阅读说明：本技术 门锁 (Door lock ) 是由 汪洋 于 2017-07-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请公开了一种门锁,包括：凸轮,所述凸轮具有开口槽,当门钩插入所述凸轮的开口槽中时,门钩在所述凸轮中被固定,所述门钩安装在门上；驱动装置,通过来自所述门外部的推力、所述门外部的拉力、所述门内部的推力或由控制信号启动,所述驱动装置将所述凸轮从锁定位置移向解锁位置。(The application discloses door lock includes: a cam having an open groove in which a door hook is fixed when the door hook is inserted into the open groove of the cam, the door hook being mounted on a door; a drive device that moves the cam from the locked position to the unlocked position by a pushing force from the exterior of the door, a pulling force from the exterior of the door, a pushing force from the interior of the door, or by a control signal.)

1. A damping mechanism (1201,1202,1203), comprising:

a lever plate (1201), a lever shaft (1203) and lever springs (1203.1, 1203.2);

the lever plate (1201) comprises an upper portion (1213), a middle portion (1214) and a lower portion (1215);

the back of the middle part (1214) of the lever sheet (1201) is bent into a groove (1204), and the groove (1204) is used for accommodating the lever shaft (1202);

a sliding mechanism (302), the sliding mechanism (302) comprising a sliding disk (302), the sliding disk (302) having a circular disk (321);

the upper portion (1213) is proximate to an edge of the disc (321) of the slider plate (302).

2. A damping mechanism (1201,1202,1203) according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the damping mechanism (1201,1202,1203) is used for damping an applied external force when the door lock (100) is in a locked state.

3. A door lock (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises:

a base (114);

a cam (201), the cam (201) having an open groove (202), the door hook (101) being fixed in the cam (201) when the door hook (101) is inserted into the open groove (202) of the cam (201), the door hook (101) being mounted on a door;

a drive means to move the cam (201) from a locked position to an unlocked position, activated by a pushing force from the outside of the door, a pulling force from the outside of the door, a pushing force from the inside of the door, or by a control signal;

wherein the cushioning mechanism (1201,1202,1203) and the cam (201) are mounted on the base (114).

4. A door lock (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises:

a base (114);

a cam (201), the cam (201) having an open groove (202), the door hook (101) being fixed in the cam (201) when the door hook (101) is inserted into the open groove (202) of the cam (201), the door hook (101) being mounted on a door;

a driving means for moving the cam (201) from the locking position to the unlocking position by a pushing force from the outside of the door, a pulling force from the outside of the door, or a pushing force from the inside of the door;

wherein the cushioning mechanism (1201,1202,1203) and the cam (201) are mounted on the base (114).

5. A door lock according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said driving means comprise:

a slider (204), wherein the slider (204) abuts against the cam (201) and reciprocates along with the rotation of the cam (201), and when the slider (204) is positioned on one side abutting against the door hook (101), the slider fixes the door hook (101) at a locking position; when the locking is released, the sliding block (204) can move to the side far away from the door hook (101), so that the cam (201) releases the door hook (101);

a rocker (401), said rocker (401) being mounted on said slider (204) and said rocker (401) having a mechanism that can hold said cam (201) in a locked position or an unlocked position;

wherein the rocker (401) can be in a rotatable working state or a non-rotatable state.

6. A door lock according to claim 5, characterized in that the rocker (401) comprises:

a rocker locking mechanism (402, 403, 405, 407) for locking the rocker (401) against rotation or releasing the rocker (401) to allow rotation.

7. The door lock according to claim 6, characterized in that said rocker (401) further comprises:

a heart-shaped slot (411), the heart-shaped slot (411) having a first position (point B) corresponding to a locked position and a second position (point A) corresponding to the unlocked position.

8. The door lock of claim 6, wherein the rocker lock mechanism (402, 403, 405, 407) comprises:

a roller (402);

a spring guide (403);

a spring (407), wherein the spring (407) is sleeved on the spring guide rod (403), and the spring (407) provides elastic force to the roller (402);

wherein the rocker (401) has a spring hole (405);

wherein the spring (407), the spring guide (403), and the roller (402) are mounted in the spring bore (405).

9. The door lock of claim 6, wherein:

a containing cavity (431) is arranged on the sliding block (204), and a step bulge (410) is arranged in the containing cavity (431);

when the roller (402) extends out of the rocker (401) and contacts the step protrusion (410), the step protrusion (410) is used for being clamped with the roller (402) to prevent the rocker (401) from rotating.

10. The door lock of claim 8, wherein the driving means further comprises:

the sliding mechanism (302), the said sliding mechanism (302) is equipped with the pin (303);

wherein the central slot (411) is positioned at the upper part of the sliding mechanism (302),

wherein a pin (303) is inserted into the heart-shaped slot (411), the pin (303) moving between a locking position (point B) and an unlocking position (point A) in the heart-shaped slot (411).

11. The door lock of claim 10, wherein the driving means further comprises:

a base (114), said base (114) having said sliding mechanism (302) mounted thereon;

the rocker (401) has a protrusion (420), the base (114) has a protrusion (305);

wherein the protrusion (420) of the rocker (401) and the protrusion (305) of the base (114) cooperate with each other to return the rocker (401) to a deflected position.

12. The door lock of claim 11, wherein:

the door hook is characterized in that a torsion spring (210) is arranged on the cam (201), and when the cam (201) is located at an unlocking position, the torsion spring (210) pushes the door hook (101) out.

13. The door lock of claim 4, wherein the driving means further comprises:

an automatic unlocking means (103, 431) which, upon activation of the signal, moves the cam (201) from the locking position to the unlocking position.

14. A door lock according to claim 13, characterized in that said automatic unlocking means (103, 431) comprise:

an operating lever (431), the operating lever (431) being used for pressing the roller (402) on the rocker (401) to the interior of the rocker (401);

an actuator (103), the actuator (103) being for driving the operating lever (431).

15. The door lock of claim 11, wherein the door lock further comprises:

a return spring (213), the return spring (213) being mounted on the slider (204) for returning the slider (204),

wherein the elasticity of the torsion spring (210) on the cam (201) is larger than the elasticity of the return spring (213) on the slider (204).

16. A door lock (100) characterized in that it comprises:

a cam (201), the cam (201) having an open groove (202), the door hook (101) being fixed in the cam (201) when the door hook (101) is inserted into the open groove (202) of the cam (201), the door hook (101) being mounted on a door;

a drive device configured to: the drive means moves the cam (201) from the locked position to the unlocked position by a pushing force from the outside of the door, a pulling force from the outside of the door, a pushing force from the inside of the door, or by a control signal.

17. A door lock (100) characterized in that it comprises:

a cam (201), the cam (201) having an open groove (202), the door hook (101) being fixed in the cam (201) when the door hook (101) is inserted into the open groove (202) of the cam (201), the door hook (101) being mounted on a door;

a drive device configured to: the drive means moves the cam (201) from the locked position to the unlocked position by a pushing force from the outside of the door, a pulling force from the outside of the door, or a pushing force from the inside of the door.

18. A damper mechanism (1201,1202,1203) comprising any one or any combination of the features of claims 1-15.

19. A door lock (100) comprising any one or any combination of the features of claim 16.

20. A door lock (100) comprising any one or any combination of the features of claim 17.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a door lock for an electric appliance (e.g., a washing machine, a dishwasher, etc.), and more particularly, to a door lock for opening a door of an electric appliance (e.g., a washing machine, a dishwasher, etc.) in various ways.

Background

The door lock mechanism may be used to control locking and unlocking of a door of an appliance, such as a washing machine, dishwasher, or the like.

The normal use of electrical equipment places various demands on the door locking mechanism of the equipment. For example, it is desirable to provide users with various convenient ways of opening the appliance door while ensuring that the appliance operates reliably in various conditions. In addition, a door lock mechanism in some commercial or household electrical appliances is required to have a safety mechanism for protecting children. For example, a door lock mechanism of a drum type washing machine in which a door is provided on a side surface is required to push a closed door from the inside with a relatively small force so that a child can come out of a drum of the washing machine when the child mistakenly enters, for example, the drum type washing machine.

The present application is intended to provide a door lock mechanism that satisfies the above requirements.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to satisfy various requirements for a door lock mechanism, the present application provides a door lock structure that allows a user to lock and unlock a door by using a push-push or push-pull manner on the outside (outside) of the door; after locking the door, also can open the door through the mode or the automatic mode of using to push in the inside (inboard) of door, still can open the door automatically, the technical scheme of this application lock structure as follows:

a first aspect of the present application comprises a door lock comprising a cam and drive means:

the cam has an open slot in which a door hook is fixed when the door hook is inserted into the open slot of the cam, the door hook being mounted on the door;

the drive means is activated by a pushing force from the outside of the door, a pulling force from the outside of the door, a pushing force from the inside of the door, or by a control signal, the drive means moving the cam from the locked position to the unlocked position.

A second aspect of the present application comprises a door lock comprising a cam and drive arrangement:

the cam has an open slot in which a door hook is fixed when the door hook is inserted into the open slot of the cam, the door hook being mounted on the door;

the driving means moves the cam from the locking position to the unlocking position by a pushing force from the outside of the door, a pulling force from the outside of the door, or a pushing force from the inside of the door.

The door lock according to the second aspect, wherein the driving means includes a slider and a rocker:

the sliding block abuts against the cam and moves back and forth along with the rotation of the cam, and when the sliding block is positioned on one side of the door hook, the sliding block fixes the door hook at a locking position; when the locking is released, the sliding block can move to the side far away from the door hook, so that the cam releases the door hook;

the rocker is mounted on the slider and has a mechanism that can hold the cam in either a locked or unlocked position;

wherein the rocker may be in a rotatable operating state or a non-rotatable state.

The door lock of the second aspect, the rocker comprising a rocker locking mechanism:

the rocker locking mechanism is used to lock the rocker against rotation or to release the rocker to allow rotation.

The door lock of the second aspect, the rocker further comprising a heart-shaped slot:

the heart-shaped groove has a first position (point B) corresponding to a locked position and a second position (point a) corresponding to the unlocked position.

The door lock of the second aspect, the rocker lock mechanism comprising a roller, a spring guide, and a spring:

the spring is sleeved on the spring guide rod and provides elastic force for the roller;

wherein the rocker has a spring bore;

wherein the spring, the spring guide and the roller are mounted in the spring bore.

According to the door lock in the second aspect, the slider is provided with a cavity, and a step bulge is arranged in the cavity;

when the roller extends beyond the rocker and contacts the step protrusion, the step protrusion is adapted to engage the roller (402) to prevent rotational movement of the rocker.

The door lock according to the second aspect, wherein the driving device further comprises a slide mechanism;

a pin is arranged on the sliding mechanism;

wherein the heart-shaped groove is positioned at the upper part of the sliding mechanism,

wherein the pin is inserted into the cardioid slot, the pin moving between a locked position (point B) and an unlocked position (point a) within the cardioid slot.

The door lock of the second aspect, wherein the drive device further comprises a base;

the sliding mechanism is arranged on the base;

the rocker is provided with a protruding part, and the base is provided with a bulge;

wherein the protrusion of the rocker and the protrusion of the base cooperate with each other to return the rocker to a deflected position.

According to the door lock of the second aspect, the cam is provided with the torsion spring, and when the cam is located at the unlocking position, the torsion spring pushes the door hook out.

The door lock according to the second aspect, wherein the driving means further comprises an automatic unlocking means:

upon activation of the signal, the drive moves the cam from the locked position to the unlocked position.

The door lock according to the second aspect, wherein the automatic unlocking means includes an operating lever, an actuator;

the operating rod is used for pressing the roller on the rocking block into the interior of the rocking block;

the actuator is used for driving the operating rod.

The door lock according to the second aspect, further comprising a return spring;

the return spring is arranged on the sliding block and used for returning the sliding block;

the elasticity of the torsion spring on the cam is larger than the elasticity of the reset spring on the sliding block.

The door lock according to the second aspect, comprising a damper mechanism; the buffer mechanism is used for buffering applied external force when the door lock is in a locking state.

The door lock according to the second aspect, wherein the buffer mechanism includes a lever piece, a lever shaft, and a lever spring;

the lever piece comprises an upper part, a middle part and a lower part;

the back surface of the middle part of the lever sheet is bent into a groove, and the groove is used for accommodating the lever shaft;

the sliding mechanism comprises a sliding disc, and the sliding disc is provided with a circular disc;

the upper portion is proximate to an edge of the disk of the slider.

