CN115148518A - Interlocking system with hinged connection for appliance door - Google Patents

Abstract

An oven door interlock system configured to selectively block a switch based on a position of an oven door may include: switch with a switch body (ii) a; a reference hinge attached to an oven door, the door movable between an open position and a closed position; and a locking mechanism connected to the switch via a lever, the locking mechanism including a hinge receiver connected to the reference hinge attached to the oven door, the reference hinge including a cam configured to move along a first axis in response to actuation at the oven door and to affect movement of the lever along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis at a position of the oven door to selectively block access to the switch when the oven door is in the open position.

Description

Interlocking system with hinged connection for appliance door

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application serial No. 63/168,630, filed on 31/3/2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an interlock system with a hinge connection for an appliance door.

Background

The door of the microwave oven allows access to the interior cavity for cooking. The door may include at least two door interlocks, at least one of which is hidden from the user. However, the demand for greater cooking capacity requires a larger cavity and, therefore, a larger door or flat door, which requires a different door panel design than conventional microwave ovens.

Disclosure of Invention

An oven door interlock system configured to selectively block a switch based on a position of an oven door may include: a switch; a reference hinge attached to an oven door, the door movable between an open position and a closed position; and a locking mechanism connected to the switch via a lever, the locking mechanism including a hinge receiver connected to the reference hinge attached to the oven door, the reference hinge including a cam configured to move along a first axis in response to actuation at the door and to affect movement of the lever along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis at a position of the oven door to selectively block access to the switch when the door is in the open position.

In one example, the locking mechanism includes a lever configured to rotate about a pin in response to the cam abutting at least a portion of the lever in response to movement of the cam along the first axis.

In another embodiment, the lever is secured to a first end of the lever opposite the pin.

In further examples, the lever includes at least one protrusion configured to abut the cam and force and cause the lever to rotate about the pin in response to the door being in an open or partially open position.

In one example, the cam includes a shaft and a step portion attached to the shaft.

In another embodiment, the hinge receiver defines a slot configured to receive the step portion, and wherein the step portion of the cam is configured to translate across the slot about the first axis in response to an actuation at the toaster door.

In further examples, the locking mechanism includes a lever connected to the rod at a first end and having a protrusion and rotatably secured to a pin at a second end.

In one example, the step portion is configured to abut the protrusion and rotate the lever to translate the rod along the second axis.

In another embodiment, the switch includes at least one switch cam configured to selectively engage with the lever, wherein the lever is configured to block the at least one switch cam when the door is in the open position.

In further examples, the at least one switch cam includes a first switch cam and a second switch cam.

An oven door interlock system may include a locking mechanism connected to a switch via a lever, the lever configured to selectively block the switch based on a position of an oven door, the locking mechanism including a hinge receiver connected to a reference hinge attached to the oven door, the reference hinge including a cam configured to move along a first axis in response to actuation at the door and affect movement of the lever along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis at a position of the oven door to selectively block access to the switch when the door is in the open position.

In one example, the reference hinge is attached to and movable with the oven door, which is movable between an open position and a closed position.

In another embodiment, the locking mechanism includes a lever configured to rotate about a pin in response to the cam abutting at least a portion of the lever in response to movement of the cam along the first axis.

In further examples, the lever is secured to a first end of the lever opposite the pin.

In one example, the lever includes at least one protrusion configured to abut the cam and force and cause the lever to rotate about the pin in response to the door being in an open or partially open position.

In another embodiment, the cam includes a shaft and a step portion attached to the shaft.

In further examples, the hinge receiver defines a slot configured to receive the step portion, and wherein the step portion of the cam is configured to translate across the slot about the first axis in response to an actuation at the toaster door.

In one example, the locking mechanism includes a lever connected to the rod at a first end and having a protrusion and rotatably secured to a pin at a second end.

In another embodiment, the step portion is configured to abut the protrusion and rotate the lever to translate the rod along the second axis.

In further examples, the switch includes at least one switch cam configured to selectively engage with the lever, wherein the lever is configured to block the at least one switch cam when the door is in the open position.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of an oven (such as a microwave oven) having an interlock system;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example interlock system having a locking mechanism and a switch interconnected by a lever;

FIG. 3A shows a side view of a portion of the interlock system of FIG. 2 with the door in a closed position;

FIG. 3B shows a side view of a portion of the interlock system of FIG. 2 with the door in a partially open position;

FIG. 3C shows a side view of a portion of the interlock system of FIG. 2 with the door in an open position;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example interlock switch having a first cam and a second cam;

figure 5 shows the arrangement at the top of the oven a perspective view of an example interlock switch of (a); and is

Fig. 6 shows a side view of the example interlock switch of fig. 4.

