This application claims priority to German Patent Application 10 2021 112 035.7, filed on May 7, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a cover assembly for mounting in a domestic dishwasher or other domestic electrical appliance in which it is necessary to tightly close an opening.
In domestic dishwashers, such an opening can, for example, provide access to inner regions of a dosing system which serves to deliver a detergent in a dosed manner into the dishwashing chamber of the dishwasher. Because the detergent stored in the dosing system can be adversely affected by the penetration of spray or hot steam, it is desirable to be able to tightly close the opening. In this respect, DE 10 2015 120 400 A1 discloses a two-part cover construction with a cover plate and a bayonet ring surrounding the cover plate. The cover plate is pivotably mounted on a housing of a supply magazine, while the bayonet ring is mounted on the cover plate so as to be rotatable relative thereto. The cover construction serves to close an opening formed in the housing and providing access to a receiving chamber into which a supply cartridge for a detergent powder can be inserted. When the cover construction is closed, the cover plate comes into contact with a sealing ring arranged on the housing and extending all around the opening. By relative rotation of the bayonet ring with respect to the cover plate, locking elements formed on the bayonet ring can be brought into bayonet engagement with locking fingers formed on the housing.
A disadvantage associated with this known cover construction is that the cover plate only has pivotability relative to the housing in which the opening is formed.
By contrast, the invention provides a cover assembly for mounting in a domestic dishwasher or similar domestic appliance, comprising a pivoting cover which is mounted on a support component and is to close an opening, wherein the pivoting cover has a cover part and a closure part which is movable relative to the cover part, wherein the cover part has sealing faces which, on closing of the pivoting cover, come into sealing contact with sealing counter-faces encircling the opening, wherein there are formed on the closure part engagement formations which are configured to be brought, in a closed pivot position of the pivoting cover, into and out of holding-closed engagement with engagement counter-formations by relative movement between the closure part and the support component. According to the invention, it is provided in such a cover assembly that the cover part is mounted on the closure part and is supported via the closure part on the support component.
In the solution according to the invention, the cover part is supported on the support component only indirectly, namely with interposition of the closure part. Owing to the movable mounting of the cover part on the closure part, movability of the cover part relative to the support component is also provided. On closing of the opening, this movability of the cover part can result in improved sealing contact of the sealing faces of the cover part with the sealing counter-faces and can make it possible to reduce the force for the relative movement between the closure part and the support component which is required to establish the holding-closed engagement.
In some embodiments, the opening is formed in the support component. However, it is equally conceivable that the opening is formed in a component separate from the support component. Correspondingly, the sealing counter-faces can be arranged on the support component or on such a separate component.
In some embodiments, the closure part is mounted on the support component via a pivot bearing which, in addition to a relative pivoting movement between the closure part and the support component, at least in the closed pivot position of the pivoting cover permits a relative movement between the closure part and the support component in order to establish and release the holding-closed engagement. In other embodiments, the cover assembly comprises an intermediate component which is pivotably mounted on the support component and on which the closure part is mounted for relative movement in order to establish and release the holding-closed engagement.
Some embodiments provide that at least part of the sealing faces is formed by an elastomer seal arranged on the cover part. Nevertheless, it is not impossible, alternatively or additionally, that part of the sealing counter-faces is formed by an elastomer seal which is arranged on a component that contains the opening (e.g. the support component or a component separate therefrom).
According to some embodiments, the cover assembly comprises a circumferential sealing element which forms at least part of the sealing faces or of the sealing counter-faces and which has a pair of flexibly deflectable radial sealing lips which are offset axially with respect to an axis of revolution normal to a plane of revolution of the sealing element and extend in the same radial direction. In particular, it can be provided in this case that the two radial sealing lips have different radial extents, so that one of the radial sealing lips protrudes radially beyond the other of the radial sealing lips.
In some embodiments, the cover part is configured in the manner of a circular disk part, wherein the closure part comprises an annular region surrounding the cover part and is rotatable relative to the cover part for establishing and releasing the holding-closed engagement. Other geometries of the cover part and other movement patterns of the closure part are also conceivable within the scope of the invention; for example, it is conceivable to configure the cover part in the manner of a quadrangular plate part, in which case the closure part can form a quadrangular frame surrounding the cover part and can be linearly displaceable relative to the cover part for establishing and releasing the holding-closed engagement.
