Lamination processing device, image forming device, and image forming system

Abstract

To suppress the occurrence of a conveyance failure and a lamination failure of two-ply sheets even after conveyance of the two-ply sheets is stopped in a lamination unit.SOLUTION: A laminator includes a lamination unit 51 which performs lamination on a two-ply sheet PJ in which two sheets P1, P2 are overlapped together and partially bonded at a bonding portion A by applying heat and pressure thereto while conveying the two-ply sheet in a prescribed conveyance direction. Also, the laminator includes jam detection sensors 61, 62 (detection means) which detect such a state that conveyance of the two-ply sheet PJ is stopped in the lamination unit 51. The laminator performs notification that urges cleaning of the lamination unit 51 when either or both of the jam detection sensors 61, 62 detect such a state that conveyance of the two-ply sheet PJ is stopped in the lamination unit 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lamination processing device that performs lamination processing on a polymerized sheet with an interlayer inserted therein, an image forming device equipped with the device, such as a copier, printer, facsimile, or a combination machine or printing machine thereof, and an image forming system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, lamination processing devices that perform lamination processing on polymerized sheets in which an intermediate sheet is inserted between two sheets have been known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Specifically, the lamination processing device in Patent Document 1 separates (peels off) two sheets of a laminate sheet (polymerized sheet) joined at one side on one end, and inserts a protective sheet (intermediate sheet) between them.The laminate sheet (polymerized sheet) with the protective sheet inserted is then transported to a lamination processing unit, where it is heated and pressurized for lamination processing.

[0003] Meanwhile, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for cleaning adhesive and other deposits from a pressure roller in a laminator (laminating device) every time a predetermined number of laminate sheets (polymerized sheets) are conveyed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional laminating devices, when a polymerized sheet stops being conveyed (jams) in the laminating section, foreign matter such as glue from the polymerized sheet may adhere to the laminating section. Such adhesion of the deposits can cause problems in the laminating section, such as the polymerized sheet not being transported properly (transport failure) or the laminating process not being performed properly (laminating failure).

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a lamination processing device, an image forming device, and an image forming system that are less likely to cause problems with the transport of polymerized sheets or lamination processing errors even after the transport of polymerized sheets has stopped in the lamination processing unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The laminating processing device of this invention comprises a laminating processing section that applies heat and pressure to a polymerized sheet formed by overlapping two sheets and joining a portion of the sheet together while conveying the polymerized sheet in a predetermined conveying direction to perform laminating processing, and a detection means that detects when conveyance of the polymerized sheet has stopped in the laminating processing section, and when the detection means detects that conveyance of the polymerized sheet has stopped in the laminating processing section, an alert is issued to prompt cleaning of the laminating processing section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lamination processing device, an image forming device, and an image forming system in which polymer sheet transport problems and lamination processing problems are unlikely to occur even after the transport of the polymer sheet stops in the lamination processing unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a lamination processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 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. [Figure 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] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the lamination processing device. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the lamination processing device following FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the lamination processing device following FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the lamination processing device following FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram showing the operation of the lamination processing device following FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the lamination processing device following FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing the operation of the lamination processing device following FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which a peeling claw is inserted into a polymeric sheet in the width direction. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the operation of the separation claw. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing control performed in the lamination processing device. [Figure 14] 14 is a flowchart showing the control following FIG. 13. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a moving mechanism of a peeling claw. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a polymerized sheet is jammed in a laminating unit. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of control when a polymerized sheet jams in the laminating unit. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of control when a polymerized sheet jams in the laminating unit according to Modification 1. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the laminating unit in a cleaning mode. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a lamination processing device as a second modified example. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to a third modification. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an image forming system as a fourth modified example. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another type of image forming system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0010] First, the overall configuration and operation of a lamination processing device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. The laminating device 50 is provided with a sheet peeling section 1, a laminating section 51, a discharge tray 13, a second discharge tray 55, and the like. The laminating processing unit 51 applies heat and pressure to a polymerized sheet PJ (in which two sheets P1 and P2 are superimposed and partially joined as a joint A) while transporting the polymerized sheet PJ in a predetermined transport direction (in which an intermediate sheet PM is inserted between the two sheets P1 and P2). The sheet peeling section 1 is also provided with first and second feed trays 11, 12, first and second feed rollers 2, 3, first to third conveying roller pairs 4-6, first to eighth sensors 41-48, a winding roller 20, a moving mechanism 30, and a peeling claw 16 as a peeling member (see Figures 6, 12, etc.).

[0011] The sheet peeling unit 1 is a mechanism that performs a peeling process to peel off the non-jointed portion of a polymerized sheet PJ (see Figure 12, etc.) in which two sheets P1 and P2 are stacked and joined at one end as a joint A, and then performs an insertion process to insert an intermediate sheet PM between the two sheets P1 and P2 in the peeled state. In particular, in this embodiment, the polymerized 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 polymerized sheet PJ (two sheets P1 and P2) is connected by gluing or heat welding at only one side (joint A), and the other parts are not joined. Furthermore, transparent film sheets (laminate sheets) can be used as the two sheets P1 and P2 that make up the polymerized sheet PJ. Then, the sheet peeling section 1 peels off the two sheets P1 and P2 that make up the polymerized sheet PJ (separating the other end sides of the two sheets P1 and P2 on the opposite side of the joint A while maintaining the joint A), and inserts the middle sheet PM (at least one sheet of plain paper, photograph, etc.) between the two peeled sheets P1 and P2.

[0012] The laminating unit 51 is a mechanism that performs laminating processing on the polymerized sheet PJ after the peeling processing and the insertion processing have been performed by the sheet peeling unit 1. Specifically, the laminating unit 51 is a mechanism that performs lamination (a process of applying heat and pressure to join unjoined portions) on the polymerized sheet PJ, which has an intermediate sheet PM inserted between two sheets P1 and P2 (the two sheets that make up the polymerized sheet PJ) that have been peeled off by the sheet peeling unit 1, and is located downstream (downstream in the forward direction, on the left side in FIG. 1) of the sheet peeling unit 1. The laminating unit 51 is equipped with a plurality of heat and pressure roller pairs 51a-51c (see FIGS. 1, 9, and 10) that apply heat and pressure to the polymerized sheet PJ while conveying the polymerized sheet PJ with the intermediate sheet PM inserted in the forward direction. A fourth conveying path K6 is also provided between the third conveying roller pair 6 and the laminating unit 51. The pairs of heat and pressure rollers 51a to 51c are provided with heaters (not shown) as heating means for heating the pairs of heat and pressure rollers 51a to 51c (laminating unit 51). In this embodiment, three pairs of heat and pressure rollers 51a to 51c are provided in the lamination processing unit 51, but the number of pairs of heat and pressure rollers may be one (see Figure 19), two, four or more.

[0013] The discharge tray 13 is for placing the laminated laminated sheet PJ (and the intermediate sheet PJ) discharged from the laminating device 50. The second discharge tray 55 is for placing sheets that are not to be laminated. Note that the second discharge tray 55 also functions as a refuge area for temporarily purging the following polymerized sheet when laminating successively, which will be described in detail later with reference to Figures 9 and 10.

[0014] The laminating device 50 is also provided with a plurality of transport paths, such as a first transport path K1, a second transport path K2, a third transport path K3, a first branched transport path K4, a second branched transport path K5, a fourth transport path K6, and a retreat transport path K7. Each of these transport paths K1 to K7 is for guiding the transport of a sheet (such as a superimposed sheet PJ or an intermediate sheet PM), and is formed by two opposing transport guide members (guide plates). In particular, in this embodiment, the first branched conveying path K4 and the second branched conveying path K5 branch off in different directions between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying path K3, with the third conveying path K3 in between. The fourth transport path K6 is a transport path from the sheet peeling unit 1 (third transport roller pair 6) to the laminating unit 51. The retreat transport path K7 is a transport path from the sheet peeling unit 1 to a second discharge tray 55 (retreating unit) different from the laminating unit 51. Specifically, the fourth transport path K6 and the retreat transport path K7 branch off in different directions downstream of the third transport roller pair 6 (on the left side in FIG. 1).

[0015] 1 and other figures, 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 then conveyed along the first conveying path K1 by the first conveying roller pair 4. In this way, the first feeding tray 11, the first feeding roller 2, etc. function as a first feeding unit that feeds the polymerized sheet PJ. The first feeding unit drives the first feeding roller 2 to rotate under the control of the control unit (control unit), thereby feeding the polymerized sheet PJ from the first feeding tray 11. Furthermore, medium sheets PM are stacked on the second feeding tray 12. The uppermost medium sheet PM on the second feeding tray 12 is fed by the second feeding roller 3. In this way, the second feeding tray 12, the second feeding roller 3, etc. function as a second feeding means for feeding the middle sheet PM (a sheet to be inserted between the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ from which the non-jointed portions have been peeled off). The second feeding means rotates the second feeding roller 3 under the control of the control unit (control means), and feeds the middle sheet PM from the second feeding tray 12.

