JP2009197968A - Flexible hose and hose connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible hose which does not prevent fluid from flowing by simply making it possible to remove only reinforcing wire rods for recycling and smoothing inner peripheral surface. <P>SOLUTION: The flexible hose is spirally provided with the reinforcing wire 14 on a reinforcing layer 18 between an inner packaging tube 16 and an outer packaging tube 12, and the wall thickness d2 of the outer packaging tube 12 is thicker than the wall thickness d4 of the inner packaging tube 16. Thus, the flexible hose is adapted to make it possible to remove only the reinforcing wire 14 by tearing the inner packaging tube 16 only by pulling end piece of the reinforcing wire 14 because the wall thickness d4 of the inner packaging tube 16 is thin. The flexible hose can be subjected to recycling by separating to the inner and outer packaging tubes 12 and the reinforcing wire 14, respectively if qualities of their materials are different from each other. In addition, the flexible hose does not disturb fluid flow if the fluid flows because the inner peripheral surface 16a of the inner packaging tube 16 is formed smooth. Moreover, handling of the flexible hose 10 becomes easier because the outer peripheral surface 12a of the outer packaging tube 12 is formed smooth. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a flexible hose provided with a reinforcing wire between an interior tube and an exterior tube, and a hose connector connected to the flexible hose.

  Conventionally, there are various types of such hoses. However, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, each hose has a reinforcing layer 94 between the outer tube 92 and the inner tube 96 (also referred to as an intermediate layer; hereinafter the same). Is arranged. In this way, the purpose of inserting a reinforcing wire into the hose is to improve pressure resistance and vacuum pressure resistance, to prevent the hose itself from being crushed by pressurization from the outside of the hose, or to partially seat the hose during bending. This is to prevent the hose itself from collapsing due to bending.

  However, since the reinforcing wire attached to the reinforcing layer is made of different materials from the viewpoint of strength, the inner tube and the outer tube are not bonded (including welding; the same shall apply hereinafter). Since they are not bonded, the distance between the outer diameter of the outer tube and the outer apex of the spiral shape (spiral shape) of the reinforcing wire is small, and the thickness of this portion is extremely thin. When a connector is connected to the hose and pressure is applied to the hose, fluid enters from the reinforcing layer, and the thin-walled portion cannot withstand the pressure and is damaged. In general, when manufacturing a hose, the connector connectivity is not considered, and the hose itself is designed with the operational effects.

  In addition, in order to prevent the said damage, the technique which formed the inner layer tube and the reinforcement outer layer tube by the same thickness d9 (refer FIG. 9), and formed the inner layer tube with the soft synthetic resin is disclosed by patent document 1. FIG. The pressure hose disclosed in Patent Document 1 also includes a reinforcing wire in a spiral shape between the inner layer tube and the reinforcing outer layer tube. Since the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcing outer layer tube is formed to be smooth, it is possible to reduce wear on the floor surface and the hose.

  This type of flexible hose is difficult to expand in the outer diameter direction and shrinks in the inner diameter direction even when pressure is applied to the inside or outside of the flexible hose due to the reinforcing wire provided in the reinforcing layer. It has become difficult. For example, when a general bamboo nipple nipple is attached to the flexible hose, first, the hose insertion portion of the bamboo nipple nipple is thick, making it difficult to insert into the inner diameter of the hose. Therefore, it is necessary to insert the bamboo nipple nipple into the hose with the outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the hose.

  Next, it tightens from the outer diameter part of a hose with the hose band metal fitting known by general hose tightening. However, since the hose itself has a structure that is difficult to shrink in the inner diameter direction, the tightening force is not transmitted from the outer diameter of the hose to the inner diameter of the hose even if it is tightened with the hose band. Therefore, since the inner diameter of the hose is difficult to reduce to the outer diameter of the bamboo nipple nipple, even if a fluid is passed through the hose in this state, it causes leakage.

  On the other hand, the reinforcing wire provided in the reinforcing layer of the flexible hose uses a hard material and is fixed in a spiral shape. For this reason, for example, when a hose is tightened with a connector having a strong tightening force, it bends in the bending direction with respect to the spiral axis, but in a direction perpendicular to the axis (that is, in the inner or outer diameter direction of the hose). There is no stretching action. If strong pressure is applied, the spiral shape will meander and deform, and the shape of the reinforcing wire itself will bend, causing a leakage of fluid from the hose and connector bamboo insert into the hose, resulting in a sealing property. Lack.

