Coherent light generators – Particular resonant cavity – Mirror support or alignment structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-08
2004-02-03
Scott, Jr., Leon (Department: 2828)
Coherent light generators
Particular resonant cavity
Mirror support or alignment structure
C372S101000, C362S259000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06687283
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-beam source unit for use in an image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine or a laser printer. Particularly, the invention is concerned with a multi-beam source unit, an adjusting method for the same, a positioning jig for the same, an assembling method for the same, and an image forming apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, as an image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine or a laser printer there has been know an image forming apparatus with a laser scanning optical system mounted thereon. With the recent tendency to a higher write accuracy and a higher write speed, a laser scanning optical system using a multi-beam laser diode is becoming most popular.
FIG. 1
illustrates such a laser scanning optical system schematically. In the same figure, the reference numeral
1
denotes a multi-beam source unit, numeral
2
denotes a polygon mirror, numeral
3
denotes a f&thgr; lens, and numeral
4
denotes a photosensitive member (also called an image recording medium). The multi-beam source unit
1
substantially comprises a multi-beam laser diode
5
and a collimator lens
6
. The multi-beam laser diode
5
has a plurality of light emitting points to emit multi-laser beams P. The multi-laser beams P are collimated by means of a collimator lens
6
, then are reflected by the polygon mirror
2
and are conducted onto a surface (also called an image recording surface)
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
.
The polygon mirror
2
and the f&thgr; lens
3
constitute a part of a scanning optical system. On the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the multi-laser beams P are scanned in a horizontal scanning direction Q
1
while leaving predetermined pitches X
1
in a vertical scanning direction Q
2
which is perpendicular to the horizontal scanning direction Q
1
. In this type of a laser scanning optical system, the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
i scanned over a large number of line at a time to write data onto the surface
4
a.
As the write accuracy and speed have recently become higher, the laser scanning optical system is required to be improved in its accuracy for the diameter of a beam spot
11
of each multi-laser beam P, collimatability of the beams, a pitch X
1
between adjacent beam spots
11
in the vertical scanning direction Q
2
, and a write start position in the horizontal scanning direction Q
1
. The accuracy required is becoming more and more strict as a higher image quality is required.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, the multi-beam laser diode
5
has a light emitting section
7
in the interior thereof. In the light emitting section
7
are provided a plurality of light emitting points, which are, for example, four light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
. The light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
are arranged on a designwise predetermined virtual straight line Q
3
spacedly from one another. The straight line Q
3
is obtained by joining acute points
9
a
and
10
a
of a pair of acute-angled cutout portions
9
and
10
which are formed in a metallic stem
8
of the multi-beam laser diode
5
.
In the conventional multi-beam laser diode
5
, the light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
are spaced widely from one another, so that when multi-laser beams are protected onto the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
, the pitches X
1
of their beam spots
11
in the vertical scanning direction Q
2
become large and the image quality becomes coat. For avoiding such an inconvenience, as shown in
FIG. 4
, the multi-beam laser diode
5
is turned around the optical axis of the scanning optical system (not shown) so that an arranged direction (straight line) Q
3
′ of the beam spots
11
become oblique with respect to the horizontal scanning direction Q
1
on the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
, thereby adjusting the pitches X
1
in the vertical scanning direction Q
2
to enhance the write density (recording density) in the vertical direction Q
2
and improve the image quality.
However, if the multi-beam laser diode
5
is turned so that the arranged direction (straight line) Q
3
′ of the beam spots
11
is deviated obliquely with respect to the vertical direction Q
2
, to improve the write density, then in the case where the light emitting its
7
a
-
7
d
are driven simultaneously to effect write, this results in that write positions in the horizontal scanning direction Q
1
of the beam spots
11
on the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
become displaced and hence the image quality is deteriorated.
In the laser optical system of this type, for making the write start positions of the beam spots on the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
uniform, for example sensors
12
for detecting scan positions of the laser beams able arranged correspondingly to the laser beams and the emission of beam from each of the light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
is controlled in accordance with a light receiving timing of each sensor
12
.
More particularly, the emission of light from the light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
is controlled upon the lapse of time t
0
′ after the detection of the head beam spot
11
at time t=t
0
, thereby making write start positions in the horizontal scanning direction Q
1
on the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
uniform.
Moreover, instead of using sensors
12
correspondingly to the light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
a sensor
12
is provided correspondingly to the head beam spot
11
in the horizontal scanning direction Q
1
, as shown in FIG.
5
(
a
), then tie lags t
1
, t
2
, and t
3
of beam spots
11
are determined in advance, and as shown in FIG.
5
(
b
), after the head beam spot
11
has been detected by the sensor
12
, the emission of beams from the remaining light emitting points
7
b
-
7
d
is delayed correspondingly to the time lags by means of a delay control circuit (not shown), thereby making the beam spots
11
uniform in the veil scanning direction at the write start positions on the surface
4
a
of the photosensitive member
4
, as shown in FIG.
5
(
a
).
In this laser scanning optical system, however, the control circuit used for aligning write start position is complicated, with consequent increase of cost.
At present, a multi-beam laser diode
5
with light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
spaced more narrowly than before is being developed. In a multi-beam source unit having such a multi-beam Laser diode
5
it is presumed that positional variations of the light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
will be small. Further, the multi-beam source unit is probably designed so as to be set to a scanning optical stem on the assumption that light emitting its
7
a
-
7
d
are arranged in the direction of a predetermined standard design line when they are present on the virtual straight line Q
3
defined by a pair of cutout portions
9
and
10
, and is attached as it is to a body portion of an forming apparatus.
Even with such a design, however, due to errors in the manufacturing process of the multi-beam laser diode
5
being considered, it is rarely the case that the light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
are positioned on the virtual straight line Q
3
without error. Even if there exists an arrangement direction (slit line) Q
4
joining light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d,
as shown in FIG.
6
(A), the arrangement direction Q
4
and the virtual straight line Q
3
are sightly inclined with to each other and thus aligning the arrangement direction of the light emitting points
7
a
-
7
d
with the direction of the standard design line without the need of any adjustment is difficult. The reference mark &thgr; represents the angle of that inclination. FIG.
6
(B) shows an ideal arrangement of beam spots
11
and FIG.
6
(C) shows an arrangement of beam spots
11
in case of a large inclination angle &thgr;.
When the multi-beam laser diode
5
is to be mounted to an apparatus body with a scanning optical system mounte
Jr. Leon Scott
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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