Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6305262
-
Patent Number
6,305,262
-
Date Filed
Friday, July 23, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 23, 200122 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 083 433
- 083 498
- 083 499
- 083 669
- 083 684
- 083 691
- 083 670
- 083 4254
- 083 667
- 083 687
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A sheet punch device including a punch member having a rotatable punch and a die pair that punches a hole in a sheet, a driving member that drives and rotates the punch member to punch a hole in a conveyed sheet, and in which the punch member punches holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in a sheet conveying direction. The sheet punch device further includes a sheet detecting member that is disposed upstream of the punch member in the sheet conveying direction and that detects a leading edge of the sheet being conveyed. Also included is a control device that controls the driving member such that the punch member punches a predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction at a predetermined time after the sheet detecting member detects a leading edge of the conveyed sheet.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sheet punch device which includes a punch member to punch holes in a sheet member.
2. Discussion of the Background
A known sheet punch device, which is installed in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a photocopying machine, a facsimile, or the like or in a sheet post-processing apparatus connected with the image forming apparatus, includes a punch member to punch holes in a sheet member, such as a sheet of paper (hereinafter referred to as a sheet). The sheet post-processing apparatus performs several operations for a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. The operations include, for example, a stack operation for stacking sheets on a sheet discharging tray with the sheets divided by page number, a staple operation for stapling a set of sheets and discharging the stapled sheets on the sheet discharging tray, and a punching operation for punching a sheet or sheets with the sheet punch device. Background sheet punch devices are divided into two types depending on the driving method for driving a punch and a die to punch a hole in a sheet, i.e., (1) a rotary punch method and (2) a press punch method.
As sheet punch devices of the rotary punch method, there are, for example, two types depending on the driving mechanism. In the first type of sheet punch device, a punch and a die are driven to rotate via a clutch by a motor to punch a hole in a sheet. The same motor also drives a pair of sheet conveying rollers to convey a sheet. The second type of sheet punch device includes a sheet conveying motor and another motor which drives and rotates a punch and a die mounted on a sheet conveying path, as described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-136995 of 1995. In JP No. 7-136995, it is described that the second type of the sheet punch device can more precisely punch a hole at a predetermined position in a sheet than the first type of the sheet punch device, because the punch and the die are driven by a separate motor from the motor driving a pair of sheet conveying rollers to convey a sheet.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publications No. 9-136762 (1997) and No. 9-249348 (1997) describe a sheet punch device of the press punch method, in which a hole is punched in a sheet by driving a punch and a die by a solenoid or a motor to move the punch forward and backward rectilinearly toward the die which is placed at a predetermined position.
While the sheet punch device of the press punch method punches a hole in a sheet with the sheet stopped at a certain position, the sheet punch device of the rotary punch method punches a hole in a sheet without stopping the sheet. The sheet punch device of the rotary punch method can punch a hole in an advancing sheet with a simple mechanism of rotating a punch and a die in the same direction as the sheet advancing direction. Therefore, the rotary punch method has advantages in productivity, simple mechanism, and thereby in low costs.
Another sheet punch device of the rotary punch method is proposed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 6-278095 (1994), in which two or three punch and die pairs, which are disposed in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, rotate synchronously with each other and punch two or three holes simultaneously at predetermined positions in a copy sheet fed from a photocopying machine (e.g., image forming apparatus).
However, the functions of the above-described background rotary sheet punch devices are limited. For example, the background sheet punch devices can only punch holes at plural positions in a sheet in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, but cannot punch holes at plural positions in the sheet conveying direction.
Moreover, in the sheet punch device of the rotary punch method described in JP No. 6-278095, the punch and die pairs are fixed at the positions spaced a predetermined distance apart in the sheet width direction, so that the number and position of holes punched in a sheet are determined by the number of punch and die pairs in the sheet punch device. Furthermore, because the plurality of punch and die pairs perform punching operations in a sheet simultaneously, the load on each driving shaft of the punches and the dies increases. The load transmits a driving force to the punches and dies to drive them. Therefore, when the punch and die pairs are used to punch holes simultaneously, the power of a driving motor, which drives and rotates the plurality of punch and die pairs, needs to be increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to overcome the above-described and other problems with background sheet punch devices, by providing a novel sheet punch device and method for punching holes in a sheet, in which a predetermined number of holes can be punched at predetermined places in a sheet aligned in a sheet conveying direction with a punch member having a rotatable punch and die pair.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention further provides a novel sheet punch device and method for punching holes in a sheet, in which a plural number of holes can be punched in a sheet aligned in a sheet conveying direction using only one rotatable punch and die pair.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention further provides a novel sheet punch device and method for punching holes in a sheet, in which the punch member can move in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and thereby can punch holes in a sheet aligned in a sheet conveying direction at predetermined positions according to a size of a conveyed sheet.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention further provides a novel sheet punch device and method for punching holes in a sheet, in which at least two holes can be punched in a sheet selectively aligned in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sheet punch device includes a punch member including a rotatable punch and die pair that punches a hole in a sheet. A driving member drives and rotates the punch member to punch a hole in a conveyed sheet, and the punch member punches holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in a sheet conveying direction.
According to the present invention, the sheet punch device may further include a sheet detecting member that is disposed upstream of the punch member in the sheet conveying direction and that detects a leading edge of the sheet being conveyed. A control device controls the driving member such that the punch member punches a predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction a predetermined time after the sheet detecting member detects a leading edge of the conveyed sheet.
The control device may control the driving member according to a size of the conveyed sheet.
The sheet punch device may further include a first punch hole information setting device to set information for punching holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction, and the control device may control the driving member based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device.
Alternatively, the control device may control the driving member according to a size of the conveyed sheet and based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device.
According to the present invention, the sheet punch device may further include a moving/driving device configured to move the punch member in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. The control device controls the moving/driving device such that the punch member stops moving when the punch member reaches a position at a predetermined distance apart from a position corresponding to a side edge of a sheet at a side of the punch member in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and controls the driving member such that the punch member punches the predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction, according to a size of the conveyed sheet.
Alternatively, the control device may control the moving/driving device based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device, or according to a size of the conveyed sheet and based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device.
According to the present invention, the sheet punch device may further include a second punch member including a rotatable punch and die pair that punches a hole in a sheet. The second punch member may be positioned at a predetermined distance from the punch member in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction and may be rotated by the second driving member.
Further, the second punch member may be fixed and the sheet punch device may punch holes in a sheet at least at two places in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction with the first and second punch members.
