Patent ID: 7986907

Claim:
A positional misalignment correcting device for use in an image forming apparatus, the positional misalignment correcting device comprising: a pattern forming unit that causes the image forming apparatus to form a plurality of correction patterns on a transfer member along a conveying direction of the transfer member; a detecting unit that optically detects the correction patterns on the transfer member, wherein the detecting unit includes one light emitting element and one light receiving element, the light emitting element irradiating an irradiation area on the transfer member with a light, and the light receiving element receiving a reflection light from a light-receiving area on the transfer member; and a correcting unit that corrects positional misalignment between the correction patterns by controlling an exposing unit of the image forming apparatus based on relative positions of the correction patterns detected by the detecting unit, wherein the pattern forming unit causes the image forming apparatus to form a first correction pattern on the transfer member along the conveying direction, the detecting unit optically detects the first correction pattern on the transfer member, the pattern forming unit determines a position of the first correction pattern in a first direction perpendicular to the conveying direction based on a detection result from the detecting unit, and based on the position of the first correction pattern, causes the image forming apparatus to form a second correction pattern downstream of the first correction pattern on the transfer member such that a first formation area in which the second correction pattern is to be formed along the first direction is smaller than the light-receiving area.