Domestic electrical appliance and door latch therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12398582-B2
Application number	US-202217968947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2022
Priority date	Oct 19, 2021
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A door latch for an electrical appliance includes a rotary gripper movably disposed between a gripping position and a release position with rotational displaceability and having a gripping mouth delimited between a pair of jaws. The rotary gripper is adapted to hold captive a striker in the gripping mouth for holding closed a door of the electrical appliance in the gripping position and to permit release of the striker for opening the door in the release position. The gripping position and the release position correspond to different rotational positions of the rotary gripper. A spring arrangement in the gripping position of the rotary gripper exerts on the rotary gripper a bias which counteracts a movement of the rotary gripper towards the release position. An opener mechanism for opening the closed door includes a movably arranged opening element separate from the striker and a drive unit for driving the opening element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A door latch for a domestic electrical appliance, the door latch comprising:
a latching element arranged for movement between a closing position and a release position, said latching element being capable of capturing a closing body for holding a door of said domestic electrical appliance closed in said closing position and allowing release of said closing body for opening said door in said release position;
a plurality of movably arranged functional elements for respectively different mechanical functions with respect to the latching element, wherein a first of the functional elements forms a first locking element movably arranged between a locking position and an unlocking position, which in the locking position is capable of effecting a blocking of the latching element against movement from the closing position to the release position and in the unlocking position permits a movement of the latching element from the closing position to the release position; and
an electromotive drive unit for driving the functional elements from a common driving force source;
wherein the latching element is formed by a rotary gripper arranged for rotation relative to a latch housing of the door latch between the closing position and the release position and having a gripping mouth delimited between a pair of jaws, the rotary gripper being adapted to hold captive the closing body in the gripping mouth in the closing position and to permit escape of the closing body from the gripping mouth in the release position;
wherein the door latch further comprises a spring configured to act in a bistable manner such that the spring:
exerts a bias on the rotary gripper in the closing position which counteracts a rotary movement of the rotary gripper towards the release position; and
exerts a bias on the rotary gripper in the release position which counteracts a rotary movement of the rotary gripper towards the closing position;

wherein the rotary gripper, the spring, a multi-functional slider with the first locking element and a second locking element and an opening element, and the electromotive drive unit are accommodated in the latch housing, and wherein the multi-functional slider is designed as a linear slider, which is displaceable relative to the rotary gripper along a linear direction orthogonal to an axis of rotation of the rotary gripper;
wherein the rotary gripper comprises an actuation extension essentially formed as an arm which projects in an approximately radial direction from a support pin of the rotary gripper centered on the axis of rotation of the rotary gripper; and
wherein in a locking position the first and second locking elements of the multi-functional slider are moved into a rotary movement path of the rotary gripper in such a way that a reverse rotation of the rotary gripper from a gripping position into the release position is prevented, wherein each of the first and second locking elements of the multi-functional slider independently locks the rotary gripper against rotation from the gripping position to the release position, wherein the first locking element extends between the jaws of the rotary gripper into the gripping mouth when the door latch is closed and the multi-functional slider is in the locking position, and wherein the second locking element is moved in front of the actuation extension of the rotary gripper in the locking position of the multi-functional slider.

2. The door latch of claim 1 , wherein the first functional element and at least one other of the functional elements are formed by a common component.

3. The door latch of claim 1 , wherein another of the functional elements forms an opening element which, in the closing position of the latching element, is capable of exerting a force thereon which urges the latching element from the closing position towards the release position.

4. The door latch of claim 3 , wherein the first and second locking elements and the opening element are formed by a common, movably arranged functional body, which is adjustable by the drive unit into three defined positions, of which:
a first position corresponds to an unlocking state of the first and second locking elements and a deactivation state of the opening element;
a second position corresponds to a locking state of the first and second locking elements and the deactivation state of the opening element; and
a third position corresponds to the unlocking state of the first and second locking elements and an activation state of the opening element.

5. The door latch of claim 4 , wherein the common functional body is arranged to be movable from the first position in a first direction of movement into the second position and in an opposite second direction of movement into the third position.

6. The door latch of claim 1 , wherein the actuation extension of the rotary gripper defines a contact portion radially spaced from the axis of rotation of the rotary gripper for contacting the opening element of the multi-functional slider, wherein the opening element is arranged on the multi-functional slider in such a way that when the multi-functional slider is moved from a neutral position to an opening position with the door latch closed, the opening element hits against the contact portion of the actuation extension and thereby acts on the rotary gripper to introduce torque.

7. The door latch of claim 1 , wherein the multi-functional slider is a one-piece component that includes the first and second locking elements and the opening element as integral components.

Assignees

• Emz Hanauer Gmbh & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Dirnberger Albert
• Schemela Benjamin
• Spiessl Georg
• Bauer Matthias

Classifications

• E05B47/0603

  the detent moving rectilinearly · CPC title

• E05B2047/0016

  with linearly reciprocating motion · CPC title

• D06F37/42

  Safety arrangements, e.g. for stopping rotation of the receptacle upon opening of the casing door · CPC title

• E05B2047/0017

  with rotary motion · CPC title

• E05B2047/002

  Geared transmissions · CPC title