CN117795149A

CN117795149A - Washing machine and laundry treatment apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN117795149A
Application number: CN202280054547.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐东必; 李康贤; 曹荣振
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-31
Filing date: 2022-09-19
Publication date: 2024-03-29
Also published as: US11926953B2; EP4357516A1; US20230212807A1

Abstract

A washing machine, comprising: a cabinet; a tub disposed in the cabinet; a drain pump connected to the tub; and a filter device configured to filter water flowing from the drain pump, wherein the filter device includes: a filter housing; a filter rotatably coupled to the filter housing and having a first filter portion and a second filter portion, the second filter portion configured to collect refuse having a size different from a size of refuse collected by the first filter portion; and a filter driving device configured to rotate the filter.

Description

Washing machine and laundry treatment apparatus

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a washing machine and a laundry treatment apparatus, and more particularly, to a washing machine and a laundry treatment apparatus including a filter.

Background

The washing machine is a home appliance for washing laundry, towels, and bedclothes. The washing machines may be classified into drum type washing machines that wash laundry by repeatedly ascending and descending the laundry by rotating a drum, and pulsator type washing machines that wash laundry using water current generated by a pulsator while the drum rotates.

The cycles performed by the washing machine may include a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, and a spin-drying (dehydration) cycle, regardless of the type of the washing machine. The washing cycle supplies detergent water into a tub in which laundry is stored, and washes the laundry while rotating a drum. The rinsing cycle supplies rinsing water to the tub and rinses laundry by rotating the drum. The spin-drying cycle drains water from the tub and removes water from the laundry by rotating the drum.

The washing machine may include a circulation flow path for circulating the washing water when the washing and/or rinsing cycles are performed. The washing machine may include a drain flow path for draining the washing water while performing the washing cycle, the rinsing cycle, and/or the spin-drying cycle.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical scheme

According to aspects of the present disclosure, a washing machine includes: a tub for containing water; a drain pump connectable to the tub and configured to drain water from the tub; and a filter assembly for filtering drain water from the drain pump. The filter assembly includes: a filter housing; a filter coupleable to the filter housing and configured to rotate within the filter housing, the filter comprising a first filter structure for collecting foreign matter from drain water from the drain pump and a second filter structure for collecting other foreign matter from drain water from the drain pump having a different size than the foreign matter collected in the first filter structure; and a filter driver for rotating the filter.

The filter housing may include: a circulation inlet connectable to a drain pump; a circulation outlet for discharging the filtered water introduced through the circulation inlet to the tub; a drain inlet connectable to a drain pump; and a drain outlet for discharging the filtered water introduced through the drain inlet to a drain hose formed to extend to the outside of the washing machine.

The filter driver may be configured to rotate the filter to a first position in which the first filter structure is in communication with the circulation inlet and the circulation outlet, or to rotate the filter to a second position in which the second filter structure is in communication with the drain inlet and the drain outlet.

The filter may be located in a first position when water of the tub circulates, and in a second position when water of the tub is discharged to the outside of the washing machine.

The filter may comprise a filter housing, and the first filter arrangement and the second filter arrangement may be detachably mounted to the filter housing. The filter housing may include a first filter receiving structure in which the first filter structure is receivable; a second filter accommodating structure in which the second filter accommodating structure is accommodated, and which is provided to be spaced apart from the first filter accommodating structure in a circumferential direction of the filter; and a penetrating member spaced apart from the first filter accommodating structure and the second filter accommodating structure along a circumferential direction of the filter.

The filter may include: a filter cover detachably coupleable to the filter housing so as to cover the first filter receiving structure, the second filter receiving structure, and the through member; and a closure seal structure for sealing between the filter housing and the filter closure.

The filter housing may include a position adjuster. The filter housing may include a housing guide for guiding the position adjuster to allow the filter to be rotatable between the first position and the second position.

The pass-through member may be positioned to communicate with the drain inlet and the drain outlet in response to a first position of the filter, and the pass-through member may be positioned to communicate with the circulation inlet and the circulation outlet in response to a second position of the filter.

When the water of the tub is discharged to the outside of the washing machine, the filter may be located in the first position to allow the through member to communicate with the drain inlet and the drain outlet in response to closing the second filter structure.

