Staple removal device

Abstract

To provide a staple removal device which can remove a staple from a paper bundle, regardless of the types of the paper bundle and the staple.SOLUTION: A staple removal device 1 is for removing a staple from a paper bundle bound by the staple, and includes a support part including a mounting surface where the paper bundle can be mounted, an insertion part which is configured to be capable of being inserted between the paper bundle and the staple in a state where the paper bundle is supported by the support part and can remove the staple from the paper bundle by insertion, and a control part 50 for controlling operation of the insertion part. The control part 50 reciprocates the insertion part between the paper bundle and the staple a plurality of times, in a process of removing the staple from the paper bundle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a staple remover. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, a technology related to a staple remover that automatically removes staples from a bundle of sheets bound by staples has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This staple remover is a device that removes staples from a bundle of sheets by inserting a removal portion (plate-shaped member) having a wedge-shaped tip between the bundle of sheets and the staple. [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2021-24017 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] However, with conventional staple removers, for example, when the bundle of sheets is thick, the resistance when pulling the staple out of the bundle of sheets increases, so there have been cases where the staple can only be pulled partway out of the bundle of sheets in a single forward (insertion) movement of the removal portion. Such a problem may also occur when each sheet has high rigidity or depending on the type of staple (wire diameter, material, etc.).

[0005] In view of the above, the present disclosure provides a staple remover capable of removing staples from a bundle of sheets even when the bundle of sheets is thick. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0006] A staple removal device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a staple removal device for removing staples from a stack of papers bound together by staples, comprising a support portion including a mounting surface on which the stack of papers can be placed, It has a wedge plate that becomes thicker from the tip to the rear, With the paper stack supported by the support portion, the system includes an insertion portion configured to be insertable between the paper stack and the staple, and capable of removing the staple from the paper stack by insertion, and a control unit that controls the operation of the insertion portion, wherein the control unit controls the process of removing the staple from the paper stack. If the insertion operation of the insertion part stops, The aforementioned insertion part multiple Move it back and forth several times. Perform retry control .

[0007] A staple removal device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a staple removal device for removing staples from a stack of paper bound with staples, comprising: a support portion including a mounting surface on which the stack of paper can be placed; an insertion portion having a wedge plate that increases in thickness from the front to the rear, configured to be insertable between the stack of paper and the staples when the stack of paper is supported by the support portion, and which removes the staples from the stack of paper by insertion; and a control unit that controls the operation of the insertion portion. , a motor that operates the insertion part and The control unit is equipped with the following: If the insertion operation of the insertion unit stops during the process of inserting the insertion unit between the stack of paper and the staples, The motor is controlled so that it repeatedly rotates forward and stops. The insertion portion is intermittently forward Implement retry control to enable it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, even if the stack of paper from which staples are to be removed is thick, the staples can be removed from the stack of paper by moving the insertion unit back and forth or intermittently multiple times between the stack of paper and the staples during the process of removing the staples from the stack of paper. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1A] This is a front perspective view of a staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 1B]This is a rear perspective view of a staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2A] This is a front perspective view of the inside of a staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2B] This is a front perspective view of the inside of a staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the state of staples used to bind a stack of papers. [Figure 4A] This figure shows the insertion part waiting in a first position in a staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] This figure shows the insertion portion moved to the third position in the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram of a staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6A] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the case in which retry control is performed to reciprocate the insertion part of the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6B] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the case in which retry control is performed to reciprocate the insertion part of the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6C] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the case in which retry control is performed to reciprocate the insertion part of the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6D] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the case in which retry control is performed to reciprocate the insertion part of the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6E] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the case in which retry control is performed to reciprocate the insertion part of the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6F] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the case in which retry control is performed to reciprocate the insertion part of the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This graph shows the relationship between the motor current value of the first motor and time when multiple retry controls are performed during the staple removal operation of the staple removal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing the processing content of a control unit when performing a staple removing operation according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart showing the processing content of a control unit when performing a staple removing operation according to the second embodiment. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] <First Embodiment> [Configuration Example of Staple Removing Apparatus 1] FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of the staple removing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view thereof. FIGS. 2A and 2B are front perspective views showing the inside of the staple removing apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the state of a staple S that has bound a sheet bundle P. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a state where an insertion unit 120 stands by at a first position L1 in the staple removing apparatus 1, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a state where the insertion unit 120 has moved to a third position L3.

