JP3332523B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a serial printing apparatus which scans a print head to print data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A typical home position detecting mechanism in a conventional serial type recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b).
A shielding plate 52 for blocking the optical path of the transmission type optical sensor 51 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 50 on which is mounted.

The optical sensor 51 is fixed at a predetermined position of the housing 7 and a predetermined standby position of the recording head 1 where the head cap 53 covers the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 (hereinafter referred to as a "home position"). When the recording head 1 arrives at the position, the shielding plate 52 on the carriage 50 interrupts the optical path of the optical sensor 51 to detect the home position of the recording head 1, and the carriage 50 stops. The one configured as described above is generally used.

[0004] As another conventional technique, there is a configuration in which a sensor is provided on a carriage and a shielding plate is provided in a housing, contrary to the above configuration.

[0005]

However, in the above-described home position detecting mechanism of the conventional recording apparatus, when the recording head 1 is of an ink jet type as described above, the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 and the recording medium 3 are not used. It is necessary to keep the distance from the recording surface of the recording medium constant, and the recording medium 3
When recording is performed using a sheet-like material such as paper or film, an envelope-like material, a cloth, or the like, the position of the recording head 1 is adjusted according to the thickness of each recording medium 3, and
The distance between the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 and the recording surface of the recording medium 3 is adjusted.

In general, the position of the carriage 50 on which the recording head 1 is fixedly mounted also moves with respect to the recording medium 3 in accordance with the position adjustment of the recording head 1. Since the position of the plate 52 also moves by the adjustment white, when the recording head 1 reaches the home position as shown in FIG. 5B, the light-emitting portion of the optical sensor 51 into which the shielding plate 52 is inserted. It is necessary to widen the interval between the light receiving units in advance.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, by increasing the distance between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the optical sensor 51, the optical sensor
There is a problem that the detection accuracy when the 51 detects the shielding plate 52 is reduced. In addition, there is a problem that the drive voltage of the optical sensor 51 needs to be set high.

[0008] The present invention is to solve the above problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus that improves the detection accuracy of a sensor that detects a home position and enables the driving voltage of the sensor to be configured with a low value.

[0009]

A typical configuration according to the present invention for achieving the above object is to mount a recording head on a carriage serially moving with respect to an apparatus housing, and to form a recording sheet on a platen. In a recording apparatus that performs recording on the carriage, in order to adjust the interval between the carriage and the platen,
An interval adjustment mechanism that adjusts and moves the carriage in a direction to approach or separate from the platen, a sensor mounted on the carriage, and a detected member provided on the apparatus housing so as to be detectable by the sensor. Wherein the detected member is present over a range detected by the sensor that is displaced in accordance with the interval adjustment movement of the carriage.

[0010]

Since the recording apparatus according to the present invention is constructed as described above, the home position of the recording head can be detected by detecting the end of the carriage guide by the sensor mounted on the carriage.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus will be specifically described as an example of a recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory partial cross-sectional view illustrating a detection unit of the sensor according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a recording sheet 3 supplied from a sheet supply port 8 provided in an upper part of the apparatus main body P is conveyed to a conveying roller (not shown) driven by a motor 6 and receives a platen 9 and a sheet pressing plate 10. And is pressed by the sheet pressing plate 10 to be fixed to the recording surface of the platen 9.

A recording head 1 that performs recording by discharging ink onto the recording sheet 3 at a position facing the platen 9
Is mounted on the carriage 2 and is configured to move on the recording surface of the recording sheet 3 in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the platen 9.

A screw engaging portion (not shown) provided at one end of the carriage 2 is engaged with a groove 11a of a lead screw 11 supported by the housing 7 in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the platen 9, and The carriage 2 is configured to move in the longitudinal direction of the lead screw 11 when the screw 11 rotates.

A carriage holding portion 2a provided at the other end of the carriage 2 has a guide plate 5 as a member to be detected provided on the housing 7 in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the lead screw 11.
And is configured to move on the guide plate 5. Accordingly, the carriage 2 is held at a predetermined position by engaging the lead screw 11 and the screw engaging portion, and the guide plate 5 and the carriage holding portion 2a, respectively, so that the recording head 1 faces the platen 9. It is possible to move while holding the position.

