Container

Abstract

To provide a container that can be vacuum-formed and has high storage efficiency.SOLUTION: A tray 1A for storing a plurality of members 40 to be stored includes a first member 10 and a second member 20 each made of a vacuum-formed product. The first member 10 and the second member 20 are provided with a plurality of storage parts 11 and storage parts 21, respectively. The storage part 11 of one of the first member 10 and the second member 20 is provided with a protrusion 15 that protrudes toward the other of the first member 10 and the second member 20, and a sub-part 13 that connects the storage parts 11 to each other. A portion surrounded by the adjacent protrusions 15 and the sub-part 13 forms a mating recess 16 (or mating recess 26), and the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected with the protrusions 15 mated with the mating recess 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Containers that accommodate a plurality of held members, such as electronic components, lined up in a predetermined direction are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The container described in Patent Document 1 is a transfer pad made by vacuum-forming a thermoplastic synthetic resin sheet. As shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, this transfer pad has a plurality of box sections 1 formed in an L-shape in cross section, and an appropriate number of plate-shaped object insertion grooves 7 provided along the L-shape on the inner walls of the bottom plate and back plate of the box sections 1. Plate-shaped objects, such as liquid crystal substrates, printed circuit boards, and silicon wafers, serving as held members, are inserted into the plate-shaped object insertion grooves 7 and lined up in the thickness direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-276770 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the containers described above, improvement in storage efficiency is required from the viewpoint of transport costs for the held members. In this regard, it is conceivable to improve storage efficiency by bringing adjacent holding sections for the held members (in Patent Document 1, adjacent plate-like body insertion grooves 7) closer to each other, thereby increasing the number of held members. However, in the containers described above, if the distance between adjacent holding sections is made too small, it is difficult to ensure sufficient wall thickness between the adjacent holding sections. For this reason, the walls of the holding sections may be crushed, making it difficult to smoothly perform vacuum forming, and therefore, it is difficult to bring the holding sections closer to each other.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a container that can be vacuum formed and has high storage efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the container of the present invention is a container for storing a plurality of held members, and comprises a first member and a second member each made of a vacuum-formed product and connected to each other, the first member and the second member are provided with a plurality of storage sections that are arranged at intervals in a predetermined direction and open upward, one of the storage sections of the first member and the second member is provided with a protrusion that intersects the predetermined direction in a top view and protrudes toward the other of the first member and the second member, and a connecting portion that connects adjacent storage sections to each other in the predetermined direction at the base end side of the protrusion, the portion surrounded by the tip side of the adjacent protrusion and the connecting portion forms a fitting recess facing in the protruding direction of the protrusion, and the first member and the second member are connected in a state where the protrusion of one of the first member and the second member is fitted into the fitting recess of the other of the first member and the second member in the protruding direction.

[0007] According to the present invention, the housing portions for the held members are formed separately from the first and second members, thereby ensuring sufficient wall thickness for each housing portion. This allows for smooth vacuum forming without crushing the walls. When the first and second members are connected, the protruding portion of one of the first and second members fits into the mating recess of the other of the first and second members in the direction of the protruding portion. Therefore, the housing portions of the first member and the housing portions of the second member are arranged alternately in a predetermined direction so as to fill the space between adjacent housing portions. In other words, two rows of staggered housing portions can be formed while effectively utilizing the space as housing portions. This allows for a greater number of held members per unit volume in the container compared to a configuration without the first and second members. Therefore, a container that can be vacuum formed and has high housing efficiency can be provided.

[0008] In this case, it is preferable that a double partition wall be formed by the wall of one of the protrusions that fits into the fitting recess and the wall of the protrusion adjacent to the one of the protrusions that divide the storage section in the predetermined direction. With this configuration, the strength of the storage section can be improved by forming a double partition wall by the wall of one of the protrusions and the wall of the protrusion adjacent to the one of the protrusions. This allows the stored member to be stably maintained in the storage section.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that the first member and the second member have the same shape and are connected in a rotationally symmetrical position when viewed from the top. According to the present invention, since the first member and the second member have the same shape, the tray can be easily manufactured using one type of mold, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the tray.

[0010] The held member is formed in a disk shape having a thickness in the predetermined direction, and the protrusion protrudes in a radial direction of the held member. With this configuration, multiple disk-shaped held members can be lined up in the plate thickness direction and stored together in multiple rows in the container, thereby improving the storage efficiency of the held members.

[0011] Preferably, the first member and the second member are each provided with a flange portion that protrudes outward from the housing portion, and the first member and the second member are connected by a fixing member that penetrates the flange portion in the plate thickness direction. With this configuration, the first member and the second member can be connected by the fixing member that penetrates the flange portion without affecting the housing portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, a container that can be vacuum formed and has high storage efficiency can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention and a member to be held in the container; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a top view of a first member that constitutes a part of the container. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container in a state in which a member to be held is held therein; [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a top view of the container in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a left side view of the container in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a front view of the container in FIG. 4. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a container according to a second modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an overall perspective view of a container according to a second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The container according to this embodiment is a tray 1A molded using a resin material, and accommodates a plurality of accommodated members 40, such as electronic components, each having a predetermined width. In the following description, the short side direction of the tray 1A will be referred to as the "front-rear direction X," one side of the front-rear direction X will be referred to as the "front side X1," and the other side of the front-rear direction X will be referred to as the "rear side X2." The long side direction of the tray 1A will be referred to as the width direction Y, one side of the width direction Y will be referred to as the "right side Y1," and the other side will be referred to as the "left side Y2." The height direction of the tray 1A will be referred to as the "vertical direction Z," one side of the vertical direction Z will be referred to as the "upper side Z1," and the other side will be referred to as the "lower side Z2." These direction definitions are provided solely for convenience of explanation and do not necessarily correspond to the front-rear direction, width direction, and up-down direction in the actual usage state of the tray 1A, and do not limit the respective directions in the actual usage state of the tray 1A.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the tray 1A includes a first member 10 and a second member 20, each of which is a vacuum-formed product, and a fixing member 30 that connects the first member 10 and the second member 20 to each other. The held members 40 stored in the tray 1A are, for example, disc-shaped electronic components having a thickness in the width direction Y (a predetermined direction) and each of which includes a disc-shaped large-diameter portion 41. A small-diameter portion 42 that protrudes outward in the width direction Y is formed on one side of the large-diameter portion 41 facing the width direction Y. The small-diameter portion 42 is disc-shaped and coaxial with the large-diameter portion 41, with an outer diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter portion 41. A total of six held members 40 are prepared, and are stored in the tray 1A in two rows in the front-rear direction X, with three held members arranged in the width direction Y with their axes L facing the width direction Y (a predetermined direction). When stored in this manner, the held members 40 located on the front side X1 are lined up in the width direction Y with their small-diameter portions 42 facing the left side Y2. On the other hand, the held members 40 arranged on the rear side X2 are arranged in the width direction Y with their small diameter portions 42 facing the right side Y1.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the first member 10 of the tray 1A has three storage sections 11 each capable of individually storing a held member 40. Each storage section 11 has a main body 12 that stores a lower Z2 portion of the large diameter section 41 of the held member 40. The lower surface of the main body 12 is formed with legs 12a that contact an installation surface (not shown) to stabilize the position of the storage section 11. A concave main storage space 12b that opens to the upper Z1 (upward) is formed inside the main body 12. The main storage space 12b is surrounded by an inner wall that conforms to the outer shape of the lower Z2 portion of the large diameter section 41 of the held member 40. A secondary section 13 that bulges out to the left Y2 is formed on the left Y2 side wall of the main body 12. A secondary storage space 13a that opens to the upper Z1 is formed inside the secondary section 13. The auxiliary storage space 13a is surrounded by an inner wall that conforms to the outer shape of the lower Z2 portion of the small diameter portion 42 of the stored member 40. A flat portion 14 that protrudes outward from the main storage space 12b and the auxiliary storage space 13a is formed on the upper edges of the main portion 12 and the auxiliary portion 13. The flat portion 14 extends at an angle of 90° to the inner wall of the main portion 12 that is continuous with the flat portion 14.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3 , the three storage sections 11 configured in this manner are aligned in the width direction Y and connected in an inclined position with the front X1 portion positioned on the right side Y1 and the rear X2 portion positioned on the left side Y2 relative to the width direction Y in a top view. Specifically, for example, in FIG. 3 , the left side Y2 end of the sub-section 13 of the storage section 11 located in the center is connected to the right side Y1 sidewall of the main section 12 of the storage section 11 located on the left side Y2 in FIG. 3 , so that adjacent storage sections 11 are connected to each other. The sub-storage space 13a of the sub-section 13 and the main storage space 12b of the main section 12 are connected to each other in the width direction Y. With this configuration, the first member 10 includes main sections 12 (storage sections 11) aligned at intervals in the width direction Y and opening to the upper side Z1 (upward). The sub-sections 13 function as connecting sections that connect adjacent storage sections 11 to each other in a predetermined direction.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, the rear side X2 portion of each housing portion 11 in the first member 10 constitutes a protruding portion 15 that protrudes toward the second member 20. That is, three protruding portions 15 are formed on the first member 10. Each protruding portion 15 protrudes from the front side X1, where the sub-portion 13 serving as a connecting portion is located, as the base end side, to the rear side X2, as the tip end side. With this configuration, the sub-portion 13 serving as a connecting portion is provided on the base end side of adjacent protruding portions 15. The protruding portions 15 protrude in a direction corresponding to the radial direction of the held member 40. In the area surrounded by the rear side X2 (tip end side) of the adjacent protruding portion 15 and the sub-portion 13 serving as a connecting portion, a fitting recess 16 is formed that faces the protruding direction of the protruding portion 15. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, two fitting recesses 16 are formed on the first member 10.

