CN113827166A

CN113827166A - Locking device for an electric household appliance, in particular a dishwasher

Info

Publication number: CN113827166A
Application number: CN202010583461.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 乔治·施比瑟尔; 马蒂亚斯·鲍尔
Original assignee: emz Hanauer GmbH and Co KGaA
Current assignee: emz Hanauer GmbH and Co KGaA
Priority date: 2020-06-23
Filing date: 2020-06-23
Publication date: 2021-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-23
Also published as: CN113827166B

Abstract

The invention proposes a locking device for a door of a household appliance, such as a dishwasher. The locking device comprises in an embodiment a locking module (24) mounted on the appliance body of the household appliance, the locking module having a pair of locking arms (28) which, when the door is closed, embrace a locking head mounted on the door. In a module housing (38) of the locking module, which also accommodates the locking arm, components of an electrical switch (54) are mounted, which change the switching state of the electrical switch when the door is closed. An actuating slide (48) is guided displaceably in the latching module, said actuating slide engaging in one slide end region with a latching head outside the module and in the opposite slide end region with a switching spring (58) of the electrical switch. In certain embodiments, the operating slide is formed from an integrally produced component.

Description

Locking device for an electric household appliance, in particular a dishwasher

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a locking device for a household appliance. In particular, the invention relates to a solution for integrating an electrical switch for identifying the closed state of a door of a household appliance into a locking module of a locking device, the purpose of which is to reduce the number of components of the locking module and to simplify the manufacture of the locking module.

Background

A conventional household appliance, such as a dishwasher, has a device body (machine body) in which a working chamber is defined, which can be accessed through an access opening. The access opening can be closed by a door which is normally pivotally mounted on the body of the apparatus. The working chamber is, for example, a washing chamber in a dishwasher, into which the dishes to be cleaned are introduced. In order to keep the door closed, a locking device is provided, which generally comprises components arranged on the body of the appliance and further components arranged on the door. The body-side component part and the door-side component part cooperate with each other when the door is closed and a locking engagement is achieved.

In conventional locking devices for dishwashers, the locking device comprises two locking arms which are pivotable relative to one another, between which the locking head enters when the door is closed, the locking head first pressing the two locking arms apart, after which the locking arms finally spring back under the action of a spring force and embrace the locking head from opposite sides. In this connection, reference may be made, for example, to DE 102012016541A 1. The prior art is also disclosed, for example, in DE 102011011662a1, with respect to a locking device having locking arms that are pivotable relative to one another; in the latter document, the locking arms are pretensioned in the direction away from each other and are first pressed towards each other when the door is closed, after which the locking arms are pressed away from each other again due to the spring pretension of the locking arms after exceeding the position of closest proximity to each other.

Conventional locking devices for household appliances, in particular those equipped with locking arms that can pivot relative to each other, typically have an electric switch whose function is to detect a closed door state. The starting of the operating program of the household appliance is usually preceded by first closing the door. An electrical switch detects the closing of the door. As soon as the electrical switch emits an electrical switch signal, this indicates to the control device of the household appliance that the door is closed from this point on and that the operating program can be started.

Locking devices of the type considered here are usually mass-produced, batch products. The key here is a simple construction and a minimum number of components, so that the locking device can be produced at low individual cost. It has been shown that the solution of structurally integrating the electric switch into the locking device also offers the possibility of a structural simplification and a reduction of components in conventional locking devices. It is therefore an object of the invention disclosed herein to provide a locking device, in particular provided in a dishwasher for domestic appliances, which can be manufactured at a relatively low one-piece cost.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to achieve this object, according to the invention, a locking device is provided for a door mounted on an appliance body of a domestic appliance, wherein the locking device comprises a locking module and a control surface system separate from the locking module. In certain embodiments, the locking module is arranged on the device body, and the control surface system is arranged on the door. In other embodiments, the locking module is disposed on the door and the control surface system is disposed on the device body.

The latching module has a module housing and a pair of latching arms pivotably mounted in the module housing, which latching arms can be pivoted from opposite rest positions relative to one another in a first pivoting direction against a spring return force. The relative deflection of the locking arms in the first deflection direction may be a deflection away from or towards each other.

