JP2001069307A - Contact image sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve productivity, to reduce the occurrence of defects such as a dirty part due to sticking of an adhesive and to improve an yield and a quality by minimizing fixing the part to a frame with the adhesive in a contact image sensor constituted by fixing the parts such as a light emitting array, a rod lens array to the frame. SOLUTION: Though a rod lens array 9 used to be fitted into a long groove of a frame 4 and fixed with an adhesive in the past, this adhesive is abolished and in stead of it, projection parts 21a, 21b taller than an upper end of the array 9 are provided at plural places of a longitudinal direction on both sides of the long groove, the projection parts are deformed by a heated tool to form a welding part 22, and the upper end of the rod lens array 9 is pressed by this to be fixed in the long groove.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact image sensor used for an image processing apparatus such as a facsimile, a copying machine, an image scanner, a bar code reader and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 shows a manual image scanner as an example of an image processing apparatus using a contact image sensor. FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing a configuration in which a contact image sensor 1 is housed in a housing 3 and a roller 2 made of rubber or the like is provided. To read an image, the original is scanned in two directions, a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction, in which the scanning in the main scanning direction is performed electrically, and the scanning in the sub-scanning direction is performed by placing the roller surface on the original. This is done by pushing and moving the image scanner by hand. Although not shown, the roller 2 is linked with a reading pulse signal generating mechanism.

FIG. 1B shows a cross section of the contact image sensor 1 incorporated in the image scanner. This is a state in which the cross section BB of FIG. 7A is rotated clockwise by 90 °, and the components are assembled to a frame 4 made of plastic or the like. A light emitting element array 6 is a light source for reading data.
It is mounted on the top in a row in the main scanning direction of the contact image sensor 1 (hereinafter, referred to as the longitudinal direction of the apparatus), that is, in the direction perpendicular to the sheet of the drawing.

A rod lens array 9 similarly extends in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus. An example of the rod lens array is shown in FIG. 1C, in which rod lenses 14 are arranged sandwiching a side plate 15 made of plastic or the like. The space between them is filled with a black resin to prevent diffusion of light. In FIG. 3 (B),
The rod lens array 9 fits in a long groove having a small width and a depth, which is provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the frame body 4 correspondingly.

Light receiving elements 10 such as phototransistors are arranged on a substrate 11 in a line along the length of the device to form a light receiving element array. On the lower surface of the substrate 11, a connector 19 for connecting to another circuit portion is attached. The light emitted from the light emitting element 7 passes through the glass window 5 as shown by an arrow in the figure, reflects and illuminates the original 12, returns to the inside of the glass window 5 again, and is received through the rod lens array 9. The light enters the element 10, is detected in synchronization with the rotation of the roller 2, and reads image information line by line.

As a method of fixing the components of the contact image sensor to the frame 4, the glass window 5 and the rod lens array 9 are provided with an adhesive as shown in black at three places in FIG. At 13, it is fixed to the frame 4. The light emitting element array 6 is fixed to the slope of the frame 4 by a double-sided adhesive tape. To fix the substrate 11 on which the light receiving element 10 is mounted to the frame 4, a plurality of leaf springs 16 are used, and the substrate 11 and the leaf spring 16 are positioned by the dowels 17 provided on the frame 4, and It is hooked and fixed to a projection 18 provided on the frame 4.

As another configuration example of the contact image sensor,
Although illustration is omitted, the present inventors have filed Japanese Patent Application No. 10-2042.
No. 61, which divides the frame into two upper and lower bodies and connects the two frames with hooks and screws, holds the light emitting element array and the rod lens array sandwiched between the two frames. The components are fixed without using an adhesive or the like.

[0008]

There are the following problems in the structure in which the components of the contact image sensor are attached to the frame body by bonding, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. First, since an adhesive is required, auxiliary material costs are incurred, labor is required for controlling the viscosity of the adhesive, and supplying the adhesive to a bonding portion, and it has to be solidified, which increases the number of steps. In addition, there is a problem that the adhesive adheres to unnecessary portions to cause stains and defective products.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-204261, since the parts are fixed to the frame without using an adhesive, the above-mentioned problem of the entanglement of the adhesive is largely solved. Because it becomes two, the number of parts increases and the mold cost also increases,
Another problem is cost. An object of the present invention is to provide a contact image sensor that has a simple structure and minimizes the use of adhesive without increasing the number of divided frame members.

