Image forming apparatus having optical print head

• US 10,642,182 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Momoka, Toshiki, Iwai, Hitoshi, Hosoi, Shinichiro, Ishidate, Takehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Andrew V
• Application Number:
  US16/001,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20180364613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/04036 Details of illuminating systems, e.g. lamps, reflectors lamp housings for copying cameras, reflex exposure lighting G03B27/542
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1647 Mechanical connection means
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1666 for the exposure unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1654 Locks and means for positioning or alignment

Abstract

A resin holding member is supported by a one link member and another link member at positions further outside from both ends of a lens array and both ends of a circuit board in a rotational axis direction of a photosensitive drum, but further inside from an abutting pin and another abutting pin. Force in the opposite direction from the gravitational direction is applied to a portion of the holding member between the link members in a state where the abutting pins are abutting a drum unit. Accordingly, warping of the holding member is suppressed.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a drum unit having a photosensitive drum;

a holding member configured to hold

a circuit board having a plurality of light-emitting elements configured to emit light to expose the photosensitive drum, and

a lens configured to condense light entering the lens on to a surface of the photosensitive drum,

and configured to move between an exposure position where the photosensitive drum is exposed from below in a vertical direction and a retracted position further retracted from the photosensitive drum than the exposure position;

a first protruding portion protrudes from the holding member toward the drum unit, the first protruding portion disposed in the holding member on an upstream side of the circuit board and the lens in a direction from one side of the holding member in a longitudinal direction of the holding member toward another side of the holding member in the longitudinal direction;

a second protruding portion protrudes from the holding member toward the drum unit, the second protruding portion disposed in the holding member on a downstream side of the circuit board and the lens in the direction from the one side toward the another side;

a first pivotably supporting member configured to support the holding member in a direction opposite to a gravitational direction between the first protruding portion and both of the circuit board and the lens in the longitudinal direction; and

a second pivotably supporting member configured to support the holding member in a direction opposite to the gravitational direction between the second protruding portion and both of the circuit board and the lens in the longitudinal direction,

wherein the first pivotably supporting member and the second pivotably supporting member are pivoting, and configured to move the holding member between the exposure position and the retracted position,

wherein force in the direction opposite to the gravitational direction is applied to a portion between the first pivotably supporting member and the second pivotably supporting member, regarding the holding member that has been moved from the retracted position toward the exposure position by the first pivotably supporting member and the second pivotably supporting member, with the first protruding portion and second protruding portion abutting the drum unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the holding member is a resin molded article.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sliding portion configured to move by sliding in the longitudinal direction,

wherein one side of the first pivotably supporting member in a longitudinal direction of the first pivotably supporting member is pivotably attached to the one side of the holding member in the longitudinal direction of the holding member, and another side of the first pivotably supporting member in the longitudinal direction of the first pivotably supporting member is pivotably attached to one side of the sliding portion in a longitudinal direction of the sliding portion,

wherein one side of the second pivotably supporting member in a longitudinal direction of the second pivotably supporting member is pivotably attached the another side of the holding member in the longitudinal direction of the holding member, and the another side of the second pivotably supporting member in a longitudinal direction of the second pivotably supporting member is pivotably attached to the another side of the sliding portion in the longitudinal direction of the sliding portion, and

wherein the first pivotably supporting member and the second pivotably supporting member pivot relative to the sliding portion in conjunction with a sliding movement of the sliding portion.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 wherein,

the holding member has

a first spring and a second spring to be deformed to apply biasing force to bias the holding member in the direction opposite to the gravitational direction to the holding member,

wherein the first spring is disposed between the first protruding portion and both of the circuit board and the lens in the longitudinal direction,

wherein the second spring is disposed between the second protruding portion and both of the circuit board and the lens in the longitudinal direction,

wherein the one side of the first pivotably supporting member comes into contact with the first spring and the one side of the first pivotably supporting member deforms the first spring in conjunction with pivoting of the first pivotably supporting member.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a third pivotably supporting member that is pivotably connected between the one side of the first pivotably supporting member and the another side of the first pivotably supporting member, and that is configured to be pivotably connected to a portion fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus, to assist pivoting of the first pivotably supporting member and pivoting of the second pivotably supporting member.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a first moving portion that is formed at one side of the first pivotably supporting member, and that is configured to deform the first spring in conjunction with pivoting of the first pivotably supporting member; and

a second moving portion that is formed at one side of the second pivotably supporting member, and that is configured to deform the second spring in conjunction with pivoting of the second pivotably supporting member,

wherein the first moving portion and the second moving portion move toward the drum unit in conjunction with sliding movement of the sliding portion, and biasing force is imparted to the holding member by deformation of the first spring and the second spring.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the first pivotably supporting member is connected to the sliding portion and the holding member with the first moving portion being situated at the downstream side of a connection portion of the first pivotably supporting member and the sliding portion, in the direction of sliding movement of the sliding portion, and

the second pivotably supporting member is connected to the sliding portion and the holding member with the second moving portion being situated at the downstream side of the connection portion of the second pivotably supporting member and the sliding portion, in the direction of sliding movement of the sliding portion.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the first pivotably supporting member is connected to the sliding portion and the holding member with the first moving portion being situated closer to the drum unit than the connection portion of the first pivotably supporting member and the sliding portion, in directions of movement of the holding member, and

the second pivotably supporting member is connected to the sliding portion and the holding member with the second moving portion being situated closer to the drum unit than the connection portion of the second pivotably supporting member and the sliding portion, in directions of movement of the holding member.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a pair of first attaching portions that is formed on one side of the holding member, and that is configured to be attached with one side and another side of the first spring in a longitudinal direction of the first spring; and

a pair of second attaching portions that is formed the another side of the holding member, and that is configured to be attached with one side and another side of the second spring in a longitudinal direction of the second spring,

wherein the first pivotably supporting member is pivotably connected to the sliding portion and the holding member, with the first moving portion abutting the first spring attached to the pair of first attaching portions between the one side of the first spring and another side of the first spring, from a side opposite to the side at which the photosensitive drum is disposed,

wherein the second pivotably supporting member is pivotably connected to the sliding portion and the holding member, with the second moving portion abutting the second spring attached to the pair of second attaching portions between the one side of the second spring and the another side of the second spring in the longitudinal direction of the second spring, from a side opposite to the side at which the photosensitive drum is disposed,

and wherein the sliding portion is moved by sliding in a state where the holding member is in contact with the drum unit, the first moving portion that moves toward the drum unit in conjunction with the sliding movement of the sliding portion stretches the first spring, the second moving portion that moves toward the drum unit in conjunction with the sliding movement of the sliding portion stretches the second spring, and the restoring forces of the stretched first spring and second spring act on the holding member, thereby imparting biasing force to the holding member.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the first spring and the second spring are coil-shaped springs.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the first moving portion formed at the one side of the first pivotably supporting member is a protrusion protruding in a pivoting axis direction of the first pivotably supporting member that pivots as to the holding member, and

wherein the second moving portion formed at one side of the second pivotably supporting member is a protrusion protruding in a pivoting axis direction of the second pivotably supporting member that pivots as to the holding member.