The first filter receiving structure may be larger than the second filter receiving structure.

The through member may be smaller than the second filter receiving structure.

The filter housing may include: a first filter inlet formed to correspond to the circulation inlet in response to a first position of the filter; a first filter outlet formed to correspond to the circulation outlet in response to a first position of the filter; a second filter inlet formed to correspond to the drain inlet in response to a second position of the filter; a second filter outlet formed to correspond to the drain outlet in response to a second position of the filter; a through inlet formed to correspond to the drain inlet in response to a first position of the filter; and a through outlet formed to correspond to the drain outlet in response to the first position of the filter.

The first filter inlet and the first filter outlet may be formed in the first filter receiving structure, the second filter inlet and the second filter outlet may be formed in the second filter receiving structure, and the through inlet and the through outlet may be formed in the through member.

The first filter structure may be configured to filter out foreign matters having a size larger than that of the foreign matters filtered out by the second filter structure from the drain water from the drain pump.

The filter assembly may be disposed under the tub to be adjacent to the drain pump.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a laundry treating apparatus includes: a cabinet; a tub disposed inside the cabinet; a drain pump connected to the tub; a filter device configured to filter water flowing from the drain pump, and a controller configured to control the filter device. The controller is configured to control the filter device to allow water supplied from the drain pump to pass through a circulation flow path of the filter device to be filtered when wash water of the tub circulates, and to control the filter device to allow water supplied from the drain pump to pass through a drain flow path of the filter device to be filtered when wash water of the tub is discharged to the outside of the cabinet.

The filter device may include: a first filter member disposed on the circulation flow path; and a second filter member disposed on the drain flow path and configured to collect foreign matter having a size different from that of the foreign matter collected by the first filter member.

The filter arrangement may comprise a filter drive arrangement configured to change the position of the first filter member and the position of the second filter member.

The filter device may include: a circulation opening and closing device configured to open and close the circulation flow path; and a drain opening and closing device configured to open and close the drain flow path.

The filter device may be arranged at an upper rear side of the tub.

Drawings

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

fig. 1 illustrates a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 illustrates a cross-section of the washing machine shown in fig. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the filter arrangement shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the filter device shown in FIG. 3;

fig. 5 illustrates a control block diagram of the washing machine shown in fig. 1;

fig. 6 illustrates a flow of washing water in a state in which the filter illustrated in fig. 4 is located in a first position;

FIG. 7 shows a front view of the filter device shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a cross section taken along line A-A shown in FIG. 6;

fig. 9 illustrates a flow of the washing water in a state in which the filter illustrated in fig. 4 is located in a second position;

FIG. 10 shows a front view of the filter device shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows a cross section taken along line B-B shown in FIG. 9;

fig. 12 shows a filter device 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 shows a cross-section taken along line C-C shown in FIG. 12, particularly illustrating the flow of water through the filter of the filter device shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 shows a cross section taken along line C-C shown in FIG. 12, in particular, showing the flow of water that does not pass through the filter of the filter device shown in FIG. 12; and

fig. 15 illustrates a washing machine according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The embodiments described in the present disclosure and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely examples of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and may be modified in various ways to replace the embodiments of the present disclosure and the drawings at the time of filing the present application.

Furthermore, like reference numerals or symbols shown in the drawings of the present disclosure denote elements or components performing substantially the same function. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity of description.

Furthermore, the terminology used herein is used to describe embodiments and is not intended to limit and/or restrict the present disclosure. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," and the like are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, the elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The term "and/or" includes a plurality of combinations of related items or any of a plurality of related items.

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a washing machine and a laundry treatment apparatus capable of including a filter configured to collect foreign matters of various sizes.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a washing machine and a laundry treating apparatus capable of allowing wash water to selectively pass through one filter member among a plurality of filter members according to circumstances.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a washing machine and a laundry treating apparatus capable of reducing a space occupied by a filter while maintaining performance of the filter.

Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates a cross section of the washing machine shown in fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the washing machine 1 may include a cabinet 10 forming an exterior, a tub 20 disposed inside the cabinet 10, a drum 30 rotatably disposed inside the tub 20, and a driving motor 40 configured to drive the drum 30.

