EP1945090B1 - Dishwasher with a plastic frame part which is fixed to a treatment container - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention describes a dishwasher with at least one plastic frame part (2) which is fixed to a treatment container (1), wherein the front of the treatment container (2) has a filling opening which can be closed by a door. The treatment container (2) has a container casing (10), which comprises side walls and a container roof, and also the frame part (2), wherein the frame part (2) forms a front face of the treatment container and is connected to the container casing (10) in an interlocking manner.

Description

The invention relates to a dishwasher, in particular household dishwasher, with a container hood at least partially made of metal, comprising a container shell of two side walls and a container roof and a rear wall, and a non-bucket belonging to the washing tub made of plastic as the bottom wall of a treatment container for receiving items to be washed and the treatment container has a closable with a door filling opening.

The treatment container of dishwashers is usually made of a high quality stainless steel. The treatment tank consists of at least two components. The so-called container casing forms the side walls as well as the roof of a container hood of the treatment container. A separately formed rear wall is part of the container hood and is liquid-tightly connected to the container shell by welding. For reasons of corrosion resistance, the components of the container hood are made of a high quality chrome nickel steel, which is relatively expensive. The use of chrome nickel steel results z. B. from the fact that the rear wall is connected to the container shell via a weld. The use of chrome nickel steel ensures that the corrosion resistance is also ensured at the welds.

For cost reasons, it would be advantageous if essential components of the container hood could be made of the simpler and cheaper chromium steel, since then the cost of production can be reduced. The problem with the connection of chromium steel with chromium-nickel steel via a weld is that so-called crevice corrosion can occur in the connection area in a dishwasher.

For this reason, as previously described, resorting to the use of the more expensive chromium-nickel steel, because otherwise corrosion in areas of constant wetting with liquid or moisture, eg. B. on welded sections and in recordings for seals may occur.

A typical construction of a conventional dishwasher is in the US 6,045,203 described. The dishwashing machine disclosed therein has a curved container shell provided with a flange at the filling opening, which forms a front surface and has rounded upper corners. In order to facilitate the integration of the dishwasher into a fitted kitchen, corner pieces are detachably slipped onto the upper corners to produce rectangular upper corners. The corners and on the edges patch panels are each made of a plastic and are placed on the flange of the container hood. The corner pieces themselves are attached to the trim parts. The dishwasher described in the US publication uses high-corrosion-resistant materials during production, with expensive stainless steel being preferred. Due to the integral formation of the container shell, consisting of the side walls and the container roof, a low stability against twisting, eg during transport, is given.

From the DE 44 43 920 C2 is a household appliance with a treatment container is known which has over the dishwasher just described an increased stability. The household appliance has to set up or to fasten side walls, in particular, if between the treatment tank and the side walls insulation (eg noise and / or heat insulation) to be arranged, a frame which also serves to set up and stiffen the device , In order to make a separation of the parts made of different materials possible in a simple manner, the DE-patent provides that at least one frame part with the treatment container form-fitting releasably connect. In order to ensure the stability, arranged on opposite sides of the treatment container frame parts with the interposition of the treatment container with each other form-fitting releasably connected and braced. A frame part consists of U-shaped profile bars, wherein preferably two frames over the treatment container, one adjacent to its filling opening and adjacent to the rear side, are arranged inverted, with the free ends of the frame legs pointing downwards. While the rinsing container is to be made of a stainless steel, the frame parts can be made of a plastic. The front U-frame forms the border of a filling opening of the washing. For this purpose, the U-frame is made of profiled bars with a substantially rectangular cross-section and has a rectangular projection, which is received in indentations of the washing. The U-frames point In addition, receptacles for side walls of a machine housing lining, for an insulating mat and for a seal on.

The DE 25 43 822 as well as the DE 24 20 302 disclose dishwashers, each having assemblies of metal and plastic. In both cases, these assemblies are joined together using a gasket. Made of plastic while each of the rinse tanks of the dishwashers are made. Behind this approach is the consideration that can be reduced by a large-scale replacement of components made of metal, which has to exist for reasons of corrosion resistance from an expensive stainless steel, plastic by reducing the cost of home appliances.

The DE 37 07 977 C1 discloses a dishwasher with a closable by a front door washing container. To seal the rinsing container in the door area, a circumferential door seal made of rubber-elastic material is provided, which is fastened in a door open towards the groove of the washing compartment.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a dishwasher which is less expensive to manufacture.

