JP2000103119A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus wherein a scanning substrate having a scanning system mounted thereon can be detached without decomposing the body of the image forming apparatus, thereby improving the workability. SOLUTION: In an image forming apparatus 1, an engine control board 12, an optical scanning device board 13, an interface board 14 and a power source board 15 are detachably and perpendicularly attached to a mother board 11 which is vertically provided in a housing 2 of the apparatus. A connection terminal section 105 to be inserted into a connector 11a of the mother board 11 is formed on each of the boards 12-15 so that the connection is established by inserting the connection terminal section 105 into the connector 11a. A light emitting section 101 which is an optical scanning system of the image forming apparatus 1, a polygon mirror section 102, a lens section 103, a synchronism detecting section 104 and various electric parts are substantially integrally provided to the optical scanning device board 13. Working for upgrading the apparatus 1 to be in an upper grade or recovering it can be readily executed by detaching or attaching the optical scanning device board 13 from or to the mother board 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer or a digital copying machine that forms an image by scanning a laser beam.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus, such as a laser printer or a digital copier, provided with an optical scanning device for forming an image by scanning a laser beam, it is necessary to reproduce the optical scanning device.
Conventionally, it is necessary to disassemble the image forming apparatus main body,
Since a plurality of electrical boards involved in image formation were provided in a dispersed manner, the disassembly work was complicated and not only had a manual method, but also took time and labor, and was substantially unsuitable for recycling.

Therefore, conventionally, a scanning unit having a laser unit for irradiating a laser beam and an O / O
N, a laser drive unit having a control unit for controlling OFF, in the image forming apparatus, when the laser drive unit is attached to the scanning unit, the control unit is located at a position facing the laser unit There has been proposed an image forming apparatus characterized by being provided (see JP-A-3-223876). That is, in this image forming apparatus, electrical wiring is eliminated by unitizing the drive circuit board.

[0004] Conventionally, a laser light source, a deflecting means for deflecting the laser light emitted from the laser light source, and a control means provided with electric parts for controlling the laser light source and the deflecting means shield the optical housing. A scanning optical device has been proposed in which the cover has a cylindrical through hole provided so as to surround the electric component of the control means (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-289423). reference).

Further, a substrate, a laser beam generating means disposed on the substrate, and a scanning beam, which is disposed on the substrate in a path of the laser beam and which is moved repeatedly and periodically. And a scanning means for repeatedly scanning a target object with the scanning beam and reflecting the target object therefrom (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-124360). This laser scanner provides a compact scanner having a light source and a scanning element integrated on a single substrate.

[0006]

However, in such a conventional image forming apparatus, scanning optical apparatus, and laser scanning apparatus, the optical scanning apparatus is formed integrally with the image forming apparatus, and the optical scanning apparatus is used. In order to respond to the obsolescence of specifications such as recording speed and recording density accompanying the evolution of computers and the diversification of recorded images, the optical scanning device has become more sophisticated,
In order to achieve higher-level specifications with higher performance, it is necessary to disassemble the image forming apparatus main body and change the optical scanning device, and it is difficult to work at the user where the image forming apparatus is installed. It is difficult to perform a regenerating operation according to the service life of the scanning device and its components, and there is a problem that recyclability is poor.

Further, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the drive circuit board and the like are unitized. However, the deflector itself is a minimum unit that can be replaced. There was a problem that the whole had to be replaced, which was costly.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a light source unit having at least a laser light source on a scanning substrate on which a control circuit or a part of the control circuit is formed is driven to rotate and emitted from the laser light source. A deflecting unit having a polarizer that scans the laser beam and an imaging optical system that focuses the laser beam deflected by the deflecting unit on the surface of the photoconductor are mounted, and the scanning substrate is detachably mounted inside the apparatus by a mounting mechanism. Then, by providing the mounting mechanism and the scanning board with electrical connection means for performing electrical connection wiring in accordance with the mounting of the scanning board into the apparatus by the mounting mechanism of the scanning board, the scanning board with the scanning system is mounted on the image forming apparatus. It can be easily attached and detached without disassembling the main body, making it easy for the user to change the scan board.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of changing to a higher-grade specification, improving workability and recyclability of a regenerating operation of a scanning substrate, and automating a disassembling and reassembling process.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the electric connection means includes a terminal row provided on one end side of the scanning substrate and having concentrated wiring for electrically connecting a circuit on the scanning substrate to an external circuit; By providing a connector portion provided on the mounting mechanism, to which a row of terminals can be removably inserted, the workability of mounting and removing the scanning board is further improved, and a change to a higher-grade specification and scanning are performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of further improving the workability and recyclability of a substrate recycling operation and easily automating a disassembly and reassembly process.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the deflection unit is mounted on a predetermined holding member detachable from the scanning substrate.
Improves the rigidity of the deflecting unit without imposing a load on the scanning substrate, makes it possible to apply the deflecting unit in a wider range, improves image quality, changes to advanced specifications, and improves the workability of the reworking operation of the scanning substrate It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of further improving the recyclability and reducing the cost for changing to a high-grade specification, regenerating a scanning substrate, and recycling.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the deflecting unit includes at least a rotor for mounting the deflector, a support for rotatably supporting the rotor, and a rotation driving unit for driving the rotor to rotate. By attaching the supporting part to a predetermined supporting member that can be attached to and detached from the scanning substrate or the holding member, only the rotor part can be easily replaced. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of further improving the recyclability and recyclability, keeping the cost even lower, and reducing the waste accompanying the regeneration.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the deflecting section includes at least a rotor section on which the deflector is mounted, a supporting section for rotatably supporting the rotor section, and a rotation driving section for rotationally driving the rotor section. And the rotation drive unit,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which an electronic component and a structural component can be completely disassembled by being formed on a scanning substrate, a holding member, or a supporting member, and the efficiency of a reproduction process can be improved. I have.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus, wherein a laser beam emitted from a laser light source of a light source unit is rotated by a deflection unit under the control of a predetermined control circuit. The control circuit or a part of the control circuit in an image forming apparatus that performs scanning by a device, forms an image on the surface of a photoconductor by an imaging optical system, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor to record an image. At least the light source unit, the deflecting unit, and the imaging optical system are mounted on a scanning substrate on which the circuit of the above is formed, and a mounting mechanism for detachably mounting the scanning substrate inside the apparatus is provided. The above-mentioned object is achieved by providing the scanning board with electrical connection means for performing electrical connection wiring in accordance with mounting of the scanning board inside the apparatus by the mounting mechanism.

