JP2024013080A - Vacuum packaging equipment and control method for vacuum packaging equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vacuum packaging device that can detect boiling of liquid contained in a packaged item in a packaging bag with a simpler configuration, and a method for controlling the vacuum packaging device. [Solution] A vacuum packaging device 1 that vacuum packages a packaged item containing liquid, and includes an air pressure detection sensor 34 that detects the air pressure inside a chamber that contains the packaged item, and a control device 7 that, when the chamber is depressurized while the packaged item is contained therein, determines whether the liquid has boiled based on the air pressure detected by the air pressure detection sensor 34, and, when it is determined that the liquid has boiled, stops the depressurization of the chamber by the degassing device. [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

The embodiment of the present invention depressurizes the inside of the chamber to evacuate the inside of the packaging bag while the packaging bag containing the packaged item is housed, and seals the packaged item input port of the packaging bag. The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging device for vacuum packaging items, and a method of controlling the vacuum packaging device.

Vacuum packaging is conventionally known as one of the packaging methods for packaging objects such as foods. In vacuum packaging, a packaging bag containing an item to be packaged is stored in a chamber of a vacuum packaging device, the pressure inside the chamber is reduced to degas the inside of the packaging bag, and in this state, the item input port of the packaging bag is opened. This is done by sealing by heat sealing or the like (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP2007-276788A

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a technique that can appropriately determine the timing to stop reducing the pressure inside the chamber.

One aspect of the present invention is a vacuum packaging apparatus for vacuum packaging an object to be packaged containing a liquid, the apparatus comprising: an air pressure detection means for detecting the air pressure in a chamber that accommodates the object to be packaged; When the inside of the chamber is depressurized by a degassing device in the housed state, it is determined whether the liquid has boiled based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection means, and it is determined that the liquid has boiled. , and a control device for stopping pressure reduction in the chamber by the degassing device.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is a vacuum packaging apparatus for vacuum packaging an object to be packaged, which includes an air pressure detection means for detecting the air pressure in a chamber that accommodates the object to be packaged, and a state in which the object to be packaged is accommodated. When the pressure inside the chamber is reduced, the apparatus is characterized by comprising a control device that determines the timing to stop the pressure reduction in the chamber based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately determine the timing to stop reducing the pressure inside the chamber.

It is a schematic diagram of a vacuum packaging device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the vacuum packaging device. It is a schematic diagram of a vacuum packaging device explaining a pressure reduction process. It is a schematic diagram of a vacuum packaging apparatus explaining a depressurization stop process. It is a schematic diagram of a vacuum packaging device explaining a sealing process. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a vacuum packaging device illustrating an atmosphere opening process. It is a graph explaining the boiling detection method in a 1st embodiment. It is a graph explaining the boiling detection method in a 2nd embodiment.

<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vacuum packaging apparatus 1 includes a chamber 2 that accommodates a packaging bag B containing a liquid-containing object to be packaged, and a vacuum packaging device 1 that depressurizes the inside of the chamber 2 to remove the inside of the packaging bag B. A deaerating device 3 that performs air removal, an input port closing device 5 that is provided inside the chamber 2 and closes the packaged material input port Ba of the packaging bag B, and a seal that seals the packaged material input port Ba of the packaging bag B. and a control device 7 for controlling the deaerator 3, the inlet closing device 5, and the sealing heater 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the vacuum packaging apparatus 1 also includes a power switch 32, various operation switches such as a setting switch 33 for making various settings for vacuum packaging, and an atmospheric pressure for detecting the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2. It includes a detection sensor 34, a lid opening/closing detection sensor (upper chamber limit switch) 35, etc., which detects the open/closed state of the lid portion 2b.

