household appliance

Abstract

Household appliance, in particular household dishwasher, with a door pivotably mounted by means of at least one door hinge (4), wherein the door hinge (4) comprises at least: a hinge bracket (1) and a bearing bolt (5) cooperating with the hinge bracket (1) to form the door hinge (4), wherein the hinge bracket (1) has an open-edged bolt passage area (6) which opens into a bearing opening (7) into which the bearing bolt (5) can be inserted for rotatable mounting of the door, wherein the hinge bracket (1) is attached to the door and the bearing bolt (5) to a housing of the household appliance, or the bearing bolt (5) is attached to the door and the hinge bracket (1) to the housing of the household appliance, wherein retaining means (13') are provided to secure the bearing bolt (5) in the bearing opening (7), characterized in that the bearing bolt (5) has at least one constriction (19), in particular arranged between a bearing bolt body (21) and a bearing bolt head (22), wherein the retaining means (13') allow the bearing bolt (5) to exit the bearing opening (7) when the bearing bolt (5) is located at a specific angular position in relation to the bearing opening (7) and / or is moved in a specific direction out of a cam against a spring force of a spring (14).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a household appliance, in particular a household dishwasher, with a door pivotably mounted by means of at least one door hinge, wherein the door hinge comprises at least: a hinge bracket and a bearing bolt cooperating with the hinge bracket to form the door hinge, wherein the hinge bracket has an open-edged bolt passage area which opens into a bearing opening into which the bearing bolt can be inserted for rotatable mounting of the door, wherein the hinge bracket is attached to the door and the bearing bolt to a housing of the household appliance or the bearing bolt to the door and the hinge bracket to the housing of the household appliance, wherein retaining means are provided to secure the bearing bolt in the bearing opening.

[0002] Household appliances of the type mentioned above are known. For example, DE 102 59 065 A1 describes a door hinge and an associated bearing bushing. The bearing bushing has two legs, each supporting an inwardly projecting spreading arm. The spreading arm is arranged such that a bearing bolt to be mounted in the bearing bushing, when the door hinge is installed, pushes the spreading arms outwards, and the spreading arms automatically return to their original position after the bearing bolt has been inserted. In this way, the bearing bolt is held in the bearing bushing. The bearing bushing is then inserted into an elongated hole in a hinge bracket. The bearing bolt is thus held in the elongated hole of the hinge bracket by means of the bearing bushing.However, such a bearing bushing represents an additional component, besides the hinge bracket and the bearing bolt, which is costly to manufacture and assemble.

[0003] DE 11 2007 000 423 T5 (WO 2007 / 097577 A1) discloses a dishwasher, in particular a household dishwasher, with a hinged mounting structure to prevent the dishwasher door from falling off the dishwasher. For this purpose, a device is provided in a hinge fitting on the door, which prevents the door from falling off a hinge pin of the dishwasher. The hinge fitting has a hinge slot formed within it for the bearing shell for the hinge pin, which is slid onto the hinge pin during door installation. The device on the hinge slot of the hinge fitting is designed as a plastically deformable tab, or the hinge slot itself is designed as an elastically pressable hinge slot. Furthermore, the recess for the hinge pin can be designed as a labyrinth recess.With an effort equivalent to the force required to mount the door on the dishwasher, the door can be removed from the dishwasher in any swivel position.

[0004] The object of the invention is to present a household appliance that is inexpensive to manufacture and at the same time allows for easy assembly of the door.

[0005] According to the invention, the retaining means allow the bearing bolt to exit the bearing opening when the bearing bolt is in a specific angular position relative to the bearing opening and / or is moved in a specific direction from a cam against a spring force, for which purpose the bearing bolt has at least one constriction, in particular arranged between a bearing bolt body and a bearing bolt head. It can be provided that the bearing bolt lies directly in the bearing opening, i.e., no intermediate element – ​​such as the bearing bushing – is necessary to ensure a secure hold of the door on the household appliance or the household appliance housing. The secure hold of the door on the household appliance is achieved by means of the retaining means. These are designed to allow the bearing bolt to exit the bearing opening only when the door is positioned at the specified door angle.

