JP2011003352A - Sealing member - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealing member capable of restraining passage of gas and microwaves.SOLUTION: The sealing member 1 includes: a gas sealing portion 2 made of an elastic body, arranged at a gap C between a wall member 90 having an opening 901 and a lid member 91 blocking the opening 901, having an exposed face F exposed to the gap C for restraining passage of gas through the gap C by its own elastic deformation; and a microwave sealing portion 3, made of a conductor arranged at least at the exposed face F for restraining passage of microwaves through the gap C. By elastic resilience of the gas sealing portion 2, the sealing member 1 can restrain passage of gas. As the microwave sealing portion 3 is intercalated in the gap C, the sealing member 1 can restrain passage of microwaves.

Description

  The present invention relates to a seal member used in, for example, a microwave heating furnace or a microwave oven.

  For example, in a microwave oven, gas (for example, hot air) or microwaves may leak from the cooking chamber to the outside through an annular gap between the door and the opening of the microwave oven body. For this reason, it is necessary to seal the gap (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  Therefore, conventionally, by arranging a frame-like packing having elasticity in the gap between the door and the opening, gas leakage from the gap is suppressed. In addition, by disposing a frame-like finger member in the vicinity of the gap, leakage of microwaves from the gap has been suppressed. Thus, conventionally, the member that suppresses the leakage of gas and the member that suppresses the leakage of microwave have been arranged separately and independently.

JP 2005-90942 A JP 2002-93571 A

  However, if the member for suppressing gas leakage and the member for suppressing microwave leakage are separately mounted, the structure near the door of the microwave oven becomes complicated accordingly. Moreover, the manufacturing cost of a microwave oven becomes high.

  The seal member of the present invention has been completed in view of the above problems. An object of this invention is to provide the sealing member which can suppress passage of gas and a microwave.

  (1) In order to solve the above-described problem, the seal member of the present invention is disposed in a gap between a wall member having an opening and a lid member that closes the opening, and is made of an elastic body. A gas seal portion that has an exposed exposed surface and that elastically deforms itself to suppress the passage of gas in the gap, and is made of a conductor and is disposed on at least the exposed surface, and microwaves in the gap And a microwave seal portion for suppressing passage (corresponding to claim 1).

  The gas seal part is made of an elastic body. The gas seal portion is compressed by the wall member and the lid member as compared with the natural state. In the gap, the gas seal portion stores an elastic restoring force. With the elastic restoring force, the seal member is in elastic contact with at least one of the wall member and the lid member. For this reason, passage of gas can be controlled.

  The microwave seal portion is made of a conductor. The microwave seal portion is disposed at least on the exposed surface of the gas seal portion (the portion of the surface of the gas seal portion that is exposed to the gap when the gas seal portion is disposed alone in the gap). That is, the microwave seal part is exposed in the gap. For this reason, the microwave seal | sticker part can suppress passage of a microwave.

  (2) Preferably, in the configuration of (1), the microwave seal portion is a metal foil, and the gas seal portion is elastically deformed, whereby the metal foil is formed by the wall member and the lid member. It is better to have a configuration in which at least one of them is in elastic contact (corresponding to claim 2).

  According to this configuration, the microwave seal portion can be disposed on at least the exposed surface of the gas seal portion easily and inexpensively. Further, the metal foil is deformed in accordance with the elastic deformation of the gas seal portion, and the metal foil is elastically contacted with at least one of the wall member and the lid member, so that the passage of gas in the gap can be suppressed.

  Further, for example, when the microwave seal portion is formed of conductive fibers, unevenness that does not exist on the exposed surface of the gas seal portion appears on the surface of the microwave seal portion due to the intersection of the conductive fibers. For this reason, there exists a possibility that gas may pass through the said unevenness | corrugation.

  On the other hand, when the microwave seal portion is a metal foil, unevenness that does not exist on the exposed surface of the gas seal portion is less likely to appear on the surface of the microwave seal portion. That is, the surface shape of the exposed surface of the gas seal portion can be faithfully reproduced on the surface of the metal foil. For this reason, passage of gas can be controlled more certainly.

