Paper conveying device and paper conveying method

Abstract

To appropriately suppress misalignment of a stack of sheets caused by rebound when a leading edge of the stack of sheets hits a stopper.SOLUTION: There is provided a paper folding device 100 including: a conveying unit 10 conveying a stack of sheets 200 along a conveying direction TD; a stopper 20 arranged at a stop position Xs and against which a leading edge 201 of the stack of sheets 200 hits; a regulating unit 30 regulating deformation in a height direction HD of the stack of sheets 200 that hits against the stopper 20; a biasing roller 40 generating a biasing force that biases the leading edge 201 of the stack of sheets 200 toward a conveying surface 12a1; and a roller moving mechanism 45 moving the biasing roller 40 between a protruding position upstream of the stop position Xs and a retracted position spaced apart from the protruding position, in which the roller moving mechanism 45 moves the biasing roller 40 from the protruding position to the retracted position after the leading edge 201 of the stack of sheets 200 conveyed by the conveying unit 10 reaches the biasing roller 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper transport device and a paper transport method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a device equipped with a holding section that receives, stacks, and holds multiple conveyed media (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a paddle that applies a feeding force to the media so that they reach an alignment section located downstream of the holding section, in order to align the leading edges of the media at the alignment section. The paddle applies a feeding force to the media by bringing the tips of multiple strip-shaped blades attached to a rotating shaft into contact with the surface of the media. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-83640 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, if the rebound force when the leading edge of the medium strikes the alignment section is large, the leading edge of the medium may be misaligned, potentially resulting in the leading edge of the medium not being properly aligned. Also, in Patent Document 1, for example, to prevent the medium from deforming when the medium strikes the alignment section, it is conceivable to position a regulating section at a distance from the conveyance surface so that the regulating section is parallel to the conveyance surface along which the medium is conveyed. However, if a regulating section is positioned, it becomes difficult to properly position the paddle, which may result in the leading edge of the medium not being properly aligned at the alignment section. It is also conceivable to provide a mechanism to restrict the widthwise movement of the medium instead of the paddle, but the presence of a regulating section would preclude such a mechanism from being positioned between the regulating section and the conveyance surface.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a paper transport device and a paper transport method that can appropriately suppress misalignment of a paper stack caused by the leading edge of the paper stack bouncing back when it hits a stopper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A paper transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a transport section that holds a stack of paper on a transport surface and transports it along a transport direction; a stopper that is arranged at a stop position in the transport direction and against which the leading edge of the stack of paper transported by the transport section abuts; a regulating section that forms a regulating surface that is arranged parallel to the transport surface from a first position upstream of the stop position in the transport direction to a second position downstream of the stop position in the transport direction and that regulates vertical deformation of the stack of paper abutted against the stopper; a biasing section that is arranged above the transport section and generates a biasing force that biases the leading edge of the stack of paper toward the transport surface; and a first moving mechanism that moves the biasing section between a protruding position upstream of the stop position in the transport direction and a retracted position spaced from the protruding position, and the first moving mechanism moves the biasing section from the protruding position to the retracted position after the leading edge of the stack of paper transported by the transport section reaches the biasing section.

[0007] According to one aspect of the paper transport device of the present invention, the height-wise deformation of the paper stack that strikes the stopper is regulated by the regulating unit, thereby preventing the paper stack from being misaligned in the width direction due to the paper stack bouncing back when it strikes the stopper. Furthermore, because the leading edge of the paper stack reaches the biasing unit located in the protruding position before striking the stopper located in the stopping position, the leading edge of the paper stack is biased toward the transport surface, allowing the leading edge of the paper stack to strike the stopper while a load is applied. This appropriately prevents the paper stack from being misaligned in the width direction due to the paper stack bouncing back when it strikes the stopper.

[0008] Furthermore, in the paper transport device according to one aspect of the present invention, the urging section retracts from the protruding position to the retracted position after the leading edge of the paper stack reaches the urging section, so that when the leading edge of the paper stack hits the stopper, the state in which the urging section urges the leading edge of the paper stack to the transport surface is appropriately released. Therefore, post-processing of the paper stack whose leading edges have been aligned at the stop position by the stopper can be appropriately performed.

[0009] In the paper transport device according to one aspect of the present invention, the biasing section may have a roller that rotates in contact with the transport surface that moves along the transport direction.

