JP4613892B2 - Paper feeding device and image forming apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device on which sheet materials to be supplied to an image forming apparatus are stacked, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device.

  There is a problem in that the upper and lower sheet materials are brought into close contact with the burrs at the end portions generated when the sheet material is cut, and the sheet materials are stacked on the sheet feeding device in this state, so that the sheet materials are double-fed.

In view of this, a sheet feeding device has been proposed in which the sheet material is separated by blowing air from the side to the sheet material stacked by a fan to prevent the sheet material from being double-fed. (Patent Document 1)
Air enters between the sheet materials, and the sheet materials are separated one by one up and down, thereby preventing multiple feeding of the sheet materials.
JP 2003-176051 A

  On the other hand, between the side fence that contacts the end of the sheet material stacked on the paper feeder and regulates the sheet feeding position and the end of the sheet material, the side fence component accuracy, mounting position accuracy, etc. There may be a gap due to the variation of. In particular, when a large-capacity sheet material is stacked, a small inclination of the side fence affects the gap between the sheet material stacked on the upper side and the side fence.

  As described above, when air is blown from the side in a state where there is a gap between the side fence and the end of the sheet material, the position of the sheet material is shifted at the same time as the sheet material is separated.

  When the sheet material is sent to the image forming unit in a state where the position of the sheet material is shifted, a so-called skew in which the sheet material is inclined in the conveyance direction or a so-called registration shift in which the sheet material is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction occurs.

  In addition, by pressing the side fence against the end of the sheet material with a spring, it is possible to eliminate the gap between the sheet material and the side fence (hereinafter referred to as a regulating member) and prevent sheet material skew and registration. Even if air is blown, the sheet material is not separated and double feeding occurs.

  In view of the above facts, the present invention has an object to suppress sheet material skew and registration while preventing double feeding of the sheet material.

  A sheet feeding device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a stacking plate on which sheet materials are stacked, a blowing unit that blows air on the sheet material stacked on the stacking plate, and the sheets stacked on the stacking plate. A movable restricting member that restricts the sheet feeding position against the end of the material, and the end of the sheet material from the retracted position where the restricting member is retracted from the end of the sheet material when the sheet material is sent out And a moving means for moving the restricting member from the restricting position to the retracted position when the sheet material is fed out.

  According to the above configuration, when the sheet material placed on the placement plate is sent out, the moving means hits the end portion of the sheet material from the retracted position where the regulating member is retracted from the end portion of the sheet material. Is moved to a restricting position for restricting. For this reason, the sheet feeding position of the sheet material is regulated, and the skew and registration of the sheet material are suppressed.

  When the sheet material is sent out, the moving means moves the restricting member from the restricting position to the retracted position. For this reason, the sheet material becomes free, and the air by the blowing means enters between the sheet material and separates the sheet material.

  Thus, it is possible to suppress skew and registration of the sheet material while preventing the sheet material from being double fed.

  A sheet feeding device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the sheet feeding device according to the first aspect, wherein the regulating member is connected to the slide plate that is slidable in the surface direction of the stacking plate, and the slide plate is connected by a connecting portion. An abutting plate that contacts an end of the material, and the moving means is attached to the slide plate and tilts an upright plate portion of the abutting plate that contacts the end of the sheet material. The standing plate portion is moved from the retracted position to the restricting position or from the restricting position to the retracted position.

  According to the above configuration, the moving means attached to the slide plate inclines the standing plate portion of the contact plate to move from the retracted position to the restricting position or from the restricting position to the retracted position.

  In this way, by changing the inclination of the standing plate portion, the standing plate portion can be moved from the retracted position to the restricting position or from the restricting position to the retracted position.

  The sheet feeding device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the paper feeding device according to the second aspect, wherein the slide plate includes a standing wall that rises along the standing plate portion, and the standing plate portion of the contact plate is the connecting portion. The moving means is attached to the standing wall and urged to urge the standing plate portion to the retracted position, and movable to move the standing plate portion from the retracted position to the restricting position. And a member.

  According to the above configuration, the biasing member attached to the standing wall biases the standing plate portion to the retracted position, and the movable member swings the standing plate portion to move from the retracting position to the restricting position.

  In this way, by changing the inclination of the standing plate portion by a simple method, the standing plate portion can be moved from the retracted position to the restricting position or from the restricting position to the retracted position.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the urging member is a coil spring, and the movable member is a solenoid.

  According to the above configuration, the biasing member is a coil spring and the movable member is a solenoid.

