Sheet processing apparatus and image forming system

Abstract

A sheet processing apparatus performs a binding discharge process and a sorting discharge process. In the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking portion, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking portion. And a second operation in which, in a case where the sheet is not conveyed in the second conveying direction, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction is sandwiched by the pair of alignment plates, and a displacement operation of moving a position of the sheet in a displacement direction is performed. The sheet is then discharged to a displacement position on the stacking portion. And a third operation in which the sheet is discharged to a position displaced from a displacement position on the stacking portion without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs a binding process on sheets, and an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-20999 discloses a structure of a sheet processing device capable of performing a binding discharge process and a non-switch-back shift discharge process. In the binding discharge process, a sheet is conveyed to a processing tray, the sheet is switched back to the processing tray, a binding process is performed with the rear end of the sheet against a rear end regulating portion, and then the sheet is discharged onto a stacking tray. In the non-switch-back shift discharge process, the sheet is moved in a shift direction intersecting the conveying direction by a pair of alignment plates without switching the sheet back, and thus the sheet is discharged onto the stacking tray. Summary of the invention

[0003] In the shift discharge process, a sheet is moved in a shift direction and then discharged, and further acceleration is required. The present invention provides a sheet processing apparatus capable of performing a faster shift discharge process, and an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a sheet processing device comprises: a first conveying part, the first conveying part is configured to convey a sheet in a first conveying direction; a placing part, on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying part is placed; an abutting part, on which the upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction abuts the abutting part; a second conveying part, the second conveying part is configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction, and in the second conveying direction, the upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction moves toward the abutting part; a pair of alignment plates, the pair of alignment plates are arranged on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and are configured to align the sheet abutting the abutting part in the width direction; a driving part, the driving part is configured to make the pair of alignment plates an alignment plate moving in the width direction; a processing portion configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and stacking the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction thereon; a pair of discharge rotating members configured to discharge the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; and a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position and a separation position, the clamping position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheets, and the separation position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other. The sheet processing apparatus is configured to perform a binding discharge process and a sorting discharge process. In the binding discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a binding position, a binding process is performed on the plurality of sheets aligned at the binding position by the processing part, and the plurality of sheets that have undergone the binding process are discharged onto the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the first operation, the sheets are conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part, and then the sheets conveyed by the first conveying part are conveyed onto the placing part by the second conveying part in the second conveying direction so that the downstream edge of the sheets in the second conveying direction abuts the abutting part, and the sheets are aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates. In the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking part, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking part.In the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part so that when the pair of discharge rotating members are in the separated position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying part, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part and in the state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates, and a shifting operation of shifting the position of the sheet in a shifting direction is performed by moving the pair of alignment plates clamping the sheet, and the shifting direction is a direction toward one of the two sides in the width direction, and then, after the pair of alignment plates are retracted in the width direction from the sheet undergoing the shifting operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, the sheet is discharged to the shifted position on the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from a shift position on the stacking portion in the shift direction without being conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present invention, an image forming system comprises: an image forming part configured to form an image on a sheet; a first conveying part configured to convey a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming part in a first conveying direction; a placing part on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying part is placed; an abutting part against which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction abuts; a second conveying part configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction, in which the upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction moves toward the abutting part; a pair of alignment plates, the pair of alignment plates being provided on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and configured to align the sheet abutting the abutting part in the width direction; A driving portion configured to move the pair of alignment plates in the width direction; a processing portion configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and stacking the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction thereon; a pair of discharge rotating members configured to discharge the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position and a separation position, the clamping position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheets and the separation position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other; and a control portion. The control portion is configured to perform a binding discharge process and a sorting discharge process. In the binding discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a binding position, a binding process is performed on the plurality of sheets aligned at the binding position by the processing part, and the plurality of sheets that have undergone the binding process are discharged onto the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the first operation, the sheets are conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part, and then the sheets conveyed by the first conveying part are conveyed onto the placing part by the second conveying part in the second conveying direction so that the downstream edge of the sheets in the second conveying direction abuts the abutting part, and the sheets are aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates. In the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking part, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking part.In the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part so that when the pair of discharge rotating members are in the separated position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying part, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part and in the state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates, and a shifting operation of shifting the position of the sheet in a shifting direction is performed by moving the pair of alignment plates clamping the sheet, and the shifting direction is a direction toward one of the two sides in the width direction, and then, after the pair of alignment plates are retracted in the width direction from the sheet undergoing the shifting operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, the sheet is discharged to the shifted position on the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from a shift position on the stacking portion in the shift direction without being conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a sheet processing device comprises: a first conveying part, the first conveying part is configured to convey a sheet in a first conveying direction; a placing part, on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying part is placed; a butt portion, on which the upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction abuts the butt portion; a second conveying part, the second conveying part is configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction, and in the second conveying direction, the upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction moves toward the butt portion; a pair of alignment plates, the pair of alignment plates are arranged on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and are configured to align the sheet abutting the butt portion in the width direction; a driving part, the driving part is configured to make the pair of alignment plates an alignment plate moving in the width direction; a processing portion configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and stacking the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction thereon; a pair of discharge rotating members configured to discharge the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; and a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position and a separation position, the clamping position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheets, and the separation position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other. The sheet processing apparatus is configured to perform a binding discharge process and a sorting discharge process. In the binding discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a binding position, a binding process is performed on the plurality of sheets aligned at the binding position by the processing part, and the plurality of sheets that have undergone the binding process are discharged onto the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the first operation, the sheets are conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part, and then the sheets conveyed by the first conveying part are conveyed onto the placing part by the second conveying part in the second conveying direction so that the downstream edge of the sheets in the second conveying direction abuts the abutting part, and the sheets are aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates. In the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking part, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking part.In the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part so that when the pair of discharge rotating members are in the separated position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying part, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part and in the state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, a shifting operation of moving the position of the sheet in a predetermined shifting direction is performed by moving one of the pair of alignment plates on one side in the width direction in a predetermined shifting direction, and the predetermined shifting direction is a direction toward the other side in the width direction, and after the shifting operation, the one alignment plate is retracted in the width direction from the sheet undergoing the shifting operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, and then the sheet is discharged to the shifted position on the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from a shift position on the stacking portion in the predetermined shift direction without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an image forming system comprises: an image forming part configured to form an image on a sheet; a first conveying part configured to convey a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming part in a first conveying direction; a placing part on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying part is placed; an abutting part against which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction abuts; a second conveying part configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction, in which the upstream edge of the sheet on the placing part in the first conveying direction moves toward the abutting part; a pair of alignment plates, the pair of alignment plates being provided on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and configured to align the sheet abutting the abutting part in the width direction; A driving portion configured to move the pair of alignment plates in the width direction; a processing portion configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and stacking the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction thereon; a pair of discharge rotating members configured to discharge the sheets conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position and a separation position, the clamping position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheets and the separation position being a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other, and a control portion. The control portion is configured to perform a binding discharge process and a sorting discharge process. In the binding discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a binding position, a binding process is performed on the plurality of sheets aligned at the binding position by the processing part, and the plurality of sheets that have undergone the binding process are discharged onto the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the first operation, the sheets are conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part, and then the sheets conveyed by the first conveying part are conveyed onto the placing part by the second conveying part in the second conveying direction so that the downstream edge of the sheets in the second conveying direction abuts the abutting part, and the sheets are aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates. In the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking part, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking part.In the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part so that when the pair of discharge rotating members are in the separated position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying part, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part and in the state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, a shifting operation of moving the position of the sheet in a predetermined shifting direction is performed by moving one of the pair of alignment plates on one side in the width direction in a predetermined shifting direction, and the predetermined shifting direction is a direction toward the other side in the width direction, and after the shifting operation, the one alignment plate is retracted in the width direction from the sheet undergoing the shifting operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, and then the sheet is discharged to the shifted position on the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members. In the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from a shift position on the stacking portion in the predetermined shift direction without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion.

[0008] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus being in a state where a top cover is removed.

[0012] Figure 4 is a side view of the upper and lower discharge rollers at a first separated position according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 is a side view of the upper and lower discharge rollers at the second separated position according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 6is a plan view of a pair of alignment plates and their surroundings according to the first embodiment as viewed from above.

[0015] Figure 7 is a plan view of the pair of alignment plates and their surroundings according to the first embodiment as viewed from below.

[0016] Fig. 8A is a perspective view of the alignment plate and its surroundings on the front side according to the first embodiment as viewed from below.

[0017] Figure 8B is a plan view of the alignment plate and its surroundings on the front side according to the first embodiment as viewed from below.

[0018] Fig. 9 The diagram is a schematic diagram illustrating a clamping position, a first retracted position, and a second retracted position of a pair of alignment plates according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Fig. 10A is a perspective view of the vicinity of a processing tray at a home position of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Fig. 10B is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus at the home position according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Fig.11A 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating a state of the discharge rollers at the home position of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0022] Fig. 11B 1 is a diagram illustrating a state of a reversing paddle at the home position of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0023] Fig. 11C 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating a state of the trailing end drop member of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment at the home position as viewed in the width direction.

[0024] Fig.12 The figure is a perspective view for illustrating the engagement relationship between the rear end drop member and the reversing blade according to the first embodiment.

[0025] Fig.13A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the processing tray at the sheet discharging timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 13Bis a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus at the timing of sheet discharge of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0027] Fig.14A A diagram illustrating a state of the discharge roller at the sheet discharge timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0028] Fig. 14B A diagram illustrating a state of the direction-reversing blade at the sheet discharging timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0029] Fig. 14C A diagram illustrating a state of the trailing end drop member at the sheet discharging timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0030] Fig.15A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the processing tray at the sheet switching timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Fig. 15B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus at a timing of sheet switching in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0032] Fig.16A A diagram illustrating a state of the discharge roller at a sheet switching timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0033] Fig. 16B A diagram illustrating a state of the direction reversing blade at the sheet reversing timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0034] Fig. 16C A diagram illustrating a state of the trailing end dropping member at the sheet switching timing of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed in the width direction.

[0035] Fig.17 This is a table illustrating a corresponding relationship between each motor and each component of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0036] Fig.18 It is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0037] Fig.19 It is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control flow of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0038] Fig. 20A It is a schematic diagram illustrating a main section of the sheet processing apparatus at a home position in a switchbackless shift discharge process according to the first embodiment as viewed from above.

[0039] Fig. 20B 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus at a home position in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0040] Fig.21A A schematic diagram illustrating a main section of the sheet processing apparatus at a sheet receiving timing in a non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment as viewed from above.

[0041] Fig. 21B 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus at a sheet receiving timing in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0042] Fig.22A A schematic diagram illustrating a main portion of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above at a time when an upper discharge roller descends in a non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0043] Fig. 22B is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus at a time when the upper discharge roller descends in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0044] Fig.23A A schematic diagram illustrating a main portion of the sheet processing apparatus at a timing of movement of an alignment plate in a non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment as viewed from above.

[0045] Fig. 23B 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus at the timing of aligning plate movement in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0046] Fig.24A A schematic diagram illustrating a main section of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above at a moment when a sheet is shifted by the align plate in a non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0047] Fig. 24B 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus at the moment when the sheet is shifted by the align plate in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0048] Fig.25Ais a schematic diagram of a main section of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment when shifting of sheets is completed in a non-switch-back shift discharge process as viewed from above.

[0049] Fig.25B is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus when shifting of sheets is completed in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0050] Fig.26A A schematic diagram illustrating a main section of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment as viewed from above when the align plate is retracted in a non-switch-back shift discharge process.

[0051] Fig.26B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus when the align plate is retracted in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0052] Fig.27A 2 is a schematic diagram of a main section of the sheet processing apparatus when discharging a sheet in a non-switch-back shift discharging process according to the first embodiment as viewed from above.

[0053] Fig.27B is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus when discharging a sheet in a non-switch-back shift discharging process according to the first embodiment.

[0054] Fig.28A It is a schematic diagram illustrating a main section of the sheet processing apparatus when the discharge of sheets is completed in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment as viewed from above.

[0055] Fig.28B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus when the discharge of the sheet is completed in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the first embodiment.

[0056] Fig.29 is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment when the trailing end dropping member is lowered in the non-switch-back shift discharge process.

[0057] Fig. 30A A schematic diagram illustrating a main section of the sheet processing apparatus according to the third embodiment as viewed from above when the sheet is shifted by the align plate in the non-switch-back shift discharge process.

[0058] Fig. 30B is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus when the sheet is shifted by the align plate in the non-switch-back shift discharge process according to the third embodiment.

[0059] Fig.31A is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus in the bookbinding discharge process according to the first embodiment, in which a state in which sheets have been conveyed is illustrated.

[0060] Fig.31B is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus in the bookbinding discharge process according to the first embodiment, in which a state in which a sheet bundle is formed and aligned on the processing tray is illustrated.

[0061] Fig.31C is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus in the bookbinding discharge process according to the first embodiment, illustrating a state in which a sheet bundle subjected to the bookbinding process has been discharged onto a stacking tray.

[0062] Fig.32 A perspective view for illustrating a state in which an unbound sheet bundle moving in a shift direction is formed on the stack tray. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] First embodiment

[0064] Reference Figures 1 to 28B The first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 A schematic configuration of the image forming system of this embodiment is described.

