Optical deflector, optical scanning device, and image forming device

Abstract

To reduce the static surface deformation of a reflection surface of a rotary polygon mirror without impairing the quietness of an optical deflector.SOLUTION: An optical deflector comprises: a rotary polygon mirror 1131 which has a plurality of reflection surfaces 313 that reflect light emitted from a light source and a hole 31 that is provided in the rotational shaft direction at a position being the center of rotation; and a motor which has a shaft 21 that is inserted to the hole 31 and a flange part 223 that is fixed to the shaft 21, has an insertion part 223a inserted to the hole 31 together with the shaft 21 and is coaxial with the shaft 21 supporting the rotary polygon mirror 1131 and which rotates the rotary polygon mirror 1131. The rotary polygon mirror 1131 includes a protrusion 312 which protrudes with respect to at least one surface orthogonal to the rotational shaft direction in the vicinity of the hole 31. The protrusion 312 has a portion continuous from the surface forming the hole 31 protruding toward the center of rotation with respect to the portion 314 forming the hole and has at least a portion of a fitting part 311 fit to the flange part 223.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical deflector, an optical scanning device and an image forming apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine. [Background technology]

[0002] The optical deflector installed in the optical scanning device is equipped with a rotating polygon mirror formed by cutting a metal material such as aluminum with high accuracy. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a conventional optical deflector. In the conventional optical deflector, a rotating polygon mirror 931 having a reflecting surface 933 is supported by a flange portion 921, which is a support member formed of a metal material, and the flange portion 921 is fitted to the rotating polygon mirror 931 at a fitting portion 911. A large number of processing steps are required to cut and finish a metal material such as aluminum, which is the base material of the rotating polygon mirror 931, with high accuracy. For this reason, in recent years, attempts have been made to form a rotating polygon mirror by resin molding. For example, in Patent Document 1, a relief groove is provided by cutting in a hole at the same height as the reflecting surface of the polygon mirror, so that deformation due to shrink fitting does not affect the reflecting surface. Also, for example, in Patent Document 2, the rotating polygon mirror has multiple protrusions toward the center of rotation and is press-fitted into the flange portion. Furthermore, by providing a recess recessed in the direction of the rotation axis, static surface deformation of the laser reflecting surface caused by press-fitting of the rotating shaft is suppressed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-089151 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-082599 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the former conventional rotating polygon mirror, the diameter of the hole with the escape groove is large. The diameter of the hole in the flanges on both sides of the large diameter hole in the direction of the rotation axis is small. It is difficult to form such a configuration by resin molding, considering the method of removing it from the mold. Furthermore, there is a risk of static deformation of the reflecting surface occurring when the rotating shaft is pressed in due to axial misalignment of the holes in the two flanges. In the latter conventional rotating polygon mirror, the static deformation of the reflecting surface caused by the pressing in of the rotating shaft is suppressed by local deformation around the flanges and by the recesses provided in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating polygon mirror. However, there is a risk of increased wind noise occurring when the rotating polygon mirror rotates at high speed.

