EP2082086B1 - Blocking device for the door of an electric household appliance, in particular the door of a washing machine - Google Patents
Blocking device for the door of an electric household appliance, in particular the door of a washing machine Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2082086B1 EP2082086B1 EP07848811.1A EP07848811A EP2082086B1 EP 2082086 B1 EP2082086 B1 EP 2082086B1 EP 07848811 A EP07848811 A EP 07848811A EP 2082086 B1 EP2082086 B1 EP 2082086B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- catch
- striker
- bottom wall
- door
- blocking device
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 title claims description 30
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 title claims description 9
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 claims description 14
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 claims description 10
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000003321 amplification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003199 nucleic acid amplification method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000750 progressive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/26—Casings; Tubs
- D06F37/28—Doors; Security means therefor
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/42—Safety arrangements, e.g. for stopping rotation of the receptacle upon opening of the casing door
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00
- D06F39/12—Casings; Tubs
- D06F39/14—Doors or covers; Securing means therefor
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05B—LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS
- E05B47/00—Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means
- E05B47/0001—Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means with electric actuators; Constructional features thereof
- E05B47/0009—Operating or controlling locks or other fastening devices by electric or magnetic means with electric actuators; Constructional features thereof with thermo-electric actuators, e.g. heated bimetals
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H61/00—Electrothermal relays
- H01H61/02—Electrothermal relays wherein the thermally-sensitive member is heated indirectly, e.g. resistively, inductively
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a blocking device for a door of an electric household appliance, in particular for a door of a front-loading washing machine.
- the safety devices known, for example from EP 1137030 by the Applicant itself, include a blocking catch and control means for selectively moving the catch between an extracted position and a retracted position in a seat of a first body housing the control means and the catch itself, so that one end of the catch which protrudes in the extracted position from the seat in the first body may cooperate in use with a striker of the blocking device of the door;
- the blocking device includes the striker, generally in the form of a striker plate slidingly carried by a second body on which the first body of the safety device is snappingly fixable; the second body is in turn fixable in use to a casing of the electric household appliance, by the side of the door to be blocked and so that the striker is adapted to cooperate in use, in turn, with a notch of the door.
- the control means of the safety device are defined by a bi-metallic spring arranged in proximity of a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistive tablet; when the electric household appliance is working, the electric supply current heats the resistive tablet, which heats the bi-metallic spring, making it snap in position so as to take the catch to the extracted position, in which it engages a perforation of the striker plate of the blocking device itself, blocking the transversal sliding of the latter and, consequently, preventing the same from being released from the notch also if the user attempts to force the door to the open position.
- PTC positive temperature coefficient
- EP1340870 and GB2196689 partially solve the problem but with the drawback to considerably increase the bulk of the device.
- the present invention thus relates to a blocking device for a door of an electric household appliance, in particular for a door of a front-loading washing machine, as defined in claim 1.
- the blocking device of the invention is characterised in that the control means of the catch comprise: electrically operated actuator means to selectively move the catch between an extracted position and a retracted position from/into a seat thereof, in which the catch is adapted to respectively intercept/not intercept the striker; a first element actuated by the actuator means so as to be mobile between a first and a second end-of-stroke positions in a direction perpendicular to that of movement of the catch; and a bell crank restrained so as to be oscillating on a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the catch, operatively connected with its first shorter arm to the first element and with its second longer arm to the catch to receive from the first element an oscillating movement such as to displace the catch between said extracted and retracted positions in response to a movement of the first element between said second and first end-of-stroke positions.
- the first element of the control means is a metallic foil associated to a bi-metallic bi-stable knee-pad device controlled by a PTC resistor, forming the actuating means; the metallic foil is arranged facing and distanced from a bottom wall of a first body acting as a guide for the striker and which moves between the first and second end-of-stroke positions in a direction essentially perpendicular to the bottom wall of the first body, so as to vary in use its distance from the bottom wall in the displacement between the second and the first end-of-stroke positions and vice versa.
- the bell crank is restrained to a fulcrum consisting of a pin arranged with its axis parallel to the sliding direction of the striker, as well as the bottom wall of the first body and integrally restrained to the first body; furthermore, the first arm of the bell crank presents a free end defined by a pair of elastically deformable arms arranged facing each other and engaging on opposite sides a peripheral longitudinal edge of the metallic foil oriented parallelly to the sliding direction of the striker and facing a corresponding longitudinal peripheral edge of the bottom wall of the first body; finally, preferably, the second arm of the bell crank integrally carries the catch, which protrudingly extends from a free end of the second arm on opposite band to the first arm, so that the bell crank presents on its oscillation plane, which is perpendicularly oriented with respect to the bottom wall of the first body, an essentially Z-shape.
- the catch and the corresponding control means may be made as a self-contained safety device, for blocking the striker when the door is closed, possible enclosed in a second body restrainable to the first, e.g. snappingly, or in a specific part of the first body, however always so that the striker is slidingly sandwiched between the bottom wall of the first body and the safety device, which provides a particularly compact layout of the device.
- the stroke available to the catch is essentially independent of the entity of the stroke available at the actuator means, because it mainly depends on the ratio between the length of the two arms of the bell crank, thus allowing to make strokes of required entity, independent of the type of actuator means used: these may be a traditional PTC resistor with bi-metallic bi-stable snapping mechanism, as it will be shown in the illustrated preferred embodiment, or of other type.
- numeral 1 indicates as a whole a blocking device in a closed position of a door 2 of an electric household appliance, known and not shown for the sake of simplicity, e.g. the door 2 of a front-loading washing machine, rotational about an axis A and provided with a notch 3 actuatable by means of a handle 4 ( figure 1 ).
- the blocking device 1 comprises a striker 5, in the form of a striker plate, sliding in use perpendicularly to the axis of rotation A of the door 2 and adapted to cooperate in use with the notch 3 of the door, and a safety device, indicated as a whole by numeral 6, comprising in turn ( figures 2-5 ) a catch 7 blocking the sliding of the striker 5 and control means 8 of the catch comprising electrically operated actuating means 10 to selectively move the catch 7 between an extracted position and a retracted position from/into its seat 11 in the safety device 6, in which extracted and retracted positions the catch 7 is adapted to respectively intercept/not intercept the striker 5.
- a striker 5 in the form of a striker plate, sliding in use perpendicularly to the axis of rotation A of the door 2 and adapted to cooperate in use with the notch 3 of the door
- a safety device indicated as a whole by numeral 6, comprising in turn ( figures 2-5 ) a catch 7 blocking the sliding of the striker 5 and
- the control means 8 comprise a first element 12 actuated by the actuator means 10 so as to be mobile between a first and a second limit stop positions (shown in figures 2 and 3 , respectively) in a direction diagrammatically shown in the figure by arrow P, perpendicular to that of movement of the catch 7, in turn diagrammatically shown in figures by arrow S; and a bell crank 14 restrained so as to be oscillating on a plane parallel to the direction S of movement of the catch 7, operatively connected with its first shorter arm 15 to the first element 12 and with its second longer arm 16 to the catch 7, to receive from the first element .12 an oscillating movement so to shift the catch 7 between the extracted ( figure 3 and 5 ) and retracted ( figure 2 and 4 ) positions in response to a movement of the first element 12 between said second ( figure 3 ) and first ( figure 2 ) limit stop positions.
- the device 1 further comprises a first body 20 fixable in a known manner to a casing of the electric household appliance, by the side of the door 2 to be blocked and on opposite band of the axis A of rotation of the same; the first body 20 slidingly carries, in a known manner, the striker 5 in form of a striker plate, which is arranged interposed between a bottom wall 21 of the first body 20 defining a sliding guide for the striker 5 and provided with a through opening 22 for the notch 3, and the safety device 6.
- the catch 7 of the device 6 is arranged essentially parallel to the bottom wall 21 of the body 20 and so as to move within the through seat 11 of the safety device 6 in a direction S, which is essentially perpendicular to a first longitudinal edge 25 of the striker 5 oriented parallelly to the sliding direction N of the striker 5 itself and arranged adjacent to a corresponding longitudinal peripheral edge 26 of the bottom wall 21 of the body 20.
