Patent Application
20230211909
The present invention relates to a degasifier that removes gas from a packing bag storing a packed material.
Degasifiers that degas a packing bag storing a packed material are widely known. Such degasifiers include, a type (patent literature 1 for example), in which degassing is performed while a nozzle is inserted into a bag opening of a packing bag, a type (patent literature 2 for example), in which degassing is performed while an entire packing bag is stored in a degassing chamber, and a type (patent literature 3 for example), in which degassing is performed while only peripheral parts of a bag opening of a packing bag are arranged in a degassing chamber.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Registered Utility Model Publication 3166827
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Registered Utility Model Publication 3035523
Patent Literature: Japanese Patent Application Publication 2003-040214
In the degasifier of the patent literature 1 described above, there is a high risk that the inside of a bag is likely contaminated via a nozzle since the nozzle is inserted into the bag when degassing is performed. With the degasifier of the patent literature 2 described above, a nozzle is not inserted when degassing is performed, so this problem does not occur. However, it has a problem that a size of a device is big since a degassing chamber needs to be big enough to store an entire packing bag that stores packed materials. With the degasifier of the patent literature 3, the problems described above do not occur. However, in the degasifier of the patent literature 3, use of a special packing bag, in which convex-concave is formed on an inner surface, is prerequisite. Normal packing bags with smooth inner surface cannot be used, so a running cost is high unfortunately. The degasifier of the patent literature 3 performs degassing in a state where the packing bag is sandwiched between a lid and a body, which form a degassing chamber. So, when a normal packing bag is used, the air in the bag cannot pass through the part sandwiched between the lid and the body, and the air in the bag cannot preferably be discharged from the bag opening.
The present invention is made in consideration of such situations, and aimed at providing a degasifier, which does not require a nozzle to be inserted into a bag opening, which allows a packing bag with a smooth inner surface to be used therein, and which is compact in size.
The present invention is directed to a degasifier comprising: a degassing chamber, which is openable or closable, and which is closed in a state where a lid is mounted on a body; and a pair of gaskets, each provided in the body and the lid, that pressure-contact to each other around the degassing chamber in a state where the lid is mounted on the body, wherein a packing bag is sandwiched between the pair of gaskets, and a bag opening of the packing bag is arranged inside the closed degassing chamber, and in this state, the packing bag can be degassed by decompressing inside the degassing chamber, the degasifier is characterized by comprising: a pair or pairs of suction opening, which open in sandwiching surfaces for sandwiching the packing bag and mutually opposing to each other while sandwiching the packing bag; and a decompression means that can decompress an inside of the suction opening, the degasifier being characterized in that, in a state where the packing bag is sandwiched between the pair of gaskets and the bag opening of the packing bag is arranged in the closed degassing chamber, and when an inside of the suction opening is decompressed by the decompression means, an airway, which communicates an inside and an outside of the degassing chamber can be formed.
According to this structure, by decompressing an inside of a suction opening, an airway, which can pass through gaskets sandwiching a packing bag, can be formed. So, even if the packing bag has a smooth inner surface, air inside the bag can be suitably discharged via the airway from a bag opening. In this way, with the degasifier of the present invention, even if the packing bag has a smooth inner surface, degassing can suitably be performed without inserting a nozzle into the bag opening. Also, the degasifier of the present invention, is a type that sandwiches a packing bag between a lid and a body, and stores only part of the packing bag in a degassing chamber. So, the degasifier of the present invention can be realized compactly in size.
In the present invention, the also suggested is characterized in that, in a state where the packing bag is degassed, the bag opening of the packing bag can be sealed, and one of the body and the lid is provided with an electrically-heated wire to seal the bag opening in the degassing chamber, the other of the body and the lid is provided with a pressing member to press the bag opening to the electrically-heated wire in the degassing chamber, the pressing member is held in the closed degassing chamber, such that the pressing member is movable between, a pressing position where the bag opening arranged between the electrically-heated wire and the pressing member can be pressed to the electrically-heated wire, and an evacuation position where the bag opening cannot be pressed to the electrically-heated wire, the pressing member is biased to the evacuation position by a biasing means, when an inside of the closed degassing chamber is decompressed to the predetermined pressure or lower, the pressing member moves to the pressing position against the biasing force of the biasing means by an air pressure difference between an inside and an outside of the degassing chamber.
According to this structure, a bag opening is not pressed to an electrically-heated wire by a pressing member until an inside of a degassing chamber is decompressed to a predetermined pressure or lower. So, air inside a packing bag can smoothly discharged from the bag opening. Also, according to this structure, the pressing member is displaced by an air pressure difference between an inside and an outside of the degassing chamber. So, a driving means for displacing the pressing member is not necessary.
