JPH02311815A - Light beam scanning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the light beam scanning device compact and to securely make a light beam scan by constituting respective optical components so that they are embedded partially in partitioned storage parts of a optical surface plate. CONSTITUTION:The light beam scanning device consists of the optical components equipped with a light sources 14 and 16, an optical deflector 22, and a scanning lens 24 and the optical surface plate 12 where the optical components are stored. The optical surface plate 12 has the storage part conforming with the shapes of the optical components and at least parts of the optical components are fitted in the storage parts. Namely, holes where the optical components are stored partially such as a hole 4 wherein the leg part 14a of the light source 14 for recording and a hole 42 where the leg part 16a of the light source 16 for a synchronizing signal are formed in the bottom surface part 12a of the optical surface plate 12 and the optical components are stored in the holes and thus fitted to the optical surface plate 12. Consequently, the light beam scanning device is made compact and the light beam securely is made to scan.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a light beam scanning device, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a light beam scanning device, and more particularly, at least a part of each optical component incorporated for scanning a light beam is mounted on an optical surface plate. The present invention relates to a light beam scanning device that is embedded to stabilize the position of optical components, to make the entire light beam scanning device compact, and to enable highly accurate image recording and/or reading.

[Background of the invention] For example, in the field of printing plate making, streamlining of work processes,
2. Description of the Related Art Image scanning, recording and reproducing systems that electrically process image information carried on a document to create a film original are widely used for the purpose of improving image quality.

This image scanning recording/reproducing system basically consists of an image reading section and an image recording section.

That is, in the image reading section, image information carried on a document conveyed in the sub-scanning direction is main-scanned by a photoelectric conversion element and converted into an electrical signal. Next, the image information photoelectrically converted by the image reading unit is subjected to arithmetic processing such as gradation correction and edge enhancement according to the plate-making conditions in the image recording unit, and then converted to an optical signal and transmitted via laser light. Recording and reproduction are performed on a record carrier made of a photosensitive material such as film.

A light beam scanning device is known as a device that performs this type of recording and reproduction. That is, the light beam scanning device generally includes a laser light source that outputs laser light, an optical deflector that swings at high speed and deflects the laser light, and a scanning lens that main scans the laser light onto a record carrier. , and a conveying means for conveying the record carrier in a sub-scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the main-scanning direction.

The light beam scanning device having such a configuration performs the following operations. That is, a laser beam emitted from a laser light source is reflected and deflected within a predetermined angle by an optical deflector, and then passes through a scanning lens to main-scan the recording medium. At this time, the record carrier is being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction via a conveying means, whereby an image is two-dimensionally recorded and reproduced on the record carrier.

Incidentally, optical components such as a laser light source, an optical deflector, and a scanning lens, which constitute the light beam scanning device, are respectively arranged at predetermined positions on an optical surface plate and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

That is, in the conventional technology, since the optical path length from the laser light source to the record carrier is regulated by each optical component, it is substantially difficult to miniaturize it to a desired size. Moreover, these optical components are mounted on an optical surface plate in order to stabilize the optical system itself and operate it, but for this structural reason, it has not yet been possible to make it sufficiently compact. Furthermore, in order to properly scan the light beam, it is necessary to provide a mechanism to firmly hold the optical deflector and the like, which is a drawback.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and it is possible to make a light beam scanning device more compact by embedding at least a part of the optical components in an optical surface plate, and to obtain stable light beams. An object of the present invention is to provide a light beam scanning device that scans a beam and thereby achieves highly accurate image recording and/or reading operations.

[Means for Achieving the Object] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a light beam scanning device that scans an object to be scanned with a light beam to read or record an image, etc., the light beam scanning device comprising: It includes an optical component including a light source, a light deflector, and a scanning lens, and an optical surface plate that stores the optical component, and the optical surface plate has a storage portion corresponding to the shape of the optical component, and at least the optical component. It is characterized in that a part of the device is stored and attached in the storage portion.

