Sealing apparatus and sealing method

Abstract

To provide a sealing apparatus which is reduced in size and weight as a whole and has a simple configuration of the whole apparatus to reduce a manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: A sealing apparatus comprises: a placement part 15 for placing a container; a sealing force application part for applying an energy for sealing the container by a lid body; and a movement mechanism which moves the sealing force application part and / or the container between a first position where a gap of a predetermined distance is formed between the sealing force application part and the container placed on the placement part and a second position where a predetermined amount of force is applied to the sealing force application part and the lid body placed on the container. The movement mechanism comprises: a guide member for guiding movement of the sealing force application part between the first position and the second position; and a movable body which is provided at the sealing force application part to move the sealing force application part from the first position and the second position along the guide member. The guide member is provided at a position which is separated from a center of the sealing force application part by a predetermined distance when the sealing force application part is viewed planarly and which is shifted from a position being symmetrical about a point to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing device for sealing a container by joining a lid to the container, and a sealing method using the sealing device.

[0002] Sealing devices are widely used for sealing lids on the openings of containers. For example, stores such as supermarkets offer food and beverage products such as beverages and prepared meals (hereinafter referred to as "products" or "contents"). When offering products, stores do not simply hand the products over to customers, but instead offer them in containers with the openings of the containers sealed with lids. A traditional method of offering products in stores is to display products already in containers on shelves in advance, allowing customers to select and purchase the displayed products. In this offering method, store employees place the products in the containers and seal the openings of the containers with lids. In addition to this method of offering products, a new offering method has become popular in recent years, in which customers place the products in the containers and seal the openings of the containers with lids. This offering method is currently commonly used when offering beverages such as coffee at convenience stores, for example.

[0003] There are various ways to cover the opening of a container. One of these ways is to join a lid to the edge formed around the periphery of the opening of the container. In this way, the lid is joined to the edge of the container. As a result, the inside of the container is sealed. 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 conventional method for sealing a lid to a container is to use a sealing device (also called a sealing apparatus). Sealing devices come in a variety of configurations depending on various requirements, such as the installation location and the frequency with which lids are sealed to containers. One such configuration is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. This sealing device includes a container support seat that supports the container. The container support seat is configured to accommodate the container. This sealing device includes a movement mechanism that allows the container support seat to move between a position outside the sealing device and a position inside the sealing device. This sealing device also includes a heater called a film pressing mechanism located above the container support seat when the container support seat is in the inside position. The heater is normally located above the container support seat and moves downward when heat-sealing the film to the container, pressing the film against the container for a predetermined period of time and applying heat to join the lid to the container. The action of pressing the film against the container ends after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the heater moves to a position above the container support seat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3152023 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The sealing device described in Patent Document 1 uses the torque of a motor to move the heater up and down. Specifically, the motor has a rotating shaft, and one end of an eccentric block is attached to the rotating shaft. One end of a connecting culm is connected to the other end of the eccentric block, and the other end of the connecting culm is connected to an electric block that is connected to the heater. In the sealing machine described in Patent Document 1, when the motor's rotating shaft rotates, the eccentric block begins to rotate around one end due to the rotation of the rotating shaft. When the eccentric block rotates, it operates in a direction that presses down on the heater via the connecting culm connected to the other end of the eccentric block. In other words, the sealing machine described in Patent Document 1 seals the lid by converting the torque of the motor into a pressing force from the heater using the "lever principle."

