Optical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12405548-B2
Application number	US-202318104805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2023
Priority date	Feb 2, 2023
Publication date	Sep 2, 2025
Grant date	Sep 2, 2025

Abstract

An optical device according to an embodiment includes a lens mirror array and a holder. The lens mirror array is opposed to a light emitting section. The lens mirror array includes a plurality of optical elements. The optical elements include incident-side lens surfaces, emission-side lens surfaces that emit incident light, and reflection surfaces that reflect incident light. A cross section orthogonal to a first direction of the lens mirror array has a constricted shape. The holder includes a slit having width smaller than width of both the ends in the cross section of the lens mirror array and larger than width of the center in the cross section and extending in the first direction. The holder holds the lens mirror array in a state in which a constricted portion in the center in the cross section of the lens mirror array is disposed in the slit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical device, comprising:
a lens mirror array opposed to a light emitting section extending in a first direction, the lens mirror array including a plurality of optical elements side by side in the first direction, the plurality of optical elements respectively including incident-side lens surfaces on which light emitted from the light emitting section is made incident, emission-side lens surfaces that emit the incident light, and reflection surfaces that reflect the light made incident from the incident-side lens surfaces toward the emission-side lens surfaces, a cross section orthogonal to the first direction of the lens mirror array having a constricted shape, a center of which is narrower than both ends thereof that are along an optical path on which the light emitted from the light emitting section passes; and
a holder including a slit having a width smaller than a width of both ends in the cross section of the lens mirror array and larger than a width of a center in the cross section and extending in the first direction, the holder holding the lens mirror array in a state in which a constricted portion in the center in the cross section of the lens mirror array is disposed in the slit.

2. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the light emitting section comprises a plurality of light emitting elements and a substrate on which the plurality of light emitting elements are mounted side by side in the first direction.

3. The optical device according to claim 2 , wherein the holder holds the substrate in a state in which the plurality of light emitting elements are positioned with respect to the lens mirror array.

4. The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein width of the optical path passing the cross section of the lens mirror array is smaller in the center than at both the ends.

5. The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein the slit of the holder includes a widened portion having a size for enabling a portion further on the incident-side lens surface side than the constricted portion of the lens mirror array to be inserted through the widened section.

6. The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein the holder includes, at an end portion in the first direction, an opening section having a size for enabling a portion further on the incident-side lens surface side than the constricted portion of the lens mirror array to be inserted through the opening section.

7. The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein the holder holds the lens mirror array in a state in which a portion between the reflection surfaces and the emission-side lens surfaces of the plurality of optical elements of the lens mirror array is disposed in the slit.

8. The optical device according to claim 7 , wherein
the lens mirror array includes a projecting portion projecting to an opposite side of the light emitting section via the slit, the projecting portion including a positioning surface opposed to an outer surface of the holder, and
the holder brings the positioning surface of the lens mirror array into surface-contact with the outer surface to position the lens mirror array.

9. The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein the lens mirror array has a bending strength lower than a bending strength of the holder.

10. The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein
the reflection surfaces include a first reflection surface that reflects the light made incident from the incident-side lens surfaces and a second reflection surface that reflects the light reflected by the first reflection surface toward the emission-side lens surfaces, and
the lens mirror array forms an erected image at an image forming point of the lens mirror array.

11. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a photoconductive drum;
a supply of toner; and
an optical device, comprising:
a lens mirror array opposed to a light emitting section extending in a first direction, the lens mirror array including a plurality of optical elements side by side in the first direction, the plurality of optical elements respectively including incident-side lens surfaces on which light emitted from the light emitting section is made incident, emission-side lens surfaces that emit the incident light, and reflection surfaces that reflect the light made incident from the incident-side lens surfaces toward the emission-side lens surfaces, a cross section orthogonal to the first direction of the lens mirror array having a constricted shape, a center of which is narrower than both ends thereof that are along an optical path on which the light emitted from the light emitting section passes; and
a holder including a slit having a width smaller than a width of both ends in the cross section of the lens mirror array and larger than a width of a center in the cross section and extending in the first direction, the holder holding the lens mirror array in a state in which a constricted portion in the center in the cross section of the lens mirror array is disposed in the slit.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the light emitting section comprises a plurality of light emitting elements and a substrate on which the plurality of light emitting elements are mounted side by side in the first direction.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the holder holds the substrate in a state in which the plurality of light emitting elements are positioned with respect to the lens mirror array.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein width of the optical path passing the cross section of the lens mirror array is smaller in the center than at both the ends.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the slit of the holder includes a widened portion having a size for enabling a portion further on the incident-side lens surface side than the constricted portion of the lens mirror array to be inserted through the widened section.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the holder includes, at an end portion in the first direction, an opening section having a size for enabling a portion further on the incident-side lens surface side than the constricted portion of the lens mirror array to be inserted through the opening section.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the holder holds the lens mirror array in a state in which a portion between the reflection surfaces and the emission-side lens surfaces of the plurality of optical elements of the lens mirror array is disposed in the slit.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein
the lens mirror array includes a projecting portion projecting to an opposite side of the light emitting section via the slit, the projecting portion including a positioning surface opposed to an outer surface of the holder, and
the holder brings the positioning surface of the lens mirror array into surface-contact with the outer surface to position the lens mirror array.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the lens mirror array has a bending strength lower than a bending strength of the holder.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
the reflection surfaces include a first reflection surface that reflects the light made incident from the incident-side lens surfaces and a second reflection surface that reflects the light reflected by the first reflection surface toward the emission-side lens surfaces, and
the lens m

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Watanabe Takeshi

Classifications

• G02B17/002 Primary

  Arrays of reflective systems · CPC title

• G03B27/528

  in which the projection optics remain stationary · CPC title

• G03G15/0435

  by introducing an optical element in the optical path, e.g. a filter · CPC title

• G03G15/04045 Primary

  for exposing image information provided otherwise than by directly projecting the original image onto the photoconductive recording material, e.g. digital copiers (G03G15/041, G03G15/043 take precedence) · CPC title