[0019] The flat surface portions 14 of the accommodation portions 11 located on the rightmost side Y1 and the leftmost side Y2 of each accommodation portion 11 are formed with flange portions 17 that protrude from the edges of the flat surface portions 14 outward from the main accommodation space 12b (accommodation portions 11). The flange portion 17 located on the right side Y1 of each of the flange portions 17 protrudes to the right side Y1 of the accommodation portion 11. The flange portion 17 located on the left side Y2 of each of the flange portions 17 protrudes to the rear side X2 of the accommodation portion 11. A connection hole 18 for inserting the fixing member 30 is formed through each flange portion 17 in the vertical direction Z (plate thickness direction). The first member 10 is connected to the second member 20 via these flange portions 17.

[0020] The second member 20 is molded into the same shape as the first member 10 using the same mold as the first member 10. That is, in this embodiment, two first members 10 are formed using one type of mold, and one of them serves as the second member 20. The second member 20 is disposed in a position rotated 180° relative to the first member 10 as viewed from above in FIG. 2 . Since the structure of the second member 20 is the same as that of the first member 10, in the following description, the configuration of the second member 20 will be listed, but detailed description thereof will be omitted or simplified. When listing this configuration, different reference numerals may be assigned to components similar to those of the first member 10 to distinguish them from the configuration of the first member 10. Furthermore, to avoid cluttering the drawings, the reference numerals themselves may be omitted for some of the multiple storage sections 21 described below.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the second member 20 has three storage sections 21 lined up in the width direction Y. The storage sections 21 correspond to the storage sections 11 of the first member 10 and each have a main body section 22. Leg sections 22a are formed on the underside of the main body section 22. A concave main storage space 22b that opens to the upper side Z1 is formed inside the main body section 22. A sub-section 23 that bulges out to the right side Y1 is formed on the side wall of the main body section 22 on the right side Y1. A sub-storage space 23a that opens to the upper side Z1 is formed inside the sub-section 23. A flat surface section 24 that protrudes outward from the main storage space 22b and the sub-storage space 23a is formed on the upper edges of the main body section 22 and the sub-section 23. The flat surface section 24 extends at an angle of 90° with respect to the continuous inner wall of the main body section 22. The storage sections 21 configured in this manner are aligned in the width direction Y and connected in the width direction Y in an inclined position so that the front X1 portion is located on the right side Y1 and the rear X2 portion is located on the left side Y2 with respect to the front-rear direction X in a top view. Then, similar to the sub-sections 13 of the first member 10, the sub-sections 23 function as connecting sections that connect adjacent storage sections 21 in the width direction Y.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, a front side X1 portion of each storage portion 21 in the second member 20 forms a protruding portion 25 that protrudes toward the first member 10. That is, three protruding portions 25 are formed on the second member 20. Each protruding portion 25 protrudes from a rear side X2, where a sub-portion 23 serving as a connecting portion is located, as a base end, to a front side X1 as a tip end. Due to this protruding portion 25 of the second member 20 and the above-described protruding portion 15 of the first member 10, the storage portion 11 (or storage portion 21) of one of the first member 10 and the second member 20 is provided with a protruding portion 15 (or protruding portion 25) that intersects with the width direction Y (predetermined direction) in a top view and protrudes toward the other of the first member 10 and the second member 20.

