Sheet processing apparatus and image forming system

Abstract

A back processing unit performs back processing on a sheet bundle and includes a pair of nip portions. The sheet bundle subjected to the back treatment by the back treatment section is discharged to a sheet bundle discharge unit. The cover unit is provided downstream of the square back processing unit in the conveying direction such that a child approach probe does not reach the pair of nips in a case where the child approach probe according to safety standard IEC 62368-1 is inserted from outside of the sheet processing apparatus.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] As a sheet processing device, a structure is proposed in which a process of forming a corner (hereinafter referred to as a square back process) is performed on the spine of a folded sheet bundle by pressing the spine of a sheet bundle protruding from a pair of clamping parts while the sheet bundle is clamped by the clamping parts (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-260564). In addition, as a sheet processing device, a structure is proposed in which a saddle binding process is performed, in which a binding process is performed on the center portion of a sheet bundle in a conveying direction, and a half-folding process is performed, in which a saddle binding process is performed, and a half-folding process is performed, in which the sheet bundle is folded at a position where the saddle binding process is performed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-150096).

[0003] Here, in the case where the structure for performing the square back processing disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-260564 is set in the sheet processing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-150096, it is required to meet the safety standard IEC 62368-1. In this safety standard, it is necessary to check the access to the dangerous part by using a "child access probe". In contrast, in the device for performing the square back processing disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-260564, since the sheet stack obtained by performing the square back processing on the folded sheet stack is discharged, an opening of a sufficient size is required as a discharge port for discharging the sheet stack. In the square back processing, the sheet stack is clamped by a pair of clamping parts, but if the opening of the discharge port of the sheet stack is large, the "child access probe" may approach the pair of clamping parts. Summary of the invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration of a sheet material processing apparatus including an element for performing square back processing, which can easily meet safety standards.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a sheet processing device includes: an inlet portion configured to receive sheets discharged from an image forming device; a first stacking portion configured to stack the sheets received from the inlet portion; a first binding processing unit configured to perform binding processing on an end portion of a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets stacked in the first stacking portion; a stacking unit capable of moving up and down relative to the first stacking portion, and on which a sheet bundle subjected to binding processing by the first binding processing unit is stacked; and a conveying unit configured to convey the sheets from the inlet portion to the stacking unit. The branch point in the conveying path to the first stacking section conveys the sheets downward in the up-down direction; a second stacking section, the second stacking section is configured to stack the sheets conveyed by the conveying unit; a second binding processing unit, the second binding processing unit is configured to perform saddle stitching processing on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets stacked in the second stacking section; a folding processing unit, the folding processing unit includes a folding roller pair and a pressing portion, and is configured to perform folding processing on the sheet bundle that has undergone the saddle stitching processing by the second binding processing unit, the folding roller pair being configured to clamp and convey the sheet bundle so that the spine of the sheet bundle is positioned at the front of the sheet bundle The folding rollers are configured to move the sheet bundle downstream of the edge and thus perform a folding process on the sheet bundle, the pressing portion being configured to press the sheet bundle that has undergone the saddle binding process by the second binding processing unit toward the roller gap portion of the folding roller pair; a conveying roller pair, the conveying roller pair being configured to clamp and convey the sheet bundle that has undergone the folding process by the folding processing unit; a square back processing unit, the square back processing unit comprising: a pair of clamping portions, the pair of clamping portions being configured to move relative to the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveying roller pair to clamp or not clamp the sheet bundle; and a pressing roller, the pressing roller being arranged between the pair of clamping portions in the conveying direction of the sheet bundle by the conveying roller pair The sheet stack of claim 1, wherein the sheet stack is moved downstream of the holding portion and the ridge of the sheet stack clamped by the pair of clamping portions is pressed toward the pair of clamping portions, the square back processing unit being configured to perform square back processing of forming a corner on the ridge of the sheet stack by: pressing the ridge of the sheet stack clamped by the pair of clamping portions by the pressing roller so that the ridge of the sheet stack protrudes downstream in the conveying direction relative to the pair of clamping portions; a sheet stack discharge unit to which the sheet stack subjected to the square back processing by the square back processing unit is discharged; and a cover unit disposed downstream of the square back processing unit in the conveying direction so that when a child access probe according to the safety standard IEC 62368-1 is inserted from the outside of the sheet processing device, the child access probe does not reach the pair of clamping portions.

[0006] 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

[0007] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

[0009] Figure 3 is a control block diagram of the image forming system according to the embodiment.

[0010] Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a saddle portion according to the embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a front view of a square back processing portion according to the embodiment.

[0012] Fig. 6A is a perspective view of a square back processing unit according to the embodiment.

[0013] Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view of a square back processing unit according to the embodiment.

[0014] Fig. 7A is a perspective view of the square back processing portion according to the embodiment as viewed from the front side.

[0015] Figure 7B is a perspective view of the square back processing portion according to the embodiment as viewed from the rear side.

[0016] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a portion of a square back processing unit and a driving portion according to the embodiment.

[0017] Fig. 9 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the square back processing unit and the clamping portion according to the embodiment.

[0018] Fig.10 4 is a cross-sectional view of a square back processing unit and a clamping portion according to the embodiment.

[0019] Fig.11A 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the conveyance of the sheet bundle is stopped at the nip portion in the operation of the square back process in the embodiment.

[0020] Fig. 11B2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet bundle is clamped in the operation of the square back process in the embodiment.

[0021] Fig. 11C 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the square back process is performed on the sheet bundle in the operation of the square back process in the embodiment.

[0022] Fig.11D 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the clamping of the sheet bundle is released in the operation of the square back process in the embodiment.

[0023] Fig.12 It is a perspective view of the vicinity of a sheet bundle discharge section of the sheet processing apparatus in the embodiment, in which a discharge cover is omitted.

[0024] Fig.13 It is a perspective view of the vicinity of the sheet bundle discharge section in the above embodiment.

[0025] Fig.14 1 is a plan view of the vicinity of the sheet bundle discharge portion of the sheet processing apparatus in the embodiment as viewed from the front side in the sheet bundle discharge direction.

[0026] Fig.15A It is a perspective view of the vicinity of the movable wall and the discharge cover in the embodiment as viewed from the rear side in the sheet bundle discharge direction.

[0027] Fig. 15B for Fig.15A An enlarged stereogram of a portion of.

[0028] Fig.16 is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus, illustrating a state in which the discharge cover according to the embodiment is opened.

[0029] Fig.17 is a schematic configuration sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus, illustrating a state in which the first tray according to the embodiment has been lowered to a position below a predetermined position.

[0030] Fig.18 It is a perspective view of the vicinity of the sheet bundle discharge portion of the sheet processing apparatus in the embodiment in a state in which the discharge cover is closed.

[0031] Fig.19 It is a perspective view of the vicinity of the sheet bundle discharge portion of the sheet processing apparatus in the embodiment in a state in which the discharge cover is opened.

[0032] Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the sheet bundle discharge portion, illustrating a state in which a child access probe is inserted through the saddle discharge port in the sheet processing apparatus in the embodiment.

[0033] Fig.21 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the sheet bundle discharge portion, illustrating another example of the configuration for guiding the opening and closing of the discharge cover according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Reference Figures 1 to 21 An embodiment is described. First, reference will be made to Figure 1 A schematic configuration of the image forming system of this embodiment is described.

[0035] Image forming system

[0036] In the present embodiment, a copier is used as an image forming device. A sheet processing device is connected to a sheet discharge port of the copier, and the sheet processing device includes a saddle portion that performs a saddle binding process and a folding process. The image forming system 1000 includes an image forming device A and a sheet processing device B. The sheet S on which an image has been formed by the image forming device A is received by the sheet processing device B disposed on the downstream side, undergoes a saddle binding process, a folding process, a square back process, etc. (if necessary), and is discharged to a discharge portion disposed on the downstream side. Examples of the image forming device A include devices of various structures, such as a copier, a printer, a printing machine, a fax machine, and a multifunctional device having multiple functions of these devices. The image forming device A and the sheet processing device B will be described in detail below. It should be noted that in the following description, with respect to the image forming device A and the sheet processing device B, the side on which an operator such as a user operates the device (for example, the side on which an operation panel, an operation button, etc. are provided) will be referred to as the front side ( Figure 1 , 2 The side opposite to the front side will be referred to as the back side ( Figure 1 , 2 etc.).

[0037] Image forming equipment

[0038] like Figure 1 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the image forming apparatus A includes an image forming unit A1 , an image reading unit A2 , and a document feeding unit A3 . The image forming unit A1 includes a feeding section 2 , an image forming section 3 , a discharging section 4 , and a data processing section 5 in a housing 1 .

[0039] The feed section 2 includes a plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, and 2c, and the cassettes 2a, 2b, and 2c can accommodate preselected sheets S of different regular sizes in a multi-layered form. The sheets S are, for example, paper sheets, plastic sheets, and the like. The cassettes 2a, 2b, and 2c each include a separation mechanism for separating the sheets S stored therein from each other, and a feed mechanism for conveying the output sheets S. With respect to the sheets S accommodated in the feed section 2 configured in this manner, the controller 310 ( Figure 3 ) is conveyed and output. The sheet S fed from one of the plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, and 2c is further conveyed downstream by the conveying roller 7. The leading end of the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 7 is aligned by the registration roller pair 8, so that the skew thereof is corrected. Then, the sheet S whose leading end is aligned by the registration roller pair 8 is fed to the image forming section 3 provided on the downstream side at a predetermined timing.

[0040] The large capacity cassette 2d and the manual feed tray 2e are connected to the image forming apparatus A. The large capacity cassette 2d is composed of an optional unit that accommodates sheets of a size to be consumed in large quantities. The manual feed tray 2e is configured to be able to supply special sheets, such as cardboard sheets, coated sheets, and film sheets, which are difficult to be conveyed while separating the sheets from each other.

[0041] As long as the image forming section 3 is configured to form an image on the sheet S fed from the feeding section 2, various image forming mechanisms may be employed. In the illustrated embodiment, an electrostatic image forming mechanism is illustrated as the image forming section 3. However, the image forming section 3 is not limited to the illustrated electrostatic image forming mechanism, and an inkjet image forming mechanism, an offset image forming mechanism, or the like may be employed.

[0042] Figure 1 The image forming section 3 illustrated in the figure is provided with a photosensitive member 9 formed in a drum shape or a belt shape, an exposure unit 10 for exposing the photosensitive member 9, a developing unit 11 for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 9 by using a toner, and a charging unit (not illustrated) for charging the photosensitive member 9, a cleaner (not illustrated) for cleaning the photosensitive member 9, and the like. Figure 1In the figure, a monochrome printing mechanism is described as an example. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive member 9 by exposure performed by the exposure unit 10, and the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing unit 11, thereby forming a colorant image on the photosensitive member 9. The colorant image formed on the photosensitive member 9 is transferred to the sheet S conveyed from the registration roller pair 8 by the transfer unit 12. The sheet S to which the toner image has been transferred is fixed by the fixing unit 13. In addition, the image forming apparatus A is provided with a reverse conveying path, and the sheet S to which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing unit 13 is reversed so that the front and back sides thereof are switched, and then is conveyed to the registration roller pair 8 again, and image formation is performed on the back side of the sheet S. The discharge roller 15 is provided downstream of the fixing unit 13 and downstream of the branch point to the reverse conveying path, and conveys the sheet S from the discharge port 16 of the image forming apparatus A to the sheet processing apparatus B to be described later.

[0043] An image reading unit A2 that optically reads a document image is provided above the image forming unit A1 configured in this manner, and a document feeding unit A3 is further provided above the image reading unit A2.

[0044] The image reading unit A2 includes a first platen glass 17, a second platen glass 21, a reading carriage 18 including a light source, a photoelectric conversion element 19, and an optical relay system 20 constituted by combining a reflective mirror and a lens. Further, the reading carriage 18 moves along the first platen glass 17 in a scanning manner to illuminate the image of the document placed on the first platen glass 17 with light from the light source, and the reflected light from the image of the document is guided to the photoelectric conversion element 19 through the optical relay system 20 to read the image. The photoelectric conversion element 19 converts the image data into an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the image forming section 3, so that the image read by the image reading unit A2 can be formed on a sheet by the image forming unit A1.

[0045] The document feeding unit A3 includes a feeding tray 22 and an ejection tray 24, and conveys the documents placed on the feeding tray 22 one by one through the space on the second platen glass 21, and ejects the documents onto the ejection tray 24. It is to be noted that when reading a document fed by the document feeding unit A3 and passing through the space on the second platen glass 21, the reading carriage 18 stops in advance at a position below the second platen glass 21, and reads image data from an image passing through the space on the second platen glass 21.

