Patent ID: 6169563
Filing Date: 2001-01-02
Classification: B41J,H04N

Abstract:
An image recording apparatus, comprising: an optical unit having a plurality of laser diodes that are aligned to emit plural aligned beams, and a reducing lens system that reduces a size of the plural aligned beams and focuses the plural reduced aligned beams on a recording material; a driving circuit that drives the plurality of laser diodes in accordance with image output signals by applying a predetermined first bias signal to each of the plurality of laser diodes when an image is recorded on the recording material; and a beam intensity measuring element that measures a beam intensity of each of the plural reduced aligned beams while the driving circuit drives the plurality of laser diodes in accordance with a test signal; wherein the beam intensity measuring element has a beam receiving surface adapted to receive simultaneously at least two beams of the plural reduced aligned beams; and wherein when the beam intensity measuring element measures the beam intensity of a given one of the reduced aligned beams that is emitted from a target diode selected from among the plurality of laser diodes, the driving circuit drives only the target diode in accordance with the test signal and switches the first bias signal to a second bias signal that is smaller than the first bias signal.