JPH1028799A - Drain hose and direction changing mechanism of hose - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To change the direction of a hose by a simple handling without removing a drain hose of a washing machine. SOLUTION: A hose body 1 attached to a drain valve of a washing machine is constituted of a first bellows part 4, and ring-shaped sliding connection parts 3 and 5 formed on both sides of the bellows. The bellows part 4 is enclosed, in almost L shape, in a curved holder 10. The holder is constituted of a pair of holder members 11a and 11b, capable of opening and shutting like a hinge. The holder members provided with curved recess parts 13a and 13b, capable of enclosing bellows part 4 of the hose body 1 in almost L shape, sliding parts 14a, 14b, 15a, and 15b, adjacent to the curved recess parts, and slidable against the ring-shaped sliding connection parts 3 and 5 of the hose body 1, and closing means 17a, 17b, 18a and 18b to close the pair of holder members 11a and 11b. When the holder 10 is rotated, the bellows part 4 changes shape by expanding and contracting to change direction of the hose body 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drainage hose capable of changing a drainage direction and a hose direction changing structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A drain hose is attached to a lower part (drain valve) of a home washing machine in a predetermined direction in advance at a stage of manufacturing and shipping in order to flow drain water to a drain port such as a drain port. The drainage hose is required to be inexpensive and free from water leakage from the mounting portion. Therefore, the drain hose is tightly attached to the drain valve. On the other hand, depending on the location where the home washing machine is arranged, the position of the drainage port may be different from the installation site of the washing machine. For example, in apartment houses such as condominiums, because the same floor plan is adjacently formed symmetrically, the position of the drain outlet with respect to the installation site of the washing machine is different in the adjacent houses. Therefore, if you install each washing machine at the installation location of the adjacent house,
Even if the drain hose extends in the direction of the drain in one house, the drain hose will extend in the opposite direction to the drain in the other adjacent house.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-42040 discloses an L-shaped base portion which is fixed to a lower base of a drain valve of a washing and dewatering machine in a water-tight manner and has a thick inside, and is formed by a blow molding method. There is disclosed a hollow bellows drainage hose including a drainage hose connected to the base and a straight base fixed to the other end of the drainage hose. However, in this bellows drain hose, since the L-shaped base is fixed to the lower base of the drain valve, in order to change the direction of the bellows hose with respect to the drain valve, the washing machine is turned over and the drain valve is closed. It is necessary to remove the L-shaped base from the lower base, change the direction of the L-shaped base, and attach it again to the lower base. Therefore, the work of changing the direction of the bellows hose is complicated, and the installation work efficiency is reduced. 3-11128
No. 4 discloses a blow-molded drain hose having a bellows shape in a straight line direction.
L-shaped plastic molded parts (supporters)
It has been proposed to form and fix an elbow shape. Further, the supporter formed symmetrically to the left and right via the hinge portion has an L-shaped curved concave portion for fitting and fixing a drainage hose, and an airtight attachment of an end portion of the hose to the connection portion. A metal band, a portion provided at an end of the hose opposite to the metal band, a portion for inserting an elastic resin for preventing damage to the hose due to vibration or the like, and a screwing portion. I have. In this drainage hose, once fixed to the drainage valve, the direction can be changed without removing the drainage hose, and evenly tightened with a metal band to prevent leakage of the seal portion with high reliability. However, the drainage hose is fixed by the curved concave portion of the supporter, and the rotation of the drainage hose is restricted by the insertion of the elastic resin. Therefore, when changing the direction of the hose, it is necessary to loosen the screw, remove the supporter from the drainage hose, change the direction of the supporter, and tighten the screw again. Therefore, even with this drain hose, the operation of changing the drain direction is complicated.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a drainage hose and a hose direction changing structure capable of changing the direction of the hose by a simple operation without removing the drainage hose from a mounting portion. is there. Another object of the present invention is to change the direction of the hose to 36 by a simple operation called rotation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a drainage hose and a hose direction changing structure that can be changed over 0 °.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive studies to achieve the above object, and have found that the bellows-shaped hose is substantially L-shaped.
The bellows hose is accommodated in the U-shaped holder with play, one end of the bellows hose is fixed, and the holder is rotated about this fixed portion. The present inventors have found that the direction of the hose can be changed while the hose rotates at the other end of the bellows-like hose in accordance with the expansion and contraction deformation, and the present invention has been completed. That is, the drainage hose of the present invention includes a hose body having a bellows portion and annular sliding contact portions formed on both sides of the bellows portion, and a hose capable of accommodating the bellows portion in a substantially L-shape. And a holder having a sliding part slidable in the circumferential direction with respect to the contact part. In this drain hose, the holder is constituted by a pair of holder members that can be opened and closed in a hinged manner, and the holder members are formed on both sides of the curved concave portion that can accommodate the bellows portion of the hose body, Further, the hose body may include a sliding portion slidable with respect to the annular sliding contact portion of the hose body, and closing means for closing the pair of holder members. Further, the hose body has a connecting portion connectable to a drain port of the washing machine.

