JP2017158760A - Connecting structure of hose for vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the strength of a hose at a connection portion between a flexible hose having a high expansion ratio and a connection member.
The connection structure connects an end of a hose for a vacuum cleaner to a connection member. The vacuum cleaner hose 2 is a hose that has a spiral reinforcing body 21 and can be extended to 3 to 12 times the unloaded length. The connecting member 3 has an inner cylinder 31, and the inner cylinder 31 is inserted inside the hose 2 so that the end of the hose 2 is placed on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 31. On the outer peripheral side of the hose 2 where the inner cylinder 31 is inserted, an outer cylinder 32 integrally formed of synthetic resin is provided so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hose, and the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32 are mutually connected. It is integrated. The end portion IE of the inner cylinder 31 near the center of the hose is arranged closer to the center of the hose than the end portion OE of the outer cylinder 32 near the center of the hose, with the diameter of the reinforcing body 21 being d.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a connection structure for a vacuum cleaner hose in which a connection member is connected and integrated with an end portion of the vacuum cleaner hose. In particular, the present invention relates to a connection structure for a vacuum cleaner hose having a high expansion ratio.

Vacuum cleaners with flexible hoses are widely used. Such a vacuum cleaner may be provided with a flexible hose having a high expansion ratio. When a flexible hose having a high expansion ratio is used, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, in an upright type vacuum cleaner, a high expansion ratio can be provided between the main body of the vacuum cleaner (12) and the operation handle (60). A flexible hose (40) is provided. For example, the flexible hose (40) is stretched while the vacuum cleaner main body (12) is placed on the first floor, and the stairs, the second floor, and the ceiling can be cleaned with the operation handle (60) (Patent Document 1). FIG. 7C).

As a flexible hose having a high expansion ratio that enables the operation of such a vacuum cleaner, for example, the one shown in Patent Document 2 is known. Patent Document 2 discloses a flexible hose in which a tube wall is formed in a spiral concavo-convex wave shape, and a spiral metal reinforcement is disposed inside a convex wave shape portion. In a posture, a flexible hose for a vacuum cleaner is disclosed in which the convex wave portions of the tube wall are brought into contact with or close to each other by the contraction pressure of the spiral reinforcing body. For example, the hose can extend to a length that is at least three times as long as the length when contracted, and is highly stretchable.

Special table 2008-506489 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-59693

If the connecting member is integrated with the end of the hose body of these vacuum cleaner hoses, the connecting operation of the hose using the connecting member becomes possible and convenient. The connecting member is integrated. In addition, the higher the expansion ratio, the better the storage of the hose and the longer the distance that can be pulled out. In recent years, the expansion ratio tends to increase to 3 times or more and 5 times or more.

However, according to the study by the inventors, when a flexible hose having a high expansion ratio as described in Patent Document 2 is used in a vacuum cleaner as described in Patent Document 1, the connection member and the flexible hose It has been found that there is a risk of damage to the reinforcement provided on the hose at the connection.

An object of the present invention is to increase the strength of a hose at a connection portion between a flexible hose and a connection member having a high expansion ratio.

The inventors have studied to integrate a flexible hose with a high expansion ratio for a connecting member having an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder. We examined whether it was easy to damage. As shown in FIG. 3, when the flexible hose 2 is pulled in a direction perpendicular to the center line m of the connection member 99, the reinforcing body 21 is connected to the connection member 99 in the vicinity of the connection member 99. It moves in the direction orthogonal to the center line m (the lower direction in the figure), and the part 21a of the reinforcing body straddles the end of the outer cylinder 992, and the reinforcing body 21 and the outer cylinder end part It was discovered that a strong contact force acts between them, and that the reinforcing body 21 can be damaged starting from this portion. Moreover, since the restraint of the reinforcement body by the hose wall becomes weaker as the extension magnification of the hose 2 becomes higher, the reinforcement body 21 becomes easier to move in a direction orthogonal to the center line m of the connection member, and this tendency is likely to appear. It has also been found that the hose reinforcement 21 tends to be damaged.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventors have determined that the reinforcing body 21 is difficult to move in a direction orthogonal to the center line m even if a force orthogonal to the center line m of the connecting member is applied. It has been found that strong contact is less likely to occur between 21 and the outer cylinder end 992. Furthermore, the inventor has found that the end of the inner cylinder of the connecting member may be protruded closer to the center of the hose by a predetermined distance than the end of the outer cylinder, and the present invention has been completed.

