Micro-oscillating member, light-deflector, and image-forming apparatus

• US 7,474,452 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shimada, Yasuhiro, Yasuda, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cherry; Euncha P
• Application Number:
  US12/107,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20080204843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 359223-226, 359290-292, 359/871, 359/872
• US Class Current: 359/224.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/085 the reflecting means being moved or deformed by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/904 Micromirror

Abstract

The present invention provides a resonance type micro-oscillating member capable of retraining a fluctuation of angular velocity, and specifically provides a micro-oscillating member, which is a nested micro-oscillating member, wherein there exist a reference oscillation mode which is the characteristic oscillation mode of a reference frequency, and an even numbered oscillation mode which is the characteristic oscillation mode of a frequency being approximate even number times the reference frequency.

Claims

1. An oscillating apparatus, comprising:

a movable system comprising a plurality of movable elements and a plurality of torsion springs, the movable system having a plurality of isolated characteristic oscillation modes;

a support portion for supporting the movable system;

a driver for oscillating the movable system; and

a driving controller for controlling the driver,

wherein the driving controller controls the driver such that the movable system simultaneously oscillates in at least a first characteristic oscillation mode of a reference frequency and a second characteristic oscillation mode of a frequency being approximately an even number times the reference frequency.

2. The oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the second characteristic oscillation mode is 1.98 times or more to 2.02 times or less of the reference frequency.

3. The oscillating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of movable elements comprise a first movable element and a second movable element and the plurality of torsion springs comprise a first torsion spring and a second torsion spring, and

wherein the first torsion spring connects the first movable element to the support portion and the second torsion spring connects the second movable element to the first movable element.

4. The oscillating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of movable elements comprise a first movable element and a second movable element, and the plurality of torsion springs comprise a pair of first torsion springs and a pair of second torsion springs, and

wherein the pair of first torsion springs connects the first movable element to the support portion and the pair of second torsion springs connects the second movable element to the first movable element.

5. The oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of movable elements and the plurality of torsion springs are integrally formed from one piece of plate.

6. The oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, at a driving time of the movable system, an increasing time of a displacement angle of at least one of the plurality of movable elements is different from a decreasing time of the displacement angle.

7. The oscillating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the movable system further comprises a third movable element, and a third torsion spring which connects the third movable element to the second movable element.

8. A light-deflector comprising:

a oscillating apparatus according to claim 1; and

a light-reflecting portion provided on at least one of the movable elements.

9. An image-forming apparatus comprising:

a light source for emitting a laser light;

a light-deflector according to claim 8; and

an image-forming optical system for forming an image on a photosensitive member using the laser light deflected by the light-deflector.

10. An oscillating member, comprising:

a movable system comprising a plurality of movable elements and a plurality of torsion springs, the movable system having a plurality of isolated characteristic oscillation modes; and

a support portion for supporting the movable system,

wherein the movable system has at least a first characteristic oscillation mode of a reference frequency and a second characteristic oscillation mode of a frequency being approximately an even number times the reference frequency.

11. The oscillating member according to claim 10, wherein the frequency of the second characteristic oscillation mode is 1.98 times or more to 2.02 times or less of the reference frequency.