The control surface system includes a pair of arm control surfaces against which the locking arm contacts when the door of the appliance is closed. When the door is closed, the arm control surface first effects a relative deflection of the locking arm in a first deflection direction. The arm control surface causes return movement of the locking arm towards the relative rest position of the locking arm after exceeding a maximum relative deflection condition. The state of maximum relative deflection is a state of maximum relative spacing of the two locking arms or a state of closest relative proximity to each other, depending on the direction of the first deflection direction.

The latching module furthermore has an electrical switch accommodated in the module housing and switchable between an electrically open switching state and an electrically closed switching state, the electrical switch having two conductor elements arranged at a distance from one another and having a spring element. The conductor element and the spring element are made of an electrically conductive material. In the electrically closed switching state, the spring element is in mechanical contact with both conductor elements and thereby closes an electrical circuit from one of the conductor elements to the other of the conductor elements via the spring element. In the electrically open switching state, the spring element is in mechanical contact with at least one of the conductor elements and thereby opens the electrical circuit.

The locking module also has an actuating slide for actuating the electrical switch, which is arranged in the module housing so as to be movable relative to the module housing. The spring element is assigned a movably arranged spring-actuating structure which mechanically cooperates with the spring element. By means of the movement of the spring operating structure, a mechanical contact of the spring element with at least one of the conductor elements can be established and released. The control surface system forms a switch control structure which is fixedly arranged relative to the arm control surface and which, when the door of the household appliance is closed, strikes against the operating slide and displaces the operating slide for the opening and closing operation of the electric switch. In the solution according to the invention, the spring actuating structure is connected to the actuating slide in a displacement-resistant and tension-resistant manner.

The displacement-resistant and tension-resistant connection can be realized in a simple manner in that the spring actuating structure is an integral component of the actuating slide. Alternatively, it is possible for the spring actuating structure and the actuating slide to be realized by separate components on the profile body, which are coupled to one another, for example by a positive-locking engagement, in such a way that both a pushing force and a pulling force can be transmitted from the actuating slide to the spring actuating structure. Due to the displacement-resistant and tensile connection between the actuating slide and the spring actuating structure, the conductor elements and the spring elements of the electrical switch can be placed directly in the module housing. A separate switch housing can be dispensed with, which can be assembled together with the conductor element, the spring element and the spring actuating structure to form a switch assembly that is fully functional in its own right mechanically and electrically and can be inserted into the module housing or fastened thereto as such. This reduces the number of components of the locking device and simplifies assembly.

In a certain embodiment, the spring element is a helical spring arranged between the two conductor elements in constant mechanical contact with one of the conductor elements, which helical spring is urged by the spring operating structure away from the other of the conductor elements in the electrically open switching state of the electrical switch.

In certain embodiments, the conductor element is made of wire. The solution of manufacturing the conductor element from wire is advantageous in terms of manufacturing technology, since for example no stamping work of the sheet material is required. It is sufficient to divide a section of a determined length from the wire corresponding to each conductor element. The divided wire segments can be bent, if desired, which is generally less expensive to manufacture than suitable stamping tools. For example, for the production of the conductor element from a wire by optionally accompanied bending, it is advantageous to design the conductor element as a conductor pin which has a bent end section in the region of the pin end according to an L-shaped design.

In certain embodiments, the wire has a rectangular cross section, wherein circular or square wire cross sections are of course not excluded within the scope of the invention.

In a particular embodiment, the module housing comprises an integral housing component, on which a bearing structure for the locking arm, a guide surface for the actuating slide and a receiving slot for the conductor element are formed.

The present invention also provides a household dishwasher, comprising: a machine main body; a door pivotally mounted on the machine body; a cleaning chamber formed in the machine body and closable by a door; and a locking device of the above-mentioned type. The locking module is arranged on one of the machine body and the door, while the control surface system is arranged on the other of the machine body and the door.

Drawings

The invention is further elucidated below with reference to the drawing. Wherein:

figure 1 shows in a highly schematic manner a section of a dishwasher in the region of a door lock of the dishwasher,

fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a section of a door of a dishwasher according to an embodiment, wherein the locking head of the door lock of the dishwasher is mounted on the door,

fig. 3a and 3b show perspective views of a latching module adapted to cooperate with the latching head of fig. 2 according to an embodiment, wherein a cover member of a module housing of the latching module is omitted, and

fig. 4a and 4b show perspective and sectional views of the latching module of fig. 3a, 3b in the assembled state of the cover member.

Detailed Description

Reference is first made to fig. 1. In FIG. 1, a machine body 12 and a door 14 are shown in sections for a dishwasher, generally designated 10. In the machine body 12, in a manner known per se, a washing chamber 16 is formed, into which the dishes to be cleaned are placed. The washing chamber 16 can be accessed through an access opening (no separate reference numeral here) which can be closed by the door 14. In a common version of a domestic dishwasher, the door 14 is typically pivotably stopped on the machine body 12 about a horizontal pivot axis near the floor. The door 14 has, on its door inner side facing the washing chamber 16, an inner lining 18, usually made of sheet material, which closes off the wet area when the door is closed.

Sealing elements

20, 22 are mounted on the machine body 12, the sealing

elements

20, 22 being configured in the example shown as ridge seals, and the sealing

elements

20, 22 bear against the inner lining 18 when the door 14 is closed, being compressed there and thus sealing the washing chamber 16 to the outside.

A door lock (latch device) for holding the door 14 closed includes, as essential components, a latch module 24 mounted on the machine body 12 and a latch head 26 mounted on the door 14. In other embodiments, latch module 24 and latch head 16 may be interchangeably assembled, i.e., latch module 24 may be assembled to door 14 and latch head 26 may be mounted to machine body 12. The components of the locking module 24 are a pair of locking arms 28, which are only schematically shown in fig. 1 and which engage with the locking head 26 when the door is closed and embrace the locking head horizontally on both sides in the door-closed state.

A specific embodiment of the locking head 26 is shown in fig. 2 and a specific embodiment of the locking module 24 is shown in fig. 3 a-4 b. The locking head 26 of fig. 2 is adapted to cooperate with the locking module 24 of fig. 3a to 4 b. The locking head 26 of fig. 2 and the locking module 24 of fig. 3a to 4b together form an embodiment of a door lock of the dishwasher 10 of fig. 1. This embodiment of the door lock is further explained below with reference to fig. 2 to 4 b.

In the example shown in fig. 2, the locking head 26 is fitted on a wall section 30 of the inner lining 18, which extends substantially perpendicular to the door plane and points substantially vertically upwards when the door 14 is upright (i.e. when the door 14 is closed). Alternatively, the locking head 26 can be mounted on a wall section 32 of the inner lining 18 which extends substantially parallel to the door plane and which adjoins the wall section 30 at right angles to the upper door edge. The latter assembly variant is shown in the schematic view of fig. 1. Whether the locking head 26 is mounted on the wall section 30 or the wall section 32, the locking head forms a pair of arm control surfaces 34 corresponding to the locking arms 28 of the locking module 24. The locking arm 28 has a free arm end 36 which, when the door 14 is closed, strikes an arm control surface 34 of the locking head 26. The locking arms 28 are each mounted in a module housing 38 of the locking module 24 in a pivoting manner on a mounting point 40 arranged fixedly with respect to the housing and project from the module housing 38 with their free arm ends 36. The locking arms 28 are pretensioned toward one another by a pretensioning spring 42, which is embodied in the illustrated example as a helical spring and is accommodated in the module housing 38.

The arm control surfaces 34 of the locking head 26 extend away from each other at an acute angle to a point 44 of maximum cross-sectional width of the locking head 26. After this point, the cross-sectional width of the locking head 26 is again reduced.

When the door 14 is closed, the process of the locking arm 28 striking the arm control surface 34 causes the locking arm 28 to be squeezed apart against the force of the pre-tensioned spring 42. After the locking arms 28 have passed the region 44 of maximum cross-sectional width, the locking arms 28 can be moved closer together again under the restoring action of the pretensioned springs 42 and thus embrace the locking head 26.

