JP3106002B2 - pipe - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pipe used as a duct for covering each pipe, for example, when installing pipes in an air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of pipe, several kinds of pipes having different inner cross sections have been manufactured, and a pipe having the closest standard according to the type and number of pipes to be covered is provided. Used to form a duct. In addition, for a bent portion of the pipe, the bending is performed by using a bent pipe that has been set in advance with several types of bending angles for each standard of the pipe. Further, a duct formed by combining a plurality of curved pipes and a plurality of short straight pipes (straight pipes) is joined to a three-dimensional bent pipe portion as shown in FIG. .

[0003]

If the pipe to be covered is, for example, an air-conditioning pipe, the shape of the pipe is determined by bundling several pipes at the site and wrapping them with a heat insulating material. The outside is wrapped with tape, and the dimensions and shape are often partially different. This tendency is particularly remarkable in the bent portion of the pipe.

In forming a duct for such a bundle of pipes, according to the above-described conventional pipe, if the finished dimensions of the pipe are partially larger than the standard of the prepared pipe, that part is removed. You have to force it into a pipe or replace it with a slightly larger pipe. Therefore, if the pipes are forcibly packed into the pipe, the heat insulating material will not be able to exhibit a sufficient heat insulating effect due to breakage or compression, and there is a risk of lowering the thermal efficiency.When replacing the pipe with a slightly larger pipe, There is a disadvantage that extra work is required and work efficiency is reduced.

[0005] Further, at the bent portion of the pipe, as described above, there is also a danger that, for example, rainwater may enter the duct from the joint portion in order to join a plurality of pipes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pipe which can be used as a duct without changing or processing the material even if the cross-sectional dimension of the pipe changes, in view of the above drawbacks.

[0007]

A first feature of the pipe according to the present invention for achieving the above object is to form a flexible tubular body having a cut in the longitudinal direction by a gap in the longitudinal direction. By providing a posture holding mechanism for holding the posture of the tubular body in a state where the sides facing each other at the cut are relatively moved in the longitudinal direction by rotating in opposite directions around the axis at a position separated by It is in.

[0008] A second characteristic configuration is that, as the posture holding mechanism, a connecting tool fitted inside the cylindrical body and provided with a locking portion on an outer peripheral portion thereof is provided, and the coupling member is provided on an inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical body. The locking portion is formed by providing a locked portion to be locked.

A third characteristic configuration is that the posture holding mechanism is
An engaging portion which can engage with each other is provided between both sides facing each other at the cut.

A fourth characteristic configuration is that the tubular body is formed in a bellows shape.

A fifth characteristic configuration is that the tubular body is formed in a rectangular tubular shape.

[0012]

According to the first characteristic configuration of the pipe of the present invention, a flexible tubular body having a cut along the longitudinal direction is formed.
By holding the cylindrical body opposite to each other about the axis at a location spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, the opposite sides of the cut are maintained in the longitudinal direction so as to maintain the posture of the tubular body. Since the mechanism is provided, by twisting the tubular body, the sides facing each other at the cut move relatively in the longitudinal direction, and the tubular body gradually becomes smaller in diameter. Then, in that state, the twisted state in which the posture holding mechanism has acted is maintained.

Therefore, when this pipe is used, for example, as a duct in which a pipe such as an air-conditioning pipe is inserted, even if the pipe diameter is slightly varied, it is only necessary to twist the tubular body. , It is possible to cover according to the size of the pipe, and even at the bent part of the pipe,
It is possible to cope with the same cylindrical body without preparing separate parts as in the related art. As a result, it is not necessary to provide many joints at the bent portion, and it is possible to make it difficult for rainwater or the like to enter.

When this pipe is used, for example, as a penetrating sleeve provided on a wall through which the pipe penetrates, contrary to the above, first, the cylindrical body is twisted to reduce its diameter, and then the through hole is formed. Then, when the cylindrical body is screwed back in the opposite direction, the diameter of the cylindrical body is increased, and a through sleeve having a diameter corresponding to the through hole can be easily formed and mounted on the spot.

According to a second characteristic configuration, as the posture holding mechanism, there is provided a coupling tool which is fitted into the cylindrical body and has a locking portion on an outer peripheral portion thereof, and an inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical body is provided. Is formed by providing a locked portion where the locking portion is locked.
Since the connecting member is located inside the cut along the longitudinal direction of the tubular body, the tubular body and the connecting member can integrally oppose the external force, so the strength at the cut is higher For example, when used as a duct for covering pipes, the function of protecting the internal pipes is further improved, and the intrusion of rainwater or the like can be prevented.

According to the third characteristic configuration, since the posture holding mechanism is formed by providing an engaging portion that can be engaged with each other between both sides facing each other at the cut, the structure is simplified. This makes it possible to integrally mold and reduce the cost.

According to the fourth characteristic configuration, since the cylindrical body is formed in a bellows shape, the characteristics of the original flexible material and the structural characteristics of the bellows shape act synergistically. It can be easily bent, for example, even when used for a duct with a three-dimensional bent pipe as shown in FIG.
A duct can be formed by easily installing a pipe along a bent pipe.

According to the fifth characteristic configuration, since the cylindrical body is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape, if the cylindrical body is twisted, the polygonal cross-section of the cylindrical body is the same as the angle thereof. Rotate around.
Therefore, for example, in the case of a three-dimensional bent pipe of a rectangular duct as shown in FIG.
A duct can be formed along the same surface of a rectangular cylindrical body, eliminating the need for complicated combining and processing of multiple parts as in the past, and also providing a clean appearance. Thus, it is possible to form a duct having a predetermined shape.

