Patent Publication Number: US-8523168-B2

Title: Image recording apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-138801, filed on Jun. 17, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus capable of feeding a recording medium from each of two mounting portions with the use of two feeding rollers. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, there has been provided an image recording apparatus using an ink jet recording method, including: a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion each on which a sheet-type recording medium such as a recording paper can be mounted; a first feeding roller feeding the recording medium from the first mounting portion to a transporting route; a second feeding roller feeding the recording medium from the second mounting portion to the transporting route; a main transporting roller pair nipping and transporting the fed recording medium; and a recording head jetting ink onto the recording medium transported by the main transporting roller pair. This type of image recording apparatus is used as, for example, a printer, a copying machine, and a multifunction machine having printing, scanning, copying and faxing functions and the like. 
     An image recording apparatus that drives a first feeding roller and a second feeding roller using one drive motor is known. This image recording apparatus includes a drive transmission switching mechanism. The drive transmission switching mechanism includes: a drive gear driven by a drive motor; a switching gear whose posture is changed to a first posture and a second posture, and engaging with the drive gear in either posture; a first receiving gear engaging with the switching gear in the first posture; a second receiving gear engaging with the switching gear in the second posture; a first transmitting section transmitting a torque or a rotative force of the first receiving gear to the first feeding roller; and a second transmitting section transmitting a torque or a rotative force of the second receiving gear to the second feeding roller. The switching gear can move in a direction along a rotation axis of the drive gear, and when the switching gear is moved, a posture thereof is changed to the first and the second posture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     However, the aforementioned drive transmission switching mechanism involves a problem such that the gear may be wrongly switched, and when the feeding roller is driven by switching a drive transmission path, erroneous paper feeding may occur due to the wrong gear switching. 
     The present invention has an object to provide a structure with which an occurrence of erroneous paper feeding due to wrong gear switching can be prevented, in an image recording apparatus capable of driving two feeding rollers using one drive motor with the use of a drive transmission switching mechanism. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus which jets an ink to record an image on a sheet-type recording medium, including: 
     a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion each on which the recording medium are mounted; 
     a first feeding roller which feeds the recording medium mounted on the first mounting portion; 
     a second feeding roller which feeds the recording medium mounted on the second mounting portion; 
     a recording head which jets the ink onto the recording medium fed by one of the first feeding roller and the second feeding roller; 
     a carriage which holds the recording head to move in a direction orthogonal to a transporting direction of the recording medium; 
     a first drive motor which reciprocates the carriage; 
     a second drive motor which rotates in a normal direction and a reverse direction; and 
     a drive transmission switching mechanism which transmits a driving force of the second drive motor to the first feeding roller and the second feeding roller, the drive transmission switching mechanism includes:
         a first gear of which a rotation axis is directed in a moving direction of the carriage and which is rotated by the second drive motor;   a supporting shaft of which axial direction is directed in the moving direction;   a second gear through which the supporting shaft is inserted, which is moved in the moving direction by the carriage, which changes its posture to a first posture and a second posture while being moved in the moving direction, and which engages with the first gear in the first and second postures;   a third gear of which rotation axis is directed in the moving direction and which engages with the second gear in the first posture;   a fourth gear of which rotation axis is directed in the moving direction and which engages with the second gear in the second posture;   a first transmitting section which transmits a rotation of the third gear rotated by the second drive motor rotating in the normal direction to the first feeding roller to rotate the roller in a direction in which the recording medium is fed; and which prevents transmission of rotation of the third gear rotated by the second drive motor rotating in the reverse direction to the first feeding roller, under a condition that the second gear is in the first posture; and   a second transmitting section which transmits a rotation of the fourth gear rotated by the second drive motor rotating in the reverse direction to the second feeding roller to rotate the roller in the direction in which the recording medium is fed; and which prevents transmission of rotation of the fourth gear rotated by the second drive motor rotating in the normal direction to the second feeding roller, under a condition that the second gear is in the second posture.       

     In the image recording apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of drive motors to be used with the use of the drive transmission switching mechanism. Further, since the first feeding roller is rotated by the normal rotation of the second drive motor, and the second feeding roller is rotated by the reverse rotation of the second drive motor, even if wrong gear switching occurs, only the rollers are rotated, and there is no chance that the recording medium is erroneously fed from an unintended mounting portion. As a result of this, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of drive motors, and besides, it becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of erroneous paper feeding caused by the wrong gear switching. 
     In the present invention, there is realized an image recording apparatus provided with a structure capable of reducing the number of drive motors to be used and preventing erroneous paper feeding caused by the wrong gear switching. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a multifunction machine; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic sectional view of a printer unit; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views of a maintenance mechanism, in which  FIG. 3A  is a plan view and  FIG. 3B  is a sectional view taken along a line IIIB-IIIB in  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a drive transmission switching mechanism; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a gear switching mechanism in a first posture; 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of the gear switching mechanism in a second posture, and  FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of the gear switching mechanism in a third posture; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a lever member and an abutting member; 
         FIG. 8  is a flow chart representing processing of a control section in a standby mode; 
         FIGS. 9A ,  9 B,  9 C and  9 D are flow charts representing processing of the control section in a high-speed printing mode; 
         FIG. 10  is a flow chart representing processing of the control section in switching processing; 
         FIG. 11  is a block diagram of the present embodiment; 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic plan view showing a first transmitting section; and 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic plan view showing a second transmitting section. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, as an image recording apparatus in the present teaching, a multifunction machine  10  as shown in  FIG. 1  having printing, scanning, copying and faxing functions and the like will be explained. The multifunction machine  10  is formed almost in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the description hereinbelow, a height direction, a depth direction, and a width direction of the multifunction machine  10  are defined as an up-down direction  7 , a front-rear direction  8 , and a left-right direction  9 , respectively. 
     [Outline of Multifunction Machine  10 ] 
     The multifunction machine  10  includes: a printer housing  11 ; a scanner housing  12  being disposed above the printer housing  11  and housing a scanner unit; and an document cover  13  disposed above the scanner housing  12 . An upper tray  14  and a lower tray  15  on which a paper  5  such as a plain paper, a glossy paper, a postcard or the like is mounted are accommodated in a lower portion of the printer housing  11  in a manner that the trays can be forwardly pulled out. A printer unit  17  in  FIG. 2  that records an image on the paper  5  is accommodated in an upper portion of the printer housing  11 . A paper discharge tray  16  is mounted on the upper tray  14 . The upper tray  14  corresponds to a first mounting portion in the present teaching, the lower tray  15  corresponds to a second mounting portion in the present teaching, and the paper  5  corresponds to a recording medium in the present teaching. 
