Recording medium conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus

A recording medium conveying apparatus, comprising:

• a conveying path through which a recording medium is conveyed;
• a conveying section configured to continuously convey the plurality of recording media through the conveying path,
• a plurality of recording medium detection sensors disposed in the conveying path at different positions in a conveying direction of the recording medium to detect the recording media at each of the positions where the recording medium detection sensors are disposed;
• a medium interval calculation section configured to calculate, for each recording medium detection sensor, a medium interval in the conveying direction of recording media continuously conveyed through the conveying path by the conveying section based on respective outputs from the plurality of recording medium detection sensors;
• a control section configured to control the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveying section based on the medium interval calculated for each recording medium detection sensor by the medium interval calculation section;
• and
• a difference calculation section configured to set the medium interval calculated by the medium interval calculation section based on an output from the recording medium detection sensor serving as a reference sensor among the plurality of recording medium detection sensors to a reference value and calculate at a predetermined time a difference by subtracting a medium interval calculated by the medium interval calculation section based on an output from each of the other recording medium detection sensors from the reference value,
• wherein when, during the continuous conveyance of the recording media by the conveying section, a value obtained by subtracting the difference calculated by the difference calculation section from the medium interval between recording media calculated by the medium interval calculation section based on the output from the reference sensor is equal to or less than zero, the control section controls the conveying section to convey each recording medium by extending the medium interval by a predetermined value.