Detailed Description

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

Microwave ovens and ovens or combination ovens may heat and cook food via magnetrons or heating elements. To protect users from exposure to heat, radiation, or electromagnetic waves generated by these cooking elements, the oven door may require at least two door interlocks to prevent cooking when the oven door is opened. It may be desirable to hide at least one interlock device and provide user access to prevent tampering. Current ovens hide the interlock via the eyelid portion, rotating cam, etc. However, many of these mechanisms still allow a user to access the interlock.

In some ovens, a door-actuated switch may be used to prevent cooking when the door is open. That is, when the door is opened, the switch is activated, thus preventing activation of the cooking element. However, these typically require components to interface with the door, and may require an opening to be made in the front frame of the oven. However, for ovens with a front frame that serves as a capacitive access, or ovens with larger doors to accommodate larger capacity ovens, an opening at the front frame is not practical. For similar reasons, a hinged receiver directly connected to the door is also not practical in these situations.

A door interlock system disposed on an inner surface of a door for actuating a switch when the door is open includes a movable cam. The interlock system may be placed inside the door without the need for an opening in the front frame. The interlock system includes an actuator arm or rod connected to internal components of the door hinge that is configured to convert rotational movement of the door into vertical movement via a lever to block and unblock the switch. The hinge assembly includes a hinge connected to a cam that moves horizontally as the door is opened and closed. The cam includes a protrusion or step that rotates the lever upon actuation of the cam. The lever forces the rod to move vertically to actuate the switch and disable the cooking element.

Fig. 1 shows a side perspective view of an oven 100, such as a microwave oven, having an interlock system 104. Other types of ovens may also be included, such as conventional ovens, free standing and built-in ovens, electric ovens, gas ovens, convection ovens, steam ovens, air fryers, and the like. In a specific example herein, the oven may have a front frame that serves as a capacitive channel, but ovens that do not have this feature are also contemplated.

The oven 100 may include top, bottom, rear, and side walls that form a cavity with a door 106. Oven cavity 108 is configured to receive food via an access opening at door 106. Door 106 moves between an open position in which oven cavity 108 is accessible and a closed position in which door 106 seals the opening. To perform a cooking cycle, food is placed in oven cavity 108, door 106 is closed, and the magnetron or heating element is activated. During operation, microwave energy travels from the magnetron through the waveguide and is distributed into the oven cavity. This energy is transferred to the food via dielectric heating.

Oven cavity 108 may be made of a material such as stainless steel or enamel to prevent radiation from passing outside oven cavity 108. The door 106 may include a transparent window for viewing the food that is shielded from the passage of radiation by a metal mesh. Once the food has been heated, the magnetron is deactivated, the door 106 is reopened, and the food is removed. The door 106 may be hinged along the bottom of the oven 100, with the handle disposed at the top of the door 106, opposite the hinge.

The oven 100 may include an interlock system 104 to prevent the door 106 from being inadvertently opened during operation of the oven. The interlock system 104 may detect whether the door 106 is open or closed such that the magnetron or heating element is automatically deactivated if the door 106 is opened during a cooking cycle. Interlock system 104 may include a switch 110 disposed at or within the top of oven 100. The switch 110 may be actuated by a lever 114 extending between the switch 110 and the locking mechanism 112. The lever 114 may include an inverted U-shaped hook to block or unblock the trigger of the switch 110.

The locking mechanism 112 may be disposed at an end of the door 106 opposite the switch 110, e.g., at or near a base of the door 106. Although the switch 110 is shown at the top of the oven and the locking mechanism 112 is shown at the bottom, other opposite arrangements of the switch 110 and locking mechanism 112 are possible. Further, the switch 110 and the locking mechanism 112 may be disposed on opposite sides of the door 106. The arrangement of the switch and locking mechanism 112 may depend on the location of the hinge of the door 106.

When the door 106 is in the closed position, the locking mechanism 112 is in a resting position and the lever 114 is in a relaxed or lowered position. When the door 106 is in the open position, the locking mechanism 112 translates to the active position and causes the lever 114 to move laterally upward to activate the switch 110. When switch 110 is activated, switch 110 prevents any cooking elements from operating, and therefore, oven 100 may not perform a heating or otherwise run a cooking cycle when door 106 is open.

Fig. 2 shows an example interlock system 104 having a locking mechanism 112 and a switch 110 interconnected by a lever 114. In the example shown in fig. 2, the door 106 (not shown in fig. 2) is in a closed position. Interlock system 104 may include a hinge receiver 120 that is pivotably connected to reference hinge 118. The hinge receiver 120 is configured to interface with the door 106 and move relative to the door position. The hinge receiver 120 may be received by the reference hinge 118 and configured to pivot with the reference hinge 118 as the door 106 moves.

