Duct cleaning equipment

Abstract

Even with long-distance wires, the tip rotates smoothly. [Solution] The duct cleaning device 100 comprises a flexible shaft 1, a reel 2, and a rotating brush 40. The flexible shaft 1 has a first shaft 11 including a base end t1, a second shaft 12, and a connector 20 that connects the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 and the core wire 12a of the second shaft. The connector 20 has a housing portion 21 that houses the core wires 11a and 12a facing each other, and a covering 22 that covers the outer circumference of the housing portion 21. The housing portion 21 rotates with the core wires 11a and 12a relative to the covering 22 and has a first insertion hole 211 into which the core wire 11a is inserted and a second insertion hole 212 into which the core wire 12a is inserted. At least one of the first insertion hole 211 and the second insertion hole 212 has a polygonal cross-section, the cross-section of the inserted core wire has a polygonal shape, and the core wire is slidable in the insertion direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0001] This invention relates to a duct cleaning device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a duct cleaning device has been proposed in which a rotary brush is provided at the tip of a wire having flexibility in the bending direction, and the rotary brush is rotated by the rotation of the core wire inside the covering of the wire to clean an elongated closed space such as a duct (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] When the wire becomes long, the portability of the duct cleaning device decreases. Therefore, a cleaning machine has also been proposed in which the wire is wound and bundled to be compact and the portability is maintained (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a duct cleaning tool that can smoothly rotate the tip even of a long wire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention made to solve the above problems is a duct cleaning device for cleaning the inside of a duct. The duct cleaning device for solving the above problems comprises a flexible shaft, a reel, and a rotating cleaning tool. The flexible shaft is formed of a core wire and a covering material covering the core wire. The flexible shaft is wound around the outer circumference of the reel. The rotating cleaning tool is detachably connected to the tip of the flexible shaft. The core wire rotates relative to the covering material by a drive device connected to the base end of the flexible shaft. The flexible shaft has a first shaft including the base end, a second shaft, and a connecting portion. The second shaft is located on the tip side of the flexible shaft than the first shaft. The connecting portion connects the first shaft and the second shaft. The connecting portion has a housing portion and a covering body. The housing portion houses the ends of the core wire of the first shaft and the ends of the core wire of the second shaft facing each other. The covering body covers the outer circumference of the housing portion. The housing rotates relative to the covering body together with the core wire of the first shaft and the core wire of the second shaft. The housing has a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole. The end of the core wire of the first shaft is inserted into the first insertion hole. The end of the core wire of the second shaft is inserted into the second insertion hole. At least one of the first and second insertion holes has a polygonal cross-section. The end of the core wire inserted into the first insertion hole has the polygonal shape and is slidable in the direction of insertion into the first insertion hole.

[0009] In the duct cleaning device of the present invention, the first insertion hole preferably has the polygonal shape. The second insertion hole preferably has a circular cross-section. The core wire inserted into the second insertion hole preferably has been fixed to the second insertion hole.

[0010] The duct cleaning device of the present invention preferably further comprises a transmission mechanism disposed between the base end and the drive device, which transmits the rotational drive of the drive device to the core wire of the flexible shaft. The reel preferably rotates in conjunction with the extension or winding of the flexible shaft. The rotation axis of the rotational drive by the drive device preferably lies on the rotation axis of the reel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, even long-distance wires can be rotated smoothly at their tip. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This shows a duct cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This shows a flexible shaft according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the internal structure of the connector. [Figure 4] This is a side view of the reel 2 in a duct cleaning device according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of area V in Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, with reference to drawings as appropriate. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a duct cleaning device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 shows a front view of the duct cleaning device 100. Typically, the duct cleaning device 100 is used for cleaning exhaust ducts in ordinary households.

[0015] The duct cleaning device 100 comprises a cable-like flexible shaft 1, a reel 2, a transmission mechanism 30, and a rotating brush (rotating cleaning tool) 40. In the duct cleaning device 100, the flexible shaft 1 is wound around the reel 2. A rotary drive device 50 is connected to the base end t1 (Figure 2) of the flexible shaft 1 via the transmission mechanism 30. The reel 2 and the transmission mechanism 30 will be described later. As an example, the rotary drive device 50 is an impact drill. A torque-adjustable impact drill is used. The rotating brush (rotating cleaning tool) 40 is detachably connected to a connector 13 (Figure 2) provided at the tip t2 (Figure 2) of the flexible shaft 1. Hereinafter, the base end t1 and tip t2 of the flexible shaft 1 will be simply referred to as base end t1 and tip t2, respectively.

