EP1599650A1

EP1599650A1 - Sealing device for the door of large-size kitchen appliances

Info

Publication number: EP1599650A1
Application number: EP04717594A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lutz Riefenstein; Hannes Wild
Original assignee: Convotherm Elektrogeraete GmbH
Current assignee: Welbilt Deutschland GmbH
Priority date: 2003-03-05
Filing date: 2004-03-05
Publication date: 2005-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 2024-03-05
Also published as: WO2004081324A1; DE10309594A1; DE10309594B4; EP1599650B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealing device (1) for a door (2) of large-size kitchen appliances (G), comprising a door lock (5) that is connected in a torsion-proof manner to a door handle (4). Said door lock (5) is provided with a locking surface (6) that is inclined by a minimum and an maximum degree of inclination which becomes effective by twisting the door handle (4) relative to an opposite surface (8) of a rotatably mounted closing element (7) into a defined final door handle position (E) in order to bring the door (2) into the closed position (S). In order to allow the door (2) to be opened in an emergency, the closing element (7) is pretensioned into the closed position thereof so as to be springy in a transnational manner and can be pressed into an open position in an emergency by applying a certain pressure on the door (2) from the interior of the appliance (G).

Description

Description Locking device for the door of commercial kitchen appliances

The invention relates to a locking device for the door of commercial kitchen appliances, in particular cooking appliances, such as combi steamers or convection ovens, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a closure device is known from EP 1 111 175 AI. The known locking device has a door handle which is connected to a spring clip which forms a locking element. A locking pin is attached to the device housing. Depending on the design of the locking pin, the door should be able to be opened with one or two pivoting movements of the handle.

A disadvantage of this construction is the need for a large cavity in the door or on the device, which entails a high risk of contamination. Furthermore, due to its filigree structure, the spring clip is a relatively susceptible to damage. An emergency opening of the known locking device from the interior of the device, which is usually required, is not possible with this construction. Finally, the locking pin and the spring clip represent parts placed on the door leaf or on the appliance side, which entails a certain risk of injury.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a closure device of the angege in the preamble of claim 1 ^¬ surrounded way to create, which is of simple and reliable and secure closing of the door of the device in a sealed position allows and thereby also open from the inside leaves. This object is achieved by the features of claim 1.

The fact that the door latch is connected to the door handle in a rotationally fixed manner and the door latch has a latch surface with a slope with a maximum and minimum slope value makes it possible to securely close the door provided with the locking device according to the present invention by a rotary movement of the door handle into the sealed closed position transfer, since the locking surface can be moved from its maximum slope value on the counter surface of the device-side closing element in the direction of the minimum slope value, whereby the door can be reliably brought into the sealed closed position by compressing the device-side door seal. A particular advantage of this design is that the door's closed position is signaled by the rotary movement of the door handle from a neutral position to the defined end position, so that the operating personnel can visually determine that the device is ready for operation simply by checking this position of the door handle.

By arranging the locking element about an at least approximately vertical axis and by biasing the locking element in its locked position, it is possible to first close the door provided with the locking device according to the invention, whereby the axially spring-loaded locking element is turned back by the door latch and then spring back out into its locked position returns. This makes it possible to hold the door in a so-called lifting position, in which the door is usually open a few millimeters in order to make it possible, for example, for steam to escape and for pressure compensation. From this lifting position, the door can then, as described above, can be transferred to the final sealed position with the help of the non-rotatably mounted door latch.

In the lifting position, the door handle can be held in a neutral position, for example horizontally, by a spring preload, which also represents a visual display of the closed state of the door.

In order to make an emergency opening of the door possible from the interior of the device, the closing element is preferably biased into its locked position transversely to the closing direction of the door. For this purpose, it is possible to mount the locking element on a lock case or a similar arrangement mounted longitudinally or transversely to the closing direction of the door on the device, e.g. to provide a spring-loaded pin in an elongated hole which is biased into the locked position by a spring element. The longitudinal movement is usually parallel to the front of the device or parallel to the door leaf when it is in the closed position. With such a construction, the lock case or the arrangement otherwise provided, together with the closing element, can be pushed horizontally away from the door by a defined force, which can be adjusted depending on the device type and / or device regulations, as a result of which the door can be opened in an emergency without rotating the door latch can also be opened from the inside, for example from the cooking space.

The subclaims contain advantageous developments of the invention.

