A vibration drive device that suppresses an increase in the number of component parts and can be easily downsized. Vibration is excited in a vibration element in pressure contact with a driven element to thereby rotationally move the driven element relative to the vibration element. A bearing rotatably supports the driven element. A first and a second bearing portions are joined to the driven element. The second and a third bearing portions are pressed against each other via rolling elements in a direction along the axis of the bearing. The rolling elements are brought into pressure contact with the first raceway surface of the first bearing portion, the second raceway surface of the second bearing portion, and the third raceway surface of the third bearing portion. One of the second and third bearing portions is integrally formed with the driven element from the same material.

A media path includes a first media path portion, and a second media path portion opposed to the first media path portion, where the first media path portion and the second media path portion form the media path therebetween, and where, to open the media path, the first media path portion is rotatable relative to the second media path portion and the second media path portion is rotatable relative to the first media path portion.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a plurality of driving parts each connected to one end of corresponding one of a respective plurality of rotating shafts; a first torque adjuster connected to another end of each of the plurality of rotating shafts, the first torque adjuster applying first torque to the plurality of driving parts; a second torque adjuster that applies, to the driving parts, second torque for adjusting the first torque to be applied to the driving parts by the first torque adjuster; and a hardware processor that controls the second torque to be applied to the driving parts in the second torque adjuster in accordance with a number of revolutions of the driving part.

According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a process unit, a first rotator, a second rotator, a driving force transmission mechanism, and a displacement mechanism. The process unit forms an image. The first rotator is rotatable about a shaft in a first direction and a second direction reverse to the first direction. The second rotator is disposed in parallel to the first rotator. The second rotator is detachably connected to the process unit. The driving force transmission mechanism transmits a driving force of the first rotator to the second rotator to rotate the second rotator about a shaft when the first rotator is rotated in the first direction. The displacement mechanism releases the connection between the second rotator and the process unit by displacing the second rotator in a shaft direction when the first rotator is rotated in the second direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device having a heater that includes a first heating element, a second heating element having a length smaller than the first heating element length, and a third heating element having a length smaller than the second heating element length. The image forming apparatus further includes a first temperature detection unit, a control unit, second temperature detection units, first and second sheet-width detection units, and a determination unit. The control unit controls a heater temperature based on the first temperature detection unit detection result. The determination unit determines a width of the recording material based on a detection result of the first sheet-width detection units, a detection result of the second sheet-width detection units, and a detection result of the second temperature detection units.

A drive device includes a bracket, a fixed shaft, and a drive transmitter. The fixed shaft is fixed to the bracket and has a groove. The drive transmitter is rotatably mounted on the fixed shaft. The drive transmitter includes an opening through which the fixed shaft is inserted, and a projection disposed on an inner circumference of the opening and configured to fit into the groove of the fixed shaft. The drive transmitter is configured to hold the fixed shaft over a range including both ends of the opening in a thrust direction of the drive transmitter with the drive transmitter being attached to the fixed shaft.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a pair of conveyance rollers, a conveyance member, and a cleaning unit. The image forming portion forms an image on a sheet. The pair of conveyance rollers conveys the sheet at a predetermined timing to an image formation position at which the image is formed by the image forming portion. The conveyance member conveys the sheet at the image formation position. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning member that is configured to come in contact with a target roller and the conveyance member, the target roller being one of the pair of conveyance rollers that comes in contact with the sheet.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit (LBP) to form an image on a sheet, a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet, a sensor, which is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the conveyance unit conveys the sheet, and to read the image on the sheet, and a controller. The image forming unit forms a first trigger image and a first pattern image on the sheet, and the image forming unit forms a second trigger image and a second pattern image at a position on the sheet different from a position of both the first trigger image and the first pattern image in the conveying direction. A formation area of the first trigger image in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction overlaps with a formation area of the second pattern image.

A sheet processing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet, a stacking portion on which the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit is stacked, a first regulation member configured to regulate a position of an edge portion, in a conveyance direction, of the sheet stacked on the stacking portion, a second regulation member configured to regulate a position of an edge portion, in a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, of the sheet stacked on the stacking portion, a binding unit supported movably in the conveyance direction and configured to perform a binding process of binding the sheet stacked on the stacking portion, and a moving unit configured to move the second regulation member in the conveyance direction accompanied with a movement, in the conveyance direction, of the binding unit.

A cleaning device includes a separation and contact mechanism that separates a web from a conveyance roller and brings the web into contact with the conveyance roller, and a controller. The controller includes a conveyed sheet number determination unit and a separation and contact control unit. The conveyed sheet number determination unit monitors a conveyed sheet number of both-surface image forming sheets where image forming processing is applied to both a first surface and a second surface with respect to the sheets conveyed by the conveyance roller, and determines whether or not a cumulative value of the conveyed sheet number has reached a predetermined threshold value. The separation and contact control unit controls the separation and contact mechanism so as to allow the web to be pressed to the conveyance roller by a pressing roller when the cumulative value of the conveyed sheet number has reached the threshold value.