DRAIN AUGER

Description

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This application is a continuation of International Application Number PCT/CN2024/087516, filed on Apr. 12, 2024, through which this application also claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (a) of Chinese Patent Application No. CN 202310487245.0, filed on Apr. 28, 2023, and Chinese Patent Application No. CN 202310939911.X, filed on Jul. 27, 2023, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

A drain auger is a power tool for pipe cleaning, which mainly unclogs and cleans a pipe by continuously outputting a cable into the pipe. The drain auger is provided with a drive system that drives the cable to be released in an unwinding manner and a feeding system that limits an output direction of the cable such that the cable can be output along a certain straight line. An existing feeding system generally includes multiple rotary bodies arranged in a ring shape and a trigger. The cable is threaded between the multiple rotary bodies, and the trigger is depressed so that the rotary bodies can abut against the cable to apply pressure to the cable, and the output direction of the cable can be corrected. The trigger is lifted so that the rotary bodies no longer abut against the cable.

However, the drain auger is applicable to many usage scenarios and is used at different angles in different usage scenarios. The manner in which a user depresses or lifts the trigger to change an abutting state of the feeding system against the cable causes inconvenience of operation and relatively poor user experience.

This part provides background information related to the present application, and the background information is not necessarily the existing art.

SUMMARY

The present application adopts the technical solutions below. A drain auger includes a first handle for a user to hold; a drum connected to the first handle; a cable at least partially stored in the drum; and a drive assembly for driving the drum to rotate. The drain auger further includes a feeding assembly configured to feed or recover the cable and having an outlet for outputting the cable, where an output end of the cable extends outwards through the outlet along a first direction. The feeding assembly includes rotary bodies arranged around the cable and a rotary mechanism rotatable around the first direction, and the rotary mechanism is configured to, during rotation around the first direction, drive the rotary bodies to move towards the cable or move away from the cable.

In some examples, a motion trajectory of the centroid of each of the rotary bodies is arc-shaped.

In some examples, the feeding assembly further includes an operating sleeve, and the user rotates the operating sleeve so that the rotary bodies move towards the cable or move away from the cable.

In some examples, the feeding assembly further includes a guide member and clamp assemblies, the clamp assemblies include the rotary bodies, and the clamp assemblies are movable on the guide member to clamp or loosen the cable.

In some examples, the rotary mechanism includes a feeding collar, the guide member is provided with guide slots, the feeding collar is provided with sliding slots, and the clamp assemblies are slidably connected within the guide slots and are movable along the sliding slots.

In some examples, the feeding assembly further includes an operating sleeve, the user rotates the operating sleeve to achieve clamping or loosening of the clamp assemblies, the guide member, the clamp assemblies, and the feeding collar are located in the operating sleeve, and the operating sleeve is rotated to drive the feeding collar to rotate.

In some examples, the rotary mechanism includes an operating sleeve, involute bosses are circumferentially provided on an inner wall surface of the operating sleeve, and the involute bosses are arranged around the cable; and the feeding assembly further includes multiple feeding blocks movably disposed in the operating sleeve along a radial direction of the operating sleeve, the feeding blocks slidably abut against involute arc-shaped surfaces of the involute bosses, and the user operates the operating sleeve to drive the feeding assembly to clamp or loosen the cable.

In some examples, the feeding assembly further includes limiting discs disposed in the operating sleeve, each of the limiting discs is provided with multiple limiting holes, each of the limiting holes extends along a radial direction of the limiting discs, each of the feeding blocks is provided with guide posts, and the guide posts are inserted into limiting holes in one-to-one correspondence and movable within the limiting holes.

In some examples, an abutting body is provided on a side of each feeding block of the feeding blocks facing the operating sleeve, the abutting body slidably abuts against one of the involute arc-shaped surfaces of the involute bosses, and the abutting body is a roller rotatably connected to the feeding block; or the abutting body is a protruding block, and an end portion of the protruding block facing away from the feeding block has an arc-shaped abutting surface.

In some examples, the drain auger further includes a shield covered on the outer side of the drum and formed with a rear opening, and the first handle is located on the rear side of the rear opening.

In some examples, the drain auger further includes a shield covered on the outer side of the drum and formed with a mounting sleeve at the front end, and an output end of the drum extends into the mounting sleeve.

In some examples, the rotary mechanism includes an operating sleeve rotatably sleeved outside the mounting sleeve, and the operating sleeve is movable relative to the mounting sleeve along the first direction after being rotated to a set angle.

In some examples, the drain auger further includes a locking assembly capable of locking a position of the cable so that the cable does not move along the first direction.

The locking assembly includes a moving member movable along the first direction and locking spring pieces, and the moving member moving along the first direction is capable of pressing the locking spring pieces into deformation so that locking ends of the locking spring pieces clamp the cable.

In some examples, the drain auger further includes a locking assembly capable of locking a position of the cable so that the cable does not move along the first direction.

The locking assembly includes a moving member movable along the first direction, a mount, and multiple clamp arms, an end of each of the clamp arms is rotatably connected to the mount, the cable penetrates through the mount, and the moving member moving along the first direction is capable of driving the multiple clamp arms to rotate synchronously towards the cable to clamp the cable.

In some examples, the feeding assembly includes feeding clamp assemblies and recovering clamp assemblies, the feeding clamp assemblies include multiple first rotary bodies, the recovering clamp assemblies include multiple second rotary bodies, the multiple first rotary bodies are distributed along a circumferential direction of the cable, the multiple second rotary bodies are distributed along the circumferential direction of the cable, the first rotary bodies and the second rotary bodies drive the cable to move in opposite directions.

The present application further provides a drain auger. The drain auger includes a first handle for a user to hold; a drum connected to the first handle and storing a cable; and a drive assembly for driving the drum to rotate. The drain auger further includes a feeding assembly configured to feed or recover the cable and having an outlet for outputting the cable, where an output end of the cable extends outwards through the outlet along a first direction. The feeding assembly includes rotary bodies arranged around the cable and a rotary mechanism rotatable around the first direction, and the rotary mechanism is configured to, during rotation around the first direction, drive the rotary bodies to move towards the cable or move away from the cable.

In some examples, a motion trajectory of the centroid of each of the rotary bodies is arc-shaped.

In some examples, the feeding assembly further includes an operating sleeve, and the user rotates the operating sleeve so that the rotary bodies move towards the cable or move away from the cable.

In some examples, the feeding assembly further includes a guide member and clamp assemblies, the clamp assemblies include the rotary bodies, and the clamp assemblies are movable on the guide member to clamp or loosen the cable.

In some examples, the rotary mechanism includes an operating sleeve, involute bosses are circumferentially provided on an inner wall surface of the operating sleeve, and the involute bosses are arranged around the cable; and the feeding assembly further includes multiple feeding blocks movably disposed in the operating sleeve along a radial direction of the operating sleeve, the feeding blocks slidably abut against involute arc-shaped surfaces of the involute bosses, and the user operates the operating sleeve to drive the feeding assembly to clamp or loosen the cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a drain auger according to example one of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a first exploded view of a drain auger according to example one of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a second exploded view of a drain auger according to example one of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a drain auger according to example one of the present application from another angle.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a drain auger according to example one of the present application.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example one of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a state change of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example one of the present application.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a state change of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example one of the present application from another angle.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a drain auger according to example two of the present application, with a half of an operating sleeve removed.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 11 is a partial view of the internal structure of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a half of an operating sleeve of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a feeding assembly and an operating sleeve of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a locking assembly of a drain auger according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of a locking assembly of a drain auger when a cable is unlocked according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of a locking assembly of a drain auger when a cable is locked according to example two of the present application.

FIG. 20 is a first exploded view of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 21 is a second exploded view of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example three of the present application, with limiting discs removed.

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 24 is an exploded view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example three of the present application, with limiting discs removed.

FIG. 26 is a first state view of a locking collar and a locking assembly of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 27 is a second state view of a locking collar and a locking assembly of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 28 is an exploded view of a locking assembly of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 29 is an exploded view of a locking collar of a drain auger according to example three of the present application.

FIG. 30 is an exploded view of a drum, a shield of a drain auger according to example four of the present application.

FIG. 31 is an exploded view of a rear shield and rolling shafts of a drain auger according to example four of the present application.

FIG. 32 is a schematic view of a drain auger according to example five of the present application.

FIG. 33 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a drain auger according to example five of the present application.

FIG. 34 is an exploded view of a drain auger according to example five of the present application.

FIG. 35 is a schematic view of a drain auger according to example six of the present application.

FIG. 36 is a schematic view of a mounting bracket of a drain auger according to example six of the present application.

FIG. 37 is a schematic view of a clip and a limiting boss of a drain auger according to example six of the present application.

FIG. 38 is an exploded view of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application.

FIG. 39 is an exploded view of some structures of a feeding assembly of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application.

FIG. 40 is an exploded view of feeding blocks, limiting discs, and part of a mounting sleeve of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application.

FIG. 41 is a schematic view of rotary bodies and connection springs of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application.

FIG. 42 is a schematic view of multiple rotary bodies of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application.

FIG. 43 is a schematic view of multiple rotary bodies of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application in another direction.

FIG. 44 is an interior schematic of an operating sleeve of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application.

FIG. 45 is a front view of the structure shown in FIG. 44.

FIG. 46 is a schematic view of feeding blocks and limiting discs of a drain auger according to example seven of the present application.

FIG. 47 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 46.

FIG. 48 is an exploded view of part of the structure shown in FIG. 46.

FIG. 49 is a structural view of a drain auger according to example eight of the present application.

FIG. 50 is an exploded view of part of the structure of a drain auger according to example eight of the present application.

FIG. 51 is an exploded view of the structure shown in FIG. 50.

FIG. 52 is a front view of a drain auger according to example eight of the present application.

FIG. 53 is a front view of part of the structure of a drain auger according to example eight of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any examples of this application are explained in detail, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to its application to the structural details and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the above drawings.