According to the above arrangement, the light source unit having at least the laser light source is provided on the scanning substrate on which the control circuit or a part of the control circuit is formed. Mounting a deflector having a deflector and an imaging optical system for condensing the laser beam deflected by the deflector on the surface of the photoreceptor, and detachably mounting the scanning substrate inside the apparatus by a mounting mechanism; Since the mechanism and the scanning board are provided with electrical connection means for performing electrical connection wiring when the scanning board is mounted inside the apparatus by the mounting mechanism of the scanning board, the scanning board on which the scanning system is mounted is disassembled and the image forming apparatus body is disassembled. It is possible to easily change the scanning board at the user's site by attaching and detaching it without changing it. It is, it is possible to automate the decomposition and reassembly process.

In this case, for example, as set forth in claim 2, the electrical connection means is provided at one end of the scanning board and electrically connects a circuit on the scanning board to an external circuit. A terminal row in which wiring is concentrated may be provided, and a connector unit provided in the mounting mechanism and in which the terminal row is removably inserted.

According to the above arrangement, the electric connection means includes a terminal row provided on one end side of the scanning substrate and having concentrated wiring for electrically connecting a circuit on the scanning substrate to an external circuit;
And a connector part provided in the mounting mechanism and into which the terminal row is removably inserted, so that the workability of mounting and removing the scanning substrate can be further improved, and a change to a higher-grade specification can be performed. In addition, the workability and recyclability of the operation of reproducing the scanning substrate can be further improved, and the disassembling and reassembling process can be easily automated.

Further, for example, the deflecting unit may be mounted on a predetermined holding member detachable from the scanning substrate.

According to the above configuration, since the deflecting unit is mounted on the predetermined holding member detachable from the scanning substrate, the rigidity of the deflecting unit can be improved without imposing a load on the scanning substrate. The form of the deflecting unit can be applied to a wider range, and the image quality can be improved.Also, the change to the advanced specification, the workability of the scanning board reproduction work and the recyclability are further improved, It is possible to reduce the cost of changing to a higher-grade specification, reproducing the scanning substrate, and recycling.

Further, for example, as set forth in claim 4, the deflecting section includes at least a rotor section on which the deflector is mounted, a supporting section for rotatably supporting the rotor section, and a rotating section for rotating the rotor section. A rotation drive unit to be driven,
And the support unit may be attached to a predetermined support member that is detachable from the scanning substrate or the holding member.

According to the above configuration, the deflecting unit is provided with at least the rotor unit on which the deflector is mounted, the supporting unit rotatably supporting the rotor unit, and the rotation driving unit rotating the rotor unit. Since the supporting portion is attached to a predetermined supporting member detachable from the scanning substrate or the holding member, only the rotor portion can be easily replaced,
It is possible to further improve the workability and recyclability of the operation for regenerating the scanning substrate by changing to a higher-grade specification, to further reduce the cost, and to reduce the waste associated with the reproduction.

Further, for example, as set forth in claim 5, the deflecting section includes at least a rotor section on which the deflector is mounted, a supporting section for rotatably supporting the rotor section, and a rotating section for rotating the rotor section. A rotation drive unit to be driven,
And the rotation drive unit may be formed on the scanning substrate, the holding member, or the support member.

According to the above configuration, the deflecting unit includes at least the rotor unit on which the deflector is mounted, the supporting unit rotatably supporting the rotor unit, and the rotation driving unit for driving the rotor unit to rotate. Since the rotation drive unit is formed on the scanning substrate, the holding member, or the support member, the electronic component and the structural component can be completely disassembled, and the efficiency of the reproduction process can be improved. it can.

[0023]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and therefore, various technically preferable limitations are added. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description. The embodiments are not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified.