A transmission type optical sensor 4 is attached to the carriage 2 adjacent to the carriage holding portion 2a, and a guide plate 5 is provided between a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion of the sensor 4 as shown in FIG. It is configured to be inserted to block an optical path. A carriage 2 is provided at one end of the guide plate 5.
Is provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the sensor 4. When the sensor 4 passes through the end 5a, the shield is released and the sensor 4 is turned on. .

The lead screw 11 is connected to a main scanning motor 15 via a gear 12, a transmission gear 13a, and a gear 14. When the motor 15 is rotated, the driving force is changed to the gear.
The lead screw 11 is rotated by being transmitted by 12, 13a and 14, and the carriage 2 can be moved in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the platen 9.

A head cap 16 is arranged adjacent to the platen 9 so that when the recording head 1 reaches the home position, the head cap 16 is put on the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1. Have been.

This mechanism prevents the ink in the recording head 1 from drying and fixing by covering the nozzle cap 1a with the head cap 16, and a pump device (not shown) in the event that the ink is dried and fixed. Thus, the pressure inside the head cap 16 is reduced to suck the ink from the nozzles 1a of the recording head 1 to clean the nozzles 1a.

The driving mechanism of the head cap 16 is such that when the carriage 2 on which the recording head 1 is mounted reaches the home position, the end of the carriage 2 is moved to the transmission gear 13.
When the clutch gear 13b is pressed against the transmission gear 13a by pushing the back surface of the clutch gear 13b disposed coaxially with the transmission gear 13a, the rotational driving force of the transmission gear 13a
b.

Further, the driving force is applied to the clutch gear 13b.
Is transmitted to the cap driving member 18 via the cap driving member 17 which is engaged with the head cap 16, and the driving member 18 with the head cap 16 is moved in the direction of the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 to cover the nozzle 1a. It is configured as follows.

When the carriage 2 reaches the vicinity of the home position, the sensor 4 reaches the end 5a of the guide plate 5 and shields the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the sensor 4 from the guide plate. 5, the light emitted from the light emitting unit passes through the optical path, reaches the light receiving unit, turns on the sensor 4, and transmits a detection signal to a control unit (not shown).

The operation of the recording apparatus constructed as described above will be described. First, when the power of the apparatus main body P is turned on, a control (not shown) is performed to check whether the carriage 2 on which the recording head 1 is mounted is at the home position. The unit rotates the main scanning motor 15 and rotates the lead screw 11 via the transmission gear 13a and the like.

Then, after the carriage 2 moves in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 1 and the main scanning motor 15 rotates a predetermined number of pulses, the optical path of the sensor 4 is blocked by the guide plate 5 and the sensor 4 is turned off. When it is confirmed that there is, the control unit (not shown) reverses the main scanning motor 15 to move the carriage 2 in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 1 to reach the vicinity of the home position.

Then, the optical sensor 4 whose optical path has been shielded by the guide plate 5 passes through the end 5 a of the guide plate 5, so that the optical path is released and turned on, and is detected by a control unit (not shown). Transmit signals. Then, after the main scanning motor 15 rotates a predetermined number of pulses by a control unit (not shown), the carriage 2 is stopped at the home position.

At the same time, the rear surface of the clutch gear 13b is pushed by the end of the carriage 2, and the clutch gear 13b is connected to the transmission gear 13a while being pressed by the transmission gear 13a.
The clutch gear 13b rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the head, and the head cap 16 is put on the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 via the cap driving members 17 and 18, and the state is maintained.

Next, when recording data is sent to a control unit (not shown) together with a recording start signal, the main scanning motor 15 is rotated by the control of the control unit, and the lead screw 11 is transmitted via a transmission gear 13a and the like. To rotate. At this time, since the carriage 2 is at the home position and maintains the above state, the pressing force of the carriage 2 causes the clutch gear 13b connected to the transmission gear 13a to rotate in conjunction with the transmission gear 13a to drive the cap. The head cap 16 can be removed from the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 via the members 17 and 18.

