JP5131110B2 - FIXING STRUCTURE, OPTICAL SCANNING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, AND FIXING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing structure, an optical scanning device, an image forming apparatus, and a fixing method, and more specifically, a fixing structure, an optical scanning device, an image forming apparatus, and a fixing method for fixing an optical element and a housing with an adhesive. About.

  An optical element such as a mirror or a lens is provided in the optical scanning device of the image forming apparatus. In such an optical scanning device, generally, a fixing structure for fixing an optical element to a housing of the optical scanning device by a leaf spring is used.

  However, the conventional fixing structure requires a leaf spring for fixing the optical element, which increases the number of parts. Therefore, in recent years, a fixing structure for fixing the optical element to the housing with an adhesive has been proposed. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional structure diagram illustrating a fixing structure in which an optical element is fixed to a housing with an adhesive.

  FIG. 19 shows the housing 102, the optical element 104, and the adhesive 110. The housing 102 includes a protrusion 108 for mounting the optical element 104 in a positioned state. The adhesive 110 is applied around the protrusion 108 to fix the housing 102 and the optical element 104. Thus, by using the adhesive 110, the leaf spring 106 becomes unnecessary, and the number of parts of the fixed structure is reduced.

  However, in the fixing structure illustrated in FIG. 19, the adhesive 110 may be peeled off from the housing 102 or the optical element 104 when the image forming apparatus is used. More specifically, since the housing 102 and the optical element 104 are made of different materials, they have different coefficients of linear expansion. Therefore, if a temperature change occurs during use of the image forming apparatus, a difference occurs between the extension of the housing 102 and the extension of the optical element 104. As a result, stress is generated in a direction in which both ends of the protrusion 108 and the adhesive 110 are pulled, and the protrusion 108 and the adhesive 110 are deformed by the stress. As described above, the deformation of the protrusion 108 and the adhesive 110 absorbs the difference between the extension of the housing 102 and the extension of the optical element 104.

  Incidentally, the adhesive 110 is applied around the protrusions 108. Further, since the protrusion 108 is made of the same material as the housing 102, the protrusion 108 has a Young's modulus greater than that of the adhesive 110. Therefore, the protrusion 108 is less likely to be deformed by stress than the adhesive 110. Therefore, as described above, when stress is generated in the protrusion 108 and the adhesive 110, the adhesive 110 can absorb the difference between the extension of the housing 102 and the extension of the optical element 104 because the protrusion 108 exists. It cannot be deformed sufficiently. As a result, stress concentrates on the boundary portion between the adhesive 110 and the housing 102 and the boundary portion between the adhesive 110 and the optical element 104, and the adhesive 110 peels from the housing 102 or the optical element 104. .

  As a fixed structure for such a problem, for example, an optical scanning device described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional structure diagram showing the optical device described in Patent Document 1. In FIG. 20, the housing 102, the optical element 104, and the adhesive 110 are described.

  In the optical scanning device shown in FIG. 20, the housing 102 has two types of pedestals 116 and 118 protruding from the main surface. The pedestal 116 is for positioning the optical element 104 and is in contact with the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the optical element 104. An adhesive 110 is applied to the upper surface of the pedestal 118, and the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the optical element 104 is fixed by the adhesive 110. That is, in the optical scanning device, the pedestal 116 for positioning and the pedestal 118 for fixing are provided at separate positions.

However, in the optical scanning device shown in FIG. 20, the adhesive 110 is only applied in a thin film on the upper surface of the pedestal 118 and does not have a sufficient height. Therefore, the adhesive 110 cannot be deformed to such an extent that the difference between the extension of the housing 102 and the extension of the optical element 104 can be absorbed. Therefore, also in the optical scanning device shown in FIG. 20, the adhesive 110 may be peeled off from the housing 102 or the optical element 104.
JP-A-11-142758 (FIG. 13)

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a fixing structure, an optical scanning device, an image forming apparatus, and a fixing method capable of suppressing the adhesive from being peeled off from the housing or the optical element.