[0012] The staple removing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus for removing staples S from a sheet bundle P bound by the staples S. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the staple removing apparatus 1 includes a housing 100 formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box body. One surface of the housing 100 serves as a support portion 102 including a placement surface 102a for placing the sheet bundle P. An insertion unit 120 for removing staples S from the sheet bundle P is provided inside the housing 100 (FIGS. 2A and 2B), and an opening 102b is formed in the placement surface 102a so that a part of the insertion unit 120 can protrude therethrough. When removing the staple S from the sheet bundle P, the insertion unit 120 protrudes from the opening 102b and is inserted between the sheet bundle P and the staple S. A control unit 50 that controls the operation of the insertion unit 120 is provided inside the housing 100.

[0013] A cover 104 is provided on one side of the housing 100 in the longitudinal direction, positioned to face a portion of the mounting surface 102a. An insertion opening 108 for inserting a stack of paper P is formed between the cover 104 and the mounting surface 102a. An activation switch 106 for operating the staple removal device 1 is provided on the upper surface of the cover 104.

[0014] In this embodiment, the side of the housing 100 on which the cover 104 is provided in the longitudinal direction is the front side of the staple removal device 1, and the opposite side is the rear side of the staple removal device 1. Also, the side of the housing 100 in the short direction (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) on which the cover 104 is provided is the upper side of the staple removal device 1, and the opposite side is the lower side of the staple removal device 1.

[0015] An opening 100a is formed on the rear end surface of the housing 100 for attaching and detaching the dust box 200 to the housing 100. The dust box 200 is a box with an open top, and it contains staples S that have been pulled out and fallen from the stack of paper P.

[0016] As shown in Figure 3, the staple S has a crown portion Sa and a pair of legs Sb, Sb formed by folding both longitudinal ends of the crown portion Sa. The stack of paper P is bound by passing the pair of legs Sb, Sb of the staple S through the thickness direction of the stack of papers and folding the penetrating legs Sb, Sb inward. The binding position of the staple S is, for example, the corner or edge of the stack of paper P. In this embodiment, the stack of paper P is placed on the mounting surface 102a such that the crown portion Sa of the staple S faces the mounting surface 102a side (downward).

[0017] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the insertion section 120 includes a wedge plate 122, a plate holder 124 that supports the wedge plate 122, and a pair of racks 130 and 131 attached to the plate holder 124. The wedge plate 122 has a tapered shape and is configured to be inserted between the crown portion Sa of the staple S and the stack of paper P. The base end of the wedge plate 122 is attached to the upper surface of the plate holder 124. The pair of racks 130 and 131 are arranged on the left and right sides of the plate holder 124, respectively.

[0018] A first motor 150 for operating the insertion section 120 is provided inside the housing 100. The first motor 150 is located at the rear of the housing 100 and below the insertion section 120. The first motor 150 is connected to pinions 158 and 159 via a plurality of gears 153, 154, and 155. Teeth are formed on the lower sides of the racks 130 and 131, and these teeth mesh with the pinions 158 and 159. Therefore, by driving the first motor 150, the insertion section 120, including the racks 130 and 131, the plate holder 124, and the wedge plate 122, moves via the gears 153, 154, and 155 and the pinions 158 and 159. In this embodiment, when the first motor 150 is driven in the forward direction, the insertion section 120 moves forward (moves in the insertion direction), and when the first motor 150 is driven in the reverse direction, the insertion section 120 moves backward (is pulled back).

[0019] A paper press plate 176 for holding down the placed stack of paper P is provided on the underside of the cover 104, facing the mounting surface 102a. The paper press plate 176 is operated by a second motor 190 located within the housing 100. The second motor 190 is located in front of the first motor 150 within the housing 100 and below the insertion section 120. The second motor 190 is connected to the paper press plate 176 via gears 193, 194, 195 and a hold lever 172. The second motor 190 is driven based on instructions from the control unit 50. By driving the second motor 190, the paper press plate 176 operates via gears 193, 194, 195 and the hold lever 172. Specifically, the paper press plate 176 moves closer to and further away from the mounting surface 102a. With the stack of paper P placed on the mounting surface 102a, the paper press plate 176 is brought close to the mounting surface 102a, causing the stack of paper P to be pressed down (held down) by the paper press plate 176.

