Sheet processing device

Abstract

To prevent occurrence of a positional gap between a drawing pattern by printing and a crease at low cost.SOLUTION: A sheet processing device includes a crease providing unit that provides a crease to a sheet S on which predetermined printing has been applied in advance while transporting the sheet, where the crease providing unit includes: a vertical crease providing part 250 that provides a crease in a vertical direction on the sheet; a vertical crease providing part moving part that moves the vertical crease providing part in a lateral direction; and a photoelectronic sensor 220 disposed in a predetermined position on an upstream side relative to the vertical crease providing part. The sheet processing device: identifies, based on the acquired output by the photoelectronic sensor 220 while transporting the sheet S in a transportation direction A, a timing when a first side 21 of a mark M included in the predetermined printing passes a detection position of the photoelectronic sensor and a timing when an inclined side 23 of the mark S passes the detection position; identifies, based on a time difference between both timings, a direction and a size of the positional gap of the sheet or the printing in a lateral direction; and moves the vertical crease providing part 250 to offset the positional gap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet processing device that performs processing such as forming lines on sheet materials such as paper or plastic sheets. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a sheet processing device that performs a predetermined processing on a sheet made of cardboard or thick paper while conveying the sheet is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a sheet processing device (corrugated cardboard box making machine) equipped with a printing device, a crease applying device (creaser device), a slotter device, and a die cutter device arranged along the conveying direction of the cardboard sheet. In this sheet processing device, the printing process by the printing device, the crease applying process by the crease applying device, the notch applying process by the slotter device, and the punching process by the die cutter device are sequentially performed on the cardboard sheets conveyed one by one along the predetermined conveying direction. Here, the crease is a linear portion formed by crushing a part of the sheet to make the sheet easier to fold, and is also called a pressed crease or a fold line. The creasing device has creasing rollers that rotate around axes perpendicular to the conveying direction of the cardboard sheet, which are provided above and below the conveying path for the cardboard sheet, and creasing is imparted to the cardboard sheet as the cardboard sheet passes between a pair of upper and lower creasing rollers.

[0003] In devices that apply lines to printed sheets, such as the line applying device in the sheet processing apparatus described above, misalignment of the sheet supply position relative to the line applying device or misalignment of the printing position on the sheet can result in a misalignment between the lines applied by the line applying device and the printed pattern (such as lines indicating fold positions).

[0004] To prevent this, the sheet is photographed upstream of the line applying roller, and the misalignment of the sheet supply position or the printing position on the sheet is identified based on the obtained image, and the line applying position is adjusted to correct the misalignment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-175279 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in order to detect positional misalignment using images as described above, a camera for photographing the sheet and a computer system for analyzing the photographed image are required, which results in increased equipment costs.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to prevent, at low cost, the occurrence of misalignment between a printed design and ruled lines in sheet processing that includes at least the addition of ruled lines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The sheet processing device according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, is as follows: A sheet processing apparatus including a ruler unit that conveys a sheet on which a predetermined printing has been performed and rules the sheet, The ruled line providing unit is a vertical crease applying unit that applies a crease to the sheet extending in a vertical direction that is parallel to a conveyance direction of the sheet; a vertical ruler moving unit that moves the vertical ruler in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the conveyance direction; a first photoelectric sensor that is disposed at a predetermined position upstream of the vertical crease applying unit in the conveying direction and that irradiates light onto the sheet passing the predetermined position and detects light reflected from the sheet; a first passing timing specifying unit that specifies, based on an output of the first photoelectric sensor acquired while the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction, a first side passing timing, which is the timing when the first side of a detection mark included in the specified print, the detection mark having a first side extending in the horizontal direction and an inclined side inclined with respect to the first side, passes the specified position, and an inclined side passing timing, which is the timing when the inclined side passes the specified position; a first lateral misalignment specifying unit that specifies a direction and a magnitude of positional misalignment of the sheet or the predetermined printing in the lateral direction based on the first edge passing timing and the inclined edge passing timing; a first control unit that controls the vertical ruler moving unit to move the vertical ruler so as to offset the positional deviation whose orientation and magnitude are identified by the first horizontal deviation identifying unit; It has the following characteristics. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent misalignment between a printed design and ruled lines at low cost in sheet processing including the application of ruled lines. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a sheet processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a line providing unit in the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from the side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of the ruled line providing unit as viewed from above. [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a conveying unit in the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a guide rail and a transport mechanism included in the transport unit as viewed from the rear. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transport mechanism. [Figure 9] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for detecting lateral misalignment in the ruled line providing unit. [Figure 10] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for detecting lateral deviation in the transport unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing another example of a mark provided on a sheet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sheet processing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the sheet processing apparatus. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a plate (or a lid) covering the side or top of the apparatus is partially removed so that the internal structure can be easily understood. The sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment is an apparatus that processes a single sheet on which a predetermined printing has been applied in advance by a printing apparatus (not shown) while conveying it along a predetermined conveying direction A. The sheet S to be processed by this apparatus is typically paper (cardboard or cardboard, etc.), but is not limited thereto and may be a plastic sheet or the like. This sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet supply unit 100, a ruler providing unit 200, a conveying unit 300, and a die cutter unit 400, which are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the conveying direction A. For ease of explanation, the downstream side in the conveying direction A is defined as the front, the upstream side as the rear, the right hand side as viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side is defined as the right, and the opposite side as the left. In addition, the direction parallel to the conveying direction A is sometimes referred to as the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A is sometimes referred to as the horizontal direction.