- the longitudinal edge 25 of the striker 5 is provided with a fin 30 oriented perpendicularly to the bottom wall 21 of the first body 20 and which extends transversally to the sliding direction N of the striker 5, in a position so as to be adapted to be intercepted in use by the catch 7 in extracted position.
- the fin 30 is integrally obtained in one piece with the striker 5, which is formed by a metallic plate one appendix of the edge 25 of which was bent as a L outside the laying plane of the plate itself.
- the safety device 6 is carried, e.g. snappingly, within a second body 31 fixable to the body 20on opposite band to the bottom wall 21 and provided on one side thereof, arranged in use facing the longitudinal peripheral edge 26 of the bottom wall 21 of the first body 20, of the through seat 11 for the catch 7.
- the bell crank 14 is restrained to a fulcrum formed by a pin 34 arranged with its axis parallel to the sliding direction N of the striker 5, as well as to the bottom wall 21 of the body 20 and integrally restrained to the body 20 itself, in the case in point idly carried by opposite side walls of the body 31, in turn snappingly restrained to the body 20.
- the first element 12 of the control means 8 is a metallic foil 12 associated to a bi-metallic bi-stable knee-pad device 40 controlled by a PTC resistor 41, forming the actuating means 10;
- the device 40 is of the type described in EP 1137030 wherein the metallic foil 12 is arranged facing and distanced from the bottom wall 21 of the first body 20 and moves between the first and second end-of-stroke positions in a direction P essentially perpendicular to the bottom wall 21, so as to vary in use its distance from the bottom wall 21 in the displacement between the first and second endo-of-stroke positions and vice versa.
- the first and second end-of-stroke positions of the metallic foil are determined, in the case in point, by a first and a second shoulders respectively defined by a contact 50 associated to the PTC resistor 41 ( figures 2 and 3 ) and by a bottom wall 52 of the safety device 6 facing and integral with the bottom wall 21 of the first body 20, and in the case in point forming integral part of the second body 31.
- the catch 7 is not however directly carried by the foil 12, but is controlled only indirectly by the latter, by means of the bell crank 14.
- the first arm 15 of the bell crank 14 presents a free end defined by a pair of elastically deformable arms 60 ( figures 2 and 3 ) arranged facing each other and engaging on opposite sides a peripheral longitudinal edge 6 ( figures 4 and 5 ) of the metallic foil 12 oriented parallelly to the sliding direction N of the striker 5 and facing the corresponding longiudinal peripheral edge 26 of the bottom wall 21 of the first body 20.
- the second arm 16 of the bell crank 14 integrally carries the catch 7, which protrudingly extends from a free end of the second arm 16 on opposite band to the first arm 15, so that the bell crank 14 presents on its oscillation plane, which is perpendicularly oriented with respect to the bottom wall 21 of the first body 20, an essentially Z-shape.
- the catch 7 does not perform a linear trajectory in its displacement between the extracted position and the retracted position (and vice versa) but a curvilinear trajectory allowed by a housing with a large clearance in the seat 11.
- the actuator means 10 When the actuator means 10 are actuated (in the case in point the resistor 41 is supplied by means of contacts 70 arranged in use through slots 72 in the body 31), the foil 12 passes from the position in figure 2 to that in figure 3 , producing a rotation of the lever 14 which makes the catch 7 protrude from the seat 11, in extracted position, approaching the edge 26, adjacent to which the fin 30 of the striker 5 slides.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Main Body Construction Of Washing Machines And Laundry Dryers (AREA)
- Power-Operated Mechanisms For Wings (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to a blocking device for a door of an electric household appliance, in particular for a door of a front-loading washing machine.
- It is known that the doors of electric household appliances in which a washing cycle is performed, in particular those of front-loading washing machines, are in use blocked in closed position by a blocking device provided with a safety device which is released only at the end of the washing cycle and, thus, when the electric household appliance is free from water.