[0007] Conventional sealing machines require the application of heat and a large force when sealing a lid to a container. Therefore, as shown in the sealing machine described in Patent Document 1, various components, such as a motor for moving a heater up and down, are often located above the heater. Furthermore, conventional sealing devices often require a fairly large motor to generate the force required for the heater to apply a large force to the container. Consequently, conventional sealing devices often require heavy components mounted on the top of the sealing machine, which tends to raise the center of gravity of the entire device and cause the device to become unstable when installed. Furthermore, conventional sealing devices require a large pressing force to be applied when sealing a lid to a container, so the container support seat and other components must be durable against the force applied by the heater. This results in problems such as an increase in the overall size and weight of the sealing device, and a significant increase in manufacturing costs due to the increased number of parts. There has been a demand for a sealing device that can solve these problems, reduce the number of parts, and lower manufacturing costs while also reducing the size and weight of the device. Furthermore, conventional sealing devices have been configured to reduce fluctuations in the position of the heater as it moves up and down by using guide rails or the like when moving the heater up and down. Generally, in conventional sealing devices, these guide rails or the like are often arranged in symmetrical positions on both sides of the heater in the left and right direction (width direction) when the heater is viewed from above. However, when the guide rails are arranged in such symmetrical positions, there is a risk of unintended tilting of the heater, particularly in the front-to-back direction, which can easily cause variations in the joining strength between the container and the lid when heat-sealed.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the problems associated with conventional sealing machines, and aims to provide a sealing device that can be made smaller and lighter overall, and that can reduce manufacturing costs by simplifying the overall configuration of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention is summarized as follows: (1) to (11). (1) A sealing device configured to be able to seal an opening of a container with a lid, comprising: a mounting portion for placing the container; a sealing force imparting portion for applying energy to seal the container with the lid; and a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force imparting portion and / or the container between a first position where a predetermined distance is formed between the sealing force imparting portion and the container placed on the mounting portion; and a second position where a predetermined amount of force is imparted to the lid placed on the container, wherein the moving mechanism comprises a guide member for guiding the movement of the sealing force imparting portion between the first position and the second position; and a moving body provided on the sealing force imparting portion for moving the sealing force imparting portion between the first position and the second position along the guide member, wherein the guide member is provided at a position that is a predetermined distance from the center of the sealing force imparting portion when the sealing force imparting portion is viewed in a plane and is shifted from positions that are point-symmetric with each other. (2) A sealing device configured to seal the opening of a container with a lid, the sealing device comprising: a mounting section for placing the container; a sealing force applying section for applying energy to seal the container with the lid; a first position at which a predetermined distance is formed between the sealing force applying section and the container placed on the mounting section; a moving mechanism for moving the sealing force applying section and / or the container between a first position at which a predetermined distance is formed between the sealing force applying section and the container placed on the mounting section; and a driving force applying section for applying a driving force to move the sealing force applying section and / or the container along the moving mechanism, the driving force applying section comprising a driving force generating section for generating a driving force and a transmission member for transmitting the driving force generated from the driving force generating section to the sealing force applying section, the sealing force applying section having a connecting member, and the connecting member being connected to a predetermined location of the transmission member. (3) A sealing device as described in (1) above, comprising a driving force imparting unit that imparts a driving force to move the sealing force imparting unit and / or the container along the moving mechanism, the driving force imparting unit comprising a driving force generating unit that generates a driving force and a transmission member that transmits the driving force generated from the driving force generating unit to the sealing force imparting unit, the sealing force imparting unit having a connecting member, and the connecting member being connected to a predetermined location of the transmission member. (4) A sealing device as described in (1) or (2) above, comprising a housing for defining the outer hull of the sealing device and a mounting space formed inside the housing for placing the container, wherein the mounting section is configured to be able to move between a first position in which the container is positioned in the mounting space and a second position in which the container is positioned outside the mounting space. (5) A sealing device as described in (4) above, wherein the housing has a pair of side panels in the width direction, and the placement portion is configured to be able to slide between the first position and the second position relative to the pair of side panels. (6) The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the placement section has a container positioning section for positioning the placed container at a predetermined position. (7) The sealing device described in (5) above, wherein the container positioning portion has a wall formed to surround the area where the container is placed, and a pressing body that presses the container placed on the placing portion toward the inside of the wall, and the pressing body has one end, another end located opposite the one end, and a bending portion formed between the one end and the other end, the one end being attached to the wall, and the bending portion being formed by bending the other end so that it faces toward the inside of the wall. (8) The sealing device according to (4) above, wherein the placement section includes a movement force applying section for applying a movement force for movement between the first position and the second position. (9) The sealing device according to (8), wherein the moving force applying section applies the moving force after the placement section has moved a predetermined amount between the first position and the second position. (10) The sealing device according to (8), wherein the placement section is provided with a damper member at the first position and / or the second position in addition to the moving force application section. (11) The sealing device according to (1) or (2) above, further comprising a lid positioning portion for placing the lid at a predetermined position relative to the container. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the lid can be sealed to the container with a smaller sealing force than conventional sealing devices. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the entire sealing device can be made smaller and lighter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a sealing device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sealing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a device body of the sealing device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a device main body of the sealing device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF 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 of the air conditioner according to the present invention. The following description is made with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is an example of 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 modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0013] In the following description, for convenience of explanation, front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are shown. However, the contents of the present invention are not limited to these directions. In the following description, 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 and thickness relationships of the sealing device and each component shown in Figures 1 to 4 are described for convenience and do not limit the actual size relationships or ratios.

[0014] 1 to 4, a sealing device 1 according to this embodiment includes a device main body 2 and a cover body 3. When the sealing device 1 is used 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 lid body positioning unit 6, a sealing force applying unit 7, and a movement mechanism 8.