The engagement formations, together with the engagement counter-formations, can implement the function of a bayonet closure, for example. For this purpose, the engagement formations can have a plurality of engagement elements which are arranged distributed along the circumference of the cover and which, in the closed pivot position of the pivoting cover, can be moved beneath a respective engagement counter-element of the engagement counter-formations by movement of the closure component relative to the support component, whereby the pivoting cover is fixed in the closed pivot position. The engagement formations can be moved out of the effective range of the engagement counter-formations again by backward movement of the closure component relative to the support component; the pivoting cover can then be opened again.
In some embodiments, the cover part is configured to be non-transparent in a first region which is situated over the opening centrally or at least close to the center in the closed pivot position of the cover, while it is configured to be transparent, in particular all round, in a second region which surrounds the first region on the outside in an annular manner. Non-transparency in this sense can be achieved, for example, by an opaque form of the first region which allows light to pass to a certain extent but does not allow a user to see through the first region. Non-transparency can likewise be achieved by a light-impermeable form of the first region of the cover part. Such a form of the cover part that is non-transparent in the center or in the vicinity of the center and transparent radially on the outside can provide an aesthetically pleasing overall impression of the pivoting cover. This may be desirable, for example, when, with the cover assembly fitted and the pivoting cover closed, an annular magazine having a plurality of supply compartments which are arranged distributed in an annular arrangement and are each to hold one detergent tablet is arranged beneath the cover part (as is shown and described, for example, in German patent application no. 10 2021 110 759.8, the content of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by explicit reference) and, although it is to be possible for the user to see the supply compartments in order to be able to check that they are filled with detergent tablets, he is to be prevented for aesthetic reasons from seeing a central region of the annular magazine. Of course, it is not impossible within the scope of the invention to configure the cover part so that it is transparent also in its central region and in particular substantially throughout. Alternatively or additionally, the first region of the cover part can be configured to be relatively raised and the second region to be relatively lowered.
According to some embodiments, the support component comprises an integrally connected portion in which there are formed the opening and, spaced apart from the opening, a detergent outlet. In such embodiments, the support component is configured not only with the opening but also with an outlet from which, during operation of the dishwasher, a portion (dose) of the detergent which has been taken from a detergent supply can emerge into the dishwashing chamber of the dishwasher. The opening and the outlet can thereby be formed in a portion of the support component that is integrally connected, for example formed in a single injection-molding process.
Some embodiments provide a damping device which acts between the support component and the pivoting cover and which effects a pivot resistance which begins from a defined pivot angle distance of the pivoting cover from the closed pivot position or/and becomes greater as the pivot angle distance from the closed pivot position increases. The defined pivot angle distance is, for example, not less than 60° or not less than 80° or not less than 90° from the closed pivot position of the pivoting cover. Such a damping device can prevent the pivoting cover from hitting, unchecked, an obstacle which may be located in the pivot path of the pivoting cover. For example, it may be that the pivot range of the pivoting cover is so great that it is possible that the pivoting cover, on opening, hits a dish rack of the dishwasher. Advantageously, the damping action of the damping device begins at a sufficient angular distance from the expected hitting position that the pivoting cover at most hits the object gently.
The pivot resistance can be caused, for example, by pressing a friction body against a bearing face. The required pressing force can be generated, for example, by wedge engagement of two faces of the support component and of the pivoting cover which are pivoted relative to one another on pivoting of the pivoting cover. The friction body can be a rubber-elastic body, for example.
The invention additionally provides a domestic dishwasher having a dishwashing container, a door which is mounted on the dishwashing container so as to be pivotable about a horizontal door pivot axis close to the floor and is to close a dishwashing chamber formed in the dishwashing container, and a dosing system, arranged on the door, for a solid detergent in powder or tablet form, for example. The dosing system defines a supply chamber, accessible through a charging opening, for holding a supply of the solid detergent, and a drop section, leading to an outlet, for a portion of the detergent extracted from the supply. The outlet allows the extracted detergent portion to emerge into the dishwashing chamber. In such a dishwasher, the dosing system comprises according to the invention a cover assembly of the type discussed hereinbefore for closing the charging opening.
The invention will be explained in greater detail hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference will first be made to
The control unit 18 is responsible not only for controlling the dishwashing operation and optionally a drying operation of the dishwasher 10 but also for controlling a dosing system 20, which is indicated only in diagrammatic form in
In the example shown in
Reference will next be made to
In the example shown, the cover plate part 26a not only forms the opening 30a and the outlet 38a but at the same time serves as a support component for the pivot mounting of the magazine cover 28a. It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, although the cover plate part 26a may still form the opening 30a and optionally also the outlet 38a, the magazine cover 28a may be pivotably mounted on a component separate from the cover plate part 26a. For example, it is conceivable to mount the magazine cover 28a directly on the inner lining panel 22a via a suitable pivot bearing.
Regarding further details of the magazine cover 28a and the pivot mounting thereof on the cover plate part 26a, reference will now additionally be made to
The magazine cover 28a comprises a cover part 40a, which is configured in the manner of a circular disk and, when the magazine cover 28a is closed, covers substantially the entire opening 30a, and a closure ring 42a on which the cover part 40a is mounted for relative rotation about a (notional) ring axis of the closure ring 42a. The closure ring 42a is in turn mounted on a hinge component 44a, which is mounted on the cover plate part 26a so as to be pivotable about a hinge axis 46a. The closure ring 42a is not fixed immovably to the hinge component 44a but is mounted on the hinge component 44a so as to be rotatable about its ring axis relative to the hinge component 44a. The rotatability of the closure ring 42a relative to the hinge component 44a can be limited to a comparatively small rotation angle range of, for example, not more than 5 degrees or not more than 8 degrees or not more than 10 degrees or not more than 15 degrees. The rotatability of the closure ring 42a relative to the hinge component 44a allows the magazine cover 28a to be locked and unlocked in a closed pivot position, as is shown in
Forces which act on the cover part 40a are thus not transferred directly to the pivot component 44a but indirectly via the closure ring 42a. The reason for this is that the cover part 40a is not mounted directly on the pivot component 44a but on the closure ring 42a, which in turn is mounted on the pivot component 44a.
For fluid-tight closure of the opening 30a, it is advantageous to provide an elastomeric sealing element which extends around the opening 30a and is compressed or otherwise deformed on closing of the magazine cover 28a. In the example of the cover construction 24a shown, such an elastomeric sealing element—designated 48a—is arranged on the cover part 40a. The sealing element 48a is formed by a sealing ring having two radial sealing lips 50a, 52a (
The closure ring 42a and the cover plate part 26a together form a bayonet closure which allows the magazine cover 28a to be secured in the closed pivot position according to
It will be appreciated that the number of bayonet formations 60a and associated locking formations 62a is variable. A limitation in terms of number to what is to be seen in the drawings is not intended with the scope of the invention.
In the exemplary embodiment shown, the cover part 40a has a relatively raised central region 66a which is surrounded by a relatively lowered annular region 68a. The raised form of the central region 66a can create the necessary receiving space for a hub region 70a, which is of raised form, of the magazine rotor 32a (see
If, with the closure ring 42a unlocked, the magazine cover 28a is opened from the closed pivot position according to
The hinge component 44a has a certain axial play with respect to the cover plate part 26a (axial with respect to the hinge axis 46a). By forced axial displacement of the hinge component 44a relative to the cover plate part 26a, the friction body 70a can be urged into frictional contact with the cover plate part 26a. This frictional engagement between the friction body 70a and the cover plate part 26a provides the desired braking action on the magazine cover 28a. In the example shown, on axial displacement of the pivot component 44a, the friction body 70a is pressed with one of its sleeve end faces against the cover plate part 26a.
For the axial forced displacement of the pivot component 44a on opening of the magazine cover 28a, there are formed on the hinge component 44a and the cover plate part 26a cooperating wedge faces 76a, 78a (
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiment of
For this type of combined pivoting and rotating mounting, the hinge component 44b forms a curved guiding channel 82b for a bearing pin 84b which is arcuately curved and arranged on the closure ring 42b and which is movable to and fro in the curved guiding channel 82b by rotation of the closure ring 42b between a first channel end position according to
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102021112035.7 | May 2021 | DE | national |