Cover member and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a cover member that can easily cover a component to be covered and can be easily fixed to that component. [Solution] The cover member 10 is made of an elastic material and is used by wrapping it around the circumferential surface of the member to be covered 1. It integrally comprises a cover portion 11 that covers the member to be covered 1 and a band portion 12 that is wrapped around and fixed to the cover portion 11 that covers the member to be covered 1. The band portion 12 includes a fitting projection 16 made of a cold slug projection 52 formed during the molding of the cover member 10 and protruding from the band surface 12a, and a fitting recess 15 that fits into the fitting projection 16.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cover member that covers the circumferential surface of a member to be covered and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various techniques for cover members that are wound around the circumferential surface of a member to be covered, such as a pipe, for the purpose of corrosion prevention or insulation have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for covering a metal pipe using a cover member made of a polyethylene sheet for corrosion prevention.

[0003] Conventional cover members of this type are usually fixed by winding a band member, such as a rubber band, around the surface of the cover member (see FIG. 2D of Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, since the cover member and the band member in the above documents are separate members that are separated from each other, handling and management are inconvenient. In addition, since some band members require a buckle (fastening fitting), in that case, they are further composed of a plurality of materials, which may increase the cost. Further, if the cover member is for insulation purposes, it is considered inappropriate to use a metal buckle.

[0006] The present invention has been proposed in view of such circumstances, and its object is to provide a cover member that can easily cover a member to be covered and can be easily fixed to the member to be covered.

[0007] Furthermore, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a cover member that allows for easy production of the cover member and effective utilization of raw materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the cover member of the present invention is a cover member made of an elastic material that is used by wrapping it around the circumferential surface of a member to be covered, and integrally comprises a cover portion that covers the member to be covered and a band portion that is wrapped around and fixed to the cover portion that covers the member to be covered, wherein the band portion comprises a fitting projection made of cold slag projections formed during the molding of the cover member that protrude from the band surface and a fitting recess that fits into the fitting projection.

[0009] Furthermore, the method for manufacturing the cover member of the present invention is a manufacturing method in which a cover member made of an elastic material that covers the circumferential surface of the member to be covered is formed using a mold.

[0010] The cover member integrally comprises a cover portion that covers the member to be covered and a band portion that is wrapped around and fixed to the cover portion that covers the member to be covered. The band portion includes a fitting projection formed on the surface of the band portion and a fitting recess that fits into the fitting projection. The mold has a molding space portion for the cover member formed inside it, and the molding space portion includes a band space portion corresponding to the band portion. Opposite to the band space portion is a material outlet for an injection path for injecting the raw material of the elastic material into the mold, and on the opposite side of the material outlet via the band space portion is a slag reservoir portion for accumulating a portion of the raw material.

[0011] Furthermore, the method for manufacturing the cover member is characterized by the procedure of injecting the raw material into the mold, hardening the raw material in the molded space and the slag reservoir, and then removing an integrated object including the cold slag protrusions that have hardened in the slag reservoir. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] Because the cover member of the present invention has the configuration described above, it can easily cover the member to be covered and can be easily fixed in place.

[0013] Furthermore, since the method for manufacturing the cover member of the present invention is the procedure described above, the cover member of the present invention can be easily manufactured, and raw materials can be effectively utilized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a cover member according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] (a) is a side view of the cover member, and (b) is a perspective view showing how the cover member is used. [Figure 3] (a) and (b) are partial cross-sectional end views showing examples of how the cover member is attached to the member to be covered. [Figure 4] (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the mold used to form the cover member, and (b) is a side view of the molded material formed by the mold. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing method of the cover member. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The cover member 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and its manufacturing method will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. First, the basic configuration of the cover member 10 will be described.

[0016] The cover member 10 is a member made of an elastic material that is wound around the circumferential surface of the member 1 to be covered for use. The cover member 10 integrally includes a cover portion 11 that covers the member 1 to be covered and a band portion 12 that is wound around and fixed to the cover portion 11 covering the member 1 to be covered. The band portion 12 includes a fitting convex portion 16 formed by using a cold slag protrusion 52 formed during the molding of the cover member 10 that protrudes from the band surface 12a, and a fitting concave portion 15 that fits into the fitting convex portion 16.