  Thus, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by changing the inclination of the upright plate portion using the coil spring and the solenoid, which are general-purpose parts.

  The sheet feeding device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the sheet feeding device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the regulating member regulates a stacking position of the sheet material in a direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction of the sheet material. It is the side fence which does.

  According to the above configuration, the side fence that is the restricting member restricts the stacking position of the sheet material in the direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. For this reason, the positional deviation of the sheet material in the direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction of the sheet material is suppressed.

  The sheet feeding device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the regulating member is an end fence that regulates a stacking position of the sheet material in a sheet feeding direction. It is characterized by being.

  According to the above configuration, the end fence that is a regulating member regulates the stacking position of the sheet material in the sheet feeding direction. For this reason, the positional deviation of the sheet material in the sheet feeding direction is suppressed.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the spraying means is movable when the upright plate portion is in the retracted position.

  According to the said structure, when a standing board part exists in a retracted position, a spraying means moves. Since the sheet material is separated by blowing air when the sheet material is free, the sheet material can be efficiently separated.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the paper feeding device is connected to the image forming apparatus.

  According to the above configuration, since the sheet feeding device is connected to the image forming apparatus, there is no restriction in the height direction of the sheet feeding device, and a large capacity sheet material can be stacked on the sheet feeding device. Even when a large-capacity sheet material is loaded on the sheet feeding device, since the moving means is provided, it is possible to prevent the sheet material from being skewed and to be registered while preventing double feeding of the sheet material.

  An image forming apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention includes the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

    According to the above configuration, since the image forming apparatus includes the paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the sheet material can be prevented by preventing skew and misregistration of the sheet material. An image can be formed at a predetermined position.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress skew and registration of a sheet material while preventing double feeding of the sheet material.

  The image forming apparatus 10 including the sheet feeding device 36 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the image forming apparatus 10 is configured to form a toner image on a sheet material P and discharge the sheet material P on which the toner image is formed by a discharge roll 14.

  A detachable paper cassette 16 is attached to the lower part of the image forming apparatus 10, and a plurality of sheet materials P are accommodated in each paper cassette 16. Further, a pickup roll 18 is disposed above the paper cassette 16, and the sheet material P is sequentially taken out by the pickup roll 18, and further conveyed one by one by the sheet feeding roll 12 and the retard roll 34 that are driven to rotate. It becomes the composition which is done.

  A plurality of transport rolls 20 that transport the sheet material P downstream in the transport direction along the transport path 22 are provided downstream of the pickup roll 18 in the paper transport direction.

  A photosensitive drum 24 is disposed in the conveyance path 22, and a charging image, an exposure process, and a developing process are performed on the photosensitive drum 24 so that a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 24. A transfer roll 26 is disposed at a position facing the photosensitive drum 24, and the transfer roll 26 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 24 to the sheet material P.

  A fixing unit 28 including a pressure roll 28A and a heating roll 28B is disposed downstream of the photosensitive drum 24 and the transfer roll 26 in the conveying direction. The fixing unit 28 heat-fixes the toner image while nipping and conveying the sheet material P onto which the toner image has been transferred by the transfer roll 26.

  A sheet discharge port 30 is formed downstream of the fixing unit 28 in the transport direction, and a discharge roll 14 that discharges the sheet material P from the sheet discharge port 30 is disposed. A discharge tray 32 is attached below the paper discharge port 30 so that the discharged sheet material P is stacked.

  In addition, on the opposite side of the discharge tray 32 in the image forming apparatus 10, a sheet feeding device 36 that supplies the sheet material P to the image forming apparatus 10 and can accommodate a large capacity sheet material P is connected to the image forming apparatus 10. Has been. A pick-up roll 40 is disposed above the sheet material P stacked on the paper feeding device 36. The pick-up roll 40 is sequentially taken out by the pick-up roll 40 and further rotated by a paper feed roll 42 and a retard roll 48. Each sheet is fed from an outlet 50 provided in the sheet feeding device 36 to a receiving port 44 provided on a side surface of the image forming apparatus 10. Details of the paper feeding device 36 will be described later.

  In the image forming apparatus 10 configured as described above, an image is formed as follows.

  First, a charger (not shown) to which a voltage is applied uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 24 at a predetermined potential.

  Subsequently, an exposure unit (not shown) forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 24 based on the image data so that the image portion on the charged photosensitive drum 24 has a predetermined exposure portion potential.

  That is, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image is formed on the photosensitive drum 24 by the exposure device based on the video data supplied from the control device. Further, the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by toner supplied from a developing device (not shown).