FIGS. 1 to 6 are views showing a first embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an image to which the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is applied. Forming device 1
FIG.

In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 has a photoreceptor 3 which is rotatably driven at a front side (left side in FIG. 1) inside a main body casing 2, and a developing unit 4 around the photoreceptor 3. , Paper feed unit 5
And a fixing section 6 and the like. Although not shown, a charge removing unit, a charging unit, a transfer unit, a cleaning unit, and the like are provided around the photoconductor 3.

The photoreceptor 3 is driven to rotate clockwise as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1 by a drive motor (not shown), uniformly charged by a charging unit, and then modulated by image data as described later. Is irradiated,
An electrostatic latent image is formed.

The developing section 4 applies toner to the photoreceptor 3 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed to develop the photoreceptor 3, and the recording paper 7 is conveyed from the paper supply section 5 to the photoreceptor 3 on which the toner image is formed. You.
The image forming apparatus 1 conveys the recording paper 7 from the paper feed unit 5 to the photoconductor 3 on which the toner image is formed, and transfers the toner image on the photoconductor 3 to the recording paper 7 by a transfer unit (not shown). The recording paper 7 on which the image has been transferred is transported by a transport mechanism (not shown) in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.

The fixing unit 6 heats and presses the recording paper 7 on which the toner image is transferred, fixes the toner image on the recording paper 7 to the recording paper 7, and discharges the toner image formed on the upper part of the main body housing 2. The sheet is discharged onto the paper tray 2a.

The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an electrical unit 10 on the rear side (the right side in FIG. 1) of the main body 2 thereof.
The electrical unit 10 includes a mother board 11 disposed in a vertical direction.
And a plurality of substrates such as an engine control substrate 12, an optical scanning device substrate 13, an interface substrate 14, and a power supply substrate 15, which are detachably mounted on the mother substrate 11.

In the image forming apparatus 1, the main body 2 has an opening on the back surface, and the rear cover 16 is attached to the main body 2 in a state of covering the opening 2b. The rear cover 16 is detachably attached to the main body housing 2. By removing the rear cover 16, the above-mentioned boards 12 to 15 can be easily attached to and detached from the mother board 11.

That is, the connector 11 is provided on the mother board 11 at a position corresponding to the mounting position of each of the boards 12 to 15.
a is attached, and each of the boards 12 to 15 is inserted into and pulled out from the connector 11 a at a corresponding position in a direction perpendicular to the mother board 11, that is, in a horizontal direction. It can be attached to and detached from the substrate 11.

The engine control board 12 is provided with the recording paper 7
The interface board 14 converts input data from an external device, for example, a personal computer, into print data by controlling the drive timing of a motor that transports and drives the recording paper 7 to control the timing of feeding and discharging the recording paper 7. . The power supply board 15 is equipped with a power supply plug 15a and transforms and rectifies external commercial power and supplies the same to various parts of the image forming apparatus 1.

Then, the optical scanning device substrate (scanning substrate) 13
Is to irradiate the photoconductor 3 with a laser modulated based on the print data converted by the interface substrate 14 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 3, as shown in a perspective view in FIG. Each component is attached to the board body 100.

That is, the optical scanning device substrate 13 has a component surface on the surface (upper surface in FIG. 2) of the substrate body 100 and a solder surface on the back surface (lower surface in FIG. 2). On the surface, a light emitting portion (light source portion) 1 is roughly divided.
1, a scanning system such as a polygon mirror unit (deflection unit) 102, a lens unit (imaging optical system) 103, a synchronization detection unit 104, and various electric components necessary for driving these units. Further, on the distal end side of the substrate main body 100, a connection terminal portion (for connecting the optical scanning device substrate 13 to the connector 11a of the mother substrate 11 for electrical connection such as signal transmission and power supply) is mounted. A terminal row 105 is formed. A substantially L-shaped reinforcing metal fitting 106 is attached to the rear end side of the substrate main body 100. The reinforcing metal fitting 106 is attached to a slot-shaped frame or the like of the main body housing 2 with a screw 10.
7 (see FIG. 4), and the substrate body 100
Is securely fixed, and the board body 1 is inserted in the insertion direction.
00 is performed. The connection terminal portion 105 and the reinforcing bracket 106 are provided on each of the substrates 12 to 15. The connector 11a, the connection terminal portion 105, the reinforcing bracket 106, the screw 107, the rear cover 16, the frame, and the like function as a mounting mechanism as a whole, and the connector 11a and the connection terminal portion 105 function as electrical connection means. I have.