The chamber 2 is a pressure-resistant container that includes a main body 2a on which a packaging bag B can be placed, and a lid 2b that closes the main body 2a from above. This chamber 2 can be opened and closed by rotating the lid part 2b in the vertical direction, and a sealing material (not shown) is provided at the contact part between the lid part 2b and the main body part 2a to ensure airtightness inside the chamber 2. It is structured so that it can be maintained. Further, a suction port 9 is provided in the main body portion 2a. This suction port 9 is connected to the deaerator 3, and when the deaerator 3 is driven, the air inside the chamber 2 is suctioned through the suction port 9, and the pressure inside the chamber 2 is reduced.

The input port closing device 5 includes a lower closing block 10 provided on the main body 2a side and an upper closing block 11 provided on the lower surface side of the lid 2b, which are opposed to each other. The lower closing block 10 in this embodiment is configured to be movable up and down by driving the closing cylinder 12. On the other hand, the upper closing block 11 is fixed to the lid part 2b. When the lower closing block 10 is raised by driving the closing cylinder 12, the packaging bag B can be sandwiched between it and the upper closing block 11, and the article input port Ba can be closed.

Further, the lower closing block 10 in this embodiment is configured to be driven by the control of the deaerator 3 and the solenoid valve 14 for closing the inlet. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the closing cylinder 12 is connected to the deaerator 3 via the input port closing drive flow path 13. More specifically, the closing cylinder 12 is connected to one end of the input port closing drive channel 13 . The other end of the input port closing driving flow path 13 is connected to one of the connection ports of the input port closing electromagnetic valve 14 configured as a three-way valve. Furthermore, one of the remaining connection ports of the inlet closing solenoid valve 14 is connected to a part of the deaerator 3 (a closing branch port 25 to be described later), and the other connection port is connected to the atmosphere. It is open inside. In such a configuration, by operating the input port closing solenoid valve 14, the input port closing drive flow path 13 is opened in a state where the input port closing drive flow path 13 and the deaerator 3 are communicated with each other. When air is sucked into the closing cylinder 12 by the deaerator 3 through the closing cylinder 12, the closing cylinder 12 raises the lower closing block 10 and brings it into pressure contact with the upper closing block 11. Further, when the input port closing solenoid valve 14 is operated to open the closing cylinder 12 to the atmosphere via the input port closing drive flow path 13, the closing cylinder 12 is opened to the lower closing block 10. is spaced downward from the upper closing block 11.

Further, sealing heaters 6 are provided on the upper closing block 11 side (upper part) of the lower closing block 10 and on the lower closing block 10 side (lower part) of the upper closing block 11, respectively. As a result, when the sealing heater 6 is energized with the packaging bag B sandwiched between the upper closing block 11 and the lower closing block 10, the packaged article input port Ba in the closed state is heated. It is crimped and sealed. Note that the sealing heater does not need to be provided at both the upper portion of the lower closing block and the lower portion of the upper closing block, and may be provided at least on one side.

In addition, bag sticking parts 15 are provided on the bag holding surface (upper surface) of the lower closing block 10 and on the bag holding surface (lower surface) of the upper closing block 11, respectively. This bag sticking part 15 is made of a heat-resistant and adhesive gel-like sheet (for example, a sheet made of silicone rubber), and the bag sticking part 15 is stuck to the surface of the packaging bag B. It is configured to prevent the inconvenience that the packaged article input opening Ba of the sandwiched packaging bag B is displaced, and furthermore, the inconvenience that the sandwiched packaging bag B comes out from between the upper closing block 11 and the lower closing block 10. ing. The bag sticking part 15 is located at a position offset from the sealing heater 6 (specifically, at a position offset from the sealing heater 6 toward the center of rotation of the lid part 2b (to the right in FIG. 1)). It is located.

Next, the deaerator 3 will be explained.
The deaerator 3 includes an oil rotary vacuum pump 16 and an intake passage 18 that connects the oil rotary vacuum pump 16 and the chamber 2 in a communicable state. A vacuum electromagnetic valve (vacuum valve) 19 is provided in the middle of the intake flow path 18 to allow or close communication between the oil rotary vacuum pump 16 and the chamber 2 . Further, a closed branch port 25 is provided in a portion of the intake flow path 18 located between the vacuum electromagnetic valve 19 and the oil rotary vacuum pump 16 . One of the connection ports of the input port closing solenoid valve 14 is connected to this closing branch port 25 . Furthermore, a vacuum release branch port 26 connected to a vacuum release valve (outside air introduction valve) 27 is provided in a portion of the intake flow path 18 located between the vacuum electromagnetic valve 19 and the chamber 2 . That is, by operating the vacuum release valve 27 and opening the vacuum release branch port 26 to the atmosphere, the inside of the chamber 2 can be returned from a reduced pressure state to atmospheric pressure.

