JP5025347B2 - Light source device, synthetic light source device, optical scanning device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a light source device, a combined light source device, an optical scanning device, and an image forming apparatus.

  In order to obtain high image quality in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, exposure scanning must be performed at an appropriate position on the photosensitive drum, and a beam spot must be appropriately imaged on the photosensitive drum. For this purpose, it is necessary to devise so that the light emitted from the light source properly reaches the photosensitive drum without fluctuation. Therefore, high positional accuracy is required when attaching a light source, a collimator lens, and the like. Conventionally, in order to ensure the positional accuracy of the light source, various proposals have been made for fixing methods of the light source and the collimator lens.

  For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a structure in which a lens barrel is fixed to a base on which a light source is mounted by laser welding. In a specific configuration of the light source device, a lens barrel loaded with a collimator lens is fixed to a base by laser welding. And the holding structure of the lens barrel with respect to the base is symmetrical in the left-right direction with respect to the optical axis. The purpose of this is to eliminate the problem that the position variation between the collimator lens and the light source occurs due to an attachment error that occurs when the lens barrel on which the collimator lens is mounted is screwed to the light source device. The position where the lens barrel and the base on which the light source is mounted is a plane including the principal point of the optical element orthogonal to the optical axis, and a plurality of welding points are better.

  As another method, Patent Document 2 proposes a method in which a semiconductor laser is directly press-fitted into a substrate and the lens holder is adhered to the substrate in a state where the optical axis direction position and the optical axis vertical direction position of the collimating lens are adjusted. Has been. In the case of this light source device, the adjustment of the optical axis direction and the optical axis vertical direction position of the collimator lens is performed before bonding, and the periphery of the light source device is filled with an adhesive. In this method of manufacturing a light source device, the number of parts of the light source device can be reduced and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

As yet another method, Patent Document 3 discloses a structure in which the distance between the light source and the collimator lens in the optical axis direction is held movably, and the distance between the light source and the collimator lens is corrected according to the thermal expansion of the lens barrel. A light source device is disclosed. As a specific configuration of the light source device, the light source is provided with position correction means such as a gimbal spring or bimetal, and the distance between the light source and the collimator lens can be corrected even if the distance between the light source and the collimator lens changes according to environmental temperature changes. I have to. The light source device having this structure can prevent the spread of the light spot and the deterioration due to the environmental temperature change.
JP 2001-111155 A JP-A-8-248285 JP 2002-329916 A

  As described above, conventionally, many proposals have been made regarding the mounting of a light source, a collimator lens, and the like in order to ensure the positional accuracy of the light source, but not all of the problems have been solved. In the configuration of the light source device described in Patent Document 1, the structure for holding the lens barrel with respect to the base is symmetrical in the horizontal direction with respect to the optical axis, but is not symmetrical in the vertical direction. This causes a problem that the lens optical axis fluctuates up and down. Particularly when combining a plurality of light source devices, if there is a temperature difference between the light source devices, the amount of fluctuation in the height direction of the collimator lens varies depending on each light source device, and the relative positional deviation of the light rays from the plurality of light source devices occurs. Adversely affects image quality. In a situation where the scanning interval is becoming smaller with the recent increase in the dot density of the image, the variation in the scanning interval due to the deviation of the light source and the optical axis is a serious problem.

  In the case of the light source device described in Patent Document 2, the periphery of the collimator lens of the light source device is filled with an adhesive, and the adhesive expands and contracts due to a change in environmental temperature or the like. There has been a problem that the optical axis of the light source and the collimator lens is shifted.

  In the configuration of the light source device described in Patent Document 3, the distance between the light source and the collimator lens can be corrected by the gimbal spring even if the distance between the light source and the collimator lens changes due to a change in environmental temperature. However, when correction is performed with a gimbal spring, the light source rotates around the optical axis. In the case of a single light emitting element, there is no problem even if the light source rotates, but in a light source having a plurality of light emitting elements, if the position in the rotation direction about the optical axis is changed, the arrangement of the light spots on the surface to be scanned Changes and the scanning interval fluctuates. In addition, adjustment of the distance using a bimetal, a piezoelectric element, a magnet, or the like is useful for correcting the distance between the light source and the collimator lens. is there.

  The spot diameter when the focal position is deviated is generally obtained by the following equation.

