Medium processing apparatus and image forming system

Abstract

To provide a medium processing apparatus capable of crimp-binding a medium bundle with appropriate binding strength.SOLUTION: A medium processing apparatus includes: crimping means that performs crimp-binding of pressing and deforming a medium bundle in which a plurality of media are bundled using a pair of binding teeth; and a controller that controls operation of the crimping means. The controller switches whether to execute pressure-hold control of holding a state in which the medium bundle is pressed and deformed by the pair of binding teeth.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a media processing device and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, media processing devices have been known that bundle and bind sheet-like media on which images have been formed by an image forming device. Because paper is a widely known example of sheet-like media, this specification uses a "sheet stack" of multiple sheets of paper as an example of a bundle of sheet-like media. Furthermore, in consideration of resource conservation and reducing environmental impact, some media processing devices are equipped with a crimping device that can perform so-called "press binding," in which the bundle of sheets is clamped and pressure-deformed with uneven binding teeth, without using metal staples.

[0003] Pressure binding has the problem that the greater the number of sheets of paper that make up a paper stack, the harder it is for the binding teeth to bite into the paper stack, which can cause bound sheets to peel off and fall off, making it difficult to maintain a proper binding state. To address this, some media processing devices that perform pressure binding reliably pressure bind a paper stack by maintaining a state in which the binding teeth apply pressure to the paper stack for a predetermined period of time (hereinafter referred to as "pressure retention control") (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as in Patent Document 1, if pressure retention control is always performed regardless of the state of the paper stack (e.g., number of sheets, paper thickness, type), the pressure may be too strong depending on the state of the media stack, which may damage the paper stack or the pressure means.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and has an object to provide a media processing device that is capable of crimping and binding a media stack with appropriate binding strength. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention comprises a crimping means that crimps and binds a media bundle made up of multiple media by pressurizing and deforming it with a pair of binding teeth, and a control unit that controls the operation of the crimping means, and the control unit is characterized in that it switches whether or not to perform pressure retention control that maintains the state in which the media bundle has been pressurized and deformed by the pair of binding teeth. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a media processing device that is capable of crimping and binding a media stack with an appropriate binding strength. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the post-processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the edge binding processing section as viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the edge binding processing section as viewed from the liquid application section side in the main scanning direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a crimping unit of the edge binding processing unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the edge binding processing section. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a liquid application and pressure bonding unit according to a modified example of the edge binding processing unit. [Figure 8] 8A to 8C are diagrams illustrating a liquid applying operation and a pressure binding operation performed by the liquid applying and pressure bonding unit of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the stapling processing section as viewed from the upstream side in the conveying direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a modified example of the staple binding processing section as viewed from the upstream side in the conveying direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the operation of the post-processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a contact / separation mechanism that contacts and separates the upper and lower crimping teeth. [Figure 13]FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram of a post-processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] Example of a pressure retention setting screen (A) and example of data in a pressure retention control table. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart of a binding process. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the positions of a liquid application unit and a pressure bonding unit during binding processing. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart of a pressure binding process. [Figure 18] 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the processing time of the pressure binding process and the pressure force applied to the sheet stack. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a post-processing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a view of the internal tray according to the third embodiment, viewed from the thickness direction of the paper. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a pressure-bonding unit according to a third embodiment, viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a view of a liquid deposition section according to a third embodiment, as viewed from the thickness direction of the paper. [Figure 23] 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XXV-XXV in FIG. 22. [Figure 24] 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI of FIG. 22. [Figure 25] FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the operation of a post-processing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart of post-processing by a post-processing device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a modified example of an image forming system. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the control unit of the post-processing device. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the control unit of the post-processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Embodiment of Image Forming System 1] An image forming system 1 according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the image forming system 1. The image forming system 1 has an image forming function for forming an image on paper P, which is a type of sheet-like medium, and a post-processing function for performing predetermined post-processing on the paper P on which the image has been formed. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 is configured to operate in cooperation with an image forming device 2 having an image forming function and a post-processing device 3, which is a media processing device having a post-processing function according to the present invention.

[0010] In this embodiment, the explanation is based on the premise that the sheet-like medium to be processed in the image forming system 1 is "paper." However, the object of processing according to this embodiment is not limited to paper. For example, any type of medium is acceptable as long as an image can be formed on the medium using a conventionally known image forming process. This also includes media that can be subjected to folding and binding processes, and there are no limitations on the material, specifications, etc.

[0011] The image forming device 2 forms an image on a sheet P and discharges the sheet P with the image formed thereon to the post-processing device 3. The image forming device 2 includes a storage tray 211 for storing sheets P, a transport unit 212 for transporting the sheets P stored in the storage tray 211, and an image forming unit 213 for forming an image on the sheet P transported by the transport unit 212. The image forming unit 213 may be of an inkjet type that forms an image using ink, or of an electrophotographic type that forms an image using toner. The image forming device 2 also includes a control unit 100a that controls various operations of the transport unit 212 and the image forming unit 213. The configuration of the image forming device 2 is already known, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0012] Incidentally, paper is a widely known example of a sheet-like medium. Therefore, in this specification, when describing a sheet-like medium to be processed, the term "paper P" will be used. Furthermore, when describing a sheet bundle, the term "paper bundle Pb" will be used as an example, which is a bundle of multiple sheets of paper as a medium.

[0013] [Embodiment of post-processing device 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment. The post-processing device 3 has a function of performing predetermined post-processing on sheets P on which images have been formed by the image forming device 2. One type of post-processing according to this embodiment is a binding process that serves as a "pressure binding process" in which a stack of multiple sheets P on which images have been formed (a sheet stack) is bound without using staples. Another type of post-processing according to this embodiment is a binding process that serves as a "staple binding process" in which a stack of multiple sheets P on which images have been formed (a sheet stack) is bound using staples. Hereinafter, the stack of sheets P will be referred to as a "sheet stack Pb" as a medium stack.

[0014] In this embodiment, the liquid application process when performing pressure binding processing will be mainly described. However, the liquid application process performed in relation to staple binding processing is also similar. Furthermore, when the term "binding processing" is used in the following description, it means both the "pressure binding processing" and the "staple binding processing" and is not limited to the binding method (whether using staples or pressure deformation).

[0015] In addition, the "pressure binding process" according to this embodiment is, more specifically, a process of applying pressure to a binding position corresponding to a part of the paper stack Pb to deform (pressure-deform) the binding position and bind the sheets, and is a process called "pressure binding." Note that the binding processes that can be performed by the post-processing device 3 include an end binding process that binds the end of the paper stack Pb and a saddle binding process that binds the center of the paper stack Pb.

[0016] The post-processing device 3 includes conveyance roller pairs 10-19 (conveyance section), a switching claw 20, and a control unit 100b (control means). The control unit 100b controls the operations of the conveyance roller pairs 10-19 (conveyance section), the switching claw 20, and the like. The control unit 100b will be described in detail later. The conveyance roller pairs 10-19 convey the paper P supplied from the image forming device 2 inside the post-processing device 3. More specifically, the conveyance roller pairs 10-13 convey the paper P along a first conveyance path Ph1. The conveyance roller pairs 14-15 convey the paper P along a second conveyance path Ph2. The conveyance roller pairs 16-19 convey the paper P along a third conveyance path Ph3. A punch hole punching unit 132 that punches the paper P conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11 is disposed between the conveyance roller pairs 10 and 11.

[0017] The first transport path Ph1 is a path that leads from the supply port of the paper P from the image forming device 2 to the discharge tray 21. The second transport path Ph2 is a path that branches off from the first transport path Ph1 between the pairs of transport rollers 11 and 14 in the transport direction, and leads to the discharge tray 26 via the internal tray 22. The third transport path Ph3 is a path that branches off from the first transport path Ph1 between the pairs of transport rollers 11 and 14 in the transport direction, and leads to the discharge tray 30.

[0018] The switching claw 20 is disposed at a branching position of the first transport path Ph1 and the second transport path Ph2. The switching claw 20 is configured to be switchable between a first position where the sheet P is discharged to the discharge tray 21 via the first transport path Ph1, and a second position where the sheet P transported along the first transport path Ph1 is guided to the second transport path Ph2. Furthermore, when the rear end of the sheet P that has entered the second transport path Ph2 passes the pair of transport rollers 11, the pair of transport rollers 14 is rotated in the reverse direction, thereby guiding the sheet P to the third transport path Ph3. The post-processing device 3 also includes multiple sensors that detect the position of the sheet P on each of the transport paths Ph1, Ph2, and Ph3. The multiple sensors are indicated by solid triangles (▲) in FIG. 2.

[0019] The post-processing device 3 includes a discharge tray 21. The discharge tray 21 holds the paper sheets P discharged through the first conveying path Ph1. Of the paper sheets P supplied from the image forming device 2, the paper sheets P that are not to be bound are discharged to the discharge tray 21.

[0020] The post-processing device 3 also includes an internal tray 22 as a loading tray, an end fence 23, side fences 24L and 24R, an edge-stitching processing unit 25, a staple binding processing unit 55, and a discharge tray 26. The internal tray 22, the end fence 23, the side fences 24L and 24R, the edge-stitching processing unit 25, and the staple binding processing unit 55 perform edge-stitching processing on a sheet bundle Pb made up of a plurality of sheets P transported from the second transport path Ph2 to the internal tray 22. The sheet bundle Pb that has been edge-stitched is discharged to the discharge tray 26 from among the sheets P supplied from the image forming device 2.

[0021] The "edge binding process" referred to here includes "parallel binding process" in which binding is performed along one side of the paper stack Pb that is parallel to the main scanning direction, "diagonal binding process" in which binding is performed at a corner of the paper stack Pb, and "vertical binding process" in which binding is performed at multiple locations spaced apart in the width direction along one side of the paper stack Pb that is parallel to the transport direction.

[0022] Hereinafter, the direction in which the paper P is transported from the transport roller pair 15 toward the end fence 23 is defined as the "transport direction." In other words, in this specification, the "transport direction" corresponds to the direction in which the paper P discharged from the image forming device 2 moves toward the discharge tray 26 by the transport roller pair 10, etc., and then changes direction by the transport roller pair 15, heading toward the end fence 23, which is a different direction from the previous direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction and transport direction of the paper P is defined as the "main scanning direction (width direction of the paper P)."

[0023] The multiple sheets of paper P transported in order via the second transport path Ph2 are temporarily placed on the internal tray 22, which serves as a loading tray. The end fence 23 aligns the position of the sheets of paper P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the transport direction. The side fences 24L, 24R align the position of the sheets of paper P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction. The edge stitching processing unit 25 and the staple binding processing unit 55 bind the edges of the sheet bundle Pb aligned by the end fence 23 and the side fences 24L, 24R. Then, the transport roller pair 15 discharges the sheet bundle Pb that has been edge-stitched onto the discharge tray 26.

[0024] Furthermore, the post-processing device 3 further includes an end fence 27, a saddle stitching unit 28, a paper folding blade 29, and a discharge tray 30. The end fence 27, the saddle stitching unit 28, and the paper folding blade 29 perform saddle stitching on a paper stack Pb made up of paper sheets P transported through the third transport path Ph3. The discharge tray 30 receives the paper stack Pb that has been saddle stitched from the paper sheets P supplied from the image forming device 2.

[0025] The end fence 27 aligns the positions in the conveying direction of multiple sheets P conveyed in sequence through the third conveying path Ph3. The end fence 27 is also configured to be movable between a binding position where the center of the sheet stack Pb faces the saddle stitching processing unit 28, and a folding position where the center faces the paper folding blade 29. The saddle stitching processing unit 28 stitches the center of the sheet stack Pb aligned by the end fence 27 at the binding position. The paper folding blade 29 folds the sheet stack Pb placed on the end fence 27 at the folding position in half and clamps it between the conveying roller pair 18. The conveying roller pairs 18 and 19 discharge the sheet stack Pb that has been saddle stitched onto the discharge tray 30.

[0026] [Detailed explanation of the edge binding processing unit 25] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the edge binding processing unit 25, which performs the liquid application process and the pressure binding process shown in Fig. 2, as seen from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the edge binding processing unit 25 as seen from the liquid application unit 31 side in the main scanning direction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the edge binding processing unit 25 includes a liquid application unit 31 that applies liquid to the paper P, and a pressure bonding unit 32, which is an example of a post-processing unit and performs pressure binding on the paper stack Pb. The liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 are arranged adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction, downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction.

