Linear light-concentrating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing device that fixes an image held on a recording medium, the fixing device comprising:

• a rotatable member that has an optical axis and allows a laser beam to pass therethrough;
• an opposed member that is opposed to the rotatable member with a contact region formed between the opposed member and the rotatable member and co-operates with the rotatable member in the contact region to move and transport the recording medium;
• and
• a laser beam irradiation device that is disposed outside the rotatable member and irradiates a predetermined position of the rotatable member with a laser beam,
• wherein the laser beam irradiation device includes:
• a light-emitting body that has a plurality of light-emitting surfaces arranged in two directions, each of the light-emitting surfaces including a gathering of light-emitting points;
• a first optical element group;
• and
• a second optical element group having a plurality of apertures, the first optical element group and the second optical element group being disposed at different positions with respect to an emission direction of the light-emitting body,
• wherein the first optical element group is divided in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction into a plurality of first optical elements, each of the first optical elements has a deflecting characteristic that causes an incident light beam from the light-emitting body to be converted to an exit light beam deflected in the first direction, and adjacent ones of the first optical elements that are adjacent in the second direction have different deflecting characteristics in the first direction,
• wherein at least one side of the second optical element group is divided at least in the first direction into a plurality of second optical elements each having an optical axis and having optical power in the second direction, and the optical axes of adjacent ones of the second optical elements have different heights in the second direction,
• wherein the first optical elements include a plurality of constituent units each including at least two of the first optical elements that are continuous in the first direction, and the deflecting characteristics of the first optical elements are such that a group of exit light beams from each of the constituent units is deflected toward a corresponding one of the apertures of the second optical element group,
• wherein the length of the second optical elements in the second direction is larger than the length of the first optical elements in the second direction,
• wherein the optical axis of each of the second optical elements is decentered in the second direction from a central position, with respect to the second direction, of a corresponding one of the first optical elements, and
• wherein the optical axes of the second optical elements are decentered toward the optical axis of the rotatable member.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit that forms an image;
• a transfer unit that transfers the image formed by the image forming unit to a recording medium;
• and
• a fixing unit that fixes the image transferred to the recording medium on the recording medium,
• wherein the fixing unit includes:
• a rotatable member that has an optical axis and allows a laser beam to pass therethrough;
• an opposed member that is opposed to the rotatable member with a contact region formed between the opposed member and the rotatable member and co-operates with the rotatable member in the contact region to move and transport the recording medium;
• and
• a laser beam irradiation device that is disposed outside the rotatable member and irradiates a predetermined position of the rotatable member with a laser beam,
• wherein the laser beam irradiation device includes:
• a light-emitting body that has a plurality of light-emitting surfaces arranged in two directions, each of the light-emitting surfaces including a gathering of light-emitting points;
• a first optical element group;
• and
• a second optical element group having a plurality of apertures, the first optical element group and the second optical element group being disposed at different positions with respect to an emission direction of the light-emitting body,
• wherein the first optical element group is divided in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction into a plurality of first optical elements, each of the first optical elements has a deflecting characteristic that causes an incident light beam from the light-emitting body to be converted to an exit light beam deflected in the first direction, and adjacent ones of the first optical elements that are adjacent in the second direction have different deflecting characteristics in the first direction,
• wherein at least one side of the second optical element group is divided at least in the first direction into a plurality of second optical elements each having an optical axis and having optical power in the second direction, and the optical axes of adjacent ones of the second optical elements have different heights in the second direction,
• wherein the first optical elements include a plurality of constituent units each including at least two of the first optical elements that are continuous in the first direction, and the deflecting characteristics of the first optical elements are such that a group of exit light beams from each of the constituent units is deflected toward a corresponding one of the apertures of the second optical element group,
• wherein the length of the second optical elements in the second direction is larger than the length of the first optical elements in the second direction,
• wherein the optical axis of each of the second optical elements is decentered in the second direction from a central position, with respect to the second direction, of a corresponding one of the first optical elements, and
• wherein the optical axes of the second optical elements are decentered toward the optical axis of the rotatable member.