The fixing structure according to the first aspect of the present invention has an optical element having a first main surface and a second main surface facing the first main surface with a gap therebetween. A housing that protrudes from either the first main surface or the second main surface and contacts the other of the first main surface or the second main surface; A first protrusion for positioning the optical element; and an adhesive provided to connect the first main surface and the second main surface at a position away from the first protrusion. The optical element has a structure having a longitudinal direction, and the housing further includes a second protrusion that is more deformable than the first protrusion in the longitudinal direction, and the adhesive The agent is provided so as to come into contact with the second protrusion.
The fixing structure according to the second aspect of the present invention has an optical element having a first main surface and a second main surface facing the first main surface with a gap therebetween. A housing that protrudes from either the first main surface or the second main surface and contacts the other of the first main surface or the second main surface; A first protrusion for positioning the optical element; and an adhesive provided to connect the first main surface and the second main surface at a position away from the first protrusion. The housing is cut out except for a part of the U-shaped portion where the adhesive is provided, and the thickness in the normal direction is thinner than the other portions. It has a structure that is easily elastically deformed in a direction approaching the optical element as compared with other parts. The features.
The fixing structure according to the third aspect of the present invention has an optical element having a first main surface and a second main surface facing the first main surface with a gap therebetween. A housing that protrudes from either the first main surface or the second main surface and contacts the other of the first main surface or the second main surface; A first protrusion for positioning the optical element; and an adhesive provided to connect the first main surface and the second main surface at a position away from the first protrusion. The housing is provided with a cavity that communicates between a portion where the adhesive is provided and a surface other than the second main surface.

  The fixing structure can be applied to an optical scanning device.

  The optical scanning device can be applied to an image forming apparatus.

A fixing method according to a first aspect of the present invention is a fixing method for fixing an optical element having a first main surface and a housing having a second main surface, wherein the first A step of applying an adhesive to at least one of the main surface and the second main surface, and a protrusion provided on either the first main surface or the second main surface. A step of bringing one of the main surface and the second main surface into contact with each other to align the optical element and the housing; and bringing the first main surface and the second main surface into proximity And the step of deforming the adhesive so as to connect the first main surface and the second main surface, and the step of curing the adhesive , wherein the housing includes the adhesive The structure where the agent is provided is more easily elastically deformed in the direction closer to the optical element than the other parts Has, in the step of deforming the adhesive, a portion of the adhesive of the housing is provided, wherein it is elastically deformed so as to approach to the optical element, characterized by.
A fixing method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a fixing method for fixing an optical element having a first main surface and a housing having a second main surface, wherein the first A step of applying an adhesive to at least one of the main surface and the second main surface, and a protrusion provided on either the first main surface or the second main surface. A step of bringing one of the main surface and the second main surface into contact with each other to align the optical element and the housing; and bringing the first main surface and the second main surface into proximity And the step of deforming the adhesive so as to connect the first main surface and the second main surface, and the step of curing the adhesive. A cavity communicating between a portion where the adhesive is provided and a surface other than the second main surface is provided; In the step of applying the adhesive, the step of applying to the second main surface, and in the step of deforming the adhesive, air is sent into the cavity from the surface side other than the second main surface. .

  Hereinafter, a fixing structure, an optical scanning device, an image forming apparatus, and a fixing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an optical scanning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The optical scanning device 1 shown in FIG. 2 is roughly composed of a light source unit 2, a polygon mirror 3, scanning lenses 4a and 4b, a folding mirror 5, and a housing 10, and is mounted on the image forming apparatus 50 in FIG. .

  The image forming apparatus 50 is a so-called four-cycle color printer. Around the photosensitive drum 40, a charger 52, an optical scanning device 1, a rotary developing unit 53 incorporating YMCK four-color toner, an intermediate A well-known belt is provided with a transfer belt 54 and the like. A YMCK electrostatic latent image is sequentially formed on the photosensitive drum 40 by the optical scanning device 1, and the electrostatic latent image is developed into a predetermined color by the developing device 53 and sequentially primary-transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 54. Synthesized. The combined toner images are secondarily transferred onto the paper fed one by one from the paper feeding unit 55 by the electric field applied from the secondary transfer roller 56. Subsequently, the sheet is heated and fixed on the toner image by the fixing device 57, and is discharged to the upper surface of the printer main body.

  The beam emitted from the light source unit 2 is shaped into light substantially parallel to the main scanning direction Y and enters the polygon mirror 3. The beam incident on the polygon mirror 3 is deflected at an equal angular velocity in the main scanning direction Y, is corrected by passing through the scanning lenses 4 a and 4 b, reflected by the folding mirror 5, and connected on the photosensitive drum 40. Image. The photosensitive drum 40 is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed, and a two-dimensional image (electrostatic latent image) is formed by main scanning with a beam and sub-scanning with rotation of the photosensitive drum 40.

(Fixed structure)
Next, a structure for fixing the folding mirror 5 to the housing 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the fixing structure 6a. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the fixing structure 6a. FIG. 3 shows a state before the folding mirror 5 is fixed. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the area A near the left end. FIG. 4 shows the vicinity of the left end of the fixing structure 6a of FIG. Hereinafter, the normal direction of the housing 10 is simply referred to as a normal direction, and the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5 is simply referred to as a longitudinal direction.