[0027] 4, liquid deposition unit 31 as a liquid deposition unit deposits liquid stored in first liquid storage tank 43 as a liquid storage unit onto paper P or paper stack Pb placed on internal tray 22. Hereinafter, the deposition of liquid by liquid deposition unit 31 onto paper P or paper stack Pb, and the operation of liquid deposition unit 31 when depositing liquid, will be referred to as "liquid deposition." Furthermore, the liquid deposition operation of liquid deposition unit 31 that involves control processing will be referred to as "liquid deposition process."

[0028] More specifically, the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 as the liquid used for liquid application is primarily composed of a liquid compound of hydrogen and oxygen represented by the chemical formula "H2O." As long as it is in a liquid state, its temperature does not matter, and it may be so-called warm water or hot water. Furthermore, it is not limited to pure water, and it may of course be purified water, or may contain ionized salts. The metal ion content does not matter, and the hardness may range from so-called soft water to ultra-hard water.

[0029] In addition to the main ingredient, additives may be added. It may contain residual chlorine, which is used in tap water, and it is also desirable to add colorants, penetrants, pH adjusters, preservatives such as phenoxyethanol, and drying inhibitors such as glycerin. Furthermore, inks used in inkjet printers and water-based pens also contain water, so these may also be used as "liquid application."

[0030] The liquids are not limited to those specifically mentioned here, and any "water" in the broad sense, such as hypochlorous acid water or an ethanol solution diluted for disinfection, will also work, but if the only purpose is to enhance the binding strength after binding, tap water, which is easy to obtain and manage, can be used. Also, using a liquid whose main component is water, such as the examples above, can improve the binding strength of the paper stack Pb more than using a liquid whose main component is not water.

[0031] 3 and 4, the liquid application unit 31 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction together with the pressing unit 32 by transmitting the driving force of an edge binding processing unit movement motor 50. The liquid application unit 31 includes a lower pressure plate 33 as a platform for placing the paper sheet P or the paper stack Pb, an upper pressure plate 34, a liquid application unit movement mechanism 35, and a liquid application mechanism 36. The components of the liquid application unit 31 (the lower pressure plate 33, the upper pressure plate 34, the liquid application unit movement mechanism 35, the liquid application mechanism 36, and the liquid application unit movement motor 37) are held by a liquid application frame 31a and a base member 48.

[0032] 3, the liquid applicator 31 is equipped with a liquid applicator rotation mechanism 252. The liquid applicator rotation mechanism 252 is composed of a liquid applicator rotation motor 563, which will be described later, an output gear 563a, and a drive transmission gear 562a. A liquid applicator rotation shaft 562 equipped with a drive transmission gear 562a is fixed to the bottom surface of a liquid applicator frame 31a that holds the components of the liquid applicator 31. The liquid applicator rotation shaft 562 and the drive transmission gear 562a are held rotatably in both forward and reverse directions by a base member 48 on which the liquid applicator frame 31a is provided.

[0033] Furthermore, the drive transmission gear 562a meshes with an output gear 563a of the liquid deposition unit rotation motor 563. The drive force of the liquid deposition unit rotation motor 563 is transmitted to the liquid deposition unit rotation shaft 562 via the output gear 563a and the drive transmission gear 562a, so that the liquid deposition unit 31 is rotatable in forward and reverse directions on the base member 48 around the liquid deposition unit rotation shaft 562.

[0034] The lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 are disposed downstream in the conveying direction from the internal tray 22. The paper P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 is also placed on the lower pressure plate 33. The lower pressure plate 33 is provided on a lower pressure plate holder 331. The upper pressure plate 34 is configured to be movable in the thickness direction of the paper P or paper stack Pb at a position facing the paper P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0035] That is, the lower pressure plate 33 and the upper pressure plate 34 are arranged opposite to each other in the thickness direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the "thickness direction") of the paper P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22, sandwiching the paper P or paper stack Pb therebetween. Furthermore, the upper pressure plate 34 has a through-hole 34a that penetrates in the thickness direction at a position facing a liquid applying member 44 that is held via a joint 46 attached to the base plate 40. The liquid applying member 44 is one end of a liquid supplying member 45 (liquid-absorbing) that will be described later, and corresponds to the tip portion.

[0036] The liquid applicator movement mechanism 35 moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, the joint 46, and the liquid applicator 44 in the thickness direction of the paper sheet P or the paper stack Pb. The liquid applicator movement mechanism 35 according to this embodiment moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, the joint 46, and the liquid applicator 44 in conjunction with each other using a single liquid applicator movement motor 37. The liquid applicator movement mechanism 35 includes, for example, the liquid applicator movement motor 37, a trapezoidal screw 38, a nut 39, the base plate 40, columnar members 41 a, 41 b, and coil springs 42 a, 42 b.

[0037] The liquid applicator movement motor 37 generates a driving force that moves the upper pressure plate 34, the base plate 40, the joint 46, and the liquid applicator member 44. The trapezoidal screw 38 extends in the thickness direction of the paper sheet P or the stack of paper sheets Pb, and is provided on the liquid applicator frame 31a so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions. The trapezoidal screw 38 is connected to the output shaft of the liquid applicator movement motor 37 via a pulley, a belt, or the like. The nut 39 is threadedly engaged with the trapezoidal screw 38. The driving force of the liquid applicator movement motor 37 is transmitted to rotate the trapezoidal screw 38 in forward and reverse directions, causing the nut 39 to move back and forth on the trapezoidal screw 38.

[0038] The base plate 40 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the upper pressure plate 34. The base plate 40 holds the liquid supplying member 44 with the tip of the liquid supplying member 44 protruding from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34. The base plate 40 is connected to a trapezoidal screw 38 via a nut 39, and is configured to be able to move back and forth along the trapezoidal screw 38 as the trapezoidal screw 38 rotates forward and backward. The vertical position of the base plate 40 is detected by a movement sensor 40a (see FIG. 8).

[0039] The pillar-shaped members 41a, 41b protrude from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34 around the tip portion of the liquid application member 44. The pillar-shaped members 41a, 41b are configured to be movable in the thickness direction relative to the base plate 40. The pillar-shaped members 41a, 41b hold the upper pressure plate 34 at their tip portions on the lower pressure plate 33 side. The tip portions of the pillar-shaped members 41a, 41b opposite the lower pressure plate 33 are provided with stoppers to prevent the pillar-shaped members 41a, 41b from coming off the base plate 40.

[0040] The coil springs 42a and 42b are fitted onto the columnar members 41a and 41b between the base plate 40 and the upper pressure plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b bias the upper pressure plate 34 and the columnar members 41a and 41b toward the lower pressure plate 33 with respect to the base plate 40.

[0041] The liquid application mechanism 36 applies liquid to the paper sheet P or the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. More specifically, the liquid application mechanism 36 applies liquid to at least one sheet of paper P that constitutes the paper stack Pb by bringing a liquid application member 44 into contact with the paper sheet P or the paper stack Pb. The liquid application mechanism 36 includes the liquid application member 44, a liquid supply member 45, a first liquid storage tank 43, and a joint 46.

[0042] The first liquid storage tank 43 stores liquid to be supplied to the paper sheet P or the paper stack Pb. The liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 is detected by a liquid level sensor 43a (liquid detection means).

[0043] The liquid applying member 44 applies the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the paper sheet P or the paper stack Pb. The liquid applying member 44 is held by the base plate 40 with its tip pointing toward the upper pressing plate .

[0044] The liquid application member 44 is made of a material with a high liquid absorption rate, such as an open-cell foam that can hold liquid. The liquid application member 44 can be made of any material as long as it has the ability to absorb and retain liquid and collapses in response to the pressure applied when in contact with the paper P. For example, it may be a foam such as a sponge, or a fiber that can absorb liquid by capillary action.

[0045] Liquid supply member 45 (liquid absorbing) is a long member having a base end which is an immersion portion 452 immersed in the liquid stored in first liquid storage tank 43 and a tip end which is connected to liquid applying member 44. Liquid supply member 45 is made of, for example, a material with high water absorption, similar to liquid applying member 44. This allows the liquid absorbed from immersion portion 452 of liquid supply member 45 to be supplied to liquid applying member 44 by capillary action. In other words, the liquid stored in first liquid storage tank 43 is sucked up from immersion portion 452 of liquid supply member 45, and the sucked up liquid is supplied through liquid supply member 45 to liquid applying member 44 which is connected to the tip end.

[0046] As described above, the liquid sucked up from the immersion portion 452 of the liquid supply member 45 is supplied to the liquid application member 44 through the liquid supply member 45, and the liquid application is performed by the liquid application member 44 coming into contact with the top surface of the paper P or the paper stack Pb.

[0047] Although the above description has been given of the case where the liquid supply member 45 and the liquid application member 44 are separate bodies, the liquid supply member 45 and the liquid application member 44 may be integrally formed from materials with similar properties (for example, materials with high liquid absorption). In other words, the liquid application member 44 may be configured to be part of the liquid supply member 45. In this case, the supply of liquid from the liquid supply member 45 to the liquid application member 44 by capillary action can be carried out more smoothly, and costs can be reduced.

[0048] The protective member 45a is a long cylinder (for example, a tube) that is fitted onto the liquid supply member 45. This prevents the liquid absorbed by the liquid supply member 45 from leaking or evaporating. The liquid supply member 45 and the protective member 45a are made of a flexible material. The joint 46 holds the liquid application member 44 and is provided on the base plate 40. This allows the liquid application member 44 to protrude from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressure plate 34, and maintains a state in which the tip of the liquid application member 44 faces the upper pressure plate 34, even when the liquid application unit movement mechanism 35 moves the liquid application member 44 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction and the main scanning direction.

[0049] In the liquid application process, the amount of movement (pressure) of the liquid application member 44 relative to the sheet P or sheet bundle Pb can be controlled by controlling the drive amount of the liquid application unit movement motor 37. Controlling the amount of movement of the liquid application member 44 relative to the sheet P or sheet bundle Pb adjusts the size of the area (contact area) in which the liquid application member 44 comes into contact with the sheet P or sheet bundle Pb, and adjusts the contact time (contact time). By making these adjustments, the amount of liquid applied to the sheet P or sheet bundle Pb in the liquid application process and the spread of the liquid can be adjusted.

[0050] [Configuration of crimping portion 32] The crimping unit 32, which serves as a post-processing unit, applies pressure to a portion of the paper-sheet stack Pb using the concave and convex upper and lower crimping teeth 32a and 32b to deform the portion, and presses the paper-sheets P together to bind the paper-sheet stack Pb. In other words, the crimping unit 32 can bind the paper-sheet stack Pb without using staples. The components of the crimping unit 32 (upper crimping teeth 32a and lower crimping teeth 32b) are provided on a crimping unit frame 32c. Hereinafter, the act of pressurizing and deforming predetermined positions of the paper-sheet stack Pb to bind the paper-sheet stack Pb using the crimping unit 32 will be simply referred to as "crimping binding." Furthermore, the crimping binding operation of the crimping unit 32, which involves control processing, will be referred to as "crimping binding process."

[0051] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the crimping unit 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the crimping unit 32 includes upper crimping teeth 32a and lower crimping teeth 32b. The upper crimping teeth 32a and lower crimping teeth 32b are arranged opposite each other in the thickness direction of the stack of sheets Pb placed on the internal tray 22, sandwiching the stack of sheets Pb therebetween. The opposing surfaces of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are formed unevenly with alternating concave and convex portions. The upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are formed with the concave and convex portions offset from each other so as to mesh with each other. The upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are brought into contact with and separated from each other by the driving force of a contact / separation motor 32d (see FIG. 11).

[0052] As shown in Fig. 5(A) , when multiple sheets P constituting the sheet stack Pb are being supplied to the internal tray 22, the upper and lower pressure teeth 32a and 32b are spaced apart. Then, when all sheets P constituting the sheet stack Pb are placed on the internal tray 22, the upper and lower pressure teeth 32a and 32b mesh with each other due to the driving force of the contact / separation motor 32d, as shown in Fig. 5(B) , thereby compressing and deforming the sheet stack Pb in the thickness direction. This causes the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to be pressure-bound. The pressure-bound sheet stack Pb is then discharged to the discharge tray 26 by the conveyance roller pair 15.