[0005] The present invention has been made under these circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reduce static surface deformation of the reflecting surface of a rotating polygon mirror without impairing the quietness of the optical deflector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A light source includes a plurality of reflecting surfaces that reflect light emitted from a light source, and a hole that is provided along a rotation axis direction at a position that is the center of rotation. Made of resin a support member having a rotary polygon mirror, a shaft portion inserted into the hole, and an insertion portion fixed to the shaft portion and inserted into the hole together with the shaft portion, the support member being coaxial with the shaft portion and supporting the rotary polygon mirror, the support member supporting the seat surface of the rotary polygon mirror perpendicular to the rotation axis direction; Department have Metal and a motor for rotating the rotary polygon mirror, the rotary polygon mirror having a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis direction in the vicinity of the hole, the surface on the opposite side to the seat surface in the rotation axis direction protruding in the rotation axis direction beyond the opposite surface. It is a resin part that is molded integrally with the rotating polygon mirror. a protruding portion having an inner diameter smaller than that of a surface forming the hole, the protruding portion protruding toward a center of the rotating shaft beyond the surface forming the hole, It is a clearance fit against With fitting part The support portion of the support member is provided only at a position farther from the insertion portion than the surface forming the hole portion of the rotary polygon mirror in a diameter direction of the shaft portion perpendicular to the rotation axis direction, and the portion of the rotary polygon mirror that is clearance-fitted with the shaft portion or the support member is the fitting portion only, and a gap larger than the clearance of the clearance of the clearance fit of the fitting portion is all between the support member and the surface forming the hole portion provided on the side of the seating surface of the rotary polygon mirror on which the seating surface is located relative to the fitting portion in the rotation axis direction, and between the support member and a region of the seating surface of the rotary polygon mirror that is closer to the shaft portion than the region that contacts the support portion of the support member. 1. An optical deflector comprising: (2) An optical scanning device comprising the light source and the optical deflector according to (1). (3) An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier; an optical scanning device as described in (2) that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a developing means that develops the electrostatic latent image formed by the optical scanning device with toner to form a toner image; a transfer means that transfers the toner image formed by the developing means to a transfer material; and a fixing means that fixes the unfixed toner image transferred by the transfer means. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce static surface deformation of the reflecting surface of the rotating polygon mirror without impairing the quietness of the optical deflector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus and an optical scanning device according to first to third embodiments; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of an optical deflector according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a method for removing a mold when molding a rotary polygon mirror according to Example 1, and a diagram showing a simulation result of the effect of suppressing static surface deformation of a reflecting surface. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for fixing and positioning a rotary polygon mirror to an optical deflector according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for fixing and positioning a rotary polygon mirror to an optical deflector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] A conceptual diagram showing deformation around the fitting portion of the rotating polygon mirror in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for fixing and positioning a rotary polygon mirror to an optical deflector according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a conventional optical deflector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by way of example. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the embodiments may be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device to which the invention is applied and various conditions. In other words, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. EXAMPLES

[0010] [Image forming device] FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus 1, which is an electrophotographic laser printer using the optical scanning device of the first embodiment. The optical scanning device 11 is installed on an optical stand 18. The optical stand 18 is a part of the housing of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 is also provided with a paper feed section 12 on which a transfer material P such as paper is placed, a paper feed roller 13, a transfer roller 14 as a transfer means, and a fixing device 15 as a fixing means. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an image forming section 16 such as a process cartridge at a position facing the transfer roller 14 with respect to the conveyance path of the transfer material P. The image forming section 16 is provided with a photosensitive drum 161 as an image carrier, and a developing device 162 that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 161 with toner to form a toner image. Furthermore, the image forming section 16 is provided with a container 163 that collects toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 161 after the toner image is transferred to the transfer material P. The transfer material P is fed from the paper feed section 12 by a paper feed roller 13, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 161 is transferred by a transfer roller 14. Thereafter, the unfixed toner image on the transfer material P is fixed to the transfer material P by heat and pressure in a fixing device 15. The transfer material P with the fixed toner is output to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 by a discharge roller 17. Note that the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 having the optical scanning device 11 is not limited to the configuration in FIG. 1(a), and may be, for example, a color image forming apparatus or the like.

[0011] [Optical scanning device] FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the configuration of the optical scanning device 11 of the first embodiment. A laser beam L (two-dot chain line), which is light emitted from a light source device 111 including a semiconductor laser (not shown) as a light source, is focused only in a sub-scanning direction V by a cylindrical lens 112. Here, the direction in which the laser beam L emitted from the light source device 111 scans on the photosensitive drum 161 is called the main scanning direction M, and the direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction is called the sub-scanning direction V. The laser beam L focused in the sub-scanning direction V is limited to a predetermined beam diameter by an optical aperture 114 formed in an optical box 119 made of black resin. Then, the laser beam L is focused in a long line shape in the main scanning direction M on a plurality of surfaces (hereinafter referred to as reflecting surfaces) of a rotating polygon mirror 1131, which is a part of an optical deflector 113, which reflect the laser beam L. The rotating polygon mirror 1131 is driven to rotate by a drive motor 1132 which is a part of the optical deflector 113, and deflects and scans the laser light L incident on the reflective surface. After passing through the fθ lens 115, the deflected and scanned laser light L is collected and scanned on the photosensitive drum 161 to form an electrostatic latent image. Although the rotating polygon mirror 1131 has four reflective surfaces in FIG. 1(b), it may have any other number of reflective surfaces.

