JP2007227610A - Light source and optical scanner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device having a high optical performance with a simple constitution at a low cost which improves the mechanical and electric reliabilities and the degree of freedom about the constitution and assembling, in an assembling constitution of an optical source with a circuit board. <P>SOLUTION: A circuit board 40 for controlling and driving a semiconductor laser 30 has a sheet 42 integrated therewith with lead pins 31 inserted in mounting hole 41 through the sheet 42 to assemble it to the circuit board 40, this preventing them from contacting to the inner surface of the mounting hole 41 when inserting the lead pins 31. The sheet 42 approximately closes the gap between the mounting hole 41 and the lead pin 31 to avoid leaking solder 45 from the gap with the lead pin 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical scanning device used in an image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer, a copying machine, or a laser facsimile, and more particularly to a light source device provided in these devices.

  In a conventional image forming apparatus such as a printer, laser light emitted from a light source is condensed, incident on a rotary polygon mirror, deflected and scanned, and then scanned as a scanning line on a photoconductor via an imaging lens / reflecting mirror. An optical scanning device to be formed is configured.

  In this optical scanning device, a semiconductor laser as a light source emits laser light to a condensing lens by a control circuit substrate of the semiconductor laser, and the semiconductor laser and the condensing lens so that the laser light becomes a predetermined focal position and irradiation position. An incident optical system in which the relative position is adjusted is configured.

  In this incident optical system, the general configuration of electrical connection between the semiconductor laser and the control circuit board is that the lead pins of the semiconductor laser are inserted into mounting holes provided in the control circuit board, and the wiring on the control circuit board is soldered. It electrically connects with the pattern.

Various proposals have been made for the electrical connection between the semiconductor laser and the control circuit board. For example, for the purpose of improving the insertion performance of the lead pin into the mounting hole, a proposal has been made to constitute a guide means for inserting the lead pin into the mounting hole on the control circuit board (see Patent Document 1). Or the form by which the insertion hole which can insert all the lead pins of a semiconductor laser and the hole for fixation of each lead pin is comprised on the control circuit board is proposed (refer patent document 2). In order to make the light source device using a so-called multi-beam semiconductor laser having a plurality of light emitting points compact, a configuration in which the lead pins of the semiconductor laser and the control circuit board are connected by a highly flexible connection means is proposed. (See Patent Document 3).
JP 2002-6248 A JP 2004-325922 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-125780

  However, in the above conventional example, when the lead pin of the semiconductor laser is inserted into the mounting hole position of the control circuit board, the lead pin and the periphery of the mounting hole come into contact with each other, and an external force is applied to the lead pin. Alternatively, the lead pin is soldered and fixed in a state in which the external force is applied to the lead pin while being in contact with the mounting hole. There is a concern that the external force may decrease the strength of the fixing portion that supports the semiconductor laser, or may change the position and posture of the semiconductor laser, thereby reducing the optical performance.

  A configuration in which a semiconductor laser having a plurality of light emitting points is rotated around the optical axis of the laser beam to adjust the irradiation position of each laser beam, or the irradiation position is adjusted by adjusting the semiconductor laser on a plane orthogonal to the optical axis. In the configuration, the position of the lead pin is not constant depending on the adjustment position of the semiconductor laser.

  Therefore, in order to securely insert the lead pin into the mounting hole, it is necessary to deal with the shape, arrangement and number of mounting holes, but there are mechanical constraints such as circuit board space, electrical constraints, and lead pin shape. There is concern.

If the gap between the mounting hole and the lead pin is large, the gap cannot be filled with the solder material, and the electrical connection with the control circuit board becomes unstable.

  Furthermore, the configuration in which the lead pins and the circuit board are connected using a highly flexible connecting means makes the assembly man-hours worse and makes it difficult to perform automatic assembly due to poor handling during assembly, resulting in higher costs. In addition, since the distance between the semiconductor laser and the control drive IC is large, the response of the laser is deteriorated, or the response and the response are not deteriorated, so that the material and shape of the highly flexible connecting means are restricted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and in the assembly configuration of the light source and the circuit board, the mechanical and electrical reliability is improved, and the degree of freedom of the configuration and assemblability is improved. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus with a simple structure, low cost, and high optical performance.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
A light source having a plurality of lead pins;
A circuit board having a mounting hole for the lead pin and controlling and driving the light source;
In a light source device comprising:
A mounting auxiliary member disposed between the light source and the circuit board and having an opening into which the lead pin of the light source is inserted;
The light source is connected to the circuit board by providing the lead pin in an attachment hole of the circuit board through the opening of the attachment auxiliary member.

