US20180346278A1 - Sheet processing apparatus - Google Patents
Sheet processing apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20180346278A1 US20180346278A1 US16/057,879 US201816057879A US2018346278A1 US 20180346278 A1 US20180346278 A1 US 20180346278A1 US 201816057879 A US201816057879 A US 201816057879A US 2018346278 A1 US2018346278 A1 US 2018346278A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- paddle
- sheet
- speed
- sheets
- section
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H37/00—Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating devices for performing specified auxiliary operations
- B65H37/04—Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating devices for performing specified auxiliary operations for securing together articles or webs, e.g. by adhesive, stitching or stapling
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H31/00—Pile receivers
- B65H31/02—Pile receivers with stationary end support against which pile accumulates
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H31/00—Pile receivers
- B65H31/30—Arrangements for removing completed piles
- B65H31/3009—Arrangements for removing completed piles by dropping, e.g. removing the pile support from under the pile
- B65H31/3018—Arrangements for removing completed piles by dropping, e.g. removing the pile support from under the pile from opposite part-support elements, e.g. operated simultaneously
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H31/00—Pile receivers
- B65H31/30—Arrangements for removing completed piles
- B65H31/3027—Arrangements for removing completed piles by the nip between moving belts or rollers
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H31/00—Pile receivers
- B65H31/34—Apparatus for squaring-up piled articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H31/00—Pile receivers
- B65H31/34—Apparatus for squaring-up piled articles
- B65H31/36—Auxiliary devices for contacting each article with a front stop as it is piled
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2220/00—Function indicators
- B65H2220/01—Function indicators indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2220/00—Function indicators
- B65H2220/02—Function indicators indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2220/00—Function indicators
- B65H2220/11—Function indicators indicating that the input or output entities exclusively relate to machine elements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
- B65H2301/40—Type of handling process
- B65H2301/42—Piling, depiling, handling piles
- B65H2301/421—Forming a pile
- B65H2301/4211—Forming a pile of articles alternatively overturned, or swivelled from a certain angle
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
- B65H2301/40—Type of handling process
- B65H2301/42—Piling, depiling, handling piles
- B65H2301/421—Forming a pile
- B65H2301/4212—Forming a pile of articles substantially horizontal
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2404/00—Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
- B65H2404/10—Rollers
- B65H2404/11—Details of cross-section or profile
- B65H2404/111—Details of cross-section or profile shape
- B65H2404/1114—Paddle wheel
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2408/00—Specific machines
- B65H2408/10—Specific machines for handling sheet(s)
- B65H2408/12—Specific machines for handling sheet(s) stapler arrangement
- B65H2408/121—Specific machines for handling sheet(s) stapler arrangement stationary stapler
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
- B65H2511/10—Size; Dimensions
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2513/00—Dynamic entities; Timing aspects
- B65H2513/10—Speed
- B65H2513/11—Speed angular
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2515/00—Physical entities not provided for in groups B65H2511/00 or B65H2513/00
- B65H2515/10—Mass, e.g. mass flow rate; Weight; Inertia
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- B65H2515/112—
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2801/00—Application field
- B65H2801/24—Post -processing devices
- B65H2801/27—Devices located downstream of office-type machines
Definitions
- Embodiments described herein relate generally to a sheet processing apparatus for carrying out a post processing on a sheet on which an image is formed.
- a sheet processing apparatus which executes a post processing such as a stapling processing on sheets loaded on a processing tray.
- the sheet processing apparatus includes a member for adjusting (horizontally aligning) the deviation in a width direction of the sheet and a member for adjusting (vertically aligning) the deviation in a direction orthogonal to the width direction of the sheet.
- the deviation of the sheets loaded on the processing tray is aligned by using a vertical alignment member that rotates around an axis of rotation extending in the width direction of the sheet.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an image forming system according to an embodiment
- FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus and a sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating details of the configuration of each section of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a relation between a standby tray and a paddle section according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the paddle section according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating standby positions of a first paddle and a second paddle according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a sheet moving processing (first operation) by the first paddle according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a vertical alignment processing (second operation) by the first paddle according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating stop positions of the first paddle and the second paddle according to the present embodiment.
- FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a vertical alignment processing (third operation) by the second paddle according to the present embodiment.
- FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state after the vertical alignment processing is completed by the first paddle and the second paddle according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the standby positions of the first paddle and the second paddle after the vertical alignment processing according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing for controlling rotation of the paddle section according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating a relation between time and speed of the paddle section according to the present embodiment
- FIG. 15 is a table illustrating a relation between the speed of the paddle section and the type of a sheet according to another embodiment.
- FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a setting processing of the speed of the paddle section according to sheet type information according to the present embodiment.
- a sheet processing apparatus comprises a standby section configured to buffer a sheet; a processing section configured to receive sheets supplied from the standby section and execute a post processing on the sheets; a rotational shaft configured to rotate around an axis of rotation; a paddle arranged in the rotational shaft and configured to contact the sheet and move the sheets by rotating with the rotational shaft, the paddle being configured to slide the sheets on the processing section to a stopper for aligning the sheets; and a controller configured to control a rotational speed of the rotational shaft to rotate the paddle at a first speed, and control the rotational speed of the rotational shaft to rotate the paddle at a second speed slower than the first speed while the paddle contacts the sheets on the processing section for aligning.
- a sheet processing method involves receiving a plurality of sheets on a processing section; rotating a paddle around an axis of rotation at a first speed; and rotating the paddle at a second speed slower than the first speed while the paddle contacts the sheets on the processing section for aligning by rotating with the axis of rotation.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the entire configuration of an image forming system.
- FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus and a sheet processing apparatus.
- the image forming system contains an image forming apparatus 1 and a sheet processing apparatus 2 .
- the image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on a sheet-like medium (hereinafter, referred to as a “sheet”) such as a paper.
- the sheet processing apparatus 2 carries out a post processing on a sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 1 .
- the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a control panel 11 , a scanner section 12 , a printer section 13 , a sheet feed section 14 , a sheet discharge section 15 and an controller 16 .
- the control panel 11 has interface including various keys for receiving operations of a user. For example, the control panel 11 receives an input relating to a type of the post processing of the sheet. The control panel 11 sends information relating to the input type of the post processing to the sheet processing apparatus 2 .
- the scanner section 12 includes a reading section for reading image information of a copy object.
- the scanner section 12 sends the read image information to the printer section 13 .
- the printer section 13 forms an image (hereinafter, referred to as a “toner image”) with a developing agent such as toner on the basis of the image information sent from the scanner section 12 or an external device.
- the printer section 13 transfers the toner image onto a surface of the sheet.
- the printer section 13 fixes the toner image by applying heat and pressure to the toner image transferred onto the sheet.
- the sheet feed section 14 supplies the sheets one by one to the printer section 13 .
- the sheet discharge section 15 conveys the sheet from the printer section 13 to the sheet processing apparatus 2 .
- the controller 16 controls all operations of the image forming apparatus 1 .
- the controller 16 controls the control panel 11 , the scanner section 12 , the printer section 13 , the sheet feed section 14 and the sheet discharge section 15 .
- the controller 16 is formed by a control circuit containing a CPU, a ROM and a RAM that are not shown.
- the sheet processing apparatus 2 is arranged adjacent to the image forming apparatus 1 .
- the sheet processing apparatus 2 executes a post processing designated through the control panel 11 or the external device such as the client PC on the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 1 .
- the post processing includes a stapling processing or a sorting processing.
- the sheet processing apparatus 2 includes a standby section 21 , a processing section 22 , a discharge section 23 and a controller 24 .
- the standby section 21 temporarily buffers a sheet S (refer to FIG. 3 ) conveyed from the image forming apparatus 1 .
- the standby section 21 enables a plurality of succeeding sheets S to stand by while the post processing on the preceding sheet S is carried out by the processing section 22 .
- the standby section 21 is arranged above the processing section 22 .
- the standby section 21 enables the buffered sheet S to drop towards the processing section 22 if the sheet in the processing section 22 is discharged to the discharge section 23 .
- the processing section 22 carries out the post processing on the sheet S.
- the processing section 22 carries out the stapling processing on a plurality of the aligned sheets S. In this way, a plurality of the sheets S is bound together by staples.
- the processing section 22 discharges the sheet S to which the post processing is carried out to the discharge section 23 .
- the discharge section 23 includes a fixed tray 23 a and a movable tray 23 b.
- the fixed tray 23 a is arranged on the upper part of the sheet processing apparatus 2 .
- the movable tray 23 b is arranged on the side of the sheet processing apparatus 2 .
- the sheet S to which the stapling processing or the sorting processing is carried out is discharged to the movable tray 23 b.
- the controller 24 controls all operations of the sheet processing apparatus 2 .
- the controller 24 controls the standby section 21 , the processing section 22 and the discharge section 23 .
- the controller 24 controls an inlet roller 32 a, an exit roller 33 a, a paddle section 25 (or paddle) and a paddle motor 28 .
- the controller 24 includes a control circuit containing a CPU, a ROM and a RAM that are not shown.
- FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration of each section of the sheet processing apparatus 2 .
- a “sheet conveyance direction” described in the present embodiment refers to a conveyance direction D of the sheet S to the standby tray 211 of the standby section 21 (an approach direction of the sheet S to a standby tray 211 ) or a direction in which the sheet S is conveyed from a processing tray 221 to the movable tray 23 b.
- an “upstream side” and a “downstream side” described in the present embodiment respectively refer to the upstream side and the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction D.