The sheet punch device may further include a second punch hole information setting device to set punch hole information for punching holes in a sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction or another punch hole information for punching holes in a sheet at plural places aligned in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. The sheet punch device punches holes in a sheet based on signals from either the first punch hole information setting device or the second punch hole information setting device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1
is a schematic drawing illustrating an overall structure of a sheet post-processing apparatus having a sheet punch device of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a top plane view illustrating surrounding parts of a punch unit of the sheet punch device of the sheet post-processing apparatus of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a partial broken perspective view illustrating the punch unit and a moving mechanism to move the punch unit, according to first and second embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 4A
is a top plane view illustrating an operation panel of an image forming apparatus of the present invention; and
FIG. 4B
is a top plane view illustrating a punch hole selection display of the operation panel according to the first and third embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 5
is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control part of the sheet punch device, according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6A
to
FIG. 6C
are cross sectional views of a punch and die of a punch member explaining a punching operation of the punch member of the present invention;
FIG. 7A
to
FIG. 7C
are enlarged detailed elevational views illustrating moving and punching conditions of the punch member of the present invention;
FIG. 8
is a perspective view illustrating moving and punching conditions of the punch and the die according to a sheet size of the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9
is a flowchart illustrating steps of a punch mode operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10
is a partial broken perspective view illustrating another punch unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 11
is a top plane view illustrating surrounding parts of the punch unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 12
is a perspective view illustrating a moving and punching condition of punches and dies of two punch members, according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13
is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control part of a sheet punch device including the punch unit of the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 14
is a flowchart illustrating steps of a punch mode operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 15
is a perspective view illustrating a punching condition of a punch and die of a punch member according to the third embodiment of a present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, a first embodiment of the present invention is now described referring to FIG.
1
through FIG.
9
.
In
FIG. 1
, a reference numeral
100
designates an image forming apparatus, such as a photocopying machine that makes photocopies on a sheet of paper. A reference numeral
200
designates a sheet post-processing apparatus connected to the side of the image forming apparatus
100
. A reference numeral
101
designates discharging rollers provided at a sheet discharging part of the image forming apparatus
100
. In the vicinity of an entrance of a sheet conveying path
2
R of the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
, which connects to the discharging rollers
101
of the image forming apparatus
100
, there are arranged an entrance sensor
36
, entrance rollers
1
, a rotary punch unit
60
including a sheet punch device, exit rollers
2
a,
and separation guide picks
8
a
and
8
b,
along the sheet conveying path
2
R in the order described in the sheet conveying direction.
The entrance rollers
1
and exit rollers
2
a
each include a pair of rollers, and are rotatively supported by respective shafts. As illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the respective shafts extend between a pair of side boards
5
a
and
5
b
provided on each side of the sheet conveying path
2
R of the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
, and oppose each other in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction indicated by an arrow Y (hereinafter referred to as a sheet width direction Y). The entrance rollers
1
receive a sheet conveyed from the discharging rollers
101
of the image forming apparatus
100
and transfer the sheet in the downstream direction of the sheet conveying path
2
R. The exit rollers
2
a
are provided immediately downstream of the rotary punch unit
60
, and transfer the sheet conveyed from the entrance rollers
1
via the rotary punch unit
60
in the downstream direction of the sheet conveying path
2
R. The entrance rollers
1
and the exit rollers
2
a
are in a relationship in which a rotational force is transmitted to each other via a rotational force transmission device, such as a timing belt (not shown) and a belt pulley (not shown). The entrance rollers
1
and the exit rollers
2
a
are driven to rotate by a sheet conveying/driving device, such as a stepping motor (not shown).
The entrance sensor
36
is disposed upstream of the rotary punch unit
60
in the sheet conveying direction indicated by an arrow X (hereinafter referred to as a sheet conveying direction X) as illustrated in FIG.
2
. The entrance sensor
36
detects leading and trailing edges of the sheet conveyed from the discharging rollers
101
, and thus serves as a sheet edge detecting device. The separation guide picks
8
a
and
8
b
are driven by a solenoid (not shown) and a spring (not shown) to direct the sheet selectively toward a sheet discharging tray
12
, a proof tray
14
, and a staple unit
11
.
On and around a sheet conveying path
12
R for sorting and stacking sheets, which extends from the sheet conveying path
2
R to the sheet discharging tray
12
, there are arranged upper transfer rollers
2
b,
a sheet discharging sensor
38
, discharging rollers
3
, a shift roller
7
, a sheet surface detecting lever
13
, and sheet surface detecting sensors
32
and
33
.
The upper transfer rollers
2
b
include a pair of rollers like the entrance rollers
1
and the exit rollers
2
a,
and transfer the sheet in the downstream direction of the sheet conveying path
12
R. The discharging sensor
38
detects the sheet directed toward the discharging rollers
3
. The discharging rollers
3
include a drive roller
3
a
and a driven roller
3
b
and serve to transfer and discharge the sheet, which is conveyed from the sheet conveying path
12
R or a sheet conveying path
11
R (described later), to the sheet discharging tray
12
. The shift roller
7
has a function to shift the sheet to one side of the discharging tray
12
. The sheet surface detecting lever
13
is supported so as to seesaw. One end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
is disposed to contact the sheet discharging tray
12
when no sheet is stacked thereon. As sheets are stacked on the sheet discharging tray
12
, one end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
contacting the surface of the sheets stacked on the sheet discharging tray
12
raises. The other end is disposed so as to be detected by the sheet surface detecting sensors
32
and
33
. The sheet surface detecting sensors
32
and
33
detect that the sheet discharging tray
12
is at the home position, the height of the stacked sheets on the discharging tray
12
exceeds a predetermined height, and so on, in cooperation with the sheet surface detecting lever
13
(the details are described later). The driven roller
3
b
contacts and presses the drive roller
3
a
by its gravity or by a bias force of a spring (not shown) or the like. A sheet or a set of stapled sheets are discharged to the sheet discharging tray
12
by the driven roller
3
b
pressing against the drive roller
3
a.
A plurality of transfer roller pairs are arranged on the sheet conveying path
14
R which extends from the sheet conveying path
2
R to the proof tray
14
. The proof tray
14
receives cut-in sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus
100
as a result of a cut-in job, such as printing a received fax which is performed by interrupting a copying job in the image forming apparatus
100
.
On a sheet conveying path
11
R for stapling, which extends from the sheet conveying path
2
R to the staple unit
11
, there are provided transfer roller pairs
4
a,
4
b,
and
4
c,
a sheet discharging sensor (not shown), and a staple device
15
including brush-shaped sheet transfer rollers
6
. Each transfer roller pairs
4
a,
4
b,
and
4
c
is driven by a transfer motor (not shown).
The staple device
15
includes a staple tray (not shown) and the staple unit
11
. The staple unit
11
is provided under the staple tray. On the staple tray, there are provided jogger fences
9
to align the sheet, a return roller
5
, and a release belt
10
located at the back side of the staple tray to discharge a set of stapled sheets. A reference numeral
10
a
designates a release pick fixed on the release belt
10
to hold a trailing edge of a set of sheets stapled with the staple unit
11
.
The jogger fences
9
are configured to move in the sheet width direction via a jogger belt (not shown) driven by a jogger motor (not shown), and the return roller
5
is configured to swing to contact and separate from the surface of the sheet stacked in the staple tray by a return solenoid (not shown). An end fence
19
is provided under the jogger fences
9
to abut on trailing edges of the sheets stacked in the staple tray.
