JP2009283709A - Light-emitting device, multi-beam light source device, multi-beam scanner and device for forming image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light-emitting device mounting a two-dimensional array element for a surface emission type semiconductor laser with an excellent positional accuracy and easily correcting the angle of emission of light beams emitted from an emission source, a multi-beam light source device, a multi-beam scanner and a device for forming an image. <P>SOLUTION: In the light-emitting device 201, a light-emitting element array 245 arrayed so that a plurality of light-emitting elements vertically emit light beams to the same plane is housed in a package 246 so as to emit light beams vertical to the main surface 301 of the package 246. In the light-emitting device, a plurality of projecting sections 312 having height differences corresponding to angles correcting the optic axial direction are formed at a plurality of positions of a surface on the mounting-member side of the package 246 for correcting the optic axial direction of light beams at a time when the package 246 is abutted and fitted to a mounting member mounting the light-emitting device 201. The light-emitting device 201, the multi-beam light source device using the light-emitting device 201, the multi-beam scanner and the device for forming the image are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a light-emitting device, a multi-beam light source device, a multi-beam scanning device, and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, a light-emitting device used as a writing system such as a digital copying machine and a laser printer, a multi-beam light source device, and a multi-beam scanning. The present invention relates to an apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a tandem multicolor image forming apparatus, photosensitive drums corresponding to each color are arranged along the transfer material transport direction, and toner increments formed at each color image forming station are overlapped. A color image can be formed by the pass, which contributes to an increase in the speed of image formation. In recent years, due to the progress of this high speed, it has been used as an on-demand printing system in the simple printing field, and the view of uniformity in image quality between prints has become severe along with a demand for high image quality.

  As one method for improving the recording speed, there is a method of increasing the rotational speed of a polygon mirror which is a deflecting means. If this method is adopted, the power consumption increases accordingly, and thus, for example, registration shift and scan line inclination occur. Therefore, if the rotational speed of the polygon scanner is increased too much, it becomes difficult to maintain the above-described image quality uniformity between prints.

  On the other hand, a multi-beam scanning device has been proposed as means for realizing a higher speed optical scanning device by improving the recording speed.

  The multi-beam scanning device can scan the surface to be scanned at once with multiple beams and simultaneously record a plurality of adjacent lines, enabling high-speed operation without increasing the rotation speed of the polygon mirror, which is a deflection means. It becomes.

  As a light source of such a multi-beam scanning device, for example, a two-dimensional array element in which surface-emitting semiconductor lasers (: VCSEL: Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting LASER) are two-dimensionally arranged is used, and a plurality of lines are simultaneously formed by collective scanning. Has been proposed. By using a two-dimensional array element, the number of light sources can be increased to several tens of beams or more, so that the sub-scanning pitch on the photosensitive member can be reduced to 1 / n of the recording density, and a plurality of unit pixels of n × m With the dot matrix configuration, higher-definition image recording can be performed. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose examples in which the above two-dimensional array element is used in a multi-beam scanning device.

  Since such a two-dimensional array element has several tens of light emitting sources, it is accommodated in a ceramic package having a lead frame and soldered directly to a circuit board.

  Therefore, in order to fix the two-dimensional array element to the support member constituting the light source unit, the two-dimensional array element is attached via a circuit board. There is a problem that the position of the two-dimensional array element cannot be determined well by the method in which the dimensions are not determined and the circuit board surface is used as a reference. As a countermeasure, Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which a package member is elastically bent to press a package member so that the package surface can be positioned reliably.

Patent Document 3 discloses an example of a conventional method for adjusting a scanning optical system of a semiconductor laser light source.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-6592 JP 2007-79295 A Japanese Patent No. 3679560

  However, when the two-dimensional array element as described above is mounted in a multi-beam scanning device, there are the following problems.

  As described above, since the two-dimensional array element is housed in the package and soldered directly to the circuit board, the two-dimensional array element can be accurately positioned when attached to the support member constituting the light source unit. There was a problem that it was difficult. When mounting a combination of a two-dimensional array element and a coupling lens to be coupled, an accuracy of several μm must be maintained. If this accuracy is lowered, the beam spot diameter and the beam pitch irradiated on the surface of the photosensitive member become non-uniform, and the image quality is remarkably deteriorated. In the positioning methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, positioning can be performed by abutting the package surface of the two-dimensional array element against the support member, but the first reference surface on which the two-dimensional array element is mounted, and 2 Limited to the assumption that the second reference plane, which is the surface of the package of the two-dimensional array element, is substantially parallel, and in practice from the parallel of the first reference plane and the second reference plane. There was a problem that the error was not negligible.

  Further, the method for adjusting the scanning optical system of the semiconductor laser light source disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a problem that it cannot be applied to a two-dimensional array element housed in a package having a rectangular shape.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points. It is possible to accurately position and attach a two-dimensional array element of a surface-emitting type semiconductor laser housed in a package, and to emit each light of the two-dimensional array element. An object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting device, a multi-beam light source device, a multi-beam scanning device, and an image forming apparatus that can easily correct the emission angle of a light beam emitted from a light source.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is characterized by the following measures.

  In the first invention, a light emitting element array in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged on the same plane and each of the light emitting elements emits a light beam perpendicular to the plane is connected to the light emitting element array. A light emitting device that is housed in a package including a lead terminal so as to emit a light beam perpendicular to an emission surface that is a main surface of the package and is a surface on the side from which the light beam is emitted; In order to correct the optical axis direction of the light beam when the package is mounted in contact with the mounting member to which the light emitting device is mounted, the optical axis is provided at a plurality of locations on the surface of the package on the mounting member side. The plurality of convex portions having a height difference corresponding to an angle for correcting the direction is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the light emitting device according to the first aspect, the convex portion is made of a plate-like member having a vertical and horizontal length of 1 mm or less in plan view.

  According to a third invention, in the light emitting device according to the first or second invention, the convex portion has a substantially circular shape in plan view.

  According to a fourth invention, in the light emitting device according to any one of the first to third inventions, the convex portion has a surface of the convex portion that is substantially spherical.

  According to a fifth invention, in the light emitting device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, the convex portion is formed by curing an organic adhesive or an inorganic adhesive.

  According to a sixth invention, in the light emitting device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, the convex portion is formed by curing a low melting point metal.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the light emitting device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the package has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and at least one of the convex portions is the shape of the package. It is provided in a region near the corner of the surface.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the light emitting device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the three convex portions are provided, and the center of gravity of the package in a plan view has the three convex portions as apexes. It is characterized by being near the approximate center of gravity of the triangle.

  A ninth invention is a light emitting device according to any one of the first to eighth inventions, and a coupling lens that converts the light beam emitted from the light emitting device into a parallel light beam or a light beam in a predetermined convergence state. A multi-beam light source device comprising a mounting member for mounting the light emitting device and the coupling lens, wherein the mounting member extends from a surface opposite to the mounting member side of the light emitting device to a surface on the mounting member side. The light emitting device includes biasing means for biasing the light emitting device toward the optical axis, and the light emitting device is biased by the biasing device to correct the optical axis direction.

  In a tenth aspect of the invention, a light emitting element array configured such that a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in the same plane and each of the light emitting elements emits a light beam perpendicular to the plane is connected to the light emitting element array. A light emitting device accommodated in a package including a lead terminal so as to emit a light beam perpendicular to an emission surface which is a main surface of the package and is a surface on which the light beam is emitted; A multi-beam light source device comprising a coupling lens for converting the light beam emitted from the device into a parallel light beam or a light beam in a predetermined convergence state, and a mounting member for mounting the light emitting device and the coupling lens, The mounting member includes biasing means for biasing the light emitting device from the surface opposite to the mounting member side of the light emitting device toward the surface of the mounting member, and the front of the mounting member is In order to correct the optical axis direction of the light beam when the package is abutted and mounted, the angle for correcting the optical axis direction at a plurality of locations on the abutting surface of the mounting member that abuts the package The plurality of convex portions having a height difference corresponding to the height of the light emitting device is provided, and the light emitting device is biased by the biasing means to correct the optical axis direction.

  An eleventh invention is characterized in that, in the multi-beam light source device according to the tenth invention, the convex portion is provided such that the height of the convex portion is adjustable.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, in the multi-beam light source device according to the eleventh aspect of the invention, the convex portion is a screw screwed to the mounting member, and the surface of the light emitting device on the mounting member side is attached to the tip of the screw. It makes it contact | abut.

  A thirteenth invention is characterized in that, in the multi-beam light source device according to the tenth invention, the convex portion is provided so as to be movable within the surface of the contact surface of the mounting member.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, in the multi-beam light source device according to the tenth aspect of the invention, the convex portion is made of a plate-like member having a vertical and horizontal length of 1 mm or less in plan view.

  A fifteenth aspect of the invention is the multi-beam light source device according to the tenth or fourteenth aspect of the invention, wherein the convex portion has a substantially circular shape in plan view.

  A sixteenth aspect of the invention is the multi-beam light source device according to the tenth, fourteenth or fifteenth aspects of the invention, wherein the convex part has a substantially spherical surface.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the invention, in the multi-beam light source device according to any one of the tenth or fourteenth to sixteenth aspects, the convex portion is formed by curing an organic adhesive or an inorganic adhesive. And

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-beam light source device according to any one of the tenth or fourteenth to sixteenth aspects, the convex portion is formed by curing a low melting point metal.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-beam light source device according to any one of the tenth to eighteenth aspects, the package has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and at least one of the convex portions is the mounting portion. The contact surface of the member is provided in a region that contacts the vicinity of a corner of the surface of the light emitting device.

  According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the multi-beam light source device according to any one of the tenth to nineteenth aspects, the three convex portions are provided, and the center of gravity of the package in contact with the convex portion in plan view is , Being approximately in the vicinity of the center of gravity of a triangle having the three convex portions as apexes.

A multi-beam scanning device according to a twenty-first aspect of the invention is a multi-beam light source device according to any one of the ninth to twentieth inventions, and deflection means for deflecting the plurality of light beams emitted from the multi-beam light source device. And an imaging optical system that forms an image of the deflected light beam on a surface to be scanned.