- The safety devices known, for example from
EP 1137030 by the Applicant itself, include a blocking catch and control means for selectively moving the catch between an extracted position and a retracted position in a seat of a first body housing the control means and the catch itself, so that one end of the catch which protrudes in the extracted position from the seat in the first body may cooperate in use with a striker of the blocking device of the door; the blocking device includes the striker, generally in the form of a striker plate slidingly carried by a second body on which the first body of the safety device is snappingly fixable; the second body is in turn fixable in use to a casing of the electric household appliance, by the side of the door to be blocked and so that the striker is adapted to cooperate in use, in turn, with a notch of the door. - The control means of the safety device are defined by a bi-metallic spring arranged in proximity of a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistive tablet; when the electric household appliance is working, the electric supply current heats the resistive tablet, which heats the bi-metallic spring, making it snap in position so as to take the catch to the extracted position, in which it engages a perforation of the striker plate of the blocking device itself, blocking the transversal sliding of the latter and, consequently, preventing the same from being released from the notch also if the user attempts to force the door to the open position.
- Although the known devices of the above-described type are entirely satisfactory, because already provided with an amplification mechanism of the movement of the bi-metallic spring to ensure a sufficient stroke to the catch, it is felt the need for a blocking device which presents a stroke of the blocking element of the striker in form of a striker plate which is longer than those available today for the catch.
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EP1340870 andGB2196689 - It is thus the object of the present invention to provide a blocking device for the door of an electric household appliance, in particular for the door of a front-loading washing machine in which the blocking member of the striker presents a relatively long stroke and at least within certain limits predeterminable beforehand during the step of designing, regardless of the type of control means used (either based on PTC tablets and bi-metallic springs or any other available technology), which concurrently ensures a low production and assembly cost, small dimensions and high reliability.
- The present invention thus relates to a blocking device for a door of an electric household appliance, in particular for a door of a front-loading washing machine, as defined in claim 1.
- In particular, the blocking device of the invention is characterised in that the control means of the catch comprise: electrically operated actuator means to selectively move the catch between an extracted position and a retracted position from/into a seat thereof, in which the catch is adapted to respectively intercept/not intercept the striker; a first element actuated by the actuator means so as to be mobile between a first and a second end-of-stroke positions in a direction perpendicular to that of movement of the catch; and a bell crank restrained so as to be oscillating on a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the catch, operatively connected with its first shorter arm to the first element and with its second longer arm to the catch to receive from the first element an oscillating movement such as to displace the catch between said extracted and retracted positions in response to a movement of the first element between said second and first end-of-stroke positions.
- According to an aspect of the invention, the first element of the control means is a metallic foil associated to a bi-metallic bi-stable knee-pad device controlled by a PTC resistor, forming the actuating means; the metallic foil is arranged facing and distanced from a bottom wall of a first body acting as a guide for the striker and which moves between the first and second end-of-stroke positions in a direction essentially perpendicular to the bottom wall of the first body, so as to vary in use its distance from the bottom wall in the displacement between the second and the first end-of-stroke positions and vice versa.
- The bell crank is restrained to a fulcrum consisting of a pin arranged with its axis parallel to the sliding direction of the striker, as well as the bottom wall of the first body and integrally restrained to the first body; furthermore, the first arm of the bell crank presents a free end defined by a pair of elastically deformable arms arranged facing each other and engaging on opposite sides a peripheral longitudinal edge of the metallic foil oriented parallelly to the sliding direction of the striker and facing a corresponding longitudinal peripheral edge of the bottom wall of the first body; finally, preferably, the second arm of the bell crank integrally carries the catch, which protrudingly extends from a free end of the second arm on opposite band to the first arm, so that the bell crank presents on its oscillation plane, which is perpendicularly oriented with respect to the bottom wall of the first body, an essentially Z-shape.
- In this manner, an extremely light-weight, highly reliable and low-cost blocking device is obtained, in which the catch and the corresponding control means may be made as a self-contained safety device, for blocking the striker when the door is closed, possible enclosed in a second body restrainable to the first, e.g. snappingly, or in a specific part of the first body, however always so that the striker is slidingly sandwiched between the bottom wall of the first body and the safety device, which provides a particularly compact layout of the device.