According to the door lock, the cam is locked or released through the rocker control sliding block to control the door lock to be closed or opened; meanwhile, the rocking block can be in a rotating state and a non-rotating state, and when the rocking block rotates, the door lock can be opened under the pushing and pulling of external force or the pushing in the electric appliance door; a separate actuator may also be provided to lock and release the rocker for rotation to release the cam for unlocking purposes. In addition, the buffer mechanism provided by the application can absorb the undesirable displacement of the sliding block when the sliding block is driven by external force, so that the actuator fails.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a general structural view of the door lock 100 shown from the front thereof in the present application, and illustrates a part of the components of the door lock 100 in an exploded view.

Fig. 1B is a general structural view of the door lock 100 shown from the reverse side thereof in the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the upper cover 117 of the door lock 100 of fig. 1A with the actuator 103 removed.

Fig. 3A is a schematic structural view of fig. 2 after the base 114 is separated from the slider 204 and the switch case 105.

Fig. 3B is a schematic diagram of the construction of pin 303 of the present application, showing a more detailed construction of pin 303.

Fig. 4A is a schematic reverse structure of the slider 204.

FIG. 4B is a schematic illustration of a negative construction of a rocker 401 in the present application.

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of a rocker 401 of the present application.

FIG. 4D is a schematic illustration of the front structure of a rocker 401 of the present application.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the rocker 401 and lever 433 of FIG. 4A separated from the slider 204.

Fig. 5B shows a schematic reverse structure of the operating rod 433.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the entire structure of the door lock of the present application.

Fig. 7A-1 is a side sectional view of the door lock 100.

FIG. 7A-2 is a schematic view of the relative position of the pin 303 and the central slot 411 of the rocker 401 in the state of FIG. 7A-1.

Fig. 7B-1 is a side structural sectional view of the door lock 100, showing a schematic view of the structure and state of the door hook 101 during the insertion of the cam 201 but not locked in the present application.

FIG. 7B-2 is a schematic view of the relative position of the pin 303 and the central slot 411 of the rocker 401 in the state of FIG. 7B-1.

Fig. 7C-1 is a side structural sectional view of the door lock 100, showing a schematic view of a structure and a state when the door hook 101 is inserted into the cam 201 and locked in the present application.

FIG. 7C-2 is a schematic view of the relative position of the pin 303 and the central slot 411 of the rocker 401 in the state of FIG. 7C-1.

Fig. 8A-1, 8A-2, 8B-1 and 8B-2 are for illustrating a process of opening the door lock with an external pulling force or an internal pushing force.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are three cross-sectional views of the slider 204 of the present application, showing the intent of the actuator 103 to rotate the rocker 401 during the automatic unlocking process and then unlock it.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are transverse cross-sectional views of the base 114 and rocker 401 of the present application, illustrating a state in which the rocker 401 has returned to an undeflected position after rotation.

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view of the door lock 100, which shows the positional relationship of the slider 204 and the lock block 1101 in the switch box 105 when the door lock 100 is in the locked state.

Fig. 12A and 12B are a perspective view of the base 114 and a structural perspective view of the base 114, respectively, and an exploded view corresponding to the structure of fig. 12A, for illustrating a buffer mechanism provided to the gap H shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 13A-13B are cross-sectional views of the door lock 100 illustrating the operation of the damping mechanism of fig. 12A and 12B.

Fig. 13C-13D are enlarged partial views of fig. 13A-13B, respectively, to show more specific details of the operation of the damping mechanism.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. It should be understood that although directional terms, such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "leading," "trailing," etc., may be used herein to describe various example structural portions and elements of the application, these terms are used herein for convenience of description only and are to be determined based on the example orientations shown in the figures. Because the embodiments disclosed herein can be arranged in a variety of orientations, these directional terms are used for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference numbers used in this application refer to the same or like parts.

Fig. 1A is a general structural view of the door lock 100 shown from the front thereof in the present application, and illustrates a part of the components of the door lock 100 in an exploded view. Fig. 1B is a general structural view of the door lock 100 shown from the reverse side thereof in the present application.

As shown in fig. 1A, the door lock 100 includes a door lock case 110, an upper cover 117 is provided on an upper portion of the door lock case 110, and a door lock hole 112 is opened on an upper surface of the door lock case upper cover 117 on a head side for receiving the door hook 101. The door hook 101 is positioned above the door locking hole 112, and when the door hook 101 is inserted into the door lock 100 from the door locking hole 112 on the door lock main body 110, it is engaged with a cam (see a cam 201 in fig. 2) inside the door lock 100, and when the cam is locked, the door of the appliance is locked.

In fig. 1A, the door lock 100 further includes an actuating member 103 and a switch box 105. A bottom surface 119 is provided on the underside of the head side of the door lock upper cover 117, a cavity 115 is formed between the upper cover 117 and the bottom surface 119, and the actuating member 103 is received in the cavity 115. The actuator 103 is an electromagnetic drive unit (see fig. 6 for details) in which a return spring 121 and an iron core 122 are provided, and a contact pin 123 at the front end. Upon receipt of an activation signal by the actuator 103, its internal coil (see coil 121 in fig. 6) is energized, the coil 121 generates an electromagnetic thrust on the iron core 122, pushing out the contact pin 123, and upon de-energization, the contact pin 123 is retracted. Referring to the following figures and the description of the figures, the stylus 123 functions to: when the stylus 123 is pushed out, the stylus 123 pushes the operation rod 433 (see fig. 4A) in the slider 204, so that the rocker 401 in the slider 204 is in a rotatable state.

The switch box 105 is installed under the rear side of the upper cover 117. As will be understood with reference to the following figures and description thereof, the function of the switch box 105 is mainly to lock or release the slider 204 and to switch on or off the main circuit of the control door lock 100.

As shown in fig. 1B, a base 114 is provided on the lower surface of the head side of the lock body upper cover 117, a switch box 105 is provided on the lower surface of the tail side of the lock body upper cover 117, and the base 114 and the switch box 105 are provided adjacent to each other on the lower surface of the upper cover 117 in the width direction of the door lock body 110.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the upper cover 117 of the door lock 100 of fig. 1A with the actuator 103 removed to more specifically illustrate the components of the base 114, switch box 105 and slider 204 and the relationship between the base 114, switch box 105 and slider 204.