[0065] Image forming system

[0066] Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system of the present embodiment. The image forming system 1000 includes an image forming device 100 and a sheet processing device 200. The image forming device 100 is, for example, a copier, a printer, a fax machine, or a multifunctional device having these functions, and forms an image on a sheet such as a paper sheet or a plastic sheet. In the present embodiment, the image forming device 100 is a printer of an electrophotographic system, and a sheet having a toner image formed thereon is discharged through a discharge port 101. It should be noted that the image forming device 100 may be an image forming device of an inkjet system.

[0067] The image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus main body 110 and an image reading apparatus 120 disposed above the image forming apparatus main body 110. In the image forming apparatus main body 110, a toner image is formed on a sheet in an image forming portion 103. The image forming portion 103 of the present embodiment forms a full-color toner image by using toners of four colors, namely yellow (y), magenta (m), cyan (c), and black (k). Therefore, the image forming portion 103 includes a plurality of image forming stations that form toner images of various colors. The image forming stations of various colors have the same structure except for the color of the toner.

[0068] In the image forming station of each color, the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 is charged by the charging member 11, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 by exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 by an unillustrated exposure unit. Further, the developing unit 12 develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image by using a developer. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 14 by the primary transfer roller 13 through the primary transfer. Transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 10 after the primary transfer is removed by the drum cleaner 15.

[0069] The cycle of charging, exposure, development, primary transfer, and drum cleaning is similarly repeated in each image forming station, and the corresponding color toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 14 so as to be superimposed on each other, and thereby a full-color toner image is formed.

[0070] Meanwhile, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a plurality of cassettes 20 each accommodating a sheet. The sheet accommodated in each cassette 20 is conveyed to a sheet conveying path 22 by the rotation of a feed roller 21, and reaches a registration roller 23. The registration roller 23 feeds the sheet to a secondary transfer portion 17 formed by the intermediate transfer belt 14 and a secondary transfer roller 16 at a timing matching the timing of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 14. The multi-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 14 is collectively transferred onto the sheet by secondary transfer at the secondary transfer portion 17. Transfer residual toner, paper dust, etc. remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 14 after the secondary transfer are removed by a belt cleaner 18.

[0071] The sheet having passed through the secondary transfer portion 17 is conveyed to the fixing unit 30 serving as an image heating device. The fixing unit 30 includes a heating roller 31 and a pressure roller 32, and forms a heating nip portion where the sheet is pinched and conveyed between the heating roller 31 and the pressure roller 32. The sheet conveyed to the fixing unit 30 is heated and pressurized in the heating nip portion, so that the unfixed toner image is fixed to the sheet. The sheet to which the toner image is fixed is conveyed through the discharge conveying path 24, and is discharged to the outside of the device by the discharge roller 25 through the discharge port 101, and a series of image forming operations are thereby completed.

[0072] As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes the image forming apparatus main body 110 and the image reading apparatus 120. The image reading apparatus 120 reads an image on a document placed on the platen glass 122 through the image reading portion 121, and transmits the read image signal to the image forming apparatus main body 110. In addition, an automatic document feeder (ADF) 123 that feeds a document to the image reading portion 121 is provided above the image reading apparatus 120. The image reading apparatus 120 can also read an image on a document fed by the automatic document feeder 123.

[0073] The image forming apparatus main body 110 includes a first housing portion 111 in which the image forming portion 103 and the like are provided, and a second housing portion 112 in which the discharge conveying path 24 and the discharge roller 25 are provided, and the second housing portion 112 is provided above the first housing portion 111. The image reading apparatus 120 is provided above the second housing portion 112. In addition, the second housing portion 112 is provided with an operation panel, which is not illustrated, so that instructions (such as printing conditions and mode settings) from a user for the image forming apparatus 100 and the sheet processing apparatus 200 can be input.

[0074] In the present embodiment, according to the configuration, there is provided a main body inner space 130 surrounded by the first housing portion 111, the second housing portion 112, and the image reading device 120. Further, in the configuration, a sheet is discharged to the main body inner space 130 through the discharge port 101 of the image forming device main body 110. In addition, a sheet processing device 200 or the like can be attached to and detached from the main body inner space 130. Although the image forming system 1000 is configured by attaching the sheet processing device 200 in the present embodiment, a device that performs different sheet processing may be attached.

[0075] The sheet processing apparatus 200 is connected to the discharge port 101, and receives the sheet discharged through the discharge port 101. Further, as will be described in detail later, the sheet processing apparatus 200 can perform predetermined processing, such as a binding process, on the sheet.

[0076] Sheet processing equipment

[0077] Reference Figure 2 to 1 6 describes the configuration of the sheet material processing apparatus 200 of the present embodiment. Figure 2 and 3 The overall configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200 will be described. In the following description, the front (F) side is one side in the sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction ( Figure 2 The front side and Figure 3 The right front side of the sheet is a side on which the operator operates the image forming system 1000, and the front side is a side on which the operation panel is provided. In addition, the rear (R) side is a side opposite to the front side, and is the other side in the sheet width direction ( Figure 2 The rear side and Figure 3 the left rear side of the camera).

[0078] Overall structure of sheet material handling equipment

[0079] The sheet processing apparatus 200 includes a conveying path 210A, pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A serving as a first conveying portion, a processing tray 220 serving as a placing portion, an upper discharge roller (gripping member) 230A and a lower discharge roller 230B serving as a pair of discharge rotating members (discharge portion), a reversing blade (reversing blade) 240A serving as a second conveying portion, a rear end dropping member 250A serving as a sheet dropping portion, an aligning portion 270A serving as first and second shifting portions, a returning member 280, a rear end regulating member 290 serving as an abutting portion, a stacking tray 300 serving as a stacking portion, a reversing blade (sheet pressing blade) 320A for discharged sheets serving as a pull-in portion, etc. The sheet received from the image forming apparatus 100 is conveyed to the conveying path 210A.

[0080] According to the sheet processing mode, the sheet conveyed from the conveying path 210A is discharged directly onto the stacking tray 300 or placed on the processing tray 220. It is to be noted that directly discharging onto the stacking tray 300 means discharging the sheet onto the stacking tray 300 without conveying the sheet in the opposite direction to a position where a stapling process (binding process) can be performed on the processing tray 220. In other words, the sheet processing apparatus 200 has a mode for discharging the sheet subjected to the stapling process of the stapling unit 400 onto the stacking tray 300, and a mode for discharging the sheet onto the stacking tray 300 without performing the stapling process by the stapling unit 400. In the present embodiment, the alignment of the sheet is achieved by a pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B of the alignment portion 270A without being placed on the processing tray 220. In addition, the sheet may be aligned on the processing tray 220, and stapling may be performed on the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 by the stapling unit 400. In addition, the sheet or sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 can be discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B serving as a pair of discharge rotating members. A detailed description of the configuration of each component will be given below.

[0081] Conveying path

[0082] The conveying path 210A is a path for conveying a sheet in a first conveying direction (predetermined direction), and includes an upper guide 2101 for guiding the upper surface of the conveyed sheet and a lower guide 2102 for guiding the lower surface of the sheet. In the conveying path 210A, pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A serving as a first conveying portion (a pair of conveying rotating members), and upstream rollers (entrance rollers) 213a and 213b are provided. These pairs are provided in a direction opposite to the conveying direction (first conveying direction, Figure 2 The width direction of the sheet intersecting with the arrow β direction (left-right direction) Figure 3 Separated in the direction of arrow γ).

[0083] The pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A are a first conveying portion and a pair of conveying rotating members that convey a sheet, and at least one of them rotates while clamping a sheet. At least one of the upstream rollers 213a and 213b rotates while clamping a sheet. The upstream rollers 213a and 213b are provided at the entrance of the sheet processing device 200, receive a sheet conveyed from the upstream side of the sheet processing device 200, and convey the received sheet to the conveying path 210A. Then, the sheet that has passed through the conveying path 210A reaches the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A.

[0084] The pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A form a pre-processing nip portion 211a that can clamp and convey a sheet. Then, the sheet is clamped in the pre-processing nip portion 211a and conveyed in the first conveying direction, and is discharged from the conveying path 210A. The pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A can be brought into contact with or out of contact with each other, or their nip pressure can be changed.

[0085] Handling Pallets

[0086] The processing tray 220 used as a placing portion is arranged downstream of the conveying path 210A in the sheet conveying direction (first conveying direction), and is arranged below the conveying path 210A in the vertical direction. In addition, the processing tray 220 is inclined relative to the horizontal surface so that its upstream side in the first conveying direction is lower than its downstream side. On the processing tray 220, the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is temporarily placed. In addition, a plurality of sheets can be stacked and supported on the processing tray 220, and the alignment of the sheets in the width direction and the movement in the width direction (displacement of the sheets) are performed on the processing tray 220 by the alignment portion 270A. It should be noted that the "shift" of the present embodiment means that, with respect to the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, the sheet is moved to the front side and / or the rear side based on the center of the sheet, and in the shift discharge process to be described later, a mode of discharging a sheet while moving the sheet to the front side and then discharging another sheet to the rear side and a mode of discharging a sheet based on the center and then discharging another sheet while moving the other sheet to the front side or the rear side are included. In addition, discharging the next sheet while displacing it to the front side or the rear side relative to the already discharged sheet will also be referred to as shift discharge. In addition, a rear end regulating member 290 serving as an abutment portion is provided at the upstream end of the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction, and the upstream edge of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction (the rear end of the sheet) abuts against the rear end regulating member 290. Note that a portion of the processing tray 220 (eg, a downstream end portion in the first conveying direction) may protrude upward in the vertical direction to a greater extent than the conveying path 210A.

[0087] In addition, a stapling unit 400 serving as a processing section is disposed upstream of the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction. The stapling unit 400 performs a stapling process (binding process) serving as a predetermined process on the sheet bundle on the processing tray 220 that has undergone alignment in the width direction and adjustment of the rear end. The stapling unit 400 is capable of changing the stapling position on the sheet bundle and moving according to the stapling position. It should be noted that the predetermined process may be a process different from stapling, such as punching. The sheet or sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B as will be described later.

[0088] Reversing blade

[0089] The reversing blade 240A serving as the second conveying portion conveys the sheet onto the processing tray 220 in the second conveying direction in which the upstream edge of the sheet on the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction moves toward the rear end regulating member 290 (switch-back conveying). The reversing blade 240A includes a blade portion 2401 serving as a rotating member, a blade arm 2402 serving as a supporting portion supporting the blade portion 2401, and a swing fulcrum 2403 swingably supporting the blade arm 2402. That is, the blade arm 2402 can swing in the up-and-down direction around the swing fulcrum 2403, and the blade portion 2401 is rotatably provided at the distal end of the blade arm 2402.

[0090] The reversing blade 240A constructed in this manner is capable of swinging around the swing fulcrum 2403 between a return position and an upper retracted position, in which the blade portion 2401 abuts against the upper surface of the sheet on the processing tray 220 and is capable of conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction, and in the upper retracted position, the blade portion 2401 is retracted upward from the return position. The swing fulcrum 2403 is arranged in the first conveying direction at a position upstream of the pre-processing roller gap portion 211a serving as a roller gap position and is arranged above the pre-processing roller gap portion 211a in the vertical direction, at which the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A clamp the sheet. Further, the blade arm 2402 is arranged to extend downstream from the swing fulcrum 2403 in the first conveying direction, and the blade portion 2401 is arranged at its distal end portion. In addition, as Figure 3 As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the switching blades 240A are provided in pairs in the width direction on respective sides of an upper discharge roller 230A to be described later.

[0091] Rear drop component

[0092] The rear end drop members 250A serving as the sheet dropping portion are provided in pairs on the respective sides of the pair of reversing blades 240A. That is, the pair of rear end drop members 250A are provided on the respective sides of the reversing blades 240A in the width direction, move in the up-down direction in an interlocking manner with the reversing blades 240A as will be described later, and thus abut against the upper surface of the upstream side of the sheet in the first conveying direction to operate to cause the upstream end portion (rear end portion) of the sheet to drop toward the processing tray 220. It is to be noted that the rear end drop member 250A may be configured to be operated by being driven by a drive system different from that of the reversing blades 240A.

[0093] The rear end drop member 250A constructed in this manner includes a pivot shaft 2501 serving as a pivot center at a position downstream of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A serving as a pair of conveying rollers in the first conveying direction, is arranged to extend upstream from the pivot shaft 2501 in the first conveying direction, and is pivotable between an upper position above the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A and a lower position below the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A around the pivot shaft 2501. The rear end drop member 250A pivots from the upper position to the lower position, and thereby abuts against the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A from above to drop the sheet onto the processing tray 220 below. That is, the rear end dropping member 250A moves from a position above the sheet conveyed by the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A in the first conveying direction to a position below the sheet in the vertical direction, and thereby causes the upstream end portion (rear end portion) of the sheet conveyed by the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A in the first conveying direction to drop toward the processing tray 220.

[0094] Return to component

[0095] The return member 280 conveys the sheet conveyed toward the rear end regulating member 290 by the reversing blade 240A as described above further toward the rear end regulating member 290, and causes the rear end of the sheet to abut against the rear end regulating member 290 to regulate the rear end position of the sheet. The return member 280 constructed in this manner is constituted by the knurled belt 281, and by rotationally driving the knurled belt 281, the sheet conveyed upstream in the first conveying direction by the reversing blade 240A is further pulled in, and thus the rear end is abutted against the rear end regulating member 290. The return member 280 is movable between an abutting position where the return member 280 can abut against the sheet and a retracted position where the return member 280 is retracted upward from the abutting position, and moves to the abutting position in the case of conveying the sheet toward the rear end regulating member 290 and to the retracted position in the case of conveying the sheet on the processing tray 220 toward the stacking tray 300, respectively.

