JPH0949598A - Hose protector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a hose and also remove an ice accretion effectively, on a hose protector suitable for the protection of a vehicular brake hose. SOLUTION: Grooves 24 are installed in a periphery direction and an axial direction on the outer periphery surface of a hose protector 20. A hollow part 22 is installed between the inner periphery surface and the outer periphery surface of a hose. Therefore, when the hose protector 20 is interfered with a surrounding object, the hose protector 20 is deformed largely in a diameter direction, moreover a deformation motion is generated in the recessed part of the uneven part on the outer periphery surface. Consequently, a big outer force to the drop direction is exerted to the ice accretion to the surface and an ice accretion is removed effectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hose protector, and more particularly to a hose protector suitable for protecting vehicle brake hoses and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicular brake hose is used by connecting one end thereof to a brake part of a wheel. Therefore, the brake hose needs to be routed inside the tire house. In this case, since the space inside the tire house is small, there is a possibility that the brake hose may interfere with surrounding parts inside the tire house due to vibration or the like when the vehicle is running.

For this reason, conventionally, the brake hose has been protected by a protector made of sponge or rubber. As a hose protector for the purpose of protecting the hose, for example, the hose protector disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-66295 is conventionally known. The hose protector disclosed in the above-mentioned microfilm has a concavo-convex shape on the outer peripheral surface in the axial direction, and is composed of a cylindrical elastic member whose inner peripheral surface is fitted to the brake hose. When the hose protector with such a configuration is attached to the brake hose,
It is possible to prevent direct interference between the mounting portion and surrounding parts.

[0004]

By the way, when a vehicle travels in a cold region, icing may occur on an exposed portion such as a brake hose. If icing occurs on the brake hose, there are disadvantages such as deterioration of steering performance due to interference between the icing and wheels, etc. Therefore, it is desirable to remove the icing quickly. When the conventional hose protector is mounted on the vehicle brake hose, the hose protector is deformed in the radial direction when the hose protector and surrounding parts interfere with each other. Since the outer peripheral surface of the hose protector is provided with an uneven shape, when the hose protector is radially deformed, the cross section of the recess is deformed. When the cross section of the recess is deformed, the icing adhered to the inside of the recess is detached from the surface of the recess, and the icing is dropped from the surface of the hose protector. The larger the deformation of the hose protector, the greater the effect of ice accretion removal. However,
Since the conventional hose protector is in close contact with the brake hose over the entire inner peripheral surface thereof, it has high radial rigidity and it is difficult to obtain sufficient deformation in the radial direction. In this sense, the conventional hose protector described above is not necessarily an ideal structure as a mechanism for removing the ice accretion on the brake hose.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to effectively remove icing by protecting the brake hose and sufficiently deforming it when it interferes with the surroundings. The purpose is to provide a simple hose protector.

[0006]

In the hose protector mounted on the outer circumference of a hose, at least a part of the outer peripheral surface is uneven, and at least a part of the inner surface of the part having the unevenness is provided. This is accomplished by a hose protector whose surface is spaced a predetermined distance from the outer surface of the hose.

In the present invention, irregularities are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hose protector. The uneven shape is deformed when the hose protector is radially deformed. When the uneven shape is deformed, the ice accretion adhered to the outer periphery thereof is likely to drop off. At least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the unevenness is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the hose by a predetermined distance. In the region where the hose protector and the hose are separated from each other, the radial rigidity of the hose protector is reduced. Therefore, in such a portion, when the hose protector and the surroundings interfere with each other, a large deformation occurs in the radial direction of the hose protector. When the hose protector is greatly deformed in the radial direction, the concave section of the concavo-convex forming part is greatly deformed, and an external force acts on the icing adhered to the surface of the hose protector in the falling direction.

[0008]

1 shows the structure of a brake hose 12 to which a hose protector 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. The brake hose 12 is a flexible hose made of rubber or synthetic resin reinforced with fibers, wires, etc., and sockets 11 are attached to both ends. The hose protector 10 is attached to an intermediate portion of the brake hose 12.