[0012] The sheet supply unit 100 includes a lift table 101 on which a plurality of sheets S to be processed are stacked, and a sheet delivery section 102 that delivers the sheets S on the lift table 101 one by one to the ruler providing unit 200. The sheet delivery section 102 can be, for example, provided above the lift table 101 and equipped with an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the top sheet S on the lift table 101 by air, and a roller or belt that transports the sheet S adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism forward, but is not limited to this.

[0013] The ruled line providing unit 200 provides ruled lines (horizontal rules) extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A and ruled lines (vertical rules) extending in a direction parallel to the conveying direction A to the sheet S supplied from the sheet supply unit 100. Figures 4 and 5 show the main configuration of the ruled line providing unit 200. Note that Figure 4 shows the ruled line providing unit 200 as viewed from the side (left), and Figure 5 shows the ruled line providing unit 200 as viewed from above. As shown in these figures, the ruled line providing unit 200 is provided with, in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction A, a first feed roller pair 210, a first photoelectric sensor 220, a horizontal ruled line providing section 230, a second feed roller pair 240, and a vertical ruled line providing section 250. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the ruled line imparting unit 200 is provided with a vertical ruled line imparting section movement section 260 and a ruled line imparting control section 270 (corresponding to the first passing timing determination section, first horizontal misalignment determination section, horizontal ruled line imparting timing determination section, and first control section in the present invention).

[0014] The first feed roller pair 210 comprises a pair of upper and lower rollers parallel to each other that rotate around an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A, and pulls the leading end of the sheet S supplied from the sheet supply unit 100 between the pair of rollers and sends it downstream in the conveying direction A.

[0015] The first photoelectric sensor 220 is provided above a path (hereinafter referred to as a conveying path) through which the sheet S passes, and is a reflective photoelectric sensor including a light source that irradiates light onto the upper surface of the sheet S passing through the conveying path, and a light receiving unit (both not shown) that detects the light reflected by the upper surface of the sheet S. The first photoelectric sensor 220 is disposed so as to irradiate light onto the lateral center of the sheet S passing through the conveying path. A mark M (see FIG. 5) for detecting positional deviation is printed by the printing device together with a predetermined pattern at the lateral center of the leading end of the sheet S, and a lateral deviation of the supply position of the sheet S or the printing position on the sheet S is detected based on a change in the intensity of the reflected light caused by the mark M (corresponding to the detection mark in the present invention) passing under the first photoelectric sensor 220 (details will be described later).

[0016] The horizontal crease applying unit 230 includes a first pressing member 231 disposed above the conveying path, and a second pressing member 232 disposed below the conveying path at a position opposite the first pressing member 231. The first pressing member 231 and the second pressing member 232 each have a rectangular column shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A, and are driven in a direction toward and away from each other by a drive mechanism (not shown) including a motor and a rotary-linear conversion mechanism. The upper surface of the second pressing member 232 (i.e., the surface facing the conveying path) is provided with a protrusion 233 which is a linear protrusion extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A, and the lower surface of the first pressing member 231 (i.e., the surface facing the conveying path) is provided with a groove 234 having a shape corresponding to the protrusion 233. In the horizontal crease imparting section 230, horizontal creases are imparted to the sheet S by clamping the sheet S supplied from the sheet supply unit 100 between the lower surface of a first pressing member 231 and the upper surface of a second pressing member 232. Note that the horizontal crease imparting section 230 is configured as a single unit, and by turning the unit upside down, it is also possible to position the first pressing member 231 below the transport path and the second pressing member 232 above the transport path.

[0017] The second feed roller pair 240 has a pair of upper and lower rollers parallel to each other that rotate around an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A, and pulls the leading end of the sheet S, which has had horizontal lines applied by the horizontal line applying section 230, between the pair of rollers and sends it downstream.

[0018] The vertical crease applying unit 250 includes a first vertical crease roller 251 disposed above the conveyance path, and a second vertical crease roller 252 disposed below the conveyance path in a position facing the first vertical crease roller 251. The first vertical crease roller 251 and the second vertical crease roller 252 are each rotatable about an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction A, and are driven to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 by a driving means (not shown). The surface of the first vertical crease roller 251 is provided with a convex portion 253 extending in the circumferential direction, and the surface of the second vertical crease roller 252 is formed with a concave portion 254 extending in the circumferential direction at a position corresponding to the convex portion 253. The convex portion 253 and the concave portion 254 have shapes corresponding to each other, and in the process in which the sheet S fed by the second feed roller pair 240 is drawn between the first vertical creasing roller 251 and the second vertical creasing roller 252 and fed downstream, a part of the sheet is clamped between the convex portion 253 and the concave portion 254, and vertical creases are imparted to the sheet S. Note that FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which the number of each of the convex portions 253 and the concave portions 254 is two (however, the second vertical creasing roller 252 and the concave portions 254 are not shown), but the number of each of the convex portions 253 and the concave portions 254 may be one or three or more. Note that the vertical crease imparting unit 250 is configured as a single unit, and by turning the unit upside down, it is also possible to position the first vertical creasing roller 251 below the conveying path and the second vertical creasing roller 252 above the conveying path.

[0019] The vertical creasing unit moving unit 260 has a motor and a rotary-linear motion conversion mechanism (both not shown), and moves the vertical creasing unit 250 in a direction (indicated by the thick arrow in FIG. 5) perpendicular to the conveying direction A. The rotary-linear motion mechanism can be, for example, a ball screw, but is not limited to this.

