JP2005327954A - Assembly method of airtight case, and airtight case obtained thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the manufacturing method of an airtight case which is highly airtight and can be manufactured at a low cost, and the airtight case obtained by the method. <P>SOLUTION: In an assembly method of the case, wherein a plurality of case members are integrally combined, and airtightness such as waterproofing, dust protection or leakage prevention is provided to the integrated case, a hot melt agent 10 is interposed in a junction surface 5 between a front case 3 and a rear case 4 for fixing the front case 3 and the rear case 4 by using a fixing means. Consequently, airtightness of the junction surface 5 is held by the hot melt agent 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is obtained from a case assembling method and its assembling method that can easily obtain airtightness and watertightness (hereinafter referred to as “airtightness”) at the joint surface when combining and integrating a plurality of case members. It relates to the airtight case.

When obtaining a case in which a plurality of case members are combined to obtain an integrated case, water permeates into the case from the joint surface, so that the built-in objects are submerged, or conversely, powdery powder, such as a copying machine. The toner to be used may leak to the outside and contaminate the parts inside the copying machine, or may cause a failure in some cases.
Therefore, conventionally, in order to obtain airtightness such as waterproof, dustproof, leakage prevention, etc., a packing material made of a rubber-like elastic body or the like is interposed on the joint surface, and this packing material is compressed when assembling. Airtightness was secured by repulsive force.

However, in this method, when the packing material is incorporated into the case member, twisting may occur and an incomplete mounting state may occur, or a stable compressive force may not be obtained due to variations in dimensional accuracy. As a result, reliable airtightness could not be obtained. In particular, the packing material referred to as an O-ring among the packing materials is still prominent in the case of a square packing material. Furthermore, due to variations in the dimensional accuracy of the packing material, even when the packing material has a small size, the amount of compression of the packing material may be reduced, and a reliable airtight effect may not be obtained.
Further, when a material with high dimensional accuracy is desired, the material surface and molding accuracy are pursued, and a high-grade material must be selected. Therefore, in order to improve the accuracy, the mold cost and the finishing cost are high, and the structure is expensive.
In order to solve the above problems, the following techniques are disclosed.
First, the following are known for use in waterproofing structures for cameras.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, a waterproof packing 103 is provided at a mating portion 102 between a camera body 100 and an opening / closing lid 101, and the waterproof packing 103 is formed of a hollow elastic body. Further, after the opening / closing lid 101 is closed, a fluid is pressurized and injected into the waterproof packing 103 to achieve waterproofing. However, the waterproof property can be improved only by increasing the internal pressure of the packing tube, but it is necessary to incorporate a pump device in the camera in order to inject the fluid, and in order to incorporate the waterproof packing 103, it is necessary to some extent at the joint surface. Therefore, there is an adverse effect on the downsizing of the camera. Further, since the waterproof packing 103 is formed in a hollow shape, the waterproof packing 103 itself is expensive, and thus has a drawback that it cannot be used for an inexpensive camera. Further, the following techniques are known as techniques for obtaining the airtightness of a toner case having a toner leakage prevention structure.

JP, 2000-62866, A This invention forms the sealing interposition part 205 in the joint surface 202 where a plurality of case members 200 and 201 are joined mutually, as shown in Drawing 10, and the hollow part interposed in this A hollow sealing member 203 having 204 is used, and the hollow portion 204 is expanded to seal the joining surface 202 and prevent the toner from leaking to the outside. However, it is necessary to prepare the hollow sealing material 203 in advance, and since the hollow sealing material 203 is dedicated for the shape of the case, there is no versatility. Therefore, since the hollow sealing material 203 is expensive and a process of expanding the hollow portion 204 is required, it takes time for production and there is a problem in reducing the cost.