- a “front end part” and a “back end part” described in the present embodiment respectively refer to “the end part of the downstream side” and “the end part of the upstream side” in the sheet conveyance direction D.
- a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction D is referred to as a sheet width direction W.
- a conveyance path 31 is a conveyance path from a sheet supply port 31 p to a sheet discharge port 31 d.
- the sheet supply port 31 p is arranged at a position facing the image forming apparatus 1 .
- the sheet S is supplied from the image forming apparatus 1 to the sheet supply port 31 p.
- the sheet discharge port 31 d is located in the vicinity of the standby section 21 .
- the sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 is discharged to the standby section 21 via the conveyance path 31 .
- the inlet rollers 32 a and 32 b are arranged in the vicinity of the sheet supply port 31 p.
- the inlet rollers 32 a and 32 b convey the sheet S supplied to the sheet supply port 31 p towards the downstream side of the conveyance path 31 .
- the inlet rollers 32 a and 32 b convey the sheet S supplied to the sheet supply port 31 p to the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b.
- the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b are arranged in the vicinity of the sheet discharge port 31 d.
- the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b receive the sheet S conveyed by the inlet rollers 32 a and 32 b .
- the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b convey the sheet S from the sheet discharge port 31 d to the standby section 21 .
- the standby section 21 includes the standby tray (buffer tray) 211 , a conveyance guide 212 , discharge rollers 213 a and 213 b and an opening and closing driving section (not shown).
- the back end part of the standby tray 211 is located in the vicinity of the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b.
- the back end part of the standby tray 211 is located slightly below the sheet discharge port 31 d of the conveyance path 31 .
- the standby tray 211 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction in such a way as to gradually rise towards the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction D.
- the standby tray 211 stacks a plurality of the sheets S to enable them to stand by while the post processing is carried out by the processing section 22 .
- FIG. 4 illustrates a relation between the standby tray 211 and the paddle section 25 described later.
- the standby tray 211 includes a first tray member 211 a and a second tray member 211 b.
- the first tray member 211 a and the second tray member 211 b are separated from each other in a sheet width direction W.
- the first tray member 211 a and the second tray member 211 b is driven by the opening and closing driving section and move in a mutually approaching direction and in a mutually separating direction.
- the first tray member 211 a and the second tray member 211 b support the sheet S conveyed from the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b in a state in which the first tray member 211 a and the second tray member 211 b approach each other.
- the first tray member 211 a and the second tray member 211 b are separated in the mutually separating direction in the sheet width direction W to enable the sheet S to move from the standby tray 211 towards the processing tray 221 .
- the sheet S supported by the standby tray 211 drops from a space between the first tray member 211 a and the second tray member 211 b towards the processing tray 221 .
- the sheet S moves from the standby tray 211 to the processing tray 221 .
- An assist arm 41 shown in FIG. 3 is arranged above the standby tray 211 .
- the length of the assist arm 41 is approximately half or more of that of the standby tray 211 in the sheet conveyance direction D.
- the assist arm 41 has the approximately same length as the standby tray 211 in the sheet conveyance direction D.
- the assist arm 41 is a plate-like member extending upwards the standby tray 211 .
- the sheet S discharged from the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b enters into the space between the assist arm 41 and the standby tray 211 .
- the processing section 22 shown in FIG. 3 includes the processing tray 221 , a stapler 222 , conveyance rollers 223 a and 223 b, and a conveyance belt 224 , a stopper 225 and a horizontal alignment plate 51 .
- the processing tray 221 is arranged below the standby tray 211 .
- the processing tray 221 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction in such away as to gradually rise towards the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction D.
- the processing tray 221 is inclined approximately parallel to the standby tray 211 . As for a plurality of sheets S moved to the processing tray 221 , deviation between the sheets S in the sheet width direction W is aligned by the horizontal alignment plate 51 .
- the stapler 222 is arranged at an end part of the processing tray 221 .
- the stapler 222 carries out a stapling (binding) processing on a bundle of the predetermined number of sheets S located on the processing tray 221 .
- the conveyance rollers 223 a and 223 b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the sheet conveyance direction D.
- the conveyance belt 224 is stretched over the conveyance rollers 223 a and 223 b.
- the conveyance belt 224 is rotated in synchronization with the conveyance rollers 223 a and 223 b.
- the conveyance belt 224 conveys the sheet S between the stapler 222 and the discharge section 23 .
- the stopper 225 is arranged at the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction when viewed from the conveyance roller 223 b.
- the stopper 225 is a member for receiving an end of the sheets S moved from the standby tray 211 to the processing tray 221 to align them in the sheet conveyance direction.
- the stopper 225 is a member serving as a sheet reference position when an alignment processing in the sheet conveyance direction is executed.
- the sheets S moved towards the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction through a first paddle 25 a and a second paddle 25 b described later are struck against the stopper 225 to be aligned in the sheet conveyance direction.
- aligning the sheets in the sheet conveyance direction is referred to as a vertical alignment processing.
- the paddle section 25 shown in FIG. 3 includes the first paddle 25 a, the second paddle 25 b, an rotational shaft 26 and a rotating body 27 .
- the rotational shaft 26 is a rotation center of the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b described later.
- the rotational shaft 26 is located below the standby tray 211 .
- the rotational shaft 26 extends in the sheet width direction W.
- the rotational shaft 26 receives driving force from the paddle motor 28 to rotate in an arrow A direction (in a counter-clockwise direction) in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the detailed configuration of the paddle section 25 .
- the paddle section 25 includes the first paddle 25 a, the second paddle 25 b and the rotating body 27 .
- the rotating body 27 is a cylindrical shape with a part of region missed.
- the rotating body 27 includes a protrusion 271 .
- the protrusion 271 is fitted into a groove preset in the rotational shaft 26 to be detachably mounted in the rotational shaft 26 . If the rotational shaft 26 is rotated in the rotation direction A (in the counter-clockwise direction) in FIG. 3 , the rotating body 27 is also rotated integrally in the same direction. Further, as the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b are mounted in the rotating body 27 , if the rotational shaft 26 is rotated in the arrow A direction in FIG. 3 , the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b are rotated in the counter-clockwise direction together with the rotating body 27 .
- the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b are formed with an elastic material such as rubber or resin.
- the first paddle 25 a protrudes to the diameter direction of the rotating body 27 to be mounted in the rotating body 27 .
- the first paddle 25 a has a length L 1 in the diameter direction of the rotating body 27 .
- the first paddle 25 a has a shape in which a thickness d 1 at the mounting position to the rotating body 27 is different from a thickness d 2 of the front end of the paddle.
- the first paddle 25 a has the thickness d 1 in a region from the mounting position x 0 to the rotating body 27 to a position x 1 protruding in the diameter direction of the rotating body 27 .
- the first paddle 25 a has a shape in which the thickness d 1 is gradually decreased towards the position x 2 in the region from the position x 1 to the position x 2 .
- the first paddle 25 a has the thickness d 2 ( ⁇ d 1 ) in the region from the position x 2 to the position x 3 .
- the first paddle 25 a ensures the strength thereof due to the thickness dl between the position XO and the position X 1 .
- a noise generated by contact of the first paddle 25 a against the sheet supported by the stand-by tray 211 is reduced due to the thickness d 2 thinner than dl between the position X 2 and the position X 3 .
- a noise generated by contact of the first paddle 25 a against the sheet supported by the processing tray 221 is reduced due to the thickness d 2 thinner than d 1 between the position X 2 and the position X 3 .
- the second paddle 25 b is arranged to have a predetermined angle with respect to the first paddle 25 a .
- the second paddle 25 b is arranged to have a predetermined distance away from the rear of the first paddle 25 a in the rotation direction A in FIG. 3 .
- the second paddle 25 b protrudes to the diameter direction of the rotating body 27 to be amounted in the rotating body 27 .
- the second paddle 25 b has a length L 2 shorter than the length L 1 of the first paddle 25 a in the diameter direction of the rotating body 27 .
- the second paddle 25 b has a shape in which the thickness dl at the mounting position to the rotating body 27 is thicker than the thickness d 2 of the front end of the paddle, which is identical to the first paddle 25 a .
- the shape of the second paddle 25 b is identical to that of the first paddle 25 a, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
- a series of operations of the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b is described with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 12 .
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating standby positions before the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b are driven to rotate.
- the “standby positions” refer to positions at which the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b stand by when the sheet S is conveyed from the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b towards the standby tray 211 to be stacked or the sheet S is directly conveyed from the exit rollers 33 a and 33 b to the processing tray 221 .
- the “standby positions” refer to the positions where the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b wait when the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b do not carry out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets.
- the first paddle 25 a is arranged at a position at which the first paddle 25 a does not protrude towards the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction D with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the exit roller 33 b when viewed from an axis 33 c of the exit roller 33 b.
- the first paddle 25 a when viewed from the standby tray 211 , is located at the upstream side of the conveyance direction with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the exit roller 33 b located in the vicinity of the standby tray 211 and is arranged at a position at which the conveyance of the sheet S conveyed from the exit roller 33 b to the standby tray 211 is not disturbed.
- the second paddle 25 b is arranged at a position at which the front end part thereof is apart from the sheets S on the processing tray 221 at only a predetermined distance.
- FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which the first paddle 25 a contacts with the sheet S to be moved from the standby tray 211 to the processing tray 221 . If the predetermined number of sheets S is stacked on the standby tray 211 , the controller 24 drives a pair of the standby tray members 211 a and 211 b in the mutually separating direction in the sheet width direction W to move the buffered sheets S to the processing tray 221 .