A hose direction changing structure according to the present invention is a structure for changing the extending direction of a hose body having a bellows portion and one end of which is fixed. An annular sliding contact portion is formed in the portion, a sliding portion slidable in the circumferential direction with respect to the annular sliding contact portion is formed in the holder, and the bellows portion is substantially L-shaped in a curved concave portion of the holder. Is housed in The drain hose and diverting structure is useful for connection to a washing machine for drainage. That is, in the direction changing structure of the present invention, one end of the hose body is fixed to the drain port of the washing machine.
In such a drainage hose and direction changing structure, the bellows portion housed in a substantially L-shape is expanded and contracted in the holder with the rotation of the holder, and the sliding contact portion of the hose body and the holder are connected. The extending direction of the hose main body can be changed while the hose main body is rotated while the sliding portion slides in the circumferential direction. That is, the holder functions as a direction changing member in relation to the curved bellows portion.

[0007]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
Examples of the present invention will be described in more detail. FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing an example of a drain hose of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an attached state and a direction changing state of the drain hose shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing a washing machine performed. As shown in FIG. 3, the drain hose is a single-tub washing machine 33 capable of washing and dewatering, which includes an outer tub 31 and a washing / dehydrating tub 32 in the outer tub.
Is connected to a drain valve 34 located at the lower part of the. The drainage hose is a straight tubular and bellows-shaped hose body 1 and a holder capable of accommodating the bellows portion of the hose body on the side of the connecting portion (mounting portion) 2 to the drainage valve 34 in an approximately L-shape. The two sides of the bellows portion 4 on the connecting portion 2 side of the hose main body have annular sliding contact portions 3, 3.
5 are formed. The hose body 1 is extensible and bendable.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hose body 1 is formed at one end and can be connected to and connected to a drain valve (drain port) 34 of a washing machine. A connecting portion, a first annular sliding contact portion formed adjacent to the connecting portion, and a first annular sliding contact portion adjacent to the annular sliding portion;
Bellows portion 4, a second annular sliding contact portion 5 adjacent to the bellows portion, and a second annular sliding contact portion 5 formed on the outer side of the second annular sliding contact portion.
Of the second bellows, and a connecting portion (spout) 7 formed at the end of the second bellows. As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 7 can be connected in a one-touch manner to a mounting portion of a hose 8 extending to the outside of the washing machine. In addition,
The first and second annular sliding contact portions 3 and 5 can be constituted by non-bellowed ring portions. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a holder 10 for accommodating the first bellows portion 4 in a substantially L-shape is accommodated by a pair of holder members 11 a and 11 b which can be hingedly closed by a hinge portion 12. It is composed of More specifically, the holder members 11a, 11b are located at both ends of the substantially L-shaped curved concave portions 13a, 13b capable of accommodating the first bellows portion 4 of the hose body 1, and
Sliding parts 14a, 14b, 15a, 15b slidable in the circumferential direction with respect to the annular sliding parts 3, 5 of the hose body 1, respectively.
And The sliding portions 14a, 14b located at one end of the curved concave portions 13a, 13b are formed as first sliding portions corresponding to the first sliding contact portions 3 of the hose body 1, and are formed as curved concave portions. The sliding portions 15a, 15b located at the other ends of the hoses 13a, 13b are formed as second sliding portions corresponding to the second sliding contact portions 5 of the hose body 1. Outwardly extending portions 16a and 16b are formed in portions of the pair of holder members 11a and 11b that face each other, and the pair of holder members 11a and 11b are attached to these extending portions 16a and 16b. For closing, a closing means composed of locking holes 17a, 18a and claws 17b, 18b is formed.

