Sheet loading apparatus, sheet processing device, and image forming system

Abstract

To provide a structure which can achieve improvement of productivity.SOLUTION: Alignment plates 401, 402 may move up or down to a first position where alignment of an uppermost sheet can be performed and a second position located higher than the first position. Swing arms 403, 404 may respectively swing in a vertical direction around a swing shaft 405 disposed higher than a pair of discharge rollers 42. The pair of alignment plates 401, 402 are respectively connected to the swing arms 403, 404 rotatably around a rotary shaft 465 and extend to the upstream side in a discharge direction relative to the rotary shaft 465. When a line connecting a center P1 of the swing shaft 405 with a center P2 of the rotary shaft 465 is referred to as a first virtual line α1 and a line connecting the center P2 with a position P3 located at an upstream end in the discharge direction of the alignment plates 401, 402 and upper ends of the alignment plates 401, 402 in alignment positions is referred to as a second virtual line α2, an angle θ formed between the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 is smaller at the second position than at the first position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet loading device for loading sheets, a sheet processing device including the sheet loading device, and an image forming system including the sheet processing device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration of a sheet loading device including a liftable loading tray and a pair of alignment members that perform alignment in the width direction of the sheet discharged onto the loading tray on the loading tray. In the case of the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the pair of alignment members are arranged to hang down from a swing shaft located above the loading tray via arm portions.

[0003] Also, in the case of the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when discharging the sheet, the sheet is received on the alignment members, the alignment members are moved in the width direction, and the sheet is dropped onto the loading tray, and then the sheet is aligned by the alignment members.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In recent years, there has been a demand to improve the productivity when aligning sheets on a loading tray by a pair of alignment members and when performing an operation of shifting the sheets in the width direction by the pair of alignment members on the loading tray.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention includes a discharge unit that discharges a sheet in a discharge direction, a stacking tray that stacks the sheets discharged by the discharge unit, a lifting unit that raises and lowers the stacking tray, and a pair of alignment members that are located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the discharge direction with respect to the uppermost sheet stacked on the stacking tray and align the uppermost sheet in the width direction. The pair of alignment members is moved between an alignment position for aligning the uppermost sheet in the width direction and a position away from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position by an alignment member moving unit. The pair of alignment members can be moved up and down between a first position where the uppermost sheet can be aligned and a second position above the first position and not interfering with the sheet discharged from the discharge unit by an alignment member lifting unit. A pair of swing arms that can swing in the vertical direction about a swing axis disposed above the discharge unit is driven by the alignment member lifting unit. The pair of alignment members is rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms about a rotation axis, and extends upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation axis. When a second sheet bundle is stacked on the stacking tray by shifting the second sheet bundle to one side in the width direction with respect to a first sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets stacked on the stacking tray, after the pair of alignment members align the first sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray at the first position, the pair of alignment members rises from the first position to the second position. After the tip of the first sheet of the second sheet bundle following the first sheet bundle is discharged from the discharge unit, the pair of alignment members descends from the second position to the first position while being shifted to the one side from the position where the first sheet bundle was aligned, and can execute a mode of aligning the sheets included in the second sheet bundle. When a line connecting the center of the swing axis and the center of the rotation axis is a first virtual line, and a line connecting the center of the rotation axis and the upstream end in the discharge direction of the pair of alignment members and the position of the upper ends of the pair of alignment members in a state where the pair of alignment members is in the alignment position is a second virtual line, the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is smaller at the second position than at the first position. The sheet stacking device is as described above.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention includes a discharge unit that discharges a sheet in a discharge direction, a stacking tray that stacks the sheets discharged by the discharge unit, a lifting unit that raises and lowers the stacking tray, and a pair of alignment members that are located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the discharge direction with respect to the uppermost sheet stacked on the stacking tray and align the uppermost sheet in the width direction. The pair of alignment members is moved between an alignment position for aligning the uppermost sheet in the width direction and a position away from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position by an alignment member moving unit. The pair of alignment members can be lifted and lowered between a first position where the uppermost sheet can be aligned and a second position that is above the first position and does not interfere with the sheet discharged from the discharge unit by an alignment member lifting unit. A pair of swing arms that can swing in the vertical direction about a swing axis disposed above the discharge unit is driven by the alignment member lifting unit. The pair of alignment members is rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms about a rotation axis, extends upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation axis, and when a line connecting the center of the swing axis and the center of the rotation axis is a first virtual line, and a line connecting the center of the rotation axis and the upstream end of the pair of alignment members in the discharge direction and the position of the upper ends of the pair of alignment members in the alignment position is a second virtual line, the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is an acute angle at the first position, and is smaller at the second position than at the first position. The sheet stacking device is as described above.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, productivity can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 31

[0010] The embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 31. First, the schematic configuration of the image forming system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0011] [Image Forming System] In this embodiment, a copying machine is used as the image forming apparatus, and a sheet processing apparatus is connected to the opening of the sheet of this copying machine. The image forming system 1000 includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B. The sheet S formed with an image by the image forming apparatus A is received by the downstream sheet processing apparatus B, subjected to predetermined processing such as binding processing as necessary, and sent out to the downstream delivery unit. The image forming apparatus A includes various structures such as, for example, a copying machine, a printer, a printing machine, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine having a plurality of these functions. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B will be described in detail. In the following description, with respect to the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B, the side where an operator such as a user operates the apparatus (for example, the side where there is an operation panel or operation buttons) is referred to as the front side (the front side of the paper surface in FIGS. 1, 2, etc.), and the side opposite to the front side is referred to as the rear side (the back side of the paper surface in FIGS. 1, 2, etc.).

[0012] [Image Forming Apparatus] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus A includes an image forming unit A1, an image reading unit A2, and an original document feeding unit A3. The image forming unit A1 includes a feeding unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a discharging unit 4, and a data processing unit 5 in the apparatus housing 1.

[0013] The sheet feeding unit 2 includes a plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, and 2c, and each cassette 2a, 2b, 2c can store sheets S of different standard sizes selected in advance. The sheet S is, for example, paper, a plastic sheet, or the like. Each cassette 2a, 2b, 2c incorporates a separating mechanism for separating the internal sheets S one by one and a feeding mechanism for feeding out the sheets S. The sheet S stored in the sheet feeding unit 2 configured as such feeds out the sheet S of the size designated by the control unit 310 (Fig. 3) of the image forming apparatus A to the feeding path 6. The feeding path 6 is provided with a conveying roller 7 for conveying the sheets S supplied from the plurality of cassettes 2a, 2b, 2c to the downstream side, and a registration roller pair 8 arranged at the end of the path for aligning the leading edges of the sheets S. The sheet S aligned at the leading edge by the registration roller pair 8 is fed to the downstream image forming unit 3 at a predetermined timing.

[0014] A large-capacity cassette 2d and a manual feed tray 2e are connected to the feeding path 6. The large-capacity cassette 2d is composed of an optional unit that stores sheets of a size that is consumed in large quantities. The manual feed tray 2e is configured to be able to supply special sheets such as thick paper sheets, coated sheets, and film sheets for which separation feeding is difficult.

[0015] The image forming unit 3 only needs to be configured to form an image on the sheet S sent from the sheet feeding unit 2, and various image forming mechanisms can be adopted. In the illustrated embodiment, an electrostatic image forming mechanism is shown as the image forming unit 3. However, the image forming unit 3 is not limited to the illustrated electrostatic image forming mechanism, and it is also possible to adopt an inkjet image forming mechanism, an offset image forming mechanism, or the like.

[0016] In the image forming unit 3 shown in FIG. 1, a photoreceptor 9 formed in a drum shape or a belt shape and a light emitter 10 that emits an optical beam to the photoreceptor 9 are provided. A developing device 11 and a cleaner (not shown) are arranged around the rotating photoreceptor 9. The illustrated one is a monochrome printing mechanism. An electrostatic latent image is optically formed on the photoreceptor 9 by the light emitter 10, and toner is attached to this electrostatic latent image by the developing device 11. The toner image attached to the photoreceptor 9 is transferred onto the sheet S sent from the feeding unit 2 by the transfer charger 12. After the image-transferred sheet S is fixed by the fixing roller 13, it is sent to the transport path 14. Further, in the image forming unit 3, a circulation path is provided below the transport path 14. After the sheet S from the transport path 14 is reversed front to back by the switchback path, it is sent again to the registration roller pair 8, and an image is formed on the back surface of the sheet S and then sent to the transport path 14. A discharge roller 15 (so-called discharge roller) is arranged in the transport path 14, and an opening 16 is formed at the end thereof. The sheet S is sent out from the opening 16 to a sheet processing device B (described later) by the discharge roller 15.

[0017] On the upper part of the image forming unit A1 configured as described above, an image reading unit A2 that optically reads a document image to be formed by the image forming unit 3 is provided. Further, on the upper part of the image reading unit A2, a document feeding unit A3 is mounted.

[0018] The image reading unit A2 includes a first platen 17 and a second platen 21 formed of transparent glass, a reading carriage 18, a light source mounted on the reading carriage 18, a photoelectric conversion element 19, and a reduction optical system 20 configured by combining mirrors and lenses. Then, the reading carriage 18 is scanned along the first platen 17, the image of the document placed on the first platen 17 is irradiated with light from the light source, and the reflected light from the image of the document is guided to the photoelectric conversion element 19 by the reduction optical system 20 to read the image. The photoelectric conversion element 19 converts the image data into an electrical signal and transfers it to the image forming unit 3.

[0019] The original document feeding unit A3 includes a feeding tray 22, a feeding path 23, and a stacking tray 24. It conveys the original documents placed on the feeding tray 22 one by one along the feeding path 23, passes them over the second platen 21, and sends them out to the stacking tray 24. When reading the original documents fed from the original document feeding unit A3 and passing over the second platen 21, the reading carriage 18 is pre-stopped below the second platen 21, and image data is generated from the images passing over the second platen 21.

[0020] [Overall Configuration of the Sheet Processing Device] Next, the overall configuration of the sheet processing device B that performs processing such as stapling and folding on the sheets sent from the image forming device A will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the detailed configuration of the sheet processing device B. The sheet processing device B can stack the sheets received from the receiving portion 26, which is the entrance of the straight path 28 connected to the opening 16 of the image forming device A, after processing, onto the first tray (first stacking tray) 49, the saddle stacking unit 131, and the second tray (second stacking tray) 71, which will be described later. Among the sheet processing device B, the portion other than the first tray 49 and the second tray 71 is defined as the processing unit 200. That is, the processing unit 200 includes the device housing 27, the straight path 28, the processing unit B1, and the saddle portion B2, which will be described later.

[0021] In the illustrated device, the sheets sent to the straight path 28 as the conveyance path and the first conveyance path are transferred from the processing unit B1, which will be described later, to the first tray 49 and the second tray 71, and from the saddle portion B2, which will be described later, to the saddle stacking unit 131. Each device has a control unit, a communication unit, etc., like the blocks showing the control configuration in the overall device shown in FIG. 3, and controls the device accordingly.

[0022] The processing unit B1 is disposed below the path exit (delivery unit 35) of the straight path 28, and assembles and stacks a plurality of sheets sequentially delivered from the straight path 28 via the delivery unit 35 into a sheet bundle, and can perform a binding process, which is an example of a predetermined process, on the end of this sheet bundle. The bound sheet bundle is stacked on the first tray 49 as a loading unit.

[0023] The saddle unit B2 is disposed below the delivery unit of the saddle path 32 as the second conveyance path that branches vertically downward from the straight path 28, and assembles and stacks a plurality of sheets sequentially delivered from the straight path 28 via the saddle path 32 and the delivery unit into a sheet bundle, performs an intermediate binding process, or performs a folding process without performing the intermediate binding process, and then sends it out to the saddle loading unit 131. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

[0024] [Device housing] As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet processing apparatus B includes a device housing 27, a straight path 28, a processing unit B1, a saddle unit B2, a first tray 49 as a loading tray, a saddle loading unit 131, a second tray 71, and the like. The straight path 28, the processing unit B1, and the saddle unit B2 are disposed inside the device housing 27. The straight path 28 has a sheet receiving portion 26 and a sheet delivery portion 35. The processing unit B1 and the saddle unit B2 process the sheets delivered from the delivery portion 35 of the straight path 28. The first tray 49, the saddle loading unit 131, and the second tray 71 stack the sheets sent from each processing unit. The illustrated device housing 27 is connected to the device housing 1 of the image forming apparatus A located on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction in the straight path 28. The device housing 27 and the device housing 1 are arranged such that the height from the installation surface of the opening 16 of the image forming apparatus A to the receiving portion 26 of the sheet processing apparatus B is substantially the same, and the opening 16 and the receiving portion 26 are connected.

[0025] [Sheet receiving path] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the straight path 28, which is a sheet receiving path, is configured as a substantially straight path that traverses the apparatus housing 27 in a substantially horizontal direction, and includes a receiving portion 26 that is continuous with the opening (main body opening) 16 of the image forming apparatus A, and a delivery portion 35 that is located on the opposite side across the apparatus from this receiving portion 26. In this straight path 28, sheet conveyance is possible in a first direction from the receiving portion 26 toward the first discharge path 31, and conveyance is also possible in a second direction from the first discharge path 31 toward the receiving portion 26. An entrance roller 29 as a conveyance roller, a first conveyance roller 201, a second conveyance roller (shift roller) 202, and a third conveyance roller (shift roller) 203 are arranged. That is, the entrance roller 29, the first conveyance roller 201, the second conveyance roller 202, and the third conveyance roller 203 can convey the sheet in a first direction and a second direction opposite to this first direction in the conveyance path, and are arranged in order from the receiving portion 26 side with respect to the first direction.