- the controller 24 drives the paddle motor 28 to rotate the rotational shaft 26 .
- the first paddle 25 a is rotated with the rotation of the rotational shaft 26 and contact with the sheet S dropped from the standby tray 211 at a speed V 1 . Then the first paddle 25 a forces the sheets S towards the processing tray 221 .
- An operation, that is, the first paddle 25 a contacts with the sheet S to move the sheet S from the standby tray 211 to the processing tray 221 is referred to as a first operation.
- FIG. 8 illustrates an operation of the vertical alignment processing to the sheets S on the processing tray 221 by the first paddle 25 a through the further rotation of the first paddle 25 a in the arrow A direction (in the counter-clockwise direction).
- the first paddle 25 a is further rotated in the arrow A direction to guide the sheet S onto the processing tray 221 and contacts with the processing tray 221 across the sheet S to become a bent state (refer to FIG. 8 ) from the state shown in FIG. 7 .
- the first paddle 25 a is rotated in the arrow A direction at a speed V 2 to be kept in the bent state and moves the sheet S towards the stopper 225 located at the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction from the processing tray 221 .
- the first paddle 25 a sandwiches a plurality of the sheets S together with the processing tray 221 and draws the sheets S into the stopper 225 to carry out the vertical alignment processing.
- the operation of carrying out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S by the first paddle 25 a is referred to as a second operation.
- FIG. 9 illustrates states of the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b after the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S by the first paddle 25 a shown in FIG. 8 .
- the controller 24 controls rotation of the rotational shaft 26 to suspend the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b after the first paddle 25 a separates from the sheets and before the second paddle 25 b contacts with the sheets.
- the controller 24 controls the paddle motor 28 to stop the rotation of the rotational shaft 26 if the first paddle 25 a arrives at a position away from the sheets S on the processing tray 221 after the first paddle 25 a executes the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S. In this way, the rotation of the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b is stopped.
- the second paddle 25 b is stopped in such a way as to be positioned at the position away from the sheets S on the processing tray 221 at only the predetermined distance.
- the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b are controlled to stop the rotation operation thereof in such a way as to be mutually positioned at the positions away from the sheets S on the processing tray 221 at only the predetermined distance.
- the reason why the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b are stopped at the positions away from the sheets S on the processing tray 221 at only the predetermined distance is described as follows.
- a processing (horizontal alignment processing) of aligning the end parts of the width direction of the sheets in the sheet width direction W is executed by the horizontal alignment plate 51 .
- the processing (horizontal alignment processing) of aligning the end parts of the width direction of the sheets is disturbed, and thus the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b are separated from the sheet S.
- FIG. 10 illustrates the operation of the vertical alignment processing of the sheets S by the second paddle 25 b.
- the controller 24 controls the drive of the paddle motor 28 to rotate the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b again in the arrow A direction at a speed V 3 .
- the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b receive the drive force of the paddle motor 28 to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction.
- the second paddle 25 b contacts with the sheet S in the bent state to carry out a drawing-in operation towards the stopper 225 .
- the operation of carrying out the vertical alignment processing on the sheet S by the second paddle 25 b is referred to as a third operation.
- the reason why the vertical alignment processing is further carried out through the second paddle 25 b is described as follows.
- the drawing-in quantity of the sheets amounts to a force to slide a sheet on the processing tray 211 towards to the stopper 225 by the first paddle 25 a or the second paddle 25 b.
- the sheets S strike against the stopper 225 and move towards the sheet conveyance direction D through repulsive force, and there is a possibility that the alignment of the sheets S in the sheet conveyance direction cannot be executed with high accuracy.
- the second paddle 25 b carries out the drawing-in operation again to execute the vertical alignment processing again on the sheets S to which the vertical alignment processing cannot be sufficiently carried out by the first paddle 25 a, and it is possible to improve the aligning state in the sheet conveyance direction. While the first paddle 25 a makes one rotation, it is possible to execute the vertical alignment processing twice by the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b, which contributes to the high speed of the sheet processing without the need of rotating the paddle section for many times.
- the drawing-in quantity of the sheets S by the second paddle 25 b may be smaller than that by the first paddle 25 a because the first paddle 25 a has already executed the vertical alignment processing before the second paddle 25 b contact with the sheet on the processing tray 221 .
- the length L 2 of the second paddle 25 b may be shorter than the length L 1 of the first paddle 25 a as stated above.
- the area where the sheets S and the second paddle 25 b contact with each other is smaller than the area where the sheets S and the first paddle 25 a contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible that the drawing-in quantity of the sheets S by the second paddle 25 b is smaller than that of the sheets S by the first paddle 25 a.
- the Young's modulus of materials of the second paddle 25 b may be smaller than that of the first paddle 25 a so that the stress generated due to the bend of the second paddle 25 b is smaller than that generated due to the bend of the first paddle 25 a. Also, as for the hardness of the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b, in one embodiment the second paddle 25 b may be softer than the first paddle 25 a. Further, as for the relation between the thicknesses of the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b, in one embodiment the second paddle 25 b may be thinner than the first paddle 25 a.
- second paddle 25 b where the second paddle 25 b contact with the sheet on the processing tray 221 is thinner than a part of the first paddle 25 a where the first paddle 25 a contact with the sheet on the processing tray 221 .
- FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state after the vertical alignment processing is completed by the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b.
- the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b stop after rotating to the positions indicated by solid lines in FIG. 11 .
- Dotted lines shown in FIG. 11 indicate the standby positions (refer to FIG. 6 ) of the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b.
- the controller 24 rotates the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b to the positions (positions indicated by the solid lines) exceeding the standby positions after the vertical alignment processing by the second paddle 25 b to certainly separate the second paddle 25 b after the vertical alignment processing from the sheets S on the processing tray 221 .
- the second paddle 25 b stops in a state where it contacts with the sheets Son the processing tray 221 , and it is suppressed that a negative influence is applied to sheet aligning properties at the time succeeding sheets are conveyed to the processing tray.
- the controller 24 controls the paddle motor 28 to rotate in a direction (in a clockwise direction) opposite to the arrow A direction and positions the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b at the standby positions.
- FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state where the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b return to the standby positions.
- the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b wait for that the succeeding sheets are received by the standby tray 211 in a state where they are located at the standby positions.
- FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing for controlling the paddle section 25 (the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b ) by the controller 24 .
- FIG. 14 is a timing chart in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates the speed of the paddle section 25 (the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b ). Furthermore, in the following description, there is also a case in which the paddle section 25 (the first paddle 25 a and the second paddle 25 b ) is simply referred to as the paddle section 25 .
- the controller 24 forward rotates the paddle motor 28 to control the paddle section 25 to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotational shaft 26 . Further, the controller 24 backward rotates the paddle motor 28 to control the paddle section 25 to rotate in the clockwise direction with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotational shaft 26 .
- the controller 24 drives the paddle motor 28 to forward rotate (Act 101 ) to rotate the paddle section 25 in the counter-clockwise direction at the speed V 1 (Act 102 ).
- the paddle section 25 receives the driving force of the paddle motor 28 to be accelerated, and after the speed thereof reaches the speed V 1 , maintains the speed V 1 to rotate until reaching a preset angle (for a period from time 0 to time t 1 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the first paddle 25 a contacts with the sheet to be moved from the standby tray 211 to the processing tray 221 at the speed V 1 to give assistance in order to accelerate the movement of the sheet to the processing tray (refer to FIG. 7 ).
- the first paddle 25 a of the paddle section 25 executes the first operation at the speed V 1 .
- the controller 24 determines whether or not the paddle section 25 is rotated at a preset angle ⁇ 1 from the standby position (refer to FIG. 6 ) in the counter-clockwise direction (Act 103 ). If it is determined that the paddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle ⁇ 1 (Yes in Act 103 ), the controller 24 controls the drive of the paddle motor 28 while the speed of the paddle section 25 becomes the speed V 2 slower than the speed V 1 (Act 104 ).
- the paddle section 25 is gradually decelerated from the speed V 1 to the speed V 2 , and if the speed reaches the V 2 , continuously rotates at the speed V 2 until reaching a preset angle ⁇ 2 (for a period from the time t 1 to time t 2 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the first paddle 25 a carries out the vertical alignment processing serving as the second operation on the sheets S moved to the processing tray 221 at the speed V 2 (refer to FIG. 8 ).
- the controller 24 enables the first paddle 25 a to contact with the sheets on the processing tray 221 at the speed V 2 slower than the speed V 1 to execute the vertical alignment processing to suppress slipping at the time the first paddle 25 a contacts with the surface of the sheet and align the end parts of the sheets in the sheet conveyance direction with high accuracy.
- the controller 24 determines whether or not the paddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle ⁇ 2 (> ⁇ 1) from the standby position (refer to FIG. 6 ) (Act 105 ). If it is determined that the paddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle 02 (Yes in Act 105 ), the controller 24 controls the drive of the paddle motor 28 to stop the rotation of the paddle section 25 . In this way, the paddle section 25 temporarily stops the rotation (Act 106 ). In other words, the paddle section 25 is gradually decelerated to the speed 0 from the speed V 2 (for a period from the time t 2 to time 3 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the paddle section 25 is positioned at a position away from the sheets on the processing tray to be stopped as shown in FIG. 9 (for a period from the time t 3 to time t 4 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the controller 24 determines whether or not a predetermined time elapses (Act 107 ). If it is determined that the predetermined time elapses (Yes in Act 107 ), the controller 24 drives the paddle motor 28 to forward rotate again (Act 108 ), the paddle section 25 is rotated at the speed V 3 slower than the speed V 2 in the counter-clockwise direction (Act 109 ). The paddle section 25 is gradually accelerated to the speed V 3 from the stop state, and if the speed reaches the V 3 , continuously rotates at the speed V 3 until reaching a preset angle ⁇ 3 (> ⁇ 2).