[0016] In this embodiment, the laminating processing device 50 controls the second feeding means 3, 12 to start feeding the intermediate sheet PM after the polymerized sheet PJ has been fed by the first feeding means 2, 11 and before the operation of peeling off the non-bonded portion of the polymerized sheet PJ is completed. That is, in this embodiment, feeding of the polymerized sheet PJ and feeding of the intermediate sheet PM are not performed by separate operations (operations of the operation display panel 49 by the user), but can be performed with a single operation. Specifically, when the user presses a button on the operation display panel 49 once to start the processing operation, based on that single command (request), the peeling process in which the polymerized sheet PJ is fed, the insertion process in which the intermediate sheet PM is inserted between the peeled polymerized sheets PJ, and the lamination process are automatically performed all at once. The operation of starting feeding the middle sheet PM from the second feed tray 12 is not performed after the peeling operation of the superimposed sheet PJ is completed, but before the peeling operation of the superimposed sheet PJ is completed. Therefore, the time required for the series of steps from feeding the superimposed sheet PJ from the first feed tray 11 to completing the insertion of the middle sheet PM is efficiently shortened, improving the productivity of the device. In other words, the time from the start to the end of processing in the sheet insertion device 1 is shortened.

[0017] Here, the first to third conveying roller pairs 4-6, the discharge roller pair 7, and the second discharge roller pair 8 are each composed of a drive roller and a driven roller, and convey a sheet sandwiched between them. The third conveying path K3 is provided, from upstream, with the second conveying roller pair 5, the winding roller 20, and the third conveying roller pair 6. In particular, the winding roller 20, the third conveying roller pair 6, and the second discharge roller pair 8 are rotatable forward and reverse, and the third conveying roller pair 6 and the second discharge roller pair 8 are configured to convey the sheet in both the forward direction (leftward in FIG. 1) and the reverse direction (rightward in FIG. 1). The third conveying roller pair 6 also functions as a conveying roller pair that conveys the sheet toward the lamination unit 51 or the second discharge tray 55. The discharge roller pair 7 is a conveying roller pair that discharges the laminated laminated sheet PJ (and the intermediate sheet PM) toward the discharge tray 13.

[0018] In addition, a switching claw 17 (switching means) is installed on the forward downstream side of the third conveying roller pair 6 (to the left in Figure 1) to switch between conveying the sheet P toward the lamination processing unit 51 and conveying it toward the second discharge tray 55. In other words, the switching claw 17 functions as a switching means that switches between a first state (such as the state shown in Figure 9(A)) in which the fourth conveying path K6 is opened and the retreat conveying path K7 is closed, and a second state (such as the state shown in Figure 9(C)) in which the fourth conveying path K6 is closed and the retreat conveying path K7 is opened. Depending on the mode selected by the user (particularly when laminating a plurality of polymerized sheets PJ consecutively), the switching claw 17 is controlled to appropriately switch the conveyance destination (discharge destination) of the sheet P. The operation of the switching claw 17 as the switching means will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS.

[0019] 1, the first to fifth sensors 41 to 45 and the seventh and eighth sensors 47 and 48, which serve as sheet detection sensors, are all reflective photosensors that optically detect whether a sheet is present at that position. The first sensor 41 is located downstream of the first conveyor roller pair 4, the second sensor 42 is located downstream of the second feed roller 3, the third sensor 43 is located downstream of the second conveyor roller pair 5, the fourth sensor 44 is located downstream of the winding roller 20 (to the left of the winding roller 20 in FIG. 1) and upstream of the third conveyor roller pair 6 (to the right of the third conveyor roller pair 6 in FIG. 1), and the fifth sensor 45 is located on the fourth conveyor path K6 (to the left (downstream) of the third conveyor roller pair 6 in FIG. 1) that runs from the sheet peeling unit 1 to the laminating unit 51. The seventh sensor 47 is located on the first branch conveyor path K4, and the eighth sensor 48 is located on the second branch conveyor path K5. The sixth sensor 46 functions as an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormal state during the peeling operation, which will be described in detail later. In addition, jam detection sensors 61 and 62 (sensors) are installed on the upstream and downstream sides of the laminating processing section 51 in the conveying direction, respectively, as detection means for detecting jams (conveyance stoppage) of the polymerized sheet PJ in the laminating processing section 51, and these will be explained in detail later.

[0020] 2, 3, 5(B) to 5(D), 6(A), etc., the winding roller 20 is a roller member that rotates in a predetermined rotational direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 5) at a winding start position W (see FIG. 5(B)) with the other end side of the polymerized sheet PJ (opposite the side where joint A is formed) as a gripped portion B with gripping members 32 (gripping portions) to wrap the polymerized sheet PJ. The winding roller 20 is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotation axis 20a by the drive of a drive motor controlled by a control unit. Specifically, the polymerized sheet PJ is transported from the first feed tray via the first transport path K1, and then transported forward along the third transport path K3 by the second transport roller pair 5. The polymerized sheet PJ passes the winding start position W of the winding roller 20, and is transported to the position of the third transport roller pair 6 (a position just before the rear end of the polymerized sheet PJ passes the fourth sensor 44 and passes 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 (winding start position W), where it is gripped by the gripping member 32. The polymerized sheet PJ is then further transported in this gripped state, and is wound around the winding roller 20, which is rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 1.

[0021] 5(C') and other figures, when the polymerized sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20, the winding length of the first sheet P1 on the inner peripheral surface of the roller is shorter than the winding length of the second sheet P2 on the outer peripheral surface of the roller because the winding length is proportional to the roller diameter. Therefore, misalignment occurs in the areas where the first sheet P1 and the second sheet P2 are in close contact (adhered together) other than the joint A and the gripped portion B. This misalignment causes the first sheet P1 to bend (slacken) relative to the second sheet P2. As shown in Figures 5(D) and 6(A), a gap C (the gap C created by the upper first sheet P1 bending upward) is formed between the two sheets P1 and P2 on the side (one end) of the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ. In this way, the two sheets P1 and P2 go from being tightly in contact with each other to being peeled (separated). In particular, in this embodiment, in order to significantly form the gap C as described above (to increase the difference in the winding lengths of the sheets P1 and P2), the polymerized sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 at least once. In this way, in this 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 the laminating device 50 becoming too large or expensive.

[0022] Here, in this embodiment, the gripping member 32 is configured to grip the gripped portion B without contacting the end face of the other end side (the side of the gripped portion B) of the polymerized sheet PJ, as shown in Figure 5 (B'). Specifically, the gripping member 32 is configured to pinch and grip the gripped portion B between itself and the receiving portion 20b of the winding roller 20, without bringing the end face of the other end of the polymerized sheet PJ into contact with any member. The receiving portion 20b is formed on the outer periphery of the winding roller 20 so as to be exposed to the outside and be able to face the gripping member 32. Specifically, the polymerized sheet PJ is not held between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b with the other end face (tip face) abutting against a specific member (for example, the gripping member 32 itself), but is held between the outer gripping member 32 and the inner receiving portion 20b without the other end face (tip face) abutting against any member. Therefore, compared to when the leading edge is butted, the problem of damaging the polymerized sheet PJ (especially the leading edge) can be reduced. In particular, if the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ is damaged, it becomes difficult to laminate that part, making the configuration of the present invention particularly useful. In this embodiment, the polymerized sheet PJ wound around the winding roller 20 has a joint A formed on one end side opposite to the other end side that becomes the gripped portion B.

[0023] In this embodiment, at least one of the gripping member 32 (grip portion) and the receiving portion 20b is made of an elastic material such as rubber. This increases the gripping force on the polymerized sheet PJ and makes it less likely to scratch the surface of the polymerized sheet PJ compared to when both the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b are made of a rigid material such as metal or resin. This effect is particularly pronounced when both the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b are made of an elastic material.

[0024] 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 it can grip the polymerized sheet PJ and a retracted position (the position shown in Figures 2(B) and 3(B)) where it is retracted from the gripping position. More specifically, 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 forward and backward, 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 together with the gripping member 32 around the support shaft 31a. In this embodiment, the gripping member 32 is integrally formed (held) at the tip of the arm member 31. Alternatively, the gripping member 32 may be a separate member from the arm member 31, and the gripping member 32 may be installed (held) on the arm member 31. In either case, the arm member 31 holding the gripping member 32 rotates together with 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 rotation shaft 20a, and the other end is connected to one end side of the arm member 31 (the side 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 forward and reverse directions at a desired rotation angle by a motor controlled by a 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.