FIG. 2 is a structural view of the hose protector 20. It should be noted that FIG. 2 shows the hose protector 20 in a partially cut state in order to clarify the internal structure of the hose protector 20. The hose protector 20 is a generally cylindrical rubber member having a substantially constant wall thickness, the outer diameter and the inner diameter of which are larger at the central portion in the axial direction and smaller at both end portions. The inner diameter of both ends of the hose protector 20 is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the brake hose 12. Hose protector 20
The both ends are fixed to the brake hose 12 by being fitted into the brake hose 12.

As described above, the hose protector 20 is provided such that the inner diameter thereof increases toward the central portion in the axial direction. For this reason, a hollow portion 22 is formed at an intermediate portion of the hose protector 20 between the outer peripheral surface of the brake hose 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the hose protector 20. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the hose protector 20, grooves 24 are formed in the axial direction and the circumferential direction.
They are formed at substantially equal intervals. Therefore, an uneven shape is formed on the surface of the hose protector 20 at the portion where the groove 24 is formed and the portion where the groove 24 is not formed. When the hose protector 20 described above is mounted on the brake hose 12, direct interference between the brake hose 12 and the peripheral portion is prevented at the mounting portion of the hose protector 20 of the brake hose 12.

FIG. 3 shows a hose protector 20 of this embodiment.
An example is shown in which the brake hose 12 provided with is arranged in the tire house of the right front wheel portion. In FIG. 3, the brake mechanism 3
2 is attached to a support member 36 fixed to the center of the wheel 34. The support member 36 is connected to the rack bar via a tie rod (not shown), and can move in the left-right steering direction according to the steering operation. An upper end of the shock absorber 38 is fixed to the vehicle body 40, and a lower end thereof is connected to the support member 36 via a joint 42. One end of the brake hose 12 is attached to the brake mechanism 32 via the socket 11. The other end of the brake hose 12 is connected to a brake pipe 46 penetrating the vehicle body 40 and introduced into the tire house. Also,
The brake hose 12 is fixed to the vehicle body 40 by a mounting member 48 provided at a connection portion between the brake hose 12 and the brake pipe 46. Further, the brake hose 12 has its intermediate portion fixed to the shock absorber 38 by an intermediate holder 50. Brake hose 1
2 is a mounting portion for the shock absorber 38 and a vehicle body 40
It is routed in a U shape between it and the attachment site. The hose protector 20 is a portion of the brake hose 12 that is routed in a U-shape (hereinafter referred to as a U-shape) 1
It is attached to the lowermost part of 2a.

According to this structure, the traveling vibration caused by the unevenness of the road surface when the vehicle is traveling is absorbed by the vertical movement of the wheel 34. At this time, the shock absorber 38 expands and contracts to absorb the vibration, and the intermediate holding tool 50 moves up and down along with the movement. When the steering wheel is steered, the wheel 34 rotates about the vertical axis, and the shock absorber 38 also rotates about the axis along with the rotation. At this time, the intermediate holding tool 50 rotates about the axis of the shock absorber 38.