In the present invention, also suggested is the degasifier characterized in that, the decompression means comprises: a vacuum pump arranged in the body; a first suction pipe that communicates the suction opening of the gasket on the body side to the vacuum pump; and a second suction pipe that communicates the suction opening of the gasket on the lid side to the vacuum pump, in each of the pair of gaskets, in a state where the lid is mounted on the body, on close-contact surfaces that do not sandwich the packing bag and that tightly contact to each other, a mutually overlapping link opening is open, the second suction pipe comprises: a body-side suction pipe that is arranged in the body and communicates the link opening of the gasket on the body side to the vacuum pump; and a lid-side suction pipe that is arranged on in the lid and communicates a suction opening of the gasket on the lid side to the link opening of the gasket on the lid side.
According to this structure, in a state where a lid is mounted on a body, a pair of gaskets comes into close contact, and the link openings on the body side and the lid side are connected. Accordingly, a suction opening of the gasket on the lid side is connected to a vacuum pump, and therefore the suction pipe, which connects a suction opening of the gasket on the lid side to the vacuum pump can be simplified. Also, there is benefit that, when the lid is removed, the body side suction pipe and the lid-side suction pipe are separated, so the lid can be separated from the body without being restrained by the suction pipe.
In the present invention, also suggested is the degasifier characterized by comprising a stopper, which, in a state where the lid is mounted on the body, prevents a degree of close-contact of the pair of gaskets from becoming a predetermined degree or more.
When the degassing chamber is decompressed, the lid is pressed against the body by a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the degassing chamber. If the gaskets are excessively tightly contact to each other at this point, the gaskets become hardly deformed in the periphery of the suction opening, and the airway becomes hardly formed unfortunately. On the other hand, with this structure, the gaskets can be prevented from being excessively tightly contact to each other, so the airway can easily be formed around the suction opening.
As described above, according to the present invention, such a degasifier can be realized, in which a packing bag can be degassed without inserting a nozzle in a bag opening, a packing bag with a smooth inner surface can be used, and a size is compact.
Embodiment of the present invention is explained by the following examples. In the following example, a decompression means according to the present invention corresponds to a vacuum pump 29 and suction pipes 27a to 27c. Also, a first suction pipe according to the present invention corresponds to the suction pipe 27a, and a second suction pipe corresponds to the suction pipes 27b, 27c. The body-side suction pipe according to the present invention relates to the suction pipe 27b, and the lid-side suction pipe corresponds to the suction pipe 27c. A biasing means according to the present invention corresponds to an elastic gasket 17. A stopper according to the present invention corresponds to inner wall parts 37a, 37b.
A degasifier 1 of the present example is the one that degases a plastic packing bag storing a packed material and then welds and seals a bag opening. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The degassing opening 20 and the suction openings 21a, 21b described above, are connected to an intake opening of the vacuum pump 29 arranged inside the case 8a of the body 2. Specifically, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The suction openings 21a, 21b formed in the sandwiching surface 23 of the gaskets 11a, 11b have negative pressure inside. And thus, the gaskets 11a, 11b around the suction openings 21a, 21b attract the packing bag F, and the sandwiching surfaces 23 are elastically deformed in the separating direction. As shown in
The open/close position detection switch 41 is a limit switch, which is arranged inside the case 8a of the body 2 and detects the position of the movable hook 6 to detect whether the lid 4 is in the mount state. The pressure detection switch 42 is a limit switch, which is arranged inside the case 8b of the lid 4 and detects the position of the holding member 16 to detect whether the bottom surface of the pressing member 15 presses the electrically-heated wire 14. The electrically-heated wire energization switch 43 is a switch that changes the electrically-heated wire 14 between an energized state and a unenergized state. The control device 40 controls the energization state of the electrically-heated wire 14 via the electrically-heated wire energization switch 43, thereby making the electrically-heated wire 14 generate heat at a predetermined timing. The vacuum pump 29, as described above, intakes air from the degassing opening 20 and the suction openings 21a, 21b. The control device 40 controls the vacuum pump 29 and the solenoid valves 30a, 30b to intake air selectively from the degassing opening 20 and the suction openings 21a, 21b.
Hereinafter, description is made on how to use the degasifier of the present example.