The light emitting section 101 is a semiconductor laser 11 for emitting a laser beam modulated by print data.
0, a coupling lens 1 that converts the light beam of the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 110 into a light beam having a predetermined convergence
11, a lens holding member 112 for holding the coupling lens 11 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the semiconductor laser 110 has its electrode wire 110a passed through a through hole formed in the substrate main body 100, and is connected to the back surface of the substrate main body 100 by solder 108. It is directly mounted, and emits a laser beam in a vertical direction (upward) with respect to the substrate main body 100, as shown by a dashed line in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the lens holding member 112 is positioned and fixed by inserting a projection 112a projecting downward from the bottom surface thereof into a through hole 100a formed in the substrate body 100. Part 1
The coupling lens 111 is inserted into the inside 12b and fixed by adhesion. After the position of the coupling lens 111 is adjusted in the optical axis direction, the coupling lens 111 is adhesively fixed in the cylindrical hole 112b of the lens holding member 112, and the laser beam incident surface is formed to be aspherical. The direction of the laser beam is indicated by a chain line in FIG.
The laser beam is deflected by 90 degrees at a, and the laser beam is emitted in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the incident laser beam.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the polygon mirror unit 102 includes a polygon mirror 120, a rotor unit 121, a magnet 122, a bearing 123, a bearing holding member 124, a coil 125 constituting a rotation driving unit, and the like. The polygon mirror 120 is fixed to the rotor 121 with its axis aligned. Bearing holding member 12
4 is a through hole 100 formed in the substrate body 100.
b, and holds the bearing 123 rotatably.
The bearing 123 includes a shaft 121 a of the rotor 121.
Is inserted, and the magnet 12 is
2 is fixed. The coil 125 is connected to the substrate body 100
The rotor 121 is rotatably driven by being energized and opposed to the magnet 122 fixed to the lower surface of the rotor 121. The polygon mirror 120 has a multi-sided mirror surface on the side surface, and receives the laser beam emitted from the light emitting unit 101. The bearing and bearing holding member 124 function as a support that rotatably supports the rotor 121.

The polygon mirror unit 102 includes a rotor unit 1
The polygon mirror 120 is rotated at a predetermined constant angular velocity by the rotation of
The laser beam incident at 0 is repeatedly deflected in the main scanning direction of the photoconductor 3 and is reflected on the lens unit 103.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lens portion 103 has a rib 131 integrally formed of resin so as to surround the imaging lens 130, and a projection 131a is formed on the bottom surface of the rib 131. I have. Lens unit 103
Is positioned and fixed by inserting the projection 131a into a through hole 100c formed in the substrate body 100, and forms a laser beam incident from the polygon mirror unit 102 on the photosensitive member 3 in a spot shape by the imaging lens 130. At the same time, the photosensitive member 3 is scanned in the main scanning direction by being scanned in the main scanning direction by the polygon mirror unit 102.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the synchronization detecting unit 104 includes a sensor 140 and a sensor housing 141.
The sensor 140 is held in the sensor housing 141 in a state where the sensor 140 is positioned at the window 141a of the sensor housing 141.
The synchronization detection unit 104 includes a lead 140a of the sensor 140.
Is inserted into the through hole 100d of the substrate body 100, and the protrusion 141 formed on the bottom surface of the sensor housing 141 is inserted.
a is inserted into the through hole 100e of the substrate body 100, and is soldered as described later to be positioned and fixed.

The synchronization detecting unit 104 includes a polygon mirror 1
A scanning laser beam is input to the sensor 140 from the polygon mirror 120 for each surface of the surface 20, and the sensor 140 detects the scanning laser beam and generates a synchronization detection signal to write control unit 150 of the image forming apparatus 1 (see FIG. 6). ). The write control unit 150 sets the write start timing based on the synchronization detection signal input from the synchronization detection unit 104.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the optical scanning device substrate 13 is provided with each of the above circuit components, for example, the semiconductor laser 110.
The electrode wire 110a and the lead 140a of the sensor 140 are connected to the wiring formed on the back surface of the substrate main body 100 by the solder 108 and fixed to the substrate main body 100, and the projection 112a of the lens holding member 112, the bearing holding member The protrusions 131a of the ribs 131 and the protrusions 141a of the sensor housing 141 are coated with a metal film on the outer periphery thereof, and
It is fixed to 0.

As shown in FIG. 6, on the optical scanning device substrate 13, the circuit components of the synchronization detecting unit 104 and the semiconductor laser 110 are mounted.
Control circuits such as a page memory 151, a rotation drive unit 152, a polygon motor 153, and a modulation drive unit 154 are mounted.

Polygon motor 153 and rotation drive unit 15
2 is a rotor section 12 of the polygon mirror section 102
1, a magnet 122, a bearing 123, a bearing member 124, and a coil 125, which operate under the control of the writing control unit 150 to rotationally drive the polygon mirror 120 mounted on the rotor unit 121 at a predetermined constant angular velocity. I do.

The modulation driver 154 operates under the control of the write controller 150 to modulate the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 110 based on the print data.

The write control unit 150 develops the print data in the page memory 151, drives the polygon motor 153 to rotate via the rotation drive unit 152, and based on the print data, the semiconductor laser via the modulation drive unit 154. The modulated laser beam is emitted from 110 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 3 as described above. At this time, the write start timing is set by the synchronization detection signal from the synchronization detection unit 104.