[0026] In addition, the second conveyance roller 202 and the third conveyance roller 203 are also shift rollers that can move the sheet in the width direction (front-rear direction) of the sheet that intersects the sheet conveyance direction. That is, the second conveyance roller 202 and the third conveyance roller 203 can be moved in the width direction by a drive unit (not shown), and can shift the sheet to the front side or the rear side while sandwiching the sheet.

[0027] The first discharge path 31 is connected to the delivery portion 35 of the straight path 28, and a pre-processing roller 36 as a conveyance portion is arranged at this connection portion. The sheet received from the straight path 28 and delivered to the first discharge path 31 and sent out from the first discharge path 31 is sent out to the first tray 49 or guided to the processing unit B1. Note that each of the above-described conveyance rollers may be another member capable of conveying a sheet, such as a conveyance belt.

[0028] [Layout of Sheet Receiving Path] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a saddle path 32 which is a branch path and an upper conveyance path 30 are connected to the straight path 28. The saddle path 32 and the upper conveyance path 30 are arranged in order from the receiving portion 26 toward the first discharge path 31 with respect to the first direction. Further, the saddle path 32 branches downward in the vertical direction from the straight path 28, and the upper conveyance path 30 branches upward in the vertical direction from the straight path 28. At each branching portion between the straight path 28 and the saddle path 32 and the upper conveyance path 30, a saddle path switching member 33 and an upper conveyance path switching member 34 are arranged as switching members for switching the conveyance direction of the conveyed sheet.

[0029] Note that a buffer path 39 which is a branch path branching downward in the vertical direction from the straight path 28 is connected between the second conveyance roller 202 and the third conveyance roller 203. The buffer path 39 as a buffer portion is a path capable of temporarily waiting for the sheet. When buffering the sheet in the buffer path 39, the sheet conveyed downstream in the first direction from the branching portion of the buffer path 39 of the straight path 28 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the first direction by rotating the third conveyance roller 203 and the like in the reverse direction, and is guided to the buffer path 39 by a switching member (not shown).

[0030] Then, this sheet is conveyed to the buffer path 39 by the conveyance roller 208, and the rotation of the conveyance roller 208 is stopped at the position where the rear end of the sheet has passed through the straight path 28. In this state, the next sheet can be conveyed downstream in the first direction from the branching portion of the buffer path 39 in the straight path 28. Further, in the present embodiment, by rotating the conveyance roller 208 in the reverse direction, the sheet in the buffer path 39 can be conveyed toward the straight path 28, and the sheet and the next sheet can be merged at the branching portion. Furthermore, these two sheets can be stacked and conveyed by the third conveyance roller 203 and the pre-processing roller 36 as a buffer conveyance unit.

[0031] [Branching of Paths] The upper conveyance path switching member 34 is composed of a switching member guide that is movable to change the conveyance path so as to convey the sheet received from the receiving portion 26 to either the first discharge path 31 or the upper conveyance path 30, and is connected to a drive unit (not shown) such as an electromagnetic solenoid or a mini motor.

[0032] [Upper conveyance path] Connected to the straight path 28 is an upper conveyance path 30 (printout discharge path) for conveying sheets other than the sheets discharged to the first discharge path 31. The path branching portion is provided with an upper conveyance path switching member 34 for guiding the sheet to the upper conveyance path 30. Further, the upper conveyance path 30 is provided with a fourth conveyance roller 204, a fifth conveyance roller 205, a sixth conveyance roller 206 as conveyance rollers for guiding the sheet to the second tray 71, and a second discharge roller pair 207 as a discharge portion. By these, the sheet guided to the upper conveyance path 30 is sent out from the upper conveyance path opening 40 to the second tray 71 (overflow tray) as a stacking tray (stacking portion) by the second discharge roller pair 207.

[0033] The processing unit B1 is arranged on the downstream side of the straight path 28 and includes a processing tray 37 as a placement portion for placing the sheets sent from the first discharge path 31 and aligning and stacking the plurality of placed sheets, and a binding processing mechanism (stapler) 47 as a processing portion for binding the stacked sheet bundle. Then, the processing unit B1 performs a binding process on the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 37. The binding processing mechanism 47 is arranged vertically below the straight path 28. The binding processing mechanism 47 is movable in the width direction and can perform a binding process at a desired position in the width direction on the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 37. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a step is formed in the first discharge path 31 and the processing tray 37 is arranged below it. Between the first discharge path 31 and the processing tray 37, a first switchback path is formed for reversing the conveyance direction from the opening 31a of the first discharge path 31 and guiding the sheet onto the processing tray 37.

[0034] Specifically, the first discharge path 31 is provided with an upper conveyance roller 41 and a lower conveyance roller 48 for sandwiching and conveying a sheet. The upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48 constitute a discharge roller pair 42 as a discharge unit. The upper conveyance roller 41 can come into contact with and separate from the lower conveyance roller 48, and can convey in the direction (discharge direction) toward the first tray 49 with the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48 sandwiching the sheet, and in the direction opposite to this direction. And, it can be conveyed by the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48 through the first switchback path toward the processing tray 37. Further, the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48 (that is, the discharge roller pair 42) send out the sheet or the sheet bundle on the processing tray 37 from the opening 31a to the first tray 49 as a stacking tray (stacking unit). The opening 31a is a portion opened above the lower conveyance roller 48 of the apparatus housing 27. Furthermore, the discharge roller pair 42 sends out the sheet conveyed to the first discharge path 31 without passing through the processing tray 37 from the opening 31a to the first tray 49.

[0035] The processing unit B1 has a rear end regulating portion 47a as a butting portion that abuts against the end portion (rear end) of the sheet to position the sheet. On the processing tray 37, a scraping portion 38 is disposed for conveying the sheet conveyed to the processing tray 37 by the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48 toward the rear end regulating portion 47a. And, the binding processing mechanism 47 performs a binding process on the end portion of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets placed on the processing tray 37 and whose end position is regulated by the rear end regulating portion 47a. Further, the binding processing mechanism 47 has a sheet bundle unloading mechanism for unloading this sheet bundle to the first tray 49 after performing the binding process on the end portion of the sheet bundle.

[0036] Further, the processing unit B1 includes a pair of alignment plates 270 as shift members, a rear-end dropping member 44 as a sheet dropping portion, and a bundle discharging member 45. The pair of alignment plates 270 move in the width direction (shift direction) of the sheet intersecting the first direction while being in contact with the edge along the conveyance direction (first direction) of the sheet placed on the processing tray 37, thereby moving the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing roller 36 in the width direction. Such a pair of alignment plates 270 are arranged to face each other in the width direction. Further, the pair of alignment plates 270 perform alignment in the width direction of the sheet by moving in the width direction and coming into contact with the width-direction edges of the sheet. Among the pair of alignment plates 270, the front-side alignment plate 270 is moved in the width direction by the alignment plate 1 movement motor M13, and the rear-side alignment plate 270 is moved in the width direction by the drive of the alignment plate 2 movement motor MT14, respectively.

[0037] The rear-end dropping member 44 is disposed above the processing tray 37 and moves in the vertical direction to abut against the upper surface on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the sheet, and operates to drop the upstream end portion (rear end portion) of the sheet toward the processing tray 37. The bundle discharging member 45 discharges the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 37 to the first tray 49 by pushing the rear end of the sheet bundle.

[0038] Note that the binding processing unit B1 shown in FIG. 2 supports the sheet sent from the first discharge path 31 so as to straddle between the processing tray 37 and the first tray 49 on its downstream side. That is, the sheet sent from the first discharge path 31 has its front end portion supported on the uppermost sheet of the first tray 49 on the downstream side and its rear end portion supported on the processing tray 37.

[0039] [Saddle path] The straight path 28 is connected to a saddle path 32 for conveying the sheet to the saddle portion B2 described above, and the path branching portion is provided with a saddle path switching member 33 for guiding the sheet to the saddle path 32. The sheet guided to the saddle portion B2 by the saddle path 32 is sent to the saddle loading unit 131 via the post-fold path guide 114, the second roller post-path guide 116, and the saddle discharge guide 124 in a substantially horizontal direction after being center-folded and folded. In the present embodiment, the saddle discharge guide 124 is used as an auxiliary guide for appropriately loading the sheet onto the saddle loading unit 131.

[0040] [Control Configuration] With reference to FIG. 3, the outline of the control configuration of the image forming system 1000 will be described. First, the image forming apparatus A includes a control unit 310, an operation unit 302, a conveyance control unit 303, an image processing unit 304, a drive unit 305, and a communication unit 306. The control unit 310 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 311, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 312, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 313. The CPU 311 controls each unit while reading a program corresponding to the control procedure stored in the ROM 312. Also, work data and input data are stored in the RAM 313, and the CPU 311 controls with reference to the data stored in the RAM 313 based on the above-described program and the like.

[0041] The operation unit 302 is, for example, an operation panel provided on the image forming apparatus A, which is connected to the control unit 310, and an operator operates the apparatus and makes various settings. The conveyance control unit 303 controls various conveyance rollers and switching members for switching conveyance paths for conveying the sheet in the image forming apparatus A. The image processing unit 304 controls the image forming unit 3. The drive unit 305 controls various motors and power supplies. The communication unit 306 communicably connects the control unit 310 to an external device 301 such as a personal computer and the communication unit 321 of the sheet processing apparatus B.

[0042] The sheet processing apparatus B includes a stacker control unit 330, a conveyance control unit 322, an end binding control unit 323, a discharge processing control unit 324, and a communication unit 321. The stacker control unit 330 has a CPU 331, a ROM 332, and a RAM 333, similar to the control unit 310. The conveyance control unit 322 controls various conveyance rollers that convey sheets and a switching member that switches conveyance paths, except for the saddle unit B2 of the sheet processing apparatus B. The end binding control unit 323 controls the processing unit B1. The discharge processing control unit 324 controls the discharge of sheets and various stacking trays on which the discharged sheets are stacked. The communication unit 321 communicably connects the communication unit 306 of the image forming apparatus A and the communication unit 341 of the saddle unit B2 to the stacker control unit 330. Note that the communication between the communication unit 306 and the communication unit 321 may be performed by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0043] Note that the communication unit 321 functions as a notification unit, and as will be described later, when it is detected that there are sheets on stacking trays such as the first tray 49 and the second tray 71, it notifies that there are sheets. Specifically, it transmits information indicating that there are sheets to the communication unit 306 of the image forming apparatus A, and causes, for example, the display unit of the operation unit 302 to display that there are sheets.

[0044] The saddle unit B2 includes a saddle control unit 350, a conveyance control unit 342, a middle binding control unit 343, a middle folding control unit 344, and a communication unit 341. The saddle control unit 350 has a CPU 351, a ROM 352, and a RAM 353, similar to the control unit 310. The conveyance control unit 342 controls various conveyance rollers that convey sheets and a switching member that switches conveyance paths in the saddle unit B2. The middle binding control unit 343 controls the middle binding processing unit 104. The middle folding control unit 344 controls the middle folding mechanism C1. The communication unit 341 communicably connects the communication unit 321 of the sheet processing apparatus B to the saddle control unit 350.

[0045] [Saddle Unit] As shown in FIG. 2, the saddle part B2 has a center folding processing mechanism C1. The center folding processing mechanism C1 aligns and stacks the sheets sent from the straight path 28 into a sheet bundle, performs binding processing on the central part in the conveyance direction of the sheet and the bundle, and performs center folding processing of folding the sheet bundle at the bound position. And a saddle loading unit 131 is arranged on the downstream side of the center folding processing mechanism C1 to store the bound sheet bundle. It should be noted that it is also possible to perform only the center folding process of aligning and stacking one sheet or a plurality of sheets and folding the central part in the conveyance direction without performing the center binding process.

[0046] [Sheet Loading Device] Details of the sheet loading device 400 included in the sheet processing device B of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13. The sheet loading device 400 stacks sheets that have been subjected to a predetermined process (in this embodiment, binding processing) by a binding processing mechanism 47 as a processing unit or sheets that have not been subjected to a predetermined process. The sheet loading device 400 includes discharge roller pairs 42 (upper conveyance roller 41 and lower conveyance roller 48) as a discharge unit, a first tray 49 as a loading tray, a tray lifting motor MT18 as a lifting unit, a pair of alignment plates (joggers) 401 and 402 as a pair of alignment members, a jogger 1 movement motor MT20 and a jogger 2 movement motor MT21 as alignment member moving units, and the like.

[0047] The tray lifting motor MT18 (FIG. 5) raises and lowers the first tray 49. The pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet that intersects the discharge direction of the sheet by the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48 with respect to the uppermost sheet loaded on the first tray 49, and perform alignment in the width direction of the uppermost sheet. The jogger 1 movement motor MT20 as a first moving unit moves the front-side alignment plate 401 in the width direction. The jogger 2 movement motor MT21 as a second moving unit moves the rear-side alignment plate 402 in the width direction. That is, in the present embodiment, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 can be independently moved in the width direction.

[0048] Here, the relationship between the drive motors and various sensors of a part of the configuration of the sheet processing device B around the sheet loading device 400 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 5. The various motors are controlled by the stacker control unit 330 as a control unit, and the signals of the various sensors are sent to the stacker control unit 330. The stacker control unit 330 controls the driving of the various motors based on the signals of the various sensors.

