SHEET PEELING DEVICE, LAMINATING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM

Abstract

To excellently peel two sheets constituting an overlapping sheet without increasing the size of a device.SOLUTION: A sheet peeling device 1 is for peeling a non-joining part of an overlapping sheet PJ formed by overlapping two sheets P1, P2 and joining at a joining part A, and includes: a winding roller 20 which is rotated in a prescribed rotative direction to wind the overlapping sheet PJ; a third conveyance roller pair 6 (conveyance roller pair) for conveying the overlapping sheet PJ toward the winding roller 20; and a peeling pawl 16 inserted in a gap C formed between the two sheets P1, P2 between the winding roller 20 and the third conveyance roller pair 6. The peeling pawl 16 is installed on a side, where the winding roller 20 is arranged, with respect to a virtual surface S1 on a winding-start side contacting to a nip N of the third conveyance roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet peeling device that peels off a polymerized sheet formed by overlapping two sheets and joining them at a joint, a lamination processing device equipped with the same, an image forming device such as a copier, printer, facsimile, or a combination machine or printing machine thereof, and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a sheet peeling device (laminating device) that peels off a polymerized sheet in which two sheets are superimposed and joined at a joint (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, the laminating device (sheet peeling device) in Patent Document 1 separates (peels off) two sheets of a laminate sheet (polymerized sheet) with one side joined together, and inserts a protective paper (middle sheet) between them.

[0003] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for separating (peeling) two sheets of a laminated sheet (polymerized sheet) having one side joined together by sucking one sheet with a vacuum and sucking the other sheet with a different vacuum. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional sheet peeling equipment requires two vacuum devices and other large-scale equipment to peel off the two sheets that make up the polymerized sheet, which makes the equipment large and expensive.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a sheet peeling device, a lamination processing device, an image forming device, and an image forming system that can effectively peel off two sheets that make up a polymerized sheet without increasing the size of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The sheet peeling device of the present invention is a sheet peeling device that peels off the unjoined portion of a polymerized sheet which is formed by overlapping two sheets and joining them at a joint, and includes a winding roller which rotates in a predetermined rotational direction to wrap the polymerized sheet around it, a pair of transport rollers which transport the polymerized sheet towards the winding roller, and a peeling claw which is inserted into the gap formed between the two sheets between the winding roller and the pair of transport rollers, and the peeling claw is installed on the side where the winding roller is located, with respect to a virtual surface on the winding start side which contacts the nip of the pair of transport rollers and the winding roller. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet peeling device, a lamination processing device, an image forming device, and an image forming system that can effectively peel off two sheets that make up a polymerized sheet without increasing the size of the device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a sheet peeling device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1A is a side view showing a state in which the gripping members have been moved to a gripping position, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a state in which the gripping members have been moved to a retracted position. [Diagram 3] 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which the gripping members have been moved to a gripping position, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a state in which the gripping members have been moved to a retracted position. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the sheet peeling device. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet peeling device subsequent to FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet peeling device subsequent to FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet peeling device subsequent to FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram showing the operation of the sheet peeling device subsequent to FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 13 is a view showing a state in which a peeling claw is inserted into a polymerized sheet in the width direction. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the operation of the peeling claw in the width direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a drive mechanism for a peeling claw. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a control performed in the sheet peeling device. [Figure 13] 5 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between a winding roller, a pair of conveying rollers, and a peeling claw. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a lamination processing device as a first modified example. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to a second modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an image forming system according to a third modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0010] First, the overall configuration and operation of a sheet peeling device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The sheet peeling device 1 is a device that peels off the non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet PJ in which two sheets P1, P2 are overlapped and joined at a joint A (see FIG. 4(A)). In particular, in this embodiment, the polymerization sheet PJ is made by overlapping two sheets P1 and P2 and joining one of the four sides as a joint A. That is, the polymerization sheet PJ (two sheets P1 and P2) is connected by heat welding or the like at only one side (joint A), and the other parts (non-joint parts) are not joined but are polymerized. Moreover, transparent film sheets (laminate sheets) can be used as the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerization sheet PJ.

[0011] The polymerized sheet PJ may be formed by folding back a single sheet. Even if the polymerized sheet PJ is formed in this manner, the present specification defines the polymerized sheet PJ as being formed by overlapping two sheets, and defines the folded-back portion as the "jointed portion" and the remaining portion as the "non-jointed portion."

[0012] Then, between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6, the sheet peeling device 1 peels off the non-jointed portions of the two sheets P1, P2 that make up the polymerized sheet PJ (separating the two sheets P1, P2 around the joint A while maintaining the joint at the joint A), and inserts an intermediate sheet PM (a sheet such as a sheet of plain paper) between the two peeled sheets P1, P2.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet peeling device 1 is provided with first and second feed trays 11, 12, first and second feed rollers 2, 3, first to third conveying roller pairs 4-6, an output tray 13, first to fifth sensors 41-45, a winding roller 20, a moving mechanism 30, a switching claw 15, a peeling claw 16, a first guide member 25 as an inner limiting member, a second guide member 26 as an outer limiting member, and a third guide member 27. Further, a plurality of conveying paths are formed in the sheet peeling device 1, such as a first conveying path K1, a second conveying path K2, a third conveying path K3, a first branch conveying path K4, a second branch conveying path K5, etc. Each of these conveying paths K1 to K5 is for conveying a sheet (a laminated sheet PJ or an intermediate sheet PM), and is guided by two opposing conveying guide members (guide plates).

[0014] More specifically, the polymerized sheets PJ are stacked on the first feed tray 11. The uppermost polymerized sheet PJ on the first feed tray 11 is fed by the first feed roller 2 and is then transported by the first transport roller pair 4 along the first transport path K1. Further, middle sheets PM are stacked on the second feeding tray 12. The uppermost middle sheet PM on the second feeding tray 12 is fed by the second feeding roller 3. The first to third conveying roller pairs 4 to 6 each consist of a drive roller and a driven roller having an elastic layer made of rubber or the like formed on a core metal, and convey a sheet held in the nip between them. On a third conveying path K3 from the second conveying roller pair 5 to the third conveying roller pair 6, the second conveying roller pair 5, a wrapping roller 20, and the third conveying roller pair 6 are installed from the upstream side. In particular, the third conveying roller pair 6 is capable of normal and reverse rotation, and is configured to be able to convey a sheet in the forward direction during normal rotation and in the reverse direction during reverse rotation. The third conveying roller pair 6 also functions as a discharge roller pair that discharges the sheet toward a discharge tray 13. The first to fifth sensors 41 to 45 are all reflective photosensors that optically detect whether or not a sheet is present at that position. The first sensor 41 is disposed near the downstream side of the first conveyor roller pair 4, the second sensor 42 is disposed near the downstream side of the second feed roller 3, the third sensor 43 is disposed between the second conveyor roller pair 5 and the winding roller 20 and near the downstream side of the second conveyor roller pair 5, the fourth sensor 44 as a sheet detection sensor is disposed near the downstream side of the winding roller 20 and upstream of the third conveyor roller pair 6, and the fifth sensor 45 is disposed downstream of the third conveyor roller pair 6.

