JP6597379B2 - Exposure apparatus, image forming apparatus using the same, and method of manufacturing exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an image forming apparatus using the same, and a method for manufacturing the exposure apparatus.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an exposure apparatus is used to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photosensitive drum. As a light source of an exposure apparatus, a plurality of solid light emitting elements such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and organic EL elements (Organic Light Emitting Diodes, OLEDs, organic LEDs) arranged in one direction in a single row or a staggered pattern is known. ing. Such an exposure apparatus is low in noise because there is no mechanical operation as compared with an apparatus that deflects and scans light using a rotary polygon mirror (polygon mirror), and the distance from the light source to the photosensitive member is short. This is advantageous because it can save space. An example of a conventional technique of an exposure apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  The exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a substrate on which a plurality of LEDs arranged in one direction are mounted, a lens array provided with a plurality of rod lenses arranged in the same direction as the LEDs, and a through-hole. A hole is provided, and a housing to which the substrate and the lens array are fixed is provided at both ends of the through hole. An adhesive is used to fix the lens array to the housing.

  Here, in the exposure apparatus, if the position or tilt of the lens array changes even slightly, the shape of the beam irradiated on the surface of the photoreceptor changes greatly. In particular, the rotation (tilt) around the axis parallel to the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements of the lens array has a great influence on the image quality, and the allowable range of the tilt of the optical axis is very narrow. Therefore, when the inclination of the optical axis of the lens array becomes relatively large due to shrinkage variation at the time of curing due to uneven thickness of the adhesive used to fix the lens array or creep deformation of the adhesive over time, There has been a problem that there is a possibility that the image quality may be deteriorated.

  In order to solve such a problem, the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 forms the casing so that the width of the through hole into which the lens array provided in the casing is inserted is narrower than the width of the lens array. The lens array is inserted by elastically deforming and expanding the through hole. Thus, the lens array is sandwiched between the casings using the restoring force of the casing. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the optical axis of the lens array from being inclined, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in image quality.

JP 2014-94472 A

  When the restoring force of the housing is used as in the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the thickness unevenness of the adhesive may be reduced. However, there is a possibility that the restoring force of the casing may become larger than necessary, and there is a problem that the tilt of the lens array is generated due to the adverse effect of the restoring force. Furthermore, if the housing is designed to have a relatively weak restoring force, the action of sandwiching the lens array is reduced, and there is a concern that the lens array may be displaced or tilted due to this.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is capable of preventing the occurrence of inclination of the lens array, and an exposure apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and an exposure apparatus manufacturing method in which the lens array is suitably arranged. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes a light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting the optical axis, and a plurality of lenses arranged in the same direction as the direction in which the plurality of light sources are arranged. A lens array for forming an image of light emitted from the light source in the form of a member, a holder provided with a through hole into which the lens array is inserted, and a frame to which the holder is fixed An adhesive part including an opposing surface provided on an inner surface of the through-hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array and to which an outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is adhered; A support portion that supports the adhesive portion and is fixed to the frame, and a rotational rigidity that is provided between the adhesive portion and the support portion and that extends along the longitudinal direction of the lens array is the support portion. Part Characterized in that it comprises a lower connecting portion than the stiffness.

  According to this configuration, since the adhesive portion includes an opposing surface to which the outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is bonded, the adhesive surfaces of the adhesive portion and the lens array are easily aligned with each other, and uneven thickness of the adhesive is reduced. Is done. Furthermore, an unintended restoring force is prevented from being generated in the holder by the action of the connecting portion provided between the adhesive portion and the support portion. As a result, the occurrence of tilt of the lens array is prevented.

  In the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the connecting portion has a notch or a hole.

  Further, in the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the connecting portion includes a rotating member that is rotatable about the axis.

  In the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the thickness of the bonding portion in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the lens array is smaller than the thickness of the support portion in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the lens array. Features.

  Further, in the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the support portion is disposed so as to face the bonding surface of the lens array with the bonding portion, protrudes toward the bonding surface, and has a protruding portion bonded to the bonding surface. It is characterized by having.

  The exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration further includes a holding member for holding the bonding state between the bonding portion and the lens array.

  Further, in the exposure apparatus having the above configuration, the light source substrate and the frame are formed of the same member.

