JP7689798B2 - Heat Treatment Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat treatment device for performing heat treatment on a workpiece.

In heat treatment equipment for heat treatment of objects to be treated, depending on the type of object to be treated, it is required to perform the heat treatment while maintaining the airtightness of the treatment chamber in which the object is heat treated by filling it with gas. In order to ensure such airtightness, in addition to locking the door that closes the opening of the main body that constitutes the treatment chamber to the main body, it is also necessary to seal the door tightly against the main body to prevent gas leakage.

As a configuration for closely fitting the door to the main body in a heat treatment device, for example, a configuration in which a lock handle and a horizontal handle are provided on the door, as described in Patent Document 1, is known. The lock handle is configured to include an operation part that protrudes from the front of the door and is operated by an operator, and a mechanism that engages the main body side and the door side in response to the operation of the operation part. The horizontal handle is also configured to include an operation part that is provided on the front of the main body and is operated by an operator, and a mechanism that operates in response to the operation of the operation part to hold the door. In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the operator manually tightens the lock handle and horizontal handle to hold the door against the main body, thereby closely fitting the door to the main body.

JP 2005-351585 A

In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the operating parts operated by the worker, such as the lock handle and horizontal handle, are provided protruding from the front of the main body and the door. This causes the worker to bump into the operating parts, or the worker's clothing may get caught on the operating parts, which can interfere with the worker's work.

In consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a heat treatment device in which the means for tightly sealing the door to the main body to prevent gas leakage does not protrude from the front of the main body and the door.

(1) In order to solve the above problems, a heat treatment apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a main body forming a treatment chamber filled with gas to heat-treat a workpiece, a door for opening and closing an opening provided in the main body, a rod arranged to extend along a surface of the main body on which the opening is provided and moving in a direction different from a pressing direction that presses the door toward the main body, and a force dividing means for dividing an operating force that operates the rod in the moving direction of the rod with the door closing the opening and generating a force to tightly contact the door against the main body, the force dividing means having a cam member attached to the rod, an elastic body that suppresses the amount of movement of the cam member relative to the amount of movement of the rod, and a cam follower attached to the door and abutting against the cam member to transmit the force divided from the operating force to the door .

According to this configuration, the means for tightly fitting the door to the main body when the opening of the main body is closed is composed of a rod that moves in a direction different from the pressing direction of the door, and a force dividing means that divides the operating force in the direction of the movement of the rod. The rod is arranged to extend along the surface of the main body where the opening is provided, and the force dividing means is arranged near the rod when the door is in the state where the opening is closed so as to operate with the movement of the rod. Therefore, the rod and the force dividing means, which are the means for tightly fitting the door to the main body, can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body and the door. Therefore , the means for tightly fitting the door to the main body so as to prevent gas leakage can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body and the door . If there is a dimensional error in parts such as the cam member and the cam follower, and if there is an assembly error when assembling parts such as the cam member and the cam follower, the accuracy of the position of the cam member on the rod side and the cam follower on the door side will not be constant, and variations will occur. For this reason, it is necessary to precisely adjust the positioning of the cam member and the cam follower. However, according to the above configuration, the movement amount of the cam member on the rod side, which abuts against the cam follower on the door side to divide the operating force of the rod, is restricted by the elastic body. Therefore, even if there is a dimensional error and an assembly error of the parts when the rod moves and the cam member abuts against the cam follower, the error is absorbed by the deformation of the elastic body. As a result, the positioning of the cam member and the cam follower can be accurately adjusted only by the operation amount in the moving direction of the rod. Therefore, according to the above configuration, in a heat treatment device in which the means for tightly sealing the door to the main body side so as to prevent gas leakage from protruding from the front surface of the main body and the door by tightly sealing, the positioning of the cam member and the cam follower can be accurately adjusted only by the operation amount in the moving direction of the rod.

( 2 ) The heat treatment device may include a plurality of the force dividing means, and each of the plurality of force dividing means may have the cam member, the elastic body, and the cam follower.

For example, even in cases where an adjustment means is provided that adjusts the position of each cam member arranged on the axis of the rod using a screw portion provided on the rod and a nut that screws onto the screw portion, if there are multiple cam members, it can be difficult to accurately align the cam members on the axis of the rod. However, with this configuration, the elastic body provided on each force component means can individually absorb the individual errors present in each force component means. Therefore, the positioning of the cam members and cam followers can be accurately adjusted in each of the multiple force component means that operate at the same timing as the rod moves.

( 3 ) The door is provided as a swinging door attached to the main body via a hinge, and among the multiple elastic bodies possessed by the multiple force dividing means, the elastic force of the elastic body arranged away from the hinge side may be set to be greater than that of the elastic body arranged on the hinge side.

According to this configuration, the elastic force of the elastic body arranged away from the hinge side is set larger than that of the elastic body arranged on the hinge side. Therefore, the force with which the cam member urges the cam follower can be increased in the force dividing means arranged away from the hinge side among the multiple force dividing means. Generally, when internal pressure is applied, the door tries to open, and even if the seal pressure of the seal is secured on the hinge side, the seal pressure of the seal decreases the further away from the hinge. Therefore, the elastic force of the elastic body arranged farther away must be stronger. However, even if it is desired to make the seal pressure of the seal uniform, but the seal pressure of the seal is not uniform due to the shape of the door or the positional relationship with the door locking means, the seal pressure of the seal can be made uniform by configuring as described above.

( 4 ) The cam follower is provided on an edge portion of the door, and the main body is provided with a recess at the edge portion of the opening for receiving the cam follower when the door closes the opening, and when the door closes the opening and the cam follower is received in the recess, the rod moves in the movement direction, and the cam member may abut against the cam follower.

According to this configuration, when the door is closed, the cam follower on the door side is received in the recess on the edge of the opening of the main body, so the door can be closed with the cam follower positioned inside the main body without interfering with the main body. This prevents the cam follower from being positioned on the front side of the main body when the door is closed. In addition, after the door is closed, the rod provided on the main body side moves and the cam member abuts against the cam follower, so that the force divided from the operating force of the rod is transmitted to the cam follower, allowing the door to be tightly attached to the main body. Therefore, according to the above configuration, a simple configuration in which a recess is provided on the edge of the opening makes it easy to construct a structure that prevents the force dividing means that tightly attaches the door to the main body from being positioned on the front side of the main body.

( 5 ) The amount of operation of the rod in the movement direction may be set to be a predetermined amount greater than the set distance between the cam member and the cam follower in the movement direction in a state before the door closes the opening and the rod moves.

With this configuration, the amount of operation of the rod is set to a predetermined amount greater than the set distance between the cam member and the cam follower before the rod moves after the door is closed. Therefore, even if there are dimensional and assembly errors in the parts when the rod moves and the cam member abuts the cam follower, the errors can be more reliably absorbed by the deformation of the elastic body.

( 6 ) The elastic body may be disposed on an outer periphery of the rod.

With this configuration, the rod and elastic body are not arranged continuously in the coaxial direction, and the combined structure of the rod and elastic body can be made short in the rod axial direction.

According to the present invention, in a heat treatment device in which the means for tightly sealing the door against the main body to prevent gas leakage can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body and the door, the positioning of the cam member and the cam follower can be precisely adjusted by only the amount of operation in the direction of movement of the rod.

1 is a perspective view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus with the door closed. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a door and a sealing mechanism of the heat treatment apparatus, as viewed from the inside of the heat treatment apparatus; FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the contact mechanism shown in FIG. 4 . 6A is a diagram showing the door and the contact mechanism of the heat treatment apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 6A. 7A is a diagram showing the door and the contact mechanism of the heat treatment apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 7A. 8A, 8B, and 8C are diagrams for explaining the setting of the operation amount of the rod in the contact mechanism. 9(A), 9(B), 9(C), 9(D), 9(E), and 9(F) are diagrams for explaining the setting of the elastic force of the elastic body in the contact mechanism. 10A, 10B, and 10C are diagrams for explaining the setting of the elastic force of the elastic body in the contact mechanism. 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D are diagrams for explaining the setting of the elastic force of the elastic body in the contact mechanism. 12A, 12B, and 12C are diagrams for explaining the arrangement of the force dividing means in the contact mechanism. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 15A and 15B are diagrams showing a heat treatment apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 15A is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus and FIG. 15B is a plan view of the heat treatment apparatus. 16A and 16B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the adhesion mechanism of the heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 15, in which FIG. 16A is a diagram showing the state before the adhesion mechanism is operated, and FIG. 16B is a diagram showing the state after the adhesion mechanism is operated. 17A and 17B are diagrams showing a heat treatment apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 17A is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus and FIG. 17B is a plan view of the heat treatment apparatus. 18A and 18B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the adhesion mechanism of the heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 17, in which FIG. 18A shows the state before the adhesion mechanism is operated, and FIG. 18B shows the state after the adhesion mechanism is operated. 19A, 19B, 19C, and 19D are diagrams showing examples of the shapes of cam members and cam followers in the force dividing means of the contact mechanism of the heat treatment apparatus. 20A, 20B, and 20C are diagrams showing examples of the form of an elastic body in a force dividing means of a contact mechanism of a heat treatment apparatus.

The following describes the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
[Configuration of Heat Treatment Device]
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heat treatment apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows a state in which a door 12 of the heat treatment apparatus 1 is open. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus 1 and shows a state in which the door 12 is closed.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the heat treatment device 1 is configured as a device for performing heat treatment on the workpiece 10. Examples of heat treatment using the heat treatment device 1 include a heating process in which the workpiece 10 is heated while the workpiece 10 is placed in a chamber filled with gas, and a cooling process in which the workpiece 10 is cooled. For example, examples of heat treatment using the heat treatment device 1 include carburizing, quenching, tempering, annealing, degreasing, and sintering. In addition, the heat treatment device 1 performs heat treatment on the workpiece 10, which is provided as a metal member, for example.

The heat treatment device 1 is configured with a main body 11, a door 12 for opening and closing the main body 11, a locking means 13 for locking the main body 11 and the door 12, a sealing mechanism 14 for sealing the door 12 to the main body 11, a control unit 15, etc.

The main body 11 constitutes a processing chamber in which the workpiece 10 is filled with gas. The gas filled into the main body 11 may be a gas such as nitrogen gas or air, or a gas in the form of steam such as superheated steam. In addition, the form in which the gas is filled into the main body 11 may be, for example, a form in which the gas is introduced into the main body 11 from the outside of the main body 11, but is not limited to this form. That is, a form in which the gas is filled into the main body 11 without introducing gas into the main body 11 from the outside may be implemented. Specifically, a form in which the gas is filled into the main body 11 as air by the presence of air in the main body 11 when the workpiece 10 is carried into the main body 11 without introducing gas from the outside, and the workpiece 10 is heat-treated may be implemented.

The main body 11 has a front wall 16, a rear wall 17, a side wall 18, a side wall 19, a ceiling wall 20, and a bottom wall 21, and is formed in a rectangular box shape that defines a hollow area inside in which the workpiece 10 is placed. The main body 11 has an opening 22 in the front wall 16 that opens the hollow area inside the main body 11 to the outside. The opening 22 has a shape that corresponds to the outer peripheral shape of the door 12 and opens so as to penetrate the front wall 16. A heat-resistant seal 49 is arranged on the periphery of the opening 22 to ensure airtightness between the opening 22 and the door 12.

The workpieces 10 are carried into the main body 11 through the opening 22. The workpieces 10 are carried into the main body 11 through the opening 22, for example, in a state where multiple workpieces 10 are housed in a thin, box-shaped case 10a. The case 10a is configured so that the surrounding gas can flow through it with almost no resistance, and is formed, for example, from a mesh-like material.

When the heat treatment device 1 is configured to perform heat treatment, for example, a heater (not shown) for heating the workpiece 10 is installed in the main body 11. When the heat treatment device 1 is configured to heat the workpiece 10 with a heating gas such as superheated steam, the main body 11 is provided with a supply and exhaust system for supplying and exhausting the heating gas to and from the inside of the main body 11. When the heat treatment device 1 is configured to cool the workpiece 10 with a cooling gas, the main body 11 is provided with a supply and exhaust system for supplying and exhausting the cooling gas to and from the inside of the main body 11.

The door 12 is provided as a door that opens and closes the opening 22 provided in the front wall 16 of the main body 11. The door 12 is formed in a shape that completely covers the opening 22 of the main body 11, and in this embodiment, is provided as a door having a rectangular outer shape. The door 12 is provided as a hinged door attached to the main body 11 via a plurality of hinges 23. In this embodiment, the door 12 is configured to open in a sideways-open state via two hinges 23 relative to the front wall 16 of the main body 11. That is, the door 12 is attached to the front wall 16 via two hinges 23 arranged vertically along the front wall 16 at one end side in the horizontal direction so that it rotates horizontally around the hinges 23 relative to the main body 11. In addition, a handle 25 is provided on the door 12 on the opposite side to the hinges 23 side, which is operated by an operator when opening and closing the door 12.

In addition, the door 12 is provided with an outer portion 12a facing the outside of the main body 11 and an inner portion 12b facing the inside of the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed. The outer portion 12a and the inner portion 12b are both provided as plate-like portions, and are integrally formed by overlapping in the thickness direction of the door 12. The outer peripheral shape of the inner portion 12b is formed to be smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the outer portion 12a. Therefore, the inner portion 12b is configured as a plate-like portion that rises in a stepped shape relative to the outer portion 12a. In addition, the edge portion of the opening 22 in the main body 11 is provided with an outer edge portion 23a that is recessed in a stepped shape, and an inner edge portion 23b that opens so as to narrow slightly inward from the outer edge portion 23a in a tapered shape. The door 12 is configured so that when the opening 22 is closed, the outer peripheral edge of the outer portion 12a of the door 12 abuts against the outer peripheral edge 23a of the opening 22 to close the opening 22, and the outer peripheral edge of the inner portion 12b of the door 12 fits into the inner peripheral edge 23b of the opening 22.

The locking means 13 is provided as a mechanism for locking the door 12 to the main body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. A plurality of locking means 13 are provided, and in this embodiment, for example, two locking means 13 are provided. In this embodiment, the two locking means 13 are disposed on the side opposite the hinge 23 side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The two locking means 13 are also disposed vertically side by side along the front wall 16 when the door 12 closes the opening 22.

