Sheet conveying apparatus

A sheet conveying apparatus that receives and conveys a sheet conveyed by a conveying member for conveying a sheet in a predetermined conveying direction, comprising:

• an endless conveying belt that is provided downstream of the conveying member in the conveying direction, the belt having a conveying surface extending in the conveying direction and conveying the sheet passed to the conveying surface in the conveying direction;
• a plurality of balls that are disposed so as to face the conveying surface and configured to be rotatable in any direction while nipping the sheet with the conveying surface;
• a pair of regulating guides that is disposed on both sides of the conveying belt in a sheet width direction crossing the conveying direction and guides both end edges in the sheet width direction of the sheet conveyed while being nipped by the conveying belt and the balls;
• and
• a guide moving unit that moves one regulating guide of the pair of regulating guides to a first guide position for guiding one end edge of the sheet in the sheet width direction and a first retracting position retracting from the one end edge of the sheet by a distance larger than the first guide position and moves the other regulating guide of the pair of regulating guides to a second guide position for guiding the other end edge of the sheet in the sheet width direction and a second retracting position retracting from the other end edge of the sheet by a distance larger than the second guide position, wherein
• the guide moving unit makes the one regulating guide reach the first guide position after the rear end of the sheet passed from the conveying member to the conveying belt passes the conveying member and locates the other regulating guide at the second retracting position and, thereafter, makes the other regulating guide reach the second guide position and moves the one regulating guide to the first retracting position.