JP2010208836A - Sheet processing device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance quality of a bookbinding product in which an end part of a side opposite to a folding part is cut off. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming device includes a sheet processing device 3000 provided with a folding roller pair 810a, 810b for folding a sheet bundle and a trimming part 630 for cutting the end part of the side opposite to the folding part of the sheet bundle doubled by the folding roller pair 810a, 810b. The trimming part 630 includes a fixed blade 633b and a cutter 633a as a movable blade for moving for the fixed blade 633b. The sheet processing device 3000 includes tab cutters 410, 420 for cutting an end part at the movable blade side of the two end parts of the side opposite to the folding part of a cover before folding the sheet bundle by a cutting quantity set to avoid being cut by the cutter 633a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that bend a sheet bundle and cut an end portion thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a laser beam printer, a facsimile, and a composite machine of these, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and a sheet processing device that performs processing on a sheet formed with an image in the image forming unit Are generally known. Here, as such a sheet processing apparatus, after stacking sheets on which images are formed to form a sheet bundle, the center portion of the sheet bundle is bound (saddle stitching), and is folded at the binding position (center folding). A so-called saddle stitch bookbinding is known (see Patent Document 1). Thereby, it is possible to easily create a product that is folded in half. In addition, an apparatus for cutting a fore edge of a half-folded booklet has been proposed in order to align an end portion (a fore edge side) opposite to a bent portion of a folded sheet bundle (see Patent Document 2).

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of cutting the edge portion on the fore edge side of a conventional booklet. As shown in FIG. 12 (a), the substantially center of the sheet bundle is bound by the staple S and folded in half, from the middle sheet Pi as the middle sheet and the cover sheet Pf as the front sheet disposed outside the middle sheet Pi. A booklet is created. The booklet created in this way is conveyed between the movable blade 1 and the fixed blade 2, and the end of the booklet on the small edge side is cut as the movable blade 1 moves in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the booklets can be aligned and finished with a good appearance.

JP 2003-182928 A JP 2000-198613 A

  By the way, in order to divide into chapters in a catalog or the like, there are some which make it easier for the user to find a target page by forming a notch in the end portion of the inner paper Pi. A cover Pf without a notch is provided on the outer side of the middle paper Pi to improve the appearance of a booklet such as a catalog.

  However, as shown in FIG. 12B, when the movable blade 1 is moved to cut the edge portion on the fore edge side of the sheet bundle, the middle paper Pi arranged inside the cover Pf is notched. Since it is formed, the cover Pf is not received. Therefore, the cover Pf escapes from the movable blade 1, and as shown in FIG. 12 (c), a cutting failure portion F occurs on the cover Pf, and the quality of the bookbinding product may be deteriorated.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus in which the quality of a bookbinding product obtained by cutting an end opposite to a bent portion is improved.

  In order to achieve the above object, the sheet cutting means for cutting the end of the sheet forming the half-fold booklet, the outer sheet not formed with a notch, the inner side of the outer sheet in a booklet state, and folding Bending means for folding a sheet bundle formed of a middle sheet having a notch formed at the end opposite to the section into two to form a booklet, a fixed blade, and a movable blade that moves relative to the fixed blade A sheet bundle cutting means for cutting an end opposite to the folded portion of the sheet bundle formed by the bending means, and the sheet cutting means prior to bending the sheet bundle, At least one of the two end portions on the opposite side of the bent portion of the outer sheet after being bent is prevented from being cut by the movable blade at the end portion on the movable blade side of the outer sheet after being bent. Set break It is characterized in that cut the amount in advance.

  According to the present invention, before the end of the outer sheet is cut before the end of the sheet bundle is bent and the end opposite to the bent portion is cut, the cutting failure of the outer sheet occurs. This will improve the quality of bookbinding products.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a copying machine that is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a sheet processing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a tab cutter. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit that controls a copying machine. It is a flowchart which shows the control operation of the control part at the time of producing a booklet. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which moved the auxiliary | assistant butting member to the sheet | seat side in which the tab was formed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the booklet before cutting the edge part by the side of a fore edge in a trim part. It is explanatory drawing in the case of cutting the edge part of the booklet side of a booklet in a trim part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the booklet after cutting the edge part by the side of a fore edge in a trim part. It is explanatory drawing in the case of cutting the edge part by the side of the small edge of a booklet in the trim part of the sheet processing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the table of the correction value corresponding to sheet | seat information. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process which cuts the edge part by the side of the edge of the conventional booklet.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine 1000 which is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the copying machine 1000 includes a document feeding unit 100, an image reader unit 200, a printer unit 300, and a sheet processing device 3000. The sheet processing apparatus 3000 includes a tab processing unit 400, a finisher 500, and an inserter 900. It is assumed that the document D is set on the tray 1001 of the document feeding unit 100 in an upright state as viewed from the user and in a face-up state (the surface on which the image is formed is upward). The binding position of the document D is the left end portion of the document D. The documents D set on the tray 1001 are conveyed by the document feeding unit 100 one by one in order from the first page in the left direction (arrow direction) with the binding position at the leading edge. Then, the document D is conveyed from the left to the right in FIG. 1 on the platen glass 102 through a curved path, and is discharged onto the discharge tray 112. At this time, the scanner unit 104 of the image reader unit 200 is held in a predetermined position, and when the document D is conveyed on the platen glass 102 from the left to the right in the drawing, The document D passes through and the document D is read. This reading method is referred to as document scanning. When the document D passes over the platen glass 102, the document D is irradiated by the lamp 103 of the scanner unit 104, and reflected light from the document D is guided to the image sensor 109 via the mirrors 105, 106, 107 and the lens 108. . The image sensor 109 reads the image data of the document based on the reflected light that has been guided, and the read image data is subjected to predetermined image processing and output to the exposure control unit 110 of the printer unit 300. Note that the document D can be read by temporarily stopping the document D conveyed on the platen glass 102 and moving the scanner unit 104 from the left to the right in FIG. This reading method is referred to as fixed document reading.

