The invention relates to a domestic appliance having a housing, in which an interior space for accommodating food is configured. The domestic appliance also comprises a door for closing off the interior space, said door being disposed with a coupling apparatus on the housing and being able to be pivoted up to a maximum opening angle relative thereto.

Domestic appliances, for example a domestic refrigeration appliance in the form of a refrigerator or freezer or combined fridge/freezer, generally have doors, which can be pivoted about a vertical axis. To this end it is known that such doors can be opened up to a predetermined maximum opening angle and then are stopped and cannot be opened any further.

Depending on the installation site or other circumstances situations can therefore arise, in which user-friendly accessibility to the interior space is restricted when the door is open.

The object of the present invention is to create a domestic appliance, which is embodied more flexibly in respect of accessibility to the interior space.

This object is achieved by a domestic appliance, which has the features as claimed in claim 1 .

An inventive domestic appliance comprises a housing, in which an interior space for accommodating food is configured. The domestic appliance also comprises a door for closing off the interior space, said door being disposed with a coupling apparatus on the housing and being able to be pivoted up to a maximum opening angle relative thereto. One important idea of the invention is that the coupling apparatus has a setting facility for setting a first maximum opening angle and at least a second maximum opening angle of the door that is different therefrom. The setting facility therefore makes it possible to predetermine at least two different opening angles, up to which the door can be opened as a maximum. The respectively preferred maximum opening angle can therefore be set individually as a function of the situation. This improves user-friendly accessibility to the interior space when the door is open, as it is possible to configure this maximum opening angle in a more flexible and variable manner in that it is possible to change it. Provision is preferably made for the setting facility to have a support element, which is disposed in a fixed position on the door and has a first holder for a coupling element for coupling the door to the housing. This support element creates a mechanically stable base, which allows relative movement of the individual parts that are coupled together in a stable manner and prevents unwanted play. The fixed attachment of the support element to the door further improves the mechanical bearing capacity and the absorption of forces and leverage. The support element is preferably a lower or upper door termination strip.

Provision is preferably made for the door to be connected to the housing with a coupling element connected in a fixed manner to the housing. This coupling element is preferably a hinge, so that the pivoting movement of the door can take place evenly and therefore smoothly and can easily be initiated by a user.

Provision is preferably made for the coupling element to be connected to the support element in a rotatable manner and to be supported in the first holder. The mechanically stable guidance of the movement of the coupling element is therefore also produced by the support element in the form of the first holder.

Provision is preferably made for the setting facility to have a support element, which is disposed in a fixed position on the door and has a second holder for a door opening angle limiting element. This embodiment also produces a mechanically stable holder, which can withstand heavy loading and in which said door opening angle limiting element is also held. If the second holder is also configured in this support element, an embodiment of the setting facility is produced which has a reduced number of parts, as it supports both the door opening angle limiting element and the coupling element. This also advantageously assists a mechanical coupling of said coupling element and the limiting element, allowing a particularly precise and sustainably exact positional arrangement of the cited components in relation to one another to be achieved in the context.

Provision is preferably made for the door opening angle limiting element to be able to be inserted in the second holder in such a manner that it can be released non-destructively. This is an embodiment that deserves particular mention, as it allows assembly and disassembly to be achieved repeatedly, thereby also allowing said door opening angle limiting element to be removed very quickly and easily. On the one hand this means that it is not necessary to remove the entire module with the support element and components for maintenance work or replacement. On the other hand one advantage that deserves particular mention is that because it is possible to remove the limiting element non-destructively in this way, its positional arrangement in the second holder can be changed, allowing the door angle limiting functionality also then to be changed in particular. Because it is possible to remove the limiting element from the second holder and to change the relative position of the limiting element to the support element in said second holder, it is possible to achieve a mechanical position change relative to the coupling element, with the result that the mechanical coupling between the limiting element and the coupling element changes, allowing the maximum door opening angle to be changed. This embodiment of the possibility of removing the door opening angle limiting element in such a manner that it can be released non-destructively and inserting it into the second holder means that it is also possible for a user him/herself to carry out such a change to the maximum door opening angle very easily.

Provision is preferably made for the second holder to be configured to position the door opening angle limiting element in a rotationally fixed manner. It is preferable if the positioning of the door opening angle limiting element in the second holder, once set, can then not be twisted about the hole axis of the holder. If a force acts on said limiting element disposed in the second holder in a direction that is not parallel to the hole axis, a rotational movement of the limiting element is thus prevented. Such an embodiment therefore means that it therefore serves as an extremely precise stop, which maintains its position even when in direct contact with the coupling element and therefore the maximum door opening angle characterized thereby would also be displaced or extended in an undesirable manner, even if the coupling element is brought to a stop against said door opening angle limiting element a number of times.

