Sealing tool

Abstract

To provide a sealing tool of a new system different from conventional products.SOLUTION: A sealing tool X includes a flat body 1 and a U-shaped rod portion 2. The U-shaped rod portion 2 is integral with the body 1 having an insertion hole 10, has flexibility against bending and twisting, and extends from the body 1 to be inserted into the insertion hole 10. The U-shaped rod portion 2 has a spiral insertion portion 21 and a thin neck portion 22. The spiral insertion portion 21 has a non-circular radial cross section and is formed so as to twist from a root to a tip, and the thin neck portion 22 is adjacent to the spiral insertion portion 21. The insertion hole 10 has a regulating passage 101 on an entrance side and an open space 102 behind it. The regulating passage 101 has a cross section corresponding to a radial cross section shape of the spiral insertion portion 21, and causes the spiral insertion portion 21 to be inserted while restricting its rotation. A twisted state of the spiral insertion portion 21 that has passed through the regulating passage 101 is resolved in the open space 102, and comes into engagement with the insertion hole 10, and reverse removal is also prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, sealing devices such as cable ties that cannot be unlocked without cutting the band portion are known.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a sealing device that is used together with a lock on the door of an item storage box to make it possible to clearly see any unauthorized opening of the door and to easily deal with such an action. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-330372 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Most conventional sealing devices use a serrated shape (a cable tie) or a continuous spherical or conical member, etc., to be pressed into the cable tie to engage the sealing device.

[0006] However, from the standpoint of increasing variety and reducing costs, there is a demand for new sealing devices that differ from conventional products.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a sealing device that differs from the conventional cable tie type. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The sealing device of the present invention comprises a flat body (1) and a U-shaped rod portion (2) that is molded integrally with the body, has flexibility with respect to bending in the extension direction and torsion about the linear axis, extends from one side of the body, makes a U-shaped turn, and has a tip portion that is inserted into an insertion hole (10) formed in the body to form an annular space (23) on one side of the body.

[0009] The U-shaped bar portion has at its tip a spiral insertion portion (21) which has a non-circular radial cross-sectional shape and is formed so as to twist from the base to the tip, and a narrow neck portion (22) formed adjacent to the base side of the spiral insertion portion.

[0010] The insertion hole has a radial cross-sectional shape corresponding to the radial cross-sectional shape of the spiral insertion portion on the insertion entrance side, and a regulating passage (101) is formed through which the spiral insertion portion can be inserted while regulating its rotation, and an open space (102) is formed at the back of the regulating passage in which the spiral insertion portion can rotate freely.

[0011] The length of the restricting passage is shorter than the length of the spiral insertion portion, and the twist of the spiral insertion portion that passes through the restricting passage while being twisted is released in the open space and the rotational position is restored, thereby preventing reverse withdrawal from the insertion hole.

[0012] This makes it possible to provide a sealing device that uses a spiral insertion method that differs from the conventional cable tie method. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sealing device of a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 from another viewing direction. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of use of a sealing tool. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the sealing device before sealing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the sealing device after sealing. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion VI in FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of an arrow VII in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion IX in FIG. 4. [Figure 10] 5 is a view (insertion hole) taken in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 4. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] This is one of the diagrams showing the sealing process. [Figure 13] This is Figure 2 showing the sealing process. [Figure 14] This is Figure 3 showing the sealing process. [Figure 15] This is Figure 4 showing the sealing process. [Figure 16] This is Figure 5 showing the sealing process. [Figure 17] This is Figure 6 showing the sealing process. [Figure 18] 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the sealing process. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the sealing process. [Figure 24] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the sealing process. [Diagram 25] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the sealing process. [Figure 26] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the sealing process. [Figure 27] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the spiral insertion portion of the second embodiment. [Figure 28] 28 is a view taken in the direction of arrow XXVIII in FIG. 27. [Figure 29] 12 is a perspective see-through view of an insertion hole according to a second embodiment corresponding to FIG. 11. FIG. [Diagram 30] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment after sealing corresponding to FIG. 18. [Diagram 31] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a sealing device of a third embodiment. [Diagram 32] FIG. 30 is a front view showing the sealing device of FIG. 29 in a sealed state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the sealing device will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (First embodiment) The sealing device X of the first embodiment is shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 26. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show the sealing device X, and Fig. 3 shows an example of its use. The sealing device X is used, for example, in sales item storage boxes on passenger aircraft, and makes it impossible to open the sealing device X without destroying it. The effect of the sealing device is the same as that of conventional products, so a description thereof will be omitted (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0016] Figure 4 shows the sealing device X before sealing, and Figure 5 shows the sealing device X after sealing. The sealing device X comprises a flat body 1 and a U-shaped bar portion 2. The U-shaped bar portion 2 is made of a flexible material such as plastic and is integrally formed with the body 1, and is flexible with respect to bending in the extension direction and torsion about the linear axis.

[0017] In addition, Figure 4 also shows the viewing direction X (the Latin numeral 10) in Figure 10 described later. However, since this is the same character as the sealing device X, in Figure 4 the former is written in full-width characters and the latter in half-width characters to distinguish them.

[0018] In this specification, "upper" and "lower" are defined based on the vertical direction in Fig. 4 to Fig. 5. The orientation of Fig. 4 to Fig. 5 is the front. The main body 1 of the sealing device X is an ellipse with two long sides L in the vertical direction, or a so-called paper clip oval shape (a rounded rectangle with two corners on both sides of each short side joined to form a semicircle).

[0019] Also refer to Figures 1 and 2. Here, the side surfaces adjacent to the long side L of the main surface 11 forming the front and back of the flat plate of the main body 1 are defined as long side surfaces 13, and the direction along the long side L is defined as the long side direction DL. In addition, the side surfaces connecting the two long side surfaces 13 are defined as short side surfaces 12 (the upper and lower curved surfaces of the main body 1 in Figure 4).

[0020] The U-shaped bar portion 2 extends obliquely from the base 20 of the short side surface 12 on the upper side of the main body 1 in the vertical direction, and extends in an arc along the long side direction DL. The U-shaped bar portion 2 continues to extend while drawing an arc, and as a whole forms a U-turn shape along the long side direction DL. The tip of the U-shaped bar portion 2 is formed parallel to the long side direction DL and facing downward.

[0021] 6 to 7 show the tip of the U-shaped bar portion 2. The tip is insertable into an insertion hole 10 recessed from the opposite side of the short side surface 12 to the base portion 20 from which the U-shaped bar portion 2 extends. As described above, the entire U-shaped bar portion 2, including the tip, is flexible, and can enter the insertion hole 10 while rotating (twisting) about the linear axis of the tip, as described below.

[0022] Furthermore, the tip portion forms an annular space 23 (the space inside the ring in FIG. 5) on one side (the upper short side surface 12 side) of the main body 1 by being inserted into the insertion hole 10. This creates the same state as when the hasp of a padlock is pushed in and locked.

[0023] Further description will be given of the tip of the U-shaped bar portion 2. The U-shaped bar portion 2 has a spiral insertion portion 21 at its tip, and a thin neck portion 22 formed adjacent to the root side (base portion 20 side) of the spiral insertion portion 21. In other words, "tip portion = spiral insertion portion 21 + thin neck portion 22".

[0024] The spiral insertion portion 21 has a non-circular radial cross-sectional shape (a cross-sectional shape viewed perpendicular to the axial direction of the spiral insertion portion 21) and is formed so as to twist from the root (the base 20 side) toward the tip P. In detail, the non-circular cross-section of the spiral insertion portion 21 continuously rotates from the base 20 side toward the tip P, and has a shape twisted by about 90° overall (FIGS. 6 to 7).

[0025] The area including the tip P of the spiral insertion part 21 is curved into a nose cone shape. This shape allows the spiral insertion part 21 to smoothly enter the insertion hole 10.

[0026] Figure 8 shows a radial comparison of the relationship between the thin neck portion 22 and the spiral insertion portion. The thin neck portion 22 is continuously formed to form a step on the base side of the spiral insertion portion 21. The silhouette of the thin neck portion 22 seen from the extension direction is contained inside the silhouette of the spiral insertion portion 21. In addition, the radial cross-sectional area C22 of the thin neck portion 22 is smaller than the radial cross-sectional area C21 of the spiral insertion portion 21. The dotted line in Figure 8 indicates the cross section before the spiral insertion portion 21 starts to rotate.

[0027] As a result, as described below, when the spiral insertion portion 21 passes through the insertion hole 10, the end portion (the vertical wall W21 in Figure 18 described below) of the spiral insertion portion 21 on the thin neck portion 22 side gets caught in the regulating passage 101 of the insertion hole 10 described below and cannot be removed.

[0028] Furthermore, when an attempt is made to pull out this stuck spiral insertion portion 21, the break point 24 provided on the U-shaped bar portion 2 easily breaks. Note that in this embodiment, the break point 24 is provided in the vicinity of the thin neck portion 22, but the location of the break point 24 is not limited thereto, and it may be located anywhere between the base portion 20 of the U-shaped bar portion 2 and the thin neck portion 22.

[0029] The insertion hole 10 on the side into which the tip of the U-shaped bar portion 2 is inserted will now be described. Fig. 9 shows a plan view of the internal structure of the insertion hole 10. Fig. 10 shows the shape of the insertion hole 10 as viewed perpendicularly to the hole axis, and Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the internal structure of the insertion hole 10.

[0030] The insertion hole 10 has a restricting passage 101 formed on the insertion entrance side, which has a radial cross-sectional shape (also non-circular) corresponding to the radial cross-sectional shape (non-circular) of the spiral insertion part 21, and which restricts the rotation of the spiral insertion part 21 while allowing it to be inserted. The length of the restricting passage 101 is shorter than that of the spiral insertion part 21, and is provided very short on the entrance side of the insertion hole 10 as shown in FIG. 9.

[0031] In this embodiment, the radial cross-sectional shape of the spiral insertion part 21 and the radial cross-sectional shape of the corresponding regulating passage 101 are D-cut or crescent-shaped in which a part of a circle is cut by a chord (a line segment having both ends on the circumference) among non-circular shapes (FIGS. 10-11). That is, the spiral insertion part 21 is a D-cut column twisted by about 90°, and the regulating passage 101 is a D-cut space without twisting.

[0032] In the insertion hole 10, an open space 102 is formed on the back side of the regulating passage 101, in which the spiral insertion portion 21 can freely rotate in the extension direction and about the linear axis. In other words, "insertion hole 10 = regulating passage 101 + open space 102".

[0033] On the other hand, the open space 102 is capable of accommodating the entire spiral insertion portion 21 and ensures a clearance for the spiral insertion portion 21 to an extent that does not restrict the movement of the spiral insertion portion 21.

[0034] This clearance will be described later with reference to Fig. 18. The radial cross-sectional area of ​​the restriction passage 101 is taken as C101, the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the release space 102 is taken as C102, and the radial cross-sectional areas of the insertion hole 10 and the U-shaped bar portion 2 are compared and arranged in ascending order as follows:

[0035] Radial cross-sectional area C22 (narrow neck portion 22) < radial cross-sectional area C21 (spiral insertion portion 21) < radial cross-sectional area C101 (restriction passage 101) < radial cross-sectional area C102 (open space 102)

[0036] Here, the difference in cross-sectional area between the radial cross-sectional area C21 and the radial cross-sectional area C101 is small because the shape of the restriction passage 101 corresponds to the shape of the spiral insertion portion 21, thereby minimizing the clearance between the spiral insertion portion 21 and the restriction passage 101.

[0037] This allows the spiral insertion portion 21 to enter the regulating passage 101 while twisting, and allows the regulating passage 101 to regulate the twisting (rotation) of the spiral insertion portion 21.

[0038] The insertion hole 10 is inclined with respect to the long side direction DL, and is formed from one long side surface 13 to the other long side surface 13. In this embodiment, the open space 102 of the insertion hole 10 is configured to penetrate through the main body 1 and penetrate to the opposite side of the insertion inlet side (FIG. 1).

[0039] 12 to 17 show the sealing process, with Fig. 12 being the initial state, of what happens when the spiral insertion portion 21 is inserted into the insertion hole 10. Here, it is assumed that the entire U-shaped bar portion 2, including the tip portion (=spiral insertion portion 21 + thin neck portion 22), has flexibility against bending in the extension direction and elasticity against torsion about the linear axis.

[0040] In Fig. 13, the spiral insertion part 21 is oriented in the same direction as in the initial state in Fig. 4. At this time, the user (not shown) moves the spiral insertion part 21 closer to the entrance side of the insertion hole 10. In the next Fig. 14, the spiral insertion part 21 is inserted from the tip P side into the restriction passage 101 on the insertion entrance side of the insertion hole 10.

[0041] At this time, the spiral insertion portion 21 of the D-cut cylinder twisted by approximately 90° is inserted into the regulated passage 101, which is a twistless D-cut space, but since the spiral insertion portion 21 has torsional elasticity with respect to the linear axis, it can enter the regulated passage 101 while being twisted.

[0042] As the spiral insertion portion 21 progresses deeper into the insertion hole 10 in Figures 14, 15, and 16, the twisting of the spiral insertion portion 21 becomes more significant, and when the entire spiral insertion portion 21 passes through the regulating passage 101 and reaches the open space 102 (Figure 17), a part of the narrow neck portion 22 located to the rear of the spiral insertion portion 21 in the direction of travel reaches the open space 102.

[0043] As a result, the regulating passage 101 loses the object of rotation restriction (the spiral insertion portion 21), and at the same time, the tip portion of the U-shaped bar portion 2 (including the spiral insertion portion 21), which was on the restricted side, is released from the rotation restriction state by the regulating passage 101.

[0044] As a result, the spiral insertion portion 21 returns to its original untwisted state due to its torsional elasticity, and the orientation of the spiral insertion portion 21 also returns to its original state (FIGS. 6 and 12). The state of the insertion hole 10 and the spiral insertion portion 21 at this time is shown in FIG.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 18, the radial cross-sectional area C22 of the narrow neck portion 22 is smaller than the radial cross-sectional area C21 of the spiral insertion portion 21. At the transition point from the spiral insertion portion 21 to the narrow neck portion 22, the spiral insertion portion 21 appears as a standing wall W21 in two places. Note that the standing wall W21 on the narrow neck portion 22 side of the spiral insertion portion 21 is actually the same continuous area, but appears in two places, above and below, in Fig. 18.

[0046] On the other hand, the regulating passage 101 side also has a crescent portion M which forms a D-cut space, and as shown in FIG. 18, at the transition point from the regulating passage 101 to the open space 102, the crescent portion M appears as a standing wall W101.

[0047] With this configuration, when the twisted state of the spiral insertion portion 21 that has passed through the regulating passage 101 while twisting is released in the open space 102, the standing wall W21 of the spiral insertion portion 21 (the standing wall W21 that appears on the upper side in Figure 18) engages with the standing wall W101 of the regulating passage 101.

[0048] At this time, an annular space 23 is formed, and the sealing device X is in a locked state. Once the spiral insertion portion 21 is locked in the regulating passage 101, it cannot be easily released even if an attempt is made to twist the U-shaped bar portion 2 in the reverse direction to return it to its original state.

[0049] This is because the entire U-shaped bar part 2, including the spiral insertion part 21, is integrally formed with the main body 1, and even if one tries to twist the U-shaped bar part 2, it cannot be freely twisted due to the constraints of the existence of the main body 1. This ensures a state in which it is difficult to return to a twisted state in which the lock can be released, and prevents the spiral insertion part 21 from coming out of the insertion hole 10.

[0050] In addition, when attempting to rotate the spiral insertion portion 21, which has been locked in the insertion hole 10 after the seal has been formed and cannot be seen from the outside, it is necessary to grip a portion of the U-shaped bar portion 2, exposed to the outside, closer to the main body 1 than the thin neck portion 22. At this time, if an attempt is made to grip the U-shaped bar portion 2 and twist it in the unlocking direction, the break point 24 provided on the U-shaped bar portion 2 will break.

[0051] In order to facilitate understanding of the sealing mechanism of the spiral insertion method described above, enlarged views of FIG. 14 and FIGS. 16 to 17 are shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, and perspective views are shown in FIGS. 22 to 26, respectively.

[0052] Second embodiment The spiral insertion portion of the sealing device Y of the second embodiment and its surroundings are shown in Fig. 27 to Fig. 30. The sealing device Y differs from the first embodiment (sealing device X) only in the configurations of the "regulating passage" and the "spiral insertion portion", so a description of the configurations common to the sealing device X will be omitted. For distinction, the reference numerals of each element of the sealing device Y will be suffixed with Y, for example, the regulating passage 101Y and the spiral insertion portion 21Y.

[0053] As shown in Figures 27 and 28, the spiral insertion part 21Y of this embodiment is not a D-cut shape like the sealing tool X. When viewed on a plane perpendicular to the line axis, it is a flat plate shape that appears to be a substantially rectangular shape with only a band-like region including the center point of a circle remaining, and only both short sides of the substantially rectangular shape are curved (curved). In other words, the second embodiment has a two-sided shape.

[0054] As shown in Fig. 29, the regulation passage 101Y also corresponds to the shape of the spiral insertion portion 21Y. The spiral insertion portion 21Y is formed so as to be twisted from the root (the base portion 20Y side) toward the tip PY, and is twisted by about 90° overall, which is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0055] Figure 30 shows the state where the spiral insertion part 21Y is inserted into the insertion hole 10Y and is in a locked state, in comparison with Figure 18 of the sealing device X. In Figure 18, the standing wall W21 of the spiral insertion part 21 and the standing wall W101 of the crescent part M engage with each other to form a locked state. If this is called a locking point, the sealing device X has one locking point.

[0056] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 30, in the sealing device Y, the half-moon portion MY is located at two places, above and below the narrow neck portion 22Y, and the standing wall W101Y also appears in two places. On the other hand, the standing wall W21Y on the spiral insertion portion 21Y side appears at two places, above and below, as in Fig. 18 (first embodiment), but both the above and below engage with the standing wall W101Y, which differs from the first embodiment in that only the upper standing wall W21 engages with the standing wall W101. In other words, the sealing device Y has two locking points.

[0057] With the above-mentioned configuration, the sealing device Y has the same locking state and reverse removal prevention effect as the sealing device X.

[0058] Third embodiment A sealing device Z of the third embodiment is shown in Figures 31 and 32. The sealing device Z is a conventional padlock type to which a spiral insertion method is applied.

[0059] The spiral insertion method essentially involves integrating the main body and the U-shaped bar portion and using the flexibility of the U-shaped bar portion to seal. Therefore, an arrangement such as sealing device X (first embodiment) or sealing device Y (second embodiment), which has a loop-shaped U-shaped bar portion and an insertion hole that is inclined relative to the vertically long main body, is preferable.

[0060] However, in situations where conventional padlock types were used, it is thought that a horizontally long body would be more suitable than a vertically long body. Therefore, sealing device Z uses a spiral insertion method but has a structure similar to the conventional padlock type.

[0061] Figure 31 shows the sealing tool Z before sealing. The sealing tool Z is configured so that the insertion hole 10Z is not oblique to the main body 1Z, but goes straight from top to bottom. In addition, in order to insert the spiral insertion part 21Z in the vertical direction, the base part 20Z of the U-shaped bar part 2Z is ​​configured to have a notch structure.

[0062] Figure 32 shows the sealing device Z after sealing. By configuring it as shown in Figure 31, when using it, if the U-shaped bar portion 2Z is ​​pushed in so as to bend it at the notch portion of the base portion 20Z, the spiral insertion portion 21Z can be inserted into the vertical insertion hole 10Z, and the spiral insertion type sealing device Z can be used even in situations where a padlock type is more suitable.

[0063] (Other embodiments) The radial cross-sectional shape of the spiral insertion part may be a D-cut shape, a two-face width shape, or any other non-circular shape that restricts free rotation. The twist angle is not limited to about 90° and may be set appropriately. The twist angle may also change continuously over the entire axial length. In the case of a spiral shape, even those with complex cross-sectional shapes that cannot be formed with a mold can be supplied by a 3D printer.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the main body portion has an insertion hole and has no function other than restricting the movement of the U-shaped bar portion, but the embodiment is not limited to the above, and for example, the main body portion may be configured to be capable of mounting an IC tag and function as an electronic tag. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 main body, 10 insertion hole, 101 regulating passage, 102 open space 2 U-shaped bar portion, 23 annular space, 21 spiral insertion portion, 22 narrow neck portion

Claims

1. A flat body (1), a U-shaped rod portion (2) that is molded integrally with the main body, has flexibility with respect to bending in the extension direction and torsion about the linear axis, extends from one surface of the main body, makes a U-shaped turn, and has a tip portion that is inserted into an insertion hole (10) formed in the main body to form an annular space (23) on one side of the main body; Equipped with The U-shaped bar portion has a spiral insertion portion (21) at a tip portion, the spiral insertion portion (21) having a non-circular radial cross-sectional shape and twisting from the base to the tip portion, and a thin neck portion (22) formed adjacent to the base side of the spiral insertion portion, The insertion hole has a radial cross-sectional shape corresponding to the radial cross-sectional shape of the spiral insertion portion on the insertion inlet side, and a restricting passage (101) is formed in which the spiral insertion portion is inserted while restricting its rotation, and an open space (102) in which the spiral insertion portion can freely rotate is formed at the back of the restricting passage, The length of the restriction passage is shorter than the length of the spiral insertion portion, The spiral insertion portion passes through the regulating passage while being twisted, and the twist is released in the open space, returning the rotational position, thereby preventing reverse removal from the insertion hole.

2. The sealing device according to claim 1 , wherein the spiral insertion portion and the regulating passage have a radial cross section formed into a D-cut shape in which a part of a circle is cut by a chord.

3. The side surface adjacent to the long side of the main surface (11) forming the front and back of the flat plate of the main body is defined as the long side surface (13), and the direction along the long side of the main surface is defined as the long side direction.

3. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the insertion hole is inclined with respect to the long side direction and is formed from one long side surface to the other long side surface.

Images