     The scanner unit and the printer unit  17  are controlled by a control section  90  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The control section  90  is realized by, for example, various electronic components such as a microcomputer mounted on a substrate. The control section  90  performs capturing of images and recording of images based on a signal input through a plurality of input buttons  18  as shown in  FIG. 1  or an external device such as a personal computer. The control section  90  corresponds to a control section in the present teaching. 
     [Printer Unit  17 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the printer unit  17  includes: a transporting mechanism  30  transporting the paper  5  mounted on the upper tray  14  and the lower tray  15 ; a recording section  20  recording an image on the paper  5  transported by the transporting mechanism  30 ; a driving section  100  (refer to  FIG. 11 ) and a drive transmission switching mechanism  40  (refer to  FIG. 4 ); a later-described detecting mechanism including a first sensor  81  and the like; and a maintenance mechanism  60  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) performing maintenance of the recording section  20 . 
     [Recording Section  20 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the recording section  20  includes: a plate-shaped platen  22  disposed above a rear portion of the upper tray  14 ; a recording head  21  disposed opposite to and above the platen  22 ; and a carriage  23  holding the recording head  21 . The recording head  21  corresponds to a recording head in the present teaching, and the carriage  23  corresponds to a carriage in the present teaching. 
     A plurality of nozzles which are not shown in the drawings are formed on the recording head  21 . A jetting port opening downward is formed on each of the nozzles. For instance, because of a deformation of a piezoelectric element, an ink droplet is jetted toward a side of the lower platen  22  from the jetting port. A power supply to the piezoelectric element is performed by using a flexible cable or the like, and is controlled by the control section  90  (refer to  FIG. 11 ). The nozzle of the recording head  21  corresponds to a nozzle in the present teaching. 
     The carriage  23  is provided so that the carriage  23  straddles a pair of front and rear rail bodies  24  in  FIG. 4  disposed above the platen  22 , and is supported by the rail bodies  24  in a movable manner along the left-right direction  9 . The rail bodies  24  are formed in a plate shape which are elongated in the left-right direction  9  and are supported by a frame  25 . An abutting piece  26  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) for performing gear switching in the drive transmission switching mechanism  40  is formed to be protruded in the right direction from a right end portion of the carriage  23 . 
     [Maintenance Mechanism  60 ] 
     The maintenance mechanism  60  shown in  FIG. 3  includes: a cap  61  capable of moving along the up-down direction  7  between an abutting position at which the cap covers the jetting ports of the nozzles of the recording head  21  and a separating position at which the cap is separated from the jetting ports; and a support  62  movably supporting the cap  61  between the abutting position and the separating position. Further, a lift-up mechanism  63  transmitting a driving force transmitted from the driving section  100  to the cap  61  with the use of the later-described drive transmission switching mechanism  40  to move the cap  61 , is provided to the support  62 . The maintenance mechanism  60  corresponds to a maintenance mechanism in the present teaching, the cap  61  corresponds to a cap in the present teaching, an abutting posture corresponds to a fourth posture in the present teaching, and a separating posture corresponds to a fifth posture in the present teaching. 
     [Transporting Mechanism  30 ] 
     The transporting mechanism  30  shown in  FIG. 2  includes: a first feeding roller  31  feeding the paper  5  mounted on the upper tray  14 ; a second feeding roller  32  feeding the paper  5  mounted on the lower tray  15 ; a main transporting route  51  through which the papers  5  fed by the first feeding roller  31  and the second feeding roller  32  are transported; and an intermediate roller pair  54 , a main transporting roller pair  55 , and a paper discharge roller pair  56  being provided to the main transporting route  51  in an attached manner and nipping and transporting the papers  5 . 
     [First Feeding Roller  31 , Second Feeding Roller  32 ] 
     The first feeding roller  31  is disposed above a rear portion of the upper tray  14 , and is supported by using a rotary shaft  33  and an arm  34  that are driven by the driving section  100 . The first feeding roller  31  is rotatably attached to one end portion of the arm  34 , and the other end portion of the arm  34  is rotatably supported by the rotary shaft  33 . Further, the arm  34  is provided with a plurality of transmission gears  35  transmitting a rotation of the rotary shaft  33  to the first feeding roller  31 . 
     When the arm  34  rotates around the rotary shaft  33 , the first feeding roller  31  is brought into contact with the paper  5  mounted on the upper tray  14 . A rotational force of the rotary shaft  33  is transmitted to the first feeding roller  31  via the transmission gears  35  to rotate the first feeding roller  31 . Then, the first feeding roller  31  feeds the paper  5 , with which the roller is brought into contact, in the upper direction from a rear wall of the upper tray  14 . Similar to the first feeding roller  31 , the second feeding roller  32  is supported by using a rotary shaft  36  and an arm  37 , and when the second feeding roller  32  rotates, the paper  5  mounted on the lower tray  15  is fed. The first feeding roller  31  corresponds to a first feeding roller in the present teaching, and the second feeding roller  32  corresponds to a second feeding roller in the present teaching. 
     [Main Transporting Route  51 ] 
     The main transporting route  51  is formed of a guide member  53  and the platen  22 , and is formed as a so-called U-turn pass including a curved portion  51 A having an arc cross-section and a linear portion  51 B having a linear cross-section. The main transporting route  51  passes between the platen  22  and the recording head  21 . Because of the presence of the curved portion  51 A, it is possible to dispose the recording section  20  above the upper tray  14 , which allows the multifunction machine  10  to be compact in size. The main transporting route  51  is provided so that one end thereof is positioned above the rear wall of the upper tray  14  and the other end thereof is positioned above the paper discharge tray  16 . The paper  5  fed from the upper tray  14  or the lower tray  15  is transported on the platen  22  in a forward direction and is discharged to the paper discharge tray  16 . 
     [Intermediate Roller Pair  54 ] 
     The intermediate roller pair  54  includes a plurality of driving rollers  54 B fixed to a rotary shaft  54 A that is rotated by the driving section  100  and a driven roller  54 C that is driven by the driving rollers  54 B. The intermediate roller pair  54  is disposed so that an axial direction of the rotary shaft  54 A is along the left-right direction  9  and that the curved portion  51 A passes through a nip position of the roller pair. The intermediate roller pair  54  nips and transports the paper  5  fed from the upper tray  14  or the lower tray  15 . The intermediate roller pair  54  corresponds to a roller pair in the present teaching. 
