Image forming apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYukio Takemura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus provided with a blank exposure device. The blank exposure device includes a plurality of light sources, each of which exhibits a light directivity. The light emitted from the directive portion is effective to electrically discharge the non-imaging area of the image bearing surface. Only adjacent to that side of each of the light emitting sources, such as light emitting diodes, which is nearer to the imaging area of the image bearing member, there is provided a light blocking member to block the light emitted from the marginal portion of the light-directive portion of the light emitting element.
Claims20
An illumination device for use with an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member having an imaging area and a non-imaging area, comprising:
- a plurality of light sources disposed opposed to a surface of the image bearing member for removing electric charge from the non-imaging area of the image bearing member, said light sources each having a portion exhibiting a light directivity;
- a plurality of light blocking members, each disposed adjacent that side of said light source which is near the imaging area of the image bearing member, for blocking the light emitted from a marginal zone of the light directive portion of the light source but allowing the light emitted from the light directive portion away from the light blocking member to pass, each of said light blocking members having an inclined portion which extends in a direction crossing with a direction perpendicular to the image bearing member.
An image forming device, comprising:
- an image bearing member having an imaging area and a non-imaging area;
- a plurality of light sources disposed opposed to a surface of the image bearing member for removing electric charge from the non-imaging area of the image bearing member, said light sources each having a portion exhibiting a light directivity;
- a plurality of light blocking members, each disposed adjacent that side of said light source which is near the imaging area of the image bearing member, for blocking the light emitted from a marginal zone of the light directive portion of the light source but allowing the light emitted from the light directive portion away from the light blocking member to pass, each of said light blocking members having an inclined portion which extends in a direction crossing with a direction perpendicular to the image bearing member.
An illuminating device for illuminating an image bearing member of an image forming apparatus comprising:
- a base plate;
- an array of light emitting diodes mounted on said base plate at regular intervals;
- and
- a rectangular box-shaped member fixed to said base plate and having a frame and plural light blocking members extending from the frame at the regular intervals, the frame and the light blocking members defining cavities, each cavity containing one of said light emitting diodes, wherein a distance between a light emitting portion of one of said light emitting diodes and an end of an associated light blocking member nearest the image bearing member is larger than a distance between said end of said light blocking member and the image bearing member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.