JP5012623B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus in which a housing is provided with an opening for jamming, and a recording medium is taken out through the opening.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, inkjet and laser printers are known as image recording apparatuses that record images on a recording medium. In these printers, recording paper stored in a tray or cassette is transported, and a desired image is recorded on the recording paper by an ink jet type or laser type recording means. When transporting recording paper in such image recording, paper jams can occur for various reasons. This paper jam is also called jam.

  When a jam occurs in the printer, it is necessary to take out the jammed recording paper. This operation is also called jam processing. In the jam processing, in order to access the inside of the printer, an opening for jam processing is provided in the housing of the printer. In general, this opening is sealed by a door or the like for the purpose of preventing entry of foreign matter or dust or protecting the operation portion of the printer when jamming is not performed.

  As an operation part in an ink jet printer, for example, a carriage is known (Patent Document 1). The carriage is mounted with an ink jet recording head and is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording paper is conveyed. During this reciprocation, ink droplets are selectively ejected from the recording head and land on the recording paper, and an image is formed on the recording paper. The reciprocation of the carriage is guided in a predetermined direction by the guide member. An encoder strip that can be read by an optical sensor is provided for the purpose of detecting the scanning position of the carriage.

  In Patent Document 2, in order to prevent ink mist from pouring and adhering to the encoder scale (encoder strip), a roof-shaped shield means is provided so that the side of the encoder scale is hidden when viewed from above the encoder scale. The configuration is disclosed.

JP 2007-176121 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-212324

  For example, when a jam occurs near the carriage, the printer interrupts the operation and notifies the occurrence of the jam by an error display or the like. Upon receiving the notification, the user takes out the recording paper jammed near the carriage to the outside through the opening of the housing. In the case of an ink jet printer, there is a possibility that ink that has not yet been completely dried adheres to the recording paper to be taken out. If the guide member that guides the carriage is coated with grease, the grease may adhere to the recording paper. When recording paper with undried ink or grease attached is removed from the opening of the housing, if the recording paper comes into contact with an optically detected member such as an encoder strip, the ink or grease is attached to the encoder strip. There are things to do. As a result, the encoder strip is soiled by ink or grease, and the optical pattern of the encoder strip cannot be accurately detected.

  Further, some encoder strips (encoder scales) have an optical pattern as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, and others have a magnetic pattern or an electrostatic pattern. Even in an encoder strip having such a magnetic pattern or electrostatic pattern, the characteristics of the magnetic pattern or electrostatic pattern change due to the adhesion of ink or grease, and this pattern may not be detected accurately.

  On the other hand, if the encoder strip is not exposed from the opening of the jam processing casing, the recording paper taken out through the opening will not easily come into contact with the encoder strip. However, since the encoder strip is not exposed, the arrangement of the openings in the housing is limited, or a large opening cannot be provided, so that the jam handling workability is deteriorated. If ink or dust adheres to the encoder strip, the encoder strip must be cleaned.If the encoder strip is not exposed from the opening of the housing, it will be used for jam processing during maintenance work such as cleaning. It is difficult to see and access the encoder strip through the opening.

  Even if the shield means disclosed in Patent Document 2 is provided, the shield means cannot protect the encoder strip against the recording paper taken out from below the encoder strip. Further, when viewed from above, the shield means hides the encoder strip, which causes a problem that it is difficult to visually recognize the encoder strip during maintenance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an image recording apparatus that prevents the detected member from being contaminated during the jam processing and has excellent workability for jam processing and maintenance of the detected member. The purpose is to provide.

(1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing, a transport unit that transports a recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing, and the transport path provided in the housing. An opening used for removing the recording medium jammed in the recording medium, guide means disposed on the opening side from the transport path and extending in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and along the guide means A carriage provided movably; image forming means mounted on the carriage for forming an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path; and a displacement detection pattern for the carriage moving direction. A detection member disposed along the guide means and at least a part of which is exposed from the opening, and the displacement detection while moving relative to the detection member as the carriage moves. A detecting means for reading out the protruding pattern; and a protective member for protecting the detected member. The detected member is disposed on the upstream side or the downstream side of the recording position in the transport direction and on the opening side of the guide member , and the protection member is disposed on the transport direction from the detected member. It is arranged on the recording position side and arranged at a position different from the detected member in the transport direction .

  (2) Further, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention is provided in the housing, a transport unit that transports the recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing, and the housing. An opening used for removing a recording medium jammed in the conveyance path, guide means extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, a carriage provided movably along the guide means, and An image forming unit that is mounted on a carriage and forms an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path, and a displacement detection pattern with respect to the movement direction of the carriage, and is arranged along the guide unit. A detection member that is at least partially exposed from the opening; and a detection unit that reads the displacement detection pattern while moving relative to the detection member as the carriage moves. Comprising a protective member for protecting the detected member. The detected member is disposed on the upstream side or the downstream side of the recording position in the transport direction and on the front side of the transport path when viewing the inside of the housing from the outside of the opening. The protective member is disposed on the recording position side of the detected member in the transport direction, and is provided at a position that does not overlap with the detected member when the inside of the housing is viewed from the outside of the opening. It is what was done.

  The image recording apparatus is a so-called printer or a multifunction machine. Inside the housing of the image recording apparatus, the recording medium is conveyed along the conveying path, and image recording is performed on the recording medium at the recording position. When the recording medium is transported or when image recording is performed, the recording medium may be jammed, that is, a jam may occur. An opening is provided in the housing of the apparatus for jam processing, and access from the outside to the inside of the apparatus can be made through this opening.

  A member to be detected is provided inside the casing along the guide means. The member to be detected has a displacement detection pattern. Examples of the displacement detection pattern include an optically detectable pattern, a magnetically detectable pattern, and an electrostatically detectable pattern. The displacement detection pattern is read by the detection means, and the position of the carriage that moves along the guide means is determined.