  An image forming apparatus according to a twenty-second invention is a multi-beam scanning device according to the twenty-first invention, an image carrier that forms an electrostatic latent image by the plurality of light beams, and the image carrier that is formed by the image carrier. The image forming apparatus includes: a developing unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image with toner; and a transfer unit that transfers the toner image developed by the developing unit onto a recording sheet.

  According to the present invention, a two-dimensional array element of a surface-emitting type semiconductor laser housed in a package can be positioned and attached with high precision, and light beams emitted from respective light emission sources of the two-dimensional array element can be emitted. The corner can be easily corrected.

Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 7, the light-emitting device and multi-beam light source device which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention are demonstrated.

  First, a schematic configuration of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a schematic configuration of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a light emitting device included in the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a main scanning sectional view showing the configuration of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-beam light source device 107 according to the present embodiment includes a light emitting device 201, a coupling lens 202, an aperture mirror 203, a converging lens 204, a light detection sensor 210, a control board 206, and a light beam splitting prism. 108.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the light emitting device 201 includes a light emitting element array 245, a flat package 246, and a glass window 247. In the light emitting device 201 according to the present embodiment, the light emitting element array 245 is a surface emitting semiconductor laser array (hereinafter referred to as a surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245).

  The surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 is a chip in which surface emitting semiconductor laser elements are monolithically arranged two-dimensionally on the same plane. The flat package 246 is a mounting package in which lead terminals are provided radially. The surface-emitting type semiconductor laser array 245 has a flat package 246 in the center of the package in plan view so that the plane in which the surface-emitting type semiconductor laser elements are arranged is parallel to the upper surface (emission surface) of the package. Implemented. Further, the inside of the package is sealed with a glass window 247 in a state where an inert gas is sealed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the coupling lens 202 turns a plurality of light beams emitted from the light emitting device 201 into parallel light fluxes. That is, a plurality of light beams emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser elements of the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 of the light emitting device 201 are in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis (X axis) of the coupling lens 202 (YZ plane). ), The light beam is adjusted and emitted so as to be arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis and to be a parallel light beam.

  The aperture mirror 203 is formed in a plate shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the surface on the light emitting device 201 side is a reflection surface, and a predetermined angle of 45 ° in the main scanning direction from the surface orthogonal to the optical axis. Tilt and deployed. An opening having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201 is provided at the center of the aperture mirror 203. The converging lens 204 is provided on the optical path after the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201 is reflected by the aperture mirror 203 and bent at a right angle. As shown in FIG. 3, the light detection sensor 210 detects a light beam reflected by the aperture mirror 203 and transmitted through the converging lens 204, and the light beam bent through the mirror 205 is combined. Provided at the point to be imaged. In the present embodiment, the light detection sensor 210 is mounted on the control board 206 so as to be aligned with the light emitting device 201 so that the detection signal is not affected by external noise or the like.

  The light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201 and passing through the opening of the aperture mirror 203 passes through the coupling lens 202 and then travels to a polygon mirror (not shown). On the other hand, the ambient light emitted from the light emitting device 201 and reflected without passing through the aperture of the aperture mirror 203 is guided to the light detection sensor 210 via the convergence lens 204.

  When the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment is incorporated in a multi-beam scanning device described later and used, the light beam emitted from the light-emitting device 201 starts scanning on each surface of the polygon mirror (not shown), and is then displayed on the image area. The surface intensity of each surface emitting laser element of the light emitting device 201 is sequentially turned on to detect the intensity of each beam, and the output of each surface emitting laser element becomes a predetermined value compared with the reference value. Adjust the injection current. Since the adjusted injection current is held until the next detection, the beam intensity can be kept constant.

  The control board 206 is a board on which the light emitting element 201 and the light detection sensor 210 are mounted, and according to a power control circuit that holds the light emission output of each surface emitting semiconductor laser element of the light emitting element 201 constant and image information. A circuit board on which a drive circuit for modulating each of the light emission sources is formed. The circuit board is integrally attached and held together with the coupling lens 202 to constitute a multi-beam light source device.

  The beam splitting prism 108 has a half mirror surface 241 and a mirror surface 242 parallel to the half mirror surface 241 as will be described later in the third embodiment, and the emitted light is converged by the coupling lens 202. And constitutes an optical system introduced into the polygon mirror.

  Next, the detailed configuration of the entire multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing an enlarged portion from the base member to the biasing member of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the multi-beam light source device 107 according to the present embodiment includes a control board 206, a base member 207, a holder member 208, a biasing member 209, and a bracket member 211.

  The base member 207 and the holder member 208 correspond to attachment members described in the claims, and the biasing member 209 used when the light emitting device 201 is attached to the base member 207 and the holder member 208 is described in the claims. This corresponds to the biasing means.

  In the multi-beam light source device 107, a holder member 208 that holds the coupling lens 202 and a base member 207 that holds the control board 206 on which the light emitting device 201 is mounted are bonded together at a reference plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the coupling lens 202. And it is set as the structure integrated by screw-fastening.

  The base member 207 and the holder member 208 are both formed by aluminum die casting, but may be made of different materials as long as they have substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient. The base member 207 is provided with an aperture mirror 203 for detecting the beam intensity from the light emitting device 201, a converging lens 204, and a mirror 205 that turns the beam back to the light detection sensor 210 mounted on the control substrate 206.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the control board 206 is attached to the base member 207 on a mounting surface 221 (same as the contact surface 248) formed on the base member 207, and the flat package 246 of the light emitting device 201. 2, the surface 301 side provided with a convex portion 310 described later is brought into contact, positioning is performed in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and adjacent to the side surface of the light emitting device 201 as shown in FIG. The two surfaces 320 and 321 to be abutted against the inner side surface, which is a predetermined reference surface, are positioned in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis. Further, the upper surface of the light detection sensor 210 is in contact with the mounting surface 222.

  In the present embodiment, the control board 206 is pressed from the back side by the leaf spring part 220 of the biasing member 209 formed of sheet metal, and the three anchor parts (folded parts) 218 are fitted into the holes 219 of the control board 206. By combining the control board 206 in the arrow direction 223 together, the light emitting device 201 is positioned with respect to the base member 207.

  Three studs 216 are formed in the base member 207, and the control board 206 is supported by fastening a biasing member 209 to the stud 216 with a screw 232 through a through hole 217 formed in the control board 206. To do. Since the control board 206 is pressed from the back side by the urging member 209 and the control board 206 is not directly fastened to the base member 207 or the like, the light emitting device 201 is attached to the base member 207 without applying a load to the control board 206. It can be positioned and supported reliably.

  The urging member 209 may be formed of a resin or the like as long as it is a material having elasticity, and an elastic member such as rubber may be sandwiched instead of the leaf spring portion.

  The base member 207 assembled in this way is integrated with the holder member 208 by joining the receiving surfaces with screws.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the coupling lens 202 is fixed to the cylindrical surface 230 formed on the holder member 208 by filling the gap with the edge portion with an adhesive. As shown in FIG. 3, in order to match the parallelism of the surface 250 perpendicular to the optical axis 251 of the coupling lens 202 and the arrangement surface of the light emitting device 201, the surface of the light emitting device 201 is previously shown in FIG. An error of the parallelism between the arrangement surface of the light emitting semiconductor laser array 245 and the surface 301 of the flat package 246 is measured, and a convex portion 310 is provided on the surface 301 of the flat package 246 to correct the error. The surface 301 side of the flat package 246 (light emitting device 201) is abutted against the contact surface 248 (the contact surface 248 is designed in advance to be parallel to the surface 250 orthogonal to the optical axis 251 of the coupling lens 202). Mount.

  With the above structure, the position in the optical axis direction is determined, the light beam emission direction can be corrected, and the light beam emission direction can be orthogonal to the contact surface 248.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the structure of the convex portion provided on the surface of the flat package of the light emitting device included in the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment will be described.

  6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment, and are perspective views showing a configuration in which convex portions are provided on the package of the light emitting device.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting device 201 in the present embodiment has a convex portion 312 on the surface 301 of the flat package 246.

  Three protrusions 312, 312-1, 312-2, and 312-3 are provided on the surface 301 of the flat package 246. The three convex portions 312-1, 312-2, and 312-3 are dispersed such that any two convex portions 312 of the three convex portions 312 are separated from each other by a substantially equal distance, and the flat package 246 is viewed in plan view. The center of gravity is provided so that it is in the vicinity of the approximate center of gravity of a triangle having the three convex portions 312 as vertices.

  As described above, when the convex portion 312 is provided so that the center of gravity of the flat package 246 and the center of gravity of the triangle having the three convex portions 312 as vertices substantially coincide with each other, the surface of the flat package 246 opposite to the surface 301 of the flat package 246 is provided. When being pressed and fixed, it can be stably held anywhere near the center of the package.

  The convex portion 312 is configured by adhering plate-like circular members having a length and width of 1 mm or less. Although the material of the convex part 312 is not specifically limited, The SUS (stainless steel) member produced by well-known methods, such as a punching process and an etching, can be used as a plate-shaped member. As described above, when SUS materials having different thicknesses are used in order to provide a difference in height, SUS members having various thicknesses can be used, and the thickness of the convex portion 312 in this case is particularly limited. Although it is not, it can adjust, for example between 40-120 micrometers.

  In this case, the material of the adhesive for bonding the plate-like member is not particularly limited, and for example, a thermosetting epoxy resin can be used. Further, for example, the thickness of the adhesive can be reduced to about 10 μm, and the variation in the thickness of the adhesive can be suppressed to 2 to 3 μm or less, so that the thickness of the adhesive is larger than the thickness of the SUS member. Variations in height are not a problem.

  Further, when the thickness of the convex portion 312 is further reduced, a nickel member or the like prepared in a state patterned in advance by an electrodeposition method can be used, and the thickness of the convex portion 312 is, for example, 10 to 40 μm. Can be adjusted between.

  Here, the effect | action which correct | amends the angle difference of the optical axis of the light beam of the convex part 312 emitted from the light-emitting device 201 and the optical axis of the coupling lens 202 is demonstrated.

