EP3183502B1 - Household device having a door and electrical contacts in the region of a door guide - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a household appliance having a door for closing an opening of a receiving space formed in a housing of the household appliance, which is designed to receive food. The household appliance also includes a storage space under the receiving space, the door when opening in the storage space is inserted. The door comprises at least one electrical consumer and a first electrical contact which can be coupled to the electrical consumer. In addition, at least one second electrical contact is arranged on the housing side, which is electrically coupled depending on an operating position of the door with the first electrical contact for supplying electrical energy to the consumer.

Such a configuration of a household appliance is for example from the DE 10 2007 057 767 B4 known. There, such a countersunk door in a cooking appliance, in particular an oven, explained and door-side and housing-side electrical contacts depending on the door position coupled together, so that designed as an electrical load light source is powered. The electrical contacts are formed there on specific carrier elements.

In addition, from the DE 10 2011 086 970 A1 also known a retractable in a storage door of a household appliance, where there is shown a specific guide device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a household appliance, in which the electrical contacting of contacts which are housing-side and door-side and are coupled depending on a door position with each other in order to bring energy to a door-side electrical consumers, is improved.

This object is achieved by a household appliance having the features of claim 1.

An inventive household appliance comprises a door for closing an opening of a housing formed in a housing of the household appliance receiving space. The door is when opening in a storage space of the household appliance, which is formed under the receiving space, insertable. As a result, a retractable door is almost realized. The door comprises at least one electrical consumer and a first electrical contact which can be coupled to the electrical consumer. On the housing side, at least a second electrical contact is arranged, which is electrically coupled depending on an operating position of the door with the first electrical contact for supplying electrical energy to the consumer. An essential idea of the invention is to be seen in that for introducing the door into the storage space a guide device is formed with at least one, in the horizontal direction of the household appliance laterally to the door formed housing side guide slot in a storage space side wall, wherein the housing side second electrical contact adjacent to the guide link is arranged in the storage space side wall. By such local specific positioning of this housing-side electrical contact, the movement guidance of the door can be simplified and improved and the electrical contact very space-saving formed and arranged and on the other hand, no large circumferential structure for the electrical contacts is required. A very safe and highly accurate and needs-based coupling of the electrical contacts is made possible.

In particular, it is provided that the guide device has a door-side guideway, which is formed on one of the storage space side wall facing narrow edge side of the door and in which the door-side first contact is arranged. By this configuration, the door-side contact is arranged protected to some extent and also mechanically stable positionable. The forces acting on the movement of the door thereby coupling and decoupling the electrical contacts can not affect this first door-side contact and thus it is thus a permanent and safe and reliable functionality of this door-side contact allows.

Preferably, it is provided that the first electrical contact in a leg wall of the cross-sectionally U-shaped guide track of the guide device is arranged. This is a preferred position, since thus also engaging in the guideway Elements are not affected in their movement, on the other hand, the above advantages are improved with respect to the first contact.

It is preferably provided that the first electrical contact is formed at a lower end of the guideway. Due to this positional arrangement, a coupling or decoupling of the contacts can already be made possible for very specific positions of the door. In particular, the contacting of the electrical contacts is thus only achieved with an almost closed door, and only then is the energization of the electrical load made possible, whereby an energy-saving operation of the household appliance is achieved.

However, it can also be provided that the first electrical contact is formed at many other locations in the guideway and, in this respect, is also positioned at a distance from the lower end in the direction of an upper end.

Preferably, it is provided that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact in the closed state of the door in terms of area and in terms of their power moderately generated Aneinanderanlegen are contacted to the maximum.

It is preferably provided that the first electrical contact is rigid and thus formed very stable. Thereby, the contact with the second electrical contact can be improved.

It is preferably provided that the second electrical contact is resilient. This is particularly advantageous in that the second electrical contact can be positionally changed, in particular deflected, at least in some areas during the movement of the door and, on the other hand, the contact with the first electrical contact is improved, so that the mechanical forces and friction occurring during the contacting do not undesirably lead to damage to the contacts, on the other hand in the contacted final state but also a stable contact is achieved.

It is preferably provided that a hinge is arranged on the housing side with a hinge rocker which is arranged rotatably on the housing and on which at least one Guide element is arranged, which engages a guideway on the door for guiding the sinking movement of the door.

