Annular seal member

Abstract

To provide an annular seal member for preventing decline in sealing effects as a result of the annular seal member turning outward even if a lid body center and an opening part center are shifted from each other when the opening part of a container body is closed by a cover body.SOLUTION: An annular seal member 10 which is fitted into a mounting groove 2a of a lid body 2 to seal a space from a seal surface 1a of a container body 1 includes an annular seal body part 11 to be fitted into the mounting groove 2a, a protruded piece part 12 continuous with the seal body part 11, curved into a sectional fishing needle shape, having a front-end-side curved part outer peripheral face 12a abutting on the seal surface 1a to seal a space from the seal surface 1a, a first protruded part 13 provided on the curved part outer peripheral face 12a of the protruded piece part 12 at its seal body part 11 side for abutting on a peripheral edge of the mounting groove 2a of the lid body 2, and a second protruded part 14 provided on a front end side further than the first protruded part 13 of the curved part outer peripheral face 12a for abutting on a position farther away from the seal body part 11 than the first protruded part 13 on the peripheral edge of the mounting groove 2a, which are all molded integrally with one another.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2C

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an annular seal member that is fitted into a mounting groove of a first member to form a seal between the first member and a sealing surface of a second member. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as an annular seal of this type, for example, an annular seal member provided between a container body and a lid of a substrate storage container is known, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in Figures 6 and 7A to 7D, this annular seal member 110 is formed of a main body portion 111 that is fitted into an attachment groove 102a of the lid body 102, and an extension piece 112 that extends from the main body portion 111. The extension piece 112 has a protrusion portion 113 that protrudes toward the lid body 102 in the closing direction of the lid body 102, and a seal portion 112a that is located at a tip end of the protrusion portion 113, and is configured to contact the seal surface 101a in a J-shape on the side of the seal surface 101a and the side of the main body portion 111. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018-221412 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the conventional annular sealing member 110, when the rectangular annular main body 111 is fitted into the mounting groove 102a of the rectangular lid body 102 and the lid body 102 is pushed toward the peripheral edge of the opening 103 of the container body 101 to close the opening 103 while maintaining a sealed state with the annular sealing member 110, if the center of the lid body 102 is misaligned with the center of the opening 103, the J-shaped (fishhook-shaped) sealing portion 112a will get caught on the sealing surface 101a on the peripheral edge of the opening 103 in an area closer to the peripheral edge of the opening 103 than usual, as shown in Figure 7A.

[0005] If the lid body is further pushed in in this state, the lid body 102 will be closed with the seal portion 112a turned outward from the container body as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C.

[0006] This poses a problem in that when the internal pressure of the container body is higher than the external pressure, gas is more likely to leak from this turned-up portion.

[0007] The present invention was made in consideration of such points, and its purpose is to prevent the annular sealing member from being turned over and the sealing effect from being reduced when the lid is used to close the opening of the container body, even if the center of the lid and the center of the opening are misaligned. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is designed to prevent deformation of the seal portion and make it less likely to turn over.

[0009] Specifically, the first invention is directed to an annular seal member that is fitted into a mounting groove of a first member to seal between the first member and a sealing surface of a second member, The annular sealing member is an annular seal body portion fitted into the mounting groove; a protruding piece portion that is continuous with the seal body portion, curved in a fishhook shape in cross section, and whose outer peripheral surface at the tip end of the curved portion abuts against the seal surface to seal between the seal surface and the protruding piece portion; a first protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the curved portion of the protruding piece on the seal body side and abutting against a peripheral edge of the mounting groove of the first member; A second protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the curved portion closer to the tip than the first protrusion and abuts at a position farther from the seal main body than the first protrusion on the periphery of the mounting groove.

[0010] According to the above configuration, by providing the second protrusion at a position farther from the seal body than the first protrusion, i.e., closer to the seal surface, the curved portion of the protrusion is less likely to turn up. Therefore, when the lid is finally sealed to the edge of the opening, the protrusion remains curved, ensuring a tight seal.