[0046] Next, we will refer to the overall structure of the sheet material processing equipment. Figure 2 The general configuration of the sheet processing apparatus B that performs processing such as a binding process, a folding process, and the like on sheets conveyed from the image forming apparatus A is described. Figure 2The detailed configuration of the sheet processing apparatus B is exemplified. The sheet processing apparatus B is capable of stacking the sheets on a first tray (first stacking tray) 49, which will be described later, a saddle discharge unit 131, and a second tray (second stacking tray) 71 after processing the sheets received through the entrance portion 26 serving as an entrance of the conveying path 28 continuous from the discharge port 16. It is to be noted that in the present embodiment, the path refers to the entirety of the path in which the sheets are conveyed by the conveying guide, the conveying roller, and the like.

[0047] In the illustrated apparatus, a sheet conveyed to the conveying path 28 serving as a first conveying path is discharged onto the first tray 49 after being processed by a processing section B1 to be described later, or a sheet conveyed in the conveying path 28 is discharged onto the second tray 71 or is discharged to the saddle discharge unit 131 after being processed by a saddle section B2 to be described later. Each apparatus includes a controller, a communication section, and the like, such as Figure 3 The blocks illustrated in the figure represent the overall control configuration of the device, and thus the device is controlled.

[0048] The processing section B1 serving as an end stapling processing section is provided below the path exit (transfer section 35) of the conveying path 28, and is capable of stacking a plurality of sheets sequentially transferred thereto from the conveying path 28 by the transfer section 35 for each copy to form a sheet bundle, and performing a stapling process as an example of a predetermined process on the end of the sheet bundle. The sheet bundle subjected to the stapling process is stacked on the first tray 49 serving as a stacking section (stacking unit). The trailing end (the sheet end on the upstream side in the discharge direction, the upstream end) of the sheet or sheet bundle stacked on the first tray 49 abuts against a stacking wall 50 provided on the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction of the first tray 49, and is thus stacked along the stacking wall 50. The stacking wall 50 is a wall portion extending in the direction in which the first tray 49 moves up and down.

[0049] The first tray 49 is movable up and down relative to the processing tray 37 to be described later, and supports thereon a sheet bundle that has undergone a binding process by the binding processing mechanism 47 to be described later. In the present embodiment, the first tray 49 and the second tray 71 are movable up and down by a lifting / lowering mechanism not illustrated. That is, in the present embodiment, when the sheet is conveyed and output onto the first tray 49 or the second tray 71 used as a stacking tray, the first tray 49 or the second tray 71 moves up and down to keep the position of the uppermost sheet on the stacking surface of the tray constant relative to the discharge roller pair 42 and the second discharge roller 207 so that the alignment of the stacked sheets is not degraded.

[0050] The saddle portion B2 is provided below the transfer portion of the saddle path 32 serving as a second conveying path branching downward from the conveying path 28 in the vertical direction, stacks a plurality of sheets sequentially transferred thereto from the conveying path 28 through the saddle path 32 and the transfer portion for each copy to form a sheet bundle, performs a folding process after performing a saddle stitching process or without performing a saddle stitching process, and discharges the sheet bundle to the saddle discharge unit 131. A detailed description of each configuration will be given below.

[0051] case

[0052] like Figure 2 As illustrated in the figure, the sheet processing apparatus B includes a housing 27, a conveying path 28, a processing section B1, a saddle section B2, a first tray 49, a saddle discharge unit 131, a second tray 71, and the like. The conveying path 28, the processing section B1, and the saddle section B2 are provided inside the housing 27. In addition, the conveying path 28 includes an inlet section 26 and a transfer section 35 for sheets. The processing section B1 and the saddle section B2 process sheets transferred thereto from the transfer section 35 of the conveying path 28. The first tray 49, the saddle discharge unit 131, and the second tray 71 support thereon sheets conveyed from each processing section. The illustrated housing 27 is connected to the housing 1 of the image forming apparatus A, and the housing 1 is positioned upstream of the illustrated housing 27 in the conveying path 28 in the sheet conveying direction. Further, the housing 27 and the housing 1 are arranged so that the height of the discharge port 16 of the image forming apparatus A and the height of the inlet portion 26 of the sheet processing apparatus B from the installation surface are approximately equal and the discharge port 16 and the inlet portion 26 are connected.

[0053] Sheet introduction path

[0054] The conveying path 28 serving as a sheet introduction path is configured as an approximately linear path passing through the housing 27 in an approximately horizontal direction, and includes an inlet portion 26 continuous with the discharge port (main body discharge port) 16 of the image forming apparatus A, and a transfer portion 35 located on the opposite side across the apparatus with respect to the inlet portion 26. In the conveying path 28, an inlet roller 29, a first conveying roller 201, a second conveying roller 202, and a third conveying roller 203 serve as conveying rollers that can convey the sheet from the inlet portion 26 toward the first discharge path 31 in the first direction and can convey the sheet from the first discharge path 31 toward the inlet portion 26 in the second direction. That is, the inlet roller 29, the first conveying roller 201, the second conveying roller 202, and the third conveying roller 203 can convey the sheet in the first direction and in the second direction opposite to the first direction in the conveying path, and are arranged in this order from the inlet portion 26 side in the first direction.

[0055] The first discharge path 31 is connected to the transfer portion 35 of the conveying path 28, and a first conveying roller 36 is provided at the connection portion of the two. The sheet transferred from the conveying path 28 to the first discharge path 31 and discharged from the first discharge path 31 is stacked on the first tray 49 or guided to the processing portion B1. It is to be noted that each of the above-mentioned conveying rollers may be a different member capable of conveying a sheet, such as a conveying belt.

[0056] Layout of sheet introduction path

[0057] like Figure 2 As illustrated in the figure, a saddle path 32 and an upper conveying path 30 as branch paths are connected to the conveying path 28. The saddle path 32 and the upper conveying path 30 are arranged in this order from the entrance portion 26 toward the first discharge path 31 in the first direction. In addition, the saddle path 32 branches downward from the conveying path 28 in the vertical direction, and the upper conveying path 30 branches upward from the conveying path 28 in the vertical direction. A saddle path switching member 33 and an upper conveying path switching member 34 serving as a switching member for switching the conveying direction of the conveyed sheet are provided at corresponding branch portions between the conveying path 28 and the saddle path 32 and between the conveying path 28 and the upper conveying path 30, respectively.

[0058] Branches of the path

[0059] The upper conveying path switching member 34 is composed of a switching guide that can move to change the conveying path of the sheet introduced from the entrance portion 26 so as to convey the sheet to the first discharge path 31 or the upper conveying path 30, and the upper conveying path switching member 34 is moved by means of a driving portion (not illustrated) such as an electromagnetic solenoid or a micro motor.

[0060] Upper conveyor path

[0061] An upper conveying path 30 (printed product discharge path) is branched from the conveying path 28, in which sheets other than sheets to be discharged to the first discharge path 31 are conveyed, and an upper conveying path switching member 34 for guiding sheets to the upper conveying path 30 is provided at a path branching portion of the upper conveying path 30. In addition, in the upper conveying path 30, a fourth conveying roller 204, a fifth conveying roller 205, a sixth conveying roller 206, and a second discharge roller 207 are provided in the upper conveying path 30 as conveying rollers for guiding sheets to the second tray 71. As a result, the sheet guided to the upper conveying path 30 is discharged from the upper conveying path discharge port 40 onto the second tray 71 (overflow tray).

[0062] The processing section B1 is composed of a processing tray 37 serving as a placing section and a first stacking section, on which sheets conveyed through the first discharge path 31 provided downstream of the conveying path 28 are placed and a plurality of placed sheets are stacked for each copy, and a binding processing mechanism (end binding stapling unit) 47 serving as a first binding processing section (first binding processing unit), the processing tray 37 being placed thereon and stacking a plurality of placed sheets for each copy, and the binding processing mechanism 47 performing binding processing on the stacked sheet bundle. Further, the processing section B1 performs binding processing on the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 37. The binding processing mechanism 47 is provided below the conveying path 28 in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. Figure 2 As illustrated in the figure, a step is formed in the first discharge path 31, and the processing tray 37 is provided below the step. A first switch-back path is provided between the first discharge path 31 and the processing tray 37, in which the sheet is guided onto the processing tray 37 after the conveying direction is reversed in a state where a part of the sheet has been discharged onto the first tray 49 through the discharge port 31a of the first discharge path 31.

[0063] Specifically, in the first discharge path 31, an upper conveying roller 41 and a lower conveying roller 48 that pinch and convey the sheet are provided. The upper conveying roller 41 and the lower conveying roller 48 constitute a discharge roller pair 42 serving as a discharge portion (discharge unit). The upper conveying roller 41 can be brought into contact with and out of contact with the lower conveying roller 48, and in a state where the sheet is pinched between the upper conveying roller 41 and the lower conveying roller 48, the sheet can be conveyed in a direction toward the first tray 49 and in a direction opposite to the direction. Further, the sheet can be conveyed toward the processing tray 37 through the first switch-back path by the upper conveying roller 41 and the lower conveying roller 48.

[0064] In addition, the upper conveying roller 41 and the lower conveying roller 48 (i.e., the discharge roller pair 42) discharge the sheet or the sheet bundle on the processing tray 37 onto the first tray 49 serving as a stacking tray (stacking portion) through the discharge port 31a. The discharge port 31a is a portion that opens at a position above the lower conveying roller 48 in the housing 27. Further, the discharge roller pair 42 discharges the sheet that has been conveyed to the first discharge path 31 without passing through the processing tray 37 onto the first tray 49 through the discharge port 31a.

[0065] The binding processing mechanism 47 includes a tail end regulating portion 47a that abuts against the end (tail end) of the sheet and positions the sheet. The reversing portion 38 is provided on the processing tray 37, and the reversing portion 38 conveys the sheet conveyed to the processing tray 37 by the upper conveying roller 41 and the lower conveying roller 48 toward the tail end regulating portion 47a. Further, the binding processing mechanism 47 performs binding processing on the end of a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets placed on the processing tray 37 and the positions of the ends of the plurality of sheets are regulated by the tail end regulating portion 47a. In addition, the binding processing mechanism 47 includes a sheet bundle discharge mechanism that discharges the sheet bundle onto the first tray 49 after performing binding processing on the end of the sheet bundle.

[0066] It should be noted that Figure 2 The binding processing mechanism 47 illustrated in the figure supports the sheets conveyed from the first discharge path 31 so that the sheets bridge the processing tray 37 and the first tray 49 disposed downstream thereof. That is, the sheets conveyed from the first discharge path 31 are supported so that the leading end of the sheets is supported on the uppermost sheet on the first tray 49 disposed on the downstream side, and the trailing end of the sheets is supported on the processing tray 37.

[0067] Saddle Trail

[0068] A saddle path 32 for conveying a sheet to the above-mentioned saddle portion B2 is connected to the conveying path 28, and a saddle path switching member 33 for guiding a sheet to the saddle path 32 is provided at a path branching portion of the saddle path 32. The sheet guided to the saddle portion B2 through the saddle path 32 is stacked on the saddle stacking tray 150, undergoes a half-folding process, and after undergoing the folding process, is discharged to the saddle discharge unit 131 via a post-folding path guide 114, a post-second roller path guide 116, a clamping front guide 119, and a saddle discharge guide 124. In the present embodiment, the saddle discharge guide 124 used as a discharge guide is used as an auxiliary guide for appropriately stacking the sheet on the saddle discharge unit 131.

[0069] Control Structure

[0070] Reference Figure 3The outline of the control configuration of the image forming system 1000 is described. First, the image forming apparatus A includes a controller 310, an operation section 302, a conveying controller 303, an image processing section 304, a driving section 305, and a communication section 306. The controller 310 includes a central processing unit CPU 311, a read-only memory, ROM 312, and a random access memory RAM 313. The CPU 311 controls each component while reading out a program corresponding to a control procedure stored in the ROM 312. In addition, the RAM 313 stores work data and input data, and the CPU 311 performs control based on the above-mentioned program and the like with reference to the data stored in the RAM 313.

[0071] The operation section 302 is, for example, an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus A and connected to the controller 310, and the operator operates the apparatus and thereby performs various settings. The conveying controller 303 controls various conveying rollers for conveying sheets and a switching member for switching a conveying path in the image forming apparatus A. The image processing section 304 controls the image forming section 3. The driving section 305 controls various motors and power supplies. The communication section 306 connects both the external device 301 such as a personal computer and the communication section 321 of the sheet processing apparatus B to the controller 310 so as to be communicable.

