operation of step S710 described later.
When the controller 100 receives the pressing of the “Yes” key (YES in step S704), in step S707, the controller 100 determines whether the variable N is less than 3.
When the variable N is not less than 3 (NO in step S707), in step S708, the controller 100 determines whether the variable N is greater than 3. The liquid application level 3 corresponding to N=3 is an example of a predetermined reference level. The reference level is not limited to the liquid application level 3 and may be any one of the liquid application levels 2 to 5 other than the liquid application level 1 at which the liquid application amount is the smallest and the liquid application level 6 at which the liquid application amount is the largest. However, the reference level is preferably a liquid application level close to the median of the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6.
When the variable N is less than 3, in other words, when receiving, through the control panel 110, an input indicating that the sample areas corresponding to the liquid application levels 1 and 2 less than the reference level are wet (YES in step S707), in step S709, the controller 100 decreases the liquid application amount indicated by each of the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6 by a first amount.
By contrast, when receiving, through the control panel 110, an input indicating that the sample areas corresponding to the liquid application levels 3 to 6 equal to or greater than the reference level are not wet (NO in step S707) and when the variable N is greater than 3 (YES in step S708), in step S710, the controller 100 increases the liquid application amount indicated by each of the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6 by a second amount.
Each of the first amount and the second amount is a predetermined amount of liquid (for example, 0.5 ml). The first amount and the second amount may be the same value or different values. Then, the controller 100 executes the operations of step S701 and the following steps again by using the liquid application amount updated in step S709 or S710. In other words, the controller 100 applies the liquid by a new liquid application amount indicated by each of the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6 to the corresponding sample area on the sheet P and outputs a new liquid sample to the output tray 26.
When the operator determines that the sample area is wet for the first time when the variable N is 3 (NO in step S708), in step S711, the controller 100 registers, in HDD 104, the liquid application amount at each of the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6.
Thus, the controller 100 ends the process for adjusting the liquid application level. In other words, in the process for adjusting the liquid application level, the controller 100 asks the operator whether the sample areas are wet in order from the sample area at the lowest liquid application level. Until the controller 100 determines that the sample areas at liquid application levels lower than the reference level are not wet and that the sample area at the reference level is wet for the first time, the controller 100 repeats preparing the liquid sample by increasing or decreasing the liquid application amount for each of the liquid application levels 1 to 6.
Now, a description is given of a process for setting the amount of liquid to be applied (i.e., the liquid application amount).
The process for setting the amount of liquid to be applied includes causing an operator to set the liquid application amounts corresponding to the liquid application levels 1 to 6 and causing the operator to set the correspondence relation between the type of the sheet P on which an image is formed and the liquid application level. The HDD 104 stores one of the liquid application levels 1 to 6 indicating different liquid application amounts in association with each type of the sheet P (for example, plain paper, coated paper, and recycled paper) on which an image can be formed by the image forming apparatus 2.
First, the controller 100 displays, on the display of the control panel 110, a screen for setting the amount of liquid to be applied, which is illustrated in
When the “set liquid application level” key is not pressed (NO in step S1101), in step S1106 in
By contrast, when the “set liquid application level” key is pressed (YES in step S1101 in
In step S1102 in
In step S1103 in
In step S1104 in
In step S1105, the controller 100 determines whether another liquid application level is selected.
When another liquid application level is selected (YES in step S1105), the controller 100 executes the operations of step S1102 and the following steps in
By contrast, when no other liquid application level is selected (NO in step S1105), the process for setting the liquid application amount ends.
On the other hand, when the “set amount of liquid to be applied” key is not pressed (NO in step S1106 in
By contrast, when the “set amount of liquid to be applied” key is pressed (YES in step S1106 in
In step S1107 in
In step S1108 in
In step S1109 in
In step S1110 in
When another sheet type is selected (YES in step S1110), the controller 100 executes the operations of step S1107 and the following steps in
By contrast, when no other sheet type is selected (NO in step S1110), the process for setting the liquid application amount ends.
