SHEET DISCHARGE DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND SHEET DISCHARGE METHOD

Abstract

To provide a sheet ejection device that can process sheets while suppressing productivity of the sheets from reducing more in comparison with a device which processes each of sheets individually while ejecting the sheets one by one.SOLUTION: A sheet ejection device comprises: at least one processor; a conveying part that conveys sheets along a conveyance passage; an ejecting part to which sheets are ejected; and a processing part, provided in the ejecting part, which applies processing to sheets. The processor ejects the sheets one by one to the ejecting part and makes the processing part perform one-time processing to two or more of the sheets ejected to the ejecting part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet discharging device, an image forming apparatus, and a sheet discharging method. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet media alignment device comprising: a discharge means for discharging sheet media transported thereto; a loading means for loading the sheet media discharged by the discharge means; an alignment means for aligning the sheet media loaded on the loading means by sandwiching the end faces parallel to the discharge direction of the sheet media by the discharge means; a sorting means for sorting the sheet media by moving the loading means or the aligning means a predetermined amount in a shift direction perpendicular to the sheet media discharge direction of the discharge means; and a return means consisting of a rotating body that aligns the sheet media by abutting it against a vertical wall provided at an alignment position, wherein a plurality of detection means for detecting the top surface position of the loading means are provided corresponding to a plurality of different positions on the top surface of the loading means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-226133 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a sheet discharging device, an image forming apparatus, and a sheet discharging method that can process sheets while suppressing a decrease in sheet productivity compared to discharging sheets one by one and processing them one by one. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The sheet discharge device of the first aspect includes at least one processor, a conveying section which conveys a sheet along a conveying path, a discharge section to which the sheet is discharged, and a processing section provided in the discharge section which processes the sheet, wherein the processor discharges the sheet to the discharge section one at a time, and the processing section performs one processing on two or more of the sheets discharged to the discharge section.

[0006] A sheet discharge device according to a second aspect is a sheet discharge device according to the first aspect, wherein the processor has a mode in which the sheet is processed by the processing unit without moving the sheet from the transport path, and in this mode, controls the transport unit to make the sheet wait midway along the transport path to a degree that does not interfere with a subsequent sheet being transported along the transport path.

[0007] The sheet discharge device of the third aspect is the sheet discharge device described in the second aspect, and is further provided with a moving unit that moves the discharge unit in a width direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet, and the processor executes the mode when the moving unit is operating, and causes the sheet to wait in the middle of the conveying path until it does not interfere with the subsequent sheet.

[0008] A sheet discharge device according to a fourth aspect is a sheet discharge device according to the second or third aspect, wherein the processor causes the sheet to wait in the middle of the conveying path once for every two or more sheets conveyed along the conveying path, to a degree that does not cause interference with a subsequent sheet being conveyed behind the sheet.

[0009] A sheet discharge device according to a fifth aspect is the sheet discharge device described in the fourth aspect, wherein the processor causes an odd-numbered or even-numbered sheet to wait in the middle of the conveying path once for every two sheets conveyed along the conveying path, to a degree that does not cause interference with a subsequent sheet being conveyed behind the sheet.

[0010] A sheet discharge device according to a sixth aspect is the sheet discharge device according to the fourth aspect, wherein when the processor causes two or more sheets to wait, the two or more sheets wait at different positions along the transport path.

[0011] A sheet discharge device according to a seventh aspect is a sheet discharge device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the processing section includes an alignment section that aligns the sheet discharged to the discharge section in a width direction that intersects with the conveying direction.

[0012] An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect has an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and a sheet discharge device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, to which the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit is transported.

[0013] A sheet discharge method according to a ninth aspect includes the steps of: transporting a sheet along a transport path; The sheet processing apparatus has a mode for processing the sheet, and in the mode, the apparatus has a process for causing the sheet to wait in the middle of the conveying path until the rear side of the sheet being conveyed along the conveying path does not interfere with a subsequent sheet being conveyed, a process for discharging the sheets being conveyed along the conveying path one by one in order to a discharge section, and a process for performing one processing on two or more sheets discharged to the discharge section by a processing section. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the sheet discharging device of the first aspect, it is possible to process sheets while suppressing a decrease in sheet productivity, compared to a case in which sheets are discharged one by one and processed one by one.

[0015] According to the sheet discharge device of the second aspect, a decrease in sheet productivity is suppressed compared to a case in which the sheet conveying interval is extended without making the sheet wait in the middle of the conveying path.

[0016] According to the sheet discharge device of the third aspect, it is possible to secure the time to move the discharge unit, compared to a case in which the sheet is not made to wait in the middle of the transport path when the moving unit is operating.

[0017] According to the sheet discharging device of the fourth aspect, a decrease in sheet productivity is suppressed compared to a case in which the sheet is made to wait in the middle of the conveying path every time.

[0018] According to the sheet discharge device of the fifth aspect, the control for making the sheets wait in the middle of the conveyance path is simpler than when the sheets are made to wait once every two sheets in a random order.

[0019] According to the sheet discharge device of the sixth aspect, the configuration of the conveying section that keeps two or more sheets on standby is simpler than when two or more sheets are kept on standby at the same position on the conveying path.

[0020] According to the sheet discharging device of the seventh aspect, it is possible to align the sheets while suppressing a decrease in sheet productivity, compared to a case in which the sheets are discharged one by one and aligned one by one.

[0021] According to the image forming apparatus of the eighth aspect, it is possible to process sheets while suppressing a decrease in sheet productivity, compared to a case in which sheets are discharged one by one and processed one by one.

[0022] According to the sheet discharging method of the ninth aspect, it is possible to process sheets while suppressing a decrease in sheet productivity, compared to a case in which sheets are discharged one by one and processed one by one. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming system including a sheet discharging device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sheet discharging device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a sheet discharging device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device of the sheet discharge device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing a process flow of transport control by the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when the control device according to the first embodiment does not perform buffering. [Figure 7] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which a sheet member is placed on standby in an image forming system including a sheet discharge device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conveying state of a plurality of sheet members conveyed in sequence in an image forming system including a sheet discharging device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a first process performed by a buffer of the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which a sheet member is stored in a buffer path in an image forming system including a sheet discharge device according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a second process performed by a buffer of the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of a third process performed by a buffer in the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which two sheet members are on standby in an image forming system including a sheet discharge device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] An example of a sheet discharge device and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, in each drawing, the direction indicated by the arrow X (X direction) is the device width direction, and the direction indicated by the arrow Z (Z direction) is the device height direction. In each drawing, the direction perpendicular to each of the X direction and the Z direction (Y direction) is the device depth direction, and is indicated by the arrow Y.