[0049] First, the inlet conveyance motor MT1 drives the inlet roller 29, the conveyance motor MT2 drives the first conveyance roller 201, the shift 1 conveyance motor MT3 drives the second conveyance roller (shift roller) 202, the shift 2 conveyance motor MT4 drives the third conveyance roller (shift roller) 203, and the pre - processing conveyance motor MT5 drives the pre - processing roller 36. These are all motors that can be rotationally driven in both forward and reverse directions. Also, the discharge roller 1 motor MT6 is a motor that can rotationally drive the upper conveyance roller 41 in both forward and reverse directions. Note that the discharge roller 1 motor MT6 also rotationally drives the paddle 275 described later. The discharge roller 2 motor MT7 is a motor that can rotationally drive the lower conveyance roller 48 in both forward and reverse directions. The buffer conveyance motor MT8 is a motor that can rotationally drive the conveyance roller 208 that conveys the sheet in the above - mentioned buffer path 39 in both forward and reverse directions.

[0050] Also, the shift 1 motor MT9 is a motor that moves the second conveyance roller 202 in the width direction, and the shift 2 motor MT10 is a motor that moves the third conveyance roller 203 in the width direction. The discharge roller swing motor MT11 is a motor that swings the upper conveyance roller 41 in the vertical direction so that it can come into contact with and separate from the lower conveyance roller 48 as described above. The rear - end drop drive motor MT12 is a motor that moves the rear - end drop member 44 in the vertical direction. The alignment plate 1 movement motor M13 and the alignment plate 2 movement motor MT14 are motors that move the pair of alignment plates 270 that perform sheet alignment in the processing tray 37 in the width direction as described above.

[0051] Further, the stapler movement motor MT15 is capable of moving the binding processing mechanism 47 in the width direction. The stapler motor MT16 is a motor that drives the binding processing mechanism 47 to perform binding processing. The bundle delivery motor MT17 is a motor that drives the bundle delivery member 45. The tray lifting motor MT18 is a motor that raises and lowers the first tray 49. The jogger lifting motor MT19 is a motor that raises and lowers a pair of alignment plates (joggers) 401 and 402 as will be described later. In the present embodiment, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are raised and lowered by one motor, but the alignment plates 401 and 402 may be raised and lowered by separate motors. The jogger 1 movement motor MT20 and the jogger 2 movement motor MT21 move the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction, respectively, as described above. The paddle lifting motor MT22 is a motor that raises and lowers a paddle 275 to be described later.

[0052] Next, various sensors will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the entrance sensor SN1 is provided at the entrance of the straight path 28 and detects a sheet delivered from a device (image forming device A in the present embodiment) connected to the upstream side of the sheet processing device B to the sheet processing device B. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the registration detection sensor SN2 is disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the second conveyance roller 202 which is a shift roller, and detects the position of the sheet in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet edge detection sensor SN3 is disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the pre-processing roller 36 and detects the sheet. The stacker control unit 330 determines that the rear end of the sheet has passed through the discharge roller pair 42 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the rear end of the sheet has passed through the sheet edge detection sensor SN3.

[0053] The shift roller 1 HP detection sensor SN4 detects the home position (HP) regarding the width direction of the second conveying roller 202. The shift roller 2 HP detection sensor SN5 detects the home position (HP) regarding the width direction of the third conveying roller 203. The jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6 detects the home position (HP) in the lift direction of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402. The jogger 1 HP detection sensor SN7 detects the home position (HP) regarding the width direction of the front alignment plate 401. The jogger 2 HP detection sensor SN8 detects the home position (HP) regarding the width direction of the rear alignment plate 402. As will be described later, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are each movable in the width direction. The home positions in the lift direction and the width direction of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are the positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0054] The paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9 detects the home position (HP) in the lift direction of the paddle 275. The home position of the paddle 275 is the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The sheet upper surface detection sensor SN10 detects the upper surface of the sheet on the first tray 49. In this embodiment, the sheet upper surface detection sensor SN10 also detects the presence or absence of the sheet on the first tray 49. The sheet removal detection sensor SN11 is a sensor for detecting that the sheet bundle has been suddenly removed while the sheet bundle is stacked on the first tray 49 and the first tray 49 is in a lowered state.

[0055] Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the configuration from the first conveying roller 201 to the first tray 49 of the sheet processing apparatus B will be described. FIGS. 6 and 7 are a cross-sectional view and a top view in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 and the paddle 275 are in the home position. Since the configuration from the first conveying roller 201 to the discharge roller pair 42 is as described above, hereinafter, the sheet loading device 400, which is the configuration around the first tray 49, will be described.

[0056] The first tray 49 loads the sheets discharged from the opening 31a of the first discharge path 31. Among the outer surfaces of the apparatus housing 27, below the opening 31a and between the first tray 49 and the processing unit B1, there is provided a butting member 271 against which the rear end (the upstream end with respect to the discharge direction) of the discharged sheet abuts. This butting member 271 serves to align the conveyance direction of the sheets discharged and loaded onto the first tray 49. The loading surface 49a, which is the upper surface of the first tray 49, gently slopes downward toward the butting member 271. That is, the loading surface 49a of the first tray 49 on which the sheets are loaded slopes at a first angle with respect to the horizontal direction so as to rise upward as it goes toward the downstream side in the discharge direction. The sheet discharged from the opening 31a onto the loading surface 49a slides down along the slope of the loading surface 49a after falling onto the first tray 49, and eventually the rear end of the sheet reaches the butting member 271 and stops.

[0057] The first tray 49 moves up and down in the vertical direction via a lifting mechanism (not shown) by a tray lifting motor MT18. That is, when discharging the sheets to the first tray 49 or the second tray 71, it is necessary to move the first tray 49 or the second tray 71 up and down in order to keep the position of the loading surface 49a or the topmost sheet on the loading surface 49a constant so that the alignment of the loaded sheets does not deteriorate. For this purpose, in the present embodiment, the tray lifting motor MT18 as a lifting unit lowers the first tray 49 or the second tray 71 so that the height of the topmost sheet of the sheets discharged by the discharge roller pair 42 or the second discharge roller pair 207 and loaded on the first tray 49 or the second tray 71 falls within a predetermined range, and when the sheets loaded on the first tray 49 or the second tray 71 are removed, the first tray 49 or the second tray 71 is raised.

[0058] Above the first tray 49, a pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 for aligning the width direction of the sheet that intersects the discharge direction of the sheet, and a paddle 275 for aligning the discharge direction of the sheet are arranged. The pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are movable in the vertical direction and also movable in the width direction. That is, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 can be moved up and down by a jogger lift motor MT19 as an alignment member lifting part to a first position where the uppermost sheet on the first tray 49 can be aligned, and a second position above the first position and not interfering with the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 42. Further, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 can be moved by a jogger 1 movement motor MT20 and a jogger 2 movement motor MT21 as an alignment member movement part to an alignment position for aligning the width direction of the uppermost sheet and a position separated from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position. Note that the position separated from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position is, for example, the sheet receiving position described later.

[0059] On the loading surface 49a of the first tray 49, recesses 49b that can be entered when the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are lowered are formed. FIGS. 6 and 7 show a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in a second position retracted above the nip point N1 of the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48, and in this state, the sheet is discharged from the opening 31a. Then, when the sheet is discharged onto the first tray 49, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are lowered to a first position where a part thereof enters the recess 49b, and by moving in the width direction from the sheet receiving position to the alignment position, the both ends in the width direction of the sheet are tapped from both sides in the width direction of the sheet. Thereby, the width direction alignment of the sheet is performed.

[0060] On the one hand, the paddle 275 is movable in the vertical direction and can convey the sheet on the first tray 49 in a direction opposite to the discharge direction by rotating. That is, the paddle 275 can move to a conveyance position where it contacts the sheet on the first tray 49 and conveys the sheet upstream with respect to the discharge direction of the sheet, and a retracted position where it is retracted above the conveyance position. FIGS. 6 and 7 show a state where the paddle 275 is retracted above the opening 31a (in the retracted position), and in this state, the sheet is discharged from the opening 31a. Then, when the sheet is discharged onto the first tray 49, the paddle 275 descends toward the conveyance position, and by rotating the paddle 275, the sheet discharged from the opening 31a is conveyed toward the abutting member 271 while being dropped onto the first tray 49.

[0061] [Alignment plate] Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the configuration of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 will be described. The pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are respectively supported via a pair of swing arms 403 and 404 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction with respect to the swing shaft 405. The pair of swing arms 403 and 404 and the swing shaft 405 will be described later.

[0062] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the periphery of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the home position (second position), and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the periphery of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 have descended from the second position to the first position. The state in FIG. 9 is a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are simply lowered from the second position to the first position, but the postures of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402, that is, the angles of the second virtual line α2 (FIG. 19(a)) with respect to the horizontal direction described later, are the same as the postures in the alignment position.

[0063] The pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 each have an alignment surface 4001, a guide surface 4002 as a guide portion, and a sheet receiving surface 4003 as an upstream guide portion. Note that the configuration of the alignment plates 401 and 402 is only arranged such that the alignment surfaces 4001 for aligning the sheets face each other, and since the basic configuration is the same, hereinafter, the alignment plate 401 will be represented by reference numerals for explanation.

[0064] The alignment plates 401 and 402 each have a first portion 4001a on the downstream side with respect to the discharge direction of the sheet by the discharge roller pair 42, and a second portion 4001b on the upstream side of the first portion 4001a. The width of the first portion 4001a in the vertical direction is larger than the width of the second portion 4001b in the vertical direction. Also, the upper end portions of the first portion 4001a and the second portion 4001b are located in a straight line and are continuous with a guide surface 4002 described later.

[0065] On the other hand, the lower end of the first portion 4001a is inclined such that a part on the downstream side with respect to the discharge direction slopes upward as it goes downstream, and the upstream side of this part slopes upward as it goes upstream. And the lower end of the second portion 4001b is continuous with the lower end of the upstream side portion of the first portion 4001a, and further slopes upward as it goes upstream in the discharge direction at a larger inclination angle than this upstream side portion. Thereby, the width of the first portion 4001a of the alignment surface 4001 in the vertical direction is made larger than the width of the second portion 4001b. And the first portion 4001a of the alignment surface 4001 can be brought into contact with, or opposed to, the widthwise edge of the sheet on the first tray 49 in a wide range in the vertical direction. Note that the recess 49b of the first tray 49 described above has a shape corresponding to the shape of the lower end portions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 so that the lower end portions can enter.

[0066] The guide surface 4002 is a surface that guides the next sheet above the alignment surface 4001 that aligns the top sheet when the next sheet is discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 in a state where it is displaced in the width direction with respect to the top sheet during alignment of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 at the alignment position. The guide surface 4002 is formed on the upper surfaces of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the alignment position. The loading surface 49a of the first tray 49 is inclined at a first angle with respect to the horizontal direction so as to go upward as it goes downstream in the discharge direction, as described above. On the other hand, the guide surface 4002 is inclined at a second angle larger than the first angle with respect to the horizontal direction so as to go upward as it goes downstream in the discharge direction at the alignment position.

[0067] Also, as shown in FIG. 19(a) described later, which shows a state where the alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the alignment position, the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002 in the discharge direction is below the nip line N2, which is a line obtained by extending the nip surface of the upper conveyance roller 41 and the lower conveyance roller 48, which are a pair of discharge rollers, downstream in the discharge direction in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the alignment position. The nip line N2 is in the same direction as the discharge direction of the sheet by the discharge roller pair 42. Therefore, the downstream end (front end) of the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 can more easily pass above the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002. When the angle of the nip line N2 with respect to the horizontal direction is large, the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002 may be positioned above the nip point N1. However, in order to prevent the front end of the discharged sheet from being easily caught by the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002, it is preferable that the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002 is positioned below the nip point N1 with respect to the vertical direction.

[0068] As described above, in the present embodiment, the angle of the guide surface 4002 with respect to the horizontal direction is made larger than the angle of the loading surface 49a with respect to the horizontal direction. For this reason, the vertical width of the first portion 4001a of the alignment surface 4001 can be ensured, and the position of the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002 can be easily positioned below the nip line N2, more preferably below the nip point N1. As a result, the sheet can be aligned over a wide range of the alignment surface 4001, and the discharged sheet can be made less likely to be caught by the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002. If the sheet can be aligned over a wide range of the alignment surface 4001, the sheet loading amount of the first tray 49 that can be aligned by the alignment plates 401 and 402 can be increased.

[0069] The sheet receiving surface 4003 as the upstream guide portion is provided at the upstream end portion in the discharge direction of the guide surface 4002 in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the alignment position, and is inclined so as to face inward on the side where the topmost sheet is located in the width direction as it goes downstream in the discharge direction, and is a surface for guiding the next sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 to the guide surface 4002. That is, the sheet receiving surface 4003 has a role of receiving the leading end of the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 onto the guide surface 4002 so as to scoop it up in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the alignment position.

[0070] Such a sheet receiving surface 4003 is inclined so as to face downward as it goes inward in the width direction in a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the alignment position. Thereby, for example, even if a sheet with low stiffness is discharged so as to hang down from the discharge roller pair 42, the leading end of this sheet can be easily scooped up by the sheet receiving surface 4003. Note that, for example, if the position of the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002 is close to the discharge roller pair 42 and the position of the upstream end portion of the guide surface 4002 is sufficiently lower than the nip point N1, and the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 easily passes over the guide surface 4002, the sheet receiving surface 4003 may be omitted.

[0071] In this embodiment, since the guide surfaces 4002 are provided on the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in this way, as will be described later, even when the next sheet is discharged while the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are aligning the sheet, the next sheet can be guided by the guide surface 4002. If there is no such guide surface 4002, when the next sheet is discharged with the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the alignment position, the next sheet may collide with one of the alignment plates, disturbing the posture of this sheet or causing the sheet to bend. In particular, as will be described later, in order to increase productivity, when the interval between the continuously discharged sheets is narrowed, the sheets will be discharged with the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the alignment position. In this embodiment, since there is the guide surface 4002 for guiding the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 with the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the alignment position as described above, it is possible to reduce the collision of the sheet with one of the alignment plates. The operation of the alignment plates 401 and 402 during sheet discharge will be described later.

