EP0891524A1

EP0891524A1 - Freezer

Info

Publication number: EP0891524A1
Application number: EP97918117A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roland Maier; Hans-Reinhardt Janssen; Werner Reichel; Ernst Göckelmann; Werner Lang
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeraete GmbH
Current assignee: BSH Hausgeraete GmbH
Priority date: 1996-04-11
Filing date: 1997-04-07
Publication date: 1999-01-20
Anticipated expiration: 2017-04-07
Also published as: ES2142153T3; TR199801876T2; CN1216101A; DE29606605U1; ATE187816T1; EP0891524B1; CN1135347C; DE59700851D1; BR9709118A; WO1997038273A1; GR3032922T3

Abstract

The invention concerns a freezer (10) with a housing (11) fitted with a door (14) having a rotatably mounted handle (20) designed as a twin-armed lever, the lever having a longer arm (21) which is gripped by the hand to open the door (14) and a shorter arm (22) which presses against the housing (11) when the handle is operated. Fixed to the door is a mounting element (50) with a least one guide (51) which extends up to the side of the longer arm (21), engages in a countersupport (27) on this arm (21) and holds the door handle (20) securely about its axis of rotation over essentially the whole of its angle of rotation.

Description

Refrigerator

The invention relates to a cold device with a door attached to its heat-insulating housing, on which a rotatably mounted door handle designed as a two-arm lever is arranged, which has a longer lever arm serving as a handle for opening the door and a shorter one. lever arm supporting the housing when the handle is actuated

In the case of cold appliances, in particular in the case of freezers equipped with large-area doors, one has started to equip the doors with door opening aids in order to facilitate their opening. These are either partially as a magnet seal of the doors from the opening edge of the housing serving as their anchor lifting mechanism or designed as a two-armed lever, due to its longer lever arm serving as a handle, the force required to open the door is significantly reduced due to its lever length. The last-mentioned possibility of reducing the door opening force is known from German utility model 18 11 327 A two-armed lever is shown and described, which is rotatably attached to the front of an isoherture and whose longer lever arm serves as a handle, while the shorter lever arm acts either on an imprint rod or on an imprint fitting to open the door

The invention has for its object, based on this prior art, to propose a fastening for a door handle according to the preamble of claim 1, on the basis of which the door handle with simple constructive means on the one thin-walled housing jacket and door body formed therein heat insulation material is largely rigid.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that a holding element is detachably fixed to the door, which has at least one guide section extending from the axis of rotation to the side of the longer lever arm, which engages in a counter-guide provided on this lever arm and the door handle is supported at least approximately over the range of its angle of rotation in the direction of its axis of rotation.

The solution according to the invention provides a fastening measure for a two-arm door handle to be arranged on a heat-insulating door of a refrigerator, which specifically applies the forces exerted on the holding element in the form of a force on the longer lever arm serving as a handle, especially when it is operated unintentionally, improperly Surface load can be introduced to the door housing. As a result, an almost punctiform deformation of the door housing, possibly causing it at the point of introduction of the force, which both impairs functionality, can always be reliably avoided over the entire angle of rotation of the door handle, and damage to the door handle due to selective overstressing. In addition, such a solution is also suitable for a simple and time-saving change of stop for the door, since the releasably fixed holding element can be fastened to the loose side of the door without great assembly effort.

According to a preferred embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the holding element has a sickle-like extension on its guide section, which serves to extend the guide section interacting with the counter-guide and which is able to plunge into a pocket-like receptacle provided on the door handle, with which it engages in a form-fitting manner cooperates in the direction of the axis of rotation of the door handle.

By such a measure, an even more favorable force transmission of the actuating force acting on the longer lever arm of the door handle to the holding element is achieved in a simple manner, whereby the axis of rotation of the door handle is largely relieved

ERSATZBUVTT (RULE 26) and thus an almost selective power transmission via the axis of rotation to the door housing on the one hand and to the door handle on the other hand is avoided.

The transfer of the actuating force introduced on the longer lever arm during the opening process of the door onto the door handle into a surface load on the door housing and on the door handle takes place particularly safely and over a large area if, according to a next advantageous embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the door handle next to the opposite guide a counter guide is arranged on its longer lever arm also on its shorter lever arm, which interacts in a form-fitting manner at least via the angle of rotation of the door handle with a further guide section on the holding element in the direction of the axis of rotation of the door handle.

