JP3652075B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet processing apparatus that includes a stapling unit that is connected to an image forming apparatus and staples a discharged sheet bundle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a finisher (sheet processing apparatus) having a stapler that staples a sheet bundle on an output bin (sheet stacking unit) from which a sheet is discharged has a gap between the sheets when the stapler executes the staple. It was the maximum time for stapling on the specification.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above conventional example, when the sheet bundle on the output bin is stapled and the subsequent sheet is discharged (output) to another output bin, the next sheet is conveyed after waiting for the maximum time for stapling. Because it allowed, the throughput of the device was greatly reduced.
[0004]
The present invention provides a sheet processing apparatus that increases the throughput of the apparatus by controlling the interval between subsequent sheets to be discharged in accordance with the execution status of the stapling operation of the sheet bundle discharged on the sheet stacking unit. It is for the purpose.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a sheet stacking unit for stacking discharged sheets;
A staple means for stapling a sheet bundle on said sheet stacking means,
A staple operation time measurement means for measuring staple operation time of the stapling means,
In consideration of the operating time of the stapling means measured by said staple operation time measuring means, and control means for controlling the subsequent sheet interval to be discharged to the sheet stacking means,
It is characterized by having.
[0006]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the stapling operation time measuring means is provided in the sheet processing apparatus.
[0007]
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the stapling operation time measuring means is provided in the main body of the connected image forming apparatus.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 4, said sheet processing apparatus, an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet being conveyed, a sheet discharging means for discharging the sheet with the image formed by said image forming means to the sheet processing apparatus, It is characterized by having.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 5 is a plurality of sheet stacking means for stacking discharged sheets;
Drive means for moving any one of the plurality of sheet stacking means to a stapling position;
Stapling means for stapling a sheet bundle on the sheet stacking means moved to the stapling position by the driving means ;
Stapling operation time measuring means for measuring the stapling operation time of the stapling means;
Sheet stacking means moving time measuring means for measuring the moving time of the sheet stacking means moved by the driving means;
In consideration of the stapling operation time and stapling means which is measured by the operation time measuring means, said sheet stacking means movement time required for the sheet stacking means switching measured by the time measuring means, is discharged to the sheet stacking means Control means for controlling subsequent sheet spacing;
It is characterized by having.
[0010]
[Action]
Based on the above configuration, when the sheet bundle discharged to the sheet stacking unit is stapled by the stapling unit, the actual operation time of the stapling unit is measured by the stapling operation time measuring unit. According to the measured operation time, the interval of the next sheet discharged to the sheet stacking unit is controlled by the control unit, so that the sheet stacking property on the sheet stacking unit is improved and the throughput of the apparatus is increased. .
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
<First Embodiment>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
First, an example of an image forming apparatus main body to which the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention can be connected will be described with reference to FIG.
[0013]
The image forming apparatus main body (copier main body) 12 includes a platen glass 906 serving as a document placement table, a light source 907, a lens system 908, a paper feeding unit 909, an image forming unit 902, and an automatic document for feeding the original to the platen glass 906 A sheet feeding device 940, a sheet processing device 6 that sorts and stores image-formed sheets discharged from the copying machine main body, and the like are provided.
[0014]
The sheet feeding unit 909 includes cassettes 910 and 911 that store recording sheets S and are detachable from the apparatus main body 12, and a deck 913 disposed in the pedestal 912. The image forming unit 902 includes a cylindrical photosensitive drum 914 and a developing unit 915 around it, a transfer charger 916, a separation charger 917, a cleaner 918, a primary charger 919, and the like. A conveying device 920, a fixing device 904, a discharge roller pair 905, and the like are disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit (image forming unit) 902.
[0015]
The discharge roller pair 905, the conveyance device 920, and other conveyance rollers constitute a conveyance unit 30 that discharges the sheet 11 from the image forming apparatus main body 12.
[0016]
The operation of the image forming apparatus main body will be described.
[0017]
When a paper feed signal is output from a control device (control means) 14 provided on the apparatus main body side 12, the sheet S is fed from the cassettes 910 and 911 or the deck 913. On the other hand, the light reflected from the light source 907 on the document D placed on the document table 906 is applied to the photosensitive drum 914 via the lens system 908. The photosensitive drum 914 is charged in advance by a primary charger 919, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by light irradiation, and then the electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing unit 915 to form a toner image. .
[0018]
The sheet 11 fed from the paper feeding unit 909 is corrected for skew by the registration rollers 901, and further sent to the image forming unit 902 at the same timing. In the image forming unit 902, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 914 is transferred to the sent sheet 11 by the transfer charger 916, and the sheet 11 on which the toner image is transferred is transferred by the separation charger 917. And is separated from the photosensitive drum 914.