This object is achieved by a dishwasher with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments emerge from the dependent claims.

The dishwasher according to the invention, in particular household dishwasher, with a container hood at least partially made of metal, comprising a container shell of two side walls and a container roof and a rear wall, and a not belonging to the container hood rinse tray preferably plastic as the bottom wall of a treatment container for receiving items to be washed the treatment container having a closable with a door filling opening, and wherein at the front end of the container hood, a frame part is arranged with sealing function for rinsing liquid. The frame part is thus fixed in the region of the filling opening on the container hood, z. B. thereby the container cover is partially covered by the frame part. On the frame part, a door seal for sealing the treatment container with respect to the door is arranged.

According to the invention, the frame part forms a front surface of the interior of the treatment container. In other words, this means that the container casing is "split". The one, essential component is the actual container shell. Another, a smaller area engaging part, represents the frame part.

In a further embodiment, the frame part is positively and / or materially connected to the container shell.

According to the invention, the frame part consists of plastic. As a result, no corrosion occurs at the reception of the seals.

The container casing or container casing and rear wall are preferably made of simple steel, in particular chromium steel. If the container casing and rear wall are made of simple steel, the gap area between the rear wall and the container casing is z. B. seal with an elastic mass of plastic.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a sealing element is provided in an overlapping section between the frame part and the container hood to prevent crevice corrosion. The sealing element ensures that no moisture or liquid can penetrate into the gap formed between the frame part and the container jacket in the overlapping section and, if appropriate, remain in it by capillary effects.

This makes it possible in a particularly advantageous manner to produce the container hood made of simple steel, in particular chromium steel, which can be achieved over conventional dishwashers, significant savings due to a much cheaper starting material.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the frame part is U-shaped and slipped with the two legs down over the filling opening of the container shell. In this way, the above-mentioned overlap portion between the frame part and the container shell results. In this way, a particularly simple positive connection of these two components can be achieved.

It is particularly preferred if the sealing element is attached to the frame part. In particular, it is provided to arrange the sealing element in a receptacle of the frame part. Since the frame part in contrast to the rest of the treatment container is made of a plastic, a corresponding receptacle can be produced by a suitable design of an injection molding tool in a particularly simple manner. Would the sealing element be attached to or in the container hood, so a plurality of bending operations would be necessary to make the preferred recording. This is more expensive than the preferred variant and thus increases the cost.

The sealing element consists according to a further advantageous embodiment of a different material from the frame part, in particular rubber or silicone. Other comparable substances with corresponding Shore hardness can also be used.

In a further advantageous embodiment, it is provided that the frame part has at least one further receptacle in which the door seal of the dishwasher is arranged. Optionally, the plastic frame can also be provided with a further sealing profile in the region of the front surface of the treatment container. This sealing profile is also referred to as piping.

The arrangement of the sealing element and / or the door seal on or in the frame part is particularly advantageous since the frame part can be produced together with the sealing element and / or the door seal in a two-component injection molding process. In this case, the steps of the integration of the sealing element or the door seal, which are otherwise to be performed manually, are dispensed with. The same applies, of course, if the dishwasher should be provided with piping.

Since frame part and container shell together form a part of the treatment container, it is expedient if the frame part and the container jacket are positively connected with each other in a form-locking manner. The connection is preferably made by means of integrally formed with the frame part welding pin.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the frame part is designed such that it is designed to receive forces acting laterally and / or above and / or below. The desired stability can be achieved, for example, by forming webs which are correspondingly formed in the frame part and which are arranged at regular intervals from one another. It is particularly preferred if intersecting webs are provided. The cross-sectional profile can, for example, in Shape of a regular grid (intersection at 90 ° angle) or in the form of honeycombs done.

The formation of the frame part for absorbing force is important for the short times of transport, which usually takes place with staple stackers engaging on the side of the dishwasher, and the storage in which a plurality of dishwashers can be stacked on top of each other. In this case, reduce to other housing components, which are usually made of a metal and are easily deformed due to their large area.

It is also advantageous if in the frame part a closing plate is integrally formed, which can be brought into operative connection with a closing mechanism on or in the door when closing the filling opening through the door. The closing plate, which was previously a separate component and connected to the treatment container, e.g. was connected by a screw or rivet connection, can now be integrally formed together with the frame part in the context of an injection molding process. The manufacture during assembly of the dishwasher can thereby be further simplified.