  The detected member is disposed on the upstream side or the downstream side from the recording position in the transport direction. Therefore, when the inside is viewed from the outside of the opening of the housing, the vicinity of the recording position and the detected member do not overlap. Further, the detected member is located on the front side of the conveyance path when viewed from the outside of the opening of the housing, and at least a part thereof is exposed from the opening of the housing. Thereby, the member to be detected is easily visually recognized through the opening, and access to the member to be detected is easy.

  The protection member is disposed on the recording position side of the detected member in the transport direction. Therefore, when the recording medium is taken out from the vicinity of the recording position through the opening, the protection member is located near the side through which the recording medium passes, and the detection member is located far away. Thereby, the recording medium taken out from the inside of the housing through the opening comes into contact with the protection member before the detection member, and thus cannot contact the detection member.

  Since the protection member does not hide the detected member when viewed from the outside of the opening, it is easy to visually recognize the detected member through the opening during maintenance of the detected member.

  (3) The protective member may be bent so as not to contact the member to be detected.

  By bending the protection member, it is possible to widen the gap with the protection member during maintenance of the detection member.

  (4) The protective member is an elongated member having a flat belt shape, and either one of the front and rear surfaces thereof is opposed to the opening, and has a gap in the first direction substantially the same as the width direction of the front and rear surfaces. It may be arranged in parallel with the detected member.

  The flat belt-shaped long member is easily bent in the front and back directions, but is not easily bent in the width direction. By arranging the long member with either one of the front and back surfaces thereof facing the opening, the protective member is easily bent in a direction in which the protective member is in contact with or separated from the opening. On the other hand, the long member has a gap in the first direction substantially the same as the width direction of the front and back surfaces thereof and is arranged in parallel with the member to be detected, so that the protective member is in contact with and away from the member to be detected. It becomes difficult to bend. As a result, during maintenance of the detection member, the space around the detection member can be expanded by bending the protection member, and when the recording medium is taken out from the opening, the recording medium comes into contact with the detection member. However, the protective member does not come into contact with the member to be detected. Further, when the member to be detected is viewed from the outside of the opening, the member to be detected does not overlap with the protective member, so that it is easy to visually recognize the member to be detected during maintenance.

  (5) The protective member may be made of a translucent material.

  Since the protective member has translucency, the inside of the housing can be visually recognized through the protective member.

(6) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing, a transport unit that transports a recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing, and the transport path. An opening used for removing the recording medium jammed in the recording medium, guide means extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, a carriage movably provided along the guide means, and the carriage An image forming unit that is mounted and forms an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path, and a displacement detection pattern with respect to the moving direction of the carriage, is disposed along the guide unit and is at least one A detection member that reads the displacement detection pattern while moving relative to the detection member as the carriage moves, and a detection member that is exposed from the opening. A protective member for protecting the output member comprises a. The detected member is disposed upstream or downstream of the recording position in the transport direction, and disposed on the front side of the transport path when viewing the inner side of the housing from the outside of the opening. The member is a flat strip-shaped long member that is arranged on the recording position side with respect to the detected member in the transport direction and is bent to such an extent that it does not contact the detected member. One is opposed to the opening, and is disposed in parallel with the member to be detected with a gap in the first direction substantially the same as the width direction of the front and back surfaces .

(7) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing, a transport unit that transports a recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing, and the transport path. An opening used for removing the recording medium jammed in the recording medium, guide means extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, a carriage movably provided along the guide means, and the carriage An image forming unit that is mounted and forms an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path, and a displacement detection pattern with respect to the moving direction of the carriage, is disposed along the guide unit and is at least one A detection member that reads the displacement detection pattern while moving relative to the detection member as the carriage moves, and a detection member that is exposed from the opening. A protective member for protecting the output member comprises a. The detected member is disposed upstream or downstream of the recording position in the transport direction, and disposed on the front side of the transport path when viewing the inner side of the housing from the outside of the opening. The member is disposed closer to the recording position than the member to be detected in the transport direction, and is made of a light-transmitting material .

(8) The carriage is mounted with an ink jet image forming means and is slid with respect to the guide means. When viewed from the moving direction of the carriage, the guide means and the protection member May be arranged closer to the recording position than the member to be detected .

In order to smoothly slide the carriage along the guide, even if grease is applied to the guide, the grease is prevented from adhering to the detection member via the recording medium. Further, since the path (line) of the recording medium taken out from the vicinity of the recording position through the opening is not on the detected member side with respect to the line connecting the guide means and the protective member, ink or grease is detected via the recording medium. Adherence to the member is reliably prevented. Further, even if there is undried ink on the recording medium taken out through the opening, the ink is prevented from adhering to the detection member.

  According to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, since the member to be detected is exposed from the opening of the housing and is disposed on the near side of the conveyance path, it is easy to maintain the member to be detected through the opening. . In addition, since the protection member is provided on the side through which the recording medium taken out through the opening passes with respect to the detected member, the recording medium taken out from the inside of the housing through the opening is ahead of the detected member. It contacts the protection member and cannot contact the member to be detected. This prevents the detected member from becoming dirty during the jam processing.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the multifunction device 10 is shown as an example of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the multifunction device 10, and the scope of the present invention is not changed. Needless to say, the embodiment can be appropriately changed.

[Explanation of drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the multifunction machine 10 in a state where the housing 16 of the scanner unit 12 is rotated and the jam processing opening 17 is exposed. FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating an external configuration of the printer unit 11. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the printer unit 11. 3 to 5, the scanner unit 12 is omitted. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a region VI surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a region VIII surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 70 of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 10 is a view showing a protective strip 68 according to a modification.

[Schematic configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is integrally provided with a printer unit 11 and a scanner unit 12, and has a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. The printer unit 11 corresponds to the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. Functions other than the printer unit 11 are arbitrary. For example, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 12 and does not have a scan function or a copy function.

  In the multifunction machine 10, a printer unit 11 is disposed on the lower side, and a scanner unit 12 is disposed on the upper side. The printer unit 11 is mainly connected to an external information device such as a computer, and records images and characters on a recording medium based on print data including image data and document data transmitted from the external information device. The scanner unit 12 is a so-called flat bed scanner.