[0012] [Light deflector] 2(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the optical deflector 113 provided in the optical scanning device 11 of the first embodiment. The driving motor 1132 that rotates the rotating polygon mirror 1131 has the shaft 21, which is a shaft portion supported by the bearing 26. The driving motor 1132 also has the rotor 22, which is provided with the yoke 221 and the rotor magnet 222 that are integrally connected to the flange portion 223 by crimping or the like. The shaft 21 rotates integrally with the rotor 22, the rotating polygon mirror 1131, etc. in a state where it is engaged with the bearing 26, due to the magnetic force generated by the stator core 25 and the stator coil 24 fixed to the circuit board 23 (board) on which the driving motor 1132 is mounted. Here, the direction approximately parallel to the shaft 21, i.e., the rotation axis direction (also called the rotation axis line direction), is defined as the Z direction, and the side where the circuit board 23 is installed in the optical box 119 in the Z direction is defined as the negative direction, and the opposite side is defined as the positive direction.

[0013] The shape of the rotary polygon mirror 1131 will be described. Figures 2(b) and (c) are diagrams showing the shape of the rotary polygon mirror 1131 of the first embodiment. Figure 2(b) is a view of the rotary polygon mirror 1131 as seen from the + side in the Z direction, in other words as seen from above, and (c) is a cross-sectional view of (b) taken along the line AA. The rotary polygon mirror 1131 has a hole 31, which is a hole formed by an inner surface 31a surrounding the flange portion 223 when attached to the support member (flange portion 223) of the optical deflector 113. The hole 31 is provided so as to penetrate in the direction of the rotation axis at a position that is the center of rotation of the rotary polygon mirror 1131. The shaft 21 and a part of the flange portion 223 (an insertion portion 223a described later) are inserted into the hole 31. The inner surface 31a has a fitting portion 311 with the flange portion 223 shown in Figure 2(a) at a part, for example, a lower portion in the Z direction. Here, the portion of the inner surface 31a in the Z direction excluding the fitting portion 311 is referred to as the other portion 314.

[0014] The hole diameter of the fitting portion 311 is smaller than that of the other portion 314 of the inner surface 31a. In other words, the fitting portion 311 protrudes toward the center of the hole 31 more than the other portion 314. The outer periphery of the hole 31 on the lower surface of the two surfaces perpendicular to the rotation axis direction (Z direction) of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 has a protrusion 312 that extends in the rotation axis direction and protrudes toward the flange portion 223 in the Z direction, for example. In this way, in the first embodiment, the protrusion 312 protrudes more than the other surface on at least one surface perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 near the hole 31. The fitting portion 311 is provided on the inner surface forming the protrusion 312 among the inner surfaces 31a. A portion of the protrusion 312 continuing from the other portion 314 of the hole 31 is a fitting portion 311, which protrudes toward the center of rotation beyond the surface (314) that forms the hole 31 and fits into the flange portion 223. The flange portion 223, which is a support member, is fixed to the shaft 21 and has an insertion portion 223a that is inserted into the hole 31 together with the shaft 21, and a support portion 2231 that supports the rotating polygon mirror 1131, and is a member coaxial with the shaft 21. The support portion 2231 abuts against the surface on the circuit board 23 side (substrate side) of the two surfaces of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 that are perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotating polygon mirror 1131, and supports the rotating polygon mirror 1131. A gap (gap) is formed between the protrusion 312 and the flange portion 223.

[0015] The hole diameter of the other portion 314 of the hole 31 needs to be set larger than that of the fitting portion 311. It is preferable to set the hole diameter of the other portion 314 at least several tens of μm larger than the hole diameter of the fitting portion 311 so that the fitting portion 311 does not become pressed in when the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is deformed due to a temperature change or the like. Here, the length (diameter) of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the Z direction, in other words the length from one reflecting surface 313a to the other reflecting surface 313b, is defined as dimension a. The reflecting surfaces 313a and 313b are also collectively referred to as reflecting surfaces 313. The length (hole diameter, inner diameter) of the convex portion 312 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the Z direction is defined as diameter φd, and the length (outer diameter) of the convex portion 312 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the Z direction is defined as diameter φe. Furthermore, the length (thickness) in the Z direction of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is dimension b, and the extension (protrusion) amount of the convex portion 312 from the surface (specifically, the lower surface) of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is dimension c.