[0020] As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, a position detection unit 80 for detecting the position of the insertion section 120 is located on the side of the rack 130. A first flag 132 and a second flag 133 are formed on the front and rear sides of the rack 130, respectively. The first flag 132 and the second flag 133 are detected by the position detection unit 80 as the rack 130 (insertion section 120) moves.

[0021] [Block diagram of staple removal device] Figure 5 is a block diagram of the staple removal device 1. As shown in Figure 5, the staple removal device 1 comprises a control unit 50, a power supply unit 60, a motor drive circuit 62, a first motor 150, a second motor 190, a load detection unit 70, a position detection unit 80, a notification unit 90, and a storage unit 92. The motor drive circuit 62, load detection unit 70, position detection unit 80, notification unit 90, and storage unit 92 are connected to the control unit 50, respectively.

[0022] The control unit 50 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and controls the operation of the staple removal device 1.

[0023] The power supply unit 60 supplies a predetermined amount of power to the motor drive circuit 62. The power supply unit 60 may be an AC power source or a battery, etc. Based on instructions from the control unit 50, the motor drive circuit 62 controls the power from the power supply unit 60 to drive the first motor 150 and the second motor 190, respectively.

[0024] The load detection unit 70 detects the motor current, which is the motor load flowing to the first motor 150, and outputs the detected motor current to the control unit 50. The position detection unit 80 detects the position of the insertion unit 120 and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 50. In this embodiment, the position detection unit 80 detects the first flag 132 and the second flag 133 of the rack 130.

[0025] The notification unit 90 notifies the user, for example, if an error (malfunction) occurs during the staple removal operation. The notification method may be any of the following: illumination or flashing of an LED or other light-emitting part, error display on a display unit, or audio output from a speaker.

[0026] The storage unit 92 stores programs and various data for operating the staple removal device 1. The storage unit 92 includes, for example, a semiconductor element or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0027] [Example of operation of the insertion unit 120 during retry control] Figures 6A to 6F illustrate the operation of the insertion unit 120 (wedge plate 122) when performing so-called retry control, which involves moving the insertion unit 120 back and forth multiple times. For convenience, Figures 6A to 6F schematically show the insertion unit 120, the paper stack P, and the staples S. In this embodiment, the operation of pulling the staples S from the paper stack P by repeating the reciprocating motion of the insertion unit 120 three times will be described.

[0028] As shown in Figures 6A and 6F, in this embodiment, the position where the insertion unit 120 waits before the staple removal operation begins is defined as the first position L1, and the position of the insertion unit 120 when the staple removal operation is completed is defined as the third position L3. Furthermore, the position between the first position L1 and the third position L3 where the staple S to be removed is placed is defined as the second position L2. In this embodiment, "position of the insertion unit 120" refers to the position of the tip of the wedge plate 122.

[0029] The first flag 132 is detected by the position detection unit 80 when the insertion part 120 is at the first position L1, and the second flag 133 is detected by the position detection unit 80 when the insertion part 120 reaches the third position L3. In this embodiment, a through-beam sensor is used as the position detection unit 80, but it is not limited to this, and a reflective sensor or the like may be used. In this embodiment, the first flag 132 and the second flag 133 are used as the detected parts detected by the position detection unit 80, but for example, a third flag, a fourth flag, etc. may be provided between the first flag 132 and the second flag 133 to enable more precise detection of the position of the insertion part 120. Alternatively, an encoder film may be attached to the rotation axis of the first motor 150, and the position of the insertion part 120 may be detected by measuring the amount of rotation of the encoder film.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6A, before the staple removal operation begins, the insertion unit 120 is stopped at the first position L1, and the position detection unit 80 detects the first flag 132. Then, when the staple removal operation begins, the insertion unit 120 moves forward from the first position L1 towards the staple S to be removed (second position L2).

[0031] As the insertion section 120 moves forward and passes the second position L2, the tip of the wedge plate 122 is inserted between the crown portion Sa of the staple S and the stack of paper P, as shown in Figure 6B. Since the wedge plate 122 is thicker from the tip towards the rear, as the insertion section 120 moves further forward, the legs Sb of the staple S are usually pulled out from the stack of paper P (if the stack of paper P is not thick).

[0032] However, if the stack of paper P is thick (for example, if the stack of paper P consists of 40 or more sheets), even if the wedge plate 122 is inserted between the stack of paper P and the staple S, the resistance to pulling the staple S out of the stack of paper P (hereinafter referred to as "pulling resistance") is large, and the wedge plate 122 may not be able to move to the position where the staple S can be pulled out, making it impossible to pull the staple S out of the stack of paper P. Specifically, the insertion part 120 may stop at position La, and the legs Sb of the staple S may stop with the staple S partially pulled out in the thickness direction of the stack of paper P, making it impossible to completely pull the staple S out of the stack of paper P.

[0033] Thus, when the stack of paper P is thick, it may not be possible to pull the staple S out of the stack of paper P in a single removal operation. Therefore, in this embodiment, retry control is performed by moving the wedge plate 122 back and forth multiple times between the stack of paper P and the staple S. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6C, the operation of the insertion unit 120 is controlled so that the tip of the wedge plate 122 reciprocates between positions La and Lb.

[0034] The insertion section 120 is controlled so that the center position Lb2 of the amplitude of the movement of the tip of the wedge plate 122 when it reciprocates between the stack of paper P and the staple S is located downstream of the position of the staple S in the insertion direction of the wedge plate 122. In other words, by controlling it in this way, the retraction position of the wedge plate 122 when it reciprocates is prevented from being significantly upstream of the second position L2 where the staple S is located (it is prevented from being pulled back too far). When the wedge plate 122 reciprocates, if the tip of the wedge plate 122 is pulled back significantly upstream of the staple S (crown portion Sa), the paper stack P is more likely to be dragged along and move when the insertion portion 120 retracts. If the wedge plate 122 is then moved forward again, the tip of the wedge plate 122 may get caught (collide) with the leg portion Sb of the staple S, making it impossible to insert the wedge plate 122 between the crown portion Sa and the paper stack P. However, by controlling the retraction position of the wedge plate 122 as described above during its reciprocating motion, the problem of the paper stack P being dragged along and moving can be suppressed.

[0035] For the reasons stated above, a more desirable control means in this embodiment is to control the wedge plate 122 so that its tip does not slip out from between the crown portion Sa and the paper stack P when the wedge plate 122 is reciprocated. When the wedge plate 122 is pulled back, the tip of the wedge plate 122 does not slip out from between the crown portion Sa and the paper stack P. Specifically, by preventing the wedge plate 122 from retracting beyond the second position L2, the paper stack P is less likely to be dragged when the insertion portion 120 retracts, and the problem of the tip of the wedge plate 122 getting caught (colliding) with the leg portion Sb of the staple S when it moves forward again, making it impossible to insert the wedge plate 122 between the crown portion Sa and the paper stack P, can be more reliably avoided.

[0036] After the insertion section 120 is retracted (pulled back) by a predetermined distance D1, the insertion section 120 is moved forward again (in the insertion direction) as shown in Figure 6D (second insertion). Because the staple is partially withdrawn due to the first insertion, the insertion section 120 moves further forward than its previous position La when it moves forward again. However, even at this stage, the resistance to pulling out the paper stack P is large, so the wedge plate 122 stops at position Lc. At this time, the legs Sb of the staple S are pulled out further from the paper stack P by the amount the insertion section 120 has moved forward, but a portion of the legs Sb of the staple S remains in the paper stack P without being pulled out.

[0037] Therefore, as shown in Figure 6E, the insertion part 120 is pulled back further to position Ld (moved in the L1 direction by a distance D2). Position Ld is, as described above, the position where the tip of the wedge plate 122 does not come out from between the crown part Sa and the paper stack P.

[0038] After retracting the insertion part 120 by a distance D2 in the L1 direction, the insertion part 120 is advanced (inserted) again as shown in Figure 6F (third insertion). With the third insertion of the wedge plate 122, the resistance to pulling out the staple S has decreased, so the tip of the wedge plate 122 advances to the third position L3. As a result, the wedge plate 122 is inserted between the paper stack P and the staple S up to its maximum thickness, and the staple S is completely pulled out of the paper stack P by the wedge plate 122.

[0039] In the examples shown in Figures 6A to 6F, the wedge plate 122 was moved back and forth three times to remove the staples S from the stack of paper P. However, depending on the thickness of the stack of paper P, the staples S may be removed in two back-and-forth movements, while in other cases, it may take four or more back-and-forth movements to remove them.

[0040] [Example of current value fluctuation of the first motor 150 when trial control is performed] Figure 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the current value of the first motor 150 and time when the staple removal operation is performed multiple times, in this example, five times (four retry controls in addition to the initial operation). In Figure 7, the first threshold Th1 is the threshold used when switching the insertion section 120 from forward to backward when the first motor 150 is subjected to a high load for a predetermined period of time.

