Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus including the same

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet;
• and
• an image forming portion for forming an image onto the sheet fed from the sheet feeding device, wherein
• the sheet feeding device includes:
• a sheet accommodating portion for accommodating a sheet stack of a plurality of sheets;
• a sheet carrying plate that is provided within the sheet accommodating portion and stacks the sheet stack thereon;
• a pickup roller that contacts an upper face of the sheet stack and dispatches a sheet on an uppermost layer of the sheet stack;
• an elevator mechanism that displaces the sheet carrying plate between a sheet feeding position in which the upper face of the sheet stack contacts the pickup roller, and a separating position in which the upper face of the sheet stack separates from the pickup roller by a predetermined distance;
• and
• a controller that controls an operation of the elevator mechanism such that the sheet carrying plate is lowered to the separating position after a sheet feeding operation for feeding a sheet at the sheet feeding position is completed.