OPTICAL WRITING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20190146372A1
• Filed: 11/05/2018
• Published: 05/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: Matsuo, Takahiro, Nagaoka, Atsushi, Takahashi, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/45 using light-emitting diode [LED] or laser arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/04054 by LED arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0409 Light-emitting diodes, i.e. LED-array

Abstract

An optical writing device includes: a light emitting member on which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a row; and a holding member on which a plurality of projections are arranged at intervals. In the optical writing device, a rear surface of the light emitting member opposite to a light emitting surface of the light emitting member contacts tops of the projections, and the light emitting member is fixed to the holding member via adhesives disposed on two opposite sides of each of the projections in a short direction of the holding member on the holding member so as to be separated from the projection.

Claims

1. An optical writing device comprising:

a light emitting member on which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a row; and

a holding member on which a plurality of projections are arranged at intervals, wherein

a rear surface of the light emitting member opposite to a light emitting surface of the light emitting member contacts tops of the projections, and

the light emitting member is fixed to the holding member via adhesives disposed on two opposite sides of each of the projections in a short direction of the holding member so as to be separated from the projection.

2. The optical writing device according to claim 1, wherein

when an envelope envelops the tops of the projections, a light emitting element region having the light emitting elements is arranged on an inner side of the envelope in a view from a light emitting direction, and

for each of the projections, the adhesives are more separated from the light emitting element region than from the projection.

3. The optical writing device according to claim 1, wherein the projections are arranged in a zigzag manner along a long direction of the holding member, and each of the projections is separated from the light emitting element region in the short direction of the holding member.

4. The optical writing device according to claim 3, wherein a first adhesive among the adhesives is larger and closer to an adjacent projection among the projections than a second adhesive among the adhesives on the opposite side of the adjacent projection.

5. The optical writing device according to claim 3, wherein a first adhesive among the adhesives is closer to an adjacent projection among the projections than a second adhesive among the adhesives on the opposite side of the adjacent projection, and a hardening shrinkage rate of the first adhesive or an elastic modulus after hardening of the first adhesive is larger than a hardening shrinkage rate of the second adhesive or an elastic modulus after hardening of the second adhesive, respectively.

6. The optical writing device according to claim 1, wherein, the projections are defined as first projections, and the optical writing device includes a second projection disposed on the holding member such that a rear surface of the light emitting member contacts a top of the second projection, and an adhesive is applied only to one side of the holding member relative to the second projection in the short direction of the holding member.

7. The optical writing device according to claim 1, wherein the tops of the plurality of projections constitute one imaginary flat surface.

8. The optical writing device according to claim 1, wherein a height of each of the projections in a light emitting direction is adjusted in accordance with an optical distance from where the top of the projection contacts the light emitting member to a photoreceptor.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising the optical writing device according to claim 1.