Cover member

Abstract

A cover member 10 is integrally provided with: a plurality of divided cover members 11, 12 that cover a coating target member 1 and that comprise an elastic material which covers an outer surface of the coating target member 1; a coupling portion 20 that couples the divided cover members 11, 12 to each other; and a band portion 28 that is wound around and fixes the divided cover portions 11, 12 covering the coating target member 1.

Description

Cover material

[0001] The present invention relates to a cover member that covers the outer surface of an object to be covered.

[0002] Various techniques have been proposed in the past for covering the outer surface of a member to be covered, such as a pipe, with a cover member for the purpose of sealing for waterproofing, corrosion prevention, or insulation. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for covering a metal pipe with a cover member made of a corrosion-resistant polyethylene sheet.

[0003] Conventional covering techniques using this type of cover member, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and elsewhere, typically involve wrapping a general-purpose sheet around the object to be covered, and can be used to cover pipes of various sizes.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-112273

[0005] However, for components to be covered that have complex shapes, such as pipes that are bent midway through a connector, there are bent sections and large-diameter sections due to the connector, so even if a sheet with adjusted dimensions and shape is used, it may require a lot of work to wrap it around the entire pipe.In addition, overlapping sections of the sheets may not be joined properly, which may expose areas that should be covered by the sheet, resulting in problems with sealing and insulation.

[0006] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a new cover member that can be easily assembled to the member to be covered so as to cover the member to be covered exactly according to its outer shape.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the configuration (1) of the cover member of the present invention is a cover member made of an elastic material that covers the outer surface of the member to be covered, and is characterized by comprising a plurality of divided cover materials that cover the member to be covered, connecting portions that connect the divided cover materials together, and a band portion that is wrapped around and fixed to the divided cover materials that cover the member to be covered.

[0008] The following description of the embodiments will disclose that the cover member according to the present invention may have the following subsidiary configurations.

[0009] <Configuration (2)> In configuration (1), one end of the band portion in the longitudinal direction may be connected to any one of the divided cover materials.

[0010] <Configuration (3)> In configuration (1) or (2), the member to be coated may be a tubular material, and the plurality of divided cover materials may each cover the entire outer periphery of the member to be coated so as to divide it in the circumferential direction, and adjacent divided cover materials may be arranged on the outer periphery of the member to be coated so as to overlap each other.

[0011] <Configuration (4)> In any of configurations (1) to (3), the member to be coated may be a tubular member, and the plurality of divided cover materials may each cover the entire outer periphery of the member to be coated so as to divide it in the circumferential direction, and adjacent divided cover materials may be arranged with their end faces abutting against each other.

[0012] <Configuration (5)> In any of configurations (1) to (3), the divided cover material may include an interior piece and an exterior piece, the interior piece and the exterior piece covering the entire circumferential circumference of the member to be coated in two parts, and the exterior piece may cover an end portion of the interior piece in the circumferential direction, and a pressing protrusion may be provided on an inner surface of the exterior piece to press against an outer surface of the interior piece covering the member to be coated.

[0013] <Configuration (6)> In any of configurations (1) to (3) and (5), the divided cover material may include an interior piece and an exterior piece, the interior piece and the exterior piece covering the entire circumferential circumference of the member to be covered in two parts, and the exterior piece may cover an end portion of the interior piece in the circumferential direction, and a pressable protrusion that is pressed against the outer surface of the member to be covered may be provided on an inner surface of the interior piece, and the outer surface of the interior piece may bulge when the inner surface of the interior piece is pressed.

[0014] Since the cover member of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it can be easily assembled to the member to be covered so as to cover just the right amount according to the outer shape of the member to be covered.

[0015] 1A is a plan view of a cover member according to a first embodiment of the present invention in an expanded state. (a) is a front view of the cover member of FIG. 1, and (b) is a schematic partial enlarged view as viewed from direction B in (a). (a) and (b) are front views showing the procedure for assembling the cover member of FIG. 1 to the member to be covered. (a) is a cross-sectional view of the cover member after assembly along line C-C in FIG. 2B, (b) is a plan view of the same cover member, and (c) is a cross-sectional view of line C-C in FIG. 2B showing another embodiment of the same cover member.

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[0090] [0 10A is a perspective view of a cover member, (b) is a perspective view after the cover member is assembled, and (c) is a plan view after the cover member is assembled. It is an explanatory diagram of a cover member according to a fifth and sixth embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the cover member in an unfolded state, and (b) is a perspective view after the cover member is assembled. It is a perspective view of a cover member according to a fifth embodiment. It is a perspective view of a cover member according to a sixth embodiment, and (c) is a bottom view of the cover member. It is a cross-sectional view of a main part that schematically shows the state in which the cover member shown in FIG. 9 is assembled to the member to be covered, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of a main part that schematically shows the state in which the cover member shown in FIG. 10 is assembled to the member to be covered.

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, the basic configuration of cover members 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E according to various embodiments will be described.

[0017] Each of the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E described below is made of an elastic material that covers the outer surface of the member to be covered 1. Each of the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E integrally comprises a plurality of divided cover members 11, 12, 14, and 15 that cover the member to be covered 1, a connecting portion 20 that connects the divided cover members 11, 12, 14, 15, 11A, and 12A together, and a band portion 18 that is wrapped around and fixed to the divided cover members 11, 12, 14, 15, 11A, and 12A that cover the member to be covered 1.

[0018] Furthermore, as for the manner of connecting and integrating the band portion 18 to other components, it is desirable that one longitudinal end of the band portion 18 is connected to one of the multiple divided cover materials 11, 12, 14, and 15 at a position that is easy to wrap around, as in the embodiment described below.