With the degasifier 1 of the present example, firstly the plastic packing bag F, which stores the packed material H is set, and the lid 4 is brought to the mount state. Then, the degassing process, which removes gas from the packing bag F, and a sealing process, which seals the bag opening G of the packing bag F in the degassed state, are performed. Specifically, as shown in
When the lid 4 is hooked onto the movable hook 6 in the mount state, the open/close position detection switch 41 detects the displacement of the movable hook 6 and outputs a detection signal to the control device 40. Upon receiving the detection signal, the control device 40 starts the degassing process. Specifically, in the degassing process, firstly the vacuum pump 29 is operated and the solenoid valve 30b of the suction openings 27a, 27b are released, to decompress the inside of the suction openings 21a, 21b. When the inside of the suction openings 21a, 21b is decompressed and have the negative pressure, as shown in
The control device 40, when the solenoid valve 30b of the suction pipes 27a, 27b has been released for a predetermined period, closes the solenoid valve 30b and holds the negative pressure state of the suction openings 21a, 21b. Incidentally, a length of the release time of the solenoid valve 30b may be chosen such that the length is long enough for the airway 38 to be formed around the suction openings 21a, 21b. Then, the control device 40 decompresses the degassing chamber 10 by releasing the solenoid valve 30a of the degassing pipe 25a. As shown in
In the degassing process, when the air pressure of the degassing chamber 10 lowers, the lid 4 is pressed down by the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the degassing chamber 10. As shown in
The air pressure in the degassing chamber 10 is further reduced from the state where the lowering of the lid 4 is stopped by the abutting of the inner wall parts 37a, 37b, the holding member 16 held in the lid 4 is drawn downwards with more powerful force than the biasing force of the elastic gasket 17 by the air pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the degassing chamber 10. Accordingly, the pressing member 15 comes close to the electrically-heated wire 14. When the packing bag F is sufficiently degassed, and the air pressure of the degassing chamber 10 is reduced to a predetermined pressure or lower, the pressing member 15 lowers the bottom surface to the pressing position Q where the bottom surface and the electrically-heated wire 14 are abuttable, and the packing bag G arranged on the electrically-heated wire 14 is pressed against the electrically-heated wire 14 by the pressing member 15.
When the pressing member 15 lowers to the pressing position Q, the pressure detection switch 42 detects the displacement of the pressing member 15 and outputs the detection signal to the control device 40. Upon receiving this detection signal, the control device 40 closes the solenoid valve 30a and stops the vacuum pump 29, and then shifts from the degassing process to the sealing process. In the sealing process, the control device 40 turns on the electrically-heated wire energization switch 43, and temporarily supplies a large electric current to the electrically-heated wire. Then, by the heated electrically-heated wire 14, the bag opening G is heated and welded through the entire width and sealed accordingly. The control device 40, after a predetermined time has passed, turns off the electrically-heated wire energization switch 43 and sets the electrically-heated wire 14 to the unenergized state. Then, after a predetermined cooling time, the control device 40 finishes the sealing process.
The control device 40, after the sealing process is finish, releases the solenoid valves 30a, 30b, and flows in the outside air to the degassing chamber 10 and the suction openings 21a, 21b. At the same time, the control device 40 turns on the display lamp 12 with a predetermined aspect, and reports the finish of the degassing and sealing. Accordingly, by the operation of the release button 7, the lid 4 is changed to the released state to make the degassed and sealed packing bag F removable.
In this way, in the degasifier 1 of the present example, in the state that the packing bag F is sandwiched between the gaskets 11a, 11b, the suction openings 21a, 21b formed in the sandwiching surface 23 are decompressed to form the airway 38 between the gaskets 11a, 11b. Therefore, the air inside the packing bag F can be discharged from the bag opening G to the degassing chamber 10, even if the packing bag F has the smooth inner surface. Accordingly, in the degasifier 1 of the present example, degassing can suitably be performed without inserting a nozzle to the bag opening G, even if the packing bag F is made of plastic and has a smooth inner surface. With the degasifier 1 of the present example, the packing bag F does not have to be entirely stored in the degassing chamber 10. So, there is a benefit that the degasifier 10 can be realized compactly in size. With the degasifier 1 of the present example, degassing and sealing can be performed with the same method as the packing bag having the smooth inner surface, even if the packing bag is made of plastic and has a convex-concave inner surface. So, there is a benefit that in the case where only available packing bags are the ones with a convex-concave inner surface, the packed material H can be stored in said available packing bag, and degassed and sealed. Especially, in the present example, the inner wall parts 37a, 37b of the cases 8a, 8b function as a stopper that prevents the gaskets 11a, 11b from contacting excessively tightly. So, there is a benefit that the airway 38 can easily be formed around the suction openings 21a, 21b.