[Embodiments] Next, preferred embodiments of the light beam scanning device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates a light beam scanning device according to this embodiment. The light beam scanning device IO includes an optical surface plate 12 having an abbreviated shape.

That is, the optical surface plate 12 is composed of a bottom surface portion 12a and a side surface portion 12b rising from the bottom surface portion 12a. Various optical components constituting the light beam scanning device 10 are arranged on this optical surface plate 12.

First, the optical components and their arrangement on the optical surface plate 12 will be explained. On the optical surface plate 12, a first
A recording light source 14 that outputs a laser beam L2, and a synchronization signal light source 16 that outputs a second laser beam L2 are arranged at predetermined angular positions.

Further, a dichroic mirror 18 is provided on the optical path of the first laser beam L+ and the second laser beam L2, and the dichroic mirror 18 transmits the second laser beam L+ while reflecting the second laser beam L2. Further, a mirror 19 that introduces the first laser beam L1 and the second laser beam L2 from the dichroic mirror 18 to an optical deflector, which will be described later, and an optical deflector, that is, a mirror 20 that swings at high speed in the direction of the arrow. A galvanometer mirror 22 having a mirror 22, a scanning lens 24 made of an fθ lens, etc., and a mirror 26 that reflects the first laser beam and the second laser beam L2 upward are provided.

Further, the second radar light L is provided above these optical components.
A mirror 28 is disposed to reflect the second
A synchronization signal generator 30 is provided in the direction in which the laser beam L2 is reflected. The synchronization signal generating section 30 basically includes a reference grating plate 32 and a condensing rod 33 close to the reference grating plate 32. At both ends of the condensing rod 33,
Photodetectors 33a and 33b are provided.

Furthermore, an image recording section 34 is disposed above the mirror 28, and the image recording section 34 is pressed against the drum 36 via a drum 36 rotating in the direction of the arrow and a film F on which an image is recorded. It includes a pair of nip rollers 38a and 38b.

The various optical components constituting the light beam scanning device 10 are arranged and configured as described above, and the optical surface plate 12 to which the optical components are attached will be described below.

As shown in FIG.
It is attached so as to be buried and stored in the bottom part 12a of the. That is, the recording light source 1 is provided on the bottom surface 12a of the optical surface plate 12.
4, a storage hole 42 to store the leg 16a of the synchronizing signal light source 16, and a storage hole 4 to store the support part 18a of the synchronous mirror 18.
4 is formed. In addition, the galvanometer mirror 22
In the galvanometer mirror 22, a plate body 22a is attached to a portion below the mounting position of the mirror 20, and a part of the plate body 22a is housed in the housing hole 46. is screwed onto the optical surface plate 12. Furthermore, the storage hole 48 of the mirror 19, the storage hole 50 of the scanning lens 24, and the storage holes 52a and 52b of the mirror 26 are located on the optical surface plate 1.
2 is formed on the bottom surface portion 12a.

The scanning lens 24 has a housing hole 50 to expose the optical axis.
The lens support frame 24a is attached to the optical surface plate 12 by screwing it onto the optical surface plate 12. In this case, the scanning lens 2
Reference numeral 4 is composed of an fθ lens which is a combination of a plurality of spherical lenses. Therefore, when the scanning lens 24 is fitted into the housing hole, it is easily rotated within the housing hole and adjusted to a position with the least aberration. Note that the mirror 26 has legs 26a and 26b inserted into storage holes 52a15.
By storing it in 2b, it is attached to the optical surface plate 12.

Here, FIG. 3 shows a sectional view taken along the line A--A shown in FIG. 1, where some parts are omitted for simplicity. As can be easily understood from the figure, the galvanometer mirror 22, the mirror 19, the scanning lens 24, the mirror 26
A part of the storage holes 46, 48, . . . are provided in the optical table 12.
50, 52a and 52b respectively, and the second laser beam L
It can be easily understood that one optical path is formed.

The light beam scanning device 10 according to the present invention is basically constructed as described above, and its operation and effects will be explained next.