If the locking surface is designed as a screw surface whose pitch value varies from a maximum value, for example a value of 50 mm, to a minimum value, for example 0 mm increases, there is the advantage of a particularly simple construction of the locking element.

For the torsion-proof mounting of the door latch on the door handle, the door latch can be provided with a plug-in sleeve which can be attached to a stub shaft or an axis of the door handle in a torsion-proof manner.

It is also possible to arrange the door latch axially adjustable on the stub shaft of the door handle. For this purpose, spacers can be arranged or removed, for example, which makes it possible to make adjustments to the holding force if, for example, the door seal of the device ages or settles.

In order to make a clean sliding movement between the locking surface and the counter surface possible, it is possible to concave the locking surface and to provide the counter surface with a correspondingly adapted curvature.

In order to make a lifting position possible, the closing element preferably has a second counter surface which, in the lifting position, interacts with the control surface of the door latch when an actuator is preferably provided.

Furthermore, the previously described construction of the locking device according to the invention has the advantage that it can also be provided with an actuator, for example an electromechanical drive, for opening without rotating the door handle or the door latch. Such an electromechanical drive can be a lifting magnet or a servomotor. It is possible to achieve a lifting position by a special embossing on the circumference of the closing element when the closing device is opened by an electric motor. lize in which the door can be moved before it is completely released by the door lock after a predetermined time.

Furthermore, according to the invention, it is possible to make different material combinations of the door latch and closing element in order to extend the service life.

Furthermore, the construction of the locking device according to the invention enables the door handle to be rotated for example by 90 ° in one direction and the door to be fully opened by rotating the door handle for example by at least 95 ° in the opposite direction, as a result of which the door latch can be turned out, for example, behind the closing element, around the door to open completely.

The door handle can be held in its closed position by frictional forces or positive locking in order to be able to clearly indicate the locked state of the door.

Finally, the closure device according to the invention enables control of an optionally provided electromagnetic drive by the device control provided in any case and, if necessary, a voice control.

Further details, features and advantages of the invention result from the following description of an embodiment ^¬ example with reference to the drawing.

It shows:

1 is a schematically slightly simplified perspective view of a door handle and door handle gels of the closure device according to the invention,

2 is a representation of the door latch corresponding to FIG. 1 alone,

3 is a front view of the door latch according to FIG. 2,

4A, B a representation corresponding to FIG. 1 of a locking element of the locking device when installed in a lock case, FIG. 4A showing the prestressed closed position of the locking element and FIG. 4B the emergency opening position of the locking element,

5 is a perspective view of the closing element alone,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the closing element according to FIGS. 5 and

7 to 10 schematically simplified representations of the locking device according to the invention in the installed state and in different closing or opening states of the door.

The closure device 1 according to the invention shown in its entirety in FIGS. 7 to 10, which is provided for closing and opening a door 2 of a commercial kitchen appliance provided with a door leaf 3, has a door handle 4 according to FIG. 1, which is shown in FIG. 1 shown embodiment is attached to a mounting plate 12. The mounting plate 12 can be attached to the door leaf 3 so that the door Handle 4 is arranged in the installed state on the visible side of the door leaf 3.

The position N of the door handle 4 shown in FIG. 1 represents a neutral position, for example a horizontal position in the installed state (see also FIG. 7), into which the door handle 4 is prestressed by a spring element 22. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the spring element 22 is designed as a leg spring, which is arranged around a stub shaft 10 of the door handle 10 and is supported with a leg on a suitable area of the mounting plate 12.

A door latch 5 is also arranged on the stub shaft 10.

2, the door latch has a plug-in sleeve 9, on which, in the example, a body 13 is integrally formed. The receptacle 9 is provided with a recess 14 which, in the example, has a rectangular shape in order to make it possible to arrange it on the stub shaft 10 in such a way that it cannot rotate. Furthermore, it is possible to adjust the door latch 5 by providing setting means, for example spacers, in order to make different installation positions of the door latch 5 possible, for example to compensate for device tolerances.

The body 13 of the door bolt 5 has a bolt surface 6, which in the example is designed as a screw surface SF, which results from FIG. 3. 3 further shows that the locking surface 6 is concavely curved and rises from a minimum slope value to a maximum slope value.

