Patent ID: 7408688

Claim:
A method for driving an optical deflecting device array, which arranges a plurality of optical deflecting devices in one dimension or in two dimensions, each of the plurality of optical deflecting devices in which a plate member having a light reflection area rotates on a rotation axis or a fulcrum being as a center, and a light deflection operation is conducted by changing a reflection direction of an incoming light flux in that the plate member includes a conductive layer, an electrode is contacted or fixed to the conductive layer to apply an electric potential, and each of the plurality of optical deflecting device includes an electrode group including a plurality of electrodes arranged to face to the plate member, and switching an inclination direction of the plate member due to an electrostatic attraction caused by an electric potential difference between an arbitrary electrode in the electrode group and the electrode applying the electric potential to the conductive layer, said method comprising: in a series of processes for the light deflection operation, at least, a state of a first stage writing and recording data for indicating an inclination direction of the plate member to incline in a first inclination direction or a second inclination direction, into a semiconductor memory device arranged immediately under or adjacent to each of the plurality of optical deflecting devices; a state of a second stage switching the inclination direction of the plate member of the arbitrary optical deflecting device to the first inclination direction based on an indication of the data, and deflecting light; and a state of a third stage switching the inclination direction of the plate member of the arbitrary optical deflecting device to the second inclination direction based on the indication of the data, and deflecting light.