KR20210145362A - Clothes treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothes treatment apparatus. According to the clothes treatment apparatus of the present invention, a conventional laundry treatment apparatus for reducing a vibration by using a weight balancer includes a reduction unit using a principle of TLCD instead of a weight balancer. Accordingly, the vibration or a noise generated from a drum is reduced.

Description

Clothes treating apparatus

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a laundry treatment apparatus including a reduction unit for reducing vibration or noise generated from a drum.

In general, a laundry treatment apparatus is a device for removing foreign substances attached to laundry through the action of water and detergent. The laundry treatment apparatus may be largely divided into a stirring type, vortex type, and drum type laundry treatment apparatus.

The agitation-type laundry treatment apparatus performs washing by rotating the washing rod rising from the center of the washing tub left and right, and the vortex-type laundry treatment apparatus uses the frictional force between the water flow and the laundry by rotating the disk-shaped rotary blade formed in the lower part of the washing tub left and right to perform laundry. In the drum type laundry treatment apparatus, water detergent and laundry are put inside and the drum is rotated to wash.

The drum-type clothes treatment apparatus may be divided into a washing machine which performs a washing cycle for separating and removes foreign substances from clothes, and a dryer which performs a drying cycle for removing moisture from clothes.

The washing machine may provide a plurality of washing courses and washing options to wash clothes. The washing course may form a cycle including a washing cycle for removing foreign substances from clothes, a rinsing cycle for separating foreign substances from clothes and detergent, and a dehydration cycle for removing moisture from clothes.

The washing option means adjusting the drum rotation speed (rpm), water temperature, water level, the intensity and degree of steam supply, etc., and the number of washing cycles, rinsing cycles, and dehydration cycles when performing the washing course. can

In addition, the washing option includes the number of repetitions of each cycle, the strength when performing each cycle, the rotational speed of the drum when performing each cycle, water temperature and water level in performing the washing cycle, rinsing cycle, and dehydration cycle. It may be a set algorithm or control method for controlling at least any one or more of the degree, whether or not steam is supplied, and the duration of each stroke.

In general, in the case of the dehydration cycle, the rotation speed of the drum is set to be higher than that of the washing cycle or the rinsing cycle.

Therefore, especially in the case of the dehydration cycle, vibration or noise may be induced by the eccentricity of the laundry located inside the drum or the rotational moment of the drum itself.

In this regard, Republic of Korea Publication No. 10-2006-0064311 (hereinafter abbreviated as prior literature.) discloses a clothing treatment apparatus having a means for directly reducing the vibration of an external structure that is a direct cause of the user's sensible vibration. to post

According to the preceding document, an external structure constituting the outer case, a washing tub installed inside the outer tub structure, a driving device for driving the washing tub, a support device for movably supporting the washing tub, and delivery to the external structure Reduces vibration or noise generated in the laundry treatment apparatus by including a dynamic absorber for directly reducing the generated vibration.

However, according to the prior literature, it may be difficult to reduce vibration or noise generated in an area other than the area in which the dynamic damper is installed. In addition, the amount of vibration or noise that can be attenuated is not to reduce the amount of vibration or noise generated in the drum or tub (the washing tub in the prior literature), but to block the previously generated noise or vibration from propagating to the outside. may have limitations.

Therefore, a means for fundamentally attenuating vibration or noise generated in the drum or tub is required.

Republic of Korea Publication No. 10-2006-0064311

An embodiment of the present invention aims to reduce left/right vibration of a laundry treatment apparatus.

An embodiment of the present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages in terms of material cost and weight of the conventional vibration reduction member while maintaining the conventional vibration reduction performance.

An embodiment of the present invention aims to improve the disadvantages of the conventional vibration reducing member by using a synchronized liquid column damper (TLCD), which is a concept for reducing energy by using liquid sloshing.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, it is possible to provide a reduced portion having a cylindrical shape that can be easily assembled in a laundry treatment apparatus.

The reduction part may be provided with a path so that the liquid can sway.

In addition, the structure of the reduction unit is changed to change the oscillation frequency of the liquid to reduce left/right vibration of the laundry treatment apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cabinet having an inlet formed therein, a drum rotatably provided inside the cabinet, a tub accommodating the drum and storing wash water, and the drum coupled to the tub. a driving unit to rotate the and a reducing unit provided inside the cabinet to attenuate vibrations generated from the drum, wherein the reducing unit is formed of a reducing case having a flow path formed therein and a fluid, and is provided to be movable in the flow path It is possible to provide a laundry treatment apparatus including a unit.

The inlet may be formed in the front of the cabinet, and the reduction unit may be coupled to the front of the tub.

The tub may communicate with the inlet and include a tub inlet formed on a front surface of the tub, and the reduction unit may be provided to surround at least a portion of the tub inlet.