Note that the oil rotary vacuum pump 16 includes a rotor rotatably in a cylindrical stator filled with oil, and the rotor has a plurality of vanes arranged radially so as to be slidable in the radial direction of the rotor. , which urges the tips of the vanes against the inner wall of the stator (neither are shown). Then, air from the intake flow path is introduced into the space surrounded by the inner wall of the stator, the outer circumferential surface of the rotor, and the adjacent vanes, making it airtight with oil, and the volume of this space is changed by the rotation of the rotor. It is configured to release the air in the space to the outside from the release port 16a (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 7 includes a one-chip microcomputer 30 that controls the vacuum packaging device 1, an interface circuit 31 that performs input/output processing of each signal, and the like. The one-chip microcomputer 30 not only controls each part of the vacuum packaging apparatus 1, but also monitors the fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2 detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34, and determines whether the packaged items are contained or not based on the fluctuations in atmospheric pressure. The device is configured to detect that a liquid (e.g., water) contained in the liquid (e.g., water) has boiled. The interface circuit 31 receives signals from various operation switches such as a power switch 32 and a setting switch 33 provided on the operation panel (not shown) of the vacuum packaging apparatus 1, an atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34, and a lid opening/closing detection sensor 35. is input. Further, from the interface circuit 31, an oil rotary vacuum pump 16, a vacuum solenoid valve 19, an inlet closing solenoid valve 14, a vacuum release valve 27, a sealing heater 6, a buzzer 36 that emits various notification sounds, and various statuses are provided. A control signal is output to a display 37 that displays .

Next, a procedure for vacuum packaging an object to be packaged in the vacuum packaging apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be explained using FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the vacuum packaging apparatus in the depressurization process. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the vacuum packaging apparatus in the depressurization stop process. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the vacuum packaging apparatus in the sealing process. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the vacuum packaging apparatus in the process of opening to the atmosphere. In addition, in the state (normal state) before the start of vacuum packaging, the oil rotary vacuum pump 16 is not driven, all the connection ports of the vacuum solenoid valve 19 and the solenoid valve 14 for closing the input port are closed, and the vacuum release valve 27 is closed. Open. Further, the pressure inside the input port closing drive channel 13 and the closing cylinder 12 is not reduced, and the lower closing block 10 is in a lowered state.

First, a setting step (or preparation step) is performed in which a packaging bag B containing a liquid-containing object to be packaged is set in the chamber 2. In the setting process, an operator places the packaging bag B on the main body part 2a and places the packaged article inlet Ba on the lower closing block 10 with the lid part 2b open. At this time, the packaged object input port Ba is open. After setting the packaging bag B, when the lid 2b is closed by hand, the lid open/close detection sensor 35 detects the closed state of the lid 2b and sends a signal to the control device 7.

When the control device 7 receives the detection signal indicating the closed state of the lid portion 2b, the process moves to the depressurization step. In the depressurization process, the control device 7 performs a depressurization operation in the chamber 2 while the packaging bag B containing the packaged object containing liquid and with the packaged object inlet Ba opened is accommodated in the chamber 2. control. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum solenoid valve 19 is opened and the vacuum release valve 27 is closed, and the connection port on the atmosphere open side of the inlet closing solenoid valve 14 and the inlet closing drive flow path are opened. While opening the connection port on the 13 side, the connection port on the closing branch port 25 side is kept closed, and the lower closing block 10 remains in the lowered state. When the operations of the electromagnetic valves 14, 19 and the vacuum release valve 27 are completed, the oil rotary vacuum pump 16 is driven to start reducing the pressure inside the chamber 2, and the inside of the packaging bag B is degassed. At this time, the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2 is detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34 and sent to the control device 7 as an electrical signal.

