Domestic dishwashing machine and door latch therefor

Abstract

A domestic dishwashing machine includes a machine body having a dishwashing chamber formed therein, a door for closing the dishwashing chamber, which door is mounted on the machine body so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis close to the floor, and a door latch for holding the door closed, having a latch assembly installed in a body roof above the dishwashing chamber and includes a one-piece closing member arranged to be movable between an open position and a closed position, and a closing spring arrangement supported on the closing member and which, in the open position of the closing member, urges the closing member into blocking engagement with a blocking surface that prevents relaxation of the closing spring arrangement, and comes into gripping engagement with an engagement structure arranged on the door and pulls the door shut under the action5 of the relaxing closing spring arrangement.

Claims

1. A domestic dishwashing machine, comprising: a machine body having a dishwashing chamber formed therein; a door for closing the dishwashing chamber, which door is mounted on the machine body so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis close to the floor; and a door latch for holding the door closed, having a latch assembly installed in a body roof above the dishwashing chamber, wherein the latch assembly comprises a one-piece closing member arranged so as to be movable between an open position and a closed position, and a closing spring arrangement which is supported on the closing member and which, in the open position of the closing member, urges the closing member into blocking engagement with a blocking surface, which blocking engagement prevents relaxation of the closing spring arrangement, wherein the closing member has a contact surface for a blocking-release element which, on closing of the door, pushes against the contact surface and thereby frees the closing member from blocking engagement with the blocking surface, wherein the closing member, on closing of the door, comes into gripping engagement with an engagement structure arranged on the door and pulls the door shut under the action of the relaxing closing spring arrangement, wherein the engagement structure is formed by a closing shackle, the closing shackle forming the blocking-release element and protruding from a first wall portion, extending substantially parallel to the plane of the door, of an inner lining of the door, and wherein the closing shackle has a shackle crosspiece which extends substantially horizontally and is in advance on closing of the door and behind which the closing member engages on closing of the door.

2. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 1, wherein the closing shackle is inserted from behind through a wall aperture in the first wall portion.

3. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 1, wherein the inner lining has a wall step which is formed by the first wall portion and a second wall portion extending transversely relative to the door plane beneath the closing shackle, and wherein a gap is formed between the closing shackle and the second wall portion.

4. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 3, wherein the gap is no less than 2 mm or no less than 3 mm.

5. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 1, wherein the body roof has a front wall provided with a wall opening which the closing shackle enters on closing of the door, wherein a roof bottom wall adjoins the front wall at an underside of the body roof, and wherein the wall opening ends before the front wall transitions into the roof bottom wall.

6. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 5, wherein the wall opening ends no less than 1 mm or no less than 2 mm before the front wall transitions into the roof bottom wall.

7. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 1, wherein the closing member forms a gripping mouth for the closing shackle, which gripping mouth is formed by an upper and a lower jaw structure, wherein one of the two jaw structures forms the contact surface and the other jaw structure engages behind the shackle crosspiece of the closing shackle on closing of the door.

8. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 1, wherein the striking of the closing shackle against the contact surface of the closing member on closing of the door initiates a tilting of the closing member that leads to the release of the blocking engagement, and a subsequent relaxation of the closing spring arrangement is effective to cause a substantially translational displacement of the closing member in a direction deeper into the body roof into the closed position of the closing member, wherein both the tilting and the translational displacement are carried out by the closing member as a whole.

9. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 1, wherein the latch assembly comprises a frame having mounting structures for fastening the frame to a structural component of the body roof, wherein the latch assembly further comprises a housing member which is supported on the frame and in which the closing member is arranged so as to be movable between its open position and its closed position, wherein the blocking surface is arranged stationarily relative to the housing member, and wherein the housing member is supported on the frame so as to be movable, in particular pivotable, relative thereto, such that, when the door is open, a change of position, in particular a vertical change of position, of the contact surface of the closing member relative to the frame can be brought about by movement of the housing member relative to the frame.

10. The domestic dishwashing machine according to claim 9, wherein the housing member is pivotably supported on the frame, such that, when the door is open, a vertical change of position of the contact surface of the closing member relative to the frame can be brought about by movement of the housing member relative to the frame.