[0015] The housing 4 is composed of a bottom plate 10, a right side plate 11, a left side plate 12, a top plate 13, and a rear plate 14, and these components form the outer shell of the device main body 2. The bottom plate 10 is a plate-shaped member formed at the bottom of the device main body 2. The bottom plate 10j has a mounting portion 15 for placing a container (not shown). The mounting portion 15 is configured to be movable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the bottom plate 10. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 15 has a wall portion and a pressing portion (not shown) formed on the wall portion. When a container is placed on the mounting portion 15, the container is guided to a predetermined position, in this embodiment, a position where the center of the heater constituting the sealing force applying unit (described later) coincides with the center of the container. The pressing portion has one end and the other end, and a bent portion disposed between the one end and the other end. One end of the pressing portion is attached to the wall portion, and the other end is positioned within the area surrounded by the wall portion. Preferably, multiple pressing bodies are provided. For example, if three pressing bodies are used and placed at 120° intervals, the container will be positioned in a predetermined position by the spring force of the pressing parts. Also, if four pressing bodies are used and placed at 90° intervals, the container will be positioned in a predetermined position by the spring force of each pressing part. The number of pressing bodies may be selected arbitrarily. However, when an arbitrary number of pressing bodies are used, it is preferable that they are placed at equal intervals.

[0016] Furthermore, the mounting portion 15 is slidable between a first position located within a mounting space formed inside the housing 4 for mounting a container, and a second position where the container is positioned outside the mounting space. The sliding movement of the mounting portion 15 between the first and second positions may be achieved by a drive source such as a motor (not shown), or by manual sliding by the user. In this embodiment, the sliding movement of the mounting portion 15 will be described using an example in which the mounting portion 15 is configured to be slid by the user. Forming the mounting portion 15 in this manner eliminates the need for the drive source and various members connecting the drive source and the mounting portion 15, thereby significantly reducing the number of parts and enabling the overall device to be made lighter and more compact.

[0017] Regarding the sliding movement of the mounting portion 15, when the sliding movement is performed manually by a user, as in the sealing device 1 according to this embodiment, it is preferable to configure the mounting portion 15 to automatically slide from the predetermined distance from the first position to the second position and / or from the second position to the first position. One example of operating the mounting portion 15 in this manner is to provide a spring member (not shown). In this example, when attempting to slide the mounting portion 15 from the second position to the first position, for example, the user first applies force to move the mounting portion 15 from the second position toward the first position. When moving the mounting portion 15 from the second position to the predetermined distance, the user applies force to slide the mounting portion 15. At this time, the spring member (not shown) deforms in a direction that accumulates elastic force. In other words, when moving the mounting portion 15 from the second position to the predetermined distance, the force with which the user slides the mounting portion 15 is greater than the elastic force of the spring. Therefore, the mounting portion 15 slides while the spring deforms in a direction that accumulates elastic force. Next, when the mounting portion 15 moves from a position where it has moved a predetermined distance to a first position, the spring member deforms in a direction that releases the accumulated elastic force. At this time, the direction in which the spring member releases its elastic force is the same as the direction in which the mounting portion 15 slides. Therefore, the mounting portion 15 slides due to the elastic force released by the spring member. At this time, it is preferable that the moving speed of the mounting portion 15 is gradually reduced by a damper member when it reaches the first position. If the mounting portion 15 does not reach the first position via the damper member, it will reach the first position while being pushed by the elastic force of the spring member, and therefore an impact force will be applied to the mounting portion 15 when it reaches the first position. Because a container containing contents is placed on the mounting portion 15 to which the impact force is applied, this impact force may cause the contents to fly out of the container. On the other hand, if the first position is reached via a damper member, the impact force applied to the mounting portion 15 when the first position is reached can be significantly reduced. This can significantly reduce the risk of the contents of the container placed on the mounting portion 15 flying out.In the above example, the mounting portion 15 is described as sliding from the second position to the first position, but the above description can also be applied to the case where the mounting portion 15 is slid from the first position to the second position.

[0018] The right side plate 11 is provided to stand upright from the right end of the bottom plate 10 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction). The left side plate 12 is provided to stand upright from the left end of the bottom plate 10 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction). These right side plate 11 and left side plate 12 are vertically elongated plate-like members extending in the height direction (Z-axis direction). Either one of these right side plate 11 or left side plate 12 is provided with a rail fixing portion for fixing a guide rail constituting a moving mechanism 8 described later. This rail fixing portion may have any shape as long as it can attach and fix the guide rail to either the right side plate 11 or the left side plate 12. Note that the rail fixing portion constituting the moving mechanism 8 may be provided on either the right side plate 11 or the left side plate 12 as described above, or in this embodiment, on the rear plate. That is, in the sealing device 1 according to the present invention, the moving portion 8 is provided at a position a predetermined distance from the center of the heater constituting a sealing force applying portion described later when viewed in plan, and at a position that is shifted from a position that is point-symmetrical with respect to each other. By positioning the guide rails that make up the moving mechanism 8 at a position that is not point symmetric (or line symmetric), it is possible to suppress unintentional tilt that tends to occur when the heater moves up and down, and when heating and pressing the lid body placed on the container, it can be pressed with a uniform force and a uniform amount of heat can be applied to the lid body.