The first bellows portion 4 of the hose body 1 is arranged in a curved manner in the curved concave portions 13a and 13b,
a, 18a and a pair of holder members 11a, 1 using the closing means constituted by a locking mechanism between the claws 17b, 18b.
When 1b is closed, a cylindrical holder 10 for accommodating the bellows part 4 in a substantially L-shape is formed. In this cylindrical holder 10, the first bellows portion 4 of the hose body 1 is loosely fitted in the curved accommodating portion, and the first bellows portion 4 is formed by the sliding portions 14a, 14b on the inner surface of one end of the holder 10. Annular sliding part,
The second annular sliding portions formed by the sliding portions 15a and 15b on the inner surface at the other end are circumferentially arranged with respect to the first and second annular sliding contact portions 3 and 5 of the hose body 1, respectively. It can slide. The direction changing mechanism of such a drainage hose is as follows.

That is, one end of the bellows-shaped hose body 1 is connected and fixed to the drain valve 34 and the first
Of the bellows portion 4 is accommodated in the holder 10 in a substantially L-shaped manner. In connection with the hose main body 1, the holder 10 functions as a direction changing unit for changing the extension direction of the hose main body 1. That is, when the bending holder 10 is rotated clockwise (rightward) with the extending direction of the drain valve 34 as an axis in order to change the extending direction of the hose body 1, the first inside of the curved accommodating portion of the hose body 1 is started. The bellows portion 4 of the hose body 1 expands and contracts in response to the clockwise (rightward) bending, and the second annular slidable contact portion 5 of the hose body 1 has a holder 10 with the extension direction of the hose body 1 as a central axis. The direction of extension of the hose body 1 is changed while rotating clockwise (to the right) with respect to the annular sliding portion of FIG. Therefore, the extension direction of the hose body 1 can be changed by a simple operation of rotating the holder 10 without removing the hose body 1 from the drain valve 34. In particular, the direction of the hose body 1 can be changed at an angle of 360 ° by a simple operation of rotating the holder 10.

It is sufficient that the hose main body has a bellows portion which can be stretched and bent and deformed at a desired bending portion. And may be formed on a part of the hose body. Further, the portion corresponding to the second bellows portion may be constituted by a non-bellows-like linear tubular body or a combination of a bellows portion and a non-bellows portion. In order to shorten the length of the hose body and effectively change the direction using the hose body,
It is preferable that the bellows portion of the hose body is located at least on the connecting portion or the mounting portion side with respect to a drain port such as a drain valve.
The connecting part and mounting part of the hose body with respect to the drain port such as the drain valve need only be able to be connected to the drain port and can be attached. Good. In order to prevent water leakage at the connecting part and the mounting part for the drain port such as the drain valve, the drain port of the drain valve and the connecting part and the mounting part of the hose body are fitted with a band or fastening means. , May be tightly coupled.

The annular sliding contact portions formed on both sides of the bellows portion only need to be able to slidingly contact the annular sliding portion of the curved holder in the circumferential direction, and the width of the annular sliding contact portion is not particularly limited. .
Further, the annular sliding contact portion may be formed at least on both sides of the bellows portion (inflection portion) which can be bent in a substantially L-shape. Depending on the length of the holder, the outside of the bellows portion of the hose body may be formed. A sliding contact portion may be further formed on one side. The connection formed at the other end of the hose body is not always necessary. The hose body having the bellows portion can be formed by a conventional method, for example, blow molding using a flexible soft thermoplastic resin. If necessary, at least the bellows portion can be formed of metal or the like, depending on the application.

