Abstract: In a line head, a plurality of element arrays arranged in a first direction. Each array includes a plurality of light emission elements arrayed in a second direction which is perpendicularly to the first direction. The light emission elements emit light for forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive surface of an image carrier. A switcher activates the light emission elements in at least one of the element arrays while deactivating the others. A developer develops the latent image as a visible image with toner.

Abstract: A light scanning apparatus makes a light beam scan along a main scanning direction on an effective scanning region which has a predetermined width. The apparatus comprises: a light source which emits the light beam; a deflector which includes an oscillation mirror which oscillates about an oscillatory axis which is orthogonal or approximately orthogonal to the main scanning direction, deflects the light beam emitted from the light source using the oscillation mirror, and makes the light beam scan a second scanning range which contains but extends beyond a first scanning range which corresponds to the effective scanning region; a detector which detects the scanning light beam which moves through a position which is outside the first scanning range but is within the second scanning range, and outputs a signal; and a controller which controls a mirror drive signal fed to the oscillation mirror based on the output signal from the detector and accordingly adjusts the amplitude of the oscillation mirror.

Abstract: A line head, includes: a head substrate that includes a plurality of light emitting element groups as groups of light emitting elements; a lens array that includes a plurality of lenses each of which faces the corresponding light emitting element group in a first direction; and a light shielding member that is disposed between the head substrate and the lens array and includes a plurality of light shielding plates which are arranged side by side in the first direction while defining a space layer therebetween, wherein each of the plurality of light shielding plates is provided with a plurality of light guide holes penetrating in the first direction and facing the plurality of light emitting element groups in the first direction respectively, the plurality of light guide holes facing each of the light emitting element groups are arranged in the first direction respectively to form a plurality of light guide portions, and lights from the plurality of light emitting element groups are incident on the plurality o

Abstract: An apparatus includes: a latent image carrier which is freely rotatable in a predetermined sub scanning direction; a latent image carrier gear which is attached to an end portion of the latent image carrier; a drive motor which applies drive rotation force upon the latent image carrier via the latent image carrier gear and which rotates the latent image carrier; a line head which forms on the latent image carrier a line latent image which extends in a main scanning direction which is approximately orthogonal to the sub scanning direction; an exposure controller which provides an image signal to the line head and controls writing of the line latent image; a phase detector which detects the phase data regarding the latent image carrier gear; and a timing controller which adjusts the write location of the line latent image on the latent image carrier based on the phase data detected by the phase detector.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image carrier; and an exposure head having light-emitting elements configured to emit light beams and form beam spots on the latent image carrier and image forming optical systems configured to form images of light beams emitted from the light-emitting elements arranged in a first direction and form group of beam spots on the latent image carrier, wherein the different image forming optical systems form the group of beam spots in an overlapped manner in the first direction, and the light-emitting elements include the light-emitting elements which define a first spot center distance Dsp—1 in the first direction and the light-emitting elements which define a second spot center distance Dsp—2 different from the first spot center distance in the first direction.

Abstract: An exposure head, includes: a first imaging optical system and a second imaging optical system which are arranged in a first direction; a light emitting element which emits light to be imaged by the first imaging optical system; and a light emitting element which emits light to be imaged by the second imaging optical system, wherein an inter-optical-system distance in the first direction between the first imaging optical system and the second imaging optical system satisfies the following expression: m1·L1+m2·L2>2P1?(m1·dp1+m2·dp2) where m1 represents an absolute value of the optical magnification of the first imaging optical system, L1 represents a width in the first direction of the light emitting element to be imaged by the first imaging optical system, dp1 represents a pitch between the light emitting element in the first direction in the light emitting element to be imaged by the first imaging optical system, m2 represents an absolute value of the optical magnification of the second imaging optical

Abstract: A lens array includes: a lens array substrate having a light transmissive property; a first lens disposed on the lens array substrate; and a second lens disposed on the lens array substrate in a first direction from the first lens and different from the first lens in peripheral shape.

Abstract: A line head includes multiple light emitting element groups each including multiple light emitting elements. In each light emitting element group, the multiple light emitting elements are disposed in a two-dimensional arrangement so that a distance Gx is greater than a distance Gy. The light emitting element groups are arranged so that pitches Px are greater than pitches Py.

Abstract: A lens array includes: a light transmissive lens array substrate; a plurality of lenses disposed on the lens array substrate in a first direction; and a line-like mark formed on the lens array substrate in a second direction one of perpendicular and substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Abstract: An optical scanning device 65 is adapted to bring a deflector mirror plane 651 into independent pivotal motions about a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to each other. A mirror driver section including a first axis driver and a second axis driver is so controlled as to bring the deflector mirror plane 651 into pivotal motion about the first axis thereby deflecting a light beam L for scanning along a main scan direction. On the other hand, the deflector mirror plane 651 is pivotally moved about the second axis thereby to adjust the scanned beam L for its position on a photosensitive member 2 with respect to a subscan direction. Thus, even if the scanned beam is deviated from a reference scan position with respect to the subscan direction due to component tolerances or assembly errors, such a deviation can be corrected.

