Exposure apparatus and image forming apparatus equipped with said exposure apparatus

Abstract

In a configuration in which a light-emitting element array is provided on a flexible sheet, the distance from the light-emitting element array to the optical element is controlled with high precision, and consequently, the distance from the light-emitting element array to the element to be exposed is controlled with high precision. [Solution] According to the exposure apparatus 50 of this disclosure, a lens holder 540 that holds a lens 542 consisting of a plurality of rod lenses as an optical element is attached to a support member 520 with a sheet-like substrate 502 sandwiched between it and the support member 520. At this time, the positioning protrusions 546 and 548 of the lens holder 540 are inserted into positioning holes 526 and 528 of the support member 520, thereby accurately positioning the lens holder 540 with respect to the support member 520. In addition, the lens holder 540 is provided with positioning members 550 and 552 for positioning with respect to a photoreceptor drum (46) as an exposure target.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus for exposing a component to be exposed, On the other hand, a flexible sheet-like substrate has multiple light-emitting elements arranged in a roughly linear pattern on its main surface. A support member provided on the other main surface side of the substrate, and An optical holding member is provided on one main surface side of the substrate, which holds an optical member consisting of a plurality of lenses that image the light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements onto the exposure target member, and the longitudinal direction of the optical member is aligned with the direction in which the plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged. The optical holding member is positioned on the support member with the substrate sandwiched between it and the support member. An exposure apparatus in which the optical holding member is provided with a first positioning portion for positioning the optical holding member with respect to the exposure target member and a second positioning portion for positioning the optical holding member with respect to the support member, located outward from both ends of the optical member in the longitudinal direction of the optical member.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first positioning portion is provided on one end of the optical member and has a first projection that protrudes in the direction of imaging of the light by the optical member and extends in a direction perpendicular to both the direction of imaging of the light and the longitudinal direction of the optical member, and a second projection provided on the other end of the optical member that protrudes in the direction of imaging of the light and extends in the longitudinal direction of the optical member.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a displacement mechanism for displacing a unit including the substrate, the support member, and the optical holding member along the extending direction of the first protrusion.

4. An image forming apparatus comprising an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The support member has a pivot axis on one end of the optical member that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction of the optical member and the direction in which the light is imaged by the optical member, and on the other end of the optical member that protrudes obliquely toward the side opposite to the side on which the substrate is provided. The image carrier as the exposure target member, A waste toner container that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and The system further comprises a movable member that moves along the longitudinal direction of the optical element in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the waste toner container to and from the main body of the image forming apparatus, The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the moving member moves as the waste toner container is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the moving member comes into contact with the inclined portion, and the support member rotates about the pivot axis as the pivot point, thereby positioning the first positioning unit relative to the image carrier.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the inclined portion is formed by a plate-shaped spring.

Images