Bitron S.p.a.

Enrico Adiutori

Fabrizio Promutico

Giulio Raimondi

Antonino Sidari

The present invention relates to a door-lock device () for locking and unlocking a door of a household appliance, such as a washing machine, a dishwasher and the like, comprising a first () and a second () electrical connecting terminal, a closing switch () series connected to said first connecting terminal () or to said second connection terminal (), and arranged to close when the door of said household appliance is closed, an actuator (), connected to said first () and second () connecting terminals, comprising at least one coil (), suitable to generate a magnetic field capable of causing the locking and unlocking of said door, and a Hall sensor () connected between said first () and said second () terminal, arranged in parallel with said actuator (), said Hall sensor () being arranged so as to detect said magnetic field of said actuator ().

Door-lock device

The present disclosure concerns a method for detecting the status and failure of a door-lock device of a household appliance door, having two terminals and operating through different states. The method comprises the steps of applying a first control signal with a polarization, detecting the impedance at the terminals, and applying a second control signal, having opposite polarization to the first control signal, detecting the impedance to the ends of the terminals. In a reference table, the impedances at the ends of the terminals for each of the door-lock device states are provided. The method also compares the impedance values measured at the ends of said terminals with those of the comparative table, so as to detect the states of the door-lock device and any faults of the door-lock device according to the detected impedance values.

Method for controlling the operation of a door-lock device and control system thereof

The present invention concerns an actuator module () comprising an actuating unit (), said actuating unit comprising a solenoid () having a first () and a second () electric terminal, capable, when excited, of generating an electromagnetic field and a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) resistor () connected in series with said second electric terminal () of said solenoid (), said actuator module () being characterized in that said actuating unit () can be controlled by activation signals and protection signals, and in that it comprises a switch circuit (), connected between said first () and second () electric terminal, said switch circuit () allowing the passage of current through said solenoid () and said PTC resistor () by said activation signals; and preventing the passage of current through said solenoid (), but allowing the passage of current through said PTC resistor (), by said protection signals. The present invention also concerns a system for locking-unlocking a door of a household appliance, such as a washing machine and a method for protecting a locking-unlocking system.

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Turin, Italy

Enrico Adiutori