  In the above exposure apparatus, the holder is made of a liquid crystal polymer.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the exposure apparatus manufacturing method of the present invention crosses the optical axis in the same direction as the light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction and the plurality of light sources arranged in the same direction. A plurality of lens members arranged in a direction and having a longitudinal shape to form an image of light emitted from the light source; a holder provided with a through hole into which the lens array is inserted; A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus having a frame to which a holder is fixed, wherein an outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is provided between an adhesive portion to which the lens array is bonded and the adhesive portion. The front of the holder comprising: a support part that supports the adhesive part via a connection part; and the connection part whose rotational rigidity about an axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array is lower than the rigidity of the support part. A bonding step of bonding the bonding portion, characterized in that it comprises a fixing step of fixing the support portions of the holder after said bonding step to the frame.

  In the method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus having the above-described configuration, the bonding state between the bonding portion and the lens array is held using a holding member in the bonding step, and the bonding state is held by the holding member after the bonding step. A holding release step for releasing is included.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to reduce uneven thickness of the adhesive for fixing the lens array to the adhesive portion of the holder. Furthermore, when the lens array is inserted into the through hole of the holder, it is possible to suppress an unintended restoring force from being generated in the holder. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tilt of the lens array from occurring, and it is possible to provide an exposure apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the exposure apparatus in which the lens array is suitably arranged.

1 is a partial vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the exposure apparatus of the image formation part of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the periphery of the light source substrate of the exposure apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view showing the first stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view showing the second stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view showing a third stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the exposure apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus of the third embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus of the sixth embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus of the seventh embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus of the eighth embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus of the ninth embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following contents.

<First Embodiment>
First, an image output operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described while explaining the outline of the structure with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an example of a partial vertical sectional front view of an image forming apparatus. In the figure, a two-dot chain line with an arrow indicates a sheet conveyance path and a conveyance direction. In addition, the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the paper depth direction in FIG. 1 are the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the depth direction of the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called tandem type color copier, and an image reading unit 2 that reads an image of a document on a main body casing 1a, and prints the read image on a transfer material such as paper. A printing unit 3 that performs printing, an operation unit 4 for inputting printing conditions and displaying an operation status, and a main control unit 5.

  The image reading unit 2 is a known unit that reads an image of a document placed on the upper surface of a platen glass (not shown) by moving a scanner (not shown). An image of a document is separated into three colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and is converted into an electrical signal by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor (not shown). Accordingly, the image reading unit 2 obtains image data for each color of red (R), green (G), and blue (B).

  The image data for each color obtained by the image reading unit 2 is subjected to various processes in the main control unit 5, and image data for each reproduction color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). And stored in a memory (not shown) of the main control unit 5. The image data for each reproduction color stored in the memory is subjected to a process for correcting misregistration, and then is scanned for each scanning line in synchronism with the conveyance of the sheet in order to perform optical scanning on the photosensitive drum 21 which is an image carrier. Is read out.

  The printing unit 3 forms an image by an electrophotographic method, and transfers the image to a sheet or the like. The printing unit 3 includes an intermediate transfer belt 11 in which an intermediate transfer member is formed as an endless belt. The intermediate transfer belt 11 is wound around a driving roller 12, a tension roller 13 and a driven roller 14. A tension is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 11 by urging the tension roller 13 upward in FIG. 1 by a spring (not shown). The intermediate transfer belt 11 is rotated by the driving roller 12 counterclockwise in FIG.

  The driving roller 12 is pressed and brought into contact with the secondary transfer roller 15 facing the intermediate transfer belt 11. At the position of the driven roller 14, an intermediate transfer cleaning unit 16 provided so as to face the driven roller 14 with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween contacts the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. After the toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transferred to the paper P, the intermediate transfer cleaning unit 16 removes and removes deposits such as toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  Below the intermediate transfer belt 11, image forming units 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K corresponding to reproduction colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are provided. In this description, the description of the identification symbols “Y”, “M”, “C”, and “K” is omitted unless it is particularly limited, and is generically referred to as “image forming unit 20”, for example. Sometimes. The four image forming units 20 are arranged in a line along the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction. The four image forming units 20 have the same configuration, and the charging unit 22, the exposure device 30, the developing unit 24, the drum cleaning unit 25, and the like around the photosensitive drum 21 that rotates clockwise in FIG. A primary transfer roller 26 is provided (see FIG. 2).