[0072] [Drive Configuration of Alignment Plate and Paddle] Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11, the drive configuration of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 and the paddle 275 will be described. FIGS. 8 and 10 are perspective views of the periphery of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 with the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the home position, and FIGS. 9 and 11 are perspective views of the periphery of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 with the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 lowered from the home position to the first position. Also, in FIGS. 8 and 9, for the sake of explanation, the jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6 and the paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9 are omitted, while in FIGS. 10 and 11, the jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6 and the paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9 are also shown.

[0073] The alignment plate 401 on the front side (the upper right side in FIGS. 8 to 11) moves in the width direction by the front side moving mechanism 410, and the alignment plate 402 on the rear side (the lower left side in FIGS. 8 to 11) moves in the width direction by the rear side moving mechanism 420. Further, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 move in the vertical direction by the alignment plate elevating mechanism 430, and the paddle 275 moves in the vertical direction by the paddle elevating mechanism 440. Such a pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are supported via a pair of swing arms 403 and 404 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction with respect to the swing axis 405, and the paddle 275 is supported via the paddle arm 276 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction with respect to the swing axis 405.

[0074] The swing axis 405 is arranged across the width direction above the pair of discharge rollers 42. The position of the swing axis 405 with respect to the discharge direction is a position as close as possible to the pair of discharge rollers 42. In the present embodiment, it is located further upstream than the upstream end in the discharge direction of the recess 49b of the first tray 49. The pair of swing arms 403 and 404 are driven by the jogger elevating motor MT19 as an alignment member elevating unit, and can swing in the vertical direction about the swing axis 405 arranged above the pair of discharge rollers 42. Specifically, when the drive of the jogger elevating motor MT19 is transmitted to the pair of swing arms 403 and 407 via the alignment plate elevating mechanism 430, the pair of swing arms 403 and 407 swing in the vertical direction about the swing axis 405. The pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are arranged inside the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 on the side where the uppermost sheet is located with respect to the width direction, and are rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms 403 and 404.

[0075] The pair of swing arms 403 and 404 are supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the swing axis 405 and relatively movable along the axial direction. Therefore, the swing arms 403 and 404 do not swing only by the rotation of the swing axis 405. For this reason, the sheet stacking device 400 has the alignment plate elevating mechanism 430 as a drive transmission unit. The alignment plate elevating mechanism 430 transmits the drive of the jogger elevating motor MT19 to swing the swing arms 403 and 404 about the swing axis 405, and has a transmission mechanism 431, parallel shafts 432, a connecting portion 433, and an engagement hole 434 as an engagement portion.

[0076] The transmission mechanism 431 includes a gear 431a to which drive is transmitted from the drive gear of the jogging lifting motor MT19, a pulley (not shown) that rotates integrally with the gear 431a, a pulley 431b fixed to the swing shaft 405, and a belt 431c stretched between the pulley on the gear 431a side and the pulley 431b. The driving force of the jogging lifting motor MT19 is transmitted to the swing shaft 405 via the gear 431a, the pulley (not shown), the belt 431c, and the pulley 432b.

[0077] The parallel shafts 432 are provided parallel to the swing shaft 405 and are connected to the swing shaft 405 by the connecting portions 433. In the present embodiment, the parallel shafts 432 are respectively arranged on the front side and the rear side of the paddle 275, and each parallel shaft 432 is connected to the swing shaft 405 by the connecting portion 433. Therefore, the pair of parallel shafts 432 rotate about the swing shaft 405 as the swing shaft 405 rotates. The engagement holes 434 are respectively provided in the pair of swing arms 403, 404, and when the parallel shafts 432 engage with each other and rotate about the swing shaft 405, the pair of swing arms 403, 404 are rotated together with the parallel shafts 432. As a result, the pair of alignment plates 401, 402 respectively supported by the pair of swing arms 403, 404 move in the vertical direction.

[0078] Such an engagement hole 434 is a through hole through which the parallel shaft 432 can be inserted and in which the parallel shaft 432 and the swing arms 403, 404 can relatively move within a predetermined range in the rotational direction about the swing shaft 405. That is, the engagement hole 434 is a through hole having a shape curved along an arc centered on the swing shaft 405, and the inserted parallel shaft 432 can relatively move within a predetermined range in the direction along this arc. The parallel shaft 432 inserted into the engagement hole 434 engages with the upstream end portion in the discharge direction of the engagement hole 434 at the home position (second position) in FIG. 8 due to the self-weight of the swing arms 403, 404. Also, at the first position shown in FIG. 9, the parallel shaft 432 inserted into the engagement hole 434 engages with the upstream end portion in the discharge direction of the engagement hole 434 due to the self-weight of the swing arms 403, 404.

[0079] However, for example, when descending from the second position to the first position, if the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 contact the sheet or the stack of sheets on the first tray 49 before reaching the first position, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 and the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 will be in a state lifted higher than the state where they are in the first position. At this time, if the parallel shaft 432 and the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 are connected so as not to be relatively movable in the rotational direction, the jogger lifting and lowering motor MT19 will be driven by the amount of movement until the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 reach the first position, and the sheet on the first tray 49 may be damaged by the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402. On the contrary, as described above, by making the parallel shaft 432 and the engagement hole 434 relatively movable within a predetermined range in the rotational direction, even if the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 contact the sheet, the parallel shaft 432 moves within the engagement hole 434, and the amount of movement of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 as described above can be absorbed. As a result, it is possible to suppress damage to the sheet on the first tray 49.

[0080] The paddle 275 is rotatably supported at the tip of the paddle arm 276. The paddle arm 276 is rotatably supported with respect to the swing shaft 405. Therefore, the paddle arm 276 does not swing only by the rotation of the swing shaft 405. For this reason, the sheet loading device 400 has a paddle lifting mechanism 440. The paddle lifting mechanism 440 transmits the drive of the paddle lifting and lowering motor MT22 to swing the paddle arm 276 around the swing shaft 405. The drive is transmitted from the drive gear 441 of the paddle lifting and lowering motor MT22 to the gear 442, the pulley 443 that rotates integrally with the gear 442, the pulley 444 that is rotatably supported by the swing shaft 405 and fixed to the paddle arm 276, and the belt 445 that is wound around the pulley 443 and the pulley 444. The driving force of the paddle lifting and lowering motor MT22 is transmitted to the paddle arm 276 via the drive gear 441, the gear 442, the pulley 443, the belt 445, and the pulley 444. When the paddle arm 276 swings around the swing shaft 405, the paddle 275 supported at the tip of the paddle arm 276 moves in the vertical direction between the above-described conveyance position and the retracted position.

[0081] This paddle 275 is rotationally driven by a discharge roller 1 motor MT6 (not shown in FIGS. 8 to 11) via a paddle drive mechanism 450. That is, in the present embodiment, the drive sources of the upper conveyance roller 41 and the paddle 275 are common. Therefore, while the upper conveyance roller 41 is rotationally driven, the paddle 275 is also rotating. Note that the rotational drive of the paddle 275 may be performed by a single motor. The paddle drive mechanism 450 transmits the drive of the discharge roller 1 motor MT6 to rotate the paddle 275, and includes a first transmission portion 451 to which the drive is transmitted from the drive shaft of the discharge roller 1 motor MT6, a transmission shaft 452 to which the drive is transmitted from the first transmission portion 451, a second transmission portion 453 to which the drive is transmitted from the transmission shaft 452, and a third transmission portion 454 that transmits the drive transmitted to the second transmission portion 453 to the paddle 275.

[0082] The first transmission portion 451, the second transmission portion 453, and the third transmission portion 454 are each composed of various power transmission members such as gears, pulleys, and belts. The first transmission portion 451 is disposed on the rear side of the swing shaft 405 in the width direction, and the second transmission portion 453 and the third transmission portion 454 are disposed between the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction. The transmission shaft 452 is disposed above the swing shaft 405 and parallel to the swing shaft 405, and connects the first transmission portion 451 and the second transmission portion 453 so that drive can be transmitted therebetween. An output pulley 453a that outputs the drive input to the second transmission portion 453 and an input pulley 454a to which the drive is input to the third transmission portion 454 are integrated, and a belt 454c is stretched between the input pulley 454a of the third transmission portion 454 and a pulley 454b fixed to the rotation shaft of the paddle 275. The output pulley 453a and the input pulley 454a are supported so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the swing shaft 405. With this configuration, the driving force of the discharge roller 1 motor MT6 input to the first transmission portion 451 from the rear side is transmitted to the paddle 275 via the transmission shaft 452, the second transmission portion 453, and the third transmission portion 454, and the paddle 275 rotates.

[0083] As described above, the front alignment plate 401 moves in the width direction by the front side moving mechanism 410, and the rear alignment plate 402 moves in the width direction by the rear side moving mechanism 420. Further, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are supported so as to be movable in the width direction with respect to the swing axis 405 via the pair of swing arms 403 and 404. The configurations of the front side moving mechanism 410 and the rear side moving mechanism 420 are the same. The front side moving mechanism 410 includes a gear 412 to which the drive of the drive gear 411 of the jogger 1 moving motor MT20 is transmitted, a pulley 413 that rotates integrally with the gear 412, a pair of pulleys 414 disposed outside the width direction movement range of the alignment plate 401 in a direction parallel to the swing axis 405, a belt 415 wound around the pulley 413 and the pair of pulleys 414, and a tension pulley 416 that applies tension to the belt 415. Among the belt 415, the portion wound around the pair of pulleys 414 is parallel to the swing axis 405, and a slide member 435 is fixed to a part of the portion of the belt 415 parallel to the swing axis 405. The slide member 435 is movable in the width direction together with the swing arm 403, but is connected to the swing arm 403 so as to be relatively rotatable so as not to rotate even when the swing arm 403 rotates about the swing axis 405. For this reason, the portion of the belt 415 parallel to the swing axis 405 moves parallel to the swing axis 405 by the rotational drive of the jogger 1 moving motor MT20, and the swing arm 403 fixed to this portion moves in the width direction along the swing axis 405. Since the alignment plate 401 is supported by the swing arm 403, the alignment plate 401 moves in the width direction together with the swing arm 403.

[0084] Similarly, the rear movement mechanism 420 includes a gear 422 to which the drive of the drive gear 421 of the jogger 2 movement motor MT21 is transmitted, a pulley 423 that rotates integrally with the gear 422, a pair of pulleys 424 disposed outside the movement range in the width direction of the alignment plate 402 with respect to the direction parallel to the swing shaft 405, a belt 425 wound around the pulley 423 and the pair of pulleys 424, and a tension pulley 426 that applies tension to the belt 425. Among the belt 425, the portion wound around the pair of pulleys 424 is parallel to the swing shaft 405, and a slide member 435 is fixed to a part of the portion of the belt 425 parallel to the swing shaft 405. The slide member 435 is movable in the width direction together with the swing arm 404, and is connected to the swing arm 404 so as to be relatively rotatable so that it does not rotate even when the swing arm 404 rotates about the swing shaft 405. For this reason, the portion of the belt 425 parallel to the swing shaft 405 moves parallel to the swing shaft 405 by the rotational drive of the jogger 2 movement motor MT21, and the swing arm 404 fixed to this portion moves in the width direction along the swing shaft 405. Since the alignment plate 402 is supported by the swing arm 404, the alignment plate 402 moves in the width direction together with the swing arm 404.

[0085] With such a configuration, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 can move independently in the width direction by the drive of the jogger 1 movement motor MT20 and the jogger 2 movement motor MT21. Note that the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 may be moved in the width direction synchronously by one motor. Further, the parallel shafts 432 for moving the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the vertical direction are arranged parallel to the swing shaft 405, and the engagement holes 434 provided in the swing arms 403 and 404 are through holes through which the parallel shafts 432 are inserted. For this reason, when the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 move, the engagement holes 434 engage with the parallel shafts 432 while allowing the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 to move in the width direction. Further, since the engagement holes 434 and the parallel shafts 432 are engaged regardless of the positions of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 can move in the vertical direction at any position in the width direction.

[0086] [Regarding the sensors around the integration board] Next, using FIGS. 10 and 11, the jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6, jogger 1HP detection sensor SN7, jogger 2HP detection sensor SN8, and paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9 for detecting the positions in the width direction and lift direction of the integration boards 401 and 402 and the position in the lift direction of the paddle 275 will be described. Each of these sensors is a photointerrupter including a light emitting part and a light receiving part that faces the light emitting part and receives the light emitted from the light emitting part. When a flag enters between the light emitting part and the light receiving part and blocks the light from the light emitting part, it turns ON.

[0087] First, a flag 406 is fixed to the swing shaft 405 or the pulley 431b. Also, a jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6 is provided at the position where the flag 406 passes. When the jogger lift motor MT19 is rotationally driven to raise and lower the pair of integration boards 401 and 402, this driving force is transmitted to the swing shaft 405 via the integration board lift mechanism 430, and the flag 406 also rotates together with the swing shaft 405. FIG. 10 shows a state where the pair of integration boards 401 and 402 are in the home position, that is, the second position in the lift direction. In this state, the flag 406 does not enter the jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6, and the sensor is in the OFF state. The stacker control unit 330 determines in this state that the pair of integration boards 401 and 402 are in the home position with respect to the lift direction.

