Loading device

Abstract

To provide a loading device capable of appropriately loading a sheet processed by a sheet processing device.SOLUTION: A loading device 2 according to the present invention is the loading device 2 including a loading part 91 having a loading surface 95 for loading a sheet S processed by a processing device 1 for the sheet S and a plurality of guides 96 provided above the loading surface 95 to face each other in a width direction V intersecting with a discharge direction G of the sheet S from the processing device 1 and to guide a side edge of the sheet S, and includes a mechanism for adjusting the number of the guides 96 in accordance with a processing content of the processing device 1. In the above configuration, the guides 96 are provided so as to be freely detachable. In the above configuration, there are provided a detection unit 78 for detecting the presence or absence of the guides 96 and a control unit 45 for controlling a display unit to display an indication regarding the guides 96 to be installed above the loading surface 95 based on a detection result of the detection unit 78.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a loading device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, with regard to a loading device, a technique has been disclosed in which a tray is attached to an output portion of an image forming apparatus, and at least one of a pair of guides that are movable according to the paper width is moved in an offset manner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-146527 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the image processing device, standard size paper is used, and the guides can be offset appropriately according to the paper width. On the other hand, the sheet discharged from the processing device that processes the sheet may be divided into multiple parts in the width direction that intersects with the conveying direction depending on the processing content. In this case, the number of guides required to guide the side edges of the sheet may differ, and simply offsetting the sheets may not be enough to stack them properly.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a loading device capable of appropriately loading sheets that have been processed by a sheet processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the loading device of the present invention is a loading device comprising a loading section having a loading surface for loading the sheets processed by a processing device of a sheet, and a plurality of guides installed above the loading surface facing each other in a width direction intersecting the discharge direction of the sheets from the processing device, for guiding the side edges of the sheets, and further comprising a mechanism for adjusting the number of the guides depending on the processing contents of the processing device.

[0007] In the above-mentioned configuration, the guide is installed so as to be freely detachable.

[0008] The above configuration further includes a detection unit which detects the presence or absence of the guide, and a control unit which controls a display unit to display instructions regarding the guide to be installed above the loading surface based on the detection result of the detection unit. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the invention, a mechanism for adjusting the number of guides is provided in accordance with the processing content of the processing device, so that sheets processed by the sheet processing device can be appropriately stacked.

[0010] Furthermore, in the case where the guides are installed so as to be freely detachable, the number of guides can be easily adjusted by attaching and detaching the guides.

[0011] Furthermore, if the device is equipped with a detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the guide and a control unit that controls the display unit to display instructions regarding the guide to be installed above the loading surface based on the detection results of the detection unit, user convenience is improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a loading device and a processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a loading portion of the loading device; [Figure 4]4 is an enlarged view of a part of the stacking section as viewed from the upstream side in the sheet discharge direction; FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of line A-A in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a guide of the loading section; [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a guide of the loading section; [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is an example of a processing pattern of a sheet processed by the processing device. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] 6 is another example of a processing pattern of a sheet processed by the processing device. [Figure 15] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] A sheet processing device and a stacking device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Fig. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a processing device 1 and a stacking device 2 for sheets S. The processing device 1 and the stacking device 2 constitute a processing device D for sheets S. In Fig. 1, the processing device D for sheets S includes a supply section 3 at an upstream end of the processing device 1 in a conveying direction F of the sheets S. The processing device 1 includes a stacking device 2 for stacking the sheets S after processing at a downstream end of the processing device 1 in the conveying direction F. Within the processing device 1, a substantially horizontal conveying path 5 is formed from the supply section 3 to the stacking device 2.

[0014] The conveying path 5 is provided with a conveying section 4 in which a plurality of pairs of upper and lower conveying rollers 9-17 are installed. The conveying rollers 9-17 are arranged at intervals in the conveying direction F. The conveying rollers 9-17 constituting the conveying section 4 are respectively connected to conveying drive units 41-44 via power transmission mechanisms (not shown), and the conveying drive units 41-44 are electrically connected to a control unit 45.

[0015] The control unit 45 has a built-in CPU and storage devices such as RAM and ROM, and an operation panel 46 and the reading unit 26 are electrically connected to an interface of the control unit 45. The operation panel 46 functions as both a setting unit for setting various processing information including information related to the cutting process of the sheet S, and a display unit. The reading unit 26 also constitutes the setting unit.

[0016] A processing section 24 that processes the sheet S being conveyed is provided on the conveying path 5. In Fig. 1, the processing section 24 includes a cutting section 19 and a crease processing section 21 that forms creases perpendicular to the conveying direction F. The cutting section 19 is composed of three slitter processing sections 20 and a cutter processing section 22.

[0017] The slitter processing section 20, the crease processing section 21, and the cutter processing section 22 are each configured as a detachable unit, and are structured so that they can be attached and detached to desired positions in the processing device 1 using a cassette system. Therefore, depending on the type of processing, the arrangement order of the processing sections 20, 21, and 22 can be changed, or they can be replaced with or added to other processing sections 24, such as a mechanism for performing crease processing along the conveying direction F, a chamfering mechanism, or a perforation forming mechanism.

[0018] A reading unit 26 and a reject mechanism 25 are disposed upstream of the slitter processing unit 20, and a trimmings removal mechanism 27 is disposed downstream of the slitter processing unit 20. In addition, a trimmings collection unit 23 is disposed at the bottom inside the processing device 1.

[0019] The conveying path 5 is further provided with a plurality of light-transmitting sheet detectors 31-35 for detecting the leading edge Sf or trailing edge Sr of the sheet S, each of which is electrically connected to an interface of the control unit 45. The first sheet detector 31, which is the most upstream in the conveying direction F of the sheet S, is disposed between the suction conveying unit 62 of the supply unit 3 and the supply roller 8, the next second sheet detector 32 is disposed near the upstream side of the slitter processing unit 20, the next third sheet detector 33 is disposed midway through the slitter processing unit 20, the next fourth sheet detector 34 is disposed near the upstream side of the crease processing unit 21, and the fifth sheet detector 35, which is the most downstream, is disposed near the upstream side of the stacker unit 2.

[0020] The first sheet detection unit 31 detects the leading edge Sf of the sheet S before it is gripped by the supply roller 8 after being suction-conveyed by the suction-conveying unit 62 of the supply unit 3, or the trailing edge Sr of the sheet S after it has been gripped and transported by the supply roller 8, and is used to calculate the position of the sheet S being subsequently transported on the transport path 5 based on the detected position of the sheet S as a reference.

[0021] The second sheet detection unit 32 and the third sheet detection unit 33 detect a jam of the sheet S during processing. The fourth sheet detection unit 34 is provided as an auxiliary unit to correct the sheet position information obtained by the first sheet detection unit 31 to make the sheet position information more accurate in case the conveying path 5 becomes longer and a positional deviation (conveyance error) of the sheet S during processing on the conveying path 5 accumulates. The fifth sheet detection unit 35 detects the discharge of the processed sheet S to the stacking device 2. The fifth sheet detection unit 35 also detects a jam of the sheet S in the stacking device 2.