In a further expedient embodiment, the frame part is provided with a connecting element for connection to a hinge plate provided on or in the housing of the dishwasher.

In summary, the invention can be seen in the fact that the treatment container next to the container shell has a frame part which forms a part of the side walls and the container roof. In other words, the treatment container, that is, more specifically, the container shell, is formed in two parts. In this context, the term treatment tank is to be understood as meaning only that part which has side walls and tank roof. The naturally existing back wall is disregarded in this consideration. The division of the treatment container advantageously allows the use of a simple steel, in particular chromium steel, which makes the production of the dishwasher can be considerably cheaper.

Fig. 1

einen Ausschnitt einer Perspektivdarstellung in einen Behandlungsbehälter in einer erfindungsgemäßen Geschirrspülmaschine,

Fig. 2

ein Rahmenteil zur Verbindung mit einer Behälterhaube, und

Fig. 3

in einer Querschnittsdarstellung die Ausgestaltung des Rahmenteils sowie dessen Verbindung mit einer Behälterhaube.

Further advantages, features and advantages of the invention will be described below with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. Show it:

Fig. 1

a detail of a perspective view into a treatment container in a dishwasher according to the invention,

Fig. 2

a frame part for connection to a container hood, and

Fig. 3

in a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the frame part and its connection to a container hood.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a section into the interior of a treatment container 1 of a dishwasher according to the invention. With a plastic, for example, rinse tub 12 a container hood with a container shell 10 and a frame part 2 is connected. The washing tub 12 forms the bottom wall of the treatment tank 1 and is part of a bottom part (not shown), for. B. for receiving device units and / or for receiving water leakage. With the bottom part of the dishwasher according to the invention is on the ground. The container hood consists of the container casing 10 and the rear wall 23 and is arranged or mounted on the bottom part or the washing tub 12. The frame part 2 and the container shell 10 are shown in the figure as the right side wall 13 of the treatment container 1, wherein the left side wall 13 and the container roof are not shown. The container shell 10, which is provided with a plurality of indentations 17 for increasing the stability, and the rear wall 23 is made of a simple steel, in particular a chromium steel. The container hood may also partially not be made of metal, eg. B. the container roof made of plastic. The frame part 2 consists of a plastic, which is manufactured for example by means of an injection molding process. In the perspective view of the Fig. 1 is also an integrated into the frame part 2 door seal 11 can be seen, which takes over a seal of the treatment container 1 against a (not visible in the figure) door of the dishwasher.

The frame part 2, the in Fig. 2 is shown in a perspective view, is provided with a plurality of webs 14, which give it a high rigidity and strength. The frame part 2, which forms a front surface of the treatment tank, has a share in the stability of the entire dishwasher. Since this is made of a plastic, resulting in the connection with a simple steel of the treatment tank no problems in terms of corrosion resistance of the container hood. Corrosion problems would then occur; if the frame part 2 made of a high-quality stainless steel (eg chrome nickel steel) would be made and a welded connection between these two components. Only the provision of the frame part 2 made of plastic allows the use of the simpler, less expensive material.

In addition, the choice of this material also has manufacturing advantages. Thus, for example, a locking plate 9 previously formed as a separate component can be integrally formed together with the frame part 2 during the manufacturing process with this. Similarly, a receptacle 6, which for receiving the door seal 11 (see Fig. 1 ), are provided, wherein due to the plastic material in the receptacle 6 no corrosion can occur.

The frame section provided with the reference numeral 15, which extends from the right leg over the horizontally extending portion to the left leg of the frame member, forms a part of the side walls or the roof in the interior of the treatment container 1. The frame section provided with the reference numeral 16, which also extends from the right leg over the horizontally extending portion to the left leg of the frame part 2, however, does not face the interior of the treatment container 1 with the door closed. Rather, the frame portion 16 receives a corresponding portion of the door of the dishwasher and, in particular, is not exposed to moisture or liquid.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section through the frame part 2 and a portion of the side wall 13. It is shown with the arrow provided with the reference numeral 21, the filling direction during loading of the dishwasher. It is clearly evident from the cross-sectional representation that the frame part 2 is provided, for example, with four webs 14, which give the frame part 2 high stability. The web provided with the reference numeral 20 forms the front surface of the treatment container. In the recording 6, the already mentioned door seal 11 is used, which then rests against the frame section 16.