A description is now given of some or all of the advantages according to the embodiment described above, enumeration of which is not exhaustive or limiting.
According to the embodiment described above, preparation of a liquid sample allows an operator to confirm the liquid application amount for each of the liquid application levels 1 to 6. As an example, when the liquid sample is prepared in the manufacturing process of the post-processing apparatus 3, product variations of the medium processing apparatus can be leveled. As another example, when the liquid sample is prepared at the time of maintenance of the post-processing apparatus 3, variation in the liquid application amount due to aging of, for example, the liquid application member 44 can be corrected. However, the time when the liquid sample is prepared is not limited to the aforementioned examples.
In addition, according to the embodiment described above, the operator can input the liquid application amount for each of the liquid application levels 1 to 6 through the screen for setting the amount of liquid to be applied. Accordingly, the liquid application amount can be set as appropriate for each of the liquid application levels 1 to 6 with the feeling of the operator who has checked the liquid sample. Further, the liquid application amount can be customized for each of the liquid application levels 1 to 6 according to the preference of the operator of the post-processing apparatus 3.
The operator subjectively determines the liquid application amount based on, for example, the wetness of a sample area, a change in the color tone of the sample area when the sample area is wet, or a color density in a case where a colored liquid is applied. However, the operator may subjectively determine the liquid application amount in another way other than the aforementioned examples. For example, the operator may subjectively determine the liquid application amount based on the amount of emitted light passing through the sample area or by directly measuring the amount of liquid in the sample area with a sensor.
The post-processing apparatus 3 may or may not store the plurality of liquid application levels 1 to 6. Specifically, the operator selects, from a plurality of sample areas on a liquid sample, a sample area to which an appropriate amount of liquid is applied. The operator then inputs the selected sample area through the control panel 110.
In step S1303 in
According to the embodiment described above, the liquid application amount can be increased or decreased for each of the liquid application levels 1 to 6 by causing the operator to input whether each sample area is wet. Accordingly, product variations and aging of the medium processing apparatus can be semi-automatically corrected. The process for adjusting the liquid application level illustrated in
According to the embodiment described above, an image is formed on the liquid sample to specify the position of each of the plurality of sample areas. Thus, the visibility of the area to which the liquid is applied is enhanced on the liquid sample. In addition, an image is formed on the liquid sample to specify the amount of liquid applied to each of the plurality of sample areas. Thus, the visibility of the amount of liquid applied to each sample area is enhanced.
The embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to the edge binder 25 that executes the edge binding as described above. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the saddle binder 28 that executes the saddle binding.
Referring now to
In the following description, components like those of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment are denoted by like reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof may be omitted unless otherwise required.
The post-processing apparatus 3A according to the second embodiment includes an edge binder 251. The edge binder 251 is different from the edge binder 25 of the post-processing apparatus 3 according to the first embodiment in which the liquid applier 31 and the crimper 32 are arranged side by side. The edge binder 251 includes a crimper 32′ and a liquid applier 131 is disposed at an upstream position in a direction in which the sheet P is conveyed. Such a configuration allows a given number of sheets P to be stacked after the liquid application process and conveyed to the crimper 32′ of the edge binder 251 disposed at a downstream position in the direction in which the sheet P is conveyed. Accordingly, the productivity of the binding process performed by the crimper 32′ is enhanced.
Since the direction in which the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, and 14 convey the sheet P is opposite to the “conveyance direction” defined above, the direction in which the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, and 14 convey the sheet P is defined as an “opposite conveyance direction” in the following description. A direction that is orthogonal to the opposite conveyance direction and the thickness direction of the sheet P is defined as the “main scanning direction” or the “width direction of the sheet P.” The liquid application position to which the liquid is applied on the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb by the liquid applier 131 corresponds to the binding position on the sheet bundle Pb to be crimped and bound by the crimper 32′. For this reason, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are denoted by the same reference numeral.
