Door Latch

摘要

A rotatable door latch for a door hingedly attached the housing of a device, which in some embodiments may be a medical device for handling fluids, such as a peritoneal dialysis cycler with pump cassette. In an embodiment, the door is configured to close over an installed cassette against a front panel of the housing, the door latch configured to capture the head of a post mounted to the housing. After capturing the head of the post and rotating the door latch, a slot in the latch flanked by a ramp or cam feature slides against the post head, the ramp increasing in thickness to progressively increase the closing force between the door and the post head. Upon full closure of the door latch, a detent at the end of the slot provides a maintenance closing force between the door and the post head. The thickness of at least a portion of the detent is less than the terminal thickness of the ramp, so that a release force needed to move the detent off the post head is greater than the maintenance force between the detent and the post head.

主权项

1. A door latch comprising:
a latch body pivotally connected to a door that is hingedly attached to a housing; the latch body configured to rotate about an axis perpendicular to a face of the door; the latch body comprising a hole having a first width through which a post attached to the housing penetrates as the door is closed; the latch body comprising an elongated slot having a first end and a second end, the slot having a second width smaller than the first width of the hole, and extending from the first end at the hole to the second end, so that rotation of the latch body about its axis to a closing position moves the slot relative to the post from the first end to the second end; the post having a head sized larger than a neck or body of the post, the head being smaller than the first width of the hole but larger than the second width of the slot, so that the post head is captured by the slot as the latch body rotates to the closing position; the slot flanked by a ramp or cam element on the latch body that provides a closing force between the door and the post as the latch body is rotated to the closing position, the ramp or cam element having a first thickness at the first end of the slot, progressing to a greater terminal thickness at the second end of the slot; the second end of the slot terminating at a slotted detent having a thickness that provides a first maintenance force between the door and the post when the detent is rotated onto the head of the post; wherein the terminal thickness of the ramp or cam element at the second end of the slot is greater than the thickness of the detent, thereby requiring a release force between the door and the post that is greater than the maintenance force in order to rotate the detent onto or off the head of the post.