SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

摘要

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a controller for shifting a sheet attractor from a stand-by state in which the attractor is away from a sheet accommodated in a sheet stacking device to an attraction state in which the attractor is elastically deformed to surface-contact with the sheet stacked on the stacker to electrostatically attract the sheet, to a separating state for separating the sheet from a lower sheet by lifting a downstream end of the sheet with respect to the feeding direction, and to a spaced state in which the attractor spaces the attracted sheet from the lower sheet, the controller changing a slackness of the attractor in the separating state on the basis of a stiffness information of the sheet.

主权项

1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
a stacking device stacked in g a sheet; a first rotatable member provided above said stacking device; a second rotatable member provided upstream of said first rotatable member with respect to a feeding direction of the sheet; an attraction member, supported by said first rotatable member with a slack and said second rotatable member at a inner surface thereof, for electrically attracting the sheet stacked on said stacking device; a first nipping member cooperative with said first rotatable member to nip said attraction member; a second nipping member cooperative with said second rotatable member to nip said attraction member; a controlling device for shifting said attraction member from a stand-by state in which said attraction member is away from the sheet accommodated in said stacking device to an attraction state in which said attraction member is elastically deformed to surface-contact with the sheet stacked on said stacking device to electrostatically attract the sheet, to a separating state for separating the sheet from a lower sheet by lifting a downstream end of the sheet with respect to the feeding direction, and to a spaced state in which said attraction member spaces the attracted sheet from the lower sheet, said controlling device changing a slackness of said attraction member in the separating state on the basis of a stiffness information of the sheet.