Array refracting element and exposure device
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorIchirou Miyagawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An array refracting element for dividing laser beams in a sub-scanning direction, which is formed by linearly disposing a pair of refracting members, each having a unit surface shape for dividing one incident laser beam into two and emitting the divided laser beams, so that directions in which the laser beams are divided are coincident with each other and so that the refracting members locate along the division direction, is disposed on an optical path of the laser beams emitted from plural semiconductor lasers, and between a laser-beam outgoing opening of a fiber array section and a recording film. As a result, an array refracting element and an exposure device, which can improve quality of a recording image at an exposure recording apparatus at a low cost, can be obtained.
Claims13
An exposure device for forming an image on a recording medium via scan-exposure, said device comprising:
- a light source for emitting light beams in a broad area at least in a sub-scanning direction for forming the image;
- a condensing optical system for condensing the light beams emitted from the light source onto the recording medium;
- and
- an array refracting element disposed between the light source and the recording medium so that a direction in which the light beams are divided is substantially parallel to a broad area direction of the light beams emitted from the light source, the array refracting element comprising at least two refracting members abutting each other and disposed in an array, wherein a light beam is incident on the array, and each of the at least two refracting members has a surface shape that divides a portion of the light beam incident on the refracting member into two separate light beams, thereby resulting in at least four light beams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.