[0020] The ruled line applying control unit 270 controls the rotation of the first feed roller pair 210, the second feed roller pair 240, the first vertical creasing roller 251, and the second vertical creasing roller 252, and also controls the vertical movement of the first pressing member 231 and the second pressing member 232. Furthermore, the ruled line applying control unit 270 controls the operation of the vertical creasing unit moving unit 260 based on an output signal from the first photoelectric sensor 220 (details will be described later). The ruled line applying control unit 270 can be configured, for example, mainly with a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. The ruled line applying control unit 270 is housed inside the housing of the ruled line applying unit 200. The ruled line applying control unit 270 is connected to an input unit (referred to as a ruled line applying unit input unit 280) through which the user inputs various settings. The ruled line applying unit input unit 280 can be, for example, a touch panel provided on the upper part of the housing of the ruled line applying unit 200, but is not limited thereto.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the conveying unit 300 includes a sheet conveying section 310 (corresponding to the reference position conveying section in the present invention), a lateral movement section 320 (corresponding to the sheet lateral movement section in the present invention), a second photoelectric sensor 330, a third photoelectric sensor 333, a feed roller pair 340, and a conveying control section 350 (corresponding to the second passing timing determination section, second lateral deviation determination section, and second control section in the present invention).

[0022] The sheet conveying section 310 conveys the sheet S discharged from the crease providing unit 200 to a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as the reference position) in front of (upstream of) the die cutter unit 400, and includes a sheet guide rail 311 extending in a direction parallel to the conveying direction A, a conveying mechanism 312 arranged on the side of the sheet guide rail 311, and a base plate 313 on which the sheet guide rail 311 and the conveying mechanism 312 are mounted. FIG. 7 shows the sheet guide rail 311 and the conveying mechanism 312 as viewed from the rear, and FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the conveying mechanism 312. The conveying mechanism 312 includes a belt conveyor 314 (see FIG. 6) that extends from the upstream to the downstream in the conveying direction A so as to approach the sheet guide rail 311 in a top view, and a ball holder 315 arranged above the belt conveyor 314. The ball holding portion 315 includes a plurality of spheres 316, a first plate 317 having through holes in which each sphere 316 is accommodated so as to be freely rotatable, and a second plate 318 arranged above the first plate 317 to prevent the spheres 316 from flying out.

[0023] The lateral movement unit 320 moves the sheet conveying unit 310 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A (i.e., the lateral direction), and includes a motor 321 and a rotary-to-linear conversion mechanism 322 that converts the rotation of the motor 321 into a lateral movement. The rotary-to-linear conversion mechanism 322 is a ball screw that includes a screw shaft 324 that extends in the lateral direction and is connected to a drive shaft of the motor 321, and a nut (not shown) that is screwed into the screw shaft 324 and moves on the screw shaft 324 as the screw shaft 324 rotates, and a base plate 313 of the sheet conveying unit 310 is fixed to the nut. However, the rotary-to-linear conversion mechanism 322 is not limited to a ball screw, and various mechanisms can be used. The lateral movement unit 320 further includes a guide shaft 323 that extends in the lateral direction, and a slider (not shown) that is movable along the guide shaft 323, and the slider is also fixed to the base plate 313. In the lateral movement unit 320, when the motor 321 is rotated, the screw shaft 324 rotates, and accordingly, the nut and the slider move laterally along the screw shaft 324 and the guide shaft 323, respectively. This allows the sheet conveying unit 310, including the base plate 313 fixed to the nut and the slider, to move laterally.

[0024] The second photoelectric sensor 330 and the third photoelectric sensor 333 are reflective photoelectric sensors similar to the first photoelectric sensor 220, and both are provided above the transport path, irradiate light downward, and detect light reflected from an object below. The second photoelectric sensor 330 is attached to a rail 331 extending in the horizontal direction provided above the transport path and downstream of the sheet transport section 310, and can be moved along the rail 331 by the driving force of a sensor drive motor 332. The rail 331 and the sensor drive motor 332 correspond to the photoelectric sensor moving section in the present invention. On the other hand, the third photoelectric sensor 333 is provided downstream of the second photoelectric sensor 330 and upstream of the feed roller pair 340 in the transport direction A, and irradiates light to the horizontal center of the sheet S passing through the transport path.

[0025] The feed roller pair 340 includes a pair of rollers disposed above and below the conveying path on the downstream side of the reference position in the conveying direction A. The sheet S sent downstream from the reference position by the sheet conveying unit 310 is drawn between the pair of rollers and conveyed to the die cutter unit 400.

[0026] The conveyance control unit 350 controls the conveyance of the sheet S by the sheet conveyance unit 310 and the pair of feed rollers 340, and the movement of the second photoelectric sensor 330 by the sensor drive motor 332, and also controls the operation of the lateral movement unit 320 based on an output signal from the second photoelectric sensor 330 (details will be described later). The conveyance control unit 350 can be configured, for example, with a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. as a core. The conveyance control unit 350 is housed inside the housing of the conveyance unit 300. The conveyance control unit 350 is connected to an input unit (called a conveyance unit input unit 360) for a user to input various settings. The conveyance unit input unit 360 can be, for example, a touch panel provided on the upper part of the housing of the conveyance unit 300, but is not limited thereto.

