Cable control device for pipeline cleaner

A cable control device for a pipeline cleaner includes a barrel, a control member and a toggle. The pipeline cleaner includes a support tube and a cable accommodated in a cable drum. The barrel mounted at the front end of the support tube is provided with an adapter thereon. The barrel accommodates first and second rollers in a lower portion thereof. The control member rotationally accommodated in the adapter extends into the barrel and is provided with a third roller. The first, second and third rollers clamp the cable together. The toggle penetrating the adapter is coupled with the control member. In an operation to clean a jammed pipeline, the toggle is shifted along a circumference direction of the adapter for changes of spatial positions of the third roller relative to the first and second rollers and fast movement of the cable forward or backward controllably.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cable control device for a pipeline cleaner and, more particularly, to a device with which a cable is driven to move forward or backward controllably.

2. Description of the Related Art

A cleaning device for cleaning conduits as disclosed in the European Patent EP 2277634 B1 includes three rollers that are arranged on a circumference of a spring shaft. The spring shaft is driven to move forward or backward controllably by an adjusting knob which regulates spatial positions of one roller relative to other two rollers. However, the cleaning device is complicated in structure, and the adjusting knob is operated inconveniently. When the adjusting knob is operated by a user for cleaning a conduit, the user has to rotate the adjusting knob by one hand but suspends the cleaning operation first or keeps the cleaning operation by the other hand only.

A cleaning device for cleaning pipelines as disclosed in the European Patent EP 3059022 includes a handle with which spatial positions of one roller relative to the other two rollers can be adjusted such that the spring shaft is driven to move forward or backward controllably. However, the operation of the handle is not ergonomic and likely to cause misoperation by an operator.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, an objective of the present invention is to provide a cable control device for a pipeline cleaner to improve the aforementioned problems. The cable control device of the present invention is simplified structurally, user-friendly, and assembled conveniently.

To achieve this and other objectives, a cable control device for a pipeline cleaner of a first embodiment of the present invention includes a barrel, a control member and a toggle. The pipeline cleaner includes a cable drum, a support tube joining at a front end of the cable drum, and a cable partially received in the cable drum. The barrel is mounted at a front end of the support tube and includes an upper body and a lower body. The upper body includes an outside surface provided with an adapter thereon. The adapter has a perforation interiorly and is provided with spaced first and second slots in the adapter and in communication with the perforation. The lower body is combined with the upper body and accommodates first and second rollers interiorly. The control member is rotationally accommodated in the perforation of the adapter and includes a bottom extending into the upper body. A third roller is mounted on the bottom of the control member. The toggle penetrates the adapter via either the first slot or the second slot optionally and is coupled with the control member for actuation of the control member and the toggle together. The cable extends through a region encircled with the first, second, third rollers and can be clamped or released by the first, second and third rollers. A width of each of the first and second slots along a circumference of the adapter is greater than a diameter of the toggle. The toggle can be shifted in the first slot or the second slot along a circumference direction of the adapter for changes of spatial positions of the third roller relative to the first and second rollers and for movement of the cable forward or backward controllably.

In a preferred form, a top lid is provided on an upper end of the adapter, and at least one washer is installed in the adapter between the control member and the top lid to elastically press the control member.

Furthermore, a cable control device for a pipeline cleaner of a second embodiment of the present invention includes a barrel, a control member and a toggle. The barrel is mounted in the front end of the support tube and includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion accommodates first and second rollers interiorly, and the upper portion is provided with a adapter thereon. The adapter has a perforation interiorly and is provided with spaced first and second slots in the adapter and in communication with the perforation. The control member is rotationally accommodated in the perforation of the adapter and includes a bottom extending into the upper portion. A third roller is mounted on the bottom of the control member. The toggle penetrates the adapter via either the first slot or the second slot optionally and is coupled with the control member for actuation of the control member and the toggle together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A pipeline cleaner100including a cable control device10of a first embodiment of the present invention is shown inFIGS. 1 through 4of the drawings. The pipeline cleaner100further includes a cable drum12, a support tube14joining at a front end of the cable drum12, and a cable50partially received in the cable drum12. The cable drum12is provided with a crank arm16on a rear side thereof. A handle18is provided on a lower side of the support tube14and adapted to be held by an operator. The cable50extends through the support tube14and outwardly beyond a front end141of the support tube14.

The cable control device10is mounted at the front end141of the support tube14and includes a barrel19, a control member40and a toggle41. In this embodiment, the barrel19consists of an upper body20and a lower body30. In another embodiment, the barrel19is molded integrally, as shown inFIG. 7. The upper body20, which is a shell body with a semi-circular profile, includes an outside surface201provided with a raised adapter21thereon. The adapter21has a perforation26interiorly and threads24exteriorly to which a top lid25is screwed. The adapter21is provided with one or two slots therein. In this embodiment, first and second slots22and23, both of which are spaced and opposite to each other along the circumference of the adapter21and interconnect with the perforation26, are opened in the adapter21. The lower body30, which is a shell body with a semi-circular profile, has a plurality of connecting holes33to be penetrated by connectors (for example, screws not shown in figures), so that the barrel19is constituted after combination of the lower body30and the upper body20. The lower body30is provided with a first roller31and a second roller32interiorly.