[0019] Each of the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E according to the following embodiments covers a target object 1 made of a metal tubular material. This pipe 1 is, for example, an interior component of an electric vehicle or the like, and the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E are attached for insulation purposes. Examples of elastic materials that are the material for the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E include rubber and flexible synthetic resin materials. The target object 1 may also be a resin pipe, and the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E can be used to prevent deterioration of the resin pipe in high-temperature environments.

[0020] First, the details of the cover member 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[0021] 1 and 2, the cover member 10 includes a divided cover material 12 as an interior piece and a divided cover material 11 as an exterior piece. These have a shape with an opening along the axial direction of the cylindrical pipe 1 so as to cover approximately half of the circumference of the pipe 1.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2(a) and other figures, the interior piece 12 is a half piece having an approximately semicircular end surface, and the exterior piece 11 has a main body 11a having a mountain-shaped end surface and flat cover portions 11b extending from both ends of the main body 11a. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the cover member 10 is attached to the pipe 1 so that the cover portions 11b of the exterior piece 11 overlap the circumferential ends of the interior piece 12.

[0023] 1, the interior piece 12 and the exterior piece 11 are arranged in a spaced relationship and generally parallel to each other in a plan view so as to line up along the width direction (the radial direction of the pipe 1 to be covered), and between them are two connecting pieces 21, 22 that constitute a connecting portion 20, each of which has both ends fixed to both split cover materials 11, 12 and is arranged generally parallel to each other. In other words, both of the two connecting pieces 21, 22 are fixed between the split cover materials 11, 12 in a state where they extend in the width direction of the split cover materials 11, 12.

[0024] Each connecting piece 21, 22 has a base piece 21a, 22a on the exterior piece 11 side and a rotating piece 21b, 22b on the interior piece 12 side. As shown in Figures 1 and 2(a) , the base pieces 21a, 22a are connected to the widthwise ends of the main body 11a of the exterior piece 11, and the rotating pieces 21b, 22b are connected to the widthwise ends of the interior piece 12.

[0025] The base pieces 21a, 22a and the pivot pieces 21b, 22b have approximately the same width and thickness, and folds 21c, 22c are formed at the boundaries between them to make them thinner than the other parts and easier to fold. The connecting pieces 21, 22 are spaced apart, and a band-passing space 23 is provided for passing the band main body 18a (described later) through.

[0026] 1, a band portion 18 is connected to another end portion in the width direction of the main body 11a of the exterior piece 11 different from the connecting portion 20 side, at a position that coincides with the band-passing space 23 between the connecting pieces 21, 22. The band portion 18 is a fastener that is wrapped around both divided cover materials 11, 12 that cover the pipe 1, and its longitudinal end portion is connected to the lower end of the main body 11a of the exterior piece 11 (the boundary between the main body 11a and the cover portion 11b) so as to extend in the width direction of the exterior piece 11.

[0027] 1 and 2(a), the band 18 has a belt-shaped band body 18a, a circular protrusion 18b protruding in the same direction as the mountain-shaped protrusion of the body 11a near the end of the band body 18a on the exterior piece 11 side, and a fixing hole 18c near the open end into which the protrusion 18b is fitted.Furthermore, a gripping portion 18d having uneven surfaces on both sides to prevent slipping is formed further toward the end of the fixing hole 18c.

[0028] Next, the shape of the portion including both connecting pieces 21, 22 on the side surface 11e of the exterior piece 11 facing the interior piece 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 2(b). Fig. 2(b) is a schematic partial enlarged view of portion A in Fig. 1 as viewed from direction B in Fig. 2(a).

[0029] In this side surface portion 11e, a part of the cover portion 11b is cut out to form a recess 11c, and a recessed bottom surface 11ca of the recess 11c is exposed as an end surface of the main body 11a on the recess 11c side.

[0030] 2(b) at the end of the outer surface of the main body 11a on the recess 11c side on the recess 11c side, are connected base pieces 21a and 22a of the connecting pieces 21 and 22. Two spaced apart portions P1 and P2 shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG. 2(b) are located on the recess 11c side of the outer surface of the main body 11a. Two spaced apart portions P3 and P4 shown by two-dot chain lines near the concave bottom surface 11ca of the recess 11c are areas where the pivot pieces 21b and 22b can be disposed when the cover member 10 is attached.

[0031] Furthermore, in Figure 2 (b), the area P5 indicated by the dashed double-dashed line between the two spaced apart areas P3 and P4 near the concave bottom surface 11ca is the area where the band main body 18a of the band portion 18 is located when the cover member 10 is attached.

[0032] 2(a) and 2(b), a slippage prevention portion 11d is formed at the open end of the exterior piece 11 adjacent to the recess 11c in the longitudinal direction, to prevent movement or slippage of the rotating piece 22b of the connecting piece 22 arranged on the open side after the cover member 10 is attached to the pipe 1. Note that the sliding of the rotating piece 21b of the other connecting piece 21 is prevented by the cover portion 11b.

[0033] In this way, the recess 11c is an area where the connecting piece 21, the band body 18a, and the connecting piece 22 can be aligned with almost no gaps, so that they can be aligned and misaligned with each other can be prevented.

[0034] The cover member 10 is attached to the pipe 1, for example, in the following procedure (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) and FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b)).

[0035] First, as shown in Figure 3(a), the interior piece 12 is temporarily attached to the pipe 1, and while both connecting pieces 21, 22 are folded at the fold portions 21c, 22c, the interior piece 12 and the exterior piece 11 are rotated relative to each other, so that the interior piece 12 and the exterior piece 11 embrace the pipe 1 as shown in Figure 3(b).

