JPH08146530A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an image forming device in which the work can be operated from the front side without detaching parts such as a top cover or a document placing glass when a mirror angle is adjusted so as to eliminate image distortion, and the adjusting operation can be extremely easily carried out without necessity of a wide space. CONSTITUTION: One face 50A of the front side end of a mirror 50 is elastically journaled with a U-shaped plate spring 94, and the other face 50B of the mirror 50 is supported with a presser part 100D formed out of the projection of a presser member 100 provided rotationally movably. The presser member 100 is displaced rotationally movably by rotating an adjusting screw 88 provided so as to direct the head part 88B to the front side, hence the position of the presser part 100D in the direction of the U-shaped plate spring 94 is changed so as to adjust the mirror 50 to be at a prescribed angle, and image distortion accompanying variation of the optical path length at both ends in the lengthwise direction of the mirror 50.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus equipped with an optical system movable exposure apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an exposure system of an optical system moving type, as shown in FIG. 15, an original b placed on an original placing glass a as an original placing table is replaced by a reflector c on its back. Illuminated by an exposure lamp d, which is an enclosed light source, and reflected light e from the original document b is reflected by a first mirror f, a second mirror g,
The third mirror h is sequentially guided to the lens j, and further,
The reflected light e transmitted through the lens j is reflected by the fourth mirror k and the fifth mirror k.
It is configured to be guided to the photoconductor drum p which is an image carrier through the mirror m and the sixth mirror n.

Further, such an optical system is housed in a casing and has the exposure lamp d and the first lamp.
The mirror f is mounted on the first carriage r which is reciprocally movable in the left-right direction in the drawing along the lower surface of the original placing glass a with a rail (not shown) provided in the casing as a guide. The second mirror g and the third mirror h are mounted on the second carriage s that moves in the same direction at half the speed of the first carriage r. Then, with the exposure lamp d turned on, the first and second carriages r,
By moving s to the right in the figure, the original placing glass a
The original document b set on the upper side is scanned, and slit exposure is performed on the photosensitive drum p.

As described above, the exposure apparatus of the optical system moving type reflects the reflected light e from the document b into a plurality of mirrors f, g, h, and
It is configured to be guided to the photoconductor drum p by being sequentially reflected by k, m, and n. If there is a slight inclination in the mounting angle of the mirror in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, There is a problem that the optical path length changes and image distortion occurs.

Therefore, in an image forming apparatus equipped with an optical system moving type exposure apparatus of this kind, usually, in order to correct image distortion, at least one mirror, usually,
As shown in FIG. 15, the first carriage mounted on the first carriage r
A mirror tilt adjusting mechanism t, u for appropriately adjusting the mounting angle of the mirror f and the second mirror g mounted on the second carriage s in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction is provided so as to cope with the occurrence of image distortion. I am doing it.

The conventional mirror tilt adjusting mechanisms t and u are constructed as follows. The mirror tilt adjusting mechanism t for the first mirror f mounted on the first carriage r and the mirror tilt adjusting means u for the second mirror g mounted on the second carriage s have the same basic configuration. , FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the mirror tilt adjusting means u for the second mirror g will be described as a representative.

The second carriage s is integrally formed with a front side mirror holding frame v and a rear side mirror holding frame w as a mirror holding member, and a second mirror g.
Is held movably only in the plane direction by penetrating both ends thereof into holding holes x, x formed in these mirror holding frames v, w.

U-shaped leaf springs y and y as elastic supporting members are attached to the mirror holding frames v and w in a state of being interposed in the holding holes x and x. And the second mirror g
The rear side of the U-shaped leaf spring y presses one surface and presses the other surface against a pair of support protrusions (not shown) projecting from the opening end surface of the holding hole x for positioning in the surface direction. Has been done.

On the front side of the second mirror g, one surface is pressed by a U-shaped leaf spring y and the other surface is perpendicular to the other surface of the second mirror g and the widthwise center of the second mirror g. Positioning in the plane direction is performed by pressing the tip of the adjusting screw z provided at the position. Then, by rotating the adjusting screw z, the inclination of the second mirror g is changed to adjust the image distortion.

However, in such a conventional mirror tilt adjusting means u, since the adjusting screw z is positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the mirror surface, during the adjustment, in the moving direction of the mirror during scanning the original, and The adjustment can be performed only obliquely from above. At the time of adjustment, the original placing glass a or the top cover q shown in FIG. 15 is removed and adjusted, and after the adjustment, the original placing glass a or the top cover q is attached again. There was a need.

[0011]

Conventionally, when the mirror angle is adjusted to eliminate the image distortion, the original placing glass a or the top cover q is removed and adjusted, and after the adjustment, the original placing glass a, Alternatively, it is necessary to attach the top cover q, and the adjustment work is troublesome and time-consuming.