[0019]

Thus, according to the pipe of the present invention, it is possible to form a duct conforming to the cross-sectional dimension of a pipe with one kind of cylindrical body even when the cross-sectional dimension of the pipe changes, and to shorten the duct at the bent pipe section. The duct can be formed easily in a short time, and both economic efficiency and workability can be improved.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a pipe 1 of the present invention. The pipe 1 is configured by combining an outer cylinder 3 which is an example of a cylindrical body having a cut 2 along its longitudinal direction, and an inner cylinder 4 which is an example of a connecting member fitted inside the outer cylinder 3. Yes, for example, it is used as a duct to house the air conditioning pipe 7 inside.

The outer cylinder 3 has a projection 5a which is continuous in the circumferential direction.
A plurality of concave portions 5b are provided alternately in the longitudinal direction and formed in a bellows shape. The convex portion 5a on the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 3 is
A concave portion 6a is formed on the inner peripheral surface corresponding to the back surface,
Similarly, the concave portion 5b on the outer peripheral surface forms a convex portion 6b on the back surface. The material is formed of a resin, which is an example of a flexible material.

The inner cylinder 4 has a substantially semicircular cross section in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is made of resin, like the outer cylinder 3. The outer peripheral surface is provided with an inner cylinder concave portion 8a and an inner cylindrical convex portion 8b corresponding to the convex portion 6a and the concave portion 6b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder, respectively.
The inner cylinder 4 is formed so as to be in contact with each other while being fitted inside the outer cylinder 3.

FIG. 1A shows a state in which the outer cylinder 3 and the inner cylinder 4 are assembled, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the outer cylinder 3 and the inner cylinder 4 maintain their posture while being twisted around the axis. It shows. As shown in the figure, when the pipe 1 is twisted around the axis, the pipe 1 maintains the twisted posture. This effect is
The inner cylinder recess 8a and the inner cylinder projection 8b provided on the inner cylinder 4
And the projections 6a and recesses 6b on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 3 become the locked portions 6 to which the locking portions 8 are locked.
Moreover, this is achieved when the locking portion 8 and the locked portion 6 exhibit a locked state.

That is, in the pipe 1 described here, twisting the pipe 1 means that the opposing sides at the cut 2 of the outer cylinder 3 move relatively in the longitudinal direction, and in order to maintain that posture, In other words, it is only necessary to maintain the state in which the side facing the cut 2 of the outer cylinder 3 is relatively moved in the longitudinal direction. This operation is performed by engaging the locking portion 8 with the locked portion 6. The locking part 8 and the locked part 6 constitute a posture holding mechanism for maintaining the posture of the twisted pipe 1.

Further, if the pipe 1 is further twisted, the locked state is temporarily released by the longitudinal movement of the locked portion 6 over the concaves and convexes of the locking portion 8, and the locked state is released again. It keeps its posture by engaging with the irregularities. At that time, the more the pipe 1 is twisted, the smaller the diameter of the pipe 1 becomes.

[Another embodiment] Another embodiment will be described below.

<1> Pipe 1 described in the previous embodiment
Is used as a duct to cover air-conditioning pipes, but its use is not limited to ducts for pipe covers, for example, tying tools for binding strings or wires, or twisting to reduce the diameter. As an example of use in which the diameter is increased by unscrewing the material, it can also be used as a sleeve of a through hole provided in a wall. Furthermore, on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 3,
At regular intervals in the longitudinal direction, if a resistance member having an annular electrical resistance in the circumferential direction having a contact point at the cut 2 is provided,
By passing a current through the resistance members located at both ends of the cylindrical body and adjusting the degree of twisting of the cylindrical body, the length of the conduction path of the resistance member connected in a loop shape changes, so use it as a variable resistor. Can be done.

<2> The structure of the pipe 1 is not limited to the double structure of the outer tube 3 and the inner tube 4 described in the above embodiment, but is a structure of only the outer tube 3 as shown in FIG. You may. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, a posture holding mechanism for maintaining the twisted posture of the outer cylinder 3 is formed by, for example, a protrusion 9a and a protrusion 9a
May be separately provided with an engaging portion 9 constituted by a hole 9b with which the engaging portion 9 engages. Further, the structure of the engaging portion 9 may be configured by a combination other than the protrusion 9a and the hole 9b. Further, the cuts 2 are not limited to the abutted state, but may be an overlapped state.

<3> The shape of the pipe 1 is not limited to the cylindrical shape described in the previous embodiment, but may be, for example, a rectangular tube shape as shown in FIG. Furthermore, it is not limited to a bellows shape.

In the claims, reference numerals are provided for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the attached drawings.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pipe of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pipe of another embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an engaging portion of a pipe according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of installation of a conventional pipe.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an installation state of a square tubular pipe according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 cut 3 cylindrical body 4 connector 6 locked part 8 locking part 9 engaging part

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tubular body (3) having a cut (2) along its longitudinal direction is rotated counter to each other around its axis at locations spaced apart in its longitudinal direction. A pipe provided with a posture holding mechanism for holding a posture of the tubular body (3) in a state where opposite sides of the cut (2) are relatively moved in a longitudinal direction. 2. The tubular body (3), wherein the posture holding mechanism is provided in the tubular body (3).
A connector (4) having an engaging portion (8) provided on an outer peripheral portion thereof is provided, and the engaging portion (8) is engaged with an inner peripheral portion of the tubular body (3). 2. The pipe according to claim 1, wherein the pipe is provided with a stop. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the posture holding mechanism is provided with the cut (2).
The pipe according to claim 1, wherein the pipe is formed by providing an engaging portion (9) that can be engaged with each other between both sides facing each other. 4. The pipe according to claim 1, wherein the tubular body (3) is formed in a bellows shape. 5. The pipe according to claim 1, wherein the tubular body (3) is formed in a square tubular shape.