EP2664737B1

EP2664737B1 - A door hinge

Info

Publication number: EP2664737B1
Application number: EP13002539.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mehmet Faik Ciftci
Original assignee: Atasan Metal Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Current assignee: Atasan Metal Sanayi ve Ticaret AS
Priority date: 2012-05-15
Filing date: 2013-05-15
Publication date: 2015-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 2033-05-15
Also published as: EP2664737A2; PL2664737T3; EP2664737A3; SI2664737T1

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hinge which is used in household appliances and which comprises a damper that absorbs shocks and a mechanism that protects the damper.

Background of the Invention

In the state of the art, the door of an appliance is tightly pressed onto the appliance body in order to prevent undesirable situations such as heat loss, by means of one or more elastic pieces and a roller mechanism connected to these elastic piece(s). The appliance door speeding up and hitting the appliance body harshly when being closed under the impact of the force produced by the elastic pieces disclosed in the state of the art, are prevented by transmission of the forces produced during closing of the door to a damper located within the hinge body via different methods and then damping the forces by the damper. In the state of the art, the damper is under direct impact of the forces produced during closing of the door, and it is under the risk of getting damaged in case of overloads that might occur depending on closing of the door faster than necessary.
In the state of the art, the above mentioned systems, which enable the door to be pressed tightly onto the appliance, and which absorb the forces produced during closing of the door and thus the acceleration, are provided as separate mechanisms within the main hinge structure. Additionally in the state of the art, the connecting member driving the damper is driven by means of a shaft. The shaft slides on the connecting member without rotating.
This sliding movement occurring under the impact of the force generated during operation of the damper may cause problems such as abrasion and noise, deformation of the frame and the frame getting stuck in the lower or upper part of the shaft.
Today household appliances used for various purposes such as oven, dish washer, microwave oven are manufactured. Each of the said household appliances has a door in order to access their inner compartments. Movement mechanisms and hinges of the doors show great difference in various embodiments and each embodiment has its own advantages and disadvantages.
That the system has too many connectors and the said connectors cannot fulfill its function in time stand out as one of the biggest problems of the hinge systems used in the doors of the household appliances. As a result of these problems, the door cannot be closed completely, more force is required to open and close the door compared to the first state of it and noise is produced.
European Patent document no EP1847670 , an application known in the state of the art, discloses a hinge produced to be used especially in electrical appliances. The force created during the door closing is absorbed right before the door is closed, so that the noise and the door hitting the electrical appliance strongly are prevented. But in the system of the European patent document no EP1847670 , the movement received from the door is transferred to the damper using a lot of connectors. For this reason there are risks that can occur from the incompatibilities between the parts in the system of the European patent document no EP 1847670 .
International Patent document no WO2010091770 , another application known in the state of the art, discloses an opening and closing device used in oven doors, according to the preamble of claim 1.
The device comprises at least one hinge, at least one element which generates closing force, at least one kinematic means which transforms the movement of the door to a reciprocal movement, and at least one damper which applies counter force to the closing force.

Summary of the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to provide a door hinge which has members that protect the damper so that the overloads that may be generated when the household appliance door is closed fast do not cause any damage on the damper.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a door hinge which prevents the door of a household appliance from making noise when being opened and closed and slows down the fast movement during closing.

Detailed Description of the Invention

"A door hinge" developed to fulfill the objective of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures wherein,

Figure 1 is the exploded view of the door hinge.
Figure 2 is the perspective view of the members of the door hinge outside the hinge body when the hinge is in completely open position.
Figure 3 is a close view of the hinge body arm connection in completely open position.
Figure 4 is the perspective view of the members of the hinge outside the hinge body when in half open position.
Figure 5 is the perspective view of the door hinge in half open position.
Figure 6 is the perspective view of the members of the hinge outside the hinge body when in closed position.
Figure 7 is the perspective view of the hinge in closed position.
Figure 8 is the view of another embodiment of the hinge.