  Further, when the reading process of the document D is performed without using the document feeding unit 100, the user lifts the document feeding unit 100, sets the document D on the platen glass 102, and operates a reading start button and the like. . In this case, the above-described original fixed reading is performed. The printer unit 300 includes cassettes 114 and 115 that store sheets P for image formation, an image forming unit 301 that forms a toner image on the sheet using an electrophotographic process, and a toner image formed on the sheet. A fixing unit 117 and the like are provided. Further, the printer unit 300 includes an operation unit 302 for a user to perform various inputs / settings, and a control unit 960 that controls the entire copying machine 1000. The image forming unit 301 includes a photosensitive drum 111, a developing device 113, a transfer unit 116, and the like. The image data of the document D read by the image sensor 109 is subjected to predetermined image processing and sent to the exposure control unit 110 of the printer unit 300. The exposure control unit 110 outputs laser light corresponding to the image signal. The laser beam is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 111 while being scanned by the polygon mirror 110a. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the scanned laser beam is formed on the photosensitive drum 111.

  The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 111 is developed by the developing unit 113 and visualized as a toner image. On the other hand, the sheet (recording paper) P is conveyed to the transfer unit 116 from the cassettes 114 and 115, the manual sheet feeding unit 125 or the double-sided conveyance path 124. Then, the visualized toner image on the photosensitive drum 111 is transferred to the sheet P in the transfer unit 116. The sheet P after the transfer is subjected to a fixing process by the fixing unit 117. The sheet P that has passed through the fixing unit 117 is once guided to the path 122 by the switching member 121, and after the trailing end of the sheet P has exited the switching member 121, the sheet P is switched back and conveyed to the discharge roller 118 by the switching member 121. Then, the sheet P is conveyed from the printer unit 300 to the tab processing unit 400 of the sheet processing apparatus 3000 by the discharge roller 118. Thus, the sheet P can be conveyed from the printer unit 300 to the tab processing unit 400 with the surface on which the toner image is formed facing downward (face down).

  As described above, by conveying the sheet P from the printer unit 300 to the tab processing unit 400 face down, it is possible to align the page order when performing image forming processing in order from the first page. For example, the page order can be aligned when image forming processing is performed using the document feeder 100 or when image forming processing is performed based on image data transmitted from a computer. When image forming processing is performed on a hard sheet such as an OHP sheet fed from the manual sheet feeding unit 125, the surface on which the toner image is formed is faced up (face up) without guiding the sheet to the path 122. ) And conveyed to the tab processing unit 400 by the discharge roller 118. When image forming processing is performed on both sides of the sheet, the sheet is guided from the fixing unit 117 to the discharge roller 118, and the sheet is switched back immediately after the trailing end of the sheet passes through the switching member 121. To the double-sided conveyance path 124.

  Next, the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 3000 will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 3000. First, the configuration of the tab processing unit 400 will be described. The tab processing unit 400 includes a conveyance path 430 for introducing the sheet discharged from the printer unit 300 and guiding the sheet to the finisher 500 side. The tab processing unit 400 includes a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 431, 432, and 433 that are provided along the conveyance path 430 and convey a sheet.

  The tab processing unit 400 is provided in the conveyance path 430 as a sheet cutting unit, and is arranged on the upstream side of the conveyance roller pair 432 in the sheet conveyance direction, and on the downstream side of the conveyance roller pair 432 in the sheet conveyance direction. A tab cutter 420 to be operated. Below the tab cutters 410 and 420, a dust box 440 for receiving the cut sheet waste is provided. Further, on the upstream side of the tab cutter 420 in the sheet conveyance direction, a sheet leading edge detection sensor 415 that detects an end portion (leading edge portion) on the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction is provided.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the tab cutter 410 (420). The tab cutter 410 includes a punch 411 serving as a cutting blade, a die 412 disposed so as to face the punch 411, and a driving unit 413 that drives the punch 411 to cut a sheet. Similar to the tab cutter 410, the tab cutter 420 includes a punch 411, a die 412, and a drive unit 413.