An inlet 11 may be formed in a front portion of the cabinet 10 to put laundry into the drum 30. The inlet 11 may be opened and closed by a door 12 mounted on a front portion of the cabinet 10.

A water supply pipe 50 configured to supply washing water to the tub 20 may be disposed above the tub 20. One side of the water supply pipe 50 may be connected to the water supply valve 56, and the other side of the water supply pipe 50 may be connected to the detergent box 52.

The detergent box 52 may be connected to the tub 20 through a connection pipe 54. The water supplied through the water supply pipe 50 may be supplied into the tub 20 together with the detergent via the detergent box 52.

The tub 20 may be supported by a damper 70. The damper 70 may connect the inner bottom surface of the cabinet 10 to the outer surface of the tub 20.

The drum 30 may include a cylindrical member 31, a front plate 32 disposed in a front portion of the cylindrical member 31, and a rear plate 33 disposed at a rear portion of the cylindrical member 31. An opening for inserting and taking out laundry may be formed in the front plate 32. A shaft 90 provided to transmit power of the driving motor 40 may be connected to the rear plate 33.

A plurality of through holes 34 may be formed around the drum 30 for distributing the washing water, and a plurality of lifters 35 may be installed on an inner circumferential surface of the drum 30 to allow the laundry to be lifted and lowered in response to the rotation of the drum 30.

The drum 30 and the driving motor 40 are connected through the shaft 90, and the washing machine 1 may be classified into a direct driving type in which the shaft 90 is directly connected to the driving motor 40 to rotate the drum 30 and an indirect driving type in which the pulley 91 is connected between the shaft 90 and the driving motor 40 to drive the drum 30, according to a connection method between the shaft 90 and the driving motor 40.

The washing machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided as an indirect driving type, but is not limited thereto. Thus, the technical features of the present disclosure are applicable to the direct drive type.

One end of the shaft 90 is connected to the rear plate 33 of the drum 30, and the other end of the shaft 90 extends to the outside of the rear member 21 of the tub 20. The other end of the shaft 90 may be inserted into a pulley 91 to obtain driving force from the driving motor 40. Further, a motor pulley 41 is formed on the rotation shaft of the driving motor 40. A drive belt 92 is provided between the motor pulley 41 and the shaft pulley 91, and thus the shaft 90 can be driven by the drive belt 92.

The driving motor 40 may be disposed on one side of the lower portion of the tub 20, and thus the driving motor 40 may drive the shaft 90 while the driving belt 92 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the vertical direction of the tub 20.

A bearing housing 96 is mounted on the rear member 21 of the tub 20 to rotatably support the shaft 90. The bearing housing 96 may be formed of an aluminum alloy and may be inserted into the rear member 21 of the tub 20 during injection molding of the tub 20 therein.

Further, a display 14 provided to display the state of the washing machine 1 to a user may be provided on the front upper portion of the cabinet 10. The display 14 may include an input. A printed circuit board assembly (not shown) may be disposed on the front upper portion of the cabinet 10.

A cover 19 provided to cover the filter device 100 (also referred to as a filter assembly 100) may be provided at a lower front portion of the cabinet 10. When the user opens the cover 19, the user may access the filter device 100.

The washing machine 1 may include a drain pump 80 disposed under the tub 20 and configured to drain water inside the tub 20 to an outside of the washing machine 1. In order to allow water inside the tub 20 to flow into the drain pump 80, the drain pump 80 may be connected to the tub 20 through a drain port 81 of the tub 20 and a connection hose 82.

The washing machine 1 may include a filter device 100 configured to filter water discharged from the drain pump 80. The filter device 100 may be disposed under the tub 20 to be adjacent to the drain pump 80. In order to supply water from the drain pump 80 to the filter device 100, the filter device 100 may be connected to the drain pump 80 through the first circulation hose 83 and the first drain hose 85. In order to allow water flowing to the filter device 100 through the first circulation hose 83 to be filtered and then guided to the tub 20, the filter device 100 may be connected to the tub 20 through the second circulation hose 84. In order to allow water flowing toward the filter device 100 through the first drain hose 85 to be filtered and then guided to the outside of the cabinet 10, the filter device 100 may be connected to the second drain hose 86.