In fig. 2, the base 114 and the switch box 105 are adjacently disposed side by side in the width direction of the door-lock box 110 on the lower surface of the upper cover 117. The slider 204 is provided between the upper cover 117 and the switch box 105, and crosses the base 114 and the switch box 105 in the width direction of the door-lock box 110, and the head of the slider 204 can cover a part above the base 114. The slider 204 is provided with a lock hole 219, and when a lock block (see a lock block 1101 in fig. 11) in the switch box 105 is inserted into the lock hole 219 after being extended, the slider 204 is locked.

As shown in fig. 2, a cam 201 is arranged on the base 114, the cam 201 is arranged below the door hook 101, a main body of the cam 201 is in a crescent-shaped bent structure and is provided with an arc-shaped open slot 202, a hook 205 is arranged at the upper end of the open slot 202, the cam 201 is pushed to rotate after the door hook 101 is inserted into the door lock hole 112, and the rotation of the cam 201 enables the hook 205 to be inserted into the hole 102 of the door hook 101 to hang the door hook 101. The lower end 206 of the opening groove 202 is in contact with the front end of the door hook 101, and when the door hook 101 is inserted, the front end of the door hook 101 pushes the cam 201 to rotate counterclockwise by abutting against the lower end 206 of the opening groove 202.

The cam 201 is fixed on the base 114 through the round shafts 212 and 214 on the two sides, so that the cam 201 can rotate around the round shafts 212 and 214, the round shafts 212 and 214 are sleeved with torsion springs 210, the two sides of the torsion springs 210 are provided with torsion springs 210.1 and 210.2, and the torsion springs 210 provide torsion for resetting of the cam 201. When the door hook 101 is pulled out of the cam 201, the torsion springs 210.1 and 210.2 rotate the cam 201 clockwise. Cam pins 211 are further provided on both sides of the trailing end (distal end from the opening of the slot 202) of the cam 201, and the cam pins 211 abut against the left end of the slider 204. At the same time, the torsion spring 210 provides a biasing force to open the door, i.e., the torsion spring 210 springs the door hook 101 out of the cam 201 when the cam 201 and slider 204 are in the unlocked position.

In fig. 2, the front surface of the slider 204 is shown, the rear end of the slider 204 is provided with a return spring 213, and the torsion of the torsion spring 210 on the cam 201 is greater than the elastic force of the return spring 213 on the slider 204. Due to the interaction of the return spring 213 and the torsion spring 210, the slider 204 reciprocates as the cam 201 rotates. Specifically, the return spring 213 provides a preload force of the slider 204 against the cam pin 211 on the cam 201, and the torsion spring 210 provides an urging force of the counterclockwise rotation of the cam 201. Thus, the torsion spring 210 and the return spring 213 cooperate with each other, and when the cam 201 rotates clockwise and counterclockwise, the contact between the back surface of the cam 201 and the slider 204 causes the slider 204 to perform corresponding reciprocating movement.

Fig. 3A is a schematic structural view of the base 114 of fig. 2 separated from the slider 204 and the switch case 105, and is intended to more specifically show components provided on the base 114 and the relationship between these components.

As shown in fig. 3A, the base 114 is provided with a transverse slot 311, the transverse slot 311 is used for accommodating the sliding tray 302, and the sliding tray 302 can move transversely along the transverse slot 311; in a push-push operation of the door, the lateral movement of the slider 302 along the lateral slot 311 can cause the pin 303 to move laterally within the heart slot 411. When a buffering operation for the movement of the slider 204 is required, the slider 302 can move in the width direction of the lateral groove 311 (see fig. 13D); when the operation of buffering the movement of the slider 204 is not required, the movement of the slider 302 in the width direction of the lateral groove 311 is restricted (see fig. 13C). A pin 303 (the internal structure of which is specifically shown in fig. 3B) is arranged on the sliding plate 302; the lower end of the pin 303 is inserted into a hole in the disk 321, and the upper end of the pin 303 is inserted into a heart-shaped slot 411 in the rocker 401 in the slider 204 (see FIG. 4C). A protrusion 305 is also provided at one corner (the rear left corner) of the base 114, and the protrusion 305 mates with a protrusion 420 of the rocker 401 (see FIG. 4C) for returning the rocker 401 to an undeflected position (see FIGS. 10A-10B)

Fig. 3B is a schematic diagram of the construction of pin 303 of the present application, showing a more detailed construction of pin 303.

As shown in fig. 3B, the sliding plate 302 includes a disc 321 and a sleeve 322, one end of the disc 321 extends out of the sleeve 322, the sleeve 322 is provided with a cavity 325 with a closed bottom, a socket 323 is provided in the center of the disc 321, the socket 323 is communicated with the cavity 325, a pin (steel needle) 303 can be inserted into the socket 323, and a spring 324 is provided between one end (tail end) of the pin 303 and the inner bottom of the sleeve 322. Because the heart-shaped slot 411 provided on the slider 204 is located above the slider 302, the lower end of the pin 303 on the slider 302 is inserted into the heart-shaped slot 411 of the rocker 401 (see fig. 5A), the steel pin 303 is allowed to move up and down by the elastic force of the spring 324 in the sleeve 322, and the height of the protruding disk 321 of the pin 303 is adjusted according to the change in the depth of the heart-shaped slot 411, so that the pin 303 is always in contact with the bottom of the heart-shaped slot 411. The relative positional relationship between the pin 303 and the heart-shaped slot 411 reflects the operating state of the slider 204 and the cam 201.

Fig. 4A is a schematic reverse structure of the slider 204. FIG. 4B is a schematic illustration of an opposite structure of a rocker 401 in the present application, showing the opposite structure of the rocker 401; FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the rocker 401 of the present application to more clearly illustrate the locking mechanism inside the rocker 401; FIG. 4D is a schematic illustration of a front view of a rocker 401 of the present application to more clearly illustrate the heart-shaped notch configuration 411.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the slider 204 defines a pocket 431 for receiving the rocker 401 therein, and the rocker 401 is rotatable within the pocket 431. The rocker 401 may be set in a rotatable state or a non-rotatable state in the pocket 431 by a rotational locking mechanism on the rocker 401 (see roller 402 and lever 409). In the present application, the rocker 401 is in a rotatable state, and can implement a push-pull door opening/closing operation mode and an automatic door opening operation mode; while a push-push door-open operating mode can be implemented with the rocker 401 in a non-rotatable state.