[0011] In the second invention, in the first invention, The distance between the tip of the protruding piece and the contact point between the second protrusion and the periphery of the mounting groove is 0.5 to 3 times the thickness of the protruding piece.

[0012] In other words, for a protrusion with a circular cross section that is the same thickness as the protrusion, this distance is at least 0.5 times the thickness. If it is greater than 3 times the thickness, the distance is too far and the function of preventing the protrusion from curling up cannot be performed. However, with the above configuration, the appropriate distance is maintained, so the curved part of the protrusion is less likely to curl up.

[0013] In a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, The first protrusion and the second protrusion are continuous to form one bulging portion.

[0014] According to the above configuration, even if the first protrusion and the second protrusion are continuously and integrally formed, the curved portion of the protruding piece is similarly less likely to turn over.

[0015] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, When no load is applied, the second protrusion protrudes beyond an extension line of the side of the seal body that abuts against the mounting groove.

[0016] According to the above configuration, the second protrusion securely abuts against the inner surface of the mounting groove, thereby reliably preventing the protruding piece from being turned over.

[0017] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the first member is a lid, the second member is a container having an opening that is closed by the lid, The protruding piece is disposed so that the internal pressure on the inner peripheral surface side of the curved portion is higher than the pressure on the outer peripheral surface side of the curved portion.

[0018] According to the above-described configuration, the cross section of the protruding piece is maintained in a curved shape resembling a fishhook, so that the protruding piece does not turn over even when the internal pressure increases, and the sealed state is maintained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] As described above, according to the present invention, when closing the opening of the container body with the lid, even if the center of the lid and the center of the opening are misaligned, the sealing member will not be turned over and the sealing effect will not be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an annular seal member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the first stage of closing the lid body. [Figure 2B] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a second stage in which the lid is closed. [Figure 2C] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a third stage in which the lid is closed. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an annular seal member according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an annular seal member according to a second modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an annular seal member according to a third modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an annular seal member according to a conventional technique. [Figure 7A] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a first stage of closing the lid according to the prior art. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a second stage of closing the lid according to the prior art. [Figure 7C]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a third stage in which the lid is closed according to the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows an annular sealing member 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is fitted into an attachment groove 2a of a lid body 2 as a first member shown in FIG. 2A and serves to seal between the lid body 2 and the sealing surface 1a of a container body 1 of a substrate storage container as a second member.

[0023] Although not shown in detail, this substrate storage container is a known one also disclosed in Patent Document 1, and has, for example, a rectangular frame-shaped opening 3 on the front side. The lid 2 is a rectangular plate-like body that fits the periphery of this opening 3.

[0024] Specifically, the mounting groove 2a of the lid 2 is a groove with a generally rectangular cross section, and the cross section of the outer inner surface 2c is wider than the inner inner surface 2b on the container body 1 side. The annular seal member 10 has an annular seal main body 11 that is fitted into the mounting groove 2a.

[0025] The annular sealing member 10 is made of a thermoplastic or thermosetting elastomer, or rubber such as fluororubber, EPDM, or NBR, and has a Type A durometer hardness of approximately 40 to 90 as specified in JIS K 6253-3, and may contain fillers or the like.

[0026] The seal body 11 has a generally rectangular cross section and includes a first body-side protrusion 11a and a second body-side protrusion 11b spaced apart and abutting against the inner inner surface 2b of the mounting groove 2a, and a circular recess 11c on the side that contacts the outer inner surface 2c. Note that the shape of the seal body 11 is not limited to this.

[0027] The seal body 11 is integrally formed with a protruding piece 12 that is curved into a fishhook-like (J-shaped) cross section, with the outer circumferential surface 12a of the curved portion at the tip end abutting against the seal surface 1a to seal the gap with the seal surface 1a. The protruding piece 12 is formed continuously with the seal body 11 and is formed continuously around the entire outer periphery of the annular seal member 10.

[0028] Furthermore, a first protrusion 13 that abuts against the periphery (outer inner surface 2c) of the mounting groove 2a of the lid 2 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 12a of the curved portion of the protruding piece 12 on the seal body 11 side.

