JP2017154334A - Exposure device, image forming apparatus, and method for manufacturing exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposure device having a lens array, the slope of which can be corrected, favorably arranged therein.SOLUTION: An exposure device 30 includes a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting an optical axis, a lens array 32 forming a longitudinal shape in the same direction as a direction in which the plurality of light sources are arranged side by side, and a holder 40 provided with a through hole 42 into which the lens array 32 is inserted. Two outer surfaces 32b extending in a longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 and respectively directed toward opposite sides and an opposite surface 42a provided on an inner surface of the through hole 42 and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 are individually made to adhere to each other with adhesives while adhesion conditions respectively related to the two outer surfaces 32b differ from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an image forming apparatus including the exposure apparatus, and a method for manufacturing the exposure apparatus.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an exposure apparatus is used to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photosensitive drum. As a light source of an exposure apparatus, a plurality of solid light emitting elements such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and organic EL elements (Organic Light Emitting Diodes, OLEDs, organic LEDs) arranged in one direction in a single row or a staggered pattern is known. ing. Such an exposure apparatus is low in noise because there is no mechanical operation as compared with an apparatus that deflects and scans light using a rotary polygon mirror (polygon mirror), and the distance from the light source to the photosensitive member is short. This is advantageous because it can save space. An example of a conventional technique of an exposure apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  The exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a substrate on which a plurality of LEDs arranged in one direction are mounted, a lens array provided with a plurality of rod lenses arranged in the same direction as the LEDs, and a through-hole. A hole is provided, and a housing to which the substrate and the lens array are fixed is provided at both ends of the through hole. An adhesive is used to fix the lens array to the housing.

  Here, in the exposure apparatus, if the position or tilt of the lens array changes even slightly, the shape of the beam irradiated on the surface of the photoreceptor changes greatly. In particular, the rotation (tilt) around the axis parallel to the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements of the lens array has a great influence on the image quality, and the allowable range of the tilt of the optical axis is very narrow. Therefore, when the inclination of the optical axis of the lens array becomes relatively large due to shrinkage variation at the time of curing due to uneven thickness of the adhesive used to fix the lens array or creep deformation of the adhesive over time, There has been a problem that there is a possibility that the image quality may be deteriorated.

  In order to solve such a problem, the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 forms the casing so that the width of the through hole into which the lens array provided in the casing is inserted is narrower than the width of the lens array. The lens array is inserted by elastically deforming and expanding the through hole. Thus, the lens array is sandwiched between the casings using the restoring force of the casing. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the optical axis of the lens array from being inclined, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in image quality.

JP 2014-94472 A

  When the restoring force of the housing is used as in the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the thickness unevenness of the adhesive may be reduced. However, there is a possibility that the restoring force of the housing around the lens array may become non-uniform due to a processing error of the housing, and there is a problem that the tilt of the lens array is generated due to an adverse effect of the restoring force. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides an exposure apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a manufacturing method of the exposure apparatus that can correct the tilt of the lens array and in which the lens array is suitably arranged. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above problems, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting an optical axis and a plurality of lens members arranged in the same direction as the direction in which the plurality of light sources are arranged. A lens array for forming an image of light emitted from the light source and a holder provided with a through-hole into which the lens array is inserted, extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array and opposite to each other The two outer surfaces facing the side and the opposing surfaces provided on the inner surface of the through-hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array are individually bonded with an adhesive, and the two outer surfaces are bonded. The conditions are different from each other.

  According to this configuration, there is a difference in shrinkage force when the adhesive applied to each of the two outer surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is cured. This corrects the tilt of the lens array that may occur when the lens array is inserted into the through hole of the holder.

  In the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the bonding condition is at least one of the number of bonding locations, the amount of the adhesive applied, and the type of the adhesive.

