Optical scanning device and image forming device

Abstract

To provide an optical scanner with which an optical member can be easily removed from the other member and damage to the optical member can be prevented during the removal.SOLUTION: An optical scanner has a housing having an opening, and a cover member 21 covering the opening of the housing. The cover member includes an optical member through which a laser passes, and has regulating bodies 40a, 40b in contact with the optical member to regulate the position of the optical member. The regulating bodies each have a contact part 41a in contact with the optical member and a non-contact part not in contact with the optical member. A seal material 25 is provided which is in contact with the optical member and the cover member other than the regulating bodies. The seal material is in contact with at least part of the non-contact parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical scanning device and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, there is a technique for ensuring airtightness of the writing unit by using a sealing material to prevent dust from entering the writing unit.

[0003] In the past, problems such as a gap between the sealing material and the upper cover and peeling of the upper cover due to deformation of the upper cover have been pointed out, resulting in a decrease in dustproofing performance. In response to this, Patent Document 1 discloses that a cover attached to the side wall of an optical box to cover the opening of the optical box that houses optical components has a dustproof member that is sandwiched between the cover and the side wall of the optical box and elastically deforms to protect the interior of the optical box from dust. Patent Document 1 also discloses that the dustproof member can be formed into a predetermined shape. Patent Document 1 claims that a simple configuration can prevent a decrease in the airtightness of the optical box due to deformation of the upper cover. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the prior art, when a sealant is filled between an optical component such as glass and other components, such as an optical box or cover, it is difficult to remove the optical component from the other components. Therefore, when attempting to remove the optical component for recycling, the optical component may be damaged, which poses safety issues for workers and increases the workload, hindering recycling.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning device in which an optical member can be easily removed from other members and damage to the optical member can be prevented during removal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an optical scanning device having a housing with an opening and a cover member that covers the opening of the housing, wherein the cover member has an optical member through which a laser passes and a regulating body that comes into contact with the optical member to regulate its position; the optical member has short sides and long sides in a planar direction; the regulating body has a contact portion that contacts the optical member and a non-contact portion that does not contact the optical member, a positioning shape for determining a position of the optical member in a short-side direction, a sealant that contacts the optical member and the cover member other than the regulating body, the sealant contacting at least a part of the non-contact portion; At the same time, in a plane when the cover member is viewed from the outside or the inside of the housing, the cover member is not provided on the contact portion. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical scanning device in which an optical member can be easily detached from other members and damage to the optical member can be suppressed during detachment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an optical scanning device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of an optical scanning device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a cover member. [Figure 5] 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in FIG. [Figure 6] 1A is a perspective view showing another example of the arrangement of the sealing material, and FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line CC′. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the cover member. [Figure 8] 10A is a schematic plan view showing another example of the cover member, and FIG. 10B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line DD'. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating one step in an example of a process for producing a cover member. [Figure 10]10A is a schematic plan view showing another example of the cover member, and FIG. 10B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line EE'. [Figure 11] 10A is a schematic plan view showing another example of the cover member, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of a main part thereof. [Figure 12A] 10A and 10B are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing another example of the cover member, in which a jig is disposed. [Figure 12B] 10A is a schematic plan view showing another example of the cover member, and FIG. 10B is a schematic side view showing the state in which the jig is separated. [Figure 13] 10A is a schematic plan view showing another example of the cover member, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of a main part thereof. [Figure 14A] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the cover member, showing a state in which a jig is arranged. [Figure 14B] 10A is a schematic plan view showing another example of the cover member, and FIG. 10B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line FF', showing a state in which the jig is separated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The optical scanning device and image forming device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and other modifications, additions, corrections, deletions, and other changes can be made within the scope of what a person skilled in the art can conceive. Any embodiment that achieves the functions and effects of the present invention is within the scope of the present invention.

[0010] The optical scanning device of the present invention is an optical scanning device having a housing with an opening and a cover member that covers the opening of the housing, wherein the cover member is provided with an optical element through which a laser passes and has a regulating body that contacts the optical element to regulate its position, the regulating body has a contact portion that contacts the optical element and a non-contact portion that does not contact the optical element, and a sealing material is provided that contacts the optical element and the cover member other than the regulating body, and the sealing material contacts at least a portion of the non-contact portion.

[0011] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized by including the optical scanning device of the present invention.

[0012] The optical scanning device of the present invention can be used, for example, as an exposure device for an electrophotographic system, and can be used (diverted) not only as a writing device but also as a reading device. The optical scanning device may also be called a light irradiation device, etc.

[0013] An embodiment of an image forming apparatus provided with an optical scanning device of the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, a full-color printer is used as an example for explanation, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment has four image forming units 9a to 9d. The image forming units 9a to 9d have the same configuration, but the corresponding toners are different. The image forming units are equipped with, for example, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toners, and the image forming apparatus 100 forms color images using the four color toners.

