JP6402146B2 - Pipe cleaning equipment and pipe cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention belongs to the technical field of cleaning instruments. The present invention relates to a cleaning instrument for piping (especially a duct for smoke exhaust) and a cleaning method thereof.

  The pipe means a pipe, a tube, or a hose attached for transporting a fluid such as liquid, gas, and powder. Normally, piping is made of metal or polymer resin, and has a cylindrical shape such as a square, circle, or ellipse, and is used in combination with straight pipes, bent pipes (elbows), branch pipes, etc. It is done. Such pipes are installed in various places such as factories, stores, homes, outdoors, underground, and underwater in various uses such as ducts (ventilating pipes), water pipes, drainage pipes, gas pipes, and fire extinguishing pipes. ing. Among these, the duct is usually a pipe that carries a gas, and is mainly disposed for the purpose of air conditioning, ventilation, or smoke emission in a building.

  The interior of the building is maintained in a comfortable environment by installing a duct and performing air conditioning, ventilation, smoke exhaust, etc., but the inner wall of the duct tube due to its long-term use or transport of dirty air On the surface, dirt such as oil, dust, and deposits accumulates. Such contamination is particularly problematic in the case of smoke exhaust ducts for transporting dirty air and smoke. The accumulation of dirt in the duct results in reduced function of the duct and blockage of the duct. If the duct becomes blocked, it may even be necessary to replace the duct itself. In addition, in the case of smoke exhaust ducts at restaurants, for example, yakiniku restaurants, the accumulated dirt contains oil, so there is a risk of generation of malodors and ignition.

  Periodic cleaning or cleaning is indispensable in order to avoid deterioration of the function of the duct due to accumulation of dirt in the duct. However, usually, an operator brings a cleaning tool inside, and the duct has a narrow opening for working, and it is very difficult to clean and clean the inside. Conventionally, as a method of cleaning and cleaning such ducts, for example, when dirt is light, a method of removing dirt by flowing water with the water pressure, a brush is inserted from the outside, and dust that floats is collected by a dust collector In the case where the dirt is severe, there is a method in which a chemical or hot water is poured inside the duct to dissolve and remove the dirt. However, there is a problem that if the ceiling duct is cleaned with a liquid such as water, the room is immersed in water. Moreover, when there is a grilled meat table near the entrance of the duct, for example, it is necessary to remove it and perform cleaning. Further, when the duct is bent, it is difficult to clean the inside.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning in a branch pipe that has a function of cleaning the inside of a branch pipe for valve attachment connected to a fluid transport pipe and discharging the fluid in the branch pipe by rotating around an axis along the insertion / extraction direction. An apparatus is disclosed. The advantage of the cleaning tool is that the material scraped off from the inner surface of the pipe can be discharged to the outside together with the fluid in the discharge pipe without leaving it in the pipe. The said cleaning apparatus is used for a fluid transport pipe, and the axis | shaft of a cleaning tool does not have flexibility.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an air-conditioning duct nozzle and an air-conditioning duct cleaning device for cleaning dust that is firmly attached to the inner surface of the duct. In the cleaning device, a shaft is attached to the tip of a hose that guides high-pressure air, a plurality of injection ports for injecting high-pressure air in a substantially radial direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft, and an impeller is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cover. Have. The cleaning device floats the dust on the inner surface of the air conditioning duct by the released air and can obtain the propulsive force of the nozzle, and the nozzle adheres by propelling while turning along the inner wall surface of the air conditioning duct. The dust can be cleaned. However, the cleaning device is effective for dust that can be blown away by high-pressure air, but does not have the effect of scraping off the accumulated dirt.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-98790 JP 2002-102812 A

  The main object of the present invention is to provide an instrument or method that can easily clean piping contaminated with accumulated oil, soot, dust, or the like.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventor can rotate the brush connected to one end of the flexible rotating shaft by the power of the electric motor such as the electric screwdriver main body. Further, the present invention has been completed by conceiving an instrument having a portion that can suck and remove the dirt scraped off by the brush and out of the pipe.

