EXPOSURE DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20100245527A1
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: UGAJIN, Atsushi, SAKITA, Tomoaki, HORI, Tetsuya, SHIOYA, Kohei, KURASHIMA, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,059,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/224
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/473 using multiple light beams, wavelengths or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/123 Multibeam scanners, e.g. using multiple light sources or beam splitters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/127 Adaptive control of the scanning light beam, e.g. using the feedback from one or more detectors G02B27/0031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0435 by introducing an optical element in the optical path, e.g. a filter
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/326 by application of light, e.g. using a LED array
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1238 simultaneously exposing more than one point
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1135 for the main-scan only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1911 Simultaneously or substantially simultaneously scanning picture elements on more than one main scanning line, e.g. scanning in swaths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1917 Staggered element array, e.g. arrays with elements arranged in a zigzag
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/506 Reproducing the colour component signals picture-sequentially, e.g. with reproducing heads spaced apart from one another in the subscanning direction

Abstract

An exposure device includes a plurality of light emitting elements, a load, a first supplying unit and a second supplying unit. The first supplying unit supplies a driving current to one of (i) light emitting elements used to form an image among the plurality of light emitting elements and (ii) the load, in accordance with a modulation signal. The first supplying unit supplies a bias current to the other. The second supplying unit supplies the bias current to light emitting elements not used to form the image among the plurality of light emitting elements, regardless of the modulation signal.

Claims

1. An exposure device comprising:

a plurality of light emitting elements;

a load;

a first supplying unit that supplies a driving current to one of (i) light emitting elements which are used to form an image among the plurality of light emitting elements and (ii) the load, in accordance with a modulation signal, wherein the first supplying unit supplies a bias current to the other; and

a second supplying unit that supplies the bias current to light emitting elements which are not used to form the image among the plurality of light emitting elements, regardless of the modulation signal.

2. The exposure device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third supplying unit that supplies to the respective light emitting elements a bias voltage which is common to the plurality of light emitting elements and which is obtained by averaging voltages between terminals of the plurality of light emitting elements when the plurality of light emitting elements are turned off, wherein

after the bias voltage is supplied, the first supplying unit supplies the bias current, which is set based on the bias voltage, to the other, and

after the bias voltage is supplied, the second supplying unit supplies the bias current, which is set based on the bias voltage, to the light emitting elements which are not used to form the image among the plurality of light emitting elements, regardless of the modulation signal.

3. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive body;

an exposure device having a plurality of light emitting elements that expose the photosensitive body to form an electrostatic latent image; and

a developer that develops the electrostatic latent image with a toner, wherein

the exposure device includes

an exposure section having the plurality of light emitting elements,

a load,

a first supplying unit that supplies a driving current to one of (i) light emitting elements which are used to form an image among the plurality of light emitting elements and (ii) the load, in accordance with a modulation signal, wherein the first supplying unit supplies a bias current to the other, and

a second supplying unit that supplies the bias current to light emitting elements which are not used to form the image among the plurality of light emitting elements, regardless of the modulation signal.

4. A computer-readable medium storing a program that causes a computer to function as:

a first supplying unit that supplies a driving current to one of (i) light emitting elements which are used to form an image among a plurality of light emitting elements and (ii) a load, in accordance with a modulation signal, wherein the first supplying unit supplies a bias current to the other, and

a second supplying unit that supplies the bias current to light emitting elements which are not used to form the image among the plurality of light emitting elements, regardless of the modulation signal.