[0023] Furthermore, a fitting recess 26 facing the protruding direction of the protruding portion 25 is formed in a portion surrounded by the front side X1 (tip side) of the adjacent protruding portion 25 and the sub-portion 23 serving as a connecting portion. With this configuration, two fitting recesses 26 are formed in the second member 20. A flange portion 27 protruding from the edge of the flat surface portion 24 of the housing portion 21 located on the rightmost side Y1 and the housing portion 11 located on the leftmost side Y2 of each housing portion 21 protrudes outward from the main housing space 22b (housing portion 21) from the edge of the flat surface portion 24. The flange portion 27 on the right side Y1 of the flange portion 27 protrudes toward the front side X1 of the housing portion 21. The flange portion 27 on the left side Y2 of the flange portion 27 protrudes toward the left side Y2 of the housing portion 21. A connection hole 28 for inserting the fixing member 30 is formed through the flange portion 27 in the vertical direction Z.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected to each other using a fixing member 30. Various members can be used for the fixing member 30, such as a Panlock (registered trademark), a rivet, or a push pin. Regardless of the type of member used, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected to each other by attaching the fixing member 30 to the flange portions 17 and 27 stacked in the vertical direction Z, without affecting the shapes of the housing portions 11 and 21. When the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected to each other, as shown in FIG. 1, a portion of each of the protrusions 15 of the first member 10 is fitted in the fitting recess 26 of the second member 20 in the protruding direction. Furthermore, a portion of each of the protrusions 25 of the second member 20 is fitted in the fitting recess 16 of the first member 10 in the protruding direction.

[0025] By this engagement, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected in a state in which the protruding portion 15 (or protruding portion 25) of one of the first member 10 and the second member 20 is engaged in the protruding direction with the engaging recess 26 (or engaging recess 16) of the other of the first member 10 and the second member 20. Therefore, the storage sections 11 of the first member 10 and the storage sections 21 of the second member 20 are arranged alternately in the width direction Y (predetermined direction) so as to fill the space between adjacent storage sections 11 and 21. In other words, two rows of storage sections 11 (or storage sections 21) arranged alternately can be formed while effectively utilizing the space as the storage sections 11 (or storage sections 21). The tray 1A configured in this manner accommodates stored members 40 as shown in FIG. 4. The held member 40 corresponds one-to-one to the accommodating section 11 of the first member 10 or the accommodating section 21 of the second member 20, and is inserted into each accommodating section 11 and each accommodating section 21 from the upper side Z1 to the lower side Z2 and individually accommodated therein.

[0026] At this time, as described above, the protruding portion 15 (or protruding portion 25) of one of the first member 10 and the second member 20 is fitted in the protruding direction with the fitting recess 26 (or fitting recess 16) of the other of the first member 10 and the second member 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the held members 40 lined up in a row in the first member 10 and the held members 40 lined up in a row in the second member 20 are arranged alternately in the width direction Y. As a result, the gap between adjacent held members 40 in the width direction Y is smaller than in a configuration not including the first member 10 and the second member 20. Therefore, the number of held members 40 that can be accommodated per unit volume in the tray 1A is increased in the width direction Y. Furthermore, with this configuration, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the held members 40 lined up in the first member 10 and the held members 40 lined up in the second member 20 can be overlapped in the front-rear direction X. Therefore, when the held members 40 are arranged in multiple rows in the front-rear direction X, the overall dimension of the tray 1A in the front-rear direction X can be reduced, thereby increasing the number of held members 40 that can be accommodated per unit volume in the tray 1A in the front-rear direction X as well.

[0027] However, with a single-component container that does not include a first member 10 and a second member 20, as in the conventional container, the following is difficult. Specifically, it is difficult to store the held members 40 arranged on the front side X1 and the held members 40 arranged on the rear side X2 in multiple rows (two rows) by staggering them while maintaining the gap in the width direction Y as in the present embodiment. This is because it is difficult to ensure sufficient wall thickness between adjacent holding sections during vacuum forming, which makes it difficult to smoothly perform vacuum forming due to the walls of the holding sections being crushed. Furthermore, even if vacuum forming is possible, it is difficult to ensure sufficient wall thickness between adjacent holding sections. Therefore, if a conventional container is designed to store the held members 40 in multiple rows, the strength of the holding sections is likely to decrease. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the holding sections 11 and 21, which are staggered after the tray 1A is completed, are formed separately in advance using the first member 10 and the second member 20. Therefore, vacuum forming is not difficult as in the conventional container. Furthermore, when the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected, the protrusion 15 is fitted into the fitting recess 26, and the protrusion 25 is fitted into the fitting recess 16, the wall portion of the protrusion 15 and the wall portion of the protrusion 25 are positioned between adjacent held members 40.

