Positioning foot unit of a domestic appliance

An adjustment foot unit of a domestic appliance, in particular an adjustment foot unit of a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit, has a vertical adjustment device having a rotatable rod and a spindle rotatably supported in a housing and having a thread at least sectionally, with the rod and the spindle being connected to one another such that a rotation of the rod results in a rotation of the spindle, having an adjustment unit, in particular a nut, which is arranged rotationally fixedly and has a thread which is in engagement with the thread of the spindle as well as having a foot part displaceable relative to the housing, with the foot part and/or the adjustment unit having a sloped plane in which the adjustment unit is in contact with the foot part.

The invention relates to an adjustment foot unit of a domestic appliance, in particular of a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit.

Height adjustment devices for feet of domestic appliances are known in numerous different embodiments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A vertical adjustment device for feet of a refrigerator unit is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,805 which has a rotatably arranged adjustable rod whose end region is rotationally fixedly connected to a gear wheel. The gear wheel in turn meshes with a nut whose internal thread is in engagement with the external thread of a threaded rod connected to the foot part. A rotation of the nut results in a positional change of the foot and thus in a vertical adjustment of the unit.

A vertical adjustment device in which the rotation of an actuation rod is transmitted by means of a worm gear and results in an axial adjustment movement of the foot part is known from DE 196 06 460.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,121 relates to a vertical adjustment device of a refrigeration unit having a threaded rod accessible from the operating side of the unit. The vertical adjustment device furthermore has a foot which is pivotably supported on the housing of the refrigeration unit and in which a nut meshing with the threaded rod is rotationally fixedly located. A rotation of the threaded rod results in an axial displacement of the nut relative to the thread rod and thus to the pivoting of the foot around a pivot axis arranged in a stationary manner. A vertical adjustment device having a pivotably supported foot is furthermore known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,550. In this arrangement, the pivotably supported foot cooperates with a tie rod whose position is adjustable via a threaded rod. If the threaded rod is actuated, it results in a change in the position of the tie rod and thus to a pivoting of the foot. The pivot movement of the foot results in a vertical adjustment of the unit.

Vertical adjustment devices are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,569; U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,670 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,887 in which the rotation of an actuation rod accessible from the operating side of the unit has the result that an adjustment element cooperating with a sloped plane is moved such that the position of the adjustment element relative to the sloped plane is changed, with the vertical position of the unit changing accordingly.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,989 discloses a vertical adjustment device of a domestic appliance which has a rotatable adjustment rod accessible from the operating side. Its thread is in engagement with the internal thread of a nut which is arranged rotationally fixedly in a pivotably arranged foot of the unit. A rotation of the rod results in an axial movement between the nut and the rod and thus to a pivot movement of the foot. U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,853 likewise relates to a vertical adjustment device of a unit having a pivotably arranged foot. Its pivot angle, and thus the vertical position of the unit, is determined by the position of a wedge-shaped element which can be retracted between the pivotable foot and the housing. Its movement is controlled from the operating side of the unit by means of a rod or a wire.

DE 36 04 838 and DE 43 43 709 relate to vertical adjustment devices for feet of domestic appliances which are actuated by means of a flexible shaft accessible from the operating side or from a side wall of the unit.

Vertical adjustment devices are known from the aforesaid prior art in which the actuation rods serve as pull rods and push rods which conduct the forces acting on the feet due to the weight of the appliance into the front region of the domestic appliance. The reaction forces have to be taken over by the total appliance frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the invention to further develop an adjustment foot unit of the initially named kind such that the actuation rod does not have to absorb any pulling or pushing forces.

This object is satisfied by a foot of a domestic appliance having the features herein. Provision is accordingly made for the vertical adjustment device to have a rotatable rod and a spindle which is rotatably supported in a housing and which has a thread at least sectionally. The rod and the spindle are connected to one another such that a rotation of the rod results in a rotation of the spindle. Furthermore a rotationally fixedly arranged adjustment unit or nut is provided which has a thread which is in engagement with the thread of the spindle. Finally, a foot part displaceable relative to the housing is provided, with the foot part and/or the adjustment unit having a sloped plane in which the adjustment unit is in contact with the foot part.