[0015] Each of the image forming means 9a to 9d has a drum-shaped photoreceptor 10 that is an image carrier, and for example, a developing means, a cleaning means, etc. are arranged around the photoreceptor 10. The photoreceptor 10 is driven to rotate and is uniformly charged by the developing means. When describing the image forming means 9a to 9d without distinction, they may be referred to as image forming means 9, etc., and when describing the photosensitive bodies that each of the image forming means 9a to 9d has without distinction, they may be referred to as photosensitive body 10, etc.

[0016] The image forming apparatus 100 includes an optical scanning device 8 according to this embodiment. The optical scanning device 8 irradiates a laser beam onto a photosensitive member 10 of an image forming means 9. The configuration of the optical scanning device 8 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2 and other figures. The optical scanning device 8 performs lighting control based on image information, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 10.

[0017] The electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 10 is developed by a developing means to form a toner image (visible image). The toner image formed on the photoreceptor 10 is primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer body 13 by a transfer roller facing the photoreceptor 10. An intermediate transfer belt, for example, is used as the intermediate transfer body 13.

[0018] Toner images are transferred from image forming means 9a to 9d to intermediate transfer body 13, and the multi-color toner images transferred to intermediate transfer body 13 are secondarily transferred to a recording medium by secondary transfer roller 4. Image forming apparatus 100 has paper feed cassette 1 for loading recording media, and uses paper feed roller 2 to pick up the recording medium and transport it to registration roller pair 3. After passing through registration roller pair 3, the recording medium is transported to secondary transfer roller 4.

[0019] The recording medium onto which the toner image has been transferred passes through secondary transfer roller 4 and is then conveyed to fixing means 5. Fixing means 5 fixes the toner image on the recording medium to the recording medium. Thereafter, paper discharge rollers 6 output the recording medium to paper discharge section 7.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an optical scanning device according to this embodiment. The example shown in Fig. 2 is a simplified explanation of the mechanism, and for simplicity's sake, an example in which a monochromatic image is formed will be described. Therefore, one photoconductor 10 is shown here.

[0021] The optical scanning device 8 of this embodiment has a housing 19 with an opening, and a cover member 21 that covers the opening of the housing 19. The optical scanning device 8 of this embodiment emits a laser. The housing 19 can accommodate optical components therein.

[0022] The opening is provided to allow a laser (which may also be referred to as laser light) to pass through the housing 19. The cover member 21 has an optical member 26 through which the laser passes.

[0023] An example of optical scanning in this embodiment will be described. Laser light L emitted from the laser light source is shaped by a lens and an aperture, and then enters polygon scanner 22, which is a scanning means. Polygon scanner 22 is, for example, a polygonal mirror that rotates at high speed. Polygon scanner 22 scans laser light L in the direction of the rotation axis of photoconductor 10 so as to satisfy the image resolution of the image forming device and the linear speed of the photoconductor. Note that the direction of the rotation axis of photoconductor 10 is assumed to be, for example, perpendicular to the paper surface (direction perpendicular to the YZ plane), and this direction may also be referred to as the main scanning direction.

[0024] The laser light L scanned by the polygon scanner 22 is incident on the scanning lens 23. The scanning lens 23 also has the function of guiding the laser light L so that the intervals of the laser light L in the main scanning direction on the photosensitive member 10 are constant even when the polygon scanner 22 is rotating at a constant speed.

[0025] The laser light L emitted from the scanning lens 23 passes through multiple mirrors, here for example, mirrors 24a and 23b, and is guided to an incident angle onto the photosensitive member 10. The laser light L reflected by the last mirror (for example, mirror 23b) passes through an optical member 26 made of dustproof glass or the like, and then is incident onto the photosensitive member 10.

[0026] Optical components such as the polygon scanner 22, scanning lens 23, mirrors 23a and 23b are disposed inside the housing 19. Since the optical scanning device 8 must operate in an environment where toner is present, for example, it is desirable to have a sealed unit containing the optical components. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent these optical components from being contaminated by toner or the like, which would deteriorate their optical characteristics.

[0027] For these reasons, it is preferable to use dustproof glass as the optical member 26. Any material can be appropriately selected as the optical member 26 as long as it allows the laser light L to pass through, but dustproof glass is preferable from the viewpoint of preventing contamination.

[0028] Generally, the housing 19 does not allow the laser light L to pass through, so an opening must be provided in the housing 19 to allow the laser light to enter the photoreceptor 10. However, if a simple opening is provided in the housing, the housing 19 will not be airtight, and the optical components will become contaminated. For this reason, an optical member 26 made of dustproof glass or the like is used to ensure an exit port for the laser light L. Furthermore, the use of dustproof glass makes the optical member 26 less likely to be contaminated by toner floating outside the machine.

[0029] On the other hand, if the optical member 26 made of dustproof glass is simply placed in the housing 19, toner and other foreign matter from outside the apparatus will enter through the gap between the housing 19 and the optical member 26. Therefore, by placing the sealant 25, the gap between the housing 19 or the cover member 21 and the optical member 26 is filled, ensuring airtightness. The placement of the sealant 25 will be described later with reference to Figure 4 and other figures.

[0030] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the optical scanning device of this embodiment. Fig. 3 shows an example in which the positional relationship between the optical scanning device 8 and the photosensitive member 10 is upside down within the image forming apparatus. The present invention also includes such an example. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the same components as in the example shown in Fig. 2 can be used.

[0031] In this arrangement, the toner does not rain down from above as in Figure 2. However, toner may accumulate around the optical scanning device 8 due to air currents inside the machine, and so it is necessary to ensure airtightness using an optical member 26 made of dustproof glass or the like and a sealing material 25, just as in the configuration in Figure 2.

[0032] Fig. 4 shows a schematic plan view of the main part of the cover member 21 when viewed from the outside of the housing 19 in Fig. 2. "From the outside of the housing 19" can also be interpreted as, for example, from the side where the photoreceptor 10 is disposed. Note that in the example shown in Fig. 4, only a portion of the cover member 21 in Fig. 2 is shown.

[0033] The cover member 21 includes an optical member 26 through which the laser passes, and has restricting bodies (e.g., ribs 40a, 40b) that contact the optical member 26 to restrict its position. The ribs 40a, 40b have contact surfaces 41a (contact portions) that contact the optical member 26, and non-contact portions that do not contact the optical member 26. In this embodiment, a sealant 25 is provided that contacts the optical member 26 and the cover member 26 other than the restricting bodies. The sealant 25 contacts at least a portion of the non-contact portions.

[0034] As shown in the plan view of Figure 4, the sealing material 25 is in contact with the optical member 26 and the cover member 21 other than the ribs 40a and 40b, and the sealing material 25 is in contact with part of the non-contact portions of the ribs 40a and 40b (areas where the ribs 40a and 40b are not in contact with the optical member 26).

[0035] 4, the location where the sealing material 25 is provided can be rephrased as follows: In other words, the sealing material 25 is provided around the optical member 26 in a plane when the cover member 21 is viewed from the outside or inside of the housing 19, but is not provided in a part of the periphery of the optical member 26.

[0036] The sealant 25 is not particularly limited, but can be provided, for example, by placing the optical member 26 on the cover member 21 and then applying hot melt. The sealant 25 is not provided around the entire periphery of the optical member 26, but is provided, for example, so as to fill the periphery of the optical member 26 except for a partial area around the optical member 26. By providing the sealant 25 around the optical member 26, the airtightness of the housing 19 can be improved.

[0037] In an example not included in the present invention, if the sealant 25 is provided around the entire area surrounding the optical member 26, the sealant 25 becomes difficult to peel off. Therefore, when removing the sealant 25 from the optical member 26, if the sealant 25 is adhered to the optical member 26, forcibly peeling the sealant 25 will apply a large force to the optical member 26. Applying force to the optical member 26 may damage the optical member 26. In particular, when recycling the product after collection, the optical member 26 may break when removing it, and fragments may remain in the cover member 21. In this case, the cover member may not be reusable or may pose a danger to workers.

[0038] On the other hand, in this embodiment, as described above, the sealant 25 is in contact with the optical member 26 and the cover member 21 other than the ribs 40a and 40b, and is in contact with part of the non-contact portions of the ribs 40a and 40b (portions where the ribs 40a and 40b are not in contact with the optical member 26). Also, when viewed from above, there are portions where the optical member 26 and the sealant 25 are not in contact. This makes it easier to peel the sealant 25 from the optical member 26 and the cover member 21. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the application of force to the optical member 26 when peeling the sealant 25, and to suppress damage to the optical member 26.

[0039] In other words, the adhesive strength of the sealant 25 to the optical member 26 is high at the portion of the sealant 25 that is in contact with the optical member 26, making it difficult to peel off, and so peeling it off from the portion that is not in contact with the optical member 26 makes it easier to peel off. According to this embodiment, the sealant 25 is easy to peel off, which makes it easy to remove the optical member 26 from other members and reduces damage to the optical member during removal. This improves the safety of workers during recycling and other processes, prevents an increase in the workload, and improves workability during recycling.

[0040] An example of peeling the sealant 25 will be described using the plan view of FIG. 4 . For example, let us consider a case where the sealant 25 is peeled from reference numeral 50a along the dashed arrow. At the end of the sealant 25 on the reference numeral 50a side, the sealant 25 and the optical member 26 are not in contact, so no force is applied to the optical member 26 at the start of peeling. After peeling the sealant 25 a certain distance from the cover member 21 in this region, the sealant 25 is peeled from the region where the sealant 25 and the optical member 26 are in contact. Because the sealant 25 is peeled sequentially from reference numeral 50a toward reference numeral 50b, the sealant 25 can be peeled without applying force that would damage the optical member 26.

[0041] In this embodiment, the peel start region may be referred to as a peel start region 25a. In this embodiment, the sealant 25 has a peel start region 25a that is not in contact with the optical member 26 and has a lower adhesive strength with other members than other regions, and the peel start region 25a is the region that is first peeled when peeling the sealant 25 from the cover member 21. By providing such a peel start region 25a, the sealant 25 can be more easily peeled. The other members referred to here include the cover member 21, the optical member 26, etc.

