JPH10273111A - Lid structure for vacuum packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lid structure for a vacuum packaging machine which has increased degree of freedom in manufacturing and is convenient to use. SOLUTION: The lid structure is pivoted to an upper face of a body so that it can be opened/closed, while it has a lid 3 for sectioning a vacuum chamber 12 in cooperation with the body when at a closed position and it heat-seals a bag-like member 28 in the vacuum chamber 12 by a heat-sealer located between the body and the lid when the lid 3 is at a closed position. The lid 3 preferably comprises a non-light-transmitting lid body 3A made of metal and a window 3B,formed on a top plate 3Aa of the lid body 3A. The window includes a light transmitting plate 3Bc to be fitted into an opening 3Ba formed on the top plate via a seal plate 3Bb. The lid 3 allows only the lid body to be cast thereby increasing freedom in machining. In addition, a vacuum packaging process can be checked through the window.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging machine for sealing and packaging by putting foods or the like in a heat-adhesive bag-shaped member and degassing and heat-sealing the same. The present invention relates to a structure of a lid defining a vacuum chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a so-called vacuum packaging machine, a food or the like is placed in a heat-adhesive bag-like member, and the inside of the bag-like member is degassed and decompressed and then sealed by heat sealing. Generally, the following steps are performed. That is, a bag-like member having a one-sided opening containing a packaged object such as food is placed in a vacuum chamber which can be decompressed and connected to a vacuum pump via a pipe. At that time, the opening side to be closed is
It is placed in a position where heat sealing is possible. Next, a deaeration step of closing the lid of the vacuum chamber and operating a vacuum pump to discharge gas from the vacuum chamber and the bag-like member is performed. When the timer detects that the pressure in the vacuum chamber communicating with the inside of the bag-shaped member has reached a predetermined pressure,
The sealing step of closing the opening side of the bag-shaped member is performed by the heat sealing device. Finally, the air release valve connected to the pipe is opened, the pressure in the vacuum chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure, and the lid is pushed by the raised seal bar for heat sealing to open itself, and then sealed. Take out the bag-shaped member.

After the inside of the vacuum chamber and the bag-shaped member is evacuated as described above, a gas such as an inert gas is sealed in the vacuum chamber, and further in the bag-shaped member (gas sealing). Step) Then, various types of vacuum packaging machines having a gas filling device for heat-sealing the bag-shaped member are known.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional vacuum packaging machine, the entire lid defining the vacuum chamber is, for example, an integrally molded product of a transparent vinyl chloride resin, and is therefore allowed in the lid. There are strict limits on the geometry.
For example, in order to prevent the lid from being deformed by the vacuum action, the thickness of the lid must be very large,
Not only is it difficult to see the inside of the lid, but also it is not possible to secure sufficient space for the vacuum chamber, and it is necessary to use unnecessary care for attaching and detaching the bag-shaped member. That is the fact. Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to provide a lid structure of a vacuum packaging machine which has an increased degree of freedom in design and manufacture and is easy to use.

[0005]

For this purpose, a first aspect of the present invention is provided.
According to the described invention, a lid is pivotally supported on the upper surface of the main body so as to open and close and cooperates with the main body to define a vacuum chamber when in the closed position, and the lid is in the closed position. When in, the lid structure of the vacuum packaging machine that is configured to heat seal the bag-shaped member in the vacuum chamber by a heat sealing device between the main body and the lid, the lid is preferably Consists of an opaque lid body made of metal, and a window formed on the top plate of the lid body,
The window portion includes a light transmissive plate member fitted into an opening formed in the top plate via a seal member. Since the lid is divided into the lid main body and the window, only the lid main body can be made into a cast product, and the degree of freedom in processing is increased. Also, the vacuum packaging process can be confirmed through the window.

