Patent Application
20250206045
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-217110 filed on Dec. 22, 2023, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a sheet discharger that discharges a sheet after being subjected to image formation by an image forming apparatus, and a sheet post-processing device and the image forming apparatus each including the sheet discharger.
An image forming apparatus such as a copy machine or a printer and a sheet post-processing device that performs post-processing on sheets are provided with a sheet discharger including a discharge roller pair and a discharge tray. A sheet (a sheet of paper) after being subjected to image formation by the image forming apparatus is discharged on the discharge tray by the sheet discharger provided in the image forming apparatus. Alternatively, after being carried into the sheet post-processing device and subjected to a prescribed type of post-processing thereon, the sheet is discharged on the discharge tray by the sheet discharger provided in the sheet post-processing device.
In the sheet discharger described above, discharging a largely curled sheet in its curled state might cause clogging of a sheet discharge outlet, resulting in a sheet discharge failure. To avoid this, a method has been adopted in which, using a fan, air is blown from above the sheet discharge outlet so as to stabilize sheet discharge.
A sheet discharger according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a sheet discharge outlet, a discharge member, a sheet discharge tray, and an air blowing mechanism. A sheet is discharged through the sheet discharge outlet. The discharge member is arranged at the sheet discharge outlet and conveys the sheet in a discharge direction. The sheet discharge tray is arranged downstream of the sheet discharge outlet in the discharge direction, and the sheet discharged through the sheet discharge outlet is loaded on the sheet discharge tray. The air blowing mechanism blows an air flow to the sheet discharged through the sheet discharge outlet. The air blowing mechanism includes an air blowing port for blowing the air flow from upward to the sheet discharged through the sheet discharge outlet and an air blower that is connected to the air blowing port and generates the air flow. The air blowing port is provided above the sheet discharge outlet, at least a pair of air blowing ports is arranged at a middle in a width direction of the sheet orthogonal to the discharge direction, and the air flow is blown through the air blowing port diagonally downward from inside toward outside in the width direction of the sheet.
With reference to the appended drawings, the following describes an embodiment of the present disclosure in detail.
As shown in
An operation panel 202 is arranged in front of the image reading portion 201. The operation panel 202 is an operation portion for accepting inputs of various types of settings. For example, by operating the operation panel 202, a user can input size information on the sheet. Furthermore, by operating the operation panel 202, it is also possible to input the number of sheets to be subjected to printing or an instruction to start a printing job. A main body control portion 203 performs centralized control of operations of the image forming apparatus 200 as a whole and controls the various portions of the image forming apparatus 200.
The sheet post-processing device 1 is detachably connected to a side surface of the image forming apparatus 200. The sheet post-processing device 1 performs post-processing such as a punch hole forming process or a binding process on the sheets after being subjected to image formation (printing) by the image forming apparatus 200. The sheet post-processing device 1 is not limited to performing post-processing on the sheet automatically conveyed from the image forming apparatus 200 but may also perform post-processing on the sheet placed on an unshown tray by a user and conveyed by the sheet post-processing device 1 itself to a position at which the post-processing can be performed.
The sheet carry-in inlet 2 is an opening provided in a side surface of the sheet post-processing device 1 opposed to the image forming apparatus 200. The sheet being conveyed from the image forming apparatus 200 toward the sheet post-processing device 1 passes through the sheet carry-in inlet 2 to be carried into the sheet post-processing device 1.
The first sheet conveyance path 3 extends substantially horizontally from the sheet carry-in inlet 2 to the first sheet discharge portion 4 in a direction away from the image forming apparatus 200 (a leftward direction in
The first sheet discharge portion 4 is provided on a side surface of the sheet post-processing device 1 opposite to the side surface thereof opposed to the image forming apparatus 200. The first sheet discharge portion 4 is arranged at a downstream end of the first sheet conveyance path 3 in the sheet conveyance direction. The first sheet discharge portion 4 includes a first discharge outlet 41, a first discharge roller pair 42, and a first discharge tray 43.
The first discharge outlet 41 is positioned at the downstream end of the first sheet conveyance path 3 in the sheet conveyance direction. The first discharge roller pair 42 is arranged at the first discharge outlet 41. The first discharge tray 43 is positioned downstream of the first discharge outlet 41 in the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet that has been conveyed on the first sheet conveyance path 3 to reach the first discharge outlet 41 is passed through the first discharge outlet 41 by the first discharge roller pair 42 so as to be discharged on the first discharge tray 43. The first discharge tray 43 is one of locations at which the sheet that has been subjected to post-processing by the sheet post-processing device 1 is eventually discharged.
