Scanning optical system

Abstract

This scanning optical system includes: a deflector; a plurality of collimator lenses arranged in a direction of a rotation axis of the deflector; a first lens; a second lens; and an imaging optical system, and is configured so that a light beam passing through one of the collimator lenses, the first lens, and the second lens and deflected by the deflector is formed into a scanning light beam by the imaging optical system, wherein where a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis and including a common optical axis of the first and second lenses is defined as a first cross section, and a cross section parallel to the rotation axis and including the optical axis is defined as a second cross section, the first cross section of one surface of the first lens is formed so as to diverge the light beam, the second cross section of the other surface of the first lens is formed so as to converge the light beam, and the first cross section of one surface of the second lens is formed so as to collimate or converge the light beam and is formed such that when the light beam reaches the surface of the deflector, the width of the light beam at the first cross section is greater than the width of the surface, and the light beam is focused on the surface at the second cross section.

Description

Scanning Optical System

[0001] The present invention relates to a scanning optical system.

[0002] A scanning optical system is used that includes an incident optical system, a deflector, and an imaging optical system, where the incident optical system includes a plurality of collimator lenses arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector, and is configured to handle light beams from a plurality of light sources arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector. In addition, in order to increase printing speed, a scanning optical system that employs an overfilled method in which a light beam having a width wider than the width of the reflecting surface of the deflector in the main scanning direction is made incident on the deflector has also been developed (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] To make the imaging optical system of the above-mentioned scanning optical system compact, the lateral magnification of the imaging optical system in a cross section parallel to the rotation axis of the deflector must be set to a predetermined value or less. To ensure a beam diameter of the scanning beam at a lateral magnification of a predetermined value or less, the focal length of the collimator lens must be shortened. On the other hand, if the focal length of the collimator lens is shortened, the beam width in a cross section in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the deflector becomes smaller, and therefore the size of the incident optical system must be increased to widen the beam width.

[0004] As described above, a compact scanning optical system that employs an overfilled system and is configured to handle light beams from multiple light sources arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector has not been developed. Therefore, there is a need for a compact scanning optical system that employs an overfilled system and is configured to handle light beams from multiple light sources arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector.

[0005] JP 2010-61144 A (Patent No. 4780228)

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a compact scanning optical system that employs an overfilled system and is configured to handle light beams from a plurality of light sources arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of a deflector.

[0007] The scanning optical system of the present invention includes a deflector, a plurality of collimator lenses arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector, a first lens, a second lens, and an imaging optical system, and is configured so that a light beam passing through one of the collimator lenses, the first lens, and the second lens, is deflected by the deflector and forms a scanning light beam by the imaging optical system. A cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis and including a common optical axis of the first and second lenses is defined as a first cross section, and a cross section parallel to the rotation axis and including the optical axis is defined as a second cross section. The shapes of the first cross section and the second cross section are different from each other on both surfaces of the first lens and one surface of the second lens, and the first cross section on one surface of the first lens is formed to diverge the light beam, the second cross section on the other surface of the first lens is formed to converge the light beam, and the first cross section on one surface of the second lens is formed to collimate or converge the light beam. The scanning optical system of the present invention is formed so that when the light beam reaches the surface of the deflector, the width of the light beam at a first cross section is larger than the width of the surface, and the light beam is focused on the surface at a second cross section.

[0008] According to the present invention, by employing the first and second lenses having the above-described characteristics, it is possible to realize a compact scanning optical system that is configured to handle light beams from a plurality of light sources arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector and that employs an overfilled method.

