Door mechanism for household appliances with automatic door opening function

Abstract

A door mechanism, for example for a household dishwasher, is disclosed, wherein the door mechanism comprises a door latch for holding the door of the dishwasher closed in a closed position and an electrically controlled door opener for mechanized partial opening and subsequent closing of the door. The door opener comprises a coupling member on the door and on the appliance body of the dishwasher, the door being movably mounted on the appliance body of the dishwasher, the coupling member being capable of entering into a mutually push-and-pull transferable but releasable coupling engagement. The coupling member, when in the coupling engagement, allows force to be transferred between the door and the appliance body in a force transfer path extending through the door latch. The pulling force of the coupling engagement of the coupling member can vary depending on the position of the door.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of household appliances designed with a processing chamber (usable chamber) that can be closed by a door. In particular, the present invention relates to a household appliance equipped with a door opener for automatically opening the door, that is to say without intervention by the user, for example automatically after executing an operating program of the household appliance. Background Art

[0002] Many electrical appliances for household use, such as washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers, microwave ovens, ovens, etc., have doors that can be held in a closed position by means of a door latch. When the door is in the closed position, the access opening to the treatment chamber of the household appliance is closed. In a washing machine or tumble dryer, the treatment chamber is the laundry chamber into which the laundry to be washed or dried is introduced. In a dishwasher, the dishwashing chamber in which the dishes to be washed are placed forms such a treatment chamber, and in ovens (microwave ovens, ovens), the treatment chamber is the cooking chamber in which the items to be heated or cooked are placed.

[0003] At the end of the program run of the operating program, it may be desirable to automatically partially open the door in at least some of these types of household appliances, so that an opening gap of, for example, a few centimeters is formed between the door and the appliance body of the household appliance on which the door is movably mounted. In the case of a washing machine, a tumble dryer or a dishwasher, hot steam can quickly escape from the appliance through the opening gap. Various solutions for automatic door opening have been proposed in the prior art; in this regard, reference is made, for example, to WO 2015 / 071157 A1, EP 2 210 547 A1, EP 1 733 675 A2 and WO 2011 / 003714 A1.

[0004] Particularly in the case of dishwashers, it is desirable that the dishes located in the machine are completely dried before the user removes the dishes from the machine and puts them away. In the case of an automatic partial door opening, moisture in the form of hot steam can escape quickly. However, if the door remains in the partially open position of the door for a long period of time, heat increasingly escapes from the dishwasher chamber and is no longer available for further drying of the dishes. Once the dishwasher chamber has cooled down accordingly, the remaining drying of the dishes may take a relatively long time. Summary of the invention

[0005] It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to permit energy-saving operation in a household appliance such as a dishwasher.

[0006] To achieve this object, one aspect of the present invention provides a household appliance, the household appliance comprising: a treatment chamber; a door, the door being used to close the treatment chamber; a door opener device, the door opener device being used to automatically partially open and close the door; and a control unit, the control unit being configured to control the door opener device to perform at least one of the following operation cycles during the operation program of the appliance: an opening-closing cycle, the opening-closing cycle partially opening the door, and then closing the partially opened door in at least one of a temperature-controlled manner, a time-controlled manner, and a humidity-controlled manner; and a repeated opening cycle, the repeated opening cycle repeatedly partially opening the door, and closing the door between partially opening the door. In some embodiments, the control unit is configured to control the door opener device to perform the at least one operation cycle when the wet operation phase of the operation program is completed.

[0007] Some embodiments of the present invention provide a household appliance, in particular a dishwasher, comprising: a treatment chamber, which can be closed by a door; and a door opener, which is used for the mechanized partial opening and subsequent closing of the door. According to the present invention, the household appliance is suitable for controlling the door opener so that the door opener automatically partially opens the door in conjunction with the operating cycle of the household appliance, in particular when the wet operating phase of the operating cycle is completed, and then closes the door at least once, or / and automatically and repeatedly partially opens the door and closes the door between partial openings, under time control or / and temperature control or / and humidity control.

