Appliance door latch system with pre-locking latch alignment system and appliance with the same

Abstract

An appliance door latch system is provided that automatically aligns a latch component each time an appliance door is closed using a pre-locking latch alignment system. The pre-locking latch alignment system may include a floating latch carrier that is deflected by a door mounted latch feature to passively reposition the latch to properly align with a striker assembly.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of June 19, 2018, the international application number of PCT / US2018 / 038253, the national application number of 201880054581.3, and the invention name of "Apparatus door latch system with pre-locking lock alignment system and apparatus with the door latch system".

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 524,147, filed on June 23, 2017, and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 16 / 010,798, filed on June 18, 2018, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates to household appliances, such as dishwashers and front-loading washing machines, that may have access doors with locking mechanisms, and to an appliance door latch system that provides consistent and quiet operation while accommodating variations in door heights. Background Art

[0005] Appliances such as dishwashers and front-loading washing machines may have front access doors and latches that hold the door closed to compress the door gasket to seal water within the appliance's wash chamber. To eliminate the need for a latch handle, it is known to use an over-center spring mechanism in an appliance door latch that switches between a stable closed position and a stable open position when the door is pushed closed and pulled open. U.S. Patent Nos. 9,487,976 and 7,306,266, assigned to the present assignee and incorporated herein by reference, describe appliance door latches.

[0006] Even within the same appliance model line, the height of the appliance door may vary between different units. This is due to manufacturing, production, or assembly variations. These variations include component size variations and alignment variations during assembly, which together provide a tolerance stack-up. Door height variations may result in corresponding relative positional differences between latch components, such as the latch striker and latch cam or striker, which may result in misalignment-related latching performance issues.

[0007] To accommodate these differences in latch component locations, latch cams are typically manufactured to be oversized, with large slots that provide a relatively loose fit that will work despite potential component misalignment. Thus, a large, loose-fitting latch cam ensures that the latch cam can receive the striker regardless of the striker's assembly position. However, large latch components limit their mounting location options.

[0008] An over-center spring mechanism is commonly used to actuate the latch cam, where the spring is energized when the door is opened. However, a loose-fitting latch cam can produce a loud noise when the spring releases its energy when the door is closed. This is because the large gap between the striker and the cam surface of the loose-fitting latch cam allows the over-center spring mechanism to accelerate the closing rotation of the latch cam to a speed that allows the latch cam to collide with the striker with sufficient force, thereby producing a loud clacking or clunk noise. Summary of the invention

[0009] The present invention provides an appliance door latch system that accounts for tolerance stack-ups and / or other manufacturing, production or assembly variations using small interacting components that provide a compact configuration that improves mounting arrangements and results in quiet operation.

[0010] Specifically, in one embodiment, the present invention provides an appliance door latch system having a door-mounted latch feature, such as a striker assembly or receiving portion supported by the appliance door. The striker assembly includes a striker that moves with the door toward and away from the appliance housing as the appliance door moves between a door-closed position and a door-open position. The latch mechanism receives the striker or other door-mounted latch feature to secure the appliance door in the door-closed position and releases the striker to release the appliance door when the door is opened. The latch mechanism includes a striker that selectively engages the striker or other door-mounted latch feature to hold the appliance door in the door-closed position. A pre-locking striker alignment system supports the striker and aligns the striker relative to the door-mounted latch feature as the door moves from the door-open position toward the door-closed position.

[0011] It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a mechanism for automatically aligning an appliance door latch component.

[0012] The pre-locking latch alignment system may include a floating latch carrier supporting the latch. When the floating latch carrier and the latch are engaged with a striker assembly or other door-mounted latch feature, at least a portion of the floating latch carrier may be movable relative to the appliance housing. The floating latch carrier may be lifted upward to accommodate a striker passing under the latch during an appliance door locking event, in which the striker or other door-mounted latch feature is inserted into the latch mechanism. The floating latch carrier may include an inner end facing away from or farther from the appliance door and an outer end facing or closer to the appliance door. When the striker passes under the floating latch carrier during an appliance door locking event, the outer end of the floating latch carrier may provide height adjustment movement by pivoting upward.

[0013] The floating striker carrier may be spring biased to a first position against a stop and include an inclined guide surface that receives a feature of a striker assembly or, for example, a surface of the door itself to move the floating striker carrier away from the stop against the spring bias when the door is closed to position the striker carrier in alignment with the striker or other door mounted latch feature. The surface or feature may be offset a predetermined distance from the remainder of the striker or door mounted latch feature. In a striker implementation of a door mounted latch feature, this may include an offset from the striker toward the floating striker carrier to align the striker carrier before the striker reaches the striker.

[0014] It is therefore a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide components having cooperating working configurations to align a striker with a door mounted latch feature prior to contacting one another, such as prior to striker-strike contact.

[0015] It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a mechanically simple mechanism for aligning an appliance door latch component via a floating component that is urged into the correct position during a door locking event.

