Abstract:
A dishwasher and a door hinge thereof are provided. The dishwasher and the door hinge include a door cover support plate that aligns a position of a door cover during assembly of the door cover and a door liner.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, to a dishwasher and a door hinge that allow easy coupling of a door cover and a door liner that form a door.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     A dishwasher is a home appliance that sprays high-pressure wash liquid through spray nozzles to wash and remove food residue left on surfaces of dishes. Specifically, a dishwasher includes a tub forming a wash compartment, and a sump installed at the bottom of the tub for storing wash liquid. Installed inside the sump is a wash pump that pumps wash liquid to the spray nozzles. The wash liquid pumped to the spray nozzles is discharged under high pressure through spray holes at the ends of the nozzles. The high-pressure wash liquid spray collides with the surfaces of dishes, so that food residue and other impurities on the dishes fall to the floor of the tub.  
         [0005]     A door, that opens and closes the front of the dishwasher tub, includes a door liner and a door cover installed in front of the door liner to enhance the outward appearance of the dishwasher. The door is coupled to a door hinge installed at the side of the tub to open and close the tub.  
         [0006]     However, the fastening structure of the door according to the related art lacks a portion that guides the insertion of the door cover during the process of assembling the door cover to the front portion of the door liner. Therefore, the door cover and the door liner can be improperly aligned. That is, the upper portion of the door liner and that of the door cover do not align with each other, or the sides of the door liner and the door cover do not accurately align. Accordingly, the process of accurately aligning the door cover with the front of the door liner during assembly is time-consuming, and a lot of manpower is wasted by assembly workers fitting door covers to door liners by hand.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a dishwasher and a door hinge that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
         [0008]     An object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher and a door hinge that allow easy assembly of a door cover and a door liner.  
         [0009]     Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.  
         [0010]     To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided dishwasher including: a tub frame; a door liner pivotably installed for opening and closing an inside of the tub frame; a door hinge coupled at a respective end of the tub frame and the door liner, the door hinge being a pivoting axis of the door liner; a door cover coupled to the door liner; and a door cover support plate for aligning a position of the door cover during an assembly of the door cover and the door liner.  
         [0011]     In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door hinge of a dishwasher coupled to an end of a door including a door cover and a door liner and an end of a tub, the door hinge being an axis of rotation for the door when the tub is opened and closed, wherein the door hinge includes: a hinge body; a hinge arm extending a predetermined distance from an end of the hinge body; a front support plate bent from a side of the hinge body and contacting a front portion of the door liner; a side support plate bent from the front support plate and contacting a side of the door liner; and a door cover support plate formed on the hinge body for aligning a position of the door cover during an assembly of the door cover and the door liner.  
         [0012]     In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door hinge of a dishwasher coupled to an end of a door including a door cover and a door liner and an end of a tub, the door hinge being an axis of rotation for the door when the tub is opened and closed, wherein the door hinge includes: a hinge body; and a door cover support plate formed on the hinge body for aligning a position of the door cover during an assembly of the door cover and the door liner.  
         [0013]     The dishwasher and the door hinge according to the present invention allow a much easier assembly of a door cover (forming the front of a door) and a door liner by smoothly inserting the door cover along and into the door liner.  
         [0014]     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a sectional side view of a dishwasher according to the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a door cover according to the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a door hinge according to the present invention; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the assembling of a door cover and a door hinge according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a sectional side view of a dishwasher according to the present invention.  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a dishwasher  100  according to the present invention includes a tub  110 , a tub frame  150 , a door hinge  200 , a spring  160 , a door liner  120 , an air brake  130 , and a water level sensor  140 .  
         [0023]     The tub  110  forms a wash compartment within for holding wash liquid. The tub frame  150  is installed at the front periphery of the tub  110  to retain the shape of the tub  110 . The door hinge  200  is installed at the bottom of the tub frame  150 , with the door coupled at its upper end. The door hinge  200  pivots centrally around a hinge inserted into the side of the tub frame  150 . One end of the spring  160  is connected to one end of the door hinge  200 , and the other end of the spring  160  is coupled to an end of the door frame so that the spring expands. The door liner  120  is fastened to the other end portion of the door hinge  200  to open and close the front of the tub  110 . The door cover  170  (to be described below) is installed at the front of the door liner  120 . The air brake  130  is installed on the side of the tub  110 , and forms passages for wash liquid to flow through. The water level sensor  140  allows wash liquid that enters the air brake  130  to enter the tub  110 , and senses the water level inside the tub  110 .  
         [0024]     In the above-structured dishwasher, in order to open the door, a user grasps the door and pulls in a forward direction, so that the door hinge  200  rotates in a clockwise direction (in  FIG. 1 ). The spring  160  connected to the end of the hinge  200  contracts. In reverse, when the user closes the door, the door hinge  200  rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, so that the spring  160  expands. The elasticity of the spring  160  prompts the door to return to a closed position from an open position when a user lets go of it.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a door cover according to the present invention.  
         [0026]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the door cover  170  according to the present invention is roughly square in shape and is installed at the front of the door liner  120 .  