A light source having a plurality of lead pins;
A circuit board having a mounting hole for the lead pin and controlling and driving the light source;
Condensing means for condensing the laser light emitted from the light source and guiding it to the deflection scanning means;
Imaging means for forming an image on the image carrier with the laser beam deflected by the deflection scanning means;
In an optical scanning device comprising:
A mounting auxiliary member disposed between the light source and the circuit board and having an opening into which the lead pin of the light source is inserted;
The light source is connected to the circuit board by providing the lead pin in an attachment hole of the circuit board through the opening of the attachment auxiliary member.

  According to the present invention, in the assembly configuration of the light source and the circuit board, the mechanical and electrical reliability is improved, and the degree of freedom in configuration and assembly is improved, and the optical performance is high with a simple configuration at low cost. An apparatus can be provided.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope to the following embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an optical scanning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the optical scanning device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the light source device according to this embodiment. 4A and 4B are views for explaining adjustment / assembly of the light source device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the circuit board of this embodiment. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining adjustment / assembly of the light source device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining assembly of the light source device according to the present embodiment.

  First, a basic adjustment / assembly method of the optical scanning device L will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the light source device 1, the cylindrical lens 3 is temporarily disposed on the side wall 21 (see FIG. 4) of the housing 20 in a state where the optical adjustment of the semiconductor laser 30 as a light source and the collimator lens 2 has been completed in advance. The Here, the collimator lens 2 and the cylindrical lens 3 constitute a condensing unit according to the present invention.

  A deflection scanning device 5 as a deflection scanning means on which the polygon mirror 4 is mounted, the imaging lenses 6 and 7, the reflection mirror 8, and the scanning start signal detector 9 are positioned at predetermined positions on the housing 20 and are not shown in the figure. It is fixed by. Laser light 13 is emitted from the semiconductor laser 30 by a laser driving jig (not shown), and the cylindrical lens 3 is moved in the optical axis direction of the laser light 13 to adjust the focal position. Here, the imaging lenses 6 and 7 and the reflecting mirror 8 constitute imaging means according to the present invention.

  The light source device 1 is rotated around the optical axis of the laser beam 13 to perform irradiation position alignment of a plurality of light emitting points and is fixed to the housing 20 (see FIG. 4).

  The circuit board 40 is screwed to the housing 20 and is electrically connected to the semiconductor laser 30. Further, the reflection mirror 10 is adjusted and fixed so that the laser beam deflected and scanned by the polygon mirror 4 enters the scanning start signal detector 9.

  As described above, the optical adjustment of the optical scanning device L is completed, and the housing 20 is sealed by the lid 11 to configure the optical scanning device L.

  Next, the basic operation of the optical scanning device L will be described.

  The laser beam 13 generated from the semiconductor laser 30 is applied to the polygon mirror 4 of the deflection scanning device 5 to be deflected and scanned. Here, the irradiation position of the laser beam 13 on the drum 12 is adjusted by the movement of the collimator lens 2, and the focal position on the drum 12 as an image carrier is adjusted by the movement of the collimator lens 2 and the cylindrical lens 3. ing.

  The laser beam 14 that has been deflected and scanned is reflected by the reflecting mirror 8 through the imaging lenses 6 and 7, passes through an opening (not shown) provided in the housing 20, and forms an image on the surface of the drum 12. The laser beam 14 formed on the drum 12 forms an electrostatic latent image in the main scanning direction by the rotation of the polygon mirror 4 and in the sub-scanning direction by the rotation of the drum 12.

