US20220010473A1 - Clothes treating apparatus - Google Patents
Clothes treating apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20220010473A1 US20220010473A1 US17/484,751 US202117484751A US2022010473A1 US 20220010473 A1 US20220010473 A1 US 20220010473A1 US 202117484751 A US202117484751 A US 202117484751A US 2022010473 A1 US2022010473 A1 US 2022010473A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- drum
- tub
- arm
- laundry
- drawer
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/02—Rotary receptacles, e.g. drums
- D06F37/12—Rotary receptacles, e.g. drums adapted for rotation or oscillation about a vertical axis
- D06F37/14—Ribs or rubbing means forming part of the receptacle
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/02—Rotary receptacles, e.g. drums
- D06F37/12—Rotary receptacles, e.g. drums adapted for rotation or oscillation about a vertical axis
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/30—Driving arrangements
- D06F37/40—Driving arrangements for driving the receptacle and an agitator or impeller, e.g. alternatively
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00
- D06F39/12—Casings; Tubs
- D06F39/125—Supporting arrangements for the casing, e.g. rollers or legs
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/20—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations
- D06F37/24—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/20—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations
- D06F37/24—Mountings, e.g. resilient mountings, for the rotary receptacle, motor, tub or casing; Preventing or damping vibrations in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
- D06F37/245—Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F37/00—Details specific to washing machines covered by groups D06F21/00 - D06F25/00
- D06F37/30—Driving arrangements
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00
- D06F39/08—Liquid supply or discharge arrangements
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F39/00—Details of washing machines not specific to a single type of machines covered by groups D06F9/00 - D06F27/00
- D06F39/10—Filtering arrangements
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B40/00—Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus.
- laundry treatment apparatuses include an apparatus that washes laundry (an object to be washed or an object to be dried), an apparatus that dries laundry, and an apparatus that is capable of performing both washing and drying of laundry.
- a cabinet a drawer removably provided in the cabinet, and a laundry accommodation unit provided in the drawer to provide a laundry accommodation region (a laundry treatment space) for washing or drying laundry.
- the laundry treatment apparatus in which the laundry accommodation unit is provided in the drawer, which is removably provided in the cabinet, may store therein a greater amount of water and laundry when the volume of the laundry accommodation unit is greater, and thus may achieve enhanced washing ability.
- the laundry treatment apparatus including the drawer, however, it is necessary to limit the height of the laundry treatment apparatus or to minimize the volume of the laundry treatment apparatus, in consideration of the space utilization thereof or for use as an auxiliary laundry treatment apparatus.
- One object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus including a laundry accommodation unit provided in a drawer removably provided in a cabinet, wherein the volume of the laundry treatment apparatus is minimized while the washing ability of the laundry treatment apparatus is enhanced.
- Another object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus capable of effectively agitating laundry or sufficiently forming a stream of water during the rotation of a drum.
- Another object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus capable of minimizing damage to laundry.
- a further object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus capable of filtering water supplied into a laundry accommodation unit while laundry is washed.
- the present invention provides a laundry treatment apparatus including a cabinet having an entrance, a drawer provided in the cabinet so as to be removable from the cabinet through the entrance, a tub provided in the drawer to store water, the tub having a tub opening, through which laundry is introduced into or removed from the tub, a drum including a circular drum bottom surface provided in the tub, a cylindrical drum body fixed to the drum bottom surface and extending toward the tub opening, and a drum opening located in the upper surface of the drum body so as to communicate with the tub opening, a driving unit to rotate the drum, the driving unit having a rotary shaft connected to the drum bottom surface through the tub, and an agitator including a hub fixed to the center of rotation of the drum bottom surface so as to protrude toward the drum opening and an arm extending from the tub toward the circumferential surface of the drum body.
- the agitator may have a height equal to or greater than half of the height of the drum.
- the arm may include a first surface extending from the hub and inclined toward the drum bottom surface, a second surface having an angle of inclination greater than an angle of inclination of the first surface based on the rotary shaft, and a third surface that interconnects the drum bottom surface and the second surface, and the height from the drum bottom surface to the hub may be equal to or greater than half of the height of the drum while the height from the drum bottom surface to the second surface is less than half of the height of the drum.
- the end of the arm may be spaced apart from the circumferential surface of the drum by a predetermined distance.
- the distance from the hub to the end of the arm may b e greater than half of the radius of the drum body.
- the arm may include an arm base provided at the drum bottom surface and an arm body having one end fixed to the hub and the other end fixed to the arm base.
- the arm base may be made of the same material as the drum bottom surface, and the arm body may be made of a different material than the drum bottom surface.
- the arm base may be formed by bending the drum bottom surface toward the drum opening.
- the arm may include a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm provided around the hub so as to be spaced apart from each other by 120 degrees.
- the laundry treatment apparatus may further include a body located outside the drum bottom surface, the rotary shaft being coupled to the body, a fixing arm extending from the body toward the circumferential surface of the drum bottom surface, the fixing arm being provided at a position corresponding to the arm, and a first fastening unit fixed to the fixing arm through the drum bottom surface, the first fastening unit being located in a laundry storage space defined by the drum so as not to be exposed by the arm.
- the arm may include an arm base provided at the drum bottom surface and an arm body having one end fixed to the hub and the other end fixed to the arm base, and the first fastening unit may be fixed to the fixing arm through the arm base, the first fastening unit not being exposed by the arm body.
- the laundry treatment apparatus may further include a second fastening unit inserted into the drum from the outside of the drum bottom surface, the second fastening unit being fixed to the arm body through the fixing arm and the drum bottom surface.
- the laundry treatment apparatus may further include a third fastening unit inserted into the drum from the outside of the drum bottom surface, the third fastening unit being fixed to the hub through the drum bottom surface.
- the laundry treatment apparatus may further include a chamber provided in the hub, an introduction hole, through which the inside of the chamber communicates with the inside of the drum and through which water is introduced into the chamber, a filtering hole formed through the bottom surface of the chamber, and a drum through-hole formed through the drum bottom surface, the drum through-hole being located under the filtering hole.