Abstract: Image data are inputted from a data processing means (23) into storage means (24) so that light emitting elements on one line (28a) of a light emitting element (yellow) line head (28) are actuated according to signal outputted from a shift resistor (24a) so as to expose pixels on an image carrier. At a point of time when the pixels reach a position corresponding to the light emitting elements in a next line (28b) by moving the image carrier in a direction of arrow X, the image data are transmitted to a shift resistor (24b) and then outputted to the line (28b) so as to expose the pixels again. The image data are transmitted among the shift resistors sequentially by moving the image carrier, thereby achieving the multiple exposure of the same pixels.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including plural exposure units each deflecting a light beam from a light source by means of an oscillation mirror in resonant oscillations and scanning the deflected light beam on a latent image carrier thereby forming a latent image on the latent image carrier, every one of the exposure units assuredly attains an adequate amplitude of the oscillation mirror for ensuring the formation of images of high quality. More specifically, a CPU 101 retrieves resonant frequencies of individual deflectors previously stored in a memory. The CPU 101 calculates an average value of these resonant frequencies and applies a drive command to mirror drivers 1022 of the exposure units 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K such as to drive all the deflectors into oscillations at the average value. Alternatively, a resonant-frequency adjusting section 653 makes adjustment to match the resonant frequencies of the individual deflectors substantially with a drive frequency.

Abstract: An electrophotographic printer includes an exposure unit having a MEMS scanner operable to scan a beam of light across a photoconductor. The MEMS scanner includes a mirror having an aspect ratio similar to the shape of the facets of a conventional rotating polygon scanner. In a preferred embodiment, the scan mirror has a length of about 750 microns in a dimension parallel to its axis of rotation and a length of about 8 millimeters in a dimension perpendicular to its axis of rotation. The MEMS scanner is operable to scan at a frequency of about 5 KHz and an angular displacement of about 20 degrees zero-to-peak mechanical scan angle.

Abstract: As a scanning light beam which is scanning and traveling away from an effective image region moves passed the location of a sensor, a horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync is obtained as a first detection signal. A deflection mirror surface turns around, thereby reversing the direction in which the scanning light beam scans. This scanning light beam therefore scans an effective image region IR, and a latent image forming operation using this scanning light beam is controlled based on the horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync. Hence, there is a relatively long period of time (T4+T5) since the horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync is obtained until formation of a latent image starts in accordance with the signal Hsync. This secures sufficient time for control of the latent image forming operation based on the horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync, and hence, realizes the latent image forming operation as desired during the time T6.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a latent image carrier whose surface includes an effective image region spanning across a predetermined width in a main scanning direction and is driven in a sub scanning direction approximately orthogonal to the main scanning direction; a latent image former which has a light source and a deflection mirror oscillating, and deflects a light beam from the light source using the deflection mirror so as to scan the effective image region with the deflected light beam; and a scanning mode controller which switches selectively between a single-side scanning mode and a double-side scanning mode, the single-side scanning mode being a mode in which the light beam is scanned only in a first direction included in the main scanning direction, the double-side scanning mode being a mode in which the light beam is scanned in both the first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein a condition to form latent images on the latent image carrier in the singl

Abstract: As a scanning light beam which is scanning and traveling away from an effective image region moves passed the location of a sensor, a horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync is obtained as a first detection signal. A deflection mirror surface turns around, thereby reversing the direction in which the scanning light beam scans. This scanning light beam therefore scans an effective image region IR, and a latent image forming operation using this scanning light beam is controlled based on the horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync. Hence, there is a relatively long period of time (T4+T5) since the horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync is obtained until formation of a latent image starts in accordance with the signal Hsync. This secures sufficient time for control of the latent image forming operation based on the horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync, and hence, realizes the latent image forming operation as desired during the time T6.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus including plural exposure units each deflecting a light beam from a light source by means of an oscillation mirror in resonant oscillations and scanning the deflected light beam on a latent image carrier thereby forming a latent image on the latent image carrier, every one of the exposure units assuredly attains an adequate amplitude of the oscillation mirror for ensuring the formation of images of high quality. More specifically a CPU 101 retrieves resonant frequencies of individual deflectors previously stored in a memory. The CPU 101 calculates an average value of these resonant frequencies and applies a drive command to mirror drivers 1022 of the exposure units 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K such as to drive all the deflectors into oscillations at the average value. Alternatively, a resonant-frequency adjusting section 653 makes adjustment to match the resonant frequencies of the individual deflectors substantially with a drive frequency.

Abstract: A plurality of first light emitters are arrayed on the substrate in a first direction so as to form a light emitter array. Each of the first light emitters has a first dimension in the first direction. A plurality of second light emitters are arrayed on the substrate in the first direction. Each of the second light emitters has a second dimension in the first direction which is larger than the first dimension.

Abstract: An exposure head, includes: a substrate that is provided with a first light emitting element, a second light emitting element that is arranged at one side of the first light emitting element in a first direction and a third light emitting element that is arranged at the one side of the second light emitting element in the first direction, the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element being arranged at a first distance from each other in the first direction, the second light emitting element and the third light emitting element being arranged at a second distance, which is different from the first distance, from each other in the first direction; and an imaging optical system that images light from the first, the second and the third light emitting elements.

Abstract: A line head, includes: a head substrate that includes a first light emitting element and a second light emitting element; and a lens array that includes a first positive lens that images a light emitted from the first light emitting element on a specified plane and has a lens surface of a free-form surface, and a second positive lens that images a light emitted from the second light emitting element on the specified plane and has a lens surface of a free-form surface, each of the lens surfaces of the first and the second positive lenses having focal points with different focal lengths.