JP7207291B2 - Valve device, containment body and mounting method of the valve device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve device, a container, and a method of mounting the valve device.

Japanese Patent No. 6359731 (Patent Document 1) discloses a closing valve for bags. This bag shut-off valve is attached to the sealed bag. Specifically, the bag stop valve is attached to the airtight bag by heat-sealing the airtight bag with the airtight bag sandwiched between the airtight bag (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 6359731

The bag shut-off valve (valve device) disclosed in Patent Document 1 is made of synthetic resin. However, depending on the combination of the bag shut-off valve material and the bag inner layer material and their shapes, there is a possibility that the bag shut-off valve cannot be attached to the airtight bag (container) by heat sealing.

The present invention has been made to solve the problem of attaching a valve device to a container, and includes a valve device having excellent adhesiveness to the container, a container including the valve device, and the valve device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of mounting a valve device.

A valve device according to one aspect of the present invention is a valve device attached to a container. This valve device includes a valve device main body and an adhesive member. The valve device main body is configured to reduce the pressure when the pressure inside the container rises due to the gas generated inside the container. The adhesive member is adhered to the outer periphery of the valve device body and configured to be adhered to the container.

In this valve device, an adhesive member that can be adhered to the container is adhered in advance to the outer periphery of the valve device main body. Therefore, according to this valve device, the container and the valve device can be easily adhered regardless of the material of the valve device main body.

In the above valve device, the valve device main body may be made of metal.

When the valve device main body is made of metal, in order to directly bond the valve device main body and the container, a material having adhesiveness to the metal constituting the valve device main body must be heat-fused to form the inner layer of the container. It must be adopted as an adhesive resin layer. However, the heat-fusible resin layers constituting the inner layer of the container have the function of sealing the container by welding the heat-fusible resin layers to each other. The selection of materials for directly adhering the valve device main body and the housing body, i.e., the restrictions on the materials, are the pressure, temperature, time, etc. of heat sealing for complete sealing by welding of the heat-sealable resin layers. Conditions can also have an unfavorable effect. Therefore, if the function of sealing the containing body is given first, the direct bonding of the valve device main body and the containing body narrows the range of material selection and design of the heat-fusible resin layer. I don't like it.

In contrast, in the valve device according to the present invention, an adhesive member is adhered in advance to the outer periphery of the valve device main body. Therefore, according to this valve device, even if the main body of the valve device is made of metal, it has adhesiveness to the heat-sealable resin layer that is the inner layer of the container, and is compatible with the metal that constitutes the main body of the valve device. By appropriately selecting a material having adhesive properties as the material for the adhesive member, the container and the valve device can be easily adhered to each other. It does not become narrower than in the case of gluing.

Further, as a method of arranging the adhesive member between the valve device main body and the container, for example, a method of heat-sealing the container, the adhesive member and the valve device main body at the same time is conceivable. However, when the valve device main body is made of metal, the valve device main body has a high heat dissipation property. A situation may arise in which the member does not adhere. In the valve device according to the present invention, an adhesive member is adhered in advance to the valve device main body. Therefore, according to this valve device, the situation described above can be avoided.

In the above valve device, the adhesive member may be film-like.

When the adhesive member is in the form of a film, it can be wound into a roll to form a wound body of the adhesive member. In this case, it is possible to unwrap and cut the adhesive member to a predetermined length from the wound body of the adhesive member, and to adhere it to the outer periphery of the separately prepared valve device main body by winding it along the valve device main body. The work of attaching the adhesive member can be performed efficiently.

Further, in the above valve device, at least a part of the outer periphery of the valve device body to which the adhesive member is adhered may be curved.

When at least part of the outer periphery of the valve device body is curved, it is more difficult to bond the adhesive member to the outer periphery of the valve device body than when the outer periphery of the valve device body is flat. In the valve device according to the present invention, an adhesive member is adhered in advance to the outer periphery of the valve device main body. Therefore, according to this valve device, the adhesive member does not adhere to the valve device main body during heat sealing unlike, for example, when the container, the adhesive member and the valve device main body are heat-sealed at the same time.

Moreover, in the valve device described above, the adhesive member may include a core material.