[0041] As shown in Figure 7, when the staple removal operation begins, the first motor 150 is driven in the forward direction, and the first insertion of the insertion section 120 is performed. When the first motor 150 is started, the motor current value increases as shown in (A). After that, until the wedge plate 122 is inserted between the stack of paper P and the staple S, the motor current value decreases temporarily as shown in (B), and the load becomes smaller.

[0042] When the wedge plate 122 is inserted between the paper stack P and the staple S, the load increases due to the pull-out resistance described above, and the motor current value rises sharply, as shown in (C). If the paper stack P is thick, the pull-out resistance is greater than that of a normal paper stack P, so the forward movement of the insertion section 120 stops, and as shown in (D), the motor current value remains above the first threshold Th1 for a predetermined time.

[0043] In this embodiment, as shown in (D), if the motor current value exceeds the first threshold Th1 for a predetermined time Ta or longer, retry control is performed to switch the insertion section 120 from moving forward to moving backward. That is, if the motor current value exceeds the first threshold Th1 for a predetermined time Ta or longer, the first motor 150 is driven in reverse, and the insertion section 120 is moved backward (pulled back) for the first time. When the first motor 150 is driven in reverse, the motor current value rises to the negative side due to the starting current at the start of driving and the resistance of pulling out the staple S, as shown in (E).

[0044] Subsequently, as the wedge plate 122 disengages from between the paper stack P and the staples S and retracts, the load decreases, and the motor current value drops (approaches 0), as shown in (F). The amount (distance) by which the insertion section 120 is retracted is determined by the operating time of the first motor 150. In this embodiment, the insertion section 120 is stopped at a position where the tip of the wedge plate 122 does not disengage from between the paper stack P and the staples S (see Figure 6C) by driving the first motor 150 for an operating time Te.

[0045] After that, performing 2 to 4 retry controls will show a similar change in the motor current value. In this embodiment, during the second retry control, if the motor current value remains above the first threshold Th1 for a predetermined time Tb, the first motor 150 is driven in reverse for an operating time Tf, and the insertion section 120 is retracted for the second time. During the third retry control, if the motor current value remains above the first threshold Th1 for a predetermined time Tc, the first motor 150 is driven in reverse for an operating time Tg, and the insertion section 120 is retracted for the third time. During the fourth retry control, if the motor current value remains above the first threshold Th1 for a predetermined time Td, the first motor 150 is driven in reverse for an operating time Th, and the insertion section 120 is retracted for the fourth time. During the fifth retry control, the legs Sb of the staple S are in a state where they can easily come out of the paper stack P due to the previous retry controls, and the pull-out resistance is also reduced. Therefore, as shown in (G), the motor current value remains below the first threshold Th1 after the wedge plate 122 is inserted as the insertion section 120 moves forward. This causes the staple S to be pulled out from the stack of paper P, and then the first motor 150 is stopped.

[0046] In the diagram, the predetermined times Ta, Tb, Tc, and Td are set to the same time for convenience, and the operating times Te, Tf, Tg, and Th are also set to the same time for convenience, but they may be different times. In this embodiment, the predetermined times Ta, Tb, Tc, and Td, and the operating times Te, Tf, Tg, and Th are set to 20 to 50 msec, and the first threshold Th1 is set to 1.6A compared to the rated 2.5A, but these can be set arbitrarily considering user operability and the power capacity of the device, and are not limited to this range.

[0047] [Example of operation of staple removal device 1 during staple removal] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the control unit 50 when performing a staple removal operation.

[0048] In S100, when the control unit 50 detects that the start switch 106 has been operated, it drives the first motor 150 in the forward direction. As a result, the insertion section 120 moves forward (in the insertion direction).

[0049] In S101, the control unit 50 determines whether the second flag 133 has been detected by the position detection unit 80 as the insertion unit 120 moves forward. This process corresponds to determining whether the insertion unit 120 has moved to the third position L3, where the removal of the staples S from the paper stack P is completed.

[0050] When the control unit 50 determines that the second flag 133 has been detected by the position detection unit 80, that is, when it determines that the insertion unit 120 has moved to the third position L3 and the staples S have been successfully removed from the stack of paper P, it proceeds to S105, drives the first motor 150 in reverse, and moves the insertion unit 120 back from the third position L3 to the first position L1. As a result, the insertion unit 120 returns to the standby position, and the series of staple removal operations is completed.

