Patent ID: 7641301

Claim:
An image recording apparatus comprising: a conveying mechanism for conveying a recording medium in a conveying direction; a scanning carriage comprising a recording head and a detector, the recording head recording an image on the recording medium; the detector comprising a signal source for transmitting a detection signal to a surface of the recording medium and a signal receiving device for receiving a reflected signal from the recording medium to detect a first edge and a second edge of the recording medium in a leading edge detection region and in an intermediate detection region located between the leading edge detection region and the trailing edge of the recording medium; and the scanning carriage moves in a scanning direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; a storing unit for storing a first position of the first edge of the recording medium in the scanning direction and a second position of the second edge of the recording medium in the scanning direction, which are detected by the detector; and a controller for controlling movement of the scanning carriage, the controller controlling a moving speed of the scanning carriage, such that the detector detects across the recording medium in the scanning direction including the first edge in the scanning direction and the second edge in the scanning direction in the leading edge detection region and in the intermediate detection region, wherein the controller maintains the moving speed of the scanning carriage at a first speed from the first edge in the scanning direction to the second edge in the scanning direction when the detector detects the first edge in the scanning direction and the second edge in the scanning direction in the leading edge detection region, and the controller, when the detector detects the first edge in the scanning direction and the second edge in the scanning direction in the intermediate detection region, controls the moving speed of the scanning carriage at the first speed in two side edge regions including the first edge in the scanning direction and the second edge in the scanning direction and at a second speed greater than the first speed in a region between the two side edge regions.