KR20080107766A - Laundry machine using steam - Google Patents

Abstract

A laundry machine using steam is provided to select an additional course according to user convenience and select an additional function using steam optionally or independently. A laundry machine using steam comprises a main course selecting part(610) in which a user selects the main course; an additional course selecting part(630) in which a user selects the addition course using the steam; and a controller performing a selected main course or additional course. The controller performs an additional course after performing a main course in case a main course and an additional course are selected.

Description

Steam Machine {Laundry Machine Using Steam}

1 is an exploded perspective view of a dryer according to the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the dryer according to the present invention.

3 shows a steam generator used in the dryer of FIG.

4 is another embodiment of a dryer according to the invention.

5 shows a control panel of the dryer of FIG.

* Description of the main parts of the drawing *

610: main course selector 620: power button

621: start button 630: additional course selection unit

631: Static electricity removing button 632: Ironing auxiliary function button

640: amount selection button

The present invention relates to a laundry machine, and more particularly, to a laundry machine using steam. A washing machine is a device for processing clothes, including a washing machine, a dryer, a dry washing machine, and the like.

In the washing machine, the laundry in the drum is lifted and dropped by a lift, while a washing machine with a relatively small amount of water is supplied to the drum washing machine. And a washing machine upright.

A dryer is a home appliance which usually drys laundry which has been washed with high temperature air. In general, the dryer includes a drum accommodating clothes, a driving source for driving the drum, a heating unit for heating air introduced into the drum, and a blower unit for sucking or discharging air in the drum.

The dryer may be classified into an electric dryer and a gas dryer according to a method of heating air, that is, a heating means. The electric dryer heats air using electric resistance heat, and the gas dryer heats air using heat generated by combustion of gas. If the dryers are divided in different ways, they can be classified into condensing (circulating) dryers and exhaust dryers. In the condensation dryer, the air that has been heat-exchanged with the clothes in the drum is circulated without being discharged to the outside of the dryer, and is condensed by heat exchange in a separate condenser to discharge it to the outside. In the exhaust dryer, the air that has been heat-exchanged with the clothes in the drum and becomes humid is discharged directly to the outside of the dryer. If the dryer is classified into another method, the clothes may be divided into a top loading method and a front loading method according to a method of putting clothes into the dryer. In the top loading method, clothes are put in the upper side of the dryer, and in the front loading method, clothes are put in the front of the dryer.

Recently, as a washing machine using steam, a steam washing machine or a steam dryer has emerged. The use of steam at the time of washing not only improves washing power but also greatly improves energy efficiency.

The washing course, which is called a steam washing course, is input to the controller as a program, and a means for selecting a steam washing course is provided in a user interface through which a user inputs various commands. Thus, when the user selects the steam washing course through the interface and inputs a start command, the programmed steam washing course is performed. Here, the steam washing course may be selected by a one-touch method or by a two-touch method of selecting a general washing course capable of washing using steam and selecting steam use. Here, in the case of the two-touch method, if the user does not choose to use steam, the general washing course is performed.

On the other hand, by using steam during drying to remove wrinkles on clothing. When the dry laundry was taken out of the dryer, there was a lot of wrinkles in the clothes, which can be removed by spraying steam on the drum during drying.

An object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine having a main course selection unit for selecting a main course for the main function and an additional course selection unit for selecting additional functions in addition to the main function. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine that can be performed by selecting an additional function as an option or independently.

Washing apparatus according to the invention the main course selection unit for the user to select the main course; An additional course selection unit for allowing a user to select an additional course using steam; It is configured to include; a controller for performing the selected main course or additional course.

The main course by the main course selection unit is for the main function (e.g., drying or washing function), and the additional course is for selecting additional functions (e.g., wrinkle removal, static elimination, etc.).

Selection of the main course through the main course selection unit may be a one-touch method or a two-touch or more touch method. For example, in the case of a control panel composed of a course selector and a steam selector in the steam washing machine (the control panel is provided with a user interface), a two-touch method is used to select a course through the course selector and to select steam through the steam selector. The course is designed to be selected. In addition, the additional course selection unit is not limited to the one-touch method, but may be a touch method more.

In the present invention, the main function is performed by the main course selected through the main course selection unit, and an additional course using steam is selected through the additional course selection unit to perform an additional function in addition to the main function. For example, if one drying course is selected to have a drying function as a main function, and a wrinkle removing course is selected as an additional course, the controller controls the washing apparatus to perform a drying function and a wrinkle removing function.