  Further, in the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the facing surface is in contact with the outer surface of the lens array, and the lens is adjacent to the contact portion in the optical axis direction and is separated from the contact portion in the optical axis direction. And an inclined portion having an inclination separated from the outer surface of the array, and the adhesive is applied to the inclined portion.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting the optical axis and a plurality of lens members arranged in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged in the longitudinal direction. And a holder provided with a through-hole into which the lens array is inserted, the method comprising: When two outer surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction and facing each other and an opposing surface provided on the inner surface of the through-hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array are individually bonded with an adhesive, they 2 A bonding step of bonding the two outer surfaces with different bonding conditions.

  Further, in the method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, in the bonding step, the first bonding condition related to the two outer surfaces of the lens array is made the same as each other, and then the inclination amount of the optical axis of the lens array and The tilt direction is measured, and the second bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces of the lens array are made different from each other based on the tilt amount and the tilt direction.

  Further, in the method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, after the lens array is inserted into the through hole in the bonding step, the tilt amount and the tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array are measured and bonded before the bonding. It is characterized in that bonding is performed with different bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces of the lens array based on the amount and the tilt direction.

  Further, in the exposure apparatus manufacturing method having the above-described configuration, in the bonding step, the lens array is inserted into the through hole in a state where the inclination of the lens array is regulated using an adjustment jig, and the regulation by the adjustment jig. After canceling, the tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array are measured.

  Further, in the method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, in the bonding step, the two outer surfaces of the lens array are formed on the two outer surfaces of the lens array based on recorded information measured in advance with respect to the tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array. The bonding is performed by making the bonding conditions different from each other.

  In the exposure apparatus manufacturing method having the above-described configuration, the bonding condition is at least one of the number of bonding locations, the amount of the adhesive applied, and the type of the adhesive.

  Further, in the method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the facing surface is adjacent to the contact portion in the optical axis direction and contacts the outer surface of the lens array, and is separated from the contact portion in the optical axis direction. And an inclined portion having an inclination separated from the outer surface of the lens array, and the adhesive is applied to the inclined portion.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to make a difference in the shrinkage force when the adhesive applied to each of the two outer surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is cured. Therefore, it is possible to correct the tilt of the lens array that may occur when the lens array is inserted into the through hole of the holder. Then, it is possible to provide an exposure apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and an exposure apparatus manufacturing method in which a lens array is suitably arranged.

1 is a partial vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the exposure apparatus of the image formation part of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the periphery of the light source substrate of the exposure apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a top view of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view which shows the location of the base adhesive of the lens array of the exposure apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view which shows the location of the additional adhesive agent of the lens array of the exposure apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view which shows the location of the adhesive agent of the lens array of the exposure apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical cross section which shows the 1st step of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical cross section which shows the 2nd step of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical cross section which shows the 3rd step of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following contents.

<First Embodiment>
First, an image output operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described while explaining the outline of the structure with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an example of a partial vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus. In the figure, a two-dot chain line with an arrow indicates a sheet conveyance path and a conveyance direction. In addition, the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the paper depth direction in FIG. 1 are the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the depth direction of the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called tandem type color copier, and an image reading unit 2 that reads an image of a document on a main body casing 1a, and prints the read image on a transfer material such as paper. A printing unit 3 that performs printing, an operation unit 4 for inputting printing conditions and displaying an operation status, and a main control unit 5.

  The image reading unit 2 is a known unit that reads an image of a document placed on the upper surface of a platen glass (not shown) by moving a scanner (not shown). An image of a document is separated into three colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and is converted into an electrical signal by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor (not shown). Accordingly, the image reading unit 2 obtains image data for each color of red (R), green (G), and blue (B).

  The image data for each color obtained by the image reading unit 2 is subjected to various processes in the main control unit 5, and image data for each reproduction color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). And stored in a memory (not shown) of the main control unit 5. The image data for each reproduction color stored in the memory is subjected to a process for correcting misregistration, and then is scanned for each scanning line in synchronism with the conveyance of the sheet in order to perform optical scanning on the photosensitive drum 21 which is an image carrier. Is read out.

