EP2436864B1 - Automatic door closure for a domestic appliance - Google Patents

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a household appliance with a door and an associated method for actuating the door of the household appliance.

background

Household appliances regularly have a device housing and a loading door. Depending on the function of the household appliance a door lock for such a household appliance should meet different criteria. Particularly in the case of dishwashers, there has been an increasing desire in the past to make the operation of the door automatic, at least for the last distance, for reasons of comfort and technicality.

The DE 10 2008 058 257 A1 shows a cleaning machine with a cleaning container and a pivotally mounted on the cleaning container door. Furthermore, a controlled by a control unit linear motion stretcher rack is provided, which can engage in a arranged on the door locking device. On the rack, a further drive unit for a control rod is provided, which is set linearly movable within the rack. The control rod is used for locking or unlocking the rack with the locking device.

presentation of the invention

Against the background presented, the task arises to develop a household appliance with an automatic door lock.

This object is achieved by the inventive household appliance according to claim 1. Such a household appliance can be operated with the inventive method according to claim 14.

The household appliance has preferably arranged on the device side a rod which is mounted linearly displaceable. On the device side in this context is called in particular on a housing or body of the household appliance but not arranged on his door. At the door of the household appliance, preferably as Be schickungstüre is pivotally mounted on the household appliance, a gripper coupleable with the rod is provided. A drive arranged on the device side is used to bring the door to the household appliance / carcass by retracting the rod when the gripper is coupled to the rod from an at least partially extended position into a so-called first position, in which the rod is completely retracted.

The rod and its drive can be arranged in / on the device / housing / body. But it is also conceivable that the rod and the drive are arranged on the door side and the gripper, however, is arranged on the device side. This variant is also included in the patent claims.

The linearly displaceable rod can be driven very fast. The rod is typically an elongated element made of metal or plastic, which is extendable from its first position to a maximum of a second position. The drive is designed reversible, so that the rod is retractable and extendable. The bar allows the door to be caught indirectly via the gripper. The rod typically has a free end that protrudes from the device in the second position of the rod. In its first position, the rod is typically buried in large parts in the device.

Preferably, the use of position switches, the first and the second position can be detected and turned off when detecting the drive. Provided rod and gripper are coupled together, the first position of the rod preferably represents a closed door. The shutter keeps the door closed, for example against the pressure of a seal between the door and a tub of the device. In the second position of the rod, the door may be open with a gap of, for example, between 6 and 15 cm. Preferably, the door is through the Extending the rod from its first position to its second position programmatically transferred, so that after a wash program, for example, the door is opened so that steam can escape through the gap.

Preferably device-side contact pressure means are provided, which in addition to an already caused by the gripper coupling force cause a contact force in the event that the rod is coupled to the gripper. In this case, a rod head is coupled in the coupling state in the gripper, for example, engaged, hooked, etc. The gripper has two gripping arms, which are connected to each other via a hinge, and against a retaining force, for example, caused by a spring between the gripping arms, deflected , that are movable away from each other. In the coupled state, the rod head is coupled between the gripping arms against the retaining force. The contact force is exerted between a third and a fourth position of the rod. In the third position of the rod, it has been extended a first distance, which is typically smaller than a distance representing the second fully extended position of the rod. In this respect, the additional contact force is not generated over the entire available distance of the rod, but only over a part, and preferably a part that represents a catching up of the rod to the last cm. The pressing means act up to a fourth position of the rod, in which fourth position the rod is extended by a smaller distance compared to the above distance. The additional contact pressure may also act until the rod is fully retracted to its first position. Preferably, the contact pressure is variable over the path of the rod and is less than in particular in the third position of the rod
in their fourth position, and may rise steadily between these positions.

Such a varying contact pressure depending on the position of the rod preferably takes into account the desired operating scenarios. When coupled rod and gripper the still slightly open in the third position of the bar door should preferably be transferred to a closed state. Nevertheless, in this first position as well as in all other position between the second and the third position of the rod, the coupling between gripper and rod should still be solvable by the user, for example in the event that more items to be washed is to be taken into the tub. In this respect, the necessary tensile force for opening the door should be preferably low out of one of these positions, for example in the range between 5N and 20N, which tensile force in these positions is required exclusively for overcoming the coupling force between gripper and rod. Only from the third position of the rod, this tensile force increases due to the pressure force generated by the pressing means in addition to the coupling force.

