Patent · US Expired

Optical scanner and image forming apparatus

US7106483B2 · kind B2 · utility

40Cited by
47References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 14, 2004
Grant dateSep 12, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 28, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B26/125
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical scanner includes a light source, an optical coupler, an optical line image unit, a deflector, and an optical scanning unit. The optical scanning unit includes scanning lenses that guide the beams to a surface to be scanned. A surface on the deflector side of the scanning lens closest to a deflection reflecting surface has a negative power in a vertical scanning direction, and is a special toric surface in which a radius of curvature in a vertical scanning changes from an optical axis of the lens surface toward a periphery of the horizontal scanning direction. An F number of the beams toward the surface to be scanned of the scanning lens in the vertical scanning direction is larger in a peripheral part than in a central part in an effective scanning width.

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