  The multi-function device 10 is a wide, thin, generally rectangular parallelepiped outer shape having a width (arrow 101) and a depth (arrow 103) larger than the height (arrow 102). The outer shape of the multifunction machine 10 is mainly composed of a housing 15 of the printer unit 11 and a housing 16 of the scanner unit 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 16 of the scanner unit 12 is rotatably connected to the housing 15 of the printer unit 11 by a hinge structure on the back side, and the housing 16 is connected to the housing 15. And can be turned up and down. The rotation direction of the housing 16 is indicated by an arrow 106. When the housing 16 is rotated upward, the jam processing opening 17 (see FIG. 3) is exposed together with the upper surface of the housing 15.

  An opening 13 is provided in the front surface of the casing 15 of the printer unit 11. Inside the opening 13, a first paper feed cassette 20 and a second paper feed cassette 21 are provided in two upper and lower stages with the first paper feed cassette 20 as the upper side. The upper surface 22 of the first paper feed cassette 20 functions as a paper discharge tray. The recording paper stored in the first paper feeding cassette 20 or the second paper feeding cassette 21 is fed into the printer unit 11 to record a desired image, and the recording paper after image recording is the first paper feeding cassette. It is discharged to the upper surface 22 of the 20.

  An operation panel 14 is provided on the front upper portion of the casing 15 of the printer unit 11. On the operation panel 14, a predetermined input for causing the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12 to perform a desired operation is performed. The operation panel 14 has a plurality of buttons for inputting, and a display for displaying the status of the multifunction machine 10 and error display. Note that when an external information device is connected to the multifunction device 10, the multifunction device 10 also operates based on an instruction transmitted from the external information device through communication software such as a printer driver or a scanner driver.

[Printer 11]
As shown in FIG. 4, the second paper feed cassette 21 is provided on the bottom side of the multifunction machine 10. The first paper feed cassette 20 is arranged in two upper and lower stages above the second paper feed cassette 21. The first sheet cassette 20 or the second sheet cassette 21 and the upper surface 22 of the first sheet cassette 20 can convey a recording medium such as a recording sheet by the first sheet conveyance path 23 or the second sheet conveyance path 24. Each is consecutive. The recording paper accommodated in the first paper feed cassette 20 is guided to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side by the first paper conveyance path 23 and conveyed to the image recording unit 40, and image recording is performed by the image recording unit 40. After being broken, it is discharged to the upper surface 22 of the first paper feed cassette 20. The recording paper accommodated in the second paper feed cassette 21 is guided to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side by the second paper conveyance path 24 and conveyed to the image recording unit 40, and image recording is performed by the image recording unit 40. After being broken, it is discharged to the upper surface 22 of the first paper feed cassette 20.

  The first paper feed cassette 20 has a container shape in which a part on the back side of the apparatus is opened, and sheet-shaped recording media such as recording paper are accommodated in the inner space in a stacked state. The first paper feed cassette 20 can accommodate recording paper of various sizes such as A4 size, B5 size, and postcard size, for example, A3 size or smaller. An upper surface 22 of the first paper feed cassette 20 is provided on the front side of the apparatus, and recording paper is discharged using the upper surface 22 as a paper discharge tray.

  The second paper feed cassette 21 has a container shape in which a part on the back side of the apparatus is opened, and sheet-shaped recording media such as recording paper are accommodated in the inner space in a stacked state. The second paper feed cassette 21 can accommodate recording papers of various sizes such as A4 size, B5 size, and postcard size that are smaller than A3 size. When a recording medium having a different size and type from the recording medium loaded in the first paper feeding cassette 20 is loaded in the second paper feeding cassette 21, two types can be performed without replacing the recording medium. The image is selectively recorded on the recording medium.

  Note that the image recording operation by the image recording unit 40 is almost the same regardless of whether the recording paper is fed from the first paper feeding cassette 20 or the second paper feeding cassette 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second paper feeding is performed. Only the mechanism for feeding the recording paper from the cassette 21 will be described in detail, and the detailed description of the mechanism for feeding the recording paper from the first paper feeding cassette 20 will be omitted.

  A paper feed roller 25 is provided on the back side of the second paper feed cassette 21. The paper feed roller 25 supplies the recording paper loaded in the second paper feed cassette 21 to the second paper transport path 24. The paper feeding roller 25 is driven by a LF motor 77 (see FIG. 9) and rotates. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The sheet feeding arm 26 can be rotated with the sheet feeding roller 25 side as a rotation tip, and by this rotation, the sheet feeding roller 25 moves up and down in a direction in which the sheet feeding roller 25 contacts and separates from the second sheet feeding cassette 21. The paper feeding arm 26 is rotated downward by being biased by the weight of the paper feeding roller 25 or a spring, and moves upward according to the amount of recording paper stored in the second paper feeding cassette 21. . As a result, the paper feed roller 25 contacts the uppermost recording paper in the second paper feed cassette 21. When the sheet feeding roller 25 is rotated in this state, the uppermost recording sheet is sent out to the second sheet conveying path 24 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the sheet feeding roller 25 and the recording sheet.

  The second paper transport path 24 extends upward from the back side of the apparatus of the second paper feed cassette 21, subsequently curves to the front side of the apparatus, and extends from the back side of the multifunction machine 10 to the front side (arrow 103). It passes through the image recording unit 40 to the upper surface 22 of the first paper feed cassette 20. That is, the second paper conveyance path 24 has a substantially U shape in the horizontal direction in FIG. The second paper transport path 24 is composed of an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval except for a place where the image recording unit 40 and the like are disposed. For example, the portion where the second paper transport path 24 is curved on the back side of the apparatus is constituted by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 fixed to the apparatus frame or the like.

  Although detailed description is omitted in this specification, the first paper cassette 20 is also provided with the same members as the paper feed roller 25 and the paper feed arm 26, and is loaded on the first paper cassette 20. The recorded recording paper is supplied to the first paper transport path 23. In FIG. 4, the paper feed roller and the paper feed arm provided corresponding to the first paper feed cassette 20 do not appear.