The controller may perform the additional course after performing the main course when both the main course and the additional course are selected. For example, the wrinkle removal course may be performed after the completion of the drying course consisting of the hot air supply step and the cold air supply step.

Alternatively, when both the main course and the additional course are selected, the controller may include at least one or more steps for the additional course in the selected main course. For example, in the above example, the controller may perform a drying function and a wrinkle removal function, which are main functions by performing a hot air supply step-a wrinkle removal step-a cold air supply step.

The additional course may be a wrinkle removal course, an electrostatic removal course or an ironing aid course. In addition, it is obvious that the additional course may be another course using steam.

The wrinkle removal course is configured to include the step of removing the wrinkles by supplying steam to the garment. The electrostatic elimination course also includes supplying steam to the garment to remove at least some of the static electricity accumulated in the garment. In addition, the ironing assistance course includes supplying steam to the clothes to distribute the moisture evenly to the clothes to a suitable degree.

The additional course is a course for performing an additional function using steam, and other means may be used as long as it can serve as steam instead of the steam. For example, atomized water may be used instead of steam. And, for this purpose, an atomization apparatus for atomizing water may be used instead of the steam generator.

The wrinkle removal course may be performed including a steam supplying step and a hot air / cold air supplying step. The steam supplying step is a step of supplying steam to the clothes, the hot air / cold wind supply step is a step of supplying hot or cold air to dry the clothes wet by the steam.

The static elimination course may also be performed through a steam supplying step and a hot air / cold air supplying step. The steam supplying step is to remove the static electricity accumulated in the clothes by supplying steam to the clothes to distribute the moisture evenly. The hot air / cold air supplying step is a step of supplying hot or cold air to dry the wet clothing by steam which has been supplied for removing static electricity.

The amount of steam supplied for the wrinkle removal course, the steam supplied for the static elimination process, and the steam supplied for the ironing assist function may be different. The amount of steam supplied is preferably supplied to an appropriate level to perform the function.

The controller may be programmed to perform a preset main course when the user does not select the main course. In this case, the main course set by default is performed even if the user does not select the main course through the main course selection unit. In this case, if the additional course is selected immediately after the washing machine is turned on, the main course of the default and the selected additional course are performed.

Alternatively, when the user selects only the additional course without selecting the main course, the controller may allow the preset main course to be performed together with the additional course. In this case, when the additional course is selected, the main course set in advance corresponding to the additional course is selected and performed together. Here, the main course may be the same for all the additional courses of the additional course selection unit, or a different main course may be performed corresponding to each additional course.

Unlike the above, when the user selects only the additional course without selecting the main course, the controller may perform only the selected additional course without performing the main course.

Here, the above three cases are not mutually exclusive. In other words, the controller can be programmed to enable all three cases. However, additional selection by the user may be required for which of the three cases will be performed. For example, when the user selects only an additional course without selecting the main course, the user may select one of the above three cases by displaying the case on the LCD display.

Meanwhile, two or more additional courses may be selected together through the additional course selecting unit. For example, the wrinkle removal course and the electrostatic removal course may be selected and performed together. In performing the wrinkle elimination course and the electrostatic elimination course together, the steps for performing each function may be performed by simply merging. Alternatively, in order to perform the two functions together, the steps for performing each function may be mixed with each other. For example, the former may be performed as a 'steam supply step for removing wrinkles-hot air / cold air supply step-a steam supply step for removing static electricity-hot air / cold wind supply step', in the latter case for 'wrinkle removal Steam supply step-steam supply step for eliminating static electricity-hot air / cold air supply step 'can be performed.

Alternatively, when two or more additional courses are selected, the steps for performing each function may be integrated into one or one of the two functions may be ignored. For example, when the amount of steam supplied for removing wrinkles should be greater than the amount of steam supplied for removing static electricity, the steam supplying step for removing wrinkles may be performed as a hot air / cold air supplying step. In this case, the static electricity may be naturally removed even if only the wrinkle removal function is performed.

Meanwhile, at least one of the main courses may be a course using steam. The main course using the steam may be a refresh course. The refresh course is a main course that performs steam removal or deodorization by supplying steam to wet clothes. Such a refresh course includes a steam supplying step of supplying steam to clothes; It may be configured to include; hot air / cold air supply step of supplying hot air or cold air.

Such a refreshing course is a garment that has been worn once, and may be useful in the case of only removing wrinkles or deodorizing as the degree of contamination is very small for washing with water.