As illustrated in
The crimper 32′ presses and deforms the sheet bundle Pb with the serrate upper binding teeth 32b and the serrate lower crimping teeth 32b to bind the sheet bundle Pb. In the following description, such a binding way may be referred to as “crimp binding.” In other words, the crimper 32′ crimps and binds the sheet bundle Pb or performs the crimp binding on the sheet bundle Pb. On the other hand, the stapling unit 156 passes the staple through a binding position on the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to staple the sheet bundle Pb.
Each of
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The crimper 32′ is movable between the standby position HP as illustrated in
The posture of the crimper 32′ changes between the parallel binding posture illustrated in
The rotational angle, which is an angle of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b with respect to the main scanning direction, in the oblique binding posture is not limited to the angle illustrated in
The post-processing apparatus 3A includes the liquid applier 131 and a hole punch 132 serving as a processing device. The liquid applier 131 and the hole punch 132 are disposed upstream from the internal tray 22 in the opposite conveyance direction. In addition, the liquid applier 131 and the hole punch 132 are disposed at different positions in the opposite conveyance direction to simultaneously face one sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19. The liquid applier 131 and the hole punch 132 according to the present embodiment are disposed between the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11. However, the arrangement of the liquid applier 131 and the hole punch 132 is not limited to the arrangement illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition, the plurality of roller pairs of the conveyance roller pair 11 that is located so as not to overlap the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P in the main scanning direction prevents the conveying performance of the sheet P from being worse due to the adhesion of liquid to the plurality of roller pairs and further prevents a conveyance jam that may be caused by the worsened conveying performance of the sheet P.
Although only the conveyance roller pair 11 has been described above, the plurality of roller pairs of the conveyance roller pairs 14 and 15 are preferably located so as not to overlap the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P in the main scanning direction, like the plurality of roller pairs of the conveyance roller pair 11.
The liquid applier 131 applies liquid to the sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11. In the following description, the application of liquid may be referred to as “liquid application.” The hole punch 132 punches a hole in the sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 such that the hole penetrates the sheet P in the thickness direction of the sheet P. The processing device disposed near the liquid applier 131 is not limited to the hole punch 132. Alternatively, the processing device may be an inclination corrector that corrects an inclination or skew of the sheet P that is conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11.
As illustrated in
The guide shafts 133a and 133b, each extending in the main scanning direction, are apart from each other in the opposite conveyance direction. The pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b is supported by a pair of side plates 4a and 4b of the post-processing apparatus 3A. On the other hand, the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b supports the liquid application unit 140 such that the liquid application unit 140 can move in the main scanning direction.
The pair of pulleys 134a and 134b is disposed between the guide shafts 133a and 133b in the opposite conveyance direction. On the other hand, the pulleys 134a and 134b are apart from each other in the main scanning direction. The pulleys 134a and 134b are supported by a frame of the post-processing apparatus 3A so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions about the respective shafts extending in the thickness direction of the sheet P.
The endless annular belt 135 is entrained around the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. The endless annular belt 135 is coupled to the liquid application unit 140 by a connection 135a. The endless annular belt 136 is entrained around the pulley 134a and a driving pulley 137a that is fixed to an output shaft of the liquid-applier movement motor 137. The liquid-applier movement motor 137 generates a driving force to move the liquid application unit 140 in the main scanning direction.
As the liquid-applier movement motor 137 rotates, the endless annular belt 136 circulates around the pulley 134a and the driving pulley 137a to rotate the pulley 134a. As the pulley 134a rotates, the endless annular belt 135 circulates around the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. As a result, the liquid application unit 140 moves in the main scanning direction along the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b. The liquid application unit 140 reciprocates in the main scanning direction in response to the rotation direction of the liquid-applier movement motor 137 being switched.
The standby position sensor 138 detects the arrival of the liquid application unit 140 at a standby position in the main scanning direction. The standby position sensor 138 then outputs a standby position signal indicating the detection result to the controller 100 as circuitry, which will be described below with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The base 141 is supported by the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction. The base 141 is coupled to the endless annular belt 135 by the connection 135a. On the other hand, the base 141 supports the components of the liquid application unit 140 such as the rotary bracket 142, the liquid storage tank 143, the mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, the columns 147a and 147b, the pressure plate 148, the coil springs 149a and 149b, the application-head pivot motor 150, the application-head movement motor 151, and the standby angle sensor 152.