The valve device can be attached to a container (for example, a pouch-type lithium-ion battery container) that needs to maintain internal insulation. In this case, heat sealing may be performed multiple times in the vicinity of the valve device in order to make the seal in the vicinity of the valve device stronger. If the adhesive member does not contain a core material, if the heat sealing is repeated, the adhesive member and the heat-fusible resin layer constituting the inner layer of the container will be melted by heat and pressure, and the pressure will be removed. It can extrude into weak spots. As a result, a metal foil layer such as an aluminum foil that constitutes the barrier layer of the container and the valve device main body made of metal are short-circuited. The heat-sealable resin layer and the adhesive member forming the inner layer of the body) may be destroyed, and a short circuit may occur in the container. In the valve device according to the invention, the adhesive member includes a core material. Therefore, according to this valve device, since the adhesive member containing the core material suppresses breakage of the insulating layer, even if heat sealing is performed multiple times in the vicinity of the valve device, the insulation in the container is maintained. can be maintained.

Further, in plan view, the widthwise length of the adhesive member may be longer than the widthwise length of the region of the valve device main body to which the adhesive member is adhered.

That is, in this valve device, the adhesive member extends over one or more circumferences of the valve device main body. Therefore, according to this valve device, since the adhesive member can be arranged in a wide range, the adhesion between the valve device and the container can be made more reliable.

A container according to another aspect of the present invention includes the valve device described above.

A method of mounting a valve device according to another aspect of the present invention is a method of mounting a valve device to a container. The valve device includes a valve device body and an adhesive member. The valve device main body is configured to reduce the pressure when the pressure inside the container rises due to the gas generated inside the container. The adhesive member is adhered to the outer periphery of the valve device body and configured to be adhered to the container. A method of attaching the valve device includes the steps of sandwiching the valve device by a housing and heat sealing a region of the housing that sandwiches the valve device.

In the valve device used in this mounting method, an adhesive member is adhered in advance to the outer periphery of the valve device main body. Therefore, according to this mounting method of the valve device, the container and the valve device can be easily adhered by heat sealing regardless of the material of the valve device main body.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the valve apparatus excellent in the adhesiveness with respect to a container, the container containing this valve apparatus, and the mounting method of this valve apparatus can be provided.

1 is a perspective view showing a valve device and a container to which the valve device is attached; FIG. 1 is a plan view of a valve device; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2; FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing procedure of a valve apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the attachment procedure to the container of a valve apparatus. FIG. 4 shows a portion of the container with the valve device attached; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[1. overview]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a valve device 100 according to this embodiment and a container 200 to which the valve device 100 is attached. As shown in FIG. 1, the valve device 100 is attached to a container 200, for example.

The container 200 is produced by, for example, molding a laminate (laminate film) having a substrate layer, a barrier layer and a heat-fusible resin layer in this order. The containing body 200 is configured to contain, for example, coffee, fermented foods (such as miso), chemicals, and secondary batteries (such as lithium ion batteries). The contents of the container 200 generate gas over time, for example. As the barrier layer, it is common to employ a metal foil layer, more specifically an aluminum foil layer, because of its excellent barrier function and cost.

The valve device 100 is configured to communicate with the interior of the container 200. For example, when the pressure inside the container 200 reaches a predetermined pressure due to the gas generated inside the container 200, It is configured to reduce the pressure. The valve device 100 internally includes a mechanism that realizes a so-called return valve, break valve, selective permeation valve, or the like. The valve device 100 is attached to the containing body 200 by being heat-sealed while being sandwiched between the containing bodies 200 .

In general, depending on the material of the housing of the valve device, it may be difficult to attach the valve device to the container by heat sealing. For example, when the housing of the valve device is made of metal, it is difficult to attach the valve device to the container by heat sealing. However, in the valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to bond the valve device 100 and the containing body 200 by heat sealing regardless of the material of the housing. The configuration, manufacturing method, and mounting method of the valve device 100 to the container 200 will be described in order below.

[2. Configuration of valve device]
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the valve device 100. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along III-III in FIG. 2 and 3, the valve device 100 includes a valve device main body 110 and an adhesive film 120. As shown in FIG. That is, in the valve device 100, the adhesive film 120 corresponding to the adhesive member is attached in advance to the valve device main body 110. As shown in FIG.

The valve device body 110 is made of metal. The valve device main body 110 is made of aluminum, brass, stainless steel, or the like. The valve device main body 110 includes a mechanism that realizes a so-called return valve, break valve, selective permeation valve, or the like. A vent H1 is formed inside the valve device main body 110 . That is, when the valve device 100 is attached to the container 200 (FIG. 1), the valve device main body 110 is such that the pressure inside the container 200 reaches a predetermined pressure due to the gas generated inside the container 200 . When the pressure is reached, the pressure is lowered by discharging the gas to the outside of the container 200 through the vent H1. It should be noted that the lower end side of the valve device 100 is directed toward the interior of the container 200 when attached to the container 200 .

