JP6093532B2 - Distribution container made of foam resin - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a distribution container made of foamed resin.

  Foamed plastic distribution containers are widely used as distribution containers for foods that need to be kept cold because they are lightweight and have excellent heat insulation properties. In use, food or the like that needs to be kept cold is stored in a physical distribution container together with an appropriate refrigerant or cold storage material, and then the upper opening of the physical distribution container is closed by an appropriate lid, so that it is sealed. It is used for delivery and storage in that state.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when this type of distribution container is stored or collected from a delivery destination, only the distribution container 10 main body without a lid is manually or by using an appropriate robot H. Often stacked in a stack. Then, when food or the like is stored in the distribution container 10, the robot H takes out one by one from the group of containers stacked in this manner, puts them on the conveyor for conveyance, and moves the distribution container 10 on the conveyor. On the other hand, the worker or the supply robot stores food or the like in the physical distribution container 10.

  A logistics container has been proposed in which a stable posture can be obtained when the logistics container is in the above-described stacked posture. In the physical distribution container described in these documents, a ridge is provided on the upper edge of the container, and a concave groove into which the ridge can enter is formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-215979 JP 2008-195411 A

  As described in Patent Document 1 or 2, a foamed resin logistics container having a shape in which a ridge is provided on the upper edge of the container and a groove is formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate so that the ridge enters, is a stable step. A stacking posture is obtained. However, the structure is slightly complicated and high dimensional accuracy is required between the ridge and the groove. Also, if the width of the ridges and the groove width are very similar, it is not easy to insert the ridges into the grooves, and it is easy to float due to internal pressure, making stacking work difficult. In addition, when trying to take out only the topmost container after stacking, the frictional force between the ridges and the grooves is large, and the pressure is difficult to release. There is a risk of being lifted at the same time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a distribution container made of foamed resin, it is possible to obtain a stable stacking posture while having a simple configuration, and from the stacked state, the individual It is an object of the present invention to provide a foamed resin distribution container that can be separated one by one when separating into two.

  A distribution container according to the present invention is a box-shaped distribution resin container made of foamed resin having a bottom plate and a peripheral side wall and opened upward, and has a shape that can be internally fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall on the lower surface of the bottom plate. A convex portion of a size is formed, and when the physical distribution container is stacked up and down, between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall of the lower physical distribution container and the convex portion of the bottom surface of the bottom plate of the upper physical distribution container The dimension of the convex part of the lower surface of the bottom plate is set so that a gap P of 0.1 to 10.0 mm is formed.

  The physical distribution container according to the present invention is only required to have a convex part of a required dimension that fits in the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall of the container positioned in the lower layer when stacked, and is formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate of the container. Although the structure as described above is very simple, a stable stacking posture can be obtained when stacked.

  In the physical distribution container according to the present invention, the gap P, that is, when the physical distribution containers are stacked up and down, is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall of the lower physical distribution container and the convex portion of the bottom plate bottom surface of the upper physical distribution container. The gap P is in the range of 0.1 to 10.0 mm. If the gap P is less than 0.1 mm, the gap is too narrow to allow air to escape, and not only does it float up, making it difficult to stack, but if you try to separate it after stacking, Separation is difficult because the friction between the surface and the convex surface and the internal pressure are difficult to escape. Preferably, the gap P is 0.5 mm or more. If the gap P exceeds 10.0 mm, lateral movement is likely to occur between the upper and lower containers when stacked, and the stacked posture becomes unstable. Preferably, the gap P is 5.0 mm or less. When the gap P is in the above range, high hermeticity can be ensured after stacking, and the required cold insulation effect can be maintained when the physical distribution container is a cold insulation container.

  In a preferred embodiment of the foamed plastic logistics container according to the present invention, at least one notch groove is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall and in a region where the convex portion of the bottom plate lower surface is fitted. It is characterized by that.