The components shown in the figures are each given reference numerals as follows:

1. Hinge
2. Hinge body
3. Arm
4. Protrusion
5. Connecting shaft
6. Lower piece
7. Main elastic piece
8. Suspension piece
9. First damper
10. First elastic piece
11. First roller
12. First connector
13. Second elastic piece
14. Second damper
15. Second roller
16. Second connector
17. Third elastic piece
18. Support piece
19. Third roller
20. Frame
21. Frame shaft
22. Slot
23. Bracket
24. Arm shaft
25. Hinge body hole
26. Arm bushing
27. Rotation shaft
28. Connecting shaft
29. Transfer shaft
30. Main elastic piece shaft
31. Saddle bracket
32. First leaf spring
33. Second leaf spring

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the door hinge (1), which is mounted to household appliances, comprises

at least one hinge body (2) mounted to the household appliance body,
at least one arm (3) which is mounted to the household appliance's door from one end thereof and to the hinge body (2) from the other end thereof,
at least one protrusion (4) which is located on the part of the arm (3) at which it is connected to the hinge body (2),
at least one connecting shaft (3) which is passed through the hole provided on the arm (3),
at least one lower piece (6) which is located at the lower part of the hinge body (2) and connected to the arm (3) via the connecting shaft (5),
at least one main elastic piece (7) which is connected from one end thereof to the lower piece (6) and which stabilizes the moments arising from the weight of the appliance door,
at least one suspension piece (8) which is connected the other end of the main elastic piece (7) that is not connected to the lower piece (6) and which is mounted into the hinge body (2),
at least one first damper (9) which is positioned within the hinge body (2) and enables the appliance door to be closed slowly,
at least one first elastic piece (10), which is located at the side of the first damper (9) near the appliance door, and which enables the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance,
at least one first roller (11) which is located at the side of the first damper (9) near the hinge body (2),
at least one first connector (12) which receives movement from the first roller (11),
at least one second elastic piece (13) which is fitted over the arms of the first connector (12) and prevents damaging of the first damper (9),
at least one second damper (14) which is positioned within the hinge body (2) and enables the appliance door to be closed slowly,
at least one second roller (15) which is located at the side of the second damper (14) that is near the hinge body (2),
at least one second connector (16) which receives movement from the second roller (15),
at least one third elastic piece (17) which is fitted over the arms of the second connector (16) and prevents damaging of the second damper (14),
at least one support piece (18) to which the end of the first elastic piece (10) that is near the appliance door abuts,
at least one third roller (19) which passes through the support piece (18) and transmits the force that it receives from the third elastic piece (17) to the arm (3),
at least one frame (20) which is located within the hinge body (2) and which works in parallel with the hinge body (2),
at least one bracket (23) which is mounted to the frame (20) by a shaft (21) and has a slot (22) on the side thereof that is near the appliance door (K),
at least one arm shaft (24) which drives the bracket (23) and which is located on the arm (3),
at least one hinge body hole (25) which is located on the side of the hinge body (2) that is near the appliance door,
at least one arm bushing (3) which is located on the arm (3),
at least one rotation shaft (27) which enables the arm (3) to be mounted to the hinge body (2) with the arm bushing (26) and to be rotated, and which is passed through the hinge body hole (25),
at least one connecting shaft (28) which is mounted to the groove provided on the hinge body (2) and on which the third roller (19) rotates,
at least one transfer shaft (29) which works within the grooves on the hinge body (2),
at least one main elastic piece shaft (30) which enables the main elastic piece (7) on the hinge body (2) to remain loaded on the lower piece (6) within the hinge body (2),
at least one saddle bracket (31) which enables the arm (3) to remain fixed inside the door,
at least one first leaf spring (32) which, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, is positioned at the rear side of the first damper (9) instead of the first elastic piece (13) and which is used for absorbing the overloads that may occur at the first damper (9),
a second leaf spring (33) which, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, is used in place of the first elastic piece (10) that provides the forces necessary for the first damper (9) to return to the initial point following opening of the door after it is closed.

