KR101542375B1 - Apparatus for treating clothes - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothes processing apparatus. A clothes processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a cabinet forming a housing space in which clothes are housed; A hot air supply device for supplying hot air to the accommodation space; A steam generator for supplying steam to the space; A water supply unit for storing water to be supplied to the steam generator, a water supply port formed at one side thereof for supplying the stored water to the steam generator and rotatably installed in the cabinet; And an opening and closing unit for selectively opening and closing the water supply port as the water supply unit is rotated.

Description

[0001] Apparatus for treating clothes [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a clothes processing apparatus capable of supplying water easily.

In recent years, various kinds of clothes processing apparatuses have been used together with washing machines for washing clothes. For example, there have been developed drum type driers for drying clothes that have been washed, cabinet-type dryers for hanging clothes and drying them, and refreshers for refreshing clothes by supplying hot air to clothes.

Among the clothes processing apparatuses, a refresher, a dryer, or the like mainly uses a heater to heat the air to supply hot air to clothes. Such a heater includes a gas heater that heats the gas by burning gas to generate air, and an electric heater that heats the air by electric resistance. In recent years, an electric heater that is easy to install and has a simple structure is widely used.

However, when the air is heated by the electric heater, the heat of the heater can be directly transferred to the clothes, which may damage the clothes or cause a fire inside the clothes processing apparatus. In addition, since the electric heater heats the air using electricity, in order to heat the air up to a desired temperature, the electric consumption increases, which causes a problem that a large maintenance cost is required.

The present invention relates to a clothes processing apparatus capable of refreshing clothes by supplying hot air or steam to clothes to be stored, and more particularly to a clothes processing apparatus capable of refreshing clothes more easily.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cabinet including: a cabinet defining a receiving space in which a garment is received; A hot air supply device for supplying hot air to the accommodation space; A steam generator for supplying steam to the space; A water supply unit for storing water to be supplied to the steam generator, a water supply port formed at one side thereof for supplying the stored water to the steam generator and rotatably installed in the cabinet; And an opening / closing unit for selectively opening and closing the water supply port as the water supply unit is rotated.

Here, the opening / closing part may open the water supply port when the water supply part is seated in the cabinet, and may close the water supply port when the water supply part is rotated at a predetermined angle and separated from the cabinet. For example, the opening and closing part may include an elastic member and a blocking member provided to block the water inlet by the elastic member.

Meanwhile, the blocking member may be provided with a support bar for compressing the elastic member to open the water supply port when the water supply unit is attached.

The water supply unit may further include an intermediate space between the water supply unit and the steam generator for temporarily storing the water stored in the water supply unit and supplying the water to the steam generator when the water supply port is opened.

And a support bar for compressing the elastic member to open the water supply port when the water supply unit is attached may be provided at a predetermined position of the intermediate space.

The mediating space may be located at a higher position than the steam generating device, and may further include a pump for pumping the water stored in the mediating space to the steam generating device. The steam generator may further include a valve disposed between the steam generator and the water supply to regulate the amount of water supplied to the steam generator.

Here, the water supply port may be formed substantially perpendicular to a lower surface of the water supply unit. Further, the water supply unit may be detachably attached to the cabinet. In this case, the water supply unit may further include a case having a space for receiving the water supply unit and rotatably installed in the cabinet. For example, the case may include a body panel having the space, and a front panel formed integrally with the body panel to form a part of a front surface of the cabinet.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, in the garment processing apparatus according to the present invention, the water supply portion for supplying water to the steam generator is provided on the upper portion of the steam generator, so that it is possible to easily supply water without a separate apparatus.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a front view showing a clothes processing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present specification, a refresher for refreshing clothes and supplying hot air is described as a clothes processing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the idea of the present invention can be applied to other clothes processing apparatuses, have.

