Scanning optical device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To achieve a scanning optical device designed for various printing speeds at a low price by reducing capital investment as much as possible.SOLUTION: A scanning optical device 101 comprises a semiconductor laser unit 1, an incident lens 3, a rotary polygon mirror 4(14), a motor 5, a scanning lens 7, and an optical box 9. The motor 5 has a shaft 40 located coaxially with a rotation shaft 4c(14c) of the rotary polygon mirror 4(14). The optical box 9 has a plurality of holes 91 (round holes 91a, 91b) fitted to the shaft 40 at different positions on a plane part orthogonal to an axial direction of the shaft 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a scanning optical device and an image forming apparatus, specifically to a scanning optical device and an image forming apparatus having a scanning optical device, which are used in devices such as laser printers, copiers, and facsimiles and have a function of forming an image on a transfer material (recording medium) such as a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional scanning optical devices used in image forming devices such as laser printers optically modulate a laser beam emitted from a light source in response to an image signal, and then deflect the modulated laser beam using a deflector, such as a rotating polygonal mirror. The deflected and scanned laser beam is focused on a photosensitive drum using a scanning lens, such as an fθ lens, to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum is then visualized as a toner image by a developing device, which is then transferred to a recording material, such as recording paper, and sent to a fixing device, where the toner on the recording material is heated and fixed to form a print. Image forming devices with different printing speeds and durability have been marketed to address a variety of user needs. For example, more compact image forming devices are required for personal use, while large-scale offices require fast printing speeds and high durability.

[0003] In order to meet these various user needs, conventional image forming apparatuses have been developed with various printing speeds and other specifications. Accordingly, scanning optical devices have also been developed separately to be optimized for each image forming apparatus. For example, Patent Document 1 shows the configuration of an optical box that can accommodate multiple deflectors. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6700746 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the conventional example has the following problems. The axes of the holes in the optical box in which the different deflectors are assembled are common, and the rotating polygon mirror has the same number of faces for each deflector. This makes it difficult to accommodate a rotating polygon mirror with an increased number of faces in order to increase the printing speed of the image forming device. Typically, increasing the number of faces on the rotating polygon mirror requires a new optical system to accommodate this, resulting in a new scanning optical device. This requires investment in new manufacturing equipment, molds, and other facilities, which can be very costly. As a result, the costs of the scanning optical device and the image forming device can increase.

[0006] The present invention has been made under these circumstances, and has as its object to realize an optical scanning device that is compatible with a variety of printing speeds at low cost by minimizing capital investment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has the following configuration.

[0008] (1) A scanning optical device comprising: a light source; an entrance lens for focusing a laser beam emitted by the light source; a rotating polygon mirror for deflecting and scanning the laser beam that has passed through the entrance lens; a deflector for rotating the rotating polygon mirror integrally with the rotating polygon mirror; a scanning lens for scanning the laser beam deflected by the rotating polygon mirror onto a surface to be scanned; and an optical box for accommodating the light source, the entrance lens, the rotating polygon mirror, the deflector, and the scanning lens, wherein the deflector has a coaxial portion positioned coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotating polygon mirror, and the optical box has a plurality of fitting portions that fit with the coaxial portion at different positions on a plane portion perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portion.

[0009] (2) A scanning optical device comprising: a light source; an entrance lens for focusing a laser beam emitted from the light source; a rotary polygon mirror for deflecting and scanning the laser beam that has passed through the entrance lens; a deflector for rotating the rotary polygon mirror integrally with the rotary polygon mirror; a scanning lens for scanning the laser beam deflected by the rotary polygon mirror onto a surface to be scanned; and an optical box for accommodating the light source, the entrance lens, the rotary polygon mirror, the deflector, and the scanning lens, wherein the deflector has a coaxial portion positioned coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotary polygon mirror, and the optical box restricts at least one direction within a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portion, and restricts another direction perpendicular to the one direction within the plane. a first bisector of an incident laser beam, which is a laser beam emitted from the light source toward the rotating polygon mirror, and a laser beam that is reflected by the rotating polygon mirror and reaches a writing start position on the scanned surface before entering the scanning lens, and a second bisector of the incident laser beam and a laser beam that is reflected by the rotating polygon mirror and reaches a writing end position on the scanned surface before entering the scanning lens, the longitudinal direction of the hole-shaped portion is the direction of an imaginary line connecting the intersection and a point located in a region between the first bisector and the second bisector in the rotation direction of the rotating polygon mirror.

[0010] (3) An image forming apparatus comprising: a scanning optical device according to (1) or (2); an image carrier having the surface to be scanned; and an image forming means for scanning the laser beam onto the image carrier and forming an image on a recording material based on the scanned image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a scanning optical device that can accommodate a variety of printing speeds can be realized at low cost by minimizing capital investment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] Schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to first and second embodiments. [Figure 2] Schematic perspective view of a scanning optical device according to first and second embodiments. [Figure 3] Top view when a laser beam is scanned at the writing start position in Examples 1 and 2 [Figure 4] Top view when the laser beam is scanned at the center position in Examples 1 and 2 [Figure 5] Top view when the laser beam is scanned at the writing end position in Examples 1 and 2 [Figure 6] Schematic diagram showing the shape of the rotating polygon mirror in Examples 1 and 2 [Figure 7] Enlarged view showing the relationship between the phase of the rotating polygon mirror and the laser beam in Examples 1 and 2. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a motor in a scanning optical device according to first and second embodiments. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an optical box and a motor of a scanning optical device according to first and second embodiments. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the hole and the motor shaft of the scanning optical device of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic enlarged view showing the configuration of holes in the scanning optical device of Example 1. [Figure 12] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of holes in a scanning optical device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing modified examples of holes in the first and second embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]

[0013] An image forming apparatus equipped with a scanning optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, an image forming apparatus equipped with a scanning optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention will first be described as an example, and then the scanning optical device in the image forming apparatus will be described. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, and the like of the components described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to those unless otherwise specified.