  The plane abutting against the three convex portions 312-1, 312-2, and 312-3 can be uniquely determined as long as the plane does not contact the surface 301 of the flat package 246. The flat package 246 is tilted by an arbitrary angle and attached to the attachment surface 221 (contact surface 248) so long as the portion other than the portion 312 does not contact the attachment surface 221 (contact surface 248) formed on the base member 207. Can do. Here, the three convex portions 312 have an angle formed by a plane that contacts the three convex portions 312 and the mounting surface 221 (contact surface 248), and the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201. It is provided so as to be equal to the angle of deviation of the coupling lens 202 from the optical axis 251.

  Specifically, among the three convex portions 312, the position and height of the first convex portion 312-1 serving as a positioning reference, the position of the second convex portion 312-2, and the third convex portion 312-3. And the angle of deviation between the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201 before the three convex portions 312 are formed and the normal direction of the surface 301 of the flat package 246 is measured. The height of the second convex portion 312-2 and the height of the third convex portion 312-3 for correcting the angle difference are calculated and determined, and the three having the determined position and height are determined. The convex portion 312 is formed on the surface 301 of the flat package 246.

  Alternatively, of the three convex portions 312, the position and height of the first convex portion 312-1 serving as a positioning reference, the height of the second convex portion 312-2, and the height of the third convex portion 312-3. Before the three convex portions 312 are formed, the angle of deviation between the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201 and the normal direction of the surface 301 of the flat package 246 is measured. The three convex portions having the determined position and height are determined by calculating the position of the second convex portion 312-2 and the position of the third convex portion 312-3 for correcting the angular difference. 312 is formed on the surface 301 of the flat package 246.

  As will be described later, since the plurality of light emitting sources of the light emitting device 201 are two-dimensionally arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with the arrangement numbers n and m, each light emitting source is an optical axis of the coupling lens 202. If they are not aligned within the plane 250 orthogonal to 251, the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is not uniform among the light emitting sources.

  However, in the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, since the three convex portions 312 are provided on the surface of the package, the emission direction can be corrected by the height difference.

Note that the positions of the convex portions 312 provided on the surface 301 of the flat package 246 are dispersed so as to be spaced apart at substantially the same distance on the surface 301 of the flat package 246, and the center of gravity of the flat package 246 in plan view is three. It is not particularly limited as long as it is provided so as to be in the vicinity of the approximate center of gravity of the triangle having the convex portion 312 as a vertex. For example, it may be arranged as shown in FIG. Further, the height of the three convex portions 312 is not particularly limited as long as the surface 301 of the flat package 246 can be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis, and each of the three convex portions 312 is not limited. The position and the height difference may be combined in various ways.
(First modification of the first embodiment)
Next, a light emitting device and a multi-beam light source device according to a first modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the light emitting device according to this modification, and is a perspective view showing a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on the package of the light emitting device. However, in the following text, the same reference numerals are given to the parts described above, and the description may be omitted (the same applies to the following modified examples and embodiments).

  The light emitting device according to this modification is different from the light emitting device according to the first embodiment in that at least one of the convex portions is provided in a region near the corner portion of the surface of the package, and the convex portions are rectangular. .

  Referring to FIG. 8, in the first embodiment, the center of gravity of the package in plan view is in the vicinity of the approximate center of gravity of a triangle having three convex portions as vertices, and the convex portion is circular in plan view. In the present modification, at least one of the convex portions is provided in a region near the corner portion of the surface of the package, and the convex portion is rectangular in plan view.

  Here, the region in the vicinity of the corner of the surface of the package corresponds to the surface in the vicinity of the intersection of the two positioning side surfaces of the package existing in the direction perpendicular to the package surface.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the light emitting device 201a according to the present modification has a convex portion 311 on the surface 301a of the flat package 246a. In a flat package 246a having an X-axis as an optical axis direction perpendicular to the package surface and sides parallel to the Y-axis and Z-axis directions, the side surface of the flat package 246a is adjacent as a positioning reference in the Y-direction and Z-direction. When the two surfaces are the reference surfaces 320 and 321, one convex portion (first convex portion 311-1) and convex portion 311- are formed on the surface 301a of the flat package 246a in the vicinity where the reference surfaces 320 and 321 intersect. 1 convex portion (second convex portion 311-2) on the same Y axis as 1, and one convex portion (third convex portion 311-3) on the same Z axis as the convex portion 311-1 It is done.

  When correcting the optical axis direction emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 by rotating the surface 301a of the flat package 246a about the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Y axis direction), the first The height difference of the 3rd convex part 311-3 with respect to the convex part 311-1 is adjusted. Similarly, when the optical axis direction is corrected by rotating around the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Z axis direction), the second convex portion 311-2 with respect to the first convex portion 311-1. Adjust the height difference. As described above, the surface 301a of the flat package 246a is tilted in an arbitrary direction with the two axes of the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Y axis direction) and the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the approximately Z axis direction) as the rotation centers. Therefore, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  The convex portion 311 is configured by adhering a plate-like rectangular member of 1 mm or less in length and width, except that a rectangular member is used in this modification instead of the circular member in the first embodiment. The material of the convex portion 311, the manufacturing method, and the material of the adhesive are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In this modification, the position and height of the first convex portion 311-1 serving as a positioning reference, the position of the second convex portion 311-2, and the position of the third convex portion 311-3 are determined in advance. A second angle for measuring the angle of deviation between the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201a before the two convex portions 311 are formed and the surface 301a of the flat package 246a and correcting the angle difference. The height of the convex portion 311-2 and the height of the third convex portion 311-3 are calculated and determined, and three convex portions 311 having the determined height are formed on the surface 301a of the flat package 246a. be able to.

  Accordingly, when the light emitting device 201a is attached to the attachment surface 221 (the contact surface 248) of the base member 207 so as to come into contact with the convex portion 311 formed on the surface 301a of the flat package 246a, the light emitting device 201a The optical axis of the emitted light beam and the optical axis of the coupling lens 202 are parallel, and the focusing state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is uniform in each light emitting source.

  As described above, in the light-emitting device according to this modification and the multi-beam light source device including the light-emitting device, one convex portion is provided in the region near the corner portion, and the Y-axis and Z-axis directions from the one convex portion By providing convex portions that can be adjusted in height difference one by one, it is possible to arbitrarily incline in the rotational direction around the Y axis and the Z axis, and the light emitting device and multi-beam according to the first embodiment Similar to the light source device, the emission direction of the light beam can be corrected.

In this modification, one of the three protrusions is provided in a region near the corner (a surface in the vicinity of the intersecting two side surfaces present in the direction perpendicular to the package surface), but the other two protrusions. Also, in a region near one corner that is separated in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions from one convex portion provided in a region near the corner of the surface of the package (a surface in the vicinity where two other side surfaces intersect) Can be provided.
(Second modification of the first embodiment)
Next, a light-emitting device and a multi-beam light source device according to a second modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the light emitting device according to the present modification, and is a perspective view showing a configuration in which convex portions are provided on the package of the light emitting device.

  The light-emitting device according to the present modified example adjusts the position, not the height, of the remaining two convex portions other than one provided in the region near the corner of the surface of the package among the three convex portions. Thus, the light emitting device is different from the light emitting device according to the first modification of the first embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 9, in the first modification of the first embodiment, the heights of the remaining two convex portions other than one provided in the region near the corner portion of the surface of the package are adjusted. Unlike the above, in the present modification, the heights of the remaining two convex portions are determined in advance, and the positions where the remaining two convex portions are provided are adjusted.

  Here, the region in the vicinity of the corner of the package surface corresponds to the surface in the vicinity of the intersection of the two positioning side surfaces of the package that exist in the direction perpendicular to the package surface. This is the same as the modified example.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the light emitting device 201b according to the present modification has a convex portion 311 on the surface 301b of the flat package 246b, the X axis is the optical axis direction perpendicular to the package surface, and the Y axis and Z In the flat package 246b having sides parallel to the axis direction, when the two adjacent surfaces of the side surfaces of the package are used as the reference surfaces 320 and 321, as the positioning reference in the Y direction and the Z direction, the reference surfaces 320 and 321 One convex part (first convex part 311-1) and one convex part (second convex part 311- on the same Y axis as the convex part 311-1 are formed on the surface 301b of the flat package 246b in the vicinity of the intersection. 2) and the fact that one convex portion (third convex portion 311-3) is provided on the same Z axis as the convex portion 311-1 is the same as the first modification of the first embodiment. is there.

  Further, in this modification, the optical axis direction emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 is changed by rotating the surface 301b of the flat package 246b about the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the approximate Y axis direction). When correcting, the position of the 3rd convex part 311-3 which has a height difference with respect to the 1st convex part 311-1 is adjusted. Similarly, when correcting the optical axis direction by rotating about the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Z axis direction) as the rotation center, the second protrusion having a height difference with respect to the first convex portion 311-1. The position of the convex part 311-2 is adjusted. In this way, the surface 301b of the flat package 246b is tilted in an arbitrary direction with the two axes of the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Y axis direction) and the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the approximately Z axis direction) as the rotation center. Therefore, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  The convex portion 311 is configured by adhering plate-like rectangular members of 1 mm or less in length and width, and the material, manufacturing method, and adhesive material of the convex portion 311 are the same as those in the first embodiment. This is the same as the modification.

  In the present modification, unlike the first modification of the first embodiment, the position and height of the first protrusion 311-1 serving as a positioning reference, the height of the second protrusion 311-2, and After the height of the third convex portion 311-3 is determined in advance, the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201b before the three convex portions 311 are formed, and the surface 301b of the flat package 246b Measure the angle of deviation, determine the height of the second convex part 311-2 and the height of the third convex part 311-3 for correcting the angular difference, and determine the determined height Can be formed on the surface 301b of the flat package 246b.

  Thereby, in the multi-beam light source device incorporating the light emitting device 201b, the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is uniform in each light emitting source.

As described above, in the light-emitting device according to this modification and the multi-beam light source device including the light-emitting device, one convex portion is provided in the region near the corner portion, and the Y-axis and Z-axis directions from the one convex portion By providing each of the protrusions whose installation positions can be adjusted one by one, it is possible to arbitrarily incline in the rotational direction around the Y axis and the Z axis, and the light emitting device and multi-beam according to the first embodiment Similar to the light source device, the emission direction of the light beam can be corrected.
(Third modification of the first embodiment)
Next, a light-emitting device and a multi-beam light source device according to a third modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the light emitting device according to this modification, and is a perspective view showing a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on the package of the light emitting device.