     [Main Transporting Roller Pair  55 ] 
     The main transporting roller pair  55  includes a plurality of driving rollers  55 B fixed to a rotary shaft  55 A that is rotated by the driving section  100  and a driven roller  55 C that is driven by the driving rollers  55 B. The main transporting roller pair  55  is disposed behind the platen  22  in which an axial direction of the rotary shaft  55 A is along the left-right direction  9 , and the main transporting roller pair  55  transports the paper  5  transported by the intermediate roller pair  54  in the forward direction. 
     [Paper Discharge Roller Pair  56 ] 
     The paper discharge roller pair  56  includes a plurality of driving rollers  56 B fixed to a rotary shaft  56 A that is rotated by the driving section  100  and a driven roller  56 C that is driven by the driving rollers  56 B. The paper discharge roller pair  56  is disposed ahead of the platen  22  in which an axial direction of the rotary shaft  56 A is along the left-right direction  9 , and the paper discharge roller pair  56  discharges the paper  5  transported by the main transporting roller pair  55  to the paper discharge tray  16 . 
     [Driving Section  100 ] 
     The driving section  100  includes a first drive motor  101 , a second drive motor  102  and a third drive motor  103  shown in  FIG. 11  which are capable of rotating in either normal or reverse direction. As each of the drive motors  101 ,  102  and  103 , a brushless DC motor is used, for example. The respective drive motors  101 ,  102  and  103  are driven by a drive circuit (not shown), and the driving thereof is controlled by the control section  90 . 
     [First Drive Motor  101 ] 
     A driving force of the first drive motor  101  is transmitted to the carriage  23  by a first belt transmission mechanism (not shown), which moves the carriage  23  along the left-right direction  9 . The first belt transmission mechanism includes, for example, an endless annular belt to which the carriage  23  is fixed. When the belt is rotated by the first drive motor  101 , the carriage  23  moves in the left direction or the right direction. Regarding a rotational direction of the first drive motor  101 , it is defined that the rotation of the first drive motor  101  is a normal or normal rotation when the carriage  23  is moved in the left direction, and the rotation of the first drive motor  101  is a reverse rotation when the carriage  23  is moved in the right direction. The first drive motor  101  corresponds to a first drive motor in the present teaching. 
     [Second Drive Motor  102 ] 
     A driving force of the second drive motor  102  is transmitted to the first feeding roller  31 , the second feeding roller  32 , the intermediate roller pair  54  and the cap  61  by the drive transmission switching mechanism  40 . The second drive motor  102  corresponds to a second drive motor in the present teaching. 
     [Third Drive Motor  103 ] 
     The third drive motor  103  has a shaft coupled, directly or via a gear, to the rotary shaft  55 A of the main transporting roller pair  55 , and drives to rotate the rotary shaft  55 A. A driving force of the third drive motor  103  is transmitted to the rotary shaft  56 A by a second belt transmission mechanism (not shown). With the use of the third drive motor  103  and the second belt transmission mechanism, the main transporting roller pair  55  and the paper discharge roller pair  56  are simultaneously rotated in such a rotational direction in which the paper  5  is transported in a transporting direction  38 . Regarding the direction of rotation of the third drive motor  103 , it is defined that the paper  5  is transported in the transporting direction  38  when the third drive motor  103  is rotated in the normal direction. 
     [Drive Transmission Switching Mechanism  40 ] 
     The drive transmission switching mechanism  40  as shown in  FIG. 4  includes: a gear switching mechanism  41 ; a first transmitting section  110  (refer to  FIG. 12 ) transmitting a driving force switched by the gear switching mechanism  41  to the first feeding roller  31  or the intermediate roller pair  54 ; and a second transmitting section  120  (refer to  FIG. 13 ) transmitting a driving force switched by the gear switching mechanism  41  to the second feeding roller  32  or the intermediate roller pair  54 . The drive transmission switching mechanism  40  is disposed on the right side of the platen  22 . The chive transmission switching mechanism  40 , the first transmitting section  110  and the second transmitting section  120  correspond to a drive transmission switching mechanism, a first transmitting section and a second transmitting section, respectively, in the present teaching. 
     [Gear Switching Mechanism  41 ] 
     The gear switching mechanism  41  includes: a drive gear  44  which rotates when a rotational force of the second drive motor  102  is transmitted thereto by a transmission gear  119  (refer to  FIG. 12 ); a switching gear  45 ; a first receiving gear  46 A, a second receiving gear  46 B and a third receiving gear  46 C each having teeth that are configured to engage with the switching gear  45 ; and a holding mechanism  70  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) holding the switching gear  45 . 
     [Drive Gear  44 , Switching Gear  45 ] 
     A supporting shaft  47  is disposed substantially parallel to a rotation axis of the drive gear  44 , and the supporting shaft  47  is inserted through the switching gear  45 . The switching gear  45  is configured to rotate around an axis of the supporting shaft  47  and is configured to also move along an axial direction of the supporting shaft  47 . The switching gear  45  is formed to have a width dimension smaller than a width dimension of the drive gear  44  in the left-right direction  9 . By moving along the left-right direction  9  within a range of the width dimension of the drive gear  44 , a posture of the switching gear  45  is changed to a first posture, a second posture and a third posture, and the gear engages with the drive gear  44  in any of the postures. Here, the first posture corresponds to a posture in which the switching gear  45  engages with a left end portion of the drive gear  44 , and the third posture corresponds to a posture in which the switching gear  45  engages with a right end portion of the drive gear  44 . When the switching gear  45  moves in the right direction, the posture is changed in the order of the first posture in  FIG. 5 , the second posture in  FIG. 6A , and the third posture in  FIG. 6B . The drive gear  44 , the switching gear  45  and the supporting shaft  47  correspond to a first gear, a second gear and a supporting shaft, respectively, in the present teaching. Further, the first posture, the second posture and the third posture of the switching gear  45  correspond to a first posture, a second posture and a third posture, respectively, in the present teaching. 
     [Holding Mechanism  70 ] 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the holding mechanism  70  includes: a lever  71  and an abutting member  72  through which the supporting shaft  47  is inserted; a holding member  73  holding the lever  71 ; and first elastic member and second elastic member (not shown). The holding member  73  corresponds to a holding member in the present teaching. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the lever  71  includes: a column-shaped portion  71 A through which the supporting shaft  47  is inserted; a lever projection  71 B projecting or protruding in a radial direction (upward direction in the drawing) from a left end portion of a circumferential surface of the column-shaped portion  71 A and on which the abutting piece  26  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) that is provided to the aforementioned carriage  23  is abutted from the left side; and a rib  71 C protruding in the right direction from a lower end portion of a right surface of the lever projection  71 B. The lever  71  is configured to rotate around the axis of the supporting shaft  47  and is configured to also move along the axial direction of the supporting shaft  47 . The rib  71 C is formed in a shape having a small length (thickness) in a circumferential direction of the column-shaped portion  71 A. The switching gear  45  biased in the right direction by the second elastic member (not shown) pushes the lever  71  from the left side. The lever  71  corresponds to a lever in the present teaching. 