- the present invention has the effect of providing a laundry treatment apparatus including a laundry accommodation unit provided in a drawer that is removably provided in the cabinet so as to be removable from the cabinet through the entrance, wherein the volume of the laundry treatment apparatus is minimized while the washing ability of the laundry treatment apparatus is enhanced.
- the present invention has the effect of providing a laundry treatment apparatus capable of filtering water supplied into a laundry accommodation unit while laundry is washed.
- FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention
- FIG. 3 shows an example of an agitator and a drum of the present invention
- FIGS. 4 and 5 show the example of the agitator of the present invention.
- a laundry treatment apparatus 100 includes a cabinet 1 , a drawer 2 removably provided in the cabinet 1 , and a laundry accommodation unit 3 and 4 provided in the drawer to provide a laundry treatment space.
- the cabinet 1 may have an entrance 11 , and the drawer 2 may be removed from or inserted into the cabinet 1 through the entrance 11 .
- the cabinet 1 may have a longer length in the width direction (X-axis direction) than in the height direction (Y-axis direction) (i.e. the drawer may have a longer length in the width direction than in the height direction).
- the drawer 2 includes a drawer body 21 having an open upper surface and a drawer cover 25 provided in the open surface of the drawer body. That is, the drawer body 21 may have a hollow hexahedral shape, and the drawer cover 25 may be fixed to the drawer body 21 so as to form the upper surface of the drawer body 21 .
- the drawer body 21 may be removed from or inserted into the cabinet 1 via a slider.
- the slider may include a slider body 271 , which is fixed to one of the cabinet 1 and the drawer body 21 , and a slider housing 273 , which is fixed to the other of the cabinet and the drawer body to define the movement path of the slider body 271 .
- a drawer panel 23 is provided on the front surface of the drawer body 21 .
- the drawer panel 23 serves to open and close the entrance 11 in the cabinet.
- the drawer panel 23 may be provided with a control panel 231 , which controls the operation of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 .
- the control panel 231 includes means (a controller of the laundry treatment apparatus) for controlling, for example, means (a water supply unit and a drainage unit) for supplying water to the laundry accommodation unit 3 and 4 and discharging the water therefrom, means (a driving unit) for rotating laundry, and means (a hot air supply unit and a moisture supply unit) for supplying steam or hot air to laundry.
- control panel 231 may include an input unit (not shown), which allows a user to input a control command to the laundry treatment apparatus 100 , and a display unit (not shown) (means for displaying information on the operation of the laundry treatment apparatus), which allows the user to check the control command input via the input unit or which notifies the user of the process of executing the control command input by the user.
- an input unit not shown
- a display unit not shown
- the drawer cover 25 may be provided with a first cover through-hole 251 and a second cover through-hole 253 , which are formed through the drawer cover 25 for communication of the inside of the drawer body 21 with the outside.
- the laundry accommodation unit 3 and 4 provided in the drawer 2 , may include a tub 3 , which is provided in the drawer body 21 to provide the space in which water is stored, and a drum 4 , which is rotatably provided in the tub to store laundry therein.
- the tub 3 may include a tub body 31 , which is fixed inside the drawer 2 via a tub support unit 311 , and a tub cover 32 , which defines the upper surface of the tub body.
- the tub cover 32 is provided with a tub opening 33 for communication of the inner space of the tub body 31 with the outside of the tub.
- the tub opening 33 is opened and closed by a door 35 .
- the door 35 is rotatably provided on the tub cover 32 (and is configured to open and close a portion of the tub cover).
- the door 35 may be rotated to the outside of the drawer 2 through the first cover through-hole 251 , which is formed in the drawer cover 25 .
- the user may introduce laundry into the tub 3 by opening the door 35 after removing the drawer 2 from the cabinet 1 .
- a hot air supply unit (not shown) may be further provided in the cabinet 1 to supply hot air to the tub 3 .
- the hot air supply unit (not shown), provided in the laundry treatment apparatus 100 , may include a circulation duct configured to circulate the air in the tub 3 and a heat exchanger provided in the circulation duct for dehumidification and heating of the air discharged from the first tub .
- the hot air supply unit (not shown), provided in the laundry treatment apparatus, may include a discharge duct, which discharges the air in the tub to the outside of the cabinet 1 , a supply duct, which supplies the air outside the tub into the tub 3 , and a heat exchanger, which heats the air introduced into the supply duct.
- the laundry treatment apparatus 100 In the case in which the laundry treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention is configured to perform a laundry-washing function, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 further requires a water supply unit and a drainage unit.
- the water supply unit may include a water supply pipe 511 , which interconnects a water source located outside the cabinet 1 and a water supply hole 37 , and a valve 513 , which opens and closes the water supply pipe 511 under the control of a controller (not shown).
- the water supply pipe 511 extends through the drawer cover 25 via the second cover through-hole 253 .
- the water supply pipe may have a flexible structure, or may be formed of an elastic material in consideration of the movement range of the drawer.
- the drainage unit serves to discharge the water stored in the tub 3 to the outside of the cabinet 1 .
- the drainage unit may include a drainage pipe 541 , which guides the water in the tub 3 to the outside of the cabinet 1 , and a pump 543 , which is provided in the drainage pipe 541 to discharge the water from the tub 3 .
- the drainage pipe may have a flexible structure, or may be formed of an elastic material.
- the water supply hole 37 through which water is introduced into the tub body 31 , is provided in the tub cover 32 .
- One end of the water supply pipe 511 is fixed to the water supply hole 37 .
- the drum 4 may be rotated in the tub 3 by a driving unit.
- the driving unit may include a stator 451 , which is fixed to the tub 3 and generates a rotating field, a rotor 453 , which is rotated by the rotating field, and a rotary shaft 455 , which extends through the tub 3 to interconnect a drum bottom surface and the rotor 453 .
- the rotary shaft 455 may be perpendicular to the ground.
- the drum 4 includes a cylindrical drum body 41 having an open lower surface 413 , a drum bottom surface 43 fixed to the drum body 41 to close the open lower surface 413 , and a drum opening located in the upper surface of the drum body 41 so as to communicate with the tub opening 33 .
- the drum opening may be constituted by an open surface 411 formed in the upper part of the drum body.
- the drum opening may be constituted by a through-hole 423 provided in the balancer 42 .
- the balancer 42 may include a housing 421 fixed to the open upper surface 411 , a through-hole 423 (a housing through-hole) provided in the inner circumferential surface of the housing so as to be formed through the housing, and a flow-path 425 provided in the housing such that a fluid or a ball can circulate through the flow-path.
- the through-hole 423 may constitute the drum opening.
- the balancer 42 moves in the direction opposite the force of the fluid or the ball causing eccentricity in the flow-path 425 (centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum) to reduce the eccentric rotation of the drum (the vibration of the drum).
- the drum body 41 is provided with a plurality of communication holes 415 , through which the inside of the drum body communicates with the outside. Consequently, the water stored in the tub body 31 may move into the drum body 41 through the communication holes 415 , and the water in the drum body 41 may move into the tub body 31 through the communication holes 415 .
- a shaft-fixing unit 431 may be provided at the drum bottom surface 43 for easy coupling between the rotary shaft 455 and the drum bottom surface 43 .
- the shaft-fixing unit 431 may include a body 432 located outside the space defined by the drum 4 (the laundry storage space) and fixing arms 433 , 434 , and 435 extending from the body toward the edge of the drum bottom surface 43 .
- the body 432 or the fixing arms 433 , 434 , and 435 it is necessary for at least one of the body 432 or the fixing arms 433 , 434 , and 435 to be fixed to the drum bottom surface 43 .
- the figure shows the case in which the fixing arms 433 , 434 , and 435 are fixed to the drum bottom surface 43 by way of example.
- the rotary shaft 455 may be fixed to the body 432 , and the fixing arms may include a first fixing arm 433 , a second fixing arm 434 , and a third fixing arm 435 , which are provided around the rotary shaft so as to be spaced apart from each other by 120 degrees.
- the laundry treatment apparatus 100 may further include an agitator 6 .
- the agitator 6 may include a hub 61 fixed to the center of rotation of the drum bottom surface 43 (corresponding to the center of rotation or the rotary shaft of the drum) and arms 63 , 65 , and 67 extending from the hub toward the circumferential surface of the drum body 41 .
- the hub 61 may protrude from the drum bottom surface 43 toward the drum opening 423 , and the arms may include a first arm 63 , a second arm 65 , and a third arm 67 , which are provided around the hub 61 so as to be spaced apart from each other by 120 degrees.
- the hub 61 may be configured to have a height H 2 that is greater than half of the height H 1 of the drum (see FIG. 2 ).
- the first arm 63 may include a first arm base 631 provided at the drum bottom surface 43 and a first arm body 633 having one end fixed to the hub 61 and the other end fixed to the first arm base 631 .
- the first arm body 633 may include a first surface 633 a extending from the hub 61 toward the drum bottom surface 43 , a second surface 633 b having an angle of inclination A 2 greater than an angle of inclination A 1 of the first surface based on the rotary shaft 455 , and a third surface 633 c that interconnects the drum bottom surface 43 and the second surface.
- the third surface 633 c may be formed as the result of combining the surface formed at the first arm base and the surface provided at the first arm body 633 .
- the height H 3 from the drum bottom surface 43 to the second surface 633 b may be less than half of the height H 1 (see FIG. 2 ) of the drum.
- the height of the first arm 63 is equal to the height H 2 of the hub 61 , laundry may be caught in the spaces defined between the arms. As a result, the laundry may not move in the drum 4 , which may reduce washing ability.
- the height H 3 of the second surface 633 b is set to be lower than the height H 2 of the hub such that, even when laundry is located in the spaces defined between the arms, the laundry can move to an adjacent space over the second surface during the rotation of the drum 4 .
- the second arm 65 and the third arm 67 may have the same structure as the first arm 63 .
- the second arm 65 may include a second arm base 651 provided at the drum bottom surface 43 and a second arm body 653 having one end fixed to the hub 61 and the other end fixed to the second arm base 651
- the third arm 67 may include a third arm base 671 provided at the drum bottom surface 43 and a third arm body 673 having one end fixed to the hub 61 and the other end fixed to the third arm base 671 .
- Each of the second arm 653 and the third arm body 673 also includes a first surface extending from the hub 61 toward the drum bottom surface 43 , a third surface extending from the drum bottom surface 43 toward the hub 61 , and a second surface 653 b or 673 b (see FIG. 3 ), which interconnects the first surface and the third surface and is configured to have an angle of inclination greater than an angle of inclination of the first surface based on the rotary shaft 455 .
- the height of the second surface 653 b, provided at the second arm body, and the height of the third surface 673 b, provided at the third arm body may be configured to be equal to the height of the second surface 633 b, provided at the first arm body.
- each of the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 it is necessary for the end of each of the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 not to contact the circumferential surface of the drum body 41 . If the end of each arm extends to the drum body 41 and thus contacts the drum body 41 , laundry may be caught in the spaces defined between the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 .
- the laundry may not move in the drum even though the drum 4 is rotated, which may reduce washing ability.
- the end of the first arm 63 , the end of the second arm 65 , and the end of the third arm 67 may be spaced apart from the drum body 41 by a predetermined distance. That is, the distance L 2 from the hub 61 to the end of each of the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 may be smaller than the radius L 1 of the drum body (the radius of the drum bottom surface).
- Experimental results reveal that, when the distance L 2 to the end of each of the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 is longer than half of the radius L 1 of the drum body (the radius of the drum bottom surface), washing ability is enhanced.
- each of the hub 61 and the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 has the above height or length, it may be difficult to form the drum bottom surface 43 such that the agitator 6 is integrally formed with the drum bottom surface 43 .
- the drum 4 in which laundry is stored, is made of a rustproof metal (e.g. stainless steel), since the drum contacts the water stored in the tub 3 .