[0014] [Image forming equipment] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 110 according to the first embodiment is an image forming apparatus including a scanning optical device 101 as an exposure means, a photosensitive drum 103 as an image carrier, and a process cartridge 102 as an image forming means. A laser beam emitted from the scanning optical device 101 scans the photosensitive drum 103. The process cartridge 102 forms an image on a recording material P such as recording paper based on the scanned image. Here, a printer will be described as an example of the image forming apparatus 110.

[0015] 1, an image forming apparatus (printer) 110 emits a laser beam L based on obtained image information using a scanning optical device 101, and irradiates the laser beam L onto a photosensitive drum 103 built in a process cartridge 102. A latent image is then formed on the photosensitive drum 103, and the latent image is visualized as a toner image using toner as a developer by the process cartridge 102. The process cartridge 102 integrally includes the photosensitive drum 103 and, as process means acting on the photosensitive drum 103, charging means, developing means, etc. (not shown).

[0016] Meanwhile, recording materials P loaded on a stacking plate 104 are fed while being separated one by one by a feeding roller 105, and then transported further downstream by an intermediate roller 106. A toner image formed on a photosensitive drum 103 is transferred onto the transported recording material P by a transfer roller 107. The recording material P with this unfixed toner image formed thereon is transported further downstream, where the toner image is fixed to the recording material P by a fixing device 108 having a heater inside. Thereafter, the recording material P is discharged outside the apparatus by a discharge roller 109.

[0017] In the first embodiment, the charging means and developing means as process means acting on the photosensitive drum 103 are integrally provided with the photosensitive drum 103 in the process cartridge 102, but each process means may be configured separately from the photosensitive drum 103. In addition, the image forming apparatus equipped with the scanning optical device 101 to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the image forming apparatus in FIG.

[0018] [Scanning optical device] Next, the scanning optical device 101 in the image forming apparatus 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the scanning optical device 101 of the first embodiment. The scanning optical device 101 includes a semiconductor laser unit 1, an aperture stop 2a in the sub-scanning direction, an entrance lens 3, an aperture stop 2b in the main-scanning direction, a rotating polygon mirror 4, a motor 5, a rotation shaft 4c, a beam detector (BD) 6, a scanning lens 7, an optical box 9, and a cover 10. The semiconductor laser unit 1 as a light source emits a laser beam. The motor 5 as a deflector rotates the rotating polygon mirror 4 together with the rotating polygon mirror 4. The rotation shaft 4c is the axis of rotation of the rotating polygon mirror 4. The beam detector (BD) 6 outputs a synchronization signal in response to the incidence of the laser beam. The scanning lens 7, which collectively refers to the scanning lenses 7a and 7b, is a lens for scanning the laser beam deflected by the rotating polygon mirror 4 onto the surface to be scanned. The entrance lens 3 is a composite anamorphic collimator lens formed by integrally molding an anamorphic collimator lens, which is a combination of a collimator lens and a cylindrical lens, and a BD lens. The optical box 9 houses the semiconductor laser unit 1, the entrance lens 3, the rotating polygon mirror 4, the motor 5, and the scanning lens 7. As shown in Fig. 2, the scanning direction of the laser beam L (or the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 103) is defined as the main scanning direction (Dm), and the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 103 is defined as the sub-scanning direction (Ds).

[0019] In this configuration, the laser beam L emitted from the semiconductor laser unit 1 has its beam width limited in the sub-scanning direction by the aperture stop 2a, and is converted into a substantially parallel or convergent beam in the main scanning direction by the entrance lens 3, and into a convergent beam in the sub-scanning direction. The laser beam L then passes through the aperture stop 2b, where its beam width in the main scanning direction is limited, and is focused on the reflecting surface of the rotating polygon mirror 4 as a focal line extending long in the main scanning direction. The laser beam L is then deflected and scanned by rotating the rotating polygon mirror 4, and enters the BD lens of the entrance lens 3. Having passed through the BD lens, the laser beam L enters the BD6. At this time, the BD6 detects the laser beam L and outputs a synchronization signal. This timing is the synchronization detection timing for the writing start position in the main scanning direction.

[0020] Next, the laser light beam L is incident on the scanning lenses 7a and 7b. The scanning lenses 7a and 7b are designed to focus the laser light beam L to form a spot on the photosensitive drum 103 and to maintain a constant scanning speed of the spot. In order to obtain the characteristics of the scanning lenses 7a and 7b, the scanning lenses 7a and 7b are formed of aspherical lenses. The laser light beam L that has passed through the scanning lenses 7a and 7b is emitted from the exit port of the optical box 9 and is imaged and scanned on the photosensitive drum 103.

[0021] The laser beam L is deflected and scanned by the rotation of the rotary polygon mirror 4, and main scanning is performed on the photosensitive drum 103 by the laser beam L, and sub-scanning is performed by rotating the photosensitive drum 103 about the axis of its cylinder. In this way, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 103.

[0022] [Optical system of scanning optical device] The scanning optical device 101 shown in FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the rotating polygon mirror 4 is a four-sided polygon mirror with a regular square shape. However, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the scanning optical device 101 can be combined with not only the four-sided polygon mirror 4 as the first rotating polygon mirror, but also a five-sided polygon mirror 14 with a regular pentagon shape as the second rotating polygon mirror with a different number of reflective surfaces. With this configuration, when the five-sided polygon mirror 14 is used, the scanning speed can be increased by 1.25 times, even if the motor 5 has the same rotation speed as when the four-sided polygon mirror 4 is used. As a result, by changing the scanning optical device 101 from the four-sided polygon mirror 4 to the five-sided polygon mirror 14, an image forming apparatus 110 with a printing speed approximately 1.25 times faster can be realized. For ease of understanding, the outline of the four-sided polygon mirror 4 is shown in dashed lines and the outline of the five-sided polygon mirror 14 is shown in solid lines in the drawings.