The rocker 401 is rotatably fixed in the pocket 431 by a shaft (see shaft 605 in FIG. 6) extending through a circular hole 412 in the opposite end of the rocker 401. the roller 402 engages a stepped boss 410 at the edge of the pocket 431 to retain the rocker 401 while the rocker 401 is in a non-rotatable state. When roller 402 is retracted within pocket 430, the snap-fit force of stepped protrusion 410 against roller 402 is removed, and rocker 401 is rotated such that rocker 401 may deflect. Because the roller 402 is extended by the elastic force of the spring 407, the rocker 401 can rotate when the roller 402 is pressed back into the pocket 430 when the force forcing the rocker 401 to rotate due to the force of pulling or pushing the door is greater than the elastic force of the spring 407. Alternatively, rocker 401 may rotate when an external force is applied directly against roller 402 to force roller 402 back into pocket 430. An operating rod 433 is arranged on one side of the accommodating cavity 431 on the sliding block, when the operating rod 433 swings, force can be directly applied to the roller 402, the roller 402 is pressed back into the accommodating cavity 430, and therefore the rocker 401 can rotate. The structure of the operating lever 433 is shown in detail in fig. 5B.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the rocker 401 is generally a sector structure, a circular hole 412 is formed at the end of the sector structure, a shaft (see shaft 605 in FIG. 6) is arranged at the bottom of the cavity 431 of the slider 204, and the circular hole 412 is sleeved on the shaft 605, so that the rocker 401 is rotatably fixed in the cavity inside the slider 204 (see cavity 431 in FIG. 4A) through the hole 412. In FIG. 4B, roller 402 is seen protruding from a portion of the edge of rocker 401. The structure within rocker 401 for controlling roller 402 is shown in cross-section 4C of rocker 401.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the rocker 401 is shown in phantom to show its internal structure. As shown in fig. 4C, a spring hole 405 is formed in the rocker 401, a cavity 430 is formed in the spring hole 405 near the edge of the rocker 401, the cavity 430 accommodates the roller 402, and a portion of the roller 402 extends out of the cavity 430 when no external force is applied. Spring guide 403, spring 407, and sleeve 409 are disposed in spring bore 405. The proximal end of spring guide 403 is connected to roller 402, spring 407 and sleeve 409 fit over spring guide 403, sleeve 409 being located between spring 407 and roller 402, one end of sleeve 409 being in contact with spring 407 and the other end of sleeve 409 being in contact with roller 402.

In this embodiment, roller 402 is reciprocable along spring bore 405 in pocket 430 so that roller 402 can extend out of pocket 430 and thus out of the edge of rocker 401; or roller 402 can retract into pocket 430 and thus retract into the edge of rocker 401. In the absence of external force, the roller 402 is held by the rear spring 407, and a portion of the roller 402 protrudes from the edge of the rocker 401 and engages with a step protrusion (see step protrusion 410 in fig. 4A) on the edge of the cavity in the slider 204, so that the rocker 401 is fixed (see fig. 9A), and the rocker 401 is in a non-rotatable operating state. In the case of an external force, the external force presses the roller 402, and when the external force overcomes the elastic force of the spring 407, the roller 402 retracts into the receiving cavity 430, and the step protrusion 410 releases the rocker 401, thereby putting the rocker 401 in a rotatable operating state. Roller 402 may also be a ball or other structure as would be apparent to one of skill in the art.

As shown in FIG. 4D, the rocker 401 is generally sector-shaped, with a heart-shaped slot 411 in the front of the rocker 401, and two stable points, namely, a point A at the apex of the heart and a point B at the fossa of the heart, in the heart-shaped slot 411; the apex A corresponds to the unlocked position and the fossa B corresponds to the locked position. In addition, two unstable positions, i.e., a point C (first transition position) and a point D (second transition position), are provided in the heart-shaped slot 411. Because pit B has a recess 450, when pin 303 is in recess 450 of pit B, movement of pin 303 is restricted and slider 204 cannot move either. That is, when pin 303 is in pit B recess 450, pin 303 is moved out of pit B recess 450 to restore the ability of pin 303 to slide in heart slot 411.

When the pin 303 moves against the inside of the heart-shaped groove 411, a first motion path is formed from the point A to the point B, the first motion path passes through a first transition position C, and the first transition position C returns from the point C to the point B; the movement from the point B to the point A is a second movement path, and the second movement path passes through a second transition position D point and moves back from the point D to the point A. Because the pin 303 has a lateral distance from point B to point D or from point D to point a in the heart-shaped slot 411, while the pin 303 has a lateral distance from point a to point C or from point C to point B in the heart-shaped slot 411. Therefore, in the state where the rocker 401 is not rotated, when the pin 303 reciprocates in the heart-shaped slot 411, the slide plate 302 moves laterally in the lateral slot 311.

In FIG. 4D, a protrusion 420 is also provided on one side of the rocker 401, and when the slider 204 is moved away from the cam 201 after the rocker 401 has deflected, the protrusion 305 abuts the protrusion 420, and the rocker 401 is pulled back to the undeflected position by the force of the slider 204 by the protrusion 305.

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of the rocker 401 and lever 433 of FIG. 4A shown separated from the slider 204 to better illustrate the positional relationship of the rocker 401 and lever 433; fig. 5B is a more detailed structural diagram of the operating rod 433 of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the lever 433 has an inner portion 511 and an outer portion 413, the inner portion 511 of the lever 433 is disposed on a side facing the rocker 401, i.e., the inner portion 511 of the lever 433 faces the side of the rocker 401 having the roller 402, an ear portion 522 is extended from a proximal end of the inner portion 511 of the lever 433 in a direction toward the rocker 401, and a hole 523 is provided in the ear portion 522. The hole 523 is mounted on a shaft (see shaft 607 in fig. 6) in the slider 204 so that the lever 433 rotates about the shaft 607. As the lever 433 rotates about the axis 607 toward the roller 402, the inner portion 511 of the lever 433 may apply a force directly to the roller 402, pushing the roller 402 back into the pocket 430, thereby placing the rocker 401 in a rotatable state.

