Patent Publication Number: US-9844955-B2

Title: Image recording apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-194779 filed on Sep. 25, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present teaching relates to an image recording apparatus configured to make a sheet on which an image is recorded by a recording unit contact with a contact member, thereby preventing the sheet from floating. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     There is conventionally known an ink-jet recording apparatus which records an image by discharging ink droplets onto a sheet, such as a recording sheet, from nozzles provided for a recording unit. The ink-jet recording apparatus includes a platen (a sheet support member), which is disposed to face the recording unit and supports the sheet. The recording unit is slidably supported by a pair of guide rails, which is provided on upstream and downstream sides in a sheet conveyance direction to extend in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. 
     When the sheet is conveyed on the platen, the recording unit selectively discharges ink droplets on the sheet on the platen while moving on the pair of guide rails in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. Accordingly, the image is recorded on the sheet. 
     The ink-jet recording apparatus may have such a phenomenon (cockling) that a part, of the sheet, to which the ink is adhering, swells and floats from the platen. The cockling causes the part of the sheet floating from the platen to make contact with the recording unit and/or a guide member which guides the sheet to the platen. This could lead to a defective image, a paper jam, etc. 
     In order to solve the above problem, there has been conventionally known an image recording apparatus, which includes contact members in a guide rail disposed on the upstream side in a sheet conveyance direction and is configured to press a sheet conveyed on a platen against the platen. Each of the contact members includes an attachment part, a curved part, and a flat-plate contact part. The attachment part is brought into contact with the lower surface of the guide rail. The curved part extends from the attachment part toward the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction in a state of being curved downward. The flat-plate contact part extends from the lower end of the curved part toward the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. 
     The attachment parts of the contact members are attached to the guide rail so that four engaging parts are engaged with the guide rail. Two of the four engaging parts are provided as a pair on the upstream side, and the other two engaging parts are provided as a pair on the downstream side. The engaging parts pass through openings penetrating the guide rail in an up-down direction to be engaged with the upper surface of the guide rail. 
     The curved parts hang down from the attachment parts. The contact parts are pushed upward by being brought into contact with a sheet conveyed. Then, the reaction force from the contact parts presses the sheet against the platen, thereby preventing the sheet from floating from the platen. 
     In the image recording apparatus, the engaging parts of the contact members are engaged with the guide rail with clearance (backlash) intervening therebetween. This allows the contact parts to move upward when the contact parts are brought into contact with the sheet. When the contact parts are not brought into contact with the sheet, the contact parts are inclined so that its front ends on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction are positioned on the lowermost side. 
     In the above structure or configuration, when the contact parts are pushed upward by being brought into contact with the sheet, the attachment parts rotate around the engaging parts provided, as the pair, on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. Then, when the contact parts are pushed upward to a position where appropriate pressing force is applied to the sheet, the guide rail regulates the attachment parts not to move the contact parts from this position. 
     As described above, the guide rail regulates the attachment parts to position the contact parts. The pressing force applied from the contact parts to the sheet is also influenced by the weight of the curved parts and contact parts. Thus, it is difficult to perform adjustments of positions of the contact parts in the up-down direction in which the appropriate pressing force, which fails to change the position of the sheet, is applied to the sheet. 
     Further, the above image recording apparatus may have the following structure or configuration. Namely, when the paper jam of the sheet on the platen occurs in the image recording apparatus, the sheet is pulled toward a direction opposite to the sheet conveyance direction in order to clear the paper jam. In this case, the contact parts are inclined so that the front ends thereof are positioned on the lowermost side, and thus the front ends of the contact parts may pierce the sheet pulled toward the direction opposite to the sheet conveyance direction. This could lead to the damage of the sheet or the worsening of the paper jam. 
     The present teaching has been made in view of the abovementioned circumstances, and an object of the present teaching is to provide an image recording apparatus which allows contact parts of contact members to make contact appropriately with a sheet on which an image is recorded by a recording unit. 
     SUMMARY 
     An image recording apparatus according to the present teaching includes: a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet in a sheet conveyance direction; 
     a recording unit configured to record the image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit; 
     a support member having a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface, the first surface being configured to support the recording unit; 
     a contact member including an engaging part configured to engage with the first surface and a contact part configured to make contact with the sheet on a downstream side of the engaging part in the sheet conveyance direction; and 
     an biasing member configured to bias the contact member toward the second surface of the support member between the contact part and the engaging part in the sheet conveyance direction, and thereby making the contact member contact with the second surface. 
     The image recording apparatus having this structure can easily adjust the position of the contact part to the second surface of the support member by means of the biasing member. 
     According to the present teaching, the contact part of the contact member can make contact appropriately with the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a multi peripheral  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present teaching. 
         FIG. 2  schematically depicts a structure of a printer unit  11 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view depicting an area around a recording unit  24  of the printer unit  11 , a first guide rail  56 , and a second guide rail  57 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view depicting an area around the first guide rail  56  and a corrugating unit  80 . 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the first guide rail  56 , the corrugating unit  80 , and an biasing member  90 . 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are transverse cross-section views of the first guide rail  56  and the corrugating unit  80 . 
         FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of the biasing member  90  as viewed from the upper side, and  FIG. 7B  is a perspective view of the biasing member  90  as viewed from the lower side. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the first guide rail  56 , the corrugating unit  80 , and a first conveyance roller pair  59  according to a modified embodiment of the present teaching. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following, an explanation will be made with reference to the drawings about an embodiment of the present teaching. It is needless to say that the embodiment to be explained below is merely an example of the present teaching, and it is possible to appropriately change the embodiment of the present teaching without departing from the gist and scope of the present teaching. In the following explanation, an up-down direction  7  is defined on the basis of the state in which a multifunction peripheral  10  is placed to be usable (the state depicted in  FIG. 1 ). A front-rear direction  8  is defined as a discharge space  13  of the multifunction peripheral  10  is provided on the near side (the front side). A left-right direction  9  is defined as the multifunction peripheral  10  is viewed from the near side (the front side). 
     &lt;Entire Structure of Multifunction Peripheral  10 &gt; 
     The multifunction peripheral  10  depicted in  FIG. 1  (an exemplary image recording apparatus of the present teaching) has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The multifunction peripheral  10  includes a casing  14  and feed tray  20 . The casing  14  is thin and has an approximately cuboid form. The feed tray  20  is installed in a lower part of the casing  14 , and can be pulled forward from the casing  14 . 
     The casing  14  includes a discharge space  13  on the upper side of the front part of the installed feed tray  20 . The discharge space  13  is open on the front side and a recording sheet  12  for which printing has been performed is discharged into the discharge space  13 . A discharge tray  21  is provided on the lower side of the discharge space  13 , and the recording sheet  12  (see  FIG. 2 ), which is an exemplary sheet for which printing is performed, is discharged into the discharge space  13  and then placed on the discharge tray  21 . The discharge tray  21  is supported on the feed tray  20 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 2 , the printer unit  11  is provided on the upper-rear side of the casing  14 . The printer unit  11  of the ink-jet type records an image on a recording medium, such as the recording sheet  12 . The feed tray  20  includes a support surface  22  on which recording sheets  12  are stacked in the up-down direction  7 . The multifunction peripheral  10  has functions to record an image on one side of the recording sheet  12  and to record images on both sides of the recording sheet  12 , the recording sheet  12  being fed from the support surface  22  of the feed tray  20 . Further, the multifunction peripheral  10  has a function to record an image on a disk of a recording media, such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. 
     A feed unit  16  is provided on the lower side of the printer unit  11  to feed the recording sheet  12  in the feed tray  20  to the printer unit  11 . The feed unit  16  includes a feed roller  25  which feeds an uppermost recording sheet  12  in the feed tray  20  toward the upper rear side while making contact with the uppermost recording sheet  12 . The feed roller  25  is rotatably supported by a support arm  26  between a position where the feed roller  25  makes contact with the uppermost recording sheet  12  in the feed tray  20  and a position where the feed roller  25  is separated from the uppermost recording sheet  12  in the up-down direction  7 . A power transmitting mechanism  27  transmits power of an unillustrated motor to the feed roller  25 . 
     A first conveyance path  33  is provided in a rear part of the casing  14  and each recording sheet  12 , which is fed from the feed tray  20  by means of the feed unit  16 , is conveyed upward through the first conveyance path  33 . The first conveyance path  33  is formed of an outer guide member  33 A positioned on the rear side and an inner guide member  33 B positioned on the front side to have an arc-like shape curved rearward. The recording sheet  12  is conveyed through the first conveyance path  33  on the basis of central positioning, which allows the recording sheet  12  to be conveyed so that the center of the recording sheet  12  in its width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction is roughly coincident with the center of the first conveyance path  33  in its width direction. 
     The recording sheet  12  fed from the feed tray  20  enters the first conveyance path  33  through the lower end of the first conveyance path  33  and then is discharged forward through the upper end of the first conveyance path  33 . A second conveyance path  34  is provided in an upper part of the printer unit  11  to extend in the front-rear direction  8 . The recording sheet  12  conveyed from the first conveyance path  33  is conveyed forward through the second conveyance path  34 . The second conveyance path  34  extends from the upper end of the first conveyance path  33  to the upper side of the rear end of the discharge tray  21 . 
     The second conveyance path  34  includes a first conveyance roller pair  59  (corresponding to a conveyance unit), a platen  42 , a second conveyance roller pair  44 , a path switching unit  36 , and a reverse roller pair  45 , and they are disposed from the rear side to the front side in the above-described order. Each of the first conveyance roller pair  59 , the platen  42 , the second conveyance roller pair  44 , the path switching unit  36 , and the reverse roller pair  45  defines a part of the second conveyance path  34 . The recording sheet  12  is conveyed through the second conveyance path  34  on the basis of central positioning as described above. 
     The first conveyance roller pair  59  includes a first conveyance roller  60  disposed on the upper side and a pinch roller  61  disposed on the lower side. When the recording sheet  12  is conveyed through the second conveyance path  34 , the first conveyance roller  60  of the first conveyance roller pair  59  is driven to rotate in a state of being brought in tight contact with the pinch roller  61 . 
     The recording sheet  12 , which is conveyed through the second conveyance path  34 , is supported to extend in the front-rear direction  8  by the platen  42  disposed between the first conveyance roller pair  59  and the second conveyance roller pair  44  in the front-rear direction  8 . A recording unit  24  is provided on the upper side of the platen  42 . The recording unit  24  records an image on the recording sheet  12  supported by the platen  42 . 
