Patent Application
20110062646
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and in particular, to a configuration for moving a stapling apparatus to a position where a stapling process is to be carried out.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines sometimes include a sheet processing apparatus which sequentially receives sheets such as copy sheets on which images have been formed and which then selectively carries out a stapling process, a punching process, or the like on the sheets. When the image forming apparatus includes such a sheet processing apparatus, time and effort required for processes such as stapling and punching which are carried out on sheets with images formed thereon can be reduced.
For example, to carry out a stapling process, the sheet processing apparatus includes a processing tray on which sheets to be stapled are stacked, a stapling apparatus that staples a sheet bundle on the processing tray, and a housing tray onto which the sheet bundle stapled on the processing tray are discharged.
Some such sheet processing apparatuses can carry out what is called a multi-stapling process including an end stapling mode in which one of the opposite end corners of one side of the sheet bundle is selectively stapled and a two-position stapling mode in which one side of the sheet bundle is stapled at two positions (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-132635). In the sheet processing apparatus, in the end stapling mode, the stapling apparatus is moved to a stapling position at the selected end to staple the sheet bundle. Furthermore, in the two-position stapling mode, the stapling apparatus is moved along one side of the sheet bundle to a first stapling position to staple the sheet bundle and then moved to a second stapling position to staple the sheet bundle again. The first and second stapling positions in the two-position stapling mode are pre-specified according to the sheet size.
Here, in some cases, when a stapling process is carried out, the sheet bundle stacked on the processing tray is moved to a stapling position by conveying means before the stapling apparatus staples the sheet bundle. Some sheet processing apparatuses include, for example, a gripping apparatus that grips sheets, as conveying means for moving the sheet bundle to the stapling position. Thus, the gripping apparatus gripping one side of the sheet bundle is moved to move the sheet bundle to the stapling position (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H02-089772). Compared to a scheme in which the sheet bundle being pressed by a pressing member is conveyed to the stapling position, the above-described grip conveying scheme undergoes less misalignment in the sheet bundle. Furthermore, a conveying scheme is known in which one side of the sheet bundle is gripped by a gripping apparatus and in which the gripping apparatus is moved to convey the sheet bundle to a housing tray (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-132609).
In a sheet processing apparatus using such a grip conveying scheme, in the two-position stapling mode, the gripping apparatus is located on one side of the sheet bundle to be stapled. Thus, the stapling apparatus is prevented from moving along this side of the sheet, thus preventing the sheet bundle from being stapled. That is, the conventional sheet processing apparatuses fail to staple the portion of the sheet bundle where the gripping apparatus is located.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus in which even when the apparatus includes a gripping apparatus that grips one side of the sheet bundle to be stapled, the portion of the sheet bundle where the gripping apparatus is located can be stapled.
The present invention provides a sheet processing apparatus including a processing tray on which sheets to be conveyed in a predetermined discharge direction are stacked, a stapling apparatus stapling an upstream side, in the discharge direction, of the sheets stacked on the processing tray, a gripping apparatus gripping one side of the sheets stapled by the stapling apparatus, a first moving mechanism moving the stapling apparatus in a width direction crossing the discharge direction, along the upstream side of the sheets stacked on the processing tray, and a second moving mechanism moving the gripping apparatus in the discharge direction to move the sheets in the discharge direction, wherein if the stapling apparatus staples the sheets in a movement area for the gripping apparatus in the discharge direction, the gripping apparatus is retracted in the width direction, and if the stapling apparatus staples the sheets outside the movement area, the gripping apparatus avoids retracting in the width direction.
According to the present invention, when the stapling apparatus moves to the movement area through which the gripping apparatus moves in the discharge direction, to carry out a stapling process, the gripping apparatus retracts in the width direction so as not to disturb the movement of the stapling apparatus to the movement area. Thus, if the portion in which the gripping apparatus is located is stapled, the stapling apparatus can be moved to the stapling position without the need for a special retract space for the gripping apparatus.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Here, the document conveying apparatus F sequentially conveys documents set on a document tray F1 to a platen (not illustrated in the drawings) provided on the top surface of the document reading apparatus D and then out onto a sheet discharging tray F2. The image reading apparatus D uses reading means including a lamp, a plurality of mirrors and lenses, and an image sensor (not illustrated in the drawings) to read an image from a document passed over the platen by the document conveying apparatus F. The image forming apparatus main body B includes an exposure section (not illustrated in the drawings) outputting laser light in response to image signals read by the image reading apparatus D and a photosensitive drum that is irradiated with laser light to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface thereof. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus main body B includes a developing member that develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum to form a toner image, a transfer section that transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum, to a sheet, and a fixing section that fixes the toner image transferred to the sheet. The exposure section, the photosensitive drum, the developing member, and fixing section are included in an image forming section forming an image on the sheet.
The sheet feeding apparatus A includes a plurality of cassettes (not illustrated in the drawings) to convey sheets housed in any of the cassettes to the transfer section. The sheet processing apparatus C is located between the image forming apparatus main body B and the document reading apparatus D. The sheet processing apparatus C includes a processing section 9 with a stapling apparatus at one end thereof in the horizontal direction and a housing section 10 provided at the other end and in which sheets are housed. The housing section 10 is positioned in the space between the image forming apparatus main body B and the document reading apparatus D. That is, the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment has what is called an in-body carry-out function in which processed sheets are discharged and housed in the space between the image forming apparatus main body B and the document reading apparatus D.
In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, when the document reading apparatus D reads a document image and forms the read image on a sheet, first, the document conveying apparatus F passes the document over the platen. At this time, the image reading apparatus D allows the lamp to emit light so that the emitted light is reflected by the document surface. The image reading apparatus D then guides the reflected light to the image sensor via the plurality of mirrors and lenses to read the image. Thereafter, image data from the document read by the image sensor is subjected to predetermined image processing, and the processed data is transferred to the exposure section of the image forming apparatus main body B.
