Cleaning device, intermediate transfer unit including the same, and image forming apparatus including the same

An intermediate transfer unit, comprising:

• a housing having an opening that opposes an image carrier and a waste toner receiver that receives toner that has been scraped off from a surface of the image carrier;
• a cleaning member including a rotation member that is rotated in a forward rotation direction, the cleaning member being positioned near the opening in the housing and removes residual toner from the surface of the image carrier;
• a contact member positioned so as to be in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the rotation member;
• a torque limiter located on a rotation shaft of the rotation member and capable of rotating independently of the rotation shaft when a torque that is greater than or equal to a predetermined torque is applied to the torque limiter;
• an urging member that applies an urging force to the torque limiter in a reverse rotation direction;
• and
• when T1 is a torque required to rotate the torque limiter independently of the rotation shaft, T2 is a rotation torque of the rotation member, F is an urging force of the urging member, and L is a distance between a position at which the urging member urges the torque limiter and a rotation center of the torque limiter, (F×L)<T1<T2−(F×L) is satisfied;
• and
• an intermediate transfer belt from which the residual toner is removed by the cleaning device.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a cleaning device comprising:
• a housing having an opening that opposes an image carrier and a waste toner receiver that receives toner that has been scraped off from a surface of the image carrier;
• a cleaning member including a rotation member that is rotated in a forward rotation direction, the cleaning member being positioned near the opening in the housing and removes residual toner from the surface of the image carrier;
• a contact member positioned so as to be in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the rotation member;
• a torque limiter located on a rotation shaft of the rotation member and capable of rotating independently of the rotation shaft when a torque that is greater than or equal to a predetermined torque is applied to the torque limiter;
• an urging member that applies an urging force to the torque limiter in a reverse rotation direction;
• and
• when T1 is a torque required to rotate the torque limiter independently of the rotation shaft, T2 is a rotation torque of the rotation member, F is an urging force of the urging member, and L is a distance between a position at which the urging member urges the torque limiter and a rotation center of the torque limiter, (F×L)<T1<T2−(F×L) is satisfied.