- Furthermore, it results that the stroke available to the catch is essentially independent of the entity of the stroke available at the actuator means, because it mainly depends on the ratio between the length of the two arms of the bell crank, thus allowing to make strokes of required entity, independent of the type of actuator means used: these may be a traditional PTC resistor with bi-metallic bi-stable snapping mechanism, as it will be shown in the illustrated preferred embodiment, or of other type.
- Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a non-limitative embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
figure 1 shows a perspective diagrammatic three-quarters front view partially from the top of the blocking device of the invention with parts removed to facilitate understanding and shown in a partially exploded view; -
figures 2 and4 show respective diagrammatic views, taken along plotting planes II and IV-IV of the device infigure 1 in a first operative position; and -
figures 3 and5 show the same diagrammatic views in section of the device infigure 1 shown infigures 2 and4 respectively, but with the device in a second operative position. - With reference to figures from 1 to 5, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a blocking device in a closed position of a door 2 of an electric household appliance, known and not shown for the sake of simplicity, e.g. the door 2 of a front-loading washing machine, rotational about an axis A and provided with a notch 3 actuatable by means of a handle 4 (
figure 1 ). - The blocking device 1 comprises a
striker 5, in the form of a striker plate, sliding in use perpendicularly to the axis of rotation A of the door 2 and adapted to cooperate in use with the notch 3 of the door, and a safety device, indicated as a whole bynumeral 6, comprising in turn (figures 2-5 ) acatch 7 blocking the sliding of thestriker 5 and control means 8 of the catch comprising electrically operated actuating means 10 to selectively move thecatch 7 between an extracted position and a retracted position from/into itsseat 11 in thesafety device 6, in which extracted and retracted positions thecatch 7 is adapted to respectively intercept/not intercept thestriker 5. - According to a first aspect of the invention, the control means 8 comprise a
first element 12 actuated by the actuator means 10 so as to be mobile between a first and a second limit stop positions (shown infigures 2 and 3 , respectively) in a direction diagrammatically shown in the figure by arrow P, perpendicular to that of movement of thecatch 7, in turn diagrammatically shown in figures by arrow S; and abell crank 14 restrained so as to be oscillating on a plane parallel to the direction S of movement of thecatch 7, operatively connected with its firstshorter arm 15 to thefirst element 12 and with its secondlonger arm 16 to thecatch 7, to receive from the first element .12 an oscillating movement so to shift thecatch 7 between the extracted (figure 3 and5 ) and retracted (figure 2 and4 ) positions in response to a movement of thefirst element 12 between said second (figure 3 ) and first (figure 2 ) limit stop positions. - The device 1 further comprises a
first body 20 fixable in a known manner to a casing of the electric household appliance, by the side of the door 2 to be blocked and on opposite band of the axis A of rotation of the same; thefirst body 20 slidingly carries, in a known manner, thestriker 5 in form of a striker plate, which is arranged interposed between abottom wall 21 of thefirst body 20 defining a sliding guide for thestriker 5 and provided with a through opening 22 for the notch 3, and thesafety device 6. - In particular, the
catch 7 of thedevice 6 is arranged essentially parallel to thebottom wall 21 of thebody 20 and so as to move within the throughseat 11 of thesafety device 6 in a direction S, which is essentially perpendicular to a firstlongitudinal edge 25 of thestriker 5 oriented parallelly to the sliding direction N of thestriker 5 itself and arranged adjacent to a corresponding longitudinalperipheral edge 26 of thebottom wall 21 of thebody 20. - As shown in greater detail in
figure 1 , thelongitudinal edge 25 of thestriker 5 is provided with afin 30 oriented perpendicularly to thebottom wall 21 of thefirst body 20 and which extends transversally to the sliding direction N of thestriker 5, in a position so as to be adapted to be intercepted in use by thecatch 7 in extracted position. In the non-limitative illustrated case in point, thefin 30 is integrally obtained in one piece with thestriker 5, which is formed by a metallic plate one appendix of theedge 25 of which was bent as a L outside the laying plane of the plate itself. - Again according to the illustrated non-limitative embodiment, the