This optical scanning device substrate 13 is
As shown in FIG. 1, the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 110 is detachably mounted on the mother substrate 11 in a horizontal state, and the polygon mirror 1 is
The light is irradiated onto the photoconductor 3 via the imaging lens 20 and the imaging lens 130. Therefore, a hole through which the laser beam passes is formed in the mother substrate 11.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. The image forming apparatus 1 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to a mother board 11 disposed vertically in the main body housing 2, that is, in a horizontal state, the engine control board 12, the optical scanning board 13, the interface board 14, and the power board 15. And the like, and a plurality of substrates are detachably mounted, and an opening 2b is formed in the main body casing 2 on the back surface side of these substrates 12 to 15, and the rear cover 16 is formed in the opening 2b. Is detachably attached.

Each of the boards 12 to 15 has a connection terminal 1 to be inserted into the connector 11 a of the mother board 11.
The electrical connection wiring can be performed only by inserting the connection terminal portion 105 into the connector 11a of the mother board 11.

On the optical scanning device substrate 13, a light emitting portion 101, a polygon mirror portion 102, a lens portion 103, and a synchronization detecting portion 104 which are the centers of the scanning system of the image forming apparatus 1 are provided.
Various electric components necessary for driving these components are substantially integrally provided. After the laser beam emitted from the light emitting portion 101 is deflected in the main scanning direction by the polygon mirror portion 102, the lens portion 103 is moved. Irradiates the photoreceptor 3 via the

Therefore, the reproduction operation according to the service life of the image forming apparatus 1, the change to the advanced specification by increasing the recording speed and the recording density, and the optical scanning apparatus substrate according to the use purpose of the specification corresponding to the recorded image. 13 by removing the rear cover 16 on the back surface of the main body casing 2 and changing the optical scanning device substrate 1
3 can be carried out simply by pulling out the mother substrate 11 and inserting a new optical scanning device substrate 13 into the connector 11 a of the mother substrate 11.

Therefore, it is possible to easily change the image forming apparatus 1 to a higher-grade specification, perform a reproducing operation, or the like, without disassembling the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, at the user where the image forming apparatus 1 is installed. In addition, the disassembly and reassembly steps can be automated to improve recyclability.

Further, the light emitting unit 101, polygon mirror unit 102, lens unit 103, synchronization detecting unit 104 of the optical scanning device substrate 13 pulled out of the mother substrate 11 and various electric components necessary for driving these units are described above. And reassembled, minimizing replacement parts, reducing costs, and completely separating electronic and structural parts for recycling. Performance can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the projection 112a of the lens holding member 112, the bearing holding member 124,
Projection 131a of rib 131 and sensor housing 14
The outer periphery of the one protrusion 141 a is coated with a metal film, and is fixed to the substrate main body 100 by solder 108. Therefore, each of these components can be simultaneously fixed by the solder 108 at the time of soldering the electronic component,
The work efficiency of the assembling work can be improved, and the soldering of necessary replacement parts and the like can be performed in the disassembling work.
By dissolving the eight parts, the parts can be easily removed and the work efficiency of the disassembling operation can be improved.

Further, since the surface (upper surface) of the substrate body 100 is the component surface and the lower surface (lower surface) is the solder surface, the optical scanning device substrate 13 has the projections of the electronic components and the lens holding member 112. 112a, bearing holding member 124,
Projection 131a of rib 131 and sensor housing 14
The first protrusion 141a and the like can be inserted from the front surface side to the back surface side of the substrate main body 100 to perform the assembling, so that the assembling work can be simplified, the automation can be easily performed, and the cost can be reduced. .

In the above description, the substrates 12 to 12
15, the optical scanning device substrate 13 which is a main part of the image forming apparatus 1 is described in detail.
As with the optical scanning device substrate 13, the components 2, 14, and 15 also have a configuration that facilitates assembly and disassembly.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views showing a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. In this embodiment, the polygon mirror portion has a structure different from that of the substrate of the optical scanning device substrate. It is what it was.

This embodiment is applied to the same image forming apparatus as that of the first embodiment, and in the description of the present embodiment, it is the same as that of the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to the same components and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Components similar to those of the first embodiment will be described using the reference numerals used in the first embodiment as they are.

FIG. 7 shows an optical scanning device substrate 2 of an image forming apparatus 1 to which an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG.

In FIG. 7, the optical scanning device substrate 200 is
Similarly to the optical scanning device substrate 13 of the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 101, the lens unit 103, the synchronization detecting unit 104, and various electric components necessary for driving these units are arranged on the substrate body 100. In addition, a polygon mirror section (deflection section) 201 is detachably attached to the substrate body 100.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the polygon mirror unit 201 includes a polygon mirror 202, a rotor unit 203, a magnet 204, a bearing 205, a bearing holding member 206, a motor substrate (support member) 207, and a motor substrate. Coil 20 formed at 207 and constituting a rotation drive unit
8 and a motor support member (holding member) 209, etc., and a circular hole 210 having a predetermined size is formed at a mounting position of the polygon mirror portion 201 of the substrate main body 100. As shown in FIG. 8, the polygon mirror 202 is fixed to the rotor unit 203 via a predetermined spacer 211 with its axis aligned, and the magnet 204 is attached to the lower surface of the rotor unit 203. Coil 20
8 is provided on the upper surface of the motor substrate 207 so as to face the magnet 204, and the motor substrate 207 is fixed to the motor support member 209 via a spacer 212 by screws. The bearing holding member 206 is inserted and fixed in a through hole formed in the motor board 207 to rotatably hold the bearing 205, and the bearing 205 has a rotor 203
Is inserted. The above bearing 205
The bearing holding member 206 functions as a support member.