When the lead screw 11 further rotates, the carriage 2 moves in the direction of arrow a in FIG.
13b is released from the transmission gear 13a, and the clutch gear 13b is kept in a state where no power works. The optical path of the sensor 4 is blocked by the guide plate 5 to maintain the off state, and the off signal is transmitted to a control unit (not shown). Further, while the lead screw 11 rotates and the carriage 2 moves in the direction of the arrow a, the recording head 1 records the first row on the recording sheet 3 in accordance with the recording data.

When the recording of the first line is completed, the control unit (not shown) feeds the recording sheet 3 one line,
When the lead screw 11 rotates in the reverse direction, the carriage 2 moves in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 1 and the recording head 1 performs recording on the recording sheet 3 in the second row. Similarly, when the recording on the second line is completed, the recording sheet 3 is fed one more line by the control unit (not shown), the lead screw 11 is further rotated in the reverse direction, and the carriage 2 moves in the direction of arrow a in FIG. Head 1
Performs the recording of the third row on the recording sheet 3. Hereinafter, the same operation is repeated to complete the entire recording on the recording sheet 3. During this time, the sensor 4 is kept off as described above.

After the completion of all recordings, when the carriage 2 moves in the direction of arrow b in FIG. 1 and comes near the home position, the sensor 4 passes through the end 5a of the guide plate 5 and the shielding of the optical path is removed. Then, the sensor 4 is turned on to transmit a detection signal to a control unit (not shown). Then, the control unit rotates the main scanning motor 15 by a predetermined number of pulses and puts the head cap 16 on the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 as described above, and waits.

Here, it is conceivable that the recording sheet 3 is recorded on various types of paper or film having different thicknesses, or as another recording medium, on an envelope or cloth.
In particular, in an ink jet type recording apparatus, it is necessary to make the distance between the recording surface of a recording medium such as the recording sheet 3 and the nozzle 1a of the recording head 1 constant.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the recording head 1
Is moved in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the platen 9 to adjust the gap between the nozzle 1a and the recording surface of the recording sheet 3 (not shown). The recording head 1 and the carriage 2 move in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the platen 9 (interval adjustment moving direction).

However, in this embodiment, the carriage 2
Guide plate 5 with the carriage guide of
And the light emitting portion of the sensor 4 even if the carriage 2 moves in the left-right direction in FIG. 2, that is, the direction approaching or separating from the platen by adjusting the distance between the recording heads 1 described above. The interval between the light receiving sections only needs to be configured at an interval corresponding to the thickness of the guide plate 5, and the detection accuracy of the sensor 4 can be improved by configuring the interval between the light emitting section and the light receiving section to be relatively narrow. In addition, since the driving voltage of the sensor 4 can be set low, the sensor 4 can be configured with low power consumption.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, components having the same configuration and the same effect as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing components of a sensor attached to the carriage 2. A reflection type optical sensor 20 provided at one end of the carriage 2 adjacent to the carriage holding portion 2a is disposed above the guide plate 5, and is opposed to the upper surface of the guide plate 5 to receive light from the light emitting portion of the optical sensor 20. The parts are arranged adjacent to each other.

Accordingly, when the sensor 20 faces the guide plate 5, the light emitted from the light emitting section is reflected on the surface of the guide plate 5, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving section. The sensor 20 is turned on, and the signal is transmitted to a control unit (not shown). The sensor 20 is connected to the end 5 of the guide plate 5.
a, when the light emitted from the light emitting unit is not reflected by the light receiving unit without being reflected,
20 is turned off, and the signal is transmitted to a control unit (not shown).

Here, the control is performed in such a manner that the off signal of the sensor 20 corresponds to the on signal of the sensor 4 of the first embodiment, and the on signal of the sensor 20 corresponds to the off signal of the sensor 4. However, similar effects can be obtained by making the other configuration the same as that of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the sensor 20 is connected to the guide plate 5.
The sensor 20 is disposed below the guide plate 5 and is disposed above the upper surface of the guide plate 5.
The same effect can be obtained by disposing the sensor 20 so as to face the upper and lower inner surfaces.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, components having the same configuration and the same effect as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing components of a sensor attached to the carriage 2. A mechanical sensor 30 including a mechanical contact provided at one end of the carriage 2 and adjacent to the carriage holding portion 2 a is disposed above the guide plate 5.

