EP3524533A1

EP3524533A1 - Packing device

Info

Publication number: EP3524533A1
Application number: EP19154628.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Shingo Ito; Hironori Mori; Yoshinori Nunome; Kunihiro HIGASHIURA
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-06
Filing date: 2019-01-30
Publication date: 2019-08-14
Also published as: JP2019137405A; AU2019200567A1

Abstract

A packing device 10 includes: a case 11 that covers a packing target object R and of which opposite ends are formed with openings 11A; and a pair of shock absorbing members 12 each of which is provided for the opening 11A and comes into contact with an end portion of the packing target object R. Each of the pair of shock absorbing members 12 is formed with a recess portion 15 on a second surface 14 that is disposed opposite to a first surface 13 coming into contact with the packing target object R and that extends in a stacking direction X. The recess portion 15 is provided with a support surface and an inclined surface that extends to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction X. The support surface extends in a longitudinal direction Y and is disposed at an upper portion of an inner surface of the recess portion 15 in the stacking direction X. The inclined surface is provided at a lower portion of the inner surface of the recess portion 15 in the stacking direction X and is formed to face the support surface. A first angle formed by the second surface 14 and the inclined surface is larger than a second angle formed by the second surface 14 and the support surface.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a packing device.

Description of Related Art

A packing target object is packed with a packing material at the time of storage or transportation.
For example, as a packing material for an indoor unit of a room air conditioner in the related art, a shock absorbing member such as corrugated fiberboard or foamed material (foamed styrol) is used so that the indoor unit becomes resistant to an impact at the time of transportation. A packing target object is packed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape in consideration of a stacking efficiency at the time of being stored in a warehouse or at the time of transportation. In addition, the shock absorbing member is provided with a handle such that a hand can be hooked thereon at the time of transportation.
Here, as an example of a packing device for an indoor unit of a room air conditioner, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2011-20697 is known. In the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2011-20697 , a foamed material supporting the opposite ends of an indoor unit is vertically divided into two parts. In the case of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2011-20697 , a handle of foamed material on an upper side has a slope that becomes steeper toward an inner portion from an outer surface such that carriage at the time of transportation becomes easy.
In addition, in the case of a packing device in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2006-103729 , each of foamed material and a case is formed with a cutout such that a hand can be hooked thereon at the time of transportation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A design surface of ab indoor unit may be damaged depending on the orientation of the indoor unit at the time of transportation or storage and thus there is limit on the orientation of the indoor unit at the time of transportation or storage. That is, that the indoor unit in a packed state should not be turned upside down.
However, in the case of the packing device in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2011-20697 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2006-103729 , it is easy to carry an indoor unit with the indoor unit turned upside down since the indoor unit is packed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. There is a possibility that a design surface of an indoor unit, which is a packing target object, is damaged or like in a case where the indoor unit is carried in a state of being turned upside down as described above.
An object of the present invention is to provide a packing device with which it is possible to transport or store a packing target object in an appropriate state.
A packing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a tubular case that covers a packing target object and of which opposite ends are formed with openings, and a pair of shock absorbing members each of which is provided for the opening and comes into contact with an end portion of the packing target object. Each of the pair of shock absorbing members is formed with a recess portion on a second surface that is disposed opposite to a first surface coming into contact with the packing target object and that extends in a stacking direction in which the packing target object is stacked. The recess portion is provided with a support surface and an inclined surface that extends to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction. The support surface extends in a longitudinal direction from the second surface to the first surface and is disposed at an upper portion of an inner surface of the recess portion in the stacking direction. The inclined surface is provided at a lower portion of the inner surface of the recess portion in the stacking direction and is formed to face the support surface. A first angle formed by the second surface and the inclined surface is larger than a second angle formed by the second surface and the support surface.
According to this configuration, in a case where the recess portion is used as a handle at the time of transportation of the packing target object, it is difficult to carry the packing target object in an inverted state since the inclined surface is formed on a lower side of the inner surface of the recess portion.
In the packing device according to a second aspect of the invention, the first angle may be equal to or greater than 135° and be smaller than 180°.
According to this configuration, since the first angle formed by the second surface and the inclined surface is equal to or greater than 135° and is smaller than 180°, it is difficult to carry the packing target object in an inverted state and it is possible to transport or store the packing target object in an appropriate state.
In the packing device according to a third aspect of the invention, the second angle may be equal to or greater than 90° and be equal to or smaller than 120°.
According to this configuration, since the second angle formed by the second surface and the support surface is equal to or greater than 90° and is equal to or smaller than 120°, it is possible to carry the packing target object in a proper state and it is possible to transport or store the packing target object in an appropriate state.
In the packing device according to a fourth aspect of the invention, the maximum length from an upper end surface of the shock absorbing member to the support surface in the stacking direction may be equal to or greater than 20 mm and be equal to or smaller than the half of a package height in the stacking direction. The maximum length from the second surface and a bottom surface of the recess portion in the longitudinal direction may be 10 mm to 40 mm.