  The light-emitting device according to the present modification is different from the light-emitting device according to the first modification of the first embodiment in that the convex portion has a disc shape instead of a rectangular shape.

  Referring to FIG. 10, in the first modification of the first embodiment, the protrusion is different from a rectangle, and in the present modification, the protrusion has a disk shape.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the light emitting device 201c according to the present modification has a convex portion 312 on the surface 301c of the flat package 246c, the X axis is the optical axis direction perpendicular to the package surface, and the Y axis and Z In the flat package 246c having sides parallel to the axis direction, when two adjacent surfaces of the package side surfaces are used as the reference surfaces 320 and 321 as the positioning reference in the Y direction and the Z direction, the reference surfaces 320 and 321 One convex portion (first convex portion 312-1) and one convex portion (second convex portion 312- on the same Y axis as the convex portion 312-1 are formed on the surface 301c of the flat package 246c in the vicinity of the intersection. 2) and the fact that one convex portion (third convex portion 312-3) is provided on the same Z axis as the convex portion 312-1 is the same as the first modification of the first embodiment. is there.

  Further, as in the first modification of the first embodiment, the height difference between the third convex portion 312-3 and the second convex portion 312-2 with respect to the first convex portion 312-1 is adjusted. Thus, the light beam emission direction can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction. Or similarly to the 2nd modification of 1st Embodiment, adjusting the position of the 3rd convex part 312-3 and the 2nd convex part 312-2 with respect to the 1st convex part 312-1. Also, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  However, in the present modification, the convex portion 312 is configured by adhering a disk-like member having a length and width of 1 mm or less, as in the first embodiment. Since the convex portion 312 has a disc shape instead of a rectangular shape, it is not necessary to adjust the direction of the shape when the convex portion 312 is installed.

Also in the present modification, as in the first modification of the first embodiment, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device can be corrected. In the multi-beam light source device including this light emitting device, In addition, the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens can be made uniform in each light emitting source.
(Fourth modification of the first embodiment)
Next, a light emitting device and a multi-beam light source device according to a fourth modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the light emitting device according to this modification, and is a perspective view showing a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on a package of the light emitting device.

  The light emitting device according to this modification is different from the light emitting device according to the third modification of the first embodiment in that the surface of the convex portion is substantially spherical.

  Referring to FIG. 11, in the third modification of the first embodiment, the surface of the protrusion is different from the flat surface. In this modification, the surface of the protrusion is substantially spherical. .

  As shown in FIG. 11, the light emitting device 201d according to the present modification has a convex portion 313 on the surface 301d of the flat package 246d, and the reference is the same as in the third modification of the first embodiment. One convex portion (first convex portion 313-1) and one convex portion on the same Y axis as the convex portion 313-1 (second convex portion) are formed on the surface 301d of the flat package 246d in the vicinity where the surfaces 320 and 321 intersect. , And one convex portion (third convex portion 313-3) is provided on the same Z axis as the convex portion 313-1.

  However, in the present modification, the convex portion 313 has a substantially spherical surface. Since the convex portion 313 has a substantially spherical surface, the position where the convex portion and the package come into contact with each other hardly changes, and highly accurate correction is possible.

  In this modification, the convex portion 313 is formed by applying a resin adhesive and has a substantially spherical surface utilizing surface tension. Although the material of the convex part 313 is not specifically limited, For example, a thermosetting epoxy resin adhesive can be used, and the formation method of the convex part 313 is not particularly limited, for example, A method of applying a thermosetting epoxy resin with a dispenser can be used.

  In this case, the height of the convex portion 313 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of application of the resin adhesive. Accordingly, as in the first modification of the first embodiment, the height difference between the third convex portion 313-3 and the second convex portion 313-2 with respect to the first convex portion 313-1 is adjusted. Thus, the light beam emission direction can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  Moreover, the convex part 313 can also be adjusted by changing the position which apply | coats resin instead of adjusting the application quantity which applies a resin-type adhesive agent. In this case, as in the second modification of the first embodiment, the positions of the third convex portion 313-3 and the second convex portion 313-2 with respect to the first convex portion 313-1 are adjusted. By doing so, the emission direction of the light beam can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  Also in the present modification, as in the third modification of the first embodiment, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device can be corrected. In the multi-beam light source device including the light emitting device, However, the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens is uniform in each light emitting source.

  In this modification, an inorganic adhesive harder than the resin adhesive can be used instead of the resin adhesive.

  Moreover, in this modification, a convex part is formed by applying a thermosetting epoxy resin adhesive with a dispenser, but a paste solder which is a low melting point metal is printed with a metal mask and melted in a furnace. Thus, a convex portion having a spherical surface can be formed by utilizing the surface tension. The height difference of the convex portion can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness or the hole diameter of the metal mask. Furthermore, as a method of applying the paste-like solder, a known application method such as a dispenser or an ink jet can be used, and the height difference of the convex portion can be adjusted by adjusting the application amount.

Moreover, in this modification, the second convex part 313-2 on the same Y-axis and Z-axis as the first convex part 313-1 provided on the surface in the vicinity where two adjacent side surfaces of the package intersect, Although the 3rd convex part 313-3 is provided, even if the 2nd convex part 313-1 and the 3rd convex part 313-3 are not on the same axis as the 1st convex part 313-1, If it is on the package surface 301d, it can be provided at any location.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a multi-beam light source device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, a schematic configuration of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a light emitting device included in the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a main-scan sectional view showing the configuration of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing an enlarged portion from the base member to the biasing member of the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment.

  The multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment is different from the multi-beam light source device according to the first embodiment in that a convex portion is provided on the base member side on which the flat package abuts.

  12 to 15, in the first embodiment, a convex portion is provided on the surface of the flat package of the light emitting device, and the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device is corrected by the height difference. Unlike the above, in the multi-beam light source device 107a according to the present embodiment, a convex portion is provided on the base member 207a side with which the flat package 246e abuts, and the emission direction is corrected by the height difference.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the multi-beam light source device 107a includes a light emitting device 201e, a coupling lens 202, an aperture mirror 203, a converging lens 204, a light detection sensor 210, a control substrate 206, a base member 207a, and a holder member. The configuration of 208, the urging member 209, the bracket member 211, and the light beam splitting prism 108 is the same as in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the light emitting device 201e includes a light emitting element array 245, a flat package 246e, and a glass window 247. The light emitting element array 245 is a surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245. This is the same as the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the multi-beam light source device 107a includes a holder member 208 that holds the coupling lens 202 and a base member 207a that holds the control board 206 on which the light emitting device 201e is mounted. It is the same as that of 1st Embodiment that it is set as the structure integrated by joining by the reference plane orthogonal to an axis | shaft, and screw fastening.

  The base member 207a and the holder member 208 are made of, for example, aluminum die cast or another material having substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient, and the base member 207a has an aperture for detecting the beam intensity from the light emitting device 201e. Similarly to the first embodiment, the mirror 205, the converging lens 204, and the mirror 205 for turning the beam back to the light detection sensor 210 mounted on the control board 206 are provided.

  However, the method of attaching the control board 206 to the base member 207a is different from that of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the control board 206 is attached to the base member 207a by providing a convex portion 330 on the attachment surface 221a (abutment surface 248a) formed on the base member 207a, and the flat package 246e of the light emitting device 201e. Of the light emitting device 201e, the two adjacent surfaces 320 and 321 are the predetermined reference surfaces. Positioning in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis by abutting against the side surface. Here, in the present embodiment, the contact surface 248a is slightly inclined from the mounting surface 248a, unlike the first embodiment. Further, the upper surface of the light detection sensor 210 is brought into contact with the mounting surface 222.

  Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the control board 206 is pressed from the back side by the leaf spring portion 220 of the urging member 209 formed of sheet metal, and three anchor portions (folded portions). The light emitting device 201e is positioned with respect to the base member 207a by fitting 218 into the hole 219 of the control board 206 and assembling the control board 206 in the arrow direction 223.

  As in the first embodiment, the base member 207 a is formed with three studs 216, penetrating through the through holes 217 formed in the control board 206, and attaching the biasing member 209 to the studs 216 with screws 232. The control board 206 is supported by fastening. Since the control board 206 is pressed from the back side by the urging member 209 and the control board 206 is not directly fastened to the base member 207a or the like, the light emitting device 201e is attached to the base member 207a without applying a load to the control board 206. It can be positioned and supported reliably.

  As in the first embodiment, the urging member 209 may be formed of a resin or the like as long as it is a material having elasticity, or an elastic member such as rubber may be sandwiched instead of the leaf spring portion. .

  The base member 207a assembled in this manner is integrated with the holder member 208 by joining the receiving surfaces with screws, as in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the coupling lens 202 is fixed to the cylindrical surface 230 formed on the holder member 208 with an adhesive filled in the gap with the edge portion, as in the first embodiment. The As shown in FIG. 13, in order to match the parallelism of the surface 250 orthogonal to the optical axis 251 of the coupling lens 202 and the arrangement surface of the light emitting device 201e, the arrangement of the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 of the light emitting device 201e in advance. An error in the parallelism between the surface and the surface 301e of the flat package 246e is measured, and as shown in FIG. 15, a convex portion 330 for correcting the error is provided on the mounting surface 221a formed on the base member 207a. The light emitting device 201e is mounted on the attachment surface 221a so that the convex portion 330 abuts the surface 301e side of the flat package 246e of the light emitting device 201e.

  By having the structure as described above, the position in the optical axis direction is determined, the emission direction of the light beam can be corrected, and the emission direction of the light beam can be orthogonal to the mounting surface 221a.

  Next, a light emitting device package included in the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  16 and 17 are diagrams for explaining the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment, and are perspective views showing a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on the mounting surface of the base member.

  Referring to FIG. 16, in the present embodiment, multi-beam light source device 107a has a convex portion 334 on mounting surface 221a of base member 207a.

  As for the convex part 334, three, 334-1, 334-2, and 334-3, are provided on the attachment surface 221a of the base member 207a. The three convex portions 334-1, 334-2, and 334-3 are dispersed on the mounting surface 221a so that any two convex portions 334 of the three convex portions 334 are spaced apart from each other by a substantially equal distance. The flat package 246e (shown in FIG. 2) is provided so that the center of gravity in plan view is in the vicinity of the approximate center of gravity of a triangle having the three convex portions 334 as apexes.

