Pipe cleaning device and pipe cleaning method.

Abstract

The first problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a safe and secure pipe cleaning device capable of cleaning the inside of pipes while preventing the brush from falling off. The second problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a pipe cleaning device capable of continuously and stably generating fine bubbles even inside pipes without requiring a separate device for generating fine bubbles. [Solution] A tubular pipe cleaning device connected to a pressure-resistant hose, the pipe cleaning device comprising: a nozzle head for spraying cleaning water against an inner wall of a pipe; a brush protruding radially in the radial direction of the pipe cleaning device; and a fall-off prevention part for preventing the brush from falling off, the fall-off prevention part being a plate-shaped member protruding in the radial direction of the pipe cleaning device, and the brush being connected to the pipe cleaning device via a ring that fits around the outer periphery of the pipe cleaning device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pipe cleaning device capable of cleaning the inner wall of a pipe, and a pipe cleaning method using the device. [Background technology]

[0002] Until now, devices for cleaning the inner walls of pipes such as water supply and sewerage pipes have attempted to clean them mainly by spraying high-pressure water. However, since the ability of high-pressure water alone to remove stuck-on material from inside the pipes is limited, technology has been developed to mechanically remove stuck-on material using brushes or other means.

[0003] For example, known nozzle devices for cleaning vertical drainage pipes (see Patent Document 1) include a nozzle device that rotates with the nozzle head, causing the plate-shaped portion to hit solid deposits attached to the inner wall of the drain pipe like a hammer, thereby mechanically destroying the solid deposits; a nozzle device that sprays high-pressure water and an arrowhead-shaped member that is placed at the tip of the nozzle device, where the outer diameter of the arrowhead-shaped member is larger than the outer diameter of the nozzle device (see Patent Document 2); and a method for cleaning drainage pipes using a hose in which high-pressure water is released by hitting the blades of a water wheel provided between the tip of the hose and the inner wall of the drain pipe to rotate the blades of the water wheel, and a rotating brush connected to the water wheel is configured to rotate the bristles along the inner surface of the pipe wall (see Patent Document 3).

[0004] In recent years, pipe cleaning devices have been developed that use cleaning water containing not only high-pressure water but also fine bubbles such as fine bubbles. For example, known devices include a cleaning device that connects a bubble generator to a high-pressure water hose and sprays fine bubbles from a spray nozzle together with high-pressure water (see Patent Document 4), a pipe cleaning method that sprays high-pressure water and fine bubbles from a nozzle provided at the end of a high-pressure hose, and the fine bubbles expand as they are sprayed to peel off and remove attached dirt (see Patent Document 5), and a pipe cleaning device equipped with a cleaning liquid generating means that includes a water tank that mixes fine air bubbles generated by sucking air with raw water to generate a cleaning liquid containing a large amount of fine air bubbles (see Patent Document 6). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7449760 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6346978 [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-231605 A [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 7510178 [Patent Document 5] JP 2024-110877 A [Patent Document 6] Patent No. 5066748 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When using a brush to remove solid objects from inside a pipe, there is a risk that the brush may fall off the device due to friction between the brush and the inner wall of the pipe. If the brush falls off inside the pipe, it is extremely difficult to recover the brush, and there is a concern that the brush may remain in the pipe as a foreign object and cause a blockage in the pipe.

[0007] In addition, there was a demand for the ability to replace brushes depending on the diameter of the pipes to be cleaned, the type of pipes (for example, water pipes or sewer pipes), etc., or when the brushes wear out. There was a concern that if the brushes were designed to be easily replaceable by the user, the risk of the brushes falling off during cleaning would increase.

[0008] Incidentally, it is possible to supply cleaning water containing fine bubbles generated by a fine bubble generator to an existing pipe cleaning device. However, as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 6, for example, a fine bubble generator must be prepared separately from the high-pressure water supply device. On the other hand, Patent Document 4 discloses a device in which a fine bubble generator is connected to the middle of a high-pressure hose, but the structure for continuously and stably generating fine bubbles in the pipes is not clear.

[0009] Furthermore, no prior art documents have disclosed an apparatus that uses cleaning water containing fine bubbles while mechanically removing solid matter from the inner wall of a pipe with a member such as a brush. When removing solid matter mechanically, the amount of solid matter removed is greater than when cleaning water alone is used, and it was predicted that the solid matter would inhibit the intake of air that becomes fine bubbles.

