Locking device for a door of a domestic appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10876735-B2
Application number	US-201615563073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a locking device ( 10 ) for a door of a domestic appliance. The locking device ( 10 ) comprises a main body ( 12 ) and a locking hook element ( 14 ) supported pivoting in and/or at the main body ( 12 ). The locking hook element ( 14 ) is pivoting between an engaged position and a disengaged position. The locking hook element ( 14 ) is engageable with and disengageable from a corresponding counterpart ( 40 ). The locking device ( 10 ) comprises an electric actuator ( 22 ) arranged in and/or at the main body ( 12 ) and mechanically connected or connectable to the locking hook element ( 14 ). The electric actuator ( 22 ) effects the pivoting of the locking hook element ( 14 ) from the engaged position to the disengaged position. The locking device ( 10 ) comprises a first spring element ( 26 ) interconnected between the locking hook element ( 14 ) and the main body ( 10 ), wherein said first spring element ( 26 ) effects a movement of the locking hook element ( 14 ) from the disengaged position to the engaged position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A locking device for a door of a domestic appliance, wherein
the locking device comprises a main body,
the locking device comprises a locking hook element pivotably supported in and/or at the main body,
the locking hook element is pivotable between an engaged position and a disengaged position,
the locking hook element is engageable with and disengageable from a corresponding counterpart of the door,
the locking device comprises an electric actuator arranged in and/or at the main body and mechanically connected or connectable to the locking hook element,
the electric actuator effects the pivoting of the locking hook element from the engaged position to the disengaged position,
the locking device comprises a first spring element interconnected between the locking hook element and the main body, and
the first spring element effects a movement of the locking hook element from the disengaged position to the engaged position,
wherein the locking device is configured to accept the counterpart of the door as said door is closed and to lock the door once it reaches a closed position even when the locking hook element is already in the engaged position as the door is closed,
wherein an actuating slide element is operatively coupled between the electric actuator and the locking hook element, wherein said actuating slide element effects the pivoting of the locking hook element from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

2. The locking device according to claim 1 , wherein the locking device is provided for a chassis or a front frame of the domestic appliance, while the corresponding counterpart is formed in and/or at the door.

3. The locking device according to claim 1 , wherein the counterpart is a recess for receiving a protruding part of the locking hook element.

4. The locking device according to claim 1 , wherein the locking device comprises a second spring element interconnected between the actuating slide element and the main body, wherein said second spring element effects a movement of said actuating slide element away from the locking hook element.

5. The locking device according to claim 1 , wherein an eccentric disc is engaged to and between the electric actuator and the actuating slide element or locking hook element, wherein the eccentric disc is driven by the electric actuator.

6. The locking device according to claim 1 , wherein the electric actuator is activated or activatable manually by a user.

7. The locking device according to claim 1 , wherein one of the locking hook element and the corresponding counterpart comprises an at least partially arched portion designed to cooperate with an inclined surface at the other of the locking hook element and the corresponding counterpart, so that the locking hook element is pushable at least partially into the disengaged position by means of the corresponding counterpart during a closing operation of the door.

8. The locking device according to claim 1 , wherein the locking device comprises a door sensing slide element provided for detecting the presence or proximity of the door in a closed position or nearly closed position of said door, which door sensing slide element is configured to effect switching of a sensor switch of the locking device to thereby cause indication of presence or proximity of the door.

9. The locking device according to claim 8 , wherein the door sensing slide element is constrained to the main body by an additional spring element.

10. The locking device according to claim 8 , wherein the locking device comprises the sensor switch which is activated or activatable by the door sensing slide element if said door sensing slide element is pushed by the door, wherein the sensor switch is electrically connectable to a control system of the domestic appliance.

11. A domestic appliance including at least one door pivotable at one or more door hinges, wherein the domestic appliance comprises at least one locking device according to claim 1 .

12. The domestic appliance according to claim 11 , wherein an opening force for the door is generated by the door hinge and/or by a separate spring element arranged between the door and the chassis or front frame of the domestic appliance.

13. A locking device for a door of a domestic appliance, comprising:
a hook pivotable at a main body about an axis between an engaged position where said hook is configured to interact with and thereby lock the door in a closed position thereof, and a disengaged position where the hook does not interact with the door thus allowing the door to be opened, said hook being biased into said engaged position by a biasing element interconnected between the hook and the main body, said hook comprising an engagement portion that is offset from said axis;
an actuating slide translatable toward and away from said engagement portion of said hook and being biased away from said engagement portion, wherein said hook pivots into said disengaged position when said actuating slide engages and presses against said engagement portion, and pivots back into said engaged position when said actuating slide disengages and translates away from said engagement portion;
an electric actuator having an activated state wherein the actuator rotates an eccentric disc from a lock position to an unlock position thereby causing said actuating slide to translate toward and against said engagement portion, and a deactivated state wherein the actuator returns said eccentric disc to said lock position thereby permitting the actuating slide to translate according to its bias thus disengaging and translating away from said engagement portion;
a door sensor configured to detect when said door is in said closed position; and
a controller coupled to said electric actuator, said controller configured to deactivate said actuator when said door is in said closed position such that said hook defaults to said engaged position thereby locking the door when said door is in its closed position;
wherein to open said door first a user must manually activate said actuator to thereby cause said hook to rotate against its bias into said disengaged position thus permitting said door to be opened, and
wherein the locking device is configured to accept the counterpart of the door as said door is closed and to lock the door on reaching its closed position even when the hook is already in the engaged position as the door is closed.

14. The locking device according to claim 13 , said controller being configured such that after a user manually activates said actuator to permit opening said door, the controller automatically will deactivate said actuator thus returning said hook to its default, engaged position once said door sensor detects that the door has been opened.

15. The locking device according to claim 13 , said hook being effective to pivot from said disengaged position to said engaged position within 0.2 seconds upon deactivation of said actuator.

16. The locking device of claim 13 , said sensor comprising a door sensing slide and a sensor switch, said door sensing slide being movable against, to thereby actuate, said sensor switch when said door engages the door sensing slide as the door approaches or arrives in said closed position thereof, wherein upon actuation of said sensor said controller deactivates said actuator.

17. An appliance comprising the locking device according to claim 13 for locking a door of the appliance, said door being pivotable to and from said closed position via a door hinge, wherein the door hinge does not generate any for

Assignees

• Electrolux Appliances AB

Inventors

• Ivanovic Branko
• Schmidt Rudolf
• Hildner Dietmar
• Käser Erhard

Classifications

• E05B47/0046

  Electric or magnetic means in the striker or on the frame; Operating or controlling the striker plate (E05B47/0696, E05B63/248 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y10S292/69

  Washing machine or stove closure latch · CPC title

• Y10T292/1082

  Motor · CPC title

• E05B2047/0024

  Cams · CPC title

• E05B47/023

  the bolt moving pivotally or rotatively · CPC title