In the first position of the rod, however, in which the door closes the vat opening and closes tightly in the case of a dishwasher for operation, the pulling force required to open the door should preferably be large, since opening the door is not desirable in the associated program operation of the household appliance may be. Nevertheless, if necessary, the door should also be openable from this position. However, this opening should preferably be possible only with a relatively large expenditure of force, for example with 60N to 80N. In this respect, the contact pressure means are preferably designed so that the contact force caused thereby in the fourth position of the rod is significantly greater than in the third position of the rod. This can be achieved by suitable design of the pressing means.

The pressing means comprise two pivot arms, which are rotatably mounted and are deflectable against a restoring force from a rest position. The pivot arms then interact with the gripper between the third and fourth positions of the rod. When retracting the rod so the pivot arms are deflected from the third position of the rod by the gripper against the restoring force, preferably pushed away by this against the force of a compression or tension spring, which causes the restoring force. The gripper has similar to a pair of pliers or claw on two gripping arms, which each interact with one of the pivot arms.

If the door is to be opened regularly from its closed position, the drive can be controlled reversibly program-controlled, for example, so that the rod is extended from its first position to its second or third position, which are both positions in which only the pure coupling force holds the rod on the gripper, which is dimensioned so that the user can easily overcome manually to fully open the door.

If the door is to be closed from its open position, then this process can be initiated in a first development of the invention in that the bar is always extended approximately in its third position when the door is open. If the door is moved by the user in the direction of the device / body, locked with the door still slightly open the gripper with the rod. This may be detected by a coupling sensor, for example, outputting a binary signal with the states "coupled state" or "uncoupled state". So for example, one by a so-called third position switch detected third position of the rod detected, and is further detected by the coupling sensor coupling between the gripper and rod, then the drive is controlled to retract the rod from its third position to its first position. The door is closed.

In an alternative development closing the door may follow a different concept. With the door open and the rod and gripper uncoupled - both conditions may be detectable by sensors mentioned above - as soon as a sensor device detects an approach of the door to the device / body / tub which approximation is likely to be caused by the user - Rod extended from her first position, in which she waits so far. For example, she may also wait in her third position. Thus, the pole is driven forward at an optimized speed to an anticipated door moving toward the carcass, to receive the door at any point in the meeting of the door-side gripper and the extended rod by coupling the gripper and the rod. If the transition is detected from a non-coupled to a coupled state, for example by means of the above-mentioned coupling sensor, the motor rotation is reversed and retracted the rod with the door in tow until its first position is reached. A first position switch for detecting the first position may signal the drive to stop retracting the rod. Likewise, a second position switch may detect the second position of the rod and also act on the drive to stop extension when the second position is reached. In the above development, therefore, the door is dynamically "picked up" by the rod, with the rod initially moving toward the oncoming door. The door is thus picked up "on-the-fly".

To detect an approach of the open door to the device, single or a combination of several of the following sensors are suitable. The sensors may also each be designed as switches, which provide a switching signal upon detection of a certain measured variable.

Such a sensor may, for example, detect the angle of inclination of the door. From reaching a certain angle of inclination, for example, it may be assumed that it corresponds to the desire of the user to close the door. It may also be concluded from the temporal inclination angle course on an approaching door. Alternatively or additionally, an acceleration sensor in the door may, with sufficient acceleration, close in the right direction to an approaching door. One or more position sensors, for example designed as light barriers, may detect an approach of the door. In one alternative, a touch sensor may detect the touch of a user, for example, on the handle of the door, which alone or in combination with other sensor signals to the desire to close and thus close a future approaching door. The above-mentioned coupling sensor may also serve to first find a door not coupled to the pole as one of several conditions for approaching the door to the tub.

In a further development of the invention, the rod has at its free end a locking element which serves to lock the rod and gripper. Such a locking element may engage the gripper in accordance with a key. For example, by rotation of a pin radially projecting from the rod, which rotation can be caused by a motor-induced rotational movement of the rod, for example by a quarter turn, rod and gripper can be locked together. In that sense in the coupled state of the rod and gripper these either locked together, or not be locked together. From the coupled but unlocked state, rod and gripper can be transferred to the coupled and locked state, for example, by the above rotary motion of the rod. In the locked state, the rod can not be released from the gripper by the mere application of a tensile force. The release must be preceded by unlocking. This development is advantageous for operating situations in which the door should not be opened from its closed position.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of actuating, and in particular closing, the door of a domestic appliance, which detects an approach of the open door to the appliance, extends the bar, detects a coupling between the hook and the bar, and the bar is retracted again. Preferably, the rod is extended from its first position until it engages in the gripper. Subsequently, the rod is retracted to its first position.

