Image forming system

Abstract

When there is a difference between the transport speed of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus and the transport speed of the recording medium in the post-processing apparatus, the static elimination of the recording medium is performed more uniformly compared to when the transport speed changes during static elimination by the static elimination device. [Solution] The image forming apparatus 20 forms an image on paper. The post-processing device 80 performs post-processing on the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20. The relay device 30 has the function of changing the transport speed of the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20 to the transport speed of the post-processing device 80 and transporting it to the next stage. The static elimination device 50 performs static elimination to reduce the amount of charge on the charged paper. In the image forming system 10 of this embodiment, the static elimination device 50 is located after the relay device 30 and before the post-processing device 80.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming system.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, as a charge removing means for removing charge from a highly resistive charged medium, there is a charge removing member that contacts the charged medium to be conveyed, and a first contact type charge removing means for removing the majority of the charge charged on the charged medium, and a second non-contact type charge removing means that is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the charged medium with respect to the first contact type charge removing means and removes the residual charge of the charged medium after being charge removed by the first contact type charge removing means in a non-contact state. A charge removing device having the above is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to uniformly charge-remove a recording medium as compared with a case where the conveyance speed changes during charge removal by a charge removing device when there is a difference between the conveyance speed of the recording medium in an image forming apparatus and the conveyance speed of the recording medium in a post-processing apparatus. To provide a possible image forming system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An image forming system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium, A post-processing device that performs post-processing on the recording medium on which an image has been formed by the image forming device, A relay device having a function of changing the conveyance speed of the recording medium on which an image has been formed by the image forming device to the conveyance speed of the post-processing device and conveying it to the subsequent stage, The system includes a static elimination device that performs static elimination to reduce the amount of charge on the charged recording medium, The static elimination device is positioned after the relay device and before the post-processing device.

[0006] In the second aspect of the present invention, the image forming system, in the image forming system of the first aspect, has a relay device that performs post-processing on a recording medium on which an image has been formed by the image forming device.

[0007] A third aspect of the present invention is an image forming system in the second aspect, wherein the post-processing function performed by the relay device has at least one of the following functions for the recording medium: cooling function, curl correction function, interleaving paper insertion function, image density reading function, and perforation function.

[0008] A fourth aspect of the present invention is an image forming system in any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the relay device has a transport path longer than the length in the transport direction of the recording medium.

[0009] The fifth aspect of the present invention is an image forming system in any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the post-processing device has at least one of the following functions for a recording medium on which an image has been formed by the image forming device: folding, cutting, binding, stitching, stacking, alignment, perforation, and paper ejection.

[0010] The sixth aspect of the present invention is an image forming system that, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprises a paper inserting device for inserting set paper inserts into the transport path, The static elimination device is positioned after the interleaving paper insertion device.

[0011] The seventh aspect of the present invention is an image forming system that, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprises an inspection device for checking whether or not an image is properly formed on a recording medium. The static elimination device is positioned before the inspection device.

[0012] The eighth aspect of the present invention is an image forming system in which, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the static elimination device is configured to be connectable immediately after the paper feed device, immediately before the discharge device, immediately before the post-processing device, or immediately after the post-processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the image forming system of the first aspect of the present invention, when there is a difference between the transport speed of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus and the transport speed of the recording medium in the post-processing device, it is possible to uniformly remove static electricity from the recording medium compared to when the transport speed changes during static electricity removal by the static electricity removal device.

[0014] According to the image forming system of the second aspect of the present invention, a relay device can be realized by a device that performs post-processing functions.

[0015] According to the image forming system of the third aspect of the present invention, a relay device can be realized by an apparatus that performs post-processing functions such as a cooling function, a curl correction function, a paper inserting function, and a perforation function.

[0016] According to the image forming system of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the transport speed of the recording medium can be made to reach the transport speed in the post-processing device before the recording medium reaches the static elimination device.