[0015] The winding roller 20 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 (and Figs. 5(B) to (D) and Fig. 6(A)) and the like. The winding roller 20 is a roller member that rotates in a predetermined rotation direction at the winding start position W with one end side of the polymerized sheet PJ (opposite the side where joint A is formed) as a gripped portion B and gripping the gripped portion B with a gripping member 32 (gripping portion) to wrap the polymerized sheet PJ. The winding roller 20 is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotation shaft 20a by the drive of a drive motor controlled by a control unit. 1, the polymerized sheet PJ is transported from the first feeding tray 11 via the first transport path K1, then transported in the forward direction along the third transport path K3 by the second transport roller pair 5, passes the position of the winding roller 20, and is transported to the position of the third transport roller pair 6. The polymerized sheet PJ is then transported in the reverse direction by the reversed third transport roller pair 6 to the position of the winding roller 20, and is wrapped around the winding roller 20 rotating counterclockwise while being gripped by the gripping member 32.

[0016] 5(C'), just as the roller surface linear speed is proportional to the roller radius when the polymerized sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20, the linear speeds of sheets P1 and P2 are proportional to the distances from the center of the winding roller 20 to the respective sheets P1 and P2. Therefore, since sheet P1 is closer to the center of the winding roller 20 than sheet P2 (since it is located on the inside), the linear speed of sheet P1 is slower than that of sheet P2. Therefore, the first sheet P1 becomes more likely to sag than the second sheet P2, and a gap C (the gap C formed when the upper first sheet P1 bends upward) is formed between the two sheets P1, P2 on the side (other end side) of the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ as shown in Figures 5(D), 6(A), etc. In this way, the two sheets P1, P2 go from being in close contact with each other with no gap to being peeled (separated).

[0017] The mechanism by which the gap C is generated in the polymerized sheet PJ between the winding roller 20 and the third conveyor roller pair 6 by winding the polymerized sheet PJ around the winding roller 20 will be further supplementarily explained below. The polymerized sheet PJ wound around the winding roller 20 is gripped by the gripping member 32 to prevent the sheet from slipping, causing a slip of the circumferential difference on the winding roller 20, and the conveyance amount of the inner sheet P1 becomes smaller than the conveyance amount of the outer sheet P2. As a result, slack is generated in the inner sheet P1 between the nip between the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20. At this time, by winding the polymerized sheet PJ around the winding roller 20 one or more times, a difference in circumferential length will be generated between the inner and outer circumferences due to the thickness of the sheet thereafter, and slack will occur in the same manner. Finally, slack accumulates between the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20, forming a gap C between the two sheets P1 and P2. Specifically, if the thickness of the inner sheet P1 is ΔR and the distance from the rotation axis 20a (axis center) of the winding roller 20 to the inner sheet P1 is R, then the distance from the rotation axis 20a (axis center) of the winding roller 20 to the outer sheet P2 is R+ΔR. Since the radius differs by the thickness ΔR of the inner sheet P1, when the polymerization sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 once, a difference in circumferential length of 2×ΔR×π occurs between the inner sheet P1 and the outer sheet P2. Therefore, if the number of times the polymerization sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 is M, then slack will occur in the inner sheet P1 by 2×ΔR×π×M. Then, finally, slack accumulates between the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20, and a gap C equivalent to 2×ΔR×π×M is formed between the two sheets P1 and P2.

[0018] In particular, in this embodiment, in order to significantly form the gap C as described above, the polymerized sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 at least one revolution. In this manner, in the present embodiment, by providing the winding roller 20 around which the polymerized sheet PJ is wound, it is possible to peel off the polymerized sheet PJ without increasing the size and cost of the sheet peeling device 1 significantly.

[0019] Here, in this embodiment, the gripping member 32 in Figure 2 (A) is configured to grip the gripped portion B without abutting and contacting the tip end face of one end side (the side of the gripped portion B) of the polymerized sheet PJ, as shown in Figure 5 (B'). The "end face" of the polymer sheet is defined as the face (side face) in the thickness direction that connects the front and back faces of the polymer sheet. Therefore, a rectangular polymer sheet has four end faces, front, back, left and right.

[0020] Specifically, the gripping member 32 is configured to pinch and grip the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ between the receiving portion 20b of the winding roller 20 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet surface of the gripped portion B, without abutting or restricting an end face of one end side of the polymerized sheet PJ against any member, i.e., without contacting the end face. The receiving portion 20b is on the outer surface of the winding roller 20, and is formed so as to be able to face the gripping member 32. More specifically, the receiving portion 20b is formed in a portion recessed inward from the imaginary outer circumferential surface of the winding roller 20 (the circular outer circumferential surface around which the polymerized sheet PJ is wound).

[0021] Specifically, the polymerized sheet PJ is not held in place by its one end face (tip surface) being restrained in a state where it abuts against a specific member (for example, the gripping member 32 itself) and is sandwiched and held between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b, but rather, its one end face (tip surface) is sandwiched and held between the outer gripping member 32 and the inner receiving portion 20b without abutting against any member. Therefore, the end face (tip face) of one end of the polymerized sheet PJ does not abut against the obtuse angle portion (wedge portion) of the gripping member 32 in Figure 5 (B'), and the gripped portion B on one end of the polymerized sheet PJ is gripped by the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b. One end face (tip) of the polymerized sheet PJ coincides with the end of the contact surface between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b (the right end in FIG. 5(B')) without abutting. The end face (tip) of one end of the polymerized sheet PJ may be configured to avoid and extend beyond the contact surface between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b so that the gripped portion B is located inside the sheet from the tip of the one end (from the tip of the one end to the other end). The end face (tip) of one end may also be within this contact surface. Therefore, compared to a case where the leading end surface is butted, the problem of the polymerized sheet PJ (particularly the leading end portion) being damaged can be reduced. In this embodiment, the polymerized sheet PJ wound around the winding roller 20 has a joint A formed on the other end side opposite to the one end side that becomes the gripped portion B.

