JPH0572493A - Deflecting device and production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the deflecting device which is small in size, high in rigidity and low in cost while sufficiently exhibiting a function as a revolving shaft and a mirror for deflection by forming the shaft and the mirror for deflection of separate members. CONSTITUTION:A thermoplastic member 14 consisting of polycarbonate of a cylindrical part is adhered and coupled to the front end in the axial line direction of a metallic shaft 11. The shaft 11 and the plastic member 14 are mounted to a pressing device 15 and are heated and pressurized by upper and lower heating and pressuring plates 16, 17. The shaft and members are then held for a specified period of time. The shaft and the member are thereafter cooled and are taken out of the pressing device 15. Plane parts 20a to 20c of a metallic mold 20 are transferred to the plastic member 14 in this way and the mirror 12 for deflection formed with the plane parts 12a, 12b corresponding thereto is molded. The films of SiO are then formed together with aluminum or copper on the plane parts 12a, 12b by a vacuum vapor deposition method, by which mirror surfaces are formed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a deflecting device and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a deflecting device used for an optical deflecting device in a laser beam, a copying machine or the like and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a deflecting device of this type, for example, there is a polygon mirror shown in FIG. 14 (see Mechanical Technology, 1987, vol 35, no9). In FIG. 14, reference numeral 1 is a polygon mirror, and this polygon mirror 1 is capable of highly accurately forming a plurality of flat surface portions 1a on the outer peripheral portion by an ultra-precision cutting machine (not shown) equipped with a diamond tool using an aluminum material as a processing blank. Thus, the necessary reflectance is given to the flat surface portion 1a. And this polygon mirror 1 is 5, 6, 8, 10 ... 32 depending on the processing method.
It is formed into a square shape.

Further, as another deflection device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-63
There is a handle mirror described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 266419.
This is a metal shaft 2 made of aluminum or the like that can be supported by a gas bearing (not shown) as shown in FIG.
Further, the mirror surfaces 2a and 2b having a predetermined reflectance are machined integrally with the shaft so as to be arranged symmetrically with respect to the rotation center axis of the shaft 2. Further, as another deflecting device, a V-shaped mirror or a die forming a V-shaped mirror surface having a predetermined reflectance with a punch or the like at one end of a metal rotating shaft is integrated with one end by a V-shaped mirror. There is a V-shaped mirror made of resin and having a V-shaped mirror surface. The V-shaped mirror made of resin is obtained by vapor-depositing aluminum or copper on the mirror surface to obtain reflectance, and at the same time, the surface of the aluminum film or the like is coated with SiO 2.
Is deposited to protect the surface.

[0004]