[0025] [First embodiment] <Overall configuration of image forming system> FIG. 1 shows an image forming system 10 including a sheet discharge device 100 according to the first embodiment. The image forming system 10 includes, as an example, an image forming device main body 20 that forms an image, and a post-processing device 30 that performs post-processing on a sheet member P on which an image has been recorded by the image forming device main body 20. The post-processing device 30 includes the sheet discharge device 100, which will be described later. The sheet member P is an example of a sheet. For example, paper is used as the sheet member P. The image forming system 10 is also an example of an image forming device, and the image forming device main body 20 is an example of an image forming section.

[0026] <Image forming device body> The image forming apparatus main body 20 has a paper feed section 22 that supplies a sheet material P to a transport path 21, and a forming section 24 that forms an image on the sheet material P supplied from the paper feed section 22. The forming section 24 has a charger 25B that charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 25A, an exposure unit 25C that exposes the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 25A based on image information, and a developing device 25D that develops the exposed latent image on the photoreceptor 25A with toner (to form a toner image).

[0027] The forming section 24 also has an intermediate transfer belt 26 that is rotatably provided, a primary transfer roll 27 that performs primary transfer of a toner image onto the intermediate transfer belt 26, and a secondary transfer roll 28 that performs secondary transfer of the toner image superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 26 onto the sheet member P. The forming section 24 also has a fixing unit 29 that fixes the toner image that has been secondarily transferred onto the sheet member P. Note that, as an example, the forming section 24 uses four colors of toner images, and a photoconductor 25A, a charger 25B, a developer 25D, and a primary transfer roll 27 are provided for each color.

[0028] The image forming apparatus main body 20 also has a control device 14 that collectively manages and controls the operations of each part of the image forming system 10, and an operation panel 16 that is operated by a user. The operation panel 16 is, for example, a touch panel display that displays an operation menu, accepts operation instructions such as processing requests from the user, and displays selection information for the user and the operating status of the apparatus.

[0029] <Post-treatment device> The post-processing device 30 has a plurality of units that receive the sheet material P output from the image forming apparatus main body 20 and perform a predetermined post-processing on the received sheet material P. Specifically, the post-processing device 30 has a first unit 40, a second unit 50, and a third unit 60 equipped with a sheet discharge device 100, which are arranged in the X direction in the conveying order of the sheet material P.

[0030] (1st Unit) The first unit 40 is connected to the sheet discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body 20, and receives the sheet material P output from the image forming apparatus main body 20, performs curl correction processing described below, and then transports the sheet material P to the second unit 50. The first unit 40 also has a curl correction processing unit 42 that performs curl correction on the sheet material P, and a sheet supply unit 44 that separately stores a sheet material (not shown) that will become a cover and supplies (adds) it as the cover of a booklet.

[0031] The curl correction processing unit 42 has a nip formed so that the sponge roll 43 bites into rolls 45 and 46 which are thinner than the sponge roll 43. The curl correction processing unit 42 performs curl correction on the sheet member P curled by heating and pressurizing during toner fusion and fixing in the image forming apparatus main body 20 by nipping the sheet member P between the sponge roll 43 and roll 45, and between the sponge roll 43 and roll 46.

[0032] The sheet supply section 44 has a paper feed tray 47 for placing cover cardboard (including slip sheets) provided on the upper part of the housing of the first unit 40, and a delivery mechanism 48 for delivering the cardboard sheets one by one from the paper feed tray 47. The cardboard sheets delivered by the sheet supply section 44 are conveyed to the second unit 50 through a sheet guide path 49 provided in the first unit 40.

[0033] (Unit 2) The second unit 50 is connected to the sheet discharge port of the first unit 40, and receives the sheet material P (including cardboard) output from the first unit 40, performs folding processing described below, and then transports the sheet material P to the third unit 60. When folding processing of the sheet material P is not required, the second unit 50 transports the sheet material P to the third unit 60 without processing. The second unit 50 also has a folding processing section 52 that performs folding processing on the sheet material P.

[0034] The folding processing section 52 has a first folding section 54 for performing a first folding process, and a second folding section 56 for performing a second folding process. The first folding section 54 and the second folding section 56 each have an end guide 57 for holding the sheet material P, and a folding roll 58 for folding the sheet material P. In the folding processing section 52, the folding positions are changed by moving the end guides 57 forward and backward in the first folding section 54 and the second folding section 56. The folding processing section 52 also has a folder tray 59 that can be pulled out to the outside.

[0035] (Unit 3) The third unit 60 has a hole punching section 62 that performs hole punching processing on the sheet material P as necessary, a sheet discharge device 100, and a bookbinding function section 64 that saddle-stitches and binds the stack of sheet material P. Furthermore, the third unit 60 has a staple mechanism section 160, which will be described later, that staples the stack of aligned sheet material P.

[0036] <Main part configuration> Next, the sheet ejection device 100 will be described.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet discharge device 100 includes a conveying section 102 that conveys the sheet material P along a conveying path 101, and a buffer path 104 that temporarily stores the sheet material P along the conveying path 101. The sheet discharge device 100 also includes a stacker tray 106 to which the sheet material P that has been subjected to each process is discharged, and a tamper 108 that aligns the sheet material P discharged to the stacker tray 106 (see FIG. 2). The sheet discharge device 100 also includes a moving section 110 (so-called offset means) that moves the stacker tray 106 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet material P (in this embodiment, the sheet depth direction). Here, the buffer path 104 is an example of a storage section. The stacker tray 106 is an example of a discharge section. The tamper 108 is an example of a processing section that processes the sheet material P, and is also an example of an alignment section of the processing section.

[0038] The sheet discharge device 100 also includes a compile tray 112 that temporarily accumulates the sheet materials P along the conveying path 101, and a second tamper 114 that aligns the sheet materials P placed on the compile tray 112. The compile tray 112 is disposed on the conveying path 101 downstream in the conveying direction of the sheet materials P from a position where the buffer path 104 is provided. The sheet discharge device 100 also includes a control unit 116 that controls the operation of each component of the sheet discharge device 100. The compile tray 112 is an example of a collection unit.

[0039] (Transportation section) The transport section 102 includes a plurality of transport rolls 120, 121, 122, 123, and 124 that transport the sheet material P along the transport path 101. Each of the plurality of transport rolls 120, 121, 122, 123, and 124 includes a pair of rolls that sandwich the sheet material P and transport it, and is disposed at intervals along the transport path 101.