  The punch 411 is supported by two rail pins 414 so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the die 412. The punch 411 has blade edges 411a, 411b, and 411c formed in a crank shape, and the die 412 facing the punch 411 has blade edges 412a, 412b, and 412c formed in the same shape as the blade edges of the punch 411. is doing. By forming the punch 411 and the die 412 in a crank shape in this way, it is possible to cut out the edge of the sheet and form a tab on the sheet.

  The drive unit 413 has an eccentric cam 416 that contacts the upper surface of the punch 411 and moves the punch 411 in the vertical direction, and a tab punch motor 417 that rotates the cam 416. The tab cutter 410 can be moved in the sheet conveyance direction (in the direction of arrow a in FIGS. 2 and 3) according to the size of the sheet to be cut by driving a tab cutter moving motor 418 (FIG. 4) described later.

  The tab cutters 410 and 420 can be moved independently in the width direction (in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by driving a die movement motor 419 (FIG. 4) described later. As a result, a tab can be created at a designated position on the sheet. In addition, the tab cutters 410 and 420 are moved in the direction of the arrow b, and the edge of the sheet is cut only by the blade edge 411a of the punch 411 and the blade edge 412a of the die 412, so that the cut shape of the edge of the sheet is linear. Is also possible. That is, the tab cutters 410 and 420 are configured to be able to selectively execute processing for cutting the entire end portion of the sheet in a straight line and processing for cutting out the end portion of the sheet to form a tab.

  Here, when tab processing is performed, only the tab cutter 420 is formed when the tab is formed only at the downstream end of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction, and the tab cutter 410 is formed only when the tab is formed at the upstream end of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction. Only work. Further, when tabs are formed at both the upstream end and the downstream end of the sheet, the tab cutters 410 and 420 are operated.

  Hereinafter, a case where tab processing is performed on the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of the sheet will be described. The tab cutter 410 is moved in the sheet conveying direction to an appropriate position according to the size of the sheet conveyed from the printer unit 300. Next, when the downstream end portion of the sheet is detected by the sheet leading edge detection sensor 415, the sheet is stopped at an optimal position for tab processing. Thereafter, the punches 411 of the tab cutters 410 and 420 are operated by the tab punch motor 417, and a part of the upstream and downstream ends of the sheet stopped on the conveyance path 430 is cut to create a tab. The sheet on which the tab is formed is conveyed by a pair of conveying rollers 432 and 433 and transferred to the finisher 500. The cut sheet waste is stored in a dust box 440 disposed below the tab cutters 410 and 420. The tab processing operation by the tab processing unit 400 is selectively performed.

  Next, the configuration of the finisher 500 will be described. The finisher 500 is configured to be able to perform processing (alignment processing) in which the sheets discharged from the printer unit 300 are sequentially fetched via the tab processing unit 400, and the plurality of fetched sheets P are aligned and bundled into one bundle. ing. The finisher 500 is also configured to perform various processes such as a stapling process for binding the vicinity of the rear end of the sheet bundle and a sorting / non-sorting process.

  Further, the finisher 500 is configured to be capable of performing a folding process for folding a sheet bundle, a two-fold bookbinding process, and a cutting process for cutting an end portion (a fore edge side) opposite to a folded portion of the folded sheet bundle. The finisher 500 includes a saddle stitching processing device 502 and a side stitching processing device 503, and can process a sheet discharged from the printer unit 300 online. The finisher 500 has a transport path 520 for taking the sheet P transported via the tab processing unit 400 into the apparatus, and the transport path 520 is provided with a plurality of transport roller pairs. The conveyance path 520 is provided with a punch unit 530. The punch unit 530 is operated as necessary to perform punching processing in the vicinity of the rear end of the conveyed sheet P. A switching member 513 that switches the path between an upper discharge path 521 and a lower discharge path 522 connected downstream is provided at the end of the transport path 520. The upper paper discharge path 521 discharges paper to the stack tray 701.

  The lower discharge path 522 is provided with a switching member 514 that switches the path to the saddle discharge path 523. A flat stitching processing device 503 is disposed at the end of the lower discharge path 522, and a saddle stitching processing device 502 is disposed at the end of the saddle discharge path 523. The side binding processing device 503 includes a processing tray 550 on which sheets discharged from the lower discharge path 522 are stacked, a stapler 560 that performs a stapling process on the stacked sheet bundle, and a bundle discharge that discharges the sheet bundle to the outside of the apparatus. A pair of paper rollers 551. The sheets discharged from the lower discharge path 522 to the processing tray 550 are accommodated in a bundle while being sequentially aligned, and sorting processing and stapling processing are performed according to the settings from the operation unit 302 (FIG. 1). Thereafter, the sheet bundle is discharged to the stack trays 700 and 701 by the bundle discharge roller pair 551.

  The stapler 560 is movable in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and can be stapled at an arbitrary position in the width direction of the sheet bundle. The stack trays 700 and 701 are configured to be movable in the vertical direction, and the upper stack tray 701 can receive sheets from the upper discharge path 521 and the processing tray 550. Further, the lower stack tray 700 can receive sheets from the processing tray 550. In this way, a large number of sheets can be stacked on the stack trays 700 and 701, and the stacked sheets are regulated and aligned by the rear end guide 710 extending in the vertical direction at the rear end.

