Scanning exposure device provided with intensity correction to compensate for scan angle

• US 5,151,586 A
• Filed: 07/22/1991
• Issued: 09/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hirahata, Shinichi, Sato, Shougo, Ohashi, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Janice A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beyer, James
• Application Number:
  US07/733,614
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 358/481, 358/474, 358/296, 358/206, 250/205, 250/236, 250/235, 250/237 R, 346/108, 346/160, 350/6.7, 350/6.8
• US Class Current: 250/205
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/26 adapted for automatic variation of the measured or reference value regulation of light intensity G05D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/32 adapted for automatic variation of the measured or reference value regulation of light intensity G05D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40037 the reproducing element being a laser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4005 with regulating circuits, e.g. dependent upon ambient temperature or feedback control

Abstract

A scanning exposure device comprises a laser light source which emits a laser beam and a polygonal rotating mirror which reflects a laser beam emitted by the laser light source. The scanning exposure device scans the laser beam reflected by the polygonal rotating mirror on a surface of a photoconductive drum for exposure. The scanning exposure device is provided with an intensity correcting unit for correcting the intensity of the laser beam so that the intensity of the laser beam on the surface of the photoconductive drum does not vary regardless of variation of the incident angle of the laser beam falling on the polygonal rotating mirror as the polygonal rotating mirror rotates.

Claims

1. A scanning exposure device comprising:

laser means for emitting a laser beam with a predetermined intensity;

a mirror for reflecting the laser beam emitted by said laser means;

a photoconductive means for receiving the laser beam reflected by said mirror;

a scanning exposure means for scanning the laser beam on said photoconductive means in accordance with a variation of an angular position of said mirror to deflect the laser beam, the laser beam impinging said mirror at an angle of incidence that varies with the angular position of said mirror; and

a correcting means for correcting the predetermined intensity of the laser beam so that an intensity of the laser beam on said photoconductive means is invariable regardless of a variation in a reflectance of said mirror due to a variation of the angle of incidence.

2. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said laser means is connected to a driving means and a driving signal is output from the driving means in order to determine the predetermined intensity of the laser beam emitted by said laser means.

3. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said driving means outputs the driving signal which is formed of exposure position data indicating exposure positions on an image to be formed, exposure intensity data indicating intensities of the laser beam corresponding to the exposure positions and correcting coefficients data indicating correcting coefficients corresponding to the exposure positions so that the predetermined intensity of the laser beam varies over a scanning line to produce a uniform intensity on the photoconductive means.

4. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said correcting means comprises storage means for storing exposure position data indicating exposure positions on an image to be formed, and correcting coefficients data indicating correcting coefficients corresponding to the exposure positions.

5. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said correcting means comprises multiplying means for multiplying exposure intensity data corresponding to exposure positions by correcting coefficients data corresponding to the exposure positions.

6. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the variation of reflectance due to the angular position of said mirror is produced by a variation of the angle of incidence of the laser beam onto said mirror.

7. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said correcting means includes an electrooptic modulator in which light transmittance is changed by an applied electric field.

8. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said correcting means includes a tapered slit of a slit unit.

9. The scanning exposure device of claim 1, wherein said correcting means corrects an intensity of a reflected laser beam reflected from said mirror so that an increase of the intensity of the laser beam on said photoconductive means relative to the intensity of the reflected laser beam is a function of a decrease in the angle of incidence to obtain the laser beam having invariable intensity on said photoconductive means.

10. The scanning exposure device of claim 9, wherein said correcting means comprises a correcting slit unit with a tapered slit formed therein, said tapered slit having a predetermined taper that is a function of the variation in the reflectance of said mirror due to the variation of the angle of incidence.

11. A scanning exposure device comprising:

a laser means for emitting a laser beam with a predetermined intensity;

a mirror for reflecting the laser beam emitted by said laser means;

a photoconductive means for receiving the laser beam reflected by said mirror;

a scanning exposure means for scanning the laser beam on said photoconductive means by means of said mirror in accordance with a rotation of said mirror to provide a continuous variation of angular position of said mirror thereby producing a continuous variation of an angle of incidence of the laser beam on said mirror and deflections therefrom onto said photoconductive means; and

a correcting means for correcting the predetermined intensity of the laser beam so that an intensity of the laser beam on said photoconductive means is invariable regardless of a variation of reflectance of said mirror, the variation in reflectance being based on the variation of the angle of incidence of the laser beam on said mirror.

12. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said laser means is connected to a driving means and a driving signal is output from the driving means in order to determined the predetermined intensity of the laser beam emitted by said laser means.

13. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 12, wherein said driving means outputs the driving signal which is formed of exposure position data indicating exposure positions on an image to be formed, exposure intensity data indicating intensities of the laser beam corresponding to the exposure positions and correcting coefficients data indicating correcting coefficients corresponding to the exposure positions so that the predetermined intensity of the laser beam varies over a scanning line to produce a uniform intensity on the photoconductive means.

14. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said correcting means comprises storage means for storing exposure position data indicating exposure positions of an image to be formed, and correcting coefficients data indicating correcting coefficients corresponding to the exposure positions.

15. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said correcting means comprises multiplying means for multiplying exposure intensity data corresponding to exposure positions by correcting coefficients data, corresponding to the exposure positions.

16. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said correcting means includes an electrooptic modulator in which light transmittance is changed by an applied electric field.

17. The scanning exposure device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said correcting means includes a tapered slit of a slit unit.

18. The scanning exposure device of claim 11, wherein said correcting means corrects an intensity of a reflected laser beam reflected from said mirror so that an increase in the intensity of the laser beam on said photoconductive means relative to the intensity of the reflected laser beam is a function of a decrease in the angle of incidence to obtain the laser beam having invariable intensity on said photoconductive means.

19. The scanning exposure device of claim 18, wherein said correcting means comprises a correcting slit unit with a tapered slit formed therein, said tapered slit having a predetermined taper that is a function of the variation in the reflectance of said mirror due to the variation of the angle of incidence.