Sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A sheet conveying device, comprising:

• a sheet holding and conveying roller pair having two rollers to convey a sheet while holding the sheet between the two rollers at a nip where the two rollers contact each other;
• a gate member disposed in a vicinity of the sheet holding and conveying roller pair and movable with rotation of the sheet holding and conveying roller pair to correct skew of the sheet in a sheet conveying direction when a leading end of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction abuts against the gate member,
• wherein the gate member has a contact surface against which the sheet abuts,
• wherein the contact surface of the gate member is disposed upstream from the nip of the sheet holding and conveying roller pair in the sheet conveying direction,
• wherein a setting position of the contact surface is adjusted according to thickness of the sheet,
• wherein the setting position of the contact surface of the gate member in conveyance of a thick paper is farther from the nip than the setting position of the contact surface of the gate member in conveyance of a thin paper;
• a sheet thickness detector to detect a thickness of the sheet;
• and
• a controller to adjust the setting position of the contact surface according to the thickness of the sheet detected by the sheet thickness detector.

A sheet conveying device, comprising:

• a sheet holding and conveying roller pair having two rollers to convey a sheet while holding the sheet between the two rollers at a nip where the two rollers contact each other;
• a gate member disposed in a vicinity of the sheet holding and conveying roller pair and movable with rotation of the sheet holding and conveying roller pair to correct skew of the sheet in a sheet conveying direction when a leading end of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction abuts against the gate member,
• wherein the gate member has a contact surface against which the sheet abuts,
• wherein the contact surface of the gate member is disposed upstream from the nip of the sheet holding and conveying roller pair in the sheet conveying direction,
• wherein a setting position of the contact surface is adjusted according to thickness of the sheet;
• a drive source to apply a driving force to the sheet holding and conveying roller pair;
• a first side plate disposed at a driving force transmitting side;
• a second side plate disposed facing the first side plate at an opposite side to the driving force transmitting side;
• a driving gear connected to the drive source;
• and
• a driven gear that meshes with the driving gear and is attached to a rotary shaft at the driving force transmitting side,
• wherein the sheet holding and conveying roller pair includes a first roller to which the driving force is transmitted from the drive source and a second roller that contacts the first roller when conveying the sheet, the first roller having the rotary shaft at the driving force transmitting side,
• wherein the gate member is attached to the rotary shaft of the first roller,
• wherein the rotary shaft of the first roller is rotatably supported between the first side plate and the second side plate,
• wherein the rotary shaft of the first roller at the driving force transmitting side has a supporting point and the second side plate at the opposite side is displaced in the sheet conveying direction with respect to the supporting point,
• wherein the rotary shaft at the driving force transmitting side has a divided structure connected by a joint member.