Preferably, the opening is a rectangular space defined by a rectangular frame portion extending from the top surface of the top plate to the inside, and the plate member has the top plate in the rectangular space. It is arranged flush with the top surface. By arranging in this manner, the light-transmissive plate member is properly mounted without protruding, thereby ensuring the safety of the plate member and contributing to improving the aesthetics of the vacuum packaging machine. Further, the top plate of the lid main body portion is inclined downward from a shaft support portion side toward a tip end side where the heat sealing device is located, and a corner portion of the frame portion at the tip end side. Is preferably extended below a sealing member provided on the lid of the heat sealing device. In this case, when the bag-shaped member is pinched by the heat sealing device, the above-described corner portion presses the bag-shaped member in advance before the pinching. Further, of the heat sealing device, the sealing member provided on the lid has a longitudinal shape extending in a width direction of the lid, and the elastic member is provided only at both ends of the longitudinal shape via an elastic body. Advantageously, it is mounted on the underside of the top plate. Even if the lid is deformed as a result of evacuation of the vacuum chamber, the sealing member is supported by the lid via the elastic body only at both ends thereof, so the deformation is absorbed by the elastic body and transmitted to the sealing member. Absent. When the elastic body is a double-sided tape, it is extremely easy to attach the seal member to the lid.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.
Also, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, first, the structure and operation of the entire vacuum packaging machine having a lid structure according to the present invention will be described below.

[0008] Vacuum packaging machine overall structure diagram 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vacuum packaging machine from the side of an exemplary of the invention is embodied, in FIG. 2, in FIG. 1 Vacuum packaging machine It is a figure which shows typically a vacuum suction system typically.
In the following description, the position or direction of each part is referred to as “front” on the left side and “rear” on the right side when viewed in FIG. 1, and the dotted line in FIG. The state when the body is closed is shown.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a vacuum packaging machine 1
It has a main body 2 and an openable / closable lid 3 located above the main body. The main body 2 is box-shaped, and its housing may include an atmosphere release valve 24 (not shown in FIG. 1), an oil rotary vacuum pump 4, and an electromagnetically driven solenoid valve. A vacuum valve 5, a seal valve 6, a seal cylinder assembly 7, and the like are provided. Vacuum pump 4
Is connected to the discharge side of the vacuum valve 5 and the seal valve 6 via a pipe 8. On the other hand, the suction side of the vacuum valve 5 is connected to the deaeration port 11 above the rear part of the main body 2 via the pipe 9 having the vacuum pressure gauge 27, and
Is connected to the above-described atmosphere release valve 24 and the like. The deaeration port 11 allows the lid 3 to suck the gas in the vacuum chamber 12 defined in cooperation with the upper surface of the main body 2 when the lid 3 is closed as described later. , Protruding from the upper surface of the main body 2. One end of a pipe 13 is connected to the suction side of the seal valve 6, and the other end is
It is connected to a seal cylinder assembly 7. The open-to-atmosphere valve 24 shown in FIG. 2 is closed in a degassing step and a sealing step described later, and is opened so that the pressure in the vacuum chamber 12 becomes atmospheric pressure after the sealing step. Note that reference numeral 25
Represents a silencer for suppressing noise during opening of the atmosphere release valve 24, and reference numeral 26 represents a ball valve for adjusting the amount of air flowing in.

The lid 3 is a housing whose lower part is open, and the above-described vacuum chamber 12 is defined therein. Here, a series of packaging steps for a package 29 packaged by the bag-like member 28 are performed. Done. As shown by a chain line in FIG. 1 and a solid line in FIG. 2, when the lid 3 is closed such that the peripheral edge of the lid 3 is in contact with the upper surface of the main body 2, the lid 3 is defined inside the lid 3. The vacuum chamber 12 is hermetically sealed via the packing 14 by the inner surface of the lid 3 and the upper surface of the main body 2. On the other hand, when the lid 3 is open as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the vacuum chamber 12 communicates with the outside via the opening 3a of the lid 3. On the upper inner surface of the lid 3, an elastic member 15 serving as a sealing adhesive heat ray receiving portion is formed so as to protrude downward. This elastic member 15 is preferably made of a silicon plate. A magnetic body 16 provided outside the packing 14 holds the lid 3 in a closed state.

In FIG. 1, on both the left and right sides of the rear portion of the lid 3, there are provided pivotal supports 17 extending in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. Rotate around the center. Further, a shaft support 17 is provided at the rear of the lid 3.
An arm portion 18 extending downward from is provided so as to be rotatable integrally with the lid 3. The arm portion 18 is provided with an elastic body 19 which is a coil spring, a leading damper (buffer mechanism) 20 which generates resistance only in a predetermined rotation in one direction, and the like. Since these are not part of the configuration according to the present invention, no further explanation is required, but if necessary, reference can be made to Japanese Patent Application No. 8-1511200 of the present applicant.

