Patent ID: 7019766

Claim:
An optical scanning device comprising: a light source; a first optical system; a second optical system; and a mechanical deflector, wherein, a light beam emitted from said light source is directed to a mirror of said mechanical deflector through said first optical system, the light beam is deflected in a main scanning direction by causing the light beam to be reflected by a mirror surface of said mirror, the angle of said mirror surface changing due to rotation of said mirror, the deflected light beam is directed through the second optical system to a surface to be scanned moving in a sub-scanning direction, said light source, first optical system, mechanical deflector and second optical system are contained in a housing, said mechanical deflector is directly mounted to said housing, and material of said housing has heat conductivity smaller than that of a part of said mechanical deflector in contact with said housing so as to reduce heat transfer from the mechanical deflector to components of the first optical system and of the second optical system through the housing.