The second sheet conveyance path 5 branches off from a first branch portion (a branch portion) 31 on the first sheet conveyance path 3 to extend laterally in the direction away from the image forming apparatus 200 (the leftward direction in
The first branch portion 31 includes a first switching guide 311. The first switching guide 311 pivots to a position at which the sheet being conveyed on the first sheet conveyance path 3 from the sheet carry-in inlet 2 is guided to the first discharge outlet 41 along the first sheet conveyance path 3 and to a position at which the conveyance direction of the sheet is changed from that on the first sheet conveyance path 3 so that the sheet is guided to the second sheet conveyance path 5. The first switching guide 311 further pivots to a position at which the sheet that has been subjected to a folding process and has passed through a folding conveyance path (not shown) is guided to the second sheet conveyance path 5. The first switching guide 311 is connected to a drive mechanism (not shown), and an operation thereof is controlled by the post-processing control portion 10.
The second sheet discharge portion 6 is provided on the side surface of the sheet post-processing device 1 opposite to the side surface thereof opposed to the image forming apparatus 200 and above the first sheet discharge portion 4. The second sheet discharge portion 6 is arranged at a downstream end of the second sheet conveyance path 5 in the sheet conveyance direction. The second sheet discharge portion 6 includes a second discharge outlet 61, a second discharge roller pair 62, and a second discharge tray 63.
The second discharge outlet 61 is positioned at the downstream end of the second sheet conveyance path 5 in the sheet conveyance direction. The second discharge roller pair 62 is arranged at the second discharge outlet 61. The second discharge tray 63 is positioned downstream of the second discharge outlet 61 in the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet that has been conveyed on the second sheet conveyance path 5 to reach the second discharge outlet 61 is passed through the second discharge outlet 61 by the second discharge roller pair 62 so as to be discharged on the second discharge tray 63. The second discharge tray 63 is one of the locations at which the sheet that has been subjected to post-processing by the sheet post-processing device 1 is eventually discharged. Furthermore, a sheet not to be subjected to post-processing, a small-sized sheet, and so on are also discharged on the second discharge tray 63.
The third sheet conveyance path 7 branches off from a second branch portion 32 on the first sheet conveyance path 3 to extend downward to the third sheet discharge portion 8. A direction directed from the second branch portion 32 toward the third sheet discharge portion 8 is referred to as a sheet conveyance direction on the third sheet conveyance path 7. The second branch portion 32 is positioned downstream of the first branch portion 31 in the sheet conveyance direction on the first sheet conveyance path 3 and at an upstream end of the third sheet conveyance path 7 in the sheet conveyance direction. The third sheet conveyance path 7 includes a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 7r and conveys the sheet being conveyed on the first sheet conveyance path 3 so that the conveyance direction of the sheet is changed at the second branch portion 32 toward the third sheet discharge portion 8.
The second branch portion 32 includes a second switching guide 321. The second switching guide 321 pivots to a position at which the sheet being conveyed on the first sheet conveyance path 3 from the sheet carry-in inlet 2 is guided to the first discharge outlet 41 along the first sheet conveyance path 3 and to a position at which the sheet that has been conveyed on the first sheet conveyance path 3 from the sheet carry-in inlet 2 and has passed through the second branch portion 32 so as then to be switched back is guided to the third sheet conveyance path 7. The second switching guide 321 is connected to a drive mechanism (not shown), and an operation thereof is controlled by the post-processing control portion 10.
The third sheet discharge portion 8 is provided on the side surface of the sheet post-processing device 1 opposite to the side surface thereof opposed to the image forming apparatus 200 and below the first sheet discharge portion 4 (near a lower end of the sheet post-processing device 1). The third sheet discharge portion 8 includes a third discharge outlet 81, a third discharge roller pair 82, and a third discharge tray 83.
The third discharge outlet 81 is positioned at a downstream end of the third sheet conveyance path 7 in the sheet conveyance direction. The third discharge roller pair 82 is arranged at the third discharge outlet 81. The third discharge tray 83 is positioned downstream of the third discharge outlet 81 in the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet that has been conveyed on the third sheet conveyance path 7 to reach the third discharge outlet 81 is passed through the third discharge outlet 81 by the third discharge roller pair 82 so as to be discharged on the third discharge tray 83. The third discharge tray 83 is one of the locations at which the sheet that has been subjected to post-processing by the sheet post-processing device 1 is eventually discharged.
