KR20090118213A - Apparatus for treating cloth - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A clothes processing device is provided to supply steam or super-heated steam efficiently and remove bacterium remained in the clothes by heating a space receiving the clothes. CONSTITUTION: A clothes processing device comprises a cabinet, a clothes receiving part, and a housing(612). A clothes receiving part is built in the cabinet and receives clothes. A space is formed in the housing to selectively generate steam and super-heated steam supplied to the clothes receiving part.

Description

Apparatus for Treating Cloth

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus, and more particularly, to a cloth treatment apparatus capable of removing wrinkles and the like of cloth, and further removing germs and the like that may remain on the cloth.

In general, a laundry treatment apparatus includes a washing machine, a dryer, a combined washing machine, and recently, a refresher for keeping clothes in a comfortable state has been developed.

By the way, all of the clothes processing apparatus as described above has a configuration suitable for each function, and thus, even if the clothes are processed by each device, there was an inconvenience of performing separate ironing to remove wrinkles and the like.

That is, in the case of the washing machine, wrinkles are generated in the laundry in which water washing is completed, and when such laundry is put into a dryer and dried, the wrinkles generated once are not completely removed in the drying process. In addition, when storing the clothes after washing and drying, wrinkles, wrinkles, folds, etc. are generated, and in order to remove such wrinkles, a separate ironing process was required.

In addition, even if the clothes are processed by the clothes treating apparatus as described above, it was difficult to completely remove bacteria such as fungi that may remain in the clothes or athlete's foot fungi that may remain in the socks. This requires an environment of a high temperature of about 125 ℃ or more in order to remove such germs, etc., it was difficult to make the space in which the clothing is accommodated to a high temperature as described above in the conventional clothing treatment apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a clothes treating apparatus capable of preventing and / or removing wrinkles generated on clothes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clothes treatment apparatus capable of removing germs and the like that may remain in clothes by providing a high temperature environment in a space where clothes are accommodated.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a laundry treatment apparatus that can be safely and conveniently used at home and can provide a superheated steam more efficiently.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cabinet; A clothes accommodating part provided in the cabinet to accommodate clothes; And it provides a clothes processing apparatus comprising a steam generating device for selectively generating steam or superheated steam to be supplied to the clothes receiving portion.

Here, the steam generator, the steam chamber for forming a space for heating the water to generate steam; And a superheated steam chamber which re-heats the steam to form a space for generating an overheated steam. That is, the steam chamber for generating steam and the superheated steam chamber for generating overheated steam may be independent spaces, and a part of the space of the steam chamber may be a space for generating overheated steam.

In addition, a heater for heating may be provided in the steam chamber and the overheat steam chamber, respectively. In this case, each heater may be controlled independently of each other.

Of course, a single heater for heating may be provided over the steam chamber and the superheated steam chamber. At this time, the single heater is preferably configured such that the portion provided in the steam chamber and the portion provided in the overheated steam chamber are controlled independently of each other. That is, if a part of the single heater is provided in the steam chamber is heated and subordinate to the part provided in the overheated steam chamber, only the superheated steam may be generated in any case.

For example, it may be difficult for a very high temperature superheat steam to be supplied to a garment storage part. Of course, the higher the temperature of the steam will increase the sterilization effect, but there is also room for damage.

Therefore, it is desirable to allow the overheating steam and steam to be selectively used according to the user's selection or the course of the clothes treatment apparatus. For example, steam may be used for washing or sterilizing cotton garments, and superheated steam higher than the steam may be used for washing or sterilizing tubs or drums.

In addition, it is preferable that a pipe is formed between the clothing container and the steam generator to form a flow path of the steam or superheated steam. Of course, if the steam generator comprises a plurality of independent spaces, for example, a steam chamber and a superheated steam chamber, such chambers may also be connected by pipes. In this case, a pipe connecting the steam chamber and the superheat steam chamber may also be included in the steam generator.

Here, the steam generator and the flow passage is preferably always open in the direction in which the steam or superheated steam is supplied to the clothes receiving portion. That is, the configuration such as a pressure valve for maintaining the pressure inside the steam generator and the flow path is preferably excluded. In other words, it is preferable to supply the clothes holding unit at atmospheric pressure by the pressure of steam generated by the steam generator or the superheat steam itself.

As a result, the steam generator does not need to be manufactured in the form of a pressure vessel made of stainless steel or the like. Therefore, safety problems due to pressure rise can be prevented and manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

On the other hand, the steam generating device, the housing is provided with an inlet for inlet water for steam generation; A steam chamber provided inside the housing and forming a space for generating steam by heating water introduced through the inlet; And an overheated steam chamber provided inside the housing and forming a space for heating the steam introduced through the steam chamber to generate an overheated steam.

Of course, in this case, a heater for heating may be provided in the steam chamber and the overheat steam chamber, respectively.

Steam rises because it is generated by heating. Thus, the superheated steam chamber may be provided above the steam chamber space. In addition, the heaters may be provided in the inner space of the chambers.

Here, the overheat steam chamber may be an upper portion of the steam chamber. That is, a lower portion of the inside of the housing or a portion of the lower portion and the upper portion of the inside of the housing may be referred to as a steam chamber in which steam is generated. It can be said. In this case, it can be said that steam is heated again before being discharged from the housing to generate superheated steam.

On the other hand, the superheated steam chamber may be isolated from the steam chamber through the outer wall of the superheated steam chamber. In this case, steam is introduced into the superheated steam chamber through a communication hole formed in the outer wall, and the steam is heated and discharged into the superheated steam in the superheated steam chamber. Therefore, a better superheat steam can be generated.

Here, the communication hole is preferably formed in a portion of the outer wall of the overheated steam chamber adjacent to the heater provided inside the overheated steam chamber. This can further enhance the heat exchange efficiency of the steam and the heater.