According to this configuration, the position of the recess portion which corresponds to a length from the support surface and the upper end surface of the shock absorbing member in the stacking direction and the position of the support surface on which a finger is hooked establish a positional relationship in which it is easy to carry the packing target object in a proper state. Therefore, carrying the packing target object in an inverted state can be prevented.
The packing device according to a fifth aspect of the invention may further include a tightening member that maintains a packed state of the packing target object packed by the case and the pair of shock absorbing members.
According to this configuration, the packed state is maintained by the tightening member. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the shock absorbing members falling out of the case of the packing device at the time of transportation of the packing target object.
In the packing device according to a sixth aspect of the invention, the tightening member may be disposed between an upper end surface of the shock absorbing member and the recess portion on the second surface of each of the pair of shock absorbing members.
According to this configuration, since the tightening member is disposed to be avoided from the recess portion, it is possible to easily hook a hand on the recess portion at the time of transportation of the packing target object.
In the packing device according to a seventh aspect of the invention, the packing target object may be an indoor unit of a room air conditioner.
According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress damage to a design surface of an indoor unit of a room air conditioner, the indoor unit being the packing target object.
According to the packing device, it is possible to transport or store a packing target object in an appropriate state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire configuration of a packing device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a shock absorbing member of the packing device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a recess portion of the shock absorbing member of the packing device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the shock absorbing member of the packing device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the shock absorbing member which shows a first angle and a second angle in the recess portion of the shock absorbing member of the packing device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a packed state of the packing device according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. A packing device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with a case 11 and a pair of shock absorbing members 12 and a packing target object R is packed in the packing device 10.
In the present embodiment, the packing target object R is an indoor unit of a wall mounted room air conditioner and the weight thereof is, for example, approximately 10 to 20 kg.
The case 11 is formed in a tubular shape and an opening 11A is formed in each of the opposite ends of the case 11. As the material of the case 11, a material that can absorb an external impact such as corrugated fiberboard or foamed styrol is used.
The shock absorbing member 12 is provided with a first surface 13 that comes into contact with the packing target object R and a second surface 14 that is disposed on a side opposite to the first surface 13. The second surface 14 of each shock absorbing member 12 is formed with a recess portion 15.
Here, a direction in which the packing target object R is stacked will be referred to as a stacking direction X, a direction that is orthogonal to the stacking direction X and extends from the second surface 14 to the first surface 13 will be referred to as a longitudinal direction Y, and a direction that is orthogonal to the stacking direction X and the longitudinal direction Y will be referred to as a width direction Z. Note that, the tubular case 11 extends in the longitudinal direction Y.
A plurality of side walls (protection side walls 13A to 13E) are provided around the first surface 13 of the shock absorbing member 12 and a recess shape (protection recess portion 12A) for protecting an end portion of the packing target object R is formed by the first surface 13 and the side walls 13A to 13E. The side wall 13A and the side wall 13D from among the plurality of side walls, which constitute an inner surface of the protection recess portion 12A and are disposed on upper and lower sides in the stacking direction X, are provided with cutout portions 12B that are recessed toward the first surface 13.
A bottomed hole 12C is formed in an end portion (end surface that is disposed on side opposite to second surface 14 side and that does not come into contact with packing target object R) of the side wall 13B of the shock absorbing member 12. In addition, a bottomed hole 12D is formed in a corner end portion at which the side wall 13A and the side wall 13E are connected to each other.
Ribs 16 for supporting the packing target object R are provided in the protection recess portion 12A of the shock absorbing member 12. The ribs 16 are provided between the side wall 13E and the first surface 13 and three ribs 16 are arranged in parallel in the stacking direction X. However, one rib 16 or a plurality of the ribs 16 may be provided.
The packing target object R is accommodated in the case 11 with the opposite ends of the packing target object R fitted into the protection recess portions 12A of the shock absorbing members 12. That is, outer peripheral surfaces of the shock absorbing members 12 (shock absorbing member outer surfaces 14A to 14D) and inner peripheral surfaces 11B near the openings 11A of the case 11 come into contact with each other (FIG. 6).
The recess portion 15 of the shock absorbing member 12 is positioned at the central portion of the second surface 14 in the width direction Z which is orthogonal to the stacking direction X and is formed above the central portion of the second surface 14 in the stacking direction X such that a hand is easily hooked thereon at the time of transportation of the packing target object R in a packed state.
As the material of the shock absorbing member 12, a material that can absorb an external impact such as corrugated fiberboard or foamed styrol is used. In a case where the shock absorbing member 12 is formed of foamed styrol, the shock absorbing member 12 is formed by using a mold.
As shown in FIG. 1, the packing device 10 is configured such that the shock absorbing members 12 are attached to the openings 11A of the case 11. It is possible to store and transport the packing target object R without the packing target object R exposed to the outside by blocking the openings 11A of the case 11, in which the packing target object R is accommodated, by using the shock absorbing members 12.
At the time of storage of packing target objects R, the packing target objects R are stacked such that surfaces of cases 11 that extend in the longitudinal direction Y overlap each other. At this time, a lower end surface 17B of a case 11 comes into contact with the floor and a lower end surface 17B of a case 11 for another packing target object R is stacked on an upper end surface 17A of the case 11.
At the time of transportation of a packing target object R, the packing target object R is transported in a state where the upper end surface 17A of the case 11 is on an upper side.
As shown in FIG. 2, the second surface 14 of the shock absorbing member 12 extends in the stacking direction X in which the packing target object R is stacked. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the present embodiment, the recess portion 15 formed in the second surface 14 is provided with four side bottom surfaces 15A to 15D forming side walls of an inner surface and one bottom surface 15E connected to the side bottom surfaces 15A to 15D.