[0042] The peel start region 25a is in contact with components other than the optical member 26, but is not in contact with the optical member 26. The peel start region 25a is formed away from the optical member 26, and by instructing to peel from this region, for example, the sealant 25 can be easily peeled off, and damage to the optical member 26 can be further suppressed.

[0043] 4, an area (passing area 26a) through which the laser light can pass is shown in the optical member 26. The housing 19 and the seal material 25 are not present in the passing area 26a, and the laser light can pass through the optical member 26 (passing area 26a) and be incident on the photoreceptor 10. In this way, when the laser light passes through the passing area 26a, the path to the photoreceptor 10 is not blocked by the seal material 25.

[0044] FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA' and line BB' in FIG. FIG. 5(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the optical element 26 is placed on the cover element 21. In other words, the cover element 21 has a mounting surface 21a on which the optical element 26 is placed. In this embodiment, the sealant 25 is not provided below the mounting surface 21a. Providing the sealant 25 in such a position has the advantage of ease of manufacturing. For example, the optical element 26 can be placed on the cover element 21, and then the sealant 25 can be applied thereto.

[0045] The height position of the optical member 26 is determined by placing the optical member 26 on the placement surface 21a. Therefore, it can be said that the cover member 21 has a height-determining shape that determines the height position of the optical member 26.

[0046] 5, as described above, the laser light L passes through the optical member 26 (passing area 26a). There are no particular limitations on how large the passing area 26a should be, and it can be appropriately selected in consideration of the device configuration, etc.

[0047] FIG. 5(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line B-B'. Before explaining FIG. 5(b), a supplementary explanation will be given regarding FIG. 4. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the optical member 26 has short and long sides in the planar direction (XY plane). Here, the short side direction is the Y direction, and the long side direction is the X direction. Furthermore, the ribs 40a and 40b (regulating bodies) are positioning shapes that determine the position of the optical member 26 in the short side direction. Furthermore, the sealing material 25 is not provided on the contact surface 41a (contact portion) in a plane when the cover member 21 is viewed from outside the housing 19.

[0048] The positioning shape can be configured by, for example, ribs 40a, 40b that are part of the cover member 21. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the ribs 40a, 40b are convex portions of the cover member 21 that are above the mounting surface 21a, which is convex in the height direction (Z direction). The shape of the rib 40a is also illustrated in FIG. 6(a) described below. FIG. 5(b) also illustrates a contact surface 41a between the rib 40a and the optical member 26. This contact surface 41a may also be referred to as a contact portion, a contact restriction portion, a positioning surface, etc. In this embodiment, the terms positioning shape and restriction body are used interchangeably.

[0049] In this example, the ribs 40a, 40b are shaped to determine the position of the optical member 26 in the short-side direction, but they may also be shaped to determine the position in the long-side direction. Furthermore, the ribs may have both a shaped to determine the position in the short-side direction and a shaped to determine the position in the long-side direction. The number and positions of the regulating bodies may be changed as appropriate.

[0050] If the optical member 26 is a glass member that does not have a specific convergence or diffusion effect on the laser beam, it is not necessarily necessary to provide a positioning shape in the short side direction. However, it is preferable for the worker to uniformly initially arrange the members and to maintain a consistent positional relationship between the optical member 26 and the cover member 21 when applying the sealing material. Therefore, positioning of the optical member 26 in the short side direction is also necessary for functionality.

[0051] By having the positioning shape of the cover member 21, the optical member 25 can be abutted against the positioning shape, thereby improving the accuracy of the placement position of the optical member 26 and suppressing variations between devices. Furthermore, the positioning shape has a contact surface 41a that comes into contact with the optical member 26; in other words, no sealant 25 is provided between the positioning shape and the optical member 26. By not providing a sealant 25 between the positioning shape and the optical member 26, the accuracy of the placement position of the optical member 26 can be improved.

[0052] The position of the cover member 21 is determined with a certain degree of positional accuracy relative to the other optical components installed in the housing 19, and the positional relationship of the optical member 26 with the other optical components is determined via the cover member 26. By arranging the optical member 26 in contact with the contact surface 41a, the accuracy of the positional relationship between the optical member 26 and the other optical components can be improved.

[0053] Fig. 6 shows a diagram for explaining another example of the arrangement of the sealing material 25. Fig. 6(a) is a perspective view of this example, and Fig. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along CC' in Fig. 6(a). Note that the perspective view shown in Fig. 6(a) is a perspective view of the main part of the cover member 21 when viewed from the outside of the housing 19.

[0054] 4 and 5, the sealant 25 is provided on a portion of the optical member 26, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the sealant 25 may not be provided on the optical member 26 as shown in Fig. 6. Such a case is also included in the present invention, and it can be said that the sealant 25 is provided around the optical member 26 except for a certain area in a plane when the cover member 21 is viewed from outside the housing 19. In both the examples shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and the example shown in Fig. 6, the sealant 25 is provided so as to contact the optical member 26 and the cover member 21.