The rotary bracket 142 is attached to a lower face of the base 141 so as to be rotatable in the forward and reverse directions about a shaft extending in the thickness direction of the sheet P. The rotary bracket 142 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions with respect to the base 141 by a driving force transmitted from the application-head pivot motor 150. On the other hand, the rotary bracket 142 holds the liquid storage tank 143, the mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, the columns 147a and 147b, the pressure plate 148, and the coil springs 149a and 149b.
The standby angle sensor 152, which is illustrated in
Note that
The liquid storage tank 143 stores liquid to be applied to the sheet P. The mover 144 is attached to the liquid storage tank 143 so as to be movable (for example, up and down) in the thickness direction of the sheet P. The mover 144 is moved with respect to the liquid storage tank 143 by a driving force transmitted from the application-head movement motor 151. The holder 145 is attached to a lower end of the mover 144. The liquid application head 146 projects from the holder 145 toward the conveyance passage (downward in the present embodiment). The liquid that is stored in the liquid storage tank 143 is supplied to the liquid application head 146. The liquid application head 146 is made of a material having a relatively high liquid absorption (for example, sponge or fiber).
The columns 147a and 147b project downward from the holder 145 around the liquid application head 146. The columns 147a and 147b are movable relative to the holder 145 in the thickness direction. The columns 147a and 147b have respective lower ends holding the pressure plate 148. The pressure plate 148 has a through hole 148a at a position where the through hole 148a faces the liquid application head 146. The coil springs 149a and 149b are fitted around the columns 147a and 147b, respectively, between the holder 145 and the pressure plate 148. The coil springs 149a and 149b bias the columns 147a and 147b and the pressure plate 148 in a direction away from the holder 145.
As illustrated in
As the application-head movement motor 151 keeps rotating in the first direction after the pressure plate 148 contacts the sheet P, the coil springs 149a and 149b are compressed to further move down the mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, and the columns 147a and 147b. As a result, as illustrated in
Further rotation of the application-head movement motor 151 in the first direction further strongly presses the liquid application head 146 against the sheet P as illustrated in
On the other hand, the rotation of the application-head movement motor 151 in a second direction opposite to the first direction moves up the mover 144, the holder 145, the liquid application head 146, the columns 147a and 147b, the pressure plate 148, and the coil springs 149a and 149b together. As a result, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The CPU 101 is an arithmetic unit and controls the overall operation of the post-processing apparatus 3A. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written at high speed. The CPU 101 uses the RAM 102 as a work area for data processing. The ROM 103 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium that stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a non-volatile storage medium that allows data to be read and written and has a relatively large storage capacity. The HDD 104 stores, for example, an OS, various control programs, and application programs.
By an arithmetic function of the CPU 101, the post-processing apparatus 3A processes, for example, a control program stored in the ROM 103 and an information processing program (application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104. Such processing configures a software controller including various functional modules of the post-processing apparatus 3A. The software controller that is thus configured cooperates with hardware resources of the post-processing apparatus 3A to construct functional blocks that implement functions of the post-processing apparatus 3A. In other words, the CPU 101, the RAM 102, the ROM 103, and the HDD 104 construct the controller 100 that controls the operation of the post-processing apparatus 3A.
The I/F 105 is an interface that connects the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the crimper movement motor 238, the crimper pivot motor 239, the contact-separation motor 32d, the liquid-applier movement motor 137, the application-head pivot motor 150, the application-head movement motor 151, the standby position sensor 138, the standby angle sensor 152, the hole punch 132, and the control panel 110 to the common bus 109. The controller 100 controls, via the I/F 105, the operations of the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the crimper movement motor 238, the crimper pivot motor 239, the contact-separation motor 32d, the liquid-applier movement motor 137, the application-head pivot motor 150, the application-head movement motor 151, and the hole punch 132.
