| US 7,585,123 B2 | ||
| Image forming apparatus | ||
| Kiyoshi Ueda, Aichi (Japan); Yukio Shiohara, Aichi (Japan); Hiroaki Yazawa, Aichi (Japan); Kenji Samoto, Aichi (Japan); Shunji Murai, Aichi (Japan); and Masatoshi Yamada, Aichi (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 26, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/831,277. | ||
| Application 10/831277 is a continuation in part of application No. 10/486990, filed on May 19, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0152726 A1, Jul. 14, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. B41J 11/20 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 400—56 [400/59; 400/355; 347/8] | 17 Claims |
| 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a frame extending in a direction crossing a conveying direction of a recording medium;
a guide shaft provided in parallel with the frame;
a carriage reciprocating along the guide shaft, the carriage being mounted with a recording head; and
a gap adjustment mechanism adjusting a gap between the recording head and the recording medium,
wherein the gap adjustment mechanism is provided with a plurality of abutment portions which come into slide contact with
the frame to move in parallel with the frame together with the carriage, the plurality of abutment portions having different
heights, the gap adjustment mechanism switches one of the plurality of abutment portions to another according to movement
of the carriage to a predetermined position in one direction parallel with the frame and another movement of the carriage
to another predetermined position in another direction to adjust the gap between the recording head and the recording medium;
and
wherein the gap adjustment mechanism has a switching portion for selecting and switching to one of the abutment portions and
a pushing member for pushing and actuating the switching portion, the pushing member being provided independently from the
carriage; and
the pushing member pushes the switching portion at the time of movement of the carriage in one direction parallel with the
frame and at the time of movement of the carriage in another direction, to select one of the plurality of abutment portions
and adjust the gap between the recording head and the recording medium;
wherein the pushing member includes first pushing member for pushing the switching portion in one direction, and second pushing
member for pushing the switching portion in another direction; and
the first pushing member pushes the switching portion in one direction at the time of movement of the carriage in the direction
parallel with the frame, and the second pushing member pushes the switching portion in another direction at the time of movement
of the carriage in another direction, the pushing member then selects one of the abutment portions and adjust the gap between
the recording head and the recording medium.
|