At least some of the main courses selectable by the main course selection unit may not be selected together with the additional course using the steam. For example, there may be a main course that is intended to cause damage to clothing when hot steam is touched as a delicate garment. Such a main course is preferably not selected with the additional course using steam.

In this case, preferably, if the main course (eg, the delicate clothing course) is selected, the additional course is automatically set so as not to be performed. Thus, even if the user selects an additional course by ignorance or by mistake, the additional course is not performed. At this time, it is preferable to inform the user that the additional course cannot be selected together.

In addition, the steam supply can be adjusted according to the amount of steam. The dose can be detected by a dose sensor.

Alternatively, the apparatus may further include a quantity selection unit for allowing the user to select a quantity. Thus, the user can select the amount of dose input through the quantity selection unit, and the amount of steam corresponding to the selected amount can be supplied.

The quantity may be selected by the quantity of clothes or may be selected by weight. For example, the user may select a quantity by the number of pieces of clothing such as three or four pieces. Alternatively, it may be selected as the approximate weight such as large amount, weight, small amount and the like.

Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described using a dryer equipped with a steam generator as an example.

1 and 2 show a dryer having a steam generator.

A rotatable drum 20, a motor 70 for driving the drum 20, and a belt 68 are installed in the cabinet 10 constituting the exterior of the dryer. In addition, a heater 90 (hereinafter referred to as a "hot air heater" for convenience) generated by the hot air heater 90 for heating the air to a high temperature (hereinafter referred to as "hot air") at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. Hot air supply duct 44 for supplying the hot air to the drum 20 is installed. In addition, an exhaust duct 80 for discharging humid air heat-exchanged with clothes from the drum 20, a blower unit 60 for sucking the humid air, and the like are also provided. On the other hand, a steam generator 200 for generating high temperature steam is installed at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. In this embodiment, an indirect drive method for rotating the drum 20 using the motor 70 and the belt 68 for convenience is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, it is also possible to apply the present invention to a direct drive method (Direct Drive Type) in which a motor is directly connected to the rear surface of the drum 20 to directly rotate the drum 20.

Each component will be described in detail as follows.

The cabinet 10 forms an outer shape of the dryer, and includes a base 12 forming a bottom surface, a pair of side covers 14 installed vertically from the base 12, and the side cover 14. The front cover 16 and the rear cover 18, which are respectively installed on the front and rear of the, is configured to include a top cover 17 located on the upper side of the side cover (14). The control panel 19 having various operation switches or the like is normally located on the top cover 17 or the front cover 16, and the door 164 is provided on the front cover 16. The rear cover 18 is provided with an inlet 182 for allowing outside air to flow therein and an exhaust hole 184, which is a final passage through which the air of the drum 20 is discharged to the outside.

The inner space of the drum 20 functions as a drying chamber in which drying proceeds, and inside the drum 20, the lift 22 is preferably installed by dragging and dropping clothes to turn the clothes upside down to increase the drying efficiency. .

Meanwhile, the front supporter 30 is installed between the drum 20 and the cabinet 10, that is, between the drum 20 and the front cover 16, and between the drum 20 and the rear cover 18. The rear supporter 40 is installed in this. A drum 20 is rotatably installed between the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40, and a sealing for preventing leakage between the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40 and the drum 20, respectively. A member (not shown) is provided. That is, the front supporter 30 and the rear supporter 40 form a drying chamber by blocking the front and rear surfaces of the drum 20 and serve to support the front and rear ends of the drum 20.

The front supporter 30 is formed with an opening for communicating the drum 20 with the outside of the dryer, the opening is selectively opened and closed by the door 164. In addition, the front supporter 30 is connected to the lint duct 50 which is a passage through which the air of the drum 20 is discharged to the outside, and the lint duct 50 is provided with a lint filter 52. One side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the lint duct 50, the other side of the blower unit 60 is connected to the exhaust duct 80, and the exhaust duct 80 is provided at the rear cover 18. It communicates with the exhaust hole 184. Therefore, when the blower unit 60 is operated, the air in the drum 20 is discharged to the outside through the lint duct 50, the exhaust duct 80, and the exhaust hole 184. At this time, foreign matter such as lint is filtered in the lint filter 52. The blower unit 60 includes a blower 62 and a blower housing 64, and the blower 64 is connected to and driven by a motor 70 for driving the drum 20. That is, the blower unit 60 and the drum 20 are driven together when the motor 70 operates. Of course, the blower 64 and the drum 20 may be configured to be driven respectively. In this case, two motors are connected to the blower and the drum, respectively.

The rear supporter 40 is formed with an opening 42 which is usually composed of a plurality of through holes, and the hot air supply duct 44 is connected to the opening 42. The hot air supply duct 44 communicates with the drum 20 to serve as a passage for supplying hot air to the drum 20. Therefore, the hot air heater 90 is installed at a predetermined position of the hot air supply duct 44.

Meanwhile, a steam generator 200 for generating steam and supplying the steam to the inside of the drum 20 is installed at a predetermined position of the cabinet 10. Referring to Figure 3, the steam generator 200 will be described in detail as follows.

The steam generator 200 includes a container 210 in which water is received therein, a heater 240 mounted inside the container 210, and a water level sensor 260 for measuring the water level of the steam generator 200. It is configured to include a temperature sensor 270 for measuring the temperature of the steam generator 200. The water level sensor 260 is generally composed of a common electrode 262, a low level electrode 264, and a high level electrode 266, so that the common electrode 262 and the high level electrode 264 are energized or the common electrode 262 and the low level electrode A high water level and a low water level are detected by the energization of 266.

One side of the steam generator 200 is connected to a water supply hose 220 for supplying water, and the other side is connected to a steam hose 230 for discharging steam, and a nozzle having a predetermined shape at the tip of the steam hose 230. 250) is preferably provided. In general, one end of the water supply hose 220 is connected to an external water source such as a faucet, and the tip of the steam hose 230 or the nozzle 25, that is, the steam discharge port, is positioned at a predetermined position of the drum 20, so that the drum 20 Steam is injected into the inside of the tank.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, a steam generator 200 (hereinafter, referred to as a "heating heating method") of a method of generating steam by heating a predetermined amount of water contained in a container 210 of a predetermined size with a heater 240 is illustrated. And described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, in the present invention, any device capable of generating steam can be used as a steam generator. For example, it is also possible to install a heater directly around the pipe through which water passes, that is, to heat the water without accommodating the water in a predetermined space (hereinafter referred to as "pipe heating method" for convenience).

Referring to Figure 4, another embodiment of the dryer according to the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, the water supply source for supplying water to the steam generator 200 is a detachable water tank. The source of water may be water, but in this case the installation can be complex. This is because, in general, water is not used in a dryer, and therefore, when a faucet is used as a water supply source, it is necessary to additionally install various devices and the like. Therefore, by using the detachable water tank 300, the water tank 300 is separated and supplied with water, and the water tank 300 filled with water is supplied to the water supply flow path of the steam generator 200, that is, the water supply hose 220. ) May be convenient. Here, the water tank 300 is not limited to being installed detachably to the dryer may be fixedly installed. And, instead of the water tank, another water supply such as another water supply may be used.

In addition, the pump 400 is preferably provided between the water tank 300 and the steam generator 200. The pump 400 is capable of forward and reverse rotation, and it is more preferable that water can be supplied to the steam generator 200 and the remaining water of the steam generator 200 can be recovered as necessary. It is also possible to supply water to the steam generator 200 by using a water order between the water tank 300 and the steam generator 200 without using the pump 400. However, in general, various parts and the like of the dryer are standard products and are compactly designed, and thus, installation space is insufficient. Therefore, water supply using water parking may be difficult unless the size of various components of the conventional dryer is changed. Therefore, when the small pump 400 is used, since the steam generator 200 or the like can be installed without changing the size of various parts of the conventional dryer, it is very useful to use the pump 400. And, the reason for recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200 is that if the steam generator 200 is not used for a long time, the heater may be damaged by the residual water, or there may be a possibility that the decayed water is used later.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, water is supplied and steam is discharged from the upper portion of the steam generator 200, but in the present embodiment, water is supplied to the lower portion of the steam generator 200, and the steam generator 200 Steam is preferably discharged from the top. This configuration is advantageous for recovering the residual water of the steam generator 200.

In addition, it is preferable that the safety valve 500 is provided in the steam flow path for discharging steam from the steam generator 200, that is, the steam hose 230.

The control panel 19 corresponding to the user interface will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

The control panel 19 includes a main course selector 610, an additional course selector 630, a quantity selector 640, a power button 620, and a start button 621.

The additional course selector 630 includes a wrinkle removal course button 631, an electrostatic removal course button 632, and an ironing assist course button 633.

The main course selector 610 is configured in the form of a dial knob, and a main course is selected as the dial knob is rotated. The main course selectable from the main course selection unit 610 includes a steam fresh course, which is a main course using steam, and various drying courses.