In Fig. 4A and B shows an arrangement in which a chließelement _S 7 is mounted in the embodiment shown in a lock box 15. The closing element 7 is in the embodiment shown as a rotary Snap formed, which has a closing element body 16, on which, according to FIG. 5, a cylindrical extension 17 is formed, which is provided with a through recess 18.

The closing element body 16 also has a first nose 19. The first nose 19 is provided with a first counter surface 8, the contour of which is adapted to the locking surface 6.

The particularly preferred embodiment of the closing element or rotary catch 7 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 also has a second nose 20 which is provided with a second counter surface 23. These counter surfaces 8 and 23 interact with the locking surface 6 of the door bolt 5, which will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

4A and B further clarify that the locking element 7 is mounted in the row in the device G around an at least approximately vertical axis A. In the embodiment shown in these figures, a pin or an axis 24 is provided for this purpose, which extends through adjacent metal sheets of the lock case 15 and through hole 18.

Finally, FIGS. 4A and 4B show that the locking element 7 is arranged in the lock case 15 by the provision of a spring element 11 so that it can be rotated elastically about the axis A. The spring element 11 biases the closing element 7 into its locked position, in which it rests on a counter surface of the lock case 15, which is not visible in FIG. 4. In the opposite direction, the closing element 7 can, however, upon application of a force which is generated by the impingement of the door ^¬ bolt 5 on the closing element 7, for example, when slamming of the door 2, about the axis A against the force of the spring element 11 is rotated become. In order to achieve this function, the spring element 11, which can be designed, for example, as a leg spring, is supported with one leg on a counter bearing 26 of the lock case and with the other leg not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 on a counter bearing 25 of the closing element body 16th

4A and 4B also show that in the particularly preferred embodiment shown there, the lock case 15 with its locking element 7 is prestressed elastically in the device G. 4A shows the closed position of the closing element 7, while FIG. 4B shows the emergency opening position of the closing element 7.

In order to make these positions possible, a spring arrangement 27 is provided in the embodiment shown in these figures, which in the example case has two coil springs 28 and

29 includes. The coil springs 28 and 29 are arranged around bolts 30 and 31 in the embodiment shown and are supported on the one hand on a stop part of the bolt

30 or 31, which is attached to the device G, and on the other hand on the lock case 15. As said, the spring arrangement 27 in FIG. 4A pretensions the lock case 15 and thus the locking element 7 mounted therein in the closed position in which the locking element 7 can interact with the door bolt 5.

If the emergency opening position according to FIG. 4B is to be assumed, a person locked in the interior of the device G may accidentally press against the door 2 and the interaction of the abutting surfaces of the door bolt 5 and the closing element 7 will result in a drawing in FIG. 4B re ^¬ sultierende force F generated. This resulting force F counteracts the spring force of the spring arrangement 27 and thus results in a translatory movement which can be seen from FIG. 4B of the lock case 15 and thus the closing element 7 in the direction of the arrow of the force F which pushes the closing element 7 out of its closed position illustrated in FIG. 4A. This makes it possible to open the door 2 from the interior of the device G.

The mode of operation of the closure device 1 according to the invention is explained below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the door 2 has been thrown in the direction of the device G, which is shown only schematically in a simplified manner, or has been brought into the throwing position by slight pressure.

During this movement, the closing element 7 is deflected by the door bolt 5 against the force of the spring 11 and then moved into its blocking position again by the spring force. In this position shown in FIG. 7, the locking surface 6 of the door bolt 5 rests with the area of its maximum slope on the first counter surface 8 of the closing element 7. The seal 21 of the device G is not yet compressed in this position, as can be seen in FIG. 7. It is therefore still possible for steam to escape, which is achieved by means of a typically small gap of a few millimeters. 7 shows that the door handle 4 is in the neutral position N, so that it is signaled that the door is not yet completely closed.

If the door 2 is to be closed completely, the door handle 4 is rotated manually from the position N according to FIG. 7 to the position E according to FIG. 8. 8, the position E of the door handle 4 is directed vertically downwards. As a result of this rotary movement, the door latch 5, which is non-rotatably connected to the door handle 4, is also rotated, so that its latch surface 6 on the first counter surface 8 of the closing element 7 in the direction of the minimum slope value. When the minimum slope value is reached, the door handle 4 has reached its end position E and the seal 21 is compressed, which is symbolized by the position S in FIG. 8. Of course, during this process the closing element 7 is in its locked position SP, which is also shown in FIG. 8.