The present invention has a structure in which an end portion of a vacuum cleaner hose is connected to a connecting member, and the vacuum cleaner hose has a spiral reinforcing body and is 3 to 12 times the length at no load. The connecting member has an inner cylinder, and the inner cylinder is inserted inside the hose and the inner cylinder is inserted so that the end of the hose covers the outer periphery of the inner cylinder. An outer cylinder integrally formed of a synthetic resin is provided on the outer peripheral side of the hose of the part, and the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder are integrated with each other. The connecting portion of the hose for a vacuum cleaner is arranged such that the end portion near the center is closer to the center of the hose than the end portion near the center of the hose of the outer cylinder, where the diameter of the reinforcing body is d. (First invention).

In the first invention, it is preferable that the end of the outer cylinder near the center of the hose is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer (second invention). Furthermore, in the second invention, it is preferable that the helical reinforcing body is a steel wire coated with a resin (third invention).

According to the connection structure of the hose for a vacuum cleaner of the first invention, the reinforcement body is prevented from riding on the end portion of the outer cylinder, and the strength of the hose at the connection portion is increased.

Furthermore, if the end portion of the outer cylinder is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer as in the second invention, and if the reinforcing body is a resin-coated steel wire as in the third invention, even if the reinforcing body is a resin-coated steel wire, the reinforcement Even if the body and the outer cylinder end are in contact with each other, the contact force is suppressed from becoming excessive, and the strength of the hose at the connection portion is further increased.

It is a partial cross section figure which shows the hose connection structure for vacuum cleaners of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the deformation | transformation state of a hose when a load is applied with respect to the hose connection structure for vacuum cleaners of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the deformation | transformation state of the hose when a load is applied with respect to the comparative study example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the individual embodiments shown below, and can be carried out by changing its specific form and the like. As a first embodiment, an embodiment in a flexible hose connection part of an upright type vacuum cleaner will be described. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a hose connection structure for a vacuum cleaner according to a first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the upper half of the drawing is shown in cross section, and the lower half of the drawing is shown in appearance.

In the upright type vacuum cleaner, the hose assembly 1 is used as a hose that connects between the cleaner body and the operation handle, like the hose 40 in Patent Document 1. At the end of the hose assembly 1, the vacuum cleaner hose 2 (hereinafter also referred to as “flexible hose”) and the connection member 3 are connected and integrated. The connection member 3 may be provided only at one end of the flexible hose 2 or may be provided at both ends.

The vacuum cleaner hose 2 has a spiral reinforcing member 21 and is a hose that can be extended to 3 to 12 times the length when no load is applied. In order to obtain the stretchability, the hose wall 22 of the flexible hose 2 has a bellows shape formed in a spiral corrugated shape. And the helical reinforcement 21 is arrange | positioned along the uneven | corrugated wave-shaped recessed part and convex part, and is integrated with the hose wall.

In the flexible hose 2, the spiral reinforcing body 21 is formed so that a contracting force is exerted so that the reinforcing body contracts and comes into close contact with each other when no load is applied. When the reinforcing body 21 has a contracting force, the flexible hose 2 is in a contracted state so that the flexible hose 2 is in close contact with or close to each other at a portion where the reinforcing body 21 exists at no load. As in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the hose wall 22 folded in a bellows shape at the time of no load (when contracted) is folded in such a manner as to fall toward one direction of the hose.

The constituent material of the hose wall 22 is not particularly limited. For example, the hose wall 22 can be made of a synthetic resin such as a soft vinyl chloride resin or a polyurethane resin. Although the constituent material of the reinforcement body 21 is not specifically limited, For example, the helical reinforcement body 21 can be comprised with the resin-coated steel wire, the metal wire (especially steel wire), the wire formed with the synthetic resin, etc. Like this embodiment, it is preferable that the helical reinforcement 21 is a steel wire covered with resin.
In addition, the manufacturing method of such a flexible hose 2 is well-known.

The connecting member 3 connected to the end of the flexible hose 2 has an inner cylinder 31 and an outer cylinder 32. The inner cylinder 31 is inserted inside the hose 2 so that the end of the flexible hose 2 is placed on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 31 in a connected state. Preferably, the inner peripheral surface of the flexible hose 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 31 are joined. Further, an outer cylinder 32 integrally formed of synthetic resin is provided on the outer peripheral side of the flexible hose 2 where the inner cylinder 31 is inserted so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hose. Preferably, the outer peripheral surface of the flexible hose 2 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 32 are joined. These bondings may be bonding using an adhesive or the like, or may be by heat fusion. The inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32 are integrated with each other. The integration of the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32 may be by mechanical engagement, screws, fitting, or the like, or may be by welding of synthetic resins constituting both.