[0053] The configuration of the crimping unit 32 is not limited to the structure of the operating mechanism exemplified in this embodiment, as long as the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b constituting the crimping mechanism are able to mesh with each other. For example, the crimping mechanism may be a link mechanism type crimping mechanism (such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6057167) that performs the crimping and separating operations of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b using a drive source and link mechanism that rotates forward only or forward and reverse. Alternatively, the crimping mechanism may be a linear motion type crimping mechanism that performs the crimping and separating operations of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b linearly using a screw mechanism that converts the forward and reverse rotational motion of the drive source into linear reciprocating motion.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 3, the crimping unit 32 also includes a crimping tooth slide mechanism 322. The crimping tooth slide mechanism 322 is composed of a crimping tooth slide motor 32e, a pinion gear 32e1, a rack 32f1, and a crimping tooth frame 32f (described later). The upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32a are provided on the crimping tooth frame 32f. The crimping tooth frame 32f is integrally provided with a rack 32f1 that meshes with the pinion gear 32e1 (described later). The crimping tooth frame 32f is attached to the crimping unit frame 32c so as to be movable in the main scanning direction. The crimping tooth slide motor 32e generates a driving force for moving the crimping tooth frame 32f in the main scanning direction. The pinion gear 32e1 is provided on the output shaft of the crimping tooth slide motor 32e. When the crimping tooth slide motor 32e is driven forward or backward, the pinion gear 32e1 rotates forward or backward. As the pinion gear 32e1 rotates forward and backward, the rack 32f1 meshing with the pinion gear 32e1 moves back and forth in the main scanning direction relative to the crimping unit frame 32c. As a result, the crimping tooth frame 32f, which is integral with the rack 32f1, also moves back and forth in the main scanning direction relative to the crimping unit frame 32c. In other words, the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth provided on the crimping tooth frame 32f can move in the main scanning direction by driving the crimping tooth slide motor 32e forward and backward. This makes it possible for the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth to shift their positions in the main scanning direction relative to the paper stack Pb and perform multiple binding operations.

[0055] Here, the amount of movement in the main scanning direction of the upper and lower crimping teeth that constitute the crimping mechanism is set to be equal to the length of the crimp mark formed by the binding operation of the upper and lower crimping teeth 32a and 32b, and the crimp binding operation is performed multiple times before and after movement in the main scanning direction. That is, when the length of the crimp mark formed by the binding operation of the upper and lower crimping teeth 32a and 32b is 10 mm, by also setting the amount of movement in the main scanning direction to 10 mm, the length of the crimp mark can be set to 20 mm by combining the crimping operation before movement in the main scanning direction (first time) and the crimping operation after movement in the main scanning direction (second time), and therefore the binding force of the crimping unit 32 is improved by approximately two times.

[0056] 3, the crimping unit 32 is equipped with a crimping unit rotation mechanism 323 (post-processing unit rotation mechanism). The crimping unit rotation mechanism 323 is made up of a crimping unit rotation motor 56 (described later), an output gear 56a, and a drive transmission gear 54a. A crimping unit frame 32c, which holds the components of the crimping unit 32, has a crimping unit rotation shaft 54 ​​equipped with a drive transmission gear 54a fixed to its bottom surface.

[0057] The crimping unit rotation shaft 54 ​​and the drive transmission gear 54a are held rotatably in forward and reverse directions on a base member 48 on which the crimping unit frame 32c is provided. The drive transmission gear 54a is in mesh with an output gear 56a of a crimping unit rotation motor 56. The crimping unit 32 is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions on the base member 48 about the crimping unit rotation shaft 54 ​​as a result of the driving force of the crimping unit rotation motor 56 being transmitted to the crimping unit rotation shaft 54 ​​via the output gear 56a and the drive transmission gear 54a.

[0058] 3, the edge binding processing unit 25 includes an edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 47. The edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 47 moves the edge binding processing unit 25 (i.e., the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32) in the main scanning direction along the downstream edge in the transport direction of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22. The edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 47 includes, for example, a base member 48, a guide shaft 49, an edge binding processing unit moving motor 50, a drive force transmission mechanism 551 that transmits the drive force of the edge binding processing unit moving motor 50 to the base member 48, and a standby position sensor 540 (see FIG. 11).

[0059] The liquid applicator 31 and the pressure-bonding unit 32 are attached to the base member 48 adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide shaft 49 is provided in the main scanning direction on the upstream side of the binding mechanism base 116 in the conveying direction and is held by a plurality of guide shaft brackets 49a. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide shaft 49 extends in the main scanning direction on the binding mechanism base 116. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide rail 115 is provided in the main scanning direction on the downstream side of the binding mechanism base 116 in the conveying direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide rail 115 has a fitted portion 115a that fits with a fitting portion 48a of the base member 48 across the main scanning direction. In other words, the base member 48 is held by the guide shaft 49 and the guide rail 115 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction on the binding mechanism base 116.

[0060] The edge stitching processing unit movement motor 50 generates a driving force for moving the edge stitching processing unit 25. The driving force transmission mechanism 551 transmits the driving force of the edge stitching processing unit movement motor 50 to the base member 48 via pulleys 551a and 551b, a timing belt 551c, and a fastening unit 48b that fastens the base member 48 and the timing belt 551c. As a result, the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure-bonding unit 32, which are integrated by the base member 48, move in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 49.

[0061] The edge binding processing unit movement motor 50 according to the present embodiment is a servo motor that can stop the edge binding processing unit 25 at a target position without having to return the edge binding processing unit 25 to an origin position (for example, a standby position HP, which will be described later) every time the motor moves. The target position of the edge binding processing unit 25 is a position where the binding process is performed on the sheet bundle Pb by the pressure bonding unit 32. When forming one sheet bundle Pb and performing binding processes at multiple positions, the positions are referred to as a first binding position B1a, a second binding position B2a, etc. (see FIGS. 18 to 20, 22 to 25, and 27 to 28). The binding positions will be described in detail later.

[0062] The post-processing device 3 also includes a standby position sensor 540 (e.g., a light-blocking optical sensor; see FIG. 11) that detects that the edge binding processing unit 25 has reached a standby position HP (home position; see FIG. 15A), and an encoder sensor 541 (see FIG. 11) attached to the output shaft of the edge binding processing unit movement motor 50. The control unit 100b, which will be described later, detects that the edge binding processing unit 25 has reached the standby position HP based on the detection result of the standby position sensor 540. The control unit 100b, which will be described later, also counts pulse signals output from the encoder sensor 541 to determine the current position of the edge binding processing unit 25, which has moved from the standby position HP.

[0063] However, the specific method for stopping the edge binding processing unit 25 at the target position without returning it to the origin position is not limited to the above example. As another example, the post-processing device 3 may be provided with a sensor that detects that the edge binding processing unit 25 has reached a predetermined target position.

[0064] That is, the edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 47 can move the edge binding processing unit 25 over the shortest distance between the position where the liquid application unit 31 faces the first binding position B1 and the position where the liquid application unit 31 faces the second binding position B2, without passing through the standby position HP. Also, the edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 47 can move the edge binding processing unit 25 over the shortest distance between the position where the pressure bonding unit 32 faces the first binding position B1 and the position where the pressure bonding unit 32 faces the second binding position B2, without passing through the standby position HP. Also, the edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 47 can move the edge binding processing unit 25 over the shortest distance between the position where the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 (or the second liquid application position B2) and the position where the pressure bonding unit 32 faces the first binding position B1 (or the second binding position B2), without passing through the standby position HP.

[0065] Although the edge binding processing unit 25 has been described as having a configuration in which the pressure-bonding unit 32 and the liquid application unit 31 are integrally configured and move along the guide shaft 49, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pressure-bonding unit 32 and the liquid application unit 31 may each move separately and independently.

[0066] Furthermore, the position (liquid application position) where liquid is applied to the paper P or the paper stack Pb by the liquid application unit 31 corresponds to the binding position where the pressure bonding unit 32 is scheduled to perform pressure binding on the paper stack Pb. Therefore, as in the above, in the following explanation as well, the first and second liquid application positions and the first and second binding positions will be described using the same reference numerals (B1, B2, etc.).

[0067] [Modification of the edge binding processing unit 25] Next, an edge binding processing unit 25' that is a modified example of the edge binding processing unit 25 provided in the post-processing device 3 will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 8. The difference from the edge binding processing unit 25 according to the first embodiment is that the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 are integrally configured. Note that components common to the edge binding processing unit 25 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof may be omitted.

[0068] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the end binding processing section 25' as seen from the upstream side in the conveying direction. Fig. 7(A) is a perspective view of the liquid application and pressure bonding section 310. Fig. 7(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 7(A). Fig. 7(C) is a plan view of the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a as seen from the lower pressure bonding teeth 32b side in Fig. 7(A). Figs. 8(A) to (C) are schematic diagrams as seen from the downstream side in the conveying direction, showing the liquid application operation and pressure bonding binding operation by the liquid application and pressure bonding section 310.

[0069] 6, the edge binding processing unit 25' includes a liquid application and pressure-bonding unit 310 that integrates the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure-bonding unit 32 (post-processing unit) of the edge binding processing unit 25 according to the first embodiment. The liquid application and pressure-bonding unit 310 is disposed downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction.

[0070] The liquid applying and pressing unit 310 applies the liquid LQ stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the paper sheet P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The liquid applying and pressing unit 310 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction by transmitting the driving force of the edge binding processing unit movement motor 50 to the base member 48 by a driving force transmission mechanism 551. The liquid applying and pressing unit 310 includes an upper pressure plate 34, upper pressure teeth 32a, lower pressure teeth 32b, a liquid applying and pressing unit movement mechanism 350, and a liquid supply mechanism 360. The components of the liquid applying and pressing unit 310 are held by the liquid applying frame 31a and the base member 48.

[0071] Furthermore, a liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 561' equipped with a drive transmission gear 561a' is fixed to the bottom surface of the liquid-applying frame 31a. The liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 561' and the drive transmission gear 561a' are rotatably supported in forward and reverse directions on the base member 48 on which the liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit 31a is provided. The drive transmission gear 561a' is engaged with an output gear 56a' of a liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit rotation motor 56'. The liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit 310 is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions on the base member 48 about the liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 561' as the driving force of the liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit rotation motor 56' is transmitted to the liquid-applying and pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 561' via the output gear 56a' and the drive transmission gear 561a'.

[0072] The liquid applicator / pressure bonding unit moving mechanism 350 moves the upper pressure plate 34, base plate 40, and upper pressure teeth 32a in conjunction with each other in the thickness direction of the paper sheet P or paper stack Pb using an electric cylinder 370. The base plate 40 holds the upper pressure tooth holding member 32a1 and the upper pressure teeth 32a via a holding portion 46a. The base plate 40 also movably holds the upper pressure plate 34 via pillar-shaped members 41a and 41b. The base plate 40 is attached to the tip of a rod 371 of the electric cylinder 370 via a connecting member 401.

[0073] The columnar members 41a and 41b hold the upper pressure plate 34 at their lower ends. The coil springs 42a and 42b are fitted around the columnar members 41a and 41b between the base plate 40 and the upper pressure plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b bias the upper pressure plate 34 and the columnar members 41a and 41b in a direction away from the base plate 40.

[0074] The liquid supply mechanism 360 includes a first liquid storage tank 43, a liquid supply pump 431, and a first liquid supply path 45'. The liquid supply pump 431 supplies the liquid LQ to a liquid reservoir 320 provided in the upper crimping teeth holding member 32a1 as shown in Fig. 7(A) via the first liquid supply path 45'. The first liquid supply path 45' has a base end connected to the liquid supply pump 431 and a tip end connected to the liquid reservoir 320, and is made of a long, flexible member.

[0075] 7(B), the upper crimping teeth 32a are provided integrally with an upper crimping tooth holding member 32a1. The upper crimping tooth holding member 32a1 is provided with a liquid reservoir 320 and a liquid supply path 321 that supplies the liquid LQ stored in the liquid reservoir 320 to the upper crimping teeth 32a. The surfaces of the upper crimping teeth 32a have been subjected to a hydrophilic treatment, so that the liquid LQ supplied from the liquid supply path 321 spreads evenly over the surfaces of the upper crimping teeth 32a. On the other hand, portions of the upper crimping tooth holding member 32a1 other than the upper crimping teeth 32a have been subjected to a hydrophobic treatment, so that the liquid LQ spreads efficiently over the surfaces of the upper crimping teeth 32a.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 6, the lower crimping teeth 32b are integrally provided with a lower crimping teeth holding member 32b1 that is part of the liquid applicator frame 31a, and are attached onto the base member 48 via the lower crimping teeth holding member 32b1.