     The abutting member  72  includes: a cylinder portion  72 A through which the supporting shaft  47  is inserted; and a Y-shaped braking piece (break shoe) protruding in a radial direction (upward direction in the drawing) from a circumferential surface of the cylinder portion  72 A and having a tip portion that is bifurcated. The abutting member  72  is configured to rotate around the axis of the supporting shaft  47  and is configured to move along the axial direction of the supporting shaft  47 . On a left end portion of the cylinder portion  72 A, there is formed a cutout portion  72 C whose circumferential surface is formed as a spiral surface  72 D. An axis of the spiral surface  72 D coincides with an axis of the cylinder portion  72 A, and a right end of the rib  71 C of the lever  71  abuts on the spiral surface  72 D. Therefore, when the abutting member  72  is strongly pushed against the lever  71 , the lever member  71  rotates. The abutting member  72  is biased in the left direction by the first elastic member with a force larger than that of the aforementioned second elastic member. The switching gear  45 , the abutting member  72  and the lever  71  push one another with the use of the first elastic member and the second elastic member, and can integrally move in the axial direction of the supporting shaft  47 . As the first elastic member and the second elastic member, coil springs are used, for example. The first and the second elastic member corresponds to a first and a second elastic member, respectively, in the present teaching. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the holding member  73  is formed in a frame shape which is elongated in the axial direction of the supporting shaft  47  (left-right direction  9 ). The lever projection  71 B of the lever  71  is inserted from below through the holding member  73 , and the holding member  73  is fixed to a not-shown frame. A linear dimension of the holding member  73  in the left-right direction  9  is set to be larger than the width dimension of the drive gear  44 , and besides, the lever projection  71 B is formed sufficiently smaller than the holding member  73 . The lever projection  71 B is configured to move along an inner side of the frame-shaped holding member  73 . 
     It is set such that a separation dimension between the two tip portions of the Y-shaped braking piece  72 B of the abutting member  72  described above becomes larger than a width dimension of the holding member  73 . The braking piece  72 B clips the holding member  73  when the switching gear  45  is in the first posture and the second posture. When the braking piece  72 B clips the holding member  73 , a rotation of the abutting member  72  around the axis of the supporting shaft  47  is regulated or prohibited. When the switching gear  45  is in the third posture, the braking piece  72 B releases the holding member  73 . Accordingly, the abutting member  72  can rotate around the axis of the supporting shaft  47  in the third posture. 
     In a case where the abutting piece  26  provided to the carriage  23  does not abut on the lever projection  71 B, the lever  71  is biased in the left direction by the biasing force of the aforementioned first elastic member. Accordingly, the lever projection  71 B inserted through the holding member  73  is pushed against a left inner surface  73 A of the holding member  73 . At a position at which the lever projection  71 B abuts on the left inner surface  73 A, the switching gear  45  is in the first posture. The abutting member  72 , which is pushed against the lever  71  by the biasing force of the aforementioned first elastic member, biases the lever member  71  with the use of the spiral surface  72 D in a direction  49  that is one direction of the circumferential direction of the supporting shaft  47 , thereby pushing the lever projection  71 B against a front inner peripheral surface  73 B of the holding member  73 . A first cutout  75  and a second cutout  76  are provided to the front inner peripheral surface  73 B. In the first posture, the lever projection  71 B is pushed by the abutting piece  26  to be engaged with the first cutout  75 . A posture in which the lever projection  71 B is engaged with the first cutout  75  corresponds to the second posture. When the lever projection  71 B engaged with the first cutout  75  is further pushed by the abutting piece  26 , the lever  71  moves in the right direction while sliding a first inclined surface  75 A provided to the first cutout  75 , and is engaged with the second cutout  76 . The lever projection  71 B engaged with the second cutout  76  slides a second inclined surface  76 A by being further pushed by the abutting piece  26 , and moves to a position at which it abuts on a right inner surface  73 C of the holding member  73 . A posture in which the lever projection  71 B abuts on the right inner surface  73 C corresponds to the third posture. 
     The carriage  23  is provided in a manner that, at a position at which the lever projection  71 B is pushed against the right inner surface  73 C of the holding member  73 , the jetting ports of the nozzles position above the cap  61  of the maintenance mechanism  60 . Specifically, a right end of the rail bodies  24  is a standby position of the carriage  23 , and when the carriage  23  is in the standby position, the switching gear  45  is in the third posture being a standby posture. 
     The holding member  73  includes a restricting piece  77  restricting a rotation of the lever projection  71 B around the axis of the supporting shaft  47  when the carriage  23  in the standby position moves in the left direction. When the carriage  23  in the standby position moves in the left direction to separate from the lever projection  71 B, the lever projection  71 B is moved by the biasing force of the first elastic member and the restricting piece  77  in the left direction along a rear inner surface  73 D of the holding member  73 . Then, the lever projection  71 B is released from the restricting piece  77  in the vicinity of the left inner surface  73 A, and is moved to a position at which it abuts on the left inner surface  73 A and the front inner surface  73 B. 
     As described above, the holding mechanism  70  is structured so that the holding mechanism  70  holds the switching gear  45  in the first posture and the second posture changed from the first posture, and that the holding mechanism  70  does not hold the switching gear  45  in the third posture and the second posture changed from the third posture. Further, the holding mechanism  70  is structured to change the posture of the switching gear  45  to the first posture, the second posture and the third posture when it is pushed in the right direction by the aforementioned abutting piece  26  provided to the carriage  23 . Note that the switching gear  45  is held in the third posture when the carriage  23  maintains the standby posture. 
     [First, Second and Third Receiving Gears  46 A,  46 B and  46 C] 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first receiving gear  46 A, the second receiving gear  4613  and the third receiving gear  46 C are formed to have the mutually same diameter, and are disposed in a manner that rotation axes thereof lie on a straight line in the axial direction of the supporting shaft  47 . Further, the first receiving gear  46 A is disposed at a position at which the first receiving gear  46 A engages with the switching gear  45  in the first posture, the second receiving gear  46 B is disposed at a position at which the second receiving gear  46 B engages with the switching gear  45  in the second posture, and the third receiving gear  46 C is disposed at a position at which the third receiving gear  46 C engages with the switching gear  45  in the third posture. The switching gear  45  is structured so that the switching gear  45  engages with any one of the first receiving gear  46 A, the second receiving gear  46 B and the third receiving gear  46 C, and that the switching gear  45  selects any one of the first receiving gear  46 A, the second receiving gear  46 B and the third receiving gear  46 C to rotate the selected gear. 
