Container and temperature regulation material

Abstract

To make a container less likely to be damaged.SOLUTION: In a container 10, a heat storage agent or a cold storage agent is enclosed in an internal space 10a surrounded by walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and 16e. The two walls 16b, 16c forming the corner part in the container 10 has a groove 18 which spans the two walls 16b, 16c and is recessed to the internal space 10a side. The groove bottom of the groove 18 includes a plate-like part 20 which spans the two walls 16b, 16c and protrudes to the opposite side of the internal space 10a. The tip of the plate-like part 20 is located on a virtual surface V which covers at least one of the walls 16b, 16c having the groove 18 or at the inner side of the groove 18 relative to the virtual surface V.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container and a temperature regulating material. [Background technology]

[0002] There are containers for enclosing an inclusion such as a latent heat storage agent. Such containers may be damaged by impact if they are hit against other objects or dropped during handling such as transportation. Therefore, it has been proposed to reinforce the container by forming a plate-like piece compressed in the thickness direction of the container (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-89677 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the container of Patent Document 1 is hit against other objects or dropped during transportation or other handling, the plate-like pieces are likely to come into direct contact with other objects, and the impact may be concentrated on the plate-like pieces, causing the container to be damaged.

[0005] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems associated with the conventional technology, in order to preferably solve these problems, and has an object to provide a container and temperature regulating material that are less likely to break. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the container according to the present invention is A container in which a heat storage material or a cold storage material is enclosed in an internal space surrounded by a wall, The two walls forming the corners of the container have grooves extending across the two walls and recessed into the internal space, A plate-shaped portion is provided at the bottom of the groove portion, straddling the two walls and protruding to the opposite side to the internal space, The tip of the plate-shaped portion is located on an imaginary plane covering at least one of the walls having the groove portion or on the inner side of the groove portion relative to the imaginary plane.

[0007] A second aspect of the container according to the present invention is the container according to the first aspect, The container is a blow molded product, The plate-like portion may be a pinch-off portion.

[0008] A third aspect of the container according to the present invention is the container according to the first or second aspect, A side wall of the groove may be inclined so as to move away from the plate-shaped portion from the internal space side toward the opposite side.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the container according to the present invention is any one of the first, second, and third aspects of the container, The container includes an opening communicating with the internal space and a lid attached to the opening, The wall has a multi-layer structure, and the innermost layer of the container includes a polyamide-based resin layer; a joining surface of the opening portion that joins with the lid portion is formed of the polyamide-based resin layer, The lid portion may have a joining surface that joins with the opening, the joining surface being made of a polyamide resin.

[0010] One aspect of the temperature adjusting material according to the present invention is characterized in that a heat storage agent or a cold storage agent is enclosed in the container of any one of the first, second, third and fourth aspects. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The container according to the present invention is less susceptible to breakage. According to the temperature regulating material of the present invention, the container is less likely to be damaged. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the container of the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the container of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a container according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B shows the state before the lid is attached to FIG. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing a manufacturing process of the container of the embodiment. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing a manufacturing process of the container of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a manufacturing process of the temperature regulating material of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Next, the container and temperature control material according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, using preferred examples. Note that the embodiments and drawings described below are merely examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these configurations, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. EXAMPLES