[0088] Then, when the pair of integration boards 401 and 402 start to descend from the second position, the flag 406 enters the jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6, and the sensor becomes ON. Further, even when the pair of integration boards 401 and 402 descend and reach the first position shown in FIG. 11, the flag 406 remains in the state of entering the jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6. The stacker control unit 330 determines that the pair of integration boards 401 and 402 are in the first position, for example, by driving the jogger lift motor MT19 for a predetermined number of pulses or a predetermined time after the flag 406 enters the jogger lift HP detection sensor SN6.

[0089] Next, among the belts 415 for moving the front alignment plate 401 in the width direction, a flag 417 is fixed to a slide member 435 fixed to a portion wound around a pair of pulleys 414, and a flag 427 is fixed to a slide member 435 fixed to a portion wound around a pair of pulleys 424 among the belts 425 for moving the rear alignment plate 402 in the width direction. Also, jogger 1 HP detection sensors SN7 and jogger 2 HP detection sensors SN8 are provided at positions where the flags 417 and 427 pass, respectively. When the jogger 1 moving motor MT20 is rotationally driven to move the front alignment plate 401 in the width direction, this driving force is transmitted to the swing arm 403 via the front side moving mechanism 410. At this time, since a portion of the belt 415 of the front side moving mechanism 410 wound around a pair of pulleys 414 moves in the width direction, the flag 417 fixed to this portion moves in the width direction together with the front side swing arm 403 and the alignment plate 401. Similarly, the rear flag 427 moves in the width direction together with the rear swing arm 404 and the alignment plate 402.

[0090] FIG. 10 shows a state where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the home position also in the width direction. In this state, the flags 417 and 427 have entered the jogger 1 HP detection sensor SN7 and the jogger 2 HP detection sensor SN8, respectively, and the sensors are in the ON state. The stacker control unit 330 determines in this state that the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the home position in the width direction. Then, when the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 move outward in the width direction from the home position, the flags 417 and 427 come out of the jogger 1 HP detection sensor SN7 and the jogger 2 HP detection sensor SN8, respectively, and the sensors become OFF. The stacker control unit 330 controls the positions of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction, for example, by counting the number of pulses of the jogger 1 moving motor MT20 and the jogger 2 moving motor MT21 when the jogger 1 HP detection sensor SN7 and the jogger 2 HP detection sensor SN8 are in the OFF state.

[0091] Next, a flag 277 is provided on a portion that is rotatably supported on the swing axis 405 of the paddle arm 276. Further, a paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9 is provided at a position where the flag 277 passes. When the paddle lift motor MT22 is rotationally driven to raise and lower the paddle 275, this driving force is transmitted to the paddle arm 276 via the paddle lift mechanism 440, and the flag 277 swings about the swing axis 405 together with the paddle arm 276. FIG. 10 shows a state where the paddle 275 is in the home position, that is, the retracted position. In this state, the flag 277 enters the paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9, and the sensor is in the ON state. The stacker control unit 330 determines in this state that the paddle 275 is in the home position.

[0092] Then, when the paddle 275 starts to descend from the retracted position, the flag 277 exits from the paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9, and the sensor becomes the OFF state. Further, while the sensor remains in the OFF state, the paddle 275 descends and reaches the conveyance position shown in FIG. 11. The stacker control unit 330 determines that the paddle 275 is located at the conveyance position, for example, by driving the paddle lift motor MT22 for a predetermined number of pulses or a predetermined time after the flag 277 exits from the paddle lift HP detection sensor SN9.

[0093] [Interlocking mechanism] Next, a linkage mechanism 460 that changes the angles of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in conjunction with the swinging of the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. The pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 about a rotation axis 465, and extend upstream in the discharge direction from the rotation axis 465. In the present embodiment, the linkage mechanism 460 rotates the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 with respect to the rotation axis 465 in conjunction with the swinging of the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 so that the angles of the alignment plates 401 and 402 with respect to the horizontal direction in the extending direction are substantially constant regardless of the positions in the swinging direction of the pair of swing arms 403 and 404.

[0094] Figures 19(a) and (b) described below show a state in which a pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the first position in the vertical direction and in the alignment position in the width direction. Here, as shown in Fig. 19(a), a line connecting the center P1 of the swing axis 405 and the center P2 of the rotation axis 465 is defined as the first virtual line α1, and a line connecting the center P2 of the rotation axis 465 and the upstream end of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the discharge direction, and the position P3 of the upper ends of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 in the aligned state is defined as the second virtual line α2. In this case, in the present embodiment, the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 is made smaller at the second position than at the first position. Note that the first position is a position where the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 can align the uppermost sheet in the vertical direction, and the second position is above the first position in the vertical direction and does not interfere with the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 42. The second position is the same as the home position shown in Fig. 6 in the vertical direction. Also, as shown in Fig. 19(a), in the present embodiment, the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 is an acute angle at the first position.

[0095] As described above, the swing arms 403 and 404 swing vertically about the swing axis 405 via the alignment plate lifting mechanism 430 by the jogger lifting motor MT19. The interlocking mechanism 460 changes the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 in conjunction with the swinging motion of the swing arms 403 and 404 about the swing axis 405. The interlocking mechanism 460 will be described in detail below. Note that the interlocking mechanism 460 is disposed inside the swing arms 403 and 404, respectively, and rotates the alignment plates 401 and 402 relative to the tip portions of the swing arms 403 and 404 in conjunction with the swinging motion of the swing arms 403 and 404. Since the configurations of the interlocking mechanism 460 for rotating the alignment plates 401 and 402 are the same, Figs. 12 and 13 will representatively describe the interlocking mechanism 460 for rotating the alignment plate 402 in conjunction with the swinging motion of the swing arm 404.

[0096] The interlocking mechanism 460 includes a toothed pulley 461 as a first toothed pulley, a toothed pulley 462 as a second toothed pulley, and a toothed belt 463. The toothed pulley 461 is rotatably supported with respect to the swing shaft 405, and the phase in the rotational direction about the swing shaft 405 does not change regardless of the swinging operation of the swing arm 404. In the present embodiment, the toothed pulley 461 is fixed to the slide member 435. The toothed pulley 462 is fixed to the alignment plate 402 and can rotate together with the alignment plate 402 about the rotation shaft 465. The toothed belt 463 is stretched between the toothed pulley 461 and the toothed pulley 462. The toothed pulleys 461 and 462 each have a plurality of teeth formed on their outer peripheral surfaces. The toothed belt 463 has a plurality of teeth formed on its inner peripheral surface that mesh with the plurality of teeth formed on the toothed pulleys 461 and 462, respectively.

[0097] Also, in the present embodiment, it has a spring 464 as a tension applying portion for applying tension to the toothed belt 463. The spring 464 connects the first portion 463a and the second portion 463b of the toothed belt 463 in a state where the portion between the first portion 463a and the second portion 463b is bent. That is, in a state where the toothed belt 463 between the first portion 463a and the second portion 463b is bent, one end portion of the spring 464 is fixed to the first portion 463a by the fixing portion 464a, and the other end portion of the spring 464 is fixed to the second portion 463b by the fixing portion 464b. Thereby, the tensile force of the spring 464 acts between the first portion 463a and the second portion 463b, and tension can be applied to the toothed belt 463.

[0098] Here, when no tension is applied to the toothed belt 463, there is a risk that the toothed belt 463 may be over-tensioned or slack due to the tolerances of the toothed pulleys 461, 462 and the toothed belt 463. If the toothed belt 463 is over-tensioned, it will become a load for the oscillation of the swing arm 404. On the other hand, if the toothed belt 463 is slack, proper positioning of the rotation position around the rotation shaft 465 of the alignment plate 402 cannot be achieved. In other words, the alignment plate 402 cannot be set in an appropriate posture. In particular, the posture of the alignment plate 402 is determined in a state where the lower portion of the toothed belt 463 stretched by the toothed pulleys 461, 462 is stretched. For this reason, when the lower portion of the toothed belt 463 bends, the upstream end of the alignment plate 402 will be in a posture where it has dropped relative to the desired posture. In order to apply tension to the toothed belt 463, for example, a tensioner that biases a part of the toothed belt 463 outward or inward may be provided, but in this case, the device will become larger. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, by bending a part of the toothed belt 463 and providing the spring 464, tension is applied to the toothed belt 463.

[0099] FIG. 12 shows a state where the alignment plate 402 is located at the home position (second position). When the jogging lift motor MT19 is driven to lower the alignment plate 402 from this state, the swing arm 404 swings downward via the alignment plate lift mechanism 430. At this time, the toothed pulley 461 fixed to the slide member 435 does not rotate, and the phase in the rotation direction is maintained. On the other hand, the toothed pulley 462 rotatably supported by the rotation shaft 465 provided at the tip of the swing arm 404 rotates via the toothed belt 463 spanned between the toothed pulley 461 and the toothed pulley 462 as the tip of the swing arm 404 drops and the vertical position relative to the toothed pulley 461 changes.

[0100] As described above, since the toothed pulley 462 is fixed to the alignment plate 402, the alignment plate 402 also rotates about the rotation axis 465 together with the toothed pulley 462 due to the downward swing of the swing arm 404. That is, the position where the plurality of teeth on the inner peripheral surface of the toothed belt 463 mesh with the plurality of teeth on the outer peripheral surface of the toothed pulley 461 changes, and the toothed belt 463 rotates in the direction of arrow 463c in FIG. 12. As a result, the toothed pulley 462 rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow 465a) when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotation axis 465 from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. 12. As a result, the alignment plate 402 descends to the first position shown in FIG. 13 while generally maintaining its posture, that is, the angle of the second virtual line α2 with respect to the horizontal direction. When raising the alignment plate 402 from the first position to the second position, the toothed belt 463 and the toothed pulley 462 rotate in the reverse direction to the above, thereby generally maintaining the posture of the alignment plate 402.

[0101] Note that although the number of teeth of the toothed pulleys 461 and 462 is the same, they may be different. Thereby, the ratio of the angle (the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2) between the alignment plate 402 and the swing arm 404 with respect to the swing amount of the swing arm 404 can be changed. For example, when the number of teeth of the toothed pulley 462 is reduced with respect to the number of teeth of the toothed pulley 461, the amount of change in the angle θ with respect to the swing amount of the swing arm 404 increases, and when the number of teeth of the toothed pulley 462 is increased with respect to the number of teeth of the toothed pulley 461, the amount of change in the angle θ with respect to the swing amount of the swing arm 404 decreases.

[0102] In this embodiment, the alignment plate 402 is movable between the first position and the second position while generally maintaining the posture of the alignment plate 402 by the interlocking mechanism 460 in this way. Therefore, although it will be described in detail later, the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 is smaller at the second position shown in FIGS. 8, 10, and 12 than at the first position shown in FIGS. 9, 11, and 13. That is, in this embodiment, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are movable between the first position and the second position while generally maintaining a posture extending upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation axis 465 with respect to the pair of swing arms 403 and 404.

[0103] For example, when a pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are extended downstream of the discharge direction from the rotation shaft 465 and the angles of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 with respect to the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 are the same in the first position and the second position, when the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are raised to the second position, the alignment plates 401 and 402 protrude above the swing arms 403 and 404. In this case, in order to secure the space for the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the second position, a large space is required above the first tray 49. For this reason, the second tray 71 above the first tray 49 cannot be sufficiently lowered, and the sheet loading amount of the second tray 71 is reduced.

[0104] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are movable between the first position and the second position while generally maintaining a posture extended upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation shaft 465 with respect to the pair of swing arms 403 and 404. For this reason, even when the alignment plates 401 and 402 move to the second position, the alignment plates 401 and 402 do not protrude into the space above the swing arms 403 and 404, or even if they protrude, the protrusion amount is small. For this reason, it becomes easy to secure the lowering amount of the second tray 71 above the first tray 49, and the sheet loading amount of the second tray 71 can be secured.

[0105] In the above example, the interlocking mechanism 460 is constituted by a toothed pulley and a toothed belt, but these may be constituted by a plurality of gears. That is, the interlocking mechanism 460 may be configured to rotate the alignment plates 401 and 402 about the rotation shaft 465 in conjunction with the swinging operation of the swing arms 403 and 404 so that the postures of the alignment plates 401 and 402 are maintained even when the swing arms 403 and 404 swing in the vertical direction. When the interlocking mechanism is constituted by a pulley and a belt without teeth, it is difficult to move the alignment plates 401 and 402 vertically while maintaining their postures due to the slippage of the pulley and the belt. For this reason, the interlocking mechanism 460 is preferably constituted by a toothed pulley and a belt as in the present embodiment, or by a plurality of gears that mesh with each other.

[0106] [Shift Discharge Mode] Here, a shift discharge mode will be described in which the sheet is moved (shifted) in the width direction and discharged onto the first tray 49 without performing the binding process to form a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of unbound sheets. In the shift discharge mode, for example, as shown in FIG. 30(b), a plurality of unbound sheet bundles are discharged onto the first tray 49 while being shifted from each other in the width direction. An example of such a shift discharge mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 14(a) to 22(b).

[0107] The stacker control unit 330 is capable of executing the shift discharge mode. When the shift discharge mode is executed, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 operate as follows. First, a case will be described in which a job is executed to shift a first sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets stacked on the first tray 49 to one side in the width direction and stack the second sheet bundle on the first tray 49. In this case, after the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 align the first sheet bundle stacked on the first tray 49 at the first position, they rise from the first position to the second position. Next, after the leading edge of the first sheet of the second sheet bundle following the first sheet bundle is discharged from the discharge roller pair 42, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 descend from the second position to the first position while being shifted to one side from the position where the first sheet bundle was aligned, and align the sheets included in the second sheet bundle.