The first laser beam Lls and the second laser beam L2 outputted from the recording light source 14 and the synchronizing signal light source 16 reach the guichroic mirror 18. Next, the second laser beam and the second laser beam L2 are introduced into the galvanometer mirror 22 by the mirror 19. The galvanometer mirror 22
The first and second laser beams LI and L2 are deflected by a predetermined angle under the high-speed swing motion of the mirror 20. The first and second laser beams, L2, which are deflected at a predetermined angle by the galvanometer mirror 22, reach the mirror 26 after passing through the scanning lens 24.

The first loser light is transmitted to the image recording section 34 via the mirror 26.
, and the film F is main scanned in the direction of arrow A from between the nip rollers 38a and 38b. At this time, since the film F is conveyed by the drum 36 in the direction of arrow B, that is, in the sub-scanning direction, an image is formed two-dimensionally by the looser light.

On the other hand, the second laser beam is guided to the synchronizing signal generating section 30 via the mirror 28, and scans the reference grating plate 32 in the six directions of the arrows. At this time, the second laser beam L2 that has passed through the reference grating plate 32 enters the condensing rod 33 and is repeatedly reflected on the inner circumferential surface of the condensing rod 33.
33b.

The optical signals guided to the photodetectors 33a and 33b are converted into synchronization signals for controlling the recording light source 14. The recording light source 14 is controlled based on the synchronization signal, and the first radar light is output.

In this case, according to this embodiment, the optical surface plate 12 is provided with a storage hole for the optical component, and is configured to accommodate a part of the optical component. Therefore, in contrast to the conventional structure in which optical components are placed on the optical surface plate 12, as shown in FIG.
The height H3 up to 34 can be reduced, and the device can be made more compact. In addition, by embedding a part of the optical component in the optical surface plate 12 as described above, the mounting strength of the optical component is increased, so that it is less susceptible to external vibrations and stable scanning light can be obtained. is obtained. As a result, it becomes possible to perform highly accurate image recording and/or reading. That is, by providing the optical component storage hole, the remaining portion is provided with a lip for maintaining strength, and maintains considerable strength against the swinging movement of the optical component. Furthermore, by embedding a part of the optical component in the optical surface plate 12, it becomes difficult for dust and the like to adhere to the optical component, and this also eliminates the concern that the recorded information may be misread. Moreover, the effect that maintenance of the apparatus becomes easier can be obtained. As mentioned above, since the scanning lens 24 made of an fθ lens can be rotated once it is fitted into the housing hole, the position with the least aberration can be easily selected, and the scanning lens 24 made of an fθ lens can be easily selected through the support frame 24a. If the light beam is fixed at a fixed position, an advantage is obtained that scanning of the light beam can be performed precisely.

Next, another embodiment of the light beam scanning device according to the present invention is shown in FIG. In addition, the same reference numerals are attached to the same components as in the first embodiment, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 60 indicates a light beam scanning device according to the second embodiment. The light beam scanning device 60 includes an optical surface plate 62 having an abbreviated shape. In this case, the optical surface plate 6
2 are optical components, namely, a recording light source 14, a synchronizing signal light source 16, a gicroic mirror 18, a mirror 19, a galvanometer mirror 22, a scanning lens 24, and a mirror 26.
Adopts a structure that stores everything internally. This optical surface plate 6
2 is formed with a storage section 64 that stores the recording light source 14, a storage section 66 that stores the synchronizing signal light source 16, a storage section 68 that stores the guichroic mirror 18, and a storage section 70 that stores the mirror 19. . In addition, galvanometer mirror 2
2 is attached to the plate body 72, while the scanning lens 24
are attached to the support frame body 74, and are respectively housed in storage sections to be described later. A storage section 76 for storing the mirror 26 and an opening 78 through which the first loser light Ll and second laser light L2 pass are formed.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a light beam scanning device 60 according to this embodiment.
The storage structure for optical components is shown in detail. As can be easily understood from the figure, the optical components constituting the light beam scanning device 60 are attached so that the entire optical components are housed within the bottom surface 12a of the optical surface plate 12. That is, the optical surface plate 12 is provided with a storage section 80 for attaching the galvanometer mirror 22, and one end of the galvanometer mirror 22 housing is attached to the plate body 72, and the galvanometer mirror 22 housing is attached to the plate body 72. It is attached by inserting into the storage part 80 and screwing the plate body 72 to the optical surface plate 62 near the storage part 80. Furthermore, a housing part 82 is formed to store the scanning lens 24 , and the scanning lens 24 is constructed by inserting a support frame 74 that supports the scanning lens 24 so as to surround it into the housing part 82 , and screwing it onto the optical surface plate 62 . wear it.