The post-processing section 9 performs a prescribed type of post-processing on the sheet that has been subjected to image formation by the image forming apparatus 200 and carried into the sheet post-processing device 1. The post-processing section 9 includes the perforation portion 91, a sheet binding unit 92, a sheet folding unit 100, and a bookbinding portion 94.
The perforation portion 91 is arranged in immediate proximity to and downstream of the sheet carry-in inlet 2 on the first sheet conveyance path 3. The perforation portion 91 performs a perforation process on the sheet being conveyed on the first sheet conveyance path 3 so as to form a punch hole therein.
The sheet binding unit 92 is arranged in immediate proximity to and upstream of the first sheet discharge portion 4 in the sheet conveyance direction on the first sheet conveyance path 3. The sheet binding unit 92 performs a stapling process (the binding process) on a sheet bundle of a plurality of sheets stacked on each other so as to bind the sheet bundle. A detailed configuration of the sheet binding unit 92 will be described later.
The sheet folding unit 100 is arranged downstream of the perforation portion 91 and upstream of the sheet binding unit 92 in the sheet conveyance direction on the first sheet conveyance path 3. The sheet folding unit 100 performs the folding process on a single sheet so as to form a fold line on the sheet. The sheet folding unit 100 is capable of performing, on a single sheet, the folding process for folding the sheet, for example, in two, in a Z shape, outwardly in three, or inwardly in three.
The bookbinding portion 94 is arranged in immediate proximity to and upstream of the third sheet discharge portion 8 in the sheet conveyance direction on the third sheet conveyance path 7. The bookbinding portion 94 includes a center-folding part 941 and a center-binding part 942. The bookbinding portion 94 performs, on a sheet bundle of a plurality of sheets stacked on each other, a center-folding process and a center-binding process in which the sheet bundle is folded at substantially a center thereof in the sheet conveyance direction and bound into a booklet.
The post-processing control portion (the control portion) 10 includes a CPU, a storage part, and other electronic circuits and electronic components (none of which are shown). The post-processing control portion 10 is communicably connected to the main body control portion 203 (see
Next, a description is given of a configuration of and around the first sheet discharge portion 4.
A pair of air blowers 45 is arranged above the first discharge outlet 41 and upstream of the first discharge outlet 41 in a sheet discharge direction (a direction of an arrow A). In this embodiment, a sirocco fan is used as the air blower 45.
The air blowing duct 46 is connected to each of the pair of air blowers 45. The air blowing ducts 46 as a pair each extend, in the sheet discharge direction, toward above the first discharge outlet 41 and have a distal end bent downward. One end of the air blowing duct 46 (an upstream end thereof in the sheet discharge direction) is connected to a blowoff port of the air blower 45. The air blowing port 47 is formed at the other end of the air blowing duct 46 (a downstream end thereof in the sheet discharge direction). The air blowing port 47 is arranged within a width of a minimum-sized sheet discharged to the first discharge tray 43 in a sheet width direction.
As shown in
The processing tray 521 is a rectangular tray extending in the sheet discharge direction (the direction of the arrow A) and in the sheet width direction (a direction of arrows B and B′). A plurality of sheets (a sheet bundle) to be subjected to the stapling process are loaded on the processing tray 521. By a carry-in roller pair 54, a sheet S is carried in the same direction (a carry-in direction, the direction of the arrow A) as the discharge direction onto the processing tray 521. By the first discharge roller pair 42, the sheet bundle that has been subjected to the stapling process is fed out in the sheet discharge direction so as to be discharged to the first discharge tray 43.
The processing tray 521 includes a width regulation member 523. A pair of width regulation members 523 is arranged in the sheet width direction. The pair of width regulation members 523 is reciprocatable in the sheet width direction along an upper surface of the processing tray 521 via a drive mechanism (not shown) such as a rack and a pinion gear. In this embodiment, every time the sheet S is carried onto the processing tray 521, the pair of width regulation members 523 is driven to reciprocate by the drive mechanism. As a result, the sheet S carried onto the processing tray 521 is positionally aligned in the sheet width direction.
The stapling portion 71 is arranged to be opposed to an end edge of the sheet S downstream (on the right side in
The reference plate 73 is secured to the processing tray 521 so as to be opposed to an end of the processing tray 521 downstream (on the right side in
The carry-in roller pair 54 is arranged above the processing tray 521. A sheet sensor 48 is arranged in a vicinity of the carry-in roller pair 54. The sheet sensor 48 senses a timing when the sheet S passes through the carry-in roller pair 54. As the sheet sensor 48, there is used, for example, a PI (photo-interrupter) sensor including a sensing portion composed of a light-emitting part and a light-receiving part.