[0017] The cover member 10 according to the following embodiment covers the member 1 to be covered which is made of a pipe such as metal. The pipe 1 made of metal is, for example, a component provided as an interior part of an electric vehicle or the like, and the cover member 10 is attached for the purpose of insulation. Examples of the elastic material that is the material of the cover member 10 include rubber materials and flexible synthetic resin materials. Note that the member 1 to be covered may be a resin pipe, and the cover member 10 can also be used for the purpose of preventing deterioration of the resin pipe in a high-temperature environment.

[0018] Further, this cover member 10 can also be used by winding it around the member 1 to be covered with another cover material 3 (see FIG. 3) such as a sheet-like material, etc. on the surface for reinforcement, for repair of the cover material 3, or as a fastener for the cover material 3.

[0019] Next, the detailed configuration and usage mode of the cover member 10 will be described while referring to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover member 10 is in a flat plate state before being used as a cover (covering material) for the pipe 1, and is a strip-shaped plate material having three levels of width dimensions along the longitudinal direction. When storing the cover member 10, it may be in a rolled-up state.

[0021] The cover member 10 includes a cover portion 11 which is the main part for covering the pipe 1 and has the largest width dimension, and a band portion that is smaller in width dimension than the cover portion 11 and is for fixing the cover portion 11 to the pipe 1.

[0022] The cover part 11 only needs to have a length that can be wound around the pipe 1 approximately once. For example, as shown in Fig. 2(b), the dimensions may be such that the longitudinal ends of the cover part 11 overlap with each other, or if it is used as a fastener for another cover material 3, the dimensions may be such that there is a gap through which the cover material 3 is exposed between the ends of the cover part 11 when the cover part 11 is wound around the pipe 1.

[0023] Also, the cover part 11 is square-shaped, and its width dimension may be, for example, about 30 mm to 150 mm, preferably about 50 mm to 100 mm, considering ease of handling. For a longer pipe 1, a plurality of cover members 10 can also be attached side by side without gaps.

[0024] The band part 12 includes a band main body part 14 and a band base part 13 arranged between the band main body part 14 and the cover part 11, which has a width dimension larger than that of the band main body part 14 and smaller than that of the cover part 11. The band base part 13 and the band main body part 14 are also square-shaped.

[0025] The band main body part 14 has a fitting concave part 15 formed by an insertion hole opened on the band surface 12a on the open end side, and a fitting convex part 16 on one band surface 12a on the proximal end side (the band base part 13 side). Note that the fitting convex part 16 may be provided on the band base part 13. Also, the fitting concave part 15 may be a bottomed hole.

[0026] The width dimension of the band main body part 14 may be about 5 mm to 10 mm. Also, the width dimension of the band base part 13 may be about 20 mm to 30 mm.

[0027] When attaching the cover member 10 to the pipe 1, the fitting convex part 16 and the fitting concave part 15 act as a fastening part for the cover member 10 itself when they are fitted together (see Figs. 2(a) and 2(b)).

[0028] The fitting projection 16 and the fitting recess 15 only need to have shapes that allow them to fit together. In the illustrated example, the fitting projection 16 is approximately cylindrical, while the fitting recess 15 can be a through-hole or the like into which the fitting projection 16 is fitted. Multiple fitting recesses 15 may be provided. It is preferable to have only one fitting projection 16, as multiple projections would interfere with wrapping the band 12.

[0029] Furthermore, while it is preferable that the fitting projection 16 protrudes in a direction substantially perpendicular to the band surface 12a of the band portion 12, as shown in Figure 2(a), it may also be an inclined projection so as to hook onto the fitting recess 15.

[0030] In this illustrated example, the fitting projection 16 has a cylindrical body 16a and a head 16b for preventing it from coming loose. The head 16b is tapered and has a tapered circumferential surface 16c. The diameter of the tip surface of the head 16b is smaller than the diameter of the fitting recess 15, and the diameter of the surface of the head 16b on the body 16a side is larger than the diameter of the fitting recess 15.

[0031] In other words, when the fitting projection 16 is fitted into the fitting recess 15, the tapered circumferential surface 16c acts as a guide surface for fitting into the fitting recess 15, causing the head 16b to enter the fitting recess 15, and as it elastically deforms, it protrudes outward from the fitting recess 15, while the body 16a remains loosely fitted within the fitting recess 15 (through hole).

