This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2018-205420 filed on Oct. 31, 2018, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a sheet processing device to perform a processing containing a stapling processing where a stack of sheets is stapled.
A sheet processing device to perform a stapling processing or other processing is provided with a processing tray on which a sheet switched back through a discharge port is stacked to form a stack of the sheets to be processed. In view of safety in the sheet processing device performing the stapling processing, the sheet processing device is sometimes provided with a foreign matter detection device which detects an object existing above a bin tray (the processing tray). The foreign matter detection device includes a foreign matter detection bar which is disposed above the bin tray in a forward and backward movable manner. When a foreign matter enters above the bin tray, the forward moving of the foreign matter detection bar is restricted to make it impossible to switch a foreign matter detection switch from an OFF state to an ON state and then it is determined whether abnormality occurs or not.
However, the above foreign matter detection device has a problem that a mechanism to move the foreign matter detection bar forward and backward has a complicate structure.
On the other hand, the sheet processing device provided with an interlock mechanism using a switch is known. The switch is switchable to an ON state and an OFF state by an actuator supported at the discharge port in a turnable manner. The switch is switched from the OFF state to the ON state to make it possible to perform the stapling processing. The switch is switched from the ON state to the OFF state to make it impossible to perform the stapling processing. The switch is switched from the OFF state to the ON state when the actuator is turned to close the discharge port. The switch is switched from the ON state to the OFF state when the actuator is turned to open the discharge port.
In the above sheet processing device, when a second or subsequent sheet is conveyed, the actuator is turned to open the discharge port and the switch is switched from the ON state to the OFF state, and when the sheet is switched back, the actuator is turned to close the discharge port and the switch is switched from the OFF state to the ON state. If a foreign matter enters through the discharge port, the actuator is pushed by the foreign matter and turned to open the discharge port. Then, the switch is switched from the ON state to the OFF state to make it impossible to perform the stapling processing.
As described above, every time when one sheet is conveyed, the switching to the ON state and the OFF state is repeated. Recent years, a request for stapling of a large number of sheets (for example, 100 sheets) is increased. In this case, if the switching to the ON state and the OFF state is repeated every time when one sheet is conveyed, the life of the switch becomes short. In some cases, the life of the switch becomes shorter than a life of a stapler.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a sheet processing device includes a processing tray, a processing device, a discharge port, a discharge rollers pair, a supporting arm and an interlock mechanism. On the processing tray, a sheet is stacked. The processing unit performs a predetermined processing on the sheet on the processing tray. Through the discharge port, the processed sheet is discharged. The discharge rollers pair has a lower roller provided in the discharge port and an upper roller facing the lower roller. The discharge rollers pair conveys the sheet on the processing tray. The supporting arm supports the upper roller and is provided to be turnable between a first position where the upper roller comes into contact with the sheet and a second position where the upper roller separates upwardly from the sheet. The interlock mechanism stops a performing of the processing by the processing unit when a turning of the supporting arm to the second position is detected. The interlock mechanism includes an actuator, a switch and a switch moving mechanism. The actuator is supported in the discharge port in a turnable manner and turned with an upwardly turning of the supporting arm. The switch detects the actuator to detect that the supporting arm is turned to the second position. The switch moving mechanism moves the switch to an actuator non-detective position and an actuator detective position. The switch moving mechanism moves the switch to the non-detective position when the processing is not performed and moves the switch to the detective position when the processing is performed.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure is shown by way of illustrative example.
Hereinafter, a sheet processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
Firstly, with reference to
The sheet processing device 1 includes an approximately parallelepiped main body part 3 and a leg part 5 which supports the main body part 3. The main body part 3 is formed with a receiving port 7 on one side face (the right side face) on a side of the image forming apparatus. To the receiving port 7, the sheet on which the image is formed is received from the image forming apparatus. The main body part 3 is formed with a discharge port 9 on the other side face (the left side face) on an opposite side to the image forming apparatus. Through the receiving port 9, the processed sheet is discharged. Below the discharge port 9, a discharge tray 11 is disposed. On the discharge tray 11, the sheet discharged through the discharge port 9 is stacked.
In the main body part 3, a conveyance path 13 along which the sheet is conveyed is formed from the receiving port 7 to the discharge port 9. The main body part 3 is provided with a punching device 15 which performs a punching processing on the sheet, a resist rollers pair 17, a conveyance rollers pair 19 and a discharge rollers pair 21 which are disposed along the conveyance path 13 in the order from the upstream side in the conveyance direction.
The main body part 3 is provided with a processing tray 27 and a stapler 29 which are disposed below the conveyance path 13. The processing tray 27 is supported in a downwardly inclined posture from the discharge port 9. On the processing tray 27, the sheet switched back through the discharge port 9 is stacked to form a stack of a predetermined number of the sheets. The stapler 29 as a processing unit is disposed below the processing tray 27, and performs a stapling processing to staple the stack of sheets on the processing tray 27. Furthermore, the main body part 3 is provided with an interlock mechanism 23 which stops the performing of the staling processing by the stapler 29 when it is detected that a foreign matter enters through the discharge port 9.