[0016] The latch may be a catch having a catch body connected to a floating catch carrier and a catch pawl extending from the catch body. The catch pawl may selectively engage a receiving portion as a door mounted latch feature to lock the appliance door in the door closed position. The catch may be movable between a catch lowered position and a catch raised position. When in the catch lowered position, the end of the catch pawl may extend downwardly beyond a lower surface of the floating catch carrier (such as a bottom wall of the floating catch carrier) to define a first end position. When in the catch raised position, the end of the catch pawl may define a second end position elevated relative to the first end position, such as at the same height as or higher than the bottom wall of the floating catch carrier. The catch may be movable from the catch lowered position to the catch raised position to accommodate an upper edge of a door or other surface or feature that moves in unison with a door passing under the floating catch carrier during an appliance door unlocking event, in which the door mounted latch feature is withdrawn from the latch mechanism. The catch can be pivotally mounted to the floating lock catch carrier so that the catch pivots between a lowered position and an elevated position. The catch can be biased toward the catch lowered position, so that it is in a normal lowered position. The catch can move between a retracted position and an extended position. When in the retracted position, the catch body is arranged relatively farther inward or away from the door relative to the appliance housing. When in the catch extended position, the catch body is arranged relatively farther outward or moves outward from the retracted position relative to the appliance housing. A translation joint between the catch and the floating lock catch carrier can allow relative movement between the catch and the floating lock catch carrier and guide the catch to move between the catch retracted position and the catch extended position. The translation joint can include a groove that extends longitudinally along the floating lock catch carrier and provides a path along which the catch moves. A pin can extend transversely through a groove in the floating lock catch carrier and move longitudinally in the groove to connect the catch to the floating lock catch carrier at the translation joint. The pin may also define a pivot axis for the pawl to allow the pawl to move longitudinally and pivotally relative to the floating catch carrier.The pawl may be biased toward the retracted position such that the pawl is normally retracted to the seated position.

[0017] It is thus a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a simply constructed latch, such as a detent, that can be in a locked position by default and pulled away from the locked position during an unlocking event.

[0018] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a dishwasher having a height correction latch mechanism adapted to receive a striker or other door mounted latch feature to secure the appliance door in the door closed position, and to release the striker to release the appliance door to allow the appliance door to move to the door open position. The latch mechanism may include a striker and a floating striker carrier that supports the striker and at least a portion of which is movable relative to the appliance housing. This may automatically provide height adjustment of the striker to vertically align the striker with the striker or other door mounted latch feature during a door lock event in which the striker or other door mounted latch feature is inserted into the latch mechanism.

[0019] It is therefore a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a dishwasher having an automatic height-adjusting door latch system of simple construction.

[0020] In another embodiment, an appliance door latch system may include an over-center spring mechanism, a cam-type latch, and a floating latch carrier implemented as a floating cam carrier that automatically moves a cam to a position that properly aligns the cam with a striker or other door-mounted latch feature during a locking event, regardless of the position of the striker. The floating cam carrier includes an alignment block that contacts the striker assembly or other door-mounted latch feature before the cam during a locking event and slides across the striker assembly or other door-mounted latch feature to deflect the floating cam carrier and automatically align the cam opening with the striker or other feature to provide a constant height between the cam and the door-mounted latch feature. This ensures a consistent engagement point between the cam and the striker or other latch feature despite differences in relative position due to manufacturing and production or assembly differences, which allows for a tighter fit between the cam and the striker or other door-mounted latch feature. The cam and striker or other door-mounted latch feature that fit tightly with each other produce less noise during a locking event. The present invention can also ensure proper alignment of a close-fitting cam and striker or other door-mounted latch feature by ensuring a consistent point of engagement even though the position of the latch components may change over time due to, for example, component wear in an appliance door hinge or other system interface or changes in compliance or other wear characteristics of a door liner. By passively adjusting the cam height to the correct height relative to the striker or other feature to ensure consistent cam-strike or other feature alignment, a smaller cam can be achieved, which provides a shorter overall latch assembly height, thereby allowing installation in locations that might otherwise be difficult to install, such as between the top of a washing machine drum and the underside of a countertop surface.

[0021] It is therefore a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a simply constructed lock buckle, such as a cam, that automatically floats vertically during a locking event to reposition the cam for proper alignment.

[0022] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed description, claims and accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to represent like features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a simplified isometric view of an appliance including an appliance door latch system having a pre-locking latch alignment system;

[0024] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded isometric view of a first embodiment of an appliance door latch system;

[0025] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an appliance door latch system having a first mounting height difference between a striker assembly and an unlocking cam;

[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is further advanced toward the closed and locked position;

[0027] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is further advanced toward the closed and locked position;

[0028] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is further advanced toward the closed and locked position;

[0029] Figure 7 yes Figure 3 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is in a fully closed and latched position;

[0030] Figure 8 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an appliance door latch system having a second mounting height difference between the striker assembly and the unlocking cam;

[0031] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system with the door further advanced toward the closed and latched position;

[0032] Fig.10 yes Figure 8 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is further advanced toward the closed and locked position;

[0033] Fig.11 yes Figure 8 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is further advanced toward the closed and locked position;

[0034] Fig.12 yes Figure 8 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the door is in a fully closed and latched position;

[0035] Fig.13 yes Figure 1 An exploded isometric view of a second embodiment of an appliance door latch system;

[0036] Fig.14 When the locking event starts Fig.13 A cross-sectional view of an appliance door latch system;

[0037] Fig.15 yes Fig.13 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system further into the locking event;

[0038] Fig.16 At the end of a locking event or the beginning of an unlocking event Fig.13 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system;

[0039] Fig.17 yes Fig.13 Another cross-sectional view of the appliance door latch system further into an unlocking event; and

[0040] Fig.18 yes Fig.13 The appliance door latch system further proceeds into another cross-sectional view of the unlocking event.