[0022] In this embodiment, at least one of the gripping member 32 (grip portion) and the receiving portion 20b is formed of an elastic material such as rubber, a spring, or a leaf spring. This makes it possible to increase the gripping force on the polymerized sheet PJ and to prevent damage to the surface of the polymerized sheet PJ, as compared to when both the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b are made of a rigid material such as a metal material or a resin material. In particular, when both the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b are made of an elastic material, this effect is easily achieved.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the moving mechanism 30 moves the gripping member 32 between a gripping position (the position shown in Figures 2(A) and 3(A)) where the gripping member 32 can grip the polymerized sheet PJ and a retracted position (the position shown in Figures 2(B) and 3(B)) retracted from the gripping position at the winding start position W of the winding roller 20. In detail, the moving mechanism 30 is made up of an arm member 31, a compression spring 33 as a biasing member, a cam 34, a motor (not shown) that drives the cam 34 to rotate in forward and reverse directions, and the like. The arm member 31 holds the gripping member 32 and is held by the winding roller 20 so as to be rotatable around the support shaft 31a. In this embodiment, the gripping member 32 is formed (held) integrally at the tip portion, which is the base end side, of the arm member 31. Alternatively, the gripping member 32 may be a separate member from the arm member 31, and may be installed (held) on the arm member 31. In any case, the arm member 31 holding the gripping member 32 rotates together with the gripping member 32 and the winding roller 20 around the rotation shaft 20a. The compression spring 33 functions as a biasing member that biases the arm member 31 so that the gripping member 32 moves from the retracted position shown in Fig. 2(B) to the gripping position shown in Fig. 2(A). Specifically, one end of the compression spring 33 is connected to a fixed position near the rotating shaft 20a, and the other end is connected to one end of the arm member 31 (the free end opposite to the side where the gripping member 32 is provided across the support shaft 31a). The cam 34 pushes the arm member 31 against the bias of a compression spring 33 (biasing member) so that the gripping member 32 moves from the gripping position shown in Fig. 2(A) to the retracted position shown in Fig. 2(B). The cam 34 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions at a desired rotation angle by a motor controlled by the control unit. The cam 34 is held by the device housing so as to be rotatable about a cam shaft 34a, independently of the winding roller 20.

[0024] In the moving mechanism 30 configured in this manner, as shown in Figures 2(A) and 3(A), when the cam 34 is not in contact with the arm member 31, the arm member 31 is biased by the compression spring 33, and the gripping member 32 is in a pressed state against the receiving portion 20b (closed state). 2(B) and 3(B), when the cam 34 presses the arm member 31, the arm member 31 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2(B) about the support shaft 31a against the bias of the compression spring 33, and the gripping member 32 is separated from the receiving portion 20b (open state). This open state is a state in which the polymerized sheet PJ cannot be gripped (gripped state). When the gripping member 32 is in the open state (positioned in the retracted position), the polymerized sheet PJ is interposed between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b, and when the gripping member 32 moves to the closed state (positioned in the gripping position), the polymerized sheet PJ is gripped by the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b.

[0025] In this embodiment, the cylindrical roller portion of the winding roller 20 is divided into multiple (seven) portions in the axial direction as shown in Fig. 3. A plurality of gripping members 32 and arm members 31 are provided so as to match the divided positions of the respective roller portions (recesses between adjacent roller portions), and a plurality of cams 34 are provided so as to be able to come into contact with the arm members. In this way, by dividing the position for gripping the polymerized sheet PJ in the axial direction instead of over the entire axial area, it is possible to distribute the load required for gripping the polymerized sheet PJ and reduce damage to the leading end of the polymerized sheet PJ. This configuration is also useful in cases where a large gripping force is required, such as when gripping a large or heavy polymerized sheet PJ.

[0026] In this embodiment, the third transport path K3 is formed by a linear transport guide plate as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the third transport path can be formed by using a curved transport guide plate. In such a case, the gripping position of the polymerization sheet PJ on the winding roller 20 can be changed to be closer to the rotation axis 20a than in this embodiment. Furthermore, in such a case, the positions of the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b in this embodiment can be interchanged, and the gripping member 32 can be disposed on the rotation axis 20a side of the receiving portion 20b on the winding roller 20.

[0027] 1, 4(D), 5(A), etc., the sheet peeling device 1 in this embodiment is provided with a fourth sensor 44 as a sheet detection sensor that detects the polymerized sheet PJ transported toward the winding roller 20. The movement mechanism 30 is controlled based on the detection result of the fourth sensor 44 (sheet detection sensor). Specifically, the fourth sensor 44 is disposed on a conveying guide member of the conveying path between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(D), FIG. 5(A), etc., when the polymerized sheet PJ is conveyed in the reverse direction toward the position of the winding roller 20 by the third conveying roller pair 6 with the gripped portion B at the front, the fourth sensor 44 detects the leading edge (the leading edge during reverse conveying). Then, the timing of detection is used as a trigger to adjust and control the timing of stopping the polymerized sheet PJ at the gripping position and the timing of gripping the gripped portion B by the gripping member 32. Specifically, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ was detected by the fourth sensor 44, the reverse conveying of the polymerized sheet PJ by the third conveying roller pair 6 is stopped, and the cam 34 is rotated to rotate the arm member 31 (moving mechanism 30) so that the gripping member 32 moves from the retracted position shown in FIG. 2(B) to the gripping position shown in FIG. 2(A). By carrying out such control, the operation of sandwiching the end face of the polymerized sheet PJ between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b can be carried out with high precision without the end face hitting any member.

[0028] Here, as described above, the third conveying roller pair 6 is a conveying roller pair that conveys the polymerized sheet with one end side (the side of the gripped portion B) at the front toward the winding start position W of the winding roller 20 on the third conveying path K3 (conveying path) formed between the winding roller 20.

[0029] The peeling claw 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6(A) to (C), 9, 10(A) to (C), 13, etc. The peeling claw 16 is a claw-shaped member that is inserted from the widthwise end into the gap C formed between the two sheets P1, P2 between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6 (conveying roller pair) for the polymerized sheet PJ that is wrapped around one end side (the side of the gripped portion B) by the winding roller 20 and has the other end side (the side of the joint A) clamped by the third conveying roller pair 6 (conveying roller pair). More specifically, in this embodiment, the peeling claws 16 are provided at both ends in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 6, and the left-right direction of FIG. 9). The peeling claws 16 have a plate and fins extending in the vertical direction, and the plate has a rear end and a front end at the center in the width direction in the direction in which the peeling claws 16 are inserted into the polymerized sheet PJ. The plate thickness and width are each formed to gradually increase from the front end to the rear end. The vertical length of the fin is formed to gradually increase from the fin front end in the direction in which the fin is inserted into the polymerized sheet PJ. The plate and fin of the peeling claw 16 form a cross shape at the rear end (see FIG. 10(A)). Furthermore, the pair of peeling claws 16 are configured to be movable in the width direction by a moving means (not shown) controlled by the control unit so as not to come into contact with each other. The peeling claw 16 thus configured waits at a standby position (the position shown in FIG. 10(A)) in the third transport path K3 where it does not interfere with the transport of sheets such as the overlay sheet PJ until a gap C is formed in the overlay sheet PJ, as shown in FIG. 6(A). When separating the overlay sheet PJ (two sheets P1, P2), the peeling claw 16 enters the gap C in the overlay sheet PJ as shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 10(B), etc., to ensure a large gap C. As a moving means for moving the peeling claw 16 in the width direction, for example, a pinion-rack mechanism can be used.