Further advantageous developments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

Short description of drawings

• FIG. 1 einen Verschluss nach einem Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung in Diagramm a) in einer Draufsicht von unten, und in Diagramm b) in einer perspektivischen Ansicht von schräg unten,
• FIG. 2 sechs Zustände eines Verschlusses nach einem Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung, und
• FIG. 3 einen Verschluss nach einem weiteren Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung in einem Schnittbild in zwei verschiedenen Zuständen in den Diagrammen a) und b).

Further embodiments, advantages and applications of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and from the following description with reference to FIGS. Showing:

• FIG. 1 a closure according to an embodiment of the invention in diagram a) in a plan view from below, and in diagram b) in a perspective view obliquely from below,
• FIG. 2 six states of a closure according to an embodiment of the invention, and
• FIG. 3 a closure according to another embodiment of the invention in a sectional view in two different states in the diagrams a) and b).

Way (s) for carrying out the invention

FIG. 1 shows a closure according to an embodiment of the invention in diagram a) in a plan view from below, and in diagram b) in a perspective view obliquely from below.

In a device-side arranged functional part 1, a rod 5 is slidably mounted in an associated housing 3. From one end of the housing 3, the rod 5 protrudes. A arranged on the housing 3 drive 6 for the rod 5 can be seen in the form of an electric motor. A slip clutch 9 in a spindle nut is used for overload protection. Furthermore, three position switches P1, P2 and P3 are arranged on the housing 3. In this case, the first position switch P1 detects a first position of the rod 5, in which the rod 5 is fully retracted. The second position switch P2 detects a second position in which the rod 5 is fully extended. The third position switch P3 detects a third position of the rod 5, in which the rod 5 is only partially extended. The drive 6 may be designed as a spindle drive when the rod 5 is formed as a spindle with an at least partially external thread.

The housing 3 may be arranged in / on a body of a dishwasher, for example on a tub wall of the dishwasher. With its free end, the rod 5 may easily protrude from the tub opening in the direction of the door 2. At its free end, the rod 5 a in FIG. 1 invisible rod end on, for example in the form of a sphere. In / on the door 2, which is indicated schematically in diagram a), a gripper for cooperation with the rod is arranged. In FIG. 1 This gripper is arranged in the bulge of the door 2 and thus not visible. The door 2 itself is usually tiltably mounted on the device via a hinge. In the present embodiment, the door 2 is mounted in the base region of the device on this and is thus hinged from its vertical. The functional part 1 may here on the device side arranged at a position corresponding to an upper edge of the door 2 with the door 2 closed.

The rod 5 is in FIG. 1 arranged in their first position, since the door 2 of the device is completely geheholt. On the frame 4 are pivot arms 71, 72 can be seen, which are rotatably mounted there, and exert a contact pressure on the coupled to the rod 5 gripper 8. The gripper 8, which is coupled to the rod end, is in FIG. 1 covered by the door section 2. The gripper 8 has no own drive. He is stationary in / on the door 2 arranged. Rather, it is to be understood as a passive element which follows the linear movement of the rod 5 in a state coupled to the rod 5.

FIG. 2 shows six states of a closure according to an embodiment of the invention in plan view, which closure substantially corresponds to the closure shown in Figure 1. The frame 4, however, has in FIG. 2 another form and serves in particular as a bearing for even closer to described pivot arms 71, 72. Also, the third position switch P3 is arranged elsewhere and still recognizes a position of the rod 5 between its first and its second position.

In FIG. 2 now is the gripper 8 can be seen, which has two gripping arms 81 and 82 which are hingedly connected together by a joint G1. The gripping arms 81 and 82 have a rest position, which is determined by a spring 83. The gripping arms 81, 82 can be deflected from this rest position against a caused by the spring 83 retaining force. The rod 5 has at its free end a rod head 51 which can be brought into engagement with the gripper 8. Preferably, in this case, the gripping arms 81, 82 on the inside a contour as shown, which corresponds substantially to the contour of the rod head 51, so that this recording between the gripper arms 81, 82 finds and of these, at least if the tensile force on the rod 5 is not a maximum is held in this coupled position. The force acting between gripper 8 and rod 5 in the pulling direction of the rod 5 is also called coupling force.

