Domestic appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11399629-B2
Application number	US-201917287543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2019
Priority date	Dec 6, 2018
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A household appliance includes a housing, height-adjustable levelling feet arranged on an underside of the housing, and height-adjusting devices for adjusting a height of the leveling feet, respectively. Each height-adjusting device includes an adjustment housing fixed to the housing, a threaded shaft passing vertically through the adjustment housing in an interlocking manner and including a foot plate, a worm wheel as an output gear at an outer circumference thereof which is mounted rotatably in the adjustment housing and threadably engaged with the threaded shaft, and a worm connected to an adjusting rod and forming a drive gear for driving the worm wheel. The threaded shaft can have along a length thereof a flattened section which rests against the adjustment housing at one point at least, or two flattened sections arranged on opposite sides of the threaded shaft, or two axially extending grooves arranged on opposite sides of the threaded shaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A household appliance, comprising:
a housing having an underside;
a plurality of height-adjustable levelling feet arranged on the underside of the housing, wherein at least one height-adjustable levelling foot of the plurality of height-adjustable levelling feet is positioned at a rear of the underside and at least two other height-adjustable levelling feet of the plurality of height-adjustable levelling feet are positioned at a front of the underside; and
a plurality of height-adjusting devices configured to adjust a height of the plurality of height-adjustable levelling feet in one-to-one correspondence from a side wall of the household appliance, wherein at least one height-adjusting device of the plurality of height-adjusting devices is positioned at the rear of the household appliance and approximately at a center between rear corners of the household appliance, the at least one height-adjusting device corresponding to the at least one height-adjustable levelling foot, and wherein at least two height-adjusting devices of the plurality of height-adjusting devices are positioned at the front of the household appliance, the at least one height-adjusting device corresponding to the at least two other height-adjustable levelling feet,
wherein each height-adjusting devices of the plurality of height-adjusting devices comprising:
an adjustment housing fixed to the housing;
a threaded shaft passing vertically through the adjustment housing in an interlocking manner and including a foot plate;
a worm wheel mounted rotatably in the adjustment housing and threadably engaged with the threaded shaft, the worm wheel configured as a nut and configured as an output gear at an outer circumference of the worm wheel;
an adjusting rod; and
a worm, which is connected to the adjusting rod and configured as a drive gear for driving the worm wheel; and

wherein the threaded shaft is configured in one of:
a first way in which the threaded shaft has along a length of the threaded shaft a flattened section which rests against the adjustment housing at one point at least;
a second way in which the threaded shaft has two flattened sections arranged on opposite sides of the threaded shaft; or
a third way in which the threaded shaft has two axially extending grooves arranged on opposite sides of the threaded shaft.

2. The household appliance of claim 1 , constructed in the form of a household dishwasher or household washing machine.

3. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the worm is mounted rotatably in the adjustment housing.

4. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein two of the plurality of height-adjustable levelling feet are arranged at the front of the housing and one of the plurality of height-adjustable levelling feet is arranged at the rear of the housing.

5. The household appliance of claim 4 , wherein the housing has a lower rear housing edge, said one of the plurality of height-adjustable levelling feet being arranged approximately in the center of the lower rear housing edge.

6. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the flattened sections of the threaded shaft rest against the adjustment housing at two points at least.

7. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the flattened sections extend over an entire length of the threaded shaft.

8. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment housing has an exit opening for the threaded shaft of the height-adjustable levelling foot, said exit opening have a shape which matches a cross section of the threaded shaft.

9. The household appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a torque limiting element interacting with the worm and configured to allow the worm to move out of an operating position when a torque limit is exceeded, thereby releasing a meshing between the worm and the worm wheel.

10. The household appliance of claim 9 , wherein the worm is pushed against the torque limiting element with a deflection force that results during torque transmission.

11. The household appliance of claim 9 , wherein the torque limiting element is configured for elastic deflection.

12. The household appliance of claim 9 , wherein the torque limiting element is a housing part of the adjustment housing.

13. The household appliance of claim 9 , further comprising a base support including a base support floor, said torque limiting element being of a same material as the base support floor and/or of a single piece with the base support floor.

14. The household appliance of claim 13 , wherein the base support floor of the base support and the torque limiting element form together an injection-molded plastic part.

15. The household appliance of claim 9 , wherein the torque limiting element is configured for contacting an outer gear contour of the worm.

16. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the worm meshes with the worm wheel and is mounted for rotation about a rotation axis which is perpendicular to a rotation axis of the worm wheel.

17. The household appliance of claim 16 , wherein the worm executes a compensatory movement which is directed across the rotation axis of the worm wheel.

18. The household appliance of claim 9 , wherein the torque limiting element is a sprung rib.

19. The household appliance of claim 1 , wherein the at least two height-adjusting devices are the same or substantially the same as the at least one height-adjusting device, wherein each height-adjusting device of the plurality of height-adjusting devices includes a tool holder sized to receive a common tool as other height-adjusting devices of the plurality of height-adjusting devices.

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Rehm Karlheinz

Classifications

• D06F39/125

  Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or legs · CPC title

• A47B91/028 Primary

  Means for rotational adjustment on a non-rotational foot · CPC title

• A47L15/4253

  Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or supporting legs · CPC title