  When the convex portion 334 is provided so that the center of gravity of the flat package 246e and the center of gravity of the triangle having the three convex portions 334 as vertices substantially coincide with each other, the flat package 246e is a surface opposite to the surface 301e of the flat package 246e. When being pressed and fixed, it can be stably held anywhere near the center of the package.

  The convex portion 334 is configured by adhering a plate-like circular member having a length and width of 1 mm or less. Although the material of the convex part 334 is not specifically limited, The SUS (stainless steel) member produced by well-known methods, such as a punching process and an etching, can be used as a plate-shaped member. As described above, when SUS materials having different thicknesses are used in order to provide a difference in height, SUS members having various thicknesses can be used, and the thickness of the convex portion 312 in this case is particularly limited. Although it is not, it can adjust, for example between 40-120 micrometers.

  In this case, the material of the adhesive for bonding the plate-like member is not particularly limited, and for example, a thermosetting epoxy resin can be used. Further, for example, the thickness of the adhesive can be reduced to about 10 μm, and the variation in the thickness of the adhesive can be suppressed to 2 to 3 μm or less, so that the thickness of the adhesive is larger than the thickness of the SUS member. Variations in height are not a problem.

  Further, when the thickness of the convex portion 334 is further reduced, a nickel member or the like prepared in a state patterned in advance by an electrodeposition method can be used. The thickness of the convex portion 334 is, for example, 10 to 40 μm. Can be adjusted between.

  Here, the effect | action which correct | amends the angle difference of the optical axis of the light beam radiate | emitted from the light-emitting device 201e and the optical axis of the coupling lens 202 of the convex part 334 is demonstrated.

  The plane abutting against the three convex portions 334-1, 334-2, and 334-3 can be uniquely determined within a range in which the surface 301e of the flat package 246e does not contact the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a. The flat package 246e can be attached to the attachment surface 221a at an arbitrary angle. Here, the three convex portions 334 have an angle formed by a plane that contacts the three convex portions 334 and the mounting surface 221a such that the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e and the light of the coupling lens 202 It is provided so as to be equal to the angle of deviation from the shaft 251.

  Specifically, among the three protrusions 334, the position and height of the first protrusion 334-1 serving as a positioning reference, the position of the second protrusion 334-2, and the third protrusion 334-3. , The light emitting device 201e is brought into contact with the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a before the three convex portions 334 are formed, the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e, and the coupling The angle of deviation of the lens 202 from the optical axis 251 is measured, and the height of the second convex portion 334-2 and the height of the third convex portion 334-3 for correcting the angular difference are calculated. The three convex portions 334 having the determined position and height are formed on the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a.

  Or, among the three convex portions 334, the position and height of the first convex portion 334-1 serving as a positioning reference, the height of the second convex portion 334-2, and the height of the third convex portion 334-3. The light emitting device 201e is brought into contact with the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a before the three convex portions 334 are formed, the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e, and the coupling lens 202, the angle of deviation from the optical axis 251 of 202 is measured, the position of the second convex portion 334-2 and the position of the third convex portion 334-3 for correcting the angular difference are calculated and determined, Three convex portions 334 having the determined position and height are formed on the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a of the flat package 246e.

  As will be described later, since the plurality of light emitting sources of the light emitting device 201e are two-dimensionally arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with the number of arrays n and m, each light emitting source is an optical axis of the coupling lens 202. If they are not aligned within the plane 250 orthogonal to 251, the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is not uniform among the light emitting sources.

  However, in the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, since the three convex portions 334 are provided on the surface of the package, the emission direction can be corrected by the height difference.

Note that the positions of the convex portions 334 provided on the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a are dispersed so as to be spaced apart at substantially equal distances on the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a, and the center of gravity of the flat package 246e in plan view is 3 It is not particularly limited as long as it is provided so as to be in the vicinity of the approximate center of gravity of a triangle having two convex portions 334 as apexes. For example, it may be arranged as shown in FIG. Further, the height of the three convex portions 334 is not particularly limited as long as the mounting surface 221a of the base member 207a can be inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the optical axis, and each of the three convex portions 334 is not limited. The position and height difference may be combined in various ways.
(First Modification of Second Embodiment)
Next, a multi-beam light source apparatus according to a first modification of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 (a) and 18 (b).

  FIGS. 18A and 18B are views for explaining the multi-beam light source device according to the present modification, and schematically show a configuration in which convex portions are provided on the mounting surface of the base member. It is a top view and sectional drawing.

  The multi-beam light source device according to this modification is based on the second embodiment in that the convex portion is the tip of the screw and at least one of the screws is provided in a region near the corner on the mounting surface of the base member. This is different from the multi-beam light source device.

  Referring to FIG. 18, in the second embodiment, the convex portion is a plate-like rectangular member, and the center of gravity of the flat package in plan view is around the approximate center of gravity of a triangle having three convex portions as apexes. In this modification, the convex portion is the tip of a screw that penetrates the base member 207b, and at least one of the screws is on the mounting surface 221b of the base member 207b, and the light emitting device 201e. The flat package 246e is provided in a region corresponding to the vicinity of the corner of the surface.

  18 (a) and 18 (b), in this modification, three screw holes are provided in the mounting surface 221b of the base member 207b, and the screw 331 screwed into the three screw holes is used. Have. A screw groove is formed in the screw hole, and the screw 331 can move in the optical axis direction by screwing in and out. Moreover, the tip of the screw on the flat package side is spherical.

  In this modification, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the X-axis is the optical axis direction perpendicular to the mounting surface, and the mounting surface has sides parallel to the Y-axis and Z-axis directions. In 221b, when two adjacent surfaces among the side surfaces of the mounting surface 221b are set as the reference surfaces 340 and 341 as the positioning reference in the Y direction and the Z direction, the mounting surface 221 in the vicinity where the reference surfaces 340 and 341 intersect with each other One screw (first screw 331-1), one screw (second screw 331-2) on the same Y axis as the first screw 331-1, and the first screw 331-1 One screw (third screw 331-3) is provided on the same Z-axis.

  When the optical axis direction is corrected by rotating the contact surface about the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Y axis direction), the third screw 331-3 with respect to the tip of the first screw 331-1. Adjust the height difference of the tip. Similarly, when correcting the optical axis direction by rotating about the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Z axis direction), the second screw 331-2 relative to the tip of the first screw 331-1 is rotated. Adjust the height difference. As described above, the contact surface can be tilted in any direction with the two axes of the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Y axis direction) and the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the approximately Z axis direction) as the rotation center. The emission direction of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  In this modification, after the three screws 331 are provided and the light emitting device 201e is attached to the base member 207b, the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e and the optical axis of the coupling lens 202 are shifted. In order to correct the angle difference, the light of the light beam that is easily emitted from the light emitting device 201e can be obtained by screwing the three screws 331 and adjusting the height of the tip of the screw. The direction of the axis can be adjusted.

  Thereby, when the light emitting device 201e is attached to the attachment surface 221b of the base member 207b so as to abut on the abutment surface 248b formed at the tip of the screw 331 provided on the attachment surface 221b of the base member 207b, The optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e and the optical axis of the coupling lens 202 are parallel, and the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is uniform in each light emitting source.

  As described above, in the multi-beam light source device according to this modification, one screw is provided in the area near the corner, and the height difference can be adjusted one by one in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions from the one screw. By providing a simple screw on the mounting surface of the base member, it is possible to incline arbitrarily in the rotational direction around the Y axis and the Z axis, and as with the multi-beam light source device according to the second embodiment, The exit direction of the beam can be corrected.

In this modification, one of the three convex portions is provided at a location corresponding to a region near the corner (a surface in the vicinity of two intersecting side surfaces present in the direction perpendicular to the package surface). The two convex portions are also regions near another corner separated from one convex portion provided in a location corresponding to the region near the corner in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions (the vicinity where two other side surfaces intersect) Can be provided at a location corresponding to the surface).
(Second modification of the second embodiment)
Next, a multi-beam light source apparatus according to a second modification of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 (a) and 19 (b).

  FIG. 19A and FIG. 19B are diagrams for explaining the multi-beam light source device according to this modification, and schematically show a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on the mounting surface of the base member. It is a top view and sectional drawing.

  The multi-beam light source device according to this modification is a combination of two screws and a nut in which two of the three screws are locked through a through groove formed in the mounting surface of the base member. This is different from the multi-beam light source device according to the first modification of the second embodiment.

  19A and 19B, in the first modification of the second embodiment, three screw holes are provided in the mounting surface 221b of the base member 207b, and three screws are provided. In this modification, the screw holes of two of the three screws 332-2 and 332-3 are formed in place of the screw holes. It is a through groove, and its two screws 332-2 and 332-3 are locked by a combination of a screw and a nut.

  Referring to FIGS. 19A and 19B, in this modification, one screw hole is provided in a region corresponding to the vicinity of the corner of the surface of the package on the mounting surface 221c of the base member 207c. The first screw 332-1 is screwed together, and two through grooves extending in the respective axial directions from the screw hole in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction are provided, and the second screw 332-2 and the third screw 332-3 are locked to the through groove so as to sandwich the base member 207c in a state of penetrating the through groove by a combination of a screw and a nut. A screw groove is formed in the screw hole, and the first screw 332-1 can move in the direction of the optical axis by being screwed out. Further, by loosening the nut, the second screw 32-2 and the third screw 332-3 can move in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. The tip of the three screws on the flat package side is spherical.

  In this modification, as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the mounting surface having the X axis as the optical axis direction perpendicular to the mounting surface and having sides parallel to the Y axis and Z axis directions. In 221c, when two adjacent surfaces among the side surfaces of the mounting surface 221c are set as the reference surfaces 340 and 341 as the positioning reference in the Y direction and the Z direction, the mounting surface 221 in the vicinity of the intersection of the reference surfaces 340 and 341 One screw (first screw 332-1), one screw (second screw 332-2) on the same Y axis as the first screw 332-1, and the first screw 332-1 One screw (third screw 332-3) is provided on the same Z-axis.

