JP2008201586A - Sheet conveying device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a space-saving and low cost sheet conveying device causing no breakage of a sheet and a switching member even when load is applied to the switching member in dissolving a jam around a switching part of a sheet conveying path. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet conveying device comprises a conveying guide 33c and a stopper 32c with the switching member 24c moving from a first position toward the direction of a second position abutting thereon and restraining movement of the switching member 24c, the switching member 24c forms a gap allowing passing of a sheet therethrough to a second sheet conveying path 36 branched from a first sheet conveying path 35 when abutting on the conveying guide 33c, the stopper 32c is disposed in a position where the switching member 24c abuts thereon when a force is applied to the switching member 24c to deform it, and the switching member 24c forms a gap allowing passing of a sheet therethrough to the second sheet conveying path 36 when abutting on the stopper 32c. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus in which a periphery of a switching member for switching a sheet conveying path can be opened as an access space for jam processing, and an image forming apparatus having the sheet conveying apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, a sheet conveying apparatus that uses a switching member at a branching portion of a plurality of sheet conveying paths to change the sheet conveying direction is used. In this sheet conveying apparatus, a sheet jam may occur around the branch portion of the sheet conveying path. Therefore, an exterior cover (hereinafter referred to as a jam processing door) is provided so as to be able to open and close for the jam processing. Generally, it is easy to access.

  As an example of such a sheet conveying apparatus, there is a sheet conveying apparatus that is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus and can sort and stack sheets on which images are formed on a number of trays. In this sheet conveying apparatus, a sheet conveying path that conveys sheets in the direction in which the trays are arranged, a plurality of sheet conveying paths that branch from the sheet conveying path toward each tray, and a sheet conveying direction at each branch portion are switched. A switching member is provided. Further, a jam processing door that can be opened and closed is provided so as to be easily accessible around the branch portion provided with each switching member. Therefore, when a sheet jam occurs around the branch portion provided with the switching member, the jam sheet is pulled out if the user opens the jam processing door.

  However, in the sheet conveying apparatus, when the user opens the jam processing door for jamming around the branching portion and pulls out the jammed sheet, the jammed sheet bites into the switching member in the branching portion and breaks. There was a risk of it. Alternatively, if the jam sheet that bites into the switching member at the branching portion is forcibly pulled out, the switching member may be damaged.

  As a countermeasure for solving this problem, for example, there is a method disclosed in Patent Document 1. The method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is that when the jam processing door is opened, the switching member is retreated together with the jam processing door when the jam processing door is opened, and the jam processing space is opened.

JP 2001-39602 A

  However, although the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 can prevent the jam sheet and the switching member from being damaged, a part for linking the jam processing door and the switching member is required, so that the number of parts increases and the size of the apparatus increases. Incurred cost increase.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a space-saving and low-cost sheet conveying apparatus in which a sheet or a switching member is not damaged even when a load is applied to the switching member during jamming around a branch portion of a sheet conveying path. It is.

  In order to achieve the above object, the sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention includes a first sheet conveying path, a second sheet conveying path branched from the first sheet conveying path, and the first sheet conveying path. Switching that can move to a first position that guides the sheet to the first sheet transport path and a second position that guides the sheet to the second sheet transport path at a branch portion with the second sheet transport path A member, and a first restriction member and a second restriction member that abut against the switching member that moves in the direction from the first position to the second position and restricts the movement of the switching member. The switching member forms a gap through which the sheet can pass in the second sheet conveying path when contacting the first regulating member, and the second regulating member is formed when the switching member is deformed. The switching member is provided at a position where it abuts, and the switching member is Serial the second sheet to the sheet conveying path when in contact with the second regulating member and forming a passable clearance.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the sheet and the switching member from being damaged when the jammed sheet around the branch portion of the sheet conveying path is pulled out without increasing the size of the apparatus and increasing the cost.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following embodiments should be changed as appropriate according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. Therefore, unless specifically stated otherwise, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto.

[First Embodiment]
An image forming apparatus provided with a sheet conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, a sheet discharge device capable of sorting sheets into a large number of stacking trays is illustrated as the sheet conveying device. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus is configured as a unit in which a sheet discharge device 3 is independent of an image forming apparatus main body 1 that forms an image on a sheet. The apparatus 3 is detachably mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus main body 1 separates and feeds a plurality of sheets S stacked on the feeding cassette 4 one by one by the feeding roller 6 and the separation conveying roller 7, and conveys the sheet 8. To the image forming process unit (process cartridge) 9.