[0055] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 6(a), particularly Figure 6(b), when the sealing material 25 is formed using hot melt, the upper part of the sealing material 25 has a rounded shape, but this is not limiting. Note that the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 5 is for schematic explanation, and the upper part of the sealing material 25 shown in Figure 5 may also have a rounded shape.

[0056] 6, the cover member 21 also has ribs 40a that serve as positioning shapes, and the optical member 26 is in contact with the ribs 40a. Similarly to the above examples, the sealant 25 in this example also has a peel start region 25a.

[0057] Fig. 7 shows another cross-sectional view of the cover member 21. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the positional relationship between the cover member 21 and the optical member 26 with respect to the traveling direction of the laser light L is reversed from that of the example shown in Fig. 5. In this example, the optical member 26 and the seal material 25 are arranged inside the housing 19.

[0058] 3, but can also be said to be an example in which the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 is modified so that the optical member 26 and the seal material 25 are disposed inside the housing 19.

[0059] This arrangement may be advantageous for workability when applying the sealant 25 using hot melt. When applying the sealant 25 to the contact surface between the housing 19 and the periphery of the cover member 21, it is sufficient to apply the sealant 25 to only one side of the cover member 21. By providing the sealant 25 to the optical member 26 in an arrangement such as this example, it is sufficient to apply the sealant 25 to only one side of the cover member 21, which reduces one process compared to applying the sealant 25 to both sides of the cover member 21. This reduces the work time.

[0060] In addition, when the optical member 26 is disposed as in this example, it is preferable to prevent the optical member 26 from falling. For example, by providing a seal material 25 on a part of the optical member 26, the optical member 26 can be prevented from falling.

[0061] 7, in this example, the cover member 21 also has a mounting surface 21a on which the optical member 26 is placed, and the sealant 25 is not provided below the mounting surface 21a. If we turn FIG. 7 around, we can say that the optical member 26 is placed on the mounting surface 21a of the cover member 21, and that the sealant 25 is not provided below the mounting surface 21a.

[0062] Furthermore, although no plan view is shown in this example, the plan view in this example will be the same as that in Fig. 4. However, the difference from Fig. 4 is that Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cover member 21 as seen from outside the housing 19, whereas the plan view in this example is a plan view of the cover member 21 as seen from inside the housing 19. Therefore, Fig. 4 may be a plan view of the cover member 21 as seen from outside the housing 19, or may be a plan view of the cover member 21 as seen from inside the housing 19. Unless otherwise specified, the same applies to the other plan views that follow.

[0063] Next, another example of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8(a) is a plan view of the cover member 21 as seen from the outside 19 of the housing, similar to Fig. 4. In this example, the arrangement of the sealing material 25 is different from the above example.

[0064] 8(a), the sealing material 25 has a closed ring-like shape in a plane when the cover member 21 is viewed from the outside of the housing 19. In this example, the closed ring-like shape may also be referred to as a ring shape or the like.

[0065] 7, in the present invention, the positional relationship between the cover member 21, the optical member 26, and the sealing material 25 can be reversed upside down. Therefore, the example shown in FIG. 8 can also be applied to a plan view of the cover member 21 when viewed from inside the housing 19.

[0066] Also in the plan view of this example, the sealant 25 is not provided in a part of the area around the optical member 25, and a peel-off start area 25a is provided instead. The peel-off start area 25a here corresponds to the sealant 25 in the area surrounded by the dashed line in the drawing.

[0067] Figure 8(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D' in Figure 8(a). In this example, the cover member 21 also has positioning features (ribs 40a, 40b) that determine the position of the optical member 26 in the short-side direction (Y direction). The ribs 40a, 40b also have contact surfaces 41a that come into contact with the optical member 26. The peel start region 25a here is located on the cover member 21, as indicated by the dashed line. In the cover member 21 shown in Figure 8(b), portions that do not correspond to the cover member 21 shown in Figure 8(a) are indicated by dashed lines.

[0068] Furthermore, the sealant 25 is not provided on the contact surface 41a in a plane when the cover member 21 is viewed from outside the housing 19. In other words, in this example, the area around the optical member where the sealant 25 is not provided is on the contact surface 41a.

[0069] In this example as well, it is possible to easily peel off the sealant 25. For example, when peeling off the sealant 25 from the peel start region 25a, the peel start region 25a is not in contact with the optical member 26, so peeling can begin without applying force to the optical member 26. Furthermore, by peeling off the sealant 25 filling the gap between the optical member 26 and the cover member 21 in order from the peel start region 25a, peeling can be completed without applying a large force to the optical member 26.

[0070] 8, in this example, peel start region 25a is in contact with the positioning shapes (ribs 40a, 40b). By doing so and by forming sealing material 25 into a closed, link-like shape, peel start region 25a can be more easily prevented from peeling off when peeling of sealing material 25 is not necessary.

[0071] Next, a description will be given of an example of the hot melt sealing material 25. The hot melt sealing material 25 can be formed, for example, as follows. The material is melted by heating it with a melter (heating means), and the melted semi-liquid material is injected into the target position. The injected material is then gradually cooled at room temperature and hardens. This allows the sealing material 25 to be placed in the target position. In addition, the elasticity and tackiness after hardening are determined and examined to determine whether the sealing material 25 has the desired characteristics.