  Further, a part of the laser beam deflected and scanned by the deflection scanning device 5 is guided to the scanning start signal detector 9 by the reflection mirror 10 as the laser beam 15 for scanning start signal detection, and the scanning start signal detector 9 Write modulation of the semiconductor laser 30 is started by the output signal.

  Next, the light source device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the adjustment / assembly method of the light source device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 4A, the light source device 1 for which optical adjustment has been completed in advance is held by a jig (not shown), and the cylindrical portion 33 of the holder 32 is fitted into the mounting hole 22 of the housing 20 and brought into contact with the side wall 21. It is the state made to do.

Then, the light source device 1 is rotated in the θ direction around the optical axis of the laser beam 13 to adjust the intervals between the plurality of light emitting points of the semiconductor laser 30 on the drum 12. The light source device 1 is adjusted and assembled on a dedicated jig, and an outline thereof will be described below.

  The semiconductor laser 30 is press-fitted and held in a holder 32 and mounted on a dedicated jig, and the collimator lens 2 is temporarily placed on a fixed portion 34 of the holder 32. The holder 32 is fixed to the housing 20 by a fixing screw 35.

  The semiconductor laser 30 emits a laser beam 13 by a light emitting jig circuit, moves the collimator lens 2 in the arrow YZ direction (see FIG. 4A), and sets the irradiation position in the arrow X direction (see FIG. 4A). To adjust the focus position. Thereafter, the collimator lens 2 is fixed to the fixing portion 34 with an adhesive or the like, and the light source device 1 is completed.

  Next, the circuit board 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

  A mounting hole 41 into which the lead pin 31 of the semiconductor laser 30 is inserted is formed in the circuit board 40. The inner diameter of the mounting hole 41 is set such that the lead pin 31 does not contact the mounting hole 41, including the range in which the light source device 1 rotates in the θ direction for adjusting the light emitting point interval on the drum 12 described above.

  Further, as a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment, the sheet member 42 as an auxiliary mounting member is made of a heat-resistant material such as a heat-resistant film material. The sheet member 42 is provided with a slit 43 as an opening into which the lead pin 31 is inserted. The shape of the slit 43 is not limited to a cross shape as shown in the figure.

  The sheet member 42 is integrated with the surface of the circuit board 40 on the semiconductor laser 30 side in a state where the positions of the slits 43 and the mounting holes 41 of the circuit board 40 coincide with each other. Then, with the lead pin 31 passing through the slit 43 and the mounting hole 41, the circuit board 40 abuts against the end face of the projection 23 of the housing 20 and is fixed by a screw 44 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

  Next, the insertion state of the circuit board 40 of the lead pin 31 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As the lead pin 31 is inserted into the circuit board 40 from the direction of arrow A, the tip end portion 43a of the slit 43 of the sheet member 42 is elastically deformed while being pushed in the direction of arrow B.

  And it will be in the state which warped in contact with the lead pin 31, and the attachment hole 41 is substantially obstruct | occluded by the lead pin 31 and the sheet | seat member 42, and forms the space part 41a. As shown in FIG. 7, the lead pins 31 and the circuit board 40 are filled and fixed in the space 41a in which the solder material 45 is closed by the sheet member 42, and the semiconductor laser 30 and the circuit board 40 are electrically connected. .

  As described above, after the adjustment / assembly of the light source device 1 on the housing 20 is completed and the incident laser light 15 to the cylindrical lens 3 and the scanning start signal detector 9 is adjusted, predetermined optical performance is achieved. The optical scanning device L is completed.

  Hereinafter, effects unique to the present embodiment will be described.

  According to this embodiment, when the lead pin 31 of the semiconductor laser 30 is inserted into the mounting hole 41 of the circuit board 40, the gap between the mounting hole 41 and the lead pin 31 is substantially closed by the sheet member 42. Therefore, since the solder material 45 does not leak from the gap with the lead pin 31, the defect rate of the solder process is reduced and the electrical reliability is improved.

Further, when the lead pin 31 is inserted, the lead pin 31 does not come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the mounting hole 41 and the lead pin 31 is prevented from receiving an external force. Reliability is improved.

