Patent ID: 7936493

Claim:
An optical scanning apparatus that scans light including image information on a scanning object and forms an image on the scanning object, comprising: a light source unit including a plurality of light sources, said plurality of light sources including a plurality of main light sources that are used to form a plurality of main pixels on the scanning object according to the image information, and a group of auxiliary light sources, at least one of the auxiliary light sources is used both (1) to correct a positional deviation with respect to a sub scanning direction of at least one main pixel of the main pixels when an amount of the positional deviation of the main pixel is greater than or equal to a single pixel size and (2) to scan the scanning object such that, when said at least one of the auxiliary light sources is driven in conjunction with one of the main light sources, a resultant position of a spot on the scanning object is shifted between a first position illuminated by said at least one main pixel and a second position illuminated by said at least one of the auxiliary light sources to produce a shifted pixel position on the scanning object to correct said positional deviation; and a signal generating circuit configured to generate an auxiliary light source control signal for the auxiliary light source based on positional deviation information pertaining to the positional deviation of the main pixel with respect to the sub scanning direction, the auxiliary light source control signal being used to correct the positional deviation of the main pixel that is greater than or equal to the single pixel size, wherein the auxiliary light source control signal is generated to control the auxiliary light source to emit light to be scanned on the scanning object, wherein said plurality of light sources further include at least one sub light source, and the signal generating circuit is configured to generate a sub light source control signal for the sub light source based on the positional deviation information pertaining to the positional deviation of the main pixel with respect to the sub scanning direction, the sub light source control signal being generated when the amount of the positional deviation of the main pixel is less than the single pixel size, said plurality of light sources are two-dimensionally arranged in the sub scanning direction and a main scanning direction, said plurality of light sources are arranged equidistant from each other with respect to the sub scanning direction, the main light sources are arranged to be adjacent to at least one of the sub light source and the auxiliary light source with respect to the sub scanning direction, a number of the sub light source is arranged between two main light sources of the main light sources which two main light sources are juxtaposed to each other with respect to the sub scanning direction, said number being selected from a group of numbers one, two, and three, and an auxiliary light source is separated by at least one pixel from said main light sources.