JPH10191528A - Expansive tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of parts and make it possible to use them with the optimum length by making an expansive tube expansible and its state retainable thereby making it responsive to a certain range of length. SOLUTION: An expansive tube 10 is formed almost in a cylindrical shape by an elastically deformable material and comprises an outer cylindrical member 11 formed to a short cylindrical shape in parallel to its extending direction, an inner cylindrical member 12 formed to a smaller diameter than that of the outer cylindrical member 11, a slope formed continuous to the outer cylindrical member 11 and the inner cylindrical member 12, and a truncated cone-shaped cylindrical sloped member 13 to be the members 11 and 12; and also foldable hinge portions 21 to 24 extended circumferentially are formed in these members 11 to 13 permitting the change in a slope direction of the sloped member 13 and the folding and overlapping of the inner member 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a telescopic tube, and more particularly, to a telescopic tube capable of maintaining its shape when expanded and contracted.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a striated body or the like has been housed in a tube or the like in order to protect the striated body from external influences or to hold the striated body along a route to be arranged. Some tubes of this type are used to protect and guide electric wires (strata) that are routed to vehicles and the like.
For example, a tube 1 as shown in FIG.
It has a so-called bellows-like cylindrical shape, and a wire harness 3 in which electric wires 2 are bundled for each wiring destination is installed inside to hold the wire harness 3 in a routing path and protect it from a mechanical load, water droplets, and the like. It has become. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1b denotes a split inserted in the direction in which the tube 1 extends. After the wires 2 are bundled for each wiring destination, the split 1b can be expanded and easily housed.

[0003] Further, as a tube, there is also a so-called corrugated tube in which a cross-sectional shape is formed so that a rectangle is continuous in an extending direction.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional tube, a tube cut in advance must be prepared in order to use a tube having a length corresponding to a wiring position or the like. However, the number of parts to be used is very large, so that it takes time to set up, and there is a problem that selection mistakes and the like are likely to occur.

To solve this problem, it is conceivable to expand and contract the tube. That is, tube 1
Since it is generally made of a resin having a certain degree of elasticity and the peripheral surface 1a is formed in a bellows shape, it can be shrunk from a stable state as shown in FIG. It can be stretched as shown in FIG. However, the tube 1 returns to its original state due to its restoring force.

Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to expand and contract the tube and maintain its state, so that the tube can be adapted to a certain range of length, thereby reducing the number of parts and maintaining the optimum length. It is intended to be usable.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an invention according to claim 1 is a tubular telescopic tube which defines a space therein and is capable of expanding and contracting in an extending direction. At least two or more types of outer surface members forming parallel outer surfaces and having different distances between the surfaces sandwiching the center, and a slope member forming a slope continuous to the outer surface of the outer surface member and connecting the outer surface members to each other, At least two or more hinge portions are provided on the outer surface member, and the same outer surface member is overlapped by bending the hinge portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a hinge portion is provided between the outer surface member and the slope member. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect of the present invention, the outer surface member is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the inclined surface member is formed in a truncated conical cylindrical shape. Is what you do.

Here, the cylindrical shape formed by the outer surface member and the slope member according to the present invention may be substantially a cylindrical shape or a polygonal cylindrical shape, and may be a portion facing the center of the extension axis. Two or more types of outer surface members having different surface distances are connected by a slope member. However, in the following description, the outer member is formed into a short cylindrical shape and the slope member is formed into a truncated conical cylindrical shape as in the invention according to claim 3 so as to be simply and easily understood. And a cylindrical telescopic tube will be described as an example.

In the present invention, at least two or more types of outer surface members parallel to the extension direction and facing each other and having a different distance between the surfaces are connected by a slope member. For example, a short cylindrical outer surface member having a different diameter is formed into a truncated cone. It is formed in a cylindrical shape connected by slope members. The outer member is provided with a hinge portion that can be bent at at least two places. Therefore, when a compressive force in the extension direction is applied, the hinge portion is bent and the outer surface members are overlapped, and the overall length is reduced. On the other hand, when a tensile force in the extension direction is applied, the bent hinge portion is expanded, the outer surface member is expanded, and the entire length is extended. At the time of this expansion and contraction, the outer surface member and the slope member are deformed by their respective elastic forces to allow the hinge portion to be bent and expanded. However, when the applied compressive force or tensile force is released, the outer surface member and the slope member are released. Since the diameter of the member or the slope member is fixed, the shape of the hinge portion is maintained and the entire length is maintained. (The invention according to claim 1.) The expansion of the hinge means to bend the bent one in the opposite direction, for example, to flatten the superposed outer surface member. .

In the case where the hinge portion is provided between the outer surface member and the slope member, when the hinge portion is bent or expanded by a compressive force or a tensile force, the inclination direction of the slope member is changed. Is done. Therefore, the entire length is expanded and contracted depending on the direction of inclination of the slope member. (The invention according to claim 2.)