[0027] The die cutter unit 400 includes a die cut roller 401 and an anvil roller 402 arranged above and below the conveying path (see FIG. 3). Both of these rollers 401, 402 are configured to be rotatable around an axis extending in the horizontal direction. A die cut blade (not shown) of a predetermined shape is provided on the outer periphery of the die cut roller 401. On the other hand, an elastic sheet material (e.g., a rubber sheet) is attached to the anvil roller 402 so as to cover the entire outer periphery. Although the anvil roller 402 is arranged below the die cut roller 401 in FIG. 3, they may be arranged upside down.

[0028] The operation of the sheet processing device according to this embodiment when processing the sheet S will be described below. As described above, a predetermined pattern (not shown) and a mark M as shown in Figs. 5, 6, 9, and 10 are printed in advance on the sheet S to be processed by this device by a printing device not shown. These predetermined patterns and marks M correspond to the "predetermined printing" in the present invention. The predetermined pattern may include characters, pictures, images, and the like, as well as lines indicating the folding position. The mark M has a shape of a substantially right-angled triangle having a first side 21 substantially parallel to one side of the sheet S, a second side 22 perpendicular to the first side 21, and a hypotenuse 23 (corresponding to the inclined side in the present invention) facing the 90° interior angle formed by the first side 21 and the second side 22. In addition, the part on which the mark M is applied has a lower brightness than the part on the sheet S on which printing is not applied. It is desirable that the mark M be provided in the vicinity of one side of the sheet S parallel to the first side 21 and in the center in the direction parallel to the side, but this is not limiting.

[0029] First, a user (operator of the device) places one or more sheets S on the lift table 101 of the sheet supply unit 100. At this time, each sheet S is placed in a state in which the surface on which the mark M is printed faces upward, and the side closest to the mark M (hereinafter referred to as the "front side 11") faces forward.

[0030] Next, the user operates the ruled line providing unit input section 280 and the transport unit input section 360 to input predetermined settings to the ruled line providing control section 270 and the transport control section 350. Examples of the settings include the size of the sheet S, and the number and positions of horizontal lines to be provided by the ruled line providing unit 200.

[0031] Thereafter, when the user presses a start button (not shown) provided on the sheet supply unit 100, the uppermost sheet S among the sheets S placed on the lift table 101 is supplied to the ruler unit 200 by the sheet delivery section 102.

[0032] When the leading edge of the sheet S reaches the first feed roller pair 210 of the ruled line providing unit 200, the leading edge is pulled between a pair of upper and lower rollers that constitute the first feed roller pair 210, and is transported below the first photoelectric sensor 220. As a result, when the leading edge of the sheet S reaches directly below the first photoelectric sensor 220 (the position to be detected by the sensor 220), the light emitted from the light source of the first photoelectric sensor 220 is reflected by the sheet S and detected by the light receiving portion of the first photoelectric sensor 220, so that the amount of light detected by the first photoelectric sensor 220 increases rapidly. Further, near the front end of the sheet S, the portion where the mark M is printed has a lower brightness than the portion where the mark M is not printed (non-printed portion), so that after the front edge 11 of the sheet S passes immediately below the first photoelectric sensor 220, when the first edge 21 of the mark M reaches immediately below the first photoelectric sensor 220, the amount of detected light decreases rapidly, and then when the oblique edge 23 of the mark M reaches immediately below the first photoelectric sensor 220, the amount of detected light increases rapidly. Therefore, by monitoring the output from the first photoelectric sensor 220 by the ruled line application control unit 270 while the sheet S is being transported by the first feed roller pair 210, it is possible to identify the timing when the first edge 21 and oblique edge 23 of the mark M pass the position to be detected by the first photoelectric sensor 220, i.e., immediately below the sensor 220 (corresponding to the predetermined position in the present invention). Hereinafter, the timing when the first side 21 of the mark M passes directly below the first photoelectric sensor 220 is referred to as the first side passing timing, and the timing when the oblique side 23 of the mark M passes directly below the first photoelectric sensor 220 is referred to as the oblique side passing timing (equivalent to the inclined side passing timing in the present invention).

[0033] The crease applying control unit 270 temporarily stops the conveyance of the sheet S by the first feed roller pair 210 when a predetermined time Ta has elapsed since the first side passing timing. Then, the first pressing member 231 and the second pressing member 232 of the crease applying unit 230 are brought close to each other, and the sheet S is pinched and pressed by both members 231 and 232, thereby applying creases to the sheet S. The crease applying control unit 270 determines the time from the first side passing timing to the application of the creases (the predetermined time Ta) based on the application position of the creases preset by the user and the conveyance speed of the sheet S by the first feed roller pair 210. When multiple creases are set to be applied to the sheet S, after the creases are applied as described above, the conveyance of the sheet S by the first feed roller pair 210 is resumed, and then, when a further predetermined time Tb has elapsed, the conveyance of the sheet S is stopped again, and the creases are applied to the sheet S in the same manner as described above. This operation is repeated a number of times according to the number of creases. Even in this case, the time from when the transport of the sheet S is resumed to when the transport is stopped again (the specified time Tb) is determined by the line application control unit 270 based on the pre-installed positions of each horizontal rule and the transport speed of the sheet S by the first feed roller pair 210.

[0034] In this way, in the sheet processing apparatus of this embodiment, the timing of applying the horizontal lines by the horizontal line applying unit 230 is controlled based on the timing at which the first edge 21 of the mark M passes directly below the first photoelectric sensor 220. This makes it possible to accurately align the relative vertical positions between the horizontal lines applied by the horizontal line applying unit 230 and the printed pattern even if the supply position when supplying the sheet S from the sheet supply unit 100 to the line applying unit 200 is shifted from the expected position, or even if the printing position on the sheet S is shifted from the expected printing position.

