Corrugated pipe and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a bellows and a manufacturing method thereof. The bellows comprises a plurality of ring elements, each of which comprises an inner hole adapted to accommodate an elongated member and a pre-provided cut adapted to mount a zipper, the cut being configured as a through cut extending from a radially outermost edge to a radially innermost edge of each ring element; wherein the plurality of ring elements are alternately connected end to end in a manner that adjacent ring elements are joined to each other along an outer joint line or an inner joint line; and wherein the radially outer end or the radially inner end of the cut of adjacent ring elements in the plurality of ring elements are aligned with each other. By pre-providing the cut in the ring element, the use of cutting equipment to cut the bellows or manually cutting the bellows to form the cut for mounting the zipper after the bellows is formed is avoided. In this way, both cost and efficiency are saved, and the yield of the bellows is ensured.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the technical field of packaging protection, and more particularly, to a bellows and a manufacturing method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] A bellows (also referred to as a "serpent tube") is an industrial product that is frequently used in daily life and is widely used in various fields. The bellows can be widely used as an outer protector of a long member in the fields of mechanical manufacturing, vehicle engineering, etc., for protecting the long member from adverse effects of environmental factors such as impact, abrasion, corrosion, and foreign matter intrusion. For example, the bellows can be applied to a long metal pipe or shaft of a large hydraulic machine used in the field of heavy machinery and / or the field of ships, to prevent foreign matter intrusion that can occur when the hydraulic machine is used.

[0003] Since the bellows is generally subjected to a severe working environment when used in these fields of heavy machinery and / or ships, it is easily damaged and needs to be frequently replaced. In order to facilitate the replacement of the bellows, a conventional method is to provide a zipper in the length direction of the bellows. In this way, the damaged bellows can be removed by pulling open the zipper, and a new bellows can be installed by pulling up the zipper. Such a disassembly and assembly process is relatively convenient because it does not require disassembly of the equipment itself such as the hydraulic machine.

[0004] In the prior art, the zipper is generally provided on the bellows in the axial direction of the bellows. For example, CN111998069A and CN212480098U disclose a zipper type bellows protector used in a motor train unit braking system, in which the zipper is provided in the axial direction of the bellows protector. US10036427B2 discloses a constant velocity joint bellows protector assembly, in which the zipper is provided in the axial direction of the bellows protector and the end portion of the zipper is provided to be able to be wound up for easy storage. JPY1994014116 discloses a similar bellows protector, which, in addition to including a zipper provided in the axial direction of the bellows protector, also includes a strip for improving sealing performance. JPA04156643 discloses a similar bellows protector, which, in addition to including a zipper provided in the axial direction of the bellows protector, also includes a rib for improving sealing performance.

[0005] However, there are some disadvantages in arranging the zipper along the axial direction of the bellows or bellows jacket. As is known, the bellows usually has alternating ridges and valleys in its axial direction. The slider needs to adjust its direction constantly to slide through such ridges and valleys, which is usually very difficult. For example, even if the bellows is large, the distance between the ridges and the valleys is short, which results in a short distance for the slider to slide and turn between two ridges, and thus the slider cannot slide smoothly to separate the teeth of the zipper.

[0006] To solve the above problems, one solution is to arrange the zipper in an inclined direction deviating from the axial direction of the bellows, so as to lengthen the distance between the adjacent ridges that the slider passes through during its travel, so that the slider has sufficient turning space and can slide smoothly through each ridge. For example, JPY1993012524 discloses a bellows provided with a zipper, which is composed of two halves assembled together by a zipper arranged along the respective joint lines and connected to each other, and wherein the zipper is arranged in a direction deviating from the axial direction of the bellows.

[0007] However, no matter how the zipper is arranged, the current method of manufacturing such bellows still has disadvantages. For example, in the prior art, in order to install the zipper on the bellows, the bellows is usually first manufactured, and then cutting is performed on the manufactured bellows to form a cutout for installing the zipper. However, since the bellows has many ridges and valleys, and the bellows used in the field of heavy machinery and / or ships is usually large in size, the use of cutting equipment to perform cutting has the problems of high cost and great difficulty. Therefore, for cost considerations, many times the cutout for installing the zipper on the bellows is formed by manual cutting. However, manual cutting not only has low work efficiency, but also cannot guarantee the yield.

[0008] In addition, if an inclined cutout deviating from the axial direction of the bellows is cut on the manufactured bellows, such cutout will present an alternating zigzag shape on the expanded bellows instead of a straight line. The zigzag-shaped cutout increases the difficulty of installing the zipper, because the direction of the zipper needs to be adjusted constantly during the installation (e.g., sewing) of the zipper to align with the zigzag-shaped cutout.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need to improve the existing bellows and its manufacturing method. SUMMARY

[0010] One of the purposes of the present disclosure is to overcome at least one or more of the above problems or other problems in the prior art.

[0011] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a bellows is provided. The bellows comprises a plurality of ring elements, each ring element comprising an inner hole adapted to accommodate an elongated member and a pre-provisioned cut adapted to mount a zipper, the cut being configured as a through cut extending from a radially outermost edge to a radially innermost edge of each ring element. The plurality of ring elements are alternately connected end to end in a manner that adjacent ring elements are joined along an outer joining line or an inner joining line; and radially outer ends or radially inner ends of the cuts of adjacent ring elements in the plurality of ring elements are aligned with each other. By pre-provisioning the cuts in the ring elements, cutting of the bellows using a cutting device or manually shearing the bellows to form the cuts for mounting the zipper after the bellows is formed is avoided. In this way, cost is saved, efficiency is improved, and the yield of the bellows is ensured.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cut is obliquely provided such that an extension line of the cut does not pass through a center of the ring element. The obliquely provided cut enables the zipper to be obliquely provided on the bellows in a direction deviated from an axial direction of the bellows after the plurality of ring elements form the bellows, which can lengthen a distance between adjacent ridges passed by a zipper head during a travel of the zipper head, enabling the zipper head to have a larger turning space and thus to easily slide over the ridges and valleys of the bellows.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each ring element comprises a first edge and a second edge located on two sides of the cut, the first edge being further away from a center of the ring element than the second edge, and wherein each ring element comprises a first notch located near the first edge radially outside the cut, the first notch forming a first alignment line at an angle to the first edge.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first alignment line and the second edge of the cut are symmetric to each other with respect to a central axis.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each ring element comprises a first edge and a second edge located on two sides of the cut, the first edge being further away from a center of the ring element than the second edge, and wherein each ring element comprises a second notch located near the second edge radially inside the cut, the second notch forming a second alignment line at an angle to the second edge.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second alignment line and the first edge of the cut are symmetric to each other with respect to a central axis.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each ring-shaped element comprises a first edge and a second edge located on both sides of the cutout, the first edge being further from the center of the ring-shaped element than the second edge, and wherein each ring-shaped element comprises a first notch located near the first edge radially outside the cutout and a second notch located near the second edge radially inside the cutout, the first notch forming a first alignment line at an angle to the first edge and the second notch forming a second alignment line at an angle to the second edge.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first alignment lines are symmetrical to each other with respect to a central axis of the second edge of the cutout, and wherein the second alignment lines are symmetrical to each other with respect to another central axis of the first edge of the cutout.

[0019] By providing the first notch and / or the second notch, not only can the cutouts of the plurality of ring-shaped elements be better aligned during the process of joining the plurality of ring-shaped elements into a bellows, but also the zipper can be more easily sewn on the bellows after the bellows is formed.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cutouts of the plurality of ring-shaped elements are configured to be substantially located on a straight line when the bellows is unfolded.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the bellows comprises a zipper installed at the cutout of each ring-shaped element after the bellows is formed by the plurality of ring-shaped elements.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the width of the cutout of each ring-shaped element is between 0 and the width of the zipper.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the width of the cutout of each ring-shaped element is equal to the width of the zipper when the zipper teeth of the zipper are engaged with each other.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ring-shaped elements are formed by hand cutting, die cutting, or stamping.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ring-shaped elements are made of soft material.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, adjacent ring-shaped elements are joined together by sewing, bonding, or heat melting.