[0009] In the scanning optical system of the first embodiment of the present invention, the material of the first lens is plastic, and with respect to the one surface of the first lens, an effective diameter is represented by D11, the absolute value of the focal length at the first cross section is represented by f11, and with respect to the other surface of the first lens, an effective diameter is represented by D12, and the absolute value of the focal length at the second cross section is represented by f12, then the following conditions are satisfied: 0.04≦D11 / f11≦0.07 (6) 0.007≦D12 / f12≦0.011 (7)

[0010] The temperature of the first lens changes significantly over time due to the influence of a nearby light source. However, according to the inventor's new findings, as long as D11 / f11 in formula (6) and D12 / f12 in formula (7) are equal to or less than their upper limits, deterioration of optical performance due to changes in refractive index of the plastic first lens caused by temperature changes falls within an acceptable range, making it possible to use a first lens having two surfaces with different first and second cross-sectional shapes. While glass lenses experience less change in refractive index due to temperature changes than plastic lenses, manufacturing a glass lens having two surfaces with different first and second cross-sectional shapes is difficult and extremely expensive, even if it can be manufactured. On the other hand, as long as D11 / f11 in formula (6) and D12 / f12 in formula (7) are equal to or greater than their lower limits, a compact scanning optical system can be realized. Ultimately, using a plastic first lens that satisfies formulas (6) and (7) makes it possible to realize a compact, easily manufactured scanning optical system.

[0011] In the scanning optical system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, both surfaces of the first lens and the one surface of the second lens are cylindrical or toric surfaces.

[0012] In the scanning optical system of the third embodiment of the present invention, the one surface of the first lens faces the second lens, and the other surface of the first lens faces the collimator lens.

[0013] In the scanning optical system of the third embodiment of the present invention, the divergence of the light beam at the first cross section by the first lens is performed on the surface facing the second lens, thereby reducing the influence on the light path of changes in refractive index due to temperature changes, etc.

[0014] In the scanning optical system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the material of the first lens is plastic, and the material of the second lens is glass.

[0015] The second lens is placed near the deflector, the temperature of which increases during operation, and is therefore made of glass, which has small changes in refractive index and linear expansion with temperature changes.

[0016] In the scanning optical system of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the focal length of each collimator lens is fcol [mm], the absolute value of the focal length of the first lens at the first cross section is f11 [mm], the absolute value of the focal length of the first lens at the second cross section is f12 [mm], and the absolute value of the focal length of the second lens at the first cross section is f21 [mm], and the following conditions are satisfied: fcol≦13 (1), 120≦f12≦160 (2), and 3.5≦f21 / f11≦4.0 (3).

[0017] To compact the imaging optical system of a scanning optical system that handles light beams from multiple light sources arranged in the direction of the deflector's rotation axis, it is necessary to limit the lateral magnification of the imaging optical system. When the lateral magnification of the imaging optical system is limited, the diameter of the second cross section of the aperture must be reduced to obtain a predetermined diameter for the scanning light beam. Therefore, to maintain optical efficiency, the focal length fco of the collimator lens must be set to a predetermined value or less. Furthermore, it is preferable that the focal length f12 of the first lens at the second cross section be set to a predetermined value or less in consideration of the distance from the first lens to the deflector, and be set to a predetermined value or more in consideration of the size of the deflector in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector in the imaging optical system. Furthermore, by setting the ratio between the absolute value f21 of the focal length of the second lens at the first cross section and the absolute value f11 of the focal length of the first lens at the first cross section within an appropriate range, a deflector of appropriate size can be illuminated with a light beam of appropriate width.

[0018] In the scanning optical system of the sixth embodiment of the present invention, when a first straight line obtained by projecting the path of the chief ray of the deflected light beam onto a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis is perpendicular to a second straight line obtained by projecting the scanning direction onto the plane, the reflection point of the chief ray is taken as a reference point, the distance from the reference point to a scanning surface which is a plane including a position where the scanning light beam is focused and which is perpendicular to the first straight line is represented by L8, the distance from the vertex of the lens surface of the imaging optical system which is closest to the scanning surface to the scanning surface is represented by BF, a plane which includes the reference point and is parallel to the rotation axis and the first straight line is taken as a third cross section, and the lateral magnification of the imaging optical system at the third cross section is represented by β, the following relationships are satisfied: 0.15≦BF / L8≦0.2 (4) 0.35≦β≦0.45 (5)