safety device 6 is carried, e.g. snappingly, within asecond body 31 fixable to the body 20on opposite band to thebottom wall 21 and provided on one side thereof, arranged in use facing the longitudinalperipheral edge 26 of thebottom wall 21 of thefirst body 20, of the throughseat 11 for thecatch 7. - The
bell crank 14 is restrained to a fulcrum formed by apin 34 arranged with its axis parallel to the sliding direction N of thestriker 5, as well as to thebottom wall 21 of thebody 20 and integrally restrained to thebody 20 itself, in the case in point idly carried by opposite side walls of thebody 31, in turn snappingly restrained to thebody 20. - According to the illustrated non-limitative example, the
first element 12 of the control means 8 is ametallic foil 12 associated to a bi-metallic bi-stable knee-pad device 40 controlled by aPTC resistor 41, forming the actuating means 10; for example, thedevice 40 is of the type described inEP 1137030 wherein themetallic foil 12 is arranged facing and distanced from thebottom wall 21 of thefirst body 20 and moves between the first and second end-of-stroke positions in a direction P essentially perpendicular to thebottom wall 21, so as to vary in use its distance from thebottom wall 21 in the displacement between the first and second endo-of-stroke positions and vice versa. - The first and second end-of-stroke positions of the metallic foil are determined, in the case in point, by a first and a second shoulders respectively defined by a
contact 50 associated to the PTC resistor 41 (figures 2 and 3 ) and by abottom wall 52 of thesafety device 6 facing and integral with thebottom wall 21 of thefirst body 20, and in the case in point forming integral part of thesecond body 31. - According to the invention, unlike the device illustrated in
EP 1137030 , thecatch 7 is not however directly carried by thefoil 12, but is controlled only indirectly by the latter, by means of thebell crank 14. In particular, thefirst arm 15 of thebell crank 14 presents a free end defined by a pair of elastically deformable arms 60 (figures 2 and 3 ) arranged facing each other and engaging on opposite sides a peripheral longitudinal edge 6 (figures 4 and 5 ) of themetallic foil 12 oriented parallelly to the sliding direction N of thestriker 5 and facing the corresponding longiudinalperipheral edge 26 of thebottom wall 21 of thefirst body 20. - The
second arm 16 of thebell crank 14 integrally carries thecatch 7, which protrudingly extends from a free end of thesecond arm 16 on opposite band to thefirst arm 15, so that thebell crank 14 presents on its oscillation plane, which is perpendicularly oriented with respect to thebottom wall 21 of thefirst body 20, an essentially Z-shape. In this manner, thecatch 7 does not perform a linear trajectory in its displacement between the extracted position and the retracted position (and vice versa) but a curvilinear trajectory allowed by a housing with a large clearance in theseat 11. - This is not an obstacle to the correct operation of the device 1 but indeed, in virtue of the fact that the cooperation with the
striker 5 occurs through thefin 30 of the latter, it increases the reliability, the compactness and the readiness of the device 1 itself. It is however clear that if a linear movement of thecatch 7 were required, this could be guided without clearance in theseat 11 and cooperate only in contact with the free end of thearm 16. - The operation of the device 1 is apparent from the figures of the accompanying drawings. When the actuator means 10 are actuated (in the case in point the
resistor 41 is supplied by means ofcontacts 70 arranged in use throughslots 72 in the body 31), thefoil 12 passes from the position infigure 2 to that infigure 3 , producing a rotation of thelever 14 which makes thecatch 7 protrude from theseat 11, in extracted position, approaching theedge 26, adjacent to which thefin 30 of thestriker 5 slides. Such displacement, the amplitude of which depends on the ratio between the length of thearms catch 7 intercept the trajectory of thefin 30, consequently preventing the free sliding (usually against the bias of a spring) of thestriker 5 and thus blocking the door 2 in closed position, if the notch 3 is engaged by thestriker 5 in a known manner, in the case in point through aperforation 80 thereof (figure 1 ). - When the electric household appliance stops, the
resistor 41 is not supplied and the progressive cooling of theresistor 41 snappingly returns thefoil 12 to the position infigure 2 , after a certain predetermined period of time; this movement produces an opposite rotation of thecrank bell 14 returning thecatch 7 to the retracted position infigures 2 and4 , thus freeing thefin 30 and thestriker 5.
