Patent ID: 6836076
Filing Date: 2004-12-28
Classification: B41J,H04N

Abstract:
An exposure device comprising:a light-emitting element array in which a plurality of element rows, each of which includes a plurality of light-emitting elements that are controlled in exposure gradation in m (m&gE;3) stages with substantially the same light-emitting spectrum in an independent manner respectively, and are aligned in a main scanning direction that intersects the sub-scanning direction, are aligned in the sub-scanning direction for aligning at least n (n&gE;2) number of light-emitting elements in the sub-scanning direction; and a control device which assigns exposure gradations to each of the n number of light-emitting elements aligned in the sub-scanning direction according to the respective gradations obtained when a range from shadow to highlight is represented by {nÃ—(mâˆ’1)+1} stages, and based upon the exposure gradations thus assigned, controls each of the n-number of light-emitting elements for exposing a single position of a photosensitive material n times at maximum.