Patent ID: 8768228

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member configured to bear a toner image; a movable belt member configured to bear and convey a recording material; a transfer member configured to electrostatically transfer the toner image formed on the image bearing member onto the recording material born and conveyed by the belt member; a raising unit configured to raise the belt member from an inner surface side at a position downstream of the transfer member in a conveying direction of the recording material so a surface of the belt member locally projects in a width direction of the belt member; a separation stretching member configured to stretch the belt member at a position downstream of the raising unit in the conveying direction of the recording material to separate the recording material from the belt member; a charge elimination needle arranged downstream of the separation stretching member in the conveying direction of the recording material to eliminate a charge from the recording material; an execution unit configured to execute a first mode in which a recording material having a first thickness is conveyed by the belt member and is separated by the separation stretching member without raising the belt member by the raising unit and a second mode in which a recording material having a second thickness less than the first thickness is conveyed by the belt member and the belt member is raised by the raising unit; and a charge-elimination-needle moving unit configured to move the charge elimination needle so the charge elimination needle is located at a first position in the first mode and the charge elimination needle is located in the second mode at a second position higher than the first position in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the surface of the belt member that is not raised by the raising unit between the transfer member and the separation stretching member.