     The third receiving gear  46 C transmits, directly or via a gear, a driving force to the lift-up mechanism  63  of the maintenance mechanism  60 , and moves the cap  61  via the lift-up mechanism  63 . Specifically, the multifunction machine  10  turns into a standby state in which the cap  61  covers the jetting ports of the nozzles and a printable state in which the cap  61  is detached from the nozzles, when the second drive motor  102  is normally rotated or reversely rotated in a state where the switching gear  45  is in the third posture. The first, second and third receiving gears  46 A,  46 B and  46 C correspond to a third gear, a fourth gear and a fifth gear, respectively, in the present teaching. 
     [First Transmitting Section  110 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , the first transmitting section  110  includes a first planetary gear mechanism  111  and a second planetary gear mechanism  112 . The first planetary gear mechanism  111  includes a sun gear  113  that engages with the first receiving gear  46 A, and a planet gear  114  that rotates while revolving around the sun gear  113 . As shown by a dotted line in  FIG. 12 , when the second drive motor  102  is reversely rotated in a direction of an arrow mark  132 , the planet gear  114  engages with one of a plurality of transmission gears  115  which transmit the rotation to the rotary shaft  54 A of the intermediate roller pair  54 . The second planetary gear mechanism  112  includes a sun gear  117  to which a rotation of the sun gear  113  is transmitted by a transmission gear  116 , and a planet gear  118  that rotates while revolving around the sun gear  117 . As shown by a solid line in  FIG. 12 , when the second drive motor  102  is normally rotated in a direction of an arrow mark  131 , the planet gear  118  engages with one of the plurality of transmission gears  35  that transmit the rotational force to the first feeding roller  31 . The first transmitting section  110  is structured to transmit the driving force of the normally-rotated second drive motor  102  to the first feeding roller  31  and to transmit the driving force of the reversely-rotated second drive motor  102  to the intermediate roller pair  54 . At the same time, the first transmitting section  110  is structured not to transmit the driving force of the reversely-rotated second drive motor  102  to the first feeding roller  31 . The normal rotation of the second drive motor  102  in the present embodiment corresponds to a normal rotation of the second drive motor in the present teaching, and the reverse rotation of the second drive motor  102  corresponds to a reverse rotation of the second drive motor in the present teaching. 
     [Second Transmitting Section  120 ] 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the second transmitting section  120  has a structure similar to that of the first transmitting section  110 , and includes two planetary gear mechanisms of a third planetary gear mechanism  121  and a second planetary gear mechanism  122 . Further, the second transmitting section  120  is structured so that the second transmitting section  120  transmits the driving force of the second drive motor  102  that reversely rotates (refer to the arrow mark  132 ) in the direction of the arrow mark  132  to the second feeding roller  32  and that the second transmitting section  120  transmits the driving force of the second drive motor  102  that normally rotates in the direction of the arrow mark  131  to the intermediate roller pair  54 . At the same time, the second transmitting section  120  is structured not to transmit the driving force of the normally-rotated second drive motor  102  to the second feeding roller  32 . 
     [Detecting Mechanism] 
     A detecting mechanism includes: a first sensor  81  and a second sensor  82  as shown in  FIG. 2 ; and a first linear encoder  83 , a second encoder  84  and a third encoder  85  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The first sensor  81  is disposed on an upstream side of the intermediate roller pair  54  in the transporting direction  38  in the main transporting route  51 . The second sensor  82  is disposed on an upstream side of the main transporting roller pair  55  in the transporting direction  38  in the main transporting route  51 . 
     The first sensor  81  and the second sensor  82  are so-called register sensors, and since a structure thereof is similar to that of well-known register sensors, detailed explanation will be omitted. Each of the first and second sensors  81  and  82  includes, for example, a light-emitting diode, a photodiode, and a detector provided to be able to be inserted into or retracted from the main transporting route  51 , and is structured so that an output during when the paper  5  passes through the sensor is different from an output when the paper  5  does not pass through the sensor. The outputs of the first sensor  81  and the second sensor  82  during when the paper  5  passes through the sensors are defined as first outputs, and the outputs thereof when the paper  5  does not pass through the sensors are defined as second outputs. The first sensor  81  corresponds to a detecting section in the present teaching, and the first output and the second output correspond to a first output and a second output, respectively, in the present teaching. 
     The encoder has a structure similar to that of a well-known encoder. The encoder includes, for instance, a light-emitting diode, a photodiode, and a disk attached to a shaft of a drive motor or a rotary shaft, in which a light-transmitting portion that transmits light and a light-shielding portion that shields light are provided to the disk. When the disk rotates, the light-transmitting portion and the light-shielding portion alternately pass over an optical path of the light-emitting diode, and an output of the photodiode changes. The first linear encoder  83  is provided to the rail bodies  24 . An encoder strip is disposed on the first linear encoder. The first linear encoder  83  detects the encoder strip using a photo interrupter provided to the carriage  23 . Based on a detection signal of the first linear encoder  83 , the reciprocating movement of the carriage  23  is controlled. Specifically, the first linear encoder  83  includes the encoder strip and the photo interrupter, and detects the position of the carriage  23 . The second encoder  84  is provided to the second drive motor  102  in an attached manner. The third encoder  85  is provided to the third drive motor  103  in an attached manner. 
     The control section  90  includes: a first counter  91  counting a change in an output of the first linear encoder  83 ; a second counter  92  counting a change in an output of the second encoder  84 ; a third counter  93  counting a change in an output of the third encoder  85 ; a timer counter  94 ; and a memory  95 . The timer counter  94  includes, for instance, an oscillation circuit and a frequency dividing circuit, and counts a period of time as a digital value. The second encoder  84  and the second counter  92  correspond to a counting mechanism in the present teaching. 