  Furthermore, regarding the possibility of recyclability, the material of the interior tube and the exterior tube is different from the spiral reinforcement wire of the hard material forming the reinforcement layer. For example, in the pressure-resistant hose of Patent Document 1 described above, it is considered that the reinforcing wire that is not bonded to the reinforcing outer layer tube is bonded to the inner tube in order to maintain a spiral state. Therefore, even if the end of the reinforcing wire is simply pulled for recycling, it is difficult to take out only the reinforcing wire from the pressure hose. Thus, since it cannot be divided at the time of disposal after use of the hose, the entire hose must be discarded as industrial waste and is not recyclable.

  In order to make it easy to take out only the reinforcing wire, a flexible hose in which a concave groove is formed in a spiral shape along the inner peripheral surface of the flexible hose and the reinforcing wire is bonded or fused to the protrusion formed in the concave groove. An example is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2). However, in the configuration in which the reinforcing wire is provided in the concave groove, the inner peripheral surface becomes uneven, so that the latter problem (that is, the flow inhibition) described above remains. Since the outer peripheral surface is also uneven, it becomes a resistance when the flexible hose is routed.

  On the other hand, the inner peripheral surface of the hose body is formed in a smooth shape to eliminate flow obstruction, and the outer peripheral surface of the hose body is provided with a spiral reinforcing wire, and the reinforcing fiber layer is coated on the outer peripheral side in a non-adhesive state. An example of a pressure hose is disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 3). However, since it is considered that the reinforcing wire is adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the hose body in order to maintain a spiral state, the former problem described above (that is, taking out only the reinforcing wire) remains.

  For vacuum resistance, a reinforcing wire is provided in the center of the inner tube and outer tube, so the outer tube provided in the outer diameter direction of the reinforcing wire is shielded by the reinforcing wire and Although it can withstand a vacuum state well, the internal tube provided in the inner diameter direction is not shielded and thus has a drawback of lacking in vacuum resistance.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-201341 JP 2004-065395 A JP 2001-182868 A

Even if the technique described in Patent Documents 1-3 is used, a flexible hose that can be taken out only by pulling the end portion of the reinforcing wire and that does not hinder the flow when a fluid is flowed. There was a problem that it could not be provided.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and allows for easy removal of only the reinforcing wire for recycling (environmental conservation), and makes the inner peripheral surface smooth and does not hinder the flow of fluid. The purpose is to provide a sex hose.

(1) Means for solving the problem (hereinafter simply referred to as “solution means”) 1 is as described in claim 1.
According to the solution 1, the reinforcing wire is provided in a spiral shape between the interior tube and the exterior tube, and the thickness of the exterior tube is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the interior tube. In other words, since the wall thickness of the interior tube is thin, it is possible to tear the interior tube and take out only the reinforcement line by simply pulling the end portion of the reinforcement line. Therefore, when the material is different between the interior tube and the exterior tube and the reinforcing wire, they can be separated and used for recycling. Moreover, since the inner peripheral surface of the interior tube is formed in a smooth shape (that is, flat), the flow is not hindered when a fluid is flowed. In addition, since the outer peripheral surface of the exterior tube is also formed in a smooth shape, a situation such as being caught when the flexible hose is routed can be prevented.

(2) Solution 2 is as described in claim 2.
According to the solution 2, the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing wire is formed in any one of a circular shape, a semicircular shape, and a parallelogram. If formed in this way, a portion where the thick portion of the interior tube becomes thin is formed, so that only the reinforcing wire can be taken out by tearing this portion. At this time, since the thickness to be torn is thin, it can be easily torn with a small force.

(3) The solving means 3 is as described in claim 3.
According to the solution 3, the reinforcement wire is torn and separated by simply holding the end portion of the reinforcement wire with a tool or the like and pulling it in the axial direction. Therefore, the material can be separated very easily, and can be recycled after the separation.

(4) The solving means 4 is as described in claim 4.
According to the solution 4, the cylindrical portion of the hose connector has an outer diameter set equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the flexible hose. Since such an outer diameter is set, it is not necessary to forcibly expand the flexible hose into a cylindrical part having a large outer diameter as in the conventional product, and the insertion work is facilitated. Further, the elastic sleeve of the hose connector bites into the inner diameter direction from the outer peripheral side of the flexible hose. Since the elastic sleeve bites into the outer tube in this way, the flexible hose can be prevented from coming off regardless of whether the cylindrical portion is formed in a smooth shape.

