JPH11264641A - Sealed container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure a wide operation space in a sealed container without interruption of the operation when a cover thereof is opened, and enable one to readily and surely clean the reverse of the cover (inside of the closed container). SOLUTION: A closed container comprises a container body 2, a cover 4 for closing an opening portion 3 of the container body 2, a guiding means 5 for moving the cover 4 in a sliding manner with respect to the opening portion 3, and a supporting means 6 for rotatably moving the cover 4 in a manner of hinged door. The guiding means 5 is provided to the container body 2 and the cover 4 is provided to the guiding means 5 through the supporting means 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sealed container used for a vacuum cooling device, a sterilizing device, and the like, and more particularly, to a lid structure for closing an opening of a container body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a vacuum cooling device suctions a closed container containing an object to be cooled and depressurizes the container.
By lowering the saturated steam temperature and evaporating the water of the object to be cooled, the object to be cooled is cooled by utilizing the latent heat of vaporization at that time. This vacuum cooling device is used, for example, in the food industry in a process of packing and shipping cooked food.

[0003] In such a vacuum cooling device, when food is vacuum-cooled, food residue may adhere to the inner wall surface of the closed container. If this residue is left as it is, germs may propagate in the closed container or generate an unpleasant odor.After the vacuum cooling operation, it is necessary to perform cleaning work such as washing away the attached residue with water or hot water. There is.

[0004] In such a vacuum cooling device, the lid of the closed container is classified into a door type and a slide type. The former hinged door type can easily clean the back of the lid (the inside of the sealed container) by opening the lid, but since the lid is moved to the front of the sealed container and opened, the opened lid It is easy to get in the way of work, and a large work space cannot be secured. On the other hand, the latter slide type
Because the lid slides up and down or left and right in front of the closed container, the open lid does not interfere with work,
Although the work space can be widened, it is necessary to remove the lid when cleaning the back surface of the lid (the inside of the closed container), and the cleaning operation is difficult.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in a closed container, an opened lid does not obstruct the operation, a wide working space is secured, and the back surface of the lid (the inside of the closed container) is easily cleaned. The purpose is to be able to do.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 comprises a container body and a lid for closing an opening of the container body. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a guide unit for slidingly moving the lid with respect to the opening; and a supporting unit for rotating the lid in an open-door manner. 4. The invention is characterized in that the container body is provided with the guide means, and the guide means is provided with the lid via the support means. The invention according to claim 3, wherein the support means is provided on the container body. And the cover is provided on the support means via the guide means.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The closed container according to the present invention can be applied to a closed container used for a vacuum cooling device, a sterilizing device and the like. That is, the sealed container to which the present invention is directed is a container in which an object to be processed such as an object to be cooled or an object to be sterilized is accommodated, and a predetermined process such as cooling or sterilization is performed inside the container. is there. Therefore, such a closed container includes a container body and a lid for closing an opening of the container body. The closed container includes guide means for sliding the lid with respect to the opening and supporting means for rotating the lid in an open-door manner. The guide means makes the lid slidable in the vertical or horizontal direction with respect to the opening of the container body. In addition, the support means is such that the lid is rotatable in a left-right direction or a vertical direction in an open-door manner.

Here, to attach the lid to the container body,
The container body may be provided with guide means, the guide means may be provided with a lid via support means, or the container body may be provided with support means, and the support means may be provided with a lid via guide means. You can also. In the former configuration, the lid slides along the guide member together with the support means, and in the latter configuration, the lid rotates with the guide means by the support means.

[0009] The lid may be an integral plate-shaped member or a bendable shutter structure. When the lid is formed as an integral plate-shaped member, it is slidably moved in the vertical or horizontal direction to open and close the opening of the container main body. Is stored in an upper part (a lower part or a side part is also possible) of the closed container.

[0010] According to the above configuration, when performing a normal operation, the lid is slidably moved by the guide means to close or open the opening of the container body, so that the opened lid obstructs the operation. However, the work space for carrying in and out of articles can be widened in front of the closed container, and the workability is good. Then, when the normal work is completed and the cleaning work is performed, the space for carrying in and out the articles as described above is not necessary, and the space for the cleaning work may be secured. By rotating and exposing the back surface of the lid (the inside of the sealed container), the back surface of the lid can be easily and reliably cleaned.

As described above, the closed container according to the present invention comprises:
It has the advantages of both a sliding lid and a hinged lid, so that the work space can be widened and the operability can be improved, and the back surface of the lid can be easily and reliably cleaned.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the closed container according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment described below, the present invention is applied to a vacuum cooling device.