  When a specific change in the spot diameter is estimated according to the above equation, for example, when the spot diameter is 100 μm at a wavelength of 680 nm, the spot diameter is 100 .mu. 4 μm, only a 0.4% change. In the case of the conventional scanning optical system, for example, if it is 240 dpi, the spot diameter is around 100 μm, and since the change of the spot diameter is small and the focal depth is large as described above, there is a focus position shift due to the inclination of the light source array surface. However, the change in spot diameter was not a problem. However, when the spot diameter is reduced, for example, when the spot diameter is 40 μm, if the focal position is shifted by 1 mm, the spot diameter becomes 45.5 μm, which is changed by 14%. The relationship between the focal position on the recording medium and the light source position is determined by the vertical magnification of the optical system. For example, if the vertical magnification is 100, the focal position deviation is 1 mm when the light source positional deviation is 1/100 mm. As described above, when the focal position and the way of viewing are changed, even if the position of the light source is shifted by 1 mm, the spot diameter during the same scanning varies greatly. In a light source device having a plurality of light emitting elements, the position shifts between the light emitting elements. When this occurs, the size of each spot varies greatly, indicating that it is difficult to form a uniform image.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state of inclination of a light source array surface of a light source in which five light emitting elements are arrayed at equal intervals. Reference numeral 50 denotes an arrow indicating the optical axis direction of an optical element that receives light such as a collimator lens (not shown), a straight line 51 indicates a state in which the light source array surface is perpendicular to the optical axis, and a dotted line 52 indicates a light source array. It shows a tilted state where the surface is not perpendicular to the optical axis. 53 represents an individual light emitting element. The light emitting direction of the light emitting element 53 is the normal direction of the light source array surface. In the state of the light source array surface indicated by the dotted line 52, the light emitting element on the outermost side (upper or lower in the drawing) is lighter than the light emitting element immediately adjacent to the central light emitting element, with the central light emitting element as a reference. It is shifted twice in the axial direction. This indicates that the maximum light source position deviation amount is doubled when the number of light source elements is set to five, for example, compared with the case of three at the center even if the inclination is the same. Even if the light source array planes have the same inclination, if the number of light source arrays is further increased, the spacing between the light emitting elements hardly changes, and the light source position deviation also increases accordingly. The focal position shift of the scanning plane is generated in proportion to the light source position shift. Therefore, as in the prior art, the number of light emitting elements on the light source array surface is small, or in the case of one, the focal position deviation is small, so the spot diameter is hardly affected. However, as the number of light emitting elements on the light source array surface increases, the focal position shift increases, and as a result, the variation in spot diameter increases.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a light source device, a composite light source device, an optical scanning device including these, and an image, which can easily and precisely adjust the installation direction of the arrangement surface of the light sources including a plurality of light emitting elements. A forming apparatus is provided.

In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors have completed the following invention.
The present invention includes a light source including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on an arrangement surface, a light source holder that holds the light source, an optical element that transmits light from the light source, and a lens barrel that holds the optical element. , a light source device provided with a barrel holder for holding the lens barrel, a coupling screw to telescopically couple the barrel holder and the light source holder via the elastic body, the lens barrel holder the A base that is rotatably held around the optical axis of the optical element, and a fixing screw that fixes the lens barrel to the lens barrel holder after finely adjusting the optical axis direction of the optical element, the light source holder, An opening having a diameter having a margin with respect to the diameter of the coupling screw for inserting the coupling screw, arranged in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements, and symmetrical with respect to the light source Are arranged to be Has an opening number, the fixing screws, it is a light source device according to claim in which the optical axis of the optical element is arranged so as to secure abutting the barrel from the vertical direction.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the coupling screw is capable of adjusting an inclination of an array surface of the light sources with respect to an optical axis of the optical element.
The reference invention includes a light source including a plurality of light emitting elements, a light source holder that holds the light source, an optical element that transmits light from the light source, and a lens barrel that holds the optical element. The light source device includes a coupling member that couples the light source holder and the lens barrel so as to extend and contract via a pressing member.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the coupling member is capable of coupling the light source holder and the lens barrel by controlling the light emitting direction of the light source with respect to the optical axis of the optical element.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the light source holder is an opening having a diameter having a margin with respect to the diameter of the coupling screw for inserting the coupling screw, the direction being perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of openings The light source device further includes a plurality of openings arranged symmetrically with respect to the light source.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the coupling member is a screw.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the pressing member is an elastic body.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the elastic body is a rubber or a spring.

  The present invention is a combined light source device that combines light beams emitted from a plurality of light source devices and outputs them as a combined light beam, wherein the light source device is the light source device of the present invention. .

