Insulated container

Abstract

Provided is a heat-insulating container that can be further reduced in weight while increasing the degree of freedom in shape. A heat-insulating container (1) has a metal outer container (2) with an open end and an inner container (3) that are joined to each other with the inner container (3) housed inside the outer container (2), and a vacuum heat-insulating layer (4) is provided between the outer container (2) and the inner container (3), wherein the inner container (3) includes a bottom portion (3a) and a main body portion (3b) that stands up from the outer periphery of the bottom portion (3a), the main body portion (3b) is formed by being extended to have a thinner wall than the bottom portion (3a), and a shaped portion (3d) is provided at a portion of the main body portion (3b).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to heat-insulating containers. Background Technology

[0002] For example, there exists an insulated container having a metal outer container and an inner container, both open at one end. The open ends of the inner container are joined together, with the inner container housed inside the outer container. A vacuum insulation layer is provided between the outer container and the inner container. Insulated containers with such a vacuum insulation structure can possess excellent heat preservation / cold preservation capabilities.

[0003] However, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing the outer bottle of a metal vacuum double-walled bottle for a thermos. The method is characterized by deep drawing a sheet of material such as SUS304, which is soft in its raw material but hardens and becomes stronger during processing, to push the periphery to form a bottomed cylindrical body. After deep drawing the upper circumferential surface with the bottom side on the top and the opening side on the bottom side to deform it into a predetermined circumferential shape, the circumferential surface of the main body is thinned to form a thin wall, and an opening is formed at the bottom of the upper part to form an opening.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2620923

[0005] In the invention described in Patent Document 1, after forming a bottomed cylindrical body through multiple deep drawing processes, the main body is thinned by a thinning process (spinning). However, in this case, due to work hardening of the main body, if the main body is to be processed into an irregular shape in subsequent processes, fractures or other defects may occur from the hardened portion, making processing difficult. Therefore, in this case, it is difficult to achieve further lightweighting of the thermal insulation container and increase its degree of freedom in shape. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention is made in view of the existing situation and aims to provide an insulated container that can increase the freedom of its shape while achieving further lightweighting.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following mechanism.

[0008] [1] A heat-insulating container having a metal outer container and an inner container open at one end, which are joined together with the inner container housed inside the outer container, and a vacuum insulation layer is provided between the outer container and the inner container.

[0009] The aforementioned heat-insulating container is characterized in that,

[0010] The aforementioned inner container includes a bottom and a main body portion that rises from the outer periphery of the bottom.

[0011] The aforementioned main body is formed by extending it to have a thinner wall than the aforementioned bottom.

[0012] Furthermore, an irregularly shaped part is provided in a portion of the aforementioned main body.

[0013] [2] The heat-insulating container described in [1] above is characterized in that,

[0014] The aforementioned irregular part is a portion of the main body that has been expanded into a tapered shape.

[0015] [3] The heat-insulating container described in [1] above is characterized in that,

[0016] The aforementioned irregular part is the part that makes a portion of the aforementioned main body protrude.

[0017] As described above, according to the present invention, an insulated container is provided that enables further lightweighting and increased freedom of shape. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an insulated container according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It means Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the manufacturing process of the inner container of the insulated container shown.

[0020] Figure 3 It is used to sequentially Figure 1 The diagram shows a top view of a circular plate-shaped material used to explain the manufacturing process of the inner container of the insulated container.

[0021] Figure 4 It is used to sequentially Figure 1 A cross-sectional view illustrating the manufacturing process of the inner container of the insulated container shown.

[0022] Figure 5 It is used to sequentially Figure 1 A cross-sectional view illustrating the manufacturing process of the inner container of the insulated container shown.

[0023] Figure 6 It is used to sequentially Figure 1 A cross-sectional view illustrating the manufacturing process of the inner container of the insulated container shown.

[0024] Figure 7 It is used to sequentially Figure 1 A cross-sectional view illustrating the manufacturing process of the inner container of the insulated container shown.

