WO2017102248A1

WO2017102248A1 - A household appliance having a cable protector element

Info

Publication number: WO2017102248A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/078119
Authority: WO
Inventors: Emrah Atabay; Serkan CIGAL; Gürkan Tuban
Original assignee: BSH Hausgeräte GmbH
Priority date: 2015-12-18
Filing date: 2016-11-18
Publication date: 2017-06-22

Abstract

The present invention relates to a household appliance (1), for example a cooking device, comprising a cable protector element (14) having a hole (142) through which a transmission cable (10) passes and placed to a first opening (123) of a metal sheet (12) through a periphery (11) thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance (1) comprises at least one tab (125) formed on an edge (124) of the first opening (123) formed on the metal sheet (12); and a fixation opening (144) providing fixation of the cable protector element (14) through an edge (141) thereof so as to correspond to the tab (125) and formed at the edge (141) of the cable protector element (14). In another embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance (1) comprises at least one connection protrusion (145) formed at an edge (141) of the cable protector element (14) and providing fixation thereof; and at least one engagement channel (128) formed at the edge (124) of the metal sheet (12) first opening (123) so as to correspond to the connection protrusion (145).

Description

A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE HAVING A CABLE PROTECTOR ELEMENT

The present invention relates to a household appliance, for example a cooking device having a metal sheet and comprising a transmission cable. The present invention particularly relates to a cooktop having a periphery sheet and comprising transmission cable.

The power, which is required for the operation of cooking devices, is provided by means of a transmission cable. Said transmission cable enters into free-standing or built-in ovens through a suitable location, and it enters into cooktops through any edge or through the bottom part thereof. The edge or sections through which the transmission cable enters into the device are in general made of metal sheet material. Opening is left for the passage of the transmission cable through this edge or sections. However, the sharp edges of said opening damages the transmission cable. In order to prevent said damage, cable protector elements are used in the present art. As the transmission cable passes through said cable protector elements, the damaging of the transmission cable due to sharp edges is prevented.

During upper sheet and lower sheet assembly in cooktops, a periphery sheet is placed in between which forms the periphery of the cooktop. While the assembly of the upper sheet, lower sheet and periphery sheet are realized by the operators, the cable protector element is placed to the region where the transmission cable exits. However, during assembly, the cable protector element continuously removes from the region where it is placed. This makes the assembly process difficult, and leads to time loss in mass production.

In the present art, different improvements are realized for preventing damaging of the transmission cables due to sharp edges. The strain relief, disclosed in the patent EP1489712, comprises a base part fixed to a housing and a cable receiving part for the electric cable. The strain relief also has a clamp part which bridges the cable receptacle of the base part. The clamp part can be connected to the base part by a locking mechanism for clamping the electric cable fast. The locking mechanism is formed by teeth on the base part and the clamp part. The teeth on the base part are provided on opposing arms and face outwards. The patent application EP2436987 relates to a cooker with a rear sheet. In order to prevent the cutting of the cookers' supply cables by the rear sheets of the cookers, said cooker comprises a body; a holding part which provides the assembly of said body to the rear sheet of the cooker; a cable protector with a protection wall extending along the sharp surface in order to protect the cable from the sharp surfaces of the sheet; and a housing which is formed for placing the cable protector on said rear sheet and which has a connection extension.

The object of the present invention is to provide fixation of the cable protector elements, which prevent damaging of the transmission cable due to sharp edges, by means of preventing removal of the cable protector elements from the place thereof during the assembly of the device.

In order to realize the abovementioned object, the present invention is a household appliance, in particular a cooking device, comprising a cable protector element having a hole through which a transmission cable passes and placed to a first opening of a metal sheet through a periphery thereof. The household appliance comprises at least one tab formed on an edge of the first opening formed on the metal sheet; and a fixation opening providing fixation of the cable protector element so as to correspond to the tab and formed at the edge of the cable protector element. Thus, the transmission cable is prevented from being damaged by the sharp edges, and besides, the removal of the cable protector element from the place thereof is prevented and the cable protector element is fixed during the assembly of the device. At the same time, the labor and time losses due to this problem during assembly are prevented, and the noise occurring due to the movement of the cable protector element in the daily usage of the household appliance is eliminated.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance comprises a first end section and a second end section corresponding to each other in the assembly step of the metal sheet; and the first opening is created at the section where the first end section and the second end section are joined.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the cable protector element comprises two mutual fixation openings, and the metal sheet comprises two tabs corresponding to said fixation opening. Thus, the cable protector element is fixed from the two mutual faces thereof. In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance is a cooktop, and the metal sheet is a periphery sheet of the cooktop. The periphery sheet separates the inner region and the outer region of the device and forms the general periphery thereof.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the cable protector element has a form compliant to the form of the first opening so as to be placed to the first opening. Thus, the cable protector element is placed to the first opening which is in appropriate form.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, in order to fix the cable protector element at the edge of the first opening, a placement channel is provided which is created on the cable protector element and which is formed so as to at least cover the edge of the first opening provided at the first end section. Thus, the cable protector element is placed to the edge of the first opening provided at the first end section.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the fixation opening is embodied so as to be opened to the placement channel of the cable protector element. Thus, during the placement of the cable protector element to the periphery of the groove, the cable protector element is fixed as the tab engages to said fixation opening.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the tab is formed in an angled manner, and the bending angle (a) of the tab is between minimum 10° and maximum 50°. Thus, the tab is fixed to the fixation opening, and it is prevented from moving back.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the cable protector element is made of a plastic material. Thus, the transmission cable is prevented from being damaged by the sharp edges of the metal sheet.

In order to realize the abovementioned object, the present invention is a household appliance, in particular a cooking device comprising a cable protector element having a hole through which a transmission cable passes and placed to a first opening of a metal sheet through a periphery thereof. The household appliance comprises at least one connection protrusion formed at an edge of the cable protector element and providing fixation thereof; and at least one engagement channel formed at the edge of the metal sheet first opening so as to correspond to the connection protrusion. Thus, the transmission cable is prevented from being damaged by the sharp edges, and besides, the removal of the cable protector element from the place thereof is prevented and the cable protector element is fixed during the assembly of the device. At the same time, the labor and time losses due to this problem during assembly are prevented, and the noise occurring due to the movement of the cable protector element in the daily usage of the household appliance is eliminated.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the cable protector element comprises two mutual connection protrusions, and the metal sheet comprises two engagement channels corresponding to said connection protrusions. Thus, the cable protector element is fixed from the two mutual faces thereof.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the household appliance is a cooktop, and the metal sheet is a periphery sheet of the cooktop. The periphery sheet separates the inner region and the outer region of the device and forms the general periphery thereof.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the cable protector element has a form compliant to the form of the first opening so as to be placed to the first opening. Thus, the cable protector element is placed to the groove which is in appropriate form.

In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the connection protrusions are embodied mutually with respect to each other through the edge of the cable protector element. Thus, they are fixed to each other mutually through the edge of the cable protector element. In a probable embodiment of the present invention, the connection protrusion is embodied such that an inclined face corresponds to an assembly direction (F) in order to prevent back moving of the cable protector element. Thus, the back moving of the cable protector element during the assembly of the device is prevented.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the present invention can be applied to devices having a transmission cable and having a rear sheet, a periphery sheet or a panel sheet.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said cable protector element can be provided with different geometrical shapes.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the first opening wherein the edge of the cable protector element is placed can be provided in different geometrical shapes so as to be compliant to the shape of the cable protector element.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, different surface forming processes like corner rounding can be applied to the tab.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, different surface forming processes can be applied to the placement channel provided in the cable protector element.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the fixation opening existing in the cable protector element can be provided so as to have different geometrical shapes.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the connection protrusion existing in the cable protector element can be provided so as to have different geometrical shapes.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the engagement channel existing in the metal sheet can be provided so as to have different geometrical shapes. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the hole existing in the cable protector element and through which the transmission cable passes can be provided so as to have different geometrical shapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cooktop having transmission cable.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cable protector element placed to the metal sheet.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cable protector element placed to a metal sheet having a tab thereon in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a perspective view of a metal sheet having a tab thereon in an

embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is another perspective view of a metal sheet having a tab thereon in an

embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cable protector element having a fixation opening thereon in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the fixation of the cable protector element to the metal sheet in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a cable protector element placed to a metal sheet having an engagement channel thereon in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the metal sheet having engagement channel thereon in the other embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the cable protector element having a connection protrusion thereon in the other embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a household appliance (1 ), for example a cooking device, comprising a cable protector element having a hole through which a transmission cable passes.

In Figure 1 , the general perspective view of a cooktop which is cooking device as an application of the present invention is given. In the figure, a metal sheet (12), forming the general periphery of the cooking device, and the transmission cable (10), passing through an opening provided on the metal sheet (12), are illustrated. The transmission cable (10) exits through the rear side of the metal sheet (12) in the cooking device. There are two different embodiments of the present invention for the same object.

Between figures 2 and 7, an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, and between figures 8 and 10, another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated.

In the light of figures between Figure 2 and 7, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In Figure 2, said metal sheet (12) of the cooking device is illustrated. The metal sheet (12) comprises a first end section (121 ) and a second end section (122). There is at least one connection hole (127) meeting each other on said first end section (121 ) and said second end section (122). The first end section (121 ) and the second end section (122) are connected to each other by means of a connection element passing through at least one connection hole (127). By means of this connection, an inner region of the device and an outer region of the device are separated from each other by means of said metal sheet (12), and the general periphery of the device is formed. In a preferred embodiment, the first end section (121 ) is positioned at the inner region side of the device, and it is connected to the second end section (122). This section where the first end section (121 ) and the second end section (122) are connected or joined, is described as the joining section of the metal sheet (12). In case the cooking device is a cooktop, the metal sheet (12) is a periphery sheet of the cooktop.

In said joining section, a first opening (123) is provided on the first end section (121 ) of the metal sheet (12) in order to provide passage of the transmission cable (10) from the inner region of the device to the outer region of the device; and an second opening (126) is formed on the second end section (122) in order to provide passage of the gas inlet pipe. Both of said first opening (123) and said second opening (126) have a slanted "U- like" shape, and as the first end section (121 ) and the second end section (122) of the metal sheet (12) are connected, an integrated form is created as can be seen in Figure 4, and an appearance which is similar to an ellipse shape is obtained. In the perspective view in Figure 5 illustrating the metal sheet (12), the side of the first end section (121 ) existing at the inner region of the device can be seen. Here, there is at least one tab (125) on an edge (124) of the first opening (123) formed on the metal sheet (12). The tab (125) is obtained by means of cutting the metal sheet (12) in an appropriate form on the edge (124) of the first opening (123). Here, the tab (125) is formed in an angled manner, and bending angle (a) of the tab (125) is between minimum 10° and maximum 50°. In a preferred embodiment, the tab (125) is formed in an angled manner such that the bending angle thereof towards the inner region of the device is 15°.

In Figure 6, a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the cable protector element (14) is given. As can be seen in the figure, the cable protector element (14) is formed so as to be placed to the first opening (123) and so as to have a form compliant to the form of the first opening (123). One lateral face (149) of the cable protector element (14) is in the form of a protrusion which is similar to a semi-circle shape, and the other side face thereof is in the form of a groove which is similar to a semi-circle shape. When the cable protector element (14) is placed to the metal sheet (12), the second opening (126) of the second end section (122) through which the gas inlet pipe passes is completed so as to form a circle-like geometry, thanks to the groove of the other side face which is similar to semi-circle shape. On the cable protector element (14), there is a circular hole (142) through which a transmission cable (10) can pass. This hole (142) extends so as to open from a front face (150) of the cable protector element (14) to a rear face thereof. Again, in order to fix the cable protector element (14) at the edge (124) of the first opening (123), there is a placement channel (143) formed on the cable protector element (14) and formed so as to cover at least the edge (124) of the first opening (123) provided at the first end section (121 ). In more details, said placement channel (143) extends along an upper face (147), a lower face (148) and a lateral face (149) of the cable protector element (14). Meanwhile, the tab (125), formed on the edge (124) of the first opening (123) of the metal sheet (12), is placed to a fixation opening (144) formed on the edge (141 ) of the cable protector element (14) and which provides fixation of the cable protector element (14) through a edge (141 ) thereof. The fixation opening (144) is embodied so as to open to the placement channel (143) of the cable protector element (14). In the preferred embodiment, the cable protector element (14) comprises two mutual fixation openings (144), and the metal sheet (12) comprises two tabs (125) corresponding to said fixation opening (144). In Figure 7, a cross sectional view of the fixation of the cable protector element (14) to the metal sheet (12) is given.

The operation of the present invention in this embodiment is as follows. During the assembly of the cooktop, the cable protector element (14) is placed by means of pushing to the edge (124) of the first opening provided at the first end section (121 ) of the metal sheet (12). In more details, the walls of said first opening (123) are placed to the placement channel (143) provided on the cable protector element (14). During the placement of the angled tab (125) to the fixation opening (144), the tab (125) bends, and it engages and holds to the placement channel (143) provided on the cable protector element (14). Thus, the cable protector element (14) is fixed at the edge (124) of the first opening. As the first end section (121 ) and the second end section (122) are connected, the assembly of the device periphery sheet is completed. The transmission cable (10) is passed through the hole (142) provided at the cable protector element (14), and it extends from the inner region of the device to the outer region of the device.

In the light of figures between Figure 8 and 10, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In Figure 8, a view of a cable protector element (14) fixed on metal sheet (12) in another embodiment of the present invention is given. As can be seen in Figure 9, there is at least one engagement channel (128) formed at the edge (124) of the first opening of the metal sheet (12). In Figure 10, a perspective view of the other application of the cable protector element (14) is given. The cable protector element (14) has a form compliant to the form of the first opening (123) so as to be placed to the groove (123). The cable protector element (14) comprises at least one connection protrusion (145) formed on the edge (141 ) and providing fixation. In the preferred embodiment, the cable protector element (14) comprises two mutual connection protrusions (145), and the metal sheet (12) comprises two engagement channels (128) corresponding to said connection protrusions (145). The connection protrusions (145) are mutually embodied through the edge (141 ) of the cable protector element (14).

The operation of the present invention in this embodiment is as follows. During the assembly of the cooktop, the cable protector element (14), having a form which is compliant to the form of the first opening (123), is placed to the first opening (123) of the metal sheet (12). In more details, the walls of said first opening (123) are placed to the placement channel (143) provided on the cable protector element (14). During said placement, said connection protrusion (145) is placed to the engagement channel (128), and the cable protector element (14) is fixed. Here, the connection protrusion (145) is embodied such that an inclined face (146) corresponds to an assembly direction (F) in order to prevent back moving of the cable protector element (14) during assembly. By means of the connection of the first end section (121 ) and the second end section (122), the periphery sheet assembly of the device is completed. The transmission cable (10) passes through the hole (142) provided at the cable protector element (14), and it extends from the inner region to the outer region of the device. In the present invention whose two embodiments are described above, the cable protector element (14) is made of a plastic material and it is made by means of injection molding method.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

I . Household appliance 10. Transmission cable

I I . Periphery

12. Metal sheet

121 . First end section

122. Second end section

123. First opening

124. First opening edge

125. Tab

126. Second opening

127. Connection hole

128. Engagement channel 14. Cable protector element

141 . Edge

142. Hole

143. Placement channel

144. Fixation opening

145. Connection protrusion

146. Inclined face

147. Upper face

148. Lower face

149. Lateral face

150. Front face

a. Bending angle

F. Assembly direction

Claims

1 . A household appliance (1 ), in particular a cooking device, comprising a cable

protector element (14) having a hole (142) through which a transmission cable (10) passes and placed to a first opening (123) of a metal sheet (12) through a periphery (1 1 ) thereof, characterized by comprising at least one tab (125) formed on an edge (124) of the first opening (123) formed on the metal sheet (12); and a fixation opening (144) providing fixation of the cable protector element (14) so as to correspond to the tab (125) and formed at the edge (141 ) of the cable protector element (14).

2. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 1 , characterized by comprising a first end section (121 ) and a second end section (122) corresponding to each other in the assembly step of the metal sheet (12); and the first opening (123) is created at the section where the first end section (121 ) and the second end section (122) are joined.

3. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 1 and 2, wherein the cable protector element (14) comprises two mutual fixation openings (144), and the metal sheet (12) comprises two tabs (125) corresponding to said fixation opening (144).

4. A household appliance (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the household appliance is a cooktop, and the metal sheet (12) is a periphery sheet of the cooktop.

5. A household appliance (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable protector element (14) has a form compliant to the form of the first opening (123) so as to be placed to the first opening (123).

6. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 5, wherein in order to fix the cable protector element (14) at the edge (124) of the first opening (123), a placement channel (143) is provided which is created on the cable protector element (14) and which is formed so as to at least cover the edge (124) of the first opening provided at the first end section (121 ).

7. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 6, wherein the fixation opening (144) is embodied so as to be opened to the placement channel (143) of the cable protector element (14).

8. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 1 or 3, wherein the tab (125) is

formed in an angled manner, and the bending angle (a) of the tab (125) is between minimum 10° and maximum 50°.

9. A household appliance (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable protector element (14) is made of a plastic material.

10. A household appliance (1 ), in particular a cooking device, comprising a cable

protector element (14) having a hole (142) through which a transmission cable (10) passes and placed to a first opening (123) of a metal sheet (12) through a periphery (1 1 ) thereof, characterized by comprising at least one connection protrusion (145) formed at an edge (141 ) of the cable protector element (14) and providing fixation thereof; and at least one engagement channel (128) formed at the edge (124) of the metal sheet (12) first opening (123) so as to correspond to the connection protrusion (145).

1 1. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 10, characterized by comprising a first end section (121 ) and a second end section (122) corresponding to each other in the assembly step of the metal sheet (12); and the first opening (123) is created at the section where the first end section (121 ) and the second end section (122) are joined.

12. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 10 and 1 1 , wherein the cable

protector element (14) comprises two mutual connection protrusions (145), and the metal sheet (12) comprises two engagement channels (128) corresponding to said connection protrusions (145).

13. A household appliance (1 ) according to any one of the claims between Claim 10 and 12, wherein the household appliance is a cooktop, and the metal sheet (12) is a periphery sheet of the cooktop.

14. A household appliance (1 ) according to any one of the claims between Claim 10 and 13, wherein the cable protector element (14) has a form compliant to the form of the first opening (123) so as to be placed to the first opening (123).

15. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 14, wherein in order to fix the cable protector element (14) at the edge (124) of the first opening (123), a placement channel (143) is provided which is created on the cable protector element (14) and which is formed so as to at least cover the edge (124) of the first opening provided at the first end section (121 ).

16. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 10, wherein the connection

protrusions (145) are embodied mutually with respect to each other through the edge (141 ) of the cable protector element (14).

17. A household appliance (1 ) according to Claim 16, wherein the connection

protrusion (145) is embodied such that an inclined face (146) corresponds to an assembly direction (F) in order to prevent back moving of the cable protector element (14).

18. A household appliance (1 ) according to any one of the claims between Claim

17, wherein the cable protector element (14) is made of a plastic material.