US 8,068,762 B2Granted

Image forming device having a positioning mechanism for positioning an exposure unit

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorTakuya Yamaguchi

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An image forming device includes an exposure unit having an exposure surface, an opposed surface facing the exposure surface, a first side surface connecting the exposure surface with the opposed surface, and a second side surface facing the first side surface, a positioning mechanism positioning the exposure unit with respect to a photoconductive body, the positioning mechanism including a first contact member contacting the exposure unit in a first contact point at a side of the first side surface, a second contact member contacting the exposure unit in a second contact point at the side of the first side surface, and a third contact member contacting the exposure unit in a third contact point at a side of the second side surface, the third contact point being located between the first contact point and the second contact point in a predetermined direction from the exposure surface toward the opposed surface.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An image forming device, comprising:

a first device body having an opening;
a second device body attached to the first device body in an openable and closable manner so as to cover the opening of the first device body;
a photoconductive body, provided to the first device body, which is configured with a circumferential surface thereof endlessly-movable in a predetermined moving direction;
an exposure unit, provided to the second device body, which is configured to scan and expose the circumferential surface of the photoconductive body with light in a predetermined scanning direction such that a latent image is formed on the circumferential surface, the exposure unit including:
an exposure surface configured to emit therefrom the light for the scanning operation;
an opposed surface disposed to face the exposure surface;
a first side surface disposed to connect the exposure surface with the opposed surface;
and
a second side surface disposed to face the first side surface;
and
a positioning mechanism having at least three contact members disposed to stably position the exposure unit with respect to the photoconductive body when the second device body is closed, the at least three contact members including:
a first contact member comprising a roller configured to rotate and configured to contact the exposure unit in a first contact point at a side of the first side surface;
a second contact member configured to contact the exposure unit in a second contact point at the side of the first side surface, the second contact point being located closer to the exposure surface than the first contact point in a predetermined direction from the exposure surface toward the opposed surface;
and
a third contact member comprising a roller configured to rotate and configured to contact the exposure unit in a third contact point at a side of the second side surface, the third contact point being located between the first contact point and the second contact point in the predetermined direction.

12 more elements

An image forming device, comprising:

a photoconductive body configured with a circumferential surface thereof endlessly-movable in a predetermined moving direction;
an exposure unit configured to scan and expose the circumferential surface of the photoconductive body with light in a predetermined scanning direction such that a latent image is formed on the circumferential surface, the exposure unit including:
an exposure surface configured to emit therefrom the light for the scanning operation;
an opposed surface disposed to face the exposure surface;
a first side surface disposed to connect the exposure surface with the opposed surface;
and
a second side surface disposed to face the first side surface;
and
a positioning mechanism having at least three contract members disposed to stably position the exposure unit with respect to the photoconductive body, the at least three contact members including:
a first contact member comprising a roller configured to rotate and configured to contact the exposure unit in a first contact point at a side of the first side surface;
a second contact member configured to contact the exposure unit in a second contact point at the side of the first side surface, the second contact point being located closer to the exposure surface than the first contact point in a predetermined direction from the exposure surface toward the opposed surface;
and
a third contact member comprising a roller configured to rotate and configured to contact the exposure unit in a third contact point at a side of the second side surface, the third contact point being located between the first contact point and the second contact point in the predetermined direction.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/109,855Filed 25 Apr 2008
Priority: JP 2007-11827827 Apr 2007
Published: US 2008/0292359 A127 Nov 2008
Granted: 29 Nov 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G03G 15/326
In which the charge pattern is formed dotwise, e.g. by a thermal head: by application of light, e.g. using a LED array
B41J 2/45
Using arrays of radiation sources: using light-emitting diode [LED] or laser arrays
B41J 25/34
Actions or mechanisms not otherwise provided for: bodily-changeable print heads or carriages
G03G 15/04054
For exposing image information provided otherwise than by directly projecting the original image onto the photoconductive recording material,…