On the other hand, the outer wall of the superheat steam chamber is preferably provided to form a gap with the inner wall of the housing. Of course, the entire outer wall of the chamber may also form a gap with the inner wall of the housing, but a part of the outer wall of the chamber to fix the overheated steam chamber inside the housing or to form a discharge port of the overheated steam chamber. May be connected to or in contact with the inner wall of the housing.

Here, steam is present in the gap. Thus, the high temperature in the overheat steam chamber is prevented from being transferred directly to the inner wall of the housing by the gap and steam. Therefore, even when the overheat steam is generated in the overheat steam chamber, the temperature change outside the housing does not increase. Therefore, it is possible to generate a superheat steam more safely.

In addition, the housing may be formed with at least one coupling hole for insertion coupling of the superheated steam chamber. In this case, after the housing and the superheated steam chamber are manufactured separately, the superheated steam chamber can be provided inside the housing through the coupling hole. It is thus very easy to form a steam chamber and an isolated steam chamber in the housing. In addition, the coupling hole also serves to facilitate the coupling of the heater.

On the other hand, the steam chamber and the superheat steam chamber may be provided to neighbor in the horizontal direction. In this case, a heater for heating may be provided below the steam chamber and the overheat steam chamber, and the heater may be a single plate heater.

Here, the heater may include three electrical contacts for controlling the steam chamber and the superheat steam chamber to be heated independently of each other.

In addition, a heat exchanger may be provided inside the superheat steam chamber. The heat exchanger is configured to guide the steam introduced into the upper portion of the superheated steam chamber to the lower portion of the superheated steam chamber and back to the upper portion of the superheated steam chamber. That is, when the heater is located in the lower portion of the overheat steam chamber, the steam is to sufficiently heat exchange with the heater.

Preferably, the clothes treating apparatus includes a pipe for supplying steam or superheated steam generated by the steam generator to the clothes receiving unit.

Such a pipe may be provided between the steam chamber and the superheated steam chamber. In this case, the steam chamber and the superheated steam chamber are preferably spaced apart from each other and connected through the pipe.

Here, the overheat steam chamber may be formed in a portion of the pipe. In addition, the steam generating device may further comprise a fan provided in the superheated steam chamber or the pipe for the smooth flow of the steam or superheated steam.

As described above, the clothes treating apparatus according to the present invention can effectively prevent or remove the occurrence of wrinkles or wrinkles by spraying steam on the clothes are dried.

In addition, according to the present invention, by reheating the generated steam and spraying the superheated steam to the clothes, it becomes possible to completely eradicate the equivalents of athlete's foot, mold and the like which do not die at the temperature of general steam.

In addition, according to the present invention can optionally use steam or superheated steam as needed, and at the same time can provide a clothing treatment apparatus that the user can safely and conveniently use at home.

In addition, according to the present invention can provide a clothes treatment apparatus that can be generated and supplied steam or superheated steam more easily and efficiently.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, the embodiment of the present invention described below will be described by taking a washing machine as an example of the laundry treatment apparatus, the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention is not limited to this may be appropriately applied to the apparatus for processing clothes. That is, it can be applied to a washing machine, a dryer, a combined-use washing machine, and a refresher for comfortably maintaining the state of clothes.

Accordingly, the clothes receiving unit for accommodating clothes may mean a drum in a general drum washing machine or a drum dryer, and may mean a space inside a cabinet in which clothes are accommodated in a cabinet type dryer or a refresher.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a washing machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the washing machine according to the present embodiment includes a cabinet 100 forming an exterior, a tub 300 installed inside the cabinet 100, and a drum rotatably installed inside the tub 300. 400.

One side of the cabinet 100 is connected to an external water pipe (not shown) is provided with a water supply valve 200 for supplying water to the inside of the washing machine. Some of the water supplied through the water supply valve 200 is supplied to the detergent box 690 and is supplied into the tub 300 together with the detergent, and the other part is filtered through the water softener 900 to generate the steam generator 600. Can be supplied. That is, it is preferable that the flow path for supplying water to the tub through the detergent box and the flow path of the water supplying steam generation are separated from each other.

The steam generator 600 of the present invention generates steam to be supplied into the drum, or reheats the steam to generate superheated steam. The supplied water is heated to generate steam to supply the inside of the drum 400 or to selectively reheat the generated steam to supply superheated steam to the drum 400. Here, the reason for reheating the steam generated once to make the superheated steam is to remove various germs that may remain in the laundry object. In addition, it is to remove various germs that may remain in the tub or drum.

The steam generator 600 will be described in detail later.

Meanwhile, in the case of a dry washing machine, a hot air inlet 310 for supplying air heated in the drying heater 510 into the tub 300 is formed at one side of the tub 300, and at the other side of the tub 300. Hot air discharge port 320 through which air is discharged is formed. The air heated in the drying heater 510 flows along the drying duct 500 forming a flow path connecting the hot air outlet 320 and the hot air inlet 301, and blows air provided in the drying duct 500. The fan 520 is supplied into the tub 300 and the drum 400 to circulate.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings looks at in detail with respect to embodiments of the steam generator that can be applied to the present invention.

First, an embodiment of a steam generator will be described.

In the present embodiment, the steam generator 600 includes a steam generator 610 for heating water to generate steam, and a reheater 650 for reheating steam generated by the steam generator 610 to make an overheated steam.

Here, the steam generator 610 has a steam chamber to form a space for generating steam by heating water, the reheater 650 is a space for generating a superheated steam by reheating the steam generated in the steam chamber It has an overheated steam chamber to form.

Therefore, steam is generated first and superheated steam is generated by reheating the steam. Here, when steam is introduced into the superheated steam chamber and not reheated, steam may be supplied to the drum or the tub. Therefore, the reheating device 650 is preferably to be selectively operated according to the needs or needs of the user.