[0096] Discharge roller

[0097] The upper discharge roller (upper discharge rotary member) 230A and the lower discharge roller (lower discharge rotary member) 230B constitute a pair of discharge rotary members and a discharge portion, and convey the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A to the downstream side of the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction to discharge the sheet. At least one of the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B (discharge rotary member) is movable between a clamping position in which the sheet is clamped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, and a separation position in which the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are separated from each other to a greater extent than at the clamping position. In the present embodiment, the upper discharge roller 230A used as a discharge rotating member can be moved to a clamping position and a separation position, in which the sheet is clamped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, and in which the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are separated from each other to a greater extent than at the clamping position. That is, the upper discharge roller 230A is used as a clamping member, which clamps the sheet with the lower discharge roller 230B at the clamping position. Two of each of the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are arranged at a certain interval in the width direction of the sheet. In the present embodiment, these discharge rollers are arranged on the inner side of a pair of reversing blades 240A in the width direction. It should be noted that the lower discharge roller 230B can be moved in the up and down direction between the clamping position and the separation position, or each of the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B can be moved from the clamping position to the separation position.

[0098] The upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B clamp a sheet or a sheet bundle at a clamping position, and convey the clamped sheet or sheet bundle by, for example, the rotation of the lower discharge roller 230B. It should be noted that the upper discharge roller 230A is a driven roller that rotates according to the rotation of the lower discharge roller 230B, but can be configured to be driven. That is, in the present embodiment, the upper discharge roller 230A is configured as a driven rotating member, and the lower discharge roller 230B is configured as a driving rotating member. In addition, although the upper discharge roller 230A is used as a clamping member that can clamp a sheet with the lower discharge roller 230B at a clamping position, these clamping members can be different rotating members, such as belts instead of rollers, and can be abutting members that are adjacent to the sheet without rotating, such as rod members.

[0099] In addition, the lower discharge roller 230B may be a rotating member other than a roller, such as a belt. For example, in the case where the lower discharge roller 230B serving as the lower discharge rotating member is replaced by an endless belt, the belt is stretched by a plurality of rollers, and the outer peripheral surface of the belt stretched by one of the plurality of rollers forms a discharge roller nip portion 230a by abutting against a clamping member such as the upper discharge roller 230a (see the discharge roller nip portion 230a described later). Fig. 13B ). In this case, the rotation axis of the lower discharge rotating member is the rotation axis of the roller that stretches the tape at the position where the discharge nip portion 230a is formed.

[0100] The upper discharge roller 230A can pivot between the clamping position and the separation position around the pivot shaft 2301. In other words, the upper discharge roller 230A can move up and down between the clamping position and the separation position. As will be described in detail later, there are two separation positions, and the upper discharge roller 230A can move to the first separation position and the second separation position. The upper discharge roller 230A is arranged at the distal end of the discharge arm 2302 used as a support portion. The pivot shaft 2301 is coaxially arranged with the above-mentioned swing fulcrum 2403, and is arranged at a position upstream of the pre-processing roller gap portion 211a where the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A clamp the sheet in the first conveying direction and is arranged above the pre-processing roller gap portion 211a in the vertical direction. Further, the discharge arm 2302 is arranged to extend downstream from the pivot shaft 2301 in the first conveying direction, and the upper discharge roller 230A is arranged at its distal end portion. The pivot shaft 2301 does not necessarily need to be disposed coaxially with the swing fulcrum 2403 , but in the present embodiment, the pivot shafts of the upper discharge roller 230A and the switchback blade 240A are configured to be coaxial.

[0101] The pivot shaft 2301 is provided upstream of the discharge nip portion in the first conveying direction, at which the sheet is clamped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B in the clamping position. In addition, at the separation position, the upper discharge roller 230A is positioned in the vertical direction above the pre-processing nip portion 211a that clamps the sheet between the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, and the pivot shaft 2301 is positioned in the vertical direction above the center of the upper discharge roller 230A at the separation position.

[0102] In the state at the separated position, since the positional relationship between the upper discharge roller 230A, the pivot shaft 2301 and the pre-processing nip portion 211a is as described above, the upper discharge roller 230A allows the sheet having passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a to move toward the stacking tray 300. At the same time, by rotating around the pivot shaft 2301 in the stacking tray 300, the upper discharge roller 230A can move the sheet having passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a to the stacking tray 300. Figure 2The upper ejection roller 230A is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction of the upper ejection roller 230A, and moves downward from the separation position to the clamping position. Then, as a result of the upper ejection roller 230A moving to the clamping position, the sheet can be clamped between the upper ejection roller 230A and the lower ejection roller 230B.

[0103] The first separated position and the second separated position

[0104] As described above, the separation position of the upper discharge roller 230A includes the first separation position and the second separation position. Figure 4 The state where the upper discharge roller 230A is at the first separation position is illustrated, and Figure 5 The state in which the upper discharge roller 230A is at the second separated position is illustrated. Figure 4 and 5 Each illustrates the upper discharge roller 230A, the lower discharge roller 230B, and their surroundings as viewed from the side (one side in the sheet width direction, the front side). Figure 4 As illustrated in , the first separation position is a position where the upper discharge roller 230A is separated from the lower discharge roller 230B to a greater extent than at the nip position, and as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As illustrated in , the second separated position is a position where the upper discharge roller 230A is separated from the lower discharge roller 230B to a greater extent than at the nip position and the distance between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B is smaller than at the first separated position.

[0105] Here, the distance between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B at the first separation position will be represented by d1 ( Figure 4 ), the distance between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B at the second separation position will be represented by d2 ( Figure 5 ). In addition, the height in the vertical direction of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B at the same position as the rotation center O of the upper discharge roller 230A at the second separation position in the first conveying direction (arrow β direction) will be represented by d3 ( Figure 5 ). That is to say, Figure 5 As illustrated in FIG, in a case where a line in the vertical direction passing through the rotation center O of the upper discharge roller 230A is a virtual line L, the height of the alignment plates 271A and 271B at the portion through which the virtual line L passes is d3. As viewed in the width direction, the gap of the distance d2 at the second separation position at least partially overlaps with the range of the height d3 of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B.

[0106] In the present embodiment, the size relationship of d1, d2 and d3 is d2<d1<d3. For example, d1 is 12.4 mm, d2 is 5 mm, and d3 is 13 mm. In addition, as viewed from one side of the sheet in the width direction, the section containing the lower end portion of the upper discharge roller 230A in the vertical direction at the second separation position and the portion of the space below it are at a position overlapping with a pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. In addition, the gap between the lower end portion of the alignment plates 271A and 271B and the lower discharge roller 230B is very small at the section where the virtual line L passes. Therefore, when the alignment plates 271A and 271B move closer to the sheet in the width direction, the sheet between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B at the second separation position abuts the alignment plates 271A and 271B. It is to be noted that in the present embodiment, as viewed from one side in the width direction of the sheet, a region including a region of a lower end portion of the upper discharge roller 230A in the vertical direction and a space therebelow also overlaps with the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B at the first separation position. In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which a region including a region of an upper end portion of the lower discharge roller 230B in the vertical direction also overlaps with the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B as viewed from one side in the width direction of the sheet.

[0107] Alignment section

[0108] In addition to reference Figure 2 and 3 In addition, reference will be made to Figures 6 to 9 The alignment portion 270A serving as a shift portion is described. The alignment portion 270A moves the sheet in the shift direction (width direction) intersecting the first conveying direction while abutting against the edge of the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A. The alignment portion 270A configured in this manner includes a pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B serving as a first shift portion and a second shift portion, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 and 7 As shown in FIG. 2 , the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are arranged to be opposite to each other in the displacement direction. It should be noted that Figure 6 is a plan view of the alignment portion 270A as viewed from above in the vertical direction, and Figure 7 is a plan view of the alignment portion 270A as viewed from below in the vertical direction.

[0109] The pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are arranged further downstream of the downstream end portion of the conveying path 210A in the first conveying direction, and align the sheet in the width direction by moving in the width direction to abut against the edge of the sheet in the width direction. In the present embodiment, these alignment plates are arranged on the corresponding sides of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 in the width direction, and each can move in the width direction. In addition, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are arranged to extend from the upstream side to the downstream side in the first conveying direction relative to the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. That is, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are arranged to extend across the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B in the first conveying direction. Therefore, the area of ​​the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B including the downstream end portion thereof in the first conveying direction is positioned downstream of the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B in the first conveying direction. Note that the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B have the same configuration.

[0110] The pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are moved by the front side (F side) alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the rear side (R side) alignment plate moving motor MT17 (such as Figure 6 and 7 271A and 271B are driven by the F-side alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side alignment plate moving motor MT17 to move in the shifting direction. That is, the driving shaft of each of the alignment plates 271A and 271B is provided with a pinion gear 2711. In addition, the alignment plates 271A and 271B are provided with a rack gear 2712. Further, the pinion gear 2711 and the rack gear 2712 are configured to engage with each other. The rack gear 2712 is configured to extend in the width direction and to move in the width direction in response to the rotation of the pinion gear 2711. In addition, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are each guided along a guide shaft 2713 provided in the width direction.

[0111] Therefore, by driving the F side alignment plate moving motor MT16, the front side ( Figure 6 and 7 The alignment plate 271A on the lower side of the rear side (of the rear side) can be moved in the width direction, and by driving the R side alignment plate moving motor MT17, the rear side ( Figure 6 and 7 The alignment plate 271B on the upper side of the aligning plate 271A can move in the width direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the alignment plates 271A and 271B can each move independently.

[0112] In the shift discharge process to be described later, in the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B constructed in this manner, the alignment plate 271B on the upstream side in the shift direction (one side in the width direction, the rear side in the present embodiment) will be referred to as a first shift portion, and the alignment plate 271A on the downstream side in the shift direction (the other side in the width direction, the front side in the present embodiment) will be referred to as a second shift portion. In addition, a motor that drives the first shift portion will be referred to as a first drive portion, and a motor that drives the second shift portion will be referred to as a second drive portion.

[0113] The alignment plates 271A and 271B are formed so that their widths in the up-down direction are larger on the downstream side in the first conveying direction, as shown in FIG. Fig. 8A That is, the alignment plates 271A and 271B each include a first plate portion 2701 on the downstream side in the first conveying direction and a second plate portion 2702 formed on the upstream side in the first conveying direction so as to be continuous with the first plate portion 2701. Fig. 8A 271A is only exemplified in the illustration, but the same applies to the alignment plate 271B. The first plate portion 2701 has a larger area in the up-down direction than the second plate portion 2702 so as to be able to abut against the sheet even when the leading end side of the conveyed sheet is curled upward or downward. In contrast, the second plate portion 2702 is formed to have a height smaller than the first plate portion 2701 in the up-down direction so as not to interfere with the rear end drop member 250A even when the rear end drop member 250A is positioned at a lower position. In addition, the upper edge of the second plate portion 2702 is inclined so as to be lower on the upstream side in the first conveying direction.

[0114] In addition, the first plate portion 2701 is formed to extend from the upstream side to the downstream side in the first conveying direction relative to the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. Therefore, even in the case where the sheet is discharged by a non-switch-back shift discharge process (which is a shift discharge process to be described later), at least the first plate portion 2701 can abut the sheet. In addition, the second plate portion 2702 is positioned on the processing tray 220 and is formed to be continuous with the first plate portion 2701 in the first conveying direction. Therefore, at least the second plate portion 2702 can abut the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 by the switch-back shift discharge process (which is a shift discharge process to be described later), and at least the second plate portion 2701 can abut the sheet placed on the processing tray 220.

[0115] In addition, the first plate portion 2701 includes a curling pressing portion 2703. The curling pressing portion 2703 is provided so as to press the discharge roller nip portion 230a (see the later-described Fig. 13B) extends from the upstream side to the downstream side and extends above the discharge nip portion 230a in the vertical direction, and presses the upwardly curled front end of the sheet, the discharge nip portion 230a being the nip position where the upper discharge roller 230a and the lower discharge roller 230B clamp the sheet. In the present embodiment, the curl pressing portion 2703 is a groove / convex portion formed to extend from the upper end portion of the first plate portion 2701 toward the inner side (sheet adjacent side) in the width direction, and since the edge of the curled sheet in the width direction is caught by the curl pressing portion 2703, the front end of the sheet can be pressed.

[0116] The alignment portion 270A of the present embodiment further includes a propulsion spring 2714 serving as a propulsion portion, which propels the alignment plate 271A on one side (front side) of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B constructed in this manner toward the alignment plate 271B on the other side (rear side). Fig. 8A and 8B As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the alignment plate 271A on the front side is supported via a support portion 2715 fixed to the alignment plate 271A so as to be movable in the width direction relative to the guide shaft 2713. At the same time, the rack gear 2712 on the front side is supported via a support portion 2716 fixed to the rack gear 2712 so as to be movable in the width direction relative to the guide shaft 2713. Further, a thrust spring 2714 as a compression spring is provided between a section of the support portion 2715 and a section of the support portion 2716.

