Duct cleaning equipment

Abstract

To smoothly rotate the tip end even with a long wire. [Solution] The duct cleaning tool (100) includes a flexible shaft (1), a reel (2), and a rotating brush (40). The flexible shaft (1) includes a first shaft (11) including a base end (t1), a second shaft (12), and a connector (20) that connects a core wire (11a) of the first shaft (11) to a core wire (12a) of the second shaft (12). The connector (20) includes a housing (21) that houses the core wires (11a) and (12a) facing each other, and a sheath (22) that covers the outer periphery of the housing (21). The housing (21) rotates together with the core wires (11a) and (12a) relative to the sheath (22), and includes 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, so that the cross section of the inserted core wire also has a polygonal cross section and is slidable in the insertion direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to duct cleaning tools. [Background technology]

[0002] A duct cleaning tool has been proposed in the past (see, for example, Patent Document 1) that has a rotating brush attached to the tip of a wire that is flexible in the bending direction, and rotates the rotating brush as the core wire rotates inside the wire's insulation, cleaning long, narrow, enclosed spaces such as ducts.

[0003] As the wire becomes longer, the portability of the duct cleaning tool decreases, so there has been proposed a cleaning machine in which the wire is wound and bundled to make it compact and maintain portability (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-118217 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] FlexShaft cleaning machine, [online], [Retrieved November 7, 2024], Internet〈URL: https: / / www.ridgid.com / jp / ja / flexshaft-machines〉 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] On the other hand, when a wire is wound and curved, the radially outer portion of the curve is subjected to a greater tension in the direction of extension of the wire than the radially inner portion of the curve, which can prevent the coating material from curving cleanly, or can prevent the rotation of the core wire from being transmitted to the tip due to differences in curvature between the coating material and the core material caused by differences in rigidity between the two, making the core wire more likely to twist while rotating and causing it to stop rotating. This tendency becomes particularly pronounced as the wire becomes longer.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a duct cleaning tool that allows the tip end of even a long wire to be rotated smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention made to solve the above problem is a duct cleaning tool for cleaning the inside of a duct. The duct cleaning tool for solving the above problem includes a flexible shaft, a reel, and a rotary cleaning tool. The flexible shaft is formed of a core wire and a covering material that covers the core wire. The flexible shaft is wound around the outer periphery of the reel. The rotary cleaning tool is detachably connected to the tip of the flexible shaft. The core wire is rotated 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 part. The second shaft is located closer to the tip of the flexible shaft than the first shaft. The connecting part connects the first shaft and the second shaft. The connecting part has a housing part and a covering body. The housing part houses the end of the core wire of the first shaft and the end of the core wire of the second shaft facing each other. The covering body covers the outer periphery of the housing part. The accommodating portion rotates relative to the sheath together with the core wire of the first shaft and the core wire of the second shaft. The accommodating portion has a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole. An end of the core wire of the first shaft is inserted into the first insertion hole. An end of the core wire of the second shaft is inserted into the second insertion hole. At least one of the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole has a polygonal cross section. The end of the core wire inserted into one of the insertion holes has the polygonal shape and is slidable in the insertion direction into the one of the insertion holes.

[0009] In the duct cleaning tool 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 is fixed to the second insertion hole.

[0010] The duct cleaning tool of the present invention preferably further includes a transmission mechanism disposed between the base end and the drive unit for transmitting the rotational drive of the drive unit to the core wire of the flexible shaft. The reel preferably rotates as the flexible shaft is unwound or wound. The axis of rotation of the drive unit is preferably located on the axis of rotation of the reel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, even if the wire is long, the distal end side can be smoothly rotated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a duct cleaning tool according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates a flexible shaft according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the connector. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a side view of a reel 2 in a duct cleaning tool according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a range V in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

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

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

[0016] FIG. 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 spirally wound steel wire 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 fit the exhaust duct or to be wound around a reel 2.

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

[0018] The flexible shaft 1 is curved when wound around the reel 2. When the core wire 1a is rotated while the flexible shaft 1 is curved, the core wire 1a is likely to twist, making it difficult to transmit the rotation to the tip t2 of the flexible shaft 1 sufficiently.

[0019] In contrast, for example, a flexible shaft 1 is configured by connecting multiple pairs of core wires 1a and covering materials 1b (hereinafter referred to as shafts). In this embodiment, a flexible shaft 1 in which two shafts are connected will be described as a representative example. As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible shaft 1 has a first shaft 11, a second shaft 12, and a connector 20. The first shaft 11 has a core wire 11a and a covering material 11b. The second shaft 12 has a core wire 12a and a covering material 12b. The first shaft 11 includes a base end t1. The second shaft 12 is located closer to the tip end t2 than 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 line bb in FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line cc in FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(d) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line dd in FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(e) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line ee in FIG. 3(a). The connector 20 connects the first shaft 11 and the second shaft 12. Specifically, the connector 20 has 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 this 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 22 has a first mounting portion 221, a second mounting portion 222, and a main body portion 223. The first mounting portion 221 is attached to the covering material 11b of the first shaft 11. The second mounting 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 attachment portion 221 is a member that is crimped to the end portion of the covering material 11b of the first shaft 11 on the tip t2 side. The first attachment portion 221 includes a crimped portion 221a that is crimped to the end portion of the covering material 11b, and a tubular portion 221b that extends from the crimped portion 221a toward the tip t2. In the first shaft 11, the end portion t12 of the core wire 11a is exposed from the covering material 11b and passes inside the tubular portion 221b. In other words, the tubular portion 221b covers the periphery of the end portion t12 of the core wire 11a that is exposed from the covering material 11b.

