Patent ID: 9283785
Filing Date: 2016-03-15
CPC Classification: B41J

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a carriage to mount a recording head for discharging droplets and to move in a main scan direction; a guide to slidably guide the carriage in the main scan direction; a partition member provided above the carriage and extending downward towards the guide to face an upper surface of the carriage, and at least a portion of the carriage being sandwiched vertically between the partition member and the guide; an encoder scale to be arranged along the main scan direction; and an encoder sensor to be mounted to the carriage and to read the encoder scale, wherein the carriage includes wherein the sensor attaching part is provided so as to be extended in a direction perpendicular to the main scan direction from the head mount, and the encoder scale is arranged at a location possible for the encoder sensor attached to the sensor attaching part to read; wherein the guide includes a first guide surface arranged laterally to contact the head mount, and a second guide surface which is projected from an end of the guide to face the sensor attaching part; wherein the partition member and the guide collectively divide a space occupied by the carriage into (i) a portion accommodating the head mount and (ii) another portion accommodating the sensor attaching part; wherein the carriage further includes a carriage cover to cover an upper portion of the head mount, and wherein at least a portion of the partition member is fitted in a concave portion of the carriage cover formed between the head mounting part and the sensor attaching part in the carriage, and faces the second guide surface.