Next, the stapling processing by the sheet processing device 1 will be described. Firstly, a pre-processing is performed. In the pre-processing, a predetermined number of sheets are stacked on the processing tray 27 to form a stack of the sheets. The sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus is received through the receiving port 7, and then conveyed along the conveyance path 13. Then, after switched back at the discharge port 9 by the discharge rollers pair 21, the sheet is conveyed to the processing tray 27 and then stacked on the processing tray 27. After a predetermined number of the sheets are stacked on the processing tray 27, the sheets are aligned in a width direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the sheet by side cursors and then a stack of the sheets is formed. After the pre-processing, the stapler 29 performs the stapling processing on the stack of sheets. The stapled stack of sheets is discharged through the discharge port 9 by a discharge mechanism (not shown) provided in the processing tray 27 and then stacked on the discharge tray 11.
Next, with reference to
The conveyance rollers pair 19 includes an upper roller 19a and a lower roller 19b disposed on both sides of the conveyance path 13 in the upper-and-lower direction. The conveyance rollers pair 19 is disposed at a predetermined interval from the resist rollers pair 17 (refer to
The discharge rollers pair 21 includes an upper roller 21a and a lower roller 21b disposed on both sides of the conveyance path 13 in the upper-and-lower direction. The discharge rollers pair 21 is disposed inside the discharge port 9. Each of the upper roller 21a and the lower roller 21b is connected to a drive source (not shown) to be rotated in a normal direction and a reverse direction. When the upper and lower rollers 21a and 21b are driven by the drive sources to be rotated in the normal direction, the sheet is conveyed in the conveyance direction. When the upper and lower rollers 21a and 21b are driven by the drive sources to be rotated in the reverse direction, the sheet is switched back in an opposite direction to the conveyance direction.
The upper roller 19a of the conveyance rollers pair 19 and the upper roller 21a of the discharge rollers pair 21 are supported by a supporting arm 31. The lower roller 19b of the conveyance rollers pair 19 and the lower roller 21b of the discharge rollers pair 21 are supported by the main body part 3.
The supporting arm 31 is disposed above the conveyance path 13 between the conveyance rollers pair 19 and the discharge rollers pair 21. On the upper face of the supporting arm 31, a projection 33 is formed on the downstream end portion in the conveyance direction. The supporting arm 31 is turned upwardly and downwardly around near a rotational shaft of the upper roller 19a of the conveyance rollers pair 19 between a first position where the upper roller 21a of the discharge rollers pair 21 comes into contact with the lower roller 21b and a second position where the upper roller 21a separates from the lower roller 21b. In the first position, the discharge port 9 is closed and the sheet on the processing tray 27 is held between the upper roller 21a and the lower roller 21b. In the second position, the upper roller 21a separates from the sheet and the discharge port 9 is opened.
The interlock mechanism 23 includes an actuator 41, a switch 43 and a switch moving mechanism 45. In
The actuator 41 is a plate-shaped member having the same size as the width of the discharge port 9. The actuator 41 has rotational fulcrums 51 on the upper end edges of both the side ends (the front and rear side faces). Additionally, the actuator 41 has a plate-shaped detection piece 53 bent at almost right angles from the upper end portion of the one side end (the front side face) in a side view. The actuator 41 is supported above the discharge port 9 and outside the supporting arm 31 in a turnable manner around the rotational fulcrums 51, and is suspended so as to close the discharge port 9. The above posture of the actuator 41 is called a suspended posture. The detection piece 53 extends toward the inside of the main body part 3 in almost the horizontal direction. Between the lower end edge of the actuator 41 and the lower roller 21b of the discharge rollers pair 21, a gap through which the sheet can be passed is formed.
As shown in
On the other hand, as shown in
With reference to
The switch moving mechanism 45 includes a solenoid 71 and a link 73 which couples the solenoid 71 to the switch 43. The switch moving mechanism 45 is disposed inside the front end portion of the discharge port 9 such that the switch 43 corresponds to the detection piece 53 of the actuator 41.
The solenoid 71 is disposed in a posture where a rod 71a is drawn leftward (to a side of the discharge port 9).
The upper end 73a of the link 73 is supported by the main body part 3 in a rotatable manner. The lower end 73b of the link 73 is coupled to the tip end of the rod 71a of the solenoid 71 in a rotatable manner. The link 73 is fixed to the switch 43 by a fixed plate 75.
