Gasket for sealing between door edges and opening edges

Abstract

To provide a packing for sealing between a door edge part and an opening edge part, which does not need large power upon closing a door, and capable of being prevented from bending to leak cold air, etc., even after long-time use.SOLUTION: A packing 3 for sealing between a door edge part and an opening edge part comprises: a mounting base part 31 attached to one of a door edge part 22 and an opening edge part; and a hollow seal part 32 made of a rubber elastic material, provided integrally with the mounting base part 31, and brought into pressure contact with the other of the door edge part and the opening edge part 11 when the door is closed. The seal part 32 has a central wall 321 and a pair of side walls 322 each having a convex curved cross section convex toward an external surface side, and connected to each other so that an internal corner is formed between adjacent external surfaces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a packing used for sealing between an edge of a hinged door (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "door edge") and an edge of an opening opened and closed by the door, for example, in a prefabricated refrigerator, warehouse, workroom, logistics base, etc.

Background Art

[0002] As this type of packing, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This packing is made of a rubber elastic material such as synthetic rubber, and includes a mounting base portion attached to the edge of a door of a refrigerator or the like, and a hollow sealing portion provided integrally with the mounting base portion and pressed against an opening frame (opening edge) of a refrigerator or the like when the door is closed. The sealing portion has a substantially arc-shaped cross section, and when the door is closed, a part of its outer surface is pressed against the opening frame in a state of being elastically deformed (compressed) under a compressive load.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of the conventional packing, when the door is closed, the sealing portion having a substantially arc-shaped cross section is difficult to elastically deform (compress), and a relatively large force may be required to close the door due to its repulsive force. Also, in the case of the above packing, when used for a long time, the elastic restoring force of the sealing portion decreases and it is likely to develop a habit. As a result, a gap may occur between the sealing portion and the opening frame, and there is a risk that cold air or the like leaks from the gap.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a sealing packing between the edge of a door and the edge of an opening that does not require much force when closing the door and does not easily develop a shape even after long-term use, thus preventing leakage of cold air, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, this invention comprises the following embodiments.

[0007] 1) A mounting base that is attached to either the door edge or the opening edge, It comprises a hollow sealing portion made of a rubber elastic material, integrally provided with the mounting base, and pressed against either the door edge or the opening edge when the door is closed. A sealing packing for door edges and opening edges, wherein the sealing portion has a central wall and a pair of side walls that are connected to each other, each having a convex curved cross-section that is convex toward the outer surface, and an inward corner is formed between the outer surfaces of adjacent portions.

[0008] 2) The sealing packing between the door edge and the opening edge as described in 1), wherein the sealing portion further has a pair of rising walls that protrude from the mounting base and are connected to one end edge of a pair of side walls such that an inward corner is formed between the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In the sealing packing between the door edge and the opening edge as described in 1) above, when the sealing portion is subjected to a compressive load when the door is closed, its central wall is elastically deformed (compressively deformed) so that it stretches out on both sides. Therefore, compared to conventional gaskets with a roughly arc-shaped cross-section, this gasket is more easily compressed when closing the door and has less rebound force, making it relatively easy to close the door. Furthermore, according to the gasket, the sealing portion does not experience a significant load (stress) even when subjected to compressive load during closing, so it is less likely to become misshapen even after prolonged use, thus preventing leaks of cold air, etc.

[0010] With the sealing packing between the door edge and the opening edge described in 2) above, a pair of rising walls are provided in the sealing portion, thereby more reliably obtaining the effect of the packing described in (1) above. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a prefabricated refrigerator-freezer that illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, and to which a sealing gasket between the door edge and the opening edge according to the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view along line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2, showing the prefabricated refrigerator / freezer with the door open. [Figure 4] The image shows the packing, with (a) being an enlarged cross-sectional view of the state before closing the door (before elastic deformation) and (b) being an enlarged cross-sectional view of the state when the door is closed (during elastic deformation). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In the following explanation, "up and down" and "left and right" refer to the top and bottom and left and right of Figure 1, "front" refers to the bottom of Figures 2 and 3, and "back" refers to the top of Figures 2 and 3.