  The saddle stitch processing apparatus 502 includes a saddle stitch bookbinding unit 800 and a trimmer unit 600. First, the saddle stitch bookbinding unit 800 will be described. The sheet switched to the saddle discharge path side by the switching member 514 provided in the lower discharge path 522 passes through the saddle discharge path 523 and is sent to the saddle stitch bookbinding portion 800. The sheet is transferred to the saddle inlet roller pair 801, the carry-in port is selected by the switching member 802 operated by a solenoid according to the sheet size, and is carried into the storage guide 803. The sheet carried into the storage guide 803 is conveyed by the sliding roller 804 until the leading end of the sheet comes into contact with the movable sheet positioning member 805. The sheet positioning member 805 is provided with an auxiliary abutting member 806 that can move in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction on one side. The saddle entrance roller pair 801 and the sliding roller 804 are driven by a motor M1. In addition, a stapler 820 is provided in the middle of the storage guide 803 so as to face the storage guide 803. The stapler 820 includes a driver 820a that projects a needle and an anvil 820b that bends the projected needle. Note that the sheet positioning member 805 stops at a position where the center portion in the sheet conveyance direction becomes the binding position of the stapler 820 when the sheet is carried in. The sheet positioning member 805 is movable under the driving of the motor M2, and changes its position according to the sheet size.

  On the downstream side of the stapler 820, folding roller pairs 810a and 810b are provided as folding means for folding the sheet bundle, and a protruding member 830 is provided at a position opposite to the folding roller pairs 810a and 810b. The protruding member 830 has a position retracted from the storage guide 803 as a home position, and is driven by the motor M3. The protrusion member 830 folds the sheet bundle while pushing it toward the stored sheet bundle while pushing the sheet bundle into the nip of the pair of folding rollers 810a and 810b. Thereafter, the protruding member 830 returns to the home position again. A pressing force sufficient to crease the sheet bundle is applied between the pair of folding rollers 810a and 810b by a spring (not shown).

  The creased sheet bundle is discharged to the crease press unit 860 via the first fold conveyance roller pair 811a and 811b and the second fold conveyance roller pair 812a and 812b. Note that a pressing force sufficient to convey and stop the folded sheet bundle is also applied to the first fold conveyance roller pair 811a and 811b and the second fold conveyance roller pair 812a and 812b by a spring (not shown). Yes. The pair of folding rollers 810a and 810b, the first pair of folding and conveying rollers 811a and 811b, and the pair of second folding and conveying rollers 812a and 812b are driven by the same motor M4 and rotate at a constant speed.

  Further, when the sheet bundle bound by the stapler 820 is folded, the position of the sheet positioning member 805 at the time of the staple process is set so that the staple position of the sheet bundle comes to the nip position of the pair of folding rollers 810a and 810b after the staple process is finished. Descent a predetermined distance from. Thus, the booklet can be formed by folding the sheet bundle in half around the position where the stapling process has been performed.

  An alignment plate pair 815 that aligns the sheet bundle stored in the storage guide 803 in the width direction is provided on the downstream side of the stapler 820 in the sheet conveyance direction. The alignment plate pair 815 is positioned in the width direction of the sheet bundle by receiving the drive of the motor M5 and moving in the sandwiching direction with respect to the sheet bundle.

  A crease press unit 860 is provided on the downstream side of the second fold conveyance roller pair 812a and 812b in the sheet conveyance direction. The crease press unit 860 includes a press roller pair 861 that can move in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. The press roller pair 861 moves while nipping the fold (folded portion) of the booklet, whereby the fold can be strengthened.

  Next, the trimmer unit 600 will be described. The trimmer unit 600 is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the saddle stitch bookbinding unit 800. The trimmer unit 600 is sequentially arranged from the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and includes a first conveyance unit 610, a second conveyance unit 620, a trim unit 630 serving as a sheet bundle cutting unit, a third conveyance unit 640, and a fourth conveyance unit 650. And a paper discharge unit 660.

  The first transport unit 610 includes a lower transport belt 611 disposed on the lower side of the transport path to receive a folded booklet from the saddle stitch bookbinding unit 800, and a pair disposed on both sides of the lower transport belt 611 in the width direction. Side guide 612. By operating the pair of side guides 612 in the width direction of the booklet, the skew of the booklet can be corrected.

  The booklet delivered to the lower conveyance belt 611 is conveyed to a second conveyance unit 620 and a third conveyance unit 640 as sheet conveyance means. The third transport unit 640 has a stopper 641 that can be moved in and out of the transport path and can also move in the transport direction. The fourth transport unit 650 has an S-shaped transport path, transports the booklet upward, and discharges it to the paper discharge unit 660. The first, second, and third transport units 610, 620, and 640 are straight paths.

  The trim portion 630 includes a cutter unit 631 having a pressing member 632 and a cutter 633a as a movable blade, and a fixed blade 633b disposed to face the cutter 633a. The trim unit 630 includes a shutter 625 that is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the second conveying unit 620 and moves in conjunction with the cutter unit 631 by a cam (not shown) attached to the cutter unit 631. Yes.