[0028] Therefore, with this configuration, as shown in FIG. 5 , a double partition wall 50 is formed that divides the storage section 11 (or storage section 21) in the width direction Y (a predetermined direction) by the wall portion of the protrusion 15 (one of the protrusions) that fits into the fitting recess 26 and the wall portion of the protrusion 25 adjacent to the protrusion 15. By forming the double partition wall 50, even if the gap in the width direction Y between adjacent stored members 40 becomes small as described above, the strength of the storage section 11 and the storage section 21 can be sufficiently maintained. Furthermore, since the protrusions 15 and the protrusions 25 that form the double partition wall 50 are vacuum-formed separately, molding the partition wall 50 is not difficult. Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, each storage section 11 and each storage section 21 is inclined in the front-rear direction X so that the front side X1 portion is located on the right side Y1 and the rear side X2 portion is located on the left side Y2 in the front-rear direction X when viewed from above. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the storage sections 11 and 21 are not inclined relative to the front-rear direction X, the overall dimension of the tray 1A in the front-rear direction X can be made smaller.

[0029] Next, the manufacture of the tray 1A will be described. First, a sheet-like thermoplastic resin that has been heated and softened is placed on a mold and vacuum-suctioned through a suction hole (not shown). This reduces the pressure in the space between the thermoplastic resin and the mold, pressing the thermoplastic resin against the mold. As a result, the sheet-like thermoplastic resin deforms to a shape that conforms to the contact surface between the mold and the thermoplastic resin, thereby forming the first member 10 and the second member 20. Examples of the thermoplastic resin material that can be used include synthetic resins such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene), PE (polyethylene), PS (polystyrene), PC (polycarbonate), and PVC (vinyl chloride). The mold may be a convex mold that contacts the inner wall of the first member 10 shown in FIG. 3 after molding, or a concave mold that contacts the outer wall of the first member 10 shown in FIG. 3 after molding. In this embodiment, a convex mold is used as an example. In this case, the upper side Z1 of the flat portion 14 of the first member 10 serves as the mold surface. In this embodiment, since the first member 10 and the second member 20 have the same shape, only one type of mold needs to be prepared.

[0030] Next, the thermoplastic resin is cooled and hardened, and the decompression through the suction holes is stopped, followed by demolding. As described above, the inner wall of the main body portion 12 of the housing portion 11 (main body portion 22 of the housing portion 21) extends at a 90° angle with respect to the flat surface portion 14 (flat surface portion 24) that forms the mold surface. That is, the inner wall of the housing portion 11 (housing portion 21) extends in a direction perpendicular to the mold surface. Therefore, the draft angle of the housing portion 11 (housing portion 21) is 0°, allowing for smooth demolding. After demolding is complete, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are positioned in the front-rear direction X so that the protrusions 15 and 25 face each other. With this arrangement, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are rotationally symmetrical when viewed from the upper side Z1, as shown in FIG. 2 . In this manner, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are manufactured as vacuum-formed products by vacuum-forming the thermoplastic resin material.

[0031] Next, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are brought closer to each other in the front-rear direction X, and the protrusion 15 of the first member 10 is fitted into the fitting recess 26 of the second member 20, and the protrusion 25 of the second member 20 is fitted into the fitting recess 16 of the first member 10. The flange 17 on the right side Y1 of the first member 10 is overlapped with the lower side Z2 of the flange 27 on the right side Y1 of the second member 20. The flange 17 on the left side Y2 of the first member 10 is overlapped with the lower side Z2 of the flange 27 on the left side Y2 of the second member 20. The fixing member 30 is then inserted through the connecting holes 18 and 28 to connect the first member 10 and the second member 20. This connection completes the manufacture of the tray 1A.

[0032] As described above, according to the embodiment described above, by configuring the accommodation portion 11 and the accommodation portion 21 of the accommodated member 40 separately from the first member 10 and the second member 20, it is possible to ensure a sufficient thickness of the wall portion of each accommodation portion 11 and the accommodation portion 21. This allows smooth vacuum forming without crushing the wall portion. When the first member 10 and the second member 20 are connected, the protrusion 15 (or the protrusion 25) of one of the first member 10 and the second member 20 fits into the fitting recess 26 (or the fitting recess 16) of the other of the first member 10 and the second member 20 in the protruding direction of the protrusion 15 (or the protrusion 25).