[0051] On the other hand, if the control unit 50 determines that the second flag 133 has not been detected by the position detection unit 80, that is, if it determines that the insertion unit 120 has not moved to the third position L3 where the staple S has been removed from the paper stack P, the process proceeds to S102.

[0052] In S102, the control unit 50 determines whether the motor current value, which is the motor load, is equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1, and whether this condition has continued for a predetermined time. If the control unit 50 determines that the motor current value has not been equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1 for the predetermined time, it returns to S100 and continues to advance the insertion unit 120.

[0053] On the other hand, if the control unit 50 determines that the motor current value is equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1 and that this condition has continued for a predetermined time, it proceeds to S103. The condition that the motor current value is equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1 and that condition has continued for a predetermined time is when the forward movement of the insertion unit 120 stops midway through pulling out the staples S, for reasons such as the thickness of the paper stack P.

[0054] In S103, the control unit 50 drives the first motor 150 in reverse, causing the insertion section 120 to retract.

[0055] In S104, the control unit 50 determines whether the operating time of the first motor 150 has elapsed for a predetermined time. Here, the predetermined time refers to the time required to stop the tip of the retracting wedge plate 122 in a position where it does not come out from between the staple S and the stack of paper P (see Figure 7). The predetermined time can be set, for example, based on the rotational speed of the first motor 150 and the amount (distance traveled) by which the wedge plate 122 is pulled back.

[0056] If the control unit 50 determines that the operating time of the first motor 150 has not elapsed for a predetermined time, it returns to S103 and continues to retract the insertion section 120.

[0057] On the other hand, if the control unit 50 determines that the operating time of the first motor 150 has elapsed, it returns to S100. In this case, the first motor 150 is switched to forward rotation to advance the insertion unit 120, thereby reinserting the wedge plate 122 between the paper stack P and the staples S. In this way, in this embodiment, retry control is performed to move the insertion unit 120 back and forth multiple times depending on the thickness of the paper stack P, etc.

[0058] In the above-described embodiment, the amount of retraction of the insertion unit 120 when the insertion unit 120 is moved back and forth during retry control was determined based on the operating time of the first motor 150, but this is not the only way. For example, the amount of retraction of the insertion unit 120 when the insertion unit 120 is moved back and forth may be determined based on the motor current value, which is the load on the first motor 150. Specifically, if the forward movement of the insertion unit 120 stops due to the thickness of the paper stack P or the like, retry control is performed to move the insertion unit 120 back and forth, and the timing for ending the retraction operation of the insertion unit 120 in this case is determined based on the motor current value. As shown in Figure 7, when the motor current value falls below a preset second threshold Th2 after the retraction of the insertion unit 120 has started, the control unit 50 stops the reverse drive of the first motor 150 and ends the retraction operation of the insertion unit 120.

[0059] Furthermore, the amount of retraction of the insertion section 120 when it is moved back and forth may be determined based on the rotation amount of the first motor 150. Specifically, if the amount of retraction of the insertion section 120 and the rotation speed of the first motor 150 are set in advance, the rotation amount of the first motor 150 can be set based on this information. After the first motor 150 is started, the control unit 50 stops the reverse drive of the first motor 150 when it reaches the set rotation amount, and terminates the retraction operation of the insertion section 120. In addition, the amount of movement of the insertion section 120 (wedge plate 122) may be detected, and the amount of retraction of the insertion section 120 may be determined based on that amount of movement.

[0060] Furthermore, while the timing for switching the forward movement of the insertion unit 120 to the reverse movement during retry control was previously determined based on the motor current value, it may also be determined based on the operating time of the first motor 150. Specifically, if the forward movement of the insertion unit 120 stops due to the thickness of the paper stack P or the like, the operating time of the first motor 150 will also increase. Therefore, when the preset operating time of the first motor 150 has elapsed, the first motor 150 is switched to reverse rotation drive to perform retry control.

[0061] Furthermore, the following process may be inserted into the processing of the control unit 50 described above (S100 to S105). That is, the time elapsed since the insertion unit 120 began to move forward is measured, and if the staple removal operation is not completed after a predetermined time has elapsed, the first motor 150 is driven in reverse to return the insertion unit 120 to the standby position (first position L1), and an error is displayed to the operator (notified by the notification unit 90).

