Patent ID: 7974565

Claim:
A cleaning device that removes adhered substances on a surface of a surface moving member, comprising: a long, plate-shaped elastic member; a retaining member that retains the plate-shaped elastic member; a support shaft provided on the retaining member; a bearing that engages with the support shaft, the bearing being supported by a device body, and the bearing including a hole that provides a gap between the support shaft and the bearing, so that the support shaft is shiftable within a cross section of the hole and the gap is shiftable within the cross section of the hole to both a top end and a bottom end of the hole; a warping restriction member that restricts warping of the plate-shaped elastic member that occurs as a result of the plate-shaped elastic member pressing against the surface of the surface moving member; and a foreign object infiltration prevention member that prevents entry of foreign objects into the gap between the support shaft and the bearing in any position that the support shaft shifts to within the cross section of the hole, wherein the support shaft and the bearing engage downstream in a direction of surface movement of the surface moving member from a line normal to a portion of the surface of the surface moving member in contact with the plate-shaped elastic member, the retaining member retains the plate-shaped elastic member through the warping restriction member, and the plate-shaped elastic member removes adhered substances on the surface of the surface moving member by pressing against the surface of the surface moving member, with the plate-shaped elastic member being pressed against the surface of the surface moving member such that one side of the plate-shaped elastic member extending in a lengthwise direction thereof is perpendicular to a direction of surface movement of the surface moving member, and a degree of freedom is provided between the support shaft and the bearing by the gap therebetween being maintained free from foreign objects by the foreign object infiltration prevention member while the support shaft and the bearing are engaged, so that the degree of freedom enables the retaining member to be displaced relative to the device body.