[0117] More specifically, the support portion 2716 of the rack gear 2712 is assembled on the guide shaft 2713 via a pair of assembly portions 2716a and 2716b separated from each other. At the same time, the support portion 2715 of the alignment plate 271A is assembled on the guide shaft 2713 via a pair of assembly portions 2715a and 2715b separated from each other. Further, the assembly portion 2715a on the inner side (rear side) of the alignment plate 271A in the width direction is arranged on the outer side (front side) in the width direction than the assembly portion 2716a on the inner side (rear side) of the rack gear 2712, and similarly, the assembly portion 2715b on the outer side in the width direction is arranged to be positioned on the outer side in the width direction than the assembly portion 2716b. In addition, the thrust spring 2714 is arranged in a compressed state between the assembly portion 2715a of the alignment plate 271A and the assembly portion 2716b of the rack gear 2712. As a result, when the alignment plate 271A is pushed to the front side by the sheet, the push spring 2714 is compressed, and the alignment plate 271A moves to the front side relative to the rack gear 2712. In this state, the alignment plate 271A pushes the sheet to the rear side by the elastic restoring force of the push spring 2714.

[0118] In addition, in the present embodiment, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B can be moved to an alignment position (not illustrated), a clamping position, a first retracted position, and a second retracted position. Fig. 9 The second retracted position illustrated in the figure, at which alignment of the sheet S in the width direction is performed. Further, in addition to these positions, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B can also be moved to a receiving position (not illustrated) for receiving the sheet on the processing tray 220. The alignment position is a position where the sheet S abutting the rear end regulating member 290 in the switch-back shift discharge process to be described later is aligned in the width direction. The clamping position is a position where the sheet S is clamped in the non-switch-back shift discharge process to be described later. The first retracted position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are retracted from the two edges of the sheet S in the width direction to a greater extent than at the clamping position. The second retracted position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are further retracted from the two edges of the sheet S in the width direction than at the first retracted position. For example, the alignment position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are at approximately the same position as the two edges of the sheet S in the width direction, and may be the same position as the clamping position or a position retracted slightly more from the edge of the sheet S in the width direction than at the clamping position. The clamping position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B abut against the edge of the sheet S in the width direction. The first retracted position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are retracted 3 mm each from the two edges of the sheet S in the width direction. The second retracted position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are retracted 5 mm each from the two edges of the sheet S in the width direction. The receiving position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are retracted 10 mm each from the two edges of the sheet S in the width direction.

[0119] The above-mentioned first retracted position is a position in which when the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B discharge the sheet, the distance from both edges in the width direction of the conveyed sheet suppresses the skew of the sheet. After the sheet has passed through the discharge roller nip portion 230a formed by the upper discharge roller 230a and the lower discharge roller 230B, the second retracted position suppresses the contact of the sheet with the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. After the sheet has passed through the discharge roller nip portion 230a, the sheet is not clamped by rollers or the like, so due to this influence, if the edge of the sheet in the width direction contacts at least one of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the sheet may tilt. Therefore, in the present embodiment, after the rear end of the sheet has passed through the discharge roller nip portion 230a, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B moves to the second retracted position.

[0120] It is to be noted that, in the first retracted position, the positions of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B may be slightly different from each other within a range where the effect of suppressing the skew of the sheet can be obtained. Similarly, in the second retracted position, the positions of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B may be slightly different from each other within a range where the sheet does not contact the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. In addition, as long as the above requirements are met, the distance from both edges of the sheet in the width direction at each position may be different from the above values.

[0121] Stacking Pallets

[0122] On the stacking tray 300 serving as the stacking portion, as described above, the sheets discharged by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are stacked. The stacking tray 300 is disposed downstream of the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction and below the processing tray 220 in the vertical direction so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction. Figure 2 and 3 In addition, the stacking tray 300 is inclined relative to the horizontal surface so that its upstream side in the first conveying direction is lower than its downstream side. For example, the stacking tray 300 constructed in this manner is supported to be movable in the vertical direction along guide rails provided in the vertical direction, and is moved by the stacking tray lifting / lowering motor MT20 ( Fig.17 ) is driven to move up and down.

[0123] At the upstream end of the stacking tray 300 in the first conveying direction, there are provided an upright surface 310a serving as a stacking side regulating device, the upright surface 310a regulating the upstream end (rear end) in the first conveying direction of the sheet or sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray 300, and a rear end presser 310b pressing the rear end of the sheet abutting against the upright surface 310a. The rear end presser 310b is inclined upward toward the downstream side in the first conveying direction, and even in the case where the rear end of the sheet is curled upward, the rear end can be pressed by the rear end presser 310b.

[0124] In addition, the reversing blade 320A for the discharged sheet is arranged coaxially with the rotation axis of the lower discharge roller 230B. Figure 2 ) does not have to be coaxial with the rotation axis of the lower discharge roller 230B. As long as the rotation axis 3201 of the reversing blade 320A for the discharged sheet is provided in the discharge roller nip portion 230A (see the following description) between the upper discharge roller 230a and the lower discharge roller 230B serving as a pair of discharge rotating members, Fig. 13B) and the upright surface 310a serving as the stacking side abutment portion provided on the upstream side of the stacking tray 300 in the first conveying direction. Figure 2 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the rotation shaft 3201 of the discharged sheet switching blade 320A is provided between the downstream end portion of the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction and the upper end portion of the standing surface 310 a in the vertical direction.

[0125] The stacking tray 300 can be moved up and down between a first stacking position and a second stacking position below the first stacking position by the stacking tray lifting / lowering motor MT20. The second stacking position is a position where the movement of the stacking tray 300 that moves downward when the sheet is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 is switched to an upward movement. When the sheet is discharged, the stacking tray 300 moves up and down, the reversing blade 320A of the discharged sheet rotates, and the sheet or sheet stack on the stacking tray 300 (stacked portion) is conveyed (pulled in) in a third conveying direction in which the upstream edge of the sheet in the first conveying direction moves toward the upright surface 310a. Further, the upper surface of the sheet or the sheet stack consisting of a plurality of sheets on the stacking tray 300 is pressed by the reversing blade 320A of the discharged sheet.

[0126] The driving structure of each part

[0127] Next, we will refer to Figures 10A to 16C The drive structure of the upper discharge roller 230A, the reversing blade 240A, and the rear end drop member 250A is described. In the present embodiment, the upper discharge roller 230A, the reversing blade 240A, and the rear end drop member 250A are configured to operate in an interlocking manner. Fig. 10A As illustrated in the figure, the drive structure 600 for these includes a process upper motor 610 (MT12, Fig.17 ), a drive transmission mechanism 611, a rotating shaft 612, and a cam mechanism 613. The upper motor 610 can rotate in a normal direction and a reverse direction, and the drive of the upper motor 610 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 612 via the drive transmission mechanism 611. In the present embodiment, the drive transmission mechanism 611 is composed of a gear train, but may be a different drive transmission structure, such as a structure in which the drive is transmitted by a belt.

[0128] The rotating shaft 612 is arranged to extend in the width direction above the upper discharge roller 230A, the reversing blade 240A, and the rear end drop member 250A. Further, the cam mechanism 613 is configured to operate by the rotation of the rotating shaft 612. The cam mechanism 613 includes a first cam member 620 and a second cam member 630 that rotates together with the rotating shaft 612. The first cam member 620 is arranged between the pair of upper discharge rollers 230A and moves the upper discharge roller 230A. Each second cam member 630 is arranged adjacent to each of the pair of reversing blades 240A and moves the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A.

[0129] like Fig.11A As illustrated in the example, a groove portion 621 is defined on the inner side of the first cam member 620, and the protrusion 2303 provided on the discharge arm 2302 of the upper discharge roller 230A can enter the groove portion 621. The outer peripheral surface of the groove portion 621, that is, the inner peripheral surface of the first cam member 620, serves as an inner cam surface 622. The inner cam surface 622 is a cam surface whose distance from the rotation center of the rotation shaft 612 changes according to the phase in the rotation direction. In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the first cam member 620 serves as an outer cam surface 623. The outer cam surface 623 is also a cam surface whose distance from the rotation center of the rotation shaft 612 changes according to the phase in the rotation direction.

[0130] In addition to the above-mentioned protruding portion 2303, the discharge arm 2302 of the upper discharge roller 230A further includes an abutment portion 2304 capable of abutting against the outer cam surface 623 of the first cam member 620. The first cam member 620 changes the abutment position (phase) between the inner cam surface 622 and the protruding portion 2303 by rotating together with the rotation shaft 612, separates the inner cam surface 622 and the protruding portion 2303 to change the abutment position (phase) between the outer cam surface 623 and the abutment portion 2304, and by separating the inner cam surface 622 and the protruding portion 2303, as will be described later, the upper discharge roller 230A is pivoted about the pivot shaft 2301 from the clamped position to the first separated position and the second separated position.

[0131] like Fig. 11BAs illustrated in the example, a groove portion 631 is provided on the inner side of the second cam member 630, and the first protrusion 2404 provided on the blade arm 2402 of the reversing blade 240A can enter the groove portion 631. The outer peripheral surface of the groove portion 631, that is, the inner peripheral surface of the second cam member 630, serves as an inner cam surface 632. The inner cam surface 632 is a cam surface whose distance from the rotation center of the rotating shaft 612 varies according to the phase in the rotation direction. The second cam member 630 rotates together with the rotating shaft 612 and thus changes the abutment position (phase) between the inner cam surface 632 and the first protrusion 2404, so that the reversing blade 240A pivots between the return position and the upper retracted position around the swing fulcrum 2403 as will be described later.

[0132] In addition, the support portion 2406 of the end portion of the rotation shaft 2401a that swings around the swing fulcrum 2403 together with the blade arm 2402 of the reversing blade 240A and supports the blade portion 2401 is provided with a second protrusion 2405 that can enter the engagement groove portion 2502 defined in the rear end drop member 250A, as shown in FIG. Fig. 11C and 12 The engaging groove portion 2502 enables the rear end drop member 250A to pivot with the reversing blade 240A between the upper position and the lower position around the pivot shaft 2501 in an interlocking manner by abutting against or separating from the second protruding portion 2405. The driving of the upper discharge roller 230A, the reversing blade 240A, and the rear end drop member 250A will be described in detail below.

[0133] Original location

[0134] first, Figures 10A to 11C The home position (HP) of the upper discharge roller 230A, the reversing blade 240A, and the rear end drop member 250A is illustrated. Fig. 10A and 10B As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the upper discharge roller 230A, the switchback blade 240A, and the trailing end drop member 250A are positioned at the first separated position, the upper retracted position, and the upper position, respectively.

[0135] In this state, if Fig.11A As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the protruding portion 2303 of the upper discharge roller 230A abuts against a portion of the first cam member 620 at a smaller distance from the center of the rotation shaft 612 of the inner cam surface 622 , and thus the upper discharge roller 230A is supported by the first cam member 620 .

[0136] In addition, if Fig. 11BAs illustrated in FIG. 6 , since the first protruding portion 2404 of the switching blade 240A abuts against a portion of the inner cam surface 632 of the second cam member 630 that is closer to the center of the rotation shaft 612 , the switching blade 240A is supported by the second cam member 630 .

[0137] Further, if Fig. 11C As illustrated in FIG. 2 , since the engagement groove portion 2502 of the rear end drop member 250A abuts against the second protruding portion 2405 of the switching blade 240A, the rear end drop member 250A is supported by the switching blade 240A via the second protruding portion 2405 .

[0138] Lowering of the upper discharge roller

[0139] Next, we will refer to Figures 13A to 14C The operation of moving the upper discharge roller 230A from the original position (first separation position) to the clamping position is described. In the process, the upper motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotation shaft 612 in the first direction ( Fig.14A and 14B When the upper discharge roller 230A is moved downward from the original position by rotating in the counterclockwise direction (in the direction of rotation of the upper discharge roller 230A), the first cam member 620 also rotates in the same direction, and the protruding portion 2303 moves along the inner cam surface 622. The inner cam surface 622 is formed so that the movement in the counterclockwise direction from the original position increases the distance from the center of the rotation shaft 612. Therefore, as a result of this operation, the upper discharge roller 230A moves downward.

[0140] Next, when the upper discharge roller 230A moves to the nip position and contacts the lower discharge roller 230B, as shown in FIG. Fig.14A As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the inner cam surface 622 of the first cam member 620 and the protruding portion 2303 are separated, and the outer cam surface 623 abuts against the abutting portion 2304. As described above, by causing the outer cam surface 623 to abut against the abutting portion 2304, the upper discharge roller 230A is pressed toward the lower discharge roller 230B, and a predetermined nip pressure is applied between these rollers.

[0141] At this time, the second cam member 630 also rotates together with the rotating shaft 612, but as shown in FIG. Fig. 14B As illustrated in FIG, the distance from the center of the rotation shaft 612 to the position where the inner cam surface 632 abuts the first protrusion 2404 is approximately equal to the distance in the original position. Therefore, even if the second cam member 630 rotates, the reversing blade 240A is maintained at the original position. Since the reversing blade 240A is maintained at the original position, as shown in FIG. Fig. 14C As shown in the example, the rear end drop member 250A is also maintained at the original position. Fig. 13BAs illustrated in FIG. 2 , the upper discharge roller 230A moves to the nip position, but the switchback blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A are maintained at the original positions.

[0142] In the case of moving the upper discharge roller 230A upward, the process upper motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotation shaft 612 in a second direction ( Fig.14A and 14B Then, the first cam member 620 rotates in the same direction together with the rotating shaft 612, the protruding portion 2303 moves along the inner cam surface 622, and the upper discharge roller 230A moves upward. Then, return to Fig.11A The original position is shown in the example.