[0027] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a bellows is provided. The method comprises: providing a plurality of ring elements, each ring element comprising an inner hole adapted to accommodate an elongated member and a pre-provisioned cut adapted to mount a zipper, the cut configured as a through cut extending from a radially outermost edge to a radially innermost edge of each ring element; aligning radially outer ends or radially inner ends of the cuts of adjacent ring elements in the plurality of ring elements with each other; and forming the bellows by alternatingly connecting the plurality of ring elements end to end in a manner that adjacent ring elements are joined to each other along an outer joint line or an inner joint line.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises: disposing the cut obliquely such that an extension line of the cut does not pass through a center of the ring element.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, connecting the plurality of ring elements end to end in a manner that adjacent ring elements are joined to each other along an outer joint line or an inner joint line comprises the following steps: i) arranging two ring elements with a first face facing each other and joining the two ring elements together along a first joint line; ii) arranging a third ring element with either one of the two ring elements already joined together with a second face facing each other and joining the third ring element and the either one ring element together along a second joint line, wherein the second face is opposite to the first face and the second joint line is at a different position than the first joint line; iii) repeating the above steps i) and ii) until the bellows is formed by alternatingly connecting the plurality of ring elements end to end.

[0030] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first joint line is one of the outer joint line and the inner joint line, and the second joint line is the other one of the outer joint line and the inner joint line.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first and second joining lines are different.

[0032] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first joining line is one of the outer and inner joining lines, and the second joining line is the other one of the outer and inner joining lines.

[0033] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each ring element includes a first edge and a second edge on two sides of the cutout, the first edge being farther from a center of the ring element than the second edge, and the method further includes providing a first notch near the first edge at a radially outer side of the cutout of each ring element such that the first notch forms a first alignment line at an angle to the first edge.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes symmetrizing the first alignment line and the second edge of the cutout relative to a central axis.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when joining adjacent ring elements along the outer joining line, a second edge of a first one of the adjacent ring elements is aligned with a first alignment line of a second one of the adjacent ring elements.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each ring element includes a first edge and a second edge on two sides of the cutout, the first edge being farther from a center of the ring element than the second edge, and the method further includes providing a second notch near the second edge at a radially inner side of the cutout of each ring element such that the second notch forms a second alignment line at an angle to the second edge.

[0037] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes symmetrizing the second alignment line and the first edge of the cutout relative to a central axis.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when joining adjacent ring elements along the inner joining line, a first edge of a first ring element of the adjacent ring elements is aligned with a second alignment line of a second ring element.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises configuring the cutouts of the plurality of ring elements to be substantially located on a straight line when the bellows is deployed.

[0040] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises installing a zipper at the cutout of each ring element after forming the bellows from the plurality of ring elements.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises forming the ring elements by hand cutting, die cutting, or stamping.

[0042] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises joining adjacent ring elements to each other by sewing, gluing, or heat melting.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises forming the ring elements by using soft material.

[0044] The technical features mentioned above, the technical features to be mentioned below, and the technical features shown in the drawings alone can be arbitrarily combined with each other, provided that the technical features to be combined are not contradictory to each other. All possible combinations of features are explicitly described herein. Any one of the plurality of sub-features included in the same sentence can be independently applied, and does not necessarily have to be applied together with other sub-features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0045] Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0046] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a bellows according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0047] Figure 2a A front view of a bellows with a zipper installed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically shown, wherein the bellows according to the present disclosure has cutouts for installing a zipper which are substantially straight lines;

[0048] Figure 2b A detailed structure of a zipper according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0049] Figure 2c A perspective view of a bellows with a zipper installed obliquely according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0050] Figure 3 schematically illustrates a plan view of a ring element for forming a bellows according to the present disclosure, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0051] Figure 4 schematically illustrates a plan view of a ring element for forming a bellows according to the present disclosure, according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, including a first notch located radially outside the ring element and a second notch located radially inside the ring element;

[0052] Figure 5 schematically illustrates Figure 4 a specific method of providing the first notch shown;

[0053] Figure 6 schematically illustrates Figure 4 a specific method of providing the second notch shown;

[0054] Figure 7 schematically illustrates a plan view of alignment with the first notch when joining two adjacent ring elements together along an outside joining line, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 8 schematically illustrates a plan view of alignment with the second notch when joining two adjacent ring elements together along an inside joining line, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in a variety of different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide additional embodiments. In all the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like or functionally similar elements.

[0057] It should be understood that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes and can not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments described in the specification. All literature and similar materials cited in this disclosure are expressly incorporated by reference.

