Sealing device

Abstract

To provide a sealing device that can be miniaturized overall and reduce manufacturing costs.SOLUTION: The sealing device is for sealing the opening of a container with a lid body, which includes: a placement section for placing the container; a sealing force application section for applying energy to seal the container with the lid body; and a movement mechanism for moving the sealing force application section and / or the container between a first position where the sealing force application section and the container placed on the placement section are at a predetermined distance apart and a second position where the sealing force application section applies a predetermined amount of force to the lid body placed on the container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing device for joining a lid to a container to seal the container.

Background Art

[0002] Sealing devices are widely used for the purpose of sealing a lid on an opening of a container. For example, stores such as supermarkets provide food and beverages (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "products" or "contents"). When a store provides a product, it does not directly hand over the product to the purchaser, but instead puts the product in a container and provides it with the opening of the container sealed with a lid. The conventional method of providing products in stores is to pre-display the products already placed in containers on shelves or the like, and the purchaser selects and purchases the displayed products. In this method of providing products, the store puts the product in a container and seals the opening of the container with a lid. In recent years, in addition to such a method of providing products, a new method of providing products in which the purchaser puts the product in a container and seals the opening of the container with a lid has become widespread. Currently, this method of providing products is often used, for example, when providing beverages such as coffee in convenience stores.

[0003] There are various modes of covering the opening of a container. One of these modes is a mode in which a lid is joined to an edge formed on the periphery of the opening of the container. In this mode, the lid is joined to the edge of the container. Therefore, the inside of the container is in a sealed state. Methods for joining the lid include, for example, a heat sealing method in which heat is applied to the container and the lid to join them, and an ultrasonic welding method in which ultrasonic waves are applied to the container and the lid to join them. Hereinafter, joining the lid to the container may be referred to as "sealing the lid to the container".

[0004] A conventionally known method for sealing a lid on a container is to use a sealing device (also referred to as a closing device). Sealing devices come in various forms to meet multiple requirements such as their installation location and the frequency of sealing the lid on the container. One such form of a sealing device is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. This sealing device includes a container support base for supporting the container. The container support base is configured to be able to house the container. This sealing device is equipped with a moving mechanism and is configured to be able to move the container support base between a position outside the sealing device and a position inside the sealing device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Since the sealing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above has a moving mechanism for moving the container support base, its structure tends to become complex, the number of parts also tends to increase, and the manufacturing cost has been rising. Also, due to the complexity of the structure, conventional sealing devices tended to become larger. When the installation space for the sealing device is easily secured like in a factory, the enlargement of the sealing device is not a major problem. However, in recent years, the installation of sealing devices in stores has been increasing. Generally, it is more difficult for stores to secure space for installing sealing devices compared to factories. Therefore, sealing devices installed in stores are preferably made as small as possible.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a sealing device that can be overall miniaturized and can reduce manufacturing costs.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] The present invention has the gist as shown in the following (1) to (17). (1) A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container with a lid, comprising a placement part for placing the container, a sealing force applying part for applying energy for sealing the container with the lid, a first position where the sealing force applying part and the container placed on the placement part are separated by a predetermined distance, and a second position where the sealing force applying part applies a predetermined amount of force to the lid placed on the container, and a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force applying part and / or the container between the first position and the second position. The sealing device is characterized by comprising the moving mechanism. (2) A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container with a lid, comprising a placement part for placing the container, a sealing force applying part for applying energy for sealing the container with the lid, a first position where the sealing force applying part and the container placed on the placement part are separated by a predetermined distance, and a second position where the sealing force applying part applies a predetermined amount of force to the lid placed on the container, and a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force applying part and / or the container between the first position and the second position. The sealing force applying part is characterized by releasing the application of the sealing force to the container when a predetermined condition is satisfied. (3) The sealing device according to (2) above, wherein the predetermined condition is that the sealing force applied by the sealing force applying part has reached a predetermined magnitude. (4) The sealing device according to (2) above, wherein the predetermined condition is that a predetermined time has elapsed after the sealing force applied by the sealing force applying part has reached a predetermined magnitude. (5) The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above, further comprising a holding part for holding the container at a predetermined position of the placement part when the container is placed on the placement part. (6) The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the energy has at least thermal energy. (7) The container and the lid have facing portions where the container and the lid face each other, and a resin material is present on the facing portions. The sealing force applying portion applies at least thermal energy, and the thermal energy has a value exceeding the softening temperature of the resin material. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (8) The sealing force applying portion applies pressing energy in addition to the thermal energy. The sealing device according to (7) above. (9) When the container is placed on the placement portion, it has a holding portion for holding the container at a predetermined position of the placement portion. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (10) The holding portion has a positioning portion for arranging the container at a predetermined position of the placement portion when holding the container. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (11) The holding portion holds the body portion of the container. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (12) The holding portion is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different sizes. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (13) The holding portion is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different shapes. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (14) The moving mechanism includes an operation portion for a user to operate the moving mechanism, and is configured to move between the first position and the second position by the operation of the user. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (15) The moving mechanism has a moving force applying portion for applying a moving force for moving the sealing force applying portion located at the second position to the first position. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (16) The placement portion is located below the sealing force applying portion. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (17) When the container is placed on the placement portion, it has a lid guiding portion for guiding a position for inserting the lid at a position below the sealing force applying portion and above the upper end of the container. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above. (18) The sealing force applying portion applies the first energy as the energy to at least a part of the contact surface formed on at least a part of the facing surface of the lid body and the container at the second position, and at the non-contact surface facing the contact surface, a second energy smaller than the magnitude of the first energy is applied. The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, first, since the container is held at the body portion, when a sealing force is applied by the sealing force applying portion, the projecting portion formed at the upper end of the container is maintained in a state where it is easily deformed as a whole. Therefore, even when a sealing force is applied by the sealing force applying portion, the container does not receive all of the applied sealing force at the projecting portion, but receives only a force of a predetermined magnitude and allows the other forces to escape. Therefore, when sealing the lid body to the container, it can be easily performed.