Each locking means 13 is configured with a hook 13a provided on the door 12 and a hook holding portion 13b provided on the front wall 16 of the main body 11. The hook 13a is provided on the end side of the door 12 opposite the hinge 23 side, and is formed in a claw shape protruding from the outer part 12a of the door 12. The hook 13a is provided so as to protrude from the outer part 12a toward the inside of the main body 11 when the door 12 has the opening 22 closed.

The hook holding portion 13b is provided as a mechanism for holding the hook 13a by engaging with the hook 13a when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The hook holding portion 13b is provided on the edge portion of the opening 22 in the front wall 16 of the main body 11, and is provided on the outer edge portion 23a. The hook holding portion 13b is also provided on the outer edge portion 23a on the opposite side of the opening 22 from the hinge 23 side. The hook holding portion 13b is, for example, open on the outer edge portion 23a and is configured to have an insertion hole into which the hook 13a is inserted when the door 12 closes the opening 22, and an engagement pin (not shown) that engages with the hook 13a inserted in the insertion hole. The engagement pin is configured to be driven, for example, by a solenoid (not shown) that operates based on a control command from the control unit 15. When the door 12 closes the opening 22 and the hook 13a is inserted into the insertion hole of the hook holding part 13b, the engagement pin driven by the solenoid operated by a control command from the control part 15 moves and the hook 13a and the engagement pin engage. As a result, the hook 13a is held by the hook holding part 13b, and the door 12 with the opening 22 closed is locked to the main body 11.

The control unit 15 is provided as a control device that controls the operation of the locking means 13, the adhesion mechanism 14, and the mechanism for heat treatment provided in the main body 11. The control unit 15 is configured with a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), an operation unit such as an operation panel operated by a user, an interface circuit, and the like. The memory of the control unit 15 stores a program for creating a control command that controls the operation of the locking means 13, the adhesion mechanism 14, and the mechanism for heat treatment provided in the main body 11. For example, when an operator operates the operation unit, the above program is read from the memory by the hardware processor and executed. As a result, the above control command is created, and based on the control command, the locking means 13, the adhesion mechanism 14, and the mechanism for heat treatment provided in the main body 11 are each operated.

[Configuration of adhesion mechanism]
FIG. 3 is a view showing an enlarged part of the heat treatment apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a view showing the door 12 and the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment apparatus 1, and is a view showing a state seen from the inside of the heat treatment apparatus 1. FIG. 5 is a view showing an enlarged part of the contact mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6(A) is a view showing the door 12 and the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment apparatus 1 as seen from above, and FIG. 6(B) is a view showing an enlarged part of FIG. 6(A). Note that in FIGS. 4 and 5, illustrations of elements in the heat treatment apparatus 1 other than the door 12 and the contact mechanism 14 are omitted. Also, in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), illustrations of elements in the heat treatment apparatus 1 other than the door 12, the contact mechanism 14, and a part of the front wall 16 of the main body 11 are omitted, and a part of the front wall 16 is illustrated as a cross-sectional view.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, 6(A) and 6(B), the adhesion mechanism 14 is provided as a mechanism for making the door 12 adhere to the main body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. A plurality of adhesion mechanisms 14 are provided, and in this embodiment, two are provided. In this embodiment, the two adhesion mechanisms 14 are a adhesion mechanism 14a and a adhesion mechanism 14b. The adhesion mechanism 14a is disposed on the upper end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The adhesion mechanism 14b is disposed on the lower end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22.

Each of the two contact mechanisms 14 is configured with a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force dividing means 28. That is, the contact mechanism 14a is configured with a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force dividing means 28, and the contact mechanism 14b is also configured with a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force dividing means 28. In addition, the contact mechanism 14a arranged on the upper end side of the door 12 and the contact mechanism 14b arranged on the lower end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22 are configured in the same way, except that the rod 27 and the force dividing means 28 are in the opposite vertical positions. In the contact mechanism 14a, the rod 27 is arranged above the force dividing means 28, and in the contact mechanism 14b, the rod 27 is arranged below the force dividing means 28.

[Drive mechanism]
The driving mechanism 26 is provided as a cylinder mechanism that drives the rod 27 to move along the axial direction of the rod 27 to operate the rod 27. The driving mechanism 26 is provided, for example, as a pneumatic cylinder mechanism, and has a pair of pressure chambers (not shown) to which compressed air is supplied and discharged, and a piston 26a, and the rod 27 is connected to the piston 26a. The driving mechanism 26 is configured to displace the piston 26a by supplying and discharging compressed air to and from the pair of pressure chambers, and to reciprocate the rod 27 connected to the piston 26a. That is, the driving mechanism 26 is configured to operate in association with the supply and discharge of compressed air, and to drive the rod 27 in a direction to draw the rod 27 into the driving mechanism 26 or in a direction to push the rod 27 out of the driving mechanism 26. The driving mechanism 26 is installed inside the main body 11 while being fixed to the main body 11, and is installed, for example, fixed to the inside of the front wall 16.

Movement of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26 is performed by the drive mechanism 26 operating based on a control command from the control unit 15. More specifically, a solenoid valve (not shown) provided in a compressed air supply/exhaust system connecting a compressed air supply source (not shown) and the drive mechanism 26 operates based on a control command from the control unit 15, supplying/exhausting compressed air to/from a pair of pressure chambers in the drive mechanism 26 and operating the drive mechanism 26. As a result, the rod 27 is operated so as to move in a direction in which it is drawn into the drive mechanism 26 or in a direction in which it is pushed out from the drive mechanism 26.

In the present embodiment, the drive mechanism 26 is configured as a pneumatic cylinder mechanism, but this is not essential. The drive mechanism 26 may be configured as a hydraulic cylinder mechanism or an electromagnetic solenoid mechanism. The drive mechanism 26 may also be configured as a mechanism other than a cylinder mechanism. For example, the drive mechanism 26 may be configured as a mechanism including an electric motor and a rack and pinion, or a mechanism including an electric motor and a ball screw.

[rod]
The rod 27 is provided as a member extending linearly, has an axial direction, and is provided as a member extending in the axial direction with, for example, a circular cross section. The rod 27 is disposed inside the main body 11, and one end of the rod 27 is connected to a driving mechanism 26 fixed to the main body 11. The rod 27 is also disposed inside the front wall 16 inside the main body 11. The rod 27 is disposed so as to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided. That is, the rod 27 is disposed inside the front wall 16 with the axial direction of the rod 27 extending along the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided (the surface 16a of the front wall 16). In addition, the state in which the rod 27 extends along the surface (surface 16a) on which the opening 22 is provided in the main body 11 does not necessarily mean a state in which the rod 27 extends parallel to the surface (surface 16a) on which the opening 22 is provided, but also includes a state in which the rod 27 is slightly inclined with respect to the surface (surface 16a) on which the opening 22 is provided.

The rod 27 extends along the surface of the main body 11 where the opening 22 is provided, and is arranged to extend horizontally along the edge of the opening 22. The rod 27 of the sealing mechanism 14a arranged on the upper end side of the door 12 is arranged to extend horizontally along the edge of the upper end side of the opening 22, and the rod 27 of the sealing mechanism 14b arranged on the lower end side of the door 12 is arranged to extend horizontally along the edge of the lower end side of the opening 22.

The rod 27 is configured to move along the axial direction of the rod 27 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26. The rod 27 is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed by the door 12, by being operated by the drive mechanism 26 to move along the axial direction of the rod 27. The pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed by the door 12 is a direction perpendicular to the surface 16a of the front wall 16, and is a direction that presses the door 12 that blocks the opening 22 toward the main body 11 so as to be in close contact with the main body 11. The pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is indicated by the arrow X1 in Figures 6(A) and 6(B). The direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction, and is the movement direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 so as to be drawn into the drive mechanism 26 along its axial direction. The movement direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26, which is perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11, is indicated by the arrow X2 in Figures 6(A) and 6(B). As described above, the rod 27 is drawn into the drive mechanism 26 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26, and moves in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11. The rod 27 is also configured to move in a direction pushed out from the drive mechanism 26 by being operated in the opposite direction along the axial direction of the rod 27 from a state in which it is operated in a direction in which it is drawn into the drive mechanism 26.

[force component means]
The force dividing means 28 is provided as a mechanism for dividing an operating force for operating the rod 27 in the moving direction of the rod 27 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, and for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11. The contact mechanism 14 is provided with a plurality of force dividing means 28. That is, both the contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b are provided with a plurality of force dividing means 28. In the present embodiment, four force dividing means 28 are provided in each of the contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b.

Each of the multiple force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14 has a cam member 29, a cam follower 30, and an elastic body 31. The cam member 29 and the elastic body 31 are provided on the main body 11 side and attached to the rod 27. The cam follower 30 is provided on the door 12 side. The force dividing means 28 is configured such that when the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 moves with the door 12 closing the opening 22, the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 come into contact with each other, and the force dividing means 28 divides the force component from the operating force that operates the rod 27 in the moving direction from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30. The force dividing means 28 is configured to transmit the divided force from the operating force that operates the rod 27 from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30, thereby pressing the door 12 on which the cam follower 30 is provided against the main body 11 side to make it contact. The configuration of the cam member 29, elastic body 31, and cam follower 30 will be explained in more detail below.

A cam member 29 is provided for each of the multiple force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14, and in this embodiment, four cam members 29 are provided in the contact mechanism 14. All four cam members 29 in the contact mechanism 14 are attached to the rod 27 and are attached in a line along the axial direction of the rod 27. The cam members 29 attached to the rod 27 are provided as wedge-shaped members. The cam members 29 are provided with a tapered surface 38 that extends along a surface inclined with respect to the movement direction of the rod 27 by the operation of the drive mechanism 26 when the cam members 29 are attached to the rod 27. The tapered surface 38 is configured to extend along a surface that extends in the vertical direction and in a direction oblique to the axial direction of the rod 27.

The cam member 29 is attached to the rod 27 via the mounting member 32. More specifically, the cam member 29 is fixed to the mounting member 32, and the mounting member 32 to which the cam member 29 is fixed is attached to the rod 27, thereby attaching the cam member 29 to the rod 27. The mounting member 32 is configured to have a rod insertion portion 32a and a cam base portion 32b that are integrally provided. The rod insertion portion 32a is provided as a plate-shaped portion provided with an insertion hole through which the rod 27 passes in the axial direction, and is supported so as to be able to slide in the axial direction of the rod 27 and be displaceable relative to the rod 27. The rod 27 is provided with a cam position determination portion 33 that abuts against the rod insertion portion 32a that is able to slide and be displaceable relative to the rod 27. The cam position determining portion 33 is provided so as to restrict the displacement of the mounting member 32 to which the cam member 29 is fixed in one direction in the axial direction of the rod 27 by contacting the rod insertion portion 32a, thereby determining the position of the cam member 29 together with the mounting member 32. The cam position determining portion 33 is provided, for example, as a ring-shaped member that engages with the rod 27 and is fixed to the rod 27.

The cam base 32b is provided as a plate-like portion extending parallel to the axial direction of the rod 27, and the cam member 29 is fixed thereto. The cam base 32b is supported so as to be freely slidable relative to a rail 34 provided on the inside of the front wall 16 of the main body 11 when the mounting member 32 and the cam member 29 move with the movement of the rod 27. The rail 34 is fixed to the front wall 16 on the inside of the front wall 16 of the main body 11, and is installed so as to extend parallel to the axial direction of the rod 27 and the direction of movement of the rod 27. The rails 34 are installed in the main body 11 in the same number as the force component means 28, and each rail 34 is installed at a position corresponding to the mounting member 32 of each force component means 28. The mounting member 32 attached to the rod 27 is provided so as to be freely slidable relative to the rail 34, so that the rod 27 is also supported so as to be freely slidable relative to the rail 34.

A cam follower 30 is provided for each of the multiple force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14, and in this embodiment, four cam followers 30 are provided in the contact mechanism 14. All four cam followers 30 in the contact mechanism 14 are provided on the edge portion of the door 12, and are provided on the edge portion of the outer portion 12a of the door 12. The four cam followers 30 in the contact mechanism 14a are provided on the edge portion on the upper end side of the door 12, and are arranged in a row at approximately equal intervals along the edge portion on the upper end side of the door 12. The four cam followers 30 in the contact mechanism 14b are provided on the edge portion on the lower end side of the door 12, and are arranged in a row at approximately equal intervals along the edge portion on the lower end side of the door 12.

The cam follower 30 provided on the edge of the door 12 is provided as a low-height cylindrical roller-shaped member. More specifically, the cam follower 30 is attached to the edge of the door 12 in a state in which it can rotate freely around a central axis extending up and down, and is provided as a cylindrical member having a circular cross section perpendicular to the central axis and a height dimension smaller than the diameter dimension of the circular cross section. The cam follower 30 is configured to abut against the cam member 29 that moves together with the rod 27 when the drive mechanism 26 is operated to move the rod 27 in a direction to retract it into the drive mechanism 26 with the door 12 closing the opening 22. Furthermore, the cam follower 30 is configured to transmit a force divided from the operating force of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26 to the door 12 by abutting against the cam member 29.

Figure 7 (A) is a diagram showing the door 12 and the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 1 as viewed from above, and Figure 7 (B) is a diagram showing an enlarged portion of Figure 7 (A). Note that Figures 7 (A) and 7 (B) are diagrams corresponding to Figures 6 (A) and 6 (B), and show a state in which the rod 27 is operated to move in the retracting direction by the drive mechanism 26. As shown in Figures 7 (A) and 7 (B), when the rod 27 moves in the retracting direction into the drive mechanism 26 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, the cam follower 30 abuts against the cam member 29 that moves together with the rod 27. At this time, the tapered surface 38 of the cam member 29 abuts against the outer circumferential surface 39 of the cylindrical cam follower 30, so that the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30.