[0041] Before describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the construction details and component arrangements set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The present invention can have other embodiments and can be practiced or implemented in a variety of different ways. Moreover, it should be understood that the words and terms used in this article are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered as restrictive. The use of "comprises" and "includes" and their variations is meant to cover the items listed thereafter and their equivalents and additional items and their equivalents. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Reference now Figure 1, an appliance 10 including an appliance door latch system 12 is shown. The appliance 10 is shown here as a dishwasher 14, but it is understood that the appliance door latch system 12 can be provided on a different type of appliance 10, such as a washing machine. The appliance 10 includes a housing 16 that can have a front opening 18, such as when the appliance 10 is a dishwasher 14, the housing is a dishwasher housing. In the case of the dishwasher 14, the front opening 18 exposes one or more dish racks 20 for holding dishes and the like for washing within an interior space or housing volume 22. A door 24 can be hingedly attached to the front of the housing 16 to seal the front of the housing 16 by compressing and interference fitting a peripheral gasket 26 around the front opening 18.

[0043] The appliance door latch system 12 has cooperating working components arranged at the housing 16 and the door 24, including a latch mechanism 30 mounted to the housing 16 and a door-mounted latch feature (shown here as a striker assembly 32) mounted to the door 24. The latch mechanism 30 can have a latch mechanism housing 31, which serves as a housing surrounding the components of the latch mechanism while allowing the various latch mechanism 30 components to interact with the striker assembly 32, such as through an opening in the front wall of the latch mechanism housing 31. The striker assembly 32 includes a striker 34, which can be a protrusion (such as a pin, etc.), shown here as having a narrow lower middle section at a neck-down position and a wider outer end or top end, thereby presenting a generally T-shaped cross-section. The striker 34 can extend upward from a striker plate 36 (shown here as having a rounded front edge) at the upper end or edge of the door 24. The striker 34 is received in the latch mechanism 30 (explained in greater detail elsewhere herein) along the horizontal axis 38 in a receiving direction 40 (parallel to the horizontal axis 38). Once so received, the striker 34 is retained within the latch mechanism 30 to hold the door 24 in a closed position by the sealing compression of the gasket during the wash cycle.

[0044] Reference now Figure 2 , a first embodiment of a latch mechanism 30 is shown here, the components of which may be enclosed by a latch mechanism housing 31 ( Figure 1) surrounded. The latch mechanism 30 may include a latch frame shown as a latch base 42, which supports a pre-locking latch alignment system 44, which is represented herein as a cam pre-engagement or cam pre-locking latch alignment system. The pre-locking latch alignment system 44 may include a swing arm or floating latch carrier 46 carrying a latch 47, which is used to engage the striker 34 to lock the appliance door after closing. The latch 47 is shown here to have a cam configuration as a cam 48. During a locking event when the door 24 is closed and the latch is closed, the pre-locking latch alignment system 44 automatically aligns vertically and provides a constant relative height between the cam 48 and the striker 34. The latch base 42 can be installed in the forward-facing edge of the top wall of the housing 16. The latch base 42 has a box-like configuration with interconnected walls of side walls 50 and a rear wall 52 shown to extend around corresponding portions of the latch base interior 54. Pin 56 extends through latch base interior 54, proximate rear wall 52 and between side walls 50, and into hole(s) 58 in a rear portion of latch carrier body 60 toward floating latch carrier 46 to define a pivot joint that pivotally retains floating latch carrier 46 in latch base interior 54. Thus, pre-lock latch alignment system 44 provides features for latch mechanism 30 and striker assembly 32 to engage and cooperate through various (e.g.) sliding interfaces that facilitate pre-alignment of latch and striker before latch 47 and striker 34 impact with each other during active latching.

[0045] Still refer to Figure 2 , a latch carrier body 60 is shown having a base section 62 through which the hole 58 extends. The base section 62 is arranged toward the rear of the latch carrier body 60 and extends across the width of the latch carrier body. At least one alignment block 64 (shown here as a pair of alignment blocks 64) is arranged toward the front of the latch carrier body 60. The alignment blocks 64 are shown as being laterally spaced apart from each other and extending longitudinally from the base section 62 and lower than the base section to provide a downwardly and forwardly extending fork-shaped configuration to the front end of the latch carrier body 60. The alignment blocks 64 can be identical to each other. As shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, only the features of the lower alignment block 64 are marked, but these features can be applied to the upper alignment block 64. Each alignment block 64 can include a rear lower surface 66 extending downwardly at an angle from the base section 62. The middle bottom surface 68 of the alignment block 64 extends from the front edge of the rear lower surface 66. An alignment ramp 70 is shown, which is defined by a front lower surface 72 of the alignment block 64, which is connected at its front end to a shelf wall 74 having a forward-facing surface and an upper surface. The front upper surface 76 extends upwardly and rearwardly at an angle from the shelf wall 74 and is connected to the top wall 78 of the alignment block 64.

