Sheet conveying device, image forming apparatus including the same, and sheet conveying method

A sheet conveying device that conveys a sheet in a predetermined sheet conveyance direction by a pair of conveyance rollers comprising a drive roller and a driven roller, the sheet conveying device comprising:

• a drive transmission mechanism that is configured by a gear or a pulley so that, when a rotational driving force from the drive roller is transmitted to the driven roller, a surface moving speed of the driven roller is higher than a surface moving speed of the drive roller;
• and
• a one-way clutch that is provided at any place in a drive transmission path from the drive roller to the driven roller in the drive transmission mechanism, wherein
• the one-way clutch restricts relative rotation of the driven roller in a first rotation direction, which is the sheet conveyance direction, with respect to the drive roller while allowing relative rotation of the driven roller in a second rotation direction, which is a direction opposite to the first rotation direction, with respect to the drive roller, and
• the rotational driving force from the drive roller is transmitted to the driven roller via the drive transmission mechanism, and via a surface of the drive roller and a surface of the driven roller that are brought into contact with each other.