Patent ID: 7971868
Filing Date: 2011-07-05
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising a sheet stacking member configured to stack sheets, a sheet feeding member which is moveable between a standby position in a sheet feeding standby state and a sheet feeding position below the standby position, and which is configured to engage with an upper surface of a topmost sheet of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking member to feed the sheet at the sheet feeding position, and in a middle of a sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding member, the sheet feeding member is returned to the standby position, a sheet feed motor configured to drive the sheet feed member to feed the sheet, a moving mechanism configured to move the sheet feeding member between the standby position and the sheet feeding position by a drive of the sheet feed motor, a position detector, operable to output a detection signal based on a position of the sheet feeding member, and a lifter mechanism which is configured to lift the sheet stacking member towards the sheet feeding member, the lifter mechanism lifts, the sheet stacking member based on detection of the position detector, such that the upper surface of the topmost sheet is moved to the sheet-feeding position, wherein when a first sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding member starts after sheets are set on the sheet stacking member in a lower position, the sheet feed motor rotates by a predetermined amount and stops so that the sheet feeding member is lowered from the standby position towards the sheet feeding position by the moving mechanism in a state that the sheet stacking member is in the lower position, and wherein when the sheet feeding member is lowered from the standby position towards the sheet feeding position in the first sheet feeding operation, the sheet stacking member is lifted by the lifter mechanism based on detection of the position detector so that the upper surface of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking member is moved to the sheet-feeding position.