Light scanning apparatus and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9316992-B2
Application number	US-201514602912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A light scanning apparatus including: an optical box configured to hold a light source and contain a deflecting device configured to deflect a light beam to scan the photosensitive member; and an electric wire bundle electrically connected to the deflecting device, the electric wire bundle being laid in a space between an outer wall and an inner wall of the box, wherein the electric wire bundle extends over the inner wall from the inside of the inner wall, is laid in the space, and extends over the outer wall from the space to the outside of the box, and a portion at which the bundle extends over the outer wall is provided closer to an opening portion of an image forming apparatus than a portion at which the bundle extends over the inner wall when the light scanning apparatus is mounted to a mounting portion of the image forming apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light scanning apparatus to be mounted to a mounting portion of an image forming apparatus through an opening portion of the image forming apparatus including a photosensitive member, the light scanning apparatus comprising:
a light source configured to emit a light beam;
a deflecting device configured to deflect the light beam emitted from the light source so as to scan the photosensitive member with the light beam;
an optical box including an outer wall and an inner wall extending inside the outer wall and along the outer wall so as to face the outer wall, and configured to hold the light source and contain the deflecting device inside the inner wall; and
electric wires electrically connected to the deflecting device,
wherein the optical box includes a space in which the electric wires are laid being formed between the outer all and the inner wall,
wherein the electric wires cross over the inner wall, from a space on an inner side of the inner wall so as to be laid in the space formed between the outer wall and the inner wall, and cross over the outer wall from the space formed between the outer wall and the inner wall so as to lead to a space on an outer side of the optical box, and
wherein the electric wires are laid in the optical box so that, in a state in which the light scanning apparatus is mounted to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, a portion at which the electric wires cross over the outer wall are provided closer to the opening portion of the image forming apparatus than a portion at which the electric wires cross over the inner wall.

2. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first recess as the portion at which the electric wires cross over the inner wall is formed in the inner wall,
wherein a second recess as the portion at which the electric wires cross over the outer wall is formed in the outer wall, and
wherein the first recess is formed in the inner wall and the second opening is formed in the outer wall so that, in the state in which the light scanning apparatus is mounted to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the second recess is positioned closer to the opening portion of the image forming apparatus than the first recess.

3. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in the state in which the light scanning apparatus is mounted to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the electric wires are laid in the space formed between the outer wall and the inner wall on a side, which is close to the opening portion, of the optical box.

4. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the second recess is formed in the outer wall so that, in the state in which the light scanning apparatus is mounted to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the second recess is arranged so as to face a supply portion of electric wires of a main body of the image forming apparatus.

5. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a drive circuit board configured to drive the light source,
wherein the drive circuit board is mounted to an exterior of the optical box, and
wherein the second recess is formed in a side, on which the drive circuit board is arranged, of the optical box.

6. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the electric wires extending from the second recess of the light scanning apparatus to the exterior of the optical box is electrically connected to the drive circuit board.

7. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first recess is formed in the inner wall on an opposite side to the light source across the deflecting device.

8. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the optical box is provided with a plurality of fixing portions configured to fix the light scanning apparatus to the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, and
wherein a fixing portion, which is located on a side of the opening portion, of the plurality of fixing portions is fixed to the mounting portion by a screw.

9. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the optical box includes an imaging optical member configured to image the light beam deflected by the deflecting device onto the photosensitive member, and
wherein the electric wires are laid in the space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall so as to extend around the imaging optical member.

10. An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording medium, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a photosensitive member;
a light scanning apparatus as recited in claim 1 , which is configured to scan a surface of the photosensitive member with the light beam so as to form an electrostatic latent image;
a developing device configured to develop the electrostatic latent image into a toner image with toner;
a transfer device configured to transfer the toner image onto the recording medium; and
a fixing device configured to fix the toner image, which is transferred onto the recording medium, onto the recording medium.

11. The light scanning apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inner wall is continuously formed from the portion at which the electric wires cross over the inner wall to the portion at which the electric wires cross over the outer wall, so that the electric wires are guided along the inner wall.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a main body provided with an entrance portion disposed on a side of the main body which is different from a front side and a back side of the main body, and the main body further provided with a mounting portion to place a light scanning apparatus, wherein the entrance portion is configured to pass the light scanning apparatus from the outside of the main body toward the mounting portion;
a first photosensitive member;
a second photosensitive member;
the light scanning apparatus which is configured to scan a surface of the first photosensitive member with a first light beam and configured to scan a surface of the second photosensitive member with a second light beam, the light scanning apparatus comprising:
a first light source configured to emit the first light beam;
a second light source configured to emit the second light beam;
a deflecting device configured to deflect the first light beam and the second light beam so that the first light beam scans the first photosensitive member and the second light beam scans the second photosensitive member, the deflecting device deflecting the first light beam and the second light beam toward opposite sides with the deflecting device being interposed therebetween;
an optical box including an outer wall and an inner wall inside the outer wall and along the outer wall so as to face the outer wall;
electric wires electrically connected to the deflecting device,
wherein the optical box includes a space in which the electric wires are laid being formed between the outer wall and the inner wall,
wherein the electric wires cross over the inner wall at a first portion from inside of the inner wall to the space, and cross over the outer wall at a second portion from the space to outside of the outer wall,
wherein the electric wires are laid in the optical box so that the second portion is located closer to the entrance portion than the first portion,
wherein the first light source and the second light source are located closer to the back side of the main body than the deflecting device, and
wherein the first portion is located closer to the front side of the main body than the deflecting device.

13. The image formi

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ishidate Takehiro
• Otoguro Yasuaki

Classifications

• G03G21/1666

  for the exposure unit · CPC title

• G03G15/80 Primary

  Details relating to power supplies, circuits boards, electrical connections · CPC title

• G03G21/1652

  Electrical connection means · CPC title

• G03G15/04036

  Details of illuminating systems, e.g. lamps, reflectors (lamp housings for copying cameras, reflex exposure lighting G03B27/542) · CPC title