[0023] 3 to 5 use the same components except for the rotating polygon mirror whether the four-facet rotating polygon mirror 4 is used or the five-facet rotating polygon mirror 14 is used, as described above. That is, the semiconductor laser unit 1, incident lens 3, BD 6, scanning lenses 7a and 7b, optical box 9, and lid 10 are all the same and are assembled in the same locations.

[0024] The four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 and the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 in Example 1 have different distances from the rotation axis 4c to the reflective surfaces and from the rotation axis 14c to the reflective surfaces. Therefore, in order to be able to use both with the same components, the four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 and the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 can be assembled with the positions of the rotation axes 4c and 14c shifted, respectively.

[0025] (Start position) FIG. 3 shows the writing start position 113 at one end of the image guarantee area 113 of the photosensitive drum 103. L 41 shows the state of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 when scanning the laser beam L arriving at the target. L indicates the reflection point of the laser beam L on the four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4, and 42 L indicates the reflection points of the laser beam L on the five-faceted rotating polygon mirror 14. As shown in FIG. L Position and reflection point 42 L The positions of the mirrors are almost the same. This arrangement allows the rotating polygon mirror to use a common optical system for both the 4th and 5th faces.

[0026] (center position) 4 shows the center position 113 of the image guarantee area 113 of the photosensitive drum 103. C 11 shows the state of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 when the laser beam L arriving at the center position 113 of the image guarantee area 113 is scanned. C 4, the laser beam L is scanned along the optical axis of the four-faceted rotary polygon mirror 4 at the reflection point 41. C and the position of the reflection point 42 of the laser beam L on the five-faceted rotating polygon mirror 14.C The positions of are also approximately the same.

[0027] (End of writing position) 5 shows the write end position 113 at the other end of the image guarantee area 113 of the photosensitive drum 103, which is located in the main scanning direction Dm. R 1 shows the state of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 when scanning the laser beam L arriving at the four faces of the rotating polygon mirror 4. R and the position of the reflection point 42 on the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14. R In the following description, the positions of the reflection points 41 of the four rotating polygon mirror 4 are also approximately the same. L , 41 C , 41 R are collectively called reflection points 41, and each reflection point 42 of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 L , 42 C , 42 R These are collectively called reflection points 42.

[0028] [Configuration for matching two reflection points] A specific configuration for aligning reflection point 41 on four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 with reflection point 42 on five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The diameter of the circumscribing circle (two-dot chain line) of four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 shown in Figure 6(a) is set to φ20 mm. In other words, the radius R1 of the circumscribing circle of four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 is 10 mm (R1 = 10 mm). Therefore, the distance L1 from rotation axis 4c at the center of rotating polygon mirror 4 to reflecting surface S1 is geometrically 7.07 mm (L1 = 7.07 mm).

[0029] On the other hand, the diameter of the circumscribing circle (two-dot chain line) of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 is also set to φ20 mm. That is, the radius R2 of the circumscribing circle of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 is also 10 mm (R2 = 10 mm). Therefore, the distance L2 from the rotation axis 14c at the center of the rotating polygon mirror 14 to the reflecting surface S2 is 8.09 mm (L2 = 8.09 mm). That is, the four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 and the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 have different distances L1 (7.07 mm) from the center (rotation axis 4c) of the rotating polygon mirror 4 to the reflecting surface S1 and L2 (8.09 mm) from the center (rotation axis 14c) of the rotating polygon mirror 14 to the reflecting surface S2. In other words, if the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 are to be aligned so that the reflecting points 41 and 42 are approximately in the same position, the positions of the rotation axis 4c and the rotation axis 14c will be different.

[0030] 7, the main scanning direction Dm is defined as y (the arrow side of the coordinate axis is +), and the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction Dm is defined as x direction. In this case, when the rotation axis 4c of the four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 is defined as the origin (x, y) = (0, 0), in this coordinate system, the rotation axis 14c of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 is defined as (x,y)=(-0.838,-0.630) The laser beam L emitted from the semiconductor laser unit 1 toward the rotary polygon mirrors 4 and 14 is emitted from a direction tilted 75° counterclockwise from the x-axis.

[0031] FIG. 7(a) shows the writing start position 113 at one end of the image guarantee area 113. L 7(a) and 7(b) show the state of each of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 when emitting the laser beam L. In FIG. 7(a), the normals to the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 are tilted 52.6° counterclockwise from the x-axis. Therefore, the laser beam L reflected by the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 is reflected in a direction tilted 30.2° counterclockwise from the x-axis. At this time, the reflecting points 41 of the four rotating polygon mirrors 4 L The coordinates of the reflection point 42 of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 are (7.119, 3.460). L The coordinates of reflection point 41 are (7.121, 3.469). L and reflection point 42L The largest deviation from the reflection point is 0.009 mm. L Position and reflection point 42 L The positions of the arrows are approximately the same.

[0032] 7B shows the center position 113 of the image guarantee area 113. C 7(b) shows the state of each of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 when the laser beam L is scanned. In FIG. 7(b), the normals to the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 are tilted counterclockwise by 37.5° from the x-axis. Therefore, the laser beam L reflected by the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 is reflected in the x-direction. At this time, the reflecting points 41 of the four rotating polygon mirrors 4 C The coordinates of the reflection point 42 of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 are (6.283, 3.430). C The coordinates of reflection point 41 are (6.273, 3.393). C and reflection point 42 C The largest deviation from the reflection point is 0.038 mm. C Position and reflection point 42 C The positions of the arrows are also approximately the same.