[0014] As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the container 10 according to the embodiment has an internal space 10a surrounded by walls 16a to 16e, and a heat storage agent or a cold storage agent is sealed in the internal space 10a and used as a temperature adjustment material 50 (see Fig. 9(b)). The heat storage agent is used when adjusting the temperature to a temperature range higher than 0°C, and the cold storage agent is used when adjusting the temperature to a temperature range below 0°C. Therefore, by selecting the heat storage agent or cold storage agent to be sealed in the container 10, the temperature adjustment material 50 can adjust the temperature range for keeping warm or cold, and can be used for a wide range of applications.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 6, the container 10 has an opening 12 that communicates with the internal space 10a, and a lid 14 attached to the opening 12. The container 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is a solid body that can form the internal space 10a, such as a polyhedron such as a hexahedron or a cylinder, but a flat hexahedron as in the embodiment is preferable from the viewpoint of handling because it is easy to stack. In the container 10, the wall in which the opening 12 is formed is called the upper wall 16a, the wall facing the upper wall 16a is called the lower wall 16b, the wall between the upper wall 16a and the lower wall 16b that has a smaller area is called the side wall 16c, and the walls between the upper wall 16a and the lower wall 16b that have a larger area are called the front wall 16d and the rear wall 16e, and they are distinguished from each other for convenience in the following description.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the container 10 has a groove 18 that is recessed toward the internal space 10a across two walls 16b, 16c that form a corner of the container 10. The groove 18 is formed by bending the walls 16b, 16c. The groove 18 extends in the longitudinal direction of each wall 16b, 16c. The groove 18 is disposed in the center of the short side of each wall 16b, 16c. The groove 18 is formed over the entire wall 16b in one of the two walls 16b, 16c that form the corner, and is formed up to a midpoint of the wall 16c in the other of the two walls 16b, 16c that form the corner. The groove 18 of the embodiment extends over the entire longitudinal direction of the lower wall 16b, extends to a midpoint of the right side wall 16c via the lower right corner, and extends to a midpoint of the left side wall 16c via the lower left corner.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the container 10 is provided with a plate-like portion 20 at the bottom of the groove portion 18, which straddles the two walls 16b, 16c in which the groove portion 18 is formed and protrudes to the opposite side to the internal space 10a. The plate-like portion 20 is a solid plate-like portion protruding from the bottom of the groove portion 18 to the opening side of the groove portion 18. The plate-like portion 20 extends in the same direction as the extension direction of the groove portion 18, and extends in the longitudinal direction of each wall 16b, 16c. Furthermore, the plate-like portion 20 is disposed at the center in the width direction of the groove portion 18, and at the center in the short direction of each wall 16b, 16c. The plate-like portion 20 is formed over the entire wall 16b in one of the two walls 16b, 16c forming the corner, and is formed up to a midpoint of the wall 16c in the other of the two walls 16b, 16c forming the corner. The plate-like portion 20 of the embodiment extends over the entire length of the bottom wall 16b, extends through the lower right corner to a midpoint on the right lateral wall 16c, and also extends through the lower left corner to a midpoint on the left lateral wall 16c. In this manner, the plate-like portion 20 is formed over the entire length of the groove portion 18.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the tip of the plate-shaped part 20 is located on the imaginary plane V (embodiment) covering at least one of the walls 16b, 16c having the groove 18, or is located inside the groove 18 from the imaginary plane V. The tip of the plate-shaped part 20 may be located on the imaginary plane V covering the wall 16b (16c) of one of the two walls 16b, 16c forming the corner, or inside the groove 18 from the imaginary plane V, but is not limited thereto. As in the embodiment, it is preferable that the tip of the plate-shaped part 20 is located on the imaginary plane V covering the walls 16b, 16c of the two walls 16b, 16c forming the corner, or inside the groove 18 from the imaginary plane V, because the container 10 is less likely to be damaged. The imaginary plane V is a surface connecting the outer surfaces of the walls 16b, 16c that sandwich the groove 18 in the groove width direction, and corresponds to the opening surface of the groove 18. In other words, the plate-like portion 20 is formed so as not to protrude outward from the opening surface of the groove portion 18 .

[0019] 2 and 3, the side wall 18a of the groove portion 18 is inclined so as to move away from the plate-shaped portion 20 from the internal space 10a side toward the opposite side. The side wall 18a is a groove wall disposed opposite the plate-shaped portion 20, and is inclined outward in the short-side direction of the wall 16b (16c) from the groove bottom of the groove portion 18 toward the opening side. As a result, the groove width of the groove portion 18 becomes wider from the groove bottom toward the opening side.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and 16e surrounding the internal space 10a have a multi-layer structure, and the innermost layer of the container 10 in this multi-layer structure preferably contains EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer resin) or polyamide resin with high gas barrier properties. In this way, the container 10 is preferably formed of a resin layer with high gas barrier properties on the surfaces of the walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and 16e facing the internal space 10a. In addition, the walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and 16e of the multi-layer structure may be formed of a polyolefin resin layer such as polypropylene or polyethylene except for the innermost layer of the container 10. In the walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and 16e of the embodiment, the innermost layer is a polyamide resin layer L1, and the outermost layer is a polyolefin resin layer L2.

