Medium processing device and image formation system

Abstract

To provide a medium processing device which can inhibit influence by deterioration of a member for applying a liquid to a medium to apply a specified amount of the liquid to the medium stably when the liquid is applied in predetermined processing performed to the medium.SOLUTION: A medium processing device includes: liquid application means which applies a liquid to at least one medium through a liquid application member; and post-processing means which performs post-processing to a medium bundle including a plurality of media to which the liquid is applied. The liquid application means moves the liquid application member so that the liquid application member contacts with the medium to apply the liquid to the medium, and adjusts a position of an end, which faces the medium of the liquid application member to make an amount of the liquid applied from the liquid application member to the medium constant before and after the liquid application member is worn.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Media processing devices are known that perform predetermined processes on a sheet stack formed by stacking multiple sheet-like media. One of the predetermined processes performed by media processing devices is a binding process. Conventionally, "staple binding" processes that use metal staples (staples) to bind sheet stacks have been known. However, in recent years, "stapleless binding" processes that do not use metal staples (staples) have also become known, with the aim of conserving resources and reducing environmental impact.

[0003] The stapleless binding process mainly employs a so-called "pressure binding" method, in which a sheet stack is clamped between concave and convex binding teeth and deformed by pressure. Paper is a widely known example of a sheet-like medium. In the following description of this specification, when describing a sheet stack, a "sheet stack" will be used as an example, referring to a bundle of multiple sheets of paper as media.

[0004] Furthermore, in this specification, the "staple binding process" may be referred to simply as the "staple binding process," and the "staple-less binding process" may be referred to as the "pressure binding process."

[0005] When performing pressure binding, a technique for applying liquid to a sheet bundle is sometimes adopted to improve binding strength. When using this technique, a technique for applying a liquid in an appropriate amount to the sheet bundle, regardless of the number or type of sheets constituting the sheet bundle, has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 keeps the amount of liquid applied to a sheet stack constant, but does not take into consideration maintaining the amount of liquid applied (amount of liquid provided) constant before and after wear when the liquid application member wears out.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a media processing device that can suppress the effects of deterioration of components that apply liquid to a medium when applying liquid to the medium in a specified process, and can stably apply a specified amount of liquid to the medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention relates to a media processing device comprising: a liquid application means for applying liquid to at least one medium via a liquid application member; and a post-processing means for performing post-processing on a media bundle including multiple media to which the liquid has been applied; wherein the liquid application means applies the liquid by moving the liquid application member so that it comes into contact with the medium, and adjusts the position of the liquid application member so that the amount of liquid applied to the medium by the liquid application member during the liquid application remains constant before and after the liquid application member wears. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when applying liquid to a medium in a predetermined process, the influence of deterioration of the member that applies liquid to the medium can be suppressed, and a specified amount of liquid can be stably applied to the medium. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [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. 4 is a schematic diagram of the stapling processing section as viewed from the upstream side in the conveying direction. [Figure 7] 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 8] 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 9] 10 is a flowchart of a binding process by an edge binding processing unit. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating positions of a liquid application unit and a pressure bonding unit during binding processing by the edge binding processing unit. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating positions of a liquid application unit and a pressure bonding unit during binding processing by the edge binding processing unit. [Figure 12] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating problems caused by wear of the liquid applying member. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a second embodiment. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a second embodiment. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the structure and operation of a liquid deposition unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 20] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the structure and operation of a liquid deposition unit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to a third embodiment. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a third embodiment. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a third embodiment. [Figure 24]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 30] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a pushing member according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 31] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating the operation of a push-in member according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 32] 13 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 33] 13 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 34] 13 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 35] 13 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 36] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a liquid applying unit according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 37] 13 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 38] 13 is a flowchart of a liquid application member adjustment process according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 39] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a post-processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 40] FIG. 11 is a view of the internal tray according to the second embodiment, seen from the thickness direction of the paper. [Figure 41] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a pressure-bonding unit according to a second embodiment, viewed from the upstream side in the conveying direction. [Figure 42] FIG. 11 is a view of a liquid deposition section according to a second embodiment, viewed from the thickness direction of a sheet of paper. [Figure 43] 35. A cross-sectional view taken along the line XXV-XXV in FIG. [Figure 44] 36 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI of FIG. 35. [Figure 45] FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the operation of a post-processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 46] 10 is a flowchart of post-processing by a post-processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 47] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a modified example of an image forming system. [Figure 48] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the control unit of the post-processing device. [Figure 49] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the control unit of the post-processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] 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.

[0015] [First 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.

[0016] 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).

[0017] 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.

[0018] The post-processing device 3 includes conveyance roller pairs 10-19 (conveyance section), a switching member 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 member 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.

[0019] 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 first discharge tray 21. The second transport path Ph2 is a path that branches off from the first transport path Ph1 between the pair of transport rollers 11 and 14 in the transport direction, and leads to the second 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 pair of transport rollers 11 and 14 in the transport direction, and leads to the discharge tray 30.

[0020] The switching member 20 is disposed at a branching position of the first transport path Ph1 and the second transport path Ph2. The switching member 20 is configured to be switchable between a first position where the sheet P is discharged to the first 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 trailing edge of the sheet P that has entered the second transport path Ph2 passes through 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.

[0021] The post-processing device 3 includes a first discharge tray 21. The first discharge tray 21 holds the paper sheets P discharged through the first transport 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 first discharge tray 21.

[0022] 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 second 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 second discharge tray 26 from among the sheets P supplied from the image forming device 2.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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 second discharge tray 26 by the transport roller pair 10, etc., and then changes direction by the transport roller pair 15, moving toward the end fence 23, which is a different direction from the previous direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the paper P and the transport direction is defined as the "main scanning direction (width direction of the paper P)."

[0025] 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 and 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 and 24R. Then, the transport roller pair 15 discharges the sheet bundle Pb that has been edge-stitched onto the second discharge tray 26.

[0026] 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.

[0027] The end fence 27 aligns the positions in the conveyance direction of multiple sheets P conveyed in sequence along the third conveyance 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 conveyance roller pair 18. The conveyance roller pairs 18 and 19 discharge the sheet stack Pb that has been saddle stitched onto the discharge tray 30.

[0028] [Configuration of the edge binding processing unit 25] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the edge binding processing unit 25, which serves as post-processing means for performing the liquid application process and the pressure binding process shown in Fig. 2, as viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the edge binding processing unit 25 as viewed 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 sheets P, and a pressure bonding unit 32, which is an example of a post-processing unit and performs pressure binding on the sheet stack Pb. The liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 are disposed adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction, downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction.

[0029] 4, liquid application unit 31 applies liquid stored in first liquid storage tank 43, which serves as a liquid storage unit, to paper P or paper stack Pb placed on internal tray 22. Hereinafter, the application of liquid by liquid application unit 31 to paper P or paper stack Pb, and the operation of liquid application unit 31 when applying liquid, will be referred to as "liquid application." Furthermore, the liquid application operation of liquid application unit 31 that involves control processing will be referred to as "liquid application process."

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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."

[0032] 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.

[0033] [Configuration of liquid application unit 31] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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).

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] The liquid application mechanism 36 applies liquid to the paper P or 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 the liquid application member 44 into contact with the paper P or the paper stack Pb.

[0044] The liquid application mechanism 36 includes a liquid application member 44, a liquid supply member 45, a first liquid storage tank 43, and a joint 46. 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).