  3 and 4, the fixing structure 6a includes the folding mirror 5, the housing 10, the projections 12a to 12c, and the adhesive 14 (the adhesive 14 is not shown in FIG. 3). The protrusions 12b and 12c are not shown.) The folding mirror 5 is an optical element that reflects a beam and has a structure having a longitudinal direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the folding mirror 5 has a main surface S <b> 1 facing downward in the normal direction. The folding mirror 5 is made of, for example, optical glass or optical resin (Zeonex 330R).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 10 has a main surface S <b> 2 facing upward in the normal direction. The protrusions 12a to 12c are cylinders projecting in the normal direction from the main surface S2, and as shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the projections 12a to 12c comes into contact with the main surface S1 of the folding mirror 5 so that the folding mirror 5 and the housing are in contact with each other. 10 for positioning. Further, the protrusions 12 a to 12 c are configured integrally with the housing 10. The protrusion 12 a is provided in contact with the main surface S <b> 1 in the vicinity of the left end in the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5. Further, the protrusions 12b and 12c are provided in contact with the main surface S2 in the vicinity of the right end in the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5. The housing 10 is made of, for example, resin (Multilon DN-1525 or Zylon) or aluminum.

  The folding mirror 5 is mounted on the housing 10 so that the main surface S1 and the main surface S2 face each other with a gap. As shown in FIG. 4, the adhesive 14 is a columnar light provided so as to connect the main surface S <b> 1 and the main surface S <b> 2 at a position away from the protrusions 12 a to 12 c (only the protrusion 12 a is shown in FIG. 4). It is a cured resin. The adhesive 14 is provided at a position closer to the end of the folding mirror 5 in the longitudinal direction than the midpoint of the folding mirror 5 in the longitudinal direction.

  Moreover, the adhesive 14 has a Young's modulus smaller than the Young's modulus of the protrusions 12a to 12c. That is, the adhesive 14 is made of a material that is more easily deformed by stress than the protrusions 12a to 12c. Moreover, it is desirable that the adhesive 14 has a low glass transition point (Tg) in consideration of relieving stress generated during curing. On the other hand, considering the use at room temperature, the glass transition point (Tg) is preferably about 60 ° C. or higher. Furthermore, when a severe environmental test is performed, if the glass transition point (Tg) is too high, it causes peeling. Therefore, a resin having a glass transition point of 110 ° C. or lower is preferable. Examples of the adhesive that satisfies the above conditions include UVZ-108E and World Rock. Table 1 shown below is a table showing physical properties of materials that can be used for the folding mirror 5, the housing 10, and the adhesive 14.

  The adhesive 14 is provided so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2, and performs so-called air bonding. In the aerial bonding, the folding mirror 5 and the housing 10 are fixed and function as a spacer between the folding mirror 5 and the housing 10. Since a general adhesive is designed to be used by being applied onto a thin film, air-bonding is different from a general adhesive. Therefore, as the adhesive 14, an adhesive satisfying the following conditions may be used from among adhesive resin materials.

(1) Both the folding mirror 5 and the housing 10 have affinity.
(2) It has a linear expansion coefficient that can absorb the difference between the extension of the folding mirror 5 and the extension of the housing 10.
(3) Even if it is an uncured state, it has the viscosity which can maintain columnar shape between main surface S1 and main surface S2.
(4) The irreversible deformation is small.

(effect)
According to the fixing structure 6a configured as described above, it is possible to suppress the adhesive 14 from being peeled off from the folding mirror 5 or the housing 10 even when the temperature in the image forming apparatus 50 changes as described below. . More specifically, as shown in Table 1, since the folding mirror 5 and the housing 10 are made of different materials, they have different linear expansion coefficients. Therefore, when the temperature in the image forming apparatus 50 changes, a difference occurs between the extension of the folding mirror 5 and the extension of the housing 10. When such a difference in elongation occurs, the folding mirror 5 tends to bend so that the central portion in the longitudinal direction protrudes upward or downward in the normal direction. Therefore, the adhesive 14 that connects the main surface S1 and the main surface S2 receives a stress that pulls both ends thereof.

