Patent ID: 7492495

Claim:
An optical scanning apparatus comprising: a light source; deflecting means for deflecting a light beam emitted from the light source two-dimensionally in a first direction and a second direction, deflection speed of the deflecting means being higher in the first direction than in the second direction, and the apparatus scanning a surface to be scanned two-dimensionally with a deflected light beam deflected by the deflecting means in such a way that scanning loci in scanning in the first direction are arranged along the second direction, wherein the deflecting means is driven in such a way that its angular velocity in the second direction is smaller when optically scanning a position on the surface to be scanned at which the angle of incidence of the deflected light beam in the second direction is large than when optically scanning a position on said surface to be scanned at which the angle of incidence of the deflected light beam in said second direction is small, and wherein a light beam travelling to a center of a scanning range of the surface to be scanned is obliquely incident on the surface to be scanned.