[0010] The first problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a safe and secure pipe cleaning device capable of cleaning the inside of pipes while preventing the brush from falling off. The second problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a pipe cleaning device capable of continuously and stably generating fine bubbles even inside pipes without requiring a separate device for generating fine bubbles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] That is, the present invention is a tubular pipe cleaning device that is connected to a pressure-resistant hose and includes a nozzle head that sprays cleaning water against the inner wall of a pipe, a brush that protrudes radially in the radial direction of the pipe cleaning device, and a fall-off prevention part that prevents the brush from falling off, wherein the fall-off prevention part is a plate-shaped member that protrudes in the radial direction of the pipe cleaning device, and the brush is fixed to the outer periphery of the pipe cleaning device via a ring.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the projection of the fall-off prevention portion is larger than the inner diameter of the ring, and in another embodiment, the projection of the fall-off prevention portion is smaller than the projection of the brush.

[0013] A further aspect of the present invention provides a pipe cleaning device, wherein the protrusion of the fall-off prevention portion stabilizes the position of the pipe cleaning device within the pipe so that the brush contacts an inner wall of the pipe.

[0014] A further aspect of the present invention provides a pipe cleaning device, comprising a plurality of the fall-off prevention parts on a base side and a tip side of the pipe cleaning device as viewed from the brush.

[0015] A further aspect of the present invention is a placement cleaning device, in which the ring is detachably fixed to the placement cleaning device. These pipe cleaning devices may have a fitting hole for fixing the ring on an outer circumferential surface of the placement cleaning device, the ring may have a protrusion that fits into the fitting hole, and the ring may be detachably fixed by fitting the protrusion into the fitting hole.

[0016] Another aspect of the present invention provides a pipe cleaning device comprising a fine bubble generating unit having an air intake hole, which generates fine bubbles from gas supplied from the air intake hole and water supplied from the pressure hose, and a clogging prevention unit which prevents clogging of the air intake hole, wherein the cleaning water contains fine bubbles generated in the fine bubble generating unit.

[0017] In one embodiment, the clogging prevention part is a plate-shaped member disposed between the air inlet and the brush and protruding in a radial direction of the pipe cleaning device. In another embodiment, the clogging prevention part is the falling-off prevention part disposed on the base side of the pipe cleaning device. In another embodiment, a tip of the protrusion of the clogging prevention part extends in the direction of the air inlet.

[0018] The present invention further provides a method for cleaning a pipe using the pipe cleaning device. Effect of the Invention

[0019] In the first pipe cleaning device of the present invention, the brush is fixed via a ring and not directly to the pipe cleaning device, so that the brush can be replaced to suit the pipe to be cleaned, while the worker can operate it without worrying about the brush falling off.

[0020] The second pipe cleaning device of the present invention does not require a separate device for generating fine bubbles, and can generate fine bubbles continuously and stably even in a narrow pipe. Since the fine bubbles are generated near the injection hole, there is less loss of fine bubbles during the transportation of the cleaning water compared to when the fine bubble generator is installed outside the pipe. When this pipe cleaning device is used, both the cleaning water containing fine bubbles and the brush work to remove solid matter, making efficient cleaning possible. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a pipe cleaning device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration of a brush of the embodiment of the pipe cleaning device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of another embodiment of the pipe cleaning device. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a blockage prevention unit of one embodiment of the pipe cleaning device. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, the pipe cleaning device of the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments, however, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0023] The pipe cleaning device of the present invention is a device that is inserted into the inside of a pipe to be cleaned and cleans the inner wall of the pipe. Specific examples of pipes include water pipes and sewer pipes. The pipe cleaning device of the present invention is particularly suitable for cleaning vertical pipes installed in high-rise buildings. The pipe cleaning device of the present invention can clean the vertical pipes from both the high-rise floor side and the low-rise floor side.

[0024] An embodiment of the pipe cleaning device will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the pipe cleaning device 1, with the left side being the tip side and the right side being the base side in the figure. The pipe cleaning device 1 includes, in order from the tip to the opposite side, i.e., the base side, a nozzle head 11, a tubular member 13, and a fine bubble generating unit 5, and the fine bubble generating unit 15 is connected to a pressure-resistant hose 3 via a connection part 21. The nozzle head 11 to the pressure-resistant hose 3 form an integrated flow path.

[0025] The pipe cleaning device 1 is used by being connected to a pressure-resistant hose 3. High-pressure water is supplied to the pressure-resistant hose from a high-pressure water supply device (not shown) installed outside the pipe to be cleaned.

[0026] The high-pressure water is sent to the fine bubble generating section 5, where cleaning water containing fine bubbles is generated. The fine bubble generating section 5 is equipped therein with a main flow path (not shown) through which the high-pressure water flows, an air inlet 7 for taking in gas from the outside atmosphere, and an air supply path (not shown) for introducing the gas supplied from the air inlet 7 into the main flow path.

[0027] The main flow path has a structure in which high-pressure water and gas generate a spiral swirling flow in the main flow path. Inside the fine bubble generating unit 5, the high-pressure water and gas are mixed by the swirling flow to generate wash water containing fine bubbles.