  Similarly to the second paper transport path 24, the first paper transport path 23 is configured in a substantially U shape in the horizontal direction in FIG. 4, and is fed from the first paper feed cassette 20 through the image recording unit 40 to the first paper feed. Although it leads to the upper surface 22 of the cassette 20, it merges with the second paper transport path 24 on the upstream side in the transport direction from the image recording unit 40 to form one transport path. The first paper transport path 23 is also composed of an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface facing each other at a predetermined interval. For example, the inner guide member 19 constituting the second paper transport path 24 is connected to the first paper transport path 23. An outer guide surface is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the image recording unit 40 is mainly configured by a recording head 42 and a platen 43 that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval. The detailed configuration of the image recording unit 40 will be described later.

  A pair of transport rollers 60 and a pinch roller 61 are provided upstream of the image recording unit 40 in the transport direction 104. The pinch roller 61 is disposed below the conveying roller 60. The transport roller 60 is driven by the LF motor 77 (see FIG. 9) and rotates.

  The pinch roller 61 is rotatably supported by the holder 51. Although not shown in detail in the figure, the holder 51 supports the shaft of the pinch roller 61 so as to be movable toward and away from the transport roller 60, and a spring provided in the holder 51 is a pinch roller 61. Is urged toward the conveying roller 60 side. Accordingly, the pinch roller 61 is in pressure contact with the conveyance roller 60, and when the recording paper enters between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61, the pinch roller 61 moves in a direction away from the conveyance roller 60. Also at this time, since the pinch roller 61 is urged toward the conveyance roller 60 by the spring, the rotational force of the conveyance roller 60 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper.

  The holder 51 is supported by the holder support member 52 and can roll along the conveyance direction 104. The upper surface of the holder support member 52 forms a circumferential surface around the vicinity of the axis of the transport roller 60. A holder 51 is supported on the upper surface via two cylindrical rollers 54. As a result, the holder 51 can move along the upper surface of the holder support member 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a rotary encoder 65 is provided on one end side of the transport roller 60. The rotary encoder 65 includes an encoder disk 66 provided coaxially with the transport roller 60 and rotating together with the transport roller 60 and a transmission type optical sensor 67. On the encoder disk 66, transmission parts and non-transmission parts are alternately arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. Although not shown in detail in the drawing, the optical sensor 67 receives a light emitting element that irradiates light to the encoder disk 66 and a light emitting element that is opposed to the light emitting element via the encoder disk 66 and receives light from the light emitting element. And a light receiving element. When the encoder disk 66 rotates together with the transport roller 60, the light emitted from the light emitting element of the optical sensor 67 is blocked by the non-transmissive portion of the encoder disk 66 at a constant interval. The light receiving element transmits an electrical pulse signal corresponding to the intensity of the received light intensity. Based on this pulse signal, the rotation amount of the transport roller 60 is determined.

  The first paper transport path 23 joins the second paper transport path 24 on the upstream side in the transport direction 104 from the transport roller 60. Accordingly, the recording sheet conveyed through the first sheet conveyance path 23 enters the second sheet conveyance path 24 on the upstream side from the conveyance roller 60. Therefore, the recording sheet conveyed through either the first sheet conveyance path 23 or the second sheet conveyance path 24 is nipped between the conveyance roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 and is rotated in the conveyance direction by the rotation of the conveyance roller 60. It is conveyed to 104. At this time, the pinch roller 61 rotates as the recording paper is conveyed.

  A pair of paper discharge rollers 62 and a spur 63 are provided downstream of the image recording unit 40 in the transport direction 104. The spur 63 is disposed above the paper discharge roller 62. The spur 63 is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the paper discharge roller 62, and is pressed against the paper discharge roller 62 by being urged by an elastic member such as a spring. The paper discharge roller 62 is driven by the LF motor 77 (see FIG. 9) and rotates. The rotation of the paper discharge roller 62 is synchronized with the rotation of the transport roller 60 described above. The paper discharge roller 62 and the spur 63 sandwich the recorded recording paper and convey it to the upper surface 22 of the first paper feed cassette 20.

  During image recording, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are intermittently driven. In the intermittent drive, the conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are continuously driven by a rotation amount corresponding to a predetermined target conveyance amount, and when reaching the target conveyance amount, the rotation is stopped for a predetermined time, and these are alternately repeated. It is a drive system. Note that the conveyance roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 do not need to be intermittently driven while the image recording is not being performed. Therefore, when paper is fed before image recording or when paper is discharged after image recording, the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are continuously rotated. The conveyance roller 60, the pinch roller 61, the paper discharge roller 62, and the spur 63 correspond to the conveyance means in the present invention.

[Configuration of Image Recording Unit 40]
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the image recording unit 40 mainly includes a carriage 41, a recording head 42, and a platen 43. The recording head 42 corresponds to the image forming unit in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, between the transport roller 60 and the pinch roller 61, the paper discharge roller 62, and the spur 63 in the transport direction 104, the carriage 41 and the platen above and below the second paper transport path 24 with the carriage 43 as the upper side. 43 is arranged. The carriage 41 is mounted with an ink jet recording head 42 so as to face the upper surface of the platen 43. The carriage 41 is driven and transmitted from the CR motor 79 (see FIG. 9), and reciprocates in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction 104 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 5) above the second paper transport path 24. .

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the recording head 42 includes cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow from an ink cartridge disposed independently of the recording head 42 in the multifunction machine 10 through an ink tube 44. (Y) and black (Bk) inks are supplied. The lower surface of the recording head 42 faces the upper surface of the platen 43, and a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets of each color are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 42. While the carriage 41 is reciprocated, each color ink is selectively ejected from each nozzle of the recording head 42 as a fine ink droplet, whereby image recording is performed on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 43. 5 and 7 do not show the ink cartridges that store the inks of the respective colors.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of guide rails 45 and 46 extend in the horizontal direction intersecting the transport direction 104 at a predetermined distance in the transport direction 104 on the upper side of the second paper transport path 24. . The guide rails 45 and 46 are provided in the housing 15 of the printer unit 11 and constitute a part of a frame that supports each member constituting the printer unit 11. The carriage 41 is placed so as to straddle the guide rails 45 and 46, and the carriage 41 can slide in the extending direction of the guide rails 45 and 46.