[0058] As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the terms "comprises", "comprising", and "having" are inclusive and allow for elements or steps other than those listed to be present. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0059] In the description, when an element is referred to as being "on", "attached", "connected", "coupled", or "contacted" to another element, it can be directly on, attached, connected, coupled, or contacted to the other element or intervening elements can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on", "directly attached", "directly connected", "directly coupled", or "directly contacted" to another element, there are no intervening elements present. In the description, a feature can be "adjacent" to another feature if it has a portion that overlaps with the adjacent feature or is positioned above or below the adjacent feature.

[0060] It will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. can be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a first element could be termed a second element or a third element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0061] Referring to Figures 1 to 2c , a bellows 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. The bellows 1 can be sleeved around an elongated member, such as an elongated metal tube or shaft of a mechanical device, to serve as a bellows guard. The bellows 1 can be provided with a zipper 16 to allow the bellows 1 to be sleeved around and / or removed from the elongated member without disassembling the elongated member.

[0062] As Figure 1 and Figure 3 more clearly shown, the bellows 1 according to the present disclosure comprises a plurality of ring elements 10. Each ring element 10 can comprise an inner hole 11 for accommodating the elongated member. Each ring element 10 can comprise a radially outermost edge and a radially innermost edge. The plurality of ring elements 10 can form the bellows 1 in a manner that adjacent ring elements are joined to each other along an outer joining line 13 or an inner joining line 14 in an alternating end-to-end fashion. The outer joining line 13 can be proximate to the radially outermost edge of the ring element 10 and extend along the circumference of the ring element 10. The inner joining line 14 can be proximate to the radially innermost edge of the ring element 10 and extend along the circumference of the ring element 10. Further, in the present disclosure, the term "alternating end-to-end" means that the head of each element (except the end elements at both ends) is joined to the head of an adjacent one of the elements and the tail of the element is joined to the tail of an adjacent other one of the elements, such as the radially outer end of the outer joining line or the cutout 15 mentioned below of the ring element 10 and the radially inner end of the inner joining line or the cutout 15 mentioned below of the ring element 10.

[0063] Each annular element 10 can also include a pre-provided cutout 15. The cutout 15 can be used to mount a zipper 16. The zipper 16 can be any suitable type of zipper. Figure 2b A specific structure of a zipper 16 that can be mounted on the bellows 1 according to the present disclosure is schematically shown. As shown, Figure 2b The zipper 16 can include a first flexible portion 161 and a second flexible portion 162. The first flexible portion 161 and the second flexible portion 162 are each provided with zipper teeth 163, and the first flexible portion 161 and the second flexible portion 162 are connected to each other by means of engagement of the zipper teeth 163. The zipper teeth 163 are engaged with or separated from each other by pulling a zipper head 164 of the zipper 16. In embodiments according to the present disclosure, the cutout 15 can be a through cutout extending from a radially outermost edge to a radially innermost edge of the annular element 10. By means of the pre-provided cutout 15, a cutout for mounting the zipper 16 can be pre-reserved before the plurality of annular elements 10 are joined together, thereby avoiding cutting the bellows 1 using a cutting device or manually shearing the bellows 1 to form the cutout for mounting the zipper 16 after the bellows 1 is formed. In this way, both cost and efficiency are saved, and the yield of the bellows 1 is ensured. In addition, pre-providing the cutout 15 on each annular element 10 is very easy, either by means of a processing machine or by manual cutting, and the machining precision of the cutout 15 can also be better controlled.

[0064] In Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the cutout 15 is provided obliquely, such that the extension line of the cutout 15 does not pass through the center of the annular element 10. The obliquely provided cutout 15 enables the zipper 16 to be provided obliquely on the bellows 1 along a direction deviating from the axial direction of the bellows 1 after the plurality of annular elements 10 form the bellows 1 (as shown in Figure 2c However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the cutout 15 can also be provided such that the extension line thereof passes through the center of the annular element 10. In this way, the zipper 16 can be provided on the bellows 1 along the axial direction of the bellows 1 after the plurality of annular elements 10 form the bellows 1.

