A singling apparatus and a system for singling sheet material comprises a sheet store for receiving a sheet stack of sheets to be singled. The sheet store includes a singling gap, which is formed and arranged to deliver a sheet out of the sheet store to a transport mechanism. The singling apparatus comprises further a singling device comprising a rotating separation roller wherein the separation roller comprises partially on its rotational surface a contact area to periodically contact and transport the sheet from the sheet store to the transport mechanism. A position control device of the singling apparatus is coupled to the separation roller and comprises an alignment indication being in correlation with an angle position of the contact area of the separation roller and indicates the alignment of the contact area to the singling gap and/or the sheet.

A sheet conveying device includes a first roller, a second roller, and a controller. The first roller is configured to rotate in a forward direction for sheet conveyance along a sheet conveying direction. The second roller is disposed downstream with respect to the first roller in the sheet conveying direction and configured to rotate in a forward direction along the sheet conveying direction and in a reverse direction. The controller is configured to control the second roller to rotate in the reverse direction at a timing when a leading end of a sheet that is nipped and conveyed by the first roller reaches a nip of the second roller.

A sheet conveying device includes a first roller, a second roller, and a controller. The first roller is configured to rotate in a forward direction for sheet conveyance along a sheet conveying direction. The second roller is disposed downstream with respect to the first roller in the sheet conveying direction and configured to rotate in a forward direction along the sheet conveying direction and in a reverse direction. The controller is configured to control the second roller to rotate in the reverse direction at a timing when a leading end of a sheet that is nipped and conveyed by the first roller reaches a nip of the second roller.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet storing cassette, a lift mechanism, a sheet feeding portion, a remaining quantity sensing portion, and a control portion. The control portion, during continuous sheet feeding by the sheet feeding portion, controls the lift mechanism to make a sheet stacking plate ascend to a lifted position where sheets make contact with the sheet feeding portion, and feeds a foregoing sheet and then, at a sheet feeding timing a predetermined time thereafter, starts feeding the following sheet. The control portion makes the sheet feeding timing earlier as the remaining quantity of the sheets sensed by the remaining quantity sensing portion decreases.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet storing cassette, a lift mechanism, a sheet feeding portion, a remaining quantity sensing portion, and a control portion. The control portion, during continuous sheet feeding by the sheet feeding portion, controls the lift mechanism to make a sheet stacking plate ascend to a lifted position where sheets make contact with the sheet feeding portion, and feeds a foregoing sheet and then, at a sheet feeding timing a predetermined time thereafter, starts feeding the following sheet. The control portion makes the sheet feeding timing earlier as the remaining quantity of the sheets sensed by the remaining quantity sensing portion decreases.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet feeding portion, a side end regulating portion, a feeding portion, first and second feeding roller pairs, an abutment member, an obliquely feeding roller pair, and first and second contact-and-separation mechanisms. Feeding of a long sheet is stopped after the sheet is fed to an upstream side of the second feeding roller pair by the feeding portion, and then is resumed in a state in which the first feeding roller pair is changed from a separated state to a feedable state and in a state in which the obliquely feeding roller pair is put in a separated state, and then the sheet is fed to the second feeding roller pair. A short sheet fed by the first feeding roller pair is obliquely fed by the obliquely feeding roller pair and then is fed to the second feeding roller pair.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet feeding portion, a side end regulating portion, a feeding portion, first and second feeding roller pairs, an abutment member, an obliquely feeding roller pair, and first and second contact-and-separation mechanisms. Feeding of a long sheet is stopped after the sheet is fed to an upstream side of the second feeding roller pair by the feeding portion, and then is resumed in a state in which the first feeding roller pair is changed from a separated state to a feedable state and in a state in which the obliquely feeding roller pair is put in a separated state, and then the sheet is fed to the second feeding roller pair. A short sheet fed by the first feeding roller pair is obliquely fed by the obliquely feeding roller pair and then is fed to the second feeding roller pair.

An auto-adjusting separation mechanism, comprising: a bracket with at least one side arm, a sensor module arranged on the side arm, a rotary shaft arranged at the front end of the bracket; a separation roller set pivotally arranged on the rotary shaft, a sensor wheel arranged to couple with the sensor module, and a torque limiter arranged at the front end of the bracket; wherein, by monitoring the rotation of the sensor wheel with the sensor module, the separating force of the separation roller set is adjustable via a microcontrollers which is capable to adjust the transmission gear set.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet loader, a sheet feeder, a misfeeding detector, a memory, and circuitry. The sheet loader is configured to load a sheet of a sheet bundle. The sheet feeder is configured to feed a sheet from the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loader. The misfeeding detector is configured to detect a misfeeding of the sheet. The memory is configured to store sheet feed information on sheet feeding. The circuitry is configured to change a sheet feed setting based on the sheet feed information stored in the memory and perform a retry sheet feeding at a detection of the misfeeding by the misfeeding detector.

A sheet feeding device includes a sheet loader, a sheet feeder, a misfeeding detector, a memory, and circuitry. The sheet loader is configured to load a sheet of a sheet bundle. The sheet feeder is configured to feed a sheet from the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet loader. The misfeeding detector is configured to detect a misfeeding of the sheet. The memory is configured to store sheet feed information on sheet feeding. The circuitry is configured to change a sheet feed setting based on the sheet feed information stored in the memory and perform a retry sheet feeding at a detection of the misfeeding by the misfeeding detector.