A connector 213 for supplying drive power to the coil 208 is provided on the upper surface of the motor substrate 207, and the connector 213 is connected to the lower surface of the substrate main body 100 at a position facing the connector 212. Receptacle 214 is provided. The motor support member 209 has a screw hole 209a formed therein.
Has a hole 215 formed at a position facing the screw hole 209a. The motor support member 209 is connected to the substrate body 100.
The polygon mirror 202 is positioned and fixed to the substrate main body 100 by a screw 216 passing through a hole 215 formed in the substrate main body 100. .

As in the first embodiment, a connection terminal portion 105 is formed on the end of the substrate body 100 on the side of the mother substrate 11, and a reinforcing member 106 is attached to the rear end thereof. The motor support member 209 has a reinforcing metal fitting 217 attached to the rear end side.

The optical scanning device substrate 200 includes the mother substrate 11
When the connection terminal portion 105 is inserted into the connector 11a, the connection terminal portion 105 is detachably mounted on the mother board 11 and is electrically connected to the mother board 11, and the main body is attached to the reinforcement bracket 106 at the rear end and the reinforcement bracket 217 of the motor support member 209. It is positioned and fixed to a frame or the like of the housing 2 by screws 107.

Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the reproduction operation according to the service life of the image forming apparatus 1, the change to the advanced specification by improving the recording speed and the recording density, and the purpose of using the specification corresponding to the recorded image In order to change to the optical scanning device according to the above, the rear cover 16 on the back surface of the main body housing 2 is removed, the optical scanning device substrate 200 is pulled out from the mother board 11, and the new optical scanning device substrate 200 is connected to the connection terminal portion 10.
5 can be simply inserted into the connector 11a of the mother board 11.

As a result, work such as changing the image forming apparatus 1 to a higher-grade specification can be easily performed by the user where the image forming apparatus 1 is installed without disassembling the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, the disassembly and reassembly steps can be automated to improve recyclability.

The light emitting unit 101, the polygon mirror unit 102, the lens unit 103, the synchronization detecting unit 104 of the optical scanning device substrate 200 pulled out from the mother substrate 11 and the various electric components necessary for driving these units are described above. And reassembled, minimizing replacement parts, reducing costs, and completely separating electronic and structural parts for recycling. Performance can be improved.

Further, since the polygon mirror unit 201 is detachably attached to the substrate main body 100 of the optical scanning device substrate 200, only the polygon mirror unit 201 can be easily replaced, and deflection performance of various specifications can be easily achieved. , Can be handled easily and inexpensively.

Further, since the polygon mirror unit 201 itself is subdivided and each part can be replaced, the recyclability can be further improved.

Further, the reinforcing bracket 21 is provided separately from the substrate body 100 on the motor support member 209 of the polygon mirror 201.
7, the rigidity of the polygon mirror portion 201, particularly the rigidity of the bearing portion, can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the motor support member 209 of the polygon mirror 201 is provided only below the polygon mirror 201.
0 may be disposed so as to cover the lower portion of the entirety, and in this case, the rigidity of the substrate main body 100 can be improved.

In each of the above embodiments, an example is shown in which only one semiconductor laser 110 is provided.
The number of semiconductor lasers is not limited to one, and a plurality of semiconductor lasers may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG.
As 0, two semiconductor lasers 301 and 302 may be provided.

In this case, the light emitting section 300 has two semiconductor lasers 301 and 302 mounted on the substrate main body 100 in a state of emitting a laser beam in the vertical direction, and the two coupling lenses 303 and 304 are connected to each other in FIG. The lens holding member 30 is arranged in a line in the optical axis direction as indicated by an arrow in FIG.
5 to hold. The lens holding member 305 is fixed with the solder 108 in a state where the protrusion 305a formed on the lower surface thereof is inserted into the through hole of the substrate main body 100. Coupling lenses 303 and 304 having an aspherical incident surface of the laser beam are mounted on the lens holding member 305 with their positions adjusted, and the coupling lenses 303 and 3 are mounted.
The laser beam 04 deflects the laser beam emitted upward from the semiconductor laser 301 and the semiconductor laser 302 by 90 degrees and emits the laser beam to the polygon mirror units 102 and 201.

In this way, the two semiconductor lasers 3
The photosensitive member 3 can be scanned by the laser beams 01 and 302, and the printing speed can be increased.