An elastic piece 30a, which constitutes a part of the mechanical sensor 30, is disposed so as to abut on the upper surface of the guide plate 5 and slide with the movement of the carriage 2, and faces the piece 30a. Contact points 30b are provided at predetermined intervals.

When the carriage 2 moves on the guide plate 5 and the slice 30a is in contact with the surface of the guide plate 5, the mechanical sensor 30 pushes the slice 30a up by the guide plate 5 and contacts the contact 30b. Then, the switch of the sensor 30 is turned on, and the signal is transmitted to a control unit (not shown).

When the piece 30a passes through the end 5a of the guide plate 5 and the contact between the piece 30a and the guide plate 5 is released, the elastic force of the piece 30a causes the piece 30a to come into contact.
The sensor 30 is turned off at a distance from 30b, and the signal is transmitted to a control unit (not shown).

Here, the signal for turning off the sensor 30 corresponds to the on signal of the sensor 4 of the first embodiment, and the signal for turning on the sensor 30 corresponds to the off signal of the sensor 4. The same effect can be obtained by configuring the configuration so as to correspond to them and making the other configuration the same as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, since the section 30a which slides in contact with the guide plate 5 scans the recording head 1 while urging the carriage 2, the sensor 30 comprises a home position sensor and a carriage urging means. The configuration can also be used.
Therefore, the carriage 2 can be stabilized and scanning of the recording head 1 can be performed without rattling.

Next, the recording head 1 relating to the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. The recording head 1 serving as the recording means records an ink image on the recording sheet 3 conveyed by the conveying means. is there. As a recording unit in this apparatus, an ink jet recording system for discharging ink from the recording head 1 for recording is used. That is, the recording head 1 has a fine liquid ejection port (orifice), a liquid path, an energy operation section provided in a part of the liquid path, and an energy for generating a droplet forming energy to act on the liquid in the operation section. Generating means.

As an energy generating means for generating such energy, a recording method using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element or the like, an electromagnetic wave such as a laser is irradiated to generate heat, and a droplet is discharged by the action of the heat. There are a recording method using an energy generating means, and a recording method using an energy generating means for discharging a liquid by heating a liquid by an electrothermal converter such as a heating element having a heating resistor.

Among them, a recording head used in an ink jet recording method for discharging a liquid by thermal energy has a high density of liquid discharge ports (orifices) for discharging a recording droplet to form a discharge droplet. Since they can be arranged, high-resolution recording can be performed.

Among them, a recording head using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating means can be easily made compact, and has recently achieved a remarkable advance in technology in the field of semiconductors and a remarkable improvement in reliability. This is advantageous because the advantages can be fully utilized, high-density mounting is easy, and the manufacturing cost is low.

Next, another embodiment relating to the ink jet recording apparatus will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the ink jet recording method is used as the recording means. However, an electric current is supplied to the electrothermal transducer according to a recording signal, and the film boiling generated in the ink is utilized by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer. It is more preferable that the recording is performed by discharging the ink from the discharge port due to the growth and shrinkage of the bubble generated in the ink.

Regarding the typical constitution and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796.

This method can be applied to any of the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it corresponds to a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink). To the electrothermal transducers
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles in the liquid corresponding to the drive signal one by one can be formed, which is effective.

The liquid is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and shrinkage of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are immediately and appropriately performed, so that particularly excellent liquid ejection can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the driving signal in the form of a pulse, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, The present invention also includes a configuration using U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,558,333 and 4,459,600 which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal transducer for a plurality of electrothermal transducers, or an aperture for absorbing pressure waves of thermal energy. Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
The effect of the present invention is effective even in a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461. That is, according to the present invention, the recording can be performed reliably and efficiently regardless of the form of the recording head.

