A sheet feeding apparatus includes a rotary pick-up member, a rotary feed member and a separation member. A holding member holds the rotary pick-up member rotatably and is configured to swing on a swing axis positioned upstream from a rotation axis of the rotary pick-up member in a sheet feeding direction. A rotary driving member is on the swing axis of the holding member. A drive transmission portion is supported by the holding member and is configured to transmit (i) rotation of the rotary driving member to the rotary pick-up member in delivering the sheet from a sheet stacking portion toward a separation portion and (ii) rotation of the rotary pick-up member rotated by the sheet to the rotary driving member in conveying the sheet by the rotary feed member after a leading edge of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction has reached the separation portion.

A feeding apparatus includes a feeding rotary member, a conveying rotary member pair, an output unit, a detection unit, and a control unit. The conveying rotary member pair includes first and second rotary members. The control unit stops a feeding operation when the detection unit does not detect the recording material by the time when a threshold time has elapsed after an operation of feeding a recording material is stated. The control unit determines that the recording material is stopped at a position on an upstream side relative to the nip portion in the feeding direction in a case where a rotation speed of the second rotary member, indicated by a state signal output from the output unit at least in a period of time from when the recording material reaches the nip portion to when the feeding operation is stopped, is faster than a threshold speed.

A paper feeder includes a lift plate, a pickup roller, a feed roller, a retard roller, a rotation-count detection sensor, and a control unit. The rotation-count detection sensor outputs a rotation-count detection signal. The rotation-count detection signal indicates a rotation count of the retard roller. The control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller based on the rotation-count detection signal. The lift plate separates from the pickup roller before the control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller. The feed roller is driven when the control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller. The retard roller is in abutting contact with the feed roller when the control unit detects the rotation count of the retard roller. The control unit determines whether replacement of the retard roller is necessary or not, based on the detected rotation count of the retard roller.

A sheet conveyance apparatus is configured to interlock a first transmission mechanism and a second transmission mechanism such that the second transmission mechanism switches a rotational driving direction of a reverse rotary member between a normal rotation direction and a reverse rotation direction with a delay with respect to the first transmission mechanism starting transmission of a rotational driving force such that a guide member pivots between a first pivot position and a second pivot position.

A drive transmission device (6) includes a first drive train (62) and a second drive train (63). The first drive train (62) includes a first gear (621), a second gear (622), a rotary shaft (623), and one-way clutches (624). The second drive train (63) includes a third gear (631), a fourth gear (632), a rotary shaft (633), and an electromagnetic clutch (634). The third gear (631) engages the first gear (621) and the fourth gear (632) engages the second gear (622). A rotational speed of a pickup roller (12) is switched by switching on/off the electromagnetic clutch (634) to change a transmission path of driving force.

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus that reduces image artifacts caused by the back tension of a separating unit. A control unit decreases the number of rotations (the rotational speed) of a resist roller pair after the leading edge of a sheet reaches a transfer position.

A sheet feeding device includes a tray, a feeding member, a conveying member, a separation member, a transmission unit, and a biasing member. The separation member abuts the conveying member and separates a single sheet from sheets fed by the feeding member. The transmission unit includes first and second portions respectively having first and second transmission surfaces. Where the first and second transmission surfaces abut each other, the first portion drives the second portion that drives the feeding member. The biasing member biases either of the first and second portions so that the first and second transmission surfaces move away from each other. The conveying member is driven in a state where the separation member abuts the conveying member and the feeding member abuts the sheet stacked on the tray and is stopped. Thereafter, the first and second transmission surfaces abut each other, and the feeding member is driven.

A sheet feeding apparatus is provided with a disengaging mechanism configured to disengage a conveyance member and a separating member to be apart from each other. Either one of the conveyance member and the separating member is provided in a unit, which is attached to an apparatus body and is configured to be detached from the apparatus body toward a downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, while the other provided in the apparatus body. A restriction portion is configured to restrict the unit from being attached to and detached from the apparatus body in a state where the conveyance member and the separating member are in contact with each other and to permit the unit to be attached to and detached from the apparatus body in a state where the conveyance member and the separating member are disengaged by the disengaging mechanism.

A sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit, a feeding unit, a rotating member, a separation unit, a holding unit, a swinging member, and a guiding unit. The stacking unit stacks sheets. The feeding unit feeds stacked sheets. The rotating member conveys sheets, and is on a feeding unit downstream side. The separation unit separates fed sheets one by one, and contacts the rotating member. The holding unit holds the feeding unit and rotating member, and is rotatable about a rotating member rotation shaft. The swinging members swingably disposed on the holding unit and the guiding unit on a swinging member lower side guides the sheets with contact. A first contact portion of the swinging member and the guiding unit is on a second contact portion upstream side, that is a rotating member/separation unit contact portion. A swinging member swinging shaft is on the first contact portion upstream side.

A medium supplying apparatus includes a control unit. The control unit executes: a first control in which, in a case where a double feed detecting sensor detects a double feed of media, rotation drive of a separator roller is stopped, and a retard roller is caused to convey the media to an upstream side in a conveying direction; and a second control in which, after the execution of the first control, the rotation drive of the separator roller is restarted, and, in a case where the double feed detecting sensor detects a double feed of the media, a conveying load applied is set to be higher than that at the time of detecting the double feed before the execution of the first control, the rotation drive of the separator roller is stopped, and the retard roller is caused to convey the media to the upstream side in the conveying direction.