Further, it is necessary to secure a place for placing the removed parts such as the top cover q or the original placing glass a at the time of adjustment, and it is necessary to work around the side of the image forming apparatus. Requires a large space,
Although the image forming apparatus is downsized at the customer's side and the installation place is small, there is a problem that a wide space is required for adjustment.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
When adjusting the mirror angle to eliminate image distortion, without removing the parts such as the top cover and original placement glass,
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which the work can be performed from the front side and the adjustment work can be performed extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

[0014]

As a first means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a case provided with a document placing table for placing a document, and the document placing table provided in the case. The document is scanned by a light source for illuminating the document placed on the substrate, a lens, and a plurality of mirrors for guiding the reflected light from the document to the lens and guiding the reflected light transmitted through the lens to the image carrier. The image carrier comprises an exposing means for performing slit exposure, and a mirror inclination adjusting means capable of adjusting an inclination of the exposing means in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction of at least one mirror from the front side of the housing. It is configured as follows.

As a second means, a housing provided with a document mounting table for mounting a document, a light source provided in the housing for irradiating a document mounted on the document mounting table, a lens,
And a first mirror that guides the reflected light from the document to the lens and guides the reflected light that has passed through the lens to the image carrier, and guides the reflected light from the light source and the document in a predetermined direction. With the first speed and this first
Image carrier by moving the second mirror that reflects the reflected light guided by the second mirror in the same direction at a second speed that is 1/2 the speed of the first mirror. Exposure means for performing slit exposure, a charging means for uniformly charging the image carrier and the image carrier, and a developer image by developing the electrostatic latent image formed by the slit exposure by the exposure means. And a cleaning means for removing the residual developer remaining on the image carrier after the transfer of the developer image, the developer image corresponding to the original can be repeatedly formed, and On the other hand, the tilt of the image forming process unit that can be freely inserted and removed and at least one of the mirrors of the exposure unit is adjustable so that the tilt in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the mirror can be adjusted from the inserting and removing direction of the image forming process unit. It is obtained by a structure formed by and a settling unit.

As a third means, a housing provided with a document mounting table on which a document is mounted, a light source provided in the housing for illuminating a document mounted on the document mounting table, a lens,
And exposure means for guiding the reflected light from the original document to the lens and for guiding the reflected light transmitted through the lens to the image carrier, and exposing means for scanning the original document to perform slit exposure on the image carrier; The mirror tilt adjusting means is capable of adjusting the tilt of at least one of the mirrors in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction from one end in the length direction of the mirror and from the horizontal direction. The means is attached to a mirror holding member that holds one end of the mirror in the length direction so as to be movable in the surface direction, and an elastic support member that elastically supports one surface of the mirror; A pressing member that is movable and is provided in a state where a pressing portion is in contact with the other surface of the mirror that is supported by the elastic supporting member and that is opposite to the one surface, and a horizontal position with respect to the pressing member. The adjusting screw is provided with the threaded portion penetrating in the direction and the tip of the threaded portion is screwed into the mirror holding member. And a pressing amount adjusting mechanism for changing the pressing amount of the mirror toward the elastic supporting member by converting the moving amount into a moving amount.

As a fourth means, a housing provided with a document mounting table on which a document is mounted, a light source provided in the housing for illuminating a document mounted on the document mounting table, a lens,
And exposure means for guiding the reflected light from the original document to the lens and for guiding the reflected light transmitted through the lens to the image carrier, and exposing means for scanning the original document to perform slit exposure on the image carrier; The mirror tilt adjusting means is capable of adjusting the tilt of at least one of the mirrors in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction from one end in the length direction of the mirror and from the horizontal direction. Means are attached to a mirror holding member that holds one end of the mirror in the lengthwise direction so as to be movable in the surface direction, and an elastic support member that elastically supports one surface of the mirror, and a means horizontal to the mirror holding member. Adjustment screw with the threaded portion screwed in the direction
And a state in which the adjusting screw is attached to the adjusting screw so as to be rotatable integrally therewith, and a cam surface is in contact with the other surface of the mirror supported by the elastic supporting member opposite to the one surface. An eccentric cam, and a pressing amount adjusting mechanism for converting a change in the rotation amount of the adjusting screw into a deviation amount of the eccentric cam to change the pressing amount of the mirror toward the elastic supporting member. It is configured.

As a fifth means, a casing provided with a document placing table for placing a document, an image carrier provided in a substantially central portion of the casing, and provided inside the casing, A light source for illuminating a document placed on the document table, a lens, and a plurality of mirrors for guiding reflected light from the document to the lens and guiding reflected light transmitted through the lens to the image carrier, Exposure means for scanning an original along a predetermined original scanning direction to perform slit exposure on the image carrier, and the housing attached to the housing and opened and closed in a direction orthogonal to the original scanning direction. A casing cover that opens the inside to the outside, and an inclination of a scanning direction of at least one mirror of the exposure unit in a direction orthogonal to the document scanning direction when the casing cover is in an open state. Adjustable from the open side It is obtained by a a mirror inclination adjusting means and provided with composed configure.