  An object of the present invention is to prepare a so-called packing material such as an O-ring or a molded sealing material in advance in a case assembling method in which a joint surface is hermetically formed when a plurality of case members are integrated. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for assembling an airtight case that can easily obtain airtightness without injecting a fluid into the packing tube, and an airtight case obtained from the assembling method.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a method for assembling an airtight case that provides airtightness to the joint surface when a plurality of case members are combined and integrated, the case members are joined in advance. A hot melt agent is interposed on the surfaces, and the case members are assembled together on the surfaces to impart airtightness to the joint surfaces.
In this way, when a plurality of case members are combined, a hot melt agent is interposed between the joint surfaces, and the hot melt agent is compressed between the joint surfaces of the case members so that the case members are combined to achieve airtightness. Can be obtained. At this time, the hot melt material in contact with the joint portion of the case member is crushed by the compressive action generated by pressing both cases, so that the joint area can be increased. As a result, the airtightness can be further improved.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 2, in the method for assembling the airtight case according to claim 1, a rib is provided in the joint surface of the case member on one side, and the rib enters the groove in the joint surface of the other case member. When forming and assembling a protruding portion, a hot melt agent is poured into the groove, and then the protruding portion is inserted into the groove so that the protruding portion is immersed in the hot melt agent. The portion is covered with a hot melt agent to improve airtightness. Even in this case, the same relationship can be said for the compression action.
Therefore, since the protrusion enters the hot melt agent intervening in the groove as if it has bitten, the inside of the case and the outside of the case are more reliably blocked by the hot melt agent.

Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 3, in the method of assembling the hermetic case described in claims 1 and 2, the hot melt agent can be compressed between the groove formed on the joint surface and the protrusion. The compression dimensions are mutually formed, and after joining and integrating the case members, a structure is formed in which they are fitted to each other.
Therefore, it is possible to integrate them without using screws.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that, when a plurality of case members are combined and integrated, the joining surface is hermetically configured by interposing a hot melt agent on the joining surface. is there.
Therefore, the case should be used to obtain confidentiality such as waterproofing underwater cameras, dustproofing to protect measuring instruments in dusty environments, and preventing leakage of cases containing fine powdered toner. Can do.

  Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 5, in the airtight case described in claim 4, the plurality of case members are provided with fixing means for maintaining integration with each other. is there.

The effects of the inventions according to claims 1 to 5 are as follows.
1. There is no need to prepare a pre-molded packing material in advance. Therefore, there is no need for a mold necessary for molding the packing material, and there is a great cost advantage.
2. If a pre-molded packing material is used, dimensional accuracy is required for the packing material, but if a hot melt agent is used, even if there are some scratches or dents on the joint surface of the case member or a specially formed groove, Hot melt agent flows into the scratches and dents to compensate for the defects.
3. When a pre-molded packing material is used, the packing material must be incorporated so that it is uniformly compressed while preventing twisting, but according to the hot melt agent of the present invention, By moving a dispenser (discharger) along the joining surface or groove and pouring a hot melt agent into the joining surface or groove, sealing becomes possible. Therefore, the shape of the joint surface of the case member can be freely formed.
4). Since the hot melt material is used, the case member once joined can be easily peeled off. Therefore, separation and disassembly and recycling can be easily performed, and as a result, reduction of environmental load can be achieved.

Hot melt agents are used in various applications, and examples of use include packaging, bookbinding, woodworking, and adhesive tape product assembly.
Depending on the purpose of use, the type of hot melt agent was also developed. According to the text described in, for example, “Practical Technology of Hot Melt Adhesive” (Publisher: CMC Co., Ltd. p3 (2000)) ,
It is classified according to the type of base polymer that is the main component of the hot melt adhesive, and is also classified according to its form and properties.
The classification according to the type of base polymer is as follows.
a. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) system b. Polyamide c. Polyester d. Polyolefin type e. Thermoplastic rubber (TPR) system f. Other Among the types of hot melt agents described above, the thermoplastic adhesive hot melt agent is a block copolymer such as styrene-butadiene or styrene-isoprene, which is a base material at room temperature and has excellent rubber elasticity. This hot melt agent is, as an example, a thermoplastic hot melt agent and needs to have rubber elasticity at room temperature.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The first embodiment corresponds to claims 1 to 5, and the corresponding case is for an underwater camera.
1, (a) is a perspective view of an underwater camera, (b) is a side view, (a) is an exploded view of the underwater camera, (b) is an A- FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a hot-melt agent injection device, FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a joining portion, (a) a figure just before pouring the hot-melt agent into a groove and inserting a protrusion, (b) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the underwater camera that has been assembled.
As the hot melt agent, Asahi Chemical Synthetic Co., Ltd. SG series, Aika Industry Co., Ltd. HX-800, etc. are suitable for the purpose of use. In this example 1, when the hot melt agent is cooled to normal temperature, HX-800 having a soft surface hardness was selected. The hot melt agent can be freely selected depending on the structure and usage.