  The image forming process unit 9 is an image forming unit that forms an image (toner image) by electrophotography. Specifically, a laser scanner 11 irradiates the charged photosensitive drum 10 with light to form an image, the image is developed with toner, and the toner image is transferred to the sheet S.

  The sheet 5 on which the toner image has been transferred from the photosensitive drum 10 is conveyed to the fixing device 12 and heat and pressure are applied to fix the image.

  The image-fixed sheet 5 is sent to a sheet conveyance path 14 that sends the sheet above the image forming unit. The sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path 14 is guided to the face-down conveyance path 21 or the sheet discharge apparatus conveyance path 22 by the switching member 18 on the apparatus main body side. The sheet guided to the face-down conveyance path 21 is discharged onto the face-down tray 20 by the face-down discharge roller 19. On the other hand, the sheet guided to the sheet discharge apparatus conveyance path 22 is sent to the sheet discharge apparatus 3 connected above the image forming apparatus main body 1.

  Here, the sheet discharging apparatus 3 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet discharge device 3 includes a plurality of stacking trays 26 a to 26 e and is configured to be able to sort and stack sheets received from the image forming apparatus main body 1. The sheet discharge device 3 includes a first sheet conveyance path 35 and a plurality of second sheet conveyance paths 36 a to 36 d branched from the first sheet conveyance path 35. Further, the sheet discharge device 3 includes switching members 24a to 24d for switching the sheet conveyance direction at each branch portion of the sheet conveyance paths 35 and 36. The switching members 24a to 24d rotate around the rotation fulcrum at each branch portion, and the first position for guiding the sheet to the first sheet conveying path 35 and the sheet to the second sheet conveying path 36. Can be switched to the second position. In addition, although the switching member which can be rotated is illustrated here, it is not limited to this. Any other switching member may be used as long as it is a switching member that can move to the first position and the second position in the branch portion. Further, the sheet discharge device 3 is provided with an exterior cover (hereinafter referred to as a “jam processing door”) 28 that can be opened and closed, and the periphery of the branch portions of the sheet conveying paths 35 and 36 can be opened for jam processing. Yes.

  When the switching members 24a to 24d are in the first position shown in FIG. 2, the sheet sent to the sheet discharge device 3 is fed to the first sheet by the inlet roller pair 23, the intermediate roller pair 25, and the discharge roller pair 27a. The paper is sequentially transported through the transport path 35 and stacked on the uppermost stacking tray 26a. Note that the first position shown in FIG. 2 is the home position of the switching member 24.

  Next, a case where sheets are discharged to a tray other than the uppermost tray will be described. FIG. 3 shows the positional relationship of the switching members 24a to 24d when sheets are discharged to the stacking tray 26d. In FIG. 3, the switching members 24a, 24b and 24d are located at the first position which is the home position. The switching member 24c is rotated from a first position (home position) to a second position (position of the switching member 24c shown in FIG. 3) by an actuator (not shown) such as a solenoid. The actuator is provided in each switching member 24a-24d, and each switching member can switch a position independently. The actuator is controlled in operation timing by a control means (not shown) based on sheet discharge destination designation information sent from the image forming apparatus main body 1, and switches each switching member to an appropriate position to change the sheet discharge destination. Since the switching members 24a to 24d are in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 3, the sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 23 is guided to the second sheet conveyance path 36c by the switching member 24c. The sheet is conveyed toward the discharge roller pair 27d while being guided by the sheet conveyance guides 33c and 34c forming the second sheet conveyance path 36c, and finally stacked on the stacking tray 26d. Note that when sheets are discharged to the other stacking trays 26b, 26c, and 26e, only the switching member that rotates to the second position is different, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Below, the structure of a switching member, a 1st control member, and a 2nd control member is demonstrated in detail. First, the relationship between the switching member and the first regulating member will be described below.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view around the switching member. Here, the switching member 24c is described as an example, but the other switching members 24a, 24b, and 24d are similarly configured. As shown in FIG. 4, a protrusion 31c is provided on the downstream side of the switching member 24c in the sheet conveyance direction. The protrusion 31c is provided at a position protruding into the sheet conveyance path 36c in the sheet thickness direction, and is provided outside the sheet conveyance region in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. When the switching member 24c is rotated from the first position (home position) to the second position by an actuator (not shown), the protruding portion 31c comes into contact with the opposing sheet conveyance guide 33c. The sheet conveyance guide 33c with which the protrusion 31c abuts is a first regulating member that regulates the rotation of the switching member that rotates from the first position toward the second position in the direction. When the protrusion 31c of the switching member 24c contacts the sheet conveyance guide 33c, the switching member 24c stops at that position (second position), and the position is determined. As a result, a gap having a first interval through which a sheet can pass is formed between the switching member 24c and the sheet conveyance guide 33c (second sheet conveyance path 36c). FIG. 4 shows a state of the switching member 24c switched to the second position.