[0036] As shown in Figure 3(b), when the pipe 1 is embraced by both divided cover materials 11, 12, both connecting pieces 21, 22 are folded and overlapped, and the connecting portions between the rotating pieces 21b, 22b and the interior piece 12 enter the inner space of the exterior piece 11 together with the interior piece 12.

[0037] 3(b), when the pipe 1 is embraced by both divided cover materials 11, 12, an overlapping portion 25 is formed where the exterior piece 11 and the interior piece 12 overlap each other. At this time, a gap 26 may be formed between both divided cover materials 11, 12 at the overlapping portion 25.

[0038] Before the band body 18a is wrapped around the split cover materials 11, 12, it is desirable to have a dimensional relationship such that a gap 26 is formed between the split cover materials 11, 12 at the overlapping portion 25. This is to prevent the rubber from sliding poorly against each other when the cover materials are attached. Furthermore, a gap 26 may also be formed between the pipe 1 and the split cover materials 11, 12.

[0039] Next, as shown in Figures 3(b) and 4(a) and (b), the gripping portion 18d of the band portion 18 is grasped with the fingers, and the band main body 18a is wrapped from the interior piece 12 side through the recess 11c and the band passing space 23 between the connecting pieces 21 and 22 to the exterior piece 11 side, and the fixing hole 18c is fitted into the protrusion 18b to fix both split cover materials 11 and 12 to the pipe 1.

[0040] Furthermore, it is desirable that the cover member 10 be attached by wrapping the band body 18a around both divided cover materials 11, 12 in a stretched state without slack. When both divided cover materials 11, 12 are fastened by the band body 18a, it is desirable that there be no gap 26 in the overlapping portion 25 or any misalignment between the divided cover materials 11, 12 and the pipe 1.

[0041] Even if gap 26 remains, it poses almost no problem in terms of ensuring insulation as long as it is hidden by overlapping portion 25. However, considering that misalignment due to gap 26 may cause contact with other interior components, exposing pipe 1, it is desirable to prevent movement inside. Furthermore, it goes without saying that eliminating gap 26 is desirable when aiming for airtightness.

[0042] As described above, the exterior piece 11 and the interior piece 12 are connected by the connecting portion 20, but since the recess 11c is formed by partially removing the cover portion 11b of the exterior piece 11, the interior piece 12 can be easily attached to the inner space side of the exterior piece 11. In addition, since the fold portions 21c, 22c are provided in the connecting pieces 21, 22, the interior piece 12 and the exterior piece 11 can be more easily assembled to each other.

[0043] Furthermore, the recess 11c, which is designed to make it easier to attach the interior piece 12, also functions to allow the band portion 18 to be tightly wrapped around both divided cover materials 11, 12. That is, passing the band portion 18 through the recess 11c also increases the pressing force of the band portion 18 on the interior piece 12. In particular, when the convexly curved top of the interior piece 12 is located inside (toward the pipe 1) the open-side ends of both cover portions 11b of the exterior piece 11, or when the top protrudes only slightly (see FIG. 4(a)), passing the band portion 18 through the recess 11c is highly effective.

[0044] In this way, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the cover member 10 is tightly wrapped around the pipe 1, covering it so that at least the exterior is hardly exposed.

[0045] As such, the cover member 10 is not a general-purpose sheet-like cover, but rather a dedicated cover member whose shape and dimensions are generally uniquely determined for each member 1 to be covered, and therefore can cover the pipe 1 exactly without exposing most of the outer surface of the pipe 1 to the outside.

[0046] After the cover member 10 has been assembled as described above, if the pipe 1 covered with the cover member 10 is to be installed inside a narrow space, it is desirable to cut off any unnecessary connecting portions 20 that protrude to the side and that may come into contact with other interior components, in order to prevent the cover member 10 from shifting and exposing the pipe 1 due to contact with other interior components.

[0047] Furthermore, because the cover member 10 is a single piece with all parts connected together, wrapping and fastening can be performed easily and quickly. The cover member 10 is also convenient for easy storage, transport, and handling. Even though the cover member 10 is a single piece, it is made of an elastic material, giving it a moderate degree of flexibility, allowing it to be folded or rolled up at the appropriate location for handling.

[0048] Furthermore, it is desirable to attach the cover member 10 to the pipe 1 before installing the pipe 1 in the installation space, but it may also be attached after installation. That is, since the cover member 10 comprises a plurality of divided cover members 11, 12 and is formed entirely from an elastic material, making it easy to handle in small spaces, etc., even if the pipe 1 is installed and fixed in the installation space, as long as there is space to operate the cover member 10, it can be attached (post-installed).

[0049] Although the cover member 10 is a special-purpose cover that matches the shape and dimensions of the member 1 to be covered, it is made of an elastic material such as rubber, so if the length of the band body 18a is adjusted to match the diameter of the pipe 1, it can be tightly wrapped and fixed around multiple pipes 1 with a wide range of diameters.

[0050] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4(c), when a slightly larger pipe 1 is to be covered, even when the cover member 10 shown in Fig. 3(a) is used, the larger pipe 1 can be secured by stretching the band body 18a more strongly. In such a case, the two connecting pieces 21, 22 may be overlapped with a slight gap between them, as shown in Fig. 4(c).

