Sheet conveyance apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image forming system

Abstract

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a conveyance guide configured to guide a sheet along a conveyance center line extending in a conveyance direction, a reference member including an abutment surface, a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet while abutting a first edge of the sheet against the abutment surface, a detection unit configured to detect a first angle formed between the first edge of the sheet and a second edge adjacent to the first edge, a moving unit configured to move the reference member so as to change a second angle formed between the abutment surface and the conveyance center line, and a control unit configured to perform a movement process in which the moving unit moves the reference member such that, when the first angle is referred to as α, the second angle becomes an absolute value of a difference 90 degrees minus α.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sheet conveyance apparatus comprising:
 a conveyance guide configured to guide a sheet along a conveyance center line extending in a conveyance direction;   a reference member including an abutment surface extending along the conveyance direction;   a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet while abutting a first edge of the sheet against the abutment surface of the reference member;   a detection unit configured to detect a first angle formed between the first edge of the sheet and a second edge adjacent to the first edge;   a moving unit configured to move the reference member so as to change a second angle formed between the abutment surface and the conveyance center line; and   a control unit configured to perform a movement process in which the moving unit moves the reference member such that, when the first angle is referred to as α, the second angle becomes an absolute value of a difference 90 degrees minus α.   
     
     
         2 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform the movement process such that the second edge of the sheet which is being conveyed while abutting against the abutment surface becomes parallel to a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. 
     
     
         3 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the movement process is performed on each sheet constituting a sheet bundle. 
     
     
         4 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a downstream conveyance unit disposed downstream of the conveyance unit in the conveyance direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveyance direction,
 wherein the downstream conveyance unit is configured to receive the sheet while moving in a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction at a velocity determined based on the second angle.   
     
     
         5 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second edge is a leading edge or a trailing edge, in the conveyance direction, of the sheet. 
     
     
         6 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a mode in which the movement process is performed before the sheet has reached the abutment surface or in a state where the sheet is abutted against the abutment surface, the second mode being a mode in which the reference member is positioned such that the abutment surface becomes parallel to the conveyance direction before the sheet has reached the abutment surface or in the state where the sheet is abutted against the abutment surface. 
     
     
         7 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the reference member is configured to pivot. 
     
     
         8 . The sheet conveyance apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first edge is an edge extending along the conveyance direction of the sheet, and
 wherein the second edge is an edge, extending along a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, of the sheet.   
     
     
         9 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 a conveyance guide configured to guide a sheet along a conveyance center line extending in a conveyance direction;   a reference member including an abutment surface extending along the conveyance direction;   a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet while abutting a first edge of the sheet against the abutment surface of the reference member;   a detection unit configured to detect a first angle formed between the first edge of the sheet and a second edge adjacent to the first edge;   a moving unit configured to move the reference member so as to change a second angle formed between the abutment surface and the conveyance center line;   a control unit configured to perform a movement processing by which the moving unit moves the reference member such that, when the first angle is referred to as α, the second angle becomes an absolute value of a difference 90 degrees minus α; and   an image forming unit configured to form an image on the sheet.   
     
     
         10 . An image forming system comprising:
 the image forming apparatus according to  claim 9 ; and   a post processing apparatus including a regulation portion configured to regulate a position of the second edge or a third edge opposite to the second edge of the sheet, the post processing apparatus being configured to perform processing with respect to the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus and whose position has been regulated by the regulation portion.