Fig. 3 shows the filter device shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of the filter device shown in fig. 3.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the filter apparatus 100 may include a filter housing 110, a filter 120 rotatably coupled to the filter housing 110, and a filter drive device 130 configured to rotate the filter 120.

The filter housing 110 may include a housing body 111 having a substantially cylindrical shape. A filter mounting member 111a may be formed in the housing body 111 to allow the filter 120 to be rotatably inserted therein.

The circulation inlet 113, the circulation outlet 114, the drain inlet 115, and the drain outlet 116 may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the housing main body 111.

The circulation inlet 113 may be connected to the drain pump 80 through a first circulation hose 83. The water discharged from the drain pump 80 may be introduced into the filter device 100 through the circulation inlet 113.

The circulation outlet 114 may be provided to discharge the water flowing into the filter device 100 through the circulation inlet 113 to the tub 20. The circulation outlet 114 may be connected to the tub 20 through the second circulation hose 84.

The drain inlet 115 may be connected to the drain pump 80 through a first drain hose 85. The water discharged from the drain pump 80 may flow into the filter device 100 through the drain inlet 115.

The drain outlet 116 may be provided to drain water flowing into the filter device 100 through the drain system inlet 115 to the outside of the cabinet 10. The drain outlet 116 may be connected to the second drain hose 86.

The filter housing 110 may include a housing guide 112 configured to limit the range of rotation of the filter 120. The housing guide 112 may guide the position adjuster 122 of the filter 120. The housing guide 112 may have a groove shape. When the housing guide 112 guides the position adjuster 122, the filter 120 may rotate between a first position for filtering water flowing from the drain pump 80 and for discharging the filtered water to the tub 20 and a second position for filtering water flowing from the drain pump 80 and for discharging the filtered water to the outside of the cabinet 10.

The filter housing 110 may include a housing cover 117, the housing cover 117 being provided to cover the filter mounting member 111a of the housing body 111 in which the filter 120 is accommodated. The housing cover 117 may be detachably mounted to the housing main body 111. The housing cover 117 may rotatably support the filter 120.

The filter housing 110 may include a housing sealing member 118, the housing sealing member 118 being arranged to seal a gap between the housing cover 117 and the housing body 111.

The filter 120 may include a first filter member 126 (also referred to as a first filter structure 126) and a second filter member 127 (also referred to as a second filter structure 127). The second filter member 127 may be provided to collect foreign matter having a size different from that of the foreign matter collected by the first filter member 126. The first filter member 126 may be configured to filter out foreign objects having a size larger than that of the foreign objects filtered by the second filter member 127.

The filter 120 may include a filter housing 121, with the first filter member 126 and the second filter member 127 being removably mounted to the filter housing 121. The filter housing 121 may include a first filter receiving member 123 (also referred to as a first filter receiving structure 123) in which a first filter member 126 is received, and a second filter receiving member 124 in which a second filter member 127 is received. The second filter receiving member 124 (also referred to as a second filter receiving structure 124) may be disposed to be spaced apart from the first filter receiving member 123 in the circumferential direction of the filter 120. The first filter receiving member 123 may be provided larger than the second filter receiving member 124.

The circulation flow path may be formed inside the first filter receiving member 123. The drain flow path may be formed inside the second filter receiving member 124.

The filter 120 may include a through member 125 spaced apart from the first and second filter receiving members 123 and 124 along a circumferential direction of the filter 120. The through member 125 may be smaller than the second filter receiving member 124.

The filter housing 121 may include a first filter inlet 123a formed to correspond to the circulation inlet 113 in response to the first position of the filter 120 and a first filter outlet 123b formed to correspond to the circulation outlet 114 in response to the first position of the filter 120. The first filter inlet 123a and the first filter outlet 123b may be formed in the first filter accommodating member 123.

The filter housing 121 may include a second filter inlet 124a (see fig. 6) formed to correspond to the drain inlet 115 in response to the second position of the filter 120 and a second filter outlet formed to correspond to the drain outlet 116 in response to the second position of the filter 120. The second filter inlet 124a and the second filter outlet may be formed in the second filter accommodating member 124.

The filter housing 121 may include a through inlet 125a formed to correspond to the drain inlet 115 in response to the first position of the filter 120 and a through outlet 125b formed to correspond to the drain outlet 116 in response to the first position of the filter 120. The through inlet 125a and the through outlet 125b may be formed in the through member 125.