Referring to FIG. 1, a clothes processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a cabinet 10 having a housing space 12 for accommodating clothes 1 therein, a hot air supply unit 110 for supplying hot air to the housing space 12, 2), a steam generating device 30 (see FIG. 2) for selectively injecting steam into the accommodation space 12 and a water supply unit 60 for storing the supplied water, . ≪ / RTI >

The cabinet 10 is provided with various components to be described later, and a receiving space 12 in which clothes are received is formed in the cabinet 10. The accommodation space 12 is selectively communicated with the outside by the door 14. [ In addition, the accommodation space 12 is provided with various supports 16 for hanging the clothes 1. The structure for supporting the clothes 1 is widely known in the field of the present invention, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted do.

A hot air supply device 22 for selectively supplying hot air and steam to the accommodation space 12 and a machine room 20 accommodating the steam generating device 30 are formed at one side of the cabinet 10. The machine room 20 is preferably located at a lower portion of the accommodation space 12 and the hot air supply device 22 and the steam generator 30 described above are located inside. The reason why the machine room 20 is located at the lower part is that the hot air and the steam supplied to the housing space 12 have a property to rise, so that the machine room 20 is located at the lower part, Is preferably supplied.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure inside the machine room 20. In FIG. 2, only the components of the heat pump 22 and the steam generator 30 are shown for convenience of explanation, and the piping line connecting the components is not shown.

Referring to FIG. 2, a hot air supply device for supplying hot air to the accommodation space (see FIG. 1) 12 is provided inside the machine room 20, and a heat pump 22 and a steam generator 30 for supplying steam are located do.

The heat pump 22 corresponding to the hot air supply device of the present invention is similar to the heat pump used in an air conditioner or the like. That is, the heat pump 22 is provided with an evaporator 24, a compressor 26, a condenser 28 and an expansion valve (not shown) through which the refrigerant circulates, thereby dehumidifying and heating the air. That is, the refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 24 to absorb the latent heat of the surrounding air, and the air is cooled to condense and remove moisture in the air. Further, when the refrigerant is condensed in the condenser 28 through the compressor 26, the ambient air is heated by releasing latent heat toward the surrounding air. Accordingly, the evaporator 24 and the condenser 28 function as a heat exchanger, and the air introduced into the machine room 20 is dehumidified and heated through the evaporator 24 and the condenser 28, .

As described above, the air heated by the heat pump 22 can be slightly lower in temperature than the air heated using the conventional heater, but it is possible to dehumidify the air without using a separate dehumidifying device. Therefore, the air supplied back to the accommodation space 12 by the heat pump 22 is relatively 'low temperature dry air' (here, 'low temperature' does not mean that the temperature is absolutely low, Which means that the temperature is relatively low compared to the conventional heated air). Therefore, although the temperature of the air supplied by the heat pump 22 of the present invention is lower than the hot air of the conventional clothes processing apparatus, the dehumidified air is supplied without a separate dehumidifying device, .

An air inlet 21 through which the air in the accommodation space 12 flows into the interior of the machine room 20 is formed in the upper portion of the machine room 20 and an air inlet 21 and an evaporator 24, 28 and the fan 32 are connected to each other by a duct 29. [ The air introduced into the machine room 20 through the air inlet 21 by the duct 29 is dehumidified and heated while passing through the heat pump 22 and is supplied to the accommodation space 12 again by the fan 32 .

Here, although not shown in the drawing, the air inlet 21 may preferably be provided with a filter. By providing the filter in the air inlet 21, it becomes possible to filter various foreign substances or the like that may be contained in the air introduced into the machine room 20 from the accommodation space 12, and to supply only fresh air to the accommodation space 12.

In the meantime, the machine room 20 is provided with a steam generator 30 for selectively supplying steam to the accommodation space 12. It is possible to remove wrinkles and the like which may occur in the clothes or the like due to the supply of the steam to the accommodation space 12 by the steam generating device 30 and further to the effect of sterilization by the high temperature steam, Effect can be expected. As described above, the timing of spraying the steam by the steam generator 30 can be appropriately modified. Preferably, the steam is sprayed before the hot air is supplied by the heat pump 22 described above. This is because it is preferable to dry clothes by supplying hot air after spraying high temperature steam.

