Wiring assembly for an appliance

A wiring assembly for an appliance is disclosed. The appliance has a main body and a door movably attached to the main body. The wiring assembly includes a base attachable to the door and having a first end and a second end; a slide slidably mounted on the base so that the slide is moveable between a first position where the slide is adjacent to the first end and a second position where the slide is adjacent to the second end; a tensioning or biasing member engaging the slide with the base and biasing the slide to the first position; and a cable assembly including a power/communication cable attachable to the main body and connected to the slide. An appliance incorporating such a wiring assembly is also disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a wiring assembly for an appliance. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wiring assembly that allows wiring, such as for example power and communication wiring, to have a translating motion with a door on an appliance as the door pivots open. The present invention is especially useful in doors having complex motions, such as for example doors that have a four-bar hinge.

Household appliances, such as ovens, often have an access door that is connected to the main body via an articulating hinge, such as a four-bar hinge. When such a door is opened, it translates away from the main body and pivots open in a compound fashion. The articulating four-bar hinges used in this regard create complex motions that are not accommodated by conventional wiring techniques employed with non-articulating access doors which involve single point bending of the wiring linking the access door and the main body. This is especially problematic if one wishes to locate a Human Machine Interface (HMI), such as a control panel, in the access door itself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention relates to a wiring assembly for an appliance having a main body and a door movably attached to the main body. The wiring assembly includes a base attachable to the door and having a first end and a second end; a slide slidably mounted on the base so that the slide is moveable between a first position where the slide is adjacent to the first end and a second position where the slide is adjacent to the second end; a tensioning or biasing member engaging the slide with the base and biasing the slide to the first position; and a cable assembly including a power/communication cable attachable to the main body and connected to the slide.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a wiring assembly for an appliance having a main body and a door movably attached to the main body by a hinge. The wiring assembly includes a slide assembly including a base having a first end and a second end, the base being attached to the door; a slide slidably mounted on the base so that the slide is moveable between a first position where the slide is adjacent to the first end and a second position where the slide is adjacent to the second end, the slide including a first circuit board; and a tensioning or biasing member engaging the base with the slide and biasing the slide to the first position. The wiring assembly also includes a cable assembly including a first power/communication cable attached to the main body and operatively connected to the first circuit board.

Yet another aspect of the invention relates to an appliance including a main body defining a cavity therein; a door movably attached to the main body by an articulating hinge for selectively covering the cavity, the door being pivotable about an edge thereof; a Human Machine Interface disposed in the door; a slide assembly including a base having a first end and a second end, the base being attached to the door so that the second end is closer to the edge of the door than the first end, a slide slidably mounted on the base so that the slide is moveable between a first position where the slide is adjacent to the first end and a second position where the slide is adjacent to the second end, the slide including a first circuit board operatively connected to the Human Machine Interface, and a tensioning or biasing member engaging the base with the slide and biasing the slide to the first position; and a cable assembly including a first power/communication cable attached to the main body and operatively connected to the first circuit board.

Yet still another aspect of the invention relates to an appliance including a main body defining a cavity therein; a door for selectively covering the cavity, the door being movably attached to the main body by an articulating hinge arrangement so that the door is movable between a closed position and an open position; a Human Machine Interface disposed in the door; a slide assembly including a base fixedly attached to the door, and a slide slidably mounted on the base for movement between a first position relatively close to the Human Machine Interface and relatively remote from the hinged edge of the door, and a second position relatively remote from the Human Machine Interface and relatively close to the hinged edge of the door; a biasing member biasing the slide to the first position; a cable assembly including a first power/communication cable, and a second power/communication cable; and a cable connector carried by the slide. The first power/communication cable has a first end attached to the main body and a second end operatively connected to the cable connector and the second power/communication cable having a first end operatively connected to the cable connector and a second end operatively connected to the Human Machine Interface, the second ends of the first and second power/communication cables being operatively connected to each other by the cable connector. The first power/communication cable is operative to move the slide from the first position to the second position as the door moves from the closed position to the open position.

These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

FIG. 1illustrates an exemplary appliance10incorporating a wiring assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. By way of example only, the exemplary appliance10is shown as a double-cavity wall oven. However, the exemplary embodiments described herein can be used in other types of appliances including, but not limited to, single-cavity wall ovens, free standing ranges, microwave ovens.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, the appliance10has a main body or frame11that defines an upper oven cavity or chamber12, and a lower oven cavity or chamber13therein. The appliance10also has an upper access door14, which is movably attached to the main body11by a pair of hinges15to selectively cover the frontal opening of the upper oven cavity12. The upper access door14has a window17. As illustrated inFIG. 3, each of the hinges15is a four-bar articulated hinge which both translates and pivots the door away from the frame11. Four-bar hinges are known in the art, and therefore will not be discussed in detail here. A lower access door16can be movably attached to the main body11in a similar fashion to selectively cover the frontal opening of the lower oven cavity13. The lower access door16has a window18. Heating elements are provided in the upper and lower oven cavities in a conventional manner.

