Patent ID: 8831468
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An optical scanner, comprising: a frame configured to accommodate a plurality of scanning optical systems for emitting latent-image-writing light toward an image carrier and provided with a plurality of emission ports through which the light emitted from the scanning optical systems passes; a plurality of dust-proof glasses configured to cover the emission ports; and a plurality of automatic cleaning units respectively driven by one drive source to clean the dust-proof glasses, wherein each of the automatic cleaning units includes a screw shaft arranged to extend along each of the dust-proof glasses and rotationally driven by the drive source, a holding member to which the screw shaft is threadedly coupled, and a cleaning member held by the holding member and configured to, when the screw shaft is rotationally driven, move together with the holding member along each of the dust-proof glasses to clean each of the dust-proof glasses, wherein the automatic cleaning units are configured such that, when the holding members of the automatic cleaning units are moved by rotationally driving the screw shafts of the automatic cleaning units at the same time, the height of the cleaning member of at least one of the automatic cleaning units with respect to each of the dust-proof glasses becomes different from the height of the cleaning members of the remaining automatic cleaning units with respect to the dust-proof glasses.