[0045] 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 .

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] [Configuration of crimping portion 32] As shown in FIG. 3, the crimping unit 32 serving as a post-processing unit applies pressure to at least a portion of the paper-sheet stack Pb to which liquid has been applied by the liquid application unit 31 (i.e., the liquid application position) using the concave and convex upper and lower crimping teeth 32a and 32b, deforming the paper-sheet stack Pb and binding the paper-sheets P of this portion together. 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 deforming and binding a predetermined position of the paper-sheet stack Pb by the crimping unit 32 will be simply referred to as "crimp binding." Furthermore, the crimp binding operation of the crimping unit 32, which involves control processing, will be referred to as "crimp binding process."

[0053] 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 sheet stack Pb, sandwiching the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The opposing surfaces of the upper crimping teeth 32a and lower crimping teeth 32b are formed unevenly with alternating concave and convex portions. The upper crimping teeth 32a and 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 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. 8).

[0054] 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 second discharge tray 26 by the conveyance roller pair 15.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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. 8).

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] The edge-stitching processing unit movement motor 50 according to the present embodiment is a servo motor that can stop the edge-stitching processing unit 25 at a target position without returning the edge-stitching processing unit 25 to an origin position (for example, a standby position HP, which will be described later) after each movement. The target position of the edge-stitching processing unit 25 is a position where the binding process is performed on the paper stack Pb by the pressure bonding unit 32.

[0064] The post-processing device 3 also includes a standby position sensor 540 (e.g., a light-blocking optical sensor; see FIG. 8) that detects that the edge binding processing unit 25 has reached a standby position HP (home position; see FIG. 15A), and an encoder sensor 571 (see FIG. 8) 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 571 to determine the current position of the edge binding processing unit 25, which has moved from the standby position HP.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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 liquid application position B1 and the position where the liquid application unit 31 faces the second liquid application 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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, 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.).

[0069] [Configuration 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. 6 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.

[0070] 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. 8) that drives the staple binder 62a. The staple binder 62a staples the paper-sheet bundle Pb by piercing the paper-sheet bundle Pb with staples loaded in the staple binder 62a 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.

[0071] 6, 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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 47 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 47 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.

[0074] [Configuration of Modified Example of Stapling Processing Unit 55] 7 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. 7, 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.

[0075] 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. 7 , the second liquid deposition unit 612 includes a second lower pressure plate 63, a second upper pressure plate 64 having a through hole 34a, a second liquid deposition unit movement mechanism 65, and a second liquid deposition mechanism 66.

[0076] 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.

[0077] 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 6, 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.

[0078] 7, 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.

[0079] [Configuration of control block of post-processing device 3] The configuration of the control block of the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a hardware configuration diagram for executing control processing in the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the post-processing device 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 104, and an I / F 105, all of which are connected via a common bus 109.

[0080] 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] The I / F 105 is an interface that connects the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching member 20, the side fences 24L and 24R, the contact and separation motor 32d, the crimping tooth slide motor 32e, the crimping 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 571, the operation panel 110, and the load cell 500 to the common bus 109.

[0083] The control unit 100b controls, via the I / F 105, the operations of the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching member 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, the encoder sensor 571, and the load cell 500. Note that while FIG. 8 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] Below, we will explain how to change the binding process (post-processing) method and the number of times the pressure binding process is repeated for one bundle of paper Pb (hereinafter referred to as the ``press binding number'') depending on binding conditions such as the number of sheets of paper P that make up the bundle of paper Pb to be bound (post-processing) and the binding posture of the pressure binding section 32 with respect to the bundle of paper Pb.

[0088] [Binding process explanation] Next, the flow of the binding process executed in the edge binding processing unit 25 included in the post-processing device 3 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart when one-point binding processing is executed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the transition of the position of the edge binding processing unit 25 (liquid application unit 31 and pressure bonding unit 32) during execution of one-point binding processing. Note that FIG. 10 does not show changes in the attitude of the liquid application unit 31 and pressure bonding unit 32. Furthermore, the position (liquid application position) where liquid is applied to the sheet P or sheet 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 sheet stack Pb. Therefore, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position will be assigned the same reference numerals (B1, B2).

[0089] The control unit 100b starts the binding process shown in FIG. 9, for example, at the timing when an instruction to execute the binding process (hereinafter referred to as a "binding process instruction") is acquired from the image forming apparatus 2.

[0090] The binding processing instructions include, for example, the type of paper P (including information that affects the spread of the liquid, such as material and thickness), the number of sheets of paper P that make up the paper stack Pb (hereinafter referred to as the ``predetermined number of sheets N''), the number of copies of the paper stack Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as the ``required number of copies M''), the binding position of the paper stack Pb, and the binding posture of the edge binding processing unit 25.

[0091] In addition, as shown in Figure 10 (A), at the start of the binding process, the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 are in a parallel binding posture and are positioned at a standby position HP, which is a position widthwise offset from the paper P placed on the internal tray 22.

[0092] First, when the posture instructed in the binding process instruction is the "diagonal binding posture," the control unit 100b drives the liquid application unit rotation motor 563 and the pressure bonding unit rotation motor 56 to rotate the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 that constitute the edge binding processing unit 25 to the diagonal binding posture (S901). Note that, when the posture is the "diagonal binding posture," only the pressure bonding unit 32 may be rotated to the diagonal binding posture, and the liquid application unit 31 may not be rotated in the forward or reverse direction. This simplifies the drive mechanism compared to when both the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 are rotated in the forward or reverse direction, thereby achieving the effects of reducing costs, downsizing the device, and reducing equipment failures.

[0093] On the other hand, if the posture instructed in the binding processing instruction is the "parallel binding posture," the control unit 100b omits the operation of rotating the liquid application unit 31 and the crimping unit 32 that constitute the above-mentioned end binding processing unit 25 to the diagonal binding posture.

[0094] 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 first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901). Note that the control unit 100b executes the process of step S901 before the first sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveying roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15.

[0095] 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 (S902). The control unit 100b also executes a so-called jogging process, which aligns the position in the main scanning direction of the paper P or paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 by moving the side fences 24L and 24R in the main scanning direction (S902).

[0096] Next, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 facing the first liquid application position B1 to apply liquid to the first liquid application position B1 of the paper sheet P placed on the internal tray 22 in the immediately preceding step S902, based on the liquid application control data adjusted in advance (S903). That is, the control unit 100b drives the liquid application unit movement motor 42 to bring the liquid application member 44 into contact with the first liquid application position B1 of the paper sheet P placed on the internal tray 22 (see FIG. 10(B)). In the liquid application process in step S903, the control unit 100b adjusts the position at which the liquid application member 44 applies liquid to the paper sheet P, depending on the type of paper sheet P and the binding position included in the binding process instruction. The control unit 100b also adjusts the amount of pressure applied by the liquid application member 44 against the paper sheet P. That is, based on the adjusted control data, the control unit 100b controls the driving of the liquid application unit movement motor 42 to adjust the movement amount of the liquid application member 44 relative to the first liquid application position B1 of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22.

[0097] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N specified in the binding process instruction (S904). If the control unit 100b determines that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number N (S904: No), the control unit 100b repeatedly executes the processes of steps S902 to S904 until the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 reaches the predetermined number N (S904: Yes). That is, the control unit 100b executes the processes of steps S902 to S904 every time a sheet P is conveyed to the internal tray 22 by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. Note that the liquid application by the liquid application unit 31 may not only be applied to all of the sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb, but may also be applied to only some of the sheets P among the sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb.

