JPH0242723B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a container lid sealing device, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a sealing device for a container lid, and more specifically, a device for crimping a lid placed over the opening end of a container such as a cup-shaped container to the opening end of the container. The present invention relates to a sealing device for sealing.

(b) Prior art A conventional sealing device for placing a lid on a cup-shaped container and sealing the lid and the open end of the container is as follows:
For example, there are those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
In this sealing device, a lid c is placed over an open end b of a container a, and an annular heating block d, which matches the contour shape of the edge of the open end b of the container a, is brought into contact with the open end b from above the lid. Then, the heating block heats the corresponding part of the lid, and then the sealing block e is brought into contact with the outer periphery of the opening end b to seal the opening end b by pressure.

However, in this conventional device, the heating block d
is annular, and the heat from its inner circumference heats the top surface of the lid, which heats the air remaining in the container, causing volumetric expansion and increasing the pressure inside the container. There was a problem in that the lid was pushed upward and the lid material was stretched due to heating, deforming the lid, making the product look unsightly and reducing its commercial value.

Also, due to its structure, a seal block must be divided into multiple parts along the circumferential direction, but conventional seal blocks have flat end faces as shown in Figure 2, and there is a slight gap between adjacent seal blocks. This caused a lack of sealing pressure in the gap, causing seal failure.

(c) Object of the Invention An object of the present invention is to provide a lid sealing device in which a heat insulating material is provided in the center of the heating block to prevent the heating block from heating the non-sealed portion of the lid, and a plurality of divided seal blocks are provided. The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art by having the ends of the two end parts interlock with each other in a muntinous manner.

(d) Structure of the Invention The present invention provides a container in which one end of a heating block is pressed against a lid placed over the open end of the container to heat the lid, and the lid is pressure-sealed to the outer periphery of the open end of the container using a sealing block. In the lid sealing device, the heating block is made into an annular shape, and a heat insulating material is provided in the center of the heating block, and one end of the heat insulating material is opened toward the one end side of the heating block and cooperates with the lid. A recess defining an air chamber is formed, an air supply passage and an exhaust passage communicating with the recess are formed in the heat insulating material, the seal block is divided into a plurality of pieces along the outer circumferential direction, and the seal blocks are moved in a radial direction. The split seal block is attached to a movable member, and each end of the divided seal block is configured to fit with the end of an adjacent seal block in a mating manner.

(e) Effect In the above configuration, when the container with the lid placed over the open end comes to the sealing position, the heating block lowers and one end comes into contact with the lid, heating the open end and part of the lid and supplying air. Cooling air is directed from the passageway into the air chamber to bring the cooling air into direct contact with the lid to cool other portions of the lid. On the other hand, the seal block presses the peripheral portion of the lid against the open end of the container to seal it.

(f) Examples Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

3 to 6, an embodiment of a lid sealing device according to the present invention is shown. The sealing device 1 of this embodiment includes a heating mechanism 2 and a sealing mechanism 3.
It is equipped with

The heating mechanism 2 is formed in the contour shape of the open end b of the container a (for example, in this embodiment, the container is cylindrical and the contour shape of the open end b is circular, so it is annular), and has an annular electric heater inside. 22, and a heat insulating material 23 fitted into the center of the heating block 21.

An annular projection 24 is formed on the lower end surface of the heating block 21 so as to be able to enter slightly into the open end of the container. The insulation material 23 has a lower end (the side facing the lid c)
A recess 25 is formed to define an air chamber.
Further, an air supply passage 26 communicating with the recess 25 and a plurality of exhaust passages 27 are formed through the heat insulating material 23 . The air supply passage 26 is connected to a cooling air supply source (not shown) and is connected to the recess 2 through the air supply passage.
It is also possible to introduce cooling air into the recess 5 and to increase the pressure within the recess during heating.

The seal mechanism 3 includes a seal block 31 that is divided into a plurality of (four in this embodiment) seal blocks 31 along the circumferential direction of the container a. The ends of each seal block 31 are adapted to fit together in a mating manner as shown in FIG. Further, each seal block 31 is formed with a curved seal surface 32 corresponding to a portion of the outer periphery of the open end of the container.

A fixed block 33 is disposed directly above each seal block, and a long link 34 and a short link 35 are rotatably attached to each fixed block in parallel with each other. A movable member 36 is attached to the lower ends of the links 34 and 35, and a seal block 31 corresponding to the movable member is fixed. Each long link 34
The upper end of the vertical movement block 38 is connected via a link 37.
The vertical movement block 38 is vertically moved by a cylinder or the like.

In this sealing mechanism, when the vertical movement block 38 is moved downward from the position shown in FIG.
The movable member 36 is connected to a link 37 and links 34,3
Due to the action of 5, it moves in the axial direction of the container,
This moves the seal block 31 in the same direction. Conversely, when the vertical movement block 38 rises, the movable member and the seal block move in the opposite direction.

In the sealing device configured as described above, after the lid c is placed over the open end b of the container a, the heating mechanism 2 is lowered and the lower end surface of the heating block 21 is brought into contact with the edge of the open end b from above the lid, thereby sealing the open end. b and the corresponding part of the lid, and at the same time introduce cooling air from the air supply passage 26 into the air chamber defined by the recess 25 and exhaust it through the exhaust passage 27, forcing the central part of the lid c that does not need to be heated. Cool down.

After the lid and the open end of the container are heated, when the plurality of seal blocks 31 are simultaneously moved radially inward toward the center of the container by lowering the vertical movement block 38, the seal surfaces 32 of the seal blocks 31 The lid c is crimped around the outer periphery of the opening end to seal it. At this time, the end portions of each sealing block are fitted into each other in a mating manner.

(G) Effects As described above, in the sealing device according to the present invention, a heat insulating material is fitted inside the heating block to prevent the lid from being heated by radiant heat from the inner periphery of the heating block, and the heat insulating material is used to limit heating of the lid. By introducing cooling air into the air chamber, the top surface of the lid c can be forcibly cooled, and if necessary, the top surface of the lid can be made higher than the atmospheric pressure. It is possible to prevent deformation of the lid due to expansion and thermal expansion of the lid material, thereby preventing a decrease in product value.

Furthermore, since the end portions of the seal blocks 3 are fitted together in a mating manner, it is possible to prevent insufficient sealing from occurring at the mating portions of the plurality of divided seal blocks.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 shows a conventional lid sealing device, Figure 2 shows a conventional lid sealing device.
The figure is an enlarged view showing the structure of the end of a conventional seal block, FIG. 3A is a sectional view of the heating mechanism of the sealing device according to the present invention, FIG. 3B is a top view of FIG. 3A, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the sealing mechanism with some parts omitted; FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line - in FIG. 4 and shows the plane of the seal block; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the seal block. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the sealed portion of the lid, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the sealed container. 1: Seal device, 2: Heating mechanism, 21: Heating block, 23: Heat insulating material, 25: Recess, 3: Seal mechanism, 31: Seal block.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a container lid sealing device that presses one end of a heating block against a lid placed over an open end of a container to heat the lid, and press-seals the lid to the outer periphery of the open end of the container using a sealing block, the heating block A heat insulating material is provided in the center of the heating block in an annular shape, and a recess is formed at one end of the heat insulating material to open toward the one end side of the heating block and cooperate with the lid to define an air chamber. , an air supply passage and an exhaust passage communicating with the recess are formed in the heat insulating material, the seal block is divided into a plurality of pieces along the outer circumferential direction, and the pieces are attached to a movable member that moves in the radial direction, and the divided seal is formed. 1. A sealing device for a container lid, characterized in that each end of the block is adapted to interlock with the end of an adjacent sealing block.