[0016] (Molding) Further, a case where the rotary polygon mirror 1131 is molded by injection molding will be described. FIG. 3(a) is a diagram showing a mold and the rotary polygon mirror 1131 when the rotary polygon mirror 1131 is molded by injection molding, and the mold is indicated by a broken line. The mold has a movable side 41 and a fixed side 42. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 3(a), after the rotary polygon mirror 1131 is molded, the movable side 41 is moved, and then the rotary polygon mirror 1131 is removed from the fixed side 42. Here, in order to remove the rotary polygon mirror 1131 from the mold (movable side 41 and fixed side 42), the hole diameter of the other part 314 of the hole 31 needs to be set larger than the hole diameter (inner diameter) of the fitting part 311.

[0017] The convex portion 312 has a cylindrical shape coaxial with the hole 31. By forming the convex portion 312 into a cylindrical shape, it is possible to suppress the generation of wind noise during the rotation of the rotating polygon mirror 1131. The dimension c, which is the extension amount from the lower surface of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 of the convex portion 312, only needs to be shorter than the dimension b (c < b), and it is preferably, for example, 50% or less of the dimension b. If the dimension c is too large, there is a risk that the surface accuracy of the reflecting surface 313 will decrease. As the resin material used for the rotating polygon mirror 1131, a material with excellent precision moldability is preferred. For example, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, etc. are suitable, but other resins (such as cycloolefin polymer, etc.) and composite resins may also be used. The rotating polygon mirror 1131 is manufactured by vacuum depositing or sputtering aluminum, which is a metal material, on the reflecting surface 313 of the resin molded product after molding by injection molding.

[0018] [Positioning and Fixing] Using FIG. 4, the method of positioning the rotation center of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 and the positioning method in the flange portion 223 that supports the rotating polygon mirror 1131 in the rotation axis direction will be described. In FIG. 4, the convex portion 312 is provided on the surface on the circuit board 23 side among the two surfaces orthogonal to the rotation axis of the rotating polygon mirror 1131. In the first embodiment, the hole 31 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is fitted into the flange portion 223 from the + side in the Z direction, and the fitting portion 311 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is fitted to the flange portion 223. The fitting portion 311 fits with the insertion portion 223a of the flange portion 223. The flange portion 223 is made of a metal capable of high-precision cutting, such as brass, aluminum, stainless steel, etc. The fitting portion 311 is set to have a clearance fit of several tens of microns or less. The flange portion 223 has a support portion 2231 that contacts the lower surface of the rotating polygon mirror 1131. The support portion 2231 of the flange portion 223 contacts the seating surface 318 of the lower surface of the rotating polygon mirror 1131, thereby positioning the rotating polygon mirror 1131 in the Z direction.

[0019] The rotary polygon mirror 1131 and the flange portion 223 are made of resin and metal, respectively, and therefore have different linear expansion coefficients. As a result, when the temperature of the rotary polygon mirror 1131 drops, there is no gap between the fitting portion 311 and the flange portion 223, and radial stress is generated, which causes static surface deformation of the reflecting surface 313. For example, when static surface deformation occurs in the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 8, the reflecting surface 933 and the fitting portion 911 are located at the same position in the Z direction or are included in the same range, so that the stress generated in the fitting portion 911 causes the reflecting surface 933 to deform significantly. If the amount of deformation differs between the reflecting surfaces of the rotary polygon mirror 931, the scanning speed in the main scanning direction becomes non-uniform, causing image degradation.

[0020] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in the first embodiment, the fitting portion 311 is disposed in a direction shifted from the reflecting surface 313 to the negative side in the Z direction. Furthermore, by providing the fitting portion 311 on the convex portion 312, static surface deformation of the reflecting surface 313 is reduced, suppressing image degradation. A gap Sp is formed between the convex portion 312 and the flange portion 223 in the Z direction. When radial stress is generated in the fitting portion 311, the convex portion 312 is significantly deformed. If the convex portion 312 and the flange portion 223 are in contact with each other, the deformation of the convex portion 312 may cause the rotating polygon mirror 1131 to tilt. For this reason, in the first embodiment, the gap Sp is provided between the convex portion 312 and the flange portion 223.

