Patent ID: 7898709
Filing Date: 2011-03-01
Classification: B41J,G02B,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An optical scan apparatus comprising an optical deflector which rotates around a predetermined rotation axis to scan a scanning plane with at least three or more light beams in a main scan direction, the at least three or more light beams being spaced in a sub scan direction, said sub scan direction being transverse to said main scan direction, and wherein said optical deflector has a deflection surface that has cross sectional profile elements in said sub scan direction, each of said profile elements having adjacent mountain and reverse mountain curves, and wherein when two or more ones of said light beams are incident on the deflection surface, a mean width of said profile elements of said deflection surface of the optical deflector in the sub scan direction is set to be smaller than a spacing of adjacent ones of spots of the two or more incident light beams in the sub scan direction.