A Method of Reducing Windage Power Loss in a Laser Scanner Mirror by Using the Pumping Effect of Herringbone-Grooved Gas Journal Bearings

Abstract

This paper proposes a newly developed laser scanner motor with low power consumption, operating at a high speed of rotation. The principle of the scanner motor is that of a herringbone-grooved journal bearing functioning as a viscous vacuum pump. The windage power loss of a polygon mirror can be reduced because the air inside the housing is pumped out by herringbone-grooved viscous vacuum pumps. The performance of the proposed laser scanner motor was measured under various conditions. It was subsequently found that the proposed scanner motor of a laser beam had much reduced power consumption and higher scanning accuracy than the conventional scanner motor in which the rotor is rotated in the air.