Examples of the present invention include the following.
[1] A flexible shaft, a flexible hollow member through which the shaft penetrates (the hollow member may have a branching portion for connecting to a suction machine in the middle), and the hollow member. If There no halfway branching portion, at least bifurcated divided into, one of the flexible shaft penetrates while being connected to the hollow member, the branch pipe and the other is connected to a suction device, and wherein A pipe cleaning instrument comprising: a removable brush attached to one end of a flexible shaft; and a removable electric motor attached to the other end of the flexible shaft.

[2] The pipe cleaning instrument according to [1], wherein the electric motor is an electric driver main body.
[3] The pipe cleaning instrument according to the above [1] or [2], wherein the flexible shaft is made of metal.
[4] The pipe cleaning instrument according to the above [3], wherein the flexible shaft is coiled.
[5] The pipe cleaning instrument according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the brush is a metal wire brush.
[6] The pipe cleaning instrument according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the pipe is a duct or a smoke exhaust duct.
[7] The pipe cleaning instrument according to any one of [1] to [6], further including a nozzle at a brush side end of the hollow member.
[8] The pipe cleaning instrument according to any one of [1] to [7], further including a suction machine.

[9] A step of inserting the brush at the tip of the pipe cleaning instrument according to any one of [1] to [7] into a pipe to be cleaned through a flexible shaft, the pipe cleaning A step of connecting a suction device via a hose to a branching portion of the instrument, or a direction where the flexible shaft of the branch pipe divided into at least two branches does not pass through, and operating an electric motor of the pipe cleaning instrument Removing the dirt of the piping with the brush rotating in communication with the flexible shaft, and removing the dirt while or after removing the dirt, through the hollow member of the pipe cleaning instrument A pipe cleaning method comprising a step of sucking with the suction machine.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform a pipe cleaning operation without removing equipment around the pipe, for example, a grilled meat table. Further, the scraped dirt can be sucked out by a suction machine and quickly discharged out of the pipe. Therefore, it is easy to clean dirt such as oil and dust accumulated in the pipe.

It is one usage figure of the instrument for piping washing which concerns on this invention. It is a disassembled side view which shows an example of the instrument for piping washing which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the nozzle which can be used for the instrument for piping washing | cleaning which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the nozzle which can be used for the instrument for piping washing | cleaning which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the branch pipe which can be used for the instrument for piping washing | cleaning which concerns on this invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
1. About the pipe cleaning instrument according to the present invention The pipe cleaning instrument according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present invention cleaning instrument") includes a flexible shaft and a flexible hollow member through which the shaft passes ( The hollow member may have a branching portion for connecting with a suction machine in the middle.) When the hollow member does not have a branching portion in the middle, the hollow member is divided into at least two branches, one of which is the hollow member wherein the flexible shaft penetrates while being connected with the branch pipe and the other is connected to the suction device, and a removable brush is mounted on one end of said flexible shaft, and said Allowed A detachable electric motor mounted on the other end of the flexible shaft is included.

1.1 Flexible shaft The cleaning instrument of the present invention includes a flexible shaft (hereinafter referred to as “flexible shaft”). Such a flexible shaft is installed between the electric motor and the brush, and has a function as a rotating shaft (shaft) for transmitting the rotational motion of the electric motor to the brush.

  The flexible shaft can be bent according to the bending of the pipe, and the rotation of the electric motor can be transmitted from one to the other even in the bent state. The outer shape of the flexible shaft is not particularly limited as long as it can be used by being inserted into a pipe. For example, it has a wire shape, a rope shape, a thread shape, a wire shape, or a rod shape. As the structure of the flexible shaft, a coil-like structure can be generally used. Among these structures, for example, it is preferable to have a structure in which a wire-like metal is knitted in a coil shape around a metal core. Further, it is more preferable that the flexible shaft has a structure in which a steel wire that is thinner as it is closer to the inside and closer to the surface is wound in a coil shape in a reverse winding manner. The winding of the coil on the flexible shaft is usually appropriately selected according to the rotation direction when the flexible shaft is used.