  The metal foil can reflect microwaves. For this reason, for example, compared with the case where the microwave is attenuated by resonance to suppress the passage of the microwave, or the case where the microwave is absorbed by water or the like and the passage of the microwave is suppressed, the loss of the microwave is reduced. . For this reason, the energy efficiency of the microwave is high.

  (2-1) Preferably, in the configuration of (2) above, the metal foil is preferably made of a non-magnetic material. For example, nonmagnetic materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, and copper are more likely to reflect microwaves than magnetic materials such as iron. For this reason, the passage of microwaves can be more reliably suppressed. In addition, nonmagnetic materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, and copper are less likely to generate heat due to microwaves than magnetic materials such as iron. For this reason, it can suppress that the gas seal part made from an elastic body is heated via metal foil. Moreover, the loss of microwaves is reduced.

  (3) Preferably, in the configuration of (1) or (2), the wall member and the lid member are each made of a conductor, and the microwave seal portion is electrically connected via the wall member. It is better to be grounded to the ground (corresponding to claim 3).

  According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the passage of microwaves in the wall member and the lid member as well as the gap. Moreover, according to this structure, a microwave can be guide | induced to the ground via a wall member. For this reason, it can suppress that a wall member, a cover member, and a sealing member become an antenna, and secondary radiation of a microwave is carried out.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sealing member which can suppress passage of gas and a microwave can be provided.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the vicinity of the cover member of the microwave heating furnace in which the seal member which is one embodiment of the present invention is arranged. It is an expanded sectional view of the double-ended arrow II section of FIG. It is the III-III direction sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in a frame IV of FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing of the sealing member of other embodiment (the 1). It is sectional drawing of the sealing member of other embodiment (the 2).

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the seal member of the present invention is used in a microwave heating furnace will be described.

  First, the configuration of the microwave heating furnace in which the seal member of this embodiment is arranged will be briefly described. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the vicinity of a lid member of a microwave heating furnace in which the seal member of the present embodiment is disposed. As shown in FIG. 1, the microwave heating furnace 9 includes a wall member 90 and a lid member 91.

  The wall member 90 is made of stainless steel (made of SUS) and has a rectangular tube shape extending in the left-right direction. A heating chamber 900 is defined inside the wall member 90 (the rear side of the wall member 90 in FIG. 1). In the heating chamber 900, the object to be heated is irradiated with microwaves in a predetermined gas (for example, inert gas) atmosphere. The wall member 90 has an opening 901 penetrating in the front-rear direction. The opening 901 has a rectangular shape. The opening 901 communicates the heating chamber 900 and the outside (the front side of the wall member 90 in FIG. 1). The wall member 90 is electrically grounded via a ground path (not shown).

  The lid member 91 is made of SUS and has a rectangular plate shape. The lid member 91 is attached to the wall member 90 by a total of eight bolts 910. The lid member 91 closes the opening 901 from the front side.

  Next, the arrangement and configuration of the seal member of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the seal member 1 of the present embodiment is fixed to the outer surface (the front surface in FIG. 1) of the wall member 90. The seal member 1 has a rectangular frame shape. The seal member 1 is disposed outside the opening 901.

  FIG. 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the double-ended arrow II section of FIG. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view in the III-III direction of FIG. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view in the frame IV of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the seal member 1 includes a gas seal portion 2 and a stainless foil 3. The stainless steel foil 3 is included in the metal foil of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the seal member 1 closes the gap C between the wall member 90 and the lid member 91.

  The gas seal portion 2 is made of silicone rubber, and includes a base portion 20 and ribs 21a to 21d. The base 20 has a rectangular frame shape. The base 20 has a rectangular cross section. The rear surface of the base 20 is fixed to the front surface of the wall member 90. Each of the ribs 21a to 21d has a rectangular frame shape. As shown by dotted lines in FIG. 4, each of the ribs 21 a to 21 d has a semicircular cross section in a natural state. The ribs 21 a to 21 d are formed on the front surface of the base 20. The ribs 21a to 21d surround the opening 901 in a quadruple manner. An exposed surface F that is exposed to the gap C when the stainless steel foil 3 is not provided is disposed in the gas seal portion 2.