The filter 120 may include a filter cover 128 detachably coupled to the filter housing 101 so as to cover the first filter accommodating member 123, the second filter accommodating member 124, and the penetrating member 125.

The filter 120 may include a cap seal member 129 (also referred to as a cap seal structure 129) configured to seal between the filter housing 121 and the filter cap 128.

The filter housing 121 may include a position adjuster 122. The position adjuster 122 may be disposed at one end of the filter housing 121. The position regulator 122 may protrude from the outer surface of the filter housing 121 toward the radial direction of the filter 120. The position adjuster 122 may be guided by the housing guide 112 of the filter housing 110.

The filter drive 130 (also referred to as a filter driver 130) may rotate the filter 120 to a first position in which the first filter member 126 is in communication with the circulation inlet 113 and the circulation outlet 114. The filter drive 130 may rotate the filter 120 to a second position in which the second filter member 127 is in communication with the drain inlet 115 and the drain outlet 116.

The filter driving device 130 may include a filter motor 131 and a filter shaft 132 configured to transmit power of the filter motor 131 to the filter 120. The filter motor 131 may be fixed to the filter housing 110. The filter shaft 132 may be inserted into the filter housing 121 of the filter 120 and fixed to the filter housing 121 of the filter 120.

The filter apparatus 100 may include a filter shaft bearing 134 mounted on a portion of the filter housing 121 into which the filter shaft 132 is inserted. The filter device 100 may include a shaft sealing member 133 configured to seal a gap between the filter shaft 132 and the filter housing 121.

Fig. 5 illustrates a control block diagram of the washing machine shown in fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 5, the washing machine 1 may include a controller 60. The controller 60 may be electrically connected to the display 14. In response to a command entered from a user via display 14, controller 60 may receive a command from a user from display 14.

The controller 60 may be electrically connected to the drive motor 40 and/or the filter drive 130. The controller 60 may control the drive motor 40 and/or the filter drive 130 based on information received from the display 14.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow of the washing water in a state in which the filter illustrated in fig. 4 is located in the first position. Fig. 7 shows a front view of the filter device shown in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows a section taken along the line A-A shown in fig. 6. Fig. 9 illustrates a flow of the washing water in a state in which the filter illustrated in fig. 4 is located in the second position. Fig. 10 shows a front view of the filter device shown in fig. 9. Fig. 11 shows a section taken along line B-B shown in fig. 9.

The operation of the filter device 100 according to the cycle performed by the washing machine 1 will be described with reference to fig. 6 to 11.

Referring to fig. 6 to 8, when the washing machine 1 circulates wash water in the tub 20, the controller 60 controls the filter driving device 130 to rotate the filter 120 to the first position. In particular, when the washing machine 1 circulates the washing water of the tub 20 in the washing and rinsing cycles, the filter 120 is in the first position. In the first position of the filter 120, the filter 120 may be prevented from rotating counterclockwise when the housing guide 112 guides the position adjuster 122.

In response to the first position of the filter 120, the first filter receiving member 123 may be in communication with the circulation inlet 113 and the circulation outlet 114. The second filter receiving member 124 may not be in communication with the drain inlet 115 and the drain outlet 116 in response to the first position of the filter 120. In response to the first position of the filter 120, the pass-through member 125 may be in communication with the drain inlet 115 and the drain outlet 116.

The water discharged from the drain pump 80 may flow into the filter 120 through the circulation inlet 113. The water flowing into the filter 120 may be filtered by the first filter member 126. The water filtered by the first filter member 126 may be discharged to the outside of the filter 120 through the circulation outlet 114.

Referring to fig. 9 to 11, when the washing machine 1 discharges wash water from the tub 20 to the outside of the cabinet 10, the controller 60 controls the filter driving device 130 to rotate the filter 130 to the second position. In particular, when the washing machine 1 discharges the washing water from the tub 20 after performing the washing and rinsing cycles, or when the washing machine 1 performs the spin-drying cycle, the filter 120 is in the second position. In the second position of the filter 120, the filter 120 may be prevented from rotating clockwise when the housing guide 112 guides the position adjuster 122.