On the other hand, the device side mounted on the frame pivot arms 71 and 72 can be seen, which act as a contact pressure 7. The pivot arms 71, 72 are in the present wing shape and are mounted on joints G2 and G3 on the support 4 of the functional part 1. The axes of rotation of the joints G2, G3 are orthogonal to the axis and direction of movement of the rod 5. The pivot arms 71, 72 are deflected from a rest position against a restoring force, for example caused by a respective tension spring or a compression spring.

The diagrams in FIG. 2 show the closure in different states. In FIG. 2a ) the door 2 of the associated dishwasher is closed, and the seal between the appliance and the door 2 is compressed. In this state may run a program operation of the dishwasher. With reference to the closure, this means that the rod 5 is in its first position, and that the gripper 7 and the rod 5 are coupled together via the rod head 51. In this embodiment, no additional contact forces act on the rod / gripper combination in the first position of the rod 5.

In FIG. 2b ), the user would like to open the door 2 of the dishwasher, for example, to refill a cup during the rinsing process. As typically, however, the flushing operation should not be interrupted by easy access, the door 2 can only be opened with a high force. This high force, such as between 60N and 120N, is determined by the location and geometry of bar head 51, gripper arms 81 and 82, and pivot arms 71 and 72. When pulling out the door 2 from the position according to Fig. 2a ) are pressed due to the shape of the rod head, the gripping arms 81, 82 against the restoring force to the outside. On their outer sides but you get back pressure by the pivot arms 71, 72, which in turn can only move against the restraining force of their associated springs to the outside, and thus increase the contact force between rod 5 and gripper 8. Since the pressure means 7 generate the greatest pressure due to their shape and the introduction of force close to the carrier 4, ie close to the first position of the rod 5, the holding force of the closure to be overcome is greatest when the door 2 is located close to the device ,

In Fig. 2c ) the door 2 was disengaged with high force and is free. In none of the states after the Fig. 2a) to 2c ) the drive is activated.

After a disengagement of the door 2 or generally with the door open 2, the rod 5 can be extended from its first position to a further position in which the gripper 8 can just be locked again without already applied by the Anpressmittel 7 an additional contact force. In such a waiting position, the rod 5 can remain until, by the action of the user on the door 2, the gripper 8 is again locked in the rod 5, see Fig. 2e ). From this position, the door 2 or her gripper 8 also again relative be easily detached from the rod 5, by a tensile force of for example 5N to 20 N.

Off the position Fig. 2e ), the drive 6, the rod 5 retract again, and thus bring the door 2 to close, and then start a wash program. At the end of such a wash program, the drive 6, controlled by a control unit, the rod 5 from its first position to its second, maximum extendable position and thus open the door to a large gap of about 10 cm. This may serve, on the one hand, to extract the steam from the tub, and also permit a manual further opening of the door 2 by the user.

Alternatively, the operation of the closure may be slightly modified. In the Fig. 2c ) shown first position of the rod 5 may also serve as a waiting position of the rod 5 with the door open 2. The door 2 is now but further spaced from the device than in Fig. 2c ). If it is now detected by a sensor device that the door 2 approaches the device again, for example by manual operation, then the control causes the rod 5 to be extended as quickly as possible, see Fig. 2d ). At a certain point then rod 5 and gripper 8 will meet and lock into each other. This may be detected by a so-called coupling sensor. If the coupling is detected, then the drive direction is reversed and the rod 5 retracted again, now coupled to the gripper 8 of the door 2. So we the door 2 geheholt. The door 2 is picked up "on the fly".