[0033] As a result, the storage sections 11 of the first member 10 and the storage sections 21 of the second member 20 are arranged alternately in the width direction Y (predetermined direction) so as to fill the space between adjacent storage sections 11 (or storage sections 21). That is, two rows of storage sections 11 and storage sections 21 arranged alternately can be configured while effectively utilizing the space as the storage sections 11 and storage sections 21. As a result, the number of stored members 40 that can be stored per unit volume of the tray 1A (container) can be increased compared to a configuration that does not include the first member 10 and the second member 20. Therefore, a tray 1A that can be vacuum formed and has high storage efficiency can be provided.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the wall of protruding portion 15 (one protruding portion) and the wall of protruding portion 25 adjacent to protruding portion 15 form a double partition wall 50, thereby improving the strength of accommodating portion 11 and accommodating portion 21. This allows accommodating portion 11 and accommodating portion 21 to stably maintain the state in which accommodated member 40 is accommodated therein.

[0035] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, since the first member 10 and the second member 20 have the same shape, the tray 1A can be easily manufactured using one type of mold, and the manufacturing cost of the tray 1A can be reduced.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, by forming the tray 1A with the first member 10 and the second member 20, it is possible to store a plurality of disk-shaped held members 40 together in the tray 1A by arranging them in the width direction Y, which is the thickness direction of the plate, and in multiple rows (two rows) in the front-to-rear direction X, thereby improving the storage efficiency of the held members 40.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the fixing member 30 that penetrates the flange portion 17 and the flange portion 27 can connect the first member 10 and the second member 20 without affecting the accommodating portion 11 and the accommodating portion 21.

[0038] Next, a modified example of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8 is a top view of a tray 1B according to the modified example. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the tray 1B according to the modified example differs from the tray 1A according to the above-described embodiment in that the storage sections 11 of the first member 10 are not inclined relative to the front-rear direction X. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the storage sections 11 are connected in the width direction Y with their central axes L1, L2, and L3 offset in the front-rear direction X so that the storage sections 11 located on the right side Y1 are located closer to the front X1. As shown in FIG. 10, the planar portion 14 of the first member 10 extends at an angle of 90° relative to the inner wall of the main body 12, similar to the tray 1A according to the above-described embodiment. Note that the modified example also includes a second member 20. However, the structure of the second member 20 is similar to that of the first member 10 according to the modified example, and therefore, drawings and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0039] With this configuration, the storage section 11 and the storage section 21 are not inclined relative to the front-to-back direction X, and therefore the overall dimension of the tray 1B in the width direction Y can be made smaller compared to a configuration in which the storage section 11 and the storage section 21 are inclined relative to the front-to-back direction X.

[0040] Next, a second modified example of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a tray 1C (container) according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 12 is an overall perspective view of the tray 1C according to the second modified example. In the following description, for example, for components that have the same structure, such as support grooves 61b (described later), some reference numerals may be omitted to avoid complication. In FIGS. 11 and 12, the long sides of an upper-left tray 60 and an upper-right tray 70 (described later) are defined as the front-rear direction X. This front-rear direction X is also referred to as the "predetermined direction." The tray 1C is a container that accommodates thin-plate-shaped held members 40, such as circuit boards, and includes an upper-left tray 60, an upper-right tray 70, and a lower tray 80, which are vacuum-formed products made of the same thermoplastic resin as the trays 1A and 1B described above. That is, the tray 1C of the second modified example includes three vacuum-formed products.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 11 , the upper-left tray 60 is a first member in the second modified example. The upper-left tray 60 is formed in a dish-like shape that opens to the upper side Z1, and includes, for example, a substantially rectangular bottom plate 61 extending in the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y, and a front wall 62, a right side wall 63, a left side wall 64, and a rear wall 65 that rise from the edge of the bottom plate 61 to the upper side Z1. A support portion 61a that bulges out to the upper side Z1 is formed in the center of the top surface of the bottom plate 61 in the left-right direction Y. The support portion 61a is formed to extend in the front-rear direction X. A plurality of support grooves 61b (six in the second modified example) that open to the upper side Z1 are formed on the upper surface of the support portion 61a at intervals in the front-rear direction X. The support grooves 61b are formed with a groove width that allows the lower end of the held member 40 to be accommodated, and support the held member 40 while restricting displacement of the held member 40 in the front-rear direction X.

[0042] A plurality of storage sections 66 capable of storing both left and right ends of the held member 40 are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction X, which is a predetermined direction, on a portion of the right side wall 63 and a portion of the left side wall 64. The storage sections 66 are formed by protruding a portion of the right side wall 63 and a portion of the left side wall 64 outward in the left-right direction Y. The inner surfaces of the storage sections 66 are recessed outward in the left-right direction Y, and each opens toward the upper side Z1 and inward in the left-right direction Y. The positions at which the storage sections 66 are formed are aligned with the aforementioned multiple support grooves 61b in the front-rear direction X. As a result, the held member 40 is supported in the upper left tray 60 with both left and right ends stored in the storage sections 66 and the lower end stored in the support groove 61b.

[0043] The outer wall of the storage section 66 located on the right side (Y1) forms a protrusion 67 that protrudes toward the upper right tray 70. That is, the upper left tray 60 is provided with multiple protrusions 67. These protrusions 67 correspond to the protrusions 15 and 25 of the above embodiment. The multiple protrusions 67 are connected at their left side (Y2) proximal ends by the right side wall 63, which functions as a connecting portion, and protrude from this right side wall 63 toward the right side (Y1) distal end. An engaging recess 68 is formed in the area surrounded by the right side (Y1) (tip end) of the protrusion 67 and the right side wall 63, which functions as a connecting portion, and faces the protrusion direction of the protrusion 67. With this configuration, the protrusion 67 fits into an engaging recess 78 of the upper right tray 70, which will be described later, and the protrusion 77 of the upper right tray 70, which will be described later, fits into the engaging recess 68.

[0044] The upper-right tray 70 shown in FIG. 11 is the second member in the second modified example, and is molded into the same shape as the upper-left tray 60 using the same mold as the upper-left tray 60. The upper-right tray 70 is disposed in a position rotated 180° relative to the upper-left tray 60 when viewed from above. Because the structure of the upper-right tray 70 is the same as that of the upper-left tray 60, the following description will enumerate the components of the upper-right tray 70, but will omit or simplify detailed description thereof. When enumerating the components, components similar to those of the upper-left tray 60 may be assigned different reference numerals to distinguish them from the components of the upper-left tray 60. Furthermore, to avoid cluttering the drawings, the reference numerals themselves may be omitted for some of the components.

[0045] The upper right tray 70 includes, for example, a bottom plate 71, a front wall 72, a right side wall 73, a left side wall 74, and a rear wall 75, and is formed in the shape of a dish that opens to the upper side Z1. A support portion 71a with a support groove 71b is formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 71. A plurality of storage portions 76 are formed in a portion of the right side wall 73 and a portion of the left side wall 74. Of the storage portions 76, the outer wall portion of the storage portion 76 located on the left side Y2 forms a protruding portion 77 that protrudes toward the upper left tray 60. In other words, the upper right tray 70 is provided with a plurality of protruding portions 77. The protruding portions 77 are connected at their base ends on the right side Y2 by the left side wall 74, which functions as a connecting portion, and protrude from the left side wall 74 toward the tip ends on the left side Y2. A fitting recess 78 facing the protruding direction of the protruding portion 77 is formed in a portion surrounded by the left side Y2 (tip side) of the protruding portion 77 and the left wall 74 serving as a connecting portion.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 12 , the upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70 are connected in the left-right direction Y. When the upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70 are connected, the protrusion 67 of the upper-left tray 60 fits into the fitting recess 78 of the upper-right tray 70 in the protruding direction. Furthermore, the protrusion 77 of the upper-right tray 70 fits into the fitting recess 68 of the upper-left tray 60 in the protruding direction. With this configuration, the wall portion of the protrusion 67 (one protrusion) that fits into the fitting recess 78 and the wall portion of the protrusion 77 adjacent to the protrusion 67 form a double partition wall 90 that divides the storage section 66 (or storage section 76) in the front-rear direction X (a predetermined direction).