[0143] Here, in the reversing blade 240A and the rear end falling member 250A, when Fig. 14B and 14C The status returns to Fig. 11B and 11C , the first protruding portion 2404 moves along the inner cam surface 632 of the second cam member 630, and the inner cam surface 632 is defined so that the distance from the position where the inner cam surface 632 abuts against the first protruding portion 2404 to the center of the rotating shaft 612 does not change at this time. Therefore, the reversing blade 240A is maintained at the original position. Since the reversing blade 240A is maintained at the original position, the rear end drop member 250A is also maintained at the original position.

[0144] The descent of the reversing blades and the rear drop member

[0145] Next, we will refer to Figures 15A to 16C The operation of moving the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A from the original position (upper retracted position and upper position) to the return position and lower position is described. When the upper motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotation shaft 612 in a second direction ( Fig.16A and 16B When the first cam member 620 rotates in the clockwise direction (in the clockwise direction) to move the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A downward from the original position, the first cam member 620 also rotates in the same direction, and the protruding portion 2303 moves along the inner cam surface 622. The inner cam surface 622 is formed so that the distance from the center of the rotation shaft 612 does not change even when rotating in the clockwise direction from the original position. Fig.16A As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the upper discharge roller 230A is maintained at the home position.

[0146] At the same time, the second cam member 630 also rotates in the same direction with the rotating shaft 612, and the first protruding portion 2404 moves along the inner cam surface 632. The inner cam surface 632 is formed so that the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 612 changes according to the clockwise rotation from the original position. Therefore, as a result of this operation, the reversing blade 240A moves downward and moves to the return position.

[0147] At this time, the rear end drop member 250A also moves downward together with the reversing blade 240A. In the present embodiment, the rear end drop member 250A includes a positioning portion 2503, which is positioned at the lower position by engaging with the upper guide 2101 of the conveying path 210A when pivoting from the upper position. The positioning portion 2503 is arranged at the upper end portion of the protruding portion 2504, and the protruding portion 2504 is arranged to protrude upward from the distal end (upstream end in the first conveying direction) of the rear end drop member 250A. The protruding portion 2504 also has the function of adjusting the front end of the sheet conveyed toward the pre-processing roller gap portion 211a on the upstream side of the pre-processing roller gap portion 211a in the first conveying direction when the rear end drop member 250A is in the lower position.

[0148] The positioning portion 2503 is an engagement portion provided at the upper edge of the protruding portion 2504 so as to be engageable with the upper guide 2101, and restricts further descent of the rear end drop member 250A by abutting against the upper surface of the upper guide 2101. In this state, the engagement groove portion 2502 is defined to be separated from the second protruding portion 2405. Therefore, the rear end drop member 250A is in a state in which the engagement state with the switching blade 240A is eliminated, and is in a state in which the positioning portion 2503 is positioned at the lower position.

[0149] Therefore, even when the reversing blade 240A has reached the return position, the rear end drop member 250A does not move further downward due to the engagement between the positioning portion 2503 and the upper guide 2101, and is positioned at the lower position. Fig. 15B As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the switchback blade 240A and the trailing end drop member 250A move to the return position and the lower position, and the upper discharge roller 230A is positioned at the home position.

[0150] It should be noted that in Figures 1 to 15B The above description is omitted and Fig. 16C2504 and the positioning portion 2053 are illustrated in FIG. The protruding portion 2504 and the positioning portion 2053 configured in this manner may be omitted, and in this case, a different positioning mechanism may be provided to position the rear end drop member 250A at the lower position. For example, at the lower position, positioning may be performed by engagement between the engagement groove portion 2502 and the second protruding portion 2405.

[0151] When the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A are moved upward, the upper motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotation shaft 612 in the first direction ( Fig.16A and 16B 612). Then, the second cam member 630 rotates in the same direction together with the rotating shaft 612, the first protrusion 2404 moves along the inner cam surface 632, and the reversing blade 240A moves upward. At this time, slightly after the reversing blade 240A starts to move upward, the second protrusion 2405 engages with the engagement groove portion 2052 again, and the rear end drop member 250A also moves upward due to this engagement. That is, the reversing blade 240A can move upward by a certain amount alone, and the amount corresponds to the gap between the second protrusion 2405 and the section of the engagement groove portion 2502 positioned above the second protrusion 2405 when the reversing blade 240A is in the return position, and the rear end drop member 250A is still in the lower position when the reversing blade 240A has moved upward by an amount corresponding to the gap. Further, if the second protruding portion 2405 has moved upward by an amount corresponding to the gap and engages with the engaging groove portion 2502, the rear end drop member 250A starts to move upward with a delay from the reversing blade 240A. As a result, the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A return to Figures 10A to 11C The original position is shown in the example.

[0152] Here, in the upper discharge roller 230A, when Fig.16A The status returns to Fig.11A , the protrusion 2303 moves along the inner cam surface 622 of the first cam member 620, but the inner cam surface 622 is formed so that the distance from the center of the rotation shaft 612 at which the inner cam surface 622 abuts against the protrusion 2303 does not change. Therefore, the upper discharge roller 230A is maintained at the original position.

[0153] In this embodiment, when the rotation axis 612 moves from the original position to Figures 11A to 11CWhen the rotating shaft 612 rotates in the counterclockwise direction from the original position, the upper discharge roller 230A moves downward, and the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A are maintained at the original position. Fig.11A and 11C When the upper discharge roller 230A rotates in the clockwise direction, the upper discharge roller 230A is maintained at the original position, and the switching blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A move downward.

[0154] In addition, when the rotating shaft 612 is in the upper discharge roller 230A Fig.14A In the state of the clamping position illustrated in the example Figures 14A to 14C When the rotating shaft 612 rotates in the clockwise direction, the upper discharge roller 230A moves upward, and the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A are maintained at the original position. On the contrary, when the rotating shaft 612 is in the state where the reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A are in the return position and the lower position, Figures 16A to 16C When the upper discharge roller 230A rotates in the counterclockwise direction, the upper discharge roller 230A is maintained at the original position, and the switching blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A move upward.

[0155] Fig.17 Examples illustrate the relationship between each motor and each component. Fig.17 The columns illustrated in the example indicate, from the left, the number, motor name, driven part, operation, direction of operation in normal rotation, and direction of operation in reverse rotation. Fig.17 In the embodiment, the upper processing motor MT12 is the upper processing motor 610 described above. Fig.17 As can be seen, the transport motor MT11 drives any one of the upstream rollers (entrance rollers) 213 a and 213 b , any one of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, the reversing blade 240A, and the return member 280 .

[0156] In addition, the processing upper motor MT12 raises and lowers the reversing blade 240A, the rear end drop member 250A, and the upper discharge roller (clamping member) 230A. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the processing upper motor MT12 corresponds to a moving part that moves the upper discharge roller 230A to the clamping position and the separation position (the first separation position or the second separation position). In the present embodiment, in addition to this, a return lifting / lowering motor MT13 for lifting and lowering the return member 280, a discharge roller motor MT14 for driving the lower discharge roller 230B, a bidirectional motor (sheet presser motor) MT15 for driving the reversing blade (sheet pressing (stack pressing) blade) 320A of the discharged sheet, an F-side alignment plate moving motor MT16 for moving (laterally moving) the alignment plate 271A on the front side in the width direction, an R-side alignment plate moving motor MT17 for moving (laterally moving) the alignment plate 271B on the rear side in the width direction, an STP moving motor MT18 for moving the stapling unit (STP) 400 to change the stapling position, an STP motor MT19 for driving the stapling unit 400 to staple the sheet stack, and a stacking tray lifting / lowering motor MT20 for lifting and lowering the stacking tray 300 are provided.

[0157] Control structure of sheet material processing equipment

[0158] Reference Fig.18 and 19 A control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200 is described. Fig.18 2 is a block diagram illustrating each motor and each sensor included in the sheet processing apparatus 200. A signal of each of these sensors is input to a control section 203 serving as a control device, and each motor is controlled by the control section 203. The control section 203 is communicably connected to a control section included in the image forming apparatus 100, and performs overall control of the sheet processing apparatus 200.

[0159] The control section 203 constructed in this way includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The CPU controls each section while reading out a program corresponding to a control flow stored in the ROM. In addition, the RAM stores working data and input data, and the CPU performs control based on the above-mentioned program, etc. with reference to the data stored in the RAM.

[0160] Fig.18 Each motor illustrated in the drawings is as described above. Figure 2Describe each sensor. First, the entrance sensor SN11 is set in the conveying path 210A, and detects the front end of the sheet conveyed to the conveying path 210A. The processing upper HP sensor SN12 detects the original position of the reversing blade 240A, the rear end drop member 250A, and the upper discharge roller (clamping member) 230A. The return lifting / lowering HP sensor SN13 detects the original position (the position retracted from the processing tray 220) of the return member 280. The processing tray sheet detection sensor SN14 detects the presence or absence of a sheet on the processing tray 220. The blade HP sensor (sheet presser HP sensor) SN15 detects the original position of the reversing blade 320A of the discharged sheet.

[0161] The F-side alignment plate HP sensor SN16 and the R-side alignment plate HP sensor SN17 respectively detect that the alignment plate 271A on the front side and the alignment plate 271A on the rear side are at a position (home position) separated from the sheets placed on the processing tray 220 in the width direction. The stapler movement HP sensor SN18 detects that the stapler unit 400 is at the home position. The sheet detection sensor SN19 detects the uppermost sheet placed on the stacking tray 300. The stacking tray encoder sensor SN20 detects the position of the stacking tray 300 in the lifting / lowering direction. The stacking tray lower limit position detection sensor SN21 detects the lower limit position of the stacking tray 300. The control part 203 performs each control described later based on the signal of each of these sensors.

[0162] Next, we will refer to Fig.19 The control flow of each mode of the present embodiment is described. In the present embodiment, a direct discharge mode, a shift mode, in which sheets delivered to the sheet processing apparatus 200 are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 as they are without performing a predetermined process, a shift mode, in which sheets delivered to the sheet processing apparatus 200 are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 after being moved in the width direction (shift operation) to sort the sheets discharged onto the stacking tray 300, and a stapling mode, in which sheets delivered to the sheet processing apparatus 200 are subjected to stapling as a predetermined process and then discharged onto the stacking tray 300. The user selects each of these modes through the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 100 or a PC connected via a network or the like.

[0163] In this embodiment, both manual mode setting by the user and automatic setting according to the sheet type (sheet length) are possible, and which of the two shift discharge processes (non-switch-back shift discharge process and switch-back shift discharge process) to be described later can be appropriately set in the shift mode according to the user's desired final product.

[0164] In the stapling mode used as a binding discharge process, such as Figures 31A to 31C As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the sheet ( FIG. 10 ) conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A Fig.31A ) is conveyed by the reversing blade 240A to the processing tray 220 in the second conveying direction, so that the downstream edge (rear end) of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts the rear end regulating member 290, that is, the rear end of the sheet is adjusted. Then, by driving the alignment portion 270A (a pair of alignment plates 271A, 271B) by the F side alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the R side alignment plate moving motor MT17, the sheet abutting the rear end regulating member 290 moves in the sheet width direction through the alignment portion 270A and is positioned at the binding position. That is, the alignment process is performed. In the present embodiment, alignment is performed by hitting the sheet from both sides in the sheet width direction using a pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B that are center-aligned. By repeating the operation of adjusting the rear end of the sheet and the above-mentioned alignment process, a sheet stack ( Fig.31B Then, the stapling process is performed on the sheet bundle positioned at the stapling position, and the sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B ( Fig.31C In the shift mode described below, a shift operation is performed on sheets that have not undergone the binding process by using the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B used in the alignment process for forming a sheet bundle in the stapling mode, the F side alignment plate moving motor MT16, and the R side alignment plate moving motor MT17.

[0165] In addition, in the shift mode, there is a case where a shift operation is performed on a sheet (a first sheet, a small-sized sheet) whose length in the conveying direction (the first conveying direction) of the sheet is a first length, and a case where a shift operation is performed on a sheet (a second sheet, a large-sized sheet) whose length in the first conveying direction is a second length greater than the first length. A small-sized sheet is, for example, a sheet whose length in the first conveying direction is equal to or less than a predetermined length, and a large-sized sheet is, for example, a sheet whose length in the first conveying direction is greater than a predetermined length. The predetermined length is, for example, the so-called A4 longitudinal size, where an A4-sized paper sheet is conveyed in the longitudinal direction (the longitudinal direction is the direction of the conveying direction). In addition, in the shift mode, a productivity priority mode in which productivity is prioritized and an alignment priority mode in which alignment of the sheet is prioritized can be selected and executed. In addition, in either shift mode, the sheet can be shifted in the direction from the rear side to the front side and in the direction from the front side to the rear side (both directions are shift directions).

[0166] The productivity priority mode as the non-switch-back shift discharge process is a mode in which a sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A undergoes a non-switch-back shift operation and is discharged by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B onto the stacking tray 300. In the non-switch-back shift operation, the sheet is moved (shifted) in the shift direction by the aligning portion 270A (a pair of aligning plates 271A, 271B) by driving the F-side aligning plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side aligning plate moving motor MT17, without performing conveyance in the second conveying direction by the switching blade 240A.