[0019] By satisfying the conditions of this embodiment, it is possible to make compact the imaging optical system of the scanning optical system that handles light beams from a plurality of light sources arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a scanning optical system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section of an incident optical system that includes the z-axis of the incident optical system and is parallel to the x-axis; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross section of an imaging optical system that is parallel to the x-axis and perpendicular to the y-axis; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an incident angle (primary); FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an incident angle (secondary); FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining inter-surface distances L2-L8 shown in Table 2; FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the "secondary shift amount" of the second scanning lens in Table 2;

[0021] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a scanning optical system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The scanning optical system 100 includes an incident optical system, a deflector 109, and an imaging optical system. The incident optical system includes a collimator lens 101, an aperture 103, a first lens 105, and a second lens 107. The imaging optical system includes a first scanning lens 111 and a second scanning lens 113. A light beam emitted from a light source 200 is collimated by the collimator lens 101, passes through the aperture 103, and then reaches the first lens 105. The first lens 105 diverges the light beam in the cross section shown in FIG. 1. The light beam that has passed through the first lens 105 reaches the second lens 107. The second lens 107 collimates or converges the light beam in the cross section shown in FIG. 1. The light beam that has passed through the second lens 107 reaches the deflector 109. The deflector 109 deflects the light beam by rotating around a rotation axis perpendicular to the cross section shown in Fig. 1. The deflected light beam is converged by a first scanning lens 111 and a second scanning lens 113 to form a scanning light beam.

[0022] The x-axis is defined as the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector 109, and the y-axis is defined as the scanning direction. The common optical axis (central axis) of the first lens 105 and the second lens 107 is defined as the z-axis of the incident optical system. Figure 1 is a diagram showing a cross section of the incident optical system that is perpendicular to the x-axis and includes the z-axis of the incident optical system.

[0023] 2 is a diagram showing a cross section of the incident optical system that includes the z-axis of the incident optical system and is parallel to the x-axis. In the cross section shown in Fig. 2, a light beam emitted from one of a plurality of light sources 200 arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector 109 is collimated by one of a plurality of collimator lenses 101 arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector 109, passes through one of a plurality of apertures 103 arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector 109, and then reaches a first lens 105. The first lens 105 and the second lens 107 focus the light beam on one surface of the deflector 109 in the cross section shown in Fig. 2.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross section of the imaging optical system parallel to the x-axis and perpendicular to the y-axis. When the chief ray of the deflected light beam travels in a direction perpendicular to the y-axis direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 1, the reflection point of the chief ray on the deflection surface is called the reference point P. The cross sections shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 are cross sections including the reference point P. In the cross section shown in FIG. 1, a straight line passing through the reference point P and perpendicular to the y-axis direction is defined as the z-axis of the imaging optical system. The cross section shown in FIG. 1 is a cross section that includes the z-axis of the imaging optical system and is perpendicular to the x-axis. The cross section shown in FIG. 3 is a cross section that includes the z-axis of the imaging optical system and is parallel to the x-axis. In the cross section shown in FIG. 3, the light beam reflected at the reference point P diverges and reaches the first scanning lens 111. In the cross section shown in FIG. 3, the first scanning lens 111 converges the light beam so that the light beam that has passed through the second lens 107 forms a scanning light beam.

[0025] Examples of the present invention will be described below. Examples Table 1 shows the specifications of the scanning optical system of the examples.

[0026] In Table 1, the incidence angle (principal) means the angle formed by the line obtained by projecting the chief ray incident on the deflector onto the cross section shown in FIG. 1 and the z-axis of the imaging optical system.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the incident angle (main).

[0028] In Table 1, the incident angle (minor) means the angle formed by the line obtained by projecting the principal ray incident on the deflector onto the cross section shown in FIG. 2 and the direction of the z-axis of the incident optical system.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the incident angle (secondary).

