Sheet conveyance apparatus and image forming apparatus provided with the same

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming portion for forming images on sheets;
• and
• a sheet conveyance apparatus,
• the sheet conveyance apparatus including:
• a frame;
• a sheet stack portion provided inside the frame and allowing a sheet to be stacked in the sheet stack portion;
• a sheet stacking plate provided in the sheet stack portion and allowing a sheet to be stacked on the sheet stacking plate;
• a feeding portion that feeds a sheet stacked on the sheet stacking plate from a predetermined feeding position;
• a conveyance portion that is provided on a downstream side in a sheet conveyance direction relative to the feeding portion, and conveys the sheet fed from the feeding portion, further downstream in the sheet conveyance direction;
• a conveyance guide member provided on a downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction relative to the feeding portion, and spaced from the feeding portion by a predetermined gap, the conveyance guide member having a guide surface to support a lower surface of the sheet fed by the feeding portion and guide the sheet downstream in the sheet conveyance direction, an end portion of the guide surface on an upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction being positioned lower than the feeding position;
• a blower fan attached to the frame;
• an air duct that is provided in the sheet stack portion and blows air sent from the blower fan, toward the gap, from a position lower than the gap;
• and
• a blowing control portion that controls blowing of air from the air duct, does not cause the air to be blown from the air duct until a lead end of the sheet fed from the feeding position reaches a nip portion of the conveyance portion, and causes the air to be blown from the air duct after the lead end portion of the sheet reaches the nip portion.