Pipe insert

Abstract

Pipe insert (1) for visually checking and monitoring the condition and flow behavior of the liquid flowing in a supply line (2), comprising at least one sight tube (3) which is accommodated on both sides in an adapter (4, 5) for connection to the supply line (2), characterized in that the sight tube (3) is inserted on both sides into an adapter (4, 5) and the adapters (4, 5) each have a flange (6, 7) on the supply line side for this purpose, the inner geometry of which, each having at least one seal (8), is pushed onto the supply line (2) in a fitting manner, so that the pipe insert (1) as a whole can be inserted into the supply line (2) as an exchangeable intermediate piece.

Description

The invention relates to a pipe insert according to the preamble of claim 1.DE 939 290 already discloses a pipe insert referred to as a "flow indicator", which has a sight pipe made of transparent synthetic material, i.e. made of plastic, which is pressed or injected into a metal jacket. In this case, an indicator, such as a piston, a spring or an impeller, is additionally received in the interior of the sight tube in order to illustrate the flow of the liquid. In this embodiment, the metal jacket has a thread on each side for coupling to the pipeline, so that the pipe insert according to this publication is overall complicated to produce and can only be mounted by means of suitable tools.A similarly complex solution is also evident, for example, from GB 972,330 and from U.S. Pat. No. 11,815,730 B2.US 2003 / 0047128 A1 further relates to a pipe insert in which a viewing window is incorporated into a metal sleeve. A transparent, tubular glass element is inserted into this metal sleeve and fixed from the ends by a screw connection with a threaded connection each. Between the individual components, compressible seals are inserted.In keeping utility wings in stables, it is important to sufficiently cover the liquid requirements of the animals. A supply line running within the stall has numerous valves for this purpose, each of which is designed for the removal of the liquid and has a valve nipple, wherein the valve nipple transfers the valve from a closed position into an open position by contact. The liquid used can be, for example, pure drinking water in the simplest case. Moreover, it is also possible to supply food liquids or liquids containing medical constituents to the utility wing. The useful poultry are chickens, but also, for example, ducks, geese or other poultry. The animals can independently cover their liquid requirement with their beak by touching the valve nipple, which opens the valve by this contact and thus releases the liquid flowing in the supply line for removal.Deposits may occur in the supply line over time, which deposits, viewed over the long term, impede the flow of the liquid or, in the extreme case, even prevent it. In order to eliminate such a situation and for hygienic reasons, the supply lines are regularly cleaned and flushed. The liquid flow per se and the described cleaning and rinsing processes must be monitored. In order to be able to control the liquid flow within the supply lines, transparent sections in impregnation systems are therefore already known. For example, EP 2 528 430 B1 discloses an impregnating line pressure indicator with a transparent pipe section. A similar solution is also found in DE 41 30 009 A1.It is common to the known designs that their construction is relatively complicated and that their assembly and the integration into the supply line can only be effected by means of suitable tools.The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a pipe insert which is suitable for visual checking and monitoring of the state and the flow behavior of the liquid flowing in a supply line and which can be used as an exchangeable intermediate piece in the supply lineThe invention achieves this object with the features of claim 1.A pipe insert for visual testing and monitoring of the state and the flow behavior of the liquid flowing in a supply line, comprising at least one sight pipe which is accommodated on both sides in a respective adapter for connection to the supply line, has been further developed according to the invention in such a way that the sight pipe is inserted on both sides into a respective adapter and the adapters for this purpose each have a flange on the supply line side, the inner geometry of which, each having at least one seal, is pushed in a fitting manner onto the supply line, so that the pipe insert as a whole can be inserted into the supply line as an exchangeable intermediate piece.The invention has created a simple possibility of visually checking the flow behavior of a liquid in a supply line and of being able to check the state of the liquid and the flow behavior at any time. Such supply lines usually consist of a plurality of sections which are coupled to one another via connecting sleeves. The basic idea of the invention is to replace at least one of the existing connecting sleeves with the pipe insert. The pipe insert can be used, for example, to ensure that the supply lines remain free of biofilms and deposits. The simple visual check also makes it possible to check whether vaccines or other additives of the liquid actually reach the end of the supply line, for example. In this way, uncomplicated dosing can be effected, for example, if the drugs involved are medicaments which are added to the liquid.According to a first embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that the pipe insert can be mounted without threads and without tools. The assembly as a whole is thus very uncomplicated and simple. Moreover, assembly errors can be eliminated. Since the entire pipe insert is constructed symmetrically, i.e. is preferably equipped on both sides with adapters of identical construction, laymen can even introduce the pipe insert according to the invention into a supply line without problems. Screw connections or adhesive bonds, as are used in solutions of the prior art, are completely dispensed with here. This results from the plug connections used.According to a further development of the invention, the inspection tube is designed as a circumferentially transparent tube, which is made completely of plastic or glass and has a circular or square cross section. In particular, the glass variant ensures chemical resistance and high insensitivity to additives that may be contained in the liquid flowing within the supply line. This positive effect is present even when used intensively.It is furthermore of particular advantage if the adapters are manufactured in one piece from plastic, preferably from polyurethane. In this way, they can be produced easily and economically, even in large numbers, from a manufacturing standpoint. In addition, the adapters have a very low dead weight, so that the pipe insert as a whole practically does not load the supply line at all and does not adversely affect its properties.A further development of the invention is moreover to be seen in the fact that the seals within the flanges of the adapters consist of silicone. Silicone is a very stable material which has elastic properties and thus on the one hand enables an optimum sealing effect. On the other hand, it can be processed very easily and has a long life, which is of considerable significance for use within a supply line. This is because necessary repairs can be ruled out or maintenance intervals can be extended extremely. This saves the user working time and effort.A further, very important advantage of the invention is moreover to be seen in the fact that the pipe insert enables a tolerance compensation of the supply line in the sense of a length tolerance. Due to the plug connections used and the flexible materials used in the present case, this tolerance compensation can be achieved. This also has the positive result that the supply line always remains aligned optimally and no leaks are produced.The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The exemplary embodiment shown is not a restriction to the variant shown, but serves merely to explain a principle of the invention.Identical or similar components are always denoted by the same reference numerals. In order to be able to illustrate the mode of operation according to the invention, only greatly simplified schematic diagrams are shown in the figures, in which the components which are not essential for the invention have been dispensed with. However, this does not mean that such components are not present in a solution according to the invention.It shows: FIG. 1 : a detail of a perspective view of a supply line with a pipe insert inserted therein, and FIG. 2 : the supply line with the pipe insert from FIG. 1 in a representation cut in the longitudinal direction.FIG. 1 shows a detail of a perspective view of a supply line 2 with a pipe insert 1 inserted therein. The pipe insert 1 consists of a transparent viewing pipe 3 which consists of glass and is accommodated on both sides in an adapter 4 and 5, respectively. The sight tube 3 is coupled to the adapters 4 and 5 via a plug connection. The adapters 4 and 5 are in turn made of plastic and each have a flange 6 and 7 on the supply line side. As is clear from the illustration in FIG. 1, the specific exemplary embodiment of a supply line 2 shown here has a square cross section, with the result that the flanges 6 and 7 are designed to likewise receive this square cross section via a plug connection. In addition, a seal 8 is located within the flanges 6 and 7, which will be explained in more detail in connection with the description of the following FIG. 2. In a manner known per se, the supply line 2 has a plurality of valves 11 which are inserted on their underside and each have a pivotable valve nipple 12. Since the variant embodiment of the supply line 2 in FIG. 1 is a supply line 2 which is used predominantly in animal stables for the supply of utility wings, the animals can open the valve 11 with their beaks by contact of the pivotable valve nipple 12, so that liquid is thereby discharged. To facilitate the assembly of the valves 11, the supply line 2 is provided with a square cross section.FIG. 2 shows the supply line 2 with the pipe insert 1 from FIG. 1 in a representation cut in the longitudinal direction. The construction of the pipe insert 1 is more clearly apparent from this than from the illustration in FIG. 1. Thus, the sight pipe 3 consisting of transparent glass is inserted with its end sections directly and on both sides into one adapter 4 and 5 each. The connection between the adapter 4, 5 and the sight tube 3 is a fitting connection, so that a sealing effect is achieved. The sealing between the end of the sight tube 3 and the adapters 4 and 5 is furthermore achieved by an annular collar 10 present within the adapter 4 or 5, on which the end of the sight tube 3 comes to bear directly. On the supply line side, the adapters 4 and 5 each have a flange 6 and 7 respectively with an internal annular collar 9, on which the end of the supply line 2 directly abuts. This is also a plug connection between the supply line 2 and the corresponding flange 6, 7. To additionally improve the sealing effect between the supply line 2 and the flanges 6 and 7, a circumferential seal 8 made of silicone is inserted within the flanges 6 and 7.LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS:1 Pipe insert 2 Supply line 3 Sight pipe 4 Adapter 5 Adapter 6 Flange 7 Flange 8 Seal 9 Annular collar 10 Annular collar 11 Valve 12 Pivotable valve nippleReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 939 290