[0025] 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 pressure contact with the receiving portion 20b (closed state). In this closed state, the polymerized sheet PJ can be gripped. 2(B) and 3(B), when the cam 34 presses the arm member 31, the arm member 31 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2(B) around the support shaft 31a against the bias of the compression spring 33, and the gripping member 32 enters a state (open state) in which it is separated from the receiving portion 20b. In this open state, the polymerized sheet PJ cannot be gripped (gripping released state).

[0026] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the roller portion of the winding roller 20 is divided into multiple parts (seven parts) in the axial direction, and the cam 34 is also divided into multiple parts in the axial direction to match the division positions. In this way, by dividing the position at which the polymerized sheet PJ is gripped in the axial direction rather than over the entire axial area, it is possible to distribute the load required to grip the polymerized sheet PJ. This configuration is useful when the required gripping force is large.

[0027] 1, 4(D), 5(A), etc., the laminating device 50 in this embodiment is provided with a fourth sensor 44 (sheet detection sensor) that detects the polymerized sheet PJ being transported between the winding roller 20 and the third transport roller pair 6. The movement mechanism 30 is controlled based on the detection result of the fourth sensor 44 that detects the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ being transported by the third transport roller pair 6 toward the winding roller 20. More specifically, the fourth sensor 44 is disposed on the conveyance path between the winding roller 20 and the third conveyor roller pair 6. As shown in FIGS. 4(D), 5(A), and the like, when the polymerized sheet PJ is conveyed in the reverse direction toward the winding roller 20 by the third conveyor roller pair 6, with the gripped portion B at the front, the fourth sensor 44 detects the leading edge (the leading edge during reverse conveyance). The timing of this detection triggers adjustment and control of the timing at which the polymerized sheet PJ is stopped at the gripping position and the timing at which the gripping member 32 grips the gripped portion B. Specifically, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the fourth sensor 44 detected the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ, the reverse conveyance of the polymerized sheet PJ by the third conveyor roller pair 6 is stopped, and the cam 34 is rotated to rotate the arm member 31 (movement 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 performing such control, the operation of sandwiching the polymerized sheet PJ between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b can be performed with high precision without the end face of the polymerized sheet PJ hitting any member.

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

[0029] Also, referring to Figures 6(A) to (C), Figure 11, Figures 12(A) to (E), Figure 15, etc., the peeling claw 16 as a peeling member is a claw-shaped member that moves from a standby position shown in Figure 12(A) and is inserted into the gap C formed between two sheets P1 and P2 at a predetermined position with respect to the polymerized sheet PJ. More specifically, the peeling claw 16 is inserted from a standby position at the widthwise end into the gap C formed between the two sheets P1 and P2 between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6, with the polymerized sheet PJ being wrapped around from the other end side (the side of the gripped portion B) by the winding roller 20 and having one end side (the side of the joint A) clamped by the third conveying roller pair 6 (conveying roller pair).

[0030] More specifically, in this embodiment, the peeling claws 16 are a pair of peeling claws arranged at both ends in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 6, and the left-right direction in FIGS. 11 and 15). As shown in FIG. 12, the peeling claws 16 are formed so that their length in the up-down direction (the thickness direction of the polymerized sheet PJ) gradually increases from their leading ends on the center side in the width direction to their trailing ends on the outside in the width direction. Furthermore, the peeling claws 16 are configured to be movable in the width direction by a movement mechanism 76 (see FIG. 15) controlled by the control unit. The peeling claw 16 configured in this manner normally waits at a standby position (a position on the outer side in the width direction of the sheet P, as shown in FIG. 12(A)) where it does not interfere with the transport of sheets such as the polymerized sheet PJ on the third transport path K3. When separating the polymerized sheet PJ (two sheets P1, P2), the peeling claw 16 enters the gap C in the polymerized sheet PJ to secure the gap C, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12(B), etc.

[0031] 15, a movement mechanism 76 that moves each of the pair of peeling claws 16 in the width direction is composed of a motor 77, a gear pulley 78, a pulley 79, a timing belt 80, etc. The gear pulley 78 is formed in a stepped configuration with a gear that meshes with a motor gear mounted on the motor shaft of the motor 77 and a pulley that, together with the pulley 79, stretches and supports the timing belt 80. Of the pair of peeling claws 16, the fixed portion 16a of one peeling claw 16 is fixed to a portion of one belt surface of the timing belt 80 (the upper belt surface in FIG. 15), and the fixed portion 16a of the other peeling claw 16 is fixed to a portion of the other belt surface of the timing belt 80 (the lower belt surface in FIG. 15). When the motor shaft of the motor 77 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 15 (clockwise) by the moving mechanism 76 configured in this manner, the gear pulley 78 is rotated counterclockwise, the timing belt 80 is rotated counterclockwise, and the pair of peeling claws 16 moves from the outer side in the width direction toward the center in the width direction (the pair of peeling claws 16 move toward each other). On the other hand, when the motor shaft of the motor 77 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction to the direction of the arrow in Fig. 15, the pair of peeling claws 16 moves from the center in the width direction toward the outer side in the width direction (the pair of peeling claws 16 move away from each other).

[0032] This peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C with respect to the polymerized sheet PJ and moves relatively from one end side (the side of the joint A) to the other end side B (the side of the gripped portion B), and then moves widthwise between the two sheets P1 and P2 at the end of the other end side of the polymerized sheet PJ. More specifically, under control of the moving mechanism 76 (see FIG. 15) by the control unit, the pair of peeling claws 16, while inserted into both widthwise ends of the gap C with respect to the polymerized sheet PJ, move relatively toward the other end until the end on the other end side passes 16a, as shown in FIGS. 12(B) and (C), and then move from both widthwise ends to the widthwise center between the two sheets P1 and P2 at the other end side of the polymerized sheet PJ, as shown in FIG. 12(D). To enable such operation of the pair of peeling claws 16, the moving mechanism 76 is configured to allow the pair of peeling claws 16 to move from a standby position to a position where they are close to each other.

[0033] This mechanism for peeling the polymerized sheet PJ by winding with the winding roller 20 and inserting the peeling claw 16 allows the device to be made smaller than a mechanism for peeling that uses a large-scale device such as a vacuum. In other words, the two sheets P1 and P2 that make up the polymerized sheet PJ can be satisfactorily peeled off without increasing the size of the laminating device 50. In particular, in this embodiment, the peeling claw 16 moves across almost the entire width of the other widthwise end (rear end) of the polymerized sheet PJ, so that the other end edges of the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the polymerized sheet PJ on the opposite side of the joint A can be sufficiently peeled (separated). This reduces the likelihood of a problem such as the middle sheet PM (see FIG. 12(E)) being unable to be inserted from the other end of the polymerized sheet PJ due to the other end edges on the opposite side of the joint A not being sufficiently peeled. Furthermore, the peeling claw 16 is more likely to function as a switching member (to separately guide the two sheets P1 and P2 to the two branch conveying paths K4 and K5), as described below.

[0034] Here, in this embodiment, the peeling claw 16 as a peeling member also functions as a switching member that separately guides the two sheets P1 and P2 peeled by the peeling claw 16 to two branched conveying paths K4 and K5 that branch off in different directions. 7(C) and other figures, the two branched conveying paths K4 and K5 branch off in different directions across the third conveying path K3 between the peeling claw 16 (peeling member) and the winding roller 20. Specifically, the first branched conveying path K4 is formed so as to branch off upward from the third conveying path K3, and the second branched conveying path K5 is formed so as to branch off downward from the third conveying path K3. 7(A) to 7(C), after the peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C, the third conveying roller pair 6 conveys the polymerized sheet PJ toward one end (the left side in FIG. 7) so that the other end of the polymerized sheet PJ is released from the winding roller 20 (see FIGS. 12(A) to 12(C)). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12(D), the peeling claw 16 is moved to the center in the width direction, and then, while maintaining this state, the third conveying roller pair 6 conveys the polymerized sheet PJ again toward the other end (the right side in FIG. 7). The two sheets P1 and P2 peeled by the peeling claw 16 are guided separately to two branched conveying paths K4 and K5 by the peeling claw 16. That is, 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. Then, as shown in Figures 8(A) to (C) and Figure 12(E), the peeling claw 16 is moved to a standby position, and the middle sheet PM is transported toward one end of the third transport path K3 so that the middle sheet PM is inserted between the two peeled sheets P1 and P2.