[0010] With this configuration of paper transport device, after the leading edge of the paper stack reaches the roller, the roller that rotates in contact with the transport surface moves away from the transport surface, allowing the roller to appropriately apply a spring force to the leading edge of the paper stack toward the transport surface.

[0011] In one embodiment of the paper transport device of the present invention, a second moving mechanism is provided that moves the stop position where the stopper is located along the transport direction, and the first moving mechanism may be configured to move the urging portion along the transport direction in response to the second moving mechanism moving the stop position along the transport direction.

[0012] According to the paper transport device of this configuration, the second moving mechanism moves the stopper's stopping position along the transport direction, and the first moving mechanism moves the urging section in the transport direction, so that the stopper and the urging section can be positioned in appropriate positions depending on the length of the paper stack in the transport direction.

[0013] In one embodiment of the paper transport device of the present invention, the first moving mechanism may be configured to have a stopper portion that presses the rear end of the paper stack along the transport direction and causes the front end of the paper stack to abut against the stopper after moving the urging portion from the protruding position to the retracted position.

[0014] With this paper transport device, after the state in which the leading edge of the paper stack is forced against the transport surface by the force-applying section is released, the rear end of the paper stack can be abutted against the stopper along the transport direction by the abutting section, thereby properly aligning the leading edge of the paper stack to the stopping position.

[0015] The paper transport device of this configuration may also be configured to include a paper folding unit that is arranged along a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction and that folds the paper stack at an intermediate position between the leading end and the trailing end of the paper stack. According to the paper transport device of this aspect, the paper stack can be folded by the paper folding section at a midpoint between the leading end and the trailing end of the paper stack.

[0016] In the paper transport device according to one aspect of the present invention, the retracted position may be a position downstream of the stop position in the transport direction. According to the paper transport device of this configuration, the first moving mechanism moves the urging section from the protruding position toward the retracted position downstream in the transport direction, thereby making it possible to create a state in which the urging section does not exist between the stopper and the paper stack.

[0017] A paper transport method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a paper transport method for transporting a stack of paper using a paper transport device, the paper transport device comprising: a transport section that holds the stack of paper on a transport surface and transports it along a transport direction; a stopper that is arranged at a stop position in the transport direction and against which the leading edge of the stack of paper transported by the transport section is abutted; a regulating section that forms a regulating surface that is arranged parallel to the transport surface from a first position upstream of the stop position in the transport direction to a second position downstream of the stop position in the transport direction and that regulates deformation of the stack of paper abutted against the stopper; and a biasing section that is arranged above the transport section and generates a biasing force that urges the leading edge of the stack of paper toward the transport surface, the method comprising: a transport process for transporting the stack of paper along the transport direction toward the stopper using the transport section; and a retraction process for moving the biasing section from a protruding position upstream of the stop position in the transport direction to a retracted position away from the protruding position after the leading edge of the stack of paper transported by the transport process reaches the biasing section.

[0018] According to a paper transport method according to one aspect of the present invention, the height-wise deformation of a paper stack that strikes the stopper is regulated by a regulating section, thereby preventing the paper stack from being misaligned in the width direction due to rebound when it strikes the stopper. Furthermore, because the leading edge of the paper stack reaches a biasing section that is positioned in the protruding position before striking the stopper that is positioned in the stopping position, the leading edge of the paper stack is biased toward the transport surface, allowing the leading edge of the paper stack to strike the stopper while a load is applied. This effectively prevents the paper stack from being misaligned in the width direction due to rebound when the leading edge of the paper stack strikes the stopper.

[0019] Furthermore, according to the paper transport method of one aspect of the present invention, the urging section retracts from the protruding position to the retracted position after the leading edge of the paper stack reaches the urging section, so that when the leading edge of the paper stack hits the stopper, the state in which the leading edge of the paper stack is urged toward the transport surface by the urging section is appropriately released, thereby enabling appropriate post-processing of the paper stack whose leading edges have been aligned at the stop position by the stopper.

[0020] In the paper transport method according to one aspect of the present invention, the biasing unit may have a roller that rotates in contact with the transport surface that moves along the transport direction.

[0021] According to this paper transport method, when the leading edge of the paper stack reaches the roller, the roller that rotates in contact with the transport surface moves away from the transport surface, and the roller can appropriately apply a force directed toward the transport surface to the leading edge of the paper stack.