     The recording unit  24  is supported on the upper side of the platen  42  by a first guide rail  56  and a second guide rail  57 , which are disposed to extend in the left-right direction  9  with a predetermined spacing distance intervening therebetween in the front-rear direction  8 . The recording unit  24  includes a carriage  40  and a recording head  38 . The carriage  40  is slidably supported by the first guide rail  56  and the second guide rail  57 . The recording head  38  is disposed at a lower part of the carriage  40 . The recording head  38  includes nozzles  39  from which the ink is discharged downward. The ink is supplied from an ink cartridge (not depicted) to the nozzles  39 . The recording unit  24  forms an image, on the basis of central positioning in the width direction of the recording sheet  12 , on the recording sheet  12  on the platen  42  which has been conveyed on the basis of the central positioning. 
     The second conveyance roller pair  44  disposed on the front side of the platen  42  includes a second conveyance roller  62  disposed on the lower side and a facing roller (driven roller)  63  disposed on the upper side. When the recording sheet  12  is conveyed, the second conveyance roller  62  of the second conveyance roller pair  44  is driven to rotate in a state of being brought into tight contact with the facing roller  63 . 
     When the recording sheet  12  conveyed by the second conveyance roller pair  44  is brought in contact with the path switching unit  36 , the recording sheet  12  is allowed to pass above the path switching unit  36 . As will be described later, when the conveyance direction of the recording sheet  12  which has been guided by the path switching unit  36  toward the reverse roller pair  45  is reversed to be conveyed rearward, the recording sheet  12  makes contact with the path switching unit  36  and then is guided to the lower side of the path switching unit  36 . 
     The reverse roller pair  45  includes a reverse roller  67  disposed on the lower side and a facing roller (driven roller)  68  disposed on the upper side. The reverse roller  67  is rotatable in normal and reverse directions (rotatable forward and rearward). When the facing roller  68  is brought in tight contact with the reverse roller  67 , the facing roller  68  rotates following the rotation of the reverse roller  67 . 
     The reverse roller  67  rotates in a direction in which the recording sheet  12  is conveyed forward (referred to as “normal rotation”) and in a direction in which the recording sheet  12  is conveyed rearward (referred to as “reverse rotation”). When an image is recorded on only one side of the recording sheet  12 , the reverse roller  67  of the reverse roller pair  45  rotates in the normal direction to discharge the recording sheet  12  on the discharge tray  21 . 
     When images are recorded on both sides of the recording sheet  12 , the reverse roller  67  at first rotates in the normal direction. When the rear end of the recording sheet  12 , which has the image recorded on one side, reaches the reverse roller pair  45 , the reverse roller  67  rotates in the reverse direction. This conveys the recording sheet  12  rearward (toward the path switching unit  36 ) to guide the recording sheet  12  on the lower side of the path switching unit  36 . A branched conveyance guide  71  is provided on the lower side of the path switching unit  36  to range from the reverse roller pair  45  to the lower end of the first conveyance path  33 . The branched conveyance guide  71  forms a third conveyance path  73 . The recording sheet  12  is conveyed along the branched conveyance guide  71  to the lower end of the first conveyance path  33  by means of an immediate conveyance roller pair  72 . 
     &lt;Printer Unit  11 &gt; 
     As depicted in  FIG. 3 , the printer unit  11  is supported by a left side frame  47  and a right side frame  48  which are disposed on the left and right sides of a rear part of the casing  14 . Each of the left side frame  47  and the right side frame  48  is configured so that its longitudinal direction is the front-rear direction  8  and its width direction is the up-down direction  7 . 
     The first guide rail  56  and the second guide rail  57  are supported by the left side frame  47  and the right side frame  48  in a state of being bridged or spanned therebetween. The front and rear parts of the carriage  40  of the recording head  24  are slidably supported by the first guide rail  56  and the second guide rail  57 . The carriage  40  slidably moves on the front part of an upper surface  56 E of the first guide rail  56 . 
     A roller support frame  66  is supported by the left side frame  47  and the right side frame  48  on the front side of the second guide rail  57 . The roller support frame  66  has a band plate shape to extend in the left-right direction  9 . The facing roller  68 , which is included in the reverse roller pair  45  and is disposed on the upper side (see  FIG. 2 ), is attached to the lower side of the roller support frame  66 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 5 , a corrugating unit  80  is provided on the lower side of the first guide rail  56 . The corrugating unit  80  corrugates, in the left-right direction  9 , the recording sheet  12  conveyed. The corrugating unit  80  includes a first contact member  80 A provided in the center in the left-right direction  9  and second contact members  80 B provided on left and right sides of the first contact member  80 A. An urging or basing member  90 , by which the first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B are urged or biased against the first guide rail  56 , is provided on the lower side of the first guide rail  56 . The structure of the corrugating unit  80  and the biasing member  90  will be described later. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 4 , notches  47 A and  48 A are provided in the left side frame  47  and the right side frame  48  respectively. The notches  47 A and  48 A rotatably support a roller shaft  60 A (see  FIG. 2 ) of the first conveyance roller  60 , which is included in the first conveyance roller pair  59  and is disposed on the upper side. This structure or configuration allows the first conveyance roller  60  to be in the state depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 4 , the ends of a roller shaft  62 A of the second conveyance roller  62 , which is included in the second conveyance roller pair  44  and is disposed on the lower side, are supported by the left side frame  47  and the right side frame  48 , respectively. The roller shaft  62 A of the second conveyance roller  62  is rotatably supported by support holes (not depicted) formed in the left side frame  47  and the right side frame  48  in a state of being movable in the up-down direction. The facing roller  63  (see  FIG. 2 ), which is included in the second conveyance roller pair  44  and is disposed on the upper side, is attached to the lower side of the second guide rail  57  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
     As depicted in  FIG. 4 , support holes  47 D and  48 D are provided in the left side frame  47  and the right side frame  48 , respectively. The support holes  47 D and  48 D support the ends of a roller shaft  67 A of the reverse roller  67 , which is included in the reverse roller pair  45  and is disposed on the lower side. The roller shaft  67 A of the reverse roller  67  is rotatably supported by the support holes  47 D and  48 D in a state of being moveable in the up-down direction. The platen  42  provided between the first conveyance roller pair  59  and the second conveyance roller pair  44  in the front-rear direction  8  is supported by the roller shaft  62 A of the second conveyance roller  62 . 
