KR100692555B1 - Air filter of washing machine and operating process thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An air filtering apparatus for a washing machine is provided to remove threads and foreign matters from laundry by installing a filter unit, and to purify odor and contaminant particles in the air by installing a purifier unit. An air filtering apparatus for a washing machine has a filtering unit(40) having a filtering net(42), and detachably connected to the condensation duct(26). The filter unit attaches and detaches to the condensation duct by a guide projection(50) installed on the inner side of the condensation duct. The filtering unit has a edge member(44) to combine the filtering net with the filtering unit, and a handle member(46) is protruded out from one side of the rim member. The filtering net is made of stainless material. A purifier unit(60) is installed in a drying duct(30) and contains a filtering member(62) having air passageways formed on the inner side to absorb odor particles, and a lamp member(66) to irradiate ultraviolet rays to a photocatalyst member. The photocatalyst member is coated to the filtering member and responses to the ultraviolet rays to oxidize contaminants.

Description

Air filter of washing machine and its operation method

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drum washing machine according to the prior art.

Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a conventional drum washing machine according to the prior art.

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a washing machine equipped with an air filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view illustrating the main components of the purification unit in FIG. 3.

5 is a front view of a purification unit of FIG. 3.

6 is an exploded perspective view of the filter unit in FIG. 3.

7 is an operation flowchart of a method of operating a washing machine equipped with an air filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

20 cabinet 22 drum

24: Tub 26: Condensation duct

27: condensation line 28: blowing member

30: drying duct 32: heater

34: door 40: filter part

42: strainer 44: frame member

46: handle member 50: guide protrusion

52: insertion groove 60: purification unit

62: filter member 64: cover member

66: lamp member

The present invention relates to an air filter of a washing machine and a method of operating the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a washing machine equipped with a filter for removing odor particles and swelling in the air.

Recently, a washing machine has been introduced with a drying function in addition to a washing function. In general, a drying function is mainly installed in a drum washing machine.

Hereinafter, a drying function of a conventional washing machine will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a drum washing machine according to the prior art, Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a conventional drum washing machine according to the prior art.

As shown in Fig. 1 and 2, the general washing machine has a cabinet (1) to form an appearance, and the tub (7) is installed so as to be suspended by a spring in the cabinet (1) and supported by a damper. Is installed.

The drum (9) is rotatably installed inside the tub (7) to become a space in which washing water and laundry are contained, and the lift (11) protrudes at regular intervals on the inner wall surface of the drum (9). Is installed.

The lift 11 raises the laundry as the drum 9 is rotated and then falls off, thereby improving the washing force.

The drum 9 has a plurality of dehydration holes are formed on the inner wall surface to allow the washing water to flow freely to the drum 9 and the tub 7 side, and to allow the washing water to escape from the laundry by centrifugal force during dehydration.

On the other hand, the front of the drum (9) is opened and closed by a door (3) hinged to the cabinet (1).

A transparent glass 4 protrudes toward the drum 9 inside the door 3, and a rubber gasket 5 is installed between the door 3 and the tub 7 so that the tub ( The water stored in 7) is prevented from leaking into the space between the tub 7 and the drum 9.

At the rear of the tub (7) is connected to the drum (9) is installed a drive motor for rotating the drum (9).

The lower end of the tub 7 is connected to the lower end of the condensation duct 13, and the upper end of the condensation duct 13 is connected to the blower member 17.

In addition, a drying duct 15 having a heater 19 therein is connected to the blower member 17, and the drying duct 15 is connected to the front surface of the tub 7.

Looking at the operation of the conventional washing machine configured as described above are as follows.

In the state in which laundry is put into the drum 9, an appropriate amount of washing water is supplied into the tub 7 according to the quantity of laundry.

Then, as the driving source is operated to rotate the drum 9, the lift 11 raises the laundry to a certain height, and then drops the laundry to wash the laundry.

When the washing stroke is completed as described above, the drain pump connected to the drain pipe is opened to drain the wash water, and then the motor is operated at high speed to wash the drum 9 by centrifugal force by rotating the drum 9 at high speed. Intermittent dehydration proceeds by allowing the water to escape, and the water supply valve is opened again to supply the wash water and at the same time the drum 9 rotates to rinse.

As such, rinsing and intermittent dehydration are repeatedly operated, followed by a dewatering stroke.

Then, when the drying stroke is entered, the blower member 17 is operated to suck the air containing the moisture inside the tub 7 through the condensation duct 13 to remove moisture from the air and send it to the drying duct 15. .

The air passing through the drying duct 15 flows into the front of the tub 7 while being heated by the heater 19 to dry the laundry inside the drum 9.

However, foreign matter including lint generated from the laundry inside the drum 9 during the drying process and odor particles generated during washing or washing are circulated together with the air and inside the heater 19 or the drying duct 15. It may cause odor or fire, and contaminate laundry. Therefore, there is a need for improvement.