[0062] Furthermore, for example, the system may determine whether the number of retries (round trips) exceeds a predetermined number, and if it does, it may forcibly terminate the retry control regardless of whether the staple S has been removed from the paper stack P. This is because, for example, if the paper stack P is thicker than expected, the staple S may not be removed from the paper stack P even after inserting the wedge plate 122 multiple times. When terminating the retry control, an error message (notification by the notification unit 90) may be displayed to the operator.

[0063] As described above, according to this embodiment, by performing retry control that causes the insertion part 120 to reciprocate multiple times between the stack of paper P and the staple S, the staple S can be pulled out from the thick stack of paper P without increasing the size of the drive mechanism such as the first motor 150 and the gear 153.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, retry control is performed when the motor current value is equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1, i.e., when the paper stack P is thick, and retry control is not performed when the motor current value is less than the first threshold Th1, i.e., when the paper stack P is thin or of normal thickness. Therefore, when the paper stack P is thin or of normal thickness, the staple removal operation can be performed in a short working time, and even when there are various types of paper stacks P, the working time can be shortened by performing retry control only when the pulling resistance is high.

[0065] <Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, the staples S were removed from the stack of paper P by reciprocating the wedge plate 122 between the stack of paper P and the staples S. However, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the wedge plate 122 is intermittently advanced (not retracted) rather than reciprocated. In this embodiment, components having substantially the same functional configuration as the staple removal device 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0066] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the control unit 50 when performing a staple removal operation according to the second embodiment.

[0067] In S200, when the start switch 106 is operated, the control unit 50 drives the first motor 150 in the forward direction. As a result, the insertion section 120 moves forward (in the insertion direction). In S201, as the insertion section 120 moves forward, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the second flag 133 has been detected by the position detection unit 80.

[0068] If the control unit 50 determines that the second flag 133 has been detected by the position detection unit 80, it proceeds to S205, assuming that the staple S has been removed from the paper stack P. In S205, the control unit 50 reverses the first motor 150, moving the insertion unit 120 in the reverse direction and returning it to the first position L1. As a result, the insertion unit 120 returns to the standby position, and the series of staple removal operations is completed.

[0069] On the other hand, if the control unit 50 determines that the second flag 133 has not been detected by the position detection unit 80, the process proceeds to S202.

[0070] In S202, the control unit 50 determines whether the motor current value, which is the motor load, is equal to or greater than a first threshold Th1, and whether this condition has continued for a predetermined time. If the control unit 50 determines that the condition of exceeding the first threshold Th1 has not continued for the predetermined time, it returns to S200 and continues to advance the insertion unit 120.

[0071] On the other hand, the control unit 50 determines that the motor current value is equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1, and if this condition continues for a predetermined time, the process proceeds to S203.

[0072] In step S203, the control unit 50 stops the first motor 150, thereby stopping the movement of the insertion unit 120 in the insertion direction. In this case, the insertion unit 120 stops inserted between the paper stack P and the staples S.

[0073] In S204, the control unit 50 determines whether the stopped time of the first motor 150 has elapsed to a predetermined time. Here, the predetermined time may be set by the user at any value, or an optimal value may be set in advance considering the total working time of the staple removal operation. If the control unit 50 determines that the stopped time of the first motor 150 has not elapsed to a predetermined time, it returns to S203 and continues to stop the insertion unit 120.

[0074] On the other hand, if the control unit 50 determines that the first motor 150 has been stopped for a predetermined time, it returns to S200 and drives the first motor 150 in the forward direction to advance the insertion unit 120. In this way, in this embodiment, the control unit 50 controls the first motor 150 so that it repeatedly moves and stops the insertion unit 120 in the insertion direction (advancing it intermittently without pulling back the wedge plate 122) during the process of inserting the insertion unit 120 between the paper stack P and the staples S.

[0075] According to this embodiment, by controlling the insertion section 120 to move forward again in the insertion direction after it has been stopped, that is, by controlling it to move forward intermittently without pulling back the insertion section 120, the load required to pull the staples S out of the paper stack P (the load required to move the insertion section 120 in the insertion direction) is gradually reduced, and the staples S are eventually pulled out of the paper stack P. In this way, by intermittently moving the wedge plate 122 forward between the paper stack P and the staples S, staples S that could not be pulled out in a single forward movement (continuous movement) of the wedge plate 122 can be pulled out of the paper stack P.

