RU2558938C2 - Household appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: personal use articles.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a household appliance with a plug (19) for closing, made in the part (13) of the recess (25), bounded by the side walls (29) and the bottom (31) which is spaced for the depth (s) of the counter-bore from the part surface (27). The recess (25) is, in particular, a recess for the screw head, into which the head (23) of the fastening screw (18) is recessed, by which the part (13) is in threaded connection (17) with the main part (1). The plug is in fixing connection with the part (13), at that in the side wall (29) of the recess (25) at least one undercut (34) is made, into which the retaining element (33) of the plug (19) can enter.

EFFECT: use of this invention enables to hold easily and reliably the plug in a mounting position for an extended period of time.

14 cl, 5 dwg

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a household appliance with a plug for closing a recess made in a part according to the preamble of claim 1.

State of the art

The handle of the appliance door can be screwed externally to the door leaf of the appliance. For reasons of maintaining an attractive appearance, the head of the fixing screw that remains visible from the outside can be covered with a plastic plug that is adapted to the front surface adjacent to the threaded connection.

A similar household appliance with such a handle screwed to the appliance door is known from patent document DE 202007013032 U1. To do this, the door handle is equipped with upper and lower handle holders, which are extended in the direction of the overall depth relative to the front panel of the door, reach the narrow side edge of the door and are screwed there with fixing screws to the device door. The heads of the fixing screws can be recessed in the recess of the handle holder and can be closed by a plug closing them so that they are not visible.

The closing plug can be mounted, for example, directly on the screw head. Alternatively, the closing plug may also be made of elastic plastic and be sized to press it with slight deformation into the recess in which the screw head is recessed. However, such a clamping connection with a power circuit between the closing plug and the recess is problematic. Each time the user opens / closes the door, it is the handle holder that undergoes deformation, even if it is insignificant, as a result of which there is a risk that the closing plug may eventually fall out of the recess for the screw head.

Disclosure of invention

The objective of the invention is to propose such a household appliance in which the closing plug will technically be easily and reliably held in its mounting (installed) position for a long time.

The problem is solved by the features of paragraph 1 of the claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, the household appliance has a plug for closing the recess for the screw head made in the joined part, which is limited by the side walls and the bottom, which is separated from the part surface by the depth of the countersink. The recessed screw head is recessed into the recess under the screw head, by which the attached part is screwed to the main part. However, the invention is not limited to a threaded connection of this type. On the contrary, it refers to recesses in parts of any kind, which must be closed with a plug. According to the characterizing part of claim 1, a clamping connection with a force closure between the closure plug and the recess in the part is no longer used, and instead, the closure plug is fixed to the part by means of a locking connection. The locking connection has at least one undercut, which is located in the side wall of the recess and into which the mating locking element can enter. Thus, the retention of the plug is no longer due to the clamping connection with a power circuit and the resulting risk that the plug may fall out over time. On the contrary, the fixing of the plug occurs through a clampless connection with a geometric, and not with a power circuit, which for a long time eliminates the loss of the plug from the part.

A household appliance according to the invention is used for domestic needs and can be a refrigerator, freezer, refrigerator, freezer, wine refrigerator, or a combination of a freezer and refrigerator.

The geometry of the recess required for fixing can be obtained by milling, drilling or any other machining. Alternatively, the part can be made together with the required geometry for fixing in the form of a molded plastic product.

The possibility of technically simple manufacturing of the geometry required for fixing at the closing plug and the recess for the screw head is of great importance, in particular, in large-scale production. With this in mind, in order to form an undercut, the part from the outside can have a recess in the material (for example, a niche or a blind hole in the external contour of the part), which is connected to the recess by cutting a material in the side wall. In this case, an undercut is formed by the bounding wall of the recess in the material, which at the location of the fixing edge passes into the side wall of the recess. The recess in the material can be made in the part, for example, across the recess. Alternatively, the recess may be in the form of a blind hole, which in the region of the bottom of the blind hole is connected to the recess by means of a material cut.

Moreover, from a technological point of view, it is of great importance in the manufacture that the recess in the material is selected starting from the external contour of the part. Due to this, the technological process is greatly simplified, namely, in comparison with the manufacturing process, in which undercutting is performed from the side of the recess under the screw head in the form of a recess in the form of a pocket in the side wall of the recess.

So that the recess selected in the material of the part does not violate the stiffness of this part, as well as its appearance, it is recommended that the recess in the material when assembled is not visible from the outside. It is preferable that the recess was made in the opposite to the front surface of the part of the mounting surface of the part, which is assembled adjacent to the main part.