[0029] Furthermore, a second protrusion 14 is integrally molded on the outer curved portion surface 12a closer to the tip than the first protrusion 13, and abuts at a position farther from the seal main body 11 than the first protrusion 13 on the outer inner surface 2c.

[0030] In the annular seal member 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, when no load is applied, the second protrusion 14 protrudes beyond an extension line H of the side of the seal body 11 that abuts against the mounting groove 2a.

[0031] 1 and 2C, the distance L between the tip of the protruding piece 12 and a contact point P1 between the second protruding portion 14 and the periphery (outer inner surface 2c) of the mounting groove 2a is 0.5 to 3 times the thickness t of the protruding piece 12 (0.5t≦L≦3t). For example, in this embodiment, t=0.6 mm and L=1.4 mm.

[0032] Next, the function of the above-mentioned annular seal member will be described.

[0033] First, as shown in Fig. 2A, the seal body 11 is press-fitted into the mounting groove 2a of the lid 2 while pulling the entire annular seal member 10. Then, the body-side first protrusion 11a and the body-side second protrusion 11b come into contact with the inner inner surface 2b, firmly fitting the annular seal member 10. In this state, the first protrusion 13 and the second protrusion 14 come into contact with the outer inner surface 2c.

[0034] When the lid body 2 closes the opening 3 and the centers of the two are misaligned, as shown in Fig. 2A, the lid body 2 is closed while a part of the outer peripheral surface 12a of the curved portion contacts the seal surface 1a.

[0035] Then, when compared with the distance X from the contact point P3 between the protrusion 113 and the inner surface of the mounting groove 102a in the conventional annular seal member 110 shown in Fig. 7A to the contact point P4 between the seal portion 112a and the seal surface 1a, it can be seen that the distance Y from the contact point P1 between the second protrusion 14 and the outer inner surface 2c to the contact point P2 between the outer peripheral surface 12a of the curved portion and the seal surface 1a is clearly shorter (Y < X).

[0036] Therefore, as shown in Figs. 2B and 2C, the protruding piece 12 is less likely to turn up compared to the conventional product with a long distance X between the contact points.

[0037] Thus, in this embodiment, by further providing the second protrusion 14 at a position farther from the seal main body 11 than the first protrusion 13, that is, at a position closer to the seal surface 1a, the curved portion of the protruding piece 12 is less likely to turn up. For this reason, when the lid body 2 is finally sealed to the edge of the opening, as shown in Fig. 2C, the protruding piece 12 contacts the seal surface 1a and is slightly deformed, but the curved state is still maintained, ensuring the sealing performance. Therefore, even when the internal pressure increases, the protruding piece 12 does not turn up and the sealed state is maintained.

[0038] And in this embodiment, although the distance L shown in Fig. 1 is 0.5 times or more of the thickness t, if this distance L is greater than 3 times the thickness t, the distance Y shown in Fig. 2A is too far and the function of preventing the protruding piece 12 from turning up cannot be exerted. However, in this embodiment, since it is maintained at an appropriate distance L, the J-shaped curved portion of the protruding piece 12 is less likely to turn up.

[0039] Also, as shown in Fig. 1, since the second protrusion 14 protrudes moderately, the second protrusion 14 can surely contact the inner surface of the mounting groove 2a more than the first protrusion 13, and surely prevent the protruding piece 12 from turning up.

[0040] In this embodiment, the substrate storage container is used in an application where the internal pressure of the container is higher than the external pressure outside the container, but when the lid body 2 is used to close the opening 3, even if the centers of the two are slightly misaligned, the protruding piece 12 will not turn over as in the conventional case.

[0041] Therefore, with the annular sealing member 10 of this embodiment, when the lid body 2 closes the opening 3 of the container body, even if the center of the lid body 2 and the center of the opening 3 are misaligned, the annular sealing member 10 will not turn over and the sealing effect will not be reduced.