[0008] By automatically closing the door after it has been partially opened, for example in a dishwasher, it is possible to prevent excessive heat from escaping from the dishwashing chamber. The warm air remaining in the dishwashing chamber can then absorb additional moisture from the still wet dishes; the passive drying of the dishes can thus be improved, which is advantageous for the electrical energy requirements of the appliance. In particular, by automatically and repeatedly partially opening the door (and automatically closing the door between partially opening the door), the moisture absorbed by the air in the dishwashing chamber can be intermittently discharged to the outside. The passive drying of the dishes can thus be further improved. Accordingly, it can be ensured that all heat does not escape from the dishwashing chamber when the door is partially opened for the first time. Instead, by repeated automatic opening and closing, the residual heat remaining in the dishwashing chamber can be used to help further drying of the dishes in an energy-saving manner.

[0009] The frequency with which the door opener device automatically partially opens the door in conjunction with the operating cycle of the household appliance is numerically unrestricted within the scope of the invention. In some embodiments, it may be sufficient to open the door only once or twice continuously by means of the door opener, while in other embodiments this may occur three times or even more frequently, in each case with intermediate closing operations. The opening times from one opening phase to another may be of the same or different duration. It is thus conceivable, for example, that after a first relatively brief opening of the door, the second time the opening phase is made slightly longer. However, conversely, it is also possible to shorten the opening time from one time to the next.

[0010] In case of automatic gap opening (i.e. partial opening to the extent that a gap is formed) by means of a door opener, the gap formed is at least in some embodiments large enough, at least large enough at the point where the gap opening is largest, for a person's finger to be inserted into the gap. When the door is subsequently closed automatically by means of the door opener, there is the problem that when the closing operation is initiated, it is possible that the user or a child at play still has a finger in the gap, intentionally or unintentionally. This carries the risk of serious and painful finger injuries. It is therefore desirable to have a solution available that can prevent such finger injuries.

[0011] A possible solution is to provide a door mechanism for a household appliance, the door mechanism comprising: a door latch for holding the door of the household appliance in a closed position; and a controllable door opener for the mechanized partial opening and subsequent closing of the door. The door opener can in particular be electrically controlled, the door opener comprising a coupling member configured to enter into a mutually push-and-pull transmission but releasable coupling engagement. These coupling members are arranged on the door and on the appliance body of the household appliance, the door being movably mounted on the appliance body of the household appliance, and when the coupling members are in mutually coupling engagement, the coupling members allow a force to be transmitted between the door and the appliance body in a force transmission path, the force transmission path extending through (i.e. bypassing) the door latch. According to the invention, the pulling force of the coupling engagement is variable. The higher the pulling force, the greater the pulling force that can be transmitted between the door and the appliance body via the coupling member.

[0012] The transmission of pulling force via the coupling member is required in order to be able to close the previously partially opened door with the aid of the door opener. The variability of the pulling force of the coupling engagement makes it possible to operate the door opener with a closing operation having a relatively low pulling force of the coupling engagement, particularly in a phase in which the opening gap between the door and the appliance body is still large enough for a person's finger to be inserted into the gap. As soon as the opening gap becomes too small for a person's finger to be inserted, the pulling force of the coupling engagement can be increased.

[0013] In particular, the relatively low pulling force may be so low that, in the event of the presence of a finger in the gap, automatic release of the coupling engagement of the coupling member occurs as soon as the finger in the gap presents resistance to further closing of the door. The risk of finger injury may thus be successfully eliminated.

[0014] In contrast, the relatively large pulling force of the coupling engagement may be large enough to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch. In particular, it may be that when the door is opened by means of the door opener, the door latch is simultaneously opened, that is, the force-based connection between the door and the appliance body via the door latch is disconnected. In order to reestablish the force-based connection via the door latch, a specific initial force is first required, at least in some configurations of the door latch, in order to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch. In a phase of automatic closing of the door, in which the closing configurations of the door latch arranged on the door and on the appliance body are brought into a closed engagement with each other again, the pulling force of the coupling engagement is advantageously high enough to overcome any initial resistance of these closing configurations to establishing the closed engagement.

