EP2778277B1 - Housing for household devices, such as a laundry dryer, washing machine or the like - Google Patents

Description

Housing for household appliances, such as a tumble dryer, a washing machine or the like.

The invention relates to a housing for household appliances, such as dryers, washing machines or the like, which includes in its basic design a front wall and connected by cross member side walls and a rear wall, wherein the construction of a frameless housing, the traverse on bends on the side walls to specify the total width of Housing rests, wherein the traverse is connected to the folds on the side walls under positive engagement to form an angular stability between the walls comprising the housing.

From the prior art are according to DE 103 03 131 , of the DE 198 23 424 as well as from the DE 38 13 462 Washing machine housing or housing for household appliances known. In these known from the prior art housings there are different housing designs for the respective surface or mounting style, which requires an early variant formation in the housing structure. In these known from the prior art housing designs, there is the disadvantage that the loads acting from the outside on the device are not properly distributed. The visible from the outside slit images are not formed as narrow and uniform, in addition, the proposed housing designs make mounting unfriendly.

The EP 2 468 172 A1 and the EP 2 594 182 A1 disclose housing of washing machines or dryers with the features mentioned.

From the EP 2 199 453 A1 the housing of a condensation clothes dryer is known, wherein a guide for a condensate collecting tank is provided in the upper region of the side walls.

The invention thus raises the problem of a housing for household appliances, such as a tumble dryer, a washing machine or a dishwasher to continue to form, which on the one hand overcomes the disadvantages, on the other hand, the housing should be made without a separate inner frame.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention will become apparent from the following subclaims.

The advantages achieved by the invention are that the housing according to the invention can be manufactured without a separate inner frame. The externally acting loads on the device are distributed appropriately, the externally visible slit images are formed as narrow and uniform. A particular advantage is that the chosen structure also fails very easy to install. It is of particular importance that the assembly / disassembly of the side walls, the traverse and the guide is ensured for the container, with a defined suspension and fixing orientation of the cantilevered side walls is given to the front wall and the rear wall. Accordingly, a defined position of the guide for the container in the device fulfills this task. A risk of injury to the customer in possibly cleaning the guide by reaching into the guide is prevented because a defined assembly and end position of the guide is created by the connection of the two side walls by means of the crossbar. In the case of the housing according to the invention, laterally acting loads, such as during transport, are picked up and forwarded into the device via the traverse. The condensate tray guide is fixed at the back of the rear panel, which provides a fixed Y-orientation and Z-orientation at the rear. At the front, the guide is placed on the front wall so that there is a fixed Z-alignment in front. The traverse is placed from above over the side walls. A rough Y-orientation is given by the provided on the side walls bends left and right. For the coarse X-alignment of the traverse to the side walls, a bead of the traverse engages left and right in a correspondingly large bead of the side wall. Then the traverse is precisely aligned in the Y direction and bolted to the two side walls. As a result, the created housing according to the invention, consisting of front wall, side wall, rear wall and traverse, in particular in the truss area receives a clear angular stability or housing rigidity. So that the water tank is not damaged and the customer is possibly endangered by screw tips when possibly cleaning the guide, inter alia when the water tank is pulled out, a collar edge is provided on the traverse, which ensures that the screw or screws are not too deep in the area Immerse leadership. When placing the traverse, a pin of the guide engages in a hole pattern of the traverse. This defines the X-orientation and Y-orientation of the guide at the front. In particular, a screw secures this position.

According to the invention, it is proposed that the traverse comprises a profiling at the free ends for form-locking formation with the fold regions of the side walls, which screw connections and a bead connection have. In each case, at least two screw connections are provided at the free ends, wherein the bead connection and profilings are arranged on the cross member between the screw connections. The bead connection which supports the screw connections in positive engagement, receives in particular by the profiling on the traverse their rigidity, which is aligned over the extension of the traverse.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the bead assembly comprises interlocking arc sections on the traverse and the fold, wherein the arc section is formed on the traverse slightly smaller than the arc section at the fold. This results in a snug fit in the positive connection of the bead connection. In a further development of the profiling on the traverse, this is formed at the free ends of the traverse substantially H-shaped.