In this position, the door is closed tightly and device G is ready for operation.

FIG. 9 illustrates a lifting position similar to FIG. 7, but which the door 2 has assumed from the closed position starting in FIG. 8. It is provided according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 that an actuator (servomotor, electromagnet or the like) has rotated the closing element 7 into the position shown in FIG. 9 against the force of the spring 11. As a result, the engagement between the locking surface 6 and the first counter surface 8 is released and the door is pushed away from the device G due to the spring action of the door seal 21. However, since the closing element 7 has a second nose 20 with a second counter surface 23, the locking surface 6 comes into engagement with this second counter surface 23 during this movement, so that the door is stopped again after a predetermined opening path, for example of approximately 10 mm. In this process, the door handle 4 rotates from the vertically downward position to the horizontal position. In this lifting position, venting of the space of the device G is now possible again.

FIG. 10 illustrates the state in which the door handle 4 extends beyond its horizontal position, for example by approximately 5 or raised 10 degrees further to fully open door 2.

For this purpose, the door handle 4 is rotated from the vertically downward position shown in FIG. 8 into the horizontal position. In this position, however, the door is still held together by the interaction between door latch 5 and closing element 7. Only when the door handle 4, as shown in FIG. 10, is turned upward by a further 10 or 15 degrees, for example, does the closing element 7 and the door latch 5 no longer overlap, so that the door 2 can be opened completely. Here, the door handle 4 works against a spring force, which otherwise holds it in its neutral position N shown in FIG. 7.

The aforementioned movement can of course also be carried out in one go. By using a spring element on the door handle 4, an unintentional opening of the door 2 can be reliably prevented.

BesmgsgeiebG-ilisfce

1 locking device

2 door

3 door leaf

4 door handle

5 door bolts

6 locking surface

7 closing element

8 first counter surface

9 receptacle

10 stub shaft

11 spring element

12 mounting plate 13 bodies (of 5)

14 recess

15 lock case

16 closing element body

17 approach

18 through recess

19 first nose

20 second nose

21 door seal

22 spring element

23 second counter surface

24 pin

25 counter bearing 26 counter bearing

27 spring arrangement

28, 29 coil springs

30, 31 bolts

N neutral position

A axis

G device

S closed position

SP blocking position

E end position

SF screw surface

AL lifting position

Claims

claims

1. closure device (1) for the door (2) of commercial kitchen appliances (G), in particular cooking appliances such as combi steamers or convection ovens,

- With one on the visible side of a door leaf (3) of the door

(2) arranged door handle (4);

- With a door latch (5) which is connected to the door handle (4) and has a locking surface (6); and

- With a device-side closing element (7), which has a first counter surface (8), which interacts at least in the device (G) sealing position (S) of the door (2) with the locking surface (6) of the door latch (5), characterized,

- That the door latch (5) is rotatably connected to the door handle (4);

- That the locking surface (6) has a slope with a maximum and a minimum slope value, which by turning the door handle (4) in a defined door handle end position (E) relative to the counter surface (8) to achieve the closed position (S) of the door (2) takes effect

- That the closing element (7) is rotatably mounted, and

- That the closing element (7) is resiliently biased transversely to the closing direction of the door (2) in the closed position (S).

2. Locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking surface (6) of the door bolt (5) is designed as a screw surface (SF).

3. Locking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the door latch (5) has a plug-in sleeve (9) which is arranged on a stub shaft (10) of the door handle (4) in a rotationally fixed manner.

4. Closure device according to claim 3, characterized in that the door latch (5) is mounted axially adjustable on the stub shaft (10).

5. Closure device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the locking surface (6) is concavely curved.

6. Closure device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the closing element (7) is designed as a rotary catch which is rotatably mounted about an at least approximately vertical axis (A).

7. Closure device according to claim 6, characterized in that the closing element (7) is biased into its blocking position (SP) by means of a spring element (11).

8. Locking device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the closing element (7) has a second counter surface (23) which cooperates with the locking surface (6) in a lifting position (AR) of the door (2).

9. Locking device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the closing element (7) is mounted on a lock case (15) which is biased into the closed position and is longitudinally movable on the device (G).

10. Closure device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by an actuator, preferably an electric motor drive, for moving the closing element (7).

11. Locking device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the door handle (4) is spring-loaded in a neutral position (N).