Patent ID: 8651617
Filing Date: 2014-02-18
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: a recording head having nozzles through which droplets of an ink are ejected; a drive power source; a carriage on which the recording head is mounted and which is slidably movable by the drive power source in opposite first and second directions; a first stationary member onto which the carriage is abuttable during its movement in the first direction; a second stationary member onto which the carriage is abuttable during its movement in the second direction; a detecting portion configured to detect a position of the carriage; a cap which is disposed nearer to the first stationary member than to the second stationary member and which is movable between a first position at which the cap is held in abutting contact with the recording head and covers the nozzles, and a second position at which the cap is spaced apart from the recording head; a displacing mechanism having an abutment portion onto which the carriage is abuttable in the first direction, and configured to move the cap from the second position to the first position by a pushing force generated when the abutment portion comes into abutting contact with the carriage; a first control portion configured to control the drive power source for moving the carriage in the second direction at a first speed by a distance sufficient for abutment of the carriage onto the second stationary member; a first setting portion configured to set a position of abutment of the carriage on the second stationary member as a provisional point of origin of the carriage, when the position of abutment of the carriage on the second stationary member is detected by the detecting portion; a second control portion configured to control the drive power source for moving the carriage which has been moved under the control of the first control portion, in the first direction at a second speed by at least a portion of a distance between the provisional point of origin and a third position which is determined by the provisional point of origin and at which the carriage comes into abutment onto the abutment portion, and for further moving the carriage in the first direction at a third speed lower than the second speed, so that the carriage comes into abutment onto the abutment portion at the third speed at the third position, the second control portion being further configured to control the drive power source for further moving the carriage from the third position in the first direction for abutment of the carriage onto the first stationary member; and a second setting portion configured to set a position of abutment of the carriage on the first stationary member as a point of origin of the carriage when the position of abutment of the carriage on the first stationary member is detected by the detecting portion as a result of the movement of the carriage in the first direction under the control of the second control portion.