[0015] The foregoing explanations clearly show that - in general - in the presence of a relatively large gap between the door and the appliance body, a relatively low pulling force for the coupling engagement of the coupling member is expected, and in contrast, in the presence of a relatively small gap, a relatively high pulling force for the coupling engagement is expected. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the pulling force for the coupling engagement is arranged to vary depending on the relative position between the door and the appliance body. In this case, the pulling force for the coupling engagement in the first partially open position, in which the door is opened wider, may be lower than the pulling force for the coupling engagement in the second partially open position, in which the door is opened narrower.

[0016] As explained, a relatively high pulling force of the coupling engagement may be required in order to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch when the door is closed. When the force-based connection via the door latch is reestablished, the coupling member should not be released from the coupling engagement undesirably. However, once the force-based connection via the door latch has been reestablished and the door has been completely closed, at least in some embodiments, an increase in the pulling force of the coupling engagement of the coupling member is no longer required. When the door is closed, in some embodiments, the user can manually open the door with a relatively low force. If the coupling member of the door opener remains in the coupling engagement when the door is closed, the coupling engagement should at least not require any excessive additional force to enable the user to pull open the closed door.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the transition of the door from the closed position of the door to the partially opened end position, achieved by means of the door opener, separates the force-based connection between the appliance body and the door via the door latch. The subsequent closing of the door achieved by means of the door opener reestablishes the force-based connection between the appliance body and the door via the door latch. The pulling force of the coupling engagement in the partially opened end position is not sufficient to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch. However, when closing the door by means of the door opener, the pulling force of the coupling engagement is at least temporarily increased to a degree sufficient to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch. The partially opened end position is a position that can be reached by means of the door opener and in which the opening gap of the door is as large as possible.

[0018] In some embodiments, the pulling force of the coupling engagement of the coupling member of the door opener is variable in steps. However, within the scope of the present invention, it is not impossible to configure the pulling force of the coupling engagement to be continuously variable.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the coupling member has a pull coupling configuration that is arranged so as to be deflectable relative to each other. In this case, the pulling force of the coupling engagement of the coupling member can be increased by blocking or hindering the relative deflection of the pull coupling configuration.

[0020] For example, a first one of the coupling members comprises a pivotably arranged coupling arm having a coupling projection, by means of which the coupling arm can be pivoted behind a recess of a second coupling member in the coupling member out of a release pivot position into a coupling pivot position to establish a pull-transmitting coupling engagement. In order to increase the pulling force of the coupling engagement, the pivoting of the coupling arm out of the coupling pivot position back to the release pivot position can be blocked or impeded.

[0021] Therefore, some embodiments provide that the coupling arm is pivotably mounted on a push element, the push element being arranged to be movable between an advanced position and a retracted position. Along the movement path of the push element between the advanced position and the retracted position, a pivoting of the coupling arm away from the coupling pivot position to the release pivot position is relatively easy in at least a portion of the movement path, whereas in at least another portion of the movement path, such a pivoting of the coupling arm is relatively more difficult or is prevented.

[0022] Some embodiments provide that, in both the advanced position and the retracted position of the pushing element, pivoting of the connecting arm away from the connecting pivot position to the release pivot position is relatively easy, whereas in a portion of the moving path between the advanced position and the retracted position of the pushing element, such pivoting is relatively more difficult or is prevented.

[0023] For example, by a blocking surface arranged statically on the door or the appliance body, or alternatively by an abutment surface arranged in a yielding manner against a spring resistance, the pivoting of the coupling arm from the coupling pivot position to the release pivot position can be made relatively more difficult or prevented. When the push element moves from the retracted position to the advanced position, the coupling arm is exposed to the action of the blocking surface or the abutment surface only in at least a part of the movement path of the push element, and in at least another part of the movement path, the coupling arm can pivot unhindered without being hindered by the blocking surface or the abutment surface.

[0024] Another aspect of the present invention provides a household appliance, the household appliance comprising: a processing chamber; a door, the door is used to close the processing chamber, the door is movably mounted on the appliance body of the household appliance; a door opener, the door opener is used to automatically partially open and close the door; a sensor device, the sensor device is used to monitor a gap formed between the door and the appliance body when the door is in a partially open state, so as to monitor the presence of an object in the gap; and

[0025] A control unit is coupled to the sensor device and configured to control the door opener to perform a closing operation in which the door is automatically closed from the partially opened state based on the sensor device detecting that no object is present in the gap.

