JP2002062500A - Optical scanning device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To increase the cost and cut off the vibration and heat of the deflector.
Provided is an optical scanning device that can be achieved without increasing power consumption or generating noise. SOLUTION: Without fixing a deflector 4 to a housing 1,
It is fixed to another component 9 of the image forming apparatus. The component 9 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 9a, the fixing portion 4b of the deflector 4 is provided with a screw hole, the spring washer 10 is sandwiched between the fixing portion 4b of the deflector 4 and the protrusion 9a, and the deflector 4 is attached to part 9. The housing 1 is provided with a hole 1a having a diameter D1 at a position where the rotation center of the deflection mirror 4a of the deflector 4 coincides with the center when the housing 1 is attached to the component 9. Using the jig 12 to be removed after the assembly is completed, the housing 1
The deflecting mirror 4a protrudes into the housing 1 from the hole 1a, and the deflector 4 and the housing 1 are not in contact with each other.
So that vibration and heat of the housing 1 are not transmitted to the housing 1 and other components.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an optical scanning device for recording light on a scanning surface by an optical element and a deflector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, an optical scanning device is a device for recording light on a scanning surface by using an optical element and a deflector. The vibration of the motor propagates to the optical element, causing the image formed on the scanning surface to deteriorate due to the vibration of the optical element.The heat generated by the heat generated by the rotating motor is transmitted to the optical element, causing the optical element to expand. This causes the optical characteristics to change, thereby causing problems such as deterioration of an image.

Accordingly, in the method of fixing a scanning optical device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-60991, the optical element and deflector of the optical scanning device are compactly housed inside a polygon connecting the fixed portions of the optical scanning device. This eliminates load imbalance and improves the balance of the device, thereby reducing the amount of vibration.

[0004]

By the way, when considering the vibration of the optical scanning device, it is understood that there are two types of vibration. A type in which the entire base to which the optical element is fixed vibrates, and a type in which the optical element itself vibrates. The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-60991 is effective for removing the former type of vibration,
For the latter type of vibration, since the deflector and the optical element are installed on the same base, it is not possible to solve the problem that the vibration of the deflector propagates to the optical element and the optical element itself vibrates. Can not.

Further, in order to rotate the deflector at high speed, it is necessary to rotate the motor at high speed. At this time, the heat generated by the motor is transmitted to the optical element and the optical element is thermally deformed. Optical characteristics are degraded.

Conventionally, the problem of heat has been dealt with by providing a fan for cooling the deflector, but by installing the fan, the cost, power consumption, and generation of noise are newly raised. It has become.

Of course, in order to solve the problem that the vibration and heat due to the rotation of the deflector deteriorate the performance of the optical scanning device,
What is necessary is just to comprise so that the vibration and heat of a deflector may not be transmitted to other components of an optical scanning device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning device capable of achieving the isolation of vibration and heat of a deflector without increasing costs, increasing power consumption, generating noise, and the like. I do.

In the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning device capable of finely adjusting an installation angle of other components of a deflector in order to obtain desired optical characteristics as an optical scanning device.

[0010] In the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning device that can prevent optical characteristics from deteriorating due to dust, dust, and the like entering through a gap between a deflector and other components.

In the invention according to claim 4 of the present invention,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning device capable of preventing vibration of a deflector from propagating to an optical element through a gap between the deflector and other components.

[0012] In the invention according to claim 5 of the present invention,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning device capable of preventing heat of a deflector from being transmitted to an optical element through a gap between the deflector and other components.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical scanning device comprising: a light source; and a first optical device provided on an optical path of light emitted from the light source. An optical scanning device comprising an element, a deflector for deflecting and scanning light from the first optical element, and a second optical element provided on an optical path of light from the deflector; A component other than the deflector, such as the light source, is fixed on a different component.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, an elastic member is interposed between the deflector and a fixing portion thereof.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a space between the deflector and a component for fixing a component other than the deflector, such as the light source, is closed. A member is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the member for closing the gap is a viscoelastic body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the thermal conductivity of the member for closing the gap is smaller than the thermal conductivity of a component for mounting the deflector. .