[0030] More specifically, as the driving mechanism 76 serving as a moving means for moving the pair of peeling claws 16 in the width direction, the one shown in FIG. 11(A) or the one shown in FIG. 11(B) can be used. As shown in Fig. 11, in this embodiment, two peeling claws 16 are arranged facing each other. The drive mechanism 76 shown in Fig. 11(A) moves each of the two peeling claws 16 by belt drive, while the drive mechanism 76 shown in Fig. 11(B) moves each of the two peeling claws 16 by rack and pinion drive. Specifically, in the drive mechanism 76 shown in FIG. 11(A), a belt 80 is stretched between a drive pulley 78 and a driven pulley 79, and two peeling claws 16 are attached to the belt 80 so as to face each other. Here, one peeling claw 16 is connected to the lower belt 80, and the other peeling claw 16 is connected to the upper belt 80. In addition, a drive gear that meshes with a motor gear installed on the motor shaft of a drive motor 77 is installed on the drive pulley 78. Then, the rotation output of the drive motor 77 is transmitted to the belt 80. Specifically, when the motor gear of the drive motor 77 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 11(A), the two peeling claws 16 approach each other, and when the motor gear of the drive motor 77 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 11(A), the two peeling claws 16 move away from each other. 11(B), the drive mechanism 76 has two racks 83A and 83B that mesh with one pinion 84 and extend in opposite directions, and two peeling claws 16 are attached to the racks 83A and 83B facing each other. A drive gear that meshes with a motor gear installed on the motor shaft of the drive motor 82 is installed on the pinion 84. The rotation output of the drive motor 82 is transmitted to the racks 83A and 83B. Specifically, when the motor gear of the drive motor 82 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 11(B), the two peeling claws 16 approach each other, and when the motor gear of the drive motor 77 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 11(B), the two peeling claws 16 move away from each other. As described above, the peeling claw 16 in this embodiment has a shape having a plate and fins extending in the vertical direction, and is configured to be movable in the width direction of the polymerized sheet PJ by being driven by the driving mechanism 76, so that it can be smoothly inserted into the gap C generated in the polymerized sheet PJ, as shown in Figure 10 (B).

[0031] Now, referring to FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the peeling claw 16 is installed on the side where the winding roller 20 is located (the side in the direction of the white arrow, not the side in the direction of the black arrow) with respect to the imaginary plane S1 on the winding start side that contacts the nip N of the third conveying roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20. When viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the winding roller 20, the winding start position W is the position of contact with the imaginary plane S1 on the winding start side, which is a tangent line of the winding roller 20 at a predetermined rotation position. The imaginary plane S1 is a plane that connects the winding start position W and the nip N (more specifically, the nip width end on the winding roller 20 side) of the third conveying roller pair 6 (conveying roller pair). In other words, the imaginary plane S1 represents the polymerized sheet PJ in a state in which it is wound around the winding roller 20 and is sandwiched and pulled by the third conveying roller pair 6. The peeling claw 16 is installed on the side where the winding roller 20 is arranged (the direction of the white arrow) with respect to the imaginary plane S1 in the third conveying path K3 (conveying path). More specifically, when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, the peeling claw 16 is disposed above the imaginary plane S1 in Fig. 13. The peeling claw 16 is disposed between the two branched conveying paths K4, K5 and the third conveying roller pair 6 (see Fig. 1). In this way, as shown in FIG. 6B etc., the peeling claw 16 is formed on the side where the winding roller 20 is arranged with respect to the virtual surface S1 (sheet P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ). Therefore, the peeling claw 16 can be easily inserted into the gap C between the two sheets P1 and P2. This makes it possible to prevent the peeling claw 16 from being inserted into the gap C between the two sheets P1 and P2, making it impossible to peel the two sheets P1 and P2. In addition, the mechanism for peeling the polymerized sheet PJ by winding with the winding roller 20 and inserting the peeling claw 16 can be made smaller than a mechanism for peeling using a large-scale device such as a vacuum. In other words, the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerized sheet PJ can be peeled off well without the sheet peeling device 1 becoming larger.

[0032] 13, the peeling claw 16 is preferably placed in a region sandwiched between two imaginary contact surfaces S1, S2 that contact the outer circumferential surface of the winding roller 20 and pass through the nip N of the third conveyor roller pair 6. In other words, because the upper roller circumferential surface of the third conveyor roller pair 6 restricts upward bending of the polymerized sheet PJ, the peeling claw 16 is preferably placed below the imaginary contact surface S2, in a region sandwiched between the two imaginary contact surfaces S1, S2. 13, when the winding roller 20 is rotated clockwise to wind the polymerized sheet PJ, the winding roller 20 is rotated clockwise from the winding start position Z of the winding roller 20, and the polymerized sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20, using the second imaginary contact surface S2 as a transport path. At this time, the peeling claw 16 is provided on the side (lower side) where the winding roller 20 is disposed with respect to the second imaginary contact surface S2 (imaginary surface). Therefore, whether the winding roller 20 rotates forward or backward, when the polymerized sheet PJ is wound and peeled off, the peeling claw 16 can be provided in the area sandwiched between the two imaginary contact surfaces S1, S2 (imaginary surfaces) to satisfactorily peel off the two sheets P1, P2.

[0033] 7(A) to 7(C), the switching claw 15 is disposed between the peeling claw 16 and the winding roller 20. The two sheets P1 and P2 of the overlay sheet PJ in a stiff state peeled off by the peeling claw 16 are guided in different directions to two branched conveying paths K4 and K5 which branch off in different directions from the third conveying path K3 (conveying path) with the third conveying path K3 in between. At this time, the switching claw 15, which is a claw-shaped moving member, rotates forward and backward within a predetermined angle range to guide the overlay sheet PJ. More specifically, in this embodiment, the switching claw 15 is divided into a plurality of parts with gaps in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 7 ). The switching claw 15 is configured to be rotatable about a support shaft by a driving means (not shown) controlled by a control unit. The switching claw 15 configured in this manner waits in a standby position (the position shown in FIG. 7(A)) in which it does not interfere with the transport of sheets such as the overlay sheet PJ in the third transport path K3 until it is time to guide the stiff sheets P1 and P2 of the overlay sheet PJ peeled off by the peeling claw 16 to the branch transport paths K4 and K5. Then, when the switching claw 15 guides the two sheets P1 and P2 (separated by the peeling claw 16) of the overlay sheet PJ to the branch transport paths K4 and K5, respectively (when guiding them in different directions), it rotates to a position that prevents them from entering the third transport path K3, as seen from the side of the overlay sheet PJ, as shown in FIG. 7(B). As a result, the first sheet P1 is guided to the first branched conveying path K4, and the second sheet P2 is guided to the second branched conveying path K5.

