WO2006095151A1

WO2006095151A1 - Hoses

Info

Publication number: WO2006095151A1
Application number: PCT/GB2006/000787
Authority: WO
Inventors: Philip Peter Battle; Diane Gibson; Derek Robert Harkness Mcgaw
Original assignee: Smiths Group Plc
Priority date: 2005-03-08
Filing date: 2006-03-06
Publication date: 2006-09-14
Also published as: GB0504915D0

Abstract

A helical reinforcement member (3) forms the sole structural element within a tubular sleeve (2) of a vacuum cleaner hose (1). The reinforcement member (3) comprises three wires (5) to (7), at least one of which is of a solid high tensile steel, within an outer PVC jacket (4). The sleeve (2) is also of PVC and is bonded to the jacket (4). The wires (5) to (7) serve a dual structural and electrical purpose, both supporting the hose (1) and providing an electrical path along it, such as to a switch or cleaning tool.

Description

HOSES

This invention relates to hoses of the kind having a tubular wall and a helical reinforcement member.

Vacuum cleaner hoses usually comprise a flexible tubular wall of plastics material and a supporting helix, either inside or outside the plastics wall. In some hoses, the supporting helix is resilient along the axis of the hose and has a natural contracted length so that the hose has a natural, relatively short length and can be stretched to a longer length by pulling on the end of the hose. In other hoses, the helix may have a natural, extended length so that the hose extends to its full length when released and can be compressed to a shorter length after use, for storage, by manually pushing the free end of the hose towards its opposite end. Alternatively, such as described in WO03/024294, the hose may be retracted by blocking the free end of the hose while the vacuum cleaner is on, so as to create a reduced pressure within the hose sufficient to cause it to retract in length.

The supporting helix or reinforcement of the hose takes the form of a metal wire with a thin plastics coating. The coating protects the metal wire from corrosion, enables the wire to be bonded to the wall and improves the appearance of the hose where the wire extends externally or where the wall of the hose is clear. In some hoses, such as described in US4693324, two parallel reinforcement wires may be used to supply electrical current along the hose. The wires may be used to carry current to an electrically-operated accessory, such as a beater brush, mounted at the end of hose remote from the cleaner. The problem with such hoses is that they tend to be relatively heavy and cannot be retracted to a great extent.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative hose.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a hose of the above-specified kind, characterised in that the reinforcement member includes an outer electrically-insulative jacket and a plurality of metal wires extending along its length and electrically insulated from one another. The electrically-insulative jacket is preferably of a plasties material and the wires are preferably insulated from one another by the jacket, which may be a coating on the wires. The reinforcement member preferably includes three wires, which may be arranged in a triangular configuration. The wires may be identical with one another. At least one of the wires is preferably of a solid high tensile steel. The reinforcement member is preferably the sole structural element of the hose. The wall may be bonded to the outside of the reinforcement member. The wall and jacket are preferably made of the same material. The reinforcement member may have a natural extended length, the hose being retracted to a shorter length against resilience of the reinforcement member by applying a reduced pressure within the hose. The hose may have a coupling at one end adapted to connect to a cleaning tool and the hose may have a coupling at its opposite end adapted to connect with a vacuum cleaner. The hose may have an electrical switch at one end connected with two of the wires.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrical assembly including electrical apparatus, a hose according to the above one aspect of the present invention connected at one end with the electrical apparatus and at the other end with an electrical device such that electrical current can be supplied between the apparatus and the device via wires in the reinforcement member.

The electrical apparatus may be a vacuum cleaner. The electrical current may be derived from a transformer arrangement in the cleaner and the electrical device may include a motor.

A vacuum cleaner hose according to the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view along a part of the length of the hose; and

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through the reinforcing helix.

The hose 1 comprises a flexible wall or sleeve 2, an inner helical reinforcing member 3 and couplings (not shown) at either end for connection respectively with a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning tool. The wall 2 is of a plasties material such as PVC. The hose 1 is of the retractable kind, the reinforcement member 3 having a natural extended length so that the natural condition of the hose is fully extended to its maximum length. The hose can be retracted in length by blocking flow through the free end of the hose while the cleaner is on so that the suction creates a reduced pressure in the hose sufficient to contract the hose to a shorter length against the resilience of the reinforcement member. The reinforcement member 3 is the sole structural element of the hose.