     &lt;Platen  42 &gt; 
     As depicted in  FIG. 4 , the platen  42  has a band plate shape to extend in the left-right direction  9 . The front edge of the platen  42  is rotatably supported by the roller shaft  62 A of the second conveyance roller  62 . The platen  42  includes, on the upper-rear surface thereof, contact areas  42 F which make contact with contact parts  81 A of the corrugating unit  80  respectively. The contact areas  42 F are flat surfaces which can make contact with the entire lower surfaces of the flat plate-shaped contact parts  81 A. The platen  42  further includes ribs (protrusions)  42 E on the upper surface thereof. The ribs  42 E protruding upward extend in the front-rear direction  8  with appropriate intervals in the left-right direction  9 . The ribs  42 E are provided in areas, except for the contact areas  42 F, ranging from a rear part of the platen  42  to an approximately middle position of the left side frame  47  (right side frame  48 ) in the front-rear direction  8 . 
     &lt;Corrugating Unit  80 &gt; 
     As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the first contact member  80 A is attached to the center part of the first guide rail  56  (a support member of the present teaching) in the left-right direction  9 . The second contact members  80 B are attached to the first guide rail  56  on left and right sides of the first contact member  80 A with predetermined spacing distances in the left-right direction  9 . The predetermined spacing distance between one of the second contact members  80 B and the first contact member  80 A is equal to the predetermined spacing distance between the other of the second contact members  80 B and the first contact member  80 A. 
     The first contact member  80 A includes three contact bodies  81  and first connection units  82 . The contact bodies  81  are disposed at intervals in the left-right direction  9 . Each of the first connection units  82  connects the contact bodies  81  disposed adjacently to each other. 
     Each of the contact bodies  81  includes a base  81 B, a connection part  81 K, a curved part  81 C, and the contact part  81 A. The base  81 B faces a lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 . The connection part  81 K is connected to the front end (the downstream end in the sheet conveyance direction) of the base  81 B. The curved part  81 C protrudes frontward and downward from the front end of the connection part  81 K in a state of being curved. The contact part  81 A is provided at the lower end (front end) of the curved part  81 C. 
     The base  81 B has a rectangular flat plate shape as viewed in plan view. The base  81 B includes engaging parts  81 D on the rear end thereof. The engaging parts  81 D are engaged with the first guide rail  56 . The engaging parts  81 D include brace members (struts)  81 E and latches (locking parts)  81 F. The brace members  81 E protrude upward from the rear end of the base  81 B on the left and right sides. The latches  81 F extend rearward at the tips of the brace members  81 E. The brace members  81 E have rectangular cross-sectional surfaces, that is, a length of the brace members  81 E in the front-rear direction  8  (the sheet conveyance direction) and a length of the brace members  81 E in the left-right direction  9  are constant. 
     The first guide rail  56  includes openings  56 A into which the engaging parts  81 D of the bases  81 B are inserted. Each of the openings  56 A is provided at a rear part of the first guide rail  56 , that is, on the rear side of the slide position of the carriage  40  in the first guide rail  56 . Each of the openings  56 A includes a penetrating part  56 B and a slide part  56 C. The penetrating part  56 B has a size to allow the latch  81 F of the base  81 B to penetrate therethrough. The slide part  56 C extends rightward from the front part of the penetrating part  56 B. The slide part  56 C is formed to have a length in the front-rear direction  8  which allows the brace member  81 E to penetrate therethough and does not allow the latch  81 F to penetrate therethough. 
     The engaging parts  81 D of the bases  81 B of the contact bodies  81  are positioned on the upper side of the first guide rail  56  by inserting the latches  81 F, from the lower side of the first guide rail  56 , into the penetrating parts  56 B of the openings  56 A of the first guide rail  56 . When the brace members  81 E slide rightward along the slide parts  56 C of the openings  56 A in a state that the engaging parts  81 D are positioned on the upper side of the first guide rail  56 , the latches  81 F of the engaging parts  81 D are positioned on the upper side of the right ends of the slide parts  56 C. This allows the latches  81 F to be locked on the upper surface  56 E of the first guide rail  56  so that the latches  81 F fail to disengage therefrom. 
     The base  81 B of the contact body  81  positioned in the center in the left-right direction  9  includes a plate spring  81 G, which has a band plate shape to extend in the front-rear direction  8  and is disposed in the center in the left-right direction  9 . The plate spring  81 G is formed of a band plate portion, which is formed by cutting a part of the base  81 B. The base  81 B of the contact body  81  positioned in the center in the left-right direction  9  includes a boss  81 H protruding upward at the front end of the plate spring  81 G. The boss  81 H fits in the opening  56 G of the first guide rail  56  in a state that the engaging parts  81 D of the base  81 B are engaged with the first guide rail  56 . The bases  81 B, of the other two contact bodies  81 , positioned on the left and right sides have no plate spring  81 G. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the connection part  81 K provided between the base  81 B and the curved part  81 C includes three connection bodies  81 M and a flat plate-shaped attachment part  81 N. The three connection bodies  81 M protrude frontward from the front surface of the base  81 B with regular intervals in the left-right direction  9 . The attachment part  81 N is supported by the front ends of all of the connection bodies  81 M in the up-down direction  7 . The connection bodies  81 M include, at rear parts thereof, protrusions  81 P (see  FIG. 6B ) which protrude upward to make contact with the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 . The attachment part  81 N extends in the up-down direction  7  and the left-right direction  9 , and the middle in the up-down direction  7  is supported by the front ends of the connection bodies  81 M. A part, of the attachment part  81 N, on the upper side of the connection bodies  81 M, extends along the front side edge of the first guide rail  56 . 