[0035] Thus, the peeling claw 16 in this embodiment functions as a peeling member that peels (separates) the non-jointed portions of the two sheets P1 and P2 that make up the polymerized sheet PJ, and also functions as a switching member that guides the two peeled sheets P1 and P2 separately to the two branched conveying paths K4 and K5. Therefore, the laminating device 50 can be made smaller and less expensive than when a peeling member and a switching member are provided separately. In other words, the two sheets P1 and P2 that make up the polymerized sheet JP can be efficiently and effectively peeled off. The seventh sensor 47 optically detects whether the peeled first sheet P1 has been normally transported to the first branched transport path K4, and the eighth sensor 48 optically detects whether the peeled second sheet P2 has been normally transported to the second branched transport path K5. In this embodiment, the peeling claw 16 is configured to function as both a peeling member and a switching member, but it is also possible to install a member that functions as a switching member separately from the peeling claw 16 that functions as a peeling member.

[0036] Here, referring to Figures 6(A), (C), etc., the first guide member 25 functions as a limiting member that limits the amount of slack (deflection) of the first sheet P1 of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ, which is wound on the inner side of the winding roller 20, between the peeling claw 16 and the winding roller 20 in the third conveying path K3. Specifically, the first guide member 25, which serves as a restricting member, is a transport guide member arranged on the side of the third transport path where the winding roller 20 is located (above the imaginary plane S1) with respect to an imaginary plane S1 (a virtual plane passing through the winding start position W of the winding roller 20 and the nip of the third transport roller pair 6, see FIG. 6A). The first guide member 25 is formed in a substantially triangular prism shape so as to cover part of the outer periphery of the winding roller 20 at a predetermined interval along 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. That is, the first guide member 25 guides the sheet transported on the third transport path K3, the sheet transported on the first branch transport path K4, and the sheet wrapped around the winding roller 20. In particular, in the third conveyance path K3, the upward bending of the polymerized sheet PJ (particularly, the upward bending of the first sheet P1) between the winding roller 20 and the third conveyance roller pair 6 is restricted by the first guide member 25, 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 conveyance roller pair 6. Therefore, the size of the gap C can be increased without increasing the amount of the polymerized sheet PJ wound around the winding roller 20, and the peeling claw 16 can be inserted into the gap C to smoothly peel off the polymerized sheet PJ.

[0037] Also, referring to Figures 6(A), (C), etc., the second guide member 26 functions as a guide member that guides the second sheet P2 of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ, which is wrapped around the outside of the winding roller 20, between the peeling claw 16 and the winding roller 20 in the third conveying path K3. More specifically, the second guide member 26 as a guide member is a transport guide member arranged on the side of the third transport path K3 where the winding roller 20 is not arranged with respect to the imaginary plane S1 (see FIG. 6A) (below the imaginary plane S1). The second guide member 26 is arranged to face the underside of the sheet from the vicinity of the upstream side of the second transport roller pair 5 to the vicinity of the downstream side of the third transport roller pair 6. That is, the second guide member 26 guides the sheet transported along the third transport path K3. In particular, in the third conveying path K3, the distance between the first guide member 25 and the second guide member 26 between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6 is set to a value that allows a sheet of the maximum sheet thickness to be conveyed, and the distance between the sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ is restricted so as not to become too large between the first guide member 25 and the second guide member 26, so that gaps C (particularly the upward bending of the first sheet P1) in the polymerized sheet PJ are formed in a concentrated manner. Therefore, the peeling claw 16 can be inserted into the gaps C to peel the polymerized sheet PJ without any problems.

[0038] 6 and other figures, the sixth sensor 46 (abnormality detection sensor) functions as an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormal state in which a gap C exceeding a predetermined distance is not formed between the two sheets P1, P2 at a predetermined position (between the third conveying roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20) before the peeling claw 16 moves from the standby position (movement from the standby position shown in FIG. 15 to the peeling position shown in FIGS. 11 and 12(A)). In other words, the sixth sensor 46 as an abnormality detection means detects an abnormal state in which a gap C exceeding a predetermined distance is not formed between the two sheets P1, P2 at a predetermined position before the peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C. In other words, the sixth sensor 46 as an abnormality detection means detects as an abnormal state a state in which no gap C is formed at all or a state in which a gap C of sufficient size is not formed at the timing when a gap C should be formed between two sheets P1 and P2, as shown in Figures 5(D) and 6(A). In this embodiment, when the sixth sensor 46 (abnormality detection means) detects an abnormal condition, a notification is issued that an abnormal condition has occurred. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation display panel 49 (operation display unit) is provided on the exterior of the laminating device 50 to display various information about the laminating device 50 and to input various commands. When the sixth sensor 46 detects that a sufficient gap C has not been formed in the polymerized sheet PJ, a message indicating that an abnormality has been detected is displayed on the operation display panel 49. Such a message may be, for example, "An abnormality has occurred, so the process of inserting the middle sheet will be stopped. Please check the orientation of the polymerized sheet in the unit feed tray. If the orientation is correct and the same abnormality persists, please contact a service technician." Such a sixth sensor 46 (abnormality detection means) may be a lever-type sensor that comes into contact with the polymerized sheet PJ (the upper first sheet P1) in which the gap C exceeding the predetermined distance is formed.

[0039] Referring to Figures 9 and 10, in the lamination processing device 50 of this embodiment, when laminating multiple polymerized sheets PJ, while laminating a preceding polymerized sheet PJ in the lamination processing unit 51, at least a peeling process, either a peeling process or an insertion process, is performed on a succeeding polymerized sheet PJ in the sheet peeling unit 1. That is, in this embodiment, when laminating a plurality of polymerized sheets PJ consecutively (hereinafter referred to as "continuous laminating"), the peeling process for the subsequent polymerized sheet PJ2 is not started after the laminating process for the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1 is completely completed, but the peeling process for the subsequent polymerized sheet PJ2 is started while the laminating process for the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1 is being performed. In other words, the gap (paper gap) between the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1 and the subsequent polymerized sheet PJ2 is narrowed to perform the continuous laminating process. Therefore, the time required to complete the lamination process (series of jobs) for multiple polymerized sheets PJ is shortened, improving the productivity of the device.

[0040] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 9(C), (D), and 10(A), during continuous lamination processing, when the sheet peeling section 1 performs peeling processing on the following polymer sheet PJ2, the switching claw 17 (switching means) is controlled to enter the second state (a state in which the fourth conveying path K6 is closed and the retreating conveying path K7 is opened). That is, when the sheet peeling unit 1 performs peeling processing on the following superimposed sheet PJ2, the fourth transport path K6 is closed and the retreat transport path K7 is opened. This makes it possible to prevent the problem of the following polymer sheet PJ2 interfering with the preceding polymer sheet PJ1 even if the length (length in the conveying direction) of the fourth conveying path K6 is shortened (the device is made smaller) compared to when the retreat conveying path K7 is not provided and continuous lamination processing is performed using only the fourth conveying path K6. In addition, this switching control of the switching claw 17 is triggered by the timing when the fifth sensor 45, installed near the branch point between the fourth conveying path K6 and the retreating conveying path K7, detects the rear end of the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1.

[0041] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 10(A) to (C), during continuous lamination processing, after the rear end of the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1 passes through the most upstream part of the lamination processing unit 51 (the nip of the first pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a arranged on the most upstream side in the conveying direction), the leading end of the following polymerized sheet PJ2 is controlled to be fed into the most upstream part (the nip of the first pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a). Therefore, continuous lamination processing is performed with an even smaller gap (sheet gap) between the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1 and the following polymerized sheet PJ2, which shortens the time it takes to complete lamination processing for multiple polymerized sheets PJ (a series of jobs), improving the productivity of the device.

[0042] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10, the operation of the laminating device 50 when performing continuous laminating on a plurality of polymerized sheets PJ will be described. In addition, in the explanation of the operation, the operation of the peeling claw 16 will be explained using FIGS. 11 and 12 as appropriate, and the control flow will be explained using the flowcharts of FIGS. First, the polymer sheet PJ (the preceding polymer sheet PJ1) is fed from the first feed tray by the first feed roller 2 and the first conveying roller pair 4 (Figure 13: step S1), and then, as shown in Figure 4(A), it is transported in the forward direction (from right to left in Figure 4) by the second conveying roller pair 5 on the third conveying path K3, with the joint A at the front. At this time, the movement mechanism 30 is controlled so that the gripping member 32 is located at the gripping position. That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotation 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 conveyance of the sheet in the third conveying path K3. In addition, the peeling claw 16 is on standby at a standby position (the position in FIG. 12(A)) where it does not interfere with the conveyance of the sheet in the third conveying path K3. 4(B), the timing at which joint A (front end, one end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the third sensor 43 triggers the third conveyance roller pair 6 to convey the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X1 until gripped portion B (rear end, other end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ passes the position of the winding roller 20 (FIG. 13: steps S2 and S3). At this time, if this polymerized sheet PJ is the following polymerized sheet PJ2 (the second or subsequent polymerized sheet) during continuous lamination processing, the switching claw 17 (see FIG. 9) is rotated to a position that closes the fourth conveyance path K6 and opens the retreating conveyance path K7. 4(C), in this state, the conveyance of the polymerized sheet PJ by the third conveyor roller pair 6 is temporarily stopped, and the gripping member 32 is moved from the gripping position to the retracted position (FIG. 13: step S4). That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotation position where it presses the arm member 31. In this state, the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ can be received between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b. 4(D), the third conveyor roller pair 6 is rotated in the reverse direction to start conveying the superimposed sheet PJ in the reverse direction (FIG. 13: step S5). At this time, the fourth sensor 44 detects the gripped portion B (the leading edge in the reverse direction, the other end side) of the superimposed sheet PJ.

