GB2265054A

GB2265054A - Connector for use in dishwasher

Info

Publication number: GB2265054A
Application number: GB9302131A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Heinz Ritter
Original assignee: Licentia Patent Verwaltungs GmbH
Current assignee: Licentia Patent Verwaltungs GmbH
Priority date: 1992-02-05
Filing date: 1993-02-03
Publication date: 1993-09-15
Also published as: GB9302131D0; FR2686987B3; IT229599Y1; ITMI930072V0; FR2686987A3; DE9201367U1; ITMI930072U1

Description

Program circuit for household dishwashers The invention relates to a program circuit for household dishwashers according to the preamble of claim 1. It relates in particular to the electrical connection of the multiple contact bank of said program circuit.

In program circuits or so-called selectors, the time switch contacts actuated by cam rollers or disc cams are connected to flat plugs. These electrical connecting elements are combined to form complete contact bank units or panels and are mounted in an insulated manner on the housing. The other part of the connection is effected by means of a contact plug device or a common, one-piece adapter which is connected via cable harnesses or flat-ribbon lines to the dishwasher components to be actuated, such as circulating pump, evacuating pump, heating, rinsing solution metering device or the like. The attached adapter is then screwed to the housing of the program circuit.

(Taken,inter alia, from the technical data sheet "program selectors 2HK4", manufacturer Siemens).

A dishwasher requires a program circuit with up to 24 or more contact units. The force for attaching (or removing in the case of servicing) a one-piece 24-contact subunit is enormously high. For this reason, one-piece plugs of this type are being used less and less for the manufacture of expensive household appliances and are being replaced by individual group plugs.

From DE 33 40 742 C2 a "program selector for domestic machines" is known. In the prior art, the terminal lugs of the program circuit are located on the underneath of the housing and connected to a separate, permanently attachable distributor.

Within said distributor, the terminals for separate group plugs are dissociated, i.e.

arranged according to units, and associated contacts are combined by a further part, a guide grid. The guide grid has coding webs and prevents the group plugs from being inserted at the wrong place. The complete distributor is covered by a box-like protective cap.

This type of group plug connecting device is relatively expensive and requires a plurality of separate intermediate parts.

The object of the invention is to create a simple and economical connection option for a plurality of group plugs.

This is achieved according to the invention by the characterising features of claim 1.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be deduced from the subclaim.

The advantages obtainable with the invention are such that no additional intermediate or similar part is required to connect the group plugs. The necessary cable trees are made automatically. Connection errors are reduced. The type of connection permits the use of single-row group plugs (which can be assembled fully automatically) which do not require much force for attaching and detaching. For automatic assembly, simplified wiring robots can be used.

An embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows the contact bank of a program circuit to be connected, Fig 2, the upper program circuit fixing plate as a part piece, viewed in section along the line A-A in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3, an inserted, connected group plug viewed in section along the line B-B in Fig. 1.

According to Fig. 1, a circuit of a dishwasher having 4 program discs has a 24-part contact bank, which is divided into 6 vertical rows for in all 6 singie-row, directly connectable group plugs 11. Therefore only 4 circuit contacts located vertically one above another are occupied by each group plug 11, and thus the force needed for plugging-in and removing is kept low. The reference numbers 1, la, 1b .. .. to 8, 8a, 8b refer to the individual program circuit contacts. (The program circuit contacts 2, 4, 6, 8 are occupied by the first group plug, the contacts 2a, 4a, 6a, 8a by the second group plug etc.). An upper fixing plate 9 and a lower fixing plate 10 respectively projecting over the contact bank are mounted on the housing of the program circuit. (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).

The fixing plates 9, 10 of the program circuit are also for receiving adjacent group plugs 11. Each group plug 11 has catch lugs 12 and coding webs 13 at the top and bottom (Fig. 13). The upper catch lugs 12 are formed on resilient locking levers 14.

which hold the group plugs 11 in place, so as to prevent unintentional removal (Fig.

3). By means of their catch lugs 12, the locking levers 14 and the coding webs 13, in a precise fit and without being mixed up, the individual group plugs 11 are insertable into the corresponding catch recesses 15 and coding slots 16 of the upper and lower fixing plates 9, 10.

The modification according to the invention of a program circuit housing in the form of fixing plates 9, 10 with offset holes or slots permits a direct and necessarily correct connection of group plugs 11 without the intermediate connection of distributors or guide grids.

Claims

1. Program circuit for household dishwashers, whose multiple contact bank is combined into a panel for connecting separate group plugs, characterised in that the external housing of the program circuit is provided with fixing plates (9,10), in whose projecting outer edges catch recesses (15) and coding slots (16) are formed.

2. Program circuit to claim 1, characterised in that coding webs (13) and resilient locking levers (14) together with catch lugs (12) are formed on the housing of the group plugs (11).

3. Program circuit substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.