A rib-shaped or bridge-shaped control projection 46, which forms the switching control information in the manner according to the invention and cooperates with an operating slide 48, which is guided in a linearly movable manner in the module housing 38, when the door 14 is closed, is formed on the locking head 26. On the locking module 24, a feed funnel is formed, which is delimited by two funnel jaws 50 (fig. 3b), into which the control projection 46 first sinks when the door 14 is closed. The lead-in funnel may have a centering function for the control projection 46. The lead-in funnel also prevents manipulation of the manipulation slider 48 performed unintentionally or intentionally by the user. For this purpose, the operating slide 48 can be arranged somewhat hidden behind the bottom of the intake funnel.

After sinking into the intake funnel, the control projection 46 hits the front slider end of the operating slider 48 during the closing of the door 14. The continued closing movement of the door 14 causes: the control projection 46 presses the actuating slide 48 rearward against the spring force of a pretensioning spring 52 accommodated in the module housing 38, which pretensions the actuating slide 48 forward. As a result of this rearward movement of the operating slide 48, an electrical switch 54 (fig. 3a) mounted in the latching module 24 changes its electrical switching state. When the control projection 46 is retracted from the intake funnel upon opening of the door 14, the pretensioned spring 52 presses the operating slide 48 forward back into the operating slide rest position. In this case, the electric switch 54 carries out the reverse switching operation. By means of the electrical switching state of the switch 54, a control unit of the dishwasher 10, which is not shown in detail in the figures, is able to detect: whether the door 14 is closed or open.

In the embodiment shown, the switch 54 is formed by two conductor elements 56 and a spring element 58. The conductor element 56 is made of an electrically conductive wire (e.g., a wire having a rectangular cross section) by being divided into desired lengths. In the example case shown, the conductor element is bent into an L-shape, wherein the conductor element has a longer L-side and a shorter L-side corresponding to the L-shape. The spring element 58 is likewise made of an electrically conductive material and in the example case shown consists of a helical spring. The two conductor elements 56 are inserted into suitable receiving slots (not individually denoted by reference numerals) formed in the module housing 38. In the installed state, the two conductor elements 56 are arranged with their longer L sides substantially parallel to one another at a distance from one another. The spring element 58 is inserted into the gap between the two longer L-sides of the conductor element 56 and maintains a continuous mechanical contact with one of the conductor elements 56 (the left one of the two conductor elements 56 in the illustration of fig. 3 a). Due to this continuous mechanical contact, there is also a continuous electrical contact between the spring element 58 and the associated conductor element 56.

In the open state of the door 14, the spring element 58 is mechanically and thus also electrically disconnected from the further conductor element 56 by operating the slider 48. For this purpose, the operating slide 48 forms, in the region of its rear slide end, a spring-operated structure 60 on which the spring element 58 is supported in the open state of the door 14 and is thus spaced apart from the other of the conductor elements 56. Thus, when the door 14 is open, no current can flow from one of the conductor elements 56 to the other conductor element 56 via the spring element 58; switch 54 is open. When the door 14 is closed, the control projection 46 presses the operation slider 48 rearward. Here, the spring element 58 is in mechanical and therefore also in electrical contact with the other of the conductor elements 56; switch 54 switches and closes. Based on this function, the spring element 58 may also be referred to as a switch spring.

The actuating slide 48 is, for example, an integrally produced injection-molded part, wherein the spring actuating element 60 is an integral component part. The spring actuating structure 60 is therefore connected to the front slider end of the actuating slider 48 in a displacement-resistant and tension-resistant manner. The component which the control projection 46 encounters when closing the door 14 is in the embodiment considered here the same component which also carries the spring operating structure 60 and keeps the spring element 58 spaced from one of the conductor elements 56 when the door 14 is open. No separate component is required for transmitting the control movement of the control projection 46 to the spring element 58 when the door 14 is closed. For this reason, only one component is sufficient in the embodiment under consideration.

