Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
  • F24C15/00—Details
  • F24C15/06—Ornamental features, e.g. grate fronts or surrounds
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
  • F24C7/00—Stoves or ranges heated by electric energy
  • F24C7/08—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
  • F24C7/082—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F34/00—Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
  • D06F34/28—Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress

Definitions

• the invention relates to a cover plate of a household appliance which cover plate is a formed sheet metal part.
• the invention further relates to a household appliance comprising at least one such cover plate.
• the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such a cover plate.
• the invention is particularly useful for front-sided cover plates of ovens and ranges.
• metal cover plates of household appliances are manufactured by deep-drawing a sheet metal part into the desired form.
• the sheet metal part is three-dimensionally deformed using a press and a respective tool.
• the deep- drawing is disadvantageously associated with high costs for its tooling equipment.
• costs are high and duration is long for changing the form of the deep-drawn metal cover plates because new tools have to be used. This results in a low flexibility.
• cover plate of a household appliance which cover plate is a formed sheet metal part.
• the cover plate is a bent sheet metal part or piece having linear bending lines that each extend over a respective width of the cover plate. This gives the advantage that the sheet metal part has only been bent two-dimensionally at any time (and not three-dimensionally as it is the case of deep-drawing). This in turn enables the use of particularly simple forming methods, i.e. bending methods, to manufacture the cover plate.
• An extension of a bending line over the respective (full) width of the cover plate may comprise that the bending line extends from edge to edge of the cover plate.
• the width of the cover plate may be different for different bending lines such that the length of the respective bending lines may also differ.
• the object is also achieved by a method for manufacturing a cover plate of a household appliance wherein the cover plate is formed exclusively by bending a sheet metal part or piece, in particular over its entire width.
• the forming by only bending enables the use of relatively small and relatively inexpensive machinery. Resetting and re-tooling the machinery can be achieved fastly and requires no or only minor changes to the tools (e.g. rollers). Also, time needed to manufacture the cover plate is very low.
• the bending method includes using rollers or cylinders to bend the sheet metal part.
• rollers or cylinders enables a particularly fast
• the method may in particular include or be roll-forming. It is an embodiment that the bending method includes using a linear movement of the tool, e.g. a punch. This method may include or be air bending, coining, three-point bending, folding etc.
• the sheet metal part is at least partially bent in a linear fashion, i.e. that at least one of the respective bending lines is a linear bending line. It is preferred for a particularly easy manufacture that all bending lines are linear bending lines.
• the bending lines - in particular all bending lines - extend in parallel to each other. This allows a particularly simple set-up of the bending machinery and a particularly fast bending process.
• At least two bending lines are inclined to each other. This allows a three-dimensional forming of the cover plate by using several two-dimensional bending processes and linear bending lines, respectively. It is an embodiment that - if the cover plate is attached to the household appliance - at least one bending line is aligned or runs horizontally. In particular, most or all bending lines may be aligned horizontally. It is an embodiment that the cover plate has a frontal section, a lower rearwards extending section, and an upper rearwards extending section which are differentiated by respective bending lines. In particular, the frontal section is the section that constitutes or is used as part of a frontal side or wall of the household appliance. The lower rearwards extending section and the upper rearwards extending section allow precise positioning and/or fixing of the cover plate at the household appliance. At least the frontal section may stretch or extend over the full width of the household appliance.
• the frontal section comprises an upper frontal section and a lower frontal section which are differentiated by a respective bending line, i.e. the frontal section is in itself bent at least once.
• the upper and lower frontal section may be inclined around a common horizontal bending line. This enables a particularly high-quality design and/or improved usability.
• the frontal section is at least partially curved over its full width. This gives the advantage that a spring-back effect under mechanical or thermal loads can be avoided. Also, surface disconformities of the generally smooth surface are eliminated that may exist after manufacturing. This avoidance of the spring-back effect is particularly advantageous if the cover plate or sheet metal part is made of or from stainless steel.
• a lower frontal section may be curved while an upper frontal section is not curved.
• the curvature has a concave or inwardly bending form (as seen from a user looking at the frontal section).
• the concave form may be cylindrical, in particular a horizontally extending profile.