     The upper end of the curved part  81 C is attached to a lower part of the front surface of the attachment part  81 N of the connection part  81 K. The length of the curved part  81 C in the left-right direction  9  is approximately constant, and the curved part  81 C is formed to extend along the front-side outer circumferential parts of the first conveyance roller pair  59 . The curved part  81 C has flexibility to be movable in the up-down direction  7  and the front-rear direction  8 . 
     The contact part  81 A protrudes frontward from the lower end of the curved part  81 C to have a triangle shape in which the length in the left-right direction  9  is narrower toward the front side as view in plan view. The contact parts  81 A are positioned on the upstream side of the nozzles  39  of the recording unit  24  in the sheet conveyance direction. The contact parts  81 A are brought into contact with the contact areas  42 F of the upper rear surface of the platen  42  when no recording sheet  12  is being conveyed. When the recording sheet  12  is being conveyed, the contact parts  81 A make contact with the recording sheet  12 . 
     The end, of the flat plate-shaped contact part  81 A of the contact body  81 , on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction is substantially parallel to the recording sheet  12  conveyed. The structure of the contact part  81 A is not limited to this, and the contact part  81 A may be inclined upward in the sheet conveyance direction, namely may be inclined so that the most downstream part in the sheet conveyance direction is in the uppermost position. 
     The first connection unit  82  includes a pair of connection parts  82 A which connects the bases  81 B, of the contact bodies  81 , disposed adjacently to each other. The pair of connection parts  82 A is formed of wire rods which extend in the left-right direction  9  and have a constant length (width) in the front-rear direction  8 . A hole  82 B, of which length in the front-rear direction  8  is constant, is formed between the pair of connection parts  82 A. The hole  82 B is an elongated hole which is defined by the pair of connection parts  82 A and the bases  81 B disposed adjacently to each other. A gap is provided between the upper surfaces of the connection parts  82 A and the lower surface of the first guide rail  56  in the up-down direction  7  in a state that the bases  81 B are attached to the first guide rail  56 . The length of the connection part  82 A in the front-rear direction  8  is shorter than the length, of the brace member  81 E of the engaging part  81 D of the base  81 B, in the front-rear direction  8 . 
     The first connection unit  82  having such a structure is more likely to twist around an axis extending in the left-right direction  9  than the bases  81 B disposed on left and right sides thereof. For example, when the rotative force around the axis  6 , which extends in the left-right direction  9  and passes the center position of the first connection unit  82  in the front-rear direction  8 , is applied on any one of the bases  81 B, the first connection unit  82  is easily twisted around the axis  6  by the rotative force. This prevents the rotative force around the axis  6  from being transmitted to the other of bases  81 B disposed adjacently to the first connection unit  82 . 
     The first contact member  80 A is made of synthetic resin (e.g. polyacetal (POM)) to include three contact bodies  81  and two first connection units  82  formed integrally. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 5 , each second contact member  80 B includes two contact bodies  81  and a second connection unit  83  connecting the two contact bodies  81 . The contact body  81  of the second contact member  80 B on the left side has the same structure of that of the contact body  81  of the first contact member  80 A in the central position, except that the contact body  81  of the second contact member  80 B has a plate spring  81 G having a shape different from that of the plate spring  81 G of the base  81 B of the first contact member  80 A. Namely, the plate spring  81 G of the second contact member  80 B is formed so that the front end thereof extends rightward and the boss  81 H is provided at the tip of the front end. The contact body  81  of the second contact member  80 B on the right side has the same structure as those of the contact bodies  81  of the first contact member  80 A on the left and right sides. 
     The interval, between two contact bodies  81  of the second contact member  80 B, in the left-right direction  9  is shorter than the interval, between two contact bodies  81  disposed adjacently to each other in the first contact member  80 A, in the left-right direction  9 . The second connection unit  83  of the second contact member  80 B includes a pair of connection parts  83 A, and has the same structure as that of the first connection unit  82  of the first contact member  80 A, except that the pair of connection parts  83 A has a length shorter than that of the pair of connection parts  82 A of the first connection unit  82 . Thus, similar to the first connection unit  82  of the first contact member  80 A, the second connection unit  83  of the second contact member  80 B includes a hole  83 B which is defined by the pair of connection parts  83 A and the bases  81 B disposed adjacently to each other. The length, of the hole  83 B, in the left-right direction  9  is shorter than the length, of the hole  82 B, in the left-right direction  9 . 
     Similar to the first connection unit  82 , the second connection unit  83  having such a structure is more likely to twist around the axis  6  than the bases  81 B disposed on left and right sides thereof. For example, when the rotative force around the axis  6  is applied on any one of the bases  81 B of the second connection unit  83 , the second connection unit  83  is easily twisted around the axis  6  by the rotative force. This prevents the rotative force around the axis  6  from being transmitted to the other of bases  81 B. 