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are views showing one embodiment of a telescopic tube according to the present invention. First, the configuration will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a telescopic tube.
Is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, an outer cylindrical member 11 formed in a short cylindrical shape in parallel with the extension direction thereof, an inner cylindrical member 12 formed to have a smaller diameter than the outer cylindrical member 11, and an outer cylindrical member. Member 11
And a slope member 13 in the form of a truncated cone for connecting between these members 11 and 12 while forming a slope continuous with the inner cylinder member 12, and these members 11 to 13 extend in the circumferential direction. Hinge portions 21 to 24 are formed. That is, the outer cylinder member 11 and the inner cylinder member 12 constitute outer surface members having different distances between the surfaces sandwiching the center of the axis, that is, different diameters.
These members 11 to 13 are elastically deformed to allow the hinge portions 21 to 24 to bend and expand when a compressive force or a tensile force parallel to the extension direction is applied, and these loads are reduced. It is made of a resin material having a certain elastic force so that it is elastically restored when released. Here, the expansion of the hinge portions 21 to 24 refers to bending the bent one in the opposite direction, for example, flattening the stacked inner cylinder member 12 as shown in FIG. Say.

The hinge portion 21 is formed at the center of the extension of the inner cylinder member 12, and when it is bent, the length of the extension direction can be reduced to half by folding the inner cylinder member 12 in two. The hinge part 22 is formed between the edge of the inner cylinder member 12 and the hinge part 21, and when it is bent, the space between the hinge parts can be folded in two to reduce the length of the inner cylinder member 12 in the extension direction to ／. . The hinge portion 23 is formed on the edge between the slope member 13 on the side where the hinge portion 22 of the inner cylinder member 12 is formed, and the hinge portion 24 is formed on the slope member 13 on which the hinge portion 23 is formed and the outer cylinder member. 11
The inclination direction of the slope member 13 can be changed according to the bending direction of the hinge portions 23 and 24. Note that these hinge portions 21 to 24 may be formed so as to be able to bend in both forward and reverse directions, and set the direction in which the hinge portions 21 to 24 can be bent according to the direction in which the inner cylinder member 11 is overlapped and the direction in which the slope member 13 is inclined. May be.

Next, the operation when a compressive force or a tensile force is applied will be described with reference to FIG. Here, of the inner cylinder member 12, the right side of the hinge portion 21 (the side opposite to the hinge portion 22) is the inner cylinder member 12a, and the space between the hinge portions 21 and 22 is the inner cylinder member.
A portion between the hinge portion 12b and the hinge portions 22 and 23 is also referred to as an inner cylindrical member 12c, and a portion between the hinge portions 23 and 24 of the slope member 13 is referred to as a slope member 13a.

First, when a compressive force is applied, FIG.
(A) to (e), the outer cylinder member 11, the inner cylinder member 12, and the slope member in accordance with the compression force.
While any of the hinge portions 21 to 24 is bent while the elastic members 13 and 13a are elastically deformed, the outer cylinder member 11 is released when the compression force is released.
In addition, since the diameter of the inner cylinder member 12 is fixed, the bending of the hinge portions 21 to 24 is maintained so as to maintain the shape. Therefore, the reduced overall length is maintained in one of the states shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (e).

The state shown in FIG.
Is bent, and the inclination direction is changed so that the slope member 13a approaches the slope member 13. Therefore, the outer cylinder member 11
And a part of the inner cylinder member 12 is overlapped in the extension direction, and the overall length is reduced. In the state shown in FIG. 2B, the hinge portions 22 and 23 are bent, and the inner cylinder member 12b and the inner cylinder member 12c are overlapped. Therefore, the apparent length of the inner cylinder member 12 is reduced, and the overall length is reduced.

The state shown in FIG. 2 (c) is a state in which the states shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are combined, and the hinge portions 23 and 24 are bent so that the slope member 13a becomes a slope member. The inclination direction is changed so as to approach 13 and the hinge portions 22 and 23 are bent so that the inner cylindrical members 12b and 12c are overlapped. Therefore, the outer cylinder member 11 and the inner cylinder member 12 are partially overlapped with each other in the extending direction, and the apparent length of the inner cylinder member 12 is shortened, so that the overall length is reduced.

The state shown in FIG.
Is bent, and the inner cylinder member 12a and the inner cylinder members 12b and 12c are overlapped. Therefore, the apparent length of the inner cylinder member 12 is eliminated, and the overall length is reduced. The state shown in FIG. 2 (e) is a state in which the states shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (d) are combined, and the hinge portions 23 and 24 are bent so that the slope member 13a approaches the slope member 13. The outer cylinder member 11 and the inner cylinder member 12 are overlapped in the extension direction, and the hinge portions 21 and 23 are bent so that the inner cylinder member 12a and the inner cylinder members 12b and 12c overlap. Can be Therefore, the slope member 13
The apparent length of the inner cylinder member 12 is eliminated along with the length of the inclination of a and 13, and the overall length is reduced.