As described above, while the vehicle is traveling, the intermediate holding tool 50 undergoes vertical movement relative to the vehicle body 40 and rotational movement about the axis. In this case, both ends of the U-shaped portion 12a of the brake hose 12 are relatively moved, and the U-shaped portion 12a is deformed / moved. Especially,
When the shock absorber 38 is rotated by the steering operation and the intermediate holding tool 50 for mounting the brake hose 12 on the shock absorber 38 is close to the vehicle body 40, when the wheel 34 moves up and down, the brake hose 12 moves in the U direction.
The lower end of the character portion 12a and a part of the vehicle body 40 in the tire house may interfere with each other.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the hose protector 20 is attached to the lower end of the U-shaped portion 12a. Therefore, the lower end of the U-shaped portion 12a and the vehicle body 40
The brake hose 12 is appropriately protected from the interference with the. By the way, when a vehicle travels in a cold region at a time of snow melting, etc., it travels on a road surface wet by snow melting, so that water splashes by the tires, causing water droplets to adhere to the exposed portion in the tire house. In particular, U of the brake hose 12
Since the water droplets attached to the U-shaped portion 12a are collected at the lowermost portion of the character portion 12a, a large amount of water droplets are easily attached. When the vehicle travels with the water droplets attached to the brake hose 12, the water droplets attached are frozen due to the cooling effect of the traveling wind or the like to form ice. At this time, a large amount of water droplets concentrate on the lowermost portion of the U-shaped portion 12a, so that large icing is likely to be formed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Since the hose protector 20 is attached to the lowermost part of 2a, icing is likely to occur around the hose protector 20.
Such icing on the brake hose 12 may be limited as soon as possible because the maximum steering angle of the wheels may be limited due to the interference between the icing and the wheels.

On the other hand, in the hose protector 20 of this embodiment, the hollow portion 22 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the hose protector 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the brake hose 12 to ensure a sufficient protection function. At the same time, the rigidity of the hose protector 20 in the circumferential direction is suppressed to be low. Therefore, when the hose protector 20 interferes with the vehicle body 40, the hose protector 20 can be largely deformed inward in the radial direction. The hose protector 20 is the vehicle body 4
When returning from the interference state with 0 to the non-interference state, the hose protector 20 is deformed radially outward and returns to the initial shape. When the hose protector 20 is deformed radially outward,
The cross section of the groove 22 formed on the surface of the hose protector 20 is transformed from the state shown by the dotted line in FIG. 5 to the state shown by the solid line. In this case, the side walls 22a and 22b of the groove 22 move outward and the bottom surface 22c moves upward.
Due to the deformation of the groove 22, the ice accretion adhered to the surface of the hose protector 20 is subjected to an external force in the detaching direction.
As described above, the hose protector 20 can be largely deformed in the radial direction. Therefore, the deformation amount of the groove 22 is large, and a large external force acts on the ice accretion in the detaching direction. Therefore, the hose protector 20 can provide a high ice accretion and desorption effect.

When the hose protector 20 and the vehicle body 40 interfere with each other, the hose protector 20 can be largely deformed in the radial direction, so that the shock caused by the interference can be flexibly absorbed. For this reason, the hose protector 20 has an excellent effect in reducing the abnormal noise generated at the time of interference and suppressing the wear of the surface thereof, as compared with the hose protector arranged in close contact with the hose.

Further, as described above, the hose protector 20 is used.
Has a structure in which a hollow portion is provided inside a flexible rubber member, and therefore has low rigidity against bending deformation. Therefore, even if the hose protector 20 is attached, the maneuverability of the brake hose 12 does not deteriorate.

Further, as described above, the hose protector 20 is used.
Since the inner peripheral surface of is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the brake hose 12, the hose protector 20 can be deformed without deforming the brake hose 12. In addition,
The hose protector 20 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the hollow portion 22 is filled with air, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the hollow portion 22 is filled with sponge, a working fluid or the like instead of air. May be filled with the buffer material.

Further, the hose protector 20 described above has a structure in which the groove 24 is formed on the outer peripheral surface, but the present invention is not limited to this, and by forming a ridge in place of the groove 24, The outer peripheral surface of the hose protector 20 may have a concavo-convex shape opposite to that of the hose protector 20.

Further, the hose protector 20 described above is used.
Is configured to be fitted to the brake hose 12 at both ends thereof, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is sufficient if the inner peripheral surface of the uneven portion is separated from the hose. For example, as in the hose protector 50 shown in FIG. 6, the annular space 52 is formed on the inner peripheral side of the uneven portion. Forming a hose protector 5
The entire inner peripheral surface of 0 may be fitted to the brake hose 12. According to this configuration, the annular space 52 is
The same function as that of the hollow portion 22 described above is performed. For this reason,
The hose protector 50 can also provide the same icing / separation effect as the hose protector 20.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of the hose protector 60 of this embodiment. In FIG. 7, the hose protector 60 is shown.
In order to clarify the internal structure of the hose protector 60, a part of the hose protector 60 is shown.