[0010]

According to the present invention, on both sides of a long groove provided for accommodating a rod lens array in a resin frame, projections higher than the upper end of the rod lens array are provided. After inserting the rod lens array into the long groove, press the upper end of the protrusion with a heated tool to soften and deform it to form a welded part, thereby locking the upper end of the rod lens array and holding it in the long groove Is what you do.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, and the same reference numerals are used for the same parts and portions including the above description. FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a contact image sensor according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is a sectional view of a frame 4. The basic structure is the same as that of the conventional frame shown in FIG. 3B, but new projections 21a and 21b are provided on both sides of the long groove 20 for accommodating the rod lens array 9 along the wall of the long groove 20. ,
The upper ends of the projections 21a and 21b are arranged to be higher than the upper end of the rod lens array when the rod lens array is placed in the long groove 20.

FIG. 1B is a view of the projections 21a and 21b viewed in the direction of arrow B in FIG.
“b” is not continuous, and is provided at, for example, about four locations along the longitudinal direction of the frame body 4. The longitudinal dimension of the frame body 4 is long enough to cover the paper width of the original such as A4 size or B4 size. FIG. The interval between the portions 21a and 21b is nearly 10 times the width of the projection itself.

After the rod lens array is fitted into the long groove of the frame 4, the upper ends of the projections 21a and 21b are pressed with a heated tool. Then, as shown in FIG.
The upper ends of a and 21b are softened and deformed, and a welded portion 22 is formed on the edge of the upper end surface of the rod lens array 9 to be solidified and held so that the rod lens array 9 does not come out of the long groove 20. Welding part 22 is rod lens array 9
Of the rod lens 14
The dimensions of the projections 21a and 21b, the tool shape, the heating temperature, the pressing force, and the like are determined appropriately so as not to impede the light guide by reaching the end face of FIG. 3 (B). Or,
Instead of providing the protrusions 21a and 21b in a dispersed manner as shown in FIG. 1B, the welded portions 22 may be formed in a continuous shape by performing heat deformation with a tool at predetermined intervals. .

[0014]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, in assembling the contact image sensor, the rod lens array is fixed to the frame by heating deformation of the projections instead of the adhesive. Only the glass window is used to attach, increasing productivity, minimizing adhesives and their management, and generating defects associated with the bonding process, ie, bonding failures and adhesives adhering to unnecessary parts As a result, contamination of parts and the like is greatly reduced, and the yield and quality are improved. In addition, since the frame remains an integral structure with a simple shape, the cost of the mold and the molding does not increase. As described above, the present invention has a great effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a contact image sensor according to the present invention, in which (A) is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the frame, (B).
FIG. 4 is a view of a projection provided on a frame body as viewed in a direction indicated by an arrow B in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a rod lens array is attached to the frame of FIG. 1, and a welded portion is formed and fixed.

FIG. 3 is an example of a hand scanner, (A) is a plan view,
(B) is a view in which the cross section of the built-in contact image sensor viewed in the BB direction of (A) is rotated clockwise by 90 °, and (C) is a perspective view of a rod lens array used therein.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Contact image sensor 4 Frame 6 Light emitting element array 7 Light emitting element 8, 11 Substrate 9 Rod lens array 10 Light receiving element 13 Adhesive 14 Rod lens 20 Long groove 21a, 21b Projecting part 22 Welding part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A contact image sensor comprising a rod lens array and other parts attached to a frame, wherein projections are provided on both sides of a long groove provided for fitting the rod lens array into a resin frame. A contact image sensor wherein the upper end of the projection is deformed by heating with a tool to form a welded portion for locking the end of the rod lens array, and the rod lens array is fixed in the long groove. 2. The contact image sensor according to claim 1, wherein the welding portion for locking the end of the rod lens array is provided with a plurality of projections distributed along the long groove, and the upper ends thereof are heated. A contact image sensor formed by deforming, or by forming a projecting portion having a continuous shape, and heating and deforming a plurality of dispersed upper end portions.