The staple unit
11
is driven by a staple moving motor (not shown) via a staple belt (not shown) and moves between the front and rear sides of the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.
1
. The set of sheets stapled with the staple unit
11
is discharged to the sheet discharging tray
12
by rotations of the release belt
10
driven by a release motor (not shown) with the trailing edge of the sheets held by the release pick
10
a
and with the sheets directed by guide plates
20
. A further detailed description for the configuration of the staple device
15
is omitted, because the configuration of the staple device
15
is not relevant to the present invention.
The sheet discharging tray
12
is hung by an up-down lift belt (not shown). The up-down lift belt is driven by an up-down motor (not shown) via gears including worm gears and a timing belt (not shown), and moves up and down by forward and reverse rotations of the up-down motor. Further, the sheet discharging tray
12
moves in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by being driven by a shift motor (not shown).
When the sheet discharging tray is at a home position, i.e., when no sheet is stacked on the sheet discharging tray
12
, the other end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
is detected by both of the sheet surface detecting sensors
32
and
33
. Thereby, it is detected that the sheet discharging tray
12
is at the home position. As sheets are discharged and stacked on the sheet discharging tray
12
, the one end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
is raised by the stacked sheets. When the height of the stacked sheets reaches a predetermined height at which the other end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
is only detected by the sheet surface detecting sensor
33
, the sheet discharging tray
12
starts to move down so as to receive additional sheets. The sheet discharging tray
12
moves down until the another end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
is detected by both the sheet surface detecting sensors
32
and
33
. As additional sheets are stacked on the sheet discharging tray
12
, the sheet discharging tray
12
moves down. When a lower limit sensor (not shown) detects the sheet discharging tray
12
, the sheet discharging tray
12
stops moving. When the stacked sheets are taken away from the sheet discharging tray
12
, the one end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
swings down such that the other end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
is only detected by the sheet surface detecting sensor
32
. Upon detection of the other end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
with the sheet surface detecting sensor
32
, the sheet discharging tray
12
starts to move up until the other end of the sheet surface detecting lever
13
is detected by both of the sheet surface detecting sensors
32
and
33
(i.e., to the home position of the sheet discharging tray
12
). When the sheet discharging tray
12
moves up and pushes the shift roller
7
, and an upper limit switch (not shown) is turned off, the up-down motor stops rotating and the sheet discharging tray
12
stops. Thus, the sheet discharging tray
12
is not broken due to an overrun.
The configuration of the rotary punch unit
60
(hereinafter called the punch unit
60
) and surrounding parts are now described. As illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the punch unit
60
includes a punch member
67
having a punch
63
and a die
65
(i.e., a punch and die pair), which is rotatable to punch a hole (Pa) in a sheet P′. Also included is a driving mechanism
68
including a punch motor
69
serving as a driving device to rotate the punch
63
and the die
65
, and a housing case
61
that houses the punch member
67
and the driving mechanism
68
. A moving mechanism
80
moves the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y which is perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction X. The moving mechanism
80
has a configuration and a function of a moving device to move the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y. The driving mechanism
68
includes the punch motor
69
, a drive gear
70
, a punch shaft
64
, a driven gear
71
, and a die shaft
66
.
Hereinafter will be described the configurations of the punch unit
60
and the moving mechanism
80
. The housing case
61
of the punch unit
60
is molded of plastics. In addition, reinforcing parts made of steel plates, etc. are integrated in the housing case
61
. The housing case
61
extends longitudinally along the sheet width direction Y as illustrated in FIG.
3
. At front and rear sides of the side walls of the housing case
61
in
FIG. 3
, openings
62
are formed as a part of the sheet conveying path
2
R to receive the sheet conveyed from the entrance rollers
1
. The openings
62
are provided such that the punch unit
60
can move in a predetermined range in the sheet width direction Y. At the bottom of the housing case
61
, sliding parts
73
are integrally formed with the housing case
61
at both left and right sides as illustrated in FIG.
3
. The sliding parts
73
include insert holes into which guide/support rods
89
fixed to the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
are inserted loosely (the details are described later). Further, at the middle of the left and right sliding parts
73
in the sheet conveying direction X in
FIG. 3
, a rack
87
is formed integrally with the housing case
61
protruding downward. On the bottom surface of the left-hand sliding part
73
in
FIG. 3
, a detecting member
95
is mounted and protrudes downward so as to be engaged with a home position sensor
94
which will be described later.
The punch
63
includes a punch blade
63
a,
and is mounted perpendicularly to the punch shaft
64
. One end of the punch shaft
64
is rotatably supported on the left-hand wall of the housing case
61
in FIG.
3
. The other end of the punch shaft
64
connects to an output shaft of the punch motor
69
via the drive gear
70
which is fixed on the punch shaft
64
. The punch motor
69
includes, for example, a stepping motor, and is fixed on the right-hand wall of the housing case
61
in FIG.
3
. The punch motor
69
connects with a power source (not shown) of the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
and with a control device (not shown and described later) by flexible signal wires. The stepping motor of the punch motor
69
is separate from the aforementioned stepping motor serving as the sheet conveying/driving device.
The die
65
is cylindrical-shaped and includes a hole-shaped blade
65
a,
which is engaged with the punch blade
63
a.
The die
65
is disposed facing the punch
63
across the sheet conveying path
2
R, and is mounted perpendicularly to the die shaft
66
. One end of the die shaft
66
is rotatably supported on the left-hand wall of the housing case
61
in FIG.
3
. The other end of the die shaft
66
is rotatably supported with a plumb member
72
, which is placed on the bottom wall of the housing case
61
in a standing condition, via the driven gear
71
fixed on the die shaft
66
and is engaged with the drive gear
70
. At the lower part of the housing case
61
, a container
61
b
is provided to contain punch dust (not shown), which is produced when a sheet is punched by rotations of the punch
63
and the die
65
. Inside the housing case
61
, partition walls (not shown) are provided to separate the arranged elements of the punch member
67
and those of the driving mechanism
68
to prevent the punch dust from flowing toward the driving mechanism
68
.
On the shaft between the punch motor
69
and the drive gear
70
, an encoder (not shown) having a slit disk shape is mounted to detect the home position of the punch
63
and the die
65
in cooperation with a home position sensor (not shown). The home position sensor is mounted on the upper wall of the housing case
61
near the above-described encoder. The home position sensor includes, for example, a transmissive photosensor having light-emitting and light-receiving elements. The hole position sensor is disposed such that the outer regions of the encoder pass between the light-emitting and light-receiving elements. In the home position of the punch
63
, the top face of the punch blade
63
a
is directed vertically upward, and in the home position of the die
65
, the hole-shaped blade
65
a
is directed vertically downward.
Rotations of the punch motor
69
cause the punch
63
and the die
65
to rotate in opposite directions respectively synchronizing with each other. Specifically, the punch
63
rotates in the direction indicated by an arrow Rb and the die
65
rotates in the direction indicated by an arrow Ra as illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 6
.