- the second paddle 25 b of the paddle section 25 carries out the vertical alignment processing serving as the third operation on the sheets moved to the processing tray 221 at the speed V 3 as shown in FIG. 10 (for a period from the time t 4 to time t 5 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the controller 24 determines whether or not the paddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle 03 from the standby position (refer to FIG. 6 ) in the counter-clockwise direction (Act 110 ). If it is determined that the paddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle ⁇ 3 (Yes in Act 110 ), the controller 24 controls the drive of the paddle motor 28 to stop the rotation of the paddle section 25 (Act 111 ). In other words, the paddle section 25 is gradually decelerated to the speed 0 from the speed V 3 (for a period from the time t 5 to time t 6 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the controller 24 stops the rotation of the paddle section 25 (ACT 111 ).
- the paddle section 25 is positioned at a position only for a predetermined time where the paddle section 25 moves at a predetermined angle from the standby position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 11 in the counter-clockwise direction (for a period from the time t 6 to time t 7 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the paddle section 25 often moves at the predetermined angle to prevent that the paddle section 25 is maintained on the processing tray 221 in the bent state and prevent that the influence is applied to the sheet S aligning properties on the processing tray 221 .
- the controller 24 drives the paddle motor 28 to backward rotate to rotate the paddle section 25 at an angle 00 in the clockwise direction (Act 112 ). If it is determined that the paddle section 25 is rotated at an angle ⁇ 0 (Yes in Act 113 ), the controller 24 stops the paddle section 25 . The paddle section 25 is rotated at a speed ⁇ V 4 from the stop state (for a period from the time t 7 to time t 8 shown in FIG. 14 ).
- the controller 24 stops the backward rotation to stop a series of operations (Act 114 ).
- the controller 24 switches the speed of the paddle section 25 based on the angle at which the paddle section 25 is rotated; however, the reference of the change of the speed is not limited to this.
- the speed of the paddle section 25 may be changed based on the number of steps of the paddle motor 28 .
- the speed V 1 at the time of the first operation of moving the sheet S from the standby tray 211 to the processing tray 221 is set to a speed quicker than the speed V 2 at the time of the second operation of carrying out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S placed on the processing tray 221 to shorten the processing time when the sheet S is moved from the standby tray 211 to the processing tray 221 .
- a sheet processing apparatus 2 of the second embodiment in addition to the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 2 of the first embodiment, includes a function of setting a rotational speed of the paddle section 25 according to the type of the sheet by the controller 24 .
- the paddle section 25 carries out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets at the same speed regardless of the types of the sheets (size, grammage and the like), there is a case in which the force applied by the paddle section is not sufficient according to the types of the sheets, and a case of leading to misalignment is also considered.
- the speed of the paddle section 25 is changed according to the types of the sheets such as the size or the grammage of the sheet, and thus the paddle section 25 is possible to execute the vertical alignment processing with high accuracy.
- FIG. 15 is a table 150 illustrating a relation between the types of the sheets and the speeds of the paddle section 25 .
- Information shown in the table 150 of FIG. 15 is stored in, for example, the RAM in the controller 24 in advance.
- the middle row 1501 of the table 150 indicates that the paddle section 25 respectively executes the first operation at the speed V 1 , the second operation at the speed V 2 and the third operation at the speed V 3 correspondingly in a case in which the sheet serving as an object processed by the sheet processing apparatus 2 is a plain paper.
- the lower row 1502 of the table 150 indicates that the paddle section 25 respectively executes the first operation at a speed V 1 ′, the second operation at a speed V 2 ′ and the third operation at a speed V 3 ′ correspondingly in a case in which the sheet serving as an object processed by the sheet processing apparatus 2 is a thick paper.
- the relation between the speed of the paddle section 25 in the case of the plain paper and that in the case of the thick paper is set to the following relation: V 1 >V 1 ′, V 2 >V 2 ′ and V 3 >V 3 ′.
- V 1 >V 1 ′, V 2 >V 2 ′ and V 3 >V 3 ′ it is set that the speed when the paddle section 25 carries out the operation on the thick paper is slower than that the paddle section 25 carries out the operation on the plain paper.
- the larger the grammage of the sheet is, the slower the rotational speed of the paddle section 25 is.
- the reason why the speed is set in this way is as follows.
- the grammage of the thick paper is larger than that of the plain paper, and thus the paddle section 25 needs larger force to move the thick paper towards the stopper compared with the case of the plain paper. Therefore, by setting the speed of the paddle section 25 in the case of the thick paper to be slower than that in the case of the plain paper, it is possible to transfer the force acting on the sheet by certainly contacting the paddle section 25 with the sheet.
- FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a setting processing of the speed of the paddle section 25 corresponding to sheet type information, which is executed by the controller 24 .
- the controller 24 determines whether or not the sheet type information of the thick paper is received from the image forming apparatus 1 (Act 201 ). If the sheet type information of the thick paper is received (Yes in Act 201 ), the controller 24 respectively sets the speed at the time of the first operation of the paddle section 25 to the V 1 ′, the speed at the time of the second operation thereof to the V 2 ′ and the speed at the time of the third operation thereof to the V 3 ′ according to the table in FIG. 15 (Act 202 ).
- the controller 24 respectively sets the speed at the time of the first operation of the paddle section 25 to the V 1 , the speed at the time of the second operation thereof to the V 2 and the speed at the time of the third operation thereof to the V 3 according to the table in FIG. 15 (Act 203 ).
- the setting processing of the speed of the paddle section 25 is completed through the foregoing processing in Act 201 -Act 203 .
- the speed in the case of the plain paper may be set to a default value in advance.
- the controller 24 enables the paddle section 25 to operate according to the control shown in FIG. 13 at the speed set in the setting processing in FIG. 16 .
- the controller 24 receives the information set as the thick paper, the speed is set as the speed V 1 ′ in ACT 102 , the speed is set as the speed V 2 ′ in ACT 104 and the speed is set as the speed V 3 ′ in ACT 109 in FIG. 13 , and the paddle section 25 executes the corresponding operation at the corresponding speed.
- the second embodiment in a case in which the grammage of the sheet is larger than a preset grammage, by setting the speed of the paddle section 25 to be slower, it is possible to suppress the slipping of the paddle section 25 contacting with the sheet at the time of the vertical alignment processing serving as the second operation of the paddle section 25 and obtain a fine alignment state.
- the speed of the paddle section 25 is set according to the grammage of the sheet; however, the present invention is not limited to this.
- the present embodiment may be an embodiment in which the speed of the paddle section 25 is set according to the size of the sheet. In this case, if the size of the sheet is larger than a preset size of the sheet, the speed of the paddle section 25 is set to be slower than the preset speed.
- the paddle section 25 and the sheet can certainly contact with each other, and the force acting on the sheet can be transferred.
- the speed of the paddle section is changed according to the type of the sheet, it is possible to suppress the slipping of the paddle section contacting with the sheet S. Further, the proper alignment quantity can be obtained according to the type of the sheet.
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Abstract
Description
- This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 15/218,688 filed on Jul. 25, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-250989, filed Dec. 24, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- Embodiments described herein relate generally to a sheet processing apparatus for carrying out a post processing on a sheet on which an image is formed.
- Conventionally, a sheet processing apparatus is known which executes a post processing such as a stapling processing on sheets loaded on a processing tray. In order to adjust deviation between the sheets loaded on the processing tray which are subjected to the post processing, the sheet processing apparatus includes a member for adjusting (horizontally aligning) the deviation in a width direction of the sheet and a member for adjusting (vertically aligning) the deviation in a direction orthogonal to the width direction of the sheet. Particularly, with respect to the deviation in the direction orthogonal to the width direction of the sheet, the deviation of the sheets loaded on the processing tray is aligned by using a vertical alignment member that rotates around an axis of rotation extending in the width direction of the sheet.
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FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an image forming system according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus and a sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating details of the configuration of each section of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a relation between a standby tray and a paddle section according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the paddle section according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating standby positions of a first paddle and a second paddle according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a sheet moving processing (first operation) by the first paddle according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a vertical alignment processing (second operation) by the first paddle according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating stop positions of the first paddle and the second paddle according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a vertical alignment processing (third operation) by the second paddle according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state after the vertical alignment processing is completed by the first paddle and the second paddle according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the standby positions of the first paddle and the second paddle after the vertical alignment processing according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing for controlling rotation of the paddle section according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating a relation between time and speed of the paddle section according to the present embodiment; -
FIG. 15 is a table illustrating a relation between the speed of the paddle section and the type of a sheet according to another embodiment; and -
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a setting processing of the speed of the paddle section according to sheet type information according to the present embodiment. - In accordance with the present embodiment, a sheet processing apparatus comprises a standby section configured to buffer a sheet; a processing section configured to receive sheets supplied from the standby section and execute a post processing on the sheets; a rotational shaft configured to rotate around an axis of rotation; a paddle arranged in the rotational shaft and configured to contact the sheet and move the sheets by rotating with the rotational shaft, the paddle being configured to slide the sheets on the processing section to a stopper for aligning the sheets; and a controller configured to control a rotational speed of the rotational shaft to rotate the paddle at a first speed, and control the rotational speed of the rotational shaft to rotate the paddle at a second speed slower than the first speed while the paddle contacts the sheets on the processing section for aligning.