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, common parts in the respective embodiments will be denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a method of fixing a deflector in a first embodiment of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
3 is an enlarged sectional view of the essential part, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same assembling state, FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the essential part, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the same assembled state. In these figures, 1 is a housing. , For holding components such as optical components of the optical scanning device. The light source device 2 is a light generating device in which a light source such as a semiconductor laser or a gas laser and an optical element such as a lens or a mirror are combined. The light from the light source device 2 passes through a cylinder lens 3 and then is deflected by a deflector 4. Mirror 4a
Incident on. In the deflector 4, the light is scanned in the Y direction by rotating the deflection mirror 4a by the rotation of a motor (not shown).
Thereafter, the light passes through the scanning lens 5 and is scanned on the scanned object 6. At this time, light is reflected by the mirror 7 due to the relationship with the optical scanning device, passes through the hole 8 and is scanned on the scanned object 6, but the mirror 7 and the hole 8 are connected to the optical scanning device and the scanned object 6. May be omitted depending on the positional relationship of. In order to prevent dust and the like from adhering to the optical components, the housing 1 is finally provided with a lid (not shown).
In the hole 8, a dustproof glass (not shown) is provided.

In such an optical scanning device, in order to perform optical scanning with high precision, it is necessary to form an optical system by arranging each component on the housing 1 with high precision. That is, X: optical axis direction, Y: main scanning direction, Z:
High-precision positioning and fixing in six directions, the sub-scanning direction and the respective rotation directions, are required. As in the prior art, the deflector 4 is directly fixed to the housing 1 to keep the positions of all the components of the optical scanning device with high accuracy, that is, the housing 1
In order to maintain the relative positional relationship between the components with high accuracy by arranging the components on one component, as described above, the vibration caused by the high-speed rotation of the motor of the deflector 4 causes the housing to vibrate. 1 and other components are vibrated and heat generated by high-speed rotation
The scanning characteristics of the optical scanning device may be deteriorated due to deformation of the optical scanning device and other components.

In order to prevent this, in this embodiment, the deflector 4 is not fixed to the housing 1 but is fixed to other parts of the image forming apparatus. That is, in order to attach the deflector 4 to another component 9, a plurality of projections 9a are provided on the component 9. The fixing portion 4b of the deflector 4 has a screw hole, and the fixing portion 4b of the deflector 4 and the protrusion 9 are provided.
The spring washer 10 is sandwiched between the parts a, and the deflector 4 is attached to the component 9 using the screw 11. The housing 1 is provided with a hole 1a having a diameter D1 at a position where the rotation center of the deflecting mirror 4a of the deflector 4 is coincident with the center when the housing 1 is mounted on the component 9, and the deflecting mirror 4a is removed from the hole 1a. 1 protrudes into. The component 9 is a component different from the housing 1 and is one component in the device for installing the optical scanning device.

The positioning of the deflector 4 and the housing 1 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the rotation direction is performed using a jig 12.
The jig 12 has a cylindrical portion having an outer diameter D1 and an inner diameter D2, and is disposed between a hole 1a having a diameter D1 of the housing 1 and a cylindrical portion 4c having an outer diameter D2 provided in the deflector 4 as shown in FIG. The jig 12 is fitted as described above, and the deflector 4 is fixed and positioned by the screw 11 in this state.

Here, there are cases where the components 9 and the housing 1 are not parallel when the deflector 4 is mounted because the components 9 and the housing 1 are separate components. In this case, the jig 12 is interposed,
By adjusting the deflector 4 to a desired angle while adjusting the amount of compression of the spring washer 10 based on the housing 1, the position of the deflector 4 in the X and Y directions and the rotation angle around the X and Y directions can be optically adjusted. Adjust and fix to the ideal position. The spring washer 10 does not need to be in the shape of a washer, and may be a coil or an elastic member such as a spring or rubber depending on the case.

The positioning accuracy of the deflector 4 in the X and Y directions can be improved by adjusting the diameter D1 of the hole 1a to be fitted and the cylindrical portion 4c of the deflector 4.
Is possible by increasing the precision of the diameter D2 of the
If these are processed and formed using a high-precision processing machine,
Mounting can be performed with the same positional accuracy as when the deflector 4 is directly mounted on the housing 1.

The position of the deflector 4 in the Z-axis direction is determined by moving the deflector 4 in the Z direction by adjusting the fastening force of the screw 11 and setting the height of the deflector 4 at the optical axis position of the scanning optical system. Is possible. The rotational position about the Z-axis does not need to be particularly considered because the rotational direction is originally assumed.

As described above, when the deflector 4 is mounted, the X, Y, and Z directions and the rotational directions thereof, that is, a total of six directions,
The deflector 4 can be installed with the same installation accuracy as when the deflector 4 is directly mounted on the housing 1.

