Patent ID: 8092028

Claim:
A light source that emits light, comprising: a first laser array light source unit configured to emit a plurality of first light beams from a plurality of first laser beam exit holes that are aligned linearly in an alignment direction; a second laser array light source unit configured to emit a plurality of second light beams from a plurality of second laser beam exit holes that are aligned linearly in the alignment direction, the plurality of first light beams and the plurality of second light beams being emitted parallel to each other; a beam distance adjustment element configured to intersect the plurality of first light beams and the plurality of second light beams in the beam distance adjustment element and to adjust the distance between the plurality of first light beams and the plurality of second light beams, the beam distance adjustment element having: an optical element made of a light-transmissive material, a first incidence plane on which the plurality of first light beams is incident, the first incidence plane extending in the alignment direction, a first exit plane that is parallel to the first incidence plane and from which the plurality of first light beams exits, a second incidence plane on which the plurality of second light beams is incident, the second incidence plane extending in the alignment direction, and a second exit plane parallel to the second incidence plane from which the plurality of second light beams exits, wherein: the cross-sectional shape of the beam distance adjustment element is a parallelogram, a width of the second incidence plane from a corner of the parallelogram at an intersection of the first incidence plane and the second incidence plane to a corner of the parallelogram at an intersection of the second incidence plane and the first exit plane is greater than a width of the first incidence plane from the corner of the parallelogram at the intersection of the first incidence plane and the second incidence plane to a corner of the parallelogram at an intersection of the first incidence plane and the second exit plane, and a distance between the plurality of second light beams incident on the second incidence plane and the corner of the parallelogram at the intersection of the first incidence plane and the second incidence plane is greater than a distance between the plurality of first light beams incident on the first incidence plane and the corner of the parallelogram at the intersection of the first incidence plane and the second incidence plane.