[0076] In the first embodiment, the position where the insertion part 120 is pulled back during retry control is set to a position where the tip of the wedge plate 122 does not come out from between the crown part Sa and the paper stack P. However, the pull-back position may be set upstream of the second position L2, which is between the crown part Sa and the paper stack P, as long as the center position of the range of motion of the insertion part 120 when it reciprocates between the paper stack P and the staple S is located downstream of the position of the staple S (second position L2) in the insertion direction of the insertion part 120. Even if the pull-back position of the insertion part 120 is upstream of the position of the crown part Sa, as long as that position is not significantly upstream of the crown part Sa, the paper stack P will hardly move along with the insertion part 120 when it is pulled back, and the tip of the wedge plate 122 will not get caught on the staple S when the insertion part 120 is reinserted.

[0077] While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear to any person with ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure that various modifications or alterations may be conceived within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 1. Staple removal device 50 Control Unit 102 Support part 120 Insertion part 150 First motor (motor) P Paper stack S staples Th1 First Threshold Th2 Second Threshold

Claims

1. A staple removal device for removing staples from a stack of papers bound together with staples, A support section including a mounting surface on which the aforementioned stack of paper can be placed, It has a wedge plate that becomes thicker from the tip to the rear, and is configured to be insertable between the stack of paper and the staple when the stack of paper is supported by the support portion, and the staple can be removed from the stack of paper by insertion, A control unit that controls the operation of the insertion part and Equipped with, The control unit performs a retry control that causes the insertion unit to reciprocate multiple times if the insertion operation of the insertion unit stops during the process of removing the staples from the stack of paper. Staple removal device.

2. The control unit controls the operation of the insertion unit so that the center position of the range of motion of the insertion unit when it reciprocates between the stack of paper and the staples is located downstream of the position of the staples in the insertion direction of the insertion unit. The staple removal device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit controls the movement of the insertion part so that when the insertion part is moved back and forth, it is pulled back to a position where it cannot be removed from the staple. The staple removal device according to claim 2.

4. The insertion section is equipped with a motor for operating the insertion section, The control unit controls the operation of the insertion unit via the motor and switches the insertion operation of the insertion unit to the withdrawal operation based on the load of the motor. The staple removal device according to claim 2.

5. The control unit switches from the insertion operation of the insertion unit to the retraction operation of the insertion unit when the insertion unit is inserted between the stack of paper and the staples and the load on the motor exceeds a first threshold. The staple removal device according to claim 4.

6. The control unit switches from the insertion operation to the pull-back operation of the insertion unit when the load on the motor remains above the first threshold. The staple removal device according to claim 5.

7. The insertion section is equipped with a motor for operating the insertion section, The control unit controls the operation of the insertion part via the motor and determines the amount of retraction of the insertion part when the insertion part is reciprocated based on the operating time of the motor until the insertion part is in a position where it does not come out of the staple. The staple removal device according to claim 2.

8. The insertion section is equipped with a motor for operating the insertion section, The control unit controls the operation of the insertion unit via the motor and determines the amount of retraction of the insertion unit when it is reciprocated based on the rotational speed of the motor. The staple removal device according to claim 2.

9. The insertion section is equipped with a motor for operating the insertion section, The control unit controls the operation of the insertion unit via the motor and determines the amount of retraction of the insertion unit when it is reciprocated based on the load of the motor. The staple removal device according to claim 2.

10. The control unit terminates the retraction operation of the insertion part when the load on the motor during retraction, after the retraction of the insertion part has started, falls below a preset second threshold that prevents the insertion part from coming out of the staple. The staple removal device according to claim 9.

11. A staple removal device for removing staples from a stack of papers bound together with staples, A support section including a mounting surface on which the aforementioned stack of paper can be placed, It has a wedge plate that becomes thicker from the tip to the rear, and is configured to be insertable between the stack of paper and the staple when the stack of paper is supported by the support portion, and an insertion portion that removes the staple from the stack of paper by insertion, A control unit that controls the operation of the insertion section, A motor that operates the insertion section and Equipped with, The control unit performs a retry control in which, if the insertion operation of the insertion unit stops during the process of inserting the insertion unit between the stack of paper and the staples, the motor is controlled to repeatedly rotate forward and stop, thereby intermittently advancing the insertion unit. Staple removal device.

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