[0022] [Supply section 3] The supply unit 3 includes a supply table 61, supply rollers 8, a suction conveying unit 62, and a separation air blowing unit 63. The supply table 61 is provided to receive sheets S and to supply the sheets S to the conveying path 5. The supply table 61 can be raised and lowered by a lifting means (not shown). When the sheets S are supplied, the lifting means raises the supply table 61 from the standby position to a supply position at a predetermined height where the uppermost sheet S is suction-conveyed by the suction conveying unit 62 and can be supplied to the conveying path 5. Thus, the supply table 61 can move between the standby position and the supply position.

[0023] A pair of upper and lower supply rollers 8 are provided. The suction conveying unit 62 includes a suction fan 67, a conveying belt 64, and a belt roller 65. In the supplying unit 3, a predetermined number of sheets S stacked on a supply table 61 are supplied to the conveying path 5 one by one from the top using the suction conveying unit 62 and the pair of upper and lower supply rollers 8.

[0024] The separation and blowing section 63 blows air toward the leading edge Sf of the sheet S on the supply table 61 using a fan (not shown), separates the uppermost sheet S from the stacked sheets S, and adsorbs and conveys it to the suction conveying section 62. One of the belt rollers 65 and the lower supply roller 81 of the supply rollers 8 are connected to the paper feed drive section 47. The separation and blowing section 63, the suction fan 67, and the paper feed drive section 47 are electrically connected to the control section 45.

[0025] [Reading unit 26] The reading unit 26 reads an image of a position mark M1 printed on the leading corner of the sheet S as shown in Fig. 2, and detects the reference position for processing in the transport direction F of the sheet S and in the width direction W perpendicular to the transport direction F. The reading unit 26 can also be configured as a setting unit that automatically reads and sets processing information, separate from the manual input of various processing information through the operation panel 46. Specifically, the reading unit 26 reads an image of a barcode M2 ​​printed on the leading edge of the sheet S as shown in Fig. 2, and obtains various processing information to be applied to the sheet S. The reading unit 26 is configured with a CCD sensor or the like.

[0026] [Reject mechanism 25] The reject mechanism 25 in FIG. 1 is activated when the position mark M1 or barcode M2 ​​printed on the sheet S is unclear and cannot be read by the reading unit 26, causing the unreadable sheet S to fall and be collected in the tray 25a.

[0027] [Slitter processing section 20] The slitter processing section 20 has three units arranged in the conveying direction F, and each unit has two sets of cutting blades 36 consisting of upper and lower rotary cutting blades arranged at an interval in the width direction W. The cutting blades 36 are installed movably in a direction intersecting the conveying direction F of the conveying section 4, and constitute processing members that perform a predetermined processing at a predetermined position of the conveyed sheet S. The driving force of the rotation driving section 48, which serves as a processing member driving section that drives the processing members, rotates either the upper or lower cutting blade 36 on the conveying path 5, and the other cutting blade 36 is driven to rotate, thereby cutting the sheet S along the conveying direction F by the conveying section 4 and forming a cutting line T on the sheet S.

[0028] [Crease processing part 21] The crease processing unit 21 includes a lower die 39 having a concave portion at the upper end and an upper die 38 having a convex portion at the lower end that fits into the concave portion, and the upper die 38 is connected to a folding die drive unit 49 such as a motor via a power transmission mechanism. That is, the upper die 38 is lowered by the driving force of the folding die drive unit 49 to form a crease in the sheet S in the width direction W perpendicular to the conveying direction F.

[0029] [Cutter processing section 22] The cutter processing section 22 extends in the width direction W and includes a pair of opposing cutting blades 69. One cutting blade 69 is composed of an upper movable blade 71, and the other cutting blade 69 is composed of a lower fixed blade 73. The upper movable blade 71 comes into contact with and separates from the lower fixed blade 73 to cut the sheet S in the width direction W perpendicular to the conveying direction F, and form a cutting line K on the sheet S. The upper movable blade 71 is connected to a cutting drive section 50 such as a motor via a power transmission mechanism.

[0030] [Loading Device 2] The loading device 2 includes a loading section 91 and a conveyor 92. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the loading device 2 as viewed from the upstream side. The loading section 91 loads the processed sheets S discharged from the processing device 1. The sheets S are stacked in the loading section 91 in a required number that is preset by a user, and are separated from the other sheets S. The stacked sheets S are transported downstream in a stacked state and delivered to the conveyor 92.

[0031] 3 is a perspective view of the stacking unit 91 as viewed from the upstream side. The stacking unit 91 includes rollers 94, guides 96 that guide the side edges of the sheets S, and a stopper 93 against which the front end of the sheets S abuts. The rollers 94 extend in a width direction V that intersects with the discharge direction G of the sheets S from the processing device 1. A stacking surface 95 is formed on the upper surface of the rollers 94 on which the sheets S processed by the processing device 1 are stacked. A plurality of rollers 94 are arranged side by side along the discharge direction G of the sheets S. The rollers 94 are rotationally driven by the roller driving unit 40.

[0032] The roller driving unit 40 rotates the multiple rollers 94 to transport a stack Q of stacked and separated sheets S downstream in the discharge direction G of the sheets S from the processing device 1. The roller driving unit 40 includes a driving motor 108, a pulley 401 attached to the rotating shaft of the driving motor 108, a pulley 402 attached to the rotating shaft 403 of the roller 941 installed on the most downstream side, and a timing belt 404 stretched between these pulleys 401 and 402.

[0033] When drive motor 108 is driven to rotate, the driving force is transmitted to rotation shaft 403 of roller 941 via pulleys 401 and 402, causing roller 941 located at the most downstream side to rotate. As shown in Fig. 6, a gear 405 is attached to the side of roller 941 facing drive motor 108, and gears 405 are also attached to the same side of each of the other rollers 94, which mesh with each other in sequence to transmit the rotational drive from roller 941 to all of the other rollers 94 in sequence.

[0034] 4, the auxiliary guide 9612 is installed adjacent to the guide 96 that guides the side edge of the sheet S. The auxiliary guides 9612 are installed to the right of the leftmost guide 641, on both the left and right sides of the central second guides 962 and 643, and to the left of the rightmost guide 644. The auxiliary guides 9612 can prevent the sheet S from getting in between the front and rear rollers 94 on the stacking surface 95, causing a jam.

[0035] The guides 96 regulate the left and right edges of the sheet S. The guides 96 are formed as thin plates having a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the side. A plurality of guides 96 are installed with their flat portions 966 facing each other in the width direction V that intersects with the discharge direction G of the sheet S from the processing device 1. The guides 96 extend above and below the stacking surface 95 of the sheet S. An upper portion of the guide 96 is located above the stacking surface 95. A lower portion of the guide 96 is located below the stacking surface 95.