The reinforcing member 3 comprises an electrically-insulating plastics jacket 4 providing the external surface of the reinforcement member. The jacket 4 may, for example, be of PVC or polypropylene. The reinforcement member 3 is circular in section and has an external diameter of typically approximately 1.72mm. The reinforcement member 3 also includes three electrically-conducting metal wires 5, 6 and 7 arranged in a triangular configuration spaced from one another by material of the jacket 4. Each wire 5 to 7 is circular in section and has a diameter of approximately 0.5mm. The wires 5 to 7 may all be of the same material such as a solid, high tensile steel to provide high strength and resilience. Alternatively, some of the wires could differ from others. For example, two of the wires could be provided primarily for electrical purposes and be of a braided or multifilament copper, the other wire serving a structural function and being a solid high tensile steel. The various wires 5 to 7 within the reinforcement member 3, therefore, serve both a structural and electrical purpose. The three wires 5 to 7 are embedded in the plastics jacket 4, which serves the function of separating and electrically insulating the wires from one another. The reinforcement member 3 may be made by any conventional method, such as by extruding the outer jacket 4 around the wires 5 to 7 as they are drawn through a die.

Preferably the jacket 4 of the reinforcing member 3 and the wall 2 of the hose 1 are of the same material so that they can be bonded securely with one another, such as by heat or solvent. The hose 1 may be made in any conventional way, such as, by winding the reinforcement member 3 onto a mandrel and wrapping a strip of the wall material 2 on top of the reinforcement in overlapping layers. The wires 5 to 7 are for relatively low current use and typically could be used to provide a switching or control function for the vacuum cleaner. In such an arrangement, the end of the hose 1 remote from the cleaner would support an electrical switch 10 or variable control, such as a potentiometer, which would connect electrically to two or more of the wires 5 to 7. At the end of the hose 1 adjacent the cleaner 12 the wires 5 to 7 would be electrically interconnected with a relay 11, or the like, within the cleaner. In this way, the user can, for example, switch the cleaner 12 on or off, or control motor speed while holding the end of the hose 1 remote from the cleaner. The wires could also be used to supply power to a motor-driven power head, such as having rotating beater bars or brushes. The motor used in such a power head would preferably be a low voltage motor, such as a small, efficient DC motor operating at between about 24v and 36v. Such a low voltage supply could be derived from a transformer arrangement provided by incorporating a winding in with the cleaner's mains voltage motor.

The present, multi-core arrangement where several electrical wires are contained within a common reinforcement member enables the overall weight of the hose to be reduced substantially compared with previous hoses employing several reinforcement members each having a single wire within them.

It will be appreciated that neither the wires nor the reinforcement member itself need be circular in section. The wires could be arranged side-by-side to give an overall rectangular section to the reinforcement member. The reinforcement member could have just two wires or more than three. The outer layer of the reinforcement member need not be of a plastics material, providing it is electrically insulative. The outer jacket need not necessarily be applied as a coating on the wires, it could, for example, be a formed by fusing together separate insulating layers on each wire. The reinforcement member need not be on the inside of the hose but could extend externally. The hose need not be retractable, with a natural extended length, but could have a stretch characteristic, with a natural short length, or it could be of the conventional kind having a fixed length. Where weight was not a problem, the hose could have more than one multi-core reinforcement member of the kind described above extending parallel with one another helically along the hose. For example, a hose might include two or three such reinforcement members. The invention is not limited to vacuum cleaner hoses but could, for example, be used as a weld fume or dust extraction hose such as for a drill or sander. The wires within the hose can be used to provide power to the tool or to a lamp or the like.

Claims

1. A hose (1) having a tubular wall (2) and a helical reinforcement member (3), characterised in that the reinforcement member (3) includes an outer electrically- insulative jacket (4) and a plurality of metal wires (5, 6, 7) extending along its length and electrically insulated from one another.

2. A hose according to Claim 1 , characterised in that the electrically-insulative jacket (4) is of a plastics material, and that the wires (5, 6, 7) are insulated from one another by the jacket (4).

3. A hose according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the jacket (4) is a coating on the wires (5, 6, 7).

4. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the reinforcement member (3) includes three wires (5, 6, 7).

5. A hose according to Claim 4, characterised in that the wires (5, 6, 7) are arranged in a triangular configuration.

6. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wires (5, 6, 7) are identical with one another.

7. A hose according to any one of the claims, characterised in that at least one of the wires (5, 6, 7) is of a solid, high tensile steel.

8. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the reinforcement member (3) is the sole structural element of the hose (1).

9. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wall (2) is bonded to the outside of the reinforcement member (3).

10. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wall (2) and jacket (4) are made of the same material.

11. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the reinforcement member (3) has a natural extended length, and that the hose (1) can be retracted to a shorter length against resilience of the reinforcement member (3) by applying a reduced pressure within the hose.

12. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the hose (1) has a coupling at one end adapted to connect to a cleaning tool, and that the hose has a coupling at its opposite end adapted to connect with a vacuum cleaner.

13. A hose according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the hose (1) has an electrical switch at one end connected with two of the wires (5, 6, 7).

14. An electrical assembly including electrical apparatus, a hose (1) according to any one of the preceding claims connected at one end with the electrical apparatus and at the other end with an electrical device such that electrical current can be supplied between the apparatus and the device via wires (5, 6, 7) in the reinforcement member (3).