  Here, the adhesive 14 is provided at a position away from the protrusions 12a to 12c. Therefore, unlike the adhesive 110 shown in FIG. 19, the adhesive 14 can extend without being restricted by the protrusions 12a to 12c. Furthermore, since the adhesive 14 is formed so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2, unlike the adhesive 110 shown in FIG. 20, it has a sufficient length in the normal direction. Therefore, the adhesive 14 can extend greatly unlike the adhesive 110 shown in FIG. 20 when it receives the stress by which both ends are pulled. Therefore, the adhesive 14 can be extended to such an extent that the difference between the extension of the folding mirror 5 and the extension of the housing 10 can be sufficiently absorbed. As a result, according to the fixing structure 6 a according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the adhesive 14 from being peeled off from the folding mirror 5 or the housing 10 even if the temperature in the image forming apparatus 50 changes.

  In addition, according to the fixing structure 6a according to the present embodiment, the adhesive 14 can be greatly extended by being provided so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2, so as described below, The folding mirror 5 can be more firmly fixed to the housing 10. More specifically, in the optical scanning device shown in FIG. 20, the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the optical element 104 is fixed to the housing 102. Therefore, in the optical scanning device, when force is applied to both end portions of the optical element 104 in the longitudinal direction, the optical element 104 is easily detached from the housing 102. Therefore, it is desirable that the optical element 104 be fixed to the housing 102 at a position close to both ends in the longitudinal direction.

  However, in the optical scanning device shown in FIG. 20, since the adhesive 110 is applied in a thin film shape, the adhesive 110 cannot sufficiently extend in the height direction. The difference between the extension of the housing 102 and the extension of the optical element 104 in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the optical element 104 is larger than the difference between the extension of the housing 102 and the extension of the optical element 104 in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the optical element 104. Therefore, if the adhesive 110 is provided in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the optical element 104, the adhesive 110 may be peeled off from the housing 102 or the optical element 104.

  In contrast, in the fixing structure 6a shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the adhesive 14 is provided so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2, and therefore has a sufficient height in the normal direction. doing. Therefore, since the adhesive 14 can extend sufficiently in the normal direction, unlike the adhesive 110 shown in FIG. 20, the adhesive 14 can be positioned near both ends in the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5. In this way, by fixing the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5 to the housing 10 with the adhesive 14, even if force is applied to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5, the optical element 104 shown in FIG. Thus, it will not be easily detached from the housing 10.

  Further, since a resin having a glass transition point of 110 ° C. or lower is used as the adhesive 14, the folding mirror 5 and the protrusion 12a are produced without causing the adhesive 14 to peel or drop and due to environmental changes or secular changes. It is possible to suppress the positional deviation between ˜12c.

(Fixing method)
Next, a fixing method for fixing the folding mirror 5 using the fixing structure 6a shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a process sectional view of the fixing method. In FIG. 5, similarly to FIG. 4, the vicinity of the left end in the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5 is shown enlarged.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, an uncured adhesive 14 is applied on the main surface S <b> 2 of the housing 10. The uncured adhesive 14 is preferably a resin having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 6000 mPa · s or more and 30000 mPa · s or less. Further, the adhesive 14 is preferably a photo-curing resin that is cured by UV irradiation.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the folding mirror 5 is slightly tilted with respect to the main surface S <b> 2, thereby bringing the main surface S <b> 1 and the main surface S <b> 2 close to each other and contacting the main surface S <b> 1 with the adhesive 14. Let Thereby, the adhesive 14 is deformed into a column shape so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the projections 12a to 12c (only the projection 12a is shown in FIG. 4) are brought into contact with the main surface S1, and the folding mirror 5 and the housing 10 are aligned. At this time, the height in the normal direction of the adhesive 14 is preferably 0.2 mm or more and 1 mm or less.

  Finally, the adhesive 14 is irradiated with UV to cure the adhesive 14. Thereby, the folding mirror 5 is fixed to the housing 10.

  According to the fixing method as described above, the fixing structure 6a shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be obtained. Further, in the fixing method, since a photo-curing resin is used for the adhesive 14, the folding mirror 5 shown in FIG. 4 can be applied from the application of the adhesive 14 shown in FIG. 5A without curing the adhesive 14. Steps up to the alignment can be performed. Therefore, the assembly efficiency of the fixing structure 6a is improved.

  In the fixing method, the uncured adhesive 14 is a resin having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 6000 mPa · s or more and 30000 mPa · s or less, and the height in the normal direction of the adhesive 14 is 0.00. It is 2 mm or more and 1 mm or less. Therefore, the adhesive 14 is not easily deformed from the columnar shape as shown in FIG. 4 in the step of aligning the folding mirror 5 shown in FIG.