In this application, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “having” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover an inclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those series of elements, but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent in the process, method, article, or device. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase “comprising a . . . ” does not preclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising that element.

In this application, the term “and/or” is a kind of association relationship describing the relationship between associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships. For example, A and/or B can indicate that A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character “/” in this application generally indicates that the contextual associated objects belong to an “and/or” relationship.

In this application, the terms “connection”, “combination”, “coupling” and “installation” may be direct connection, combination, coupling or installation, and may also be indirect connection, combination, coupling or installation. Among them, for example, direct connection means that two members or assemblies are connected together without intermediaries, and indirect connection means that two members or assemblies are respectively connected with at least one intermediate members and the two members or assemblies are connected by the at least one intermediate members. In addition, “connection” and “coupling” are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and may include electrical connections or couplings.

In this application, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that a relative term (such as “about”, “approximately”, and “substantially”) used in conjunction with quantity or condition includes a stated value and has a meaning dictated by the context. For example, the relative term includes at least a degree of error associated with the measurement of a particular value, a tolerance caused by manufacturing, assembly, and use associated with the particular value, and the like. Such relative term should also be considered as disclosing the range defined by the absolute values of the two endpoints. The relative term may refer to plus or minus of a certain percentage (such as 1%, 5%, 10%, or more) of an indicated value. A value that did not use the relative term should also be disclosed as a particular value with a tolerance. In addition, “substantially” when expressing a relative angular position relationship (for example, substantially parallel, substantially perpendicular), may refer to adding or subtracting a certain degree (such as 1 degree, 5 degrees, 10 degrees or more) to the indicated angle.

In this application, those skilled in the art will understand that a function performed by an assembly may be performed by one assembly, multiple assemblies, one member, or multiple members. Likewise, a function performed by a member may be performed by one member, an assembly, or a combination of members.

In this application, the terms “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “front”, and “rear” and other directional words are described based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and should not be understood as limitations to the examples of this application. In addition, in this context, it also needs to be understood that when it is mentioned that an element is connected “above” or “under” another element, it can not only be directly connected “above” or “under” the other element, but can also be indirectly connected “above” or “under” the other element through an intermediate element. It should also be understood that orientation words such as upper side, lower side, left side, right side, front side, and rear side do not only represent perfect orientations, but can also be understood as lateral orientations. For example, lower side may include directly below, bottom left, bottom right, front bottom, and rear bottom.

The present application provides a drain auger. The drain auger is a handheld device capable of releasing and recovering a cable 300, where the cable 300 is a main component for cleaning and unclogging a pipe. The drain auger gradually releases the cable 300 so that the cable 300 moves within the pipe, and the moving cable 300 can drive the movement of blockages in the pipe, thereby cleaning and unclogging the pipe. In some examples, the diameter of the cable 300 adapted to the drain auger is 6 mm to 14 mm. For example, the diameter of the cable 300 may be ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, or ⅜ inch.

The drain auger has a feeding function, a recovery function, and a locking function. The feeding function enables the cable 300 to be fed, and with the feeding function, the cable 300 can be output outwards along a first direction X. The recovery function enables the cable 300 to be recovered, and with the recovery function, the cable 300 can be recovered inwards along the first direction X. The locking function enables the cable 300 to be locked so that the cable 300 cannot move along the first direction X and thus cannot fall out of a body structure of the drain auger.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 37, the drain auger includes a first handle 100, a drum 200, the cable 300, a drive assembly 400, and a feeding assembly 500. The first handle 100 is used for a user to hold. The drum 200 is connected to the first handle 100, the drum 200 is a main mounting component of the drain auger, and the cable 300 is at least partially stored in the drum 200. The drive assembly 400 is configured to drive the drum 200 to rotate to provide power for feeding and recovering the cable 300. The feeding assembly 500 is configured to feed or recover the cable 300 and has an outlet 511 for outputting the cable 300, where an output end of the cable 300 extends outwards through the outlet 511 along the first direction X. The feeding assembly 500 includes multiple rotary bodies 501 arranged around the cable 300 and a rotary mechanism 5010 (see FIG. 7) rotatable around the first direction X, and the rotary mechanism 5010 is configured to, during rotation around the first direction X, drive the multiple rotary bodies 501 to move synchronously towards the cable 300 or move synchronously away from the cable 300.

Due to the diversity of positions at which the pipe is disposed, the drain auger needs to be used at different angles, for example, from top to bottom, from bottom to top, or obliquely. Compared with a depressing manner for driving the rotary bodies of the drain auger in the existing art, the rotational manner for driving the rotary bodies is more in conformity with operation habits of the user. During actual use, the user can easily change positions of the rotary bodies by holding the first handle 100 with one hand and rotating the rotary mechanism 5010 with the other hand. Therefore, the drain auger according to examples of the present application has high versatility, is easy to operate, is applicable to different cleaning scenarios, and is convenient for the user to operate at multiple angles to clean and unclog the pipe.

Specific structures of various components of the drain auger are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings.

The first handle 100 is a component for the user to hold the drain auger. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the first handle 100 is disposed at the rear end of the whole drain auger along the first direction X. To facilitate holding and protect a hand of the user, the first handle 100 is formed as a closed ring structure. Specifically, the first handle 100 includes a grip, an upper connection portion, a lower connection portion, and an assembly portion, where along the first direction X, the grip is disposed behind the assembly portion, and both the upper connection portion and the lower connection portion are connected between the grip and the assembly portion. The grip is provided with an anti-slip pattern structure to increase friction, and a mounting cavity for mounting the drive assembly 400 is formed in the assembly portion. A trigger 101 is provided on the inner side of the grip. The trigger 101 is pressed so that the whole drain auger is powered on and starts to work.

In some examples, to enable the user to hold the drain auger with both hands, as shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, the drain auger further includes a second handle 1100 disposed on a shield 700. With continued reference to FIG. 5, the shield 700 is disposed on the front side of the first handle 100 along the first direction X. A specific structure of the shield 700 is described in detail below. The second handle 1100 protrudes above the shield 700. When the user operates the drain auger, the user holds the first handle 100 with one hand and the second handle 1100 with the other hand, greatly improving the stability of holding.

A cavity for accommodating the cable 300 is formed in the drum 200, and a majority of the cable 300 is wound within the cavity. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 5, a frustum-shaped support frustum 230 is formed in the drum 200, a majority of the cable 300 is wound around the support frustum 230, and the central axis of the support frustum 230 is parallel to the first direction X. The front end of the first handle 100 is connected to the drum 200, and the drum 200 is rotatable relative to the front end of the first handle 100 about an axis parallel to the first direction X. During rotation of the drum 200, the cable 300 wound around the support frustum 230 is gradually released or gradually recovered. A through hole allowing the passage of the cable 300 is formed at the front end of the drum 200.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 5, a gap L1 exists between the rear end of the drum 200 and the first handle 100, and L1 is greater than or equal to 1 mm. In some examples, the diameter of the cable 300 adapted to the drain auger is 6 mm to 14 mm. For example, the diameter of the cable 300 may be ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, or ⅜ inch.

The drive assembly 400 includes an electric motor and a transmission assembly, the drum 200 is connected to the electric motor through the transmission assembly, and the electric motor drives the drum 200 through the transmission assembly, thereby providing power for the rotation of the drum 200. It is to be noted that a specific structure of the transmission assembly belongs to the existing art, a type of the transmission assembly may be directly selected according to the existing art, and the structure of the transmission assembly is not limited here.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the drain auger further includes the shield 700, the shield 700 is covered outside the drum 200, the shield 700 does not interfere with the drum 200 during working so that an outer wall surface of the rotating drum 200 is not in contact with an external structure or a hand of the user, and the shield 700 can improve the safety of use of the drain auger. It is to be noted that the shield 700 may or may not be connected to the first handle 100.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 4, a base 740 is formed at the bottom end of the shield 700. When the user holds the drain auger at an angle shown in FIG. 5, the base 740 can be supported on a support surface provided by an external device or be directly placed on the ground, thereby reducing the gravity of the drain auger to which the user is subjected.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 2, a mounting sleeve 710 is formed at the front end of the shield 700, the mounting sleeve 710 is cylindrical, an output end of the drum 200 extends into the mounting sleeve 710, and a direction of the central axis of the mounting sleeve 710 is parallel to the first direction X. In some specific examples, the feeding assembly 500 may be mounted in the mounting sleeve 710.

In some examples, the shield 700 is formed with a rear opening, and the first handle 100 is located on the rear side of the rear opening so that the assembly of the shield 700 and the drum 200 is relatively simple, and the heat dissipation of the drum 200 is facilitated.

In some examples, a supporting and positioning structure is provided on an inner wall surface of the shield 700, and the supporting and positioning structure slidably abuts against the outer wall surface of the drum 200. In some specific examples, as shown in FIG. 5, the supporting and positioning structure includes steel balls 760. In some other specific examples, the supporting and positioning structure is a bearing. Further, multiple steel balls 760 are provided on the inner wall surface of the shield 700, and the multiple steel balls 760 are uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the shield 700, thereby improving the support stability of the shield 700.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 3, detaching holes 770 are provided on a front end surface of the shield 700, and the detaching holes 770 are directly opposite to connectors on the drum 200. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 34, the drum 200 includes a drum body 210 and a guide cover 220, the drum body 210 and the guide cover 220 are fixed by the connectors, and the connectors may be screws. The detaching holes 770 on the shield 700 are directly opposite to the connectors, and the connectors may be directly detached from the drum body 210 and the guide cover 220 through the detaching holes 770 so that the cable 300 can be replaced without detaching the shield 700. Further, multiple connectors are provided, multiple detaching holes 770 are provided correspondingly, and the multiple detaching holes 770 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple connectors.

