KR20090100804A - Cloth treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A cloth management device is provided to reduce electric energy consumption with simple structure, and to prevent a door being opened arbitrarily by opening the door according to the pressure in a receiving space. CONSTITUTION: A cloth management device includes a cabinet, a hot wind supply unit, a steam generating unit, and an exhaust unit(60). The cabinet includes a receiving space(12) in which the clothes are admitted. The cabinet has a door opening and closing the receiving space. The hot wind supply unit supplies the hot wind selectively to the receiving space. The steam generating unit generates the stem sprayed to the receiving space. The exhaust unit is opened and closed automatically according to inner pressure of the receiving space in case the steam is sprayed to the receiving space.

Description

Clothing treating apparatus

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus, and more particularly, to a laundry treatment apparatus capable of preventing the door of the laundry treatment apparatus from being opened arbitrarily.

Recently, various types of clothes treating apparatuses have been used together with washing machines for washing clothes. For example, drum-type dryers for drying clothes after washing, cabinet-type dryers for hanging clothes and drying, and refreshers for supplying hot air to clothes and refreshing clothes have been developed.

Among the clothes treating apparatuses, a refresher, a dryer, or the like mainly supplies air by heating the air using a heater. Such heaters include a gas heater that burns gas to heat air, and an electric heater that heats air by electric resistance. In recent years, electric heaters that are easy to install and simple in structure have been used.

However, when the air is heated by the electric heater as described above, the high temperature heat of the heater may be directly transmitted to the clothing, which may cause damage to the clothing or further, a fire may occur in the clothing processing apparatus.

In addition, since the electric heater heats the air by using electricity, in order to heat the air to a desired temperature, a large amount of electricity is consumed, and thus a lot of maintenance costs are involved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a laundry treatment apparatus having a simple structure and reducing electric energy consumption.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a laundry treatment apparatus that can prevent the door of the laundry treatment apparatus from being opened arbitrarily.

An object of the present invention as described above, the receiving space is formed in the clothing is formed, the cabinet having a door for opening and closing the receiving space; A hot air supply device for selectively supplying hot air to the accommodation space; A steam generator for generating steam injected into the accommodation space; And an exhaust device which is automatically opened and closed by pressure in the accommodation space when the steam is injected into the accommodation space to communicate the accommodation space with the outside.

Here, the exhaust device may be opened when the pressure in the accommodation space is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure, or may be opened so that the door is not opened arbitrarily by the pressure in the accommodation space.

Specifically, the exhaust device includes an opening for communicating the receiving space with the outside; A cover for selectively opening and closing the opening; And a spring applying an elastic force to the cover.

As described above, the laundry treatment apparatus according to the present invention can prevent the door from being opened arbitrarily by the pressure in the accommodation space by adjusting the pressure in the accommodation space.

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

1 is a front view showing a laundry treatment apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present specification, a refresher for refreshing clothes and supplying hot air as a clothes treating apparatus is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the idea of the present invention may be applied to other clothes treating apparatuses that may include a heat pump described below. have. Hereinafter, a configuration of a laundry treatment apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, the clothes treating apparatus 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment has a hot air supplying hot air to a cabinet 10 and a receiving space 12 in which a receiving space 12 for receiving the clothing 1 is formed. Feeder (see FIG. 2, 22). In addition, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment may further include a steam generator (see FIG. 2, 30) for selectively spraying steam into the accommodation space 12.

Here, the clothes treating apparatus according to the present embodiment includes at least two or more detection sensors (refer to FIG. 2, 50 and 52), a hot air supply device 22, and a steam generator 30 that sense a temperature inside the cabinet 10. It may further include a control unit (not shown) for controlling the driving.

First, the cabinet 10 is provided with various components to be described later, the receiving space 12 is formed therein to accommodate clothing. The receiving space 12 is selectively communicated with the outside by the door 14. In addition, the receiving space 12 is provided with a variety of support members 16, etc. to hang the clothes (1), the support member 16 for supporting such clothes (1) in the technical field to which the present invention belongs Since it is widely known, a detailed description is omitted.

On the other hand, inside the cabinet 10 is formed a machine room 20 in which the hot air supply device 22 for selectively supplying hot air and steam to the receiving space 12 and the steam generator 30 is accommodated. The machine room 20 is preferably located at the lower portion of the accommodation space 12, the above-described hot air supply device 22 and the steam generator 30 is located therein. As such, the reason why the machine room 20 is located at the bottom is that the hot air and steam supplied to the accommodation space 12 have the property of being raised by heat, so that the machine room 20 is located at the bottom to face the hot air and This is because it is preferable to supply steam.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the inside of the machine room 20. In FIG. 2, only components of the heat pump 22 and the steam generator 30 constituting the hot air supply device are illustrated for convenience of description, and not illustrated for the piping line connecting the components.