  Even in a mode in which the light source device 1 is rotated around the optical axis to adjust the light emitting point interval on the drum surface, the circuit board 40 and the lead pins 31 are electrically connected with the circuit board 40 itself fixed to the housing 20. It becomes possible to connect to. Therefore, since the installation space of the circuit board 40 can be made constant, the optical scanning device can be miniaturized.

  In addition, since the limitation on the rotation angle of the light source device 1 due to the inner diameter of the mounting hole 41 of the circuit board 40 can be relaxed, an optical scanning device with a high degree of design freedom can be realized.

  Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the optical scanning device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of the light source device of this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a detailed view of the circuit board of this embodiment. FIGS. 11A and 11B are views for explaining adjustment / assembly of the light source device of this embodiment.
FIG. 12A is a view for explaining adjustment / assembly of the light source device of this embodiment, and FIG. 12B is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the component similar to Example 1, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Hereinafter, an adjustment / assembly method of the light source device 50 will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 11, the position of the collimator lens 2 is regulated in the directions of the arrows XYZ by a fixing portion 61 provided in the housing 60, and is fixed by a fixing spring 62. The semiconductor laser 30 is held by a holder 51.

  The holder 51 is held by a jig (not shown), and the semiconductor laser 30 emits the laser beam 13 by a laser driving jig (not shown). Using the collimator lens 2 fixed to the housing 60 as a reference, the holder 51 is moved in the YZ direction in the figure, the irradiation position of the laser beam 13 is moved in the X direction, and the focal position of the laser beam 13 is adjusted.

  Thereafter, the flange 52 of the holder 51 and the fixing portion 63 of the housing 60 are fixed with an adhesive 53, and the light source device 50 is integrated with the housing 60.

  Next, the circuit board 70 will be described with reference to FIG.

  A mounting hole 71 into which the lead pin 31 of the semiconductor laser 30 is inserted is formed in the circuit board 70. The inner diameter of the mounting hole 71 is set such that the lead pin 31 does not contact the mounting hole 71 including the movable range of the semiconductor laser 30 for adjusting the irradiation position.

  In addition, a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as FPC) 73 as an auxiliary mounting member, which is a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment, is provided with a slit 74 as an opening into which the lead pin 31 is inserted. A wiring pattern 75 that electrically connects the lead pin 31 and the circuit board 70 is formed in the slit 74.

  The FPC 73 is in contact with the surface of the circuit board 70 on the side of the semiconductor laser 30 with the positions of the slits 74 and the mounting holes 71 of the circuit board 70 matched, and one end of the wiring pattern 75 is connected to the wiring pattern (not shown) of the circuit board 70. And integrated in a connected state. The assembly of the lead pins 31 of the semiconductor laser 30 and the circuit board 70 is the same as that in the first embodiment (see FIG. 6).

  In the present embodiment, the semiconductor laser 30 moves in the X-axis direction for focus position adjustment, so the position of the end portion of the lead pin 31 after adjustment is not constant.

  Here, FIG. 12 shows a state when the semiconductor laser 30 is disposed closest to the collimator lens 2 side. The circuit board 70 is in contact with the end face of the protrusion 64 of the housing 60 and is fixed by screws 76.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the end portion of the lead pin 31 passes through the slit 74 of the FPC 73 but is in a position that does not protrude from the mounting surface 72 of the circuit board 70.

  However, in this state, the lead pin 31 can be integrated with the wiring pattern 75 of the FPC 73 exposed in the mounting hole 71 of the circuit board 70 and the solder material 77. Thereby, the semiconductor laser 30 and the circuit board 70 are electrically connected.

  Thus, the adjustment / assembly of the light source device 50 on the housing 60 is completed.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of mounting holes 71 of the circuit board 70 are provided so as to correspond to the respective lead pins 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, all the lead pins 31 pass therethrough. One mounting hole may be provided.

  Hereinafter, effects unique to the present embodiment will be described.

  According to this embodiment, the semiconductor laser 30 can be electrically connected to the circuit board 70 via the FPC 73 integrated with the lead pin 31 and the circuit board 70. As a result, in the embodiment in which the optical adjustment is performed by moving the semiconductor laser 30 in the optical axis direction, the restriction on the relative position dimensions of the semiconductor laser 30 and the circuit board 70 necessary for connecting the lead pin 31 and the circuit board 70 is relaxed. can do.