- a rustproof metal e.g. stainless steel
- the drum bottom surface 43 may be broken, since the shape of the agitator 6 exceeds the limitations of elongation percentage or ductility (the characteristics of a material in which the material stretches as the result of deformation of the material when tensile force is applied to the material) of the metal. Consequently, the agitator 6 of the present invention may be provided separately from the drum bottom surface 43 so as to be coupled to the drum bottom surface 43 .
- each of the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 may be formed by bending the drum bottom surface 43 toward the drum opening 423 , the arm bodies 633 , 653 , and 673 may extend from the hub 61 toward the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 , respectively, and the ends of the arm bodies may be fixed to the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 , respectively.
- the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 may fix the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 , provided at the agitator 6 , respectively.
- the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 may be configured such that the drum bottom surface 43 protrudes toward the drum opening 423 in order to improve the function of the arms 63 , 65 , and 67 (agitation of the drum).
- the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 may be made of the same material as the drum bottom surface 43 , but the arm bodies 633 , 653 , and 673 may be made of a different material than the drum bottom surface 43 (the arm bodies and the hub may be made of the same material).
- the shaft-fixing unit 431 and the drum bottom surface 43 may be coupled to each other, and the agitator 6 and the drum bottom surface 43 may be coupled to each other, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 .
- the shaft-fixing unit 431 may be fixed to the drum bottom surface 43 via a first fastening unit S 1 extending through the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 and then fixed to the fixing arms 433 , 434 , and 435 .
- the first fastening unit S 1 Since the first fastening unit S 1 is located in the laundry storage space defined by the drum 4 , the laundry in the drum 4 may be damaged by the first fastening unit S 1 if the first fastening unit S 1 is exposed outside. For this reason, the first fastening unit S 1 may be located between the arm bodies 633 , 653 , and 673 and the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 such that the first fastening unit S 1 is not exposed outside the arm bodies when the arm bodies 633 , 653 , and 673 are coupled to the arm bases 631 , 651 , and 671 , respectively.
- the agitator 6 may be fixed to the drum bottom surface 43 via a second fastening unit S 2 , which extends through the fixing arms 433 , 434 , and 435 and the drum bottom surface 43 and is then fixed to the arm bodies 633 , 653 , and 673 .
- the second fastening unit S 2 is inserted into the laundry storage space, defined by the drum 4 , from outside the laundry storage space in order to fix the agitator 6 to the drum bottom surface 43 .
- the laundry treatment apparatus may further include a third fastening unit S 3 inserted into the drum from the outside of the laundry storage space in order to fix the hub 61 to the drum bottom surface 43 (see FIG. 2 ).
- the third fastening unit S 3 is fixed to the hub 61 through the drum bottom surface 43 .
- the bottom surface of the hub 61 and the drum bottom surface 43 is spaced apart from each other and thus to prevent foreign matter from being introduced into the gap between the hub 61 and the drum bottom surface 43 .
- the hub 61 may be further provided with a filter, which filters the water in the tub 3 .
- the filter may include a chamber 611 provided in the hub 61 , an introduction hole 613 , through which water is introduced into the chamber, and a filtering hole 615 , through which the water is discharged from the chamber.
- the filtering hole 615 may include a plurality of holes formed through the bottom surface of the chamber 611 .
- the drum bottom surface may be further provided with a drum through-hole 437 , through which the water discharged through the filtering hole 615 is discharged to the tub body 31 .
- the chamber may be provided at the upper surface thereof with a chamber cover 617 , which may be detachably attached to the chamber 611 .
- the introduction hole 613 may be provided in the space defined between the lower end of the chamber cover 617 and the upper end of the chamber 611 .
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Main Body Construction Of Washing Machines And Laundry Dryers (AREA)
- Accessory Of Washing/Drying Machine, Commercial Washing/Drying Machine, Other Washing/Drying Machine (AREA)
Abstract
A clothes treating apparatus includes a cabinet defining an entrance, a drawer configured to be drawn out from the cabinet through the entrance, a tub provided in the drawer, a circular drum bottom provided in the tub, a cylindrical drum body fixed to the drum bottom, a drum positioned on an upper surface of the drum body, a driving part including a rotating shaft that rotates the drum and penetrates the tub so as to be coupled to the drum bottom, a hub that is fixed to the center-of-rotation of the drum bottom and protrudes towards a drum inlet, and a stirring part including an arm extending from the hub towards a circumferential surface of the drum body.
Description
- This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/068,162, filed on Jul. 5, 2018, which is a National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2016/015017, filed on Dec. 21, 2016, which claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 10-2016-0000984, filed on Jan. 5, 2016. The disclosures of the prior applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
- The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus.
- Generally, laundry treatment apparatuses include an apparatus that washes laundry (an object to be washed or an object to be dried), an apparatus that dries laundry, and an apparatus that is capable of performing both washing and drying of laundry.
- Among conventional laundry treatment apparatuses, there is one including a cabinet, a drawer removably provided in the cabinet, and a laundry accommodation unit provided in the drawer to provide a laundry accommodation region (a laundry treatment space) for washing or drying laundry.
- The laundry treatment apparatus, in which the laundry accommodation unit is provided in the drawer, which is removably provided in the cabinet, may store therein a greater amount of water and laundry when the volume of the laundry accommodation unit is greater, and thus may achieve enhanced washing ability.
- In the laundry treatment apparatus including the drawer, however, it is necessary to limit the height of the laundry treatment apparatus or to minimize the volume of the laundry treatment apparatus, in consideration of the space utilization thereof or for use as an auxiliary laundry treatment apparatus.
- In the conventional laundry treatment apparatus including the laundry accommodation unit provided in the drawer, therefore, minimizing the volume of the laundry accommodation unit while enhancing washing ability is a very important design factor.
- In addition, minimizing damage to laundry while enhancing washing ability is another very important design factor.
- One object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus including a laundry accommodation unit provided in a drawer removably provided in a cabinet, wherein the volume of the laundry treatment apparatus is minimized while the washing ability of the laundry treatment apparatus is enhanced.
- Another object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus capable of effectively agitating laundry or sufficiently forming a stream of water during the rotation of a drum.
