Optical scanning device and image forming apparatus
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorDaisuke Ichii
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A deflecting unit deflects a plurality of light fluxes from a light source including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in two-dimensional array. An coupling optical system between the light source and the deflecting unit includes an optical coupling element that collimates the light fluxes and a line-imaging element that images the light fluxes near the deflecting unit in a sub-scanning direction. A holding unit holds the line-imaging element in a state that a position of the line-imaging element is adjusted with respect to a direction parallel to the sub-scanning direction. A scanning optical system condenses the deflected light fluxes on the scanning surface.
Claims11
An optical scanning device that scans a scanning surface using a light flux, the optical scanning device comprising:
- a light source including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in two-dimensional array;
- a deflecting unit that deflects a plurality of light fluxes emitted from the light source;
- a coupling optical system that is provided between the light source and the deflecting unit, the coupling optical system including
- a optical coupling element that is arranged between the light source and the deflecting unit on an optical path and collimates the light fluxes emitted from the light source, and
- a line-imaging element that images the light fluxes through the optical coupling element near the deflecting unit in a sub-scanning direction;
- a scanning optical system that condenses the light fluxes deflected by the deflecting unit on the scanning surface;
- a housing that house the coupling optical system and on which housing the coupling optical system is fixed;
- and
- an intermediate member that is arranged between the housing and the line-imaging element, wherein
- surfaces of the line-imaging element and the intermediate member that are in contact with each other are flat and perpendicular to a main-scanning direction.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- at least one image carrier on which an image is formed;
- an optical scanning device that scans a scanning surface using a light flux, the optical scanning device including
- a light source including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in two-dimensional array,
- a deflecting unit that deflects a plurality of light fluxes emitted from the light source,
- an coupling optical system that is provided between the light source and the deflecting unit on an optical path, the coupling optical system including an optical coupling element that collimates the light fluxes emitted from the light source and a line-imaging element that images the light fluxes through the optical coupling element near the deflecting unit in a sub-scanning direction,
- a scanning optical system that condenses the light fluxes deflected by the deflecting unit on the scanning surface,
- a housing that houses the coupling optical system and on which housing the coupling optical system is fixed, and
- an intermediate member that is arranged between the housing and the line-imaging element;
- and
- a transfer unit that transfers the image on the image carrier onto a target medium to which the image is to be transferred, wherein
- surfaces of the line-imaging element and the intermediate member that are in contact with each other are flat and perpendicular to a main-scanning direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.