  The protruding portion 31c may be provided not on the switching member 24c but on the sheet conveyance guide 33c side. In that case, the protrusion 31c becomes the first restricting member.

  Next, the configuration of the switching member and the second restricting member will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a view in which the jam handling door 28 is opened from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the entire sheet discharging apparatus with the jam processing door opened. However, the jam processing door is not shown in order to make the opening easy to see. As shown in FIG. 1, a stopper 32c is provided in the vicinity of the leading end of the switching member 24c on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. The stopper 32c is a second regulating member that abuts on the switching member 24c that rotates in the direction from the first position to the second position and regulates the rotation of the switching member 24c. The stopper 32c is provided at a position facing the switching member 24 with a gap when the switching member 24c contacts the sheet conveyance guide 33c (first regulating member). As will be described later, the position where the stopper 32c is provided is when the switching member 24c is bent by the strong turning force generated when the jam sheet is pulled out during the jam processing and further rotated from the second position. It is a position which contacts 24c and regulates its rotation. Thereby, damage to switching member 24c can be prevented. Further, by suppressing the bending of the switching member 24c when the jammed sheet is pulled out in a substantially horizontal direction, a second sheet that can pass between the switching member 24c and the sheet conveyance guide 33c (second sheet conveyance path 36c). A gap with an interval of is secured. This second interval is smaller than the first interval formed when the protrusion 31c of the switching member 24c abuts on the sheet conveyance guide 33c, but is sufficient for the sheet to pass. Accordingly, the jammed sheet can be easily pulled out without being sandwiched between the switching member 24c and the sheet conveyance guide 33c, and the sheet can be prevented from being damaged. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the stopper 32c is provided at a position farther from the rotation fulcrum 37c of the switching member 24c than the sheet conveying guide 33c. Although only the configuration around the switching member 24c is described here as an example, the configuration around the other switching members 24a, 24b, and 24d is configured in the same manner.

  4, the stopper 32c is provided at a position that does not protrude into the sheet conveyance path 35 in the sheet thickness direction, and is provided in the sheet conveyance area in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. Yes. That is, when the jam processing door 28 is closed and the sheet transport path is formed, the stopper 32c does not sink into the transport rib provided in the jam processing door 28 and does not hinder sheet transport. As shown in FIG. 5, stoppers 32a, 32b, and 32d, which are second restricting members, are provided corresponding to the respective switching members 24a, 24b, and 24d. Although FIG. 5 shows the stoppers 32a to 32d on only one side, similar stoppers are also provided on the opposite side in the longitudinal direction (axial direction). Further, the number of parts is reduced by providing the stopper 32 integrally with the sheet guide member 30 on the apparatus main body side that connects between the switching members 24.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, elastic members 41 a to 41 d are integrally provided on the switching members 24 a to 24 d. Here, the elastic body is for absorbing an impact at the time of switching of the switching members 24a to 24d and improving operational stability, and for suppressing an impact sound, and specifically, rubber or a buffer pad or the like. . In FIG. 6, the switching member 24a is in the first position (home position). The switching member 24b is in a position between the first position (home position) and the second position, and is in a position where the elastic body 41b of the switching member 24b is in contact with a part of the sheet guide member 30b. The switching member 24c is in the second position. At this time, the elastic body 41c is pressed and deformed by a part of the sheet guide member 30c. That is, the elastic body 41 is provided so as to abut on the sheet guide member 30 before the projection 31 provided on the switching member 24 abuts on the opposing sheet conveyance guide 33. Accordingly, the switching member 24 continues to rotate while the elastic body 41 is deformed, and the switching member 24 stops when the protruding portion 31 contacts the sheet conveyance guide 33. Note that the elastic body may be provided integrally with a part of the apparatus instead of the switching member, or a part of the switching member may be in contact with the elastic body. Note that FIG. 6 is for explaining the operation of the switching member 24, and the switching members 24a to 24c do not actually take the above-described posture.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a sheet conveying apparatus that has high conveyance stability and good jam handling performance and can prevent the jammed sheet and the switching member from being damaged.

  Specifically, the protrusion 31 provided on the switching member 24 abuts against the opposing sheet conveyance guide 33 and the switching member 24 is restricted to the second position. As a result, the positional relationship is determined among the components that form the sheet conveyance path, so that the sheet conveyance path is formed at a stable position and high conveyance stability is obtained.

  When the jam sheet is pulled out in the substantially horizontal direction during the jam processing, a moment acts on the switching member 24 counterclockwise in FIG. When the sheet is conveyed, the protrusion 31 contacts the sheet conveyance guide 33 to secure a sheet conveyance space. However, if a large load is applied to the upstream side of the switching member 24 due to the sheet pulled out during the jam processing, the central portion in the sheet width direction on the downstream side of the switching member 24 that is not supported by the protrusion 31 is bent and hits the sheet conveyance guide 33. I sometimes touched. When the jammed sheet is in contact with the switching member 24 and the sheet conveying guide 33, the jammed sheet is caught and cannot be pulled out. In addition, if the paper sheet is forcibly pulled out, the jam sheet may be damaged and a part of the jam sheet may remain in the apparatus. In the worst case, the switching member may be damaged.

  Thus, by providing the stopper 32 on the upstream side of the switching member 24 that is loaded when the jam sheet is pulled out and supporting the switching member 24, the load on the switching member can be reduced. Therefore, the bending of the switching member 24 to which the load is applied can be reduced and the sheet conveying guide 33 is not brought into contact with the load. As a result, the jammed sheet is not sandwiched between the switching member 24 and the sheet conveyance guide 33 and cannot be removed. As a result, the pulling force of the sheet during jam processing can be reduced. Further, the jam sheet can be prevented from being damaged. As a result, damage to the switching member 24 can also be prevented.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, by providing a stopper 32 that determines the rotation limit of the switching member 24 at a position visible to the user, the user can visually confirm the rotation limit of the switching member. Thereby, it can be expected that the pulling direction of the jam sheet is changed from a direction in which the load is applied to the switching member (substantially horizontal direction) to a direction in which no load is applied (obliquely downward direction).

  In addition, since the stopper 32 is provided inside the conveyance rib as described above, the stopper does not prevent the conveyance of the sheet. Therefore, the stopper can be provided in the conveyance area in the sheet width direction. Can be downsized. At the same time, since the stopper can be supported by the stopper to the center of the switching member, it is effective for preventing the switching member from being bent.

  In addition, by providing the elastic body 41 integrally with the switching member 24 as described above, the switching member 24 can absorb an impact when the protrusion 31 of the switching member 24 abuts against the sheet conveyance guide 33. It quickly converges to the second position and stops, improving the conveyance stability. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce a collision sound when abutting, and to reduce the noise of the apparatus.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the elastic member is integrally provided on the switching member is illustrated, but the configuration in which the switching member integrally has the elastic body is not limited thereto.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, elastic portions 51 (51 a, 51 b, 51 c shown in FIG. 7) having a leaf spring shape are provided in a part of the shape of each switching member 24. That is, a part of the switching member has a structure having an elastic force. FIG. 7 shows only the periphery of the switching members 24a, 24b, and 24c, but the other switching members are also configured similarly.

  In FIG. 7, the switching member 24a is in the first position (home position). The switching member 24b is at a position between the first position (home position) and the second position, and is at a position where the elastic portion 51b is in contact with a part of the sheet guide member 30b. The switching member 24c is in the second position. At this time, the elastic portion 51c is pressed and deformed by a part of the sheet guide member 30c. In other words, the elastic portion 51 is provided so as to abut on the sheet guide member 30 before the projection 31 provided on the switching member 24 abuts on the opposing sheet conveyance guide 33. Accordingly, the switching member 24 continues to rotate while the elastic portion 51 is deformed, and the switching member 24 stops when the protruding portion 31 contacts the sheet conveyance guide. Note that the elastic portion may not be the switching member, but may be configured such that a part of the apparatus has a single body, or a part of the switching member may be in contact with the elastic portion. FIG. 7 is also for explaining the operation of the switching member 24, and the switching members 24 a to 24 c do not actually take the above posture.

  With the above configuration, in addition to the effects of the above-described embodiment, the number of parts can be further reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. Here, only parts different from the configuration described in the first embodiment will be described. Therefore, portions that are not particularly described are assumed to have the same configuration as that described in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 31 of the switching member 24 is provided at a position that does not protrude into the sheet conveyance path 36 in the sheet thickness direction. Further, the protrusion 31 is provided in the sheet conveyance region in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. FIG. 8 shows only the periphery of the switching members 24b, 24c, and 24d, but the other switching members are similarly configured.