[0051] In order to cover a large number of pipes 1 with different diameters with the same size and shape cover member 10, the band body 18a must be made of a flexible and highly stretchable material. Also, in order to tighten the band body 18a and reduce the gap 26, the exterior piece 11 and the interior piece 12 must be made of a material that is easily deformed.

[0052] In order to be used in this manner, the cover member 10 has an exterior piece 11, an interior piece 12, a connecting portion 20, and a band portion 18, each of which has a different function, and therefore each of these portions may have different elastic moduli or degrees of hardness and softness, and for this reason may be formed by multi-color molding.

[0053] In the illustrated example of this embodiment, the recess 11c is formed in one cover portion 11b of the exterior piece 11, but the other cover portion 11b may also be provided with a recess 11c. This allows the band portion 18 to be more firmly wrapped around both divided cover materials 11, 12 and also allows the band main body 18a to be shorter.

[0054] Next, details of a cover member 10A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0055] In this cover member 10A, the covered object 1 is bent as shown in Fig. 5(a) . Specifically, this pipe 1 is made up of a plurality of straight pipes 1a connected via bent connectors 2 (joints).

[0056] As shown in Figure 5 (b), the cover member 10A has a generally similar external shape to the pipe 1, although its dimensions are different. One divided cover material 12 is an interior piece 12 with a diameter sufficient to directly embrace the pipe 1, and the other divided cover material 11 is an exterior piece 11 that covers the pipe 1 together with the interior piece 12.

[0057] The interior piece 12 has a large diameter portion 12f corresponding to the connector 2, and the exterior piece 11 has a large diameter portion 11f corresponding to the connector 2 and the large diameter portion 12f of the interior piece 12. The end face and cross-sectional shape are generally similar to those of the first embodiment. The exterior piece 11 has a main body 11a and two cover portions 11b, but the main body 11a and the two cover portions 11b in the large diameter portion 11f are both larger in size than the portions other than the large diameter portion 11f (see FIGS. 5(b) to 5(d)).

[0058] The connecting portion 20, the band portion 18, the recess 11c (not shown in this figure), and the method of winding the band body 18a are generally the same as those in the first embodiment, so the parts shown in this figure are given the same symbols as those in the cover member 10 of the first embodiment, and their explanations will be omitted.

[0059] When the split cover materials 11, 12 are assembled to the pipe 1, the axial end portions are shown in the end view of Figure 5(c), and the connector 2 portion is shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 5(d). When the split cover materials 11, 12 are assembled, it is desirable that a gap 26 be formed in the overlapping portion 25 as shown in the example, both at the end faces and in the connector portion, as in the first embodiment. Note that the connecting portion 20 and band portion 18 are not shown in Figures 5(c) and 5(d).

[0060] As with the first embodiment, the connecting portion 20 and the band portion 18 are assembled in such a manner that the band body 18a passes through the band insertion space 23 between the connecting pieces 21 and 22, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] Furthermore, although the cover member 10 has one band portion 18, since the pipe 1 has a bent shape at the connector 2 portion, it is desirable to provide band portions 18 at multiple locations, such as on both sides of the large diameter portion 11f of the outer casing piece 11.

[0062] According to the cover members 10 and 10A of the first and second embodiments described above, the interior piece 12 and the exterior piece 11 form an overlapping portion 25 to cover the pipe 1, which highly likely prevents the surface of the pipe 1 from being exposed, thereby achieving more reliable pipe insulation. In addition, the non-slip nature of the rubber between the interior piece 12 and the exterior piece 11 makes it less likely for them to become misaligned.

[0063] Next, details of a cover member 10B according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0064] Unlike the cover member 10B of the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, one of the split cover materials 14, 15 is an outer half piece 14 that forms the outside of the bent portion 16, and the other is an inner half piece 15 that forms the inside of the bent portion 16. The connecting portion 20 may be configured to have two connecting pieces 21, 22 that connect the split cover materials 14, 15, similar to those of the first and second embodiments (see Fig. 5(b)).

[0065] The band portion 18 is provided in two locations, with a first band portion 18A and a second band portion 18B configured to be wrapped around both sides of the bent portion 16. Specifically, the first band portion 18A can be wrapped around by passing the band body 18a through a band-passing space 23 (see FIG. 2) formed between the connecting pieces 21 and 22 of the connecting portion 20. The second band portion 18B can be wrapped around a location different from the connecting portion 20.

[0066] When these split cover materials 14, 15 are combined to cover the pipe 1, the longitudinally extending end faces 14a, 15a are butted against each other, as shown in Figure 6(b). A gap may be formed between the end faces 14a, 15a rather than a complete abutment, but it goes without saying that it is desirable to eliminate the gap by tightening when the band body 18a is wrapped around the split cover materials 14, 15. Alternatively, the gap may be left as it is and sealed with adhesive tape or the like.

[0067] Furthermore, the abutment between the end faces 14a, 15a is not limited to abutment between flat surfaces without any irregularities, but may be engagement or coupling by irregularities such as a mating or male-female shape.

[0068] Furthermore, with this cover member 10B, attachment to the pipe 1 is achieved by butting the split cover materials 14, 15 against each other, so there is no partial overlapping (see FIG. 3, etc.) as occurs with the split cover materials 11, 12 of the cover member 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, in order to wrap the band body 18a around the split cover materials 14, 15, there is no need to form a recess 11c (see FIG. 2) as with the split cover materials 11, 12, and the split cover materials 14, 15 can be given a simple shape without any processing such as cutouts.

[0069] Furthermore, in the case of the cover member 10B that covers the pipe 1 by such a butting action, in order to stably cover the pipe 1, it is preferable to fix it at multiple points using band portions 18 (first band portion 18A, second band portion 18B) as shown in Figure 5 (a) rather than fixing it with a single band portion 18.

