Abstract: The image recording apparatus scans a heat mode recording material with a light beam modulated in accordance with image information, to thereby record an image on the heat mode recording material. The apparatus includes an unit for generating a modulated signal, an unit for generating an additional signal at a timing of at least one of rising and falling of the modulated signal and a unit for generating a drive signal by adding the additional signal to the modulated. The image forming method and apparatus scan a photosensitive material with the light beam to record an image, and a power of the light beam is set to a power of a level at which a recording line width or a recording dot size, which is determined depending upon a threshold value for the photosensitive material to blacken, is substantially fixed even if defocus occurs.

Abstract: The method and apparatus record an image on a recording medium attached around the outside surface of a drum rotating at a first constant speed by main-scanning the recoding medium in a main scanning direction with a group of two-dimensionally disposed light sources and exposing the recording medium as well as auxiliary-scanning the recording medium by moving the group of light sources in an auxiliary scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The method and apparatus move the group of light sources in the auxiliary scanning direction at a second constant speed and deflect light from the group of light sources for exposing the recording medium in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle &thgr; with respect to the main scanning direction in synchronism with the movement of the recording medium in the main and auxiliary scanning directions with respect to the group of light sources.

Abstract: The light beam scanning method and apparatus perform light beam scanning of a cylindrical internal surface scanning type, a cylindrical external surface scanning type, and a plane scanning type, where when a sheet-like object to be scanned is scanned by a light beam emitted from a light source, at least one of lateral displacement and longitudinal displacement of a light beam and aberration in an optical system is compensated by controlling a wave front of the light beam with a wavefront control device. Also, when the lateral displacement, longitudinal displacement, and the aberration are caused by change of an environmental temperature, it is possible to measure the environmental temperature and to perform compensation through the control of the wave front by the wavefront control device based on the measured environmental temperature.

Abstract: The image recording method and apparatus focus or image a two-dimensional image formed by a group of two-dimensionally disposed light source elements through an optical system on a recording medium which is moving in a relative relation to the group two-dimensionally disposed light source elements. The method and apparatus deflect light from the group of two-dimensionally disposed light source elements to move the image focused on the recording medium in synchronism with a movement of the recording medium such that the image can remain stationary at least in a main scanning direction in a relative relation to the recording medium. The group of two-dimensionally disposed light source elements can be produced by a two-dimensional spatial light modulator illuminated with an illumination light flux.

Abstract: The image recording method and apparatus are used to record an image formed by a group of light source elements disposed in a two-dimensional manner corresponding to recording pixels on a recording medium. In the image recording method and apparatus, an image recording position on the recording medium by the group of light source elements is moved in a direction that contains a component in at least one of two-dimensional disposing directions of the group of light source elements during the recording while modulating, in response to the movement, each recording pixel of the group of light source elements in accordance with an image to be recorded to thereby record the image on the recording medium. The image recording position is moved in accordance with a set magnification for changing the resolution par recording pixel of the group of light source elements.

Abstract: The image recording method and image recording apparatus synchronize phase of a light deflector with rotation of a drum in response to the drum start point detection signal generated each time the drum rotates once, expose the two-dimensional image of one frame formed by a group of light sources disposed two-dimensionally onto the recording medium while causing the image at rest on the recording medium relatively thereto, thereafter move the optical system in the auxiliary scanning direction by an integral multiple of a pixel pitch forming one frame as well as deflect an angle of the light deflector in the main scanning direction by one frame so as to expose the next frame and on for one rotation of the drum.

Abstract: The method and apparatus record an image on a recording medium attached around the outside surface of a drum rotating at a first constant speed by main-scanning the recoding medium in a main scanning direction with a group of two-dimensionally disposed light sources and exposing the recording medium as well as auxiliary-scanning the recording medium by moving the group of light sources in an auxiliary scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The method and apparatus move the group of light sources in the auxiliary scanning direction at a second constant speed and deflect light from the group of light sources for exposing the recording medium in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle &thgr; with respect to the main scanning direction in synchronism with the movement of the recording medium in the main and auxiliary scanning directions with respect to the group of light sources.

Abstract: An image signal with an overshoot is generated on a positive-going edge of an input image signal with an overshoot producing unit. Then, a light signal with an overshoot is outputted from a recording light source in response to the image signal with the overshoot supplied from the overshoot producing unit. The light signal outputted from the recording light source is applied to scan a photosensitive medium to record an area gradation image on the photosensitive medium.

Abstract: The amount of exposure to a light beam is coarsely adjusted by a coarse adjusting unit which has a wider adjustment range, and finely adjusted by a fine adjusting unit which has a narrower adjustment range but a higher adjustment accuracy. With the coarse and fine adjusting units, the amount of light of the light beam for recording an image can be adjusted to a nicety by a relatively inexpensive arrangement.

Abstract: The image recording method and apparatus focus or image a two-dimensional image formed by a group of two-dimensionally disposed light source elements through an optical system on a recording medium which is moving in a relative relation to the group two-dimensionally disposed light source elements. The method and apparatus deflect light from the group of two-dimensionally disposed light source elements to move the image focused on the recording medium in synchronism with a movement of the recording medium such that the image can remain stationary at least in a main scanning direction in a relative relation to the recording medium. The group of two-dimensionally disposed light source elements can be produced by a two-dimensional spatial light modulator illuminated with an illumination light flux.