[0019]

According to the image forming apparatus of the first means of the present invention,
Since the mirror tilt adjusting means that can be adjusted from the front side of the housing is provided, when adjusting the mirror angle to eliminate the image distortion, it is possible to remove the top cover, the document mounting glass, and other parts from the front side. The work can be performed, and the adjustment work can be performed extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the second means, since the mirror tilt adjusting means which can be adjusted from the inserting / removing direction of the image forming process unit is provided, when the mirror angle is adjusted to eliminate the image distortion, the top is adjusted. Without removing parts such as the cover and the document mounting glass, the work can be performed from the insertion / removal direction of the image forming process unit, which is usually the front side, and the adjustment work is extremely easy and requires a large space. It is possible to do without.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the third means, since the mirror tilt adjusting means which is adjustable from the one end side in the length direction of the mirror and from the horizontal direction is provided, the mirror angle is adjusted to eliminate the image distortion. At this time, it is possible to perform the work from the front side without removing the parts such as the top cover and the document mounting glass, and it is possible to perform the adjustment work extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

Further, the mirror tilt adjusting means is provided in a state of being rotatable with respect to the mirror holding member and in contact with the other surface of the mirror, which is supported by the elastic supporting member, opposite to the one surface thereof. The pressing member and the adjusting screw provided in a state where the threaded portion penetrates the pressing member in the horizontal direction and the tip of the threaded portion is screwed into the mirror holding member are provided. Since the change amount is converted into the rotation amount of the pressing member and the pressing amount adjusting mechanism for changing the pressing amount of the mirror in the elastic supporting member direction is provided, the structure is simple and the adjustment can be performed only by turning the adjusting screw. Moreover, fine adjustment is possible.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the fourth means, since the mirror tilt adjusting means capable of adjusting from the one end side in the length direction of the mirror and from the horizontal direction is provided, the mirror angle is adjusted to eliminate the image distortion. At this time, it is possible to perform the work from the front side without removing the parts such as the top cover and the document mounting glass, and it is possible to perform the adjustment work extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

Further, the mirror tilt adjusting means has an adjusting screw in which a screw portion is horizontally inserted into the mirror holding member,
And an eccentric cam which is attached to the adjusting screw and is rotatable integrally with the adjusting screw, and in a state where the cam surface is in contact with the other surface opposite to the one surface of the mirror supported by the elastic supporting member. Since the structure has a pressing amount adjusting mechanism that changes the amount of rotation of the adjusting screw into the amount of deviation of the eccentric cam and changes the amount of pressing of the mirror toward the elastic supporting member, the structure is simple. Adjustments can be made by simply turning the adjustment screw, and fine adjustments can be made.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the fifth means, the case cover which is attached to the case and opens and closes the case to the outside by opening and closing in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the document is in the open state. At least one of the exposure means when
Since the mirror tilt adjusting means for adjusting the tilt of the scanning direction of the two mirrors in the direction orthogonal to the document scanning direction is provided from the open side of the housing cover, when adjusting the mirror angle to eliminate image distortion, the top cover and It is possible to perform the work from the front side without removing parts such as the document placing glass, and it is possible to perform the adjustment work extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
It will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an external appearance of an electrophotographic copying apparatus 1 as an image forming apparatus of the present invention in a state in which an original pressing cover 2 and a front cover 4 which is a casing cover are opened, and FIG. 1 schematically shows the internal configuration of the above.

An image forming means 12 for forming an image by an image forming process such as charging, exposure, development, transfer and cleaning is built in the apparatus main body 10 which is a casing. Also,
A glass plate (hereinafter referred to as a platen glass) 14 serving as a document mounting table and a document pressing cover 2 for pressing a document D set on the platen glass 14 are provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 10. Further, a control panel 18 (see FIG. 1) as an input / display means is arranged at the front edge of the upper surface of the apparatus body 10.

The image forming means 1 is provided on the bottom of the apparatus body 10.
2 is mounted with a paper feed cassette 20 containing a paper P as a transfer target that is supplied to
A manual paper feed table 22 is provided on the right side of the sheet feeding device, and a paper output tray 24 for storing the fixed sheet P is provided on the left side of the apparatus body 10.
(See FIG. 2).

The image forming means 12 has the following structure. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a photosensitive drum 26 as an image bearing member is rotatably provided in a substantially central portion of the apparatus main body 10.