(First modification)
Hereinafter, a fixing structure 6b according to a first modification of the fixing structure 6a will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the fixing structure 6b. 6B and 6C are perspective views of the vicinity of the adhesive 14. FIG. 6 shows the vicinity of the left end of the fixing structure 6b of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, in the fixing structure 6b, a region where the wettability with respect to the adhesive 14 is lower than that of the main surface S2 so as to surround the portion where the adhesive 14 is provided. 16 may be provided. By providing the region 16 in this way, the uncured adhesive 14 does not spread on the main surface S2, but forms a sphere having a sufficient height in the normal direction. As a result, in the step shown in FIG. 5B, it becomes easy to bring the main surface S1 into contact with the adhesive 14. Therefore, the fixing structure 6b can be easily formed.

  Note that the region 16 may have a circular shape as illustrated in FIG. 6B or a rectangular shape as illustrated in FIG. The region 16 may be formed by subjecting the main surface S2 to a surface treatment, or by applying or pasting a material having lower wettability to the adhesive 14 than the wettability to the main surface S2 to the main surface S2. It may be formed.

(Second modification)
Hereinafter, a fixing structure 6c according to a second modification of the fixing structure 6a will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the fixing structure 6c. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the fixing structure 6c. FIG. 7 shows a state before the folding mirror 5 is fixed. FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the region A near the left end. FIG. 8 shows the vicinity of the left end of the fixing structure 6c of FIG. Hereinafter, the normal direction of the housing 10 is simply referred to as a normal direction, and the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5 is simply referred to as a longitudinal direction.

  The difference between the fixing structure 6a and the fixing structure 6c is the presence or absence of the protrusions 18a and 18b. Therefore, in the following, the fixing structure 6c will be described focusing on such differences.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the fixing structure 6c has protrusions 18a and 18b (only the protrusion 18a is shown in FIG. 8). The protrusions 18a and 18b have a wedge shape that is more easily deformed than the protrusions 12a to 12c in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the protrusions 18a and 18b have a triangular cross-sectional structure that becomes narrower in the normal direction in the cross section parallel to the normal direction and the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the adhesive 14 is provided in contact with the protrusions 18a and 18b. More specifically, the adhesive 14 is provided in a column shape so as to cover the protrusions 18a and 18b.

  Next, a fixing method for fixing the folding mirror 5 by the fixing structure 6c will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a process sectional view of the fixing method. In FIG. 9, the vicinity of the left end in the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5 is shown enlarged as in FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the uncured adhesive 14 is applied onto the protrusions 18a and 18b of the housing 10 (only the protrusion 18a is shown in FIG. 9A).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the folding mirror 5 is slightly tilted with respect to the main surface S2, thereby bringing the main surface S1 and the main surface S2 close to each other and bringing the main surface S1 into contact with the adhesive 14 Let Thereby, the adhesive 14 is deformed into a column shape so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the projections 12a to 12c (only the projection 12a is shown in FIG. 4) are brought into contact with the main surface S1, and the folding mirror 5 and the housing 10 are aligned.

  Finally, the adhesive 14 is irradiated with UV to cure the adhesive 14. Thereby, the folding mirror 5 is fixed to the housing 10.

  According to the fixing structure 6c and the fixing method as described above, the same operational effects as the fixing structure 6a and the fixing method can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the fixing structure 6c and the fixing method thereof, since the protrusions 18a and 18b are provided, the uncured adhesive 14 is applied along the protrusions 18a and 18b. As a result, in the fixing structure 6c, the uncured adhesive 14 can easily maintain a sufficient height in the normal direction compared to the fixing structure 6a. Therefore, according to the fixing structure 6c and its fixing method, it becomes easier to deform the adhesive 14 into a columnar shape so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2 as compared to the fixing structure 6a and its fixing method.

  In the fixing structure 6c, the protrusions 18a and 18b are not limited to the shapes shown in FIGS. For example, the protrusions 18a and 18b may be cylinders that are thinner than the protrusions 12a to 12c.

  In the fixing structure 6c, as shown in the perspective view of the protrusions 18′a and 18′b shown in FIG. 10, an adhesive 14 may be provided between the protrusion 18′a and the protrusion 18′b. .

(Third Modification)
Hereinafter, a fixing structure 6d according to a third modification of the fixing structure 6a will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of the fixing structure 6d. FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the fixing structure 6d. FIG. 11 shows a state before the folding mirror 5 is fixed. FIG. 11 shows an enlarged view of the region A near the left end. FIG. 12 shows the vicinity of the left end of the fixing structure 6d of FIG. Hereinafter, the normal direction of the housing 10 is simply referred to as a normal direction, and the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5 is simply referred to as a longitudinal direction.

