Optical head, optical head scanning device, and method for driving optical head scanning device

An optical head scanning device, comprising:

• an optical head that includes:
• a base substrate;
• and
• a line head that includes a plurality of sub-line heads on the base substrate, wherein
• sub-line heads of the plurality of sub-line heads are electrically independent of one another,
• an arrangement of the plurality of sub-line heads on the base substrate is parallel to a first direction on the base substrate,
• each sub-line head of the plurality of sub-line heads includes a circuit substrate unit and an optical-element array,
• the base substrate includes the circuit substrate unit,
• the circuit substrate unit includes a plurality of driver substrate elements,
• a length of each driver substrate element of the plurality of driver substrate elements in the first direction is longer than a length of each driver substrate element of the plurality of driver substrate elements in a second direction on the base substrate,
• the optical-element array includes a plurality of optical elements,
• an arrangement of each optical element of the plurality of optical elements on the circuit substrate unit is parallel to the second direction, and
• a length of each sub-line head of the plurality of sub-line heads in the second direction is longer than a length of each sub-line head of the plurality of sub-line heads in the first direction;
• a scanning mechanism configured to scan the optical head in parallel to the first direction;
• and
• a controller configured to control each of a driving operation of the optical head and the scanning mechanism, to virtually utilize the plurality of sub-line heads as one line head, wherein
• each of the driving operation and the scanning mechanism is controlled based on data, and
• the data indicates at least one optical element to be invalidated from the plurality of optical elements.

A method for driving an optical head scanning device, comprising:

• generating data indicating at least one optical element to be invalidated from a plurality of optical elements of an optical-element array of a sub-line head of a plurality of sub-line heads, wherein
• the optical head scanning device includes an optical head and a scanning mechanism,
• the scanning mechanism is configured to scan the optical head in parallel with a first direction,
• the optical head includes:
• a base substrate, and
• a line head that includes the plurality of sub-line heads on the base substrate,
• sub-line heads of the plurality of sub-line heads are electrically independent of one another,
• an arrangement of the plurality of sub-line heads on the base substrate is parallel to the first direction on the base substrate,
• each sub-line head of the plurality of sub-line heads includes a circuit substrate unit and the optical-element array,
• the base substrate includes the circuit substrate unit,
• the circuit substrate unit includes a plurality of driver substrate elements,
• a length of each driver substrate element of the plurality of driver substrate elements in the first direction is longer than a length of each driver substrate element of the plurality of driver substrate elements in a second direction on the base substrate,
• an arrangement of each optical element of the plurality of optical elements on the circuit substrate unit is parallel to the second direction, and
• a length of each sub-line head of the plurality of sub-line heads in the second direction is longer than a length of each sub-line head of the plurality of sub-line heads in the first direction;
• and
• controlling each of a driving operation of the optical head and the scanning mechanism based on the generated data, wherein each of the driving operation and the scanning mechanism is controlled to virtually utilize the plurality of sub-line heads as one line head.