[0098] Then, when the control unit 100b determines that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N (S904: Yes), as shown in Figure 10 (C), it drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the pressure bonding unit 32 faces the first binding position B1 (S905).

[0099] Next, the control unit 100b causes the pressure bonding unit 32 to perform pressure binding on the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 (S906). 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 to the second discharge tray 26 (S907). That is, the control unit 100b drives the contact / separation motor 32d to clamp the first binding position B1 of the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 between the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a and the lower pressure bonding teeth 32b. This causes the sheet stack Pb to be pressurized and deformed between the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a and the lower pressure bonding teeth 32b, thereby performing pressure binding. Thereafter, the control unit 100b rotates the conveyance roller pair 15 to discharge the sheet stack Pb pressure-bound to the second discharge tray 26.

[0100] Note that, on the sheet stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22, the pressure-bonding area (corresponding to the first binding position B1) clamped by the upper pressure-bonding teeth 32a and the lower pressure-bonding teeth 32b in step S906 overlaps the liquid-application area (corresponding to the first liquid-application position B1) that the tip of the liquid-application member 44 contacted in step S903. In other words, the pressure-bonding unit 32 pressure-bonds and binds the area on 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 pressure-bonding area only partially overlaps.

[0101] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb discharged onto the second discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies M indicated in the binding process instruction (S908). If the control unit 100b determines that the required number of copies M has not been reached (S908: No), it executes the processes from step S902 onwards again. That is, the control unit 100b repeatedly executes the processes of steps S902 to S908 until the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb discharged onto the second discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies M (S908: Yes).

[0102] On the other hand, when the control unit 100b determines that the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb discharged to the second discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies M (S908: Yes), it drives the edge-stitching processing unit moving motor 50 to move the edge-stitching processing unit 25 (liquid application unit 31 and pressure bonding unit 32) to the standby position HP as shown in FIG. 10(D) (S909). Furthermore, when the posture instructed in the binding processing instruction is the "diagonal binding posture," the control unit 100b drives the liquid application unit rotating motor 563 and the pressure bonding unit rotating motor 56 to rotate the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 to the parallel binding posture (S909). On the other hand, when the posture instructed in the binding processing instruction is the "parallel binding posture," the operation of rotating the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 to the parallel binding posture is omitted. As a result, the edge binding processing unit 25 (liquid application unit 31 and pressure bonding unit 32) returns to the standby position HP in Fig. 10(D) . Note that in steps S901 and S909, the order of performing the operations of moving the liquid application unit 31 and pressure bonding unit 32 in the main scanning direction and rotating them in the forward and reverse directions is not limited to the order described above, and may be the reverse order.

[0103] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the position of the edge binding processing unit 25 during execution of two-point binding. A detailed description of the commonalities with the process described with reference to FIG. 10 will be omitted, and differences will be mainly described. As shown in FIG. 11(A), at the start of two-point binding, the edge binding processing unit 25 is located at the standby position HP. The first binding position B1 and the second binding position B2 are located at positions spaced apart in the main scanning direction. Furthermore, FIG. 11 describes a case where two sheets P are pressure-bonded and bound (i.e., N=2). Note that when two-point binding is performed, this does not mean that the number of sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb is limited to two, and two-point binding can be performed on the same number of sheets of the sheet bundle Pb as the number of sheets that can be bound in the one-point binding process.

[0104] Before the first sheet P1 of the sheet bundle Pb is supplied to the internal tray 22, the control unit 100b moves the edge binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 can face the first liquid application position B1 (see FIG. 11(B)). Then, as shown in FIG. 11(B), with the liquid application unit 31 positioned so that it can face the first liquid application position B1, the control unit 100b places the sheet P1, on which an image has been formed by the image forming device 2, on the internal tray 22 and performs a jogging process. After that, in response to the sheet P1 being placed on the internal tray 22, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 to apply liquid to the first liquid application position B1 of the sheet P1.

[0105] 11(C), the control unit 100b moves the edge binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the second liquid application position B2 of the first sheet of paper P1. Thereafter, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 to apply liquid to the second liquid application position B2 of the first sheet of paper P1.

[0106] Next, in response to applying liquid to the first liquid application position B1 and the second liquid application position B2 of the first sheet of paper P1, the control unit 100b places the second sheet of paper P2 constituting the sheet stack Pb on the internal tray 22 and executes a jogging process with the liquid application unit 31 positioned so as to face the second liquid application position B2, as shown in Figure 11(D). Then, in response to the second sheet of paper P2 being placed on the internal tray 22, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 to apply liquid to the second liquid application position B2 of the second sheet of paper P2.

[0107] 11(E), the control unit 100b moves the edge binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 of the second sheet of paper P2. Next, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 to apply liquid to the first liquid application position B1 of the second sheet of paper P2.

[0108] That is, until the number of sheets of paper P placed on the internal tray 22 reaches a predetermined number N, the control unit 100b repeats the conveyance of the paper P by the conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, 15 and the liquid application to the first liquid application position B1 and the second liquid application position B2 by the liquid application unit 31. At this time, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 to apply liquid to the B-th (B < N) sheet of paper P in the order of the first liquid application position B1 and the second liquid application position B2. Further, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 to apply liquid to the (B + 1)-th sheet of paper P in the order of the second liquid application position B2 and the first liquid application position B1. In other words, the control unit 100b changes the order in which the liquid application unit 31 applies liquid to the first liquid application position B1 and the second liquid application position B2 for each sheet of paper P. Furthermore, the control unit 100b moves the binding processing unit 25 from one of the first liquid application position B1 and the second liquid application position B2 to the other by the shortest distance without passing through the standby position HP.

[0109] Next, in response to determining that the number of sheets of paper P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N, as shown in FIG. 11(F), the control unit 100b moves the edge binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the crimping unit 32 faces the first binding position B1. Then, the control unit 100b causes the crimping unit 32 to perform crimp binding on the first binding position B1 of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0110] Next, as shown in FIG. 11(G), the control unit 100b moves the edge binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the crimping unit 32 faces the second binding position B2. Then, the control unit 100b causes the crimping unit 32 to perform crimp binding on the second binding position B2 of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0111] In the example of FIG. 11, since liquid application was finally performed on the first liquid application position B1, crimp binding is performed in the order of the first binding position B1 and the second binding position B2. On the other hand, when liquid was finally applied to the second liquid application position B2, crimp binding may be performed in the order of the second binding position B2 and the first binding position B1.

[0112] Next, the control unit 100b discharges the stack of sheets Pb that has been heat-sealed at the first binding position B1 and the second binding position B2 to the second discharge tray 26. Further, as shown in FIG. 11(H), the control unit 100b moves the binding processing unit 25 to the standby position HP.

[0113] In the above embodiment, an example of heat-sealing one or two locations of the stack of sheets Pb has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable when heat-sealing three or more locations of the stack of sheets Pb spaced apart in the main scanning direction. In this case, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 to perform liquid application and the crimping unit 32 to perform heat-sealing on three or more liquid application positions (corresponding to the heat-sealing positions). Even when heat-sealing three or more locations, the productivity of heat-sealing can be improved by applying the present invention.