In the present example, the degasifier 1 is configured that, in the degassing process, when the degassing chamber 10 is decompressed to the predetermined pressure or lower, the pressing member 15 is lowered to the pressing position Q by the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the degassing chamber 10 to make the bag opening G sealed with the electrically-heated wire 14. So, the air can smoothly be discharged from between the pressing member 15 and the electrically-heated wire 14 until the packing bag F becomes sufficiently degassed. Also, according to this structure, the pressing member 15 is displaced by the air pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the degassing chamber 10. So, there is also a benefit that the driving means for displacing the pressing member 15 becomes not necessary.
In the present example, the link openings 22c, 33d are formed, in the close-contact surface 24 of each of the gaskets 11a, 11b, in the position where the gaskets 11a, 11b are overlapped with each other in the mount state of the lid 4. And, the suction pipe 27b on the body side, which communicates the vacuum pump 29 and the link opening 22c of the body-side gasket 11a, and the suction pipe 27c, which communicates the suction opening 21b and the link opening 22d of the lid-side gasket 11b, are connected via the link openings 22c, 22d in the mount state of the lid 4. Because of this, with the degasifier 1 of the present example, the suction pipes 27b, 27c, which connect the suction opening 21b of the lid-side gasket 11b to the vacuum pump 29 can be simplified. Furthermore, in the released state of the lid 4, the suction pipes 27b, 27c are separated to the body side and the lid side, so the lid 4 can be moved relatively freely without being restrained by the suction pipes 27b, 27c.
The present example is the one, in which the configuration of the example 1 is partially modified. Specifically, in the present example, the elastic gasket 17 according to the example 1 is formed with the material that has a higher elasticity modulus than the example 1, such that the holding member 16 is biased upwards stronger than the example 1, and the air pressure of the degassing chamber 10, when the pressing member 15 lowers to the pressing position Q, is lower than the example 1. The shape of the elastic gasket 17 is the same as the example 1, and the other configurations are the same as the example 1. So, in the following, some description is made with reference to the same drawings as the example 1, and the same reference signs as the example 1 are used in the description and the drawings.
The degasifier 1 of the present example is configured, in the same way as the example 1, that when the packing bag F is set and the lid 4 is brought to the mount state, the degassing process and the sealing process are performed in order. The degassing process of the present example progresses in the same way as the example 1 for a certain period of time from the start. That is, firstly, the inside of the suction openings 21a, 21b is decompressed by the vacuum pump 29, so that the gaskets 11a, 11b around the suction openings 21a, 21b become easily deformed by the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the suction openings 21a, 21b. Accordingly, in the periphery of the suction openings 21a, 21b, the air inside the packing bag F becomes easily introduced to between the gaskets 11a, 11b. As shown in
Then, in the same way as the degassing process of the example 1, while maintaining the negative pressure in the suction openings 21a, 21b, the degassing chamber 10 is decompressed. Accordingly, as shown in
In the degassing process of this example, from the point shown in
In this way, the degasifier 1 of the present example also produces the similar effects to the example 1 described above. However, in the present example, the air pressure in the degassing chamber 10 when the pressing member 15 lower to the pressing position Q is configured to be lower than the example 1. So, contrary to the example 1, in which the sealing process is started before the airway 38 is closed (refer to
Hereinbefore, the examples of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above aspects of the examples, and may be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the degasifier 1 in the above example, the bag opening G is welded with the impulse seal method after the packing bag F is degassed. However, in the degasifier of the present invention, welding of the bag opening G may be performed with another method such as ultrasonic welding. Furthermore, the degasifier of the present invention may be the one, which only performs degassing of the packing bag F, and the sealing of the packing bag may be performed by an operator by hand using a clip. Also, the degasifier of the present invention may be the one, which, after degassing the packing bag F, fills inert gas in the bag.
In the above examples, the electrically-heated wire 14 is arranged in the body 2, and the pressing member 15 is arranged in the lid 4. However, the electrically-heated wire 14 may be arranged in the lid 4, and the pressing member 15 may be arranged in the body 2. The electrically-heated wire may also be arranged on the pressing member side so as to heat the bag opening from both sides.
The degasifier 1 of the present example is the one, in which the released state and the mount state is changed manually by operating the lid 4. However, the degasifier of the present invention may be the one, in which the lid is opened or closed by a motor or the like. In the above example, the pressing member 15 is moved from the evacuation position P to the pressing position Q by the air pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the degassing chamber 10. However, the pressing member 15 may be moved by a driving means such as a motor. In the above example, the detection signal of the pressure detection switch 42 is the signal of the finish of the degassing process. However, an air pressure sensor for detecting that the degassing chamber 10 is decompressed to the predetermined pressure may be arranged, and the degassing process may be finished upon receiving the detection signal from said air pressure sensor.