The invention is applicable, in particular, to the door handle of a household appliance. Such a door handle has a gripping element that can be grasped by the user, as well as holders of a gripping element of the handle by which the gripping element is connected to the door of the device. The holder of the gripping element in the direction of the overall depth is extended by means of the mounting shoulder and reaches the narrow side edge of the door, where it is screwed to the device door. As already described in the description of the prior art, the holder of the gripping element and, in particular, its mounting shoulder when opening / closing the door is subject to slight deformation. Thanks to the fixing connection according to the invention, between the closing plug and the mounting shoulder, even in spite of this deformation, a durable reliable connection is provided, since in the case of a fixing connection, it is not a connection with a power circuit, which, due to the aforementioned deformation, weakens with time.

For ease of manufacture, the holder of the gripping element can be made by injection molding, in which liquid plastic is injected into the casting chamber formed by the parts of the mold. The foundry chamber determines the negative shape of the handle holder of the handle gripping element being manufactured. After the casting process is completed, parts of the mold are disconnected from each other in the direction of extraction, and the molded plastic part is removed from the open casting chamber.

To ensure a technologically simple casting process, it is preferable that the geometry of the cast part in the direction of extraction has no undercuts. However, due to geometrical parameters, such undercuts in the part in the extraction direction may be inevitable. In this case, along with the parts of the mold that form the casting chamber, it is required to provide for the presence of additional adjustable gate valves, by which undercutting in the molded plastic part can be feasible, but only on condition of considerable labor costs. For easy removal of the part after molding is completed, the valves are set back to their original position.

According to the invention, by using the special geometry of the holder of the gripping element of the handle, it is possible to refuse to use such valves. For this, the central axis of the recess and the blind hole are oriented coaxially to each other and extend in the direction of extraction. Accordingly, in the first part of the mold, a forming contour is provided, forming a contour of the recess under the screw head, while the second part of the mold has a forming contour, forming the contour of the blind hole of the handle of the gripping element of the handle and which is, in particular, a rod. Moreover, to make a cut in the material connecting the blind hole with the recess, it is required that the forming contour of the recess partially contact the forming contour of the blind hole of another part of the mold.

To increase the stability of the part, a metal insert is integrated (integrated) into the molded plastic part manufactured in this way. For example, a threaded hole necessary for a threaded connection can be made in a metal insert. In addition, the liner may have at least one positioning hole for pre-positioning the liner in the casting chamber. With proper positioning, the positioning rod provided in the mold part can pass through this positioning hole of the insert. In addition, the positioning rod, as an additional function, can simultaneously form a blind hole. Therefore, when the casting chamber is closed, the positioning rod with its free end fits snugly against the section of the depression opposite the forming part of the opposite part of the mold.

The side walls defining the recess can be oriented, preferably at right angles to one another, as a result of which — compared to the round version — the number of permissible mounting positions of the closing plug is reduced. In addition, on two opposite side walls of the recess, undercutes that are mirror-symmetric to each other can be made, into which the locking elements of the plug can respond to them. To establish a stable fixing connection, the closing plug may have additional supporting sections, which in the mounting position are supported on the bottom of the recess. Preferably, the plug may have a supporting collar extending along the edge of its perimeter, which has locking tabs formed on the outside and rests on the bottom of the recess. The overall height of such a closing plug is such that, in the mounting position, the plug is essentially flush with the surrounding face of the part, and on the other hand, the locking elements can essentially go into undercuts without internal stresses.

The following is a description of an example embodiment of the invention based on the attached figures.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view (front view) of the handle mounted on the door of the device.

Figure 2 shows an image (local view) in the plane of section I-I, presented in figure 1.

Figure 3 on an enlarged scale shows a detailed view of the screwing point of the door handle holder.

Figure 4 shows a view for illustrating the manufacturing technology of the door handle holder.

Figure 5 shows a view corresponding to figure 3, but without a closing plug.

