Multi-laser scanning unit

• US 6,157,472 A
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Young-il, Lee, Moon-gyu, Min, Jee-hong, Choi, Hwan-young, Eum, Jae-yong, Cho, Sung-min
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHUBERG, DARREN E
• Application Number:
  US09/422,348
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 359/17, 359/18, 359/204, 359/209, 235/457, 347/241, 347/243
• US Class Current: 359/18
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence

Abstract

A multi-laser scanning unit (LSU) in which scanning lines incident parallel onto a photoreceptor have the same scanning direction. The multi-laser scanning unit includes: a driving source for providing a rotatory force; a deflection disk installed around a rotary shaft of the driving source having at least two sectors with a hologram pattern for diffracting and deflecting incident light, for scanning light through rotation; at least two light sources installed facing one surface of the deflection disk for irradiating light lines onto predetermined points in the at least two sectors of the deflection disk, the predetermined points are symmetrical by the rotary center of the deflection disk; a light path changing portion for changing traveling paths of the plurality of scanning lines formed by the rotation of the deflection disk, such that the centers of the scanning lines or extended imaginary lines of the scanning lines pass the rotary axis of the deflection disk; and a scanning direction changing portion for changing the scanning direction of one scanning line scanned by the deflection disk in the opposite scanning direction, such that all the scanning lines scan an image in the same scanning direction.

Claims

1. A multi-laser scanning unit comprising:

a driving source for providing a rotatory force;

a deflection disk installed around a rotary shaft of the driving source, having at least two sectors with a hologram pattern for diffracting and deflecting incident light, for scanning light through rotation to result in a plurality of light scanning lines;

at least two light sources installed facing one surface of the deflection disk, for irradiating light lines onto predetermined points in the at least two sectors of the deflection disk, the predetermined points being symmetrical by a rotary center of the deflection disk;

light path changing means for changing traveling paths of the plurality of scanning lines formed by the rotation of the deflection disk, such that centers of the scanning lines or extended imaginary lines of the scanning lines, pass a rotary axis of the deflection disk; and

scanning direction changing means for changing a scanning direction of one scanning line scanned by the deflection disk in an opposite scanning direction to said scanning direction, such that all the scanning lines scan an image in a same scanning direction.

2. The multi-laser scanning unit of claim 1, wherein the scanning direction changing means is a concave mirror arranged on a traveling path of the one incident scanning line scanned in the opposite scanning direction by the rotation of the deflection disk, and wherein the concave mirror changes the scanning direction by converging and diverging the incident scanning line.

3. The multi-laser scanning unit of claim 1, wherein the light path changing means comprises:

a plurality of planar mirrors for reflecting the plurality of scanning light lines scanned and deflected by the deflection disk to provide light traveling paths corresponding to each scan region of the image;

a plurality of curved mirrors for condensing and reflecting the light lines incident via the planar mirrors; and

plurality of holographic optical elements for diffracting the scanning lines reflected by the curved mirrors.

4. The multi-laser scanning unit of claim 3, wherein the scanning direction changing means is a concave mirror arranged on a traveling path of an incident scanning line scanned in the opposite scanning direction by the rotation of the deflection disk, and wherein the concave mirror changes the scanning direction by converging and diverging the incident scanning line.