In response to the second position of the filter 120, the second filter receiving space 124 may communicate with the drain inlet 115 and the drain outlet 116. In response to the second position of the filter 120, the first filter accommodating space 123 may not communicate with the circulation inlet 113 and the circulation outlet 114. In response to the second position of the filter 120, the pass-through member 125 may be in communication with the circulation inlet 113 and the circulation outlet 114.

The water discharged from the drain pump 80 may flow into the filter 120 through the drain inlet 115. The water flowing into the filter 120 may be filtered by the second filter member 127. The water filtered by the second filter member 127 may be discharged to the outside of the filter 120 through the drain outlet 116.

On the other hand, in response to the second filter member 127 being blocked when the washing water of the tub 20 is discharged to the outside of the cabinet 10, the controller 60 may control the filter driving device 130 to rotate the filter 120 to the first position, thereby allowing the through member 125 to communicate with the drain inlet 115 and the drain outlet 116, as shown in fig. 8.

With this configuration, the filter device 100 shown in fig. 1 to 11 can change the position of the filter 120 including the plurality of filter members 126 and 127 to collect various sizes of foreign substances in response to a cycle performed by the washing machine 1. Thus, the life of the filter 120 may be increased.

Fig. 12 shows a filter device 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 13 shows a section taken along line C-C shown in fig. 12, in particular, showing the flow of water through the filter of the filter device shown in fig. 12. Fig. 14 shows a section taken along line C-C shown in fig. 12, in particular, showing the flow of water that does not pass through the filter of the filter device shown in fig. 12.

A filter device 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 12 to 14. The same reference numerals denote the same components as those of the filter device 100 shown in fig. 1 to 11, and a detailed description thereof may be omitted.

Referring to fig. 12-14, the filter apparatus 200 may include a filter housing 210. The bypass flow path 210a may be formed inside the filter housing 210.

The filter device 200 may include a first filter driving device 231 configured to open and close the circulation flow path and second filter driving devices 236 and 237 configured to open and close the drain flow path.

The filter device 200 may include a first filter member 223 forming a circulation flow path and a second filter member 224 forming a drain flow path. The interior of the first filter member 223 and the interior of the second filter member 224 are arranged in the same manner. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, only the second filter member 224 will be described.

Referring to fig. 13 and 14, the second filter driving means 236 and 237 may include a second a (2 a) filter driving means 236 and a second b (2 b) filter driving means 237. The second a (2 a) filter drive 236 may drive the first damper 236a, and the second b (2 b) filter drive 237 may drive the second damper 237a.

Referring to fig. 13, in order to allow water flowing into the filter device 200 to pass through the filter 227, the second a (2 a) filter driving device 236 may drive the first damper 236a to open a flow path through which water flowing toward the filter device 200 passes through the filter 227, and the second b (2 b) filter driving device 237 may drive the second damper 237a to allow water passing through the filter 227 to be discharged to the outside of the filter device 200.

Referring to fig. 14, in order to prevent water flowing into the filter device 200 from passing through the filter 227, the second a (2 a) filter driving device 236 may drive the first damper 236a to allow the water flowing into the filter device 200 to be directed to the bypass flow path 210a of the filter housing 210, and the second b (2 b) filter driving device 237 may drive the second damper 237a to allow the water passing through the bypass flow path 210a to be discharged to the outside of the filter device 200.

Accordingly, the filter device 200 shown in fig. 12 to 14 may allow water discharged from the drain pump 80 to pass through a circulation flow path or through a drain flow path in response to a washing cycle, a rinsing cycle, or a spin-drying cycle, thereby collecting foreign matters of various sizes.

Referring to fig. 15, a washing machine 2 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The same reference numerals denote the same components as those of the washing machine 1 shown in fig. 2, and a detailed description thereof may be omitted.

Referring to fig. 15, the washing machine 2 may include the same filter device 100 as the filter device 100 shown in fig. 2. The filter device 100 may be located at an upper rear side of the tub 20. The drain pump 80 may pump water flowing from the tub 20 to the filter device 100. With this configuration, the washing machine 2 shown in fig. 15 can effectively arrange the filter device 100 in a limited space inside the cabinet 10.

As apparent from the above description, the washing machine and the laundry treating apparatus may collect various sizes of foreign matters by including a filter provided with a plurality of filter members.