In addition, some of the drying courses are courses that can use steam (also known as steam available course 611), and some are courses that cannot use steam (aka steam unused course 612).

The additional steam course 611 may be selected together with the additional course, but the non-steam course 612 may not be selected together with the additional course. If the steam free course 612 is selected, the additional course is not performed. To this end, the additional course selector 630 may not be operated, or even if operated, the controller may ignore the signal transmitted from the additional course selector 630 so that the additional course is not performed.

In addition, the main course selection unit 610 is printed (613) a notification indicating that it is possible to select additional courses for the steam available course (611). That is, the steam capable course 611 including the steam fresh course is indicated that the wrinkle removing course, the electrostatic removing course or the ironing assisting course may be selected together as an additional course. Instead of or in addition to the printed portion 613 as described above, it may be informed that the selection of such additional courses is possible through other means. For example, when the steam available course 611 is selected, the lamp of the buttons of the additional course selection unit 630 may be turned on or a notification may be displayed on the LCD 650.

When the user selects the main course through the main course selector 610, and then presses the wrinkle removal course button 631, the electrostatic removal course button 632, or the ironing aid course button 633, and then presses the start button 621. The dryer is controlled to perform the selected main course and additional courses.

At this time, if the user wants to select the amount of the selection by pressing the 'MORE' button and the 'LESS' button of the selection button 640. In this embodiment, pressing the 'MORE' button increases the number of clothes, pressing the 'LESS' button reduces the number of clothes.

If the quantity is selected, the amount of steam supplied during the wrinkle removal course, the ironing aid course or the static electricity removal course is changed according to the quantity. If the quantity is large, the controller will control the steam generator to supply a large amount of steam to the clothes accordingly.

The wrinkle removal course button 631, the static electricity removal course button 632, and the ironing auxiliary course button 633 may be provided as a single button. For example, only one button is provided as an additional course selector, and pressing the button once selects the wrinkle elimination course, pressing the second time selects the electrostatic elimination course, and pressing three times selects the ironing assist course. In addition, it is possible to make the selection of additional courses through the long and short press time instead of the number of pressing.

In addition, only the electrostatic elimination function may be selected or the ironing auxiliary function may be selected and performed without selecting the main course. In FIG. 5, if the electrostatic elimination course button 632 is pressed for a predetermined time, only the electrostatic elimination function is performed without performing the main course. In addition, if the ironing auxiliary course button 633 is pressed for a predetermined time, only the ironing auxiliary function is performed without performing the main course.

On the other hand, if you want to perform only the main course without an additional course, the main course through the main course selection unit 610 and then press the start button 621.

The present invention is not limited to the above examples and can be embodied in various forms and all such embodiments are within the scope of the present invention. In the above embodiment, a dryer is used as an example, but may be applied to a washing machine as well as to another washing machine.

The present invention provides a main course selector for selecting a main course for a main function and an additional course selector for selecting an additional function in addition to the main function, so that the user can select and use an additional course for convenience.

Claims (15)

A main main course selection unit for allowing a user to select a main main course; An additional course selection unit for allowing a user to select an additional course using steam; A controller performing the selected main course or additional course; Laundry apparatus comprising a. The washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs the additional course after performing the main course when both the main course and the additional course are selected. The washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes at least one step for additional courses in the selected main course when both the main course and the additional course are selected. The laundry machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the additional course is at least one of a wrinkle removal course, an electrostatic removal course, and an ironing aid course. The laundry machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller performs a preset main course when the user does not select the main course. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller performs a preset main course corresponding to the additional course together with the additional course when the user selects only the additional course without selecting the main course. Laundry apparatus characterized in that. The laundry machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller performs only the additional course without performing the main course when the user selects only the additional course without selecting the main course. The laundry machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the additional course selection unit may select two or more additional courses together. The laundry machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the main courses is a course using steam. The laundry machine according to claim 9, wherein the main course using steam is a refresh course. The laundry machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main course selection unit includes a course that cannot be selected together with the additional course. The washing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an amount of the steam is adjusted according to the amount of water. The laundry machine according to claim 12, further comprising a quantity sensor for sensing the quantity or a quantity selection unit for allowing a user to select the quantity. The laundry machine according to claim 13, wherein the quantity is selected by the quantity of clothes. The laundry machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least some main courses of the main course selection unit are displayed with the additional course being selected.

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