JP2013112419A - Sealing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealing device that can improve the flexibility of device constitution by arranging a driving mechanism for a sealing member in an axial direction of the sealing member.SOLUTION: A moving mechanism for a heat sealing member 31 includes a link member having a pair of first cam followers 42 engaging a pair of first groove parts 41a, a pair of second cam followers 43 engaging a pair of second groove parts 41b, and a coupling part 44 coupling those first cam followers 42 and second cam followers 43 to each other. A first cam follower 42 is coupled to a moving member 51 that can reciprocally move in the axial direction of the heat sealing member 31 through a first coupling shaft. Further, a second cam follower 43 is coupled to a support member supporting the heat sealing member 31 through a second coupling shaft 52.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device that seals an article to be packaged with the packaging bag by sandwiching and welding the opening of the packaging bag containing the article to be packaged with a pair of seal members.

  A decompression heat sealing device as a kind of such a sealing device has a configuration in which a packaged bag is sealed with a packaging bag by closing an opening of the packaging bag containing the packaged product in a decompressed chamber. Have. This decompression heat seal device is configured to open a chamber in which a package is stored in the chamber after the inside of the chamber is evacuated by communicating the chamber with a decompression means such as a vacuum pump by valve operation. By having the vicinity sandwiched and welded by a pair of heat seal members, the article to be packaged is sealed under reduced pressure with a packaging bag.

  Patent Document 1 includes an upper heat seal member fixed to a chamber and a lower heat seal member that is moved up and down by an ascending drive mechanism. By pressing the lower heat seal member from the direction perpendicular to the axis of the seal member to raise the lower heat seal member, the packaging bag is sandwiched between the upper heat seal member and the lower heat seal member to heat the packaging bag. A sealing arrangement is disclosed.

JP 2007-22614 A

  As described in Patent Document 1, in the case of adopting a configuration in which the seal member is pressed and moved from the direction orthogonal to the axis by the drive mechanism, the arrangement of the drive mechanism restricts the degree of freedom of the device configuration. There is a problem of doing. For example, when the operator sets the packaging bag in the sealing device, the sealing member is accessed from a direction orthogonal to the axis of the sealing member, and therefore the drive mechanism of the sealing member hinders the setting of the packaging bag. There is a case.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a seal device capable of improving the degree of freedom of the device configuration by disposing the drive mechanism of the seal member in the axial direction of the seal member. With the goal.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the packaging object is sealed with the packaging bag by sandwiching and welding the opening of the packaging bag containing the packaging object with a pair of long sealing members. In the sealing device, a guide cam that is provided with a first groove portion that extends in an axial direction of the seal member, and a second groove portion that extends in a direction intersecting the first groove portion, and is fixed to the device main body, and the first groove portion A link member comprising a first cam follower that engages, a second cam follower that engages with the second groove, a connecting portion that connects the first cam follower and the second cam follower, and an axis of the seal member A movable member capable of reciprocating in a direction, a first coupling shaft coupling the first cam follower and the movable member, a support member supporting the seal member, and coupling the second cam follower and the support member. A moving mechanism having a second connecting shaft; and by pressing the moving member from the axial direction of the seal member, the seal member is crossed with the axial center of the seal member via the link member And a driving means for moving the head.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a pair of the moving mechanisms are arranged to face each other in a state where the shaft centers of the seal members in the moving mechanism are parallel to each other.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the drive means includes a linear drive cylinder disposed in an extension direction of an axis of the pair of seal members in each of the moving mechanisms, and the linear drive. And a connecting member that connects the cylinder lot of the cylinder and the pair of moving members in each of the moving mechanisms.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, a universal joint is disposed between the seal member and the support member of one of the pair of moving mechanisms.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first groove portion and the second groove portion extend in a direction orthogonal to each other, and the first cam follower The arrangement angle of the connecting portion with respect to the axial center of the seal member is set so that the moving distance becomes larger than the moving distance of the second cam follower.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sealing member welds an opening of a packaging bag containing the packaged article by heat.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect of the invention, the packaged article is packaged by closing an opening of a packaging bag containing the packaged article in a decompressed chamber. Seal with a bag.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the drive mechanism of the seal member can be arranged in the axial direction of the seal member, and the degree of freedom of the device configuration can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the pair of moving mechanisms are used to move the corresponding seal member, thereby holding the packaging bag in the centered state at the center of the movement stroke of the pair of seal members. Can do. For this reason, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the seal.

  According to invention of Claim 3, a pair of sealing member can be moved in the mutually synchronized state using the single linear drive cylinder. For this reason, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the seal while having a simple configuration.

  According to invention of Claim 4, a packaging bag can be clamped in the state which made a pair of seal member mutually parallel by the effect | action of a universal joint. For this reason, it becomes possible to seal a packaging bag reliably.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the packaging bag can be clamped by the seal member with a force larger than the pressing force applied to the moving member by the drive mechanism. For this reason, even when a driving mechanism with a small pressing force is used, the packaging bag can be held with a strong force, and sealing can be performed reliably.

  According to invention of Claim 6, it becomes possible to perform a heat seal with high precision.

  According to invention of Claim 7, it becomes possible to perform a pressure reduction heat seal with high precision.

It is a schematic diagram of the pressure reduction heat seal device concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the pressure reduction heat seal apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows a moving mechanism with the air cylinder 24 grade | etc.,. It is a plane sectional view showing a moving mechanism with air cylinder 24 grade. It is a ZZ cross-sectional arrow view of FIG. It is a side view of a moving mechanism. It is a YY cross-sectional arrow view of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a moving mechanism with the air cylinder 24 grade | etc.,. It is a perspective view which shows a moving mechanism with the air cylinder 24 grade | etc.,. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the universal joint 61 vicinity. It is a schematic diagram which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between the 1st cam follower 42 and the 2nd cam follower 43, and the 1st groove part 41a and the 2nd groove part 41b. It is explanatory drawing which shows the heat sealing operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat sealing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the heat sealing operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat sealing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the heat sealing operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat sealing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the pressure reduction operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat seal apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the pressure reduction operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat seal apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the pressure reduction operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat seal apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the pressure reduction operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat seal apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a reduced pressure heat sealing device as a sealing device according to the present invention.

  This decompression heat seal device is for sealing an article to be packaged with the packaging bag C by closing an opening of the packaging bag C containing the article to be packaged (not shown) in the decompressed chamber. is there. Here, the packaging bag C is called a laminate cell or the like, and has a bag-like shape in which three sides are closed and one side is opened. In addition, the shape of the packaging bag shown here is an example, and what is necessary is just to be able to package a packaged object, such as a cylindrical shape.

  This decompression heat seal apparatus has a structure in which a chamber capable of decompression is configured by bringing a chamber body 11 having an opening on the left side of FIG. Have. In the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12, a pair of cooling units 31 each provided with a pair of heat seal members 31 each provided with a sheathed heater 33 and a cooling medium circulation path 34 such as water cooling and air cooling, respectively. A member 32 is provided.

  As will be described later, the pair of heat seal members 31 reciprocate between a sandwiching position where the packaging bag C is sandwiched and welded between them and a standby position separated from the packaging bag C, as will be described later. Moving. Similarly, when the air cylinder 26 is driven, the pair of cooling members 32 reciprocate between a sandwiching position where the packaging bag C is sandwiched and cooled and a standby position separated from the packaging bag C.

  A support member 15 is disposed on the chamber lid 12 so as to be movable up and down via a guide member 19. A screw nut 16 is attached to the support member 15, and the screw nut 16 is screwed with a screw shaft 17 that is rotated by driving of a motor 18. For this reason, the support member 15 can be moved up and down by driving the motor 18. On the support member 15, a pair of press plates 21 for sandwiching and forming the packaging bag C is installed. These press plates 21 are configured to move between a clamping position for clamping and molding the packaging bag C and a release position for opening the packaging bag C by operating the clamp lever 22. The shape of the press plate 21 may be a shaping plate as disclosed in JP-A-2001-39408, or may be divided into a plurality of stages as disclosed in JP-A-11-49113.

  The chamber lid 12 is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 with respect to the chamber body 11 by the action of the guide member 28. The chamber lid body 12 has a decompression position at which the pair of press plates 21 and the like are disposed in the chamber body 11 together with the pair of press plates 21 and the support member 15 and its lifting mechanism when the operator operates the handle 13. A pair of press plates and the like are configured to move between preparation positions arranged outside the chamber body 11.

  The chamber main body 11 includes a vacuum gauge 71 for measuring the pressure in the chamber constituted by the chamber main body 11 and the chamber lid 12, and for confirming that the pressure in the chamber has become atmospheric pressure. The Bourdon tube 72 and a pressure reducing mechanism for reducing the pressure in the chamber are connected.

  The decompression mechanism for decompressing the inside of the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 includes a first exhaust path 74 having a main valve MV, a second exhaust path 75 having a slow exhaust valve BV1, and a slow A third exhaust path 76 including the exhaust valve BV2 is provided. The main valve MV and the slow exhaust valves BV1, BV2 are composed of electromagnetic on-off valves. The second exhaust path 75 is provided with a needle valve NV1, and the third exhaust path 76 is provided with a needle valve NV2. One end of each of the first, second, and third exhaust passages 74, 75, and 76 is connected to the chamber body 11, and the other end communicates with the atmosphere via the chamber vent valve VV. It is connected to the road 77. On the other hand, the other ends of the first, second, and third exhaust passages 74, 75, and 76 are connected to a common conduit 73 that communicates with a vacuum pump 78 such as a scroll pump. A pump leak valve PLV is disposed in the common conduit 73.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the reduced pressure heat sealing apparatus according to the present invention.

  The reduced-pressure heat sealing apparatus according to the present invention includes a control unit 80 that controls the entire apparatus. The control unit 80 is connected to the air cylinder 24 for moving the heat seal member 31 described above, the air cylinder 26 for moving the cooling member 32, and the motor 18 for raising and lowering the support member 15. Yes. The control unit 80 is connected to a vacuum gauge 71 connected to the chamber body 11 and a vacuum pump 78. Further, the control unit 80 is connected to a main valve MV, a slow exhaust valve BV1, a slow exhaust valve BV2, a chamber vent valve VV, and a pump leak valve PLV that constitute a decompression mechanism. The main valve MV, the slow exhaust valve BV1, the slow exhaust valve BV2, the chamber vent valve VV, and the pump leak valve PLV perform an opening / closing operation according to a command signal from the control unit 80.

  Next, a description will be given of the configuration of a moving mechanism or the like that is a characteristic part of the present invention for reciprocally moving the pair of heat seal members 31 described above between the sandwiching position and the standby position. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a moving mechanism for moving the pair of heat seal members 31 together with the air cylinder 24 and the like, and FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view thereof. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ZZ in FIG. 6 is a side view of the moving mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG. 8 and 9 are perspective views showing the moving mechanism together with the air cylinder 24 and the like. 3 to 8 show a state in which the pair of heat seal members 31 are in the standby position, and FIG. 9 shows a state in which the pair of heat seal members 31 are in the clamping position.

  The movement mechanism for reciprocating the pair of heat seal members 31 between the sandwiching position and the standby position is a member having substantially the same configuration that is connected to each heat seal member 31 and moves them. It has the structure which makes the pair mutually opposingly arranged. Each moving mechanism includes a pair of a first groove 41a extending in the axial direction of the seal member 31 (left and right in FIGS. 3 to 5) and a second groove 41b extending in a direction orthogonal to the first groove 41a. The guide cam 41 is provided. The 1st groove part 41a and the 2nd groove part 42b are mutually connected. The guide cam 41 is fixed to the apparatus main body.

  Each moving mechanism includes a pair of first cam followers 42 that engage with the pair of first groove portions 41a, a pair of second cam followers 43 that engage with the pair of second groove portions 41b, and the first cam followers 42, It has a link member provided with connecting part 44 which connects the 2nd cam follower 43. As shown in FIG. 4, the first cam follower 42 is connected to a moving member 51 that can reciprocate in the axial direction of the heat seal member 31 via a first connecting shaft 52. The second cam follower 43 is connected to a support member 55 that supports the heat seal member 31 via a second connection shaft 53.

  Here, in one of the pair of moving mechanisms (the moving mechanism shown on the upper side in FIG. 4), the heat seal member 31 is directly supported by the support member 55. On the other hand, in the other moving mechanism (moving mechanism shown on the lower side in FIG. 4) of the pair of moving mechanisms, the heat seal member 31 is connected via a universal joint 61 as shown in FIG. It is supported by the support member 55. The universal joint 61 is also called a universal joint, and the angular position of the heat seal member 31 with respect to the support member 55 can be arbitrarily changed within a certain range. For this reason, even when the parallelism of the pair of heat seal members 31 is not completely maintained, the entire surfaces of the pair of heat seal members 31 can be brought into contact with each other at the clamping position.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, each heat seal member 31 is supported by a substantially U-shaped receiving member 56 into which a tip portion of the heat sealing member 31 enters a groove portion formed therein. The moving member 51 is connected via a connecting member 57 and the like. At this time, in the moving mechanism (moving mechanism shown on the lower side in FIG. 4) provided with the universal joint 61 of the pair of moving mechanisms, the receiving member 56 supports the heat seal member 31 in a movable state. Yes. For this reason, the heat seal member 31 can be moved by the action of the universal joint 61 described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 8, and 9, the surfaces other than the surfaces facing each other in each heat seal member 31 have a substantially cross section in order to reduce heat dissipation from the heat seal member 31. It is covered with a letter-shaped heat cover 58.