[0006] The door angle refers, for example, to the angle between the door and the housing of the household appliance. For instance, the door angle might be 0° when the door is closed and 90° when fully open. It is advantageous that the retaining mechanism allows the bearing bolt to be released from the bearing opening only at a single, specific door angle. Additionally and / or alternatively, a guide can be provided, formed, for example, by a recess or groove in the hinge bracket. This guide is designed such that a spring force acting on the hinge bracket causes the bearing bolt to be drawn into the guide by the spring force when it leaves the bearing opening, thus ensuring that the bearing bolt cannot reach the bearing opening.

[0007] A further development of the invention provides that the retaining means comprise a cross-section of the bolt passage area that narrows, in particular continuously, towards the bearing opening. The narrowest point of the bolt passage area can be located directly in the area of ​​the bearing opening. However, it is also conceivable that the bolt passage area initially narrows towards the bearing opening, reaches its narrowest point, and then widens again until it reaches the bearing opening into which it opens.

[0008] It is advantageous that the bolt passage area, or rather its cross-section, is designed to narrow continuously. This means that the cross-section does not have a sudden change, but rather becomes progressively narrower. The cross-section of the bolt passage area is therefore essentially wedge-shaped. It can be designed so that the bearing bolt can only be inserted through the bolt passage area if the door is positioned at a specific angle. Otherwise, the narrowed cross-section prevents the bearing bolt from passing through the bolt passage area. In particular, it prevents the bearing bolt from exiting the bearing opening.

[0009] A further development of the invention provides that the bolt passage area has a cross-section, at least at its narrowest point, that is smaller than the bearing opening. If the bearing bolt is, for example, essentially circular, the cross-section of the narrowest point is smaller than the diameter of the bearing opening. Typically, the bearing bolt will have essentially the same size or diameter as the bearing opening. If the bolt passage area is smaller than the bearing opening, at least in some areas, it prevents the bearing bolt from passing through the bolt passage area and out of the bearing opening. The bearing bolt and the bolt passage area are coordinated such that the bearing bolt can only pass through the bolt passage area when the door is positioned at a specific door angle.

[0010] A further development of the invention provides that the bearing bolt, for forming at least part of the retaining means, has at least one flat surface in an area interacting with the bearing opening. Several flat surfaces can also be provided, which are, for example, distributed around the circumference and are particularly diametrically opposed to one another. In the area of ​​the flat surface, the outer diameter of the bearing bolt is reduced, at least in some areas, so that the smallest cross-section of the bearing bolt is present at this point. It is provided that the flat surface and the bolt passage area are coordinated such that, when the door is at a specific door angle, the flat surface is positioned relative to the bolt passage area in such a way that the bearing bolt can pass through the bolt passage area.For this purpose, the flat surface is arranged in the area interacting with the bearing opening, i.e., in an area where the bearing bolt is in contact with the bearing opening and / or the bolt passage area.

[0011] The constriction according to the invention causes the bearing bolt to have a reduced diameter in cross-section, or its circumference to be set back compared to other areas. The constriction is provided, in particular, in the area interacting with the bearing opening and / or the bolt passage. Preferably, the hinge bracket engages partially within the constriction, thus guiding the bearing bolt. The constriction can be located between the bearing bolt body and the bearing bolt head. For example, the bearing bolt head is located on the side of the hinge bracket facing the interior of the household appliance, and the bearing bolt body is located on the opposite side. Thus, the hinge bracket, which lies at least partially within the constriction, is held between the bearing bolt body and the bearing bolt head in the axial direction of the bearing bolt.In this way, the door is rotatably mounted by means of the bearing bolt and the hinge bracket.