  Above the intermediate transfer belt 11, toner bottles 71 and toner hoppers 72 corresponding to the four image forming units 20 of each reproduction color are provided. The developing unit 24 and the toner hopper 72 are provided with a remaining amount detection unit (not shown) that detects the remaining amount of toner in each of them. Further, a toner replenishing device (not shown) is provided between the developing unit 24 and the toner hopper 72 and between the toner hopper 72 and the toner bottle 71, respectively. When the remaining amount detection unit detects a decrease in the remaining amount of toner in the developing unit 24, the replenishing device is driven to replenish toner from the toner hopper 72 to the developing unit 24. Further, when a decrease in the remaining amount of toner in the toner hopper 72 is detected by the remaining amount detection unit, the replenishing device is driven to replenish toner from the toner bottle 71 to the toner hopper 72. The toner bottle 71 is detachably attached to the main body housing 1a, and can be replaced with a new one as appropriate.

  A paper supply device 81 is provided below the four image forming units 20. The paper supply device 81 stacks and accommodates a plurality of papers P therein, and the supply unit 82 sends out the papers P one by one to the paper transport path Q in order from the uppermost paper in the paper bundle. The paper P sent out from the paper supply device 81 to the paper transport path Q reaches the position of the registration roller pair 84. Then, the registration roller pair 84 corrects the skew feeding of the paper P (skew correction) and synchronizes with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11 so as to contact the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 15 (secondary transfer). The paper P is sent out toward the nip portion.

  In the image forming unit 20, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by the light emitted from the exposure device 30, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing unit 24. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is primarily transferred onto the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 at a location where the photosensitive drum 21 faces the primary transfer roller 26 with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween. The toner images of the image forming units 20 are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11 at a predetermined timing along with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11, so that yellow, magenta, cyan, black on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. A color toner image is formed by superimposing the four color toner images.

  The color toner image primarily transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is formed by contacting the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer roller 15 on the paper P sent in synchronization by the registration roller pair 84. The secondary transfer nip is transferred.

  A fixing portion 85 is provided above the secondary transfer nip portion. The paper P on which the unfixed toner image is transferred at the secondary transfer nip is sent to the fixing unit 85 and is sandwiched between the heating roller and the pressure roller, and the toner image is heated and pressurized to be melted and fixed on the paper P. Is done. The paper P that has passed through the fixing unit 85 is discharged to a paper discharge unit 86 provided above the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  The operation unit 4 is provided on the front side of the image reading unit 2. The operation unit 4 inputs settings such as printing conditions such as the type and size of paper P used for printing by the user, enlargement / reduction, and presence / absence of double-sided printing, and settings such as a fax number and a sender name in facsimile transmission. Accept. In addition, the operation unit 4 also serves as a notification unit for notifying the user of the status, cautions, error message, and the like of the device on the display unit 4w.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a main control unit 5 composed of a CPU (not shown), an image processing unit, and other electronic parts (not shown) for overall operation control. The main control unit 5 uses a central processing unit (CPU) and an image processing unit to control components such as the image reading unit 2 and the printing unit 3 on the basis of programs and data stored and input in a memory. Image forming operation and printing operation are realized.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the image forming unit 20 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of the image forming unit 20. 2 are the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the depth direction of the image forming apparatus 1 and the image forming unit 20, respectively. Further, as described above, since the image forming units 20 of the four colors have the same structure, description of “Y”, “M”, “C”, and “K” identification symbols is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 20 includes a photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier at the center thereof. In the vicinity of the photosensitive drum 21, a charging unit 22, an exposure device 30, a developing unit 24, and a drum cleaning unit 25 are sequentially arranged along the rotation direction. The primary transfer roller 26 is provided between the developing unit 24 and the drum cleaning unit 25 along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. A neutralization device (not shown) is disposed downstream of the drum cleaning unit 25 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

  The photosensitive drum 21 extends in the paper width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction of the image forming apparatus 1, that is, the paper surface depth direction in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is arranged with its axis direction horizontal. The photosensitive drum 21 is an inorganic photosensitive drum in which a photosensitive layer of an inorganic photoconductive material is provided on the outside of a conductive roller-shaped substrate made of, for example, aluminum. The photosensitive drum 21 is rotated clockwise by a driving device (not shown) so that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially the same as the paper conveyance speed.

  The charging unit 22 includes a charging roller 22 a that contacts the photosensitive drum 21. The charging roller 22 a contacts the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressure, and rotates according to the rotation of the photosensitive drum 21. By this charging roller 22a, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged with a predetermined negative polarity potential.