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

[0024] The main body portion 223 connects the first attachment portion 221 and the second attachment portion 222. Specifically, the main body portion 223 is cylindrical, and the tubular portion 221b of the first attachment portion 221 is inserted into the inside from the base end t1 side. Meanwhile, the tubular portion 222b of the second attachment portion 222 is inserted into the inside of the main body portion 223 from the tip end t2 side. The tubular portions 221b and 222b inserted into the main body portion 223 are each fixed to the main body portion 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 attachment portion 221, the second attachment portion 222, and the main body portion 223.

[0025] The accommodation portion 21 is located inside the main body portion 223 and accommodates an end portion t12 of the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 on the distal end t2 side and an end portion t21 of the core wire 12a of the second shaft 12 on the proximal end t1 side, facing each other. Specifically, the accommodation portion 21 has a first insertion hole 211 and a second insertion hole 212. The first insertion hole 211 is a hole extending from a surface of the accommodation portion 21 on the proximal end t1 side toward the distal end t2 side. The second insertion hole 212 is a hole extending from a surface of the accommodation portion 21 on the distal end t2 side toward the proximal end t1 side. In the present embodiment, the first insertion hole 211 and the second insertion hole 212 are through holes that are connected to each other and penetrate the accommodation portion 21, but the first insertion hole 211 and the second insertion hole 212 may each be a hole with a bottom. That is, in the housing portion 21, the first insertion hole 211 and the second insertion hole 212 may be separated.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c), the cross section of the first insertion hole 211 perpendicular to the axial direction is rectangular. In this case, the cross section of the end t12 of the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 perpendicular to the axial direction is rectangular in accordance with the cross section of the first insertion hole 211 perpendicular to the axial direction. The size of the first insertion hole 211 is approximately one size 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 toward both the base end t1 and the tip end t2 in the insertion direction into the first insertion hole 211.

[0027] As described above, when the flexible shaft 1 is formed by connecting the first shaft 11 and the second shaft 12 using the connector 20, the lengths of the first shaft 11 and the second shaft 12 are shortened. Furthermore, because the connector 20 allows at least one of the first shafts 11 to slide, the tension applied to the first shaft 11 is reduced. As a result, the difference in tension between the outside and inside of the curve is also reduced, making the core wire 11a of the first shaft 11 less likely to twist during rotation. Therefore, even in a flexible shaft 1 with a long distance, the tip t2 side of the core wire 1a can be rotated smoothly.

[0028] 3(d) and 3(e), the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the second insertion hole 212 has a circular shape. In this case, the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the end t21 of the core wire 12a of the second shaft 12 has a circular shape that conforms to the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the second insertion hole 212. The size of the second insertion hole 212 is substantially the same as the size of the end t21 of the core wire 12a. Therefore, even if the core wire 12a is pulled toward the tip t2 in the second insertion hole 212, it is difficult for it to come out of the second insertion hole 212.

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

[0030] The first insertion hole 211 and the end t12 of the core wire 11a are not limited to being rectangular, and may be triangular or polygonal with pentagons or more sides, 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 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 and the combination of the shape of the second insertion hole 212 and the shape of the end t21 of the core wire 12a may be interchanged.

[0033] Figure 4 is a side view of the reel 2 of the duct cleaning tool 100 according to one embodiment. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of range V in Figure 4. Figure 5 shows a cross-section taken along line 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 circumferential portion 201a around which the flexible shaft 1 is wound, an inner circumferential portion 201b located inside the outer circumferential portion 201a in the radial direction R of the reel body 201, and a plurality of spokes 201c that connect the outer circumferential portion 201a and the inner circumferential portion 201b and extend radially along the radial direction R.

[0035] The base 202 includes a support portion 202a and legs 202b that extend from the support portion 202a and contact the floor surface. The support portion 202a supports the inner peripheral portion 201b of the reel body 201 so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction C about the center axis J1 of the support portion 202a.

[0036] Specifically, the support portions 202a are disposed facing each other inward in the radial direction R around the entire circumference of the inner circumferential portion 201b via bearings B2 (FIG. 5). As a result, the reel body 201 rotates about the central axis J1 as the flexible shaft 1 is unwound from or wound around the reel 2. In other words, the central axis J1 is also the rotation axis of the reel body 201.

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

[0038] The reel 2 further has multiple rollers 204. The multiple rollers 204 are arranged in a row along the outer periphery of the outer frame 203. In other words, the multiple rollers 204 are each located outward in the radial direction R from the outer periphery 201a of the reel body 201. Each of the multiple rollers 204 is cylindrical and attached to the outer frame 203 so as to be rotatable about a central axis extending in the width direction D perpendicular to the radial direction R.