  The edge 47 on the upstream side in the conveying direction 104 of the guide rail 46 is bent at a substantially right angle upward. The carriage 41 carried on the guide rails 45 and 46 slidably holds the edge portion 47 with a holding member such as a roller pair. Accordingly, the carriage 41 is positioned with respect to the recording sheet conveyance direction 104 and can slide in the horizontal direction (the same direction as the arrow 101) intersecting the conveyance direction 104. That is, the carriage 41 is slidably supported on the guide rails 45 and 46 and reciprocates in the horizontal direction intersecting the transport direction 104 with the edge 47 of the guide rail 46 as a reference. Grease may be applied to portions where the carriage 41 slides such as the edge 47 in the guide rails 45 and 46. The edge 47 of the guide rail 46 corresponds to the guide means in the present invention.

  A belt drive mechanism 30 is provided on the upper surface of the guide rail 46. The belt driving mechanism 30 has an endless inner tooth provided between a driving pulley 31 and a driven pulley 32 provided in the vicinity of both ends in the width direction (the same direction as the arrow 101) of the second paper transport path 24. An annular belt 33 is stretched. A driving force is input from the CR motor 79 to the shaft of the driving pulley 31. Due to the rotation of the drive pulley 31, the belt 33 moves circumferentially.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the carriage 41 is connected to the belt 33 by the holding portion 48 provided on the bottom surface side holding the belt 33. When the belt 33 moves around, the carriage 41 reciprocates on the guide rails 45 and 46 with the edge 47 as a reference. The recording head 42 mounted on the carriage 41 also reciprocates in the width direction of the second paper transport path 24 together with the carriage 41.

  The guide rail 46 is provided with an encoder strip 35 of a linear encoder 34 (see FIG. 9). The encoder strip 35 is used for detecting the position of the carriage 41 and corresponds to a member to be detected in the present invention. At both ends of the guide rail 46 in the width direction (the same direction as the arrow 101), a pair of support portions 36 and 37 are provided standing from the upper surface. Both ends of the flat strip-shaped encoder strip 35 are engaged with support portions 36 and 37, respectively, and are erected along the reciprocating direction of the carriage 41. The support portion 37 is provided so as to be able to fall inward in the width direction with respect to the guide rail 46, and is urged in a direction to stand up by a coil spring spring 38. As shown in FIG. 7, in a state where the support portion 37 stands with respect to the guide rail 46, a longitudinal tension acts on the encoder strip 35, and the encoder strip 35 does not loosen between the support portions 36 and 37. It is stretched. When an external force is applied to the encoder strip 35, the support portion 37 is rotated in a direction in which the coil spring 38 is biased against the guide rail 46, and the encoder strip 35 may be bent.

  The encoder strip 35 has a relatively narrow width (in the direction of arrow 102 in FIG. 5) and a thin flat strip shape (in the direction of arrow 103 in FIG. 5), and is made of, for example, a light-transmitting plastic. The encoder strip 35 has a displacement detection pattern in which light transmitting portions that transmit light and light shielding portions that block light are alternately arranged in a longitudinal direction at a predetermined pitch. In other words, the light-transmitting encoder strip 35 is provided with light-shielding portions that are lines extending in the width direction at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. An optical sensor 49 that is a transmissive sensor is provided at a position corresponding to the encoder strip 35 on the upper surface of the carriage 41. The optical sensor 49 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the encoder strip 35 together with the carriage 41, and detects a displacement detection pattern of the encoder strip 35 during the reciprocal movement. Although not shown in each figure, the carriage 41 is provided with a head control board 81 (see FIG. 9) for controlling the ejection of ink. The head control board 81 outputs a pulse signal based on the detection signal of the optical sensor 49, the position of the carriage 41 is determined based on this pulse signal, and the reciprocation of the carriage 41 is controlled. The optical sensor 49 corresponds to the detection means in the present invention.

  A platen 43 is disposed below the second paper transport path 24 so as to face the recording head 42. The platen 43 is disposed over the central portion through which the recording paper passes in the range in which the carriage 41 reciprocates. Most of the upper surface 50 of the platen 43 faces the recording head 42. The width of the upper surface 50 is sufficiently wider than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be used in the printer unit 11. The recording paper supported on the upper surface 50 of the platen 43 is kept at a constant distance from the recording head 42. The upper surface 50 of the platen 43 corresponds to the recording position in the present invention. As described above, the encoder strip 35 is disposed on the guide rail 46 and is downstream of the upper surface 50 of the platen 43 in the transport direction 104.

  As described above, the carriage 41 is reciprocated while the transport roller 60 and the paper discharge roller 62 are stopped. During the reciprocation of the carriage 41, each color ink is selectively ejected from the plurality of nozzles of the recording head 42 as minute ink droplets. The ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 42 land on the recording paper stopped on the platen 43.

[Control unit 70]
The configuration of the control unit 70 of the multifunction machine 10 will be described below. The control unit 70 controls not only the operation of the printer unit 11 but also the operation of the scanner unit 12. In the present invention, since the scanner unit 12 has an arbitrary configuration, the present specification relates to the operation of the scanner unit 12. The description of the configuration is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 70 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 72, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 73, and includes a bus 75 and an ASIC (Application Specific). An integrated circuit) 76 is connected to the scanner unit 12, the operation panel 14 and the like so as to be able to transmit and receive data.

  The ROM 72 stores a program for controlling various operations of the multifunction machine 10. For example, a program for determining whether a paper jam has occurred is stored in the ROM 72 based on detection signals from the linear encoder 34, the rotary encoder 65, and other sensors. For example, when a jam occurs in the vicinity of the image recording unit 40, the transport roller 60 does not rotate at a desired speed even when the LF motor 77 is driven, or the carriage 41 moves at a desired speed even when the CR motor 79 is driven. I do not. Such abnormal operation of the carriage 41 or the transport roller 60 can be detected based on detection signals from the linear encoder 34 and the rotary encoder 65, and it can be determined that a jam has occurred.