Provision is preferably made for the door opening angle limiting element to have an insertion region for insertion into the second holder, with a coding region disposed thereon. This coding region extends at least partially out of the second holder when the door opening angle limiting element is disposed in the second holder. This means that it is so to speak exposed at the top and can be brought into direct contact with the coupling element.

The rotationally fixed positioning of the door opening angle limiting element in the second holder is achieved in particular in that the second holder is configured so that it is not rotationally symmetrical about its longitudinal axis in a peripheral direction. An asymmetrical hole geometry of the second holder is preferably formed here, which allows simple monitoring of how the door opening angle limiting element has to be inserted in the holder and therefore relative to the support element, in order then to select a desired maximum door opening angle from the plurality of possible maximum door opening angles.

The coding region is preferably configured in the manner of a plate. This embodiment has a very low structural height and is mechanically stable so that even if the coupling element is brought to a stop against the coding region with significant force, no undesirable plastic deformation occurs.

To limit the door opening angle, provision is preferably made for the coding region to be connected directly to a coupling element of the setting facility when the door is opened to the maximum and to form a stop to limit the door opening angle. Such an embodiment produces a relatively simple component in the form of the coding region, which ensures the defining and setting of the different possible maximum door opening angles in a precise manner.

In one particularly advantageous embodiment the coding region is configured asymmetrically in relation to a hole axis of the second holder and therefore also asymmetrically in relation to a longitudinal axis of an insertion region of the door opening angle limiting element adjoining the coding region. Such an asymmetrical configuration means that the element itself makes it possible in a simple manner for a different position and therefore also a different distance from a coupling element disposed in the first holder to be configured as a function of the relative positioning of the door opening angle limiting element in the second holder. A different setting of the maximum door opening angle can then be automatically achieved.

Provision is preferably made for the coding region to have an angular edge contour with a door opening angle coding line being configured between two corner points of the edge contour in each instance, each coding line characterizing a different maximum door opening angle. The coding lines then serve so to speak as stops for the coupling element and the embodiment as a straight line means that the longest possible direct stop or a direct contact surface is created. This considerably improves the stabilizing of said stop and therefore also the maintaining of said maximum door opening angle. It means that direct mechanical contact with the coupling element can be achieved over the greatest possible distance and therefore the greatest possible longitudinal face of the coding region. Provision is made in particular for each coding line to have a length center point, which means that the length center point is at the same distance from both end points of a coding line. These length center points of the respective coding lines are at different distances from the hole axis of the second holder when there is a straight line connection. A maximum door opening angle is selected in that the associated coding line is disposed facing a coupling element.

In particular the setting and changing of a number of possible maximum different door opening angles are generated by the interaction of a specifically shaped door opening angle limiting element and the bringing to a stop of the coupling element produced thereon.

The domestic appliance is preferably a domestic refrigeration appliance, such as a refrigerator or a freezer or a combined fridge/freezer for example.

Provision is preferably made for the setting facility to be configured to set four different maximum door opening angles. Provision is made in particular for the second holder to have a shape, which is configured with groove-type extensions each at an angle of 90° to one another. The insertion region of the door opening angle limiting element in particular is configured so that it comprises webs that can be inserted in a complementary manner therein, allowing the corresponding rotationally fixed positioning to be achieved here too. Depending on which of the then four possible relative positionings of the door opening angle limiting element to the support element in the second holder is selected, with the limiting element being inserted correspondingly, a coding line formed individually on the coding region then faces the coupling element. This also means that a different individual distance is formed in each instance between the coding line and the coupling element in its closed position (door closed).

Provision is preferably made for the values of the respectively associated maximum door opening angles to be displayed on an upper face of the coding region facing away from the second holder at the respective points assigned to the coding lines. In particular these values are also disposed at an offset of 90° to one another in a peripheral direction around the hole axis or the axis of the door opening angle limiting element.

Provision is preferably made for the maximum door opening angles to be between 120° and 150°. These opening angles are preferably between 130° and 145°. If four different maximum door opening angles can be set using the setting facility, these values can in particular be 130°, 135°, 140° and 145°.

Further features of the invention will emerge from the claims, figures and description of the figures. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description and the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the description of the figures and/or simply shown in the figures can be used not only in the combination mentioned in each instance but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the invention. Embodiments of the invention that are not illustrated specifically in the figures and described but emerge and can be generated as a result of separate feature combinations from the described embodiments should therefore also be considered to be comprehensive and disclosed.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to schematic drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive domestic appliance;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a partial section of the domestic appliance according to Fig. 1 , showing components of a setting facility for the door opening angle;

Fig. 3 shows an exploded diagram of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a further perspective view of the exploded diagram according to Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a top view of a partial section of the setting facility, showing a door opening angle limiting element;

Fig. 6 shows a top view of the setting facility with a first set maximum door opening angle and closed door;

Fig. 7 shows the top view according to Fig. 6 with the door opened to the maximum for these specific door opening angles;

Fig. 8 shows a top view of the setting facility, with which a maximum door opening angle is set, which is different from those in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 shows a top view of the embodiment according to Fig. 8, in which the door is opened to this maximum door opening angle. Identical elements or those of identical function are shown with identical reference characters in the figures.