[0072] The sealing material 25 can be easily arranged in any desired shape using an arm, a molding jig, or the like. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, when placing the sealant 25 around the optical member 26, the cover member 21 is attached to a jig or the like, and the material of the sealant 25 is applied from an automatically traveling arm. In this way, the sealant 25 can be placed as shown in Fig. 4.

[0073] If misalignment of the optical member 26 becomes a problem while the sealant 25 is curing or being applied, it is preferable to use a pressing member 44 that presses the optical member 26, as shown in Fig. 9. Using the pressing member 44 can solve this problem.

[0074] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section in a process for forming the sealing material 25 shown in FIG. 4. The black arrow in the figure schematically shows the pressing direction of the pressing member 44. The pressing member 44 can be selected appropriately, and any jig can be used, for example. The pressing member 44 in the figure presses the optical member 26 toward the cover member 21 in the direction of the arrow in the figure until the sealing material 25 hardens. After the sealing material 25 has hardened, the pressing member 44 is separated.

[0075] Next, another example of the cover member 21 will be described. As described above, the use of optical member 26 can prevent toner and other contaminants from entering housing 19 when an opening is provided in housing 19. However, because toner accumulates on the surface of optical member 26, it is preferable to clean it periodically. If not cleaned, the accumulated toner may obstruct the laser light, which may result in uneven density in the printed image. This phenomenon is likely to occur in a configuration in which photoconductor 10 is disposed above optical scanning device 8, as in the example shown in FIG. 2.

[0076] The method for cleaning the accumulated toner can be selected appropriately. For example, a cleaning member for cleaning the optical member 26 may be inserted from outside the machine (outside the image forming apparatus), or a cleaning member may be attached to the optical scanning device. In particular, when a cleaning member is inserted from outside the machine, a method of sliding the cleaning member from the short side of the optical member 26 and cleaning the optical member 26 along the longitudinal direction can be used.

[0077] An example of the cover member 21 that takes such a cleaning method into consideration will be described with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10(a) is a plan view of the cover member 21 as seen from outside the housing 19. Figure 10(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E' in Figure 10(a). Note that the restriction bodies (e.g., ribs 40a, 40b) are not shown in Figure 10.

[0078] In this example, the cover member 21 has multiple protrusions (guide portions 46a, 46b) that protrude outward from the housing 19. The multiple protrusions (guide portions 46a, 46b) guide the sliding direction of the cleaning member when the cleaning member slides over the surface of the optical member 26. Furthermore, the sealant 25 is not provided at the location (reference numeral 45) where the cleaning member enters the surface of the optical member 26. By adopting this example, it is possible to achieve both ease of cleaning with the cleaning member and ease of removing the optical member 26.

[0079] Since the sealant 25 is not provided at the location (reference numeral 45) where the cleaning member enters the surface of the optical member 26, the cleaning member is not obstructed when entering the surface of the optical member 26. Furthermore, since the cover member 21 has guide portions 46a and 46b, the sliding direction of the cleaning member (the direction of the black arrow in the figure) can be guided. These features improve the cleaning ability of the cleaning member to clean the optical member 26.

[0080] The guide portions 46a and 46b may have a convex shape like the ribs 40a and 40b shown in FIGS.

[0081] Also in this example, the sealant 25 has the peel start region 25a, which makes it easier to peel the sealant 25 and improves the ease of removing the optical member 26. In this example, the peel start region 25a is disposed adjacent to the entrance 45. The peel start region 25a is not limited to this position, but in this example, the sealant 25 is not provided at the entrance 45 so as not to obstruct the entry of the cleaning tool. Therefore, by locating the peel start region 25a in this position, there is an advantage that the sealant 25 can be easily positioned.

[0082] The location where the cleaning member cleans the optical member 26 can be selected as appropriate, but it is preferable to clean at least the surface of the area where the laser light passes on the optical member 26. The cleaning member can be selected as appropriate, and examples include a cleaning rod, a cleaning cloth, etc.

[0083] In this example, the cover member 21 has a plurality of protrusions (guide portions 46a, 46b) that protrude outward from the housing 19. Therefore, for example, the cover member 21, optical member 26, and sealant 25 are assumed to be arranged as shown in FIG. 5. This example may be applied to the cover member 21 arranged as shown in FIG. 7, but in the example shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the sealant 25 is not arranged on the outside of the housing 19, and therefore it is unlikely that the sealant 25 will hinder the entry of the cleaning member. When this example is applied to the example shown in FIG. 7, it is considered preferable to provide the cover member 21 with a plurality of protrusions (guide portions 46a, 46b) that protrude outward from the housing 19.

[0084] Next, another example of the cover member 21 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11(a) is a plan view as seen from the outside (or inside) of the housing 19, and Fig. 11(b) is an enlarged view of the main part of Fig. 11(a).

[0085] In this example, the optical member 26 has short and long sides in the planar direction (XY plane), and the cover member 21 has positioning shapes (ribs 40a, 40b) that determine the position of the optical member 26 in the short side direction (Y direction).