Claims (7)
- A blocking device (1) for the door of an electric household appliance, in particular the door (2) of a front-loading washing machine, including a striker (5) in the form of a striker plate sliding in use perpendicularly to an axis (A) of rotation of the door (2) and adapted to cooperate in use with a notch (3) of the door, and a safety device (6) comprising a catch (7) blocking the sliding of the striker (5) and control means (8) of the catch comprising electrically operated actuating means (10) to selectively move the catch (7) between an extracted position and a retracted position from/into its seat (11) in the safety device (6), in which extracted and retracted positions the catch (7) is adapted to intercept/not intercept the striker (5), respectively; wherein the control means (8) also comprise a first element (12) actuated by the actuator means (10) so as to be mobile between a first and a second end-of-stroke position in a direction (P) perpendicular to that of movement of the catch (7); and a bell crank (14) restrained so as to be oscillating on a plane parallel to direction (S) of movement of the catch (7), operatively connected with its first shorter arm (15) to the first element (12) and with its second longer arm (16) to the catch (7), to receive from the first element (12) an oscillating movement so to shift the catch (7) between said extracted and retracted positions in response to a movement of the first element (12) between said second and first end-of-stroke positions; and wherein the blocking device also comprises a first body (20) fixable to a casing of the electric household appliance, by the side of one said door (2) to be blocked and on opposite band of said axis (A) of rotation of the same; said first body (20) slidingly carrying said striker (5) in the form of a striker plate interposed between: a bottom wall (21) of the first body defining a sliding guide for the striker (5) and provided with a through opening (22) for said notch (3) of the door; and said safety device (6);
characterized in that:i) said catch (7) is arranged essentially parallel to said bottom wall (21) of the first body and so as to move within said through seat (11) of the safety device in a direction (S) essentially perpendicular to a first longitudinal edge (25) of the striker (5) oriented parallelly to the sliding direction (N) of the striker (5) itself and arranged adjacent to a corresponding longitudinal peripheral edge (26) of the bottom wall (21) of the first body (20); andii) said first longitudinal edge (25) of the striker (5) is provided with a fin (30) oriented perpendicularly to said bottom wall (21) of the first body (20) and that extends transversally to the sliding direction (N) of the striker (5), in a position so as to be adapted to be intercepted in used by said catch (7) in extracted position. - A blocking device according to claim 1, characterised in that said safety device (6) is carried within a second body (31) fixable to the first (20) on opposite band to said bottom wall (21) and provided on one side, arranged in use facing said longitudinal peripheral edge (26) of the bottom wall (21) of the first body (20), of said through seat (11) for the catch (7).
- A blocking device according to any one of the claims from 1 to 2, characterised in that said bell crank (14) is restrained to a fulcrum constituted by a pin (34) arranged with axis parallel to said sliding direction (N) of the striker (5), as well as to said bottom wall (21) of the first body and integrally restrained to the first body (20).
- A blocking device according to any of the claims from 1 to 3, characterised in that said first element of the control means is a metallic foil (12) associated to a bi-metallic bi-stable knee-pad device (40) controlled by a PTC resistor (41), forming said actuating means (10); said metallic foil (12) being arranged facing and distanced from said bottom wall (21) of the first body (20) and moving between said first and second end-of-stroke positions in a direction (P) essentially perpendicular to the bottom wall (21) of the first body, so as to vary in use its distance from the bottom wall (21) in the displacement between said first and second end-of-stroke positions and vice versa.
- A blocking device according to claim 4, characterised in that said first and second end-of-stroke positions of said metallic foil (12) are determined by a first and second shoulders defined by a contact (50) associated to said PTC resistor (41) and a bottom wall (52) of the safety device (6) facing and integral with said bottom wall (21) of the first body, respectively.