  The moving members 51 in each moving mechanism are connected to each other by a connecting member 54. The connecting member 54 is fixed to the tip of the cylinder rod 25 of the air cylinder 24 that reciprocates in the axial direction of the heat seal member 31. For this reason, the moving member 51 in each moving mechanism reciprocates in synchronization with each other in the axial direction of the heat seal member 31 by driving the air cylinder 24.

  In the moving mechanism having the above-described configuration, the connecting member 54 is moved from the standby position where the pair of heat seal members 31 are spaced apart from each other as shown in FIG. When moved in the reverse direction, the moving member 51 in each moving mechanism moves in the axial direction of the heat seal member 31 accordingly. With this movement, the first cam follower 42 connected by the moving member 51 and the shaft 52 moves in the axial direction of the heat seal member 31 along the first groove portion 41 a of the guide cam 41. Along with the movement of the first cam follower 42, the second cam follower 43 connected to the first cam follower 42 by the connecting portion 44 extends along the second groove portion 41 b of the guide cam 41 and the axial direction of the heat seal member 31. Move in the orthogonal direction. As a result, the pair of heat seal members 31 are moved to the holding positions where the heat seal members 31 abut against each other via the packaging bag C, as shown in FIG.

  At this time, in this moving mechanism, when the pair of heat seal members 31 moves from the standby position to the clamping position, the seal member is configured such that the moving distance of the first cam follower 42 is larger than the moving distance of the second cam follower 43. Since the arrangement angle of the connecting portion 44 with respect to the axial center is set, the pair of heat seal members 31 can be moved with a force equal to or greater than the pressing force of the air cylinder 24 against the moving member 51.

  This point will be described in detail. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the first cam follower 42 and the second cam follower 43, and the first groove 41a and the second groove 41b.

  As shown in this figure, a line connecting the axis centers of the first cam follower 42 and the second cam follower 43, that is, the angle θ formed by the axis of the connecting portion 44 and the axis of the heat seal member 31, is 45 degrees. A larger angle is set. And the 1st groove part 41a and the 2nd groove part 41b have faced the direction orthogonal to each other. For this reason, the movement distance in the axial direction of the heat seal member 31 of the first cam follower 42 is larger than the movement distance of the second cam follower 43 in the direction orthogonal to the axis of the heat seal member 31. Accordingly, the second cam follower 43 (that is, the heat seal member 31) is orthogonal to the axis of the heat seal member 31 with a force larger than the pressing force to the moving member 51 by the air cylinder 24 (that is, the pressing force to the first cam follower 32). It will be pushed in the direction to do.

  When such a configuration is adopted, the packaging bag C can be held between the heat seal members 31 with a force larger than the pressing force applied to the moving member 51 by the air cylinder 24. For this reason, even when the air cylinder 24 with a small pressing force is used, the packaging bag C can be clamped with a strong force, and the sealing can be surely performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the first groove portion 41a and the second groove portion 41b are oriented in the direction orthogonal to each other has been described, but it is not always necessary to face in the orthogonal direction. However, when the first groove portion 41a and the second groove portion 41b are inclined by a predetermined angle from the direction orthogonal to each other, the pair of heat seal members 31 are in directions orthogonal to the axis of the heat seal members 31. On the other hand, they are moved toward or away from each other while being inclined by an angle corresponding to the inclination angle.

  The pair of cooling members 32 are reciprocated between a holding position where the air bag 26 is driven to cool the packaging bag C between them and a standby position separated from the packaging bag C. The moving mechanism also has the same configuration as the moving mechanism of the pair of heat seal members 31 described above.

  Next, a heat sealing operation for sealing an object to be packaged with the packaging bag C using the above-described reduced pressure heat sealing apparatus will be described. 12-14 is explanatory drawing which shows the heat-sealing operation | movement by the pressure reduction heat-sealing apparatus based on this invention.

  When performing heat sealing, first, the operator operates the handle 13 to pull out the chamber lid 12 from the chamber body 11 together with the pair of press plates 21 and the support member 15. In this state, as shown to Fig.12 (a), a pair of press plate 21 is arrange | positioned in the release position spaced apart from each other. In this state, between the pair of press plates 21, a packaging bag C in which an article to be packaged is stored is installed. The lower end of the packaging bag C is supported by the positioning pins 23.

  In this state, the operator operates the clamp lever 22 shown in FIG. 1 to move the pair of press plates 21 to the clamping position. As a result, the packaging bag C is sandwiched and molded by these press plates 21. In this state, the opening of the packaging bag C is open. Then, when the operator operates the handle 13 again, the chamber lid 12 is housed in the chamber body 11 together with the pair of press plates 21 and the packaging bag C. In this state, the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 constitute a chamber.

  In this state, the inside of the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 is decompressed by a decompression mechanism connected to the chamber body 11. The decompression operation by the decompression mechanism at this time will be described in detail later.

  After the inside of the chamber constituted by the chamber main body 11 and the chamber lid 12 is depressurized to a preset vacuum pressure, the packaging bag C is sealed if a certain time elapses. In this case, by rotating the screw shaft 17 by driving the motor 18 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the support member 15 is lifted, and as shown in FIG. The plate 21 and the positioning pins 23 are raised together. Then, the drive of the air cylinder 24 moves the pair of heat seal members 31 to the clamping position. As a result, the packaging bag C is sealed with the packaging bag C by welding and closing the opening of the packaging bag C containing the packaging material.

  At this time, since the pair of heat seal members 31 moves in the direction close to each other and seals the packaging bag C, the packaging bag C is clamped while being centered at the center of the movement stroke by the pair of heat seal members 31. be able to. For this reason, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the seal. At this time, due to the action of the universal joint 61, even when the parallelism of the pair of heat seal members 31 is not completely maintained, the entire surfaces of the pair of heat seal members 31 can be brought into contact with each other at the clamping position. Thus, the packaging bag C can be reliably sealed. And since the air cylinder 24 for moving a pair of heat-seal member 31 is arrange | positioned in the axial center direction of the heat-seal member 31, in order for an operator to set the packaging bag C between a pair of press plates 21 When the press plate 21 is accessed, the moving mechanism of the heat seal member 31 such as the air cylinder 24 does not become an obstacle.

  When the sealing is completed, the pair of heat seal members 31 are moved to the release position. Thereafter, the screw shaft 17 is rotated by driving the motor 18 to lower the support member 15, so that the welded portion in the packaging bag C has a pair of cooling members 32 as shown in FIG. The packaging bag C is lowered together with the pair of press plates 21 and positioning pins 23 to the opposing height position. Then, by driving the air cylinder 26, the pair of cooling members 32 are moved to the clamping position. Thereby, the welding part in the packaging bag C is cooled.

  When cooling is completed, the pair of cooling members 32 are moved to the release position. Then, as shown in FIG. 14A, the screw 18 is rotated by driving the motor 18 to further lower the support member 15, thereby returning the packaging bag C to the initial position. Further, the inside of the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 is returned to atmospheric pressure. Note that whether or not the inside of the chamber has returned to atmospheric pressure can be determined based on the measurement value of the vacuum gauge 71 shown in FIG.

  When the packaging bag C is returned to the initial position and the inside of the chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure, the operator operates the handle 13 again so that the chamber lid 12 is moved to the chamber together with the pair of press plates 21 and the packaging bag C. Pull out from the main body 11. Then, when the operator operates the clamp lever 22 again, as shown in FIG. 14B, the pair of press plates 21 are moved from the clamping position to the open position. Thereafter, the heat-sealed packaging bag C is taken out from between the pair of press plates 21 to complete the operation.

  Next, the decompression operation for decompressing the inside of the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 by the decompression mechanism during the above-described decompression heat sealing will be described. 15 to 18 are flowcharts showing the pressure reducing operation by the pressure reducing heat sealing device according to the present invention. The pressure reducing operation described below is executed by the control unit 80 controlling the opening and closing of the main valve MV, the slow exhaust valve BV1, the slow exhaust valve BV2, and the like.