  The printing unit 3 forms an image by an electrophotographic method, and transfers the image to a sheet or the like. The printing unit 3 includes an intermediate transfer belt 11 in which an intermediate transfer member is formed as an endless belt. The intermediate transfer belt 11 is wound around a driving roller 12, a tension roller 13 and a driven roller 14. A tension is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 11 by urging the tension roller 13 upward in FIG. 1 by a spring (not shown). The intermediate transfer belt 11 is rotated by the driving roller 12 counterclockwise in FIG.

  The driving roller 12 is pressed and brought into contact with the secondary transfer roller 15 facing the intermediate transfer belt 11. At the position of the driven roller 14, an intermediate transfer cleaning unit 16 provided so as to face the driven roller 14 with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween contacts the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. After the toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transferred to the paper P, the intermediate transfer cleaning unit 16 removes and removes deposits such as toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  Below the intermediate transfer belt 11, image forming units 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K corresponding to reproduction colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are provided. In this description, the description of the identification symbols “Y”, “M”, “C”, and “K” is omitted unless it is particularly limited, and is generically referred to as “image forming unit 20”, for example. Sometimes. The four image forming units 20 are arranged in a line along the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction. The four image forming units 20 have the same configuration, and the charging unit 22, the exposure device 30, the developing unit 24, the drum cleaning unit 25, and the like around the photosensitive drum 21 that rotates clockwise in FIG. A primary transfer roller 26 is provided (see FIG. 2).

  Above the intermediate transfer belt 11, toner bottles 71 and toner hoppers 72 corresponding to the four image forming units 20 of each reproduction color are provided. The developing unit 24 and the toner hopper 72 are provided with a remaining amount detection unit (not shown) that detects the remaining amount of toner in each of them. Further, a toner replenishing device (not shown) is provided between the developing unit 24 and the toner hopper 72 and between the toner hopper 72 and the toner bottle 71, respectively. When the remaining amount detection unit detects a decrease in the remaining amount of toner in the developing unit 24, the replenishing device is driven to replenish toner from the toner hopper 72 to the developing unit 24. Further, when a decrease in the remaining amount of toner in the toner hopper 72 is detected by the remaining amount detection unit, the replenishing device is driven to replenish toner from the toner bottle 71 to the toner hopper 72. The toner bottle 71 is detachably attached to the main body housing 1a, and can be replaced with a new one as appropriate.

  A paper supply device 81 is provided below the four image forming units 20. The paper supply device 81 stacks and accommodates a plurality of papers P therein, and the supply unit 82 sends out the papers P one by one to the paper transport path Q in order from the uppermost paper in the paper bundle. The paper P sent out from the paper supply device 81 to the paper transport path Q reaches the position of the registration roller pair 84. Then, the registration roller pair 84 corrects the skew feeding of the paper P (skew correction) and synchronizes with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11 so as to contact the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 15 (secondary transfer). The paper P is sent out toward the nip portion.

  In the image forming unit 20, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by the light emitted from the exposure device 30, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing unit 24. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is primarily transferred onto the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 at a location where the photosensitive drum 21 faces the primary transfer roller 26 with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween. The toner images of the image forming units 20 are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11 at a predetermined timing along with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11, so that yellow, magenta, cyan, black on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. A color toner image is formed by superimposing the four color toner images.

  The color toner image primarily transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is formed by contacting the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 15 on the paper P sent in synchronization by the registration roller pair 84. The secondary transfer nip is transferred.

  A fixing portion 85 is provided above the secondary transfer nip portion. The sheet P on which the unfixed toner image is transferred at the secondary transfer nip is sent to the fixing unit 85 and is sandwiched between the heating roller and the pressure roller, and the toner image is heated and pressed to be fixed on the sheet P. The The paper P that has passed through the fixing unit 85 is discharged to a paper discharge unit 86 provided above the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  The operation unit 4 is provided on the front side of the image reading unit 2. The operation unit 4 inputs settings such as printing conditions such as the type and size of paper P used for printing by the user, enlargement / reduction, and presence / absence of double-sided printing, and settings such as a fax number and a sender name in facsimile transmission. Accept. In addition, the operation unit 4 also serves as a notification unit for notifying the user of the status, cautions, error message, and the like of the device on the display unit 4w.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a main control unit 5 composed of a CPU (not shown), an image processing unit, and other electronic parts (not shown) for overall operation control. The main control unit 5 uses a central processing unit (CPU) and an image processing unit to control components such as the image reading unit 2 and the printing unit 3 on the basis of programs and data stored and input in a memory. Image forming operation and printing operation are realized.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the image forming unit 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of the image forming unit 20. 2 are the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the depth direction of the image forming apparatus 1 and the image forming unit 20, respectively. Further, as described above, since the image forming units 20 of the four colors have the same structure, description of “Y”, “M”, “C”, and “K” identification symbols is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 20 includes a photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier at the center thereof. In the vicinity of the photosensitive drum 21, a charging unit 22, an exposure device 30, a developing unit 24, and a drum cleaning unit 25 are sequentially arranged along the rotation direction. The primary transfer roller 26 is provided between the developing unit 24 and the drum cleaning unit 25 along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. A neutralization device (not shown) is disposed downstream of the drum cleaning unit 25 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

  The photosensitive drum 21 extends in the paper width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction of the image forming apparatus 1, that is, the paper surface depth direction in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is arranged with its axis direction horizontal. The photosensitive drum 21 is an inorganic photosensitive drum in which a photosensitive layer of an inorganic photoconductive material is provided on the outside of a conductive roller-shaped substrate made of, for example, aluminum. The photosensitive drum 21 is rotated clockwise by a driving device (not shown) so that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially the same as the paper conveyance speed.

  The charging unit 22 includes a charging roller 22 a that contacts the photosensitive drum 21. The charging roller 22 a contacts the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressure, and rotates according to the rotation of the photosensitive drum 21. By this charging roller 22a, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged with a predetermined negative polarity potential.

  The exposure device 30 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 with light L modulated based on image data to be formed. As a result, the potential charged by the charging unit 22 is partially attenuated and an electrostatic latent image of the original image is formed. The detailed configuration of the exposure apparatus 30 will be described later.

  The developing unit 24 includes a developing roller 24a that is a developing member. The developing roller 24 a is disposed so that its peripheral surface is close to and faces the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The toner of the developer is charged by the developing unit 24 and supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to develop the electrostatic latent image. The developing unit 24 uses, for example, a two-component developer obtained by mixing nonmagnetic toner particles and a magnetic carrier as a developer.

  The primary transfer roller 26 contacts the photosensitive drum 21 with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween. The primary transfer roller 26 contacts the intermediate transfer belt 11 with a predetermined pressure, and rotates according to the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11. A primary transfer bias having a polarity different from the charging polarity of the photosensitive drum 21 and the toner is applied to the primary transfer roller 26 as necessary.

  The drum cleaning unit 25 includes a cleaning roller 25 a that contacts the photosensitive drum 21. The cleaning roller 25 a comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressure, and is rotated by a driving device (not shown) so that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially the same as or slightly higher than the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 21. After the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductive drum 21 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11, the drum cleaning unit 25 removes and removes adherents such as toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductive drum 21.

  The static eliminator is disposed on the downstream side of the drum cleaning unit 25 along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. The static eliminator includes a plurality of LEDs arranged in the axial direction (paper width direction) of the photosensitive drum 21. The static eliminator irradiates the photosensitive drum 21 with the neutralizing light of the LED to remove the charged charge on the surface thereof, erases the electrostatic latent image, and prepares for the charging process in the next image forming operation.