As discussed earlier, it is desirable to integrate an HMI20into one or both of the access doors14,16(FIG. 1shows the HMI20is in the access door14). The HMI20provides the interface between a consumer and the mechanical, electronic or electromechanical control of the oven10. The HMI20typically includes input and output components for consumer interfacing and feedback via one or more display components. Without limitation, input components for the HMI20can include keys, knobs, glass touch keys (e.g., glass capacitive touch technology or field-effect switch technology), switches integrated into a membrane that can be adhered to the access door, tactile buttons that can be integrated into the access door, or knobs that can traverse through the access door. Without limitation, display components for the HMI20can include displays employing light emitting diodes (LEDs), vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs), or liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The HMI20depicted inFIG. 1can employ one or more of the elements described herein.

Referring now toFIGS. 3,4A,4B,5A and5B, a wiring assembly100in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is used to establish a connection between the HMI20and electrical components mounted in the main body, e.g., relays or other switching devices (not shown) for controlling energization of heating elements or lamps (not shown) for illuminating the interior of the oven cavities, or temperature sensors monitoring the temperature in the cavities for each of the ovens. The wiring assembly100includes a slide assembly which includes a base110and a slide120. The access door14preferably includes an outer panel14A (seeFIG. 7), and an inner panel14B (seeFIG. 3) which is spaced apart from the outer panel14A. The base110has a first end110A, and an opposite second end110B. In the exemplary embodiment, the base110is fixedly mounted to the inner surface of the outer panel14A with the second end110B being closer to the bottom edge of the access door14than the first end110A. The base110also has a pair of side guides111and a pair of middle guides112. The side guides111are on a plane which is off set from the plane defined by the middle guides112so that the slide120can be retained by, and be movable relative to the base110along these guides111,112between a first position where the slide120is adjacent to the first end110A (FIG. 4A) and a second position where the slide120is adjacent to the second end110B (FIG. 4B). A tensioning member150is operatively coupled between the slide120with the base110. In the exemplary embodiment, the tensioning member150is a spring, but other tensioning devices could be similarly employed. The tensioning member150is configured to bias the slide120toward its first position, as shown inFIG. 4A. The slide120carries a cable connector for operatively coupling the power/communication cable which is linked to the main body to the power/communication cable which is linked to the HMI20as hereinafter described. In the exemplary embodiment, the cable connector comprises a circuit board130, e.g., a printed circuit board, which has a first electrical connector140. The slide120also has a locking member200A, which in the exemplary embodiment is a snap mechanism, to lock part of a power/communication cable assembly to the slide120.

Referring now toFIGS. 6A and 6B, the wiring assembly100also includes the cable assembly which includes cable180and housing181. The housing181is comprised of a bottom190, and a top200which is attached to the bottom190by, for example, screws. Other housing configurations are contemplated. The housing181encloses part of a second electrical connector220. In the exemplary embodiment, the housing also encloses a second printed circuit board210. In the exemplary embodiment, power/communication cable180is a ribbon cable of a predetermined length. Other wiring capable of power and/or data transmission could be similarly employed. Cable180is operatively coupled to the second electrical connector220by the second circuit board210. The other end of the cable180has another electrical connector220A for electrical connection to an electrical connector in the main body (not shown).

The cable180is supported by a guide170. The guide170is attached to the housing181at a first point of attachment170A. The guide170is attached to the main body11of the oven10at a second point of attachment170B. In the exemplary embodiment, the guide170is a thin flat sheet of a metal material that is flexible, but stiffer than the cable180. The guide170functions to anchor the cable180to the main body11of the oven10.

The first electrical connector140is mated to the second electrical connector220such that opening of the access door14causes the slide120(carrying the first electrical connector140) to translate from its first position to its second position. In the exemplary embodiment, the cable assembly is connected to the slide assembly as follows: The slide120is moved to its second position and held in that position by a locking member, such as a snap (not shown) on either the base110or the slide120. The cable assembly is then operatively and firmly connected to the circuit board130by connecting the second electrical connector220to the first electrical connector140and by attaching the housing181to the slide120by the locking members200A. After that, the locking member between the slide120and the base110is released. The tensioning member150then pulls the slide120back to its first position. This movement also causes part of cable180to move into the access door14. Preferably, the length of cable180is selected such that cable180fully extends or is in tension when the slide120is in its first position. By this arrangement, when the access door14is opened, the base110moves away from the main body11of the oven10. However, since the cable180is anchored to the main body11by the guide170and is extended to its full length or is in tension when the access door14is closed, the slide120is pulled to its second position from its first position by the cable180when the access door14is opening. When the access door14is closed, the base110moves closer to the main body11of the oven10and the tensioning member150pulls the slide120back to its first position. In this manner the access door14is allowed to sweep through an articulated motion without substantially stressing the cable180.

The circuit board130of the slide assembly has another electrical connector230by which the circuit board130is operatively connected to a second power/communication cable182which is operatively coupled to the HMI20in the access door14(seeFIG. 7). An exemplary HMI is discussed in detail in the commonly owned application entitled “Human-Machine Interface Assembly for an Appliance”, Ser. No. 12/329,036, filed Dec. 5, 2008, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.