JP4458433B2 - Pull-out dishwasher - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation mechanism for taking in and out a washing tub of a drawer-type dishwasher, and more particularly, to a drawer-type dishwasher provided with a lid closing device that presses and tightens a lid with an inclined cam fixed to a side surface of the washing tub. The pushing operation is assisted by the spring force to facilitate the pushing operation of the cleaning tank. After being pushed to the vicinity of the end point of the pushing operation, if the pushing operation is stopped after that, the pushing mechanism is surely By pushing it to the end point, it improves the usability of the dishwasher.

Although there are some drawer-type dishwashers that take in and out the washing tank by electric motor drive, they are generally pushed or pulled out manually. The reason is that the operation is simple, the operation is performed quickly, the operation mechanism is simple, and there is no risk of failure.
However, in a drawer-type washing tank, when tableware is put in, it becomes heavy and requires a strong force for taking in and out operations. Also, it is often used that the pushing operation is stopped halfway without being pushed carefully until the end, or the pushing operation is stopped halfway through, or the momentum is pushed from the beginning and the momentum is pushed to the end point with its inertia. In such a case, it is not uncommon for the cleaning tank to stop halfway and reach the end point (storage position), and in this case, the pushing operation is troublesome twice. This is a pull-out type dishwasher of the type in which the cam roller of the parallel link is pushed down by the inclined cam on the washing side wall in the vicinity of the end point of the pushing operation of the washing tank, and thereby the lid body is pulled down and closed against the opening spring. This is particularly remarkable in Japanese Patent No. 3537759.

  On the other hand, when pushing in with force, if the force is strong, a large impact will be generated at the end of the pushing operation, and the cleaning tank will often rebound. In order to avoid the impact, an oil damper is provided near the end point of the push-in operation, and a toggle mechanism is provided to reduce the increase in resistance to the push-in operation due to the resistance of the oil damper. (Japanese Patent No. 38944741). However, this is a buffer and assist for the simple operation of putting in and out of the washing tank, and has nothing to do with pushing down the lid with the inclined cam in the vicinity of the end point of the pushing operation.

  As described above, the oil dumper is used to alleviate the impact, and the pull-out dishwasher that is provided with a toggle mechanism to assist, and the conventional dishwasher that does not have these, both end the washing tank push-in operation. In the stage, the pushing operation of the cleaning tank is not completed to the end (poor pushing failure), and therefore, the pushing operation is often troublesome twice, and there is a problem that the usability is not good.

From the above, with regard to general drawers of furniture etc. that are manually moved in and out, it is possible to offset the increase in resistance due to the oil damper using an assisting spring while relaxing the impact due to the sudden pushing operation with the oil damper, This is a well-known technique.
Therefore, with respect to the washing tank of the drawer type dishwasher, it is possible to easily increase the pushing resistance by the oil damper while mitigating the impact at the time of the pushing operation by the oil damper by using the well-known technique. is there.
The oil damper is a direct-acting oil damper, and the assisting spring is a tension spring. As an example, there is a trade name “Bulmotion Rail” manufactured by Blum. Such a structure in which a direct-acting oil damper and a tension spring are incorporated in a rail is hereinafter referred to as a “soft closed rail”.

However, in the prior art in which an inclined cam is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank, a cam roller is provided on the parallel link that supports the lid, and the cam roller is pressed by the inclined cam near the end point of the pushing operation of the cleaning tank to close the lid. Since the indentation resistance is large in the vicinity of the end point of the indentation operation, the problem of indentation failure becomes more prominent.
Note that the “near end point” is a range of about 30 mm from the end point.
Japanese Patent No. 3537759 Japanese Patent No. 3894471

  By the way, an inclined cam is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank, a cam roller is provided on a parallel link supporting the lid, and the cam roller is pressed by the inclined cam in the vicinity of the end point of the pressing operation of the cleaning tank to close the lid. In the technology, since the pushing resistance near the end point of the pushing operation is much larger, the problem that a strong force is required for the pushing operation and there is a possibility that the pushing may be defective becomes more remarkable.