The control member40, which is a cylindrical body in this embodiment, is rotationally accommodated in the perforation26of the adapter21. A washer42and a dish-shaped washer421, both of which are installed in the adapter21between the top of the control member40and the top lid25, are abutted and compressed by the top lid25that is being rotated such that a force applied on the control member40by the washers42,421is adjusted. Each of the washer42and the dish-shaped washer421can be replaced with another elastic component. A third roller43is mounted on a bottom of the control member40which extends into the upper body20, and at least one mounting hole44is formed in the control member40and aligned with one of the first and second slots22and23.

The toggle41, which penetrates the adapter21via either the first slot22or the second slot23optionally, is engaged in the mounting hole44of the control member40, so that both the control member40and the toggle41can be actuated together. A width of each of the first and second slots22and23along the circumference of the adapter21is greater than the diameter of the toggle41. Accordingly, the toggle41driven to move around the adapter21circumferentially by an operator is shifted between two ends of the first slot22or the second slot23(as shown inFIG. 2, the toggle41is shifted to the right-hand side end of the first slot22). The toggle41can be inserted into each of the first and second slots22and23in the adapter21by a user conveniently according to his/her operation habit of using the right or left hand. However, the case that a single slot opened in the adapter21and inserted by the toggle41is acceptable.

After the cable control device10of the present invention is installed at the front end141of the support tube14, the layout of the first and second rollers31,32and the third roller43mounted inside the barrel19is presented as a triangle approximately and the cable50extends through the three rollers31,32,43(FIG. 5). With the control member40abutted by the top lid25under control of an operator, the cable50is clamped by the three rollers31,32,43and moved forward or backward controllably.

A user operating the pipeline cleaner100grips the handle18by one hand, rotating the crank arm16by the other hand and driving the cable50clamped by the three rollers31,32,43to move forward or backward into a drain to be cleaned. When the toggle41is shifted to the right-hand side end of the first slot22(the forward arrow27inFIG. 2), the third roller43is driven to arrive at the position inFIG. 5by the rotated control member40such that the cable50can be moved forward controllably. On the other hand, when the toggle41is shifted to the left-hand side end of the first slot22(the backward arrow28inFIG. 2), the third roller43is driven to arrive at the position inFIG. 6by the rotated control member40such that the cable50can be moved backward controllably.

The mechanism of changing spatial positions of one roller relative to the other two rollers for controllable movement of the spring shaft forward or backward is a prior art. However, the cable control device10of the present invention is simplified in structure and user-friendly in contrast to the prior art. Specifically, the cable50is driven to move forward or backward controllably by a user who can use his/hand gripping the handle18to flip the toggle41. Accordingly, a user flipping the toggle41needs not to stop rotating the crank arm16temporarily or to operate the pipeline cleaner100by the other hand only. In particular, when a pipeline is clogged seriously or the cable50jammed in a pipeline needs to be moved back and forth for a period of time, the cable50can be moved back and forth alternatively by user's fingers flipping the toggle41easily.

FIGS. 7 and 8illustrate a cable control device10of a second embodiment of the present invention in which the components identical to those of the first embodiment are marked with the same numbers. In the second embodiment, the barrel19is molded integrally, both the first roller31and the second roller32are mounted in a lower portion of the barrel19(corresponding to the lower body30inFIG. 1), and both the control member40and the third roller43are installed in an upper portion of the barrel19(corresponding to the upper body20inFIG. 1). The adapter21extruding upward from the top of the barrel19has a perforation26interiorly, and a top lid25is provided on an upper end of the adapter21. A spring45is mounted in the adapter21and located between the top of the control member40and the top lid25, so that a force applied on the control member40by the spring45can be adjusted through the operation of the top lid25. The first and second slots22and23are provided in the adapter21and opposite to each other in the circumference direction of the adapter21. In the second embodiment, the front end141of the support tube14has an expanded outer diameter for accommodation of the barrel19and is provided with a notch142at an upper portion thereof on which a cover body143is covered. Recesses144formed in both side edges of the notch142are securely engaged with flanges145at two sides of the cover body143, respectively. The cover body143includes an exterior barrel146formed at a top end surface thereof in which the adapter21is accommodated, and the exterior barrel146has two slotted holes147corresponding to the first and second slots22and23of the adapter21. One of the first and second slots22and23is penetrated by the toggle41via a corresponding slotted hole147optionally, and the toggle41penetrating the exterior barrel146as well as the adapter21is fastened in the mounting hole44of the control member40. After the barrel19is accommodated in the front end141of the support tube14during assembling, the barrel19is fixed by a screw148penetrating the bottom of the front end141and is covered by a baffle149fastened at a front end surface of the front end141. Moreover, the top lid25is rotationally screwed onto the top of the exterior barrel146. Accordingly, with the cable50clamped by the first and second rollers31and32and the third roller43, the toggle41is easily shifted and flipped along the circumference of the adapter21by an operator for changes of spatial positions of the third roller43relative to the first and second rollers31and32and for controllable forward or backward movements of the cable50.

The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.