(5) Solution 5 is as described in claim 5.
According to the solution 5, since the uneven portion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the elastic sleeve, the inner peripheral surface easily bites into the outer tube. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the flexible hose from coming off regardless of whether or not the cylindrical portion is formed in a smooth shape.

  According to the present invention, since only the reinforcing wire can be easily taken out from the flexible hose simply by pulling the end of the reinforcing wire, the material can be sorted and can be recycled. Moreover, since the inner peripheral surface of the flexible hose is formed in a smooth shape, the fluid flow is not hindered.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a flexible hose. Specifically, a front view is shown in FIG. 1A, and a partially broken side view is shown in FIG. A flexible hose 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an outer tube 12, a reinforcing wire 14, an inner tube 16, and the like.
The flexible hose 10 is made possible by reducing the wall thickness d4 of the inner tube 16 and attaching the reinforcing wire 14 to the reinforcing layer 18 provided in the axial direction (inner diameter direction) of the flexible hose 10. The exterior tube 12 provided in the outer diameter direction of the flexible hose 10 is formed to have a thick wall thickness d2 (that is, d2> d4). The reinforcing wire 14 is formed of a hard material and is attached in a spiral shape. Both the outer peripheral surface 12a of the outer tube 12 and the inner peripheral surface 16a of the inner tube 16 are formed to be smooth.

As described above, since the thickness d2 of the outer tube 12 is increased, the outer tube 12 itself has equal pressure resistance and vacuum resistance. For this reason, even if fluid etc. penetrate | invade into the part of the reinforcement line 14 of the reinforcement layer 18 and a pressure is applied, it will not be damaged.
The reinforcing wire 14 provided in the reinforcing layer 18 is formed closer to the inner diameter than the central portions of the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 16. For this reason, when connecting a connector (see FIGS. 3 and 4), which will be described later, even if a strong compression pressure is applied from the outside of the outer diameter of the flexible hose 10 for pressure-resistant sealing, the reinforcing wire 14 will not be deformed. .

Here, in the flexible hose 10, the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 16 are made of, for example, vinyl chloride, and the reinforcing wire 14 is made of, for example, polyester. Since the materials of the members formed in this way are different, it is necessary to separate them for separation at the time of disposal. That is, the reinforcing wire 14 provided in the flexible hose 10 must be removed.
The flexible hose 10 described above can be separated from the flexible hose 10 simply by pulling the reinforcing wire 14. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, if the end portion of the reinforcing wire 14 is grasped and pulled with a tool K or the like, the reinforcing wire 14 provided in a spiral shape tears the thin inner tube 16 having the wall thickness d4. Can be easily removed. Therefore, the exterior tube 12 and the interior tube 16 and the reinforcing wire 14 can be separated and used for recycling and reuse.

  Next, a hose connector for connecting to the flexible hose 10 described above will be described. 3 and 4 are exploded views showing an example of the configuration of the hose connector. 4 is a side view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. The hose connector shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a nipple 20, a shell 30, an elastic sleeve 40, and the like.

  The nipple 20 corresponds to a connector body, and includes a mounting screw portion 22, a locked portion 24, a cylindrical portion 26, and the like. The attachment screw portion 22 is a part for attaching and fixing the entire hose connector to the device, and is fastened to the device by using a not-shown flock nut or the like. The locked portion 24 is a portion for locking locking portions 32a and 32b of the shell 30 described later. The cylindrical portion 26 is a portion to be inserted into the inner peripheral side of the flexible hose 10 and has an outer diameter set equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the flexible hose 10. Since such an outer diameter is set, there is no need to forcibly expand the tip of the flexible hose 10 into a cylindrical part having a large outer diameter like a conventional product, and the insertion work is facilitated. Note that the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 26 is formed to be smooth or an uneven surface equivalent thereto.

  The shell 30 is composed of two divided parts 30a and 30b formed in a substantially symmetrical shape with a center line represented by a one-dot chain line as a center. The divided component 30a includes a locking portion 32a, a housing portion 34a, a connecting hole 36a, and the like. Similarly, the divided component 30b includes a locking portion 32b, a housing portion 34b, a connecting hole 36b, and the like. The locking portions 32 a and 32 b are portions that are locked to the locked portion 24 of the nipple 20, and lock the shell 30 to the nipple 20. The accommodating portions 34a and 34b are portions for accommodating a protruding portion 44 of the elastic sleeve 40 described later. The connection holes 36a and 36b are formed with their central axes aligned, and a fastening screw is provided on the connection hole 36b. When the connecting holes 36a and 36b are fastened through fastening members T (for example, bolts and screws), the two divided parts 30a and 30b are fixed integrally to form the shell 30.