[0039] In the reel body 201, the wound flexible shaft 1 is positioned between the outer circumferential portion 201a and a plurality of rollers 204. The base end t1 and the tip end t2 of the flexible shaft 1 are each pulled out from the reel body 201 through a gap between any two of the plurality of rollers 204. In this manner, in the duct cleaning tool 100 of this embodiment, the flexible shaft 1 can be pulled out from any position on the outer circumferential portion 201a of the reel body 201. Typically, the flexible shaft 1 is pulled out from between two rollers 204 provided on the upper part of the reel body 201. The plurality of rollers 204 make it difficult for portions of the flexible shaft 1 other than the starting point of pulling out or winding to separate from the outer circumferential portion 201a when the flexible shaft 1 provided with the connector 20 is pulled out from or wound around the reel 2, and the rotation of the rollers 204 enables the flexible shaft 1 to be pulled out or wound more smoothly from the reel 2.

[0040] The transmission mechanism 30 is disposed along a surface of the reel body 201 on either side in the width direction D, and is disposed between the base end t1 of the flexible shaft 1 and the rotation drive device 50. Typically, the transmission mechanism 30 and the rotation drive device 50 are disposed on opposite sides of the reel body 201 in the width direction D.

[0041] The transmission mechanism 30 has a drive shaft portion 301 that passes inside the inner peripheral portion 201b of the reel body 201, a transmission shaft 302 that extends in the radial direction R of the reel body 201, a first gear box 303 that connects the drive shaft portion 301 and the transmission shaft 302, and a second gear box 304 that connects the transmission shaft 302 to the flexible shaft 1.

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

[0043] Specifically, the drive shaft portion 301 includes a cylindrical tube portion 301a that extends in the width direction D and is fixed to the inside of the inner circumferential portion 201b, and a drive shaft 301b that passes inside the tube portion 301a and extends in the width direction D. The drive shaft 301b is rotatable in the circumferential direction C around a central axis J2 of the drive shaft 301b relative to the tube portion 301a. A rotation drive unit 50 is detachably attached to one end of the drive shaft 301b. The rotation drive unit 50 drives and 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 part 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 the posture of the duct cleaning tool 100 during operation is stable.

[0045] A first gear box 303 is provided at the other end of the drive shaft 301b. As shown in FIG. 5, an end of the drive shaft 301b and an end of the transmission shaft 302 are disposed in the first gear box 303. A gear G1 is provided at the end of the drive shaft 301b. A gear G2 is provided at the end of the transmission shaft 302. The types of gears G1 and G2 are not particularly limited, and are typically bevel gears. In the first gear box 303, the gears G1 and G2 form an intersecting-axis gear, which connects the drive shaft 301b extending in the width direction D with the transmission shaft 302 extending in the radial direction R of the reel body 201, and the transmission shaft 302 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive shaft 301b.

[0046] The second gear box 304 can be detachably connected to a connector 14 (FIG. 2) provided at the base end t1 of the flexible shaft 1. The basic structure of the second gear box 304 is the same as that of the first gear box 303, so details will be omitted. The second gear box 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 does not necessarily have to be provided. In this case, the rotation drive device 50 is directly connected to the base end t1 of the flexible shaft 1 via the connector .

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, the reel body 201 and the outer frame 203 are cylindrical, but the shapes of the reel body 201 and the outer frame 203 are not limited to cylindrical. Furthermore, 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 tool of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the components disclosed in the above-described embodiment can be modified as appropriate. For example, some of the components shown in one embodiment may be added to the components of another embodiment, or some of the components shown in one embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment.

[0050] Furthermore, the drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the configuration of each component shown in the above embodiment is merely an example and is not particularly limited, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate 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: Storage unit 22: Covering body 30: Transmission mechanism 40: Rotating brush 50: Rotation 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 t2: tip t21: end

Claims

1. A duct cleaning tool 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 the outer periphery of which the flexible shaft is wound; a rotary cleaning tool detachably connected to the tip of the flexible shaft; Equipped with the core wire is driven to rotate relative to the covering material by a driving device connected to a proximal end of the flexible shaft; The flexible shaft includes a first shaft including the proximal end; a second shaft located closer to the distal end of the flexible shaft than the first shaft; a connecting portion that connects the first shaft and the second shaft; and The connecting portion is a housing portion that houses an end portion of a core wire of the first shaft and an end portion of a core wire of the second shaft so that the end portion faces each other; a covering body that covers the outer periphery of the storage portion; and the housing portion rotates with respect to the sheath together with the core wire of the first shaft and the core wire of the second shaft; a first insertion hole into which an end of the core wire of the first shaft is inserted; a second insertion hole into which an end of the core wire of the second shaft is inserted; and At least one of the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole has a polygonal cross section, The end of the core wire inserted into the one insertion hole has the polygonal shape and is slidable in the insertion direction 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 tool according to claim 1 , wherein the core wire inserted into the second insertion hole is fixed to the second insertion hole.

3. 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 rotates as the flexible shaft is unwound or wound, 3. The duct cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis of the drive unit is located on the rotation axis of the reel.

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