[0065] In some embodiments, the width of the cutout 15 is set to be equal to the width of the fastener teeth 163 of the fastener 16 when the fastener teeth 163 are engaged with each other. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The width of the cutout 15 can be between 0 and the width of the fastener 16. When the width of the cutout 15 is equal to 0, the cutout 15 can become a cut line, such as an obliquely disposed slant cut line.

[0066] In some embodiments, the plurality of ring-like elements 10 used to form the bellows 1 can have substantially the same configuration. In some embodiments, the ring-like elements 10 can be made of soft material, such as cloth, leather, artificial leather, soft plastic, or the like. In some embodiments, the ring-like elements 10 can be formed by various suitable means. For example, the ring-like elements 10 can be formed by manual cutting, or the ring-like elements 10 can be formed by die cutting or stamping. In particular, a plurality of ring-like elements 10 can be formed at one time by manually cutting, die cutting, or stamping a plurality of sheet materials stacked together.

[0067] In forming the bellows 1 using the plurality of ring-like elements 10, the ends of the cutout 15 of each ring-like element 10 are configured to be aligned with the corresponding ends of the cutout 15 of the preceding and / or succeeding ring-like element 10 adjacent thereto, respectively. For example, the radially outer end of the cutout 15 of each ring-like element 10 can be aligned with the radially outer end of the cutout 15 of one ring-like element 10 adjacent thereto, and the radially inner end of the cutout 15 of the ring-like element 10 can be aligned with the radially inner end of the cutout 15 of another ring-like element 10 adjacent thereto. In this way, when the bellows 1 is formed using the plurality of ring-like elements 10, the cutouts 15 of the plurality of ring-like elements 10 substantially alternate end to end and can substantially lie on a straight line (as shown in FIG. 1) when the bellows 1 is unfolded, which allows the fastener 16 to be easily installed (e.g., sewn) on the prepared bellows 1. Figure 2a

[0068] The process of forming the bellows 1 using the plurality of ring-like elements 10 will be described in more detail below.

[0069] As Figure 1 ​As shown, each ring element 10 can include an outer side 21 and an inner side 22. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, when forming the bellows 1 with a plurality of ring elements 10, two ring elements 10 can be first arranged with their first sides (e.g., the inner sides 22) facing each other and joined (e.g., sewn, bonded, heat-staked, etc.) together along a first joining line (e.g., the outer joining line 13). Then, a third ring element 10 is arranged with its second side (e.g., the outer side 21) facing any one of the two ring elements 10 that have been joined together, and the third ring element and the any one ring element are joined together along a second joining line (e.g., the inner joining line 14). Here, the second side is opposite to the first side, and the second joining line is at a different location than the first joining line. The above steps are repeated to join any subsequent ring element 10 with the preceding ring element 10 until the desired bellows 1 is formed with the plurality of ring elements 10 alternatingly connected end-to-end. In addition, during the formation of the bellows 1, the cutout 15 of each ring element 10 can be substantially aligned with the radially outer end (when joining along the outer joining line 13) or the radially inner end (when joining along the inner joining line 14) of the cutout 15 of the adjacent ring element 10 to ensure that the cutouts 15 of the plurality of ring elements 10 are substantially aligned end-to-end and substantially in a straight line when the bellows 1 is unrolled, to facilitate the installation of the zipper 16. Such a substantially straight cutout formed is not achievable by the prior art method of cutting an already manufactured bellows 1 along a direction that is offset from the axial direction.

[0070] In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, when forming the bellows 1 with the plurality of ring elements 10, at least some of the plurality of ring elements 10 can be first formed into a plurality of ring element pairs 12. Each of the ring element pairs 12 can include two ring elements 10. The two ring elements 10 in each of the ring element pairs 12 are arranged with the first faces (such as the inner side faces 22 or the outer side faces 21) facing each other and joined together along the first joint lines (such as the outer side joint lines 13 or the inner side joint lines 14). Then, one of the ring elements 10 in any one of the ring element pairs 12 is arranged with the second face (opposite to the first face) facing one of the ring elements 10 in another one of the ring element pairs 12 and joined together along the second joint line (different from the first joint line). The above steps are repeated until the desired bellows 1 is formed with the plurality of ring element pairs 12. During the joining of the two ring elements 10 to form the ring element pairs 12 and the joining of the ring element pairs 12 to form the bellows 1, the cutouts 15 of each of the ring elements 10 can be aligned with the radially outer ends (when joining along the outer side joint lines 13) or the radially inner ends (when joining along the inner side joint lines 14) of the cutouts 15 of the adjacent ring elements 10 to ensure that the cutouts 15 of the plurality of ring elements 10 are substantially alternately connected end to end and substantially in a straight line when the bellows 1 is unrolled, facilitating the installation of the zipper 16.