In the drawings, the vacuum cooling device includes a closed container 1 for storing an object to be cooled. This closed container 1
Is provided with a container body 2 and a lid 4 for sealing the opening 3 on the front surface of the container body 2. The lid 4 is attached to the container body 2 via a guide means 5 and a support means 6. The guide means 5 is for moving the lid 4 in a slidable manner with respect to the opening 3.
The support means 6 is for rotating the lid in an open door manner. When the lid 4 is moved downward by the sliding means 5, the opening 3 is opened, and when the lid 4 is moved upward, the opening 3 is closed. Further, there are provided holding means (not shown) for holding the lid 4 in a closed position and stopper means (not shown) for holding the lid 4 in an open position.

The guide means 5 comprises a holding member 7, a guide rail 8, a guide groove 9, a guide member 10, a frame 11, and a biasing means 12. The holding member 7 is
It is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the concave portions thereof are arranged so as to be symmetrical on the left and right sides (the left and right sides in FIG. 2) of the container body 2 so as to be symmetrical. The guide rails 8 are respectively arranged in recesses of the holding members 7. Each of the guide rails 8 has a dimension in the depth direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3) of the container body 2 set smaller than the dimension of the concave portion of each of the holding members 7. Are movable in the holding members 7 in the directions close to and away from the front surface of the container body 2. The guide grooves 9 are formed on the surfaces of the guide rails 8 facing each other, and extend in the longitudinal direction of each of the guide rails 8 (vertical direction in FIG. 3). A guide member 10 is slidably inserted into each of the guide grooves 9. The frame 11 is a member for attaching the lid 4 via the support means 6. The frame 11 is configured to surround the lid 4, and each of the guide members 10 is attached to each of left and right side edges of the frame 11. Each of the urging means 12 is disposed between the inner surface of each of the holding members 7 and each of the guide rails 8 in the concave portion of each of the holding members 7, and the respective guide rails 8 are arranged on the front surface of the container body 2. It is designed to be urged in a direction away from. With this configuration, the guide rails 8 are held in the holding members 7 at positions separated from the container body 2. In the first embodiment, each of the urging means 12 is a compression spring, and six of the urging means 12 are arranged in the holding member 7.

Here, since each of the guide rails 8 guides each of the guide members 10 by its guide groove 9, the friction between each of the guide rails 8 and each of the guide members 10 is small. In the first embodiment, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is used.
Is used. Further, the guide member 10 is a member having such lubricity, in a device for handling food such as a vacuum cooling device, a lubricant such as oil or grease is scattered to be a cooled object. Another reason is that the risk of sticking to certain foods can be avoided.

The support means 6 is mounted between the lid 4 and the guide means 5. In the first embodiment, the support means 6 is a hinge, and specifically, as shown in FIG.
As shown in the right side of the lid 4 (see FIG. 2),
It is mounted between the guide means 5 and the frame 11.
In this first embodiment, the supporting means 6 is composed of two
It is attached to a place. Therefore, the lid 4 is attached to the frame 11 by the support means 6 so as to be openable and closable.

A lock mechanism 13 is provided between the lid 4 and the frame 11 for holding the lid 4 in a closed state except when necessary. The lock mechanism 13 includes:
In this first embodiment, the lid 4 is attached to the left edge of the lid 4 at two upper and lower locations. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the lock mechanisms 13 has a lock pin 14, an operation knob 15, and a biasing means 16 mounted in the lid 4, and a lock hole 17 formed in the frame 11. The lock pin 14
Are housed in the lid 4 so as to protrude and retreat in the left-right direction of FIG. The operation knob 15 is attached to the front side of the lid 4, and its base end penetrates the lid 4 and is connected to the lock pin 14. The urging means 16 is housed in the lid 4 so as to urge the lock pin 14 in a protruding direction. The lock hole 17 is a position where the lock pin 14 can be fitted when the lid 4 is closed with respect to the frame 11.

Further, in the first embodiment, a sealing means 18 for sealing between the container body 2 and the lid 4 is provided. The sealing means 18 includes a packing groove 19 formed on the periphery of the opening 3 of the container body 2 and a packing member 20 housed in the packing groove 19. The packing member 20 presses the inside of the packing groove 19 by the operation of the pressurizing means 21 connected to the packing groove 19 and urges the packing member 19 toward the lid 4, whereby the container body 2 and the lid 4 are pressed. And seal between them. Here, the dimensions and shape of the packing member 20 are as follows:
It comes into contact with the back surface of the lid 4.