[0030] In Table 1, the system focal length is indicated by f, which satisfies y=f·θ, where θ (radian) is the angle formed between the straight line formed by projecting the path of a light ray that reaches the maximum image height y after being deflected by a deflector onto the cross section shown in Figure 1 and the z-axis of the imaging optical system. The angle θ is shown in Figure 4.

[0031] The light source 200 is a semiconductor laser light source.

[0032] In Table 1, "θ⊥" of the light source indicates the divergence angle of the semiconductor laser light source in the cross section shown in FIG. 1, and "θ / / " of the light source indicates the divergence angle of the semiconductor laser light source in the cross section shown in FIG.

[0033] The core thickness of a lens refers to the thickness of the lens along the z-axis of an incident optical system or the z-axis of an imaging optical system.

[0034] The collimator lens 101 is made of glass with a refractive index of 1.576. The first lens 105 is made of polycycloolefin resin, and the second lens 107 is made of borosilicate crown glass. The first scanning lens 111 is made of polycycloolefin resin, and the second scanning lens 113 is made of polymethyl methacrylate resin.

[0035] The "major" length of an aperture refers to the length in the cross section shown in FIG. 1, and the "minor" length of an aperture refers to the length in the cross section shown in FIG.

[0036] Table 2 shows the inter-surface distances of the scanning optical system of the embodiment.

[0037] In Table 2, the inter-surface distance indicates the distance along the z-axis of the incident optical system or the z-axis of the imaging optical system.

[0038] 6 is a diagram for explaining the inter-surface distances L1-L8 shown in Table 2. The cross section shown in FIG. 6 is the same as the cross section shown in FIG.

[0039] In Table 2, the secondary shift amounts of the light source, collimator lens, and aperture indicate the distances between the centers of the light source, collimator lens, and aperture and the z-axis of the incident optical system in the cross section shown in FIG.

[0040] In Table 2, "scanning plane" refers to an imaginary plane that is perpendicular to the z-axis of the imaging optical system and includes the position where the scanning light beam is focused. In Fig. 6, the scanning plane is indicated by 300. Scanning in the y-axis direction is performed on the scanning plane.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the "secondary shift amount" of the second scanning lens in Table 2. The cross section shown in FIG. 7 is defined in the same manner as the cross section shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the second scanning lens includes four identically shaped lenses each having an entrance surface and an exit surface, and the four lenses are stacked in the x-axis direction. The "secondary shift amount" of the second scanning lens indicates the distance between the center of the entrance or exit surface of each lens and the z-axis of the incident optical system in the cross section shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows only two lenses with positive secondary shift amounts. In FIG. 7, the absolute value of the secondary shift amount of the inner lens is indicated by SX1, and the absolute value of the secondary shift amount of the outer lens is indicated by SX2.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the "main shift amount" of the second scanning lens in Table 2. The cross section shown in FIG. 8 is defined in the same manner as the cross section shown in FIG. 1. The "main shift amount" of the second scanning lens indicates the distance between the surface definition center (the vertex of the lens surface) of the entrance surface or exit surface of the second scanning lens and the z-axis of the imaging optical system in the cross section shown in FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, the main shift amount is indicated by SY. The size of SY is exaggerated in FIG. 8 for clarity.

[0043] The collimator lens 101 in the incident optical system collimates the divergent light emitted by the light source 200. The focal length of the collimator lens 101 is 10 millimeters, and equation (1) is satisfied.

[0044] The surface of the collimator lens 101 will be described below. The surface of the collimator lens can be expressed by the following formula. z is the sag of the lens surface, and indicates the coordinate of a point on the lens surface in the direction of the z-axis of the incident optical system, with the vertex of the lens surface as the reference. r indicates the distance from the z-axis of the incident optical system to a point on the surface. R is the radius of curvature, k is the conic constant, A is the ｉIn the above equations and the following, the radius of curvature R of a surface is defined to be positive when the surface is convex toward the object side, and negative when the surface is convex toward the image side.