[0016] Figure 2 shows a flexible shaft 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The flexible shaft 1 is formed of a core wire 1a and a covering material 1b. The core wire 1a has one or more layers of steel wire wound in a spiral shape and is flexible. The covering material 1b covers the core wire 1a. The covering material 1b is typically made of resin and is flexible. In other words, the flexible shaft 1 is flexible. This allows the flexible shaft 1 to change shape to follow the exhaust duct or be wound around a reel 2.

[0017] The core wire 1a is rotatable around its axis relative to the covering material 1b. Specifically, the rotary drive device 50 rotates the core wire 1a of the connected flexible shaft 1 around its axis relative to the covering material 1b. The core wire 1a is connected to the rotating brush 40 at the connector 13. Therefore, the rotating brush 40 rotates in conjunction with the core wire 1a. When cleaning the exhaust duct using the duct cleaning tool 100, the flexible shaft 1 is inserted into the exhaust duct from the tip t2 (rotating brush 40) side, and the rotary drive device 50 rotates the core wire 1a and the rotating brush 40 with the flexible shaft 1 lying along the exhaust duct.

[0018] The flexible shaft 1 curves when wound around the reel 2. When the core wire 1a is rotationally driven in the curved state of the flexible shaft 1, it is easy for the core wire 1a to twist, and it is difficult for the rotation to be sufficiently transmitted to the tip t2 of the flexible shaft 1.

[0019] On the other hand, for example, the flexible shaft 1 is formed by connecting a pair of a plurality of core wires 1a and a covering material 1b (hereinafter referred to as a shaft). In the present embodiment, a flexible shaft 1 in which two shafts are typically connected will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible shaft 1 includes a first shaft 11, a second shaft 12, and a connector 20. The first shaft 11 includes a core wire 11a and a covering material 11b. The second shaft 12 includes a core wire 12a and a covering material 12b. The first shaft 11 includes a base end t1. The second shaft 12 is located on the tip t2 side with respect to the first shaft 11.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the connector 20. FIG. 3(a) shows the internal structure of the connector 20 along the axial direction. FIG. 3(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along b-b of FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along c-c of FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(d) shows a cross-sectional view taken along d-d of FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(e) shows a cross-sectional view taken along e-e of FIG. 3(a). The connector 20 connects the first shaft 11 and the second shaft 12. Specifically, the connector 20 includes a tubular housing portion 21 and a covering body 22 that covers the periphery of the side surface of the tubular housing portion 21. In the present embodiment, the housing portion 21 and the covering body 22 are made of metal, but the materials of the housing portion 21 and the covering body 22 are not particularly limited.

[0021] The covering body 22 includes a first attachment portion 221, a second attachment portion 222, and a main body portion 223. The first attachment portion 221 is attached to the covering material 11b of the first shaft 11. The second attachment portion 222 is attached to the covering material 12b of the second shaft 12. The main body portion 223 rotatably holds the housing portion 21 via one or more bearings B1 provided around the side surface of the housing portion 21.

[0022] Specifically, the first mounting portion 221 is a member that is crimped to the end of the covering material 11b of the first shaft 11, on the tip t2 side. The first mounting portion 221 includes a crimping portion 221a that is crimped to the end of the covering material 11b, and a cylindrical portion 221b that extends from the crimping portion 221a toward the tip t2 side. In the first shaft 11, the end t12 of the core wire 11a is exposed from the covering material 11b and passes inside the cylindrical portion 221b. In other words, the cylindrical portion 221b covers the periphery of the end t12 of the core wire 11a that is exposed from the covering material 11b.

[0023] The second mounting portion 222 is a member that is crimped to the base end t1 side of the covering material 12b of the second shaft 12. The second mounting portion 222 includes a crimping portion 222a that is crimped to the end of the covering material 12b, and a cylindrical portion 222b that extends from the crimping portion 222a toward the base end t1 side. In the second shaft 12, the end t21 of the core wire 12a is exposed from the covering material 11b and passes inside the cylindrical portion 222b. In other words, the cylindrical portion 222b covers the periphery of the end t21 of the core wire 12a that is exposed from the covering material 12b.