In each of the above embodiments, the laser beam is emitted upward from the semiconductor laser 110, is deflected by 90 degrees by the coupling lens 111, and is emitted in the horizontal direction toward the photosensitive member 3. The semiconductor laser itself may emit a laser beam in the horizontal direction. In this case, as the light emitting portion 310, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, a lens holding member 311 extending in a vertical direction on the substrate main body 100 is provided with a projection 311a formed on the bottom surface thereof in a through hole of the substrate main body 100. The semiconductor laser 312 and the coupling lens 313 are separated and held by the lens holding member 311 by a predetermined distance. At this time, the semiconductor laser 312 is held in the hole 311b formed in the lens holding member 311 and the emission surface of the laser beam is set to the vertical direction, that is, the emission direction of the laser beam is set to the horizontal direction. Hold. The semiconductor laser 312 of the lens holding member 311
When the package of the semiconductor laser 312 is fixed to the lens holding member 311 by coating the surface of the mounting surface 311c with a metal film, the electrical continuity is established when the lens holding member 31 is closed.
1 is performed with the substrate main body 100. The package of the semiconductor laser 312 and the substrate body 100
The electrical connection with the semiconductor laser 312 may be made by directly connecting the package of the semiconductor laser 312 to the substrate body 100 without using the lens holding member 311. The semiconductor laser 3
12, a drive current is supplied by connecting the lead 312a to a wiring of the substrate main body 100 by a solder 108 through a through hole of the substrate main body 100.

In this way, the coupling lens 3
13, the optical scanning device substrates 13 and 200 can be made small and simple.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the sensor 140 of the synchronization detecting unit 104 is disposed substantially vertically with respect to the substrate main body 100 so that the polygon mirrors 120 and 202 are provided.
The laser beam from the laser is directly incident on the sensor 140. However, the synchronization detection unit is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. The laser beam that is provided in parallel with the substrate main body 100 and is incident on the substrate main body 100 in parallel by the light guide member 322 may be introduced into the sensor 321.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, in the synchronization detecting section 320, the sensor 321 is arranged directly on the substrate main body 100 in parallel with the surface of the substrate main body 100, that is, in the horizontal direction, and covers the sensor 321. In this state, the light guide member 322 is provided on the substrate body 100. At this time, the light guide member 3
Reference numeral 22 denotes a position where the protrusion 322a formed on the bottom surface is inserted into a through hole 323 formed on the substrate body 100, positioned, and fixed with solder. This light guide member 322
Has a light incident surface 322b formed in the vertical direction and a reflecting surface 322c inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the light incident surface 322b, and the laser beam at the synchronization detection timing reflected by the polygon mirror 120 is used as the light guide member. 322 light incidence surface 3
22b. This synchronization detecting unit 320
As shown by an arrow, the light incident surface 322 of the light guide member 322
The laser beam incident on b is reflected by the reflection surface 322c, is deflected by 90 degrees, and is incident on the sensor 321.

In each of the above embodiments, the synchronization detecting section 104 is configured separately from the lens section 103 and disposed.
3 may be integrally formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the light guide member 331 of the synchronization detection unit 330 is formed integrally with the imaging lens 130 of the lens unit 103, and the sensor 332 is placed below the light guide member 331 with its sensor surface up. Are arranged in parallel with the substrate body 100. The light guide member 331 has a light incident surface 331 formed in a vertical direction.
a and the reflecting surface 3 inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the light incident surface 331a
31b, and the laser beam at the synchronization detection timing reflected by the polygon mirror 120 is transmitted to the light guide member 331.
Is incident on the light incident surface 331a. This synchronization detector 33
0 indicates that the laser beam incident on the light incident surface 331a of the light guide member 331 is reflected by the reflecting surface 3 as indicated by an arrow in FIG.
The light is reflected at 31 b and deflected by 90 degrees, and is incident on the sensor 332.

As described above, the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

[0081]