The flexible shaft may be composed of a single member, or a plurality of members connected by a shaft joint or the like. The length of the flexible shaft is appropriately selected according to the pipe to be cleaned, and is not particularly limited. Specifically, for example, a length within a range of 1 m to 25 m can be mentioned. Preferably, the length is in the range of 2 m to 5 m. If it is longer than 25 m, there is a possibility that the power of the electric motor is insufficient.
The material of the flexible shaft is not particularly limited as long as it has flexibility and the function of a rotating shaft for transmitting rotation, which can bend itself according to the pipe to be cleaned. Can be mentioned. Examples of such metal include stainless steel, steel, and iron. Among these, stainless steel is preferable.
What has a suitable property as the said flexible shaft is marketed as a flexible shaft.

1.2 Brush The cleaning instrument of the present invention includes a brush attached to one end of the flexible shaft. Such a brush is not particularly limited as long as the brush can be cleaned by the rotation of the brush, but usually has a shaft and hairs radially planted on the shaft. Examples of such a brush include a tube brush, a roller brush, and a cup brush. Among these, a tube brush is preferable. The material of the brush hair is not particularly limited as long as the dirt accumulated on the pipe can be scraped off. For example, metals such as brass, iron and stainless steel, synthetic resins such as nylon and polyethylene, natural fibers such as plant fibers and animal hair Materials. Among these, metals such as brass, iron, and stainless steel are preferable. In particular, when the cleaning tool of the present invention is used in a duct for flue gas, a metal wire brush is suitable for scraping off dirt such as oil, soot and dust that has been firmly accumulated.

  Moreover, the brush used for the cleaning instrument of the present invention is selected according to the size (diameter) of the pipe to be cleaned. Brushes suitable for pipe cleaning usually have a bristle diameter around the axis that is equal to or slightly smaller than the pipe diameter.

  A brush suitable for the cleaning tool of the present invention is generally marketed under the name of a wire tube brush or the like, and can be easily obtained. The means for attaching the brush to the flexible shaft is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include welding, screwing, screwing, pinning, and adhesion.

1.3 Electric motor The cleaning tool of the present invention includes a detachable electric motor that is attached to the other end of the flexible shaft (the side opposite to the brush attachment side). The electric motor is not particularly limited as long as it has a driving force (torque) that sufficiently rotates the flexible shaft and sufficiently rotates the brush attached to the tip of the flexible shaft. And electric screwdrivers such as electric drills, electric motors, and gasoline motors. Among these, the electric screwdriver main body is generally commercially available and is convenient and preferable. A normal household power source or the like can be used as the power source of the electric motor, but a charger may be used. In the case of an electric screwdriver main body equipped with a replaceable charger, one or more of the chargers are brought together with the cleaning tool of the present invention to the work place and installed as a spare on the cleaning tool of the present invention. Work interruptions due to running out of battery can be avoided even in places where the battery is not used.

  A method for connecting the electric motor and the flexible shaft is not particularly limited as long as the rotational motion of the electric motor can be transmitted, and examples thereof include welding, screw screwing, screwing, pinning, and adhesion. Among these, welding is preferable.

  In addition, some electric screwdriver bodies have a speed change function. For example, the torque or the number of rotations can be easily adjusted, such as low rotation by pulling the trigger loosely and high rotation by pulling deeply. Since it can do, the rotational speed of a brush can be suitably adjusted according to the accumulation degree of the dirt in piping.

1.4 Flexible Hollow Member The cleaning instrument of the present invention includes a flexible hollow member (hereinafter referred to as “hollow member”). Such a hollow member may have a branching portion for connecting to the suction machine. The said hollow member has a function as a channel | path at the time of discharging | emitting dirt, such as dust and oil scraped off from piping with the brush, outside the piping, protecting the flexible shaft rotated with an electric motor.

