Patent ID: 6025859
Filing Date: 2000-02-15
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus, comprising:an image carrier having a surface movable in a first moving direction;exposure means for forming an electrostatic latent image on said image carrier, said exposure means including a light source for emitting light and an optical modulator for modulating light from said light source, the exposure means is aligned with the image carrier to project a modulated light on said image carrier to form the electrostatic latent image thereon;a development means for developing the electrostatic latent image to form a visual image, wherein said development means is juxtaposed with the image carrier; andtransfer means for transferring the visual image from the image carrier and onto a recording material,wherein said optical modulator includes element rows having a first element row composed of a plurality of grating light valve elements and a second element row composed of a plurality of grating light valve elements, the first element row being parallel to the second element row, and the element rows being perpendicular to the first moving direction of the surface of said image carrier,the plurality of grating light valve elements in the first element row are staggered with respect to the grating light valve elements in the second element row such that a line extending from a center of each element of the second element row perpendicularly to a center line of the first element row runs between neighboring grating light valve elements of the first element row, and such that element row the grating light valve elements in the element rows are separated by a width narrower than a width of a grating light valve element in the first element row, andthe grating light valve elements each have a first state of reflecting light and a second state of diffracting light, and each element is individually switchable between said first state and said second state.