A tapping member 53 and an alignment member 55 are provided downstream of the carry-in roller pair 54 (on the left side in
The alignment member 55 is arranged at each of a plurality of locations (four locations in this embodiment) along the sheet width direction (a direction perpendicular to a plane of
The paddle holder 56 is supported at a lower end of a conveyance frame (not shown) so as to be swingable along the carry-in direction of the sheet S. By a paddle drive motor (not shown), a rotation drive force is inputted to a swing shaft of the paddle holder 56. By a drive source (not shown) such as a motor, a rotation drive force in a direction for sending out the sheet S in the alignment direction (counterclockwise in
Swinging of the paddle holder 56 is controlled based on a sensing timing of the sheet sensor 48. Specifically, at a timing when the sheet sensor 48 senses passing of a leading end of the sheet S through the carry-in roller pair 54, the paddle holder 56 is swung upward. As a result, the alignment paddle 57 is separated from the upper surface of the processing tray 521 (or of the sheet S loaded on the processing tray 521).
Further, by the tapping member 53, the new sheet S carried onto the processing tray 521 is tapped at a trailing end thereof so as to be aligned along the processing tray 521, and then the paddle holder 56 is swung by a prescribed amount in a reverse direction (counterclockwise). As a result, the alignment paddle 57 is arranged at a position (an acting position) at which it contacts an upper surface of the sheet S. When the alignment paddle 57 is rotated in this state, the sheet S is drawn in the alignment direction (the direction of the arrow A′) along the processing tray 521. Every time the sheet S is carried in, the above-described operation is repeatedly performed, and thus it is possible to reliably cause the alignment paddle 57 to contact the upper surface of the sheet S while avoiding interference between the leading end of the sheet S carried onto the processing tray 521 and the alignment paddle 57.
After that, the sheet S is sent further downstream in the alignment direction by the alignment paddle 57, aligned in the sheet width direction by the width regulation member 523, and aligned in the carry-in direction by the reference plate 73, thus being loaded in that state.
In performing the stapling process on the sheets S carried onto the processing tray 521, after the stapling portion 71 has moved to a prescribed stapling position, the post-processing control portion 10 transmits a control signal to the stapling portion 71 so that the stapling process is executed on a plurality of sheets S aligned by the reference plate 73. The post-processing control portion 10 controls the rollers constituting the first discharge roller pair 42 to contact each other (form a nip) and the first discharge roller pair 42 to rotate in the discharge direction. In this way, a bundle of sheets S that has been subjected to the stapling process is discharged to the first discharge tray 43 by the first discharge roller pair 42.
In performing a sorting process (a shifting process) on the sheet S carried onto the processing tray 521, every time a prescribed number of sheets S are carried onto the processing tray 521, the post-processing control portion 10 controls the pair of width regulation members 523 to move in a direction for shifting the sheet S. In this way, the sheets S are discharged in a sorted state to a plurality of positions on the first discharge tray 43. Furthermore, the post-processing control portion 10 is also capable of performing control so that the sheets S carried onto the processing tray 521 are discharged on the first discharge tray 43 without being subjected to the stapling process and the sorting process.
Next, a description is given of an operation by the air blowing mechanism 44 to assist in sheet discharge to the first discharge tray 43. The sheet discharge assist operation by the air blowing mechanism 44 is executed in the case of discharging the sheets S in a sorted state to the first discharge tray 43 or in the case of discharging the sheets S on the first discharge tray 43 without them being subjected to the stapling process and the sorting process. In the case of discharging a bundle of sheets S that has been subjected to the stapling process on the first discharge tray 43, the sheets S are prevented from being curled to cause trouble, and thus there is no need to perform the sheet discharge assist operation.
To be more specific, the air blowing mechanism 44 blows air flows diagonally downward (in directions of hollow arrows in
According to the above-described configuration, curling of the sheet S at both ends thereof in the width direction can be suppressed with air flows, and thus it is possible to enhance loadability and dischargeability of the sheet S on the first discharge tray 43. Particularly in a case where, as in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200 connected to the sheet post-processing device 1 is an inkjet recording apparatus, the sheet S being discharged tends to be largely curled; even in such a case, however, the sheet S can be stably discharged to be loaded.