- In accordance with another embodiment, a sheet processing method involves receiving a plurality of sheets on a processing section; rotating a paddle around an axis of rotation at a first speed; and rotating the paddle at a second speed slower than the first speed while the paddle contacts the sheets on the processing section for aligning by rotating with the axis of rotation.
- Hereinafter, the sheet processing apparatus of the embodiment is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in the following description, the same numerals are applied to configurations having identical or similar functions. Further, there is a case in which the repeated description of these configurations is omitted.
- The sheet processing apparatus of a first embodiment is described with reference to
FIG. 1 toFIG. 14 .FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the entire configuration of an image forming system.FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus and a sheet processing apparatus. The image forming system contains animage forming apparatus 1 and asheet processing apparatus 2. Theimage forming apparatus 1 forms an image on a sheet-like medium (hereinafter, referred to as a “sheet”) such as a paper. Thesheet processing apparatus 2 carries out a post processing on a sheet conveyed from theimage forming apparatus 1. - The
image forming apparatus 1 shown inFIG. 1 includes acontrol panel 11, ascanner section 12, aprinter section 13, asheet feed section 14, asheet discharge section 15 and ancontroller 16. - The
control panel 11 has interface including various keys for receiving operations of a user. For example, thecontrol panel 11 receives an input relating to a type of the post processing of the sheet. Thecontrol panel 11 sends information relating to the input type of the post processing to thesheet processing apparatus 2. - The
scanner section 12 includes a reading section for reading image information of a copy object. Thescanner section 12 sends the read image information to theprinter section 13. - The
printer section 13 forms an image (hereinafter, referred to as a “toner image”) with a developing agent such as toner on the basis of the image information sent from thescanner section 12 or an external device. Theprinter section 13 transfers the toner image onto a surface of the sheet. Theprinter section 13 fixes the toner image by applying heat and pressure to the toner image transferred onto the sheet. - The
sheet feed section 14 supplies the sheets one by one to theprinter section 13. Thesheet discharge section 15 conveys the sheet from theprinter section 13 to thesheet processing apparatus 2. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , thecontroller 16 controls all operations of theimage forming apparatus 1. In other words, thecontroller 16 controls thecontrol panel 11, thescanner section 12, theprinter section 13, thesheet feed section 14 and thesheet discharge section 15. Thecontroller 16 is formed by a control circuit containing a CPU, a ROM and a RAM that are not shown. - Next, the configuration of the
sheet processing apparatus 2 is described with reference toFIG. 1 andFIG. 2 . As shown inFIG. 1 , thesheet processing apparatus 2 is arranged adjacent to theimage forming apparatus 1. Thesheet processing apparatus 2 executes a post processing designated through thecontrol panel 11 or the external device such as the client PC on the sheet conveyed from theimage forming apparatus 1. For example, the post processing includes a stapling processing or a sorting processing. - The
sheet processing apparatus 2 includes astandby section 21, aprocessing section 22, adischarge section 23 and acontroller 24. Thestandby section 21 temporarily buffers a sheet S (refer toFIG. 3 ) conveyed from theimage forming apparatus 1. For example, thestandby section 21 enables a plurality of succeeding sheets S to stand by while the post processing on the preceding sheet S is carried out by theprocessing section 22. Thestandby section 21 is arranged above theprocessing section 22. Thestandby section 21 enables the buffered sheet S to drop towards theprocessing section 22 if the sheet in theprocessing section 22 is discharged to thedischarge section 23. - The
processing section 22 carries out the post processing on the sheet S. For example, theprocessing section 22 carries out the stapling processing on a plurality of the aligned sheets S. In this way, a plurality of the sheets S is bound together by staples. Theprocessing section 22 discharges the sheet S to which the post processing is carried out to thedischarge section 23. - The
discharge section 23 includes a fixedtray 23 a and amovable tray 23 b. The fixedtray 23 a is arranged on the upper part of thesheet processing apparatus 2. Themovable tray 23 b is arranged on the side of thesheet processing apparatus 2. The sheet S to which the stapling processing or the sorting processing is carried out is discharged to themovable tray 23 b. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , thecontroller 24 controls all operations of thesheet processing apparatus 2. In other words, thecontroller 24 controls thestandby section 21, theprocessing section 22 and thedischarge section 23. Further, as shown inFIG. 2 , thecontroller 24 controls aninlet roller 32 a, anexit roller 33 a, a paddle section 25 (or paddle) and apaddle motor 28. Thecontroller 24 includes a control circuit containing a CPU, a ROM and a RAM that are not shown. -
FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration of each section of thesheet processing apparatus 2. Furthermore, a “sheet conveyance direction” described in the present embodiment refers to a conveyance direction D of the sheet S to thestandby tray 211 of the standby section 21 (an approach direction of the sheet S to a standby tray 211) or a direction in which the sheet S is conveyed from aprocessing tray 221 to themovable tray 23 b. - Further, an “upstream side” and a “downstream side” described in the present embodiment respectively refer to the upstream side and the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction D. Further, a “front end part” and a “back end part” described in the present embodiment respectively refer to “the end part of the downstream side” and “the end part of the upstream side” in the sheet conveyance direction D. In the present embodiment, a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction D is referred to as a sheet width direction W.
- Hereinafter, the details of the configuration of each section of the
sheet processing apparatus 2 are described based onFIG. 3 . Aconveyance path 31 is a conveyance path from asheet supply port 31 p to asheet discharge port 31 d. Thesheet supply port 31 p is arranged at a position facing theimage forming apparatus 1. The sheet S is supplied from theimage forming apparatus 1 to thesheet supply port 31 p. On the other hand, thesheet discharge port 31 d is located in the vicinity of thestandby section 21. The sheet S discharged from theimage forming apparatus 1 is discharged to thestandby section 21 via theconveyance path 31. - The
inlet rollers sheet supply port 31 p. Theinlet rollers sheet supply port 31 p towards the downstream side of theconveyance path 31. For example, theinlet rollers sheet supply port 31 p to theexit rollers - The
exit rollers sheet discharge port 31 d. Theexit rollers inlet rollers exit rollers sheet discharge port 31 d to thestandby section 21. - The
standby section 21 includes the standby tray (buffer tray) 211, aconveyance guide 212,discharge rollers - The back end part of the
standby tray 211 is located in the vicinity of theexit rollers standby tray 211 is located slightly below thesheet discharge port 31 d of theconveyance path 31. Thestandby tray 211 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction in such a way as to gradually rise towards the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction D. Thestandby tray 211 stacks a plurality of the sheets S to enable them to stand by while the post processing is carried out by theprocessing section 22. -
FIG. 4 illustrates a relation between thestandby tray 211 and thepaddle section 25 described later. As shown inFIG. 4 , thestandby tray 211 includes afirst tray member 211 a and asecond tray member 211 b. Thefirst tray member 211 a and thesecond tray member 211 b are separated from each other in a sheet width direction W. Thefirst tray member 211 a and thesecond tray member 211 b is driven by the opening and closing driving section and move in a mutually approaching direction and in a mutually separating direction. - The
first tray member 211 a and thesecond tray member 211 b support the sheet S conveyed from theexit rollers first tray member 211 a and thesecond tray member 211 b approach each other. On the other hand, thefirst tray member 211 a and thesecond tray member 211 b are separated in the mutually separating direction in the sheet width direction W to enable the sheet S to move from thestandby tray 211 towards the processingtray 221. In this way, the sheet S supported by thestandby tray 211 drops from a space between thefirst tray member 211 a and thesecond tray member 211 b towards the processingtray 221. In other words, the sheet S moves from thestandby tray 211 to theprocessing tray 221. - An
assist arm 41 shown inFIG. 3 is arranged above thestandby tray 211. For example, the length of theassist arm 41 is approximately half or more of that of thestandby tray 211 in the sheet conveyance direction D. In the present embodiment, theassist arm 41 has the approximately same length as thestandby tray 211 in the sheet conveyance direction D. Theassist arm 41 is a plate-like member extending upwards thestandby tray 211. The sheet S discharged from theexit rollers assist arm 41 and thestandby tray 211. - The
processing section 22 shown inFIG. 3 includes theprocessing tray 221, astapler 222,conveyance rollers conveyance belt 224, astopper 225 and ahorizontal alignment plate 51. - The
processing tray 221 is arranged below thestandby tray 211. Theprocessing tray 221 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction in such away as to gradually rise towards the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction D. Theprocessing tray 221 is inclined approximately parallel to thestandby tray 211. As for a plurality of sheets S moved to theprocessing tray 221, deviation between the sheets S in the sheet width direction W is aligned by thehorizontal alignment plate 51. - The
stapler 222 is arranged at an end part of theprocessing tray 221. Thestapler 222 carries out a stapling (binding) processing on a bundle of the predetermined number of sheets S located on theprocessing tray 221. - The
conveyance rollers conveyance belt 224 is stretched over theconveyance rollers conveyance belt 224 is rotated in synchronization with theconveyance rollers conveyance belt 224 conveys the sheet S between thestapler 222 and thedischarge section 23. - The
stopper 225 is arranged at the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction when viewed from theconveyance roller 223 b. Thestopper 225 is a member for receiving an end of the sheets S moved from thestandby tray 211 to theprocessing tray 221 to align them in the sheet conveyance direction. In other words, thestopper 225 is a member serving as a sheet reference position when an alignment processing in the sheet conveyance direction is executed. In other words, the sheets S moved towards the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction through afirst paddle 25 a and asecond paddle 25 b described later are struck against thestopper 225 to be aligned in the sheet conveyance direction. Hereinafter, aligning the sheets in the sheet conveyance direction is referred to as a vertical alignment processing. - The