It is preferably provided that the hinge rocker is arranged along a pivoting path pivotable to the storage space side wall and the second electrical contact, wherein the second electrical contact is arranged in the pivoting path of the hinge rocker. By this specific embodiment of the hinge and the specific positional arrangement of the second electrical contact a preferred movement guidance of the door is achieved, on the other hand, then almost by the hinge, in particular the hinge rocker itself, at a specific distance covered the door during pivoting a mechanical contact between the Hinge rocker and the second electrical contact can be achieved, and in particular when this is resilient, a force can be exerted on the second electrical contact by the hinge rocker and this particular be pressed in a defined direction. On the one hand, a very compact and space-saving design is realized, which nevertheless allows the movement of the door is not affected, on the other hand, however, the electrical contacting of the contacts is favored. This is done by the hinge rocker almost automatically when the pivoting movement of the door is performed.

It is preferably provided that a decoupling element is arranged on the hinge rocker, with which the coupled state of the first electrical contact with the second electrical contact is automatically decoupled when the door is recessed into the storage space while the hinge rocker is pivoted along the pivot path.

It can be provided that the electrical contacts are at least partially coated with a metal, in particular gold or brass. As a result, a noise during coupling and decoupling can be reduced and also the smoothness in the movement of the door can be improved.

It is preferably provided that the second electrical contact is formed as an S-shaped strip. This specific shape favors especially when the second electrical contact is also resilient, the coupling with the Hinge rocker, when this second electrical contact with its specific shape then partially extends into the pivot path, and on the other hand then allows a very targeted Zurseitedrücken by the hinge rocker on further movement of the door. On the other hand, the mechanical and thus also resulting electrical contacting with the first electrical contact is improved by this specific shaping and the contact between the electrical contacts in the coupled state is achieved particularly stably.

In the invention, it is thus provided that the electrical contacts are no longer arranged on a base plate spaced from lateral storage space side walls, but are positioned in the context of exactly these storage space side walls and thus laterally to the door.

The housing-side electrical contacts are connected to a control unit of the household appliance and conduct over their contact surfaces, the electrical current to the door-side contacts.

The at least one electrical load is preferably a light source.

Preferably, the contact surface of the housing-side second electrical contact has a defined length in the direction of movement of the door, via which then the switching time for the electrical load is determined in interaction with the electronic control unit.

These housing-side second electrical resilient contacts are also formed to a tolerance and position compensation of the door and on the other they can then avoid the retracting or swung door and the corresponding hinges. Such a thing would not be possible with a rigid contact, so that the corresponding operating principle could then not be achieved with a rigid housing-side contact. This also makes it possible that an installation and removal of the door can be done without the housing-side contacts would have to be dismantled.

By the already mentioned decoupling element is advantageously present on the hinge rocker, the load and noise during the pivoting movement of the door with respect to the coupling and decoupling can be achieved with the housing-side second electrical contact, in particular no jumps of this second electrical contact on the individual elements takes place, then this electrical contact must avoid.
It can be provided that the decoupling element is integrated in the hinge rocker or is provided as a separate part. It can also be provided that the door-side first electrical contact is also at least partially resilient.
By the invention, in particular, the possibility of a short circuit between the electrical contacts can be significantly reduced, in particular avoided, which is particularly advantageous especially when trained as Dampfgargeräten household appliances, as well as there may be incurred steam and thus condensate in operation. In addition, a safe power transmission in the door is possible even in large position inaccuracies of the door in all directions. These locally specified attachments of the electrical contacts are not directly visible and thus can not be touched directly, which also significantly increases security.
Further features of the invention will become apparent from the claims, the figures and the description of the figures.

Fig. 1

eine Frontansicht eines Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Haushaltsgeräts;

Fig. 2

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Tür des Haushaltsgeräts gemäß Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

eine vergrößerte Darstellung eines Teilausschnitts der Tür gemäß Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines Stauraums und weiteren Teilkomponenten des Haushaltsgeräts;

Fig. 5

eine vergrößerte Darstellung eines Teilausschnitts in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6

eine vergrößerte Teildarstellung des Haushaltsgeräts im Bereich der Tür und des Stauraums bei geschlossener Tür; und

Fig. 7

die Darstellung gemäß Fig. 6, jedoch mit bereits teilweise geöffneter Tür.

Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to schematic drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a front view of an embodiment of a household appliance according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a perspective view of a door of the household appliance according to Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3

an enlarged view of a partial section of the door according to Fig. 2 ;

Fig. 4

a perspective view of a storage space and other sub-components of the household appliance;

Fig. 5

an enlarged view of a partial section in Fig. 4 ;

Fig. 6

an enlarged partial view of the household appliance in the door and the storage space with the door closed; and

Fig. 7

the representation according to Fig. 6 , but with already partly open door.

In the figures, identical or functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference numerals.

In Fig. 1 is a front view of a household appliance 1, which is designed for preparing food and can be, for example, an oven or a steam cooker or a Mikrowellengargerät shown. The household appliance 1 comprises a housing 2, in which a muffle 3 is arranged, which defines with its walls 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 a receiving space for food, in particular a cooking chamber 9.