[0017] According to the image forming system of the fifth aspect of the present invention, when there is a difference between the conveyance speed of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus and the conveyance speed of the recording medium in the post-processing apparatus having functions such as a folding function, a cutting function, a bookbinding function, a stapling function, a stacking function, an aligning function, a punching function, and a paper discharging function, compared with the case where the conveyance speed changes during the static elimination by the static eliminator, it is possible to uniformly perform static elimination of the recording medium.

[0018] According to the image forming system of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the charging of the recording medium caused by the paper insertion can be eliminated before the recording medium is conveyed to the post-processing apparatus.

[0019] According to the image forming system of the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the inspection result from being incorrect due to noise or the like generated when the recording medium is charged during the inspection in the inspection apparatus.

[0020] According to the image forming system of the eighth aspect of the present invention, the static eliminator can be directly connected immediately after the paper feeding device, immediately before the discharging device, immediately before the post-processing device, or immediately after the post-processing device.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view for explaining the appearance of the static eliminator 50 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a diagram for explaining the structure of the static eliminator 50 shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a diagram for explaining the details when the paper is statically eliminated by the static elimination roll unit 54 shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing the device layout of the image forming system 10 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing the device layout of another image forming system. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing the device layout of another image forming system. [Figure 8] This diagram shows the device layout of another image forming system. [Figure 9] This diagram explains why the relay device 30 has a transport path that is longer than the length in the paper transport direction. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 shows the system configuration of an image forming system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] An image forming system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, consists of an image forming apparatus 20, a relay device 30, an interposer 40, a static elimination device 50, an inspection device 60, a stacker 70, and a post-processing device 80.

[0025] The image forming apparatus 20 has the function of storing a recording medium such as printing paper and performing the process of forming an image on the stored printing paper. The recording medium includes not only printing paper but also films on which images can be printed. However, the following description will focus on the case where printing paper (hereinafter abbreviated as "paper") is used as the recording medium.

[0026] The relay device 30 has the function of changing the transport speed of the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20 to the transport speed of the post-processing device 80 and transporting it to the subsequent interposer 40. In this embodiment, the relay device 30 has the function of performing post-processing on the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20.

[0027] Here, the post-processing function performed by the relay device 30 includes at least one of the following functions: paper cooling function, curl correction function, interleaving paper insertion function, image density reading function, and perforation function. In other words, in this embodiment, a post-processing device having such post-processing functions is arranged as the relay device 30. The cooling function, also called the cooling function, is a function that reduces the temperature of the paper after image formation. The curl correction function is a function that corrects the curvature (curl) of the paper. The interleaving paper insertion function is a function that inserts the set interleaving paper in the middle of multiple sheets of paper after the image has been formed.

[0028] The static elimination device 50 performs static elimination to reduce the amount of charge on the charged paper. The specific structure of how the static elimination device 50 removes static charge from the paper will be described later.

[0029] The post-processing device 80 performs post-processing on the paper on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20. Specifically, the post-processing device 80 has at least one of the following functions for the paper on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20: folding, cutting, binding, stitching, stacking, alignment, punching, and paper discharge. Here, the folding function is a function that performs folding on the paper. The cutting function is a function that cuts the top, bottom, and fore-edge of the paper that has been formed into a booklet. The binding function, also called the booklet function, is a function that bundles multiple sheets of paper together to create a booklet. The stitching function, also called the stapling function, is a function that uses staples to bind multiple sheets of paper together. The stacking function is a function that sequentially stacks the transported paper onto a tray. The alignment function, also called the tamper / jogger fence function, is a function that aligns the width direction of the paper. The punching function, also called the punching function, is a function that creates punch holes in predetermined locations on the paper.

[0030] Furthermore, the image forming system 10 of this embodiment further includes an interposer 40, which is an interposer insertion device that inserts the set interposer into the transport path.

[0031] Furthermore, the image forming system 10 of this embodiment further includes an inspection device 60 for checking whether or not an image is properly formed on the paper.

[0032] The inspection device 60 receives the printed paper from the image forming apparatus 20 and performs an inspection of the image printed on the paper, that is, it determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the image printed on the paper. Specifically, the inspection device 60 receives image data of the image printed on the paper from the image forming apparatus 20, reads the image of the paper transported from the image forming apparatus 20, compares the received image data with the read image, and determines whether the image printed on the transported paper is normal or abnormal.

[0033] The stacker 70 stores the paper, on which an image has been printed by the image forming apparatus 20, when the paper is transported to it.

[0034] In this embodiment, the image forming system 10 has the above configuration, and in the image forming apparatus 20, the paper on which the image has been printed is transported in the following order: relay device 30, interposer 40, static eliminator 50, inspection device 60, stacker 70, and post-processing device 80, where various processes are performed.

[0035] In the image forming apparatus 20, a charged photoreceptor is irradiated with laser light or the like to form an electrostatic latent image, the formed electrostatic latent image is developed with a colorant such as toner, and the developed image is transferred to paper and then fixed to perform printing. Therefore, the paper and other materials on which the image has been formed in the image forming apparatus 20 are often charged. In particular, when a high-resistance dielectric such as a resin film is used as a recording medium, the amount of charge that accumulates on the recording medium is likely to be large. If the surface of the recording medium is charged with a negative charge, for example, then a positive charge will be induced on the back surface of the recording medium due to dielectric polarization. As a result, the recording mediums will be attracted to each other by electrostatic force, and if post-processing is attempted in the post-processing device 80 while the recording mediums are still charged, the recording mediums may overlap on the output tray, causing them to adhere to each other due to electrostatic charge, or discharge phenomena may occur with the human body.

[0036] Furthermore, if a recording medium such as paper that is still charged passes through the inspection device 60, noise may be generated during the inspection, potentially leading to incorrect inspection results.

[0037] Therefore, in the image forming system 10 of this embodiment, a static elimination device 50 for removing static charge to reduce the charge accumulated on the recording medium is provided downstream of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0038] The appearance of the static elimination device 50 shown in Figure 1 will be described with reference to the perspective view in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the static elimination device 50 is configured to be connectable to other devices in the preceding and succeeding stages, and is structured to receive paper transported from the preceding device, perform static elimination processing, and then transport the paper to the succeeding device. In this embodiment, the image forming system 10 has the configuration shown in Figure 1, so that the static elimination device 50 receives paper transported from the preceding interposer 40, performs static elimination processing, and then transports the de-staticized paper to the succeeding inspection device 60.

[0039] Next, the structure of the static elimination device 50 shown in Figure 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a view of the static elimination device 50 shown in Figure 2, seen from the front and with a transparent view of the inside.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the static elimination device 50 is configured to transport paper that has been transported from the preceding device to the subsequent device by transport roll pairs 51 to 53. A static elimination roll unit 54 is positioned between transport roll pair 51 and transport roll pair 52, and a non-contact static elimination unit 55 is positioned between transport roll pair 52 and transport roll pair 53.

[0041] The static elimination roll unit 54 consists of two static elimination rolls 61 and 62, which hold and transport the paper to perform static elimination. The static elimination roll unit 54 is configured to be detachable from the main body of the static elimination device 50.

[0042] The details of how the static elimination of paper is performed by the static elimination roll unit 54 shown in Figure 3 will be explained with reference to Figure 4.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4, the paired static elimination rolls 61 and 62 are configured such that one static elimination roll 62 receives driving force from a drive motor, while the other static elimination roll 61 is driven by contacting the static elimination roll 62.

[0044] A static elimination power supply is connected to the static elimination roll 62, and a static elimination bias Va is applied from this power supply. In this embodiment, a positive polarity DC voltage is used as the static elimination bias Va. The other static elimination roll 61 is grounded.