On the other hand, the controller 100 acquires, via the I/F 105, detection results from the standby position sensor 138 and the standby angle sensor 152. Although
The control panel 110 includes an operation unit that receives instructions input by an operator and a display serving as a notifier that notifies the operator of information. Thus, the control panel 110 serves as an input device. The operation unit includes, for example, hard keys and a touch panel superimposed on a display. The control panel 110 acquires information from the operator through the operation unit and provides information to the operator through the display.
For example, the controller 100 executes the post-processing illustrated in
First, in step S801, the controller 100 drives the liquid-applier movement motor 137 to move the liquid application unit 140 (corresponding to the liquid applier) in the main scanning direction such that liquid application head 146 moves from the standby position HP to a position where the liquid application head 146 can face the liquid application position B1 (corresponding to the binding position B1 illustrated in
In step S801, the controller 100 also drives the crimper movement motor 238 to move the crimper 32′ from the standby position HP to the position where the crimper 32′ can face the binding position B1 as illustrated in
Subsequently, in step S802, the controller 100 drives the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 to start conveying the sheet P on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2.
In step S803, the controller 100 determines whether the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P has faced the liquid application unit 140 (more specifically, the liquid application head 146). In other words, the controller 100 determines whether the liquid application unit 140 has faced the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P.
When the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P has not faced the liquid application head 146 (NO in step S803), the controller 100 repeats the determination in step S803. In other words, the controller 100 continues driving the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 until the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P faces the liquid application head 146.
By contrast, when the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P has faced the liquid application head 146 (YES in step S803), in step S804, the controller 100 stops the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11. It is ascertained based on a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of a motor that drives the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 that the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P has faced the liquid application head 146.
In step S805, the controller 100 causes the liquid application unit 140 to execute the process to apply liquid to the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P. More specifically, the controller 100 rotates the application-head movement motor 151 in the first direction to bring the liquid application head 146 into contact with the liquid application position B1 on the sheet P. The controller 100 changes the pressing force of the liquid application head 146 (in other words, the amount of rotation of the application-head movement motor 151) depending on the amount of liquid to be applied to the sheet P.
The amount of liquid to be applied to the sheet P may be the same for all the sheets P of the sheet bundle Pb or may be different for each sheet P. For example, the controller 100 may apply a decreased amount of liquid to the sheet P conveyed later. The amount of rotation of the application-head movement motor 151 may be ascertained based on a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of the application-head movement motor 151.
Subsequently, in step S806, the controller 100 drives the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 to place the sheet P on the internal tray 22. In step S806, the controller 100 also moves the side fences 24L and 24R to align the position, in the main scanning direction, of the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. In short, the controller 100 performs so-called jogging.
Subsequently, in step S807, the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N instructed by the post-processing command.
When the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has not reached the given number N (NO in step S807), the controller 100 executes the operations of steps S802 to S806 again.
By contrast, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the given number N (YES in step S807), in step S808, the controller 100 causes the crimper 32′ to crimp and bind the binding position B1 (corresponding to the liquid application position B1) on the sheet bundle Pb to which the liquid has been applied by the liquid application unit 140. In step S808, the controller 100 also rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to output the sheet bundle Pb thus crimped and bound to the output tray 26.
Then, the controller 100 drives the liquid-applier movement motor 137 to move the liquid application unit 140 to the standby position HP and drives the crimper movement motor 238 to move the crimper 32′ to the standby position HP.
When the post-processing command includes an instruction to form a plurality of sheet bundles Pb (i.e., the requested number of copies), the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheet bundles Pb output to the output tray 26 has reached the requested number of copies as in step S1308 in
The control method described above may be implemented by, for example, a program. In other words, the control method may be executed by a computer causing an arithmetic device, a storage device, an input device, an output device, and a control device to operate in cooperation with each other based on a program. The program may be written in, for example, a storage device or a storage medium and distributed. Alternatively, the program may be distributed through, for example, an electric communication line.
