EP0159219B1 - Indicating device with preselection for its programmer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to programmers, used in particular in washing machines or dishes, in which the program cams, which can be driven automatically in rotation, comprise several programs established successively and a manual control element, actuable by rotation to choose one of these programs.

In known programmers of this kind, such as that described in French patent FR-A-1,135,030, the control element is constituted by an operating button actuable in rotation in a preferential direction, integral with a first cam selection comprising as many peripheral hollows as there are successive programs on the integral assembly of the program cams. When the button is actuated in rotation, the first selection cam after a certain angular play, catches up with a second selection cam of identical profile, the hollows of which are then superimposed on those of the first cam. The beak of a lever disposed opposite the superimposed profiles of the cams is free to fall successively into all of the recesses provided on the periphery of the selection cams during their manually controlled rotation. At each of these falls controlled in a hollow, the lever controls the closing of an electrical contact triggering by a motor, the accelerated rotation of the cams; after each fall, the lever is lifted by a relief controlling the opening of the contact and the interruption of the accelerated rotation of the program cams.

This programmer has drawbacks because, during the operation of selecting the chosen program, the user who turns the operating button, must overcome higher mechanical resistance at the location of each selection position before which the selection cams are trained without stopping; the irregularity of the resistance encountered by the user makes it difficult to precisely position the operating button on the chosen program. In addition, the successive drops of the lever in the hollow of the cams cause, in addition to a sensory inconvenience of the user, unnecessary wear of the mechanical and especially electrical elements of the programmer, whose contacts, during the maneuver, are indeed brought to close and open a large number of times causing the brief but untimely start-up of certain parts of the machine.

The programmer according to the invention makes it possible to avoid these drawbacks. In this one, in fact, the selection means which can be actuated manually in rotation are such that the user only has to overcome a low mechanical resistance at the start of the rotation of the operating button, this rotation then being obtained by performing only a weak and constant effort, the contact triggering the accelerated rotation of the cam programs being actuated only once. The programmer, object of the invention, comprises a rotary selection member secured to an operating axis, the angular positioning of which makes it possible to choose one of the successive programs from all of the program cams, themselves capable of be moved automatically in rapid and continuous rotation; it further comprises, a control member cooperating with said rotary selection member and axially movable relative to said set of program cams, means for causing the axial displacement of said control member in one or the other of the two positions with respect to said set of program cams, a first and a second contact with which said control member cooperates indirectly in a first and a second position respectively and means for allowing said selection member to be rotated by said member mobile control acting in said first position.

• La figure 1 représente, en coupe axiale, la partie d'un programmateur multiprogrammes comportant un dispositif de commande et d'affichage sélectifs conforme à la présente invention.
• Les figures 2 et 3 représentent, vu selon l'axe principal de fonctionnement, des agencements organiques particuliers du programmateur de la figure 1.
• La figure 4 représente un détail grossi de l'agencement organique des figures précédentes.
• La figure 5 représente schématiquement la succession des étapes fonctionnelles d'un agencement organique particulier du dispositif de la figure 1.

The invention will be clearly understood on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment illustrated by the appended drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 represents, in axial section, the part of a multi-program programmer comprising a selective control and display device according to the present invention.
• Figures 2 and 3 show, seen along the main operating axis, specific organic arrangements of the programmer of Figure 1.
• Figure 4 shows an enlarged detail of the organic arrangement of the previous figures.
• FIG. 5 schematically represents the succession of functional steps of a particular organic arrangement of the device of FIG. 1.

The device of FIG. 1 makes it possible to carry out the program preselection of a washing machine by a display maneuver requiring only a small and constant manual effort. It is in fact, by means of a simple mechanism, controlled manually by the user, to establish the power contact of an electric micromotor which by means of a mechanical reduction gear will drive in rotation continues the programmer's cam block to quickly bring it to the starting position of one of the programs initially chosen by the normal display.

Once this position is reached, the device controls the sudden reversal of the contact in order to restore the normal operating circuit of the programmer in step-by-step rotation by means of a suitable motor mechanism not shown.

Thus, when the user turns the manual display button fixed on axis 1 to bring it to the position corresponding to the start of the chosen program, it drives the positioning cam 2 integral in rotation with the axis 1 as well as the lever 3 articulated on the cam 2.

The lever 3 further comprises a spout 4 having an inclined lateral flank which, by a guide opening formed in the cam 2 cooperates by engagement with a single notch formed on an annular track 10 itself secured to the cam block 9 movable in rapid and continuous rotation thanks to the gear motor 8. When the latter is not supplied and that consequently the cam block is immobilized in rotation by its gear with the gear motor 8, the manual force of rotation exerted on the axis 1 and the cam 2 being transmitted to the lever 3, will tend to cause the spout 4 to come out of the notch by the reaction due to the relative inclination of the bearing flanks, to bring it to the top of the track 10 by causing thus the axial displacement of the lever 3. The latter then acting on the movable contact 7 via the multiplier lever 5 and the return lever 6, will cause the reversing of the contactor element which controls respectively in one or the other of the contact positions A and B either the supply of the drive motor at normal speed, step by step, of the programmer or the supply of the motor 8 which thus drives the cam block 9 at continuous and rapid speed to bring it into the position angular corresponding to the chosen program.