  The stainless steel foil 3 is bonded to the entire surface of the gas seal portion 2. The stainless steel foil 3 covers the entire exposed surface F. As shown in FIG. 4, the stainless steel foil 3 is in contact with the wall member 90 and the lid member 91.

  Next, the movement of the seal member 1 of this embodiment when the lid member 91 is attached to the wall member 90 will be described. As shown by a dotted line in FIG. 4, the ribs 21 a to 21 d have a semicircular cross section before the lid member 91 is attached to the wall member 90. That is, the ribs 21a to 21d have a semicircular cross section in the natural state.

  When the lid member 91 is attached to the wall member 90 with the bolt 910 (see FIG. 1), the tops of the ribs 21 a to 21 d are pressed against the rear surface of the lid member 91 through the stainless steel foil 3. For this reason, the top part of rib 21a-21d is crushed elastically with the stainless steel foil 3 arrange | positioned at the said top part. That is, the stainless steel foil 3 arrange | positioned at the top part of rib 21a-21d elastically contacts the rear surface of the cover member 91 with the elastic restoring force of rib 21a-21d.

  Next, the effect of the sealing member 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated. As indicated by white arrows in FIG. 3, the gas and microwave in the heating chamber 900 tend to leak to the outside through the opening 901 → the gap C. However, the seal member 1 is disposed in the gap C. The stainless steel foil 3 is in elastic contact with the rear surface of the lid member 91 by the elastic restoring force of the ribs 21a to 21d. For this reason, leakage of gas can be suppressed. Further, the gap C is shielded by the stainless steel foil 3 over the entire length in the front-rear direction. For this reason, leakage of microwaves can be suppressed.

  The wall member 90, the lid member 91, and the seal member 1 are electrically connected. In addition, the wall member 90 is electrically grounded. For this reason, a microwave can be guide | induced to the ground. Further, the heating chamber 900 can be surrounded by a conductor by the wall member 90, the lid member 91, and the seal member 1. That is, a Faraday cage can be formed around the heating chamber 900.

  Further, the ribs 21a to 21d surround the opening 901 in a quadruple manner. The ribs 21 a to 21 d are in pressure contact with the lid member 91. For this reason, leakage of gas and microwave can be more reliably suppressed.

  Moreover, according to the sealing member 1 of this embodiment, the general purpose stainless steel foil 3 is used as a microwave sealing part. For this reason, a microwave seal part can be arrange | positioned in the whole surface of the gas seal part 2 easily and cheaply.

  Also, SUS tends to reflect microwaves. For this reason, leakage of microwaves can be more reliably suppressed. Moreover, SUS hardly generates heat due to the microwave. For this reason, it can suppress that the gas seal part 2 is heated via the stainless steel foil 3. FIG.

  Further, since the stainless steel foil 3 reflects the microwave satisfactorily, for example, when the microwave is attenuated by resonance and the leakage of the microwave is suppressed, or when the microwave is absorbed by water or the like and the leakage of the microwave is suppressed. Compared with, the loss of microwaves is reduced. For this reason, the energy efficiency of the microwave in the microwave heating furnace 9 becomes high.

  Further, for example, when the microwave seal portion is formed of conductive fibers, unevenness that does not exist on the exposed surface F of the gas seal portion 2 appears on the surface of the microwave seal portion due to the intersection of the conductive fibers. End up. For this reason, there exists a possibility that gas may pass through the said unevenness | corrugation.

  On the other hand, when the microwave seal portion is made of the stainless steel foil 3, unevenness that does not exist on the exposed surface of the gas seal portion 2 is unlikely to appear on the surface of the microwave seal portion. That is, the surface shape of the exposed surface F of the gas seal portion 2 can be faithfully reproduced on the surface of the stainless steel foil 3. For this reason, passage of gas can be controlled more certainly.