[0077] Next, the liquid application operation and pressure binding operation by the liquid application and pressure bonding unit 310 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In the process of supplying the paper P to the internal tray 22, the upper pressure tooth 32a and the lower pressure tooth 32b are separated, as shown in FIG. 8(A). Then, when the paper P is placed on the internal tray 22, the electric cylinder 370 is contracted to move the upper pressure tooth 32a and the upper pressure plate 34 toward the paper P. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(B), the upper pressure plate 34 first comes into contact with the paper P, and then the upper pressure tooth 32a passes through the through hole 34a of the upper pressure plate 34 and comes into contact with the paper P. At this time, because the liquid LQ has spread over the surface of the upper pressure tooth 32a, the liquid is applied to the liquid application position of the paper P by bringing the upper pressure tooth 32a into contact with the paper P. Then, when liquid application to the liquid application position is completed, the electric cylinder 370 is extended to separate the upper pressure tooth 32a and the upper pressure plate 34 from the paper P. The above-described contact and separation operation of the upper pressure tooth 32a and the upper pressure plate 34 with respect to the paper P (liquid application operation) is repeatedly performed on the paper P that constitutes the paper stack Pb.

[0078] Thereafter, when a sheet stack Pb consisting of a specified number of sheets P is placed on the internal tray 22, the electric cylinder 370 is further contracted to move the upper crimping teeth 32a toward the lower crimping teeth 32b. Then, as shown in Fig. 8(C), with the sheet stack Pb sandwiched between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b, the upper crimping teeth 32a move further toward the lower crimping teeth 32b, and the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b pressurize and deform the sheet stack Pb, thereby crimping and binding the sheet stack Pb (crimping binding operation).

[0079] [Explanation of staple binding processing unit 55] Next, details of the staple binding processing unit 55, which has the function of executing staple binding processing, will be described. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the staple binding processing unit 55 as seen from the upstream side in the conveying direction. The staple binding processing unit 55 has a staple binding unit 62 that binds the paper stack Pb using staples. The staple binding unit 62 is disposed downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction and spaced apart from the edge binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction.

[0080] The staple binding unit 62 serving as a post-processing unit has a configuration for performing so-called "staple binding processing," which is to bind the paper-sheet bundle Pb using staples. More specifically, the staple binding unit 62 has a staple binder drive motor 62d (see FIG. 11) that drives a staple binder 62a. The staple binder 62a staples the paper-sheet bundle Pb by causing staples loaded in the staple binder 62a to penetrate the paper-sheet bundle Pb using the driving force of the staple binder drive motor 62d. The configuration of the staple binding unit 62 is already well known, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] 9, the staple binding processing unit 55 includes a staple binding processing unit moving mechanism 77. The staple binding processing unit moving mechanism 77 moves the staple binding processing unit 55 in the main scanning direction along the downstream end in the transport direction of the paper sheets P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The staple binding processing unit moving mechanism 77 includes, for example, a base member 78, a guide shaft 49, a staple binding processing unit moving motor 80, and a drive force transmission mechanism 81. The drive force transmission mechanism 81 transmits the drive force of the staple binding processing unit moving motor 80 to the base member 78 via pulleys 81a and 81b, a timing belt 81c, and a fastening portion 78a that fastens the base member 78 and the timing belt 81c. Furthermore, a staple binding unit rotation shaft 83 equipped with a drive transmission gear 83a is fixed to the bottom surface of a staple binding frame 62b that holds the components of the staple binding unit 62.

[0082] The staple binding unit rotation shaft 83 and the drive transmission gear 83a are held rotatably in forward and reverse directions on a base member 78 on which the staple binding frame 62b is provided. The drive transmission gear 83a is in mesh with an output gear 82a of the staple binding unit rotation motor 82. The staple binding unit 62 is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions on the base member 78 about the staple binding unit rotation shaft 83 as a result of the drive force of the staple binding unit rotation motor 82 being transmitted to the staple binding unit rotation shaft 83 via the output gear 82a and the drive transmission gear 83a.

[0083] The edge binding processing unit 25 and the staple binding processing unit 55 are supported on a common guide shaft 49. That is, the edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 57 and the staple binding processing unit moving mechanism 77 move the edge binding processing unit 25 and the staple binding processing unit 55 in the main scanning direction along the common guide shaft 49. Furthermore, the edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 57 and the staple binding processing unit moving mechanism 77 can move the edge binding processing unit 25 and the staple binding processing unit 55 independently.

[0084] 10 shows a stapling processing unit 55' as a modified example of the stapling processing unit 55, and is a schematic diagram of the stapling processing unit 55' as seen from the upstream side in the conveying direction. The stapling processing unit 55' differs from the stapling processing unit 55 in that it includes not only a stapling unit 62 but also a second liquid application unit 612. As shown in FIG. 10, the stapling processing unit 55' includes the second liquid application unit 612 and the stapling unit 62. The second liquid application unit 612 and the stapling unit 62 are disposed adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction.

[0085] The second liquid deposition unit 612 performs liquid deposition by depositing the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank 73 onto the paper sheet P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. A predetermined area including the position where the second liquid deposition unit 612 deposits liquid onto the paper sheet P or paper stack Pb corresponds to the binding position where the staple binding unit 62 is to perform staple binding. As shown in FIG. 10 , the second liquid deposition unit 612 includes a second lower pressure plate 63, a second upper pressure plate 64, a second liquid deposition unit movement mechanism 65, and a second liquid deposition mechanism 66.

[0086] The second liquid deposition unit movement mechanism 65 includes, for example, a second liquid deposition unit movement motor 67, a second trapezoidal screw 68, a second nut 69, a second base plate 70, second columnar members 711a and 711b, and second coil springs 721a and 721b. The second liquid deposition mechanism 66 includes a second liquid storage tank 73, a second liquid deposition member 74, a second liquid supply member 75, and a second joint 76.

[0087] The configuration of the second liquid deposition mechanism 66 is the same as that of the liquid deposition mechanism 36 of the liquid deposition unit 31 described in Figures 3 and 4, so a repeated description will be omitted. In addition, the configuration of the stapling unit 62 is the same as that in Figure 9, so a detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the rotation mechanism of the second liquid deposition unit 612 (liquid deposition unit rotation motor 563, output gear 563a, drive transmission gear 562a, liquid deposition unit rotation shaft 562) is the same as that of the rotation mechanism of the liquid deposition unit 31 shown in Figure 3, so a repeated description will be omitted.

[0088] 10, even in the staple binding process, by applying liquid to the sheets P, the binding position can be loosened and softened, making it easier for the staple to penetrate. This makes it possible to increase the number of sheets bound per bundle of sheets Pb compared to when staple binding is performed without applying liquid.

[0089] [Control block of post-processing device 3] The control block configuration of post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram for executing control processing in post-processing device 3. As shown in Fig. 11, post-processing device 3 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a random access memory (RAM) 102, a read only memory (ROM) 103, a hard disk drive (HDD) 104, and an interface (I / F) 105, all of which are connected via a common bus 109.

[0090] The CPU 101 is a computing means and controls the overall operation of the post-processing device 3. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium that can read and write information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 101 processes information. The ROM 103 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium that stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information and has a large storage capacity, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, etc.

[0091] The post-processing device 3 processes a control program stored in the ROM 103, an information processing program (application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104, and the like using the arithmetic functions of the CPU 101. This processing constitutes a software control unit including various functional modules of the post-processing device 3. The combination of the software control unit thus constituted and the hardware resources mounted on the post-processing device 3 constitutes a functional block that realizes the functions of the post-processing device 3. In other words, the CPU 101, RAM 102, ROM 103, HDD 104, and I / F 105 constitute a control unit 100b (control unit) that controls the operation of the post-processing device 3.

[0092] The I / F 105 is an interface that connects the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the contact and separation motor 32d, the pressure tooth slide motor 32e, the pressure unit rotation motor 56, the liquid application unit movement motor 37, the liquid application unit rotation motor 563, the end stitching processing unit movement motor 50, the staple binding machine drive motor 62d, the staple binding unit rotation motor 82, the staple binding processing unit movement motor 80, the movement sensor 40a, the liquid level sensor 43a, the standby position sensor 540, the encoder sensor 541, and the operation panel 110 to the common bus 109.

[0093] The control unit 100b controls, via the I / F 105, the operations of the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the contact / separation motor 32d, the pressure tooth slide motor 32e, the pressure unit rotation motor 56, the liquid application unit movement motor 37, the liquid application unit rotation motor 563, the edge stitching processing unit movement motor 50, the stapling machine drive motor 62d, the stapling unit rotation motor 82, and the stapling processing unit movement motor 80. The control unit 100b also acquires detection results from the movement sensor 40a, the liquid level sensor 43a, the standby position sensor 540, and the encoder sensor 541. Note that while FIG. 11 illustrates components related to the edge stitching processing unit 25 and the stapling processing unit 55 that perform the edge stitching process, the control unit 100b also controls components related to the saddle stitching processing unit 28 that performs the saddle stitching process.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 2 includes an operation panel 110. The operation panel 110 includes an operation unit that accepts input operations from a user and a display (notification unit) that notifies the user of information. The operation unit includes, for example, hard keys, a touch panel superimposed on the display, etc. The operation panel 110 acquires information from the user through the operation unit and provides the information to the user through the display. Note that the notification unit is not limited to a display, and may be an LED lamp, a speaker, etc. The post-processing device 3 may also be provided with an operation panel 110 similar to the above.

[0095] As described above, the post-processing device 3 according to this embodiment includes the end-stitching processing unit 25 that can perform post-processing (press binding processing, staple binding processing) after applying liquid. Note that when the number of sheets P that make up the sheet bundle Pb is small, the end-stitching processing unit 25 can also perform press binding without applying liquid (i.e., press binding processing using only the press unit 32), similar to conventional press binding processing.

[0096] Furthermore, the edge binding processing unit 25 is configured to be able to move the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 in the main scanning direction by the pressure tooth sliding mechanism 322 and / or the edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 47. Therefore, it is possible to perform multiple pressure bindings by moving the liquid application position of the liquid application unit 31 and / or the binding position of the pressure bonding unit 32 in the main scanning direction. As a result, the pressure marks formed by the binding operation of the upper pressure bonding tooth 32a and the lower pressure bonding tooth 32b can be formed adjacent to each other, which makes it possible to improve the binding strength of the paper stack Pb.

[0097] [Second embodiment] The configuration and processing of a post-processing device 3 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 12 to 18. Note that a detailed description of the commonalities with the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences. Furthermore, the second embodiment can be combined with other embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0098] 12 is a diagram showing a contact / separation mechanism 90 that contacts and separates the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b. The contact / separation mechanism 90 is a mechanism that contacts and separates the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b by the driving force of a contact / separation motor 32d. As shown in FIG. 12, the contact / separation mechanism 90 mainly includes an upper arm 91, a lower arm 92, a coil spring 93 (biasing member), a drive gear 94, a driven gear 95, an eccentric cam 96, a rotating shaft 97, and a home position sensor 98.

[0099] The upper arm 91 supports the upper crimping tooth 32a at one end. The upper arm 91 is supported by the lower arm 92 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 97 extending in the main scanning direction. The lower arm 92 supports the lower crimping tooth 32b at a position where it can face the upper crimping tooth 32a. The lower arm 92 is fixed to the crimping unit frame 32c. As the upper arm 91 rotates about the rotation shaft 97, the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b move toward and away from each other. The coil spring 93 biases the upper arm 91 in a direction that moves the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b away from each other.

[0100] The drive gear 94 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 12 by the driving force of the contact / separation motor 32d. The driven gear 95 is meshed with the drive gear 94. The eccentric cam 96 is connected to the driven gear 95 at a position off-center and rotates integrally with the driven gear 95. The outer peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 96 abuts against the other end of the upper arm 91 (the end opposite the side supporting the upper crimping teeth 32a across the rotation shaft 97).

[0101] When the eccentric cam 96 is in the state shown in FIG. 12(A), the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b are spaced apart by the biasing force of the coil spring 93. Furthermore, when the eccentric cam 96 rotates from the state shown in FIG. 12(A), the upper arm 91 rotates against the biasing force of the coil spring 93 in a direction that brings the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b into contact with each other. When the eccentric cam 96 reaches the state shown in FIG. 12(C) via FIG. 12(B), the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b mesh with each other. Furthermore, when the eccentric cam 96 rotates from the state shown in FIG. 6(C), the upper arm 91 rotates by the biasing force of the coil spring 93 in a direction that separates the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b. This causes the eccentric cam 96 to return to the state shown in FIG. 12(A) via the state shown in FIG. 12(D).

