| US 7,538,784 B2 | ||
| Line head and image forming apparatus incorporating the same | ||
| Katsunori Yamazaki, Nagano (Japan); Yujiro Nomura, Nagano (Japan); and Kiyoshi Tsujino, Nagano (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 07, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/835,270. | ||
| Application 11/835270 is a division of application No. 10/946626, filed on Sep. 21, 2004, granted, now 7,425,971. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2003-329493 (JP), filed on Sep. 22, 2003; application No. 2003-332885 (JP), filed on Sep. 25, 2003; application No. 2003-332886 (JP), filed on Sep. 25, 2003; and application No. 2003-332887 (JP), filed on Sep. 25, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0024393 A1, Jan. 31, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. G03G 15/043 (2006.01); B41J 2/45 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 347—132 | 13 Claims |
| 1. A line head, comprising:
a plurality of element arrays arranged in a first direction, each array including a plurality of light emission elements arrayed
in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction; and
a first switcher, which activates the light emission elements in at least one of the element arrays while deactivating the
others, wherein:
each of the light emission elements is provided as either an organic electroluminescence element or a light emitting diode;
the first switcher controls a potential at a cathode of each of the light emission elements;
each of the element arrays is divided into a plurality of blocks; and
the line head further comprises a second switcher that activates the light emission elements in at least one of the blocks
in the at least one element array activated by the first switcher.
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