[0033] Similarly, FIG. 7C shows the end position 113 of the other end of the image guarantee area 113. R 7(c) shows the state of each of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 when the laser beam L is emitted. In FIG. 7(c), the normals to the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 are tilted counterclockwise by 22.4° from the x-axis. Therefore, the laser beam L reflected by the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 is reflected in a direction tilted clockwise by 30.2° from the x-axis. At this time, the reflecting points 41 of the four rotating polygon mirrors 4 R The coordinates of the reflection point 42 of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 are (6.264, 3.361). R The coordinates of reflection point 41 are (6.266, 3.367). R and reflection point 42 R The largest deviation from the reflection point is 0.006 mm. R Position and reflection point 42 R The positions of the arrows are also approximately the same.

[0034] As described above, the rotation axis 4c of the four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 and the rotation axis 14c of the five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 are shifted to make the reflection points 41 and 42 of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 approximately coincident, but strictly speaking, a maximum deviation of 0.038 mm occurs in Example 1. However, in the optical system of Example 1, the positions of the reflection points 41 and 42 can be tolerated up to about 0.1 mm by design, so the deviation of 0.038 mm is permissible.

[0035] Furthermore, in the optical system configuration of Example 1, including aperture stops 2a and 2b, entrance lens 3, rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14, and scanning lenses 7a and 7b, the allowable positional deviation of reflecting points 41 and 42 is set to about 0.1 mm. However, depending on the design of the optical system, it may be possible to allow a greater amount of positional deviation of reflecting points 41 and 42. Therefore, the scope of the invention is not limited to the arrangement and size of Example 1.

[0036] [Configuration of the optical box and rotating polygon mirror of the scanning optical device] Next, the configuration relating to the positioning and mounting of the optical box 9 and the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 of the scanning optical device 101 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the motor 5 of the scanning optical device 101, and Figure 9 is a schematic exploded view showing the mounting state of the optical box 9 and the motor 5 of the scanning optical device 101.

[0037] The motor 5 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is provided with rotational axes 4c and 14c that serve as the rotation centers of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14. The motor 5 has a shaft 40 that serves as a coaxial portion and is positioned coaxially with the rotational axes 4c and 14c of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14. More precisely, the shaft 40 is fixed to a substrate 51, and a sleeve 52 that is fitted to the shaft 40 via lubricant rotates together with the rotor 53, the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14, and a mirror retaining spring 55. In other words, the rotational axes 4c and 14c of the rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 and the central axis of the shaft 40 are aligned on the same line. The shaft 40 also protrudes toward the optical box 9, and the optical box 9 is provided with a hole 91 that serves as a fitting portion that fits with the shaft 40. The substrate 51 of the motor 5 is provided with fastening holes 54a and 54b for attaching the motor 5 to the optical box 9.

[0038] The relationship between the hole 91 and the axis 40 of the optical box 9 will be described using Figure 10. Figure 10(a) shows the positional relationship between the hole 91 and the axis 40 of the five-faceted rotary polygon mirror 14, and Figure 10(b) shows the positional relationship between the hole 91 and the axis 40 of the four-faceted rotary polygon mirror 4. An enlarged view of the vicinity of the hole 91 is shown on the right side of each figure. The optical box 9 has multiple fitting portions that fit with the axis 40 at different positions on a plane portion perpendicular to the axial direction of the axis 40, two in Example 1 (round holes 91a and 91b).

[0039] Hole 91 has a bicircular shape consisting of two circular holes, specifically, circular hole 91a serving as another fitting portion (second fitting portion) and circular hole 91b serving as one fitting portion (first fitting portion). That is, circular holes 91a and 91b are arc-shaped, and the arc-shaped circular holes 91a and 91b are connected to form a single hole. The flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction of shaft 40 corresponds to the bottom surface of optical box 9. When assembling motor 5 equipped with five-sided rotary polygon mirror 14, motor 5 is positioned by fitting circular hole 91a into shaft 40 and fastened with screws. On the other hand, when assembling motor 5 equipped with four-sided rotary polygon mirror 4, motor 5 is positioned by fitting circular hole 91b into shaft 40 and fastened with screws.

[0040] 11 shows an enlarged view of the arrangement of circular holes 91a and 91b. Circular hole 91a has an arc portion 91c, and circular hole 91b has an arc portion 91d. One end of arc portion 91c of circular hole 91a is connected to one end of arc portion 91d of circular hole 91b by connecting portion 91e, and the other end of arc portion 91c of circular hole 91a is connected to the other end of arc portion 91d of circular hole 91b by connecting portion 91f.

[0041] The angle of the imaginary line L3 (dash line) connecting the center Ca of the circular hole 91a and the center Cb of the circular hole 91b is inclined at approximately 37.5° with respect to the x-axis. That is, the angle of inclination of the imaginary line L3 is the inclination of the normal direction of the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 in FIG. 7(b). Note that the center Cb of the circular hole 91b is the origin (0,0) of the xy coordinate system, as described with reference to FIG. 7. The distance L4 between the center Ca of the circular hole 91a and the center Cb of the circular hole 91b is approximately 1.02 mm.

[0042] The laser beam irradiated from the semiconductor laser unit 1 to the rotary polygon mirrors 4 and 14 is defined as an incident beam (incident laser beam), and the laser beam reflected by the rotary polygon mirrors 4 and 14 and scanned toward the photosensitive drum 103 is defined as a reflected beam. In this case, the angle of the imaginary line L3 connecting the center Ca of the circular hole 91a and the center Cb of the circular hole 91b is the angle between the incident beam and the center position 113 of the image guarantee area 113. C The angle is approximately the same as the bisecting angle of the reflected light beam when scanned (see Figure 7(b)).