In the first embodiment of the present invention, because a stepping motor is used as the punch motor
69
as a driving device to rotate the punch
63
and die
65
, the rotational position and speed of the punch
63
and die
65
can be controlled easily, surely, and accurately with a simple control configuration.
The moving mechanism
80
includes a moving/driving device
81
that moves the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y, and a guide/support device
86
that guides and supports the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y. The moving/driving device
81
and the guide/support device
86
are provided between the pair of side boards
5
a
and
5
b
of the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
illustrated in FIG.
2
.
The moving/driving device
81
includes a reversible move motor
82
which is secured to a fixed member (not shown) fixed to the side boards
5
a
and
5
b,
and a worm
83
fixed to an output shaft
82
a
of the move motor
82
. Also included is a wheel shaft
84
a,
whose ends are rotatively supported with a pair of plumb members (not shown) which are fixed to the above-described fixed member (not shown) at the front and rear sides in
FIG. 3
, a worm wheel
84
which is fixed to one end of the wheel shaft
84
a
and is always engaged with the worm
83
, a pinion
85
which is fixed to the front side end of the wheel shaft
84
a
in
FIG. 3
, and a rack
87
which is always engaged with the pinion
85
.
The guide/support device
86
includes two guide/support rods
89
which extend in the sheet width direction Y, and are fixed between the side boards
5
a
and
5
b.
The guide/support rods
89
are inserted loosely in the above-described insert holes formed in the sliding parts
73
of the housing case
61
. The two guide/support rods
89
extend in parallel to each other at the same height in the direction perpendicular to the side boards
5
a
and
5
b.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, a reference numeral
91
designates a moving amount detecting device. The moving amount detecting device
91
includes an encoder
92
having a slit disk shape and a moving amount detecting sensor
93
. As illustrated in
FIG. 3
, the encoder
92
includes a plurality of slits and is fixed to one end of the wheel shaft
84
a.
The moving amount detecting sensor
93
is fixed to the above-described fixed member (not shown) located under the encoder
92
with the encoder
92
sandwiched therebetween. The moving amount detecting sensor
93
is a photosensor of photointerrupter type with a known configuration including light-emitting and light-receiving elements. The rotation amount (the number of times of rotation) of the wheel shaft
84
a
or the pinion
85
is detected by cooperative operations of the moving amount detecting sensor
93
and the rotating encoder
92
. The moving amount of the punch unit
60
is calculated according to a detected result by a control device
50
, which is described later and is illustrated in FIG.
5
.
The home position sensor
94
is fixed on the above-described fixed member (not shown) near the moving amount detecting sensor
93
, and detects the home position of the punch unit
60
while being engaged with the detecting member
95
which is mounted on the housing case
61
. The home position sensor
94
includes a transmissive photosensor having light-emitting and light-receiving elements.
Next, a detailed configuration of an operation panel
39
of the image forming apparatus
100
is described referring to
FIGS. 4A and 4B
. The operation panel
39
is arranged at an upper part of the image forming apparatus
100
and displays a start key for instructing and inputting a starting operation for copying, number keys for instructing and inputting a number of copies, and keys necessary for instructing and inputting a punching operation. In
FIG. 4A
, moreover, the operation panel
39
illustrates only the keys necessary for the punching operation and omits illustrations of the start key and the number keys. On the operation panel
39
, there are arranged a menu display
40
, a punch hole selection key
41
, a group of sheet selection keys
45
, etc., of a touch panel method that are displayed and set on the menu display
40
, which is displayed when a power switch (not shown) of the image forming apparatus
100
is turned on. The punch hole selection key
41
is used for inputting information about punched holes aligned in the sheet conveying direction X. A reference numeral
42
designates a punch hole selection key which is used for inputting information about punched holes aligned in the sheet width direction Y. The punch hole selection key
42
is indicated by an imaginary line in FIG.
4
A. Though the punch hole selection key
42
is not used in the first embodiment, it is illustrated in
FIG. 4A
for the later described second embodiment to avoid redundancy of figures.
The menu display
40
and a punch hole selection display
43
(not shown in FIG.
4
A and will be described later) displayed on the operation panel
39
include a liquid crystal display (LCD) device which is driven via a liquid crystal drive circuit (not shown). The punch hole selection key
41
and the punch hole selection key
42
serve as a punch operation setting device to input and set instructions for punch mode operations. When the punch hole selection key
41
is pushed, the display thereof is reversed, and an operation for punching holes in the sheet conveying direction X becomes ready. The display of the punch hole selection key
41
is enlarged to the size of the bottom half of the menu display
40
, and is then switched to the punch hole selection display
43
as illustrated in FIG.
4
B. On the punch hole selection display
43
, illustrations are displayed for inputting the instruction for punching holes at plural places in a sheet in the sheet conveying direction X and to select the number of punch holes. In addition, each punch hole number selection key corresponds to the number of holes punched in the sheet conveying direction X and is displayed below the above-described respective illustrations.
Specifically, on the punch hole selection display
43
, there are displayed punch hole number selection keys
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d
for inputting instructions for punching holes in the sheet conveying direction X at a predetermined two, three, four, and five places, respectively. An operator may select and push any one of the punch hole number selection keys
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d
corresponding to the illustration of a desired number of punch holes. When the operator selects and pushes any one of the punch hole number selection keys
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d,
the display of the selected punch hole number selection key and its corresponding illustration is reversed, and thereby the punch operation for the desired number of holes is set. Hereinafter, the punch hole selection key
41
and the punch hole number selection keys
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d
may generally be called a punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d.
The punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d
serves as a first punch hole information setting device to set the information for punching holes at plural places in a sheet in the sheet conveying direction X.
As the sheet selection keys group
45
, there are arranged several kinds of well-known setting keys such as an auto sheet selection key, selection keys for an A
4
, B
4
, and A
3
sized sheet, and a manual feed selection key. A
4
, B
4
, and A
3
sized sheets are stacked in respective sheet feeding cassettes of a sheet feeding unit which is disposed in the image forming apparatus
100
.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a configuration of a control part of the sheet punch device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is described. For the sake of simplification of the description, the configuration related to a movement of the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y and a punching operation are only illustrated, and the configuration related to a sheet transfer and transmission and receipt of information to and from a control device of the image forming apparatus
100
are omitted in FIG.
5
.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a reference numeral
50
designates a control device. The control device
50
controls a movement of the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y and a punching operation. The control device
50
includes a micro computer with a CPU (central processing unit), a RAM (random-access memory), a ROM (read only memory), an I/O (input/output) port, and a timer, which are connected to each other via a signal bus, and are not shown in FIG.
5
.