Adhesive film 120 is configured to adhere to both valve device body 110 and container 200 (FIG. 1) by heat sealing. As the adhesive film 120, various known adhesive films can be adopted. As an example, the adhesive film 120 may be a single layer film of maleic anhydride-modified polypropylene (PPa), or a laminated film of PPa, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and PPa. Also, in place of the above PPa resin, a resin that can adhere to metals such as ionomer resin, modified polyethylene, and EVA can be applied.

In this embodiment, the adhesive film 120 employs a laminate film having a three-layer structure including a core material, which is composed of PPa/PEN (core material)/PPa. As the core material, various known materials other than PEN can be used. As an example, the core material may be polyester fiber, polyamide fiber, or carbon fiber. The reason why the core material is included in the adhesive film 120 will be described later in detail.

The adhesive film 120 is adhered to the valve device main body 110 while covering the outer periphery of the adhesive portion 112 of the valve device main body 110 . As described above, the adhesive film 120 also adheres to the container 200 (FIG. 1). Therefore, according to the valve device 100, even if the valve device main body 110 is made of metal, the valve device 100 and the container can be heat-sealed. 200 can be easily adhered. The cross-sectional shape of the bonding portion 112 has a teardrop shape (a shape including the circular portion 113 and the wing-shaped extension portions 114 and 115). In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the bonding portion 112 is a shape in which the entire circumference is curved. More specifically, the outer peripheral cross section of the circular portion 113 has a convex curve, and both end sides of the circular portion 113 and the base sides of the wing-shaped extension portions 114 and 115 are gently connected with a concave curved outer peripheral cross section. Therefore, the adhesive film 120 can be adhered to the outer periphery of the adhesive portion 112 of the valve device main body 110 without creating a gap.

Further, the widthwise length W1 of the adhesive film 120 is longer than the widthwise length W2 of the adhesive portion 112 . That is, in the valve device 100, the adhesive film 120 extends over the circumference of the adhesive portion 112 or more (FIG. 3). Therefore, according to the valve device 100, since the adhesive film 120 can be arranged in a wide range, the adhesion between the valve device 100 and the containing body 200 can be made more reliable.

Moreover, the arrangement range of the adhesive film 120 reaches the lower end of the adhesive portion 112 (valve device main body 110). The reason for this will be explained below. As described above, the container 200 to which the valve device 100 is attached may contain a secondary battery. In this case, if the exposed area of the adhesive portion 112 (metal) is wide, the possibility of contact between the electrode of the secondary battery and the adhesive portion 112 increases, and a short circuit is likely to occur. In valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, adhesive film 120 extends to the lower end of adhesive portion 112 . Therefore, according to this valve device 100, even if a secondary battery is accommodated in the container 200, the possibility of a short circuit being caused by the valve device 100 can be reduced. Note that the adhesive film 120 may be arranged so as to protrude further downward than the lower end of the adhesive portion 112 .

[3. Manufacturing method of valve device]
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the manufacturing procedure of the valve device 100. As shown in FIG. The processing shown in this flow chart is executed, for example, by a manufacturing apparatus in a state where the valve device main body 110 and the adhesive film 120 are prepared.

Referring to FIG. 4, the manufacturing apparatus sandwiches adhesive portion 112 of valve device main body 110 with adhesive film 120 (step S100). The manufacturing apparatus heat seals the adhesive film 120 to the adhesive portion 112 while the adhesive portion 112 is sandwiched between the adhesive films 120 (step S110). Thereby, the valve device 100 is completed.

[4. Method of attachment to container]
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the procedure for attaching the valve device 100 to the container 200. As shown in FIG. The processing shown in this flow chart is executed by, for example, a manufacturing device in a state where the valve device 100 and the container 200 are prepared. 6 is a view showing a portion of the container 200 to which the valve device 100 is attached, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG.

5, 6 and 7, the manufacturing apparatus places the valve device 100 on the container 200 (step S200). For example, the manufacturing apparatus places the valve device 100 on the container 200 so that the valve device 100 is sandwiched between the flange portions (peripheral portions) of the container 200 (FIG. 1).

The manufacturing apparatus performs the first heat sealing (primary heat sealing) while the valve device 100 is sandwiched between the flange portions of the container 200 (step S210). As a result, the entire flange portion (primary seal portion 130 (FIGS. 6 and 7)) of the container 200 is heat-sealed. After that, the manufacturing apparatus performs a second heat seal (secondary heat seal) to strengthen the seal around the valve device 100 (step S220). As a result, the periphery (secondary seal portion 132) of the valve device 100 is heat-sealed more firmly. The valve device 100 is thereby attached to the container 200 .