Conveniently, the screw connections comprise at least one screw connection which limits the penetration depth into the fold region of the side wall. In this case, to limit the penetration depth, the screw connection facing the front wall has a collar edge provided on the crosspiece about the opening. Due to this design it is achieved that the screw tip in the front region of the guide does not penetrate so deeply into the guide space, so that injuries are prevented on engagement with the hand in the guide space. In a further development, the form-locking connection of traverse and guide comprises a pin-hole connection and a screw connection. To make the form-fitting connection between the traverse and the guide, this is done by means of a pin-hole connection, which allows a mounting-friendly way to attach the guide to the mounted crosshead. Initially, the guide is inserted in the rear region of the rear wall, in which case in the front region as a result of the pin-hole connection this is simply pressed into the preassembled cross member, which is then finally determined by a screw connection. In the front area here is the guide only on the front wall.

Figur 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung auf das Gehäuse mit Führung und Traverse im Verbund;

Figur 2

eine Detailansicht der Traverse im Einbindungsbereich von Seitenwand und Führung;

Figur 3

eine Einzeldarstellung in explosionsartiger Darstellung von Traverse und Seitenwand;

Figur 4

eine Seitenansicht der Traverse unter Einbindung an der Abkantung der Seitenwand;

Figur 5

eine geschnittene Seitenansicht von Traverse und Führung;

Figur 6

eine perspektivische Darstellung der Führung in Einbindung im Gehäuse von Seitenwand und Rückwand.

An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and will be described in more detail below. It shows:

FIG. 1

a perspective view of the housing with guide and Traverse in the composite;

FIG. 2

a detailed view of the traverse in the integration of side wall and guide;

FIG. 3

an individual representation in explosive representation of traverse and side wall;

FIG. 4

a side view of the crosshead with involvement at the fold of the side wall;

FIG. 5

a sectional side view of Traverse and leadership;

FIG. 6

a perspective view of the guide in integration in the housing of the side wall and rear wall.

The FIG. 1 shows in the perspective view of a housing 1 in the upper region for a household appliance, such as a tumble dryer, which includes in its basic design a front wall 2, and connected by cross member 3 side walls 4 and 5 and a rear wall 6. As in particular in the representation of FIG. 1 can be seen, in the upper part of the side wall 4 and 5, the traverse 3, with the involvement of the rear wall portion, a guide 7 is provided for a condensate tank, not shown. As from the synopsis of FIGS. 1 . 2 and 4 can be seen, is to build a frameless housing 1, the crossbar 3 on bends 8 and 9 on the side walls 4 and 5 for specifying the total width of the housing 1. In this case, the traverse 3 with the folds 8 and 9 on the side walls 4 and 5 connected under positive locking. The traverse 3 is also under positive engagement, the guide 7 is connected to form an angular stability between the housing walls 2, 4, 5 and 6. By the composite of the side walls 4 and 5 with the cross member 3, wherein below the cross member 3 the Guide 7 is involved, which in turn is integrated between the front wall 2 and the rear wall 6, results in a cross-like, internal composite effect between the walls 2, 4, 5 and 6, wherein the stiffening effect of the frameless housing 1 primarily by the inventive integration of Traverse 3 is favored.

In this case, the traverse 3 comprises at the free ends for form-locking formation with the folded areas 8 and 9 of the side walls 4 and 5 a profiling 13, which screw 11 and a bead connection 12 includes. In this case, at least two screw 11.1 and 11.2 between which the bead connection 12 and profiles 13 are arranged on the cross member 3 at the free ends. In particular from the FIG. 4 It can be seen how the bead assembly designed, which comprises interlocking arc sections 14 and 15, which are provided once on the cross member 3 and the fold 8, 9. From the FIG. 4 It can be seen that in this case the arc section 14 on the traverse 3 is slightly smaller than the arc section 15 at the fold 8, 9. Like still from the Figures 2 and 3 can be seen, the profiles 13 at the free ends of the cross member 3 is substantially an H-shape, wherein the legs of the H extend over the entire length of the cross member 3.