On the other hand, when a tensile force is applied, FIG.
2A to 2E, the outer cylinder member 11, the inner cylinder member 12, and the slope members 13, 13a are elastically deformed in response to the compressive force, and any one of the hinge portions 21 to 24 is deformed. When it is expanded (bent in the opposite direction) and the tensile force is released, the outer cylinder member
11 and the hinge portion 21 to maintain the shape of the inner cylindrical member 12
Twenty-four bends / spreads are maintained. Therefore, FIG.
Alternatively, the entire length extended in the state shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D is maintained.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the outer cylinder member 11, the inner cylinder member 12, and the slope member 13 are deformed by their respective elastic forces, when a compressive force is applied, any one of the hinge portions 21 to 24 is used. The outer cylinder member 11 and the inner cylinder member 12 can be overlapped, or the inner cylinder member 12 can be folded, by changing the inclination direction of the slope member 13a by bending the member.
On the other hand, when a tensile force is applied, the hinge portions 21 to 24
Can be expanded to return the slope member 13a and the inner cylinder member 12 to the original state. Therefore, telescopic tube 10
Can be expanded or contracted in length. Further, since the diameter of the outer tube member 11 and the inner tube member 12 is fixed, the expanded and contracted length can be maintained by the shape. As a result,
In the case where the wire harness 3 in which the wires 2 are bundled for each wiring destination described in the related art is installed, an arbitrary range can be protected from external influences, and the number of parts to be prepared is reduced, and the optimum length is reduced. Can be used with

As another aspect of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, hinge portions 31 to 34 may be provided on the inner cylinder member 12, and the hinge portions 31, 32 may be provided on the inner cylinder member. The hinges 33 and 34 are formed on both sides of the two edges 12 (between the slope member 13) at about 1/4 inward from the edges. With this configuration,
When the hinge portions 31, 33 and the hinge portions 32, 34 are bent, the inner cylindrical member 12 is folded in two inside the hinge portions 31, 32, and the apparent length in the extension direction is reduced by 1/4. 2 (d), the inner cylinder member
The total length can be reduced by eliminating the twelve apparent lengths.

As described above, the hinge portion is not limited to the above-mentioned position, but may be formed as appropriate, and it goes without saying that the hinge portion is formed on the outer cylinder member 11 side. In the present embodiment, a cylindrical telescopic tube has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to expand and contract similarly in the case of a polygonal cylindrical shape. ,
What is necessary is just to cut out the slope member of the polygonal corner. However, as in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to cut out the slope member if it has a cylindrical shape. Therefore, the cylindrical shape is more preferable. Although not particularly described in the present embodiment, it goes without saying that the split described in the related art may be provided.

[0023]

According to the present invention, for example, two or more hinge portions are provided on short cylindrical outer surface members having different diameters,
When the outer surface members are connected by a frusto-conical slope member to form a cylindrical shape as a whole, the outer member and the slope member are deformed by their respective elastic forces, and the hinge portion is folded by the compressive force. While the outer surface member can be overlapped by bending, the hinge portion can be expanded by the tensile force to expand the outer surface member. Further, when the hinge portion is provided between the outer surface member and the slope member, the direction in which the slope member inclines can be changed by bending or expanding the hinge portion. Therefore, the overall length can be expanded or contracted by stacking or expanding the outer surface members, or by changing the direction of inclination of the slope members. When the compressive force and the tensile force are released, the full length can be maintained while maintaining the shape of the hinge portion by the shape of the outer surface member and the slope member. As a result, one cylindrical member can cope with a certain range of length, and the number of parts can be reduced, and it can be used with an optimum length.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of a telescopic tube according to the present invention, (a) is a perspective view thereof, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of a main part thereof.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the main part is expanded and contracted.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing other aspects, in which FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a main part before reduction, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the main part when reduced.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views showing a conventional example, wherein FIG. 4A is a perspective view thereof, and FIG.

5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the problem, in which FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view when the main part is reduced, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view when the main part is extended.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Telescopic tube 11 Outer tube member (outer member) 12, 12a, 12b, 12c Inner tube member (outer member) 13, 13a Slope member 21-24, 31-34 Hinge

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A tube-shaped telescopic tube which defines a space inside and is expandable and contractable in an extension direction, comprising at least two kinds of outer surfaces parallel to the extension direction and having different distances between surfaces sandwiching a center. An outer surface member, and a slope member that forms a slope continuous with the outer surface of the outer surface member and connects the outer surface members, wherein at least two or more hinge portions are provided on the same outer surface member, and the hinge portion is bent. A telescopic tube, wherein the same outer surface member is overlapped. 2. The telescopic tube according to claim 1, wherein a hinge portion is provided between the outer surface member and the slope member. 3. The telescopic tube according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface member is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the slope member is formed in a truncated conical cylindrical shape.