The reference hinge 118 may be a housing having a hollow interior and configured to receive the cam 122. The cam 122 may be disposed and housed within the reference hinge 118. The reference hinge 118 may define an opening 128 at a top of the reference hinge 118. The cam 122, which is at least partially received within the hollow interior of the reference hinge 118, may selectively extend at least partially through an opening 128 defined by the top of the reference hinge 118. The cam 122 may include a step portion 130 disposed at an end of a shaft 132. The step portion 130 may selectively extend out of the opening 128, while the shaft 132 is configured to remain within the reference hinge 118, but is visible through the opening 128.

During operation, the cam 122 can be configured to move laterally along the first axis X in response to the position of the hinge receiver 120. The cam 122 may translate along the first axis X when the hinge receiver 120 actuates or pivots at the reference hinge 118. That is, rotational movement caused by a change in door position may be translated into lateral movement of the cam 122 via the reference hinge 118.

The cam 122 is configured to abut the lever 140. The lever 140 may be attached at a first end to the rod 114 and at a second, different end to a pin 142 of a bracket 144. The lever 114 is configured to move along the second axis Y together with the joystick 140. That is, when the first end of the lever 140 is lifted, the lever 114 is also lifted and actuates the switch 110.

Bracket 144 may be secured to a support structure or frame 146 of oven 100. The bracket 144 may fit within an opening of the frame 146 to occupy less space and have a lower profile. The bracket 144 may be a plate-shaped bracket and have a notch 150 extending from a side facing the lever 140. The lever 140 may be configured to rotate about a pin 142. The lever 140 includes a protrusion 150 (best shown in fig. 3A-3C) on an underside of the lever 140 that is configured to selectively abut the stepped portion 130 of the cam 122.

The step portion 130 is configured to engage with the protrusion 150 when the door 106 is opened. The step portion 130 is slidable along the first axis and engages the protrusion 150. While sliding along the protrusion 150, the step portion 130 may force the first end of the operating lever 140 upward along the second axis Y, while the second end of the lever is hinged at pin 142. By lifting the second end of the lever 140, the rod 114 is lifted to actuate the switch 110 and prevent any cooking elements from remaining or becoming active when the door 106 is opened. Conversely, when the door 106 is in the closed position, the lever 114 is in the resting or lowered position and the switch 110 is inactive, thus allowing the cooking cycle to operate.

Fig. 3A shows a side view of a portion of the interlock system 104 with the door 106 in a closed position. In this example, the cam 122 is in a first position along the first axis in which the stepped portion 130 is disposed below the pin 142 and does not engage the protrusion 150 of the lever 140. The lever 114 is in a rest position and does not engage the switch 110 (not shown in fig. 3A).

Fig. 3B shows a side view of a portion of interlock system 104 with door 106 in a partially open position. In this example, the cam 122 translates laterally along the first axis X toward the door 106 such that the stepped portion 130 of the cam 122 begins to engage the protrusion 150 of the lever 140. Upon engagement with the protrusion 150, the second end of the lever 140 is forced upward along the second axis Y. This in turn raises the lever 114.

Fig. 3C shows a side view of a portion of interlock system 104 with door 106 in an open position. In this example, the cam 122 translates along the first axis X to a second position in which the stepped portion 130 is disposed to one side of the pin 142 and fully engages the protrusion 150 of the lever 140 such that the stepped portion 130 is disposed fully or nearly fully below the protrusion 150. In this position, the cam 122 forces the lever 140 to pivot about the pin 142, thereby forcing the second end of the lever 140 to further lift along the second axis Y to fully translate the rod 114.

Fig. 4 shows an example interlock switch 110 having a first switch cam 160 and a second switch cam 162. The first switch cam 160 may be spaced apart from the second switch cam 162. In one example, the lever 114 (not shown in fig. 4) may block at least one of the switch cams 160, 162. However, in another example, the plate 152 (as shown in fig. 5) may be attached to the lever 114 and may move vertically with the lever 114 to cause the switch cams 160, 162 to be blocked or obstructed. The only portion of the switch 110 that is accessible to the user may be a portion of the switch cams 160, 162, but can only be manipulated with extreme force or by disassembling the switch 110 to gain full access to the cams 160, 162. Thus, the customer cannot operate or approach the switch.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of an example interlock switch 110 disposed at the top of the oven 100. The third cam 166 may be disposed at a diagonal of the switch 110.

Fig. 6 shows a side view of the example interlock switch 110 of fig. 4. The switch 110 may be configured to lock the door and prevent the door from opening during cooking, or if the door is open, not allow cooking.