[5. Features]
As described above, in the valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, the adhesive film 120 that can be adhered to the container is adhered in advance to the outer periphery of the valve device main body 110 . Therefore, according to this valve device 100, regardless of the material of the valve device main body 110, the container 200 and the valve device 100 can be easily adhered.

Further, in valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, valve device main body 110 is made of metal. When the valve device main body 110 is made of metal and the valve device main body 110 and the containing body 200 are directly bonded, the material of the heat-fusible resin layer constituting the inner layer of the containing body 200 is limited. It is relatively difficult to design or select a material that achieves both the sealing performance of the container 200 (welding of the heat-fusible resin layers) and the direct adhesiveness of the container 200 and the valve device main body 110 . In the valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, the adhesive film 120 is adhered in advance to the outer periphery of the valve device body 110. Therefore, even if the valve device body 110 is made of metal, it is the inner layer of the containing body 200. By appropriately selecting a material for the adhesive film 120 that has adhesiveness to the heat-sealable resin layer and the metal that constitutes the valve device main body 110, the containing body 200 and the valve device 100 are combined. can be easily adhered to. Therefore, the range of design and material selection for the heat-fusible resin layer does not become narrower than in the above-described case of direct bonding.

Moreover, as a method of arranging the adhesive film 120 between the valve device body 110 and the container 200, for example, a method of heat-sealing the container 200, the adhesive film 120 and the valve device body 110 at the same time can be considered. However, when the valve device main body 110 is made of metal, the valve device main body 110 has a high heat dissipation property. A situation may occur in which the main body 110 and the adhesive film 120 are not adhered to each other. In valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, adhesive film 120 is adhered to valve device main body 110 in advance. Therefore, according to this valve device 100, the situation described above can be avoided.

Further, in the valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, a film-like adhesive member, specifically, an adhesive film 120 is employed. When the adhesive member is in the form of a film as described above, the continuous adhesive film 120 is wound into a roll to produce a wound body of the adhesive film 120, and the wound body of the adhesive film 120 is The adhesive film 120 can be wound along the outer periphery of the separately prepared valve device main body 110, which is cut while unrolling it to a predetermined length, and adhered thereto. That is, the operation of attaching the adhesive member to the valve device main body 110 can be performed efficiently.

Further, in valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, the outer periphery of bonding portion 112 is curved. When the outer circumference of the adhesive portion 112 is curved, it is more difficult to adhere the adhesive film 120 to the outer circumference of the adhesive portion 112 than when the outer circumference of the adhesive portion 112 is flat. In valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, adhesive film 120 is adhered in advance to the outer periphery of adhesion portion 112 . Therefore, according to this valve device 100, the adhesive film 120 does not adhere to the valve device main body 110 during heat sealing, unlike the case where the container 200, the adhesive film 120 and the valve device main body 110 are heat-sealed at the same time. situation does not occur.

Further, in valve device 100 according to the present embodiment, adhesive film 120 includes a core material. This valve device 100 can be attached to a container 200 (for example, a pouch-type lithium-ion battery container) that needs to maintain internal insulation. In the present embodiment, heat sealing is performed twice in the vicinity of valve device 100 in order to strengthen the sealing in the vicinity of valve device 100 . If the adhesive film 120 does not contain a core material, if the heat sealing is repeated, the heat-sealable resin layer and the adhesive member constituting the inner layer of the container 200 will be melted by heat and pressure. It can be pushed out into areas of weak pressure. As a result, a metal foil layer such as an aluminum foil that constitutes a barrier layer of the container 200 and the valve device body 110 made of metal are short-circuited, and a portion of the container 200 sandwiching the valve device 100 is formed. There is a possibility that the insulating layer (the heat-fusible resin layer and the adhesive member forming the inner layer of the housing body) will be destroyed in , causing a short circuit in the housing body 200 . In valve device 100 according to this embodiment, adhesive film 120 includes a core material. Therefore, according to this valve device 100, since the adhesive film 120 containing the core material suppresses breakage of the insulating layer, even if heat sealing is performed twice (multiple times) near the valve device 100, , the insulation in the container 200 can be maintained.

[6. Modification]
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Modifications will be described below.

