Single polygon scanner for multiple laser printer

Abstract

A color laser printer includes a photoconductor section having photoconductive material configured to be exposed to receive a plurality of color toners in a selective manner representative of a color image to be printed. The printer further includes a scanning section having a plurality of lasers, preferably four lasers, each of the lasers being configured to generate pulsed beams of laser energy to be directed to the photoconductor section to selectively expose the photoconductive material. The scanning section also includes a single, rotating, polygonal-sided mirror having at least four reflective facets corresponding to selected sides of the polygon. The polygonal-sided mirror is positioned relative to the lasers and the photoconductor section such that the pulsed beams of laser energy from each of the lasers are reflected by the reflective facets of the polygonal-sided mirror to a predetermined lineal position on the photoconductive material. Each predetermined lineal position is associated with a selected laser. As the polygonal-sided mirror rotates, the reflective facets are moved along a curved path to cause the beams of laser energy from each laser to be variably reflected from the reflective facets and thereby move along their corresponding predetermined lineal positions to selectively expose lines on the photoconductive material. Preferably, the scanning section, including the lasers, rotating mirror, and any accompanying optical elements, are contained in a single housing for securing the components of the scanning section in fixed, relative position to one another and to the photoconductor section.