Patent ID: 7758460
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: B41J,F16H

Abstract:
1. A carriage driving apparatus for reciprocating, along a straight line, a carriage by a timing belt wound around at least a drive pulley and a driven pulley, the apparatus comprising: a pulley holder which holds the driven pulley such that the driven pulley is rotatable; a guide device which guides the pulley holder such that the pulley holder is movable at least between a slackening position where engagement and disengagement of the timing belt with and from the driven pulley is allowed, and a tensioning position where the timing belt is tensioned; a biaser which contacts and biases the pulley holder in a tensioning direction to tension the timing belt; and a biaser holder which holds the biaser and limits the biaser from deforming in a counter-tensioning direction opposite to the tensioning direction, wherein the biaser, the biaser holder and the pulley holder are positioned such that the biaser, which is limited from deforming in the counter-tensioning direction, limits the pulley holder from moving, in a counter-tensioning direction, over a disengagement inhibit position between the slackening position and the tensioning position, and wherein the biaser includes an end portion which is brought into contact with the pulley holder and an elastic portion which gives the end portion a biasing force in the tensioning direction, and the biaser holder includes a restrictor with which the end portion is brought into contact such that the end portion is limited from moving, in the counter-tensioning direction, over the disengagement inhibit position.