  The exposure device 30 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 with light L modulated based on image data to be formed. As a result, the potential charged by the charging unit 22 is partially attenuated and an electrostatic latent image of the original image is formed. The detailed configuration of the exposure apparatus 30 will be described later.

  The developing unit 24 includes a developing roller 24a that is a developing member. The developing roller 24 a is disposed so that its peripheral surface is close to and faces the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The toner of the developer is charged by the developing unit 24 and supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to develop the electrostatic latent image. The developing unit 24 uses, for example, a two-component developer obtained by mixing nonmagnetic toner particles and a magnetic carrier as a developer.

  The primary transfer roller 26 contacts the photosensitive drum 21 with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween. The primary transfer roller 26 contacts the intermediate transfer belt 11 with a predetermined pressure, and rotates according to the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11. A primary transfer bias having a polarity different from the charging polarity of the photosensitive drum 21 and the toner is applied to the primary transfer roller 26 as necessary.

  The drum cleaning unit 25 includes a cleaning roller 25 a that contacts the photosensitive drum 21. The cleaning roller 25 a comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressure, and is rotated by a driving device (not shown) so that the peripheral speed thereof is substantially the same as or slightly higher than the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 21. After the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductive drum 21 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11, the drum cleaning unit 25 removes and removes adherents such as toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductive drum 21.

  The static eliminator is disposed on the downstream side of the drum cleaning unit 25 along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. The static eliminator includes a plurality of LEDs arranged in the axial direction (paper width direction) of the photosensitive drum 21. The static eliminator irradiates the photosensitive drum 21 with the neutralizing light of the LED to remove the charged charge on the surface thereof, erases the electrostatic latent image, and prepares for the charging process in the next image forming operation.

  Next, a configuration related to the exposure device 30 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the exposure apparatus 30. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the periphery of the light source substrate of the exposure apparatus 30. FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus 30. 6, 7, and 8 are vertical cross-sectional views showing a first stage, a second stage, and a third stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the exposure apparatus 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and extends relatively long along the axial direction (paper width direction) of the photosensitive drum 21. The exposure apparatus 30 includes a light source substrate 31, a lens array 32, a frame 33, and a holder 40 shown in FIGS.

  The light source substrate 31 is installed on the surface of a frame 33 having a flat plate shape. The light source substrate 31 is composed of, for example, a flat printed wiring board having a rectangular shape in plan view, and a light source 31a and a driver IC 31b are provided on the surface thereof. The light sources 31a are constituted by LEDs, for example, and a plurality of light sources 31a are arranged in one direction, that is, in one row or staggered along the axial direction (paper width direction) of the photosensitive drum 21.

  The light source 31a is electrically connected to the driver IC 31b through the wiring 31c. The driver IC 31b is electrically connected to the CPU 5a of the main controller 5 via a wiring 31d made of, for example, FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits). In order to suppress the occurrence of unevenness in the exposure amount with respect to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, the main control unit 5 adjusts the drive current of the light source 31a so that the exposure amount becomes constant. The drive current of the light source 31a is recorded in a drive current storage unit (not shown).

  The lens array 32 is disposed at the tip of the holder 40 on the photosensitive drum 21 side, and downstream of the traveling direction of light emitted from the light source 31a. The lens array 32 is inserted into a through hole 42 described later. The lens array 32 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the same direction as the direction in which the plurality of light sources 31a are arranged, that is, along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21 (paper width direction).

  The lens array 32 is provided with a plurality of lens members 32a arranged in the same direction as the direction in which the plurality of light sources 31a are arranged. The lens member 32a is composed of, for example, a rod lens, and its axis extends in parallel along the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source 31a. The lens array 32 guides the light emitted from the light source 31a to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 and forms an image.

  The frame 33 is made of a material having relatively high rigidity, such as metal, and is formed in a flat plate shape. The holder 40 is fixed to the side of the frame 33 where the light source substrate 31 is installed.

  The holder 40 is made of, for example, a liquid crystal polymer, and is fixed to the frame 33 so as to cover the light source substrate 31 installed on the surface of the frame 33. The holder 40 includes a space 41 and a through hole 42. The space 41 is formed around the area where the light source substrate 31 is disposed. The through hole 42 penetrates the inside and outside of the holder 40 so as to allow the space 41 and the tip of the holder 40 on the photosensitive drum 21 side to communicate with each other. The through hole 42 has a rectangular cross section extending along the light traveling direction and the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21 (paper width direction). The holder 40 includes an adhesive portion 43, a support portion 44, and a connecting portion 45.