  When the optical axis direction is corrected by rotating the contact surface about the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the approximate Y axis direction), the bolt of the third screw 331-3 is loosened, and in the through groove This is done by changing the position of the third screw 331-3. Similarly, when the optical axis direction is corrected by rotating about the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Z axis direction), the bolt of the second screw 331-2 is loosened, This is done by changing the position of the second screw 333-2. As described above, the contact surface can be tilted in any direction with the two axes of the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Y axis direction) and the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the approximately Z axis direction) as the rotation center. The emission direction of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  In this modification, after the three screws 332 are provided and the light emitting device 201e is attached to the base member 207c, the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e and the optical axis of the coupling lens 202 are shifted. In order to correct the angle difference, the first screw 332-1 is screwed in and the height of the tip of the screw is adjusted, and the second screw 332-2 and the third screw 332 are adjusted. By adjusting the position of -3, the direction of the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e can be easily adjusted.

  Accordingly, when the light emitting device 201e is attached to the attachment surface 221c of the base member 207c so as to abut on the contact surface formed by the tip of the screw 332 provided on the attachment surface 221c of the base member 207c, the light emission is performed. The optical axis of the light beam emitted from the device 201e and the optical axis of the coupling lens 202 are parallel, and the focusing state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is uniform in each light emitting source.

As described above, in the multi-beam light source device according to the present modification, one screw is provided in a region near the corner portion, and the position can be adjusted one by one in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions from the one screw. By providing the screw on the mounting surface of the base member, it can be arbitrarily tilted in the rotation direction around the Y-axis and the Z-axis, and similarly to the multi-beam light source device according to the second embodiment, the light beam The injection direction can be corrected.
(Third Modification of Second Embodiment)
Next, a multi-beam light source device according to a third modification of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the multi-beam light source device according to this modification, and is a perspective view showing a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on the mounting surface of the base member.

  The multi-beam light source device according to the present modification relates to the second embodiment in that at least one of the convex portions is provided in a region near the corner portion on the mounting surface of the base member, and the convex portion is rectangular. Different from the multi-beam light source device.

  Referring to FIG. 20, in the second embodiment, the center of gravity of the package in plan view is in the vicinity of the approximate center of gravity of a triangle having three convex portions as vertices, and the convex portion is circular in plan view. In the present modification, at least one of the convex portions is provided on the mounting surface 221d of the base member 207d and in a region corresponding to the vicinity of the corner of the surface of the package of the light emitting device 201e. Is rectangular in plan view.

  In the present modification, the base member 207d has a convex portion 333 on the mounting surface 221d, as shown in FIG. In the mounting surface 221d having the X-axis as the optical axis direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 221d and having sides parallel to the Y-axis and Z-axis directions, adjacent to the side surfaces of the mounting surface as positioning reference in the Y-direction and Z-direction. When the two surfaces are set as the reference surfaces 340 and 341, the same mounting surface 221 d that intersects the reference surfaces 340 and 341 as one protrusion (first protrusion 333-1) and the protrusion 333-1. One convex part (second convex part 333-2) is provided on the Y axis, and one convex part (third convex part 333-3) is provided on the same Z axis as the convex part 333-1.

  In the case where the optical axis direction is corrected by rotating the contact surface about the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the approximate Y axis direction), the third convex portion 333-3 with respect to the first convex portion 333-1. Adjust the height difference. Similarly, when the optical axis direction is corrected by rotating the contact surface about the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Z axis direction), the second convex portion with respect to the first convex portion 333-1. Adjust the height difference of 333-2. As described above, the contact surface can be tilted in any direction with the two axes of the Y axis (or the rotation axis in the substantially Y axis direction) and the Z axis (or the rotation axis in the approximately Z axis direction) as the rotation center. The emission direction of the light beam emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  The convex portion 333 is configured by adhering a plate-like rectangular member of 1 mm or less in length and width, except that a rectangular member is used in this modification instead of the circular member in the second embodiment. The material of the convex part 333, the manufacturing method, and the material of the adhesive are the same as those in the second embodiment.

  In this modification, the position and height of the first convex portion 333-1 serving as a positioning reference, the position of the second convex portion 333-2, and the position of the third convex portion 33-3 are determined in advance, and light emission is performed. The device 201e is attached to the attachment surface 221d of the base member 207d before the three convex portions 333 are formed, and the deviation between the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e and the optical axis 251 of the coupling lens 202 is eliminated. The angle is measured, the height of the second convex portion 333-2 and the height of the third convex portion 333-3 for correcting the angular difference are calculated and determined, and the determined position and height Are formed on the attachment surface 221d of the base member 207d.

  Alternatively, of the three convex portions 333, the position and height of the first convex portion 333-1 serving as a positioning reference, the height of the second convex portion 333-2, and the height of the third convex portion 333-3 The light emitting device 201e is attached to the attachment surface 221d of the base member 207d before the three convex portions 333 are formed, the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device 201e, and the coupling lens 202 The angle of deviation from the optical axis 251 is measured and determined by calculating the position of the second convex part 333-2 and the position of the third convex part 333-3 for correcting the angular difference. Three convex portions 333 having different positions and heights are formed on the mounting surface 221d of the base member 207d of the flat package 246e.

  As will be described later, since the plurality of light emitting sources of the light emitting device 201e are two-dimensionally arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with the number of arrays n and m, each light emitting source is an optical axis of the coupling lens 202. If they are not aligned within the plane 250 orthogonal to 251, the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is not uniform among the light emitting sources.

However, in the multi-beam light source device according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, since the three convex portions 333 are provided on the surface of the package, the emission direction can be corrected by the height difference.
(Fourth modification of the second embodiment)
Next, a multi-beam light source device according to a fourth modification of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the multi-beam light source device according to this modification, and is a perspective view showing a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on the mounting surface of the base member.

  The multi-beam light source device according to this modification is different from the multi-beam light source device according to the third modification of the second embodiment in that the convex portion is not a rectangular shape but a disk shape.

  Referring to FIG. 21, in the third modified example of the second embodiment, the convex portion is different from a rectangle, and in the present modified example, the convex portion has a disk shape.

  In this modification, the base member 207e has a convex portion 334 on the mounting surface 221e, as shown in FIG. The mounting surface 221e having the X axis as the optical axis direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 221e and having sides parallel to the Y axis and Z axis directions is adjacent to the side surface of the mounting surface as a positioning reference in the Y direction and Z direction. When the two surfaces are the reference surfaces 340 and 341, the same mounting surface 221 e in the vicinity where the reference surfaces 340 and 341 intersect is the same as the one protruding portion (first protruding portion 334-1) and the protruding portion 334-1. One convex part (second convex part 311-2) is provided on the Y axis, and one convex part (third convex part 334-3) is provided on the same Z axis as the convex part 311-1. This is the same as the third modification of the second embodiment.

  Further, similarly to the third modification of the second embodiment, the height difference between the third convex portion 334-3 and the second convex portion 334-2 with respect to the first convex portion 334-1 is adjusted. Thus, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245 can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction. Alternatively, the light beam emitted from the surface-emitting type semiconductor laser array 245 can also be obtained by adjusting the positions of the third convex portion 334-3 and the second convex portion 334-2 with respect to the first convex portion 334-1. The injection direction can be adjusted to an arbitrary direction.

  However, in this modification, the convex part 334 is configured by adhering a disk-shaped member having a length and width of 1 mm or less. Since the convex part 334 is not rectangular but disk-shaped, it is not necessary to adjust the direction of the shape when the convex part 334 is installed. Other than that, the material of the convex portion 334, the manufacturing method, and the material of the adhesive are the same as those in the third modification of the second embodiment.

Also in the present modification, as in the third modification of the second embodiment, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device can be corrected. In the multi-beam light source device including this light emitting device, In addition, the focused state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens can be made uniform in each light emitting source.
(Fifth modification of the second embodiment)
Next, a multi-beam light source device according to a fifth modification of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the multi-beam light source device according to this modification, and is a perspective view showing a configuration in which a convex portion is provided on the mounting surface of the base member.

  The multi-beam light source device according to this modification is different from the multi-beam light source device according to the fourth modification of the second embodiment in that the surface of the convex portion is substantially spherical.

  Referring to FIG. 22, in the fourth modification of the second embodiment, the surface of the protrusion is different from the flat surface. In this modification, the surface of the protrusion is substantially spherical. .

  In this modification, the base member 207f has a convex portion 335 on the attachment surface 221f, as shown in FIG. Similar to the fourth modified example of the second embodiment, one convex portion (first convex portion 335-1) and convex portion 335- are formed on the mounting surface 221f in the vicinity where the reference surfaces 340 and 341 intersect. 1 convex portion (second convex portion 311-2) on the same Y axis as 1, and one convex portion (third convex portion 335-3) on the same Z axis as the convex portion 335-1 It is done.

  However, in the present modification, the convex portion 335 has a substantially spherical surface. Since the convex portion 335 has a substantially spherical surface, the position where the convex portion comes into contact with the package hardly changes, and high-precision correction is possible.

  In this modification, the convex portion 335 is formed by applying a resin-based adhesive as in the fourth modification of the first embodiment, and the surface is made into a substantially spherical shape by utilizing surface tension. I have to. Although the material of the convex part 335 is not specifically limited, For example, a thermosetting epoxy resin adhesive can be used, and the formation method of the convex part 335 is not particularly limited, for example. A method of applying a thermosetting epoxy resin with a dispenser can be used.

  The height of the convex portion 335 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of application of the resin-based adhesive, and instead of adjusting the amount of application of the resin-based adhesive, the resin Similar to the fourth modification of the first embodiment, the application position can be changed and adjusted.

  Therefore, also in this modification, the emission direction of the light beam emitted from the light emitting device can be corrected, and even in the multi-beam light source device including this light emitting device, the focusing state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens can be changed. Each light source can be uniform.

  In this modification, an inorganic adhesive harder than the resin adhesive can be used instead of the resin adhesive.

  In addition, as in the fourth modification of the first embodiment, in this modification, the convex portion is formed by applying a thermosetting epoxy resin adhesive with a dispenser, which is a low melting point metal. By printing paste solder with a metal mask and melting it in a furnace, it is possible to use the surface tension to form a convex portion having a spherical surface. The height difference of the convex portion can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness or the hole diameter of the metal mask. Furthermore, as a method of applying the paste-like solder, a known application method such as a dispenser or an ink jet can be used, and the height difference of the convex portion can be adjusted by adjusting the application amount.

