Sensing assembly for an appliance
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorsDeclan Vail, Jamie L. Brandewie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dishwasher appliance includes: a tub defined by a top wall, a sidewall coupled with the top wall, and a bottom wall coupled with the sidewall. The dishwasher appliance further includes a door rotatably coupled with at least one of the sidewall and the bottom wall. The door includes a contact flange. The dishwasher appliance further includes an actuating member coupled with the sidewall. The actuating member is movable between a retracted position and an extended position. The actuating member in the extended position engages the contact flange.
Claims18
A dishwasher appliance comprising:
- a tub defined by a top wall, a sidewall coupled with the top wall, and a bottom wall coupled with the sidewall;
- a door rotatably coupled with at least one of the sidewall and the bottom wall, the door comprising a contact flange;
- and
- an actuating member coupled with the sidewall, the actuating member movable between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein the actuating member in the extended position engages the contact flange, wherein the sidewall of the tub defines a height measured in the vertical direction, and wherein the actuating member is coupled to the sidewall at a mounting location within a lower half of the height of the tub along the vertical direction.
A method of operating a door actuating mechanism for a dishwasher, the dishwasher comprising a tub having a sidewall, a door rotatably coupled with the tub, and an actuator assembly coupled to the sidewall, the actuator assembly having a driving member and an actuating member operably coupled with the driving member, and a sensing assembly communicatively coupled with the driving member, wherein the sidewall of the tub defines a height measured in the vertical direction, and wherein the actuating member is coupled to the sidewall at a mounting location within a lower half of the height of the tub along the vertical direction, the method comprising:
- determining an operating cycle is complete;
- extending the actuating member via the driving member to rotate the door;
- receiving a deactivation signal from a sensor of the sensing assembly;
- and
- retracting the actuating member in response to receiving the deactivation signal from the sensor.
A method of assembling auto-opening a dishwasher appliance, the method comprising:
- coupling, rotatably, a door of the dishwasher appliance with a tub of the dishwasher appliance;
- disposing one of an activator and a sensor of a sensing assembly within a contact flange of the door;
- coupling an actuator assembly with the tub such that the actuator assembly engages the sensing assembly of the contact flange of the door in a closed position and the door in an unsealed position;
- and
- coupling an opposite of the activator and the sensor of the sensing assembly with the actuator assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.