First, the steam generator 610 will be described, and then the reheater 650 will be described.

2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the steam generator 610 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the steam generator 610 measures a water tank 612 or a housing in which water is received, a heater 630 mounted in the housing 612, and a water level of the steam generator 610. The water level sensor 620 and the temperature sensor 614 for measuring the temperature of the steam generator 610 may be configured. The water level sensor 620 is generally composed of a common electrode 622, a low water level electrode 624 and a high water level electrode 626, the energization of the common electrode 622 and the high water level electrode 626 or the common electrode 622 and the low water level electrode The high water level and the low water level are detected based on whether or not the power of 624 is applied.

One side of the steam generator 610 is connected to the water supply hose 220 for supplying water, the other side is connected to the steam hose 225 or pipe for discharging steam, the steam hose 225 is a reheater 650 to be described later It is preferable that the steam injection unit 250 of a predetermined shape is provided at the front end thereof through). Here, a water supply port 615 is formed in the steam generator 610 to connect the water supply hose 220, and an exhaust port 616 is provided in the steam generator 610 to connect the steam hose 225. Is formed. Steam or the overheated steam may be selectively exhausted through the exhaust port 616, as will be described later. In general, one end of the water supply hose 220 is connected to an external water supply source such as a faucet, and the steam injection unit 250, that is, the steam discharge port is located at a predetermined position of the drum (see FIG. 1, 400). Steam is injected into the interior.

Of course, the position of the steam injection unit 250 may be variously modified. For example, in the case of a dryer, a drum back cover (not shown) may be provided to block the rear of the drum to rotatably support the drum. In the case of a washing machine, since the drum rotates, the drum may be provided in a gasket (not shown) for preventing leakage between the tub and the cabinet. Therefore, in either case, it is possible to directly spray steam or superheated steam into the drum.

In addition, the steam injection unit 250 may be located on the upper side of the tub as shown in FIG. That is, the steam or superheated steam is sprayed into the tub, but the steam or superheated steam may be supplied into the drum through a general through hole (not shown) of the drum outer wall.

In either case, the steam or superheat steam is preferably not a heat source for heating the water located inside the cabinet. That is, it is preferable that it is a heat source for directly heating the space inside the cabinet or a laundry object. Therefore, in order to supply steam or superheated steam evenly to the drum or tub, the position of the steam spraying unit 250 is preferably configured to inject steam in a downward direction to be positioned above the drum or tub.

On the other hand, the steam injection unit 250 may be formed in a nozzle shape smaller cross-sectional area than the steam hose 225. However, if the cross section of the steam hose 225 is small, the steam injection unit 250 may simply be a discharge port through which steam is discharged to the end of the steam hose 225.

When water is supplied to the steam generator 610 through the water supply hose 220, the water level sensor 620 determines whether the water is low or high, and supplies water to the high water level. When water is supplied to a high water level, water is heated by the heater 630 to generate steam. The steam generated in this way is supplied to the drum 400 through the steam hose 225 and the steam injection unit 250. On the other hand, when the water is heated as described above by measuring the temperature inside the steam generator 610 by the temperature sensor 614 when the temperature inside the steam generator 610 rises above a predetermined temperature of the heater 630 It stops driving. In addition, when the water in the water tank 612 is reduced by the generation of steam, the water level is lowered, it is detected by the water level sensor 620 to supply water through the water supply hose 220 again.

On the other hand, the steam generated by heating the water as described above generally corresponds to the boiling point temperature of the water 100 ℃. Typically, when the steam 400 is supplied to the inside of the drum 400, the sterilization of clothing and the like may be sterilized at the stage before the water supply, and when sprayed with the water supply, the effect of the envelopment can be expected along with the sterilization. have. In addition, the effect of the sterilization can be expected even when spraying during washing, and can be expected in the process of rinsing, dehydration, drying after washing is finished. Further, spraying a small amount of steam before or after drying has the effect of removing the wrinkles remaining in the laundry with sterilization.

In addition, the steam increases the temperature of the space inside the laundry or drum. This means that the detergent can be more activated and contaminants can be called more effectively. Therefore, since steam can increase the temperature of the laundry and the space where the washing is performed without heating the washing water, the effect of saving energy and improving the washing power can also be expected.

By the way, when steam is sprayed as described above, the general sterilization effect can be expected, but the effect of complete sterilization cannot be expected for a bacterium that does not die even at a temperature of 100 ° C. For example, it is known that athlete's foot fungus that can inhabit human socks and the like or fungus that inhabit clothing in a humid environment does not die at a temperature of 100 ° C., but dies at a temperature of 120 ° C. or more. Therefore, even if the washing by spraying steam of 100 ℃ to the general athlete's foot, or the fungus-containing clothing as described above, there is a problem that can not be completely sterilized.

Therefore, in the present invention, the steam generator (see FIG. 1, 600) is further provided with a reheating device (see FIG. 1, 650) to heat the steam generated in the steam generator 610 again to superheated steam (see FIG. 1). do. Here, the superheated steam refers to steam having a temperature of at least 110 ° C. or higher in the steam state, and preferably defined as steam having a temperature of 120 ° C. or higher. In the present invention, since the superheat steam having a temperature of 120 ℃ or more as described above is sprayed into the drum 400, it is possible to completely sterilize the athlete's foot, fungi, etc. that may remain in the clothes in the drum 400, etc. Become.

On the other hand, the reheating device 650 as described above is preferably located above the steam generator 610 as shown in FIG. This is because the steam generated by the steam generator 610 has a property to rise, so that the flow of steam more smoothly.