[0012] A further development of the invention provides that the constriction is formed at least partially around the circumference of the bearing pin. The constriction therefore does not have to be present around the entire circumference of the bearing pin, but only in certain circumferential areas. For example, several constrictions are provided, distributed around the circumference of the bearing pin. For example, two constrictions are provided that are diametrically opposed to each other.

[0013] A further development of the invention provides that the flat surface is located in the area of ​​the constriction. The flat surface is thus recessed radially into the bearing bolt relative to other areas of the bearing bolt. The constriction can therefore, for example, have the shape of a circular segment of the bearing bolt, at the chord of which – viewed in cross-section – the flat surface is located. The central angle of the circular segment determines the extent of the flat surface. In the area of ​​the flat surface, the cross-section of the bearing bolt is therefore tapered or reduced compared to other areas of the bearing bolt.

[0014] A further development of the invention provides that the retaining means include a spring. The bearing bolt can also be held in the bearing opening by means of a spring force generated by the spring. For this purpose, the spring force causes the bearing bolt to be pushed towards the bearing opening, particularly when the door is not at the specified door angle.

[0015] A further development of the invention provides that the hinge bracket is subjected to the spring force generated by the spring, which holds the bearing pin in the bearing opening. Thus, it is not the bearing pin, but the hinge bracket itself that is subjected to the spring force. This forces the hinge bracket, with its bearing area, towards the bearing pin, so that the pin is held in the bearing opening. It is advantageous if the spring force acts on the hinge bracket at a distance from a pivot axis around which the door can pivot.

[0016] A further development of the invention provides that the bolt passage area has an inlet with at least one inclined surface and / or at least one rounded section. The inlet is intended to facilitate door installation by making it easier to insert the bearing bolt into the bolt passage area. For this purpose, it has the inclined surface and / or the rounded section. These are designed such that the bolt passage area has a larger cross-section in the region of the inlet, which decreases towards the bearing opening.

[0017] A further development of the invention provides that the bearing opening has a cross-section that is at least partially circular and / or comprises at least one circular sector. To facilitate easy rotation of the bearing bolt within the bearing opening, the opening is advantageously designed to be circular. It is sufficient if the bearing opening is only partially circular. This means that it can either have a shape that deviates from a circular form in certain areas or comprise only one circular sector. The latter can be the case, for example, if the bearing opening consists of several overlapping circular recesses. In this case, the bearing opening is not entirely circular but consists of two overlapping recesses, thus comprising two circular sectors.

[0018] A further development of the invention provides that the bearing bolt has a cross-section that is at least partially circular or oval. The bearing bolt is adapted, at least partially, to the shape of the bearing opening, ensuring proper support of the door when the bearing bolt is seated or inserted in the bearing opening.

[0019] A further development of the invention provides that the bearing pin has a diameter equal to or smaller than that of the bearing opening. Preferably, the bearing pin has the same diameter as the bearing opening. In this case, the door is securely seated on the appliance, since the bearing, i.e., the bearing pin seated in the bearing opening, only allows rotational movement, but not radial movement of the bearing pin within the bearing opening. Alternatively, however, a smaller diameter can also be provided to allow for easy repositioning of the door.

[0020] A further development of the invention provides that the bolt passage area opens into a side surface of the hinge bracket. During door installation, the bearing bolt is inserted into the bolt passage area through this opening. Conversely, the bearing bolt can also exit the bolt passage area through this opening if the door is to be disassembled.

[0021] A further development of the invention provides that the bolt penetration area is angled at least partially relative to the side surface. This means that, viewed in cross-section, it does not enter the side surface at an angle of 90°, but rather at an angle greater or less than 90°. Advantageously, the longitudinal axis of the bolt penetration area is used to define the angle.