[0036] Fig. 3 shows a case where four guides 96 are installed. The four guides 96 are composed of a first guide 961 to a fourth guide 964. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the first guide 961 at the left end of Fig. 3, the second guide 962 from the left, and their surroundings, as viewed from the upstream side in the discharge direction G of the sheet S. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 4.

[0037] At approximately the center of the guide 96 in the up-down direction, a mounting portion 9611 for mounting each roller 94 is provided, penetrating the guide 96, in correspondence with the mounting position of the roller 94. The mounting portion 9611 for the roller 94 is formed by a through hole 55 formed in the guide 96 or a notch 56 shown in FIG. 7. The mounting portions 9611 are respectively inserted with the rollers 94 located at corresponding positions. By inserting the rollers 94 into the mounting portions 9611, the guide 96 can be moved by the moving portion 57 to a predetermined position in the width direction V so as to contact and guide the side edge of the sheet S in accordance with the processing content of the sheet S by the processing device 1.

[0038] The moving unit 57 moves each guide 96 individually to a predetermined position in the width direction V. The moving unit 57 is installed on each of the first guide 961 to the fourth guide 964. All the moving units 57 have approximately the same configuration. The moving unit 57 includes a lead nut 9613, a lead screw 9614, a motor 104, and a guide shaft 58.

[0039] The lead screw 9614 extends in the width direction V. The lead nuts 9613 are fixed to the connecting members 65 of the support parts 60 that support the guides 96. Each lead screw 9614 is screwed into a lead nut 9613 installed at a corresponding position. The lead screw 9614 is fixed integrally to the rotating shaft of the motor 104. The guide shaft 58 extends in the width direction V and is installed at two positions, one upstream and one downstream in the discharge direction G of the sheet S, spaced apart from each other. The guide shaft 58 is inserted into a guide hole 59 provided in the guide 96.

[0040] By rotating the motor 104 in the forward or reverse direction, the lead screw 9614 rotates in the forward or reverse direction. In response to the rotation of the lead screw 9614, the lead nut 9613 moves in the width direction V, and the guide 96 is moved to a predetermined position in the width direction V by the lead nut 9613.

[0041] The position of the guides 96 in the width direction V is detected by the position detection unit 66. The position detection unit 66 includes an optical sensor 67 and a light blocking unit 68. The light blocking unit 68 extends in the vertical direction and is installed on the lower surface of a connecting member 65 constituting a support unit 60 that supports the guides 96. The optical sensor 67 is installed below the guides 96. The optical sensor 67 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The light blocking unit 68 blocks the optical sensor 67, thereby detecting that the guides 96 are located at the home position. The control unit 45 grasps the detection result of the position detection unit 66 and the drive amount of the motor 104 to grasp the amount of movement of the guides 96 from the home position and detects the position of each guide 96 in the width direction V.

[0042] The guide 96 is supported by a support portion 60. The support portion 60 is installed below the loading surface 95. The support portion 60 includes a support plate 74 and a connecting member 65. The support plate 74 faces a flat portion 966 of the guide 96 and is disposed at a predetermined distance in the width direction V. The vertical center of the guide 96 and the upper portion of the support plate 74 are connected by an auxiliary guide 9612. The lower portion of the guide 96 and the lower portion of the support plate 74 are connected by a connecting member 65.

[0043] The loading device 2 includes a mechanism for adjusting the number of guides 96. The mechanism for adjusting the number of guides 96 is configured by a mechanism for attaching and detaching the guides 96. The second guide 962 and the third guide 963, which are located in the center of the four guides 96, are detachable from the mounting portion 75 of the guide 96 provided on the loading surface 95. On the other hand, the first guide 961 and the fourth guide 964, which are located at both ends of the width direction V of the loading surface 95, are configured to be fixed to the loading surface 95 and cannot be removed. The first guide 961 and the fourth guide 964 are essential components for properly stacking the sheets S on the loading surface 95. When the sheets S are divided in the width direction V, the first guide 641 guides the left edge of the leftmost sheet S. When the sheets S are not divided and there is only one row in the width direction V, the first guide 961 guides the left edge of one sheet S. Furthermore, when the sheets S are divided into multiple rows in the width direction V, the fourth guide 644 guides the right edge of the rightmost sheet S. When the sheets S are not divided and there is only one sheet in the width direction V, the fourth guide 964 guides the right edge of the single sheet S.

[0044] When the second guide 962 and the third guide 963 are attached to the attachment portion 75, the loading device 2 has four guides 96. When either the second guide 962 or the third guide 963 is removed, the loading device 2 has three guides 96. When both the second guide 962 and the third guide 963 are removed, the loading device 2 has two guides 96. In this way, the number of guides 96 can be adjusted by attaching and detaching the guides 96.

[0045] 6 is an enlarged view of a side of the first guide 961. The fourth guide 964 has the same shape as the first guide 961. In the vertical center of the first guide 961, a plurality of through holes 55 serving as an installation portion 9611 for installing the rollers 94 are arranged side by side along the discharge direction G of the sheet S. In addition, two guide holes 59 for inserting the guide shafts 58 are formed in the lower part of the first guide 961.

[0046] 7 is an enlarged view of a side of the second guide 962. Unlike the first guide 961 shown in FIG. 6, the second guide 962 is composed of two upper and lower members, an upper member 76 and a lower member 77. The upper member 76 extends upward from the installation position of the rollers 94 on the loading surface 95. The lower member 77 extends downward from the installation position of the rollers 94. The upper member 76 is installed so as to be detachable from the lower member 77. The upper member 76 is attached to an attachment portion 75 provided on the loading section 91.

[0047] The mounting portion 75 has a space formed between the lower member 77 and the auxiliary guide 9612, through which the upper member 76 is inserted from above. In Fig. 7, the solid lines show the state in which the upper member 76 has been removed from the mounting portion 75. The dashed lines show the state in which the upper member 76 has been attached to the mounting portion 75, with the lower part of the upper member 76 overlapping the upper part of the lower member 77.

[0048] A notch 56 is provided in both the lower part of the upper member 76 and the upper part of the lower member 77. The notch 56 of the upper member 76 has a wave-shaped shape that curves in accordance with the diameter of the roller 94. The notch 56 of the upper member 76 shown in FIG. 7 has a first protruding portion 561 that protrudes downward longer than the diameter of the roller 94, and a second protruding portion 562 that protrudes shorter than the first protruding portion 561 and protrudes a sufficient length to receive the roller 94. By providing both the first protruding portion 561 and the second protruding portion 562 with different protruding lengths irregularly, the shape of the notch 56 is not symmetrical between the upstream side and the downstream side of the center of the notch 56 in the discharge direction G, but is different. This prevents the removed guide 96 from being installed in the mounting portion 75 in an incorrect position.