[0071] In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 4 to 6 , in the case where the cutouts 15 are obliquely arranged such that the elongation lines thereof do not pass through the centers of the ring elements 10, in order to facilitate the alignment of the cutouts 15 of the two ring elements 10 at the radially outer side during the joining of the two ring elements 10 along the outer side joint lines 13, a first notch 19’ (see Figure 5 ) can be arranged at the radially outer side of the cutout 15 of each of the ring elements 10, near the first edge 17 of the cutout 15. The first notch 19’ can be located at the radially outer side of the cutout 15, near the first edge 17 of the cutout 15, and a first alignment line 19 (see Figure 4 ) generated by the first notch 19’ is at an angle with the first edge 17.

[0072] The formation of the first notch 19’ and the first alignment line 19 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5 . As shown in Figure 5As shown, each annular element 10 includes a first edge 17 and a second edge 18 located on both sides of the cutout 15. The first edge 17 can be farther away from the center of the annular element 10 than the second edge 18. The first edge 17 intersects the outer joint line 13 at a point A, and the second edge 18 intersects the outer joint line 13 at a point B. A midpoint E located on the outer joint line 13 between the point A and the point B is determined, and a center O of the annular element 10 is determined. The center line OE is formed by connecting the point O and the point E. The second edge 18 of the cutout 15 intersects a radially outermost edge of the annular element 10 at a point D, and a point C is obtained by taking the point D as a symmetric axis with respect to the center line OE. The line segment AC is obtained by connecting the point A and the point C, and the line segment AC is the first alignment line 19. A portion of the annular element 10 between the line segment AC and the cutout 15 is removed along the line segment AC to form the first notch 19'.

[0073] In the case where the first notch 19' is provided in the above-described manner, the first alignment line 19 generated by the first notch 19' is symmetrical with respect to the center line OE with the second edge 18. In order to align the cutouts 15 of the two annular elements 10 at the radially outer side in the process of joining the two annular elements 10 along the outer joint line 13, as Figure 7 shown, the two annular elements 10 can be arranged with the first faces (for example, the inner faces 22) facing each other, and the second edge 18 of the first annular element of the two annular elements 10 can be aligned with the first alignment line 19 of the second annular element. At this time, the cutout 15 of the first annular element of the two annular elements 10 and the cutout 15 of the second annular element are angled with respect to each other. However, after the two annular elements 10 joined to each other are developed in the axial direction of the bellows 1, the cutouts 15 of the two annular elements 10 can be substantially located on a straight line.

[0074] In some other embodiments according to the present disclosure, as Figures 4 to 6 shown, in the case where the cutout 15 is provided obliquely such that the elongation line thereof does not pass through the center of the annular element 10, in order to facilitate the alignment of the cutouts 15 of the two annular elements 10 at the radially inner side in the process of joining the two annular elements 10 along the inner joint line 14, a second notch 20' (see Figure 6 ) can be provided at the radially inner side of the cutout 15 of each annular element 10. The second notch 20' can be located near the second edge 18 of the cutout 15 at the radially inner side of the cutout 15, and a second alignment line 20 (see Figure 4 ) generated by the second notch 20' is angled with respect to the second edge 18.

[0075] The formation process of the second notch 20' and the second alignment line 20 is described with reference to Figure 6 . As Figure 6As shown, the first edge 17 of each annular element 10 intersects the radially innermost edge of the annular element 10 at a point G, and the second edge 18 intersects the radially innermost edge of the annular element 10 at a point N. A line segment OG is connected between the center O of the annular element 10 and the point G, and the line segment OG intersects the inner joint line 14 of the annular element 10 at a point H. A line segment ON is connected between the center O of the annular element 10 and the point N, and the line segment ON intersects the inner joint line 14 of the annular element 10 at a point I. A point M is obtained by symmetrically reflecting the point H with the line segment OI as an axis of symmetry, such that the circular arc HI is equal to the circular arc IM. The line segment MO is connected between the point M and the center O, such that the line segment MO intersects the radially innermost edge of the annular element 10 at a point J. The second edge 18 intersects the inner joint line 14 of the annular element 10 at a point L, and the line segment JL is connected between the point J and the point L, and the line segment JL is the second alignment line 20. A portion of the annular element 10 between the line segment JL and the cutout 15 is removed along the line segment JL to form the second notch 20'.

