Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a sheet feeding device in which the vibration and noise can largely be reduced in a rotating shaft of a pressing roller while multi feed is sufficiently prevented. A top-most sheet P stacked on a sheet stacking member is drawn by a feed roller and separated one by one between the feed roller and the separating member, and the sheet is fed toward a first sheet guide member. A pair of conveying rollers conveys the sheet while nipping the sheet, and the conveying rollers draws the sheet from a nip between the pressing roller and the separating member. A projection of a second sheet guide member is projected toward a position below a tangent line, so that a force with which the sheet pushes up the pressing roller is eliminated to suppress generation of vibration and noise in the pressing roller.

1 . A sheet feeding device comprising:
 a sheet feed member which feeds a sheet;   a separating member which separates the sheet one by one between the sheet feed member and the separating member;   a first guide member which guides the sheet fed by the sheet feed member while bending the sheet toward a sheet feed member side;   a sheet conveying unit which conveys the sheet guided by the first guide member while nipping the sheet; and   a second guide member which orientates a course of the sheet toward a sheet conveying unit side,   wherein the second guide member contacts a surface on the sheet feed member side of the sheet drawn from between the sheet feed member and the separating member, on a tangent line of the sheet feed member at a position where the sheet feed member contacts the separating member, or at a position located on a separating member side in relation to the tangent line.   
   
   
       2 . The sheet feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet feed member includes a rotating body which is rotatably supported and driven according to the sheet drawn by the sheet conveying unit, and the tangent line is defined by a tangent line of the rotating body at a position where the rotating body pressure-contacts the separating member. 
   
   
       3 . The sheet feeding device according to  claim 2 , wherein the second guide member includes a rotating body which is rotatably supported and driven according to the drawn sheet. 
   
   
       4 . The sheet feeding device according to  claim 2 , wherein the sheet conveying unit and the second guide member are exchangeably assembled integral with each other while a positional relationship is fixed between the sheet conveying unit and the second guide member. 
   
   
       5 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the sheet feeding device as in any one of  claims 1  to  4 ; and   an image forming unit which forms an image in a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device.