[0024] The main body 223 connects the first mounting portion 221 and the second mounting portion 222. Specifically, the main body 223 is cylindrical, and the cylindrical portion 221b of the first mounting portion 221 is inserted into it from the base end t1 side. On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 222b of the second mounting portion 222 is inserted into the tip end t2 side of the main body 223. The cylindrical portions 221b and 222b inserted into the main body 223 are fixed to the main body 223 with screws s or the like. As a result, the covering material 11b of the first shaft 11 and the covering material 12b of the second shaft 12 are connected to each other via the first mounting portion 221, the second mounting portion 222, and the main body 223.

[0025] The housing section 21 is located inside the main body section 223 and houses the end t12 of the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 on the tip t2 side and the end t21 of the core wire 12a of the second shaft 12 on the base t1 side, facing each other. Specifically, the housing section 21 has a first insertion hole 211 and a second insertion hole 212. The first insertion hole 211 is a hole that extends from the base t1 side surface of the housing section 21 toward the tip t2 side. The second insertion hole 212 is a hole that extends from the tip t2 side surface of the housing section 21 toward the base t1 side. In this embodiment, the first insertion hole 211 and the second insertion hole 212 are connected to each other and are through holes that penetrate the housing section 21, but the first insertion hole 211 and the second insertion hole 212 may each be bottomed holes. In other words, the first insertion hole 211 and the second insertion hole 212 may be separated by a partition in the housing section 21.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3(b) and (c), the cross-sectional shape of the first insertion hole 211 perpendicular to the axial direction is rectangular. At this time, the cross-sectional shape of the end t12 of the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 perpendicular to the axial direction is rectangular, following the shape of the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction of the first insertion hole 211. The size of the first insertion hole 211 is slightly larger than the size of the end t12 of the core wire 11a. For example, the size of the end t12 of the core wire 11a is such that it cannot rotate in the first insertion hole 211. Therefore, the core wire 11a can slide in either the base end t1 side or the tip end t2 side with respect to the insertion direction into the first insertion hole 211.

[0027] As described above, by providing the connector 20 to form a flexible shaft 1 in which the first shaft 11 and the second shaft 12 are connected, the lengths of the first shaft 11 and the second shaft 12 are shortened. Furthermore, since at least one of the first shafts 11 is slidable in the connector 20, the tension on the first shaft 11 is reduced, and as a result, the difference in tension between the outer and inner sides of the curve is also reduced, making it less likely for the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 to twist during rotation. Therefore, even with a long flexible shaft 1, it is possible to rotate the tip t2 side of the core wire 1a smoothly.

[0028] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 3(d) and (e), the shape of the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the second insertion hole 212 is circular. In this case, the shape of the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the end t21 of the core wire 12a of the second shaft 12 is circular, following the shape of the cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction of the second insertion hole 212. The size of the second insertion hole 212 is approximately the same as the size of the end t21 of the core wire 12a. Therefore, even if the core wire 12a is pulled towards the tip t2 side in the second insertion hole 212, it is difficult for it to come out of the second insertion hole 212.

[0029] The core wire 12a of the second shaft 12 may be fixed to the second insertion hole 212 by crimping or other means. By fixing the core wire 12a of the second shaft 12, which is the side of the flexible shaft 1 that is inserted into the exhaust duct, to the connector 20, the core wire 12a does not move relative to the covering material 12b when the flexible shaft 1 including the rotating brush 40 moves through the exhaust duct. This makes it easier to move the flexible shaft 1 including the rotating brush 40 along the shape of the exhaust duct.

[0030] Furthermore, the first insertion hole 211 and the end t12 of the core wire 11a are not limited to rectangular shapes; they may be triangular or polygonal in shape of pentagons or more, as long as the first insertion hole 211 and the end t12 of the core wire 11a have the same shape.

[0031] Furthermore, the shape of the second insertion hole 212 and the shape of the end t21 of the core wire 12a may be the same as the shape of the first insertion hole 211 and the shape of the end t12 of the core wire 11a, respectively, or they may be polygonal and different from the shape of the first insertion hole 211 and the shape of the end t12 of the core wire 11a.

[0032] Furthermore, the combination of the shape of the first insertion hole 211 and the shape of the end t12 of the core wire 11a may be swapped with the combination of the shape of the second insertion hole 212 and the end t21 of the core wire 12a.