Fig. 1 shows a domestic appliance 1 , which is configured as a domestic refrigeration appliance and can be for example a refrigerator or a freezer or a combined fridge/freezer.

The domestic appliance 1 comprises an outer housing 2, which encloses an inner container 3. The walls of the inner container 3 delimit an interior space 4, into which food and beverages can be introduced to be stored and conserved. At the front the inner container 3 has a loading opening for access to the interior space 4, which can be closed off by a door 5. The door 5 can be pivoted about a vertical axis A, preferably being attached in a hinged manner to the housing 2 in particular by means of a coupling apparatus 6.

To pivot the door 5 about the vertical axis A, provision is also made for this to be possible up to a maximum opening angle.

The domestic appliance 1 comprises a setting facility 7, by means of which two different maximum door opening angles can be set for the door 5. To this end the setting facility 7 comprises corresponding component configurations in the upper region of the door 5 and in the lower region of the door 5.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the setting facility 7 with its components for example in the lower region of the door 5. The setting facility 7 comprises a support plate 8, which is configured as a door termination strip and in which a first holder 9 is configured as a recess or hole. A coupling element 10, which is a hinge, extends partially into this recess or into this first holder 9. Said coupling element 10 can be pivoted about an axis B, which is parallel or coaxial to the axis A, and can therefore be rotated relative to the support plate 8. The coupling element 10 is disposed in the first holder 9 and therefore connected to the support plate 8 and also connected in a fixed manner to the door 5.

The setting facility 7 also comprises a second holder 1 1 in the support plate 8, in which a door opening angle limiting element 12 is disposed.

The support plate 8 is in particular attached in a fixed position to the door 5. The door opening angle limiting element 12 only extends partially into the second holder 1 1 , an insertion region 13 being configured for this purpose. When inserted into the second holder 1 1 , the door opening angle limiting element 12 is disposed in a rotationally fixed manner therein, which means that it cannot be twisted about a longitudinal axis C relative to the support plate 8.

The door opening angle limiting element 12 is disposed in the second holder 1 1 in such a manner that it can be released non-destructively. It can therefore be removed and re-inserted repeatedly, which is particularly advantageous for the individual setting and determination of the respectively desired maximum door opening angle.

Fig. 3 shows an exploded diagram of the setting facility 7.

In addition to the insertion region 13, the mushroom-shaped door opening angle limiting element 12 comprises a coding region 14, which is embodied in the manner of a plate. For further mechanical stable attachment, provision can be made for the door opening angle limiting element 12 also to be attached with an attaching element, for example a screw 15, in the second holder 1 1 .

Fig. 4 shows a further view of an exploded diagram of the setting facility 7. The embodiment of the coding region 14 is shown in greater detail here. The geometry and shape of the hole or second holder 1 1 in particular are shown clearly here. The axis C, which runs parallel to the longitudinal axis B of the first holder 9, therefore represents both the axis of the second holder 1 1 and, in the assembled state, the longitudinal axis of the door opening angle limiting element 12.

In addition to a cylindrical recess the second holder 1 1 also has protrusions 1 1 a, 1 1 b, 1 1 c and 1 1 d projecting radially to the axis C. These four protrusions 1 1 a, 1 1 b, 1 1 c and 1 1 d are disposed respectively at a 90° angle to one another in a peripheral direction about the axis C. The fact that there are four such protrusions 1 1 a, 1 1 b, 1 1 c and 1 1 d in number should not be seen as restrictive and this is only specified for the exemplary embodiment in that four different maximum door opening angles can be set. Depending on the relative position in which the door opening angle limiting element 12 is inserted into said second holder 1 1 , an individual relative position of the coding region 14 to the adjacent coupling element 10 results in each instance.

As can already been seen from the diagram in Fig. 3 and in detail in Fig. 4, said coding region 14 is not configured with rotational symmetry about the axis C. This asymmetry of the plate-like coding region 14 is expressed in a polygonal edge contour 16. When the door opening angle limiting element 12 is inserted into the second holder 1 1 , the coding region 14 projects at the top and is provided for direct contact with the coupling element 10.

Depending on the relative position in which said door opening angle limiting element 12 is disposed in the second holder 1 1 and therefore in relation to the support plate 8, different relative positions of the coding region 14 to the coupling element 10 result. This is due to the asymmetry of the coding region 14, so that a different distance between the coding region 14 and the coupling element 10 results as a function of this relative position in each instance.