In the exemplary embodiment considered, the module housing 38 is implemented in two parts and consists of a housing lower part 62 and a cover component 64. The housing lower part 62, into which the locking arm 28, the prestressing spring 42, the operating slider 48, the prestressing spring 52, the conductor element 56 and the spring element 58 are inserted during assembly of the locking module 24, is a one-piece component produced, for example, by injection molding. The cover member 64 is also a one-piece member, for example manufactured by injection molding. After the elements are installed into the housing lower part 62, the cover member is placed onto the housing lower part 62, thereby closing the module housing 38. The locking arm 28, the actuating slider 48 and the pretensioning springs 42, 52 on the one hand, and the conductor element 56 and the spring element 58 on the other hand are therefore arranged in a common housing (module housing 38) in the exemplary embodiment shown. Separate switch housings (independent of the module housing 38) for the conductor element 56 and the spring element 58 are not necessary. This reduces the number of components of the door lock and makes the assembly of the door lock easier.

The housing lower part 62 and the cover member 64 form, in the assembled state, a plug receptacle (steckfansung) 66 (fig. 4a) for a plug connector, not shown, by means of which the latching module 24 can be connected with connecting lines leading to the main control unit of the dishwasher 10.

Claims

1. A locking device for a door installed on an apparatus body of a home appliance, the locking device comprising:

a latching module having a module housing and a pair of latching arms pivotably supported in the module housing, the latching arms being deflectable from opposite rest positions relative to each other in a first deflection direction against a spring return force;

a control surface system separate from the locking module, said control surface system having a pair of arm control surfaces, said locking arm contacting said arm control surfaces when closing the door of the household appliance, wherein said arm control surfaces first cause a relative deflection of the locking arm in a first deflection direction when closing the door and allow a return movement of the locking arm in the direction of its relative rest position when a maximum relative deflection state is exceeded;

wherein the latching module further has an electrical switch accommodated in the module housing and switchable between an electrically open switching state and an electrically closed switching state, the electrical switch having two conductor elements arranged at a distance from one another and having a spring element;

the conductor element and the spring element are made of an electrically conductive material;

in the electrically closed switching state, the spring element is in mechanical contact with both conductor elements and thereby closes an electrical circuit from one of the conductor elements to the other of the conductor elements via the spring element;

in the electrically open switching state, the spring element is in mechanical contact with at least one of the conductor elements and thereby opens the electrical circuit;

the locking module also has an actuating slide for actuating an electrical switch, which is arranged in the module housing so as to be movable relative to the module housing;

providing the spring element with a movably arranged spring actuating structure which mechanically cooperates with the spring element, the spring element being able to be brought into and out of mechanical contact with at least one of the conductor elements by movement of the spring actuating structure;

the control surface system forms a switch control structure which is fixedly arranged relative to the arm control surface and which, when the door of the household appliance is closed, strikes against the operating slider and moves the operating slider for the switching process of the electric switch;

the spring-actuated structure is in a traction-resistant and tensile connection with the actuating slide.

2. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein the spring operated structure is an integral component part of the operating slider.

3. The locking arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spring element is a helical spring arranged between two conductor elements, which helical spring is held in constant mechanical contact with one of the conductor elements, which helical spring is pushed away from the other of the conductor elements by the spring operating structure in the electrically open switching state of the electrical switch.

4. The locking device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductor element is made of wire.

5. A locking device according to claim 4, wherein the wire has a rectangular cross-section.

6. The locking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductor element is embodied as a conductor pin which has a bent end section in the region of the pin end according to an L-shaped solution.

7. A locking arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the module housing comprises an integral housing member on which the support structure for the locking arm, the guiding surface for operating the slider and the receiving slot for the conductor element are formed.

8. A domestic dishwasher, the domestic dishwasher having: a machine main body; a door pivotably mounted on the machine body; a cleaning chamber formed in the machine body and closable by a door; and a locking device according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the locking module of the locking device is arranged on one of the machine body and the door and the control surface system is arranged on the other of the machine body and the door.