[0022] A paper transport method according to one aspect of the present invention may be configured to include a first movement step of moving the stop position where the stopper is located along the transport direction, and a second movement step of moving the urging portion along the transport direction in response to the first movement step moving the stop position along the transport direction.

[0023] According to the paper transport method of this configuration, the stop position is moved along the transport direction by the first movement process, and the urging section is moved in the transport direction by the second movement process, so that the stopper and the urging section can be positioned at appropriate positions depending on the length of the paper stack in the transport direction.

[0024] In one aspect of the paper transport method of the present invention, the retraction process may include a striking process in which, after moving the urging portion from the protruding position to the retracted position, a striking portion is pressed against the rear end of the paper stack along the transport direction, causing the front end of the paper stack to strike the stopper.

[0025] According to this paper transport method, after the state in which the leading edge of the paper stack is forced against the transport surface by the force-applying section is released, the rear end of the paper stack can be abutted against a stopper by the abutting section along the transport direction, thereby properly aligning the leading edge of the paper stack to the stopping position.

[0026] In the paper transport method of this configuration, a paper folding process may be provided in which a paper folding section arranged along a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction folds the paper stack at an intermediate position between the leading end and the trailing end of the paper stack. According to the paper transport method of this aspect, the paper stack can be folded by the paper folding section at a midpoint between the leading end and the trailing end of the paper stack.

[0027] In the paper transport method according to one aspect of the present invention, the retracted position may be a position downstream of the stop position in the transport direction. According to the paper transport method of this configuration, the first moving mechanism moves the urging section from the protruding position toward the retracted position downstream in the transport direction, thereby making it possible to create a state in which the urging section does not exist between the stopper and the paper stack. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper transport device and a paper transport method that can appropriately suppress misalignment of a paper stack caused by rebounding when the leading edge of the paper stack hits a stopper. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a paper folding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state before the leading edge of a stack of paper sheets reaches a stopper. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view showing a paper folding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state in which the leading edge of a stack of paper sheets has reached a stopper. [Figure 3] 2 is a plan view of the paper folding device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above. [Figure 4] 2 is a front view showing the paper folding device in a state where a paper stack is being folded by a paper folding section. FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a paper folding method executed by the paper folding device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] A paper folding device (paper transport device) 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view of paper folding device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state before leading edge 201 of stack of paper-sheets 200 reaches stopper 20. Fig. 2 is a front view of paper folding device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a state after leading edge 201 of stack of paper-sheets 200 has reached stopper 20. Fig. 3 is a plan view of paper folding device 100 shown in Fig. 1, seen from above. Fig. 4 is a front view of paper folding device 100 in a state in which stack of paper-sheets 200 is being folded by paper folding section 60.

[0031] The paper folding device 100 of this embodiment is a device that conveys a stack of paper sheets 200 along a conveying direction TD, stops the stack of paper sheets 200 at a predetermined position, and folds the stack of paper sheets 200 at an intermediate position 203 between a leading end 201 and a trailing end 202 of the stack of paper sheets 200. As shown in FIG. 1 , the paper folding device 100 of this embodiment includes a conveying section 10, a stopper 20, a stopper movement mechanism (second movement mechanism) 25, a regulating section 30, a biasing roller (biasing section) 40, a roller movement mechanism (first movement mechanism) 45, abutting section 50, a paper folding section 60, and a control section 90.

[0032] The transport unit 10 is a device that transports the paper stack 200 along the transport direction TD. The transport unit 10 has an upstream transport mechanism 11 arranged upstream in the transport direction TD, and a downstream transport mechanism 12 arranged downstream in the transport direction TD.

[0033] The upstream transport mechanism 11 has a transport belt 11a, a drive roller 11b, and a driven roller 11c. The upstream transport mechanism 11 rotates the drive roller 11b to rotate the transport belt 11a, which is wound around the drive roller 11b and the driven roller 11c, to transport the sheet stack 200 along the transport direction TD. The transport belt 11a holds the sheet stack 200 on a transport surface 11a1 and transports the sheet stack 200 along the transport direction TD.

[0034] The downstream transport mechanism 12 has a transport belt 12a, a drive roller 12b, and a driven roller 12c. The downstream transport mechanism 12 rotates the drive roller 12b to rotate the transport belt 12a, which is wound around the drive roller 12b and the driven roller 12c, and transports the sheet stack 200 along the transport direction TD. The transport belt 12a holds the sheet stack 200 on a transport surface 12a1 and transports the sheet stack 200 along the transport direction TD.