[0072] The sheet processing device B includes a stacker controller 330, a conveying controller 322, an end binding controller 323, a discharge processing controller 324, and a communication unit 321. Similar to the controller 310, the stacker controller 330 includes a CPU 331, a ROM 332, and a RAM 333. The conveying controller 322 controls various conveying rollers for conveying sheets in the portion of the sheet processing device B other than the saddle portion B2 and a switching member for switching the conveying path. The end binding controller 323 controls the processing unit B1. The discharge processing controller 324 controls various stacking trays to which sheets are discharged and on which the discharged sheets are stacked. The communication unit 321 connects both the communication unit 306 of the image forming device A and the communication unit 341 of the saddle portion B2 to the stacker controller 330 in a communicable manner. It is to be noted that the communication between the communication unit 306 and the communication unit 321 can be performed by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0073] The saddle section B2 includes a saddle controller 350, a conveying controller 342, a saddle binding controller 343, a folding controller 344, a square back processing controller 345, and a communication section 341. Similar to the controller 310, the saddle controller 350 includes a CPU 351, a ROM 352, and a RAM 353. The conveying controller 342 controls various conveying rollers for conveying sheets in the saddle section B2 and a switching member for switching a conveying path. The saddle binding controller 343 controls the saddle binding processing section 104. The folding controller 344 controls the folding processing mechanism C1. The square back processing controller 345 controls the square back processing section C2. The communication section 341 connects the communication section 321 of the sheet processing device B to the saddle controller 350 so that it can communicate.

[0074] Saddle

[0075] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 The saddle portion B2 is described. The saddle portion B2 includes a folding processing mechanism C1 and a square back processing section C2. The folding processing mechanism C1 stacks the sheets conveyed from the conveying path 28 for each copy to form a sheet bundle, performs a stapling process on the center portion of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction (the center portion in the second conveying direction, which is the conveying direction of the saddle path roller 100 serving as the second conveying section to be described later), and performs a folding process (hereinafter, also referred to as "magazine finish") in which the sheet bundle is folded at a position subjected to the stapling process. The square back processing section C2 is provided downstream of the folding processing mechanism C1 in the conveying direction of the sheet bundle (downstream in the first conveying direction, which is the conveying direction of the saddle third roller pair 118 serving as the first conveying unit to be described later), and performs a square back process of forming a folding line on the spine of the sheet bundle subjected to the folding process. Further, the saddle discharge unit 131 is provided downstream of the square back processing portion C2 in the first conveying direction, and the sheet bundle subjected to the bookbinding process is stacked on the saddle discharge unit 131. It is to be noted that after stacking one or more sheets for each copy, only the folding process of the center portion of the folded sheet in the conveying direction may be performed without performing the saddle binding process and the square back process.

[0076] Folding mechanism

[0077] The folding mechanism C1 includes a head end regulating stopper 109, a saddle binding processing section (saddle binding stapling unit) 104, and a folding processing section 112 serving as a folding processing unit, stacks sheets into a bundle, and performs folding processing and saddle binding processing. That is, the sheet conveyed from the conveying path 28 to the saddle path 32 is conveyed by the saddle path roller 100 serving as the second conveying section to the saddle stacking tray 150 serving as the stacking section and the second stacking section. The saddle stacking tray 150 forms a sheet bundle by stacking a plurality of sheets conveyed in the second conveying direction via the saddle path 32 by the saddle path roller 100. The sheet bundle stacked on the saddle stacking tray 150 is positioned at a predetermined position on the saddle stacking tray 150 by the head end regulating stopper 109.

[0078] The saddle stack tray 150 is provided with a saddle stack sensor 106 serving as a sheet detection section that detects the presence or absence of a sheet. The saddle stack sensor 106 may be provided at any position as long as the presence or absence of a sheet on the saddle stack tray 150 can be detected. In the present embodiment, the saddle stack sensor 106 is provided at a position that does not interfere with the operation of the folding plate 112a, and is provided near the folding roller pair 113. For example, the saddle stack sensor 106 is preferably provided between the saddle binding processing section 104 and the folding plate 112a, and more preferably provided between the pull-in separation roller 105 and the folding plate 112a.

[0079] The saddle stitching processing section 104 serving as a second stitching processing section (saddle stitching unit) performs a stitching process (saddle stitching process) on the center portion in the conveying direction (middle portion in the second conveying direction) of the sheet bundle positioned by the leading end regulating stopper 109. The half-folding processing section 112 includes a folding plate 112a and a folding roller pair 113, and the sheet bundle is folded and conveyed so that the ridge of the sheet bundle is on the downstream side in the conveying direction by conveying the sheet bundle by the folding roller pair 113 while being poked by the folding plate 112a in the vicinity of the position (the center portion of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction in the stitching process) subjected to the stitching process by the saddle stitching processing section 104.

[0080] The saddle stitching processing unit 104 is a mechanism for performing a stitching process in which the head unit and the anvil unit move along the center (line) of the sheet while clamping the sheet bundle between the head unit and the anvil unit. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As illustrated in , a configuration is adopted in which a sheet bundle is inserted by a folding plate 112 a into a nip of a folding roller pair 113 in pressure contact with each other, and the sheet bundle is conveyed while being folded by the rotation of the folding roller pair 113 .

[0081] Square back processing

[0082] The square back processing section C2 performs square back processing so that the folding line of the sheet bundle subjected to the folding processing becomes a square back shape. The square back processing section C2 includes a lower clamping unit 120 and an upper clamping unit 121 serving as a pair of clamping sections, and a square back processing unit 134 including a pressing roller 123. The lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 move relatively to each other along the thickness direction of the sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle third roller pair 118 to be described later, and thus clamp the sheet bundle and release the clamping of the sheet bundle. The pressing roller 123 moves along the width direction of the sheet bundle (a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet bundle, Figure 2 and Figure 4 The square back processing section C2 moves in the front-to-back direction of the sheet bundle, thereby pressing the spine of the sheet bundle. Further, the square back processing section C2 performs square back processing for forming a corner on the spine of the sheet bundle by pressing the spine of the sheet bundle clamped between the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 by the pressing roller 123 in a state where the spine of the sheet bundle protrudes downstream relative to the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 in the first conveying direction. It is to be noted that the examples of the above-mentioned "corner" include curved surfaces and refer to the boundary between the front cover and the spine of the sheet bundle and the boundary between the spine and the back cover of the sheet bundle.

[0083] Specifically, in a state where the spine of the sheet stack subjected to folding by the folding processing mechanism C1 protrudes downstream in the first conveying direction, the square back processing portion C2 clamps a portion of the sheet stack from both sides in the vertical direction (the thickness direction of the sheet stack). The pressing roller 123 presses the spine of the sheet stack clamped between the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 in the width direction of the sheet stack orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet stack and the thickness direction of the sheet stack. In this way, the square back processing portion C2 performs a square back processing of forming a corner on the spine of the sheet stack. The square back processing is a processing of forming two corners on the spine of the sheet stack by squeezing the sheet stack to be described later by the pressing roller 123. Fig.11A and 11B The ridge of the sheet stack illustrated in the figure is Fig. 11C and 11D Two streaks are formed on the spine of the sheet bundle illustrated in FIG. Two corners on the spine of the sheet bundle are formed at positions between which the staples embedded in the sheet bundle in the binding process performed by the saddle stitching processing unit 104 are positioned in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle. In addition, two corners formed on the spine of the sheet bundle are formed at positions between which the folding line formed in the folding process by the folding processing unit 112 is positioned.

[0084] Note that a folding conveying mechanism is provided between the folding mechanism C1 and the square back processing section C2 , which conveys the sheet bundle folded by the folding mechanism C1 to the square back processing section C2 positioned downstream and stops conveyance.

[0085] As described above, the processing section B1 and the conveying path 28 are arranged in an approximately horizontal direction, the saddle path 32 that guides the sheet to the saddle section B2 is arranged in an approximately vertical direction, and the saddle stacking tray 150 that stacks the sheet for each copy is arranged approximately in the vertical direction. As described above, by arranging the conveying path 28 in a direction crossing the housing 27 and arranging the saddle path 32 and the saddle section B2 in an approximately vertical direction, the apparatus can be made thinner, that is, the width of the apparatus in the horizontal direction can be reduced.

[0086] The saddle discharge unit 131 is disposed downstream of the saddle portion B2 in the conveying direction of the sheet bundle, and accommodates the sheet bundle folded into a magazine shape. The illustrated saddle discharge unit 131 is disposed below the first tray 49 in the vertical direction. This is because the apparatus has specifications set in consideration of the fact that the frequency of use of the first tray 49 is higher than that of the saddle discharge unit 131, and the first tray 49 is set at a height that makes it easy to pick up the sheets on the tray.

[0087] Saddle construction

[0088] Next, the configuration of each of the half-folding processing mechanism C1 , the half-folding conveying mechanism C3 , and the square back processing portion C2 constituting the saddle portion B2 will be described in more detail.

[0089] Details of the folding mechanism

[0090] like Figure 2 As illustrated in the figure, the saddle path switching member 33 is switched so as to convey the sheet to the saddle path 32, and thus guide the sheet to the folding processing mechanism C1. From the upper side (upstream side) in the vertical direction, that is, the entrance side of the folding processing mechanism C1 in the height direction, the saddle entrance roller 101, the sorting section 102, the tail end pressing guide 103, the saddle binding processing section 104, the pull-in separation roller 105, the folding processing section 112, the first alignment roller 107, the second alignment roller 108, the head end adjustment stopper 109, and the head end gripper 110 are provided in order.

[0091] The saddle inlet roller 101 further conveys downward the sheet transferred thereto from the saddle path 32 by the saddle path roller 100. The sorting section 102 moves the sheet conveyed downward from the saddle inlet roller 101 to the Figure 2106. The sheet stacking tray 150 is stacked on the right side of the saddle stacking tray 150. The tail end pressing guide 103 presses the tail end of the sheet stacked on the saddle stacking tray 150. The saddle binding processing section 104 performs binding processing on the center portion of the sheet stack in the conveying direction stacked on the saddle stacking tray 150. The pull-in separation roller 105 supports the conveyance of the sheet conveyed to the saddle stacking tray 150, and is a roller that pulls the sheet toward the head end regulating stopper 109. The pull-in separation roller 105 is provided so as to be able to contact and disengage with the opposing roller 105a.

[0092] The folding processing section 112 includes a folding roller pair 113, a folding plate 112a serving as a pressing portion, and a roller guide 111. The folding roller pair 113 forms a folding line in the folding process. The folding plate 112a pushes the sheet into the roller gap portion of the folding roller pair 113. That is, the folding roller pair 113 performs folding on the sheet stack by pinching and conveying the sheet stack so that the ridge of the sheet stack is positioned downstream of the end of the sheet stack on the front edge side. The folding plate 112a presses the sheet stack subjected to the saddle binding process by the saddle binding processing section 104 toward the roller gap portion of the folding roller pair 113. The roller guide 111 covers the folding roller pair 113. The first alignment roller 107 and the second alignment roller 108 convey the sheet conveyed to the saddle stacking tray 150, and align the sheet in the height direction of the sheet. The head end regulating stopper 109 abuts against the head end (lower end) of the sheet conveyed thereto and determines the position of the head end of the sheet in the height direction. The head end gripper 110 presses the head end (lower end) of the sheet stacked on the head end regulating stopper 109 .

[0093] The saddle inlet roller 101 and the pull-in separation roller 105 are driven by the same motor. The tail end pressing guide 103 is located at a position opposite to the sorting section 102, with the saddle stacking tray 150 located therebetween. The saddle binding processing section 104 is provided downstream of the sorting section 102 and the tail end pressing guide 103 and upstream of the pull-in separation roller 105.

[0094] The sheet conveyed from the saddle path 32 to the saddle portion B2 is conveyed to the head end regulating stopper 109, which is moved to a position corresponding to the size, by the saddle entrance roller 101. The pull-in separation roller 105 has an auxiliary conveying function for accurately conveying the conveyed sheet to the head end regulating stopper 109 in the saddle stacking tray 150. The roller guide 111 covers the folding roller pair 113 so as to suppress the head end of the sheet from being caught at the folding roller pair 113 at this time and to efficiently convey the sheet.

[0095] The first and second registration rollers 107 and 108 cause the conveyed sheet to accurately abut against the leading end regulation stopper 109 , and thus perform registration processing in the sheet height direction.