In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the reheater 650 is preferably located adjacent to the drum 400 between the steam generator 610 and the drum 400 forming the receiving space. That is, when the superheated steam reheated by the reheater 650 flows a relatively long distance along the steam hose 225 to be supplied to the tub 300 and the drum 400, the temperature of the superheated steam is lowered below 120 ° C. Or condensation may occur. Therefore, in order to prevent cooling or condensation of the superheated steam as described above, the reheater 650 is located adjacent to the tub 300 and the drum 400 to which the superheated steam is supplied as compared to the steam generator 610. desirable. In this embodiment, the steam generator 610 may be positioned adjacent to the drum 400 in the middle of the flow path connecting the drum 400 forming the accommodation space, that is, the steam hose 225.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings looks at in detail with respect to the reheating device 650 of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing the reheating device 650 according to the first embodiment in the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG.

3 and 4, the reheating apparatus 650 according to the present embodiment is disposed along a steam hose 225 forming a flow path through which the steam generated in 610 of the steam generator (see FIG. 2 is moved). It consists of a heating unit 651 for reheating the steam flowing along the inside of the hose 225.

Specifically, the heating unit 651 is formed in a tubular shape, and forms a flow space 652 through which steam flows. That is, since the steam is converted to superheated steam in the flow space, the flow space may be referred to as an overheated steam chamber. In addition, the heating unit 651 is preferably made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and may be processed by die casting casting.

On the other hand, one side of the heating unit 651 is provided with a heater 660 for reheating the steam inside. Although the heater 660 may directly heat the steam, as shown in the drawing, the heater 660 is embedded along the surface of the heating unit 651 to heat the heating unit 651 by the heater 660. It is also possible to heat the internal steam along the entire inner circumferential surface of the heating unit 651 by heating. In this case, the heater 660 is preferably made of a sheath heater (heater), the heater 660 is embedded in the heating method 651 in a molding manner, the flow space 652 of the heating unit 651 It is more preferable to rapidly heat steam installed in the periphery and flowing through the flow space 652.

That is, the heater 660 is embedded in the heating unit 651, and rapidly heats the heating unit 651 itself formed of aluminum as the heat is generated, thereby flowing the flow space 652 of the heating unit 651. The steam is reheated rapidly to produce superheated steam. Therefore, when the heating is performed along the entire inner circumferential surface of the heating unit 651, the heating area becomes wider than when the heater 660 is exposed and heated, so that more excellent heating efficiency can be expected.

Meanwhile, as described above, as the heating unit 651 is formed in a tubular shape, the flow space 652 inside the heating unit 651 is also formed as a conduit. At both ends of the heating unit 651, an inlet 654 through which steam is introduced and an exhaust port 656 through which reheating is discharged are formed. In this case, the cross-sectional area of the flow space 652 of the heating unit 651 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the steam hose 225, so that the steam supply and flow space 652 of the heating unit 651 to the flow space 652. It is preferable to discharge the superheat steam from

Although not shown in the drawings, it is preferable that the above-described heating unit 651 be provided with a temperature sensor (not shown). The temperature sensor measures the temperature of the heating unit 651 to measure the temperature of steam. As a result, when an abnormality occurs in the heating unit 651 and the temperature inside the heating unit 651 abnormally rises or falls, the controller (not shown) of the washing machine notifies the user or the heater 660. It can be controlled to stop the driving of.

Here, the reheating device 650 may be used as the steam generator 610 described above. That is, the reheater 650 may be connected in series so that the reheater of the front end may be used as a steam generator and the reheater of the rear end may be used as an overheat steam generator. In this case, the inlet 654 of the reheater 650 positioned at the front end will function as a water inlet for water supply for steam generation and steam will be discharged through the exhaust port 656.

In any case, the capacity of the heater for generating steam and the capacity of the heater for generating overheat steam are preferably different. This is because, in order to generate steam by heating water, a large capacity heater is required in consideration of the heat capacity of the water and the heat of vaporization. Therefore, in consideration of these matters, the capacity of the heater for generating overheat steam may be selected to be 1/4 to 1/5 of the capacity of the heater for generating steam.

Meanwhile, according to the embodiment of FIG. 3 as described above, the reheating device 650 reheats steam while steam flows to form an overheated steam. By the way, since the heating is performed while the steam flows and moves, the heat transfer efficiency due to the heating may be reduced. Therefore, when steam is stored so that steam does not flow, it becomes possible to heat steam more efficiently. Hereinafter, a reheating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention for generating superheated steam by storing and reheating steam will be described.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a reheating apparatus 1650 according to a second embodiment in the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 5.

5 and 6, the reheating apparatus 1650 according to the present embodiment includes a case or a housing 1660 and a housing 1660 in which an accommodation space in which steam supplied from the steam hose 225 is accommodated is formed. It is provided with a heater 1670 to reheat the steam inside to make the overheat steam. Thus, the housing 1660 forms an overheated steam chamber that generates overheated steam.

 Here, the housing 1660 in which the steam is accommodated is preferably made of a sealed container, thereby preventing the leakage of steam. Therefore, a structure in which a supply opening 1662 for supplying steam and an exhaust port 1664 for discharging overheating steam may be provided with an opening and closing device (not shown) such as a valve, respectively, to selectively seal the inside of the housing 1660. Do.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when steam is supplied into the housing 1660 through the steam hose 225 and the supply port 1662, the valves (not shown) of the supply port 1662 and the discharge port 1664 are shut off. After sealing the inside of the housing 1660, it is possible to reheat steam by the heater 1670. In this case, although not shown in the figure, it is preferable to further include a compressor or the like for increasing the internal pressure of the housing 1660. That is, when the heater 1670 reheats the steam inside the housing 1660 and at the same time increases the pressure inside the housing 1660, the temperature of the steam inside the housing 1660 can be more easily raised to make the superheated state. have.

Referring to the process of generating the superheated steam as described above with reference to the T-S diagram as follows. 7 shows a T-S diagram according to a heated state of water.