[0034] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7(A), the third conveying roller pair 6 conveys the overlapping sheet PJ to the other end side (left side) so that the one end side of the overlapping sheet PJ is released from the winding roller 20 after the peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C. Then, after conveying the overlapping sheet PJ as shown in FIG. 7(B), the third conveying roller pair 6 conveys the overlapping sheet PJ again to the one end side (right side) as shown in FIG. 7(C), and one sheet P1 peeled off by the peeling claw 16 is guided to the first branch conveying path K4, and the other sheet P2 is guided to the second branch conveying path K5. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(A) to (C), the middle sheet PM is conveyed toward the other end side of the third conveying path K3 so that the middle sheet PM is inserted between the two sheets P1 and P2 in the peeled state.

[0035] Also, referring to Figure 6 (A) etc., the first guide member 25 functions as an inner limiting member that limits the amount of slack in the first sheet P1, of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ, which is wound on the inside by the winding roller 20, between the peeling claw 16 (see Figure 6 (B)) and the winding roller 20 in the third conveying path K3. More specifically, the first guide member 25 as an inner restricting member is a transport guide member arranged on the side where the winding roller 20 is arranged (the upper side, which is the side in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 13) with respect to the virtual plane S1 (see FIG. 13) in the third transport path. The first guide member 25 has a curved surface formed so as to cover part of the outer periphery of the winding roller 20, and also functions as a transport guide member between the third transport path K3 and the first branch transport path K4 (see FIG. 1). That is, the first guide member 25 guides the sheet transported on the third transport path K3 and the sheet transported on the first branch transport path K4. In particular, in the third conveying path K3, the upward bending of the polymerized sheet PJ (particularly, the upward bending of the first sheet P1 on the roller circumferential surface side of the winding roller 20) is restricted by the first guide member 25 between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6, so that a gap C of the polymerized sheet PJ (particularly, the upward bending of the first sheet P1) is formed in a concentrated manner between the first guide member 25 and the third conveying roller pair 6. Therefore, the peeling claw 16 can be inserted into the gap C to satisfactorily peel off the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerized sheet PJ.

[0036] Also, referring to Figures 6(A) etc., the second guide member 26 functions as an outer limiting member that limits the amount of slackening of the second sheet P2, of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ, which is wound on the outside of the winding roller 20, between the peeling claw 16 (see Figure 6(B)) and the winding roller 20 in the third transport path K3 due to uneven rotation of the winding roller 20 or the third transport roller pair 6. More specifically, the second guide member 26 as an outer restricting member is a transport guide member arranged on the side of the third transport path where the winding roller 20 is not arranged with respect to the imaginary plane S1 (see FIG. 13) (the lower side, which is the side in the direction of the black arrow in FIG. 13). The second guide member 26 is arranged so as to face the lower surface of the sheet from the vicinity of the upstream side of the second transport roller pair 5 to the entrance of the second branch transport path K5 (fifth transport path) (see FIG. 1). That is, the second guide member 26 guides the sheet transported on the third transport path K3. In particular, in the third conveying path K3, the polymerized sheet PJ may bend downward (particularly, the second sheet P2 may bend downward) between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6. This phenomenon occurs, for example, when the winding roller 20 winds the polymerized sheet PJ upward in a counterclockwise direction, when the conveying speed of the polymerized sheet PJ by the winding roller 20 becomes slower than the conveying speed of the polymerized sheet PJ by the third conveying roller pair 6. In such a case, the deflection of the polymerized sheet PJ is limited by the second guide member 26, so that a gap C of the polymerized sheet PJ (particularly, the upward deflection of the first sheet P1) is formed intensively on the side where the winding roller 20 is arranged with respect to the imaginary plane S1 (see FIG. 13) (the upper side, which is the side in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 13). Therefore, the peeling claw 16 can be inserted into the gap C to effectively peel off the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerized sheet PJ.

[0037] Hereinafter, the operation of peeling off the laminated sheet PJ in the sheet peeling device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, in the description of the operation, the operation of the peeling claw 16 will be described appropriately with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, and the control flow will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the polymerized sheet PJ is fed from the first feeding tray 11 (FIG. 12: step S1), as shown in FIG. 4(A), it is transported in the forward direction (from right to left in FIG. 4) by the second transport roller pair 5 on the third transport path K3, with the joint A at the front, as shown in FIG. 4(A). At this time, the moving mechanism 30 is controlled so that the gripping member 32 is located at a gripping position inside the outer periphery of the winding roller 20. That is, the cam 34 rotates and moves to a position where it does not press the arm member 31. When the gripping member 32 is located at the gripping position in this manner, the gripping member 32 does not interfere with the transport of the sheet in the third transport path K3. In addition, the free end of the switching claw 15 rotates downward and waits at a standby position where it does not interfere with the transport of the sheet in the third transport path K3. 4(B), the third conveyor roller pair 6 conveys the polymerized sheet PJ until the gripped portion B (forward direction rear end, one end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ passes the position of the winding roller 20, and after the polymerized sheet PJ is further conveyed in the forward direction, the conveyance of the polymerized sheet PJ is stopped as shown in FIG 4(C). The timing for stopping the conveyance at this time is triggered by the timing when the joint portion A (forward direction leading end, other end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the third sensor 43, and is the timing when the third conveyor roller pair 6 conveys the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X1 after the detection of the third sensor 43 (FIG. 12: steps S2, S3). Then, as shown in Fig. 4(C), when the transport of the overlapping sheet PJ by the third transport roller pair 6 is temporarily stopped, the gripping member 32 is moved from the gripping position to the retreated position (Fig. 12: step S4). That is, the cam 34 is rotated to a position where it presses the arm member 31. In this state, the gripped portion B of the overlapping sheet PJ can be received between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b. 4(D), the third conveyor roller pair 6 rotates in the reverse direction to start conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in the reverse direction (FIG. 12: step S5). At this time, the fourth sensor 44 detects the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ (the leading edge in the reverse direction, one end side) in order to convey the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ to the gripping position of the winding roller 20.