[0019]
Then, the separated sheet 11 is conveyed to the fixing device 904 by the conveying device 920, and the transfer image is permanently fixed on the sheet 11 by the fixing device 904. The sheet 11 on which the image is fixed is discharged from the apparatus main body 12 by a discharge roller pair (sheet discharge means) 905.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a plan view.
[0021]
In the figure, 1 is a stapler unit for performing stapling, 2 is a stapler (stapling means) from which staples are stapled, 3 is a solenoid for striking staples, 4 is a bin moving unit for moving the output bin up and down, A motor that is a drive source of the bin moving unit, 6 is a sorter unit that distributes printed sheets to each output bin, 7 is an output bin (sheet stacking unit) that outputs printed sheets, 10 is a finisher control unit, and 11 is printing A completed sheet, 12 is an image forming apparatus main body, 13 is a paper discharge port for discharging a printed sheet from the stapler unit, 14 is an image forming apparatus control unit, and 15 is a host computer for instructing printing. Reference numeral 16 denotes a sheet discharge position.
[0022]
The relationship between the CPUs 20 and 27 of the finisher control unit 10 and the image forming apparatus control unit 14 and input / output elements will be described with reference to FIG.
[0023]
A print command is transmitted from the host computer 15 to the image formation control unit 14 through the communication 31. A communication buffer 28, a CPU 27, and a communication buffer 26 are provided in the image formation control unit 14, and information such as a print state, an output bin designation, a time inquiry, a stapling process designation, and the like is transmitted via the communication 30 to the finisher control unit 10. To be told.
[0024]
A communication buffer 24, a CPU 20, a solenoid driver 21, and a motor driver 22 are disposed in the finisher control unit 10. The DIR 32 is connected to the output port of the CPU 20 and determines the rotation direction of the motor 5. When the CPU 20 receives a staple execution instruction, the CPU 20 drives the solenoid driver 21 to strike the staples of the sheet bundle and carry out the sheets. If the output bin designation of the next sheet to be output is different, the CPU 20 uses the motor driver 22 to move the bin.
[0025]
In the above configuration, the printed sheet printed on the image forming apparatus main body 12 is carried into the stapler unit 1 from the discharge port 35 by the conveying means 30 (FIG. 6) of the image forming apparatus main body 12 and is stapled by the stapler 2. In a bundled state, the paper is discharged to the sorter 6 and stacked at the paper discharge position 16. The sheet conveyed next to the sheet to be stapled must wait in accordance with the staple operation time.
[0026]
As the standby position for the succeeding sheet, the cassette 910, 911 part by delaying the sheet feeding from the cassette 910, 911, the registration roller 901 part by delaying the restart of the sheet from the registration roller 901, or the like. Various possibilities are possible.
[0027]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of stapling time measurement in the finisher control unit 10. FIG. 6 is a block diagram relating to the control of the sheet processing apparatus.
[0028]
Starting at S1, the sheet to be stapled is conveyed (S2), and the completion of the conveyance is waited (S3). At this point, a staple execution instruction is waited (S4). When the staple execution instruction is received, the staple operation time measuring means 31a (FIG. 6) starts measuring the staple time (S5), executes the staple (S6), and confirms the end (S7).
[0029]
When the stapling time can be measured (S8), the stapling time is notified to the image forming control unit (S9), and the process ends (10).
[0030]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for controlling the sheet interval between the staple sheet and the next sheet in the image forming apparatus main body 12.
[0031]
In step S11, a sheet to be stapled is conveyed in step S12 and waits for completion (S13). The sheet conveyance end time is stored in _Tst, and the time measurement for permitting the conveyance of the next sheet is started (S14).
[0032]
Next, a stapling execution instruction is issued (S15), and stapling of the sheet bundle is started. When the next bin is conveyed, if the output bin has changed, the sheet interval must be increased by the movement time of the output bin. The bin moving time is measured by the bin moving time measuring unit 33.
[0033]
Accordingly, the moving time of the output bin is inquired (S16). Then, the value is stored in T _mov (S17). Waiting for notification of the stapling execution time from the finisher control unit 10 (S18), and storing the value in _Tstpl (S19). The time during which the conveyance of the next sheet can be permitted is calculated by the equation T _total = T _mov + T _stpl (S20). The actually elapsed time is calculated according to the equation T _pass = [current time] −T _st (S21) and compared with T _total (S22).
[0034]
When more than T _total has elapsed, the conveyance of the next sheet is started (S23).
[0035]
As described above, by controlling the sheet interval by starting the conveyance of the next sheet according to the stapling operation time of the sheet bundle, the stackability of the sheets on the output bin 7 is improved, and the throughput of the apparatus is increased. It is done.
[0036]
<Second Embodiment>
The configuration of the image forming apparatus is exactly the same as that of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the staple time of the stapler 2 is measured by the image forming unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart in the image formation control unit 14.
[0037]
S31, S32, S33, and S34 of the present embodiment are exactly the same processes as S11, S12, S13, and S14 of the second embodiment.