A connecting portion 33 is provided at the end of the connecting member 3 on the side opposite to the side on which the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32 are provided, and the connecting portion 33 is attached to the operation handle or the cleaner body. The specific shape of the connection part 33 is not specifically limited, What is necessary is just to determine according to the shape of the other party member. Further, the connecting portion and the counterpart member (such as an operation handle) may be integrally formed.

In the connecting member 3, the end portion IE of the inner cylinder 31 near the hose center (left side in FIG. 1) is disposed closer to the hose center by a distance L than the end portion OE near the hose center of the outer cylinder 32. Then, assuming that the diameter of the reinforcing body 21 of the flexible hose 2 is d, the end portion IE of the inner cylinder 31 near the hose center is 0.8d or more than the end OE of the outer cylinder 32 near the hose center. It is arranged closer. Preferably, the end portion IE of the inner cylinder is arranged closer to the center of the hose by 1.4 d or more than the end portion OE of the outer cylinder, and particularly preferably, the end portion IE of the inner cylinder is 2. 0d or more is arranged near the center of the hose.

In the connecting member, the amount L of the inner cylinder 31 closer to the hose center than the end OE closer to the hose center of the outer cylinder 32 may be 6d or less. Particularly preferred is 5d or less. This is because when the protruding amount L of the inner cylinder 31 is increased, in the appearance of the hose connection structure, a portion in which the hose extends in a portion closer to the center of the hose than the end portion OE of the outer cylinder is likely to appear.

The material which comprises the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 32 of the connection member 3 is not specifically limited, For example, synthetic resin materials, such as a hard vinyl chloride resin, can be used. As a resin material constituting the outer cylinder 32, it is preferable to employ a thermoplastic elastomer (for example, an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer). In particular, it is preferable that the end OE near the center of the hose of the outer cylinder 32 is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer. The resin material constituting the outer cylinder 32 is preferably a resin material that can be heat-sealed or bonded to the material constituting the hose wall 22 and the resin material constituting the inner cylinder 31.

The hose assembly 1 having the above connection structure can be manufactured, for example, by the following manufacturing method. First, the flexible hose 2 is manufactured. In addition, the inner cylinder 31 and the connecting portion 33 of the connecting member 3 are manufactured using injection molding or the like. Next, it inserts so that the edge part of the flexible hose 2 may cover the inner cylinder 31 of a connection member. At this time, the end portion of the flexible hose 2 is preferably in an expanded state, but may be in a contracted state.

With the end portion of the flexible hose 2 covered with the inner cylinder 31 of the connecting member, both are inserted into the mold and clamped, and the resin that constitutes the outer cylinder 32 is injected to be flexible. The outer cylinder 32 is injection-molded so as to be in close contact with the outer periphery of the end portion of the conductive hose 2. This process is commonly referred to as overmolding or insert molding. By this process, the outer cylinder 32 is formed so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the flexible hose 2, and the outer cylinder 32 and the inner cylinder 31 are integrated to realize the hose connection structure of the first embodiment. .

The operation and effect of the present invention will be described. According to the connection structure of the vacuum cleaner hose of the first embodiment, the end portion IE near the center of the hose of the inner cylinder 31 located inside the flexible hose 2 is located outside the flexible hose 2. The diameter of the reinforcing body 21 of the flexible hose 2 is 0.8d or more (so that L ≧ 0.8d) closer to the hose center than the end OE of the outer cylinder 32 near the hose center. Therefore, even if the hose is pulled in a direction orthogonal to the center line m of the connecting member 3, it is possible to prevent the reinforcing body 21 from getting over the end OE of the outer cylinder. Therefore, when the hose is pulled in the lateral direction, the strength of the hose is reduced due to the hose reinforcement 21 moving over the end OE of the outer cylinder (more specifically, durability against bending input to the reinforcement 21). Reduction).

First, with reference to FIG. 3, the deformation | transformation form of the hose in the comparative study example in which the inner cylinder edge part does not protrude toward the hose center side with respect to the outer cylinder edge part is demonstrated. In this comparative study example, the end of the inner cylinder 991 and the end of the outer cylinder 992 of the connection member 99 are at substantially the same position in the direction along the connection member center line m. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. In such a hose connection structure, a tensile force F is applied to the hose 2 in a direction perpendicular to the connection member center line m (downward in FIG. 3).