Therefore, the present invention provides an inclined cam on the side wall of the cleaning tank, a cam roller on the parallel link supporting the lid, and closes the cam roller by pressing the cam roller near the end point of the pressing operation of the cleaning tank. About the pull-out dishwasher
An oil damper is provided to prevent impacts caused by the pushing operation, while the pushing spring reduces the pushing resistance and the pushing force is increased near the end point of the pushing operation to ensure that the washing tank is pushed to the end point. An object of the present invention is to devise a pushing drive mechanism using an assisting spring so that the resistance in the pushing operation of the cleaning tank does not become excessive.

  The means of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is that an inclined cam is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank, a cam roller is provided on the parallel link supporting the lid, and the cam roller is placed near the end point of the pushing operation of the cleaning tank. With respect to the drawer type dishwasher which is pressed down by an inclined cam and closed by lowering the lid with the parallel link, the following (a) to (g) are provided.

(B) A reversing mechanism using an inverter and a reversing spring is provided on the side wall of the dishwasher main body, and a reversing pin protrudes from the side wall of the washing tank, and the reversing pin is reversed by the pushing and pulling operations of the washing tank. It is designed to engage and disengage from the child notch,
(B) A soft close rail is provided between the dishwasher body and the washing tub. The soft close rail includes an oil damper, a retracting spring, a catch / release slider (hereinafter referred to as a “slider”) It is due to the guide rail fixed to the main body side against the slider,
(C) The slider engages / disengages with an engaging pin fixed to the cleaning tank side, and engages / disengages with the guide rail.
(D) When the engagement pin is engaged with the slider, the slider and the guide rail are disengaged and slide. When the engagement pin is detached from the slider, the slider is engaged with the guide rail. Is to stop,
(E) The reversing position of the reversing element is in the vicinity of the storage position;
(F) The catch / release position with respect to the engaging pin of the slider of the soft close rail is located in the pull-out direction than the engaging / disengaging position of the reversing pin with respect to the reversing element,
(G) The urging force of the soft close rail retracting spring against the cleaning tank is greater than the resistance of the reversing element against the pushing operation of the cleaning tank, and the force of the soft closing rail retracting spring makes the reversing element into the reversing spring. It must be able to drive in the push-in direction.

[Action]
When the cleaning tank is in the pull-out position, the slider is disengaged from the engaging pin, and the slider is engaged with the guide rail, and the release position, that is, the position where the slider catches or releases the engaging pin. On the other hand, at this time, the reversing pin is detached from the notch of the reversing member, and the reversing member is held at the position in the pull-out direction by the reversing spring.

  When the cleaning tank is pushed in and the engaging pin reaches the catch / release position, the engaging pin is engaged with the slider, and at the same time, the slider is disengaged from the guide rail and the slider slides. It is pulled in the pushing direction by a pulling spring. In this manner, the slider is pulled in the pushing direction of the cleaning tank, and the engaging pin is pulled in the same direction by the slider, whereby the cleaning tank is pulled in the pushing direction.

When the cleaning tank is pushed in and reaches the engagement / disengagement position of the inverter (the position where the inversion pin engages or disengages from the notch of the inverter), the inversion pin engages with the notch of the inverter, Thereafter, the reversing element is rotated in the pushing direction against the reversing spring. At this time, even if there is no pushing by a person, it is driven to the reversing position by the spring force of the pulling spring, and after the reversing position, the reversing pin is pushed in the pushing direction by the reversing element. Therefore, after passing the reversal position, the cleaning tank is pushed by the pushing force of the pulling spring of the soft closing rail and the pushing force of the reversing spring of the reversing element, and resists the braking force of the oil damper. However, it is strongly pushed to the end.
The braking force by the oil damper is proportional to the push-in speed, and the higher the push-in speed, the stronger the brake is applied. Therefore, even if the washing tank is pushed in rapidly, it is decelerated quickly at the end of the push-in operation, so the storage position ( No impact occurs at the end of the pushing operation.
When the cleaning tank is in the storage position, the engaging pin protruding from the cleaning tank is engaged with the slider, and when the cleaning tank is pulled out of the storage position, the slider is engaged to the catch / release position. Is pulled out and the retracting spring is extended.