paddle section 25 shown inFIG. 3 includes thefirst paddle 25 a, thesecond paddle 25 b, anrotational shaft 26 and arotating body 27. - The
rotational shaft 26 is a rotation center of thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b described later. Therotational shaft 26 is located below thestandby tray 211. Therotational shaft 26 extends in the sheet width direction W. Therotational shaft 26 receives driving force from thepaddle motor 28 to rotate in an arrow A direction (in a counter-clockwise direction) inFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the detailed configuration of thepaddle section 25. Thepaddle section 25 includes thefirst paddle 25 a, thesecond paddle 25 b and therotating body 27. - The rotating
body 27 is a cylindrical shape with a part of region missed. The rotatingbody 27 includes aprotrusion 271. Theprotrusion 271 is fitted into a groove preset in therotational shaft 26 to be detachably mounted in therotational shaft 26. If therotational shaft 26 is rotated in the rotation direction A (in the counter-clockwise direction) inFIG. 3 , the rotatingbody 27 is also rotated integrally in the same direction. Further, as thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b are mounted in therotating body 27, if therotational shaft 26 is rotated in the arrow A direction inFIG. 3 , thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b are rotated in the counter-clockwise direction together with the rotatingbody 27. - The
first paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b are formed with an elastic material such as rubber or resin. Thefirst paddle 25 a protrudes to the diameter direction of therotating body 27 to be mounted in therotating body 27. Thefirst paddle 25 a has a length L1 in the diameter direction of therotating body 27. Thefirst paddle 25 a has a shape in which a thickness d1 at the mounting position to therotating body 27 is different from a thickness d2 of the front end of the paddle. In detail, thefirst paddle 25 a has the thickness d1 in a region from the mounting position x0 to therotating body 27 to a position x1 protruding in the diameter direction of therotating body 27. Thefirst paddle 25 a has a shape in which the thickness d1 is gradually decreased towards the position x2 in the region from the position x1 to the position x2. Thefirst paddle 25 a has the thickness d2 (<d1) in the region from the position x2 to the position x3. Thefirst paddle 25 a ensures the strength thereof due to the thickness dl between the position XO and the position X1. By contrast, a noise generated by contact of thefirst paddle 25 a against the sheet supported by the stand-by tray 211 (as shown inFIG. 7 ) is reduced due to the thickness d2 thinner than dl between the position X2 and the position X3. Furthermore, a noise generated by contact of thefirst paddle 25 a against the sheet supported by the processing tray 221 (as shown inFIG. 8 ) is reduced due to the thickness d2 thinner than d1 between the position X2 and the position X3. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , thesecond paddle 25 b is arranged to have a predetermined angle with respect to thefirst paddle 25 a. In other words, thesecond paddle 25 b is arranged to have a predetermined distance away from the rear of thefirst paddle 25 a in the rotation direction A inFIG. 3 . - The
second paddle 25 b protrudes to the diameter direction of therotating body 27 to be amounted in therotating body 27. Thesecond paddle 25 b has a length L2 shorter than the length L1 of thefirst paddle 25 a in the diameter direction of therotating body 27. Further, thesecond paddle 25 b has a shape in which the thickness dl at the mounting position to therotating body 27 is thicker than the thickness d2 of the front end of the paddle, which is identical to thefirst paddle 25 a. The shape of thesecond paddle 25 b is identical to that of thefirst paddle 25 a, and thus the description thereof is omitted. - A series of operations of the
first paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b is described with reference toFIG. 6 toFIG. 12 . -
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating standby positions before thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b are driven to rotate. The “standby positions” refer to positions at which thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b stand by when the sheet S is conveyed from theexit rollers standby tray 211 to be stacked or the sheet S is directly conveyed from theexit rollers processing tray 221. In other words, the “standby positions” refer to the positions where thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b wait when thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b do not carry out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets. - In
FIG. 6 , thefirst paddle 25 a is arranged at a position at which thefirst paddle 25 a does not protrude towards the downstream side of the sheet conveyance direction D with respect to the outer peripheral surface of theexit roller 33 b when viewed from anaxis 33 c of theexit roller 33 b. From a different point of view, when viewed from thestandby tray 211, thefirst paddle 25 a is located at the upstream side of the conveyance direction with respect to the outer peripheral surface of theexit roller 33 b located in the vicinity of thestandby tray 211 and is arranged at a position at which the conveyance of the sheet S conveyed from theexit roller 33 b to thestandby tray 211 is not disturbed. Thesecond paddle 25 b is arranged at a position at which the front end part thereof is apart from the sheets S on theprocessing tray 221 at only a predetermined distance. -
FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which thefirst paddle 25 a contacts with the sheet S to be moved from thestandby tray 211 to theprocessing tray 221. If the predetermined number of sheets S is stacked on thestandby tray 211, thecontroller 24 drives a pair of thestandby tray members processing tray 221. - The
controller 24 drives thepaddle motor 28 to rotate therotational shaft 26. Thefirst paddle 25 a is rotated with the rotation of therotational shaft 26 and contact with the sheet S dropped from thestandby tray 211 at a speed V1. Then thefirst paddle 25 a forces the sheets S towards the processingtray 221. An operation, that is, thefirst paddle 25 a contacts with the sheet S to move the sheet S from thestandby tray 211 to theprocessing tray 221, is referred to as a first operation. -
FIG. 8 illustrates an operation of the vertical alignment processing to the sheets S on theprocessing tray 221 by thefirst paddle 25 a through the further rotation of thefirst paddle 25 a in the arrow A direction (in the counter-clockwise direction). - The
first paddle 25 a is further rotated in the arrow A direction to guide the sheet S onto theprocessing tray 221 and contacts with theprocessing tray 221 across the sheet S to become a bent state (refer toFIG. 8 ) from the state shown inFIG. 7 . Thefirst paddle 25 a is rotated in the arrow A direction at a speed V2 to be kept in the bent state and moves the sheet S towards thestopper 225 located at the upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction from theprocessing tray 221. In other words, thefirst paddle 25 a sandwiches a plurality of the sheets S together with theprocessing tray 221 and draws the sheets S into thestopper 225 to carry out the vertical alignment processing. The operation of carrying out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S by thefirst paddle 25 a is referred to as a second operation. -
FIG. 9 illustrates states of thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b after the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S by thefirst paddle 25 a shown inFIG. 8 . - The
controller 24 controls rotation of therotational shaft 26 to suspend thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b after thefirst paddle 25 a separates from the sheets and before thesecond paddle 25 b contacts with the sheets. Thecontroller 24 controls thepaddle motor 28 to stop the rotation of therotational shaft 26 if thefirst paddle 25 a arrives at a position away from the sheets S on theprocessing tray 221 after thefirst paddle 25 a executes the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S. In this way, the rotation of thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b is stopped. Thesecond paddle 25 b is stopped in such a way as to be positioned at the position away from the sheets S on theprocessing tray 221 at only the predetermined distance. In other words, after the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S is carried out by thefirst paddle 25 a, thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b are controlled to stop the rotation operation thereof in such a way as to be mutually positioned at the positions away from the sheets S on theprocessing tray 221 at only the predetermined distance. - The reason why the
first paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b are stopped at the positions away from the sheets S on theprocessing tray 221 at only the predetermined distance is described as follows. After the vertical alignment processing is carried out on the sheets S by thefirst paddle 25 a, a processing (horizontal alignment processing) of aligning the end parts of the width direction of the sheets in the sheet width direction W is executed by thehorizontal alignment plate 51. At the time of the horizontal alignment processing, if thefirst paddle 25 a or thesecond paddle 25 b contacts with the sheet S, the processing (horizontal alignment processing) of aligning the end parts of the width direction of the sheets is disturbed, and thus thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b are separated from the sheet S. -
FIG. 10 illustrates the operation of the vertical alignment processing of the sheets S by thesecond paddle 25 b. Thecontroller 24 controls the drive of thepaddle motor 28 to rotate thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b again in the arrow A direction at a speed V3. Thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b receive the drive force of thepaddle motor 28 to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction. - Hereinafter, the
second paddle 25 b is concentratedly described. Thesecond paddle 25 b contacts with the sheet S in the bent state to carry out a drawing-in operation towards thestopper 225. The operation of carrying out the vertical alignment processing on the sheet S by thesecond paddle 25 b is referred to as a third operation. - The reason why the vertical alignment processing is further carried out through the
second paddle 25 b is described as follows. When thefirst paddle 25 a draws the sheet S into thestopper 225, there is a case in which a drawing-in quantity of the sheets S becomes excessive. The drawing-in quantity of the sheets amounts to a force to slide a sheet on theprocessing tray 211 towards to thestopper 225 by thefirst paddle 25 a or thesecond paddle 25 b. In this case, the sheets S strike against thestopper 225 and move towards the sheet conveyance direction D through repulsive force, and there is a possibility that the alignment of the sheets S in the sheet conveyance direction cannot be executed with high accuracy. Thus, after thefirst paddle 25 a carries out the drawing-in operation of the sheet S, thesecond paddle 25 b carries out the drawing-in operation again to execute the vertical alignment processing again on the sheets S to which the vertical alignment processing cannot be sufficiently carried out by thefirst paddle 25 a, and it is possible to improve the aligning state in the sheet conveyance direction. While thefirst paddle 25 a makes one rotation, it is possible to execute the vertical alignment processing twice by thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b, which contributes to the high speed of the sheet processing without the need of rotating the paddle section for many times. - Furthermore, the drawing-in quantity of the sheets S by the