In terms of production technology, particularly inexpensive, but nevertheless with sufficient guiding precision, guiding sections can be produced if, according to a further preferred embodiment of the subject of the invention, it is provided that the guiding sections on the holding element are designed as two guide tabs which are approximately opposite one another.

A particularly large area of action for generating a surface load on the door body and on the door handle is achieved by the guide straps if, according to a next advantageous embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the free ends of the guide straps on the holding element face away from one another.

According to a next advantageous embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, it is provided that the guide tabs on the holding element are produced by the same, step-like deposition of the narrower edge sections of a flat profile plate.

The advantage of such a solution is to be seen in the fact that an inexpensive semi-finished product can be used to manufacture the holding element, in which the depth of guidance is determined in a simple manner by the offset. In addition, such a holding element enables a particularly space-saving construction.

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26) The guide tabs on the holding element are guided particularly precisely and precisely if, according to a next preferred embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the guide sections formed as guide tabs on the holding element are able to engage in counter-guides embodied as groove-like receptacles on the door handle and with them one in the direction form the positive axis acting.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, it is provided that the holding element and the door handle are detachably fixed on the side surface opposite the stop side of the door.

With such a solution, the door handle together with the holding element can also be remounted by the operator of the refrigeration device with reasonable assembly outlay when the door stop needs to be changed. In addition, a door handle fixed at this position of the refrigerator door is particularly favorable for an operator to handle.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the holding element is detachably arranged on the visible surface of the side surface opposite the stop side of the door and is covered by the door handle.

Such a solution is distinguished on the one hand by its particularly high ease of installation and on the other hand by its inconspicuous and aesthetic integration into the door body as a result of the cover.

According to a preferred embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the door handle has a receptacle in which the shorter stirrup leg of a bow-shaped spring which forces the door handle into its rest position is force-fitted, which is largely covered by the holding element and which coincides with their longer bracket leg on the holding element, on the side facing the shorter lever arm of the door handle supports.

As a result of such a configuration, the door handle is automatically brought into its initial position after its actuation in order to open the door, so that one is in perfect condition The door handle position preventing the refrigerator door from being closed is always safely avoided. In addition, an extremely space-saving arrangement of the spring is possible due to the points of attack chosen for the spring.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the door handle comprises an angled section with its fulcrum by which the shorter lever arm of the door handle and part of its longer lever arm are formed, one leg for fastening the door handle serves on the visible surface, while the other leg runs essentially parallel to the front surface of the door and is provided with the handle.

A solution of this type ensures that the handle of the door handle does not provide against the door side cheek and against the side surfaces of the housing and the space requirement of the device thereby increases unnecessarily. Furthermore, this solution does not make access to the door handle more difficult by a piece of furniture directly connected to the refrigerator.

A door handle which can be attached to the door in a particularly pleasing manner, but which is dimensionally stable due to the shorter angled arm, results if, according to a further preferred embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the angularly shaped section has two unequal long arms, one of which is the longer arm is designed as a cover covering the holding element and comprising the counter-guide for the holding element, while the shorter leg runs essentially parallel to the front surface of the door and is provided with the handle.

A door handle that is inexpensive to manufacture and yet particularly dimensionally stable results if, according to a last preferred embodiment of the object of the invention, it is provided that the door handle is made of plastic injection molding and reinforced with mineral substances.

The invention is explained in the following description with reference to an embodiment shown in simplified form in the accompanying drawing. Show it:

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26) 1 shows a household freezer cabinet with a door handle arranged on its open door and designed as a two-armed lever in a spatial representation from the front,

2 in a detail enlarged compared to FIG. 3, the door in the region of the door handle in a side view from the left,

3 shows, in a front view, the section of the door shown in FIG. 2 with the door handle arranged thereon, in the region of its holding element serving to hold the door, partially broken away,

4 shows the door with the door handle arranged thereon, partially broken open, in a view from above and

5 shows a section of the door handle in the disassembled state from the door, shown partially broken away, with its holding element arranged thereon, in a side view from the right