Now, a description is given of some aspects of the present disclosure.
According to a first aspect, a medium processing apparatus includes a liquid applier, a post-processing device, and circuitry. The liquid applier applies liquid to a part of a medium, which is at least one medium. The post-processing device binds a bundle of media including the medium to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applier. The circuitry controls operations of the liquid applier and the post-processing device. The circuitry causes the liquid applier to apply different amounts of liquid to a plurality of sample areas in the medium.
According to a second aspect, the medium processing apparatus according to the first aspect further includes an input device that receives an input of an amount of liquid to be applied. The circuitry causes the liquid applier to apply the liquid to a liquid application position on the medium by the amount input through the input device. The circuitry causes the post-processing device to bind a binding position on the bundle of media. The binding position on the bundle of media includes the liquid application position on each of a plurality of media including the medium.
According to a third aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of the second aspect, the input device receives an input of a plurality of liquid application levels indicating different amounts of liquid to be applied and an input of an amount of liquid to be applied corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid application levels. The circuitry causes the liquid applier to apply the liquid to the liquid application position on the medium by the amount corresponding to one of the plurality of liquid application levels received by the input device.
According to a fourth aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of the second or third aspect, the input device receives an input of a liquid application level corresponding to a type of the medium of a plurality of liquid application levels indicating different amounts of liquid to be applied. The circuitry causes the liquid applier to apply the liquid to the liquid application position on the medium by the amount corresponding to the liquid application level received by the input device.
According to a fifth aspect, in the medium processing apparatus of any one of the second to fourth aspects, the amount of liquid to be applied corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid application levels is manually set via the input device.
According to a sixth aspect, the medium processing apparatus of any one of the first to fifth aspects includes an input device that receives an input of an amount of liquid to be applied. The circuitry causes the liquid applier to apply the liquid to each of the plurality of sample areas by an amount corresponding to a corresponding one of a plurality of liquid application levels. The circuitry decreases the amount of liquid corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid application levels by a first amount in response to an input, through the input device, indicating that a sample area of the plurality of sample areas corresponding to a liquid application level less than a predetermined reference level of the plurality of liquid application levels is wet. The circuitry increases the amount of liquid corresponding to each of the plurality of liquid application levels by a second amount in response to an input, through the input device, indicating that a sample area of the plurality of sample areas corresponding to a liquid application level greater than the predetermined reference level of the plurality of liquid application levels is not wet.
According to a seventh aspect, an image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and the medium processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. The image forming apparatus forms an image on a medium. The circuitry of the medium processing apparatus causes the liquid applier to apply the different amounts of liquid to the plurality of sample areas in the medium on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus.
According to an eighth aspect, in the image forming system of the seventh aspect, the image forming apparatus forms the image on the medium to specify a position of each of the plurality of sample areas.
According to a ninth aspect, in the image forming system of the seventh or eighth aspect, the image forming apparatus forms the image on the medium to specify the different amounts of liquid to be applied to the plurality of sample areas.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a medium processing apparatus that performs the crimp binding after applying liquid to the binding position appropriately corrects a change in the amount of liquid to be applied due to product variation or aging of the medium processing apparatus.
The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that the disclosure of this patent specification may be practiced otherwise by those skilled in the art than as specifically described herein and such modifications and alternatives are within the technical scope of the appended claims.
Any one of the above-described operations may be performed in various other ways, for example, in an order different from the one described above.
The functionality of the elements disclosed herein may be implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry which includes general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), conventional circuitry and/or combinations thereof which are configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functionality. Processors are considered processing circuitry or circuitry as they include transistors and other circuitry therein. In the disclosure, the circuitry, units, or means are hardware that carry out or are programmed to perform the recited functionality. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein or otherwise known which is programmed or configured to carry out the recited functionality. When the hardware is a processor which may be considered a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or units are a combination of hardware and software, the software being used to configure the hardware and/or processor.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2022-093040 | Jun 2022 | JP | national |
2023-061670 | Apr 2023 | JP | national |