OPTICAL SCANNER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20110205602A1
• Filed: 02/10/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: MIZOGUCHI, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,717,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/475
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence

Abstract

An optical scanner includes: a light reflecting section having light reflectivity; a movable section which includes the light reflecting section and can be displaced; two link sections connected to positions of ends of the movable section, the positions facing each other; a supporting section supporting the link sections; and a displacement providing section turning the two link sections, wherein each link section includes a turnable drive section, and a shaft section connecting the movable section and the drive section and bending in a thickness direction of the movable section by turning of the drive section.

Claims

1. An optical scanner comprising:

a light reflecting section having light reflectivity;

a movable section which includes the light reflecting section and can be displaced;

two link sections connected to positions of ends of the movable section, the positions facing each other;

a supporting section supporting the link sections; and

a displacement providing section turning the two link sections,

wherein

each link section includes

a turnable drive section, and

a shaft section connecting the movable section and the drive section and bending in a thickness direction of the movable section by turning of the drive section.

2. The optical scanner according to claim 1, wherein

when two axes which are at right angles to one another in a plan view of the movable section are an X axis and a Y axis,

each of the two link sections has the drive section placed so as to be away from the movable section in an X-axis direction, a first shaft section which is the shaft section connecting the movable section and the drive section and extending in the X-axis direction, and a second shaft section connecting the drive section and the supporting section and extending in a Y-axis direction, and

the first shaft section is bent by making the displacement providing section turn the drive section about the Y axis while torsionally deforming the second shaft section.

3. The optical scanner according to claim 2, wherein

the first shaft section of each link section has a node section provided at a midpoint in an extending direction, a movable section'"'"'s-side shaft section connecting the node section and the movable section, and a drive section'"'"'s-side shaft section connecting the node section and the drive section, and bends at the node section.

4. The optical scanner according to claim 2, wherein

the first shaft section of each link section can cause a first deformation by which the first shaft section bends at the node section so as to be deformed into the shape of a letter V projecting toward one side in the thickness direction of the movable section and a second deformation by which the first shaft section bends at the node section so as to be deformed into the shape of a letter V projecting toward the other side in the thickness direction of the movable section.

5. The optical scanner according to claim 4, wherein

the movable section is turned about the Y axis by making the displacement providing section alternately repeat a state in which one of the first shaft sections of the link sections causes the first deformation and the other first shaft section causes the second deformation and a state in which the one of the first shaft sections causes the second deformation and the other first shaft section causes the first deformation.

6. The optical scanner according to claim 4, wherein

the movable section is vibrated in the thickness direction of the movable section by making the displacement providing section alternately repeat a state in which the first shaft sections of the link sections cause the first deformation and a state in which the first shaft sections of the link sections cause the second deformation.

7. The optical scanner according to claim 3, wherein

the node section of each link section has a torsional deformation section which is torsionally deformed about the Y axis.

8. The optical scanner according to claim 7, wherein

the node section of each link section has a pair of torsional deformation sections, and

one of the pair of torsional deformation sections is connected to the movable section'"'"'s-side shaft section, and the other torsional deformation section is connected to the drive section'"'"'s-side shaft section.

9. The optical scanner according to claim 8, wherein

the node section of each link section is provided between the pair of torsional deformation sections, and has a nondeformed section which extends in the Y-axis direction and is not torsionally deformed about the Y axis.

10. The optical scanner according to claim 3, wherein

the movable section'"'"'s-side shaft section and the drive section'"'"'s-side shaft section of each link section are not virtually deformed.

11. The optical scanner according to claim 9, wherein

each link section is formed of a SOI substrate in which a first Si layer, a SiO₂ layer, and a second Si layer are laid one on top of another in this order.

12. The optical scanner according to claim 11, wherein

the movable section'"'"'s-side shaft section, the nondeformed section, the drive section'"'"'s-side shaft section, and the drive section of each link section are each formed of the first Si layer, the SiO₂ layer, and the second Si layer, and the torsional deformation section and the second shaft section are each formed of the second Si layer.

13. The optical scanner according to claim 2, wherein

a pair of displacement providing sections is provided for the two link sections, and

each displacement providing section has a permanent magnet provided in the drive section and a coil producing a magnetic field acting on the permanent magnet.

14. The optical scanner according to claim 13, wherein

in each displacement providing section, the permanent magnet is provided in such a way that both poles face each other in the thickness direction of the movable section, and the coil is provided in such a way as to produce a magnetic field in the X-axis direction.

15. The optical scanner according to claim 14, wherein

in each displacement providing section, the permanent magnet is provided so as to penetrate the drive section.

16. An optical scanner comprising:

a movable section including a light reflecting section having light reflectivity;

a supporting section supporting the movable section;

two link sections provided on both sides of the movable section and connecting the movable section and the supporting section; and

a displacement providing section displacing the movable section,

wherein

each link section has a drive section which is turnable with respect to the supporting section and a shaft section connecting the drive section and the movable section,

the shaft section of each link section can bend in a thickness direction of the movable section in a midpoint of the shaft section in a longitudinal direction, and

the movable section is displaced by making the displacement providing section turn the drive section of each link section and bend the shaft section by the turning.

17. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a light source; and

an optical scanner scanning a light from the light source,

wherein

the optical scanner includes

a light reflecting section having light reflectivity,

a movable section which includes the light reflecting section and can be displaced,

two link sections connected to positions of ends of the movable section, the positions facing each other;

a supporting section supporting the link sections; and

a displacement providing section turning the two link sections, and

each link section includes

a turnable drive section, and

a shaft section connecting the movable section and the drive section and bending in a thickness direction of the movable section by turning of the drive section.