     The memory  95  stores first to tenth predetermined values. The first predetermined value is a threshold value of the second counter  92 , and is set as a value indicating that at least a predetermined rotation quantity is obtained after a tip of the paper  5  that passes through the first sensor  81  reaches the intermediate roller pair  54 . The second predetermined value is a threshold value of the second counter  92 , and is set as a value indicating that at least a predetermined rotation quantity is obtained after the tip of the paper  5  reaches the main transporting roller pair  55 . The third predetermined value is a value of the first counter  91 , which is a value for making the carriage  23  move from a position thereof detected by the first linear encoder  83  to the standby position at the right end, and is changed in accordance with the position of the carriage  23 . The fourth predetermined value is a threshold value of the first counter  91 , and is a value for stopping the carriage  23  at a position at which the posture of the switching gear  45  is changed to the second posture. The fifth predetermined value is a threshold value of the timer counter  94 , and is set to a value sufficient for making the carriage  23  reach from the right end to the left end of the rail bodies  24 . The sixth predetermined value is a set value of the number of times of driving of the second drive motor  102  in later-described switching processing. The seventh predetermined value is set to a value sufficient for making the cap  61  move between the aforementioned abutting position and the separating position. The eighth predetermined value is a threshold value of the third counter  93 , and is a value that determines a start of feeding of the paper  5 . The ninth predetermined value is a threshold value of the third counter  93 , and is a value that determines a linefeed width. The eighth predetermined value and the ninth predetermined value are, for example, externally input as image data to be stored in the memory  95 . The tenth predetermined value is a value for judging whether or not the gear switching is normally conducted, and corresponds to a predetermined amount in the present teaching. The memory  95  corresponds to a memory in the present teaching. 
     Next, an operation of the control section  90  will be described while referring to  FIGS. 8 to 11 . 
     [Standby Mode] 
     At first, description will be made on processing conducted by the control section  90  in the standby mode as shown in  FIG. 8 . The standby mode corresponds to a standby mode in the present teaching. When the operation button  18  (refer to  FIG. 1 ) is operated and an instruction of power-off is made, the control section  90  calculates a movement amount of the carriage  23  required for moving from its current position to the third posture as the third predetermined value, and starts counting in the first counter  91  (S 1 ). The control section  90  reversely rotates the first drive motor  101  (S 2 ), moves the carriage  23  in the right direction, and changes the posture of the switching gear  45  to the third posture. When the control section  90  judges that the carriage  23  is moved to the right end of the rail bodies  24  based on the fact that the counter value of the first counter  91  becomes the third predetermined value (S 3 , Y), the control section  90  stops the first drive motor  101  (S 4 ). Subsequently, the control section  90  starts counting in the second counter  92  (S 5 ), and at the same time, the control section  90  reversely rotates the second drive motor  102  (S 6 ), thereby moving the cap  61  in the upward direction. Thereafter, when the control section  90  judges that the cap  61  is moved to the position at which the cap  61  covers the jetting ports of the nozzles based on the fact that the count value of the second counter  92  becomes the seventh predetermined value (S 7 , Y), the control section  90  stops the second drive motor  102  (S 8 ). When the cap  61  covers the jetting ports of the nozzles, the multifunction machine  10  turns into the standby state. Note that when the gear is switched by moving the switching gear  45  with the use of the abutting piece  26  provided to the carriage  23 , the control section  90  performs the later-described switching processing. The processing in the standby mode described above is an example, and the present teaching is not limited to this. 
     Next, description will be made on releasing processing of the standby mode. When the power is applied, the control section  90  starts counting in the timer counter  94 , and normally rotates the second drive motor  102  to lower the cap  61 . When the control section  90  judges that the posture of the cap  61  is changed from the abutting posture to the separating posture based on the fact that the count value of the timer counter  94  becomes equal to or larger than the seventh predetermined value, the control section  90  stops the driving of the second drive motor  102 , starts counting in the timer counter  94 , normally rotates the first drive motor  101  to move the carriage  23  in the left direction, and changes the posture of the switching gear  45  from the third posture to the first posture. When the control section  90  judges that the carriage  23  is moved completely to the left end based on the fact that the count value of the timer counter  94  reaches the fifth predetermined value, the control section  90  stops the first drive motor  101  and initializes the first counter  91 . Specifically, even when the carriage  23  is moved by a user during when the power is turned off; the control section  90  can judge the position of the carriage  23  by moving the carriage  23  to the left end and initializing the first counter  91 . The releasing processing of the standby mode described above is an example, and it is also possible to adopt another releasing processing of the standby mode. 
     [High-Speed Printing Mode] 
     Next, description will be made on processing conducted by the control section  90  in the high-speed printing mode. The high-speed printing mode corresponds to a high-speed printing mode in the present teaching. The high-speed printing mode includes printing processing as shown in  FIG. 9A  and pre-paper feeding processing as shown in  FIG. 9B . When the printing is instructed in the high-speed printing mode, the control section  90  conducts the aforementioned releasing processing, and after that, in the printing processing, the control section  90  normally rotates the second drive motor  102  to rotate the first feeding roller  31  (S 10 ), and feeds the paper  5  from the upper tray  14  to the main transporting route  51 . Next, when the control section  90  detects that the output of the first sensor  81  is changed from the second output to the first output because of the fed paper  5  (S 11 , Y), the control section  90  starts counting in the second counter  92  (S 12 ). When the control section  90  judges that the paper  5  is abutted on the intermediate roller pair  54  based on the fact that the count value of the second counter  92  becomes the first predetermined value (S 13 , Y), it reversely rotates the second drive motor  102  to rotate the intermediate roller pair  54  (S 14 ), and transports the paper  5  toward the main transporting roller pair  55 . Specifically, the paper  5  is abutted on the intermediate roller pair  54  and a slanted movement thereof is corrected, and thereafter, the paper  5  is transported toward the main transporting roller pair  55 . 
     When the control section  90  detects that the output of the second sensor  82  is changed from the second output to the first output because of the paper  5  transported by the intermediate roller pair  54  (S 15 ), the control section  90  starts counting in the third counter  93  (S 16 ), normally rotates the third drive motor  103  (S 17 ), and transports the paper  5  toward the paper discharge roller pair  56  with the use of the main transporting roller pair  55 . When the control section  90  judges that the start of feeding is completed based on the fact that the count value of the third counter  93  becomes the eighth predetermined value (S 18 , Y), the control section  90  stops the rotation of the second drive motor  102  and the third drive motor  103  (S 19 ). Thereafter, the control section  90  starts the supply of power to the piezoelectric element (S 20 ), and terminates the supply of power to the piezoelectric element (S 21 ). When the control section  90  judges that the image recording is not completed (S 22 , N), the control section  90  conducts linefeed processing (S 23 ), and then starts the supply of power to the piezoelectric element (S 20 ) and terminates the supply of power to the piezoelectric element (S 21 ). In the linefeed processing in step S 23 , the control section  90  normally rotates the third drive motor  103 , and thereafter, when the count value of the third counter  93  becomes the ninth predetermined value, the control section  90  stops the third drive motor  103 , and transports the paper  5  in the forward direction by a predetermined linefeed width. By alternately conducting the linefeed processing in step S 23  and ink-jet processing in steps S 20  and S 21 , the control section  90  controls the recording head  21  to record the image on the paper  5 . When the control section  90  judges that the image recording is completed (S 22 , Y), the control section  90  normally rotates the third drive motor  103  to discharge the paper  5  to the paper discharge tray  16  (S 24 ). Note that the control based on the detection of the first sensor  81  and the second sensor  82  is an example, and the present teaching is not limited to such a structure. For example, it is also possible to determine a timing for driving the second drive motor  102  and the third drive motor  103  using another sensor. 