When the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 come into contact with each other, a part of the operating force of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26 is transmitted from the cam member 29, which moves together with the rod 27 operated and moved by the drive mechanism 26, to the cam follower 30. That is, when the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 come into contact with each other, the force in the direction from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30 is split from the operating force of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26 in the moving direction of the rod 27, which is the direction in which the rod 27 moves in the direction in which the rod 27 moves to be drawn into the drive mechanism 26, and transmitted to the cam follower 30. The split force from the operating force of the rod 27 is transmitted from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30, and is further transmitted from the cam follower 30 provided on the door 12 to the door 12. As a result, the door 12 is biased in a pressing direction (the direction indicated by the arrow X1 in Figures 7(A) and 7(B)) that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11, and the door 12 that blocks the opening 22 is pressed against the main body 11 so as to be in close contact with the main body 11. As described above, the cam follower 30 is configured to transmit the force divided from the operating force of the rod 27 to the door 12 by abutting against the cam member 29.

In addition, when the door 12 closes the opening 22, the cam follower 30 is arranged inside the front wall 16 of the main body 11 and is configured not to protrude from the front wall 16 to the outside. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the main body 11 is provided with a recess 37 at the edge of the opening 22 to receive the cam follower 30 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The recess 37 is provided as an area formed to be recessed toward the inside of the front wall 16 by partially cutting out the front wall 16 at the edge of the opening 22 in the front wall 16 of the main body 11. The recesses 37 are provided in the same number as the cam followers 30, and are provided at the edge of the opening 22 in the front wall 16 at a position corresponding to the cam follower 30 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The multiple recesses 37 corresponding to the multiple cam followers 30 of the contact mechanism 14a are provided in the upper edge portion of the opening 22 in the front wall 16, and are arranged side by side along the upper edge portion of the opening 22. The multiple recesses 37 corresponding to the multiple cam followers 30 of the contact mechanism 14b are provided in the lower edge portion of the opening 22 in the front wall 16, and are arranged side by side along the lower edge portion of the opening 22.

When the door 12 closes the opening 22, the outer peripheral edge of the outer portion 12a of the door 12 abuts against the outer edge 23a of the opening 22 to close the opening 22, and the cam follower 30 is received in the recess 37. When the door 12 closes the opening 22 and the rod 27 is not moving in the direction to be drawn into the drive mechanism 26, the cam member 29 is located inside the front wall 16 at a position not exposed from the recess 37, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The rod 27 is also arranged so as to extend inside the front wall 16 above the recess 37 at a position not exposed from the recess 37. Then, when the door 12 closes the opening 22 and the cam follower 30 is received in the recess 37, the rod 27 moves in the direction to be drawn into the drive mechanism 26, and the cam member 29 moves toward the cam follower 30 and abuts against the cam follower 30.

The elastic body 31 is provided for each of the multiple force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14, and in this embodiment, four elastic bodies are provided in the contact mechanism 14. All four elastic bodies 31 in the contact mechanism 14 are attached to the rod 27, and are arranged side by side along the axial direction on the outer periphery of the rod 27. The elastic body 31 attached to the rod 27 is provided as a member having elastic force, and in this embodiment, is provided as a metallic coil spring.

The elastic body 31 is attached to the rod 27 in a state where it is fitted onto the axis of the rod 27. That is, the elastic body 31 provided as a coil spring is attached to the rod 27 in a state where the rod 27 is inserted inside the coil spring and where the elastic deformation direction of the coil spring and the axial direction of the rod 27 extend in the same direction. Therefore, the elastic body 31 is disposed on the axis of the rod 27. The multiple elastic bodies 31 in the adhesion mechanism 14 are disposed side by side on the axis of the rod 27.

The elastic body 31 is attached to the rod 27 in a state where it is adjacent to and aligned with the rod insertion portion 32a of the mounting member 32 in the axial direction of the rod 27. The rod 27 is also provided with an elastic body position determining portion 35 that determines the position of the elastic body 31 in the axial direction of the rod 27 by abutting against the end of the elastic body 31 on the side opposite the rod insertion portion 32a side of the elastic body 31. The elastic body position determining portion 35 is provided, for example, as a ring-shaped member that engages with the rod 27 and is fixed to the rod 27.

The rod 27 is provided with spacers 36 between the multiple elastic bodies 31 aligned along the axial direction of the rod 27. The spacers 36 are attached to the rod 27 between the elastic bodies 31 adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the rod 27, and between the cam position determining portion 33 and the elastic body position determining portion 35. The spacers 36 are provided as cylindrical members through which the rod 27 is inserted, with one end abutting against the cam position determining portion 33 and the other end abutting against the elastic body position determining portion 35. This ensures that the distance between the cam position determining portion 33 fixed to the rod 27 and the elastic body position determining portion 35 is maintained at a constant distance.

The elastic body position determining portion 35, the elastic body 31, the rod insertion portion 32a of the mounting member 32, and the cam position determining portion 33 are arranged in this order along the axial direction of the rod 27. The elastic body 31 is attached to the rod 27 such that, with the position of one end of the elastic body 31 relative to the rod 27 determined by the elastic body position determining portion 35, the other end of the elastic body 31 abuts against the rod insertion portion 32a to bias the rod insertion portion 32a. When the rod 27 is not operated in the direction of being retracted by the drive mechanism 26, the rod insertion portion 32a biased by the elastic body 31 abuts against the cam position determining portion 33.

Since the elastic body 31 abuts against the elastic body position determining portion 35 and the rod insertion portion 32a, when the rod 27 moves with the rod insertion portion 32a abutting against the cam position determining portion 33, the elastic body 31 moves together with the rod 27, maintaining the same length without changing the amount of elastic deformation. However, as shown in Figures 7(A) and 7(B), when the rod 27 is operated in a retracting direction by the drive mechanism 26 and the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, the movement of the cam member 29 along the axial direction of the rod 27 is restricted.

When the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 come into contact with each other as the rod 27 moves and the movement of the cam member 29 is restricted, a force acts on the elastic body 31 from the rod insertion portion 32a of the mounting member 32 to which the cam member 29 is fixed, urging the elastic body 31 toward the elastic body position determination portion 35. Therefore, even if the rod 27 moves, the elastic body 31 elastically deforms in the compression direction, and the movement of the mounting member 32 and the cam member 29 along the axial direction of the rod 27 is absorbed. That is, the movement amount of the mounting member 32 and the cam member 29 along the axial direction of the rod 27 is suppressed compared to the movement amount of the rod 27. Note that when the cam member 29 comes into contact with the cam follower 30 and the movement amount of the cam member 29 and the mounting member 32 is suppressed relative to the movement amount of the rod 27, the rod insertion portion 32a of the mounting member 32 and the cam position determination portion 33 are separated in the axial direction of the rod 27.

As described above, when the rod 27 moves, the elastic body 31 is elastically deformed by the biasing force from the mounting member 32 to which the cam member 29, which is in contact with the cam follower 30, is fixed, thereby restricting the amount of movement of the cam member 29 relative to the amount of movement of the rod 27.

[Rod operation amount setting]
In the heat treatment device 1, the driving mechanism 26 is operated based on a control command from the control unit 15 to operate the rod 27, the rod 27 moves in a direction to be drawn into the driving mechanism 26, the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, and the door 12 is pressed so as to be in close contact with the main body 11. At this time, the operation amount of the rod 27 in the moving direction of the rod 27 (i.e., the stroke amount in the moving direction of the rod 27) is set to be a predetermined amount larger than the set distance between the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 in the moving direction of the rod 27 in the state before the door 12 closes the opening 22 and the rod 27 moves. As a result, the operation amount of the rod 27 in the moving direction is set so that the positioning of the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 can be accurately controlled even if there are dimensional errors of parts such as the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 and assembly errors when assembling these parts. The setting of the operation amount of the rod 27 when operating to move the rod 27 in a direction to be drawn into the driving mechanism 26 will be described in more detail below.

Figures 8(A), 8(B), and 8(C) are diagrams for explaining the setting of the operation amount Y of the rod 27 in the adhesion mechanism 14. Note that Figures 8(A) to (C) show a configuration in which the adhesion mechanism 14 has four cam members 29, namely cam member 29a, cam member 29b, cam member 29c, and cam member 29d, four cam followers 30, namely cam follower 30a, cam follower 30b, cam follower 30c, and cam follower 30d, and four elastic bodies 31, namely elastic body 31a, elastic body 31b, elastic body 31c, and elastic body 31d.

When setting the amount of operation Y of the rod 27, first, a set distance X is determined as a reference value for setting the amount of operation Y of the rod 27. Once the set distance X is determined as the reference value, a predetermined amount is then determined, which is the amount of movement to be added to the set distance X. Finally, the amount of operation Y of the rod 27 is determined as a value obtained by adding the predetermined amount to the set distance X.

Referring to FIG. 8(A), when setting the operation amount Y of the rod 27, first, a set distance X is determined as a reference value for setting the operation amount Y of the rod 27. The set distance X is a set distance between the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 in the movement direction of the rod 27 in a state before the door 12 closes the opening 22 and the rod 27 moves. The set distance X corresponds to the distance between the position of the part of the cam member 29 that abuts against the cam follower 30 and the position of the part of the cam follower 30 that abuts against the cam member 29, assuming that there are no dimensional errors and assembly errors of parts such as the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30. The set distance X corresponds to the amount of movement of the cam member 29 when operating to move the rod 27 in the direction of drawing it into the drive mechanism 26, assuming that there are no dimensional errors and assembly errors of parts such as the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30. The set distance X is determined through the following steps 1 to 5.

First, in step 1, the pressing force of the door 12 is set to determine how strongly the door 12 is pressed against the main body 11, based on the airtightness of the door 12 and the force capable of sealing the door 12 against the main body 11 against the internal pressure applied to the door 12 by the gas filled in the main body 11 with the door 12 closing the opening 22. Next, in step 2, the pressing force per one cam member 29 is set based on the pressing force of the door 12 set in step 1. Specifically, the pressing force of the door 12 set in step 1 is divided by the number of cam members 29 provided in the heat treatment device 1, and the quotient value is set as the pressing force per one cam member 29.

In step 3, the maximum allowable load of the cam follower 30 is set so that it has the force to withstand the pressing force per cam member 29 set in step 2, and the cam follower 30 is selected. In step 3, the cam follower 30 is selected, and the diameter dimension of the cam follower 30 is also determined.

In step 4, the inclination angle of the cam member 29, which is a wedge-shaped member, is set. That is, the inclination angle of the cam member 29, which is the angle at which the tapered surface 38 of the cam member 29 is inclined relative to the axial direction of the rod 27, is set. In order to reduce the thrust of the drive mechanism 26, the inclination angle of the cam member 29 needs to be set to a gentler angle. On the other hand, if the inclination angle is set to a gentler angle, the length of the cam member 29 will increase. Therefore, in order to suppress the increase in the length of the cam member 29, the inclination angle needs to be set to a steeper angle. Therefore, the inclination angle of the cam member 29 is set to an optimal inclination angle, taking into account the balance between reducing the thrust of the drive mechanism 26 and suppressing the increase in the length of the cam member 29.

In step 5, the start position of the cam member 29 is set, which is a position where the cam member 29 is separated from the cam follower 30 so that it does not contact the cam follower 30. The start position of the cam member 29 is the position of the cam member 29 before the rod 27 is operated and moved in the direction of being drawn into the drive mechanism 26, and is the position where the movement of the cam member 29 starts when the rod 27 is operated. In step 5, the end position of the cam member 29 is set, which is the position where the cam member 29 is moved until the cam member 29 contacts the cam follower 30 and the pressing of the door 12 is completed. The end position of the cam member 29 is the position where the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, the movement of the cam member 29 ends, and the force divided from the operating force of the rod 27 is transmitted to the cam follower 30. The end position of the cam member 29 is set based on the diameter dimension of the cam follower 30 determined in step 3 and the inclination angle of the cam member 29 set in step 4. Then, in step 5, the set distance X is determined based on the movement start position of the cam member 29 and the movement end position of the cam member 29. That is, the set distance X is determined as the stroke amount required to move the cam member 29 between the movement start position of the cam member 29 and the movement end position of the cam member 29.

After the set distance X is determined, a predetermined amount is determined, which is the amount of movement of the rod 27 that is added to the set distance X. The predetermined amount is determined as the sum of the compression amount of the elastic body 31 when the elastic body 31 is elastically deformed in the compression direction when the cam member 29 is pressed against the cam follower 30, and the maximum amount of variation due to the dimensional errors of parts such as the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 and the assembly error of the parts. This predetermined amount may be further multiplied by a safety factor (safety factor). The compression amount of the elastic body 31 is determined based on the pressing force per cam member 29 set in step 2 in the process of determining the set distance X and the elastic coefficient of the selected elastic body 31. The maximum amount of variation due to the dimensional errors of parts and the assembly error of parts is the maximum amount of variation in the actual dimensions of the distance corresponding to the set distance X when the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 are installed in the heat treatment device 1.

Here, the maximum value of the variation due to the dimensional error of the parts and the assembly error of the parts will be explained in more detail. As shown in FIG. 8(A), if there is no dimensional error or assembly error of the parts such as the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30, the abutment position distance, which is the distance between the position of the part of the cam member 29 that abuts against the cam follower 30 and the position of the part of the cam follower 30 that abuts against the cam member 29, is the set distance X. That is, the abutment position distance of the cam member 29a and the cam follower 30a, the abutment position distance of the cam member 29b and the cam follower 30b, the abutment position distance of the cam member 29c and the cam follower 30c, and the abutment position distance of the cam member 29d and the cam follower 30d are all the set distance X. However, when the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 are actually installed in the heat treatment device 1, the actual dimension of the abutment position distance, which is the distance corresponding to the set distance X, varies.

Figure 8 (B) shows the state in which the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 are actually installed in the heat treatment device 1. In the state shown in Figure 8 (B), the distance between the abutment positions of the cam member 29a and the cam follower 30a is Xa, the distance between the abutment positions of the cam member 29b and the cam follower 30b is Xb, the distance between the abutment positions of the cam member 29c and the cam follower 30c is Xc, and the distance between the abutment positions of the cam member 29d and the cam follower 30d is Xd. The amount of variation due to the dimensional error of the parts and the assembly error of the parts is the magnitude (absolute value) of the difference between the set distance X and the distance between the abutment positions of the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30. Therefore, the amount of variation due to part dimensional errors and part assembly errors is |X-Xa| for cam member 29a and cam follower 30a, |X-Xb| for cam member 29b and cam follower 30a, |X-Xc| for cam member 29c and cam follower 30c, and |X-Xd| for cam member 29d and cam follower 30d. The maximum amount of variation due to part dimensional errors and part assembly errors is the maximum value of |X-Xa|, |X-Xb|, |X-Xc|, and |X-Xd|.