[0021] Examples of polyamide resins include polyamides obtained by polycondensation of diamines such as aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic diamines like hexamethylenediamine, decamethylenediamine, dodecamethylenediamine, 2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylenediamine, 2,4,4-trimethylhexamethylenediamine, 1,3-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane, 1,4-bis(aminomethyl)cyclohexane, bis(p-aminocyclohexylmethane), m- or p-xylylenediamine, and dicarboxylic acids such as aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic dicarboxylic acids like adipic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, terephthalic acid, and isophthalic acid; polyamides obtained by condensation of aminocarboxylic acids such as ε-aminocaproic acid and 11-aminoundecanoic acid; polyamides obtained from lactams such as ε-caprolactam and ω-laurolactam, or copolyamides composed of these components, mixtures of these polyamides, etc. As the polyamide resin, it is preferable to use a polyamide containing an aliphatic skeleton, and it is even better to use a polyamide composed only of an aliphatic skeleton. Examples of polyamides composed only of an aliphatic skeleton include nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 9, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6 / 66, nylon 66 / 610, nylon 6 / 11, etc. Also, it is preferable to use a single polyamide rather than an alloy resin obtained by mixing polyamide with polyethylene, etc. Note that as the polyamide resin in the examples, nylon 6 is preferable because it is easy to co-extrude when forming a parison during blow molding.

[0022] The container 10 may be a blow-molded product. More specifically, the container 10 may be a blow-molded product in which a main body portion having walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and 16e surrounding the internal space 10a is integrally formed. When the container 10 is a blow-molded product, the plate-shaped portion 20 may be a pinch-off portion. More specifically, in the embodiment, the entire extending direction of the plate-shaped portion 20 corresponds to the pinch-off portion. The pinch-off portion is a portion that is joined by sandwiching the parison 30 between the mold 22 (see Figs. 7 and 8) in the blow molding. As shown in Fig. 5, in the plate-shaped portion 20 that is the pinch-off portion, the polyamide-based resin layers L1 are joined to each other. In this manner, the plate-shaped portion 20 is formed by overlapping two walls 16b (16c) in a palm-to-palm shape. In particular, by forming the plate-like portion 20 on the bottom wall 16b formed by joining the opening portion of the parison 30, the joining area of ​​the bottom wall 16b can be increased, thereby improving the sealing performance of the pinch-off portion.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 6, the opening 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape in the longitudinal center of the upper wall 16a and communicates with the internal space 10a. The joining surface of the opening 12 that joins with the lid 14 is formed of a polyamide-based resin layer L1. In the embodiment, the tip of the opening 12 has a flange shape that protrudes outward, and the upper surface of this flange shape is the polyamide-based resin layer L1.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 6, the lid 14 has a flange 14a that overlaps with the upper surface of the opening 12, and an insertion portion 14b that protrudes downward from the flange 14a and is inserted into the opening 12. The lid 14 is attached to the opening 12 by joining the lower surface of the flange 14a to the upper surface of the opening 12. Here, the joining surface of the lid 14 that joins with the opening 12 is a polyamide resin. The lid 14 may be entirely made of a polyamide resin. The lid 14 of the embodiment is entirely made of nylon 6. Reference numeral 14c in FIG. 6(b) denotes a fusion projection that is melted when joining to the opening 12.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the front wall 16d and the rear wall 16e of the container 10 are formed with a first convex portion 10b or a second convex portion 10c protruding toward the opposite side to the internal space 10a at each corner. The first convex portion 10b is formed in an "L" shape. The second convex portion 10c is formed in a square shape. In the container 10, the first convex portion 10b and the second convex portion 10c are arranged in a front-back relationship, and the second convex portion 10c is arranged at the same corner of the rear wall 16e as the front wall 16d where the first convex portion 10b is arranged. When the rear wall 16e of the container 10 and the front wall 16d of the container 10 are stacked in layers, the second convex portion 10c fits inside the first convex portion 10b. Reference numeral 10d denotes a reinforcing portion formed by joining bottom portions recessed from both sides of the front wall 16d and the rear wall 16e to each other.