[0096] The sorting section 102 moves the sheet conveyed to the leading end regulating stopper 109 to the trailing end pressing guide 103, and prepares to receive the next sheet by pressing the trailing end (upper end) of the moving sheet by the trailing end pressing guide 103. At this time, the trailing end pressing guide 103 has moved to a position corresponding to the size and is in a standby state.

[0097] The leading end (trailing end) of the sheet bundle formed by stacking a plurality of sheets on the saddle stacking tray 150 is fixed by being gripped by the leading end gripping member 110. In this state, the saddle binding processing section 104 performs binding processing on the center portion of the sheet bundle in the second conveying direction. After the binding processing, the leading end regulating stopper 109 is moved downward while the leading end (lower end) of the sheet bundle is still gripped by the leading end gripping member 110. At this time, the sheet bundle is moved downward from the binding position by moving the leading end regulating stopper 109 downward so that the position of the sheet in the sheet bundle is pushed into the folding roller pair 113 by the folding plate 112a to be 1 / 2 of the sheet size.

[0098] When the half-folding process is performed, the roller guide 111 is retracted, the fixation by the head end gripper 110 is released, and then the center portion of the sheet bundle is pushed by the folding plate 112a into the nip portion of the folding roller pair 113. As a result, the half-folding process is performed on the sheet bundle.

[0099] The saddle inlet roller 101, the pull-in separation roller 105, the sorting section 102, and the tail end pressing guide 103 are controlled by the conveying controller 342 ( Figure 3 ) is controlled. In addition, the leading end regulating stopper 109, the leading end gripping member 110, the saddle stitching processing unit 104, the first registration roller 107, and the second registration roller 108 are controlled by the saddle stitching controller 343 ( Figure 3 ) is controlled. Further, the folding roller pair 113 and the folding plate 112a are controlled by the folding controller 344 ( Figure 3 )control.

[0100] Folding conveyor mechanism

[0101] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 The configuration of the folding conveying mechanism C3 is described. The folding conveying mechanism C3 is a mechanism that transfers the sheet bundle that has undergone the folding process by the folding processing mechanism C1 to the square back processing section C2. Specifically, the folding conveying mechanism C3 first conveys the sheet bundle that has undergone the folding process as it is through the folding roller pair 113 so that the spine of the sheet bundle is positioned downstream of the end portion thereof on the front edge side in the conveying direction, and transfers the sheet bundle to the post-folding path guide 114. The post-folding path guide 114 is provided at a position downstream of the folding roller pair 113 in the conveying direction, and is arranged along the conveying direction 113c (from the folding roller pair 113) of the sheet bundle. Figure 2 ) is set in a direction (here, approximately horizontal direction) bent downward in the vertical direction, and the folding roller conveying direction 113c is along a line (a first virtual line α2 to be described later, Figure 4 ).

[0102] Here, if Figure 4 As illustrated in FIG, the first line α1 passing through the rotation center of the folding roller pair 113 is perpendicular to the width direction (a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet bundle, Figure 2 and Figure 4 A straight line that extends in a direction that is parallel to the horizontal direction (in the front-to-rear direction) and passes through the roller gap of the folding roller pair 113 that does not clamp the sheet bundle is set as a first virtual line α2. In this case, the folding roller pair 113 is arranged so that the first virtual line α2 is parallel to the horizontal direction or is inclined upward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction relative to the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the first virtual line α2 is inclined upward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction relative to the horizontal direction. In contrast, the post-folding path guide 114 is arranged to extend in a direction inclined relative to the first virtual line α2, and in the present embodiment, is arranged to extend approximately in the horizontal direction.

[0103] The post-folding path guide 114 guides the conveyance of the sheet bundle, and guides the sheet bundle to the saddle second roller pair 115 positioned on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The saddle second roller conveyance direction 115c is set along a direction inclined downward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the saddle second roller conveyance direction 115c is a direction along a line perpendicular to a straight line passing through the rotation center of each roller in the saddle second roller pair 115. The saddle second roller pair 115 is driven by the half-folding controller 344, and conveys the sheet bundle.

[0104] The sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle second roller pair 115 is transferred to a saddle second roller conveying direction 115c ( Figure 2 ) and is guided by the second roller rear path guide 116. In addition, the second roller rear path guide 116 includes a second roller rear path upper guide 116a that guides the upper surface of the sheet bundle and a second roller rear path lower guide 116b that guides the sheet bundle. A saddle conveyance sensor 117 serving as a detection portion is provided at a position above the guide surface of the second roller rear path upper guide 116a and between an inlet port of the sheet bundle and an outlet port of the sheet bundle. The saddle conveyance sensor 117 detects the position of the leading end of the sheet bundle.

[0105] The second roller rear path guide 116 guides the conveyance of the sheet and guides the sheet to the saddle third roller pair 118 positioned downstream in the conveyance direction. Saddle third roller conveyance direction 118c ( Figure 2 ) is arranged in a direction inclined downward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the saddle third roller conveying direction 118c is along a line perpendicular to a straight line passing through the rotation center of each roller in the saddle third roller pair 118 (a second virtual line β2 to be described next, Figure 4 ) direction.

[0106] The saddle third roller pair 118 used as a conveying roller pair is driven by the folding controller 344, and clamps and conveys the sheet bundle that has undergone the saddle binding process and the folding process so that the spine of the sheet bundle is positioned downstream of the end on the front edge side in the conveying direction. That is, the saddle third roller pair 118 conveys the sheet bundle so that the spine of the sheet bundle serves as the leading end. In the case where the direction in which the saddle third roller pair 118 used as a conveying unit and a first conveying unit conveys the sheet bundle is set to the first conveying direction (the saddle third roller conveying direction 118c), the saddle path roller 100 used as the second conveying unit that conveys the sheet to the folding processing mechanism C1 is positioned upstream of the saddle third roller pair 118 in the first conveying direction. Further, the saddle path roller 100 conveys the sheet in a second conveying direction different from the first conveying direction at a position upstream of the saddle third roller pair 118 in the first conveying direction. In the following description, the upstream side and the downstream side in the first conveying direction (saddle third roller conveying direction 118 c ) in which the saddle third roller pair 118 conveys the sheet bundle may sometimes be simply referred to as “upstream side” and “downstream side”.

[0107] It should be noted that the folding roller pair 113, the saddle second roller pair 115, and the saddle third roller pair 118 are driven by the same motor, and the folding controller 344 controls the motor to control the driving of each roller pair. The saddle third roller pair 118 pinches the sheet bundle that has been folded by the folding processing section 112, conveys the sheet bundle toward the square back processing section C2, and is positioned directly upstream of the square back processing section C2.

[0108] Here, if Figure 4 As illustrated in the example, a straight line orthogonal to the second straight line β1 passing through the rotation center of the saddle third roller pair 118 and orthogonal to the width direction and passing through the roller gap of the saddle third roller pair 118 that does not clamp the sheet bundle is set as the second virtual line β2. In this case, the saddle third roller pair 118 is arranged so that the second virtual line β2 intersects with the first virtual line α2 and is inclined downward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side of the folding roller pair 113 in the conveying direction.

[0109] In other words, the saddle third roller pair 118 is arranged so that the second virtual line β2 is inclined downward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction relative to the horizontal direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the second virtual line β2 is inclined relative to the first virtual line α2. Further, the folding roller pair 113 conveys the sheet bundle in the horizontal direction or in a direction (folding roller conveying direction 113c) that is inclined upward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction relative to the horizontal direction. On the contrary, the saddle third roller pair 118 conveys the sheet bundle in a direction (saddle third roller conveying direction 118c) that is inclined downward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction relative to the horizontal direction.

[0110] Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the half-folded conveying path C4 serving as the third conveying path in which the sheet bundle is conveyed between the folding roller pair 113 and the saddle third roller pair 118 is curved so that the sheet bundle conveyed by the folding roller pair 113 is transferred to the saddle third roller pair 118. That is, the half-folded conveying path C4 includes the post-folding path guide 114 and the second roller post-path guide 116, and the conveying path between the post-folding path guide 114 and the second roller post-path guide 116 is curved. In other words, the direction in which the second roller post-path guide 116 guides the sheet bundle is inclined relative to the direction in which the post-folding path guide 114 guides the sheet bundle.

[0111] As described above, by making the conveying direction of the sheet bundle by the folding roller pair 113 different from the conveying direction of the sheet bundle by the saddle third roller pair 118, and by bending the conveying path between the post-folding path guide 114 and the second post-roller path guide 116, the width (length in the second conveying direction, Figure 2 In addition, by discharging the sheet bundle downward by the saddle third roller pair 118, wherein the folding roller conveying direction 113c serving as the sheet conveying direction of the saddle third roller pair 118 points diagonally downward, the sheet bundle processed by the saddle portion B2 can be discharged to a lower position in the apparatus.

[0112] Therefore, the saddle discharge unit 131 (the sheet bundle processed by the saddle portion B2 is discharged to the saddle discharge unit 131) can be provided in the lower part of the apparatus, and thus the amount by which the first tray 49 positioned above the saddle discharge unit 131 can be moved downward can be increased. Therefore, the sheet stacking amount of the first tray 49 can be increased while miniaturizing the sheet processing apparatus B. It is to be noted that in the case where "horizontal", "vertical", "parallel", etc. are mentioned in the layout of the conveying path guide for the sheet or sheet bundle and the conveying direction of the sheet or sheet bundle, the case where an angle is formed relative to the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, or the parallel direction due to tolerance, etc. is also included.

[0113] Detail of the square back treatment

[0114] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 use Figures 5 to 10 The square back processing unit C2 is described. As described above, the square back processing unit 134 including the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 as a pair of clamping units and the pressing roller 123 is provided. Figure 5 As illustrated in the figure, the clamping mechanism C5 including the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 includes a clamping front guide 119. The clamping front guide 119 is provided at a position downstream of the saddle third roller pair 118 in the conveying direction, and is provided in a direction bent downward in the vertical direction relative to the saddle third roller conveying direction 118c, and guides the conveyance of the sheet bundle.

[0115] The clamping front guide 119 includes a clamping front upper guide 119a serving as a first guide for guiding the upper surface of the sheet bundle and a clamping front lower guide 119b serving as a second guide for guiding the lower surface of the sheet bundle. The clamping front upper guide 119a and the clamping front lower guide 119b are disposed at positions spaced apart from a line centered on the saddle third roller conveying direction 118c by a distance greater than half of the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle that can pass through the apparatus (the thickness of the sheet bundle after the folding process is performed on the sheet bundle of the maximum thickness that can be conveyed in the apparatus). That is, the distance between the clamping front upper guide 119a and the clamping front lower guide 119b is greater than the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle that can be processed by the sheet processing apparatus B (the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle that can undergo the folding process performed by the folding process mechanism C1). It is to be noted that at least one of the clamping front upper guide 119a and the clamping front lower guide 119b may be omitted.

[0116] The lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 can be relatively moved to a first position where the sheet bundle can be received from the saddle third roller pair 118 and a second position where the sheet bundle is clamped. Further, the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 move from the first position to the second position, and thus clamp a portion of the sheet bundle from both sides in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle.

[0117] In the case of the present embodiment, the upper clamping unit 121 serving as the first clamping portion is movable, and the lower clamping unit 120 serving as the second clamping portion is fixed. That is, the upper clamping unit 121 moves in a direction approaching the lower clamping unit 120, and thus clamps the sheet bundle. It is to be noted that a configuration may be adopted in which the upper clamping unit 121 is fixed and the lower clamping unit 120 is movable, and a configuration may be adopted in which both are movable. In either case, the upper clamping surface (upper clamping pressing portion) 142 of the upper clamping unit 121, which is a surface opposite to the lower clamping unit 120, and the lower clamping surface (lower clamping pressing portion) 143 of the lower clamping unit 120, which is a surface opposite to the upper clamping unit 121, clamp the sheet bundle (see Figure 5 and Figures 11A to 11D ).

[0118] The lower clamping surface 143 of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping surface 142 of the upper clamping unit 121 are parallel to the clamping front upper guide 119a and the clamping front lower guide 119b, respectively, and are arranged downstream of the clamping front guide 119 in the conveying direction of the sheet bundle. Further, the sheet bundle conveyed while being guided by the clamping front guide 119 is conveyed by a predetermined amount while being further guided by the upper clamping surface 142 and the lower clamping surface 143. It is to be noted that the clamping front lower guide 119b and the clamping front upper guide 119a are fixed to the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, respectively. In the present embodiment, the clamping front upper guide 119a moves in an approximately vertical direction (thickness direction of the sheet bundle) together with the upper clamping unit 121. Similar to the clamping front upper guide 119a and the clamping front lower guide 119b, the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120 are arranged at a position separated by a certain distance from a line centered on the saddle third roller conveying direction 118c, and the distance is greater than half of the maximum thickness of the sheet stack that can pass through the device at the first position (the thickness of the sheet stack after the sheet stack of the maximum thickness that can be conveyed in the device is folded in half).