[0114] However, it is not necessary to apply liquid to all the liquid application positions (corresponding to the heat-sealing positions) for all the sheets P constituting the stack of sheets Pb. For example, when heat-sealing at three heat-sealing positions spaced apart in the main scanning direction, the control unit 100b applies liquid to the three liquid application positions (corresponding to the heat-sealing positions) of the E (E < N - 2)th sheet P1, applies liquid to the two liquid application positions (corresponding to the heat-sealing positions) of the (E + 1)th sheet P2, and applies liquid to the one liquid application position (corresponding to the heat-sealing position) of the (E + 2)th sheet P2.

[0115] [Problems that may occur in the liquid application member 44] Since the liquid application member 44 is made of a material that can hold the liquid, it may wear out when the number of times it contacts and presses against the sheet P increases during the liquid application operation. FIG. 12 illustrates a state where the liquid application member 44 has worn out and become shorter than the original length dimension. The worn portion W illustrates the portion by which the liquid application member 44 has become shorter than the initial length due to the liquid application operation or the like, that is, the portion that has disappeared due to wear.

[0116] Fig. 12(A) shows the state before the liquid application operation is performed. Even though the length dimension has been shortened by the worn portion W, the standby position of the liquid application member 44 is initially set, so it is in the same position as when there is no worn portion W. Fig. 12(B) shows the state after the liquid application process has begun with the liquid application member 44 and the liquid application member 44 has descended a preset distance toward the paper P.

[0117] That is, when applying liquid, the liquid application unit movement motor 37 moves the liquid application member 44 a fixed distance toward the paper P. In other words, the movement distance of the liquid application member 44 during liquid application is set to a fixed value, so when the liquid application member 44 is shortened, as in the case of the worn portion W shown in FIG. 12(A), the liquid application member 44 will not reach the paper P, will not come into contact with the paper P, or will not apply enough liquid even if it does come into contact.

[0118] Therefore, when the liquid application member 44 wears, a gap G may occur between the paper P and the liquid application member 44, as shown in Fig. 12(B). As a result, the amount of liquid applied to the paper P (liquid application amount) may decrease, or the liquid may not be applied at all, which may cause other problems. If the amount of liquid application decreases below a predetermined amount, the binding force in the subsequent binding process may weaken, which may lead to a decrease in binding quality.

[0119] [First Example] An embodiment will now be described in which the adverse effects caused by wear of the liquid applicator 44 described above are suppressed, thereby making the amount of liquid dispensed by the liquid dispenser 31 constant. Fig. 13 shows an example of the liquid dispenser 31 according to the first embodiment. The liquid dispenser 31 according to this embodiment has a load cell 500, which is a load converter, mounted on the lower pressure plate 33.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 13(A), the load cell 500 is installed directly below the position where the liquid dispensing member 44 descends. Therefore, when the liquid dispensing member 44 descends and comes into contact with the paper P, pressure is applied to the paper P against the lower pressure plate 33, and this pressure causes the load cell 500 to output an electrical signal to the control unit 100b. Based on the electrical signal from the load cell 500, the control unit 100b determines whether the liquid dispensing member 44 has come into contact with the paper P and dispensed liquid. Furthermore, by judging the electrical signal from the load cell 500, the control unit 100b can determine whether the liquid dispensing member 44 has performed a pressing operation sufficient for the contact time and pressing time required to dispense liquid onto the paper P during the liquid dispensing operation. In other words, by judging the electrical signal from the load cell 500, the control unit 100b can determine whether or not the specified liquid application operation has been performed even with a worn liquid application member 44, so that in the case of an insufficient liquid application operation, the control unit 100b can perform control such as increasing the travel distance for pressing or adjusting the contact time.

[0121] After it is determined that the liquid application operation has been performed to apply the set amount of liquid, the control unit 100b stops or raises the liquid application unit movement motor 37. This makes it possible to apply the liquid reliably.

[0122] In addition, by lowering the liquid application section movement motor 37 until the load cell 500 detects the load from the liquid application member 44, the problem of the liquid application member 44 not being able to come into contact with the paper P and liquid application not being able to be performed can be solved.

[0123] [Processing flow of the first embodiment] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the liquid application operation according to the first embodiment. A liquid application member descending amount determination process (S1401) is added to the liquid application operation described using Figure 9. Below, the description of processes similar to those described using Figure 9 will be simplified, and the process according to the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0124] The control unit 100b drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901).

[0125] Next, the control unit 100b stores the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 in the internal tray 22, and executes a so-called jogging process (S902).

[0126] Next, a liquid application member descent amount determination process (S1401) according to the first embodiment is executed. The process flow of step S1401 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 15. The control unit 100b lowers the liquid application means (liquid application member 44) toward the first liquid application position B1 of the paper sheet P placed on the internal tray 22 in the immediately preceding step S902 (S1501). The lowering continues (S1501) until the pressure detected by the load cell 500 reaches a designated value based on the liquid application control data adjusted in advance (S1502: NO).

[0127] If the applied pressure detected by the load cell 500 reaches the specified value (S1502: Yes), the liquid application member descending amount determination process ends. Returning to FIG. 14, liquid application is performed in the same manner as in step S903 already described. The subsequent processes are the same as the processes after S903 already described, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0128] [Second Example] Next, an embodiment will be described in which the standby position of the liquid application member 44 is changed to resolve the problem of insufficient liquid application due to insufficient contact of the liquid application member 44 with the paper P when the amount of descent of the liquid application member 44 is set due to wear of the liquid application member 44. As shown in FIG. 16(A), the liquid application unit 31 according to this embodiment also includes a load cell 500. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16(B), the liquid application member 44 is lowered until the control unit 100b determines that the liquid application member 44 is in contact with the load cell 500 when the paper P has not yet been conveyed to the lower pressure plate 33. This allows the amount of descent required for the liquid application member 44 to move from its initial standby position until the load cell 500 detects the pressure applied by the liquid application member 44 to be determined.

[0129] In this case, the required lowering distance is greater than the preset lowering distance by the length of the worn portion W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16(C), the set value of the standby position is changed so that the set lowering distance reaches the required lowering distance.

[0130] As described above, by changing the standby position, it is possible to keep constant the time and distance that the liquid application member 44 takes to descend from the standby position to the position where liquid is applied to the paper P, and to make the amount of liquid applied to the paper P the same as before the wear, even when using a worn liquid application member 44. Furthermore, it is possible to detect the amount of wear on the liquid application member 44 without being affected by the thickness or number of sheets of paper.

[0131] [Processing flow of the second embodiment] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the liquid application operation according to the first embodiment. This differs from the liquid application operation described using Figure 9 in that a liquid application member standby position setting process (S1701) is added. Below, the description of processes similar to those described using Figure 9 will be simplified, and the process according to the second embodiment will be described in detail.

[0132] The control unit 100b drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901).

[0133] Next, the control section 100b stores the paper P in the internal tray 22, and before performing the jogging process (before S902), executes a liquid application member standby position setting process (S1701).

[0134] The processing flow of step S1701 will be explained using the flowchart shown in Fig. 18. The control unit 100b lowers the liquid application means (liquid application member 44) toward the lower pressure plate 33 in front of which the paper P is stored (S1801). Until the pressure detected by the load cell 500 reaches a specified value based on the liquid application control data adjusted in advance (S1802: NO), the time and amount of lowering of the liquid application member 44 continues to be recorded (S1802), and the liquid application member continues to be lowered.