As shown in the TS diagram of FIG. 7, when steam is generated by heating water inside the steam generator (see FIG. 1, 610), the 'liquid-steam' inside the parabolic vessel in which liquid and steam are mixed together with steam and water. Area '. Subsequently, when steam is heated by the reheater (see FIG. 1, 650), the liquid-steam station inside the parabola along the path A enters the 'superheated steam region'. On the other hand, when the steam is heated at the same time the pressure is entered into the 'superheated steam zone' along the path B, it becomes possible to make the superheated state more easily.

Also, in the present embodiment, it is possible to include a temperature sensor (not shown) similarly to the embodiment of FIG. 3 described above. Since the method of sensing and controlling the temperature by the temperature sensor is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3 described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Meanwhile, referring again to FIGS. 5 and 6, in the present embodiment, since steam is once received and stored in an accommodating space inside the housing 1660, the steam is heated and thus provided with a transfer means for moving the superheated steam by reheating. It is preferable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable to include a fan 1680 for transferring the overheated steam in the housing 1660. The fan 1680 may be installed at any position capable of discharging the overheated steam through the discharge port 1664, and is preferably located at the front or the rear of the heater 1670 along the flow path of the steam. Although FIG. 6 illustrates that the fan 1680 is installed both at the front and the rear of the heater 1670, the fan 1680 may be installed at only one of the front and the rear.

As such, when the reheating apparatus 1650 includes the fan 1680 for transferring the overheat steam, the overheat steam can be more easily supplied into the drum (see FIG. 1, 400). In addition, when the superheated steam is supplied by the fan 1680, the superheated steam is sprayed through the steam spray unit (see FIG. 1, 250) at a relatively high speed so that the superheated steam is sufficiently in contact with the clothing inside the drum 400. The effect of sterilization can be maximized.

On the other hand, the reheater 1650 as described above is preferably located adjacent to the drum 400 as described above, specifically, adjacent to the steam injection unit 250 for injecting superheated steam or steam to the drum 400 It is preferably arranged to. This is to minimize the distance that the superheated steam travels to be injected into the drum 400 to prevent the superheated steam from being cooled or condensed when the superheated steam flows along the steam hose 225.

8 is a front view showing a control panel 800 provided in the washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 Referring to FIG. 8, the control panel 800 as described above may be disposed on the front surface of the washing machine of FIG. 1. The control panel 800 includes a main selector 810 for largely selecting a course of a washing machine, and a subselector 830 for selecting additional functions according to a course selected by the main selector 810.

The main selection unit 810 is appropriately selected by the user according to the type, amount, etc. of the laundry to be washed by the user, the amount of washing water, temperature, rinse recovery, dehydration recovery, etc. are the default for the selected course. It is decided to be remembered in advance. Therefore, when the user selects a course, washing is performed according to the data determined by default. In addition, as described above, the user selects a course and inputs the amount of washing water, temperature, rinsing time, dehydration time, etc. according to the course, and a manual selection unit 820 may be provided for this purpose.

On the other hand, the main selection unit 810 is provided with at least one steam course in which steam is injected. Examples of such steam courses include baby clothes courses, whole sterilization courses, and underwear courses. That is, when the baby clothes or underwear is put and the baby clothes course or underwear course is selected, steam is injected at an appropriate time during washing, rinsing, dehydration and drying. In addition, when the whole sterilization course is selected, the steam is sprayed into the drum 400 in a state in which laundry is not added to sterilize the inside of the drum 400. As shown in FIG. 8, the main selection unit 810 selects a course by rotation, and the manual selection unit 820 and the sub selection unit 830 may be provided in a button form. The portion shown as 'A' in the main selection unit 810 shows a course in which steam is injected.

Here, the sub-selector 830 may select an additional function according to the course selected by the main selector 810. In detail, when the user selects a steam course in which steam is injected, the sub-selection unit 830 selects a steam time selection unit 832 and a steam timing so as to adjust the time of the supplied steam, the time when the steam is supplied, and the like. The unit 834 may be provided. In addition, the sub-selector 830 further includes an overheated steam selector 836 for controlling whether to use an overheated steam in the steam course when the user selects the steam course by the main selector 810. It is preferable.

That is, when the user selects one course among the steam courses A by the main selector 810 and selects the superheated steam by the subselector 830, the steam of the steam determined by default according to the selected course is selected. The superheat steam is sprayed according to the spraying conditions. In this case, it is a matter of course that the time and timing at which the superheated steam is injected by the above-described steam time selection unit 832 and the steam timing selection unit 834 can be adjusted.

Hereinafter, the operation of the washing machine according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described.

First, the user puts clothes to be washed into the washing machine, selects a course, and presses an operation button to drive the washing machine. In this case, the user may select one of the steam courses in which the steam is injected by the main selection unit 810, and also select the amount, timing, etc. of the steam by the sub-selection unit 830, or to overheat the steam You can choose. Hereinafter, a case in which the user selects one of the steam courses by the main selecting unit 810 and the overheating steam by the sub selecting unit 830 will be described.

First, when the user drives the washing machine, washing water and detergent are mixed in the detergent box 690 and introduced into the drum 400, and at the same time, the steam generator 610 and the reheater of the steam generator 600 650 and 1650 are operated to supply superheated steam into the drum 400 through the tub 300. In this case, the superheated steam is sprayed by the fan 1680 inside the reheater 1650, so that the superheated steam is sprayed at a relatively high speed so as to be in uniform contact with the clothes.

Therefore, by supplying the superheated steam to the drum 400 at the beginning of washing, it is possible to increase the washing effect even with a small amount of washing water by smoothing the soaking of the laundry and the separation of contaminants. A bactericidal effect that can eradicate germs can be expected. On the other hand, in this case by turning on the blowing fan 520 and the drying heater 510 and supplying the hot air into the drum 400 at the same time as the overheat steam, by increasing the temperature inside the drum 400 and heating the wash water, Soaking of laundry and separation of contaminants can be carried out more quickly and efficiently.