  When the gap P is narrow, as described above, when stacking, the air in the lower container is difficult to be discharged to the outside and floats due to internal pressure. It is difficult to internally fit the convex portion of the convex portion to the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall of the lower container. In the container of the above aspect, at least one notch groove is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall into which the convex portion on the bottom surface of the bottom plate is fitted, and the notch groove serves as an air escape path. Even when the gap P is very small, the air can easily escape, the air pressure does not float, and the stacking by the internal fitting becomes easy. In addition, when one logistics container is lifted and separated from the top of a group of logistics containers in a stacked state, air can easily enter the lower container from the notch groove, thereby releasing the internal pressure. Thus, the separation work becomes easy and the distribution containers can be reliably separated one by one.

  In the distribution container made of foamed resin of the present invention, it is desirable that the gap P is 0.5 to 5.0 mm because the lateral displacement in the stacked state can be prevented and the stability of the posture can be obtained. In the distribution container made of foamed resin according to the present invention, an aspect in which the gap P is 0.5 to 5.0 mm and the cutout groove is provided is the most preferable aspect.

  In addition, the lid that closes the upper opening when the logistics container made of foamed resin according to the present invention is used alone, or the upper opening of the logistics container positioned at the top when the containers are stacked in multiple stages is closed. The lid body to be used is not particularly limited, and may be a lid body having an arbitrary shape on condition that sealing performance can be secured. Further, the lid may be either an inner fitting type or an outer fitting type. Examples of the foamed resin constituting the physical distribution container and the lid include polystyrene-based resins, polyolefin-based resins, and polyester-based foamed resins.

  There is no restriction | limiting in the shape in planar view of the physical distribution container made from a foamed resin by this invention. The plan view may be rectangular, circular, elliptical, or the like. In either case, the size in plan view and the height of the container are also arbitrary and are not limited. Preferably, when the plan view is rectangular, the long side is in the range of 15 to 150 cm and the short side is in the range of 10 to 100 cm. When the plan view is circular, the radius is in the range of 5 to 75 cm. When the plan view is elliptical, the major axis is in the range of 15 to 150 cm and the minor axis is in the range of 10 to 100 cm. In any case, the thickness of the peripheral side wall is preferably in the range of 0.3 to 15 cm.

  In the present invention, when the distribution containers are stacked up and down, the clearance P between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall of the lower distribution container and the convex portion of the bottom plate bottom surface of the upper distribution container is the same. Is defined as a gap formed when the distribution containers are stacked so that their centerlines coincide. Moreover, the clearance gap P may be the same value in the perimeter of an inner fitting part, and may differ partially. For example, in the case of a distribution container made of foamed resin that is rectangular in plan view, the gap P may be different between the long side and the short side.

  According to the present invention, in a distribution container made of foamed resin, it is possible to obtain a stable stacking posture while having a simple configuration, and to reliably separate one by one when separating from a stacked state. A distribution container made of foamed resin is obtained.

The perspective view which shows one form of the physical distribution container by this invention. The side view of the physical distribution container shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which accumulated the physical distribution container shown in FIG. 1 in two steps. The figure for demonstrating the state of the physical distribution container stacked.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a physical distribution container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1, in this example, the physical distribution container 10 is a box-shaped container having a bottom plate 11 and a peripheral side wall 12 and opened upward, and pre-expanded expanded polystyrene particles are expanded in-mold. It is an integrally molded product made by foam molding using a molding method. The distribution container 10 has a rectangular shape with rounded corners in plan view.

  An appropriate number of concave grooves 13 (see FIG. 3) having a required depth are formed on the inner surface of the bottom plate 11 so as to be orthogonal to each other. The peripheral side wall 12 includes short side walls 14 and 14 that face each other, and long side walls 15 and 15 that are orthogonal to the short side wall 14. Further, a first notch 16 having a predetermined height is formed in the upper part of the inner surface of the peripheral side wall 12, and the lower end of the first notch 16 is a stepped horizontal surface 17 facing inward. Yes. Although not limited, in the illustrated example, the distance between the outsides of the short side walls 14 and 14 is about 300 mm, the distance between the outsides of the long side walls 15 and 15 is about 380 mm, and the height is The thickness of the peripheral side wall and the bottom plate is about 25 mm. The height of the first notch 16 is about 15 mm.