[0086] In this example, the sealant 25 has multiple peel start regions (25b-25e) that are not in contact with the optical member 26 and have lower adhesive strength with other members than other regions, and the regulating bodies (ribs 40a, 40b) are in contact with the peel start regions 25b-25e along the short side direction (Y direction). The contact regions are schematically indicated by dashed straight lines or arrows in the drawing.

[0087] Furthermore, one of the multiple peel start regions has a longer region in contact with the regulating body than the other peel start regions. As shown in Fig. 11(b), peel start region 25b has a longer region in contact with the regulating body in the short direction than the other peel start regions 25c to 25e. In other words, among the multiple peel start regions, there is a peel start region whose region in contact with the regulating body is the longest.

[0088] In this way, the presence of peel start region 25b, where the region in contact with the regulating body is the longest, makes it visually easy to see that peel start region 25b is different from the other peel start regions. Also, in peel start region 25b, the region that is not in contact with optical member 26 is longer than the other peel start regions 25c to 25e, so peel start region 25b can ensure a sufficient peel margin when peeling sealant 25. By instructing to peel from peel start region 25b, sealant 25 can be peeled more safely.

[0089] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above embodiment, the restricting body (for example, the ribs 40a and 40b) is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the restricting body may not be provided.

[0090] The optical scanning device of this embodiment is an optical scanning device having a housing with an opening and a cover member that covers the opening of the housing, the cover member having an optical member through which a laser passes, and a sealant that contacts the optical member and the cover member, the sealant is provided around the optical member in a plane when the cover member is viewed from the outside or inside of the housing, and is not provided in a part of the periphery of the optical member, and in the part of the periphery of the optical member where the sealant is not provided, the cover member is not present between the opposing sealants, and the sealant has a peel start region that is not in contact with the optical member and has a lower adhesive strength with other members than other regions, and the peel start region is the region that is peeled first when the sealant is peeled off from the cover member.

[0091] To explain this embodiment, an example of the cover member 21 in this embodiment is shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. FIGS. 12A(a) and 12B(a) are plan views as viewed from the outside (or inside) of the housing 19. FIG. 12A(b) is a side view as viewed from the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 12A(a), and FIG. 12B(b) is a side view as viewed from the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 12B(a). FIG. 12A is a view showing a state in which jigs 48a and 48b are arranged, and FIG. 12B is a view showing a state after jigs 48a and 48b have been separated. FIG. 12A can also be said to be a view showing a state during the manufacturing process.

[0092] In the above-described embodiment, for example, ribs 40a and 40b, which are part of the cover member 21, are present between the opposing seal members 25 in the region where the seal member 25 is not provided. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in Figures 12B(a) and (b), the cover member 21 is not present between the opposing seal members 25 in the region where the seal member 25 is not provided.

[0093] In the above-described embodiment, the optical member 26 is positioned by forming ribs 40a, 40b on the cover member 21, but there are concerns about the time and effort required to form the ribs 40a, 40b and to accommodate changes to the optical member 26. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, there is no need to form a positioning shape on the cover member 21, which has the advantage of making production easier.

[0094] In this embodiment, since ribs 40a, 40b are not formed on cover member 21, it is necessary to position optical member 26. Therefore, jigs 48a, 48b that are detachable from cover member 21 are used as positioning shapes to position optical member 26. As shown in Fig. 12A, jigs 48a, 48b are placed on cover member 21, and after sealing material 25 is placed, jigs 48a, 48b can be separated to achieve the state shown in Fig. 12B.

[0095] An example of the above manufacturing procedure will be explained again. When placing the optical member 26 on the cover member 21, jigs 48a and 48b are placed on the cover member 21. The optical member 26 is brought into contact with the jigs 48a and 48b to position the optical member 26. With the optical member 26 positioned in this manner, the sealant 25 is placed around the optical member 26 (the state in FIG. 12A). After the optical member 26 has been placed in this manner, the jigs 48a and 48b are moved away from the cover member 21 (the state in FIG. 12B). In this way, this embodiment facilitates fabrication and also makes it easier to accommodate changes to the optical member 26. Note that jig pins, for example, can be used as the jigs 48a and 48b.

[0096] Next, a preferred example of the example shown in Fig. 12B will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13(a) is the same plan view as Fig. 12B(a), but with jigs 48a and 48b removed. Fig. 13(b) is an enlarged view of the main part of Fig. 13(a).

[0097] In this example, the sealing material 25 also has a peel start region 25a, which is an area that is not in contact with the optical element 26 and has a lower adhesive strength with other elements than other areas, and the peel start region 25a is the area that is peeled first when the sealing material 25 is peeled off from the cover element 21.

[0098] As shown in the figure, in this example, in a plane when viewing the cover member 21 from the outside (or inside) of the housing 19, when the width of the sealing material 25 is a and the distance in the same direction as the width a is b from the end of the optical member 26 in the peel start region 25a to the end of the peel start region 25a, b>a. This relationship ensures a sufficient peeling margin when peeling off the sealing material 25. This makes it easier to peel off the sealing material 25.