  In FIG. 8, the switching member 24b is in the first position (home position). The switching member 24c is in a position after being rotated from a first position (home position) to a second position by an actuator (not shown) as a moving means. The switching member 24c is provided with a projection 31c. When the projection 31c comes into contact with the sheet conveyance guide 34c provided downstream of the switching member 24c, the switching member 24c stops rotating and the position is determined. To do.

  By providing the protruding portion 31 of the switching member 24 at the above position, it is not necessary to provide a space for the protruding portion to contact further outside the sheet conveyance region, and thus the apparatus can be reduced in the sheet width direction.

  Further, by bringing the protrusion 31 into contact with the sheet conveying guide 34, the positional relationship of the connecting portion of the sheet conveying path from the switching member 24 to the sheet conveying guide 34 can be stabilized, and a jam or the like at the joint Problems can be prevented from occurring.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, four second sheet conveyance paths branched from the first sheet conveyance path are illustrated, but the number of branched sheet conveyance paths is not limited to this. Moreover, although the sheet discharging apparatus is exemplified as the sheet conveying apparatus, the present invention is not limited to this.

  In the above-described embodiments, the printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine and a facsimile machine, or a combination of these functions. Other image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals may also be used. Similar effects can be obtained by applying the present invention to a sheet conveying apparatus used in these image forming apparatuses.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sheet conveying apparatus that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be a sheet conveying apparatus that is integrally provided, and the same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to the sheet conveying apparatus.

Partial sectional view of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment Sectional view of an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet conveying device Sectional view of sheet conveying device Partial sectional view of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment 1 is a perspective view of a sheet conveying apparatus according to a first embodiment. Partial sectional view of the sheet conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment Partial sectional view of a sheet conveying apparatus according to a second embodiment Partial sectional view of a sheet conveying apparatus according to a third embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus main body 3 ... Sheet discharge apparatus 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d ... Switching member 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e ... Loading tray 28 ... Jam processing door 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d ... Sheet guide member 31a , 31b, 31c, 31d ... projections 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d ... stoppers 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d ... sheet conveyance guides 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d ... sheet conveyance guide 35 ... first sheet conveyance path 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d ... 2nd sheet conveyance path 37a, 37b, 37c, 37d ... Rotation fulcrum 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d ... Elastic body 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d ... Elastic part

Claims (9)

A first sheet conveying path;
A second sheet conveyance path branched from the first sheet conveyance path;
A first position for guiding a sheet to the first sheet conveyance path at a branch portion between the first sheet conveyance path and the second sheet conveyance path and a first position for guiding the sheet to the second sheet conveyance path. A switching member movable to the position 2;
A first restricting member and a second restricting member that restrict the movement of the switching member by contacting the switching member moving in the direction from the first position to the second position;
Have
The switching member forms a gap through which a sheet can pass in the second sheet conveyance path when abutting against the first regulating member,
The second restricting member is provided at a position where the switching member abuts when the switching member is deformed, and the switching member enters the second sheet conveyance path when the abutting against the second restricting member. A sheet conveying apparatus that forms a gap through which a sheet can pass.   The second regulating member is provided at a position that does not protrude into the sheet conveyance path in the sheet thickness direction, and is provided in the sheet conveyance region in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1.   3. The switching member according to claim 1, wherein the switching member integrally includes an elastic body, and the elastic body contacts a part of the apparatus before the switching member contacts the first restriction member. Sheet transport device.   3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the apparatus integrally includes an elastic body, and the switching member contacts the elastic body before the switching member contacts the first restriction member. Sheet transport device.   The switching member has a protrusion that abuts against the first restricting member, and the protrusion is provided at a position protruding in the sheet conveyance path in the sheet thickness direction, and has a width orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet conveying apparatus is provided outside the sheet conveying area in the direction.   The switching member has a protrusion that contacts the first restricting member, and the protrusion is provided at a position that does not protrude into the sheet conveyance path in the thickness direction of the sheet, and has a width orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. 5. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet conveying apparatus is provided in a sheet conveying region in the direction.   The cover according to claim 1, further comprising a cover that can be opened around the branch portion for jamming, wherein the second restricting member is provided on a side from which a jammed sheet is pulled out with respect to the switching member. The sheet conveying apparatus of any one of thru | or 6.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second restricting member is provided at a position where the second restricting member is visible from an opening around the branch portion.   An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; and the sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1. Forming equipment.

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