[0028] Fine bubbles mainly refer to microscopic bubbles with a particle diameter of 100μm or less. Bubbles with a particle diameter of 1μm or less are also called ultrafine bubbles, and bubbles with a particle diameter of 1-100μm or less are also called microbubbles. Since the fine bubbles contained in cleaning water are easily adsorbed to solid matter such as oil, cleaning with cleaning water containing fine bubbles can increase the efficiency of removing solid matter.

[0029] Fine bubble generating section 5 generates cleaning water containing fine bubbles by mixing the gas taken in through air inlet 7 with high-pressure water. However, there is a risk that solid matter removed from the inner wall of the pipe due to the spraying of cleaning water described below or the action of brush 13 will clog air inlet 7. Therefore, pipe cleaning device 1 is provided with clogging prevention section 9, which prevents clogging of air inlet 7, near air inlet 7 and on the side of brush 13 and nozzle head 11 (i.e., the tip side of pipe cleaning device 1).

[0030] The clogging prevention part 9 is a plate-like member that protrudes in the radial direction of the tubular member 19, and in this embodiment is a disk-like member. The clogging prevention part 9 protrudes between the brush 13 and the air inlet 7. Therefore, solid matter mechanically scraped off by the brush 13 does not reach the air inlet 7, and the air inlet 7 is prevented from being clogged.

[0031] The protrusion of clogging prevention part 9 is smaller than the protrusion of brush 13. Not only does clogging prevention part 9 not prevent the pipe cleaning device 1 from entering the pipe, but the protrusion of clogging prevention part 9 also plays a role in stabilizing the position of pipe cleaning device 1 inside the pipe so that brush 13 is always in contact with the inner wall of the pipe.

[0032] Pipe cleaning device 1 has a tubular member 19 with a water passage therein for passing cleaning water. A nozzle head 11 is provided at the tip of tubular member 19. High-pressure water supplied from pressure-resistant hose 3 becomes cleaning water containing fine bubbles in fine bubble generator 5, and is sprayed through the water passage inside tubular member 19 and via nozzle head 11 against the inner wall of the pipe to be cleaned.

[0033] The nozzle head 11 is provided with any number of injection holes 23, and the nozzle head 11 in this embodiment has eight injection holes (four of which are not shown) arranged at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The nozzle head 11 is connected so as to be rotatable about the axis of the tubular member 19, and injects cleaning water onto the inner wall of the pipe. The nozzle head 11 rotates about the axis due to the reaction force generated when the water is injected.

[0034] Brush 13 is a disk-shaped brush that protrudes radially from the outer circumferential wall of tubular member 19 in the radial direction. A plurality of brushes 13 may be provided at appropriate intervals. The illustrated pipe cleaning device 1 includes four disk-shaped brushes 13. Brush 13 mechanically peels off and removes adherent matter from the inner wall of the pipe to be cleaned. On the other hand, in order to prevent scratches on the inner wall surface of the pipe, it is preferable to use a resin brush, and specifically, a synthetic resin such as nylon containing silicon dioxide can be mentioned.

[0035] 2 shows a front view of the brush 13. The brush 13 is detachably fixed to the outer peripheral wall of the tubular member 19 via a ring 25. In one embodiment, the ring 25 has a plurality of protrusions 27 protruding inwardly of the ring 25, and the tubular member 19 has fitting holes having openings corresponding to the shapes of the protrusions 27. The protrusions 27 fit into the fitting holes, thereby fixing the brush 13 to a specific position on the outer periphery of the tubular member 19 by snap-fitting.

[0036] Referring again to Figure 1, the pipe cleaning device 1 is provided with a tip-side plate member 15 and a base-side plate member 17 which protrude radially in the radial direction from the outer circumferential wall of a tubular member 19 on the tip and base sides when viewed from the fixed position of the brush 13. The tip-side plate member 15 and the base-side plate member 17 are disk-shaped members which protrude larger than the inner circumference of the ring 25.

[0037] Since brush 13 is in constant contact with the inner wall of the pipe during pipe cleaning, there is a risk that brush 13 may fall off from tubular member 19 due to strong friction caused by the contact. Since anti-fall-off portions 15, 17 protrude larger than the inner circumference of ring 25, even if protrusion 27 of brush 13 falls off the fitting hole, brush 13 is retained by anti-fall-off portions 15, 17 via ring 25, so there is no risk of brush 13 being lost.

[0038] Because pipe cleaning device 1 is used to clean vertical pipes and / or horizontal pipes, there is a risk that brush 13 may fall to either the tip side or the base side depending on how it is used. Pipe cleaning device 1 is provided with anti-falling parts 15, 17 on the tip side and the base side, respectively, as viewed from the fixed position of brush 13, so that brush 13 can be locked even if it falls to either side.