[0046] Still refer to Figure 2, showing that each alignment block 64 has a slot 80 that is configured to hold and guide a pin 82 of the cam 48 to move the cam 48 in a longitudinal direction and angularly upward and rearward toward the rear of the slot 80. If the cam 48 is not properly in the downwardly pivoted closed position before closing the door 24 instead of being in the closed position as shown in FIG. Figure 2 48 is shown in the correct upwardly pivoted open position, which provides a rearward and upward sliding path for the cam 48 to push rearwardly and climb upwardly over the striker 34 to allow latching. The pin 82 extends through the slot 80 and defines a translational joint along which the cam 48 can advance and retreat relative to the lock carrier 46. The slot 80 is shown here as having a forward generally horizontal section and an angled rearward section extending rearwardly and upwardly at an angle from the forward slot section. The lock carrier body 60 has various features that provide stops and travel guides that work in conjunction with corresponding features of the cam 48 to, for example, prevent the latch from rotating in various operating conditions and provide discrete cam 48 positions and guide its movement between the unlocked position and the locked position. Below the slot 80, a carrier receptacle 84 may be defined in the locking carrier body 60, shown here extending downwardly within inner carrier shelf walls 86 of the alignment blocks 64, which may extend longitudinally along the alignment blocks 64 and laterally inwardly into the space 88 between the alignment blocks 64. Figure 286 and a rear portion 88 of the carrier opening 84. The carrier opening 84 and the rear portion 88 of the carrier opening 84 may have a generally V-shaped configuration and may have a straight front opening wall extending angled rearwardly and downwardly from the top surface of the shelf wall 86 and a curved rear opening wall extending upwardly from the bottom edge of the front opening wall to the shelf wall 86. The angle and profile of the carrier opening 84 may match the angle and profile of the surfaces of the rear wall segment and the bottom wall segment of the cam 48 so that the rear portion of the cam 48 may be nested in the carrier opening 84 and may be angled upwardly relative to the latch carrier 46 when in an open or unlocked state. To achieve a closed or locked state, the cam 48 is rotated downwardly about the pin 82 to a tripped position and the pin 82 moves rearwardly through the slot 80 while the cam 48 is retracted into the interior space 88. Movement of the cam 48 from its initial tripped position to its fully closed or locked position is guided by a cooperating sliding surface, such as a lower surface or bottom wall of the cam 48, which interfaces with and slides on the shelf wall 86. This engagement between the bottom wall of the cam 48 and the carrier shelf wall 86 further provides an anti-rotation feature that prevents the cam 48 from rotating until the cam is again pulled outward to the extended position, which allows the rear portion of the cam 48 to disengage from the rear section of the shelf wall 86 and rotate downward into the carrier receptacle 84. A spring 90 is disposed at the top surface of the carrier body base section 62 for biasing the floating latch carrier 46 to pivot downward about the pin 56 in a default state, whereby, at rest and when unlocked, the floating latch carrier 46 is pivoted downward by the spring 90 (shown as a compression spring) and the rear portion of the cam 48 is nested in the carrier receptacle 84. This can allow, for example, the floating latch carrier 46 to be resiliently biased by the spring 90 to a first position (e.g., a downward position against a stop). The inclined guide surface of the alignment ramp 70 receives features of the striker assembly 32 to move the floating striker carrier 46 away from the stop against the spring bias to position the floating striker carrier 46 in alignment with the striker 34 when the door 24 is closed, which can occur prior to engagement of the mating working parts that are locked as a pre-engagement alignment.

[0047] Still refer to Figure 2 , a latch mechanism 30 is shown having an over-center spring mechanism 94 including a spring 96 shown as a tension spring. The over-center spring mechanism 94 is configured to operate the cam 48 in a bistable mode in which the cam 48 has two stable states defined by the cam 48 pivoting upward to an open or unlocked position and the cam 48 pivoting downward to a closed or locked position. To provide the bistable operation, the front end of the spring 96 is connected to the cam 48 beyond the cam pivot axis defined by the pin 82, shown here as connected to the spring pin 98, and the rear end of the spring 96 is connected to the rear of the cam 48 (e.g., the pin 56).

[0048] Still refer to Figure 2The cam 48 includes a cam body 100 having a pair of side surfaces 102 (at Figure 2 The cam body 100 has a rear end 104 and a front end 106 facing toward and away from the rear wall 52 of the latch base 42, respectively, and the pin 82 extends from these sides. The cam body 100 has a top and an opposite bottom, and the clasp 108 extends from the bottom of the cam body 100. The clasp 108 includes a rear tooth 110 and a front tooth 112, which are spaced apart from each other and can each have an inwardly facing protrusion 114 to define a clasp opening 116 between the protrusions 114. The clasp opening 116 allows access to the clasp internal space 118 between the rear tooth 110 and the front tooth 112. The perimeter shape of the clasp internal space 118 corresponds to the perimeter shape of the striker 34, so that the striker 34 can be tightly nested in the clasp 108. The height of the hook opening 116 relative to the middle bottom surface 68 of the alignment block can correspond to the height of the strike block 34 relative to the strike block plate 36, so that the floating action of the floating lock carrier 46 allows the cam 48 to be passively vertically (re)positioned (if necessary) through the face-to-face sliding abutment of the alignment block 64 and the strike block 34 to ensure that the strike block 34 is received into the hook internal space 118 through the hook opening 116.