At the interior of the dishwasher facing the end of the frame part 2, a further receptacle 5 is formed, which is designed to receive a sealing element 4. The sealing element 4, which is formed of rubber, a silicone or a similar material with a corresponding Shore hardness, is in intimate contact with the side wall 13 and the frame part 2 at. The sealing element 4 prevents the penetration of moisture and liquid into an overlapping section 22. In particular, the sealing element 4 prevents the penetration of moisture and liquid due to a capillary effect in the region of the overlapping section 22, in which a portion of the side wall 13 rests against the frame section 15 of the frame part 2 ,

The connection between the container shell 10 and the frame part 2 via so-called welding pin 19. Before the connection, the frame part is formed at the location of the welding pin 19 with a plurality of projections which are inserted through correspondingly shaped holes in the container shell. By thermally deforming the projections, which are integrally formed with the frame part 2, they can be incorporated in the in Fig. 3 shown shape are melted (there are also ball-head cross-sections conceivable), so that the welding pin has a larger diameter than the corresponding hole. In this way, a secure positive and permanent connection is made. In order to ensure a secure connection between the frame part 2 and the container shell 10, the frame part 2 facing the end of the container shell 10 is bent and is also on a wall portion of the frame part 2 at.

In the Fig. 3 is still in contact with Fig. 1 described retraction 17 again shown, which increases the stability of the container hood.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

treatment tank

2

frame part

4

sealing element

5

admission

6

admission

9

closing plate

10

container jacket

11

door seal

12

wash tub

13

Side wall

14

web

15

Frame section

16

Frame section

17

collection

18

Sidewall portion

19

welding pins

20

web

21

of filling

22

overlapping portion

23

rear wall

Claims (16)

1. Dishwasher, particularly domestic dishwasher, with a container hood at least partly of metal, comprising a container casing (10) consisting of two side walls (13) and a container roof, and a back wall (23), as well as a rinsing trough (12), which does not belong to the container hood, preferably of plastics material as base wall of a treatment container (1) for reception of articles to be washed, wherein the treatment container (1) has a filler opening closable by a door, wherein a corrosion-resistant frame part (2) consisting of plastics material and with a sealing function is arranged at the front-side end of the container hood, for which purpose a door seal (11) for sealing the treatment container (1) relative to the door is arranged at the frame part, characterised in that the frame part (2) forms a front surface of the interior space of the treatment container (1).
2. Dishwasher according to claim 1, characterised in that the frame material (2) is connected with the container casing (10) by a mechanically positive and/or material couple.
3. Dishwasher according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the container casing (10) or container casing (10) and back wall (23) consists or consist of simple steel, particularly chromium steel.
4. Dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a sealing element (4) for avoidance of crevice corrosion is provided in an overlap section (22) between the frame part (2) and the container casing (10).
5. Dishwasher according to claim 4, characterised in that the sealing element (4) is fastened to the frame part (2).
6. Dishwasher according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterised in that the sealing element (4) is arranged in a receptacle (5) of the frame part (2).
7. Dishwasher according to claim 6, characterised in that the frame part (2) has at least one further receptacle (6) in which the door seal (11) of the dishwasher is arranged.
8. Dishwasher according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterised in that the sealing element (4) consists of a material different from the frame part (2), particularly of rubber, for example thermoplastic elastomer, or silicon.
9. Dishwasher according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterised in the frame part (2) is producible together with the sealing element (4) and/or the door seal (11) in a two-component injection-moulding process.
10. Dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the frame part (2) is of U-shaped construction and is inverted with the two limbs downwards over the filler opening of the container casing (10).
11. Dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the frame part (2) and the container casing (10) are mechanically positively non-detachably or detachably connected together.
12. Dishwasher according to claim 11, characterised in that the frame part (2) and the container casing (10) are connected together by means of weld pins (19) formed integrally with the frame part.
13. Dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one piping is formed at the frame part (2).
14. Dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that webs (14) for reception of forces acting laterally and/or upwardly and/or downwardly are formed in the frame part (2) at uniform mutual spacings.
15. Dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a closure plate (9), which in operative connection with a closure mechanism at or in the door can be brought through the door for closure of the filler opening, is formed integrally in the frame part (2).
16. Dishwasher according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the frame part (2) is provided with a connecting element for connection with a hinge plate provided at or in the housing of the dishwasher.

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