When the compression amount of the elastic body 31 and the maximum amount of variation due to the dimensional error of the parts and the assembly error of the parts are determined, the sum of these is determined as a predetermined amount, which is the amount of movement of the rod 27 that is added to the set distance X. Once the predetermined amount is determined, the operation amount Y of the rod 27 is finally determined as the value obtained by adding the predetermined amount to the set distance X, and the operation amount Y of the rod 27 in the heat treatment device 1 is set.

Here, a case will be described in which the operation amount Y of the rod 27 is set, and the rod 27 is operated to move the set operation amount Y. Referring to FIG. 8(B), in the state before the door 12 closes the opening 22 and the rod 27 moves, the distances between the contact positions of the cam members 29a to 29d and the cam followers 30a to 30d are Xa to Xd, respectively. From the state shown in FIG. 8(B), the rod 27 is operated to move the operation amount Y. Then, referring to FIG. 8(C), the rod 27 moves the movement amount of the operation amount Y, and the cam position determination portion 33 fixed to the rod 27 also moves the movement amount of the operation amount Y toward the cam follower 30 side.

On the other hand, when the rod 27 moves the operation amount Y, each of the cam members 29a to 29d moves toward each of the cam followers 30a to 30d by the contact position distances Xa to Xd, and abuts against each of the cam followers 30a to 30d. Then, when each of the cam members 29a to 29d abuts against each of the cam followers 30a to 30d, the movement along the axial direction of the rod 27 stops. Even after the movement of each of the cam members 29a to 29d stops, the rod 27 continues to move until it has completed its movement through the operation amount Y. Therefore, the cam position determining portion 33 on the rod 27 side and the rod insertion portion 32a on the cam member 29 side, which were in contact before each of the cam members 29a to 29d abutted against each of the cam followers 30a to 30d, are separated along the axial direction of the rod 27. Then, each of the elastic bodies 31a to 31d elastically deforms in the compression direction and biases each of the cam members 29a to 29d via the mounting member 32. As a result, each of the cam members 29a to 29d presses each of the cam followers 30a to 30d, and each of the cam followers 30a to 30d presses the door 12 so as to make it adhere closely to the main body 11 side.

When the movement of the rod 27 through the operation amount Y is completed, the rod insertion portion 32a adjacent to the elastic body 31a and the cam position determination portion 33 are separated by a distance Da (Da = Y-Xa) that is the difference between the operation amount Y and the abutment position distance Xa, and the elastic body 31a is compressed by the distance Da from the state before the movement of the rod 27. Also, the rod insertion portion 32a adjacent to the elastic body 31b and the cam position determination portion 33 are separated by a distance Db (Db = Y-Xb) that is the difference between the operation amount Y and the abutment position distance Xb, and the elastic body 31b is compressed by the distance Db from the state before the movement of the rod 27. In addition, the rod insertion portion 32a adjacent to the elastic body 31c and the cam position determining portion 33 are spaced apart by a distance Dc (Dc = Y-Xc) that is the difference between the operation amount Y and the abutment position distance Xc, and the elastic body 31c is compressed by the distance Dc from the state before the rod 27 moved. In addition, the rod insertion portion 32a adjacent to the elastic body 31d and the cam position determining portion 33 are spaced apart by a distance Dd (Dd = Y-Xd) that is the difference between the operation amount Y and the abutment position distance Xd, and the elastic body 31d is compressed by the distance Dd from the state before the rod 27 moved.

[Setting the elastic force of the elastic body]
In the close contact mechanism 14, a plurality of force component means 28 are provided, and each of the plurality of force component means 28 is provided with an elastic body 31. In the close contact mechanism 14, the elastic force of the elastic body 31 arranged on the side farther from the hinge 23 side with respect to the door 12 in the state where the opening 22 is closed is set larger than that of the elastic body 31 arranged on the hinge 23 side with respect to the door 12 in the state where the opening 22 is closed. The elastic coefficient of the elastic body 31 is set larger, so that the elastic force of the elastic body 31 is set larger. The setting of the elastic force of the elastic body 31 will be described in more detail below.

Figures 9(A), 9(B), 9(C), 9(D), 9(E), and 9(F) are diagrams for explaining the setting of the elastic force of the elastic body 31 in the adhesion mechanism 14. Note that Figure 9(A) is a diagram showing the arrangement of the elastic bodies 31a to 31d in the adhesion mechanism 14. As shown in Figure 9(A), the elastic bodies 31a to 31d are all provided as coil springs, and hereinafter, the elastic bodies 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d are also referred to as spring a, spring b, spring c, and spring d, respectively. Figures 9(B) to (E) are diagrams showing examples of setting the elastic force of the springs a to d, and are diagrams showing the magnitude of the elastic force for each of the springs a to d. Springs a to d are arranged in the order of spring d, spring c, spring b, and spring a, starting from the hinge 23 side toward the end of door 12, which is the side opposite hinge 23 and farthest from hinge 23, with door 12 in the closed state of opening 22 as the reference point.

In the example of setting the elastic forces of springs a to d shown in Figure 9 (B), the elastic forces are set to increase in the order of spring d, spring c, spring b, and spring a, with spring d being set to have the smallest elastic force and spring a being set to have the largest elastic force. In this example, among the multiple springs a to d, the elastic force of spring a, which is located on the end side of the door 12 away from the hinge 23, is set to be larger than that of spring d, which is located on the hinge 23 side. Also, in this example, among the multiple springs a to d, the elastic force of spring a, which is located furthest from the hinge 23 side, is set to be the largest.

The elastic force setting example of springs a to d shown in FIG. 9(C) is an example of a setting applied to a configuration in which the locking means 13 is arranged on the upper and lower ends of the door 12, rather than on the end of the door 12 opposite the hinge 23, and the locking means 13 is arranged at a position corresponding to spring b. In this example, among the multiple springs a to d, the elastic force of spring a, which is arranged on the end side of the door 12 away from the hinge 23, is set to be larger than that of springs d, c, and b, which are arranged on the hinge 23 side. Also, in this example, among the multiple springs a to d, the elastic force of spring b, which is arranged at the position corresponding to the locking means 13, is set to be the smallest, and the elastic force of spring a, which is arranged on the side farthest from the hinge 23, is set to be the largest.

In the example of setting the elastic forces of springs a to d shown in Figure 9 (D), the elastic force of spring d is set to the smallest, and the elastic force of spring a is set to the largest. The elastic forces of springs c and b are set to the same magnitude, greater than the elastic force of spring d and less than the elastic force of spring a. In this example, among the multiple springs a to d, the elastic force of spring a, which is located on the end side of the door 12 away from the hinge 23, is set to be greater than that of spring d, which is located on the hinge 23 side. Also, in this example, among the multiple springs a to d, the elastic force of spring a, which is located furthest from the hinge 23 side, is set to be the largest.

The elastic force setting example of springs a-d shown in FIG. 9(E) is an example setting applied to a form in which the door 12 is formed so as to partially expand vertically at a position corresponding to spring b. FIG. 9(F) is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a form of door 12 formed so as to partially expand vertically at a position corresponding to spring b. In this example, among the multiple springs a-d, the elastic force of spring b, which is located on the end side of the door 12 away from the hinge 23, is set to be larger than that of spring c, which is located on the hinge 23 side. Also, in this example, among the multiple springs a-d, the elastic force of spring b, which is located at a position corresponding to the partially expanded part of the door 12, is set to be the largest.

The contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 1 is provided with four elastic bodies 31, but even if the number of elastic bodies 31 provided in the contact mechanism 14 is three, two, or five or more, the elastic force of the elastic bodies 31 can be set in the same way as when the number of elastic bodies 31 is four. In other words, even if the number of elastic bodies 31 is a number other than four, the elastic force of the elastic body 31 arranged on the side away from the hinge 23 side with the door 12 in the closed state can be set to be greater than that of the elastic body 31 arranged on the hinge 23 side with the door 12 in the closed state with the opening 22.

Figures 10(A), 10(B), and 10(C) are diagrams for explaining the setting of the elastic force of the elastic body 31 in the contact mechanism 14 according to the modified example in which three elastic bodies 31 are provided. Note that Figure 10(A) is a diagram showing the arrangement of the three elastic bodies 31a to 31c in the contact mechanism 14 according to the modified example. In the contact mechanism 14 according to the modified example shown in Figure 10(A), three component means 28 are provided, and each of the three component means 28 is provided with an elastic body 31. As shown in Figure 10(A), the elastic bodies 31a to 31c are all provided as coil springs, and hereinafter, the elastic body 31a, the elastic body 31b, and the elastic body 31c are also referred to as spring a, spring b, and spring c, respectively. Figures 10(B) and 10(C) are diagrams showing examples of setting the elastic force of the springs a to c, and are diagrams showing the magnitude of the elastic force for each of the springs a to c. Springs a to c are arranged in the order of spring c, spring b, and spring a, starting from the hinge 23 side toward the end of door 12, which is the side opposite hinge 23 and farthest from hinge 23, with door 12 in a state where opening 22 is closed as a reference.

In the example of setting the elastic forces of springs a to c shown in Figure 10 (B), the elastic forces are set to increase in the order of spring c, spring b, and spring a, with the elastic force of spring c set to the smallest and the elastic force of spring a set to the largest. In this example, among the multiple springs a to c, the elastic force of spring a, which is located on the end side of the door 12 away from the hinge 23, is set to be larger than that of spring c, which is located on the hinge 23 side. Also, in this example, among the multiple springs a to c, the elastic force of spring a, which is located on the side farthest from the hinge 23, is set to be the largest.

The elastic force setting example of springs a to c shown in FIG. 10(C) is an example of a setting applied to a configuration in which the locking means 13 is arranged on the upper and lower ends of the door 12, rather than on the end side of the door 12 opposite the hinge 23, and the locking means 13 is further arranged in a position corresponding to spring b. In this example, among the multiple springs a to c, the elastic force of spring a, which is arranged on the end side of the door 12 away from the hinge 23, is set to be larger than that of springs c and b, which are arranged on the hinge 23 side. Also, in this example, among the multiple springs a to c, the elastic force of spring b, which is arranged in a position corresponding to the locking means 13, is set to be the smallest, and the elastic force of spring a, which is arranged on the side farthest from the hinge 23, is set to be the largest.

11(A), 11(B), 11(C), and 11(D) are diagrams for explaining the setting of the elastic force of the elastic body 31 in the contact mechanism 14 according to the modified example in which two elastic bodies 31 are provided. Note that FIG. 11(A) and FIG. 11(B) are diagrams showing an example of the arrangement of the two elastic bodies 31a and 31b in the contact mechanism 14 according to the modified example. In the contact mechanism 14 according to the modified example shown in each of FIG. 11(A) and FIG. 11(B), two force component means 28 are provided, and each of the two force component means 28 is provided with an elastic body 31. Note that the distance between the elastic body 31a and the elastic body 31b is different between the contact mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 11(A) and the contact mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 11(B). More specifically, in the contact mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 11(B), the elastic body 31b is arranged closer to the elastic body 31a than in the contact mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 11(A).

As shown in Figures 11(A) and 11(B), the elastic body 31a and the elastic body 31b are both provided as coil springs, and hereinafter, the elastic body 31a and the elastic body 31b are also referred to as spring a and spring b, respectively. Figure 11(C) is a diagram showing an example of setting the elastic forces of the springs a and b in the contact mechanism 14 shown in Figure 11(A), and is a diagram showing the magnitude of the elastic forces of the springs a and b. Figure 11(D) is a diagram showing an example of setting the elastic forces of the springs a and b in the contact mechanism 14 shown in Figure 11(B), and is a diagram showing the magnitude of the elastic forces of the springs a and b. In both the contact mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 11(A) and the contact mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 11(B), the spring b is positioned on the hinge 23 side, and the spring a is positioned on the end side of the door 12 that is opposite the hinge 23 side and away from the hinge 23 side, based on the door 12 in a closed state of the opening 22.

In the example of setting the elastic force of spring a and spring b shown in Figure 11 (C), among multiple springs a to b, the elastic force of spring a arranged on the end side of the door 12, which is the side farther from the hinge 23, is set to be larger than that of spring b arranged on the hinge 23 side. Note that, as shown in Figure 11 (C), in the contact mechanism 14 shown in Figure 11 (A) where spring b is arranged farther away from the hinge 23 side than spring a arranged on the end side of the door 12, the elastic force of spring b is set considerably smaller than that of spring a, for example, set to less than half the size.

In the example of setting the elastic forces of spring a and spring b shown in Figure 11 (D), among the multiple springs a to b, the elastic force of spring a arranged on the end side of the door 12, which is the side farther from the hinge 23, is set to be larger than that of spring b arranged on the hinge 23 side. Note that, as shown in Figure 11 (C), in the contact mechanism 14 shown in Figure 11 (A) where spring b arranged on the hinge 23 side is positioned closer to the end side of the door 12 than spring a arranged on the end side of the door 12, the elastic force of spring b is set slightly smaller than that of spring a.

[Arrangement of force component means]
In the heat treatment device 1, the contact mechanism 14, that is, the contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b, are provided on the upper end side and the lower end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. The contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b each have four force dividing means 28 having a cam member 29 and a cam follower 30 that come into contact with each other. Furthermore, the four force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14a on the upper end side of the door 12 and the four force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14b on the lower end side of the door 12 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. As a result, the heat treatment device 1 is configured to press the door 12 against the main body 11 at four positions on the upper and lower sides of the door 12 by the force dividing means 28 arranged corresponding to the vertical direction.