However, each of the conventional deflecting devices as described above has the following problems. (1) In the polygon mirror 1 as shown in FIG. 14, since the flat surface portion 1a is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the mirror 1, as shown by A in FIG. Since the size up to the part is manufactured in a wide range of about 7 to 40 mm, there is a problem that the deflection device itself becomes large. Therefore, a large installation space is required when the deflecting device is mounted on a laser printer or a copying machine, which causes a problem that the laser printer or the like cannot be downsized. (2) In addition to the one shown in FIG. 14, the one shown in FIG. 15 and the metal V-shaped mirror are all made of metal, and are manufactured by the ultra-precision cutting machine. There is a problem that powder) is generated, scratches are generated on the mirror surface, and the yield is deteriorated. Further, in order to form a mirror device having a highly accurate reflectance, a highly accurate precision cutting machine, a diamond tool, or an aluminum material having a uniform grain size is required as a base material, so that a deflecting device is manufactured. All of the devices and materials used in (1) are expensive, and the manufacturing cost of the deflection device increases. (3) In the case of the one shown in FIG. 15, since it is necessary to manufacture the rotary shaft and the mirror surface with a metal member and to perform the ultra-precision cutting of the mirror surface, the rotary shaft made of aluminum, copper or brass is used. In order to reduce the size of the rotating shaft, it cannot be used as a shaft having a small diameter and high rigidity. In addition to this, V is integrated into one end by a mold.
Even a resin V-shaped mirror having a V-shaped mirror surface is made of resin, so that it cannot be used as a small-diameter, high-rigidity shaft in order to miniaturize the rotating shaft. (4) Since the V-shaped mirror made of resin has a predetermined reflectance obtained by vapor-depositing SiO on the mirror surface in addition to aluminum and copper, the number of manufacturing steps for molding the mirror surface is increased. There has been a problem that the manufacturing cost further deteriorates as the workability of the work deteriorates.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the shaft and the deflecting mirror are formed as separate members, so that the function as a rotary shaft and the function as a deflecting mirror can be sufficiently exhibited, and the deflector can be small in size, high in rigidity, and low in cost. An object is to provide a device and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In order to achieve the above object, in a polarizing device having a deflecting mirror that scans a laser beam on a photoconductor, a rotatable metal shaft and a planar mirror attached to an axial end portion of the shaft are provided. And a deflecting mirror made of plastic having a surface.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the mirror surfaces are two planar surfaces symmetrically formed with respect to the axis of the shaft. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in a method of manufacturing a polarizing device having a deflecting mirror that scans a laser beam on a photosensitive member, a plastic member is fixed to a metal shaft, and then, The shaft and the plastic member are attached to a press machine having a mold having a highly precise flat surface formed by at least one surface, and then the press machine is operated to heat the glass to the glass transition temperature of the plastic and the mold is used. It is characterized in that the deflecting mirror is molded by transferring the formed flat surface portion to a plastic member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in a method of manufacturing a polarizing device having a deflecting mirror for scanning a laser beam on a photosensitive member, a thermoplastic resin is provided on an end surface of a metal shaft. By fastening and fixing a plastic screw made of a molecular material, and then pressing a wedge-shaped heated mold having at least one flat surface portion onto the end portion of the plastic screw to transfer the flat surface portion. ,
It is characterized in that a deflecting mirror is molded.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 5 attaches an aluminum foil or a copper foil to which a protective film is attached in advance to the flat surface portion of the mold, and the flat surface portion is attached to a plastic member or a plastic screw. It is characterized in that a mirror surface is formed on the flat surface portion of the plastic member by simultaneously transferring the aluminum foil or the copper foil together with the protective film when transferring.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the deflecting device is composed of a metal shaft and a plastic deflecting mirror attached to the axial end of the shaft,
By performing centerless polishing or the like on the metal member, a shaft having a small diameter and high rigidity can be manufactured, and a shaft having highly accurate dimensions can be easily obtained. In addition to this, a deflecting mirror having a highly accurate plane portion is manufactured at a low temperature and a low pressure by hot pressing or the like. Therefore, a small-sized and low-cost deflector can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the invention, after the plastic member is fixed to the metal shaft, the flat surface formed on the mold is transferred to the plastic member, so that a diamond tool, an ultra-precision cutting machine, or the like is used. The deflecting mirror is manufactured by a press machine at low temperature and low pressure without using expensive equipment, and the yield is improved without scratches on the flat surface due to the chips generated by cutting, etc. A small-sized deflecting device including a deflecting mirror having the above is manufactured at low cost. Further, since the shaft is made of metal, it is manufactured with a smaller size and higher rigidity than a shaft made of a resin, and the degree of vacuum or dimensions of the shaft is stable.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, after a plastic screw made of a thermoplastic polymer material is fastened and fixed to the end face of the metal shaft, at least one or more faces are attached to the end of the plastic screw. Since the wedge-shaped heated mold having a flat surface is pushed and the flat surface is transferred, the metal shaft and the plastic screw are securely connected, and the diamond tool and the ultra-precision cutting machine etc. The deflecting mirror is manufactured at low temperature and low pressure by a pressing device without using an expensive device, and the yield is improved without scratches on the flat surface due to chips generated by cutting etc. A small deflecting device having the deflecting mirror has is manufactured at low cost.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the aluminum foil or the copper foil previously attached to the flat surface of the mold is transferred at the same time when the flat surface is transferred to the plastic member, the flat surface and the mirror surface. Are simultaneously molded by a press machine, which reduces the man-hours for manufacturing the deflection mirror.
While improving the workability of the deflection mirror manufacturing work,
The manufacturing cost of the deflection device is further reduced.

[0014]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below based on examples.
1 to 5 are views showing a first embodiment of a deflecting device and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, and this embodiment shows an example applied to a handle mirror. First, the configuration will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a metal shaft, which is rotatably supported by a gas bearing or the like (not shown) and constitutes a motor shaft for scanning. A plastic deflection mirror 12 is attached to the upper portion of the shaft 11 by adhesion or the like, and the deflection mirror 12 has flat surface portions 12a and 12b formed symmetrically with respect to the axis of the shaft 11. Si is formed on the aluminum or copper film on the flat portions 12a and 12b.
A mirror surface on which O is formed as a protective film is formed, and the laser light R is scanned on the photoconductor (not shown) by this mirror surface. The shaft 11 and the deflecting mirror 12 described above constitute a deflecting device 13.

Next, a method of manufacturing such a deflecting device 13 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 2, a metal shaft 11 is prepared. This metal shaft 11 has workability,
It is made of non-magnetic stainless steel with good dimensional stability and is ground to a fine diameter of 1 mm or less with high precision.
Next, a thermoplastic resin member 14 made of a cylindrical polycarbonate is bonded and bonded to the upper end of the shaft 11 in the axial direction. Next, the shaft 11 and the plastic member 14 are attached to the pressing device 15 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pressing device 15 includes an upper heating / pressurizing plate 16, a lower heating / pressurizing plate 17 which is disposed so as to face the pressing plate 16 and is connected to a pressing mechanism (not shown).
Frame plates 18 and 19 arranged between 16 and 17 and a deflecting mirror
The mold 20 has a molding surface on which flat surface portions 20a to 20c corresponding to 12 flat surface portions 12a and 12b are formed. Then, the shaft 11 and the plastic member 14 are attached to the pressing device 15, and the glass transition temperature of the plastic member 14 or higher (about 160 to 2
It is heated up to 00 ° C) and pressurized in the range of about 10 to 100 kgf / cm ² and held for a certain period of time.

Next, the plastic member 14 is cooled to a temperature not higher than the heat deformation temperature and solidified so that the molding surface does not change. Therefore, the flat surface of the mold 20
The deflecting mirror 12 having the flat portions 12a and 12b corresponding to 20a to 20c is formed. Then, the flat surface portions 12a and 12b are mixed with aluminum or copper by a vacuum deposition method.
A film of iO is formed to form a mirror surface.

As described above, in this embodiment, after the plastic member 14 is fixed to the metal shaft 11, the flat surface portions 20a to 20c formed on the mold 20 are transferred to the plastic member 14 so that the metal member 14 is made of metal. Since the shaft 11 and the plastic deflection mirror 12 having a planar mirror surface are integrally manufactured, the shaft 11 having a small diameter and high rigidity is manufactured by performing centerless polishing of a metal member. Shaft 11 that can be manufactured with high precision and shape
Can be easily obtained. In addition to this, without using expensive equipment such as diamond tools and ultra-precision cutting machines,
The deflecting mirror 12 can be manufactured by the pressing device 15 at low temperature and low pressure, and it is possible to prevent scratches from being generated on the flat surface due to chips generated by cutting or the like and improve the yield. As a result, the ultra-precision flat surface 12
The small deflecting mirror 13 having a and 12b can be manufactured at low cost, and the manufacturing cost of the deflecting device 13 can be reduced. In this embodiment, the aluminum film or the like is formed on the flat surface portions 12a and 12b by vacuum vapor deposition, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may transfer 12a, 12b and may form a mirror surface simultaneously. Further, since the shaft 11 is made of metal, it is possible to manufacture the shaft 11 in a smaller size and with higher rigidity as compared with a shaft made of a resin, and it is possible to stabilize the vacuum degree or the dimension of the shaft 11. ..

In this embodiment, the flat portions 12a and 12b are formed symmetrically with respect to the axis of the shaft 11, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. The portions 21a and 21b may be formed in a tapered shape by inclining by θ. In this way, the deflection mirror 21 can be easily separated from the mold 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the flat surface portion 22a may have a single flat surface shape including the axis of the shaft 11.

6 to 9 are views showing a second embodiment of the deflecting device and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which SiO is formed at the same time as aluminum or copper when forming the flat surface portion, and the configuration of the deflecting device before molding is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 31 is a heat pressing device, and this heat pressing device 31 includes a heating mechanism 32, a pressure mechanism 33, an upper heating and pressing plate 34, a lower heating and pressing plate 35, and an upper heating device and a lower heating device, respectively. It comprises a pair of molds 36 and 37 which are mounted between the pressure plates 34 and 35 and have a molding surface on which flat portions corresponding to the flat portions 12a and 12b of the deflecting mirror 12 are formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a laminated film in which a plastic film 38, a SiO film 39 as a protective film, and a reflective film 41 made of aluminum or copper are laminated on the molding surfaces of the molds 36 and 37.
40 are attached so that the reflection films 40 face each other.

In order to manufacture the deflecting device 13 with the press device 31 having such a structure, the shaft 11 and the plastic member 14 as shown in FIG. 2 are attached to the press device 31. At this time, the shaft 11 is supported by a supporting means (not shown). Then, activate the heating mechanism 32 to
While heating by the lower heating and pressing plates 34 and 35 to the glass transition temperature of the plastic member 14 or higher (about 160 to 200 ° C.),
Pressurize in the range of about 10 to 100 kgf / cm ² and hold for a certain period of time.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, since the laminated film 41 is mounted on the molding surfaces of the molds 36 and 37, the flat portions 12a and 12b are laminated on the flat portions 12a and 12b by the heating and the pressing force when forming the flat portions 12a and 12b. film
41 is stuck.