In the above example, in the degassing process, the decompression is conducted such that the degrees of vacuum in the suction openings 21a, 21b become higher than the degree of vacuum in the degassing chamber 10. However, in the degassing process, the decompression may be conducted such that the degrees of vacuum in the suction opening and the degassing chamber become the same. In the above example, the degassing process 10 is decompressed after the suction openings 21a, 21b are decompressed. However, in the degassing process, the decompression of the suction openings 21a, 21b and the degassing chamber 10 may be conducted at the same time by the vacuum pump 29.
In the above example, the lid 4 is linked to the body 2 via the arm 3. However, the lid according to the present invention may be mounted in such a manner as to directly movable in relation to the body 2. Also, as shown in the degasifiers 1a, 1b of the modification example in
In the above example, the lid 4 is mounted on the body 2 in such a way as to cover from the top of the body 2. However, in the present invention, like a degasifier 1a shown in
In the above example, the center portion of the sandwiching surfaces 23 of the gaskets 11a, 11b are each provided with three suction openings 21a, 21b. However, the number of suction openings may be 2 or less, or may be 4 or more. Also, the position of the suction openings 21a, 21b does not have to be the center portion of sandwiching surface 23. The suction openings 21a, 21b may be formed on the right side or on the left side, or may be formed through the entire width of the sandwiching surface 23. If the suction openings 21a, 21b are formed through the entire width of the sandwiching surface 23, the airway 38 can be formed at various places in the sandwiching surface 23. So, the packing bag F having a wide width can be degassed in a short period of time, and the packing bag F can be disposed relatively freely. Also, a plurality of packing bag F can be arranged side by side, and degassed and sealed at once, within the range of width of the sandwiching surface 23. The intervals between the suction openings 21a, 21b does not have to be uniform. The suction openings according to the present invention does not have be the round shape. As shown in the suction openings 211 to 213 in
Also, in the present example, the gaskets 11a, 11b on the body side and the lid side are formed with a single material. However, the gasket according to the present invention may be formed with different materials for each region. For example, it is suggested that the constituent region of the sandwiching surface 23 is formed with a softer material than the constituent region of the close-contact surface 24. This is because airtightness is exclusively required for the close-contact surface 24, but on the other hand, for the sandwiching surface 23, flexibility for tightly contacting the surface of the packing bag F is also required. It is also suggested that the periphery of the suction openings 21a, 21b is formed with softer material than other regions. This is because the periphery of the suction openings 21a, 21b are required to deform while closely contacting the packing bag F so as to form the airway 38, and more flexibility is required than other regions. In this way, the gaskets 11a, 11b, which are formed with different material for each region, can preferably be manufactured as an integrally molded part by multicolor molding (different material composite molding).
In the above example, the biasing means, which biases the pressing member 15 to the evacuation position P, is configured with the elastic gasket 17. However, the biasing means according to the present invention may be configured with a coil spring or the like instead of the elastic gasket 17. In the above example, when the degassing chamber 10 is decompressed to the predetermined pressure or lower, the pressing member 15 moves to the pressing position Q automatically. However, the degasifier may be provided with a holding means, which holds the pressing member 15 at the evacuation position P even in the state where the degassing chamber 10 is decompressed to the predetermined pressure or lower. And the pressing member 15 may be moved, after the degassing chamber 10 is decompressed to the predetermined pressure or lower, to the pressing position Q at any timing by manually releasing the holding means. Configuration of the holding means is not specifically limited. As specific examples, there are, a locking mechanism that locks the pressing member 15 or the holding member 16 in the evacuation position P, and an open/close valve that prevents the outside air from flowing into the space outside the elastic gasket 17 so as not to generate the air pressure difference, which moves the elastic gasket 17 to the pressing position Q.
In the above example, the close-contact surfaces 24 around the link openings 22a to 22d are flat. However, one of the close-contact surfaces 24 around the link openings 22a, 22c may be formed in the convex shape, and the other close-contact surface 24 around the link openings 22a to 22d may be formed in the concave shape, and the opposing close-contact surfaces 24 may be fit around the link openings 22a to 22d.
In the above example, the airway 38 formed between the gaskets 11a, 11b is shown largely for the sake of convenience. However, the airway according to the present invention may be in any size as long as it allows the gas inside the packing bag to be discharged to the degassing chamber. For example, the airway may be such a narrow gap that it is almost invisible by eye.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-141716 | Aug 2020 | JP | national |
This application is a Continuation Application of International Application No. PCT/JP2021/030576, filed Aug. 20, 2021, which claims priority to Japan Application No. JP2020-141716, filed Aug. 25, 2020. The subject matter of each is incorporated herein by reference in entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP21/30576 | Aug 2021 | US |
| Child | 18114116 | US |
