Compact conduit for clean room applications, and casing and clamping fixtures for said conduit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12040570-B2
Application number	US-202017310035-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2020
Priority date	Jan 14, 2019
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A line protective guide for lines, for a clean room application, comprising an elongate flexible encasement which is displaceable reciprocatingly with the formation of a direction-changing arc between a movable run having one end connected to a movable connection and a stationary run having one end connected to a stationary connection, and wherein the flexible encasement is closable at the ends by a respective clamping device against the escape from the flexible encasement of particles generated due to wear of lines, wherein the encasement includes at least one encasing unit which forms at least one tubular receiving means for guiding at least one line, wherein each receiving means extends channel-like in a longitudinal direction from a first end to a second end;
wherein the encasement has a plurality of said tubular receiving means which extend parallel to each other to separately guide at least one line;
wherein the at least one encasing unit at least one receiving means has at least one functional region which extends in the longitudinal direction and which includes two closure profiles of a closure, wherein one of the closure profiles co-operates with the other closure profile for dust-tightly closing an opened state in which a line can be introduced or removed transversely relative to the longitudinal direction; and
wherein the encasement includes a one-piece encasing unit with subdivision means which forms a plurality of parallel receiving means and has at least two closure profiles in one piece with the encasing unit.

2. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein the encasement includes an encasing unit made of soft-elastic plastic, which is made in one piece.

3. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein the encasement includes an encasing unit comprising flexurally elastic plastic, to which the at least one functional region is connected.

4. The line protective guide according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one functional region is integrally connected to the encasing unit.

5. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein the encasement includes a multiplicity of separate encasing units and each encasing unit has two fixing strips which are in opposite relationship on both sides and which are in one piece with the encasing units, adjacent encasing units being connected together in parallel relationship by the fixing strips.

6. The line protective guide according to claim 5 , wherein each encasing unit has two closure profiles in one piece with the encasing unit.

7. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein the encasement includes a plurality of separate encasing units, and each encasing unit forms precisely one tubular receiving means for separately guiding at least one line respectively.

8. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein provided for each receiving means is a pair of co-operating closure profiles in one piece with the encasing unit.

9. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein each encasing unit is of a cross-section which remains the same in the longitudinal direction.

10. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein the functional region has two closure profiles of plastic which are in interengaging conjugate relationship and which co-operate as a closure for closing at least one receiving means.

11. The line protective guide according to claim 10 , wherein the interengaging closure profiles include a hook profile and a claw profile which co-operate using a barb shape thereof and/or each closure profile includes two profile elements.

12. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein there are provided two laterally oppositely disposed functional regions which each have a respective fixing profile, wherein the fixing profiles are of mutually matching relationship for a releasable connection by positively locking and/or force-locking relationship.

13. The line protective guide according to one claim 12 , wherein the two laterally oppositely disposed functional regions each have a closure profile between receiving means and fixing profile.

14. The line protective guide according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving means are connected together in parallel relationship by strip-shaped intermediate regions which predetermine the neutral fibre and/or at each closure comprising co-operating closure profiles the interface is disposed at the level of the neutral fibre.

15. An encasing unit of plastic for an elongate flexible encasement of a line protective guide, wherein the encasing unit forms at least one receiving means for guiding at least one line, which extends channel-like in a longitudinal direction from a first end to a second end;
wherein the encasing unit at one longitudinal side includes two co-operating closure profiles which extend in the longitudinal direction for dust-tightly closing an opened state in which a line can be introduced into or removed from the at least one receiving means transversely to the longitudinal direction and at least at the other longitudinal side includes a fixing profile extending in the longitudinal direction for a releasable connection to a further encasing unit.

16. An encasing unit according to claim 15 , wherein the closure profiles and/or fixing profiles are of a cross-section which is the same throughout in the longitudinal direction and respectively co-operate in interengaging relationship.

17. The encasing unit according to claim 16 , wherein the closure profiles and fixing profiles have co-operating profile elements of identical cross-section.

18. The encasing unit according to 15 , wherein it forms a plurality of tubular receiving means for separate guidance of respectively at least one line.

19. The encasing unit according to claim 18 , wherein the encasing unit at one longitudinal side has a first fixing profile and at the other longitudinal side a second fixing profile and the fixing profiles are of a mutually matching configuration for a releasable connection by positively locking and/or force-locking connection relative to each other in order to fix a plurality of structurally identical encasing units releasably to each other.

20. The encasing unit according to claim 19 , wherein it forms precisely one tubular receiving means for separate guidance of at least one respective line and/or the receiving means has two co-operating closure profiles extending in the longitudinal direction and/or is produced closed in the peripheral direction around the receiving means.

21. A line protective guide for lines, for a clean room application, comprising an elongate flexible encasement which is displaceable reciprocatingly with the formation of a direction-changing arc between a movable run having one end connected to a movable connection and a stationary run having one end connected to a stationary connection, and wherein the flexible encasement is closable at the ends by a respective clamping device against the escape from the flexible encasement of particles generated due to wear of lines, wherein the encasement includes at least one encasing unit which forms at least one tubular receiving means for guiding at least one line, wherein each receiving means extends channel-like in a longitudinal direction from a first end to a second end;
wherein the encasement has a plurality of said tubular receiving means which extend parallel to each other to separately guide at least one line;
wherein the at least one encasing unit at lea

Assignees

• Igus Gmbh

Inventors

• Hermey Andreas
• Barten Dominik

Classifications

• H02G11/006 Primary

  using extensible carrier for the cable, e.g. self-coiling spring (extensible conductors or cables H01B7/06) · CPC title

• H02G3/0462

  Tubings, i.e. having a closed section · CPC title

• F16L3/26

  specially adapted for supporting the pipes all along their length, e.g. pipe channels or ducts · CPC title

• F16L3/015

  using articulated- or supple-guiding elements · CPC title

• F16G13/16

  with arrangements for holding electric cables, hoses, or the like · CPC title