[0040] The transport rolls 120 and 121 are disposed upstream in the transport direction of the sheet member P with respect to a position where the transport path 101 branches off into the buffer path 104. The transport rolls 120 and 121 transport the sheet member P in a normal transport direction (the direction of the arrow A) by rotation. In a first mode in which the buffer path 104 is not used, which will be described later, the rotation of the transport roll 121 is stopped to make the sheet member P wait.

[0041] The transport rolls 122 and 123 are disposed above the buffer path 104 and downstream in the transport direction of the sheet member P with respect to the position where the transport path 101 branches off from the buffer path 104. The transport rolls 122 and 123 transport the sheet member P in the normal transport direction (the direction of the arrow A) by rotating in the normal direction. In a second mode in which the buffer path 104 is used, which will be described later, the transport rolls 122 and 123 rotate in the opposite direction to the normal direction to switch back the sheet member P in the opposite direction, thereby transporting the sheet member P to the buffer path 104 (see FIG. 10).

[0042] In the first mode in which the buffer path 104 is not used, the transport roll 122 stops rotating to make the sheet member P wait at the waiting position W1 (see FIG. 7).

[0043] The transport rolls 124 are disposed above the compile tray 112. The transport rolls 124 transport the sheet member P in a normal transport direction (the direction of the arrow A) by rotation.

[0044] (Buffer path) The buffer path 104 has a function of temporarily storing the sheet material P transported through the transport path 101. As shown in FIG. 3, the buffer path 104 is provided with transport rolls 130 that transport the sheet material P. The buffer path 104 is an example of a configuration that retreats the sheet material P from the transport path 101. As an example, the buffer path 104 branches off midway in the vertical direction of the transport path 101 (in this embodiment, midway where the sheet material P is transported from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction) and extends downward. That is, the buffer path 104 is arranged along the vertical direction.

[0045] In the second mode in which the buffer path 104 is used, the transport rolls 122 and 123 are rotated in the reverse direction, and the transport roll 130 is rotated in the reverse direction. As a result, the sheet material P transported to the transport rolls 122 and 123 is switched back in the reverse direction with respect to the normal transport direction (the direction of the arrow A), and the sheet material P is stored in the buffer path 104 (see FIG. 10). By temporarily storing the sheet material P in the buffer path 104, the transport of the sheet material P discharged to the stacker tray 106 is delayed compared to the case in which the buffer path 104 is not used. In a state in which the sheet material P is stored in the buffer path 104, a part of the sheet material P (in this embodiment, the upper part of the sheet material P shown in FIG. 10) is located in the transport path 101, and the sheet material P is sandwiched between the transport rolls 122.

[0046] As an example, the buffer path 104 is configured to be capable of storing a maximum of two sheet members P. One or more sheet members P stored in the buffer path 104 are returned from the buffer path 104 to the conveying path 101 by rotating the conveying rolls 122 and 123 in the forward direction and by rotating the conveying roll 130 in the forward direction. Then, the sheet member P is conveyed on the conveying path 101 in the normal conveying direction (the direction of the arrow A).

[0047] As an example, if the length of the sheet material P is longer than the length in the short direction of the A4 size, or if the basis weight of the sheet material P is greater than a specified basis weight, the sheet material P may not be stored in the buffer path 104. In the sheet discharge device 100 of this embodiment, the sheet material P can be stored in the buffer path 104 if the sheet material P satisfies all of the following conditions (1) to (3). (1) The length of the sheet member P in the conveying direction is 182 mm or more and 216 mm or less. (2) The width of the sheet member P in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is 257 mm or more and 297 mm or less. (3) The basis weight of the sheet member P is 52 gsm or more and 106 gsm or less.

[0048] (Stacker tray and moving part) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stacker tray 106 has a function of discharging sheet materials P on which images have been formed by the image forming apparatus main body 20 (see FIG. 1) and on which each process has been completed. The stacker tray 106 protrudes outward from a housing 140 constituting the sheet discharging device 100. The sheet materials P discharged from the housing 140 to the outside are stacked on the stacker tray 106. As an example, the surface of the buffer path 104 onto which the sheet materials P are discharged is inclined so that the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet materials P is higher than the upstream side. The stacker tray 106 can be raised and lowered in the up and down directions shown by the arrows by a lifting means (not shown) arranged inside the housing 140.

[0049] On the housing 140 side of the stacker tray 106, a discharge roll 125 that discharges the sheet material P onto the stacker tray 106 is provided. The discharge roll 125 is a single roll, and is disposed at a position facing the upper end of the compile tray 112.

[0050] The stacker tray 106 can be moved in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet material P (in the present embodiment, the device depth direction) by a moving unit 110. Although not shown in the figure, the moving unit 110 is configured to move the stacker tray 106 in the device depth direction by, for example, a cam.

[0051] (Tampa) 2 and 3, the tamper 108 has a function of aligning the sheet material P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 in a width direction intersecting with the conveying direction. The tamper 108 is equipped with tamper bodies 108A and 108B arranged as a pair on the upper side of the stacker tray 106 in the device depth direction (arrow Y direction), i.e., in the width direction of the sheet material P. The tamper bodies 108A and 108B are configured to be symmetrical in the device depth direction.

[0052] The tamper main bodies 108A and 108B include a plate-shaped portion 142 arranged along the vertical direction, an arm 143 extending from the plate-shaped portion 142 toward the housing 140, and a rotating portion 144 provided at an end of the arm 143 on the opposite side to the plate-shaped portion 142 in the longitudinal direction (see FIG. 3). The rotating portion 144 rotates the arm 143 and the plate-shaped portion 142 in the vertical direction. The tamper 108 includes a driving portion 146 that moves the tamper main bodies 108A and 108B in the device depth direction (arrow Y direction) so as to sandwich the sheet material P. The tamper 108 also includes a retracting portion 148 (see FIG. 4) that moves the tamper main bodies 108A and 108B upward with respect to the stacker tray 106 by rotating the rotating portion 144. The retracting portion 148 is, for example, a motor that rotates the rotating portion 144.

[0053] When the tamper 108 aligns the sheet materials P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 in the width direction, the tamper main bodies 108A and 108B are rotated by the rotating unit 144 in a direction approaching the stacker tray 106. Then, the tamper main bodies 108A and 108B are moved by the driving unit 146 in the device depth direction (direction of the arrow Y), whereby the sheet materials P on the stacker tray 106 are aligned in the width direction.