The steam generator 30 includes a heater (not shown) for heating water, and generates steam by supplying water to the storage space 12. An external faucet or the like may be used as a water supply source for supplying water to the steam generator 30 or a container type water supply unit may be used at one side of the machine room 20. [ This container type water supply portion is preferably detachably installed so that the user can separate the water supply portion from the machine room 20 to fill and reinstall the water.

3 is a perspective view showing a water supply unit 60 detachably provided in the clothes processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, the water supply unit 60 may be installed at one side of the machine room 20, preferably at the front of the machine room 20.

Specifically, the water supply portion 60 may include a case 62 forming a water storage tank (see FIG. 4) 70 and a seating space 65 where the water tank 70 is seated. The case 62 is detachably installed on one side of the machine room 20 and may be formed as a drawer type slidable on the front side of the machine room 20 or may be formed on the machine room 20 as shown in FIG. And may be formed as a pivoting type rotatably provided on the front surface of the housing.

That is, the case 62 is provided in the machine room 20 so as to be rotatable about the lower part. When the user wants to fill the water supply part 60 with water, the case 62 rotates, The water tank 70 is pulled out to supply water.

On the other hand, a seating space 65 in which the water tank 70 is seated can be formed inside the case 62. Specifically, the case 62 includes a body panel 64 provided with a seating space 65 and a body panel 64 formed integrally with the body panel 64 to partially cover the front surface of the cabinet 10, And a front panel 63 for forming the front panel. In this case, the water tank 70 in which the water is stored is seated in the seating space 65 to supply water to the steam generator 30, which will be described in detail later.

In addition, the body panel 64 of the case 62 may be formed with a storage space 66 separate from the seating space 65. The storage space 66 provides a space for collecting and storing wastewater generated in the interior of the machine room 20. In particular, when a heat pump is used as the hot air supply device 22 as in the present embodiment, condensed water is generated by heat exchange in the heat pump. If such condensed water is stored in the heat pump as it is, It may cause malfunction.

Accordingly, the condensed water generated in the heat pump is collected in the storage space 66, preferably having a separate storage vessel (not shown) seated in the storage space 66 and collecting wastewater such as condensate in the storage vessel . In addition, when the condensed water is sent to the storage space 66, if the storage space 66 is located above the heat pump, the condensed water can be pumped to the storage space 66 with a pump. As a result, when wastewater is collected in the storage space 66 by driving the garment processing device, the user can rotate the case 60 to separate it from the machine room 20, and then can throw away the waste water in the storage container.

Hereinafter, a method of supplying water to the steam generator 30 by the water supply unit 60 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

4 shows a configuration in which the water supply unit 60 is installed in the machine room 20 and supplies water to the steam generator 30. FIG 5 shows a state in which the water supply unit 60 is rotated and separated from the machine room 20 .

4 and 5, a water tank 70, in which water is stored, is accommodated in a seating space 65 of a case 62 of the water supply unit 60. A water supply port 72 for supplying water stored in the water tank 70 to the steam generator 30 is formed at one side of the water tank 70 and preferably at a lower side of the water tank 70, 60 may be attached to the cabinet 10, and may include an opening / closing part 80 for selectively supplying water.

An opening 63 is formed in a lower portion of the seating space 65 and a tab 71 is detachably provided at a lower portion of the water tank 70 so that the water tank 70 is inserted into the seating space 65 The tab 71 protrudes through the opening 63 when it is seated. On the other hand, a water supply port 72 for water supply may be formed at the end of the tab 71. In this case, the tab 71 is vertically mounted to the lower portion of the water tank 70, and an opening 72 may be formed at the end of the tab 71.