[0019] The upper plate 13 is a plate-like 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 that constitute the sealing force imparting portion 7 are attached to this upper plate 13.

[0020] The rear plate 14 is a plate-like member attached to the rear ends of the right side plate 11, the left side plate 12, etc. in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). As described above, the rear plate 14 is provided with a rail fixing portion for attaching the guide rails that constitute the movement mechanism 8. Note that the rail fixing portion may be configured in any manner that allows the guide rails to be attached, and any conventionally known method may be used as appropriate.

[0021] The lid positioning portion 6 is used to position the lid relative to a container placed on the placement portion 15 when placing the lid on the container. 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. Of 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 first fixing members 22A to 25A, second fixing members 22B to 25B, first rotating members 22C to 25C, second rotating members 22D to 25D, and rod-shaped members 22E to 25E. Since the first lid body positioning portion 22 to the fourth lid body positioning portion 25 have the same structure, the following explanation of the structure will only use the first lid body positioning portion 22 and the second lid body positioning portion 23, and the explanation of the configuration of the third lid body positioning portion 24 and the fourth lid body positioning portion 25 will be omitted.

[0022] First fixing member 22A is an L-shaped member and has a first piece 26 attached to right side plate 11 and a second piece 27 extending from right side plate 11 toward the inside of housing 4. First piece 26 has a recess 28 of a predetermined width formed in the center in the thickness direction (width direction) of first fixing member 22A. Furthermore, first piece 26 has protrusions 29 located on both ends of recess 28, each of which has a through-hole formed therein that penetrates protrusion 29 in the thickness direction.

[0023] The first pivoting member 22C is an L-shaped member, with a third piece 31 and a fourth piece 32 bent and intersecting. The third piece 31 is formed to taper toward its tip, and a thin-walled portion 33 at its tip has a through-hole 34 formed therethrough. The thickness of this thin-walled portion 33 is approximately the same as or slightly thinner than the width of the recess 28 formed in the first piece 26 of the first fixing member 22A. The fourth piece 32 is formed to intersect with the third piece 31 at a substantially right angle, and its tip is configured to be able to contact the second pivoting member 22D (described later). The first pivoting member 22C is configured to rotate around the through-hole 34 of the third piece 31 as an axis by aligning the through-hole formed at the tip of the third piece 31 with the through-hole 34 formed in the first piece 26 of the first fixing member 22A and fixing the first pivoting member 22C with a pin or the like. In addition, the first rotating member 22C is connected to the first fixed member 22A by a spring member serving as an elastic member (not shown), and is normally in contact with the tip of the second piece 27 of the first fixed member 22A or the upper side of the side of the second rotating member 22D.

[0024] The second fixing member 22B is formed by bending a fifth piece 35 and a sixth piece 36 of a T-shaped plate-like member at the position where they intersect. The fifth piece 35 is formed so that it can be attached and fixed to the right side plate 11, and the sixth piece 36 is formed to extend from approximately the center in the longitudinal direction of the fifth piece 35. The sixth piece 36 is formed so that it can support the second rotating member 22D, which is located on the far side of the sixth piece 36, in a state where it can rotate.

[0025] The second rotating member 22D has a through-hole formed in the thickness direction and a rod-shaped body support portion 37 that sandwiches and supports the rod-shaped body 22E. The through-hole is sized to allow insertion of a shaft member (not shown) formed in the second fixing member 22B or a pin that passes through a through-hole also formed in the second fixing member 22B. The second rotating member 22D is supported by the shaft member or pin that passes through the through-hole and is capable of rotating around the shaft member or pin. The rod-shaped body support portion 37 has an insertion hole (not shown) and a groove (not shown) sized to allow insertion of one end of the rod-shaped body 22E. The groove is formed by cutting to a position equal to or shallower than the depth of the insertion hole. A screw is fastened through the through-hole provided in the portion where the groove is formed, and the strength of the clamping force for the rod-shaped body 22E can be adjusted by the tightening of the screw.

[0026] Rod-shaped body 22E has one end and the other end, and one end is inserted into an insertion hole of rod-shaped body support portion 37 and fixed therein. Rod-shaped body 22E is arranged in a state of being suspended from rod-shaped body support portion 37. Rod-shaped body 22E can be rotated in direction B in FIG. 6 by the rotation of second rotation member 22D described above. Note that first fixing member 22A and second fixing member 22B are normally connected by a spring member (not shown). Therefore, second rotation member 22D is biased by first rotation member 22C, so that the other end of rod-shaped body 22E hangs down toward the center in the X-axis direction.