[0025] Figure 8It is used to sequentially Figure 1 A cross-sectional view illustrating the manufacturing process of the inner container of the insulated container shown.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0027] 1…Insulated container; 2…Outer container; 3…Inner container; 3a…Bottom; 3b…Main body; 3c…Opening; 3d…Irregularly shaped part; 3e…Flange; 3f…Irregularly shaped part; 4…Vacuum insulation layer. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings used in the following description, for ease of understanding, some parts that are to be considered features are sometimes shown enlarged for convenience, and the size ratios of the constituent elements are not necessarily the same as the actual dimensions. Also, the materials, dimensions, etc., illustrated in the following description are examples, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to them; it can be implemented with appropriate modifications without changing its spirit.

[0030] (Insulated container)

[0031] First, as one embodiment of the present invention, for example, regarding... Figure 1 The heat-insulating container 1 shown will be described.

[0032] also, Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the heat-insulating container 1.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment includes, for example, an outer container 2 made of metal such as stainless steel and an inner container 3. The heat-insulating container 1 has a vacuum insulation structure in which the peripheries of the opening ends of the inner container 3, which is open at one end, are joined together with the inner container 3, which is housed inside the outer container 2, which is open at one end, and a vacuum insulation layer 4 is provided between the outer container 2 and the inner container 3.

[0034] In the insulated container 1, by having such a vacuum insulation structure, it is possible to have functions such as heat preservation and cold preservation.

[0035] In addition to commonly used stainless steel, the outer container 2 and the inner container 3 can also be made of metals such as titanium, aluminum, magnesium or their alloys.

[0036] In the insulated container 1 of this embodiment, the outer container 2 and the inner container 3 are joined together by welding with their open ends aligned. Furthermore, the joining of the outer container 2 and the inner container 3 can be achieved using welding methods such as laser welding.

[0037] Furthermore, after joining, the mating portion melts due to welding, thereby forming a weld bead throughout the entire circumference of the mating portion. Additionally, this weld bead is finished into a smooth surface through grinding and lapping processes after welding.

[0038] The vacuum insulation layer 4 can be formed, for example, by sealing the exhaust hole located at the center of the bottom surface of the outer container 2 with solder within a chamber that has been depressurized (evacuated) to a high vacuum.

[0039] Additionally, the outer container 2 may include a generally circular bottom 2a and a generally cylindrical main body 2b that rises from the outer periphery of the bottom 2a, consisting of a bottom cylindrical member 21 forming the bottom 2a side and a generally cylindrical main body member 22 forming the main body 2b side.

[0040] In this case, with the inner container 3 housed inside the main body component 22, with the open ends of each other abutting against each other, and after the abutting portion is joined by welding, with the bottom component 21 abutting against the main body component 22, the abutting portion is joined by welding, thereby constituting the above-mentioned heat-insulating container 1.

[0041] Furthermore, the appearance of the heat-insulating container 1 in this embodiment is not particularly limited, and appropriate changes can be made in combination with size, design, etc. In addition, the outer surface of the outer container 2 can also be coated or printed.

[0042] Alternatively, the heat-insulating container 1 in this embodiment may be a covered container with a cover unit (not shown) installed relative to the heat-insulating container 1.

[0043] However, in the heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment, the inner container 3 includes a generally circular bottom 3a and a generally cylindrical main body 3b that rises from the outer periphery of the bottom 3a. The upper end of the main body 3b has a circular opening as an opening 3c.

[0044] Furthermore, the main body 3b is formed by extending to be thinner than the bottom 3a, and a shaped portion 3d is provided on a part of the main body 3b. The shaped portion 3d is either a portion of the main body 3b that is expanded into a tapered shape, or a portion of the main body 3b that protrudes into a ring shape. In addition, the shaped portion 3d is not limited to such a portion; it can be any portion of the main body 3b that is deformed into a shaped form.

[0045] In the heat-insulating container 1 of this embodiment, by having the thinning of the main body 3b and the formation of the irregular part 3d or irregular part 3f simultaneously without being affected by the work hardening of the main body 3b as described later, the heat-insulating container 1 can be further made lighter while increasing the freedom of its shape.

[0046] (Manufacturing method of heat-insulated container)

[0047] Next, refer to Figures 2-8 The manufacturing method of the inner container 3 of the above-mentioned heat-insulating container 1 will be described.

[0048] also, Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing process of the inner container 3 of the aforementioned heat-insulating container 1. Figure 3 This is a top view of a circular plate used to explain the manufacturing process of the inner container 3 of the aforementioned insulated container 1. Figures 4-8 This is a cross-sectional view used to explain the manufacturing process of the inner container 3 of the above-mentioned heat-insulating container 1.

[0049] When creating the aforementioned content container 3, according to... Figure 2 The flowchart shown describes the following steps in sequence: preparing the sheet metal 30 to become the inner container 3 (hereinafter referred to as the "blank process") S101; forming the sheet metal 30 into an intermediate body 31 of the inner container 3, including the bottom 3a and the main body 3b, by deep drawing (hereinafter referred to as the "deep drawing process") S102; extending the main body 3b of the intermediate body 31 by spinning (hereinafter referred to as the "spinning process") S103; annealing the intermediate body 31 (hereinafter referred to as the "annealing process") S104; and forming a shaped part 3d on a part of the main body 3b (hereinafter referred to as the "shaping process") S105, thereby producing the inner container 3.

[0050] Specifically, firstly, as Figure 2 The billet process S101 shown is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, a circular plate 30 is formed from a stainless steel sheet that becomes the raw material for the inner container 3 through a punching process.

[0051] Next, as Figure 2 The deep drawing process S102 shown is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the punch is pressed into the sheet metal 30 sandwiched between the die and the blank holder by deep drawing, thereby forming an intermediate body 31 including a bottom 3a, a main body 3b that rises from the outer periphery of the bottom 3a, and a flange 3e that protrudes from the periphery of the opening 3c in the expansion direction.

[0052] Next, as Figure 2 The spinning process S103 shown is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the processing roller and scraper are pressed against the main body 3b of the intermediate body 31, which rotates around the central axis, by spinning. This causes the main body 3b of the intermediate body 31 to move axially ( Figure 5(As shown by the arrow) extends. As a result, the overall height of the intermediate body 31 increases, the internal volume increases, and the main body 3b is thinner than the bottom 3a.

[0053] Next, as Figure 2 The annealing process S104 shown is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, after the intermediate 31 is heated to a specified temperature by annealing, it is slowly cooled, thereby removing the residual stress of the intermediate 31 that has been hardened by the above-mentioned deep drawing and spinning processes, and softening the base metal.

[0054] Next, as Figure 2 The irregular shape process S105 shown is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, a tapered, irregularly shaped portion 3d is formed in a part of the main body 3b through a tube-expanding process. Alternatively, as... Figure 8 As shown, a protruding irregular part 3f is formed on a part of the main body 3b by embossing. Then, the flange part 3e of the intermediate body 31 is removed.

[0055] By going through the above-described process, the aforementioned internal container 3 can be manufactured.

[0056] In the manufacturing method of this embodiment, after the deep drawing and spinning of the intermediate body 31 described above, the intermediate body 31 is subjected to annealing treatment, thereby removing residual stress in the intermediate body 31. In addition, the annealing treatment softens the work-hardened intermediate body 31, thereby preventing defects such as breakage during the formation of the irregular part 3d.

[0057] Therefore, in the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the thinning of the main body 3b and the formation of the irregular part 3d or irregular part 3f can be achieved simultaneously with good yield without being affected by the work hardening of the main body 3b of the inner container 3.

[0058] Furthermore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0059] For example, in the above-described insulated container 1, the present invention is applied in the manufacturing process of the inner container 3, but it can also be applied in the manufacturing process of the outer container 2. Thus, an insulated container 1 can be obtained in which the thin-walled structure of the main body 2b of the outer container 2 and the formation of irregularly shaped parts are achieved without being affected by the work hardening of the main body 2b of the outer container 2.

Claims

1. An insulated container comprising a metal outer container open at one end and an inner container joined together with the inner container housed inside the outer container, and a vacuum insulation layer disposed between the outer container and the inner container. The heat-insulating container is characterized in that... The inner container includes a bottom and a main body portion that rises from the outer periphery of the bottom. The main body is formed by extending to have a thinner wall than the bottom. Furthermore, an irregularly shaped portion is provided on a part of the main body.

2. The heat-insulating container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The irregular part is a portion of the main body that has been expanded into a tapered shape.

3. The heat-insulating container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The irregular part is the portion that makes a part of the main body protrude.

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