11. A door latch for a domestic electrical appliance, comprising: a housing member; a one-piece closing member arranged in the housing member so as to be movable between an open position and a closed position; and a closing spring arrangement which is supported on the closing member and which, in the open position of the closing member, urges the closing member into blocking engagement with a blocking surface arranged stationarily relative to the housing member, which blocking engagement prevents relaxation of the closing spring arrangement, wherein the closing member forms a gripping mouth, delimited by an upper and a lower jaw structure, for a closing shackle which, on closing of the door, pushes against one of the upper and lower jaw structures and thereby initiates a tilting of the closing member that leads to the release of the blocking engagement, wherein a subsequent relaxation of the closing spring arrangement is effective to cause a substantially translational displacement of the closing member relative to the housing member into the closed position, wherein, on closing of the door, the other of the upper and lower jaw structures engages behind a shackle crosspiece of the closing shackle, and both the tilting and the translational displacement are carried out by the closing member as a whole.

12. A domestic electrical appliance, such as a dishwashing machine, comprising: an appliance body having a process chamber formed therein; a door for closing the process chamber, which door is movably mounted on the appliance body; and a door latch for holding the door closed, wherein the door latch comprises a latch assembly installed in the appliance body, wherein the latch assembly comprises a frame having mounting structures for fastening the frame to a structural component of the appliance body, wherein the latch assembly further comprises a housing member supported on the frame, a closing member arranged in the housing member so as to be movable between an open position and a closed position, and a closing spring arrangement supported on the closing member, wherein, in the open position of the closing member, the closing spring arrangement urges the closing member into blocking engagement with a blocking surface arranged stationarily relative to the housing member, which blocking engagement prevents relaxation of the closing spring arrangement, wherein the closing member has a contact surface for a blocking-release element which is arranged on the door and which, on closing of the door, pushes against the contact surface and thereby frees the closing member from blocking engagement with the blocking surface, wherein, on closing of the door, the closing member comes into gripping engagement with an engagement structure arranged on the door and pulls the door shut under the action of the relaxing closing spring arrangement, wherein the housing member is supported on the frame so as to be movable relative thereto, such that, when the door is open, a change of position of the contact surface of the closing member relative to the frame can be brought about by movement of the housing member relative to the frame.

13. The domestic electrical appliance according to claim 12, wherein there is formed on the housing member at least one centring bevel which serves to cooperate with the blocking-release element on closing of the door in order to centre the housing member relative to the blocking-release element.

14. The domestic electrical appliance according to claim 12, wherein the housing member is supported on the frame so as to be pivotable relative thereto and, by pivoting, makes possible a vertical change of position of the contact surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a dishwashing machine for domestic use.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows, schematically, a detail of an exemplary embodiment of a domestic dishwashing machine in the installation region of a door latch of the dishwashing machine.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows, in perspective, an exemplary embodiment of a door latch which can be used in the dishwashing machines of FIGS. 1 and 2, having a latch assembly and a closing shackle as the main components of the door latch.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows the door latch of FIG. 3 in a different perspective.

[0022] FIGS. 5 to 9 are sectional views of the door latch of FIGS. 3 and 4 in different operational arrangements.

[0023] FIG. 10 shows, in perspective, a closing lever as part of the latch assembly of the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0024] FIG. 11 is a view to illustrate the pivotability of a housing member, which receives the closing lever of FIG. 10, of the latch assembly of the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Reference will first be made to FIG. 1. A dishwashing machine designated generally 10, as is suitable for use in a private household, is shown therein. The dishwashing machine 10 comprises a machine body 12 having a body roof 14 beneath which there is formed in the machine body a dishwashing chamber 16 which can be fitted in the conventional manner with one or more baskets for receiving dishes or/and cutlery. A door 18 is mounted on the machine body 12 so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis 20, depicted by a broken line, close to the floor. The door 18 serves to close an access opening 20 to the dishwashing chamber 16.