[0002] GB 972,330

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 11,815,730 B2

[0003] US 2003 / 0047128 A1

[0004] EP 2 528 430 B1

[0006] DE 41 30 009 A1

[0006]

Claims

Pipe insert (1) for visual checking and monitoring of the state and the flow behavior of the liquid flowing in a supply line (2), comprising at least one inspection pipe (3) which is accommodated on both sides in a respective adapter (4, 5) for connection to the supply line (2), characterized in that the inspection pipe (3) is inserted on both sides in a respective adapter (4, 5) and the adapters (4, 5) for this purpose each have a flange (6, 7) on the supply line side, the inner geometry of which, having at least one seal (8), is pushed in a fitting manner onto the supply line (2), so that the pipe insert (1) as a whole can be inserted into the supply line (2) as an exchangeable intermediate piece.Pipe insert (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the pipe insert (1) can be mounted without threads and without tools.Pipe insert (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inspection pipe (3) is a circumferentially transparent pipe which is made completely of plastic or glass and has a circular or square cross section.Pipe insert (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adapters (4, 5) are produced in one piece from plastic.Pipe insert (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seals (8) within the flanges (6, 7) of the adapters (4, 5) consist of silicone.Pipe insert (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pipe insert (1) enables a tolerance compensation of the supply line (2) in the sense of a length tolerance.

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