Sheet conveying apparatus

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

• an endless conveying belt that is provided downstream of the conveying unit in the predetermined conveying direction, the belt having a conveying surface extending in the predetermined conveying direction and conveying the sheet passed to the conveying surface in the predetermined conveying direction;
• a plurality of balls that are arranged in the predetermined conveying direction 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 are disposed on both sides of the conveying belt in a sheet width direction crossing the predetermined conveying direction and each have a support surface that supports an end edge in the sheet width direction of the sheet conveyed while being nipped by the conveying belt and the balls and a guide surface that faces the sheet width direction end edge of the sheet;
• and
• a guide moving unit that moves each of the pair of regulating guides to a first guide position at which the sheet width direction end edge of the sheet conveyed while being nipped by the conveying belt and the balls is supported by the support surface and guided by the guide surface and to a second guide position at which the sheet width direction end edge is supported by the support surface and which is retracting further away from the sheet width direction end edge than the first guide position, wherein
• for a sheet having a first sheet length in the predetermined conveying direction, the guide moving unit locates the pair of regulating guides at the first guide position when the sheet is conveyed while being nipped by the conveying belt and the balls, and
• for a sheet having a second sheet length longer than the first sheet length, the guide moving unit locates the pair of regulating guides at the second guide position when the sheet is conveyed while being nipped by the conveying belt and the balls.