The reduction part may be spaced apart from the tub inlet.

The reduction case includes an inner ring case contacting the tub inlet, an outer ring case spaced apart from the inner ring case and provided to surround the inner ring case, and an extension case connecting the outer ring case and the inner ring case to form the flow path. can do.

The inner ring case may include a shape corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the tub inlet.

The outer ring case may include a shape corresponding to the inner ring case so as to maintain a spaced distance from the inner ring case.

The inside of the reduction case may be provided to be sealed from the outside of the reduction case.

The reduction unit includes a first fluid occupying a first volume in the flow passage and a second fluid occupying a second volume in the flow passage and different from the first fluid, wherein the first volume is greater than the second volume can be provided.

The reduction unit may further include a guide portion coupled to the interior of the reduction case to guide the movement of the reduction unit.

The guide portion may include a first guide portion spaced apart from each of the inner ring case and the outer ring case so as to be provided between the inner ring case and the outer ring case.

The guide part may include a second guide part coupled to the inner ring case and extending upward.

The second guide part may be provided to be inclined upward in a direction away from the tub inlet.

The reduction unit may further include a communication unit coupled to the reduction case and selectively communicating the inside of the reduction case and the outside of the reduction case.

The communication part may include a first communication part detachably provided in at least one of the inner ring case and the extension case and a second communication part provided in the outer ring case.

The second communication part may include a sub flow path coupled to the outer ring case and the tub, respectively, connecting the flow path and the inside of the tub, and a valve part provided in the outer ring case to selectively communicate the flow path and the sub flow path. can

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to effectively reduce left/right vibration of the laundry treatment apparatus.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the material cost by replacing the conventional dynamic absorber.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a laundry treatment apparatus;
2 is a perspective view showing a conventional weight balancer coupled to the tub;
3 is a front view of a reduction unit coupled to the tub;
4 is a view showing an open-type reduction unit;
5 is a view showing a closed-type reduction unit;
6 is a view showing a reduction unit provided with a first guide unit;
7 is a view showing a reduction part provided with a second guide part;
8 is a view showing a reduced portion provided with a communication portion.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following detailed description is provided to provide a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatus, and/or systems described herein. However, this is merely an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to intentions or customs of users and operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the content throughout this specification. The terminology used in the detailed description is for the purpose of describing embodiments of the present invention only, and should in no way be limiting. Unless explicitly used otherwise, expressions in the singular include the meaning of the plural. In this description, expressions such as “comprising” or “comprising” are intended to indicate certain features, numbers, steps, acts, elements, some or a combination thereof, one or more other than those described. It should not be construed to exclude the presence or possibility of other features, numbers, steps, acts, elements, or any part or combination thereof.

Hereinafter, a laundry treatment apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 1 .

1 is a view showing a clothes treatment apparatus.

The laundry treatment apparatus 100 is provided in a cabinet 110 forming an exterior, a tub 120 in which washing water is stored, and a tub 120 rotatably provided in the tub 120 to store laundry or clothes. The drum 130 to be used may include a driving unit 150 for rotating the drum 130 by applying a torque to the drum 130 .

The cabinet 110 is provided with an inlet 141 formed by opening one side, and the inlet 141 is rotatably coupled to the cabinet 110 and can be opened and closed by a door 140 provided therein.

The tub 120 may include a tub inlet 121 having one side open and communicating with the inlet 141 . In addition, the tub 120 may be fixed inside the cabinet 110 by the tub support 113 . The tub support part 113 may be provided with a spring or a damper capable of absorbing vibration or vibration of the tub 120 .

The door 140 , the inlet 141 , and the tub inlet 121 may all be positioned in front of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 .

A gasket 111 may be provided between the tub inlet 121 and the inlet 141 , and the gasket 111 may prevent the wash water located inside the tub 120 from leaking out of the tub 120 . have. In addition, the gasket 111 prevents the vibration of the tub 120 from being transmitted to the cabinet 110 , thereby preventing the vibration generated inside the laundry treatment apparatus 100 from being transmitted to the outside of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 . can do.

The tub 120 may receive washing water through the water supply unit 170 . Specifically, the water supply unit 170 includes a water supply hose 171 that connects the tub 120 to a water supply source (not shown) located outside the clothes treatment apparatus 100 , and a water supply valve that opens and closes the water supply hose 171 . Including 173 may supply washing water to the tub 120 .

Wash water flowing through the water supply hose 171 may flow into the tub 120 through the detergent storage unit 14 in which detergent is stored. To this end, the detergent storage unit 14 may be located above the tub 120 , and includes a storage space 161 for storing detergent and a supply pipe 143 for communicating the storage space 161 with the tub 120 . can do.