• Such a concave form may be described as having at least a partially cylindrical cross-section.
• a radius of the curvature is between 1500 and 7000 mm. This in particular holds if a height of the curved section is between 150 and 200 mm. In general, it is preferred that the radius is at least five times greater than the height of the curved area, particularly between ten and fifty times greater.
• the cover plate is a cover plate of a control panel of the household appliance. This allows fast and inexpensive manufacturing of the control panel. The control panel advantageously lends itself to be formed by the bending method since it typically covers a full width of a household appliance.
• the cover plate has one or more cut-outs for inserting at least one control element.
• the one or more cut-outs may exclusively be positioned in the upper frontal section or the lower frontal section.
• the at least one cut-out may exclusively be positioned in a vertically aligned lower frontal section while the upper frontal section is inclined to the vertical direction.
• the cover plate is a cover plate of a drawer of the household appliance. This allows fast and inexpensive manufacturing of this cover plate.
• the cover plate of the drawer advantageously lends itself to be formed by the bending method since it typically covers a full width of a household appliance.
• end caps are covering sides of the cover plate. This allows a particularly easy covering of the open sides of the cover plate, in particular when using several (partial) frontal sections, i.e. a frontal section that is not fully flat.
• the end caps also provide additional structural strength (in particular torsional stiffness) to the cover plate, in particular against twisting.
• the end caps can be fixed at the cover plate, e.g., by latching, catching, clipping, clamping, screwing, gluing etc.
• the end caps are formed as grip plates. This enables an easy handling of the cover plate and thus a movable component of the household appliance covered by and connected to the cover plate, resp. Such a movable component may be a drawer.
• a household appliance comprising at least one such cover plate.
• the household appliance may be an oven or an oven combination (oven range) etc.
• the household appliance may also be a laundry care appliance like a washing machine and/or a clothes dryer etc.
• the household appliance may also be a dish washer or sanitizer etc.
• the household appliance may also be a cooling alliance like a refrigerator etc.
• Fig.1 shows an oblique frontal view of an oven range
• Fig.2 shows an oblique frontal view of a cover plate of a drawer of the oven range with attached end caps;
• Fig.3 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate of Fig.2 with the end caps detached;
• Fig.4 shows an oblique frontal view of another cover plate of a drawer of the oven range with attached end caps;
• Fig.5 shows an oblique frontal view of the other cover plate of Fig.4 with the end caps detached;
• Fig.6 shows a cross-sectional view of the cover plate of Fig.4;
• Fig.7 shows an oblique frontal view of the other cover plate of Fig.4 without end caps
• Fig.8 shows an oblique frontal view of a cover plate of a control panel of the oven range with attached end caps;
• Fig.9 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate of Fig.8 with the end caps detached.
• Fig.1 shows an oblique frontal view of a household appliance in form of an oven range 1.
• the oven range 1 has an top-side cooking hob 2 comprising several gas burners 3.
• the cooking hob can, e.g., be a ceramic glass cooktop having several electric heaters.
• an oven 4 that can be a gas oven or an electrical oven etc.
• the oven 4 has a frontal opening for inserting and retrieving food items, which opening can be covered by an oven door 5.
• the oven 4 is placed within a housing 6, as is a drawer 7.
• the drawer 7 is slidable in a frontal direction F, i.e., it can be pulled out of the housing 6 and pushed into the housing 6 in this direction.
• the drawer 7 comprises a cover plate 8 that itself is covered left and right at its open sides by respective end caps 9.
• the oven 1 further comprises a control panel 10 that is frontally placed between the oven door 5 and the cooking hob 2.
• the control panel 10 comprises a cover plate 1 1 that is also covered left and right at its open sides by respective end caps 12.
• Several control elements are inserted in or through the cover plate 1 1 , e.g., several knobs 13, push buttons 14, and a display 15.
• the cooking hob 2, the oven door 5, the drawer 7 (in particular its cover plate 8), and the control panel 10 (in particular its cover plate 1 1 ) virtually extend over a full width W of the oven range 1 .
• Fig.2 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate 8 of the drawer 7 with the end caps 9 attached.
• Fig.3 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate 8 with the end caps 9 detached (exploded view).
• the cover plate 8 is made of one sheet metal part or piece of stainless metal, e.g., stainless steel.
• the cover plate 8 has been formed exclusively by bending the sheet metal part.
• the bending regions are shaped as linear bending lines 16, 17, and 18.
• the bending lines 16 to 18 extend horizontally over the full (uniform) width of the cover plate 8 and thus all extend in parallel to each other.
• the bending has created several sections of the cover plate 8, namely a frontal section 19, a lower rearwards extending section 20, and an upper rearwards extending section 21 which are differentiated by bending lines 16 and 18, respectively.
• the frontal section 19 itself comprises an upper frontal section 19a and a lower frontal section 19b which are differentiated by bending line 17.