The household appliance 1 further comprises a door 10, which is designed for the front-side closing of a feed opening of the muffle 3 and thus also of the cooking chamber 9.

In addition, viewed in the housing 2 in the vertical direction and thus in the height direction of the household appliance 1 under the cooking chamber 9 and thus also under the bottom wall 6 of the muffle 3, a storage space 11 is formed. In these, the door 10, which is a retractable door, can be inserted when opening and stowed therein. The door 10 is therefore inserted into this storage space 11.

In addition, the door 10 comprises at least one electrical load, wherein in the exemplary embodiment in position and number, only two electric consumers 12 and 13 are arranged in the door 10, wherein these electrical loads 12 and 13 are light sources.

In addition, a guide device 14 is formed which comprises both door-side and housing-side elements, wherein by means of the guide device 14, the door 10 is guided on its way into the storage space 11 and out of the storage space 11 out.

In addition, the household appliance 1 comprises at least one door-side first electrical contact 15, wherein in the exemplary embodiment, a further first electrical contact 16 is formed on the door side. These electrical contacts 15 and 16 are coupled or coupled to the electrical loads 12 and 13. In addition, on the housing side and thus outside the door, a second electrical contact 17 and in the embodiment, a further second electrical contact 18 is formed.

Depending on an operating position of the door 10 is provided that the second electrical contacts 17 and 18 with the first electrical contacts 15 and 16 for supplying electrical energy to the loads 12 and 13 are electrically coupled.

In Fig. 2 the door 10 is shown in a perspective view. The door 10 comprises a plate-like base 19, on whose opposite vertical narrow sides or strip-like edges 10a and 10b are each a door-side guide track is formed. This guideway 20 is formed in a cross section and thus in a section in the xz-plane U-shaped. It is envisaged that at one, as in Fig. 3 in an enlarged view of the partial section I of Fig. 2 is shown, in the closed state of the door 10 the cooking chamber 9 facing legs 20a, the first electrical contact 16 arranged, in particular formed embedded therein. In the exemplary embodiment, this first electrical contact 16 is thus formed at a lower end 10c of the door 10.

In Fig. 4 is a partial view of the housing 2 in the region of the storage space 11 is shown in a perspective view. This storage space 11 has lateral vertical storage space side walls 11a and 11b and moreover comprises a storage space floor 11c. In the storage space side walls 11a and 11b, a guide slot 21 is in each case formed, which are components of the guide device 14.

In Fig. 4 Also shown are exemplary hinges 22 and 23 which are coupled to the door 10 such that the pivotal movement of the door 10 during opening and closing on the one hand and the sinking movement or sliding movement of the door 10 in the storage space 11 into or out of the storage space 11 out is. For this purpose, the hinge 22 comprises a hinge rocker 22a, on which by way of example two guide rollers 22b and 22c are arranged rotatably mounted. The hinge rocker 22a is also pivotable about a horizontal axis, this horizontal axis being parallel to roller axes of the rollers 22b and 22c.

The guide slots 21 are formed laterally to the door 10 in the horizontal direction and thus in the x direction of the household appliance 1.

It is also provided that the housing-side second electrical contacts 17 and 18 adjacent, in particular above, are arranged to the respective guide slots 21 in the storage space side walls 11a and 11b.

In the exemplary embodiment it is provided that the first electrical contacts 15 and 16 are rigid and the second electrical contacts 17 and 18 are resilient.

As already out Fig. 4 is visible and beyond in Fig. 5 an enlarged partial view of the section II in Fig. 4 As can be seen, the hinges 22, 23 move with their hinge rockers 22a substantially in vertical planes and thus in yz planes when the door 10 is opened or closed and thus pivoted. This results in a swivel path, which in particular extends in the yz plane. The hinge rocker 22a is thus arranged along such a pivoting path pivotable to the storage space side wall 11b and thus also to the second electrical contact 17 fixed there in particular, wherein the second electrical contact 17 is arranged in the pivoting path of the hinge rocker 22.

In the exemplary embodiment, a decoupling element 24 is arranged on the hinge rocker 22a, with which the coupled state of the first electrical contact 15 with the second electrical contact 17 is automatically generated when the rocker 22a moves on this pivoting path and thus also the second electrical contact 17th crossed and mechanically contacted. This takes place when the door 10 is sunk into the storage space 11 and thereby the hinge rocker 22a is pivoted along the pivot path and decouples the previously coupled state of the electrical contacts 15 and 17 on the way into the storage space 11 inside. Accordingly, it is formed on the opposite side with the local configuration of a hinge rocker of the hinge 23 and the contacts there 16 and 18.