Each output signal from the home position sensor
94
, the moving amount detecting sensor
93
, a sheet size detecting sensor
96
, and the entrance sensor
36
is input to the control device
50
via a sensor input circuit
51
. In addition, output signals from the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
43
d
of the operation panel
39
are input to the control device
50
. The sheet size detecting sensor
96
is provided in the image forming apparatus
100
, and has a well-known configuration to detect the size of the selected sheet, such as a configuration of a plurality of photosensors of a light reflection type to detect the sheet width and length in the sheet feeding trays. The control device
50
judges a sheet size based on output signals from each photosensor of the sheet size detecting sensor
96
.
The control device
50
transmits instruction signals to the move motor
82
and the punch motor
69
via a drive circuit
52
based on the above-described input signals. Further, the control device
50
transmits instruction signals to the above-described LCD of the operation panel
39
based on the input signals.
The control device
50
controls the move motor
82
based on each signal from the sheet size detecting sensor
96
, the home position sensor
94
, and the moving amount detecting sensor
93
, such that the punch unit
60
stops moving when it reaches a position at a predetermined distance apart from a side edge of a sheet at the side of the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y according to a sheet size. A predetermined time after the entrance sensor
36
detects the leading edge of the sheet, the control device
50
controls the punch motor
69
such that a predetermined number of holes are punched at predetermined positions in the sheet in the sheet conveying direction X based on each signal from the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d.
The control device
50
detects a rotational position of the punch
63
separately from the detection of the home position of the punch unit
60
with the home position sensor
94
. In other words, the control device
50
functions as a pulse calculation device to calculate the drive pulses applied to the punch motor
69
. A clock pulse generation circuit (not shown) contained in the control device
50
performs this function. The aforementioned timer of the microcomputer in the control device
50
times the time period after the entrance sensor
36
detects the leading edge of the sheet. The above-described ROM of the microcomputer in the control device
50
stores data for controlling the move motor
82
and the punch motor
69
, and a program corresponding to a punch mode operation flow in FIG.
9
.
Next, operations of the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
are described. The description of operations in a non-staple mode without staple operations, such as a sort mode and a stack mode and operations in a staple mode with staple operations are omitted, as it is not relevant to the present invention. Therefore, operations of the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
when a punch mode is selected, are only described hereinafter.
In the first embodiment, as illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the conveyed sheet P′ is aligned with a center position Pc in the sheet width direction Y regardless of a sheet size (hereinafter called a center standard sheet conveying method).
Before starting operations of the image forming apparatus
100
and the sheet post-processing apparatus
200
, an operator inputs and sets instructions necessary for a punching operation, for example, with the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c
,
43
d
and the sheet selection keys group
45
. Specifically, when the power switch of the image forming apparatus
100
is turned on, the menu display
40
is displayed on the operation panel
39
as illustrated in FIG.
4
A. When the punch hole selection key
41
is pushed, the display thereof is reversed and enlarged to the bottom half of the menu display
40
, and is then switched to the punch hole selection display
43
as illustrated in FIG.
4
B.
For example, when the operator desires to punch holes (Pa) at three predetermined places in a small size sheet P′ in the sheet conveying direction X as illustrated in
FIG. 2
, the operator pushes the punch hole number selection key
43
b.
When the operator desires to punch holes (Pa) at four predetermined places in a large size sheet P in the sheet conveying direction X as illustrated in
FIG. 8
, the operator pushes the punch hole number selection key
43
c.
Before or after the above-described setting operations for the number of holes, the operator inputs an instruction for selecting a desired sheet size from those stacked in the sheet feeding trays with the sheet selection keys group
45
. Alternatively, the operator may input an instruction for an auto sheet selecting function with the auto sheet selection key, in which the corresponding sheet is automatically selected from those stacked in the sheet feeding trays based on the size of an original document. Thereafter, when the operator pushes the start key after setting the number of copies with the number keys, predetermined copy operations start in the image forming apparatus
100
.
Subsequently, the sheet size detecting sensor
96
in
FIG. 5
detects the size of the sheet being used, and an output signal relating to the sheet size is input to the control device
50
. Then, the control device
50
controls the move motor
82
, based on each signal from the sheet size detecting sensor
96
, the home position sensor
94
, and the moving amount detecting sensor
93
, such that the punch unit
60
stops moving after the punch unit
60
moves to a predetermined punch position according to the sheet size.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, specifically for the operation of the punch unit
60
, the move motor
82
is driven to rotate in accordance with the instruction of the control device
50
(FIG.
5
). The driving force is transmitted to the punch unit
60
via the worm
83
, the worm wheel
84
, the pinion
85
, and the rack
87
. Thereby, the punch unit
60
starts to move from the home position (standby position) in the sheet width direction Y with the housing case
61
guided and supported by each guide/support rod
89
. Then, as illustrated in
FIG. 8
, the punch unit
60
stops moving when the punch unit
60
reaches a position a predetermined distance apart from the side edge of the sheet P or P′ at the side of the punch unit
60
in the sheet width direction Y according to a sheet size.
FIG. 9
is a flowchart illustrating steps of a punch mode operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. After starting the punch mode operation, a sheet size is detected by the sheet size detecting sensor
96
(
FIG. 5
) in step S
1
. Next, as described above, the control device
50
controls the move motor
82
such that the punch unit
60
moves to a predetermined punch position according to the sheet size in step S
2
. In step S
3
, the control device
50
judges if the leading edge of the sheet P or P′ discharged from the discharging rollers
101
is detected by the entrance sensor
36
, in other words, if the leading edge of the sheet P or P′ passes the entrance sensor
36
. If the answer is YES in step S
3
, the punch mode operation proceeds to step S
4
. If the answer is NO in step S
3
, the punch mode operation returns before step S
3
. In step S
4
, the control device
50
judges based upon an input from the timer if a predetermined time is elapsed after the entrance sensor
36
detects the leading edge of the sheet P or P′. If the answer is YES in step S
4
, the leading edge of the sheet P or P′ is conveyed to the punch unit
60
by rotations of the entrance rollers
1
. If the answer is NO in step S
4
, the punch mode operation returns before step S
4
. In step S
5
, the punch unit
60
performs a punching operation. The punch motor
69
is driven in accordance with the instruction of the control device
50
, and thereby the punch member
67
rotates. Particularly, the punch
63
and the die
65
rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows Rb and Ra, respectively, as shown in
FIGS. 3 and 8
. While the sheet P or P′ advances in the sheet conveying path
2
R between the punch
63
and the die
65
in the sheet conveying direction X, the punch
63
and the die
65
rotate with each other as illustrated in FIG.
6
A.
Referring to
FIG. 6B
, when the hole-shaped blade
65
a
of the die
65
and the punch blade
63
a
of the punch
63
are engaged with each other, a punch hole is punched in the sheet P or P′.
FIGS. 7A through 7C
are enlarged detail views of a punching operation when a punch hole is punched in the sheet P or P′. As illustrated in
FIGS. 7A through 7C
, the punch blade
63
a
of the punch
63
quickly pushes and cuts the advancing sheet P or P′.