  Next, the configuration of the exposure apparatus 30 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the exposure apparatus 30. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the periphery of the light source substrate of the exposure apparatus 30. FIG. 5 is a top view of the exposure apparatus 30. 6 and 7 are vertical sectional views showing locations of the basic adhesive and the additional adhesive in the lens array of the exposure apparatus 30. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the exposure apparatus 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and extends relatively long along the axial direction (paper width direction) of the photosensitive drum 21. The exposure apparatus 30 includes a light source substrate 31, a lens array 32, a frame 33, and a holder 40 shown in FIGS.

  The light source substrate 31 is installed on the surface of a frame 33 having a flat plate shape. The light source substrate 31 is composed of, for example, a flat printed wiring board having a rectangular shape in plan view, and a light source 31a and a driver IC 31b are provided on the surface thereof. The light sources 31a are constituted by LEDs, for example, and a plurality of light sources 31a are arranged in one direction, that is, in one row or staggered along the axial direction (paper width direction) of the photosensitive drum 21.

  The light source 31a is electrically connected to the driver IC 31b via the wiring 31c. The driver IC 31b is electrically connected to the CPU 5a of the main control unit 5 via a wiring 31d made of, for example, FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits). In order to suppress the occurrence of unevenness in the exposure amount with respect to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, the main control unit 5 adjusts the drive current of the light source 31a so that the exposure amount becomes constant. The drive current of the light source 31a is recorded in a drive current storage unit (not shown).

  The lens array 32 is disposed at the tip of the holder 40 on the photosensitive drum 21 side, and downstream of the traveling direction of light emitted from the light source 31a. The lens array 32 is inserted into a through hole 42 described later. The lens array 32 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the same direction as the direction in which the plurality of light sources 31a are arranged, that is, along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21 (paper width direction). Two outer surfaces 32b extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 and facing opposite to each other are bonded to the inner surface of a through hole 42 of the holder 40 described later.

  The lens array 32 is provided with a plurality of lens members 32a arranged in the same direction as the direction in which the plurality of light sources 31a are arranged. The lens member 32a is composed of, for example, a rod lens, and its axis extends in parallel along the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source 31a. The lens array 32 guides the light emitted from the light source 31a to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 and forms an image.

  The frame 33 is made of a material having relatively high rigidity, such as metal, and is formed in a flat plate shape. The holder 40 is fixed to the side of the frame 33 where the light source substrate 31 is installed.

  The holder 40 is made of, for example, a liquid crystal polymer, and is fixed to the frame 33 so as to cover the light source substrate 31 installed on the surface of the frame 33. The holder 40 includes a space 41 and a through hole 42. The space 41 is formed around the area where the light source substrate 31 is disposed. The through hole 42 penetrates the inside and outside of the holder 40 so as to allow the space 41 and the tip of the holder 40 on the photosensitive drum 21 side to communicate with each other. The through hole 42 has a rectangular cross section extending along the light traveling direction and the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21 (paper width direction).

  The through hole 42 includes two opposing surfaces 42a. The facing surface 42 a is provided on the inner surface of the through hole 42 and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the facing surface 42 a includes a contact portion 42 b and an inclined portion 42 c that are adjacent to each other in the optical axis direction.

  The contact part 42b is provided in the upstream part (lower side in FIG.6 and FIG.7) of the opposing surface 42a of the optical axis direction. The contact part 42 b forms a plane extending substantially parallel to the optical axis direction and the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. The contact portion 42 b contacts the outer surface 32 b extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32.

  The inclined part 42c is provided in the downstream part (upper side in FIGS. 6 and 7) of the opposing surface 42a in the optical axis direction. The inclined portion 42c has an inclination that is separated from the outer surface 32b of the lens array 32 as it moves away from the contact portion 42b in the optical axis direction, that is, as it goes upward in FIGS.

  An outer surface 32 b extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 is bonded to the facing surface 42 a of the through hole 42.

