A known sheet feeding apparatus includes a separation roller disposed at one end side relative to a stack direction of sheets and a separation pad disposed at the other end side relative to the stack direction. The separation roller is configured to rotate in contact with a sheet at the one end side to apply a feeding force to the sheet. The separation pad is configured to contact a sheet at the other end side and apply a resistive force (friction resistance) to the sheet such that the sheet is not fed. In this manner, the sheet feeding apparatus is configured to feed a single sheet contacting the separation roller.
However, the sheet feeding apparatus uses an elastic member, such as a coil spring, to press the separation pad toward the separation roller. As such, when the separation roller is assembled to a supporting unit such as an upper cover, it may be necessary to assemble the separation roller to the supporting unit while manually pressing the separation pad toward the supporting unit such that the coil spring is compressed.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds