Device for producing an installation template for conduits, especially conduits for hydraulic or pneumatic control or process circuits
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Background of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a device that is used to produce an installation template or guide for pipe runs or conduits, especially conduits for hydraulic or pneumatic control or process circuits. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In many areas of technology it is now customary to operate machinery--including control devices--with a gaseous or liquid pressure medium. In this regard, air or a suitable hydraulic fluid are used in particular as the pressure medium. Areas of use for pressure-medium-driven control or process circuits are, for example, the motor vehicle industry, in particular for trucks and work vehicles, as well as processing and working machinery of various kinds. 
     During the assembly of such pneumatic of hydraulic control, switching, or process circuits or runs, it is sometimes necessary--for technical and sometimes even aesthetic reasons--to match the conduits for the pressure medium to different structural conditions, such as, for example, the shape of adjacent machinery or devices. During the assembly of such pressure-medium-driven switching or process circuits, this is effected by bending conduit sections of sufficient length into shape while constantly matching them against the relevant shapes of the areas of machinery that have to be traversed; this is done in order to arrive at the desired shape of the conduit in the most effective manner. Such work demands a great deal of practice and experience, and also takes up a great deal of time. In the case of complicated conduit runs, particularly when such runs pass through three dimensions, such complexities often lead to the fact that conduits that could in effect be made up in a single piece, e.g., between a control element and a machine, are in fact made up in several pieces, which are then joined together by means of connectors. The assembly of such pressure-medium-driven systems is made even costlier when this is done and, in addition, the unnecessary connectors also result in potential areas for failures. 
     An object of the present invention is to simplify the assembly of even complex conduit systems for pressure-medium-driven switching or operating circuits, and to improve such assembly from the point of view of lower requirements for time and material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention, to realize this object, a device that is used to produce an assembly template for conduits, especially conduits for hydraulic or pneumatic control or operating circuits, is proposed, this device being characterized by a plurality of articulated elements that are short relative to length, and are connected to one another or are connectable to one another; adjacent elements are movable relative to one another about a common geometrical point of rotation, within a prescribed spatial angle, and can be fixed in any possible position relative to one another by clamping; the device is also characterized by end pieces that are or can be connected to the articulated elements, these end pieces being provided with connectors for rod elements; and the device finally has rod elements having a length that is a multiple of the diameter, said rod elements being provided with connectors that cooperate with the connectors on the end pieces. 
     Using the device proposed by the present invention, it is possible to produce an assembly template for conduits that are required for pressure-mediumdriven switching or process circuits, and to do this in the simplest possible manner and in the shortest possible time. The inventive template meets all the requirements of trade practices, and permits the production of such conduits in a manner that satisfies the technical, space, and aesthetic demands in the best possible manner. In this connection, all that is required is to combine an appropriate number of the flexible and the rigid elements, namely the articulated elements as well as the end pieces and rod elements, in conformity to the length of the desired run of the conduit section that is to be fabricated, starting from the desired point on the machine in question. the extended length of a template assembled in this manner can correspond to the commercially available, e.g. 6-meter, maximum length of such conduit. The articulated elements, which snap together and can be kept in position by suitable clamping, can be assembled to form appropriate quarter or half circles having a minimal average radius of, for example, five centimeters. 
     Once the installation template has been completed, it is necessary only to extend it in order to permit conduit of the proper length to be cut to the precise length of the template. The end pieces of the areas of the chains made of articulated members then mark the exact locations of the appropriate conduit that has to be curved. 
     In an advantageous development of the invention, it is proposed that the rod elements comprise two parts that telescope one inside the other, it being possible to lock these parts relative to one another in various possible positions by means of a clamping device. This means it is possible to adjust the length of the straight sections of the installation template exactly to the desired size. In a further development of the aforementioned proposal, an expedient further configuration is provided by having the two-part rod elements comprise a rod portion and a sleeve portion, and, in order to secure the rod and the sleeve portions relative to one another, by having a lock nut on that end of the sleeve portion adjacent to the rod portion, with this lock nut cooperating with a corresponding threaded portion that is provided with at least one longitudinal slit. This embodiment can be produced relatively inexpensively, and permits simple and rapid adjustment of the length of the rod portion through a relatively large range of lengths. 