[0033] Figure 4 is a side view of the reel 2 in a duct cleaning device 100 according to one embodiment. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of area V in Figure 4. Figure 5 shows a cross-section at vv in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, the reel 2 includes a cylindrical reel body 201, a base 202 that supports the reel body 201, and an outer frame 203 that surrounds the reel body 201.

[0034] The reel body 201 includes an outer circumference 201a around which the flexible shaft 1 is wound, an inner circumference 201b located inside the radial R of the reel body 201 from the outer circumference 201a, and a plurality of spokes 201c connecting the outer circumference 201a and the inner circumference 201b and extending radially along the radial R.

[0035] The base 202 includes a support portion 202a and legs 202b extending from the support portion 202a and in contact with the floor surface. The support portion 202a supports the inner circumference portion 201b of the reel body 201 so that it can rotate in the circumferential direction C around the central axis J1 of the support portion 202a.

[0036] Specifically, the support portion 202a is positioned facing inward in the radial direction R along the entire circumference of the inner circumference portion 201b via the bearing B2 (Figure 5). As a result, the reel body 201 rotates around the central axis J1 as the flexible shaft 1 is pulled out or wrapped around the reel 2. In other words, the central axis J1 is also the axis of rotation of the reel body 201.

[0037] The outer frame 203 has a cylindrical shape formed by an outer peripheral portion 203a that surrounds the outer circumference of the reel body 201 and spokes 203c that connect the outer peripheral portion 203a to the support portion 202a of the base 202, and is slightly larger than the reel body 201. The outer peripheral portion 203a is fixed to the support portion 202a and the legs 202b via the spokes 203c.

[0038] Reel 2 further has a plurality of rollers 204. The plurality of rollers 204 are arranged in a line along the outer circumference of the outer frame 203. In other words, each of the plurality of rollers 204 is located radially R outside the outer circumference 201a of the reel body 201. Each of the plurality of rollers 204 is cylindrical and is mounted so as to be rotatable about a central axis extending in the width direction D perpendicular to the radial direction R with respect to the outer frame 203.

[0039] In the reel body 201, the wound flexible shaft 1 is positioned between the outer circumference 201a and the plurality of rollers 204. The base end t1 and tip end t2 of the flexible shaft 1 are each drawn out from the reel body 201 through any two of the plurality of rollers 204. In this way, in the duct cleaning device 100 of this embodiment, the flexible shaft 1 can be drawn out from any position on the outer circumference 201a of the reel body 201. Typically, the flexible shaft 1 is drawn out from between two rollers 204 provided on the upper part of the reel body 201. The plurality of rollers 204 prevent parts of the flexible shaft 1 other than the starting point of drawing out or winding from the reel 2 from separating from the outer circumference 201a when the flexible shaft 1, to which the connector 20 is provided, is drawn out or wound around the reel 2, and allow for smoother drawing out or winding of the flexible shaft 1 from the reel 2 by rotation.

[0040] The transmission mechanism 30 is positioned along one of the sides of the reel body 201 in the width direction D, and is also positioned between the base end t1 of the flexible shaft 1 and the rotary drive unit 50. Typically, the transmission mechanism 30 and the rotary drive unit 50 are positioned on opposite sides of the reel body 201 in the width direction D.

[0041] The transmission mechanism 30 includes a drive shaft portion 301 that passes inside the inner circumference portion 201b of the reel body 201, a transmission shaft 302 that extends radially R of the reel body 201, a first gearbox 303 that connects the drive shaft portion 301 and the transmission shaft 302, and a second gearbox 304 that connects the transmission shaft 302 to the flexible shaft 1.

[0042] The transmission mechanism 30 transmits the rotational drive of the rotary drive device 50 to the core wire 1a of the flexible shaft 1.

[0043] Specifically, the drive shaft portion 301 includes a cylindrical portion 301a extending in the width direction D and fixed to the inside of the inner circumference portion 201b, and a drive shaft 301b passing inside the cylindrical portion 301a and extending in the width direction D. The drive shaft 301b is rotatable in the circumferential direction C about the central axis J2 of the drive shaft 301b relative to the cylindrical portion 301a. A rotary drive device 50 is detachably attached to one end of the drive shaft 301b. The rotary drive device 50 rotates the drive shaft 301b.