[0026] On the door 18 there is mounted a closing shackle 24 which, on closing of the door 18, cooperates with a latch assembly (not shown in greater detail in FIG. 1) accommodated in the body roof 14 in order to hold the door 18 closed. The closing shackle 24 protrudes above the door surface and, on closing of the door 18, enters a wall opening 28 formed in the body roof 14 in a roof front wall 26. Through the wall opening 28, the closing shackle 24 can come into engagement with the latch assembly, which is concealed behind the roof front wall 26.

[0027] Reference will now additionally be made to FIG. 2. The detail illustrated in schematic simplified form therein can show a detail of the dishwashing machine 10 of FIG. 1, for which reason—where components that are the same or have the same action are concerned—the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 have been used in FIG. 2.

[0028] In FIG. 2, the door 18 is shown in a closed or almost closed position, in which the closing shackle 24 enters the latch assembly—here designated 30—through the wall opening 28 of the roof front wall 26. The door 18 has on its door side that faces the dishwashing chamber 16 in the closed door position an inner lining 32 which is typically manufactured from sheet metal material and which, where the door 18 in the closed state is adjacent to the body roof 14, has a wall step formed by a wall portion 34 and a wall portion 36. The wall portion 34 extends substantially parallel to the plane of the door 18 and, on closing of the door 18, comes to lie in front of the roof front wall 26. The wall portion 36 extends transversely and in the example shown substantially perpendicularly to the wall portion 34 and protrudes relative to the wall portion 34 in the direction towards the dishwashing chamber 16 (when the door 18 is closed). On closing of the door 18, the wall portion 36 moves beneath the body roof 14, which is delimited on the underside of the roof by a roof bottom wall 38 which adjoins the roof front wall 26.

[0029] The closing shackle 24 is formed by a shackle body 40 which is inserted on the rear side through a wall aperture 42 formed in the wall portion 34, so that the closing shackle 24 protrudes from the wall portion 34 and, on closing of the door, is in advance of the wall portion 34. The shackle body 40 can be screwed or otherwise fastened to the inner lining 42. It will be seen that the closing shackle 24 is at a distance from the wall portion 36, wherein the gap, designated in FIG. 2 by a dimension d1, between the closing shackle 24 and the wall portion 36 can be, for example, approximately from 4 to 8 mm. The wall opening 28 is limited to the region of the roof front wall 26 and ends before the edge at which the roof front wall 26 adjoins the roof bottom wall 38. In other words, the wall opening 28 does not extend into the region of the roof bottom wall 38. The weakening effect that the wall opening 28 has on the structural stability of the body roof 14 is accordingly small. The lower opening edge of the wall opening 28 lies, for example, approximately from 3 to 5 mm above the transition edge from the roof front wall 26 to the roof bottom wall 38. The corresponding distance is designated d2 in FIG. 2.

[0030] For an exemplary form of the closing shackle 24 and of the latch assembly 30, reference will now be made to FIGS. 3 to 11. The latch assembly 30 has a frame 44, which can also be referred to as the main or outer housing of the latch assembly 30 and which, in the fitted state in the body roof 14, is fastened to a structural component of the machine body 12, for example to the roof bottom wall 38 or to the roof top wall (designated 46 in FIG. 2) which is located above the roof bottom wall and delimits the body roof 14 on the top side. For this fastening, the frame 44 is designed with suitable mounting structures, which in the example shown comprise one or more screw holes 45 (FIG. 4) which each serve to receive a fastening screw (not shown in greater detail). The frame 44 is thus fixed stationarily relative to the machine body 12 in the installed state. The latch assembly 30 additionally has a housing member 47, separate from the frame 44, which can also be referred to as the inner housing and is supported on the frame 44 so as to be pivotable. In the housing member 47 there is received a lever-like elongate closing member 48, also referred to as a closing lever hereinbelow, which, on closing of the door 18, comes into closing engagement with the closing shackle 24. In the example shown, the closing lever 48 is a one-piece component, for example produced from plastics material in an injection-moulding process. The longitudinal extent of the closing lever 48 runs from front to back from the point of view of an observer standing in front of the dishwashing machine 10. A front lever end of the closing lever 48 is therefore located close to the roof front wall 26, a rear lever end is located behind and at a distance therefrom.