[0054] Furthermore, the tamper 108 rotates the rotating unit 144 by the retracting unit 148, thereby rotating the tamper bodies 108A and 108B upward relative to the stacker tray 106. This causes the tamper bodies 108A and 108B to retract from the stacker tray 106. For example, when the moving unit 110 moves the stacker tray 106 in the device depth direction, the retracting unit 148 rotates the tamper bodies 108A and 108B upward relative to the stacker tray 106 so that the tamper bodies 108A and 108B do not interfere with the sheet materials P loaded on the stacker tray 106.

[0055] (Compile tray and second tamper) 3, the compile tray 112 has a function of temporarily stacking the sheet material P on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet material P with respect to the stacker tray 106. The upper surface of the compile tray 112 is inclined so that the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet material P is higher in the device height direction (arrow Z direction) than the upstream side.

[0056] An end wall portion 150 against which the sheet material P is vertically abutted is provided on the lower side of the compile tray 112. In addition, two paddles 151, 152 that move the sheet material P in a direction in which the sheet material P abuts against the end wall portion 150 are provided on the upper side of the compile tray 112. The paddles 151, 152 are arranged at an interval on the upper and lower sides of the compile tray 112. The sheet material P placed on the compile tray 112 is abutted against the end wall portion 150 by the rotation of the paddles 151, 152, so that the sheet material P is vertically aligned.

[0057] As an example, the compile tray 112 is configured to be capable of storing a plurality of sheet materials P (for example, up to 100 sheets). In the sheet discharge device 100, for example, the sheet material P is conveyed to the compile tray 112 side by the rotation of the conveyance roll 124. In the compile tray 112, the sheet material P is conveyed in a direction in which it abuts against the end wall portion 150 by the rotation of the discharge roll 125 in the reverse direction and the rotation of the paddles 151 and 152, so that the sheet material P is placed on the compile tray 112.

[0058] The second tamper 114 arranged above the compile tray 112 has a function of aligning the sheet materials P placed on the compile tray 112 in the width direction intersecting with the transport direction. Although not shown, the second tamper 114 includes a pair of tamper bodies arranged in the device depth direction. The pair of tamper bodies are moved in the device depth direction by a drive unit (not shown), thereby aligning the sheet materials P on the compile tray 112 in the width direction.

[0059] Furthermore, the staple mechanism 160 can bind (i.e., staple) the stack of sheet materials P accumulated on the compile tray 112 when the stack is abutted against the end wall portion 150. The post-processing by the staple mechanism 160 is performed when the control unit 116 accepts the stapling process.

[0060] (Control unit) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of control unit 116. As shown in FIG.

[0061] 4, the control unit 116 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 211, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 212, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 213, a storage 214, and an input / output interface (I / O) 215. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 219 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0062] The CPU 211 is a central processing unit, and executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 211 reads a program from the ROM 212 or the storage 214, and executes the program using the RAM 213 as a working area. The CPU 211 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program recorded in the ROM 212 or the storage 214. In this embodiment, a transport processing program is stored in the ROM 212 or the storage 214.

[0063] The ROM 212 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 213 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 214 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including the conveyance processing system and various data. The storage 214 stores a printer driver program. The CPU 211 reads the printer driver program from the storage 214 and executes the program to function as the printer driver.

[0064] The input / output interface 215 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals to and from other members. In this embodiment, the input / output interface 215 is connected to the buffer motor 221, the standby motor 222, the transport motor group 223, the tamper 108, and the moving unit 110 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The CPU 211 controls the operations of the buffer motor 221, the standby motor 222, the transport motor group 223, the tamper 108, and the moving unit 110.

[0065] The buffer motor 221 rotates the transport rolls 122 and 123 in a forward direction, rotates them in a reverse direction, or stops their rotation. For example, the buffer motor 221 stores the sheet member P in the buffer path 104 by rotating the transport rolls 122 and 123 in the reverse direction.

[0066] The standby motor 222 rotates (rotates in the forward direction) or stops the rotation of the transport roll 121. For example, the standby motor 222 stops the rotation of the transport roll 121 and the buffer motor 221 stops the rotation of the transport roll 122, so that the sheet member P waits at the standby position W1.

[0067] The transport motor group 223 rotates the transport rolls 120, 124, etc. (in the normal direction) to transport the sheet member P in the normal transport direction (the direction of the arrow A), for example.

[0068] In this embodiment, the control unit 116 changes the way in which the sheet material P is aligned by the tamper 108 depending on whether or not there is storage control to store the sheet material P in the buffer path 104. More specifically, the control unit 116 has a first mode in which there is no storage control to store the sheet material P in the buffer path 104, and a second mode in which there is storage control to store the sheet material P in the buffer path 104. That is, the first mode is a mode in which the sheets are aligned by the tamper 108 without performing storage control by the buffer path 104 (without retracting the sheet material P from the conveying path 101 to the buffer path 104). The second mode is a mode in which the sheets are aligned by the tamper 108 while performing storage control by the buffer path 104. The first mode is an example of a mode.

[0069] For example, the control unit 116 executes the second mode when the sheet material P is longer than the length in the short direction of the A4 size, or when the basis weight of the sheet material P is greater than a set basis weight. In this embodiment, when the sheet material P satisfies all of the following conditions (1) to (3), the control unit 116 sets the sheet material P to be buffered and stored in the buffer path 104 (see "sheet material P4" in FIG. 10), and executes the second mode. In other words, when the sheet material P does not satisfy any one or more of the following conditions (1) to (3), the control unit 116 executes the first mode. (1) The length of the sheet member P in the conveying direction is 182 mm or more and 216 mm or less. (2) The width of the sheet member P in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is 257 mm or more and 297 mm or less. (3) The basis weight of the sheet member P is 52 gsm or more and 106 gsm or less.

[0070] In the first mode, the control unit 116 discharges one sheet material P onto the stacker tray 106, and performs one sheet material alignment on the two sheet materials P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 using the tamper 108. Here, the sheet material alignment is an example of sheet alignment. As a result, the two sheet materials P are aligned in the width direction. As an example, when the control unit 116 conveys the sheet material P along the conveying path 101 in the first mode, the control unit 116 discharges the sheet material P onto the stacker tray 106 without passing through the compile tray 112 (bypassing the compile tray 112).

[0071] In the first mode, the control unit 116 controls the conveying unit 102 to make the sheet material P (see "sheet material P1" in Figure 7) being conveyed along the conveying path 101 wait in the middle of the conveying path 101 to a degree that does not interfere with the sheet material P (see "rear sheet material P2" in Figure 7) being conveyed behind the sheet material P (see "rear sheet material P2" in Figure 7).

