In an image forming apparatus that employs a laser scanning optical system that does not use an f 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.

An optical scanning device according to an embodiment includes a light source, a MEMS mirror, a MEMS-mirror driving unit, a control unit, and a sensor. The light source radiates a plurality of laser beams that scan a photoconductive drum. The MEMS mirror includes a reflection surface that reflects the plurality of laser beams radiated from the light source. The MEMS-mirror driving unit reciprocatingly moves the MEMS mirror. The sensor supplies a horizontal synchronization signal to the control unit by detecting the laser beam reflected on the reflection surface when the MEMS mirror reaches a predetermined position. After detecting the horizontal synchronization signal supplied from the sensor, the control unit performs the auto power control of the light amount of at least one laser beam among the plurality of laser beams.

An optical scanning device according to an embodiment includes a light source, a MEMS mirror, a MEMS-mirror driving unit, a control unit, and a sensor. The light source radiates a plurality of laser beams that scan a photoconductive drum. The MEMS mirror includes a reflection surface that reflects the plurality of laser beams radiated from the light source. The MEMS-mirror driving unit reciprocatingly moves the MEMS mirror. The sensor supplies a horizontal synchronization signal to the control unit by detecting the laser beam reflected on the reflection surface when the MEMS mirror reaches a predetermined position. After detecting the horizontal synchronization signal supplied from the sensor, the control unit performs the auto power control of the light amount of at least one laser beam among the plurality of laser beams.

An image forming apparatus includes a light-receiving unit that includes light-receiving elements arranged along a movement direction of a target formed on an image carrier, and is arranged so as to receive light emitted from a light-emitting unit and specularly reflected off the image carrier; a member configured to limit a size, in the movement direction, of diffused reflection light that is incident on the light-receiving unit; a selection unit configured to select whether or not each of the light-receiving elements in the light-receiving unit is an effective light-receiving element; a generation unit configured to generate a detection signal from an output of the effective light-receiving element; and a detection unit configured to detect a target formed on the image carrier based on the detection signal.

A scanner has a first mirror having a plurality of concavities configured to reflect light from a document; and a sensor configured to detect light reflected by the concavity; the concavity having an optical characteristic that differs according to position.

An optical writing device driving a light-emitting element array, modulating light according to a screening pattern that expresses a dithered image, and performing optical writing by focusing light emitted from the light-emitting element array through a lens array onto a photoreceptor. The optical writing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires a write start position for writing to the photoreceptor in a main scanning direction and a control unit that performs a control when the write start position corresponds to an i-th light-emitting element from a reference position that corresponds to a first light-emitting element in the main scanning direction, i being a positive integer greater than 1, wherein the control unit supplies pixel values to the i-th light-emitting element onwards, the pixel values being assigned from pixels of the screening pattern from an i-th pixel onwards, from a leading pixel of the screening pattern in the main scanning direction.

An optical writing device driving a light-emitting element array, modulating light according to a screening pattern that expresses a dithered image, and performing optical writing by focusing light emitted from the light-emitting element array through a lens array onto a photoreceptor. The optical writing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires a write start position for writing to the photoreceptor in a main scanning direction and a control unit that performs a control when the write start position corresponds to an i-th light-emitting element from a reference position that corresponds to a first light-emitting element in the main scanning direction, i being a positive integer greater than 1, wherein the control unit supplies pixel values to the i-th light-emitting element onwards, the pixel values being assigned from pixels of the screening pattern from an i-th pixel onwards, from a leading pixel of the screening pattern in the main scanning direction.

An image forming device according to an embodiment includes a photosensitive drum and a light-emitting unit with a plurality of light-emitting elements which form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. A processor controls a storage unit to store a cumulative light emission time of each light-emitting element. The processor further controls the storage unit to store an adjustment time which is shorter than a longest cumulative light emission time of the light-emitting elements. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the processor controls at least one of the light-emitting elements that has a cumulative light emission time which is shorter than the adjustment time to emit light until the cumulative light emission time thereof equals the adjustment time.

An image forming device according to an embodiment includes a photosensitive drum and a light-emitting unit with a plurality of light-emitting elements which form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. A processor controls a storage unit to store a cumulative light emission time of each light-emitting element. The processor further controls the storage unit to store an adjustment time which is shorter than a longest cumulative light emission time of the light-emitting elements. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the processor controls at least one of the light-emitting elements that has a cumulative light emission time which is shorter than the adjustment time to emit light until the cumulative light emission time thereof equals the adjustment time.

A light scanning device includes: a first semiconductor laser 44a that emits a light beam L1; a polygonal mirror 42 that deflects the light beam L1; a reflective mirror 64a that reflects the light beam L1 deflected by the polygonal mirror 42 and causes the light beam L1 to enter a photosensitive drum 13; and a BD sensor 72 that detects the light beam L1 deflected by the polygonal mirror 42. The light scanning device scans the photosensitive drum 13 with the light beam L1 and set scanning timing of the photosensitive drum 13 using the light beam L1 based on detection timing of the light beam L1 using the BD sensor 72. The BD sensor 72 is arranged in the position farther from the polygonal mirror 42 than the last reflective mirror 64a that reflects the light beam L1 immediately before entering the photosensitive drum 13 and arranged inside a scanning angle range of the light beam L1 corresponding to an effective scan area of the photosensitive drum 13.