Abstract: The intensity of a light beam is controlled accurately depending on an image to be recorded on a photosensitive medium. An apparatus for recording an image by scanning a photosensitive medium with a light beam generated based on an image signal has a recording duty cycle detector for detecting a recording duty cycle of an image to be recorded on the photosensitive medium based on the image signal, and a light beam intensity correcting memory for modulating the intensity of the light beam based on the detected recording duty ratio. Since the intensity of the light beam is modulated based on the recording duty ratio of the image recorded on the photosensitive medium, the amount of light of the light beam can be adjusted depending on the image actually recorded on the photosensitive medium.

Abstract: The amount of exposure to a light beam is coarsely adjusted by a coarse adjusting unit which has a wider adjustment range, and finely adjusted by a fine adjusting unit which has a narrower adjustment range but a higher adjustment accuracy. With the coarse and fine adjusting units, the amount of light of the light beam for recording an image can be adjusted to a nicety by a relatively inexpensive arrangement.

Abstract: There is provided beam diameter control method and device for changing a focused beam diameter of a laser beam, which can increase light utilization without incorporating a complicated and expensive optical or zoom system. In the beam diameter control method and device, an optical path difference equal to or more than a coherence length of the laser beam is applied to a portion of light flux of the laser beam before the laser beam is focused. A transparent plate is provided to apply such an optical path difference. The laser beam is preferably emitted from a longitudinal multimode semiconductor laser the coherence length of which is short. The transparent plate may be a parallel flat plate or ring-like plate placed near the center of the light flux. The transparent plate is preferably placed within the parallel beam portion of the laser beam. The transparent plate may be placed in a divergent beam portion or a convergent beam portion instead.

Abstract: An xyz coordinate system is determined so that a z-axis may coincide with an incident direction of an incident light, an x-axis may coincide with a polarizing direction of the incident light and a y-axis may be defined as the right-handed system from the z-axis and x-axis. An acousto-optic element is rotated around the z-axis, around the axis in a direction of propagation of an ultrasonic wave and around an axis B perpendicular to a plane formed by the z-axis and the direction of propagation of the ultrasonic wave, so that the attitude of the acousto-optic element to the incident light is adjusted.

Abstract: A variable focal position optical system which includes a variable focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is variable and a fixed focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is fixed. The variable focal length lens subsystem and the fixed focal length lens subsystem are arranged such that a distance between a principal point of the variable focal length lens subsystem and a principal point of the fixed focal length lens subsystem at a variable focal length lens subsystem side is substantially equal to the focal length of the fixed focal length lens subsystem. As a result, it is possible to change only a focal position with substantially no change to a beam diameter at the focal position.

Abstract: A variable focal position optical system which includes a variable focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is variable and a fixed focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is fixed. The variable focal length lens subsystem and the fixed focal length lens subsystem are arranged such that a distance between a principal point of the variable focal length lens subsystem and a principal point of the fixed focal length lens subsystem at a variable focal length lens subsystem side is substantially equal to the focal length of the fixed focal length lens subsystem. As a result, it is possible to change only a focal position with substantially no change to a beam diameter at the focal position.

Abstract: A variable focal position optical system which includes a variable focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is variable and a fixed focal length lens subsystem whose focal length is fixed. The variable focal length lens subsystem and the fixed focal length lens subsystem are arranged such that a distance between a principal point of the variable focal length lens subsystem and a principal point of the fixed focal length lens subsystem at a variable focal length lens subsystem side is substantially equal to the focal length of the fixed focal length lens subsystem. As a result, it is possible to change only a focal position with substantially no change to a beam diameter at the focal position.

Abstract: A light beam recording device. A light beam irradiated from a light beam irradiating device is scanned onto an object to be illuminated, which is provided in a vicinity of a focal position, while being focused by a scanning optical system. A converging member is disposed on an optical path between the light beam irradiating device and the scanning optical system, and converges a light beam which is incident on the converging member. An optical path changing device is disposed in a vicinity of a converging position of a light beam which is converged by the converging member, and changes an optical path of the light beam.

Abstract: A method of the present invention for stabilizing the resonant frequency of a resonant scanner is that thermal energy of the same amount as the heat generated in an optical scanning mode is applied to the scanner section in a non-scanning mode to insure that the variation of the temperature of the resonant light deflector will lie within a predetermined range, whereby the resonant frequency of the oscillation of the reflecting mirror is stabilized. The resonant scanner of the present invention in which the scanner section is heated in the non-scanning mode by supplying the drive coil with an electric current that has a non-resonant frequency or with the heater is constructed. The resonant scanner using the method is capable of achieving precise optical scanning that has an improved dimensional precision in the sub-scanning direction.

Abstract: An image scanning reading system incorporates an image signal processing device for processing an image signal produced by a reading optical system. The image signal processing device includes an unsharp signal generator for averaging image signals S produced when image information on an original is scanned by the reading optical system, thereby to produce an unsharp signal U. The image signal processing device also includes an image signal generator for generating an image signal S' from the image signals S and the unsharp signal U according to the equation:S'=S+K(x).multidot.(S-U)where K(x) is a corrective coefficient selected to compensate for variations of MTF characteristics of the image signals, which variations are caused with respect to scanned positions x on the original by the reading optical system.