  The cutter 633a of the cutter unit 631 has a cutting edge disposed along the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and similarly, the fixed blade 633b has a cutting edge disposed along the width direction. The cutter unit 631 is driven by a motor (not shown), and the pressing member 632 and the cutter 633a are integrally formed vertically downward (direction toward the fixed blade 633b) and upward (direction away from the fixed blade 633b). Move to. Thereby, the cutter 633a moves with respect to the fixed blade 633b. The shutter 625 moves to the closed position in conjunction with the movement of the cutter unit 631 downward, and moves to the open position in conjunction with the movement of the cutter unit 631 upward.

  Here, the pressing member 632 is arranged in a state where it is biased downward by a spring (not shown) and protrudes downward from the cutter 633a. Then, when the presser member 632 and the cutter 633a are lowered, the presser member 632 contacts the booklet in advance. When the cutter unit 631 is further lowered, a spring (not shown) is compressed, and the booklet is sandwiched between the pressing member 632 and the fixed blade 633b. In this way, the booklet is sandwiched between the pressing member 632 and the fixed blade 633b, thereby preventing the booklet from shifting. By further lowering the cutter unit 631 in this state, it is possible to cut the end portion on the fore edge side of the booklet (the end portion opposite to the folded portion of the folded sheet bundle) by the cutter 633a. Further, a waste box 635 is disposed below the cutter unit 631 and wastes cut by the cutter unit 631 are stored. The booklet cut by the trim unit 630 is transported to the fourth transport unit 650 and discharged to the paper discharge unit 660.

  The inserter 900 is provided in the upper part of the finisher 500, and is a sheet (insert sheet) different from a normal sheet between the first page, the last page of the sheet bundle, or the sheet on which an image is formed by the printer unit 300. ) To insert. The inserter 900 then joins the sheets set on the insert trays 901 and 902 to the conveyance path 520 at a desired timing. Thus, the inserter 900 feeds the inserter sheet to any one of the stack trays 700 and 701, the processing tray 550, and the storage guide 803 without passing through the printer unit 300.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 960 that controls the copying machine 1000. The control unit 960 includes a CPU circuit unit 150, and the CPU circuit unit 150 includes a CPU 150A, a ROM 150B, and a RAM 150C. The document feeding control unit 101, the operation unit 302, the image reader control unit 201, the image signal control unit 202, the printer control unit 303, and the finisher control unit 501 are collectively controlled by a control program stored in the ROM 150B. . In FIG. 4, reference numeral 203 denotes an external I / F that is an interface between the copying machine 1000 and the external computer 204. Then, the external I / F 203 develops the print data from the computer 204 into a bitmap image and outputs it as image data to the image signal control unit 202. The RAM 150C temporarily stores control data and is used as a work area for arithmetic processing associated with control. The document feeding control unit 101 controls driving of the document feeding unit 100 based on an instruction from the CPU circuit unit 150. The image reader control unit 201 performs drive control on the image sensor 109 and the like provided in the image reader unit 200, and transfers an analog image signal output from the image sensor 109 to the image signal control unit 202. The image signal control unit 202 converts each analog image signal from the image sensor 109 into a digital signal, performs each process, converts the digital signal into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the printer control unit 303. The digital image signal input from the computer 204 via the external I / F 203 is subjected to various processes, and the digital image signal is converted into a video signal and output to the printer control unit 303. The processing operation by the printer control unit 303 is controlled by the CPU circuit unit 150. The printer control unit 303 drives the exposure control unit 110 (FIG. 1) based on the input video signal. The operation unit 302 includes a plurality of keys for setting various functions relating to image formation, a display unit for displaying information indicating a setting state, and the like. A key signal corresponding to the operation of each key is output to the CPU circuit unit 150, and corresponding information is displayed on the display unit based on the signal from the CPU circuit unit 150. The finisher control unit 501 is mounted on the sheet processing apparatus 3000 and performs drive control of the entire sheet processing apparatus by exchanging information with the CPU circuit unit 150. That is, the finisher control unit 501 performs drive control of the tab processing unit 400, the saddle stitch binding unit 800, the trimmer unit 600, and the inserter 900. The finisher control unit 501 drives and controls the tab punch motor 417, the tab cutter moving motor 418, and the die moving motor 419 of the tab processing unit 400.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, it is possible to form tabs on a sheet that forms a booklet by cutting out the end portions of the sheet by the tab cutters 410 and 420 of the tab processing unit 400. Therefore, when the sheet bundle is folded, a cover sheet as a cover sheet as an outer sheet and a booklet are arranged on the inner side of the cover sheet, and tabs are formed by notching the end portion on the opposite side to the folded portion. It is possible to create a booklet composed of a middle sheet as a middle sheet.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control unit 960 when creating a booklet. Hereinafter, an operation of creating a booklet in which tabs are formed on the inner sheet by the sheet processing apparatus 3000 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 along the flowchart of FIG. 5. The control unit 960 determines whether the saddle stitch bookbinding unit 800 performs saddle stitch binding (S1). When the saddle stitch bookbinding is not performed (S1: No), the control unit 960 proceeds to another process (S2).