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

The heat pump 22 corresponding to the hot air supply device of the present invention is similar to a 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 27 and an expansion valve 28 through which the refrigerant circulates, thereby dehumidifying and heating the air. That is, the refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 24 to absorb latent heat of ambient air, thereby cooling the air to condense and remove moisture in the air. In addition, when the refrigerant is condensed in the condenser 27 via the compressor 26, the latent heat is released toward the surrounding air to heat the surrounding air. Therefore, the evaporator 24 and the condenser 27 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 27 to the receiving space 12. Supplied.

As such, the air heated by the heat pump 22 may be slightly lower than the air heated by using a conventional heater, but the air can be dehumidified without using a separate dehumidifier. Therefore, the air supplied back to the receiving space 12 by the heat pump 22 corresponds to a relatively 'low temperature dry air' (here, 'low temperature' does not mean that the temperature is absolutely low, but heating But it is used in the sense that the temperature is relatively low compared to conventional heating air). Therefore, the air supplied by the heat pump 22 of the present invention has a lower temperature than the hot air of the conventional clothes treatment apparatus, but supplies dehumidified air without a separate dehumidifier, so that the clothes are easily dried and refreshed. It becomes possible.

In detail, an air inlet 21 through which air in the accommodation space 12 flows into the inside of the machine room 20 is formed at the front end of the machine room 20, and the air inlet 21, the evaporator 24, and the condenser ( It is preferable to form a flow path through which air flows by the duct 29 connecting the 27 and the flow fan 32. 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 back to the receiving space 12 by the flow fan 32. do.

Here, although not shown in the drawings, the air inlet 21 may be preferably provided with a filter. By providing a filter at the air inlet 21, it is possible to filter various foreign matters and the like that may be included in the air flowing into the machine room 20 from the accommodation space 12 to supply only fresh air to the accommodation space 12.

On the other hand, the machine room 20 is provided with a steam generator 30 for selectively supplying steam to the accommodation space (12). By supplying steam to the accommodation space 12 by the steam generating device 30, it is possible to remove wrinkles and the like that may occur in clothing, and furthermore, by the high temperature steam with the effect of sterilization and refreshing due to the swelling of the clothing cloth, etc. You can expect the effect. As such, the timing of spraying steam by the steam generator 30 may be appropriately modified. Preferably, steam is sprayed before the hot air is supplied by the heat pump 22 described above. This is because it is preferable to supply hot air and then to dry the clothes after injecting high temperature steam.

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

In addition, the steam generated by 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 condensation of steam while the steam moves along the steam hose 36. Therefore, when the machine room 20 is located below the accommodation space 12, the steam nozzle 40 preferably supplies steam through the top of the machine room 20, that is, the bottom of the accommodation space 12. .

In addition, a cooling fan 34 may be provided in the rear portion of the machine room 20. The cooling fan 34 supplies the air outside the machine room 20 into the machine room 20, thereby cooling the above-described heat pump 22, in particular, a compressor or by cooling the steam generator 30, thereby providing a machine room 20. The internal temperature is prevented from rising too much. On the other hand, reference numeral 52 and 50 not described in Figure 2 is a duct 29 and the receiving space 12 is located near the outlet 33 through which the heated air is discharged to detect a sensor for sensing the temperature of the flowing air Illustrated.

Meanwhile, the clothes treating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention refreshes, sterilizes, or dries the clothes by selectively spraying hot air or steam on the clothes to be accommodated. In particular, recently, when clothes are used, steam is sprayed to remove odors, etc., on the clothes, or to remove wrinkles. However, when steam is sprayed on the clothes provided in the accommodation space 12, the steam is not only high temperature, but also high pressure, so that the pressure inside the accommodation space also increases.

Therefore, as the pressure inside the accommodation space rises, there is a possibility that the door 14 closing the accommodation space 12 is opened by internal pressure. If the door 14 is opened arbitrarily, the sprayed steam is leaked to the outside, and the effect of removing wrinkles and refreshing is remarkably reduced. Furthermore, if the door is opened while steam is being sprayed, there is a fear of a burn of the user in severe cases.

On the other hand, it is also possible to install a separate opening and closing device in order to prevent the door 14 from being opened in this way, in this case there is a problem that it is difficult to seal the interior of the receiving space (12).