second paddle 25 b may be smaller than that by thefirst paddle 25 a because thefirst paddle 25 a has already executed the vertical alignment processing before thesecond paddle 25 b contact with the sheet on theprocessing tray 221. For example, the length L2 of thesecond paddle 25 b may be shorter than the length L1 of thefirst paddle 25 a as stated above. Hereby, the area where the sheets S and thesecond paddle 25 b contact with each other is smaller than the area where the sheets S and thefirst paddle 25 a contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible that the drawing-in quantity of the sheets S by thesecond paddle 25 b is smaller than that of the sheets S by thefirst paddle 25 a. - Furthermore, in one embodiment the Young's modulus of materials of the
second paddle 25 b may be smaller than that of thefirst paddle 25 a so that the stress generated due to the bend of thesecond paddle 25 b is smaller than that generated due to the bend of thefirst paddle 25 a. Also, as for the hardness of thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b, in one embodiment thesecond paddle 25 b may be softer than thefirst paddle 25 a. Further, as for the relation between the thicknesses of thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b, in one embodiment thesecond paddle 25 b may be thinner than thefirst paddle 25 a. Particularly, it is preferable that apart ofsecond paddle 25 b where thesecond paddle 25 b contact with the sheet on theprocessing tray 221 is thinner than a part of thefirst paddle 25 a where thefirst paddle 25 a contact with the sheet on theprocessing tray 221. -
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state after the vertical alignment processing is completed by thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b. - After the vertical alignment processing is executed by the
second paddle 25 b, thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b stop after rotating to the positions indicated by solid lines inFIG. 11 . Dotted lines shown inFIG. 11 indicate the standby positions (refer toFIG. 6 ) of thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b. Thecontroller 24 rotates thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b to the positions (positions indicated by the solid lines) exceeding the standby positions after the vertical alignment processing by thesecond paddle 25 b to certainly separate thesecond paddle 25 b after the vertical alignment processing from the sheets S on theprocessing tray 221. In this way, thesecond paddle 25 b stops in a state where it contacts with the sheets Son theprocessing tray 221, and it is suppressed that a negative influence is applied to sheet aligning properties at the time succeeding sheets are conveyed to the processing tray. - Then, the
controller 24 controls thepaddle motor 28 to rotate in a direction (in a clockwise direction) opposite to the arrow A direction and positions thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b at the standby positions. -
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state where thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b return to the standby positions. Thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b wait for that the succeeding sheets are received by thestandby tray 211 in a state where they are located at the standby positions. - Next, the concrete control of the speed at the time of a series of operations of the paddle section shown in
FIG. 13 toFIG. 14 is described. -
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a processing for controlling the paddle section 25 (thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b) by thecontroller 24.FIG. 14 is a timing chart in which the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates the speed of the paddle section 25 (thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b). Furthermore, in the following description, there is also a case in which the paddle section 25 (thefirst paddle 25 a and thesecond paddle 25 b) is simply referred to as thepaddle section 25. - The
controller 24 forward rotates thepaddle motor 28 to control thepaddle section 25 to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction with respect to the axis of rotation of therotational shaft 26. Further, thecontroller 24 backward rotates thepaddle motor 28 to control thepaddle section 25 to rotate in the clockwise direction with respect to the axis of rotation of therotational shaft 26. - Firstly, if a plurality of sheets is buffered on the
standby tray 211, thecontroller 24 drives thepaddle motor 28 to forward rotate (Act 101) to rotate thepaddle section 25 in the counter-clockwise direction at the speed V1 (Act 102). Thepaddle section 25 receives the driving force of thepaddle motor 28 to be accelerated, and after the speed thereof reaches the speed V1, maintains the speed V1 to rotate until reaching a preset angle (for a period fromtime 0 to time t1 shown inFIG. 14 ). Thefirst paddle 25 a contacts with the sheet to be moved from thestandby tray 211 to theprocessing tray 221 at the speed V1 to give assistance in order to accelerate the movement of the sheet to the processing tray (refer toFIG. 7 ). In other words, thefirst paddle 25 a of thepaddle section 25 executes the first operation at the speed V1. - Next, the
controller 24 determines whether or not thepaddle section 25 is rotated at a preset angle θ1 from the standby position (refer toFIG. 6 ) in the counter-clockwise direction (Act 103). If it is determined that thepaddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle θ1 (Yes in Act 103), thecontroller 24 controls the drive of thepaddle motor 28 while the speed of thepaddle section 25 becomes the speed V2 slower than the speed V1 (Act 104). In other words, thepaddle section 25 is gradually decelerated from the speed V1 to the speed V2, and if the speed reaches the V2, continuously rotates at the speed V2 until reaching a preset angle θ2 (for a period from the time t1 to time t2 shown inFIG. 14 ). At this time, thefirst paddle 25 a carries out the vertical alignment processing serving as the second operation on the sheets S moved to theprocessing tray 221 at the speed V2 (refer toFIG. 8 ). Thecontroller 24 enables thefirst paddle 25 a to contact with the sheets on theprocessing tray 221 at the speed V2 slower than the speed V1 to execute the vertical alignment processing to suppress slipping at the time thefirst paddle 25 a contacts with the surface of the sheet and align the end parts of the sheets in the sheet conveyance direction with high accuracy. - The
controller 24 determines whether or not thepaddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle θ2 (>θ1) from the standby position (refer toFIG. 6 ) (Act 105). If it is determined that thepaddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle 02 (Yes in Act 105), thecontroller 24 controls the drive of thepaddle motor 28 to stop the rotation of thepaddle section 25. In this way, thepaddle section 25 temporarily stops the rotation (Act 106). In other words, thepaddle section 25 is gradually decelerated to thespeed 0 from the speed V2 (for a period from the time t2 totime 3 shown inFIG. 14 ). - After that, the
paddle section 25 is positioned at a position away from the sheets on the processing tray to be stopped as shown inFIG. 9 (for a period from the time t3 to time t4 shown inFIG. 14 ). - After the rotation of the
paddle section 25 is temporarily stopped, thecontroller 24 determines whether or not a predetermined time elapses (Act 107). If it is determined that the predetermined time elapses (Yes in Act 107), thecontroller 24 drives thepaddle motor 28 to forward rotate again (Act 108), thepaddle section 25 is rotated at the speed V3 slower than the speed V2 in the counter-clockwise direction (Act 109). Thepaddle section 25 is gradually accelerated to the speed V3 from the stop state, and if the speed reaches the V3, continuously rotates at the speed V3 until reaching a preset angle θ3 (>θ2). Thesecond paddle 25 b of thepaddle section 25 carries out the vertical alignment processing serving as the third operation on the sheets moved to theprocessing tray 221 at the speed V3 as shown inFIG. 10 (for a period from the time t4 to time t5 shown inFIG. 14 ). Next, thecontroller 24 determines whether or not thepaddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle 03 from the standby position (refer toFIG. 6 ) in the counter-clockwise direction (Act 110). If it is determined that thepaddle section 25 is rotated at the preset angle θ3 (Yes in Act 110), thecontroller 24 controls the drive of thepaddle motor 28 to stop the rotation of the paddle section 25 (Act 111). In other words, thepaddle section 25 is gradually decelerated to thespeed 0 from the speed V3 (for a period from the time t5 to time t6 shown inFIG. 14 ). - The
controller 24 stops the rotation of the paddle section 25 (ACT 111). Thepaddle section 25 is positioned at a position only for a predetermined time where thepaddle section 25 moves at a predetermined angle from the standby position indicated by the dotted line inFIG. 11 in the counter-clockwise direction (for a period from the time t6 to time t7 shown inFIG. 14 ). Thepaddle section 25 often moves at the predetermined angle to prevent that thepaddle section 25 is maintained on theprocessing tray 221 in the bent state and prevent that the influence is applied to the sheet S aligning properties on theprocessing tray 221. - The
controller 24 drives thepaddle motor 28 to backward rotate to rotate thepaddle section 25 at an angle 00 in the clockwise direction (Act 112). If it is determined that thepaddle section 25 is rotated at an angle θ0 (Yes in Act 113), thecontroller 24 stops thepaddle section 25. Thepaddle section 25 is rotated at a speed −V4 from the stop state (for a period from the time t7 to time t8 shown inFIG. 14 ). - If it is determined that the
paddle section 25 is rotated at an angle θ0 in the clockwise direction (Yes in Act 113), thecontroller 24 stops the backward rotation to stop a series of operations (Act 114). - Furthermore, in the foregoing description, it is described that the
controller 24 switches the speed of thepaddle section 25 based on the angle at which thepaddle section 25 is rotated; however, the reference of the change of the speed is not limited to this. For example, the speed of thepaddle section 25 may be changed based on the number of steps of thepaddle motor 28. - According to the present embodiment, it is possible that the speed V1 at the time of the first operation of moving the sheet S from the
standby tray 211 to theprocessing tray 221 is set to a speed quicker than the speed V2 at the time of the second operation of carrying out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S placed on theprocessing tray 221 to shorten the processing time when the sheet S is moved from thestandby tray 211 to theprocessing tray 221. - Further, from another point of view, by setting the speed V2 at the time of the second operation to the speed slower than the speed V1 at the time of the first operation, it is possible to suppress the slipping at the time the
first paddle 25 a contacts with the surface of the sheet S and execute the vertical alignment processing with high accuracy. - According to the present embodiment, by setting the speed V3 at the time of the third operation of carrying out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets S placed on the