[0108] The discharging operation of the first sheet S11 of the first sheet stack will be sequentially described below. Here, a case will be described in which the first sheet stack is shifted to the front side and loaded onto the first tray 49, and then the next second sheet stack is shifted to the rear side and loaded onto the first sheet stack. As shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), the sheet S11 conveyed through the straight path 28 passes through the first conveying roller 201, and the position of the edge (side edge) in the width direction of the sheet S11 is detected by the registration detection sensor SN2. At this time, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are positioned at the sheet receiving position in the shift discharging mode from the home position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. That is, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 move from the second position to the first position in the vertical direction, and in the width direction, they are positions separated by 5 mm from the width direction end (side edge) of the sheet at the position (reference position) where the sheet S11 is loaded onto the first tray 49. In FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), the alignment plates 401 and 402 are shifted to the front side with respect to the positions when the alignment plates discharge the sheet with the center in the width direction as a reference.

[0109] At this time, the pair of alignment plates 270 as shift members for aligning and shifting the sheets on the processing tray 37 also shift to the front side with respect to the position with the center in the width direction as a reference. That is, the pair of alignment plates 270 are positioned at the first width direction position when the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are positioned at the first receiving position where the sheets are received at a predetermined position on the first tray 49. Further, the pair of alignment plates 270 are positioned at the second width direction position shifted to one side (here, the front side) in the width direction from the first width direction position when the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are positioned at the second receiving position where the sheets are received at a position shifted to one side (here, the front side) in the width direction from a predetermined position on the first tray 49.

[0110] Here, the pair of alignment plates 270 has a guide surface as a guide portion on the shift member side for guiding a sheet that is conveyed toward the discharge roller pair 42 without being placed on the processing tray 37. The guide surfaces 270a are respectively formed on the upper surfaces of the pair of alignment plates 270 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the pre-processing roller 36, and guide the sheet that has passed through the pre-processing roller 36 to the discharge roller pair 42. Also, in the states of FIGS. 14(a) and (b), the paddle 275 remains in the home position.

[0111] Note that the front side is the lower side in FIG. 14(b), the rear side is the upper side in FIG. 14(b), and FIG. 14(a) is a cross-sectional view seen from the front side. The same applies to FIGS. 15(a) to 22(b). Also, discharging the sheet based on the center in the width direction means, for example, discharging the sheet in a state where the center in the width direction of the straight path 28 and the center in the width direction of the sheet substantially coincide, and discharging the sheet without shifting the sheet by the second conveyance roller 202 and the third conveyance roller 203.

[0112] Next, as shown in FIGS. 15(a) and (b), the stacker control unit 330 shifts the sheet S11 to the front side by the second conveyance roller 202 and the third conveyance roller 203 based on the detection result of the registration detection sensor SN2. Then, the sheet S11 shifted to the front side is delivered to the pre-processing roller 36 and further conveyed from the pre-processing roller 36 toward the discharge roller pair 42. At this time, the lower surface of the sheet S11 heading toward the discharge roller pair 42 is supported by the guide surfaces 270a formed on the upper surfaces of the pair of alignment plates 270 on the processing tray 37 shifted to the front side as described above. Then, the sheet S11 is discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 while being supported by the guide surfaces 270a. In this way, since the sheet S11 is discharged while being supported by the guide surfaces 270a, the sheet S11 is discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 in a state where it is given firmness by the guide surfaces 270a.

[0113] Next, as shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), when the rear end (the upstream end in the conveyance direction) of the sheet S11 passes through the discharge roller pair 42, the paddle 275 is lowered to the conveyance position, and the sheet S11 is conveyed upstream in the discharge direction while being dropped onto the first tray 49 by the paddle 275. That is, the paddle 275 scrapes in the sheet S11 and abuts the rear end of the sheet S11 against the abutting member 271. At this time, the second sheet S12 of the first sheet bundle is conveyed to the pre-processing roller 36 in a state where it has been shifted to the front side, and the third sheet S13 has reached the first conveyance roller 201.

[0114] Next, as shown in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b), the sheets S11 are aligned by the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402. At this time, since the sheet S11 is shifted to the front side, the front alignment plate 401 is moved 10 mm to the rear side without moving the rear alignment plate 402. In this state, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the alignment position. Here, since the receiving positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 are positions separated by 5 mm from the positions of the widthwise ends of the sheet at the reference position (the position determined in terms of control) at the time of shift discharge, the front alignment plate 401 is moved 10 mm to the rear side. Note that the positions of the widthwise ends of the sheet at the reference position differ depending on the size of the sheet.

[0115] Also, during the alignment of the sheet S11, the paddle 275 is raised to the retracted position. The timing of raising the paddle 275 is before the alignment plate 401 reaches the alignment position. In the present embodiment, the alignment plate 401 reaches the alignment position after the paddle 275 has been separated from the upper surface of the sheet. The timing of starting the raising of the paddle 275 from the conveyance position and the timing of starting the movement of either or both of the alignment plates 401 and 402 from the receiving position to the alignment position are after a predetermined time has elapsed since the rear end of the sheet has passed through the sheet end detection sensor SN3.

[0116] During the alignment of the first sheet S11 by the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402, the second sheet S12 starts to be discharged from the discharge roller pair 42. At this time, the second sheet S12 may be discharged while being displaced in the width direction with respect to the sheet S11 being aligned. For example, in FIG. 17(b), the sheet S12 is discharged with a slight shift to the front side with respect to the sheet S11. Therefore, the sheet S12 discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 is guided above the alignment surface 4001 by the guide surface 4002 of the front alignment plate 401. In FIG. 17(a), the rear alignment plate 402 is shown, and the sheet S12 appears to be placed on the rear alignment plate 402, but as shown in FIG. 17(b), the sheet S12 is not placed on the rear alignment plate 402. Also, with the second sheet S12 being discharged, the third sheet S13 is shifted to the front side by the second conveying roller 202 and the third conveying roller 203.

[0117] In the apparatus of this embodiment, the tolerance of the shift amount due to the tolerance of the shift amount by the second conveying roller 202 and the third conveying roller 203 is 5 mm. The front alignment plate 401 during alignment has moved 10 mm to the rear side from the receiving position of the sheet S1, and the alignment plate 401 at the receiving position is at a position 5 mm away from the widthwise end of the sheet at the reference position to the front side. Therefore, the position of the front alignment plate 401 at the alignment position is at a position shifted 5 mm to the rear side from the widthwise end of the sheet at the reference position. Thus, when the sheet is shifted 5 mm to the front side, which is the maximum amount of the tolerance, from the widthwise end of the sheet at the reference position by the second conveying roller 202 and the third conveying roller 203 and the sheet is discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 in this state, this sheet may be discharged with a maximum shift of 10 mm to the front side with respect to the alignment surface 4001 of the front alignment plate 401.

[0118] Therefore, in this embodiment, the thickness in the width direction of the guide surface 4002 is set to 10 mm or more, for example, 11 mm. Thereby, even if the second sheet S12 is displaced by 5 mm, which is the tolerance of the shift amount by the second conveying roller 202 and the third conveying roller 203, and is discharged from the discharge roller pair 42, the sheet S12 can be guided by the guide surface 4002.

[0119] Next, as shown in FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b), when the alignment operation of the sheet S11 is completed, the front alignment plate 401 is moved from the alignment position to the sheet receiving position. Specifically, the alignment plate 401 is moved 10 mm to the front side from the alignment position. At this time, the rear alignment plate 402 does not move. At this time, the second sheet S12 can fall onto the first sheet S11, being displaced from the guide surface 4002 of the front alignment plate 401. Then, when the rear end of the second sheet S12 passes through the discharge roller pair 42, the paddle 275 is lowered to the conveying position, and the paddle 275 scrapes the sheet S12 while dropping it toward the abutting member 271. Further, similar to when aligning the first sheet S11, the front alignment plate 401 is moved to the alignment position to align the sheet S12.

[0120] The above operation is performed on the subsequent sheets included in the first sheet bundle, and as shown in FIGS. 19(a) and 19(b), the first sheet bundle is stacked on the first tray 49. Here, the first sheet S21 of the second sheet bundle is continuously conveyed following the first sheet bundle, but the second sheet bundle is stacked with a shift to the rear side with respect to the first sheet bundle. For this reason, the positions in the width direction of the alignment plates 401 and 402 for aligning the second sheet bundle are different from the positions for aligning the first sheet bundle. Therefore, in this embodiment, before performing the discharge operation of the second sheet bundle, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 is raised. That is, the stacker control unit 330 raises the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 from the first position to the second position by the jogging lift motor MT19 before discharging the next sheet from the discharge roller pair 42 with a shift to one side in the width direction (here, the rear side) with respect to the first sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets stacked on the first tray 49.

[0121] Since the distance between the last sheet of the first stack of sheets and the first sheet S21 of the second stack of sheets is the same as the distance between the plurality of sheets in the first stack of sheets, if the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are raised as described above before the discharging operation of the second stack of sheets, the discharging operation of the first sheet S21 will not be in time, and there is a risk that the sheet S21 will come into contact with the alignment plates 401 and 402. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 19(a) and 19(b), the sheet S21 is temporarily made to wait in the buffer path 39 branched from between the second conveying roller 202 and the third conveying roller 203. And the timing of discharging the first sheet S21 of the second stack of sheets by the discharge roller pair 42 is delayed.

[0122] That is, when the stacker control unit 330 stacks the second stack of sheets including the first sheet S21 (the first sheet) and the second sheet S22 (the second sheet) on the first tray 49 with the first stack of sheets loaded on the first tray 49 shifted to one side (here, the rear side) in the width direction, the sheet S21 is temporarily made to wait in the buffer path 39. Then, the third conveying roller 203 and the pre-processing roller 36 as the buffer conveying unit convey the sheet S22 together with the sheet S21 toward the discharge roller pair 42. Specifically, the sheet S21 waiting in the buffer path 39 is conveyed by the conveying roller 208 toward the straight path 28 and merged with the next sheet S22 being conveyed in the straight path 28. Then, the third conveying roller 203 and the pre-processing roller 36 convey the sheet S21 and the sheet S22 in a stacked state toward the discharge roller pair 42.

[0123] In this embodiment, the conveyance roller 208 is also a shift roller capable of moving the sheet in the width direction. Therefore, with the first sheet S21 nipped between the third conveyance roller 203 and the conveyance roller 208, the sheet S21 can be shifted to the front side and the rear side. For this reason, while the third conveyance roller 203 nips the sheets S21 and S22, with the sheet S21 nipped by the conveyance roller 208 and the sheet S22 nipped by the second conveyance roller 202, by moving the second conveyance roller 202, the third conveyance roller 203, and the conveyance roller 203 in the same direction, it is possible to shift the sheets S21 and S22 in a state where they are overlapped. In FIGS. 19(a) and (b), the sheets S21 and S22 are shifted to the rear side in an overlapped state.

[0124] As shown in FIGS. 20(a) and (b), before the first and second sheets S21 and S22 of the second sheet bundle are discharged from the discharge roller pair 42, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are raised to the second position. As described above, in this embodiment, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms 403 and 404 about the rotation axis 465 and extend upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation axis 465. And in such a configuration, the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 is made smaller at the second position shown in FIG. 20(a) than at the first position shown in FIG. 19(a). That is, when the swing arms 403 and 404 are swung upward to move the alignment plates 401 and 402 to the second position, the angles of the alignment plates 401 and 402 with respect to the swing arms 403 and 404 change so that the alignment plates 401 and 402 and the swing arms 403 and 404 are folded.

[0125] Here, when the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 is the same at the first position and the second position, unless the swing amounts of the swing arms 403 and 404 are increased, the alignment plates 401 and 402 will not move far enough away from the first position, so it will take a long time for the alignment plates 401 and 402 to reach the second position. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 is made smaller at the second position than at the first position. Therefore, even if the amount by which the swing arms 403 and 404 swing upward is small, the alignment plates 401 and 402 can be moved to a position far enough away from the first position. Accordingly, the swing amount of the swing arms 403 and 404 until the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved from the first position to the second position can be reduced, and the time taken for the alignment plates 401 and 402 to rise to the second position can be shortened.

[0126] Also, in the present embodiment, as described above, the angle θ formed by the first virtual line α1 and the second virtual line α2 at the first position is an acute angle. For this reason, the amount of change in the angle θ when moving from the first position to the second position can be reduced. That is, the swing amount of the swing arms 403 and 404 to the second position can be reduced. As a result, the time taken for the alignment plates 401 and 402 to rise to the second position can be made even shorter. In order to make the angle θ an acute angle, it is preferable to make the lengths of the swing arms 403 and 404 sufficiently long, that is, to increase the distance between the swing shaft 405 and the rotation shaft 465. For this purpose, it is preferable to bring the position of the swing shaft 405 regarding the discharge direction as close as possible to the discharge roller pair 42. Thereby, even if the angle θ is small, it becomes possible to position the alignment plates 401 and 402 at the first position.

[0127] If the alignment plates 401 and 402 can be raised from the first position to the second position in a short time, by only temporarily waiting for the first sheet S21 of the second sheet bundle, the raising operation of the alignment plates 401 and 402 to the second position can be made in time before the discharging operation of this first sheet S21. That is, if the alignment plates 401 and 402 cannot be raised from the first position to the second position in a short time, for example, there is a possibility that the conveyance of the first sheet S21 of the second sheet bundle needs to be stopped, and the conveyance of the sheet S21 cannot be started until waiting for the alignment plates 401 and 402 to rise to the second position. In this case, the productivity in the shift discharge mode will decrease. On the contrary, in this embodiment, since the alignment plates 401 and 402 can be raised from the first position to the second position in a short time, the productivity can be improved.