[0049] The second guide 962 shown in FIG. 7 has the first protrusions 561 at the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th positions from the upstream side in the discharge direction G in FIG. 7. The second protrusions 562 are the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 8th protrusions from the upstream side in the discharge direction G. A space is formed in the attachment portion 75 of the second guide 962 to receive the first protrusions 561 and the second protrusions 562 of the notch 56 shown in FIG. 7, and a stopper (not shown) is provided in the attachment portion 75 of the third guide 963 at a position corresponding to the first protrusion 561 of the second guide 962. For example, the stopper can be provided at a position where at least one of the 3rd, 4th, and 7th first protrusions 561 is inserted among the positions where the first protrusions 561 of the second guide 962 are provided. This prevents the second guide 962 from being erroneously attached to the attachment portion 75 of the third guide 963, and the detection portion 78 that detects the presence or absence of the guide 96 from making an erroneous detection.

[0050] Although not shown, the third guide 963 is also provided with a first protruding portion and a second protruding portion having different protruding lengths, similar to the second guide 962. The positions of the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion of the third guide 963 in the discharge direction G are different from the positions of the second guide 962.

[0051] The notch 56 of the lower member 77 includes a straight portion having a size corresponding to the diameter of the roller 94, and a curved portion protruding from this straight portion. The roller 94 is sandwiched from above and below by the notches 56 of the upper member 76 and the lower member 77. The notch 56 constitutes a mounting portion 9611 for the roller 94.

[0052] Whether or not the guide 96 is attached to the attachment portion 75 is detected by a detection portion 78 that detects the presence or absence of the guide 96 above the loading surface 95. The detection portion 78 includes an optical sensor 79 and a detected portion 80. The sensor 79 includes a light emitting element 98 and a light receiving element 99.

[0053] 8 and 9 are perspective views showing a state in which the stopper 93 is retracted upward. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the light emitting element 98 and the light receiving element 99 are installed facing each other on the outer side in the width direction V of the stacking surface 95 on which the sheets S are stacked. The light emitting element 98 and the light receiving element 99 are installed at a height corresponding to the detection target 80 provided on the upper part of the guide 96. Two sets of sensors 79 are installed. The two sets of sensors 79 are installed a predetermined distance apart on the upstream side and downstream side in the discharge direction G of the sheets S. The sensor 79 on the upstream side in the discharge direction G constitutes a first detection portion 781. The sensor 79 on the downstream side constitutes a second detection portion 782.

[0054] The detected portion 80 is constituted by a detection hole 800 provided penetrating the vicinity of the upper end of the guide 96. The first guide 641 shown at the left end in Figs. 8 and 9 has two detection holes 800 provided penetrating the vicinity of the upper end of the flat portion 966. The fourth guide 644 at the right end in Figs. 8 and 9 also has two detection holes 800 provided at the same positions as the first guide 641. The second guide 962, which is the second from the left, has one first detection hole 801 provided at a position corresponding to the upstream detection hole 800 of the first guide 641, but does not have a through hole provided at a position corresponding to the downstream second detection hole 802. The third guide 963, which is the third from the left, has one second detection hole 802 provided at a position corresponding to the downstream second detection hole 802 of the first guide 641, but does not have a through hole corresponding to the upstream first detection hole 801.

[0055] The first guide 961 and the fourth guide 964 can pass light from both the first light emitting element 981 on the upstream side and the second light emitting element 982 on the downstream side, and these lights are received by the opposing first light receiving element 991 and second light receiving element 992, respectively. The second guide 962 passes light from the first light emitting element 981 through the first detection hole 801 on the upstream side, but light from the second light emitting element 982 is blocked by the flat portion 966 of the second guide 962 and is not received by the second light receiving element 99. The third guide 963 blocks light from the first light emitting element 981 through the flat portion 966 of the third guide 963 and cannot be received by the first light receiving element 991, but light from the second light emitting element 982 passes through the second detection hole 802 and is received by the second light receiving element 992.

[0056] When the second guide 962 is installed above the loading surface 95, the first detection unit 781 transmits light, but the second detection unit 782 blocks light. When the third guide 963 is installed above the loading surface 95, the first detection unit 781 blocks light, but the second detection unit 782 transmits light. The first guide 961 and the fourth guide 964 are installed above the loading surface 95, but when neither the second guide 962 nor the third guide 963 is installed, both the first detection unit 781 and the second detection unit 782 transmit light. By installing the second guide 962 and the third guide 963 in addition to the first guide 961 and the fourth guide 964, both the first detection unit 781 and the second detection unit 782 block light when all of the first guide 961 to the fourth guide 964 are installed.

[0057] The stopper 93 is struck by the front end of the sheet S discharged from the processing device 1. The stopper 93 is driven by a stopper drive unit 52. The stopper drive unit 52 is electrically connected to the control unit 45. The stopper drive unit 52 includes a motor 103 for driving the stopper 93 in the up-down direction and a motor 102 for driving the stopper 93 in the front-rear direction of the discharge direction G.

[0058] 3, the stopper 93 is composed of multiple rod-shaped guide members 931 that are vertically arranged so as to come into contact with the front end of the discharged sheet S, and the multiple guide members 931 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the sheet S. The multiple guide members 931 are each attached to a guide folder 5221 that is integrally attached to the subframe 522. This makes it possible to absorb the speed and impact of the paper and align the paper in a constant position as much as possible, thereby improving the alignment performance of the stacked cut paper.

[0059] Next, a drive mechanism for moving the stopper 93 in the vertical direction in the stopper drive unit 52 will be described. The subframe 522 is configured to be slidable up and down relative to the mainframe 521 via guide shafts 5223 installed at two locations in the conveying width direction. A lead nut 5224 is fixed integrally to the subframe 522, and a lead screw 5225 is screwed into the lead nut 5224. The lead screw 5225 is fixed integrally to the rotating shaft of the motor 103 fixed to the mainframe 521, and the subframe 522 is driven in the vertical direction by the lead nut 5224 screwed into the lead screw 5225 when the motor 103 is rotated. As a result, the stopper 93 can be driven in the vertical direction.

[0060] Fig. 3 shows a state in which the stopper 93 advances downward relative to the conveying path when the sheets S are stacked. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the stopper 93 retreats upward relative to the conveying path in order to transport the stacked sheets S downstream.

[0061] Next, a drive mechanism for sliding the stopper 93 in the front-rear direction in the conveying direction F in the stopper drive unit 52 will be described. The main frame 521 is installed at two positions in the conveying width direction of the main frame 521, and is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction in the conveying direction F via a guide shaft 5228 fitted into a linear bush 5229. A lead nut 5226 is fixed integrally to the main frame 521, and a lead screw 5227 is screwed into the lead nut 5226. The lead screw 5227 is fixed integrally to the rotating shaft of the motor 102, and the entire unit of the main frame 521 and the subframe 522 is driven in the front-rear direction by the lead nut 5226 screwed into the lead screw 5227 when the motor 102 is rotated. As a result, the placement unit stopper 93 can be slidable in the front-rear direction in the conveying direction F according to the size of the sheets S to be stacked. 2, 3, 8, and 9, one end of the motor 102 and the guide shaft 5228 are depicted as being in the air, but in reality they are integrally fixed to an outer frame (not shown) that is arranged around the outside of the main frame 521 and the subframe 522. In this embodiment, the motor 101 is configured as a DC gear motor, and the other motors 102 to 108 are configured as stepping motors.