Since the first embodiment is a vacuum cooling device, the container main body 2 has a vacuum suction line 22 for reducing the pressure inside the container body 2 and an outside air introduction line 23 for returning the pressure to the atmospheric pressure after vacuum cooling. Are connected. The vacuum suction line 22 is provided with a check valve 24 and a liquid ring vacuum pump 25 in order from the container body 2 side. The check valve 24
Is for maintaining a reduced pressure state in the container body 2. The outside air introduction line 23 is provided with a filter 26 and an outside air introduction valve 27 in order from the outside air introduction side.
The filter 26 removes dust, germs, and the like from the outside air introduced into the container body 2. The outside air introduction valve 27 may be configured to adjust the flow rate of the air that flows into the container body 2 through the outside air introduction line 23, thereby adjusting the speed of the decompression.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. First, the object to be cooled is accommodated in the container body 2 and the lid 4 is closed. At this time, since the lid 4 is guided by the guide means 5, it can be opened and closed smoothly without rattling, and each guide rail 8 separates the lid 4 from the container body 2 by a predetermined distance. To keep in state,
When the lid 4 is opened and closed, the lid 4 and the packing member 2
No damage due to contact with 0 etc. Thereafter, the operation switch is turned on, and the vacuum cooling process is started. Then, the pressurizing means 21 is operated to push the packing member 20 out of the packing groove 19 and abut on the back surface of the lid 4 (FIG. 5).
(a) state). At this time, the pressing force from the packing member 20 to the lid 4 is transmitted to each of the guide rails 8 via the frame 11 and the guide member 10, and the guide rail 8 comes into contact with the holding member 7. Supported. In this state, the airtightness between the container body 2 and the lid 4 is maintained by the sealing means 18.

Next, when the liquid ring vacuum pump 25 is operated, the pressure in the closed vessel 1 is reduced. Since the atmospheric pressure acts on the outside of the closed container 1, the pressure difference increases the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the closed container 1, and the pressure difference urges the lid 4 in the direction approaching the container body 2. Is done. At this time, the lid 4 is moving in a direction closer to the container body 2 than the position at the time of closing,
At the same time, since each guide rail 8 moves against the urging means 12, an excessive force is not applied to the lid 4 by this movement. The lid 4 is connected to the container body 2
The packing member 2 is in contact with the opening 3
No. 0 comes into contact with the back surface of the lid 4 with a predetermined pressing force to maintain the airtightness between the container body 2 and the lid 4 (the state shown in FIG. 5B).

Thereafter, by continuously operating the liquid ring vacuum pump 25, the pressure in the closed vessel 1 is reduced to a predetermined pressure. Due to this reduced pressure, the temperature of the saturated steam in the closed vessel 1 decreases, and the moisture of the object to be cooled evaporates. The object to be cooled is cooled by utilizing the latent heat of vaporization at this time. After the completion of the vacuum cooling step, the liquid ring vacuum pump 25 is stopped, and the outside air introduction valve 27 is opened to introduce clean outside air into the closed container 1. Pressure). Here, the closed container 1
Prior to returning the pressure inside to the original pressure, the sealing means 18
Operation of the pressurizing means 21 is stopped in the packing member 2
The pressurization of 0 is released.

As the pressure in the closed container 1 returns to the original pressure, the cover 4 moves in the direction away from the container body 2 together with the guide rails 8 by the urging means 12 of the guide means 5. At this time, the packing member 20
Since the operation of the pressurizing means 21 is stopped, the state of retreating into the packing groove 19 is maintained. After the pressure in the closed vessel 1 returns to the atmospheric pressure, the lid 4 is opened, the object to be cooled is taken out, and a series of vacuum cooling operations is completed. here,
Even when the lid 4 is opened, it is guided by the guide means 5, so that the lid 4 can be opened smoothly without rattling, and the guide rails 8 separate the lid 4 from the container body 2 by a predetermined distance. Since the lid 4 is held in this state, damage due to contact with the packing member 20 and the like by opening and closing the lid 4 is prevented. Further, the packing member 20 accommodates the packing member 20 in the packing groove 19 in order to maintain the state where the packing member 20 is retracted into the packing groove 19 even when the inside of the sealed container 1 is restored to the original pressure. Therefore, means for reducing the pressure in the packing groove 19 is unnecessary.

