Sheet cutting device with restriction unit and image forming apparatus including same

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet;
• a sheet cutting device disposed downstream from the image forming n in a sheet conveyance direction to cut the sheet having an image formed by the image forming unit thereon to a predetermined length;
• and
• a sheet conveyance unit to convey the sheet having the image thereon to the sheet cutting device through a sheet conveyance path,
• the sheet cutting device comprising:
• a cutter casing movable in a sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction while retracted from the sheet conveyance path in a sheet thickness direction after cutting of the sheet, the cutter casing accommodating a pair of blades disposed opposite each other with the sheet interposed therebetween;
• a movable member separate from the cutter casing in the sheet conveyance direction and being movable in the sheet width direction;
• a connection member to connect the cutter casing and the movable member, the connection member having a central axis around which the cutter casing is rotated relative to the movable member in the sheet thickness direction;
• and
• a restriction unit to transform a state of the cutter casing based on rotation of the cutter casing between a displacement restriction state in which displacement of the cutter casing is restricted during the cutting of the sheet and a released state in which the restriction of displacement of the cutter casing is released while the cutter casing is retracted from the sheet conveyance path in the sheet thickness direction.