  Therefore, in the case of paper feeding from the paper cassette 16, the sheet material P is sequentially taken out by the pickup roll 18, and further fed out one by one to the transport path 22 by the paper feed roll 12 and the retard roll 34 that are driven to rotate. Further, the sheet material P is nipped and conveyed by the plurality of conveyance rolls 20, passes between the photosensitive drum 24 and the transfer roll 26, and the toner image is transferred to the sheet material P. The transferred toner image is fixed on the sheet material P by passing between a pressure roll 28A and a heating roll 28B provided in the fixing unit 28.

  Further, the sheet material P is discharged by a discharge roll 14 to a discharge tray 32 provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 10.

  In the case of paper feeding from the paper feeding device 36, the sheet material provided in the paper feeding device 36 is sequentially taken out by the pickup roll 40, and is further rotated by the paper feeding roll 42 and the retard roll 48 that are rotationally driven. Sheets are fed from an outlet 50 provided in the sheet feeding device 36 to a receiving port 44 provided on a side surface of the image forming apparatus 10. The sheet material P supplied from the receiving port 44 is transported by the receiving roll 46 and sent out to the transport path 22. The fed sheet material P is nipped and conveyed by a plurality of conveyance rolls 20 as in the case of the sheet material P from the paper cassette 16, passes through between the photosensitive drum 24 and the transfer roll 26, and the toner image is transferred to the sheet material P. The The transferred toner image is fixed on the sheet material P by passing between a pressure roll 28A and a heating roll 28B provided in the fixing unit 28.

  Further, the sheet material P is discharged by a discharge roll 14 to a discharge tray 32 provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 10.

  Next, the paper feeding device 36 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a paper feeding device 36 is continuously provided on the side of the image forming apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIG. 8, by pulling the grip 52 </ b> A of the cover 52 provided on the front surface of the sheet feeding device 36 toward the front (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8), the sheet material stacking unit 54 that stacks the sheet material P is provided. appear.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet material stacking unit 54 is provided with a bottom plate 56 as a stacking plate on which the sheet material P is stacked. When feeding the sheet material P to the image forming apparatus 10, the bottom plate 56 is moved upward by an elevating means (not shown) to pick up the uppermost sheet material P placed on the bottom plate 56. It is configured to press against the roll 40 (see FIG. 10). Further, when the cover 52 is pulled forward (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 7), the bottom plate 56 is moved downward by the lifting means so that the sheet material P can be stacked on the sheet material stacking portion 54. It has become.

  Further, two fans 58 as air blowing means are provided in the cover 52 side by side in the horizontal direction. The fan 58 is connected to a power supply line (not shown), and the fan 58 rotates when the sheet material P is conveyed. As shown in FIG. It is configured to flow from the side (the end of the sheet material) into the upper sheet material P loaded on the bottom plate 56 through the circular air hole 52B.

  There is a problem that the upper and lower sheet materials P are brought into close contact with the burrs at the end portions generated when the sheet material P is cut, and this close contact causes the sheet material P to be double-fed. By spraying from the side of the sheet material P, air enters between the sheet material and the sheet material P can be separated vertically to prevent double feeding.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, an end fence 72 that regulates the stacking position of the sheet material P stacked on the bottom plate 56 in the sheet feeding direction is provided so as to contact the rear end portion of the sheet material P. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, the end fence 72 has an upright plate portion 72 </ b> A that determines the position of the sheet material P in the sheet feeding direction by contacting the end portion of the sheet material P, and the upright plate portion from the lower edge of the upright plate portion 72 </ b> A 72A extending in the orthogonal direction of 72A.

  Two guide members 74 that contact the lower surface of the connecting portion 72B and guide the end fence 72 in the sheet material feeding direction are provided below the connecting portion 72B. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide material 74 extends in the paper feeding direction, and a through portion 72 </ b> D (see FIG. 6) of the connecting portion 72 </ b> B is inserted.

  Further, a stop bar 76 extending in the paper feeding direction is provided between the two guide members 74, and a rack 76A shown in FIG. Further, the rack 76 </ b> A meshes with the rack 83 </ b> A of the support rod 83 provided on the end fence 72 to restrict the movement of the end fence 72 in the sheet material feeding direction.

  Specifically, the support rod 83 passes through a support plate 72C that projects horizontally from the end fence 72, and is movable up and down. A coil spring 85 is inserted between the support plate 72C and a stop plate 83B provided on the support rod 83, and the support rod 83 is urged downward by a spring force. Thus, the rack 83A of the support rod 83 and the rack 76A of the stop bar 76 are reliably engaged with each other. Further, when the end fence 72 is moved in the sheet feeding direction in accordance with the size of the sheet material P, the end fence 72 is rotatably attached to the upper end portion of the support rod 83, and the base end portion is pivotally supported by the upright plate portion 72A. Lift the tip of the lever 72F. Accordingly, the engagement between the rack 83A of the support rod 83 and the rack 76A of the stop bar 76 is released, and the end fence 72 is moved in the paper feeding direction. The bottom plate 56 is provided with a relief portion in accordance with the movement range of the end fence 72.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the side fence 38 as a regulating member that regulates the position of the sheet material P stacked on the bottom plate 56 in the sheet feeding orthogonal direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 7). Is provided to face the back surface of the cover 52.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the side fence 38 has a slide plate 62 slidable in the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding, and a contact plate 60 connected to the slide plate 62. Is provided with a connecting portion 60B connected to the slide plate 62, and an upright plate portion 60A that is pivotally supported by the end portion of the connecting portion 60B and is in contact with the end portion of the sheet material P.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the slide plate 62 has a substantially L shape extending in the sheet feeding direction of the sheet material P (arrow B in FIG. 4), and includes a connecting portion 60 </ b> B and four bolts 70. A bottom portion 62B to be connected and a standing wall 62A that rises from the bottom portion 62B along the standing plate portion 60A are provided.

  Further, a coil spring 80 is provided between the standing wall 62A and the standing plate portion 60A, and the standing plate portion 60A whose lower end portion is pivotally supported by the shaft portion 60C of the connecting portion 60B is a coil spring. The spring force of 80 is biased to the retracted position retracted from the end of the sheet material P.

  Further, the fan 58 has a structure that is movable when the standing plate portion 60A is urged to the retracted position. When the sheet material P is in a free state, air is blown by the fan 58 from the side. By separating the material P efficiently in the vertical direction, it is possible to prevent double feeding.

  Further, a solenoid 68 is provided on the upper side of the standing wall 62A to move the standing plate portion 60A from the retracted position to the regulation position that regulates the sheet feeding position by hitting the end portion of the sheet material P. Specifically, the solenoid 68 is provided with a rod 68A that is movable in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2), and a pin 68B is provided at the tip of the rod 68A. The pin 68B is movable in a vertically extending long hole 60D provided at the upper end of the standing plate 60A.

  With this configuration, when the sheet material P is fed out, the tip of the rod 68A protrudes, and the standing plate portion 60A is moved from the retracted position shown in FIG. 1 (A) to the restricting position shown in FIG. 1 (B). Further, when the feeding of the sheet material P is completed, the tip end portion of the rod 68A is retracted, and the upright plate portion 60A is moved from the restricted position to the retracted position shown in FIG.

  Further, below the slide plate 62, a shaft 64 having a rack 64A that meshes with a rack 62C provided on the lower surface of the slide plate 62 is disposed so as to extend in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed. As shown in FIG. 4, guide rods 66 that guide the contact plate 60 in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed are provided on both sides of the shaft 64 so as to penetrate the slide plate 62.

  The rack 62C is urged toward the lower shaft 64 by a spring 70 provided on the upper surface of the rack 62C, and the rack 62C and the rack 64A are reliably engaged with each other.

  When the size of the sheet material P stacked on the bottom plate 56 is changed, if the side fence 38 is moved in the sheet feeding orthogonal direction, the rack 62C compresses the spring 70 along the taper surface of the rack 62C. Moving upward, the meshing between the rack 62C and the rack 64A is released. Thereby, the side fence 38 is moved in the sheet feeding orthogonal direction, and the upright plate portion 60A is applied to the end portion of the sheet material P of a new size. The bottom plate 56 is provided with a relief portion in accordance with the movement range of the side fence 38.

  Here, the vertical plate portion 60A of the contact plate 60 of the side fence 38 and the sheet material P due to variations in the component accuracy and mounting position accuracy of the side fence 38 and backlash between components necessary for moving the side fence 38, etc. , The gap may occur between the standing plate portion 60A and the end portion of the sheet material P, or the standing plate portion 60A may hit the end portion of the sheet material P strongly.

  When air is blown by the fan 58 from the side in a state where a gap is generated between the standing plate portion 60A and the end portion of the sheet material P, the sheet material P is separated and simultaneously the position of the sheet material P is shifted. . When the sheet material P is fed out in this state, a skew in which the sheet material P is inclined in the conveyance direction or a registration shift that is shifted in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance occurs.