[0045] In the static elimination roll unit 54, by applying a static elimination bias Va to one of the static elimination rolls 62, the static elimination roll unit 54 imparts a positive charge to the charged surface of the paper as the paper passes over it. As a result, the amount of negative charge on the surface of the paper is eliminated by the amount of charge imparted to the paper. And as the charge on the surface of the paper decreases, the dielectrically polarized positive charge on the back of the paper also decreases.

[0046] Thus, the static elimination roll unit 54, which is a contact-type static eliminator, functions as a contact-type static eliminator and can obtain a relatively large amount of static elimination by directly contacting the paper and applying an electric charge. However, on the other hand, the amount of variation in the surface potential of the paper after static elimination is large, and static elimination tends to be uneven.

[0047] The non-contact static elimination unit 55 is, for example, a Corotron or Scorotron type static eliminator, and has the function of eliminating static charge without contacting the paper by supplying ions generated by corona discharge using an AC voltage to the paper. With this non-contact static elimination unit 55, although it is not possible to secure a large amount of static elimination, the amount of variation in the surface potential after static elimination is small and it is possible to eliminate static charge uniformly.

[0048] In the static elimination device 50 of this embodiment, static elimination is performed on the paper transported from the preceding device by two static elimination roll units 54 and a non-contact static elimination unit 55, which have different characteristics, and then the paper is transported to the subsequent device.

[0049] However, in both the static elimination roll unit 54 and the non-contact static elimination unit 55, the amount of charge removed changes depending on the time the paper passes through. In other words, the longer the time the paper passes through, the more charge is removed, and the shorter the time the paper passes through, the less charge is removed.

[0050] Here, the transport speed of paper and other materials in the image forming apparatus 20 is slower than the transport speed of paper and other materials in the post-processing device 80. Therefore, the paper on which an image has been formed in the image forming apparatus 20 is transported to the post-processing device 80 after its transport speed is increased.

[0051] Therefore, if the static elimination device 50 is connected immediately after the image forming apparatus 20, the transport speed will increase while static elimination is being performed in the static elimination device 50, resulting in uneven static elimination.

[0052] Therefore, in the image forming system 10 of this embodiment, the relay device 30 is arranged between the static elimination device 50 and the image forming apparatus 20.

[0053] In other words, in the image forming system 10 of this embodiment, the static elimination device 50 is located after the relay device 30 and before the post-processing device 80.

[0054] As described above, the relay device 30 has the function of changing the transport speed of the paper on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 20 to the transport speed of the post-processing device 80 and transporting it to the subsequent interposer 40. Therefore, the static elimination device 50 receives paper that has been transported at an increased speed after passing through the relay device 30. In addition, the relay device 30 has a transport path that is longer than the length of the paper in the transport direction. Specifically, the relay device 30 has a transport path that is at least longer than the short side length of the paper. The reason why the length of the transport path in the relay device 30 is set in this way will be explained later.

[0055] In this embodiment, the image forming system 10 is configured such that the interposer 40 is located in the middle of the paper transport path, allowing the interleaving sheets to be inserted along the transport path.

[0056] However, interleaving paper is often used with text printed on it, and is highly likely to be set into the interposer 40 in an electrically charged state. In addition, the interleaving paper may become electrically charged when inserted into the interposer 40. If such an interposer 40 is placed downstream of the static elimination device 50, the charged paper will be transported to the post-processing device 80.

[0057] Therefore, in this embodiment, the static elimination device 50 is positioned after the interposer 40.

[0058] Furthermore, as mentioned above, if the paper passes through the inspection device 60 while charged, noise may be generated during the inspection by the inspection device 60, potentially leading to incorrect inspection results. For this reason, the static eliminator 50 is positioned before the inspection device 60.

[0059] Figure 5 shows the apparatus layout of the image forming system 10 of this embodiment described above.