The underwater camera of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The camera body 1 is housed in a waterproof case 2 including a front case 3 and a back case 4. The front case 3 is provided with a mechanism that forms a transparent window 3b at a position where the lens of the camera body 1 faces, and a film winding lever 1a and a shutter lever 1b are connected to the camera body 1. A groove 3a into which the protrusion 4a of the back surface case 4 enters is formed on the front surface case 3 side of the joint surface 5 formed on the entire circumference of the opening 3c in which the main body 1 is accommodated. However, in FIG. 2A, the hot melt agent 10 has already been poured into the groove 3a.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, a protrusion 4a that enters the groove 3a is formed on the joint surface 5a on the entire periphery of the opening of the back case 4. Further, six ribs 6 with claws 6a extending from the joint surface 5a are formed, and the claws 6a are fitted and engaged with the recesses 7 formed in the front case 3 as shown in FIG. 4 (b). Thus, the front case 3 and the back case 4 are assembled together.

  The injection device for the hot melt agent 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 11 denotes a hot melt agent injection device. The hot melt agent injection device 11 sends a hot melt agent melt tank 14 and a hot melt agent 10 in a molten state in the melt tank 14 to a heat hose 13 (see FIG. (Not shown), a nozzle 15 provided at the tip of the heat hose 13, and a control circuit (not shown). By moving the nozzle 15 along the groove 3 a formed in the front case 3, the molten hot melt agent 10 can be filled in the entire circumference of the groove 3 a. Alternatively, the same applies when the front case 3 is moved along the nozzle 15.

Next, the assembly method will be described.
First, the camera body 1 is housed in the front case 3 so that the film winding lever 1 a and the shutter lever 1 b are connected to the camera body 1. Next, after attaching the front case 3 to a cradle (not shown), the nozzle 15 is brought close to the groove 3a and the hot melt agent 10 starts to flow into the groove. The temperature of the hot melt agent 10 at this time is 200 ° C. The amount of hot melt agent 10 poured in is preferably slightly larger than the amount that can fill the entire space formed when the protrusion 4a is inserted into the groove 3a.

In this state, the nozzle 15 is moved all around as shown by arrows in FIG. 3 while pouring the hot melt agent 10 along the groove 3a.
When the pouring is completed, the front case 3 is taken out from the cradle, and the back case 4 is assembled as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). 4A shows a state in which the rib 6 with the claw 6a of the back case 4 slides on the back side of the front case 3 and approaches the recess 7 for engagement, and FIG. 4B shows the hot filled in the groove 3a. The protrusion 4a bites into the melt agent 10 and the claw 6a fits into the recess 7, so that the front case 3 and the back case 4 are joined and the assembly is completed.

In the airtight case assembled by the above method, since the periphery of the protrusion 4a is surrounded by the hot melt agent 10, the inside and outside of the case 2 are blocked and an underwater camera that can maintain airtightness even in water can be obtained. did it.
Further, since the amount of the hot melt agent 10 flows into the groove 3a as described above, the hot melt agent 10 is compressed, and the repulsive force improves the fitting between the claw 6a and the recess 7. .

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the main part of the underwater camera 1 and shows the relationship between the groove 3a and the projection 4a and the relationship between the claw 6a and the recess 7.
In addition, when a pigment is added to the hot melt agent 10, when used in a transparent case, the hot melt agent 10 does not interfere with transparency, so that a transparent case with excellent design can be configured.
Moreover, the effect of further increasing the elasticity can be obtained by injecting an inert gas into the hot melt agent to cause foaming.

The second embodiment is an embodiment in which the present invention is used in the toner case of the copying machine shown in FIG.
The toner stored in the toner case 20 is in the form of a powder having a very small particle diameter of 5 to 6 microns. Accordingly, even a slight gap leaks from the toner case 20 to the outside, soils the printing paper, adheres to the inside of the copying machine, causes a failure, and further diffuses into the atmosphere and affects the environment. Adverse effects. Therefore, there is an assembling method for preventing leakage by welding the main body case 21 and the upper case 22, but according to this method, it is not easy to open the opening when it is desired to replenish toner. The second embodiment is a toner case assembling method that enables the toner case 20 to be recycled by adopting a structure in which the toner can be easily replenished.

6 is a perspective view of the toner case 20 assembled according to the second embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the opening of the main body case 21 with the upper case 22 opened, FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the assembly process, and FIG. FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram in which the hot melt agent 10 is injected into the groove 25 of the main body case 21, and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a case in which a protrusion 26 on the upper case 22 side is fitted into the groove 25 of the main body case 21. It is explanatory drawing formed integrally using.
Hereinafter, it demonstrates in detail using each figure.
As shown in FIG. 6, the toner case 20 of this embodiment has a shape in which a main body case 21 and an upper case 22 are combined. For mechanical reasons, a part of the top surface of the toner case 20 is raised and has a three-dimensional shape. Further, the upper case 22 can be removed from the main body case 21 by removing the screw 23 so that the toner can be replenished.
A groove 25 shown in FIG. 7 is formed around the joint surface 24 of the opening of the main body case 21, and a protrusion 26 is formed on the joint surface 24 of the upper case 22 in a shape corresponding to the groove 25. ing. Note that a mechanical component for supplying toner exists inside the main body case 21, but is not shown in FIG. 7.

The assembly method including the hot melt agent 10 is almost the same as in the first embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the hot melt agent 10 is poured into the groove 25 of the main body case 21. Although a part of the bonding surface 24 of the opening changes in the Z-axis direction, the hot melt agent 10 can be easily injected into the groove 25 by moving the nozzle 15 of the injection device 11 up and down. Can do.
After the injection is completed, the main body case 21 and the upper case 22 are combined so that the protrusion 26 of the upper case 22 enters the groove 25 and bites into the hot melt agent 10. Furthermore, the assembly of the toner case 20 having high airtightness is completed by being fastened with the screws 23.
The periphery of the protrusion 26 is surrounded by the hot melt agent 10, and the inside and outside of the toner case 20 are blocked. As a result, the toner case 20 in which the toner in the toner case 20 does not leak to the outside can be obtained. When disassembling, since the hot melt agent 10 is easily peelable, both can be easily separated by applying a slight force to the main body case 21 and the upper case 22, and can be reused. It is.
As described above, when the joint surface 24 has a three-dimensional shape, there is a design limitation because the packing cannot be used. However, the shape of the joint surface 24 becomes free by using the hot melt agent 10.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case of underwater camera 2 Toner case 3 Electronic equipment storage case 4 Waterproof structure of various equipment 5 Assembling water tank 6 Waterproofing of a storage part such as a clock, radio and television in the bathroom 7 Water play toys such as water guns and boats 8桝

(A) is a perspective view of the underwater camera (b) is a side view of the underwater camera (A) is an exploded perspective view of the underwater camera (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA. Explanatory drawing of hot melt agent injection device (A) is explanatory drawing of the state which poured the hot-melt agent into the groove | channel (b) is explanatory drawing of the state in which the case was integrated Explanatory drawing of joint part of waterproof case of underwater camera Perspective view of toner case Illustration of the body case (A) is explanatory drawing of the state which inject | poured the hot melt agent into the groove | channel of the main body case. (B) is explanatory drawing of the state which integrated the main body case and the upper case. Illustration of conventional example Illustration of conventional example

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Underwater camera 2 Waterproof case 3 Front case 4 Back case 5 Joint surface 6 Claw rib 7 Recessed part 10 Hot melt agent

Claims (5)

  In a method for assembling an airtight case that provides airtightness to a joint surface when a plurality of case members are combined and integrated, a hot melt agent is interposed in the joint surface of the case member in advance, and then the case member is integrated. A method for assembling an airtight case in which airtightness is imparted to the joint surface by assembly.   A groove is provided on the joint surface of the case member on one side, and a rib-shaped protrusion that enters the groove is formed on the joint surface of the other case member. When assembling, a hot melt agent is poured into the groove. Then, the protrusion is inserted into the groove and the protrusion is immersed in the hot melt agent so that the protrusion is covered with the hot melt agent to improve the airtightness. Assembly method.   Between the grooves and protrusions formed on the joint surface, moderate compression dimensions capable of compressing the hot melt agent are mutually formed. 3. The method of assembling an airtight case according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:   An airtight case in which when a plurality of case members are combined and integrated, a hot melt agent is interposed between the joint surfaces so that the joint surfaces are airtight. 5. The airtight case according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of case members are provided with fixing means for maintaining integration with each other.

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