[0035] The stopper 20 is disposed at a stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD, and is a member against which the leading edge 201 of the sheet stack 200 is abutted so that the sheet stack 200 conveyed by the conveying unit 10 is not conveyed downstream of the stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD. The stopper 20 is a member for determining the position of the leading edge 201 of the sheet stack 200 in the conveying direction TD.

[0036] The stopper movement mechanism 25 is a mechanism that moves the stop position Xs where the stopper 20 is located along the conveying direction TD. The stopper movement mechanism 25 moves the stopper 20 to the stop position Xs that is determined based on a control command transmitted from the control unit 90. The stop position Xs is determined by the control unit 90 according to the length of the sheet stack 200 to be folded in the sheet folding unit 60 in the conveying direction TD.

[0037] The regulating portion 30 is a plate-like member that regulates excessive deformation in the height direction HD of the paper stack 200 that has struck the stopper 20. The regulating portion 30 forms a regulating surface 30a that is disposed parallel to the conveying surfaces 11a1 and 12a1 from a first position X1 that is upstream of the stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD to a second position X2 that is downstream of the stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD.

[0038] 3, the restricting portion 30 has four first openings 31 and two second openings 32 formed at intervals along the width direction WD, which is perpendicular to the conveying direction TD and is horizontal. The first openings 31 are formed to extend along the conveying direction TD, and a stopper 20 is disposed therein protruding upward from below. The second openings 32 are formed to extend along the conveying direction TD, and a biasing roller 40 is disposed therein protruding downward from above. The restricting portion 30 forms a restricting surface 30a in areas other than the areas where the first openings 31 and second openings 32 are formed.

[0039] The urging roller 40 is a rotating body that is disposed above the conveying surface 12a1 of the conveying section 10 and generates an urging force that urges the leading edge 201 of the paper stack 200 toward the conveying surface 12a1. The urging roller 40 rotates in contact with the conveying surface 12a1 that moves along the conveying direction TD. The surface of the urging roller 40 is formed of, for example, a rubber material.

[0040] 3, the urging rollers 40 are disposed at two positions in the width direction WD where the pair of second openings 32 are disposed. The downward urging force generated by the urging rollers 40 is applied by their own weight and / or a urging force generating member such as a spring.

[0041] The roller moving mechanism 45 is a mechanism that moves the urging roller 40 between a protruding position (position shown by a solid line in FIGS. 1 to 4) upstream of the stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD and a retracted position (position shown by a dotted line in FIGS. 1 to 4) downstream of the stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD. The roller moving mechanism 45 moves the urging roller 40 from the protruding position to the retracted position after the leading edge 201 of the paper stack 200 conveyed by the conveying unit 10 reaches the urging roller 40.

[0042] The position in the height direction HD of the protruding position where the urging roller 40 is disposed is preferably adjusted in accordance with the thickness of the paper-sheet stack 200, for example, so that the position in the height direction HD is increased as the thickness of the paper-sheet stack 200 increases. Also, the position in the transport direction TD of the protruding position where the urging roller 40 is disposed is preferably adjusted in accordance with the thickness of the paper-sheet stack 200, the transport speed of the paper-sheet stack 200, etc. Also, the magnitude of the urging force with which the urging roller 40 urges the paper-sheet stack 200 toward the transport surface 12a1 is preferably adjusted in accordance with the thickness of the paper-sheet stack 200, the transport speed of the paper-sheet stack 200, etc.

[0043] The roller moving mechanism 45 moves the urging roller 40 along the conveying direction TD in response to the stopper moving mechanism 25 moving the stop position Xs along the conveying direction TD. When the paper stack 200 is not abutting against the stopper 20, the roller moving mechanism 45 moves the urging roller 40 along the conveying direction TD so that the urging roller 40 is positioned at a protruding position upstream of the stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD.