[0060] As shown in Figure 5, a relay device 30 is provided between the static elimination device 50 and the image forming apparatus 20, and the transport speed of the paper being transported to the static elimination device 50 has already been increased. The static elimination device 50 is positioned after the interposer 40 and before the inspection device 60.

[0061] Figure 6 shows the apparatus layout of the image forming system in which the interposer 40 and stacker 70 are not installed. As shown in Figure 6, even in the apparatus layout in which the interposer 40 and stacker 70 are not installed, the problems described above can be prevented if the static eliminator 50 is placed after the relay device 30, and the relay device 30 is provided between the static eliminator 50 and the image forming apparatus 20.

[0062] Furthermore, Figure 7 shows the apparatus layout of the image forming system in which the inspection device 60 is not provided. As shown in Figure 7, even in the case of an apparatus layout in which the inspection device 60 is not provided, if the static elimination device 50 is located after the relay device 30 and before the post-processing device 80, the problems described above can be prevented.

[0063] Figure 8 shows the apparatus layout of an image forming system in which an discharge tray is attached to the static elimination device 50 and the post-processing device 80 is not located.

[0064] Figure 8 shows the case where the static elimination device 50 is used with the discharge tray attached, and the post-processing device 80 is not present. Even with this device layout, by configuring the static elimination device 50 to be placed downstream of the relay device 30, the paper after the transport speed has changed will be input to the static elimination device 50.

[0065] Finally, referring to Figure 9, we will explain why the relay device 30 has a transport path that is longer than the length of the paper transport direction. For example, the length of A4 size paper, which is the most frequently used size, in the transport direction is 210 mm. Therefore, by making the width of the relay device 30, that is, the length of the transport path, 210 mm or more, it is possible to ensure that the transport speed of the paper after passing through the relay device 30 is changed before it is transported to the next device.

[0066] Therefore, even if the static elimination device 50 is connected immediately after the relay device 30, the transport speed of the paper transported to the static elimination device 50 will be the modified speed, preventing the transport speed from changing during the static elimination process.

[0067] Furthermore, the static elimination device 50 is configured to be connectable before or after various devices. Specifically, the static elimination device 50 may be configured to be connectable immediately after the paper feed device, immediately before the discharge device, immediately before the post-processing device 80, or immediately after a post-processing device that performs various post-processing operations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10 Image Forming Systems 20 Image forming apparatus 30 Relay device 40 Interposer 50 Static eliminator 51-53 Conveyor Rolls 54 Static Elimination Roll Unit 55 Non-contact static elimination unit 60 Inspection equipment 61, 62 Static Elimination Roll 70 stacker 80 Post-treatment device

Claims

1. An image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium, A post-processing unit that performs post-processing on a recording medium on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit, A relay unit having the function of changing the transport speed of the recording medium on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit to the transport speed of the post-processing unit and transporting it to the next stage, A static elimination unit having a static elimination roll unit that contacts the recording medium and performs static elimination to reduce the amount of charge on the charged recording medium, and a non-contact static elimination unit that supplies ions to paper to eliminate the charge without contacting the recording medium, Equipped with, The static elimination unit is positioned after the relay unit and before the post-processing unit. In the static elimination unit, the recording medium whose speed has been increased by the relay unit is input, and static elimination is performed in such a way that the transport speed of the input recording medium does not change during the static elimination process. Image forming system.

2. The post-processing unit has at least one or more functions among binding and / or perforating. The image forming system according to claim 1.

3. The non-contact static elimination unit is positioned downstream of the static elimination roll unit. The image forming system according to claim 1.

4. In the static elimination unit, static elimination is performed between the static elimination roll unit and the non-contact static elimination unit while maintaining a constant transport speed. The image forming system according to claim 2.

5. The system further comprises a plurality of transport roll pairs for transporting the recording medium, The static elimination roll unit is positioned between the pair of conveying rolls, The diameter of the static elimination roll unit is larger than the diameter of the conveying roll pair. The image forming system according to claim 1.

Images