A sheet feeding device includes a stacking member, a feeding unit, and a detachable separation unit. The feeding unit feeds sheets stacked from the stacking member. The separation unit separates the fed sheets one by one. The separation unit includes a rotating member to abut and separate from the feeding unit and to rotate, a biasing member to bias the rotating member toward the feeding unit, and an engaged member to be engaged with an engagement member included in the sheet feeding device. The engagement member can move to a first position where the engagement member is engaged with the engaged member, and a second position away from the engaged member. Where the engagement member moves from the first to the second position when the separation unit is attached to the sheet feeding device, the separation unit moves in a detachment direction using the biasing member.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a sheet supporting portion, a rotary feeding member, a rotary separation member, a support member configured to support a rotation shaft of the rotary separation member, a swing shaft configured to support the support member, a frame member including a first support portion configured to fix a first end portion of the swing shaft and a second support portion configured to movably support a second end portion of the swing shaft, and an adjustment mechanism including a long hole formed in the second support portion and a fixing member configured to fix the second end portion of the swing shaft to the frame member. The second end portion of the swing shaft can be fixed at a plurality of positions to the second support portion with the fixing member.

An elastic body portion includes an inner circumferential portion and an outer circumferential portion which serves as an outer circumferential side with respect to the inner circumferential portion and a space portion between the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion, and a plurality of joining portions which join the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion to each other in the space portion, in which at least a portion of each of the joining portions has a curved shape, and in which the joining portions are each joined to the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion such that connecting portions between the joining portions and the inner circumferential portion and connecting portions between the joining portions and the outer circumferential portion do not form acute angles in the space portion.

An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a sheet includes a recording section which records the image on the sheet in a transport passage for transporting the sheet in a transport direction and multiple plates which are spaced apart from each other in a widthwise direction. These multiple plates include a first type of plate and a second type of plate. Plates of a first type of plate are configured to overlap a sheet when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction and the widthwise direction, while plates of the second type of plate do not.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a support member having a support surface, a feed roller rotatable about a rotation axis located below a portion of the support surface, a separation roller disposed downstream from the feed roller, a separator disposed upstream from the separation roller, a stopper, when viewed in a direction of the rotation axis, disposed at least partially overlapping the separator and movable between a first position in which the stopper crosses the support surface and restricts leading edges of the sheets supported on the support surface and a second position, downstream from the first position in a conveying direction, in which the stopper is spaced apart from the support surface, and a restriction member configured to hold the stopper in the first position and to restrict movement of the stopper while continuing to support the stopper moving from the first position to the second position.

A separation roller for a sheet feeding apparatus includes an outer circumferential portion formed from an elastic material, a core portion to which the outer circumferential portion is attached; and a flange portion including a plurality of projecting portions each projecting to an outside in a radial direction with respect to the core portion. At least one of the plurality of projecting portions includes a first surface provided on a side portion thereof on an upstream side in a first direction in which the separation roller rotates in such a manner as to follow the rotary feeding member rotating to feed the sheet. The first surface extends more upstream in the first direction at a position further on an outside in a radial direction with respect to a rotation axis of the separation roller as viewed in the axial direction.

A holding member is configured to hold a feed member and movable up and down. A lever member is configured to pivot on a pivot shaft and includes a contact portion configured to be in contact with the holding member. An elastic member is connected to the lever member and configured to urge the holding member downward through the lever member. The elastic member is disposed such that, when viewed in an axial direction of the pivot shaft of the lever member, a distance from the pivot shaft to a line of action of a force applied by the elastic member to the lever member in a case where the feed member is located at a first position is shorter than a distance from the pivot shaft to the line of action in a case where the feed member is located at a second position below the first position.

The sheet feeding apparatus includes an encoder configured to output a signal according to the rotation state of a retard roller, a feed motor configured to drive a pick-up roller, and a control unit configured to control the feed motor, make the pick-up roller feed a first sheet, and change the timing at which the pick-up roller is made to feed a second sheet following the first sheet, based on a signal output from the encoder after the trailing edge of the first sheet passes a separation nip portion.

A medium transfer device includes a swinging member, a hopper in which a setting plate on which a plurality of mediums are placed such that the mediums are moved toward the swinging member by gravitation, and a driving unit configured to swing the swinging member such that the mediums are shaken by the swinging member.

A contact-separation mechanism includes a cam to rotate to move a contact-separation member to and from a counterpart member, a detection target to rotate together with the cam, and a detector to detect presence or absence of the detection target in a detection area of the detector, and circuitry. The cam has a reference range. The circuitry issues a rotation stop instruction of the cam after a target time elapses from passing of the reference range of the detection target through the detection area, and sets the target time based on a duration of an immediately preceding passing of the reference range through the detection area.