JPH03226709A - Holder-incorporating optical box for light source of luminous flux scanner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To contrive the shortening of the time for adjustment, the simplification of constitution and the reduction of a cost by incorporating a holder for a light source into the optical box. CONSTITUTION:An optical system unit, such as laser unit, which integrates the light source, such as laser chip 3, an outside cylinder for fixing the light source, and a holder 5 incorporating a collimator lens 14, is mounted to the optical box made of a synthetic resin, etc. A window part, such as hole 10, in which a luminous flux can pass, is provided in the position where the exit light from the light source advances as it is and intersects with the optical box 6. The holder 5 is insert-molded in the optical box 6 and is simultaneously and integrally molded when the optical box 6 is molded. The adjustment to collimater the luminous flux from the collimator lens 14 and the position adjustment of a cylindrical lens 7 are, therefore, executable without moving the optical box 6 from the once fixed jig. All the adjustments are possible in this way without moving the optical box 6. The assembly is thus simplified and the need for a holder as a light source unit is eliminated. The cost is thereby reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a storage box (hereinafter referred to as an optical box) equipped with a holder for a light source such as a laser generator used in a beam scanning device such as a laser beam printer. It is related to.

[Prior Art] A conventional example is shown in FIG. 6, and this configuration will be explained according to the assembly procedure.

First, the laser chip 103 that emits laser light is
A five-wave washer 102 is sandwiched and fixed between a laser emission driver 101 and a laser base 104. Next, a holder 1.05 containing a lens barrel 106 adhesively fixed to a collimator lens 107 is placed on the laser base 104.
Temporarily tighten and fix.

Next, the laser chip 103 is connected to the collimator lens 10.
The laser base 104 is moved and finally fixed so that the laser beam is emitted along the optical axis 7. and,
After adjusting the distance between the collimator lens 107 and the laser chip 103 so that the laser light emitted from the collimator lens 107 becomes parallel light, adhesive is poured through the hole 113 provided in the holder 105 and the collimator lens is attached. 107 is fixed.

In this way, a laser unit, which is one light source unit, is constructed.

Next, an fθ lens (not shown), a rotating polygon mirror (polygon) 110 for deflecting the laser beam, motor unit parts (stator coil, rotor bearing) 111 and 112 for rotating the polygon 110, etc. are built-in. optical box 108
Attach the above laser unit to. Then, the cylindrical lens 1
After adjusting the position of lens 09 in the optical axis direction, this cylindrical lens 109 is fixed with adhesive or the like.

The polygon scanner unit is constructed through the steps described above.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional example described above, the laser unit is manufactured and then attached to the optical box 108, and then the polygon scanner unit is manufactured, so there are the following drawbacks.

(1) The laser unit and the scanner unit are manufactured in separate processes, and then both are attached and adjusted, which requires a long working time.

(2) Since the configuration is complicated, the cost is high.

(3) It is difficult to achieve positional accuracy due to the large number of parts.In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical box with a built-in holder for a light source.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention that achieves the above object provides an optical system unit such as a laser unit that integrates a light source such as a laser chip, an outer cylinder for fixing the light source, and a holder containing a collimator lens. is attached to an optical box made of synthetic resin or the like, and the holder is built into the optical box. Further, a window such as a hole through which the light beam can pass is provided at a position where the light emitted from the light source continues and intersects with the optical box.

The holder may be insert molded into the optical box, or may be integrally molded at the same time as the optical box is molded.

Since the optical box has such a configuration, it is possible to adjust the light flux from the collimator lens to parallel light and adjust the position of the cylindrical lens without moving the optical box from the fixed jig. Problems can be resolved.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 are diagrams showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, which is a side sectional view showing the main body structure of the polygon scanner unit, 1 is a laser chip 3 which is a light source.
A laser driver that emits light, 2 is a laser chip 3
4 is a base for holding the laser chip 3; 5 is an outer cylinder or holder insert molded when molding the synthetic resin storage box or optical box 6; 7 is a cylindrical lens; 8 is a polygon mirror for deflecting the laser beam, 9 is a motor unit for rotating the polygon 8, and IO is provided so that the laser beam passes through the optical box 6 when the laser beam is emitted straight without being deflected. The hole 14 is a collimator lens for converting the laser light built into the holder 5 into parallel light.

In the first embodiment, the adjustment of laser light is performed in the following procedure.

First, laser light emitted from the laser chip 3, which is a laser light source, is collimated by the collimator lens 14 to become parallel light. Then, the cylindrical lens 7 is moved and adjusted to obtain a good beam spot diameter on the photosensitive drum surface.

This adjustment will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

In FIG. 2 showing the method of adjusting the laser chip 3 and collimator lens 14, first, the optical box 6 in the holder 5 is
The laser chip 3, wave washer 2, and laser light emitting drive 1 are temporarily fixed using set screws or the like. Next, the optical box 6 is fixed at a predetermined position on a jig (not shown), and the laser beam emitted from the collimator lens 14 is directed through the hole 1 of the optical box 6.
．． The light is guided to a CCD camera 13 through a condensing lens 11 and an objective lens 12 whose focal length is known, and this camera 13
The collimator lens 14 is currently connected to the laser chip 3 using
Measure the relationship between

By this measurement, the position of the laser chip 3 etc. is adjusted and fixed so that the light from the collimator lens 14 becomes parallel light.