[0038] Then, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the timing at which the gripped portion B of the polymeric sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44 is used as a trigger to transport the polymeric sheet PJ a predetermined amount X2 by the third conveying roller pair 6 until the gripped portion B of the polymeric sheet PJ reaches the winding start position W (see FIG. 131) at a predetermined rotational position of the winding roller 20, and then the third conveying roller pair 6 stops (FIG. 12: steps S6, S7). Then, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the gripping member 32 is moved from the retreated position to the gripping position at a predetermined rotational position of the winding roller 20 (FIG. 12: step S8). That is, the cam 34 is rotated to a position where it does not press the arm member 31. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5(B'), the end face of one end side of the polymerized sheet PJ does not hit any member, and the gripped part B is gripped between the gripping member 32 and the receiving part 20b. Note that the winding start position W in FIG. 13 is the position of the outer circumferential surface of the winding roller 20 at the predetermined rotational position. However, in the retreated position in FIG. 5(A) or the gripping position in FIG. 5(B), the outer circumferential surface of the winding roller 20 itself does not exist. Therefore, the winding start position W is the winding start position W of the imaginary outer circumferential surface. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the winding roller 20 rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise) while the gripping member 32 grips the polymerized sheet PJ, and the third conveyor roller pair 6 rotates in the reverse direction again. At this time, as the rotation of the winding roller 20 progresses, a gap C is formed between the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ between the winding roller 20 and the third conveyor roller pair 6, as shown in FIG. 5D. At this time, the deflection of the polymerized sheet PJ is limited by the first and second conveyor guide members 25 and 26 in the vicinity of the winding roller 20. Therefore, the gap C of the polymerized sheet PJ is formed in a concentrated manner at a position close to the third conveyor roller pair 6. In addition, this gap C is formed largely on the upper side of the virtual plane S1 (see FIG. 13) described above.

[0039] In this way, the reverse leading edge of the overlapping sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44, which is disposed between the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20 and downstream in the reverse direction from the third conveyor roller pair 6. Then, this timing is used as a trigger to determine the timing at which the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b grip the gripped portion B of the overlapping sheet PJ, so that the gripped portion B of the overlapping sheet PJ can be precisely conveyed to the desired gripping position regardless of variations in sheet length relative to the required sheet conveyance amount X2 (an error that exists even for sheets of the same size). Furthermore, by installing the fourth sensor 44 between the third conveying roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20 on the winding roller 20 side, the required sheet conveyance amount X2 for detecting the reverse leading edge of the overlapping sheet PJ can be shortened regardless of the sheet length. This makes it possible to suppress variation in the conveyance amount X2 and convey the gripped portion B of the overlapping sheet PJ to the desired gripping position with high precision. For this reason, it is preferable that the fourth sensor 44 be disposed in a position close to the winding roller 20.

[0040] Thereafter, as the third conveyor roller pair 6 in Fig. 5(D) continues to rotate in the reverse direction and the winding roller 20 starts to wind the polymerized sheet PJ, when the amount of conveyance by the third conveyor roller pair 6 reaches a predetermined amount X3, as shown in Fig. 6(A), the conveyance by the third conveyor roller pair 6 is stopped and the winding of the polymerized sheet PJ by the winding roller 20 is stopped (Fig. 12: step S9). In this state, the polymerized sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 one or more times and the gap C of the polymerized sheet PJ is sufficiently widened. Also, the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ is sandwiched between the third conveyor roller pair 6. Then, as shown in Fig. 6(B), the peeling claws 16 are inserted into the gap C of the sufficiently spread polymerized sheet PJ (Fig. 12: step S10). That is, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10(A), the pair of peeling claws 16 are each moved from the standby position in Fig. 10(A) to the peeling position in Fig. 10(B). At this time, since the pair of peeling claws 16 are installed above the previously described imaginary plane S1 (see FIG. 13) so as to be movable in the width direction, they smoothly enter the gap C formed above the imaginary plane S1. Then, as shown in FIG. 6(C), with the peeling claw 16 inserted into the gap C, the third conveying roller pair 6 starts to rotate in the forward direction, and the winding roller 20 starts to rotate in the forward direction (clockwise) (FIG. 12: step S11). At this time, if the polymerized sheet PJ can be transported by rotating the winding roller 20 in the forward direction (clockwise), the joint A does not have to be sandwiched between the third conveyor roller pair 6. In other words, the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ may be transported toward the third conveyor roller pair 6 by rotating the winding roller 20 in the forward direction, and then the joint A may be sandwiched between the third conveyor roller pair 6, and the polymerized sheet PJ may be transported by the third conveyor roller pair 6.

[0041] 7(A), after the third conveyor roller pair 6 has conveyed the polymerized sheet Pj a predetermined amount X4 by forward rotation, the forward rotation of the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the forward rotation of the winding roller 20 are each stopped (FIG. 12: step S12). At this time, the polymerized sheet PJ is not wound around the gripping member 32, and the gripping member 32 is in a state where it can release its grip of the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ located at the winding start position W. In other words, the gripping member 32 can move from the gripping position where it grips the gripped portion B at the winding start position W to the retreat position. In this state, the gripping member 32 is moved from the gripping position to the retreated position, so that the gripping member 32 is positioned on the third transport path K3 (FIG. 12: step S13). That is, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the cam 34 is rotated to a position where it presses the arm member 31. In this state, the gripping of the polymerized sheet PJ by the gripping member 32 is released. Note that in this embodiment, the gripping by the gripping member 32 is released by moving the cam 34 (moving mechanism 30), but if the pulling force caused by the transport of the third transport roller pair 6 is greater than the gripping force by the gripping member 32, the gripping by the gripping member 32 can also be released by the pulling force caused by the transport of the third transport roller pair 6 without moving the cam 34 (moving mechanism 30). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the third conveying roller pair 6 is rotated forward again to start conveying the overlay sheet PJ in the forward direction (FIG. 12: step S14). Then, the fourth sensor 44 detects the gripped portion B (forward direction rear end, one end side) of the overlay sheet PJ. Then, after the gripped portion B (forward direction rear end, one end side) of the overlay sheet PJ passes over the switching claw 15, the gripping member 32 is moved from the retreat position to the gripping position, and the switching claw 15 is rotated clockwise from the standby position to the switching position. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the gripped portion B of the forward direction rear end of the overlay sheet PJ reaches the vicinity of the peeling claw 16, the rear ends of the two sheets P1 and P2 are largely separated and opened. Then, the timing when the forward rear end of the superposition sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44 is used as a trigger to transport the superposition sheet PJ by a predetermined amount X5 by the third transport roller pair 6 and stop it, and then, as shown in FIG. 7C, the third transport roller pair 6 is rotated in the reverse direction to start transporting the superposition sheet PJ in the reverse direction (FIG. 12: steps S15 and S16). At this time, the free end of the switching claw 15 is located at a switching position that blocks the superposition sheet PJ from entering the third transport path K3, so that the two sheets P1 and P2 in the peeled state are guided to the two branch transport paths K4 and K5, respectively, as shown in FIG. 7C. At this time, in order to stop transporting the superposition sheet PJ while the vicinity of the joint A is sandwiched by the third transport roller pair 6, the joint A (reverse rear end, other end side) of the superposition sheet PJ is detected by the fifth sensor 45 (see FIG. 1).