Then, due to the action of the pulling force F, the portion of the reinforcing body 21 that is not integrated with the inner cylinder or the outer cylinder of the connecting member is pulled downward in the drawing. Thereby, especially the reinforcement body 21a of the 1st circumference which left the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder is easy to displace to the direction (namely, lower side of a figure) pulled. Further, since the flexible hose 2 is a hose that can be extended by about 3 to 12 times compared with the unloaded state, the form of the reinforcing body 21 is not easily maintained by the hose wall. Therefore, the reinforcing body 21a at the first turn or the next turn away from the outer tube or the inner tube is more easily displaced to the outside of the hose than the outer tube 992.

Therefore, in the comparative study example shown in FIG. 3, there is a portion where the reinforcing body crosses the outer tube 992 in and out of the hose at the first revolving reinforcing member 21 a, and at the crossing portion, the end of the reinforcing member 21 a and the outer tube It tends to be strongly pressed against each other. Then, a strong bending moment acts on the reinforcing body at that portion, and the strength of the hose is likely to be reduced such that the reinforcing body is bent or broken.

On the other hand, according to the connection structure of the hose as shown in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the hose is more than the portion where the flexible hose 2 and the reinforcing body 21 are pressed by the outer cylinder 32. The inner cylinder 31 is provided longer than the length L so as to protrude to the center, and L is set to 0.8 or more with the diameter of the reinforcing body being d. That is, the inner cylinder 31 is formed so as to protrude so that the reinforcing body 21 that is not pressed down by the outer cylinder 32 exists on the outer periphery of the protruding portion of the inner cylinder 31 over almost one turn.

When a tensile force F is applied to the first embodiment in a direction perpendicular to the connecting member center line m, the reinforcing body 21 is pulled downward in the figure, but is pressed by the outer cylinder 32. The inner cylinder 31 is present inside the portion of the reinforcing body 21a that is the first round of the non-rotating portion, and the portion of the reinforcing body 21a is prevented from moving in a direction orthogonal to the connecting member center line m. To do. Therefore, according to the hose connection structure of the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress the portion of the reinforcing body 21a in the first circulation from coming out of the hose from the outer cylinder, and the portion of the reinforcing body 21a is the end of the outer cylinder. Crossing the part is also suppressed.
Accordingly, the reinforcing body 21 and the end OE of the outer cylinder come into contact with each other so that it is difficult for a strong force or bending moment to act on the part, and the strength of the reinforcing body is suppressed from being reduced. The strength of is increased.

From the viewpoint of preventing the end portion OE of the outer cylinder 32 and the reinforcing body 21a from intersecting and strongly pressing the portion, the end portion OE near the center of the hose of the outer cylinder 32 is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer. It is preferable. In such a case, even if the reinforcing body 21 and the outer cylinder 32 intersect and contact each other, the contact of the portion becomes soft, the concentration of load is reduced, and the strength of the reinforcing body / hose is reduced. Can be further suppressed.

Moreover, it is preferable that the helical reinforcing body 21 is a steel wire covered with a resin, and since it is covered with a resin softer than the steel wire, the portion where the reinforcing body 21 and the outer cylinder 32 intersect and contact each other. The concentration of the load is relaxed, and the strength reduction of the reinforcing body and the hose can be further suppressed. Further, the helical reinforcing body coated with resin is easy to be strongly bonded and integrated with the hose wall, and even when a severe bending deformation as shown in FIG. The reinforcing body 21 can be maintained integrally.

The above effects were confirmed by tests.
Example 1
A hose connection structure corresponding to the first embodiment was manufactured. Here, the expansion ratio of the manufactured flexible hose 2 is 5 times, and the winding diameter (inner diameter) of the reinforcing body 21 of the flexible hose 2 is 35 mm. The reinforcing body of the flexible hose 2 is a resin-coated steel wire having a diameter of 1.6 mm (the diameter of the steel wire is 1.2 mm). In the state where the flexible hose 2 is integrated with the connecting member 3, the end portion IE of the inner cylinder 31 is 4 mm (corresponding to L to 2.5d) from the end portion OE of the outer cylinder 32, and protrudes toward the hose center side. ing.