[0072] As an example, as shown in Fig. 7, in the first mode, the control unit 116 makes the sheet member P1 wait in the middle of the conveying path 101 once for every two sheet members P conveyed on the conveying path 101 until the sheet member P1 (see "sheet member P1" in Fig. 7) does not interfere with the sheet member P (see "rear sheet member P2" in Fig. 7) conveyed behind the sheet member P. In this embodiment, the control unit 116 controls the standby motor 222 and the buffer motor 221 to stop the rotation of the conveying rolls 121 and 122, and makes the sheet member P1 wait at the standby position W1. Here, the rear sheet member P2 is an example of the rear sheet.

[0073] The control unit 116 causes the odd-numbered or even-numbered sheet material P to wait in the middle of the conveying path 101 once for every two sheet materials P conveyed along the conveying path 101 until it does not interfere with the sheet material P (see "rear sheet material P2" shown in Figure 7) being conveyed behind the sheet material P.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 10, in the second mode, the control unit 116 stores the sheet material P to be buffered (see "sheet material P4" in FIG. 10) in the buffer path 104. For example, when the sheet material P4 is transported to the position of the transport rolls 122 and 123, the control unit 116 rotates the transport rolls 122 and 123 in the reverse direction to the forward rotation by the buffer motor 221, thereby storing the sheet material P4 in the buffer path 104. Thereafter, the control unit 116 discharges the stored sheet material P4 together with a rear sheet material (not shown) transported behind the sheet material P4 to the stacker tray 106, and aligns the sheet material by the tamper 108 for each discharge. Here, the rear sheet material is an example of a rear sheet. As a result, at least two sheet materials P are aligned in the width direction.

[0075] . In addition, in the second mode, the control unit 116 may store at least two sheet members P4 in a stacked manner in the buffer path 104, and then discharge the stacked sheet members P4 together with a rear sheet member (not shown) onto the stacker tray 106, and align the sheet members for each discharge by the tamper 108. As a result, at least three sheet members P are aligned in the width direction.

[0076] . Furthermore, in the second mode, the control unit 116 may temporarily place the sheet materials P on the compile tray 112, and then discharge the sheet materials P from the compile tray 112 to the stacker tray 106. In the compile tray 112, the tamper 114 may align the sheet materials P placed on the compile tray 112.

[0077] <effect> Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0078] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the conveying process of the sheet material P by the control unit 116. In the control unit 116, the CPU 211 reads out a conveying process program from the ROM 212 or the storage 214, and develops and executes the program in the RAM 213, thereby performing the conveying process. In this embodiment, the sheet material P is used as an example of a sheet, and in FIG. 5 and other flowcharts (FIGS. 6, 9, 11, and 12), the sheet material P may be referred to as a sheet. In addition, the stacker tray 106 is used as an example of a discharge unit, and the stacker tray 106 may be referred to as a discharge unit.

[0079] 5, when the conveying process of the sheet material P is started, the CPU 211 judges whether or not the sheet material P is a target for storage control by the buffer path 104 (i.e., a sheet material P to be buffered) (step S301). For example, when the sheet material P satisfies all of the above conditions (1) to (3), the CPU 211 judges that the sheet material P is a sheet material P to be buffered and stored in the buffer path 104. When the sheet material P is a sheet material P to be buffered and stored in the buffer path 104, the second mode is executed.

[0080] If the sheet material P is not a sheet material P to be buffered (step S301: NO), the CPU 211 executes processing without buffering (step S302). In this embodiment, if the sheet material P is not a sheet material P to be buffered and stored in the buffer path 104, the first mode is executed.

[0081] If the sheet material P is a sheet material P to be buffered (step S301: YES), the CPU 211 determines whether the set number of sheets of the sheet material P is three or more (step S303). Here, the set number refers to the number of sheets of the sheet material P discharged to the stacker tray 106 in one set (for example, one job set).

[0082] If the set number of sheet materials P is three or more (step S303: YES), the CPU 211 executes a process by performing a buffer operation to store two sheet materials P in the buffer path 104 (step S304).

[0083] If the set number of sheet materials P is not three or more (step S303: NO), the CPU 211 determines whether the set number of sheet materials P is two or more (step S305).

[0084] If the set number of sheet materials P is two or more (step S305: YES), the CPU 211 executes a process by performing a buffer operation to store one sheet material P in the buffer path 104 (step S306).

[0085] If the number of set sheets of sheet material P is not two or more (step S305: NO), the CPU 211 executes a buffer cancel process (step S307). As an example, the buffer cancel process is a process of temporarily storing one sheet material P in the buffer path 104, and then placing the sheet material P on the compile tray 112 and discharging the sheet material P to the stacker tray 106.

[0086] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the control unit 116 without buffering.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 6, when processing without buffering the sheet material P is started, the CPU 211 conveys the sheet material P in the discharge direction, that is, conveys the sheet material P in the conveying direction (direction of arrow A) along the conveying path 101 (step S321).

[0088] The CPU 211 judges whether the sheet material P is the set last (step S322). Here, the set last refers to the sheet material P that is discharged last onto the stacker tray 106 when a plurality of sheet materials P are sequentially conveyed in one set (for example, one job set). For example, when the set number of sheet materials P is three, the third sheet is the sheet material P that is discharged last onto the stacker tray 106.

[0089] If the sheet material P is not the set last (step S322: NO), the CPU 211 determines whether the sheet material P to be discharged is an even-numbered sheet (step S323).

[0090] If the sheet material P is the set last (step S322: YES), or if the sheet material P to be discharged is an even-numbered sheet (step S323: YES), the CPU 211 discharges the sheet material P to the stacker tray 106, which is an example of a discharge unit (step S324). At this time, the CPU 211 discharges the sheet material P conveyed on the conveying path 101 to the stacker tray 106 without passing through the compile tray 112.

[0091] Next, the CPU 211 performs sheet alignment in the width direction of the sheet material P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 by the tamper 108 (step S325). As a result, sheet alignment in the width direction of the sheet material P by the tamper 108 is performed on the even-numbered sheet material P discharged onto the stacker tray 106. Also, when the sheet material P is the set last (i.e., when it is the sheet material P discharged last), sheet alignment in the width direction of the sheet material P by the tamper 108 is performed on the sheet material P discharged onto the stacker tray 106.