[0055]

In addition, even in the case of the serial type described above, the recording head fixed to the carriage or mounted on the carriage enables electrical connection with the apparatus main body and supply of ink from the apparatus main body. A replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself may be used.

It is preferable to add recording head recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as components of the recording apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. To be more specific, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, preheating means using an electrothermal conversion type or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection is also effective for performing stable printing.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads mounted on the carriage, for example, in addition to the recording head having only one corresponding to a single color ink, it corresponds to a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities. May be provided in plurality. That is, for example, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, and may be a combination of a plurality of print heads integrally formed. To at least one of the full-color devices.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet recording system 30 ink itself
It is common to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in the stable ejection range by adjusting the temperature within the range of not less than 70 ° C and not more than 70 ° C if the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied. good.

In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy can be positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or solidified in a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink. Either ink is used, or in any case, the ink is liquefied by application of heat energy according to the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink already solidifies when it reaches the recording sheet. Note that the present invention is also applicable to a case where ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time by thermal energy is used.

The ink in such a case is described in JP-A-54-5
No. 6847 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 60-71260, in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state of being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It is good. The most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-described film boiling method.

Further, as the form of the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus, in addition to the one used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, a copy apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function May be used.

Although an example in which an ink jet recording method is used as the above-described recording means has been described, the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording method, and other recording methods such as a thermal transfer recording method, a thermal recording method, and the like. Can be applied to an impact recording method such as a wire dot recording method or other recording methods.

[0064]

Since the recording apparatus according to the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, when the carriage moves in the direction approaching or moving away from the platen, the movement of the carriage causes the sensor mounted on the carriage to move. Even so, the sensor can detect the member to be detected provided on the housing of the recording apparatus. Therefore, when a transmission type optical sensor is used as the home position detection sensor, the distance between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the sensor can be reduced to a value close to the thickness of the guide plate. In addition, even if the position of the carriage is changed by adjusting the position of the recording head, the optical sensor can detect the home position regardless of the change.

Similarly, when a reflection-type optical sensor or a mechanical sensor is used as the home position detection sensor, even if the position of the carriage is changed by adjusting the position of the recording head, the position of the carriage is changed regardless of the change. An optical sensor can detect the home position. Therefore,
The home position detection accuracy is improved, and the sensor driving voltage is set to a low value, so that the sensor can be configured with low power consumption. In particular, when the home position is detected by a mechanical sensor, the sensor biases the carriage on which the recording head is mounted to perform stable scanning, thereby improving the quality of the recorded image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory partial cross-sectional view illustrating a detection unit of the sensor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating components of a sensor according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing components of a sensor according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Recording head, 1a ... Nozzle, 2 ... Carriage, 2a
... Carriage holding portion, 3 ... recording sheet, 4 ... transmission type optical sensor, 5 ... guide plate, 5a ... end portion, 6 ... motor, 7 ...
Casing, 8: sheet supply port, 9: platen, 10: sheet pressing plate, 11: lead screw, 11a: groove, 12: gear, 13
a: transmission gear, 13b: clutch gear, 14: gear, 15: main scanning motor, 16: head cap, 17, 18: cap driving member, 20: reflection type optical sensor, 30: mechanical sensor, 30a
... Slice, 30b ... Contact, P ... Device main body

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] In a printing apparatus which mounts a printing head on a carriage which serially moves with respect to an apparatus housing and prints on a printing sheet on a platen, in order to adjust an interval between the carriage and the platen. An interval adjustment mechanism that adjusts and moves the carriage in a direction to approach or separate from the platen; a sensor mounted on the carriage; and a detected member provided on the apparatus housing so as to be detectable by the sensor. A recording device, wherein the detected member exists over a range that is detected by the sensor that is displaced in accordance with an interval adjustment movement of the carriage. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detected member is provided on a member that guides the carriage that moves serially. 3. The detection member is provided along a longitudinal direction of the platen and in a serial movement direction of the carriage, and is also formed to extend in a space adjustment movement direction of the carriage. Claim 1
Or the recording device according to 2. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recording head includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for discharging ink.