[0022] A further development of the invention provides that the bolt passage area is angled such that the insertion of the bearing bolt into the bearing opening is only possible at a specific door angle. This specific door angle therefore depends on the angle at which the bolt passage area is angled relative to the side surface. Once the door is at this specific door angle, the bolt passage area is preferably arranged horizontally with respect to the appliance or its housing, allowing the door to be easily pulled forward.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the bearing bolt is fixed to the dishwasher housing in a rotationally fixed manner. This can be achieved using a rivet connection. This ensures that the bearing bolt does not rotate unintentionally when the door is opened, but always maintains a specific angular position relative to the bearing opening. While this position moves with the door, it is also fixed to the door in a rotationally fixed manner. Preferably, this angular position corresponds to a specific door opening angle.

[0024] In a further preferred embodiment, the specified door angle lies outside the working position range between the open and closed door. The working position range of the door is the range that occurs during normal operation of the appliance. Typically, this range extends from 0° – for a closed door – to an angle of 90° – for a fully open door. Therefore, the specified door angle is preferably greater than 90°, necessitating that the door be opened beyond the working position range to allow the pivot pin to exit the bearing opening and thus remove the door from the appliance housing. This can be easily achieved by appropriately selecting the angle at which the pin passage area is angled relative to the side surface.

[0025] Finally, it is preferably provided that the bearing bolt and the bearing opening are mounted so as to be movable relative to each other about an axis of rotation, wherein the axis of rotation extends in the direction of extension of the bearing bolt.

[0026] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing, without limiting the invention. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a first embodiment of a hinge bracket of a door hinge for a door of a household appliance, Fig. 2a a cross-section of a bearing bolt, Fig. 2b a side view of the bearing bolt, Fig. 3 a second embodiment of the hinge bracket, Fig. 4 a third embodiment of the hinge bracket, and Fig. 5 a bearing bolt for the third embodiment.

[0027] The Fig. Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention, namely a hinge bracket 1, such as that used, for example, for supporting the door of a household appliance, in particular a household dishwasher. The household appliance is, for example, front-loading. It has a bowl-shaped door, which is pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis and is composed of an outer door and an inner door. The door is pivotable relative to a working chamber of the household appliance, for example, a wash tub of the household dishwasher, with respect to the pivot axis. A right and a left bearing bracket are arranged to the side of a front loading opening of the working chamber of the household appliance and are attached to a housing of the household appliance.

[0028] On the inner door, a right and left hinge bracket 1 are attached to its side surfaces according to the arrangement of the bearing brackets. The attachment is made by means of a mounting tab 2 at two mounting points 3 each. The hinge bracket 1 is thus part of a door hinge 4, which also includes a bearing pin 5 (in Fig. (1 not shown). The hinge bracket 1 has an open bolt passage area 6, which leads into a bearing opening 7. To allow the door of the household appliance to rotate on this bracket, the bearing bolt 5 is inserted into the bearing opening 7. During this insertion, which takes place during door installation, the bearing bolt 5 passes through the bolt passage area 6 to reach the bearing opening 7.

[0029] After assembly, the bearing bolt 5 rests directly in the bearing opening 7, without the need for any additional element. The bearing bolt 5 is therefore in direct contact with the bearing opening 7 or with a wall 8 of the bearing opening 7. To facilitate insertion of the bearing bolt 5 into the bolt passage area 6 during assembly, an inlet 9 is provided in the bolt passage area 6, through which the bolt passage area 6 opens into a side surface 10 of the hinge bracket 1. The inlet 9 has, for example, a rounded section 11, which facilitates the insertion of the bearing bolt 5.

[0030] The bolt passage area has a cross-section that narrows towards the bearing opening 7. This means that the bolt passage area 6 tapers, for example, in a wedge or conical shape towards the bearing opening 7. The narrowest point of the bolt passage area 6 should be smaller than the bearing opening 7. After assembly, the bearing bolt 5 is located in the bearing opening 7, allowing the appliance door to pivot about a pivot axis 12. A retaining element is provided to hold the bearing bolt 5 in the bearing opening 7. In this embodiment, this retaining element is designed as a cam and has, for example, a groove into which the bearing bolt 5 can enter. The spring force of the spring 14 opposes the opening of the door, which occurs in the direction of arrow 16.The bearing bolt 5, which is seated in the bearing opening 7, is in a closed position of the door - in which a door angle of, for example, 0° is present, which is the case in the . Fig. The position of the hinge bracket 1 shown in 1 corresponds to being held in the bearing opening 7 by gravity.