At this time, a hole 10 is required, and because of this hole 10, it is possible to measure the laser light from the collimator lens 14 with the laser chip 3 attached to the optical box 6. When the optical system unit, that is, the laser unit, which is formed by integrating the cylinder and the holder containing the collimator lens, is manufactured in a separate process, it is no longer necessary to perform the above-mentioned collimation adjustment.

Next, the adjustment of the cylindrical lens 7 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3, which shows FIG. 1 viewed from above.

After adjusting the collimator lens 14 described above, fθ is placed in the optical box 6.
A toric lens 22 and a spherical lens 23 forming lenses,
Polygon 8, cylindrical lens 7, horizontal synchronization signal (
BD) Attach all other parts such as the detection mirror 27 and optical fiber 28. At this time, it is not necessary to remove and transfer the optical box 6 fixed to the jig to another jig for adjusting the cylindrical lens.

Next, an objective lens 24 and a CCD camera 2 are installed so that the beam spot at a position corresponding to the photosensitive drum 21 can be measured.
5 in place. Then, the cylindrical lens 7 is moved in the optical axis direction so as to obtain a good beam spot on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, and after adjustment, the cylindrical lens 7 is fixed with an adhesive or the like.

Finally, a lid or the like is attached to the hole 10 and the polygon scanner unit to seal it, thereby completing the polygon scanner unit.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the holder 5 is built into the optical box 6, and the hole 10 is drilled at the position where the laser beam hits the optical box when the laser is emitted, so that not only can conventional adjustments be made, but also There is no need to move the optical box to another jig for each adjustment of the collimator lens 14 and cylindrical lens 7.

FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining the second embodiment. Components with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same parts.

In the second embodiment, in a polygon scanner unit in which the collimator lens 34 has a large R (radius of curvature) and a short optical path length, even if the collimating action of the collimator lens 34 is slightly deviated due to environmental changes, the beam spot on the photosensitive drum surface remains unchanged. It takes advantage of the fact that it has almost no effect on That is, in the second embodiment, the holder portion of the collimator lens 34 is integrally molded with the resin of the optical box 36. Adjustment in the second embodiment is performed as follows.

After molding the optical box 36, the laser base 4 and the laser chip 3
, wave washer 2. Laser driver 1 to optical box 3
6 and insert the collimator lens 34 into the optical box 36. After the collimation adjustment, the laser chip 3, collimator lens 34, etc. are fixed to the optical box 36 by final tightening and adhesive. After that, after attaching the motor unit 9, polygon 8, cylindrical lens 7, fθ lens, etc. to the optical box 36, the cylindrical lens 7 is moved back and forth in the optical axis direction so that the beam becomes the minimum spot shape on the photosensitive drum surface. , and fix the cylindrical lens 7.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the assembly and adjustment of the polygon scanner unit can be completed without moving the optical box 36 during assembly, thereby simplifying the assembly.

In addition to this, in the second embodiment, the collimator lens 34
Since the sliding portion 36a of the optical box 36 is made of synthetic resin, further cost reduction is possible.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same symbols as in FIG. 1 indicate the same parts.

In the third embodiment, a hole 10 provided in a five-light box 6 is provided with a self-weight shutter 15 that lowers under its own weight and seals the hole 10.

When adjusting the collimator lens 14 and the cylindrical lens 7, rotate the shutter 15 upward about point A so that the notch 15a of the shutter 15 and the bottle at point B are hooked, and then open the hole 10. Open it ((indicated by the dashed line in Figure 5(b)).

After completing the adjustment, remove the notch 15a from the bottle at point B,
The shirt top 15 is lowered by its own weight and the hole 10 is closed.

This makes it easier to open and close the hole 10, making it easier to assemble the polygon scanner unit. Note that the shutter or lid is not limited to the self-weighted shutter mentioned above, but can also be provided with a member integrally molded with the optical box that can be opened and closed.
It is sufficient that the hole 10 is opened and the hole 10 is closed after adjustment.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, since the light source holder is built in at the same time as the optical box is formed, it is not necessary to make a hole or the like at the location where the beam hits the optical box in the direction of beam emission from the light source. For example, all adjustments can be made without moving the optical box, which simplifies assembly. Furthermore, a holder as a light source unit is no longer necessary, and costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, the number of parts has been reduced, making it possible to improve the positional accuracy of the scanner unit.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating laser light adjustment in the first embodiment,
FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating the position adjustment of the cylindrical lens in the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5(a) is a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5(b) is a side sectional view showing an example, FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing the opening/closing operation of the shutter, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional example. l... Laser emission driver, 3... Laser chip, 4... Laser base, 5...
Holder, 6.36...Optical box, 7...Cylindrical lens, 8...Polygon, 9...
・Motor unit, 1O...hole, 14.34...
... Collimator lens, 15 ... Shutter,
22...Toric lens, 23... Spherical lens

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An optical box for a light beam scanning device to which is attached an optical system unit that integrates a light source, an outer cylinder for fixing the light source, and a holder containing a collimator lens, wherein the holder is installed in the optical box. An optical box with a built-in holder for a light source. 2. The optical box according to claim 1, wherein the optical box is made of synthetic resin. 3. Where the light beam from the light source intersects the optical box,
3. The optical box according to claim 1, further comprising a window portion through which the light flux can pass. 4. The optical box according to claim 2, wherein the holder is insert molded into the optical box. 5. Claim 2, wherein the holder is integrally molded with the optical box.
Optical box as described.