A medium feeding device includes: a medium mounting section that a medium is mounted; a feeding unit that feeds the medium in a feeding direction; a separation unit that separates the medium with the feeding unit; an operation detection unit that is disposed at a position facing a surface of the medium in the medium mounting section and detects a movement of the medium in the feeding direction; an interval forming unit that forms an interval in the feeding direction between a trailing end of a first medium which is the lowest medium fed among media mounted on the medium mounting section and a trailing end of a second medium which is bound with the first medium and stacked on the first medium; and a control unit that stops feeding of the medium based on a detection interval by a detection value of the operation detection unit.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a stacking portion having a stacking surface on which sheets are stacked, a feeding portion configured to feed the sheets stacked on the stacking surface, and an abutment member having a contact surface configured to contact edges of the sheets stacked on the stacking surface and extending along a stacking direction of the sheets. The abutment member moves with a constant contact angle between the contact surface and the edges of the sheets in a cross section parallel with the stacking direction in a case where the contact surface is pushed by the sheets inserted toward the feeding portion in an insertion direction. In addition, a detection portion is configured to output a detection signal in accordance with a position of the abutment member.

A sheet conveying apparatus includes a stacking unit, a feeding unit, a conveying path, a first conveying roller, a second conveying roller, a controller configured to execute first driving for executing a driving of the first conveying roller and a driving of the second conveying roller, a discriminator configured to determine a position of the sheet based on a value of a parameter corresponding to a load torque applied to a motor for driving a conveying roller driven during the first driving, and a storage unit configured to store information regarding the position.

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 sheet feeding apparatus includes: a conveying roller; a separating roller which forms a nip portion by pressing the conveying roller and separates a sheet conveyed by the conveying roller one by one in the nip portion; a moving portion configured to move a stacking portion from a first position at which a sheet stacked in the stacking portion and a feeding roller are separated from each other to a second position at which the sheet stacked in the stacking portion abuts on the feeding roller; and a cover member which is movable between a third position to cover a rotation shaft of the separating roller and a fourth position to expose the rotation shaft of the separating roller, in which the cover member placed in the fourth position moves to the third position along with movement of the stacking portion from the first position to the second position.

A medium feeding device includes an imaging unit which images a medium tip end portion from a position of facing a face of the medium on a downstream side of a nipping position of the medium using a feeding unit and a separating unit; and a determining unit which determines whether or not there is transport disorder by evaluating a state of a boundary between a path member which forms a medium transport path and a medium tip end from image data obtained by the imaging unit, in which the determining unit sets a rectangular determining region including at least a part of the boundary with respect to the image data, and determines whether or not there is transport disorder based on a length of a boundary in the determining region.

A paper separating roller, including a shaft body, a first friction member and a second friction member is provided. The first friction member covers a first surface of an outer periphery of the shaft body. The second friction member covers a second surface of the outer periphery of the shaft body, wherein the first friction member and the second friction member are formed of two different materials. With the design of the friction members being formed of composite materials, the paper separating roller has the advantages of two different material features at the same time, such that a wider range of performance capabilities can be achieved.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a support member having a support surface, a feed roller, a stopper, and a restriction member. The stopper includes a restriction surface configured to contact leading edges of sheets supported on the support surface. A tangent extends in parallel to the support surface and passes through a point on an outer peripheral surface of the feed roller, and the tangent and the restriction surface of the stopper crosses at an intersection point. When the stopper moves from a first position to a second position, the intersection point moves with a movement velocity in a direction parallel to the tangent, the movement velocity at the intersection point being defined as a specified movement velocity. The restriction member is configured to restrict movement of the stopper such that the specified movement velocity is greater than or equal to a circumferential velocity of the feed roller.

A medium feeding device includes a feed roller that feeds a medium from a medium placement unit on which the medium is placed a separation roller that nips the medium between the feed roller and the separation roller to separate the medium, a motor that applies a rotational torque to the separation roller, and a control unit that controls the motor. The rotational torque is transmitted to the separation roller from the motor not via a torque limiter and the separation roller separates the medium with the rotational torque applied to the separation roller.

A medium feed device includes a feed roller provided to a device body and configured to feed paper, a separator roller provided at a position on the device body facing the feed roller and configured to separate the paper, and a medium support section configured to support the medium in an inclined state upstream of the feed roller. The medium support section is configured with a variable contact angle between the paper supported by the medium support section and the separator roller.