WO2006058820A1

WO2006058820A1 - Support arrangement and a refrigerator provided therewith

Info

Publication number: WO2006058820A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/055847
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christoph Becke
Original assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2004-12-02
Filing date: 2005-11-09
Publication date: 2006-06-08
Also published as: ES2377755T3; EP1819255B1; DE102004058199A1; EP1819255A1; ATE540595T1; US20080030114A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a support arrangement for receiving refrigeratable products in a refrigerator comprising at least one vertical guiding groove (9), a plurality of vertically arranged staggered steps (7), a horizontal support (10) provided with a peg (13) engaged into the guiding groove (9) and a step (14) which is engageable into the vertically arranged staggered step (7) or disengageable therefrom by pivoting the support (10) about an axis defined by the peg (13). The vertically arranged staggered steps (7) are placed outside of the guiding groove (9) which is provided with continuous sidewalls (17, 19).

Description

Carrier assembly and thus equipped refrigeration device

The present invention relates to a support assembly having at least one vertical support having a vertical guide groove and a plurality of vertically staggered latching steps, as well as with a horizontal support having an engaging in the guide groove pin and a latching step, the by pivoting the horizontal support to a defined by the pin axis with the latching steps of the vertical support in or out of engagement can be brought. Such a carrier arrangement or a refrigeration device in which it is used is known from DE101 45 141A1.

This known carrier arrangement makes it possible to release by pivoting the latching engagement between the horizontal and vertical support, so that the horizontal support in the guide groove can be moved vertically.

This known carrier arrangement has the remarkable characteristic that objects which are stored unsecured on the horizontal carrier need not necessarily be removed when the horizontal carrier in the

Guide groove to be moved vertically. It is merely important here to ensure that the horizontal support is not tilted so much around the horizontal axis defined by the journal that articles on the horizontal support thereby slip. The problem is, however, that a tilt angle at which the

Detent engagement between horizontal and vertical carrier triggers, is not clearly defined. The guide has two side edges, one of which is provided with latching steps and the other is smooth. If the horizontal carrier when tilting not at the same time of the

Retracted latching edge having, it can happen that the locking engagement is lost only at a tilt angle, slip off the located on the horizontal support objects.

Even when moving itself a user must pay close attention to ensure that the horizontal support is not pressed against the provided with the detent steps flank of the guide, so he does not accidentally engage. Object of the present invention is now to provide a carrier assembly or provided with a carrier assembly refrigeration device in which the height adjustment of the horizontal support is made easier and safer.

The object is achieved in that the latching steps of the vertical support are arranged outside of the journal receiving guide groove and the guide has stepless side walls. These stepless sidewalls allow the horizontal support to be guided evenly and vibration-free during its vertical movement; when the horizontal carrier is in a direction suitable for vertical displacement, contact between the pin and a side wall of the guide groove prevents even if the horizontal carrier accidentally in

Direction of the locking steps is pressed, that he touches one of the latching steps and gets stuck to it.

In order to secure the horizontal support against accidental displacement in the axial direction of the pin, on the vertical support is preferably provided a mirror-image to the first guide groove second guide groove for receiving a second pin of the same or another horizontal support.

Preferably, the horizontal support comprises an elongated support arm which carries at one of the longitudinal ends of a cooperating with the latching steps of the vertical support latching step, and the pin is laterally from the support arm.

According to a preferred, simple embodiment, the pin is cylindrical, so that its play in the width direction of the groove leading to it is independent of the tilt angle of the horizontal beam.

However, the pin may also have a non-circular cross-section, which makes its game depending on the tilt angle, and preferably such that the game is smaller with increasing tilt angle and tilting of the support arm from the horizontal out in an orientation that is tilted much stronger, as required to release the latching engagement blocked. The latching steps of the vertical support preferably have an upwardly open recess into which the latching step of the horizontal support can engage in the latched state. This engagement prevents pivoting of the horizontal beam about the pin without simultaneous lifting of the horizontal beam and thus prevents accidental loss of the locking engagement between the horizontal and vertical beams.

A support arrangement of the type described above can be used in particular in a refrigeration device as a holder for storage shelves in the interior of the refrigerator.

According to a first embodiment, at least one of the guide grooves and, as well as this guide groove, adjacent latching steps of the vertical support are formed in one piece from metal. This makes it possible to manufacture the remaining housing parts of the refrigeration device, in particular an inner container of the same, by known techniques, so that as a material for the inner container, a plastic can be used which is not strong enough by the nature of the material or the wall thickness to form the resting steps. However, it may also be expedient, if sufficient strength of the inner container is provided, to form the latching steps of the vertical carrier on the inner container, so that then an inexpensive extruded profile made of metal can be used for the mechanically generally heavily loaded guide groove; Also, an education of the detent steps partly on the inner container and partly, in the heavily loaded areas, by a metal body, comes into consideration.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

1 shows a schematic vertical section through a refrigerator with a carrier assembly according to the present invention along the plane I - I in Fig. 2.

FIG. 2 shows a horizontal section through the refrigerator along the plane II - II of FIG. 1; FIG. - A -

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carrier and its surroundings in the refrigerator of FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG.

4 shows a section through the pin and its guide groove according to a first

design;

5 shows a section analogous to FIG. 4 in accordance with a second embodiment;

6 shows a section analogous to FIG. 4 in accordance with a third embodiment;

7 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the carrier;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a second modified embodiment of the carrier and its surroundings.

The refrigerator shown in Fig. 1 in vertical section comprises in a conventional manner a body 1, in which a gap between a multi-part composite outer skin 2 and an integrally molded plastic deep-drawn inner container 3 is filled with insulating foam material, and a hinged to the body 1 As also shown by the horizontal section of FIG. 2, two vertical grooves 6 are formed on the rear side of the container 3 in each case as an extension of the side walls 5, which extend essentially over the entire height of the inner container and in which even intervals latching steps 7 are arranged. The latching steps 7 may be formed from the material of the inner container 3 during deep drawing, but it can also be inserted into the grooves 6 of the inner container in each case a reinforcing U-profile, for example made of metal, on which the latching steps 7 are formed.

Adjacent to the grooves 6, two U-profiles 8 are arranged on the back of the inner container 3, each having a guide groove 9 with the adjacent side wall 5 facing opening. The profiles 8 end shortly before the bottom of the inner container. 3 Three Kühlgutabsteller 10 are suspended at different heights on the locking steps 7 and the U-profiles 8. They each comprise two elongate support arms 11 which extend along the side walls 5 without touching them and which support a horizontal storage tray 12. Of the support arms 11 is in each case a cylindrical pin 13, which engages in the guide grooves 9 of the U-profiles 8 with a small clearance relative to the depth direction of the body 1. A latching step, more precisely a latching projection 14, at the rear lower end of the support arms 11 engages in the case of the two upper Kühlgutabsteller 10 in a recess which is formed on the upper side of the latching steps 7. The engagement between the locking projection 14 and the recess 15 prevents the relevant Kühlgutabsteller 10 pivots in its position shown in Fig. 1 about the longitudinal axis of the pin 13 when accidentally acts an upward force on the front edge of Kühlgutabstellers 10.

In order to pivot the Kühlgutabsteller 10, it is first necessary to raise it without swinging until the locking projection 14 is released from the recess 15. Only then is it possible to pivot it about the pin 13 so far in the counterclockwise direction in the perspective of FIG. 1, that the rear end of the support arm 11 so far away from the bottom of the groove 6, that it pass the locking steps 7 freely and after can be moved up or down. It should be noted that the latching steps 7 or the latching projection 14 in FIG. 1 are greatly enlarged because of the clear representation. In practice, the extent of detent steps 7 and detent projection 14, especially in the depth direction of the body 1, is so small that they would not be recognizable in scale representation in FIG. Therefore, a much smaller leg angle as it has the appearance of FIG. 1, so that the locking projection 14 is released from the locking steps 7 and the Kühlgutabsteller 10 can be moved vertically sufficient. The force exerted at rest by the rear end of the support arm 11 on the bottom of the groove 6 in the horizontal direction force is due to the position of the pin 13 in the vicinity of the wall substantially greater than a support of the latching steps 7 weight of the Kühlgutabstellers 10, so that a Extension of the locking steps 7 in the depth direction of the housing in the order of one millimeter for a secure support fully sufficient.

As shown by the example of the lowest latching step 7, the recess 15 at the top of the latching steps 7 can also be omitted, so that a pivoting of it supported Kühlgutabstellers 10 without simultaneous lifting is possible, as shown in the figure by a dotted outline of the lowest Kühlgutabstellers 10. In the case of the lowermost Kühlgutabstellers 10, the elimination of the recess 15 facilitates the pivoting, as a drawer 16, which completely fills the space below the lowermost Kühlgutabstellers 10, makes it difficult for a user to grab under the Kühlgutabsteller 10 to lift it without swinging ,

Once a Kühlgutabsteller 10 is in a sufficiently widely pivoted orientation in which there is no latching engagement between its support arms 11 and the locking steps 7, it can be moved freely in the U-profiles 8. As long as the Kühlgutabsteller 10 is pivoted sufficiently far, prevents contact between the pin 13 and one of the rear wall facing leg 17 of the U-profile 8, that the support arm 11 inadvertently gets stuck on one of the latching steps 7.

Additional Kühlgutabsteller can be easily mounted by the extract boxes 16 is temporarily removed and the pins 13 of the additional Kühlgutabsteller 10 are inserted into the open lower ends of the grooves 8. Alternatively, it could also be provided that the grooves 8 terminate at a distance from the ceiling of the inner container 3, so that additional Kühlgutabsteller can be inserted from above into the grooves 8.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective detail enlargement of the carrier arrangement according to the invention in a configuration slightly modified with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. The support arm 11 with pin 13 and locking projection 14 is the same as in the previously considered embodiment. A side edge of the storage tray 12 is adhered, clamped or otherwise secured to the support arm 11; the opposite lateral edge is fastened in the same way to a support arm, not shown, to the support arm 11 shown in the figure. The rigid connection of the support arms on the storage tray 12 prevents the support arms of the load of the storage shelf 12 by a pivoting movement towards each other and dodge down.

The pin 13 leading U-profile 8 is integrally extended at its the rear wall of the inner container 3 facing leg 17 by a portion 18 with an L-shaped cross section, on which the latching steps 7 are formed. The exerted by the support arm 11 Forces, namely a force exerted by the pin 13 on the front leg 19 of the U-profile horizontally forward force F1, a force exerted by the locking projection 14 on the section 18 horizontally rearward force F2 and the latching projection 14 on the latching step. 7 applied weight G of Kühlgutabstellers 10 are taken from a single contiguous profile, so that the load on the rear wall of the inner container 3 remains low and thus no higher wall thickness of the inner container 3 than in conventional refrigeration equipment is required.

Fig. 4 shows a section through the U-profile 8 and the pin 13 along the in Fig. 3 with IV-IV designated plane. The play of the pin 13 in the groove 9 of the U-profile 8 is small and due to the cylindrical cross-section of the pin regardless of its pivot angle. A shift of Kühlgutabstellers 10 in vertical

Direction is thus accurately guided by the engagement of the pin 13 in the guide groove 9 and allows a uniform raising or lowering of Kühlgutabstellers 10. The pin 13 can slide along the front leg 19 or the rear leg 17, without the risk of accidental locking ,

FIG. 5 shows a section analogous to FIG. 4 according to a modified embodiment. Here, the pin 13 has an elongated cross section, more precisely in the form of a rectangle with rounded corners, which, when the refrigerated goods is locked 10, flat against the front leg 19. When the refrigerated goods 10 is pivoted to unlock, the pin 13 is increasingly inclined in the groove leading him, and his game is with increasing tilt angle always lower until finally shown in the figure as a dash-dotted outline position of the pin 13 no further pivoting more is possible because the pin 13 both legs 17, 19 touched simultaneously. The pivoting angle, at which this happens, is determined so that in this position, the locking projection 14 is separated from the latching steps 7 and consequently the refrigerated goods 10 can be raised or lowered freely. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, therefore, a user does not need to make sure that a pivoting angle of the refrigerated goods carrier 10, in which parked objects can slip, is not exceeded; Rather, a maximum pivot angle is so large provided by the shape of the pin 13 and the groove leading him 9, that there is no risk of slipping. If in the dash-dotted stop position of the pin 13 an excessive torque acts on these, considerable friction forces can occur between the pin 13 and the legs 17, 19 of the U-profile 8, which make it difficult to move the refrigerated goods carrier 10.

A further development of the pin of FIG. 5, which avoids this problem, is shown in the sectional view of FIG. The pin 13 is here formed by two rotatably suspended on the support arm 11 rollers 21 which rest in the locked position of the refrigerated goods 10 both on the leg 19 and of which rest in the pivoted stop position, the lower leg 19 and the upper leg 17. The Kühlgutabsteller 10 can therefore be kept pressed up and down in the pivoted stop position without excessive friction on the legs 17, 19 makes it difficult to move.

Fig. 7 shows in a perspective view, analogous to that of Fig. 4, a further modification of the carrier assembly according to the invention. The adjacent leg to the rear wall 17 of the U-section 8 is here flush over the front edge of the

Schenkels 19 extended out, being in the extended section in even

Intervals openings 22 are punched. Behind the openings 22 are each

Recesses 23 of the rear wall of the inner container 3. In this case, each individual opening 22 may be associated with its own recess 23; For the sake of simplicity, however, all depressions 23 can also be connected to a groove extending in the vertical direction, such as the groove 6 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The locking projection 14 of the support arm 11 engages through one of the openings 22 into the associated recess 23 of the inner container 3 and thus secures the Kühlgutabsteller 10 against unintentional pivoting. The latching projection 14 and a second downwardly directed projection 24 of the latching arm 11 engage around the lower edge of the opening 22, wherein the projection 24 is supported on the front side of the extended leg 17.

The advantage of this development is that the openings 22 are easier and cheaper to implement than the projecting locking steps 7 in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 3, for example by punching in an extruded profile. Fig. 8 shows an embodiment in which on a support arm 11 in two opposite directions coaxially projecting pins 13 are formed. The pins 13 are guided in mutually facing guide grooves 9a, 9b of mirror-inverted U-profiles δa, δb. The legs 17a, 17b adjacent to the rear wall are connected in one piece by a section 25 which, as in the embodiment of FIG. 7, is provided with openings 22 in uniform sections. Since the support arm 11 is guided in this embodiment on two sides by the pins 13, it can not yield to a force acting on it by simultaneously pivoting down and to the side. It is therefore suitable for carrying alone a storage tray (not shown in the figure). To secure the storage tray against tipping, the support arm 11 is here provided with laterally projecting branches 26.

Claims

claims

A carrier assembly comprising at least one vertical support having a vertical guide groove (9) and a plurality of vertically staggered detent steps (7, 22, 23), and a horizontal support (10) having one in the

Guiding groove (9) engaging pin (13) and a latching step (14) by pivoting the horizontal support (10) about an axis defined by the pin (13) with the latching steps (7; 22, 23) of the vertical support in or disengageable, characterized in that the latching steps (7; 22, 23) of the vertical support are arranged outside the guide groove (9, 9a, 9b) and the guide groove (9, 9a, 9b) has stepless side walls (17, 19).

2. Carrier assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical support to the first guide groove (9, 9a) has a mirror-image second guide groove (9, 9b).

3. A support arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the horizontal support (10) comprises an elongated support arm (11) which carries at one of its longitudinal ends the latching step (14), and that the pin (13) of the support arm ( 11) protrudes laterally.

4. Carrier assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the support arm (11) in the second groove (9b) engaging second pin (13) carries.

5. A carrier assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the horizontal support (10) to the first support arm (11) mirror-image second support arm (11) which engages in the second groove (9).

6. Support arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pin (13) is cylindrical.

7. A carrier assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pin (13) has a non-circular cross-section which limits the Kippbewegungsfreiheit of the carrier (10).

8. Carrier assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching steps (7; 22, 23) of the vertical support having an upwardly open recess (15), and that the latching step (14) of the horizontal support (10) in the latched Condition engages in one of these recesses (15).

9. Refrigerating appliance with a surrounded by a heat-insulating housing

Interior, characterized in that in the interior of a carrier assembly according to one of the preceding claims is attached.

10. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that at least one of the guide grooves (9, 9a, 9b) and the guide groove adjacent latching steps (7) of the vertical support by a contiguous metal body (8, 18, 8,25) are formed.

11. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 9, characterized in that the latching steps (7, 22, 23) of the vertical support at least partially on an inner container of the

Housing are molded.

12. Refrigerating appliance according to claim 9, 10 or 11, characterized in that the at least one guide groove (9, 9a, 9b) by a metal profile (8, 8a, 8b) is formed.