Patent ID: 9454100
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. A developer guide device comprising: a conveying pipe portion configured to guide a developer in a predetermined conveyance direction; a light-emitting portion configured to emit light into an interior of the conveying pipe portion through a light projection window provided in a peripheral wall of the conveying pipe portion; a light-receiving portion capable of receiving light from the interior of the conveying pipe portion through a light reception window provided in the peripheral wall of the conveying pipe portion; a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning member configured to receive a predetermined drive force to be displaced thereby to come into contact with inner surfaces of the light projection window and the light reception window to clean the inner surfaces; and a conveying member configured to be rotationally driven about a rotational axis thereof thereby to convey the developer having passed through the conveying pipe portion, wherein the cleaning mechanism further includes a power transmission portion configured to transmit rotational power of the conveying member to the cleaning member to displace the cleaning member, and the power transmission portion converts the rotational power of the conveying member to power in a direction parallel to the conveyance direction and transmits the power to the cleaning member to cause the cleaning member to reciprocate in the direction parallel to the conveyance direction in a state where the cleaning member is in contact with the inner surfaces.