The water supply port 72 includes an opening and closing unit 80 for selectively supplying water when the water supply unit 60 is installed in the cabinet 10. The opening and closing unit 80 selectively opens and closes the water supply port 72 A blocking member 82 movably provided to open and close, and an elastic member 84 for applying an elastic force to the blocking member 82. [

That is, a support member 86 is provided adjacent to the water supply port 72, one end of the elastic member 84 is supported by the support member 86, and the blocking member 82 is connected to the other end. The elastic member 84 is supported by the support member 86 so as to apply an elastic force to the blocking member 82 toward the water inlet 72. Therefore, when the water supply portion 60 is not mounted on the cabinet 10, the blocking member 82 closes the water supply port 72 by the elastic force of the elastic member 84 so that water is supplied to the outside of the water tank 70 .

When the water supply unit 60 is mounted on the cabinet 10, a support bar 90 corresponding to the blocking member 82 may be provided on one side of the cabinet 10. [ Therefore, when the water supply part 60 is mounted on the cabinet 10, the support bar 90 pushes the blocking member 82, so that the blocking member 82 is pushed against the elastic force to open the water supply port 72 . The water in the water tank 70 is supplied through the water supply port 72 as the water supply port 72 is opened. In addition, when the support bar 90 pushes the stopper member 82, a part of the stopper member 82 is inserted into the groove 92 of the support bar 90 so as to more accurately push the stopper member 82 The protruding portion 83 may be provided with a protruding portion 83. [

In the meantime, although the support bar is shown as being provided on one side of the cabinet 10 in the drawing, the support bar is not limited thereto, and the support bar may be formed in the blocking member 82 and protruded through the water supply port 72. That is, when the water supply part 60 is mounted, the support bar formed on the blocking member 82 is supported by one side of the cabinet 10, so that the blocking member 82 overcomes the elastic force and is separated from the water supply port 72, Can be performed.

The water supply unit 60 may be installed on the steam generator 30 when the water is supplied to the steam generator 30 from the water supply unit 60 as described above. If the water supply unit 60 is installed in the cabinet 10 and the water supply unit 60 is positioned below the steam generator 30, . Therefore, when the water supply unit 60 is mounted on the cabinet 10 as in the present embodiment, when the water supply unit 60 is positioned above the steam generator 30, a member such as a pump is not required, Can be supplied.

As described above, when water is supplied by the opening / closing part 80, water may be directly supplied to the steam generator 30 when the water inlet 72 is opened. In this case, 72 may be excessively supplied to the steam generator 30, or water may overflow the steam generator 30.

Therefore, in the garment processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is possible to further include an intermediate space 68 in which water supplied from the water supply section 60 can be temporarily stored before being supplied to the steam generating apparatus 30. [

Such an intermediate space 68 may be formed in the lower part of the seating space 65 of the water supply part 60 but is preferably provided on the upper part of the steam generator 30 in the cabinet 10. Specifically, the intermediate space 68 may have a recessed shape capable of receiving a predetermined amount of water, and may include a flow path 92 connected to the steam generator 30 at one side thereof. Accordingly, when the water supply unit 60 is installed in the cabinet 10 and water is supplied through the water supply port 72, the water is first stored in the intermediate space 68, (30). In this case, a valve (not shown) may further be provided in the flow path 92 to adjust the amount of water supplied to the steam generator 30 through the flow path 92. The bottom surface of the intermediate space 68 may be inclined toward the flow path 92 so that water is smoothly supplied through the flow path 92.

The supporting bar 90 provided at one side of the cabinet 10 may be protruded from the bottom of the intermediate space 68. In this case, Further, when the support bar is formed in the blocking member 82, the blocking bar 82 can be opened by supporting the supporting bar by the bottom of the intermediate space 68. [

5 shows a state in which the water supply unit 60 is separated from the cabinet 10 by a predetermined angle. It is noted that the body panel 64 in which the water tank 70 is accommodated is not shown in FIG. 5 for convenience of explanation.

5, the water supply unit 60 is rotatably provided in the cabinet 10 as described above, and includes guide means (not shown) for guiding movement of the water supply unit 60 when the water supply unit 60 rotates, .

The guide means may include a guide plate 110 having a guide groove 112 for guiding the movement of the water supply unit 60 and a guide bar (not shown) corresponding to the guide groove 112.