Around the photosensitive drum 26, a pre-exposure device 28 as a residual charge removing means for irradiating the photosensitive drum 26 with light along the rotation direction (direction of arrow A) to remove residual charges. , A charging device 30 as a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photoconductor drum 26, an LED erasing array 32 for removing charges in the non-image forming area, and the device body 10.
An electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 26 by slit exposure by an optical system moving type exposure device 34 as an exposure means (electrostatic latent image forming means) which will be described later and is disposed in the upper portion. A developing device 36 as a developing means for developing with a powder developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) is sequentially arranged.

Further, a toner image as a powder image formed on the photosensitive drum 26 is fed from the paper feed cassette 20 or the manual paper feed table 22 as a transfer target paper (plain paper, OHP sheet, etc.). A transfer device 38 as a transfer unit for transferring the toner image onto the photoconductor drum P, a peeling device 40 as a peeling device for peeling the sheet P on which the toner image is transferred from the photoconductor drum 26, and a toner remaining on the photoconductor drum 26. A cleaner device 42 as a cleaning means for dropping is sequentially arranged.

The photosensitive drum 26, the pre-exposure device 28, the charging device 30, the LED erasing array 32, the developing device 36, and the cleaner device 42 are integrally incorporated to form an image forming process unit 43. And can be inserted into and removed from the attached portion from the front side.

The exposure device 34 includes a document D set on a platen glass 14 provided on the upper surface of the device body 10.
The back of the document is illuminated by an exposure lamp 46, which is a light source surrounded by a reflector 44, and the reflected light L from the original D is passed through a lens 54 through a first mirror 48, a second mirror 50, and a third mirror 52 in this order. Further, the reflected light L from the document D transmitted through the lens 54 is reflected by the fourth mirror 56 and the fifth mirror 56.
It is configured to be guided to the photosensitive drum 26 via the mirror 58 and the sixth mirror 60.

The exposure device 34 having such an optical system is housed and protected in an optical unit cover 62 which is a casing. The exposure lamp 46 and the first mirror 48 are lasers provided in the casing 62.
Is mounted on a first carriage 64 that is reciprocally movable in the left-right direction in the drawing (direction of arrow B in FIG. 2) along the lower surface of the platen glass 14 using a guide (not shown) as a guide.
The mirror 50 and the third mirror 52 are mounted on the second carriage 66 that moves in the same direction at a speed half that of the first carriage 64. Then, the exposure lamp 46
Is lit, the first and second carriages 64, 6
The image information of the document D set on the platen glass 14 is scanned by moving 6 to perform slit exposure between the LED erasing array 32 and the developing device 36.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the apparatus main body 10, the paper P that is taken out and fed from the paper feeding cassette 20 through the paper feeding device 67 or is manually fed through the manual paper feeding table 22. The transferred paper P is transferred to the transfer device 38 and the photosensitive drum 2.
A sheet conveying path 70 is formed which leads to the sheet discharge tray 24 via an image transfer section 68 between the sheet conveying section 6 and the sheet discharging section 6.

A registration roller pair 72, which is located on the upstream side of the image transfer section 68 in the paper transport path 70 and also serves as an aligning means and a transport means, is further upstream from this as a paper detecting means. A registration roller front detector 74 is provided.

Further, a heating roller type fixing device 80 as a fixing means and a paper discharge roller pair 82 are arranged downstream of the image transfer portion 68. Therefore, when copying the document D, the photosensitive drum 26
Rotates in the direction of arrow A, the residual charges are removed by the pre-exposure device 28, and the charging device 30 uniformly charges the residual charges.

Next, the photosensitive drum 2 which is uniformly charged
The document D is scanned onto the photosensitive drum 6 by the optical system moving type exposure device 34, and slit exposure is performed on the photosensitive drum 26. That is, with the exposure lamp 46 that is the light source turned on, the first carriage 64 that mounts the exposure lamp 46 and the first mirror 48 moves to the right from the left end position, which is the home position, in the state of FIG. The second carriage 66 on which the second mirror 50 and the third mirror 52 are mounted moves in the same direction at half the speed of the first carriage 64 while moving along the lower surface of the first mirror 64.

As a result, the original D set on the platen glass 14 is illuminated by the exposure lamp 46, which is a light source whose back is surrounded by the reflector 44, and the reflected light L from the original D is reflected by the first mirror 48 and the first mirror 48. The reflected light L from the document D, which is guided to the lens 54 through the second mirror 50 and the third mirror 52 in order, and is transmitted through the lens 54, is reflected by the fourth mirror 56, the fifth mirror 58, and the sixth mirror 58. The mirror 60
Is guided to the photoconductor drum 26 via. Then, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the document D is formed on the photosensitive drum 26.

The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 26 is developed by applying toner to the developing device 36,
A toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 26. On the other hand, in parallel with the operation of forming the toner image on the photoconductor drum 26, the paper P fed from the paper feed cassette 20 or the manual paper feed tray 22 hits the stopped registration roller pair 72 and the leading edge thereof. Repositioning is performed.

Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time after the detection of the leading edge by the registration roller front detector 74, the registration roller pair 72 rotates and the sheet P starts to be conveyed toward the image transfer portion 68. The conveyed paper P is guided by the entrance guide so that the front end of the paper P is in close contact with the photoconductor drum 26 and is sent to the image transfer portion 68. The transfer device 38 works to transfer the toner image on the photoconductor drum 26. Are transferred to the paper P.

Then, the paper P on which the toner image is transferred is
After being peeled off by the peeling device 40 by AC corona discharge, it is guided to the fixing device 80 via the conveying device 78, and the fixing device 80 melts and fixes the toner image on the paper P. After that, the paper P is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 24 by the paper discharge roller pair 82.

On the other hand, after the toner image is transferred onto the paper P, the cleaner device 42 removes the residual toner from the photosensitive drum 26 to enable the next copying operation. In the electrophotographic copying apparatus 1 described above, the reflected light L from the document D is reflected by the plurality of mirrors 48, 50, 52, 56, 58,
Since the light is guided to the photosensitive drum 26 by being sequentially reflected at 60, as described above, when there is a slight inclination in the mounting angle in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the mirror, the length direction of the mirror There is a problem that the optical path lengths at both ends are changed to cause image distortion.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the first carriage mounted on the first carriage 64 is used.
Mirror tilt adjusting mechanisms 80 and 82 are provided on the front side as mirror tilt adjusting means for appropriately adjusting the mounting angles of the mirror 48 and the second mirror 50 mounted on the second carriage 66 in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. Therefore, the image forming process unit 43 is provided for the occurrence of image distortion.
The front side of the electrophotographic copying apparatus 1, which is also the insertion / removal direction, can be dealt with.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the optical unit cover 62 is exposed when the front cover 4 is opened.
A pair of operation holes 86, 86 into which a driver 84, which is an operation tool, can be inserted is formed on the left side of the front surface of the first carriage 64 and the second carriage 66 when the first carriage 64 and the second carriage 66 are at their home positions. The adjusting screws 88, 88 of the mirror tilt adjusting mechanisms 80, 82 face the operation holes 86, 86.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the driver 84 is inserted into the operation hole 86 from the horizontal direction, and the adjusting screw 8 is inserted.
By turning 8, the tilt of the second mirror 50 is adjusted. Similarly, the inclination of the first mirror 48 will also be adjusted.

Next, the structure of the mirror tilt adjusting mechanisms 80 and 82 will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the mirror tilt adjusting mechanisms 80 and 82 have the same basic configuration, they will be described by using the mirror tilt adjusting means 82 for the second mirror 50 as a representative, and the same reference numerals are given to omit duplicate description.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, FIG. 7 is a side view, FIG. 8 is a front view, and FIG. 9 is a plan view. A front side end that is one end in the length direction of the second mirror 5 penetrates a square window portion 92 that is a holding hole formed in a front side mirror holding frame 90 as a mirror holding member that is vertically formed on the second carriage 66. Therefore, it is held so as to be movable in the plane direction.

The front side mirror holding frame 90 includes
A U-shaped leaf spring 94 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) as an elastic support member is attached in a state of being interposed in the square window portion 92.
The U-shaped leaf spring 94 elastically supports one surface 50A of the mirror 50 to push it up in the direction of arrow C (see FIG. 7).

On the other hand, a pressing amount adjusting mechanism 96 having the adjusting screw 88 is provided on the side of the other surface 50B of the mirror 50 opposite to the one surface 50A, and the mirror 50 is provided with a U-shaped leaf spring 94. It is held between them and is held at a predetermined angle.

The pressing amount adjusting mechanism 96 is constructed as follows. That is, a pair of support tongues 90A and 90A are cut and raised in the front side mirror holding frame 90 so as to be substantially parallel to the other surface 50B of the mirror 50, and the support tongues 90A and 90A are punched. The holding member 100 is rotatably attached by fitting the support shaft portions 100A, 100A into the support holes 98, 98 provided.

The pressing member 100 is formed by bending a sheet metal member into an L shape, and the other surface 50 of the mirror 50 is formed.
B is substantially perpendicular to the support shafts 100A, 100
A pressing portion 10 composed of a first piece portion 100B in which A is protruded at the center of both side ends and a protrusion that is substantially horizontal to the other surface 50B of the mirror 50 and presses the other surface 50B on the lower surface of the tip portion thereof.
It has 0D.

A screw insertion hole 102 is formed in the first piece portion 100B, and the screw portion 8 of the adjusting screw 88 is formed.
8A is in a state where this screw insertion hole 102 penetrates and is screwed into a screw hole 104 formed in the front side mirror holding frame 90.

In the mirror tilt adjusting mechanism 82 thus constructed, the axis of the adjusting screw 88 is the mirror 50.
The head portion 88B faces the front side.