  The embodiment of the seal member of the present invention has been described above. However, the embodiment is not particularly limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications and improvements that can be made by those skilled in the art are also possible.

  In FIG. 5, sectional drawing of the sealing member of other embodiment (the 1) is shown. In FIG. 6, sectional drawing of the sealing member of other embodiment (the 2) is shown. 5 and 6 correspond to the inside of the frame IV in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the parts corresponding to those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a planar gas seal portion 2 having no ribs may be arranged. If it carries out like this, the contact area of the stainless steel foil 3 with respect to the cover member 91 will become large. That is, the seal area in the gap C is increased. Moreover, the electrical connection between the lid member 91 and the stainless steel foil 3 is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the two seal members 1 may be arranged in a double manner outside the opening. In this way, leakage of gas and microwave can be suppressed more reliably. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, one seal member 1 may be disposed on the wall member 90 and the other seal member 1 may be disposed on the lid member 91. Thus, when the lid member 91 is attached to the wall member 90, the lid member 91 can be positioned based on the positional relationship between the two seal members 1. Moreover, you may arrange | position the 3 or more sealing member 1 in multiple on the outer side of opening.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the stainless steel foil 3 was used as metal foil of this invention. However, an aluminum foil, a copper foil, or the like may be used as the metal foil. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the sealing member 1 was fixed to the wall member 90, you may fix to the cover member 91. FIG.

  Moreover, you may use a punching metal, a mesh metal, a foam metal etc. as a microwave seal | sticker part. Alternatively, the microwave seal portion may be formed by applying a paint containing conductive particles to at least the exposed surface F of the gas seal portions 2 and 4. Further, the microwave seal portion may be formed by spraying, vapor deposition, plating, or the like on a conductor on at least the exposed surface F of the gas seal portions 2 and 4.

  In the above embodiment, the gas seal portions 2 and 4 are made of silicone rubber, but nitrile rubber, fluorine rubber, urethane rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, hydrogenated nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, acrylic It may be made of rubber, butyl rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, or natural rubber.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the sealing member of this invention was used for the microwave heating furnace, you may use for a microwave oven. In this case, you may arrange | position the sealing member of this invention in the cyclic | annular clearance gap between a door and the opening of a microwave oven main body. In this way, leakage of gas (including hot air and steam) and microwaves from the cooking chamber to the outside can be suppressed. Moreover, since the sealing member of the present invention can suppress leakage of gas and microwave alone, the structure near the door of the microwave oven can be simplified. Therefore, the depth of the microwave oven itself can be reduced.

  The frequency of the microwave used in the heating chamber 900 may be 800 MHz to 30 GHz as well as 2.45 GHz. The atmospheric gas used in the heating chamber 900 may be nitrogen gas, argon gas, carbon monoxide gas, or the like.

  1: Seal member, 2: Gas seal part, 3: Stainless steel foil (metal foil), 9: Microwave heating furnace, 20: Base part, 21a-21d: Rib, 90: Wall member, 91: Lid member, 900: Heating Chamber, 901: opening, 910: bolt, C: gap, F: exposed surface.

Claims (3)

Arranged in a gap between a wall member having an opening and a lid member closing the opening;
A gas seal portion made of an elastic body, having an exposed surface exposed in the gap, and elastically deforming itself, thereby suppressing the passage of gas in the gap;
A microwave seal portion that is made of a conductor and is disposed on at least the exposed surface and suppresses the passage of microwaves in the gap;
A seal member comprising: The microwave seal portion is a metal foil,
The seal member according to claim 1, wherein the metal foil is elastically contacted with at least one of the wall member and the lid member by elastically deforming the gas seal portion. The wall member and the lid member are each made of a conductor,
The seal member according to claim 1, wherein the microwave seal portion is electrically grounded through the wall member.

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