[0047] The upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70 connected in this manner are accommodated in the lower tray 80. The lower tray 80, like the upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70, is a vacuum-formed product and is formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular dish shape that opens to the upper side Z1. The lower tray 80 is formed with a left recess 81 recessed toward the lower side Z2 and a right recess 82 recessed toward the lower side Z2 adjacent to the right side Y1 of the left recess 81. The inner shape of the left recess 81 is formed to fit the outer shape of the lower side Z2 portion of the upper-left tray 60, thereby allowing the upper-left tray 60 to be accommodated in the left recess 81 when fitted therein. The inner shape of the right recess 82 is formed to fit the outer shape of the lower side Z2 portion of the upper-right tray 70, thereby allowing the right recess 82 to fit the upper-right tray 70 when fitted therein.

[0048] When the upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70 are housed in the lower tray 80, the upper-left tray 60 fits into the left recess 81, thereby establishing a so-called locked state, and displacement of the upper-left tray 60 in the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y is restricted. Similarly, the upper-right tray 70 fits into the right recess 82, thereby establishing a so-called locked state, and displacement of the upper-right tray 70 in the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y is restricted. According to this second modified example, the upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70 can be housed in the lower tray 80 and their displacement can be restricted. Furthermore, with this configuration, the connected state of the upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70 can be maintained more stably than with a configuration in which the upper-left tray 60 and the upper-right tray 70 are connected locally using a fixing member such as a pan lock.

[0049] The above-described embodiment and modified examples merely illustrate representative aspects of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in this embodiment, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are molded using a single mold by making the first member 10 and the second member 20 have the same shape. However, this is not limiting, and the first member 10 and the second member 20 may be molded using different molds without making the shapes of the first member 10 and the second member 20 completely identical. This increases the variety of shapes of the held members 40 that can be accommodated in the tray 1A. However, using a single mold to mold the first member 10 and the second member 20, as in this embodiment, reduces the manufacturing cost of the tray 1A. Therefore, from the perspective of manufacturing cost, it is preferable to make the shapes of the first member 10 and the second member 20 the same.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the held members 40 are electronic components, but this is merely an example. In addition to electronic components, the held members 40 can also be various industrial parts, such as automobile parts, in-vehicle parts, camera parts, solar modules, and plate materials. The shape of the held members 40 does not necessarily have to be disk-shaped; they may be formed into various shapes, such as polygonal plates, columns, and cylinders. The number of held members 40 that can be accommodated in the tray 1A is not limited to six, but may be six or less, or six or more. For example, when six or more held members 40 are to be accommodated in the tray 1A, the first member 10 and the second member 20 may be enlarged in the width direction Y to increase the number of holding sections 11 and holding sections 21. Alternatively, a new second member 20 may be prepared and connected to the current first member 10 or second member 20 in a manner similar to the connection of the current first member 10 and second member 20. Alternatively, the number of accommodated members 40 may be increased by both adding more accommodating sections 11 and 21 and connecting new second members 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] Z1 Upper side (upper) 1A Tray (container) 40. Component to be held 10 First member 11 Storage section 13 Sub part (connection part) 15 Protrusion 16. Mating recess 20 Second member 21 Storage unit 23 subsection 25 Protrusion 26. Fitting recess

Claims

1. A container for accommodating a plurality of accommodated members, a first member and a second member each formed of a vacuum-formed product and connected to each other; The first member and the second member are provided with a plurality of storage sections that are arranged at intervals in a predetermined direction and open upward, the housing portion of one of the first member and the second member is provided with a protruding portion that intersects with the predetermined direction in a top view and protrudes toward the other of the first member and the second member, and a connecting portion that connects adjacent housing portions to each other in the predetermined direction on base end sides of the protruding portion, a portion surrounded by the tip end sides of the adjacent protrusions and the connecting portion forms a fitting recess facing in the protruding direction of the protrusions, A container characterized in that the first member and the second member are connected in a state in which the protruding portion of one of the first member and the second member is engaged in the engaging recess of the other of the first member and the second member in the protruding direction.

2. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that a wall portion of one of the protrusions that fits into the fitting recess and a wall portion of the protrusion adjacent to the one of the protrusions form a double partition wall that divides the storage section in the specified direction.

3. The container according to claim 1 , wherein the first member and the second member have the same shape and are connected in a rotationally symmetrical manner when viewed from the top.

4. The held member is formed in a disk shape having a thickness in the predetermined direction, 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion protrudes in a radial direction of the held member.

5. The first member and the second member are each provided with a flange portion that protrudes outward from the accommodating portion, The container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first member and the second member are connected by a fixing member that penetrates the flange portion in the plate thickness direction.

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