         [0027]     Both sides of the front portion  171  of the door cover  170  are bent, so that the ends of the door cover  170  are “u”-shaped. Specifically, both sides of the door cover  170  are bent at right angles to form a bent portion  172 . A further right angle bend inward at the end of the bent portion  172  forms a sliding portion  173 . The sliding portion  173  may be parallel with the front of the door cover  170 . A fastening hole  174  is formed in the sliding portion  173  for inserting a predetermined fastening member therethrough.  
         [0028]     In order to couple the front portion of the door liner  120  to the door cover  170 , a door cover support panel ( 240  in  FIG. 3 ) is inserted between the sliding portion  173  and the front portion  171 . The door cover support panel  240  is formed on the door hinge  200 .  
         [0029]     The process of coupling the door cover  170  to the door liner  120  will now be described with reference to the diagrams.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a door hinge according to the present invention.  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the door hinge  200  according to the present invention may be made of a metal material having a predetermined hardness.  
         [0032]     The door hinge  200  includes a hinge body  210 , a hinge arm  220 , a front support plate  211 , a side support plate  230 , a spring hook  222 , and a door cover support plate  240 .  
         [0033]     The hinge arm  220  extends a predetermined distance from the lower end of the hinge body  210 . A “u”-shaped spring hook  222  is formed at the end of the hinge arm  220 . The spring hook  222  couples to one end of the spring  160 .  
         [0034]     The front support plate  211  bends at a right angle from an end of the hinge body  210 . The front portion of the door liner  120  is adhered to the front support plate  211 . At least one fastening hole  212  is formed on the front support plate  211 .  
         [0035]     The side support plate  230  is bent once again from the front support plate  211 . The side support plate  230  is adhered to the side of the door liner  120 . A door liner fastening hole  231  is formed on the side support plate  230 . A predetermined fastening member is coupled to the door liner fastening hole  231  to couple the side support plate  230  to the door liner  120 .  
         [0036]     The hinge arm  220  has a pivoting slot  221  formed thereon that can catch and pivot on a hinge  101 . The hinge  101  formed on the tub frame  150  catches on the pivoting slot  221 . Thus, the door hinge  200  and the door can pivot on the axis of the hinge  101 .  
         [0037]     The door cover support plate  240  is bent at an end of the hinge body  210 , the end of the bent portion extends a predetermined distance upwards. Therefore, the end of the door cover support plate  240  protrudes a predetermined length from the hinge body  210 . The door cover support plate  240  is formed on an end of the hinge body  210  other than that on which the hinge arm  220  is formed. This door cover support plate  240  allows for a smooth assembly of the door cover  170 , which will be described below. A door cover fastening hole  241  is formed on the curved extension of the hinge body  210  that is the door cover support plate  240 .  
         [0038]     In door hinge  200  is coupled so that it can pivot at both lower ends of the tub frame  150 .  
         [0039]     In further detail, the door cover support plate  240  moves in a forward direction of the dishwasher  100 , and the side support plate  230  presses against the sides of the door liner  120 , as the door hinge  200  is installed on the tub frame  150 . Here, the pivoting slot  221  of the door hinge  200  catches on the hinge  101  of the tub frame  150 . Then, the door hinge  200  rotates on the axis of the hinge  101  with respect to the tub frame  150 .  
         [0040]     In this state, one end of the spring  160  couples to the spring hook  222 . The end of the spring  160  catches on the spring hook  222  through the pulley  102 . Then, the door hinge  200  is pulled by the spring  160 , so that the door hinge  200  is pressed and retained against the tub frame  150 .  
         [0041]     When the door liner  120  is pressed against the door hinge  200 , bolts or other fastening members are coupled to the door liner fastening hole  231 /the fastening hole  212 , and the opposite fastening holes of the door liner  120 . In this way, the door liner  120  and the door hinge  200  are fastened.  
         [0042]     Here, the inner surface of the front portion of the door cover  170  presses against the front portion of the door cover support plate  240  and slides, so that the door hinge  200  easily inserts into the door cover  170 . This process is described further below.  
         [0043]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the assembling of a door cover and a door hinge according to the present invention.  
         [0044]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the inside of the front portion  171  of the door cover  170  contacts the front portion of the door cover support plate  240  and slides, so that the door cover  170  is inserted. Furthermore, the outer surface of he hinge body  210  contacts the inner surface of the curved portion bent portion  172  and slides downward. Also, the lower portion of the door cover  170  slides up to the lower portion of the door hinge  200 , whereupon a bolt or other fastening member is passed through the fastening hole  174  formed in the sliding portion  173  of the door cover  170  and the door cover fastening hole  241  of the door cover support plate  240 . Then, the door cover  170  and the door hinge  200  are fastened.  
         [0045]     The above assembly process, a user does not have to manipulate the door cover  170  to precisely align the fastening hole formed in the door cover  170  with the fastening hole formed in the door liner  120 . Accordingly, the assembling time required to couple the door cover  170  is substantially reduced.  
         [0046]     The dishwasher, and the door hinge according to the present invention allows the door cover formed at the front of the door to be inserted by sliding along the door liner, to greatly simplify the assembling process.