[0013] This embodiment applies the sealing gasket between the door edge and the opening edge according to the present invention to the entrance of a prefabricated refrigerator-freezer. As shown in Figure 1, a vertical rectangular opening (10) serving as an entrance / exit is formed at a predetermined location in the wall (1) of the prefabricated refrigerator / freezer. An opening frame (11) (opening edge) is attached around the opening (10). A door (2) for opening and closing the opening (10) is attached to one side of the opening frame (11) (the left side in the figure) via a hinge (4). As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a gasket (3) is attached to the edge of the door (2) to seal the gap between it and the opening frame (11) when the door is closed. In some cases, the gasket (3) may be attached to the opening frame (11).

[0014] The walls (1) of a prefabricated refrigerator-freezer are typically constructed of insulating panels. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the insulating panels that make up the wall (1) include, for example, two front and rear surface plates made of metal plates such as colored steel plates, a frame material made of synthetic resin such as PVC that is interposed and fixed between the top, bottom, left, and right edges of both surface plates, and an insulating material made of synthetic resin foam, rock wool, etc., that fills the internal space enclosed by both surface plates and the frame material.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the opening frame (11) is formed from a synthetic resin material such as PVC having a substantially L-shaped cross-section. The front portion (111) of the opening frame (11) is positioned along the front portion of the opening edge of the wall (1). The side portion (112) of the opening frame (11) is positioned along the end portion of the opening edge of the wall (1). Although detailed illustrations are omitted, this opening frame (11) is fastened and fixed to the rear portion of the opening edge of the wall (1), for example, via an L-shaped mounting bracket using screw members. When the door is closed, the sealing portion (32) of the packing (3), which will be described later, is pressed against a predetermined surface portion (the left front portion in the figure) of the front portion (111) of the opening frame (11).

[0016] The door (2) is usually made of an insulating panel and, like the insulating panels that make up the wall (1), comprises, for example, two front and rear surface plates (21A) (21B) made of metal plates such as colored steel plates, a frame material (22) made of a synthetic resin material such as PVC and interposed and fixed between the top, bottom, left, and right edges of both surface plates (21A) (21B), and an insulating material (23) made of synthetic resin foam, rock wool, etc., and filled in the internal space surrounded by both surface plates (21A) (21B) and the frame material (22). In the frame member (22), a packing attachment portion is formed at a position facing the front surface portion (111) of the opening frame (11) when the door is closed. The illustrated packing attachment portion is composed of a packing attachment groove (221) having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens rearward. One or more (three in the figure) engaging rib portions (221a) are formed on both side surfaces of the packing attachment groove (221).

[0017] As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the packing (3) includes a mounting base portion (31) attached to the packing attachment groove (221) (door edge portion) of the frame member (21) of the door (2), and a hollow sealing portion (32) provided integrally with the mounting base portion (31) and pressed against the opening frame (11) (opening edge portion) when the door is closed. The packing (3) of this embodiment is made of an integrally molded product of a rubber elastic material, and its longitudinal direction is along the longitudinal direction of the frame member (22) of the door (2). Examples of the rubber elastic material forming the packing (3) include thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), natural rubber, silicone rubber, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM), and the like.

[0018] The mounting base portion (31) of the packing (3) has a hollow shape with a substantially square cross section that is fitted into the packing attachment groove (221). Fin portions (311) that engage with the engaging rib portions (221a) of the packing attachment groove (221) are formed on the outer surfaces of both side walls of the mounting base portion (31). By engaging these rib portions (221a) and fin portions (311) with each other, the mounting base portion (31) is prevented from accidentally coming out of the packing attachment groove (221). In addition, two protruding portions (312) extending outward in the left - right direction are provided at the rear end portions of both side walls of the mounting base portion (31). By these protruding portions (312) abutting against both opening edges of the packing attachment groove (221) in the frame member (22) of the door (2), when the door is closed, the mounting base portion (31) of the packing (3) is prevented from entering the packing attachment groove (221) more than necessary, and the packing (3) is held in an appropriate position.

[0019] The sealing portion (32) of the packing (3) has a central wall (321) and a pair of left and right side walls (322) that are connected to each other, each having a convex curved cross-section that is convex toward the outer surface, and an inward corner is formed between the outer surfaces of adjacent pieces. Furthermore, the sealing portion (32) has a pair of left and right rising walls (323) that protrude from the mounting base (31) and are connected to one end edge (front end edge in the figure) of each of the left and right side walls (322) such that an inward corner is formed between the outer surface of the mounting base (31) and the pair of left and right side walls (322). More specifically, the pair of rising walls (323) are made to extend diagonally backward from both left and right end edges on the rear surface of the mounting base (31) in the left and right directions. The thickness of the sealing portion (32) is not particularly limited and is set as appropriate, taking into consideration factors such as sealing performance and ease of closing the door (2).