[0049] Overall reference Figures 3 to 12 , showing various door closing and locking sequences, illustrates how the appliance door latch system 12 utilizes a pre-lock striker alignment system 44 to accommodate differences and striker heights by passively adjusting the height of the cam 48 relative to the striker 34 to provide a constant relative height between the cam 48 and the striker 34 prior to engagement during a locking event. Figures 3 to 7 An extreme low position of the door 24 and striker 34 is shown, such as when the door 24 and striker 34 are assembled in their lowest possible position based on manufacturing and assembly variations with typical tolerances. Figures 8 to 12 An extreme high position of the door 24 and striker 34 is shown, such as when the door 24 and striker 34 are assembled in their highest possible position based on manufacturing and assembly variations with typical tolerances.

[0050] Reference now Figure 3 , shows a locking event, wherein the door 24 and / or the striker 34 are in their lowest positions. In this configuration, the pre-locking latch alignment system 44 can operate without the floating latch carrier 46 passively adjusting the height of the cam 48. Figure 3 The cam 48 is shown in its stable open or unlocked position when the door 24 is closed. Figure 4 The striker plate 36 is shown passing slightly underneath or making grazing contact with the alignment block 64 , such as at the edge defined by the intersection of the intermediate bottom surface 68 and the ramp 70 . Figure 5Door 24 is shown further closed with striker 34 making initial contact with cam 48 at cam rear tooth 110 . Figure 6 The door 24 is shown further into its closed and locked position after closing. The striker 34 is pushed far enough against the rear cam teeth 110 to cause the cam 48 to pivot to its downward and stable closed or locked position. During this locking event, the alignment block 64 contacts the striker plate 36 before the striker 34 and cam 48 engage without significant deflection of the floating latch carrier 46, so that the cam 48 remains at substantially the same height position during the locking event, and at the beginning of the locking event, the striker 34 is aligned with the clasp opening 116 ( Figure 3 ) are basically aligned. Figure 7 The door 24 is shown in the fully closed position, with the cam 48 passing through the slot 80 ( Figure 2 )Sliding pin 82( Figure 2 ) is guided further rearward into the floating latch carrier 46. The unlocking event occurs in the reverse order, with the cam 48 sliding forward through the floating latch carrier 46 and then rotating in the opposite direction to return to its stable open or unlocked position.

[0051] Reference now Figures 8 to 12 , shows a locking event where the door 24 and the striker 34 are in their highest positions. In this configuration, the pre-locking latch alignment system 44 is operable and the floating latch carrier 46 passively adjusts the height of the cam 48 to automatically raise the cam 48 to match the height of the striker 34 before the cam 48 and the striker 34 engage. Figures 3 to 7 The description of the lowest installation position in conjunction with the door 24 and / or the striker 34 applies here to the lowest installation position in conjunction with the door 24 and / or the striker 34. Figures 8 to 12 The description of the highest installation position of the door 24 and / or the striker 34 differs only in the following aspects. Figure 8 The vertical misalignment of the striker 34 and the cam 48 is shown. The striker 34 is positioned too high to be directly received in the clasp opening 116. As the door 24 is further closed, the rounded leading edge of the striker plate 36 contacts the ramp 70, with the initial contact point shown here toward the outer end of the ramp 70 near the shelf wall 74. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Comparison of the positions of the alignment block 64 at 100° and 100° shows that closing the door 24 further away from the initial contact point between the striker plate 36 and the ramp 70 lifts the alignment block 64 by sliding contact as the striker plate 36 slides further under the alignment block 64 on the ramp 70. This lifts the cam 48 upward by deflecting the floating striker carrier 46 to pivot upward about the pin 56 while overcoming the biasing force of the spring 90 and compressing the spring. Fig. 9 Move to the position Fig.10The position shows that as the door 24 continues to close, the striker 34 advances toward the cam 48, and the upper surface of the striker plate 36 slides face-to-face and adjacently below the middle bottom surface 68 of the alignment block, and the floating lock carrier 46 can be slightly further pivotally deflected upward, and the striker 34 forms initial contact with the cam 48 at the cam rear tooth 110. Fig.11 The door 24 is shown further into its closed and locked position after closing. The striker 34 is pushed far enough against the rear cam teeth 110 to cause the cam 48 to pivot to its downward and stable closed or locked position. During this locking event, the alignment block 64 engages the striker plate 36 and lifts the floating latch carrier 46 to pivot upward to allow the striker 34 to engage the latch opening 116 ( Figure 7 ) is aligned to guide the passive height adjustment of the cam 48. Fig.12 The door 24 is shown in the fully closed position, with the cam 48 passing through the slot 80 ( Figure 2 )Sliding pin 82( Figure 2 ) is guided to move further backward into the floating lock carrier 46. Here again, the unlocking event also occurs in the reverse order, with the cam 48 rotating in the opposite direction to return to its stable open or unlocked position.

[0052] Reference now Fig.13 , showing a second embodiment of the latch mechanism 30 and a second embodiment of the striker assembly 32. Figure 2 , which is shown as a recessed configuration having a receiving portion 111 that extends downwardly from the striker plate 36 to the top wall or upper edge of the door 24. The striker 34 is shown here to be defined by the front edge and / or upper edge of the inner panel of the door 24, which provides an intersection between the inner facing surface of the inner wall and the upper edge or upward facing surface of the top wall of the door 24, and the latch mechanism 30 contacts the intersection to automatically move the various components of the latch mechanism 30 into proper alignment to close the door. The latch mechanism 30 of this embodiment is shown, which has a latch mechanism housing 31 ( Figure 1 ) enclosed by parts that are Figures 2 to 12 The components are almost the same, Figures 2 to 12 The description of applies here, except that it differs in the following respects.

[0053] Instead of a cam-type lock that is bistable in two positions, Fig.13The latch mechanism 30 of FIG. 1 has no eccentric spring mechanism, and its catch 47 is shown here as a pawl 120, which is biased downward toward an intermediate state in the locked position or pawl lowered position to hook into the receiving portion 11 shown here as embedded in the upper edge of the front door panel. The latch frame or latch base 42 is shown to have two spring recesses 122 recessed into its rear wall 52, which receive a pair of horizontally arranged springs 90 that push against the rear wall of the base section 62 of the lock carrier body. This causes the swing arm or floating lock carrier 46 to deflect around the pin 56 at its floating lock carrier rear end or inner end 124, which causes the floating lock carrier front end or outer end 126 to pivot downward. A pair of floating lock carrier arms 128 extend between the inner end 124 and the outer end 126 to connect the base section 62 to the alignment block 64. The rear portion of the alignment block 64 has a structure to control and limit the movement of the pawl 120. The receiver 130 has top and bottom walls 132, 134 and a curved rear wall 136 that together define a laterally oriented generally U-shaped opening that can receive and position a corresponding portion of the latch 120. A stop 138 is defined by a surface that extends downwardly and angularly rearwardly from the top wall of the alignment block 64 and connects to the front edge of the receiver top wall 132.

[0054] Still refer to Fig.13 , the pawl 120 includes a pawl body 140 having a front end 142 and a rear end 144. A pawl 146 extends downwardly and rearwardly relative to the pawl body front end 142 and has a terminal end 148 disposed farthest from the pawl body 140. A pair of circular projections 150 are spaced apart from each other and extend rearwardly from the rear wall of the pawl body 140. A pin 82 about which the pawl 120 can pivot extends outwardly from each circular projection 150, shown here as extending through and beyond the sides of the circular projections 150. A translation joint 152 is defined by the interconnection of the pawl 120 and the floating lock carrier 46. Within the translation joint 152, the pin 82 defines a translatable pivot axis about which the pawl 120 can pivot relative to the floating lock carrier 46 while allowing longitudinal movement. The pin 82 is guided within the slot(s) 80 of the translational engagement portion 152 for longitudinal translation relative to the floating lock carrier 46. This arrangement allows the pawl 120 to pivot up and down and move back and forth within the translational engagement portion 152 in a fore-and-aft direction.

[0055] Still refer to Fig.13, the translational engagement portion 152 can allow for multiple discrete maximum travel positions of the pawl 120. The example shown here can be configured to provide three discrete maximum travel positions corresponding to the three states of the pawl 120. The default state or rest state is defined as the pawl 120 being in a retracted position and a lowered position (e.g., a position that is both retracted and lowered). In this rest or retracted state, the pawl 120 can be stably seated within the alignment block 64. The pin 82 can abut the rear wall of the slot 80, and the circular protrusion 150 can be nested in the receiving portion 130 so that the receiving portion top wall 132 and bottom wall 134 prevent the pawl 120 from pivoting when the pawl 120 is retracted, thereby limiting the movement to linear movement of the pawl 120 away from the receiving portion rear wall 136 against the force of the spring 96. In the extended state, the pawl 120 moves forward to a maximum forward position, and the pin 82 can abut the front wall of the slot 80. The latch 120 can define an extended and lowered state, in which the latch 120 is in the extended position and remains pivoted downward or remains in the same angular orientation as when it is in the retracted state. This can position the end of the latch 120 in a first position so that it extends downward beyond the lower surface of the floating lock carrier (such as the middle bottom surface 68 of the alignment block 64). The latch 120 can define an extended and raised state, in which the latch 120 is in the extended position and is pivoted upward away from its position when in the lowered state. This can position the end of the latch claw 146 in a second position so that it is raised and points in a different direction relative to the first lowered position. To reach this position, the latch 120 can be pivoted upward and rearward until further movement is prevented by engagement between the latch body 140 and the stop 138 at the alignment block 64.

[0056] Reference now Figures 14 to 16 ,pass Fig.13 The embodiment of the latch mechanism 30 and striker assembly 32 is shown with a self-aligning locking event. Fig.14 The floating latch carrier 46 and the pawl 120 are shown in their resting state, wherein the latch carrier 46 is biased downwardly and the pawl 120 is biased downwardly and rearwardly or in a pawl retracted position and lowered position. During a locking event, initial contact occurs between at least one of the floating latch carrier 46 and the pawl 120 and the striker 34, shown here as substantially simultaneously contacting the angled intersecting or overlapping surfaces of the floating latch carrier 46 and the pawl 120. Fig.15 The floating striker carrier 46 is shown pivoted upwardly according to the height of the door panel upper edge relative to the catch 120. The catch 120 remains seated in the alignment block 64 and thus in the catch lowered and retracted position so that the height correction deflection is achieved by the upward pivoting of the floating striker carrier 46 as the door panel upper edge slides under the floating striker carrier 46 and the catch 120. Fig.16The completed locking event is shown. The pawl 120 has been pulled downward into the receiving portion 111 at the upper edge of the door panel, and the pawl 146 and the angled front wall of the receiving portion 111 engage each other along the angled interface to resist the upward and rearward withdrawal of the pawl 120 from the receiving portion 111 at the upper edge of the door panel. The floating lock carrier 46 and the pawl 120 are shown in contact with each other at the initial contact of the locking event. Fig.14 The substantially same slightly downwardly angled orientation is shown, but it is understood that the floating striker carrier 46 and pawl 120 may be angled downward less or more nearly parallel to the latch frame or base 42 if more vertical height correction is desired for a particular implementation.