According to FIG. 1, a household freezer cabinet 10 is shown, the heat-insulating housing 11 of which has a freezer space 12, which is used to hold stacked freezer-type containers 13 and which is accessible via an access opening on the housing 11. The access opening is Can be covered by a door 14 attached to the housing 11, which in the covered state rests elastically on the edge of the access opening via a magnetic seal 15. To open the door, a door handle 20 rotatably mounted thereon is provided on its side wall 16 opposite the stop side

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 2, the door handle 21 is designed as a two-armed lever, the lever arms 21 and 22 of which have a different lever length 11 and 12 with respect to the axis of rotation formed by the pivot bearing, the lever arm 22 being equipped with the shorter lever length 12 is formed as a two-armed lever door handle 20 is formed from a tubular section with an approximately elliptical cross-section and an adjoining angular section, which consists of an angle profile 23 This includes the shorter lever arm 22 and forms

ERSÄΓZBUTT (RULE 26) a part of the longer lever arm 21, which is supplemented by its tubular section serving as a handle for its lever length 11 and which reduces the opening force when opening the door 14 by the ratio of the lever length of the shorter lever arm 22 to that of the longer lever arm Comprehensive angle profile 23 is formed from legs 24 and 25 of unequal length, essentially at right angles to one another, of which the shorter leg 24 is connected to the tubular section of the door handle 20 and is executed towards the stop side of the door 14 and is oriented essentially parallel to the front surface thereof (See FIG. 4) The longer leg 25 of the angle profile 23 runs parallel to the side cheek 16 opposite the stop side of the door 14 and has a receptacle 26 designed as a through hole, which extends towards the outside of the longer leg 25 facing away from the side cheek 16 gradually expanded (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4)

The longer leg 25 of the angular profile 23, as can be seen in particular from FIGS. 3 and 5, is provided on its inside facing the side wall 16 with guide grooves arranged close to the side edges of the leg 25 running perpendicular to the lever arms 21 and 22, the free end of which of the longer leg 25 facing end is equipped with a discharge opening, not shown, and the groove opening facing each other and directed towards the receptacle 26. The groove width of the guide grooves is limited by lateral wall surfaces serving as counter-guides 27, one of which through the side wall 16 facing inwards The side of the longer leg 25 is formed, while the wall surfaces opposite these are each provided on a strip-like wall section 28 or 29. Immediately below the wall section 28, a pocket-like receptacle 30 is provided (see FIG. 5), the pocket opening of which opens towards the free end of the longer Sc Handle 25 is directed and the walls enclosing the pocket space are formed closed-walled, the width of the pocket towards the longer leg 25 being limited by the inside serving as a guide surface. The pocket-like receptacle 30 is connected to a continuous stiffening rib 31 which extends to the lower-lying wall section 29 and which connects one Vertical section 32 running parallel to the free end of the longer leg 25 and a section 33 arranged inclined thereto, the wall surfaces of which facing the free end of the leg 25 serve as stop faces. The stiffening rib 31

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26) bounded together with the pocket-like receptacle 30 and the wall sections 28 and 29, an intermediate space 34 which is open towards the free end of the leg 25. At the free end of the leg 25, on the lower leg side in the installed position, diagonally opposite the pocket-like receptacle 30, a push-off cam 35 is provided, which can be molded on the free end of the leg 25, for example, or which, as in the present case, is designed as an insert, whose material properties are optimized for wear and friction with regard to the forcing partner. For the purpose of its attachment, the insert part is provided with a holding section 36 which can be non-positively inserted into a receiving pocket (not shown in detail, which is only open towards the free end of the leg 25) and is positively supported against the insertion direction by the receiving pocket. The holding section 36 is adjoined by a cam part 37, the free end of which is equipped with a cam contour 38 which projects beyond the free end of the leg 25, the height of the projection depending on the different package heights of the magnetic seals 15 in order to obtain an essentially is coordinated with approximately the same cam stroke in relation to all package heights.