The hose protector 60 is a rubber member whose outer peripheral surface is formed in a bellows shape and has a substantially constant wall thickness. The inner diameters of both ends of the hose protector 60 are slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the brake hose 12.
The hose protector 60 is fixed to the brake hose 12 by fitting both ends thereof into the brake hose 12. At the intermediate portion of the hose protector 60, the outer peripheral surface is formed in a bellows shape, so that a hollow portion 62 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the brake hose 12 and the inner peripheral surface of the hose protector 60. Further, the hose protector 60 is provided such that its minimum diameter portion is larger than the outer diameter of the brake hose 12. Therefore, the hose protector 60 can be easily deformed without causing the inner peripheral surface of the bellows portion 64 to interfere with the outer peripheral surface of the brake hose 12.

According to this structure, the brake hose 12
In the mounting portion of the hose protector 60, it is possible to prevent direct interference between the brake hose 12 and surrounding parts. Further, since the hollow portion 62 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the hose protector 60 and the outer peripheral surface of the brake hose 12 as described above, the hose protector 60 can be easily deformed in the radial direction. Further, according to the hose protector 60 of this embodiment, when the hose protector 60 and the vehicle body 40 interfere with each other, or when the brake hose 12 vibrates while the vehicle is traveling, the hose protector 6 is provided.
Opening and closing movements, that is, axial movements occur in the bellows portion 64 formed on the surface of 0. When the bellows portion 64 is deformed, an external force in the drop direction acts on the icing adhered to the surface of the hose protector 60, and a drop force also acts on the water droplets attached to the surface of the hose protector 60. . Therefore, according to the hose protector 60, it is possible to obtain a high icing detachment effect and an effect of preventing icing from sticking and growing.

Note that the hose protector 60 can flexibly absorb the impact when it interferes with peripheral parts, and
It is similar to the hose protector 20 described above in that it can be flexibly deformed regardless of the rigidity of the hose. Therefore, also by the hose protector 60, it is possible to surely realize suppression of abnormal noise at the time of interference, reduction of wear of the surface thereof, prevention of deterioration of workability regarding handling of the brake hose 12, and the like.

In the above embodiment, the brake hose 12 corresponds to the hose described above, the groove 24 corresponds to the concave portion of the concave-convex forming portion, and the bellows portion 64 corresponds to the concave-convex forming portion.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the hose protector is mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the hose, the hose can be protected from interference with the outside. Further, when the hose protector interferes with the outside, the hose protector can be largely deformed, so that a large external force in the falling direction can be applied to the icing on the surface of the hose protector. Therefore, according to the hose protector of the present invention, it is possible to effectively remove the icing adhered to the surface of the hose while surely protecting the hose.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a brake hose to which a hose protector according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a hose protector of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which a brake hose to which the hose protector of the present embodiment is attached is arranged in the tire house of the right front wheel portion.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing icing on the hose protector of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the deformation of the groove when the hose protector of the present embodiment interferes.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration in the case where a hose protector is fitted over a brake hose over the entire inner peripheral surface in the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hose protector according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of Codes] 12 Brake hose 20, 50, 60 Hose protector 22, 62 Hollow part 52 Annular space 24 Groove 64 Bellows part

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Keiichi Kodama No. 1 Nagahata, Ochiai, Kasuga-cho, Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A hose protector mounted on the outer periphery of a hose, wherein at least a part of the outer peripheral surface has irregularities, and at least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the irregularity has a predetermined distance from the outer peripheral surface of the hose. Hose protector characterized by being