When the washing is finished, the rinsing and dehydration process is performed, the rinsing and dehydration recovery is carried out according to the data determined by default, it is also possible for the user to manually input as described above. In addition, it is possible to spray the superheated steam during the rinsing and dehydration process as described above. When the superheated steam is sprayed during the rinsing and dehydration process, the sterilization effect of the laundry can be further enhanced together with the superheated steam sprayed at the beginning of the washing.

When the rinsing and dehydration process is finished, and then the drying stroke of the washing machine starts, power is supplied to the drying heater 510 built into the drying duct 500 and the blower fan 520 is driven to drive the inside of the drying duct 500. Hot air is generated and supplied into the drum. At the same time, the steam generator 600 operates to generate an overheated steam, and supplies the generated overheated steam to the drum 400 through the tub 300. The hot air and superheat steam generated as described above is introduced into the drum 400 to sterilize while drying the laundry.

That is, during the drying operation of the laundry, as the hot air is supplied to the drum 400 and the superheat steam is supplied, the temperature of the drum 400 is quickly increased. Accordingly, the laundry contained in the drum 400 may be dried more quickly, and a refreshing effect of the laundry, such as athlete's foot and mold, may be completely sterilized by overheating steam.

On the other hand, when the washing stroke of the washing machine as described above, during the rinsing and dehydration stroke, during the drying stroke, when the steam generator 600 is operated, by rotating the drum 400, the steam generated by the steam generator 600 Or it is desirable to ensure that the superheated steam is evenly supplied to the laundry.

Meanwhile, in each of the above-described steps, the superheat steam is selected by the sub-selector 830, and the superheat steam is sprayed. When the superheat steam is not selected by the sub-selector 830, the superheat steam is performed at each step. Instead, steam having a temperature of 100 ° C. in general is injected. That is, the heaters 660 and 1670 of the reheater 650 of the steam generator 600 do not drive, but only the steam generator 610 is driven to supply general steam.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the steam generator will be described.

The above-described embodiment is characterized in that the steam generator 610 having the steam chamber and the reheating apparatus 650 having the overheat steam chamber are provided in a housing independent of each other. Therefore, there will be a need for a configuration for fixing each housing to the cabinet, so there is room for additional manufacturing processes. In addition, since the steam movement path from the steam chamber to the superheated steam chamber may be lengthened, there is a fear that the heat is generated because the steam is condensed. This may cause a problem of securing space for installing the steam generator inside the cabinet.

This embodiment is characterized in that the steam generating device is provided with a steam chamber and an overheated steam chamber.

This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 9 to 11.

The structure of the steam generator 610 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be modified to configure a steam chamber for generating steam and an overheat steam chamber for generating overheat steam in one housing 612. That is, a portion of the upper portion of the housing 612 may protrude upward to form an expansion space, and the expansion space may be configured as a steam chamber.

FIG. 9 illustrates a form in which an expansion space is formed on an upper right side of the steam generator 610 shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the steam generator 610 may be configured to generate steam and selectively generate overheat steam using the housing of one steam generator 610.

In the housing 612 water is heated by the heater 630 and converted to steam. The steam rises and is located in the superheated steam chamber 645. In the superheat steam chamber 645, the heater 631 is reheated to convert steam into superheat steam.

Here, the overheat steam chamber 645 may be a part of the steam chamber 640. In particular, the overheated steam chamber 645 may be part of the upper portion of the steam chamber. However, it is preferable that the outer wall 632 for forming the superheated steam chamber 645 is formed so that steam can be heat-exchanged with the heater 631 for reheating for more time. That is, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the heater 631 is not simply located above the housing 612, and an overheat steam chamber 645 is formed by the outer wall 632 of the steam chamber 640. It is preferable to be isolated from. Of course, the heater 631 is preferably provided inside the overheat steam chamber surrounded by the outer wall 632.

On the other hand, the outer wall 632 forming the overheated steam is preferably positioned to form a gap with the inner wall of the housing 612 as shown in FIG. That is, it is preferable that the space where the overheat steam is generated does not directly contact the housing 612. This is because the steam is located in the gap so that only heat by steam is transferred to the inner wall of the housing, and heat by superheat steam is not transmitted. That is, to obtain the thermal insulation effect through steam. Therefore, the material or design of the housing 612 is sufficient to generate steam, and because it is a superheat steam separately, there is no need to change the material or design.

An arrow shown in FIG. 11 indicates a direction in which steam flows into the overheat steam chamber 645, and steam may also flow through the drain hole 633.

Preferably, a plurality of communication holes 634 are formed in the outer wall 632 to allow steam to flow into the superheated steam chamber 645. Here, the position of the communication hole is preferably provided to be adjacent to the heater 631 located in the overheat steam chamber 645.

In other words, by introducing the steam into the heater portion that generates heat, heat exchange can be made more efficiently. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the discharge of the steam introduced into the overheated steam chamber through the exhaust port 635 without heat exchange.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, when the heater 631 is positioned close to both sides and the upper and lower portions of the outer wall, the communication hole 634 is preferably located at both side portions and the upper portion of the outer wall.

In addition, a drainage hole 633 for discharging water from the superheated steam chamber 645 may be formed in a lower portion of the outer wall. Of course, steam may flow into the overheated steam chamber through the drain hole. Therefore, the location of the drain hole is also preferably provided close to the location of the heater 631.

For example, when the steam generator stops operating, steam or superheat steam present in the superheat steam chamber may be condensed. Thus, water may accumulate in the superheated steam, which serves to condense steam or superheated steam. Because when the steam generator is restarted to generate steam and converts it to superheat steam, the heater also performs a function of heating the water in addition to the reheating function. Therefore, the drain hole 633 is preferably formed in the overheat steam so that water does not collect.