Referring further to
FIG. 6C
, after a hole is punched in the sheet P or P′ in
FIG. 6B
, the punch
63
and the die
65
rotate further and then stop at their respective home positions. A punch dust which is produced when the punch
63
and the die
65
punch the sheet P or P′ falls in the hole-shaped blade
65
a
of the die
65
, and further falls through the inside of the die
65
to the container
61
b
of the housing case
61
to be contained therein.
The number of holes, which are punched in the sheet P or P′ in the sheet conveying direction X, is preset with the punch hole number selection keys
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d.
The control device
50
controls the punching position of holes from the leading edge of the sheet according to a preset number of holes punched in the sheet conveying direction X. Specifically, the control device
50
controls a time between when the leading edge of the sheet P or P′ passes the entrance sensor
36
and when the punch motor
69
starts to drive and rotate. That is, the punch
63
and die
65
start to rotate, by calculating the transfer speed of the sheet P or P′ and the distance from the leading edge of the sheet P or P′ to each hole. In this control process for the punch hole positions, the control device
50
may control the time between when the leading edge of the sheet P or P′ passes the entrance sensor
36
and when the punch motor
69
starts to drive and rotate. That is, the punch
63
and die
65
start to rotate easily, because both the driving device (not shown), which rotates the entrance rollers
1
, and the punch motor
69
include stepping motors, respectively, and the control device
50
controls the time simply by counting the number of driving pulses of respective stepping motors.
Referring to
FIG. 8
, the reference character P designates a large size sheet, and the reference character P′ designates a small size sheet whose right side edge is illustrated by an imaginary line.
FIG. 8
illustrates the condition in which the punch member
67
including the punch
63
and die
65
moves in the sheet width direction Y according to a sheet size. That is, as the sheet size changes from the large size sheet P to the small size sheet P′, the punch member
67
moves to the position corresponding to the small size sheet P′ in the sheet width direction Y. The moved punch member
67
and the punch holes (Pa) in the sheet P′ are illustrated by imaginary lines.
Referring back to
FIG. 9
, in step S
6
, the control device
50
judges if the punch unit
60
finishes punching the designated number of punch holes (selected out of two to five holes). If the answer is YES in step S
6
, the punch mode operation proceeds to step S
7
. If the answer is NO in step S
6
, the punch mode operation returns before step S
5
and the above-described punching operation is performed. The sheet P or P′ in which holes are punched is selectively directed toward the sheet discharging tray
12
, the proof tray
14
, or the staple unit
11
by the separation guide picks
8
a
and/or
8
b,
respectively. The sheet P or P′ directed to the staple unit
11
is discharged finally to the sheet discharging tray
12
after passing through the staple device
15
.
In step S
7
, the control device
50
judges if the punching operation is completed for all of the designated number of sheets P and P′. If the answer is YES in step S
7
, the punch mode operation ends. If the answer is NO in step S
7
, a series of the operation steps from step S
3
to step S
7
are repeatedly performed until the punching operation is completed for all the designated number of sheets P and P′.
In the above-described step S
2
of the punch mode operation, the control device
50
controls the move motor
82
based on each signal from the sheet size detecting sensor
96
, the home position sensor
94
, and the moving amount detecting sensor
93
such that the punch unit
60
stops moving after the punch unit
60
moves to a predetermined punch position according to a sheet size. However, it may be possible that the control device
50
controls the move motor
82
based on a signal from the sheet selection keys group
45
, instead of a signal from the sheet size detecting sensor
96
, and signals from the home position sensor
94
and the moving amount detecting sensor
93
in step S
2
.
A second embodiment of the present invention is described referring to
FIGS. 10 through 14
. The sheet punch device of the second embodiment includes a punch unit
300
in addition to the punch unit
60
, an operation panel
39
A (see
FIGS. 4A and 13
) including the punch hole selection key
42
in addition to the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d,
and a control device
50
A which controls each punching operation of the punch units
60
and
300
.
As illustrated in
FIGS. 11 and 12
, the punch unit
300
is fixed on the above-described fixed member (not shown) at a predetermined distance from the center position Pc in the sheet width direction Y. As illustrated in
FIG. 10
, the configuration of the punch unit
300
is substantially symmetrical to that of the punch unit
60
, but does not include the moving mechanism
80
included in the punch unit
60
. Each element of the punch unit
300
has a reference numeral determined by adding
100
to the corresponding reference numeral of the elements of the punch unit
60
. Specifically, the punch unit
300
includes a punch member
167
, which is provided at a predetermined distance from the punch member
67
in the sheet width direction Y as illustrated in FIG.
11
. The punch member
167
includes a rotatable punch
163
and die
165
which are driven by a punch motor
169
to rotate and punch a sheet. In order to avoid redundancies, further explanation of the configuration of the punch unit
300
is omitted.
When the punch hole selection key
42
of the operation panel
39
A is pushed, the display thereof is reversed, and a punching operation for punching holes in the sheet width direction Y becomes ready. The punch hole selection key
42
functions as a second punch hole information setting device to set information for punching punch holes in a sheet in the sheet width direction Y.
FIG. 13
is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control part of the sheet punch device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the control part according to the second embodiment, an output signal from the punch hole selection key
42
of the operation panel
39
A is input to a CPU (not shown) of the control device
50
A. Further, the control device
50
A sends instriction signals to the punch motor
169
via the driving circuit
52
based on the signals input from the punch hole selection key
42
.
Specifically, in addition to each control function of the control device
50
of the first embodiment, the control device
50
A judges if the punching operations for punching holes in the sheet conveying direction X described in the first embodiment or for punching holes in the sheet width direction Y should be performed based on either output signal from the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d
or from the punch hole selection key
42
. Moreover, the control device
50
A controls the move motor
82
, the punch motor
69
, and the punch motor
169
, respectively, such that the punch member
67
and the punch member
167
punch holes in the sheet P at two places in the sheet width direction Y in accordance with the output signals from the punch hole selection key
42
.
The punch mode operation of the sheet punch device of the second embodiment of the present invention is now described concentrating on the differences from the first embodiment.
As illustrated in
FIG. 11
, the aforementioned center standard sheet conveying method is also applied in the second embodiment. In this method, the conveyed sheet P is aligned with a center position Pc in the sheet width direction Y regardless of a sheet size as described earlier.
FIG. 14
is a flowchart illustrating steps of a punch mode operation of the second embodiment. After starting the punch mode operation, the control device
50
A judges if either a punching operation for punch holes aligned in the sheet conveying direction X or punch holes aligned in the sheet width direction Y should be performed. That is, the control device
50
A judges if either the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d
or the punch hole selection key
42
of the operation panel
39
A is pushed. If the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d
is pushed, a series of operations for punching holes in the sheet conveying direction X are performed in step S
11
through step S
17
. However, in order to avoid redundancy, the description for operations in step S
11
through step S
17
is omitted, because they are similar to the aforementioned operations in step S
1
through step S
7
in
FIG. 9
of the first embodiment.
