A beam scanning apparatus with arrayed rotating mirrors is provided. The beam scanning apparatus includes a motor, a worm, a wormgear, a mounting rack, and a rotating mirror, where the worm and the wormgear are located on the mounting rack, and engage with each other by using a gear for a linkage connection; the rotating mirror is located in the mounting rack, and is coaxially connected to the wormgear; and the motor is configured to drive the worm to rotate, to drive the wormgear and the rotating mirror to rotate coaxially. The rotating mirror may be replaced with another rotating mirror with a different structure and a different optical parameter, to adjust output performance of the beam scanning apparatus, thereby improving extensibility.

An image forming apparatus includes first and second light sensors positioned in a laser scanning system of at least one color, such that scanned light is detected by the first light sensor and then by the second light sensor and light sensing surfaces of the first and second light sensors are not parallel, and a control unit connected to the first and second light sensors and configured to determine a time difference in the timing of light detection by the first and second light sensors and to execute a color position shift operation upon determining that the time difference is greater than a first threshold value.

A laser safety device may include a light source and scanner capable of projecting a beam of electromagnetic radiation, a device for measuring distance, a control subsystem that may be interconnected with the light source and the device for measuring distance. The control subsystem may change characteristics of the beam of light to prevent people or objects from being harmed by the electromagnetic radiation based on measured distances from the light source to the people or objects.

A CPU is provided which controls a first light emission state in which a light source is controlled to emit a light beam to scan a full-scanning region and a second light emission state in which the light source is controlled to emit a light beam to scan a non-image region in a period from start of activation of a scanning motor to when the number of rotations of the scanning motor reaches a target number of rotations. The CPU acquires BD cycle values of BD signals generated by a main-scanning synchronization sensor, determines a second timing for changing from the first light emission state to the second light emission state on the basis of the two serial BD cycle values, and changes the semiconductor laser from the first light emission state to the second light emission state according to the second timing.

In an image forming apparatus that employs a laser scanning optical system that does not use an fθ lens, in the case where magnification correction by insertion/removal of an auxiliary pixel is performed based on the premise of digital PWM, an insertion/removal position of an auxiliary pixel is controlled in accordance with a purpose of each piece of image processing.

A laser scanning unit includes a light source portion, a scanning portion, a first correction portion, and a second correction portion. The light source portion outputs a plurality of light beams. The scanning portion scans the plurality of light beams to form a plurality of electrostatic latent images, respectively corresponding to a plurality of colors including at least one reference color and at least one non-reference color, in an image forming portion. The first correction portion applies an external mechanical force to an optical element located in a path of a reference beam, corresponding to the reference color, among the plurality of light beams to correct distortion of a scan line of the reference beam. The second correction portion controls the light source portion to correct distortion of a scan line of a non-reference beam, corresponding to the non-reference color, among the plurality of light beams.

An optical scanning device includes a rotary polygon mirror, a plurality of light sources, a light detecting portion, an obtainment processing portion, an a switching processing portion. The rotary polygon mirror has a reflection surface that reflects incident light, and scans, in a scanning cycle, the light reflected on the reflection surface. The light sources emit, toward the reflection surface, a plurality of light beams. The light detecting portion detects a light amount of each light beam reflected on the reflection surface. The obtainment processing portion obtains a switching timing to switch a light emission amount of each of the light sources in the scanning cycle, based on light amounts of the light beams detected by the light detecting portion. The switching processing portion switches the light emission amount of each of the light sources based on the switching timing obtained by the obtainment processing portion.

The detector that detects a light beam emitted from a light source of a second image forming device and reflected by a polygon mirror, and an adjustment device that performs adjustment processing of adjusting the velocity of the polygon mirror based on an output of the detector are provided. Before a first image forming device performs the image forming processing, the adjustment device performs the adjustment processing while causing the light source of the second image forming device to emit the light beam during a time period including at least a time period in which a photosensitive member of the second image forming device is emitted with the light beam. Before the adjustment processing is finished, the first image forming device starts to move a developing member to a developing position.

An electronic apparatus includes a light source that outputs a laser light; a scanning unit that scans the laser light; a reflective member having a reflective surface that reflects the laser light; a light-receiving unit that receives a first reflected light reflected by the reflective member; and a signal processing unit that calculates a distance from the light source to the reflective surface using the first reflected light and determines a direction in which the laser light is output using the distance.

In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit a first set of optical signals that include a first optical signal. The lidar system also includes a scanner that includes a polygon mirror configured to: rotate around an axis of rotation at a rotation rate, and direct the first set of emitted optical signals into a field of regard of the lidar system with the polygon mirror rotating at a first rotation rate. The lidar system further includes a receiver configured to detect a first received optical signal that includes a portion of the first optical signal that is scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The lidar system also includes a controller configured to adjust the rotation rate of the polygon mirror for a second set of optical signals emitted by the light source.