- A blocking device according to one of the claims 4 or 5, characterised in that said first arm (15) of said bell crank (14) presents a free end defined by a pair of elastically deformable arms (60) arranged facing each other and engaging on opposite sides a peripheral longitudinal edge (61) of said metallic foil (12) oriented parallelly to said sliding direction (N) of the striker (5) and facing the corresponding part of a longitudinal peripheral edge (26) of the bottom wall (21) of said first body.
- A blocking device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said second arm (16) of the bell crank (14) integrally carries said catch (7), which protrudingly extends from a free end of the second arm (16) on opposite band to said first arm (15), so that the bell crank (14) presents on its oscillation plane, which is perpendicularly oriented with respect to the bottom wall (21) of the first body, an essentially Z-like shape.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IT000736A ITTO20060736A1 (en) | 2006-10-13 | 2006-10-13 | LOCKING DEVICE FOR A DOOR OF A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE, IN PARTICULAR A PORT OF A WASHING MACHINE |
PCT/IB2007/003036 WO2008044132A2 (en) | 2006-10-13 | 2007-10-11 | Blocking device for the door of an electric household appliance, in particular the door of a washing machine |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2082086A2 EP2082086A2 (en) | 2009-07-29 |
EP2082086B1 true EP2082086B1 (en) | 2014-01-15 |
Family
ID=39205221
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP07848811.1A Active EP2082086B1 (en) | 2006-10-13 | 2007-10-11 | Blocking device for the door of an electric household appliance, in particular the door of a washing machine |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2082086B1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101469049B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101506426B (en) |
IT (1) | ITTO20060736A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2008044132A2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP2123819A1 (en) * | 2008-05-22 | 2009-11-25 | Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V. | Electronic control device for an electric household appliance with an access door |
US10597904B2 (en) | 2013-01-17 | 2020-03-24 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Appliance lock with voltage encoded wiring |
CN105624977A (en) * | 2014-11-25 | 2016-06-01 | 伊利诺斯工具制品有限公司 | Door lock and top-loading washer |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
IT8236051V0 (en) * | 1982-10-04 | 1982-10-04 | Texas Instruments Italia Spa | IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY LOCKING DEVICES FOR WASHING MACHINE DOORS AND SIMILAR OPERATION BY BIMETAL WITH VOLTMETRIC HEATING |
GB2196689B (en) | 1984-06-22 | 1988-10-19 | Texas Instruments Italia Spa | Delayed-release door lock |
DE3534856A1 (en) * | 1985-09-30 | 1987-04-02 | Eltek Spa | ELECTROHYDRAULIC DEVICE FOR INTERLOCKING AND "DELAYING" THE FILLING AND EMPTYING DOOR OF A WASHING MACHINE |
SI20537A (en) * | 2000-03-23 | 2001-10-31 | Metalflex | Electric switching assembly for security device preparation within an appliance |
EP1340870B1 (en) | 2002-02-27 | 2009-11-18 | emz-Hanauer GmbH & Co. KGaA | Unit with shape memory metal actuator for doorlocks of domestic appliances |
SI21888A (en) * | 2004-10-06 | 2006-04-30 | Itw Metalflex D.O.O. Tolmin | Safety lock of doors in household appliances |
-
2006
- 2006-10-13 IT IT000736A patent/ITTO20060736A1/en unknown
-
2007
- 2007-10-11 CN CN2007800317698A patent/CN101506426B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2007-10-11 EP EP07848811.1A patent/EP2082086B1/en active Active
- 2007-10-11 KR KR1020097007463A patent/KR101469049B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2007-10-11 WO PCT/IB2007/003036 patent/WO2008044132A2/en active Application Filing
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN101506426B (en) | 2011-12-07 |
ITTO20060736A1 (en) | 2008-04-14 |
WO2008044132A2 (en) | 2008-04-17 |
KR101469049B1 (en) | 2014-12-04 |
KR20090078797A (en) | 2009-07-20 |
EP2082086A2 (en) | 2009-07-29 |
CN101506426A (en) | 2009-08-12 |
WO2008044132A3 (en) | 2008-08-21 |
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