When the rod 71a is extended or contracted by energization and non-energization of the solenoid 71, the link 73 is turned around the upper end 73a to move the switch 43 between a non-detective position and a detective position together with the link 73. When the solenoid 71 is not energized and the rod 71a is extended (refer to
In the non-detective position (refer to
In the detective position (refer to
The sheet processing device 1 includes a controller 30. The controller 30 is electrically connected to the stapler 29, the conveyance rollers pair 21, the supporting arm 31 and the solenoid 71 of the switch moving mechanism 45, and controls their operations. The controller 30 is electrically connected to the switch 43 of the interlock mechanism 23, and the ON state and the OFF state are input to the controller 30 from the switch 43.
An operation of the interlock mechanism 23 having the above described configuration will be described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
After the rear edge of the second sheet S2 is separated from the conveyance rollers pair 19, the supporting arm 31 is turned downwardly and the upper rollers 21a of the discharge rollers pair 21 comes into contact with the second sheet S2. At the same time, the actuator 41 is turned in the suspended posture. After that, the upper roller 21a of the discharge rollers pair 21 is rotated in the reverse direction to switch back the second sheet S2. The switched back second sheet S2 is stacked on the first sheet S2 on the processing tray 27.
After the pre-processing where a predetermined number of the sheets S are stacked on the processing tray 27 to form a stack of sheets SB, the stapler 29 performs the stapling processing on the stack of sheets SB. At this time, as shown in
When the stapling processing is performed, the solenoid 71 is energized to move the switch 43 from the non-detective position to the detective position. Then, as described above, the lever 61 of the switch 43 is relatively pushed by the detection piece 53 of the actuator 41, and the switch button 63 is depressed by the lever 61 to switch the switch 43 from the OFF state to the ON state. This makes the stapler 29 operative, and the stapling processing is performed on the stack of sheets SB. The stapled stack of sheets SB is discharged through the discharge port 9 by the discharge mechanism and then stacked on the discharge tray 11.
In the state shown in
During the stapling processing, as shown in
After the stapling processing is performed, the solenoid 71 is non-energized, and the switch 43 is moved from the detective position to the non-detective position.
As understood from the above description, according to the sheet processing device 1 of the present disclosure, the switch 43 is moved to the non-detective position during a period where the stack of sheets is formed (during the pre-processing) while the switch 43 is moved to the detective position during a period where the stapling processing is performed. That is, only a period where the stapling processing is performed, the switching of the switch 43 becomes possible. Then, in one stapling processing, each of the switching from the OFF state to the ON state and the switching from the ON state to the OFF state needs only one time regardless of the number of the sheets of the stack of sheets. Accordingly, compared with a case where the switching is repeated for every time when one sheet is conveyed, it becomes possible to reduce a number of switching of the switch 43. Then, it becomes possible to prolong the life of the switch 43.
Additionally, during the period where the stapling processing is performed, the switch 43 is moved to the detective position where the switch 43 interferes with the turning region of the detection piece 53 of the actuator 41. If the finger or the others accidentally enters through the discharge port 9 in the above state, the supporting arm 31 is pressed by the finger to turn the actuator 41 from the suspended posture and the switch is switched from the ON state to the OFF state. Accordingly, when the foreign matter enters through the discharge port 9 during the period where the stapling processing is performed, it becomes possible to stop the performing of the stapling processing rapidly. When the foreign matter enters through the discharge port 9, the upper roller 21a of the discharge rollers pair 21 may be pressed by the foreign matter to turn the actuator 41, or the actuator 41 may be directly pressed by the foreign matter to be turned.
Additionally, because of the contact type switch 43, it becomes possible for the switch 43 to be switched to the ON state and the OFF state stably by the depressing of the switch button 63 by the actuator 41 and the release of the depressing.
In the present embodiment, using the solenoid makes it possible to move the switch 43 to the detective position and the non-detective position by a simple structure.
Additionally, when the solenoid 71 is energized, the switch 43 is moved from the non-detective position to the detective position. Then, if the solenoid 71 is damaged, the switch 43 is moved to the non-detective position and the OFF state of the switch 43 is kept such that the stapling processing becomes inoperative. Accordingly, even if the finger accidentally enters through the discharge port 9, the stapling processing is not performed so that the safety is obtained. During a period where the stapling processing is not performed, other than the period where the stack of sheets is formed, for example, during a waiting period of the sheet processing device 1, the switch 43 is moved to the non-detective position. Then, even if the finger accidentally enters through the discharge port 9, the stapling processing is not performed.
The embodiment describes the sheet processing device 1 performing the stapling processing; the processing performed by the sheet processing device 1 contains a punching processing and a binding processing in addition to the stapling processing.
Although the present disclosure described the specific embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment. It is to be noted that one skilled in the art can modify the embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2018-205420 | Oct 2018 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3840224 | Zawiski | Oct 1974 | A |
9045297 | Takamori | Jun 2015 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
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H06345319 | Dec 1994 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200130977 A1 | Apr 2020 | US |