[0038]
Next, a staple execution instruction is issued (S35), and the current time at that time is stored in _Tstpl .
[0039]
S36 and S37 of the present embodiment are the same processing as S16 and S17 of the first embodiment. Next, the stapler 2 waits for the end of stapling (S38), and calculates and stores the stapling time (S39).
[0040]
Thereafter, S40, S41, S42, S43, and S44 are the same processes as S20, S21, S22, S23, and S24 of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the finisher control unit 10 does not execute only the step S9 (notifies the image forming apparatus main body 12 of the stapling time), and all other flows are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0041]
According to the flowchart described above, the staple time of the stapler 2 is measured by the staple operation time measuring unit 31b (FIG. 6) in the image forming apparatus main body 12, and the conveyance of the next sheet is controlled accordingly. It becomes like this.
[0042]
In this specification, “considering” means, for example, controlling the sheet interval only by “operation time of the stapling means”, or controlling the sheet interval in consideration of other time. It means both to do. Further, both “the operation time of the stapling means and the operation time required for bin switching” are controlled only by these two operation times, or the sheet interval is controlled in consideration of other times. Means.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when the next sheet is conveyed to the sheet stacking unit after stapling of the sheet bundle, the stapling operation time of the stapling unit is measured, so that the sheet size, the stapling position, etc. The stapling operation time that changes can be measured and recognized in real time, and the interval of the next conveyed sheet is controlled according to this stapling operation time, so that the sheet discharged to the sheet stacking means can be set to the optimum interval. Thus, the sheet stackability is improved and the throughput of the apparatus can be increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a finisher (sheet processing apparatus) according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus main body to which the finisher is connected.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of stapling time measurement of the finisher control unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart related to control of a sheet interval of the image forming apparatus main body.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart relating to control of a sheet interval of an image forming apparatus main body according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram relating to control of the sheet processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus main body according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal front view showing a specific example of the image forming apparatus main body.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Stapler part 2 Stapler (stapling means)
4 Bin moving unit 6 Sorter unit 7 Output bin (sheet stacking means)
10 Finisher control section (control means)
11 Sheet 12 Image Forming Apparatus Main Body 14 Image Forming Apparatus Control Unit (Control Unit)
31a, 31b Staple operation time measuring means 32a, 32b Conveyance permission time measuring means 33 Bin movement time measuring means 902 Photosensitive drum (image forming means)
905 discharge roller pair (sheet discharge means)

Claims (7)

Sheet stacking means for stacking discharged sheets;
A staple means for stapling a sheet bundle on said sheet stacking means,
A staple operation time measurement means for measuring staple operation time of the stapling means,
In consideration of the operating time of the stapling means measured by said staple operation time measuring means, and control means for controlling the subsequent sheet interval to be discharged to the sheet stacking means,
A sheet processing apparatus comprising:   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stapling operation time measuring unit is provided in the sheet processing apparatus.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stapling operation time measuring unit is provided in a connected image forming apparatus main body. A sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, image forming means for forming an image on a sheet being conveyed, the sheet discharge for discharging the sheet with the image formed by said image forming means to the sheet processing apparatus And an image forming apparatus. A plurality of sheet stacking means for stacking discharged sheets;
Drive means for moving any one of the plurality of sheet stacking means to a stapling position;
Stapling means for stapling a sheet bundle on the sheet stacking means moved to the stapling position by the driving means ;
Stapling operation time measuring means for measuring the stapling operation time of the stapling means;
Sheet stacking means moving time measuring means for measuring the moving time of the sheet stacking means moved by the driving means;
In consideration of the stapling operation time and stapling means which is measured by the operation time measuring means, said sheet stacking means movement time required for the sheet stacking means switching measured by the time measuring means, is discharged to the sheet stacking means Control means for controlling subsequent sheet spacing;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: Image forming means;
Sheet stacking means for stacking image-formed sheets;
A staple means for stapling a sheet bundle on said sheet stacking means,
A staple operation time measurement means for measuring staple operation time of the stapling means,
In consideration of the operating time of the stapling means measured by said staple operation time measuring means, and control means for controlling the subsequent sheet interval to be discharged to the sheet stacking means,
An image forming apparatus comprising: Image forming means;
A plurality of sheet stacking means for stacking image-formed sheets;
Drive means for moving any one of the plurality of sheet stacking means to a stapling position;
Stapling means for stapling a sheet bundle on the sheet stacking means moved to the stapling position by the driving means ;
Stapling operation time measuring means for measuring the stapling operation time of the stapling means;
Sheet stacking means moving time measuring means for measuring the moving time of the sheet stacking means moved by the driving means;
In consideration of the stapling operation time and stapling means which is measured by the operation time measuring means, said sheet stacking means movement time required for the sheet stacking means switching measured by the time measuring means, is discharged to the sheet stacking means Control means for controlling subsequent sheet spacing;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

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