  On the inner surfaces of the long side walls 15, 15, parallel groove portions 18 and protrusions 19 that run in the vertical direction are formed so as to be almost entirely reversed. The lower ends of the grooves 18 and the protrusions 19 reach the inner surface of the bottom plate 11, and the upper ends reach the level difference plane 17 formed on the long side walls 15, 15. Although not limited, in the physical distribution container 10 shown in FIG. 1, the groove 18 and the protrusion 19 are formed as a continuous curved surface having no corners as a whole.

  In the physical distribution container 10, the concave groove 13 formed on the inner surface 31 of the bottom plate 11 and the groove portion 18 and the protrusion 19 formed on the inner surfaces of the long side walls 15, 15 are provided with a cooling agent (not shown) in the physical distribution container 10. Is formed in order to facilitate the convection of the cold air in the physical distribution container in a state where the upper open portion is sealed with a lid (not shown). Further, the first notch 16 formed over the entire inner periphery of the peripheral side wall 12 is for receiving the inner fitting protrusion in the inner fitting type lid, and the distribution container 10. When stacking each other, the convex portion 29 formed on the lower surface portion of the bottom plate 11 of the upper logistics container 10 also functions as an area in which it is fitted.

  Although not shown, the illustrated physical distribution container 10 is formed with a second notch 25 having a required depth from the step horizontal plane 17 on the short side walls 14 and 14 downward. This 2nd notch 25 functions as a latching step part for latching the both ends of the cold storage container which accommodated the appropriate refrigerant | coolant.

  A third cutout 26 is formed on the outer surface of the short side walls 14, 14, and the upper end surface of the third cutout 26 is used as a handle when lifting the physical distribution container 10. In addition, an appropriate number of appropriate notch grooves 28 (one in the illustrated example) are formed on the bottom surface 27 of the third notch 26. The bottom surface 27 of the third notch 26 is also used to attach an appropriate label indicating the contents and the delivery destination. However, the presence of the cut groove 28 makes it easy to peel off the attached label. Therefore, it becomes extremely convenient to use the distribution container 10 for returning and transporting the cold-reserved food many times.

  On the lower surface of the bottom plate 11, a convex portion 29 having a shape and a size that can be fitted in the first notch 16 formed in the upper portion of the inner surface of the peripheral side wall 12 is formed. The convex portion 29 includes a vertical peripheral wall 29a having a height within the range of the height of the first notch 16, and a horizontal bottom surface 29b positioned at the lower end of the peripheral wall 29a. The outer peripheral shape of the peripheral wall 29a is the same as the inner peripheral surface shape of the first notch 16 formed in the upper portion of the inner surface of the peripheral side wall 12, and as shown in FIG. Between the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 29a and the inner peripheral surface of the first notch 16 formed in the upper part of the inner surface of the peripheral side wall 12 when stacked in a posture in which the center lines coincide with each other. The dimension of the convex portion 29 is set so that a gap P of ˜10.0 mm is formed. By having this convex part 29, the operation | work which stacks the physical distribution container 10 to an up-down direction becomes easy, and the attitude | position after stacking is also stabilized. In the illustrated example, the height of the convex portion 29 is about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height of the first notch 16, but both may be the same height. In this case, the bottom surface 29b of the convex portion 29 is in contact with the stepped horizontal surface 17 of the first notch 16, whereby the airtightness can be improved.

  Although not essential, in the illustrated example, a meat stealing portion 30 is provided at an appropriate position on the bottom surface 29b. By providing the meat stealing portion 30, the ground contact area of the lower surface of the bottom plate 11 can be reduced, and foreign matters such as dust can be reduced from adhering to the bottom surface. This is a great advantage when the physical distribution container 10 is used for home delivery or the like.

  Although not essential, in the illustrated distribution container 10, a portion formed on the short side walls 14, 14 of the first notch 16 formed on the upper portion of the inner surface of the peripheral side wall 12 is formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 11. An appropriate number of notch grooves 32 having substantially the same height as the convex portions 29 are formed. As shown in FIG. 4, the cutout groove 32 has a convex portion 29 formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 11 of the physical distribution container 10 positioned at the upper position when the physical distribution containers 10 are stacked. It functions as an air escape when entering the first notch 16 of the container 10. It also functions as an air entry path when separating the stacked distribution containers 10 individually.