In some examples, the cable 300 is not disposed inside the drum 200 but is wound outside the drum 200, where a space for accommodating the cable 300 is formed between the inner wall surface of the shield 700 and the outer wall surface of the drum 200. To reduce damages caused by the cable 300 to the shield 700 in a release or recovery process, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, multiple rolling shafts 800 are provided in the shield 700, the rolling shafts 800 extend along a direction parallel to the first direction X, the multiple rolling shafts 800 are disposed along the circumferential direction of the shield 700, and each rolling shaft 800 is rotatably connected to the shield 700 through a bearing, so that rolling friction is formed between the cable 300 and the rolling shafts 800. When the drum 200 rotates, the cable 300 is wound onto the outer wall surface of the drum 200 under the action of a recovery force. In this process, the rolling shafts 800 instead of the shield 700 withstand the abrasion so that the shield 700 is not easily worn.

In some specific examples, an interval between the rolling shafts 800 and the drum 200 is equal to the diameter of the cable 300 so that the cable 300 can be wound in only one layer between the inner wall surface of the shield 700 and the outer wall surface of the drum 200.

In some specific examples, the shield 700 includes a cylindrical rear shield 750 and a conical front shield 720. Correspondingly, the drum 200 includes the cylindrical drum body 210 and the conical guide cover 220. The guide cover 220 is sleeved inside the front shield 720. A small-sized end of the guide cover 220 is formed with an inlet/outlet allowing the cable 300 to enter and exit. The guide cover 220 can rotate along with the drum body 210 and can isolate the friction between the cable 300 and the front shield 720. Further, a pressing ring 730 is provided between the rear shield 750 and the front shield 720.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 34, the front end of the guide cover 220 of the drum 200 is open to form a drum opening 221, and an opening size of the drum opening 221 is much greater than the diameter of the cable 300 so that not only can the cable 300 be smoothly replaced through the drum opening 221, but also the drum 200 can be cleaned through the drum opening 221 without detaching the rear shield 750 and with only the front shield 720 removed.

The feeding assembly 500 is a main component of the drain auger for implementing the feeding and recovery functions. A feed speed of the feeding assembly 500 in the present application is 0-0.2 m/s. The feeding assembly 500 enables the cable 300 to be fed or recovered without holding a handle so that the handle does not hit a hand in the working process, thereby improving the safety of use of the drain auger.

FIGS. 1 to 8 show an example of the feeding assembly 500.

Specifically, the feeding assembly 500 includes a guide member 502 and clamp assemblies 520, the clamp assemblies 520 include the rotary bodies 501 described above, the guide member 502 can guide the movement of the clamp assemblies 520, and the clamp assemblies 520 may move on the guide member 502 to clamp or loosen the cable 300. The rotary mechanism 5010 includes a feeding collar 503, the guide member 502 is provided with guide slots 5023, the feeding collar 503 is provided with sliding slots 5031, and the clamp assemblies 520 are slidably connected within the guide slots 5023 and are movable along the sliding slots 5031.

It is to be noted that the sliding slots 5031 may be involute slots, linear slots, or irregular curved slots as long as a starting point and an ending point of each sliding slot 5031 have different distances from the center of rotation of the feeding collar 503. Since the clamp assemblies 520 can move along the sliding slots 5031, the distances between the clamp assemblies 520 and the center of rotation of the feeding collar 503 change during movement. Due to the limiting of the guide slots 5023, the rotation of the feeding collar 503 enables the clamp assemblies 520 to move within the guide slots 5023, and the clamp assemblies 520 can clamp or loosen the cable 300 depending on different rotation directions of the feeding collar 503.

In some examples, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide member 502 includes a mounting portion 5021 and guide rail portions 5022, a first mounting hole 5032 is provided at the center of the feeding collar 503, and the mounting portion 5021 penetrates through the first mounting hole 5032 and can rotate within the first mounting hole 5032 so that the guide member 502 is rotatably connected to the feeding collar 503. A guide rail portion 5022 is provided with a guide slot 5023, and an extension direction of the guide slot 5023 is parallel to a radial direction of the feeding collar 503.

In some examples, with continued reference to FIG. 6, each clamp assembly 520 further includes a support frame 504, the support frame 504 is movably disposed within the guide slot 5023, and two ends of the support frame 504 protrude on two sides of the guide slot 5023, where a second pulley 5041 is provided at one end of the support frame 504, the second pulley 5041 is movable within the sliding slot 5031, and a rotary body 501 is mounted at the other end of the support frame 504.

In some examples, multiple clamp assemblies 520, multiple guide slots 5023, and multiple sliding slots 5031 are provided, for example, three clamp assemblies 520, three guide slots 5023, and three sliding slots 5031 are provided, and the clamp assemblies 520, the guide slots 5023, and the sliding slots 5031 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, so that the strength and stability with which the clamp assemblies 520 clamp the cable 300 can be improved. Specifically, the guide member 502 includes the mounting portion 5021 and multiple guide rail portions 5022 arranged around the mounting portion 5021, the feeding collar 503 is rotatably sleeved on the mounting portion 5021, each guide rail portion 5022 has one guide slot 5023 parallel to the radial direction of the feeding collar 503, the feeding collar 503 is provided with the sliding slots 5031 in one-to-one correspondence with the guide slots 5023, the multiple sliding slots 5031 are arranged along a circumferential direction of the first mounting hole 5032, multiple support frames 504 are slidably connected within the multiple guide slots 5023 in one-to-one correspondence, the second pulley 5041 at one end of each support frame 504 is movable within the corresponding sliding slot 5031, and one rotary body 501 is mounted at the other end of each support frame 504.

The user may directly rotate the feeding collar 503 to clamp or loosen the cable 300, or the user may drive an external structural member fixed relative to the feeding collar 503. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 5, the feeding assembly 500 further includes an operating sleeve 510, and the user operates the operating sleeve 510 to achieve clamping or loosening of the clamp assemblies 520. Specifically, the guide member 502, the clamp assemblies 520, and the feeding collar 503 are located in the operating sleeve 510, and the operating sleeve 510 is rotated to drive the feeding collar 503 to rotate.

In some examples, a locking force of the operating sleeve 510 can withstand the weight (about 7 kg) of the tool itself so that the operating sleeve 510 is not easily unlocked.

In some examples, the operating sleeve 510 is rotatably sleeved on the outer side of the output end of the drum 200 and sleeved outside the mounting sleeve 710, and the outlet 511 is formed at the front end of the operating sleeve 510.

In some specific examples, to relatively fix the feeding collar 503 and the operating sleeve 510, an outer wall surface of the feeding collar 503 abuts against an inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510 in a limiting manner so that the rotation of the operating sleeve 510 can drive the feeding collar 503 to rotate synchronously. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the feeding collar 503 is substantially disc-shaped, first limiting planes 5033 are provided on the arc-shaped outer wall surface of the feeding collar 503, and multiple first limiting planes 5033 may be provided as required. The first limiting planes 5033 form flat positions. Correspondingly, second limiting planes are provided on the arc-shaped inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510, and the second limiting planes are in surface contact with the first limiting planes 5033 to achieve mutual limiting. Of course, the feeding collar 503 and the operating sleeve 510 may be relatively fixed by other methods, such as screw connections or engagement.

FIGS. 9 to 25 show another two examples of the feeding assembly 500 of the drain auger.

Specifically, the feeding assembly 500 includes the rotary bodies 501 and feeding blocks 505, the feeding blocks 505 are used for mounting the rotary bodies 501, and the feeding blocks 505 are movably disposed in the operating sleeve 510 along a radial direction of the operating sleeve 510. Correspondingly, involute bosses 512 are circumferentially provided on the inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510, and the involute bosses 512 are arranged around the cable 300. The feeding blocks 505 slidably abut against involute arc-shaped surfaces of the involute bosses 512, and the user operates the operating sleeve 510 to drive the feeding assembly 500 to clamp or loosen the cable.

When the user rotates the operating sleeve 510, the involute bosses 512 move accordingly so that positions of the involute bosses 512 abutting against the feeding blocks 505 change. Since different positions of an involute arc-shaped surface of an involute boss 512 have different distances from the central axis of the cable 300, changes in abutting points can drive the feeding block 505 to move along the radial direction of the operating sleeve 510 so that the rotary bodies 501 move towards or away from the cable 300 to clamp or loosen the cable 300.

In some examples, the rotary body 501 is mounted on a side of a feeding block 505 facing away from the operating sleeve 510, an abutting body is mounted on a side of the feeding block 505 facing the operating sleeve 510, and the abutting body slidably abuts against the involute arc-shaped surface of the involute boss 512.

In some specific examples, as shown in FIG. 15, the abutting body is a roller 5051 rotatably connected to the feeding block 505.

In some other examples, as shown in FIG. 22, the abutting body is a protruding block 5054, and an end portion of the protruding block 5054 facing away from the feeding block 505 has an arc-shaped abutting surface.

In some examples, the feeding block 505 has a closed frame structure, the feeding block 505 includes two opposite sector plates and two opposite rectangular plates, a mounting cavity whose opening size gradually increases from inside to outside is formed in the feeding block 505, and part of the structure of the rotary body 501 is disposed in the mounting cavity. Of course, in other examples, a shape of the feeding block 505 may be adjusted as required as long as multiple feeding blocks 505 do not interfere with each other when they move synchronously towards the cable 300. It is to be noted that three rotary bodies 501 are mounted to three feeding blocks 505 with an angle of 120° between each other.

To limit the moving direction of the feeding block 505 so that the feeding block 505 can only move along the radial direction of the operating sleeve 510 in the operating sleeve 510, as shown in FIG. 24, the feeding assembly 500 further includes limiting discs 506 disposed in the operating sleeve 510, each limiting disc 506 is provided with multiple limiting holes 5061, each limiting hole 5061 extends along a radial direction of the limiting disc 506, each feeding block 505 is provided with guide posts 5055, and the guide posts 5055 are inserted into limiting holes 5061 in one-to-one correspondence and movable within the limiting holes 5061. In some examples, a disc surface of the limiting disc 506 is perpendicular to the first direction X.