processing tray 221 after the second operation to the speed slower than the speed V1 at the time of the first operation and the speed V2 at the time of the second operation, it is possible to certainly contact thepaddle section 25 with the sheets S to execute the vertical alignment processing of the sheets S. - A
sheet processing apparatus 2 of the second embodiment, in addition to the configuration of thesheet processing apparatus 2 of the first embodiment, includes a function of setting a rotational speed of thepaddle section 25 according to the type of the sheet by thecontroller 24. - If the
paddle section 25 carries out the vertical alignment processing on the sheets at the same speed regardless of the types of the sheets (size, grammage and the like), there is a case in which the force applied by the paddle section is not sufficient according to the types of the sheets, and a case of leading to misalignment is also considered. - According to the
sheet processing apparatus 2 of the second embodiment, the speed of thepaddle section 25 is changed according to the types of the sheets such as the size or the grammage of the sheet, and thus thepaddle section 25 is possible to execute the vertical alignment processing with high accuracy. -
FIG. 15 is a table 150 illustrating a relation between the types of the sheets and the speeds of thepaddle section 25. Information shown in the table 150 ofFIG. 15 is stored in, for example, the RAM in thecontroller 24 in advance. - The
middle row 1501 of the table 150 indicates that thepaddle section 25 respectively executes the first operation at the speed V1, the second operation at the speed V2 and the third operation at the speed V3 correspondingly in a case in which the sheet serving as an object processed by thesheet processing apparatus 2 is a plain paper. On the other hand, thelower row 1502 of the table 150 indicates that thepaddle section 25 respectively executes the first operation at a speed V1′, the second operation at a speed V2′ and the third operation at a speed V3′ correspondingly in a case in which the sheet serving as an object processed by thesheet processing apparatus 2 is a thick paper. - The relation between the speed of the
paddle section 25 in the case of the plain paper and that in the case of the thick paper is set to the following relation: V1>V1′, V2>V2′ and V3>V3′. In other words, even in any operation of the first operation, the second operation and the third operation carried out by thepaddle section 25, it is set that the speed when thepaddle section 25 carries out the operation on the thick paper is slower than that thepaddle section 25 carries out the operation on the plain paper. In other words, the larger the grammage of the sheet is, the slower the rotational speed of thepaddle section 25 is. - The reason why the speed is set in this way is as follows. The grammage of the thick paper is larger than that of the plain paper, and thus the
paddle section 25 needs larger force to move the thick paper towards the stopper compared with the case of the plain paper. Therefore, by setting the speed of thepaddle section 25 in the case of the thick paper to be slower than that in the case of the plain paper, it is possible to transfer the force acting on the sheet by certainly contacting thepaddle section 25 with the sheet. -
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a setting processing of the speed of thepaddle section 25 corresponding to sheet type information, which is executed by thecontroller 24. Thecontroller 24 determines whether or not the sheet type information of the thick paper is received from the image forming apparatus 1 (Act 201). If the sheet type information of the thick paper is received (Yes in Act 201), thecontroller 24 respectively sets the speed at the time of the first operation of thepaddle section 25 to the V1′, the speed at the time of the second operation thereof to the V2′ and the speed at the time of the third operation thereof to the V3′ according to the table inFIG. 15 (Act 202). - On the other hand, if the sheet type information of the thick paper is not received (No in Act 201), the
controller 24 respectively sets the speed at the time of the first operation of thepaddle section 25 to the V1, the speed at the time of the second operation thereof to the V2 and the speed at the time of the third operation thereof to the V3 according to the table inFIG. 15 (Act 203). The setting processing of the speed of thepaddle section 25 is completed through the foregoing processing in Act 201-Act 203. Furthermore, the speed in the case of the plain paper may be set to a default value in advance. - After that, the
controller 24 enables thepaddle section 25 to operate according to the control shown inFIG. 13 at the speed set in the setting processing inFIG. 16 . For example, if thecontroller 24 receives the information set as the thick paper, the speed is set as the speed V1′ in ACT 102, the speed is set as the speed V2′ in ACT 104 and the speed is set as the speed V3′ in ACT 109 inFIG. 13 , and thepaddle section 25 executes the corresponding operation at the corresponding speed. - According to the second embodiment, in a case in which the grammage of the sheet is larger than a preset grammage, by setting the speed of the
paddle section 25 to be slower, it is possible to suppress the slipping of thepaddle section 25 contacting with the sheet at the time of the vertical alignment processing serving as the second operation of thepaddle section 25 and obtain a fine alignment state. - Furthermore, in the foregoing description, it is exemplified that the speed of the
paddle section 25 is set according to the grammage of the sheet; however, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present embodiment may be an embodiment in which the speed of thepaddle section 25 is set according to the size of the sheet. In this case, if the size of the sheet is larger than a preset size of the sheet, the speed of thepaddle section 25 is set to be slower than the preset speed. - In this way, by setting the speed of the
paddle section 25 to a speed slower than the speed set according to the preset size of the sheet, thepaddle section 25 and the sheet can certainly contact with each other, and the force acting on the sheet can be transferred. - Through the above, according to the second embodiment, as the speed of the paddle section is changed according to the type of the sheet, it is possible to suppress the slipping of the paddle section contacting with the sheet S. Further, the proper alignment quantity can be obtained according to the type of the sheet.
- While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.
Claims (14)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US16/057,879 US20180346278A1 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2018-08-08 | Sheet processing apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
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JP2015250989A JP6652832B2 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2015-12-24 | Sheet post-processing equipment |
JP2015-250989 | 2015-12-24 | ||
US15/218,688 US10071874B2 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2016-07-25 | Paddle control for post processing device with standby tray |
US16/057,879 US20180346278A1 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2018-08-08 | Sheet processing apparatus |
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US15/218,688 Continuation US10071874B2 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2016-07-25 | Paddle control for post processing device with standby tray |
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US20180346278A1 true US20180346278A1 (en) | 2018-12-06 |
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US15/218,688 Active 2036-11-10 US10071874B2 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2016-07-25 | Paddle control for post processing device with standby tray |
US16/057,879 Abandoned US20180346278A1 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2018-08-08 | Sheet processing apparatus |
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US15/218,688 Active 2036-11-10 US10071874B2 (en) | 2015-12-24 | 2016-07-25 | Paddle control for post processing device with standby tray |
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JP6849337B2 (en) * | 2016-07-26 | 2021-03-24 | キヤノン株式会社 | Image forming device, control method and program of image forming device |
JP7208583B2 (en) * | 2018-11-30 | 2023-01-19 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | Media transport device and media processing device |
JP7226113B2 (en) * | 2019-06-07 | 2023-02-21 | 株式会社リコー | Sheet folding device and image forming system |
KR102351227B1 (en) * | 2020-08-25 | 2022-01-14 | (주)케이알디씨 | Post-processing apparatus for image forming apparatus performing the same |
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US7043192B2 (en) * | 2004-09-28 | 2006-05-09 | Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet post-process apparatus and waiting tray |
US7874553B2 (en) * | 2008-02-28 | 2011-01-25 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet stacking apparatus and sheet processing apparatus |
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US4473425A (en) * | 1982-05-24 | 1984-09-25 | Eastman Kodak Company | Binding apparatus and method |
US5285249A (en) * | 1992-09-10 | 1994-02-08 | Eastman Kodak Company | Finishing apparatus for stapling sheets stacked first-to-last or last-to-first |
JPH11322162A (en) | 1998-05-13 | 1999-11-24 | Canon Aptex Inc | Sheet processor and image forming device |
US6330999B2 (en) * | 1998-05-14 | 2001-12-18 | Graoco (Japan) Ltd | Set binding, stapling and stacking apparatus |
US6450934B1 (en) * | 1999-10-05 | 2002-09-17 | Gradco Japan | High speed post processing machine |
JP4018683B2 (en) | 2004-09-28 | 2007-12-05 | 東芝テック株式会社 | Sheet post-processing apparatus and standby tray |
JP2006096467A (en) | 2004-09-28 | 2006-04-13 | Toshiba Tec Corp | Sheet post-treatment device |
JP4772439B2 (en) * | 2005-09-16 | 2011-09-14 | キヤノンファインテック株式会社 | Sheet post-processing apparatus and image forming apparatus |
US7690637B2 (en) * | 2007-02-01 | 2010-04-06 | Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet processing apparatus and sheet processing method |
US7862025B2 (en) | 2007-03-02 | 2011-01-04 | Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet post-processing apparatus |
US7997577B2 (en) | 2008-03-13 | 2011-08-16 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Pivoting sheet discharging tray and image forming apparatus including the tray |
US8496244B2 (en) * | 2010-07-28 | 2013-07-30 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Sheet processing apparatus and sheet processing method |
-
2015
- 2015-12-24 JP JP2015250989A patent/JP6652832B2/en active Active
-
2016
- 2016-07-25 US US15/218,688 patent/US10071874B2/en active Active
-
2018
- 2018-08-08 US US16/057,879 patent/US20180346278A1/en not_active Abandoned
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US7043192B2 (en) * | 2004-09-28 | 2006-05-09 | Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet post-process apparatus and waiting tray |
US7874553B2 (en) * | 2008-02-28 | 2011-01-25 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet stacking apparatus and sheet processing apparatus |
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US10071874B2 (en) | 2018-09-11 |
US20170183191A1 (en) | 2017-06-29 |
JP2017114613A (en) | 2017-06-29 |
JP6652832B2 (en) | 2020-02-26 |
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