     In order to define a minimal radius of curvature for a chain of articulated elements, and in order to restrict the possible movement of adjacent articulated elements relative to one another, the articulated elements have ball sections and sockets; a circular shoulder that extends around the ball section serves to restrict the possible angle of movement of the outer edge of the socket. 
     In order that a chain produced by using the articulated elements can be kept in the shape required, and within the range of possible movements, during the time required to produce the installation template, it is proposed that the sockets of an articulated element be placed under tension on the ball section of the adjacent articulated element. 
     According to a further proposal, threaded pins and threaded holes are used as connectors for the rod elements and the end pieces. 
     The inventive device is preferably produced from a suitable plastic, preferably polyamide. 
     The solution provided previously can be further improved in that the ball portions and/or sockets of the articulated elements can be slit. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The present invention is explained in greater detail in conjunction with the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, as follows: 
     FIG. 1 is a view that shows a chain assembled from articulated elements; 
     FIGS. 2a to 2g are views that show various rod elements of different lengths, some being adjusable in length; 
     FIG. 3 is a view that shows the chain of articulated elements of FIG. 1, to a greater scale, together with rod elements secured to the end pieces; and 
     FIG. 4 is a view that shows an installation template produced from the articulated elements and the rod elements of FIGS. 1 and 2, together with a conduit that is to be measured. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows articulated elements 1, which are connected to one another to form a chain of elements that extends around a quarter-circle. The two ends of the chain formed from the articulated elements 1 are provided with the end pieces 2 and 15 respectively. A threaded hole 16 is provided in the end piece 2, and a threaded pin 17 is provided on the end piece 15. 
     FIGS. 2a to 2c show rod elements 18, 19 and 20 that cannot be adjusted in length, and adjustable two-part rod elements 3, 4, 21, and 22. The rod elements are also provided with threaded pins and holes, which correspond to the above-described threaded holes and threaded pins 15 and 16 respectively. 
     The rod elements 3, 4 and 21, 22 comprise a rod-like portion 5, 23, 24 or 25, and a sleeve-like portion 6, 26, 27 or 28 ; a lock nut 8 is on that end of the sleeve portion 6 adjacent to the rod portion 5, with which is associated a corresponding threaded area 9 having at least one slit 7 that extends in axial direction. 
     The chain of articulated elements of FIG. 1 is shown to an enlarged scale in FIG. 3. This chain comprises articulated elements 1 and end pieces 2 and 15, and furthermore comprises relatively short rod elements 29 and 30 that cannot be adjusted for length. These rod elements are removably connected by means of threaded pins or threaded holes (not shown in greater detail) to the appropriate end piece (end piece 2, 15 respectively). 
     One end of the articulate elements 1 is provided with a ball section 10, and the other end is provided with a socket 11. The socket 11 of a given articulated element 1 can be pressed onto the ball end 10 of a further articulated element 1, whereby the socket is then in contact with the ball section of the associated articulated element 1 under a certain amount of tension. The articulated elements are expediently made of plastic, in particular of polyamide. Furthermore, in this regard, it can be expedient to provide the ball sections and/or the sockets with slits so that the ball sections and the sockets have improved &#34;spatial&#34; elasticity so that, on the one hand, when the articulated elements are joined together, there is a relatively high tension between the ball and the socket, and on the other hand, however, it is possible to press the socket portion onto the ball portion with relatively little effort. 
     In order to restrict the spatial angle within which the socket of a given articulated element 1 can be rotated or pivoted about the geometrical center point of the associated other articulated element 1, there is provided in each instance a shoulder 12 in the vicinity of the ball 10 on the articulated element 1; the edge of the socket, not shown in greater detail, can rest against this shoulder. 
     FIG. 4 shows an installation template 34 produced by using articulated elements 1, end pieces 2 and 15, and various rod elements 31, 32, and 33. When extended, the installation template 34 makes it possible to arrive at the precise measurement of the length of a conduit 35, and in addition in particular permits marking of the conduit sections 35 and 36 that are to be bent to a specific shape. 
     The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawings but also encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.