In addition to the limiting discs 506, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, multiple guide slots 712 radially penetrate through the mounting sleeve 710, each feeding block 505 is provided with first pulleys 5052, the first pulleys 5052 are slidably connected within the guide slots 712, and the mounting sleeve 710 is provided with avoidance holes 711 each allowing the abutting body to penetrate through.

In some specific examples, three feeding blocks 505 are provided, the mounting sleeve 710 is provided with three avoidance holes 711, and the three avoidance holes 711 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the three feeding blocks 505. Each feeding block 505 is provided with two first pulleys 5052, and the two first pulleys 5052 are disposed at two ends of the feeding block 505 perpendicular to its moving direction. Correspondingly, the mounting sleeve 710 is provided with six guide slots 712, the six guide slots 712 are arranged in pairs, two guide slots 712 included in each pair of guide slots 712 are disposed on two sides of one avoidance hole 711 one to one, and six first pulleys 5052 are slidably connected within the six guide slots 712 in one-to-one correspondence.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the feeding assembly 500 further includes connection springs 5053, and one connection spring 5053 is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for clamping the cable 300, the connection springs 5053 are compressed and accumulate elastic potential energy. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for loosening the cable 300, the connection springs 5053 release the elastic potential energy so that the feeding blocks 505 can move more quickly.

In some examples, the feeding assembly 500 further includes multiple guide rods, at least one guide rod is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505, one end of the guide rod is fixed to one feeding block 505, the other end of the guide rod is inserted into the other adjacent feeding block 505, and the guide rod is parallel to a tangential direction of the cable 300. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously towards the cable 300, an interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly small, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move towards each other, thereby improving movement accuracy. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously away from the cable 300, the interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly large, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move away from each other, thereby improving the movement accuracy.

A locking assembly 600 is a main component of the drain auger for implementing the locking function. The locking assembly 600 is capable of locking a position of the cable 300 so that the cable 300 does not move along the first direction X. It is to be noted in advance that the operating sleeve 510 is movable relative to the mounting sleeve 710 along the first direction X after being rotated to a set angle, and the locking assembly 600 moving along the first direction X can lock the cable 300. To change a state between the operating sleeve 510 and the mounting sleeve 710, an arc-shaped first limiting block is provided on the inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510, a limiting groove circumferentially penetrates through the first limiting block, and a second limiting block is provided on an outer wall surface of the mounting sleeve 710. When the cable 300 does not need to be locked, the second limiting block is limited within the limiting groove. When the locking function needs to be implemented, the operating sleeve 510 is rotated so that the second limiting block is disengaged from the limiting groove to be released from an engaged state, and the operating sleeve 510 is moved along the first direction X to drive the locking assembly 600 to act.

FIGS. 1 to 5 show an example of the locking assembly 600.

Specifically, the locking assembly 600 includes a moving member movable along the first direction X and locking spring pieces 602, the operating sleeve 510 is fixed to the moving member, the operating sleeve 510 moving along the first direction X can drive the moving member to move synchronously along the first direction X, and the moving member moving along the first direction X can press the locking spring pieces 602 into deformation so that locking end of the locking spring pieces 602 clamp the cable 300.

In some examples, the moving member includes a locking collar 601 sleeved within the operating sleeve 510, and the locking collar 601 is fixedly connected to the operating sleeve 510 in a manner including, but not limited to, engagement or connections through connectors. In some specific examples, the locking collar 601 is located in the mounting sleeve 710, fixing plates 6012 radially protrude outwards on an outer wall surface of the locking collar 601, the mounting sleeve 710 is provided with avoidance through-holes 713 at corresponding positions, and the fixing plates 6012 penetrate through the avoidance through-holes 713 and are engaged with fixing grooves on the inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510 so that the locking collar 601 can move synchronously with the operating sleeve 510.

In some examples, each locking spring piece 602 is a bent sheet structure, one end of the locking spring piece 602 is a clamping end, and the other end of the locking spring piece 602 is an abutting end, where the abutting end of the locking spring piece 602 abuts against an inner wall surface of the locking collar 601, and the clamping end is provided with a clamping slot which is a semicircular slot. The locking collar 601 moving along the first direction X can press the locking spring pieces 602 into deformation so that the clamping slot clamps an outer wall surface of the cable 300, and the cable 300 is fixed in position and cannot enter or exit.

Further, to reduce the abrasion of the inner wall surface of the locking collar 601 by the locking spring pieces 602, extend a service life of the locking collar 601, and provide the locking collar 601 with relatively high rotational flexibility, the moving member further includes a locking bearing 603 sleeved within the locking collar 601 and disposed around the cable 300, the abutting end of the locking spring piece 602 abuts against an inner ring of the locking bearing 603, and the locking bearing 603 can move along with the locking collar 601 along the first direction X so that the locking spring pieces 602 deform and lock the cable 300.

In some more specific examples, as shown in FIG. 29, the locking collar 601 includes two opposite half collars 6011, the two half collars 6011 are spliced into the locking collar 601, each half collar 6011 is provided with an accommodation ring groove on a side of the half collar 6011 facing the other half collar 6011, and two accommodation ring grooves are spliced into a space for accommodating and limiting an outer ring of the locking bearing 603. Further, multiple fixing plates 6012, for example, two fixing plates 6012, protrude on the outer wall surface of each half collar 6011, and the multiple fixing plates 6012 are distributed at intervals in a circumferential direction of the half collar 6011.

In some examples, multiple locking spring pieces 602 are provided, the multiple locking spring pieces 602 are arranged in a circumferential direction of the cable 300, and the locking bearing 603 and the locking collar 601 moving along the first direction X can simultaneously drive the multiple locking spring pieces 602 to deform so that clamping ends of the multiple locking spring pieces 602 simultaneously lock the cable 300.

FIGS. 26 to 28 show another example of the locking assembly 600.

The locking assembly 600 includes the moving member, a mount 607, and multiple clamp arms 608, the moving member is movable along the first direction X, an end of a clamp arm 608 is rotatably connected to the mount 607, the cable 300 penetrates through the mount 607, and the moving member moving along the first direction X is capable of driving the multiple clamp arms 608 to rotate synchronously towards the cable 300 to clamp the cable 300. It is to be noted that the specific structure of the moving member has been described above, and the details are not repeated here.

In some examples, two clamp arms 608 are provided. Each clamp arm 608 includes a first arm 6081 and a second arm 6082 connected at an obtuse angle, the length of the first arm 6081 is smaller than the length of the second arm 6082, a spindle block 6083 is provided at an end of the first arm 6081 facing away from the second arm 6082, and a first spindle hole 60831 penetrates through the spindle block 6083. Correspondingly, the mount 607 is provided with a spindle seat, the spindle seat includes two spaced spindle plates 6071, each spindle plate 6071 is provided with two second spindle holes 60711, a gap for accommodating the spindle block 6083 is formed between the two spindle plates 6071, and one spindle 609 penetrates through every two second spindle holes 60711 and one first spindle hole 60831 so that the two clamp arms 608 are rotatably connected to the mount 607. In some specific examples, a ball bearing is provided within the first spindle hole 60831, and the spindle 609 penetrates through the ball bearing to improve the rotational flexibility of the clamp arm 608.

In some more specific examples, a locking plate 6084 protrudes on a wall surface on the outer side of a connection between the first arm 6081 and the second arm 6082, and the locking plate 6084 is provided with an arc-shaped clamping surface. When the clamp arms 608 move towards the cable 300, the arc-shaped clamping surface can clamp the outer wall surface of the cable 300, thereby improving the clamping stability of the cable 300.

In some examples, the mount 607 includes a mount body 6072 and two limiting plates 6073, the spindle seat protrudes on the mount body 6072, the two limiting plates 6073 protrude on the same side of the mount body 6072, the two limiting plates 6073 are spaced and opposite to each other, two clamp arms 608 are disposed between the two limiting plates 6073, and the limiting plates 6073 can restrict the two clamp arms 608 to moving only towards or away from each other.

FIGS. 17 to 19 show another example of the locking assembly 600.

The locking assembly 600 includes the moving member, a locking steel ring 604, locking pieces 605, and return springs 606. The specific structure of the moving member has been described above, and the details are not repeated here. The locking steel ring 604 is sleeved within the locking bearing 603, the locking steel ring 604 has a tapered inner wall surface, the locking pieces 605 movably penetrate through the mounting sleeve 710 along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction X, one end of a locking piece 605 abuts against the tapered inner wall surface, the locking steel ring 604 moving along the first direction X can drive the locking pieces 605 to move towards the cable 300 to clamp the cable 300, and a return spring 606 has a tendency to drive the locking piece 605 to move away from the cable 300.

In some examples, an end surface of a locking end of the locking piece 605 is an arc-shaped surface recessed inwards so that a contact area between the locking piece 605 and the cable 300 increases, thereby improving the locking stability of the cable 300.

In some examples, an abutting end of the locking piece 605 abutting against the tapered inner wall surface of the locking steel ring 604 has an arrow-like structure, thereby increasing the structural strength of the abutting end of the locking piece 605 and avoiding deformation of the locking piece 605 when abutting against the locking steel ring 604.

In some examples, the locking pieces 605 and the return springs 606 are provided in multiple groups, multiple locking pieces 605 are arranged around the mounting sleeve 710, and one return spring 606 is sleeved on each locking piece 605.

It is to be noted that the drain auger of the present application provides at least three locking assemblies 600 and at least three feeding assemblies 500, and the locking assemblies 600 and the feeding assemblies 500 may be freely combined and are not limited to combinations shown in the drawings.

The cable 300 is inevitably contaminated in a process of cleaning and unclogging the pipe. To synchronously clean the cable 300 in a process of recovering the cable 300 to prevent the cable 300 from bringing contaminants into the drain auger, as shown in FIGS. 35 and 36, the drain auger has a matching cleaning tool. In some examples, the cleaning tool includes a scouring pad sleeved on the cable 300 and located outside the drain auger.