[0042] 8(A), the timing at which the rear end of the polymerized sheet PJ in the reverse direction is detected by the fifth sensor 45 (see FIG. 1) is used as a trigger to transport the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X6 by the third transport roller pair 6 and then stop (FIG. 12: steps S17 and S18). At this time, the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ is at the nip of the third transport roller pair 6 or at a position slightly downstream to the left of the nip. In other words, the other end of the polymerized sheet PJ is sandwiched between the third transport roller pair 6. Then, as shown in Fig. 8(A), the conveyance of the middle sheet PM from the second feeding tray 12 (see Fig. 1) is started (Fig. 12: step S19). At this time, the leading edge (leading edge in the forward direction, the other end side) of the middle sheet PM is detected by the third sensor 43. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 8(B), the peeling claw 16 is moved to the standby position. 8C, the timing at which the forward leading edge of the middle sheet PM is detected by the third sensor 43 is used as a trigger to transport the middle sheet PM a predetermined amount X7 by the second transport roller pair 5, and then transport of the overlapping sheet PJ in the forward direction by the third transport roller pair 6 is resumed (FIG. 12: steps S20 and S21). At this time, the middle sheet PM is precisely sandwiched between the two sheets P1 and P2 at the desired position. In this way, the process of inserting the intermediate sheet PM between the two sheets P1 and P2 in the overlapping sheet PJ is completed. Then, by forward transport by the third transport roller pair 6, the overlapping sheet PJ with the intermediate sheet PM inserted therein is placed on the discharge tray 13 (see FIG. 1).

[0043] In this embodiment, when the polymerized sheet PJ is in the state shown in Figure 6(A), a gap C is formed between the two sheets P1, P2 at the non-jointed portion on the side of the joint A, and the two sheets P1, P2 are peeled off (separated). On the other hand, in the state of FIG. 6(A), if the superimposed sheet PJ is sandwiched by the third conveyor roller pair 6 with sufficient force, the joint A may be the gripped portion B. That is, in FIG. 5(A)-(D), the superimposed sheet PJ is wrapped around the winding roller 20 in a state where the joint A of the superimposed sheet PJ is held by the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b, and the non-jointed portion side is sandwiched between the third conveyor roller pair 6 and conveyed. At this time, the sheets P1 and P2 of the superimposed sheet PJ are conveyed synchronously without slipping each other due to the rotation of the third conveyor roller pair 6. For example, by increasing the nip pressure of the third conveyor roller pair 6, using a roller material with a large friction coefficient, or controlling the driving method of each roller of the third conveyor roller pair 6, the two sheets P1 and P2 are less likely to slip, and a desired gap C can be formed in the superimposed sheet PJ to peel (separate) the two sheets P1 and P2. In this case, the number of times the overlapping sheet PJ is conveyed before the intermediate sheet PM is inserted into the overlapping sheet PJ can be reduced.

[0044] <Variation 1> As shown in FIG. 14, a lamination device 50 serving as the first modified example has the sheet peeling device 1 shown in FIG. 1 built therein. The lamination processing device 50 is provided with a lamination processing section 51 downstream (downstream in the forward direction) of the third conveying roller pair 6 of the sheet peeling device 1, which performs lamination processing on the polymerized sheet PJ in which the middle sheet PM is inserted between the two sheets P1, P2 peeled off by the sheet peeling device 1. The laminating section 51 is provided with a plurality of pairs of heat and pressure rollers that apply heat and pressure to the polymerized sheet PJ with the intermediate sheet PM inserted therein while conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in the forward direction. The polymerized sheet PJ that has passed through the laminating section 51 is bonded over its entire area with the intermediate sheet PM inserted therein. The polymerized sheet PJ that has been subjected to the laminating process is then discharged outside the apparatus by the pair of discharge rollers 7 and placed on the discharge tray 13. In this way, the lamination processing device 50 in variant example 1 performs a series of operations including the steps of feeding the sheets PJ and PM, peeling off the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ, inserting the middle sheet PM between the two peeled sheets P1 and P2, and laminating the polymerized sheet PJ with the middle sheet PM inserted, thereby improving user convenience. In particular, if the leading end surface of the polymerized sheet P is damaged, it becomes difficult to laminate that portion, and therefore the configuration of the present invention is useful.

[0045] <Variation 2> As shown in FIG. 15, an image forming apparatus 100 serving as the second modified example has a lamination device 50 shown in FIG. 15, in image forming apparatus 100, first, document D is transported (fed) from the document table in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a transport roller of document transport device 110, and passes over document reading device 102. At this time, document reading device 102 optically reads image information of document D passing above. The optical image information read by the document reader 102 is converted into an electrical signal and then transmitted to the writing device 103. Then, the writing device 103 emits laser light based on the image information of the electrical signal toward the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K for each color, and an exposure process is performed. Then, a charging process, an exposure process, and a development process are performed on the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K of the image forming units 104Y, 104M, 104C, and 104K, respectively, to form desired images on the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K, respectively. Thereafter, the images formed on the photoconductor drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K are transferred as a color image onto the intermediate transfer belt 178 in a superimposed state. Furthermore, the color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 178 is transferred to a position facing the secondary transfer roller 189, onto a sheet P (which will become the middle sheet PM) fed and conveyed by a feed roller 197 from the feed device 112. Thereafter, the sheet P (middle sheet PM) onto which the color image has been transferred is conveyed to the position of the fixing device 120. Then, the color image transferred onto the front surface is fixed onto the sheet P. Thereafter, the sheet P is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 100 by the discharge roller pair 131, and is fed as the middle sheet PM into the lamination processing device 50. At this time, the lamination processing device 50 (sheet peeling device 1) has already completed the process (the process of peeling off the overlapped sheet PJ) previously described with reference to Figs. 4 to 7, and after the middle sheet PM is inserted into the lamination processing device 50 (sheet peeling device 1), the process (the process of inserting the middle sheet PM into the overlapped sheet PJ) described with reference to Fig. 8 is performed. Furthermore, after the lamination processing unit 51 performs the lamination process on the overlapped sheet PM with the middle sheet PM inserted therein, the overlapped sheet PJ is discharged out of the device by the discharge roller pair 7 and placed on the discharge tray 13. In this way, a series of image forming processes (printing operations) in the image forming apparatus 1 and a series of sheet peeling and laminating processes using the intermediate sheet PM on which an image has been formed are completed. In the second modification, the lamination device 50 is provided in the image forming apparatus 100, but the sheet peeling device 1 shown in FIG. In addition, in Modification 2, the present invention is applied to a color image forming apparatus 100, but the present invention can also be applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus. In addition, in Modification 2, the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to other types of image forming apparatuses (for example, inkjet type image forming apparatuses, stencil printers, etc.).