Therefore, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, the driver 84 is inserted from the horizontal direction into the operation hole 86 formed in the optical unit cover 62 to adjust the adjustment screw 8
By turning 8, the tilt of the second mirror 50 is adjusted.

That is, in the state of FIG. 7, the adjusting screw 8
When 8 is tightened in the direction of arrow D, the pressing member 100 rotates in the clockwise direction (direction of arrow E) with the support shaft portions 100A and 100A as the rotation fulcrum, and the pressing portion 100D formed of a protrusion.
Moves downward (direction of arrow F). As a result, the front end of the mirror 50 is pushed down against the pushing force of the U-shaped leaf spring 94 in the arrow C direction.

Further, when the adjusting screw 88 is loosened in the state of FIG. 7, the pressing member 100 causes the supporting shaft portions 100A, 100A to be pushed by the pushing force of the U-shaped leaf spring 94 in the direction of arrow C.
Is rotated in the counterclockwise direction (counter-arrow E direction) with the rotation fulcrum as a fulcrum, and the position of the pressing portion 100D including the protrusion moves upward (counter-arrow F direction). As a result, the front end of the mirror 50 is displaced upward.

As described above, by tightening or loosening the adjusting screw 88 located on the front side of the mirror 50, the mirror 50 is adjusted to a predetermined angle, and the optical path length at both ends in the length direction of the mirror 50 is changed. The image distortion due to is adjusted.

Since the pressing member 100 is constantly pressed by the U-shaped leaf spring 94 via the second mirror 50, the pressing member 100 smoothly follows the movement of the adjusting screw 88 and does not move the adjusting screw 88. At this time, the pressing member 100 for adjusting the image distortion is always fixed at a fixed position.

The rear side of the second mirror 50 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 0 and 11, the U-shaped leaf spring 94 presses the one surface 50A and the other surface 50B is a holding window formed in the rear side mirror holding frame 90 'serving as a mirror holding member. Positioning in the surface direction is performed by pressing the pressing portions 100D 'and 100D', which are formed by a pair of protrusions protruding from the opening end surface of the 92 '.

Therefore, the second mirror 50 is supported on the front side by the pressing portion 100D of the pressing member 100 at one point in the center in the width direction, and on the rear side by the pair of pressing portions 100D ', 100D' in the width direction. Two points that are symmetrical with respect to the center of the
00D, 100D ', and 100D' are semicircular and are in point contact with each other, and the mirror 50 is reliably supported at three points so that flatness is not impaired.

The same applies to the case of the first mirror 48. As described above, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the image distortion adjustment is performed in the direction parallel to the surface of the first mirror 48, the second mirror 50, or both, that is, It has a structure that can be adjusted from the front side. For example, by opening the front cover 4 as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to adjust the image distortion without removing other covers. This is a great advantage because it does not require a separate working space because it is possible to secure a place and work from the front.

Next, referring to FIGS. 12 to 14,
The second embodiment will be described. In the description of the second embodiment, only the structure of the mirror tilt adjusting mechanism 82 'serving as the mirror tilt adjusting means, which is the main part, will be described, and the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment and will be omitted.

In the description of the mirror tilt adjusting mechanism 82 ', the same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. An adjusting screw 88 having a threaded portion 88A screwed horizontally with respect to the front side mirror holding frame 90, and an adjusting screw 88 mounted to rotate integrally with the adjusting screw 88 and a cam surface 120A on the other surface 50B of the mirror 50. The pressing amount adjusting mechanism 96 'having the contacting eccentric cam 120 is provided.

Then, the inclination of the mirror 50 is adjusted by converting the change in the rotation amount of the adjusting screw 88 into the displacement amount of the eccentric cam 120 to change the pressing amount of the mirror 50 toward the U-shaped leaf spring 94. It is what

In addition, in the state where the angle is adjusted,
The movement of the eccentric cam 120 is restricted by tightening the set screw 132 of the rotation stopping mechanism 130. The set screw 132 has a threaded portion that penetrates an arcuate elongated hole 120B formed in the eccentric cam 120 and is screwed into a screw hole formed in the front side mirror holding frame 90.

Like the first embodiment, the second embodiment also has a structure in which the image distortion can be adjusted from the front side. For example, as shown in FIG.
Image distortion can be adjusted by opening the cover without removing other covers.
In addition, it is possible to secure a place to put it, and it is possible to work from the front, so that it is not necessary to take a separate working space.

