Patent · US Expired

Optical scanning device, image forming apparatus and optical scanning method

US6384949B1 · kind B1 · utility

64Cited by
8References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 25, 2000
Grant dateMay 7, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 25, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B26/124
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A coupling lens couples a light flux from a light source to form a parallel light flux, a convergent light flux or a divergent light flux. An optical deflector includes a deflective reflection surface which deflects the light flux from the coupling lens at a uniform angular velocity. A scanning image-formation optical system converges the deflected light flux received from the optical deflector on a surface to be scanned to form a beam spot. The device scans the surface to be scanned with the beam spot at a uniform velocity. A depth increasing component, increases the depth of focus determined by the entire optical system of the device, on the optical path between the light source and the deflective reflection surface.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.