Sheet discharge apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet;
• a sheet discharging portion configured to discharge the sheet on which the image has been formed in the image forming unit;
• a sheet supporting portion configured to support the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging portion;
• a pivot member configured to pivot in an up-down direction around a pivot axis by being pressed by the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging portion, the pivot member retained by being in contact with an uppermost sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion;
• a detecting unit configured to detect a position of the pivot member;
• and
• a control unit configured to change a sheet interval which is an interval between a preceding sheet and a succeeding sheet,
• wherein, in a state where a job in which a plurality of sheets are to be continuously discharged is received, the control unit executes a first discharge operation in which at least one sheet is discharged by the sheet discharging portion, and a second discharge operation in which sheets are discharged by the sheet discharging portion at a first sheet interval such that the pivot member does not contact with an uppermost sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion during the second discharge operation, and
• the control unit is configured to acquire a number of sheets to be discharged in the second discharge operation based on a detection result of the detecting unit detected during the first discharge operation.

A sheet discharge apparatus comprising:

• a sheet discharging portion configured to discharge a sheet;
• a sheet supporting portion configured to support the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging portion;
• a pivot member configured to pivot in an up-down direction around a pivot axis by being pressed by the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging portion, the pivot member retained by being in contact with an uppermost sheet supported on the sheet supporting portion;
• a detecting unit configured to detect a position of the pivot member;
• and
• a control unit configured to change a sheet interval which is an interval between a preceding sheet and a succeeding sheet,
• wherein, in a state where a job in which a plurality of sheets are to be continuously discharged is received, the control unit executes a first discharge operation in which at least one sheet is discharged by the sheet discharging portion, a second discharge operation in which sheets are discharged by the sheet discharging portion at a first sheet interval, a third discharge operation in which at least one sheet is discharged by the sheet discharge portion at a second sheet interval that is longer than the first sheet interval, and a fourth discharge operation in which the sheet is discharged by the sheet discharging portion at a sheet interval that is shorter than the second sheet interval, and
• the control unit is configured to acquire a number of sheets to be discharged in the second discharge operation based on a detection result of the detecting unit detected during the first discharge operation, and a number of sheets to be discharged in the fourth discharge operation based on a detection result of the detecting unit detected during the third discharge operation.