An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a sheet container, an image forming part to form an image, a sheet feeding rotary body to feed the recording medium, a sheet separating rotary body to contact the sheet feeding rotary body and rotate with the sheet feeding rotary body with a sheet separation nip region formed therebetween, a rotation adjusting unit to adjust rotation of the sheet separating rotary body, a sheet containing unit to contain the recording media therein, a sheet separating body storing unit disposed at one end of the sheet containing unit to store the sheet separating body therein, and a load resistance applying mechanism to apply a rotational load resistance different from a contact force generated by contacting of the sheet separating rotary body with the sheet feeding rotary body, to the sheet feeding rotary body with no rotation driving force applied thereto.

An image recording device is provided, having a recording unit configured to record an image on a sheet, and a tray disposed below the recording unit. The tray includes a sheet holding surface configured to hold the sheet. Additionally, the image recording device includes a sheet feeder disposed between the recording unit and the tray. The sheet feeder includes a roller for feeding the sheet from the tray. The roller is configured to move between a first roller position in which the roller contacts the sheet holding surface of the tray and a second roller position in which the roller is separated from the sheet holding surface. A return guide, disposed between the recording unit and the sheet feeder, defines a second conveying path to guide the sheet having an image recorded on one side thereof back to the feed guide. The return guide has a first opening configured to accommodate the roller of the sheet feeder when the roller is in the second roller position.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes: a second conveyance belt disposed on an upstream side of a first conveyance belt in a sheet conveyance direction; a second absorption section configured to absorb the sheet stored in the sheet storage section to suck the sheet on the second conveyance belt; and a control section configured to perform a stopping operation for stopping at least one of a conveyance operation of the second conveyance belt and an absorption operation of the second absorption section during a conveyance operation of the first conveyance belt.

A feeding device to feed a conveyed medium stacked on a stacker, includes a first suction unit, a second suction unit, and third suction units. The first suction unit includes a suction chamber; a suction fan to exhaust air from the suction chamber; and a first driver to rotate the suction fan. The suction units are disposed above the conveyed medium stacked on the stacker. The second suction unit includes a rotary fan including a board and a plurality of walls extending from the board; and a second driver to rotate the rotary fan. The second suction unit generates a vortex flow directed to the conveyed medium. The plurality of third suction units is disposed in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the conveyed medium and attracts ends of the conveyed medium in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction.

A feeding device includes a plurality of suction units, disposed above a conveyed medium stacked on a stacker, to attract the conveyed medium. At least one of the plurality of suction units includes a rotary fan including a board and a plurality of walls extending from the board; and a driver to rotate the rotary fan. The at least one of the plurality of suction units generates a vortex air with a side of the board with the plurality of walls directed to the conveyed medium. The at least one of the plurality of suction units being a suction unit generates a vortex air.

The sheet feeding apparatus of the invention includes a sheet stacking portion, a rotating body, a contact member, a conveyance guide, a driving source, a shutter member and a torque limiter. The torque limiter is disposed between the rotating body and the driving source, transmits a driving force of the driving source to the rotating body in a state that a load in the sheet feeding direction of less than a predetermined torque is applied to the rotating body, and not transmit the driving force of the driving source to the rotating body in a state that the load in the sheet feeding direction of more than the predetermined torque is applied to the rotating body.

A sheet-member separation device includes a first air blower, an attractor, a conveyor, a second air blower, and an adjuster. The first air blower blows air onto a front side of a stack of sheet members in a sheet-member conveyance direction. The attractor attracts an uppermost sheet member floated from the stack of sheet members by the air blown from the first air blower. The conveyor conveys, in the sheet-member conveyance direction, the sheet member attracted by the attractor. The second air blower blows air toward a lateral side of the sheet member. The adjuster moves the second air blower and the attractor together to adjust positions of the second air blower and the attractor in the sheet-member conveyance direction.

An image processing apparatus comprises a container mounted on a side wall of the image processing apparatus and comprising a bottom extending upwards in the vertical direction at a predetermined angle from the side wall for supporting an end of a sheet and a wall member vertically arranged on the bottom and forming a space with the bottom, and configured to house a sheet in the space through an opening formed on the upper side of the container; and a pickup unit located adjacent to the bottom of the container and having a pickup roller and configured to move the pickup roller to the inside of the container if a pickup operation for conveying the sheet to the inside of the image processing apparatus is executed, and keep the pickup roller at a waiting position outside of the space of the container if the pickup operation is not executed.

A conveying roller has a rotary shaft portion, a roller supporting member, and a roller member. The rotary shaft portion is extendable/contractible. The roller supporting member has an interior space. The roller member is supported on the outer circumferential surface of the roller supporting member. The rotary shaft portion includes first and second shafts. The first shaft has one end part inserted into the interior space, and is movable axially relative to a first side surface. The first shaft has a regulating portion displaceable between a permitting position where the regulating portion permits the movement of the first shaft in the insertion direction relative to the roller supporting member without interfering with a rim of an opening and a restricting position where the regulating portion restricts the movement of the first shaft in the insertion direction relative to the roller supporting member by interfering with the rim.

A sheet feeding device includes a raising and lowering portion, a first detecting portion, a feeding portion, a second detecting portion, and a controller. When a change in a state of the feeding roller from a state of being in an uppermost sheet feedable position to a state of being not in the uppermost sheet feedable position is detected by the second detecting portion and then a change in a state of the uppermost sheet from a state of being in a feeding position to a state of being not in the feeding position is detected by the first detecting portion, the controller controls the raising and lowering portion to raise the stacking member on the basis of a correction amount determined based on a time from change timing of the second detecting portion to change timing of the first detecting portion.