[0031] When the door is pivoted in the direction of arrow 16 about the pivot axis 12, the spring 14 is tensioned, generating a force that securely holds the bearing bolt 5 in the bearing opening 7, even at door angles greater than 0°. If, in this position, the bearing bolt 5 were to leave the bearing opening 7, for example, due to force applied by an operator, the spring action of the spring 14 would pull the bearing bolt 5 into the track, which may have a groove. To move the bearing bolt 5 back into the area of ​​the bearing opening 7, it is necessary to move it out of the groove of the track against the force of the spring 14. In other words, the track, together with the spring 14, acts as a retaining element, preventing the bearing bolt 5 from leaving the bearing opening 7.

[0032] The Fig. Figure 2a shows a second embodiment of the invention, namely a cross-section of the bearing bolt 5 in a region 17 that interacts with the bearing opening 7 after assembly. In this region 17, the bearing bolt 5 has a partially circular shape. However, a constriction 19 is formed in a section 18, the base of which is a flat surface 20. The flat surface 20 is therefore located in the region of the constriction 19. In the region of the constriction 19, or rather the flat surface 20, the diameter of the bearing bolt 5 is thus reduced, as indicated by the dashed line. The flat surface 20, together with the narrowed cross-section of the bolt passage area 6, forms the retaining element 13'.

[0033] The Fig. Figure 2b shows a side view of the bearing bolt 5. Section 18, in which the constriction 19 or the flat surface 20 is located, is clearly visible. To ensure that the bearing bolt 5 is securely held in the bolt passage area 6 in the axial direction of the bearing bolt 5, the bearing bolt 5 consists, as shown in Fig. 2b, it can be seen that the hinge bracket consists of a bearing bolt body 21 and a bearing bolt head 22 opposite the bearing bolt body 21 with respect to section 18. The hinge bracket 1 is therefore held between the bearing bolt body 21 and the bearing bolt head 22 in section 18, particularly when the door is not at the specified door angle, so that movement in the axial direction (with respect to the pivot axis 12) is essentially prevented.

[0034] Out of Fig. Figure 1 shows that, with a corresponding arrangement of the planar surface 20 in relation to the narrowed cross-section of the bolt passage area 6 (retaining means 13'), the bearing bolt 5 can pass through the bolt passage area 6. However, this is only possible at a corresponding angle of the bearing bolt 5 to the hinge bracket 1, i.e., at a specific door angle of the appliance door.

[0035] To ensure that this specific door angle lies outside the door's operating range, the bolt passage area 6, or rather its longitudinal axis, is angled relative to the side surface 10 such that the bearing bolt 5 can only pass through the bolt passage area 6 at the specific door angle. An example shown is an angle of 50° between the bolt passage area 6 and the side surface 10. This means that, with the planar surface 20 positioned horizontally relative to the appliance, the door, including the hinge bracket 1, must be opened a further 50° after reaching the open position (for example, at a door angle of 90°) so that the planar surface 20 is positioned with respect to the narrowed cross-section of the bolt passage area 6, allowing the bearing bolt 5 to emerge from the bearing opening 7 and pass through the bolt passage area 6.In addition, the spring force of spring 14 must be overcome, or it must be disengaged from the retaining bracket 15 before disassembly. Of course, any orientation of the flat surface of the bearing bolt 5 is possible, so that other door angles can also be easily achieved.