As described above, in the heat treatment device 1, the door 12 is pressed toward the main body 11 at four positions above and below the door 12 by the force component means 28 arranged in a vertical direction. However, this is not limited to the example, and a form in which the door 12 is pressed toward the main body 11 by the force component means 28 arranged in positions different from the heat treatment device 1 above and below the door 12 may also be implemented.

Figures 12(A), 12(B), and 12(C) are diagrams for explaining the arrangement of the force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment devices 1a to 1c according to the modified examples. Note that FIG. 12(A) is a front view of the heat treatment device 1a according to the modified example, FIG. 12(B) is a front view of the heat treatment device 1b according to the modified example, and FIG. 12(C) is a front view of the heat treatment device 1c according to the modified examples. Note that in the explanation of the heat treatment devices 1a to 1c according to the modified examples, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings to omit redundant explanations for configurations similar to or corresponding to those of the heat treatment device 1, or by quoting the same reference numerals.

In the heat treatment device 1a according to the modified example shown in FIG. 12(A), the contact mechanism 14 is provided as a contact mechanism 14, that is, a contact mechanism 14a and a contact mechanism 14b, on the upper end side and the lower end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. Each of the contact mechanisms 14a and 14b has a force component means 28 having a cam member 29 and a cam follower 30 that abut against each other.

The force dividing means 28 of the contact mechanism 14a is disposed on the upper end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. The force dividing means 28 of the contact mechanism 14a is disposed on the end side of the door 12 that is opposite the hinge 23 side to the hinge 23 side, based on the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. The force dividing means 28 of the contact mechanism 14b is disposed on the lower end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. The force dividing means 28 of the contact mechanism 14b is disposed on the end side of the door 12 that is opposite the hinge 23 side to the hinge 23 side, based on the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. Furthermore, one force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14a on the upper end side of the door 12 and one force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14b on the lower end side of the door 12 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. As a result, the heat treatment device 1a is configured so that the door 12 is pressed against the main body 11 at one position on each of the top and bottom of the door 12 by the force component means 28 arranged in the vertical direction.

In the heat treatment device 1a, the force component means 28 of the contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b are arranged closer to the end of the door 12 than the hinge 23 side, based on the door 12 with the opening 22 closed, but this does not have to be the case. For example, the force component means 28 of the contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b may be arranged in the middle between the hinge 23 side and the end of the door 12.

In the heat treatment device 1b according to the modified example shown in FIG. 12(B), the contact mechanism 14 includes a contact mechanism 14a and a contact mechanism 14b, which are provided at the upper end side and the lower end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. The contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b each include two force component means 28 having a cam member 29 and a cam follower 30 that abut against each other.

The two force component means 28 of the adhesion mechanism 14a are disposed on the upper end side of the door 12 with the opening 22 closed. Then, based on the door 12 with the opening 22 closed, one of the two force component means 28 of the adhesion mechanism 14a is disposed in the middle between the hinge 23 side and the end side of the door 12, and the other of the two force component means 28 is disposed on the end side of the door 12. Also, the two force component means 28 of the adhesion mechanism 14b are disposed on the lower end side of the door 12 with the opening 22 closed. Then, based on the door 12 with the opening 22 closed, one of the two force component means 28 of the adhesion mechanism 14b is disposed in the middle between the hinge 23 side and the end side of the door 12, and the other of the two force component means 28 is disposed on the end side of the door 12. Furthermore, the two force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14a on the upper end side of the door 12 and the two force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14b on the lower end side of the door 12 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. As a result, the heat treatment device 1b is configured to press the door 12 against the main body 11 at two positions on the top and bottom of the door 12 by the force component means 28 arranged correspondingly in the vertical direction.

In the heat treatment device 1c according to the modified example shown in FIG. 12(C), the contact mechanism 14 includes contact mechanisms 14a and 14b, which are provided at the upper and lower ends of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. The contact mechanisms 14a and 14b each include three force component means 28 having cam members 29 and cam followers 30 that come into contact with each other.

The three force component means 28 of the adhesion mechanism 14a are disposed on the upper end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed, and are arranged in a row at approximately equal intervals along the edge portion of the upper end side of the door 12. Then, based on the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed, one of the three force component means 28 of the adhesion mechanism 14a is disposed on the hinge 23 side, another of the three force component means 28 is disposed in the middle between the hinge 23 side and the end side of the door 12, and the remaining one of the three force component means 28 is disposed on the end side of the door 12. The three force component means 28 of the adhesion mechanism 14b are disposed on the lower end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed, and are arranged in a row at approximately equal intervals along the edge portion of the lower end side of the door 12. Then, with respect to the door 12 in a state where the opening 22 is closed, one of the three force component means 28 of the contact mechanism 14b is disposed on the hinge 23 side, another of the three force component means 28 is disposed in the middle between the hinge 23 side and the end side of the door 12, and the remaining one of the three force component means 28 is disposed on the end side of the door 12. Furthermore, each of the three force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14a on the upper end side of the door 12 and each of the three force component means 28 in the contact mechanism 14b on the lower end side of the door 12 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. As a result, the heat treatment device 1c is configured to press the door 12 against the main body 11 at three positions on the upper and lower sides of the door 12 by the force component means 28 arranged corresponding to the vertical direction.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples of the heat treatment device 1 and the heat treatment devices 1a to 1c according to the modified examples thereof, and may be implemented in a form in which the door 12 is pressed toward the main body 11 by the force component means 28 arranged at different positions above and below the door 12. For example, the door 12 may be pressed toward the main body 11 at five or more positions above and below the door 12 by the force component means 28 arranged corresponding to the vertical direction.

[Operation of Heat Treatment Device]
Next, an example of the processing operation of the heat treatment device 1 will be described. When the processing operation of the heat treatment device 1 is started, first, the door 12 opens the opening 22, and the workpiece 10 stored in the case 10a is carried in through the opening 22 and placed inside the main body 11. When the workpiece 10 is completely carried into the main body 11, the door 12 is operated to close, and the opening 22 is blocked by the door 12. When the door 12 is closed, the cam followers 30 provided on the edge portions of the upper and lower ends of the door 12 are received in the recesses 37 provided on the edge portions of the opening 22 in the main body 11. When the door 12 is closed, the locking means 13 operates based on a control command from the control unit 15, and the door 12 is locked to the main body 11.

When the door 12 is closed and locked by the locking means 13, the drive mechanism 26 is actuated based on a control command from the control unit 15, the rod 27 is operated, and the rod 27 moves in a direction in which it is drawn into the drive mechanism 26. As the rod 27 moves, the multiple cam members 29 come into contact with the multiple cam followers 30, respectively, and the multiple cam followers 30 are pressed toward the main body 11, so that the door 12 is pressed toward the main body 11 in a state in which it is in close contact with the main body 11. With the door 12 in a state in which it is pressed against the main body 11, heat treatment is performed on the workpiece 10 placed in the main body 11.

When the heat treatment of the workpiece 10 is completed, the process of removing the workpiece 10 from the main body 11 begins. At this time, first, the drive mechanism 26 is operated based on a control command from the control unit 15, and the rod 27 is operated so as to move in a direction in which it is pushed out from the drive mechanism 26. As the rod 27 moves in a direction in which it is pushed out from the drive mechanism 26, the multiple cam members 29 that were respectively in contact with the multiple cam followers 30 on the door 12 side move away from the multiple cam followers 30 on the door 12 side. This releases the state in which the door 12 is in close contact with the main body 11 side.

When the door 12 is released from its sealed state against the main body 11, the locking means 13 operates based on a control command from the control unit 15, and the door 12 is unlocked from the main body 11. When the door 12 is unlocked from the main body 11, the door 12 is operated to open, and the opening 22 is released. Then, the workpiece 10 stored in the case 10a is transported through the opening 22 and taken out to the outside of the main body 11. This completes the processing operation of the heat treatment device 1.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the cam member 29 moving together with the rod 27 abuts against the cam follower 30 when the rod 27 is retracted by the drive mechanism 26, thereby transmitting a divided force from the operating force of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26 to the door 12. However, the drive mechanism 26 may also be configured to push out the rod 27, causing the cam member 29 moving together with the rod 27 to abut against the cam follower 30, thereby transmitting a divided force from the operating force of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26 to the door 12.
In other words, when the drive mechanism 26 is operated to move the rod 27 in a direction pushing it out from the drive mechanism 26 , the cam member 29 moving together with the rod 27 may be configured to abut against the cam follower 30 .

[Effects of this embodiment]
As described above, in the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, the means for tightly contacting the door 12 with the opening 22 of the main body 11 to the main body 11 side is composed of the rod 27 that moves in a perpendicular direction, which is a direction different from the pressing direction of the door 12, and the force dividing means 28 that divides the operating force in the moving direction of the rod 27. The rod 27 is arranged to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided, and the force dividing means 28 is arranged near the rod 27 when the door 12 is in a state where the opening 22 is closed, so as to operate with the movement of the rod 27. Therefore, the rod 27 and the force dividing means 28, which are the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side, can be prevented from protruding from the front faces of the main body 11 and the door 12. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a heat treatment device 1 in which the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side so as not to leak gas by tight contact, can be prevented from protruding from the front faces of the main body 11 and the door 12.

If there is a dimensional error in parts such as the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30, and if there is an assembly error when assembling parts such as the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30, the positional accuracy of the cam member 29 on the rod 27 side and the cam follower 30 on the door 12 side will not be constant and will vary. For this reason, it is necessary to adjust the positioning of the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 with high precision. However, according to the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, the cam member 29 on the rod 27 side, which abuts against the cam follower 30 on the door 12 side to divide the operating force of the rod 27, is restricted in its movement amount by the elastic body 31. Therefore, even if there is a dimensional error and an assembly error in the parts when the rod 27 moves and the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, the error is absorbed by the deformation of the elastic body 31. As a result, the positioning of the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 can be adjusted with high precision only by the operation amount in the moving direction of the rod 27.

For example, even in cases where an adjustment means is provided that adjusts the position of each cam member 29 arranged on the axis of the rod 27 using a screw portion provided on the rod 27 and a nut that screws onto the screw portion, if there are multiple cam members 29, it is difficult to accurately align the cam members 29 on the axis of the rod 27. However, according to the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, the elastic body 31 provided on each force component means 28 can individually absorb the individual errors present in each force component means 28. Therefore, the positioning of the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 can be accurately adjusted in each of the multiple force component means 28 that operate at the same timing as the rod 27 moves.

In addition, according to the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, the elastic force of the elastic body 31 arranged away from the hinge 23 side is set larger than that of the elastic body 31 arranged on the hinge 23 side among the multiple elastic bodies 31. Therefore, the force with which the cam member 29 urges the cam follower 30 can be increased in the force dividing means 28 arranged away from the hinge 23 side among the multiple force dividing means 28. Generally, when internal pressure is applied, the door 12 tries to open, and even if the sealing pressure of the seal 49 is secured on the hinge 23 side, the sealing pressure of the seal 49 decreases the further away from the hinge 23. Therefore, the elastic force of the elastic body 31 arranged away from the hinge 23 needs to be stronger. However, although it is desired to make the sealing pressure of the seal 49 uniform, there may be cases where the sealing pressure of the seal 49 is not uniform due to the shape of the door 12 or the positional relationship with the locking means 13 of the door 12. However, by configuring as in this embodiment, the sealing pressure of the seal 49 can be made uniform.

In addition, according to the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, when the door 12 is closed, the cam follower 30 on the door 12 side is received in the recess 37 on the edge portion of the opening 22 of the main body 11, so that the door 12 can be closed with the cam follower 30 disposed inside the main body 11 without interfering with the main body 11. Therefore, when the door 12 is closed, it is possible to prevent the cam follower 30 from being disposed on the front side of the main body 11. In addition, after the door 12 is closed, the rod 27 provided on the main body 11 side moves, and the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, so that the force divided from the operating force of the rod 27 is transmitted to the cam follower 30, and the door 12 can be tightly attached to the main body 11 side. Therefore, according to the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, a simple configuration in which the recess 37 is provided on the edge portion of the opening 22 makes it possible to easily construct a structure that can prevent the force dividing means 28 that brings the door 12 into close contact with the main body 11 from being disposed on the front side of the main body 11.

In addition, according to the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, the amount of operation of the rod 27 is set to a predetermined amount greater than the set distance between the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 in the state before the rod 27 moves after the door 12 is closed. Therefore, even if there are dimensional errors and assembly errors of the parts when the rod 27 moves and the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, the errors can be more reliably absorbed by the deformation of the elastic body 31.

In addition, according to the heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment, the elastic body 31 is arranged on the axis of the rod 27, and the elastic body 31 is simply attached to the outer periphery of the axis of the rod 27 by fitting it therearound. This makes it possible to shorten the combined structure of the rod 27 and the elastic body 31 in the rod axial direction without arranging the rod 27 and the elastic body 31 consecutively in the coaxial direction.

Second Embodiment
Next, a heat treatment device 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the heat treatment device 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The heat treatment device 2 according to the second embodiment is configured as a device for performing heat treatment on a workpiece 10, similar to the heat treatment device 1 according to the first embodiment. In the following description of the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the same reference numerals will be used in the drawings to omit redundant description of the same or corresponding configurations as those in the first embodiment, or by quoting the same reference numerals.

The heat treatment device 2 shown in FIG. 13 is configured to include a main body 11, a door 12 for opening and closing the main body 11, a locking means 13 for locking the main body 11 and the door 12, a sealing mechanism 14 for sealing the door 12 to the main body 11, a control unit 15, and the like, similar to the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the heat treatment device 2 differs from the heat treatment device 1 in the configuration regarding the arrangement of the locking means 13 and the sealing mechanism 14.

In the heat treatment device 2, the door 12 is provided as a door that opens and closes an opening 22 provided in the front wall 16 of the main body 11, similar to the door 12 of the heat treatment device 1, and is provided as a hinged door configured to open sideways relative to the main body 11 via multiple hinges 23. A plurality of locking means 13 are provided to lock the door 12 to the main body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22, and in the second embodiment, for example, two are provided.