Then, the plastic member 14 is cooled to a temperature not higher than the heat deformation temperature and solidified so that the molding surface does not change, and then the plastic member 14 is taken out from the pressing device 31. Then, the plastic film 38 is removed from the SiO film. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the flat portions 12a, 12 corresponding to the flat portions of the molds 36, 37 are formed.
The deflecting device 12 having b and having the deflecting mirror 13 on which the reflecting film 41 is formed is formed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the aluminum foil or the copper foil previously attached to the flat surfaces of the molds 36 and 37 is transferred to the plastic member 14 at the same time as the flat surfaces 12a and 12b are transferred. Therefore, the flat portions 12a and 12b and the reflecting surface (mirror surface) can be simultaneously molded by the pressing device 31. Therefore, the number of manufacturing steps of the deflecting mirror 12 can be reduced, the workability of the manufacturing operation of the deflecting mirror 12 can be improved, and the manufacturing cost of the deflecting device 13 can be further reduced.

10 to 13 are views showing a third embodiment of the deflecting device and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, and this embodiment shows an example applied to a V-shaped mirror. First, the configuration will be described. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 51 denotes a metal shaft, which is rotatably supported by a gas bearing (not shown) or the like, and constitutes a motor shaft for scanning. A deflection mirror 52 made of plastic is fastened and fixed to the upper portion of the shaft 51 by adhesion such as screw lock, and the deflection mirror 52 has a flat surface portion 52a symmetrically formed with respect to the axis of the shaft 51. 52b is formed, and the flat portions 52a and 52b are formed on the aluminum or copper film with SiO 2.
Is formed as a protective film to form a mirror surface, and the mirror surface scans a photoconductor (not shown) with laser light. Then, the shaft 51 and the deflection mirror described above
Reference numeral 52 constitutes a deflecting device 53.

Next, a method of manufacturing such a deflecting device 53 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 11, a metal shaft 51 is prepared. This metal shaft 51 is easy to work with,
It is made of SUS that is non-magnetic and has good dimensional stability and is ground to a high precision with a small diameter of φ1 mm or less, and has a screw hole 51a formed at the upper end in the axial direction. Next, as shown in FIG. 12, a screw 55 made of polycarbonate as a thermoplastic polymer material is fastened and fixed to the axially upper end portion of the shaft 51 with a known adhesive such as a screw lock. Next, the shaft 51 and the screw 55 are attached to the frame of the pressing device shown in FIG.
Install on 56.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the shaft 51 and the screw 55 are inserted into the frame 56 of the pressing device to
Highly accurate flat surface 57a from the upper side of the screw 55 within 56
A wedge-shaped heating die 57 having a molding surface composed of 57c is inserted. Next, the screw 55 is heated to 160 ° C to 180 ° C by this mold 57.
While heating up to, the shaft 51 and the mold 57 are pressed in the direction of arrow F to pressurize in the range of about 10 to 50 kgf / cm ² and hold for a certain period of time.

Next, the screw 55 is cooled to a temperature not higher than the heat rolling deformation temperature, and is solidified so that the molding surface does not change. Then, the screw 55 is taken out from the frame body 56. Therefore, the V-shaped deflecting mirror 52 having the flat surface portions 52a and 52b corresponding to the flat surface portions 57a to 57c of the die 57 is formed. Then, when the plane portions 52a and 52b are formed similarly to the second embodiment, the aluminum film or the like is hot stamped together with the SiO protective film to flatten the plane portions.
You may transfer to 52a, 52b and may form a mirror surface simultaneously.

As described above, in this embodiment, the plastic screw 55 made of the thermoplastic polymer material is fastened and fixed to the end surface of the metal shaft 51, and then the plastic screw
Since the wedge-shaped heated mold 57 having at least one flat surface at the end of 55 is pushed to transfer the flat surfaces 52a and 52b, the metal shaft 51 and the plastic screw 55 can be securely attached. In addition, the deflecting mirror 52 can be manufactured at a low temperature and a low pressure by a pressing device without using an expensive device such as a diamond tool or an ultra-precision cutting machine. Therefore, it is possible to improve the yield without generating scratches on the flat surface portion due to the chips generated by cutting or the like, and to reduce the cost of the small deflection device 53 having the deflection mirror 52 having the ultra-precision flat surface portion. Can be manufactured in.