  Before starting the pressure reducing operation, the opening degree of the needle valve NV1 in the second exhaust path 75 and the opening degree of the needle valve NV2 in the second exhaust path 76 are adjusted in advance, whereby the first exhaust path 74, The conductances of the second exhaust path 75 and the third exhaust path 76 are set to different values. Here, the conductance is a coefficient representing the ease of flow when gas is flowing in the pipe. This conductance is the reciprocal of the resistance value when the gas flows in the pipe. When the orifices in each pipeline are changed by adjusting the needle valves NV1 and NV2, the conductance of the pipeline is changed, and the exhaust speed changes. In this embodiment, the needle valve NV1 is such that the conductance of the first exhaust passage 74 is greater than the conductance of the second exhaust passage 75, and the conductance of the second exhaust passage 75 is greater than the conductance of the third exhaust passage 76. And NV2 are adjusted in advance.

  Before starting the pressure reducing operation, the set pressure P in the chamber at the time of pressure reduction, the allowable fluctuation value ΔP, and the pressure fluctuation values ΔP1, ΔP2, ΔP3 are set in the chamber. Here, when control is performed so that the pressure fluctuation in the chamber is within the range of plus or minus ΔP, the allowable fluctuation value is ΔP. Here, ΔP is, for example, a value that is less than 1 kPa (kilopascal). Further, the pressure fluctuation values ΔP1, ΔP2, and ΔP3 are values in which ΔP2 is larger than ΔP1, and ΔP3 is larger than ΔP2, for example, ΔP1 + ΔP2 + ΔP3 is a value that is less than 1 kPa (kilopascal).

  When starting the pressure reducing operation, first, the chamber vent valve VV, the main valve MV, and the slow exhaust valves BV1 and VB2 are closed (step S1). And it is confirmed whether the vacuum pump 78 is operating (step S2). When the vacuum pump 78 is not in operation, the vacuum pump 78 is operated (step S3) and the pump leak valve PLV is closed (step S4).

  Next, it is confirmed whether or not a set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV1 is set (step S5). When the set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV1 is set, the slow exhaust valve BV1 is opened. When the pressure in the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 reaches the set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV1 based on the measurement value of the vacuum gauge 71 shown in FIG. 1 (step S7). Then, the slow exhaust valve BV1 is closed (step S8). If the set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV1 is not set, steps S6 to S8 are skipped.

  Next, it is confirmed whether or not a set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV2 is set (step S9). When the set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV2 is set, the slow exhaust valve BV2 is opened. When the pressure in the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 reaches the set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV2 based on the measurement value of the vacuum gauge 71 shown in FIG. 1 (step S11). Then, the slow exhaust valve BV2 is closed (step S12). If the set pressure value for the slow exhaust valve BV2 is not set, steps S10 to S12 are skipped.

  Next, it is confirmed whether or not a set pressure value for the main valve MV is set (step S13). When the set pressure value for the main valve MV is set, the main valve MV is opened. And when the pressure in the chamber comprised by the chamber main body 11 and the chamber cover body 12 reaches the set pressure value with respect to the main valve MV based on the measured value of the vacuum gauge 71 shown in FIG. 1 (step S15), The slow exhaust valve MV is closed (step S16). If the set pressure value for the main valve MV is not set, steps S13 to S15 are skipped.

  The set pressure for the main valve MV is generally matched with the set pressure P in the chamber at the time of decompression. For this reason, in this state, the pressure in the chamber constituted by the chamber main body 11 and the chamber lid 12 becomes the set pressure P. However, in this state, when outgas is generated from the article to be packaged in the packaging bag C, the pressure in the chamber constituted by the chamber body 11 and the chamber lid 12 varies.

  For this reason, the control unit 80 shown in FIG. 2 constantly monitors the measured value of the pressure in the chamber by the vacuum gauge 71. And when the pressure fluctuation in a chamber is below pressure fluctuation value (DELTA) P1 (step S17), the state as it is is maintained. On the other hand, when outgas is generated from the packaged item in the packaging bag C and the pressure value in the chamber exceeds P + ΔP1 (step S17), the slow exhaust valve BV1 is opened (step S18). In this state, when the pressure value in the chamber does not become P−ΔP or less (Step S19), it is determined whether or not the pressure value in the chamber is P + ΔP2 or less (Step S21). When the pressure value in the chamber is P + ΔP2 or less, this state is maintained, and when the pressure value in the chamber becomes P−ΔP or less (step S19), the slow exhaust valve BV1 is closed. (Step S20), the process returns to step S17.