[0026] Accordingly, in this aspect of the invention, a requirement for automatically closing the door by means of the door opener is that the gap between the door and the appliance body is identified as being clear, that is, no objects are detected in the gap that would normally not be expected to be there. Conversely, if the household appliance detects, based on the sensor signal of the sensor device, the presence of an object in the gap that is not normally present (e.g. a human finger or other object that is able to move), the household appliance is suitable for controlling the door opener so that the closing operation is terminated or at least temporarily disabled or otherwise modified. The modification of the closing operation may include, for example, temporarily stopping the closing movement of the door achieved by means of the door opener, or / and temporarily changing the closing movement into at least one opening movement, so as to, for example, give a user or a playing child the opportunity to quickly pull his finger out of the gap.

[0027] In some embodiments, the sensor device is adapted to perform optical and / or capacitive monitoring of at least part of the gap. For example, optical monitoring can be performed with the aid of a light barrier assembly. For capacitive monitoring, at least one electrode can be arranged on the door or / and on the electrical body in the vicinity of the gap, the electrode forming part of a (open or closed) plate capacitor, the capacitance of which is affected by the presence of an object in the gap. For example, an oscillating circuit can be used to electrically detect such a capacitance change. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 A household dishwasher with a fully opened door according to an exemplary embodiment is shown in schematic form;

[0030] Figure 2a An exemplary embodiment of a domestic dishwasher is shown in a perspective view with a partially opened door and a cover of a dishwasher container of the machine removed;

[0031] Figure 2b Shows Figure 2a , to illustrate a door latch and door opener of a dishwasher;

[0032] Figure 3a Shows the door closed. Figure 2a , Figure 2b Cooperative coupling member for a door opener of a dishwasher;

[0033] Figure 3b Shows the door being partially opened manually. Figure 3a connecting components;

[0034] Figure 4 The door is shown after it has been partially opened automatically and then opened further manually. Figure 3a connecting components;

[0035] Figure 5a 1 shows a state in which the coupling arm is blocked from releasing the coupling engagement of the coupling member during the automatic closing operation Figure 3a connecting members; and

[0036] Figure 5b is corresponding to Figure 5a , but is set to Figure 5a In the section plane in the drawing plane. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] First, refer to Figure 1 The dishwasher shown therein is generally indicated by 10 and is intended for use in private households. The dishwasher comprises a dishwasher container 12, inside which a dishwasher chamber (wet chamber) 14 is formed. Figure 1 The dishwashing chamber 14 is not shown in detail, but can be equipped in a manner known per se, for example with one or more dishware racks for holding the dishes to be cleaned. A door 16 is mounted on the dishwashing container 12 so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis 18 close to the floor. The door 16 can be opened or closed. Figure 1 The door 16 is pivoted between a fully open position shown, in which the door 16 is folded forwardly and downwardly from the dishwashing container 12 to a substantially horizontal position, and a closed position, in which the door is oriented substantially vertically and closes a front passage formed in the dishwashing container 12 to the dishwashing chamber 14.

[0038] The control unit 20 indicated by the dashed line is used to electrically control the operation of the dishwasher 10. In the example shown, the control unit 20 is arranged in the door 16; it should be understood that this arrangement position of the control unit 20 is only an example, and as an alternative, at least part of the control unit 20 can be installed in the dishwasher container 12. It should also be understood that the control unit 20 - except in Figure 1 As shown in the figure - it does not have to be formed by a single central control component, but the functions of the control unit 20 can be realized by multiple subunits distributed at multiple different locations of the dishwasher 10.

