US 7,321,378 B2 | ||
Optical multi-beam scanning device and image forming apparatus | ||
Takashi Shiraishi, Kawasaki (Japan) | ||
Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (Japan); and Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
Filed on Feb. 03, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/48,768. | ||
Claims priority of application No. 2004-027268 (JP), filed on Feb. 03, 2004. | ||
Prior Publication US 2005/0168563 A1, Aug. 04, 2005 | ||
Int. Cl. B41J 2/455 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 347—233 | 2 Claims |
1. An optical multi-beam scanning device which forms a plurality of latent images, the device comprising:
a first plurality of laser diodes which are arranged while junction surfaces of the laser diodes are inclined toward the same
direction with respect to a sub-scanning direction;
a second plurality of laser diodes whose junction surfaces are inclined toward the opposite direction to the inclined direction
of the junction surfaces of the first laser diodes while the inclined angle of the junction surfaces of the second laser diodes
is equal to the inclined angle of the junction surfaces of the first laser diodes; and
an optical path combining optical element which has polarization beam splitter surfaces for combining all the light beams,
wherein the light beams emitted from the first laser diodes are incident to one of the polarization beam splitter surfaces
with different heights in the sub-scanning direction in each light beam which forms a different latent image, the light beams
emitted from the second laser diodes are incident to the different surface of the polarization beam splitter surfaces with
different heights in the sub-scanning direction in each light beam which forms the different latent image, and polarized directions
of the light beams which are adjacent to one another on the polarization beam splitter surface and form the different latent
images are different from one another.
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