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 5, a plinth-like plateau 40 is provided above the push-off cam 35, within the intermediate space 34, which has a holding groove 41 which is inclined in accordance with the stiffening rib section 33 and is open towards the side wall 16 and leads to the wall section 29 a stop wall 42 is closed, while its end facing the wall section 28 merges into a circular ring segment 43 arranged concentrically around the receptacle 26, the ring width of which is enlarged compared to the groove width of the holding groove 41. A leg of an essentially U-shaped bow spring 44 can be inserted non-positively into the holding groove 41, the correct position of which is determined by the end face of the fixed leg striking the stop wall 42. The base adjoining the fixed leg of the U-shaped bow spring 44 is arranged in the fastening state of the bow spring within the circular ring segment 43 with play to its walls determining its width, while the leg of the bow spring not projecting projects into the intermediate space 34. This serves to receive a holding element 50, which is formed from a flat, professional plate with an essentially rectangular front view and which has narrow sides of unequal length, which are stepped. By setting down a step height is created, that of the height

ERSATZBUπ (RULE 26) corresponds to the plateau 40, so that the holding element 50 arranged in the intermediate space 34 is supported on the plateau 40 with its inside facing it. Furthermore, through the step-like deposition of the end faces of the holding element 50 parallel to its plate body, with their free ends facing away from one another, guide sections 51 are formed, which are able to cooperate with the counter-guides 27, whereby the door handle 20 and the handle element 50 in the direction of the axis of rotation of the door handle 20 are positively connected to one another (see also FIG. 3). The holding element 50 has differently shaped longer rectangular sides, the longer rectangular side facing the free end of the leg 25 in the installed position of the holding element 50 being equipped with an angled portion 52 arranged above its height, the inside of which faces the plateau 40 as a thrust bearing 53 for the in the space 34 projecting leg of the bow spring 44 is used. The other of the two longer sides of the rectangle of the holding element 50 has a step-like profile, the largest step height of which is generated by a sickle-like extension 54, over the length of which is dependent on its step depth, the guide section 51 continues and its step height is matched to the height of the pocket-like receptacle 30 is so that the sickle-like extension 54 is able to dip into it and cooperates with it in a positive manner in the direction of the axis of rotation of the door handle 20. Immediately below the crescent-shaped extension 54 there is a stop piece 55 equipped with a straight edge contour, which is followed by a next stop piece 56 with a straight edge contour in the direction of the lower-lying guide section 51, which is arranged set back in relation to the former (see in particular FIG. 5).

The holding element 50 is provided between its two guide sections 51, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, with three through bores arranged vertically one above the other, on which the two arranged near the guide sections 51 serve as fastening bores 57, while those between them arranged, designed as a bearing bore 58.

Fastening screws equipped with a countersunk head can be introduced into the fastening bores 57, the shaft of which, provided with an external thread, for fastening the holding element 50 to the side cheek 16 interacts with a nut thread, which in one for stabilizing the side cheek 16 in the region of the neck -

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26) Teelements 50 serving reinforcing part 60 is molded, which is introduced into the interior of the door body as a backing part (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4). The bearing bore 58 arranged between the fastening bores 57 serves for the rotatable mounting of the door handle 20 on the side wall 16, with a fitting screw 61 being provided for the purpose of the pivot bearing, the screw head of which is arranged within the receptacle 26 in the installed state and the screw shaft with its central portion of the bearing bore 58 penetrates, while its externally threaded end portion cooperates with a female thread in the reinforcing part 60.

In the state attached to the side wall 16, the door handle 20 is carried by the holding element 50, which for this purpose dips with its guide sections 51 into the counter guide 27 and holds the door handle 20 positively in the direction of its axis of rotation formed by the fitting screw 61. The door handle 20 is forced into its rest position I by the bow spring 44, which is pre-tensioned on the side wall 16 in the installed state of the door handle 20, which is determined by the striking of the reinforcing rib section 32 on the stop piece 55 and in which the shorter leg 24 of the door handle 20 is arranged parallel to the front surface of the door 14. To open the door 14, the door handle 20 is pivoted about the fitting screw 61 serving as the axis of rotation and brought into its working position II, which is signaled by the striking of the edge strip section 33 on the stop piece 56. When the door handle 20 is released, it automatically pivots back into its rest position I due to the pretensioned bow spring 44.