When a blowing angle (an angle formed with a vertical direction taken as 0 degrees) of an air flow blown through the air blowing port 47 is too small, the air flow is not sufficiently blown to each of both ends of a large-sized sheet S1 in a width direction thereof. When, on the other hand, the blowing angle of the air flow blown through the air blowing port 47 is too large, the air flow is blown to outside each of both ends of a small-sized sheet S2 in a width direction thereof. A blowing angle θ of an air flow blown through the air blowing port 47 is set preferably to 15° to 20°.
Furthermore, the blowing angle θ may be made variable depending on a size of the sheet S in the width direction. Specifically, the air blowing duct 46 is configured to be variable in inclination so that a user manually adjusts the inclination thereof depending on the size of the sheet S in the width direction. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which there is provided a drive mechanism for varying the inclination of the air blowing duct 46, and the post-processing control portion 10 performs control so that the inclination of the air blowing duct 46 is automatically adjusted based on size information on the sheet S inputted from the main body control portion 203 or the like. Thus, regardless of the size of the sheet S in the width direction, curling of the sheet S at both the ends thereof in the width direction can be effectively suppressed.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, until the leading end of the sheet S discharged by the first discharge roller pair 42 contacts the first discharge tray 43 (or a sheet S loaded on the first discharge tray 43), air blowing by the air blowing mechanism 44 is kept halted, and at or after a timing T1 when the leading end of the sheet S contacts the first discharge tray 43 (or the sheet S loaded on the first discharge tray 43), the air blowing by the air blowing mechanism 44 is started. The timing T1 is calculated based on a sensing timing (a sensing signal) of sensing the leading end of the sheet S transmitted from the sheet sensor 48 (see
Specifically, in response to transmission of the sensing timing (the sensing signal) of sensing the leading end of the sheet S from the sheet sensor 48 (see
Further, at a timing T2 when the trailing end of the sheet S contacts the first discharge tray 43 (or the sheet S loaded on the first discharge tray 43), the air blowing is halted. Similarly to the timing T1, the timing T2 is calculated based on a sensing timing (a sensing signal) of sensing the trailing end of the sheet S transmitted from the sheet sensor 48 (see
By starting and halting air blowing at the above-described timings, it is possible to blow an air flow concentratedly to the trailing end of the sheet S in the discharge direction where the sheet S is likely to be curled, while suppressing fluttering of the sheet S at the leading end thereof in the discharge direction due to the air blowing. As a result, it is possible to stably discharge the sheet S through the first discharge outlet 41 and to load the sheet S on the first discharge tray 43 while effectively suppressing curling of it at both the ends thereof in the width direction.
Furthermore, in a case of continuously discharging the sheet S through the first discharge outlet 41 to the first discharge tray 43, the air blower 45 is repeatedly turned on and off at the above-described timings every time one sheet S is discharged, and when the air blower 45 is switched from an off state to an on state, there occurs a time lag until an air flow attains a target air velocity. This results in instability of an air velocity of an air flow blown to the sheet S, rendering an effect of suppressing curling of the sheet S insufficient.
To avoid the above situation, in the case of continuously discharging the sheet S through the first discharge outlet 41, the air blower 45 is driven at a reference speed (a first speed) during discharge of the sheet S and at a speed (a second speed) lower than the reference speed during a period (an inter-sheet interval) after the discharge of the sheet S until a succeeding sheet S is discharged through the first discharge outlet 41.
By adopting this configuration, compared with the case where the air blower 45 is repeatedly turned on and off, an air velocity of an air flow from the air blower 45 can be more stably increased to a target air velocity. Furthermore, since the air velocity is decreased during the period after discharge of a preceding sheet S until a succeeding sheet S is discharged, it is also possible to suppress fluttering of the succeeding sheet S at a leading end thereof in the discharge direction.
When a command to perform the shifting process on the sheet S is inputted from the main body control portion 203 (see
The post-processing control portion 10 starts to carry, onto the processing tray 521, the sheet S that has been carried into the sheet post-processing device 1 via the sheet carry-in inlet 2 (step S2). Specifically, upon the sheet sensor 48 sensing that the trailing end of the sheet S has passed through the carry-in roller pair 54, the post-processing control portion 10 performs control so that, by the tapping member 53, the sheet S is tapped at the trailing end thereof so as to be aligned along the processing tray 521, and then the alignment paddle 57 moves to the acting position and contacts the upper surface of the sheet S.
