Sheet conveyance unit and image forming system therewith

A sheet conveyance device comprising:

• a sheet conveyance passage provided in an apparatus body, the sheet conveyance passage conveying a sheet;
• a first sheet stack section having:
• a bottom portion on which the sheet is stacked;
• and
• a lift portion provided so as to be ascendible-descendible relative to the bottom portion, the lift portion raising and lowering a downstream end part, in a sheet conveyance direction, of the sheet on the bottom portion,
• the first sheet stack section removably mounted in the apparatus body,
• a second sheet stack section on which the sheet conveyed along the sheet conveyance passage is stacked;
• a sheet feed section having:
• an opening formed in the sheet conveyance passage, the opening permitting the sheet stacked on the first sheet stack section to pass therethrough;
• and
• a feed roller disposed at a position overlapping the opening with respect to the sheet conveyance direction,
• with the first sheet stack section mounted in the apparatus body,
• the lift portion pressing the sheet against the feed roller via the opening,
• the sheet feed section feeding the sheet pinched between the lift portion and the feed roller along the sheet conveyance passage,
• wherein
• the sheet conveyance device further includes:
• an assist plate supported so as to be movable between
• a first position in which the assist plate overlaps the opening with respect to the sheet conveyance direction to face the feed roller and
• a second position in which the assist plate is located away from the opening;
• and
• an urging member that urges the assist plate from the second position toward the first position,
• with the first sheet stack section mounted in the apparatus body, the assist plate moves from the first position to the second position against an urging force of the urging member to allow the sheet to pass from the first sheet stack section to the sheet feed section, and
• with the first sheet stack section removed from the apparatus body, the assist plate is urged by the urging member to move from the second position to the first position to support the sheet conveyed from the second sheet stack section to the sheet feed section.