Then, in the image forming apparatus main body B, the exposure section outputs laser light corresponding to the image signal. The laser light is emitted onto the photosensitive drum while being scanned by a polygon mirror. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the scanned laser light is formed on the photosensitive drum. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image formed onto the photosensitive drum is developed by the developing member so as to be visualized as a toner image.
On the other hand, the sheet on which an image is to be formed is conveyed from any one of a plurality of cassettes in the sheet feeding apparatus A to the transfer section. The transfer section transfers the visualized toner image on the photosensitive drum to the sheet. Thereafter, the sheet with the toner image transferred thereto is subjected to a fixing process by the fixing section to fix the toner image. Then, the sheet having passed through the fixing section is conveyed to the sheet processing apparatus C. Thereafter, the processing section 9 carries out processing such as stapling and folding on the resultant sheets, which are then discharged to the housing section 10.
The conveying section 11 includes paired guide plates 20a and 20b that guide the sheet, a conveying path 20 that is continuous with a sheet discharging port of the image forming apparatus main body B, and a conveying roller pair 21 that conveys the sheet along the conveying path 20. A carry-out roller pair 22 is provided at a carry-out port 20c of the conveying path 20 to sequentially carry sheets out to the processing tray 14, located below the conveying path 20. In the exemplary embodiment, when the carry-out roller pair 22 carries a sheet out, the sheet is loaded so as to bridge between the processing tray 14 and the loading surfaces of a first stack tray 50 and a second stack tray which are provided in the housing section 10. Predetermined processing is then carried out on the sheet.
The first and second stack trays 50 and 51, corresponding to a sheet stacking section, include sheet loading surfaces 50a and 51a, respectively. The first and second stack trays 50 and 51 are supported by a frame 14a included in the processing tray 14 so as to be freely raised and lowered in the vertical direction. A saddle unit 53 is provided below the sheet loading surface 50a of the first stack tray 50. A sheet bundle stacked on the processing tray 14 is selectively folded by the saddle unit 53 and then housed on the sheet loading surface 50a of the first stack tray 50.
Thus, the folded sheet bundle from the saddle unit 53 and a sheet bundle stapled at an end thereof or at two positions thereof by a staple unit 41 are housed on the first stack tray 50. Furthermore, a sheet bundle stapled at an end thereof or at two positions thereof by the staple unit 41 is housed on the sheet loading surface 51a of the second stack tray 51. Of course, a sheet bundle that is not stapled or folded can be housed on the first and second stack trays 50 and 51.
The alignment section 12 includes a stopper member 31 with which one end of sheets carried out onto the processing tray 14 is aligned, and a shift roller 30 that contacts the top surface of sheets carried out onto the processing tray to convey the sheets in a width direction crossing the sheet discharging direction of the carry-out roller pair 22. Furthermore, the alignment section 12 includes an alignment member 32 (32a and 32b) illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the alignment section 12 configured as described above, when a sheet is carried out onto the processing tray 14, first, the arm member 33 pivotally moves downward. The shift roller 30 correspondingly moves from the retract position to the contact position to rotate, thus conveying the sheet in a direction opposite to the sheet discharging direction, that is, toward the stopper member 31. This rotation of the shift roller 30 brings the sheet into abutting contact with the stopper member 31 in the aligned position. Thus, an end of the sheet in a feeding direction, the trailing end of the sheets is aligned with the stopper member 31.
When the trailing end of the sheets is aligned, the shift roller 30 is stopped. Thereafter, the arm member 33 is moved with a shift motor (not shown) in the width directions, so that the shift roller 30 is slid toward the alignment member 32 while in contact with the sheet top surface. Here, the shift roller 30 is formed of a high-friction member such as urethane rubber. Thus, when the shift roller 30 is slid, the sheet follows the sliding movement and slides toward the alignment member 32. Thereafter, the arm member 33 (shift roller 30) slides until one widthwise end of the sheet brings into abutting contact with the alignment member 32, and is stopped. Thus, the widthwise ends of the sheet are aligned with the alignment member 32.
The sheet processing apparatus C in the exemplary embodiment has a plurality of stapling modes, a first end stapling mode in which the sheets are stapled at one widthwise end, a second end stapling mode in which the sheets are stapled at the other end opposite to the one widthwise end, and a two-position stapling mode in which one side of the sheets is stapled at two positions. In the first end stapling mode and the two-position stapling mode, the shift roller 30 brings sheets into abutting contact with an alignment member 32a provided in the back of the apparatus as illustrated in
Then, when the alignment operation with respect to the trailing end or one widthwise end of the sheets is finished, the arm member 33 moves pivotally upward to move the shift roller 30 to the retract position, located away from the sheet top surface. Thereafter, the arm member 33 and the shift roller 30 moves along the support shaft 33a to an initial position (home position) corresponding substantially to the widthwise center of the processing tray 14. When the next sheet is carried out onto the processing tray 14, a similar alignment operation is performed.
As illustrated in
Here, the gripper unit 40, a gripping apparatus that grips one side of the sheets to be stapled, is configured to be movable in the directions of arrow (c) and arrow (d) in
Moreover, to allow the sheet bundle to be stapled at two positions, the gripper unit 40 moves to a unit coupling position P2 where the gripper unit 40 is coupled to the staple unit 41 described below. In the exemplary embodiment, the staple process position GHP for the gripper unit 40 is the same as the home position for the gripper unit 40. Furthermore, the sheet discharging position P3, to which the gripper unit 40 moves, is the same as a rail coupling position where the gripper unit 40 moves to couple rails together described below. For convenience, the staple process position and the home position as well as the sheet discharging position P3 and the rail coupling position are selectively used depending on the purpose, function, and operation. The position of the gripper unit 40 illustrated in
The staple unit 41 is configured to be movable in the directions of arrows (a) and (b) (width direction) in
The first gripper unit 40a includes the grip arm pair 44 having a grip arm pair 44 with a fixed grip arm 44a that supports the bottom surface of sheet bundle and a movable grip arm 44b provided above and opposite the fixed grip arm 44a to press the top surface of the sheet bundle. As illustrated in
The pivotal shaft 143 includes a coil spring 144 serving as biasing means. The opposite ends of the coil spring 144 extend to the fixed grip arm 44a and the movable grip arm 44b, respectively. The coil spring 144 operates to bias the grip section 44d of the movable grip arm 44b so that the grip section 44d is compressed against the grip section 44c of the fixed grip arm 44a. The grip arm pair 44 is thus closed to apply a grip force required to grip sheets.