[0010] Further, according to the present invention, since the container is directly placed on the placing portion, there is no need to provide a holding tool for holding the container at the upper end portion or a drive mechanism for operating the holding tool in the front-rear direction as in a conventionally known sealing device, and the overall configuration of the sealing device can be made simple. Therefore, according to the sealing device according to the present invention, the number of parts can be significantly reduced, and it is possible to achieve miniaturization and weight reduction, and furthermore, various costs including the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced. In particular, in recent years' stores, from the viewpoint of more efficiently using the limited store space, it is desired that the installed items be more miniaturized and lightweight. Therefore, since the sealing device according to the present invention can easily achieve significant miniaturization, it can be provided more efficiently even for stores such as convenience stores and fast food stores in recent years, where space efficiency is more strongly required.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] Specific embodiments of the sealing device according to the present invention are as follows. The following is a detailed description of the configuration and the like of the sealing device according to the present invention. The following description is made with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description shows an example as a specific aspect of the sealing device according to the present invention, and the content of the sealing device according to the present invention is not limited to the content of the following description. Therefore, the sealing device according to the present invention may be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0013] The following description indicates the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions for convenience of explanation. However, the content of the present invention is not limited to these directions. In the following, it is described assuming that the Z-axis direction is the up-down direction, the X-axis direction is the front-rear direction, and the Y-axis direction is the left-right direction. The size relationships such as the sizes and thicknesses of the sealing device and each member shown in FIGS. 1 to 20 are for convenience of description and do not limit the actual size relationships and ratios.

[0014] [First Embodiment] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sealing device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a device main body 2 and a cover body 3, and when provided for use by a user, the device main body 2 is covered with the cover body 3. The device main body 2 includes a housing 4, a holding portion 5 (hereinafter also referred to as a holding member), a lid positioning portion 6, a sealing force applying portion 7, a moving mechanism 8, and an operation portion 9.

[0015] The housing 4 is composed of a bottom plate 10, a right side plate 11, a left side plate 12, an upper plate 13, and a rear plate 14, and the outer contour of the apparatus main body 2 is formed by these members. The bottom plate 10 is a plate-shaped member formed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 2. This bottom plate 10 is provided with a placement portion 15 for placing the container 501. The placement portion 15 is formed on the surface of the bottom plate 10. In this embodiment, the placement portion 15 is formed in a planar shape, but for example, it may be formed in a concave shape according to the shape of the bottom of the container 501, or a groove may be formed. The right side plate 11 is provided so as to stand upright from the right end in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the bottom plate 10. Also, the left side plate 12 is provided so as to stand upright from the left end in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the bottom plate 10. These right side plate 11 and left side plate 12 are vertically long plate-shaped members extending in the height direction (Z-axis direction). Also, these right side plate 11 and left side plate 12 are provided with a rail fixing portion 16 for fixing a guide rail constituting a moving mechanism 8 described later. This rail fixing portion 16 only needs to be able to attach and fix the guide rail to the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12, and its shape may be arbitrarily determined. Also, these right side plate 11 and left side plate 12 are also configured so that various members constituting the sealing force applying portion 7 can be attached. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 are formed so that various members constituting the sealing force applying portion 7 can be attached to the upper part, and the rail fixing portion 16 is formed below that.

[0016] The upper plate 13 is a plate-shaped member whose right end in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) is fixed to the right side plate 11 and whose left end in the left-right direction is fixed to the left side plate 12. Various members constituting the sealing force applying portion 7 are attached to this upper plate 13.

[0017] The rear plate 14 is a plate-shaped member attached to the rear ends in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) of the right side plate 11, the left side plate 12, and the upper plate 13. This rear plate 14 has a holding member attachment portion 17 for attaching and fixing a holding portion 5 described later at the lower part. Note that for this holding member attachment portion 17, as long as the holding member can be attached and fixed, the configuration may be arbitrarily selected from conventionally known methods.

[0018] The holding portion 5 is for holding the body of the container 501 placed on the placing portion 15. This holding portion 5 has one end and the other end, and one end is a fixed end attached to the rear plate 14, and the other end is attached so as to be a free end extending forward from the one end. Further, the holding portion 5 has an attachment portion 18, an extension portion 19, a container holding portion 20, and a guiding portion 21 from one end toward the other end. The attachment portion 18 is for attaching and fixing the holding portion 5 to the rear plate 14. In the present embodiment, the attachment portion 18 is configured to be able to be attached and fixed to the rear plate 14 by, for example, screwing, but is not limited to this configuration. The extension portion 19 is a portion that extends a predetermined distance from the attachment portion 18 toward the one end side. The distance by which the extension portion 19 extends may be arbitrarily determined according to the size and / or shape of the container 501.

[0019] The container holding portion 20 is for holding the container 501 placed on the placement portion 15. This container holding portion 20 is formed by further extending from the front end of the extension portion 19 and is formed in an arc shape that also spreads in the left - right direction. The arc of the container holding portion 20 is formed along the outer peripheral edge of the container 501 placed on the placement portion 15. The guiding portion 21 is for guiding the container 501 to smoothly enter the container holding portion 20 when the container 501 is inserted into the holding portion 5 (when the container 501 is moved toward the holding portion 5 in the A direction shown in FIG. 1). The end portion on the other end side of the container holding portion 20 is formed such that the distance W1 between the members constituting the container holding portion 20 is narrower than the outer diameter D1 of the container 501 at the position corresponding to the height direction position where the container holding portion 20 is installed. In some cases, it may be difficult for the container 501 to smoothly enter the container holding portion 20. The guiding portion 21 is formed such that the distance between the tips of the guiding portion 21 is wider than the distance W1, and the width thereof is gradually narrowed until it reaches the distance W1 between the members forming the tip of the container holding portion 20. Therefore, when the container 501 is made to enter in the A direction in FIG. 1, the distance between the members forming the container holding portion 20 can be easily widened along with the entering operation, and the container 501 can be smoothly made to enter the container holding portion 20. It is preferable that this container holding portion 20 is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different sizes and / or shapes.

[0020] The lid positioning portion 6 is for positioning the lid when placing the lid on the container 501 placed on the placement portion 15. The lid positioning portion 6 is composed of a first lid positioning portion 22, a second lid positioning portion 23, a third lid positioning portion 24, and a fourth lid positioning portion 25. Among these, the first lid positioning portion 22 and the third lid positioning portion 24 are attached and fixed to the right side plate, and the second lid positioning portion 23 and the fourth lid positioning portion 25 are attached and fixed to the left side plate. The first lid positioning portion 22 to the fourth lid positioning portion 25 each have the same configuration. That is, the first lid positioning portion 22 to the fourth lid positioning portion 25 each have a first fixing member 22A to 25A, a second fixing member 22B to 25B, a first rotating member 22C to 25C, a second rotating member 22D to 25D, and a rod-shaped body 22E to 25E. Since the first lid positioning portion 22 to the fourth lid positioning portion 25 have the same structure, the following description of the structure will be made using only the first lid positioning portion 22 and the second lid positioning portion 23, and the description of the configuration of the third lid positioning portion 24 and the fourth lid positioning portion 25 will be omitted.

[0021] The first fixing member 22A is a member formed in an L shape and has a first piece 26 on the side attached to the right side plate 11 and a second piece 27 extending from the right side plate 11 to the inside of the housing 4. The first piece 26 has a recess 28 with a predetermined width formed in the central portion in the thickness direction (width direction) of the first fixing member 22A. Further, the first piece 26 has through holes formed in the convex portions 29 located at both ends of the recess 28 and penetrating in the thickness direction of the convex portions 29.

[0022] The first moving member 22C is a member formed in an L shape, with a third piece 31 and a fourth piece 32 formed so as to bend and intersect. The third piece 31 is formed such that its thickness decreases towards the tip, and a through-hole 34 penetrating in the thickness direction is formed in the thin portion 33 at the tip. Note that the thickness of this thin portion 33 is formed to be approximately the same as the width of the recess 28 formed in the first piece 26 of the first fixing member 22A, or slightly thinner than the width of the recess 28. The fourth piece 32 is formed in a direction intersecting the third piece 31 at approximately a right angle, and its tip is formed so as to be able to contact a second moving member 22D described later. This first moving member 22C is configured to be able to rotate about the through-hole 34 of the third piece 31 by aligning the positions of the through-hole formed at the tip of the third piece 31 and the through-hole 34 formed in the first piece 26 of the first fixing member 22A and fixing them with a pin or the like. Further, the first moving member 22C is connected to the first fixing member 22A by a spring member as an elastic member (not shown), and normally comes into contact with the tip of the second piece 27 of the first fixing member 22A or the upper side of the side surface of the second moving member 22D.

[0023] The second fixing member 22B is formed by bending at the position where a fifth piece 35 and a sixth piece 36 of a plate-like member formed in a T shape intersect. The fifth piece 35 is formed so as to be attachable and fixable to the right side plate 11, and the sixth piece 36 is formed to extend from approximately the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the fifth piece 35. This sixth piece 36 is formed so as to be able to support the second moving member 22D disposed on the back side of the sixth piece 36 in a rotatable state.

[0024] The second rotating member 22D has a through-hole formed to penetrate in the thickness direction, and has a rod-shaped body support portion 37 that supports the rod-shaped body 22E with the rod-shaped body 22E interposed therebetween. The through-hole is formed to have a size such that a shaft member (not shown) formed in the second fixing member 22B can be inserted, or a pin that has passed through a through-hole also formed in the second fixing member 22B can be inserted. The second rotating member 22D is supported by the shaft member or the pin that has passed through the through-hole, and can rotate about the shaft member or the pin. The rod-shaped body support portion 37 is formed with an insertion hole (not shown) and a groove (not shown) having a size into which one end of the rod-shaped body 22E can be inserted. The groove is cut to the same depth as the insertion hole or to a position shallower than the depth of the insertion hole, and screwing is performed through a through-hole provided in the portion where the groove is formed, and the magnitude of the force for clamping the rod-shaped body 22E can be adjusted according to the tightening degree of the screw.

[0025] The rod-shaped body 22E has one end portion and the other end portion, and is fixed in a state where the one end portion is inserted into the insertion hole of the rod-shaped body support portion 37. The rod-shaped body 22E is arranged in a state of being suspended from the rod-shaped body support portion 37. The rod-shaped body 22E can rotate in the B direction in FIG. 6 by the rotation operation of the second rotating member 22D described above. Normally, the first fixing member 22A and the second fixing member 22B are connected by a spring member (not shown). Therefore, the second rotating member 22D is biased by the first rotating member 22C so that the other end portion of the rod-shaped body 22E hangs downward toward the center in the X-axis direction.

[0026] Note that the rod-shaped bodies 22E and 23E are arranged to face each other in the X-axis direction. The distance between these rod-shaped bodies 22E and 22E is made smaller than the outer diameter of the container 501 placed on the mounting portion 15. This is to ensure that when the container 501 is placed on the mounting portion 15, the rod-shaped body 22E contacts the outer peripheral portion of the container 501. When the container 501 is being placed on the mounting portion 15, the distance between the opposing rod-shaped bodies 22E is smaller than the outer diameter of the container 501, so at a certain point, the width of the container 501 in the X-axis direction coincides with the distance between the opposing rod-shaped bodies 22E and 22E. When the width of the container 501 in the X-axis direction is larger than the distance between the rod-shaped bodies 22E and 23E, each of the rod-shaped bodies 22E and 23E contacts the container 501 and sequentially widens the distance along the outer shape of the container 501 to allow the container 501 to enter. The distance between the rod-shaped bodies 22E and 22E becomes the widest at the point where the outer shape of the container 501 reaches its maximum. Further, when the container 501 enters deeper, each of the rod-shaped bodies 22E is configured to be able to move along the outer shape of the container 501 while narrowing the distance between them.

[0027] Note that the configurations of the first fixing members 23A to 25A, the second fixing members 23B to 25B, the first rotating members 23C to 25C, and the second rotating members 23D to 25D are the same as the configurations of the first fixing member 22A, the second fixing member 22B, the first rotating member 22C, and the second rotating member 22D described above, so the description here is omitted.

[0028] The rod-shaped body 22E is provided with a lid body guiding member 38. When the lid body 601 is placed on the container 501, it is positioned at a predetermined position by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E to 25E, specifically, at a position where the center of the lid body 601 is substantially the same as the center of the container 501. At that time, the lid body is inserted into the region surrounded by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E and then placed on the container 501. The lid body guiding member 38 is a member for guiding from which position in the Z-axis direction the lid body should be inserted when the lid body is inserted into the region surrounded by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E. This lid body guiding member 38 is preferably provided above the upper end of the container 501 placed on the mounting portion 15 and at a position where it is easy to place the lid body on the container 501. Further, in the sealing device 1, when it is configured to seal the lid body 601 for a plurality of types of containers 501 having different heights, a plurality of lid body guiding members 38 may be attached by changing the position in the Z-axis direction. Further, this lid body guiding member 38 may be formed in, for example, a clip shape and configured to be able to arbitrarily change the position in the Z-axis direction as needed. For convenience of explanation, in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the illustration of the lid body guiding member 38 is omitted.

[0029] The sealing force applying portion 7 is for applying energy for joining the lid to the container 501. The sealing force applying portion 7 includes a heater 39, a substrate member 40, and a spring member 41 as a sealing force control portion provided between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40. The heater 39 includes a heater body 42 and an insertion shaft 43. The heater body 42 has a heating element and a power supply terminal. The heating element is configured to be heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, a temperature of about 100°C to 200°C by the electric power supplied from the power source. The electric power supplied to the heating element is supplied from the power source through a cable connected to the power supply terminal. In the present embodiment, the energy applied by the sealing force applying portion 7 has at least thermal energy, but the energy applied by the sealing force applying portion 7 may use, in addition to thermal energy, other energies such as electric energy and pressing energy, or these energies may be used in a combined manner. Further, in the present embodiment, the sealing force applying portion 7 uses a mode of applying thermal energy by the heat sealing method, but a method other than the heat sealing method, such as joining by ultrasonic welding, may be appropriately used.

[0030] The heater 39 is formed in a size and shape along the container 501 and the lid 601 to be sealed. For example, in the container 501 described in the present embodiment, the shape in plan view is circular, and the lid 601 also has a shape along the size and shape of the container 501. Therefore, the shape of the heater 39 is also formed in a circular shape of a size capable of heating the entire edge portion of the container 501. Therefore, when the shape of the container 501 in plan view is, for example, rectangular, the shape of the heater 39 may also be rectangular according to the container 501, and the shape and size thereof may be arbitrarily determined. This heater 39 has a sealing force applying surface 44, and this sealing force applying surface 44 is the surface that contacts the surface of the lid. This sealing force applying surface 44 may be formed in a planar shape, or may be, for example, a concavo-convex surface in which concavo-convexities are sequentially formed in the radial direction and / or the circumferential direction. However, from the viewpoint of joining the lid to the container 501 with a small sealing force, the sealing force applying surface 44 is preferably planar.

[0031] The insertion shaft 43 is formed to rise from the upper surface of the heater 39. In the present embodiment, four insertion shafts 43 are formed, but the number of insertion shafts 43 is not limited to four. These insertion shafts 43 are provided at positions corresponding to the positions of the insertion holes 45 of the substrate member 40, and the substrate member 40 can move in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) between the tip and the base end of the insertion shaft 43 while maintaining the state where the insertion shaft 43 is inserted into the insertion hole 45. Further, a clip member 46 is attached to a predetermined position near the tip of the insertion shaft 43. The clip member 46 is formed such that its outer diameter is larger than the insertion hole 45 of the substrate member 40, so that the substrate member 40 does not come off the insertion shaft 43.

[0032] The substrate member 40 is provided so as to be positioned above the heater 39 via a spring member 41. This substrate member 40 is provided with a first connecting member 47 that connects to an operation unit 9 described later, and a second connecting member 48 that connects to a first moving body 49 and a second moving body 50 that constitute a moving mechanism 8. The first connecting member 47 is connected to the substrate member 40 and a front cover body 51 that constitutes the operation unit 9, and is for transmitting the force applied in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by the operation of the operation unit 9. Further, the second connecting member 48 receives the vertical force transmitted through the first connecting member 47 and transmits the force to the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50.

[0033] The spring member 41 is provided between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40. In the present embodiment, a coil spring is used as the spring member 41, but the spring member 41 used is not limited to a coil spring. The coil spring that is the spring member 41 has the insertion shaft 43 inserted through a hollow portion formed in the central portion of the coil spring, and when the distance between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40 becomes narrow while being sandwiched between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40, the coil spring is in a compressed state, and when the distance between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40 becomes wide, the compressed state of the coil spring is reduced.

[0034] The operation unit 9 is for performing an operation when the sealing force applying unit 7 moves in the vertical direction, that is, between a first position where the sealing force applying unit 7 and the container 501 placed on the placement unit 15 are separated by a predetermined distance, and a second position where the sealing force applying unit 7 applies a predetermined amount of force to the container 501. This operation unit 9 includes a front cover body 51 and a handle 52. The front cover body 51 is attached to the first connecting member 47 and is for preventing a user from accidentally touching the heater 39 or the like and getting injured during operation. This front cover body 51 entirely covers the sealing force applying unit 7 from the front side and is formed to be slightly smaller than the width between the right side plate 11 and the left side plate 12 that constitute the housing 4. The front cover body 51 is provided with a handle 52 in the front and is configured to be gripped and operated by the user.

[0035] The moving mechanism 8 is for moving the sealing force applying unit 7 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by the force applied from the user via the operation unit 9. This moving mechanism 8 includes a first guide rail 53, a second guide rail 54, a third guide rail 55, a first moving body 49, a second moving body 50, a third moving body 56, a weight 57, and a transmission member 58. The first guide rail 53 and the second guide rail 54 are for guiding the movement of the sealing force applying unit 7 when the sealing force applying unit 7 moves in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the same first guide rail 53 and second guide rail 54 are used, but different ones may be used respectively. The first guide rail 53 is attached to the right side plate 11, and the second guide rail 54 is attached to the left side plate 12. The first moving body 49 is fixedly attached to the right end of the second connecting member 48. Also, the first moving body 49 is connected to the first guide rail 53 and is configured to be able to slide along the first guide rail 53. The second moving body 50 is fixedly attached to the left end of the second connecting member 48. Also, the second moving body 50 is connected to the second guide rail 54 and is configured to be able to slide along the second guide rail 54.

[0036] The third guide rail 55 is for guiding the movement of the weight 57 when the weight 57 moves in the vertical direction, and is attached and fixed to the rear surface of the rear plate 14. The third moving body 56 is attached and fixed to the weight 57, is connected to the third guide rail 55, and is configured to be able to slide along the third guide rail 55. The weight 57 is provided on the rear surface side of the rear plate 14, and is configured to be able to slide along the third guide rail 55 by the third moving body 56. One end of the transmission member 58 is connected to the weight 57, and the other end is connected to the sealing force applying portion 7. For this transmission member 58, a member such as a chain can be arbitrarily selected and used. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the transmission member 58 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0037] The detection portion 59 is attached to the sealing force applying portion 7. This detection portion 59 is for detecting that the pressing force by the sealing force applying portion 7 has reached a predetermined magnitude. In this embodiment, as an example of the detection portion 59, an example using a limit switch is shown. When it is detected that the pressing force by the sealing force applying portion 7 has reached a predetermined magnitude, the switch is turned on (the contact is closed), and the light emission mode and light emission color of the lamp 60 provided on the housing 4 can be arbitrarily changed to notify the user that it is not necessary to apply any more sealing force. Although a limit switch is used in this embodiment, components using other detection methods can be arbitrarily selected and used.

[0038] Next, the operation and effects of the sealing device according to the present embodiment will be described. In the sealing device according to the present embodiment, normally, the sealing force applying portion 7 is located at the first position. Also, the heater body 42 of the sealing force applying portion 7 is supplied with power and is in a state of being heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, a predetermined temperature from 100°C to 200°C). When the user attempts to seal the lid 601 on the container 501, the user first sets the container 501 in the sealing device 1. At this time, the container 501 has its body portion 502 held by the holding portion 5. When the container 501 is held by the holding portion 5, it first contacts the guiding portion 21 that constitutes the holding portion 5. The guiding portion 21 is formed such that its width gradually narrows from the front to the rear, and the width of the tip is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the container 501. Also, the container 501 is formed in a circular shape when viewed in plan. Therefore, when the container 501 moves in the A direction in FIG. 1, the guiding portion 21 elastically deforms so that its width increases along the size of the body portion of the container 501. At this time, the elastic deformation also causes the extending portion 19 and the container holding portion 20 of the holding portion 5 to elastically deform in a direction in which the interval gradually widens as the container enters. After passing through the guiding portion 21, the container 501 reaches the container holding portion 20 of the holding portion 5. The container holding portion 20 is formed in an arc shape along the shape of the container 501. Therefore, the body portion 502 of the container 501 is held in the container holding portion 20. At this time, the holding portion 5 has a wider interval than when the container 501 has not entered, as the container 501 enters. That is, when the interval between the members constituting the container holding portion 20 is W2 and the outer dimension at the location where the container 501 is held by the container holding portion 20 in the container 501 is D1, the dimension has a relationship such that D1 is larger than W2. Therefore, when the container 501 enters and is in a state of holding the container 501, the container holding portion 20 elastically deforms until the interval corresponds to the outer dimension D1 of the container 501. Therefore, when holding the container 501, a restoring force that always restores to the original dimension W2 acts on the container holding portion 20, and the container 501 is held with the same magnitude as the magnitude of the restoring force. Therefore, when the container 501 enters, the container holding portion 20 can firmly hold the container 501 at the body portion 502.Note that when the container 501 is held by the container holding portion 20 in this manner, the outer peripheral edge at the upper portion of the container 501 is in contact with the rod members 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the lid positioning portion 6.

[0039] The container holding portion 20 can hold a plurality of types of containers having different outer dimensions. For example, when holding a container having a larger outer dimension than the container described above, the container holding portion 20 undergoes elastic deformation so as to expand further. When the outer shape of the container becomes larger, there may be a difference between the curvature of the member forming the container holding portion 20 and the curvature of the body portion 501 forming the container 501. According to the sealing device according to the present embodiment, even if a difference in curvature occurs between the container holding portion 20 and the body portion 502 of the container 501, the container can be held by the restoring force of the container holding portion 20. That is, the sealing device according to the present embodiment can handle a plurality of types of containers 501 having different outer dimensions with a single holding portion 5, so that the versatility of the sealing device 1 can be greatly improved.

[0040] After the user holds the container 501 in the container holding part 20, as shown in FIG. 10, the lid body 501 is placed on the container 501. At this time, in the lid positioning part 6, the lid guiding members 38 are attached to the rod-shaped bodies 22E of the first lid positioning part 22 and the rod-shaped bodies 23E of the second lid positioning part 23 respectively. When the container 501 is placed on the placing part 15, this lid guiding member 38 is below the sealing force applying part 7 and above the container 501. Therefore, while looking at the lid guiding member 38, the user can insert the lid body 601 into the area surrounded by the rod-shaped bodies 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the lid positioning member 6. Thus, the user can place the lid body 601 on the container 501 with confidence. Also, the lid body 601 placed on the container 501 in this way is adjusted by the rod-shaped bodies 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the lid positioning part 6 so that its position relative to the container 501 becomes a predetermined position. The predetermined position here is the position where the center position of the container 501 in plan view coincides with the center position of the lid body 601 in plan view. Note that the predetermined position is not limited to such a center position. As long as the lid body 601 is sealed to the container 501, even if there is a slight displacement, it is included in this predetermined position.

[0041] The position of the lid guiding member 38 is preferably above the container 501, but preferably close to the container 501. By providing the lid guiding member 38 at such a position, when the user places the lid body 601 on the container 501, the user can place it more easily and the handling becomes easier.

[0042] Next, the user applies a force to the operation unit 9 in the B direction in FIG. 11. When a force in the B direction is applied to the operation unit 9, the moving mechanism 8 has a force in the B direction applied thereto via the second connecting member 48. Then, the first moving body 49 starts sliding movement in the B direction along the first guide rail 53, and the second moving body 50 starts sliding movement in the B direction along the second guide rail 54. When the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50 start sliding movement in the B direction, both the first connecting member 47 to which the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50 are attached and fixed, and the heater 39 etc. to which the first connecting member 47 is attached start moving in the B direction. When the heater 39 etc. start moving in the B direction, the weight 57 connected via the transmission member 58 starts moving in the C direction in FIG. 11. That is, when the heater 39 starts the operation of descending, the weight 57 starts the operation of rising along with that operation.

[0043] When the user operates the operation unit 9 to move the sealing force applying unit 7 in the B direction in FIG. 11 by a predetermined amount, the sealing force applying surface 44 of the heater 39 contacts the surface of the lid body 601. Since the heater 39 of the sealing force applying surface 44 is heated to a predetermined temperature, when the sealing force applying surface 44 contacts the surface of the lid body 601, the thermal energy of the heater 39 is transmitted from the sealing force applying surface 44 to the surface of the lid body 601, and the lid body 601 is heated. At this time, the heater 39 and the lid body 601 may maintain the contacted state, or may be configured to apply a sealing force of a predetermined magnitude after contact. In this way, when the sealing force applying surface 44 of the heater 39 contacts the surface of the lid body 601, or when a sealing force is further applied after the sealing force applying surface 44 contacts the surface of the lid body 601, the limit switch as the detection unit 59 operates. When the limit switch operates, a lock mechanism (not shown) operates to maintain the state of applying thermal energy from the heater 39, or thermal energy and sealing force, for a predetermined time. This lock mechanism is unlocked when a predetermined time has elapsed. Then, the sealing force applying unit located at the second position is subjected to a force in the direction opposite to the B direction via the transmission member 58 due to the self-weight of the weight 57 that has risen as the sealing force applying unit has descended from the first position to the second position. That is, when the lock of the lock mechanism is released, the weight 57 starts to move in the downward direction due to its self-weight. The movement of this weight 57 is also transmitted to the sealing force applying unit 7 via the transmission member 58. And as the weight 57 performs the operation of descending due to its self-weight, the sealing force applying unit 7 also performs the operation of rising and moves from the second position to the first position.

[0044] The sealing device 1 according to the present invention first holds the container 501 at the body portion 502. Therefore, when a sealing force is applied by the heater 39 of the sealing force applying unit 7, the overhanging portion formed at the upper end of the container 501 is maintained in a state where it is easily deformed as a whole. Therefore, even when a sealing force is applied by the heater 39, the container 501 does not receive all of the applied sealing force at the overhanging portion, but can receive only a force of a predetermined magnitude and release the other forces. Therefore, when sealing the lid body 601 to the container 501, it can be easily sealed.

[0045] In addition, since the sealing device 1 according to the present invention directly places the container 501 on the placement portion 15, it is not necessary to provide a fixture for holding the container at the upper end or a drive mechanism for operating the fixture in the front-rear direction as in the conventionally known sealing devices, and the overall configuration of the sealing device 1 can be simplified. Therefore, according to the sealing device of the present invention, the number of parts can be significantly reduced, and it is possible to achieve miniaturization and weight reduction, and furthermore, various costs including manufacturing costs can be greatly reduced.

[0046] In recent years, in stores, from the viewpoint of more efficiently using the limited store space, it is desired that the installed items be more miniaturized and lightweight. Therefore, since the sealing device according to the present invention can easily achieve significant miniaturization, it can be provided more efficiently even for stores that particularly require higher space efficiency, such as recent convenience stores and fast food restaurants with particularly small store spaces.

[0047] As described above, the embodiments of the sealing device according to the present invention have been described in detail, but the above is only one example of the sealing device according to the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and appropriate modifications may be made within the scope intended by the present invention.

[0048] The sealing device according to the present invention includes the following technical idea. (A1) A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container with a lid, comprising a placement portion for placing the container, a sealing force applying portion for applying energy for sealing the container with the lid, a first position where the sealing force applying portion and the container placed on the placement portion are at a predetermined distance from each other, and a second position where the sealing force applying portion applies a predetermined amount of force to the lid placed on the container, and a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force applying portion and / or the container between the first position and the second position. (A2) A sealing device for sealing the opening of a container with a lid, comprising a placement part for placing the container, a sealing force application part for applying energy for sealing the container with the lid, a first position where the sealing force application part and the container placed on the placement part are at a predetermined distance apart, and a second position where the sealing force application part applies a predetermined amount of force to the lid placed on the container, and a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force application part and / or the container between the first position and the second position, wherein the sealing force application part releases applying a sealing force to the container when a predetermined condition is satisfied. (A3) The sealing device according to (A2) above, wherein the predetermined condition is that the sealing force applied by the sealing force application part has reached a predetermined magnitude. (A4) The sealing device according to (A2) above, wherein the predetermined condition is that a predetermined time has elapsed after the sealing force applied by the sealing force application part has reached a predetermined magnitude. (A5) The sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A4) above, having a holding part for holding the container at a predetermined position of the placement part when the container is placed on the placement part. (A6) The sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A5) above, wherein the energy has at least thermal energy. (A7) The container and the lid have a facing part where the container and the lid face each other, a resin material is present on the facing part, the sealing force application part applies at least thermal energy, and the thermal energy is a value exceeding the softening temperature of the resin material. The sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A6) above. (A8) The sealing device according to (7) above, wherein the sealing force application part applies pressing energy in addition to the thermal energy. (A9) The sealing device according to (A1) to (A8) above, having a holding part for holding the container at a predetermined position of the placement part when the container is placed on the placement part. (A10) The sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A9) above, wherein the holding part has a positioning part for arranging the container at a predetermined position of the placement part when the container is held. (A11) The holding part holds the body part of the container, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A10) above. (A12) The holding part is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different sizes, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A11) above. (A13) The holding part is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different shapes, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A12) above. (A14) The moving mechanism includes an operation part for a user to operate the moving mechanism, and is configured to move between the first position and the second position by the operation of the user, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A13) above. (A15) The moving mechanism has a moving force applying part for applying a moving force for moving the sealing force applying part located at the second position to the first position, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A14) above. (A16) The placement part is located below the sealing force applying part, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A15) above. (A17) When the container is placed on the placement part, there is a lid guiding part for guiding the position where the lid is inserted at a position below the sealing force applying part and above the upper end of the container, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A16) above. (A18) The sealing force applying part applies the first energy as the energy to at least a part of the contact surface formed on at least a part of the facing surface between the lid and the container at the second position, and applies a second energy smaller than the magnitude of the first energy on the non-contact surface facing the contact surface, and the sealing device according to any one of (A1) to (A17) above.

Explanation of Signs

[0049] 1 Sealing device 2 Device main body 3 Cover body 4 Housing 5 Holding part 6 Cover positioning part 7 Sealing force applying part 8 Moving mechanism 9 Operating part 10 Bottom plate 11 Right side plate 12 Left side plate 13 Upper plate 14 Rear plate 15 Placing part 16 Rail fixing part 17 Holding member mounting part 18 Mounting part 19 Extending part 20 Container holding part 21 Guide part 22 First cover positioning part 22A First fixing member 22B Second fixing member 22C First rotating member 22D Second rotating member 22E Rod-shaped body 23 Second cover positioning part 23A First fixing member 23B Second fixing member 23C First rotating member 23D Second rotating member 23E Rod-shaped body 24 Third cover positioning part 24A First fixing member 24B Second fixing member 24C First rotating member 24D Second rotating member 24E Rod-shaped body 25 Fourth cover positioning part 25A First fixing member 25B Second fixing member 25C First rotating member 25D Second rotating member 25E Rod-shaped body 26 First piece 27 Second piece 28 Recess 29 Protrusion 30 Through hole 31 Third piece 32 Fourth piece 33 Thin wall part 34 Through-hole 35 Fifth piece 36 Sixth piece 37 Rod support part 38 Inner member of cover guide 39 Heater 40 Substrate member 41 Spring member 42 Heater body 43 Insertion shaft 44 Sealing force application surface 45 Insertion hole 46 Clip member 47 First connecting member 48 Second connecting member 49 First moving body 50 Second moving body 51 Front cover body 52 Handle 53 First guide rail 54 Second guide rail 55 Third guide rail 56 Third moving body 57 Weight 58 Transmission member 59 Detection part

Claims

1. A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container with a lid, comprising: a placement portion for placing the container; a sealing force application portion for applying energy for sealing the container with the lid; a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force application portion and / or the container between a first position where the sealing force application portion and the container placed on the placement portion are separated by a predetermined distance, and a second position where the sealing force application portion applies a predetermined amount of force to the lid placed on the container; and characterized by comprising the above.

2. A sealing device for sealing an opening of a container with a lid, comprising: a placement portion for placing the container; a sealing force application portion for applying energy for sealing the container with the lid; a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force application portion and / or the container between a first position where the sealing force application portion and the container placed on the placement portion are separated by a predetermined distance, and a second position where the sealing force application portion applies a predetermined amount of force to the lid placed on the container; and the sealing force application portion is characterized by releasing the application of the sealing force to the container when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

3. The sealing device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is that the sealing force applied by the sealing force application portion has reached a predetermined magnitude.

4. The sealing device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is that a predetermined time has elapsed after the sealing force applied by the sealing force application portion has reached a predetermined magnitude.

5. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a holding portion for holding the container at a predetermined position of the placement portion when the container is placed on the placement portion.

6. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the energy has at least thermal energy.

7. The container and the lid have facing portions where the container and the lid face each other, a resin material is present on the facing portions, the sealing force application portion applies at least thermal energy, and the thermal energy is set to a value exceeding the softening temperature of the resin material. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The sealing device according to claim 7, wherein the sealing force application portion applies pressing energy in addition to the thermal energy.

9. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, having a holding portion that holds the container at a predetermined position of the placing portion when the container is placed on the placing portion.

10. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion has a positioning portion for arranging the container at a predetermined position of the placing portion when the container is held.

11. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion holds the body portion of the container.

12. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different sizes.

13. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding portion is formed so as to be able to hold a plurality of types of containers having different shapes.

14. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving mechanism includes an operation portion for a user to operate the moving mechanism, and is configured to move between the first position and the second position by the operation of the user.

15. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving mechanism has a moving force applying portion that applies a moving force for moving the sealing force applying portion located at the second position to the first position.

16. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the placing portion is located below the sealing force applying portion.

17. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, having a lid guiding portion that guides a position for inserting the lid at a position below the sealing force applying portion and above the upper end of the container when the container is placed on the placing portion.

18. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing force applying portion applies the first energy as the energy to at least a part of the contact surface formed on at least a part of the facing surface between the lid and the container at the second position, and applies a second energy smaller than the magnitude of the first energy at a non-contact surface facing the contact surface.

Images