Patent ID: 6398438
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A sheet feeding apparatus for an image forming apparatus having a carriage with which an ink-carriage is mounted and which is reciprocated to print an image, the sheet feeding apparatus comprising;a carriage; a printing stroke section in which the carriage is reciprocated to print an image; a feeding stroke section extended to one side of the printing stroke section and into which the carriage is moved whenever it is necessary to feed a new sheet; a feeding power converting unit, disposed in a passage of the carriage in the feeding stroke section and rotated by being in contact with the carriage; a crankshaft rotated in forward and reverse rotational directions corresponding to the rotational directions of the feeding power converting unit, said crankshaft having a left end and a right end; a feeding roller extending parallel to the crankshaft, said feeding roller adapted for feeding a sheet of paper through the sheet feeding apparatus; a paper loader disposed to bear a stack of printable media while successively exposing each sheet of the printable media to said feeding roller as the new sheet, said paper loader having one end which is rotatably disposed with respect to a hinge shaft which is apart from and faced with the crankshaft, and having another end which is a free end; a left sheet feeding unit located at the left end of the crankshaft, and a right sheet feeding unit located at the right end of the crankshaft, the sheet feeding units adapted for raising said free end of said paper loader so as to generate a first feeding pressure against the feeding roller and forcibly pressing a presser for generating a second feeding pressure in order; a position detecting sensor mounted on a rear face of the carriage; an encoder strip so disposed as to be opposite to the position detecting sensor; and a main circuit that controls a movement of the carriage corresponding to a signal from the position detecting sensor.