  When the saddle stitch bookbinding is performed (S1: Yes), the control unit 960 determines whether or not to form a tab on the sheet serving as the middle sheet of the booklet (S3). When forming a tab on the middle sheet (S3: Yes), the control unit 960 inputs the sheet information set by the operation unit 302 (S4), and sets the tab cutter 410 in the sheet conveyance direction (arrow a) according to the sheet size. Direction) (S5). Here, the sheet information is information regarding the sheet size, the sheet type (thickness), and the number of sheets constituting the booklet.

  Next, the control unit 960 moves the auxiliary abutting member 806 disposed on the sheet positioning member 805 to a position corresponding to the sheet width (S6). Then, the control unit 960 drives the die moving motor 419 (FIG. 4) that moves the tab cutters 410 and 420 in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and sets the tab cutters 410 and 420 according to the tab processing position of the intermediate sheet, respectively. Move (S7). Next, when the intermediate sheet discharged from the printer unit 300 is introduced into the conveyance path 430 and the downstream end portion of the intermediate sheet is detected by the sheet leading edge detection sensor 415, the control unit 960 causes the sheet leading edge detection sensor 415 to detect the trailing edge. The intermediate sheet is positioned at a predetermined position on the conveyance path 430 by the signal from

  Then, the control unit 960 performs tab processing for forming tabs by cutting out the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of the intermediate paper with the tab cutters 410 and 420 (S8). Thereafter, the control unit 960 resumes the conveyance of the intermediate paper, and the tabbed intermediate paper is conveyed to the finisher 500. In the finisher 500, the sheet is conveyed to the saddle stitch bookbinding section 800 via the conveyance path 520 and the saddle discharge path 523, and stacked and aligned with the storage guide 803 (S9).

  Here, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state where the auxiliary abutting member 806 is moved to the sheet side on which the tab is formed. As shown in FIG. 6, tabs are formed by notching both ends of the intermediate paper Pi, and the tab portion at the lower end of the intermediate paper Pi is supported by the sheet positioning member 805, so that the intermediate paper The notch portion at the lower end of Pi is supported by the auxiliary abutting member 806. This prevents the middle paper Pi from tilting. The above process is performed on all the middle sheets.

  Next, the control unit 960 determines whether or not it is the final sheet (S10). If it is not the final sheet, the process shifts to the process of S7 to perform a tab processing process for forming tabs by cutting out the end portions of all the middle sheets. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the inclination is regulated by a pair of alignment plates 815 (see FIG. 2) disposed near the center in the sheet conveying direction on both sides in the width direction of the intermediate paper Pi. Therefore, when the sheet bundle is stapled by the stapler 820, the sheet bundle is prevented from being tilted by regulating the width direction of the sheet bundle by the alignment plate pair 815.

  Next, when the tab processing is performed on all the middle sheets (S10: Yes), the control unit 960 determines whether there is a cover sheet that does not form a tab (S11). When there is a cover (S11: Yes), the control unit 960 uses the tab processing unit 400 to cut at least one of the two ends on the opposite side of the folded portion of the cover after folding. Then, a cover shift amount (cutting amount) in the sheet conveyance direction is determined (S12).

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the cover Pf has a storage guide 803 (with the end Pfb on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction on the lower side and the end Pfa on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction on the upper side. 2), the lower end portion Pfb is aligned with the end portion of the intermediate paper Pi. In this state, the stapler 820 is stapled, the folding roller pair 810a and 810b are folded in two, and the folded portion is conveyed downstream. Therefore, of the two end portions Pfa and Pfb of the cover sheet Pf, the end portion Pfa that is on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction in the tab processing unit 400 is the movable blade side in the trim portion 630. In the tab processing unit 400, the end portion Pfb on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction is on the fixed blade side in the trim unit 630. Note that when the printer unit 300 forms an image on the cover, the image is formed on the assumption that the printer 300 is bent at the approximate center of the cover.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, of the two end portions on the side opposite to the folded portion of the cover after folding, the end portion Pfa on the movable blade side after folding, that is, the end portion on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction ( (Rear end) Pfa is cut into a straight line with a cutting amount A1 by the tab cutter 410 (S13). That is, the process of forming the tab by cutting the edge of the intermediate paper Pi by the punch 411 of the tab cutters 410 and 420 in step S8, and the process of cutting the edge of the cover Pf by the punch 411 of the tab cutter 410 in step S13. Is executed. Next, the control unit 960 retracts the auxiliary abutting member 806 shown in FIG. 6 (S14). Thus, the cover sheet Pf is stacked and aligned on the storage guide 803 (FIG. 2) (S15), and the stacked and aligned sheet bundle is stapled by the stapler 820 (S16). Next, the control unit 960 drives the pair of folding rollers 810a and 810b to project the protruding member 830 to fold the sheet bundle in two to create a booklet (S17).

  As described above, since the end portion Pfa on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction is cut, when the sheet bundle is folded by the pair of folding rollers 810a and 810b with the end portion Pfb aligned with the end portion of the intermediate paper. The image formed on the cover does not shift so as to straddle the front and back of the booklet. Therefore, the quality of the bookbinding product is not deteriorated.

