Optical scanning device and cover glass cleaning mechanism for optical scanning device

• US 7,679,798 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sowa, Takeshi, Mitsui, Yoichi, Inoue, Nozomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; James
• Application Number:
  US11/955,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20090009867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 359/196.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/129 Systems in which the scanning light beam is repeatedly reflected from the polygonal mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0006 with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical scanning device in which a light beam is incident twice on a deflective reflecting facet and its object is to reduce curvature in scanning line trail or make the curvature substantially zero, or correct scanning line displacement due to the curvature in scanning line trail. Two stationary plane mirrors (13, 14) are disposed to face a deflective reflecting facet (11) which can be rotated about its rotational axis (12) such that a light beam (a1) being incident on and reflected from the deflective reflecting facet (11) is reflected by the two stationary plane mirrors (13, 14) sequentially. The reflected light beam (a3) is incident on and reflected by the deflective reflecting facet (11) again. Assuming that a plane being parallel to the rotational axis (12) and including the light beam (a0) which is first incident on the deflective reflecting facet is an incident plane, the central ray of an emergent light beam (a4) when the emergent light beam (a4) after the second reflection by the deflective reflecting facet (11) is on the incident plane and a straight line as the central ray of a light beam being projected on the incident plane when the deflective reflecting facet (11) is revolved by the maximum rotational angle are set substantially parallel to each other.

Claims

1. A cover glass cleaning mechanism for an optical scanning device comprising:

an optical system for optical scanning;

an imaging surface;

a cover glass for permitting the transmission of a scanning light beam from said optical system to said imaging surface;

a mounting member to which said cover glass is mounted; and

a cleaning lever which is provided at its end with a cleaning member for wiping the surface of said cover glass, wherein

said cover glass is disposed to project on a mounting member, and the stroke length of said cleaning lever is set such that said cleaning member can be moved to a position out of the end of the cover glass on at least one of ends in the operational direction of said cleaning lever.

2. A cover glass cleaning mechanism for an optical scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stroke length of said cleaning lever is set to be longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of said cover glass.

3. A cover glass cleaning mechanism for an optical scanning device comprising:

an optical system for optical scanning;

an imaging surface;

a cover glass for permitting the transmission of a scanning light beam from said optical system to said imaging surface;

a mounting member to which said cover glass is mounted; and

a cleaning lever which is provided at its end with a cleaning member for wiping the surface of said cover glass, wherein

said cleaning lever is provided with a slot which is long in the longitudinal direction not to disturb the transmission of scanning beams even when said cleaning lever is fully retracted inside.