- Another object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus capable of minimizing damage to laundry.
- A further object of the present invention devised to solve the problem lies in a laundry treatment apparatus capable of filtering water supplied into a laundry accommodation unit while laundry is washed.
- The present invention provides a laundry treatment apparatus including a cabinet having an entrance, a drawer provided in the cabinet so as to be removable from the cabinet through the entrance, a tub provided in the drawer to store water, the tub having a tub opening, through which laundry is introduced into or removed from the tub, a drum including a circular drum bottom surface provided in the tub, a cylindrical drum body fixed to the drum bottom surface and extending toward the tub opening, and a drum opening located in the upper surface of the drum body so as to communicate with the tub opening, a driving unit to rotate the drum, the driving unit having a rotary shaft connected to the drum bottom surface through the tub, and an agitator including a hub fixed to the center of rotation of the drum bottom surface so as to protrude toward the drum opening and an arm extending from the tub toward the circumferential surface of the drum body.
- The agitator may have a height equal to or greater than half of the height of the drum.
- The arm may include a first surface extending from the hub and inclined toward the drum bottom surface, a second surface having an angle of inclination greater than an angle of inclination of the first surface based on the rotary shaft, and a third surface that interconnects the drum bottom surface and the second surface, and the height from the drum bottom surface to the hub may be equal to or greater than half of the height of the drum while the height from the drum bottom surface to the second surface is less than half of the height of the drum.
- The end of the arm may be spaced apart from the circumferential surface of the drum by a predetermined distance.
- The distance from the hub to the end of the arm may b e greater than half of the radius of the drum body.
- The arm may include an arm base provided at the drum bottom surface and an arm body having one end fixed to the hub and the other end fixed to the arm base.
- The arm base may be made of the same material as the drum bottom surface, and the arm body may be made of a different material than the drum bottom surface.
- The arm base may be formed by bending the drum bottom surface toward the drum opening.
- The arm may include a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm provided around the hub so as to be spaced apart from each other by 120 degrees.
- The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a body located outside the drum bottom surface, the rotary shaft being coupled to the body, a fixing arm extending from the body toward the circumferential surface of the drum bottom surface, the fixing arm being provided at a position corresponding to the arm, and a first fastening unit fixed to the fixing arm through the drum bottom surface, the first fastening unit being located in a laundry storage space defined by the drum so as not to be exposed by the arm.
- The arm may include an arm base provided at the drum bottom surface and an arm body having one end fixed to the hub and the other end fixed to the arm base, and the first fastening unit may be fixed to the fixing arm through the arm base, the first fastening unit not being exposed by the arm body.
- The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a second fastening unit inserted into the drum from the outside of the drum bottom surface, the second fastening unit being fixed to the arm body through the fixing arm and the drum bottom surface.
- The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a third fastening unit inserted into the drum from the outside of the drum bottom surface, the third fastening unit being fixed to the hub through the drum bottom surface.
- The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a chamber provided in the hub, an introduction hole, through which the inside of the chamber communicates with the inside of the drum and through which water is introduced into the chamber, a filtering hole formed through the bottom surface of the chamber, and a drum through-hole formed through the drum bottom surface, the drum through-hole being located under the filtering hole.
- The present invention has the effect of providing a laundry treatment apparatus including a laundry accommodation unit provided in a drawer that is removably provided in the cabinet so as to be removable from the cabinet through the entrance, wherein the volume of the laundry treatment apparatus is minimized while the washing ability of the laundry treatment apparatus is enhanced.
- In addition, the present invention has the effect of providing a laundry treatment apparatus capable of filtering water supplied into a laundry accommodation unit while laundry is washed.
-
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention; -
FIG. 3 shows an example of an agitator and a drum of the present invention; and -
FIGS. 4 and 5 show the example of the agitator of the present invention. - Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. Meanwhile, the configuration of an apparatus or a control method thereof, which will be given below, is merely intended to explain exemplary embodiments of the present invention, rather than limiting the technical scope of the present invention. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same constituent elements.
- As shown in
FIG. 1 , alaundry treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes acabinet 1, adrawer 2 removably provided in thecabinet 1, and alaundry accommodation unit - The
cabinet 1 may have anentrance 11, and thedrawer 2 may be removed from or inserted into thecabinet 1 through theentrance 11. Thecabinet 1 may have a longer length in the width direction (X-axis direction) than in the height direction (Y-axis direction) (i.e. the drawer may have a longer length in the width direction than in the height direction). - As shown in
FIG. 2 , thedrawer 2 includes adrawer body 21 having an open upper surface and adrawer cover 25 provided in the open surface of the drawer body. That is, thedrawer body 21 may have a hollow hexahedral shape, and thedrawer cover 25 may be fixed to thedrawer body 21 so as to form the upper surface of thedrawer body 21. - The
drawer body 21 may be removed from or inserted into thecabinet 1 via a slider. The slider may include aslider body 271, which is fixed to one of thecabinet 1 and thedrawer body 21, and a slider housing 273, which is fixed to the other of the cabinet and the drawer body to define the movement path of theslider body 271. - A
drawer panel 23 is provided on the front surface of thedrawer body 21. Thedrawer panel 23 serves to open and close theentrance 11 in the cabinet. - The
drawer panel 23 may be provided with acontrol panel 231, which controls the operation of thelaundry treatment apparatus 100. Thecontrol panel 231 includes means (a controller of the laundry treatment apparatus) for controlling, for example, means (a water supply unit and a drainage unit) for supplying water to thelaundry accommodation unit - In addition, the