The household appliance comprises an appliance body which fulfills the main function of the household appliance and has an opening, and at least one door which is useful for closing the opening on the appliance body.
The body of the appliance is the part of the household appliance which fulfills the function thereof. There is an opening on the body of the appliance enabling access inside the household appliance. The door enables the opening on the body of the appliance to be closed and opened.
The hinge (1), by means of the first damper (9) and second damper (14) provided therein, damps the applied force right before the door is closed in order to prevent the door from hitting the body of the appliance strongly and to prevent production of noise during closing of the door. Additionally, there are provided a second elastic piece (13) and a third elastic piece (17) which protect the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) with the purpose of preventing damaging of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) provided within the hinge body (2) and allowing long term use.
The hinge body (2) supports the components constituting the said hinge (1) and it is fixed to the household appliances such as oven and dish washer.
In the door hinge (1) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism, which comprises the first elastic piece (10) that enables the door to be pressed onto the appliance body, and the first damper (9), which enables the door to be closed onto the appliance body slowly, are assembled in a single structure.
The hinge comprises a damping second elastic piece (13) and a damping third elastic piece (17) positioned at the rear side of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) in order to prevent the overloads that might arise when the door is closed fast from causing damage in the first damper (9) and the second damper (14).
The invention has enabled the frame shaft (21), which is located on the arm (3) and functions together with the frame (20) that transmits force to the second damper (14), to be fitted into the slot (22) provided on the bracket (23) that is mounted to the frame (20) by the frame shaft (21) and to operate by rotating within this slot (22). This situation, different from the state of the art, prevents problems such as abrasion, noise, dysfunctions and deformations that may originate from the frame (20) that will be caused by the shaft's sliding movement without rotating under the impact of the forces.
The hinge body (2) is positioned within the body of the appliance and the arm (3) is positioned inside the door of the appliance. The door of the appliance rotates with the arm (3) in the hinge body hole (25) provided on the hinge body (2). The arm bushing (26) is mounted on the arm (3). The arm (3) together with the arm bushing (26) rotates within the hinge body hole (25) on the hinge body (2) by means of the rotation shaft (27). The moments arising from the weight of the door are stabilized by the main elastic piece (7). One end of the main elastic piece (7) is loaded by a suspension piece (8) mounted on the hinge body (2), while the other end thereof is loaded by the main elastic piece shaft (30) which is located on the lower piece (6) and moves within the groove on the hinge body (2). The main elastic piece shaft (30) transmits the force it receives from the main elastic piece (7) to the lower piece (6) and the lower piece (6) transmits it to the arm (3) by means of the connecting shaft (5) on which it rotates. This way moments arising from the weight of the door are stabilized.
Closing the door slowly is enabled by the first damper (9); the second damper (14); and the first roller (11), first connector (12), second elastic piece (13), second roller (15), second connector (16) and third elastic piece (17) connected to the first damper (9) and second damper (14). The first damper (9) and the second damper (14) can be used separately or together.
The first damper (9) is integrated with the system which enables the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance body. The force that enables the door to be pressed onto the appliance body is provided by the first elastic piece (10) accommodated within the structure of the first damper (9). The force produced from the first elastic piece (10) produces the necessary moments for the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance body by transmitting force via the third roller (19) to the protrusion (4) on the arm (3) having a cam form.
The connecting shaft (28), on which the third roller (19) rotates, operates with a groove on the hinge body (2). When the door is being closed, the third roller (19) moves towards the arm (3) and provides the movement necessary for the door to be closed. Fast movement of the third roller (19) causes the door to be closed fast. The first damper (9) slows down the movement of the third roller (19) towards the arm (3) by absorbing the forces obtained from the first elastic piece (10).
Slow movement of the third roller (19) enables the appliance door to be closed slowly. In addition to producing the forces that enable the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance body, the first elastic piece (10) within the structure of the first damper (9) also produces the force that enables the first damper(9) to return to its initial position after the door is opened following closing of the door. The first damper (9) mechanism, which enables the door to be closed slowly; and the group comprising the first elastic piece (10), which produces the force enabling the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance body, and the intermediate members such as the support piece (18), on which the third roller (19) and the first elastic piece (10) are mounted, are integrated this way. In another embodiment of the invention, a leaf spring (32) or a torsion spring (33) is used in place of the first elastic piece (10), which is located within the structure of the first damper (9) and produces the forces for closing the door, and which also provides the forces necessary for the first damper (9) to return to the initial point following opening of the door after it is closed.
Both the forces originating from the fast pushing of the door towards the appliance and the weight of the door, and the forces produced by the first elastic piece (10) which produces the moments that enable the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance are further absorbed by the second damper (14) system. The second damper (14) is adapted into the hinge body (2) and is driven by a frame (20) which works in parallel position with the hinge body (2). A bracket (23) is incorporated to the end part of the said frame (20), which bracket is mounted rotatably by means of the frame shaft (21) and comprises a slot (22) at the end thereof. The bracket (23) is driven by means of the arm shaft (24) provided on the arm (3). By means of the bracket (23) and the frame (20), the forces produced during closing of the door are transmitted to the second damper (14) and the moments for closing the door are absorbed and thereby a relatively slower closing is ensured. The arm shaft (24) provided on the arm (3) fits into the slot (22) provided on the bracket (23), and during closing of the door, operates within the said slot (22) as long as the second damper (14) is driven. The arm (3) rotates around the arm shaft (24) as of the moment it contacts the arm shaft (24). Different from the state of the art, the arm shaft (24) sliding under the impact of force and rubbing along a path on the frame (20) are thus prevented. This way; noise, abrasion, deformations on the frame (20) and dysfunctions that may take place in the system (1), all of which may occur due to the friction of the arm shaft (24) along a path on the frame (20), are prevented.
The overloads, which might arise at the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) when the door is closed faster than necessary or under other unexpected situations, and which might cause damaging of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14), are absorbed by the second elastic piece (13) and third elastic piece (17) positioned at the back of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14). The overloads, which might arise at the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) when the door is closed faster than necessary or under other unexpected situations, and which might cause damaging of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14), are absorbed by being transmitted to the first roller (11) and the second roller (15) located behind the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) via the damper (9, 14), then to the transfer shaft (29) operating in a groove on the hinge body (2) via the first roller (11) and the second roller (15), then to the first connector (12) and the second connector (16) via the transfer shaft (29) and finally to the second elastic piece (13) and/or the third elastic piece (17) via the first connector (12) and the second connector (16). This way, the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) are prevented from getting damaged by having the overloads which may cause damage to the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) absorbed by the second elastic piece (13) and the third elastic piece (17).
As an alternative to the above described system which is located at the back of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) and is used for absorbing the overloads that might occur at the first damper (9) and the second damper (14), a leaf spring (32) or a torsion spring (32) can also be used.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention the household appliance in which the hinge (1) is used is an oven.
In another embodiment of the invention, the hinge (1) is used in a dish washer.
In another embodiment of the invention, the hinge (1) is used in a microwave oven.
It is possible to develop various embodiments of the inventive door hinge (1). The invention can not be limited to the examples described herein and it is essentially as defined in the claims.