The seal cylinder assembly 7 includes a decompression chamber 7a,
Hot wire member for sealing and bonding (hereinafter also referred to as seal bar) 7
b, a piston 7c and a spring 7d. Decompression chamber 7a
Is defined by the inner surface of the seal cylinder and the piston 7c, and the sealing adhesive hot wire member 7b is attached to the piston 7c. When the lid 3 is closed, the hot-wire member 7b
It is arranged so as to face the elastic member 15 which is a heat ray receiving portion, and its tip protrudes from the upper surface of the main body 2. A seal heater is incorporated at the tip of the hot wire member 7b,
When electricity flows, heat is generated, whereby the opening of the bag-shaped member 28 is heat-sealed. Spring 7
d is provided in the decompression chamber 7a and applies an elastic force to the piston 7c so as to urge the hot wire member 7b and the piston 7c downward. Further, the other end of the pipe 13 described above is
It communicates with the decompression chamber 7a.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, a support member 21 hanging down in the main body 2 supports an open / close switch 22 at a lower end thereof. The opening / closing switch 22 has an operating piece at a position where the connecting rod member 23 is pressed by reaching the rightmost position in FIG. 1 when the lid 3 is closed as shown by a chain line in FIG. When the piece is pressed, the open / close switch 22
Is turned on, and the vacuum pump 4 is started. Such a configuration is also described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 8-1511200.

[0014] Vacuum packaging machine overall Operation Next, the operation of the vacuum packaging machine having the above structure, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 collectively described. When the vacuum packaging machine is not used, the power switch (not shown) is turned off and the lid 3 is closed. The magnetic body 16 provided on the periphery of the lid 3 adheres to the upper surface of the main body 2 and the lid 3 is held in a closed state. In use, when the lid 3 is opened against the attractive force of the magnetic body 16, the lid 3 is held in an open state under the action of the coil spring 19. Then, turn on the power switch.

With the lid 3 open, the bag-like member 28 containing the package 29 to be vacuum-packaged is set as shown in FIG. 2, and then the lid 3 is closed. The opening / closing switch 22 is turned on by the movement of the arm portion 18 and the connecting rod member 23 accompanying this closing operation, and the vacuum pump 4 is started. Therefore, the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 is sucked by the vacuum pump through the opened vacuum valve 5 to be in a vacuum state.
As a result, the packing (for example, a tube made of silicon) 14 is compressed and crushed by the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vacuum chamber 12, and closely adheres to the upper surface of the main body, thereby securely sealing the vacuum chamber 12.

The evacuation time in the vacuum chamber 12 is controlled by a timer (not shown). When the timer counts out, the vacuum valve 5 is closed, and the vacuum chamber 12 is disconnected from the vacuum pump 4. Vacuum chamber 12
The vacuum pressure in the inside is made substantially constant, the seal valve 6 is opened, and the seal cylinder assembly 7 is sucked by the vacuum pump 4. As a result, the piston 7c rises due to the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure, and the seal bar 7b
Also rises and cooperates with the elastic member 15 which is a silicon plate to pinch the bag-like member 28. At the same time, the seal bar 7
A power supply current is supplied to a heater wire (not shown) fixed to b through a transformer 30 and a lead wire 31 to heat seal the bag-like member 28.

The completion of the heat sealing is detected by another timer for counting the energizing time of the heater wire. When the timer counts out, the vacuum pump 4 stops,
The atmosphere release valve 24 is opened, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 is returned to the atmospheric pressure. At this time, since the rising force of the piston 7c to the above-described rising position is larger than the coercive force of the magnetic body 16, the lid 3 is sealed with the silicon plate 1
5, the magnetic body 16 is separated from the upper surface of the main body, and the lid 3 is opened by the coil spring 19. In this open state, the open / close switch 2
2 is turned off, and the seal valve 6 which is a three-way valve is also turned off, so that the inside of the cylinder of the seal cylinder assembly 7 is opened to the atmosphere, and the seal bar 7b is lowered by its own weight. Thus, one vacuum packaging operation is completed. When it is desired to perform packaging again, the package 29 is placed in the bag-like member 28 with the lid open, the lid is closed, and the vacuum pump 4 is restarted.

[0018] Detailed illustration of a lid structure according to the present invention 3 is a view showing an enlarged structure of the lid along the line III-III in FIG. 2, in order to facilitate understanding, also Since the specific dimensions of each part do not constitute the present invention, the scale of each part is exaggerated in FIGS. In FIG. 3, when the vacuum chamber 12 is in a vacuum state, the lid 3 may be deformed due to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside. Since the deformation of the lid 3 is caused by being pushed by the atmospheric pressure, and the top plate of the lid is curved so as to be depressed downward in the drawing, the silicon plate 15 also has the same shape unless the measures according to the present invention are taken. To be deformed. That is, in the figure, the silicon plate 15 is curved in an arc shape such that the center in the longitudinal direction is located below the both ends. Since the seal bar 7b is on the main body side,
Since it is not affected by the deformation of the lid 3, if the silicon plate 15 is deformed as described above, even if the bag-like member 28 (FIG. 2) is sandwiched between the seal bar 7b and the silicon plate 15, heating is performed. However, heat sealing is not performed reliably.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the silicon plate 15 is provided with a holder or bracket 32 having a U-shaped cross section.
The holder 32 is held so as to be wrapped from the upper side, and only the both ends of the holder 32 are attached to the lower surface of the top plate of the lid 3 via an elastic body 33 preferably by adhesion. As the elastic body, it is preferable to use a commercially available double-sided tape having elasticity. With the structure in which the silicon plate 15 is supported by the lid 3, the holder 32 is not deformed even if the lid 3 is deformed, so that the silicon plate 15 and the seal bar 7b are always kept parallel. Therefore, when the bag-like member 28 is sandwiched between the silicon plate 15 and the seal bar 7b, there is no gap between them, not only poor sealing does not occur, but also the thickness of the lid 3 can be reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost is reduced and a wide vacuum chamber 12 is secured.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the lid structure according to the present invention. As best understood from this diagram,
The lid 3 includes a lid main body 3A and a top plate 3Aa of the lid main body.
And a window 3B formed on the substrate. The lid main body 3A is preferably, but not necessarily, made of metal to secure a sufficient space of the vacuum chamber 12, and may be, for example, a cast aluminum product. The window 3B is made of a rectangular opening 3Ba defined by a frame 3Ab integrally formed with the top plate 3Aa, and a material having a sealing function such as foamed polyurethane, rubber, or resin in the opening 3Ba. And a light transmitting plate 3Bc fitted via an annular sealing tape or a sealing plate 3Bb. Light transmission plate 3B
c can be a plate made of translucent, preferably transparent glass or resin, and can be fixed to the peripheral edge of the frame portion 3Ab with the screw (not shown) sandwiching the seal plate 3Bb. That is, as understood from FIGS. 4 and 5,
The frame portion 3Ab has a rectangular opening in the center of the frame portion, and the above-described seal plate 3Bb is placed on the bottom peripheral edge of the frame portion 3Ab. Then, the light transmitting plate 3Bc is placed on the seal plate 3Bb. An appropriate number of stupid holes 35 are drilled at a position inside the above-mentioned annular sealing plate 3Bb on the bottom peripheral edge of the frame portion, while the light transmitting plate 3Bc is provided with the sealing plate. A threaded blind hole (not shown) is screwed into a portion corresponding to the above-mentioned stupid hole 35 when placed on 3Bb. The above-mentioned screw (not shown) is inserted into the light transmitting plate 3
Bc is screwed into the blind hole, and the light transmitting plate 3Bc is
Tighten against Ab. Thereby, the sealing plate 3Bb
Is compressed by the light transmitting plate 3Bc, and the light transmitting plate is sealed.