control panel 231 may include an input unit (not shown), which allows a user to input a control command to thelaundry treatment apparatus 100, and a display unit (not shown) (means for displaying information on the operation of the laundry treatment apparatus), which allows the user to check the control command input via the input unit or which notifies the user of the process of executing the control command input by the user. - The
drawer cover 25 may be provided with a first cover through-hole 251 and a second cover through-hole 253, which are formed through thedrawer cover 25 for communication of the inside of thedrawer body 21 with the outside. - The
laundry accommodation unit drawer 2, may include atub 3, which is provided in thedrawer body 21 to provide the space in which water is stored, and adrum 4, which is rotatably provided in the tub to store laundry therein. - The
tub 3 may include a tub body 31, which is fixed inside thedrawer 2 via atub support unit 311, and a tub cover 32, which defines the upper surface of the tub body. - The tub cover 32 is provided with a tub opening 33 for communication of the inner space of the tub body 31 with the outside of the tub. The tub opening 33 is opened and closed by a
door 35. - The
door 35 is rotatably provided on the tub cover 32 (and is configured to open and close a portion of the tub cover). Thedoor 35 may be rotated to the outside of thedrawer 2 through the first cover through-hole 251, which is formed in thedrawer cover 25. Thus, the user may introduce laundry into thetub 3 by opening thedoor 35 after removing thedrawer 2 from thecabinet 1. - The reason that the laundry accommodation unit is constituted by the
tub 3 and thedrum 4 is to enable thelaundry treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention to perform a washing function. In order to enable thelaundry treatment apparatus 100 to further perform a laundry-drying function, therefore, a hot air supply unit (not shown) may be further provided in thecabinet 1 to supply hot air to thetub 3. - The hot air supply unit (not shown), provided in the
laundry treatment apparatus 100, may include a circulation duct configured to circulate the air in thetub 3 and a heat exchanger provided in the circulation duct for dehumidification and heating of the air discharged from the first tub . - Alternatively, the hot air supply unit (not shown), provided in the laundry treatment apparatus, may include a discharge duct, which discharges the air in the tub to the outside of the
cabinet 1, a supply duct, which supplies the air outside the tub into thetub 3, and a heat exchanger, which heats the air introduced into the supply duct. - In the case in which the
laundry treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention is configured to perform a laundry-washing function, thelaundry treatment apparatus 100 further requires a water supply unit and a drainage unit. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , the water supply unit may include awater supply pipe 511, which interconnects a water source located outside thecabinet 1 and awater supply hole 37, and avalve 513, which opens and closes thewater supply pipe 511 under the control of a controller (not shown). - The
water supply pipe 511 extends through thedrawer cover 25 via the second cover through-hole 253. The water supply pipe may have a flexible structure, or may be formed of an elastic material in consideration of the movement range of the drawer. - The drainage unit serves to discharge the water stored in the
tub 3 to the outside of thecabinet 1. The drainage unit may include adrainage pipe 541, which guides the water in thetub 3 to the outside of thecabinet 1, and apump 543, which is provided in thedrainage pipe 541 to discharge the water from thetub 3. The drainage pipe may have a flexible structure, or may be formed of an elastic material. - Meanwhile, the
water supply hole 37, through which water is introduced into the tub body 31, is provided in the tub cover 32. One end of thewater supply pipe 511 is fixed to thewater supply hole 37. - Meanwhile, the
drum 4 may be rotated in thetub 3 by a driving unit. As shown inFIG. 2 , the driving unit may include astator 451, which is fixed to thetub 3 and generates a rotating field, arotor 453, which is rotated by the rotating field, and arotary shaft 455, which extends through thetub 3 to interconnect a drum bottom surface and therotor 453. - The
rotary shaft 455 may be perpendicular to the ground. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , thedrum 4 includes acylindrical drum body 41 having an open lower surface 413, adrum bottom surface 43 fixed to thedrum body 41 to close the open lower surface 413, and a drum opening located in the upper surface of thedrum body 41 so as to communicate with thetub opening 33. - The drum opening may be constituted by an
open surface 411 formed in the upper part of the drum body. In the case in which abalancer 42 is provided in the openupper surface 411 of the drum body, however, the drum opening may be constituted by a through-hole 423 provided in thebalancer 42. - That is, the
balancer 42 may include ahousing 421 fixed to the openupper surface 411, a through-hole 423 (a housing through-hole) provided in the inner circumferential surface of the housing so as to be formed through the housing, and a flow-path 425 provided in the housing such that a fluid or a ball can circulate through the flow-path. In this case, the through-hole 423 may constitute the drum opening. - Only one of the ball and the fluid may be provided in the flow-
path 425, or both the ball and the fluid may be provided in the flow-path 425. When thedrum 4 is eccentrically rotated, thebalancer 42 moves in the direction opposite the force of the fluid or the ball causing eccentricity in the flow-path 425 (centrifugal force applied to the laundry in the drum) to reduce the eccentric rotation of the drum (the vibration of the drum). - Meanwhile, the
drum body 41 is provided with a plurality ofcommunication holes 415, through which the inside of the drum body communicates with the outside. Consequently, the water stored in the tub body 31 may move into thedrum body 41 through the communication holes 415, and the water in thedrum body 41 may move into the tub body 31 through the communication holes 415. - Meanwhile, a shaft-fixing
unit 431 may be provided at thedrum bottom surface 43 for easy coupling between therotary shaft 455 and thedrum bottom surface 43. - The shaft-fixing
unit 431 may include abody 432 located outside the space defined by the drum 4 (the laundry storage space) and fixingarms drum bottom surface 43. - It is necessary for at least one of the
body 432 or the fixingarms drum bottom surface 43. The figure shows the case in which the fixingarms drum bottom surface 43 by way of example. - The