• Such a bending can easily be achieved by exclusively using rollers or cylinders which enables a particularly fast bending of the cover plate. Also, if other bending dimensions or characteristics (bending radii, bending distances, bending angles etc.) are desired, a retooling or re-setting of the machinery is fastly and inexpensively implementable.
• the bending may in particular include or be roll-forming.
• the open sides of the cover plate 8 are covered by the respective end caps 9 that are formed as grip plates.
• These end caps / grip plates 9 have a five-sided form with a cup- shaped recess 22.
• the two end caps 9 have a mirror-symmetrical form.
• the recesses 22 are provided to be gripped by hand to move the drawer 7, thus eliminating the need of a frontal handle or handle shell.
• the recesses 22 are not visible if viewed from a fully frontal direction but correspond to undercuts.
• the recesses 22 can be provided without extra costs.
• the recesses 22 may be connected or fixed to the cover plate 8 by, e.g., screws (not shown) etc.
• Fig.4 shows an oblique frontal view of a cover plate 23 according to another embodiment that can be used with the drawer 8 of the oven range 1 with attached end caps 24.
• Fig.5 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate 23 with the end caps 24 detached. Only the left sided end cap 24 is shown.
• the cover plate 23 is formed similar to the end plate 8 but further comprises several bracket-shaped extensions or flanges 25 extending angled from a rear edge of the lower rearwards extending section 20 and the upper rearwards extending section 21. The edges are also the upper and lower edges of the cover plate 23.
• the flanges 25 extend perpendicular to the sections 20 and 21 and may comprise a hole.
• the flanges 25 may be used to attach the end caps 24 and/or other part of the drawer 8.
• the end caps 24 have a generally similar shape to the end caps 9 but may, e.g., be adapted to be screwed to the flanges 25.
• the flanges 25 may also be made by bending, in particular roll-forming of respective sections of the metal sheet part.
• the respective bending lines 26 are parallel to the other bending lines 16, 17, and 18.
• the bending lines 26 have a significant smaller width than the other bending lines 16, 17, and 18 corresponding of the smaller width of the flanges. There may be even further bending lines, in particular at the upper rearwards extending section 21 .
• Fig.6 shows a cross-sectional view of the cover plate 23 of the drawer 8.
• Fig.7 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate 23 without end caps.
• the lower frontal section 19b of the frontal section 19 is deliberately slightly curved, as indicated by the arrows in Fig.6 and Fig.7 and the dashed line in Fig.6.
• the curvature C has a horizontally aligned cylindrical shape that extends over the full width of the lower frontal section 19b.
• the curvature C has a radius that is large compared to a height of the lower frontal section 19b. This enables avoiding a spring-back effect and small surface disconformities to appear while at the same time maintaining an un-curved or plane appearance.
• the height may be between 150 mm to 200 mm, e.g., in particular about 165 mm, while the radius may be between 1500 mm and 7000 mm.
• Fig.8 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate 1 1 of the control panel 10 of the oven range 1 with attached end caps 12.
• Fig.9 shows an oblique frontal view of the cover plate 1 1 with the end caps 12 detached.
• the cover plate 1 1 is similar to cover plate 8.
• the cover plate 1 1 is also made of one sheet metal part or piece of stainless metal, e.g., stainless steel.
• the cover plate 1 1 has also been formed exclusively by bending the sheet metal part.
• the bending regions are shaped as linear bending lines 27, 28, and 29.
• the bending lines 27 to 29 extend horizontally over the full (uniform) width of the cover plate 1 1 and thus all extend in parallel to each other.
• the bending has created several sections of the cover plate 1 1 , namely a frontal section 30, a lower rearwards extending section 31 , and an upper rearwards extending section 32 which are differentiated by respective bending lines 27 and 29, respectively.
• the frontal section 30 itself comprises an upper frontal section 30a and a lower frontal section 30b which are differentiated by bending line 28.
• the lower frontal section 30b is aligned vertically.
• cover plate 8 such a bending can easily be achieved by exclusively using rollers or cylinders which enables a particularly fast bending of the cover plate.
• the bending may in particular include or be roll-forming.
• the open sides of the cover plate 1 1 are covered by the respective flat end caps 12. Since the control panel 10 is not supposed to be movable, the flat end caps 12 have no recesses.
• the end caps 12 also have a five-sided form.
• the two end caps 12 have a mirror-symmetrical form.
• the end caps 12 may be screwed to the cover plate 1 1 etc.
• the lower frontal section 30b comprises cut-outs 34, 35, and 36 for inserting the control elements 13, 14, and 15, respectively, or parts thereof.
• a cover pate of the control panel may also have flanges.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Cookers (AREA)
• Electric Ovens (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=56561349

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Family Cites Families (11)

• 2016
  • 2016-07-21 WO PCT/EP2016/067352 patent/WO2017029060A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2016-07-21 EP EP16745652.4A patent/EP3338026B1/de active Active

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