  In the illustrated example, the notch groove 32 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, but the specific shape is arbitrary as long as air can pass therethrough. Further, the number of the notch grooves 32 is also arbitrary on the condition that required air movement is achieved at the time of stacking. Further, in the illustrated example, the cutout grooves 32 are formed only on the short side walls 14, 14, but may be formed only on the long side walls 15, 15 or both. In any case, the depth in the thickness direction of the notch groove 32 is preferably 2 to 50% of the thickness of the side wall (the short side wall 14 and the long side wall 15) to be formed, more preferably 5 to 10%. Although there is a relationship with the lateral width, if it is less than 2%, there is a possibility that sufficient movement of air may not be obtained, and if it exceeds 50%, there is a possibility that the side wall strength in the notch groove 32 becomes insufficient.

  According to the experiments by the present inventors, in the above-described logistics container 10, as shown in FIG. 3, another logistics container 10 is placed on the logistics container 10 positioned at a lower position by using a robot (or manually). In the case of stacking, even if the gap P is as narrow as about 0.1 to 5.0 mm, the air escapes from the notch groove 32 formed in the lower logistics container 10, so that the floating phenomenon is caused. It was found that it was easily stacked properly with its own weight without any occurrence. In addition, when separating the upper logistics container 10 from the stacked state, the air flows in from the notch groove 32, so that only one logistics container 10 is reliably separated without causing any cohesion. I found out that I can do it. Of course, even when the gap P is as narrow as about 0.1 to 5.0 mm and the notch groove 32 is not formed, a stable stacked state is obtained by applying a slight external force. It was also found that the upper logistics container 10 can be easily separated by holding down the lower logistics container 10. In any case, it was also found that the tightness of the gap P can improve the airtightness and improve the cold insulation performance.

  When the gap P is about 6 to 10 mm, stacking and separation can be easily performed without forming the notch grooves 32. However, by forming the notch grooves 32, further work can be performed. Improves. When the gap P exceeded 10 mm, it was observed that horizontal movement was likely to occur between the stacked physical distribution containers 10 and the stacking posture became unstable. Therefore, it was found that it is not preferable that the gap P exceeds 10 mm.

  In the illustrated distribution container 10, as described above, the grooves 18 and the protrusions 19 for promoting convection of cold air formed on the inner surface of the peripheral side wall 11 are formed with continuous curved surfaces having no corners. . For this reason, dust or the like hardly adheres to the bottom of the groove 18 or the like. In addition, it becomes easy to wipe the groove 18 and the protrusion 19 and the entire surface around the groove 18 and the surrounding surface using a cloth containing water, and even if dust or the like adheres to the bottom of the groove 18, It can be easily and reliably removed by wiping. Therefore, it becomes easy to keep especially the inner surface of the distribution container 10 clean, and it is extremely effective as a distribution container used for home delivery. Although not shown, the concave groove 13 formed on the inner surface of the bottom plate 11 and the rectangular convex portion 31 formed by the concave groove 13 can also be formed as a continuous curved surface without corner portions. In that case, it becomes easy to keep the bottom of the physical distribution container 10 clean.

  Hereinafter, more specific experimental examples conducted by the present inventors will be shown. In the experiment, a foamed resin distribution container 10 made of a rectangular polystyrene resin in a plan view shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 was used. Specific dimensions of the physical distribution container 10 serving as a reference are a distance 305 mm between the outer sides of the short side walls 14, 14, a distance 380 mm between the outer sides of the long side walls 15, 15, a height of 250 mm, a peripheral side wall and a bottom plate The thickness was 25 mm, and the height of the first notch 16 was 15 mm. Moreover, the height of the convex part 29 formed in the back surface of the baseplate 11 was 7 mm.

  Using the distribution container 10 as the reference, various kinds of distribution containers having different values of the gap P (including P = 0 mm) are produced by changing the lengths of the projections 29 in the long side direction and the short side direction. It was. Moreover, the thing with and without the said notch groove 32 was also formed. This is shown in Table 1 as Examples 1 to 17 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3.

  In the case of a physical distribution container having a notch groove 32, two notch grooves 32 are formed in each of the first notches 16 on the short side wall 14. The height of each notch groove 32 was the same as the height of the convex portion 29, the depth in the wall thickness direction was 2.5 mm, and the lateral width was 15 mm.