[0042] -Variation 1- 3 shows an annular sealing member 10' according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the above-described embodiment in that the shape of the second protrusion 14' is different. In the following modified examples, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1A to 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0043] In this modified example, the distance between the first protrusion 13' and the second protrusion 14' is slightly greater than that in the above embodiment, and as a result, the distance Y between the contact point P1 between the second protrusion 14' and the mounting groove 2a and the contact point P2 between the sealing surface 1a and the protrusion 12' is shorter than in the above embodiment, and furthermore, the protrusion 12' does not curl up.

[0044] In this embodiment, the distance Y between the sealing surface 1a and the contact point P2 is even smaller than in the above embodiment, so that the curved portion of the protruding piece 12' is less likely to turn up, as in the above embodiment.

[0045] -Variation 2- FIG. 4 shows an annular seal member 10'' according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present invention. In this modification, the annular seal member 10'' has a protruding piece 12'' shaped such that the first protruding piece and the second protruding piece are connected to form a single bulge 15''. Even if the first protruding piece 13 and the second protruding piece 14 in the above embodiment are shaped to be connected and integrated, the contact point P1 closest to the seal surface 1a is in the same position as in the above embodiment, so the distance Y is kept small. Therefore, the curved portion of the protruding piece 12'' is less likely to curl up.

[0046] -Variation 3- FIG. 5 shows an annular seal member 10''' according to a third modification of the present embodiment. The annular seal member 10''' according to this modification also has a shape in which the first protrusion 13 and the second protrusion 14 are connected to form a single bulge 15'''. In this modification, the shape of the bulge 15''' is even more rounded than in the second modification. Even if a more rounded bulge 15''' is formed in which the first protrusion 13 and the second protrusion 14 are connected to form a single, integrated bulge, the contact point P1 closest to the seal surface 1a is located in the same position as in the above embodiment, so the distance Y is kept small. Therefore, the curved portion of the protrusion 12''' is less likely to curl up.

[0047] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are essentially preferred examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or uses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Container body (second member) 1a sealing surface 2. Lid (first member) 2a Mounting groove 2b Inner surface 2c Outer inner surface 10 Annular seal member 11 Seal body 11a First protrusion on main body side 11b Second protrusion on main body side 11c Recess 12,12',12'',12''' Projection part 12a Outer peripheral surface of the bay curve 13,13',13'',13''' 1st protrusion 14,14' Second protrusion 15'',15''' bulge P1~P4 as contacts L,X,Y distance

Claims

1. An annular seal member that is fitted into a mounting groove of a first member and seals between the first member and a sealing surface of a second member, an annular seal body portion fitted into the mounting groove; a protruding piece portion that is continuous with the seal body portion, curved in a fishhook shape in cross section, and whose outer peripheral surface at the tip end of the curved portion abuts against the seal surface to seal between the seal surface and the protruding piece portion; a first protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the curved portion of the protruding piece on the seal body side and abutting against a peripheral edge of the mounting groove of the first member; a second protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the curved portion closer to the tip than the first protrusion and abutting on a peripheral edge of the mounting groove at a position farther from the seal main body than the first protrusion, a distance between a contact point between the second protrusion and the periphery of the mounting groove and a tip of the protruding piece is 0.5 to 3 times the thickness of the protruding piece, When fitted into the mounting groove of the first member, the first protrusion and the second protrusion come into contact with the periphery of the mounting groove of the first member, and the outer peripheral surface of the curved portion comes into contact with the mounting groove while the protruding piece maintains its fishhook-shaped cross section, thereby sealing the gap with the sealing surface of the second member. An annular seal member characterized by:

2. When no load is applied, the first protrusion protrudes beyond an extension line of the side of the seal body that abuts against the mounting groove, and the second protrusion protrudes further than the first protrusion. The annular seal member according to claim 1 .

3. the first member is a lid, the second member is a container having an opening that is closed by the lid, The projecting piece is disposed so that the internal pressure on the inner peripheral surface side of the curved portion is higher than the pressure on the outer peripheral surface side of the curved portion.

3. The annular seal member according to claim 1 or 2.

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