Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same

A sheet conveying apparatus comprising:

• a bottom plate;
• a side restriction member located on the bottom plate and extending in a sheet conveying direction in which a sheet is conveyed;
• a drive roller rotatable about a first axis substantially orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction;
• and
• a driven roller facing the drive roller and having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end being closer to the side restriction member than the second end, the driven roller being rotatable about a second axis, the second axis being inclined relative to the first axis such that the first end of the driven roller is located upstream relative to the second end of the driven roller in the sheet conveying direction,
• wherein the driven roller includes:
• a shaft portion made of resin and having the second axis as a rotation center, the shaft portion having the first end and the second end of the driven roller in a direction of the second axis;
• and
• an elastic portion made of an elastic material and having a cylindrical shape, the elastic portion being fitted over the shaft portion and having an outer peripheral surface in contact with a peripheral surface of the drive roller,
• wherein the shaft portion of the driven roller integrally includes:
• a first extending portion extending from the elastic portion toward the first end of the driven roller;
• a second extending portion extending from the elastic portion toward the second end of the driven roller;
• and
• an intermediate portion located between the first extending portion and the second extending portion, the elastic portion being fitted over the intermediate portion,
• wherein the first extending portion includes a first protruding portion protruding in a radial direction of the shaft portion relative to an outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion by an amount smaller than a thickness of the elastic portion,
• wherein the second extending portion includes a second protruding portion protruding in the radial direction of the shaft portion relative to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion by an amount smaller than the thickness of the elastic portion, and
• wherein a first distance from the second axis to an outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion is greater than a second distance from the second axis to an outer peripheral surface of the second protruding portion.