     Similar to the first contact member  80 A, the second contact member  80 B is made of synthetic resin (e.g. polyacetal (POM)) to include two contact bodies  81  and the second connection unit  83  formed integrally. The first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B, however, may not be formed integrally. Instead of the above structure, members may be combined or joined by fitting, engagement, or the like to form the first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B. 
     &lt;Biasing Member&gt; 
     As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B are pressed by the biasing member  90  from the lower side in a state of being supported by the guide rail  56 . The biasing member  90  is formed to have a substantially box shape which includes a front side wall  91  and a rear side wall  92  extending in the left-right direction  9 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 7A , the front side wall  91  includes, at the upper edge thereof, urging parts  91 A at intervals in the left-right direction  9 . The urging parts  91 A are positioned on the lower side of the bases  81 B of the contact bodies  81  of the first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B. The urging parts  91 A each have a plate spring shape extending in the left-right direction  9 . One end of each urging part  91 A in its longitudinal direction is formed integrally with the front side wall  91 , and a space  91 C is formed to extend, along and below the urging part  91 A, from the space between the other end (tip portion) of the urging part  91 A in the longitudinal direction and the front side wall  91 . This structure allows each urging part  91 A to have flexibility, namely, the tip portion thereof can be displaced in the up-down direction  7 . 
     Pressing parts  91 B protruding upward are provided at the tip portions of the urging parts  91 A, respectively. Each of the pressing parts  91 B makes contact with the center, of the front part of the base  81 B of the contact body  81 , in the left-right direction  9 , thereby pressing the front part of the base  81 B upward. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 7A , the biasing member  90  includes four support members  93  by which the biasing member  90  is supported by the first guide rail  56 . The support members  93  protrude upward from the middle of a bottom plate  94  of the biasing member  90  in the front-rear direction  8 , at regular intervals in the left-right direction  9 . Engaging parts  93 A extending frontward are provided at the upper ends of the support members  93 . The number of support members  93  is not limited to four. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 5 , four engaging holes  56 D are formed, along the left-right direction  9 , in the middle of the first guide rail  56  in the front-rear direction  8 , on the rear side of the sliding position of the carriage  40 . The engaging holes  56 D are provided at positions corresponding to the support members  93 . The left part of each of the engaging holes  56 D has a size to allow the engaging part  93 A provided at the upper end of the support member  93  to pass therethrough. The right part of each of the engaging holes  56 D does not allow the engaging part  93 A to pass therethrough, but it has a size to allow a part provided on the lower side of the engaging part  93 A to pass therethrough. Thus, the engaging parts  93 A of the support members  93  can be engaged with the upper surface  56 E of the first guide rail  56  by inserting the engaging parts  93 A of the support members  93  into the left parts of the engaging holes  56 D; positioning the engaging parts  93 A on the upper side of the first guide rail  56 ; and sliding the engaging parts  93 A rightward. The biasing member  90  is supported by the first guide rail  56  by engaging the engaging parts  93 A of all of the support members  93  with the upper surface  56 E of the first guide rail  56 . 
     Supporting the biasing member  90  by the first guide rail  56  brings the pressing parts  91 B of the urging parts  91 A of the front side wall  91  into contact under pressure with the front parts of the bases  81 B of the contact bodies  81 . In this situation, the protrusions  81 P of connection parts  81 K of the contact bodies  81  are pressed against and brought into contact with the downstream end of the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 . The engaging parts  81 D, which are provided at the rear parts of the bases  81 B of the contact bodies  81 , are engaged with the first guide rail  56 , and thus the protrusions  81 P of the connection parts  81 K positioned on the front side of the bases  81  are pressed against the downstream end of the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 . This bends the curved parts  81 C to cause the contact parts  81 A, which are the lower ends of the curved parts  81 C, to rise upward. As a result, the front ends of the contact parts  81 A are displaced upward, which allows the contact parts  81 A to be substantially parallel to the recording sheet  12  conveyed or to be inclined upward in the sheet conveyance direction. 
     As depicted in  FIG. 7B , first guide members  95  are provided to protrude rearward from a lower part of the rear side wall  92  of the biasing member  90 . The first guide members  95  are disposed at intervals in the left-right direction  9  to extend in the front-rear direction  8 . The rear side edge of each first guide member  95  is inclined so that the rearmost portion thereof is positioned on the uppermost side. The rear end of each first guide member  95  is positioned at a height corresponding to the middle of the rear side wall  92  in the up-down direction  7 . Each first guide member  95  guides the recording sheet  12 , which is conveyed from the first conveyance path  33 , to the lower side of the bottom plate  94  of the biasing member  90 . 
     Second guide members  96  are provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate  94 . The second guide members  96  guide the recording sheet  12 , which is guided by the first guide members  95 , to the first conveyance roller pair  59 . The biasing member  90  is integrally formed by use of resin, namely the rear side wall  92  and the first guide members  95  are formed integrally, and the bottom plate  94  and the second guide members  96  are formed integrally. 