The present invention includes a light source device or synthetic light source device, an optical scanning device provided with a polarizing device for deflecting and scanning the light beam emitted from said light source apparatus or the synthetic light source device, the light source device is located at the light source device The combined light source device is the combined light source device .

  The present invention relates to a photoconductor, a charging device for charging the photoconductor, an optical scanning device for forming image information as an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor by optical scanning, and a toner attached to the electrostatic latent image. An image forming apparatus comprising: a developing device that forms a toner image; a transfer device that transfers the toner image onto a recording medium; and a fixing device that fixes the transferred toner image onto the recording medium. An image forming apparatus, wherein the optical scanning device is the optical scanning device of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, there are provided a light source device, a composite light source device, an optical scanning device including the same, and an image forming apparatus that can easily and precisely adjust the installation direction of an array surface of light sources including a plurality of light emitting elements. be able to.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary. Note that it is easy for a person skilled in the art to make other embodiments by changing or correcting the present invention within the scope of the claims, and these changes and modifications are included in the scope of the claims. The following description is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5, 6, 7, and 10. FIG. 1 and 10 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the light source device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an optical scanning device 11 using the light source device 20. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus using an optical scanning device 11 including a combined light source device including a plurality of light source devices 20, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of a light source holder.

  First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A drum-shaped photoreceptor 18 for forming a toner image is rotated clockwise at a constant peripheral speed by a motor (not shown). The surface of the photosensitive member 18 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity at a portion facing the charging device 10, and then exposed to light from an optical scanning device 11 described later, and static corresponding to image information to be recorded. An electrostatic latent image is formed. A developing device 12 is disposed downstream of the exposure position in the rotation direction, and a toner image is formed from the latent image on the photoreceptor 18 by the developing device 12.

  The printing paper 13 as a recording medium is conveyed by a conveying device 14 such as a pair of conveying rollers and is introduced between the transfer device 15 and the photosensitive member 18, and the transfer device 15 has a reverse polarity to the toner on the back surface of the printing paper 13. By performing charging, the toner image on the photoreceptor 18 is transferred onto the printing paper 13. After the toner image is transferred, the residual toner on the photosensitive member 18 that has not been transferred is removed by the cleaning device 16, and the surface of the cleaned photosensitive member 18 is charged again by the electric resistance device 10 and the next developing operation is repeated. . The printing paper 13 having the toner image transferred from the photoreceptor 18 is conveyed to the fixing device 17.

  The fixing device 17 includes a heat roller 17a that is controlled to be heated to a constant temperature, and a pressure roller 17b that presses the heat roller 17a. When passing therethrough, the toner image held on the printing paper 13 is pressurized and melted and fixed on the printing paper 13. After this fixing process, the printing paper 13 is discharged outside the image forming apparatus and stocked as printed paper.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of the optical scanning device 11. A light beam 21 emitted from a light source device 20 to be described later passes through a cylindrical lens 23 having a predetermined curvature only in the sub-scanning direction, is deflected and scanned by a rotary polygon mirror 24, passes through an Fθ lens 25, and is reflected by a folding mirror 28. An image is formed as an exposure spot on the photosensitive member 18 that is not exposed, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the charged photosensitive member. The arrow X direction in the figure indicates the light scanning direction (main scanning direction).

  A part of the deflected and scanned light beam is guided to the optical sensor 27 by the mirror 26, and writing modulation of the light beam emitted from the light source device 20 is started by an output signal therefrom.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a light source device 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the light source device 20 shown in FIG. The light source device 20 includes a light source 30 having a plurality of light emitting elements, a light source holder 31 that fixes the light source 30, and a rubber that is an elastic body interposed between the light source holder 31 and the collimator lens holder 34. 32, a collimator lens 41 that is an optical element, a lens barrel 33 that holds the collimator lens 41, a collimator lens holder 34 that is a lens barrel holder, and a base that holds the collimator lens holder 34 in the housing of the optical scanning device. 36, four screws 351 to 354 for coupling the light source holder 31 and the collimator lens holder 34, and an abutting fixing screw 37 that is fixed after finely adjusting the optical axis direction of the collimator lens 41 in the optical scanning device. It has.