On a rotation of the spindle by the rod, a displacement of the adjustment unit or nut on the spindle is initiated. Due to the sloped plane forming the contact surface between the nut and the foot part, a push-in or push-out movement of the foot part relative to the housing and thus a vertical adjustment of the total domestic appliance is initiated.

The reaction forces of the vertical load induced by the appliance weight are absorbed by the housing of the adjustment foot unit.

The housing of the adjustment foot unit is located in the region of the foot part in a preferred embodiment and preferably does not extend over the total longitudinal or transverse sides of the apparatus.

The adjustment unit or nut in accordance with the invention is thus configured as a slider which carries out a sliding movement relative to the foot part on rotation of the spindle.

Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the spindle has an external thread which is in engagement with an internal thread of the nut or of the slider.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, a releasable connection, in particular a plug-in coupling, is provided between the rod and the spindle which connects the two components to one another without any further connection members. An unreleasable connection is also conceivable. A one-piece design of the rod and the spindle is likewise covered by the invention, i.e. both members are formed by the same component.

The spindle is arranged horizontally in a preferred embodiment of the invention. It is preferably arranged at two mutually spaced apart positions in the axial direction of the spindle between which the spindle has a section with an external thread on which the nut runs.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the foot part can be pushed at least partly into the housing. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the foot part is pushed into the housing from below and the relative position of the nut and the foot part is determined via the vertical position of the foot part and thus also via the vertical position of the domestic appliance.

In a further embodiment of the invention, an axle on which a roller is rotatably supported is arranged in the foot part. In this manner, a rolling adjustment foot can be provided which ensures in every position of the foot part that when the domestic appliance is installed, a careful rolling movement can be carried out which protects the floor covering from damage.

Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the foot part is received in the housing in a shape matched manner such that a rotation of the foot part relative to the housing around a vertical axis is not possible or is only possible to a restricted extent. The foot part is thus guided in a shape matched manner in the housing. It can preferably be pushed into and out of the housing, but cannot be rotated relatively in the housing.

The adjustment unit can have a bore with an internal thread in which the spindle is rotatably received, with the adjustment unit having a surface forming the sloped plane which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bore. With a horizontally arranged spindle, the bore is likewise arranged horizontally and the surface of the adjustment unit with which it is connected to the foot part is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the spindle or of the bore.

Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention for the rod to have a tool mount in its one end region for the purpose of the rotation of the rod by means of a tool. In a preferred embodiment, the tool mount is suitable both for an outward drive and for an inward drive so that a plurality of drive options are available.

To prevent the spindle from moving out of the housing after reaching the bottommost position of the foot part by a further rotation of the rod, a securing member can be provided which secures the spindle against axial displacement and always holds it in its desired axial position. In this context, it can, for example, be a spring which is arranged at the housing in a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The invention further relates to a refrigerator unit and/or a freezer unit having a foot adjustment device in accordance with the description herein.

Provision is preferably made for an end of the rod to extend in the region of the front side, preferably in the region of the base board of the appliance. It is possible in this fashion to carry out the operation of the foot with a vertical adjustment device in accordance with the invention in a comfortable manner from the front side of the appliance.

The refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit can have a plurality of feet of which one, a plurality or all of them is/are made in accordance with the description herein.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit has one or more feet facing toward the operating side of the appliance and one or more feet facing toward the rear side of the appliance, with at least one or a plurality of the fee facing the rear side of the appliance being made in accordance with the description herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1shows, in a side view, the lower region of a refrigerator unit and/or freezer unit whose rearward section is located at the left in accordance withFIG. 1and whose front side section is located at the right in accordance withFIG. 1. A base board is located in the front side region of the appliance shown at the right, said base board taking over the front side support of the appliance via a foot. A rotatable rod20extends from the front side up to the foot arranged in the rearward region and has a tool mount in its end region22which is shown at the right and is accessible from the front side and a corresponding tool can be placed onto said tool mount for the rotation of the rod20. A shape matched outward and inward drive, which extends on the front side in the base board region of the appliance toward the operating side, can be provided as drive options. If a plurality of drives are provided, a plurality of options are accordingly available to the user to carry out a vertical adjustment. Box wrenches, hexagon wrenches, torx wrenches, etc., can be considered, for example.

As can furthermore be seen fromFIG. 1, the rear adjustment feet are formed by rollers80, as will be explained in detail with respect toFIG. 2.