[0102] Hereinafter, the position of the upper crimping tooth 32a in FIG. 12(A) will be referred to as "top dead center," and the position of the upper crimping tooth 32a in FIG. 12(B) will be referred to as "bottom dead center." That is, the upper crimping tooth 32a at the top dead center is farthest from the lower crimping tooth 32b. At the bottom dead center, the upper crimping tooth 32a meshes with the lower crimping tooth 32b, and the pressure force applied to the stack of sheets PB becomes maximum. Then, as the eccentric cam 96 rotates once clockwise in FIG. 12, the upper crimping tooth 32a moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center and then back to the top dead center. Also, FIGS. 12(A), (B), (C), and (D) show the states in which the eccentric cam 96 rotates by 90° each.

[0103] The home position sensor 98 detects that the upper crimping tooth 32a is positioned at the top dead center. The home position sensor 98 includes a sensor fixed to the crimping unit frame 32c and a detectable element that rotates integrally with the eccentric cam 96. The sensor detects the detectable element when the upper crimping tooth 32a is at the top dead center. The control unit 100b can grasp the position of the upper crimping tooth 32a (in other words, the rotation angle of the eccentric cam 96) by counting the pulse signal of the encoder sensor 99 of the contact / separation motor 32d from the point when the home position sensor 98 detects that the upper crimping tooth 32a has reached the top dead center.

[0104] [Control block of post-processing device 3] Fig. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram of a post-processing device 3 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 13 differs from Fig. 11 in that the crimping tooth slide motor 32e, the crimping unit rotation motor 56, the liquid application unit rotation motor 563, the stapling device drive motor 62d, the stapling unit rotation motor 82, and the stapling processing unit movement motor 80 are omitted, and a home position sensor 98 and an encoder sensor 99 are added. On the other hand, the other configurations are common between Fig. 11 and Fig. 13.

[0105] 14A and 14B show an example of a pressure retention setting screen and an example of data in a pressure retention control table. The pressure retention setting screen shown in FIG. 14A is displayed on the operation panel 110 and accepts user operations. The pressure retention control tables shown in FIG. 14B and FIG. 14C are stored in HDD 104.

[0106] As shown in Figure 14 (A), the pressure retention setting screen includes a radio button for indicating not to execute pressure retention control (=OFF), a radio button for indicating to manually set the threshold number of sheets to be used in pressure retention control, a radio button for indicating to automatically set the threshold number of sheets to be used in pressure retention control, a text box for accepting input of the threshold number of sheets, a radio button for accepting input of the retention time (the execution time of pressure retention control), a [Settings] icon, and a [Cancel] icon.

[0107] As an example, the user selects the manual setting radio button, enters desired values ​​in the text boxes for the threshold number of sheets and the hold time, and selects the [Settings] icon. This causes the control unit 100b to execute the pressure retention control using the threshold number of sheets and the hold time entered in the text boxes. On the other hand, if a radio button instructing not to execute the pressure retention control is selected, the pressure retention control is not executed. In other words, the control unit 100b switches whether or not to execute the pressure retention control in accordance with the user's operation received on the operation panel 110.

[0108] As another example, the user selects the automatic setting radio button, enters a desired value in the text box for the holding time, and selects the [Setting] icon, which causes the control unit 100b to execute the pressure holding control using the threshold number determined using the pressure holding control table shown in Figure 14(B) or 14(C) and the holding time entered in the text box.

[0109] The pressure retention control tables shown in Figures 14(B) and 14(C) are tables that set whether or not to execute pressure retention control (=ON) (=OFF) for each combination of a threshold number of sheets (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20) and a thickness of paper P (ultra-thin, thin, medium, thick, extra-thick). Figure 14(B) corresponds to plain paper, and Figure 14(C) corresponds to recycled paper. The control unit 100b switches whether or not to execute pressure retention control based on at least one of the medium information of the paper stack Pb (e.g., the number of sheets of paper P that make up the paper stack Pb, the thickness of the paper P, and the type of paper P). The type of paper P refers to, for example, high-quality paper, plain paper, recycled paper, etc.

[0110] In the example of FIG. 14(A), the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "extra thick" is 5, the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "thick" is 10, the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "medium" is 15, the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "thin" is 20, and the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "extra thin" is infinity (i.e., pressure retention control is not executed). Also, in the example of FIG. 14(B), the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "extra thick" is 10, the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "thick" is 15, the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "medium" is 20, and the threshold number of sheets when the thickness of paper P is "thin" or "extra thin" is infinity (i.e., pressure retention control is not executed).

[0111] That is, in the example of Fig. 14, the thicker the paper P, the smaller the threshold number of sheets. Also, in the example of Fig. 14, the higher the rigidity of the paper P (plain paper > recycled paper), the smaller the threshold number of sheets. However, the relationship between the medium information and the threshold number of sheets is not limited to the example of Fig. 14.

[0112] [Binding process explanation] Next, the flow of the binding process executed in the edge binding processing unit 25 provided in the post-processing device 3 will be described. Fig. 15 is a flowchart of the binding process. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the positions of the liquid application unit 31 (liquid application means) and the pressure bonding unit 32 (pressing means) during the binding process. Note that the position (liquid application position) where liquid is applied to the paper P or the paper stack Pb by the liquid application unit 131 corresponds to the binding position where the pressure bonding unit 32 is scheduled to perform pressure binding on the paper stack Pb. Therefore, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position will be given the same reference numerals.

[0113] The control unit 100b starts the binding process shown in FIG. 15, for example, when it receives an instruction to execute the binding process (hereinafter referred to as a "binding process instruction") from the image forming apparatus 2. The binding process instruction includes, for example, the type of sheets P (information that affects the spread of the liquid, such as material and thickness), the number of sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb (hereinafter referred to as a "predetermined number of sheets"), the number of sheets P in the sheet bundle Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as the "required number of copies"), and the binding position of the sheet bundle Pb. Furthermore, it is assumed that the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 are located at a standby position HP (FIG. 16(A)), which is a position widthwise offset from the sheets P placed on the internal tray 22, at the start of the binding process.

[0114] 16(B), the control unit 100b drives the edge binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the edge binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the liquid application position B instructed in the binding processing instruction (S1501). Note that the control unit 100b executes the process of step S1501 before the first sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15.

[0115] Next, the control unit 100b rotates the pairs of conveying rollers 10, 11, 14, and 15 to store the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming device 2 in the internal tray 22 (S1502). The control unit 100b also moves the side fences 24L and 24R to align the position of the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction (so-called jogging) (S1502).

[0116] Next, control unit 100b causes liquid application unit 31 facing liquid application position B to apply liquid to liquid application position B of paper sheet P placed on internal tray 22 in the immediately preceding step S1502, based on the liquid application control data adjusted in advance (S1503). That is, control unit 100b drives liquid application unit movement motor 37 to bring liquid application member 44 into contact with liquid application position B of paper sheet P placed on internal tray 22 (FIG. 16(B)). Note that steps S1501 and S1503 can be omitted.

[0117] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number specified in the binding process instruction (S1504). If the control unit 100b determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number (S1504: No), the control unit 100b executes the processes of steps S1502 to S1503 again. That is, the control unit 100b executes the processes of steps S1502 to S1503 every time a sheet P is transported to the internal tray 22 by the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. However, the liquid application by the liquid application unit 31 may not only be performed on all of the multiple sheets P constituting the sheet stack Pb, but may also be performed on only some of the sheets P. For example, the control unit 100b may cause the liquid application unit 31 to apply liquid to the sheets P at intervals of one sheet per n sheets.

[0118] Then, when the control unit 100b determines that the number of sheets P stored in the internal tray 22 has reached a predetermined number (S1504: Yes), as shown in Figure 16 (C), it drives the end binding processing unit moving motor 50 to move the binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the pressure bonding unit 32 faces the binding position B (S1505).

[0119] Next, the control unit 100b executes the pressure binding process (S1506). The pressure binding process is a process in which the pressure bonding unit 32 executes pressure binding on the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. That is, the control unit 100b drives the contact / separation motor 32d to cause the binding position B of the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to be clamped between the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a and the lower pressure bonding teeth 32b. As a result, the sheet stack Pb is pressurized and deformed between the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a and the lower pressure bonding teeth 32b, and is pressure bound. Details of the pressure binding process will be described later with reference to FIG. 16. Then, the control unit 100b causes the conveyance roller pair 15 to discharge the sheet stack Pb pressure-bound by the pressure bonding unit 32 onto the discharge tray 26 (S1507).

[0120] Note that, on the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22, the pressure-bonding area (corresponding to binding position B) clamped by the upper pressure-bonding teeth 32a and the lower pressure-bonding teeth 32b in step S1506 overlaps the liquid-application area (corresponding to liquid-application position B) that the tip of the liquid-application member 44 contacted in step S1503. In other words, the pressure-bonding unit 32 pressure-bonds and binds the area of ​​the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to which liquid has been applied by the liquid-application unit 31. Note that the pressure-bonding area clamped by the upper pressure-bonding teeth 32a and the lower pressure-bonding teeth 32b does not need to completely overlap the liquid-application area that the tip of the liquid-application member 44 contacted; sufficient binding strength can be obtained even if the area partially overlaps.

[0121] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of discharged sheet bundles Pb reaches the required number of copies specified in the binding process instruction (S1508). If the control unit 100b determines that the required number of copies has not been reached (S1508: No), it executes the processes from step S1502 onwards again. That is, the control unit 100b repeatedly executes the processes from step S1502 to S1507 until the number of sheet bundles Pb discharged onto the discharge tray 26 reaches the required number of copies (S1508: No).

[0122] Then, when the control unit 100b determines that the number of paper stacks Pb discharged to the discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies (S1508: Yes), it drives the end-binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end-binding processing unit 25 to the standby position HP as shown in Figure 16 (A) (S1509).

[0123] [Compression binding process] Fig. 17 is a flowchart of the pressure binding process. Fig. 18 is a graph showing the relationship between the processing time of the pressure binding process and the pressure force applied to the sheet stack Pb. At the start of the pressure binding process, the upper pressure tooth 32a is assumed to be at the top dead center, as shown in Fig. 12(A).

[0124] First, the control unit 100b determines whether or not to execute pressure retention control (S1701). Pressure retention control is control that maintains the state in which the pair of binding teeth 32a, 32b pressurize and deform the sheet stack Pb for a predetermined period of time. More specifically, pressure retention control is control that maintains the state in which the pair of binding teeth 32a, 32b are closest to each other for a predetermined period of time. The control unit 100b may determine, for example, whether or not the radio button (OFF) that instructs not to execute pressure retention control has been selected on the pressure retention setting screen shown in FIG. 14(A).

[0125] When the control unit 100b determines not to execute the pressure holding control (S1701: OFF), it starts rotating the contact / separation motor 32d (S1702). Next, the control unit 100b continues to rotate the contact / separation motor 32d based on the home position sensor 98 (i.e., until the eccentric cam 96 rotates once (i.e., the upper crimping teeth 32a move from the top dead center to the bottom dead center and then return to the top dead center) (S1703: No). Then, the control unit 100b stops the contact / separation motor 32d (S1704) at the timing when the eccentric cam 96 rotates once (S1703: Yes). That is, in steps S1702 to S1704, the eccentric cam 96 rotates once without stopping the contact / separation motor 32d (i.e., without executing the pressure holding control). Then, when the upper crimping teeth 32a reach the bottom dead center, the sheet stack Pb is pressure-bound.

[0126] On the other hand, when it is determined that pressure retention control should be executed (S1701: ON), the control unit 100b compares the number of sheets P constituting the sheet stack Pb (the same as the predetermined number in step S1504, and will be referred to as the "number of sheets to be bound") with the threshold number of sheets (S1705). In step S1705, the control unit 100b may use the threshold number of sheets input in a text box on the pressure retention setting screen, may use the threshold number of sheets determined using the pressure control table, or may use a predetermined fixed value. Furthermore, when the threshold number of sheets is determined using the pressure control table, the number of sheets P, the thickness of the sheets P, and the type of the sheets P may be included in the binding process instruction, for example.

[0127] Then, when the number of sheets to be bound is less than the threshold number of sheets (S1705: No), the control unit 100b executes the processes of steps S1702 to S1704 (that is, pressure binding without executing pressure holding control).

[0128] On the other hand, if the number of sheets to be stapled is equal to or greater than the threshold number (S1705: Yes), the control unit 100b starts rotating the contact / separation motor 32d (S1706). Next, based on the home position sensor 98 and the encoder sensor 99, the control unit 100b continues to rotate the contact / separation motor 32d until the eccentric cam 96 rotates half a turn (i.e., the upper crimping tooth 32a reaches the bottom dead center) (S1707: No). Then, when the eccentric cam 96 rotates half a turn (S1707: Yes), the control unit 100b temporarily stops the contact / separation motor 32d (S1708). This keeps the pair of binding teeth 32a, 32b in the closest position (i.e., the pressure force on the sheet stack Pb is at its maximum).

