OPERATING DEVICE FOR A DISH-WASHER

Abstract: A receptacle (10) for a powder detergent is arranged in the door of a dish-­ washer. The receptacle has an opening which when the door is closed is situated at the inside of the door. The opening can be closed by a lid (23) which can be locked in a closed position by lock hook (25). The lock hook can be acted on in order to release the lid (23) for movement to an open position by means of an electric activator (19,20) arranged in the dish-washer. A transmitting mechanism (25,27,28,29,30) in the door is arranged to transmit movement from the activator (19, 20) to the lid (23) in order to open it. Advantage: The door of the dish-washer can be produced completely with­ out electric cables.

Description: This invention relates to an operating device for a dishwasher which is provided with a door for covering a treatment compartment of the machine the door having a receptacle for a detergent with an opening facing the compartment when the door is closed and which at least during the initial stage of the washing procedure is covered by a lid being released by electric means consisting of an electromagnet with a movable core the electric means being separated from the door and arranged in association with the compartment and that a mechanical mechanism including a lock means is arranged in the door in order to transfer the movement from the electric means to the lid for releasing the lid when the electric means is activated. In dishwashers usually there is a receptacle for a powder detergent in the door covering the treatment compartment. By such an arrangement it is easy to fill the detergent into the receptacle since the open door is horizontal and the receptacle is directed upwards when the door is open. After filling a detergent into the receptacle it is covered by a lid and the lid is kept in the closed position by a lock means. The lock means is usually released by electric means from a program controller which is arranged in the dishwasher. Often an electromagnet, which is mounted in the door, is used as electric means and the core releases the lock means when the magnet is activated. There also are liquid dispenser arrangements for dishwashers where the dispenser is separated from the door and placed in a fixed relation to the treatment compartment, see EP-A-0345233. A drawback with the firstmentioned type of arrangement is however that the cables for the electromagnet have to overbridge the gap between the door and the cabinet of the machine which means particular wear problems since the door is turnable and has to be opened each time wash-goods is inserted or taken out from the treatment compartment. Under bad circumstances the unavoidable strechings and bendings, to which the cables are exposed can create short circuits or breakes of the cables which means a safety risk. It has also been suggested, see GB-A-1.305.563 (which serves as a basis for the preamble of claim 1) to use a dispenser mechanism where the means for opening the detergent receptacle are separated from the door. Even if the electric means are not installed in the door there is a risk that water enters the electric equipment since there is no sealing between the wet area within the treatment chamber and this equipment. It is a purpose of this invention to avoid the drawbacks described and to offer an operating device where no cables need to be installed in the door. Another purpose of the invention is to make it possible to manually open the lid of the detergent receptacle if it is closed unintentionally or if a current interruption or failure should occur in the machine. Said purpose is achieved with an operating device having the characteristics described in the claims. An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 diagramatically shows a dish-washer and Fig. 2 also diagramatically shows an operating device for a lid of a detergent receptacle arranged in the door of the dishwasher. A detergent receptacle 10 for a powder type of detergent is mounted at the inside of a door 11 comprising an outer door part 12 and an inner door part 13 which together form a mounting space 14 for mechanical components. The door 11 in the usual manner closes a charging opening 15 to a treatment compartment 16 arranged in a dish-washer 17. Around the charging opening 15 there is a flange 18 serving as a sealing between the closed door 11 and the treatment compartment (16). In the area outside the sealing flange there is an electromagnet 19. The movable core 20 of the electromagnet extends through an opening in the dishwasher hood and is directed perpendicular to the sealing plane between the flange 18 and the door (11). Via two conduits 21, 22 the electromagnet is connected to a program controller, not shown, for the dishwasher and the magnet is electrically activated by the program controller. The previously mentioned detergent receptacle 10 can be covered by a turnable lid 23. The lid is shown in its open position to which it is pre-stressed by a spring 24. As has been indicated in the Figure the lid can, against the action of the spring, be turned to a closed position where it is kept by a lock means 25 engaging a projection 26 on the lid. The lock means is the end part of a L-shaped rod 27 which is turnable about a vertical axis when the door is in its closed position. The opposite end of the rod is secured to a follower 28 which is provided with an arm 29 being placed in the path of movement of a rod 30. The rod 30 is movably supported by a sleeve 31 which is fastened at the inner door part 13 and forms a lead-through connection. The rod 30 and the movable core 20 of the electromagnet are, when the door is closed, coaxial, and the cooperating end parts of the rod and the core are placed at a small distance from each other. A spring 32 pre-stresses the follower 28 in the anti-clockwise direction in Figure 2 so that the arm 29 is in engagement with the rod 30. At the same time the lock means 25 is positioned so that if the lid 23 is turned to a closed position the hook engages the projection 26 in order to keep the lid (23) in this position. In order to release the lid the electromagnet is activated by the program controller whereby the movable core 20 acts on the rod 30 which via the arm 29 turns the rod 27 and hence moves the hook 25 so that it disengages the projection 26 and thus releases the lid. As is shown in Fig. 2 the hook 25 extends into the wet area of the machine and a bellow sealing 33 is arranged in the inner door part 13 to form a sealed lead-through channel for the hook. As appears from the embodiment described is has been achieved that the lid for the detergent receptacle arranged in the door of the dish-washer can be acted on by an electric operating device without installing any electrical cables between the door and the treatment compartment (16) of the dish-washer. Another advantage with respect to known devices with electrically activated dish-washer dispensing arrangements in the door, is that the lid for the dispenser can be opened manually if it should be closed by mistake or if a current breakage or a technical failure should occur in the machine. This is achieved by pressing the rod 30 inwardly manually when the door is open.