[0043] Then, as shown in Figure 5(A), the timing when the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44 triggers the third conveying roller pair 6 to convey the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X2 until the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ reaches the position of the winding roller 20 (winding start position W), and then stops (Figure 13: steps S6 and S7). Then, as shown in Fig. 5(B), in this state, the gripping member 32 is moved from the retracted position to the gripping position (Fig. 13: step S8). That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotation position where it does not press the arm member 31. In this state, as shown in Fig. 5(B'), the other end face of the polymerized sheet PJ does not abut against any member, and the gripped portion B is gripped between the gripping member 32 and the receiving portion 20b. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(C), with the polymerized sheet PJ being gripped by the gripping member 32, the winding roller 20 is rotated in the reverse direction (counterclockwise), and the third conveyor roller pair 6 is rotated again in the reverse direction. As the rotation of the winding roller 20 continues, 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. 5(D). At this time, the deflection of the polymerized sheet PJ is limited by the first and second guide members 25 and 26 near the winding roller 20. Therefore, the gap C in the polymerized sheet PJ is formed in a concentrated manner near the third conveyor roller pair 6.

[0044] In this way, the fourth sensor 44, which is arranged downstream in the reverse direction relative to the third conveying roller pair 6, detects the leading edge of the polymerized sheet PJ in the reverse direction, and that timing is used as a trigger to determine the timing for gripping the polymerized sheet PJ with the gripping member 32.Therefore, regardless of variations in sheet length relative to the required sheet conveyance amount X2 (which is an error that exists even for sheets of the same size), the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ can be transported with high precision to the desired gripping position. Furthermore, since the fourth sensor 44 detects the leading edge of the polymer sheet PJ in the reverse direction, the required sheet transport amount X2 can be shortened regardless of the sheet length, thereby reducing variation in the transport amount X2 and enabling the gripped portion B of the polymer sheet PJ to be transported to the desired gripping position with high accuracy. For this reason, it is preferable that the fourth sensor 44 be disposed in a position close to the winding roller 20.

[0045] Additionally, the mechanism by which a gap C is generated in the polymerized sheet PJ between the winding roller 20 and the third conveying roller pair 6 by winding the polymerized sheet PJ around the winding roller 20 has been explained above with reference to FIG. 5(C'). The mechanism will be further explained below. The polymerized sheet PJ being wound around the winding roller 20 is gripped by the gripping member 32, preventing sheet misalignment, causing slippage of the polymerized sheet PJ by a difference in circumferential length on the winding roller 20, and the conveyance amount of the inner sheet P1 is less than the conveyance amount of the outer sheet P2. As a result, sagging (loosening) occurs in the inner sheet P1 between the nip between the third conveying roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20. In this case, by winding the polymerized sheet PJ around the winding roller 20 one or more times, a difference in circumferential length occurs between the inner and outer peripheries by the thickness of the sheet, and similar sagging (loosening) occurs. 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. Because the radius differs by the thickness ΔR of the inner sheet P1, when the polymerized 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 polymerized sheet PJ is wound around the winding roller 20 is M, slack will occur in the inner sheet P1 by 2×ΔR×π×M. Finally, flexure (slack) accumulates between the third conveying roller pair 6 and the winding roller 20, forming a gap C between the two sheets P1 and P2 that is equivalent to 2×ΔR×π×M.

[0046] 6(A), once the amount of transport by the third transport roller pair 6 reaches a predetermined amount X3 after the winding roller 20 starts winding the polymerized sheet PJ, the transport by the third transport roller pair 6 is stopped and the winding of the polymerized sheet PJ by the winding roller 20 is also stopped (FIG. 13: step S9). In this state, the polymerized sheet PJ has been wound around the winding roller 20 one or more times, and normally, the gap C of the polymerized sheet PJ (the distance between sheets P1 and P2) is sufficiently widened. At this time, it is determined whether the sixth sensor 46 has detected that a gap C of a predetermined distance F or more has been formed in the superimposed sheet PJ (FIG. 13: step S29). As a result, if it is determined that a sufficient gap C equal to or greater than the predetermined gap F has been formed, it is assumed that there will be no problem if the peeling operation is subsequently performed by the peeling claws 16, and the peeling claws 16 are inserted into the gap C in the sufficiently spread polymerized sheet PJ as shown in Fig. 6(B) (Fig. 13: step S10). That is, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12(A), the pair of peeling claws 16 are each moved from the standby position to the peeling position. Then, as shown in Fig. 6(C), with the peeling claw 16 inserted into the gap C, the third conveying roller pair 6 starts rotating in the forward direction, and the winding roller 20 starts rotating in the forward direction (clockwise) (Fig. 13: step S11). That is, as shown in Figs. 12(A) to 12(C), the peeling claw 16 inserted into the gap C moves relative to the polymerized sheet PJ from one end side A to the other end side B. Note that in this embodiment, this relative movement is achieved by the polymerized sheet PJ itself moving in the direction of the arrow shown in Figs. 12(A) to 12(C), without changing the position of the peeling claw 16 in the conveying direction.

[0047] 13, if it is determined that an abnormality has been detected by the sixth sensor 46, that is, if a sufficient gap C equal to or greater than the predetermined gap F has not been formed in the polymerized sheet PJ, then various problems will arise if the peeling claw 16 performs the peeling operation thereafter, and the peeling claw 16 is not moved from the standby position to the peeling position. At this time, the operation display panel 49 (see FIG. 1) is notified that the peeling operation and the insertion operation of the middle sheet PM have been stopped due to the occurrence of an abnormality (FIG. 13: step S30).

[0048] Then, as shown in Fig. 7(A), after the third conveyor roller pair 6 has conveyed the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined distance X4 by forward rotation, the forward rotation of the third conveyor roller pair 6 and the forward rotation of the winding roller 20 are both stopped (Fig. 13: step S12). At this time, the gripped portion B of the polymerized sheet PJ is positioned on the third conveyor path K3 (the winding start position W shown in Fig. 5(B)) (it is in a state where it can be released from gripping). Also, as shown in Fig. 12(C), the peeling claw 16 is inserted into the gap C with respect to the polymerized sheet PJ and moves relatively toward the other end B, before stopping at the other end. Then, in this state, the gripping members 32 are moved from the gripping position to the retracted position (FIG. 13: step S13). That is, the cam 34 is moved to a rotation position where it does not press the arm member 31. In this state, the gripping of the polymerized sheet PJ by the gripping members 32 is released. In this embodiment, the cam 34 (moving mechanism 30) is moved to release the gripping of the polymerized sheet PJ by the gripping members 32. However, if the pulling force caused by the conveyance of the third conveying roller pair 6 is greater than the gripping force of the gripping members 32, the gripping of the polymerized sheet PJ by the gripping members 32 can also be released by the pulling force caused by the conveyance of the third conveying roller pair 6 without moving the cam 34 (moving mechanism 30). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the third conveyance roller pair 6 is rotated forward again to start conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in the forward direction (FIG. 13: step S14). After the gripped portion B (the trailing end in the forward direction, one end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ passes through the branch point between the third conveyance path K3 and the branch conveyance paths K4 and K5, the gripping member 32 is moved from the retracted position to the gripping position. At this time, the fourth sensor 44 detects the gripped portion B (the trailing end in the forward direction, the other end side) of the polymerized sheet PJ. The timing at which the trailing end in the forward direction of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected by the fourth sensor 44 triggers the third conveyance roller pair 6 to convey the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined distance X5 and stop, after which the peeling claw 16 is moved in the width direction as shown in FIG. 12D (FIG. 13: steps S15 and S28). As a result, as shown in Figure 7(B), the forward direction rear ends of the two sheets P1 and P2 of the polymerized sheet PJ are separated widely and open (see Figure 12(D)). At this time, peeling (separation) of the polymerized sheet PJ begins. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(C), the third conveyance roller pair 6 is rotated in the reverse direction to start conveying the superimposed sheet PJ in the reverse direction (FIG. 13: step S16). At this time, the peeling claw 16 is located at a switching position (the position shown in FIG. 12(D)) that blocks the superimposed sheet PJ from entering the third conveyance path K3, so the two peeled sheets P1 and P2 are guided to the two branched conveyance paths K4 and K5, respectively, as shown in FIG. 7(C). At this time, the fifth sensor 45 (see FIG. 1) detects the joint A (reverse rear end, one end side) of the superimposed sheet PJ. Then, the timing at which the reverse rear end of the superimposed sheet PJ is detected by the fifth sensor 45 (see FIG. 1) as a sheet detection means triggers the second feed roller 3 to start feeding the intermediate sheet PM from the second feed tray 12 (FIG. 13: steps S17 and S18). The timing for starting feeding of the intermediate sheet PM is not limited to this, and is preferably set so as to shorten the time required for the peeling process and the insertion process.