Therefore, the clothes treating apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment prevents the door 14 from being opened at random, and includes an exhaust device that does not reduce the effect of wrinkle removal and refresh by steam. It demonstrates in detail.

3 is a schematic view showing a closed state of the exhaust apparatus in the clothes treating apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an open state of the exhaust apparatus in FIG.

3 and 4, in the clothes treating apparatus according to the present embodiment, when steam is injected into the accommodation space 12, an exhaust device 60 may be provided to selectively communicate the accommodation space 12 with the outside. do. The exhaust device 60 is selectively opened when steam is injected into the accommodation space 12 by the steam generating device 30. Specifically, the pressure inside the accommodation space 12 rises above a predetermined pressure, so that the door ( 14) is prevented from opening arbitrarily.

Therefore, the exhaust device 60 is opened when the pressure inside the accommodation space 12 rises above a predetermined pressure, in which case it may be manually opened by the user, but preferably the pressure in the accommodation space 12 It is preferable that it is comprised so that it may open automatically when it rises above this predetermined pressure.

Here, the predetermined pressure means a pressure inside the accommodating space 12, that is, 'critical pressure' when the door 14 is opened by the internal pressure of the accommodating space 12 by the injection of steam. As described above, the critical pressure when the door 14 is opened varies depending on the volume of the accommodation space 12, the size of the door 14, and the like, and thus is not limited thereto.

Such an exhaust device 60 may be provided on one side of the cabinet 10, and preferably formed on the upper side of the cabinet 10, that is, on the receiving space 12 side. This is because the exhaust device 60 is formed on the receiving space 12 side to easily prevent the pressure rise inside the receiving space 12.

Exhaust device 60 according to the present embodiment can be implemented in various ways, in the present embodiment, the exhaust device is a cover for selectively opening and closing the opening 62 and the opening 62 to communicate the receiving space 12 with the outside. A spring (not shown) for applying an elastic force to the 64 and the cover 64 may be provided.

Here, the opening 62 is formed on one side of the cabinet 10, preferably the receiving space 12 side, as described above, the shape is not limited.

On the other hand, the cover 64 is configured to open and close the opening 62, for example, may be configured to be rotatable on one side of the opening (62). In this case, it is preferable to include a spring (not shown) that exerts an elastic force toward the cover 64 although not shown at the connection portion between the cover 64 and the opening 62. Preferably, the spring continues to exert an elastic force to close the cover 64, furthermore, the elastic modulus of the spring is related to the critical pressure. Specifically, the elastic modulus of the spring is preferably determined so that the cover 64 is opened by the pressure in the accommodation space 12 when the pressure in the accommodation space 12 reaches the critical pressure.

Therefore, when the clothing treatment apparatus 100 does not drive or sprays steam, and the pressure inside the receiving space 12 does not reach the critical pressure, the cover 64 is applied to the spring as shown in FIG. It will remain closed.

Furthermore, when steam is continuously injected and the pressure in the accommodation space 12 reaches the critical pressure and rises above that, the cover 64 is closed by the pressure in the accommodation space 12. As it overcomes the spring's elastic force, it opens. When the cover 64 is opened, the interior of the receiving space 12 communicates with the outside, so that the pressure inside the receiving space 12 is lowered. When the pressure inside the receiving space 12 falls below the threshold pressure, , The cover 64 is again closed by a spring.

Therefore, in the clothes treating apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment, the exhaust apparatus 60 is provided to prevent the door 14 from being opened arbitrarily due to excessive increase in the pressure in the accommodation space 12, thereby injecting steam. To maximize the effect of wrinkle removal and refresh, and further, the user can be prevented from being burned by steam by the door opening.

1 is a front view of a laundry treatment apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the machine room in Figure 1,

3 is a schematic view showing a state in which an exhaust device is closed in a clothes treating apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an open state of the exhaust apparatus in FIG. 3.

Claims (4)

A cabinet having an accommodation space in which clothes are accommodated, the cabinet having a door for opening and closing the accommodation space; A hot air supply device for selectively supplying hot air to the accommodation space; A steam generator for generating steam injected into the accommodation space; And And an exhaust device which is automatically opened and closed by pressure inside the accommodation space when the steam is injected into the accommodation space to communicate the exterior with the accommodation space. The method of claim 1, And the exhaust device is opened when the pressure in the accommodation space is equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure. The method of claim 1, And the exhaust device is opened so that the door is not opened arbitrarily by the pressure in the accommodation space. The method of claim 1, The exhaust device is An opening communicating the receiving space with the outside; A cover for selectively opening and closing the opening; And And a spring for applying an elastic force to the cover.

Images