[0135] When the applied pressure detected by the load cell 500 reaches the designated value (S1803: Yes), the liquid applying member 44 is raised (S1804). Based on the lowering time and lowering amount recorded in step S1802, the control unit 100b calculates a set standby position required to reach the required lowering amount relative to the preset initial value of the standby position.

[0136] The control unit 100b raises the liquid application member 44 until the liquid application member 44 reaches the calculated set standby position (S1805: NO). When the liquid application member 44 reaches the set standby position (S1805: Yes), the control unit 100b ends the process of setting the standby position of the liquid application member 44. This allows the height (height position) of the standby position of the liquid application member 44 to be the same height position before and after wear.

[0137] Returning to FIG. 17, after the liquid application member standby position setting process (S1701) is completed, liquid application is performed in the same manner as in step S902, which has already been described. The subsequent processes are the same as the processes from step S903 onwards, which have already been described, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0138] Next, the structure and operation of the liquid applicator 31 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. In the second embodiment, the liquid applicator 44 can directly contact and press against the load cell 500 to set the standby position, but in this case, liquid may adhere to the load cell 500, which could cause a malfunction or damage. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, the liquid applicator 31 according to this embodiment has a movable part 510 that has the property of collecting liquid, directly above the load cell 500 that is placed on the lower pressure plate 33. This prevents liquid from being directly applied to the load cell 500.

[0139] As shown in Figure 19(A), the movable part 510 can be lowered by a downward force exerted by a support spring 511 against the lower pressure plate 33, as shown in Figure 19(B), and is configured to return to the position illustrated in Figure 19(A) due to the elasticity of the support spring 511 if there is no downward force.

[0140] The movable part 510 is disposed above the load cell 500 as shown in FIG. 19(C).

[0141] Next, the operation of the liquid application unit 31 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 20(A), when the liquid application member 44 is in a standby state, the movable part 510 is at the same height as the lower pressure plate 33. As shown in FIG. 20(B), when the liquid application unit 31 performs a liquid application operation, the liquid application member 44 comes into contact with the movable part 510 and presses it downward. The pressed movable part 510 then comes into contact with the load cell 500, and the liquid application unit movement motor 37 stops or raises the movable part 510 at a certain pressing amount via the load cell 500. Once the liquid application member 44 has risen, the support spring 511 also raises the movable part 510 to its standby position and returns it to the specified position. This mechanism prevents the load cell 500 from being damaged by the liquid, and the application amount can be adjusted by detecting the pressing force of the movable part 510.

[0142] [Third Example] Next, another embodiment will be described that makes it possible to maintain a constant amount of liquid deposition, addressing the issue of the liquid deposition operation caused by wear of the liquid deposition member 44. Fig. 21 shows an example of a liquid deposition unit 31 according to a third embodiment. The liquid deposition unit 31 according to this embodiment has a reflective sensor 520 mounted on the lower pressure plate 33.

[0143] As shown in Figure 21(A), the reflective sensor 520 is installed so that it is located directly below the liquid supply member 44. As shown in Figure 21(B), the distance between the liquid supply member 44 and the reflective sensor 520 at the standby position is compared before and after wear. Then, as shown in Figure 21(C), after the comparison, the standby position of the worn liquid supply member 44 is adjusted so that it is in the same position as the liquid supply member 44 before wear.

[0144] This allows the amount of liquid applied to the paper P to be the same as before wear by keeping constant the time and amount of descent required for the liquid application member 44 to come into contact with the paper P from the standby position and apply liquid. Also, as illustrated in Examples 1 and 2, it is possible to adjust the standby position so that it can be set to a suitable position without having to lower the liquid application member 44.

[0145] [Processing flow of the third embodiment] Figure 22 is a flowchart illustrating the liquid application operation according to the third embodiment. A liquid application member standby position adjustment process (S2201) is added to the liquid application operation described using Figure 9. Below, the same processes as those described using Figure 9 will be explained briefly, and the process according to the fourth embodiment will be explained in detail.

[0146] The control unit 100b drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901).

[0147] Next, the control unit 100b stores the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 in the internal tray 22, and executes a so-called jogging process (S902).

[0148] Next, a liquid application member standby position adjustment process (S2201) according to the third embodiment is executed. The process flow of step S2201 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 23. The control unit 100b operates the reflective sensor 520 (S2301). At this time, the liquid application member 44 is in a preset standby position.

[0149] The control unit 100b acquires the detection result of the reflective sensor 520 (S2302) and judges the acquired result (S2303). If the surface of the liquid supplying member 44 that contacts the paper P is not at an appropriate height at the predetermined standby position (S2303: NO), the control unit 100b lowers the liquid supplying member 44 (S2304).

[0150] The control unit 100b loops steps S2302, S2303, and S2304 until the standby position of the liquid application member 44 reaches a position where the liquid application operation can be performed on the paper sheet P.

[0151] If the height of the liquid applicator 44 reaches an appropriate height (S2303: YES), the control unit 100b ends the liquid applicator standby position adjustment process.

[0152] Returning to FIG. 22, after the liquid applicator standby position adjustment process (S2201) is completed, the processes from step S903 onwards, which have already been described, are executed.

[0153] [Fourth Example] Next, another embodiment will be described that makes it possible to maintain a constant amount of liquid deposition, in response to the problem of the liquid deposition operation caused by wear of the liquid deposition member 44. Fig. 24 shows an example of a liquid deposition unit 31 according to a fourth embodiment. The liquid deposition unit 31 according to this embodiment is equipped with a reflective sensor 520 on the lower pressure plate 33, and is further equipped with a movement mechanism for the lower pressure plate 33.

[0154] As in the third embodiment, a reflective sensor 520 is mounted on the lower pressing plate 33 to detect the height to the liquid supplying member 44. As shown in Fig. 24(A), the height of the liquid supplying member 44 at the standby position measured by the reflective sensor 520 is measured once before it wears out, and this is recorded.

[0155] When the liquid application operation is performed, the height of the liquid application member 44 is first measured and compared with the initial value. Here, as shown in FIG. 24(B), if the height of the liquid application member 44 has increased due to wear, the lower pressing plate 33 is raised.

[0156] The lower pressure plate 33 is raised and the distance between the liquid applicator 44 and the paper P is adjusted to a predetermined distance, and then the liquid applicator is operated as shown in FIG. 24(c).

[0157] Fig. 25 is a side view of liquid applicator 31 according to the fourth embodiment. Fig. 26 is a diagram illustrating the upward and downward movements of lower presser plate 33 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in Fig. 25, motor 541, gear 572, and movable part 573 are provided. Gear 572 is connected to the drive shaft of motor 541, and movable part 573 can be moved up and down by rotation of gear 572.

[0158] 26(A), the motor 541 rotates in the reverse direction based on the position information of the liquid dispensing member 44 before and after wear obtained from the reflective sensor 520, and the lower pressure plate 33 rises a certain amount via the gear 572 and the movable part 573. As shown in FIG. 26(B), the motor 541 rotates in the forward direction, and the lower pressure plate 33 descends to the standby position, making it possible to receive the next sheet of paper P.

[0159] [Processing flow of the fourth embodiment] Figure 27 is a flowchart illustrating the liquid application operation according to the fourth embodiment. A process for adjusting the position of the descending plate (S2701) is added to the liquid application operation described using Figure 9. Below, the description of processes similar to those described using Figure 9 will be simplified, and the process according to the fourth embodiment will be described in detail.

[0160] The control unit 100b drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901).

