Apparatus for scanning drum inner face and method of scanning therefor

An apparatus for scanning an inner face of a cylindrical member with plural light beams, comprising:

• light beam output means for emitting a first modulated light beam in response to given image data, said given image data representing an image along a scanning line on said image;
• optical/electrical signal converter means, disposed on a center axis of said cylindrical member apart from said light beam output means, for receiving said first modulated light beam, and converting said first modulated light beam into parallel image signals representing said image on plural scanning lines;
• a plural-light-beam emitter, mounted around the center axis of said cylindrical member, for emitting a plurality of modulated light beams toward inner face of said cylindrical member in response to said the parallel image signals;
• and
• scanning means for integrally rotating said optical/electrical signal converter means and said plural-light beams emitter about the center axis of said cylindrical member, to thereby scan a recording medium held on the inner face of said cylindrical member with said plurality of modulated light beams.

A method of scanning an inner face of a cylindrical member with a light beam, comprising the steps of:

• (a) emitting a first modulated light beam in response to given image data;
• (b) receiving said first modulated light beam emitted in said step (a), converting said first modulated light beam into an electrical image signal representing said image;
• (c) emitting a second modulated light beam toward the inner face of said cylindrical member in response to said electrical image signal;
• and
• (d) scanning a recording medium held on the inner face of said cylindrical member with said second modulated light beam by rotating an electrical path of said electrical image signal and an optical path of said light beam about the center axis of said cylindrical member simultaneously with execution of said steps (b) and (c).