[0039] Figure 2a , Figure 2b Shown in Figure 11 shows an exemplary embodiment of a dishwasher 10 which is indicated only in schematic form. In this exemplary embodiment, the cover plate terminating the dishwasher container 12 at the top has been omitted in order to give a view of a latch assembly 22 and an opener assembly 24, both of which are mounted in the dishwasher container 12 and are respectively part of a door latch, generally indicated at 26, and part of a door opener, generally indicated at 28. The door latch 26 serves to hold the door in the closed position; in the example shown, the door latch 26, which is provided as part of the latch assembly 22, comprises a latch head 30 arranged on the door 16, and two latch arms 32 which can be deflected away from each other against a closing spring force and which, when the door is closed, catch the latch head 30 on both sides in the manner of two claws. When the door 16 is closed, the latch head 30 is inserted between the two latch arms 32 and forces the two latch arms 32 apart against the action of the closing spring force until the latch head 30 has finally moved far enough between the latch arms 32 and the latch arms 32 can snap back toward their resting position behind the latch head 30. The closing spring force acting on the latch arms 32 being forced apart constitutes the closing resistance to be overcome when the door 16 is closed. Further details of the door latch 26 can be found, for example, in DE 10 201 201 6 541 A1, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by explicit reference in their entirety. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated form of the door latch 26 having a latch head 30 and a pair of latch arms 32; other latching configurations are also conceivable for the door latch 26.

[0040] The door opener 28 is used for mechanized (ie, non-manual) partial opening and closing of the door 16. To this end, the door opener 28 includes a coupling member 34 on the door (at Figures 3a to 5b is shown in detail in Figure 2b The coupling members 34, 36 are schematically indicated only by dashed lines in the figure and a coupling member 36 on the container. The coupling members 34, 36 can be brought into mutual coupling engagement by moving towards each other (that is, by movement of the door 16 in the closing direction) and can be disengaged from the coupling engagement by moving away from each other (that is, by movement of the door 16 in the opening direction). The coupling engagement between the coupling members 34, 36 is thus releasable. However, in the exemplary embodiment shown, this does not apply to the entire pivoting range of the door 16 between the closed position of the door and the maximum partially opened position of the door 16 that can be achieved by operation of the door opener 28.

[0041] The possibility is provided to release the coupling engagement by manually pulling the door 16 when it is completely closed; Figure 2a , Figure 2bThe possibility of releasing the coupling engagement by manually pulling the door 16 is also provided in the shown position of maximum partial opening of the door 16, i.e. the maximum possible partial opening that can be achieved by operation of the door opener 28. The maximum partial opening position can also be referred to as the end position of partial opening, since it represents the end point of the partial opening of the door 16 that can be achieved by means of the door opener 28. In the region between the completely closed position of the door 16 and the mentioned end position of partial opening, the coupling engagement between the coupling member 34 arranged on the door 16 and the coupling member 36 arranged on the dishwashing container 12 is modified or increased to such an extent that greater pulling forces can be transmitted between the two coupling members 34, 36 than in the closed position and the end position of partial opening of the door 16.

[0042] The possibility of transmitting greater tensile forces means a stronger tensile coupling of the coupling members 34, 36 and therefore a manual opening of the door 16 is more difficult or even prevented. The tensile strength of the coupling engagement of the coupling members 34, 36, which increases in stages during the closing operation by means of the door opener 28, allows the closing resistance of the door latch 26 arranged in the force transmission path (which is mechanically parallel to the door opener 28) to be overcome without the coupling engagement between the coupling members 34, 36 being inadvertently released. When the door 16 is opened mechanically from the fully closed position of the door by means of the door opener 28, the latch head 30 is released from the catch of the latch arm 32; the door latch 26 is opened. In the case of a closing operation of the door 16 by means of the door opener 28, the latch head 30 must enter again between the latch arms 32, for which purpose the closing spring force acting on the latch arms 32 must be overcome. Accordingly, it must be possible to transmit a phased increase in tensile force between the coupling members 34, 36 in order to enable the door latch 26 to be closed again. To ensure this, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the tensile force of the coupling engagement of the coupling members 34, 36 is increased at least in the phase in which the door opener 28 must work against the closing spring force of the latch arm 32 when the door 16 is closed.

[0043] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the coupling member 36 on the container includes a push rod 38, which is arranged on the dishwashing container 12 so as to be able to be linearly displaced in the longitudinal direction of the rod of the push rod. In order to drive the push rod 38, the opener assembly 24 includes an electrically controlled actuator 40, which is, for example, in the form of an electric motor. The driving force of the electric motor can be transmitted to the push rod 38 via a gear assembly (not shown in detail), which can act in a decelerated manner and is arranged in an area 42 of the opener assembly 24. For this purpose, in the example shown, the push rod 38 is designed with teeth 44, which mesh with a pinion of the gear assembly on the output side in a manner not shown in detail. The direction of rotation of the electric motor is reversible, so that depending on the direction of rotation of the electric motor, the push rod 38 can be moved out in the direction toward the forward position or moved back in the direction toward the retracted position. The operation of the electric motor or the operation of the actuator 40 is controlled by a control unit, for example by Figure 1 The control unit 20 is used to control.