[0026] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the container 10 will be described. The parison 30, which has a polyamide-based resin layer L1 as an inner layer and a polyolefin-based resin layer L2 as an outer layer, is extruded from the core 24 and placed between the open molds 22 (see FIG. 7(a)). By closing the molds 22, the lower part of the cylindrical parison 30 is sandwiched between the molds 22, and the polyamide-based resin layers L1 constituting the inner layers of the parison 20 are bonded to each other (see FIG. 7(b)). As a result, the plate-like portion 20 is formed at the lower part of the parison 30.

[0027] The mandrel 26 is pushed into the upper opening of the parison 30 to form the opening 12 (see FIG. 8(a)). At this time, the upper part of the opening 12 is bent outward, and the polyamide-based resin layer L1 is disposed on the upper surface of the opening 12. Air is blown into the parison 30 from the air injection hole 26a provided in the mandrel 26, and the parison 30 is inflated and pressed against the mold surface of the mold 22 to form the walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, the grooves 18, the protrusions 10b, 10c, the reinforcing portion 10d, and the like (see FIG. 8(b)). The mold 22 is opened, and the container 10 is removed from the mandrel 26 (see FIG. 8(c)). The reference numeral 40 in FIG. 8 denotes a burr that is generated when the parison 30 is bitten off by the mold 22 or the mandrel 26.

[0028] A heat storage agent or a cold storage agent is placed in the internal space 10a of the container 10 (see FIG. 9(a)). Then, the insertion portion 14b of the lid portion 14 is inserted into the opening 12, and the upper surface of the opening 12 and the lower surface of the flange portion 14a of the lid portion 14 are joined by vibration welding or the like to attach the lid portion 14 to the opening 12. This results in a temperature adjustment material 50 in which the heat storage agent or the cold storage agent is sealed in the internal space 10a of the container 10 (see FIG. 9(b)).

[0029] The container 10 includes a groove portion 18 that is recessed toward the internal space 10a across two walls 16b, 16c that form a corner, and a plate-shaped portion 20 that is protruding from the bottom of the groove portion 18 across the two walls 16b, 16c toward the opposite side of the internal space 10a. In the container 10, the tip of the plate-shaped portion 20 is configured to be located on an imaginary plane V that covers at least one of the walls 16b, 16c that have the groove portion 18, or inside the groove portion 18 relative to the imaginary plane V. With this configuration, when the container 10 is dropped, the plate-shaped portion 20 does not protrude from the opening surface of the groove portion 18, so that the plate-shaped portion 20 can be prevented from directly hitting the ground or the like. In addition, the container 10 has the groove 18 and the plate-shaped portion 20 formed across the two walls 16b, 16c that form the corners, but since the tip of the plate-shaped portion 20 does not protrude from the opening surface of the groove 18, even if the container 10 is dropped from a corner where impacts are likely to be concentrated, the plate-shaped portion 20 can be prevented from directly hitting the ground or the like. Therefore, since it is possible to prevent the impact of a drop or the like from being concentrated on the plate-shaped portion 20, the impact resistance of the container 10 can be improved and the container 10 can be made less likely to break. In particular, if the pinch-off portion is made of polyamide-based resin, the strength of the pinch-off portion is relatively low, but as described above, it is possible to prevent the impact from being directly applied to the plate-shaped portion 20 that is the pinch-off portion of the polyamide-based resin, so that the container 10 can be made less likely to break. And, even in the temperature adjustment material 50 in which a heat storage agent or a cold storage agent is sealed in the container 10, the container 10 is less likely to break and the handling can be improved.

