Color image forming apparatus having laser scanner control means

A color image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image information input means for inputting image information;
• a laser recording means having a plurality of laser scanner units for component colors of images, arranged in parallel with each other, each scanner unit including a laser, a rotational polygonal mirror and a driving motor for driving the rotational polygonal mirror;
• a laser scanner control means for governing the drives of the driving motors for performing laser scanning in accordance with the image information;
• an image forming means having a plurality of image forming units for component colors, for forming images, arranged in parallel with each other, each image forming unit forming an image from the latent image recorded on the photoreceptor by the corresponding laser scanner unit;
• and
• a laser recording status determining means for determining the recording status of the laser recording means onto the photoreceptors,
• wherein the laser scanner units are grouped into two sections the first laser scanner section and the second laser scanner section;
• and the laser scan control means controls the first and second laser scanner sections, based on determinations by the laser recording status determining means, so that the drives of the driving motors in the first laser scanner section are stopped or retarded, one by one, when laser recording has been completed and so that the operational driving of the drive of the driving motor in the second laser scanner section is maintained or is retarded after laser recording has been completed.

A color image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image information input means for inputting image information;
• a laser recording means having a plurality of laser scanner units for component colors of images, arranged in parallel with each other, each scanner unit including a laser, a rotational polygonal mirror and a driving motor for driving the rotational polygonal mirror;
• a laser scanner control means for governing the drives of the driving motors for performing laser scanning in accordance with the image information;
• an image forming means having a plurality of image forming units for component colors, for forming images, arranged in parallel with each other, each image forming unit forming an image from the latent image recorded on the photoreceptor by the corresponding laser scanner unit;
• and
• a laser recording status determining means for determining the recording status of the laser recording means onto the photoreceptors,
• wherein the laser recording means and the image forming means constitute a color recording section for recording color images and a monochrome recording section for recording monochrome images;
• the laser status determining means determines the recording status of the color recording section and the recording status of the monochrome recording section, separately;
• and the laser scan control means, based on determinations by the laser status determining means, stops the drives of the driving motors in the laser scanner units in the color recording section or retards the drives thereof, prior to the control of the drive of the driving motor of the laser scanner unit in the monochrome recording section.

A color image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image information input means for inputting image information;
• a laser recording means having a plurality of laser scanner units for component colors of images, arranged in parallel with each other, each scanner unit including a laser, a rotational polygonal mirror and a driving motor for driving the rotational polygonal mirror;
• a laser scanner control means for governing the drives of the driving motors for performing laser scanning in accordance with the image information;
• and
• an image forming means having a plurality of image forming units for component colors, for forming images, arranged in parallel with each other, each image forming unit forming an image from the latent image recorded on the photoreceptor by the corresponding laser scanner unit,
• wherein the laser recording means and the image forming means constitute a color recording section for recording color images and a monochrome recording section for recording monochrome images;
• and the laser scan control means controls the drives of the driving motors in the laser scanner units in the color recording section, between speeds allowing for image recording and a stationary state, and controls the drive of the driving motor in the laser scanner unit in the monochrome recording section, between a first speed allowing for image recording, a second speed for standby and a stationary state.

A color image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image information input means for inputting image information;
• a laser recording means having a plurality of laser scanner units for component colors of images, arranged in parallel with each other, each scanner unit including a laser, a rotational polygonal mirror and a driving motor for driving the rotational polygonal mirror;
• a laser scanner control means for governing the drives of the driving motors for performing laser scanning in accordance with the image information;
• and
• an image forming means having a plurality of image forming units for component colors, for forming images, arranged in parallel with each other, each image forming unit forming an image from the latent image recorded on the photoreceptor by the corresponding laser scanner unit,
• wherein the laser recording means and the image forming means constitute a color recording section for recording color images and a monochrome recording section for recording monochrome images;
• and the laser scan control means controls the drives of the driving motors in the laser scanner units in the color recording section, between a speed allowing for image recording and a stationary state, and controls the drive of the driving motor in the laser scanner unit in the monochrome recording section, between a first speed allowing for recording of color images and for standby, a second speed allowing for monochrome recording and a stationary state.