[0032] This fitting projection 16 is a part formed by processing a cold slug projection 52, which is part of the molded material 50, the original material before the formation of the cover member 10, which was formed in the mold 20 in the manufacturing method of the cover member described later (see Figure 4(b)).

[0033] The band base 13 is provided at the end of the band portion 12 on the cover portion 11 side, that is, in the middle of the overall longitudinal direction, as part of the band portion 12, to increase the connection strength between the band portion 12 and the cover portion 11, and to act as a buffer for an intermediate width dimension. The band base 13 can be formed to various dimensions, taking into consideration the balance between improving the strength of the band portion 12 and saving material.

[0034] For example, by adjusting the longitudinal dimensions of the band base 13, the elasticity of the band portion 12 can be varied even if the entire structure is made of the same elastic material. Of course, the band portion 12 may consist only of a band body portion 14 with a uniform width, meaning it does not have to have a band base 13.

[0035] Thus, the cover member 10 is integrally formed from an elastic material, with a cover portion 11 and a band portion 12 with fastening portions (fitting protrusions 16 and fitting recesses 15). Furthermore, since it does not require a separate fastener to secure the band portion 12, it is easy to handle and the covering and securing work to the pipe 1 can be easily performed. Inventory management and transportation are also easier.

[0036] Furthermore, since the cover member 10 comprises a cover portion 11, a band body portion 14, and a band base portion 13, each with a different function, the elastic modulus and degree of hardness may be varied in each of these portions, and for this purpose, it may be formed by multi-color molding.

[0037] In short, although the cover member 10 has a simple, one-piece shape, by varying the width dimensions of each part and the modulus of elasticity, cover members 10 of the same shape and dimensions can be used not only for pipes 1 of a single diameter, but also for pipes 1 of varying diameters.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in the example in Figure 1, by making the band body 14 narrower and more elongated, the band body 14 becomes more elastically stretchable, making the fastening process easier. In addition, it also allows for material savings.

[0039] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating how the cover member 10 is used as a fastener for other cover materials (divided cover materials) 3. Figure 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of the divided cover material 3 wrapped around the pipe 1, and Figure 3(b) is an end view of the cover member 10 after it has been attached to the pipe 1.

[0040] The pipe 1 is covered by a pair of split cover materials 3 made of an elastic material (see Figure 3(a)), and the cover member 10 is attached by wrapping it around the surface of the pair of split cover materials 3 that are attached (see Figure 3(b)). When the cover member 10 is attached, the split cover materials 3 are firmly fixed to the pipe 1 via the split cover materials 3. When the cover member 10 is firmly attached, the gap S between the split cover materials 3 is reduced.

[0041] Thus, the cover member 10 can also be used as a fastener for fixing and reinforcing other cover materials 3. Furthermore, since the cover member 10 has a cover portion 11, it can also be used as a repair cover when an existing cover material 3 is damaged.

[0042] Next, the manufacturing method of the cover member 10 will be described. This manufacturing method involves forming the cover member 10, which is made of an elastic material, using, for example, the mold 20 shown in Figure 4(a).

[0043] As shown above in Figure 1, the cover member 10 integrally comprises a cover portion 11 that covers the member to be covered 1 and a band portion 12 that is wrapped around and fixed to the cover portion 11 that covers the member to be covered 1. The band portion 12 includes a fitting projection 16 formed on the band surface 12a and a fitting recess 15 that fits into the fitting projection 16.

[0044] The mold 20 includes a molding space 40 for molding the cover member 10. The molding space 40 has a band space 44 corresponding to the band space 12, and a material outlet 33 of an injection passage 32 for injecting the elastic material raw material 5 into the mold is provided opposite the band space 44. A slag reservoir 47 for accumulating a portion of the raw material 5 is provided on the opposite side of the material outlet 33 via the band space 44.

[0045] More specifically, as shown in Figure 4(a), the mold 20 consists of an upper mold 21 and a lower mold 22. The lower mold 22 has a molding cavity 35 that roughly matches the shape of the cover member 10, while the upper mold 21 has an injection passage 32 that leads from a material inlet 31 to a material outlet 33. The upper mold 21 and the lower mold 22 are combined to form a molding space 40, into which the raw material 5 is injected through the injection passage 32. The material outlet 33 is located in a band space 44.