[0099] Next, a preferred example of the example shown in Fig. 12B will be described with reference to Fig. 14A and Fig. 14B. In the example shown in Fig. 12B as well, the sealant 25 can be formed into a closed, link-like shape in a plane when the cover member 21 is viewed from the outside (or inside) of the housing 19. In this case, the peel start region 25a can be made less likely to peel off when peeling of the sealant 25 is not necessary.

[0100] 14A and 14B(a) are plan views as viewed from the outside (or inside) of the housing 19. FIG. 14B(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F-F' of FIG. 14B(a). FIG. 14A shows the state in which the jigs 48a and 48b are arranged, and FIG. 14B shows the state after the jigs 48a and 48b have been separated. FIG. 14A can also be said to be a view showing the state during the manufacturing process.

[0101] 14A and 14B are based on the same concept as the above-mentioned FIGS. 12A and 12B. When placing the optical member 26 on the cover member 21, jigs 48a and 48b are placed from the outside of the cover member 21. The optical member 26 is brought into contact with these jigs 48a and 48b to position the optical member 26. With the optical member 26 positioned in this manner, the sealant 25 is placed around the optical member 26 (the state in FIG. 14A). After the optical member 26 is placed in this manner, the jigs 48a and 48b are separated from the cover member 21 (the state in FIG. 14B). In this way, this embodiment facilitates fabrication and also makes it easier to accommodate changes to the optical member 26. Note that jig pins, for example, can be used as the jigs 48a and 48b.

[0102] In this example, the peel start region 25a of the sealant 25 is spaced apart from the optical member 26 by the size of the jigs 48a and 48b. Therefore, this portion of the peel start region 25a can serve as a peeling margin when peeling off the sealant 25.

[0103] The peel start region 25a here corresponds to the sealing material 25 in the region surrounded by the dashed line in Fig. 14B(a). In Fig. 14B(b), the peel start region 25a is disposed on the cover member 21 indicated by the dashed line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 8 Optical scanning device 9. Image forming means 10 Photoreceptor 19 Housing 21 Cover member 22 Polygon Scanner 23 Scanning Lens 24a, 25b mirror 25 Sealing material 25a~e Peeling start area 26 Optical Components 26a Passage area 40a, 40b Rib 41a Contact surface 46a, 46b Guide part 48a, 48b Jig [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0105] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6576159

Claims

1. An optical scanning device having a housing having an opening and a cover member that covers the opening of the housing, the cover member includes an optical member through which a laser passes, and a restricting body that contacts the optical member to restrict its position; the optical member has short sides and long sides in a planar direction; the regulating body has a contact portion that contacts the optical member and a non-contact portion that does not contact the optical member, and has a positioning shape that determines the position of the optical member in a short-side direction; a seal material is provided that comes into contact with the optical member and the cover member other than the regulating body; An optical scanning device characterized in that the sealing material contacts at least a portion of the non-contact portion and is not provided on the contact portion in a plane when the cover member is viewed from the outside or inside of the housing.

2. 2. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the seal member has a closed link-like shape in a plane when the cover member is viewed from the outside or the inside of the housing.

3. the sealant has a peel start region that is not in contact with the optical member and has a lower adhesive strength with other members than other regions; 3. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the peeling start area is an area that is peeled off first when the sealing material is peeled off from the cover member.

4. The cover member has a plurality of protrusions that are convex toward the outside of the housing, the plurality of protrusions guide a sliding direction of a cleaning member that cleans the optical member when the cleaning member slides on a surface of the optical member; 4. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material is not provided at a location where the cleaning member enters the surface of the optical member.

5. the cover member has a mounting surface on which the optical member is mounted, 5. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material is not provided below the placement surface.

6. the sealant has a plurality of peel start regions that are not in contact with the optical member and have a lower adhesive strength with other members than other regions; the regulating body is in contact with the peel start area along the short side direction, An optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that one of the plurality of peel start regions has a longer area in contact with the regulating body in the short direction than the other peel start regions.

7. An optical scanning device having a housing having an opening and a cover member that covers the opening of the housing, the cover member includes an optical member through which a laser passes; a sealant is provided that contacts the optical member and the cover member; the sealing material is provided around the optical member in a plane when the cover member is viewed from the outside or the inside of the housing, but is not provided on a part of the periphery of the optical member; In a portion of the periphery of the optical member where the sealing material is not provided, the cover member is not present between the opposing sealing materials, the sealing material is provided with a peel start region that is not in contact with the optical member and has a lower adhesive strength with other members than other regions, The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the peeling start region is a region that is peeled off first when the sealing material is peeled off from the cover member.

8. The optical scanning device described in claim 7, characterized in that, in a plane when viewing the cover member from the outside or inside of the housing, when the width of the sealing material is a and the distance in the same direction as width a is b from the end of the optical element in the peel start area to the end of the peel start area, b > a.

9. 9. The optical scanning device according to claim 8, wherein the sealing material has a closed link-like shape in a plane when the cover member is viewed from the outside or the inside of the housing.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising the optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images