  The difference between the fixed structure 6a and the fixed structure 6d is the presence or absence of the variable portions 20a and 20b. Therefore, in the following, the fixing structure 6d will be described focusing on such differences.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the housing 10 is provided with variable portions 20a and 20b. The variable portions 20a and 20b have a U-shaped periphery as shown in FIG. 11 and the thickness in the normal direction thereof is thinner than the other portions of the housing 10 as shown in FIG. Formed and configured. As a result, the variable portions 20a and 20b have a structure that is more easily elastically deformed in a direction approaching the folding mirror 5 (that is, a normal direction) than the other portions of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 12, the adhesive 14 is provided on the variable portions 20a and 20b (only the variable portion 20b is shown in FIG. 12).

  Next, a fixing method for fixing the folding mirror 5 by the fixing structure 6d will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, it demonstrates centering around the difference between the fixing method which fixes the folding mirror 5 with the fixing structure 6d, and the fixing method which fixes the folding mirror 5 with the fixing structure 6a.

  The fixing method of the fixing structure 6d is different from the fixing method of the fixing structure 6a in the method of bringing the main surface S1 and the main surface S2 close to each other and bringing the main surface S1 into contact with the adhesive 14. More specifically, in the fixing method of the fixing structure 6a, the folding mirror 5 is slightly inclined with respect to the main surface S2, and the main surface S1 and the main surface S2 are brought close to each other. On the other hand, in the fixing method of the fixing structure 6d, as shown in FIG. 12, the variable parts 20a, 20b (only the variable part 20a is shown in FIG. 12) are pushed upward in the normal direction. Is brought close to the folding mirror 5. Thereby, the uncured adhesive 14 is brought into contact with the main surface S1 of the folding mirror 5 and deformed into a columnar shape connecting the main surface S1 and the main surface S2.

  According to the fixing structure 6d and its fixing method, the same operational effects as the fixing structure 6a and its fixing method can be achieved. Furthermore, in the fixing structure 6d and its fixing method, as described below, the adhesive 14 is less likely to be deformed from the columnar shape when the folding mirror 5 is aligned as compared to the fixing structure 6a and its fixing method. More specifically, in the fixing structure 6a and its fixing method, it is necessary to align the folding mirror 5 after the adhesive 14 is deformed in the step shown in FIG. 5B. Therefore, the adhesive 14 may be deformed from the columnar shape when the folding mirror 5 is aligned.

  On the other hand, in the fixing structure 6d and the fixing method thereof, the adhesive 14 is deformed into a columnar shape by pushing up the variable portions 20a and 20b without tilting the folding mirror 5. Therefore, in the fixing structure 6d and its fixing method, the adhesive 14 can be deformed into a columnar shape after the folding mirror 5 is aligned. As a result, in the fixing structure 6d and its fixing method, there is no possibility that the adhesive 14 deformed into a columnar shape is deformed in the step of aligning the folding mirror 5.

  Note that the structures of the protrusions 12a to 12c and the variable portions 20a and 20b are not limited to those shown in FIG. Hereinafter, modified examples of the protrusions 12a to 12c and the variable portions 20a and 20b will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13 is an external perspective view of the protrusion 12a and the variable portion 20a according to the first modification. FIG. 14 is an external perspective view of the protrusion 12a and the variable portion 20a according to the second modification. FIG. 15 is an external perspective view of the protrusion 12a and the variable portion 20a according to the third modification. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the protrusion 12a and the variable portion 20a according to the third modification.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the protrusion 12a may have a U-shape so as to surround a U-shaped notch provided around the variable portion 20a. The protrusion 12a shown in FIG. 13 comes into contact with the folding mirror 5 with a larger area than the projection 12a shown in FIG.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 14, the two variable parts 20a may be provided so that two may be located in a line. In this case, the protrusion 12a has a T-shape including a part extending between the two variable parts 20a and a part extending along the two variable parts 20a.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the variable portion 20a may be provided with a protrusion 22 that protrudes upward from the main surface S2 in the normal direction. The protrusion 22 is provided near the portion where the uncured adhesive 14 is applied in the variable portion 20a. Thereby, the protrusion 22 dams the uncured adhesive 14 and suppresses the uncured adhesive 14 from spreading on the main surface S2. However, the protrusion 22 is preferably formed lower than the protrusion 12a. This is to prevent the protrusion 22 and the main surface S1 from coming into contact with each other and preventing the main surface S1 and the adhesive 14 from coming into contact when the variable portion 20a is pushed up.