In the second embodiment, the two locking means 13 are arranged at the upper end and lower end of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. That is, one of the two locking means 13 is arranged at the upper end of the door 12, and the other locking means 13 is arranged at the lower end of the door 12. Each locking means 13 is arranged in the middle between the hinge 23 side and the end side of the door 12 opposite the hinge 23 side, based on the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed. The two locking means 13 are arranged vertically along the front wall 16 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. Each locking means 13 may be arranged on the end side of the door 12 based on the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed.

Each locking means 13 of the heat treatment device 2 is configured to have a hook 13a provided on the door 12 and a hook holding portion 13b provided on the front wall 16 of the main body 11, similar to the locking means 13 of the heat treatment device 1. The hooks 13a formed in a claw shape protruding from the door 12 are provided on the upper and lower ends of the door 12, respectively, and are provided protruding from the outer part 12a of the door 12 toward the inside of the main body 11. The hook holding portion 13b that engages with the hook 13a and holds the hook 13a when the door 12 closes the opening 22 is provided on the edge portion of the opening 22 in the front wall 16 of the main body 11, and is provided on the outer edge portion 23a. The hook holding portion 13b is also provided on the upper and lower ends of the opening 22 on the outer edge portion 23a.

The heat treatment device 2 is provided with the locking means 13 as described above, so that when the door 12, which is provided as a side-opening hinged door, closes the opening 22, the door 12 is locked to the main body 11 by the locking means 13 arranged above and below the door 12.

In the heat treatment device 2, one adhesion mechanism 14 is provided to bring the door 12 into close contact with the body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The adhesion mechanism 14 is disposed on the end side of the door 12, which is opposite the hinge 23 side with respect to the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22.

The adhesion mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 2 is configured with a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force component means 28, similar to the adhesion mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 1.

The rod 27 of the adhesion mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 2 is disposed inside the main body 11, and one end of the rod 27 is connected to the drive mechanism 26 fixed to the main body 11. The rod 27 is disposed inside the front wall 16 inside the main body 11. The rod 27 is disposed so as to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided. That is, the rod 27 is disposed inside the front wall 16 with the axial direction of the rod 27 extending along the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided (surface 16a of the front wall 16). The rod 27 extends along the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided, and is disposed so as to extend vertically along the edge of the opening 22 at the end of the door 12, which is opposite the hinge 23 side with respect to the door 12 in a state in which the opening 22 is closed.

The rod 27 is configured to move vertically along the axial direction of the rod 27 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26. The rod 27 is configured to move vertically along the axial direction of the rod 27 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26, so that the rod 27 moves in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed by the door 12. The pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed by the door 12 is a direction perpendicular to the surface 16a of the front wall 16, and is a direction that presses the door 12 that blocks the opening 22 toward the main body 11 so as to make it adhere closely to the main body 11. The perpendicular direction to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction, and is the moving direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 so that it moves along its axial direction to be drawn into the drive mechanism 26.

The force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 2, like the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 1, is provided as a mechanism for dividing the operating force of the rod 27 in the moving direction of the rod 27 while the door 12 is in a state where the opening 22 is closed, to bring the door 12 into close contact with the main body 11. The force dividing means 28 is also provided in a plurality of ways in the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 2, and in the second embodiment, two force dividing means 28 are provided in the contact mechanism 14.

Each of the multiple force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 2 has a cam member 29, a cam follower 30, and an elastic body 31, similar to the force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 1. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the contact mechanism 14 has two cam members 29, two cam followers 30, and two elastic bodies 31.

The two cam members 29 in the sealing mechanism 14 are attached to the rod 27 and are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the rod 27 extending in the vertical direction. The two elastic bodies 31 in the sealing mechanism 14 are attached to the rod 27 and are configured to suppress the movement amount of the cam members 29 relative to the movement amount of the rod 27. The two elastic bodies 31 are arranged side by side on the axis of the rod 27 and are arranged coaxially with the rod 27. The two cam followers 30 in the sealing mechanism 14 are provided on the edge portion of the door 12 at the end side of the door 12 opposite the hinge 23 side of the door 12. The two cam followers 30 are also provided on the edge portion of the outer portion 12a of the door 12 and are arranged side by side along the vertical direction.

The force dividing means 28 of the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 2 operates in the same manner as the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 1. That is, when the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 moves with the door 12 closing the opening 22, the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 2 abuts the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30, and divides the force component from the operating force that operates the rod 27 in the moving direction from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30. Then, the force dividing means 28 transmits the divided force from the operating force that operates the rod 27 from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30, thereby pressing the door 12 on which the cam follower 30 is provided against the main body 11 side to make it contact tightly.

According to the heat treatment device 2 of the second embodiment described above, as with the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment, the means for tightly contacting the door 12 with the opening 22 of the main body 11 to the main body 11 side is composed of a rod 27 that moves in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the door 12, and a force dividing means 28 that divides the operating force in the moving direction of the rod 27. The rod 27 is arranged to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided, and the force dividing means 28 is arranged in the vicinity of the rod 27 when the door 12 is in a state where the opening 22 is closed, so as to operate with the movement of the rod 27. Therefore, the rod 27 and the force dividing means 28, which are the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side, can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to provide a heat treatment device 2 in which the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side so as not to leak gas by tight contact, can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12.

Third Embodiment
Next, a heat treatment apparatus 3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The heat treatment apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment is configured as an apparatus for performing heat treatment on a workpiece 10, similar to the heat treatment apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. In the following description of the third embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the same reference numerals will be used in the drawings to omit redundant description of the same or corresponding configurations as those in the first embodiment, or by quoting the same reference numerals.

The heat treatment device 3 shown in FIG. 14 is configured to include a main body 11, a door 12 for opening and closing the main body 11, a locking means 13 for locking the main body 11 and the door 12, a sealing mechanism 14 for sealing the door 12 to the main body 11, a control unit 15, and the like, similar to the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the heat treatment device 3 differs from the heat treatment device 1 in the configuration regarding the opening and closing direction of the door 12 and the arrangement of the locking means 13 and the sealing mechanism 14.

In the heat treatment device 3, the door 12 is provided as a door that opens and closes the opening 22 provided in the front wall 16 of the main body 11, and is provided as a door 12 having a rectangular outer shape that completely covers the opening 22. The door 12 is provided as a hinged door attached to the main body 11 via a plurality of hinges 23. In the third embodiment, the door 12 is configured to open in a vertical opening state via two hinges 23 relative to the front wall 16 of the main body 11. That is, the door 12 is attached to the front wall 16 via two hinges 23 arranged horizontally along the front wall 16 at the upper end side of the door 12 when the opening 22 is closed, so that it can rotate in the vertical direction around the hinges 23 relative to the main body 11.

In the heat treatment device 3, a plurality of locking means 13 for locking the door 12 to the main body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22 are provided, and in the third embodiment, for example, two are provided. In the third embodiment, the two locking means 13 are arranged on the side opposite the hinge 23 side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22, and are arranged on the lower end side of the door 12. The two locking means 13 are arranged side by side horizontally along the front wall 16 when the door 12 closes the opening 22.

Each locking means 13 of the heat treatment device 3 is configured to have a hook 13a provided on the door 12 and a hook holding portion 13b provided on the front wall 16 of the main body 11, similar to the locking means 13 of the heat treatment device 1. The hook 13a formed in a claw shape protruding from the door 12 is provided on the end side of the door 12 opposite the hinge 23 side of the door 12, and is provided on the lower end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. Furthermore, the hook 13a is provided protruding from the outer part 12a of the door 12 toward the inside of the main body 11. The hook holding portion 13b that engages with the hook 13a and holds the hook 13a when the door 12 closes the opening 22 is provided on the edge portion of the opening 22 in the front wall 16 of the main body 11, and is provided on the outer edge portion 23a. Moreover, the hook holding portion 13b is provided on the lower end side of the opening 22 at the outer edge portion 23a.

The heat treatment device 3 is provided with the locking means 13 as described above, so that when the door 12, which is provided as a vertically opening door, closes the opening 22, the door 12 is locked to the main body 11 by the locking means 13 arranged on the lower end side of the door 12, on the end side of the door 12 opposite the hinge 23 side of the door 12.

In the heat treatment device 3, a plurality of adhesion mechanisms 14 are provided for bringing the door 12 into close contact with the main body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22, and in the third embodiment, two are provided. In the third embodiment, two adhesion mechanisms 14, namely, adhesion mechanism 14a and adhesion mechanism 14b, are provided. When the door 12 closes the opening 22, the adhesion mechanism 14a is disposed at one end side in the horizontal direction relative to the door 12 and the opening 22, on the side wall 18 side of the main body 11. When the door 12 closes the opening 22, the adhesion mechanism 14b is disposed at the other end side in the horizontal direction relative to the door 12 and the opening 22, on the side wall 19 side of the main body 11.

Each of the two contact mechanisms 14 in the heat treatment device 3 is configured to include a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force dividing means 28, similar to the contact mechanism 14 in the heat treatment device 1. That is, the contact mechanism 14a is configured to include a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force dividing means 28, and the contact mechanism 14b is configured to include a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force dividing means 28. In addition, the contact mechanism 14a arranged on the side wall 18 side of the door 12 with the door 12 closing the opening 22 and the contact mechanism 14b arranged on the side wall 19 side of the door 12 are configured in the same manner, except that the horizontal positions of the rod 27 and the force dividing means 28 are reversed. In the contact mechanism 14a, the rod 27 is arranged on the side wall 18 side of the force dividing means 28, and in the contact mechanism 14b, the rod 27 is arranged on the side wall 19 side of the force dividing means 28.

The rod 27 of the adhesion mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 3 is disposed inside the main body 11, and one end of the rod 27 is connected to the drive mechanism 26 fixed to the main body 11. The rod 27 is disposed inside the front wall 16 inside the main body 11. The rod 27 is disposed so as to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 in the main body 11 is provided. That is, the rod 27 is disposed inside the front wall 16 with the axial direction of the rod 27 extending along the surface on which the opening 22 in the main body 11 is provided (surface 16a of the front wall 16). The rod 27 is disposed so as to extend along the surface on which the opening 22 in the main body 11 is provided and to extend in the vertical direction along the edge portion of the opening 22. The rod 27 of the adhesion mechanism 14a is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction along the edge portion on the side wall 18 side, which is the edge portion on one end side of the horizontal direction of the opening 22. The rod 27 of the sealing mechanism 14b is positioned so that it extends vertically along the edge of the other horizontal end of the opening 22, which is on the side wall 19 side.

The rod 27 is configured to move vertically along the axial direction of the rod 27 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26. The rod 27 is configured to move vertically along the axial direction of the rod 27 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26, so that the rod 27 moves in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed by the door 12. The pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed by the door 12 is a direction perpendicular to the surface 16a of the front wall 16, and is a direction that presses the door 12 that blocks the opening 22 toward the main body 11 so as to make it adhere closely to the main body 11. The perpendicular direction to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction, and is the moving direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 so that it moves along its axial direction to be drawn into the drive mechanism 26.

The force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 3, like the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 1, is provided as a mechanism for dividing the operating force of the rod 27 in the moving direction of the rod 27 while the door 12 is in a state where the opening 22 is closed, to bring the door 12 into close contact with the main body 11. The contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 3 also has a plurality of force dividing means 28. That is, both the contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b have a plurality of force dividing means 28. In the third embodiment, three force dividing means 28 are provided in each of the contact mechanism 14a and the contact mechanism 14b.

Each of the multiple force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 3 has a cam member 29, a cam follower 30, and an elastic body 31, similar to the force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 1. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the contact mechanism 14 has three cam members 29, three cam followers 30, and three elastic bodies 31.

The three cam members 29 in the contact mechanism 14 are attached to the rod 27 and are arranged in a line along the axial direction of the rod 27 extending in the vertical direction. The three elastic bodies 31 in the contact mechanism 14 are attached to the rod 27 and are configured to suppress the movement amount of the cam members 29 relative to the movement amount of the rod 27. The three elastic bodies 31 are arranged in a line along the axial line of the rod 27 and are arranged coaxially with the rod 27. The three cam followers 30 in the contact mechanism 14 are provided on the edge portion of the door 12 at each of one end side and the other end side of the door 12 in the horizontal direction. The three cam followers 30 are also provided on the edge portion of the outer portion 12a of the door 12 and are arranged in a line along the vertical direction when the door 12 closes the opening 22.

The force dividing means 28 of the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 3 operates in the same manner as the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 1. That is, when the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 moves with the door 12 closing the opening 22, the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 3 causes the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 to come into contact with each other, and divides the force component from the operating force that operates the rod 27 in the moving direction from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30. Then, the force dividing means 28 transmits the divided force from the operating force that operates the rod 27 from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30, thereby pressing the door 12 on which the cam follower 30 is provided against the main body 11 side to make it contact tightly.

According to the heat treatment device 3 of the third embodiment described above, as with the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment, the means for tightly contacting the door 12 with the opening 22 of the main body 11 to the main body 11 side is composed of a rod 27 that moves in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the door 12, and a force dividing means 28 that divides the operating force in the moving direction of the rod 27. The rod 27 is arranged to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided, and the force dividing means 28 is arranged in the vicinity of the rod 27 when the door 12 is in a state where the opening 22 is closed, so as to operate with the movement of the rod 27. Therefore, the rod 27 and the force dividing means 28, which are the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side, can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12. Therefore, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to provide a heat treatment device 3 in which the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side so as not to leak gas by tight contact can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12.

Fourth Embodiment
Next, a heat treatment apparatus 4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 15 shows a heat treatment apparatus 4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 15(A) is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus 4 and FIG. 15(B) is a plan view of the heat treatment apparatus 4. The heat treatment apparatus 4 of the fourth embodiment is configured as an apparatus for performing heat treatment on the workpiece 10, similar to the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. In the following description of the fourth embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the same or corresponding configurations as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings or by quoting the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

The heat treatment device 4 shown in FIG. 15 is configured to include a main body 11, a door 12 for opening and closing the main body 11, a locking means 13 for locking the main body 11 and the door 12, a sealing mechanism 14 for sealing the door 12 to the main body 11, a control unit 15, and the like, similar to the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the heat treatment device 4 differs from the heat treatment device 1 in the configuration of the main body 11 and the sealing mechanism 14.