  The bonding portion 43 is an area on the side close to the photosensitive drum 21 in the holder 40 and is provided around the through hole 42. The bonding portion 43 includes two opposing surfaces 43a. The facing surface 43 a is provided on the inner surface of the through hole 42, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 and adheres to the outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32.

  The support portion 44 is an area on the side farther from the photosensitive drum 21 in the holder 40, and is provided around the space portion 41. The support portion 44 supports the bonding portion 43 and is fixed to the frame 33.

  The connecting portion 45 is provided between the adhesive portion 43 and the support portion 44. The connecting portion 45 has a notch 45a that is recessed from the outer surface of the holder 40 toward the through hole 42 or the space portion 41 and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32, that is, the depth direction of the paper surface of FIG. As a result, the connecting portion 45 has a rotational rigidity about the axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32, that is, the depth direction in FIG. 5, lower than the rigidity of the support portion 44.

  In addition, although the connection part 45 was provided in the upstream (below the adhesion part 43 in FIG. 5) of the adhesion part 43 regarding the advancing direction (up-down direction in FIG. 5) of the light which the light source 31a irradiates, You may provide in the intermediate | middle of the downstream end (refer FIG. 14 upper side of the adhesion part 43 in FIG. 5) and the upstream end of the adhesion part 43, and a downstream end.

  Then, the manufacturing method of the exposure apparatus 30 is demonstrated. In addition, drawing of the notch 45a is abbreviate | omitted in FIGS. 6-8 used by the following description.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the first stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus 30, the light source substrate 31 is fixed to the upper surface of the frame 33 and the holder 40 is temporarily placed on the upper surface of the frame 33. A broken line with an arrow extending in the horizontal direction in FIG. 6 means a temporary placement state of the holder 40. The lens array 32 is attached to an adjustment jig (not shown) and inserted into the through hole 42 of the holder 40. The white arrow in FIG. 6 means that the lens array 32 is supported by the adjustment jig. The position and angle of the lens array 32 are adjusted while viewing the beam shape at the position corresponding to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 with a camera or the like. A broken line with an arrow extending in the vertical direction in FIG. 6 means an adjustment state of the lens array 32. The adhesive 46 is applied to the two opposing surfaces 43 a of the bonding portion 43.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the second stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus 30, the support portion 44 of the holder 40 is pressed from the outside to the inside, and the facing surface 43 a of the bonding portion 43 extends in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. Slide the upper surface of the frame 33 along the outer surface. As a result, the outer surface of the lens array 32 extending in the longitudinal direction is bonded to the bonding portion 43 (bonding process). The adhesive 46 may be a two-component mixed adhesive, or a thermosetting adhesive that cures at a temperature at which the holder 40 and the lens array 32 are not denatured.

  Here, the connecting portion 45 has a rotational rigidity about the axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32, that is, the depth direction of the paper surface of FIG. 7, and is lower than the rigidity of the support portion 44. However, the support portion 44 is hardly distorted due to rotational deformation, and the restoring force of the holder 40 applied to the lens array 32 is also small. The smaller the rotational rigidity of the connecting portion 45 with respect to the support portion 44, the smaller the restoring force of the holder 40, which is desirable.

  In addition, the applied adhesive 46 is cured after the facing surface 43 a of the bonding portion 43 is aligned with the outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. It is possible to reduce the thickness unevenness of the adhesive 46 by keeping the adhesive portion 43 along, and it is possible to suppress the rotation of the lens array 32 due to curing shrinkage of the adhesive 46.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the third stage of the manufacturing process of the exposure apparatus 30, the support portion 44 of the holder 40 is fixed to the frame 33 (fixing process). As for the fixing method, an adhesive may be used, or a fastening member such as a screw may be used. Further, in the final stage of the manufacturing process, the adjustment jig that supports the lens array 32 is removed.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the first embodiment, since the bonding portion 43 includes the facing surface 43a to which the outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 is bonded, the bonding surface between the bonding portion 43 and the lens array 32 is the mutual bonding surface. Matching is facilitated, and thickness unevenness of the adhesive 46 can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress an unintended restoring force from being generated in the holder 40 by the action of the connecting portion 45 provided between the bonding portion 43 and the support portion 44. Thus, it is possible to prevent the tilt of the lens array 32 from occurring, and it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing the exposure apparatus 30, the image forming apparatus 1, and the exposure apparatus 30 in which the lens array 32 is suitably arranged.