[0049] Then, as shown in FIG. 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) triggers the third conveyor roller pair 6 to convey the polymerized sheet PJ a predetermined amount X6 and then stop (FIG. 13: step S19). At this time, the joint A of the polymerized sheet PJ is located at the nip of the third conveyor roller pair 6 or slightly to the left of the nip. In other words, one end of the polymerized sheet PJ is sandwiched between the third conveyor roller pair 6. This state is the state in which the peeling operation of the polymerized sheet PJ is completed. Furthermore, before the peeling operation of the superimposed sheet PJ is completed, the middle sheet PM has already started to be fed from the second feeding tray 12. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8(A), when the peeling operation of the superimposed sheet PJ is completed, the leading edge (leading edge in the forward direction, one end side) of the middle sheet PM is close to the insertion position between the superimposed sheets PJ. Meanwhile, the leading edge (leading edge in the forward direction, one end side) of the middle sheet PM is detected by the third sensor 43. Then, the detection timing is used as a trigger to move the peeling claw 16 to the standby position at a timing that does not interfere with the middle sheet PM, as shown in FIG. 8(C) and 12(E), 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. 13: steps S20 and S21). At this time, the middle sheet PM is sandwiched accurately at the desired position between the two sheets P1 and P2. In this way, the step of inserting the intermediate sheet PM between the two sheets P1 and P2 of the superimposed sheet PJ (insertion process) is completed (FIG. 13: step S22).

[0050] At this time, as shown in Fig. 9(A), the fourth transport path K6 is opened by the switching claw 17 (see Fig. 1) (Fig. 13: step S23). Then, the superimposed sheet PJ (the object into which the intermediate sheet PM has been inserted after peeling) is conveyed by the third conveying roller pair 6 through the fourth transport path K6 to the laminating processing unit 51. 9(B), the laminating unit 51 starts laminating the polymerized sheet PJ (the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1) (FIG. 14: step S31). That is, while the polymerized sheet PJ1 is being transported through the laminating unit 51, the entire area is gradually bonded with the intermediate sheet PM inserted inside. At this time, the following polymerized sheet PJ2 (before peeling) is being transported from the first feeding tray 11 to the sheet peeling unit 1 so as not to interfere with the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1. As shown in FIG. 9C, the peeling process for the following superimposed sheet PJ2 is initiated when the trailing end (rear end in the forward direction, the other end) of the preceding superimposed sheet PJ1 is detected by the fifth sensor 45 and the preceding superimposed sheet PJ1 is conveyed a predetermined distance X8 (FIG. 14: steps S32 and S33). This occurs when the trailing end of the preceding superimposed sheet PJ1 passes through the branching point between the fourth conveying path K6 and the evacuation conveying path K7. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9C, the switching claw 17 closes the fourth conveying path K6 and opens the evacuation conveying path K7. The following superimposed sheet PJ2 is then guided to the evacuation conveying path K7 by the third conveying roller pair 6 and the second discharge roller pair 8, which rotate in the directions of the arrows in FIG. 9C, and conveyed to the second discharge tray 55 (the evacuation section). At this time, the rear end (gripped portion B) of the trailing polymerized sheet PJ2 does not need to be located upstream of the winding start position W of the winding roller 20 (see Figure 5 (B)), and the part of the trailing polymerized sheet PJ2 protruding upstream of the third conveying roller pair 6 will be temporarily purged into the evacuation conveying path K7. If the polymerized sheet PJ (with the middle sheet PM inserted) jams (conveyance stops) in the laminating unit 51, this state will be detected by jam detection sensors 61 and 62 serving as detection means.

[0051] 9C, the winding roller 20, the third conveying roller pair 6, and the second discharge roller pair 8 rotate in the directions of the arrows, thereby winding the following polymerized sheet PJ2 around the winding roller 20. 10(A), the two sheets P1 and P2 constituting the following superimposed sheet PJ2 are peeled (separated), and feeding of the middle sheet PM (the middle sheet PM to be inserted into the superimposed sheet PJ2) from the second feeding tray 12 begins. This series of peeling and insertion processes is the same as that for the preceding superimposed sheet PJ1 (as previously described using FIGS. 4 to 8, etc.). 10(B), the timing at which the trailing edge of the leading polymerized sheet PJ1 leaves the nip (upstreammost portion) of the first pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a triggers the conveyance of the trailing polymerized sheet PJ2 (with the intermediate sheet PM inserted) toward the laminating unit 51 (FIG. 14: steps S34 and S35). At this time, the switching claw 17 rotates to a position that opens the fourth conveying path K6 and closes the retreating conveying path K7. Note that in this embodiment, the timing at which the trailing edge of the leading polymerized sheet PJ1 leaves the nip of the first pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a is determined based on the timing at which the fifth sensor 45 detects the trailing edge. However, this timing can also be determined based on the rotation time of the first pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a, or by directly detecting the sheet trailing edge using a sheet detection sensor installed near the first pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a. 10(C), the laminating unit 51 starts laminating the following superimposed sheet PJ2 (FIG. 14: step S36). The preceding superimposed sheet PJ1 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.

[0052] Thereafter, it is determined whether there is a next superimposed sheet (which is a further superimposed sheet) following the succeeding superimposed sheet PJ2 (FIG. 14: step S37), and if there is a next superimposed sheet, the control flow of steps S32 to S37 is repeated. On the other hand, if there is no next polymerized sheet in step S37, when the lamination process for the following polymerized sheet PJ2 is completed (FIG. 14: step S38), that polymerized sheet PJ2 is discharged onto the discharge tray 13 and this flow ends. In this manner, the laminating device 50 of the present embodiment performs a series of operations: feeding the polymerized sheet PJ, 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. Furthermore, when these processes are performed consecutively on multiple polymerized sheets PJ, the peeling process is performed on the following polymerized sheet PJ2 while the laminating process is being performed on the preceding polymerized sheet PJ1, thereby improving productivity.

[0053] Now, referring to Figures 1, 9, 10, etc., the laminating device 50 in this embodiment is provided with jam detection sensors 61 and 62 as detection means for detecting a state in which the polymerized sheet PJ has stopped being conveyed (jammed) in the laminating processing section 51. In detail, the jam detection sensors 61 and 62 as detection means are sensors (reflective photosensors) that optically detect the presence or absence of the polymer sheet JP on at least one of the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction (the direction of the arrow in Figure 9(A)) relative to the lamination processing unit 51. In particular, in this embodiment, a first jam detection sensor 61 is installed on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the laminating unit 51, and a second jam detection sensor 62 is installed on the downstream side in the conveying direction. This allows for higher jam detection accuracy compared to installing jam detection sensors only on the upstream side in the conveying direction or only on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the laminating unit 51. However, even when the jam detection sensor 61 is installed only on the upstream side in the conveying direction or the jam detection sensor 62 is installed only on the downstream side in the conveying direction, if the jam detection accuracy is acceptable, it is also possible to install only one jam detection sensor in this way, thereby reducing the cost of the device.

[0054] Here, possible modes of jamming (transport stop) of the polymerized sheet PJ (with the middle sheet PM inserted) in the laminating processing section 51 include when the leading edge of the sheet gets caught on the pair of discharge rollers 7 downstream of the laminating processing section 51 as shown in Figure 16(A), when the leading edge of the sheet gets caught on the pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a of the laminating processing section 51 as shown in Figure 16(B), or when the leading edge of the sheet gets wrapped around the pair of heat and pressure rollers 51a of the laminating processing section 51 as shown in Figure 16(C). 16(A) is detected by the second jam detection sensor 62, and jams as shown in Figures 16(B) and (C) are detected by the first jam detection sensor 61. In either case, when the jam detection sensor cannot detect the passage of the trailing edge of the sheet even after a predetermined time (the value obtained by dividing the length of the laminated sheet PJ in the conveying direction by the conveying speed plus a margin) has elapsed since it detected the leading edge of the sheet (when the sensor output does not turn off even after a predetermined time has elapsed since it turned on), it is determined that a jam has occurred (a jam is detected).

