The sheet feeding device includes a feed roller, a separation pad and a guide part. The feed roller is configured to feed a sheet by being rotated while coming into pressure contact with the sheet. The separation pad is configured to form a separation nip by being in pressure contact with the feed roller and to separate the fed sheet at the separation nip. The guide part is configured to guide a leading edge of the sheet to the separation nip. The apex part is formed along a feeding direction of the sheet on both outer sides of the feed roller in a width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. The apex part projects in a direction closer to the feed roller than an extension line of the separation nip between a pressure contact position of the feed roller and the sheet and the separation nip.

A paper feeding device includes a pickup roller mechanism disposed at an entrance of a paper feeding path, and a separation mechanism disposed to a rear end of the pickup roller mechanism. The pickup roller mechanism includes a first pickup unit positioned at the entrance of the paper feeding path, a second pickup unit mounted to a rear end of the first pickup unit, and a third pickup unit disposed to a rear end of the second pickup unit. The second pickup unit includes a first driving gear. The third pickup unit includes a second driving gear, and a transmission belt looped around an outer periphery of the first driving gear and an outer periphery of the second driving gear.

A paper feeding device includes a pickup roller mechanism disposed at an entrance of a paper feeding path, and a separation mechanism disposed to a rear end of the pickup roller mechanism. The pickup roller mechanism includes a first pickup unit positioned at the entrance of the paper feeding path, a second pickup unit mounted to a rear end of the first pickup unit, and a third pickup unit disposed to a rear end of the second pickup unit. The second pickup unit includes a first driving gear. The third pickup unit includes a second driving gear, and a transmission belt looped around an outer periphery of the first driving gear and an outer periphery of the second driving gear.

According to one embodiment, a paper feeding mechanism includes a tray, a first roller, a second roller, a third roller, and a guide member. The tray supports a sheet. The first roller picks up the sheet from the tray. The second roller conveys the sheet picked up by the first roller. The third roller forms a nip that sandwiches the sheet between the second roller and the third roller. Relative positions of the third roller and the first and second rollers are set such that a convey reference surface of the sheet that is in contact with the first roller and the second roller and a flat surface of the nip are disposed on substantially the same flat surface. The guide member is between the nip and the first roller and intersects the convey reference surface.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes: a storage part that stores a sheet, and a feeding part that has a feeding roller for feeding the sheet. The storage part and the feeding part are configured to be integrally inserted/withdrawn into/from an apparatus enclosure. The feeding roller is moved from a feeding position to a retracting position before the storage part and the feeding part are withdrawn from the enclosure.

A medium conveying device includes a body in which a conveying path is formed, a separator configured to supply a first medium that is arranged on one side among a plurality of media to the conveying path, a conveyor configured to convey the first medium that is being conveyed and that is arranged on the conveying path along the conveying path, and a rib that protrudes from the one side to a conveying path part between the separator and the conveyor in the conveying path.

A medium feeding apparatus capable of switching between a first feeding mode and a second feeding mode, in which in the first feeding mode, when a first detection section positioned downstream of a feeding roller in a medium feeding direction detects passage of a trailing end of a preceding medium in a feeding standby state in which driving of the feeding roller that feeds the medium is stopped, starting the driving of the feeding roller to perform feeding of a succeeding medium, and in the second feeding mode, when a second detection section positioned downstream of the first detection section in the medium feeding direction detects the passage of the trailing end of the preceding medium in the feeding standby state, starting the driving of the feeding roller to perform the feeding of the succeeding medium.

A sheet conveying device includes a sheet stacker, an air blower, a guide, and a holder. The sheet stacker stacks sheets. The air blower blows air to the sheets on the sheet stacker. The guide is disposed facing an uppermost sheet of the sheets on the sheet stacker. The holder holds the guide and has a groove along which the guide is inserted. The groove has a plurality of direction switching portions at each of which the guide changes a direction of movement when the groove receives the guide.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes an apparatus body including an abutting portion, an opening/closing member, a stacking member, a feeding member, a conveyance unit including a separation portion, and a guide configured to guide a leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the feeding member from the stacking member toward the separation portion. The guide includes a supported portion supported pivotably by the apparatus body and an abutted portion configured to be abutted against the abutting portion. The guide is configured to move in interrelation with an operation of closing the opening/closing member and to be positioned inside the apparatus body with respect to the opening/closing member in the closed state of the opening/closing member. In the opened state of the opening/closing member, the guide is configured to be restricted from pivoting by the abutted portion being abutted against the abutting portion.

A medium conveying apparatus includes a medium tray, a feed roller, an upper guide, a movement sensor including an arm movably provided by the fed medium on the upper guide and on an upstream side of the feed roller, to generate a movement amount signal corresponding to a movement amount of the arm, a medium sensor to detect a presence of the medium at a predetermined position of the medium tray, a processor to determine whether a feeding abnormality of the medium has occurred based on the movement amount signal, detect a size of the medium placed on the medium tray based on a detection result by the medium sensor, and stop feeding of the medium by the feed roller when the processor determines that the feeding abnormality of the media has occurred and the detected size of the media is equal to or less than a predetermined size.