In the heat treatment device 4, the main body 11 is formed in a box shape with a front wall 16, a rear wall 17, a side wall 18, a side wall 19, a ceiling wall 20, and a bottom wall 21, and defines a hollow area inside in which the workpiece 10 is placed. The main body 11 has an opening 22 in the front wall 16 that opens the hollow area inside the main body 11 to the outside. The opening 22 is shaped to correspond to the outer peripheral shape of the door 12 and opens so as to penetrate the front wall 16.

In the main body 11, the side walls 18 and 19 extending in the vertical direction are arranged to extend parallel to each other, and the ceiling wall 20 and bottom wall 21 extending in the horizontal direction are arranged to extend parallel to each other. In addition, in the main body 11, the rear wall 17 extending in the vertical direction is arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the side walls 18, 19, ceiling wall 20, and bottom wall 21. On the other hand, the front wall 16 extending in the vertical direction is arranged to extend in a direction oblique to the side walls 18, 19, and rear wall 17. Therefore, the main body 11 is formed to have a trapezoidal outer shape when viewed from above. In addition, in the main body 11, the length of the side wall 19 extending in the horizontal direction is longer than the length of the side wall 18 extending in the horizontal direction. In addition, in Figure 15 (A), an imaginary surface 17a extending parallel to the rear wall 17 from the end of the side wall 18 with a shorter horizontal length is shown by a two-dot chain line. The front wall 16 is provided so that the end side that connects to the side wall 19 in the horizontal direction protrudes further forward than the end side that connects to the side wall 18 in the horizontal direction. The front wall 16 is provided so that it protrudes obliquely toward the front side with respect to the imaginary surface 17a.

In the heat treatment device 4, a plurality of adhesion mechanisms 14 are provided to bring the door 12 into close contact with the main body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. In the fourth embodiment, two adhesion mechanisms 14 are provided. One of the two adhesion mechanisms 14 is disposed on the upper end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The other of the two adhesion mechanisms 14 is disposed on the lower end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22.

Each of the two adhesion mechanisms 14 in the heat treatment device 4 is configured with a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force component means 28, similar to the adhesion mechanism 14 in the heat treatment device 1.

The driving mechanism 26 of the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 4 is disposed inside the main body 11 and fixed to the side wall 19. The rod 27 of the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 4 is disposed inside the main body 11 and is connected at one end to the driving mechanism 26 fixed to the side wall 19 of the main body 11. The rod 27 is disposed inside the main body 11 so as to extend horizontally along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided. That is, the rod 27 is disposed inside the main body 11 with the axial direction of the rod 27 extending horizontally along the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided (surface 16a of the front wall 16). In the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 4, the rod 27 is disposed so as to extend along the surface on which the opening 22 is provided (surface 16a) in a state inclined with respect to the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided (surface 16a).

16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the adhesion mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 4 shown in FIG. 15, where FIG. 16(A) is a diagram showing the state before the adhesion mechanism 14 is operated, and FIG. 16(B) is a diagram showing the state after the adhesion mechanism 14 is operated. With reference to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the rod 27 is configured to move horizontally along the axial direction of the rod 27 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26. Furthermore, the rod 27 is configured to move in a direction inclined with respect to the perpendicular direction of the pressing direction, which is different from the pressing direction in which the door 12 is pressed toward the main body 11 when the opening 22 is closed by the door 12, by being operated to move horizontally along the axial direction of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26.

When the opening 22 is closed by the door 12, the pressing direction for pressing the door 12 toward the main body 11 is a direction perpendicular to the surface 16a of the front wall 16, and is a direction for pressing the door 12 closing the opening 22 toward the main body 11 so as to make it adhere closely to the main body 11. The pressing direction for pressing the door 12 toward the main body 11 is indicated by the arrow X1 in Figures 15(B), 16(A) and 16(B).

The direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction in the horizontal direction, and is the direction in which the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 moves along its axial direction toward the side where it is pulled into the drive mechanism 26 and toward the side wall 19. The direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is indicated by arrow X3 in Figures 15(B), 16(A) and 16(B).

The direction inclined relative to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction, which is different from the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11, is a direction that extends obliquely relative to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction, and is the movement direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26, which moves so that the rod 27 is drawn into the drive mechanism 26 along its axial direction. The movement direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26, which is inclined relative to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11, is indicated by the arrow X2 in Figures 15(B), 16(A) and 16(B).

As described above, the rod 27 is pulled into the drive mechanism 26 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26, and moves in a direction inclined relative to the direction of pressing the door 12 toward the main body 11, which is different from the pressing direction. The direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the door 12 toward the main body 11 (direction indicated by arrow X3) and the direction inclined relative to the perpendicular direction in which the rod 27 moves to be pulled into the drive mechanism 26 (direction indicated by arrow X2) are set so that the angle formed by these directions is not excessively large. Specifically, the angle formed by the perpendicular direction to the pressing direction of the door 12 and the direction inclined relative to the perpendicular direction in which the rod 27 moves to be pulled into the drive mechanism 26 is set to an angle of, for example, 15°. This angle setting is associated with a form in which the door 12 must be arranged diagonally relative to the main body for some reason in the overall configuration of the heat treatment device, and the angle setting may be performed according to the circumstances. This allows the rod 27 to be positioned inside the body 11 so as to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16.

The force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 4, like the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 1, is provided as a mechanism for dividing the operating force of the rod 27 in the moving direction of the rod 27 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, and for sealing the door 12 against the main body 11. The sealing mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 4 is provided with one force dividing means 28. The force dividing means 28 in the sealing mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 4 has a cam member 29 and a cam follower 30.

The cam member 29 of the force component means 28 is attached to the rod 27 at the end opposite the end of the rod 27 connected to the drive mechanism 26. The cam member 29 is fixed to the rod 27 at the end opposite the end of the rod 27 connected to the drive mechanism 26. The cam member 29 attached to the rod 27 is provided as a wedge-shaped member. The cam member 29 is provided with a tapered surface 38 that spreads along a surface inclined with respect to the movement direction of the rod 27 by the operation of the drive mechanism 26 when the cam member 29 is attached to the rod 27. The tapered surface 38 is configured to spread along a surface that spreads in the vertical direction and in a direction oblique to the axial direction of the rod 27.

The cam followers 30 of the force dividing means 28 are provided on the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the door 12. The cam followers 30 of the force dividing means 28 of one of the two contact mechanisms 14 are provided on the upper edge portion of the door 12, and the cam followers 30 of the force dividing means 28 of the other of the two contact mechanisms 14 are provided on the lower edge portion of the door 12. The cam followers 30 provided on the edge portion of the door 12 are provided as low-height cylindrical roller-shaped members, and are attached to the edge portion of the door 12 in a state in which they can rotate freely around a central axis extending vertically. The outer peripheral surface 39 of the cylindrical roller-shaped cam followers 30 is configured to abut against the cam member 29.

The force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 4 is operated by operating the rod 27 to move in the direction in which it is drawn into the drive mechanism 26 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, as shown in Figures 15 (B) and 16 (A). When the rod 27 is operated and moved by the drive mechanism 26 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, the cam member 29 that moves with the rod 27 abuts against the cam follower 30, as shown in Figure 16 (B). At this time, the tapered surface 38 of the cam member 29 abuts against the outer peripheral surface 39 of the cam follower 30, causing the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 to abut against each other. When the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, the force component moving from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30 is divided from the operating force that operates the rod 27 in the moving direction. Then, a force divided from the operating force for operating the rod 27 is transmitted from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30, so that the door 12 on which the cam follower 30 is provided is pressed toward the main body 11, and the door 12 is brought into close contact with the main body 11.

According to the heat treatment device 4 of the fourth embodiment described above, as with the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment, the means for tightly contacting the door 12 with the opening 22 of the main body 11 to the main body 11 side is composed of a rod 27 that moves in a direction inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the door 12, and a force dividing means 28 that divides the operating force in the moving direction of the rod 27. The rod 27 is arranged to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided, and the force dividing means 28 is arranged in the vicinity of the rod 27 when the door 12 is in a state where the opening 22 is closed, so as to operate with the movement of the rod 27. Therefore, the rod 27 and the force dividing means 28, which are the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side, can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12. Therefore, according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to provide a heat treatment device 4 in which the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side so as not to leak gas by tight contact does not protrude from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12.

Fifth Embodiment
Next, a heat treatment apparatus 5 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 17 shows a heat treatment apparatus 5 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 17(A) is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus 5 and FIG. 17(B) is a plan view of the heat treatment apparatus 5. The heat treatment apparatus 5 of the fifth embodiment is configured as an apparatus for performing heat treatment on a workpiece 10, similar to the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. In the following description of the fifth embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the same or corresponding configurations as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings or by quoting the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

The heat treatment device 5 shown in FIG. 17 is configured to include a main body 11, a door 12 for opening and closing the main body 11, a locking means 13 for locking the main body 11 and the door 12, a sealing mechanism 14 for sealing the door 12 to the main body 11, a control unit 15, and the like, similar to the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment. However, the heat treatment device 5 differs from the heat treatment device 1 in the configuration of the main body 11 and the sealing mechanism 14.

In the heat treatment device 5, the main body 11 is formed in a box shape with a front wall 16, a rear wall 17, a side wall 18, a side wall 19, a ceiling wall 20, and a bottom wall 21, and defines a hollow area inside in which the workpiece 10 is placed. The main body 11 has an opening 22 in the front wall 16 that opens the hollow area inside the main body 11 to the outside. The opening 22 is shaped to correspond to the outer peripheral shape of the door 12 and opens so as to penetrate the front wall 16.

In the main body 11, the side walls 18 and 19 extending in the vertical direction are arranged to extend parallel to each other, and the ceiling wall 20 and bottom wall 21 extending in the horizontal direction are arranged to extend parallel to each other. In addition, in the main body 11, the rear wall 17 extending in the vertical direction is arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the side walls 18, 19, ceiling wall 20, and bottom wall 21. On the other hand, the front wall 16 extending in the vertical direction is arranged to extend in a direction oblique to the side walls 18, 19, and rear wall 17. Therefore, the main body 11 is formed to have a trapezoidal outer shape when viewed from above. In addition, in the main body 11, the length of the side wall 18 extending in the horizontal direction is longer than the length of the side wall 19 extending in the horizontal direction. In addition, in Figure 17 (A), an imaginary surface 17a extending parallel to the rear wall 17 from the end of the side wall 19 that has a shorter horizontal length is shown by a two-dot chain line. The front wall 16 is provided so that the end side that connects to the side wall 18 in the horizontal direction protrudes further forward than the end side that connects to the side wall 19 in the horizontal direction. The front wall 16 is provided so that it protrudes obliquely toward the front side with respect to the imaginary surface 17a.

In the heat treatment device 4, a plurality of adhesion mechanisms 14 are provided for bringing the door 12 into close contact with the main body 11 when the door 12 closes the opening 22, and in the fifth embodiment, two adhesion mechanisms 14 are provided. One of the two adhesion mechanisms 14 is disposed on the upper end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22. The other of the two adhesion mechanisms 14 is disposed on the lower end side of the door 12 when the door 12 closes the opening 22.

Each of the two adhesion mechanisms 14 in the heat treatment device 5 is configured with a drive mechanism 26, a rod 27, and a force component means 28, similar to the adhesion mechanism 14 in the heat treatment device 1.

The driving mechanism 26 of the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 5 is disposed inside the main body 11 and fixed to the side wall 19. The rod 27 of the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 5 is disposed inside the main body 11 and is connected at one end to the driving mechanism 26 fixed to the side wall 19 of the main body 11. The rod 27 is disposed inside the main body 11 so as to extend horizontally along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided. That is, the rod 27 is disposed inside the main body 11 with the axial direction of the rod 27 extending horizontally along the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided (surface 16a of the front wall 16). In the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 4, the rod 27 is disposed so as to extend along the surface on which the opening 22 is provided (surface 16a) in a state inclined with respect to the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided (surface 16a).

18 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the adhesion mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 5 shown in FIG. 17, FIG. 18(A) is a diagram showing the state before the adhesion mechanism 14 is operated, and FIG. 18(B) is a diagram showing the state after the adhesion mechanism 14 is operated. With reference to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the rod 27 is configured to move horizontally along the axial direction of the rod 27 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26. Furthermore, the rod 27 is configured to move in a direction inclined with respect to the perpendicular direction of the pressing direction, which is different from the pressing direction in which the door 12 is pressed toward the main body 11 with the opening 22 closed by the door 12, by being operated to move horizontally along the axial direction of the rod 27 by the drive mechanism 26.

When the opening 22 is closed by the door 12, the pressing direction for pressing the door 12 toward the main body 11 is a direction perpendicular to the surface 16a of the front wall 16, and is a direction for pressing the door 12 closing the opening 22 toward the main body 11 so as to make it adhere closely to the main body 11. The pressing direction for pressing the door 12 toward the main body 11 is indicated by the arrow X1 in Figures 17(B), 18(A) and 18(B).

The direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction in the horizontal direction, and is the direction in which the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26 moves along its axial direction toward the side where it is pulled into the drive mechanism 26 and toward the side wall 19. The direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11 is indicated by arrow X3 in Figures 17(B), 18(A) and 18(B).

The direction inclined relative to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction, which is different from the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11, is a direction that extends obliquely relative to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction, and is the movement direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26, which moves so that the rod 27 is drawn into the drive mechanism 26 along its axial direction. The movement direction of the rod 27 operated by the drive mechanism 26, which is inclined relative to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction that presses the door 12 toward the main body 11, is indicated by arrow X2 in Figures 17(B), 18(A) and 18(B).