As shown in FIG. 3, regarding the inner surface of the recess portion 15, a side bottom surface that is disposed on the upper side in the stacking direction X will be referred to as a support surface 15A and a side bottom surface that is disposed on the lower side in the stacking direction X will be referred to as an inclined surface 15B.
The support surface 15A extends in the longitudinal direction Y from the second surface 14.
The inclined surface 15B faces the support surface 15A in the stacking direction X extends and extends to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction X.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, a length L1 from a connection portion P1 between the support surface 15A and the second surface 14 to an upper end P2 of the shock absorbing member outer surface 14A of the shock absorbing member 12 in the stacking direction X is set to be equal to or greater than 20 mm and equal to or smaller than the half of a package height in the stacking direction X (for example, 85 mm).
In addition, a length L2 from a connection portion P3 between the support surface 15A and the bottom surface 15E to the connection portion P1 between the support surface 15A and the second surface 14 in the longitudinal direction Y is set to be 10 mm to 40 mm (for example, 20 mm).
According to the above-described configuration, the position of the recess portion 15 which corresponds to a length from the connection portion P1 between the support surface 15A and the second surface 14 to the upper end P2 of the shock absorbing member 12 and the position of the support surface 15A on which a finger is hooked establish a positional relationship in which it is easy to carry the packing target object R in a proper state. Therefore, carrying the packing target object R in an inverted state is prevented.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a first angle θ1 formed by the second surface 14 and the inclined surface 15B is larger than a second angle θ2 formed by the second surface 14 and the support surface 15A.
Specifically, it is desirable that the first angle θ1 is equal to or greater than 135° and is smaller than 180°.
In addition, it is desirable that the second angle θ2 is equal to or greater than 90° and is equal to or smaller than 120°.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the present embodiment, the connection portion P1 and the upper end P2 are subject to chamfering, actually. Therefore, the maximum length from the shock absorbing member outer surface 14A (upper end surface of shock absorbing member 12) to the support surface 15A in the stacking direction X is equal to or greater than 20 mm and equal to or smaller than the half of a package height in the stacking direction X (for example, 85 mm). With regard to this, since the second angle θ2 is 90 degrees, the length L1 coincides with the length from the support surface 15A to the shock absorbing member outer surface 14A in the stacking direction X.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the connection portion P3 is rounded, actually. Therefore, the maximum length from the second surface 14 to the bottom surface 15E in the longitudinal direction Y is 10 mm to 40 mm (for example, 20 mm). With regard to this, since the second angle θ2 is 90 degrees, the length L2 coincides with the length from the second surface 14 to the bottom surface 15E in the longitudinal direction Y.
According to the above-described configuration, the inclined surface 15B, which is a portion of the inner surface of the recess portion 15, is formed on the lower side in the stacking direction X so that it becomes difficult to carry the packing target object R in an inverted state. Therefore, it is difficult to carry the packing target object R in an inverted state and it is possible to transport or store the packing target object R in an appropriate state.
In addition, the support surface 15A, which is a portion of the inner surface of the recess portion 15, is formed on the upper side in the stacking direction so that it is possible to carry the packing target object R in a proper state and to transport or store the packing target object R in an appropriate state.
Furthermore, in a case where the second angle θ2 is equal to or greater than 90° and is equal to or smaller than 120°, it is possible to achieve a draft angle at which die cutting is easily performed when manufacturing the shock absorbing member 12.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the packing device 10 is further provided with a rubber band 18 as a tightening member that maintains a packed state of the packing target object R packed by the case 11 and the pair of shock absorbing members 12.
The rubber band 18 is disposed between the upper end surface 17 of the case 11 and the recess portion 15 on the second surface 14 of each of the pair of shock absorbing members 12 and comes into contact with a side end surface 17C of the case 11. The width of the rubber band 18 is, for example, 15 to 19 mm.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the packed state may be maintained by disposing the rubber band 18 on each of the upper and lower sides in the stacking direction X with respect the recess portion 15 such that the recess portion 15 is not interfered. The tightening member is not limited to the rubber band and the tightening member may be a tape or a PP-band, for example.
According to the above-described configuration, the packed state is maintained by the rubber band 18. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the shock absorbing members 12 falling out of the case 11 of the packing device 10 at the time of transportation of the packing target object R.
In addition, since the rubber band 18 is disposed to be separated from the recess portion 15, in a case where the recess portion is used as a handle at the time of transportation of the packing target object R, it is possible to easily hook a hand thereon.
Furthermore, according to the above-described configuration, it is possible to transport or store the packing target object R in an appropriate state and thus it is possible to suppress damage to a design surface of an indoor unit of a room air conditioner.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and shown above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the invention and are not to be considered as limiting. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be considered as being limited by the foregoing description, and is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
The side bottom surface 15C and the side bottom surface 15D of the recess portion 15 may also be inclined with respect to the second surface 14 as with the inclined surface 15B. It is possible to provide only the support surface as a surface on which a finger can be hooked by making the side bottom surface 15C and the side bottom surface 15D inclined and thus it is possible to more reliably transport or store the packing target object R in an appropriate state.
In addition, in the case of the packing device according to the present embodiment, an indoor unit of a room air conditioner is packed as the packing target object R. However, the invention is not limited to this and a printer or the like may also be packed therein, for example.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES

10 packing device
11 case
11A opening
11B inner peripheral surface
12 shock absorbing member
12A protection recess portion
12B cutout portion
12C, 12D hole
13 first surface
13A to 13E protection side wall
14 second surface
14A to 14D shock absorbing member outer surface
15 recess portion
15A support surface (side bottom surface)
15B inclined surface (side bottom surface)
15C, 15D side bottom surface
15E bottom surface
16 rib
17A upper end surface
17B lower end surface
17C side end surface
18 rubber band (tightening member)
θ1 first angle
θ2 second angle
R packing target object

Claims

A packing device comprising:
a tubular case that covers a packing target object and of which opposite ends are formed with openings; and

a pair of shock absorbing members each of which is provided for the opening and comes into contact with an end portion of the packing target object,

wherein each of the pair of shock absorbing members is formed with a recess portion on a second surface that is disposed opposite to a first surface coming into contact with the packing target object and that extends in a stacking direction in which the packing target object is stacked,

wherein the recess portion is provided with a support surface and an inclined surface that extends to be inclined with respect to the stacking direction,

wherein the support surface extends in a longitudinal direction from the second surface to the first surface and is disposed at an upper portion of an inner surface of the recess portion in the stacking direction,

wherein the inclined surface is provided at a lower portion of the inner surface of the recess portion in the stacking direction and is formed to face the support surface, and

wherein a first angle formed by the second surface and the inclined surface is larger than a second angle formed by the second surface and the support surface.
The packing device according to claim 1,
wherein the first angle is equal to or greater than 135° and is smaller than 180°.
The packing device according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the second angle is equal to or greater than 90° and is equal to or smaller than 120°.
The packing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
wherein a maximum length from an upper end surface of the shock absorbing member to the support surface in the stacking direction is equal to or greater than 20 mm and is equal to or smaller than the half of a package height in the stacking direction, and
wherein a maximum length from the second surface to a bottom surface of the recess portion in the longitudinal direction is 10 mm to 40 mm.
The packing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:
a tightening member that maintains a packed state of the packing target object packed by the case and the pair of shock absorbing members.
The packing device according to claim 5,
wherein the tightening member is disposed between an upper end surface of the shock absorbing member and the recess portion on the second surface of each of the pair of shock absorbing members.
The packing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
wherein the packing target object is an indoor unit of a room air conditioner.