[0062] When the guide 96 is moved in the width direction V by the moving portion 57 in accordance with the processing content of the sheet S, the guide 96 moves in a state in which the stopper 93 is retracted upward with respect to the conveying path. After adjusting the position of the guide 96 in the width direction V, it is possible that one of the multiple guide members 931 hits the upper end of the guide 96 while the stopper 93 advances downward relative to the conveying path, but since each guide member 931 is configured to be able to move up, down, left and right by its own weight up to the regulating position of the stopper, the guide member 931 that hits the upper end of the guide 96 can be lifted upward and retreated. Alternatively, the guide member 931 that hits the upper end of the guide 96 can avoid the upper end of the guide 96 by shifting left and right by the amount of clearance between the guide member 931 and the guide folder 5221.

[0063] The stacking unit 91 and the conveyor 92 are driven independently of each other to transport the sheet S. The roller drive unit 40 is electrically connected to the control unit 45, and the control unit 45 controls the drive amount of the roller drive unit 40, thereby adjusting the rollers 94 to run at a predetermined speed. In addition, the conveyor drive unit 51 is electrically connected to the control unit 45, and the control unit 45 controls the drive amount of the conveyor drive unit 51, thereby adjusting the belt conveyor 86 to run at a predetermined speed.

[0064] The conveyor 92 is disposed downstream of the stacking unit 91. The conveyor 92 transports the sheets S transferred from the stacking unit 91 further downstream. The conveyor 92 is provided with a stacking unit 83 capable of separating and stacking the sheets S at different positions on a stacking surface. The stacking unit 83 is provided with a belt conveyor 86 that stacks the sheets S on a belt 85 that travels in a circulating manner. The sheets S transferred from the stacking unit 91 are placed on the belt conveyor 86 while being transported.

[0065] Next, a drive mechanism for rotating the belt conveyor 86 in the conveyor drive unit 51 will be described. The belt conveyor 86 in the conveyor 92 includes an endless belt 85, conveyor rollers 87, and the conveyor drive unit 51. The conveyor rollers 87 are installed at three locations spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the discharge direction of the sheets S, which is the same direction as the conveying direction F of the sheets S, and the belt 85 is stretched over the conveyor rollers 87. The conveyor drive unit 51 is a drive mechanism for rotating the endless belt 85 to transport the sheets S after the sorting process downstream in the paper conveying direction F, and includes a drive motor 101 functioning as a drive means, a pulley 511 attached to the rotating shaft of the drive motor 101, a pulley 512 attached to the rotating shaft 513 of the conveyor roller 87, and a timing belt 514 stretched between the pulleys 511 and 512. When the drive motor 101 is driven to rotate, the driving force is transmitted to the rotary shaft 513 of the conveyor roller 87 via the pulleys 511 and 512, so that the conveyor roller 87 rotates, causing the endless belt 85 to rotate.

[0066] The length of the belt 85 in the width direction V is a predetermined length that is approximately the same as or slightly longer than the length of the conveying path 5 in the width direction W along which the sheets S are conveyed, and multiple processed sheets S discharged in parallel in the width direction W can be placed on the belt 85. The conveyor driving unit 51 is electrically connected to the control unit 45, and the control unit 45 controls the driving amount of the conveyor driving unit 51, thereby adjusting the belt conveyor 86 to run at a predetermined speed.

[0067] [Cutting waste collection section 23] The trimmings collection section 23 includes a trimmings storage box 54 and guides 59, 60. The trimmings storage box 54 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an opening at the top. The trimmings storage box 54 collects and stores the trimmings J that have been cut off in the cutting section 19 and are no longer needed. The guides 59, 60 guide the trimmings J that have been cut off in the cutting section 19 and fall to the trimmings storage box 54.

[0068] [Control Unit 45] The control unit 45 controls the operation of the entire processing device D for sheets S. The control unit 45 acquires information from the sheet detection units 31-35, and controls the driving of the supply unit 3, the transport unit 4, each processing unit 24, and the stacking device 2 based on the processing information for sheets S set by the operation panel 46 or the reading unit 26, to process the sheets S, and to stack and transport the processed sheets. The control rod 45 controls the operation panel 46 as a display unit to display instructions regarding a guide 95 to be installed above the stacking surface 95, based on the detection result of the detection unit 78 that detects the presence or absence of a guide 96 above the stacking surface 95.

[0069] [Sheet processing pattern] 10 is a plan view showing an example of a processing pattern for a sheet S. The processing pattern shown in the figure is for producing a plurality of sheets S from a single sheet S. Cutting lines T as a plurality of processing lines extending parallel to the conveying direction F and cutting lines K as a plurality of processing lines extending in the width direction W perpendicular to the conveying direction F are set.

[0070] The first cutting lines T1 and T6 shown at the right and left ends in FIG. 10 are formed by the unit 20a installed at the most upstream of the slitter processing unit 20 on the conveying path 5 in FIG. 1. The second and fifth cutting lines T2 and T5 formed on the inside of the first cutting line T1 and the sixth cutting line T6, respectively, are formed by the central unit 20b in the conveying direction F. The third and fourth cutting lines T3 and T4 formed further inside the second cutting line T2 and the fifth cutting line T5 are formed by the unit 20c installed at the most downstream in the conveying direction F. The unnecessary strip-shaped cutting waste Jb between the second cutting line T2 and the third cutting line T3 and between the fourth cutting line T4 and the fifth cutting line T5 is guided downward by the cutting waste dropping mechanism 27 shown in FIG. 1 and collected by the cutting waste collecting unit 23.

[0071] In addition, the cutting line K is formed by cutting the sheet S parallel to the conveying direction F at cutting lines T1 to T6 and removing the long cutting scraps J cut from the sheet S, thereby simultaneously performing multiple cutting processes on multiple strip-shaped cut pieces aligned in the width direction W.

[0072] In the processing pattern of the sheet S shown in Figure 10, since no fold lines are set by the crease processing unit 21, in the processing unit 24 illustrated in Figure 1, the crease processing unit 21 is left received in the receiving unit 6 and is not functioning, so that crease processing is not performed, or it is replaced with a conveying processing unit not shown, or the crease processing unit 21 is detached from the receiving unit 6 and used in an empty state.