In the examples shown in fig. 2 and 3A-3C, the joystick 140 is not directly connected to the hinge receiver 120. The hinge receiver 120 includes a cam 122 having a stepped portion 130 that moves horizontally with actuation of the door. The stepped portion 130 is configured to rotate the operating lever 140 up and down. At the opposite end, the rod 126 is connected to the joystick and moves up and down as the cam 122 moves laterally within the hinge receiver 120. When the door 106 is opened, the lever 140 rotates to push the rod 126 upward, which in turn blocks the first switch cam 160 and the second switch cam 162. The first switch cam 160 may be disposed laterally spaced apart from the second switch cam 162. For this reason, the customer cannot push or access the cam on the front frame of oven cavity 108. Thus, when the door 106 is open, the switch cannot be triggered. The only accessible part of the switch 110 is the tip of the interlock, but can only be operated with great force. Thus, the customer cannot operate or approach the switch.

If the door 106 is to be closed, the lever 140 is moved downward, as is the rod 126. The lever disengages the first and second cams 160, 162 of the switch 110 and the switch is activated when the door is fully closed.

Thus, translation of the cam 122 at the cavity front frame toward and away from the door 106 can affect the state and activation of the switch 110. The cam 122 is received within the reference hinge 118 and interfaces with the hinge receiver 120. The hinge receiver 120 may be fixed to the door 106 or at least translatable relative to the position of the door 106. The cam 122 may convert rotational movement at the door into lateral translation via the lever 140. As the stepped portion 130 translates toward the front of the toaster 100, the operating lever 140 will push the rod 114 upward to lock the switch 110. The cam allows the association between the door opening and the vertical movement of the rod 114. No additional hooks or features on the door inner surface facing the cavity are required, thus providing a better user experience.

Unless expressly indicated to the contrary herein, all terms used in the claims are to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art as described herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as "a," "an," "the," "said," etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.

The abstract of the disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing detailed description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that: the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, features of various implemented embodiments may be combined to form additional embodiments of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. An oven door interlock system configured to selectively block a switch based on a position of an oven door, the oven door interlock system comprising:

a switch;

a reference hinge attached to the oven door, the oven door movable between an open position and a closed position; and

a locking mechanism connected to the switch via a lever, the locking mechanism including a hinge receiver connected to the reference hinge attached to the oven door, the reference hinge including a cam configured to move along a first axis in response to actuation at the door and to affect movement of the lever along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis at a position of the oven door to selectively block access to the switch when the oven door is in the open position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a lever configured to rotate about a pin in response to movement of the cam along the first axis in response to the cam abutting at least a portion of the lever.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the rod is secured to a first end of the lever opposite the pin.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the lever comprises at least one protrusion configured to abut the cam and force and cause the lever to rotate about the pin in response to the oven door being in an open or partially open position.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cam includes a shaft and a step portion attached to the shaft.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the hinge receiver defines a slot configured to receive the stepped portion, and wherein the stepped portion of the cam is configured to translate across the slot about the first axis in response to actuation at the toaster door.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a lever connected to the rod at a first end and having a protrusion and rotatably secured to a pin at a second end.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the step portion is configured to abut the protrusion and rotate the lever to translate the lever along the second axis.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch comprises at least one switch cam configured to selectively engage with the lever, wherein the lever is configured to block the at least one switch cam when the oven door is in an open position.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one switch cam comprises a first switch cam and a second switch cam.

11. An oven door interlock system, comprising:

a locking mechanism connected to a switch via a lever, the lever configured to selectively block the switch based on a position of the oven door,

the locking mechanism includes a hinge receiver connected to a reference hinge attached to the oven door, the reference hinge including a cam configured to move along a first axis in response to actuation at the oven door and to affect movement of the lever along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis at a position of the oven door to selectively block access to the switch when the oven door is in an open position.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the reference hinge is attached to and movable with the oven door, the oven door movable between the open and closed positions.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a lever configured to rotate about a pin in response to the cam abutting at least a portion of the lever in response to movement of the cam along the first axis.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the rod is secured to a first end of the lever opposite the pin.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the lever comprises at least one protrusion configured to abut the cam and force and cause the lever to rotate about the pin in response to the oven door being in an open or partially open position.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the cam includes a shaft and a step portion attached to the shaft.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the hinge receiver defines a slot configured to receive the stepped portion, and wherein the stepped portion of the cam is configured to translate across the slot about the first axis in response to actuation at the toaster door.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a lever connected to the rod at a first end and having a protrusion and rotatably secured to a pin at a second end.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the step portion is configured to abut the protrusion and rotate the lever to translate the lever along the second axis.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the switch comprises at least one switch cam configured to selectively engage with the lever, wherein the lever is configured to block the at least one switch cam when the oven door is in an open position.

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