Light deflector and image forming apparatus

• US 9,594,196 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Kazuhiro, Kojima, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Sophia S
• Application Number:
  US15/079,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20160282524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 399/4, 359/200.1, 347/245, 347/256, 347/257, 347/260, 347/261, 347/263
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/121 Mechanical drive devices for polygonal mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/09 Multifaceted or polygonal mirrors , e.g. polygonal scanning mirrors; Fresnel mirrors
• 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 15/043 with means for controlling illumination or exposure G03G15/041 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0435 by introducing an optical element in the optical path, e.g. a filter

Abstract

Light deflector includes: polygon mirror made of plastic and having reflecting surfaces; motor rotatable on a rotation axis; and rotor rotatable by the motor, and including base portion intersecting the axis of rotation, and first protruding portion having circular cylindrical shape and protruding from the base portion in a rotation-axis direction. The polygon mirror has inner surface contacting outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion, and bottom surface facing to the rotor in the rotation-axis direction. The bottom surface has contacting portion contacting the base portion, and the contacting portion overlaps a line segment connecting the rotation axis and any of vertexes of the polygon mirror viewed from the rotation-axis direction. The bottom surface has non-contacting portion spaced apart from the base portion, and the non-contacting portion overlaps a perpendicular dropped from the rotation axis to any of the reflecting surfaces viewed from the rotation-axis direction.

Claims

1. A light deflector comprising:

a polygon mirror made of plastic and having a plurality of reflecting surfaces;

a motor configured to rotate on an axis of rotation; and

a rotor configured to be rotatable by the motor, and including a base portion intersecting the axis of rotation, and a first protruding portion having a circular cylindrical shape and protruding from the base portion in a direction of the axis of rotation,

wherein the polygon mirror has an inner surface contacting an outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and a bottom surface facing to the rotor in the direction of the axis of rotation,

wherein the bottom surface of the polygon mirror has a contacting portion configured to contact the base portion of the rotor, and the contacting portion overlaps a line segment connecting the axis of rotation and any of vertexes of the polygon mirror viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation, and

wherein the bottom surface of the polygon mirror has a non-contacting portion configured to be spaced apart from the base portion of the rotor, and the non-contacting portion overlaps a perpendicular dropped from the axis of rotation to any of the reflecting surfaces viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation.

2. The light deflector according to claim 1, wherein the polygon mirror has a protruding portion configured to protrude from the bottom surface toward the rotor in the direction of the axis of rotation, and

wherein a distal end face of the protruding portion forms the contacting portion.

3. The light deflector according to claim 2, wherein the protruding portion has a shape surrounding the axis of rotation.

4. The light deflector according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pressing member configured to press an upper surface of the polygon mirror that is on an opposite side of the bottom surface,

wherein viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation, the pressing member presses the polygon mirror at a position overlapping the contacting portion.

5. The light deflector according to claim 1, wherein the base portion of the rotor comprises a second protruding portion protruding toward the polygon mirror and a protruding end of the second protruding portion contacts the contacting portion.

6. The light deflector according to claim 5, wherein the second protruding portion has a circular shape concentric with the first protruding portion.

7. The light deflector according to claim 1, wherein the polygon mirror has a recessed portion recessed from the bottom surface,

wherein the recessed portion comprises the inner surface and a second bottom surface,

wherein a through-hole is formed in the second bottom surface, the through-hole having a size smaller than an outer periphery of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and

wherein the motor has a shaft configured to pass through the through-hole.

8. The light deflector according to claim 7, wherein the through-hole is circular in shape.

9. The light deflector according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the polygon mirror has an inner contacting portion configured to contact the outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and the inner contacting portion overlaps the line segment viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation, and

wherein the inner surface of the polygon mirror has an inner non-contacting portion configured to be spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and the inner non-contacting portion overlaps the perpendicular viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation.

10. The light deflector according to claim 9, wherein the inner contacting portion is a flat surface.

11. The light deflector according to claim 10, wherein the inner contacting portion is one of a plurality of inner contacting portions provided at plural positions, and a number of the plurality of inner contacting portions is the same as a number of the reflecting surfaces.

12. The light deflector according to claim 11, wherein the inner surface is one of a plurality of inner surfaces provided at plural positions, and the plurality of inner surfaces are arranged as a rectangular configuration, and

wherein the inner surfaces are slanted at 45 degrees with respect to the reflecting surfaces.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photoconductor configured to carry an electrostatic latent image;

a light source configured to emit a light beam;

a light deflector configured to deflect the light beam emitted from the light source; and

a scanning lens configured to focus the light beam deflected by the light deflector on the photoconductor,

wherein the light deflector comprises;

a polygon mirror made of plastic and having a plurality of reflecting surfaces;

a motor configured to rotate on an axis of rotation; and

a rotor configured to be rotatable by the motor, and including a base portion intersecting the axis of rotation, and a first protruding portion having a circular cylindrical shape and protruding from the base portion in a direction of the axis of rotation,

wherein the polygon mirror has an inner surface contacting an outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and a bottom surface facing to the rotor in the direction of the axis of rotation,

wherein the bottom surface of the polygon mirror has a contacting portion configured to contact the base portion of the rotor, and the contacting portion overlaps a line segment connecting the axis of rotation and any of vertexes of the polygon mirror viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation, and

wherein the bottom surface of the polygon mirror has a non-contacting portion configured to be spaced apart from the base portion of the rotor, and the non-contacting portion overlaps a perpendicular dropped from the axis of rotation to any of the reflecting surfaces viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the polygon mirror has a protruding portion configured to protrude from the bottom surface toward the rotor in the direction of the axis of rotation, and

wherein a distal end face of the protruding portion forms the contacting portion.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a pressing member configured to press an upper surface of the polygon mirror that is on an opposite side of the bottom surface,

wherein viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation, the pressing member presses the polygon mirror at a position overlapping the contacting portion.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the base portion of the rotor comprises a second protruding portion protruding toward the polygon mirror and a protruding end of the second protruding portion contacts the contacting portion.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the polygon mirror has a recessed portion recessed from the bottom surface,

wherein the recessed portion comprises the inner surface and a second bottom surface,

wherein a through-hole is formed in the second bottom surface, the through-hole having a size smaller than an outer periphery of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and

wherein the motor has a shaft configured to pass through the through-hole.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the inner surface of the polygon mirror has an inner contacting portion configured to contact the outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and the inner contacting portion overlaps the line segment viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation, and

wherein the inner surface of the polygon mirror has an inner non-contacting portion configured to be spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the first protruding portion of the rotor, and the inner non-contacting portion overlaps the perpendicular viewed from the direction of the axis of rotation.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the inner contacting portion is a flat surface.