Patent ID: 7173645
Filing Date: 2007-02-06
Classification: G02B,G06K,H04N

Abstract:
1. An optical scanning apparatus, comprising: a plurality of light sources; a single optical deflection unit for carrying out scanning with light fluxes emitted from the plurality of light sources; an image formation optical system that is disposed between the plurality of light sources and the optical deflection unit and forms linear images of the light fluxes on the same deflection surface of the optical deflection unit; and a plurality of curved surface mirrors that are disposed between a plurality of surfaces to be scanned corresponding to the plurality of light sources and the optical deflection unit and correspond respectively to the plurality of surfaces to be scanned, wherein the light fluxes from the image formation optical system are incident obliquely on a plane that includes a normal line at the center of the deflection surface of the optical deflection unit and is parallel with a main scanning direction; the plurality of curved surface mirrors are disposed in the different positions with respect to a subscanning direction so that the light fluxes from the optical deflection unit are incident obliquely on a plane that includes normal lines at vertexes of the plurality of curved surface mirrors and is parallel with the main scanning direction; when the plane that includes a normal line at the center of the deflection surface and is parallel with the main scanning direction is defined as a boundary, the plurality of curved surface mirrors are disposed in the same space in spaces divided by the boundary; scanning speeds of the plurality of light fluxes scanning the plurality of surfaces to be scanned are substantially the same as each other; linear images of the light fluxes formed on the optical deflection unit are formed on substantially the same position; and in a XZ plane including a rotation axis of the optical deflection unit and the vertexes of the plurality of curved surface mirrors, any two of the central axes of the light fluxes traveling from the plurality of curved surface mirrors to the plurality of surfaces to be scanned are not parallel with each other but expand substantially in a fan shape.