[0129] Then, the control unit 100b continues to temporarily stop the contact / separation motor 32d until the retention time has elapsed (S1709: No). That is, the control unit 100b executes pressure retention control. In step S1709, the control unit 100b may use the retention time entered in the text box on the pressure retention setting screen, may use a retention time of a predetermined fixed value, or may use a retention time determined based on the medium information.

[0130] Next, the control unit 100b resumes rotation of the contact / separation motor 32d (S1710) when the holding time has elapsed since the contact / separation motor 32d was temporarily stopped (S1709: No). Next, the control unit 100b continues rotating the contact / separation motor 32d based on the home position sensor 98 until the eccentric cam 96 makes another half rotation (i.e., one rotation in total from step S1706) (S1703: No). Then, the control unit 100b stops the contact / separation motor 32d (S1704) when the eccentric cam 96 has made one rotation (S1703: Yes). That is, in steps S1706 to S1710 and S1703 to S1704, the contact / separation motor 32d is stopped midway (i.e., pressure holding control is executed) and the eccentric cam 96 is rotated one rotation.

[0131] 18, as the upper pressure tooth 32a moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, the pressure remains zero until the upper pressure tooth 32a comes into contact with the paper stack Pb, and the pressure gradually increases after the upper pressure tooth 32a comes into contact with the paper stack PB. Also, by stopping the upper pressure tooth 32a at the bottom dead center until the holding time has elapsed, the binding teeth 32a, 32b bite into the paper stack Pb, improving the binding strength. Furthermore, as the upper pressure tooth 32a moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, the pressure gradually decreases until the upper pressure tooth 32a separates from the paper stack Pb, and the pressure is maintained at zero after the upper pressure tooth 32a separates from the paper stack PB.

[0132] [Effects of the second embodiment] According to the second embodiment, by switching whether or not to perform pressure holding control, it is possible to pressure-bind the sheet stack Pb with an appropriate binding strength depending on the state of the sheet stack Pb. For example, when the number of sheets P is large, high binding strength can be obtained, and when the number of sheets P is small, damage to the sheet stack Pb or the pressure-binding section 32 can be suppressed.

[0133] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, by automatically switching whether or not to perform pressure holding control based on, for example, media information included in the binding processing instruction (e.g., the number of sheets of paper P, the thickness of paper P, the type of paper P), it is possible to pressure-bind the paper stack Pb with appropriate binding strength while reducing the operational burden on the user.

[0134] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the user can manually switch whether or not to perform pressure retention control, or the parameters of the pressure retention control (e.g., threshold number of sheets, retention time), thereby obtaining the binding strength desired by the user.

[0135] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, by holding the upper crimping teeth 32a at the bottom dead center (that is, the state in which the binding teeth 32a, 32b are closest to each other), it is possible to obtain a high binding force most efficiently.

[0136] [Third embodiment of post-processing device 3] Next, a post-processing device 3A according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 19 to 27. Note that components common to the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof may be omitted.

[0137] Unlike the end binding processing unit 25 of the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment, which is provided with both the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure-bonding unit 32, the end binding processing unit 251 of the post-processing device 3A according to the third embodiment is provided with only the pressure-bonding unit 32', and the liquid application unit 131 is provided upstream of the conveyance path. This allows a predetermined number of sheets P to be pre-stacked after the liquid application process and conveyed to the pressure-bonding unit 32' of the end binding processing unit 251 provided downstream, thereby improving the productivity of the binding process in the pressure-bonding unit 32'.

[0138] The direction in which the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, and 14 convey the paper P is opposite to the "conveying direction" defined above, and is therefore defined as the "reverse conveying direction." The direction perpendicular to the reverse conveying direction and the thickness direction of the paper P is defined as the "main scanning direction (width direction of the paper P)."

[0139] Furthermore, the position (liquid application position) where liquid is applied to the paper P or the paper stack Pb by the liquid application unit 131 corresponds to the binding position where the pressure bonding unit 32' is scheduled to perform pressure binding on the paper stack Pb. Therefore, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are denoted by the same reference numeral (B1).

[0140] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a post-processing device 3A according to a third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 20, the end binding processing unit 251 is equipped with only a pressure bonding unit 32'. As shown in Fig. 20, the pressure bonding unit 32' and the staple binding processing unit 156 are disposed downstream in the transport direction from the internal tray 22. Furthermore, the pressure bonding unit 32' and the staple binding processing unit 156 are configured to be movable in the main scanning direction at a position where they can face the downstream end in the transport direction of the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0141] Furthermore, the crimping unit 32' and the staple binding processing unit 156 are configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions around a crimping unit rotation shaft 340 and a staple binding unit rotation shaft 84 that extend in the thickness direction of the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. In other words, the crimping unit 32' and the staple binding processing unit 156 can bind the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 at any position in the main scanning direction and at any angle, such as diagonal corner binding, parallel one-point binding, or parallel two-point binding.

[0142] The crimping unit 32' binds the paper stack Pb by applying pressure and deforming the paper stack Pb with the concave and convex upper crimping teeth 32a and lower crimping teeth 32b (hereinafter referred to as "crimp binding"). On the other hand, the staple binding processing unit 156 can staple the paper stack Pb by passing staples through the binding positions of the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0143] Fig. 20 is a schematic diagram of the internal tray 22 as viewed from the thickness direction of the paper stack Pb. Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram of the pressure bonding unit 32' as viewed from the downstream side in the transport direction. As shown in Fig. 20, the pressure bonding unit 32' and the stapling processing unit 156 are disposed downstream of the internal tray 22 in the transport direction. The pressure bonding unit 32' is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction along the surface of the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The pressure bonding unit 32' is also configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions around a pressure bonding unit rotation shaft 340 that extends in the thickness direction of the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0144] Similarly, the staple binding processing unit 156 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction of the paper-sheet bundle Pb. The staple binding processing unit 156 is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions around a staple binding unit rotation shaft 84 that extends in the thickness direction of the paper-sheet bundle Pb. Note that other configurations of the staple binding processing unit 156 are similar to those of the staple binding processing unit 55 of the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 9), and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 21 , the pressure-bonding unit 32′ has a guide rail 337 extending in the main scanning direction downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction. The pressure-bonding unit 32′ is equipped with a pressure-bonding unit movement motor 238 as a drive source. Furthermore, a base member 48 supporting the pressure-bonding unit frame 32c has a fastening portion 48b at its bottom for connecting to a timing belt 240c. As a result, the driving force of the pressure-bonding unit movement motor 238 is transmitted to the base member 48 by a drive transmission mechanism 240 including pulleys 240a and 240b, the timing belt 240c, and the fastening portion 48b, whereby the pressure-bonding unit 32′ moves in the main scanning direction along the surface of the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 (in other words, the guide rail 337). Furthermore, a pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 340 is fixed to the bottom surface of the pressure-bonding unit frame 32c, which holds the components of the pressure-bonding unit 32′.

[0146] The pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 340 and the drive transmission gear 340a are held rotatably in forward and reverse directions on a base member 48 on which the pressure-bonding unit frame 32c is provided. The drive transmission gear 340a meshes with an output gear 239a of a pressure-bonding unit rotation motor 239. The driving force of the pressure-bonding unit rotation motor 239 is transmitted to the pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 340 via the output gear 239a and the drive transmission gear 340a, causing the pressure-bonding unit 32' to rotate in forward and reverse directions on the base member 48 around the pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 340, which extends in the thickness direction of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22. The guide rail 337, the pressure-bonding unit movement motor 238, the pressure-bonding unit rotation motor 239, the pressure-bonding unit rotation shaft 340, and the drive transmission mechanism 240 constitute an example of a drive mechanism for the pressure-bonding unit 32'.

[0147] The pressure-bonding unit 32' is configured to be movable between a standby position HP2 shown in Fig. 20(A) and a position facing the first binding position B1 shown in Fig. 20(B) and Fig. 20(C). The standby position HP2 is a position offset to one side in the main scanning direction from the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The first binding position B1 is a position on the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. However, the specific position of the first binding position B1 is not limited to the example in Fig. 20, and may be any position in the main scanning direction at the end of the sheet P on the downstream side in the transport direction, and there may be multiple positions.

[0148] 20(C). In other words, the crimping portion 32' is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about the crimping portion rotation shaft 340. Here, the parallel binding position is a position of the crimping portion 32' in which the longitudinal directions of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b (in other words, the rectangular crimp binding marks) are oriented in the main scanning direction. In addition, the oblique binding position is a position of the crimping portion 32' in which the longitudinal directions of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b (in other words, the rectangular crimp binding marks) are inclined with respect to the main scanning direction.

[0149] In addition, the rotation angle in the diagonal binding position (the angle of the upper and lower crimping teeth 32a and 32b relative to the main scanning direction) is not limited to the example in Figure 20 (C), and can be any angle as long as the upper and lower crimping teeth 32a and 32b face the stack of paper Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0150] The post-processing device 3A includes a liquid deposition unit 131 and a punch hole forming means 132 (processing unit). The liquid deposition unit 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 are arranged upstream in the reverse conveyance direction from the internal tray 22. The liquid deposition unit 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 are arranged offset in the reverse conveyance direction at positions where they can simultaneously face one sheet of paper P conveyed by pairs of conveyance rollers 10 to 19.

[0151] The liquid deposition unit 131 and the hole punching means 132 according to this embodiment are disposed between the pair of conveying rollers 10, 11. However, the location of the liquid deposition unit 131 is not limited to the example in FIG. 19. For example, if an inserter 6 is disposed between the image forming device 2 and the post-processing device 3A as shown in FIG. 27, the liquid deposition unit 131 can also be provided in the inserter 6 located upstream of the post-processing device 3A. An example of the inserter 6 is a device that can feed preprinted media, which is transported to the post-processing device 3A together with the paper P transported from the image forming device 2, as a cover, an insert sheet, or an interleaf sheet without passing through the image forming device 2.

[0152] 22(A), the conveyance roller pair 11 is disposed at a position that does not overlap in the main scanning direction with the first liquid application position B1 of the sheet P to which liquid has been applied by the liquid application head 146 of the liquid application unit 131. This is to prevent a decrease in the amount of liquid at the first liquid application position B1 due to the multiple roller pairs pressing against the first liquid application position B1 when the conveyance roller pair 11 conveys the sheet P. As a result, when the sheet P reaches the pressure bonding unit 32' provided downstream of the liquid application unit 31 in the reverse conveyance direction, the amount of liquid at the first liquid application position B1 is sufficient to maintain the binding strength, and therefore it is possible to prevent a decrease in the binding strength of the sheet bundle Pb due to a decrease in the amount of liquid at the first liquid application position B1 (corresponding to the first binding position B1) during the conveyance process.

[0153] Furthermore, by arranging the multiple roller pairs that make up the conveying roller pair 11 at positions that do not overlap with the first liquid application position B1 on the paper P in the main scanning direction, it is possible to prevent liquid from adhering to the multiple roller pairs, thereby deteriorating the conveying properties of the paper P, and to prevent conveying jams caused by the deterioration of conveying properties.

[0154] Although only the transport roller pair 11 has been described above, it is preferable that the multiple roller pairs that make up the transport roller pairs 14-15 are also arranged in positions that do not overlap with the first liquid application position B1 on the paper P in the main scanning direction.

[0155] The liquid application unit 131 applies liquid (hereinafter referred to as "liquid application") to the paper sheet P being transported by the transport roller pair 10, 11. The punch hole punching means 132 punches holes through the paper sheet P in the thickness direction, the paper sheet P being transported by the transport roller pair 10, 11. Note that the processing unit provided adjacent to the liquid application unit 131 is not limited to the punch hole punching means 132, and may be a skew correction unit that corrects the skew of the paper sheet P being transported by the transport roller pair 10, 11.

[0156] Figure 22 is a view of a liquid deposition section 131 according to the third embodiment, seen from the thickness direction of paper P. Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in Figure 22. Figure 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in Figure 22. As shown in Figures 22 to 24, the liquid deposition section 131 includes a pair of guide shafts 133a, 133b, a pair of pulleys 134a, 134b, endless circular belts 135, 136, a liquid deposition section movement motor 137, a standby position sensor 138, and a liquid deposition unit 140.