The second grip unit 40b includes a driving lever 142 illustrated in
Now, the operation of a driving mechanism allowing a sheet bundle to be gripped will be described. Normally, the grip arm pair 44 is closed as illustrated in
As a result, the grip section 44d of the movable grip arm 44b rotates upward around the rotating shaft 143 serving as a support point. Then, as illustrated in
To allow the grip arm pair 44 to be closed, the grip motor GM1 is rotationally driven backward (clockwise). The backward rotational driving of the grip motor GM1 allows the tip portion of the driving lever 142 to move pivotally around a shaft 142a serving as a support point, in a direction in which the tip portion leaves the abutting contact section 44e of the movable grip arm 44b. Correspondingly, the effect of the coil spring 144 allows the abutting contact portion 44e of the movable grip arm 44b to rotate counterclockwise around the rotating shaft 143 serving as a support point. Thus, the tip portion of the driving lever 142 separates from the abutting contact portion 44e of the movable grip arm 44b. Then, the grip arm pair 44 is closed as illustrated in
Here, in the exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in
The first gripper unit 40a is supported by the second gripper unit 40b so as to be slidable parallel to the sheet discharging direction as described above. Now, a moving mechanism for the first gripper unit 40a will be described. The first base member 140 to which the grip arm pair 44 illustrated in
The slot 140b is penetrated by a rotating shaft GZ10a of a pinion gear GZ10 that meshes with the moving rack GR1. The rotating shaft GZ10a is rotatably supported by a side plate 141a of the second gripper unit 40b. Thus, when the pinion gear GZ10, provided in the second gripper unit 40b, is rotated, the first gripper unit 40a moves via the moving rack GR1. That is, rotation of the pinion gear GZ10 allows the first gripper unit 40a to move to an initial position illustrated in
The moving rack GR1 is configured to lower toward the downstream side in sheet discharging direction. This configuration allows the upper part of the grip arm pair 44 to be positioned to project from the top surface of the processing tray 14 if the first gripper unit 40a is in the initial position. The configuration also allows the upper part of the grip arm pair 44 to be located below the top surface of the processing tray 14 if the first gripper unit 40a is in the discharge position.
Thus, the driving mechanism for moving the first gripper unit 40a includes the grip motor GM1, the plurality of gripper gears GZ1 to GZ5, a gripper gear GZ9 provided on the rotating shaft of the fifth gripper gear GZ5, and a pinion gear GZ10. In the exemplary embodiment, as described above, the grip motor GM1 is used as a driving source for opening and closing the grip arm pair 40 and a driving source for moving the first gripper unit 40a. Since the grip motor GM1 is used as a common driving source, the seventh gripper gear GZ7 for opening and closing the grip arm pair 44 as illustrated in
Here, when the seventh gripper gear GZ7 using the fail gear uses a part of the outer peripheral teeth portion to open and close the grip arm pair 44, the fail gear portion of the ninth gripper gear GZ9 is positioned opposite the succeeding gear portion. This prevents the driving from being transmitted to the succeeding gear portion. On the other hand, when the ninth gripper gear GZ9 using the fail gear uses a part of the outer peripheral teeth portion to move the first gripper unit 40a, the fail gear portion of the seventh gripper gear GZ7 is positioned opposite the succeeding gear portion. This prevents the driving from being transmitted to the succeeding gear portion. When the driving mechanism is formed using the fail gear, the operation of opening and closing the grip arm pair 44 can be easily switched to movement of the first gripper unit 40a, or vice versa.
Then, a configuration for moving the gripper unit 40 in the sheet discharging direction will be described. As illustrated in
Engagement portions 90 are formed on the bottom surface of the fourth guide rail 43d at predetermined positions so as to project downward; the engagement portions 90 engage with long grooves 42a formed in a base 42 illustrated in
The two long grooves 42a have a low profile that avoids obstructing movement of the staple unit 41, so as to form a groove-like guide rail along which the gripper unit 40 is guided. The long grooves 42a, serving as a groove-like guide rail, forms a first guide section guiding the gripper unit 40. Moreover, a boss 152 is provided on the bottom surface of each of the engagement portions 90 so as to couple to a plate-like member 151 located on the bottom surface of the base 42. The boss 152 is fitted into a fit-in hole 151a in the plate-like member 151 to integrate the fourth guide rail 43d with the plate-like member 151.
Here, the plate-like member 151 is coupled to an endless belt GB provided along the long groove 42a through which the gripper unit 40 is moved. Thus, driving the endless belt GB allows the gripper unit 40 to move along the long grooves 42a integrally with the plate-like member 151 and the fourth guide rail 43d, a support member supporting the gripper unit 40. Then, thus moving the fourth guide rail 43d allows the gripper unit 40 to sit in the discharge position where the sheets are discharged onto the second stack tray 51 and in the coupling position where the gripper unit 40 is coupled to the staple unit 41.
