Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Jun Azuma

Yoshinori Sugiura

Akira Kuroda

Takeshi Niimura

Tatsuo Hamada

Takeshi Kubota

Ken Murooka

Nobukazu Adachi

Noriyoshi Ishikawa

Yoshiro Tsuchiya

Takeshi Setoriyama

Takeshi Sugita

Akira Yuza

Chitose Tenpaku

Yoshiya Nomura

Hiroshi Goto

Yoshiaki Watanabe

Shigeo Murayama

Yoshihiro Matsuo

Shin Mogi

Hideyuki Miyamoto

Fumio Ichikawa

Hideaki Uemura

Shin Komori

Yozo Tobo

Masatoshi Kato

Seietsu Miura

Masaaki Nishikawa

Takashi Goto

Yoshihisa Ibaraki

Ryosuke Kaku

A frame structure usable in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material using a laser source, the apparatus includes a first wall; a second wall opposed to the first wall; first and second connecting members bridging between the first wall and the second wall; a scanner supporting member for supporting an optical device between the first connecting member and the second connecting member; a motor supporting member for supporting a motor between the scanner supporting member and the first wall; wherein the walls, connecting members, scanner supporting member and motor supporting member are integrally molded.

Frame structure and an image forming apparatus using such a frame

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus which forms an image on a recording medium and to which a process cartridge can detachably be mounted includes (a) a cartridge mounting portion capable of detachably mounting a process cartridge including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a process device acting on the photosensitive drum, and a projection having a first-twisted-polygonal prism shape provided on one longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum, (b) a rotatable rotary member having a first twisted hole of polygonal cross-section, (c) a rotatable coupling shaft supported for axial movement and being provided at its one end with a second-twisted-polygonal prism shape fitted into the first twisted hole of the rotary member, and being provided at its other end with a second twisted hole of polygonal cross-section for engaging with and disengaging from the projection having the first-twisted-polygonal prism shape and having substantially the same twisted angle and twisted direction as those of the first-twisted-polygonal prism shape, (d) a spring member for biasing the coupling shaft toward the photosensitive drum, (e) an axial direction shifter for shifting the second twisted hole and the projection having the first-twisted-polygonal prism shape relative to each other between a first position and a second position, and (f) a conveyor for conveying the recording medium.

Process cartridge with axially shiftable drive coupling

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material includes an image bearing member; and optical mechanism for projecting light corresponding to image information onto the image bearing member; a developer for developing a latent image formed on the image bearing member into a toner image; a transfer mechanism for transferring the toner image onto a recording material; a fixer for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording material; a first support for supporting the recording material to be fed to the transfer mechanism; and a second support for supporting the recording material which has been subjected to a fixing operation of the fixer. Air ducts are provided along the back side supporting surfaces of the first support and the second support which overlap in a horizontal direction with the optical mechanism therebetween. A sheet feeding position, an image transfer position, and an image fixing position take lower positions in the order named.

Image forming apparatus having arrangement of sheet support members and

Scanning optical device is provided with a light source unit, a deflector for deflecting light beam from the light source, a deflector driving circuit for driving the deflector and an optical housing for accommodating the deflector and the deflector driving circuit. The device is further provided with a cover for closing the optical housing. The cover is provided with an opening through which the deflector driving circuit is exposed to the external air. The hole in the cover is constituted by a tubular partition wall integrally formed with the cover.

Scanning optical device

A guide member according to the present invention is constituted by a guide portion for guiding a positioning projection provided on a process cartridge when the process cartridge is removably mounted to an image forming apparatus, a shutter guide portion for guiding a shutter projection provided on a shutter member opening/closing a transfer opening of the process cartridge when the process cartridge is removably mounted to the image forming apparatus, and a regulating portion against which the shutter projection abuts if the process cartridge is tried to be inserted into the image forming apparatus in an erroneous manner.

Guide means and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

A gear unit usable with an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, an image fixing unit for fixing on a recording material a toner image formed on the image bearing member and transferred to the recording material from the image bearing member, and a feeder for feeding the recording material, the gear unit includes an image bearing member driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the image bearing member; fixing device driving gear for transmitting a driving force to the fixing unit; a feed drive gear for transmitting a driving force to the feeder: a supporting member for supporting the image bearing member driving gear, the image fixing device driving gear and the feed driving gear.

Gear unit, image forming apparatus and gear unit mounting method

Image forming apparatus

An assembling method of an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material includes preparing a frame, a feeding unit having a feeding roller, electrical component unit having electrical components and an outer cover; mounting the feeding unit and the electrical component unit to the frame from a position of the frame which takes a bottom position upon installation of the image forming apparatus; and then overturning of the frame; mounting the outer cover to the frame from a position which takes a top position upon installation of the frame.

Image forming apparatus, assembling method of image forming apparatus,

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, to which a process cartridge is detachably mountable, the image forming apparatus including a mounting device for mounting a process cartridge having an image bearing member comprising a helical gear, and a process device actable on the image bearing member; a feeder for feeding the recording material; and projection device for projecting image information light onto the image bearing member in a direction from a projection reference disposed at one side of an axis of the image bearing member to the other side; a positioning reference for positioning the image bearing member in its axial direction; feed guide reference for guiding the recording material fed by the feeder; and wherein the positioning reference, the feed guide reference and the projection reference are disposed in a same side of a main assembly of the image forming apparatus.

Image forming apparatus with helical gear drive train

An optical scanning apparatus has a light source unit, a first circuit board provided with the light source unit, a deflector for deflecting light beam from the light source unit, and a second circuit board provided with the deflector. The first circuit board and the second circuit board are connected electrically in such a manner that the positions thereof can be adjusted mechanically. Hence the optical beam scanner is made compact to obtain a sufficient bending strength and precision for an enhanced system reliability.

Optical beam scanner with circuit board mounted elements

An optical apparatus (23) for emitting light is constituted by a fixation holder (8) fixed to a predetermined positioning fixation jig via a fixation plate (8a), a lens-barrel (10), fitted on a cylindrical portion of the fixation holder (8) via an annular gap (19), and formed of a transparent material, for holding a collimator lens (2), and a semi-conductor laser light source (1) fitted under pressure in the fixation holder (8). An ultraviolet curing adhesive (18) is uniformly filled in the gap (19). Before the ultraviolet curing adhesive (18) is cured, the lens-barrel (10) is movable in an optical axis direction (Z) and in two-dimensional directions (directions of arrows X and Y) on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis direction (Z) with respect to the fixation holder (8).

Optical apparatus for emitting light and automatic adjustment apparatus

An optical scanning device comprises a beam source unit having a laser source, and a housing on which the beam source is mounted. The housing accommodates optical components through which a laser beam from the beam source unit is applied to the surface of an object thereby to optically scan the object surface. The housing includes a base plate carrying the optical components and a side wall provided with a beam source mounting portion which enables the beam source mounting portion which enables the beam source unit to be mounted and demounted on and from the side wall by a vertical movement of the beam source unit. Alternatively, the side wall of the housing is provided with a locating portion which provides a locating surface parallel to the optical axis of the laser beam.

Optical scanning device

A laser optical apparatus includes first laser emitting source for emitting a first laser beam, second laser emitting source for emitting a second laser beam, common deflector for deflecting both of the first laser beam and the second laser beam, wherein a direction in which the first laser beam is emitted from the first laser emitting source is substantially parallel with a direction in which the second laser beam is emitted from the second laser emitting source, and wherein the first laser emitting source and the second laser emitting source are disposed at positions different in the directions of the laser beams.

Laser optical apparatus

The present invention prevents a particular portion of a drum-like image bearing member from being physically damaged or chemically deteriorated by the image bearing member being reciprocally moved in the direction of the rotational axis thereof. For this purpose, the rotational movement of a rotary shaft driving the image bearing member is utilized to produce a force for moving the image bearing member in the direction of the rotational axis.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Jun Azuma