[0021] [effect] FIG. 3(b) shows the results of calculations of the effect of suppressing deformation of the reflecting surface of the first embodiment and the conventional example by numerical simulation. In FIG. 3(b), the left side shows the case where the fitting portion 911 has the same height as the reflecting surface 933 of the conventional example in FIG. 8, and the right side shows the case where the fitting portion 311 of the first embodiment in FIG. 4 is used, and the vertical axis shows the deformation amount [%] of the reflecting surface in both cases. This result is a calculation result when the shape of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 shown in FIG. 2(b)(c) is dimension a=14 mm, dimension b=2 mm, dimension c=0.5 mm, φd=4 mm, and φe=6 mm. It shows the deformation amount of the reflecting surface when a radial stress is generated in the hole 31 having the same height as the fitting portion 911 and the reflecting surface 933 in the direction of widening the hole 31 by 40 μm.

[0022] While the amount of deformation in the conventional example was 100%, the amount of deformation in Example 1 was 60%, and when stress is applied to the fitting portion 311, the amount of deformation is reduced by approximately 40%. What actually causes image degradation is the difference in deformation for each reflecting surface 313, that is, the inter-surface difference. When the amount of deformation is reduced, the inter-surface difference also becomes smaller, and image degradation can be suppressed.

[0023] In the first embodiment, the case where the protrusion 312 extending in one direction of the rotation axis is provided has been described, but the protrusions 312 may be provided on both sides of the rotation axis, and only one of the protrusions may have the fitting portion 311. By providing the protrusions 312 on both sides of the rotation axis, it is possible to prevent the reflecting surface 313 from falling due to centrifugal force when the rotating polygon mirror 1131 rotates.

[0024] In this manner, in the first embodiment, the position of the rotation center of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is determined by the flange portion 223. The hole 31 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 has a fitting portion 311 that is a portion that fits with the flange portion 223, and a portion that is larger than the diameter of the flange portion 223. The rotating polygon mirror 1131 has a protrusion 312 that is a portion that extends in at least one direction in the rotation axis direction from a portion where the reflecting surface of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is projected in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction along the periphery (surface 31a) of the hole 31. At least a part of the portion that is larger than the diameter of the flange portion 223 is included in a portion where the reflecting surface 313 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is projected in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction. At least a part of the portion that fits with the hole 31 is included in either the portion extended to one side or the portion extended to both sides.

[0025] As described above, the above-mentioned configuration makes it possible to suppress the static deformation of the reflecting surface caused by the fitting of the rotating polygon mirror without impairing the quietness of the deflector. As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the static deformation of the reflecting surface of the rotating polygon mirror without impairing the quietness of the optical deflector. EXAMPLES

[0026] [Rotating polygon mirror] The configuration of optical deflector 113 of Example 2 is shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, rotating polygon mirror 1131 of Example 2 has convex portion 312 and fitting portion 311 arranged on the + side in the Z direction. Convex portion 312 is provided on one of two faces perpendicular to the rotation axis of rotating polygon mirror 1131, opposite circuit board 23. Fitting portion 311 fits into insertion portion 223a of flange portion 223. Insertion portion 223a protrudes beyond the other of two faces perpendicular to the rotation axis of rotating polygon mirror 1131, opposite circuit board 23. The other configuration is the same as that of Example 1, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0027] The positioning of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 in the Z direction is performed by the support portion 2231 provided on the flange portion 223. The seating surface 318 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 that contacts the support portion 2231 is required to have a surface accuracy of several μm or less. FIG. 6(A) shows the fitting portion 311 and the convex portion 312 provided on the lower surface of the rotating polygon mirror 1131, and FIG. 6(B) shows the fitting portion 311 and the convex portion 312 of the second embodiment. In both cases, the shape before deformation is shown by a solid line, and the shape after deformation is shown by a two-dot chain line. In addition, the position of the seating surface 318 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is shown by a two-dot chain circle. As shown in FIG. 6, when stress F is generated in the fitting portion 311 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131, the convex portion 312 and its surroundings are locally greatly deformed.