  On the other hand, when the pressure value in the chamber exceeds P + ΔP2 (step S21), the slow exhaust valve BV1 is closed (step S22) and the slow exhaust valve BV2 is opened (step S23). In this state, when the pressure value in the chamber does not become P−ΔP or less (Step S24), it is determined whether or not the pressure value in the chamber is P + ΔP3 or less (Step S26). When the pressure value in the chamber is P + ΔP3 or less, this state is maintained, and when the pressure value in the chamber becomes P−ΔP or less (step S24), the slow exhaust valve BV2 is closed. (Step S25), the process returns to step S17.

  On the other hand, when the pressure value in the chamber exceeds P + ΔP3 (step S26), the slow exhaust valve BV2 is closed (step S27) and the main valve MV is opened (step S28). This state is maintained until the pressure in the chamber reaches P-ΔP. If the pressure in the chamber reaches P-ΔP (step S29), the main valve MV is closed (step S30), and the process proceeds to step S17. Return.

  Thus, according to the decompression mechanism described above, even when the pressure in the chamber constituted by the chamber main body 11 and the chamber lid 12 is fluctuated by the outgas released from the package, the pressure due to the amount of outgas is changed. By selectively exhausting from a plurality of exhaust passages 74, 75, 76 having different conductances corresponding to the amount of variation, pressure variation in the chamber is prevented and the chamber is maintained at a constant pressure. Is possible. At this time, an overshoot occurs in the pressure fluctuation in the chamber due to a delay in the response to the pressure fluctuation due to the outgas generated from the package, as in the case where the orifice is changed corresponding to the pressure fluctuation in the chamber. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Chamber main body 12 Chamber lid 13 Handle 14 Packing 15 Support member 16 Screw nut 17 Screw shaft 18 Motor 21 Press plate 22 Clamp lever 24 Air cylinder 25 Cylinder rod 26 Air cylinder 28 Guide member 31 Heat seal member 32 Cooling member 33 Seeds heater 34 Cooling medium circulation path 41 Guide cam 41a 1st groove part 41b 2nd groove part 42 1st cam follower 43 2nd cam follower 44 Connection part 51 Moving member 52 1st connection shaft 53 2nd connection shaft 56 Receiving member 57 Connection member 61 Universal joint 71 Vacuum gauge 72 Bourdon tube 74 First exhaust path 75 Second exhaust path 76 Third exhaust path

Claims (7)

In the sealing device that seals the packaged article with the packaging bag by sandwiching and welding the opening of the packaging bag containing the packaged article with a pair of elongated sealing members,
A guide cam that includes a first groove portion extending in the axial direction of the seal member and a second groove portion extending in a direction intersecting the first groove portion, and is fixed to the apparatus main body;
A link member comprising a first cam follower that engages with the first groove, a second cam follower that engages with the second groove, and a connecting portion that connects the first cam follower and the second cam follower;
A moving member capable of reciprocating in the axial direction of the seal member;
A first connecting shaft that connects the first cam follower and the moving member;
A support member for supporting the seal member;
A second connecting shaft that connects the second cam follower and the support member;
A moving mechanism having
Driving means for moving the seal member in a direction intersecting the axis of the seal member via the link member by pressing the moving member from the axis direction of the seal member;
A sealing device comprising: The sealing device according to claim 1,
The moving mechanism is a sealing device in which a pair of the moving mechanisms are arranged to face each other in a state where the shaft centers of the sealing members in the moving mechanism are parallel to each other. The sealing device according to claim 2,
The driving means includes
A linear drive cylinder disposed in the extending direction of the axis of the pair of seal members in each of the moving mechanisms;
A connecting member that connects the cylinder lot of the linear drive cylinder and the pair of moving members in each moving mechanism;
A sealing device. The sealing device according to claim 3,
A sealing device in which a universal joint is disposed between a seal member and a support member of one of the pair of moving mechanisms. The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first groove portion and the second groove portion extend in directions orthogonal to each other,
A sealing device in which an arrangement angle of the connecting portion with respect to an axis of the seal member is set so that a moving distance of the first cam follower is larger than a moving distance of the second cam follower. The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The sealing member is a sealing device that welds an opening of a packaging bag containing the packaged goods by heat. The sealing device according to claim 6.
A sealing device that seals the article to be packaged with the packaging bag by closing an opening of the packaging bag containing the article to be packaged in a decompressed chamber.

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