[0044] The abutting section 50 is a mechanism that presses the rear end 202 of the paper-sheet stack 200 along the transport direction TD to abut the front end 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 against the stopper 20 after the roller movement mechanism 45 moves the biasing roller 40 from the protruding position to the retracted position. The abutting section 50 includes an abutting member 51, a movement mechanism (not shown) for moving the abutting member 51 along the transport direction TD, and a paper-sheet stack sensor 52 that detects the position of the rear end of the paper-sheet stack 200 (see FIG. 3). The abutting member 51 and the paper-sheet stack sensor 52 are controlled to move to positions according to the size of the paper-sheet stack B in the transport direction TD in accordance with a control command transmitted from the control section 90.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 2, when the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 has reached the stopper 20, the abutting member 51 is moved by a movement mechanism from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the dotted line, thereby pressing the rear end 202 of the paper-sheet stack 200 along the conveying direction TD and causing the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 to abut against the stopper 20. As shown in Fig. 1, when the paper-sheet stack 200 passes, the abutting member 51 swings from the state shown by the dotted line to the state shown by the solid line due to the weight of the paper-sheet stack 200. When the paper-sheet stack 200 has passed, the abutting member 51 swings from the state shown by the dotted line to the state shown by the dotted line due to the biasing force of a spring (not shown).

[0046] The paper folding section 60 is a device that folds the paper stack 200 at an intermediate position 203 between the leading end 201 and the trailing end 202 of the paper stack 200, with the leading end 201 of the paper stack 200 abutting against the stopper 20 to position the paper stack 200 in the conveying direction TD.

[0047] The paper folding section 60 has a plate-shaped knife section 61 arranged to extend along a width direction WD perpendicular to the conveying direction TD, a knife section moving mechanism 62 that moves the knife section 61 along the height direction HD, and a pair of folding rollers 63, 64 that sandwich and crease the intermediate position 203 of the paper stack 200 moved from below to above in the height direction HD by the knife section 61.

[0048] The control unit 90 is a device that controls each part of the paper folding device 100, including the conveying unit 10, the stopper moving mechanism 25, the roller moving mechanism 45, the abutting unit 50, and the paper folding unit 60. The control unit 90 executes a control program stored in a memory unit (not shown) to perform processing that controls each part of the paper folding device 100.

[0049] Next, a paper folding method (paper conveying method) executed by paper folding device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the paper folding method executed by paper folding device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In step S101, the control unit 90 controls the stopper movement mechanism 25 to adjust the position of the stopper 20 in the conveying direction TD so that the stopper 20 is positioned at a stop position Xs that corresponds to the length in the conveying direction TD of the paper stack 200 to be folded by the paper folding unit 60. The stopper movement mechanism 25 moves the stopper 20 to the stop position Xs that is determined based on a control command transmitted from the control unit 90. Also, in step S101, the control unit 90 controls the movement mechanism of the abutting unit 50 so that the abutting member 51 is positioned in accordance with the length of the paper-sheet stack 200 folded by the paper-sheet folding unit 60 in the transport direction TD.

[0051] In step S102, the control unit 90 controls the roller moving mechanism 45 to move the urging roller 40 along the conveying direction TD in response to the stopper moving mechanism 25 moving the stop position Xs along the conveying direction TD. The roller moving mechanism 45 moves the urging roller 40 along the conveying direction TD so that the urging roller 40 is positioned at a protruding position upstream of the stop position Xs in the conveying direction TD.

[0052] In step S103, the control unit 90 controls the conveying unit 10 to convey the sheet stack 200 along the conveying direction TD.

[0053] In step S104, the control unit 90 determines whether the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 has reached the stopper 20, and if YES, the process proceeds to step S105, and if NO, the control unit 90 repeats step S103. The control unit 90 determines that the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 has reached the stopper 20 when the paper-sheet stack sensor 52, which moves along the conveying direction TD in synchronization with the abutting member 51, detects the rear end 202 of the paper-sheet stack 200.

[0054] In the above step S104, the control unit 90 determines whether the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 has reached the stopper 20, and if the answer is YES, proceeds to step S105, but other aspects are also possible. For example, the control unit 90 may determine whether the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 has reached the urging roller 40, and if the answer is YES, proceed to step S105. In this case, the control unit 90 controls the movement mechanism of the abutting unit 50 so that the paper-sheet stack sensor 52 is positioned to detect the rear end 202 of the paper-sheet stack 200 when the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 reaches the urging roller 40.

[0055] In step S105, the control unit 90 controls the roller moving mechanism 45 to move the urging roller 40 from the protruding position to the retracted position. When the urging roller 40 moves from the protruding position to the retracted position, the urging force from the urging roller 40 to the paper stack 200 toward the conveying surface 12a1 is no longer transmitted.