The endless belt GB is driven by a gripper motor GM2 illustrated in
Now, the staple unit 41, a stapling apparatus, will be described below. The staple unit 41 includes a staple head and an anvil block both built into the unit. A needle-like staple is folded into a U shape, the folded staple is then pressed in a sheet bundle. The tip of the staple is folded by the anvil block to staple the sheet bundle. The exemplary embodiment adopts a general staple unit configured as follows. A head block is attached to one of an upper lever member and a lower lever member with the base end of each member borne by a shaft of the other member, and the anvil block is attached to the other member. The upper and lower members are reciprocated from a separate position to a pressure contact position by a driving cam member. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, the staple unit 41 can move to a position where the sheets are stapled at one widthwise end, a position where the sheets are stapled at the other end opposite to the one widthwise end, and a position where one side of the sheets are stapled at two positions.
A driving mechanism that is a moving mechanism for moving the staple unit 41 includes a staple motor SM, a gear SG1 attached to a driving shaft of the staple motor SM, and a gear SG2 that meshes with the gear SG1. The driving mechanism also includes a pulley SP1 attached to a rotating shaft of the gear SG2, and a pulley SP2 paired with the pulley SP1 and around which a timing belt SB1 is passed. The driving mechanism also includes pulley SP3 provided on a rotating shaft of the pulley SP2 and around which an endless belt SB2 is passed, and a pulley SP4 paired with the pulley SP3 and around which the endless belt SB2 is passed. The motor SM, the timing belt SB1, the endless belt SB2, the base member 120, the gears SG1 and SG2, and the pulleys SP1 to SP4 form a first moving mechanism for moving the staple unit 41 along the side of the sheets to be stapled.
A guide rail section R allowing the staple unit 41 to move in the width direction is provided on the base 42, on which the gripper unit 40 moves. The guide rail section R is formed to be longer than the width of the maximum sheet. Thus, one side of the sheets can be stapled at a predetermined position by moving the staple unit 41 along the guide rail section R.
In the driving mechanism configured as described above, driving from the staple motor SM is transmitted to the endless belt SB2 via the timing belt SB1 to rotate the endless belt SB2. Rotation of the endless belt SB2 moves the coupling member 123. Then, the thus moved coupling member 123 allows the base member 120 and the staple unit 41 attached to the base member 120 to move, via the boss 125, along the guide rail section R.
In the exemplary embodiment, as described above, the exemplary embodiment is configured to be able to carry out the end stapling process in which the sheets are stapled at one of the opposite ends thereof at a corresponding stapling position (first or second stapling position) and the two-position stapling process in which the sheets are stapled in a substantially central portion thereof at two positions with respect to one side of the sheets in the width direction. The configuration of the guide rail section R varies between the end stapling process and the two-position stapling process.
Specifically, in the end stapling process, the guide rail section R is divided into three pieces, a first guide rail 43a to a third guide rail 43c, in the width direction. A first guide rail 43a included in the three guide rails 43a to 43c and positioned in the center of the three guide rails is fixed to the rear of bottom of the gripper unit 40 (the upstream side of the gripper unit 40 in the sheet discharging direction) as illustrated in
Here, when located in a predetermined retract position where the gripper unit 40 avoids obstructing movement of the staple unit 41, the first guide rail 43a lies in line with the second and third guide rails 43b and 43c (in the same straight line). When the first to third guide rails 43a to 43c line up, the three bosses 122a to 122c arranged in line on the staple unit 41 come into engagement with the first to third guide rails 43a to 43c, respectively. The staple unit 41 then moves in the width direction. Furthermore, as described above, the bosses (projections) 122a to 122c allowing the staple unit 41 to move along the guide rail section R are attached to the front bottom portion (the upstream bottom portion in the sheet discharging direction) of the base member 120 supporting the staple unit 41.
According to this configuration, when the staple unit 41 moves across the gripper unit 40 in order to staple an end of the sheets, the gripper unit 40 has moved to the retract position to avoid obstructing movement of the staple unit 41. This precludes the movement of the staple unit 41 in the width direction from being prevented. Thus, the staple unit 41 can be moved to the corner of the sheets to be stapled before a sheet is conveyed to the processing tray 14. Furthermore, the gripper unit 40 is located so as to grip a substantially central portion of the sheets in the width direction. When pre-moved to the corner of the sheets, the staple unit 41 is prevented from obstructing movement of the gripper unit 40.
Here, the second and third guide rails 43b and 43c, positioned on the respective opposite sides of the first guide rail 43a, are mounted on the base 42 so as to be able to be swung by swinging shafts 110 and 111 positioned on the respective opposite sides of the first guide rail 43a. Thus, if the staple unit 41 is used to carry out an end stapling process, the staple unit 41 can be tilted by about 45° integrally with the second and third guide rails 43b and 43c to staple an end (corner) of the sheets. The swinging shafts 110 and 111 are arranged downstream of the boss 125 in the sheet discharging direction provided on the bottom surface of the base member 120.
Now, the configuration in which the staple unit is inclined by about 45° will be described. The configuration for stapling the end of the sheets located closer to the second guide rail 43b and the configuration for stapling the end of the sheets located closer to the third guide rail 43c are the same and laterally symmetric. Thus, for convenience, here, only the configuration for the second guide rail 43b will be described.
As illustrated in
Here, when the endless belt SB2 is driven to move the staple unit 41 outward along the second guide rail 43b, the boss 122c of the base member 120 engaged with the second guide rail 43b brings into abutting contact with the end of the second guide rail 43b. The expression “move outward” as used herein refers to movement away from the widthwise center of the sheets conveyed to the sheet processing apparatus C (the width direction is the same as the direction crossing the sheet discharging direction). This allows the widthwise movement of the staple unit 41 to be regulated. In this state, further driving the endless belt SB2 allows the coupling member 123 secured to the endless belt SB2 to move in association with the driving of the endless belt SB2. The boss 125 of the base member 120 is correspondingly pulled outward.