[0027] Rod-like bodies 22E and 23E are arranged to face each other in the X-axis direction. The distance between rod-like bodies 22E and 22E is set smaller than the outer diameter of a container to be placed on mounting portion 15. This is so that rod-like bodies 22E come into contact with the outer periphery of the container when the container is placed on mounting portion 15. When a container is being placed on mounting portion 15, the distance between opposing rod-like bodies 22E is smaller than the outer diameter of the container, so that the width of the container in the X-axis direction and the distance between opposing rod-like bodies 22E and 22E coincide at a certain point. When the width of the container in the X-axis direction becomes larger than the distance between rod-like bodies 22E and 23E, rod-like bodies 22E and 23E contact the container while gradually widening the distance along the outer shape of the container, allowing the container to enter. The distance between the rod-like bodies 22E is widest at the point where the outer shape of the container is at its largest. As the container moves further in, the rod-like bodies 22E are configured to move so that they follow the outer shape of the container while narrowing the distance between them.

[0028] The configurations of the first fixed members 23A to 25A, the second fixed 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 fixed member 22A, the second fixed member 22B, the first rotating member 22C and the second rotating member 22D described above, so the description here will be omitted.

[0029] The rod-shaped body 22E is provided with a lid body guide member 38. When the lid body 601 is placed on a container, it is positioned by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E to 25E at a predetermined position, specifically, at a position where the center of the lid body 601 is substantially aligned with the center of the container. At this time, the lid body is inserted into the area surrounded by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E and then placed on the container. The lid body guide member 38 is a member that guides the lid body as to which position in the Z-axis direction to insert the lid when inserting the lid into the area surrounded by the four rod-shaped bodies 22E. This lid body guide member 38 is preferably provided above the upper end of the container placed on the placement unit 15, at a position that makes it easy to place the lid on the container. Furthermore, when the sealing device 1 is configured to seal the lid body 601 on multiple types of containers of different heights, multiple lid body guide members 38 may be attached at different positions in the Z-axis direction. The lid guide member 38 may be formed in the shape of a clip, for example, so that its position in the Z-axis direction can be freely changed as needed. For ease of explanation, the lid guide member 38 is not shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4.

[0030] The sealing force imparting unit 7 applies energy to bond the lid to the container. The sealing force imparting unit 7 includes a heater 39, a base member 40, and a spring member 41 serving as a sealing force control unit disposed between the heater 39 and the base member 40. The heater 39 includes a heater body 42 and an insertion shaft 43. The heater body 42 includes a heating element and a power supply terminal. The heating element is configured to heat to a predetermined temperature, for example, approximately 100°C to 200°C, using power supplied from a power source. Power is supplied to the heating element from the power source through a cable connected to the power supply terminal. In this embodiment, the energy imparted by the sealing force imparting unit 7 includes at least thermal energy. However, the energy imparted by the sealing force imparting unit 7 may include, in addition to thermal energy, electrical energy, pressure energy, or other energy sources other than thermal energy, or a combination of these energies may be used. In addition, in this embodiment, the sealing force imparting portion 7 uses a mode in which thermal energy is imparted by a heat sealing method, but a method other than the heat sealing method, such as joining by ultrasonic welding, may also be used as appropriate.

[0031] The heater 39 is formed to a size and shape that matches the container and lid 601 to be sealed. For example, the container described in this embodiment has a circular shape in plan view, and the lid 601 also has a shape that matches the size and shape of the container. Therefore, the heater 39 is also formed to a circular shape that is large enough to heat the entire edge of the container. Therefore, if the container has a rectangular shape in plan view, the heater 39 may also be formed to a rectangular shape to match the container, and the shape and size of the heater 39 may be determined arbitrarily. The heater 39 has a sealing force imparting surface 44, which is the surface that contacts the surface of the lid. The sealing force imparting surface 44 may be formed flat or may be an uneven surface with unevenness formed sequentially in the radial and / or circumferential direction, for example. However, from the viewpoint of joining the lid to the container with a small sealing force, the sealing force imparting surface 44 is preferably flat.

[0032] The insertion shafts 43 are formed to rise from the upper surface of the heater 39. In this 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, so that the substrate member 40 can move in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) between the tip and base ends of the insertion shafts 43 while maintaining the insertion shafts 43 inserted into the insertion holes 45. In addition, clip members 46 are attached to predetermined positions near the tip of the insertion shafts 43. The clip members 46 are formed so that their outer diameter is larger than the insertion holes 45 of the substrate member 40, so that the substrate member 40 does not come off the insertion shafts 43.

[0033] The base member 40 is disposed so as to be positioned above the heater 39 via a spring member 41. The base member 40 is provided with a first connecting member 47 that connects to the operation unit 9, which will be described later, and a second connecting member 48 that connects to a first moving body 49 and a second moving body 50 that constitute the movement mechanism 8. The first connecting member 47 is connected to the base member 40 and a front cover body 51 that constitutes the operation unit 9, and is for transmitting a force applied in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by operating the operation unit 9. The second connecting member 48 is for receiving the vertical force transmitted through the first connecting member 47 and transmitting the force to the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50.

[0034] The spring member 41 is provided between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40. In this embodiment, a coil spring is used as the spring member 41, but the spring member 41 is not limited to a coil spring. The coil spring, which is the spring member 41, has an insertion shaft 43 inserted into a hollow portion formed in the center of the coil spring, and when the coil spring is sandwiched between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40, the coil spring is compressed when the gap between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40 narrows, and the compressed state of the coil spring is reduced when the gap between the heater 39 and the substrate member 40 widens.

[0035] The operating unit 9 is used to operate the sealing force imparting unit 7 in the vertical direction, i.e., between a first position where the sealing force imparting unit 7 is a predetermined distance away from a container placed on the placing unit 15, and a second position where the sealing force imparting unit 7 imparts a predetermined amount of force to the container. In this embodiment, a push button is used as the operating unit 9. Pressing this push button starts the sealing force imparting unit 7 to move in the vertical direction.

[0036] The movement mechanism 8 moves the sealing force imparting unit 7 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by a force applied by the user via the operation unit 9. The movement mechanism 8 includes a first guide rail 53, a second guide rail 54, a first movable body 49, a second movable body 50, a movable body motor, and a transmission member 58. The first guide rail 53 and the second guide rail 54 guide the movement of the sealing force imparting unit 7 when the sealing force imparting unit 7 moves in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the first guide rail 53 and the second guide rail 54 are the same, but different rails may be used. The first guide rail 53 is attached to either the right side plate 11 or the left side plate 12, and the second guide rail 54 is attached to the rear plate 14. The first guide rail 53 and the second guide rail 54 are positioned such that, when the heater is viewed from above, their positions are offset from positions that are point-symmetric (or line-symmetric) with respect to the center of the heater. The first moving body 49 is fixed to the right end of the second connecting member 48. The first moving body 49 is connected to the first guide rail 53 and is configured to slide along the first guide rail 53. The second moving body 50 is fixed to the left end of the second connecting member 48. The second moving body 50 is connected to the second guide rail 54 and is configured to slide along the second guide rail 54. The moving body motor applies a moving force to move the sealing force imparting unit 7 up and down. The moving body motor is connected to the sealing force imparting unit 7 via a transmission member 58. In this embodiment, an endless belt is used as the transmission member 58, but a chain or the like may be used instead of a belt-like member. The endless belt is a belt member formed in a loop shape, and is connected to a connection portion provided on the sealing force imparting unit 7 at a predetermined position. The driving force of the motor transmitted via the transmission member 58 is transmitted to the sealing force imparting unit 7.

[0037] The detection unit 59 is attached to the sealing force applying unit 7. This detection unit 59 is for detecting that the pressing force applied by the sealing force applying unit 7 has reached a predetermined magnitude. In this embodiment, a limit switch is used as an example of the detection unit 59. When the detection unit 59 detects that the pressing force applied by the sealing force applying unit 7 has reached a predetermined magnitude, the switch turns on (the contacts close), and the light emission mode and color of the lamp 60 provided on the housing 4 can be changed as desired to notify the user that no more sealing force needs to be applied. Although a limit switch is used in this embodiment, components using other detection methods may be selected and used as desired.

[0038] Next, the operation and effect of the sealing device according to this embodiment will be described. In the sealing device according to this embodiment, the sealing force imparting unit 7 is normally located in the first position. Furthermore, the heater body 42 of the sealing force imparting unit 7 is supplied with power and is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, a predetermined temperature between 100°C and 200°C). When a user attempts to seal the lid body 601 on a container, the user first sets the container in the sealing device 1. At this time, the body portion 502 of the container is held in the holding unit 5. When the container is held in the holding unit 5, it first comes into contact with the guide portion 21 constituting the holding unit 5. The guide portion 21 is formed so that its width gradually narrows from the front to the rear, and its tip is formed so that its width is greater than the outer diameter of the container. Furthermore, the container is also formed to have a circular shape in a plan view. Therefore, when the container moves in the direction A in FIG. 1, the guide portion 21 elastically deforms so that its width increases in line with the size of the body portion of the container. At this time, the extension portion 19 of the holder 5 and the container holding portion 20 also elastically deform in a direction gradually widening the gap as the container enters. After passing through the guide portion 21, the container reaches the container holding portion 20 of the holder 5. The container holding portion 20 is formed in an arc shape that follows the shape of the container. Therefore, the body portion 502 of the container is held in the container holding portion 20. At this time, as the container enters, the gap between the holder 5 widens compared to when the container is not inserted. That is, when the gap between the components constituting the container holding portion 20 is W2 and the outer dimension of the portion of the container held by the container holding portion 20 is D1, D1 is larger than W2. Therefore, when the container enters and is ready to hold the container, the container holding portion 20 elastically deforms until the gap corresponds to the outer dimension D1 of the container. Therefore, when container holder 20 holds a container, a restoring force that restores it to its original dimension W2 is always acting on it, and it holds the container with the same magnitude as that restoring force. Therefore, when a container enters container holder 20, it can firmly hold the container in body 502.When the container is held by the container holder 20 in this manner, the outer periphery of the upper part of the container comes into contact with the rod members 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the lid positioning portion 6.

[0039] The container holding portion 20 can hold multiple types of containers with different outer sizes. For example, when holding a container with an outer size larger than the container described above, the container holding portion 20 undergoes elastic deformation to expand even further. As the outer size of the container increases, a difference may occur between the curvature of the material forming the container holding portion 20 and the curvature of the body portion 501 forming the container. According to the sealing device of this embodiment, even if a difference in curvature occurs between the container holding portion 20 and the body portion 502 of the container, the restoring force of the container holding portion 20 is generated, making it possible to hold the container. In other words, the sealing device of this embodiment can accommodate multiple types of containers with different outer sizes with a single holding portion 5, thereby greatly improving the versatility of the sealing device 1.

[0040] After the user has held the container in the container holder 20, as shown in FIG. 10 , the user places the lid 501 on the container. At this time, the lid positioning unit 6 has the lid guide members 38 attached to the rod-shaped members 22E of the first lid positioning unit 22 and the rod-shaped members 23E of the second lid positioning unit 23. When the container is placed on the placement unit 15, the lid guide members 38 are located below the sealing force applying unit 7 and above the container. Therefore, the user can insert the lid 601 into the space surrounded by the rod-shaped members 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the lid positioning member 6 while looking at the lid guide members 38, and therefore the user can place the lid 601 on the container with a sense of security. Furthermore, the lid body 601 placed on the container in this manner is adjusted to a predetermined position relative to the container by the rod-shaped bodies 22E, 23E, 24E, and 25E of the lid body positioning unit 6. The predetermined position here is a position where the center position of the container when viewed from above and the center position of the lid body 601 when viewed from above are aligned. Note that this predetermined position is not limited to such a center position, and any position where the lid body 601 is sealed to the container is included in this predetermined position even if there is some positional deviation.

[0041] The position of the lid guide member 38 is preferably above the container, but preferably close to the container. By providing the lid guide member 38 in such a position, the user can place the lid 601 on the container more easily, making it easier to handle.

[0042] Next, the user presses a push button that constitutes the operation unit 9. When the push button is pressed, the sealing device 1 starts operating the motor to generate a moving force. The moving force generated by the motor is transmitted to the endless belt through a gear-shaped member attached to the motor's rotation shaft, and then transmitted to the sealing force imparting unit 7 through a connecting member connected to the endless belt. When the moving force is transmitted, the sealing force imparting unit 7 begins to move downward along the movement mechanism 8. That is, when the sealing force imparting unit 7 starts operating, the movement mechanism 8 causes the first moving body 49 to start sliding in direction B on the first guide rail 53, and the second moving body 50 to start sliding in direction B on the second guide rail 54. When the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50 start sliding in direction B, the first connecting member 47 to which the first moving body 49 and the second moving body 50 are fixed, and the heater 39 to which the first connecting member 47 is attached, also start moving in direction B. When the heater 39 and other components start to move in direction B, the weight 57 connected via the transmission member 58 starts to move in direction C in Figure 11. That is, when the heater 39 starts to move downward, the weight 57 starts to move upward in response to that movement.

[0043] When the sealing force applying unit 7 moves a predetermined distance, the sealing force applying surface 44 of the heater 39 comes into contact with the surface of the lid 601. Because the heater 39 is heated to a predetermined temperature, when the sealing force applying surface 44 comes into contact with the surface of the lid 601, thermal energy from the heater 39 is transferred from the sealing force applying surface 44 to the surface of the lid 601, heating the lid 601. At this time, the heater 39 and the lid 601 may maintain contact with each other, or may be configured to apply a predetermined amount of sealing force after contact. Thus, when the sealing force applying surface 44 of the heater 39 comes into contact with the surface of the lid 601, or when further sealing force is applied after contact between the sealing force applying surface 44 and the surface of the lid 601, the limit switch serving as the detection unit 59 is activated. When the limit switch is activated, the motor stops operating, and the state in which thermal energy from the heater 39, or the thermal energy and sealing force, are applied, is maintained for a predetermined period of time. After the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the motor begins rotating in the reverse direction. Then, the sealing force applying portion that was located at the second position moves from the second position to the first position due to the force applied via the belt member in the opposite direction to the destination.