[0167] The alignment priority mode as the switch-back shift discharge process is a mode in which a sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A undergoes a switch-back shift operation and is discharged by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B onto the stacking tray 300. In the switch-back shift operation, the sheet is conveyed by the switchback blade 240A on the processing tray 220 in the second conveying direction so that the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts against the rear end regulating member 290 (regulates the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction), and then is moved (shifted) in the shift direction by the alignment portion 270A (a pair of alignment plates 271A, 271B) by driving the F-side alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side alignment plate moving motor MT17 without performing the stapling process by the stapling unit 400.

[0168] When the control starts, the control section 203 determines which of the direct discharge mode, the shift mode, and the staple mode is selected as the discharge mode (S1). When the direct discharge mode is selected, the sheets conveyed to the sheet processing device 200 are discharged one by one onto the stacking tray 300 as they are without performing a predetermined process (S2).

[0169] In S1, when the shift mode is selected, it is determined whether the sheet size is a large-size sheet or a small-size sheet (S3). In the case of a small size, it is determined whether productivity is prioritized (S4). In the case of productivity priority, the sheet discharged from the conveying path 210A is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by performing a shift operation by the alignment portion 270A, and is not conveyed onto the processing tray 220 in the second conveying direction (S5). In S4, when productivity is not prioritized, the sheet discharged from the conveying path 210A is pulled onto the processing tray 220, undergoes a shift operation on the processing tray 220 by the alignment portion 270A, and is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 (S6). In S3, in the case of a large-size sheet, the process also proceeds to S6.

[0170] In S1, when the stapling mode is selected, the sheet discharged from the conveying path 210A is conveyed to the processing tray 220 in the second conveying direction by the reversing blade 240A, and the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts the rear end adjustment member 290. That is, the rear end of the sheet is adjusted. Then, after adjusting the rear end of the sheet, the alignment part 270A (a pair of alignment plates 271A, 271B) performs positioning (alignment) at the binding position by driving the F side alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the R side alignment plate moving motor MT17. By repeating the above-mentioned rear end adjustment operation and alignment operation of the sheet, a sheet stack is formed on the processing tray 220 (S7). Then, the stapling process is performed on the sheet stack (S8). Then, the sheet stack that has undergone the stapling process is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 (S9).

[0171] Non-switch-back shift discharge process (productivity priority mode)

[0172] The operation of the sheet processing device 200 in the non-switch-back shift discharge process of the above-mentioned two shift discharge processes will be described. In the non-switch-back shift discharge process of the present embodiment, first, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A. Next, when the downstream end (front end) of the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A has passed through the gap between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B (a pair of discharge rotating members) and the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet in the first conveying direction has passed through the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, the sheet is clamped by a pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B without being conveyed in the second conveying direction by the reversing blade 240A in a state where the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are in the first separation position. By moving the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B in the shift direction (which is one of the two directions in the width direction), a shift operation of shifting the position of the sheet in the shift direction is performed. Next, after the shift operation, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are retracted in the width direction from the sheet subjected to the shift operation, the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are moved to the clamping position, and then the sheet is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B.

[0173] Reference Figures 20A to 28B The non-switch-back displacement discharge process is described in more detail. Fig. 20A and 20BAs illustrated in the example, in a state where the sheet S has not yet been conveyed to the conveying path 210A, the upper discharge roller 230A, the reversing blade 240A, and the rear end drop member 250A are each positioned at the home position. In particular, in this state, the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are at the first separation position. In addition, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are positioned at the home position where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are separated from each other to the greatest extent.

[0174] Next, if Fig.21A and 21B As illustrated in FIG. 1 , in a state where the sheet S is conveyed to the entrance of the conveying path 210A, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B move from the home position to approach each other, and stand by at the receiving position for receiving the sheet S. In addition, also in this state, the upper discharge roller 230A, the switchback blade 240A, and the rear end drop member 250A are each at the home position.

[0175] Next, when the downstream end (front end) of the sheet S in the first conveying direction has passed through the preprocessing roller nip portion 211a between the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A and the front end of the sheet S has passed through the gap between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B in the state where the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are in the first separation position, the upper discharge roller 230A moves to the second separation position, as shown in FIG. Fig.22A and 22B The relationship between the first separation position and the second separation position is as shown in the above reference. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As described above, the second separation position is a position to which the upper discharge roller 230A moves further downward from the first separation position. At this time, the direction-reversing blade 240A and the rear end drop member 250A are still at the original position.

[0176] Next, in a state where the upper discharge roller 230A is positioned at the second separation position, the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet S in the first conveying direction has been removed as shown in FIG. Fig.23A and 23BWhen the sheet S passes through the preprocessing roller nip portion 211a between the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A as illustrated in the figure, the sheet S is clamped between the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B in a state where the sheet S moves in the first conveying direction, without being pulled in by the reversing blade 240A. That is, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B move to a position (clamping position) matching the size of the sheet S in the width direction, and the sheet S is clamped from both sides in the width direction (both sides in the shifting direction) by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. The timing at which the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B start to move may be before or after the rear end of the sheet S passes through the preprocessing roller nip portion 211a, as long as the rear end of the sheet S has passed through the preprocessing roller nip portion 211a when the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B clamp the sheet S.

[0177] In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B can be changed. Specifically, by changing the driving speed of the F-side alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side alignment plate moving motor MT17, the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is made different between the case where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are moved in the non-switch-back shift discharge process to clamp the sheet S and the case where the sheet is shifted. In the present embodiment, when the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B clamp the sheet S whose rear end has passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a in a state where the sheet S is conveyed in the second conveying direction without the reversing blade 240A and in a state where the sheet S is moved in the first conveying direction, the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B from the receiving position to the clamping position for clamping the sheet by the F-side alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side alignment plate moving motor MT17 is lower than the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B when the shift operation is performed. For example, the moving speed for clamping the sheet S by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is set to 261 mm / sec, and the moving speed in the shift operation is set to 313 mm / sec.

[0178] This is because, if the moving speed for clamping the sheet S by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is high, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B strongly abut against the edge of the sheet S, and this may skew the sheet S. In contrast, in the shifting operation, the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is increased to improve productivity. It is to be noted that the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B in the shifting operation may be set equal to the moving speed for clamping the sheet S by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B.

[0179] In addition, when the sheet S is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the moving speed of the alignment plate 271A on the front side is set to be equal to the moving speed of the alignment plate 271B on the rear side. Further, after the sheet S is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are simultaneously moved in the shifting direction, and the shifting operation is thereby performed. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, when the sheet S is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the timing of the start of the movement of the alignment plates 271A and 271B is set to be different from each other. Specifically, in the case of shifting the sheet to the front side, after first moving the alignment plate 271B on the rear side, the alignment plate 271A on the front side is moved.

[0180] As described above, in this embodiment, the alignment plate 271A on the front side is urged toward the rear side by the urging spring 2714 (see Figures 7 to 8B ). Therefore, by first moving the alignment plate 271B on the rear side as described above, the alignment plate 271B on the rear side that is not provided with a propulsion spring first abuts the sheet, and then the alignment plate 271A on the front side that is provided with a propulsion spring 2714 abuts the sheet. As a result, the force of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B that clamp the sheet can be effectively absorbed by the propulsion spring 2714, so the alignment of the sheet can be improved. If the alignment plate 271A on the front side that is provided with a propulsion spring is first abutted against the sheet, the sheet will be quickly moved toward the rear side by the propulsion force of the propulsion spring 2714, which may interfere with the alignment of the sheet. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the alignment plate that is not provided with a propulsion spring is first moved to abut the sheet first.

[0181] Here, in the case of the present embodiment, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are 10 mm away from the corresponding one of the two end portions of the sheet at the receiving position. Further, when the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are moved to the clamping position to clamp the sheet, the alignment plate 271B on the rear side moves 10 mm to the front side, and the alignment plate 271A on the front side moves 10.5 mm to the rear side. Then, when the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the sheet is aligned by pushing the sheet by the alignment plate 271A on the front side to the rear side. At this time, the reaction force from the sheet when the alignment plate 271A on the front side pushes the sheet is absorbed by the push spring 2714, so that the warping of the sheet can be suppressed. The alignment plate 271A on the front side moves 10.5 mm to the rear side to push the sheet, and then returns 0.5 mm to the front side. As a result, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are positioned at the clamping position in a state where the sheet is clamped and aligned therebetween.

[0182] In this embodiment, as described above, the movement amount when the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is made different between the side provided with the push spring and the side not provided with the push spring, but the movement amount may be the same. That is, the movement amount on the front side may be set to be the same as the movement amount on the rear side.

[0183] It is to be noted that the alignment plate on the rear side may be provided with a propulsion spring, and the alignment plate on the front side not provided with the propulsion spring may first abut the sheet. In addition, in the switch-back shift discharge process, the sheet is subjected to a shift operation on the processing tray 220, but when the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B to perform the shift operation, the same operation as the above operation is performed. In addition, in both the non-switch-back shift discharge process and the switch-back shift discharge process, when the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271b may be moved approximately simultaneously to abut the sheet approximately simultaneously. In this case as well, interference is less likely to occur when aligning the sheet than in the case where the alignment plate provided with the propulsion spring abuts the sheet first.

[0184] After the sheet S is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B as described above, the sheet S moves in the shift direction while being clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. Fig.24A and 24B That is, the shift operation is performed. After the shift operation is completed, Fig.25A and 25B As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the upper discharge roller 230A moves downward to the clamping position, and the sheet S is clamped by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. After the sheet S is clamped by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, as shown in FIG. Fig.26A and 26B As illustrated in , the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are moved to the first retracted position from the sheet S. In this example, the shift direction is the direction from the rear side to the front side, and therefore, of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the alignment plate 271A on the front side will be referred to as one alignment plate, and the alignment plate 271B on the rear side will be referred to as the other alignment plate.

[0185] Next, if Fig.27A and 27BAs illustrated in FIG, the lower ejection roller 230B rotates to eject the sheet S pinched by the upper ejection roller 230A and the lower ejection roller 230B onto the stacking tray 300. At this time, after the shifting operation of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B and in a state where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B have been moved from the pinching position to the first retracted position with respect to the sheet subjected to the shifting operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the upper ejection roller 230A and the lower ejection roller 230B.

[0186] Next, before the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet conveyed by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B in the first conveying direction passes through the discharge nip portion 230a formed by the upper discharge roller 230a and the lower discharge roller 230B in the clamping position, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are moved from the first retracted position to the second retracted position. Then, in a state where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are in the second retracted position, the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B discharge the sheet onto the stacking tray 300.

[0187] That is, in the present embodiment, when the sheet S is clamped and conveyed by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are positioned at the first retracted position closer to the sheet than the second retracted position. As a result, the skew of the sheet S when discharged is suppressed. Further, before the rear end of the sheet S passes through the discharge roller nip portion 230a, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are moved to the second retracted position. As a result, in a state where the rear end of the sheet S has passed through the discharge roller nip portion 230a and the sheet S is not clamped by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, the situation where the sheet S contacts the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is suppressed.

[0188] In the case of the present embodiment, as described above, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are each arranged to extend across the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B in the first conveying direction, and the section of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B including the downstream end portion thereof in the first conveying direction is positioned downstream of the discharge nip portion 230a in the first conveying direction. Therefore, in the case where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are still positioned at the first retracted position even after the rear end of the sheet S has passed through the discharge nip portion 230a, the sheet S can come into contact with the section of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B downstream of the discharge nip portion 230a.

[0189] If the sheet S contacts the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B in a state where the sheet S is not conveyed by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, resistance that hinders discharge of the sheet S is generated, and the stackability of the sheet S may be reduced. For example, when the sheet S is stacked on the stacking tray 300, a rear end leaning of the rear end of the sheet S against the upright surface 310a may occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, before the rear end of the sheet S passes through the discharge nip portion 230a, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are moved to the second retracted position so that the sheet S that is not clamped by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B is less likely to contact the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B.

[0190] In contrast, in the case where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are positioned at the second retracted position from the start of the discharge operation of the sheet S, skew may occur in the sheet S when the sheet S is conveyed by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. Therefore, in the present embodiment, skew of the sheet S is suppressed by positioning the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B at the first retracted position as long as possible when the sheet S is conveyed by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. Further, by moving the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B to the second retracted position before the rear end of the sheet S passes through the discharge nip portion 230a, deterioration in the stackability of the sheet S on the stacking tray 300 is suppressed.

[0191] In the present embodiment, the timing at which the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B start moving to the first retracted position after the shift operation is after the sheet S is nipped by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. In addition, the timing at which the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B start moving from the first retracted position to the second retracted position is, for example, when the rear end of the sheet S is positioned 10 mm on the front side (upstream side in the first conveying direction) of the discharge nip point (the center position of the discharge nip portion 230a in the first conveying direction).

[0192] That is, in the present embodiment, the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B clamp the sheet S in a state where the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are at the first retracted position and convey the sheet S by a predetermined amount (a movement amount from the rear end of the sheet S to a position 10 mm on the front side of the discharge roller nip point), and then the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B move to the second retracted position to discharge the sheet S onto the stacking tray 300. It is to be noted that when the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B start to move from the first retracted position to the second retracted position, the speed (discharge speed) at which the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B convey the sheet S is reduced. As a result, while suppressing deterioration in productivity, interference with the position of the discharged sheet S on the stacking tray 300 is suppressed.