[0035] When the leading end of the sheet S reaches the second feed roller pair 240 , the sheet S is drawn between a pair of upper and lower rollers that constitute the second feed roller pair 240 and conveyed to the vertical crease providing section 250 .

[0036] However, in the device according to the present embodiment, in order to prevent a lateral shift in the relative position between the printed design and the vertical lines due to a shift in the supply position or the printing position of the sheet S as described above, a lateral shift (lateral shift) in the supply position of the sheet S or the printing position on the sheet S is identified before the leading end of the sheet S reaches the vertical ruler 250, and the positions of the first vertical ruler roller 251 and the second vertical ruler roller 252 are adjusted to correct the lateral shift. Hereinafter, a method of identifying the lateral shift by the ruler ruler 270 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. (a) to (c) in the figure are all plan views showing the positional relationship between the sheet S and the reading position by the first photoelectric sensor 220, and the dashed line in the figure shows the trajectory of the reading position by the first photoelectric sensor 220 when the sheet S moves from the position in the figure along the conveying direction A. In addition, (a) of the figure shows a state where no horizontal deviation occurs, (b) of the figure shows a state where a horizontal deviation occurs in the right direction, and (c) of the figure shows a state where a horizontal deviation occurs in the left direction. As shown in these figures, the length L from the first side 21 to the oblique side 23 of the mark M on the trajectory changes depending on the position of the mark M in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the direction of the horizontal deviation (i.e., whether the deviation is to the left or right) and the size can be specified based on the elapsed time from the first side passing timing to the oblique side passing timing. In addition, the relationship between the elapsed time (or length L) and the direction and size of the horizontal deviation are stored in advance in a storage device (such as the above-mentioned RAM or ROM) provided in the ruled line application control unit 270. When the direction and magnitude of the horizontal misalignment are identified as described above, the vertical ruler moving unit 260, under the control of the ruler control unit 270, moves the vertical ruler 250 in the same direction and by the same magnitude as the horizontal misalignment so as to offset the horizontal misalignment. That is, if a rightward horizontal misalignment occurs as in FIG. 9(b), the vertical ruler 250 is moved rightward from a predetermined initial position by the same magnitude as the horizontal misalignment, and if a leftward horizontal misalignment occurs as in FIG. 9(c), the vertical ruler 250 is moved leftward from the initial position by the same magnitude as the horizontal misalignment. However, if no horizontal misalignment occurs as in FIG. 9(a), the vertical ruler 250 is not moved from the initial position.Thereafter, when the sheet S reaches the vertical creasing section 250, the sheet S is drawn between a first vertical creasing roller 251 and a second vertical creasing roller 252 and is pressed between the rollers 251, 252, whereby a vertical creasing is performed on the sheet S in the correct position.

[0037] As described above, the sheet S on which the horizontal and vertical creases have been applied by the crease applying unit 200 is discharged to the conveying unit 300. In the conveying unit 300, the front end of the sheet S is pulled between the belt conveyor 314 and the spheres 316 provided in the conveying mechanism 312 described above. As a result, the sheet S is conveyed downstream in the extending direction of the belt conveyor 314 while being pressed against the upper surface of the belt conveyor 314 by the weight of the spheres 316. As described above, the belt conveyor 314 is disposed at an angle with respect to the sheet guide rail 311 extending in the conveying direction A, so that the sheet S approaches the sheet guide rail 311 as it is conveyed by the conveying mechanism 312. Then, even after one side of the sheet S (specifically, the side closer to the sheet guide rail 311 among the sides perpendicular to the front side 11) comes into contact with the sheet guide rail 311, the sheet S is further conveyed by the conveying mechanism 312, whereby the orientation of the sheet S is corrected so that the one side is aligned with the sheet guide rail 311. Thereafter, when it is detected that the leading edge 11 of the sheet S has reached a predetermined position in the conveying direction A, the conveying control unit 350 immediately (or after a predetermined time has elapsed) stops the belt conveyor 314. Whether or not the leading edge 11 of the sheet S has reached the predetermined position in the conveying direction A may be detected by the third photoelectric sensor 333, or a sensor separate from the second photoelectric sensor 330 and the third photoelectric sensor 333 may be provided upstream of the pair of feed rollers 210 and downstream of the second photoelectric sensor 330 to detect whether or not the leading edge 11 of the sheet S has reached the predetermined position in the conveying direction A. As a result, the sheet S is stopped at a predetermined position in the conveying direction A and in a direction perpendicular thereto (i.e., the above-mentioned reference position).