Moreover, in this modification, other convex parts 335-2 and 335-3 are provided on the same Y axis and Z axis as the convex part 335-1 provided on the surface in the vicinity where two adjacent side surfaces of the package intersect. Although the protrusions 335-2 and 335-3 are not on the same axis as the protrusion 335-1, the protrusions 335-2 and 335-3 can be provided at any location on the package surface 301e.
(Third embodiment)
Next, a multi-beam scanning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment is a multi-beam scanning device using the multi-beam light source device according to the first embodiment.

  FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment includes four photosensitive drums 101, 102, 103, 104, polygon mirror 106, light source units 107, 109, light beam splitting prisms 108, 110, Cylinder lenses 113, 114, 115, 116 and liquid crystal deflecting elements 117, 118 are included. Reference numeral 105 denotes a moving direction of the transfer body.

  The multi-beam scanning device shown in FIG. 23 is an embodiment of an optical scanning device that scans four stations. That is, the multi-beam scanning device shown in FIG. 23 scans a plurality of light beams corresponding to four stations from the multi-beam light source device with a single polygon mirror, and deflects and scans them in opposite directions. It has a configuration of an optical scanning unit integrated so as to scan each photosensitive drum.

  The four photosensitive drums 101, 102, 103, and 104 are arranged at equal intervals along the moving direction 105 of the transfer body, and sequentially transfer and superimpose different color toner images to form a color image.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the optical scanning device that scans each of the photosensitive drums 101 to 104 is integrally configured, and each optical beam is scanned by a polygon mirror 106 configured in two stages.

  Each of the light source units 107 and 109 is provided for each of two stations that scan in the same direction. The light beam splitting prisms 108 and 110 are used to split the light beam into two upper and lower stages corresponding to the upper and lower surfaces of the polygon mirror 106. Then, an image corresponding to each station is formed alternately on each photosensitive drum. The light source units 107 and 109 are multi-beam light source devices according to the first embodiment.

  The light source units 107 and 109, the fθ lenses 120 and 121 and the toroidal lenses 124 and 125 constituting the imaging optical system are arranged symmetrically with respect to a symmetry plane including the rotation axis of the polygon mirror 106 and parallel to the photosensitive drum axis. The light beams from the multi-beam light source devices 107 and 109 are deflected in opposite directions by the polygon mirror 106 and guided to the photosensitive drums 101 to 104, respectively.

  Therefore, the scanning direction at each station is the opposite direction between the opposing photosensitive drums, and the width of the recording area, in other words, the magnification in the main scanning direction is adjusted, so that one scanning start end and the other scanning end are An electrostatic image is written so as to match.

  FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment, and is a diagram schematically showing the arrangement of light emitting sources of a surface emitting semiconductor laser array stored in the light emitting device.

  In FIG. 24, symbol d is the distance between the light emitting sources, m is the number of rows in the sub-scanning direction, n is the number of columns in the main scanning direction, p is the scanning line pitch in the sub-scanning direction, and βs is the sub-scanning magnification of the entire optical system. Γ represents an angle formed by the arrangement direction of the light sources and the main scanning direction.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, each photoconductor is arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix of n columns × m rows arranged at equal intervals d as shown in FIG. By providing a surface emitting semiconductor laser array having a single light source and tilting the entire multi-beam light source device by γ, a scanning line in which the pitch p between the beam spots on the photosensitive drum corresponds to the recording density. The inclination is adjusted to match the pitch, and 32 lines are scanned simultaneously for each station.

  Here, when the sub-scan magnification βs of the entire optical system is used, the tilt amount γ is expressed by the following equation.

sin γ = (cos γ) / n = p / d · βs
Of course, the layout may be made in advance so that the arrangement direction of the light emitting sources is inclined by a predetermined angle at the stage of the processing process of the surface emitting semiconductor laser array.

  In the liquid crystal deflecting element 117, only the polarization component that matches the liquid crystal alignment direction is deflected, so that the polarization direction of the light source is aligned in one direction.

  The beam splitting prism 108 has a half mirror surface 241 and a mirror surface 242 parallel to the half mirror surface 241, and each of the plurality of beams 201 e from the multi-beam light source device 107 has a half light amount on the half mirror surface. The remaining ½ is transmitted and branched into two vertically, and the directions are aligned and emitted at a predetermined interval in the sub-scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the interval between the vertically branched portions is set to 6 mm together with the vertical interval between the polygon mirror 106 and the fθ lenses 120 and 121.

  The liquid crystal deflecting elements 117 are respectively provided above and below the exit surface of the light beam splitting prism 108. When a voltage is applied, a potential distribution is generated in the sub-scanning direction, the orientation of the liquid crystal is changed, and a refractive index distribution is generated to generate a light beam. The direction can be tilted, and the scanning position on the photosensitive drum surface can be varied according to the applied voltage.

  The cylinder lenses 113 and 114 are provided in two stages corresponding to each branched light beam, and one of them is attached so as to be rotatable around the optical axis, and adjusted so that the respective focal lines are parallel to each other. In this way, the light is incident on each of the polygon mirrors 106 formed in two stages at intervals of 6 mm in the sub-scanning direction. The cylinder lenses 113 and 114 have a positive curvature at least in the sub-scanning direction, and once converge the beam on the polygon mirror surface, the toroidal lenses 124 and 125, which will be described later, cause the deflection point and the surface of the photosensitive member to move. A surface tilt correction optical system having a conjugate relationship in the sub-scanning direction is formed.

  The polygon mirror 106 has four surfaces, and deflects and scans a plurality of beams from each light emitting source array in a lump by the same deflection surface. The phases of the upper and lower polygon mirrors 106 are shifted by 45 °, and the scanning of the light beam is alternately performed in the upper and lower stages.

  The imaging optical system includes fθ lenses 120 and 121 and toroidal lenses 124 and 125, both of which are formed by plastic molding. The fθ lens 120 emits a beam on the surface of the photoconductor as the polygon mirror 106 rotates in the main scanning direction. It has a non-circular arc shape with power so that it can move at a constant speed, and it is constructed in two layers stacked in one piece.

  The scanning beams that have passed through the toroidal lenses 124 and 125 are incident on the light detection sensors 138 and 140 disposed on the scanning start side and the light detection sensors 139 and 141 disposed on the scanning end side, respectively. On the basis of the detection signal, a synchronization detection signal is generated for each light source, and the writing start timing is taken.

  On the other hand, the detection signals of the light detection sensors 139 and 141 arranged on the scanning end side measure the difference in detection time of the light beams from the light detection sensors 138 and 140 arranged on the scanning start side, respectively, and set a predetermined reference. By changing the pixel clock that modulates each light source as compared with the value, the magnification deviation in the main scanning direction is corrected as will be described later.

  FIG. 25 shows a ray path in the sub-scan section.

  Each light beam emitted from the multi-light source in the light emitting device 201 is arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis 251 of the coupling lens 202. Each light beam converted into a parallel light beam by the coupling lens 202 is emitted from the multi-beam light source device 107, and then converges once in the vicinity of the rear focal point of the coupling lens 202, thereby widening the light beam interval in the main scanning direction. Then, the light is incident on the fθ lens 120 and is converged again in the vicinity of the polygon mirror deflection surface by the cylinder lenses 113 and 114 in the sub-scanning direction and is incident on the fθ lens 120.

  Further, as described above, the plurality of light beams from the multi-beam light source device 107 are bifurcated vertically by the light beam splitting prism 108 and guided to the photosensitive drum corresponding to each station.

  Beams 261 from a plurality of light emission sources emitted from the lower stage of the beam splitting prism 108 are deflected and scanned at the lower stage of the polygon mirror 106 via the cylinder lens 113, pass through the lower stage of the fθ lens 120, and then the toroidal lens by the return mirror 129. Then, the image is formed in a spot shape on the photosensitive drum 101 via the folding mirror 130, and a latent image corresponding to yellow image information is formed as a first image forming station.

  Beams 262 from a plurality of light sources emitted from the upper stage of the beam splitting prism 108 are deflected and scanned at the upper stage of the polygon mirror 106 via the cylinder lens 114, pass through the upper stage of the fθ lens 120, and then the toroidal lens by the return mirror 127. Then, the light is incident on 124 and imaged in a spot shape on the photosensitive drum 102 via the folding mirror 128, and a latent image corresponding to magenta image information is formed as a second image forming station.

  Similarly, at the stations facing each other, a plurality of light beams from the multi-beam light source device 109 are bifurcated up and down by the light beam splitting prism 110 and guided to the photosensitive drum corresponding to each station.

  Beams 263 from a plurality of light sources emitted from the lower stage of the beam splitting prism 110 are deflected and scanned at the lower stage of the polygon mirror 106 via the cylinder lens 115, pass through the lower stage of the fθ lens 121, and the toroidal lens by the folding mirror 132. Then, the light is incident on 126 and imaged in a spot shape on the photosensitive drum 104 via the folding mirror 133, and a latent image corresponding to black image information is formed as a fourth image forming station. Beams 264 from a plurality of light sources emitted from the upper stage of the beam splitting prism 110 are deflected and scanned by the upper stage of the polygon mirror 106 via the cylinder lens 116, and pass through the upper stage of the fθ lens 121 by the folding mirror 135. The light enters the toroidal lens 125, forms an image on the photosensitive drum 103 via the folding mirror 136, and forms a latent image corresponding to cyan image information as a third image forming station.

  In the multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment, the multi-beam light source device according to the first embodiment is used as the light source units 107 and 109. In the light source units 107 and 109, as shown in FIG. 2, three convex portions are provided on the surface 301 of the flat package 246, the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the surface emitting semiconductor laser array 245, and the coupling Correction is made so that the optical axis of the lens 202 is parallel.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 24, the plurality of light emitting sources of the light emitting device 201 are two-dimensionally arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with the number of arrays n and m, and thus are shown in FIG. As described above, if the light emitting sources are not aligned within the plane 250 orthogonal to the optical axis 251 of the coupling lens 202, the focusing state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 differs depending on each light emitting source, and the imaging position ( The beam waist position) deviates from the surface of the photoconductor, resulting in a deviation of the beam spot diameter, and periodic density unevenness occurs. Alternatively, image deterioration such as a change in color occurs depending on from which light source the first row is recorded.

