Image forming apparatus with light beam control

• US 6,529,223 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2001
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohwaki, Hironori, Ehara, Toshiyuki, Kawada, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): PENDEGRASS, JOAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/866,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20020008754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 347/129, 347/131, 347/132, 347/133, 399/48
• US Class Current: 347/133
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1209 Intensity control of the optical beam G06K15/1223 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/29 involving production of an electrostatic intermediate picture

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that has an image bearing body, charging device for charging the image bearing body, and exposing device for exposing the image bearing body charged by the charging device,

wherein the exposing device illuminates a light beam for each of pixels corresponding to a non-imaged portion of a pixel matrix having plural rows and plural columns, and wherein, when it is assumed that a width of one pixel in the pixel matrix is A and a distribution width in a half value of a maximum potential value of potential distribution formed in OFF of light beam illumination of one pixel is Wv, a following relationship is satisfied:

0.6≦Wv/A≦1.4.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image bearing body;

charging means for charging said image bearing body; and

exposing means for exposing said image bearing body charged by said charging means,

wherein said exposing means illuminates with a light beam each pixel corresponding to a non-image portion of a pixel matrix having plural rows and plural columns, and wherein, when it is assumed that a width of one pixel in the pixel matrix is A and a distribution width in a half value of a maximum potential value of a potential distribution formed without illumination by the light beam of one pixel is Wv, the following relationship is satisfied;

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image bearing body is an a-Si type photosensitive body.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light beam is a laser beam.

4. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image bearing body;

charging means for charging said image bearing body; and

exposing means for exposing said image bearing body charged by said charging means,

wherein said exposing means illuminates with a light beam each pixel corresponding to a non-image portion of a pixel matrix having plural rows and plural columns, and wherein, when it is assumed that a spot diameter in 1/e² of a peak light amount of the light beam in light beam illumination of one pixel is We and a distribution width in a half value of a maximum potential value of a potential distribution formed without illumination by the light beam of one pixel is Wv, the following relationship is satisfied;

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising control means for measuring the potential distribution and for controlling a spot diameter of the light beam and/or a light amount of the light beam.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said image body is an a-Si type photosensitive body.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the light beam is a laser beam.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when it is assumed that a width of one pixel in the pixel matrix is A and a distribution width in a half value of a maximum potential value of a potential distribution formed without illumination by the light beam of one pixel is Wv, the following relationship is satisfied: