Light beam scanning apparatus and light beam scanning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9857723-B2
Application number	US-201615204241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2016
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A light-beam-scanning apparatus includes first and second array-light sources including plural light-emitting units and a light-receiving unit; first and second light-source-control units for controlling light emission of the light-emitting units; a write-control unit for controlling the light-source-control units; a deflection unit for deflecting a direction of light emitted from the light-emitting units; and a synchronization-detection element for generating a synchronization-detection signal according to the light deflected by the deflection unit incident onto the synchronization-detection element. Initialization of the light-emitting units of the second array-light source is performed after initialization of the first array-light source is performed; and when the initialization of the light-emitting units of the first array-light source is being performed, a signal for causing the light-emitting units of the second array-light source not to emit light is input to the second light-source-control unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light beam scanning apparatus comprising:
a first array light source including a plurality of light emitters and a light receiver;
a second array light source including a plurality of light emitters and a light receiver;
a first light source controller configured to control light emission of the light emitters of the first array light source;
a second light source controller configured to control light emission of the light emitters of the second array light source;
write control circuitry configured to control the first light source controller and the second light source controller;
a deflector to deflect a direction of light emitted from the light emitters of the first array light source and the light emitters of the second array light source; and
a synchronization detector configured to generate a synchronization detection signal according to the light, deflected by the deflector, incident onto the synchronization detector,
wherein:
APC (“Automatic Power Control”) signals corresponding to the light emitters are respectively input to the first light source controller and the second light source controller,
each of the APC signals includes a corresponding line APC signal which corresponds to a respective one of the light emitters and is generated based on the synchronization detection signal, and an initialization signal for initializing said respective one of the light emitters,
initialization of the light emitters of the second array light source is performed after initialization of the light emitters of the first array light source is performed, and
when the initialization of the light emitters of the first array light source is being performed, a signal for causing the light emitters of the second array light source not to emit light is input to the second light source controller.

2. The light beam scanning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the line APC signals and the initialization signals are input to logic elements of the corresponding light emitters;
each of the APC signals is obtained by combining the corresponding line APC signal and the corresponding initialization signal; and
when the initialization of the light emitters of the first array light source is being performed, instead of the corresponding line APC signal, a signal for causing the light emitters of the second array light source not to emit light is input to the logic elements of the light emitters of the second array light source.

3. The light beam scanning apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
a period when the signal for causing the light emitters of the second array light source not to emit light is input to the logic elements of the light emitters of the second array light source instead of the line APC signal, is until initialization for all of the light emitters of the first array light source and the second array light source is completed.

4. The light beam scanning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the each of the line APC signals and the corresponding initialization signals is a L active signal;
each of the line APC signals and the corresponding initialization signals are input to a corresponding AND circuit corresponding to each of the light emitters;
each of the APC signals is a signal of a logical conjunction of the corresponding line APC signal and the corresponding initialization signal, output from the AND circuit; and
when the initialization of the light emitters of the first array light source is being performed, instead of the corresponding line APC signal, a H state signal is input to the AND circuit corresponding to each of the light emitters of the second array light source.

5. The light beam scanning apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
a period when the H state signal is input to the AND circuit corresponding to each of the light emitters of the second array light source instead of the corresponding line APC signal, continues until initialization for all of the light emitters of the first array light source and the second array light source is completed.

6. The light beam scanning apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
each of the line APC signals is generated by a corresponding line APC controller;
a signal controller is disposed between a corresponding one of the line APC controllers and a corresponding one of the AND circuits corresponding to each of the light emitters of the second array light source;
during a period when each H state signal is input to the AND circuit corresponding to each of the light emitters of the second array light source instead of the corresponding line APC signal, each H state signal is input to the AND circuit from the corresponding signal controller; and
after the period when each H state signal is input to the AND circuit corresponding to each of the light emitters of the second array light source instead of the corresponding line APC signal, each line APC controller and the AND circuit corresponding to each of the light emitters of the second array light source are connected by the corresponding signal controller.

7. The light beam scanning apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein:
a period, during which each H state signal instead of the corresponding line APC signal is input to the AND circuit corresponding to each of the light emitters of the second array light source, is controlled by a number of times the synchronization detection signal is input to the write control circuitry.

8. The light beam scanning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
a number of the synchronization detector is one.

9. A light beam scanning method of a light beam scanning apparatus in which a first array light source including a plurality of light emitters and a light receiver; a second array light source including a plurality of light emitters and a light receiver; a first light source controller configured to control light emission of the light emitters of the first array light source; a second light source controller configured to control light emission of the light emitters of the second array light source; write control circuitry configured to control the first light source controller and the second light source controller; a deflector configured to deflect a direction of light emitted from the light emitters of the first array light source and the light emitters of the second array light source; and a synchronization detector configured to generate a synchronization detection signal according to the light, deflected by the deflector, incident onto the synchronization detector, are included, wherein APC (“Automatic Power Control”) signals corresponding to the light emitters are respectively input to the first light source controller and the second light source controller, each of the APC signals includes a corresponding line APC signal which corresponds to a respective one of the light emitters and is generated based on the synchronization detection signal, and an initialization signal for initializing said respective one of the light emitters,
the light beam scanning method comprising:
initializing the light emitters of the first array light source;
initializing the light emitters of the second array light source after initializing the light emitters of the first array light source,
wherein when the initializing of the light emitters of the first array light source is being performed, a signal for causing the light emitters of the second array light source not to emit light is input to the second light source controller.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program embodied therein for causing a light beam scanning apparatus in which a first array light source including a plurality o

Assignees

• Honda Yuki
• Maeda Katsuhiko
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Honda Yuki
• Maeda Katsuhiko

Classifications

• G03G15/043 Primary

  with means for controlling illumination or exposure (G03G15/041 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B26/127

  Adaptive control of the scanning light beam, e.g. using the feedback from one or more detectors (G02B27/0031 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G2215/0409

  Light-emitting diodes, i.e. LED-array · CPC title

• G02B26/123 Primary

  Multibeam scanners, e.g. using multiple light sources or beam splitters · CPC title

• G02B26/129

  Systems in which the scanning light beam is repeatedly reflected from the polygonal mirror · CPC title