The present invention has been made by the necessity as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an air filter and a method of operating the washing machine so that lint or foreign matter generated in the laundry of the washing machine does not circulate with the air. Another object of the present invention is to provide an air filter of a washing machine and a method of operating the same, which does not pollute laundry by purifying contaminated air.

Air filter of the washing machine according to the present invention; Condensation duct one side is in communication with the tub, so that the air in the tub, the filter net is provided and detachably coupled to the condensation duct and the air passing through the filter unit is heated to supply the condensation duct It has a drying duct in communication with the other side of the.

Preferably, the filter unit is guided in the detachable along the guide projection formed inside the condensation duct.

The filter unit includes a frame member to which the strainer is coupled, and a handle member protruding from one side of the frame member.

The strainer is made of stainless steel.

Or, the air filter of the washing machine according to the present invention; A condensation duct in which one side is in communication with the tub so that air in the tub is transferred, a drying duct in communication with the other side of the condensation duct so that the air passing through the condensation duct is heated and supplied to the tub, and the air is installed in the drying duct It is equipped with a purification unit for filtering.

Preferably, the purifying unit irradiates ultraviolet rays to the photocatalyst member and the photocatalyst member which adsorb the odor particles and have an air flow path formed therein, coated on the filter member, and reacting with ultraviolet rays to oxidize contaminants. A lamp member is provided.

In addition, the filter unit is detachably coupled to the condensation duct and provided with a filter net.

Air filter operation method of the washing machine according to the present invention; Air in the drying duct is heated by a heater, determining whether the first operating time of the heater is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, and if the first operating time is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, acting as a photocatalyst and acting as the photocatalyst Determining whether the second operation time is equal to or greater than an end time, and then terminating.

According to the present invention as described above, by removing the debris and odor such as lint floating on the inside of the washing machine to provide a more hygienic laundry environment.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a preferred embodiment of an air filter and a method of operating the washing machine according to the present invention. For convenience of description, an air filter provided in the drum washing machine will be described as an example. In this process, the thickness of the lines or the size of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of description. In addition, terms to be described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or convention of a user or an operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a washing machine equipped with an air filter according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is an exploded view showing the main configuration of the purification unit in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a front view of the purification unit in Figure 3 6 is an exploded perspective view of the filter unit in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a washing machine equipped with an air filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, a drum 22 into which laundry is introduced and a tub 24 fixed to the outside of the drum 22 are provided inside the cabinet 20 forming the exterior of the washing machine.

A lower side of the condensation duct 26 is connected to the tub 24, and a blower member 28 is connected to the upper side of the condensation duct 26.

The condensation duct 26 is provided with a filter unit 40 for removing lint or foreign matter in the air.

As shown in FIG. 6, the filter unit 40 has a strainer 42 disposed inside, and protrudes from one side of the edge member 44 and the edge member 44 to which the strainer 42 is coupled. The handle member 46 is provided.

The strainer 42 has a mesh shape made of stainless material and has strong corrosion resistance.

The filter unit 40 may be attached or detached along the guide protrusion 50 protruding from the condensation duct 26.

In addition, one side surface of the condensation duct 26 is opened to form the insertion groove 52 so that the filter part 40 is inserted into the condensation duct 26.

In the state in which the filter part 40 is mounted on the condensation duct 26, only the handle member 46 has a shape protruding to the outside of the condensation duct 26.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drying duct 30 communicating with the other side of the condensation duct 26 receives air from the blower member 28.

The condensation duct 26 is connected to a condensation conduit 27 for supplying condensate, and the condensate flowing through the condensation conduit 27 is controlled by a controller.

The heater 32 is installed inside the drying duct 30, and the odor particles in the air are removed by the purification unit 60 installed in the drying duct 30 to filter the air.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the purification unit 60 includes a filter member 62 connected to the drying duct 30, and a cover member 64 provided to cover the outside of the filter member 62. And a lamp member 66 installed inside the cover member 64 to emit ultraviolet light.

An air flow path is formed inside the filter member 62, and a deodorizing filter including a ceramic filter or an activated carbon filter is made of a main material to facilitate adsorption of odor particles.

A photocatalyst member is coated on the filter member 62 and oxidizes and decomposes a pollutant adsorbed on the filter member 62 in response to the ultraviolet rays of the lamp member 66.

The photocatalyst member is applicable to any material for oxidizing contaminants in response to the ultraviolet rays of the lamp member 66, in one embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited to titanium oxide as a photocatalyst.

The lamp member 66 may use a lamp for generating ultraviolet rays, or may use a lamp for generating light for reacting the photocatalyst.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the lamp member 66 is used as an ultraviolet light emitting lamp, and thus, the antimicrobial action and the decomposition of harmful substances are accompanied with the purification of more powerful air.

Air passing through the purifying unit 60 is supplied to the tub 24 through the drying duct 30, the front of the tub 24 is opened and closed by the door 34.

A method of operating an air filter of a washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to the drawings, and the operation of the same components as in the prior art will be referred to the related art.

The operation of the air filter in the drying course of the washing machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 7.

If a signal indicating the start of the drying course is input to the washing machine, the drying course is started (S10).

When the drying course is started (S10), after the air in the drying duct 30 is heated by the operation (S10) of the heater 32, the supply to the inside of the tub 24 by the blowing member 28 is made. .

In order to remove the odor particles generated in the laundry in the drying course, the control unit determines whether the first operation time of the heater 32 is longer than the set time (S30).

The first operation time represents the actual time that the heater 32 is operated, and the set time represents the time initially set in the controller so that only the heater 32 is operated until the photocatalyst is activated.

When the first operation time is greater than or equal to the predetermined time, ultraviolet light is irradiated by applying power to the lamp member 66, and thus the photocatalyst acts (S40).

The photocatalyst purifies the air flowing inside the filter member 62 by ultraviolet rays of the lamp member 66.

In addition, it is determined whether the second operation time at which the photocatalyst acts is at least an end time (S50), and when it is determined that the second operation time is at least an end time, the lamp member 66, the heater 32, and the blowing member 28 are determined. ) To cut off the power supplied to the end of the drying course (S60).

Air flowing through the filter duct 62 through the drying duct 30 by the above-described operating sequence is primarily air filtration by the filter member 62, the light emitted by the lamp member 66 As the photocatalyst coated on the filter member 62 is reacted by ultraviolet rays, air filtering is performed secondarily.

The cover member 64 on which the filter member 62 and the lamp member 66 are mounted is installed between one end of the drying duct 30 or between the drying duct 30 and the drying duct 30, and the filter member ( 62) the air flows to the inside.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3 and 6, the trapping net 42 of the filter unit 40 installed inside the condensation duct 26 is caught by a sapphire or foreign matter contained in the air.

The filter part 40 is installed below the condensation pipe path 27, and the condensation water from the condensation pipe path 27 is finely injected while passing through the strainer 42 of the filter part 40. It further doubles the condensation effect of the air moving upwards through.

In addition, the foreign substances caught on the strainer 42 are dropped downward by suddenly increasing the amount of condensed water supplied through the condensation tube 27 in order to remove the lint and the like trapped on the strainer 42.

On the other hand, the filter unit 40 is inserted into or out of the filter unit 40 into the condensation duct 26 through the insertion groove 52 because only the handle member 46 protrudes out of the condensation duct 26. .

The purification unit 60 may not operate only in a drying course, but may also operate as a separate single course for removing odors from laundry, and may also operate in other courses such as washing or dehydration.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible to those skilled in the art. Will understand. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the claims below.

As described above, the air filter of the washing machine and its operation method according to the present invention, unlike the conventional invention, by removing the filter or foreign matter generated in the laundry of the washing machine by the filter unit to prevent the foreign matter is attached to the heater to generate odor And significantly reduce the possibility of fire. In addition, the present invention is to purify the odor components and contaminants in the air by the purifying unit to prevent contamination of the laundry to provide a more hygienic washing environment.

Claims (8)

A condensation duct in which one side communicates with the tub so that air in the tub is transferred; A filter unit is provided and is detachably coupled to the condensation duct; And And a drying duct communicating with the other side of the condensation duct such that the air passing through the filter unit is heated to be supplied to the tub. The method of claim 1, The filter unit air filter of the washing machine, characterized in that the removal is guided along the guide projection formed inside the condensation duct. The method of claim 1, The filter unit, the frame member is coupled to the strainer; And And a handle member protruding from one side of the frame member. The method of claim 1, The strainer is an air filter of the washing machine, characterized in that made of stainless material. A condensation duct in which one side communicates with the tub so that air in the tub is transferred; A drying duct communicating with the other side of the condensation duct such that the air passing through the condensation duct is heated to be supplied to the tub; And And a purifying unit installed in the drying duct to filter the air. The method of claim 5, The purifying unit, the filter member adsorbs the odor particles, the air flow path is formed inside; A photocatalyst member coated on the filter member and oxidizing contaminants in response to ultraviolet rays; And And a lamp member for irradiating ultraviolet rays to the photocatalyst member. The method of claim 5, Removably coupled to the condensation duct and the air filter of the washing machine characterized in that it further comprises a filter unit is installed. Air in the drying duct is heated by a heater; Determining whether the first operation time of the heater is equal to or greater than a preset time; Operating a photocatalyst when the first operation time is longer than a set time; And Determining whether the second operation time at which the photocatalyst is acting is greater than or equal to an end time, and terminating it; terminating the filter.

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