[0029]

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the deflecting device is composed of the metal shaft and the plastic deflecting mirror attached to the shaft at the end in the axial direction, the metallic member is used. By centerless polishing or the like, it is possible to manufacture a shaft having a small diameter and high rigidity, and it is possible to easily obtain a shaft having a highly accurate dimension and shape. In addition to this, since a deflecting mirror having a highly accurate flat surface portion can be manufactured at a low temperature and a low pressure by hot pressing or the like, a small-sized and low-cost deflecting device can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the plastic member is fixed to the metal shaft, and the flat portion formed on the die is transferred to the plastic member. The deflection mirror can be manufactured at a low temperature and low pressure by a pressing device without using an expensive device such as a machine, and the yield is improved without causing scratches on the flat surface due to chips generated by cutting or the like. You can As a result, it is possible to manufacture a small-sized deflecting device including a deflecting mirror having an ultra-precision plane portion at low cost. Further, since the shaft is made of metal, it can be manufactured in a smaller size and higher rigidity as compared with a shaft made of a resinous shaft, and the degree of vacuum or dimensions of the shaft can be stabilized.

In the invention of claim 4, after a plastic screw made of a thermoplastic polymer material is fastened and fixed to the end face of the metal shaft, at least one flat surface is formed on the end of the plastic screw. Since the flat surface is transferred by pushing in a wedge-shaped heated mold that has parts, it is possible to reliably connect the metal shaft and the plastic screw, and also diamond tools, ultra-precision cutting machines, etc. The deflecting mirror can be manufactured at a low temperature and a low pressure by a pressing device without using an expensive device, and the yield can be improved without generating scratches on the flat surface due to chips generated by cutting or the like. .. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a small-sized deflecting device including a deflecting mirror having an ultra-precision plane portion at low cost.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the aluminum foil or the copper foil previously attached to the flat surface of the mold is transferred at the same time when the flat surface is transferred to the plastic member, the flat surface and the mirror surface. It is possible to reduce the man-hours for manufacturing the deflecting mirror by simultaneously molding with the press device, and it is possible to improve the workability of the manufacturing operation for the deflecting mirror.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a deflecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a shaft and a plastic member according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a pressing device for manufacturing the deflecting device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another aspect of the deflecting device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another aspect of the deflecting device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a pressing apparatus for manufacturing a deflecting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, for manufacturing the deflecting device.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a laminated film of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the plane portion of the deflecting mirror of the second embodiment is molded.

FIG. 9 is a diagram when a mirror surface is formed on the plane portion of the deflecting mirror of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of the deflecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a shaft according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a shaft and screws according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a main part configuration diagram of a pressing device for manufacturing the deflecting device according to the third embodiment.

14A and 14B are views showing a conventional deflection device, in which FIG. 14A is a front view thereof, and FIG. 14B is a side view thereof.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a conventional deflection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 51 Shaft 12, 52 Deflection mirrors 12a, 12b, 52a, 52b Flat part 15, 31 Press device 20, 36, 37, 57 Mold 40 Reflective film (aluminum film or copper film)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A polarizing device having a deflecting mirror for scanning a laser beam on a photosensitive member, which has a rotatable metal shaft and a planar mirror surface attached to an axial end of the shaft. A deflecting device comprising a deflecting mirror made of plastic. 2. The deflecting device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror surface is two planar surfaces symmetrically formed with respect to the axis of the shaft. 3. A method for manufacturing a polarizing device having a deflecting mirror for scanning a laser beam on a photosensitive member, wherein a plastic member is fixed to a metal shaft, and then the shaft and the plastic member are at least highly accurate. After being attached to a press device having a die having a flat surface portion equal to or larger than the surface, the press equipment is operated to heat to the glass transition temperature of the plastic and the flat surface portion formed on the die is transferred to the plastic member. Thus, the deflecting mirror is molded, thereby manufacturing the deflecting device. 4. A method for manufacturing a polarizing device having a deflecting mirror for scanning a laser beam on a photosensitive member, wherein a plastic screw made of a thermoplastic polymer material is fastened and fixed to an end surface of a metal shaft, Next, a wedge-shaped heated mold having at least one flat surface portion is pushed into the end portion of the plastic screw to transfer the flat surface portion, thereby forming a deflection mirror. Manufacturing method. 5. An aluminum foil or a copper foil having a protective film previously attached to the flat surface of the mold is attached, and the aluminum foil or the copper foil together with the protective film is transferred when the flat surface is transferred to a plastic member or a plastic screw. 5. The method of manufacturing a deflecting device according to claim 3, wherein a mirror surface is formed on the flat surface portion of the plastic member by transferring at the same time.