Claims

A door hinge (1) for damping overloads that might arise when the door of a household appliance is closed fast, comprising
- at least one hinge body (2) mounted to the household appliance body,

- at least one arm (3) which is mounted to the household appliance's door from one end thereof and to the hinge body (2) from the other end thereof,

- at least one protrusion (4) which is located on the part of the arm (3) at which it is connected to the hinge body (2),

- at least one connecting shaft (5) which is passed through a hole provided on the arm (3),

- at least one lower piece (6) which is located at the lower part of the hinge body (2) and connected to the arm (3) via the connecting shaft (5),

- at least one main elastic piece (7) which is connected from one end thereof to the lower piece (6) and which stabilizes the moments arising from the weight of the appliance door,

- at least one suspension piece (8) to which is connected the other end of the main elastic piece (7) that is not connected to the lower piece (6) and which is mounted into the hinge body (2),

- at least one first damper (9) which is positioned within the hinge body (2) and enables the appliance door to be closed slowly,

- at least one first elastic piece (10), which is located at the side of the first damper (9) near the appliance door, and which enables the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance,

- at least one frame (20) which is located within the hinge body (2) and which works in parallel with the hinge body (2),

- at least one bracket (23) which is mounted to the frame (20) by the frame shaft (21) and has a slot (22) on the side thereof that is near the appliance door (K) characterized by

- at least one first roller (11) which is located at the side of the first damper (9) near the hinge body (2),

- at least one first connector (12) which receives movement from the first roller (11),

- at least one second elastic piece (13) which is fitted over the arms of the first connector (12) and prevents damaging of the first damper (9),

- at least one second damper (14) which is positioned within the hinge body (2) and enables the appliance door to be closed slowly,

- at least one second roller (15) which is located at the side of the second damper (14) that is near the hinge body (2),

- at least one second connector (16) which receives movement from the second roller (15),

- at least one third elastic piece (17) which is fitted over the arms of the second connector (16) and prevents damaging of the second damper (14),

- at least one support piece (18) to which the end of the first elastic piece (10) that is near the appliance door abuts,

- at least one third roller (19) which passes through the support piece (18) and transmits the force that it receives from the third elastic piece (17) to the arm (3).
A door hinge (1) according to Claim 1, characterized by
- at least one arm shaft (24) which drives the bracket (23) and which is located on the arm (3),

- at least one hinge body hole (25) which is located on the side of the hinge body (2) that is near the appliance door,

- at least one arm bushing (3) which is located on the arm (3),

- at least one rotation shaft (27) which enables the arm (3) to be mounted to the hinge body (2) with the arm bushing (26) and to be rotated, and which is passed through the hinge body hole (25),

- at least one connecting shaft (28) which is mounted to the groove provided on the hinge body (2) and on which the third roller (19) rotates,

- at least one transfer shaft (29) which works within the grooves on the hinge body (2),

- at least one main elastic piece shaft (30) which enables the main elastic piece (7) on the hinge body (2) to remain loaded on the lower piece (6) within the hinge body (2),