FIG. 2shows the rear end region of the rod20which faces away from the operator side and which is in connection with a spindle30via a plug coupling25. Both the rod20and the spindle30are rotatable. The plug coupling25is configured such that it transfers the torque applied by rotating the rod20to the spindle30. Angular offsets are also conceivable to ensure an optimum positioning in the front region of the domestic appliance. The rod20remains arranged in an axial fixed position during rotation.

The spindle30is supported horizontally in the housing60in its two end regions. The spindle has an external thread between these two support regions, said external thread meshing with the internal thread of an adjustment unit or nut40.

The rotation of the spindle30results in a movement of the adjustment unit40in the axial direction. On its lower side, the adjustment unit40has an obliquely arranged slide surface41, that is a slide surface inclined with respect to the horizontal. The slide surface41slides on the parallel surface66of the foot part65which is inserted into the housing60from below, as can be seen fromFIG. 3.

The surfaces41and66convert the horizontal movement which occurs on a rotation of the spindle30in accordance with the principle of the sloped plane into a vertical movement which corresponds to the vertical adjustment of the appliance.

The slide piece or the adjustment unit40is arranged such that it is secured against rotation. This is established, on the one hand, via the surface pressure in the slide surface pair41,66caused by the weight force and, on the other hand, via a shape match by the construction design of the parts to be paired.

The foot part65which moves vertically on a rotation of the spindle30receives an axle50in its lower section and the roller80is rotatably supported on said axle. The feet in accordance with the invention thus remain rollingly movable in any vertical position.

As can be seen fromFIG. 3, the hollow space surrounded by the housing60and the foot part65are made rectangular. The has the result that a rotation of the foot part65in the housing60is not possible. The rotational degree of freedom of the wheel is predetermined via the shape matched guidance of the foot part65in the housing60.

FIG. 3shows the described arrangement in an exploded representation. The plane66of the foot part inclined with respect to the horizontal and also the sloped plane41of the adjustment unit40can again be seen from this. Both surfaces41,66act together and are arranged parallel to one another when the longitudinal axis of the bore of the adjustment unit40is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the spindle30.

The reference numeral90marks a spring which holds the spindle30in the housing60if an attempt is made to further rotate the spindle30after the bottommost position has been reached.

As can be seen fromFIGS. 1 to 3, the reaction forces of the vertical load applied by the weight of the appliance are only absorbed in the base housing60. No strain on the total domestic appliance frame is thus provided.

Deviating from the prior art, it must furthermore be stated that in accordance with the invention the rod20only undergoes torsion, that is neither pulling nor pressing, on actuation of the apparatus.

A further advantage of the invention results from the fact that, in the adjustment process, that is on the rotation of the spindle30by means of the rod20, a purely vertical movement is carried out which takes place independently of the quality of the floor. No horizontal displacement of the appliance by an adjustment of the height is caused by this type of vertical adjustment.

The individual parts of the adjustment foot unit in accordance with the invention are predominantly made as plastic and extrusion parts in a technical production respect. Advantageous savings with respect to assembly can thereby be achieved. The number of parts is moreover reduced by snap connections which can be realized in the plastic parts. In this context, the connection must in particular be mentioned which connects the rod20to the adjustment spindle30at the coupling point25without further connection members.

The pressed on, elevated shape members on the rod20as well as on the spindle30as well as the inner drive of the spindle30located on the side remote from the operator must named as assembly aids.

The arrangement in accordance with the invention is naturally also conceivable without a wheel80. A rigid adjustment foot is also covered by the invention.

It is furthermore conceivable that the shape matched guidance between the foot part65and the housing60is not realized via the shape of both parts, but by means of the foot65as well as by the spindle30dipping through the foot part65.

The system in accordance with the invention can be an adjustment foot concept in modular design for domestic appliances. This module system provides that a decision is made at the final assembly or by the customer himself whether rigid or vertically adjustable adjustment feet should be used. This is achieved in that, on the one hand, an adjustment foot unit with a vertically adjustable wheel and an adjustment foot unit with a wheel not vertically adjustable, on the other hand, can be mounted in the domestic appliance. Optimized lower production costs and, for the consumer, a wider range matched to the needs of the consumer are thereby possible.

The invention is preferably conceived for use of the adjustment feet located in the rear region at the appliances. The invention can, however, naturally also be used in a different region, for example with front-side feet.