APPLIANCE LID HINGE ASSEMBLY

• US 20140150212A1
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mansfield Engineered Components, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mansfield Engineered Components, Inc.
• Inventors: Collene, James J., SirLouis, Nicholas R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,080,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 16/286
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1261 for counterbalancing
• 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: E05Y 2201/21 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/264 linear
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/638 Cams; Ramps
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/30 for domestic appliances
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/312 for washing machines

Abstract

An appliance lid hinge assembly has a channel housing including first and second spaced-apart side walls and a transverse face walls, a cavity located between the first and second side walls and a slot having first and second slot portions respectively located in said first and second side walls. The channel housing is pivotally connected to a cam via a rivet or other pivot fastener at a pivot point. A biasing element acts between the housing and the cam in order to control the movement of housing relative to the cam about the pivot point. Alternatively, a damper can be used to control movement of the housing relative to the cam about the pivot point. A snubber subsystem can also be added to provide further damping resistance.

Claims

1. An appliance lid hinge assembly comprising:

a housing including first and second spaced-apart side walls and a transverse face wall;

a slot comprising first and second slot portions respectively located in said first and second side walls;

wherein the housing is pivotally connected to a cam via a pivot fastener at a pivot point; and

a biasing element that acts between the housing and the cam in order to control the movement of housing relative to the cam about the pivot point.

2. The lid hinge assembly of claim 1, wherein said biasing assembly comprises a slide body having a spring rod that includes a roller at its inner end, wherein the roller is engaged with and rides on a lobed edge of the cam.

3. The lid hinge assembly of claim 2, wherein said slide body includes a spring, wherein the spring rod extends coaxially through the spring.

4. The lid hinge assembly of claim 3, wherein an outer end of the spring rod is slidably connected to the housing, and the spring is captured on the spring rod.

5. The lid hinge assembly of claim 4, wherein the roller is connected to a yoke portion of the spring rod by a fastener having opposite ends that are captured in said first and second slot portions located in said first and second side walls.

6. The lid hinge assembly of claim 3, wherein said spring comprises a helical coil spring.

7. An appliance lid hinge assembly comprising:

a housing including first and second spaced-apart side walls and a transverse face wall;

first and second slot portions respectively located in said first and second side walls;

wherein the housing is pivotally connected to a cam via a pivot fastener at a pivot point; and

a damper assembly including a damper operatively installed in the channel, wherein the damper has a body and a rod that extends and retracts relative to the damper body;

a roller is connected to a first end of a damper and an opposite end of the damper is connected to the housing, wherein the roller is connected to the damper body and the damper rod is connected to the housing, and

wherein the roller of the damper is slidably engaged with the first and second slot portions that constrain its movement of the roller to a reciprocal linear path.

8. The lid hinge assembly of claim 7, wherein the damper is a fluid damper.

9. The lid hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the damper further includes an internal spring that biases the rod toward its extended position.

10. The lid hinge assembly of claim 8, wherein the damper further includes internal fluid pressure that biases the rod towards its extended position.

11. An appliance lid hinge assembly comprising:

a housing including first and second spaced-apart side walls and a transverse face wall, said housing adapted to be connected to an appliance lid;

first and second slot portions respectively located in said first and second side walls of said housing;

wherein the housing is pivotally connected to a cam via a pivot fastener at a pivot point;

a cam arm adapted to be engaged with a mounting receptacle of an associated appliance body;

a slide body located adjacent the housing and comprising an inner end slidably connected to said housing, the slide body adapted for reciprocal sliding movement relative to the housing toward and away from the pivot point in response to pivoting movement of the housing relative to the cam arm between a first position and a second position;

a biasing element operably located between the slide body and the housing and resiliently biasing the housing toward the first position;

a snubber assembly connected to the housing in a location where the slide body is located between the snubber assembly and the pivot point, the snubber assembly comprising at least one snubber which is biased to an extended position and is selectively moveable to a retracted position against a damping resistance; and

wherein the slide body contacts the snubber during movement of the slide body when the housing moves from the first position to the second position and the slide body causes movement of the snubber from its extended position to its retracted position such that the snubber dampens movement of the slide body away from the pivot point and damps movement of the housing toward its first position.

12. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein the slide body maintains continuous contact with the snubber between the first position and the second position.

13. The lid hinge assembly of claim 12, wherein said snubber comprises at least one snubber body positioned within an opening formed in said housing, said snubber body has a piston and piston rod which extends into a cavity of the snubber body, wherein the snubber body contacts the slide body for all locations of the housing including the first position and the second position.

14. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 12, wherein the snubber assembly comprises a base that supports the at least one snubber, the at least one snubber comprising a piston rod connected to the piston and projecting outwardly from the base away from the first pivot point, wherein the slide body contacts the snubber base for all locations of the housing between and including the first position and the second position.

15. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein said snubber assembly comprises first and second snubbers housed within said snubber base, first and second snubbers each comprises a piston and rod wherein said first and second snubbers are each biased to an extended position and selectively moveable to a retracted position against a damping resistance.

16. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein said slide body comprises a spring rod and said spring comprises a helical coil spring through which said spring rod extends, wherein said spring is operatively positioned between said housing and said spring rod and biases said spring rod away from said first pivot point.

17. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 13, wherein said snubber body comprises a cylinder containing hydraulic fluid and a spring damper within said cylinder.

18. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein said snubber comprises a cylinder containing hydraulic fluid and a spring damper within said cylinder.

19. The lid hinge assembly of claim 15, wherein each of said first and second snubbers comprises a cylinder containing hydraulic fluid and a spring damper within said cylinder.

20. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 13, wherein said snubber assembly is configured to provide more damping resistance during movement of the piston from its extended position toward its retracted position as compared to movement of the piston from its retracted position toward its extended position.

21. The lid hinge assembly as set forth in claim 14, wherein said snubber assembly is configured to provide more damping resistance during movement of the piston from its extended position toward its retracted position as compared to movement of the piston from its retracted position toward its extended position.