(Fourth modification)
Hereinafter, a fixing structure 6e according to a fourth modification of the fixing structure 6a will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 17 is an external perspective view in the vicinity of the protrusion 12a of the fixing structure 6e. FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the fixing structure 6e. Hereinafter, the normal direction of the housing 10 is simply referred to as a normal direction, and the longitudinal direction of the folding mirror 5 is simply referred to as a longitudinal direction.

  The difference between the fixing structure 6a and the fixing structure 6e is the shape of the protrusion 12a and the presence or absence of the cavity SP. Therefore, in the following, the fixing structure 6e will be described focusing on such differences.

  The protrusion 12a has a U-shape like the protrusion 12a shown in FIG. In addition, a hole h1 is provided in a region surrounded by the protrusion 12a in the main surface S2. Furthermore, a hole h2 is provided in the side surface S3 of the housing 10 (that is, the surface other than the main surface S2). As shown in FIG. 18, the hole h1 and the hole h2 communicate with each other through a cavity SP.

  Next, a fixing method for fixing the folding mirror 5 by the fixing structure 6e will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, it demonstrates centering on the difference between the fixing method which fixes the folding mirror 5 with the fixing structure 6e, and the fixing method which fixes the folding mirror 5 with the fixing structure 6a.

  The fixing method of the fixing structure 6e is different from the fixing method of the fixing structure 6a in the method of deforming the adhesive 14 into a columnar shape. More specifically, in the fixing method of the fixing structure 6a, the folding mirror 5 is slightly tilted with respect to the main surface 2, and the main surface S1 and the main surface S2 are brought close to each other. On the other hand, in the fixing method of the fixing structure 6e, as shown in FIG. 18, the uncured adhesive 14 is applied onto the hole h1, and air is fed from the hole h2, so that the uncured adhesive 14 is wind-pressured. Is pushed upward in the normal direction. Thereby, the uncured adhesive 14 is deformed into a column shape so as to connect the main surface S1 and the main surface S2.

  According to the fixing structure 6e and its fixing method, the same operational effects as the fixing structure 6a and its fixing method can be achieved. Furthermore, in the fixing structure 6e and the fixing method thereof, as described below, the adhesive 14 is less likely to be deformed from the columnar shape when the folding mirror 5 is aligned as compared with the fixing structure 6a and the fixing method thereof. More specifically, in the fixing structure 6a and its fixing method, it is necessary to align the folding mirror 5 after the adhesive 14 is deformed in the step shown in FIG. 5B. Therefore, the adhesive 14 may be deformed from the columnar shape when the folding mirror 5 is aligned.

  On the other hand, in the fixing structure 6e and its fixing method, the adhesive 14 is deformed into a columnar shape by wind pressure without tilting the folding mirror 5. Therefore, in the fixing structure 6e and its fixing method, the adhesive 14 can be deformed into a columnar shape after the folding mirror 5 is aligned. As a result, in the fixing structure 6e and its fixing method, there is no possibility that the adhesive 14 deformed into a columnar shape is deformed in the step of aligning the folding mirror 5.

(Other variations)
In each fixing method, the adhesive 14 is applied only to the main surface S2, but may be applied to the main surface S1, or may be applied to both the main surface S1 and the main surface S2. .

  In the fixing structures 6a to 6e, the protrusions 12a to 12c protrude from the main surface S2, but may protrude from the main surface S1. In this case, the protrusions 12a to 12c position the folding mirror 5 and the housing 10 by contacting the main surface S2.

  The optical element fixed to the housing 10 in the fixing structures 6 a to 6 e is the folding mirror 5. However, the optical element is not limited to the folding mirror 5 and may be an optical lens or the like. When the optical element is an optical lens, for example, ZEONEX 330R is used as the material.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an optical scanning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external perspective view of a fixing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the fixing structure of FIG. 3. It is process sectional drawing of the fixing method of the fixing structure of FIG. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a fixing structure according to a first modification. 6B and 6C are perspective views of the vicinity of the adhesive. It is an external appearance perspective view of the fixing structure which concerns on a 2nd modification. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the fixing structure of FIG. 7. It is process sectional drawing of the fixing method of the fixing structure of FIG. It is a perspective view of the processus | protrusion which concerns on a modification. It is an external appearance perspective view of the fixing structure which concerns on a 3rd modification. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the fixing structure of FIG. 11. It is an external appearance perspective view of the processus | protrusion and variable part which concern on a 1st modification. It is an external appearance perspective view of the processus | protrusion and variable part which concern on a 2nd modification. It is an external appearance perspective view of the processus | protrusion and variable part which concern on a 3rd modification. It is sectional structure drawing of the processus | protrusion and variable part which concern on a 3rd modification. It is an external appearance perspective view in the projection vicinity of the fixing structure which concerns on a 4th modification. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of the fixing structure of FIG. 17. It is sectional drawing which showed the conventional fixing structure which fixed the optical element to the housing with the adhesive agent. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional structure diagram showing an optical device described in Patent Document 1.