[0044] In the region of the front rod end, a coupling arm 46 is pivotably mounted on the push rod 38. The coupling arm 46 is configured for push-and pull-transmitting engagement with the door coupling member 34. If the coupling arm 46 is correspondingly coupled to the door coupling member 34, the door 16 can be pushed open from the closed state and pulled back into the closed position by actuating the push rod 38.

[0045] Now we will refer to Figures 3a to 5bAs can be seen in these figures, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the coupling member 34 on the door forms a recess 48 into which the coupling arm 46 can be inserted with a front (free) arm end region 50 in the form of a hook. The recess is delimited at its recess base by a wall section 52 against which the coupling arm 46 can be pushed with its arm end region 50 in order to transfer the thrust from the coupling member 36 to the coupling member 34 and thereby open the door 16. The transmission of the pulling force from the coupling member 36 to the coupling member 34 takes place via a toothed coupling projection 54, which is formed on one of the side walls of the coupling member 34 that delimits the recess 48 and projects into the recess 48. The coupling arm 46 forms a coupling lug 56 at its arm end section 50, by which the coupling arm 46 can be pivoted behind a recessed side 58 of the coupling projection 54. As a result of the coupling arm 46 hooking the side 58 of the coupling protrusion 54 via its coupling lug 56, a pulling force can be transmitted from the coupling member 36 to the coupling member 34, and thereby the door 16 can be closed. The level of pulling force that can be transmitted is limited by a suitably inclined profile of the side 58 or / and a suitably inclined profile of the coupling lug 56; if a specific level of the transmitted pulling force is exceeded, the coupling lug 56 slides away from the side 58, wherein the coupling arm 46 pivots upward relative to the push rod 38 (at Figures 3a to 5b ), so that the coupling lug 56 can move over the coupling protrusion 54 and out of the recess 48. The coupling protrusion 54 and the coupling lug 56 form a cooperative pull-coupling configuration within the meaning of the present invention.

[0046] If the pivotal deflection of the coupling arm 46 relative to the push rod 38 is not blocked, the pulling force of the coupling engagement between the coupling projection 56 and the coupling protrusion 54 is such that: although the door 16 can be pulled out of the closed position according to Figure 2a , Figure 2b The coupling arm 46 slides relatively easily from the coupling projection 54 to the partially open end position of the door 16, but if resistance is encountered (for example, if the door 16 comes into contact with a finger of a person placed in the opening gap between the door 16 and the dishwashing container 12, resistance is encountered). In this way, when the door opener 28 is operated for the automatic closing operation of the door 16, painful hand injuries can be avoided if a user or a playing child accidentally or even deliberately places a finger into the opening gap.

[0047] In particular, the initial pulling force of the coupling engagement between the coupling protrusion 54 and the coupling projection 56 (when considering the initial pulling force of the coupling engagement between the coupling protrusion 54 and the coupling projection 56) is Figure 2a , Figure 2bThe initial pulling force when the push rod 38 is pulled out of the partially opened end position of the push rod 38) is not large enough to force the latch head 30 between the latch arms 32. Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment shown, when the latch arm 32 reaches the latch head 30 or slightly before, the coupling arm 46 is blocked from pivoting out of the engagement position (coupled pivot position) in which the coupling arm 46 is hooked behind the coupling projection 54. In the exemplary embodiment shown, for this purpose, a blocking element 62 is provided on the rod guide unit 60, which serves for the linear guidance of the push rod 38 and is stationary relative to the dishwashing container 12, which blocking element prevents the coupling arm 46 from pivoting relative to the push rod 38 in a specific part of the push movement path of the push rod 38. In other parts of the push movement path of the push rod 38, the coupling arm 46 is to some extent beyond the reach of the blocking body 62, and thus the pivoting of the coupling arm 46 relative to the push rod 38 is not blocked.

