Cleanroom Cable Conduit With Dust-Tight Lateral Line Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing line guide devices for clean room applications suffer from particle release due to abrasive wear and are cumbersome to maintain, requiring complete replacement of lines or chains, which is costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A line protective guide with a flexible encasement featuring reversible receiving means and improved clamping devices that allow for partial replacement of lines or chains without dismantling the entire system, using functional regions for easy insertion and removal of lines laterally and improved clamping mechanisms to reduce particle discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional link chains with rotary joints are used for line guidance, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but particles are released due to abrasive wear during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical link chains with rotary joints with a flexible encasement system that allows linear movement without rotation. The encasement contains multiple lines that can move flexibly without the abrasive contact of traditional mechanical joints, eliminating particle generation from wear while maintaining simplicity through a continuous flexible structure rather than discrete mechanical components.
2Ease of repair
If lines are dust-tightly encased in a continuous encasement, then particle release is minimized, but replacement of individual lines requires complete dismantling and replacement of the entire encasement assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the continuous encasement into multiple discrete receiving means, each capable of independently receiving and guiding individual lines. Each receiving means can be opened separately using closure profiles, allowing individual lines to be replaced without affecting other lines or requiring complete dismantling of the encasement system. This segmentation maintains dust-tight sealing while enabling selective maintenance.
3Productivity
If a continuous dust-tight encasement is used to prevent particle release, then clean room environment is maintained, but maintenance operations are cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates dynamic closure profiles that can be opened and closed on each receiving means independently. This allows the encasement to transition from a closed dust-tight state during operation to an open state for maintenance, and back to closed state after maintenance. The dynamic capability enables quick access to individual lines without compromising the overall dust-tight integrity of the encasement system.
4Ease of repair
If individual lines need to be replaced with prefabricated lines equipped with plugs or couplings, then maintenance cost and time are reduced, but the encasement structure must allow lateral insertion and removal of lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs receiving means with closure profiles that can be opened laterally to receive prefabricated lines equipped with plugs or couplings before the maintenance operation begins. The receiving means are prepared in advance with opening mechanisms that allow easy insertion of pre-prepared replacement lines, eliminating the need for complex field assembly operations and enabling quick replacement with factory-prepared lines.
Data Source
AI summary
A conduit for lines, such as cables or hoses, particularly in a clean room application. The conduit has an elongate, flexible casing which can be moved to and fro, particularly while forming a deflecting bend between two runs, and at least one receptacle for guiding at least one line, with each receptacle extending in the form of a channel in a longitudinal direction from a first end to a second end. One feature of the invention consists in the fact that the casing has, to the side on at least one receptacle, at least one functional zone extending in a longitudinal direction, which functional zone forms a seal with two interacting sealing profiles to ensure a dust-tight closure of an open state, in which open state a line can be inserted into or removed from the receptacle transversely to the longitudinal direction. A further feature consists in the fact that the individual casing has a fastening profile extending on another longitudinal side in the longitudinal direction for a detachable connection to a corresponding fastening profile of a further casing. The invention further relates to a special clamping device for connecting the end of the casing, which clamping device comprises a deformable pressure piece which protrudes at the end beyond a clamping piece and forms a corner protection.