[0038] Next, under the control of the conveyance control unit 350, the second photoelectric sensor 330 moves along the rail 331 (see FIG. 6), during which the light source of the second photoelectric sensor 330 emits light and the light receiving unit of the second photoelectric sensor 330 detects the light. Then, based on the output from the second photoelectric sensor 330 obtained at that time, the conveyance control unit 350 specifies the direction and magnitude of the lateral deviation of the print position on the sheet S. Hereinafter, a method of specifying the lateral deviation by the conveyance control unit 350 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. (a) to (c) in the figure are all plan views showing the positional relationship between the sheet S and the reading position by the second photoelectric sensor 330, and the dashed line in the figure indicates the trajectory of the reading position by the second photoelectric sensor 330 when the second photoelectric sensor 330 moves from the position in the figure along the rail 331. 10(a) shows a state where no lateral deviation of the printing position occurs, FIG. 10(b) shows a state where the printing position is shifted to the right, and FIG. 10(c) shows a state where the printing position is shifted to the left. The reference position is determined in advance so that the trajectory overlaps with the mark M. When the second photoelectric sensor 330 moves from the position in the figure along the rail 331 and reaches directly above one side (hereinafter referred to as "side 12") parallel to the conveying direction A of the sheet S, the light emitted from the light source of the second photoelectric sensor 330 is reflected by the sheet S and detected by the light receiving portion of the second photoelectric sensor 330, so that the amount of light detected by the second photoelectric sensor 330 increases rapidly. Furthermore, since the brightness of the portion of the front end of the sheet S where the mark M is printed is lower than that of the portion where the mark M is not printed, when the second photoelectric sensor 330 passes above the side edge 12 of the sheet S and then reaches directly above the second edge 22 of the mark M, the detected light amount decreases rapidly. Therefore, by monitoring the output from the second photoelectric sensor 330 by the conveyance control unit 350 while moving the second photoelectric sensor 330 along the rail 331, it is possible to identify the timing at which the second photoelectric sensor 330 passes above the side edge 12 of the sheet S (hereinafter referred to as the "side edge passing timing") and the timing at which the second photoelectric sensor 330 passes above the second edge 22 of the mark M (hereinafter referred to as the "second edge passing timing").10, the distance D from the side edge 12 of the sheet S to the second side 22 of the mark M on the trajectory changes depending on the position of the mark M in the lateral direction. Therefore, the direction and magnitude of the lateral deviation can be identified based on the elapsed time from the side edge passing timing to the second edge passing timing. The relationship between the elapsed time (or distance D) and the direction and magnitude of the lateral deviation is stored in advance in a storage device (such as the above-mentioned RAM or ROM) provided in the transport control unit 350.

[0039] When the direction and magnitude of the lateral deviation of the print (the mark M and the predetermined pattern) on the sheet S are identified by the above, the lateral movement unit 320, under the control of the conveyance control unit 350, moves the sheet conveyance unit 310 in the opposite direction to the lateral deviation by the same amount as the lateral deviation so as to offset the lateral deviation. That is, if a lateral deviation to the right occurs as in FIG. 10(b), the sheet conveyance unit 310 is moved leftward by the same amount as the lateral deviation. As a result, the sheet S moves leftward from the reference position by the same amount as the lateral deviation. Also, if a lateral deviation to the left occurs as in FIG. 10(c), the sheet conveyance unit 310 is moved rightward by the same amount as the lateral deviation. As a result, the sheet S moves rightward from the reference position by the same amount as the lateral deviation. On the other hand, if no lateral deviation occurs as in FIG. 10(a), the sheet S is not moved from the reference position.

[0040] Thereafter, the sheet conveying unit 310 resumes conveying the sheet S, and the conveying control unit 350 monitors the output of the third photoelectric sensor 333 during the conveying, thereby identifying the timing when the first side 21 of the mark M passes directly below the third photoelectric sensor 333 (the position to be detected by the sensor 333). Thereafter, when the leading end of the sheet S reaches the feed roller pair 340 in a stopped state, the sheet conveying unit 310 stops conveying the sheet again, and when a predetermined time has passed since the timing, the conveying control unit 350 rotates the feed roller pair 340. As a result, the sheet S is drawn between the upper and lower rollers constituting the feed roller pair 340, and is conveyed to the die cutter unit 400. Note that the die cut roller 401 and the anvil roller 402 of the die cutter unit 400 are rotated all the time, or are rotated at a predetermined timing between when the sheet S reaches the conveying unit 300 and when the sheet S reaches the feed roller pair 340. As described above, by controlling the timing of introducing the sheet S into the die cutter unit 400 based on the timing at which the first edge 21 of the mark M passes directly below the third photoelectric sensor 333, the relative vertical positions between the printed pattern and the punching position by the die cutter unit 400 can be accurately aligned even if the printing position on the sheet S deviates from the previously assumed printing position.

[0041] The sheet S introduced into the die cutter unit 400 is drawn between a die cut roller 401 and an anvil roller 402, and is pressed between the rollers 401, 402, whereby the sheet S is punched out into a predetermined shape.

[0042] As described above, according to the sheet processing device of this embodiment, the timing of applying horizontal lines to the sheet S is adjusted based on the result of reading the mark M on the sheet S by the first photoelectric sensor 220, so that the relative positions of the printed design and the horizontal lines can be correctly aligned in the vertical direction. In addition, the horizontal deviation of the sheet supply position or the horizontal deviation of the printing position on the sheet is identified based on the result of reading the mark M, and the vertical line applying unit 250 is moved in the horizontal direction to correct the deviation, so that the relative positions of the printed design and the vertical lines can be correctly aligned in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, according to the sheet processing device of this embodiment, the horizontal deviation of the printing position on the sheet is identified based on the result of reading the mark M on the sheet S by the second photoelectric sensor 330, and the sheet S is moved in the horizontal direction to correct the deviation, so that the relative positions of the printed design and the punching position by the die cutter unit 400 can be correctly aligned in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, by adjusting the timing of supplying the sheet S to the die cutter unit 400 based on the result of reading the mark M on the sheet S by the third photoelectric sensor 333, the relative position between the printed pattern and the punching position by the die cutter unit 400 can be correctly aligned in the vertical direction. Since photoelectric sensors are relatively inexpensive, the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced compared to the conventional case of identifying the positional deviation using a camera. Furthermore, in the sheet processing device according to this embodiment, the ruled line providing unit 200 and the transport unit 300 are each provided with a photoelectric sensor and a control unit (i.e., the ruled line providing control unit 270 or the transport control unit 350) that determines the timing of processing the sheet S (i.e., the operation timing of the horizontal ruled line providing unit 230 or the supply timing of the sheet S to the die cutter unit 400) based on the output of the photoelectric sensor, and that identifies the horizontal deviation and controls each unit to offset the horizontal deviation. This eliminates the need to operate both units 200 and 300 in cooperation, and simplifies the control.

