Patent ID: 8630024

Claim:
A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a sheet loading unit configured to load a plurality of sheets; a sheet feeding unit configured to feed the sheets loaded on the sheet loading unit; a light emitting unit configured to irradiate a sheet loaded on the sheet loading unit; an image sensor disposed at a position opposing the sheet loaded on the sheet loading unit and configured to sense an image reflected with light irradiated by the light emitting unit; and a trailing edge detection unit configured to cause the image sensor to repetitively perform sensing during sheet conveyance by the sheet feeding unit, compare images sensed by splitting an sensing range of the image sensor in a sheet conveyance direction, and detect a trailing edge of the sheet currently being conveyed from the sheet feeding unit based on a determination of an area where a pattern remains unchanged in the compared images by determining whether each pattern of the compared images is same in a first area of the plurality of areas and each pattern of the compared images is not same in a second area of the plurality of areas.