In this second embodiment, the eccentric cam 1
Since 20 is used, fine adjustment can be performed by the rotation angle of the adjusting screw 88, and fine adjustment before and after the current adjustment value is very easy. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0069]

As described above, the device of the present invention has the following effects. According to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, since the mirror tilt adjusting means that can be adjusted from the front side of the housing is provided, when adjusting the mirror angle to eliminate the image distortion, the top cover, the document mounting glass, or the like is used. The work can be performed from the front side without removing the parts, and the adjustment work can be performed extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect, since the mirror tilt adjusting means which can be adjusted from the inserting / removing direction of the image forming process unit is provided, when the mirror angle is adjusted to eliminate the image distortion, the top is adjusted. Without removing parts such as the cover and the document mounting glass, the work can be performed from the insertion / removal direction of the image forming process unit, which is usually the front side, and the adjustment work is extremely easy and requires a large space. Can be done without.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, since the mirror tilt adjusting means which is adjustable from the one end side in the length direction of the mirror and from the horizontal direction is provided, the mirror angle is adjusted to eliminate the image distortion. At this time, it is possible to perform the work from the front side without removing the parts such as the top cover and the document placing glass, and it is possible to perform the adjustment work extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

Further, the mirror tilt adjusting means is provided in a state in which the pressing portion is rotatable with respect to the mirror holding member and is in contact with the other surface of the mirror opposite to the one surface supported by the elastic supporting member. The pressing member and the adjusting screw provided in a state where the threaded portion penetrates the pressing member in the horizontal direction and the tip of the threaded portion is screwed into the mirror holding member are provided. Since the change amount is converted into the rotation amount of the pressing member and the pressing amount adjusting mechanism for changing the pressing amount of the mirror in the elastic supporting member direction is provided, the structure is simple and the adjustment can be performed only by turning the adjusting screw. Moreover, fine adjustment is possible.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect, since the mirror tilt adjusting means capable of adjusting from the one end side in the length direction of the mirror and the horizontal direction is provided, the mirror angle is adjusted to eliminate the image distortion. At this time, it is possible to perform the work from the front side without removing the parts such as the top cover and the document placing glass, and it is possible to perform the adjustment work extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

Further, the mirror tilt adjusting means has an adjusting screw in which a screw portion is horizontally inserted into the mirror holding member,
And an eccentric cam which is attached to the adjusting screw and is rotatable integrally with the adjusting screw, and in a state where the cam surface is in contact with the other surface opposite to the one surface of the mirror supported by the elastic supporting member. Since the structure has a pressing amount adjusting mechanism that changes the amount of rotation of the adjusting screw into the amount of deviation of the eccentric cam and changes the amount of pressing of the mirror toward the elastic supporting member, the structure is simple. Adjustments can be made by simply turning the adjustment screw, and fine adjustments can be made.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the case cover which is attached to the case and which opens and closes the inside of the case to the outside by opening and closing in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the document is in the open state. At least one of the exposure means when
Since the mirror tilt adjusting means for adjusting the tilt of the scanning direction of the two mirrors in the direction orthogonal to the document scanning direction is provided from the open side of the housing cover, when adjusting the mirror angle to eliminate image distortion, the top cover and The operation from the front side can be performed without removing parts such as the document placing glass, and the adjustment work can be performed extremely easily and without requiring a large space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outer appearance of an electrophotographic copying machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention with a document pressing cover and a front cover opened.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional front view showing the internal configuration of the electrophotographic copying apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a main part of an exposure apparatus in which a mirror tilt adjusting mechanism which is a main part of the embodiment is incorporated.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a mirror angle adjustment state in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a mirror angle adjustment state in the same manner.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a mirror angle adjusting mechanism in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the mirror angle adjusting mechanism in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the mirror angle adjusting mechanism in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a mirror angle adjusting mechanism in the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a supporting state on the rear side of the mirror in the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the rear side support state of the mirror in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the mirror angle adjusting mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a mirror angle adjusting mechanism according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a mirror angle adjusting mechanism according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing a main part of an exposure apparatus in which a conventional mirror tilt adjusting mechanism is incorporated.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a mirror angle adjustment state in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrophotographic copying apparatus (image forming apparatus), 4 ... Front cover (housing cover), 10 ... Device body (housing), 14
... platen glass (original table), 26 ... photoconductor drum (image carrier), 34 ... exposure device (exposure means), 43 ... image forming process unit, 46 ... exposure lamp (light source),
L ... Reflected light, 48, 50, 52 ... Mirror, 54 ... Lens, 56, 58, 60 ... Mirror, 62 ... Optical unit cover, 64 ... First carriage, 66 ... Second carriage,
80, 82 ... Mirror tilt adjusting mechanism (mirror tilt adjusting means), 84 ... Driver (operating tool), 86 ... Operating hole,
88 ... Adjusting screw, 90 ... Mirror holding frame (mirror holding member), 94 ... U-shaped leaf spring (elastic support member), 96
... Pressing amount adjusting mechanism, 100 ... Pressing member, 100D ...
Pressing portion, 120 ... Eccentric cam, document D ....