  On the other hand, when the cleaning tank is pulled out from the storage position, the reversing pin is rotated forward (withdrawal side) by the reversing pin and the reversing spring is extended. When the reversing position is passed, the reversing pin is pulled out by the reversing direction. This pushes the cleaning tank in the pulling direction.

  Therefore, in the pushing-in operation, the soft closing rail is pulled in from the beginning of the final stage (for example, from about 50 mm ahead of the end point to the end point), and in the vicinity of the end point, in addition to the above-described support by the pull-in spring, Since it receives, a washing tank will be strongly pushed to an end point.

  According to this invention, at the end of the push-in operation, from the beginning to the end point, the push-in spring and the reverse spring are reliably pushed in by the assisting force, and even if the washing tank is pushed in suddenly, it is decelerated by the oil damper. , There is no impact at the end point.

In the present invention, the soft closing rail is operated at the end of the pushing operation of the cleaning tank, and a strong pulling force is applied from the beginning of the cleaning operation, so that the pushing operation is made very easy because the pulling spring naturally pulls in, Even if the washing tank is not pushed in at the end, the washing tank is reliably pushed to the end point.
On the other hand, even if the washing tank is pushed in rapidly, it is decelerated by the oil damper of the soft close rail, so that no impact is generated at the end point.
In addition, since the tilt cam operates in the vicinity of the end point of the pushing operation (for example, from about 20 mm before the end point to the end point), the lid body is pulled down against the lid opening spring to close the lid, so that the pushing resistance increases rapidly. However, at this stage, it is assisted by the inverter, so that it is pushed into the end point without fail.
Therefore, even in a dishwasher whose lid is closed by an inclined cam, if the washing tub is pushed in until the beginning of the pushing operation, it is pushed into the storage position (end point) surely and then pushed in the washing tub. Operation is easy and easy.

The above disclosure of the present invention presupposes a drawer-type dishwasher in which the lid supported by the parallel link is pushed down by the inclined cam of the washing tank, thereby lowering the lid and closing the lid. However, there is also a conventional technology of the type in which the lid is pushed backward in the vicinity of the end point of the pushing operation of the cleaning tank, and the backward movement of the lid is converted into the downward movement by the parallel link to close the lid. Also, there is no difference in that there is a problem that the pushing resistance rapidly increases because the packing of the lid is strongly tightened at the end point of the pushing operation of the cleaning tank. Further, there is no difference in that it is necessary to provide an oil damper in order to prevent the impact of the pushing operation.
Therefore, a remarkable effect can be obtained by simply applying the present invention to the above-described prior art.

  On the other hand, there is a structure where the washing tank is supported by rails on the left and right side surfaces, but the structure where the bottom rail is a soft closing rail is easier, and the distortion of the rail due to the load of the washing tank such as tableware is minute. Therefore, the operation of the soft-close rail is smooth, and therefore the cleaning tank can be taken in and out more smoothly when the rail is provided on the bottom surface than when the rail is provided on the left and right side surfaces. .

Next, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
The basic structure of the dishwasher of this embodiment is not different from that of a normal drawer-type dishwasher, and the washing tub 2 is supported by the left and right soft-close rails 20 and 20 on the bottom surface of the main body 1 whose front is open. Has been. The left and right soft close rails 20 are constituted by a guide rail Rg fixed to the bottom surface of the main body and a movable rail Rm on the lower surface of the cleaning tank.

The cleaning tank is opened and closed by the lid 3, and a packing p is provided on the lower surface of the lid 3, which contacts the upper surface of the cleaning tank 2 and seals the cleaning tank 2.
The lower ends of the four parallel links 4 are pivotally supported by the main body 1 on the front, rear, left and right with support pins 4 p, and the upper ends of the parallel links 4 are connected to the front, rear, left and right of the lid 3. As a result, the lid 3 is supported by the main body through the four parallel links 4 so as to be movable up and down. When the cleaning tank 2 is pushed in, the lid 3 is pulled down in conjunction with this and the cleaning tank is Closed.
Each parallel link 4 includes a cam roller 4 </ b> R, and an inclined cam 5 for the cam roller 4 </ b> R is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank 2. The rear end of the inclined cam 5 is a downward inclined cam surface 5a. The stroke (horizontal length) of this inclined cam surface is 9 mm, and the cam lift (vertical height) is 9 mm.
In the vicinity of the storage position (end point of the pushing operation), the cleaning tank 2 is pushed, the cam roller 4R is pressed by the inclined cam 5, the parallel links 4 are pushed down, and the lid 3 is pulled down against the opening spring 6. As a result, the cleaning tank 2 is closed.

[Assistance mechanism]
An inverter 7 is pivotally supported on the support pins 4 p of the left and right parallel links 4 at the rear (back side) of the main body 1, and the inverter 7 is urged by an inversion spring (a tension spring) 8.
The arm 7a of the inverter 7 has a notch 7b, and further has a pressing portion 7c. And the inversion pin 9 is protrudingly provided from the side wall of the washing tank 2, and at the time of pushing-in operation, the inversion pin 9 is in the engagement / disengagement position CP (engagement / disengagement position CP in FIG. 3A). It engages with the notch 7b and disengages from the engagement / disengagement position CP during the pull-out operation.

When the cleaning tank 2 is pushed in, as described above, the reversing pin 9 engages with the notch 7b, and the reversing pin 7 is pushed by the reversing pin to rotate backward. On the other hand, when the cleaning tank 2 is pulled out, the inverter 7 is pushed forward and rotates. Since the rotation range of the inverter 7 is restricted by the stoppers 10a and 10b, it is rotated forward and backward (left and right in the side view) within this range.
When the rotation position of the reversing element is the reversing position (reversing position DP in FIG. 3A), the direction of action of the reversing spring is reversed.
The pressing portion 7c of the arm 7a presses the cam roller 4R to ensure the closing.

[Soft closed rail]
A soft close rail 20 is fixed to the bottom surface of the main body 1. The soft close rail 20 is a rail having a shock absorber including a direct acting oil damper 21, a retracting spring 22, and a slider (hereinafter simply referred to as “slider”) 23. It operates from 50mm before the end point to the end point (storage position). The slider 23 reciprocates and slides within the operating range (50 mm), whereby the retracting spring 22 expands and contracts and the oil damper 21 expands and contracts.

[Catch release mechanism]
The slider 23 has a swingable catch lever 24. The catch lever has a notch 24a. On the other hand, an engagement pin 30 projects vertically from the lower surface of the movable rail Rm.
The slider 23 moves along the guide rail Rg, engages with the guide rail Rg at a catch / release position (predetermined position, CRP in FIG. 2), and is temporarily fixed thereto. The movable rail Rm is moved back and forth by the pushing operation and the drawing operation of the cleaning tank 2, and the engaging pin 30 is moved in the front / rear direction accordingly.

[Operation of catch release mechanism]
When the cleaning tank 2 is pushed in and the engaging pin 30 moves to the catch / release position CRP, it engages with the notch 24a of the catch lever 24, and the lever 24 is rotated rearward to stand. When the catch lever 24 stands up, the engagement between the slider 23 and the guide rail Rg is released, and at the same time, the catch lever 24 is temporarily fixed to the slider 23. When the slider 23 is removed from the guide rail Rg, the slider 23 is pulled backward (in the pressing direction) by the pulling spring 22.

When the cleaning tank is pulled out and the engagement pin returns to the catch / release position CRP together with the movable rail Rm, the catch pin 24 is fixed in the standing state, so that the engagement pin 30 pulls the slider 23 and moves forward. To do. When the slider reaches the catch / release position CRP, the catch lever 24 is disengaged. As a result, the lever falls forward, and the engagement pin 30 is disengaged from the notch 24a. Engages with the guide rail Rg again.
The above is the operation of the catch release mechanism of the slider 23. This specific mechanism is not the gist of the present invention, but is a well-known mechanism.

As described above, the slider 23 catches the engagement pin 30 and releases it, and engages with or disengages from the guide rail Rg at the same position. Then, with the slider 23 engaged with the guide rail Rg, it waits for the engaging pin 30 that moves backward (in the pushing direction) together with the cleaning tank, and the engaging pin 30 moves back to the catch / release position CRP. Catch this when it comes.
When the engagement pin 30 is caught by the slider 23, the engagement of the slider 23 with the guide rail Rg is released, and the retracting spring 22 pulls the engagement pin 30 to the storage position (pushing end point).
In this embodiment, the catch / release mechanism is mechanically configured. However, the catch / release position CRP is electrically detected by a position sensor to engage / disengage the engagement pin and the guide rail Rg. The engagement / disengagement mechanism can also be configured by electric means.

[Operation of assist mechanism by reversal element]
On the other hand, the reversing pin 9 engages with the notch 7b of the reversing element 7 at a position of 37 mm before the pushing end point of the cleaning tank 2 (FIG. 1-2), the arm 7a is pushed backward, and the acting direction of the reversing spring 8 is reversed. Rotating position (reverse position) (FIGS. 1-2). During this time, after the reversing spring 8 is stretched and the direction of action of the reversing spring 8 is reversed (after being centered over), the reversing element 7 is rotated backward (in the pushing direction) by the reversing spring 8 (FIGS. 1-4). ). As a result, the reverse pin 9 is pushed, and the cleaning tank 2 is pushed in the pushing direction (or the drawing direction). The assistance for the pushing operation by the inverter 7 continues until the end point. Note that the strength at the final stage of assistance by the inverter 7 is approximately 1.5 kgf with respect to the cleaning tank 2 (FIG. 3A).

[Overall operation]
The push-in operation (retraction operation) with respect to the cleaning tank 2 receives a large resistance in the first half of the operating range (range of stroke 37 mm) of the inverter 7 (resistance region in FIG. 3A) and is assisted in the second half (same as above). (A) Support area).
On the other hand, the engaging pin 30 on the movable rail Rm side is caught by the slider 23 on the guide rail Rg side at a position 50 mm before the end of the pushing operation (or pulling operation) of the cleaning tank 2. When the engagement pin 30 is caught by the slider 23, the engagement of the slider 23 with the guide rail Rg is released, and then it is pulled by the pulling spring 22. At this time, the pulling force by the pulling spring 22 is 1.5 kgf in the initial stage and 0.5 kgf in the final stage (FIG. 3B).

The sum of the assisting force by the inverter 7 and the assisting force by the soft close rail 20 acts as an assisting force for the retracting operation of the cleaning tank 2. The assisting force (1.5 kgf, FIG. 3 (b)) of the retracting spring 22 is larger than the resistance (about 1.0kgf, FIG. 3 (a)) of the reversing spring 8 in the retracting operation. Even if this is not done to the end, it is pulled in by the pulling spring 22 from the point 50 mm before the end of the pushing operation. Then, after the cleaning tank 2 has passed the reversal position of the inverter (the state shown in FIG. 1-3, the reversal position DP in FIG. 3), the cleaning tank 2 is moved to the storage position (FIG. 1-C) by the total assisting force A + B (FIG. 3C). 4 (end point EP in FIG. 3), the cam roller 4R is completely pushed down by the inclined cam 5 and closed.
Therefore, the increment of the pushing resistance of the cleaning tank due to the cam roller 4R being pushed down by the inclined cam 5 is completely offset by the assistance of the inverter 7, so there is no increase in the load for the pushing operation. Even if the pushing operation is lost, the washing tank 2 is pushed to the end point by the both assisting forces, and the lid is securely closed.

Further, during the pulling-out operation, the resistance of the reversing spring 8 and the retracting spring from the storage position (the state in FIGS. 1-4, the end point EP in FIG. 3) to the reversing position (the state in FIGS. 1-3, the reversing position DP in FIG. 3). Although the resistance of 22 is received, after the reversal position, the reversal pin 9 is assisted by the reversal element 7 until a predetermined position where the reversal pin 9 is detached from the notch 7b of the arm 7a.
In addition, although the oil damper in a soft close rail is a direct acting type, it can replace with this and can also use a rotary type.

The sectional view seen from the front of the embodiment FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the first stage in which the pushing process of the embodiment is viewed from the side. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the second stage in which the pushing process of the embodiment is viewed from the side. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a third stage in which the pushing process of the embodiment is viewed from the side. Is a sectional view of the final stage of the indentation process of the embodiment as seen from the side. Is an enlarged side view of the inverter The top view which shows the contraction operation of the soft close rail step by step The figure which shows the buffering characteristic of a soft close rail typically Is a drawing for explaining the assisting force by the inverter and the soft close rail for the operation of putting in and out of the washing tank

Explanation of symbols

1: Body 2: Washing tank 3: Lid 4: Parallel link 4p: Support pin 4R: Cam roller 5: Inclined cam 5a: Inclined cam surface 7: Inverter 8: Inverting spring 9: Inverting pin 7a: Arm 7b: Notch 10a, 10b: Stopper 20: Soft close rail 21: Oil damper 22: Retraction spring 23: Slider 24: Catch lever 24a: Notch 30: Engaging pin Rg: Guide rail Rm: Movable rail CRP: Catch release position CP: Engagement / disengagement position DP: Reverse position EP: End point

Claims (3)

An inclined cam is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank, and the lid is supported on the main body via four parallel links on the front, rear, left and right, and the cleaning tank is closed by being pulled down in a horizontal posture by the parallel links. In the drawer type dishwasher that
A reversing mechanism is provided on the side wall of the dishwasher body by a reversing element and a reversing spring, and a reversing pin protrudes from the side wall of the washing tank. It is designed to engage and disengage from the notch,
A soft close rail is provided between the dishwasher body and the washing tub, and the soft close rail is an oil damper, a retracting spring, a slider, and a guide rail fixed to the main body side with respect to the slider,
The slider engages and disengages from an engagement pin fixed on the cleaning tank side, and engages and disengages from the guide rail.
When the engagement pin is engaged with the slider, the slider is disengaged from the guide rail, the slider is slid, and when the engagement pin is detached from the slider, the slider is engaged with the guide rail. Stop and
The reversing position of the reversing element is in the vicinity of the storage position;
The catch / release position with respect to the engaging pin of the slider of the soft close rail is in a position in the pulling direction than the engaging / disengaging position of the reversing pin with respect to the reversing element,
The biasing force against the cleaning tank by the retracting spring of the soft close rail is greater than the resistance by the reversing element against the pushing operation of the cleaning tank, and the force of the retracting spring of the soft closing rail resists the reversing spring against the reversing spring. A pull-out dishwasher characterized in that it can be driven in the pushing direction. An inclined cam is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank, a cam roller is provided on the parallel link supporting the lid, the cam roller is pressed by the inclined cam near the end point of the pushing operation of the cleaning tank, and the lid is lowered by the parallel link. In a pull-out dishwasher that is designed to close
A reversing mechanism is provided on the side wall of the dishwasher body by a reversing element and a reversing spring, and a reversing pin protrudes from the side wall of the washing tank. It is designed to engage and disengage from the notch,
A soft close rail is provided between the dishwasher body and the washing tub, and the soft close rail is an oil damper, a retracting spring, a slider, and a guide rail fixed to the main body side with respect to the slider,
The slider engages and disengages from an engagement pin fixed on the cleaning tank side, and engages and disengages from the guide rail.
When the engagement pin is engaged with the slider, the slider is disengaged from the guide rail, and when the engagement pin is detached from the slider, the slider is engaged with the guide rail and stopped. The reversing position of the reversing element is in the vicinity of the storage position;
The catch / release position with respect to the engaging pin of the slider of the soft close rail is in a position in the pulling direction than the engaging / disengaging position of the inversion pin with respect to the reversing element
The biasing force against the cleaning tank by the retracting spring of the soft close rail is greater than the resistance by the reversing element against the pushing operation of the cleaning tank, and the force of the retracting spring of the soft closing rail resists the reversing spring against the reversing spring. A pull-out dishwasher characterized in that it can be driven in the pushing direction.   The drawer-type dishwasher according to claim 1 or 2, wherein left and right rails for supporting the washing tank are provided on a bottom surface of the main body, and the rails are soft-close rails.

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