[0031] The closing lever 48 is pivotable as a unit together with the housing member 47 relative to the frame 44. A pivot axis is depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 at 49; in the installed state of the latch assembly 30, the pivot axis 49 runs horizontally. It crosses a rear end region of the housing member 47, for which reason, on pivoting of the housing member 47, the front end region thereof performs a vertical change of position. In FIG. 11, the pivotability of the housing member 47 with the closing lever 48 received thereon is illustrated by a double arrow P.

[0032] The closing lever 48 forms a gripping mouth 54 which is delimited by two jaws 50, 52 and arranged in the region of the front lever end, and which, on closing of the door 18, the closing shackle 24 enters with an advance shackle crosspiece 56 (advance as seen in the closing direction of the door 18). The shackle crosspiece 56 is oriented with its crosspiece longitudinal direction horizontal. Behind the shackle crosspiece 56, the closing shackle 24 forms a gripping recess 58 which, on closing of the door 18, one of the two jaws 50, 52 of the gripping mouth 54 enters and thereby comes into gripping engagement with the closing shackle 24. In the exemplary embodiment shown, it is the jaw 52 which enters the gripping recess 58 of the closing shackle 24 on closing of the door 18. The jaw 52 is the upper of the two jaws 50, 52 in the illustrations of FIGS. 5 to 9, for which reason it will also be referred to hereinbelow as the upper jaw. The jaw 50, on the other hand, will also be referred to hereinbelow as the lower jaw. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the lower jaw 50 is in the form of a double jaw, see FIG. 10.

[0033] While the upper jaw 52 of the gripping mouth 54 serves to a certain extent as a gripping jaw which establishes the gripping engagement between the closing lever 48 and the closing shackle 24, the lower jaw 50 acts as a striking or contact jaw, against which the closing shackle 24 pushes with its shackle crosspiece 56 on closing of the door 18 and thereby initiates tilting of the closing lever 48 as a whole relative to the housing member 17 about a horizontal tilt axis, which in the example shown is located approximately in the region of the longitudinal centre of the closing lever 48. This tilt axis is not necessarily fixed stationarily relative to the housing member 47; the tilting movement of the closing lever 48 can to a certain extent be a floating tilting movement, in which the closing lever 48 performs a vertical tilting movement (downwards in the illustrations of FIGS. 5 to 9) with its front lever end and, according to the position of the centre of tilt, can perform with its rear lever end a vertical tilting movement in the opposite direction relative to the housing member 47. The purpose of the tilting is to free the closing lever 48 from blocking engagement with a blocking surface 60 formed on the housing member 47 or at least arranged stationarily relative to the housing member 47, on which blocking surface the closing lever 48 is supported in an open state of the latch assembly 30 (i.e. when the door 18 is open) and which, in the open state of the latch assembly 30, prevents the closing lever 48 from being driven backwards in the housing member 47 relative thereto by a tensioned closing spring 62. FIG. 5 shows the open state of the latch assembly 30, FIG. 6 shows a situation during closing of the door 18, in which the shackle crosspiece 56 has already been caught in the gripping mouth 54 (the upper jaw 52 engages into the gripping recess 58) and the closing lever 48 is tilted backwards slightly with its front lever end, so that it is at the point of losing blocking by the blocking surface 60.

[0034] As soon as the closing lever 48 is freed from engagement with the blocking surface 60, the closing spring 62, which is formed, for example, by a helical compression spring, is able to relax and, as a result of its relaxation, urge the closing lever 48 as a whole backwards in the housing member 47 relative thereto. Owing to the engagement of the upper jaw 52 into the gripping recess 58, the closing lever 48 takes the closing shackle 24 with it as it moves back. This has an effect of pulling the door 18 shut. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the pull-back movement of the closing lever 48 driven by the closing spring 62, wherein in FIG. 7 the closing lever 48 has performed only a portion of this pull-back movement and in FIG. 8 the closing lever 48 has reached its end position, which can be defined, for example, by the abutment of the closing lever 48 on the housing member 47. This end position of the closing lever 48 corresponds to a closed state of the latch assembly 30. By pulling on the closing shackle 24 (when the user attempts to open the door 18), the closing lever 48 as a whole, with compression of the closing spring 62, can be moved forwards relative to the housing member 47 and, by way of a tilting movement, in front of the blocking surface 60 again; consequently, by opening the door 18, the user can transfer the latch assembly 30 into its open state again.