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A housing provided with a document mounting table for mounting a document, a light source provided in the housing for illuminating a document mounted on the document mounting table, a lens, and light reflected from the document. An exposure unit that includes a plurality of mirrors that guide the light to the lens and guide the reflected light that has passed through the lens to the image carrier, and exposes the document by slit exposure to the image carrier, and at least one of the mirrors of the exposure unit. An image forming apparatus comprising: a mirror tilt adjusting unit capable of adjusting a tilt of one mirror in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction from a front side of the housing. 2. A casing provided with a document placing table for placing a document, a light source provided in the casing for illuminating a document placed on the document placing table, a lens, and light reflected from the document. A plurality of mirrors that guide the reflected light transmitted through the lenses to the image carrier and guide the reflected light from the light source and the original in a predetermined direction, and at a first speed; , The original is scanned by moving the second mirror, which reflects the reflected light guided by the first mirror, in the same direction at a second speed that is 1/2 the speed of the first mirror. Exposing means for slit exposure to the image carrier, charging means for uniformly charging the image carrier and the image carrier, and developing the electrostatic latent image formed by the slit exposure by the exposing means. Developing means for forming a developer image by developing, and developing An image forming process that includes a cleaning unit that removes residual developer remaining on the image carrier after the transfer of an image, can repeatedly form a developer image corresponding to the original, and can be inserted into and removed from the housing. A unit; and at least one of the mirrors of the exposure unit, a mirror tilt adjusting unit capable of adjusting a tilt of the mirror in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction from an inserting / removing direction of the image forming process unit. An image forming apparatus characterized by the above. 3. A casing provided with a document placing table for placing a document, a light source for irradiating the document placed on the document placing table, a lens, and reflected light from the document. An exposure unit that includes a plurality of mirrors that guide the light to the lens and guide the reflected light that has passed through the lens to the image carrier, and exposes the document by slit exposure to the image carrier, and at least one of the mirrors of the exposure unit. Mirror tilt adjusting means capable of adjusting the tilt of the two mirrors in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction from one end in the length direction of the mirror and from the horizontal direction, wherein the mirror tilt adjusting means comprises: An elastic support member that is attached to a mirror holding member that holds one end side in the length direction so as to be movable in the surface direction, and that elastically supports one surface of the mirror, and that is rotatable with respect to the mirror holding member. A holding member provided in a state in which a pressing portion is in contact with the other surface of the mirror supported by a holding member on the other surface opposite to the one surface, and a state in which a screw portion is horizontally passed through the pressing member, and An adjusting screw provided in a state where the tip of a screw portion is screwed into the mirror holding member is provided, and a change in the screwing amount of the adjusting screw is converted into a rotation amount of the pressing member to change the elastic support member of the mirror. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a pressing amount adjusting mechanism that changes a pressing amount in a direction. 4. A casing provided with a document placing table for placing a document, a light source provided in the casing for irradiating the document placed on the document placing table, a lens, and light reflected from the document. An exposure unit that includes a plurality of mirrors that guide the light to the lens and guide the reflected light that has passed through the lens to the image carrier, and exposes the document by slit exposure to the image carrier, and at least one of the mirrors of the exposure unit. Mirror tilt adjusting means capable of adjusting the tilt of the two mirrors in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction from one end in the length direction of the mirror and from the horizontal direction, wherein the mirror tilt adjusting means comprises: An elastic support member that is attached to a mirror holding member that holds one end side in the length direction so as to be movable in the surface direction, and that elastically supports one surface of the mirror, and a screw portion that is screwed in a horizontal direction with respect to the mirror holding member. Insertion The adjusting screw, and a state in which the adjusting screw is attached to the adjusting screw and can rotate integrally with the adjusting screw, and the cam surface is brought into contact with the other surface of the mirror supported by the elastic supporting member opposite to the one surface. And a pressing amount adjusting mechanism for converting the change in the amount of rotation of the adjusting screw into the amount of deviation of the eccentric cam to change the pressing amount of the mirror toward the elastic supporting member. An image forming apparatus comprising: 5. A casing provided with a document placing table for placing a document, an image carrier provided in a substantially central portion of the casing, and an image carrier provided inside the casing and mounted on the document placing table. The light source for illuminating the placed document, a lens, and a plurality of mirrors for guiding the reflected light from the document to the lens and guiding the reflected light transmitted through the lens to the image carrier, scan the document with a predetermined document. An exposure unit that scans along a direction to perform slit exposure on the image carrier; and an opening attached to the casing to open the inside of the casing to the outside by opening and closing in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the document. When the housing cover and the housing cover are in the open state, the inclination of the scanning direction of at least one mirror of the exposure unit in the direction orthogonal to the document scanning direction can be adjusted from the open surface side of the housing cover. Mirror tilt adjustment means An image forming apparatus comprising: