Exposure head and image forming apparatus

1. An exposure head that exposes a photosensitive member to light, comprising:

a first board that is a long board;

a plurality of light-emitting element array chips that are mounted on one surface of the first board and arranged along a longitudinal direction of the first board;

a connector mounted on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the first board, the connector being configured to make connection to an image processing IC mounted on a second board different from the first board;

a first driver IC mounted on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the first board, the first driver IC being arranged on one side of the first board with respect to the connector in the longitudinal direction of the first board, the first driver IC being connected to the connector and being configured to drive the light-emitting element array chips; and

a second driver IC mounted on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the first board, the second driver IC being arranged on the other side of the first board with respect to the connector in the longitudinal direction of the first board, the second driver IC being connected to the connector and being configured to drive the light-emitting element array chips, wherein

the first driver IC, the second driver IC, and the connector are mounted on the first board in an area that overlaps an area where the plurality of light-emitting element array chips are mounted, along a vertical direction vertical to the surfaces of the first board,

the first driver IC drives a device group including a plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged on a side where the first driver IC is placed with respect to a center of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged along the longitudinal direction, and

the second driver IC drives a device group including a plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged on a side where the second driver IC is placed with respect to the center of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged along the longitudinal direction.

2. The exposure head according to claim 1 , wherein

the first board is a four-layer board including a first layer, a second layer, a third layer, and a fourth layer that are stacked in the stated order,

the first layer is the one surface on which the light-emitting element array chips are mounted and the fourth layer is the other surface on which the first driver IC, the second driver IC, and the connector are mounted,

a control signal line that extends from the image processing IC and is connected to the first driver IC and the second driver IC through the connector is wired in the fourth layer,

a driving signal line that extends from the first driver IC and the second driver IC and is wired to each of the light-emitting element array chips is wired in the second layer, and

a power-supply/ground pattern is wired in the third layer provided between the second layer and the fourth layer along the vertical direction.

3. The exposure head according to claim 1 , wherein

output terminals of the first driver IC at which driving signals are output to the light-emitting element array chips from the first driver IC are placed in both ends of the first driver IC in the longitudinal direction,

output terminals of the second driver IC at which driving signals are output to the light-emitting element array chips from the second driver IC are placed in both ends of the second driver IC in the longitudinal direction, and

each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC has a function of selecting an output terminal to be used.

4. The exposure head according to claim 3 , wherein

each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC is placed at a position that allows a difference between the number of wires led out from each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC to one side of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board and the number of wires led out from each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC to the other side of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board to be equal to or smaller than the number of wires for one of the light-emitting element array chips.

5. The exposure head according to claim 1 , wherein

input terminals of the first driver IC at which control signals are received from the image processing IC through a control signal line are placed in both ends of the first driver IC in the longitudinal direction,

input terminals of the second driver IC at which control signals are received from the image processing IC through a control signal line are placed in both ends of the second driver IC in the longitudinal direction, and

each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC has a function of selecting an input terminal to be used.

6. The exposure head according to claim 5 , wherein

the input terminals of the first driver IC at which the control signals are received from the image processing IC through the control signal line are placed in an end on a side where the connector is placed, out of both ends of the first driver IC in the longitudinal direction, and

the input terminals of the second driver IC at which the control signals are received from the image processing IC through the control signal line are placed in an end on a side where the connector is placed, out of both ends of the second driver IC in the longitudinal direction.

7. The exposure head according to claim 1 , wherein

the first driver IC is placed at a position astride two light-emitting element array chips among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips forming the device group driven by the first driver IC, along the longitudinal direction, and

the second driver IC is placed at a position astride two light-emitting element array chips among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips forming the device group driven by the second driver IC, along the longitudinal direction.

8. The exposure head according to claim 1 , wherein a distance from the connector to the first driver IC along the longitudinal direction of the first board is substantially equal to a distance from the connector to the second driver IC along the longitudinal direction of the first board.