[0035] FIG. 9 illustrates a self-healing function of the latch assembly 30. It cannot be ruled out that, through intentional or unintentional manipulation, the closing lever 48 is moved away from the blocking surface 60 in the open state of the latch assembly 30 and thereby snaps back in the housing member 47. The latch assembly 30 can thus move into its closed state while the door 18 is still open, without the closing shackle 24 having been inserted. The latch assembly 30 allows the closing shackle 24 to be inserted into the gripping mouth 54 of the closing lever 48 by a normal closing operation of the door 18, without the closing lever 48 first having to be pulled forwards for this purpose. Specifically, in the closed state of the latch assembly 30, the gripping mouth 54 is able to perform a vertical evading movement relative to the housing member 47. This compensating movement allows the approaching closing shackle 24 to enter the gripping mouth 54. The mentioned evading movement is made possible by a support member 64 which is movably supported on the housing member 47 and on which the closing spring 62 is in turn supported. If the user, in the closed state of the latch assembly 30 with the door 18 still open, wishes to activate the self-healing function and closes the door 18, the closing shackle 24 first pushes against a sloping surface 66 (FIG. 9) on the outside of the upper jaw 52 of the gripping mouth 54. This generates a tilting moment on the closing lever 48, which attempts to deflect the gripping mouth 54 vertically upwards (based on the illustration in FIG. 9) relative to the housing member 47. Owing to the movable deflectability of the support member 64, the closing lever 48 can give way to the tilting moment generated by the closing shackle 24, so that the closing shackle 24 can slip with its shackle crosspiece 56 into the gripping jaw 54. FIG. 9 shows the moment at which the shackle crosspiece 56 moves past the upper jaw 52 in the direction into the gripping mouth 54. After the shackle crosspiece 56 has entered the gripping mouth 54, the closing lever 48 tilts relative to the housing member 47 back into the position according to FIG. 8 again; by pulling on the door 18, the latch assembly 30 can then be brought into its usual open state again.

[0036] Mounting tolerances of the closing shackle 24 relative to the door 18 or/and mounting tolerances of the door 18 relative to the machine body 12 can have the result that, in different machines of a series of dishwashing machines 10 of the type shown in FIG. 1, the closing shackle 24, on closing of the door 18, does not always enter the wall opening 28 formed in the roof front wall 26 exactly at a given defined vertical position. The explained pivotable mounting of the housing member 47 (and thus of the pivot lever 48) on the frame 44 serves to compensate for such mounting-induced position tolerances of the closing shackle 24. A plurality of centring bevels 68 are thereby formed on the housing member 47, which centring bevels permit vertical self-alignment of the housing member 47 with the closing shackle 24. If the housing member 47 is misaligned, the closing shackle 24, on closing of the door, can first strike against at least one of the centring bevels 68 before the closing shackle 24 pushes against the closing lever 48 and triggers the relaxation thereof. The striking of the closing shackle against the centring bevel 68 leads to pivoting of the housing member 47 about the pivot axis 49; the misalignment is eliminated by this pivoting. Together with the housing member 47, the closing lever 48 located in the housing member 47 also performs a vertical aligning movement with its front lever end and, after carrying out the aligning movement, is ready for correctly positioned insertion of the closing shackle 24 into the gripping mouth 54.

[0037] The housing member 47 is additionally the carrier of components of an electric switch which, on closing of the door 18, changes its switching state and thereby signals the door state (open or closed) to a controller. These switch components are accommodated in a lateral housing prolongation 70 of the housing member 47 (FIG. 4). During the described self-alignment of the housing member 47 relative to the closing shackle 24, the electric switch accommodated in the housing prolongation 70 therefore moves together with the housing member 47. The housing member 47, the closing lever 48 and the electric switch are consequently pivotable as a unit relative to the frame 44.

[0038] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.