[0043] Furthermore, distance L4 between circular holes 91a and 91b is approximately the same as the difference (=L2-L1) between distance L1 from rotation axis 4c of four-sided rotary polygon mirror 4 to reflecting surface S1 and distance L2 from rotation axis 14c of five-sided rotary polygon mirror 14 to reflecting surface S2 (see FIG. 6). In Example 1, the difference between distance L2 and distance L1 is 8.09 mm-7.07 mm=1.02 mm.

[0044] The imaginary line 92 (two-dot chain line) indicates the incident light beam and the writing start position 113 L The imaginary line 93 indicates the bisector of the reflected light beam when scanning toward the writing end position 113. R 7(c) , the angle between the virtual line 92 and the x-axis is 52.6°, which is approximately the same as the angle (52.6°) between the normal direction of the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 described in FIG. 7(a). The angle between the virtual line 93 and the x-axis is 22.4°, which is approximately the same as the angle (22.4°) between the normal direction of the reflecting surfaces S1 and S2 described in FIG. 7(c).

[0045] In the first embodiment, the four-faceted rotating polygon mirror 4 and the five-faceted rotating polygon mirror 14 have their respective reflection points 41 and 42 approximately aligned when scanning the image guarantee area 113 of the photosensitive drum 103. Therefore, the center Ca of the circular hole 91a should be positioned in an area 94 (indicated by a double-headed arrow) between imaginary lines 92 and 93, with the center Cb of the circular hole 91b as the reference. The area 94 is the area obtained by rotating the rotating polygon mirror 4 from imaginary line 92 to imaginary line 93 in the direction of rotation of the rotating polygon mirror 4, that is, the area on the acute angle side in the first embodiment.

[0046] [Variations] In the first embodiment, the circular holes 91a and 91b are connected to form a bicircular shape, but as long as the distance L1 between the rotation axes 4c and 14c of the two rotating polygon mirrors 4 and 14 is sufficiently large compared to the diameter of the axis 40, the circular holes may be provided in two independent locations.

[0047] FIG. 13(a) is a diagram showing a circular hole 120a provided in the optical box 9 and a circular hole 120b that is independent of the circular hole 120a. The circular hole 120b serving as the first fitting portion and the circular hole 120a serving as the second fitting portion are each independent circular shapes. The diameter of the circular holes 120a and 120b is smaller than the distance between the center of the circular shape of the circular hole 120a and the center of the circular shape of the circular hole 120b. The four-sided rotary polygon mirror 4, the five-sided rotary polygon mirror 14, the rotation axes 4c and 14c, and the distance L1 are shown at the top of FIG. 13(a).

[0048] Circular hole 120a is a hole into which shaft 40 of five-sided rotary polygon mirror 14 fits, and circular hole 120b is a hole into which shaft 40 of four-sided rotary polygon mirror 4 fits. As shown in Figure 13(a), when distance L1 is greater than the diameter of shaft 40 (in other words, the diameters of circular holes 120a and 120b), two independent circular holes 120a and 120b can be formed. Note that Figure 13(b) shows circular holes 91a and 91b of the first embodiment described above.

[0049] In the first embodiment, it is assumed that screws or the like are used to fix the motor 5 to the optical box 9. The fastening holes 54a, 54b provided in the substrate 51 are large enough relative to the diameter of the screws so that the motor 5 carrying the rotating polygon mirrors 4, 14 can be assembled in multiple positions. In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which a four-faceted rotating polygon mirror 4 and a five-faceted rotating polygon mirror 14 are mounted, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to this number of faces on the rotating polygon mirror. The rotation speed of each polygon mirror may be different. In this case, the motor circuit design may be adjusted by adjusting the windings, control resistors, etc. to optimize the motor rotation characteristics, or the rotation speed may be different for each polygon mirror as long as the rotation characteristics of each polygon mirror meet the specifications. Furthermore, in the present invention, an example has been shown in which the diameters of the circumscribing circles of the respective rotary polygonal mirrors are the same, but the diameters of the circumscribing circles may be different.

[0050] As described above, by providing multiple mounting positions for motors equipped with rotary polygon mirrors with different numbers of facets within the optical box, it is possible to assemble multiple rotary polygon mirrors with different numbers of facets into a common scanning optical device. That is, in the first embodiment, the deflector has a coaxial portion positioned coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotary polygon mirror, and the optical box has multiple fitting portions that fit with the coaxial portions of the deflector at different positions on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portions of the deflector. Furthermore, the multiple fitting portions, circular holes 91a and 91b, are positioned in an area 94 surrounded by imaginary lines 92 and 93, with circular hole 91b as the reference. As a result, it is possible to minimize capital investment, inexpensively realize multiple types of scanning optical devices, and provide an inexpensive image forming apparatus.

[0051] As described above, according to the first embodiment, a scanning optical device that can accommodate various printing speeds can be realized at low cost by minimizing capital investment. [Example]

[0052] Next, the configuration of a scanning optical device 101 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Components configured similarly to those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again. The overall configuration and optical system of the scanning optical device 101 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, so redundant description will be omitted.

[0053] Example 2 differs from Example 1 in that hole 95 provided in optical box 9 is an elongated hole shape formed by two semicircular arc portions 95a and 95b connected by linear portions 95c and 95d tangent to the semicircular arc portions. Optical box 9 has hole 95 as a point-symmetric hole-shaped portion that restricts at least one direction in a plane (the bottom surface of optical box 9) perpendicular to the axial direction of shaft 40 and does not restrict the other direction perpendicular to the one direction in the plane. In Example 2, the restricted direction is short-side direction 97, and the other unrestricted direction is long-side direction 96.