At this time, the widthwise movement of the base member 120 is regulated by the end of the second guide rail 43b. As described above, the swinging shaft 110 is located downstream of the boss 125 in the sheet discharging direction. Thus, when the boss 125 is pulled, the base member 120 and the staple unit 41 rotate integrally around the swinging shaft 110 serving as a support point, with the boss 125, an engagement piece, moved in the sheet discharging direction along the slot 123a in the coupling member 123, as shown in
Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, the coupling member 123 and the boss 125 provided on the base member 120 form a tilting mechanism 123A for moving the staple unit 41 to a position where the staple unit 41 is inclined with respect to an end of one side of the sheets. The tilting mechanism 123A allows the staple unit 41 having brought into abutting contact with the end of the second guide rail 43b to move to the second position integrally with the second guide rail 43b.
On the other hand, the gripper unit 40 is positioned in the widthwise central portion of the base 42. Thus, in two-position stapling, the staple unit 41 overlaps the gripper unit 40 in the width direction. Thus, the gripper unit 40 serves as an obstacle, preventing the staple unit 41 from carrying out two-position stapling without taking any special measures. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, in the two-position stapling, the gripper unit 40 is moved to the position where the gripper unit 40 avoids obstructing the two-position stapling carried out by the staple unit 41. Specifically, when the staple unit 41 moves to the position where the staple unit 41 carries out the two-position stapling, the gripper unit is moved in the width direction integrally with the staple unit 41.
Here, to be moved in the width direction integrally with the staple unit 41, first, the gripper unit 40 is moved to the unit coupling position P2 illustrated in
Thus, if the staple unit 41 and the gripper unit 40 are coupled together, the staple unit 41 can be moved in the width direction together with the gripper unit 40, with the two bosses 122d and 122e engaged with the fourth guide rail 43d. That is, moving the gripper unit 40 to the unit coupling position P2 allows the second to fourth guide rails 43b to 43d to form the guide rail section R, a guide section. Then, when the staple unit 41 coupled to the gripper unit 40 moves, the gripper unit 40 coupled to the staple unit 41 moves in the same direction as that in which the staple unit 41 moves, while supported by the fourth guide rail 43d.
In this configuration, in the two-position stapling, if the staple unit 41 moves from the second guide rail to the third guide rail, first, the staple unit 41 moves with the bosses 122a to 122c engaged with the second guide rail 43b. Then, when the boss 122a of the staple unit 41 is removed from the second guide rail 43b, the boss 122d of the staple unit 41 comes into engagement with the fourth guide rail 43d moved to the position illustrated in
As a result, the staple unit 41 is held first by the second guide rail 43b and then by the fourth guide rail 43d in conjunction with the movement of the staple unit 41. Furthermore, when the boss 122d of the staple unit 41 is removed from the fourth guide rail 43d, the boss 122a of the staple unit 41 then comes into engagement with the third guide rail 43c. When coupled to the staple unit 41 for movement, the gripper unit 40 is removed from the fourth guide rail 43d. However, the gripper unit 40 is fixedly coupled to the staple unit 41 so as not to move in the width direction or the sheet discharging direction with respect to the staple unit 41. Thus, the gripper unit 40 moves in conjunction with movement of the staple unit 41 without any problem.
The first unit coupling mechanism 60a includes an engagement member 129 attached to the base member 120 of the staple unit 41 as illustrated in
Here, when moved to the unit coupling position P2, the gripper unit 40 moves in the direction of an arrow illustrated in
Furthermore, the second unit coupling mechanism 60b includes a coupling member 91 attached to the bottom surface of the second base member 141, and two projections 133 formed at the respective widthwise opposite ends of the coupling member 91. The projections 133 of the coupling member 91 are configured to enter groove portions (not illustrated in the drawings) formed in the bottom surface of the engagement member 129 by moving the gripper unit 40 to the unit coupling position P2 as illustrated in
Here, to be coupled to the staple unit 41 so that the coupled gripper unit 40 and staple unit 41 can move in the width direction, the gripper unit 40 needs to be disconnected from the fourth guide rail 43d. This is because the fourth guide rail 43d is used as a rail along which the staple unit 41 moves. Furthermore, the driving coupling between the gripper unit 40 and the gripper motor GM2 needs to be canceled. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, as described above, the fourth guide rail 43d is integrated with the plate-like member 151, which is coupled to the endless belt GB driven by the gripper motor GM2. Furthermore, the fourth guide rail 43d and the gripper unit 40 are configured so as to be coupled together and to be decoupled from each other. Thus, a single mechanism can be used both for coupling and decoupling of the gripper unit 40 and the fourth guide rail 43d and for driving coupling and decoupling of the gripper unit 40 and the gripper motor GM2.
Now, a coupling mechanism 60c that couples the gripper unit 40 and the fourth guide rail 43d together will be described with reference to
The first actuation member 165 includes a cylindrical first actuation pin 165b extended from the top surface to bottom surface of the second base member 141, and a first actuation piece 165c formed at the tip of extension side of the first actuation pin 165b. Swinging of the first actuation member 165 allows the first actuation pin 165b to be fitted into a bent portion 97a formed on a side surface of a protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d which forms a groove. Thus, the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d is sandwiched between the first actuation pin 165b and the sliding pins 145 provided on the bottom surface of the second base member 141 and engaged with the grooves in the fourth guide rail 43d. Furthermore, swinging of the first actuation member 165 allows the first actuation piece 165c to move to the bottom surface of the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d. Thus, the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d is sandwiched between the first actuation piece 165c and the bottom surface of the second base member 141.
The second actuation member 168 includes a cylindrical second actuation pin 168b extended from the top surface to bottom surface of the second base member 141, and a second actuation piece 168c formed at the tip of extension side of the second actuation pin 168b. Swinging of the second actuation member 168 allows the second actuation pin 168b to be fitted into a bent portion 97b formed on a side surface of a protruding portion forming a groove in the fourth guide rail 43d. The second actuation piece 168c moves to the bottom surface of the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d. Thus, the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d is sandwiched between the second actuation pin 168b and the sliding pins 145. Furthermore, the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d is sandwiched between the second actuation piece 168c and the bottom surface of the base member 141.
A tension spring 169 is provided between the second actuation member 168 and the second base member 141 to rotationally bias the second actuation member 168 clockwise around a third rotating shaft 167 serving as a support point. Furthermore, openings 95 and 96 are formed in the second base member 141 so that the first and second actuation pins 165b and 168b can move through the openings 95 and 96, respectively.
In this configuration, before the gripper unit 40 moves to and arrives at the coupling position, the effect of the tension spring 169 allows the second actuation member 168 to rotate clockwise as illustrated in
On the other hand, when the gripper unit 40 reaches the coupling position, the tip of the swinging lever 162 brings into abutting contact with the engagement member 129 of the staple unit 41. The swinging lever 162 then rotates counterclockwise against the effect of the tension spring 169. This rotating operation rotates the swinging member 163 counterclockwise, and the first actuation member 165 rotates clockwise. Thus, as illustrated in
Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, before the gripper unit 40 moves to and arrives at the coupling position, the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d is laterally sandwiched between the sliding pins 145 of the second base member 141 and the first and second actuation pins 165b and 168b. Furthermore, the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d is vertically sandwiched between the bottom surface of the second base member 141 and both the first and second actuation pieces 165c and 168c. Thus, the gripper unit 40 is coupled to the fourth guide rail 43d.
On the other hand, when the gripper unit 40 is moved to the position where the gripper unit 40 is coupled to the staple unit 41, the swinging lever 162 brings into abutting contact with the engagement member 129. Thus, the swinging lever 162 swings. The swinging of the swinging lever 162 allows the first and second actuation pins 165b and 168b to separate from the side portion of the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d. Furthermore, the first and second actuation pieces 165c and 168c are moved to a position where the first and second actuation pieces 165c and 168c are retracted from the bottom surface of the protruding portion of the fourth guide rail 43d. Thus, the coupling between the gripper unit 40 and the fourth guide rail 43d is cancelled. This cancellation operation enables the gripper unit 40 to move in the width direction.
Now, a staple operation of the sheet processing apparatus C will be described. The staple operation is controlled by a control section G provided in the sheet processing apparatus C or the image forming apparatus main body B shown in
Upon receiving information such as the sheet size and the stapling mode from the image forming apparatus main body B, the sheet processing apparatus C first performs an initial operation for carrying out a staple operation (ST1). During the initial operation, the sheet processing apparatus C detects, for example, the presence or absence of a retained sheet, the positions of the staple unit 41 and the gripper unit 40, and the conditions of the shift roller 30 and the stopper member 31. If there is any remaining sheet, the sheet processing apparatus C transmits error information to the image forming apparatus main body B. Furthermore, if the staple unit 41, the gripper unit 40, the shift roller 30, the stopper member 31, or the like is not in the home position or the initial position, the sheet processing apparatus C controls the corresponding member such that the member moves to the home position or the initial position.
Furthermore, during the initial operation, the sheet processing apparatus C carries out a staple preprocess of pre-moving the staple unit 41 to a predetermined stapling position according to the stapling mode. Now, the staple preprocess will be described with reference to the operation flowchart in
Thus, the staple unit 41 in the home position SHP moves in the direction of a dotted arrow (b) in
If the stapling mode is the second end stapling mode in which the corner of the sheets positioned in the front of the sheet processing apparatus is stapled (N in ST21), the gripper motor GM2 is rotationally driven backward (ST25) to move the gripper unit 40 in the direction of a dotted arrow (d) in
After the gripper unit 40 reaches the rail coupling position P3, the staple motor SM is rotationally driven forward (ST28) to move the staple unit 41 in the direction of a solid arrow (a) in
As described above, before a sheet reaches the processing tray 14, the staple unit 41 is moved to the staple position corresponding to the stapling mode. Then, when a sheet bundle is conveyed to the processing position, the stapling process is immediately carried out. Thus, even a miniaturized apparatus enables an easy reduction in staple processing time.
Then, when the above-described initial operation is completed, the conveying roller 21 and the discharge roller 22 are driven (ST2) to discharge the sheets onto the processing tray 14 as illustrated in
Then, when the sheet trailing ends bring into abutting contact with the stopper member 31 to stop the sheets, the shift roller 30 moves in the slide direction selected according to the stapling mode. That is, if the stapling mode is the second end stapling mode (Y in ST44), the shift roller 30 is slid toward the front of the sheet processing apparatus (ST45). At this time, since the outer peripheral surface of the shift roller 30 is formed of a high-friction member, the sheet contacted with the shift roller 30 is also slid toward the second abutting contact plate 32b, located in the front of the apparatus, as the shift roller 30 moves. Then, when the shift roller 30 is moved by an abutting contact amount at which the sheet ends bring into abutting contact with the second abutting contact plate 32b (Y in ST46), the slide operation of the shift roller 30 is stopped (ST47). Thereafter, the shift roller 30 is raised (ST48). The shift roller 30 is slid toward the back of the apparatus and to the home position (ST49). When the shift roller 30 reaches the home position at the widthwise center of the sheets (Y in ST55), the sliding of the shift roller 30 is stopped (ST56).
On the other hand, if the stapling mode is not the second end stapling mode, that is, the first end stapling mode or the two-position stapling mode (N in ST44), the shift roller 30 is slid toward the back of the apparatus (ST50). Then, when the shift roller 30 is moved by an abutting contact amount at which the sheet ends bring into abutting contact with the first abutting contact plate 32a (Y in ST51), the sliding of the shift roller 30 is stopped (ST52). Thereafter, the shift roller 30 is raised (ST53) and slid toward the front of the apparatus to the home position (ST54). Then, when the shift roller 30 reaches the home position (Y in ST55), the sliding of the shift roller 30 is stopped (ST56).