[0057] Reference now Figures 16 to 18 , showing Fig.13 An unlocking event of an embodiment of the latch mechanism 30 and the receiving portion 111. Fig.16 The dishwasher or other appliance door 24 is shown in its closed and locked position from which the unlocking event is initiated. Fig.17 The door 24 is shown to be initially pulled during an unlocking event. The latch 120 disengages from its retracted position and moves linearly forward to the extended position while remaining in the lowered or downward and unpivoted position. Further pulling of the door 24 from this point causes the latch 120 to pivot from its lowered position to the Fig.18 The location shown. Fig.18 1, the latch 120 is in its extended and raised state or position, wherein the latch 120 extends forwardly in the slot 80 as far as permitted and pivots upwardly to the stop 138 ( Fig.13 ) to the extent permitted by the present invention. Alignment block 64 is shown contacting the upper surface of the upper edge of the door panel while sliding underneath floating striker carrier 46 and pawl 120. After pawl 146 disengages the notch of receiving portion 111 in the upper edge of the door panel and is fully withdrawn therefrom, spring 96 biases pawl 120 back to its seated position within alignment block 64, and therefore back to its retracted and lowered position. If pawl 120 remains in contact with the upper surface of the upper edge of the door panel, this can pry floating striker carrier 46 upwardly, causing floating striker carrier 46 and pawl 120 to reach a position such as shown in FIG. Fig.15 Further opening of the door 24 from that point will cause the door 24 to be withdrawn without contact with the catch 120 and / or the floating latch carrier 46, at which point the floating latch carrier 46 drops back down to its lowered rest position and the floating latch carrier 46 and catch 120 return to their original position. Fig.14 Status shown.

[0058] Certain terms are used herein for reference purposes only and, therefore, are not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as "upper," "lower," "above," and "below" refer to directions referenced in the accompanying drawings. Terms such as "left," "right," "front," "back," "rear," "bottom," and "side" describe the orientation of components within a consistent but arbitrary reference frame, as is clear by reference to the context and associated drawings describing the components in question. Such terms may include the words specifically mentioned above, their derivatives, and words of similar meaning. Similarly, the terms "first," "second," and other numerical terms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0059] When introducing elements or features of the present disclosure and exemplary embodiments, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to indicate the presence of one or more elements or features. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be open ended and indicate that other elements or features may be present in addition to the elements or features specifically noted. It should be further understood that the method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the particular order discussed or shown, unless an order of execution is specifically noted. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0060] Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims. It should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of the components set forth herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and can be practiced or implemented in a variety of different ways. Variations and modifications of the foregoing fall within the scope of the invention. It is also understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more individual features mentioned or evident in the text and / or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute a variety of different alternative aspects of the invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best mode known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention.

Claims

1. An appliance door latch system for an appliance, the appliance door latch system being used to latch an appliance door to secure the appliance door in a door closed position in which the door is held against an appliance housing to cover an appliance housing opening, and the appliance door latch system being used to unlock the appliance door to release the appliance door to allow the appliance door to move away from the appliance housing to a door open position in which the appliance housing opening is exposed, the appliance door latch system comprising: a door-mounted latch feature supported by the appliance door and movable with the appliance door toward and away from the appliance housing as the appliance door moves between the door-closed position and the door-open position; a latch mechanism adapted to receive the door-mounted latch feature to secure the appliance door in the door-closed position and to release the door-mounted latch feature to release the appliance door to allow the appliance door to move to the door-open position, the latch mechanism comprising: a striker selectively engageable with the door-mounted latch feature to retain the appliance door in the door-closed position; as well as a pre-lock latch alignment system that supports the latch and aligns the latch relative to the door-mounted latch feature as the door moves from the door-open position toward the door-closed position and contacts the door-mounted latch feature before the latch contacts the door-mounted latch feature.

2. The appliance door latch system of claim 1, wherein: The pre-lock latch alignment system includes a floating latch carrier that supports the latch and at least a portion of which is movable relative to the appliance housing when at least one of the floating latch carrier and the latch engages the door-mounted latch feature.

3. The appliance door latch system of claim 2, wherein: The floating striker carrier is spring biased to a first position against a stop, and the floating striker carrier includes an inclined guide surface that receives a surface of the door-mounted latch feature, thereby moving the floating striker carrier away from the stop against the spring bias when the door is closed to align the striker carrier's position with the door-mounted latch feature.

4. The appliance door latch system of claim 3, wherein: The floating lock carrier comprises: an outer end of the floating latch carrier facing the appliance door; an inner end of the floating latch carrier facing away from the appliance door; and Wherein, the upward lifting of the floating lock carrier is limited by the upward pivoting movement of the outer end of the floating lock carrier relative to the device housing.