FIG. 3 shows a closure according to another embodiment of the invention in a sectional view in two different states in the diagrams a) and b). At the closure opposite the FIGS. 1 and 2 are now the pivot arms 71 and 71 formed slightly differently. They are also rotatably mounted on the frame 4, through which the rod 5 is passed. Compression springs 711 and 721 to the sides of the pivot arms 71, 72 hold the pivot arms 71, 72 in a rest position, which is left against the restoring force of the compression springs 721 and 711 in the insertion of the coupled rod gripping arms 81 and 82. The pivot arms 71, 72 are then pressed against the spring force of the compression springs 711, 721 to the outside and thus provide an additional contact force between the gripper 8 and the rod 5 forth. Fig. 3b ), however, shows the gripper 8, which is not yet in contact with the pressing means 7 in the form of pivot arms 71 and 72. The gripping arms 81 and 82 are in turn rotatably mounted in the sense of a single-sided double lever, which gripping arms 81, 82 also against the force of a Compressive spring are deflectable, for example, to open and receive the rod head 51 in the recesses of the gripping arms 81, 82.

While preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the present application, it should be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these and may be practiced otherwise within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (11)

1. Household appliance with a door,
   with a bar (5) arranged on a device-side or door-side, which is supported in a linearly shiftable way at least between a first position, in which the bar (5) is entirely retracted, and a second position in which the bar (5)'is entirely extended,
   with a gripper (8) arranged on the device-side or door-side, respectively, and coupled to the bar (5),
   with a drive (6) arranged on the device-side or door-side, respectively, for drawing in the door (2) towards the household device by retracting the bar (5) from an at least partially extended position in its first position when the bar (5) is coupled to the gripper (8), and
   with a compression means (7) arranged on the device-side or door-side, respectively, for generating a compression force additionally to a coupling force generated by the gripper (8) between the bar (5) and the gripper (8), when the gripper (8) is coupled to the bar (5), and for generating this compression force between a third and a fourth position of the bar (5), the bar (5) being extended by a first distance in the third position, and the bar (5) being extended by a smaller distance as compared to the first distance in the fourth position,
   the gripper (8) having two gripping arms (81, 82) which are connected to one another via a joint (G1),
   with a retention force between the gripping arms (81, 82) such that the gripping arms (81, 82) are movable away from one another against the retention force, and
   with a bar head (51) at a free extremity of the bar (5), which is coupled-in between the gripping arms (81, 82) against the retention force for coupling the bar (5) to the gripper (8),
   the compression means (7) comprising two pivoting arms (71, 72) which are each rotatively supported and able to be deflected against the retention force of a tension spring or compression spring from an idle position, and which interact with the gripping arms (81, 28) of the gripper (8) between the third and the fourth position of the bar (5), and
   during the retraction of the bar (5) the pivoting arms (71, 72) being deflected by the gripper (8) against the retention force, starting with the third position of the bar (5).
2. Household appliance according to claim 1, wherein the fourth position of the bar (5) corresponds to the first position of the bar (5).
3. Household appliance according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the compression means (7) is adapted for generating a lower compression force in the third position of the bar (5) than in its fourth position.
4. Household appliance according to claim 3, wherein the compression means (7) is adapted to generate a continuously increasing compression force when the bar (5) is transferred from its third position into its fourth position.
5. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims,
   with a sensor device for detecting an approach of the opened door to the device, with a control unit for the actuation for extending the bar (5) depending on a signal of the sensor device and for subsequently retracting the bar (5) when the gripper (8) is coupled to the bar (5).
6. Household appliance according to claim 5,
   wherein the sensor device contains one or more of the following sensors:

   - a sensor for detecting an inclination angle of the door (2),

   - an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration of the door (2),

   - at least a door position sensor for detecting a position of the door (2),

   - a contact sensor for detecting a contact of at least a component of the door (2) by a user of the household appliance,

   - a coupling sensor for detecting a coupling of the bar (5) to the gripper (8).
7. Household appliance according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the control unit is adapted to subsequently retract the bar (5) depending on a signal of a coupling sensor for detecting a coupling between the gripper (8) and the bar (5).
8. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims,
   with a first position sensor (P1) for detecting the first position of the bar (5), and
   with a second position sensor (P2) for detecting the second position of the bar (5).
9. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims,
   with a locking element at a free extremity of the bar (5), serving for locking the bar (5) and the gripper (8).
10. Method for operating the door of a household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, the method comprising the following steps:

    - detect an approach of the opened door (2) to the device,

    - extend the bar (5),

    - detect a coupling between the gripper (8) and the bar (5), and

    - retract the bar (5).
11. Method according to claim 10,
    wherein the bar (5) is extended from its first position to such extent that it couples into the gripper (8), and wherein the bar (5) is subsequently retracted in its first position.

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