Claims: 1. Operating device for a dish-washer which is provided with a door (11) for covering a treatment compartment (16) of the machine the door having a receptacle (10) for a detergent with an opening facing the compartment when the door is closed and which at least during the initial stage of the washing procedure is covered by a lid being released by electric means (19, 20) consisting of an electromagnet (19) with a movable core (20), the electric means being separated from the door and arranged in association with the compartment (16) and that a mechanical mechanism (25, 27, 28, 29, 30) including a lock means (25) is arranged in the door in order to transfer the movement from the eletric means (19, 20) to the lid for releasing the lid when the electric means (19, 20) is activated, characterized in that the treatment compartment (16) is surrounded by a flange (18) which sealingly cooperates with the door (11) and that the receptacle (10) for the detergent with its lid (23) when the door is in the closed position, is situated at the compartment side of the flange, the movable core (20) being placed at the other side of the flange (18) so that the direction of movement of the movable core (20) is mainly perpendicular to the sealing plane between the flange ( 18) and the door ( 11 ). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mechanism (25, 27, 28, 29, 30) comprises a first rod (30) which is movable coaxially with the core (20) when the door is closed and a second rod (27) which is turnable about a vertical axis when the door is in its closed position one end of which extends into the treatment compartment (16) and forms the lock means (25) which is shaped as hook cooperating with a projection (26) on the lid (23) in order to lock the lid in a closed position, in which position the lid is under the action of a spring (24) the other end of the second rod being provided with a follower (28) having an arm (29) which is placed in the path of movement of the first rod (30) being acted on by the core (20). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that a spring means (32) is arranged to turn the second rod (27) with the lock means (25) to a position where the lock means engages the projection (26) at the same time as the first rod (30) co-operating with the core (20) moves to a position adjacent the end of the core. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the door (11) comprises an inner Patt (13) and an outer part (12), the mechanism (25, 27, 28, 29, 30) being arranged within a space (14) between the two parts (12,13), the rod (27) with the lock means (25) extending through an opening of the inner part (13) in which opening a bellow sealing (33) is arranged between the lock means (25) and an edge surrounding the opening.

Inventors: WESTFELT, JAN AXEL NATHORST
Applicants: AKTIEBOLAGET ELECTROLUX
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A47L15
IPC codes: A47L15