[0157] The pair of guide shafts 133a, 133b extend in the main scanning direction at positions spaced apart in the reverse transport direction. The pair of guide shafts 133a, 133b are supported by a pair of side plates 4a, 4b of the post-processing device 3A. The pair of guide shafts 133a, 133b support the liquid deposition unit 140 so that it can move in the main scanning direction.

[0158] The pair of pulleys 134a, 134b are disposed between the pair of guide shafts 133a, 133b in the reverse conveyance direction. The pair of pulleys 134a, 134b are disposed spaced apart in the main scanning direction. The pair of pulleys 134a, 134b are supported by the frame of the post-processing device 3A so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions around a rotation axis extending in the thickness direction of the paper P.

[0159] The endless circular belt 135 is stretched over a pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. The endless circular belt 135 is connected to the liquid deposition unit 140 by a connection part 135a. The endless circular belt 136 is stretched over the pulley 134a and a drive pulley 137a fixed to the output shaft of a liquid deposition unit movement motor 137. The liquid deposition unit movement motor 137 generates a drive force for moving the liquid deposition unit 140 in the main scanning direction.

[0160] Rotation of the liquid deposition unit movement motor 137 causes the endless circular belt 136 to revolve between the pulley 134a and the drive pulley 137a, rotating the pulley 134a. Rotation of the pulley 134a also causes the endless circular belt 135 to revolve between the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. This causes the liquid deposition unit 140 to move in the main scanning direction along the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b. Switching the rotation direction of the liquid deposition unit movement motor 137 also causes the liquid deposition unit 140 to move back and forth in the main scanning direction.

[0161] The standby position sensor 138 detects that the liquid deposition unit 140 has reached a standby position HP1 (see FIG. 22) in the main scanning direction, and outputs a standby position signal indicating the detection result to the control unit 100b (see FIG. 25), which will be described later. The standby position sensor 138 is, for example, an optical sensor including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. The liquid deposition unit 140 at the standby position HP blocks the optical path between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. The standby position sensor 138 outputs a standby position signal in response to the light output from the light-emitting element not being received by the light-receiving element. However, the specific configuration of the standby position sensor 138 is not limited to the example described above.

[0162] 23, the transport path in post-processing device 3A is defined by an upper guide plate 5a and a lower guide plate 5b that are spaced apart in the thickness direction of paper P. The liquid deposition unit 140 is disposed at a position facing an opening provided in the upper guide plate 5a. That is, the liquid deposition unit 140 is disposed facing the transport path (i.e., a position where it can face paper P) through the opening in the upper guide plate 5a.

[0163] As shown in Figures 22 to 24, the liquid dispensing unit 140 includes a base member 141, a rotating bracket 142, a liquid storage tank 143, a liquid dispensing head moving means 144, a holding member 145, a liquid dispensing head 146, columnar members 147a, 147b, a pressure plate 148, coil springs 149a, 149b, a dispensing head rotating motor 150, a dispensing head moving motor 151 (see Figure 25), and a standby angle sensor 152 (see Figure 25).

[0164] The base member 141 is supported by a pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction. The base member 141 is connected to the endless circular belt 135 by a connecting portion 135a. The base member 141 also supports components (142 to 152) of the liquid deposition unit 140.

[0165] The rotating bracket 142 is attached to the underside of the base member 141 so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions around a rotation axis that extends in the thickness direction of the paper P. Furthermore, the rotating bracket 142 rotates in forward and reverse directions relative to the base member 141 by transmitting the driving force of a liquid dispensing head rotating motor 150. Furthermore, the rotating bracket 142 holds a liquid storage tank 143, liquid dispensing head moving means 144, a holding member 145, a liquid dispensing head 146, pillar-shaped members 147a, 147b, a pressing plate 148, and coil springs 149a, 149b.

[0166] The standby angle sensor 152 (see FIG. 25) detects that the rotating bracket 142 has reached the standby angle, and outputs a standby angle signal indicating the detection result to the control unit 100b. The standby angle is, for example, the angle at which parallel binding occurs. The standby angle sensor 152 is, for example, an optical sensor equipped with a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit. The rotating bracket 142 at the standby angle blocks the optical path between the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit. The standby angle sensor 152 outputs the standby angle signal in response to the light output from the light-emitting unit not being received by the light-receiving unit. However, the specific configuration of the standby angle sensor 152 is not limited to the example described above.

[0167] 22(A) shows the state when the pressure-bonding unit 32' downstream of the liquid applicator 131 performs parallel binding. Also, the rotation bracket 142 shown in FIG. 22(B) shows the state when the pressure-bonding unit 32' downstream of the liquid applicator 131 performs diagonal binding (corner binding).

[0168] The liquid storage tank 143 stores liquid to be applied to the paper P. The liquid application head moving means 144 is attached to the liquid storage tank 143 so as to be movable (for example, vertically movable) in the thickness direction of the paper P. Furthermore, the liquid application head moving means 144 moves relative to the liquid storage tank 143 by transmitting the driving force of a liquid application head moving motor 151. The holding member 145 is attached to the lower end of the liquid application head moving means 144. The liquid application head 146 protrudes from the holding member 145 towards the conveyance path (downward in this embodiment). Furthermore, the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 143 is supplied to the liquid application head 146. Furthermore, the liquid application head 146 is made of a material with a high liquid absorption rate (for example, sponge or fiber).

[0169] The pillar-shaped members 147a, 147b protrude downward from the holding member 145 around the liquid dispensing head 146. The pillar-shaped members 147a, 147b are configured to be movable relative to the holding member 145 in the thickness direction. The pillar-shaped members 147a, 147b hold a pressing plate 148 at their lower ends. A through-hole 148a is formed in the pressing plate 148 at a position facing the liquid dispensing head 146. Coil springs 149a, 149b are fitted onto the pillar-shaped members 147a, 147b between the holding member 145 and the pressing plate 148. The coil springs 149a, 149b urge the pillar-shaped members 147a, 147b and the pressing plate 148 downward with respect to the holding member 145.

[0170] 23(A) and 24(A), before the sheet P is conveyed to a position facing the opening in the upper guide plate 5a, the pressure plate 148 is positioned at or above the opening. Next, when the first liquid application position B1 of the sheet P conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 10, 11 stops at a position facing the opening, the application head moving motor 151 is rotated in a first direction. As a result, the liquid application head moving means 144, the holding member 145, the liquid application head 146, the columnar members 147a, 147b, the pressure plate 148, and the coil springs 149a, 149b move downward as a unit, and the pressure plate 148 comes into contact with the sheet P. The first liquid application position B1 is the position (i.e., the first binding position B1) where the sheet P is to be pressure-bound by the edge binding processing unit 251 (i.e., the pressure bonding unit 32′).

[0171] Then, by continuing to rotate the liquid dispensing head moving motor 151 in the first direction after the pressing plate 148 has come into contact with the paper sheet P, the coil springs 149a and 149b are compressed, and the liquid dispensing head moving means 144, the holding member 145, the liquid dispensing head 146, and the pillar-shaped members 147a and 147b are further lowered. Then, as shown in FIGS. 23(B) and 24(B), the lower surface of the liquid dispensing head 146 comes into contact with the paper sheet P through the through-hole 148a. As a result, the liquid contained in the liquid dispensing head 146 is dispensed onto the paper sheet P.

[0172] 23(C) and 24(C), by further rotating the liquid dispensing head movement motor 151 in the first direction, the liquid dispensing head 146 can be pressed even more firmly against the paper sheet P. This increases the amount of liquid dispensed onto the paper sheet P. In other words, the liquid dispensing unit 131 can adjust the amount of liquid dispensed by changing the pressing force of the liquid dispensing head 146 onto the paper sheet P.

[0173] On the other hand, by rotating the liquid dispensing head moving motor 151 in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the liquid dispensing head moving means 144, holding member 145, liquid dispensing head 146, columnar members 147a, 147b, pressure plate 148, and coil springs 149a, 149b rise together. As a result, as shown in Figures 23(A) and 24(A), the liquid dispensing head 146 and pressure plate 148 move away from the paper P. In other words, the liquid dispensing unit 131 includes a liquid dispensing head 146 that can be detached from the paper P.

[0174] Fig. 25 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the operation of post-processing device 3A according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 25, post-processing device 3A includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a random access memory (RAM) 102, a read-only memory (ROM) 103, a hard disk drive (HDD) 104, and an interface (I / F) 105, all of which are connected via a common bus 109.

[0175] The CPU 101 is a computing means and controls the overall operation of the post-processing device 3A. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium capable of high-speed reading and writing of information, and is used as a work area when the CPU 101 processes information. The ROM 103 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium in which programs such as firmware are stored. The HDD 104 is a non-volatile storage medium with a large storage capacity that is capable of reading and writing information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, etc.

[0176] The post-processing device 3A processes a control program stored in the ROM 103, an information processing program (application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104, and the like using the arithmetic functions of the CPU 101. This processing constitutes a software control unit including various functional modules of the post-processing device 3A. The combination of the software control unit thus constituted and the hardware resources installed in the post-processing device 3A constitutes a functional block that realizes the functions of the post-processing device 3A. In other words, the CPU 101, RAM 102, ROM 103, HDD 104, and I / F 105 constitute a control unit 100b (control means) that controls the operation of the post-processing device 3A.

[0177] I / F 105 is an interface that connects the pairs of conveying rollers 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the pressure-bonding unit movement motor 238, the pressure-bonding unit rotation motor 239, the contact / separation motor 32d, the liquid application unit movement motor 137, the application head rotation motor 150, the application head movement motor 151, the standby position sensor 138, the standby angle sensor 152, the punch hole punching means 132, and the operation panel 110 to the common bus 109.

[0178] Through the I / F 105, the control unit 100b controls the operations of the pairs of conveying rollers 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the pressure bonding unit movement motor 238, the pressure bonding unit rotation motor 239, the contact / separation motor 32d, the liquid application unit movement motor 137, the application head rotation motor 150, the application head movement motor 151, and the hole punching means 132. Furthermore, through the I / F 105, the control unit 100b acquires the detection results of the standby position sensor 138 and the standby angle sensor 152.

[0179] Note that Figure 25 only illustrates the components of the end binding processing unit 251 (pressing unit 32') and the liquid application unit 131 that perform the end binding process, but the components related to the saddle stitching processing unit 28 that perform the saddle stitching process are also similarly controlled by the control unit 100b.

[0180] As shown in FIG. 27, the image forming apparatus 2 includes an operation panel 110. The operation panel 110 includes an operation unit that accepts input operations from a user and a display (notification unit) that notifies the user of information. The operation unit includes, for example, hard keys, a touch panel superimposed on the display, etc. The operation panel 110 acquires information from the user through the operation unit and provides the information to the user through the display. The post-processing device 3A may also be provided with an operation panel 110 similar to the above.

[0181] 26 is a flowchart of post-processing by post-processing device 3A according to the third embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 26 is a flowchart when one-point binding processing shown in FIG.

[0182] The control unit 100b executes the post-processing shown in FIG. 26 in response to, for example, receiving an instruction to execute post-processing (hereinafter referred to as a "post-processing instruction") from the image forming apparatus 2. The post-processing instruction includes, for example, the number of sheets P constituting the sheet stack Pb (hereinafter referred to as a "predetermined number of sheets Np"), the number of copies of the sheet stack Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as a "required number of copies Mp"), the first binding position B1 (corresponding to the first liquid application position B1), the angle of the first binding position B1 (corresponding to the angle of the first liquid application position B1), the type of binding (parallel binding, diagonal binding), and an operation to be executed in parallel with the liquid application process (perforation of punch holes in this embodiment). It is assumed that, at the start of post-processing, the liquid application unit 140 is positioned at the standby position HP1 (see FIG. 22), and the rotating bracket 142 is held at the standby angle (corresponding to the "parallel binding position").

[0183] First, the control unit 100b drives the liquid application unit movement motor 137 to move the liquid application unit 140 (corresponding to the liquid application unit) in the main scanning direction, thereby moving the liquid application head 146 from the standby position HP1 to a position where it can face the first liquid application position B1 (see FIG. 22; a position corresponding to the first binding position B1 in FIG. 20). Furthermore, if the type of binding process specified in the post-processing instruction is "diagonal binding process," the control unit 100b drives the application head rotation motor 150 to rotate the rotating bracket 142, thereby rotating the liquid application head 146 from the standby angle to a liquid application angle corresponding to the "diagonal binding position" (S801). The fact that the liquid application head 146 has reached a position and liquid application angle where it can face the first liquid application position B1 can be determined by pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the liquid application unit movement motor 137 and the application head rotation motor 150. It should be noted that when the type of binding process instructed in the post-processing instruction is "parallel binding process," the control unit 100b omits the above-described operation of rotating the rotating bracket 142. In other words, the liquid deposition unit 140 moves in the main scanning direction while maintaining the rotating bracket 142 at the standby angle.