- at least one saddle bracket (31) which enables the arm (3) to remain fixed inside the door,
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the first damper (9) and second damper (14) which damp the applied force right before the door is closed in order to prevent the door from hitting the body of the appliance strongly and to prevent production of noise during closing of the door.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the second elastic piece (13) and third elastic piece (17) which are positioned at the back of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) in order to prevent the overloads that might arise when the door is closed fast from causing damage in the first damper (9) and the second damper (14).
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the mechanism, which comprises the first elastic piece (10), second elastic piece (13) and the third elastic piece (17) that enable the door to be pressed onto the appliance body; and the first damper (9), which enables the door to be closed onto the appliance body slowly.
A door hinge (1) according to claim 2 and any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the arm (3) which is located on the door of the appliance and which rotates within the hinge body hole (25) on the hinge body (2) by means of the rotation shaft (27) together with the arm bushing (26) on which it is mounted.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the main elastic piece (7) which stabilizes the moments arising from the door's weight.
A door hinge (1) according to claim 2 and any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the main elastic piece (7), one end of which is loaded by a suspension piece (8) mounted on the hinge body (2), while the other end thereof is loaded by the main elastic piece shaft (30) that is located on the lower piece (6) and moves within the groove on the hinge body (2).
A door hinge (1) according to claim 2 and any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the main elastic piece shaft (30) which transmits the force it receives from the main elastic piece (7) to the lower piece (6), and then to the arm (3) by means of the connecting shaft (5) on which the lower piece (6) rotates.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) which can be used separately or together.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized by the first damper (9) and the second damper (14) and the first roller (11), first connector (12), second elastic piece (13), second roller (15), second connector (16) and third elastic piece (17) connected to the first damper (9) and second damper (14), all of which enable the door to be closed slowly.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the first elastic piece (10) which is located within the structure of the first damper (9) and produces the necessary moments for the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance body by transmitting force via the third roller (19) to the protrusion (4) on the arm (3) having a cam form.
A door hinge (1) according to claim 2 and any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the third roller (19) which rotates on the connecting shaft (28) that operates within the groove on the hinge body (2).
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the third roller (19) which, when the door is being closed, moves towards the arm (3) and provides the movement necessary for the door to be closed.
A door hinge (1) according to any one Claims 1 to 14, characterized by the first damper (9) which slows down the movement of the third roller (19) towards the arm (3) by absorbing the forces obtained from the first elastic piece (10).
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the first elastic piece (10), which is located within the structure of the first damper (9), and which, in addition to producing the forces that enable the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance body, also produces the force that enables the first damper (9) to return to its initial position after the door is opened following closing of the door.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the second damper (14) system which absorbs both the forces originating from the fast pushing of the door towards the appliance and the weight of the door, and the forces produced by the first elastic piece (10) which produces the moments that enable the door to be tightly pressed onto the appliance.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the second damper (14) which is adapted into the hinge body (2) and is driven by a frame (20) operating in parallel position with the hinge body (2).
A door hinge (1) according to claim 18, characterized by a bracket (23) which is rotatably mounted to the end part of the said frame (20) by means of the frame shaft (21) and comprises a slot (22) at the end thereof.
A door hinge (1) according to claim 19, characterized by the bracket (23) which is driven by means of the arm shaft (24) provided on the arm (3).
A door hinge (1) according to claims 19-20, characterized by the bracket (23) and the frame (20) which enable the forces produced during closing of the door to be transmitted to the second damper (14) and the moments for closing the door to be absorbed and thereby a relatively slower closing to be ensured.
A door hinge (1) according to claims 19-21, characterized by the arm shaft (24) which is located on the arm (3) and fits into the slot (22) provided on the bracket (23), and which, during closing of the door, operates within the said slot (22) as long as the second damper (14) is driven.
A door hinge (1) according to claims 19-22, characterized by the bracket (23) which prevents the arm shaft (24) from sliding under the impact of the force and from rubbing along a path on the frame (20) by means of rotating around the arm shaft (24) as of the moment it contacts the arm shaft (24).
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a first leaf spring (32), which is located at the back of the first damper (9) and the second damper (14), and is used for absorbing the overloads that might occur at the first damper (9) and the second damper (14).
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a second leaf spring (33), which is provided within the structure of the first damper (9) and produces the forces for closing the door, and which also provides the forces necessary for the first damper (9) to return to the initial point following opening of the door after it is closed.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, which is used in ovens.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 25, which is used in a dish washer.
A door hinge (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 25, which is used in a microwave oven.