The implementation of the invention

Figure 1 shows a local front view of the refrigerator with a pivotally mounted side on the refrigerator body with the possibility of rotation around the vertical axis S of rotation of the door 1. The door 1 of the device has a lateral direction x of the device on a groan opposite to the rotation axis S of the door handle 3. The door handle 3 consists of one upper and one lower holder 5 of the gripping element of the handle, as well as of the handle tube 7 located between them. Both - the upper and lower - of the holder 5 of the gripping element of the handle according to figure 1 have a relatively massive box-shaped main part 9, which is mounted on the front panel 11 of the door 1 of the device and protrudes forward in the direction of the overall depth relative to the front panel 11 of the door. As a result, between the tube 7 of the handle and the front panel 11 of the door, there is a gap for the possibility of grasping the handle 3 of the door. In addition, the main part 9 of the holder 5 of the gripping element of the handle is extended backward in the direction of the overall depth y by means of a mounting shoulder 13, which surrounds the vertical outer edge 16 of the device door and is located in the indicated position 17 with a threaded connection with a narrow side edge 15 of the door. The head 23 (figure 2 or 3) of the fixing screw 18 of this threaded connection 17 in figure 1 is closed by a closing plug 19.

Figure 2 shows the general arrangement of the holder 5 of the handle gripping element, as well as the threaded connection 17. As shown in the figure, a thin (as compared to the main part 9) plate-shaped mounting shoulder 13 is fastened to the door leaf by means of a fixing screw 18 narrow side edge 15 of the door and its mounting surface 21 for the most part adjacent to the outer door leaf. The head 23 of the mounting screw 18 is recessed in the recess 25 of the mounting shoulder 13, which is made on the front side 27, opposite the mounting surface 21.

In Fig.2, the mounting surface 21 of the mounting shoulder 13 for reasons of clarity is shown at a small distance from the door 1 of the device. The recess 25 is formed by lateral walls 29 located along the edge, as well as the bottom 31 of the recess, which is spaced from the front surface 27 of the part to the depth of the countersink s (see Fig. 5). In the assembled state shown in FIG. 2, the screw head 23 exerts a pressing force on the bottom 31 of the recess 25, whereby the mounting shoulder 13 is pressed against the side edge 15 of the door. The recess for the screw head 25 is closed by a closing plug 19, which according to FIGS. 2 and 3 is in detachable fixing connection with the mounting shoulder 13. Moreover, the closing plug 19 according to FIGS. 2 and 3 has locking protrusions 33 on their opposite side edges, which enter in engagement with the undercuts 34 responding to them in the side walls 29 of the recess 25. In this case, the plug 19 according to FIGS. 2 and 3 is completely located inside the recess 25 and is essentially oriented flush with the mounting face 27 surrounding it the shoulder 13. In addition, the plug 19, like a bowl, has a support flange 37 located at the edge of the perimeter, which rests with its free end on the bottom 31 of the recess 25. On the outside, two opposing locking protrusions 33 are formed on the support flange 37. In addition, The closing plug 19 has a tool step 39 on its upper side, so that, if necessary, using a suitable tool, the closing plug 19 can be removed from the mounting shoulder 13.

To increase the rigidity of the part, the holder 5 of the gripping element of the handle is made in the form of a molded plastic part, in which the metal insert 41 is poured into the plastic material and partially doused on both sides. The metal insert 41 is in the form of a plate and extends in the direction of the overall depth from the front side of the device of the holder 5 of the gripping element of the handle to the rear end of the mounting shoulder 13. According to FIG. 5, the metal insert 41 is not in the region of the bottom 31 of the recess around the threaded hole 43 has a plastic coating, but on its subsequent extent radially outwardly covered with plastic, so that a step transition is formed in the bottom 31. Therefore, the screw head 23 in the mounting position rests directly on the metal insert 41, while the metal insert 41 is radially outwardly covered with plastic, to which the supporting flange 37 of the closing plug 19 abuts.

To create undercuts 34 from the mounting surface 21 of the mounting shoulder 13, respectively, one blind hole 45 is made in the plastic material of the mounting shoulder 13. The position and dimensions of the blind hole 45 are selected so that it is connected to the recess 25 under the screw head through the material of the side wall 29 is a slot 47. According to this invention, an undercut 34 is formed by the bottom 48 of the blind hole, which at the fixing edge 49 passes into the side wall 29 is recessed I am 25 under the screw head. In this case, the central axis 51 of the recess 25 under the screw head, as well as the central axis 53 of the blind hole, are oriented coaxially (coaxially) with respect to each other, and are also oriented in the direction of extraction E (Fig. 4). As a result, undercuts can be avoided in the extraction direction E, as shown in FIG. 4. Figure 4 is a very schematic view of a device for injection molding with the upper first part 55 of the mold and the lower second part 57 of the mold. Both parts 55, 57 of the mold limit the casting chamber 59, which determines the negative shape of the holder 5 of the gripping element of the handle. Accordingly, the upper first part 55 of the mold has a forming contour 61 forming a recess 25 under the screw head. The second lower part 57 of the mold, on the contrary, has two rods 63 forming blind holes 45. To form the slot 47 shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 the ends of the rods 65 are in contact with the mating adjacent portions 66 of the upper forming circuit 61. In addition, both rods 63 provide the correct positioning of the liner 41 in the casting chamber 59. For this, the liner 41 has positioning holes 64 through which Both rods 63 pass.