[0044] In this embodiment, the central axis J2 of the drive shaft 301b is located on the central axis J1 of the support portion 202a, which is the rotation axis of the reel body 201. As a result, the rotation axis of the drive shaft 301b and the rotation axis of the reel body 201 coincide with each other, so that the posture of the duct cleaning device 100 is stable during operation.

[0045] A first gearbox 303 is provided at the other end of the drive shaft 301b. As shown in Figure 5, the end of the drive shaft 301b and the end of the transmission shaft 302 are arranged in the first gearbox 303. Gear G1 is provided at the end of the drive shaft 301b. Gear G2 is provided at the end of the transmission shaft 302. The types of gears G1 and G2 are not particularly limited, but typically they are bevel gears. In the first gearbox 303, gears G1 and G2 form a cross-axis gear, connecting the drive shaft 301b, which extends in the width direction D, and the transmission shaft 302, which extends in the radial direction R of the reel body 201, so that the transmission shaft 302 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive shaft 301b.

[0046] The second gearbox 304 can be detachably connected to a connector 14 (Figure 2) provided at the base end t1 of the flexible shaft 1. The basic structure of the second gearbox 304 is the same as that of the first gearbox 303, so the details are omitted. The second gearbox 304 connects the transmission shaft 302 to the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 via the connector 14 and one or more gears, and rotates the transmission shaft 302 and the core wire 11a in conjunction with each other.

[0047] In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism 30 may not be provided. In this case, the rotary drive device 50 is directly connected to the base end t1 of the flexible shaft 1 via the connector 14.

[0048] Furthermore, although the reel body 201 and the outer frame 203 are cylindrical in this embodiment, the shape of the reel body 201 and the outer frame 203 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. Also, the shapes of the reel body 201 and the outer frame 203 may be different from each other.

[0049] As described above, the duct cleaning device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate. For example, some components from all the components shown in one embodiment may be added to the components of another embodiment, or some components from all the components shown in one embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment.

[0050] Furthermore, the drawings schematically show each component in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown may differ from the actual dimensions due to the convenience of drawing creation. Also, the configuration of each component shown in the above embodiments is merely an example and is not particularly limiting, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without substantially departing from the effects of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1: Flexible shaft 1a: Core wire 1b: Covering material 2: Reel 11: First shaft 11a: Core wire 11b: Covering material 12: Second shaft 12a: Core wire 12b: Covering material 13: Connector 14: Connector 20: Connector 21: Containment Unit 22: Covering body 30: Transmission mechanism 40: Rotating brush 50: Rotary drive device 100: Duct cleaning equipment 211: First insertion hole 212: Second insertion hole J1: Central axis J2: Central axis t1: proximal end t12: End portion t2: tip t21: End

Claims

1. A duct cleaning device for cleaning the inside of a duct, A flexible shaft formed by a core wire and a covering material covering the core wire, A reel around which the flexible shaft is wound, A rotating cleaning tool is detachably connected to the tip of the aforementioned flexible shaft. Equipped with, The core wire is rotationally driven relative to the covering material by a drive device connected to the base end of the flexible shaft. The flexible shaft comprises a first shaft including the base end, A second shaft located on the tip side of the flexible shaft, A connecting portion that connects the first shaft and the second shaft It has, The aforementioned connecting portion is A housing section that houses the ends of the core wire of the first shaft and the ends of the core wire of the second shaft facing each other, A covering body that covers the outer periphery of the aforementioned housing portion and It has, The housing rotates with respect to the covering body together with the core wire of the first shaft and the core wire of the second shaft. A first insertion hole into which the end of the core wire of the first shaft is inserted, The second insertion hole into which the end of the core wire of the second shaft is inserted It has, At least one of the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole has a polygonal cross-section. A duct cleaning device wherein the end of the core wire inserted into one of the insertion holes has the polygonal shape and is slidable in the direction of insertion into the one insertion hole.

2. The first insertion hole has the polygonal shape, The second insertion hole has a circular cross-section, The duct cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the core wire inserted into the second insertion hole is fixed to the second insertion hole.

3. The system further comprises a transmission mechanism positioned between the base end and the drive device, which transmits the rotational drive of the drive device to the core wire of the flexible shaft. The reel rotates as the flexible shaft is extended or wound around it. The duct cleaning device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rotating shaft of the rotation drive by the drive device is located on the rotating shaft of the reel.

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