Further, to avoid a need to manually apply a force to hold the scouring pad and maintain the scouring pad around the cable 300, as shown in FIGS. 35 and 36, the cleaning tool further includes a mounting bracket 900, the mounting bracket 900 is semi-cylindrical and formed with a semi-cylindrical accommodation groove 910, the accommodation groove 910 has a rectangular opening, and the scouring pad can be bent and embedded into the accommodation groove 910 through the rectangular opening. End plates at the front and rear ends of the mounting bracket 900 are formed with through holes allowing the cable 300 to penetrate through. To facilitate the mounting of the mounting bracket 900 to the cable 300, an end of a through hole penetrates through an end plate of the mounting bracket 900 to form a U-shaped through slot.

In some examples, to prevent the scouring pad from being disengaged from the mounting bracket 900, abutting plates are provided on an inner wall surface of a mounting groove. Since the scouring pad is easy to deform, the abutting plates do not affect the entry of the scouring pad into the mounting groove, and a contact area between the mounting bracket 900 and the scouring pad can be increased, so that the scouring pad can be stably fixed in the mounting bracket 900.

In some examples, baffle plates are provided at the opening of the mounting groove. The baffle plates are disposed horizontally so that an opening size of the mounting groove is appropriately reduced. The scouring pad is squeezed to enter the mounting groove. After the scouring pad enters the mounting groove, the scouring pad rebounds and is in contact with the baffle plates from inside to outside so that the scouring pad is difficult to disengage from the mounting groove through the opening of the mounting groove.

In some examples, the mounting bracket 900 is detachably connected through a bayonet 920 to an output end of the drain auger provided with the outlet 511, so that the user does not have to hold the cleaning tool at all times when cleaning the cable 300, thereby improving the convenience of use of the user.

The drain auger can be used for unclogging drain pipes and chimneys. In this usage scenario, an output direction of the cable 300 is generally from top to bottom. Since it is impossible to predict the length of the cable 300 inside the drain auger, the cable 300 is easy to entirely fall out of the drain auger. To prevent the cable 300 from falling out of the drain auger in a release process, as shown in FIG. 37, a clip 1000 is fixed at an end of the cable 300, and a limiting boss 1200 is disposed in the mounting sleeve 710. When the end of the cable 300 moves to the limiting boss 1200, the clip 1000 can abut against the limiting boss 1200 so that the cable 300 cannot continue being output outwards, thereby preventing the cable 300 from entirely falling out of the drain auger.

In some examples, the clip 1000 is a U-shaped member made of an elastic material. Two sidewalls of the clip 1000 are pried open so that the clip 1000 can be sleeved on the cable 300, and the sidewalls of the clip 1000 abut against the cable 300 after no force is applied.

Example One

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, a drain auger is provided. The drain auger includes a first handle 100, a drum 200, a cable 300, a drive assembly 400, a shield 700, a feeding assembly 500, and a locking assembly 600.

The first handle 100 is used for a user to hold, the first handle 100 is disposed at the rear end of the whole drain auger along a first direction X, and a trigger 101 is disposed on the first handle 100.

The drum 200 is connected in front of the first handle 100, and the drum 200 is formed with a cavity for accommodating the cable 300. Specifically, the drum 200 includes a drum body 210 and a guide cover 220 connected in a front and rear direction.

The drive assembly 400 is configured to drive the drum 200 to rotate. The drive assembly 400 specifically includes an electric motor and a transmission assembly, and the electric motor drives the drum 200 through the transmission assembly, thereby providing power for the rotation of the drum 200. An axis of rotation of the drum 200 is parallel to the first direction X. During rotation of the drum 200, the cable 300 wound in the drum 200 is gradually released or gradually recovered.

The shield 700 is covered outside the drum 200, the shield 700 does not interfere with the drum 200 during working so that an outer wall surface of the rotating drum 200 is not in contact with an external structure or a hand of the user, and the shield 700 can improve the safety of use of the drain auger. Specifically, the shield 700 includes a front shield 720 and a rear shield 750, a base 740 is formed at the bottom end of the shield 700, a mounting sleeve 710 is formed at the front end of the rear shield 750, a rear opening through which the drum 200 is exposed is formed at the rear end of the rear shield 750, multiple steel balls 760 are provided on an inner wall surface of the shield 700, and detaching holes 770 are provided on a front end surface of the shield 700.

The feeding assembly 500 is configured to feed or recover the cable 300 and has an outlet 511 for outputting the cable 300, where an output end of the cable 300 extends outwards through the outlet 511 along the first direction X. Specifically, the feeding assembly 500 includes a rotary mechanism 5010, a guide member 502, and multiple clamp assemblies 520. The rotary mechanism 5010 includes a feeding collar 503 and an operating sleeve 510, the feeding collar 503 is substantially disc-shaped and disposed in the operating sleeve 510, first limiting planes 5033 are provided on an arc-shaped outer wall surface of the feeding collar 503, and second limiting planes are provided on an arc-shaped inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510. The second limiting planes are in surface contact with the first limiting planes 5033 so that the feeding collar 503 can be rotated through the rotation of the operating sleeve 510. The feeding collar 503 is provided with a first mounting hole 5032 located at the center and three sliding slots 5031 arranged in a circumferential direction of the first central hole, where the sliding slots 5031 are involute slots. The guide member 502 can guide the movement of the clamp assemblies 520. The guide member 502 includes a mounting portion 5021 and three guide rail portions 5022 uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the mounting portion 5021. The mounting portion 5021 penetrates through the first mounting hole 5032 and can rotate within the first mounting hole 5032. A through hole allowing the passage of the cable 300 is provided at the center of the mounting portion 5021. Each guide rail portion 5022 is provided with a linear guide slot 5023 extending in a direction parallel to a radial direction of the cable 300. Each clamp assembly 520 includes a support frame 504 and a rotary body 501, the support frame 504 is movably disposed within the guide slot 5023, and two ends of the support frame 504 protrude on two sides of the guide slot 5023, where a second pulley 5041 is provided at one end of the support frame 504, the second pulley 5041 is movable within a sliding slot 5031, and the rotary body 501 is mounted at the other end of the support frame 504. Three rotary bodies 501 are arranged around the cable 300 and configured to correct a feed angle of the cable 300.

When the operating sleeve 510 is rotated, the feeding collar 503 can rotate synchronously with the operating sleeve 510, and the sliding slot 5031 mates with the second pulley 5041 so that the support frame 504 can move along the corresponding guide slot 5023. Thus, multiple rotary bodies 501 simultaneously move towards or away from the cable 300 to lock or loosen the cable 300.

The locking assembly 600 includes a moving member movable along the first direction X and locking spring pieces 602. The moving member includes a locking collar 601 and a locking bearing 603 located in the operating sleeve 510, fixing plates 6012 radially protrude outwards on an outer wall surface of the locking collar 601, the mounting sleeve 710 is provided with avoidance through-holes 713 at corresponding positions, and the fixing plates 6012 penetrate through the avoidance through-holes 713 and are engaged with fixing grooves on the inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510 so that the locking collar 601 can move synchronously with the operating sleeve 510. The locking collar 601 includes two opposite half collars 6011, the two half collars 6011 are spliced into the locking collar 601, each half collar 6011 is provided with an accommodation ring groove on a side of the half collar 6011 facing the other half collar 6011, and two accommodation ring grooves are spliced into a space for accommodating and limiting an outer ring of the locking bearing 603. The locking bearing 603 is disposed around the cable 300. Each locking spring piece 602 is a bent sheet structure, one end of the locking spring piece 602 is a clamping end, and the other end of the locking spring piece 602 is an abutting end, where the abutting end of the locking spring piece 602 abuts against an inner wall surface of the locking bearing 603, and the clamping end is provided with a clamping slot which is a semicircular slot.

The operating sleeve 510 moving along the first direction X can drive the moving member to move synchronously along the first direction X, and the moving member moving along the first direction X can press the locking spring pieces 602 into deformation, so that the clamping slot of the locking spring piece 602 clamps an outer wall surface of the cable 300. Thus, locking ends of the locking spring pieces 602 clamp the cable 300, and the cable 300 is fixed in position and cannot enter or exit.

Example Two

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 19, a drain auger is provided. The drain auger mainly differs from the drain auger of example one in the feeding assembly 500 and the locking assembly 600.

Specifically, the feeding assembly 500 of this example includes a rotary mechanism 5010, feeding blocks 505, and rotary bodies 501. The rotary mechanism 5010 is an operating sleeve 510, involute bosses 512 are circumferentially provided on an inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510, and three involute bosses 512 are provided and arranged around the cable 300. Three feeding blocks 505 are provided, the three feeding blocks 505 are uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the cable 300, each feeding block 505 is movably disposed in the operating sleeve 510 along a radial direction of the operating sleeve 510, the rotary body 501 is mounted on a side of each feeding block 505 facing away from the operating sleeve 510, and an abutting body is provided on a side of each feeding block 505 facing the operating sleeve 510. In this example, the abutting body is a roller 5051. The mounting sleeve 710 is provided with three avoidance holes 711, and three rollers 5051 penetrate through the three avoidance holes 711 one to one and slidably abut against involute arc-shaped surfaces of the corresponding involute bosses 512.

Each feeding block 505 is provided with two first pulleys 5052, and the two first pulleys 5052 are disposed at two ends of the feeding block 505 perpendicular to its moving direction. Correspondingly, the mounting sleeve 710 is provided with six guide slots 712, the six guide slots 712 are arranged in pairs, two guide slots 712 included in each pair of guide slots 712 are disposed on two sides of one avoidance hole 711 one to one, and six first pulleys 5052 are slidably connected within the six guide slots 712 in one-to-one correspondence.

The feeding assembly 500 further includes three connection springs 5053, and one connection spring 5053 is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505. When the three feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for clamping the cable 300, the connection springs 5053 are compressed and accumulate elastic potential energy. When the three feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for loosening the cable 300, the connection springs 5053 release the elastic potential energy so that the feeding blocks 505 can move more quickly.

The feeding assembly 500 further includes three guide rods, one guide rod is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505, one end of the guide rod is fixed to one feeding block 505, the other end of the guide rod is inserted into the other adjacent feeding block 505, and the guide rod is parallel to a tangential direction of the cable 300. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously towards the cable 300, an interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly small, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move towards each other, thereby improving movement accuracy. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously away from the cable 300, the interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly large, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move away from each other, thereby improving the movement accuracy.

When the user rotates the operating sleeve 510, the involute bosses 512 move accordingly so that positions of the involute bosses 512 abutting against the rollers 5051 change. Since different positions of an involute arc-shaped surface of an involute boss 512 have different distances from the central axis of the cable 300, under the limiting action of the first pulleys 5052 and the guide slots 712, changes in abutting points at which the rollers 5051 abut against the involute bosses 512 can drive the three feeding blocks 505 to move synchronously along the radial direction of the operating sleeve 510 so that the three rotary bodies 501 move towards or away from the cable 300 to clamp or loosen the cable 300.

The locking assembly 600 includes a moving member, a locking steel ring 604, locking pieces 605, and return springs 606, and the moving member includes a locking collar 601 and a locking bearing 603. The locking steel ring 604 is sleeved within the locking bearing 603, the locking steel ring 604 has a tapered inner wall surface, the locking pieces 605 movably penetrate through the mounting sleeve 710 along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction X, one end of a locking piece 605 abuts against the tapered inner wall surface, and an end surface of the other end of the locking piece 605 is an arc-shaped surface recessed inwards. The locking steel ring 604 moving along the first direction X can drive the locking pieces 605 to move towards the cable 300 to clamp the cable 300, and a return spring 606 has a tendency to drive the locking piece 605 to move away from the cable 300. The locking pieces 605 and the return springs 606 are provided in multiple groups, multiple locking pieces 605 are arranged around the mounting sleeve 710, and one return spring 606 is sleeved on each locking piece 605.

Example Three

As shown in FIGS. 20 to 29, a drain auger is provided. The drain auger mainly differs from the drain augers of example one and example two in the feeding assembly 500 and the locking assembly 600.

Specifically, in this example, the feeding assembly 500 includes a rotary mechanism 5010, feeding blocks 505, rotary bodies 501, and limiting discs 506. The rotary mechanism 5010 is an operating sleeve 510, involute bosses 512 are circumferentially provided on an inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510, and three involute bosses 512 are provided and arranged around the cable 300. Three feeding blocks 505 are provided, the three feeding blocks 505 are uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the cable 300, each feeding block 505 is movably disposed in the operating sleeve 510 along a radial direction of the operating sleeve 510, the rotary body 501 is mounted on a side of each feeding block 505 facing away from the operating sleeve 510, and an abutting body is provided on a side of each feeding block 505 facing the operating sleeve 510. In this example, the abutting body is a protruding block 5054. The mounting sleeve 710 is provided with three avoidance holes 711, and three protruding blocks 5054 penetrate through the three avoidance holes 711 one to one and slidably abut against involute arc-shaped surfaces of the corresponding involute bosses 512.

Disc surfaces of the limiting discs 506 are perpendicular to the first direction X. Two limiting discs 506 are provided, the two limiting discs 506 are disposed in the operating sleeve 510 and on two sides of the three feeding blocks 505, each limiting disc 506 is provided with three limiting holes 5061, each limiting hole 5061 extends along a radial direction of the limiting disc 506, each feeding block 505 is provided with two guide posts 5055, the two guide posts 5055 are disposed at two opposite ends of the feeding block 505 one to one, the two guide posts 5055 are inserted into limiting holes 5061 at corresponding positions of the two limiting discs 506 in one-to-one correspondence, and the guide posts 5055 can move within the limiting holes 5061.

The feeding assembly 500 further includes three connection springs 5053, and one connection spring 5053 is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505. When the three feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for clamping the cable 300, the connection springs 5053 are compressed and accumulate elastic potential energy. When the three feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for loosening the cable 300, the connection springs 5053 release the elastic potential energy so that the feeding blocks 505 can move more quickly.

The feeding assembly 500 further includes three guide rods, one guide rod is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505, one end of the guide rod is fixed to one feeding block 505, the other end of the guide rod is inserted into the other adjacent feeding block 505, and the guide rod is parallel to a tangential direction of the cable 300. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously towards the cable 300, an interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly small, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move towards each other, thereby improving movement accuracy. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously away from the cable 300, the interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly large, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move away from each other, thereby improving the movement accuracy.

When the user rotates the operating sleeve 510, the involute bosses 512 move accordingly so that positions of the involute bosses 512 abutting against the protruding blocks 5054 change. Since different positions of an involute arc-shaped surface of an involute boss 512 have different distances from the central axis of the cable 300, under the limiting action of the limiting discs 506 and the limiting holes 5061, changes in abutting points at which the protruding blocks 5054 abut against the involute bosses 512 can drive the three feeding blocks 505 to move synchronously along the radial direction of the operating sleeve 510 so that the three rotary bodies 501 move towards or away from the cable 300 to clamp or loosen the cable 300.

The locking assembly 600 includes a moving member, a mount 607, and two clamp arms 608. The moving member includes a locking collar 601 and a locking bearing 603 that are movable along the first direction X. Each clamp arm 608 includes a first arm 6081 and a second arm 6082 connected at an obtuse angle, the length of the first arm 6081 is smaller than the length of the second arm 6082, a spindle block 6083 is provided at an end of the first arm 6081 facing away from the second arm 6082, and a first spindle hole 60831 penetrates through the spindle block 6083. The mount 607 is provided with a spindle seat, the spindle seat includes two spaced spindle plates 6071, each spindle plate 6071 is provided with two second spindle holes 60711, a gap for accommodating the spindle block 6083 is formed between the two spindle plates 6071, and one spindle 609 penetrates through every two second spindle holes 60711 and one first spindle hole 60831 so that the two clamp arms 608 are rotatably connected to the mount 607. The cable 300 penetrates through the mount 607 and is located between the two clamp arms 608. A locking plate 6084 protrudes on a wall surface on the outer side of a connection between the first arm 6081 and the second arm 6082, and the locking plate 6084 is provided with an arc-shaped clamping surface.

The moving member moving along the first direction X can drive the multiple clamp arms 608 to rotate synchronously towards the cable 300 to clamp the cable 300. When the clamp arms 608 move towards the cable 300, the arc-shaped clamping surface can clamp an outer wall surface of the cable 300, thereby locking the cable 300.

The feeding assemblies 500 disclosed in example one, example two, and example three have a common feature that the rotary bodies 501 arranged around the cable 300 move towards or away from the cable 300 through the rotary mechanism 5010 rotated around the first direction X, and both the sliding slots 5031 disclosed in example one and the involute bosses 512 applied in example two and example three provide an arc-shaped motion trajectory for the rotary body 501. In other words, in addition to the rotation of the rotary body 501 around its own axis, the whole rotary body 501 moves along an arc-shaped trajectory, that is, the centroid of the rotary body 501 moves along the arc-shaped trajectory. More specifically, the centroid of the rotary body 501 moves along an involute motion trajectory. Thus, when the user operates the operating sleeve 510 in a circumferential direction (for example, rotation), the cable 300 can be fed, which is simple and convenient to operate, is high in stability, and is not prone to a failure.

Example Four

As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, a drain auger is provided. The drain auger of this example mainly differs from the drain augers of example one to example three in the shield 700 and the drum 200.

Specifically in this example, the cable 300 is not disposed inside the drum 200 but is wound outside the drum 200, where a space for accommodating the cable 300 is formed between an inner wall surface of the shield 700 and an outer wall surface of the drum 200. The shield 700 includes a front shield 720, a pressing ring 730, and a rear shield 750 connected in sequence from front to rear. Twelve rolling shafts 800 are provided in the shield 700, the rolling shafts 800 extend along a direction parallel to the first direction X, the twelve rolling shafts 800 are disposed along a circumferential direction of the shield 700, and each rolling shaft 800 is rotatably connected to the shield 700 through a bearing, so that rolling friction is formed between the cable 300 and the rolling shafts 800. An interval between the rolling shafts 800 and the drum 200 is equal to the diameter of the cable 300 so that the cable 300 can be wound in only one layer between the inner wall surface of the shield 700 and the outer wall surface of the drum 200.

When the drum 200 rotates, the cable 300 is wound onto the outer wall surface of the drum 200 under the action of a recovery force. In this process, the rolling shafts 800 instead of the shield 700 withstand the abrasion so that the shield 700 is not easily worn.

Example Five

As shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, a drain auger is provided. The drain auger of this example mainly differs from the drain augers of example one to example four in the handle and the drum 200.

Specifically, in this example, the drain auger includes two handles: a first handle 100 and a second handle 1100, the first handle 100 is disposed at the rear end of the whole drain auger, and the second handle 1100 is disposed on the shield 700.

The front end of a guide cover 220 of the drum 200 is open to form a drum opening 221, and an opening size of the drum opening 221 is much greater than the diameter of the cable 300 so that not only can the cable 300 be smoothly replaced through the drum opening 221, but also the drum 200 can be cleaned through the drum opening 221 without detaching the rear shield 750 and with only the front shield 720 removed.

Example Six

As shown in FIGS. 35 to 37, a drain auger is provided. The drain auger of this example mainly differs from the drain augers of example one to example five in that this example further includes a cleaning tool and a clip 1000.