When the back surface of the lid 4 is to be cleaned after the vacuum cooling operation, the lid 4 is first moved to a closed position on the front surface of the container body 2, and then the lock mechanism 13 is released. That is, as shown in FIG.
Is slid to the right in FIG. 4B against the urging means 16 to release the tip of the lock pin 14 on the lid 4 from the lock hole 17 on the frame 11 side. Then, in this state, the supporting means 6 is opened at the fulcrum with respect to the frame 11 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Then, since the back surface of the lid 4 is exposed, the back surface is cleaned. After cleaning, Figure 4
(b) as shown in FIG.
4 (b), the cover 4 is closed, and the operation knob 15 is released with the position of the lock pin 14 aligned with the lock hole 17. Then, the lock pin 14 protrudes from the lid 4 by the urging means 16, and its tip fits into the lock hole 17. In this state, the lid 4 is held in a closed position with respect to the frame 11, and thereafter, the lid 4 is
And can be opened and closed integrally.

Here, in the vacuum cooling device having the above configuration, since the opening and closing operation of the lid 4 is in the vertical direction, it is preferable to provide a balance mechanism 28 to facilitate this opening and closing operation. For example, the balance mechanism 28 includes a balance weight 29, a sprocket 30, and a chain 3
It is composed of 1. The sprocket 30 is mounted at a position near the front of the lower surface of the container body 2, and the chain 31 is connected between the lower end of the frame 11 and the balance weight 29, and the sprocket 30
Wrap around. The weight of the balance weight 29 is set to be substantially the same as or slightly lighter than the lid 4. With this configuration, the force required for opening and closing the lid 4 is reduced by the weight of the balance weight 29, and the opening and closing operation can be easily performed with a small force.

Further, in the vacuum cooling apparatus of the first embodiment, in order to secure a sufficient amount of downward movement of the lid 4 when opening the opening 3, the object to be cooled is carried in and out. The sealed container 1 is supported by the frame 32 so that the height is easily adjusted. Therefore, the space below the hermetic container 1 is used as the device accommodating space 33 for accommodating the pressurizing means 21 of the sealing means 19, the liquid ring vacuum pump 25, and the like, thereby saving space. it can.

In the first embodiment described above, the frame 11 is slidable by the guide means 5 attached to the container body 2, and the lid 4 is attached to the frame 11 in an open-door manner. The guide means 5 can be made openable and closable with the lid 4 in an open door manner. A second embodiment in this case will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a cross section of a main part of a portion corresponding to FIG. 1. The portions corresponding to the above-described first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 6, the guide means 5 of the second embodiment is shown.
One of the holding members 7 (the right one in the embodiment shown) located on both left and right sides of the container body 2 is attached by the support means 6. A lock mechanism (not shown) is provided between the other of the holding members 7 (the left one in the illustrated embodiment) and the container body 2. A guide rail 8 is disposed in each of the holding members 7, and the lid 4 is directly attached to each of the guide members 10 fitted in the respective guide grooves 9 of the respective guide rails 8. The holding members 7 are connected to each other so that the guide means 5 can rotate around the support means 6 as a whole. For connection between the holding members 7, for example, an appropriate member is attached between the upper ends and the lower ends thereof, and the holding member 7 and the holding members 7 are formed in a frame shape. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the lid 4 is slid in the vertical direction by the guide means 5, and when the lid 4 is pivoted in an open-door manner, the guide means 5 is also moved. It rotates integrally with the lid 4.

According to the second embodiment described above, the work space can be widened to improve the workability, the back surface of the lid 4 can be easily and reliably cleaned, and the guide means 5 can be used. Since it can be opened and closed integrally with the lid 4, it is easy to inspect the guide means 5 and the equipment (the pressurizing means 21 of the sealing means 19, the liquid ring vacuum pump 25, etc.) in the equipment accommodating space 33. become. Here, in the case of the second embodiment, the balance mechanism 28 described above is used.
Is provided, the sprocket 30 is mounted so as to rotate about the support means 6 together with the guide means 5. For example, the sprocket 30 is attached to the holding member 7.

[0030]

As described above, the sealed container according to the present invention has the advantages of both the sliding type lid and the hinged type lid, so that the work space can be widened and the workability can be improved. In addition, the back surface of the lid can be easily and reliably cleaned.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a cross section of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a vertical side surface of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a lock mechanism between a lid and a frame according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a procedure for closing a lid according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a cross section of a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Closed container 2 Container main body 3 Opening 4 Lid 5 Guide means 6 Support means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI F25D 23/02 301 F25D 23/02 301F

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A container body 2 and an opening 3 of the container body 2.
And a guide means 5 for slidingly moving the lid 4 with respect to the opening 3.
And support means 6 for rotating the lid 4 in an open-door manner.
A sealed container characterized by comprising: 2. The sealed container according to claim 1, wherein said guide means 5 is provided on said container body 2, and said lid 4 is provided on said guide means 5 via said support means 6. 3. The closed container according to claim 1, wherein said container body is provided with said support means, and said support means is provided with said lid through said guide means.