  Of the gap P (unit mm) (that is, the gap P between the inner peripheral surface of the first notch 16 and the peripheral wall 29a of the convex portion 29), the gap on the long side is P1, and the gap on the short side is The gap is shown as P2. The notch groove 32 is indicated as “present” or “not present”. Further, Table 1 shows the evaluation at the time of stacking, the evaluation at the time of separation, the evaluation of lateral deviation, and the overall evaluation as shown below.

(Method for evaluating stacking)
One of the physical distribution containers 10 was placed on a horizontal plane, and another physical distribution container 10A was stacked thereon using the robot H. The state at that time was visually evaluated. ◎ indicates that the correct stacking posture has been obtained immediately, ○ indicates that the correct stacking posture has been obtained after some time has elapsed after stacking, and X indicates that the correct stacking posture has not been pressed from the top after stacking. The state where the stacking posture was not obtained is shown.

(Evaluation method of separation)
After stacking, the upper logistics container 10A was lifted upward by the robot H. The state at that time was visually evaluated. In addition, (double-circle) shows the state which was able to isolate | separate, without dragging | lowering a lower logistics container, and x has dragged the lower logistics container, and shows the state which required external force to isolate | separate.

(Evaluation method of lateral deviation)
After stacking, 10 vibrations were manually applied to the front, rear, left and right. The state at that time was visually evaluated. Note that ◎ indicates a state in which lateral misalignment is not visible on both the short side and the long side in the stacked distribution containers, and ○ indicates both the short side and the long side in the stacked distribution containers. In a state where a slight lateral shift was visually observed, △ was a lateral shift larger than ○, but a lateral shift that was not problematic in practical use was observed, and × was either the short side or the long side This shows a state in which a lateral shift in which the stacked state becomes unstable is visually observed.

(Comprehensive evaluation)
Of the evaluations for stacking, separation, and lateral displacement, the worst evaluation was taken as the overall evaluation.

  From the above, in the physical distribution container 10 according to the present invention, if the dimension of the convex portion 29 formed on the lower surface of the bottom plate 11 is set so that the gap P is in the range of 1.0 to 10.0 mm, the cutting is performed. It can be seen that the stacking operation and the separation operation are easy without forming the notch groove 32, and the posture after the stacking is stable to the extent that there is no practical problem. Especially, it turns out that it is excellent especially when the clearance gap P is the range of 1.0-5.0 mm. In addition, even when the maximum gap P is as small as 0.1 or more and less than 1.0 mm, it is understood that the stacking operation and the separation operation are facilitated by providing the notch grooves 32. As shown in Comparative Example 3, when the gap P is 0 mm, the stacking operation and the separation operation are difficult even if the cutout grooves 32 are provided, and the advantage of providing the cutout grooves 32 in the present invention. Is shown.

10 ... logistics container according to the present invention,
11 ... bottom plate,
12 ... peripheral wall,
16 ... 1st notch formed in the inner surface upper part of a surrounding side wall,
29 ... a convex portion formed on the back surface of the bottom plate,
32 ... a notch groove formed in the first notch,
P: A gap between the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall of the convex portion and the inner peripheral surface of the first notch formed in the upper portion of the inner surface of the peripheral side wall.

Claims (2)

A box-shaped foamed plastic distribution container that has a bottom plate and a peripheral side wall and is open only at the top, and a convex portion having a shape and size that can be fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall is formed on the bottom surface of the bottom plate When the physical distribution containers are stacked up and down, between the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall of the lower physical distribution container and the convex portion of the bottom surface of the bottom plate of the upper physical distribution container, 0.1-10. The dimension of the convex part on the bottom surface of the bottom plate is set so that a gap P of 0 mm is formed. Further, in the region where the convex part on the bottom surface of the bottom plate is fitted in the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral side wall. The foamed resin is characterized in that at least one notch groove is formed which can ensure hermeticity by closing the upper part by the bottom plate of the upper logistics container when the logistics containers are stacked up and down Logistics containers.   It is the physical distribution container made of foamed resin according to claim 1, wherein the size of the convex part of the bottom plate lower surface is set so that the gap P is in the range of 0.5 to 5.0 mm. Distribution container made of foam resin.

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