Then, the control device 7 (one-chip microcomputer 30) monitors the fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2 while reducing the pressure inside the chamber 2, and based on the fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure, the control device 7 (one-chip microcomputer 30) decompresses the inside of the chamber 2. Detects when liquid has boiled. Boiling of the liquid in this embodiment is detected based on the difference in atmospheric pressure within the chamber 2 detected at predetermined time intervals. Specifically, the description will be made based on a graph showing changes in atmospheric pressure illustrated in FIG. 7 . Note that the horizontal axis in FIG. 7 is time (s), and the vertical axis is pressure (kPa). In addition, the broken line indicates the change in atmospheric pressure when the pressure inside the chamber 2 is reduced when boiling of the liquid does not occur within the chamber 2, that is, when no packaged object containing liquid is stored in the chamber 2. represents. Furthermore, the solid line represents the change in atmospheric pressure when the pressure inside the chamber 2 is reduced when boiling of the liquid occurs in the chamber 2, that is, when a packaged object containing liquid is stored in the chamber 2. ing.

As shown in FIG. 7, when an object to be packaged containing liquid is stored in the chamber 2, if the atmospheric pressure is lowered, the liquid contained in the object to be packaged will boil at a certain atmospheric pressure. There will be less change. Specifically, the pressure difference ΔP1 between the pressure P1 at time t1 and the pressure P2 at time t2 after a predetermined time has elapsed from time t1 is the difference between time t1 and time t2 when boiling of the liquid does not occur in the chamber 2. It becomes smaller than the pressure difference ΔP2 between the two. Thereby, it is possible to detect that the liquid contained in the packaged object has boiled. That is, the control device 7 calculates the pressure difference from the pressure inside the chamber 2 measured by the pressure detection sensor 34 at predetermined time intervals, and calculates the pressure difference stored in advance when boiling does not occur, or the pressure difference when boiling does not occur. Whether or not the pressure difference is smaller than a predetermined value (less than a predetermined value) compared to the pressure difference in the case where boiling does not occur, which is predicted by calculation from the change in the pressure in the chamber 2 measured in the state before boiling. By determining whether or not the liquid has boiled, it is determined that the liquid contained in the packaged object has boiled when the calculated pressure difference is smaller than a predetermined value.

When it is detected that the liquid contained in the packaged object has boiled (determined that the liquid has boiled), the process moves to a decompression stop step in which the depressurization in the chamber 2 by the deaerator 3 is stopped based on the boiling detection. . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the vacuum solenoid valve 19 is closed, and the vacuum release valve 27 is kept closed. Therefore, the inside of the chamber 2 is maintained in a reduced pressure state. Further, the opening/closing state of the solenoid valve 14 for closing the input port is maintained, and the lower closing block 10 is maintained in the lowered state.

Once the vacuum solenoid valve 19 is closed, the process moves to a sealing process. In the sealing process, the control device 7 controls the closing operation of the packaged material input port Ba and the sealing operation of the packaged material input port Ba in the closed state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum release valve 27 is kept closed, the vacuum solenoid valve 19 is kept closed, and the inlet port is closed while maintaining the reduced pressure inside the chamber 2. Close the connection port on the atmosphere-opening side of the electromagnetic valve 14 and open the connection port on the inlet closing drive flow path 13 side and the connection port on the closing branch port 25 side, and close the connection port using the oil rotary vacuum pump 16. By sucking air into the cylinder 12, the lower closing block 10 is raised. As a result, the packaging bag B is held between the upper closing block 11 and the lower closing block 10, and the packaged article inlet Ba is closed. Once the packaged material inlet Ba is closed, the sealing heater 6 is energized in this state to heat the packaged material inlet Ba in the closed state for heat sealing (sealing).

Once the heat sealing of the packaged object input port Ba is completed, the process moves to the atmosphere opening step. In the atmosphere opening process, the inside of the chamber 2, which has been reduced in pressure, is opened to the atmosphere and controlled to return to atmospheric pressure. Specifically, first, the power supply to the sealing heater 6 is stopped, and the clamping state by the input port closing device 5 is maintained until the cooling time of the packaged object input port Ba has elapsed. After the cooling time has elapsed, as shown in FIG. By opening the inside of the cylinder 12 to the atmosphere, the lower closing block 10 is lowered and separated from the upper closing block 11, and the sealed packaging bag B is released from being held. Further, the vacuum release valve 27 is opened to release the inside of the chamber 2 to the atmosphere, and after the drive of the oil rotary vacuum pump 16 is stopped, a notification sound is generated from the buzzer 36 to notify the end of the vacuum packaging. Thereby, the item to be packaged can be vacuum packaged in the packaging bag B.

According to the present embodiment described above, it is possible to detect that the liquid has boiled based on fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2, so that the depressurization inside the chamber 2 by the deaerator 3 is stopped at an appropriate timing. can be done.

In general, the packaged items to be vacuum packed contain liquids that are hotter than room temperature, such as soups, curries, boiled dishes containing broth, foods marinated in heated oil, etc. If the food is warm and warm, the liquid contained in the packaged item will begin to boil as the pressure inside the chamber is reduced. If the liquid boils too much, the liquid will easily spill out of the packaging bag, potentially staining the packaging bag. In addition, gases generated by vaporization (e.g., water vapor generated by boiling water) may be sucked into a deaerator such as a vacuum pump, and the deaerator may be affected by the gas (e.g., corrosion inside the pump or deaerator performance). There is a risk that the product may be subject to In order to suppress such problems, it has been proposed to accurately detect the boiling of the liquid contained in the packaged object and stop the vacuum in the chamber before the liquid boils too much. As a method of detecting this boiling, for example, a method of detecting the expansion of the packaging bag and a method of detecting the temperature of the packaged object in the packaging bag are considered. However, when detecting the boiling of the liquid contained in the packaged object using the general method described above, a separate mechanism is required to detect the expansion of the packaging bag or the temperature of the packaged item inside the packaging bag. Therefore, the configuration of the vacuum packaging device becomes complicated.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to separately provide a mechanism for detecting the expansion of the packaging bag B or a mechanism for detecting the temperature of the packaged object in the packaging bag B, and boiling of the liquid can be detected with a simple configuration. be able to. Furthermore, since the timing of actual boiling can be detected, boiling can be detected accurately even if the pressure at which boiling occurs changes depending on the type of liquid or temperature. Furthermore, there is no detection error caused by different sizes of packaging bags B, unlike when detecting expansion of packaging bag B, so boiling can be detected more accurately. In addition, unlike when detecting the expansion of packaging bag B, when setting packaging bag B in chamber 2, there is no need to manually push out the air inside packaging bag B. It can be easily set inside. Since the depressurization in the chamber 2 by the deaerator 3 is stopped based on the detection of boiling, there are problems such as the liquid boiling too much and spilling out of the packaging bag B, or the gas generated by vaporization. Malfunctions that adversely affect the deaerator 3 can be suppressed.

<Second embodiment>
Incidentally, in the first embodiment described above, the boiling of the liquid is detected based on the difference in atmospheric pressure within the chamber 2 detected at predetermined time intervals, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the predicted atmospheric pressure after a predetermined time calculated based on the difference in the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2 detected at predetermined time intervals, and the actual atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34 after the predetermined time. Boiling of the liquid may be detected (determined) based on the difference. Specifically, the description will be made based on a graph showing changes in atmospheric pressure illustrated in FIG. 8 . Note that the horizontal axis in FIG. 8 is time (s), and the vertical axis is pressure (kPa). In addition, the broken line indicates the change in atmospheric pressure when the pressure inside the chamber 2 is reduced when boiling of the liquid does not occur within the chamber 2, that is, when no packaged object containing liquid is stored in the chamber 2. represents. Furthermore, the solid line represents the change in atmospheric pressure when the pressure inside the chamber 2 is reduced when boiling of the liquid occurs in the chamber 2, that is, when a packaged object containing liquid is stored in the chamber 2. ing.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control device 7 adjusts the atmospheric pressure P1 detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34 at time t1 in a state before the liquid contained in the packaged object in the chamber 2 boils, and a predetermined value from time t1. From the atmospheric pressure P2 detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34 at time t2, when time has elapsed, a predicted atmospheric pressure P3' at time t3, at which a predetermined time has elapsed from time t2, is calculated by linear approximation. Then, a difference ΔP' between the actual atmospheric pressure P3 detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34 at time t3, when a predetermined time has actually passed from time t2, and the predicted atmospheric pressure P3' is calculated. If this difference ΔP' is smaller than a predetermined value (tolerable range (for example, a value larger than the difference between the predicted atmospheric pressure P3' and the atmospheric pressure when boiling does not occur at time t3)), the liquid is not boiling, or It is determined that the liquid has not boiled sufficiently, and if the difference ΔP' is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (tolerable range), it is determined that the liquid has boiled. That is, boiling of the liquid is detected.

Furthermore, the method of detecting boiling of the liquid based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34 is not limited to the methods exemplified in each of the embodiments described above, and various methods can be employed. For example, the control device 7 stores in advance the value of the atmospheric pressure for the time when the liquid does not boil in the chamber 2 (the elapsed time from the start of depressurization), and the value of the atmospheric pressure corresponding to the time when boiling of the liquid does not occur in the chamber 2 is stored in advance in the control device 7, and the value of the atmospheric pressure corresponding to the time when boiling of the liquid does not occur in the chamber 2 is stored in advance in the control device 7. It is also possible to calculate the difference, and if this difference exceeds a predetermined value, it can be determined that the liquid has boiled. That is, for example, it is also possible to sequentially calculate the difference between the value of the broken line and the value of the solid line in FIG. 7, and determine that the liquid has boiled based on this difference.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the vertical movement of the lower closing block 10 is controlled by driving the oil rotary vacuum pump 16, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the lower closing block may be configured to include a pulse motor or the like, and to move the lower closing block up and down by driving the pulse motor using a control device. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the decompression stop step is immediately started after detecting that the liquid has boiled, but the present invention is not limited to this. After detecting that the liquid has boiled, instead of stopping the pressure reduction immediately, for example, a timer may be activated for a predetermined time, and the process may proceed to a step of stopping the pressure reduction after this timer has elapsed. Alternatively, after detecting that the liquid has boiled, a predetermined operation may be performed, and then the process may proceed to the step of stopping the pressure reduction. Even if the process of stopping the depressurization does not occur immediately after the detection of boiling of the liquid, as in these cases, the process of stopping the depressurization in the chamber is included in the series of operations triggered by the detection of the boiling of the liquid. If included, it is included in the depressurization stop step of the present invention, which stops the depressurization in the chamber by the deaerator based on the detection of boiling.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the target of vacuum packaging is described as a packaged object containing liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, articles that do not contain liquid, such as clothes, may be used as the packaged articles. In this case, the change in atmospheric pressure during depressurization is approximately the same as the graph shown by the broken line in FIG. 7, although it slightly depends on the volume of the packaged object. Therefore, when an article containing no liquid is to be packaged, it is possible to predict in advance the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2 when the inside of the packaging bag B is reliably evacuated and can be sealed. From this, the control device 7 determines the timing to stop the depressurization in the chamber 2 based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34, and thereby stops the depressurization in the chamber 2 by the deaerator 3 at an appropriate timing. can be done. For example, when the liquid does not boil in the chamber 2, the inside of the packaging bag B can be reliably evacuated and sealed based on the change in atmospheric pressure when the inside of the chamber 2 is depressurized (see the broken line in Figure 7). The atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 2 in this state is set in advance, and when the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection sensor 34 falls below the set value, the control device 7 causes the deaeration device 3 to reduce the pressure inside the chamber 2. Just stop it. Note that "changes in atmospheric pressure when the liquid does not boil in the chamber 2" here include, for example, changes in the atmospheric pressure when the pressure is reduced when no packaged item is set in the chamber 2, An example of this is a change in air pressure when an article that does not contain liquid is placed in the chamber 2 and the pressure is reduced.