  The RAM 73 is used as a storage area or work area for temporarily recording various data used when the CPU 71 executes the program.

  The ASIC 76 generates a PWM signal and the like for energizing the LF motor 77 in accordance with a command from the CPU 71 and applies the signal to the drive circuit 78 of the LF motor 77. When the drive signal is energized to the LF motor 77 through the drive circuit 78, the rotation of the LF motor 77 is controlled by the control unit 70.

  The drive circuit 78 drives the LF motor 77 connected to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, and the paper discharge roller 62. The drive circuit 78 receives the output signal from the ASIC 76 and forms an electrical signal for rotating the LF motor 77. In response to the electrical signal, the LF motor 77 rotates. The rotation of the LF motor 77 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 60, and the paper discharge roller 62 via a known drive mechanism including a gear, a drive shaft, and the like.

  The ASIC 76 generates a PWM signal and the like for energizing the CR motor 79 in accordance with a command from the CPU 71 and applies the signal to the drive circuit 80 of the CR motor 79. When the drive signal is energized to the CR motor 79 via the drive circuit 80, the control of the rotation of the CR motor 79 by the control unit 70 is performed.

  The drive circuit 80 drives a CR motor 79 connected to the carriage 41. The drive circuit 80 receives an output signal from the ASIC 76 and forms an electric signal for rotating the CR motor 79. In response to the electrical signal, the CR motor 79 rotates. The carriage 41 is slid by the rotation of the CR motor 79 being transmitted to the carriage 41 via the belt drive mechanism.

  The head control board 81 selectively ejects each color ink from the recording head 42 to the recording paper at a predetermined timing. Based on the drive control procedure output from the CPU 71, the ASIC 76 generates an output signal. The head control board 81 receives this output signal and drives and controls the recording head 42.

  Connected to the ASIC 76 are a rotary encoder 65 that detects the rotation amount of the transport roller 60 and a linear encoder 34 that detects the position of the carriage 41. The carriage 41 is moved to one end of the guide rails 45 and 46 when the multifunction machine 10 is turned on, and the detection position by the linear encoder 34 is initialized. When the carriage 41 moves on the guide rails 45 and 46 from this initial position, the optical sensor 49 provided on the carriage 41 detects the pattern of the encoder strip 35, and the number of pulse signals based on this detects the amount of movement of the carriage 41. The control unit 70 grasps. The controller 70 controls the rotation of the CR motor 79 so as to control the reciprocation of the carriage 41 based on the amount of movement.

  The operation panel 14 is connected to the ASIC 76. The operation instruction of the printer unit 11 input on the operation panel 14, the type and size of the recording paper, the resolution of the recording image, the margin on the recording paper, the instruction for borderless printing, etc. are sent to the RAM 73 through the ASIC 76 and the bus 75, Stored as various setting information. Further, when the control unit 70 determines that a jam has occurred, the control unit 70 displays that fact on the operation panel 14. Based on this display, the user can know that the jam processing should be performed.

  Further, an interface (I / F) 82 is connected to the ASIC 76. The control unit 70 can transmit and receive data to and from an external information device via the interface 82. The external information device is, for example, a computer in which a printer driver is installed. That is, the type of recording paper input when operating the printer unit 11 may be input from the operation panel 14 or from the printer driver of the external information device.

[Jam treatment opening 17]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a jam processing opening 17 is formed on the upper surface of the casing 15 of the printer unit 11. The casing 15 is a substantially hexahedron that is thin in the height direction (arrow 102), and its upper surface is substantially rectangular. A rectangular jam processing opening 17 that is long in the width direction (arrow 101) is formed slightly on the back side from the center in the depth direction (arrow 103) on the top surface of the housing 15.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the jam processing opening 17 is closed by the housing 16 when the housing 16 of the scanner unit 12 is closed with respect to the housing 15 of the printer unit 11. It is completely hidden from the outside. As shown in FIG. 2, when the housing 16 of the scanner unit 12 is pivoted upward with respect to the housing 15 of the printer unit 11, the jam processing opening 17 is moved away from the multifunction device 10. Exposed to. Since the jam processing opening 17 is provided on the upper surface of the casing 15, the jam processing opening 17 is visually recognized when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from above, and the internal structure of the printer unit 11 is further viewed through the jam processing opening 17. A part of is visually recognized.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, among the internal structure of the printer unit 11, the encoder strip 35, the carriage 41, the upper surface 50 of the platen 43, and the like are exposed to the outside of the multifunction machine 10 through the jam processing opening 17. Is done. When the encoder strip 35 is viewed with respect to the jam processing opening 17, the encoder strip 35 is exposed so as to cross the jam processing opening 17 in the width direction (arrow 102). The encoder strip 35 is disposed on the front side of the first paper transport path 23 and the second paper transport path 24, that is, on the side closer to the jam processing opening 17. During maintenance work such as jam processing, the encoder strip 35, the carriage 41, the platen 43, and the like can be accessed through the jam processing opening 17.

  The jam processing opening 17 is mainly used for jam processing and cleaning of the encoder strip 35, but it goes without saying that the jam processing opening 17 may be used for other purposes.