[0013] The holder has a housing portion capable of housing the bellows portion in a substantially L-shape and a sliding portion slidable in the circumferential direction with respect to the annular sliding contact portion of the hose body. The invention is not limited to the pair of holder members that can be closed in a hinge manner as described above, and may be configured by a plurality of holder members that are connected to each other and can form a holder. Further, the pair of holder members may not be opened by closing means,
It may be openable and closable. In order to accommodate the bellows portion of the hose body in a curved state, the holder is preferably curved or bent in a substantially L-shape. The accommodating portion of the holder is preferably a curved concave portion for loosely fitting and accommodating and accommodating the bellows portion in order to deform the bellows portion with rotation of the holder. The angle of the housing portion of the holder is not particularly limited, and can be set according to the angle from the drain port of the washing machine to the drain port. The angle of the housing portion of the holder is, for example, about 30 to 150 ° with respect to the axis of the drain port, preferably 60 to 12 °.
The angle is about 0 °, more preferably about 80 to 100 °, and about 90 ° in a washing machine or the like.

The sliding portion of the holder may be formed at a portion corresponding to the sliding contact portion of the hose body. In order to improve the slidability of the hose body with respect to the sliding contact portion, it is advantageous to form the sliding portion of the holder with a smooth surface. It may have a protruding portion that can slide against it. Further, a lubricant or a lubricating oil may be applied or contained in the sliding portion of the holder and the sliding contact portion of the hose body, and at least one of the sliding portion of the holder and the sliding contact portion of the hose body has a coefficient of friction. (For example, an olefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, a fluororesin, or the like). A sliding concave portion or a convex portion may be formed between the sliding portion of the holder and the sliding contact portion of the hose body for smooth sliding. The holder is preferably cylindrical throughout in terms of mechanical strength and accommodation and holding ability of the bellows portion. However, as long as mechanical strength can be secured, a portion corresponding to the accommodation recess is provided. It may be composed of a frame such as a lattice.

The drainage hose and the direction changing mechanism of the hose can be applied to drainage ports and outflow ports of various devices using water or an organic solvent. For example, the present invention can be applied to drains such as sinks, wash basins, bathtubs in kitchens, drains of washing machines and dehydrators, drains of water treatment tanks, and outlets of reactors.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is suitably applied to a washing machine, particularly a single-tub washing machine capable of washing and dewatering.

[0016]

According to the present invention, the hose body can be turned by a simple operation of rotating the holder accommodating the bellows portion by utilizing the bending deformability of the bellows portion of the hose body without removing the hose body. Can be changed. Further, the direction of the hose body can be changed over 360 ° by a simple operation of rotating the holder.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing an example of a drain hose of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an attached state and a direction changing state of the drainage hose shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a washing machine to which a drain hose is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hose main body 2 ... Mounting part 3 ... First annular sliding contact part 4 ... First bellows part 5 ... Second annular sliding contact part 10 ... Holder 11a, 11b ... Holder member 12 ... Hinge part 13a, 13b ... Curved concave portions 14a, 14b: sliding portions 15a, 15b: sliding portions 17a, 18a: locking holes 17b, 18b: claws

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hose body having a bellows portion and annular sliding contact portions formed on both sides of the bellows portion, and a hose body capable of accommodating the bellows portion substantially in an L-shape, and And a holder having a sliding portion slidable in the circumferential direction. 2. A holder comprising a pair of holder members which can be opened and closed in a hinged manner, wherein the holder members include a curved concave portion capable of accommodating a bellows portion of a hose body in a substantially L-shape, and both sides of the curved concave portion. The drain hose according to claim 1, further comprising: a sliding portion formed on the portion and slidable with respect to the annular sliding contact portion of the hose body; and closing means for closing the pair of holder members. 3. The drain hose according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting portion connectable to the drain port. 4. A structure for changing the extension direction of a hose body having a bellows portion and one end of which is fixed, wherein annular sliding contact portions are formed on both sides of the hose body in the hose body. A direction in which the sliding portion slidable in the circumferential direction with respect to the annular sliding contact portion is formed in the holder, and the bellows portion is housed in the curved concave portion of the holder in a substantially L-shape. Transform structure. 5. The hose direction changing structure according to claim 4, wherein one end of the hose body is fixed to a drain port of the washing machine.