The guide plate 110 may be provided on one side of the cabinet 10 in which the water supply unit 60 rotates and is preferably provided on both sides or one side along the side on which the water supply unit 60 is rotated . The guide plate 110 may be provided on the upper portion of the steam generator 30 when the water supply unit 60 is provided on the steam generator 30.

The guide plate 110 is provided with a guide groove 112 for guiding the movement of the water supply unit 60. When the water supply unit 60 rotates and moves as in the present embodiment, A circular arc having a predetermined radius, or simply a curved shape. Although not shown in the drawing, a guide bar inserted into the guide groove 112 and guiding the movement of the water supply unit 60 may be provided on one side of the case 62 forming the water supply unit 60.

That is, the guide bar is inserted into the guide groove 112, so that when the user rotates the water supply part 60, the water supply part 60 can be moved accurately along the guide groove 112. With the provision of the guide means, the water supply port 72 of the water supply portion 60 can be rotated so as to exactly correspond to the support bar 90 of the intermediate space 68, even if the water supply portion 60 rotates It becomes.

Referring again to FIG. 2, when water is supplied to the steam generator 30 according to the above-described method, water is heated by the heater of the steam generator 30 to generate steam. The steam generated in the steam generator 30 is supplied to the accommodation space 12 through the steam hose 36 and the steam nozzle 40. In this case, the shorter the length of the steam hose 36 is, in order to prevent the temperature of the steam from being lowered or the steam to be condensed while the steam moves along the steam hose 36, the shorter the length of the steam hose 36 is. The steam nozzle 40 preferably supplies steam through the upper portion of the machine room 20, that is, the lower portion of the accommodating space 12, when the machine room 20 is located below the accommodating space 12 .

In addition, a circulation fan 34 may be provided on the backside of the machine room 20. [ The circulating fan 34 supplies the air outside the machine room 20 to the inside of the machine room 20 so that the heat pump 22 and the steam generator 30 are driven and the temperature inside the machine room 20 is excessively high So that it is prevented from ascending.

1 is a front view showing a clothes processing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the internal structure of the machine room in Fig. 1,

3 is a perspective view showing the water supply unit in Fig. 1, and Fig.

4 is a side view showing a water supply unit and a steam generator.

Claims (13)

A cabinet forming an accommodation space in which clothes are accommodated; A hot air supply device for supplying hot air to the accommodation space; A steam generator for supplying steam to the space; A water supply unit for storing water to be supplied to the steam generator, a water supply port formed at a lower portion thereof for supplying the stored water to the steam generator and rotatably installed in the cabinet; An opening / closing unit for selectively opening / closing the water supply port as the water supply unit is rotated; Wherein the opening and closing part opens the water supply port when the lower surface of the water supply part is seated on the steam generator and closes the water supply port when the water supply part is rotated from the cabinet by a predetermined angle, Wherein the opening / closing part is located between the steam generator and the water supply part. delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the opening / closing part includes an elastic member and a blocking member provided to close the water supply port by the elastic member. The method of claim 3, Wherein the blocking member is formed with a support bar for compressing the elastic member to open the water supply port when the water supply unit is attached. The method of claim 3, Further comprising an intermediate space between the water supply unit and the steam generator for allowing the water stored in the water supply unit to be temporarily stored and supplied to the steam generator when the water supply port is opened. 6. The method of claim 5, And a support bar for compressing the elastic member to open the water supply port when the water supply unit is attached to the predetermined space of the intermediate space. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the mediating space is provided at a higher position than the steam generating device. 6. The method of claim 5, Further comprising a pump for pumping the water stored in the intermediate space to the steam generator. 8. The method of claim 7, Further comprising a valve disposed between the steam generator and the water supply to regulate the amount of water supplied to the steam generator. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, And the water supply port is formed perpendicular to a lower surface of the water supply unit. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the water supply unit is detachably attached to the cabinet. 12. The method of claim 11, Further comprising: a case having a space in which the water supply unit is received, and is rotatably provided in the cabinet. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the case comprises a body panel having the space, and a front panel integrally formed with the body panel to form a part of a front surface of the cabinet.

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