CLEANING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING CLEANING DEVICE, AND END-SEALING MEMBER FOR CLEANING DEVICE

摘要

A cleaning device that removes a residual substance from an image carrier includes a cleaning container having an opening that faces the image carrier, the cleaning container extending in an axial direction of the image carrier and receiving the residual substance; a scraping member that extends in a longitudinal direction of the opening and scrapes off the residual substance by coming into contact with the image carrier; and an end-sealing member that is fixed to the cleaning container at least at one end of the opening, that is in contact with a surface of the image carrier, and that seals a gap between the cleaning container and the image carrier at an end of the scraping member. A surface of the end-sealing member that is in contact with the image carrier has a void in a region isolated from a surrounding region.

主权项

1. A cleaning device that removes a residual substance from an image carrier that rotates, the cleaning device comprising:
a cleaning container comprising an opening that faces the image carrier, the cleaning container extending in an axial direction of the image carrier and configured to receive the residual substance from the image carrier; a scraping member extending in a longitudinal direction of the opening in the cleaning container and configured to scrape off the residual substance from the image carrier by contact; and an end-sealing member that is fixed to the cleaning container at least at one end of the opening in the longitudinal direction, that is in contact with a surface of the image carrier, and configured to seal a gap between the cleaning container and the image carrier at an end of the scraping member in a longitudinal direction of the scraping member, wherein a surface of the end-sealing member that is in contact with the surface of the image carrier has a void in a region isolated from a surrounding region, and wherein the end sealing member is inclined such that an upstream side of the end-sealing member is disposed farther away from the image carrier than a downstream side of the end-sealing members in a direction in which the image carrier rotates.