     &lt;Action and Effect of Corrugating Unit  80  and Biasing Member  90 &gt; 
     When the recording sheet  12  fed from the feed tray  20  is conveyed to the first conveyance roller pair  59  through the first conveyance path  33  on the basis of the central positioning, the recording sheet  12  is conveyed on the platen  42  by being guided by the first guide members  95  and the second guide members  96  of the biasing member  90 . In this situation, when the recording sheet  12  conveyed by the first conveyance roller pair  59  makes contact with the contact parts  81 A of the contact bodies  81  of the first contact member  80 A, the recording sheet  12  contacting with the contact parts  81 A is pressed against the contact areas  42 F of a platen body  42 A. Since the ribs  42 E are provided, along the front-rear direction  8 , on left and right sides of the contact areas  42 F, parts of the recording sheet  12  which are contacting with the contact parts  81 A are positioned on the lower side of parts of the recording sheet  12  which are contacting with the ribs  42 E, that is, the parts of the recording sheet  12  which are contacting with the contact parts  81 A are farther away from the recording unit  24  than the parts of the recording sheet  12  which are contacting with the ribs  42 E. Accordingly, the parts of the recording sheet  12  which are pressed against the contact areas  42 F by means of the contact parts  81 A are curved to protrude downward. 
     In this case, the reaction force from the recording sheet  12  is applied to the contact parts  81 A of the contact bodies  81  of the first contact member  80 A. This reaction force moves the contact parts  81 A upward, thereby displacing the curved parts  81 C upward. Then, the front ends of the bases  81 B are displaced upward, as well. Here, each first connection unit  82  connecting the contact bodies  81  disposed adjacently to each other is formed of the pair of connection parts  82 A with the hole  82 B provided therebetween. Thus, when one or both of the contact bodies  81  is/are deformed, the first connection unit  82  twists to rotate around the axis  6 . Namely, the twist of the first connection unit  82  prevents a situation in which the displacement of one of the contact bodies  81  disposed on left and right sides of the first connection unit  82  causes the displacement of the other of contact bodies  81 . This prevents a situation in which the displacement of one of the contact bodies  81  changes the pressing force applied from the other of contact bodies  81  to the recording sheet  12 . 
     The same is true on each of the second contact members  80 B. When the contact parts  81 A make contact with the recording sheet  12 , parts, of the recording sheet  12 , brought into contact with the contact parts  81 A, are curved by being pressed against the contact areas  42 F of the platen  42 . Also in this case, when one of the contact bodies  81  disposed on left and right sides of the second connection unit  83  is displaced, the second connection unit  83  prevents the displacement of the other of contact bodies  81 . 
     Accordingly, the recording sheet  12  is curved by the cooperation of the contact areas  42 F of the platen  42 , the ribs  42 E disposed on left and right sides of each contact area  42 F, and the contact parts  81 A facing the contact areas  42 F. In other words, the recording sheet  12  waves in the left-right direction  9 . Then, the recording unit  24  records an image on the recording sheet  12  after the waving part of the recording sheet  12  is positioned at a predetermined position of the platen  42 . In this case, since the recording sheet  12  has the waving part, cockling hardly occurs on the recording sheet  12  on which the image is to be formed by ink droplets. 
     The first contact member  80 A and second contact members  80 B are biased by the biasing member  90  toward the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 . In particular, the pressing parts  91 B of the urging parts  91 A formed at the upper edge of the front side wall  91  of the biasing member  90  press the connection parts  81 K of the contact bodies  81 . This allows the protrusions  81 P of the connection parts  81 K to be pressed against the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 . 
     When the engaging parts  81 D of the contact bodies  81  and the protrusions  81 P, of the connection parts  81 K, disposed between the engaging parts  81 D and the contact parts  81 A in the front-rear direction  8  are pressed against the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 , the front ends of the contact parts  81 A are displaced further upward as compared with the case in which the contact parts  81 A are not biased by the biasing member  90 . Accordingly, the contact parts  81 A become substantially parallel to the recording sheet  12  conveyed through the second conveyance path  34 , or are inclined upward so that the front ends of the contact parts  81 A are positioned on the upper side of the recording sheet  12  in the sheet conveyance direction. 
     The contact parts  81 A in the above states have the following advantages. Namely, when the paper jam of the recording sheet  12  occurs in the second conveyance path  34  and when the recording sheet  12  having the paper jam is pulled rearward from the second conveyance path  34 , the front ends of the contact parts  81 A rarely pierce the recording sheet  12 . This can reduce the possibility in which the recording sheet  12  can not be pulled appropriately by being broken upon pulling from the second conveyance path  34 . Further, when a media tray, on which a recording media is placed, is inserted from the front side into the second conveyance path  34  in order to record an image on a disk of the recording media such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM, the front ends of the contact parts  81 A rarely make contact with the media tray. 
     Since the contact parts  81 A are in a predetermined state by bringing the biasing member  90  into contact with the contact bodies  81  from the lower side of the first guide rail  56 , the contact parts  81 A do not negatively affect the sliding movement of the carriage  40  on the first guide rail  56 . 
     Effects of the Embodiment 
     According the embodiment, the contact parts  81 A are allowed to be in the predetermined state easily by pressing the contact bodies  81  against the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56  while urging the contact bodies  81  upward by means of the urging parts  91 A of the biasing member  90 . 
     The biasing member  90  includes the first guide members  95  and second guide members  96  which guide the recording sheet  12  conveyed through the second conveyance path  34  onto the platen  42 . The biasing member  90  including the first guide members  95  and second guide members  96  is integrally formed by use of resin. This can reduce the space where the first guide members  95  and second guide members  96  are disposed and no assembling work is required. 
     The second guide members  96 , which guide the recording sheet  12  conveyed through the second conveyance path  34  onto the platen  42 , are provided on the bottom plate  94  of the biasing member  90 . Namely, the biasing member  90  is provided between the second guide members  96  and the first and second contact members  80 A,  80 B. This downsizes the multifunction peripheral  10 . 