[0020] When closing the door (2), the packing (3) is first subjected to a compressive load from the front-to-back direction when the outer surface near the top of the central wall (321) of the sealing portion (32) is pressed against the front surface (111) of the opening frame (11). In the seal section (31) subjected to a compressive load, the central wall (321) gradually flattens and expands in the left-right direction, the pair of side walls (322) move outward in the left-right direction so as to separate from each other, and are compressed in the front-back direction so as to increase their curvature slightly, and the pair of rising walls (323) deform so as to tilt outward in the left-right direction (see Figure 4(b)). When the door (2) is completely closed, most of the outer surface of the flattened central wall (321) of the sealing portion (32), excluding both ends, or the entire outer surface, is pressed against the front surface (111) of the opening frame (11). Alternatively, in addition to the outer surface of the central wall (321), a portion of the outer surface of both side walls (322) (the rear end closest to the central wall (321)) may also be pressed against the front surface (111) of the opening frame (11). In this case, the stress generated inside the sealing portion (32) decreases in the order of the central wall (321), the pair of rising walls (323), and the pair of side walls (322), and the load on the side walls (322) is not particularly large. Furthermore, the stress generated inside the sealing portion (32) as a whole is smaller when the door is closed compared to conventional packings with a roughly arc-shaped cross-section. As described above, with the packing (3) of the embodiment described above, the sealing portion (32) is easily compressed when the door is closed, and its repulsive force is small, so the door (2) can be closed relatively easily. Furthermore, with the packing (3), even if the sealing portion (32) is subjected to a compressive load when the door is closed, it is not subjected to a very large load (stress), so it is less likely to become misshapen even after long-term use, and leakage of cold air, etc., can be effectively prevented.

[0021] Furthermore, the sealing packing between the door edge and the opening edge according to this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is of course possible to implement it with appropriate modifications without departing from the spirit of this invention as described in the claims. For example, a magnet such as a rubber magnet can be placed and fixed in the internal space of the sealing portion of the packing, and when the door is closed, the magnet can be configured to magnetically attach to a magnetic attachment member such as a steel plate provided on the opening frame. Furthermore, the packing may be formed by joining and integrating a sealing portion made of a rubber elastic material with a mounting base made of a material other than a rubber elastic material (for example, a hard resin). [Industrial applicability]

[0022] This invention is suitably used as a packing for sealing the gap between the edge of a hinged door and the edge of an opening that is opened and closed by the door in prefabricated refrigerators and freezers, warehouses, workshops, logistics centers, and the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0023] (1): Wall (10):Aperture (11): Opening frame (opening edge) (2): Door (21): Frame material (door edge) (3): Packing (31): Mounting base (32): Seal part (321):Central wall (322):Side wall (323): Rising wall

Claims

1. When the door is closed, the front and rear door edges and the opening edge are sealed by a sealing packing, The sealing packing comprises a mounting base that is attached to either the door edge or the opening edge, and a hollow sealing portion made of a rubber elastic material, integrally provided with the mounting base, and pressed against the other of the door edge or the opening edge when the door is closed. The sealing portion has a central wall and a pair of left and right side walls, each having a convex curved cross-section that protrudes toward the outer surface, and connected to each other such that an indentation is formed between the outer surfaces of adjacent portions. A sealing structure between a door edge and an opening edge, in which, when the door is closed, the central wall is flattened and spread out to the left and right, and is pressed against either the door edge or the opening edge, and the pair of left and right side walls move outward in the left-right direction so as to separate from each other, and are compressed in the front-back direction, resulting in a state in which the curvature is increased.

2. The sealing portion further has a pair of left and right rising walls that protrude diagonally outward from the mounting base in the left-right direction and are connected to one end edge of each of the left and right side walls such that an inward corner is formed between the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls. The sealing structure between the door edge and the opening edge according to claim 1, wherein when the door is closed, a pair of left and right rising walls deform so as to tilt outward in the left-right direction.

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