Drive device and image forming apparatus

A drive device comprising:

• a cam;
• a clutch installed on a same shaft with the cam, and for connecting/disconnecting rotational force from a power source to the cam through the shaft according to rotation of a clutch collar;
• an actuator including a claw part;
• and
• a control mechanism for controlling a position of the claw part of the actuator, wherein
• the control mechanism controls the position of the claw part such that a distance L becomes a first distance with which the claw part is able to abut on a projection part provided on the clutch collar, or a second distance with which the claw part is able to be separated from the projection part of the clutch collar, where a distance from the claw part to a surface of the clutch collar of the clutch is the distance L,
• the clutch transmits the rotational force to the cam by rotation of the clutch collar according to the rotational force in a state where the claw part is separated from the projection part, and cuts off the transmission to the cam by stopping of the rotation by the clutch collar in a state where the claw part abuts on the projection part,
• the projection part includes a first projection part and a second projection part provided at asymmetric positions on a periphery of the clutch collar, the periphery being of a rotating direction of the rotating force,
• an angle A and an angle B satisfy the angle A<the angle B, where a position where the claw part abuts on the first projection part is an initial position in a drive operation of the cam, a central angle from the first projection part to the second projection part in the rotating direction of the rotational force is the angle A, and a central angle from the second projection part to the first projection part in the rotating direction of the rotational force is the angle B, and
• the control mechanism executes initial control in which the position of the claw part is caused to be a position where the distance L becomes the second distance during a time T1 in which the clutch collar is rotated by an angle larger than the angle A and smaller than the angle B by the rotational force, and the position of the claw part is caused to be a position where the distance L becomes the first distance after passage of the time T1, at a time of starting the drive operation, in order to cause the cam to come to the initial position.