[0092] If the sheet material P to be discharged is not an even-numbered sheet (step S323: NO), the CPU 211 causes the sheet material P to wait at a waiting position W1 inside the sheet discharge device 100 (step S326). That is, when the sheet material P to be discharged is an odd-numbered sheet, the sheet material P (see "sheet material P1" in FIG. 7) is caused to wait at a waiting position W1 inside the sheet discharge device 100.

[0093] The CPU 211 determines whether the predetermined time has elapsed (step S327). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S327: NO), the CPU 211 waits until the predetermined time has elapsed. In this embodiment, the sheet member P1 shown in FIG. 7 is made to wait at the waiting position W1 until the predetermined time has elapsed. For example, the predetermined time is a time during which the sheet member P1 does not interfere with the rear sheet member P2 being transported behind the sheet member P1.

[0094] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a conveying interval of a plurality of sheet members P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 when the horizontal axis direction is time (t). As shown in FIG. 8, when a plurality of sheet members P are conveyed in the discharge direction in order, when the discharged sheet member P is an odd-numbered sheet (see the first and third sheets in FIG. 8), the conveying of the sheet member P is delayed (see the lower part in FIG. 8) with respect to the normal discharge time (see the upper part in FIG. 8). As a result, the conveying interval between the second sheet member P and the third sheet member P (sheet member P1 shown in FIG. 7) becomes longer than the normal conveying interval. Therefore, a long time T1 is secured between the second sheet member P and the third sheet member P discharged onto the stacker tray 106.

[0095] If the determined time has elapsed (step S327: YES), the CPU 211 discharges the sheet material P onto the stacker tray 106 (step S328). At this time, the CPU 211 discharges the sheet material P onto the stacker tray 106 without passing through the compile tray 112.

[0096] The CPU 211 does not perform sheet alignment by the tamper 108 on the sheet material P discharged to the stacker tray 106 (step S329). As a result, sheet alignment by the tamper 108 is not performed on odd-numbered sheet materials P except when they are set last. In other words, as a rule, odd-numbered sheet materials P are not aligned by the tamper 108 when discharged to the stacker tray 106, but when an odd-numbered sheet material P is set last, that is, when it is the sheet material P to be discharged last, sheet alignment by the tamper 108 is performed. As a result, the process without buffer implementation based on the conveying process program is completed.

[0097] In the process without buffer implementation shown in FIG. 6, an odd-numbered sheet material P ("sheet material P1" shown in FIG. 7) is made to wait at a waiting position W1, so that a long time T1 is secured between the second sheet material P and the third sheet material P discharged to the stacker tray 106 as shown in FIG. 8. Therefore, between the second sheet material P and the third sheet material P, the tamper 108 can align the sheet material P in the width direction. In addition, by lengthening the time T1 between the second sheet material P and the third sheet material P discharged to the stacker tray 106, for example, a retracting operation of the tamper 108 or an operation of moving the stacker tray 106 in the device depth direction can also be performed.

[0098] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the control unit 116 when implementing the two-buffer function.

[0099] 9, when processing of sheet material P using the two-sheet buffer is started, the CPU 211 stores the sheet material P in the two-sheet buffer path 104 (step S341). For example, as shown in FIG. 10, two sheet materials P (see "sheet material P4" shown in FIG. 10) are temporarily stored in the buffer path 104.

[0100] The CPU 211 determines whether the sheet material P is the set last (step S342). As described above, the set last refers to the sheet material P that is discharged last onto the stacker tray 106 when a plurality of sheet materials P are sequentially transported in one set (for example, one job set).

[0101] If the sheet material P is the last set (step S342: YES), the CPU 211 determines whether the set number is divisible by 3 (step S343). As described above, the set number refers to the number of sheet materials P discharged to the stacker tray 106 in one set (e.g., one job set).

[0102] If the set number is divisible by 3 (step S343: YES), CPU 211 discharges sheet materials P in a set of three onto stacker tray 106 (step S344). For example, two sheet materials P stored in buffer path 104 are accumulated on compile tray 112 in a set of three together with sheet materials P transported after these sheet materials P, and the sheet materials P are then discharged in a set of three onto stacker tray 106. Note that when sheet materials P are accumulated on compile tray 112, sheet alignment may be performed by tamper 114 to align sheet materials P in the width direction.

[0103] If the sheet material P is not the last set (step S342: NO), the CPU 211 performs the process of step S344.

[0104] If the set number is not divisible by 3 (step S343: NO), the CPU 211 determines whether the remainder when the set number is divided by 3 is 2 or not (step S345).

[0105] If the remainder when the number of sheets in the set is divided by 3 is 2 sheets (step S345: YES), CPU 211 discharges a set of 5 sheet materials P to stacker tray 106 (step S346). For example, the two sheet materials P stored in buffer path 104 are combined with three sheet materials P transported thereafter to accumulate five sheets on compile tray 112, and the set of 5 sheet materials P is then discharged to stacker tray 106. When sheet materials P are accumulated on compile tray 112, sheet alignment may be performed by tamper 114 to align sheet materials P in the width direction.

[0106] If the remainder when the set number is divided by 3 is not 2 (step S345: NO), the CPU 211 discharges the sheet materials P in a set of 4 onto the stacker tray 106 (step S347). That is, if the remainder when the set number is divided by 3 is not 2, the remainder when the set number is divided by 3 is 1. For example, the two sheet materials P stored in the buffer path 104 are accumulated on the compile tray 112 as a set of four together with two sheet materials P to be transported thereafter, and the sheet materials P are then discharged to the stacker tray 106 as a set of four. When the sheet materials P are accumulated on the compile tray 112, the tamper 114 may be used to align the sheet materials P in the width direction.

[0107] After the process of step S344, the process of step S346, or the process of step S347, the CPU 211 performs sheet alignment in the width direction of the multiple sheet materials P discharged to the stacker tray 106 using the tamper 108 (step S348). This ends the process by implementing the two-sheet buffer based on the conveying process program.

[0108] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the control unit 116 when performing one-image buffering.

[0109] 11, when processing of the sheet material P using the single buffer is started, the CPU 211 stores the sheet material P in the single buffer path 104 (step S351). For example, as shown in FIG. 10, one sheet material P (see "sheet material P4" in FIG. 10) is temporarily stored in the buffer path 104.

[0110] The CPU 211 discharges the sheet materials P in a set of two onto the stacker tray 106 (step S352). For example, one sheet material P stored in the buffer path 104 is accumulated in two on the compile tray 112 together with the sheet material P transported after this sheet material P, and then the sheet materials P are discharged in a set of two onto the stacker tray 106. When the sheet materials P are accumulated on the compile tray 112, the tamper 114 may be used to align the sheet materials P in the width direction.

