Sheet conveying device, image reading device provided with the same, and image forming apparatus provided with the same

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a sheet conveying device which conveys a sheet;
• and
• an image forming assembly which forms an image on the sheet,
• the sheet conveying device including:
• a housing provided with a contact portion;
• a sheet conveyance path extending in the housing, and in which a sheet is conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction;
• a drive roller supported by the housing, and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction by driven and rotated;
• a driven roller made of a resin material, the driven roller provided with a roller portion, and a pair of shaft portions projecting from both side surfaces of the roller portion, the driven roller being disposed to face the drive roller across the sheet conveyance path, and being rotated around the shaft portions with the drive roller;
• and
• a support member made of a metal material, the support member including a pair of ring portions through which each of the shaft portions is inserted, and a pair of arm portions extending in one direction from the paired ring portions and being supported on the housing, the support member rotatably supporting the driven roller, wherein
• the driven roller is rotated with the drive roller in a state that a downstream outer portion of the ring portion in the conveying direction is contacted with the contact portion of the housing.

An image reading device, comprising:

• a sheet conveying device which conveys a sheet having a document image to a predetermined document reading position;
• and
• a reading mechanism which reads the document image at the document reading position,
• the sheet conveying device including:
• a housing provided with a contact portion;
• a sheet conveyance path extending in the housing, and in which a sheet is conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction;
• a drive roller supported by the housing, and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction by driven and rotated;
• a driven roller made of a resin material, the driven roller provided with a roller portion, and a pair of shaft portions projecting from both side surfaces of the roller portion, the driven roller being disposed to face the drive roller across the sheet conveyance path, and being rotated around the shaft portions with the drive roller;
• and
• a support member made of a metal material, the support member including a pair of ring portions through which each of the shaft portions is inserted, and a pair of arm portions extending in one direction from the paired ring portions and being supported on the housing, the support member rotatably supporting the driven roller, wherein
• the driven roller is rotated with the drive roller in a state that a downstream outer portion of the ring portion in the conveying direction is contacted with the contact portion of the housing.