[0045] Table 3 shows the constants and coefficients of the surfaces of the collimator lens 101.

[0046] The surfaces of the first lens 105 and the second lens 107 of the incident optical system will now be described.

[0047] Table 4 explains the surfaces of the first lens 105 and the second lens 107. R represents the radius of curvature.

[0048] The curvature of the entrance surface of first lens 105 in the cross section of FIG. 1 is 0, and the curvature of the cross section of FIG. 2 is positive. The entrance surface of first lens 105 is a cylindrical surface having a cross section of FIG. 2 with a positive curvature (convex toward the object side). The curvature of the exit surface of first lens 105 in the cross section of FIG. 1 is positive, and the curvature of the cross section of FIG. 2 is 0. The exit surface of first lens 105 is a cylindrical surface having a cross section of FIG. 1 with a positive curvature (convex toward the object side).

[0049] The curvature of the entrance surface of second lens 107 is 0 in the cross section of FIG. 1 and the cross section of FIG. 2. The entrance surface of second lens 107 is flat. The curvature of the exit surface of second lens 107 is negative in the cross section of FIG. 1, and the curvature of the cross section of FIG. 2 is 0. The exit surface of second lens 107 is a cylindrical surface having the cross section of FIG. 1 with negative curvature (convex toward the image side).

[0050] Toric surfaces may be used in place of cylindrical surfaces in the first and second lenses.

[0051] Table 5 shows the absolute values ​​of the focal lengths of the first lens 105 and the second lens 107 in the cross sections of FIG. 1 and FIG.

[0052] If the ratio of the absolute value f21 of the focal length of the second lens at the cross section of FIG. 1 to the absolute value f11 of the focal length of the first lens at the cross section of FIG. 1 is M, then M = f21 / f11 = 3.77, so that equations (2) and (3) are satisfied.

[0053] Table 6 shows the ratio of the effective diameter D11 of the deflector-side surface of the first lens to the absolute value f11 of the focal length of the cross section in Figure 1, and the ratio of the effective diameter D12 of the light-source-side surface of the first lens to the absolute value f12 of the focal length of the cross section in Figure 2.

[0054] Generally, it is preferable that the following conditions be satisfied for D11 / f11 and D12 / f12: 0.04≦D11 / f11≦0.07 (6) 0.007≦D12 / f12≦0.011 (7) The temperature of the first lens 105 changes significantly over time due to the influence of the nearby light source 200. However, according to the inventor's new findings, when D11 / f11 in formula (6) and D12 / f12 in formula (7) are below their upper limits, the deterioration of optical performance due to changes in refractive index of the plastic first lens caused by temperature changes falls within an acceptable range, making it possible to use a first lens having two surfaces with different first and second cross-sectional shapes. On the other hand, when D11 / f11 in formula (6) or D12 / f12 in formula (7) are below their lower limits, the size of the scanning optical system becomes too large.

[0055] Table 7 shows the beam diameter in the cross section of FIG.

[0056] In the cross section of FIG. 1, a first lens 105 diverges collimated light, and a second lens 107 collimates the diverging light.

[0057] 1 is a regular dodecagon, and the diameter of its inscribed circle is 20 millimeters, so the length of the deflecting surface is 2 × 10 × tan(15°) = 5.36 [mm]. Therefore, the diameter of the light beam that reaches polygon mirror 109 after passing through second lens 107 in the cross section of FIG. 1 is greater than the length of the deflecting surface.

[0058] The surfaces of the first scanning lens 111 and the second scanning lens 113 of the imaging optical system will be described below. The surfaces of the first scanning lens 111 and the second scanning lens 113 can be expressed by the following equations. z is the sag of the lens surface, and indicates the coordinate of a point on the lens surface in the z-axis direction of the incident optical system, with the vertex of the lens surface as the reference. x indicates the coordinate of a point on the lens surface in the x-axis direction, with the vertex of the lens surface as the reference, and y indicates the coordinate of a point on the lens surface in the y-axis direction, with the vertex of the lens surface as the reference. r indicates the distance from the z-axis of the imaging optical system to the point on the surface. R is the radius of curvature, k is the conic constant, A ｉ represents the aspherical coefficient. The following relationship holds:

[0059] Table 8 shows the constants and coefficients of the surfaces of the first scanning lens 111 and the second scanning lens 113.