  The connecting portion 45 has a notch 45a (shown in FIG. 5). According to this configuration, it is possible to easily obtain a configuration in which the rotational rigidity of the connecting portion 45 around the axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 is lower than the rigidity of the support portion 44. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tilt of the lens array 32 from occurring with a simple configuration.

Second Embodiment
Next, the exposure apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  In the exposure apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment, the connecting portion 45 has a hole 45b as shown in FIG. The hole 45 b has a long hole shape that extends from the outer surface of the holder 40 to the through hole 42 or the space 41 and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. Although two holes 45b are formed side by side in the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 in FIG. 9, one hole or three or more holes 45b may be formed.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the rotational rigidity of the connecting portion 45 around the axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 is lower than the rigidity of the support portion 44. The configuration can be easily obtained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tilt of the lens array 32 from occurring with a simple configuration.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, the exposure apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  In the exposure apparatus 30 of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the connecting portion 45 has a rotation mechanism 45c. The rotation mechanism 45 c is formed of, for example, a hinge, and its rotation axis extends along the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the third embodiment, since the bonding portion 43 can rotate relatively freely with respect to the support portion 44, an unintended restoring force is generated in the holder 40 further than in the first and second embodiments. This can be suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance the effect of preventing the lens array 32 from being tilted.

<Fourth embodiment>
Next, the exposure apparatus of 4th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  In the exposure apparatus 30 of the fourth embodiment, since the bonding portion 43 is sufficiently more flexible than the support portion 44, the rotational rigidity of the connecting portion 45 is lower than the rigidity of the support portion 44. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the thickness of the bonding portion 43 in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32 is smaller than the thickness of the support portion 44 in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. Note that the adhesive portion 43 may be made more flexible by changing the material of the support portion 44.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the fourth embodiment, the effect of facilitating alignment of the bonding surfaces of the bonding portion 43 and the lens array 32 is enhanced, and the adhesive 46 is not affected by the surface accuracy. It becomes possible to reduce thickness unevenness. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the lens array 32 from being tilted.

<Fifth Embodiment>
Next, an exposure apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  In the exposure apparatus 30 of the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the support portion 44 has a protrusion 44a. The protruding portion 44a is disposed to face the bonding surface of the lens array 32 with the bonding portion 43, and protrudes toward the bonding surface. The protrusion 44 a is bonded to the bonding surface of the lens array 32. In addition, it is good also as the top part of the projection part 44a contacting the adhesion surface of the lens array 32, without adhere | attaching.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the fifth embodiment, the lens array 32 can be supported at a place other than the bonding portion 43. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the tilt of the lens array 32 from occurring even more effectively.

  Although not particularly illustrated, the detailed configuration of the connecting portion 45 may be any of the configurations of the first to fourth embodiments. The same applies to the following embodiments.

<Sixth Embodiment>
Next, the exposure apparatus of 6th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  The exposure apparatus 30 of 6th Embodiment is provided with the holding member 34 for hold | maintaining the adhesion state of the adhesion part 43 and the lens array 32, as shown in FIG. The holding member 34 is formed of, for example, a leaf spring shown in FIG. The holding member 34 made of a leaf spring urges the adhesive portion 43 in a direction in which the adhesive portion 43 is pressed against the lens array 32 (a direction indicated by a white arrow in FIG. 13).

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the sixth embodiment, it is possible to prevent the displacement of the lens array 32 that may occur until the adhesive 46 is cured. And it becomes possible to heighten the effect | action which prevents generation | occurrence | production of the inclination of the lens array 32. FIG.

  The holding member 34 may be left attached to the holder 40 or may be removed after the adhesive 46 is cured. That is, the exposure apparatus 30 manufacturing method may include a holding release step for releasing the holding of the bonded state by the holding member 34 after the bonding step. When the holding member 34 is removed, the holding member 34 can be reused when manufacturing another exposure apparatus, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in cost.