  The elastic sleeve 40 is a component used as a function for preventing the flexible hose 10 from coming off, and has a locking portion 42, a protruding portion 44, a convex portion 48, and the like. The elastic sleeve 40 has an inner diameter of a perfect circle and an outer diameter of an ellipse, and convex portions 48 are formed at two locations on one side (that is, four locations on both sides) where the outer diameter of the elliptical shape is small. . The locking portion 42 is a portion that locks by applying the end of the flexible hose 10. The protruding portion 44 is a portion having a large outer diameter formed in a flange shape. An uneven portion 46 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the protruding portion 44.

  An example in which the hose connector configured as described above is connected to the flexible hose 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. About the state which inserted the flexible hose in the hose connector, the state before fastening is represented in FIG. 5, and the state after fastening is represented in FIG. FIG. 5A and FIG. 6A are side views with partial breaks. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B2-B2 in FIG.

  First, the flexible hose 10 is passed through the elastic sleeve 40, and the end of the flexible hose 10 is applied to the locking portion 42 of the elastic sleeve 40 to be locked. The flexible hose 10 is fitted so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 26 of the nipple 20 in this locked state. Further, when the divided parts 30a and 30b are combined so that the protruding portion 44 of the elastic sleeve 40 is accommodated in the accommodating portions 34a and 34b, and the fastening member T is passed through the connecting holes 36a and 36b, the result is as shown in FIG.

When the fastening member T is fastened in the state shown in FIG. That is, by fastening the divided component 30 a and the divided component 30 b with the fastening member T, the elastic sleeve 40 (particularly the protrusion 44) is compressed and pressed in the axial direction and deeply digs into the outer tube 12 of the flexible hose 10. . Furthermore, since the concavo-convex portion 46 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the protruding portion 44 bites into the outer tube 12, it does not come out even if the cylindrical portion 26 of the nipple 20 is smooth.
The reinforcing wire 14 provided on the reinforcing layer 18 of the flexible hose 10 is compressed and pressed by the elastic sleeve 40 and the like, and the positional relationship in which the reinforcing wire 14 is provided is on the inner diameter side, so that the wire is bent or meandered. Can be prevented.

In the conventional bamboo shoot-like nipple, the cylindrical portion tends to be uneven, and in order to prevent this, it is necessary to ensure a thick wall of the cylindrical portion, and as a result, the inner diameter must be reduced. When the inner diameter is reduced in this way, the flow of fluid or the like deteriorates, leading to pressure loss.
However, as described above, the hose connector of the present invention can form the cylindrical portion 26 of the nipple 20 in a smooth shape, so that a large inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 26 can be ensured, and the effect of improving the pressure loss of the fluid can be saved. It will be possible to design.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The reinforcing layer 18 between the inner tube 16 and the outer tube 12 is provided with a reinforcing wire 14 in a spiral shape, and the wall thickness d2 of the outer tube 12 is made thicker than the wall thickness d4 of the inner tube 16 (FIG. 1). See). Thus, since the thickness d4 of the internal tube 16 is thin, the internal tube 16 can be torn and only the reinforcement wire 14 can be taken out simply by pulling the end portion of the reinforcement wire 14. Therefore, when the material is different between the interior tube 16 and the exterior tube 12 and the reinforcing wire 14, it can be separated and used for recycling. Moreover, since the inner peripheral surface 16a of the interior tube 16 is formed in a smooth shape (that is, flat), the flow is not hindered when a fluid is flowed. Since the outer peripheral surface 12a of the outer tube 12 is also formed in a smooth shape, it is possible to prevent a situation such as being caught when the flexible hose 10 is routed.

(2) The reinforcing wire 14 has a circular cross-sectional shape (see FIG. 1). When formed in a circular shape in this way, a portion where the thick portion of the interior tube 16 becomes thin is formed, so that only the reinforcing wire 14 can be taken out by tearing this portion. At this time, since the thickness to be torn is thin, it can be easily torn with a small force.

(3) The reinforcing wire 14 is separated by tearing the inner tube 16 simply by grasping the end portion of the reinforcing wire 14 using a tool K or the like and pulling it in the axial direction (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the material can be separated very easily, and can be recycled after the separation.