In the screw 11.1 and 11.2 at least one screw 11.1 is provided, which is limited in the penetration depth in the bending region of the side wall 4, 5. In this case, to limit the penetration depth to the front wall 2 facing screw 11.1 has a provided on the cross member 3 collar edge 16 around the opening. It understands itself now that when the fitter inserts the screw into the opening accordingly, thereby a limited screwing is given in depth, because the collar edge 16 here holds the screw in a higher position.

In a further development of the invention, the positive connection of traverse 3 and guide 7 comprises a pin-hole connection 17 and a screw 18, as in the FIG. 5 can be seen. It penetrates in the inserted state in the pre-assembly, first the pin 19 in the hole opening 20 on the cross-member 3, in which case by screwing a screw 21, the firm connection between the guide 7 and the cross member 3 takes place. The pin-hole connection 17 is in this case provided on the upper side wall 22 of the guide 7, as in particular in the FIG. 6 It can be seen where in the perspective view of the guide 7 between the side wall 4, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 2 is integrated. There it can be seen that in the rear region, the guide 7 is connected to the rear wall 6 by plugging, wherein in the front region on the guide floor, a projection 23 is provided, which rests only on the front wall 2. This gives the guide 7 in the housing 1 a solid involvement, with their upper support is carried by the cross member 3 in the form of the pin-hole connection 17.

Claims (7)

1. Housing (1) for domestic appliances such as a tumble dryer, a washing machine or similar, which comprises, in the basic form thereof, a front wall (2), as well as side walls (4) and (5), connected by means of a crossbeam (3), and a back wall (6), the crossbeam (3) resting on bevelled portions (8) and (9) on the side walls (4) and (5) in order to set the overall width of the housing (1) for constructing a frameless housing (1), the crossbeam (3) being positively connected to the bevelled portions (8) and (9) on the side walls (4) and (5) in order to form an angular stability between the walls (2, 4, 5 and 6) which encompass the housing,
   characterised in that
   a guide (7) for a condensate container is provided in the upper region of the side wall (4) and (5) and crossbeam (3), with the involvement of the back wall region, which guide is connected to the crossbeam (3) by means of a positive connection, and in that the crossbeam (3) comprises a profiling (13) at the free ends thereof in order to form a positive connection to the regions of the bevelled portions of the side walls (4) and (5), which profiling has screw connections (11) and a crimped joint (12).
2. Housing according to claim 1,
   characterised in that
   at least two screw connections (11.1) and (11.2) respectively are provided at the free ends, the crimped joint (12) and profilings (13) being arranged on the crossbeam (3) between the screw connections (11.1) and (11.2).
3. Housing according to claim 2,
   characterised in that
   the crimped joint comprises interlocking curved portions (14) and (15) on the crossbeam (3) and the bevelled portion (8, 9), the curved portion (14) on the crossbeam (3) being formed so as to be slightly smaller than the curved portion (15) on the bevelled portion (8, 9).
4. Housing according to either claim 2 or claim 3,
   characterised in that
   the profilings (13) at the free ends of the crossbeam (3) are substantially H-shaped.
5. Housing according to claims 2 to 4,
   characterised in that
   the screw connections (11.1 and 11.2) comprise at least one screw connection (11.1) which limits the penetration depth in the region of the bevelled portions of the side wall (8, 9).
6. Housing according to claim 5,
   characterised in that,
   in order to limit the penetration depth, the screw connection (11.1) facing the front wall (2) has a collar edge (16), provided on the crossbeam (3), around the opening.
7. Housing according to any of claims 1 to 6,
   characterised in that
   the positive connection of the crossbeam (3) and guide (7) comprises a pin-hole connection (17) and a screw connection (18).

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