Patent ID: 8517539
Filing Date: 2013-08-27
Classification: G02B,G03B,G09G,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus that forms an image composed of pixels on an image forming plane, which is set on a surface of a target, by irradiating and scanning light onto the image forming plane, the image forming apparatus comprising: a light emitting unit that emits the light; a light scanning unit having at least one actuator in which a movable plate having a light reflector that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting unit is rotatably provided around one rotation axis or two rotation axes which are orthogonal to each other, the actuator irradiating and scanning the light reflected on the light reflector onto the image forming plane by rotation of the movable plate; a drive pattern generating unit that generates a drive pattern of the light emitting unit, wherein the light emitting unit can emit the light with emission timing and emission time to suppress density of the pixels in each portion of the image to be formed on the image forming plane from becoming ununiformity, and wherein the ununiformity in the density of the pixels would be generated due to differences between distances from the light emitting unit to the respective portions of the image forming plane; and a controlling unit that controls operation of the light emitting unit based on the drive pattern generated by the drive pattern generating unit, wherein the drive pattern generating unit sets a plurality of unit irradiation areas, onto which the light is irradiated, on the image forming plane, each of the unit irradiation areas having substantially the identical length in a scanning direction of the light to provide one of the pixels of the image, and wherein the drive pattern generating unit generates a plurality of unit drive patterns corresponding to the respective unit irradiation areas, and the unit drive patterns constitute the drive pattern, and the drive pattern generating unit includes: wherein the drive pattern generating unit generates the unit drive patterns in such a manner that the longer the distance from the light emitting unit to the unit irradiation area has, the shorter the emission time of the light emitted from the light emitting unit is set.