Sheet detecting apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a conveying portion which conveys the sheet in a sheet conveying path;
• a lever member having an abutting surface that abuts against a leading end of a sheet conveyed by the conveying portion;
• a biasing portion that applies a biasing force to the lever member to position the lever member at a first position where the abutting surface abuts against the leading end of the sheet;
• a supporting mechanism that movably supports the lever member so that the lever member moves in an order of the first position, a second position, a third position, while keeping the abutting surface facing upstream in a sheet conveying direction,
• wherein the second position is a position to which the lever member moves by the sheet being conveyed against the biasing force of the biasing member, and
• the third position is a position where the abutting surface is positioned upstream in the sheet conveying direction of a position of the abutting surface at the second position and where the lever member abuts the surface of the sheet being conveyed and stands by to move to the first position when a trailing end of the sheet passes the lever member;
• a detector that detects a position of the lever member interlocking portion;
• and
• an image forming portion which forms an image on the conveyed sheet.

A sheet detecting apparatus that detects a sheet conveyed by a conveying portion that conveys the sheet, the sheet detecting apparatus comprising:

• a lever member having an abutting surface that abuts against a leading end of a sheet conveyed by the conveying portion;
• a biasing portion that applies a biasing force to the lever member to position the lever member at a first position where the abutting surface abuts against the leading end of the sheet;
• a support mechanism that movably supports the lever member so that the lever member performs a crank-movement;
• and
• a detector that detects a position of the lever member.