[0073] Various processing information to be applied to the sheets S for the arrangement pattern of the sheets S after such processing is set by the user using the operation panel 46 or recorded in the barcode M2 ​​of the sheets S. The various processing information includes information on the sheets S themselves, such as the length in a predetermined direction such as the length in the conveying direction and the width direction of the sheets S, thickness, type, etc., information on the sheets S, such as the arrangement, number, and dimensions of the sheets S, information on the processing of the sheets S, such as the size and number of unnecessary cutting scraps J to be cut from the sheets S, and information on the sorting process of the sheets S. The information on the sorting process includes sorting necessity information on whether or not to perform the sorting process in the stacking device 2, sorting timing information on the timing when the sorting process should be performed, sorting distance information on the distance between the sheets S sorted one after the other in the stacking section 83, sorting stacking information on the stacking method of the sheets S to be sorted, such as the overlap length between the preceding sheet S and the following sheet S, and sorting notification information on whether to notify by light or sound when sorting.

[0074] Once the setting of the processing information has been completed, it can be stored in the storage device of the control unit 45. By assigning a number, a processing name, a name, etc. to each of a plurality of different processing information such as the arrangement pattern of the sheet S after processing the sheet S and storing them in the storage device, the user can operate the operation panel 46 as the operation unit to call up the processing information related to the required processing content from the storage device and process the sheet S.

[0075] [Operation of processing device D for sheet S] When using the processing device D for sheets S, the user inputs various processing information through the operation panel 46 shown in Fig. 1. When executing the same processing as that already registered and stored in the storage device, the user operates the operation panel 46 as an operating unit to input a number, the name of the processing, the name, etc., to call up the necessary processing information from the storage device. The user then inputs the number of sheets S to be processed and the number of sheets S to be sorted after processing through the operation panel 46, and then performs an operation to start processing.

[0076] Based on the input processing information, the control unit 45 controls the positions of the stopper 93 and the guide 96 to be moved in accordance with the number, size, and position of the sheets S after processing.

[0077] When the processing content of the sheet S in the processing device 1 is the processing pattern shown in FIG. 10, the sheet S loaded on the stacking unit 91 is divided into three in the width direction V and arranged in three rows. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, all four guides 96 are required. The control unit 45 controls the moving unit 57 to move the first guide 961 to a position where it engages the left edge of the left sheet S. The control unit 45 controls the moving unit 57 to move the second guide 962 to a position where it guides the right edge of the left sheet S and the left edge of the center sheet S. Then, the control unit 45 controls the moving unit 57 to move the third guide 963 to a position where it guides the left edge of the center sheet S and the left edge of the right sheet S, respectively. The control unit 45 controls the moving unit 57 to move the fourth guide 964 to a position where it guides the right edge of the right sheet S.

[0078] The fourth guide 964 is moved by the moving unit 57 to a position where it contacts the right edge of the right-side sheet S from the right side, and is aligned. The second guide 962 and the third guide 963 are unnecessary when one sheet S is placed in the width direction V on the stacking surface 95. When the sheet S is divided into two in the width direction V on the stacking surface 95 and placed in two rows, three guides 96 are sufficient, and either the second guide 962 or the third guide 963 is unnecessary. The control unit 45 controls the stopper 93 to be in a state where it advances downward with respect to the conveying path.

[0079] When a user operates to start processing, the sheets S stacked in the supply unit 3 are supplied to the conveying path 5, and a predetermined processing process is performed on a predetermined position of the conveyed sheets S in the processing unit 24. After processing, the sheets S are discharged from the processing device 1 toward the stacking device 2.

[0080] The loading device 2 is composed of a loading section 91 and a conveyor 92, and the processed sheets S discharged from the processing device 1 are first received on a loading surface 95 of the loading section 91 and stacked in sections, and then each stacked sheet S is continuously transferred to the conveyor 92 arranged downstream. In this embodiment, the loading section 91 is provided with transport rollers that load the sheets S on a plurality of rotating rollers 94. Note that the loading section 91 may be configured to be provided with a belt conveyor 88 that loads the sheets S on a circulating belt, instead of the plurality of rollers 94.

[0081] The conveyor 92 successively stacks the sheets S transferred from the stacking unit 91 at different positions on the placement surface 83. The control unit 45 controls the sheets S transferred to the conveyor 92 by the stacking unit 91 so that a predetermined gap is formed between the preceding sheet S and the succeeding sheet S. The stacker unit is provided with a belt conveyor 86 that stacks the sheets S on a circulating belt.

[0082] The stacking section 91 is capable of stacking multiple sheets S in the conveying direction, and in the stacking section 91, the control section 45 at least receives the sheets S in a stopped transport state when the sheets S are stacked, stacks them in sections, and then accumulates the stacked sheets S in stages while shifting and moving the sheets S while stopping along the way, and controls the sheets S to be delivered in stages from the accumulated sheets S to the conveyor 92.

[0083] According to the above, the efficiency of the classification work can be improved.

[0084] Next, the sorting operation of the loading device 2 will be described with reference to a specific embodiment. Figures 12 to 14 are schematic diagrams showing the sorting operation of the loading device 2. Note that the guide 96 is omitted in Figures 12 to 14.

[0085] The sorting operation of the loading device 2 in this embodiment is a series of sorting operations when the sheets S having the processing pattern shown in FIG. 10 are discharged from the processing device 1 as processed sheets S.

[0086] 12(a), processed sheets S are continuously discharged from the conveying rollers 17 toward the stacking surface 95 of the stacking unit 91, and the sheets S are stacked in an aligned state by a stopper 93 and a guide 96. The front end of the processed sheets S discharged from the processing device 1 abuts against the stopper 93, thereby restricting the front end, and the sheets S are stacked in an aligned state on the stacking surface 95. The number of sheets S discharged from the processing device 1 is counted by the fifth sheet detection unit 35.

[0087] (2) Next, after the number of sheets S loaded on the stacking surface 95 reaches the number of sheets to be sorted (sorting unit), as shown in Fig. 12(b), the stopper 93 is retracted upward, and then the roller drive unit 40 rotates the rollers 94 to move the stacked sheets S1 downstream a predetermined distance (roughly the length of the sheets S in the transport direction plus the thickness of the stopper 93), and the rotation is stopped. At this time, the discharge of the sheets S from the transport rollers 17 is stopped.

[0088] (3) Next, as shown in FIG. 12(c), after the stopper 93 advances downward again with respect to the conveying path, the discharge of the sheet S from the conveying rollers 17 is resumed.

[0089] (4) Next, after the number of sheets S loaded on the loading surface 95 reaches the sorting number (sorting unit), 12(d), after the stopper 93 is moved upward, the roller drive unit 40 rotates the rollers 94 to transport the stacked sheets S1 and S2 downstream by a predetermined distance, and the rotation is stopped. At this time, the discharge of the sheets S from the conveying rollers 17 is stopped.

[0090] (5) Next, as shown in FIG. 13(e), after the stopper 93 advances downward again with respect to the conveying path, the discharge of the sheet S from the conveying rollers 17 is resumed.

[0091] (6) Next, after the number of sheets S loaded on the stacking surface 95 reaches the number of sheets to be sorted (sorting unit), as shown in FIG. 13(f), the stopper 93 is retracted upward, and the roller driving unit 40 rotates the rollers 94 to transfer the stacked sheets S1, S2, and S3 downstream by a predetermined distance, and the rotation is stopped. At this time, only S1 is delivered from the stacking unit 91 to the placement unit 83 (belt conveyor 86) of the conveyor 92. The conveyor driving unit 51 rotates the belt conveyor 86 when the sheets S1, S2, and S3 are transferred, and the belt conveyor 86 stops after delivering the sheet S1 from the stacking unit 91 to the conveyor 92. At this time, the discharge of the sheets S from the transport rollers 17 is stopped.

[0092] (7) Next, as shown in FIG. 13(g), after the stopper 93 advances downward again with respect to the conveying path, the discharge of the sheet S from the conveying rollers 17 is resumed.

[0093] (8) Next, after the number of sheets S loaded on the stacking surface 95 reaches the number of sheets to be sorted (sorting unit), as shown in FIG. 13(h), the stopper 93 is retracted upward, and then the roller driving unit 40 rotates the rollers 94 to transfer the stacked sheets S2, S3, and S4 downstream by a predetermined distance, and the rotation is stopped. At this time, only S2 is delivered from the loading unit 91 to the placement unit 83 (belt conveyor 86) of the conveyor 92. The conveyor driving unit 51 rotates the belt conveyor 86 while transferring the sheets S2, S3, and S4, and stops after delivering the sheet S2 from the loading unit 91 to the conveyor 92. At this time, the discharge of the sheets S from the transport rollers 17 is stopped.

[0094] The integrated transfer unit 91 and the stacker unit 92 are configured to be independently driven from each other. The gap X1 between the single-sheet papers S loaded on the integrated transfer unit 91 and the gap X2 between the single-sheet papers S loaded on the stacker unit 92 are specially controlled by the roller drive unit 40 and the conveyor drive unit 51 via the control unit 45. Regarding X1, generally, it is a gap obtained by adding a margin for the smooth forward and backward movement of the abutting guide 93 to the thickness of the abutting guide 93, and a gap of about 10 mm may be sufficient. Regarding X2, it is a gap necessary for easy extraction when the operator takes out the single-sheet paper loaded on the belt conveyor, and a gap of about 20 mm to 50 mm is a guide. The two have a relationship of X1 < X2, and the conveyance speeds V1 and V2 of the single-sheet papers S loaded on the integrated transfer unit 91 and the stacker unit 92 also have a relationship of V1 < V2. That is, when delivering (shifting and transferring) the single-sheet paper S from the integrated transfer unit 91 to the stacker unit 92, control is performed to accelerate the conveyance speed and widen the gap from X1 to X2. In the embodiment, the number of single-sheet papers S arranged on the integrated transfer unit 91 has been described as 3, but it is not limited to this, and it may be 1 or 3 or more. Also, the number of single-sheet papers S arranged on the stacker unit 92 has been described as 2, but it is not limited to this, and it may be 1 or 2 or more.

[0095] In the processing pattern shown in FIG. 10, all four guides 96 were used. When loading the sheet S processed by the processing device 1 onto the loading unit 91, depending on the processing content, there may be cases where only 3 or 2 guides 96 are required. It is desirable to remove the unnecessary guides 96 from above the loading surface 95. In particular, when the length in the width direction V of the sheet S after the processing is long and occupies most of the loading surface 95, the unnecessary guides 96 may instead hinder the proper loading of the sheet S. When arranging a plurality of guides 96 in the limited space above the loading surface 95, there may be a situation where it is impossible to load the sheet S after the processing even if desired.

[0096] 14, the sheets S stacked on the post-processing stacking section 91 are not divided in the width direction V and are in only one row. The sheets S are then divided into five in the conveying direction F. For this reason, two cutting lines T7 and T8 extending parallel to the conveying direction F and ten cutting lines K extending in the width direction W perpendicular to the conveying direction F are set.

[0097] The seventh cutting line T7 and the eighth cutting line T8 may be formed by any of the slitter processing units 20 in the conveying path 5 in Fig. 1, but may be formed, for example, by the unit 20a installed most upstream. The sheet S is cut parallel to the conveying direction F at the cutting lines T7 and T8, so that a cutting line K is formed along the width direction W for one cut sheet S in the width direction W.

[0098] When the sheet S shown in Fig. 14 is processed, discharged from the processing device 1, and stacked on the stacking device 2, only one sheet S is stacked on the stacking surface 95 in the width direction V. The number of guides 96 used at this time may be two guides 96 each for guiding both the left and right ends of the sheet S. Fig. 15 shows a state in which the sheet S shown in Fig. 14 is stacked on the stacking section 91 after being processed. In this figure, the first guide 961 at the left end guides the left edge of the sheet S, and the fourth guide 964 guides the right edge of the sheet S.

[0099] In this way, when the sheet S is not divided in the width direction V, both left and right side edges of a single sheet S are guided by the first guide 961 and the fourth guide 964, respectively. The control unit 45 controls the movement unit 57 to move the first guide 961 to a position where it contacts the left edge of the single sheet S from the left side. The control unit 45 also controls the movement unit 57 to move the fourth guide 964 to a position where it contacts the right edge of the sheet S from the right side. At this time, of the four guides 96 of the stacking unit 91, the central second guide 962 and third guide 963 are unnecessary.

[0100] If the loading device is sufficiently large and the two unnecessary guides 96 can be moved in the width direction V by the moving section 57 and stored outside the loading surface 95, it is possible to process one sheet S that is long in the width direction V as shown in Fig. 14. However, if there is not enough space in the loading device 2 to store the two unnecessary guides 96, it is not possible to process the sheet S shown in Fig. 14.

[0101] Therefore, when the processed sheets S are loaded on the loading section 91, if there are unnecessary guides 96, the number of guides 96 is increased or decreased by a mechanism for adjusting the number of guides 96. At that time, the unnecessary guides 96 are manually removed from the attachment section 75. This makes it possible to load the processed sheets S on the loading section 91 even in a situation where a sufficient space for accommodating the unnecessary guides 96 is not secured.

[0102] At this time, the control unit 45 can instruct the user to attach or detach the guides 96 using the operation panel 46. First, the control unit 45 detects the presence or absence of guides 96 above the stacking surface 95 using the detection unit 78. Then, the control unit 45 refers to the processing information of the sheets S, and determines the number of guides 96 necessary to properly stack the processed sheets S on the stacking unit 91, and compares this number with the number of guides 96 actually installed in the stacking device 2 detected by the detection unit 78.

[0103] When the number of guides 96 actually installed in the stacking device 2 differs from the number of guides 96 required to properly stack the processed sheets S on the stacking section 91, the control section 45 displays on the display section serving as the operation panel 46 information urging the user to attach and detach the guides 96. This allows the user to manually adjust the number of guides 96 by following the display section's indication.