<Seventh embodiment>
Next, an exposure apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  The exposure apparatus 30 of 7th Embodiment is provided with the holding member 35 for hold | maintaining the adhesion state of the adhesion part 43 and the lens array 32, as shown in FIG. The holding member 35 is made of, for example, a screw shown in FIG. 14 and is provided on both outer sides of the bonding portion 43 in the direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32. The holding member 35 made of a screw urges the adhesive portion 43 in a direction in which the adhesive portion 43 is pressed against the lens array 32 (a direction indicated by a white arrow in FIG. 14).

  In addition, the connection part 45 is provided in the downstream of the adhesion part 43 (above the adhesion part 43 in FIG. 14) regarding the advancing direction (vertical direction in FIG. 14) of the light irradiated by the light source 31a.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the seventh embodiment, as in the sixth embodiment, it is possible to prevent the displacement of the lens array 32 that may occur until the adhesive 46 is cured. And it becomes possible to heighten the effect | action which prevents generation | occurrence | production of the inclination of the lens array 32. FIG. The holding member 35 may be left attached to the holder 40 or may be removed after the adhesive 46 is cured.

<Eighth Embodiment>
Next, an exposure apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  The exposure apparatus 30 of the eighth embodiment includes a holding member 36 for holding the bonding state between the bonding portion 43 and the lens array 32 as shown in FIG. The holding member 36 is mainly composed of an auxiliary adhesive having different curing conditions and curing states, such as curing faster than the adhesive 46 used for bonding the bonding portion 43 and the lens array 32, and is composed of, for example, an ultraviolet curable adhesive. The The holding member 36 is provided above the bonding portions 43 on both outer sides in the direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the lens array 32, and is used for bonding the bonding portions 43 and the lens array 32.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the eighth embodiment, as in the sixth embodiment, it is possible to prevent the displacement of the lens array 32 that may occur until the adhesive 46 is cured. And it becomes possible to heighten the effect | action which prevents generation | occurrence | production of the inclination of the lens array 32. FIG.

<Ninth Embodiment>
Next, the exposure apparatus of 9th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of the exposure apparatus. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same names and the same reference numerals as before, and the details thereof are the same. The description may be omitted.

  In the exposure apparatus 30 of the ninth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the light source substrate 31 is composed of the same member as the frame. That is, the holder 40 is fixed to the light source substrate 31 via the support portion 44.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 of the ninth embodiment, in addition to preventing the lens array 32 from being tilted, the exposure apparatus 30 can be downsized.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the material of the holder 40 is a liquid crystal polymer. However, a synthetic resin such as a mixture of polycarbonate and ABS resin or a synthetic resin added with a reinforcing material may be used. Further, although a rod lens array is used as the lens array 32, a microlens array or the like may be used. Further, although the light source substrate 31 is a printed wiring board and the light source 31a is an LED, the light source substrate may be a glass substrate or the like, and the light source may be another solid light emitting element such as an organic EL (OLED).

  In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called tandem color printing image forming apparatus in which images of a plurality of colors are sequentially stacked using the intermediate transfer belt 11. However, the image forming apparatus 1 is limited to such a model. The image forming apparatus for color printing or monochrome printing for non-tandem type may be used.

  The present invention can be used in an exposure apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 20 Image forming part 30 Exposure apparatus 31 Light source substrate 31a Light source 32 Lens array 32a Lens member 33 Frame 34, 35, 36 Holding member 40 Holder 41 Space part 42 Through-hole 43 Adhesive part 43a Opposing surface 44 Support part 44a Protrusion Part 45 connecting part 45a notch 45b hole 45c rotating mechanism 46 adhesive

Claims (12)

