DE9416709U1 - Home appliance - Google Patents

Description

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Applicant:

Karlo Röser
Hauffstr. 94

74074 Heilbronn

3641 001 S-KB/bo 11.10.94

(WP94/13)

Title: Household appliance

DESCRIPTION

Household appliance with a panel for covering electrical and/or mechanical components arranged behind operating and/or display elements, which are connected to the operating and/or display elements in front of the panel by connecting means, e.g. shafts or housing parts, whereby the connecting means are guided through recesses in the panel.

Household appliances include washing machines, dishwashers, stoves, etc. These devices usually have one or more panels on the front, on which control buttons, switches, or display elements are arranged.

These operating and/or display elements are connected to electrical and/or mechanical components located behind the panel. This connection is usually made via shafts or other mechanical components. These operating elements are used in such household appliances, for example, to set device-specific programs, sizes, temperatures, speeds, heating times, etc. The operating elements are usually designed as rotary or push buttons and are usually arranged removable on the shaft that protrudes above the panel. The actual operating buttons, switches and rotary adjustment elements are usually larger than the opening provided in the panel for the shaft in order to prevent the electrical and mechanical components in the housing from becoming dirty. However, the panel in its normal position with the operating elements located in front of it prevents or at least makes it difficult to clean satisfactorily, i.e. remove dirt and grease splashes. This means that the dirt that accumulates behind the controls mixes with the grease to form a sticky mass that hinders the operation of the controls and may lead to malfunctions.

It is also known that the control elements can be removed from the connecting elements, such as the shaft or housing parts, for cleaning, so that the area behind the control and display elements can be cleaned more easily. However, the remaining parts and parts that can be accessed via the cover

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Protruding connecting elements such as housing parts, shafts, etc. make cleaning difficult and increase the risk of injury when cleaning. There is also a risk that the cleaning agent will penetrate the housing of the household appliance, and removing the cleaning agent is made more difficult by the laborious removal of the panel.

Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to further develop a household appliance of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that cleaning the panel is made easier, whereby the risk of injury from protruding waves is excluded.

The object is achieved according to the invention in that the panel can be moved from a normal position into a cleaning position, so that the panel is not penetrated by the connecting means in the cleaning position.

On the one hand, such a relocation leads to an improved cleaning option for the panel and the operating elements that are generally removed from it. On the other hand, it also prevents a cleaning agent that passes through the opening provided for the shaft in the panel during cleaning from reaching the electrical components, which could possibly destroy them or lead to short circuits in the device. In addition, the relocation of the panel makes maintenance work and cleaning of the

The inside of the panel can be made easier, but it must be ensured that no contact with live components can occur.

A particularly advantageous development of the invention provides that the panel for household appliances is mounted in or on rails mounted above the housing. The panel can then be moved forward using a handle or a special mechanism in such a way that the shafts of the operating elements and display elements no longer penetrate it. The guide rail can have a mechanical stop to limit the movement of the panel in order to protect against accidental contact with components in the housing. Before moving, operating elements such as rotating temperature selectors are pulled off the shaft or can remain in their intended installation location. A seal fixed to the panel can prevent dirt and grease from penetrating when the panel is in its normal position; in the cleaning position, the panel only has the outer surface with the recesses provided for the operating elements and display elements. This makes it very easy to clean the panel of any dirt on it.

In addition, a device can be provided for automatically moving the panel from the normal position to the cleaning position and vice versa. The panel is e.g.

unlocked by the cleaning person pressing lightly and is pushed forwards, supported by spring pressure. The spring force must fix the cover in its cleaning position in such a way that the cover remains in the cleaning position during the cleaning process. After the cleaning procedure has been completed, the displaced cover is returned to its normal position and locks into place again. The mechanism can be designed similarly to that of a ballpoint pen or switch mechanism and can have locking or magnetic holding elements. In addition, the cover can be automatically locked in its cleaning position by a locking element, whereby after cleaning the locking element is guided out of a locking groove on the housing by an operating button so that the cover can be returned to its normal position.