  When an image is formed by shifting the image by the cutting amount A1 from the approximate center of the cover to the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction when forming an image on the cover in the printer unit 300, the end Pfb on the fixed blade side, that is, The end portion Pfb on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction may be cut by the cutting amount A1. In other words, even if any of the end portions Pfa and Pfb of the front cover Pf is cut, the end portion Pfb of the front cover Pf and the lower end of the middle paper are aligned and stapled and folded by the storage guide 803. What is necessary is just to cut | disconnect at least one of two edge parts according to an image formation position.

  Next, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a booklet before trimming the edge part on the fore edge side by the trim part 630. The booklet Pb shown in FIG. 7 is created by the process of S17 of the flowchart shown in FIG. Staple S is given to the bent portion of the booklet Pb. The control unit 960 moves the stopper 641 to a position where the trim portion 630 cuts the end portion on the fore edge side of the booklet by a predetermined cutting amount (hereinafter referred to as trim amount) M. Next, the control unit 960 transports the booklet to abut against the stopper 641, and stops the transport in this state. As a result, the cutter unit 631 (cutter 633a) is moved downward, whereby the edge of the booklet on the edge side is cut by the trim amount M (S18). Then, the control unit 960 determines whether or not the bundle is the final bundle (S19). If the bundle is not the final bundle (S19: No), the process proceeds to S6. If the bundle is the final bundle (S19: Yes), the process ends. To do.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram in the case where the trimming part 630 cuts the edge part on the fore edge side of the booklet. In FIG. 8, the inner paper indicates a tab portion. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the booklet after trimming the edge part on the fore edge side by the trim part 630. Here, the cutting amount A1 of the cover in the tab processing unit 400 is set so that the end portion Pfa on the movable blade side of the cover is not cut by the cutter 633a.

  In the present embodiment, the cutting amount A1 is set according to the trim amount M of the booklet in the trim portion 630. More specifically, first, the minimum trimming length of the booklet trim amount M in the trim portion 630 is 2 mm, and the user can set the trim amount M to be equal to or larger than the minimum trimming length by the operation unit 302. The trim amount M is a distance from the edge of the cover when it is assumed that the cover is not cut as shown in FIG.

The control unit 960 sets the cover cutting amount A1 according to the trim amount M set in this way. In the present embodiment,
A1 = M
The cutting amount A1 is set so that That is, the trimming amount A1 is set to be equal to the trim amount M. Accordingly, the booklet Pb is cut at the position Z in FIGS. 7 and 8 by the cutter 633a, and the booklet Pb having the fore edge side aligned is formed as shown in FIG. At this time, the cover which is the outermost sheet of the booklet is not cut by the trim section 630 of the trimmer unit 600 because the cover is cut in a straight line by the tab processing section 400 in advance.

  As described above, before the sheet bundle is folded by the pair of folding rollers 810a and 810b, one end Pfa of the two ends opposite to the folded portion of the cover is preliminarily cut by the tab cutter 410 by the cutting amount A1. By cutting, no cutting failure occurs on the cover. Therefore, the edge of the booklet on the edge side is aligned, and a high-quality bookbinding product can be created. In addition, it is also possible to improve the quality of the bookbinding product by configuring the trimming amount A1 to be finely adjustable by the user using the operation unit 302.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, a case has been described in which the outer sheet is only one front sheet, and tabs are formed on all the middle sheets arranged inside the front sheet in a booklet state. In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which the outer sheet is a cover sheet that is a cover sheet, and a sheet such as a middle cover sheet and a table of contents that are arranged so as to overlap the inside of the cover sheet. In the description of the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram in the case where the edge portion on the fore edge side of the booklet is cut by the trim portion 630 of the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, the intermediate paper Pi indicates a tab portion. As the outer sheet on which the tab is not formed, there are sheets such as a middle cover and a table of contents in addition to the cover Pf as the cover sheet. In FIG. 10, there are sheets Pf2 and Pf3. The sheets Pf2 and Pf3 on which this type of tab is not formed are arranged so as to overlap the inside of the cover Pf, and are preferably cut in advance in the same manner as the cover Pf.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, similarly to the cover sheet Pf, the end portions of the sheets Pf2 and Pf3 are cut in advance in a straight line by the tab cutters 410 and 420 (see FIG. 2) of the tab processing unit 400. Here, assuming that the order of the cover is 1, and the order of the sheets arranged inside the cover is n (a positive integer), the cutting amount An is
An = M + B × (n−1)
Is set to be Here, M is the trim amount by the trim unit 630 described above, and B is a correction value set based on the sheet information. That is, the cutting amount A1 of the cover Pf is set based on the trim amount M, and the sheets Pf2 and Pf3 inside the cover Pf are set based on the trim amount M and the sheet information.

