Image recording apparatus with reciprocating carriage and having a guide device

A image recording apparatus, comprising:

• a first guide plate which extends in a first direction that is a substantially horizontal direction;
• a second guide plate which extends in the first direction;
• a carriage which is reciprocateable and slidable with respect to the first guide plate and the second guide plate in the first direction, while being supported and guided by the first guide plate and the second guide plate;
• a recording head which is carried by the carriage, and which ejects droplets of ink toward a recording medium so as to record an image thereon;
• a medium-feed device which feeds the recording medium along a medium-feed path including a recording-stage portion which extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and in which the fed recording medium is opposed to a movement path of the recording head defined by a reciprocating movement of the carriage;
• a flexible ink-supply tube which supplies ink to the recording head, the ink-supply tube being curved in a generally U-shape as seen in a vertical direction perpendicular to the first and the second directions, so as to have a U-shaped body including a pair of arm portions which extend generally in the first direction and which are spaced apart from each other generally in the second direction, the U-shape of the U-shaped body being changed such that one and the other of the pair of arm portions of the body are made larger and smaller in length, respectively, by the reciprocating movement of the carriage;
• and
• a carriage movement detector including (a) a sensor which is carried by the carriage and (b) an encoder strip which extends in the first direction, the carriage movement detector detecting a movement of the carriage in the first direction,
• wherein the first guide plate comprises (a) a guide rail portion, (b) a plate portion, and (c) a standing portion which perpendicularly stands from the plate portion, and the encoder strip is mounted on a distal end of the standing portion,
• wherein the encoder strip is spaced apart from the first guide plate in a vertical direction,
• wherein the carriage is configured to reciprocate in the first direction in a state in which a part of the carriage is interposed between the first guide plate and the encoder strip, and the part of the carriage, the encoder strip and the first guide plate overlap each other as viewed in the vertical direction,
• wherein a protruding portion of the ink-supply tube, which protrudes in the second direction is configured to passes through the space in response to the reciprocating movement of the carriage in the first direction, and
• wherein a width of the encoder-strip-support portion in a widthwise direction of the plate portion is less than that of the plate portion, the widthwise direction of the plate portion being perpendicular to the first direction.