Explanation of symbols

S1, S2 main surface SP cavity 1 optical scanning device 2 light source unit 3 polygon mirror 4a, 4b scanning lens 5 folding mirror 6a-6e fixed structure 10 housing 12a-12c protrusion 14 adhesive 16 region 18a, 18b, 18'a, 18 'b, 22 protrusion 20a, 20b variable part

Claims (14)

An optical element having a first major surface;
A housing having a second main surface facing the first main surface with a gap therebetween;
The housing and the optical element are protruded from either the first main surface or the second main surface and contact the other of the first main surface or the second main surface. A first protrusion for positioning;
An adhesive provided to connect the first main surface and the second main surface at a position away from the first projection;
With
The optical element has a structure having a longitudinal direction,
The housing is
In the longitudinal direction, a second protrusion that is more easily deformed than the first protrusion,
In addition,
The adhesive is provided in contact with the second protrusion;
Fixed structure characterized by. An optical element having a first major surface;
A housing having a second main surface facing the first main surface with a gap therebetween;
The housing and the optical element are protruded from either the first main surface or the second main surface and contact the other of the first main surface or the second main surface. A first protrusion for positioning;
An adhesive provided to connect the first main surface and the second main surface at a position away from the first projection;
With
The housing has a portion around the portion where the adhesive is provided and is cut out except for a part in a U-shape, and the thickness in the normal direction is thinner than the other portions. Having a structure that is more easily elastically deformed in a direction approaching the optical element than
Fixed structure characterized by. An optical element having a first major surface;
A housing having a second main surface facing the first main surface with a gap therebetween;
The housing and the optical element are protruded from either the first main surface or the second main surface and contact the other of the first main surface or the second main surface. A first protrusion for positioning;
An adhesive provided to connect the first main surface and the second main surface at a position away from the first projection;
With
The housing is provided with a cavity that communicates between a portion where the adhesive is provided and a surface other than the second main surface;
Fixed structure characterized by. The optical element has a structure having a longitudinal direction,
The adhesive is provided closer to the end of the optical element in the longitudinal direction than the midpoint of the optical element in the longitudinal direction;
The fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The Young's modulus of the adhesive is smaller than the Young's modulus of the first protrusion,
The fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The adhesive is a photo-curing resin;
The fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The housing is
Surrounding the portion where the adhesive is provided, and a region where the wettability to the adhesive is lower than the second main surface,
In addition,
The fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The adhesive is a resin having a glass transition point of 110 ° C. or lower,
The fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein: The adhesive is a resin having a viscosity before curing at 25 ° C. of 6000 mPa · s or more and 30000 mPa · s or less,
The height of the adhesive is 0.1 mm or more and 1 mm or less;
The fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein: The first protrusion is formed integrally with the second main surface;
The fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: Comprising the fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
An optical scanning device characterized by the above. Comprising the optical scanning device according to claim 11;
An image forming apparatus. A fixing method for fixing an optical element having a first main surface and a housing having a second main surface,
Applying an adhesive to at least one of the first main surface or the second main surface;
Either the first main surface or the second main surface is brought into contact with a protrusion provided on either the first main surface or the second main surface, and the optical element and the A process of aligning with the housing;
Deforming the adhesive so as to bring the first main surface and the second main surface close to each other and connect the first main surface and the second main surface;
Curing the adhesive;
With
The housing has a structure in which the portion provided with the adhesive is easily elastically deformed in a direction approaching the optical element as compared with other portions,
In the step of deforming the adhesive, elastically deforming a portion of the housing on which the adhesive is provided so as to approach the optical element;
The fixing method characterized by. A fixing method for fixing an optical element having a first main surface and a housing having a second main surface,
Applying an adhesive to at least one of the first main surface or the second main surface;
Either the first main surface or the second main surface is brought into contact with a protrusion provided on either the first main surface or the second main surface, and the optical element and the A process of aligning with the housing;
Deforming the adhesive so as to bring the first main surface and the second main surface close to each other and connect the first main surface and the second main surface;
Curing the adhesive;
With
The housing is provided with a cavity communicating between a portion where the adhesive is provided and a surface other than the second main surface,
In the step of applying the adhesive, it is applied to the second main surface,
In the step of deforming the adhesive, air is sent into the cavity from the surface side other than the second main surface;
The fixing method characterized by.

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