A light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting the optical axis;
A plurality of lens members arranged in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged, and a lens array for forming an image of light irradiated by the light sources in a longitudinal shape;
A holder provided with a through hole into which the lens array is inserted;
A frame to which the holder is fixed;
With
The holder is
An adhesive portion including an opposing surface provided on an inner surface of the through-hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array and to which an outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is adhered;
A support portion that supports the adhesive portion and is fixed to the frame;
A connecting portion provided between the adhesive portion and the support portion and having a rotational rigidity about an axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array, which is lower than the rigidity of the support portion;
Equipped with a,
The connection portion is cutout or the exposure apparatus according to claim Rukoto that have a hole. A light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting the optical axis;
A plurality of lens members arranged in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged, and a lens array for forming an image of light irradiated by the light sources in a longitudinal shape;
A holder provided with a through hole into which the lens array is inserted;
A frame to which the holder is fixed;
With
The holder is
An adhesive portion including an opposing surface provided on an inner surface of the through-hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array and to which an outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is adhered;
A support portion that supports the adhesive portion and is fixed to the frame;
A connecting portion provided between the adhesive portion and the support portion and having a rotational rigidity about an axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array, which is lower than the rigidity of the support portion;
Equipped with a,
Exposure apparatus according to claim Rukoto said connecting portion having a rotatable pivot member about said axis. A light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction intersecting the optical axis;
A plurality of lens members arranged in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged, and a lens array for forming an image of light irradiated by the light sources in a longitudinal shape;
A holder provided with a through hole into which the lens array is inserted;
A frame to which the holder is fixed;
With
The holder is
An adhesive portion including an opposing surface provided on an inner surface of the through-hole and extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array and to which an outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array is adhered;
A support portion that supports the adhesive portion and is fixed to the frame;
A connecting portion provided between the adhesive portion and the support portion and having a rotational rigidity about an axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the lens array, which is lower than the rigidity of the support portion;
Equipped with a,
Exposure, characterized in Rukoto which having a protruding portion which the support is adhered to the adhesive surface with projecting towards the adhesive surface is arranged opposite to the bonding surface of the adhesive portion of the lens array apparatus.   The thickness of the adhesion part in the direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the lens array is smaller than the thickness of the support part in the direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the lens array. 4. The exposure apparatus according to any one of 3. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising a holding member for holding an adhesion state between the adhesion portion and the lens array. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said light source substrate and the frame are made of the same member. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the holder is characterized in that a liquid crystal polymer. An image forming apparatus, comprising an exposure device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction, and a plurality of lens members arranged in a direction intersecting the optical axis in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged, are formed in a longitudinal shape, and the light sources An exposure apparatus manufacturing method comprising: a lens array for imaging light to be irradiated; a holder provided with a through-hole into which the lens array is inserted; and a frame to which the holder is fixed.
An outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array has a support portion that supports the adhesive portion via a connecting portion provided between the adhesive portion to which the lens array is bonded and the adhesive portion, and the lens array. a bonding step of rotating rigid around the axis extending in the longitudinal direction is adhered to the adhesive portion of the holder and a said connecting portion having a low Ku notched or hole than the rigidity of the support portion,
A fixing step of fixing the support portion of the holder to the frame after the bonding step;
A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus comprising: A light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction, and a plurality of lens members arranged in a direction intersecting the optical axis in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged, are formed in a longitudinal shape, and the light sources An exposure apparatus manufacturing method comprising: a lens array for imaging light to be irradiated; a holder provided with a through-hole into which the lens array is inserted; and a frame to which the holder is fixed.
An outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array has a support portion that supports the adhesive portion via a connecting portion provided between the adhesive portion to which the lens array is bonded and the adhesive portion, and the lens array. wherein the holder and a said connecting portion to which the connecting portion rotational stiffness around the axis extending in the longitudinal direction rather lower than the rigidity of the support portion has a rotatable pivot member about said axis A bonding process for bonding to the bonding portion;
A fixing step of fixing the support portion of the holder to the frame after the bonding step;
A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus comprising: A light source substrate provided with a plurality of light sources arranged in one direction, and a plurality of lens members arranged in a direction intersecting the optical axis in the same direction as the plurality of light sources arranged, are formed in a longitudinal shape, and the light sources An exposure apparatus manufacturing method comprising: a lens array for imaging light to be irradiated; a holder provided with a through-hole into which the lens array is inserted; and a frame to which the holder is fixed.
An outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the lens array has a support portion that supports the adhesive portion via a connecting portion provided between the adhesive portion to which the lens array is bonded and the adhesive portion, and the lens array. Adhering to the adhesive portion of the holder including the connecting portion having a rotational rigidity around an axis extending along the longitudinal direction and lower than the rigidity of the support portion ;
A bonding step in which a protruding portion disposed toward the bonding surface of the lens array facing the bonding portion of the lens array and protruding toward the bonding surface is bonded to the bonding surface of the lens array ;
A fixing step of fixing the support portion of the holder to the frame after the bonding step;
A method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus comprising: In the bonding step, using a holding member to hold the bonding state between the bonding portion and the lens array,
The method of manufacturing an exposure apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a holding release step for releasing the holding of the bonded state by the holding member after the bonding step.