  The hollow member is usually tubular and airtight, and the flexible shaft is inserted into the hollow portion so as to cover the flexible shaft. The material is not particularly limited as long as it has flexibility, but a resin material is usually used. Examples of such a resin include synthetic rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon.

The length of the hollow member is preferably slightly shorter than the flexible shaft when it does not have a branch pipe described later. When it has a branch pipe, it is preferable that the length including it is slightly shorter than the flexible shaft.
When the hollow member has a branching portion in the middle, a suction device is connected to the branching portion, and dirt such as dust and oil scraped off from the piping with a brush is removed from the piping by the suction force of the suction device. Is discharged.

1.5 Branch pipe The cleaning device of the present invention is divided into at least two branches when the hollow member does not have a branching portion in the middle, and one of the hollow members is connected to the hollow member and penetrates the flexible shaft. The other includes a branch pipe connected to the suction machine. A suction machine is connected to such a branch pipe via an airtight hose, and dirt such as dust and oil scraped off from the pipe with a brush is discharged out of the pipe.

  The branch pipe only needs to be divided into at least two branches, and may have a pipe that branches further. In addition, the branch pipe is usually a straight pipe through which the flexible shaft passes, and has one or more pipes that branch vertically or obliquely from the straight pipe.

  The material of the branch pipe is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include metals and resins. Examples of such metals include stainless steel, steel, iron, and brass. Examples of such a resin include polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene. Moreover, the said branch pipe is normally airtight.

  An example of the branch pipe is as shown in FIG. By using such a branch pipe, the suction machine can be easily connected or detached.

1.6 Piping The piping that can be cleaned with the cleaning instrument of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the cleaning instrument of the present invention can be used. For example, a duct (ventilation pipe), a water pipe, a drain pipe, a gas pipe Fire extinguishing tubes. Among these, a duct is preferable. Ducts are classified into smoke exhaust ducts, ventilation ducts, and the like depending on their use, but the cleaning device of the present invention is preferably used for smoke exhaust ducts among these. The smoke exhaust duct is usually a duct arranged for removing smoke from the building in restaurants such as factories and yakiniku restaurants. Smoke is a mass of air containing fine particles that can result from incomplete combustion, and usually contains soot, dust, oil, harmful fine particles, etc. Is remarkable.

  The cleaning tool of the present invention is preferably used for a metal pipe in which a galvanized iron plate, a Galvalume steel plate (registered trademark), a stainless steel plate, a vinyl chloride coated steel plate or the like is used.

1.7 Suction machine The cleaning instrument of the present invention can further comprise a suction machine. With such a suction machine, dirt such as dust and oil scraped off from the pipe with a brush can be quickly discharged out of the pipe.
The suction machine is not particularly limited as long as dirt on the piping to be cleaned can be sucked, and examples thereof include a vacuum, a vacuum cleaner, an electric pump, and a gasoline pump. Among these, a vacuum and a vacuum cleaner are preferable. Further, among vacuums, a powerful one for business use, for example, a high vacuum type and a large air volume type is preferable.
As a suction machine suitable for the cleaning instrument of the present invention, for example, a power back cleaner TVC-3200 manufactured by Higashihama Kogyo Co., Ltd. may be mentioned.

1.8 Nozzle The cleaning instrument of the present invention may further include a nozzle at the brush side end of the hollow member. Such a nozzle functions as a suction port of a suction device for sucking away the dirt scraped off by the brush.

Although it does not restrict | limit especially as a shape of a nozzle, For example, what has an opening part in a front-end | tip part or a side part is mentioned. Specifically, for example, the nozzle 5A shown in FIG. 3 and the nozzle 5B shown in FIG. 4 can be mentioned. The nozzle 5A has a shape in which two metal rings are connected by a plurality of thin metal rod-shaped members. The flexible shaft is inserted through the central portion of the annular member. Openings are formed between the rod-shaped members, and dirt scraped off from the openings is sucked into the hollow members. The nozzle 5B has a tubular shape with a flat tip side. On the distal end side, there is a central opening through which the flexible shaft is inserted, and two openings for sucking what is scraped off by a brush on the side. The side opening allows suction of dirt scraped off by the brush from the tip side where the brush exists.