[0046] The molding space 40 has a wide space 41 corresponding to the cover 11, a medium-width space 42 corresponding to the band base 13 of the band 12, and a narrow space 43 corresponding to the band body 14. The band space 44 consists of the medium-width space 42 and the narrow space 43, and the raw material 5 is injected into the narrow space 43 through the injection passage 32.

[0047] The material outlet 33 and the slag accumulation area 47 are formed opposite each other, above and below, the end of the narrow space 43 closer to the medium-width space 42. The position of the slag accumulation area 47 corresponds to the position of the fitting projection 16 of the cover member 10. The other end of the narrow space 43 has a columnar portion 45. The position of the columnar portion 45 corresponds to the position of the fitting recess 15 of the cover member 10.

[0048] The slag reservoir 47 is a place for some of the excess raw material 5, known as a cold slag well. In the illustrated example, it is formed in the molding cavity 35 at a position roughly opposite the material outlet 33 and is in communication with the molding space 40. The shape of the slag reservoir 47 can be columnar, such as a cylinder or prism, or frustoconical, such as a cone or pyramidal shape.

[0049] As mentioned above, the material outlet 33 (injection passage 32) is connected to the narrow space 43, so the raw material 5 injected from the material outlet 33 into the molding space 40 spreads out to the left and right in the figure, that is, it fills up to the left end of the narrow space 43 on one side and to the right end of the wide space 41 on the other side. During the filling process, the raw material 5 also accumulates in the slag accumulation section 47.

[0050] Furthermore, in this mold 20, the injection passage 32 and material outlet 33 of the mold 20 are formed with a width smaller than the width of the narrow space 43. Therefore, without the medium space 42, the raw material 5 would have to move from the narrow material outlet 33 to the much wider wide space 41, which could result in the raw material 5 not flowing smoothly.

[0051] However, since the mold 20 has a medium-width space 42 with a width of about 30 mm that corresponds to the band base 13, the raw material 5 does not flow directly from the material outlet 33 with a narrow width (e.g., 5 mm) through the narrow space 43 to the wide space 41 with a large width (e.g., 100 mm), thus suppressing stagnation of flow. The fact that the retention of raw material can be suppressed by providing a medium-width space 42 has been verified by the inventors through tests.

[0052] The method for manufacturing the cover member 10 includes steps S101 to S105 shown in the flowchart of Figure 5. The method for manufacturing the cover member will be described below with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0053] Figure 4(b) is a side view of the molded material 50 formed by the mold 20. This molded material 50 comprises a main body 51 and cold slug projections 52 that form the basis of the fitting projection 16. Since the main body 51 corresponds to the part of the cover member 10 excluding the fitting projection 16, each part is denoted by the same reference numerals as the parts of the cover member 10.

[0054] First, the raw material 5 is injected into the inside of the mold 20 (molding space 40) through the injection channel 32 (S101 in Figure 5). Then, we wait until the raw material 5 hardens.

[0055] Next, the hardened integral material is removed from the molding space 40 and the slag reservoir 47 (S102 in Figure 5). This integral material, forming the molded material 50, serves as the base material for the cover member 10 before its formation. As shown in Figure 4(b), this base material includes cold slag protrusions 52 formed in the slag reservoir 47. These cold slag protrusions 52 can become the fitting projections 16 of the cover member 10.

[0056] Next, the manufacturer checks whether processing is necessary to use the cold slug projection 52 as a fitting projection 16. If it is determined that processing is necessary, the cold slug projection 52 is processed by various means to form the fitting projection 16 (S103, S104 in Figure 5). For example, if the cold slug projection 52 is cylindrical, a fitting projection 16 having a cylindrical body 16a and a frustoconical head 16b can be formed by cutting the circumferential surface of the cold slug projection 52.

[0057] The processing of the cold slag protrusions 52 includes processing for simple dimensional adjustment. Furthermore, the main body 51 of the molded material 50, excluding the cold slag protrusions 52, does not need to be subjected to any processing other than surface treatment to make the surface beautiful.

[0058] Furthermore, if processing is not required for the cold slug projection 52 to be used as the fitting projection 16, no special processing is necessary, and the cold slug projection 52 can be used as the fitting projection 16 as is (S103, S105 in Figure 5). In other words, in this case, the molded material 50 can be used as the cover member 10 as is.