As a result, the deflector 4 is fixed in the form as shown in FIG. 3, but as soon as the deflector 4 is fixed, the jig 12 is removed as shown in FIG. The state shown in FIG. In this state, the deflector 4 and the housing 1 are not in contact with each other, so that the vibration and heat of the deflector 4 are prevented from being transmitted to the housing 1 and other components, thereby performing high-quality optical scanning. Becomes possible.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the optical scanning device according to the present invention in a state where the deflector has been assembled and fixed, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part. In the above-described first embodiment, a gap is formed between the deflector 4 and the housing 1 in an assembled state, and dust and the like may enter there and adhere to a lens or the like, thereby deteriorating the performance of the apparatus. Therefore, a seal 13 is provided in this gap. Seal 13
Works to connect the deflector 4 to the housing 1 so that the vibration and heat of the deflector 4 can be transmitted to the housing 1 again. If it is made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the washer 10 and the parts 9, the heat generated in the deflector 4 will not be transmitted to the housing 1 but most of the heat will be transmitted to the parts for fixing the deflector 4. Prevent outbreak.

When various kinds of metals are used for parts for fixing the deflector 4 such as the parts 9, rubber, resin, asbestos,
Use of a material having low thermal conductivity, such as rock wool, a liquid-sealed bag, or a plant material, provides a high heat insulating effect. When rubber, resin, asbestos, rock wool, a bag sealed with a liquid, or a plant substance is used as a component for fixing the deflector 4, a material having a lower thermal conductivity than those materials is used.

Further, since the seal 13 is made of a viscoelastic body, the vibration is dissipated as heat due to the internal shear stress of the seal 13, and the vibration is not transmitted to the housing 1.
As materials exhibiting such effects, rubber, resin, a bag sealed with a liquid, a plant substance, and the like are known, and these may be appropriately adopted.

[0031]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical scanning device comprising:
As described above, the vibration and heat of the deflector are cut off by using separate components for installing other components of the deflector and the optical scanning device. As a result, deformation can be prevented, and high-quality optical scanning can be performed. Further, since a fan for cooling the deflector can be omitted, effects such as cost reduction, power consumption reduction, and noise suppression can be obtained.

In the optical scanning device according to the second aspect of the present invention, as described above, since the elastic member is provided between the fixed portion of the deflector and the deflector, in addition to the above-described common effects, the deflector is provided. This makes it possible to finely adjust the installation angle of the optical scanning device with respect to other components, and has an effect that the installation angle of the optical element and the deflector can be set in an ideal relationship.

In the optical scanning device according to the third aspect of the present invention, as described above, the member for closing the gap formed between the deflector and the base on which the other components of the optical scanning device are installed is provided. Accordingly, in addition to the same effects as the effects of the first and second aspects, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent dust, dust and the like from entering and deteriorating the optical characteristics.

In the optical scanning device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, as described above, since the member installed in the gap is made of a viscoelastic body, in addition to the effect of the third aspect,
There is an effect that the vibration of the deflector can be dissipated in this member and transmitted to the optical component.

In the optical scanning device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, as described above, the thermal conductivity of the member installed in the gap is smaller than the thermal conductivity of the component to which the deflector is mounted. In addition to the common effects of the third and fourth aspects, the amount of heat transmitted from the deflector to other optical components through this member and the amount of heat transmitted to the component to which the deflector is attached are larger in the latter. This has the effect of preventing heat conduction that can cause deformation and the like in the optical element.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a method of fixing a deflector in a first embodiment of an optical scanning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same assembly.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the same assembly completed state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the optical scanning device according to the second embodiment of the present invention in a state where the deflector has been assembled and fixed.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 1a Hole 2 Light source device 3 Cylinder lens 4 Deflector 4a Deflection mirror 4b Fixed part 4c Cylindrical part 5 Scanning lens 6 Scanned object 7 Mirror 8 Hole 9 Parts 9a Projection 10 Spring washer 11 Screw 12 Jig 13 Seal

Claims (5)

[Claims] A light source; a first optical element provided on an optical path of light emitted from the light source; a deflector for deflecting and scanning the light from the first optical element; An optical scanning device comprising a second optical element provided on an optical path of light, wherein the deflector and a component other than the deflector such as the light source are fixed on different components. Scanning device. 2. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member is interposed between the deflector and a fixed portion thereof. 3. A member for closing a gap between the deflector and a component for fixing a component other than the deflector, such as the light source, is provided. Optical scanning device. 4. The optical scanning device according to claim 3, wherein the member closing the gap is a viscoelastic body. 5. The optical scanning device according to claim 3, wherein a thermal conductivity of the member closing the gap is smaller than a thermal conductivity of a component for mounting the deflector.