  The light source holder 31 has a disk shape and has a flange shape with an opening as shown in FIG. 7, and the light source 30 is fixed to the center hole by screws or welding. The light source 30 includes a plurality of light emitting elements, and the light emitting elements may be arranged in any arrangement. Here, the light emitting elements are arranged in a line in the left-right direction shown in FIG. The light source holder 31 is provided with screw insertion openings so as to be symmetrical about the light source in the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements and in the vertical direction thereof. The screw insertion port is an insertion port into which the screws 351 to 354 are inserted, but is a so-called dowel hole that is not threaded and is larger than the screw diameter. By doing so, the light emission direction of the light source 30 can be easily adjusted by screws 351 to 354 which will be described later. Here, a case is considered in which a plurality of light sources are arranged one-dimensionally in the scanning direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 7), but may be arranged in the sub-scanning direction (vertical direction in FIG. 7). A two-dimensional array may be used, and the screw insertion holes are preferably arranged symmetrically around the light source in the same direction as one array and in a direction perpendicular thereto.

  The shape of the rubber 32, which is an elastic body, is similar to that of the light source holder 31, and the central opening has a size different from the opening of the light source holder 31. The rubber 32 has an opening through which the light beam emitted from the light source 30 is transmitted to the collimator lens 41 side. The rubber 32 is interposed at the coupling portion between the light source holder 31 and the collimator lens holder 34 so that the two do not move relative to each other. Any material can be used in any form. In this embodiment, a relatively thin rubber plate having a shape similar to that of the light source holder 31 is used.

  Examples other than the rubber 32 which is an elastic body of the pressing member include a spring, a sponge, a plastic, and the like, and the same effect can be obtained with this. (FIG. 1 shows an example of rubber.) When a spring is used, for example, one coil spring that presses the entire light source holder 31 like rubber 32 may be used, or a coil spring fitted into each screw 351 to 354 may be used. Good.

  The collimator lens holder 34 holds the collimator lens 41 and the light source holder 31, and prevents light other than light from the light source 30 from entering the collimator lens 41. A screw hole corresponding to the four holes for screws 351 to 354 of the light source holder 31 is arranged at a joint portion between the collimator lens holder 34 and the light source holder 31. The screw hole is formed with a screw thread for coupling with the screws 351 to 354. In this manner, the collimator lens holder 34 and the light source holder 31 are coupled to each other by the four screws 351 to 354 with the respective coupling portions attached thereto via the rubber 32.

  Thus, by fixing four points with screws in the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements and the position in the vertical direction of the light emitting elements, the mounting surface of the light source 30 which is the arrangement surface of the light emitting elements, which has been a problem in the past as described later. Correction of “tilt of the mounting surface of the light source”, which is a deviation from the parallel between the normal line and the optical axis of the collimator lens 41, can be easily performed. In addition, since the adjustment is performed using a screw, the progress of the screw in the direction of travel of the screw is very small, one screw thread per rotation of the screw, and the “tilt of the mounting surface of the light source” can be precisely adjusted.

  A light source device adjustment and manufacturing method including correction of “light source mounting inclination” will be described. A lens barrel 33 on which a collimator lens 41 is mounted is mounted on the collimator lens holder 34, and is fixed with an abutment fixing screw 37 from a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. Next, rubber 32 which is an elastic body having substantially the same shape as the light source holder 31 shown in FIG. 7 is sandwiched between the light source holder 31 and the collimator lens holder 34, and the light source holder 31 is attached to the collimator lens holder 34. They are coupled with screws 351 to 354. Note that the light source holder 31 and the rubber 32 have screw holes larger than the screws through which the screws 351 to 354 are passed, so-called dowel holes, and do not cut the threads and move between the screws and the screw holes (play). There is. Screws 351 to 354 are fixed in screw holes in the collimator lens holder 34 that are threaded. In this case, the light source holder 31 and the collimator lens holder 34 are not completely fixed, and the light source holder 31 is allowed to move by a play between the screw and the screw hole.

  Thereafter, the vertical positions of the optical axes of the light source holder 31 and the collimator lens holder 34 are adjusted and fixed so that the light from the light emitting element at the center of the light source 30 passes through the center of the collimator lens 41. The adjustment uses a margin dimension of a hole through which screws 351 to 354 passing through the light source holder 31 are passed. At this time, by tightening the screws 351 to 354 to such an extent that the rubber 32 between the light source holder 31 and the collimator lens holder 34 is deformed, the rubber 32 functions as a spacer and a cushioning material. It becomes a strong composition.