The top plate Aa of the lid body 3A is
(See FIG. 1). The side where the silicon plate 15 exists is inclined downward from the side where the silicon plate 15 exists, and accordingly, the frame portion 3Ab is also inclined so. The corner portion 3Ac of the frame portion 3Ab near the silicon plate 15 extends below the lowermost surface of the silicon plate 15 in the closed state shown in FIG. When sandwiching the member 28, the bag-like member 28 is pressed from above to prevent its displacement. Conventionally, a presser foot is separately provided on the top plate of the lid, so that this can be omitted.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various other modifications are possible. For example, (1) A seal bar incorporating a heater wire is provided on the main body side. This is provided on the lid side, and a silicon plate for receiving the seal bar is provided on the main body side so as to be moved up and down by a seal cylinder assembly. You may. (2) The elastic member receiving the seal bar does not need to be made of silicon. In this case, if the elastic member can be attached with a double-sided tape without using a holder and without worrying about strength distortion, a holder is necessary. There is no. (3) The frame portion is protruded largely downward from the pivot portion side of the lid to the tip portion side, and the bag-shaped member is pressed at the corner portion. Alternatively, the plate-shaped projecting piece may be extended downward from a portion corresponding to the corner portion, and the bag-shaped member may be pressed by the projecting piece prior to the holding of the bag-shaped member by the heat sealing device. (4) In the frame portion of the top plate, a stupid hole is formed in a portion inside the seal plate, and this stupid hole is provided as long as the vacuum chamber can be kept airtight, or measures are taken to keep the stupid hole airtight. If so, it may be outside the seal plate or both inside and outside. In this case, it goes without saying that the positions of the screw holes formed in the light transmitting plate are changed according to the formation portions of the stupid holes.

[0023]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, since the lid is divided into the lid main body and the window, only the lid main body can be made into a cast product. The degree of freedom of processing increases. Therefore, even if the upper surface of the main body is formed of a single plate of stainless steel with a reinforcing structure, the internal volume of the vacuum chamber can be secured. Further, the vacuum packaging process can be easily confirmed through the window. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the plate member of the window is disposed flush with the top surface of the top plate in the rectangular space, the light-transmissive plate member can be fitted easily without protruding. Thus, the safety of the plate member can be ensured, and the appearance of the vacuum packaging machine can be improved. Further, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 4, when the bag-shaped member is sandwiched by the heat sealing device,
Before the sandwiching, the above-described corner portion presses the bag-shaped member in advance, so that the heat-sealing of the bag-shaped member can be stably performed at a fixed position. Further, according to the present invention, even if the lid is deformed as a result of evacuation of the vacuum chamber, the seal member is supported by the lid via the elastic body only at both ends thereof. Therefore, the deformation is absorbed by the elastic body and is not transmitted to the sealing member, so that there is no poor sealing and high-quality heat sealing can be performed.
Further, when the elastic body is a double-sided tape as in the present invention, it is extremely easy to attach the seal member to the lid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vacuum packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a vacuum suction system in the vacuum packaging machine of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lid structure taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the lid structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view particularly showing the window structure of the lid according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vacuum packaging machine, 2 ... Body, 3 ... Lid body, 3A ... Lid body part, 3Aa ... Top plate, 3Ab ... Frame part, 3Ac ... Corner part, 3B ... Window part, 3Ba ... Opening, 3Bb ... Seal plate ( Seal member), 3Bc: plate member, 7b: seal bar (heat sealing device), 12: vacuum chamber, 15: elastic member or silicon plate (heat sealing device), 17
... a shaft support, 32 ... a holder, 33 ... an elastic body.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A lid which is openably and closably supported on an upper surface of a main body and which, when in a closed position, cooperates with the main body to define a vacuum chamber, and wherein the lid is in the closed position. In a lid structure of a vacuum packaging machine adapted to heat seal a bag-shaped member in the vacuum chamber by a heat sealing device between the main body and the lid, the lid is opaque. And a window formed in a top plate of the lid body, and the window is provided with a light-transmitting light fitting through a seal member into an opening formed in the top plate. A lid structure for a vacuum packaging machine, comprising a plate member. 2. The lid structure according to claim 1, wherein the lid main body is made of metal. 3. The opening is a rectangular space defined by a rectangular frame portion extending inward from the top surface of the top plate, and the plate member includes the top of the top plate in the rectangular space. The lid structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lid structure is arranged flush with the surface. 4. The top plate of the lid main body portion is inclined downward from a shaft supporting portion side toward a tip end side where the heat sealing device is located, and the frame portion located on the tip end side. 4. The lid structure according to claim 3, wherein the corner portion extends below a sealing member provided on the lid in the heat sealing device. 5. 5. The sealing member provided on the lid of the heat sealing device has a longitudinal shape extending in a width direction of the lid, and an elastic body is formed only at both ends of the longitudinal shape. The lid structure according to claim 4, wherein the lid structure is attached to a lower surface of the top plate via a through hole. 6. The lid structure according to claim 5, wherein said elastic body is a double-sided tape.