The embodiments of the invention are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

1 Vacuum packaging device 2 Chamber 2a Main body 2b Lid 3 Deaerator 5 Inlet closing device 6 Sealing heater 7 Control device 9 Suction port 10 Lower closing block 11 Upper closing block 12 Closing cylinder 13 Insertion Mouth closing drive channel 14 Inlet closing solenoid valve 15 Bag sticking section 16 Oil rotary vacuum pump 16a Discharge port 18 Intake channel 19 Vacuum solenoid valve 25 Closing branch port 26 Vacuum opening branch port 27 Vacuum release valve 30 One-chip microcomputer 31 Interface circuit 32 Power switch 33 Setting switch 34 Barometric pressure detection sensor (barometric pressure detection means)
35 Lid opening/closing detection sensor 36 Buzzer 37 Display B Packaging bag Ba Packaged object input port

Claims (7)

A vacuum packaging device for vacuum packaging a packaged item containing liquid,
atmospheric pressure detection means for detecting the atmospheric pressure in the chamber housing the object to be packaged;
When the inside of the chamber is depressurized by the deaerator while the object to be packaged is accommodated, it is determined whether or not the liquid has boiled based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection means. and a control device that stops the pressure reduction in the chamber by the degassing device when it is determined that the degassing device has done so. The vacuum packaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device determines that the liquid has boiled when a difference in atmospheric pressure detected at predetermined time intervals is less than or equal to a predetermined value. The control device calculates the predicted atmospheric pressure after a predetermined time based on the difference in the atmospheric pressure detected at predetermined time intervals, and calculates the predicted atmospheric pressure after the predetermined time by calculating the difference between the actual atmospheric pressure detected after the predetermined time and the predicted atmospheric pressure by a predetermined value. 2. The vacuum packaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is determined to have boiled if the above is the case. The control device stores in advance a change in the atmospheric pressure in the chamber with respect to an elapsed time from the start of depressurization in a case where boiling of the liquid does not occur when the pressure in the chamber is reduced, and changes the fluctuation in the atmospheric pressure in the chamber to the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection means. The vacuum according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is determined to have boiled if a difference between the detected atmospheric pressure and the atmospheric pressure during the same elapsed time, which is included in the fluctuation in the atmospheric pressure, is a predetermined value or more. packaging equipment. A method for controlling a vacuum packaging device for vacuum packaging an object to be packaged containing liquid, the method comprising:
Obtaining the atmospheric pressure in the chamber accommodating the object to be packaged from the atmospheric pressure detection means,
When the pressure inside the chamber is reduced while the object to be packaged is accommodated, it is determined whether or not the liquid has boiled based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection means, and it is determined that the liquid has boiled. A method for controlling a vacuum packaging apparatus, comprising: stopping the depressurization in the chamber by the deaerator. A vacuum packaging device for vacuum packaging an item to be packaged,
atmospheric pressure detection means for detecting the atmospheric pressure in the chamber housing the object to be packaged;
and a control device that determines a timing to stop reducing the pressure in the chamber based on the atmospheric pressure detected by the atmospheric pressure detection means when the interior of the chamber is depressurized while the object to be packaged is housed. Features of vacuum packaging equipment. A method for controlling a vacuum packaging device for vacuum packaging an item to be packaged, the method comprising:
Obtaining the atmospheric pressure in the chamber accommodating the object to be packaged from the atmospheric pressure detection means,
A method for controlling a vacuum packaging apparatus, characterized in that when the chamber is depressurized in a state in which the object to be packaged is housed, a timing for stopping the depressurization in the chamber is determined based on the obtained atmospheric pressure.