[0076] In the case where the second notch 20' is provided in the above-described manner, the second alignment line 20 generated by the second notch 20' is symmetrical to the first edge 17 with respect to the center line OI. In order to align the cutouts 15 of two annular elements 10 at the radially inner side during the process of joining the two annular elements 10 along the inner joint line 14, as shown, the two annular elements 10 can be arranged with the second faces (for example, the outer side 21) facing each other, and the first edge 17 of a first annular element of the two annular elements 10 is aligned with the second alignment line 20 of a second annular element. At this time, the cutout 15 of the first annular element of the two annular elements 10 is angled with respect to the cutout 15 of the second annular element. However, after the two annular elements 10 joined to each other are unfolded along the axial direction of the bellows 1, the cutouts 15 of the two annular elements 10 can be substantially located on a straight line. Figure 8

[0077] In yet other embodiments according to the present disclosure, each annular element 10 can include both the first notch 19' and the second notch 20'. This can better help to align the cutouts 15 of a plurality of annular elements 10 during the process of joining the plurality of annular elements 10 into the bellows 1.

[0078] ​In addition, the presence of the first gap 19' and / or the second gap 20' also helps to make it easier to sew the zipper 16 on the bellows 1 after the bellows 1 is formed. Specifically, during the process of sewing the zipper 16 on the bellows 1, it is necessary to push apart and press down the portions of the two adjacent ring elements 10 that are located radially outward of the outer joint line 13 and / or radially inward of the inner joint line 14. The pressed-down portions increase the sewing thickness of the ring elements 10, thereby not only increasing the difficulty of sewing the zipper 16, but also increasing the possibility of damaging the needle of the sewing machine. When the first gap 19' and / or the second gap 20' are present, not only can the portions of the two adjacent ring elements 10 be more easily pushed apart and pressed down, but the sewing thickness of the ring elements 10 is also reduced to some extent, thereby reducing the difficulty of sewing the zipper 16 and prolonging the service life of the needle of the sewing machine.

[0079] The exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. All changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. The present disclosure is defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A bellows comprising a plurality of annular elements, each annular element including an internal hole adapted to receive an elongated member and a pre-set slit adapted to install a zipper, the slit being configured as a through slit extending from the radially outermost edge to the radially innermost edge of each annular element; in, The plurality of annular elements are joined end-to-end alternately, with adjacent annular elements joining each other along the outer or inner joining lines; and Wherein, the radially outer or radially inner ends of the cuts of adjacent annular elements in the plurality of annular elements are aligned with each other.

2. The corrugated pipe according to claim 1, wherein, The cut is angled such that the extension line of the cut does not pass through the center of the annular element.

3. The corrugated pipe according to claim 2, wherein, Each annular element includes a first edge and a second edge located on both sides of the cut, the first edge being further away from the center of the annular element than the second edge, and wherein each annular element includes a first notch located radially outside the cut near the first edge, the first notch forming a first alignment line at an angle to the first edge.

4. The bellows according to claim 3, wherein, The first alignment line and the second edge of the cut are symmetrical about each other with respect to a central axis.

5. The corrugated pipe according to claim 2, wherein, Each annular element includes a first edge and a second edge located on both sides of the cut, the first edge being further away from the center of the annular element than the second edge, and wherein each annular element includes a second notch located radially inward of the cut near the second edge, the second notch forming a second alignment line at an angle to the second edge.

6. The corrugated pipe according to claim 5, wherein, The second alignment line is symmetrical to the first edge of the cut relative to a central axis.

7. The bellows according to claim 2, wherein, Each annular element includes a first edge and a second edge located on both sides of the cut, the first edge being further away from the center of the annular element than the second edge, and wherein each annular element includes a first notch located near the first edge on the radially outer side of the cut and a second notch located near the second edge on the radially inner side of the cut, the first notch forming a first alignment line at an angle to the first edge and the second notch forming a second alignment line at an angle to the second edge.