Therefore, FIG. 6 shows a partially omitted vertical cross-sectional view taken along line A--A shown in FIG. 4.

As can be easily understood from the figure, the storage portions 70, 76, 80, 82 and openings 78 provided in the optical surface plate 62 and the storage portions 64, 66, 68 communicate with each other, so that the optical path is directed to the optical surface plate. 62. Galvanometer mirror 22
, the mirror 19, the scanning lens 24, and the mirror 26 are housed in housing sections 80, 70, 82, and 76 provided on the optical surface plate 62, respectively, and form an optical path for the first loser light Ll.

In this case, according to this embodiment, since the optical path is formed by storing the optical components in the optical surface plate 62, the image recording unit 34 The height can be reduced to H3, making it possible to make the device even more compact. In addition, since the optical path is formed within the optical surface plate 62, temperature changes in the air layer that forms the optical path, generation of thermal convection, etc., and adhesion of dust and other objects to optical components are suppressed, and the laser beam can be scanned accurately. You can. Note that in the first and second embodiments, a galvanometer mirror is used as the optical deflector, but it is also possible to use a resonant scanner.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, each optical component is partially embedded in a storage area defined in an optical surface plate to which the optical component is attached.

Therefore, the light beam scanning device can be made more compact. Furthermore, since the optical surface plate itself has a rib structure due to the storage portion provided in the optical surface plate, the influence of external vibrations and the like is suppressed. Furthermore, the buried structure suppresses the occurrence of air temperature changes and thermal convection in the optical path, as well as the adhesion of dust and other substances to optical components, and also makes it possible to easily position the spherical scanning lens. It becomes possible to scan the beam accurately.

As a result, highly accurate image recording and/or reading can be performed.

Furthermore, since the present invention allows the overall device to be made more compact without changing the optical path length based on the standards of optical components,
There is no need to develop new optical components of a standard compatible with the optical system in order to deliberately shorten the optical path length. Therefore, the effect of suppressing cost increases can be obtained.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
For example, various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as being applicable to an image reading device that reads image information by irradiating an image recording carrier carrying image information with a laser beam. Of course, this is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a schematic perspective view of a light beam scanning device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the light beam scanning device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an A of the light beam scanning device shown in FIG. 1. - A longitudinal cross-sectional view along line A; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a light beam scanning device according to another embodiment; FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the light beam scanning device shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the light beam scanning device shown in the figure. lO...Light beam scanning device 12...Optical surface plate 1
2a... Bottom part 14... Recording light source 1
6...Synchronization signal light source 22...Galvanometer mirror 24...Scanning lens 40-52...Storage hole 62...Optical surface plate 64-70...Storage section 80.82...Storage Part F... Film L+, L2... Laser beam procedure amendment (voluntary) January 10, 1990 1, Indication of case 1999 Patent Application No. 134206 2
, Title of the invention: Light beam scanning device 3, Person making the amendment: Relationship with the case: Patent applicant: 4, Agent: 5, Date of amendment order: Voluntary action

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a light beam scanning device that scans an object to be scanned with a light beam to read or record an image, etc., the light beam scanning device includes an optical component including a light source, a light deflector, and a scanning lens, and the optical component. including an optical surface plate for storage;
The optical beam scanning device is characterized in that the optical surface plate has a storage section corresponding to the shape of the optical component, and at least a part of the optical component is stored and attached in the storage section.