[0056] In step S106, after the roller moving mechanism 45 moves the urging roller 40 from the protruding position to the retracted position, the control unit 90 controls the abutting unit 50 to press the rear end 202 of the paper-sheet stack 200 along the conveying direction TD and abut the front end 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 against the stopper 20. The front end 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 abuts against the stopper 20 and is positioned in the conveying direction TD.

[0057] In step S107, the control unit 90 controls the paper folding unit 60 to fold the paper stack 200 at an intermediate position 203 between the leading end 201 and the trailing end 202 of the paper stack 200, with the leading end 201 of the paper stack 200 abutting against the stopper 20 and positioning the paper stack 200 in the conveying direction TD. The paper folding unit 60 moves the knife unit 61 along the height direction HD using the knife unit movement mechanism 62. A pair of folding rollers 63, 64 sandwich the intermediate position 203 of the paper stack 200, which has been moved from below to above in the height direction HD by the knife unit 61, and crease the paper stack 200. The paper stack 200 folded by the paper folding unit 60 is transported to a destination (not shown).

[0058] In step S108, the control section 90 determines whether there is a subsequent sheet stack 200 to be processed by the sheet folding section 60, and if YES, ends the processing of this flowchart, and if NO, executes step S101 again.

[0059] The actions and effects achieved by the paper folding device 100 of the present embodiment described above will now be described. According to the paper folding device 100 of this embodiment, deformation in the height direction HD of the paper-sheet stack 200 that has struck the stopper 20 is regulated by the regulating unit 30, thereby preventing a problem in which the folding position by the paper-sheet folding unit 60 deviates from the desired position due to bending of the paper-sheet stack 200. Furthermore, because the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 reaches the urging roller 40 that is positioned in the protruding position before striking the stopper 20 and is urged toward the conveying surface 12a1, the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 can strike the stopper 20 with a load applied. This makes it possible to appropriately prevent misalignment and tilt of the paper-sheet stack 200 in the conveying direction TD and the width direction WD due to the rebound of the leading edge 201 of the paper-sheet stack 200 when it strikes the stopper 20.

[0060] Furthermore, according to paper-sheet folding device 100 of the present embodiment, after leading edge 201 of paper-sheet stack 200 reaches urging roller 40, urging roller 40 retracts from the protruding position to the retracted position, so that when leading edge 201 of paper-sheet stack 200 abuts against stopper 20, the state in which leading edge 201 of paper-sheet stack 200 is urged toward conveying surface 12a1 by urging roller 40 is appropriately released. Therefore, folding process of paper-sheet stack 200, whose leading edge has been aligned at stop position Xs by stopper 20, can be appropriately performed.

[0061] According to the paper folding device 100 of this embodiment, after the leading edge 201 of the paper stack 200 reaches the urging roller 40, the urging roller 40, which rotates in contact with the conveying surface 12a1, moves away from the conveying surface 12a1, and the urging roller 40 can appropriately apply a urging force toward the conveying surface 12a1 to the leading edge 201 of the paper stack 200.

[0062] According to the paper folding device 100 of this embodiment, the stopper moving mechanism 25 moves the stop position Xs along the conveying direction TD, and the roller moving mechanism 45 moves the urging roller 40 in the conveying direction TD, so that the stopper 20 and the urging roller 40 can be positioned at appropriate positions depending on the length of the paper stack 200 in the conveying direction TD.

[0063] According to the paper folding device 100 of this embodiment, after the state in which the leading edge 201 of the paper stack 200 is urged against the conveying surface 12a1 by the urging roller 40 is released, the rear end 202 of the paper stack 200 is abutted against the stopper 20 by the abutment portion 50 along the conveying direction TD, thereby properly aligning the leading edge 201 of the paper stack 200 to the stop position Xs.

[0064] According to the paper-sheet folding device 100 of this embodiment, the paper-sheet stack 200 can be folded by the paper-sheet folding section 60 at an intermediate position 203 between the leading end 201 and the trailing end 202 of the paper-sheet stack 200 .