rotary shaft 455 may be fixed to thebody 432, and the fixing arms may include afirst fixing arm 433, asecond fixing arm 434, and athird fixing arm 435, which are provided around the rotary shaft so as to be spaced apart from each other by 120 degrees. - Meanwhile, in the case in which the laundry treatment apparatus having the above structure is used as an auxiliary laundry treatment apparatus, it is necessary to minimize the volume of the laundry treatment apparatus in consideration of spatial utilization thereof
- In order to minimize the volume of the
laundry treatment apparatus 100, it is necessary to minimize the volume of thelaundry accommodation unit laundry accommodation unit tub 3 is reduced, which may deteriorate washing performance. - In order to solve the above problem, the
laundry treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention may further include anagitator 6. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , theagitator 6 may include ahub 61 fixed to the center of rotation of the drum bottom surface 43 (corresponding to the center of rotation or the rotary shaft of the drum) andarms drum body 41. - The
hub 61 may protrude from thedrum bottom surface 43 toward thedrum opening 423, and the arms may include afirst arm 63, a second arm 65, and athird arm 67, which are provided around thehub 61 so as to be spaced apart from each other by 120 degrees. - Experimental results reveal that, when the height of the
hub 61 is increased, as long as the hub does not protrude out of the drum, washing ability is also enhanced. The reason for this is that, in the case in which the laundry treatment apparatus is configured such that thehub 61 is located at the center of rotation of the drum and thearms hub 61, laundry can be moved to the edge of the drum by thehub 61 and the laundry can be uniformly distributed in the drum by the arms. - Consequently, the
hub 61 may be configured to have a height H2 that is greater than half of the height H1 of the drum (seeFIG. 2 ). - As shown in
FIG. 3 , thefirst arm 63 may include afirst arm base 631 provided at thedrum bottom surface 43 and afirst arm body 633 having one end fixed to thehub 61 and the other end fixed to thefirst arm base 631. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , thefirst arm body 633 may include afirst surface 633 a extending from thehub 61 toward thedrum bottom surface 43, asecond surface 633 b having an angle of inclination A2 greater than an angle of inclination A1 of the first surface based on therotary shaft 455, and athird surface 633 c that interconnects thedrum bottom surface 43 and the second surface. - In the case in which the
first arm 63 is constituted by thefirst arm base 631 and thefirst arm body 633, thethird surface 633 c may be formed as the result of combining the surface formed at the first arm base and the surface provided at thefirst arm body 633. - In any case, the height H3 from the
drum bottom surface 43 to thesecond surface 633 b may be less than half of the height H1 (seeFIG. 2 ) of the drum. - If the height of the
first arm 63 is equal to the height H2 of thehub 61, laundry may be caught in the spaces defined between the arms. As a result, the laundry may not move in thedrum 4, which may reduce washing ability. - Consequently, the height H3 of the
second surface 633 b is set to be lower than the height H2 of the hub such that, even when laundry is located in the spaces defined between the arms, the laundry can move to an adjacent space over the second surface during the rotation of thedrum 4. - The second arm 65 and the
third arm 67 may have the same structure as thefirst arm 63. - That is, the second arm 65 may include a
second arm base 651 provided at thedrum bottom surface 43 and asecond arm body 653 having one end fixed to thehub 61 and the other end fixed to thesecond arm base 651, and thethird arm 67 may include athird arm base 671 provided at thedrum bottom surface 43 and athird arm body 673 having one end fixed to thehub 61 and the other end fixed to thethird arm base 671. - Each of the
second arm 653 and thethird arm body 673 also includes a first surface extending from thehub 61 toward thedrum bottom surface 43, a third surface extending from thedrum bottom surface 43 toward thehub 61, and asecond surface FIG. 3 ), which interconnects the first surface and the third surface and is configured to have an angle of inclination greater than an angle of inclination of the first surface based on therotary shaft 455. - In this case, the height of the
second surface 653 b, provided at the second arm body, and the height of thethird surface 673 b, provided at the third arm body, may be configured to be equal to the height of thesecond surface 633 b, provided at the first arm body. - Meanwhile, as shown in
FIG. 5 , it is necessary for the end of each of thearms drum body 41. If the end of each arm extends to thedrum body 41 and thus contacts thedrum body 41, laundry may be caught in the spaces defined between thearms - If the laundry is caught in the spaces defined by the arms and the drum body, the laundry may not move in the drum even though the
drum 4 is rotated, which may reduce washing ability. - In the case in which the end of each of the
arms drum body 41, however, the laundry can move to an adjacent space through the space defined between the end of each of thearms drum body 41 when thedrum 4 is rotated, even though the laundry is located in the spaces defined between the arms, which may prevent the above problem from occurring. - To this end, the end of the
first arm 63, the end of the second arm 65, and the end of thethird arm 67 may be spaced apart from thedrum body 41 by a predetermined distance. That is, the distance L2 from thehub 61 to the end of each of thearms arms - Meanwhile, in the case in which each of the
hub 61 and thearms drum bottom surface 43 such that theagitator 6 is integrally formed with thedrum bottom surface 43. - Generally, the
drum 4, in which laundry is stored, is made of a rustproof metal (e.g. stainless steel), since the drum contacts the water stored in thetub 3. In the case in which theagitator 6 having the above height or length is formed using a method of forming thedrum bottom surface 43 through plastic deformation (e.g. pressing), however, thedrum bottom surface 43 may be broken, since the shape of theagitator 6 exceeds the limitations of elongation percentage or ductility (the characteristics of a material in which the material stretches as the result of deformation of the material when tensile force is applied to the material) of the metal. Consequently, theagitator 6 of the present invention may be provided separately from thedrum bottom surface 43 so as to be coupled to thedrum bottom surface 43. - To this end, as shown in
FIG. 3 , each of the arm bases 631, 651, and 671 may be formed by bending thedrum bottom surface 43 toward thedrum opening 423, thearm bodies hub 61 toward the arm bases 631, 651, and 671, respectively, and the ends of the arm bodies may be fixed to the arm bases 631, 651, and 671, respectively. - The arm bases 631, 651, and 671 may fix the
arms agitator 6, respectively. In this case, the arm bases 631, 651, and 671 may be configured such that thedrum bottom surface 43 protrudes toward thedrum opening 423 in order to improve the function of thearms 63, 65, and 67 (agitation of the drum). - In this case, the arm bases 631, 651, and 671 may be made of the same material as the