Further, the washing machine and the laundry treating apparatus may include a controller configured to change a flow path to allow wash water to selectively pass through one of a plurality of filter members of the filter.

Further, the washing machine and the laundry treating apparatus may include a filter including a plurality of filter members configured to collect various sizes of foreign matters, thereby reducing a space occupied by the filter while maintaining performance of the filter.

Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A washing machine, comprising:

a tub for containing water;

a drain pump connectable to the tub and configured to drain the water from the tub; and

a filter assembly for filtering drain water from the drain pump,

wherein the filter assembly comprises:

a filter housing;

a filter coupleable to the filter housing and configured to rotate within the filter housing, the filter comprising a first filter structure for collecting foreign matter from the drain water from the drain pump and a second filter structure for collecting other foreign matter from the drain water from the drain pump having a different size than the foreign matter collected in the first filter structure; and

a filter driver for rotating the filter.

2. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

the filter housing includes:

a circulation inlet connectable to the drain pump;

a circulation outlet for discharging the filtered water introduced through the circulation inlet to the tub;

a drain inlet connectable to the drain pump; and

a drain outlet for discharging the filtered water introduced through the drain inlet to a drain hose formed to extend to the outside of the washing machine.

3. The washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein,

the filter driver is configured to rotate the filter to a first position in which the first filter structure is in communication with the circulation inlet and the circulation outlet, or to rotate the filter to a second position in which the second filter structure is in communication with the drain inlet and the drain outlet.

4. A washing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein,

the filter is located in the first position when the water of the tub is circulated; and

the filter is located in the second position when the water of the tub is discharged to the outside of the washing machine.

5. A washing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein,

the filter comprising a filter housing, the first filter arrangement and the second filter arrangement being detachably mountable to the filter housing,

wherein the filter housing comprises:

a first filter containment structure, the first filter structure being receivable in the first filter containment structure;

a second filter accommodating structure that is capable of being accommodated in the second filter accommodating structure, and that is provided so as to be spaced apart from the first filter accommodating structure in a circumferential direction of the filter; and

and a penetrating member spaced apart from the first filter accommodating structure and the second filter accommodating structure along the circumferential direction of the filter.

6. The washing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein,

the filter includes:

a filter cover detachably coupleable to the filter housing so as to cover the first filter receiving structure, the second filter receiving structure, and the through member; and

and a cover sealing structure for sealing between the filter housing and the filter cover.

7. The washing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein,

the filter housing includes a position adjuster that,

wherein the filter housing comprises: a housing guide for guiding the position adjuster to allow the filter to be rotatable between the first position and the second position.

8. The washing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein,

the pass-through member is positioned to communicate with the drain inlet and the drain outlet in response to the first position of the filter; and

the pass-through member is positioned to communicate with the circulation inlet and the circulation outlet in response to the second position of the filter.

9. The washing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein,

when the water of the tub is discharged to the outside of the washing machine, the filter is located in the first position to allow the through member to communicate with the drain inlet and the drain outlet in response to closing the second filter structure.

10. The washing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein,

the first filter receiving structure is larger than the second filter receiving structure.

11. The washing machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein,

the through member is smaller than the second filter receiving structure.

12. The washing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein,

the filter housing includes:

a first filter inlet formed to correspond to the circulation inlet in response to the first position of the filter;

a first filter outlet formed to correspond to the circulation outlet in response to the first position of the filter;

a second filter inlet formed to correspond to the drain inlet in response to the second position of the filter;

a second filter outlet formed to correspond to the drain outlet in response to the second position of the filter;

a through inlet formed to correspond to the drain inlet in response to the first position of the filter; and

a through outlet formed to correspond to the drain outlet in response to the first position of the filter.

13. The washing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein,

the first filter inlet and the first filter outlet are formed in the first filter receiving structure,

the second filter inlet and the second filter outlet are formed in the second filter receiving structure, and

the through inlet and the through outlet are formed in the through member.

14. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

the first filter structure is configured to filter out foreign matter having a size larger than that of the foreign matter filtered out by the second filter structure from the drain water from the drain pump.

15. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

the filter assembly is disposed below the tub to be adjacent to the drain pump.