[0070] In addition, even in the case of a type in which an interior piece 12 is surrounded by an exterior piece 11, such as the cover members 10 and 10A of the first and second embodiments, it is desirable to provide multiple band portions 18 when covering a pipe 1 that is long in the axial direction.

[0071] 7 is an explanatory diagram of a cover member 10C according to a fourth embodiment. This cover member 10C includes an exterior piece (one divided cover material) 11, an interior piece (the other divided cover material) 12, a connecting portion 20, and two band portions (a first band portion 18A and a second band portion 18B). The exterior piece 11 and the interior piece 12 each have an enlarged diameter portion 11f, 12f at one end.

[0072] The first band portion 18A includes a band body 18a, a protrusion 18b provided on the band body 18a, a fixing hole 18c provided on the band body 18a, and a grip portion 18d, and is configured so that the band body 18a is passed through a band passing space 23 between the connecting pieces 21 and 22 and wrapped around the divided cover materials 11 and 12. Since this configuration is generally similar to that of the first embodiment, the parts shown in this drawing are given the same reference numerals as the cover member 10 of the first embodiment, and their description will be omitted.

[0073] The second band portion 18B includes a band main body 18a, a protrusion 18b provided on the top of the main body 11a of the exterior piece 11, a fixing hole 18c provided in the band main body 18a, and a grip portion 18d. In other words, the second band portion 18B differs from the first band portion 18A in that the fixing protrusion 18b of the band main body 18a is not formed on the surface of the band main body 18a.

[0074] Furthermore, the first band portion 18A and the second band portion 18B are both connected at approximately the same position in the circumferential direction of the cover portion 11b of the exterior piece 11, but since the formation positions of the protrusions 18b are different, the formation positions of the fixing holes 18c are naturally different.

[0075] Furthermore, the lengths of the band bodies 18a of the first band portion 18A and the second band portion 18B are different from each other, with the band body 18a of the second band portion 18B being shorter (see Figures 7(a) and 7(b)). Specifically, as shown in Figure 7(b), the band body 18a of the second band portion 18B is so short that it cannot be wrapped around the entire circumference of the divided cover materials 11, 12.

[0076] The reason why the protrusions 18b of the first band portion 18A and the second band portion 18B are provided at different positions is based on the installation environment of the pipe 1, which will be explained next.

[0077] 7(c), this is because the positional relationship (separation distance) between the pipe 1 and the other interior parts 5 varies depending on the longitudinal position of the pipe 1. More specifically, at the position where the first band part 18A of the cover member 10C is provided, the protrusion 18b and the other interior parts 5 are spaced apart enough so as not to interfere with each other, whereas at the position where the second band part 18B is provided, the surface of the cover part 11b and the other interior parts 5 are close together, and providing the band main body 18a and the protrusion 18b on that surface will definitely interfere with (come into contact with) the other interior parts 5.

[0078] Furthermore, although the band body 18a of the second band portion 18B cannot be wrapped around the entire circumference of the pipe 1, the example shown in the figure is designed to be wrapped from the cover portion 11b of the exterior piece 11, through the interior piece 12 and the other cover portion 11b, and up to the top of the body 11a of the exterior piece 11, so there is almost no problem with the fixing strength due to the wrapping of the second band portion 18B.

[0079] In this way, in the case of a cover member 10C that requires a plurality of band portions 18A, 18B, various other interior parts 5 are expected to be installed along the longitudinal direction, and therefore, as in the example of Figure 7, it is desirable to change the position of the protrusion 18b depending on the installation environment of the other interior parts 5, or to provide a portion around which the band main body 18a is not wrapped.

[0080] In the case of cover members 10A, 10B for a bent pipe 1 (see Figures 5 and 6), multiple band portions 18 may be required, and in this case, it is desirable to change the installation form of band portion 18, such as the position of protrusion 18b, depending on the installation environment of other adjacent interior parts 5.

[0081] In addition, if only one band portion 18 is provided as in the cover member 10 of the first embodiment and the pipe 1 has a straight pipe shape, the cover member 10 can be assembled by devising a way to cover the pipe 1 (the protruding direction of the protrusion 18b) so that the protrusion 18b does not interfere with other interior parts 5.

[0082] In all of the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C of the above-described embodiments, the connecting portion 20 is configured to include one or more strip-shaped connecting pieces 21, 22. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the connecting portion 20 may be configured by connecting two divided cover materials 11, 12, 14, and 15 at their ends, and the connecting portion may be made thin and easy to fold, like the fold portions 21c and 22c of the connecting pieces 21 and 22 shown in the first embodiment.

[0083] In addition, in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C, the divided cover materials 11, 12, 14, and 15 are connected by two connecting pieces 21 and 22 and a set of connecting parts 20, but it is also possible for one connecting piece 21 and 22 to be connected by a set of connecting parts 20.

[0084] Furthermore, when a pipe 1 having a long axis is used, the connecting portions 20 may be provided separately at appropriate positions along the length of the pipe 1. In this case, each connecting portion 20 may be composed of a single connecting piece 21, 22.

[0085] Furthermore, although the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C of the above-described embodiments are all configured to include two divided cover materials 11, 12, 14, and 15, they may also be configured to include three or more divided cover materials 11, 12, 14, and 15.

[0086] The cover members 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C according to the various embodiments described above are merely examples, and other configurations are also acceptable. It goes without saying that the overall shape and the shapes of each part of the cover members 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C can be appropriately changed as a design matter.