     The biasing member  90  and coil springs  65  bring the contact bodies  81  into contact with the side part, of the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 , on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. This makes it easy to adjust the positions of the contact bodies  81  relative to the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56 . 
     Since the recording unit  24  is movably supported by the upper surface  56 E of the first guide rail  56  in a direction intersecting with the sheet conveyance direction, there is no need to provide any special member for attaching the first contact member  80 A and the second contact member  80 B. 
     The first guide rail  56  includes the openings  56 A penetrating the upper surface  56 E and the lower surface  56 F. Each of the engaging parts  81 D of the contact bodies  81  includes the brace member  81 E penetrating the opening  56 A and the latch  81 F extending from the brace member  81 E to make contact with the upper surface  56 E of the first guide rail  56 . This makes it possible to engage the engaging parts  81 D with the first guide rail  56  easily, thereby allowing the contact bodies  81  to be attached to the first guide rail  56  easily. 
     Since the first contact member  80 A and the second contact member  80 B are provided at intervals in the left-right direction  9 , the recording sheet  12  conveyed therethrough can be pressed in the left-right direction  9 . 
     The contact parts  81 A press the recording sheet  12  against the contact areas  42 F between the ribs  42 E of the platen  42 . The cooperation of the contact parts  81 A and the ribs  42 E waves the recording sheet  12  in the left-right direction  9 . 
     Each of the contact parts  81 A has the flat plate shape and is disposed to be parallel to the recording sheet  12  conveyed therethrough or to be inclined upward in the sheet conveyance direction. This prevents the contact parts  81 A from damaging the recording sheet  12  when the recording sheet  12  making contact with the contact parts  81 A moves in the opposite direction of the sheet conveyance direction. 
     Since an image is recorded on the recording sheet  12  by allowing the recording unit  24  to discharge ink droplets from the nozzles  39 , the image formed with the ink droplets can have higher image quality. 
     Modified Embodiments 
     In the modified embodiment depicted in  FIG. 8 , the first conveyance roller  60  of the first conveyance roller pair  59  is provided on the lower side of the second conveyance path  34 , and the pinch roller (driven roller)  61  is provided on the upper side of the second conveyance path  34 . A roller shaft  61 A of the pinch roller  61  is supported by a roller holder  64 . The roller holder  64  includes a holder body  64 A, which is supported by the first guide rail  56  on the rear side of the pinch roller  61 . The roller shaft  61 A of the pinch roller  61  is rotatably supported by an arm (not depicted) protruding frontward from the holder body  64 A. 
     A rear part of the holder body  64 A penetrates a rear part of the first guide rail  56  to be rotatably engaged with the upper surface of the first guide rail  56 . This allows the pinch roller  61  to swing in a direction making contact with or being separated from the first conveyance roller  60 . 
     The holder body  64 A of the roller holder  64  includes the coil springs (biasing members)  65  supported in the up-down direction. The coil springs  65  are provided corresponding to the contact bodies  81  of the first and second contact members  80 A,  80 B. The upper end of each of the coil springs  65  is brought into with the lower surface of a front part (the downstream end of the recording sheet  12  in the sheet conveyance direction) of the base  81 B of each of the contact bodies  81 . Since each of the coil springs  65  is brought into contact with the base  81 B of each of the contact bodies  81  in a state of being supported by the holder body  64 A, the pinch roller  61  is brought into pressure contact with the first conveyance roller  60 . 
     In the structure according to the modified embodiment, the contact bodies  81  are pressed against the lower surface  56 F of the first guide rail  56  by being biased upward by the coil springs  65  disposed on the lower side. Thus, effects similar to those of the embodiment can be obtained. Further, the coil springs  65  urging the pinch roller  61  can bias the contact bodies  81 , and thus the number of parts or components can be reduced. 
     Other Embodiments 
     The contact parts  81 A of the contact bodies  81  of the first and second contact members  80 A and  80 B may not be configured to curve the recording sheet  12 . The contact parts  81 A may be configured to make contact with the recording sheet  12  from the upper side to prevent the recording sheet  12  from floating from the platen  42 . This prevents the recording sheet  12  from making contact with the recording head  38  of the recoding unit  24 . In this case, the platen  42  may not include the ribs  42 E, or the contact parts  81 A may be disposed to be always positioned on the upper side of the contact areas  42 F between ribs  42 E of the platen  42 . 
     In the above embodiment, the first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B are disposed on the upstream side of the recording unit  24  in the sheet conveyance direction. The first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B, however, may be disposed on the downstream side of the recording unit  24  in the sheet conveyance direction. 
     The corrugating unit  80  may be configured so that each of the contact bodies  81  of the first contact member  80 A and the second contact members  80 B is provided independently of each other. 
     In the above embodiment, the first conveyance path  33  and the second conveyance path  34  are configured to convey the recording sheet  12  on the basis of the center positioning and the recording unit  24  is configured to record an image on the recording sheet  12  on the basis of the center positioning. However, the following structure or configuration is also allowable. That is, the recording sheet  12  is conveyed through the first conveyance path  33  and the second conveyance path  34  on the basis of one-side positioning, namely the recording sheet  12  is conveyed on the basis of any one of side edges of the recording sheet  12  in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. In this case, an image is formed on the recording sheet  12  on the basis of one-side positioning, namely the image is formed on the basis of any one of side edges of the recording sheet  12  in the width direction.