According to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, a light source unit having at least a laser light source on a scanning circuit board on which a control circuit or a part of the control circuit is formed is rotated and driven. A deflecting unit having a polarizer for scanning a laser beam emitted from a laser light source and an imaging optical system for condensing the laser beam deflected by the deflecting unit on the surface of the photosensitive member are mounted, and the scanning substrate is mounted by a mounting mechanism. The scanning system is installed because it is detachably mounted inside and the mounting mechanism and the scanning board are provided with electrical connection means for making electrical connection wiring as the scanning board is mounted inside the device by the mounting mechanism. The user can easily change the scanning substrate at the user's site by attaching and detaching the scanned substrate without disassembling the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is possible to improve the cycle characteristics, it is possible to automate the decomposition and reassembly process.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the electric connection means is provided at one end of the scanning substrate and the wiring for electrically connecting the circuit on the scanning substrate to the external circuit is concentrated. And the connector part provided in the mounting mechanism and into which the terminal row is removably inserted, so that the workability of mounting and removing the scanning substrate can be further improved. , Changes to advanced specifications,
The workability and recyclability of the operation of reproducing the scanning substrate can be further improved, and the disassembling and reassembling process can be easily automated.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since the deflecting unit is mounted on the predetermined holding member detachable from the scanning substrate, the stiffness of the deflecting unit can be reduced without imposing a load on the scanning substrate. In addition to being able to improve the image quality, it is possible to improve the image quality, change to a higher-grade specification, and improve the workability and recycling of the scanning substrate regeneration work. In addition, the cost of the operation for changing to a higher-grade specification, the operation for regenerating the scanning substrate, and the time for recycling can be suppressed.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the deflecting unit is configured to rotate at least the rotor unit on which the deflector is mounted, the supporting unit rotatably supporting the rotor unit, and the rotor unit. And a rotation drive unit, and the support unit is attached to a predetermined support member that can be attached to and detached from the scanning board or the holding member, so that only the rotor unit can be easily replaced, The workability and recyclability of the operation of regenerating the scanning substrate can be further improved, the cost can be further reduced, and waste associated with the reproduction can be reduced.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the deflecting section is configured to rotate at least the rotor section on which the deflector is mounted, the supporting section rotatably supporting the rotor section, and the rotating section. And a rotation drive unit, wherein the rotation drive unit is a scanning substrate, a holding member, or
Since the electronic component and the structural component are formed on the support member, the electronic component and the structural component can be completely disassembled, and the efficiency of the regeneration step can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which a first embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the optical scanning device substrate of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front sectional view of a light emitting unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front sectional view of a polygon mirror unit, a lens unit, and a synchronization detection unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of the synchronization detection unit in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of the optical scanning device substrate of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of an optical scanning device substrate of an image forming apparatus to which an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front sectional view of a polygon mirror unit, a lens unit, and a synchronization detection unit in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front sectional view of a light emitting unit including two semiconductor lasers.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of a light emitting portion in which a semiconductor laser is disposed with its laser beam emitting surface in a vertical direction.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a synchronization detection unit in which a sensor is provided in parallel with the substrate main body.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a synchronization detection unit and a lens unit in which a sensor is disposed in parallel with a substrate main body and a light guide member is integrally formed with an imaging lens.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Main body housing 2a Discharge tray 2b Opening 3 Photoconductor 4 Developing unit 5 Feeding unit 6 Fixing unit 7 Recording paper 10 Electrical unit 11 Mother substrate 11a Connector 12 Engine control substrate 13 Optical scanning device substrate 14 Interface board 15 Power supply board 16 Back cover 100 Substrate body 100a to 100e Through hole 101 Light emitting section 102 Polygon mirror section 103 Lens section 104 Synchronization detection section 105 Connection terminal section 106 Reinforcement fitting 107 Screw 108 Solder 110 Semiconductor laser 110a Electrode wire 111 cup Ring lens 111a Slope 112 Lens holding member 112b Cylindrical hole 120 Polygon mirror 121 Rotor 121a Shaft 122 Magnet 123 Bearing 124 Bearing holding member 125 Coil 130 Imaging lens 131 Bu 140 Sensor 141 Sensor housing 141a Window 150 Write control unit 151 Page memory 152 Rotation drive unit 153 Polygon motor 154 Modulation drive unit 200 Optical scanning device substrate 201 Polygon mirror unit 202 Polygon mirror 203 Rotor unit 204 Magnet 205 Bearing 206 Bearing holding Member 207 Motor board 208 Coil 209 Motor support member 210 Hole 211, 212 Spacer 213 Connector 214 Receptacle 215 Hole 216 Screw 217 Reinforcement metal 300 Light emitting unit 301, 302 Semiconductor laser 303, 304 Coupling lens 305 Lens holding member 310 Light emitting unit 311 Lens holding member 312 Semiconductor laser 313 Coupling lens 320 Synchronization detector 321 Sensor 322 Light guide member 32 Through holes 330 synchronization detection unit 331 guiding member 332 sensor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tatsuya Ito 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Satoru Satoru 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Share F-term in Ricoh Company (reference) 2C061 AQ06 BB12 BB30 BB35 BB37 CG03 CG12 2C362 AA42 BA05 BA08 BA11 BA89 BA90 BB30 DA03 DA41 2H045 AA03 AA14 AA54 AA56 CA82 CA92 DA02 DA04 2H071 BA05 BA04 EA30

Claims (5)

[Claims] A laser beam emitted from a laser light source of a light source section is scanned by a rotating deflector of a deflecting section under the control of a predetermined control circuit, and formed on a photosensitive member surface by an imaging optical system. In the image forming apparatus for performing image recording by forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor and performing image recording, at least the light source unit, the control unit or a part of a circuit of the control circuit is formed on a scanning substrate. A deflecting unit and the imaging optical system are mounted, and a mounting mechanism for detachably mounting the scanning substrate inside the apparatus is provided. The mounting mechanism and the scanning substrate are mounted on the apparatus by the mounting mechanism of the scanning substrate. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an electric connection unit that performs an electric connection wiring when mounted inside. 2. An electric connection means comprising: a terminal array provided on one end side of the scanning board, on which wiring for electrically connecting a circuit on the scanning board to an external circuit is concentrated, and the mounting mechanism; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a connector unit provided in the terminal unit, wherein the terminal row is detachably inserted. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting unit is mounted on a predetermined holding member detachable from the scanning substrate. 4. The deflecting unit includes at least a rotor unit on which the deflector is mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the rotor unit, and a rotation driving unit that drives the rotor unit to rotate. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support unit is attached to a predetermined support member that is detachable from the scanning substrate or the holding member. 5. The deflecting unit includes at least a rotor unit on which the deflector is mounted, a support unit that rotatably supports the rotor unit, and a rotation drive unit that rotationally drives the rotor unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation driving unit is formed on the scanning substrate, the holding member, or the support member.