[0119] Square back processing unit

[0120] Next, we will refer to Figures 5 to 10 The internal structure of the square back processing unit 134 is described. The square back processing unit 134 includes a pressing roller (square back processing roller) 123, a unit frame 147, roller pressing portions 138a and 138b, pressing springs 145a and 145b, an upper movement regulating portion 139, and a lower movement regulating portion 140. Figure 5 and Fig.10As illustrated in the example, the pressing roller 123 is arranged so that its outer peripheral surface contacts the downstream end surface of each of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121. In addition, the roller shaft 141 is arranged on the radial inner side of the pressing roller 123, and the pressing roller 123 can rotate relative to the roller shaft 141, as shown in FIG. Figure 6B As shown in the example.

[0121] like Fig. 6A and 6B As shown in the example, the unit frame 147 includes a pair of side plates 147a provided on both sides of the pressing roller 123, a side plate 147a provided on the downstream side of the pressing roller 123 in the first conveying direction, and a side plate 147b provided on the downstream side of the pressing roller 123 in the first conveying direction. Figure 6B ), and an upper side plate 147c and a lower side plate 147d, which are provided on both sides of the pressing roller 123 in the direction of the rotation axis so as to be bent from both ends of the rear side plate 147b. The unit frame 147 is constructed in this way, and thus the pressing roller 123 is accommodated in the space enclosed by the side plates, and the pressing roller 123 is exposed on the upstream side in the first conveying direction.

[0122] In this embodiment, the rear side plate 147b, the upper side plate 147c, and the lower side plate 147d are integrally formed and have an approximately C-shape in a cross-sectional view, as shown in FIG. Figure 6B . It should be noted that these plates can be formed as separate components, or can be formed integrally with a pair of side plates 147a. The two ends of the roller shaft 141 of the pressing roller 123 are rotatably supported by the upper side plate 147c and the lower side plate 147d, respectively. In addition, the upper side plate 147c and the lower side plate 147d are arranged to extend upstream of the pressing roller 123 in the first conveying direction, and the upper moving regulating portion 139 and the lower moving regulating portion 140 are supported at the distal ends of the upper side plate 147c and the lower side plate 147d, respectively.

[0123] That is, the upper movable regulating portion 139 is arranged at the distal end of the support shaft 139a fixed to the upper side plate 147c, and is arranged to extend downward from the upper side plate 147c. In addition, the lower movable regulating portion 140 is arranged at the distal end of the support shaft 140a fixed to the lower side plate 147d, and is arranged to extend upward from the lower side plate 147d. In addition, the upper movable regulating portion 139 is a roller rotatably arranged at the distal end of the support shaft 139a, and the lower movable regulating portion 140 is a roller rotatably arranged at the distal end of the support shaft 140a. It should be noted that although two lower movable regulating portions 140 are arranged side by side in the present embodiment, the number of the lower movable regulating portions 140 can be one. In addition, two upper movable regulating portions 139 can also be arranged. The upper movable regulating portion 139 and the lower movable regulating portion 140 are positioned on the corresponding sides of the pressing roller 123 in the direction of the rotation axis of the roller shaft 141.

[0124] The roller pressing portions 138a and 138b are each coupled to the roller shaft 141 from the outer side in the roller thickness direction of the pressing roller 123 and the downstream side in the conveying direction. Pressing springs 145a and 145b are provided between the roller pressing portions 138a and 138b and the rear side plate 147b of the unit frame 147, and the roller shaft 141 is urged by the pressing springs 145a and 145b. The roller shaft 141 is configured to be movable in the conveying direction, and therefore the pressing force by which the pressing roller 123 presses the spine of the sheet bundle by the urging force of the pressing springs 145a and 145b changes according to the change in the protruding amount of the spine of the sheet bundle from the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, which will be described later.

[0125] In addition, the pressing roller 123 is pushed by the pressing springs 145a and 145b via the roller shaft 141, and is thus pressed by the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121. In contrast, the upper movement regulating portion 139 and the lower movement regulating portion 140 are provided on the side opposite to the pressing roller 123 across the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 so as to be opposite to the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, respectively ( Figure 5 That is, the upper movement regulating portion 139 and the lower movement regulating portion 140 are provided on the upstream side of the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 in the conveying direction (first conveying direction) of the sheet bundle so as to be opposite to the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120, respectively.

[0126] like Fig. 9 and Fig.10As illustrated in the example, the end surface 120a on the upstream side of the lower clamping unit 120 contacts the lower movement regulating portion 140. In addition, the end surface 121a on the upstream side of the upper clamping unit 121 contacts the upper movement regulating portion 139. In the present embodiment, both the lower movement regulating portion 140 and the upper movement regulating portion 139 are arranged in a direction ( Fig.10 The rollers 123 have a rotation axis in the up-down direction (in the present embodiment, approximately in the vertical direction) and rotate in contact with the end surfaces 120a and 121a, respectively. As a result, the upper and lower clamping units 120 and 121 are restricted from moving upstream due to the pressure applied to the lower and upper clamping units 120 and 121 from the pressing roller 123.

[0127] When the saddle conveying sensor 117 detects the leading end of the sheet bundle, the square back processing controller 345 counts the conveying amount of the sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle third roller pair 118, and stops the sheet bundle after being conveyed by a predetermined conveying amount. Fig.11A As illustrated in the example, the sheet bundle is stopped in a state where the ridge of the sheet bundle subjected to the folding protrudes more downstream in the conveying direction than the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120. In the present embodiment, in the square back process, the conveying amount of the sheet bundle by the saddle third roller pair 118 is controlled, and thus the protrusion amount of the ridge of the sheet bundle from the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120 is adjusted.

[0128] Upper clamping unit and lower clamping unit

[0129] The upper clamping unit 121 moves from the receiving position (first position) for receiving the sheet bundle to the clamping and holding position (second position) for holding the sheet bundle, so that the sheet bundle is pressed between the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120, and the sheet bundle is held by the upper clamping surface 142 and the lower clamping surface 143. Fig. 11B As illustrated in FIG. 1 , after being gripped and held in the conveying direction, the leading end of the sheet bundle protrudes by a predetermined protrusion amount P1 from the respective end surfaces 120 c and 121 b on the downstream sides of the lower gripping unit 120 and the upper gripping unit 121 .

[0130] The upper clamping unit 121 is driven by the clamping drive motor 132 ( Fig. 7A and Figure 7B ) and run. Fig. 7A and 7BAs illustrated in the example, the square back processing section C2 further transmits the drive transmitted by the clamping drive system 133 composed of a pulley, a belt, and a gear system to the clamping drive link 122, thereby moving the upper clamping unit 121 connected to the clamping drive link 122 in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle. A plurality of clamping springs 144 that pressurize the sheet bundle are provided between the clamping drive link 122 and the upper clamping unit 121, and when the movement amount of the clamping drive link 122 is kept constant, the contraction amount of the clamping spring 144 changes according to the thickness of the sheet bundle, and thus the pressing force changes. The above-mentioned clamping holding position also changes according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.

[0131] Square back processing

[0132] As will be described later Fig. 11C As illustrated in the example, the square back processing section C performs square back processing on the sheet bundle held between the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 in a state where the sheet bundle protrudes from the end surfaces 120c and 121b by a predetermined protrusion amount P1, by pressing the ridge of the sheet bundle while moving the pressing roller 123 provided on the downstream side in the conveying direction in a scanning manner in the width direction of the sheet bundle. That is, in the square back processing, in a state where the ridge of the sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle third roller pair 118 protrudes downstream in the conveying direction of the saddle third roller pair 118 relative to the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121, the pressing roller 123 presses the ridge of the sheet bundle clamped by the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121 positioned at the second position by moving in the width direction.

[0133] During the square back process, the drive motor 135 ( Figure 7B ) to move the back processing unit 134. Figure 8 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the square back processing unit 134 is connected to a driving belt 137 provided in the width direction of the sheet bundle, and can be driven along a driving belt 137 to be described later. Fig. 9 The guide rail 120b illustrated in the figure moves in the width direction of the sheet bundle. The drive belt 137 is driven by a drive train 136 ( Figure 7B) receives the driving force transmitted from the driving motor 135 and rotates. As a result, the square back processing unit 134 can move in a scanning manner in the width direction of the sheet bundle. It is to be noted that the original position of the square back processing unit 134 is set on the front side and the rear side of the sheet processing device B. That is, after the square back processing is performed on the sheet bundle of the first copy by moving the square back processing unit 134 from the rear side to the front side, the square back processing can be performed on the sheet bundle of the second copy by moving the square back processing unit 134 from the front side to the rear side. A sensor not illustrated is set at each original position of the square back processing unit 134, and can detect the position of the square back processing unit 134. It is to be noted that such a configuration can be adopted: in this configuration, the original position is set on one of the front side and the rear side, and the scanning movement of the square back processing unit 134 in the width direction is performed from the front side to the rear side or from the rear side to the front side. In the case where the original position is set only on one side as described above, for example, after performing square back processing on a sheet bundle of a first copy by moving the square back processing unit 134 from the rear side to the front side, the square back processing unit 134 can be moved back from the front side to the rear side, and then square back processing can also be performed on a sheet bundle of a second copy by moving the square back processing unit 134 from the rear side to the front side.

[0134] In addition, in one square back process, the pressing roller 123 moves from the front side to the rear side or from the rear side to the front side in one direction, but the pressing roller 123 may reciprocate in one square back process. For example, it may be set whether the pressing roller 123 moves in one direction or reciprocates according to the number of sheets or the type of sheets contained in the sheet bundle. This setting may be automatically performed by the controller, or may be performed by an operator such as a user or a service personnel. Further, it may be arbitrarily set by the operator whether the pressing roller 123 moves in one direction or reciprocates in each square back process.

[0135] like Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As illustrated in the example, the lower clamping unit 120 includes a guide rail 120b formed along the width direction of the sheet bundle. When the square back processing unit 134 moves in the width direction of the sheet bundle, the lower movement regulating portion 140 moves along the guide rail 120b in engagement with the guide rail 120b. Fig.10As illustrated in , by combining a plurality of components, the guide rail 120b is formed into an approximately C-shaped shape in a cross-sectional view so that a portion of the lower movable regulating portion 140 formed into a roller shape can enter the guide rail 120b. The lower surface of the radially outer side of the lower movable regulating portion 140 engages with the lower surface of the guide rail 120b, and the outer peripheral surface of the lower movable regulating portion 140 contacts the end surface 120a. As a result, when the square back processing unit 134 moves, the movement in the thickness direction of the sheet bundle is restricted. It is to be noted that the guide rail 120b may be a groove formed in a component provided on the upstream side of the lower clamping unit 120 in the conveying direction.

[0136] After the square back processing is completed, the square back processing unit 134 moves in the width direction, and thus by operating the driving motor 135 ( Figure 7B ) and is retracted from the conveying path of the sheet bundle, and by operating the grip drive motor 132 ( Fig. 7A and Figure 7B ), the upper clamping unit 121 moves in a direction away from the sheet bundle ( Fig.11D , which will be described later). As a result, the sheet bundle can be further conveyed downstream. It should be noted that the sheet bundle can also be discharged without performing the above-mentioned square back processing.

[0137] Discharge

[0138] like Figure 2 As illustrated in the example, the sheet bundle that has passed through the saddle portion B2 is conveyed toward the saddle discharge guide 124 provided further downstream of the square back processing unit 134 in the first conveying direction by the saddle third roller pair 118. The saddle discharge guide 124 serving as a discharge guide portion is supported to be swingable around a first fulcrum 124b including a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of each roller in the saddle third roller pair 118. The first fulcrum 124b is positioned above an extension line of the conveying direction (first conveying direction, saddle third roller conveying direction 118c) of the sheet bundle by the saddle third roller pair 118. Further, the saddle discharge guide 124 is provided to hang down in the vertical direction from the first fulcrum 124b.