Figure 5 shows the injection molded part without a closing plug 19. For installation, the plug 19 is first inserted by the locking protrusion 33 at an angle (obliquely) into one of the two undercuts 34, and then by means of a rotary movement it is set to the end position at which in contrast, the locking protrusion 33 is also included in the locking connection.

LIST OF CONVENTIONS

1 appliance door

3 door handle

5 Grip element holder

7 gripping element

9 Main part (handle gripping element holder)

11 Front door

13 Mounting shoulder

15 Side edge of the door

16 Outer edge

17 threaded connection

18 Fixing screw

19 Cover cap

21 Mounting surface

23 screw head

25 Screw head recess

27 Front surface

29 Sidewalls

31 Bottom of the recess

33 locking tabs

34 Undercuts

37 Support flange

39 Tool step

41 Metal liner

43 threaded hole

45 blind hole

47 Slit material

48 bottom of blind hole

49 Locking edge

51, 53 Central axes

55, 57 Parts of the mold

59 Foundry chamber

61 Forming circuit

63 Rod

64 positioning hole

65 Butt ends

66 Adjacent

S Countersink Depth

x lateral direction

y Direction of overall depth

Claims (14)

1. A household appliance with a plug (19) for closing the recess (25) made in the part (13), bounded by the side walls (29) and the bottom (31), which is at a depth (s) of the reamer from the surface (27) of the part, the recess (25) is, in particular, a recess under the screw head, in which the head (23) of the fastening screw (18) is recessed, by which the part (13) is in a threaded connection (17) with the main part (1), characterized in that the plug (19) is in fixing connection with the part (13), in which in the side wall (29) of the recess (25) ) made at least one undercut (34) with the possibility of entering into it the locking element (33) of the plug (19). 2. A household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the part (13) for forming an undercut (34) has a recess (45) in the material from the outside of the part, which is connected through a slot (47) of the material in the side wall (29) to recess (25). 3. A household appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the bounding wall (48) forming the undercut (48) of the recess (45) in the material at the fixing edge (49) passes into the side wall (29) of the recess (25). 4. The household appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the recess (45) in the material is a blind hole, which is connected to the recess (25) on the bottom (48) of the blind hole through the slot (47) of the material. 5. A household appliance according to one of paragraphs. 1-4, characterized in that the part (13) is screwed with the fitting of the mounting surface (21) directed away from the surface (27) of the part to the main part (1), and in particular, the recess (45) in the material is made in opposite the surface (27) of the mounting surface part (21). 6. A household appliance according to one of claims. 1-4, characterized in that the part (13) is a molded plastic part, in which the recess (25) and the recess (45) in the material are located in the direction (E) of the extraction without undercutting. 7. A household appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that the central axis (51, 53) of the recess (25) and the recess (45) in the material pass coaxially with the extraction direction (E). 8. A household appliance according to claim 6, characterized in that for the manufacture of injection molded plastic parts, mold parts (55, 57) are provided that can move in the extraction direction (E) and which limit the casting chamber (59) that defines negative shape of the part (13). 9. A household appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that the first part (55) of the mold has a forming contour (25) of the part (13) forming a contour (61), and the second part (57) of the mold forms a recess ( 45) in the material of the part (13) a forming contour (63), in particular, a rod. 10. A household appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that an insert (41) is inserted into the injection molded plastic part, in which a threaded hole (43) is made for the threaded connection (17), and / or the insert (41) has a positioning hole (64) for pre-positioning the liner (41) in the casting chamber (59) through which the rod (63) located on the second part (57) of the mold passes. 11. A household appliance according to one of paragraphs. 1-4, 7-10, characterized in that the side walls (29) of the recess (25) are located at right angles to each other, and / or two undercut (34) are made on two opposite side walls (29). 12. A household appliance according to one of claims. 1-4, 7-10, characterized in that the plug (19) in the installed position rests on the bottom (31) of the recess (25), and / or, essentially, is flush with the surface (27) of the part. 13. A household appliance according to one of claims. 1-4, 7-10, characterized in that the part (13) is part of the door handle of the household appliance. 14. A household appliance according to claim 13, characterized in that the part (13) is a mounting shoulder of the door handle.

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