In Fig. 6 is a partial view in section in the yz plane of the household appliance 1 in the region of the door 10 and the storage space 11 is shown. In Fig. 6 the door 10 is completely closed. In this closed state of the door 10, the electrical contacts 15 and 17 are maximally adjacent to each other and thus both the mechanical and the resulting electrical contact is achieved. As in particular in Fig. 5 and the following ones Fig. 7 can be seen, is provided in a preferred embodiment that the housing-side electrical second contacts 17 and 18 are S-shaped.

In addition, the contacts 15 to 18 are at least partially coated with gold or brass or the like.

Starting from the illustration in Fig. 6 Then, when opening the door 10 and a pivoting movement of the hinge rocker 22 a completed, as then in Fig. 7 is shown. Due to the opening of the door 10 and the resulting pivoting movement is achieved by the decoupling element 24 in continuing the pivotal movement of the door 10 and thus also the movement of the hinge rocker 22a along the pivot path of the swing path located in the second housing-side electrical contact 17 and contacted mechanically and by further moving and opening the door 10, this second electrical contact 17 is pressed to the side and the contact between the electrical contacts 15 and 17 released or released. By this decoupling element 24, the link contact or the link contact spring or the second electrical contact 17 is pushed out of the range of movement of the door 10 and the hinge 22, so that this can continue to perform its pivotal movement.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

household appliance

2

casing

3

muffle

4

wall

5

wall

6

wall

7

wall

8th

wall

9

oven

10

door

10a

strip-like edge

10b

strip-like edge

10c

lower end

11

storage space

11a

vertical storage sidewall

11b

vertical storage sidewall

11c

Storage room floor

12

electrical consumer

13

electrical consumer

14

guiding device

15

first electrical contact

16

another first electrical contact

17

second electrical contact

18

another second electrical contact

19

base

20

guideway

20a

leg

21

guide link

22

hinge

22a

hinge rocker

22b

leadership

22c

leadership

23

hinge

24

decoupling

Claims (12)

1. Household appliance (1) with a door (10) for closing an opening of a receiving space (9) for food configured in a housing of the household appliance (1), wherein, when opened, the door (10) can be introduced into a storage space (11) below the receiving space (9) and wherein the door (10) has at least one electrical consumer (12, 13) and a first electrical contact (15, 16) that can be coupled to the electrical consumer (12, 13) and at least one second electrical contact (17, 18) is arranged on the housing side and can be electrically coupled to the first electrical contact (15, 16) to supply electrical energy to the consumer (12, 13) as a function of an operating position of the door (10), characterised in that, to introduce the door (10) into the storage space (11), a guide apparatus (14) is configured in a storage space side wall (11a, 11b) with at least one housing-side guide slot (21) configured laterally in relation to the door (10) in a horizontal direction of the household appliance (1), the housing-side second electrical contact (17, 18) being arranged adjacent to the guide slot (21) in the storage space side wall (11a, 11b).
2. Household appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the guide apparatus (14) has a door-side guide path (20), which is configured on a narrow edge face (10a) of the door (10) facing the storage space side wall (11a, 11b) and in which the door-side first electrical contact (15, 16) is arranged.
3. Household appliance (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the first electrical contact (15, 16) is arranged in an arm wall (20a) of the guide path (20) with its U-shaped cross section.
4. Household appliance (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the first electrical contact (15, 16) is configured at a lower end of the guide path (20).
5. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first and second electrical contacts (15 to 18) make maximum contact when the door (10) is in the closed state.
6. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first electrical contact (15, 16) is rigid.
7. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the second electrical contact (17, 18) is configured as resilient.
8. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a hinge (22, 23) with a hinge rocker (22a) arranged rotatably on the housing (2) is arranged on the housing side, at least one guide element (22b, 22c) being arranged on said hinge rocker (22a) and engaging in a guide path (20) on the door (10) to guide the lowering movement of the door (10).
9. Household appliance (1) according to claim 8, characterised in that the hinge rocker (22a) is arranged in such a manner that it can be pivoted along a pivot path toward the storage space side wall (11a, 11b) and the second electrical contact (17, 18), the second electrical contact (17, 18) being arranged in the pivot path of the hinge rocker (22a).
10. Household appliance (1) according to claim 9, characterised in that a decoupling element (24) is arranged on the hinge rocker (22a) and can be used to decouple the coupled state of the first to the second electrical contact (15 to 18) automatically when the door (10) is lowered into the storage space (11) and the hinge rocker (22a) is thereby pivoted along the pivot path.
11. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the electrical contacts (15 to 18) are coated, at least in parts, with a metal, in particular gold or brass.
12. Household appliance (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the second electrical contact (17, 18) is configured as an S-shaped strip.

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