When the alignment paddle 57 is rotated in this state, the sheet S is drawn in the alignment direction (the direction of the arrow A′) along the processing tray 521. Furthermore, at the same time, there is also performed the shifting process by the width regulation member 523 (see
Next, the post-processing control portion 10 controls the lower discharge roller 421 and the upper discharge roller 422 (see
Next, the post-processing control portion 10 determines whether or not the timing T1 when the leading end of the sheet S contacts the first discharge tray 43 (or the sheet S loaded on the first discharge tray 43) has been reached (step S5). In a case where the timing T1 has been reached, the air blower 45 is driven at a full speed (step S6). Specifically, the post-processing control portion 10 sets a duty cycle of an alternating-current voltage applied to the air blower 45 to 100%.
Next, the post-processing control portion 10 determines whether or not the timing T2 when the trailing end of the sheet S contacts the first discharge tray 43 (or the sheet S loaded on the first discharge tray 43) has been reached (step S7). In a case where the timing T2 has been reached, the post-processing control portion 10 determines whether or not m+1≤n (step S8).
In a case where m+1≤n (Yes at step S8), there exists an m+1-th sheet S, and thus after the earlier described timing T2 has been reached, the air blower 45 is driven at a half speed (a ½ speed) (step S9). Specifically, the post-processing control portion 10 sets the duty cycle of the alternating-current voltage applied to the air blower 45 to 50%. Further, a return is made to step S2, at and after which the m+1-th sheet S is carried in, the shifting process is executed thereon, the sheet S is discharged to the first discharge tray 43, it is determined whether or not the timing T1 has been reached, the air blower 45 is driven at the full speed, and it is determined whether or not the timing T2 has been reached (steps S2 to S7).
On the other hand, in a case where m+1>n at step S8 (No at step S8), there exists no m+1-th sheet S (the sheet S discharged this time is an n-th sheet S), and thus after the earlier described timing T2 has been reached, driving of the air blower 45 is halted (step S10) to end the process.
According to the control example shown in
Furthermore, in a case of continuously discharging the sheet S, the air blower 45 is driven at the full speed (the first speed) during discharge of the sheet S and at the half speed (the second speed) during the period (the inter-sheet interval) until a succeeding sheet S is discharged through the first discharge outlet 41. Thus, an air velocity of an air flow from the air blower 45 can be stably increased to a full velocity in accordance with a timing of discharging the succeeding sheet S. Furthermore, during the period until the succeeding sheet S is discharged, the air blower 45 is driven at the half speed, and thus it is also possible to suppress fluttering of the succeeding sheet S at the leading end thereof in the discharge direction.
While the foregoing has described the embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited in scope thereto and can be implemented in variously modified forms without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while in the foregoing embodiment, a pair of air blowing mechanisms 44 is arranged at a middle in the sheet width direction, for example, as shown in
With the configuration shown in
Furthermore, while in the foregoing embodiment, the air blower 45 and the air blowing port 47 are connected to each other via the air blowing duct 46, a configuration may be adopted in which the air blowing duct 46 is not provided, and the air blower 45 and the air blowing port 47 are directly connected to each other.
Furthermore, while the foregoing embodiment exemplarily uses, as the sheet discharger according to the present disclosure, the first sheet discharge portion 4 to which the sheets S that have been loaded on the processing tray 521 and subjected to the binding process by the sheet binding unit 92 are discharged, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and may be applied also to the second sheet discharge portion 6.
Furthermore, while the foregoing embodiment exemplarily uses an inkjet recording apparatus as the image forming apparatus 200, a printer or a copy machine based on an electrophotographic method can also be used as the image forming apparatus 200. In an inkjet recording method in which ink is ejected to a sheet, the sheet is more likely to be curled than in the electrophotographic method. The present disclosure is, therefore, particularly useful for the sheet post-processing device 1 to which an inkjet recording apparatus is connected as the image forming apparatus 200.
Furthermore, while the foregoing embodiment exemplarily uses, as the sheet discharger according to the present disclosure, the first sheet discharge portion 4 in the sheet post-processing device 1 connected to the image forming apparatus 200, the sheet discharger according to the present disclosure is applicable also to a sheet discharge portion in the image forming apparatus 200 used without being connected to the sheet post-processing device 1.
The present disclosure is usable in a sheet discharger that discharges a sheet, and a sheet post-processing device and an image forming apparatus each including the sheet discharger.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-217110 | Dec 2023 | JP | national |