[0139] In addition, the saddle discharge guide 124 is formed so that its side surface on the upstream side in the first conveying direction is inclined upstream in the first conveying direction from the first fulcrum 124b toward the middle portion 124a in the vertical direction. In addition, the side surface of the saddle discharge guide 124 on the upstream side in the first conveying direction is inclined downstream in the first conveying direction from the middle portion 124a toward the lower end in the vertical direction. That is, the side surface of the saddle discharge guide 124 on the upstream side in the first conveying direction is formed so that the middle portion 124a in the vertical direction protrudes upstream in the first conveying direction compared with other portions. Further, in the side surface of the saddle discharge guide 124 on the upstream side in the first conveying direction, the guide surface 124d is provided in the portion from the middle portion 124a to the lower end.

[0140] The guide surface 124d is positioned below the extension line of the saddle third roller conveying direction 118c, contacts the sheet bundle conveyed by the saddle third roller pair 118, and guides the sheet bundle downward. When the sheet bundle contacts the guide surface 124d, the saddle discharge guide 124 can pivot about the first fulcrum 124b. It is to be noted that, depending on the rigidity of the sheet bundle, there is a case where the sheet bundle does not contact the guide surface 124d of the saddle discharge guide 124, and even in the case of contact, the saddle discharge guide 124 does not necessarily pivot because the pivoting amount changes according to the rigidity.

[0141] In addition, a second fulcrum 124c is provided at the lower end of the saddle discharge guide 124, and a saddle discharge roller 125 to be described later is coupled to the lower end of the saddle discharge guide 124 so as to be pivotable about the second fulcrum 124c. The second fulcrum 124c is positioned below the guide surface 124d and includes a pivot axis parallel to the pivot axis of the first fulcrum 124b.

[0142] When the saddle third roller pair 118 continues to convey the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is transferred to the saddle discharge unit 131, which is arranged at a downstream position of the square back processing unit 134 in the first conveying direction and is arranged in the vertical direction below the saddle discharge guide 124. The saddle discharge unit 131 includes a saddle discharge upstream tray 127, a saddle discharge upstream sensor 128, a saddle discharge tray 129, and a saddle discharge downstream sensor 130.

[0143] The saddle discharge upstream tray 127 includes an upstream belt 127a, and is positioned below the guide surface 124d of the saddle discharge guide 124. Further, on the saddle discharge upstream tray 127, the sheet bundle guided downward by the guide surface 124d is further guided by the upstream belt 127a and conveyed downstream. The stacking surface 127b of the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 for the sheet bundle is inclined downward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0144] The saddle discharge tray 129 serving as a sheet bundle discharge portion (sheet bundle discharge unit) includes a downstream belt 129a, and on the saddle discharge tray 129, the sheet bundle conveyed from the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 is received by the downstream belt 129a and further guided and conveyed downstream. Specifically, the saddle discharge tray 129 includes the downstream belt 129a and a tray portion 129b, as will be described later. Fig.12 and Fig.13 . A pair of downstream belts 129a are provided to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction and are capable of conveying a sheet bundle stacked on the tray portion 129b. The stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129 for the sheet bundle is inclined upward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. Therefore, the sheet bundle guided to the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 by the guide surface 124d is conveyed by the upstream belt 127a of the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 in a direction inclined downward in the vertical direction, and then conveyed by the downstream belt 129a of the saddle discharge tray 129 in a direction inclined upward in the vertical direction.

[0145] In addition, a saddle discharge upstream sensor 128 for detecting a sheet stack on the upstream side is provided on the upstream side in a conveyable area of ​​the saddle discharge upstream tray 127, and a saddle discharge downstream sensor 130 for detecting a sheet stack on the downstream side is provided on the upstream side in a conveyable area of ​​the saddle discharge tray 129.

[0146] The sheet bundle transferred onto the saddle discharge unit 131 is guided and conveyed by the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 and the saddle discharge tray 129, and then stacked. The saddle discharge upstream tray 127 clamps the sheet bundle at a clamping point between the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 and the above-mentioned saddle discharge roller 125 on the downstream side in the conveying direction. The sheet bundle existing on the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 is configured to suppress the opening of the opening portion side (front edge side) at the clamping point. The position of the clamping point can be changed around the second fulcrum 124c according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.

[0147] When processing the subsequent sheet stack, the previous sheet stack is conveyed upstream in the conveying direction by the upstream belt 127a of the saddle discharge upstream tray 127, and stops after a predetermined conveying amount due to detection by the saddle discharge upstream sensor 128 or the saddle discharge downstream sensor 130. The position where the previous sheet stack stops corresponds to a position where the opening on the opening portion side of the previous sheet stack can be suppressed at the nip point between the saddle discharge upstream belt 127 and the saddle discharge roller 125, and corresponds to a position where the subsequent sheet stack contacts the upper surface of the previous sheet stack when being discharged. That is, in the present embodiment, the subsequent sheet stack is stacked on the previous sheet stack so that the subsequent sheet stack and the previous sheet stack partially overlap each other in the saddle discharge unit 131.

[0148] As described above, the saddle discharge unit 131 discharges the subsequent sheet stack onto the upper surface of the previous sheet stack without entering the opening portion of the previous sheet stack, so that the sheet stack is stably stacked on the stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129 without causing malfunctions such as being caught by the previous sheet stack, curling against the previous sheet stack, or pushing out the previous sheet stack. That is, by appropriately changing the above-mentioned conveying amount according to the size of the sheet stack, the subsequent sheet stack can be stably stacked on the previous sheet stack.

[0149] The saddle discharge port 126 is provided at a downstream position of the saddle discharge guide 124 in the first conveying direction, and is provided between the saddle discharge upstream tray 127 and the saddle discharge tray 129. The sheet bundle conveyed to the saddle discharge unit 131 passes through the saddle discharge port 126 to be discharged to the outside of the sheet processing apparatus B, so that the user can easily access the discharged sheet bundle.

[0150] It should be noted that in the case where there is another device on the downstream side of the saddle discharge unit 131, the sheet bundle can be passed to the downstream device by continuing to convey without stacking. In addition, in the present embodiment, a discharge cover 151 serving as a cover member (cover unit) is provided outside the saddle discharge guide 124. The discharge cover 151 is provided so as not to interrupt the discharge of the sheet bundle from the saddle discharge port 126 and so that an operator such as a user cannot approach the inside of the device through the saddle discharge port 126. In the present embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the discharge cover 151 is provided downstream of the square back processing unit 134 in the sheet bundle conveying direction of the saddle third roller pair 118 so that when a child access probe according to the safety standard IEC 62368-1 is inserted from the outside of the device, the child access probe does not reach the lower clamping unit 120 and the upper clamping unit 121.

[0151] Control of square back treatment

[0152] Next, we will refer to Figures 11A to 11DControl of the square back process of the present embodiment is described. As described above, the square back process section C2 performs the square back process of forming a corner on the spine of the sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process. Figure 3 The folding controller 344 illustrated in the figure controls each of the conveying roller pairs of the folding roller pair 113, the saddle second roller pair 115, and the saddle third roller pair 118 by the same drive. Figures 11A to 11D Such a square back treatment is described.

[0153] In the square back process, in response to the detection of the leading end of the sheet bundle Sb by the saddle conveyance sensor 117, the folding controller 344 conveys the sheet bundle Sb subjected to folding to the gap between the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120 in the separated state. Fig.11A As illustrated in FIG, the folding controller 344 stops conveying the sheet bundle Sb when the spine Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb protrudes further downstream in the first conveying direction than the end surfaces 121b and 120c on the downstream side of the upper clamping unit 121 and the lower clamping unit 120 in the first conveying direction.

[0154] In this state, the back processing controller 345 drives the clamping drive motor 132 ( Fig. 7A and 7B ), and thus the upper clamping unit 121 moves toward the lower clamping unit 120, and as Fig. 11B , the sheet bundle Sb is nipped by the upper and lower gripping units 121 and 120. At this time, the ridge Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb protrudes further downstream P1 than the end surfaces 121b and 120c of the upper and lower gripping units 121 and 120 on the downstream side in the first conveying direction.

[0155] Next, the back processing controller 345 operates the drive motor 135 ( Figure 7B ), and thus the square back processing unit 134 is moved in the width direction of the sheet bundle Sb. Fig. 11C As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the pressing roller 123 of the square back processing unit 134 moves in the width direction while pressing the spine Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb, thereby performing square back processing on the spine Ssp of the sheet bundle Sb. Fig.11D As shown in the example, the back processing controller 345 drives the clamping drive motor 132 ( Fig. 7A and 7B ), thus separating the upper clamping unit 121 from the lower clamping unit 120, and releasing the clamping of the sheet bundle Sb. Then, the above-mentioned discharge operation of the sheet bundle Sb is performed.

[0156] Detail of the saddle discharge

[0157] Next, we will refer to Figure 2 use Figures 12 to 21 The saddle discharge section 160 that discharges the sheet bundle processed by the saddle section B2 of the sheet processing apparatus B of the present embodiment is described. The saddle discharge section 160 includes the saddle discharge unit 131 including the above-mentioned saddle discharge tray 129, etc., the saddle discharge port 126, the discharge cover 151, etc. The sheet bundle subjected to the saddle binding process and the half-folding process in the saddle section B2 and the sheet bundle subjected to the square back process are discharged through the saddle discharge port 126 onto the saddle discharge tray 129 serving as a sheet bundle discharge section.

[0158] like Fig.12 As illustrated in the example, the opening 161 is provided on the sheet stack discharge side of the saddle portion B2 of the housing 27. That is, the housing 27 has the opening 161 at a position above the saddle discharge tray 129 on the stacking wall 50, which is a wall portion on the side where the sheet stack is discharged from the square back processing portion C2. In other words, the opening 161 is an opening formed at the lower portion of the stacking wall 50, and constitutes a part of the above-mentioned saddle discharge port 126. Fig.13 and Fig.14 As illustrated in the example, since the upper portion of the opening 161 is covered by the discharge cover 151, the saddle discharge port 126 is a gap formed between the discharge cover 151 and the saddle discharge tray 129, and the sheet bundle is discharged through the gap and the opening 161. That is, the discharge cover 151 is provided to cover a portion of the opening 161 so that the sheet bundle can be discharged from the inside of the housing 27 onto the saddle discharge tray 129 through the opening 161 and the gap between the discharge cover 151 and the saddle discharge tray 129.

[0159] Therefore, the opening area of ​​the opening portion 161 is larger than the opening area of ​​the saddle discharge port 126, and the interior of the device can be accessed by opening the discharge cover 151, as will be described later. Figure 2 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the opening portion 161 is formed at a position at least partially overlapping the saddle discharge guide 124 when viewed in the sheet bundle discharge direction.

[0160] Here, as described above, the discharge port requires an opening of a sufficient size for discharging the sheet bundle that has undergone the square back process. In the present embodiment, the sheet bundle is discharged through the saddle discharge port 126, and an opening portion 161 partially covered by the discharge cover 151 is provided. Therefore, when the discharge cover 151 is opened, the interior of the housing 27 can be approached through the opening portion 161. A clamping mechanism C5 including a lower clamping unit 120 and an upper clamping unit 121 is provided in the housing 27. The clamping mechanism C5 pressurizes the sheet bundle with a force of, for example, 80 kgf (about 800 N), and therefore needs to adopt a structure that meets the safety standard IEC 62368-1.

[0161] Therefore, in this embodiment, the following structure is adopted. First, in the sheet bundle conveying direction of the saddle third roller pair 118, a saddle discharge guide 124 is provided at a downstream position of the square back processing section C2, and the saddle discharge guide 124 guides the sheet bundle that has undergone the square back processing by the square back processing section C2 toward the saddle discharge tray 129. In addition, the above-mentioned discharge cover 151 is provided at a downstream position of the saddle discharge guide 124 in the sheet bundle conveying direction of the saddle third roller pair 118. As shown in FIG. Fig.12 and 13 It can be seen that when viewed in the sheet bundle discharge direction, at a position at least partially overlapping with the saddle discharge guide 124, the dimension L1 of the discharge cover 151 in the width direction of the sheet bundle is greater than the dimension L2 of the saddle discharge guide 124 in the width direction. The discharge cover 151 is provided at a position having a gap of a distance D in the vertical direction from the saddle discharge tray 129.