[0043] Although the embodiment for carrying out the present invention has been described above with specific examples, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the mark M is lower in brightness than the non-printed portion of the sheet S, but the mark M may be higher in brightness than the non-printed portion. The sheet processing device according to the present invention does not necessarily have to include the conveying unit 300 and the die cutter unit 400. In the above embodiment, the first photoelectric sensor 220, the second photoelectric sensor 330, and the third photoelectric sensor 333 are arranged above the conveying path, but these photoelectric sensors 220, 330, and 333 may be arranged below the conveying path. In that case, the sheet S is placed on the lifting table 101 of the sheet supply unit 100 with the printed surface (printed surface) facing downward, and the mark M is read by irradiating light upward from each of the photoelectric sensors 220, 330, and 333 to the sheet S conveyed on the conveying path. In addition, the sensors 220, 330, and 333 may be disposed both above and below the conveying path so that the mark M can be read regardless of whether the print surface of the sheet S is oriented upside down or upside down.

[0044] Further, in addition to the right-angled triangular mark M as described above, other marks may be provided on the sheet S to be processed by the sheet processing device according to the present invention, and some or all of the determination of the timing of lateral crease provision in the crease provision unit 200, the lateral position adjustment of the sheet S in the transport unit 300, and the determination of the timing of supplying the sheet S to the die cutter unit 400 may be performed based on the results of reading the other marks. An example of the sheet S in such a case is shown in FIG. 11. In the example shown in the figure, in addition to the right-angled triangular mark M1 similar to the above-mentioned mark M, two line-shaped marks M2 and M3 parallel to the transport direction A and one line-shaped mark M4 extending in a direction perpendicular to the marks M2 and M3 are printed on the sheet S. In this case, for example, the timing of lateral crease formation in the crease formation unit 200 can be determined based on the result of reading the mark M4 by the first photoelectric sensor 220, the lateral position of the sheet S can be adjusted based on the result of detecting the side edge 12 of the sheet S and the mark M2 or M3 by the second photoelectric sensor 330, and the timing of supplying the sheet S to the die cutter unit 400 can be adjusted based on the result of reading the mark M4 by the third photoelectric sensor 333. In order to reduce the moving distance of the second photoelectric sensor 330, it is preferable that the second photoelectric sensor 330 reads the mark M2 when the sheet S is transported with the print side facing up, and reads the sheet M3 when the sheet S is transported with the print side facing down. In this case, the second photoelectric sensor 330 and the rail 331 are provided both above and below the transport path. Also, only one of the marks M2 and M3 may be provided. In this case, the second photoelectric sensor 330 and the rail 331 may be provided either above or below the transport path.

[0045] [Aspects] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above-described exemplary embodiments are illustrative of the following aspects.

[0046] (Item 1) A sheet processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A sheet processing apparatus including a ruler unit that conveys a sheet on which a predetermined printing has been performed and rules the sheet, The ruled line providing unit is a vertical crease applying unit that applies a crease to the sheet extending in a vertical direction that is parallel to a conveyance direction of the sheet; a vertical ruler moving unit that moves the vertical ruler in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the conveyance direction; a first photoelectric sensor that is disposed at a predetermined position upstream of the vertical crease applying unit in the conveying direction and that irradiates light onto the sheet passing the predetermined position and detects light reflected from the sheet; a first passing timing specifying unit that specifies, based on an output of the first photoelectric sensor acquired while the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction, a first side passing timing, which is the timing when the first side of a detection mark included in the specified print, the detection mark having a first side extending in the horizontal direction and an inclined side inclined with respect to the first side, passes the specified position, and an inclined side passing timing, which is the timing when the inclined side passes the specified position; a first lateral misalignment specifying unit that specifies a direction and a magnitude of positional misalignment of the sheet or the predetermined printing in the lateral direction based on the first edge passing timing and the inclined edge passing timing; a first control unit that controls the vertical ruler moving unit to move the vertical ruler so as to offset the positional deviation whose orientation and magnitude are identified by the first horizontal deviation identifying unit; It has the following characteristics.

[0047] (2) The sheet processing device according to the second paragraph is the sheet processing device according to the first paragraph. The ruled line providing unit further comprises: a horizontal ruler provided downstream of the first photoelectric sensor in the conveying direction and configured to rule the sheet in the horizontal direction; a horizontal ruled line providing timing determination unit that determines a timing for providing the horizontal ruled line by the horizontal ruled line providing unit based on the first side passing timing identified by the first passing timing identification unit; having The first control unit further controls the horizontal ruler to apply a rule extending in the horizontal direction to the sheet at a timing determined by the horizontal ruler application timing determination unit.

[0048] (3) The sheet processing device according to the third paragraph is a sheet processing device according to the first or second paragraph. The detection mark is printed in the center of the sheet in the lateral direction, The first photoelectric sensor is disposed so as to irradiate the light onto a central portion of the sheet in the lateral direction.