(Example 2)
In contrast to the first embodiment, the amount by which the end IE of the inner cylinder 31 protrudes toward the center of the hose with respect to the end OE of the outer cylinder 32 is 1.4 mm (corresponding to L to 0.88d).

(Comparative example)
In contrast to the example, the end of the inner cylinder and the end of the outer cylinder are the same position (L to 0) in the hose axial direction.

A bending load endurance test was performed on these examples and comparative examples. In the test, the connection member 3 is mounted on the test jig so that the connection member 3 is on the upper side and the flexible hose 2 is on the lower side, and a load of 2 kgf (19.6 N) is applied to the lower portion of the flexible hose 2. In such a state, the test jig was periodically moved so that an angular displacement of plus or minus 90 degrees was repeatedly given to the test jig, and bending deformation was given to the connection portion between the hose and the connection member.

In both Example 1 and Example 2, no damage or deformation was observed in the flexible hose or the connecting member even when the number of flexing times exceeded 150,000. On the other hand, in the comparative example, the helical reinforcement body of the hose was broken when the number of bendings was about 30,000. It was confirmed that when the protruding amount L of the inner cylinder 31 with respect to the outer cylinder 32 exceeds 0.8 d, the durability strength of the hose at the connection portion is sufficiently increased.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented with various modifications. Although other embodiments of the invention will be described below, in the following description, portions different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and detailed descriptions of the same portions will be omitted. Further, the embodiments described below can be implemented by combining some of them or replacing some of them.

In the said 1st Embodiment, although the outer cylinder 32 integrally molded by the synthetic resin so that it closely_contact | adheres to a hose outer peripheral surface was demonstrated to the outer periphery of the connection member 3, the outer side of the outer cylinder 32 was demonstrated, Furthermore, another cylindrical member may be provided. In this case, the outer cylinder (32) formed in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hose and the outer cylindrical member are regarded as one outer cylinder, and the axial position of the end of the inner cylinder 31 is related. Can be determined.

In addition, the specific configuration of the flexible hose 2 is not particularly limited as long as the hose includes a spiral reinforcing body and can be extended to 3 to 12 times the length when there is no load. In the description of the above embodiment, the configuration in which the bellows-like hose wall 22 having the spiral ridges constituting the flexible hose 2 is folded so as to fall in one direction when no load is applied has been described. This form may be provided so as to protrude inward in the radial direction of the hose. The specific shape of the hose wall 22 extending between the reinforcing bodies 21 is not particularly limited. Moreover, the position where the reinforcing body 21 is integrated with the hose wall may be inside the hose wall or may be outside. Further, the reinforcing body 21 may be integrated with the convex portion of the hose wall as in the first embodiment, or may be integrated with another portion of the hose wall, for example, a spiral groove portion. May be.

Moreover, the hose connection structure of the said embodiment is applicable also to other vacuum cleaners other than the illustrated upright type vacuum cleaner. The application of the hose connection structure of the above embodiment can be applied to general vacuum cleaners as long as the hose has a helical reinforcing body and can be extended to 3 to 12 times the length of no load, It is not limited to the type of vacuum cleaner.

The hose connection structure for a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention can be used for a hose having an expansion ratio of 3 to 12 times, and the strength of the connection portion is increased, resulting in high industrial utility value.

1 Hose assembly 2 Flexible hose (hose body)
21 Reinforcing body 22 Hose wall 3 Connection member 31 Inner cylinder 32 Outer cylinder 33 Connection part m Connection member center line

Claims (3)

It is a structure for connecting the end of a vacuum cleaner hose to a connection member,
The vacuum cleaner hose is a hose that has a spiral reinforcing body and can be extended to 3 to 12 times the unloaded length.
The connecting member has an inner cylinder, and the inner cylinder is inserted inside the hose so that the end of the hose is placed on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder.
On the hose outer peripheral side of the portion where the inner cylinder is inserted, an outer cylinder integrally formed of synthetic resin is provided so as to adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the hose, and the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder are integrated with each other,
The end of the inner cylinder near the center of the hose is disposed closer to the center of the hose than the end of the outer cylinder near the center of the hose with the diameter of the reinforcing body being d by 0.8 d or more. Connection structure. The connection structure of the hose for vacuum cleaners of Claim 1 with which the edge part near the hose center of an outer cylinder was formed with the thermoplastic elastomer. The hose connection structure for an electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the helical reinforcing body is a steel wire coated with a resin.

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