[0054] More specifically, the arc portion 95a serving as the second arc portion is an arc portion on the other end side in the longitudinal direction 96, and is a semicircular arc centered at point Cc (also referred to as center Cc). The arc portion 95b serving as the first arc portion is an arc portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction 96, and is a semicircular arc centered at point Cd (also referred to as center Cd). The straight line portion 95c serving as the first straight line portion connects one end of the arc portion 95a to one end of the arc portion 95b. The straight line portion 95d serving as the second straight line portion connects the other end of the arc portion 95a to the other end of the arc portion 95b. This gives the hole 95 an elongated hole shape.

[0055] Hole 95 is point-symmetrical with respect to point Ce. In a longitudinal direction 96 of hole 95, shaft 40 of motor 5 can be installed at any position between two semicircular arc portions 95a and 95b. Meanwhile, in a lateral direction 97 of hole 95, shaft 40 of motor 5 can be fitted into hole 95 and positioned.

[0056] When assembling the five-sided rotary polygon mirror 14 to the optical box 9, the shaft 40 is biased in the direction of the semicircular arc portion 95a so that it abuts against the shaft, and the motor 5 is fastened to the optical box 9 with a screw or the like. On the other hand, when assembling the four-sided rotary polygon mirror 4 to the optical box 9, the shaft 40 is biased in the direction of the semicircular arc portion 95b so that it abuts against the shaft, and the motor 5 is fastened to the optical box 9 with a screw or the like. In this way, the shaft 40 abuts against either side of the hole 95.

[0057] The distance L5 between the center Cc of the two semicircular arc portions 95a and the center Cd of the two semicircular arc portions 95b is also set to the same length as in Example 1. That is, it is set to the same length as the difference (1.02 mm) between the distance L1 from the rotation axis 4c of the four-faceted rotary polygon mirror 4 to the reflecting surface S1 and the distance L2 from the rotation axis 14c of the five-faceted rotary polygon mirror 14 to the reflecting surface S2.

[0058] The longitudinal direction 96 of the hole 95 is aligned with the center position 113 of the image guarantee area 113, as in the first embodiment. C The longitudinal direction 96 is set to the same angle (for example, 52.6°) as the bisecting angle of the reflected light beam when scanned. That is, the longitudinal direction 96 is the direction of the imaginary line L3.

[0059] In the second embodiment as well, when the four-faceted rotating polygon mirror 4 and the five-faceted rotating polygon mirror 14 scan the image guarantee area 113 of the photosensitive drum 103, it is preferable to make the respective reflection points 41 and 42 approximately coincident. Therefore, the longitudinal direction 96 of the hole 95 may be within the angle 98 formed by the imaginary line 92 (first bisector) and the imaginary line 93 (second bisector) with the center Cd of the arc portion 95b as the reference. In the second embodiment, when the center Cd, which is the intersection of the imaginary lines 92 and 93, is used as the reference, the longitudinal direction 96 of the hole 95 is the direction of the imaginary line L3 connecting the center Cd and the center Cc, which is a point located in the area (angle 98) between the imaginary lines 92 and 93 in the rotation direction of the rotating polygon mirror. Angle 98 formed by imaginary line 92 and imaginary line 93 means the angle from imaginary line 92 to imaginary line 93 in the rotation direction of rotating polygon mirror 4, and is also on the acute angle side in FIG.

[0060] Furthermore, since the rotary polygon mirror can be assembled at any position within the longitudinal direction 96 of the hole 95, the rotary polygon mirror can be assembled not only at the abutting position in the longitudinal direction 96 but also at a third position or a fourth position within the longitudinal direction 96. Specifically, the rotary polygon mirror can be assembled when the shaft 40 of a given rotary polygon mirror is not in contact with the arc portion 95a. Furthermore, the rotary polygon mirror can be assembled when the shaft 40 of a given rotary polygon mirror is not in contact with the arc portion 95b. Therefore, it is possible to assemble not only four-faceted rotary polygon mirrors and five-faceted rotary polygon mirrors, but also rotary polygon mirrors with different numbers of faces or circumscribed circles into a common scanning optical device.

[0061] In addition, in Example 2, the hole 95 is an elongated hole, but the hole may have any shape such as a rectangle that is longer in one direction (for example, the short direction 97) than in the other direction (longitudinal direction 96) and is point-symmetric.

[0062] [Variation 1] FIG. 13(d1) shows one modified example. Part 122 has hole 122a into which shaft 40 of a predetermined rotating polygon mirror fits. Part 122 is designed to be attached to optical box 9. For example, when attaching a four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4, part 122 is attached to optical box 9 as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 13(d1). Also, when attaching a five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14, part 122 is flipped longitudinally (flipped left to right in the drawing) and attached to optical box 9 as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 13(d1). This makes it possible to more reliably position shaft 40.

[0063] It is sufficient that the optical box 9 is provided with holes 122a through which the axis 40 can pass when the part 122 is flipped left and right. Furthermore, in Fig. 13(d1), one part 122 is used flipped left and right, but it is also possible to use individual parts with holes provided according to the positions of the axes 40 of each rotating polygon mirror.