Specifically, in this example, the cleaning tool includes a mounting bracket 900 and a scouring pad, the mounting bracket 900 is semi-cylindrical and formed with a semi-cylindrical accommodation groove 910, the accommodation groove 910 has a rectangular opening, abutting plates are provided on an inner wall surface of a mounting groove, and baffle plates are provided at the opening of the mounting groove. The scouring pad can be bent and embedded into the accommodation groove 910 through the rectangular opening. End plates at the front and rear ends of the mounting bracket 900 are formed with through holes allowing the cable 300 to penetrate through.

The cable 300 can pass through the scouring pad and be cleaned by the scouring pad in a recovery process so that the cable 300 entering the drain auger is clean, and the contaminated cable 300 is prevented from bringing contaminants into the drain auger.

A clip 1000 is fixed at an end of the cable 300, and a limiting boss 1200 is disposed in the mounting sleeve 710. When the end of the cable 300 moves to the limiting boss 1200, the clip 1000 can abut against the limiting boss 1200 so that the cable 300 cannot continue being output outwards, thereby preventing the cable 300 from entirely falling out of the drain auger. The clip 1000 is a U-shaped member made of an elastic material. Two sidewalls of the clip 1000 are pried open so that the clip 1000 can be sleeved on the cable 300, and the sidewalls of the clip 1000 abut against the cable 300 after no force is applied.

The drain auger can be used for unclogging drain pipes and chimneys. In this usage scenario, an output direction of the cable 300 is generally from top to bottom. Since it is impossible to predict the length of the cable 300 inside the drain auger, the cable 300 is easy to entirely fall out of the drain auger. The clip 1000 mates with the limiting boss 1200 so that the cable 300 is prevented from falling out of the drain auger in a release process.

Example Seven

As shown in FIGS. 38 to 43, a feeding assembly 500 of a drain auger is provided. The feeding assembly 500 includes multiple rotary bodies 501 arranged around a cable and a rotary mechanism 5010 rotatable around a first direction X, and the rotary mechanism 5010 is configured to, during rotation around the first direction X, drive the multiple rotary bodies 501 to move synchronously towards the cable or move synchronously away from the cable. The first direction X is parallel to a front and rear direction of the drain auger, and the first direction X here is shown in FIG. 5. The solutions of example seven are an extension on the structure of the feeding assembly 500 of example three, and the technical principles of example seven can be applied to the solutions of example one or example two or other solutions with similar principles.

The feeding assembly 500 includes a mounting sleeve 530, clamp assemblies 520, and an operating sleeve 510, the operating sleeve 510 is sleeved outside the mounting sleeve 530, the clamp assemblies 520 are disposed in the mounting sleeve 530, and some structures of the clamp assemblies 520 protrude out of the mounting sleeve 530 and abut against the operating sleeve 510. The operating sleeve 510 is the rotary mechanism 5010, and the clamp assemblies 520 include feeding blocks 505 and the rotary bodies 501.

Specifically, the mounting sleeve 530 is cylindrical, an output end of the cable 300 extends into the mounting sleeve 530, and a direction of the central axis of the mounting sleeve 530 is parallel to the first direction X. As shown in FIGS. 44 and 45, involute bosses 512 are circumferentially provided on an inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510, and three involute bosses 512 are provided and arranged around the cable. Three feeding blocks 505 are provided, the three feeding blocks 505 are uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the cable, each feeding block 505 is movably disposed in the operating sleeve 510 along a radial direction of the operating sleeve 510, a rotary body 501 is mounted on a side of each feeding block 505 facing away from the operating sleeve 510, and an abutting body is provided on a side of each feeding block 505 facing the operating sleeve 510.

With continued reference to FIG. 49, the drain auger includes a hose 600 and the feeding assembly 500, the feeding assembly 500 is configured to feed or recover the cable, the feeding assembly 500 has an inlet for the cable to enter, an outlet 511 for outputting the cable is formed at the front end of a shield 700, the hose 600 is connected between the inlet and the outlet 511, and the cable passes through the hose 600.

As shown in FIGS. 46 to 48, in some examples, the abutting body is a protruding block 5054. The mounting sleeve 530 is provided with three avoidance holes 531, and three protruding blocks 5054 penetrate through the three avoidance holes 531 one to one and slidably abut against involute arc-shaped surfaces of the corresponding involute bosses 512.

With continued reference to FIGS. 46 to 48, the clamp assemblies 520 further include limiting discs 506, and disc surfaces of the limiting discs 506 are perpendicular to the first direction. Two limiting discs 506 are provided, the two limiting discs 506 are disposed in the operating sleeve 510 and on two sides of the three feeding blocks 505, each limiting disc 506 is provided with three limiting holes 5061, each limiting hole 5061 extends along a radial direction of the limiting disc 506, each feeding block 505 is provided with two guide posts 5055, the two guide posts 5055 are disposed at two opposite ends of the feeding block 505 one to one, the two guide posts 5055 are inserted into limiting holes 5061 at corresponding positions of the two limiting discs 506 in one-to-one correspondence, and the guide posts 5055 can move within the limiting holes 5061.

With continued reference to FIG. 48, the feeding assembly 500 further includes three connection springs 5053, and one connection spring 5053 is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505. When the three feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for clamping the cable, the connection springs 5053 are compressed and accumulate elastic potential energy. When the three feeding blocks 505 move in a direction for loosening the cable, the connection springs 5053 release the elastic potential energy so that the feeding blocks 505 can move more quickly.

The feeding assembly 500 further includes three guide rods, one guide rod is disposed between two adjacent feeding blocks 505, one end of the guide rod is fixed to one feeding block 505, the other end of the guide rod is inserted into the other adjacent feeding block 505, and the guide rod is parallel to a tangential direction of the cable. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously towards the cable, an interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly small, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move towards each other, thereby improving movement accuracy. When the multiple feeding blocks 505 move synchronously away from the cable, the interval between the two adjacent feeding blocks 505 becomes increasingly large, and the guide rod guides the two feeding blocks 505 to move away from each other, thereby improving the movement accuracy.

When the user rotates the operating sleeve 510, the involute bosses 512 move accordingly so that positions of the involute bosses 512 abutting against the protruding blocks 5054 change. Since different positions of an involute arc-shaped surface of an involute boss 512 have different distances from the central axis of the cable, under the limiting action of the limiting discs 506 and the limiting holes 5061, changes in abutting points at which the protruding blocks 5054 abut against the involute bosses 512 can drive the three feeding blocks 505 to move synchronously along the radial direction of the operating sleeve 510 so that the three rotary bodies 501 move towards or away from the cable to clamp or loosen the cable.

It is to be noted that in the related art, a direction of rotation of an electric motor is generally changed so that the cable is switched between a feeding operation and a recovery operation. For a floor-standing drain auger, a user generally uses a foot pedal switch to control the start and stop of the electric device and the switching of the direction of rotation. The user holds the handle and is relatively away from a foot pedal, making it extremely inconvenient for the user to operate.

In the example of the present application, to switch the cable between the feeding operation and the recovery operation without changing the direction of rotation of the electric motor, two groups of clamp assemblies 520 are provided in the present application, where the two groups of clamp assemblies 520 are spaced apart in a front and rear direction of the mounting sleeve 530, have the same structure, and differ only in that the rotary bodies 501 included in two groups of clamp assemblies 520 have different orientations.

For convenience of description, the two groups of clamp assemblies 520 are defined as feeding clamp assemblies 521 and recovering clamp assemblies 522, respectively, the rotary bodies 501 included in the feeding clamp assemblies 521 are first rotary bodies 5011, the rotary bodies 501 included in the recovering clamp assemblies 522 are second rotary bodies 5012, multiple first rotary bodies 5011 are distributed along the circumferential direction of the cable 300, multiple second rotary bodies 5012 are distributed along the circumferential direction of the cable 300, and the first rotary bodies 5011 and the second rotary bodies 5012 may drive the cable 300 to move in opposite directions. When the first rotary bodies 5011 are pressed against the cable 300 and the electric motor is started, the cable 300 moves along the first direction X, so as to feed the cable 300. When the second rotary bodies 5012 are pressed against the cable 300 and the electric motor is started, the cable 300 moves along a direction opposite to the first direction X, so as to recover the cable 300.

Specifically, three first rotary bodies 5011 are provided, and the three first rotary bodies 5011 are distributed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the cable; and three second rotary bodies 5012 are provided, and the three second rotary bodies 5012 are distributed at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the cable. The three first rotary bodies 5011 and the three second rotary bodies 5012 are arranged in two columns and in groups, and a first rotary body 5011 and a second rotary body 5012 included in each group are directly opposite to each other in the front and rear direction of the mounting sleeve 530.

Correspondingly, two groups of involute bosses 512 are spaced apart along the front and rear direction on the inner wall surface of the operating sleeve 510, each group of involute bosses 512 includes three involute bosses 512 uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the operating sleeve 510, the involute bosses 512 included in the two groups of involute bosses 512 are staggered, and involute arc-shaped surfaces of involute bosses 512 in different groups are inclined in different directions. The three first rotary bodies 5011 abut against the three involute bosses 512 included in one group of involute bosses 512, and the three second rotary bodies 5012 abut against the three involute bosses 512 included in the other group of involute bosses 512.

The operating sleeve 510 is rotated so that the three first rotary bodies 5011 and the three second rotary bodies 5012 can clamp the cable alternately. When the three first rotary bodies 5011 included in the feeding clamp assemblies 521 clamp the cable, the cable can perform the feeding operation, that is, be output to the outside of the drain auger. When the three second rotary bodies 5012 included in the recovering clamp assemblies 522 clamp the cable, the cable can perform the recovering operation, that is, be recovered to the inside of the drain auger. The user changes a direction in which the operating sleeve 510 is rotated so that the clamp assemblies 520 implement the feeding function or the recovering function.