[0161] Next, the control unit 100b stores the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 in the internal tray 22, and executes a so-called jogging process (S902).

[0162] Next, a process for adjusting the position of the lower pressure plate according to the fourth embodiment (S2701) is executed. The process flow of step S2701 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 28. The control unit 100b operates the reflective sensor 520 (S2801). At this time, the liquid application member 44 is in a preset standby position.

[0163] The control unit 100b acquires the detection result of the reflective sensor 520 (S2802) and judges this acquired result (S2803). If the surface of the liquid dispensing member 44 that contacts the paper P is not at an appropriate height in the predetermined standby position (S2803: NO), the lower pressure plate 33 is raised (S2804). If the surface of the liquid dispensing member 44 that contacts the paper P is at an appropriate height in the predetermined standby position (S2803: YES), the position of the lower pressure plate is not moved.

[0164] Next, the control unit 100b causes the liquid application unit 31 facing the first liquid application position B1 to apply liquid to the first liquid application position B1 of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 in step S902 based on the liquid application control data adjusted in advance (S903).

[0165] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N specified in the binding process instruction (S904). If the control unit 100b determines that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number N (S904: No), the control unit 100b proceeds to step S902. If the number has reached the predetermined number N, the control unit 100b proceeds to step S905.

[0166] [Fifth Example] Next, another embodiment will be described that makes it possible to maintain a constant amount of liquid applied, in response to issues with the liquid application operation caused by wear of the liquid application member 44. Fig. 29 shows an example of a liquid application unit 31 according to a fifth embodiment. The liquid application unit 31 according to this embodiment is equipped with an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of protrusion of the liquid application member 44 in order to compensate for the amount of wear of the liquid application member 44.

[0167] 29, the liquid applicator 31 according to this embodiment includes a pusher member 581. The pusher member 581 is a mechanism for pushing out the liquid applicator member 44 that has been worn away due to wear.

[0168] In the first to fourth embodiments, the liquid application member 44 is raised and lowered by the liquid application unit movement motor 37 provided in the liquid application unit 31, and the distance between the liquid application member 44 and the lower pressure plate 33 is adjusted to be the same before and after wear, thereby stabilizing the amount of liquid applied.

[0169] The liquid application section 31 according to this embodiment pushes out the liquid application member 44 to achieve the same amount of extrusion as before wear, and can apply a constant amount of liquid Lq to the paper P regardless of whether it is before or after wear.

[0170] The fifth embodiment may have a configuration similar to that described in the first to fourth embodiments. That is, a load cell 500 or a reflective sensor 520 is mounted on the lower pressing plate 33, and the distance between the liquid supplying member 44 and the load cell 500 or the reflective sensor 520 before and after wear is compared. Based on the information obtained from the comparison, a pushing member 581 may be configured to push the liquid supplying member 44 to adjust the pushing amount to the same as before wear.

[0171] [Detailed explanation of the push-in member] Next, a liquid applying member push-in adjustment unit 550 including a push-in member 581 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 30 , the liquid applying member push-in adjustment unit 550 is configured to include a push-in member 581, a gear 552, a motor 553, and a lifting member 554. The pushing member 581 is connected to a lifting member 554 , a gear 552 , and a motor 553 .

[0172] 31, the pushing member 581 can be moved up and down by driving the motor 553. This makes it possible to apply a constant amount of liquid to the paper P regardless of whether it is worn or not.

[0173] [First example of processing flow of the fifth embodiment] Figure 32 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of a liquid application operation according to the fifth embodiment. A process for adjusting the amount of extrusion of the liquid application member (S3201) is added to the liquid application operation described using Figure 9. Below, the description of processes similar to those described using Figure 9 will be simplified, and the process according to the fifth embodiment will be described in detail.

[0174] The control unit 100b drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901).

[0175] Next, the control section 100b stores the paper P in the internal tray 22, and before the jogging process (before S902), executes the extrusion amount adjustment process of the liquid application member (S3201).

[0176] The processing flow of step S3201 will be explained using the flowchart shown in Fig. 33. Control unit 100b lowers the liquid application means (liquid application member 44) toward lower pressure plate 33 before paper P is accommodated (S3201). Until the pressure detected by load cell 500 reaches a specified value based on pre-adjusted liquid application control data (S3203: NO), the time and amount of lowering of liquid application member 44 continue to be recorded (S3202), and the liquid application member continues to be lowered.

[0177] When the applied pressure detected by the load cell 500 reaches the designated value (S3303: Yes), the liquid applicator 31 is lowered (S3304). Based on the lowering time and lowering amount recorded in step S3302, the controller 100b calculates the amount of extrusion of the liquid applicator 44 required to reach the required lowering amount relative to the preset initial value of the standby position.

[0178] The control unit 100b pushes out the liquid supplying member 44 until the liquid supplying member 44 reaches the calculated pushing amount (S3305: NO). Then, when the pushing amount of the liquid supplying member 44 reaches the calculated pushing amount (S3305: Yes), the process of adjusting the pushing amount of the liquid supplying member 44 ends.

[0179] Returning to FIG. 32, after the process for adjusting the extrusion amount of the liquid applicator (S3201) is completed, liquid application is performed in the same manner as in step S902, which has already been described. The subsequent processes are the same as the processes from step S903 onwards, which have already been described, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0180] [Second example of processing flow of the fifth embodiment] Figure 34 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of the liquid application operation according to the fifth embodiment. A process for adjusting the amount of extrusion of the liquid application member (S3401) is added to the liquid application operation described using Figure 9. Below, the description of processes similar to those described using Figure 9 will be simplified, and the process according to the fifth embodiment will be described in detail.

[0181] The control unit 100b drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901).

[0182] Next, the control unit 100b stores the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 in the internal tray 22, and executes a so-called jogging process (S902).

[0183] Next, a process for adjusting the extrusion amount of the liquid dispensing member according to this embodiment (S3401) is executed. The process flow of step S3401 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 39. The control unit 100b operates the reflective sensor 520 (S3501). At this time, the liquid dispensing member 44 is in a preset standby position.

[0184] The control unit 100b acquires the detection result of the reflective sensor 520 (S3502) and determines this acquired result (S3503). If the liquid application member 44 is not at the set position (S3203: NO), the pushing member 581 is operated to push out and lower the liquid application member 44 (S3504). If the liquid application member 44 is at the specified position (S3503: YES), the pushing amount adjustment process ends.

[0185] Returning to FIG. 34, after the process for adjusting the extrusion amount of the liquid applicator (S3501) is completed, the processes from step S903 onwards, which have already been explained, are executed.

[0186] [Sixth Example] Next, another embodiment will be described that makes it possible to maintain a constant amount of liquid applied, in response to issues with the liquid application operation caused by wear on the liquid application member 44. Fig. 36 shows an example of a liquid application unit 31 according to a sixth embodiment. The liquid application unit 31 according to this embodiment is equipped with an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the height position of the liquid application member 44 to compensate for the amount of wear on the liquid application member 44, and is equipped with a liquid application member sensor 555 that detects the amount of wear on the liquid application member 44.

[0187] 36(A) to 36(C) illustrate the state of the liquid supply member 44 before it becomes worn. FIGS. 36(D) to 36(F) illustrate the state of the liquid supply member 44 after it has worn. As illustrated in FIG. 36, the liquid supply member sensor 555 is a reflective sensor that is positioned to detect the liquid supply member 44 protruding from the lower end of the joint 46. The liquid supply member sensor 555 detects whether the position of the end of the liquid supply member 44 that comes into contact with the paper P is at the specified position (height position) as set. Therefore, when the liquid supply member sensor 555 detects the liquid supply member 44, the height position of the liquid supply member 44 is also at the set position.