[0064] [Variation 2] FIG. 13(d2) shows one modified example. The part 123 has an arcuate portion 123a aligned with the axis 40 of a specific rotating polygon mirror. The part 123 is designed to be attached to the optical box 9. FIG. 13(c) shows the hole 95 of the second embodiment described above. The part 123 can be used when the axis 40 of the rotating polygon mirror 4 or 14 is to be fixed by abutting it against the arcuate portions 95b and 95a of the hole 95. For example, when a four-sided rotating polygon mirror 4 is abutted against the hole 95, the part 123 is attached to the optical box 9 as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 13(d2). Also, when a five-sided rotating polygon mirror 14 is abutted against the hole 95, the part 123 is flipped longitudinally (flipped left to right in the figure) and attached to the optical box 9 as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 13(d2). This ensures more accurate positioning of the hole 95 in the longitudinal direction 96. Furthermore, in FIG. 13(d2), one component 123 is used with the left and right reversed, but individual components with different arc depths depending on the position of the axis 40 of each rotary polygon mirror may also be used.

[0065] [Variation 3] FIG. 13(e) shows one modified example. The insert 124 has a hole 124a into which the axis 40 of a predetermined rotary polygon mirror fits. The insert 124 is designed to be fitted into the optical box 9. For example, when attaching a four-sided rotary polygon mirror 4, the insert 124 is fitted into the optical box 9 as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 13(e). Furthermore, when attaching a five-sided rotary polygon mirror 14, the insert 124 is inverted longitudinally (flipped left to right in the drawing) and fitted into the optical box 9 as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 13(e). This ensures more reliable positioning of the axis 40. It is assumed that the optical box 9 has a hole into which the insert 124 is fitted. Furthermore, although FIG. 13(e) shows a single insert 124 that is flipped left to right, individual inserts may be used, each with a hole provided corresponding to the position of the axis 40 of the rotary polygon mirror.

[0066] As described above, by changing the mounting positions of the motors equipped with rotary polygon mirrors having different numbers of facets, it is possible to assemble multiple rotary polygon mirrors having different numbers of facets into a common scanning optical device. That is, in Example 2 as well, the deflector has a coaxial portion located coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotary polygon mirror, and the optical box has multiple fitting portions that fit into the coaxial portions of the deflector at different positions on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portions of the deflector. Furthermore, by making the mounting holes of each motor point-symmetric, it is possible to mount rotary polygon mirrors with various numbers of facets and diameters, which makes it possible to further reduce capital investment in the scanning optical device.

[0067] As described above, according to the second embodiment, a scanning optical device that can accommodate various printing speeds can be realized at low cost by minimizing capital investment.

[0068] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) A light source and an incident lens that condenses the laser beam emitted from the light source; a rotating polygon mirror that deflects and scans the laser beam that has passed through the incident lens; a deflector that is integral with the rotary polygon mirror and rotates the rotary polygon mirror; a scanning lens for scanning the laser beam deflected by the rotary polygon mirror onto a surface to be scanned; an optical box that houses the light source, the incident lens, the rotating polygon mirror, the deflector, and the scanning lens; A scanning optical device comprising: the deflector has a coaxial portion positioned coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotary polygon mirror, The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the optical box has a plurality of fitting portions that fit with the coaxial portion at different positions on a plane portion perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portion. (Configuration 2) The positions of the plurality of fitting portions are determined based on one fitting portion. In the rotation direction of the rotary polygon mirror, an incident laser beam, which is a laser beam emitted from the light source toward the rotary polygon mirror, and a laser beam reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaching a writing start position on the scanned surface before being incident on the scanning lens are bisected by a line bisector between the incident laser beam and the laser beam reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaching a writing start position on the scanned surface before being incident on the scanning lens. a bisector between the incident laser beam and the laser beam that is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaches the writing end position on the surface to be scanned before it is incident on the scanning lens; 2. The scanning optical device according to claim 1, wherein the scanning optical device is disposed in an enclosed area. (Configuration 3) The device includes two of the fitting portions, When the one fitting portion is a first fitting portion and the other fitting portion is a second fitting portion, the optical box can accommodate both a first rotary polygon mirror and a second rotary polygon mirror having a different number of reflecting surfaces from the first rotary polygon mirror; The scanning optical device described in configuration 2, characterized in that the coaxial portion engages with the first engaging portion when positioned coaxially with the first rotating polygon mirror, and engages with the second engaging portion when positioned coaxially with the second rotating polygon mirror. (Configuration 4) The scanning optical device described in configuration 3, characterized in that the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are arc-shaped, and the arc-shaped portion of the first fitting portion and the arc-shaped portion of the second fitting portion are connected to form one hole portion. (Configuration 5) the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are circular, The scanning optical device described in configuration 3, characterized in that the diameter of the circular shape of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is smaller than the distance between the center of the circular shape of the first fitting portion and the center of the circular shape of the second fitting portion. (Configuration 6) A light source and an incident lens that condenses the laser beam emitted from the light source; a rotating polygon mirror that deflects and scans the laser beam that has passed through the incident lens; a deflector that is integral with the rotary polygon mirror and rotates the rotary polygon mirror; a scanning lens for scanning the laser beam deflected by the rotary polygon mirror onto a surface to be scanned; an optical box that houses the light source, the incident lens, the rotating polygon mirror, the deflector, and the scanning lens; A scanning optical device comprising: the deflector has a coaxial portion positioned coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotary polygon mirror, the optical box has a point-symmetric hole-shaped portion that restricts at least one direction within a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portion and does not restrict another direction within the plane that is perpendicular to the one direction, a first bisector between an incident laser beam, which is a laser beam emitted from the light source toward the rotary polygon mirror, and a laser beam that is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaches a writing start position on the scanned surface before being incident on the scanning lens; a second bisector between the incident laser beam and the laser beam that is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaches the writing end position on the scanned surface before it enters the scanning lens; When the intersection of A scanning optical device characterized in that the longitudinal direction of the hole-shaped portion is the direction of a virtual line connecting the intersection point and a point located in the area between the first bisector and the second bisector in the rotation direction of the rotating polygon mirror. (Configuration 7) 7. The scanning optical device according to configuration 6, wherein the coaxial portion is assembled by abutting against one side of the hole-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction. (Configuration 8) The hole-shaped portion has the other direction as the longitudinal direction, and has a first arc portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction, a second arc portion on the other end side in the longitudinal direction, a first linear portion connecting the first arc portion and the second arc portion on the one end side in the one direction, and a second linear portion connecting the first arc portion and the second arc portion on the other end side in the one direction, the optical box can accommodate both a first rotary polygon mirror and a second rotary polygon mirror having a different number of reflecting surfaces from the first rotary polygon mirror; The scanning optical device described in configuration 7, characterized in that the coaxial portion abuts against the first arc portion when positioned coaxially with the first rotating polygon mirror, and abuts against the second arc portion when positioned coaxially with the second rotating polygon mirror. (Configuration 9) a scanning optical device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8; an image carrier having the surface to be scanned; an image forming means for scanning the laser beam on the image carrier and forming an image on a recording material based on the scanned image; An image forming apparatus comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1 Semiconductor laser unit 3. Incident lens 4 4-sided rotating polygon mirror, 14 5-sided rotating polygon mirror 4c, 14c rotation axis 5 motors 7 Scanning Lens 9 Optical box 40 axes 91 holes, 91a, 91b round holes