  The outer surface 32 b of the lens array 32 and the facing surface 42 a of the through hole 42 are bonded using an adhesive 43 in the bonding process according to the manufacturing method of the exposure apparatus 30. The adhesive 43 may be a two-component mixed adhesive, or a thermosetting adhesive that cures at a temperature at which the holder 40 and the lens array 32 are not denatured.

  The adhesive 43 is applied to the inclined portion 42c of the facing surface 42a. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the adhesive 43 is applied to a plurality of locations along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 (horizontal direction in FIG. 5).

  Both the two outer surfaces 32b of the lens array 32 are bonded to the facing surface 42a with a basic adhesive 43A applied to five locations. The five basic adhesives 43A are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction (lateral direction in FIG. 5) of the lens array 32, and are arranged in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5) intersecting the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32.

  Furthermore, one outer surface 32b of the lens array 32 is bonded to the facing surface 42a with an additional adhesive 43B applied to four locations. The additional adhesive 43B is not applied to the other outer surface 32b. The four additional adhesives 43B are intermediate between the five basic adhesives 43A, and are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 (lateral direction in FIG. 5).

  In the bonding step, first, the lens array 32 is inserted into the through hole 42, and then bonded with the first bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces 32b of the lens array 32 being the same. That is, with respect to the two outer surfaces 32b, the basic adhesive 43A is applied to each of five locations. Thereafter, the tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array 32 are measured. Then, the second bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces 32b of the lens array 32 are made different from each other on the basis of the tilt amount and the tilt direction, and are bonded. That is, the additional adhesive 43B is applied to four locations only on one outer surface 32b.

  As described above, the bonding conditions related to the two outer surfaces 32b of the lens array 32 are different from each other. The bonding condition is, for example, the number of bonding points, and one outer surface 32b of the lens array 32 is five points of only the basic adhesive 43A, and the other outer surface 32b is nine points of the basic adhesive 43A and the additional adhesive 43B. It is.

  As described above, according to the exposure apparatus 30 of the first embodiment, since the bonding conditions relating to the outer surface 32b extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 are different from each other, when the adhesive 43 applied to each of the two outer surfaces 32b is cured. It is possible to make a difference in the contraction force. Thereby, it is possible to correct the inclination of the lens array 32 that may occur when the lens array 32 is inserted into the through hole 42 of the holder 40. As a result, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing the exposure apparatus 30, the image forming apparatus 1, and the exposure apparatus 30 in which the lens array 32 is suitably arranged.

  Note that the base adhesive 43A is not limited to five locations, and the base adhesive 43A is not limited to four locations, and may be any other number. Furthermore, the bonding locations need not be equally spaced in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. Further, the bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces 32b may be different from each other by changing the amount of the adhesive applied at the bonding location.

  The additional adhesive 43B may be the same as the base adhesive 43A, or may have a higher curing shrinkage and a higher Young's modulus during curing. By using an adhesive having a high cure shrinkage rate and Young's modulus, the effect of correcting the inclination of the lens array 32 can be improved even with a relatively small amount.

  As described above, since the bonding condition is at least one of the number of bonded portions, the amount of the adhesive 43 applied, and the type of the adhesive 43, the inclinations can be corrected corresponding to various inclinations of the lens array 32. it can. Therefore, the effect | action which arrange | positions the lens array 32 suitably improves. It should be noted that it is preferable to derive optimum conditions based on the degree of inclination of the lens array 32 for the bonding conditions such as the number of bonding locations, the amount of adhesive 43 applied, and the type of adhesive 43.

Second Embodiment
Next, the exposure apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view showing the location of the adhesive in the lens array of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the exposure apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment includes a contact portion 42b and an inclined portion 42c in which the opposed surfaces 42a of the through holes 42 are adjacent to each other in the optical axis direction.