  In addition, in the state where the standing plate portion 60A is in strong contact with the end portion of the sheet material P, even if air is blown by the fan 58 from the side, the standing plate portion 60A is strongly applied to the end portion of the sheet material P. P does not separate up and down, and the sheet material P is double fed.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the sheet material P is not sent out, the vertical plate portion 60A is biased to the retracted position by the spring force of the coil spring 80, and the fan 58 is moved to move the sheet. When the material P is separated and the sheet material P is sent out, as shown in FIG. 1B, the solenoid 68 moves the upright plate portion 60A from the retracted position to the restricting position to restrict the position of the sheet material P. After that, the sheet material P is sent out.

  Thus, since the position of the sheet material P is regulated when the sheet material P is sent out, skew and registration of the sheet material P can be suppressed while preventing double feeding.

  In addition, since the standing plate portion 60A is moved using the coil spring 80 and the solenoid 68, which are general-purpose parts, the structure is inexpensive.

  Referring to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, when the sheet material P is being fed out, the solenoid 68 is turned on to project the rod 68A, move the upright plate portion 60A to the restricted position, and When the feeding operation of the material P is not performed, the solenoid 68 is turned OFF and the upright plate portion 60A is moved to the retracted position.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. It is clear to the contractor. For example, in the above embodiment, the solenoid 68 for moving the upright plate portion 60A is provided on the side fence 38 to regulate the stacking position of the sheet material P in the sheet feeding orthogonal direction, but the solenoid 68 is provided on the end fence to feed the sheet. The stacking position of the sheet material P may be regulated.

  In the above-described embodiment, the solenoid 68 is provided on the side fence 38 of the paper feeding device 36 connected to the image forming apparatus 10. However, the solenoid 68 or the like is provided on the side fence of the paper cassette 16 provided in the image forming apparatus 10. The position of the sheet material P stacked on the paper cassette 16 may be regulated.

(A) It is sectional drawing which showed the state which the standing board part of the paper feeder which concerns on embodiment of this invention exists in a retracted position. (B) It is sectional drawing which showed the state which has the standing board part of the paper feeder which concerns on embodiment of this invention in a control position. It is sectional drawing which showed the side fence, bottom plate, fan, etc. of the paper feeder which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing sheet material feeding operation and solenoid operation of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is the top view which showed the side fence of the paper feeder which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its periphery. 1 is a plan view illustrating a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the end fence which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a state where a cover 52 is opened. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a state where a cover 52 is opened. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a state in which a cover 52 is closed. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 36 Paper feeding apparatus 38 Side fence (regulation member)
56 Bottom plate (loading plate)
58 Fan (Blowing means)
60 Abutting plate 60A Standing plate portion 60B Connecting portion 62 Slide plate 62A Standing wall 68 Solenoid 72 End fence 80 Coil spring

Claims (9)

A loading plate on which sheet material is loaded;
Blowing means for blowing air to the sheet material loaded on the loading plate;
A movable restricting member that restricts a sheet feeding position by hitting an end of the sheet material stacked on the stacking plate;
When the sheet material is sent out, the regulating member is moved from the retracted position retracted from the end portion of the sheet material to a regulating position that restricts the sheet feeding position against the end portion of the sheet material, and the sheet material is sent out. And moving means for moving the restricting member from the restricting position to the retracted position;
A sheet feeding device comprising:   The restricting member includes a slide plate that is slidable in the surface direction of the stacking plate, and a contact plate that is connected to the slide plate at a connecting portion and abuts against an end portion of the sheet material. The moving means is attached to the slide plate and tilts the standing plate portion of the contact plate that contacts the end of the sheet material to move the standing plate portion from the retracted position to the restricting position or from the restricting position to the retracting position. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein   The slide plate includes a standing wall that rises along the standing plate portion, the standing plate portion of the abutting plate is pivotally supported by the connecting portion, and the moving means is attached to the standing wall. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, further comprising: a biasing member that biases the standing plate portion to the retracted position; and a movable member that moves the standing plate portion from the retracting position to the restricting position.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the biasing member is a coil spring, and the movable member is a solenoid.   5. The sheet feeding according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is a side fence that regulates a stacking position of the sheet material in a direction orthogonal to a sheet feeding direction of the sheet material. apparatus.   5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is an end fence that regulates a stacking position of the sheet material in a sheet feeding direction of the sheet material.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the spraying unit is movable when the standing plate portion is in the retracted position.   8. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is connected to the image forming apparatus.   An image forming apparatus comprising the paper feeding device according to claim 1.

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