9. The exposure head according to claim 8 , wherein the connector is placed in a central portion of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive member;

an exposure head configured to expose the photosensitive member to light based on image data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member; and

a development device configured to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member with toner, wherein

the exposure head includes:

a first board that is a long board;

a plurality of light-emitting element array chips that are mounted on one surface of the first board and arranged along a longitudinal direction of the first board;

a connector mounted on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the first board, the connector being configured to make connection to an image processing IC mounted on a second board different from the first board;

a first driver IC mounted on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the first board, the first driver IC being arranged on one side of the first board with respect to the connector in the longitudinal direction of the first board, the first driver IC being connected to the connector and being configured to drive the light-emitting element array chips; and

a second driver IC mounted on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the first board, the second driver IC being arranged on the other side of the first board with respect to the connector in the lengthwise direction of the first board, the second driver IC being connected to the connector and being configured to drive the light-emitting element array chips, wherein

the first driver IC, the second driver IC, and the connector are mounted on the first board in an area that overlaps an area where the plurality of light-emitting element array chips are mounted, along a vertical direction vertical to the surfaces of the first board,

the first driver IC drives a device group including a plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged on a side where the first driver IC is placed with respect to a center of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged along the longitudinal direction, and

the second driver IC drives a device group including a plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged on a side where the second driver IC is placed with respect to the center of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips arranged along the longitudinal direction.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

the first board is a four-layer board including a first layer, a second layer, a third layer, and a fourth layer that are stacked in the stated order,

the first layer is the one surface on which the light-emitting element array chips are mounted and the fourth layer is the other surface on which the first driver IC, the second driver IC, and the connector are mounted,

a control signal line that extends from the image processing IC and is connected to the first driver IC and the second driver IC through the connector is wired in the fourth layer,

a driving signal line that extends from the first driver IC and the second driver IC and is wired to each of the light-emitting element array chips is wired in the second layer, and

a power-supply/ground pattern is wired in the third layer provided between the second layer and the fourth layer along the vertical direction.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

output terminals of the first driver IC at which driving signals are output to the light-emitting element array chips from the first driver IC are placed in both ends of the first driver IC in the longitudinal direction,

output terminals of the second driver IC at which driving signals are output to the light-emitting element array chips from the second driver IC are placed in both ends of the second driver IC in the longitudinal direction, and

each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC has a function of selecting an output terminal to be used.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC is placed at a position that allows a difference between the number of wires led out from each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC to one side of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board and the number of wires led out from each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC to the other side of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board to be equal to or smaller than the number of wires for one of the light-emitting element array chips.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

input terminals of the first driver IC at which control signals are received from the image processing IC through a control signal line are placed in both ends of the first driver IC in the longitudinal direction,

input terminals of the second driver IC at which control signals are received from the image processing IC through a control signal line are placed in both ends of the second driver IC in the longitudinal direction, and

each of the first driver IC and the second driver IC has a function of selecting an input terminal to be used.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein

the input terminals of the first driver IC at which the control signals are received from the image processing IC through the control signal line are placed in an end on a side where the connector is placed, out of both ends of the first driver IC in the longitudinal direction, and

the input terminals of the second driver IC at which the control signals are received from the image processing IC through the control signal line are placed in an end on a side where the connector is placed, out of both ends of the second driver IC in the longitudinal direction.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

the first driver IC is placed at a position astride two light-emitting element array chips among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips forming the device group driven by the first driver IC, along the longitudinal direction, and

the second driver IC is placed at a position astride two light-emitting element array chips among the plurality of light-emitting element array chips forming the device group driven by the second driver IC, along the longitudinal direction.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a distance from the connector to the first driver IC along the longitudinal direction of the first board is substantially equal to a distance from the connector to the second driver IC along the longitudinal direction of the first board.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the connector is placed in a central portion of the first board in the longitudinal direction of the first board.