[0184] Furthermore, the control unit 100b drives the crimping unit movement motor 238 to move the crimping unit 32' from the standby position HP2 to a position where the crimping unit 32' can face the first binding position B1, as shown in FIGS. 20(A) and 20(B) (S801). Furthermore, when the type of binding process instructed in the post-processing instruction is the "diagonal binding process," the control unit 100b drives the crimping unit rotation motor 239 to rotate the crimping unit 32' from the standby angle to a crimping binding angle corresponding to the "diagonal binding posture" (S801). It can be recognized from pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the crimping unit movement motor 238 and the crimping unit rotation motor 239 that the crimping unit 32' has reached the position where it can face the first binding position B1 and the crimping binding angle. Note that when the type of binding process instructed in the post-processing instruction is the "parallel binding process," the control unit 100b omits the operation of rotating the crimping unit 32' described above. That is, the pressure-bonding portion 32' moves in the main scanning direction while maintaining the standby angle.

[0185] Next, the control unit 100b drives the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11 to start transporting the sheet P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 (S802). Then, the control unit 100b determines whether the first liquid application position B1 of the sheet P faces the liquid application unit 140 (more specifically, the liquid application head 146) (S803). If it is determined that the first liquid application position B1 of the sheet P does not face the liquid application unit 140 (S803: No), the control unit 100b continues transporting the sheet P by the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11 until the first liquid application position B1 of the sheet P faces the liquid application unit 140 (S803: Yes). On the other hand, if it is determined that the first liquid application position B1 of the sheet P faces the liquid application head 146 (S803: Yes), the control unit 100b stops transport of the sheet P by the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11 (S804). The fact that the first liquid application position B1 of the paper P faces the liquid application head 146 can be detected by a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of the motor that drives the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11.

[0186] The control unit 100b executes a process of applying liquid to the first liquid application position B1 on the paper sheet P using the liquid application unit 140 (S805). More specifically, the control unit 100b rotates the application head movement motor 151 in a first direction, thereby bringing the liquid application head 146 into contact with the first liquid application position B1 on the paper sheet P. The control unit 100b also changes the pressing force of the liquid application head 146 (i.e., the amount of rotation of the application head movement motor 151) depending on the amount of liquid applied to the paper sheet P.

[0187] The amount of liquid applied to the paper P may be the same for all the paper P constituting the paper stack Pb, or may be different for each paper P. For example, the control unit 100b may apply less liquid to the paper P that is transported later. The rotation amount of the application head movement motor 151 can be determined by a pulse signal output from a rotary encoder of the application head movement motor 151.

[0188] Next, the control unit 100b drives the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 to place the paper P on the internal tray 22 (S806). The control unit 100b also executes a so-called jogging process, which aligns the position of the paper P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction by moving the side fences 24L and 24R (S806).

[0189] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number Np specified in the post-processing instruction (S807). If the control unit 100b determines that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number Np (S807: No), it repeats the processes of steps S802 to S807 until the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 reaches the predetermined number Np (S807: Yes).

[0190] On the other hand, when the control unit 100b determines that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number Np (S807: Yes), it causes the pressure bonding unit 32' to pressure-bind the sheet bundle Pb including the sheets P to which liquid has been applied by the liquid application unit 140 at the first binding position B1 (corresponding to the first liquid application position B1 of the sheets P) (S808). Furthermore, the control unit 100b rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to discharge the pressure-bound sheet bundle Pb onto the discharge tray 26 (S808).

[0191] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of copies of the sheet stack Pb discharged onto the discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies Mp indicated in the post-processing instruction (S809). If the control unit 100b determines that the number of copies of the discharged sheet stack Pb has not reached the required number of copies Mp (S809: No), it repeats the processes of steps S802 to S809 until the number of copies of the discharged sheet stack Pb reaches the required number of copies Mp (S809: Yes).

[0192] On the other hand, when the control unit 100b determines that the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb discharged to the discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies Mp (S809: Yes), it drives the liquid application unit movement motor 137 to move the liquid application unit 140 to a standby position HP1 (see FIG. 22), and drives the pressure bonding unit movement motor 238 to move the pressure bonding unit 32' to a standby position HP2 (see FIG. 20) (S810). Furthermore, when the posture instructed in the post-processing instruction is the "diagonal binding posture," the control unit 100b drives the liquid application head rotation motor 150 and the pressure bonding unit rotation motor 239 to rotate the liquid application unit 140 and the pressure bonding unit 32' to the parallel binding posture (standby angle) (S810). On the other hand, when the posture instructed in the post-processing instruction is the "parallel binding posture," the operation of rotating the liquid application unit 140 and the pressure bonding unit 32' to the parallel binding posture (standby angle) is omitted. In steps S801 and S810, the order in which the liquid application unit 140 and the pressure bonding portion 32' are moved in the main scanning direction and rotated in the forward and reverse directions is not limited to the order described above, and may be the reverse of the order described above.

[0193] Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the edge binding processing unit 251 that executes edge binding processing, but also to the saddle stitching processing unit 28 that executes saddle stitching processing.

[0194] 29, the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3A according to the third embodiment is provided separately from the control unit 100a of the image forming apparatus 2, as in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3A may be provided on the image forming apparatus 2 side, as in FIG. 28(A). Furthermore, the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3A may be configured integrally with the control unit 100a of the image forming apparatus 2, as in FIG. 28(B).

[0195] 29(A), the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3A may be divided into a control unit 100b1 (for example, a drive system (motor, etc.)) and a control unit 100b2 (a detection system (sensor, etc.)) based on function, and the control unit 100b2 of one of the post-processing devices 3A may be provided on the image forming device 2 side. Furthermore, as in FIG. 29(B), the control unit 100b2 of the post-processing device 3A provided on the image forming device 2 side may be configured integrally with the control unit 100a of the image forming device 2.

[0196] As already explained, the control method by the control unit 100b described above is realized by cooperation between the hardware resources of a computer and a program as computer software. That is, the control method is a method executed by a computer by causing an arithmetic unit, a storage unit, an input unit, an output unit, and a control unit to operate in cooperation with each other based on the program. The program may also be written to a storage unit or a storage medium, etc., and distributed, or distributed via a telecommunications line, etc.

[0197] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but various modifications are possible without departing from the technical gist thereof, and all technical matters included in the technical concept described in the claims are covered by the present invention. The above-described embodiments are preferred examples, but a person skilled in the art can realize various modifications from the disclosed content. Such modifications are also included in the technical scope described in the claims.

[0198] As explained above, with each embodiment of the media processing device according to the present invention, it is possible to change the number of times the binding process is repeated for the paper stack Pb depending on the type of post-processing, and to set an appropriate binding force (binding strength) and binding speed (productivity) for the binding process, thereby improving user convenience and the productivity of the binding process.

[0199] [Aspects of the present invention] For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows. <1> a crimping means for crimping and binding a bundle of media by pressurizing and deforming the bundle of media with a pair of binding teeth; a control unit for controlling the operation of the pressure bonding unit; The control unit is a media processing device that switches between whether or not to execute pressure maintenance control that maintains the state in which the media stack is pressurized and deformed by the pair of binding teeth. <2> the above <1> In the media processing device described in The control unit is a media processing device that switches whether or not to perform the pressure holding control based on media information of the media stack. <3> the above <2> In the media processing device described in The media processing device is characterized in that the media information includes at least one of the number of the media constituting the media bundle, the thickness of the media, and the type of the media. <4> the above <1> or the above <3> In the media processing device according to any one of the above items, an operation unit that accepts user operations; The control unit switches whether or not to perform the pressure retention control in accordance with a user operation received by the operation unit. <5> the above <1> or the above <4> In the media processing device according to any one of the above items, an operation unit that accepts user operations; The control unit is a media processing device characterized in that it executes the pressure retention control when the number of media constituting the media stack is equal to or greater than a threshold number received from a user by the control unit. <6> the above <1> or the above <5> In the media processing device according to any one of the above items, The media processing device is characterized in that the control unit maintains the pair of binding teeth in the closest position for a predetermined period of time during the pressure maintenance control. <7> the above <1> or the above <6> In the media processing device according to any one of the above items, The media processing device is characterized in that the control unit is capable of changing the execution time of the pressure retention control. <8> the above <1> or the above <7> In the media processing device according to any one of the above items, a contact / separation motor; a contact / separation mechanism that contacts and separates the pair of binding teeth during one rotation of an eccentric cam that is rotated by the driving force of the contact / separation motor, The control unit When the pressure holding control is executed, the contact / separation motor is temporarily stopped at a timing when the eccentric cam has rotated to reach a predetermined rotation angle, and the contact / separation motor is resumed when a holding time has elapsed; When the pressure retention control is not executed, the media processing device continues to rotate the contact / separation motor until the eccentric cam rotates once. <9> an image forming device for forming an image on the medium; The method of performing the pressure binding on the plurality of media on which images have been formed by the image forming apparatus. <1> or the above <8> and an image forming system comprising the media processing device according to any one of the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0200] 1: Image forming system 2: Image forming device 3: Post-processing device 10 to 19: Transport roller pair 20: Switching claw 21: Output tray 22: Internal tray 23: End fence 24L, 24R: Side fence 25: Edge binding processing unit 26: Output tray 27: End fence 28: Saddle stitching processing unit 29: Paper folding blade 30: Output tray 31: Liquid application unit 32: Crimping section 32a: Upper crimping teeth 32b: Lower crimping teeth 33: Lower pressure plate 34: Upper pressure plate 34a: Through hole 35: Liquid application unit moving mechanism 36: Liquid application mechanism 37: Liquid application unit movement motor 38: Trapezoidal screw 39: Nut 40: Base plate 41a, 41b: columnar members 42a, 42b: Coil spring 43: First storage tank 43a: Liquid level sensor 44: Liquid application member 45: Liquid supply member 45a: Protective member 46: Joint 47: Edge binding processing unit moving mechanism 48: Base material 49: Guide shaft 50: Edge binding processing unit movement motor 551: Driving force transmission mechanism 55: Staple binding processing section 62: Staple binding section 62a: Staple binding machine 77: Staple binding processing unit moving mechanism 78: Base material 80: Staple binding processing unit movement motor 81: Driving force transmission mechanism 90: Approach / separation mechanism 91: Upper arm 92: Lower arm 93: Coil spring 94: Drive gear 95: Driven gear 96: Eccentric cam 97: Rotating shaft 98: Home position sensor 99: Encoder sensor 100a, 100b: control section 101: CPU 102: RAM 103:ROM 104: HDD 105: Interface 109: Common bus 110: Operation panel [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0201] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-226799

Claims

1. a crimping means for crimping and binding a bundle of media by pressurizing and deforming the bundle of media with a pair of binding teeth; a control unit for controlling the operation of the crimping means, The media processing device is characterized in that the control unit switches between whether or not to perform pressure maintenance control that maintains the state in which the media stack is pressurized and deformed by the pair of binding teeth.

2. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, The media processing device, wherein the control unit switches whether or not to perform the pressure holding control based on media information of the media stack.

3. 3. The media processing device according to claim 2, The media processing device, wherein the media information includes at least one of the number of the media constituting the media bundle, the thickness of the media, and the type of the media.

4. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, an operation unit that accepts user operations; The control unit switches whether or not to perform the pressure holding control in accordance with a user operation received by the operation unit.

5. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, an operation unit that accepts user operations; The control unit executes the pressure holding control when the number of the media constituting the media stack is equal to or greater than a threshold number received from a user by the control unit.

6. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, The media processing device, wherein the control unit maintains the pair of binding teeth in the closest position for a predetermined period of time during the pressure maintenance control.

7. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, The media processing device, wherein the control unit is capable of changing the execution time of the pressure retention control.

8. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, a contact / separation motor; a contact / separation mechanism that contacts and separates the pair of binding teeth during one rotation of an eccentric cam that is rotated by the driving force of the contact / separation motor, The control unit When the pressure holding control is executed, the contact / separation motor is temporarily stopped at a timing when the eccentric cam has rotated to reach a predetermined rotation angle, and the contact / separation motor is resumed when a holding time has elapsed; The media processing device, wherein when the pressure holding control is not executed, the contact / separation motor continues to rotate until the eccentric cam makes one rotation.

9. an image forming device for forming an image on the medium; 2. An image forming system comprising: the medium processing device according to claim 1, which performs the pressure binding on a plurality of the media on which images have been formed by the image forming device.

Images