[0162] By adopting such a configuration, the sheet bundle subjected to the square back processing by the square back processing section C2 is guided by the saddle discharge guide 124 onto the saddle discharge tray 129. Further, the sheet bundle is discharged through the saddle discharge port 126, which is a gap between the saddle discharge tray 129 and the discharge cover 151, which has a size larger in the width direction than the saddle discharge guide 124. Therefore, it is difficult to approach the clamping mechanism C5 of the square back processing section C2 from the outside of the sheet processing apparatus B through the saddle discharge port 126. In particular, although the opening portion 161 is formed as in the present embodiment, the upper portion of the opening portion 161 is also covered by the discharge cover 151 having a size larger in the width direction than the saddle discharge guide 124. The upper portion of the opening portion 161 is located at a position close to the clamping mechanism C5, but in a state where the upper portion is covered by the discharge cover 151 as described above, the clamping mechanism C5 cannot be approached through the opening portion 161, so sufficient safety can be ensured.

[0163] Discharge cover

[0164] The discharge cover 151 constructed in this manner will be described in more detail. The discharge cover 151 is supported by a movable wall portion 51 that can move in the vertical direction along the stacking wall 50 together with the first tray 49. As described above, the first tray 49 can move up and down relative to the processing tray 37, and gradually moves downward as the sheet or sheet bundle is discharged onto the stacking surface 49a on which the sheets are stacked. The trailing end of the sheet or sheet bundle stacked on the first tray 49 abuts against the stacking wall 50 provided on the upstream side of the first tray 49 in the sheet discharge direction, so that the sheet or sheet bundle is stacked along the stacking wall 50.

[0165] In the present embodiment, in order to increase the stacking amount of sheets or sheet bundles on the first tray 49, the first tray 49 is configured to be movable downward to a position to be described later. Fig.17 At this time, the stacking surface 49a of the first tray 49 is positioned below the upper end of the opening portion 161 in the vertical direction. In this case, the opening portion 161 exists upstream of the first tray 49 in the discharge direction, so the trailing end of the sheet or sheet bundle on the first tray 49 cannot be adjusted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, a movable wall portion 51 that moves together with the first tray 49 is provided.

[0166] That is, in the case where the first tray 49 is moved downward so that the stacking surface 49a is positioned below the upper end of the opening portion 161 in the vertical direction, the movable wall portion 51 moves together with the first tray 49 to cover the area of ​​the opening portion 161 above the stacking surface 49a. As a result, even in the case where the first tray 49 is moved downward to the position where the stacking surface 49a is positioned below the upper end of the opening portion 161, the trailing end of the sheet or sheet bundle on the first tray 49 is regulated by the movable wall portion 51. As a result of this configuration, in the present embodiment, the stacking amount of the sheet or sheet bundle on the first tray 49 can be increased while reliably regulating the trailing end of the sheet or sheet bundle on the first tray 49.

[0167] Fig.15A is a perspective view of the discharge cover 151 and the movable wall portion 51 as viewed from the inside (rear side), and Fig. 15B This is an enlarged view of a part of it. Fig.15A and 15B As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the discharge cover 151 is supported to be pivotable about a pivot shaft 51a provided on the movable wall portion 51 in parallel with the width direction. That is, the discharge cover 151 can be pivoted about the pivot shaft 51a to Figure 2 The closed position (first position) and Fig.16The open position (second position) is a position in which the first tray 49 is positioned above a predetermined position described later in a state in which the lower end portion of the discharge cover 151 in the vertical direction is positioned on the downstream side in the sheet bundle discharge direction to a greater extent than in the closed position. Fig.16 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the opening 161 is exposed.

[0168] In the case where the first tray 49 moves downward in the vertical direction to a position below the predetermined position together with the movable wall portion 51, the discharge cover 151 pivots about the pivot shaft 51a and thus allows the first tray 49 to move downward to a position below the predetermined position, as shown in FIG. Fig.17 In order to make the discharge cover 151 pivot around the pivot shaft 51a, as shown in FIG. Fig.18 and 19 As illustrated in the example, the guide block 162 used as the pivot guide portion is provided on one side in the width direction of the saddle discharge tray 129. The one side in the width direction on which the guide block 162 is provided may be either side of both sides in the width direction, and in this embodiment is Fig.14 In a case where the first tray 49 moves downward to a position below the predetermined position, the guide block 162 engages with a portion of the discharge cover 151 and guides the pivoting of the discharge cover 151 about the pivot shaft 51a.

[0169] That is to say, Fig.13 and 14 As illustrated in the example, the discharge cover 151 includes a first portion 151a, which is arranged to extend in an approximately vertical direction in the closed position to cover a portion of the opening portion 161; a second portion 151b, which is arranged to extend downstream in the sheet bundle discharge direction from the lower end portion of the first portion 151a in the vertical direction; and a pair of side surface portions 151c, which are arranged at both ends of the first portion 151a and the second portion 151b in the width direction. The lower end portions of the pair of side surface portions 151c in the vertical direction are arranged to extend below the second portion 151b in the vertical direction. Further, the abutment portion 151d arranged at the lower end portions of the pair of side surface portions 151c can engage with the guide block 162.

[0170] More specifically, the first portion 151a has a length that is greater than the length of the opening portion 161 in the width direction, and covers the upper portion of the opening portion 161 in the closed position. The second portion 151b has a length in the width direction that is equal to that of the first portion 151a, and is configured to extend from the lower end portion of the first portion 151a in the sheet stack discharge direction in the closed position. Further, the saddle discharge port 126 for discharging the sheet stack is defined as a gap between the second portion 151b and the saddle discharge tray 129. The length of the second portion 151b in the sheet stack discharge direction is set so that the "child approach probe" does not reach the clamping mechanism C5 (see the saddle discharge port 126 to be described later) even when inserted into the saddle discharge port 126. Fig. 20 ).

[0171] The pair of side surface portions 151c are arranged to cover both sides of the first portion 151a and the second portion 151b in the width direction, and protrude to a position below the second portion 151b in the vertical direction. In addition, the distance between the pair of side surface portions 151c in the width direction is greater than the length of the saddle discharge tray 129 in the width direction. Therefore, when the discharge cover 151 moves downward together with the movable wall portion 51, the abutment portion 151d of the pair of side surface portions 151c can be moved to a position below the stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129 without interfering with the saddle discharge tray 129. In addition, the abutment portion 151d of the pair of side surface portions 151c is positioned downstream of the pivot shaft 51a that pivotally supports the discharge cover 151 in the sheet bundle discharge direction.

[0172] Meanwhile, the guide block 162 has a guide surface 162a on its upper surface, which guides the abutment portion 151d of the pair of side surface portions 151c as a part of the discharge cover 151. The guide surface 162a is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the sheet bundle discharge direction. As a result, when the discharge cover 151 moves downward together with the movable wall portion 51, as shown in FIG. Fig.18 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the abutment portions 151 d of the pair of side surface portions 151 c are in contact with the guide surface 162 a of the guide block 162. In the present embodiment, this position is set as a predetermined position.

[0173] Next, when the discharge cover 151 moves further downward together with the movable wall portion 51, the abutment portions 151d of the pair of side surface portions 151c are guided along the inclined direction of the guide surface 162a while engaging with the guide surface 162a. Then, as the discharge cover 151 moves downward, the abutment portions 151d move downstream in the sheet bundle discharge direction, and as shown in FIG. Fig.19 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the discharge cover 151 pivots about the pivot shaft 51 a toward the open position.

[0174] like Fig.19 As illustrated in the figure, the guide rib 151e is provided on the inner side of the second portion 151b (on the lower side at the closed position). The guide rib 151e is provided to be opposite to the stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129 when the discharge cover 151 is in the closed position. Further, since the guide rib 151e is provided at a certain interval from the stacking surface 129c, a sheet stack discharge path is defined between the guide rib 151e and the stacking surface 129c. As described above, when the discharge cover 151 moves downward together with the movable wall portion 51 to abut against the guide block 162 and thereby pivots, the guide rib 151e of the discharge cover 151 abuts against the stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129 when the discharge cover 151 moves downward and pivots to a specific position. Then, since the guide rib 151e abuts against the stacking surface 129c, the discharge cover 151 is opened to Fig.19 At this position, the abutment portions 151d of the pair of side surface portions 151c and the guide block 162 do not contact each other.

[0175] It should be noted that if Fig.18 and 19 As illustrated in the example, control is performed in a state where the movable wall portion 51 has moved downward together with the first tray 49 so that the job of discharging the sheet bundle onto the saddle discharge tray 129 is not accepted. That is, in a case where the number of stacked sheets of the sheets of the sheet bundle on the first tray 49 is large and the stacking surface 49a of the first tray 49 moves downward to, for example, a position below the upper end of the opening portion 161, acceptance of the job including the saddle binding process or the half-folding process in the saddle portion B2 is stopped. That is, in a case where the movable wall portion 51 has moved downward together with the first tray 49 to a position below a predetermined position in the vertical direction, the operation of the saddle portion B2 including the square back processing portion C2 is prohibited. Therefore, when the first tray 49 moves downward to such a position, the sheet bundle is not discharged onto the saddle discharge tray 129.

[0176] In addition, the shapes of the guide surface 162a of the guide block 162 and the abutment portion 151d of the pair of side surface portions 151c may be any shapes as long as the discharge cover 151 swings toward the open position when the discharge cover 151 moves downward to abut the guide block 162. For example, although the guide surface 162a is formed as an inclined flat surface in the illustrated example, the guide surface 162a may be a curved surface. In addition, in the illustrated example, the abutment portion 151d is composed of a linear portion 151d1 and an inclined surface 151d2, the linear portion 151d1 being approximately parallel to the sheet bundle discharge direction at the closed position, and the inclined surface 151d2 being inclined upward toward the upstream side from the upstream end of the linear portion 151d1 in the sheet bundle discharge direction. It should be noted that the pair of side surface portions 151c can have a shape in which the upstream end of the lower end portion of the pair of side surface portions 151c in the sheet stack discharge direction is curved, or rollers can be provided at the lower end portions of the pair of side surface portions 151c, and the rollers rotate along the guide surface 162a.

[0177] In addition, in the case of this embodiment, if Fig.15A and 15B As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a spring 51b serving as a push portion is provided, which pushes the discharge cover 151 in the direction from the open position toward the closed position. The spring 51b is, for example, a torsion coil spring disposed around the pivot shaft 51a so as to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction, and pushes the discharge cover 151 toward the closed position. The push portion may have a different configuration, such as being formed of rubber, as long as the push portion pushes the discharge cover 151 toward the closed position.

[0178] In addition, in the case of this embodiment, an interlocking portion 155 is provided. Figure 2 When the discharge cover 151 is in the closed position, the interlocking portion 155 permits the operation of the saddle portion B2 including the square back processing portion C2, and when the discharge cover 151 has been pivoted a predetermined amount from the closed position toward the open position, the interlocking portion 155 prohibits the operation of the saddle portion B2 including the square back processing portion C2. Fig.14 As illustrated in FIG, a flag 152 is provided at an end portion of the discharge cover 151 on one side in the width direction, and the flag 152 pivots together with the discharge cover 151. In addition, a slit 153 is provided in the wall portion 156 around the opening portion 161 on the housing 27 side, and when the discharge cover 151 moves together with the movable wall portion 51, the flag 152 can pass through the slit 153.

[0179] The interlocking portion 155 is, for example, a photo interrupter provided inside the housing 27. Therefore, the mark 152 provided on the discharge cover 151 can be detected by the interlocking portion 155 through the slit 153. The slit 153 is provided within the range in which the discharge cover 151 moves in the vertical direction, and the mark 152 can pivot together with the discharge cover 151 while passing through the slit 153 within the range.

[0180] Then, when the mark 152 enters the gap between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the photo interrupter, the interlock portion 155 detects the mark 152, and when the mark 152 retracts from the gap between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, the interlock portion 155 no longer detects the mark 152. The interlock portion 155 is configured to allow the operation of the saddle portion B2 including the square back processing portion C2 in a state where the interlock portion 155 detects the mark 152, and is configured to prohibit the operation of the saddle portion B2 in a state where the interlock portion 155 does not detect the mark 152. That is, when the interlock portion 155 no longer detects the mark 152, the saddle controller 350 stops driving the saddle portion B2. The above-mentioned predetermined amount is the amount of pivoting from the state where the discharge cover 151 is at the closed position and the interlock portion 155 detects the mark 152 to the time point when the interlock portion 155 stops detecting the mark 152 after the discharge cover 151 has been pivoted toward the open position.