[0036] The Fig. Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the hinge bracket 1. Both the hinge bracket 1 and the corresponding bearing pin 5 are shown. The latter is mounted in the bearing opening 7, which has a substantially circular cross-section into which the pin passage area opens. The pin passage area 6 has the inlet 9, which in this embodiment is provided with two radii 11. The pin passage area 6 tapers continuously from the inlet 9 towards the bearing opening 7, so that its narrowest point is located in the area of ​​the opening in the bearing opening 7. The bearing pin 5 has constrictions 19 on both sides with diametrically opposed flat surfaces 20. The bearing pin 5 can only pass through the pin passage area 6 if the flat surfaces 20 are arranged accordingly, i.e., essentially parallel to a longitudinal axis 23 of the pin passage area 6.Since the bolt passage area 6 or its longitudinal axis 23 is angled approximately 50° relative to the side surface 10, the bearing bolt 5 can only pass through the bolt passage area 6 at a door angle of the same size.

[0037] The Fig. Figure 4 shows a third embodiment of the hinge bracket 1. The associated bearing bolt 5 is in Fig. Figure 5 shows the bearing opening 7 and the bolt passage area 6, which are essentially analogous to the hinge bracket 1 of the Fig. 3. In particular, the narrowing of the cross-section of the bolt passage area 6, which forms the retaining element 13', is provided in the same manner. In addition to a radius 11, however, the inlet 9 also has an inclined surface 24 adjoining the radius 11. In this embodiment, the diameter of the bearing bolt 5 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bearing opening 7.

Claims

[1] Household appliance, in particular a household dishwasher, with a door pivotably mounted by means of at least one door hinge (4), wherein the door hinge (4) comprises at least: a hinge bracket (1) and a bearing bolt (5) cooperating with the hinge bracket (1) to form the door hinge (4), wherein the hinge bracket (1) has an open-edged bolt passage area (6) which opens into a bearing opening (7) into which the bearing bolt (5) can be inserted for rotatable mounting of the door, wherein the hinge bracket (1) is attached to the door and the bearing pin (5) to a housing of the household appliance, or the bearing pin (5) is attached to the door and the hinge bracket (1) to the housing of the household appliance, wherein retaining means (13') are provided to secure the bearing pin (5) in the bearing opening (7), characterized by , that the bearing bolt (5) has at least one constriction (19), in particular arranged between a bearing bolt body (21) and a bearing bolt head (22), wherein the retaining means (13') allow the bearing bolt (5) to exit the bearing opening (7) when the bearing bolt (5) is located at a specific angular position in relation to the bearing opening (7) and / or is moved in a specific direction out of a cam against a spring force of a spring (14). [2] Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized by , that the retaining means (13') comprise a cross-section of the bolt passage area (6) that narrows in the direction of the bearing opening (7), in particular continuously. [3] Household appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the bolt passage area (6) has a cross-section that is smaller than the bearing opening (7) at least at its narrowest point. [4] Household appliance according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by , that the bearing bolt (5) has at least one flat surface (20) to form at least part of the retaining means (13') in an area (17) interacting with the bearing opening (7). [5] Household appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the constriction (19) of the bearing bolt (5) is formed as a partially formed constriction (19). [6] Household appliance according to claim 4 or 5, characterized by , that the plan area (20) is located in the area of ​​the constriction (19). [7] Household appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the hinge bracket (1) is subjected to the spring force generated by the spring (14), which holds the bearing bolt (5) in the bearing opening (7). [8] Household appliance according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the bolt passage area (6) has an inlet (9) having at least one inclined surface (24) and / or at least one rounding (11). [9] Household appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the bearing opening (7) is at least partially circular in cross-section and / or has at least a circular sector, and / or the bearing bolt (5) is at least partially circular or oval in cross-section. [10] Household appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the bearing bolt (5) is fixed to the housing of the dishwasher in a rotationally fixed manner and that a specific door angle of the door is assigned to the angular position. [11] Household appliance according to claim 10, characterized by that the specified door angle lies outside a working position range between the open and closed door.

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