In another advantageous development of the invention, the panel is pivoted or folded from its normal position into a cleaning position. Here too, a special mechanism can hold the panel in a predetermined cleaning position. The panel, which can be pivoted about a hinge, can have a guide rail that provides a locking position. The panel is then lifted out of this locking position and unlocked so that it can be returned to the normal position. After cleaning, the operating elements are then returned to the

shaft protruding through the cover or placed on protruding housing parts.

Further advantageous developments of the invention are defined in the subclaims.

Two examples are described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. They show:

Figure 1 is a front view of a washing machine with the panel according to the invention in its normal position;

Figure 2 is a partially sectioned side view of the

in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, where the aperture assumes the normal position;

Figure 3 is a partially sectioned side view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, where the panel assumes the cleaning position; and

Figure 4 shows a pivoting cover in a side view, representing a second embodiment.

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Figure 1 shows a washing machine 1 with a housing 2 that has an opening 3 for putting the laundry into the machine. On the top of the housing 2 there are operating elements, e.g. a program and temperature selector 6 and an on/off switch 7 and display elements 8. The mechanical and electrical components 17 of the operating and display elements 6, 7 and 8 are covered by a panel 9 in such a way that only the rotating selector button 11 and the switch 12 of the operating elements 6 and 7 and the light elements 13 of the display elements 8 can be seen. The housing 2 of the washing machine 1 is closed off at the top by a cover plate 14.

In the side view of the first embodiment shown in Figure 2, the operating element 6 consists of a rotatable selector button 11, a shaft 16 and the electrical component 17. The electrical component 17 is attached to the housing in such a way that the shaft 16 connected to it protrudes through a hole in the cover 9 in the normal position. The rotatable selector button 11 is placed on the front end of the shaft 16. The display element 8 consists of an electrical component 19 and the light element 13 protruding through a recess 20 over the cover 9 in the normal position. The cover 9 is provided on its upper side with fastening means consisting of a guide rail 21 and holding elements 22. At the end of the guide rail 22 facing away from the cover 9 there is a stop 24 which determines the end position of the cover 9 in the

cleaning position. A locking spring 26 is attached to the upper edge of the cover 9.

In Figure 3, the panel 9 is in the cleaning position. The rotating selector button 11 is removed from the shaft 16 of the control element 6. The panel 9 is pulled forward by means of its guide rail 22 until the stop 24 hits the holding means 23, so that the movement of the panel 9 from the housing 2 of the washing machine 1 to the front is limited. In addition, a locking spring 26 prevents the panel 9 from sliding back into the normal position. In this cleaning position shown, the hole 18 and the recess 20 of the panel 9 are not penetrated by the shaft 16 and the lighting elements 13. To return the panel 9 to the normal position, the locking spring 26 must be pressed and then the rotating selector button 11 must be put back onto the shaft 16 of the control element 6.

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of a panel on a washing machine 31 with housing 32 and cover plate 33. The panel 34 is pivotably attached to the cover plate 33 via a hinge 35. A guide rail 37 limits the pivoting of the panel 34 and has a mechanism so that the panel 34 locks into the cleaning position. By slightly lifting the panel 34 into the end position of the guide rail 37, the

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Aperture 34 can be returned to the normal position and is fixed there by a magnetic holding element 38,

Claims (6)

t| 10 *" CLAIMS 1. Household appliance with a panel for covering electrical and/or mechanical components (17,19) arranged behind operating and/or display elements (6,7,8), which are connected to the operating and display elements (6,7,8) located in front of the panel (9,36) by connecting means (16), wherein the connecting means (16) are passed through recesses (18,20) in the panel (9,36), characterized in that the panel (9,36) can be displaced from a normal position into a cleaning position, so that the panel (9,36) is not penetrated by the connecting means (16) or display elements (8) in the cleaning position. 2. Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the panel (9) is slidably mounted on a guide means (21). 3. Household appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the panel (36) is pivotably mounted on a hinge (35). 4. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating and/or Display elements (6,7,8) are removable, e.g. peelable or unscrewable. 5. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a device for moving the panel (9,36) from the normal position to the cleaning position is provided, which can be triggered by lightly pressing the center of gravity of the panel (9,36). 6. Household appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device has a spring mechanism for displacing the panel (9,36) or a holding mechanism (38) for fixing the panel (9,36) in the normal and cleaning position.