     [Pre-Paper Feeding Processing] 
     The pre-paper feeding processing in  FIG. 9B  is carried out in the linefeed processing in step S 23  in  FIG. 9A . The control section  90  judges whether or not there is an image to be recorded on the following paper  5  (S 31 ), and when there is no image to be recorded on the following paper  5  (S 31 , N), the control section  90  terminates the pre-paper feeding processing. When there is the image to be recorded on the following paper  5  (S 31 , Y), the control section  90  judges whether or not an end of the precedently fed paper  5  reaches the first sensor  81  based on the fact that the output of the first sensor  81  is changed from the first output to the second output (S 32 ). When the end of the precedently fed paper  5  does not reach the first sensor  81  (S 32 , N), the control section  90  normally rotates the second drive motor  102  during when the third drive motor  103  is driven (S 33 ), and terminates the pre-paper feeding processing. At this time, when a rear end of the precedently fed paper  5  has already passed through the first paper feeding roller  31 , the following paper  5  is fed. Further, since a transporting force of the first paper feeding roller  31  is smaller than a transporting force of the main transporting roller pair  55 , even if the rear end of the precedently fed paper  5  has not yet passed through the first paper feeding roller  31 , it is possible to transport the paper  5  with the use of the main transporting roller pair  55 . Here, the transporting force is determined by a nip force and a frictional force of each of the rollers with respect to the paper. In addition, the number of rotations or a time of rotation of the second drive motor  102  is set so that a feeding amount of the paper  5  fed by the first feeding roller  31  becomes smaller than a linefeed width in the linefeed processing. Further, a rotational speed of the second drive motor  102  is set at a constant ratio so that the rotational speed of the second drive motor  102  becomes smaller than a rotational speed of the third drive motor  103  in the aforementioned linefeed processing. Therefore, there is no chance that a tip of the paper  5  fed in the pre-paper feeding processing abuts on the rear end of the precedently fed paper  5 , and it is possible to detect the rear end of the precedently fed paper  5  using the first sensor  81 . Further, since the first feeding roller  31  is intermittently rotated, overlapping papers  5  are separated to be fed to the main transporting route  51 . Note that the driving of the second drive motor  102  can also be conducted in all of a plurality of drive periods of the third drive motor  103 , or can also be conducted selectively (in the third, fifth and seventh drive periods, for example). Therefore, when a rear end of a precedently fed paper  5   a  has not yet passed through the first sensor  81 , and until when the output of the first sensor  81  is changed from the first output to the second output, the control section  90  normally rotates the second drive motor  102  during the drive period of the third drive motor  103  in the linefeed processing in step S 16 . Accordingly, it is possible to feed a paper  5   b  to be fed later during when the recording is performed on the precedently fed paper  5   a.    
     Next, when the control section  90  judges, in step S 32 , that the end of the precedently fed paper  5  reaches the first sensor  81  based on the fact that the output of the first sensor  81  is changed from the first output to the second output (S 32 , Y), the control section  90  normally rotates the second drive motor  102  (S 34 ). The control section  90  judges whether or not a tip of a later-fed paper  5  reaches the first sensor  81  based on the change in the output of the first sensor  81  from the second output to the first output (S 35 ). When the control section  90  judges that the tip of the paper  5  does not reach the first sensor  81  (S 35 , N), the control section  90  continuously conducts the normal rotation of the second drive motor  102 . When the control section  90  judges that the tip of the paper  5  reaches the first sensor  81  (S 35 , Y), it starts counting in the second counter  92  (S 36 ), continuously conducts the normal rotation of the second drive motor  102  until when the control section  90  judges that the count value of the second counter  92  becomes the first predetermined value (S 39 , N), and performs register correction using the intermediate roller pair  54 . When the control section  90  judges, in step S 39 , that the count value of the second counter  92  becomes the first predetermined value (S 39 , Y), and besides, when the control section  90  judges that the third drive motor  103  is normally rotated for discharging the precedently fed paper  5  (S 37 , Y), the control section  90  reversely rotates the second drive motor  102 , and transports the paper  5  which is made on standby at the intermediate roller pair  54  toward the main transporting roller pair  55  (S 38 ). Specifically, a start of feeding of the later-fed paper  5  is conducted in conjunction with a discharge operation of the precedently fed paper  5 . The control section  90  performs, after step S 38 , processings in step S 15  and thereafter. 
     [High-Precision Printing Mode] 
     Next, description will be made on an operation of the control section  90  in a high-precision printing mode. When the printing is instructed in the high-precision printing mode, the control section  90  conducts the aforementioned releasing processing, and after that, the control section.  90  starts counting in the first counter  91 , and reversely rotates the first drive motor  101  to move the carriage  23  in the right direction. When the control section  90  judges that the posture of the switching gear  45  is changed to the second posture by the abutting piece  26  based on the fact that the count value of the first counter  91  becomes the fourth predetermined value, the control section  90  stops the first drive motor  101 . Thereafter, the control section  90  reversely rotates the second drive motor  102  to rotate the second feeding roller  32 , and feeds the paper  5  from the lower tray  15  to the main transporting route  51 . Next, the control section  90  performs control similar to that of the printing processing, makes the paper  5  abut on the intermediate roller pair  54  to perform registration correction, and after that, the control section  90  normally rotates the second drive motor  102  to transport the paper  5  toward the main transporting roller pair  55  using the intermediate roller pair  54 . When the control section  90  detects that the output of the second sensor  82  is changed from the second output to the first output by the transported paper  5 , the control section  90  starts counting in the second counter  92 . When the control section  90  judges that the tip of the paper  5  abuts on the main transporting roller pair  55  based on the fact that the count value of the second counter  92  becomes the second predetermined value, the control section  90  normally rotates the third drive motor  103 . Specifically, in the high-precision printing mode, the registration correction is performed using each of the two roller pairs of the intermediate roller pair  54  and the main transporting roller pair  55 . Thereafter, similar to the aforementioned printing processing, the control section  90  controls the transporting mechanism  30  and the recording head  21  to perform the start of feeding, the linefeed and the jetting of ink, thereby recording an image on the paper  5 . Note that in the above description, so-called static register correction in which the main transporting roller pair  55  which is in a stationary state is normally rotated is explained. However, the present teaching is not limited to such a structure. For example, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which the slanted movement of the paper  5  is corrected using so-called reverse register correction in which the reversely-rotated main transporting roller pair  55  is normally rotated. Further, it is also possible to correct the slanted movement of the paper  5  using so-called return register correction in which the tip of the paper  5  is once passed through the main transporting roller pair  55 , and thereafter, the main transporting roller pair  55  is reversely rotated to make the tip of the paper  5  abut on the main transporting roller pair  55 . 