<6-1>
In the above-described embodiment, the cross section of the bonding portion 112 has a watery-eye shape. However, the cross-sectional shape of the bonding portion 112 is not limited to this. The cross-sectional shape of the bonding portion 112 may be, for example, a circular shape, a polygonal shape, or a partially curved shape and a partially uncurved shape. That is, the cross-sectional shape (periphery) of the bonding portion 112 may be not curved, or may be partially curved.

<6-2>
Further, in the above embodiment, the valve device main body 110 is made of metal. However, the valve device main body 110 does not necessarily have to be made of metal. For example, the valve device main body 110 may be made of a material other than metal that does not directly adhere to the containing body 200 by heat sealing.

<6-3>
Moreover, in the above embodiment, the adhesive film 120 includes a core material. However, the adhesive film 120 does not necessarily contain a core material.

<6-4>
Further, in the above embodiment, the adhesive film 120 is assumed to adhere to the entire outer periphery of the adhesion portion 112 . However, the adhesive film 120 does not necessarily adhere to the entire perimeter of the adhesive portion 112 . For example, adhesive film 120 may adhere only to a portion of the outer periphery of adhesive portion 112 . Even in this case, the adhesive film 120 adheres to the entire outer periphery of the adhesive portion 112 by heat-sealing the valve device 100 and the container 200 .

<6-5>
In the above embodiment, the adhesive film 120 is prepared separately from the valve device main body 110 as an adhesive member, and the adhesive film 120 is adhered to the entire outer periphery of the adhesive portion 112 of the valve device main body 110. A valve device 100 was constructed. However, it is possible to construct a valve device having an outer cross-sectional shape such as that shown in FIG. is also possible. Even in this case, by heat-sealing the valve device 100 and the containing body 200, the layer composed of the adhesive resin, which is the adhesive member, becomes the heat-sealable resin layer, which is the inner layer of the containing body 200. and will be glued.

<6-6>
In the above-described embodiment, as the procedure for attaching the valve device 100 to the container 200, a first heat seal (primary heat seal) is performed while the valve device 100 is sandwiched between the flange portions of the container 200; A second heat seal (secondary heat seal) is performed to further strengthen the seal around the valve device 100 after that. It is also possible to attach the valve device 100 to the container 200 by firmly heat-sealing the periphery. Furthermore, although welding is performed by a heat sealing method, it is sufficient that the resin is melted by application of heat for bonding, so a method such as ultrasonic sealing or induction heating sealing may be employed.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 valve device, 110 valve device main body, 112 adhesive portion, 113 circular portion, 114, 115 wing-shaped extension portion, 120 adhesive film, 130 primary seal portion, 132 secondary seal portion, 200 container, H1 vent.

Claims (6)

A valve device attached to a container,
a valve device main body configured to reduce the pressure inside the containing body when the pressure inside the containing body rises due to the gas generated inside the containing body;
an adhesive member adhered to the outer periphery of the valve device main body and configured to adhere to the container ,
The valve device main body is made of metal.
The container is composed of a laminate,
The laminate includes a metal foil layer,
The valve device , wherein the adhesive member is film-like and includes a core material . 2. The valve device according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of a region of the outer periphery of the valve device main body to which the adhesive member is adhered is curved. 3. The adhesive member according to claim 1, wherein, in a plan view, the widthwise length of the adhesive member is longer than the widthwise length of the region of the valve device main body to which the adhesive member is adhered. valve device. A container comprising a valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . A method of attaching a valve device to a container, comprising:
The valve device is
a valve device main body configured to reduce the pressure inside the containing body when the pressure inside the containing body rises due to the gas generated inside the containing body;
an adhesive member adhered to the outer periphery of the valve device main body and configured to adhere to the container,
The valve device main body is made of metal.
The container is composed of a laminate,
The laminate includes a metal foil layer,
The adhesive member is in the form of a film and contains a core material,
The mounting method of the valve device is
sandwiching the valve device by the housing;
and heat-sealing a region of the container sandwiching the valve device. A method for manufacturing a battery,
The battery is
a containment body;
a battery element housed in the housing;
a valve device attached to the container,
The valve device is
a valve device main body configured to reduce the pressure inside the containing body when the pressure inside the containing body rises due to the gas generated inside the containing body;
an adhesive member adhered to the outer periphery of the valve device main body and configured to adhere to the container,
The valve device main body is made of metal.
The container is composed of a laminate,
The laminate includes a metal foil layer,
The adhesive member is in the form of a film and contains a core material,
The method for manufacturing the battery includes:
sandwiching the valve device between containers containing the battery elements;
and heat-sealing a region of the container sandwiching the valve device.
manufacturing method.

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