In some examples, the length of the whole feeding assembly 500 in the front and rear direction is 200 mm, the length of the operating sleeve 510 in the front and rear direction is 115 mm, the outer diameter of the operating sleeve 510 is 68 mm, and the outer diameter of the mounting sleeve 530 is 45 mm.

Example Eight

As shown in FIGS. 49 to 53, in a new example, the present application provides a drain auger including a drum 200, a cable 300, a drive assembly 400, a shield 700, and a window 310. The drum 200 is a main mounting component of the drain auger, an accommodation space is formed in the drum 200, the cable is at least partially stored in the accommodation space, and a part of the cable in the accommodation space is generally in a wound state. The drive assembly 400 is configured to drive the drum 200 to rotate to provide power for feeding or recovering the cable.

The shield 700 is covered on the outer side of the drum 200 to implement a protective function. Specifically, the shield 700 does not interfere with the drum 200 during working so that an outer wall surface of the rotating drum 200 is not in contact with an external structure or a hand of a user, and the shield 700 can improve the safety of use of the drain auger. The shield 700 is provided with a first window opening 701 through which the cable in the accommodation space can be seen. The window 310 is movably disposed at the first window opening 701. The window 310 is moved or rotated so that the first window opening 701 can be open or closed.

The drain auger includes the shield 700 provided with the first window opening 701 and the window 310 capable of opening and closing the first window opening 701 so that when the cable in the accommodation space needs to be observed or foreign matters in the drum 200 need to be cleaned, the window 310 is moved or rotated to make the first window opening 701 in an open state. When the window 310 is switched to a state of closing the first window opening 701, the drain auger can work normally, and foreign matters can be prevented from entering the drain auger through the first window opening 701.

In some examples, the drum 200 has an open structure, a part of the structure of the shield 700 is directly opposite to the drum 200, the other part of the structure of the shield 700 is staggered from the drum 200, and the first window opening 701 is disposed on the part staggered from the drum 200.

In some parallel examples, the drum 200 has a substantially enclosed structure. To observe the inside of the drum 200 through the opened window 310 and the first window opening 701, the drum 200 is provided with a second window opening 201, where the second window opening 201 at least partially overlaps the first window opening 701 in a circumferential direction of the drain auger. That the second window opening 201 at least partially overlaps the first window opening 701 refers to that the second window opening 201 may partially or entirely overlap the first window opening 701.

Further, multiple second window openings 201 are provided, the multiple second window openings 201 are uniformly distributed in a circumferential direction of the drum 200, and the first window opening 701 communicates selectively with one second window opening 201. In a specific example, with continued reference to FIG. 51, three second window openings 201 are provided on the drum 200, and the three second window openings 201 are distributed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the drum 200. Of course, in other examples, the number of second window openings 201 and the number of first window openings 701 may be increased as required.

In some examples, the second window opening 201 and the first window opening 701 are the same in shape and may be rectangular, sector-shaped, circular, waist-shaped, or in other shapes. In some other examples, the second window opening 201 and the first window opening 701 may be different in shape. Opening sizes of the second window opening 201 and the first window opening 701 may be the same or different.

With continued reference to FIG. 51, in some examples, the window 310 includes a cover piece 301 and a push-pull plate 302, the cover piece 301 has a third window opening 3011 and a solid portion 3012 on a side of the third window opening 3011, and the push-pull plate 302 is disposed on an outer wall surface of the cover piece 301. The cover piece 301 is rotatably connected to the drum 200 or the shield 700. Specifically, an arc-shaped slideway is provided on the drum 200 or the shield 700, an arc-shaped flange is provided at an end of the cover piece 301, and the arc-shaped flange is rotatably placed within the arc-shaped slideway.

The push-pull plate 302 is disposed, making it convenient for the user to hold the push-pull plate and apply a force to the window 310, so that the window 310 moves relative to the shield 700 and the drum 200. Thus, the third window opening 3011 and the solid portion 3012 can be directly opposite to the first window opening 701 and the second window opening 201 alternately. When the third window opening 3011 is directly opposite to the first window opening 701 and the second window opening 201, the user can observe a specific situation in the drum 200 through the first window opening 701, the third window opening 3011, and the second window opening 201. When the solid portion 3012 is directly opposite to the first window opening 701 and the second window opening 201, the first window opening 701 is blocked by the solid portion 3012 so that the drain auger can work normally, and foreign matters can be prevented from entering the drain auger through the first window opening 701.

It is to be noted that the push-pull plate 302 penetrates through the first window opening 701, making it convenient for the user to hold the push-pull plate 302. Of course, in other examples, the window 310 may be disposed at the first window opening 701 in a translation manner, and a position of the window 310 changes through translation so that the first window opening 701 is open or closed.

With continued reference to FIG. 51, the shield 700 includes a front shield 702 and a rear shield 703 detachably connected to each other, and the first window opening 701 is defined on the front shield 702. The front shield 702 and the rear shield 703 are detachably connected in manners including, but not limited to, screw connections, snap connections, and magnetic attraction. In some specific examples, the rear shield 703 is cylindrical, a front opening is formed at the front end of the rear shield 703, the front shield 702 is conical, and a rear opening is formed at the rear end of the front shield 702. Further, a pressing ring is provided between the rear shield 703 and the front shield 702.

In some examples, the arc-shaped slideway is disposed on the front shield 702, the arc-shaped flange is disposed at an end of the window 310, and the arc-shaped flange is slidably connected within the arc-shaped slideway.

In some examples, a base is formed at the bottom end of the shield 700. When the user holds the drain auger, the base can be supported on a support surface provided by an external device or be directly placed on the ground, thereby reducing the gravity of the drain auger to which the user is subjected.

A cavity for accommodating the cable is formed in the drum 200, and a majority of the cable is wound within the cavity. In some examples, the drum 200 includes a front drum and a rear drum detachably connected to each other, the front shield 702 is covered outside the front drum, the rear shield 703 is covered outside the rear drum, and the second window opening 201 at least partially overlapping the first window opening 701 is defined on the front drum. In some examples, the front drum is conical, the rear drum is cylindrical, a small-sized end of the front drum is formed with an inlet/outlet allowing the cable to enter and exit, and the front drum can rotate along with the rear drum and can isolate the friction between the cable and the front shield 702.

In some examples, a frustum-shaped support frustum is formed in the drum 200, a majority of the cable is wound around the support frustum, and the central axis of the support frustum is parallel to the front and rear direction of the drain auger. The drum 200 can rotate about an axis parallel to the front and rear direction. During rotation of the drum 200, the cable wound around the support frustum is gradually released or gradually recovered. A through hole allowing the passage of the cable is formed at the front end of the drum 200.

In some examples, the drum 200 is provided with a first drain hole communicating with the accommodation space, and the shield 700 is provided with a second drain hole communicating with the first drain hole. Sewage brought by the cable into and accumulated in the drum 200 can flow out of the drain auger through the first drain hole and the second drain hole, which is conducive to maintaining a clean environment inside the drain auger and makes components inside the drain auger not easily corroded and damaged. In some specific examples, multiple first drain holes and multiple second drain holes are provided.

In some examples, a supporting and positioning structure is provided on an inner wall surface of the shield 700, and the supporting and positioning structure slidably abuts against an outer wall surface of the drum 200. In some specific examples, the supporting and positioning structure includes steel balls. In some other specific examples, the supporting and positioning structure is a bearing. Further, multiple steel balls are provided on the inner wall surface of the shield 700, and the multiple steel balls are uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the shield 700, thereby improving the support stability of the shield 700.

In some examples, detaching holes are provided on a front end surface of the shield 700, and the detaching holes are directly opposite to connectors for connecting the drum 200. Specifically, the rear drum and the front drum are fixed by the connectors, the connectors may be screws, and the detaching holes on the shield 700 are directly opposite to the connectors. The connectors may be directly detached from the rear drum and the front drum through the detaching holes so that the cable can be replaced without detaching the shield 700. Further, multiple connectors are provided, correspondingly multiple detaching holes are provided, and the multiple detaching holes are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple connectors.

With continued reference to FIG. 49, the drain auger includes a first handle 100 for the user to hold, the drum 200 is connected to the first handle 100, and the first handle 100 is disposed behind the drum 200.

In some examples, the first handle 100 has an L-like structure, an end of the first handle 100 is connected to a housing of the drive assembly 400, and the other end of the first handle 100 is inclined upwards and used for the user to hold. In some parallel examples, to facilitate holding and protect a hand of the user, the first handle 100 is formed as a closed ring structure. In some specific examples, the first handle 100 is provided with an anti-slip pattern structure to increase friction, and a trigger is provided on the first handle 100. The trigger is pressed so that the whole drain auger is powered on and starts to work.

In some examples, to enable the user to hold the drain auger with both hands, the drain auger further includes a second handle disposed on the shield 700. When the user operates the drain auger, the user holds the first handle 100 with one hand and the second handle with the other hand, greatly improving the stability of holding.

The drive assembly 400 includes an electric motor and a transmission assembly, the drum 200 is connected to the electric motor through the transmission assembly, and the electric motor drives the drum 200 through the transmission assembly, thereby providing power for the rotation of the drum 200. It is to be noted that a specific structure of the transmission assembly belongs to the existing art, a type of the transmission assembly may be directly selected according to the existing art, and the structure of the transmission assembly is not limited here.

Further, the drive assembly 400 further includes the housing, the electric motor and the transmission assembly are both disposed in the housing, and an insertion structure is formed on the housing. The drain auger further includes a battery pack 820, and the battery pack 820 is slidably inserted into the insertion structure along a first direction, where an angle exists between the first direction and a horizontal direction.

In some examples, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 52, the first direction is a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction. In some parallel examples, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 53, the first direction is an inclined direction at an acute angle relative to the horizontal direction, where the specific angle is not limited and may be set to 45°, 60°, or the like as required.

The basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application are shown and described above. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the aforementioned examples do not limit the present application in any form, and all technical solutions obtained through equivalent substitutions or equivalent transformations fall within the scope of the present application.