[0128] Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 20(a) and (b), after raising the alignment plates 401 and 402 to the second position, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved to the rear side. That is, since the second sheet bundle is shifted to the rear side and discharged, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved to the rear side accordingly. If the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved to the rear side at the first position, the stacking property of the already stacked first sheet bundle will be disturbed, so the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved to the rear side after being raised to the second position. Note that even if the second position has not been reached, if the alignment plates 401 and 402 are separated from the topmost sheet of the already stacked first sheet bundle, the alignment plates 401 and 402 may be moved to the rear side during the raising.

[0129] Next, as shown in FIGS. 21(a) and (b), when the rear ends of the sheets S21 and S22 pass through the discharge roller pair 42, the paddle 275 is lowered to the conveyance position, and the sheets S21 and S22 are scraped toward the abutting member 271 while being dropped by the paddle 275. At this time, the third sheet S23 of the second sheet bundle is conveyed to the pre-processing roller 36 in a state of being shifted to the rear side.

[0130] Next, as shown in FIGS. 22(a) and (b), the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are used to align the sheets S21 and S22. At this time, since the sheets S21 and S22 are shifted toward the rear side, without moving the front alignment plate 401, the rear alignment plate 402 is moved 10 mm toward the front side. In this state, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the aligned positions. Also, during the alignment of the sheets S21 and S22, the paddle 275 is raised to the retracted position.

[0131] During the alignment of the first and second sheets S21 and S22 by the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402, the third sheet S23 starts to be discharged from the pair of discharge rollers 42. Also in this case, similar to the case described with reference to FIGS. 17(a) and (b), when the sheet S23 is discharged with a slight shift toward the rear side with respect to the sheets S21 and S22, the sheet S23 is guided above the alignment surface 4001 by the guide surface 4002 of the rear alignment plate 402. When the alignment operation of the sheets S21 and S22 is completed, the rear alignment plate 402 is moved from the aligned position to the sheet receiving position, and further, the paddle 275 is lowered to the conveying position to scrape the third sheet S23 while dropping it toward the abutting member 271. Further, similar to the alignment of the sheets S21 and S22, the rear alignment plate 402 is moved to the aligned position to align the sheet S23. Such operations are performed until the last sheet of the second sheet bundle. During the discharge of the last sheet, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are returned to the receiving position, and when the rear end of the last sheet passes through the pair of discharge rollers 42, the rear alignment plate 402 is moved toward the front side to align the last sheet, and the job is terminated. At the end of the job, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are returned to the home position. The positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 at the end of the job will be described later.

[0132] [Straight Discharge Mode] Next, a straight discharge mode will be described in which the sheets are discharged onto the first tray 49 without shifting the sheets and without performing a binding process, thereby forming a stack of sheets consisting of a plurality of unbound sheets. In the straight discharge mode, for example, as shown in Fig. 30(a), a plurality of unbound sheet stacks are discharged onto the first tray 49 without shifting. An example of such a straight discharge mode will be described with reference to Figs. 23(a) to 27(b). Note that the basic operations of each part are the same as those in the above-described shift discharge mode, but differ from the shift discharge mode in that the sheets are discharged without being shifted. However, even in the straight discharge mode, a shifting operation may be performed to align the center position in the width direction of the sheet with the center position in the width direction of the straight path 28.

[0133] The stacker control unit 330 is capable of executing the straight discharge mode, and when the straight discharge mode is executed, the pair of alignment plates 401, 402 operate as follows. First, as shown in Figs. 23(a) and (b), the sheet S1 conveyed to the straight path 28 passes through the first conveying roller 201, and the position of the edge (side edge) in the width direction of the sheet S1 is detected by the registration detection sensor SN2. At this time, the pair of alignment plates 401, 402 are positioned at the sheet receiving position in the straight discharge mode from the home position shown in Figs. 6 and 7. That is, the pair of alignment plates 401, 402 move from the second position to the first position in the vertical direction, and in the width direction, they are positioned 5 mm away from the end (side edge) in the width direction of the sheet at the position (reference position) where the sheet S1 is stacked on the first tray 49. In Figs. 23(a) and (b), the alignment plates 401, 402 are in the position where the sheets are discharged with the width direction center as a reference.

[0134] Next, as shown in FIGS. 24(a) and (b), based on the detection result of the registration detection sensor SN2, the stacker control unit 330 aligns the center position in the width direction of the sheet S1 and the center position in the width direction of the straight path 28 by the second conveyance roller 202 and the third conveyance roller 203. The center position in the width direction of the straight path 28 is the same as the center position in the width direction of the discharge roller pair 42 and the center position in the width direction of the first tray 49. Then, the sheet S1 is delivered to the pre-processing roller 36 and further conveyed from the pre-processing roller 36 toward the discharge roller pair 42. At this time, the lower surface of the sheet S1 heading toward the discharge roller pair 42 is supported by the guide surface 270a formed on the upper surfaces of the pair of alignment plates 270 on the processing tray 37. Then, the sheet S1 is discharged from the discharge roller pair 42 while being supported by the guide surface 270a.

[0135] Next, as shown in FIGS. 25(a) and (b), when the rear end (the upstream end in the conveyance direction) of the sheet S1 passes through the discharge roller pair 42, the paddle 275 is lowered to the conveyance position, and the sheet S1 is dropped onto the first tray 49 by the paddle 275 and conveyed upstream with respect to the discharge direction. That is, the sheet S1 is scraped in by the paddle 275, and the rear end of the sheet S1 is abutted against the abutting member 271. At this time, the second sheet S2 has been conveyed to the pre-processing roller 36 with the center position in the width direction and the center position in the width direction of the straight path 28 aligned, and the third sheet S3 has reached the first conveyance roller 201.

[0136] Next, as shown in FIGS. 26(a) and 26(b), the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 align the sheet S1. At this time, similar to the case described in the shift discharge mode, the paddle 275 is separated from the upper surface of the sheet S1 before the alignment plates 401 and 402 reach the alignment position. In the present embodiment, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are brought into contact with both sides in the width direction of the sheet S1 to align the sheet S1. During the alignment of the first sheet S1 by the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402, the second sheet S2 starts to be discharged from the pair of discharge rollers 42. At this time, due to the tolerance of the shift amount (5 mm) due to the tolerance of the shift amount by the second conveyance roller 202 and the third conveyance roller 203 described above, the second sheet S2 may be discharged while being displaced in the width direction with respect to the sheet S1 being aligned.

[0137] When the second sheet S2 is discharged while being displaced in the width direction, the leading end of the sheet S2 contacts the guide surface 4002 at any of the following timings. (1) While the alignment plates 401 and 402 move to the alignment position and the alignment surface 4001 contacts the side edge of the first sheet S1 to perform widthwise alignment. In the present embodiment, the time during this period is set to 50 ms. (2) After the alignment is completed and the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moving from the alignment position toward the receiving position. In the present embodiment, the time during this period is set to 30 ms.

[0138] And in any case, the sheet S2 is guided above the alignment surface 4001 by any of the guide surfaces 4002 of the alignment plates 401 and 402. That is, when the sheet S2 is displaced to the front side, it is guided by the guide surface 4002 of the front alignment plate 401, and when the sheet S2 is displaced to the rear side, it is guided by the guide surface 4002 of the rear alignment plate 402.

[0139] That is, the guide surface 4002 allows the leading end of the next sheet to be received when the alignment plates 401 and 402 are in the aligned position or during the movement from the aligned position to the receiving position. In other words, when the alignment plates 401 and 402 are in either of the positions (1) and (2) described above and the leading end of the next sheet reaches the downstream side of the upstream end of the alignment surface 4001 of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the discharge direction (the direction along the nip line N2), the next sheet is guided by the guide surface 4002.

[0140] Also, until the alignment plates 401 and 402 move from the receiving position to the aligned position when aligning the first sheet, the leading end of the next sheet does not reach the upstream end of the alignment surface 4001 of the alignment plates 401 and 402. This is because if the leading end of the next sheet reaches the alignment surface area β (Fig. 26(a)) before the alignment plates 401 and 402 reach the aligned position, the next sheet will be nipped by the discharge roller pair 42 and then struck against the alignment surface 4001, which may damage the sheet.

[0141] Next, as shown in Figs. 27(a) and (b), after the alignment operation of the sheet S1 is completed, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved from the aligned position to the sheet receiving position. Then, when the trailing end of the second sheet S2 passes through the discharge roller pair 42, the paddle 275 is lowered to the conveying position, and the paddle 275 scrapes the sheet S2 while dropping it toward the abutting member 271. Further, in the same manner as when aligning the first sheet S1, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved to the aligned position to align the sheet S2. At this time, the third sheet S3 is conveyed to the pre-processing roller 36.

[0142] For the sheet S3 as well, it is guided by the guide surface 4002 of either the alignment plates 401 or 402, and similar to the sheet S2, widthwise alignment is performed by the alignment plates 401 and 402. Such an operation is carried out until the last sheet of the sheet bundle. During the discharge of the last sheet, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are returned to the receiving position. When the trailing edge of the last sheet has passed through the discharge roller pair 42, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved to the alignment position to align the last sheet, and the job is terminated. At the end of the job, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are returned to the home position. The positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 at the end of the job will be described later.

[0143] As described above, in this embodiment, in either the shift discharge mode or the straight discharge mode, even when discharging a plurality of consecutive sheets with a reduced interval to the first tray 49, the sheets can be aligned by the alignment plates 401 and 402. Therefore, the productivity of the apparatus can be improved.

[0144] In the straight discharge mode of this embodiment, the mode in which both alignment plates 401 and 402 are moved from the receiving position to the alignment position during sheet alignment has been shown. However, for example, during sheet alignment, the alignment plate 401 can be fixed at a position where the sheet will not hit it even if it is displaced toward the alignment plate 401 side and discharged, and only the alignment plate 402 is moved from the receiving position toward the alignment plate 401 side to align the discharged sheet by butting it against the alignment plate 401, and the alignment plate 402 is moved to the receiving position. In that case, since the alignment plate 402 is the only one that may be hit by the next sheet during the alignment operation, the guide surface 4002 may be provided only on the alignment plate 402.

[0145] [Position of the alignment plate at the end of the job] Next, the positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 at the end of the job will be described with reference to FIGS. 28 to 29(b). When the job of loading sheets on the first tray 49 including each mode as described above is completed, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are positioned at the home position. Here, when the home positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 are located outside the alignment position in the width direction, for example, further outside the sheet receiving position, the alignment plates 401 and 402 may interfere when the operator takes out the sheet or stack of sheets on the first tray 49.

[0146] Therefore, in the present embodiment, one of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 (for example, the front alignment plate 401) moves to the other side in the width direction (for example, the rear side) from one end in the width direction of the sheet S loaded on the first tray 49 after the job of loading sheets on the first tray 49 is completed and it has risen from the first position to the second position. Also, in the present embodiment, for the other alignment plate (for example, the rear alignment plate 402) of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402, after the job is completed and it has risen from the first position to the second position, it moves to one side in the width direction (for example, the front side) from the other end in the width direction of the sheet S loaded on the first tray 49. That is, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 29(a), both of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are raised from the first position to the second position at the end of the job and are positioned inside both ends in the width direction of the sheet S loaded on the first tray 49. In the present embodiment, this state is defined as the home position of the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402.

[0147] Note that the positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction at their home positions are preferably inside the both ends in the width direction of a sheet with the minimum size processable by the apparatus. However, considering the frequency of use, the positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction at their home positions may be set inside the both ends in the width direction of a sheet (e.g., A4 size) larger than the minimum size sheet. Also, regardless of the size of the sheet loaded on the first tray 49, it is preferable that the positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction at their home positions be set to predetermined positions. At this time, the reference loading position of the sheet is the case where the sheet is discharged with the width direction center as a reference.

[0148] Also, considering the case where the sheet is discharged in the shift discharge mode, the positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction at their home positions may be set inside the both ends in the width direction of the sheet regardless of the direction in which the sheet shifts. That is, when the sheet shifts to the front side and is loaded on the first tray 49, the position of the rear alignment plate 402 is set inside the rear end of the sheet, and when the sheet shifts to the rear side and is loaded on the first tray 49, the position of the front alignment plate 401 is set inside the front end of the sheet. In any case, the pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 are positioned inside the both ends in the width direction of the sheet.

[0149] By defining the positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction at their home positions in this way, when the operator takes out the sheet or the stack of sheets loaded on the first tray 49, the alignment plates 401 and 402 are less likely to get in the way, and the removability of the sheet or the stack of sheets from the first tray 49 can be improved. In particular, since the alignment plates 401 and 402 on both sides are positioned inside the width direction ends of the sheet, when the number of sheets in the stack of sheets is large, it is easy to grasp and take out the sheets from the front side and the rear side with both hands.

[0150] Note that, as shown in FIG. 29(b), at least only the front alignment plate 401 may be moved to a position on the rear side in the width direction with respect to the front end of the sheet stacked on the first tray 49 after the job is completed and the sheet has risen from the first position to the second position. In this case, the position of the rear alignment plate 402 in the width direction may be a position separated outward from the alignment position in the width direction, for example, a position further outward than the sheet receiving position. Since the operator often takes out the sheet or the stack of sheets on the first tray 49 from the front side, simply positioning the front alignment plate 401 inside the width direction end of the sheet can improve the removability of the sheet or the stack of sheets from the first tray 49.

[0151] Also, even during job standby, the positions of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the width direction may be set to the positions at the end of the job as described above. That is, it is preferable to position the alignment plates 401 and 402 at the home position even during job standby. During job standby, the power of the apparatus is ON, but it is a standby state where the job is not being executed. Also, during job standby, a sleep state with less power consumption than the standby state may be included.

