Image forming apparatus having a separable coupling set

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image carrier rotated by a drive section and carrying a toner image to transfer onto a medium to be transferred;
• and
• a drive-side coupling and an image carrier side coupling that are capable of being connected to and being separated from each other by relative movement in an axial direction of a rotary shaft of the drive section and capable of connecting and separating the drive section and the image carrier,
• wherein the drive-side coupling has a plurality of abutting surfaces for transmitting a driving force of the drive section, the image carrier-side coupling has a plurality of abutting surfaces to which the driving force is transmitted, and the drive-side coupling and the image carrier-side coupling have a difference in angles of each of the abutting surfaces of the couplings with respect to a direction in which the couplings are connected to and separated from each other,
• wherein the rotary shaft with which at least one of the couplings is engaged is loosely fitted into a hollow cylindrical section to form a clearance between entire circumferential surfaces of the rotary shaft and the hollow cylindrical section, and
• wherein, when the couplings are connected, a clearance is formed between the drive-side coupling and the image carrier-side coupling in the axial direction of the rotary shaft.