Sheet processing apparatus and image forming system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11630410-B2
Application number	US-202117361487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2021
Priority date	Jul 12, 2019
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

A sheet processing apparatus includes a puncher, a first sensor positioned upstream of the puncher in the conveyance direction, a second sensor positioned upstream of the first detection position in the conveyance direction, a drive source configured to drive the puncher, a controller configured to control the drive source. The controller executes a control mode including a first process of controlling a rotation speed of the puncher on a basis of a detection result of the second sensor and a second process of controlling the rotation speed of the puncher on a basis of a detection result of the first sensor. In the control mode, the controller does not stop rotation of the puncher in a period between the punching process on the preceding sheet and a punching process on the succeeding sheet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet processing apparatus comprising:
a conveyance portion configured to convey a sheet in a conveyance direction;
a puncher rotatably supported and configured to, while rotating, punch a hole at a predetermined position in a sheet being conveyed by the conveyance portion;
a first sensor configured to change an output value thereof in accordance with presence/absence of a sheet at a first detection position positioned upstream of the puncher in the conveyance direction;
a drive source configured to drive the puncher; and
a controller configured to control the drive source so as to control a rotation speed of the puncher on a basis of a detection result of the first sensor,
wherein the controller is configured to execute a process in which the controller does not stop rotation of the puncher in a period between a punching process on a preceding sheet and a punching process on a succeeding sheet.

2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second sensor configured to change an output value thereof in accordance with presence/absence of a sheet at a second detection position positioned upstream of the first detection position in the conveyance direction.

3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, in a case where a leading end of the succeeding sheet is positioned between the first detection position and the second detection position in the conveyance direction when the punching process on the preceding sheet by the puncher is finished, the controller executes a control mode including a first process of controlling a rotation speed of the puncher on a basis of a detection result of the second sensor and a second process of controlling the rotation speed of the puncher on a basis of a detection result of the first sensor.

4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a maximum rotation speed of the puncher in the second process is different from a maximum rotation speed of the puncher in the first process.

5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein, in the control mode, the controller controls the drive source such that a time in which a sheet is conveyed by an inter-punching distance is equal to a time in which the puncher rotates once, the inter-punching distance being a distance between a last punching position on the preceding sheet and a first punching position on the succeeding sheet in the conveyance direction.

6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, in the second process, the controller controls the drive source so as to correct a difference between the inter-punching distance calculated on a basis of a detection result of the second sensor and the inter-punching distance calculated on a basis of a detection result of the first sensor.

7. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the control mode is a first control mode,
wherein in a case where the inter-punching distance obtained when the punching process on the preceding sheet by the puncher is finished is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value, the controller executes a second control mode of temporarily stopping rotation of the puncher,
wherein in a case where the inter-punching distance obtained when the punching process on the preceding sheet by the puncher is finished is smaller than the predetermined threshold value and the succeeding sheet has reached the first detection position, the controller executes a third control mode of controlling the rotation speed of the puncher on the basis of the detection result of the first sensor, and
wherein in a case where the inter-punching distance obtained when the punching process on the preceding sheet by the puncher is finished is smaller than the predetermined threshold value and the succeeding sheet has not reached the first detection position, the controller executes the first control mode.

8. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the threshold value is a fixed value.

9. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the threshold value is set in accordance with a sheet conveyance speed of the conveyance portion.

10. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the rotation speed of the puncher when the first process is finished is equal to the rotation speed of the puncher when punching a hole in a sheet.

11. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the drive source is a stepping motor, and
wherein, among steps of the drive source required for one rotation of the puncher, a number of steps assigned to the first process and a number of steps assigned to the second process are each a fixed value.

12. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the drive source is a stepping motor, and
wherein, among steps of the drive source required for one rotation of the puncher, a number of steps assigned to the first process and a number of steps assigned to the second process are changed in accordance with a type of a conveyed sheet.

13. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first conveyance path configured to receive a sheet;
a reverse portion configured to reverse a sheet received from the first conveyance path;
a supporting portion configured to support thereon a sheet reversed by the reverse portion;
a second conveyance path extending below the first conveyance path and configured to receive a sheet reversed by the reverse portion and guide the sheet received thereby to the supporting portion;
a discharge portion configured to discharge a sheet to an outside of the sheet processing apparatus;
a third conveyance path extending from the supporting portion toward the discharge portion and configured to guide a sheet to the discharge portion; and
a rotary member pair disposed in the second conveyance path and configured to discharge a sheet onto the supporting portion.

14. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the puncher, the first sensor, and the second sensor are disposed in the first conveyance path.

15. An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet; and
the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 configured to receive a sheet from the image forming apparatus.

16. A sheet processing apparatus comprising:
a conveyance portion configured to convey a sheet in a conveyance direction;
a puncher rotatably supported and configured to, while rotating, punch a hole at a predetermined position in a sheet being conveyed by the conveyance portion;
a first sensor configured to change an output value thereof in accordance with presence/absence of a sheet at a first detection position positioned upstream of the puncher in the conveyance direction;
a second sensor configured to change an output value thereof in accordance with presence/absence of a sheet at a second detection position positioned upstream of the first detection position in the conveyance direction;
a drive source configured to drive the puncher; and
a controller configured to control the drive source,
wherein the controller is configured to temporarily stopping rotation of the puncher in a case where a distance between a preceding sheet punched by the puncher and a succeeding sheet is equal to and larger than a predetermined distance on a basis of a detection result of the second sensor, thereafter configured to drive the puncher on a basis of a detection result of the first sensor.

17. The sheet p

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Endo Takahiro

Classifications

• B65H2301/4452

  Regulating space between separated articles · CPC title

• B65H2701/1131

  of sheets · CPC title

• B65H35/0086

  using movable cutting elements · CPC title

• B65H5/062 Primary

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• B26D5/32

  with the record carrier formed by the work itself · CPC title