Patent ID: 7946677

Claim:
A reciprocating apparatus, comprising: a pair of guide members which extend in parallel with each other and in a first direction; a carriage which is reciprocateable in the first direction, supported and guided by the pair of guide members; and a carriage movement detector including (a) a sensor which is fixed to the carriage and (b) an encoder strip which extends in the first direction and which has sensible portions arranged in a lengthwise direction thereof and sensible by the sensor, such that a reciprocating movement of the carriage is detected based on sensing of the sensible portions by the sensor, wherein the encoder strip is located between the pair of guide members in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the pair of the guide members are located on one of opposite sides of the carriage in a third direction perpendicular to the first and the second directions, and wherein the encoder strip is located on the other of said opposite sides of the carriage in the third direction.