  The contact part 42b is provided in the center part of the opposing surface 42a in the optical axis direction (vertical direction center part in FIG. 8). The inclined portions 42c are provided in an upstream portion and a downstream portion sandwiching the contact portion 42b in the optical axis direction of the facing surface 42a (upper and lower portions sandwiching the central portion in the vertical direction in FIG. 8). The inclined portion 42c has an inclination that is separated from the outer surface 32b of the lens array 32 as it moves away from the contact portion 42b in the optical axis direction, that is, as it goes upward or downward in FIG.

  The adhesive 43 is applied to the upstream inclined portion 42c or the downstream inclined portion 42c of the opposing surface 42a in the optical axis direction. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, the adhesive 43 is applied to the inclined portion 42c in the upstream portion in the optical axis direction with respect to one outer surface 32b of the lens array 32, and the downstream portion in the optical axis direction with respect to the other outer surface 32b. It is applied to the inclined portion 42c.

  Although not shown, the adhesive 43 is applied to the inclined portion 42c at the upstream portion and the inclined portion 42c at the downstream portion in the optical axis direction with respect to one outer surface 32b of the lens array 32, and the optical axis is applied to the other outer surface 32b. You may apply | coat to either the inclination part 42c of the upstream part of a direction, or the inclination part 42c of a downstream part. Alternatively, the adhesive 43 may be applied only to one outer surface 32b of the lens array 32 on the upstream inclined portion 42c and the downstream inclined portion 42c in the optical axis direction.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the second embodiment, the adhesive 43 can be applied to the upstream inclined portion 42c and the downstream inclined portion 42c across the contact portion 42b in the optical axis direction of the facing surface 42a. Thereby, for example, a rotational moment in the same direction around the axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 8) is given to each of the two outer surfaces 32b of the lens array 32. be able to. Therefore, the tilt of the lens array 32 can be corrected with a relatively small amount of the adhesive 43.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, the exposure apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.9, FIG10 and FIG.11. 9, 10 and 11 are vertical sectional views showing the first stage, the second stage and the third stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  A manufacturing method of the exposure apparatus 30 according to the third embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the first stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus 30, the lens array 32 is inserted inside the through hole 42 of the holder 40 while being held by the adjustment jigs 101 and 102. The adjustment jig 101 holds the lens array 32 from the upstream side (from the lower side in FIG. 9) in the optical axis direction. The adjustment jig 102 holds the lens array 32 from both sides (in a substantially horizontal direction from the left and right sides in FIG. 9) with respect to the direction intersecting the optical axis.

  The adjustment jigs 101 and 102 adjust the optical axis direction and the position of the lens array 32 by moving up and down while suppressing the lens array 32 from shifting in an unintended direction. At this time, the lens array 32 may be inclined due to the elastic force of the holder 40, that is, the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation generated when the lens array 32 is inserted into the through hole 42. The white arrows extending in the horizontal direction in FIGS. 9 and 10 mean the restoring force of the holder 40. However, actually, since the lens array 32 is held by the adjustment jigs 101 and 102, the inclination is restricted and the optical axis direction and position can be adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the second stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus 30, the holding and regulation of the lens array 32 by the adjusting jig 102 in the direction intersecting the optical axis is released. At this time, when the restoring force (elastic force) of the holder 40 acts, the lens array 32 is inclined. Here, the tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array 32 are measured.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the third stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus 30, the two outer surfaces 32b of the lens array 32 are related based on the tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array 32 measured in the second stage. Bonding is performed with different bonding conditions. At this time, the bonding conditions related to the two outer surfaces 32b of the lens array 32 may be made different from each other on the basis of recorded information measured in advance with respect to the tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array 32. good.