[0188] As shown in the example of Figure 36, the liquid application member sensor 555 is installed in front of the first liquid storage tank 43 and detects the position of the liquid application member 44 hidden by the first liquid storage tank 43. The pushing member 581 and the liquid application member 44 are fixed so that they are interlocked, and when the pushing member 581 rises, the liquid application member 44 also rises. The liquid application member 44 stops rising at the position detected by the liquid application member sensor 555. The pushing member 581 is then lowered a fixed amount so that it is in the same position as before wear. The position at which the liquid application member sensor 555 detects the liquid application member 44 before and after wear remains the same, and the liquid application member 44 can be pushed to the same height in both cases, making it possible to apply a fixed amount of liquid to the paper P.

[0189] [Processing flow of the sixth embodiment] Figure 37 is a flowchart illustrating the liquid application operation according to Example 6. A process for adjusting the amount of extrusion of the liquid application member (S3701) is added to the liquid application operation described using Figure 9. Below, the description of processes similar to those described using Figure 9 will be simplified, and the process according to Example 6 will be described in detail.

[0190] The control unit 100b drives the end binding processing unit movement motor 50 to move the end binding processing unit 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid application unit 31 faces the first liquid application position B1 instructed in the binding processing instruction (S901).

[0191] Next, the control unit 100b stores the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 in the internal tray 22, and executes a so-called jogging process (S902).

[0192] Next, a process for adjusting the extrusion amount of the liquid applicator according to the sixth embodiment (S3701) is executed. The process flow of step S3701 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 38. The control unit 100b activates the liquid applicator sensor 555 (S3801). At this time, it is assumed that the liquid applicator 44 is in a preset standby position.

[0193] The control unit 100b raises the push-in member 581 to raise the liquid supplying member 44 (S3802). The control unit 100b also causes the liquid supplying member sensor 555 to detect the rising liquid supplying member 44 and determines whether the liquid supplying member 44 has reached the set position (S3803). Here, the state in which the liquid supplying member 44 has reached the set position is the reference position in which the liquid supplying member 44 does not protrude from the lower end of the joint 46, as shown in FIG. 36(B) or (D) already described. If the liquid supplying member 44 has not reached the reference position (S3803: NO), the liquid supplying member 44 continues to rise. When the liquid supplying member 44 has reached the reference position (S3803: YES), the liquid supplying member 44 stops rising (S3804).

[0194] In step S3804, the push-in member 581 is lowered to lower the liquid supplying member 44. The amount of lowering of the push-in member 581 is assumed to be specified in advance. Therefore, the control unit 100b determines whether the amount of lowering of the push-in member 581 corresponds to the amount by which the liquid supplying member 44 reaches the reference position (S3805).

[0195] The pushing member 581 is lowered so as to lower the liquid applying member 44 (S3804) until the amount of descent of the pushing member 581 reaches a specified amount, which is the amount of descent that will bring the liquid applying member 44 to the reference position (S3805: YES). When the amount of descent of the pushing member 581 reaches the amount that will bring the liquid applying member 44 to the reference position (S3805: YES), the descent of the pushing member 581 stops, and the process of adjusting the extrusion amount of the liquid applying member ends. In other words, the position of the end of the liquid applying member 44 can be adjusted based on the height information and the pressure so that it is at the same reference position before and after wear.

[0196] Returning to FIG. 37, after the process for adjusting the extrusion amount of the liquid applicator (S3701) is completed, the processes from step S903 onwards, which have already been explained, are executed.

[0197] In the above description, the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3 is provided separately from the control unit 100a of the image forming apparatus 2, as shown in Fig. 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 48(A), the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3 may be provided on the image forming apparatus 2 side. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 48(B), the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3 may be configured integrally with the control unit 100a of the image forming apparatus 2.

[0198] 49(A), the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3 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 only the control unit 100b2 of one of the post-processing devices 3 may be provided on the image forming device 2 side. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 49(B), the control unit 100b2 of the post-processing device 3 provided on the image forming device 2 side may be configured integrally with the control unit 100a of the image forming device 2.

[0199] [Second embodiment of post-processing device 3] Next, a post-processing device 3A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 39 to 47. Note that components common to the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof may be omitted.

[0200] 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 second 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'.

[0201] 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." Also, 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)."

[0202] 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).

[0203] Fig. 39 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 40, the end binding processing unit 251 is equipped with only a pressure bonding unit 32'. As shown in Fig. 40, the pressure bonding unit 32' and the staple binding processing unit 156 are arranged 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.

[0204] 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, one-point parallel binding, or two-point parallel binding.

[0205] 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.

[0206] Fig. 40 is a schematic diagram of the internal tray 22 as viewed from the thickness direction of the paper stack Pb. Fig. 41 is a schematic diagram of the pressure bonding unit 32' as viewed from the downstream side in the transport direction. As shown in Fig. 40, 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.

[0207] 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. 6), and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0208] As shown in FIG. 41, 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 including a drive transmission gear 340a is fixed to the bottom surface of the pressure-bonding unit frame 32c, which holds the components of the pressure-bonding unit 32'.

[0209] 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'.

[0210] The pressure-bonding unit 32' is configured to be movable between a standby position HP2 shown in Fig. 40(A) and a position facing the first binding position B1 shown in Fig. 40(B) and Fig. 40(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. 40, 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 thereat.

[0211] The crimping portion 32' changes its posture between a parallel binding posture shown in Fig. 40(B) and a diagonal binding posture shown in Fig. 40(C). That is, the crimping portion 32' is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions around a crimping portion rotation shaft 340. Here, the parallel binding posture is a posture 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 crimping binding marks) are oriented in the main scanning direction. The diagonal binding posture is a posture 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 crimping binding marks) are inclined with respect to the main scanning direction.

[0212] 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 40 (C), and can be any angle as long as the upper and lower crimping teeth 32a and 32b face the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

[0213] 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.

[0214] 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. 39. For example, if an inserter 6 is disposed between the image forming device 2 and the post-processing device 3A as shown in FIG. 47, 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.

[0215] 42(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 131 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.

[0216] Furthermore, by arranging the multiple roller pairs that make up the conveying roller pair 11 in 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.

[0217] 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.

[0218] 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.

[0219] Figure 42 is a view of liquid deposition section 131 according to the second embodiment as seen from the thickness direction of paper P. Figure 43 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in Figure 42. Figure 44 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in Figure 42. As shown in Figures 42 to 44, 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.

[0220] 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.

[0221] 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.

[0222] 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.

[0223] 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.

[0224] The standby position sensor 138 detects that the liquid deposition unit 140 has reached a standby position HP1 (see FIG. 42) in the main scanning direction, and outputs a standby position signal indicating the detection result to the control unit 100b (see FIG. 45), 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. At the standby position HP1, the liquid deposition unit 140 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.

[0225] 43, 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 sheet 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 sheet P) through the opening in the upper guide plate 5a.

[0226] As shown in Figures 42 to 44, 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 45), and a standby angle sensor 152 (see Figure 45).

[0227] 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.

[0228] 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.

[0229] The standby angle sensor 152 (see FIG. 45) 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.