     [Switching Processing] 
     Next, description will be made on the switching processing when the control section  90  drives the first drive motor  101  to move the switching gear  45 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the control section  90  reversely rotates the first drive motor  101  (S 41 ), changes the posture of the switching gear  45  using the abutting piece  26  of the carriage  23 , normally rotates or reversely rotates the second drive motor  102  (S 42 ), and then stops the second drive motor  102  (S 44 ). At that time, the control section  90  performs calculation to reduce the value of the sixth predetermined value (S 43 ), and when the control section  90  judges that a calculated value A does not become zero (S 45 , N), it again performs the driving and stopping of the second drive motor  102 . When the control section  90  judges that the calculated value A becomes zero (S 45 , Y), the control section  90  stops the first drive motor  101  (S 46 ). Since the switching gear  45  is intermittently rotated and is also continuously pushed by the carriage  23 , a probability of enabling normal change in posture of the switching gear  45  from the first posture to the second posture or the third posture becomes high. The switching processing corresponds to switching processing in the present teaching. Note that  FIG. 10  shows control sequences at a time of changing the posture of the switching gear  45  from the first posture to the second posture or the third posture. In these control sequences, when the posture of the switching gear  45  is changed from the third posture to the first posture, the first drive motor  101  is stopped at a point in time at which the carriage  23  is moved to the left end. The switching gear  45  is pushed by the first elastic member. Further, in the above description, a structure in which the second drive motor  102  is driven a predetermined number of times is explained, but, the present teaching is not limited to such a structure. For instance, the second drive motor  102  can also be intermittently rotated for a predetermined period of time, not the predetermined number of times. 
     Next, description will be made on control of the control section  90  when the gear switching is not normally conducted. The control section  90  normally rotates or reversely rotates the second drive motor  102  to feed the paper  5 , and starts counting in the second counter  92 . When the control section  90  judges that the paper  5  is not fed based on the fact that the output of the first sensor  81  does not change from the second output to the first output even when the count value of the second counter  92  becomes the tenth predetermined value, the control section  90  again performs the aforementioned switching processing, and again performs the feeding of the paper  5  by normally rotating or reversely rotating the second drive motor  102 . When the output of the first sensor  81  still does not change from the second output to the first output, the control section  90  judges that there is no paper  5 , and carries out error display and the like. Specifically, the intermediate roller pair  54  is rotated after the paper  5  is confirmed to be fed. 
     As described above, in the present embodiment, the normal rotation of the second drive motor  102  is used for driving the first feeding roller  31 , and the reverse rotation of the second drive motor  102  is used for driving the second feeding roller  32 . For this reason, even when the gear switching of the switching gear  45  cannot be normally conducted, there is no chance of erroneous feeding of the paper  5 . Further, the intermediate roller pair  54  is rotated after confirming that the paper  5  is fed, so that the occurrence of erroneous paper feeding can be prevented at the time of performing control for rotating the intermediate roller pair  54 . Further, after feeding the paper  5  to the main transporting route  51 , it is possible to drive the intermediate roller pair  54  only by changing the direction of rotation of the second drive motor  102 , so that an occurrence of paper jam caused by the wrong gear switching during the transporting of the paper  5  can be prevented. As a result of this, there is realized a multifunction machine  10  capable of reducing the number of drive motors to be used and preventing erroneous paper feeding and paper jam. 
     Further, when the high-speed printing mode is conducted, the paper  5  is fed from the upper tray  14 . The first feeding roller  31  provided to the upper tray  14  in an attached manner is driven by the first receiving gear  46 A, and the first receiving gear  46 A engages with the switching gear  45  in the first posture. The number of gear switching when the posture of the switching gear  45  is changed from the third posture being the standby posture to the first posture is smaller than that when the posture is changed from the third posture to the second posture. Accordingly, the number of gear switching of the switching gear  45  can be reduced when the mode is shifted from the standby mode to the high-speed printing mode, so that it is possible to suppress an occurrence of operation failure at the time of conducting the high-speed printing in the multifunction machine  10 . 
     Further, similar to the driving of the first feeding roller  31 , the cap  61  is detached from the nozzles by the normal rotation of the first drive motor  101 . For this reason, when the printing is performed in the high-speed printing mode, even if the gear is wrongly switched, the cap  61  does not cover the jetting ports of the nozzles of the recording head  21 , and there is no need for moving the cap  61  when the gear is tried to be switched again. As a result of this, there is provided a multifunction machine  10  which is configured to reduce the number of times of operations or operating time of the first drive motor  101  and to reduce the operating noise and operating time when the wrong gear switching occurs. 
     In the present embodiment, description is made by citing a structure capable of performing single-sided printing, as an example, but, it is also possible to apply the present teaching to a multifunction machine  10  capable of performing double-sided printing by providing a well-known reverse transporting route. Further, description is made by citing a structure in which the drive transmission switching mechanism  40  includes the three receiving gears  46 A,  46 B and  46 C, as an example, but, it is also possible that the drive transmission switching mechanism  40  includes four or more of receiving gears. Further, when the printing is performed on the paper  5  mounted on the lower tray  15 , it is not limited to the aforementioned high-precision printing mode. 
     Further, although the present embodiment describes the multifunction machine  10  including the upper tray  14  and the lower tray  15 , it is also possible that the multifunction machine  10  includes a manual feeding tray instead of the lower tray  15 , and performs so-called bypass printing with the use of the manual feeding tray. In the present embodiment, the present teaching is applied to the multifunction machine  10  which is an example of the image recording apparatuses. However, the application objective of the present teaching is not limited thereto. That is, the present teaching is applicable to any image recording apparatuses such as an ink-jet printer having a printing function only.