(4) The cylindrical portion 26 of the hose connector has an outer diameter set equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the flexible hose 10 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Since such an outer diameter is set, there is no need to forcibly expand the flexible hose 10 into a part of the cylindrical portion 26 having a large outer diameter like a conventional product, and the insertion work is facilitated. Further, the elastic sleeve 40 of the hose connector is configured to bite in from the outer peripheral side of the flexible hose 10 toward the inner diameter direction (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Since the elastic sleeve 40 bites into the outer tube 12 in this way, the flexible hose 10 can be prevented from coming off regardless of whether the cylindrical portion 26 is formed in a smooth shape.

(5) Since the concavo-convex portion 46 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the elastic sleeve 40 (see FIGS. 5 and 6), the inner peripheral surface easily bites into the outer tube 12. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the flexible hose 10 from coming off regardless of whether the cylindrical portion 26 is formed in a smooth shape.

[Other Embodiments]
Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this mode. In other words, various forms can be implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following forms may be realized.

(1) In the embodiment described above, the reinforcing wire 14 of the flexible hose 10 has a circular cross-sectional shape (see FIG. 1). Instead of this form, the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing wire 14 may be formed in another shape (particularly, a cross-sectional shape in which the internal tube 16 is easily torn). For example, FIG. 7 shows an example formed in a semicircular shape, and FIG. 8 shows an example formed in a parallelogram (that is, a polygon). FIG. 7 shows a flexible hose 10 </ b> A in which a reinforcing wire 14 </ b> A is provided on the reinforcing layer 18 between the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 16. Similarly, FIG. 8 shows a flexible hose 10 </ b> B in which a reinforcing wire 14 </ b> B is provided on the reinforcing layer 18 between the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 16. Even if the inner tube 16 is formed in a semicircular shape or a parallelogram, there is a portion where the thick portion of the interior tube 16 is thinned, so that only the reinforcing wires 14A and 14B can be taken out by tearing this portion. Therefore, only the reinforcing wires 14A and 14B can be easily separated even with a small force.

(2) In embodiment mentioned above, the cylindrical part 26 of the nipple 20 inserted in the flexible hose 10 was formed in smooth shape (refer FIG. 4). Instead of this form, an uneven groove (the depth should be as shallow as possible) may be formed. The concave / convex groove bites in from the inner side of the flexible hose 10 so as to face the concave / convex portion 46 of the elastic sleeve 40. Therefore, the flexible hose 10 can be prevented from coming off.

It is a figure showing the structural example of a flexible hose. It is a figure showing a mode that a reinforcement line is isolate | separated from a flexible hose. It is an exploded view explaining the structural example of a hose connector. It is a side view of the IV-IV line arrow of FIG. It is a figure showing the state which inserted the flexible hose in the hose connector. It is a figure showing the state after performing the fastening by a fastening member. It is a figure showing the structural example of the flexible hose using a semicircle-shaped reinforcement wire. It is a figure showing the structural example of the flexible hose using the parallelogram reinforcement line. It is a figure showing the conventional flexible hose.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10A, 10B Flexible hose 12 Exterior tube 12a Outer peripheral surface 14, 14A, 14B Reinforcing wire 16 Inner tube 16a Inner peripheral surface 18 Reinforcing layer 20 Nipple (hose connector)
22 Mounting screw portion 24 Locked portion 26 Insertion portion 30 Shell (hose connector)
30a, 30b Divided parts 32a, 32b Locking part 34a, 34b Housing part 36a, 36b Connection hole 40 Elastic sleeve (hose connector)
42 Locking portion 44 Protruding portion 46 Concavity and convexity 48 Convex portion K Tool T Fastening member

Claims (5)

A flexible hose having a reinforcing layer interposed between the inner tube and the outer tube in a spiral shape with a reinforcing wire,
A flexible hose characterized in that the thickness of the outer tube is made larger than the thickness of the inner tube, and the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube and the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube are formed smooth. A flexible hose according to claim 1,
A flexible hose characterized in that the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing wire is formed in one of a circular shape, a semicircular shape, and a parallelogram shape. A flexible hose according to claim 1 or 2,
A flexible hose characterized in that when the end portion of the reinforcing wire is grasped and pulled in the axial direction, the reinforcing wire is split by separating the inner tube. A hose connector connected to the flexible hose according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A cylindrical portion inserted into the inner peripheral side of the flexible hose, and an elastic sleeve fitted into the outer peripheral surface of the flexible hose,
A hose connector characterized in that the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion is set equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the flexible hose, and the elastic sleeve bites into the inner diameter direction from the outer peripheral side of the flexible hose. The hose connector according to claim 4,
A hose connector, wherein an uneven portion is provided on an inner peripheral surface of an elastic sleeve.

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