[0193] It is to be noted that the above-mentioned "position of the rear end of the sheet S at 10 mm upstream of the discharge nip point" may be slightly displaced. In addition, the time when the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B move from the first retracted position to the second retracted position and the time when the discharge speed is reduced may be different. In addition, a configuration in which the discharge speed is not reduced may be adopted.

[0194] like Fig.28A and 28B As illustrated in FIG, after the sheet S is discharged onto the stacking tray 300, the sheet S is pulled in by the discharged sheet reversing blade 320A and further pressed at its rear end. At this time, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B moves from the second retracted position to the receiving position to receive the next sheet.

[0195] In the case of the non-switch-back shift discharge process (productivity priority mode) as described above, since there is no operation involved in conveying the sheet S onto the processing tray 220 in the second conveying direction (switch-back conveying), the shift operation of the sheet S can be performed faster than in the case of performing the shift operation on the processing tray 220. It is to be noted that the productivity priority mode is preferably applied to small-sized sheets, but can also be performed for large-sized sheets. That is, the productivity priority mode can be performed for all sheets that are shifted and discharged without performing the stapling process.

[0196] In particular, in the present embodiment, in the non-switch-back shift discharge process, the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is clamped by a pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, and is shifted as it is without clamping the sheet by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. Therefore, the non-switch-back shift discharge process can be further accelerated. That is, as in the configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-20999, a configuration is adopted in which the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is clamped by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, and the shift operation is performed by canceling the clamping and then clamping the sheet by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. In contrast, in the case of the present embodiment, the operation of clamping the sheet by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B and the operation of canceling the clamping are not involved, so the non-switch-back shift discharge process can be further accelerated, and productivity can be improved.

[0197] Sheet stack formation by shift discharge process

[0198] Here, in the present embodiment, a process will be described in which sheets are shifted one by one in the shift direction, sheets are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 without performing a stapling process, and thus a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of unstapled sheets is formed. Fig.32As illustrated in the example, there is a case where a plurality of unbound sheet bundles are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 while the plurality of unbound sheet bundles are shifted relative to each other in the shift direction (this case may also be referred to as a sorting discharge process). This sorting discharge process is as follows. First, after the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the reversing blades 240A and in a state where the sheet is moved in the first conveying direction, the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B are driven by the front side (F side) alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the rear side (R side) alignment plate moving motor MT17, and the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B and the sheet is moved in the shift direction. Next, the sheet moved in the shift direction by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is discharged to the shift position on the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B repeatedly several times, and the first unbound sheet bundle is stacked. Next, the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is discharged to the position upstream of the shift position on the stacking tray 300 in the shift direction by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B repeatedly several times without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the reversing blade 240A, and the second unbound sheet bundle is stacked. It is to be noted that the "stacked sheet bundle" mentioned herein refers to the formation of a sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300, and as long as a sheet bundle is formed on the stacking tray 300 by discharging a plurality of sheets one by one onto the stacking tray 300, as in the present embodiment, the case where one sheet bundle is formed will also be referred to as a "stacked sheet bundle".

[0199] It is to be noted that in the sorting discharge process, the second sheet bundle may be stacked on the stacking tray 300 by discharging the sheets one by one by a pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B in a direction opposite to the shift direction of the first sheet bundle, or the second sheet bundle may be stacked by discharging the sheets one by one on the stacking tray 300 at a position in the shift direction to which the sheets have been conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A without moving the sheets in a direction opposite to the shift direction of the first sheet bundle (same as the direct discharge mode). In short, as Fig.32As illustrated in , it is sufficient as long as the first sheet bundle and the second sheet bundle are stacked in a state where they are displaced from each other in the shift direction. In addition, the sheet bundle can be stacked on the stacking tray 300 at a position in the shift direction where sheets have been conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A without moving the sheets in the direction opposite to the shift direction of the first sheet bundle before the first sheet bundle, and then the first sheet bundle can be stacked on the stacking tray 300 by moving the first sheet bundle in the shift direction.

[0200] It is to be noted that, in the case where the sheets are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 at a position in the shift direction to which the sheets have been conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A without moving the sheets in the direction opposite to the shift direction of the first sheet bundle when the second sheet bundle is stacked on the stacking tray 300, the sheets can be discharged by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B only after the sheets are aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. As a result, the alignment of the second sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300 is improved. In addition, also in the case of the direct discharge mode only, the sheets can be discharged onto the stacking tray 300 after the sheets are aligned one by one in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B.

[0201] Examples of the classified discharge process constructed in this way include a classified process and a grouping process. For example, in the case of discharging a ten-sheet bundle containing five sheets, the classified process is a process of stacking the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300 while shifting the sheet bundle on a per-bundle basis. In addition, the grouping process is a process of stacking the sheets on the stacking tray 300 by shifting the ten sheets of the first page, the ten sheets of the second page, ..., the ten sheets of the fifth page relative to each other. The user can select the classified process and the grouping process via the operation panel of the image forming device 100, an external terminal (such as a personal computer) connected thereto via a network, etc. Then, the command of the process selected by the user is transmitted from the image forming device 100 to the sheet processing device 200A, and the sheet processing device 200A executes the process.

[0202] In addition, an example of the sorting discharge process includes a process in which, in a case where jobs of different contents are continuously input to the image forming system 1000A, a sheet bundle is shifted on a job-by-job basis and the sheet bundle is stacked on the stacking tray 300. For example, consider a case in which A inputs a job for forming a sheet bundle of ten sheets as a first job, and then B inputs a job for forming a sheet bundle of five sheets as a second job. In this case, the sheet bundle of the first job is moved in the shift direction and is stacked on the stacking tray 300, and then the sheet bundle of the second job is stacked on the stacking tray 300 without being shifted in the direction opposite to the shift direction or after being shifted in the direction opposite to the shift direction.

[0203] In addition, as a process of shifting sheets and discharging the sheets without performing the binding process as described above, in this embodiment, a switch-back shift discharge process (alignment priority mode) and a sorting discharge process can be performed. Further, examples of the sorting discharge process include the above-mentioned non-switch-back shift discharge process (productivity priority mode).

[0204] In the non-switch-back shift discharge process, sheets are shifted one by one and discharged onto the stacking tray 300. At this time, in the case where a sheet bundle is formed by simply stacking the shifted sheets on the stacking tray 300, the alignment of the sheets on the stacking tray 300 may be deteriorated. In addition, if an attempt is made to pull in the sheets by the reversing blade 320A of the discharged sheets after the sheet bundle is formed on the stacking tray 300, conversely, only the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle may be pulled in, and the alignment of the sheets may be deteriorated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above with reference to Fig.28A and 28B As described, each time a sheet is discharged onto the stack tray 300 , the sheet is pulled in by the switchback blade 320A of the discharged sheet.

[0205] That is, in the case where a shifted sheet bundle is formed on the stacking tray 300 (on the stacking portion) without performing the stapling process, a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets is formed on the stacking tray 300 by repeatedly performing the shift discharge process and the reversing process on the plurality of sheets. The shift discharge process is a process in which the sheets are shifted by the aligning portion 270A and the sheets shifted in the aligning portion 270A are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, which is the above-mentioned non-switch-back shift discharge process. The reversing process is a process in which the sheets discharged onto the stacking tray 300 are conveyed in the third conveying direction by the reversing blade 320A of the discharged sheets.

[0206] In addition, when the shift discharge process and the reversing process are repeated, after the sheet is pulled in and until the next sheet is discharged (until the rear end of the sheet passes through the nip point of the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B), the reversing blade 320A stops at a position pressing the upper surface of the pulled-in sheet on the stacking tray 300. Then, when the next sheet is discharged onto the stacking tray 300, the reversing blade 320A rotates and pulls in the sheet, and further presses the rear end of the sheet. As a result, it is possible to suppress the already pulled-in sheet from being displaced on the stacking tray 300 due to the action of the next sheet.

[0207] As a result, when an unbound sheet bundle shifted in the shift direction is formed on the stacking tray 300, the alignment of the sheet bundle can be improved. That is, by discharging the shifted sheet onto the stacking tray 300 and further pulling the sheet in by the reversing blade 320A of the discharged sheet, the sheet discharged onto the stacking tray 300 can be made to abut against the upright surface 310a provided at the upstream end in the first conveying direction of the stacking tray 300. Further, by repeating this operation for each sheet, the alignment of the sheet bundle discharged onto the stacking tray 300 can be improved.

[0208] It is to be noted that such an operation can also be performed in the switch-back shift discharge process. That is, generally, in the case of performing the switch-back shift discharge process, a sheet bundle is formed on the processing tray 220 and then discharged onto the stacking tray 300. However, the sheets may be shifted one by one on the processing tray 220 and discharged onto the stacking tray 300. In this case as well, by performing the reversing process one by one for each sheet discharged onto the stacking tray 300, the alignment of the sheet bundle discharged onto the stacking tray 300 can be improved.

[0209] In addition, also in the case of forming a second sheet stack on the stacking tray 300 or in the direct discharge mode, by performing the above-mentioned reversing process one by one for each sheet discharged onto the stacking tray 300, the alignment of the second sheet stack and the alignment of the sheet stack formed by discharge in the direct discharge mode can be improved.

[0210] Second embodiment

[0211] Reference Fig.29 In the above-described first embodiment, in the non-switch-back discharging process, after the leading end of the sheet has passed through the gap between the upper discharging roller 230A and the lower discharging roller 230B, the upper discharging roller 230A is moved to the second separation position (see Fig. 22B). In contrast, in the present embodiment, after the rear end of the sheet has passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, the rear end dropping member 250A is moved from the upper position to the lower position. Other elements and functions are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and thus substantially the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit or simplify description and illustration, and parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described below.

[0212] Also in this embodiment, in the case of performing a non-switch-back shift discharge process, similar to Figures 20A to 21B In the case illustrated in FIG. 2 , the sheet S is conveyed toward the pre-processing rollers 211A and 211B via the conveying path 210A. Fig.29 As illustrated in the example, after the leading end of the sheet S conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 211B in the first conveying direction has passed through the gap between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, and after the trailing end of the sheet S has passed through the pre-processing rollers 211A and 211B, the trailing end dropping member 250A is moved from the upper position to the lower position. As a result, the sheet S is dropped onto the processing tray 220, and both edges of the sheet S in the width direction face the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B over a wide range in the first conveying direction.

[0213] In this state, the Fig.23A Similarly, the sheet S is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B to undergo the shifting operation, and is discharged without conveying the sheet S in the second conveying direction by the reversing blade 240A. As described above, by dropping the sheet S onto the processing tray 220 by the rear end dropping member 250A, the sheet S can be more reliably clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. Therefore, the alignment of the sheet can be improved.

[0214] It should be noted that, in the case of this embodiment, Fig.29As illustrated in , when the rear end drop member 250A moves to the lower position, the reversing blade 240A also moves from the upper retracted position to the return position. This is because the components of each section are interlocked by the above-mentioned cam mechanism 613. In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 16, the reversing blade 240A can be individually moved upward by a certain amount, which corresponds to the gap between the second protruding portion 2405 and the section of the engaging groove portion 2502 positioned above the second protruding portion 2405 when the reversing blade 240A is in the return position. Therefore, after the sheet S is dropped by the rear end drop member 250A, the reversing blade 240A moves upward from the return position by an amount corresponding to the above-mentioned gap, so that the reversing blade 240A is separated from the sheet S. As a result, it is possible to suppress the reversing blade 240A from interrupting the shifting operation of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B on the sheet.

[0215] In addition, the rear drop member 250A may be returned to the upper position immediately after the sheet S is dropped onto the processing tray 220. For example, the rear drop member 250A may start moving to the upper position before the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B clamp the sheet S, or the rear drop member 250A may start moving before the shifting operation. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which the rear drop member 250A does not operate in an interlocking manner with the reversing blade 240A, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which the rear drop member 250A and the reversing blade 240A are driven separately.

[0216] Third embodiment

[0217] Reference Fig. 30A and 30B The third embodiment is described. In the above-described first embodiment, after the leading end of the sheet S conveyed in the first conveying direction by the preprocessing rollers 211A and 211B has passed through the gap between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, and after the trailing end of the sheet S has passed through the preprocessing rollers 211A and 211B, the sheet S is clamped by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, and then the shift operation is performed (see Figures 23A to 24B ). In contrast, in the present embodiment, in a state where the sheet S is moved in the first conveying direction, the shifting operation is performed by moving one of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B without clamping the sheet S by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B. Other elements and functions are substantially the same as those in the above-described first embodiment, and thus substantially the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit or simplify description and illustration, and parts different from those in the first embodiment will be mainly described below.

[0218] In the first embodiment described above, in the shift mode, the configuration of performing a non-switch-back shift discharge process for small-sized sheets and a switch-back shift discharge process for large-sized sheets has been described. In the present embodiment, in the non-switch-back shift discharge process for small-sized sheets, two non-switch-back shift discharge processes can be further performed according to the size of the sheet.

[0219] That is, in this embodiment, as two non-switch-back shift discharge processes, a first shift discharge process and a second shift discharge process can be performed. The first shift discharge process is performed when the sheet conveyed by the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A is of a first size, and the second shift discharge process is performed for a sheet of a second size, the length of which in the first conveying direction of the sheet conveyed by the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A is smaller than the length of the sheet of the first size. The first shift discharge process is the non-switch-back shift discharge process described in the first embodiment or the second embodiment. In addition, the reference may be performed. Fig.32 The classification discharge process is described as a second shift discharge process.

[0220] In contrast, in the second shift discharge process, in the first embodiment Fig.22A and 22B After the operation of FIG. 30 is performed, the operation illustrated in FIG. 30 is performed instead of Fig.23A and 23B That is, after the leading end of the sheet S conveyed in the first conveying direction by the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A has passed through the gap between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B and after the trailing end of the sheet S has passed through the preprocessing rollers 211A and 212A, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the reversing blade 240A and in a state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, the alignment plate 271B on one side in the width direction of the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B is moved in a shifting direction (predetermined shifting direction) toward the other side in the width direction, and thus a shifting operation of shifting the position of the sheet S in the shifting direction is performed. In the present embodiment, since the shifting direction is the direction toward the front side, the alignment plate on the one side is the alignment plate 271B on the rear side, and the alignment plate on the other side is the alignment plate 271A on the front side.

[0221] Here, the sheet of the second size to which the second shift discharge process is performed is, for example, a sheet of B5 size or a sheet of a size smaller than B5 size, which is a sheet S such that, as illustrated in FIG. 30 , when the alignment plate 271B abuts against the end portion in the width direction of the sheet S, the center of gravity G of the sheet S is positioned within the range of the alignment plate 271B on the one side. The sheet of the second size varies depending on the configuration and size of the sheet processing apparatus, and is not limited to a sheet of B5 size or a sheet of a size smaller than B5, as long as this requirement is satisfied.

[0222] As described above, when the alignment plate 271B on the one side abuts against the end portion of the sheet S in the width direction, that is, in the case where the sheet S is a sheet whose center of gravity G overlaps with the alignment plate 271B as viewed in the width direction in a state where the front end of the sheet S has passed through the gap between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B and the rear end of the sheet S has passed through the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, the shifting operation can be performed by making the alignment plate 271B directly abut against the sheet without clamping the sheet by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B.

[0223] If the second shift discharge process is performed for a sheet whose center of gravity G is not within the range of the alignment plate 271B in the above state (for example, a sheet whose center of gravity G is positioned further downstream than the downstream end of the alignment plate 271B in the first conveying direction), the sheet may be tilted when the alignment plate 271B abuts against the sheet. Therefore, for such a sheet, the non-switch-back shift discharge process (i.e., the first shift discharge process) as described in the first and second embodiments is performed.

[0224] After the shifting operation of the alignment plate 271B on one side, the alignment plate 271B on one side is retracted in the width direction from the sheet S subjected to the shifting operation, and the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are moved to the clamping position. Then, the sheet S is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B.

[0225] In the case of the present embodiment constructed in this manner, since the shifting operation is performed by moving the alignment plate on the one side in the shifting direction without clamping the sheet by the pair of alignment plates 271A and 271B, the non-cut-back shifting discharge process can be further accelerated and productivity can be improved.

[0226] Other embodiments

[0227] In each of the above-described embodiments, although a configuration is adopted in which the sheet processing apparatus 200 is disposed in the main body internal space 130 of the image forming apparatus 100, the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention may be configured, for example, to be attached to a side surface of the image forming apparatus. In addition, the sheet processing apparatus may have a configuration controlled by a controller included in the image forming apparatus.

[0228] The embodiments (one or more) of the present invention may also be implemented by a computer of a system or device, which reads and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more comprehensively referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments, and / or includes one or more circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments; and by a method executed by a computer of a system or device, which performs the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, by reading and executing computer executable instructions from a storage medium and / or by controlling one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments. A computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of independent computers or independent processors to read and execute computer executable instructions. Computer executable instructions may be provided to a computer, for example, from a network or a storage medium. A storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a memory of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray disc (BD) TM ), one or more of a flash memory device, a memory card, etc.

[0229] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by providing software (program) for performing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer or a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0230] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A sheet material processing device, comprising: a first conveying portion configured to convey a sheet in a first conveying direction; a placing portion on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is placed; an abutment portion against which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placement portion in the first conveying direction abuts; a second conveying portion configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction in which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placing portion in the first conveying direction moves toward the abutting portion; a pair of alignment plates provided on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and configured to align the sheet abutting the abutting portion in the width direction; a driving portion configured to move the pair of alignment plates in the width direction; a processing section configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion that is disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and on which the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion are stacked; a pair of discharge rotary members configured to discharge the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; as well as a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position and a separation position, wherein the clamping position is a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheet, and the separation position is a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is configured to perform a stapling discharge process and a sorting discharge process, wherein, in the stapling discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a stapling position, the stapling process is performed on the plurality of sheets aligned at the stapling position by the processing portion, and the plurality of sheets that have undergone the stapling process are discharged onto the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members, wherein, in the first operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion, and then the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is conveyed on the placing portion in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion so that the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts against the abutting portion, and the sheet is aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates, wherein, in the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking portion, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking portion, wherein, in the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion so that, in a state where the pair of discharge rotating members are at the separation position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying portion, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion and in a state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates, a shift operation of shifting the position of the sheet in a shift direction is performed by moving the pair of alignment plates clamping the sheet, the shift direction being a direction toward one of the two sides in the width direction, and then, after the pair of alignment plates are retracted in the width direction from the sheet subjected to the shift operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, the sheet is discharged to the shift position on the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members, and wherein, in the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from a shift position on the stacking portion in the shift direction without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion.

2. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1, in, The moving portion is configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a first separated position in which the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other to a greater extent than in the clamped position and to a second separated position in which the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other to a greater extent than in the clamped position and a distance between the pair of discharge rotating members is smaller than in the first separated position, and In which, in the classified discharge process, after the downstream end of the sheet conveyed by the first conveying part in the first conveying direction has passed through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members when the pair of discharge rotating members are in the first separation position, the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the second separation position, and the shifting operation is performed by clamping the sheet whose upstream end in the first conveying direction has passed through the first conveying part by the pair of alignment plates without being conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part and in the state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction.

3. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: In the case where a sheet that has passed through the first conveying part is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the pair of alignment plates without passing through the second conveying part and is clamped at the upstream end in the first conveying direction while the sheet is moving in the first conveying direction, the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates moved by the driving part is lower than the moving speed of the pair of alignment plates moved by the driving part in the shifting operation.

4. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: In the classification discharge process, after the shifting operation of the pair of alignment plates, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the pair of discharge rotating members in a state where the pair of alignment plates are retracted from the sheet undergoing the shifting operation to the first retracted position, and before the upstream end of the sheet conveyed by the pair of discharge rotating members in the first conveying direction passes through the discharge roller gap portion formed by the pair of discharge rotating members in the clamping position, the pair of alignment plates are retracted to a second retracted position, in which the pair of alignment plates are further retracted from the sheet than in the first retracted position, and the sheet is discharged onto the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members in a state where the pair of alignment plates are in the second retracted position.

5. An image forming system comprising: an image forming portion configured to form an image on a sheet; a first conveying portion configured to convey, in a first conveying direction, a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming portion; a placing portion on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is placed; an abutment portion against which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placement portion in the first conveying direction abuts; a second conveying portion configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction in which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placing portion in the first conveying direction moves toward the abutting portion; a pair of alignment plates provided on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and configured to align the sheet abutting the abutting portion in the width direction; a driving portion configured to move the pair of alignment plates in the width direction; a processing section configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion that is disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and on which the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion are stacked; a pair of discharge rotary members configured to discharge the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheet and a separation position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other; as well as Control part, wherein the control section is configured to execute a stapling discharge process and a sorting discharge process, wherein, in the stapling discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a stapling position, the plurality of sheets aligned at the stapling position are subjected to a stapling process by the processing portion, and the plurality of sheets having undergone the stapling process are discharged onto the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members, wherein, in the first operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion, and then the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is conveyed on the placing portion in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion so that the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts against the abutting portion, and the sheet is aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates, wherein, in the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking portion, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking portion, wherein, in the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion so that, in a state where the pair of discharge rotating members are at the separation position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying portion, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion and in a state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates, a shift operation of shifting the position of the sheet in a shift direction is performed by moving the pair of alignment plates clamping the sheet, the shift direction being a direction toward one of the two sides in the width direction, and then, after the pair of alignment plates are retracted in the width direction from the sheet subjected to the shift operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, the sheet is discharged to the shift position on the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members, and wherein, in the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from a shift position on the stacking portion in the shift direction without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion.

6. A sheet material processing device comprising: a first conveying portion configured to convey a sheet in a first conveying direction; a placing portion on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is placed; an abutment portion against which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placement portion in the first conveying direction abuts; a second conveying portion configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction in which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placing portion in the first conveying direction moves toward the abutting portion; a pair of alignment plates provided on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and configured to align the sheet abutting the abutting portion in the width direction; a driving portion configured to move the pair of alignment plates in the width direction; a processing section configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion that is disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and on which the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion are stacked; a pair of discharge rotary members configured to discharge the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; as well as a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position and a separation position, wherein the clamping position is a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheet, and the separation position is a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is configured to perform a stapling discharge process and a sorting discharge process, wherein, in the stapling discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a stapling position, the stapling process is performed on the plurality of sheets aligned at the stapling position by the processing portion, and the plurality of sheets that have undergone the stapling process are discharged onto the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members, wherein, in the first operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion, and then the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is conveyed on the placing portion in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion so that the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts against the abutting portion, and the sheet is aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates, wherein, in the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking portion, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking portion, wherein, in the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part so that, in a state where the pair of discharge rotating members are at the separation position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying part, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part and in a state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, a shifting operation of shifting the position of the sheet in the predetermined shifting direction is performed by moving one of the pair of alignment plates on one side in the width direction in a predetermined shifting direction, the predetermined shifting direction being a direction toward the other side in the width direction, and after the shifting operation, the one alignment plate is retracted in the width direction from the sheet subjected to the shifting operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, and then the sheet is discharged to the shifted position on the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members, and In the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying part is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from the shift position on the stacking part in the predetermined shift direction without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part.

7. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 6, in, The sheet processing apparatus is configured to perform a first shift discharge process when the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is a first size, and to perform a second shift discharge process when the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is a second size in which the length of the sheet in the first conveying direction is smaller than that in the first size, and wherein the first shift discharge process is a process in which the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion so that, in a state in which the pair of discharge rotating members are at the separation position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying portion, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion and in a state in which the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, the sheet is clamped by the pair of alignment plates, a shift operation of moving the position of the sheet in the shift direction is performed by moving the pair of alignment plates clamping the sheet in the shift direction, and after the shift operation of the pair of alignment plates, the pair of alignment plates are retracted in the width direction from the sheet subjected to the shift operation, the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, and then the sheet is discharged onto the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members, and Among them, the second shift discharge process is the classification discharge process.

8. An image forming system comprising: an image forming portion configured to form an image on a sheet; a first conveying portion configured to convey, in a first conveying direction, a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming portion; a placing portion on which the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is placed; an abutment portion against which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placement portion in the first conveying direction abuts; a second conveying portion configured to convey the sheet in a second conveying direction in which an upstream edge of the sheet on the placing portion in the first conveying direction moves toward the abutting portion; a pair of alignment plates provided on both sides of the sheet in a width direction intersecting the first conveying direction and configured to align the sheet abutting the abutting portion in the width direction; a driving portion configured to move the pair of alignment plates in the width direction; a processing section configured to perform a binding process on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets aligned in the width direction by the pair of alignment plates; a stacking portion that is disposed downstream of the placing portion in the first conveying direction and on which the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion are stacked; a pair of discharge rotary members configured to discharge the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion in the first conveying direction onto the stacking portion; a moving portion configured to move the position of at least one of the pair of discharge rotating members to a clamping position and a separation position, wherein the clamping position is a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are configured to clamp the sheet, and the separation position is a position where the pair of discharge rotating members are separated from each other, Control part, wherein the control section is configured to execute a stapling discharge process and a sorting discharge process, wherein, in the stapling discharge process, a first operation is repeatedly performed to align a plurality of sheets at a stapling position, the stapling process is performed on the plurality of sheets aligned at the stapling position by the processing portion, and the plurality of sheets that have undergone the stapling process are discharged onto the stacking portion by the pair of discharge rotating members, wherein, in the first operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion, and then the sheet conveyed by the first conveying portion is conveyed on the placing portion in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion so that the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts against the abutting portion, and the sheet is aligned at the binding position by the pair of alignment plates, wherein, in the sorting discharge process, a second operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound first sheet bundle on the stacking portion, and a third operation is repeatedly performed to form an unbound second sheet bundle on the stacking portion, wherein, in the second operation, the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying part so that, in a state where the pair of discharge rotating members are at the separation position, the downstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the gap between the pair of discharge rotating members and the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction passes through the first conveying part, and then, without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part and in a state where the sheet moves in the first conveying direction, a shifting operation of shifting the position of the sheet in the predetermined shifting direction is performed by moving one of the pair of alignment plates on one side in the width direction in a predetermined shifting direction, the predetermined shifting direction being a direction toward the other side in the width direction, and after the shifting operation, the one alignment plate is retracted in the width direction from the sheet subjected to the shifting operation and the pair of discharge rotating members are moved to the clamping position, and then the sheet is discharged to the shifted position on the stacking part by the pair of discharge rotating members, and In the third operation, the sheet conveyed by the first conveying part is discharged by the pair of discharge rotating members to a position shifted upstream from the shift position on the stacking part in the predetermined shift direction without conveying the sheet in the second conveying direction by the second conveying part.

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