Spiral-Wound Hose Assembly to Prevent Supply Line Kinking

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hose devices for cleaning and inspecting pipelines often suffer from damage to electrical supply lines due to mechanical stress at bends and kinks, particularly at the nozzle or sensor device end, where the supply line tends to buckle and kink, leading to potential breakage.

Innovation Solution

The hose device features a supply line with a shorter twist length in the end section compared to the middle region, reducing mechanical stress and incorporating a protective hose and outer hose for reinforcement, along with spacers and connectors to minimize friction and stress on the supply line.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the supply line is wound spirally around the inner hose with a constant lay length, then the manufacturing is simple, but the supply line suffers mechanical stress and damage at bends and kinks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidsupply line integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The supply line is wound with different lay lengths in different sections: a first (shorter) lay length in the end section and a second (longer) lay length in the central region. This local differentiation reduces mechanical stress and kinking at the vulnerable end section while maintaining manufacturing feasibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The hose device is divided into distinct sections with different structural characteristics: an end section with shorter lay length and a central region with longer lay length. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for its specific functional requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the supply line is exposed in the end section by removing the outer hose, then access is improved for connection, but the supply line becomes vulnerable to mechanical damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccessibility for connectionVSAvoidmechanical damage risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A protective hose section is provided that encloses the supply line in the end section before the supply line is exposed for connection. This protective covering is removed or opened at the connection point to provide access, but the supply line remains protected in the surrounding areas, cushioning it against mechanical damage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentEP4030087B1Hose device and method for producing a hose device
Publication Date: 2023.05.03 ENVIROBOT GMBH & CO KG
  • EP4030087B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4030087B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4030087B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

A hose device 100 for attaching a device for cleaning and/or inspecting pipelines comprises an inner hose 1 for conveying an operating fluid, a supply line 2 which has several electrical conductors 20, wherein the supply line is wound spirally around an outer circumference of the inner hose in an end section 11 of the inner hose with a first lay length s1 and at least in a central region 13 of the inner hose with a second lay length s2, wherein the first lay length is shorter than the second lay length, an outer hose 3 which encloses the inner hose and the supply line at least in the central region, and a protective hose section 4 which encloses the inner hose and the supply line in the end section.