[0055] In this embodiment, when the jam detection sensors 61, 62 (detection means) detect that the polymer sheet PJ has stopped being transported (jammed) in the laminating processing unit 51, an alert is issued to prompt cleaning of the laminating processing unit 51. More specifically, when a jam is detected by the jam detection sensors 61, 62, the device immediately stops operating, and the operation display panel 49 displays a message such as, "A jam has occurred at the location where the red lamp in the illustration is lit. Please follow the following procedure to immediately remove the jammed sheet, and then perform cleaning." The user then follows the display on the operation display panel 49 to remove the jammed polymerized sheet PJ (after clearing the jam), and then cleans the laminating unit 51.

[0056] In this manner, in the present embodiment, when a jam of the polymerized sheet PJ is detected in the laminating unit 51, a notification is issued to prompt cleaning of the laminating unit 51, thereby reducing the problem of the laminating device 50 operating in this state even if foreign matter such as glue from the polymerized sheet PJ adheres to the laminating unit 51 (pairs of heat and pressure rollers 51a to 51c). As a result, problems such as the polymerized sheet PJ not being transported properly in the laminating unit 51 (transport failure) or the laminating process not being performed properly (laminating failure) are less likely to occur. In this embodiment, cleaning of the lamination processing unit 51 is performed by the user, but since the above-mentioned notification is expected to allow jam processing to be performed immediately after a jam occurs, it does not become a large-scale or time-consuming process. In this embodiment, it is also preferable to provide a cleaning tool to assist the user in cleaning the device. Such a cleaning tool may be, for example, a rod-shaped member with a rag that matches the shape of the laminating unit 51 and that the user can move back and forth from the operating side.

[0057] As previously explained using Figure 1 etc., the laminating device 50 in this embodiment is provided with one or more sheet detection sensors (in this embodiment, eight sheet detection sensors (first to eighth sensors 41 to 48)) that detect the presence or absence of the polymerized sheet PJ (or intermediate sheet PM) in the conveying paths K1 to K7 along which the polymerized sheet PJ (or intermediate sheet PM) is conveyed, and these are located upstream in the conveying direction from the jam detection sensors 61 and 62 as detection means (sensors). When the state where the laminated sheet PJ (or the middle sheet PM) is conveyed at the positions of the first to eighth sensors 41 to 48 (sheet detection sensors) is detected by the first to eighth sensors 41 to 48 (sheet detection sensors) (this is the case where no jam is detected and the normal conveyance state is detected), and when the state where the laminated sheet PJ (in which the middle sheet PM is inserted) is conveyed at the positions of the jam detection sensors 61 and 62 at a predetermined timing is not detected by the jam detection sensors 61 and 62, the control unit determines that the laminated sheet PJ has stopped being conveyed (jammed) in the lamination processing unit 51. That is, it is possible to distinguish between a jam that occurs in the lamination processing unit 51 and a jam that occurs at other positions. And when it is determined that it is a jam that has occurred in the lamination processing unit 51 (when it is determined that the laminated sheet PJ that should be normally conveyed in the lamination processing unit 51 has not been normally conveyed), a notification prompting cleaning of the lamination processing unit 51 will be given. By controlling in this way, it is possible to prevent the problem of giving a notification prompting cleaning of the lamination processing unit 51 when a jam occurs at a position different from the lamination processing unit 51. In the present specification and the like, the "state where the laminated sheet has stopped being conveyed in the lamination processing unit" is not limited to the jam that occurs during normal sheet conveyance exemplified in FIGS. 16(A) to (C) above. For example, during sheet conveyance, it also includes jams caused by the main power supply of the device being forcibly turned off, the main body door being opened, or a failure of the device occurring. Therefore, the control unit determines whether any abnormality has occurred in the device, and when it can be specified that the abnormality is in the lamination processing unit 51, a notification prompting cleaning of the lamination processing unit 51 will be given.

[0058] Here, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned notification (a display urging cleaning of the lamination processing unit 51) can be made after the jam detection sensors 61, 62 (detection means) detect that the polymer sheet PJ, whose transport has stopped, has been removed (the jam has been cleared). That is, unless it is confirmed that the jammed sheet has been removed from the laminating unit 51, the display urging the user to clean the laminating unit 51 will not be displayed. This is because unless the polymerized sheet PJ (jammed paper), which is the fundamental cause of soiling the laminating unit 51, is removed, no matter how much the laminating unit 51 is cleaned, it is of little use. From this perspective, if a message prompting the user to perform cleaning after clearing the jam is displayed immediately after the occurrence of the jam, the message is considered to be an appropriate message. Whether or not the jam has been cleared is grasped (detected) by a change in output of the jam detection sensors 61 and 62 that have detected the jam (or the presence or absence of a flag).

[0059] In this embodiment, the jam detection sensors 61, 62 (detection means) also detect a jam in the laminating processing unit 51 when a user attempts to clear a jammed sheet (such as a polymerized sheet PJ or an intermediate sheet PM) at a position other than the laminating processing unit 51, and the jammed sheet ends up being sent to the laminating processing unit 51 due to an incorrect operation (for example, operating a manual knob to send the sheet to a position where it can be processed).

[0060] An example of control when the polymerized sheet PJ jams in the laminating unit 51 will be described below with reference to FIG. 17, when a jam occurs in the laminating device 50, it is first determined whether the location where the jam occurred is the laminating section 51 (steps S41 and S42). As a result, if it is determined that the jam location is not the laminating section 51, a display prompting the user to clear the jam at that location is displayed on the operation display panel 49 (step S43). Then, after the jam clearance is completed (step S44), this flow ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S42 that the jam location is in the laminating unit 51, a display urging the user to clear the jam in the laminating unit 51 is displayed on the operation display panel 49 (step S45). After the jam has been cleared (step S46), a display urging the user to clean (clean) the laminating unit 51 is displayed on the operation display panel 49 (step S47), and this flow ends.

[0061] <Variation 1> Referring to Figure 18, in the laminating device 50 of variant example 1, when the jam detection sensors 61, 62 (detection means) detect that the polymer sheet PJ has stopped being transported (jammed) in the laminating processing section 51, a control mode (hereinafter referred to as "cleaning mode") is executed to clean the laminating processing section 51. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, first, when a jam occurs in the laminating device 50, the flow of steps S41 to S46 is carried out in the same manner as in FIG. Then, when it is determined in step S46 that jam processing in lamination processing unit 51 has been completed, cleaning mode (control mode) is executed, and a display prompting the user to perform cleaning processing (a display indicating that cleaning mode will be executed) is displayed on operation display panel 49 (step S50). After the cleaning mode is completed (step S51), this flow ends. In addition, as shown in Figure 19 (A), the cleaning mode can be a control mode in which the cleaning roller 70, which can be attached to and detached from the heat and pressure roller pair 51a to 51c, is moved from a retracted position (position shown by the dashed line) to an abutting position (position shown by the solid line), and the heat and pressure roller pair 51a to 51c is idle-driven (a control mode that does not involve sheet transport). In addition, as a cleaning mode, as shown in Figure 19 (B), a control mode can be set in which a medium sheet PM is fed from the second feed tray 12 as a cleaning sheet and discharged to the discharge tray 13 via the lamination processing unit 51 (a control mode that does not involve transporting the polymerized sheet PJ or peeling / inserting processing). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the intensity of the cleaning process in the cleaning mode (for example, the time required for the cleaning mode) can be varied depending on the length of time (the time required for jam clearance) from when a jam is detected by the jam detection sensors 61, 62 until the end of jam clearance is detected. Specifically, if the time required for jam clearance is long, the lamination unit 51 will be considered to be more soiled than if the time required for jam clearance is short, and the intensity of the cleaning process will be increased.

[0062] <Variation 2> As shown in FIG. 20, the laminating device 50 in the second modification has a first feeding tray 11 on which the polymerized sheets PJ are stacked and a second feeding tray 12 on which the medium sheets PM are stacked, which are arranged in a vertical direction. The two branched transport paths K4 and K5 are formed in a substantially S-shape so as to spread out in different directions, left and right in FIG. 20, from the branching portion. The laminating device 50 in the second modified example also issues a notification urging cleaning of the laminating unit 51 when a jam is detected in the laminating unit 51 (or executes the cleaning mode). As a result, even after the polymerized sheet PJ has jammed in the laminating unit 51, problems with the transport of the polymerized sheet PJ and problems with the laminating process are less likely to occur.

