Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a carriage to mount a recording head for discharging droplets and to move in a main scan direction;
• a guide to slidably guide the carriage in the main scan direction;
• a partition member provided above the carriage and extending downward towards the guide to face an upper surface of the carriage, and at least a portion of the carriage being sandwiched vertically between the partition member and the guide;
• an encoder scale to be arranged along the main scan direction;
• and
• an encoder sensor to be mounted to the carriage and to read the encoder scale,
• wherein the carriage includes
• a head mount to mount the recording head;
• and
• a sensor attaching part to attach the encoder sensor,
• wherein the sensor attaching part is provided so as to be extended in a direction perpendicular to the main scan direction from the head mount, and
• the encoder scale is arranged at a location possible for the encoder sensor attached to the sensor attaching part to read;
• wherein the guide includes a first guide surface arranged laterally to contact the head mount, and a second guide surface which is projected from an end of the guide to face the sensor attaching part;
• wherein the partition member and the guide collectively divide a space occupied by the carriage into (i) a portion accommodating the head mount and (ii) another portion accommodating the sensor attaching part;
• wherein the carriage further includes a carriage cover to cover an upper portion of the head mount, and
• wherein at least a portion of the partition member is fitted in a concave portion of the carriage cover formed between the head mounting part and the sensor attaching part in the carriage, and faces the second guide surface.