This very angular edge contour 16 comprises a number of coding lines 17, 18, 19 and 20. The number of coding lines 17 to 20 is identical to the number of maximum different door opening angles that can be set with the setting facility 7. In the exemplary embodiment provision is made for it to be possible to set four different maximum door opening angles and these can be in particular 130°, 135°, 140° and 145°.

As can be seen from the diagram in Fig. 5, which shows a top view of the embodiment according to Fig. 4 in the assembled state and shows the door opening angle limiting element 12 in a top view of the coding region 14 in this context, the value details of the settable door opening angle are indicated in each instance on an upper face 21 of said coding region 14. Like the protrusions 1 1 a, 1 1 b, 1 1 c and 1 1 d, which are disposed respectively at right angles to one another, these four angle values are also displayed or marked with a 90° offset to one another in a peripheral direction about the axis C. The number facing the coupling element 10 is the maximum set opening angle in each instance. In Fig. 5 145° is set as the maximum door opening angle. As shown in the diagram in Fig. 5, the coding lines 17, 18, 19 and 20 are at different straight-line distances from the axis C. Provision is made in particular here for said coding lines 17 to 20 to be oblique in each instance and to be at a different distance from the axis C with a length center point 17a, 18a, 19a and 20a in each instance. The distances here are measured perpendicular to the axis C as connecting lines between the axis C and this respective length center point 17a, 18a, 19a and 20a.

As can be seen in the diagram in Fig. 5, the point on a length of the coding line 17 to 20, which is located precisely in the center between the corner points and therefore of the entire length of a coding line 17, 18, 19 and 20, is considered to be the length center point 17a, 18a, 19a and 20a. As shown, the distance between the axis C and the length center point 17a is greater than the distance between the axis C and the length center point 18a. The distance between the axis C and the length center point 19a is in turn shorter than the two previously cited distances and the distance between the axis C and the length center point 20a is then in turn shorter than the three previously cited distances. The corresponding distances also correlate in the context with the corresponding angle values, so that as the maximum door opening angle increases, the distance between the axis C and a length center point of a coding line becomes smaller. This also means that the distance from the coupling element 10 varies with the door opening angle set in each instance so that when for example a maximum door opening angle of 130 degrees is set, the coding line 17 faces the coupling element 10 and the distance between the coding line 17 and the coupling element 10 is at its shortest. In contrast with the set maximum door opening angle of 145° shown in Fig. 5, the coding line 20 faces the coupling element 10 and the distance between said coding line 20 and the coupling element 10 is at its longest.

Fig. 6 shows a top view, in which the door 5 is shown in a closed state and therefore the coupling element 10 is correspondingly positioned and disposed without contact with the coding region 14. In this embodiment in Fig. 6 a maximum door opening angle of 135° is set, with the door opening angle limiting element 12 being positioned specifically in the second holder 1 1 to this end. This is identified in that the figure 135 indicated on the upper face 21 faces the coupling element 10.

If the door 5 is now opened, the diagram in Fig. 7 applies, in which the coupling element 10 rests against the coding line 20 directly over a maximum length with a stop face 10a. This diagram also shows why the orientation of the coding line 20 in the coding region 14 is correspondingly oblique with different angles at the coding region 14, as a maximum direct length contact between the face 10a and the respective coding line 17 to 20 is then achieved individually in each instance. Fig. 8 shows a top view of the setting facility 7 in a further exemplary embodiment, in which, in contrast to the embodiment according to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, a maximum door opening angle of 130° is set. To this end, compared with Fig. 6 the door opening angle limiting element 12 is first removed from the second holder 1 1 based on Fig. 6 and twisted in its relative positioning, so that the number 130 faces the coupling element 10 when the door 5 is in the closed position shown in Fig. 8. Again based on the diagram in Fig. 8, the door is then opened and Fig. 9 shows the top view of the fully opened state of the door 5, with the face 10a of the coupling element 10 resting directly against the coding line 17 over its entire length. It can also be seen here that the specific oblique position of the coding line 17 allows maximum direct contact over the entire length of the coding line 17 with this opening angle and therefore this position of the coupling element 10 relative to the door opening angle limiting element 12.

List of reference numerals

Domestic appliance

Outer housing

Inner container

Interior space

Door

Coupling apparatus

Setting facility

Support plate

First holder

Coupling element

a Stop face

Second holder

a Protrusion

b Protrusion

c Protrusion

d Protrusion

Door opening angle limiting element

Insertion region

Coding region

Screw

Polygonal edge contour

Coding line

a Length center point

Coding line

a Length center point

Coding line

a Length center point

Coding line

a Length center point

Upper face