[0111] The CPU 211 performs sheet alignment in the width direction of the two sheet materials P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 using the tamper 108 (step S353). This ends the process of performing one-sheet buffering based on the conveying process program.

[0112] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the buffer cancellation process performed by the control unit 116.

[0113] 11, when the buffer cancel process for the sheet material P is started, the sheet material P is discharged to the stacker tray 106 as a set (step S361). For example, one sheet material P is stored in the buffer path 104, and then the sheet material P is placed on the compile tray 112, and then the sheet material P is discharged to the stacker tray 106. Note that instead of this process, one sheet material P may be placed on the compile tray 112 without being stored in the buffer path 104, and then the sheet material P may be discharged to the stacker tray 106.

[0114] The CPU 211 performs sheet alignment in the width direction of one sheet material P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 using the tamper 108 (step S362). This ends the buffer cancellation process based on the conveyance process program.

[0115] In the above-described process by performing the buffer, the conveying interval of the sheet material P delivered to the sheet discharge device 100 is not changed, and the rear sheet material P that cannot be discharged to the stacker tray 106 is temporarily stored in the buffer path 104 while the front sheet material P discharged to the stacker tray 106 is being processed by the tamper 108 or the like. Then, the sheet material P stored in the buffer path 104 is discharged to the stacker tray 106 together with the rear sheet material P whose rear side is being conveyed. For this reason, by discharging a set of multiple sheet materials P to the stacker tray 106 and delaying the time when the sheet materials P are discharged to the stacker tray 106, it is possible to secure the operation time for the tamper 108 to align the sheet materials P in the width direction. In addition, by delaying the time when the sheet materials P are discharged to the stacker tray 106, it is also possible to secure the time to perform the retraction operation of the tamper 108 and the operation of moving the stacker tray 106 in the device depth direction.

[0116] In the above-described sheet discharge device 100, the control unit 116 discharges the sheet materials P one by one onto the stacker tray 106, and performs one process on two or more sheet materials P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 using the tamper 108. Therefore, in the sheet discharge device 100, it is possible to process the sheet materials P, i.e., align the sheets in the width direction of the sheet materials P, while suppressing a decrease in productivity of the sheet materials P, compared to a case in which sheets are discharged one by one and processed one by one. Here, productivity refers to the amount of sheet materials P discharged (processed) per unit time.

[0117] Moreover, in the sheet discharge device 100, the control unit 116 has a first mode in which the sheet is aligned by the tamper 108 without retracting the sheet material P from the conveying path 101 to the buffer path 104. In the first mode, the control unit 116 controls the conveying unit 102 to make the sheet material P wait in the middle of the conveying path 101 to an extent that the sheet material P does not interfere with the rear sheet material P being conveyed on the rear side of the sheet material P being conveyed on the conveying path 101. Therefore, in the sheet discharge device 100, a decrease in productivity of the sheet material P is suppressed compared to a case in which the sheet is not made to wait in the middle of the conveying path and the sheet conveying interval is extended.

[0118] Furthermore, in the sheet discharge device 100, the control unit 116 makes the sheet material P wait in the middle of the conveying path 101 once for every two or more sheet materials P conveyed on the conveying path 101, to a degree that does not cause interference with the sheet material P (see "rear sheet material P2" shown in FIG. 7) conveyed behind the sheet material P. Therefore, in the sheet discharge device 100, a decrease in productivity of the sheet material P is suppressed compared to a case in which the sheet is made to wait in the middle of the conveying path every time.

[0119] Furthermore, in the sheet discharge device 100, the control unit 116 makes the odd-numbered sheet members P in the number of conveyed sheets wait in the middle of the conveyance path 101 once for every two sheet members P conveyed on the conveyance path 101 to a degree that does not interfere with the sheet member P (see "rear sheet member P2" shown in FIG. 7) conveyed behind the sheet member P. Therefore, in the sheet discharge device 100, the control of making the sheet members P wait in the middle of the conveyance path 101 is simpler than when the sheets are made to wait in random order once for every two sheets.

[0120] In the sheet discharge device 100, the processing section that processes the sheet material P includes a tamper 108 that aligns the sheet material P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 in the width direction intersecting the conveying direction. Therefore, in the sheet discharge device 100, it is possible to align the sheet material P while suppressing a decrease in productivity of the sheet material P, compared to a case in which the sheets are discharged one by one and aligned one by one.

[0121] The image forming system 10 is provided with an image forming apparatus main body 20 that forms an image on a sheet material P, and a sheet discharging device 100 to which the sheet material P on which an image has been formed by the image forming apparatus main body 20 is transported. Therefore, the image forming system 10 can process the sheet material P while suppressing a decrease in productivity of the sheet material P, compared to a case in which sheets are discharged one by one and processed one by one.

[0122] The sheet discharge method includes a step of conveying the sheet material P along the conveying path 101, and a first mode for processing the sheet material P, and in the first mode, a step of making the sheet material P wait in the middle of the conveying path 101 to a degree where it does not interfere with the sheet material P (see "rear sheet material P2" shown in FIG. 7) conveyed behind the sheet material P conveyed along the conveying path 101, a step of discharging the sheet materials P conveyed along the conveying path 101 one by one in order onto a stacker tray 106, and a step of performing one processing on two or more sheet materials P discharged onto the stacker tray 106 by a tamper 108. Therefore, the sheet discharge method can process the sheet material P while suppressing a decrease in productivity of the sheet material P, compared to a case where sheets are discharged one by one and processed one by one.

[0123] Second Embodiment Next, a sheet discharging device 400 according to a second embodiment is shown. Note that the same components as those in the first and second embodiments are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 13, in the image forming system 10 including the sheet discharge device 400, in the first mode in which there is no storage control for storing the sheet member P in the buffer path 104, two sheet members P are made to wait at different positions. As an example, the sheet member P1 is made to wait at the wait position W1 as in the first embodiment, and the sheet member P3 conveyed behind the sheet member P1 is made to wait at the wait position W2. As an example, the wait position W2 is provided in the second unit 50. The control unit 116 stops the multiple conveying rolls 402 provided in the second unit 50 to make the sheet member P3 wait at the wait position W2. The other configurations of the image forming system 10 including the sheet discharge device 400 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0125] The image forming system 10 equipped with the above-mentioned sheet discharge device 400 has the following actions and effects in addition to the actions and effects of the configuration similar to that of the image forming system 10 equipped with the sheet discharge device 100 of the first embodiment.