Then, when the above-described sheet alignment process is completed, the sheet processing apparatus determines, based on sheet information from the image forming apparatus main body B, whether or not the aligned sheet is the final sheet of the sheet bundle as shown in
When all the sheets are aligned, that is, when the aligned sheet is the final sheet of the sheet bundle (Y in ST4), a grip conveying process is carried out in which the gripper unit 40 conveys the sheet bundle to the staple process position (ST5). Now, the grip conveying process will be described with reference to the operation flowchart in
In this state, the gripper motor GM2 is rotationally driven backward (ST63) to move the gripper unit 40 to a sheet grip position where the gripper unit 40 grips the sheet bundle aligned by the sheet alignment process. Then, when the gripper unit 40 reaches the sheet grip position (Y in ST64), the gripper motor GM2 is stopped (ST65). Then, the grip motor GM1 is rotationally driven backward (ST66). When the lever detection sensor GS1 is turned on, that is, when the lever detection sensor GS1 detects the detection flag 142b (Y in ST67), the driving lever 142 is rotated by a predetermined amount. When the driving lever 142 is rotated by a predetermined amount (Y in ST68), the grip motor GM1 is stopped (ST69). Thus, under the effect of the coil spring 144, the movable grip arm 44b is biased toward the fixed grip arm 44a to allow the gripper unit 40 to grip the sheet bundle as shown in
Then, the stopper member 31 is moved to the retract position (ST70). This enables the gripper unit 40 gripping the sheet bundle to move toward the staple process position GHP. Then, the gripper motor GM2 is rotationally driven forward (ST71) to move the gripper unit 40 gripping the sheet bundle to move in the direction of a solid arrow (c) shown in
Then, the grip motor GM1 is rotationally driven forward (ST74). When the lever detection sensor GS1 is turned off (Y in ST75), the grip motor GM1 is driven by a predetermined amount and then stopped (ST76). Thus, the driving lever 142 rotates to a position where the driving lever 142 is separate from the abutting contact portion 44e of the movable grip arm 44b. Thus, the grip arm pair 44 is opened to ungrip the sheet bundle.
Then, when the above-described grip conveying operation is completed, a staple process is carried out to staple the sheet bundle at a predetermined position as shown in
On the other hand, if the stapling mode is not the end stapling mode but the two-position stapling mode (N in ST80), then a unit coupling process is first carried out to couple the gripper unit 40 and the staple unit 41 together (ST83). Thus, the gripper unit 40 can move in the width direction in conjunction with movement of the staple unit 41. Thereafter, the staple motor SM is rotationally driven forward to carry out a two-position stapling process (ST84). When the staple unit 41 reaches the first staple position (Y in ST85), the staple motor SM is stopped (ST86). Then, a staple operation is performed.
When the staple operation is performed at the first staple position, the staple motor SM is rotationally driven forward again (ST87) to move the staple unit 41 to a second staple position. When the staple unit 41 reaches the second staple position (Y in ST88), the staple motor SM is stopped (ST89). Thereafter, the staple unit 41 is actuated (ST90) to perform the staple operation at the second staple position. When the staple unit 41 completes stapling the sheet bundle at the two positions, a unit decoupling process is carried out to decouple the gripper unit 40 from the staple unit 41 (ST91). The above-described first and second staple positions are preset depending on the sheet size. Those of pre-stored values which correspond to sheet size information from the image forming apparatus main body B are set so that the staple unit 41 can be controlled based on the values.
Now, the unit coupling process and the unit decoupling process will be described with the operation flowchart in
Then, after the staple unit 41 and the gripper unit 40 are coupled together with respect to the width direction, the gripper motor GM2 is stopped (ST102) to stop the gripper unit 40 at the unit coupling position P2. Thereafter, the grip motor GM1 is rotationally driven backward (ST103) to rotate the actuation member 131 and the detection flag 142b around the shaft 142a serving as a support point. When the detection flag 142b passes by to turn off the lever detection sensor GS1 (Y in ST104), the grip motor GM1 is stopped (ST105). At this time, the actuation member 131 moves the actuation pin 132b. In response, as shown in
Now, the unit decoupling process will be described. The unit decoupling process is carried out as follows. As shown in the operation flowchart in
Then, the grip motor GM1 is rotationally driven forward (ST113). When the detection flag 142b passes by the lever detection sensor GS1 to turn on the lever detection sensor GS1 (Y in ST114), the grip motor GM1 is driven by a predetermined amount. When the grip motor GM1 is driven by a predetermined amount (Y in ST115), the grip motor GM1 is stopped (ST116). Thus, the actuation member 131 moves the actuation pin 132b in the direction opposite to that during the coupling operation. As shown in
Thereafter, the gripper motor GM2 is rotationally driven backward (ST117) to move the gripper unit 40 to the staple process position. When the gripper unit 40 returns to the staple process position again (Y in ST118), the gripper motor GM2 is stopped (ST119). When the backward rotational driving of the gripper motor GM2 is started, the gripper motor GM2 and the gripper unit 40 have not reliably been coupled together. However, the sliding pin 145 of the gripper unit 40 is engaged with the groove portion of the fourth guide rail 43d. Thus, the gripper unit 40 moves in conjunction with movement of the fourth guide rail 43d. During the movement, the tip of the swinging lever 162 of the gripper unit 40 is separated from the engagement member 129 of the staple unit 41. As shown in
Then, when the above-described staple process is completed, a grip sheet-discharging process is carried out to discharge the sheet bundle onto the stack tray 51 as shown in
Then, when the grip arm pair 44 grips the sheet bundle, the gripper motor GM2 is rotationally driven backward (ST123). Thus, the gripper unit 40 moves toward the housing section 10. When the gripper unit 40 reaches the sheet discharging position P3 shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, a cutout (not shown in the drawings) extending in the sheet discharging direction is formed in the processing tray 14. As shown in
Then, when the first gripper unit 40a conveys the sheet bundle SA onto the stack tray, the grip motor GM2 is rotationally driven forward (ST129) to move the first gripper unit 40a in a direction different from the one toward the stack tray, that is, move the first gripper unit 40a toward the home position. When the first gripper unit 40a is thus moved, the protruding portion 44f of the gripper arm 44 brings into abutting contact with the guide piece 14c provided on a folded portion 14b folded from the cutout in the processing tray 14. Thus, as shown in
Thereafter, when the gripper unit 40 reaches the home position (Y in ST130), the gripper motor GM2 is stopped (ST131). Then, the grip motor GM1 is rotationally driven forward (ST132). The grip motor GM1 is driven by a predetermined amount to return the first gripper unit 40a to a predetermined position. Thus, the grip arm pair 44 of the first gripper unit 40a moves above the loading surface of the processing tray 14. The grip motor GM1 is driven by a predetermined amount (Y in ST133) and then stopped (ST134).