[0059] Although the cold slug projection 52 does not have a protrusion to prevent it from coming loose like the head 16b, by adjusting the dimensional relationship between the fitting recess 15 and the cold slug projection 52 so that the cold slug projection 52 can be press-fitted into the fitting recess 15, the cold slug projection 52 can be made into a fitting protrusion 16 that prevents it from coming loose. Alternatively, for example, by making the slug reservoir 47 flared at the bottom, the fitting protrusion 16 may be shaped to be less likely to come loose than the fitting recess 15.

[0060] As described above, the cover member 10 shown in Figure 1 can be easily formed from the molded material 50 formed by the mold 20. Furthermore, even if processing is required to create the fitting protrusion 16 from the molded material 50, the processing is simple, thus reducing the burden of manufacturing. In addition, in this manufacturing method using the mold 20, the cold slag protrusion 52, which would otherwise be unnecessary, is utilized as part of the cover member 10, thus enabling efficient use of raw materials and improving yield.

[0061] Furthermore, the mold 20 in Figure 4(a) is suitable when using one type of material as the raw material 5 for the elastic material. Even with one type of material, the molded space 40 is formed so that the width dimensions of the cover portion 11, the band base portion 13, and the band body portion 14 are different, so that each part can be formed to have a function corresponding to each part.

[0062] The mold 20 may be provided with multiple slag accumulation sections 47. However, as mentioned above, it is desirable to have only one fitting projection 16, so it is desirable to remove the cold slag projections 52 that are not used as fitting projections 16.

[0063] The cover member 10 described above is merely an example, and other types are also acceptable. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the overall shape of the cover member 10 can be modified as appropriate from a design perspective. Also, the mold 20 is not limited to the one illustrated in Figure 4(a). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 1. Member to be covered (pipe) 3. Cover material (half-split cover material) 5. Raw materials for elastic materials 10 Cover component 11 Cover section 12 Bands 12a Band surface 13 Band base 14 Band body 15 Fitting recess 16. Fitting protrusion 16a Torso 16b Head 16c tapered surface 20 mold 21 Upper mold 22 Lower mold 32 Injection path 33 Material outlet 40 Molding space 44-band spatial section 47 Slag accumulation area 50 molding material 51 Main unit 52 Cold slug protrusions

Claims

1. A cover member made of an elastic material, which is used by wrapping it around the circumferential surface of the member to be covered, The system comprises a cover portion that covers the member to be covered, and a band portion that is wrapped around and secured to the cover portion that covers the member to be covered, The cover member is characterized by comprising a band portion having a fitting projection made of cold slug projections formed during the molding of the cover member and protruding from the band surface, and a fitting recess that fits into the fitting projection.

2. In claim 1, The cover member comprises a band body and a band base located on the cover side, wherein the width dimension of the band base is smaller than the width dimension of the cover and larger than the width dimension of the band body.

3. In claim 1, The cover member is characterized in that the member to be covered is made of metal, and the cover member is made of an insulating material.

4. A method for manufacturing a cover member, comprising forming a cover member made of an elastic material that covers the circumferential surface of a member to be covered using a mold, The cover member integrally comprises a cover portion that covers the member to be covered and a band portion that is wrapped around and secured to the cover portion that covers the member to be covered, and the band portion comprises a fitting projection formed on the surface of the band portion and a fitting recess that fits into the fitting projection. The mold has a molding space for the cover member formed inside, the molding space includes a band space corresponding to the band portion, and a material outlet for an injection channel for injecting the raw material of the elastic material into the mold is provided opposite the band space, and a slag reservoir for accumulating a portion of the raw material is provided on the opposite side of the material outlet via the band space. The raw materials are injected into the mold, A method for manufacturing a cover member, characterized by hardening the raw material in the molding space and the slag accumulation area, and removing an integrated object including the cold slag protrusions hardened in the slag accumulation area.

5. In claim 4, A method for manufacturing a cover member, characterized in that after removing the aforementioned integrated object, the cold slag protrusion is processed and formed into the fitting protrusion.

6. In claim 4, A method for manufacturing a cover member, characterized in that the band portion comprises a band body portion and a band base portion located on the cover portion side, wherein the width dimension of the band base portion is smaller than the width dimension of the cover portion and larger than the width dimension of the band body portion.

7. In claim 4, A method for manufacturing a cover member, characterized in that the member to be covered is made of metal, and the elastic material is an insulating material.

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