An optical deflector is used for optically scanning a target surface. The optical deflector includes: a mirror device configured to include a mirror capable of oscillating; and a casing configured to include a window unit for facing the mirror device, and to accommodate the mirror device. The window unit has a transmissive reflection structure in which part of an incident beam is caused to transmit through the window unit toward the mirror, and at least part of a remainder of the incident beam is reflected by the window unit to a direction separated from an optical deflection range that is deflected by the mirror device, and the transmissive reflection structure includes a diffraction grating provided on one of a front surface and a back surface of the window unit.

A head device of three-dimensional modeling equipment is disclosed which has unidirectionally rotating polygon mirrors, can perform biaxial scanning at a high speed due to a combination of the mirrors, can easily control timing and a modeling ray irradiation position, and can enhance modeling precision. A scanning method for a modeling plane using the same is also disclosed.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a transmitter, an optical sensing system, and an optical sensing method. An exemplary optical sensing system includes an optical source configured to emit optical signals. The optical sensing system further includes a scanner configured to steer the optical signals towards an environment surrounding the optical sensing system at a plurality of scanning angles. A surface curvature of the scanner is adaptively adjusted to change a divergence of the optical signals at the respective scanning angles. The optical sensing system additionally includes a receiver configured to receive the optical signals returning from the environment.

An image forming apparatus, including a photosensitive member, a scanning optical unit configured to scan the photosensitive member by laser light according to image information, a detection unit arranged in a position facing the photosensitive member and configured to output positional information on the laser light. The detection unit includes a detection portion into which the laser light reflected by the photosensitive member is incident, and a control unit configured to calculate a positional deviation amount of an irradiation position on the photosensitive member which is irradiated by the laser light based on the positional information output by the detection unit, and control the scanning optical unit to correct the positional deviation of the irradiation position of the laser light.

An image forming apparatus includes a first medium scanned with a first signal, a second medium scanned with a second signal, a rotary polygon mirror that deflects the first and second signals, a synchronization signal generation circuit that generates a synchronization signal representing a time to start scanning the first medium, and at least one pseudo synchronization signal generation circuit that generates a pseudo synchronization signal with the synchronization signal. The pseudo synchronization signal represents a time to start scanning the second medium. Based on a previously calculated period of the synchronization signal and a period of the synchronization signal counted on a particular surface of the polygon mirror, the pseudo synchronization signal generation circuit generates a particular value for generating the pseudo synchronization signal. Based on the particular value, the pseudo synchronization signal generation circuit starts generating the pseudo synchronization signal when the synchronization signal is enabled.

The optical scanning device includes a swingable reflector; a blocking unit that is provided in the reflector to move in linkage with the reflector; and a sensor unit that includes at least a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit, wherein each of the first and second sensor units includes an output unit, which is a light generator or an electromagnetic wave generator configured to output a detection target and a detection unit, which is a light receiver or an electromagnetic wave receiver configured to detect the detection target. The output unit is at a position that faces the detection unit. When the reflector is in a predetermined swing angle range, the blocking plate blocks a path of the detection target between the output unit and the detection unit.

An image forming apparatus including a first output unit configured to detect a light beam deflected by a rotary polygon mirror rotated by a drive unit to output a first signal, a second output unit configured to output a second signal to be used as a reference, and a first controller configured to perform the phase control based on the first signal and the second signal. The phase control is performed in accordance with a condition set based on a rotation speed of the drive unit corresponding to an image forming speed by outputting a drive signal having a predetermined pulse width to the drive unit to accelerate or decelerate the drive unit so that the first signal and a position signal, based on the second signal, substantially match. The condition being a pulse width of the drive signal and/or a frequency of performing the phase control.

Provided are a beam scanning device and a system including the beam scanning device. The beam scanning device includes: a spatial light modulator configured to modulate a phase of a light for a corresponding pixel of a plurality of pixels; and a phase mask including a support plate arranged in an output direction of the light that is output from the spatial light modulator and a plurality of nanostructures arranged on the support plate differently for each of the plurality of pixels to control the phase of the light.

An image forming apparatus with accurate color shift correction with consideration of a change in a rotational speed of a driving portion of a laser scanning member includes a light source, the laser scanning member, a driving portion, a speed controlling portion, a light detecting portion, a light source controlling portion, a scanning lens, a housing, a temperature gradient detecting portion, a first temperature detecting portion, and a correction processing portion. The temperature gradient detecting portion detects a temperature gradient in the housing. The first temperature detecting portion detects a temperature of the scanning lens. The correction processing portion corrects an emission start timing at which light corresponding to a line of image data is emitted from the light source, based on the temperatures detected by the temperature gradient detecting portion and the first temperature detecting portion, the rotational speed of the driving portion, and a preset arithmetic expression.

According to one embodiment, a scanning light measuring apparatus includes a support table, a light-emission control circuit, a light-receiving element, a moving mechanism, and a measurement control circuit. An optical unit is placed on the support table. The optical unit has a synchronous detection sensor that forms scanning light and detects the scanning light. The light-emission control circuit controls the light-emission time of the scanning light. The light-receiving element receives the scanning light. The moving mechanism supports the light-receiving element so as to be movable in a main scanning direction and a rotation direction around an axis orthogonal to the main scanning direction and an optical axis direction of the scanning light. The measurement control circuit moves the light-receiving element in the main scanning direction by the moving mechanism, scans the light-receiving element with the scanning light, acquires an output of the light-receiving element, and measures a scanning light diameter.