[0104] When the sheet S shown in FIG. 14 is processed and loaded on the loading unit 91 with the central second guide 642 and third guide 643 removed, and then the sheet S having the pattern shown in FIG. 10 is processed again, the second guide 642 and the third guide 643 are required to properly load the sheet S divided into three and arranged in three rows. The control unit 45 displays on the display unit and instructs the user to attach the second guide 962 and the third guide 963 to the mounting unit 75. The user can install the necessary guides 96 according to the display, thereby solving the problem that the sheet S divided into three in the width direction V and arranged in three rows as shown in FIG. 10 cannot be processed and properly loaded because there are only two guides 96.

[0105] As described above, since a mechanism for adjusting the number of guides 96 is provided according to the processing content of the processing device 1, it is possible to freely adjust the number of guides 96. By adjusting the number of guides 96, the side edges of the sheets S can be guided by the guides 96, and the sheets S can be appropriately stacked on the stacking surface 95.

[0106] Moreover, since the guides 96 are installed so as to be freely attached and detached, the number of guides 96 can be easily adjusted by attaching and detaching the guides 96.

[0107] In addition, the device is provided with a detection unit 78 that detects the presence or absence of the guide 96, and a control unit 45 that controls the display unit to display instructions regarding the guide to be installed above the stacking surface 95 based on the detection result of the detection unit 78, so that the control unit 45 can determine whether or not the guide 96 needs to be attached or detached based on the detection result of the detection unit 78 and the processing content of the sheet S, and display the necessary instructions on the display unit 78. This improves user convenience.

[0108] It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of each component are not limited to the embodiment, and the number, position, shape, etc. of each component can be any number, position, shape, etc. suitable for implementing the present invention.

[0109] In the above embodiment, a plurality of sheets S are placed in advance by the user on the stacking portion, but the number of sheets to be stacked on the stacking portion may be one. Although the case where four guides 96 are installed has been shown, the number may be three or five or more. Although the case where three rows and one row of sheets S are loaded in the width direction V has been shown in the loading device 2, the number may be two rows or four or more rows. When four or more rows of sheets are lined up in the width direction, it is desirable in order to properly load the sheets that five or more guides can be installed in the loading section.

[0110] For example, when the processed sheets are arranged in five rows in the width direction, it is preferable to use six guides to properly stack the sheets on the stacking section. When the five rows of sheets are stacked and then four rows of sheets are to be stacked on the stacking section, it is preferable to use four guides. When two rows of sheets are to be stacked on the stacking section, it is preferable to use three guides. When one row of sheets is to be stacked on the stacking section, it is preferable to use two guides. By removing one to three unnecessary guides from the six guides, for example, from the stacking section, the sheets can be properly stacked.

[0111] The first guide 961 and the fourth guide 964, located at both ends of the width direction V of the loading surface 95, are configured to be fixed to the loading surface 95 and cannot be removed, but all of the guides, or all of the guides except for one, may be configured to be freely attached and detached.

[0112] The stacking unit 91 includes rollers 94 for transporting the sheets S downstream, but may be a circulating belt. The guide 96 extends above and below the stacking surface 95, but it is sufficient that the guide 96 is installed at least above the stacking surface, and may be in contact with the stacking surface or installed at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the stacking surface.

[0113] As a mechanism for adjusting the number of guides, an attachment / detachment mechanism is provided, and the guides 96 are installed so as to be freely attached and detached, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the number of guides 96 that guide the side edges of the sheets S may be adjusted by moving the guides 96 to any position above, below, or to the side of the loading surface. The method of attaching and detaching the guides 96 to and from the mounting portion 75 may be manual, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The guides 96 may be automatically attached and detached to and from the mounting portion 75. To automatically attach and detach the guides 96 to and from the mounting portion 75, for example, the guides may be further raised from above the loading surface so as to be removed from the mounting portion. In this case, a mechanism similar to the mechanism for raising and lowering the stopper 93 may be used. The number of guides may be reduced by tilting the guides from a state in which they are erected on the loading surface to the height of the loading surface or to a position lower than the loading surface, and the number of guides above the loading surface may be increased by raising the fallen guides. The guides may also be moved forward or backward from above the loading surface. When the guide is moved forward or backward, the sheet loading surface is formed by a conveyor, etc. This eliminates the need for a roller installation portion below the guide, and the guide can be moved freely forward and backward.

[0114] The guide 96 can be moved to an appropriate position by the moving portion 57 regardless of the attachment / detachment operation to / from the mounting portion 75. The present invention does not apply to all of the configured guides 96, and partial application is also acceptable. Furthermore, although a detection unit 78 is provided which detects the presence or absence of a guide 96, the detection unit may not be provided. Furthermore, although a control unit 45 is provided which controls the display unit to display instructions regarding the guide 96 to be installed above the loading surface 95 based on the detection result of the detection unit 78, the control unit does not have to display the instructions regarding the guide. Furthermore, the display method is not limited to displaying on the operation panel 46, and the information may be displayed on a screen by transmitting information to a user's terminal or computer connected to the processing device by wire or wirelessly.

[0115] Also, the mounting portion 75 is configured as a space between the lower member 77 and the auxiliary guide 9612 for inserting the upper member 76 from above, but is not limited thereto, and the mounting portion may be configured to fix the upper member using a screw or a magnet, may be fitted, or may be pressed by an elastic member such as a spring. The guide may be configured to perform a jogger action. The jogger action is an action of repeatedly pinching both left and right side edges of the sheet from both left and right sides of the sheet to align the position in the width direction of the sheet.

[0116] The detection unit 78 of the guide 96 includes an optical sensor 79 and a detection target 80, but is not limited thereto. A conductive mechanism may be used, and a distance sensor may be used to measure the distance between the sensor and the guide to detect the presence or absence of a guide above the loading surface. The optical sensor may be a reflection sensor, and the presence or absence of a guide may be detected by reflecting light from a light-emitting element on the flat surface of the guide. The detection target 80 is configured with a detection hole 800, but a protruding portion of the flat surface of the guide that protrudes from the other parts may be read by the optical sensor. The sensor 79 includes a light-emitting element 98 and a light-receiving element 99, but the number of guides may be detected by a conductive mechanism. . 8 and 9 show a case where the light-emitting element 98 is installed on the right side and the light-receiving element is installed on the left side, but the reverse may be true. The light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are installed on the outside of the loading surface with the loading surface between them, but the presence or absence of a guide may be detected by providing the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element as one unit and installing a light-shielding plate between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] G discharge direction, S sheet, 1 processing device, 2 loading device, 45 control unit, 78 detection unit, 96 guide.

Claims

1. A loading device comprising: a loading section having a loading surface for loading the sheets processed by a sheet processing device; and a plurality of guides arranged above the loading surface facing each other in a width direction intersecting the discharge direction of the sheets from the processing device, for guiding the side edges of the sheets, the loading device also comprising a mechanism for adjusting the number of the guides depending on the processing content of the processing device.

2. 2. The loading device according to claim 1, wherein said guide is detachably installed.

3. The loading device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a detection unit which detects whether or not the guide is present, and a control unit which controls a display unit to display instructions regarding the guide to be installed above the loading surface based on the detection result of the detection unit.

Images