  In addition, since restrictions on the shape and arrangement of the mounting holes 71 of the lead pins 31 on the circuit board 70 are alleviated, the degree of freedom in assembly and design can be improved.

  Further, since the responsiveness due to the distance between the semiconductor laser 30 and the control IC is not deteriorated, the lead pin 31 of the semiconductor laser 30 and the circuit board 70 can be elastically connected, so that the mechanical reliability and the electrical performance are improved. can do.

  As described above with reference to the first and second embodiments, according to the present invention, when the lead pin of the light source is inserted into the mounting hole of the circuit board, the gap between the mounting hole and the lead pin is substantially blocked by the mounting auxiliary member. can do. As a result, the solder material for fixing the lead pin can be reliably filled in the gap between the attachment hole and the lead pin, so that the inner diameter of the attachment hole can be increased.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent the position and posture of the light source from being changed by an external force applied to the lead pins during insertion or fixation to the circuit board.

  Further, the accuracy of correction for adjusting the shape of the lead pin to the mounting hole position can be relaxed.

  Furthermore, the relative position of the light source and the condenser lens can be adjusted by adjusting the light source, and the degree of freedom in design, configuration and adjustment of the optical scanning system is improved, for example, when the adjustment space of the condenser lens is small.

  In addition, since the electrical wiring pattern is formed on the attachment auxiliary member, the lead pin and the attachment auxiliary member can be electrically connected. Therefore, it is not necessary to make the lead pin protrude from the mounting surface of the circuit board in order to fix the solder, the restriction on the distance between the light source and the circuit board in the optical axis direction is relaxed, and the degree of freedom in designing and configuring the optical scanning system is improved. be able to.

1 is a schematic plan view of an optical scanning device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an optical scanning device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a light source device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. (A) is a figure for demonstrating adjustment and assembly of the light source device of Example 1, (b) is a figure for demonstrating adjustment and assembly of the light source device of Example 1. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a circuit board according to Embodiment 1. FIG. (A) is a figure for demonstrating adjustment and assembly of the light source device of Example 1, (b) is a figure for demonstrating adjustment and assembly of the light source device of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of assembling the light source device according to the first embodiment. 6 is a schematic plan view of an optical scanning device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a light source device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a circuit board according to a second embodiment. (A) is a figure for demonstrating adjustment and assembly of the light source device of Example 2, (b) is a figure for demonstrating adjustment and assembly of the light source device of Example 2. FIG. (A) is a figure for demonstrating adjustment and assembly of the light source device of Example 2, (b) is a principal part enlarged view of (a).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,50 Light source device 30 Semiconductor laser 31 Lead pin 32,52 Holder 40,70 Circuit board 42 Sheet member 43,74 Slit 45,77 Solder 73 Flexible printed circuit board 75 Wiring pattern L Optical scanning device

Claims (5)

A light source having a plurality of lead pins;
A circuit board having a mounting hole for the lead pin and controlling and driving the light source;
In a light source device comprising:
A mounting auxiliary member disposed between the light source and the circuit board and having an opening into which the lead pin of the light source is inserted;
The light source is connected to the circuit board by the lead pin being provided in an attachment hole of the circuit board through the opening of the attachment auxiliary member.   The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the opening has a slit shape.   The light source device according to claim 1, wherein a wiring pattern that enables electrical connection is formed on the attachment auxiliary member.   4. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the lead pin of the light source is provided so as not to protrude from a mounting surface of the circuit board. A light source having a plurality of lead pins;
A circuit board having a mounting hole for the lead pin and controlling and driving the light source;
Condensing means for condensing the laser light emitted from the light source and guiding it to the deflection scanning means;
Imaging means for forming an image on the image carrier with the laser beam deflected by the deflection scanning means;
In an optical scanning device comprising:
A mounting auxiliary member disposed between the light source and the circuit board and having an opening into which the lead pin of the light source is inserted;
The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is connected to the circuit board by providing the lead pin in an attachment hole of the circuit board through the opening of the attachment auxiliary member.

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