  However, in the multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment, the light emission sources are aligned in the plane 250 orthogonal to the optical axis 251 of the coupling lens 202, so that the beam emitted from the coupling lens 202 is on the photoreceptor surface. In this case, the image forming position for image formation is not shifted, and periodic density unevenness does not occur.

In the multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment, the multi-beam light source device according to the first embodiment is used as the light source unit, but instead of the multi-beam light source device according to the first embodiment. When the multi-beam light source device according to the first to fourth modifications of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the first to fifth modifications of the second embodiment is used The same effect can be obtained.
(Fourth embodiment)
Next, an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus using the multi-beam scanning device according to the third embodiment.

  An image forming apparatus according to this embodiment includes an optical scanning device 900, a photosensitive drum 901, a charging charger 902, a developing roller 903, a toner cartridge 904, a cleaning case 905, a transfer belt 906, a paper feed tray 907, and a paper feed roller 908. A registration roller pair 909, a fixing roller 910, a paper discharge tray 911, and a paper discharge roller 912.

  Around the photosensitive drum 901, a charging charger 902 that charges the photosensitive member to a high voltage, a developing roller 903 that attaches the charged toner to the electrostatic latent image recorded by the optical scanning device 900, and visualizes the toner, a developing roller A toner cartridge 904 for replenishing toner and a cleaning case 905 for scraping and storing toner remaining on the drum are disposed. As described in the third embodiment, image recording is simultaneously performed on a plurality of lines (four lines in the third embodiment) on the photosensitive drum 901 by scanning each surface of the polygon mirror.

  The above-described image forming stations are arranged in parallel in the moving direction of the transfer belt 906, and yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images are sequentially transferred onto the transfer belt at appropriate timing, and are superimposed to form a color image. Each image forming station basically has the same configuration except that the toner color is different.

  On the other hand, the recording paper is supplied from the paper supply tray 907 by the paper supply roller 908, and is sent out by the registration roller pair 909 in accordance with the recording start timing in the sub-scanning direction. The color image is transferred from the transfer belt, and the fixing roller The image is fixed at 910 and discharged to a paper discharge tray 911 by a paper discharge roller 912.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 24, since the plurality of light emitting sources of the light emitting device 201 are two-dimensionally arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with the number of arrays n and m, each light emitting source is a cup. If they are not aligned within the plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the ring lens, the focusing state of the beam emitted from the coupling lens is different for each light source, and the imaging position (beam waist position) is shifted from the surface of the photoreceptor, Deviation of the beam spot diameter causes periodic density unevenness. Alternatively, image deterioration such as a change in color occurs depending on from which light source the first row is recorded.

  However, in the multi-beam scanning device according to the present embodiment, the light sources are aligned in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the coupling lens, so that the beam emitted from the coupling lens forms an image on the surface of the photoreceptor. The imaging position is not shifted and periodic density unevenness does not occur.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the multi-beam light source device according to the first embodiment is used as the light source unit of the multi-beam scanning device, but the multi-beam according to the first embodiment is used. Multi-beam light source devices according to first to fourth modified examples of the first embodiment, second embodiment, and first to fifth modified examples of the second embodiment instead of the light source device The same effect can be obtained when using.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Can be modified or changed.

  In the present invention, the number of the convex portions 311 to 313 and 331 to 335 is three in the best embodiment in order to uniquely determine a reference plane that can be brought into contact with the convex portions 311 to 313 and 331 to 335. If a convex part that does not protrude upward from a reference plane uniquely determined by one convex part is added, the number of convex parts can be four or more. If the function of the convex portion is substituted by contacting a part of the convex portion, the number of convex portions can be one or two.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a schematic configuration of a multi-beam light source device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows typically the structure of the light-emitting device contained in the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a main scanning sectional view showing a configuration of a multi-beam light source device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-beam light source device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which expands and shows the part from the base member of the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention to a biasing member. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the package of the light-emitting device. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the package of the light-emitting device. It is a figure for demonstrating the light-emitting device which concerns on the 1st modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the package of the light-emitting device. It is a figure for demonstrating the light-emitting device which concerns on the 2nd modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the package of the light-emitting device. It is a figure for demonstrating the light-emitting device which concerns on the 3rd modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the package of the light-emitting device. It is a figure for demonstrating the light-emitting device which concerns on the 4th modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the package of the light-emitting device. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows typically the structure of the light-emitting device contained in the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a main scanning sectional view showing the configuration of the multi-beam light source device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which expands and shows the part from the base member of the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention to a biasing member. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the attachment surface of the base member. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the attachment surface of the base member. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 1st modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a plane which shows typically the structure by which the convex part was provided on the attachment surface of the base member It is a figure and sectional drawing. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 2nd modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a plane which shows typically the structure by which the convex part was provided on the attachment surface of the base member It is a figure and sectional drawing. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 3rd modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the attachment surface of the base member. . It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 4th modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the attachment surface of the base member. . It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam light source device which concerns on the 5th modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the structure by which the convex part was provided on the attachment surface of the base member. . It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the multi-beam scanning apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam scanning apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows typically arrangement | positioning of the light emission source of the surface emitting semiconductor laser array stored in a light-emitting device. It is a figure for demonstrating the multi-beam scanning apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the path | route of the light ray in a subscanning cross section. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101-104 Photosensitive drum 105 Moving direction 106 Polygon mirrors 107, 109 Light source unit 108, 110 Light beam splitting prisms 113-116 Cylinder lenses 117, 118 Liquid crystal deflecting elements 201, 201a-201e Light emitting device 202 Coupling lens 203 Aperture mirror 204 Convergence Lens 206 Control board 207, 207a-207f Base member 208 Holder member 209 Energizing member 210 Photodetection sensors 221, 221a-221f Mounting surface 245 Light emitting element array (surface emitting semiconductor laser array)
246, 246a-246e Package (flat package)
247 Glass window 248, 248a Contact surface 301, 301a-301e Surface 311-313, 331-335 Protruding part 320, 321 Side surface

Claims (22)

A package in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged on the same plane, and each light emitting element array configured to emit a light beam perpendicular to the plane includes a lead terminal connected to the light emitting element array And a light-emitting device that is accommodated so as to emit a light beam perpendicular to an emission surface that is a main surface of the package and is a surface on the side from which the light beam is emitted,
In order to correct the optical axis direction of the light beam when the package is mounted in contact with the mounting member to which the light emitting device is mounted, the optical axis is provided at a plurality of locations on the surface of the package on the mounting member side. The light emitting device, wherein the plurality of convex portions having a height difference corresponding to an angle for correcting the direction are provided.   2. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is made of a plate-like member having a vertical and horizontal length of 1 mm or less in plan view.   The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a substantially circular shape in a plan view.   The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a substantially spherical surface.   The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is formed by curing an organic adhesive or an inorganic adhesive.   The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is formed by curing a low melting point metal. The package has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view,
The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the convex portions is provided in a region near a corner portion of the surface of the package. Three said convex parts are provided,
The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a center of gravity of the package in a plan view is in the vicinity of a substantially center of gravity of a triangle having the three convex portions as apexes. A light emitting device according to claim 1;
A coupling lens that converts the light beam emitted from the light emitting device into a parallel light beam or a light beam in a predetermined convergence state;
A multi-beam light source device comprising a mounting member for mounting the light emitting device and the coupling lens,
The mounting member has biasing means for biasing the light emitting device from the surface opposite to the mounting member side of the light emitting device toward the surface of the mounting member.
The multi-beam light source device, wherein the light emitting device is urged by the urging means to correct the optical axis direction. A package in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged on the same plane, and each light emitting element array configured to emit a light beam perpendicular to the plane includes a lead terminal connected to the light emitting element array A light-emitting device that is accommodated so as to emit a light beam perpendicular to an emission surface that is a main surface of the package and is a surface on the side from which the light beam is emitted;
A coupling lens that converts the light beam emitted from the light emitting device into a parallel light beam or a light beam in a predetermined convergence state;
A multi-beam light source device comprising a mounting member for mounting the light emitting device and the coupling lens,
The attachment member has urging means for urging the light emitting device from a surface opposite to the attachment member side of the light emitting device toward a surface on the attachment member side, and the package is applied to the attachment member. In order to correct the optical axis direction of the light beam when mounted in contact, the angle of the optical axis direction is corrected at a plurality of locations on the contact surface of the mounting member that is in contact with the package. The plurality of convex portions having a height difference are provided,
The multi-beam light source device, wherein the light emitting device is urged by the urging means to correct the optical axis direction.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 10, wherein the convex portion is provided so that a height of the convex portion can be adjusted.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 11, wherein the convex portion is a screw screwed to the attachment member, and a surface of the light emitting device on the attachment member side is brought into contact with a tip of the screw.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 10, wherein the convex portion is provided so as to be movable within a surface of the contact surface of the mounting member.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 10, wherein the convex portion is formed of a plate-like member having a vertical and horizontal length of 1 mm or less in plan view.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 10, wherein the convex portion has a substantially circular shape in plan view.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 10, wherein the convex portion has a substantially spherical surface.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 10, wherein the convex portion is formed by curing an organic adhesive or an inorganic adhesive.   The multi-beam light source device according to claim 10, wherein the convex portion is formed by curing a low melting point metal. The package has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view,
19. At least one of the convex portions is provided on a region of the contact surface of the mounting member that is in contact with the vicinity of a corner of the surface of the light emitting device. The multi-beam light source device according to one item. Three said convex parts are provided,
The center of gravity of the package in contact with the convex portion in plan view is in the vicinity of the approximate center of gravity of a triangle having the three convex portions as apexes. Multi-beam light source device. The multi-beam light source device according to any one of claims 9 to 20,
Deflection means for deflecting the plurality of light beams emitted from the multi-beam light source device;
A multi-beam scanning device comprising: an imaging optical system that forms an image of the deflected light beam on a surface to be scanned. A multi-beam scanning device according to claim 21;
An image carrier that forms an electrostatic latent image with the plurality of light beams;
Developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image formed by the image carrier with toner;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the toner image developed by the developing unit onto a recording sheet.

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