[0060] Table 9 shows the specifications of the imaging optical system. BF is the distance from the vertex of the exit surface of the second scanning lens 113 to the scanning plane 300. L8 is the distance along the z-axis of the imaging optical system from the reference point to the scanning plane 300, as described above. β is the lateral magnification of the imaging optical system at the cross section in Figure 2. Equations (4) and (5) are satisfied.

Claims

1. A scanning optical system including a deflector, a plurality of collimator lenses arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the deflector, a first lens, a second lens, and an imaging optical system, wherein a light beam passing through one of the collimator lenses, the first and second lenses and deflected by the deflector forms a scanning light beam by the imaging optical system, and taking a cross-section perpendicular to the rotation axis and including the common optical axis of the first and second lenses as the first cross-section, and a cross-section parallel to the rotation axis and including the optical axis as the second cross-section, the shape of the first cross-section and the shape of the second cross-section are different from each other on both surfaces of the first lens and one surface of the second lens, the first cross-section of one surface of the first lens is formed to diverge the light beam, the second cross-section of the other surface of the first lens is formed to converge the light beam, the first cross-section of one surface of the second lens is formed to collimate or converge the light beam, when the light beam reaches the surface of the deflector, the width of the light beam in the first cross-section is larger than the width of the surface, and the light beam is formed to be focused on the surface in the second cross-section.

2. The scanning optical system according to claim 1, wherein the material of the first lens is plastic, for one surface of the first lens, the effective diameter is represented by D11, the absolute value of the focal length in the first cross-section is represented by f11, for the other surface of the first lens, the effective diameter is represented by D12, and the absolute value of the focal length in the second cross-section is represented by f12, and 0.04 ≦ D11 / f11 ≦ 0.07 (6) 0.007 ≦ D12 / f12 ≦ 0.011 (7) are satisfied.

3. The scanning optical system according to claim 1, wherein both surfaces of the first lens and one surface of the second lens are cylindrical surfaces or toric surfaces.

4. The scanning optical system according to claim 1, wherein one surface of the first lens faces the second lens, and the other surface of the first lens faces the collimator lens.

5. The scanning optical system according to claim 1, wherein the material of the first lens is plastic and the material of the second lens is glass.

6. For each collimator lens, let the focal length be fcol [mm], the absolute value of the focal length in the first cross-section of the first lens be f11 [mm], the focal length in the second cross-section of the first lens be f12 [mm], and the absolute value of the focal length in the first cross-section of the second lens be f21 [mm]. The scanning optical system according to claim 1, wherein fcol ≦ 13 (1) 120 ≦ f12 ≦ 160 (2) 3.5 ≦ f21 / f11 ≦ 4.0 (3) are satisfied.

7. When the first straight line obtained by projecting the path of the chief ray of the deflected light beam onto a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis is perpendicular to the second straight line obtained by projecting the scanning direction onto the plane, with the reflection point of the chief ray as the reference point, from the reference point, the distance to the scanning plane, which is a plane perpendicular to the first straight line and includes the position where the scanning light beam is focused, is represented by L8, the distance from the vertex of the lens surface closest to the scanning plane in the imaging optical system to the scanning plane is represented by BF, the plane including the reference point and parallel to the rotation axis and the first straight line is defined as the third cross-section, and the lateral magnification in the third cross-section of the imaging optical system is represented by β. The scanning optical system according to claim 1, wherein 0.15 ≦ BF / L8 ≦ 0.2 (4) 0.35 ≦ β ≦ 0.45 (5) are satisfied.

Images