[0049] (4) The sheet processing device according to the 4th paragraph is a sheet processing device according to any one of the 1st to 3rd paragraphs, Furthermore, a die cutter unit that performs a predetermined cutting process on the sheet to which the lines have been provided by the line providing unit; a conveying unit provided between the crease providing unit and the die cutter unit; having The transport unit is a reference position conveying section that conveys the sheet to a predetermined reference position on the conveying unit; a seat lateral movement unit that moves the seat located at the reference position in the lateral direction; a second photoelectric sensor that irradiates light onto the sheet located at the reference position and detects reflected light from the sheet; A photoelectric sensor moving unit that moves the second photoelectric sensor in the lateral direction; a second pass timing specifying unit that specifies a side edge pass timing, which is the timing when the optical path of the light crosses a side edge that is one side of the sheet in the vertical direction, and a second side pass timing, which is the timing when the optical path crosses a second side that is a side included in the detection mark and extends in the vertical direction, based on an output of the second photoelectric sensor acquired while the photoelectric sensor moving unit moves the second photoelectric sensor; a second lateral misalignment specifying unit that specifies a direction and a magnitude of the predetermined printing misalignment in the lateral direction based on the side edge passing timing and the second edge passing timing; a second control unit that controls the sheet lateral movement unit to move the sheet so as to offset the positional deviation whose direction and magnitude are specified by the second lateral deviation specification unit; It has the following characteristics. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] S…Seat 11...Front side 12…Side side M…Mark 21...First side 22...Second side 23...Hypotentio 100...Sheet supply unit 200…Rule unit 220...First photoelectric sensor 230…Horizontal line applying section 231...first pressing member 232...Second pressing member 250…Vertical crease section 251…First vertical creasing roller 252…Second vertical creasing roller 260...Vertical crease applying section moving section 270... Line application control unit 300...Transport unit 310...Sheet transport section 311…Seat guide rail 312...Transport mechanism 320…Lateral movement section 330...Second photoelectric sensor 331…Rail 332...Sensor-driven motor 333...Third photoelectric sensor 350...Transport control unit 400…Die cutter unit 401...Die-cut roller 402...Anvil roller

Claims

1. A sheet processing apparatus including a ruler unit that conveys a sheet on which a predetermined printing has been performed and rules the sheet, The ruled line providing unit is a vertical crease applying unit that applies a crease to the sheet extending in a vertical direction that is parallel to a conveyance direction of the sheet; a vertical ruler moving unit that moves the vertical ruler in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the conveyance direction; a first photoelectric sensor that is disposed at a predetermined position upstream of the vertical crease applying unit in the conveying direction and that irradiates light onto the sheet passing the predetermined position and detects light reflected from the sheet; a first passing timing specifying unit that specifies, based on an output of the first photoelectric sensor acquired while the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction, a first side passing timing, which is the timing when the first side of a detection mark included in the specified print, the detection mark having a first side extending in the horizontal direction and an inclined side inclined with respect to the first side, passes the specified position, and an inclined side passing timing, which is the timing when the inclined side passes the specified position; a first lateral misalignment specifying unit that specifies a direction and a magnitude of positional misalignment of the sheet or the predetermined printing in the lateral direction based on the first edge passing timing and the inclined edge passing timing; a first control unit that controls the vertical ruler moving unit to move the vertical ruler so as to offset the positional deviation whose orientation and magnitude are specified by the first horizontal deviation specifying unit; A sheet processing apparatus having the above structure.

2. The ruled line providing unit further comprises: a horizontal ruler provided downstream of the first photoelectric sensor in the conveying direction and configured to rule the sheet in the horizontal direction; a horizontal ruled line providing timing determination unit that determines a timing for providing the ruled line by the horizontal ruled line providing unit based on the first side passing timing identified by the first passing timing identification unit; having The first control unit further controls the horizontal ruler to rule the sheet at a timing determined by the horizontal ruler timing determination unit. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The detection mark is printed in the center of the sheet in the lateral direction, The first photoelectric sensor is disposed so as to irradiate the light to a central portion of the sheet in the lateral direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. Furthermore, a die cutter unit that performs a predetermined cutting process on the sheet to which the lines have been provided by the line providing unit; a conveying unit provided between the crease providing unit and the die cutter unit; having The transport unit is a reference position conveying section that conveys the sheet to a predetermined reference position on the conveying unit; a seat lateral movement unit that moves the seat located at the reference position in the lateral direction; a second photoelectric sensor that irradiates light onto the sheet located at the reference position and detects reflected light from the sheet; A photoelectric sensor moving unit that moves the second photoelectric sensor in the lateral direction; a second pass timing specifying unit that specifies a side edge pass timing, which is the timing when the optical path of the light crosses a side edge that is one side of the sheet in the vertical direction, and a second side pass timing, which is the timing when the optical path crosses a second side that is a side included in the detection mark and extends in the vertical direction, based on an output of the second photoelectric sensor acquired while the photoelectric sensor moving unit moves the second photoelectric sensor; a second lateral misalignment specifying unit that specifies a direction and a magnitude of the predetermined printing misalignment in the lateral direction based on the side edge passing timing and the second edge passing timing; a second control unit that controls the sheet lateral movement unit to move the sheet so as to offset the positional deviation whose direction and magnitude are specified by the second lateral deviation specification unit; The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

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