[0048] Figure 3a 1 shows the state when the door 16 is closed. The coupling arm 46 is pivoted behind the side 58 of the coupling projection 54 with its coupling lug 56 and the coupling arm 46 is free to pivot relative to the push rod 38, that is, the coupling arm 46 is not blocked by the blocking element 62. Figure 3a The door 16 is manually pulled starting from the state shown, the engagement of the coupling arm 46 with the coupling projection 54 can thus be released without difficulty, wherein the coupling lug 56 slides upwards on the side 58 of the coupling projection 54 and finally the coupling lug 56 slides over the coupling projection 54. This situation Figure 3b When the door is closed, it should be effortless for the user to manually open the door 16. Therefore, when the door 16 is closed, the pulling force of the coupling engagement between the two coupling members 34, 36 is relatively low.

[0049] Even when the door 16 has been partially opened by means of the door opener 28, that is, when the Figure 2a , Figure 2b The partially opened end position, what wish is can effortlessly manually door fully opened for the user.Therefore, in the partially opened end position, link arm 46 can not be blocked by blocking body 62 with respect to the pivoting of push rod 38. Figure 4 Starting from the partially opened end position of the door 16 , the state is shown after the door has been manually opened slightly wider and the coupling engagement between the coupling arm 46 and the coupling projection 54 has been released as a result of the manual pulling force that has been applied. Figure 4 In the embodiment, the push rod 38 has advanced to the front end position; on the contrary, Figure 3a , Figure 3b The push rod 38 is shown retracted into the rear end position. Figure 3a , Figure 3b The end position of Figure 4 The distance between the front end positions is, for example, a few centimeters, for example between about 5 cm and about 9 cm.

[0050] at last, Figure 5a , Figure 5b The state of the door opener 28 is shown, in which the push rod 38 occupies an intermediate position, in which the push rod 38 has been slightly advanced from the rear end position, but is still at a distance from the front end position. In this intermediate position, the blocking body 62 has a blocking effect on the coupling arm 46; therefore, the coupling arm cannot pivot relative to the push rod 38, and the engagement between the coupling lug 56 of the coupling arm 46 and the side 58 of the coupling projection 54 cannot be released even when high pulling forces are applied. Blocking the coupling arm 46 from pivoting relative to the push rod 38 correspondingly means a relative increase in the pulling force of the coupling engagement between the coupling members 34, 36.

[0051] In the example shown, the latch assembly 22 and the opener assembly 24 are separate components that can be mounted independently of each other on the dishwashing container 12. It should be understood that the functions of the latch assembly 22 (with two spring-pretensioned latch arms 32) and the functions of the opener assembly 24 (with the push rod 38 and the associated drive means) can be combined in a common component, which can be mounted on the dishwashing container 12.

[0052] The door opener 28 can be controlled so that, after a programmed opening of the door 16, it initiates a closing operation, likewise under programmed control, in order to pull the partially opened door closed again. The correct time for the automatic closing of the door 16 after the previous automatic opening can be based on predetermined time parameters taken into account, for example, in the control program of the door opener 28. Alternatively or additionally, the control program of the door opener 28 can take into account temperature parameters and / or humidity parameters. For example, it is conceivable that the door opener 28 is actuated for the purpose of closing the door 16 as soon as the temperature in the dishwashing chamber 14 has dropped to a specific temperature or by a specific temperature difference. Figure 1 A temperature sensor, schematically indicated at 64, may be provided at a suitable location in the dishwashing chamber 14 for temperature measurement. Alternatively or additionally, the dishwasher 10 may be equipped with a humidity sensor 66 ( Figure 1), the humidity sensor 66 can provide a measurement representing the humidity in the dishwashing chamber 14. The control unit 20 can control the closing operation of the door opener 28 based on the signal of the temperature sensor 64 or / and the signal of the humidity sensor 66, or / and based on the measured time period since the last automatic opening of the door 16. In particular, the control unit 20 can be programmed so that it can control the door opener 28 to perform repeated automatic openings with intermediate automatic closings. In this way, hot steam can be discharged from the dishwashing chamber 14 in several stages.