[0152] [Another Example of Alignment Plate] The pair of alignment plates 401 and 402 described above are connected via swing arms 403 and 404 and a rotation shaft 465 at the ends of the alignment plates 401 and 402 in the longitudinal direction (the direction extending upstream from the rotation shaft 465 in the discharge direction). However, the position where the alignment plate is connected to the swing arm is not limited to the end in the longitudinal direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 31, the alignment plate 402A (401A) may be connected via a swing arm 404A (403A) and a rotation shaft 465 at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 31 shows the rear alignment plate 402A and the swing arm 404A, but the same applies to the front alignment plate 401A and the swing arm 403.

[0153] Regarding the alignment plate 402A(401A) shown in FIG. 31, it is also rotatably connected to the swing arm 404A(403A) about the rotation axis 465, and extends upstream and downstream of the discharge direction with respect to the rotation axis 465. Further, the alignment plate 402A(401A) includes a guide surface 4012 as a guide portion and a sheet receiving surface 4013 as an upstream guide portion, similar to the alignment plates 401 and 402. Even when the next sheet is discharged during the alignment of the sheet, the next sheet can be guided above the alignment surface 4011 that aligns the sheet.

[0154] <Other Embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the binding process is performed as a predetermined process performed by the processing unit has been described. However, the predetermined process is not limited to the binding process, and may be a folding process, a shift process, a punching process, a crease (making a fold), a lamination process, or the like. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the control around the first tray 49 of the sheet processing apparatus B is performed by the stacker control unit 330 (CPU 331) has been described. However, this control may be performed by the control unit 310 (CPU 311) of the image forming apparatus A.

[0155] Further, the disclosure of the present embodiment includes the following configurations. (Configuration 1) A discharge unit that discharges a sheet in a discharge direction, A stacking tray that stacks the sheets discharged by the discharge unit, A lifting unit that raises and lowers the stacking tray, A pair of alignment members that are located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the discharge direction with respect to the uppermost sheet stacked on the stacking tray, and perform alignment in the width direction of the uppermost sheet, An alignment member moving unit that moves the pair of alignment members between an alignment position for aligning the uppermost sheet in the width direction and a position separated from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position, An alignment member lifting unit that can lift and lower the pair of alignment members between a first position where the uppermost sheet can be aligned and a second position that is above the first position and does not interfere with the sheet discharged from the discharge unit, By being driven by the integrated member lifting part, it includes a pair of swing arms that can swing vertically around a swing shaft arranged above the discharge part. The pair of alignment members are rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms around a rotation shaft, and extend upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation shaft. When loading a second sheet bundle on the loading tray by shifting it to one side in the width direction with respect to a first sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets loaded on the loading tray, after the pair of alignment members align the first sheet bundle loaded on the loading tray at the first position, they rise from the first position to the second position. After the tip of the first sheet of the second sheet bundle following the first sheet bundle is discharged from the discharge part, they descend from the second position to the first position while being shifted to the one side from the position where the first sheet bundle was aligned, and can execute a mode of aligning the sheets included in the second sheet bundle. When a first virtual line is a line connecting the center of the swing shaft and the center of the rotation shaft, and a second virtual line is a line connecting the center of the rotation shaft and the upstream end in the discharge direction of the pair of alignment members, and the upper end positions of the pair of alignment members in the aligned state, the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is smaller at the second position than at the first position, the sheet loading device. (Configuration 2) The sheet loading device according to Configuration 1, wherein the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is an acute angle at the first position. (Configuration 3) A drive transmission part that transmits the drive of the integrated member lifting part to swing the swing arm around the swing shaft. The sheet loading device according to Configuration 1 or 2, further comprising an interlocking mechanism that changes the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line in conjunction with the swinging operation of the swing arm around the swing shaft. (Configuration 4) The interlocking mechanism is a first toothed pulley that is rotatably supported with respect to the swing shaft and whose phase in the rotational direction centered on the swing shaft does not change regardless of the swinging operation of the swing arm, a second toothed pulley that is fixed to the alignment member and that can rotate together with the alignment member about the rotation shaft, and a toothed belt that is stretched between the first toothed pulley and the second toothed pulley. The sheet loading device according to Configuration 3. (Configuration 5) The sheet loading device according to Configuration 4, having a tension applying portion that applies tension to the toothed belt. (Configuration 6) The tension applying portion is a spring that connects the first portion and the second portion of the toothed belt in a state where the portion between the first portion and the second portion of the toothed belt is bent. The sheet loading device according to Configuration 5. (Configuration 7) The swing shaft is rotationally driven by the alignment member elevating portion The swing arm is rotatable with respect to the swing shaft, The drive transmission portion includes a parallel shaft provided parallel to the swing shaft, a connecting portion that connects the swing shaft and the parallel shaft, and an engaging portion that is provided on the swing arm and that rotates the swing arm together with the parallel shaft when the parallel shaft rotates about the swing shaft by engaging with the parallel shaft. The sheet loading device according to any one of Configurations 3 to 5. (Configuration 8) The engaging portion is a through hole through which the parallel shaft can be inserted and in which the parallel shaft and the swing arm can relatively move within a predetermined range in the rotational direction centered on the swing shaft. The sheet loading device according to Configuration 7. (Configuration 9) The alignment member moving portion moves the swing arm together with the alignment member along the swing shaft. The sheet loading device according to Configuration 7 or 8. (Configuration 10) A discharging portion that discharges the sheet in the discharging direction, A stacking tray that stacks the sheets discharged by the discharging portion, An elevating portion that elevates the stacking tray, A pair of alignment members that are located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the discharge direction with respect to the uppermost sheet loaded on the loading tray and align the uppermost sheet in the width direction; An alignment member moving unit that moves the pair of alignment members to an alignment position for aligning the uppermost sheet in the width direction and a position away from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position; An alignment member elevating unit that can raise and lower the pair of alignment members to a first position where the uppermost sheet can be aligned and a second position above the first position and not interfering with the sheet discharged from the discharge unit; A pair of swing arms that can swing in the vertical direction about a swing shaft disposed above the discharge unit by being driven by the alignment member elevating unit; The pair of alignment members are rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms about a rotation shaft, and extend upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation shaft. When a line connecting the center of the swing shaft and the center of the rotation shaft is a first virtual line, and a line connecting the center of the rotation shaft and the upstream end of the pair of alignment members in the discharge direction and the upper end position of the pair of alignment members in the state of being in the alignment position is a second virtual line, the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is an acute angle at the first position, and a sheet loading device in which the second position is smaller than the first position. (Configuration 11) A processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the sheet; The sheet loading device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 10; The sheet loading device is a sheet processing device that loads a sheet that has been subjected to the predetermined process by the processing unit or a sheet that has not been subjected to the predetermined process. (Configuration 12) An image forming device having an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; The sheet processing device according to Configuration 11; The sheet processing device is an image forming system that performs the predetermined process on a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit.

Explanation of Signs

[0156] 3 ··· Image forming unit 36 ··· Pre - processing roller (buffer conveying unit, conveying unit) 37 ··· Processing tray (placement unit) 39 ··· Buffer path (buffer unit) 42 ··· Discharge roller pair (discharge unit) 47 ··· Binding processing mechanism (processing unit) 49 ··· First tray (loading tray) 49a ··· Loading surface 203 ··· Third conveying roller (buffer conveying unit) 270 ··· Alignment plate (shift member) 330 ··· Stacker control unit (control unit) 401, 402, 401A, 402A ··· Alignment plate (alignment member) 403, 404, 403A, 404A ··· Swing arm 405 ··· Swing axis 430 ··· Alignment plate lifting mechanism (drive transmission unit) 432 ··· Parallel axis 433 ··· Connecting part 434 ··· Engagement hole (engagement part) 460 ··· Interlocking mechanism 461 ··· Toothed pulley (first toothed pulley) 462 ··· Toothed pulley (second toothed pulley) 463 ··· Toothed belt 464 ··· Spring (tension applying part) 465 ··· Rotating axis 4001, 4011 ··· Alignment surface 4002, 4012 ··· Guide surface (guide part) 4003, 4013 ··· Sheet receiving surface (upstream guide part) 1000 ··· Image forming system A ··· Image forming device A1 ··· Image forming unit B ··· Sheet processing device B1 ··· Processing unit MT18 ··· Tray lifting motor (lifting part) MT19 ··· Jogger lifting motor (integrating member lifting section) MT20 ··· Jogger 1 moving motor (integrating member moving section, first moving section) MT21 ··· Jogger 2 moving motor (integrating member moving section, second moving section)

Claims

1. A discharge unit that discharges a sheet in a discharge direction; A stacking tray that stacks the sheets discharged by the discharge unit; A lifting unit that raises and lowers the stacking tray; A pair of alignment members that are located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the discharge direction with respect to the uppermost sheet stacked on the stacking tray, and perform alignment in the width direction of the uppermost sheet; An alignment member moving unit that moves the pair of alignment members to an alignment position for aligning the uppermost sheet in the width direction and a position away from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position; An alignment member lifting unit that can lift and lower the pair of alignment members between a first position where the uppermost sheet can be aligned and a second position above the first position and not interfering with the sheet discharged from the discharge unit; A pair of swing arms that can swing in the vertical direction about a swing shaft disposed above the discharge unit by being driven by the alignment member lifting unit; The pair of alignment members are rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms about a rotation shaft, and extend upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation shaft; When shifting a first sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets stacked on the stacking tray to one side in the width direction and stacking a second sheet bundle on the stacking tray, after the pair of alignment members align the first sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray at the first position, they rise from the first position to the second position, and after the tip of the first sheet of the second sheet bundle next to the first sheet bundle is discharged from the discharge unit, they descend from the second position to the first position in a state shifted to the one side from the position where the first sheet bundle was aligned, and it is possible to execute a mode of aligning the sheets included in the second sheet bundle; When a line connecting the center of the swing axis and the center of the rotation axis is defined as a first virtual line, and a line connecting the center of the rotation axis and the upstream end in the discharge direction of the pair of alignment members, and the position of the upper ends of the pair of alignment members in the aligned state is defined as a second virtual line, the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is smaller at the second position than at the first position. A seat loading device.

2. The seat loading device according to claim 1, wherein the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is an acute angle at the first position.

3. A drive transmission unit that transmits the drive of the alignment member lifting / lowering unit to swing the swing arm about the swing axis, The seat loading device according to claim 1, further comprising an interlocking mechanism that changes the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line in conjunction with the swinging operation of the swing arm about the swing axis.

4. The interlocking mechanism includes a first toothed pulley that is rotatably supported with respect to the swing axis and whose phase in the rotational direction about the swing axis does not change regardless of the swinging operation of the swing arm, a second toothed pulley that is fixed to the alignment member and is rotatable together with the alignment member about the rotation axis, and a toothed belt that is stretched between the first toothed pulley and the second toothed pulley. The seat loading device according to claim 3.

5. The seat loading device according to claim 4, further comprising a tension applying unit that applies tension to the toothed belt.

6. The seat loading device according to claim 5, wherein the tension applying unit is a spring that connects the first portion and the second portion of the toothed belt in a state where the portion between the first portion and the second portion of the toothed belt is bent.

7. The swing axis is rotationally driven by the alignment member lifting / lowering unit The swing arm is rotatable with respect to the swing axis, The drive transmission unit includes a parallel shaft provided parallel to the swing shaft, a connecting portion that connects the swing shaft and the parallel shaft, and an engaging portion provided on the swing arm that rotates the swing arm together with the parallel shaft when the parallel shaft rotates about the swing shaft by engaging with the parallel shaft. The sheet stacking device according to claim 3.

8. The engaging portion is a through hole through which the parallel shaft can be inserted and in which the parallel shaft and the swing arm can relatively move within a predetermined range in the rotational direction about the swing shaft. The sheet stacking device according to claim 7.

9. The alignment member moving portion moves the swing arm together with the alignment member along the swing shaft. The sheet stacking device according to claim 7.

10. A discharge portion that discharges the sheet in the discharge direction, A stacking tray that stacks the sheets discharged by the discharge portion, A lifting portion that raises and lowers the stacking tray, A pair of alignment members that are located on both sides in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the discharge direction with respect to the uppermost sheet stacked on the stacking tray and perform alignment in the width direction of the uppermost sheet, An alignment member moving portion that moves the pair of alignment members between an alignment position for aligning the uppermost sheet in the width direction and a position away from the uppermost sheet in the width direction from the alignment position, An alignment member lifting portion that can lift and lower the pair of alignment members between a first position where the uppermost sheet can be aligned and a second position above the first position and not interfering with the sheet discharged from the discharge portion, A pair of swing arms that can swing in the vertical direction about a swing shaft disposed above the discharge portion and are driven by the alignment member lifting portion, The pair of alignment members are rotatably connected to the pair of swing arms about a rotation axis and extend upstream of the discharge direction from the rotation axis. When a line connecting the center of the swing axis and the center of the rotation axis is defined as a first virtual line, and a line connecting the center of the rotation axis and the upstream end in the discharge direction of the pair of alignment members, and the position of the upper ends of the pair of alignment members in the aligned state is defined as a second virtual line, the angle formed by the first virtual line and the second virtual line is an acute angle at the first position, and the seat loading device is smaller at the second position than at the first position.

11. A processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the sheet, The sheet loading device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and The sheet loading device is a sheet processing device that loads a sheet that has been subjected to the predetermined process by the processing unit or a sheet that has not been subjected to the predetermined process.

12. An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, The sheet processing device according to claim 11, and The sheet processing device is an image forming system that performs the predetermined process on a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit.

Images