On the other hand, if the punch hole selection key
42
of the operation panel
39
A is pushed in step S
10
, a series of operations for punching holes in the sheet width direction Y are performed in step S
18
through step S
24
. When the punch hole selection key
42
is pushed, the display thereof is reversed, and a punching operation for punching holes in the sheet width direction Y becomes ready in step S
10
. After step S
10
, a sheet size is detected by the sheet size detecting sensor
96
, and an output signal related to the sheet size information is input to the control device
50
A instep S
18
. Next instep S
19
, the control device
50
A controls the punch unit
60
to move to a predetermined punch hole position in the sheet width direction Y based on each signal from the sheet size detecting sensor
96
, the home position sensor
94
, and the moving amount detecting sensor
93
, and then stops.
In step S
20
, the control device
50
A judges if the leading edge of a sheet P (
FIGS. 11 and 12
) discharged from the discharging rollers
101
is detected by the entrance sensor
36
, in other words, if the leading edge of the sheet P passes the entrance sensor
36
. If the answer is YES in step S
20
, the punch mode operation proceeds to step S
21
. If the answer is NO in step S
20
, the punch mode operation step returns before step S
20
. In step S
21
, the control device
50
A judges based on an input from the timer if a predetermined time has elapsed after the entrance sensor
36
detects the leading edge of the sheet P. If the answer is YES in step S
21
, the leading edge of the sheet P is conveyed to the punch unit
60
and the punch unit
300
by rotations of the entrance rollers
1
. If the answer is NO in step S
21
, the punch mode operation returns before step S
21
.
In step S
22
, a punching operation characteristic of the second embodiment of the present invention is performed, in which the punch unit
60
and the punch unit
300
operate simultaneously. Specifically, the punch motor
69
and the punch motor
169
are simultaneously driven in accordance with the instructions of the control device
50
A, and thereby the punch member
67
and the punch member
167
rotate, respectively. As illustrated in
FIG. 12
, the punch
63
and die
65
of the punch member
67
, and the punch
163
and die
165
of the punch member
167
rotate, respectively, and then punch holes (Pa) at two different places near the trailing edge of the sheet P symmetrically with respect to the center position Pc (
FIGS. 11 and 12
) of the sheet P in the sheet width direction Y. The description of the detailed punching operation of the punch
163
and die
165
is omitted, because it is similar to the punching operation of the punch
63
and die
65
of the punch member
67
described in step S
5
in FIG.
9
.
Next, in step S
23
, the control device
50
A judges if the punch unit
60
and the punch unit
300
finish the designated operation for punching two holes in the sheet width direction Y. If the answer is YES in step S
23
, the punch mode operation proceeds to step S
24
. If the answer is NO in step S
23
, the punch mode operation returns before step S
24
and the above-described punching operation is performed. The sheet P in which holes are punched is selectively directed toward the sheet discharging tray
12
, the proof tray
14
, or the staple unit
11
by the separation guide picks
8
a
and/or
8
b.
The sheet P directed to the staple unit
11
is discharged finally to the sheet discharging tray
12
after passing through the staple device
15
.
In step S
24
, the control device
50
A judges if the punching operation has completed for all of the designated number of sheets P. If the answer is YES in step S
24
, the punch mode operation ends. If the answer is NO in step S
24
, a series of punch mode operations from step S
20
to step S
24
are repeatedly performed until the punching operation is completed for all the designated number of sheets P.
In the second embodiment of the present invention, the holes are punched at two different places near the trailing edge of the sheet P symmetrically with respect to the center position Pc of the sheet P in the sheet width direction Y. Alternatively, the above holes may be punched at two places near the leading edge of the sheet P symmetrically with respect to the center position Pc of the sheet P in the sheet width direction Y.
Moreover, though the punch unit
300
is fixed in the second embodiment, the punch unit
300
may have a similar moving mechanism as that of the punch unit
60
to move in the sheet width direction Y such that at least two holes at user's desired positions in the sheet width direction Y are punched in cooperation with the punch unit
60
.
The third embodiment is described referring to
FIG. 15. A
sheet punch device in the third embodiment includes a punch unit
400
instead of the punch unit
60
of the first embodiment. The elements of the control part of the third embodiment are substantially the same as those illustrated in
FIG. 5
, except the home position sensor
94
, the moving amount detecting sensor
93
. and the move motor
82
.
The punch unit
400
is fixed on the above-described fixed member such that holes (Pa) are punched at positions at the predetermined distance from the side edge of a sheet P or P′ as illustrated in FIG.
15
. In the third embodiment, the conveyed sheet P or P′ is aligned such that one side edge of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction X is in the same position regardless of sheet size (a side edge standard sheet conveying method). The configuration of the punch unit
400
is substantially symmetrical to that of the punch unit
300
and is substantially the same as that of the punch unit
60
except the moving mechanism
80
. In order to avoid redundancy, each element of the punch unit
400
has a reference numeral determined by adding
200
to the corresponding reference numeral of the elements of the punch unit
60
, and therefore a further explanation is omitted.
A control device (not shown) of the third embodiment controls a punch motor
269
, which is illustrated in
FIG. 15
, by sending instruction signals thereto via the driving circuit
52
based on signals input to the control device. Specifically, the control device controls the punch motor
269
to drive the punch member
267
such that a predetermined number of holes are punched at predetermined positions in the sheet conveying direction X based on each signal from the punch hole selection keys group
41
,
43
a,
43
b,
43
c,
and
43
d,
a predetermined time after the entrance sensor
36
detects a leading edge of the sheet. In a ROM of the above control device, a program and data are stored to control the punch motor
269
as above.
The punch mode operation of the third embodiment is substantially the same as those of the first embodiment in
FIG. 9
except the operation in step S
2
. The detailed description of the punch mode operation of the third embodiment is therefore omitted.
The moving mechanism of the sheet punch device of the first and second embodiments is not limited to the moving mechanism
80
, but other mechanisms may be applicable, such as (1) a wire type moving mechanism including a wire, a wire pulley, a guide/support rail, and a wire pulley drive motor, and (2) a belt type moving mechanism including a timing belt, a belt pulley, a guide/support rail, and a belt pulley drive motor.
The drive motor of the sheet punch device of the first, second, and third embodiments to drive and rotate each punch member
67
,
167
, and
267
is not limited to the punch motor
69
,
169
, and
269
using a stepping motor, but other control drive motors using, for example, a DC motor, may be applicable, if the above-described merits of the stepping motor are not necessary.
In the sheet punch device of the first and third embodiments, positions of the punch holes in a sheet in the sheet conveying direction X are determined according to a sheet size based on the signal from the sheet size detecting sensor
96
. Moreover, punch hole positions may be set by an operator via manipulation of an operation panel. For example, the operation panel may include a moving amount setting key to set a moving amount of a punch unit, and a display device to display the moving amount of the punch unit, which is set with the moving amount setting key, so as to be visually recognized. The operator can set a desired number of punch holes at desired places in a sheet by using the above moving amount setting key and the display device.