[0053] According to a further variant, the dishwasher 10 may be equipped with one or more sensors 68 ( Figure 1 ), the one or more sensors 68 are able to detect the presence of a human finger or other object in the opening gap between the door 16 and the dishwashing container 12 by applying optical measuring principles or / and capacitive measuring principles, which opening gap is formed in the partially opened end position of the door 16. The control unit 20 can be adapted to evaluate the signal of one or each sensor 68 or to operate the door opener 28 for a closing operation solely on the basis that the opening gap is free of undesired objects therein. By such a configuration of the control unit 20, a pulling force for the coupling engagement of the coupling members 34, 36 which is variable depending on the position of the door is not required and, therefore, it is possible to select a coupling member 34, 36 in addition to the coupling member 34, 36. Figures 2a to 5b In particular, by such a configuration of the control unit 20, the coupling members 34, 36 can be designed so that, over the entire pivot path of the door 16 between the partially opened end position and the closed position, the coupling members 34, 36 provide a substantially constant, relatively high coupling engagement pulling force sufficient to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch 26.

Claims

1. A door mechanism for a household appliance, the door mechanism comprising: a door latch for holding a door of the household appliance in a closed position; a door opener for mechanized partial opening and subsequent closing of the door, wherein the door opener comprises coupling members on the door and on the appliance body of the household appliance, the coupling members being configured to enter into a push- and pull-transmitting but releasable coupling engagement with each other, the door being movably mounted on the appliance body of the household appliance, wherein the coupling members are designed to allow force to be transmitted between the door and the appliance body in a force transmission path when in coupling engagement, the force transmission path extending through the door latch, wherein the pulling force of the coupling engagement is variable; The pulling force of the connection varies according to the relative position between the door and the appliance body.

2. The door mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The pulling force of the coupling engagement in a first partially open position, in which the door opens wider, is lower than the pulling force of the coupling engagement in a second partially open position, in which the door opens narrower.

3. The door mechanism according to claim 2, wherein: The pulling force of the coupled engagement in the closed position of the door is lower than the pulling force of the coupled engagement in the second partially open position.

4. The door mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The conversion of the door from the closed position of the door to the partially opened end position by means of the door opener separates the force-based connection between the appliance body and the door via the door latch, wherein the subsequent closing of the door by means of the door opener reestablishes the force-based connection between the appliance body and the door via the door latch, wherein the pulling force of the connection engagement in the partially opened end position is insufficient to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch, and wherein, when closing the door by means of the door opener, the pulling force of the connection engagement is at least temporarily increased to a degree sufficient to overcome the closing resistance of the door latch.

5. The door mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The pulling force of the coupling engagement may be variable in steps.

6. The door mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The coupling members have pull coupling formations arranged so as to be deflectable relative to each other, wherein the pull force of the coupling engagement can be increased by blocking or hindering relative deflection of the pull coupling formations.

7. The door mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The first connecting member in the connecting member includes a connecting arm that can be pivotally arranged, and the connecting arm has a connecting protrusion. The connecting arm can leave the release pivot position and pivot to the connecting pivot position behind the recess of the second connecting member in the connecting member through the connecting protrusion to establish a pull-transmitting connecting joint, wherein in order to increase the pulling force of the connecting joint, the pivoting of the connecting arm from the connecting pivot position to the release pivot position can be blocked or hindered.

8. The door mechanism according to claim 7, wherein: The connecting arm is pivotally mounted on a pushing element, and the pushing element is arranged to be movable between an advanced position and a retracted position, wherein, along a movement path of the pushing element between the advanced position and the retracted position, pivoting of the connecting arm away from the connecting pivot position to the releasing pivot position is relatively easy in at least a portion of the movement path, and is relatively more difficult or is prevented in at least another portion of the movement path.

9. The door mechanism according to claim 8, wherein: In both the advanced position and the retracted position of the pushing element, the pivoting of the connecting arm away from the connecting pivot position to the releasing pivot position is relatively easy, and in a partial area of ​​the moving path between the advanced position and the retracted position of the pushing element, such pivoting is relatively more difficult or is prevented.

10. A household appliance having a door mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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