  This sheet information is the type (that is, thickness) of the sheet. Here, the difference between the leading edge of the sheet and the leading edge of the sheet inside the sheet varies depending on the type (thickness) of the sheet. Therefore, the correction value B is a value corresponding to the type of the sheet and is obtained by experiment.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a table X of correction values B corresponding to sheet information. In this table X, the correction value B corresponding to thick paper is set to B1, the correction value B corresponding to plain paper is B2, and the correction value B corresponding to thin paper is set to B3. This table X is stored in a ROM 150B (FIG. 4) as storage means. When the user sets sheet information (sheet type) using the operation unit 302, the correction value B corresponding to the set sheet type is determined. For example, in the case of plain paper, the correction value B is determined to be B2. For example, the difference between the leading edge of the sheet and the leading edge of the sheet outside the sheet is 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm as a result of an experiment in the case of plain paper, so B2 is set to 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm. ROM 150B (FIG. 4).

  Referring to FIG. 10, the cutting amount A1 of the cover Pf is equal to the trim amount M, as in the first embodiment described above. Since the cutting amount A2 of the sheet Pf2 arranged inside protrudes by a distance B to the outside of the cover, it is an amount obtained by adding the correction value B to the trim amount M. Further, the sheet Pf3 disposed on the inside protrudes by a distance B from the sheet Pf2, but protrudes twice as much as the distance B from the cover Pf. Therefore, the cutting amount A3 of the sheet Pf3 is an amount obtained by adding twice the correction value B to the trim amount M.

  Since the cutting amounts of the sheets Pf, Pf2, and Pf3 are set in this way, when the sheet bundle is bent, the end portions on the movable blade side of the sheets Pf, Pf2, and Pf3 are aligned as shown in FIG. . Further, when the trim portion 630 cuts the end portion on the fore edge side of the booklet, the end portions on the movable blade side of the sheets Pf, Pf2, and Pf3 are not cut by the cutter 633a, and no cutting failure occurs. And the edge part by the side of a booklet is aligned, and it becomes possible to create a high-quality bookbinding product. By configuring the cutting amount An so that it can be changed by the operation unit 302, the operator can make fine adjustments such as cutting at a position slightly retracted from the cover, and adjust the finish of the sheet bundle.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said 1st, 2nd embodiment, this invention is not limited to this. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the tabs are formed by cutting out the end portions of the middle sheet by the tab cutters 410 and 420 of the tab processing unit 400 is not limited to this, and the tabs are formed in advance. It may be a case where a sheet is used. In this case, the tab cutters 410 and 420 as sheet cutting means do not need to form tabs by cutting out the end portions of the intermediate sheet, but only cut the end portions of the outer sheet in a straight line. When there is no plan to use a sheet other than the sheet on which the tab is formed in advance as the middle sheet, the sheet cutting means is a cutting unit that cuts the end of the sheet in a straight line instead of the tab cutters 410 and 420. Also good.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the tab cutters 410 and 420 perform the process of cutting the edge of the outer sheet in a straight line and the process of cutting the edge of the middle sheet to form a tab has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to the tab cutter, the sheet cutting means may be provided with a cutting section that cuts the edge of the sheet in a straight line. In this case, the cutting section performs a process of cutting the edge of the middle sheet with the tab cutter. Thus, the process of cutting the end portion of the outer sheet in a straight line may be performed.

301: Image forming unit, 410, 420 ... Tab cutter (sheet cutting means), 411 ... Punch (cutting blade), 630 ... Trim part (sheet bundle cutting means), 633a ... Cutter (movable blade), 633b ... Fixed blade, 810a , 810b ... Folding roller pair (bending means), 1000 ... Copier (image forming apparatus), 3000 ... Sheet processing apparatus

Claims (7)

Sheet cutting means for cutting the edge of the sheet forming the folded booklet;
Fold a sheet bundle consisting of an outer sheet without a notch and an inner sheet placed inside the outer sheet in the form of a booklet and having a notch formed at the end opposite to the folded part. Bending means for forming a booklet,
A fixed blade, and a movable blade that moves relative to the fixed blade, and a sheet bundle cutting means that cuts an end opposite to the folded portion of the sheet bundle formed by the bending means,
Prior to folding the sheet bundle, the sheet cutting means includes at least one of the two ends opposite to the folded portion of the outer sheet after folding, and the movable blade of the outer sheet after folding. A sheet processing apparatus that cuts in advance a cutting amount that is set so that a side edge portion is not cut by the movable blade.   The said sheet cutting means cuts the edge part which becomes the said movable blade side after bending among the two edge parts which become the opposite side to the bending part of the outer sheet | seat after bending. Sheet processing equipment.   The bending means bends the sheet bundle in a state in which the end portion on the fixed blade side is aligned with the end portion of the middle sheet after bending of the two end portions on the opposite side to the bent portion of the outer sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The sheet cutting means has a cutting blade whose blade edge is formed in a crank shape, and selects a process of cutting the edge of the outer sheet linearly by the cutting blade and a process of cutting the edge of the middle sheet 4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is executed automatically.   The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outer sheet cut by the sheet cutting unit is a front sheet of a booklet.   The sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outer sheet cut by the sheet cutting means is a sheet disposed so as to overlap the front sheet of the booklet and the inner side of the front sheet. Processing equipment. An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, which processes a sheet on which an image is formed.

Images