[0030] In the container 10, the side wall 18a of the groove portion 18 is inclined so as to move away from the plate-like portion 20 from the internal space 10a side toward the opposite side. In the walls 16b, 16c, the groove portion 18 recessed toward the internal space 10a side may have a shape that makes it impossible to remove the container 10 from the mold 22 in the opening and closing direction of the mold 22 when the container 10 is molded with the mold 22. However, since the side wall 18a is inclined as described above, the container 10 can be easily removed from the mold 22.

[0031] The walls 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, and 16e have a multi-layer structure, and when the innermost layer of the container 10 contains a polyamide-based resin layer L1, even if a paraffin-containing heat storage agent or cold storage agent is used to be filled in the internal space 10a, the heat storage agent or cold storage agent can be prevented from bleeding (seeping out) to the outside. Furthermore, the container 10 contains a polyolefin-based resin layer L2, so that durability and impact resistance at low temperatures below the freezing point, such as when the heat storage agent or cold storage agent is frozen, can be ensured. In this way, according to the container 10, since bleeding of the heat storage agent or cold storage agent can be prevented, it is not necessary to gel the heat storage agent or cold storage agent, and it is possible to use a liquid heat storage agent or cold storage agent. Since it is not necessary to add a component for gelation to a liquid heat storage agent or cold storage agent, the latent heat can be increased, and since a gelation process is not required, costs can be reduced. Furthermore, the temperature adjustment material 50 in which a liquid heat storage agent or cold storage agent is sealed in the container 10 generates convection in the internal space 10a of the container 10, so the freezing time can be shortened compared to a gel in which no convection occurs. When the heat storage agent or cold storage agent is liquid, it becomes easier to seal it in the container 10.

[0032] The joining surface of the opening 12 that joins with the lid 14 is formed of the polyamide resin layer L1, and the joining surface of the lid 14 that joins with the opening 12 is made of a polyamide resin, so that strong joining can be achieved due to the compatibility of the same types of resins. Furthermore, because the joining surface between the opening 12 and the lid 14 is made of a polyamide resin, even if the heat storage agent or cold storage agent to be filled in the internal space 10a contains paraffin, the heat storage agent or cold storage agent can be prevented from bleeding (seeping out) to the outside. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10 Container, 10a Internal space, 12 Opening, 14 Lid, 16a Upper wall (wall), 16b Lower wall (wall), 16c Lateral wall (wall), 16d Front wall (wall), 16e Rear wall (wall), 18 Groove portion, 20 Plate-like portion

Claims

1. A container in which a heat storage material or a cold storage material is enclosed in an internal space surrounded by a wall, The two walls forming the corners of the container have grooves extending across the two walls and recessed into the internal space, A plate-shaped portion is provided at a bottom of the groove portion, the plate-shaped portion straddling the two walls and protruding to the opposite side to the internal space, A container, wherein a tip of the plate-shaped portion is located on an imaginary plane covering at least one wall having the groove portion or on the inner side of the groove portion relative to the imaginary plane.

2. The container is a blow molded product, The container according to claim 1 , wherein the plate-like portion is a pinch-off portion.

3. The container according to claim 2 , wherein a side wall of the groove is inclined so as to move away from the plate-like portion from the internal space side toward the opposite side.

4. The container includes an opening communicating with the internal space and a lid attached to the opening, The wall has a multi-layer structure, and the innermost layer of the container includes a polyamide-based resin layer, a joining surface of the opening portion that joins with the lid portion is formed of the polyamide-based resin layer, The container according to claim 1 , wherein a joining surface of the lid portion that joins with the opening portion is made of a polyamide resin.

5. A temperature control material comprising the container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and a heat storage agent or a cold storage agent sealed therein.

Images