DOOR HINGE FOR A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE

• US 20100281650A1
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hettich ONI GmbH & Co. KG (Halemeier GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Hettich ONI GmbH & Co. KG (Halemeier GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Schneider, Mark, Kleemann, Andreas
• Application Number:
  US12/676,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281650A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 16/64
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4261 Connections of the door to the casing, e.g. door hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1261 for counterbalancing
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/20 in hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/02 specially for preventing the slamming of swinging wings during final closing movement, e.g. jamb stops
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/10 with piston brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/21 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/256 with pistons or vanes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/264 linear
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/474 Compression springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/604 Transmission members
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/626 Levers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/686 Rods, links
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/722 Racks
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/21 of identical elements, e.g. of identical compression springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/304 for dishwashers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/308 for ovens
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/023 Mounting of doors, e.g. hinges, counterbalancing

Abstract

A door hinge for a household appliance, the household appliance including a body and a door, the door being movable about a horizontal axis between an approximately vertical closed position and an approximately horizontal opened position. The door hinge includes a housing couplable to the body, a door lever pivotably mountable on the door for movement about a main shaft, a weight compensating spring and a closing spring. The weight compensating spring holds the door approximately in a position of equilibrium when the door is opened and the closing spring applies a self-closing force shortly before the door reaches the closed position and applies a closure maintaining force when the door reaches the closed position. Further included is a dampening device that either counteracts a closing force or an opening force.

Claims

1. A door hinge for a household appliance, such as an oven or dishwasher, the household appliance including a body and a door, the door being movable about a horizontal axis between an approximately vertical closed position and an approximately horizontal opened position, the door hinge comprising:

a housing couplable to the body;

a door lever pivotably mountable on the door for movement about a main shaft

a weight compensating spring and a closing spring, the weight compensating spring holding the door approximately in a position of equilibrium when the door is opened and the closing spring applying a self-closing force shortly before the door reaches the closed position and applying a closure maintaining force when the door reaches the closed position; and

a dampening device that one or both of counteracts the closing force shortly before the closed portion of the door is reached and counteracts an opening force shortly before a final opened position of the door is reached.

2. The door hinge according to claim 1, wherein the damping device includes a damping cylinder that is configured to be acted upon on both sides of the damping cylinder.

3. The door hinge according to claim 1, wherein the damping device includes two damping cylinders, one damping cylinder being provided for damping the closing force and the other damping cylinder being provided for damping the opening force.

4. The door hinge according to claim 2, wherein the damping cylinder is one of directly and indirectly operated by a transmission lever, the transmission lever movable pivotably about a secondary axis offset with respect to the main shaft 7 and connected to the door lever.

5. The door hinge according to claim 4, wherein a the displacement path of the transmission lever includes an effective damping path of the damping cylinder and the effective damping path is enlarged by further including a transmission gearing.

6. The door hinge according to claim 5, wherein the transmission gearing includes a toothed gearing.

7. The door hinge according to claim 5, wherein the transmission gearing is constructed as a lever mechanism.

8. The door hinge according to claim 6, wherein the toothed gearing includes an upper housing and a lower housing, each housing having toothed-rack-type areas and gears, the gears being rotatably disposed in the housing and meshing with the toothed-rack-type areas of one of the upper housing and the lower housing.

9. The door hinge according to claim 7, wherein the lever mechanism includes at least one U-shaped rotary lever which is pivotably disposed in the housing and by way of a movable linkage of gears connected with the transmission lever and disposed in the housing.

10. The door hinge according to claim 9, wherein the lever mechanism includes one rotary lever that operates a carriage which is longitudinally displaceably guided in the housing and is arranged between two mutually opposite damping cylinders and pushes piston rods into their respective damping cylinder depending on a displacement direction of the carriage.

11. The door hinge according to claim 3, wherein the damping cylinders are one of directly and indirectly operated by a transmission lever, the transmission lever movable about a secondary axis offset with respect to the main shaft and connected to the door lever.

12. The door hinge according to claim 11, wherein a displacement path of the transmission lever includes an effective damping path of the damping cylinder and the effective damping path is enlarged by further including a transmission gearing.