Patent ID: 9195918
Filing Date: 2015-11-24
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. A light scanning device that forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member by deflecting laser light emitted from a laser emitting device such that the laser light scans on the photosensitive member in a predetermined direction, comprising: a light receiving unit disposed on a scanning line of the laser light, for receiving the laser light; a temperature detecting unit configured to detect a temperature of the laser emitting device or an inside of the light scanning device; a storage unit configured to store data indicative of a relationship between the temperature, drive current to be supplied to the laser emitting device, and a light amount of the laser light; and a current control unit configured to control the drive current to be supplied to the laser emitting device based on the temperature detected by said temperature detecting unit and the data stored in said storage unit, such that an output level of an output from said light receiving unit responsive to receipt of the laser light at the start of scanning of the laser light is not lower than a predetermined output level at which timing of emission of the laser light can be controlled, and is not higher than an output level corresponding to a maximum allowable amount of the laser light to be emitted by the laser emitting device, wherein the data stored in said storage unit comprises a plurality of data items each indicative of a relationship between the drive current to be supplied to the laser emitting device and the light amount, the plurality of data items being associated with a plurality of temperature values, respectively, wherein said current control unit selects, from the plurality of data items, a data item associated with a temperature value closest to a value of the temperature detected by said temperature detecting unit, and controls the drive current to be supplied to the laser emitting device based on the value of the temperature detected by said temperature detecting unit and the selected data item, wherein said current control unit controls the light amount to a target light amount, and in controlling the light amount to the target light amount, said current control unit determines values of the drive currents in association with a plurality of different values of the target light amount, respectively, and starts drive current control with a lower one of the plurality of different values of the target light amount, and wherein when the light amount control is started with the lower value of the target light amount, if the output level of the output from said light receiving unit responsive to receipt of the laser light is lower than the predetermined output level, said current control unit performs the light amount control using a higher one of the plurality of different values of the target light amount than the lower value of the target light amount.