[0044] In the sealing device 1 according to the present invention, the protruding portion formed on the upper end of the container maintains a state in which the entire protruding portion is easily deformed when a sealing force is applied by the heater 39 of the sealing force applying unit 7. Therefore, even when a sealing force is applied by the heater 39, the container does not receive all of the applied sealing force at the protruding portion, but rather receives only a predetermined amount of force and can release other forces. This makes it easy to seal the lid 601 onto the container.

[0045] Furthermore, in the sealing device 1 according to the present invention, the container is placed directly on the placement portion 15, and therefore, unlike conventionally known sealing devices, there is no need to provide a holder for holding the container at its upper end or a drive mechanism for moving the holder back and forth, thereby simplifying the overall configuration of the sealing device 1. Therefore, the sealing device according to the present invention can significantly reduce the number of parts, and can be made smaller and lighter, and further, various costs including manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

[0046] In recent years, stores have been desiring smaller and lighter equipment to use limited store space more efficiently. Therefore, the sealing device according to the present invention can be easily made significantly smaller, and therefore can be provided more efficiently to stores that require greater space efficiency, such as recent convenience stores and fast food restaurants, which are particularly small stores.

[0047] Although the embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention has been described in detail above, 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Sealing device 2. Device body 3 Cover body 4. Cabinet 5 Holding part 6 Lid positioning part 7 Sealing force applying part 8 Moving mechanism 9 Control section 10 Bottom plate 11 Right side plate 12 Left side plate 13 Upper Plate 14 Rear plate 15 Placement section

Claims

1. The container is configured so that the opening can be sealed with a lid, a placement portion for placing the container; a sealing force applying unit for applying energy to seal the container with the lid; a moving mechanism that moves the sealing force applying unit and / or the container between a first position, which is a position where a predetermined distance is formed between the sealing force applying unit and the container placed on the placement unit, and a second position, which is a position where a predetermined amount of force is applied to the sealing force applying unit and the lid placed on the container, the moving mechanism includes a guide member that guides the movement of the sealing force applying unit between the first position and the second position, and a moving body that is provided on the sealing force applying unit and moves the sealing force applying unit between the first position and the second position along the guide member, A sealing device, wherein the guide member is provided at a position that is a predetermined distance from the center of the sealing force imparting portion when the sealing force imparting portion is viewed in a plane, and at a position that is shifted from positions that are point-symmetric with each other.

2. The container is configured so that the opening can be sealed with a lid, a placement portion for placing the container; a sealing force applying unit for applying energy to seal the container with the lid; a moving mechanism that moves the sealing force applying unit and / or the container between a first position, which is a position where a predetermined distance is formed between the sealing force applying unit and the container placed on the placement unit, and a second position, which is a position where a predetermined amount of force is applied between the sealing force applying unit and the lid placed on the container; a driving force applying unit that applies a driving force for moving the sealing force applying unit and / or the container along the moving mechanism, the driving force applying unit includes a driving force generating unit that generates a driving force, and a transmission member that transmits the driving force generated by the driving force generating unit to the sealing force applying unit, the sealing force applying portion has a connecting member, The connecting member is connected to a predetermined position of the transmission member. Sealing device.

3. a driving force applying unit that applies a driving force for moving the sealing force applying unit and / or the container along the moving mechanism, the driving force applying unit includes a driving force generating unit that generates a driving force, and a transmission member that transmits the driving force generated by the driving force generating unit to the sealing force applying unit, the sealing force applying portion has a connecting member, The connecting member is connected to a predetermined position of the transmission member. The sealing device of claim 1 .

4. a housing for defining an outer shell of the sealing device; a mounting space formed inside the housing for mounting the container, 3. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion is configured to be movable between a first position in which the container is positioned in the mounting space and a second position in which the container is positioned outside the mounting space.

5. The housing has a pair of side plates in a width direction, The mounting portion is configured to be slidable between the first position and the second position relative to the pair of side plates. The sealing device of claim 4.

6. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the placing section has a container positioning section for positioning the placed container at a predetermined position.

7. the container positioning unit has a wall formed to surround an area where the container is placed, and a pressing body that presses the container placed on the placement unit toward the inside of the wall, 6. The sealing device according to claim 5, wherein the pressing body has one end, another end opposite the one end, and a bent portion formed between the one end and the other end, the one end being attached to the wall body, and the bent portion being formed by bending the other end so as to face inward of the wall body.

8. The sealing device according to claim 4 , wherein the mounting portion includes a moving force applying portion for applying a moving force for moving between the first position and the second position.

9. The sealing device according to claim 8 , wherein the moving force application unit applies the moving force after the placement unit has moved a predetermined amount between the first position and the second position.

10. The sealing device according to claim 8 , wherein the mounting portion is provided with a damper member at the first position and / or the second position in addition to the moving force application portion.

11. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lid positioning portion for placing the lid at a predetermined position relative to the container.

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