[0087] Next, the detailed shapes and structures of the cover members 10D and 10E according to the fifth and sixth embodiments will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are common views of the two types of cover members 10D and 10E.

[0088] Fig. 8(a) is a perspective view showing the cover members 10D and 10E in an expanded state before being assembled to the object to be covered 1, and Fig. 8(b) is a perspective view showing the cover members 10D and 10E after being assembled. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the cover member 10D according to the fifth embodiment, and Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the cover member 10E according to the sixth embodiment.

[0089] 11(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic state in which the cover member 10D is assembled to the coating target member 1, and corresponds to line D-D in FIG. 9(a). FIG. 11(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic state in which the cover member 10E is assembled to the coating target member 1, and corresponds to line E-E in FIG. 10(c).

[0090] First, the common configuration of the cover members 10D and 10E and the common shape of the front surface side will be described.

[0091] The cover members 10D, 10E have an interior piece and an exterior piece as divided cover materials 11A, 12A, and the interior piece 12A and the exterior piece 11A cover the entire circumferential circumference of the member to be covered 1 in two parts, and the exterior piece 11A is configured to cover the circumferential end 50b of the interior piece 12A.

[0092] The cover members 10D and 10E are integrally formed from an elastic material and attached so as to cover the outer surface of the bent tubular member to be coated 1. The cover members 10D and 10E include a divided cover material (exterior piece) 11A and a divided cover material (interior piece) 12A, which are formed by connecting two halves, for covering the member to be coated 1.

[0093] The divided cover material 11A includes a main body cover portion 40 and an extension cover portion 41 that extends from one end side of the main body cover portion 40 via a bent portion 42 according to the bent shape of the member 1 to be covered.

[0094] In addition, a band portion 420 for wrapping around and fixing the divided cover materials 11A, 12A is provided, which includes a first band piece 43 corresponding to the main cover portion 40 and a second band piece 45 corresponding to the extension cover portion 41.

[0095] The cover members 10D and 10E each include a divided cover material 11A that is a half-split exterior piece and a divided cover material 12A that is a half-split interior piece, and these divided cover materials 11A, 12A are connected to each other by a connecting portion 410 that is made up of two connecting pieces 48. The interior piece 12A also has a curved shape like the exterior piece 11A, and includes a main interior portion 50, an extended interior portion 51, and a curved portion 52.

[0096] The exterior piece 11A includes a main body 40a, which is generally triangular in cross section, and covering portions 40b extending downward from both sides of the main body 40a in the width direction, so that the main body cover portion 40, the bent portion 42, and the extended cover portion 41 are all continuous in the longitudinal direction. The main body 40a is symmetrical and has a ridge-like apex. In this figure, 42b is the covering portion of the covering portion 40b at the bent portion 42, which will be described later in FIG. 9 regarding the cover member 10D.

[0097] On the other hand, the main interior portion 50, the bent portion 52, and the extended interior portion 51 of the interior piece 12A are all formed into a substantially semicircular shape in a cross-sectional view.

[0098] When the cover members 10D and 10E are in an unfolded state before being attached to the member to be covered 1, as shown in Figure 8(a), the main body cover portion 40 and the main body interior portion 50 are approximately parallel in a plan view and are connected via a connecting portion 410 consisting of two connecting pieces 48 so that they are aligned vertically without any misalignment in a side view.

[0099] On the other hand, the extending cover portion 41 and the extending interior portion 51 are approximately parallel in a plan view, and in a side view they extend away from each other in a direction away from the bending portions 42, 52, so as to be spaced apart vertically based on the vertical position of the main body cover portion 40.

[0100] The first band piece 43 and the second band piece 45 are attached to the side surfaces opposite the connection side of the interior piece 12A between the main cover portion 40 and the extension cover portion 41 of the exterior piece 11A. The first band piece 43 and the second band piece 45 are each made of a strip plate material and are fasteners for wrapping around and fixing the exterior of the exterior piece 11A and the interior piece 12A that cover the member to be covered 1.

[0101] The first band piece 43 provided on the main body cover portion 40 has its longitudinal end connected to the lower end of the main body 40a of the main body cover portion 40 (the boundary between the main body 40a and the cover portion 40b) so as to extend in the width direction of the main body cover portion 40 (the alignment direction of the exterior piece 11A and the interior piece 12A).

[0102] 8(a), the first band piece 43 has a band body 43a in the shape of a belt. The first band piece 43 has a protrusion 44 protruding in substantially the same direction as the top of the body 40a near the end of the band body 43a facing the body cover 40, and a fixing hole 43b near the open end of the band body 43a into which the protrusion 44 is fitted. Further toward the open end of the fixing hole 43b, a gripping portion 43c is formed with uneven surfaces on both sides to prevent slipping.

[0103] In this example, the protrusion 44 is mushroom-shaped and includes a head 44a and a body 44b with a smaller outer diameter than the head 44a. The head 44a is tapered toward the tip. The fixing hole 43b is a through hole with a diameter smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the head 44a and larger than the minimum outer diameter of the head 44a. In other words, the tapered surface can serve as a guide surface when the protrusion 44 is engaged with the fixing hole 43b.

[0104] The head 44a is fitted into the body 44b by pushing the tip of the head 44a into the through-hole. Once the head 44a is fitted into the fixing hole 43b, the inner edge of the fixing hole 43b catches on the head 44a, so that it will not come off easily unless the band body 43a is pulled. In this way, it is desirable that the protrusion 44 has a neck portion on which the head 44a can catch.

[0105] The second band piece 45 provided on the extending cover portion 41 has its longitudinal end connected to the lower end of the main body 40a of the extending cover portion 41 (the boundary between the main body 40a and the cover portion 40b) so as to extend in the width direction of the extending cover portion 41.

[0106] The band body 45a, fixing hole 45b, and gripping portion 45c of the second band piece 45 of the extending cover portion 41 have roughly the same shape and configuration as those of the main body cover portion 40, and the shape and configuration of the protrusion 46 consisting of the head portion 46a and the body portion 46b are also roughly the same as those of the main body cover portion 40.

[0107] The two connecting pieces 48 are fixed between the main body cover portion 40 and the main body interior portion 50 and are arranged substantially parallel to each other in a plan view, with the longitudinal direction of the connecting pieces 48 substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the main body cover portion 40 extends. The two connecting pieces 48 have substantially the same width and thickness. Each connecting piece 48 has a fold portion 48c that is thinner than the other portions to make it easier to bend. 48a is a base piece, and 48b is a pivot piece.

[0108] The space between the connecting pieces 48 is a band-passing space 49, and at the position of the main body cover part 40 corresponding to the band-passing space 49, a portion of the cover part 40b is cut out to form a recess 40c (see Figures 9 and 10).

[0109] 8 to 10, reference numeral 47 denotes a large-diameter portion of the exterior piece 11A, and reference numeral 53 denotes a large-diameter portion of the interior piece 12A. These large-diameter portions 47 and 53 are components that cover a connector portion (not shown) and a base portion (not shown) of the member to be coated 1.

[0110] The cover members 10D and 10E are assembled to the coating target member 1 using the same assembly procedure as shown in Fig. 3 for each of the exterior piece 11A and the interior piece 12A. Fig. 8(b) is a perspective view of the cover members 10D and 10E assembled to the coating target member 1. Drawings and detailed explanations of the assembly procedure will be omitted.

[0111] The cover members 10D and 10E, each consisting of an outer piece 11A and an inner piece 12A, are assembled to the member to be covered 1, as shown in Figure 4(a) and the like, so that the circumferential end (covering portion 40b) of the outer piece 11A covers both circumferential end portions 50b of the inner piece 12A.

[0112] Next, the configuration of a cover member 10D according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9(a), 9(b) and 11(a).

[0113] In the cover member 10D, of the covering portion 40b of the exterior piece 11A, fan-shaped pressing protrusions 42a are formed facing each other on the inner surface of each of the two covering portions 42b of the bent portion 42. In the illustrated example, the pressing protrusions 42a are formed over almost the entire covering portion 42b of the fan-shaped bent portion 42.

[0114] That is, in this example, the thickness of the cover portion 42b at the bent portion 42 is formed to protrude inward thicker than the thickness of other portions (the cover portion 40b of the main body cover portion 40 and the cover portion 40b of the extension cover portion 41). In other words, by providing the two pressing protrusions 42a, the dimension between the inner surfaces of both cover portions 42b is smaller than the dimension between the inner surfaces of a portion where the pressing protrusions 42a are not provided.

[0115] According to this cover member 10D, a pressing protrusion 42a is formed in the bent portion 42, narrowing the space between the opposing cover portions 42b, so that, as shown in Figure 11(a), the gap 26 (see Figure 5(c)) between the exterior piece 11A and the interior piece 12A at the bent portion 42 is narrowed.

[0116] Therefore, the outer piece 11A can press against the outer surface of the inner piece 12A, thereby allowing the inner piece 12A to firmly embrace the member 1 to be covered, and as a result, shifting of the member 1 to be covered within the cover member 10D can be suppressed.

[0117] In other words, in a cover member that does not have a pressing protrusion 42a, depending on how it is assembled to the member to be covered 1, the elastic action of the cover member may cause the bending portions 42, 52 to loosen, but since this cover member 10D has a pressing protrusion 42a on the outer casing piece 11A, it can firmly hold the member to be covered 1.

[0118] The pressing protrusion 42a does not have to be provided on the entire surface of the cover portion 42b of the bent portion 42, but may be provided on a part of the cover portion 42b. The pressing protrusion 42a may also be provided so as to straddle the main body cover portion 40 and the extension cover portion 41.

[0119] Furthermore, it is desirable that the pressing protrusion 42a is provided at the bent portion 42, but it may be provided at the main body cover portion 40 or the extending cover portion 41 without being provided at the bent portion 42. It is sufficient that the pressing protrusion 42a is provided at least at the portion where the exterior piece 11A and the interior piece 12A overlap, so that the interior piece 12A is pressed and thereby the coated object 1 can be held without being shifted.

[0120] Next, the configuration of a cover member 10E according to a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10(a) to 10(c) and FIG. 11(b).

[0121] This cover member 10E has a pressed protrusion 50a provided on the inner surface of the interior piece 12A. This pressed protrusion 50a is pressed by the outer surface of the member to be covered 1, causing the outer surface of the interior piece 12A to bulge. In other words, the pressed protrusion 50a has the effect of increasing the outer diameter of the interior piece 12A when the cover member 10E is assembled to the member to be covered 1. In the illustrated example, the pressed protrusions 50a are provided on the inner surface near both circumferential ends 50b of the interior piece 12A.

[0122] A plurality of the pressed protrusions 50a are provided along the longitudinal direction on each end 50b side of the interior piece 12A, and are provided so as to generally face each other between both end portions 50b. In the illustrated example, four pressed protrusions 50a are provided on the inner surface of the main body interior portion 50 and the extended interior portion 51.