Fig. 5B shows a schematic reverse structure of the operating rod 433.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the distal end of the lever inner portion 511 extends beyond the bridge 432 in a direction away from the rocker 401, and extends beyond the outer portion 413 at the distal side of the bridge 432. A tip 532 extends from the outer portion 413 of the lever 433 in a direction away from the hole 523. A contact portion 531 is provided between the bridge portion 432 and the hole 523 in the lever inner side 511 portion.

Referring to fig. 4A again, the bridging portion 432 spans the wall of the cavity 431, and the inner side portion 511 of the operation rod is disposed in the cavity 431 and abuts against the inner wall of the cavity 431; the outer lever part 413 is disposed outside the receptacle 431 and abuts against the outer wall of the slider 204. When the tip 532 is pushed by an external force, the operating lever 433 rotates so that the contact portion 531 can press the roller 402.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the door lock of the present application, showing how actuator 103 drives roller 402 in rocker 401.

Fig. 6 shows the cam 201 provided on the base 114 of the door lock 100, the torsion springs 210.1 and 210.2 on both sides of the cam 201, the slider 204, the pocket 431 of the slider 204, the rocker 401 provided in the pocket 431, and the actuator 103. The actuator 103 is disposed on one side of the base 114 and the slider 204. The actuator 103 includes a return spring 121, an iron core 122, a contact pin 123, and a coil 121. The front end of the stylus 123 is close to the front end 532 of the operating rod 433, the contact portion 531 of the operating rod 433 is close to the roller 402, and the roller 402 is engaged with the stepped protrusion 410 of the receptacle 431. When the actuator 103 is activated by receiving an electric signal, the coil 121 is energized, and the driving iron core 122 moves forward due to an electromagnetic force generated by the coil 121, so that the contact pin 123 protrudes forward. Then, the stylus 123 pushes the front end 532 of the operating rod 433 so that the contact portion 531 of the operating rod 433 presses the roller 402 against the elastic force of the spring 403 in the rocker 401, so that the roller 402 is pressed back into the accommodation chamber 430, out of the step protrusion 410, thereby making the rocker 401 rotatable.

Fig. 7A-1 is a side structural sectional view of the door lock 100, showing a schematic view of the structure and state of the present application when the door hook 101 has not been inserted into the cam 201; FIG. 7A-2 is a schematic view of the relative position of the pin 303 and the central slot 411 of the rocker 401 in the state of FIG. 7A-1.

As shown in fig. 7A-1, the door hook 101 is in a position away from the cam 201. At this time, the cam 201 is in the release position, the cam 201 has a tendency to rotate counterclockwise by virtue of the elastic force of the torsion spring 210, and the slider 204 is pushed to the right (in a direction away from the cam 201) by the back surface of the cam 201. The return spring 213 in the slider 204 is in a compressed state, so that the slider 204 has a tendency to move towards the cam 201, but the tendency to move is blocked by the cam 201, and the slider 204 and the cam 201 are in a relatively stable position, i.e. the door lock 100 is in the unlocked position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7A-2, the pin 303 is in the A position in the heart-shaped slot 411 in the slider 204, and the rocker 401 in the slider 204 is in a non-rotatable state because the roller 402 is caught at the step protrusion 410.

Fig. 7B-1 is a side sectional view of the door lock 100, showing the structure and state of the door hook 101 during the insertion of the cam 201, but not locked in the present application; FIG. 7B-2 is a schematic view of the relative position of the pin 303 and the central slot 411 of the rocker 401 in the state of FIG. 7B-1.

As shown in FIG. 7B-1, when the door needs to be closed, a pushing force is given to the door from the outside of the door to move the door hook 101 toward the cam 201, the front end of the door hook 101 touches the open lower end 206 of the cam 201, the pushing force when the door hook 101 is inserted pushes the cam 201 to rotate counterclockwise against the torsion force of the torsion spring 210, and the cam 201 moves from the position of FIG. 7A-1 to the position of FIG. 7B-1. While the hook 205 on the cam 201 is rotatably inserted into the groove 202 on the door hook 101, due to the counterclockwise rotation of the cam 201, the force of the cam 201 against the slider 204 is removed, so that the elastic force of the return spring 213 of the slider 204 pushes the slider 204 to move toward the cam 201, the slider 204 drives the rocker 401 to move relative to the pin 303, and the pin 303 moves from the a position to the C position along the first path below the heart-shaped groove 411.

Fig. 7C-1 is a side sectional view of the door lock 100, showing a schematic view of the structure and state when the door hook 101 is inserted into the cam 201 and locked in the present application; FIG. 7C-2 is a schematic view of the relative position of the pin 303 and the central slot 411 of the rocker 401 in the state of FIG. 7C-1.

When the external pushing force disappears, the torsion of the torsion spring 210 forces the cam 201 to rotate clockwise by a small angle, and the cam 201 pushes the slider 204 to move rightward by a certain distance, as shown in fig. 7C-1. At the same time, the heart slot 411 moves back relative to the pin 303 from the C position to the B position, as shown in fig. 7C-2. Because the pin 303 is in the recess 450 at the dimple B, the slider 204 cannot move to the right (away) from the cam 201 because the other three sides are restricted except for the side facing the pin 303. Moreover, since the slider 204 abuts against the back surface of the cam 201, the cam 201 cannot rotate, and the hook 205 at the upper end of the cam 201 catches the hole 102 of the door hook 101, thereby performing the door locking operation.

It is noted that, as shown by the broken lines in fig. 7A-2, 7B-2, and 7C-2, since the slider 302 cannot move in the longitudinal direction of the slider 204 at this time (see fig. 13C), the pin 303 cannot move in the longitudinal direction of the slider 204. That is, pin 303 does not move, but rocker 401 moves at this time; it is the movement of the rocker 401 that causes the pin 303 to move in position relative to the heart-shaped slot 411.

Fig. 7B-1 may also be used to illustrate the operation of opening the door using an external push. Specifically, after the door is locked, if the external pushing force is required to unlock and open the door of the electrical appliance normally, the electrical appliance needs to be in a power-off state, and the switch box 105 is released to the slider 204. When an external force pushes the door driving hook 101, the cam 201 acts as shown in fig. 7B-1. Specifically, the external pushing force causes the door hook 101 to push the cam 201, and the cam 201 rotates counterclockwise by a small angle, so that the cam 201 moves from the state shown in fig. 7C-1 to the state shown in fig. 7B-1. So that the back surface of the cam 201 moves away from the slider 204 (to the left), the slider 204 moves toward the cam 201 (to the left) by a corresponding small distance under the urging force of the spring 213 on the slider 204, so that the pin 303 moves from point B to point D. Because the pocket 450 at point B moves away from the pin 303, the rocker 401 cannot rotate. When the pushing force disappears, the torsion force of the torsion spring 210 on the cam 210 overcomes the elastic force of the spring 213 on the slider 204 (i.e. the torsion force of the torsion spring 210 on the cam 210 is larger than the elastic force of the spring 213 on the slider 204), so that the slider 204 moves to the right (away from the cam 201), so that the heart-shaped slot 411 moves to the right by a corresponding distance under the torsion force of the torsion spring 210, causing the pin 303 to move back from the D point position to the a point at the heart-shaped slot 411, and the door lock is in the release position. Because there is a lateral distance between the pivot slot 411 moving from point B to point D or from point D to point A, the pin 303 moves laterally in the pivot slot 41 requiring a corresponding lateral movement of the slide plate 302 in the lateral slot 311 in the event that the rocker 401 is not rotated.

Fig. 8A-1, 8A-2, 8B-1 and 8B-2 are for illustrating a process of opening the door lock with an external pulling force or an internal pushing force. FIG. 8A-1 is a cross-sectional view from the slider 204, showing the operation of the internal structure of the slider 204 when the door hook 101 is inserted into the cam 201 and the pin 303 is located at the B point of the heart-shaped slot 411 in the present application; fig. 8A-2 is a schematic view showing the relative positions of the pin 303 and the heart 411 in the state of fig. 8A-1.

As shown in FIG. 8A-1, when the pin 303 is in the B position in the heart-shaped slot 411, the roller 402 in the rocker 401 is caught by the step protrusion 410 and the rocker 401 is not deflected. As shown in fig. 8A-2, pin 303 is now at point B with heart-shaped slot 411.

FIG. 8B-1 is a cross-sectional view from the slider 204, showing the internal structure and state of the slider 204 when the door hook 101 is inserted into the cam 201 and the door is pulled from the outside (or the door is pushed from the inside of the inner door) in the present application; FIG. 8B-2 is a schematic view of the relative position of the pin 303 and the central slot 411 of the rocker 401 in the state of FIG. 8B-1.

It should be noted that, when a pulling force is applied to the door from the outside or a pushing force is applied to the door from the inside, the force at the acting point between the door and the door lock 100 is transmitted to the door hook 101, and the acting directions of the two forces are the same, so that the two door opening methods can be described with reference to fig. 8B-1 and 8B-2.

When a pulling force is applied to the door from the outside of the door (or a pushing force is initially applied to the door from the inside thereof), the door hook 101 mounted on the door pulls the cam 201 to rotate clockwise by the pulling force (or the pushing force inside), and the clockwise rotation of the cam 201 pushes the slider 204 to move rightward. Because the rocker 401 is now stuck, the slider 204 moves to the right, which tends to rotate the rocker 401 clockwise about the axis 605, causing the roller 402 to exert a counter-clockwise rotation force against the step protrusion 410, compressing the spring 407 in the roller 402. When a pulling force is applied to the door from the outside of the door (or a pushing force is initially applied to the door from the inside of the door) against the spring 407, the roller 402 is compressed into the pocket 430, so that the step 410 loses its resistance to the rocker 401, and the rocker 401 is rotated, so that the slider 204 rotates the rocker 401 clockwise about the pivot 605, and the rocker 401 rotates from the position shown in fig. 8A-1 to the position shown in fig. 8B-1. The pin 303 slides out of the recess 450 at point B and moves back from point B in the heart-shaped slot phase 411 to point a. The slider 204 releases the cam 201 because the pin 303 does not hinder the movement of the slider 204 at point a. The cam 201 is rotated clockwise to the release position by the torsion spring 210.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are three cross-sectional views of the slider 204 of the present application, showing the intent of the actuator 103 to rotate the rocker 401 during the automatic unlocking process and then unlock it.

Fig. 9A is a schematic view showing a state where the rocker 4012 is caught by the step protrusion 410, and the structures of the door hook 101 and the components of the door lock 100 are the same as those of fig. 7C-1.

As shown in fig. 9B, when the automatic unlocking is performed, the actuator 103 receives the start signal, the coil 121 inside the actuator is energized to generate electromagnetic force, the electromagnetic force drives the iron core 122 to push out the contact pin 123, the contact pin 123 starts to push the front end 532 of the operating rod 433, the operating rod 433 rotates around the shaft 607, and the pressing force is gradually applied to the roller 402 to overcome the elastic force of the spring 407.

As shown in FIG. 9C, when the force exerted by the lever 433 on the roller 402 overcomes the spring force of the spring 407, the roller 402 rides over the step protrusion 410, causing the rocker 401 to lose its snap-fit restraint. Meanwhile, the cam 201 is pushed to rotate clockwise under the action of the torsional force of the torsion spring 201, the cam 201 pushes the slider 402 to move rightward, and the pin 303 cannot move in the length direction of the slider 402 due to the fact that the pin 303 is located in the concave part 450 at the point B of the heart-shaped groove of the rocker 401. Thus, movement of the slider 402 forces the rocker 401 to rotate clockwise about the axis 605 so that the position of the pin 303 relative to the heart-shaped slot 411 moves from point B directly (without passing through points C or D) to point A and the door lock is unlocked. The mode is that the electric appliance is automatically unlocked, so that the automation of opening the door of the electric appliance is realized, and the development trend of intelligent electric appliances can be met.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are transverse cross-sectional views of the base 114 and rocker 401 of the present application, illustrating a state in which the rocker 401 has returned to an undeflected position after rotation.

The component positions shown in FIG. 10A correspond to the state of the rocker 401 rotated counterclockwise after being unlocked by an external force or electromagnetically unlocked as shown in FIG. 8B-1 or FIG. 9C. As shown in fig. 10A, when the unlocking motion is completed (i.e. the roller 402 retracts into the rocker 401), the rocker 401 can rotate freely to get rid of the constraint of the pin 303, so that the slider 204 loses the original supporting force of the pin 303, the torsion spring 210 on the shaft of the cam 201 forces the cam 201 to rotate to the open position, and the slider 402 is pushed by the cam shaft 211 to move to the open position to the right or in the direction away from the cam 201 (direction a in the figure) relative to the base 114. In FIG. 10A, ball 402 on rocker 401 is clear of the snap step 410 in slider pocket 431; however, the protrusion 420 on the rocker 401 contacts or abuts the protrusion 305 on the slider 204. The cam shaft 211 in fig. 10A is an urging means for urging the slider 402 on the cam 201.

As shown in FIG. 10B, when the slider 402 is moved rightward (away from the cam 201) relative to the base 114, relative movement of the slider 402 and the base 114 causes the protrusion 305 on the base 114 to move the protrusion 420 of the rocker 401, causing the rocker 401 to rotate counterclockwise, moving the rocker 401 back to the position facing the raised step 410, re-engaging the rocker 401, and returning the pin 303 to the A position in the heart-shaped slot 411. At substantially the same time, the slider 204 and the cam 201 are both reset (i.e., the open state position).

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view of the door lock 100, which shows the positional relationship of the slider 204 and the lock block 1101 in the switch box 105 when the door lock 100 is in the locked state.

In the door lock 100 shown in fig. 11, when the door of the electric appliance is normally closed, the door hook 101 is fixed by the cam 201, and the back surface of the cam 201 is abutted by the slider 204. Referring to fig. 2, the switch box 105 is located at a lower portion of the slider 204; so that when the lock 1101 is projected upward from the box 105, it is inserted into the locking hole 219 of the slider 204, thereby locking the cam 201; at this time, the roller 402 is caught on the step 410, and the rocker 401 is in a non-rotatable state. In fig. 11, a gap H exists between the wall of the locking hole 219 of the slider 204 and the locking piece 1101; the distance of the gap may be 0.45mm in this embodiment. This clearance H is required for normal insertion of the door lock 100 into the locking hole 219. However, due to the gap, when the door hook 101 is suddenly pulled outward by an external force, the cam 201 may suddenly push the slider 204 to move rightward (away from the cam 201), and the sudden push may exert an impact force on the pin 303, which may adversely affect the pin 303.

Fig. 12A and 12B are a perspective view of the base 114 and a structural perspective view of the base 114, respectively, and an exploded view corresponding to the structure of fig. 12A, for illustrating a buffer mechanism provided to the gap H shown in fig. 11.

As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, the buffer mechanism includes a lever piece 1201 provided at an end of the base 114, a lever shaft 1202, and a pair of lever springs (1203.1, 1203.2). Lever plate 1201 includes an upper portion 1213, a middle portion 1214 and a lower portion 1215. The lever plate 1201 is disposed at the rear of the base 114 in a vertical direction, and the upper portion thereof is close to the edge of the disc 321 of the slider 302. The back side of the middle part 1214 of the lever plate 1201 is bent into a groove 1204, and the groove 1204 is used for accommodating the lever shaft 1202, so that the lever plate 1201 can be turned around the lever shaft 1203 at a certain angle under the elastic force of the lever springs (1203.1, 1203.2) to make the upper part 1213 of the lever plate 1201 close to or abut against the edge of the disc 321, so that the lever springs (1203.1, 1203.2) can provide a biasing force to the disc 321.

Fig. 13A-13B are cross-sectional views of the door lock 100 illustrating the operation of the damping mechanism of fig. 12A and 12B. Fig. 13C-13D are enlarged partial views of fig. 13A-13B, respectively, to show more specific details of the operation of the damping mechanism.

Fig. 13A and 13C show the positional relationship of the respective related parts in the case where no external pulling force or internal pushing force is applied after the door is closed. As shown in fig. 13A and 13C, the tendency of the lever blade 1201 to rotate counterclockwise about the lever axis 1203 causes the upper portion 1213 of the lever blade 1201 to approach the edge of the disc 321 due to the spring force of the lever springs (1203.1, 1203.2) outward at the bottom; the edge of the disc 321 is spaced from the upper portion 1213 of the lever plate 1201 so as not to impede the sliding movement of the slider 302 in the transverse slot 321. At this time, the rightward urging force of the torsion spring 210 on the cam 201 is insufficient to overcome the elastic force of the lever springs (1203.1, 1203.2), so that the slider 302 is restricted by the upper portion 1213 of the lever plate 1201 and cannot move longitudinally.

Fig. 13B and 13D show the positional relationship of the respective related parts when the door hook is suddenly pulled outward by an external force after the door is closed. As shown in fig. 13D, the torsion spring 210 on the cam 201 generates a pushing force pushing the slider 204 to the right and a pulling force pulling the door to move the slider 204 to the right; at this time, the rightward pushing force of the torsion spring 210 plus the pulling force of the sliding door overcomes the elastic force of the lever springs (1203.1, 1203.2), the edge of the disc 321 pushes the upper portion 1213 of the lever plate 1201 out, so that after the sliding disk 302 moves (or moves approximately) to the right along with the slider 204 by the gap distance H, the lock 1101 contacts the wall of the locking hole 219 on the slider 204, and the movement of the slider 204 is stopped. When the door hook 101 is pulled suddenly outward by an external force, the sliding disk 302 will move to the right (away from the cam 201) by the clearance distance H, so as to avoid or buffer the impact force on the pin 303.

The buffer mechanism shown in the figure absorbs the displacement of the sliding block 204 generated by the lever springs 1203.1, 1203.2, the strength of the elastic force is easy to control, the installation is convenient, and the mass production of the door lock 100 is convenient. But in fact, the invention is not limited to the damping mechanism shown in the figures, and other members such as steel wire members with elasticity for absorbing the movement of the sliding block 204 also belong to the equivalent design similar to the damping mechanism of the invention.

Although the present application will be described with reference to the particular embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that numerous changes may be made in the door lock including the cushioning mechanism of the present application and that the status indicating device and sensing slide of the present application may be used in other configurations of appliance door locks without departing from the spirit and scope of the teachings of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize various ways to alter the parameters of the embodiments disclosed herein, all of which are within the spirit and scope of the present application and the claims.