2. Pipe Cleaning Method According to the Present Invention A pipe cleaning method according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “the present cleaning method”) includes the following steps (1) to (4).
(1) The step of inserting the brush at the tip of the cleaning instrument of the present invention into the pipe to be cleaned through the flexible shaft (2) The branch pipe of the pipe cleaning instrument or at least a bifurcated branch pipe A step of connecting a suction machine to the direction through which the flexible shaft does not pass through a hose (3) with the brush rotating in communication with the flexible shaft by operating an electric motor of the pipe cleaning tool; Step (4) for removing dirt from the piping: Step for sucking the dirt with the suction device through the hollow member of the pipe cleaning device while removing the dirt or after removing the dirt.

Hereinafter, the cleaning method of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of the cleaning tool A of the present invention which is an example of the present invention. In this example, the flexible shaft 3 is made of metal having a coiled outer shape as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. A brush 6 that is a metal tube wire brush is connected to one end of the flexible shaft 3, and an electric motor 1 that is an electric driver body is connected to the other end. Further, nozzles 5 to 5A (see FIG. 3) functioning as intake ports of the suction machine are connected to one end of the hollow member 4, and the branch pipe 2 is connected to the other end side.

  The branch pipe 2 has openings in the connection portion with the hollow member 4, the electric motor 1 side, and a pipe extending in an oblique direction from the pipe connecting the hollow member 4 and the electric motor 1. Although not shown in FIG. 2, a suction machine 8 is connected to an opening of the branch pipe 2 that extends in an oblique direction via a hose 7.

  FIG. 1 shows a use state (working example) of the cleaning tool A of the present invention. In the figure, a pipe 10 at the bottom of FIG. 1 is a smoke exhaust duct that sucks in smoke from a grilled meat table 9 having a grilled roaster at the top. The diameter of the brush 6 used in the cleaning tool A of the present invention is selected according to the diameter of the pipe 10.

(1) 1st process This process is a process of inserting the brush in the front-end | tip of this invention cleaning instrument into piping which wash | cleans via a flexible shaft.
First, the cleaning tool A of the present invention is transported and installed in a building or the like where the piping 10 to be cleaned is installed. The cleaning tool A of the present invention is transported as a single unit or disassembled into parts, and is installed at a work place. Then, the brush 6 at one end of the cleaning tool A of the present invention is inserted into the pipe 10 to be cleaned through the flexible shaft 3. In the usage diagram of FIG. 1, the brush 6, the flexible shaft 3, and the hollow member 4 are inserted from above the grilled meat table 9 at the entrance of the pipe 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flexible shaft 3 and the hollow member 4 can be bent according to the bending of the pipe 10, and the brush 6 is inserted into the pipe 10. Prior to the installation of the cleaning tool A of the present invention, it is possible to confirm the degree of dirt in the piping and the degree of accumulation thereof with a fiberscope or the like.

(2) Second step This step is a step of connecting a suction machine to the branching portion of the pipe cleaning instrument or to the side where the flexible shaft of the branch pipe divided into at least two branches does not penetrate through a hose. It is.
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the branch pipe 2 of the cleaning tool A of the present invention, a suction machine 8 is connected to or connected to an opening to which neither the electric motor 1 nor the hollow member 4 is connected. The branch pipe 2 in FIGS. 2 and 5 is made of metal and is not flexible. However, in the cleaning tool of the present invention, the hollow member itself may be branched without having the branch pipe.

(3) Third Step This step is a step of removing dirt from the pipe with the brush rotating in communication with the flexible shaft by operating the electric motor of the pipe cleaning tool.
By starting the electric motor 1 of the cleaning tool A of the present invention, the flexible shaft 3 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the brush 6, and the brush 6 rotates. By the rotation of the brush 6, dirt such as accumulated oil, soot and dust in the pipe 10 is scraped off. When the dirt is strong, a high cleaning power can be obtained by rotating the electric motor 1 at a high speed.