[0039] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the base-side falling prevention part 17 is a plate-like member that plays the role of the clogging prevention part 9 that prevents clogging of the air supply hole 7 of the fine bubble generating part 5. On the other hand, in another embodiment, the base-side falling prevention part 17 is a plate-like member separate from the clogging prevention part 9 that prevents clogging of the air supply hole 7. A schematic diagram of the pipe cleaning device 101 of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 3. The clogging prevention part 9 and the protrusions of the tip-side and base-side falling prevention parts 15, 17 all play a role in stabilizing the position of the pipe cleaning device 101 in the pipe so that the brush 13 comes into contact with the inner wall of the pipe.

[0040] With reference to Fig. 4, a clogging prevention part 9 in another embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of this embodiment, and structures such as a baffle plate necessary for fine bubble generation are omitted. The tip of the protrusion of the clogging prevention part 9 provided on the tip side as viewed from the air inlet 7 has an extension part 29 that extends towards the air inlet 7, i.e., from the protrusion towards the base side. Since the extension part 29 covers the upper part of the air inlet 7, clogging of the air inlet 7 can be prevented even more efficiently.

[0041] In another embodiment, the clogging prevention part 9 provided in the pipe cleaning device 1, 101 and the plate-shaped members of the tip-side and base-side falling-off prevention parts 15, 17 are disk-shaped members equipped with a clamp structure and are fixed to the outer periphery of the tubular member 19 by a clamp.

[0042] In another embodiment, when the nozzle head 11 sprays cleaning water onto the inner wall of the pipe, the nozzle head sprays the cleaning water slightly backward, i.e., so that the cleaning water hits not only the inner wall of the pipe but also the brush 13. This makes it possible to wash away solid matter adhering to the brush 13 while cleaning the inner wall of the pipe. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Pipe cleaning equipment 3 Pressure hose 5 Fine bubble generator 7 Air Intake Hole 9 Blockage prevention part 11 Nozzle head 13 Brush 15 Tip side fall prevention part 17 Anti-fall part on base side 19 Tubular members 21 Connection 23 Injection hole 25 Ring 27 Protrusion 29 Extension part 101 Pipe cleaning device

Claims

1. A tubular pipe cleaning device connected to a pressure hose, A nozzle head that sprays cleaning water onto an inner wall of a pipe; A brush protruding radially in the radial direction of the pipe cleaning device; A falling-off prevention part that prevents the brush from falling off is provided. The fall-off prevention portion is a plate-shaped member protruding in a radial direction of the pipe cleaning device, The brush is fixed to the outer periphery of the pipe cleaning device via a ring, The protrusion of the fall-off prevention portion is larger than the inner diameter of the ring, a fitting hole for fixing the ring on an outer circumferential surface of the pipe cleaning device; The ring has a protrusion that fits into the fitting hole, The protrusion is fitted into the fitting hole, thereby removably fixing the ring. Pipe cleaning equipment.

2. The protrusion of the fall-off prevention portion is smaller than the protrusion of the brush. The pipe cleaning device according to claim 1.

3. The protrusion of the fall-off prevention part stabilizes the posture of the pipe cleaning device inside the pipe so that the brush contacts the inner wall of the pipe. The pipe cleaning device according to claim 2.

4. The pipe cleaning device according to claim 3 , wherein the fall-off prevention portion is provided in a plurality on a base side and a tip side of the pipe cleaning device as viewed from the brush.

5. A tubular pipe cleaning device connected to a pressure hose, comprising: A nozzle head that sprays cleaning water onto an inner wall of a pipe; A brush protruding radially in the radial direction of the pipe cleaning device; A fall-off prevention part that prevents the brush from falling off; An air supply hole; A fine bubble generating unit that generates fine bubbles from the gas supplied from the air supply hole and the water supplied from the pressure hose; a clogging prevention part that prevents clogging of the air supply hole, The fall-off prevention portion is a plate-shaped member protruding in a radial direction of the pipe cleaning device, The brush is fixed to the outer periphery of the pipe cleaning device via a ring, The protrusion of the fall-off prevention portion is larger than the inner diameter of the ring, The cleaning water contains fine bubbles generated by the fine bubble generating unit. Pipe cleaning equipment.

6. The clogging prevention part is a plate-shaped member disposed between the air supply hole and the brush and protruding in a radial direction of the pipe cleaning device. The pipe cleaning device according to claim 5.

7. The clogging prevention part is the falling-off prevention part arranged on the base side of the pipe cleaning device. The pipe cleaning device according to claim 6.

8. The tip of the protrusion of the clogging prevention portion extends in the direction of the air supply hole. The pipe cleaning device according to claim 7.

9. A method for cleaning a pipe, using the pipe cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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