In the event that a door stop change becomes necessary, the fitting screw 61 is to be loosened and the door handle 20 is pulled off in a direction parallel to the side wall 16, as a result of which the guide sections 51 of the holding element 50 come out of engagement with the counter-guides 27. Subsequently, the holding element is released from the side wall 16 by loosening the fastening screws 59 and, after the door stop has been changed, is mounted on the pivotable side wall of the door 14, in which case both the sickle-like extension 54 of the holding element 50 and that as a handle serving tubular section of the door handle 50 is arranged in the direction of the base of the freezer 10. In both assembly cases of the door handle 20, the flexibility of its longer lever arm 21 is determined by the

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26) conclusive interaction of the sickle-like extension 54 with the pocket-like receptacle 30 is significantly reduced.

It goes without saying that the construction of the door handle 20 and its holder on the side walls 16 of the door 14 can also be applied to a so-called side-by-side combination, in which the free, pivotable door walls face one another, one such a device type one of the door handles 20 with its tubular section is directed towards the base of the device and the other door handle 20 with its tubular section is directed towards the ceiling of the device housing.

ERSATZBUπ (RULE 26)

Claims

1. Refrigeration device with a door attached to its heat-insulating housing, on which a rotatably mounted door handle designed as a two-armed lever is arranged, which has a longer lever arm serving as a handle for opening the door and a shorter arm when the handle is actuated Has housing supporting lever arm, characterized in that a holding element (50) is detachably fixed to the door (14), which has at least one guide section (51) extending from the axis of rotation to the side of the longer lever arm (21), which in a counter guide (27) provided on this lever arm (21) engages and supports the door handle (20) in a form-fitting manner at least approximately over the region of its angle of rotation in the direction of its axis of rotation.

2. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding element (50) on its guide section (51) has a sickle-like extension (54) which serves to extend the guide section (51) cooperating with the counter-guide (27) and which is able to dive into a pocket-like receptacle (30) provided on the door handle (20), with which it interacts in a form-fitting manner in the direction of the axis of rotation of the door handle (20)

3. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that on the door handle in addition to the counter-guide (27) on its longer lever arm (21) and on its shorter lever arm (22) a counter-guide (27) is arranged, which at least over the Angle of rotation of the door handle (20) interacts positively with another guide section (51) on the holding element (50) in the direction of the axis of rotation of the door handle (20)

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26) Cold device according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the guide sections (51) on the holding element (50) are designed as two guide tabs which are approximately opposite one another

Cold device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the free ends of the guide tabs on the holding element (50) face away from one another

Cold appliance according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the guide tabs are produced by a step-like deposition of the narrower edge sections of a flat-profile plate

Cold appliance according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the guide sections (51) on the holding element (50) designed as guide tabs are able to engage in counter-guides (27) on the door handle (20) designed as groove-like receptacles and one with these in the direction form interlocking acting on the axis of rotation

Cold appliance according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the holding element (50) and the door handle (20) are detachably fixed on the side surface (16) opposite the stop side of the door (14)

Cold appliance according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the holding element (50) is arranged detachably on the visible surface of the side surface (16) opposite the stop side of the door (14) and is covered by the door handle (20)

Cold appliance according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the door handle (20) has a retaining groove (41) into which a bow leg of a spherical spring (44) which forces the door handle (20) into its rest position I is inserted with a force fit which is largely covered by the holding element (50) and which is supported with its other bow leg on the holding element (50) on its side facing the shorter lever arm (22) of the door handle (20)

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26) 11. Refrigerating appliance according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the door handle (20) comprises an angularly formed, its pivot point aufwei¬ send section (23) through which the shorter lever arm (22) of the door handle (20) and a Part of its longer lever arm (21) is formed, one leg of the angle profile (23) for fastening the door handle (20) and the other leg in the rest position I of the door handle (20) extending substantially parallel to the front surface of the door (11).

12. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 11, characterized in that the angularly shaped portion (23) has two legs of different lengths, of which the longer leg (25) than the holding element (50) covering, the counter-guides (27) for the holding element (50) having receptacle (34) is formed, while the shorter leg (24) in the rest position I of the door handle (20) runs essentially parallel to the front surface of the door (14) and is provided with the handle.

REPLACEMENT BUTT (RULE 26)