  The position of the collimator lens barrel in the optical axis direction is adjusted and fixed so that the light from the light emitting element at the center of the light source 30 becomes parallel light when it is emitted from the collimator lens 41. Next, light beams from the light emitting elements at both ends of the plurality of light emitting elements are individually turned on, and the parallelism of the light emitted from the collimator lens 41 is measured. If the parallelism is not the same, the screws 351 and 352 in the direction of the arrangement of the plurality of light emitting elements are tightened or loosened so that the parallelism of the light emitted from the collimator lenses 41 of the light beams at both ends of the plurality of light sources becomes the same. Adjust the tilt of the mounting surface of the light source.

  When the light source 30 is a two-dimensional array, the light emitting elements in the arrangement direction and the light beams at the end portions in the vertical direction are individually turned on, and the screws 351 and 352 and the screws 353 and 354 are tightened or loosened to The inclination of the light source mounting surface (inclination of the entire light source unit) is adjusted so that the parallelism of the light emitted from the collimator lenses of the light beams from the light emitting elements at both ends of the light source element becomes the same. In this case, if there are four fixing positions with screws, and the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements and the arrangement direction of the fixing screw holes are the same direction and the vertical direction, the inclination of one arrangement direction of the light emitting elements is set. In the adjustment, it is only necessary to adjust the screws of the screw holes in the same arrangement direction, and the tilt adjustment becomes very easy.

  Thereafter, the entire light source device 20 including the collimator lens holder 34 and the light source holder 31 is rotated around the optical axis, and the scanning interval of the spot array on the light scanning surface of the photosensitive member is adjusted to a predetermined value, thereby collimating the lens. The holder 34 is fixed to the base 36 with screws.

  FIG. 9 shows a spot arrangement on the scanned surface of the photoreceptor. Reference numeral 60 denotes a spot, and 61 denotes a spot arrangement direction. When the entire light source device is rotated around the optical axis, the tilt angle θ in FIG. 9 changes with the rotation. Along with this, the scanning interval P of the spot in the traveling direction of the photosensitive member also changes. Therefore, the scanning interval P can be set to a target width by adjusting the tilt angle θ.

  When the light source device 20 is assembled as described above, the inclination of the mounting surface of the light source 30 is adjusted so that there is no inclination of the mounting surface even if the number of light emitting elements is large. However, the spot diameter on the photoreceptor can be made uniform. Further, even when the spot diameter to be scanned is small and the focal depth is narrow, it is possible to create a stable electrostatic latent image with little variation in spot diameter. Furthermore, even if the mounting surface of the light emitting element is displaced with respect to the optical axis of the collimator lens 41 for some reason after the light source device 20 is assembled, it can be easily corrected by adjusting the screws 351 to 354. Therefore, it is possible to provide a combined light source device, an optical scanning device, and an image forming apparatus that can be easily corrected as well as easily and precisely adjusting the mounting surface position and inclination of a light source including a plurality of light emitting elements. It becomes possible.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the light source device of the second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the light source device of the second embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the parts of the optical scanning device and the image forming apparatus described in the first embodiment are the same. The light source device 20 includes a light source 30 having a plurality of light emitting elements, a light source holder 31, a spring 40 that is an elastic body, a lens barrel 33 on which a collimator lens 41 is mounted, and screws 351 to 354 (screws 353 and 354. Is not shown).

  The shape of the light source holder 31 is the same as that of the light source holder 30 shown in FIG. 7 described in the first embodiment. The light source holder 31 has the light source 30 mounted and fixed in the center hole of FIG. 7 by screws or welding. The light source 30 includes a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a row, and the light source is mounted so that holes for passing screws without threading are formed in the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements and in the vertical direction thereof. The feature of this second embodiment is that a screw hole corresponding to the position of the hole through which the screw of the light source holder 31 is not threaded is provided in the lens barrel 33, and a long screw until reaching the lens barrel 33 is inserted. It is to have done. Therefore, the collimator lens holder is omitted, and the light source device has a configuration of the lens barrel 33 and the light source holder 31 of the collimator lens 41, and the number of components can be reduced as compared with the light source device shown in the first embodiment. In addition, since the structures around the optical axis of the collimator lens 41 and the light source 30 can be symmetric with respect to the optical axis, the optical axis vertical position fluctuation of the collimator lens 41 does not occur even when there is an environmental temperature fluctuation. There is.