drum bottom surface 43, but thearm bodies - Meanwhile, the shaft-fixing
unit 431 and thedrum bottom surface 43 may be coupled to each other, and theagitator 6 and thedrum bottom surface 43 may be coupled to each other, for example, as shown inFIG. 3 . - That is, the shaft-fixing
unit 431 may be fixed to thedrum bottom surface 43 via a first fastening unit S1 extending through the arm bases 631, 651, and 671 and then fixed to the fixingarms - Since the first fastening unit S1 is located in the laundry storage space defined by the
drum 4, the laundry in thedrum 4 may be damaged by the first fastening unit S1 if the first fastening unit S1 is exposed outside. For this reason, the first fastening unit S1 may be located between thearm bodies arm bodies - Meanwhile, the
agitator 6 may be fixed to thedrum bottom surface 43 via a second fastening unit S2, which extends through the fixingarms drum bottom surface 43 and is then fixed to thearm bodies - That is, the second fastening unit S2 is inserted into the laundry storage space, defined by the
drum 4, from outside the laundry storage space in order to fix theagitator 6 to thedrum bottom surface 43. - Furthermore, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention may further include a third fastening unit S3 inserted into the drum from the outside of the laundry storage space in order to fix the
hub 61 to the drum bottom surface 43 (seeFIG. 2 ). - As shown in
FIG. 2 , the third fastening unit S3 is fixed to thehub 61 through thedrum bottom surface 43. As a result, it is possible to prevent the bottom surface of thehub 61 and thedrum bottom surface 43 from being spaced apart from each other and thus to prevent foreign matter from being introduced into the gap between thehub 61 and thedrum bottom surface 43. - The
hub 61 may be further provided with a filter, which filters the water in thetub 3. The filter may include achamber 611 provided in thehub 61, anintroduction hole 613, through which water is introduced into the chamber, and afiltering hole 615, through which the water is discharged from the chamber. - The
filtering hole 615 may include a plurality of holes formed through the bottom surface of thechamber 611. In this case, the drum bottom surface may be further provided with a drum through-hole 437, through which the water discharged through thefiltering hole 615 is discharged to the tub body 31. - When the water in the
tub 3 moves as the result of rotating the drum, therefore, some of the water in thedrum 4 is introduced into thechamber 611 through theintroduction hole 613, and the water in the chamber is discharged to thetub 3 through thefiltering hole 615 and the drum through-hole 437. At this time, foreign matter contained in the water may remain in thechamber 611 due to thefiltering hole 615. - In order to remove the foreign matter remaining in the
chamber 611, the chamber may be provided at the upper surface thereof with achamber cover 617, which may be detachably attached to thechamber 611. In the case in which thechamber cover 617 is provided, theintroduction hole 613 may be provided in the space defined between the lower end of thechamber cover 617 and the upper end of thechamber 611. - It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims (1)
1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet having an entrance;
a drawer provided in the cabinet so as to be removable from the cabinet through the entrance;
a tub provided in the drawer to store water, the tub having a tub opening, through which laundry is introduced into or removed from the tub;
a drum comprising a circular drum bottom surface provided in the tub, a cylindrical drum body fixed to the drum bottom surface and extending toward the tub opening, and a drum opening located in an upper surface of the drum body so as to communicate with the tub opening;
a driving unit to rotate the drum, the driving unit having a rotary shaft connected to the drum bottom surface through the tub; and
an agitator comprising a hub fixed to a center of rotation of the drum bottom surface so as to protrude toward the drum opening and an arm extending from the tub toward a circumferential surface of the drum body.
Priority Applications (1)
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US17/484,751 US20220010473A1 (en) | 2016-01-05 | 2021-09-24 | Clothes treating apparatus |
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KR1020160000984A KR102482654B1 (en) | 2016-01-05 | 2016-01-05 | Laundry Treating Apparatus |
KR10-2016-0000984 | 2016-01-05 | ||
PCT/KR2016/015017 WO2017119641A1 (en) | 2016-01-05 | 2016-12-21 | Clothes treating apparatus |
US201816068162A | 2018-07-05 | 2018-07-05 | |
US17/484,751 US20220010473A1 (en) | 2016-01-05 | 2021-09-24 | Clothes treating apparatus |
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KR (1) | KR102482654B1 (en) |
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KR102482654B1 (en) * | 2016-01-05 | 2022-12-29 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Laundry Treating Apparatus |
KR102014798B1 (en) * | 2017-12-22 | 2019-08-27 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | A laundry apparatus |
AU2022216141A1 (en) | 2021-02-08 | 2023-08-24 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Laundry treating apparatus |
WO2022169318A1 (en) * | 2021-02-08 | 2022-08-11 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Laundry treatment appratus |
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- 2016-01-05 KR KR1020160000984A patent/KR102482654B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2016-12-21 AU AU2016385317A patent/AU2016385317B2/en active Active
- 2016-12-21 US US16/068,162 patent/US11149377B2/en active Active
- 2016-12-21 WO PCT/KR2016/015017 patent/WO2017119641A1/en active Application Filing
- 2016-12-21 EP EP16884024.7A patent/EP3401433A4/en active Pending
- 2016-12-21 CN CN201680077961.XA patent/CN108431324B/en active Active
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2020
- 2020-03-19 AU AU2020201985A patent/AU2020201985B2/en active Active
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Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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KR20110009536A (en) * | 2009-07-22 | 2011-01-28 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Washing machine |
US20140157834A1 (en) * | 2012-12-12 | 2014-06-12 | Whirlpool S.A. | Vertical axis washing machine |
USD739103S1 (en) * | 2013-03-25 | 2015-09-15 | Haier Group Corporation | Pulsator for washing machine |
US11149377B2 (en) * | 2016-01-05 | 2021-10-19 | Lg Electronics Inc. | Clothes treating apparatus |
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US20190010655A1 (en) | 2019-01-10 |
EP3401433A1 (en) | 2018-11-14 |
CN108431324B (en) | 2021-03-16 |
AU2016385317B2 (en) | 2019-12-19 |
KR20170081938A (en) | 2017-07-13 |
CN108431324A (en) | 2018-08-21 |
AU2020201985B2 (en) | 2021-09-09 |
KR102482654B1 (en) | 2022-12-29 |
AU2020201985A1 (en) | 2020-04-09 |
WO2017119641A1 (en) | 2017-07-13 |
AU2016385317A1 (en) | 2018-07-19 |
US11149377B2 (en) | 2021-10-19 |
EP3401433A4 (en) | 2019-09-25 |
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