8. The bellows according to claim 7, wherein, The first alignment line is symmetrical to the second edge of the cut with respect to a central axis, and the second alignment line is symmetrical to the first edge of the cut with respect to another central axis.

9. The bellows according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The cuts of the plurality of annular elements are configured such that they are substantially aligned in a straight line when the bellows is deployed.

10. The bellows according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The corrugated tube includes a zipper, which is installed at the cutout of each of the plurality of annular elements after the corrugated tube is formed by the plurality of annular elements.

11. The bellows according to claim 10, wherein, The width of the cut in each ring element is between 0 and the width of the zipper.

12. The bellows according to claim 11, wherein, The width of the cut in each ring element is equal to the width of the zipper teeth when they are engaged with each other.

13. A method for manufacturing a bellows, comprising: Multiple annular elements are provided, each annular element including an internal hole adapted to receive an elongated member and a pre-set slit adapted to install a zipper, the slit being configured as a through slit extending from the radially outermost edge to the radially innermost edge of each annular element; Align the radially outer or radially inner ends of the cuts of adjacent annular elements among the plurality of annular elements with each other; as well as The plurality of annular elements are joined end to end alternately in such a way that adjacent annular elements are joined together along the outer or inner joint line to form a bellows.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising: The cut is angled such that the extension line of the cut does not pass through the center of the annular element.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Connecting the plurality of annular elements end-to-end alternately, with adjacent annular elements joined together along the outer or inner joint line, includes the following steps: i) Arrange two annular elements with their first faces facing each other, and join the two annular elements together along a first joining line; ii) Arrange the third annular element and any one of the two annular elements that have already been joined together with their second faces facing each other, and join the third annular element and the other annular element together along the second joining line, wherein the second face is opposite to the first face, and the second joining line is in a different position from the first joining line; iii) Repeat steps i) and ii) above until the bellows is formed by alternating grounding of the multiple annular elements end to end.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The first bonding line is one of the outer bonding line and the inner bonding line, and the second bonding line is the other of the outer bonding line and the inner bonding line.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Connecting the plurality of annular elements end-to-end alternately, with adjacent annular elements joined together along the outer or inner joint line, includes the following steps: i) Forming at least a portion of the plurality of annular elements into a plurality of annular element pairs, wherein each annular element pair comprises two annular elements, and the two annular elements in each annular element pair are arranged with their first faces facing each other and joined together along a first joint line; ii) Arrange one ring element from any pair of ring elements and one ring element from another pair of ring elements with their second faces facing each other and join them together along a second joining line, wherein the second face is opposite to the first face and the second joining line is in a different position from the first joining line; iii) Repeat steps i) and ii) above until the bellows is formed by alternating grounding of the multiple annular elements end to end.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The first bonding line is one of the outer bonding line and the inner bonding line, and the second bonding line is the other of the outer bonding line and the inner bonding line.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Each annular element includes a first edge and a second edge located on both sides of the cut, the first edge being further away from the center of the annular element than the second edge, and the method further includes: A first notch is provided on the radially outer side of the cut of each annular element, near the first edge, such that the first notch forms a first alignment line at an angle to the first edge.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising: The first alignment line and the second edge of the cut are symmetrical about a central axis.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, When joining adjacent annular elements along the outer joining line, the second edge of the first annular element in the adjacent annular elements is aligned with the first alignment line of the second annular element.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Each annular element includes a first edge and a second edge located on both sides of the cut, the first edge being further away from the center of the annular element than the second edge, and the method further includes: A second notch is provided on the radially inner side of the cut of each annular element, near the second edge, such that the second notch forms a second alignment line at an angle to the second edge.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising: The second alignment line is symmetrical to the first edge of the cut relative to a central axis.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein, When joining adjacent annular elements along the inner joining line, the first edge of the first annular element in the adjacent annular elements is aligned with the second alignment line of the second annular element.

25. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 24, comprising: The cuts of the plurality of annular elements are configured such that they lie substantially in a straight line when the bellows is deployed.

26. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 24, comprising: After the bellows is formed from the plurality of ring elements, a zipper is attached to the cutout of each ring element.

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