JPH0915516A - Optical scanning device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] Reduce the number of writing position detection sensors, and
It also allows placement of more than two optical scanners. Constitution: Two optical scanners for reflecting laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser on a reflector rotating by a scanner motor to deflect and scan, and condensing the scanning laser light on an image forming surface 31 to record information. A and B are prepared, and the optical scanners are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction so that the effective scanning ranges of the scanning laser light from the optical scanners are connected to each other on the imaging plane. The write-out position detection sensor 32 is arranged at a substantially intermediate position in front of the image plane, and the scanning laser light from each optical scanner is set to be in the opposite direction, and the write-out position detection sensor scans each optical beam. The timing of detecting the scanning laser light from the scanner is adjusted to synchronize the rotation of the scanner motor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical scanning device used for laser printers, laser fax machines, digital copying machines and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a laser printer puts recording information on a laser beam by turning on and off a semiconductor laser such as a laser diode on the basis of the recording information, and deflects and scans the laser beam by an optical system. The charged information is focused on the surface of the charged photoreceptor, which is the image surface, and the exposure is performed to record the recorded information on the photoreceptor as an electrostatic latent image. Then, this electrostatic latent image is developed with toner to be visualized, the toner image is further transferred onto a sheet at a transfer portion, and the sheet is further thermally fixed by a fixing device to complete a series of printing. There is.

An apparatus used in such an apparatus for deflecting and scanning a laser beam from a semiconductor laser by an optical system and condensing it on an image forming surface is called an optical scanning apparatus, and this optical scanning apparatus is, for example, a polygon. The mirror is rotated by a scanner motor to deflect and scan the laser light. And
It is classified into a pre-object type and a post-object type depending on whether the laser light is condensed once before the polygon mirror or after it is condensed.

Generally, in such an optical scanning device, the structure, the lens configuration, the arrangement, etc. are designed according to the specifications. However, in the design of a large optical system having a wide scanning width, the optical path length becomes long and each component becomes large. It becomes difficult to make it compact as a whole. In order to solve such a problem, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-255169, two optical scanners 1 and 2 having a narrow scanning width are prepared as shown in FIG. Are arranged side by side. Optical scanners 1 and 2
Are laser light sources 3, 4 and polygon mirror 5, respectively.
6, stepping motors 7 and 8 for rotating and driving the polygon mirrors 5 and 6, and optical sensors 9 and 10 for detecting the writing position.

The scanning laser beams from the optical scanners 1 and 2 are scanned for exposure in opposite directions, and the rotations of the stepping motors 7 and 8 are synchronized to synchronize the scanning. There is.

[0006]

However, in the case of this publication, it is necessary to dispose as many write position detection sensors as there are optical scanners. Therefore, the number of required sensors is increased and the cost is increased. Further, in this publication, since the writing position detection sensor is arranged outside the printing range in the main scanning direction, it is preferable to use two optical scanners as shown in the figure, but the optical scanner is not used. When three or more are arranged, it becomes difficult to arrange the write-out position detection sensor, and it is difficult to put the sensor into practical use.

Therefore, the present invention can reduce the number of writing position detecting sensors to be used in a device in which a plurality of optical scanners are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction to expand the overall scanning width, and the optical scanning can be performed. It is possible to easily realize the arrangement of three or more devices, and to provide an optical scanning device having a high practical effect.