[0046] <Variation 3> As shown in FIG. 16, in an image forming system 200 serving as the third modified example, the lamination device 50 shown in FIG. 14 is detachably installed in the image forming device 100 that forms an image on a sheet P shown in FIG. Referring to Figure 16, in the image forming system 200, after the image forming process previously described using Figure 14, the sheet P (which is the intermediate sheet PM on which the desired image has been formed) discharged from the discharge roller pair 131 of the image forming device 100 is fed into the lamination processing device 50 and then inserted into the polymer sheet PJ in the same manner, after which the lamination process is performed, and then discharged by the discharge roller pair 7 and placed on the discharge tray 13. Furthermore, when a mode that does not perform such lamination processing is selected, in the image forming system 200, the sheet P on which an image has been formed through the image formation process is discharged outside the apparatus from the second discharge roller pair 132 of the image forming apparatus 100 and placed on the second discharge tray 150. Here, the lamination processing device 50 is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus 100, and when the lamination processing device 50 is not needed, it can be removed from the image forming apparatus 100. When the lamination processing device 50 is removed in this way, the placement surface 149 on which the lamination processing device 50 was placed functions as a discharge tray, and the sheet P (the sheet P on which the desired image is formed) discharged from the discharge roller pair 131 to the outside of the apparatus is placed thereon. In the third modification, the lamination device 50 is detachably installed in the image forming system 200. However, the sheet peeling device 1 shown in FIG.

[0047] As described above, the sheet peeling device 1 in this embodiment is a sheet peeling device that peels off the non-jointed portion of the polymerized sheet PJ in which two sheets P1, P2 are overlapped and joined at the joint A, and includes a winding roller 20 that rotates in a predetermined rotational direction to wind the polymerized sheet PJ, a third conveyor roller pair 6 (conveyor roller pair) that conveys the polymerized sheet PJ toward the winding roller 20, and a peeling claw 16 that is inserted into a gap C formed between the two sheets P1, P2 between the winding roller 20 and the third conveyor roller pair 6. The peeling claw 16 is installed on the side where the winding roller 20 is located, with respect to an imaginary plane S1 on the winding start side that contacts the nip N of the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20. This makes it possible to satisfactorily peel off the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the laminated sheet PJ without increasing the size of the sheet peeling device 1.

[0048] It is clear that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and that the present embodiment may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention in addition to the modifications suggested in the present embodiment. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the components are not limited to the present embodiment, and may be any number, position, shape, etc. suitable for implementing the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 sheet peeling device, 4 first conveying roller pair, 5 second conveying roller pair, 6 third conveying roller pair (conveying roller pair), 15 Switching claw (switching member), 16 peeling claw (peeling member), 20 Winding roller, 20a Rotating shaft, 20b receiving part, 25 first guide member (inner limiting member), 26 second guide member (outer limiting member), 30 movement mechanism; 31 Arm member, 31a spindle, 32 Gripping member (gripping part), 33 compression spring (biasing member), 34 Cam, 41 First sensor, 42 second sensor, 43 3rd sensor, 44 Fourth sensor (sheet detection sensor), 45 5th sensor, 50 Lamination processing equipment, 100 Image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus main body), 200 Image forming system, P, P1, P2 sheets, PM Medium Sheet, PJ Polymer Sheet, A Joint part, B Grasped part, C Gap, N Nip, W Winding start position, S1 virtual surface (virtual tangent surface), S2 virtual tangent surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0050] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-160429 A

Claims

1. A sheet peeling device for peeling off an unjoined portion of a polymerized sheet in which two sheets are overlapped and joined at a joint, comprising: a winding member that rotates in a predetermined direction to wind the polymerized sheet; a conveying means for conveying the polymerized sheet toward the winding member; a peeling claw that is inserted into a gap formed between the two sheets between the winding member and the conveying means; Equipped with The sheet peeling device according to claim 1, wherein the peeling claw is disposed on a side where the winding member is disposed, with respect to an imaginary plane on a winding start side that contacts the nip of the transport means and the winding member.

2. The sheet peeling device according to claim 1, characterized in that the peeling claw is inserted from the widthwise end into a gap formed between the two sheets between the winding member and the conveying means, with the polymerized sheet being wrapped around the non-jointed portion located at one end side by the winding member and the other end side opposite the non-jointed portion being clamped by the conveying means.

3. 3. The sheet peeling device according to claim 1, wherein the peeling claw is disposed in a region sandwiched between two imaginary contact planes that contact the outer peripheral surface of the wrapping member and pass through the nip of the conveying means.

4. A sheet peeling device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an inner limiting member is provided between the peeling claw and the winding member to limit the amount of slack in a first sheet of the two sheets that is wound on the inside of the winding member.

5. 5. The sheet peeling device according to claim 4, wherein the inner restriction member is a transport guide member disposed on a side of the imaginary plane on which the winding member is disposed.

6. A sheet peeling device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an outer limiting member is provided between the peeling claw and the winding member to limit the amount of slack in a second sheet of the two sheets that is wound on the outside of the winding member.

7. 7. The sheet peeling device according to claim 6, wherein the outer limiting member is a transport guide member that is disposed on a side of the imaginary plane on which the winding member is not disposed.

8. a gripping member that grips the non-jointed portion of the polymerized sheet as a gripped portion between the gripping member and a receiving portion of the winding member at the winding start position; a switching claw that guides the two sheets in different directions between the peeling claw and the winding member; The sheet peeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

9. The sheet peeling device described in claim 8, characterized in that the conveying means conveys the polymerized sheet to the other end side opposite the non-jointed portion so that the non-jointed portion of the polymerized sheet is released from wrapping around the winding member after the peeling claw is inserted into the gap, and then the conveying means conveys the polymerized sheet again to the non-jointed portion, and the two sheets peeled off by the peeling claw are guided in different directions by the switching claw, and then the middle sheet is conveyed toward the other end side so that the middle sheet is inserted between the two sheets in a peeled state.

10. 10. The sheet peeling device according to claim 8, wherein the gripping members are moved between a gripping position where they can grip the polymerized sheet and a retracted position where they are retracted from the gripping position.

11. The sheet peeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the non-jointed portion of the polymerized sheet is wound around the winding member, and the jointed portion is formed on the other end side opposite the non-jointed portion.

12. A sheet peeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, a lamination processing unit that performs a lamination process on the polymerized sheet in a state in which an intermediate sheet is inserted between the two sheets peeled off by the sheet peeling device; A lamination processing device comprising:

13. A sheet peeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or a lamination processing device according to claim 12; an image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a sheet; An image forming apparatus comprising:

14. An image forming system, comprising: a sheet peeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; or a lamination processing device according to claim 12; and an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, the image forming apparatus being detachably installed in the image forming apparatus.

Images