Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Kan Ishikawa

Tetsuo Asada

Noriyuki Kawamata

Toshio Sugiura

Nobuo Hiraki

Takaichiro Umeda

Daisuke Kozaki

An image forming apparatus is provided which can detect abnormality in a conveyance system of a carriage by a change in posture of the carriage. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming device that forms an image onto a recording medium by moving a carriage which mounts a recording head thereon, an angular speed detection device that detects an angular speed around a predetermined axis of the carriage, and a abnormality determination device that determines abnormality in a conveyance system that moves the carriage based on whether the angular speed detected by the angular detection device when the carriage is moved exceeds a predetermined abnormality determination value.

Image forming apparatus

A conveying apparatus includes a conveyor roller, an angular velocity detection device, and a rotation angle calculation device. The conveyor roller conveys a conveyance object by a rotation thereof. The angular velocity detection device is provided to one of the conveyor roller and a rotating portion rotating with the conveyor roller such that an angular velocity detection axis is parallel with a rotation shaft of the conveyor roller. The rotation angle calculation device calculates a rotation angle of the conveyor roller based on an angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detection device.

Conveying apparatus

An image recording apparatus includes a recording apparatus body, a carriage having joint portions, a recording head mounted on the carriage, an ink storage disposed in the recording apparatus body in a stationary state, an intermediate fixing portion provided in the recording apparatus body between the ink storage and the carriage, and ink supply tubes for supplying ink from the ink storage to the recording head. The ink supply tubes are fixed to the intermediate fixing portion and independently disposed between the intermediate fixing portion and the carriage. Midsections of the ink supply tubes are bent between a route of the carriage and the intermediate fixing portion. A direction of arrangement of the tubes at the midsections thereof extending toward the intermediate fixing portion and a direction of arrangement of the tubes at the midsections thereof extending toward the joint portions of the carriage are differentiated.

Image recording apparatus

An image recording device includes: a carriage; a recording head mounted on the carriage and discharges ink to form an image on the recording medium; first and second guide plates formed in flat-shape on which the carriage is slidably provided and extend in a main scanning direction to be parallel with each other; a drive motor mounted at one end of the second guide plate; a drive pulley fixed on a drive shaft of the drive motor; a driven pulley disposed on the second guide plate at other end opposite to the one end where the drive motor is mounted; and a timing belt that is wound around a pulley portion of the drive pulley and a pulley portion of the driven pulley, the timing belt being fixedly attached to an attachment portion of the carriage.

Image recording device

A multi-function peripheral includes an image forming unit having an image forming device, and an image reading unit having an image reading device and located above the image forming unit. The image forming device forms an image on a recording sheet with moving a carriage reciprocally in a predetermined horizontal direction. The image reading device reads an image of an object by moving an image capturing element in the predetermined horizontal direction when the image forming unit operates. Spring elements are provided between the image forming unit and the image reading unit to apply an urging force therebetween in a direction parallel to the predetermined horizontal direction. The spring elements satisfy the following condition: where, f and fare characteristic frequencies of the image forming unit and the image reading unit, respectively, in the predetermined horizontal direction.

Multi-function peripheral

An image forming apparatus is provided which suppresses a change in posture of a carriage at the time of forming an image without using a biasing force of a spring. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion that forms an image on a recording medium by traveling of the carriage with a recording head mounted thereon along a guide portion in a main scanning direction while moving the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction, a posture change detector that detects a change in posture of the carriage, an actuator that corrects a tilt of the carriage with respect to the guide portion, and a control device that suppresses the change in posture of the carriage by driving the actuator according to the change in posture of the carriage detected by the posture change detector.

An ink-jet recovery device includes a rotation member, an ink absorbing member, a moving unit and a rotation unit. The rotation member is adapted to rotate on a predetermined rotation shaft. The ink absorbing member is arranged around the rotation shaft of the rotation member. The ink absorbing member can absorb ink from a tip of the nozzle member when abutted to the nozzle member. The nozzle member is provided in a recording head of an ink-jet recording apparatus and ejects ink toward a recording medium. The moving unit brings a part of the ink absorbing member into abutment with the nozzle member. The rotation unit rotates the rotation member on the rotation shaft to switch the part of the ink absorbing member to be brought into abutment with the nozzle member by the moving unit.

Ink-jet recovery device

An image recording apparatus includes: a first guide member having a first sliding surface; a second guide member having another first sliding surface; and a carriage being supported by the first sliding surfaces of the first and second guide members. The carriage includes first sliding convex parts protruding from a lower surface side thereof and coming in contact with the first sliding surfaces of the first and second guide members, and a coming-out preventing pawl disposed to hold at least one of the first and second guide members in cooperation with the first sliding convex part. At least one of the first and second guide members includes a notch part at a specified position, and the carriage is detachable from the first and second guide members by causing the coming-out preventing pawl to pass through the notch part.

A sheet feed table has a plurality of ribs formed on a surface thereof. The ribs extend in a sheet feeding direction and are disposed at a predetermined interval in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. An air duct is provided between the adjacent ribs. An ink passage opening is formed in an image forming region where a print head moves to form an image. Disposed below the ink passage opening is an ink receiving chamber in which an ink absorber is disposed. A suction opening that communicates with the air duct is disposed upstream and downstream of the image forming region in the sheet feeding direction. A suction device is connected such that the air is sucked through the suction openings into a negative pressure chamber provided on an underside of the sheet feed table. The negative pressure chamber and the ink receiving chamber are separated from each other.

Image forming apparatus and sheet feed table for use in the apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a platen, a feeding device, and a suction device. The paper carrier includes first protrusions, recesses, second protrusions, and two suction ports in each recesses. The first protrusions extend in parallel with a feed direction and are arranged at predetermined intervals in a direction perpendicular to the feed direction. The recesses are defined between adjacent ones of the first protrusions and extend in the feed direction. The second protrusions are provided on downstream and upstream sides, respectively, in the feed direction with respect to an image forming region and extend in the direction perpendicular to the feed direction. The two suction ports are defined on the downstream and upstream sides, respectively, in the feed direction with respect to the image forming region in each of the recesses. The suction ports communicate with the suction device.

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Toyoake, Japan

Kan Ishikawa