(4) Fourth Step This step is a step of sucking the dirt with the suction device through the hollow member of the pipe cleaning tool while removing the dirt or after removing the dirt.
After the dirt is scraped off from the pipe 10 or after the dirt is scraped off, the dirt passes through the hollow member 4 of the cleaning tool A of the present invention and is sucked by the suction device 8. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the nozzle 5 located at the base of the brush 6 functions as a suction port of the suction device 8, and dirt is sucked therefrom. The sucked dirt is accumulated inside the suction device through the hollow member 4. At this time, dirt is mainly sucked from the side of the nozzle when the nozzle 5A shown in FIG. 3 is used, and from the front of the nozzle when the nozzle 5B shown in FIG. 4 is used. In this way, by sucking and removing dirt by the suction device 8, dirt such as oil, soot, and dust accumulates, and even a closed pipe can be easily cleaned. Moreover, if the cleaning method of the present invention is used, the cleaning operation can be performed without removing equipment around the piping, for example, a grilled meat table.

The cleaning instrument of the present invention or the cleaning method of the present invention is useful for removing dirt such as oil, soot and dust deposited on piping such as a duct for flue gas disposed on a barbecue table in a yakiniku restaurant.

A Cleaning Instrument 1 Electric Motor 2 Branch Pipe 3 Flexible Shaft 4 Hollow Member 5 Nozzle 6 Brush 7 Hose 8 Suction Machine 9 Barbecue Table 10 Piping

Claims (7)

Flexible shaft,
A flexible hollow member through which such a shaft passes ,
Even without least is divided into two, branch pipes one of said flexible shaft penetrates while being connected to the hollow member, and the other is connected to a suction machine,
Removable brush is mounted on one end of the shaft before Symbol flexible,
The hollow member has a flat tubular shape at the tip end on the brush side, and sucks in a central opening through which the flexible shaft is inserted, and the side scraped off by the brush. A nozzle that can suck in dirt that has been scraped off by the brush from the tip side where the brush exists, and the other end of the flexible shaft. A removable electric motor to be mounted, and
An apparatus for cleaning a duct for exhausting smoke, which includes a suction device connected to the branch pipe . Flexible shaft,
A flexible hollow member that has a branching part for connecting with a suction machine in the middle of passing through such a shaft,
A detachable brush attached to one end of the flexible shaft;
The hollow member has a flat tubular shape at the tip end on the brush side, and sucks in a central opening through which the flexible shaft is inserted, and the side scraped off by the brush. A nozzle that can suck in dirt that has been scraped off by the brush from the tip side where the brush exists, and
A detachable electric motor attached to the other end of the flexible shaft; and
An apparatus for cleaning a duct for exhausting smoke, comprising a suction device connected to a branching portion of the hollow member. The apparatus for cleaning a duct for exhausting smoke according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the electric motor is an electric driver main body. The apparatus for cleaning a duct for exhaust smoke according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the flexible shaft is made of metal. The smoke cleaning apparatus for duct cleaning according to claim 4 , wherein the flexible shaft is coiled. The duct cleaning instrument for smoke emission according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the brush is a metal wire brush. A step of inserting the brush at the tip of the exhaust duct cleaning instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 6 into the exhaust duct for cleaning through a flexible shaft,
A step of connecting a suction device via a hose to a branching part of the exhaust pipe cleaning instrument for smoke removal or to a direction where the flexible shaft of the branch pipe divided into at least two branches does not penetrate;
A step of removing dirt from the flue gas duct with the brush rotating in communication with the flexible shaft by operating an electric motor of the smoke exhaust duct cleaning instrument, and removing dirt or dirt; A method for cleaning a smoke exhaust duct, comprising a step of sucking the dirt with a suction device through a hollow member of the instrument for cleaning a duct for exhaust smoke after dropping.

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