[0065] Other Embodiments The device of this embodiment described above relates to a device equipped with a paper folding unit 60, but other aspects are also possible. For example, the device of this embodiment may be another device that does not have a paper folding unit 60. For example, instead of a paper folding unit 60 that folds the paper stack 200, the device may be applied to a device that has a cutting unit that cuts the paper stack 200, or a device that has a punching unit that punches holes in the paper stack 200. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 Conveying section 11 Upstream transport mechanism 11a, 12a Conveyor belt 11a1 Conveying surface 11b, 12b Drive roller 11c, 12c Driven roller 12 Downstream transport mechanism 12a1 Conveying surface 20 Stopper 25 Stopper movement mechanism (second movement mechanism) 30 Regulatory Department 30a Regulatory aspects 31 First Opening 32 Second Opening 40 biasing roller (biasing portion) 45 Roller movement mechanism (first movement mechanism) 50 End 60 Paper folding section 61 Knife section 62 Knife section movement mechanism 63,64 Folding roller 90 Control Unit 100 Paper folding device (paper transport device) 200 paper stack 201 Tip 202 Rear end 203 Intermediate position HD Height direction TD transport direction WD Width direction X1 1st position X2 2nd position Xs Stop position

Claims

1. a conveying section that holds the sheet stack on a conveying surface and conveys the sheet stack along a conveying direction; a stopper that is disposed at a stop position in the conveying direction and against which the leading edge of the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveying unit abuts; a regulating unit that forms a regulating surface that is arranged parallel to the conveying surface from a first position upstream of the stop position in the conveying direction to a second position downstream of the stop position in the conveying direction, and that regulates deformation in the height direction of the sheet stack that has struck the stopper; a biasing unit that is disposed above the transport unit and generates a biasing force that biases the leading edge of the paper stack toward the transport surface; a first moving mechanism that moves the urging portion between a protruding position that is on the upstream side of the stop position in the conveying direction and a retracted position that is spaced apart from the protruding position, The first moving mechanism moves the urging unit from the protruding position to the retracted position after the leading edge of the stack of sheets being conveyed by the conveying unit reaches the urging unit.

2. The paper transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the biasing portion has a roller that rotates in contact with the transport surface that moves along the transport direction.

3. a second moving mechanism that moves the stop position where the stopper is disposed along the conveying direction; 3. The paper transport device according to claim 1, wherein the first movement mechanism moves the urging portion along the transport direction in response to the second movement mechanism moving the stop position along the transport direction.

4. 3. A paper transport device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a stopper that presses the rear end of the paper stack along the transport direction to cause the front end of the paper stack to abut against the stopper after the first moving mechanism moves the urging portion from the protruding position to the retracted position.

5. The paper transport device according to claim 4 , further comprising a paper folding unit that is arranged along a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction and that folds the paper stack at a middle position between the leading end and the trailing end of the paper stack.

6. 3. The paper transport device according to claim 1, wherein the retracted position is a position downstream of the stop position in the transport direction.

7. A paper transport method for transporting a stack of paper sheets by a paper transport device, comprising: The paper transport device a conveying section that holds the sheet stack on a conveying surface and conveys the sheet stack along a conveying direction; a stopper that is disposed at a stop position in the conveying direction and against which the leading edge of the sheet bundle conveyed by the conveying unit abuts; a regulating unit that forms a regulating surface that is arranged parallel to the conveying surface from a first position upstream of the stop position in the conveying direction to a second position downstream of the stop position in the conveying direction, and that regulates deformation of the sheet stack that has struck against the stopper; a biasing unit that is disposed above the transport unit and generates a biasing force that biases the leading edge of the paper stack toward the transport surface, a conveying step of conveying the sheet bundle toward the stopper along the conveying direction by the conveying unit; a retraction process for moving the urging section from a protruding position upstream of the stop position in the conveying direction to a retracted position spaced apart from the protruding position after the leading edge of the paper stack being conveyed by the conveying process reaches the urging section.

8. The paper transport method according to claim 7 , wherein the urging section has a roller that rotates in contact with the transport surface that moves along the transport direction.

9. a first moving step of moving the stop position where the stopper is disposed along the conveying direction; The paper transport method according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising: a second movement step of moving the urging portion along the transport direction in response to the first movement step of moving the stop position along the transport direction.

10. 9. A paper transport method according to claim 7 or claim 8, further comprising a stopper process in which, after the retraction process has moved the urging portion from the protruding position to the retracted position, a stopper process is performed in which an abutment portion is pressed against the rear end of the paper stack along the transport direction, causing the front end of the paper stack to abut against the stopper.

11. The paper transport method according to claim 10, further comprising a paper folding step of pressing a paper folding section arranged along a width direction perpendicular to the transport direction against a middle position between the leading end and the trailing end of the paper stack to fold the paper stack.

12. 9. The paper transport method according to claim 7, wherein the retracted position is a position downstream of the stop position in the transport direction.

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