[Protective strip 56]
As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the housing 15 is provided with a protective strip 56 substantially in parallel with the encoder strip 35. Similar to the encoder strip 35, the protective strip 56 is a long strip-like member having a relatively narrow width (in the direction of arrow 103) and a thin thickness (in the direction of arrow 102), and is made of a light-transmitting plastic. The length of the protective strip 56 in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow 101) is approximately the same as that of the encoder strip 35. That is, the protective strip 56 is provided along the encoder strip 35, and is exposed from the jam processing opening 17 so as to cross the encoder strip 35 in the width direction (arrow 101) of the multifunction machine 10. The protective strip 56 corresponds to the protective member in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7, holes 57 and 58 penetrating in the thickness direction are respectively provided at both ends of the protective strip 56. Although not shown in detail in FIG. A locking claw provided on the body 15 is inserted, and one end of the protective strip 56 is fixed to the housing 15. An arm of a coil spring 59 is inserted into the hole 58. Although not shown in detail in the figure, the coil spring 59 is fixed to the housing 15 in an elastically deformed state. The coil spring 59 biases the other end of the protection member 56 outward in the longitudinal direction of the protection strip 56. Thereby, the protective strip 56 is fixed to the housing 15 in a state where tension is applied by the coil spring 59. When an external force is applied to the protective strip 56, the protective strip 56 is bent and the coil spring 59 is elastically deformed. When the external force disappears, the coil spring 59 is biased to return the protective strip 56 to the original stretched state. The bending of the protective strip 56 is adjusted so as not to contact the encoder strip 35 by the flexibility of the protective strip 56 and the elastic deformation of the coil spring 59.

  As shown in each figure, the protective strip 56 and the encoder strip 35 are arranged so that a gap is generated in the transport direction 104 with the protective strip 56 being the upper surface 50 side of the platen 43 in the transport direction 104, that is, the upstream side. Yes. As described above, the encoder strip 35 is supported by the support portions 36 and 37 erected from the guide rail 46 and is disposed immediately above the guide rail 46. In other words, as shown in FIG. 8, when the jam processing opening 17 is viewed from above (orthographic projection), the encoder strip 35 and the guide rail 46 overlap each other. The protective strip 56 is also disposed on the guide rail 46, but is disposed almost immediately above the edge 47 of the guide rail 46. In other words, when the jam processing opening 17 is viewed from above, the protective strip 56 overlaps with the vicinity of the edge 47 on the platen 43 side of the guide rail 46. Further, when the jam processing opening 17 is viewed from above, the protective strip 56 does not overlap with the encoder strip 35. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when viewed from a direction that coincides with the moving direction (arrow 101) of the carriage 41, that is, in a side view, an imaginary straight line 106 that connects the edge 47 of the guide rail 46 and the protective strip 56. Is located on the upper surface 50 side of the platen 43 with respect to the encoder strip 35.

  If a jam occurs while the recording paper is being conveyed on the platen 43, the recording paper on the platen 43 is pulled out between the guide rails 45 and 46 in the jam processing. The drawn recording paper is moved upward as it is and taken out from the multifunction peripheral 10 through the jam processing opening 17. At that time, a path through which the recording sheet passes from the platen 43 through the jam processing opening 17 is indicated by an arrow 105 in FIG. This path 105 is not on the encoder strip 35 side from the virtual straight line 106. As described above, the protective strip 56 is disposed on the encoder strip 35 on the side through which the recording paper taken out through the jam processing opening 17 passes (in this embodiment, on the upstream side in the transport direction 104). The positions of the encoder strip 35 and the protective strip 56 in the height direction (arrow 102) are substantially the same.

  One of the front and back surfaces of the flat belt-shaped protective strip 56 faces the jam processing opening 17. That is, one of the front and back surfaces of the protective strip 56 is in the same direction as the top surface of the housing 15. Here, the front and back surfaces of the protective strip 56 are a pair of surfaces that are opposed to each other and form the maximum area in the protective strip 56, and which is the front surface or the back surface is relative. The width direction of the protective strip 56 coincides with the transport direction 104. This transport direction 104 corresponds to the first direction in the present invention. With such a posture of the protective strip 56, the protective strip 56 is easily bent in the front and back direction, that is, the vertical direction (arrow 102) of the multifunction machine 10, and is not easily bent in the transport direction 104.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
As described above, when a jam occurs in the printer unit 11, the housing 16 of the scanner unit 12 is rotated upward to expose the jam processing opening 17. Through the jam processing opening 17, the multifunction machine 10 is exposed. Can be accessed from the outside of the printer unit 11. Therefore, the jam processing can be easily performed.

  An encoder strip 35 is provided inside the housing 15 of the printer unit 11. The encoder strip 35 is disposed so as to cross the jam processing opening 17 and is exposed from the jam processing opening 17. Therefore, the encoder strip 35 can be easily visually recognized through the jam processing opening 17. Accordingly, the encoder strip 35 can be easily maintained, for example, by cleaning the encoder strip 35 that is soiled with ink mist or the like.

  A protective strip 56 is provided along the encoder strip 35, and this protective strip 56 is disposed on the side of the path 105 through which the recording paper passes during jam processing with respect to the encoder strip 35. Therefore, since the recording paper taken out from the inside of the housing 15 through the jam processing opening 17 contacts the protective strip 56 before the encoder strip 35, the recording paper cannot contact the encoder strip 35. As a result, undried ink adhering to the recording paper, grease applied to the guide rails 45, 46, and the like do not contaminate the encoder strip 35 via the recording paper.

  Further, since the protective strip 56 is provided at a position that does not overlap with the encoder strip 35 when the inside of the housing 15 is viewed from the upper side of the jam processing opening 17, the encoder strip 35 is hidden by the protective strip 56. Not. Accordingly, when the encoder strip 35 is maintained, it is easy to visually recognize the encoder strip 35 through the jam processing opening 17.

  Further, since the protective strip 56 bends to such an extent that it does not come into contact with the encoder strip 35, the gap between the protective strip 56 and the protective strip 56 can be widened according to the size of the cleaning member or the like during maintenance of the encoder strip 35.

  Further, the protective strip 56 is a long member having a flat belt shape, and either one of the front and rear surfaces thereof is opposed to the jam processing opening 17 and has a gap in the conveyance direction 104 that is the same as the width direction of the front and rear surfaces. Since the protective strip 56 is arranged in parallel with the encoder strip 35, the protective strip 56 is easily bent in the direction contacting / separating the jamming opening 17 and hardly bent in the direction contacting / separating the encoder strip 35. As a result, when the encoder strip 35 is maintained, the protective strip 56 can be bent to expand the space around the encoder strip 35, and the recording paper is protected when the recording paper is taken out from the jam processing opening 17. Even when it comes into contact with the strip 56, it is possible to prevent the protective strip 56 from being greatly bent toward the encoder strip 35 and coming into contact with the encoder strip 35. Further, when the encoder strip 35 is viewed from the outside of the jam processing opening 17, the encoder strip 35 does not overlap with the protective strip 56, so that it is easy to visually recognize the encoder strip 35 during maintenance.