Claims

1. A light source and an incident lens that condenses the laser beam emitted from the light source; a rotating polygon mirror that deflects and scans the laser beam that has passed through the incident lens; a deflector that is integral with the rotary polygon mirror and rotates the rotary polygon mirror; a scanning lens for scanning the laser beam deflected by the rotary polygon mirror onto a surface to be scanned; an optical box that houses the light source, the incident lens, the rotating polygon mirror, the deflector, and the scanning lens; A scanning optical device comprising: the deflector has a coaxial portion positioned coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotary polygon mirror, The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the optical box has a plurality of fitting portions that fit with the coaxial portion at different positions on a plane portion perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portion.

2. The positions of the plurality of fitting portions are determined based on one fitting portion. In the rotation direction of the rotary polygon mirror, an incident laser beam, which is a laser beam emitted from the light source toward the rotary polygon mirror, and a laser beam reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaching a writing start position on the scanned surface before being incident on the scanning lens are bisected by a line bisector between the incident laser beam and the laser beam reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaching a writing start position on the scanned surface before being incident on the scanning lens. a bisector between the incident laser beam and the laser beam that is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaches the writing end position on the surface to be scanned before it is incident on the scanning lens; 2. The scanning optical device according to claim 1, wherein the scanning optical device is disposed in an enclosed area.

3. The two fitting portions are provided, When the one fitting portion is a first fitting portion and the other fitting portion is a second fitting portion, the optical box can accommodate both a first rotary polygon mirror and a second rotary polygon mirror having a different number of reflecting surfaces from the first rotary polygon mirror; 3. The scanning optical device according to claim 2, wherein the coaxial portion engages with the first engaging portion when positioned coaxially with the first rotating polygon mirror, and engages with the second engaging portion when positioned coaxially with the second rotating polygon mirror.

4. 4. The scanning optical device according to claim 3, wherein the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are arc-shaped, and the arc-shaped first fitting portion and the arc-shaped second fitting portion are connected to form a single hole portion.

5. the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion are circular, 4. The scanning optical device according to claim 3, wherein the diameter of the circular shape of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is smaller than the distance between the center of the circular shape of the first fitting portion and the center of the circular shape of the second fitting portion.

6. A light source and an incident lens that condenses the laser beam emitted from the light source; a rotating polygon mirror that deflects and scans the laser beam that has passed through the incident lens; a deflector that is integral with the rotary polygon mirror and rotates the rotary polygon mirror; a scanning lens for scanning the laser beam deflected by the rotary polygon mirror onto a surface to be scanned; an optical box that houses the light source, the incident lens, the rotating polygon mirror, the deflector, and the scanning lens; A scanning optical device comprising: the deflector has a coaxial portion positioned coaxially with the rotation axis of the rotary polygon mirror, the optical box has a point-symmetric hole-shaped portion that restricts at least one direction within a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the coaxial portion and does not restrict another direction within the plane that is perpendicular to the one direction, a first bisector of an incident laser beam, which is a laser beam emitted from the light source toward the rotary polygon mirror, and a laser beam that is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaches a writing start position on the scanned surface before being incident on the scanning lens; a second bisector between the incident laser beam and the laser beam that is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror and reaches the writing end position on the scanned surface before it enters the scanning lens; When the intersection of A scanning optical device characterized in that the longitudinal direction of the hole-shaped portion is the direction of a virtual line connecting the intersection point and a point located in the area between the first bisector and the second bisector in the rotation direction of the rotating polygon mirror.

7. 7. The scanning optical device according to claim 6, wherein the coaxial portion is assembled by abutting against one side of the hole-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction.

8. The hole-shaped portion has the other direction as the longitudinal direction, and has a first arc portion on one end side in the longitudinal direction, a second arc portion on the other end side in the longitudinal direction, a first linear portion connecting the first arc portion and the second arc portion on one end side in the one direction, and a second linear portion connecting the first arc portion and the second arc portion on the other end side in the one direction, the optical box can accommodate both a first rotary polygon mirror and a second rotary polygon mirror having a different number of reflecting surfaces from the first rotary polygon mirror; 8. The scanning optical device according to claim 7, wherein the coaxial portion abuts against the first arc portion when positioned coaxially with the first rotating polygon mirror, and abuts against the second arc portion when positioned coaxially with the second rotating polygon mirror.

9. a scanning optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; an image carrier having the surface to be scanned; an image forming means for scanning the laser beam on the image carrier and forming an image on a recording material based on the scanned image; An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images