As described above, the rod 27 is pulled into the drive mechanism 26 by being operated by the drive mechanism 26, and moves in a direction inclined relative to the direction of pressing the door 12 toward the main body 11, which is different from the pressing direction. The direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the door 12 toward the main body 11 (direction indicated by arrow X3) and the direction inclined relative to the perpendicular direction in which the rod 27 moves to be pulled into the drive mechanism 26 (direction indicated by arrow X2) are set so that the angle formed by these directions is not excessively large. Specifically, the angle formed by the perpendicular direction to the pressing direction of the door 12 and the direction inclined relative to the perpendicular direction in which the rod 27 moves to be pulled into the drive mechanism 26 is set to an angle of, for example, 15°. This angle setting is associated with a form in which the door 12 must be arranged diagonally relative to the main body for some reason in the overall configuration of the heat treatment device, and the angle setting may be performed according to the circumstances. This allows the rod 27 to be positioned inside the body 11 so as to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16.

The force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 5, like the force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 1, is provided as a mechanism for dividing the operating force of the rod 27 in the moving direction of the rod 27 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, to bring the door 12 into close contact with the main body 11. The contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 5 is provided with one force dividing means 28. The force dividing means 28 in the contact mechanism 14 of the heat treatment device 5 has a cam member 29 and a cam follower 30.

The cam member 29 of the force component means 28 is attached to the rod 27, and is attached to the rod 27 at the end opposite to the end connected to the drive mechanism 26 via a connecting rod 27a that extends in a bent manner with respect to the axial direction of the rod 27. The cam member 29 is fixed to the rod 27, for example, via a connecting rod 27a provided at the end opposite to the end connected to the drive mechanism 26. The cam member 29 attached to the rod 27 is provided as a wedge-shaped member. The cam member 29 is provided with a tapered surface 38 that spreads along a surface inclined with respect to the movement direction of the rod 27 by the operation of the drive mechanism 26 when the cam member 29 is attached to the rod 27. The tapered surface 38 is configured to spread along a surface that spreads in the vertical direction and in a direction oblique to the axial direction of the rod 27.

The cam followers 30 of the force dividing means 28 are provided on the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the door 12. The cam followers 30 of the force dividing means 28 of one of the two contact mechanisms 14 are provided on the upper edge portion of the door 12, and the cam followers 30 of the force dividing means 28 of the other of the two contact mechanisms 14 are provided on the lower edge portion of the door 12. The cam followers 30 provided on the edge portion of the door 12 are provided as low-height cylindrical roller-shaped members, and are attached to the edge portion of the door 12 in a state in which they can rotate freely around a central axis extending vertically. The outer peripheral surface 39 of the cylindrical roller-shaped cam followers 30 is configured to abut against the cam member 29.

The force dividing means 28 of the heat treatment device 5 is operated by operating the rod 27 to move in the direction in which it is drawn into the drive mechanism 26 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, as shown in Figures 17 (B) and 18 (A). When the rod 27 is operated and moved by the drive mechanism 26 with the door 12 closing the opening 22, the cam member 29 that moves together with the rod 27 abuts against the cam follower 30, as shown in Figure 18 (B). At this time, the tapered surface 38 of the cam member 29 abuts against the outer peripheral surface 39 of the cam follower 30, causing the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 to abut against each other. When the cam member 29 abuts against the cam follower 30, the force component moving from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30 is divided from the operating force that operates the rod 27 in the moving direction. Then, a force divided from the operating force for operating the rod 27 is transmitted from the cam member 29 to the cam follower 30, so that the door 12 on which the cam follower 30 is provided is pressed toward the main body 11, and the door 12 is brought into close contact with the main body 11.

According to the heat treatment device 5 of the fifth embodiment described above, as in the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment, the means for tightly contacting the door 12 with the opening 22 of the main body 11 to the main body 11 side is composed of a rod 27 that moves in a direction inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the door 12, and a force dividing means 28 that divides the operating force in the moving direction of the rod 27. The rod 27 is arranged to extend along the surface 16a of the front wall 16, which is the surface on which the opening 22 of the main body 11 is provided, and the force dividing means 28 is arranged in the vicinity of the rod 27 when the door 12 is in a state where the opening 22 is closed, so as to operate with the movement of the rod 27. Therefore, the rod 27 and the force dividing means 28, which are the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side, can be prevented from protruding from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12. Therefore, according to the fifth embodiment, it is possible to provide a heat treatment device 5 in which the means for tightly contacting the door 12 to the main body 11 side so as not to leak gas by tight contact does not protrude from the front surface of the main body 11 and the door 12.

(Modification)
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. For example, the following modified examples may be implemented.

(1) In the above embodiment, the cam member of the force dividing means is provided as a wedge-shaped member, and the cam follower of the force dividing means is provided as a cylindrical roller-shaped member. However, this is not necessarily the case, and the cam member and cam follower may have other shapes. Figures 19(A), 19(B), 19(C), and 19(D) are diagrams showing examples of the shapes of the cam member and cam follower in the force dividing means of the contact mechanism of the heat treatment device.

19(A) shows an example of the shape of the cam member 29 and cam follower 30 of the embodiment described above, in which the tapered surface and the curved surface come into contact with each other. In this example, the cam member 29 on the main body 11 side is provided as a wedge-shaped member, and the cam follower 30 on the door 12 side is provided as a cylindrical roller-shaped member. The cam member 29 is provided with a tapered surface 38 that is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the rod 27, and the cam follower 30 is provided with a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 39. As the rod 27 moves, the cam member 29 moves in the direction shown by the arrow X2 in FIG. 19(A), and the tapered surface 38 of the cam member 29 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 39 of the cam follower 30. Then, when the cam member 29 and the cam follower 30 come into contact with each other, the force divided from the operating force of the rod 27 is transmitted from the cam follower 30 to the door 12 along the direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 19(A), and the door 12 is pressed against the main body 11.

19(B) shows an example of a shape of the cam member 40 and the cam follower 41 formed in the same shape, in which the curved surfaces abut against each other. In this example, the cam member 40 on the main body 11 side is provided as a member having a curved surface 40a that extends while changing the radius of curvature. The curved surface 40a is provided, for example, as a surface that extends to form a part of an elliptical arc. The cam follower 41 on the door 12 side is also provided as a member having a curved surface 41a that extends while changing the radius of curvature, like the cam member 40. The curved surface 41a is provided, for example, as a surface that extends to form a part of an elliptical arc. The cam member 40 and the cam follower 41 are arranged in such a state that the curved surface 40a of the cam member 40 and the curved surface 41a of the cam follower 41 face each other in the axial direction of the rod 27 at positions shifted in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rod 27. As the rod 27 moves, the cam member 40 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. 19(B), and the curved surface 40a of the cam member 40 comes into contact with the curved surface 41a of the cam follower 41. When the cam member 40 comes into contact with the cam follower 41, a force that is divided from the operating force of the rod 27 is transmitted from the cam follower 41 to the door 12 along the direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 19(B), and the door 12 is pressed against the main body 11.

19(C) shows an example of a shape of the cam member 42 and the cam follower 43 formed in the same shape, in which the tapered surfaces abut against each other. In this example, the cam member 42 on the main body 11 side is provided as a member having a tapered surface 42a inclined with respect to the moving direction of the rod 27. The cam follower 43 on the door 12 side is also provided as a member having a tapered surface 43a inclined with respect to the moving direction of the rod 27. The cam member 42 and the cam follower 43 are arranged such that the tapered surface 42a of the cam member 42 and the tapered surface 43a of the cam follower 43 face each other in the axial direction of the rod 27. Then, with the movement of the rod 27, the cam member 42 moves in the direction shown by the arrow X2 in FIG. 19(C), and the tapered surface 42a of the cam member 42 and the tapered surface 43a of the cam follower 43 abut against each other. Then, when the cam member 42 and the cam follower 43 come into contact with each other, the force divided from the operating force of the rod 27 is transmitted from the cam follower 43 to the door 12 along the direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 19(C), and the door 12 is pressed against the main body 11.

19(D) shows an example of a shape of the cam member 44 and the cam follower 45 formed in different shapes, in which the curved surfaces abut against each other. In this example, the cam member 44 on the main body 11 side is provided as a member having an arc surface 44a formed as a curved surface that extends in an arc-like shape and concave. The arc surface 44a is provided as a surface that extends to form a part of an arc of a circle with a constant radius of curvature. The cam follower 45 on the door 12 side is provided as a cylindrical roller-shaped member, and has an outer peripheral surface 45a that forms an arc of a circle with a constant radius of curvature. The radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface 45a of the cam follower 45 is set to be smaller than the radius of curvature of the arc surface 44a of the cam member 44. The cam member 44 and the cam follower 45 are arranged in a state in which the arc surface 44a of the cam member 44 and the outer peripheral surface 45a of the cam follower 45 face each other in the axial direction of the rod 27. As the rod 27 moves, the cam member 44 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. 19(D), and the arcuate surface 44a of the cam member 44 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 45a of the cam follower 45. When the cam member 44 comes into contact with the cam follower 45, a force that is divided from the operating force of the rod 27 is transmitted from the cam follower 45 to the door 12 along the direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 19(D), and the door 12 is pressed against the main body 11.

(2) In the above embodiment, the elastic body is provided as a coil spring, but this is not necessarily the case, and the elastic body may be configured as an elastic body other than a coil spring. Figures 20(A), 20(B), and 20(C) are diagrams showing examples of the shape of the elastic body in the force component means of the contact mechanism of the heat treatment device.

The example of the configuration shown in FIG. 20(A) is an example of the configuration of the elastic body 31 of the above-mentioned embodiment, and is an example of a configuration in which the elastic body 31 is provided as a metallic coil spring. The elastic body 31 provided as a coil spring is attached to the rod 27 in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 20(A), and is fitted onto the axis of the rod 27 and attached to the rod 27. Therefore, the elastic body 31 provided as a coil spring is attached to the rod 27 in a state in which it is disposed on the axis of the rod 27 around the outer periphery of the rod 27.

The example shown in FIG. 20(B) is an example of the form of an elastic body 47 provided as a metal leaf spring. The elastic body 47 is configured as a leaf spring in which inclined plate portions 47a formed so as to be alternately inclined and bent are integrally arranged in series. Each inclined plate portion 47a arranged in series is provided with a through hole 47b. The elastic body 47 provided as a leaf spring is attached to the rod 27 in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 20(B), and is fitted onto the axis of the rod 27 with the rod 27 inserted through the through hole 47b of each inclined plate portion 47a. Therefore, the elastic body 47 provided as a leaf spring is attached to the rod 27 in a state in which it is arranged on the axis of the rod 27 at the outer periphery of the rod 27.

The example shown in FIG. 20(C) is an example of the form of an elastic body 48 provided as a heat-resistant rubber member. The elastic body 48 is provided as a cylindrical heat-resistant rubber member, and is provided with a through hole 48a extending in the cylindrical axial direction. The elastic body 48 provided as a heat-resistant rubber member is attached to the rod 27 in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. 20(C), and is fitted onto the axis of the rod 27 with the rod 27 inserted through the through hole 48a and attached to the rod 27. Therefore, the elastic body 48 provided as a heat-resistant rubber member is attached to the rod 27 with the elastic body 48 disposed on the axis of the rod 27 around the outer periphery of the rod 27.

(3) In the above embodiment, the door that closes the opening of the main body has a rectangular outer shape, but this need not be the case, and the door shape is not limited to a rectangle and may have various shapes. For example, a circular opening may be provided in the main body, and the door may be formed into a circular outer shape so as to cover the circular opening of the main body. Furthermore, the door may have a shape that covers the entire opening provided in the main body, and the shape of the opening of the main body and the outer shape of the door may be different.

(4) In the above embodiment, the door that closes the opening of the main body is a door that opens and closes via a hinge. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the door may be a sliding door. For example, the door may be slid horizontally to close the opening of the main body, or the door may be slid vertically to close the opening of the main body.

(5) In the above embodiment, the cam member of the force dividing means is provided as a wedge-shaped member, and the cam follower of the force dividing means is provided as a cylindrical roller-shaped member. However, a configuration in which these are provided in the opposite relationship may be implemented. That is, a configuration in which the cam member of the force dividing means is provided as a cylindrical roller-shaped member, and the cam follower of the force dividing means is provided as a wedge-shaped member may be implemented. In this case, the cylindrical roller-shaped cam member is rotatably attached to the rod via an attachment member, and the wedge-shaped cam follower is fixed to the edge portion of the door. In this way, a configuration in which a cylindrical roller-shaped cam member is provided on the main body side, and a wedge-shaped cam follower is provided on the door side may be implemented.

The present invention can be widely applied to heat treatment devices for performing heat treatment on objects to be treated.

Reference Signs List 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Heat treatment apparatus 10 Workpiece 11 Body 12 Door 14, 14a, 14b Contact mechanism 22 Opening 27 Rod 28 Force component means 29 Cam member 30 Cam follower 31 Elastic body

Claims (6)

a main body forming a treatment chamber filled with a gas to heat-treat an object to be treated;
a door for opening and closing an opening provided in the main body;
A rod is disposed so as to extend along a surface of the main body where the opening is provided, and moves in a direction different from a pressing direction that presses the door toward the main body;
a force dividing means for dividing an operating force for operating the rod in a moving direction of the rod while the door is in a state where the door closes the opening, to generate a force for bringing the door into close contact with the main body;
Equipped with
the force dividing means having a cam member attached to the rod, an elastic body that suppresses the amount of movement of the cam member relative to the amount of movement of the rod, and a cam follower provided on the door and abutting against the cam member to transmit the force divided from the operating force to the door . The heat treatment device according to claim 1 ,
The force component means is provided in plurality,
Each of the plurality of force component means includes the cam member, the elastic body, and the cam follower. 3. The processing device according to claim 2 ,
The door is provided as a hinged door attached to the main body,
A heat treatment device, wherein, among the multiple elastic bodies possessed by the multiple force component means, the elastic force of the elastic body arranged away from the hinge side is set to be greater than that of the elastic body arranged on the hinge side. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The cam follower is provided on an edge portion of the door,
The body is provided with a recess at an edge portion of the opening to receive the cam follower when the door closes the opening,
the door closes the opening, and the cam follower is received in the recess, and the rod moves in the movement direction, causing the cam member to come into contact with the cam follower. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A heat treatment device, wherein an amount of operation of the rod in the movement direction is set to be greater than a predetermined amount than a set distance between the cam member and the cam follower in the movement direction in a state before the door closes the opening and the rod moves. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The elastic body is disposed on an outer periphery of the rod.