  The method for adjusting and assembling the light source device in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the tilt of the light source mounting surface can also be adjusted in this embodiment. In this example, the elastic body is a spring 40 and is mounted at the center of four screws as shown in FIG. By using the spring 40, there is an advantage that durability is increased and the screw tightening adjustment range and spring strength can be selected more freely than rubber. The same effect can be obtained even if the elastic body is not a spring but a resin such as sponge, rubber or plastic.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the third embodiment. In FIG. 3, two sets of light source devices are provided and fixed to the base 36 with screws 37. This is an example of a so-called synthetic light source device. FIG. 3 shows an example in which two light source devices 45 of the second embodiment are arranged. In this case, two sets of light source devices 45 are provided, light is transmitted through the cylindrical lens 23 at an angle to each other, and is mounted so as to substantially intersect at the position of the rotary polygon mirror 24 with reference to FIG. In the case of this configuration, since the number of components is small, there is an advantage that a light source device having a beam number twice that of a single light source device can be obtained at low cost.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 4, two sets of light source devices are provided, and fixed to the base 36 with screws 37. FIG. 4 shows the light source device 45 of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, two sets of light source devices 45 are provided, and the reflected light and the transmitted light are synthesized by the prism 46. In this case, since the optical axis of the light beam from each light source device 45 and the optical axis of the combined light beam can be matched, an optical system with less aberration can be realized, and thus there is an advantage that a stable small spot diameter can be obtained. is there.

The perspective view of the 1st light source device Sectional view of the second light source device Conceptual diagram of third light source device (synthetic light source) Conceptual diagram of the fourth light source device (synthetic light source) Schematic configuration diagram of an optical scanning device mounting a light source device Schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus using an optical scanning device Schematic diagram of light source holder Diagram showing the arrangement of elements in the light source Diagram showing spot arrangement on scanning plane Sectional view of the first light source device

Explanation of symbols

10: charging device, 11: optical scanning device, 12: developing device, 13: printing paper, 14: transport device, 15: transfer device, 16: cleaning device, 17: fixing device, 17a: heat roller,
17b: pressure roller, 18: photoconductor, 20: light source device, 21: light beam, 24: rotating polygon mirror, 25: Fθ lens, 26: mirror, 27: optical sensor, 28: folding mirror, 30: light source, 31 : Light source holder, 32: elastic body (rubber), 33: lens barrel, 34: collimator lens holder, 351, 352, 353, 354: screw, 36: base, 37: abutting fixing screw,
40: elastic body (spring), 41: collimator lens, 45: light source device, 46: prism,
50: optical axis direction, 51: light source array whose normal is parallel to the optical axis,
52: Light source array in which normals are inclined with respect to the optical axis, 53: Light source element.

Claims (8)

A light source including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on an arrangement surface, a light source holder that holds the light source, an optical element that transmits light from the light source, a lens barrel that holds the optical element, and the lens barrel A light source device having a lens barrel holder for holding
A coupling screw which telescopically couple the barrel holder and the light source holder via the elastic body, a base that rotatably supports the barrel holder around the optical axis of said optical element, said optical element A fixing screw for fixing the lens barrel to the lens barrel holder after finely adjusting the optical axis direction of
The light source holder is an opening having a diameter having a margin with respect to the diameter of the coupling screw for inserting the coupling screw, arranged in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements, and Having a plurality of openings arranged symmetrically with respect to the light source;
The light source device , wherein the fixing screw is disposed so as to abut and fix the lens barrel from a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical element . The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling screw is capable of adjusting an inclination of an array surface of the light sources with respect to an optical axis of the optical element . The coupling screw to a light source device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that capable of binding with the barrel holder and the light source holder to control the emission direction of the light source with respect to the optical axis of the optical element. The light source holder is an opening having a diameter having a margin with respect to the diameter of the coupling screw for inserting the coupling screw, in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of openings, and the The light source device according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of openings arranged so as to be symmetric with respect to the light source. The elastic body, a light source device according to claim 1, characterized in that a rubber or spring. A combined light source device that combines light beams emitted from a plurality of light source devices and emits them as a combined light beam,
The said light source device is a light source device as described in any one of Claims 1-5 , The synthetic | combination light source device characterized by the above-mentioned. An optical scanning device comprising: a light source device or a combined light source device; and a polarizing device that deflects and scans light beams emitted from the light source device or the combined light source device ,
The light source device is a light source apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the synthetic light source device an optical scanning device, characterized in that there synthesizing light source apparatus according to claim 6. A photoconductor, a charging device for charging the photoconductor, an optical scanning device for forming image information as an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor by optical scanning, and a toner image by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image An image forming apparatus comprising: a developing device that forms a toner image; a transfer device that transfers the toner image onto a recording medium; and a fixing device that fixes the transferred toner image onto the recording medium.
An image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the optical scanning apparatus is the optical scanning apparatus according to claim 7 .

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