5. The appliance door latch system of claim 4, wherein: A pivot joint is defined at the inner end of the floating strike carrier to provide pivotal movement between the floating strike carrier and the appliance housing to accommodate upward pivoting of the outer end of the floating strike carrier as the door mounted latch feature passes underneath the outer end of the floating strike carrier during an appliance door locking event.

6. The appliance door latch system of claim 5, wherein: defining a translational joint between the lock catch and the floating lock catch carrier; and During an appliance door unlocking event in which the door mounted latch feature is withdrawn from the latch mechanism, the striker moves along the translational joint from a further inwardly retracted position of the floating striker carrier to a further outwardly extended position of the floating striker carrier.

7. The appliance door latch system of claim 2, wherein: The lock buckle provides a detent, the detent comprising: a latch body connected to the floating latch carrier; and A pawl extends from the pawl body and selectively engages the door-mounted latch feature to latch the appliance door in the door-closed position.

8. The appliance door latch system of claim 7, wherein: The detent is movable between the following positions: a pawl lowered position in which a distal end of the pawl extends downwardly beyond a lower surface of the floating latch carrier to define a first distal position; as well as A pawl raised position in which a distal end of the pawl defines a second distal end position that is elevated relative to the first distal end position.

9. The appliance door latch system of claim 8, wherein: Movement of the pawl from the pawl lowered position to the pawl raised position is defined by upward pivotal movement of the pawl relative to the floating striker carrier.

10. The appliance door latch system of claim 9, wherein: The latch is biased toward the latch-lowered position.

11. The appliance door latch system of claim 7, wherein: The detent is movable between the following positions: a latch-retracted position in which the latch body is disposed relatively further inwardly relative to the appliance housing; and A latch extended position, in which the latch body is arranged in a relatively outwardly farther position relative to the appliance housing.

12. The appliance door latch system of claim 11, wherein: A translational joint is defined between the pawl and the floating lock carrier, the translational joint being adapted to allow relative movement between the pawl and the floating lock carrier and to guide the pawl to move between the pawl retracted position and the pawl extended position.

13. The appliance door latch system of claim 12, wherein: The translational engagement portion includes a slot extending longitudinally along the floating lock carrier and providing a path along which the pawl is movable when moving between the pawl retracted position and the pawl extended position.

14. The appliance door latch system of claim 13, wherein: The translational joint includes a pin extending transversely through the slot in the floating lock carrier and capable of longitudinal movement in the slot, and connects the pawl to the floating lock carrier so that the pawl and the pin move longitudinally in conjunction along the slot in the floating lock carrier.

15. The appliance door latch system of claim 14, wherein: The pin of the translational engagement portion defines a pivot axis of the pawl such that during an appliance door unlocking event in which the door mounted latch feature is withdrawn from the latch mechanism, the pawl is urged to effect translational and pivotal movement toward the pawl extended position.

16. The appliance door latch system of claim 9, wherein: The pawl is biased toward the pawl-retracted position.

17. A dishwasher, comprising: a dishwasher housing providing an opening for accessing an interior of the dishwasher; a door movable between a door closed position in which the door covers the dishwasher housing opening and a door open position in which the door moves away from the dishwasher housing to reveal the dishwasher housing opening; a door mounted latch feature mounted to the door for retaining the door in the door closed position; a height correction latch mechanism adapted to receive the door-mounted latch feature to secure the door in the door-closed position and to release the door-mounted latch feature to release the door to allow the door to move to the door-open position, the height correction latch mechanism comprising: a striker selectively engageable with the door mounted latch feature to retain the door in the door closed position and movable to release the door to the door open position; and a floating latch carrier supporting the latch and at least a portion of which is movable relative to the dishwasher housing, the floating latch carrier including an inclined guide surface disposed outside the latch to contact and engage the door-mounted latch feature during a door locking event and slide relative to the door-mounted latch feature to automatically provide height adjustment of the latch, thereby vertically aligning the latch with the door-mounted latch feature prior to a contact event between the latch and the door-mounted latch feature, wherein the door-mounted latch feature is inserted into the latch mechanism.

18. The dishwasher according to claim 17, wherein: The floating striker carrier is pivotally mounted relative to the dishwasher housing and is biased downwardly so that during the door locking event, when the door mounted latch feature slides beneath the striker carrier, in response to at least one of the striker and the floating striker carrier engaging the door mounted latch feature, vertical alignment of the striker with the door mounted latch feature is provided by the floating striker carrier pivoting upwardly.

19. The dishwasher of claim 18, wherein: The floating latch carrier defines an inner pivot joint and an outer pivot joint, wherein the floating latch carrier is capable of pivoting relative to the dishwasher housing, and at the outer pivot joint, the latch is capable of pivoting away from a rest state position relative to the floating latch carrier to accommodate at least one of a door locking event and a door unlocking event, wherein the door mounted latch feature is inserted into the latch mechanism and wherein the door mounted latch feature is withdrawn from the latch mechanism.

20. The dishwasher of claim 19, wherein: The floating lock catch carrier includes a slot, and the lock catch is movably mounted relative to the slot, thereby providing a movably mounted lock catch to the floating lock catch carrier to accommodate longitudinal translational movement of the lock catch along the slot.

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