[0230] 42(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. 42(B) shows the state when the pressure-bonding unit 32' downstream of the liquid applicator 131 performs diagonal binding (corner binding).

[0231] 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 transport path. In this embodiment, it protrudes downward. 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).

[0232] 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.

[0233] As shown in FIGS. 43A and 44A, 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′).

[0234] 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. 43(B) and 44(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.

[0235] 43(C) and 44(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.

[0236] 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 43(A) and 44(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.

[0237] Fig. 45 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the operation of post-processing device 3A according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 45, post-processing device 3A includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 104, and an I / F 105, all of which are connected via a common bus 109.

[0238] 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.

[0239] 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.

[0240] I / F 105 is an interface that connects the pairs of conveying rollers 10, 11, 14, and 15, the switching member 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.

[0241] 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 member 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.

[0242] Note that Figure 45 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.

[0243] As shown in FIG. 47, the image forming apparatus 2 includes an operation panel 110. The operation panel 110 includes an operation unit that accepts input operations from the 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.

[0244] 46 is a flowchart of post-processing by post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 46 is a flowchart when one-point binding processing shown in Fig. 40 is executed.

[0245] The control unit 100b executes the post-processing shown in FIG. 46 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 (perforating punch holes in this embodiment). At the start of post-processing, the liquid application unit 140 is positioned at the standby position HP1 (see FIG. 42), and the rotating bracket 142 is held at the standby angle (corresponding to the "parallel binding position").

[0246] 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. 42(B) ; a position corresponding to the first binding position B1 in FIGS. 40(B) and 40(C)). Furthermore, if the type of binding process specified in the post-processing instruction is "diagonal binding process," the control unit 100b drives the liquid 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 posture" (S801). The fact that the liquid application head 146 has reached the 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 liquid 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.

[0247] 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 it can face the first binding position B1, as shown in FIGS. 40(A) and 40(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.

[0248] 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.

[0249] 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.

[0250] 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.

[0251] 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 in the main scanning direction (S806).

[0252] 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).

[0253] 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 eject the pressure-bound sheet bundle Pb onto the second ejection tray 26 (S808).

[0254] Next, the control unit 100b determines whether the number of copies of the sheet stack Pb discharged onto the second 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).

[0255] On the other hand, when the control unit 100b determines that the number of copies of the sheet bundle Pb discharged to the second 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 the standby position HP1 (see FIG. 42), and drives the pressure bonding unit movement motor 238 to move the pressure bonding unit 32' to the standby position HP2 (see FIG. 40) (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.

[0256] 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.

[0257] 39 according to the second embodiment has been described in the same manner as in FIG. 1, in which the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3A is provided separately from the control unit 100a of the image forming apparatus 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in FIG. 48(A), the control unit 100b of the post-processing device 3A may be provided on the image forming apparatus 2 side. Furthermore, as in FIG. 48(B), 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.

[0258] 49(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. 49(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.

[0259] 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.

[0260] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the technical gist thereof. The present invention covers all technical matters included in the technical ideas described in the claims. 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.

[0261] As explained above, according to each embodiment of the media processing device of 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) according to the binding process. This improves user convenience and productivity of the binding process.

[0262] [Aspects of the present invention] For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows. <1> a liquid applying means for applying a liquid to at least one medium via a liquid applying member; a post-processing unit that performs post-processing on a medium bundle including a plurality of the media to which the liquid has been applied; Equipped with The liquid applying means is The liquid application member is moved so as to come into contact with the medium, and the liquid is applied; adjusting the position of the medium relative to the liquid supplying member so that the amount of liquid supplied to the medium by the liquid supplying member during the liquid supplying operation remains constant before and after the wear of the liquid supplying member; The media processing device is characterized by the above. <2> The liquid applying means is When a liquid application operation is performed on the medium, the position is changed based on the pressure applied to the medium by the liquid application member. The aforementioned <1> 2 is a media processing device according to the first embodiment. <3> The liquid applying means is The position is changed based on the pressure applied to a lower pressure plate on which the medium is placed. The aforementioned <1> or the above <2> 2 is a media processing device according to the first embodiment. <4> A lower pressure plate on which the medium is placed has a movable portion, measuring the pressure force based on the amount of pressure that the liquid applying member presses into the movable portion when it comes into contact with the movable portion; The aforementioned <1> and above <3> 1 is a media processing device according to any one of the preceding claims. <5> The liquid applying means is changing a standby position of the liquid supplying member based on a height position of the liquid supplying member before and after wear; The aforementioned <1> and above <4> 1 is a media processing device according to any one of the preceding claims. <6> The movable part is changing the position of the liquid application member before the liquid application is performed based on the height positions of the liquid application member before and after the wear; The aforementioned <4> 2 is a media processing device according to the first embodiment. <7> The liquid applying means is The position of the end portion facing the medium is varied based on information about the pressure or height of the liquid application member before and after wear. The aforementioned <1> and above <6> 1 is a media processing device according to any one of the preceding claims. <8> The liquid applying means is The liquid applying member is accommodated to a reference position, and a specified amount is extruded from the reference position. The aforementioned <1> and above <7> 1 is a media processing device according to any one of the preceding claims. <9> an image forming device that forms an image on a medium; The medium on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus is subjected to post-processing. <1> and above <8> and an image forming system including the media processing device according to any one of the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0263] 1: Image forming system 2: Image forming device 3: Post-processing device 25: Edge binding processing unit 31: Liquid application unit 44: Liquid application member 500: Load cell 510: Moving part 511: Support spring 520: Reflective sensor 540: Standby position sensor 552: Gear 553: Motor 554: Lifting member 555: Liquid application member sensor 572: Gear 573: Moving part 581: Push-in member [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0264] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-114976

Claims

1. a liquid applying means for applying a liquid to at least one medium via a liquid applying member; a post-processing unit that performs post-processing on a medium bundle including a plurality of the media to which the liquid has been applied; Equipped with The liquid applying means is The liquid application member is moved so as to come into contact with the medium, and the liquid is applied; adjusting the position of the medium relative to the liquid supplying member so that the amount of liquid supplied to the medium by the liquid supplying member during the liquid supplying operation remains constant before and after the wear of the liquid supplying member; A media processing device characterized by:

2. The liquid applying means is When a liquid application operation is performed on the medium, the position is changed based on the pressure applied to the medium by the liquid application member. The media processing device of claim 1 .

3. The liquid applying means is The position is changed based on the pressure applied to a lower pressure plate on which the medium is placed. The media processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A lower pressure plate on which the medium is placed has a movable portion, measuring the pressure force based on the amount of pressure that the liquid applying member presses into the movable portion when it comes into contact with the movable portion; The media processing device of claim 3 .

5. The liquid applying means is changing a standby position of the liquid supplying member based on a height position of the liquid supplying member before and after wear; The media processing device of claim 1 .

6. The movable part is changing the position of the liquid application member before the liquid application is performed based on the height positions of the liquid application member before and after the wear; The media processing device of claim 4 .

7. The liquid applying means is The position of the end portion facing the medium is varied based on information about the pressure or height of the liquid application member before and after wear. The media processing device according to claim 1 .

8. The liquid applying means is The liquid applying member is accommodated to a reference position, and a specified amount is extruded from the reference position. The media processing device of claim 1 .

9. an image forming device that forms an image on a medium; An image forming system comprising: the media processing device according to claim 1 , which performs post-processing on the media on which an image has been formed by the image forming device.

Images