This amounts to saying that the beak 4 of the lever 3 will join the notch of the track 10 and return to its initial position, thus releasing the movable contact 7 by means of the levers 3, 5 and 6 to again cause the reverser of the contactor. motor control and starting the selected program.

In order to obtain a rapid reversal of the movable contact 7 guaranteeing safe operation of the display device, it is necessary that the axial movement of the lever 3 determined at the end of the take-up course by the fall of the spout 4 in the notch of the track 10, takes place clearly and almost instantaneously.

For this, provision has been made to give the spout 4 and the associated light of the cam 2 a particular shape, which prohibits the engagement of the spout 4 in the notch of the track 10 before the angular position of the cam block 9 n 'has joined and therefore exactly coincides with the displayed start position of the selected program.

To do this, the spout 4, in addition to having an inclined flank imposing on it, during the manual display action, an axial reaction of release from the notch (FIG. 4) also has a cross section of shape. particular rounded imposing a slight radial movement of elastic reaction under the effect of the manual rotation imparted to the cam 2 from the display button acting on the axis 1. This radial movement of the spout 4 is allowed thanks to a certain degree of freedom provided in the articulation of the lever 3 on the rim of the cam 2 as well as in the presence of the return spring 11 which tends, by decompression, to bring the lever 3 and its spout 4 back to the initial position.

• A - Le bec 4 du levier 3 poussé par le ressort 11 est maintenu au travers de la lumière profilée de la came 2 en position de repos dans l'encoche 10.
• B - Lorsqu'on agit sur le bouton de manoeuvre, le levier 3 tourne avec la came 2 et l'axe 1, forçant ainsi le bec 4 à sortir de l'encoche 10 par effet de rampe et à subir une poussée radicale contre l'action du ressort 11 par l'effet créé - par les formes arrondies complémentaires du bec 4 jouant dans la lumière de la came 2.
• C - Une fois sorti de l'encoche 10, le bec 4 reprendra sa position initiale sous la poussée du ressort 11.
• D - Lorsque l'encoche 10 du bloc came 9 mû par le moteur 8 rejoindra le bec 4 du levier 3, la chute de ce dernier, dûe à la présentation de la rampe inclinée, sera momentanément empêchée par la saillie arrondie du bec 4 tant qu'elle est angulairement décalée par rapport à la lumière profilée de la came 2. Ainsi, ce n'est que lorsque les deux formes correspondantes du bec et de la lumière seront en exacte coîncidence angulaire que seront autorisées la chute brusque du levier 3 dans l'encoche 10 et, de ce fait, indirectement l'inversion instantanée du contacteur 7.

The successive stages of operation are as follows (fig. 5):

• A - The spout 4 of the lever 3 pushed by the spring 11 is held through the profiled lumen of the cam 2 in the rest position in the notch 10.
• B - When the operating button is acted on, the lever 3 rotates with the cam 2 and the axis 1, thus forcing the spout 4 to come out of the notch 10 by ramp effect and to undergo a radical thrust against the action of the spring 11 by the effect created - by the complementary rounded shapes of the spout 4 playing in the lumen of the cam 2.
• C - Once out of the notch 10, the spout 4 will resume its initial position under the thrust of the spring 11.
• D - When the notch 10 of the cam block 9 driven by the motor 8 joins the spout 4 of the lever 3, the fall of the latter, due to the presentation of the inclined ramp, will be momentarily prevented by the rounded projection of the spout 4 that it is angularly offset with respect to the profiled light of the cam 2. Thus, it is only when the two corresponding shapes of the spout and the light are in exact angular coincidence that the abrupt fall of the lever 3 will be authorized the notch 10 and, therefore, indirectly the instantaneous reversal of the contactor 7.

An improvement in the program preselection device as described above makes it possible to manually display a position which does not exactly correspond to the start of the chosen program, but which is located in any intermediate position between two successive programs. To do this, the programmer must automatically position himself at the starting point of the program immediately following the displayed position.

It is also intended to obtain such an automatic operation to add (fig. 3) to the device according to the invention, a lever 12 for locking the lever 6, provided with a return spring, which cooperates with an auxiliary cam 13 integral of the cam block 9.

This cam 13 has on its periphery projections in number and in angular position corresponding to each starting point of the various programs provided on the cam block 9. Thus, when the operation of the axis 1 caused the actuation of the contact 7 by means of the levers 3, 5 and 6, a step of the lever 12 engages under the heel of the lever 6 to prevent it from releasing its action on the contact 7 until the cam block 9 has joined a program start position. At this moment the lever 12 via the cam 13 will release the lever 6 and the contact 7 causing, once again, its reversal and the return to normal service of the programmer.

Claims (1)

1. Programmer in which an assembly of program-cams (9) arranged for being moved automatically into rotation comprises several programs established successively and a rotatable selector element (2) fast with a driving axis of which the angular positioning enablas to choose one among the said programs, characterized in that it comprises:

   - a control lever (3) cooperating with the rotatable selector element (2) and axiably movable with respect to said assembly of program-cams (9);

   - means (10, 4, 2) for provoking the axial displacement of said control lever (3) into one or the other of two positions with respect to the assembly of program-cams (9);

   - a first and second contact with which the lever (3) cooperates indirectly, in a first and second position respectively;

   -means (10, 4, 2) for enabling the driving into rotation of the selector element (2) by the control lever (3) acting in said first position.

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