As described above, the punch motors
69
,
169
, and
269
which drive and rotate the punch
63
and die
65
, the punch
163
and die
165
, and the punch
263
and die
265
, respectively, are separate from a sheet conveying motor. Owing to this configuration of the driving mechanism, the sheet punch device of the present invention can precisely punch a hole at a predetermined position in a sheet without deviating the punch hole from the predetermined position.
Obviously, numerous additional modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
This document is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 10-209157 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Jul. 24, 1998, and on Japanese Patent Application No. 11-152110 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on May 31, 1999, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Claims
- 1. A sheet punch device, comprising:a first punch member including a rotatable punch and die pair configured to punch a hole in a sheet; a first driving member configured to drive and rotate the first punch member to punch a hole in a conveyed sheet; a moving/driving device configured to move the first punch member in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction; a second punch member including a rotatable punch and die pair configured to punch a hole in a sheet, and being positioned a predetermined distance from the first punch member in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction; a second driving member configured to drive and rotate the second punch member to punch a hole in the conveyed sheet; a first punch hole information setting device configured to set punch hole information for punching holes in the conveved sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction; and a second punch hole information setting device configured to set punch hole information for punching holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, wherein the sheet punch device punches holes in the conveyed sheet based on signals from one of the first punch hole information setting device and the second punch hole information setting device; wherein the moving/driving device moves the first punch member to a predetermined distance from an edge of the conveyed sheet so the first punch member punches holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction when a request is made to punch holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction via the first punch hole information setting device, and wherein the moving/driving device moves the first punch member to a predetermined distance from the second punch member so the first punch member operates in unison with the second punch member to simultaneously punch holes in the sheet at least at two places in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction when a request is made to punch holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction via the second punch hole information setting device.
- 2. The sheet punch device according to claim 1, further comprising:a sheet detecting member that is disposed upstream of the first punch member in the sheet conveying direction and that detects a leading edge of the sheet being conveyed; and a control device configured to control the first driving member such that the first punch member punches a predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction and at a predetermined time after the sheet detecting member detects a leading edge of the conveyed sheet.
- 3. The sheet punch device according to claim 2, wherein the control device controls the first driving member according to a size of the conveyed sheet.
- 4. The sheet punch device according to claim 3,wherein the control device controls the first driving member according to a size of the conveyed sheet and based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device.
- 5. The sheet punch device according to claim 2,wherein the control device controls the first driving member based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device.
- 6. The sheet punch device according to claim 2,wherein the control device controls the moving/driving device such that the first punch member stops moving when the first punch member reaches a position at a predetermined distance apart from a side edge of a sheet at a side of the first punch member in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and controls the first driving member such that the first punch member punches the predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at the predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction, based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device.
- 7. The sheet punch device according to claim 2,wherein the control device controls the moving/driving device such that the first punch member stops moving when the first punch member reaches a position at a predetermined distance apart from a side edge of a sheet at a side of the first punch member in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and controls the first driving member such that the first punch member punches the predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at the predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction, according to a size of the conveyed sheet.
- 8. The sheet punch device according to claim 7,wherein the control device controls the moving/driving device such that the first punch member stops moving when the first punch member reaches a position at a predetermined distance apart from a side edge of a sheet at a side of the first punch member in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and controls the first driving member such that the first punch member punches the predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at the predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction, according to a size of the conveyed sheet and based on signals from the first punch hole information setting device.
- 9. The sheet punch device according to claim 1, wherein the second punch member is fixed.
- 10. A sheet punch device, comprising:first means for punching a hole in a sheet, the first punching means including a rotatable punch and a die pair; first means for driving and rotating the first punching means to punch a hole in a conveyed sheet; means for moving the first punching means in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction; second means for punching a hole in a sheet the second punching means including a rotatable punch and die pair and being positioned a predetermined distance from the first punching means in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction; second means for driving and rotating the second punching means to punch a hole in the conveyed sheet; first means for setting punch hole information for punching holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction; and second means for setting punch hole information for punching holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, wherein the sheet punch device punches holes in the conveyed sheet based on signals from one of the first punch hole information setting means and the second punch hole information setting means, wherein the moving means moves the first punching means to a predetermined distance from an edge of the conveyed sheet so the first punching means punches holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction when a request is made to punch holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in the sheet conveying direction via the first punch hole information setting means, and wherein the moving means moves the first punching means to a predetermined distance from the second punching means so the first punching means operates in unison with the second punching means to simultaneously punch holes in the sheet at least at two places in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction when a request is made to punch holes in the conveyed sheet at plural places aligned in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction via the second punch hole information setting means.
- 11. The sheet punch device according to claim 10, wherein the second punching means is fixed.
- 12. The sheet punch device according to claim 10, further comprising:means for detecting a leading edge of the sheet being conveyed, the detecting means being disposed upstream of the first punching means in the sheet conveying direction; and means for controlling the first driving means such that the first punching means punches a predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction and at a predetermined time after the detecting means detects a leading edge of the conveyed sheet.
- 13. The sheet punch device according to claim 12,wherein the control means controls the moving means such that the first punching means stops moving when the first punching means reaches a position at a predetermined distance apart from a side edge of a sheet at a side of the first punching means in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and controls the first driving means such that the first punching means punches the predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at the predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction, according to a size of the conveyed sheet.
- 14. The sheet punch device according to claim 13,wherein the control means controls the moving means such that the punching means stops moving when the punching means reaches a position at a predetermined distance apart from a side edge of a sheet at a side of the first punching means in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and controls the first driving means such that the punching means punches the predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at the predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction, according to a size of the conveyed sheet and based on signals from the first punch hole information setting means.
- 15. The sheet punch device according to claim 12, wherein the control means controls the first driving means according to a size of the conveyed sheet.
- 16. The sheet punch device according to claim 15,wherein the control means controls the first driving means according to a size of the conveyed sheet and based on signals from the first punch hole information setting means.
- 17. The sheet punch device according to claim 12,wherein the control means controls the first driving means based on signals from the first punch hole information setting means.
- 18. The sheet punch device according to claim 12,wherein the control means controls the moving means such that the first punching means stops moving when the first punching means reaches a position at a side edge of a sheet at a side of the first punching means in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and controls the first driving means such that the first punching means punches the predetermined number of holes in the conveyed sheet sequentially at the predetermined positions aligned in the sheet conveying direction, based on signals from the first punch hole information setting means.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
10-209157 |
Jul 1998 |
JP |
|
11-152110 |
May 1999 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (7)
Number |
Date |
Country |
5-162919 |
Jun 1993 |
JP |
6-278095 |
Oct 1994 |
JP |
7-136995 |
May 1995 |
JP |
7-186098 |
Jul 1995 |
JP |
9-136762 |
May 1997 |
JP |
9-249348 |
Sep 1997 |
JP |
10-194568 |
Jul 1998 |
JP |