  Further, since the protective strip 56 is made of a light-transmitting material, the inside of the housing 15 such as the platen 43 can be visually recognized through the protective strip 56 from the jam processing opening 17.

  As a modification of the above-described embodiment, there is a mode in which the protective strip 56 is colored in a color different from that of the encoder strip 35. Accordingly, the encoder strip 35 and the protective strip 56 can be easily distinguished from each other, so that the protective strip 56 is prevented from being mistaken for the encoder strip 35 during maintenance of the encoder strip 35.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, instead of the protective strip 56, a flat strip-shaped protective strip 68 whose both edges are corrugated may be provided. As a result, the encoder strip 35 and the protective strip 56 can be easily distinguished from each other depending on the shape, so that the protective strip 56 is prevented from being mistaken for the encoder strip 35 during maintenance of the encoder strip 35.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the multifunction machine 10 in a state where the housing 16 of the scanner unit 12 is rotated and the jam processing opening 17 is exposed. FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating an external configuration of the printer unit 11. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the printer unit 11. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a region VI surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a region VIII surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 70 of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 10 is a view showing a protective strip 68 according to a modification.

11: Printer unit (image recording device)
15 ... Case 17 ... Jam processing opening (opening)
35. Encoder strip (detected member)
41... Carriage 42... Recording head (image forming means)
47 ... Edge (guide means)
49 ... Optical sensor (detection means)
56, 68 ... Protective strip (protective member)
60 ... Conveying roller (conveying means)
61 ... Pinch roller (conveying means)
62... Discharge roller (conveying means)
63 ... spur (conveying means)

Claims (8)

A housing,
Transport means for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing;
An opening provided in the housing and used to remove a recording medium jammed in the conveyance path;
Guide means disposed on the opening side from the transport path and extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction;
A carriage movably provided along the guide means;
An image forming means mounted on the carriage for forming an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path;
A detected member having a displacement detection pattern with respect to the moving direction of the carriage, disposed along the guide means, and at least a part of which is exposed from the opening;
Detection means for reading the displacement detection pattern while relatively moving with respect to the detected member as the carriage moves;
A protective member for protecting the detected member,
The detected member is disposed on the upstream side or the downstream side from the recording position in the transport direction, and is disposed on the opening side from the guide member ,
The image recording apparatus, wherein the protection member is disposed on the recording position side of the detected member in the transport direction, and is disposed at a position different from the detected member in the transport direction . A housing,
Transport means for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing;
An opening provided in the housing and used to remove a recording medium jammed in the conveyance path;
Guide means extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction;
A carriage movably provided along the guide means;
An image forming means mounted on the carriage for forming an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path;
A detected member having a displacement detection pattern with respect to the moving direction of the carriage, disposed along the guide means, and at least a part of which is exposed from the opening;
Detection means for reading the displacement detection pattern while relatively moving with respect to the detected member as the carriage moves;
A protective member for protecting the detected member,
The detected member is arranged on the upstream side or the downstream side from the recording position in the transport direction, and disposed on the front side of the transport path when viewing the inner side of the housing from the outside of the opening,
The protective member is disposed on the recording position side of the detected member in the transport direction, and is provided at a position that does not overlap with the detected member when the inside of the housing is viewed from the outside of the opening. the image recording apparatus in which was.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective member is bent to such an extent that it does not contact the member to be detected.   The protective member is a flat strip-shaped long member, with either one of the front and back surfaces opposed to the opening and having a gap in a first direction substantially the same as the width direction of the front and back surfaces. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image recording apparatus is arranged in parallel with the detection member.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective member is made of a material having translucency. A housing,
Transport means for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing;
An opening provided in the housing and used to remove a recording medium jammed in the conveyance path;
Guide means extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction;
A carriage movably provided along the guide means;
An image forming means mounted on the carriage for forming an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path;
A detected member having a displacement detection pattern with respect to the moving direction of the carriage, disposed along the guide means, and at least a part of which is exposed from the opening;
Detection means for reading the displacement detection pattern while relatively moving with respect to the detected member as the carriage moves;
A protective member for protecting the detected member,
The detected member is arranged on the upstream side or the downstream side from the recording position in the transport direction, and disposed on the front side of the transport path when viewing the inner side of the housing from the outside of the opening,
The protective member is a flat strip-shaped long member that is disposed on the recording position side of the detected member in the transport direction and bends to the extent that it does not contact the detected member. An image recording apparatus in which either one is opposed to the opening and arranged in parallel with the member to be detected with a gap in a first direction substantially the same as the width direction of the front and back surfaces . A housing,
Transport means for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction along the transport path in the housing;
An opening provided in the housing and used to remove a recording medium jammed in the conveyance path;
Guide means extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction;
A carriage movably provided along the guide means;
An image forming means mounted on the carriage for forming an image on a recording medium at a recording position in the conveyance path;
A detected member having a displacement detection pattern with respect to the moving direction of the carriage, disposed along the guide means, and at least a part of which is exposed from the opening;
Detection means for reading the displacement detection pattern while relatively moving with respect to the detected member as the carriage moves;
A protective member for protecting the detected member,
The detected member is arranged on the upstream side or the downstream side from the recording position in the transport direction, and disposed on the front side of the transport path when viewing the inner side of the housing from the outside of the opening,
The image recording apparatus , wherein the protection member is disposed on the recording position side of the detected member in the transport direction and is made of a light-transmitting material . The carriage is mounted with ink jet image forming means and is slid with respect to the guide means.
The image according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a line connecting the guide means and the protection member is disposed closer to the recording position than the detected member when viewed from the moving direction of the carriage. Recording device.

Images