Patent ID: 7934784
Filing Date: 2011-05-03
Classification: B41J,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An image recording apparatus comprising: a carriage which carries a recording head mounted on the carriage and which is reciprocable in a predetermined direction across an image recording area in which the recording head performs an image recording operation on a recording medium and a maintenance area in which a maintenance of the recording head is performed; a plurality of driven portions; a first drive source and a second drive source which generate drive power for driving the plurality of the driven portions; and a drive-power transmitting system configured to transmit the drive power of the first and the second drive source to the plurality of the driven portions, wherein the drive-power transmitting system includes: a shaft having an axis extending in an axial direction parallel to the predetermined direction; a first switching gear and a second switching gear supported by the shaft so as to be rotatable about the axis of the shaft and slidable in the axial direction, and respectively driven to be rotated by the drive power of the first drive source and by the drive power of the second drive source; a first transmission gear disposed so as to be meshed with the first switching gear in accordance with a position of the first switching gear in the axial direction, and configured to transmit, by being meshed with the first switching gear, the drive power of the first drive source, to a first driven portion as one of the plurality of the driven portions which is driven in relation to the maintenance of the recording head; a second transmission gear disposed so as to be meshed with the second switching gear in accordance with a position of the second switching gear in the axial direction, and configured to transmit, by being meshed with the second switching gear, the drive power of the second drive source, to a second driven portion as one of the plurality of the driven portions which is different from the first driven portion and which is driven in relation to the maintenance of the recording head; a third transmission gear disposed so as to be meshed with the second switching gear in accordance with the position of the second switching gear in the axial direction, and configured to transmit, by being meshed with the second switching gear, the drive power of the second drive source, to a third driven portion as one of the plurality of the driven portions which is different from the first and the second driven portion and which is driven in relation to a feeding of the recording medium in the image recording operation performed by the recording head; and a switching-gear positioning mechanism configured to slide the first and the second switching gear together with each other in the axial direction depending upon a position of the carriage, wherein when the carriage is positioned in the maintenance area, the switching-gear positioning mechanism positions a set of the first and the second switching gear at a first specific position as a position at which the first switching gear is meshed with only the first transmission gear while the second switching gear is meshed with only the second transmission gear, and wherein when the carriage is positioned in the image recording area, the switching-gear positioning mechanism positions the set of the first and the second switching gear at a second specific position as a position at which the first switching gear is not meshed with any of the first transmission gear, the second transmission gear, and the third transmission gear while the second switching gear is meshed with only the third transmission gear.