[0028] This deformation may cause a difference in spatial distribution due to the difference in roundness and eccentricity between the fitting portion 311 and the flange portion 223. When the convex portion 312 and the seating surface 318 are close to each other as shown in FIG. 6A, the deformation amount of the seating surface 318 in the Z direction causes a difference in spatial distribution, that is, a difference in the radial direction of a virtual circle centered on the rotation axis. This may cause the tilt amount of the reflecting surface 313 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 to differ from surface to surface, causing a spatial distribution. If the tilt amount differs from surface to surface, the laser light L in FIG. 1B may be shifted in the sub-scanning direction (V direction), leading to image degradation. When the convex portion 312 and the seating surface 318 are separated from each other as shown in FIG. 6B, the deformation amount of the seating surface 318 in the Z direction can be kept small, and the tilt amount of the reflecting surface 313 is also small, so that the difference between surfaces can be kept small. Therefore, in the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6(B), the projection 312 having the fitting portion 311 is extended in the opposite direction to the seating surface 318 to suppress the tilt of the reflecting surface 313. As described above, the configuration described in the second embodiment makes it possible to suppress the static surface deformation and tilt of the reflecting surface due to the fitting of the rotating polygon mirror without compromising the quietness of the deflector. In this way, the fitting portion 311 extends in the opposite direction of the rotation axis direction with respect to the direction of the support portion 2231 from the portion where the reflecting surface 313 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is projected in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction. As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to reduce the static surface deformation of the reflecting surface of the rotary polygon mirror without impairing the quietness of the optical deflector. EXAMPLES

[0029] [Rotating polygon mirror] The configuration of optical deflector 113 of Example 3 is shown in Fig. 7. Rotating polygon mirror 1131 of Example 3 is supported in the Z direction by support portion 2231 of flange portion 223. Also, fitting portion 311 fits with shaft 21. Convex portion 312 is provided on one of two surfaces of rotating polygon mirror 1131 that are perpendicular to the rotation axis direction, opposite circuit board 23. Insertion portion 223b of flange portion 223 is provided on the circuit board 23 side of fitting portion 311 in the rotation axis direction. Other configurations are the same as those of Example 2, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0030] In the above-mentioned configuration, shaft 21 and flange portion 223 are fixed by shrink fitting. A part of the portion fixed by shrink fitting (hereinafter referred to as shrink fitting portion) serves as insertion portion 223b. The shrink fitting portion between shaft 21 and flange portion 223 needs to have a sufficient length in the Z direction in order to ensure the perpendicularity of the rotation axis of shaft 21 and support portion 2231 and the holding force of both parts. For this reason, the shrink fitting portion is set up to the position of rotating polygon mirror 1131 in the Z direction, and this portion serves as insertion portion 223b. In the conventional optical deflector as shown in FIG. 8, rotating polygon mirror 931 is fitted into flange portion 921 to perform positioning in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction.

[0031] When the fitting portion 311 is provided on the protrusion 312 on the positive side in the Z direction as in the third embodiment, the fitting portion 311 can be disposed at a position on the positive side in the Z direction from the shrink-fit portion (insertion portion 223b). Therefore, the rotating polygon mirror 1131 and the shaft 21 can be directly fitted and positioned without the flange portion 223. The concentricity between the rotation axis of the rotor portion (rotor magnet 222, etc.) and the fitting portion 311 is improved when the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is fitted to the shaft 21 compared to when the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is fitted to the flange portion 223. Furthermore, since the diameter (inner diameter) of the fitting portion 311 protrudes to the shaft 21, it is smaller than when the fitting portion 311 is fitted to the flange portion 223. When radial stress occurs in the fitting portion 311 due to a temperature change, the smaller the diameter of the fitting portion 311, the smaller the area on which the stress acts. As a result, the load applied to the rotating polygon mirror 1131 is smaller, and the deformation of the reflecting surface 313 is smaller.