[0126] In the image forming system 10 equipped with the sheet discharge device 400, two sheet members P are made to wait at different waiting positions W1 and W2. Therefore, compared to a case where two or more sheets are made to wait at the same position on the conveying path, the configuration of the conveying unit 102 for making two or more sheet members P wait can be simplified. Furthermore, compared to a case where one sheet member P is made to wait, it is possible to secure the operation time for sheet alignment by the tamper 108 of the front sheet member P conveyed at the front side.

[0127] [Modifications] Next, a sheet discharge device 100 according to a modified example will be described. In the first and second embodiments, the process without buffer implementation is executed when the sheet material P is not of a size or basis weight that can be stored in the buffer path 104, but in the sheet discharge device 100 according to the modified example, the control unit 116 executes the first mode when the moving unit 110 operates. That is, even if the sheet material P is not of a size or basis weight that can be stored in the buffer path 104 (in the case of the sheet material P that cannot be stored in the buffer path 104), the process without buffer implementation (i.e., the first mode) is executed when the moving unit 110 performs an operation to move the stacker tray 106 in the device depth direction.

[0128] When the stacker tray 106 is moved in the device depth direction, the tamper 108 is retracted upward by the retracting unit 148 so as not to interfere with the sheet material P loaded on the stacker tray 106, and after the stacker tray 106 is moved in the device depth direction, the tamper 108 must be moved downward to its original position. For this reason, by executing a process without buffering (i.e., the first mode) and making the sheet material P wait in the middle of the conveying path 101 (such as the waiting position W1), the operation time for the movement of the stacker tray 106 and the rotation of the tamper 108 can be secured. Therefore, in the sheet discharge device 100, the productivity of the sheet material P can be maintained while the time for moving the stacker tray 106 can be secured, compared to a case where the sheet is not made to wait in the middle of the conveying path during the operation of the moving unit.

[0129] 〔others〕 In the first and second embodiments, the conditions for the sheet material P to be stored in the buffer path 104 and subjected to storage control can be changed.

[0130] In the first and second embodiments, in the first mode, when an even-numbered sheet member P is discharged onto the stacker tray 106, the tamper 108 performs sheet alignment, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, when an odd-numbered sheet member P is discharged onto the stacker tray 106, the tamper 108 may perform sheet alignment.

[0131] In the first embodiment, one or two sheet members P are made to wait in the middle of the conveying path 101, but three or more sheet members P may be made to wait in the middle of the conveying path 101.

[0132] In the first and second embodiments, the tamper 108 that aligns the sheet material P in the width direction is provided as an example of a processing section that processes the sheet material P, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. For example, the processing section may be configured to perform processing using a staple mechanism that binds a bundle of multiple sheet materials P (i.e., stapling processing), punching holes in the sheet material P, etc.

[0133] In the first and second embodiments, the configuration of the buffer path 104, the configuration of the compile tray 112, the arrangement of the multiple transport rolls of the transport section 102, and the shape of the transport path 101 can be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0134] In each of the above embodiments, the following various processors can be used as the hardware structure of a processing unit that executes various processes, such as the control unit 116. As described above, the various processors include a CPU, which is a general-purpose processor that executes software and functions as various processing units, as well as a programmable logic device (PLD), which is a processor whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a dedicated electric circuit, which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed specifically for executing specific processes, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.

[0135] A single processing unit may be composed of one of these various processors, or may be composed of a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., a combination of multiple FPGAs and / or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Also, multiple processing units may be composed of a single processor.

[0136] An example of configuring multiple processing units with one processor is one in which one processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, and this processor functions as multiple processing units. Secondly, there is a form in which a processor is used that realizes the functions of the entire system including multiple processing units with one IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by System On Chip (SoC). In this way, the various processing units are configured as a hardware structure using one or more of the above various processors.

[0137] Furthermore, more specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors can be an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0138] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is in no way limited to the above embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0139] 10 Image forming system (an example of an image forming device) 20 Image forming apparatus main body (an example of an image forming unit) 100 Sheet ejection device 101 Transport Route 102 Conveyor 104 Buffer path (an example of a configuration for retracting a sheet from a conveying path) 106 Stacker tray (an example of an ejection section) 108 Tampa 110 Mobile Division 116 Control Unit 211 CPU 212 ROM 213 RAM 214 Storage 215 Input / Output Interface 219 Bus 221 Buffer motor 222 Standby motor 223 Transport motors 400 Sheet ejector 402 Transport roll P sheet material

Claims

1. At least one processor; A conveying unit that conveys the sheet along a conveying path; a discharge section to which the sheet is discharged; a processing section provided in the discharge section and configured to process the sheet; Equipped with The processor discharges the sheet to the discharge section one by one, and performs one processing on two or more of the sheets discharged to the discharge section by the processing section; The processor is a sheet discharge device that has a mode in which the sheet is processed by the processing unit without moving the sheet from the transport path, and in this mode, controls the transport unit to make the sheet wait in the middle of the transport path to a degree that does not interfere with a subsequent sheet being transported along the transport path.

2. a moving unit that moves the discharge unit in a width direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the sheet, The sheet ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor executes the mode when the moving unit is operating, and causes the sheet to wait in the middle of the transport path until the sheet does not interfere with the subsequent sheet.

3. The sheet discharge device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the processor causes the sheet to wait in the middle of the transport path once for every two or more sheets transported along the transport path, until the rear side of the sheet does not interfere with a subsequent sheet being transported.

4. The sheet discharge device according to claim 3, wherein the processor causes an odd-numbered or even-numbered sheet to wait in the middle of the transport path once for every two sheets transported along the transport path until the sheet does not interfere with a subsequent sheet being transported behind the sheet.

5. The sheet ejection device according to claim 3 , wherein the processor, when causing two or more of the sheets to wait, causes the two or more sheets to wait at different positions along the transport path.

6. The sheet discharging device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing section includes an alignment section that aligns the sheet discharged to the discharge section in a width direction intersecting with a conveying direction.

7. an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; The sheet ejection device according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit is conveyed; An image forming apparatus comprising:

8. conveying the sheet along a conveying path; a step of processing the sheet, and in the step of processing the sheet, causing the sheet to wait in the middle of the conveying path until the rear side of the sheet being conveyed along the conveying path does not interfere with a subsequent sheet being conveyed; discharging the sheets conveyed along the conveying path one by one to a discharge portion in order; performing a single processing by a processing unit on two or more of the sheets discharged to the discharge unit; The sheet ejection method includes the steps of:

Images