[0008]

The invention corresponding to claim 1 is:
ON / OFF control of semiconductor laser based on recorded information,
A plurality of optical scanners that record the information in dot units by converging the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser by a reflector that rotates by a scanner motor and deflecting and scanning the laser light and converging this scanning laser light on the imaging surface Then, the optical scanners are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the main scanning direction so that the effective scanning ranges of the scanning laser light from the optical scanners are connected to each other on the image plane, and the optical scanning is performed. The writing position detection sensor is arranged substantially in the middle of the scanning unit and slightly closer to the optical scanning unit than the image forming plane, and the scanning direction of the scanning laser light from each optical scanning unit is set between adjacent optical scanning units. Set in the opposite direction and adjust so that the phase of the output when the writing position detection sensor detects the scanning laser light from the adjacent optical scanner is synchronized and the rotation of the scanner motor of each optical scanner is synchronized. Equipped with a rotation phase matching circuit It is intended.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor laser is controlled to be turned on and off based on the recorded information, the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser is reflected by a reflector rotated by a scanner motor, and deflected and scanned. Prepare a plurality of optical scanners that record the information in dot units by condensing the scanning laser light on the image forming surface, so that the effective scanning ranges of the scanning laser light from each optical scanner are connected to each other on the image forming surface. The optical scanners are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the main scanning direction, and are located approximately in the middle of the optical scanners and slightly closer to the optical scanner side than the image forming surface to detect the writing position. When sensors are arranged, the scanning direction of the scanning laser light from each optical scanner is set to the same direction between adjacent optical scanners, and the writing position detection sensor detects the scanning laser light from the adjacent optical scanners. The output phases of Adjust so is provided with a synchronizing rotational phase matching circuit of the rotation of the scanner motor for the optical scanner.

[0010]

In the present invention having such a structure, the write-out position detecting sensor is arranged by being arranged substantially in the middle of each optical scanner and slightly closer to the optical scanner than the image plane. The number of write position detection sensors can be reduced by one from the number of optical scanners, and the write position detection sensors do not interfere with scanning when the scanning laser light scans the image plane. Therefore, the arrangement of three or more optical scanners can be realized.

[0011]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are views showing the configuration of an optical scanner used in this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. As shown in the figure, the laser light from the semiconductor laser oscillator 11 is converted into a diverging light flux by the converging lens 12, and then shaped into a circular beam by the slit 13, and the beam is reflected by the reflection mirror 14 to form an optical path at a right angle. After the change, the reflection surface of the right-angle prism 16 which is a reflector disposed on the rotating shaft 15b of the rotor 15a of the scanner motor 15 is irradiated.

The right-angle prism 16 has two surfaces, which are orthogonal to each other, as reflecting surfaces, and is rotated so as to reflect the laser light that is alternately incident on the respective reflecting surfaces.
Then, the center of the rectangular surface sandwiched between the two reflecting surfaces is positioned and fixed on the rotating shaft 15b of the scanner motor 15, and the reflected light from the reflecting mirror 14 is transferred from the rotating shaft 15b of the scanner motor 15 to the rotating shaft 15b. The light is incident parallel to the rotating shaft 15b at a position separated by several mm.

The scanner motor 15 has a magnet 15c integrally attached to a rotor 15a. The rotating shaft 1
5b is rotatably attached to a stator member 15d via a ball bearing 15e. The stator member 15
A circuit board 15g is fixed to d via a spacer 15f, and a coil 15h is attached to the back surface side of the portion of the circuit board 15g facing the magnet 15c.

The light reflected from the reflection mirror 14 is rotated by a scanner motor 15 and is rotated by the right-angle prism 16.
The rotary shaft 15b of the scanner motor 15 is reflected by the reflective surface of the
The laser beam is scanned by deflecting and scanning in a plane direction perpendicular to.
The scanning laser light has a smaller radius of curvature on the exit surface than on the entrance surface, enters the meniscus lens 17 that is convex outward, and is located at a position separated by a distance L from the deflection point, that is, the reflection point of the rectangular prism 16. It is designed to focus on the image plane. The image plane is constituted by, for example, the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive drum.

The semiconductor laser oscillator 11, the converging lens 12 and the slit 13 are integrated as a light emitting unit 18. The meniscus lens 17 is incorporated in a frame body 19. Then, the case 2 for enclosing the light emitting unit 18 in the entire device made of, for example, synthetic resin or the like.
0, the reflection mirror 14 is embedded in the front upper inclined portion of the case 20, and the frame 19 is fitted in the front opening of the case 20. The case 20 is screwed to a stator member 15d of the scanner motor 15 which serves as a base member. As a design example of the optical scanner, the thickness of the meniscus lens 17 is 7 mm,
When the wavelength λ is 780 nm, the refractive index n is 1.51922.
Then, when the utilization angle (for example, the rotation angle of the scanner motor 15 required for scanning 220 mm for A4) is 70 degrees, the optical path length L (distance from the reflection point of the rectangular prism 16 to the image plane) is 228. .18 mm, the optical path length L is 212.58 mm when the use angle is 80 degrees, and the optical path length L is 179.20 mm when the use angle is 90 degrees.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, two optical scanners having the above-described structure, that is, the optical scanners A and B are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the main scanning direction. The interval at this time is such that the ends of the scanning laser beams from the optical scanners A and B overlap each other on the image forming surface 31, that is, the effective scanning width of the optical scanner A and the optical scanner B (effective scanning). Set so that the range) is connected. Therefore, the total effective scanning width is the sum of the effective scanning widths of the optical scanners A and B. A writing position detection sensor 32 is arranged substantially in the middle of the optical scanners A and B and slightly on the optical scanner side with respect to the image plane 31.

The respective optical scanners A and B are fixed to the scanner mounting plate 33 shown in FIG. At this time, the optical scanner A is directly attached to the scanner mounting plate 33 as shown in FIG. 4B, while the optical scanner B is attached to the stator member 15d of the scanner motor 15 as shown in FIG. 4A. A spacer 35 is sandwiched between a portion of the rear end portion where the screw is fixed and the scanner mounting plate 33, and the spacer is fixed by the screw 34. A counterbore for mounting the spacer 35 is provided at a screw hole portion on the scanner mounting plate 33 to which the screw 34 is screwed, and the spacer 35 is fitted into the counterbore. Then, depending on the tightening condition of the screw 34, the optical scanner B
Is adjusted so that the irradiation position of the laser beam in the sub-scanning direction on the image plane 31 can be adjusted within a predetermined range.

The scanner mounting plate 33 is provided with a protruding portion 33a protruding in the vicinity of the image forming surface 31 in the central portion thereof, and the writing position detecting sensor 32 is attached to the tip of the protruding portion 33a at the position described above. ing. Then, when the write-out position detection sensor 32 is attached to the tip of the protrusion 33a, the sensor comes to be separated from the image plane 31 by a distance δ, whereby the scanning laser light from each of the optical scanners A and B is effective. The sensor 32 is prevented from being shielded from light within the scanning width. The sensor 32 detects the laser light when the scanning laser light from each of the optical scanners A and B reaches a position slightly deviated from the effective scanning width.

Each of the optical scanners A and B will be mounted on the scanner mounting plate 33 after individually adjusting the beam diameter and the like. The adjusting method at that time will be described. After mounting the optical scanners A and B on the scanner mounting plate 33, the two-dimensional C shown in FIG. 6 is placed at a position corresponding to the image plane.
A CD area sensor 36 is arranged. At this time, the CCD area sensor 36 is arranged at the joint of the scanning of the scanning laser light from each of the optical scanners A and B.

First, the case where the scanning laser beams from the optical scanners A and B are scanned in the opposite directions as shown by solid arrows in FIG. 3, will be described. Match the phase. This phase adjustment is performed by the circuit of FIG. 8, for example.

This circuit controls the drive circuit 421 by the microprocessor 41 constituting the main body of the control unit to drive the semiconductor laser oscillator 111 of the optical scanner A and the drive circuit 422 to control the semiconductor laser of the optical scanner B. It drives the oscillator 112. Further, a reference clock generator 43 is provided, and the reference clock from the reference clock generator 43 is frequency-divided by a frequency dividing circuit 441 and then supplied to a PLL (phase locked loop) circuit 451. Further, the reference clock from the reference clock generator 43 is supplied to the frequency dividing circuit 442 through the AND gate 50, frequency-divided by the frequency dividing circuit 442, and then supplied to the PLL circuit 452.
Further, the reference clock from the reference clock generator 43 is supplied to the microprocessor 41.

The rotation of the scanner motor 151 of the optical scanner A is detected by the hall element 461, and the hall element 461 is detected.
The output of 1 is supplied to the detection circuit 471.
The rotation control signal is obtained from 1. Further, the rotation of the scanner motor 152 of the optical scanner B is detected by the hall element 462, the output of the hall element 462 is supplied to the detection circuit 472, and the rotation control signal is obtained from the detection circuit 472. .

The respective PLL circuits 451 and 452 take in the reference pulse from the frequency dividing circuits 441 and 442 and the rotation control signal from the detection circuits 471 and 472, respectively, and compare the phases of the reference pulse and the rotation control signal. The rotations of the scanner motors 151 and 152 are controlled so that the phases of the two coincide with each other. That is, each PL
The L circuits 451 and 452 control the drive circuits 481 and 482 to control the rotation of the scanner motors 151 and 152.

When the writing position detecting sensor 32 detects the scanning laser light from each of the optical scanners A and B, it supplies a detection signal to the microprocessor 41 via the detection circuit 49. The microprocessor 41
Controls the opening and closing of the gate of the AND gate 50.

In this circuit, the PLL circuit 4 of the optical scanner A is used.
51 is the reference pulse from the frequency divider circuit 441 and the detection circuit 47.
The rotation control signal from 1 is fetched, the phases of the reference pulse and the rotation control signal are compared, and the rotation of the scanner motor 151 is controlled so that the phases of these two pulses match. Further, the PLL circuit 45 2 of the optical scanner B takes in the reference pulse from the frequency dividing circuit 442 and the rotation control signal from the detection circuit 472, compares the phases of the reference pulse and the rotation control signal, and the phases of the both coincide. In this way, the rotation of the scanner motor 152 is controlled. However, since the scanner motor 151 of the optical scanner A and the scanner motor 152 of the optical scanner B are not synchronized, the microprocessor 41 takes in the detection signal of the writing position detection sensor 32 from the detection circuit 49, and this detection signal The gate of the AND gate 50 is controlled to open and close based on the
The reference clock supplied to 42 is decimated so that
The timing of the PLL circuit 45 2 is changed to delay the rotation of the scanner motor 152 to synchronize the scanner motor 151 of the optical scanner A with the scanner motor 152 of the optical scanner B.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, the scanning laser light from the optical scanner A is written out and the position detection sensor 32 is used.
If there is a phase shift between the detection signal S1 obtained by detecting in step S1 and the detection signal S2 obtained by detecting the scanning laser beam from the optical scanner B in the write position detecting sensor 32, the rotation of the scanner motor 152 is delayed. By sending the timing of the detection signal S2 as shown in FIG. 7 (b).
Match the timing of 1 and S2.

Considering the scanning here, as shown in FIG. 3, after the scanning laser light from the optical scanner A is detected by the write-out position detecting sensor 32, the scanning laser light is at the central portion in FIG. Position) to the left,
The time until the exposure (writing of data) by this scanning laser light is started is t1 as shown in FIG. 7 (c). Further, after the scanning laser light from the optical scanner B is detected by the writing position detection sensor 32, the scanning laser light scans from the central portion in the drawing toward the right side, and the writing of data by the scanning laser light, that is, The time until the exposure starts is t2 as shown in FIG. 7 (d).

Although the times t1 and t2 theoretically match, they deviate from the mounting position error of the sensor 32 and the optical scanners A and B. That is, in the CCD area sensor 36 arranged at the position of the image plane 31, as shown in FIG. 6, Δx, Δy
Misalignment occurs. The positional deviation of Δy is the positional deviation in the sub-scanning direction, which means that the optical scanner B is attached to the scanner mounting plate 3
It is adjusted by the tightening amount of the screw 34 fixed to 3. Δx
Is due to the data writing timing Δ of the optical scanner B.
Adjust by adjusting t1. Since the adjustment of Δx is actually controlled by the controller, the optical system and the controller are in one-to-one correspondence, or Δx is measured in advance on the jig and the data is recorded in the optical system. This can be handled by looking at this value when setting it in the printer body and setting Δt1 on the controller.

Next, the case where the scanning laser beams from the optical scanners A and B are scanned in the same direction as shown by the dotted arrow in FIG. 3 will be described. In this case as well, similarly to the case of the opposite direction, the rotational phases of the scanner motors 15 of both are first matched. This phase adjustment is performed by the circuit shown in FIG.

In the case of the same direction, the writing position detection sensor 32 for the optical scanner A serves as a sensor for detecting the end of scanning. Therefore, the time from when the writing position detecting sensor 32 detects the scanning laser beam from the optical scanner A to when the writing of data is started is as shown in (f) of FIG. Is also a long t10. On the other hand, for the optical scanner B, the time t20 should coincide with the time t2 as shown in (e) of FIG. In reality, since there is some deviation, the data writing timing Δt2 is adjusted as in the case of the reverse direction.

If the scanning directions are the same, the adjustment of Δy becomes complicated. When the scanning direction is the reverse direction, t1 = t2, so it may be adjusted so that Δy = 0. However, when the scanning direction is the same, the resolution D (dot / inc) in the sub-scanning direction of the optical scanner is obtained.
h), which is represented by a function of the periods T, t10, and t20 of the detection signal from the writing position detection sensor 32, and is adjusted to Δy = (t10-t20) × D / (T × 25.4) [mm]. In this case, since t10> t20, the optical scanner A
So that the scanning laser light from is on top.

By arranging the two optical scanners A and B side by side at a predetermined interval in this way, for example, if one optical scanner has an effective scanning width of 220 mm, then two optical scanners can be used. Printing is possible within the effective scanning width of 440 mm. That is, it is possible to print on A2 size paper. Then, for an effective scanning width of 440 mm, the distance from the reflection point of the rectangular prism of the optical scanner to the image plane, that is, the optical path length L is 228.18 mm when the utilization angle is 70 degrees, and the utilization angle is 80 degrees. Is 212.58 mm, the angle of use is 90
The degree of rotation is 179.20 mm, and the optical path length L can be sufficiently shortened as compared with the case where an effective scanning width of 440 mm is obtained by one optical scanner. Further, although the number of optical systems such as meniscus lenses to be used increases, the size may be small, and the optical system as a whole can be constructed inexpensively and smallly. Therefore, the entire device can be made compact.

Further, the writing position detection sensor 32 used for the two optical scanners A and B can be one, and the cost can be reduced.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This includes three optical scanners A, as shown in FIG.
B and C are arranged side by side with a predetermined interval. The configuration of each optical scanner A, B, C is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment. Then, in the center of the optical scanners A and B in front of the image plane 31, the first
The writing start position detecting sensor 321 is arranged, and the second writing position detecting sensor 322 is arranged in the center of the optical scanners B and C in front of the image plane 31.

First, when the scanning directions of the optical scanners A, B, and C are opposite to each other, as indicated by solid arrows in FIG. 9, that is, the optical scanner A scans from right to left, and the optical scanner is scanned. The case where B scans from left to right and the optical scanner C scans from right to left will be described. The scanning direction may be the opposite.

In these three cases, the rotational phase alignment of the scanner motor 15 of each of the optical scanners A, B and C is required as in the two cases. In the case of three cases, the central optical scanner B is used as a reference. First, as shown in (a) and (c) of FIG. 10, the detection signal S1 by the scanning laser light from the optical scanner A in the first writing position detection sensor 321 is changed to the scanning laser light from the optical scanner B. The rotational phase of the scanner motor 15 of the optical scanner A is adjusted so as to match the detection signal S2 from Subsequently, as shown in (b) and (d) of FIG. 10, the detection signal by the scanning laser light from the optical scanner C in the second writing position detection sensor 322 is changed to the scanning laser light from the optical scanner B. The rotational phase of the scanner motor 15 of the optical scanner C is adjusted so as to match the detection signal of

After the scanning laser beam from the optical scanner B is detected by the first writing position detecting sensor 321, this scanning laser beam scans from right to left, but is exposed by this scanning laser beam (data The time until the writing is started is t1 as shown in (f) of FIG. Further, when the scanning laser light from the optical scanner A and the scanning laser light from the optical scanner B are measured by the first CCD area sensor 361 arranged at the position of the image forming surface 31, as shown in FIG.
A displacement of x and Δy occurs. The positional deviation of Δy is the positional deviation in the sub-scanning direction, which is adjusted by the tightening amount of the screw for fixing the optical scanner A to the scanner mounting plate in the same manner as in the above embodiment. The positional deviation of Δx is caused by the data writing timing ΔtA of the optical scanner A as shown in (e) of FIG.
Adjust by adjusting.

When the scanning laser light from the optical scanner B and the scanning laser light from the optical scanner C are measured by the second CCD area sensor 362 arranged at the position of the image plane 31, as shown in FIG. Then, a positional deviation of Δx and Δy occurs.
The positional deviation of Δy is the positional deviation in the sub-scanning direction, which is adjusted by the tightening amount of the screw for fixing the optical scanner C to the scanner mounting plate in the same manner as in the above embodiment. The positional deviation of .DELTA.x is adjusted by adjusting the data writing timing .DELTA.tC of the optical scanner C as shown in FIG. That is, in the case of the optical scanner C, .DELTA.x is written for about one scan with respect to the scanning of the optical scanner B because the data is written after the time t2 has elapsed from the output of the detection signal S3 from the second writing position detection sensor 322. Will be delayed. Therefore, when the moving direction of the sub-scan is downward, it is necessary to shift the scanning laser beam from the optical scanner B upward by Δy = 25.4 / D [mm].

Next, when the scanning directions of the optical scanners A, B, C are the same as shown by the dotted arrows in FIG. 9, that is, the respective optical scanners A, B, C are from left to right. The case of scanning will be described. The scanning direction may be the opposite. In this case, the data writing start timing and Δy are slightly complicated. The optical scanner B, which serves as a reference, starts writing data after a time t10 as shown in FIG. 10 (i) with reference to the detection signal S2 from the first writing position detection sensor 321. On the other hand, the optical scanner A starts writing of data after time t3 (t10 <t3) as shown in (h) of FIG. 10 with reference to the detection signal S1 from the first writing position detection sensor 321. Therefore, the deviation Δy between the scanning laser light from the optical scanner A and the scanning laser light from the optical scanner B in the sub-scanning direction is Δy so that the scanning by the scanning laser light from the optical scanner A is up. = (T3 -t10) / T * (D / 25.4) [mm]. Also, regarding the optical scanners B and C,
Δy = (t20 + T12−t10) / T × (D / 25.4) so that the scanning by the scanning laser beam from the optical scanner C is on the upper side.
Set it to [mm].

In this way, by arranging the three optical scanners A, B, and C side by side at a predetermined interval, for example, 1
3 if one optical scanner has an effective scanning width of 220 mm
In this way, printing is possible within the effective scanning width range of 660 mm.
That is, it is possible to print on a larger size paper. Then, for an effective scanning width of 660 mm, the distance from the reflection point of the rectangular prism of the optical scanner to the image plane,
That is, the optical path length L is 7 as in the case of the use angle of 7
22.18 mm when the angle of use is 0 degrees, 212.58 mm when the angle of use is 80 degrees, and 17 when the angle of use is 90 degrees.
Since this is 9.20 mm, the optical path length L can be sufficiently shortened as compared with the case where an effective scanning width of 660 mm is obtained by one optical scanner.
Further, although the number of optical systems such as meniscus lenses to be used increases, the size may be small, and the optical system as a whole can be constructed inexpensively and smallly. Therefore, the entire device can be made compact.

Further, the number of write position detecting sensors used for the three optical scanners A, B and C can be reduced to two, and the cost can be reduced.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of optical scanners can be arranged side by side in the main scanning direction to increase the overall scanning width. For example, an optical scanner having an effective scanning width of A4 size. Two can realize an optical scanner having an effective scanning width of A2 size, and three can realize an optical scanner having an even larger effective scanning width. In that case, this can be achieved by one optical scanner. The overall size of the device can be reduced, such as the size of the optical system being smaller than that achieved.

The number of write-out position detection sensors used for two optical scanners may be one, and the number of write-out position detection sensors used for three optical scanners is two.
The number of write start position detection sensors to be used can be reduced.

Further, since the write-out position detecting sensor is arranged substantially in the middle of each optical scanner and slightly on the optical scanner side with respect to the image plane, three or more optical scanners are provided. It can be easily arranged and the practicality can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an optical scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention with a case omitted.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a method of mounting the optical scanner of the embodiment on a scanner mounting plate.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a scanner mounting plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the positional deviation measurement of the scanning laser light by the CCD area sensor in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart for explaining synchronization adjustment between two optical scanners in the same embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a timing diagram for explaining synchronization adjustment between three optical scanners in the same embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the positional deviation measurement of the scanning laser light by the CCD area sensor in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Semiconductor laser oscillator 15 ... Scanner motor 16 ... Right angle prism 17 ... Meniscus lens A, B ... Optical scanner 31 ... Imaging plane 32 ... Writing position detection sensor 41 ... Microprocessor 43 ... Reference clock generator 451, 452 ... PLL Circuits 461, 462 ... Hall element

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor laser is controlled to be turned on and off based on recorded information, laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser is reflected by a reflector rotating by a scanner motor to be deflected and scanned, and the scanning laser light is imaged. Prepare a plurality of optical scanners that record information in dot units by condensing on the surface, and each optical scanner so that the effective scanning range of the scanning laser light from each optical scanner is connected to each other on the imaging surface. Are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the main scanning direction, and the write-out position detection sensor is arranged substantially in the middle of each of the optical scanners, and slightly closer to the optical scanner than the image plane. Of the output when the scanning direction of the scanning laser light from each of the optical scanners is set to the opposite direction between the adjacent optical scanners and the writing position detection sensor detects the scanning laser light from the adjacent optical scanners. Adjust so that the phases match An optical scanning device, which is provided with a rotation phase adjusting circuit for adjusting the rotation of the scanner motor of each optical scanner. 2. A semiconductor laser is controlled to be turned on and off based on recorded information, a laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser is reflected by a reflector rotating by a scanner motor to be deflected and scanned, and the scanning laser beam is imaged. Prepare a plurality of optical scanners that record information in dot units by condensing on the surface, and each optical scanner so that the effective scanning range of the scanning laser light from each optical scanner is connected to each other on the imaging surface. Are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the main scanning direction, and the write-out position detection sensor is arranged substantially in the middle of each of the optical scanners, and slightly closer to the optical scanner than the image plane. Of the output when the scanning direction of the scanning laser light from each of the optical scanners is set to the same direction between the adjacent optical scanners and the writing position detection sensor detects the scanning laser light from the adjacent optical scanners. Adjust so that the phases match An optical scanning device, which is provided with a rotation phase adjusting circuit for adjusting the rotation of the scanner motor of each optical scanner.