Then, when the above-described sheet bundle grip sheet-discharging process is completed, as shown in
In the final process, an operation is performed to return the conveying roller 21, the discharge roller 22, the stopper member 31, and the like to the respective initial states. If the stapling mode is the end stapling mode, a process is carried out to move the staple unit 41 from the staple position to the home position.
In this process, if the stapling mode is the end stapling mode (Y in ST150), the apparatus determines whether or not the end stapling mode is the first end stapling mode (ST151). If the stapling mode is the first end stapling mode (Y in ST151), the staple motor SM is rotationally driven forward (ST152). Thus, the staple unit 41 moves toward the home position. When the staple unit 41 reaches the home position (Y in ST153), the staple motor SM is stopped (ST154).
On the other hand, if the stapling mode is the second end stapling mode (N in ST151), the gripper motor GM2 is rotationally driven backward (ST155). Thus, the gripper unit 40 moves toward the sheet discharging position. When the gripper unit 40 reaches the sheet discharging position (Y in ST156), the gripper motor GM2 is stopped (ST157). Thus, the guide rail section R is formed in which the first guide rail 42a is continuous with the second and third guide rails 42b and 42c. Then, the staple motor SM is rotationally driven backward (ST158) to move the staple unit 41 toward the home position. When the staple unit 41 reaches the home position (Y in ST159), the staple motor SM is stopped (ST160). Thereafter, the gripper motor GM2 is rotationally driven forward (ST161) to move the gripper unit 40 toward the home position. When the gripper unit 40 reaches the home position (Y in ST162), the gripper motor GM2 is stopped (ST163). When the above-described final process is finished, the staple operation of the sheet processing apparatus C is finished.
Here, in the exemplary embodiment, a detection sensor is provided at each of the stop positions including the staple process position (home position), the grip position, the sheet discharging position, and the coupling position, to determine whether or not the gripper unit 40 has reached the stop position. Of course, it may be possible that the detection of the arrival of the gripper unit 40 at respective stop positions is performed by storing the number of driving pulses of the gripper motor GM2 which number corresponds to the distances among the respective stop positions and then making a count of the number of the driving pulses.
The detection sensors arranged at the respective positions are also used for movement of the staple unit 41 to the first and second staple positions in the first and second end stapling modes and for movement of the staple unit 41 to the home position. Furthermore, movement to the position where the staple unit 41 can be coupled to the gripper unit 40 in the two-position stapling mode as well as movement to the first and second staple positions may be controlled as follows. The travel distance of the staple unit 41 is calculated according to the sheet size. The number of driving pulses set based on the calculation result is counted. Then, based on the counted number of driving pulses, the staple unit 41 is stopped at the position where the staple unit 41 can be coupled to the gripper unit 40 and at the first and second staple positions.
As described above, in the exemplary embodiment, the fourth guide rail 43d supports the gripper unit 40 so that the gripper unit 40 can be moved in the same direction as that in which the coupled staple unit 41 moves. Thus, in plural-position stapling, the gripper unit 40 can be moved integrally with the staple unit 41 coupled to the gripper unit 40 at the coupling position. Hence, the staple unit 41 can be moved to the stapling position without the need for a special retract space. That is, if the staple unit 41 is moved to the movement area in which the gripper unit 40 moves in the discharge direction, before stapling sheets, the gripper unit 40 is retracted in the width direction so as to avoid obstructing the movement of the staple unit 41 to the movement area. If the staple unit 41 staples the sheets outside the movement area, the gripper unit 40 avoids moving in the width direction. Thus, the staple unit 41 can be moved to the stapling position without the need for a special retract space in which the gripper unit 40 is retracted. In the exemplary embodiment, the gripper unit 40 is moved in the width direction by the first moving mechanism operating the staple unit 41. However, in conjunction with movement of the staple unit 41 to the movement area, the gripper unit 40 may be retracted in the width direction by a moving mechanism different from the first moving mechanism.
In other words, in the exemplary embodiment, a common movement area overlapping the movement area of the staple unit 41 is provided on the upstream side, in the discharge direction, of the movement area in which the gripper unit 40 moves in the discharge direction. When the staple unit 41 moves from an area other than the common movement area, that is, a widthwise area other than the common movement area, in order to carry out the stapling process, the gripper unit 40 is moved in the same direction as that in which the staple unit 41 moves. Thus, the staple unit 41 can be moved to the stapling position without the need to provide a special retract space into which the gripper unit 40 is retracted.
If the staple unit 41 staples sheets in an area other than the common movement area, the gripper unit 40 discharges the stapled sheets onto the first or second stack tray 50 or 51 without moving in the direction in which the staple unit 41 can move. Furthermore, if the staple unit 41 staples the sheets in the common movement area, the staple unit 41 moves to an area other than the common movement area after stapling the sheets. In conjunction with the movement of the staple unit 41, the gripper unit 40 moves to the common movement area and then discharges the stapled sheets onto the first or second stack tray 50 or 51.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2009-211126, filed Sep. 11, 2009, and 2010-161369 filed Jul. 16, 2010 which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-211126 | Sep 2009 | JP | national |
| 2010-161369 | Jul 2010 | JP | national |