[0032] Furthermore, when the fitting portion 311 is provided on the positive side surface in the Z direction and fitted to the flange portion 223 as shown in FIG. 5, the length of the flange portion 223 (insertion portion 223a) in the Z direction needs to be longer than at least the distance between the support portion 2231 and the fitting portion 311 in the Z direction. For example, in FIG. 5, the flange portion 223 (insertion portion 223a) is exposed from the hole 31 of the rotating polygon mirror 1131 above the upper surface of the rotating polygon mirror 1131. In this configuration, the size of the material becomes large and the material cost becomes high. Furthermore, the flange portion 223 is formed by cutting metal with high precision. If the flange portion 223 becomes long, the time required for cutting becomes long and the cost increases. Therefore, by fitting the fitting portion 311 to the shaft 21 as shown in FIG. 7, the flange portion 223 (insertion portion 223b) can be configured to be short in the Z direction, and the cost of parts and the time required for cutting can be reduced.

[0033] As described above, the configuration described in the third embodiment can suppress static deformation of the reflecting surface due to fitting of the rotating polygon mirror, improve the coaxiality between the rotating polygon mirror and the rotor, and reduce the cost of parts. As described above, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to reduce static deformation of the reflecting surface of the rotating polygon mirror without compromising the quietness of the optical deflector. In the above-described embodiment, the fitting portion 311 of the protrusion 312 has a shape that is continuous in the circumferential direction as shown in Fig. 2(b), but is not limited thereto. For example, the fitting portion 311 may be discontinuous in the circumferential direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 113 Deflector 1131 Rotating polygon mirror 223 Flange 31 holes 311 Fitting part 312 Convex 313 Reflective surface

Claims

1. a resin rotary polygon mirror having a plurality of reflecting surfaces that reflect light emitted from a light source and a hole provided along a rotation axis direction at a position that is the center of rotation; a support member made of metal, the support member being coaxial with the shaft portion and supporting the rotary polygon mirror, the support member having a shaft portion inserted into the hole portion and an insertion portion fixed to the shaft portion and inserted into the hole portion together with the shaft portion, the support member having a support portion supporting a seat surface of the rotary polygon mirror perpendicular to the rotation axis direction; and a motor for rotating the rotary polygon mirror; Equipped with the rotary polygon mirror has a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis direction near the hole, the surface being an opposite surface to the seat surface in the rotation axis direction, and a protrusion which is a resin part integrally molded with the rotary polygon mirror and protrudes in the rotation axis direction beyond the opposite surface, the protrusion has an inner diameter smaller than that of a surface forming the hole, protrudes toward a center of the rotation shaft beyond the surface forming the hole, and has a fitting portion that is clearance-fitted with the shaft portion or the support member, the support portion of the support member is provided only at a position farther from the insertion portion than a surface that forms the hole portion of the rotary polygon mirror in a diameter direction of the shaft portion perpendicular to the rotation axis direction, the fitting portion is the only part of the polygonal mirror that is clearance-fitted with respect to the shaft portion or the support member, An optical deflector characterized in that there are gaps larger than the clearance of the clearance of the fitting portion between the support member and the surface forming the hole provided on the side of the seating surface of the rotating polygon mirror that is closer to the shaft portion than the fitting portion in the direction of the rotation axis, and between the support member and an area of ​​the seating surface of the rotating polygon mirror that is closer to the shaft portion than the area that contacts the support portion of the support member.

2. 2. The optical deflector according to claim 1, wherein the amount of protrusion of said protrusion in the direction of said rotation axis is smaller than a thickness of said rotary polygon mirror.

3. A substrate on which the motor is mounted is provided, 3. The optical deflector according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is provided at a position on the support member opposite to a side on which the rotary polygon mirror is provided in the direction of the rotation axis.

4. 4. The optical deflector according to claim 3, wherein the insertion portion of the support member protrudes beyond the opposite surface.

5. 4. The optical deflector according to claim 3, wherein the insertion portion of the support member is provided closer to the substrate than the fitting portion is in the direction of the rotation axis.

6. The light source; An optical deflector according to any one of claims 1 to 5; An optical scanning device comprising:

7. An image carrier; 7. The optical scanning device according to claim 6, further comprising: a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed by the optical scanning device with a toner to form a toner image; a transfer means for transferring the toner image formed by the developing means onto a transfer material; a fixing unit for fixing the unfixed toner image transferred by the transfer unit; An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images