Optical scanning apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHaruhiko Nakatsu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical scanning apparatus includes a first optical member for receiving a plurality of light beams with an interval and for causing a first group of beams to emerge with a narrower interval, the first optical member being rotatable to adjust the interval of the beams emergent therefrom; a second optical member for receiving a second light beam and the first group of beams emergent from the first optical member with an interval and for causing a third group of beams to emerge with a narrower interval, the second optical member being rotatable to change the interval between the first group of beams and the second beam; and deflecting means for scanningly deflecting a third group of beams emergent from the second optical member.
Claims2
An optical scanning apparatus for scanning a rotating photosensitive member with a light beam deflected by a rotatable polygonal mirror, said optical scanning apparatus comprising:
- a first light source for outputting a first light beam;
- a second light source for outputting a second light beam;
- a third light source for outputting a third light beam;
- a first optical unit for adjusting a distance between imaging positions of the first light beam and the second light beam to a predetermined distance with respect to a rotational moving direction of the photosensitive member, wherein said first optical unit is rotatable to adjust the imaging positions of the first light beam and the second light beam;
- and
- a second optical unit for adjusting an imaging position of the third light beam relative to the first light beam and the second light beam, the distance between which is adjusted to the predetermined distance, with respect to the rotational moving direction of the photosensitive member, wherein said second optical unit is rotatable to adjust the imaging position of the third light beam relative to the imaging positions of the first light beam and the second light beam,
- wherein said second optical unit is rotatable independently of said first optical unit, and
- wherein by rotational adjustment of said second optical unit, the third light beam can be imaged between the first light beam and the second light beam with respect to the rotational moving direction of the photosensitive member, or the first light beam and the third light beam can be imaged at positions across the second light beam from each other with respect to the rotational moving direction of the photosensitive member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.