[0063] <Variation 3> 21, the image forming apparatus 100 as the third modification has the laminating device 50 shown in FIG. 1 installed in the image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on a sheet P. However, in this image forming apparatus 100, the sheet P fed and transported by the feeding roller 197 from the feeding device 112 installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 is transported to the laminating device 50 as a medium sheet PM. 21, 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 transport rollers 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 reading device 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 onto the photosensitive drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K for each color, thereby carrying out an exposure process. Then, a charging process, an exposure process, and a development process are performed on the photosensitive drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K of the image forming units 104Y, 104M, 104C, and 104K, respectively, and desired images are formed on the photosensitive drums 105Y, 105M, 105C, and 105K, respectively. Thereafter, the images formed on the photosensitive 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, at a position facing the secondary transfer roller 189, onto a sheet P (which will become the middle sheet PM) that is fed and conveyed by a feed roller 197 from the feed device 112 as the second feeding means. Thereafter, the sheet P (intermediate sheet PM) onto which the color image has been transferred is transported to the position of the fixing device 120. Then, the color image transferred onto the surface is fixed onto the sheet P (fixing process). The fixing device 120 is made up of a fixing roller 121 having a fixing heater 123 installed therein as a fixing heating means, a pressure roller 122 that is in pressure contact with the fixing roller 121 to form a fixing nip through which the sheet P is transported, and the like. Thereafter, the sheet P is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 100 by the pair of discharge rollers 131 and fed as the intermediate sheet PM into the laminating device 50. At this time, the laminating device 50 has already completed the process described above with reference to Figures 4 to 7 (the peeling process for peeling off the polymerized sheet PJ), and after the intermediate sheet PM is inserted into the laminating device 50, the process described with reference to Figure 8 (the process for inserting the intermediate sheet PM into the polymerized sheet PJ) is performed. Furthermore, after the laminating process is performed in the laminating unit 51 on the polymerized sheet PM with the intermediate sheet PM inserted, the polymerized sheet PJ is discharged out of the apparatus by the pair of discharge rollers 8 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 the image has been formed are completed. In the image forming apparatus 100 configured as above, when a jam is detected in the laminating unit 51, a notification is issued to prompt cleaning of the laminating unit 51 (or the cleaning mode is executed). As a result, even after the polymerized sheet PJ has jammed in the laminating unit 51, problems with the transport of the polymerized sheet PJ and problems with the laminating process are less likely to occur. In Modification 3, the present invention is applied to a color image forming apparatus 100, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus. Also, in Modification 3, 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.).

[0064] <Variation 4> 22, in an image forming system 200 as Modification 4, a laminating device 50 having a sheet peeling unit 1 and a laminating unit 51 is detachably installed in an image forming apparatus 100 having an image forming unit 101. Also in Modification 4, a sheet P fed and conveyed by a feeding roller 197 from a feeding device 112 installed in the image forming apparatus 100 is conveyed to the laminating device 50 as a medium sheet PM. Referring to Figure 22, in the image forming system 200, after the image forming process previously described using Figure 21, 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 laminating processing device 50, and then inserted into the polymer sheet PJ in the same manner, after which the laminating process is performed, and then discharged by the discharge roller pair 7 and placed on the discharge tray 13. In the image forming system 200 configured in this manner, when a jam is detected in the lamination processing section 51 of the lamination processing device 50, an alert is issued to prompt cleaning of the lamination processing section 51 (or a cleaning mode is executed). As a result, even after the polymerized sheet PJ has jammed in the laminating unit 51, problems with the transport of the polymerized sheet PJ and problems with the laminating process are less likely to occur. In addition, if lamination processing is not performed, in the image forming system 200, the sheet P on which an image has been formed through the image forming process is discharged outside the image forming apparatus 100 from the second discharge roller pair 132 and placed on the second discharge tray 150. Here, the laminating device 50 is detachably installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100, and when the laminating device 50 is no longer needed, it can be removed from the image forming apparatus 100. When the laminating device 50 is removed in this manner, the placement surface 149 on which the laminating 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.

[0065] In the image forming system 200 in the fourth modification, the lamination device 50 is detachably installed in the space formed below the document transport device 110 in the image forming device 100. 23(A), a laminating device 50 may be detachably installed on the side of the image forming apparatus 100 (the side where the sheet P after image formation is discharged). In this case, the laminating device 50 may have a first feed tray 11 on which the polymerized sheet PJ is stacked located at the top, and a sheet peeling section 1 (winding roller 20), a laminating section 51, and a discharge tray 13 arranged in this order from top to bottom. The laminating device 50 may also have a conveying path (pairs of conveying rollers 58 and 59) for discharging the sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 without laminating it, separate from a conveying path for guiding the intermediate sheet PM discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 to the sheet peeling section 1 (winding roller 20). The laminating section 51 may also have a single pair of heat and pressure rollers. Also, a relay device 300 can be installed to guide the sheet P (including the sheet that will become the medium sheet PM) discharged from the image forming device 100 to the laminating device 50. In this case, the relay device 300 can be configured to feed the medium sheet PM. In addition, as shown in the image forming system 200 in Figure 23 (B), a post-processing device 400 can be installed to perform post-processing such as punching and stapling on the sheet P (which has not been laminated) that has passed through the laminating device 50 and been discharged from the image forming device 100.

[0066] As described above, the laminating device 50 in this embodiment is provided with a laminating unit 51 that applies heat and pressure to a polymerized sheet PJ, which is formed by overlapping two sheets P1 and P2 and partially joining them at joint A, while conveying the polymerized sheet PJ in a predetermined conveyance direction to perform laminating processing. The laminating unit 51 is also provided with jam detection sensors 61 and 62 (detection means) that detect when conveyance of the polymerized sheet PJ has stopped. When the jam detection sensors 61 and 62 detect that conveyance of the polymerized sheet PJ has stopped in the laminating unit 51, a notification is issued to prompt cleaning of the laminating unit 51. As a result, even after the transport of the polymerized sheet PJ has stopped in the laminating unit 51, transport failure of the polymerized sheet PJ and laminating processing failure are less likely to occur.

[0067] It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and it is clear that the present embodiment can be appropriately modified 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 the number, position, shape, etc. of the components can be any number, position, shape, etc. that is suitable for implementing the present invention.

[0068] In this specification, the "end face" of a polymer sheet is defined as a surface (side face) in the thickness direction that connects the front and back surfaces of the polymer sheet. Therefore, a rectangular polymer sheet has four end faces, front, back, left and right. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1 sheet peeling part, 11 First feed tray, 12 Second feed tray, 13. Output tray, 20 winding roller, 41 to 48 sensors (sheet detection sensors), 50 lamination processing equipment, 51 lamination processing section (fixing section), 51a to 51c: a pair of heat and pressure rollers; 61, 62 jam detection sensor (detection means, sensor), 70 cleaning roller (cleaning member), 100 Image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus main body), 200 Image forming system, 400 aftertreatment device, P, P1, P2 seats, PM medium sheet, PJ polymerized sheet, A joint. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0070] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-160429 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-183921

Claims

1. a lamination processing section that applies heat and pressure to a polymerized sheet formed by overlapping two sheets and joining a portion of the polymerized sheet together while conveying the polymerized sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction; a detection means for detecting a state in which the transport of the polymerized sheet has stopped in the lamination processing section; Equipped with When the detecting means detects that the polymerized sheet has stopped being conveyed in the laminating section, a warning is given to prompt cleaning of the laminating section.

2. A lamination processing unit that applies heat and pressure to a polymerized sheet formed by overlapping two sheets and joining a portion of the sheet together while conveying the polymerized sheet in a predetermined conveying direction, and laminating the polymerized sheet; a detection means for detecting a state in which the transport of the polymerized sheet has stopped in the lamination processing section; Equipped with A lamination processing device characterized in that when the detection means detects that the polymerized sheet has stopped being transported in the lamination processing unit, a notification is issued that a control mode for cleaning the lamination processing unit will be executed, and the control mode is executed.

3. 3. The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means is a sensor that detects the presence or absence of the polymerized sheet on at least one of the upstream side and downstream side of the laminating section in the transport direction.

4. one or more sheet detection sensors for detecting the presence or absence of the polymerized sheet in a conveying path along which the polymerized sheet is conveyed are provided upstream of the sensors in the conveying direction; 4. The lamination processing device according to claim 3, wherein when the sheet detection sensor detects that the polymerized sheet has been transported at the position of the sheet detection sensor, but the sensor does not detect that the polymerized sheet has been transported to the position of the sensor at a predetermined timing, it is determined that the transport of the polymerized sheet has stopped in the lamination processing unit.

5. 5. The lamination processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification is given after the detecting means detects that the polymerized sheet whose transport has stopped has been removed.

6. a sheet peeling unit that performs a peeling process to peel off the non-bonded portions of the polymerized sheets and an insertion process to insert an intermediate sheet between the two sheets in a peeled state; 6. The lamination processing device according to claim 1, wherein the lamination processing section performs lamination processing on the polymerized sheet after the peeling processing and the insertion processing have been performed by the sheet peeling section.

7. The lamination processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, an image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on a sheet; An image forming apparatus comprising:

8. 7. An image forming system, comprising: the laminating device according to claim 1; and an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, the image forming apparatus being detachably installed in the image forming apparatus.

Images