Meanwhile, a coupling hole 651 is formed in the housing 612 in order to position an outer wall 632 forming the heater 631 or the overheat steam chamber 645 for generating the overheat steam in the housing. This is preferred.

The coupling hole 651 may be formed on only one side of the housing as shown in FIG. 9 or may be simultaneously formed on the opposite side. A sealing 652 may be provided to seal the coupling hole 651, and a bracket 653 may be provided to fix the heater 631.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the steam generator will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

This embodiment is also characterized in that the steam chamber and the superheated steam chamber is provided in one housing.

First, the steam generator 700 has an outer shape formed through a housing, and the housing may include an upper housing 710 and a lower housing 720. In this case, the steam chamber 745 in which the steam is generated and the superheat steam chamber 746 in which the overheat steam is generated may be provided in the housing to be adjacent to each other. That is, they may be located adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. That is, the height of the steam generator can be reduced by having a left-right positional relationship rather than an up-down positional relationship.

Meanwhile, a partition assembly 740 may be provided between the upper housing 710 and the lower housing 720 to form a steam chamber 745 and an overheated steam chamber 746. The partition assembly 740 may include an outer wall 748 and the upper and lower parts may be manufactured in an open form. Of course, it can also be made of a single part.

In addition, the partition assembly 740 includes a chamber partition 749 partitioning the steam chamber 745 and the superheated steam chamber 746. The sensor partition 742 may be formed to partition the steam chamber 745. The sensor partition 742 is to form a space surrounding the portion where the water level sensor 714 is located to minimize the variation of the water level. The sensor partition 742 does not completely partition the steam chamber 745, and the water in the steam chamber communicates with each other through the lower portion of the partition 742. In addition, the inside of the steam chamber 745 is also in communication with each other through the through-hole 741 formed in the outer wall 748.

On the other hand, if the water in the steam chamber 745 to some extent, the air must be discharged through the upper portion of the space where the water level sensor 714 is located to continue to fill the water. To this end, it is preferable that an exhaust hole 742 ′ for exhausting air is formed on the outer wall.

The heater 754 is positioned under the partition assembly 740. Seals 752 and 753 are provided at the lower and upper portions of the heater 754, respectively. Here, the lower seal 753 is in close contact with the step 721 of the lower housing 720 to prevent leakage of steam, superheated steam or water in the steam chamber and the superheated steam chamber to the outside. In addition, the lower seal 753 also prevents the heater 754 from directly contacting the lower housing 720 to prevent overheating of the housing.

Here, the lower portion of the lower housing 720 is preferably formed to be open. This is to prevent the heater from overheating by exposing the lower part of the heater 754 to the air.

In addition, the upper seal 752 is positioned between the partition assembly 740 and the heater 754 to prevent the partition assembly 740 from directly contacting the heater 754 to overheat the partition assembly 740. It performs a function that prevents. Of course, steam, superheated steam or water leakage in the partition assembly 740 will also be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 14, the heater 754 may be configured as a single heater. For example, it may be a flat plate heater manufactured in the form of one flat plate. Hot wires 756 are formed in the flat plate heater, and the hot wires may be divided into a portion 754 ′ for generating steam and a portion 754 ″ for generating overheat steam. That is, as shown in FIG. 14. The left part may be a part for generating steam, and the right part may be a part for generating overheat steam.

Meanwhile, as described above, the heater is preferably controlled to independently heat the steam chamber 745 and the overheated steam chamber 746. To this end, three contacts 755 may be formed in the heater 754. If single-phase power is used, the heating terminal must be connected to the positive power source and the negative terminal to the negative power source in order for the heater to generate heat. Thus, the hot wires of the steam chamber portion of the heater and the hot wires of the overheated steam chamber portion are connected in parallel with the negative power contact, and the hot wires of the steam chamber portion of the heater and the hot wires of the overheated steam chamber portions are each positive power contact. It can be configured to selectively connect with.

The heating wires may be formed on the upper surface of the flat plate constituting the heater, and an electrical pattern 757 may be formed to electrically connect the heating wires. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the electrical pattern in the middle part is connected to the contact by default, and the upper and lower electrical patterns are selectively connected to different contacts so that only the heating wires of a specific part are heated or the heating wire of all parts. Can be controlled to generate heat.

That is, steam is generated when the heating wire of the steam chamber portion is connected to the positive power contact, and overheating steam is generated when the heating wire of the steam chamber portion is connected to the other positive power contact. Of course, as described above, since the amount of heat for steam generation is greater, the arrangement of the hot wires and the number of hot wires should be appropriately designed according to the steam and superheat steam capacity to be generated.

On the other hand, the steam generated in the steam chamber 745 has a property to rise. Therefore, the steam rises in the steam chamber 745 and moves in the direction of the arrow through the steam exhaust port 747 as shown in FIG. 12 to move to the superheated steam chamber 746. That is, steam is introduced into the superheated steam chamber 746 through the steam inlet 743. Therefore, the steam inlet 743 is preferably formed on the upper part of the partition assembly 740 for a smoother inflow of steam.

In this case, since the steam has a property to rise, the steam does not move to the overheated steam chamber 746 provided with the heater. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency may be lowered. In order to prevent this, the heat exchange steam chamber 746 is preferably provided with a heat exchanger 730.

The heat exchanger 730 may be configured to perform heat exchange between the steam and the heater by itself, or may be configured to guide the steam to the vicinity of the heater, that is, the superheated steam chamber 746.

A steam hole 731 for introducing steam into the upper portion of the outer wall of the heat exchanger 730 is formed. Steam introduced into the superheated steam chamber 746 through the steam hole 731 is introduced into the heat exchanger 730. In addition, the steam holes 731 may be formed in plural along the circumference of the heat exchanger in order to more smoothly introduce the steam.

In addition, the steam introduced through the steam hole 731 exchanges heat with the heater 754 provided in the overheat steam chamber 746 along the partition wall 734 formed therein, and then rises again to overheat steam discharge hole 743. Is discharged through). The superheat steam is discharged from the steam generator 700 through the exhaust port 712.

That is, the heat exchanger 730 performs the function of guiding the introduced steam to the bottom to exchange heat with the heater and to guide the generated superheat steam to the top. To this end, a partition wall 734 may be formed in the heat exchanger to guide the flow of steam and superheated steam. Of course, in the case where a plurality of steam inflow holes 731 through which steam is introduced is formed, a plurality of partition walls 734 may be formed correspondingly.

On the other hand, the lower portion of the heat exchanger 730 may communicate with the communication hole or communication slit 733 for communicating the inside and the outside of the heat exchanger. This communication slit 733 will allow the steam or superheated steam to be circulated in the heat exchanger to increase heat exchange efficiency and generate high quality superheated steam.

As described above, the steam generator 700 includes an upper housing 710 and a lower housing 720. Accordingly, water is introduced into the housing and optionally steam or superheated steam is discharged out of the housing.

For the inflow and outflow of such fluids, the upper housing 710 is provided with a water inlet 711, in which water can be introduced. In addition, the upper housing 710 is provided with an exhaust port 712 through which steam or superheated steam can be discharged.

Meanwhile, a sealing 715 is provided between the upper housing and the lower housing to prevent leakage of water, steam, or overheated steam. Accordingly, when the upper housing 710 and the lower housing 720 are coupled, the upper housing 710 and the lower housing 720 are pressed to perform a sealing function therebetween.

The upper housing 710 and the lower housing 720 may be coupled to each other through the flanges 715 and 725 formed at both sides. Of course, both can be combined by hook coupling or vibration or heat welding, but since the internal configuration of the steam generator is complicated, once the internal components are positioned inside the lower housing 720, simply screw the upper housing and the lower housing. Or bolts or the like.

In addition, a fixing tool 713 may be provided at an upper portion of the upper housing 710 to fix the steam generator to the case 100. The fastener 713 may be formed in various forms, but through this fastener, the steam generator 700 having a single housing may be easily fixed.

That is, the steam generator having a single housing can selectively generate steam and superheated steam, and can be easily fixed to minimize the work process.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and as can be seen in the appended claims, modifications can be made by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking a washing machine as an example, the laundry treatment apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the washing machine. That is, the clothes treating apparatus of the present invention may also be a dryer, a combined washing machine and a refresher using steam, including a washing machine.

For example, in the case of a dryer, a drying stroke is performed by selectively supplying steam and hot air while rotating a drum. In this case, the steam may be superheated steam, and it is possible to spray the superheated steam before or after the drying stroke. The dryer has a similar structure except that it does not require a means for supplying water to the tub and drum in the structure of the washing machine described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, when the clothes treating apparatus corresponds to a refresher, a rotating drum is not required, and a storage space for accommodating clothes is sufficient. Even in the case of the refresher, the configuration of the steam generator is similar to the steam generator of the other clothes treating apparatus described above, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a clothes treating apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the steam generator in Figure 1,

3 is a perspective view showing a configuration according to a first embodiment of the reheating device in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

5 is a perspective view showing a configuration according to a second embodiment of the reheating device in FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5,

7 is a graph showing a T-S diagram of steam supplied from the steam supply device of FIG. 1;

8 is a front view showing a control panel of the laundry treatment apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

9 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of another embodiment of a steam generator according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of the superheat steam chamber shown in FIG. 9;

11 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the steam generator shown in FIG. 9;

12 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the steam generating device according to the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the steam generator shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the heater shown in FIG. 12.

Claims (15)

cabinet; A clothes accommodating part provided in the cabinet to accommodate clothes; And And a steam generator having a housing in which a space for selectively generating steam or superheated steam to be supplied to the clothes accommodating part is formed. The method of claim 1, The steam generator, A steam chamber for heating the water to form a space for generating steam; And And a superheated steam chamber for reheating the steam to form a space for generating an overheated steam. The method of claim 1, And a heater for heating the steam chamber and the superheated steam chamber, respectively. The method of claim 1, Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a single heater for heating is provided over the steam chamber and the superheat steam chamber. The method of claim 4, wherein The single heater is a clothes processing apparatus, characterized in that the portion provided in the steam chamber and the portion provided in the overheat steam chamber are controlled independently of each other. The method of claim 1, And a pipe for forming a flow path of the steam or the superheated steam between the clothes container and the steam generator. The method of claim 6, And the steam generator and the flow passage are always open in a direction in which the steam or superheated steam is supplied to the clothes receiving portion. The method of claim 1, The steam generator, A housing having an inlet through which water for steam generation is introduced; A steam chamber provided inside the housing and forming a space for generating steam by heating water introduced through the inlet; And And a superheated steam chamber provided inside the housing to form a space for heating the steam introduced through the steam chamber to generate an overheated steam. The method of claim 8, And a heater for heating the steam chamber and the superheated steam chamber, respectively. The method of claim 9, The overheated steam chamber is provided on the upper side in the steam chamber space. The method of claim 10, The heaters are clothes handling apparatus, characterized in that provided in the interior space of the chambers. The method of claim 11, The superheated steam chamber is isolated from the steam chamber through the outer wall of the superheated steam chamber. The method of claim 12, Longitudinal outer wall of the overheated steam chamber is provided to form a gap with the inner wall of the housing. The method of claim 12, And a plurality of communication holes for inflow of steam are formed in a portion of the outer wall of the overheat steam chamber adjacent to the heater. The method of claim 8, At least one coupling hole is formed in the housing for insertion coupling of the superheated steam chamber.

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