Patent ID: 7738005
Filing Date: 2010-06-15
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: first and second light emitting elements each configured to emit a laser beam; a scanner configured to repeatedly scan with laser beams emitted by the first and the second light emitting elements on scanning lines of an image area on a photosensitive member; a detector configured to produce a beam detection signal by detecting a laser beam scanned by the scanner in a non-image area; a power controller configured to receive a laser beam emitted by the first light emitting element or the second light emitting element and scanned by the scanner in the non-image area, detect a power of the received laser beam, and control a driving current that is supplied to the light emitting element that emitted the received laser beam; an emitting controller configured to forcibly cause the first light emitting element or the second light emitting element to emit a laser beam in the non-image area so that the detector detects a laser beam and the power controller controls the driving current while the scanner scans in the non-image area, wherein the emitting controller performs a first light emission mode and second light emission mode alternately, per each scanning operation by the scanner in the non-image area, wherein, in the first light emission mode, the emitting controller forcibly causes the first light emitting element to emit a laser beam without causing the second light emitting element to emit a laser beam, and, in the second light emission mode, the emitting controller causes the second light emitting element to emit a laser beam without causing the first light emitting element to emit a laser beam; and a synchronization controller configured to produce a timing signal for controlling image formation timing of each of the first and second laser beams emitted from the first and second light emitting elements, by delaying output of the beam detection signal by a first predetermined period of time in the first light emission mode, and by delaying output of the beam detection signal by a second predetermined period, which is different from the first predetermined period, of time in the second light emission mode.