[0123] According to this cover member 10E, the pressed protrusion 50a is provided near the circumferential end 50b of the interior piece 12A where the covering portion 40b of the exterior piece 11A overlaps, so that, as shown in Fig. 11(b), the interior piece 12A bulges due to the action of the pressed protrusion 50a and the exterior piece 11A covering it can firmly embrace the member to be covered 1, thereby preventing displacement of the member to be covered 1. Therefore, the cover member 10E has the same effect as the cover member 10D shown in Fig. 9.

[0124] Furthermore, the pressurized protrusion 50a is not provided on the bent portion 52, but is provided on the main body interior portion 50 and the extended interior portion 51, so when the interior piece 12A embraces the member to be coated 1, the bent portion 52 is pulled to both sides, thereby suppressing slack.

[0125] It is desirable that the pressed protrusion 50a be provided on the inner surface of the portion of the interior piece 12A where the exterior piece 11A overlaps, as shown in the example, but it may also be provided in another portion as long as the diameter of the end portion 50b where the exterior piece 11A overlaps is larger.

[0126] There is no limitation on the number of the pressed protrusions 50 a, and a pair (two) may be provided facing each other between the end portions 50 b, or one may be provided on one of the end portions 50 b. The pressed protrusions 50 a may also be provided on the inner surface of the bent portion 52.

[0127] The cover member 10E may further include the pressing protrusion 42a (see FIG. 9) that the cover member 10D has.

[0128] The cover members 10D and 10E according to the fifth and sixth embodiments described above are merely examples, and other shapes are also acceptable. It goes without saying that the overall shape and the shapes of each part of the cover members 10D and 10E can be changed as appropriate as a design matter.

[0129] Furthermore, the cover members 10D and 10E according to the fifth and sixth embodiments have a bent shape as shown in FIG. 8, but the pressing protrusion 42a and the pressed protrusion 50a provided on these cover members 10D and 10E may also be applied to a cover member 10c shown in FIG. 7, for example, which does not have the bent portions 42 and 52.

[0130] For example, when a slightly bent (within a margin of error) component 1 is covered with the linear cover member 10C shown in Fig. 7, the exterior piece 11 and the interior piece 12 may be elastically bent and deformed according to the shape of the component 1. In such a case, there is a risk that the exterior piece 11 and the interior piece 12 may not overlap sufficiently, but if the pressing protrusion 42a and the pressed protrusion 50a are provided, they can be expected to function effectively.

[0131] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Covering target component (pipe) 2 Connector 5 Other interior components 10, 10B, 10C Cover member 11 Divided cover material (exterior piece) 11a Main body 11b Covering portion 11c Recess 11ca Concave bottom surface 11d Slip prevention portion 11e Side portion 11f Large diameter portion 12 Divided cover material (interior piece) 14 Divided cover material (outer half piece) 14a End surface 15 Divided cover material (inner half piece) 15a End surface 16 Bent portion 18 Band portion 18A First band portion 18B Second band portion 18a Band main body 18b Protrusion 18c Fixing hole 18d Grip portion 20 Connecting portion 21, 22 Connecting pieces 21a, 22a Base pieces 21b, 22b Pivoting pieces 21c, 22c Folded portion 23 Band threading space 25 Overlapping portion 26 Gap 10D, 10E Cover member 11A Divided cover material (exterior piece) 40 Main body cover portion 41 Extended cover portion 42 Bent portion 40a Main body 40b Cover portion 42b Cover portion of (bent portion) 40c Recess 42a Pressing protrusion 410 Connecting portion 48 Connecting piece 420 Band portion 43 First band piece 45 Second band piece 12A Divided cover material (interior piece) 50 Main body interior portion 51 Extended interior portion 52 Bent portion 50a Pressed protrusion 50b End portion

Claims

1. A cover member made of an elastic material that covers the outer surface of an object to be covered, characterized in that it integrally comprises a plurality of divided cover materials that cover the object to be covered, connecting portions that connect the divided cover materials together, and a band portion that is wrapped around and fixed to the divided cover materials that cover the object to be covered.

2. A cover member according to claim 1, wherein one longitudinal end of the band portion is connected to one of the divided cover materials.

3. A cover member according to claim 1, wherein the member to be covered is a tubular material, and the plurality of divided cover materials each cover the entire outer periphery of the member to be covered so as to divide it in the circumferential direction, and the divided cover materials are arranged on the outer periphery of the member to be covered so that adjacent divided cover materials overlap each other.

4. A cover member according to claim 1, wherein the member to be covered is a tubular material, and the plurality of divided cover materials each cover the entire outer periphery of the member to be covered so as to divide it in the circumferential direction, and the end faces of adjacent divided cover materials are arranged abutting against each other.

5. A cover member according to claim 1, characterized in that the divided cover material comprises an interior piece and an exterior piece, the interior piece and the exterior piece covering the entire circumferential direction of the member to be covered in two parts, and the exterior piece covering the circumferential end of the interior piece, and the inner surface of the exterior piece is provided with a pressing protrusion that presses against the outer surface of the interior piece covering the member to be covered.

6. A cover member according to claim 1, wherein the divided cover material comprises an interior piece and an exterior piece, the interior piece and the exterior piece covering the entire circumferential circumference of the member to be covered in two parts, and the exterior piece covering the circumferential end of the interior piece, the interior surface of the interior piece being provided with a pressable protrusion that is pressed against the outer surface of the member to be covered, and the outer surface of the interior piece bulging out when the interior surface of the interior piece is pressed.

7. A cover member according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the divided cover material has a curved shape corresponding to the shape of the object to be covered.

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