  Further, the adhesive 43 is applied as primary adhesion before the adjustment jig 102 holds the lens array 32 and the restriction is released, and the inclination of the lens array 32 that cannot be suppressed by the primary adhesion after the restriction is released is obtained by the secondary adhesion. It may be corrected. That is, the adhesive 43 may be applied in a plurality of times.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the third embodiment, the lens array is based on the actually measured tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array 32 before bonding, or based on recorded information measured in advance. The bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces 32b of 32 are different from each other. Therefore, the tilt of the lens array 32 can be corrected with as little adhesive 43 as possible.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the material of the holder 40 is a liquid crystal polymer. However, a synthetic resin such as a mixture of polycarbonate and ABS resin or a synthetic resin added with a reinforcing material may be used. Further, although a rod lens array is used as the lens array 32, a microlens array or the like may be used. Further, although the light source substrate 31 is a printed wiring board and the light source 31a is an LED, the light source substrate may be a glass substrate or the like, and the light source may be another solid light emitting element such as an organic EL (OLED).

  In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called tandem color printing image forming apparatus in which images of a plurality of colors are sequentially stacked using the intermediate transfer belt 11. However, the image forming apparatus 1 is limited to such a model. The image forming apparatus for color printing or monochrome printing for non-tandem type may be used.

  The present invention can be used in an exposure apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 20 Image forming part 30 Exposure apparatus 31 Light source board 31a Light source 32 Lens array 32a Lens member 32b Outer surface 33 Frame 40 Holder 41 Space part 42 Through-hole 42a Opposing surface 42b Contact part 42c Inclination part 43 Adhesive 43A Base adhesive 43B Additional adhesive 101, 102 Adjustment jig

Claims (11)

A plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting the optical axis;
A plurality of lens members arranged in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged, and a lens array for forming an image of light irradiated by the light sources in a longitudinal shape;
A holder provided with a through hole into which the lens array is inserted;
With
Two outer surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array and facing each other and an opposing surface provided on the inner surface of the through-hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array are individually bonded with an adhesive. In addition, the exposure apparatus is characterized in that the bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces are different from each other.   The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bonding condition is at least one of the number of bonding locations, the amount of the adhesive applied, and the type of the adhesive.   The opposed surface is in contact with the outer surface of the lens array, and has an inclination that is adjacent to the contact portion in the optical axis direction and is separated from the outer surface of the lens array as the distance from the contact portion increases in the optical axis direction. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is applied to the inclined portion.   An image forming apparatus comprising the exposure apparatus according to claim 1. A plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting the optical axis and a plurality of lens members arranged in the same direction as the plurality of light sources are arranged to form an image of light emitted from the light sources in a longitudinal shape. A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus, comprising: a lens array for the above and a holder provided with a through hole into which the lens array is inserted,
Two outer surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array and facing each other and an opposing surface provided on the inner surface of the through hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array are individually bonded with an adhesive. In this case, an exposure apparatus manufacturing method comprising a bonding step of bonding the two outer surfaces with different bonding conditions.   In the bonding step, after the first bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces of the lens array are made the same, the tilt amount and the tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array are measured and the tilt amount and the tilt direction are measured. 6. The method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces of the lens array are made different from each other based on the above.   In the bonding step, after the lens array is inserted into the through-hole, before the bonding, the tilt amount and tilt direction of the optical axis of the lens array are measured, and 2 of the lens array is measured based on the tilt amount and tilt direction. 6. The method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein bonding is performed with different bonding conditions relating to the two outer surfaces.   In the bonding step, after the lens array is inserted into the through hole in a state where the tilt of the lens array is regulated using an adjustment jig and the regulation by the adjustment jig is released, the optical axis of the lens array is adjusted. 8. The method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an inclination amount and an inclination direction are measured.   In the adhering step, adhering with different adhering conditions for the two outer surfaces of the lens array based on recorded information preliminarily measured with respect to an inclination amount and an inclination direction of the optical axis of the lens array. 8. A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein   10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the bonding condition is at least one of the number of bonding locations, the amount of the adhesive applied, and the type of the adhesive. Method.   The opposed surface is in contact with the outer surface of the lens array, and has an inclination that is adjacent to the contact portion in the optical axis direction and is separated from the outer surface of the lens array as the distance from the contact portion increases in the optical axis direction. The manufacturing method of the exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the adhesive is applied to the inclined portion.