[0181] In addition, if Fig.15A and 15B As illustrated in FIG, a recessed portion 154 recessed downstream in the sheet bundle discharge direction is provided in approximately the center portion of the rear side of the discharge cover 151 in the width direction. As described above, the saddle discharge guide 124 is capable of swinging around the first fulcrum 124b serving as a swing axis provided parallel to the width direction at the upper end portion of the saddle discharge guide 124 in the vertical direction, and the saddle discharge guide 124 swings when guiding the sheet bundle subjected to the square back processing by the square back processing portion C2 toward the saddle discharge tray 129 (see FIG. Figure 2 ). Therefore, the discharge cover 151 has a recessed portion 154 formed to be recessed downstream in the sheet bundle discharge direction so as not to interfere with the saddle discharge guide 124, in other words, to allow the discharge guide 124 to swing when the saddle discharge guide 124 swings while guiding the sheet bundle.

[0182] In the case of the present embodiment constructed in this manner, when the discharge cover 151 is in the open position, the interlocking portion 155 prohibits the operation of the saddle portion B2, and therefore, the operator can safely approach the inside of the device through the opening portion 161 to perform work. Conversely, the device is constructed so that when the discharge cover 151 is in the closed position, since the operation of the saddle portion B2 is not prohibited, the operator's hand or the like does not reach the clamping mechanism C5 when trying to approach the inside of the device through the saddle discharge port 126. As a result, the present embodiment can meet the safety standard IEC 62368-1. Reference will be made to Fig. 20 Describe this.

[0183] Fig. 20 1 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet processing device B of this embodiment in a state where a "child proximity probe (hereinafter referred to as proximity probe 170)" has been inserted through the saddle discharge port 126. The proximity probe 170 is based on the safety standard IEC 62368-1. As described above, the saddle discharge port 126 is a gap between the discharge cover 151 and the saddle discharge tray 129. The discharge cover 151 has a second portion 151b protruding in the sheet stack discharge direction, and the stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129 is inclined downward toward the upstream side in the sheet stack discharge direction. Therefore, the gap between the second portion 151b of the discharge cover 151 in the closed position and the stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129 varies in the sheet stack discharge direction. That is, the distance d1 of the second portion 151b at the upstream end in the sheet stack discharge direction is the smallest, and the distance d2 of the second portion 151b at the downstream end in the sheet stack discharge direction is the largest. For example, d1 is 60 mm, and d2 is 65 mm. As a result of the distances d1 and d2 being each set in this manner, the sheet bundle can be discharged onto the saddle discharge tray 129 without being interrupted by the discharge cover 151 .

[0184] When the proximity probe 170 is inserted from the upstream side in the sheet bundle discharge direction through the saddle discharge port 126 constructed in this manner, the proximity probe 170 contacts three positions, namely, position α1 on the distal end (downstream end in the discharge direction) of the stacking surface 129c of the saddle discharge tray 129, position α2 on the upstream end in the sheet bundle discharge direction of the inner surface of the second portion 151b, and position α3 on the upstream side in the sheet bundle discharge direction of the stacking surface 127b of the saddle discharge upstream tray 127. Therefore, the proximity probe 170 cannot be inserted deeper (toward the upstream side in the sheet bundle discharge direction). Fig. 20 It can be seen that the proximity probe 170 does not reach the clamping mechanism C5 and that, with the configuration of this embodiment, the safety standard IEC 62368-1 is met. Other embodiments

[0185] In the above-described embodiment, the guide block 162 is used as a pivot guide portion that pivots the discharge cover 151 when the first tray 49 moves downward together with the movable wall portion 51. However, the configuration of the pivot guide portion is not limited thereto. Fig.21 As illustrated in the example, instead of the guide block 162, two pins 163a and 163b each having a columnar shape may be provided on one side in the width direction of the saddle discharge tray 129. The one side in the width direction on which the pins 163a and 163b are provided may be either side of both sides in the width direction, and in the illustrated example, Fig.21 The pin 163b is provided at a position below the pin 163a in the vertical direction and downstream of the pin 163a in the sheet bundle discharge direction.

[0186] When the discharge cover 151 moves downward, the abutment 151d of the pair of side surface portions 151c first engages with the pin 163a at the upper portion. Because the pin 163a is located downstream of the pivot shaft 51a of the discharge cover 151, when the discharge cover 151 continues to move downward while the abutment 151d of the discharge cover 151 contacts the curved surface of the pin 163a, the abutment 151d is guided by the pin 163a, and thus the discharge cover 151 pivots toward the open position.

[0187] Next, when the discharge cover 151 moves further downward, the discharge cover 151 opens to a certain extent, so that the abutment portion 151d engages with the E pin 163b at the lower portion. Then, the abutment portion 151d is guided by the pin 163b, so that the discharge cover 151 further pivots in the opening direction. Then, similar to the reference Fig.19 In the described situation, the discharge cover 151 moves downward while the guide rib 151e provided on the inner side of the discharge cover 151 contacts the stacking surface 129c, so the discharge cover 151 is opened. It should be noted that the above-mentioned guide block 162 or pins 163a and 163b can be provided on only one side or both sides in the width direction.

[0188] Although in the above-described embodiment, the square back process is performed on the downstream side in the saddle portion B2 in the sheet processing apparatus B, similar square back process may be performed in a different main body externally connected to the apparatus. For example, a single unit that performs only the square back process but does not perform the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process may be provided. In this case, the unit includes the above-described square back processing portion C2, a conveying portion (such as a conveying roller pair) that conveys a sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process to the square back processing portion C2, and the like.

[0189] In addition, although in the present embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus B includes the controller and controls each component in the sheet processing apparatus B, each component in the sheet processing apparatus B may be a component controlled by the controller included in the image processing apparatus.

[0190] In addition, although the image forming system 1000 in which the sheet processing apparatus B is directly connected to the image forming apparatus A has been described in the above embodiment, a different system configuration may be adopted. For example, different processing apparatuses, conveying apparatuses, etc. may be connected between the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B. In addition, although the description has been given as an example by using the image forming apparatus A which forms a monochrome image by using toner in the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus which forms a color image by using toner may be used, or an image forming apparatus which forms an image on a sheet by using ink may be used.

[0191] Further, although in the above-described embodiment, a roller pair has been described as an example of a conveying portion that conveys a sheet in the sheet processing apparatus B, a configuration in which a sheet is conveyed by a belt may be adopted. Specifically, any one of a configuration in which a sheet is sandwiched and conveyed by a pair of belts and a configuration in which a sheet is sandwiched by a belt and rollers may be adopted, and the configuration for conveying may be changed according to the position and path of conveying the sheet. For example, a configuration in which a sheet is conveyed by a pair of rollers at a certain position and a sheet is conveyed by a pair of belts at a different position may be adopted.

[0192] 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. Other embodiments

[0193] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by the following method, that is, the software (program) for executing the functions of the above embodiments is fed into a system or device through a network or various storage media, and the computer or central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads out and executes the program.

[0194] 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: an inlet portion configured to receive a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus; a first stacking portion configured to stack the sheets received from the inlet portion; a first binding processing unit configured to perform binding processing on an end portion of a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets stacked in the first stacking portion; a stacking unit that is movable up and down relative to the first stacking portion and on which a sheet bundle subjected to a binding process by the first binding processing unit is stacked; a conveying unit configured to convey the sheet downward in a vertical direction from a branch point in a conveying path from the inlet portion to the first stacking portion; a second stacking portion configured to stack the sheets conveyed by the conveying unit; a second binding processing unit configured to perform saddle binding processing on a sheet bundle consisting of a plurality of sheets stacked in the second stacking portion; a folding processing unit including a folding roller pair and a pressing portion, and configured to perform a folding process on the sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process by the second binding processing unit, the folding roller pair being configured to pinch and convey the sheet bundle so that the spine of the sheet bundle is positioned downstream of the leading edge of the sheet bundle and thus perform a folding process on the sheet bundle, and the pressing portion being configured to press the sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process by the second binding processing unit toward a roller nip portion of the folding roller pair; a conveying roller pair configured to nip and convey the sheet bundle subjected to the half-folding process by the half-folding process unit; The square back processing unit comprises: a pair of clamping parts, the pair of clamping parts are configured to move relatively with respect to the sheet stack conveyed by the conveying roller pair to clamp or not clamp the sheet stack; and a pressing roller, the pressing roller is arranged downstream of the pair of clamping parts in the conveying direction of the sheet stack conveyed by the conveying roller pair, and presses the ridge of the sheet stack clamped by the pair of clamping parts toward the pair of clamping parts, the square back processing unit is configured to perform a square back processing of forming a corner on the ridge of the sheet stack, and the method of performing the square back processing of forming a corner on the ridge of the sheet stack is: the pressing roller presses the ridge of the sheet stack clamped by the pair of clamping parts so that the ridge of the sheet stack protrudes downstream relative to the pair of clamping parts in the conveying direction; a sheet bundle discharge unit to which the sheet bundle subjected to the square back processing by the square back processing unit is discharged; as well as A cover unit is provided downstream of the square back processing unit in the conveying direction so that when a child access probe according to the safety standard IEC 62368-1 is inserted from the outside of the sheet processing apparatus, the child access probe does not reach the pair of clamping parts.

2. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a discharge guide portion disposed downstream of the square back processing unit in the conveying direction and configured to guide the sheet bundle subjected to the square back processing by the square back processing unit toward the sheet bundle discharge unit, wherein the discharge guide portion is capable of swinging at its upstream end in the vertical direction about a swing axis arranged parallel to the width direction of the sheet bundle, The cover unit has a recessed portion recessed downstream in the sheet bundle discharge direction so as to allow the discharge guide portion to swing when the discharge guide portion swings to guide the sheet bundle subjected to the square back processing by the square back processing unit toward the sheet bundle discharge unit.

3. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: When observing the cover unit along the sheet stack discharge direction, at a position where the cover unit at least partially overlaps with the discharge guide portion, the cover unit has a dimension in the width direction of the sheet stack that is larger than a dimension of the discharge guide portion in the width direction of the sheet stack, and the cover unit is arranged at a certain distance from the sheet stack discharge unit in the vertical direction.

4. The sheet material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a discharge unit configured to discharge a sheet bundle subjected to a binding process by the first binding processing unit to the stacking unit; as well as a wall portion extending in a direction in which the stacking unit moves up and down and against which an end portion of the sheet on the upstream side in the discharge direction of the discharge unit abuts, wherein the wall portion has an opening at a position above the sheet bundle discharge unit, and The cover unit is configured to cover a portion of the opening.

5. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a movable wall portion which is movable along the wall portion in accordance with an upward or downward movement of the stacking unit, wherein the movable wall portion is configured to move together with the stacking unit when the stacking unit has moved downward so that the stacking surface of the stacking unit on which sheets are stacked is positioned below the upper end of the opening in the vertical direction, so as to cover an area of ​​the opening that is higher than the stacking surface.

6. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 5, in, The cover unit is supported by the movable wall portion so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis provided parallel to the width direction of the sheet bundle, and Wherein, the sheet processing device includes a pivot guide portion, which is configured to engage with a portion of the cover unit and guide the cover unit to pivot around the pivot axis when the stacking unit moves downward to a position below a predetermined position together with the movable wall portion.

7. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 6, in, The cover unit is pivotable about the pivot axis to a first position and a second position in which a lower end portion of the cover unit in the vertical direction is located further downstream in a sheet bundle discharge direction than in the first position, and Wherein, the sheet material processing equipment further comprises: a pushing portion configured to push the cover unit from the second position toward the first position; and An interlock portion configured to permit operation of the square back processing unit when the cover unit is at the first position and to prohibit operation of the square back processing unit when the cover unit has pivoted a predetermined amount from the first position toward the second position.

8. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: In a case where the movable wall portion has been moved downward in the vertical direction to a position below the predetermined position together with the stacking unit, the operation of the square back processing unit is prohibited.

9. The sheet material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, In the case where a straight line that passes through the roller gap of the folding roller pair when the folding roller pair does not clamp the sheet bundle and is orthogonal to a first line in the width direction of the sheet bundle and passing through the rotation center of the folding roller pair is a first virtual line, and a straight line that passes through the roller gap of the conveying roller pair when the conveying roller pair does not clamp the sheet bundle and is orthogonal to a second line in the width direction of the sheet bundle and passing through the rotation center of the conveying roller pair is a second virtual line: The conveying roller pair is arranged so that the second virtual line intersects the first virtual line, and the second virtual line is inclined downward in the vertical direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction of the folding roller pair, and A conveying path for conveying the sheet bundle between the folding roller pair and the conveying roller pair is curved so that the sheet bundle conveyed by the folding roller pair is transferred to the conveying roller pair.

10. An image forming system comprising: an image forming unit including an image forming portion configured to form an image on a sheet; as well as The sheet material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Here, the sheet processing apparatus performs the square back processing on a sheet bundle consisting of sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming portion.

Images