When the water supply hose 171 is connected to the storage space 161 , the washing water supplied from a water supply source (not shown) flows through the storage space 161 through the water supply hose 171 and enters the storage space 161 . The stored detergent may come into contact with the wash water and be supplied to the tub 120 together with the wash water.

Wash water flowing into the tub 120 may be discharged to the outside of the cabinet 110 through the drain unit 180 . To this end, the drain unit 180 communicates with the tub 120 to discharge the wash water located inside the tub 120 to the outside of the cabinet 110, and a drain hose 181 to induce or help the flow of wash water. A drain pump 183 may be included.

The drum 130 may include a drum inlet 131 communicating with the tub inlet 121 . Accordingly, the laundry or clothes may be located inside the drum 130 sequentially through the door 140 , the inlet 141 , the tub inlet 121 , and the drum inlet 131 .

Laundry or clothes located inside the drum 130 may be in contact with washing water through the plurality of through holes 133 formed in the drum 130 . That is, the wash water stored in the tub 120 may flow into the drum 130 through the plurality of through holes 133 formed in the drum 130 .

The drum 130 may be rotated by the driving unit 150 provided outside the tub 120 . To this end, the driving unit 150 may include a stator 151 fixed to the tub 120 and forming a rotating magnetic field, and a rotor 153 rotating by the rotating magnetic field of the stator 151 . In addition, the driving unit 150 may further include a rotation shaft 155 connecting the rotor 153 and the drum 130 to transmit the rotational force of the rotor 153 to the drum 130 .

The rotor 153 may be provided with a rotor through-hole 1533 formed through a portion of the rotor 153 to cool the rotor 153 and the stator 151 . (See Fig. 2)

On the other hand, the rotary shaft 155 is preferably connected to the drum 130 through the back surface of the tub 120, in this case, the back surface of the tub 120 may be provided with a bearing 123 for supporting the rotary shaft 155. have.

In addition, the rotor 153 may be provided to surround the stator 151 and may be provided as an outer-type rotating by a rotating magnetic field.

Accordingly, the clothes treatment apparatus 100 may provide a plurality of washing courses and washing options to wash clothes. The washing course may form a cycle including a washing cycle for removing foreign substances from clothes, a rinsing cycle for separating foreign substances from clothes and detergent, and a dehydration cycle for removing moisture from clothes.

The washing option means adjusting the drum rotation speed (rpm), water temperature, water level, the intensity and degree of steam supply, etc., and the number of washing cycles, rinsing cycles, and dehydration cycles when performing the washing course. can

In addition, the washing option includes the number of repetitions of each cycle, the strength when performing each cycle, the rotational speed of the drum when performing each cycle, water temperature and water level in performing the washing cycle, rinsing cycle, and dehydration cycle. It may be a set algorithm or control method for controlling at least any one or more of the degree, whether or not steam is supplied, and the duration of each stroke.

Here, the pre-stored course may mean a washing option in which some or all of the plurality of strokes stored in the laundry treatment apparatus 100, washing courses consisting of the strokes, and washing courses can be changed.

On the other hand, in general, the spin-drying cycle is set to an rpm with a higher rotational speed of the drum 130 compared to the rinsing cycle or the washing cycle. In other words, the rotation speed of the drum 130 in the dehydration cycle is greater than the rotation speed of the drum 130 in the rinsing cycle and washing cycle.

Vibration and noise generated by the drum 130 during the dehydration cycle are transferred to the tub 120 , and the vibration or noise transferred to the tub 120 is transferred to the cabinet 110 , and the laundry treatment apparatus 100 . leaked to the outside of

Therefore, when the number of rotations of the drum 130 is relatively large, such as the number of rotations in the dehydration cycle, a configuration that offsets the moment of rotation of the drum 130 is required. .

Hereinafter, a conventional configuration for reducing vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 having the weight balancer 200 installed therein, viewed from the front side, and FIG. 2(b) is the laundry treatment apparatus 100 having the weight balancer 200 installed therein, viewed from the rear side. It is a perspective view.

The weight balancer 200 may be coupled to the front surface of the tub 120 . However, it is preferable to be coupled at a position spaced apart from the tub inlet 121 to prevent interference with the tub inlet 121 .

The weight balancer 200 may include a first weight balancer 210 coupled to one side of the front surface of the tub 120 and a second weight balancer 220 coupled to the other side of the front surface of the tub 120 . have.

The first weight balancer 210 and the second weight balancer 220 are preferably formed to be symmetrical with respect to the tub inlet 121 .

In other words, when the first weight balancer 210 is positioned on the left with respect to the tub inlet 121 , the second weight balancer 220 may be positioned on the right with respect to the tub inlet 121 .

Alternatively, the first weight balancer 210 and the second weight balancer 220 may be respectively located above and below the tub inlet 121 with respect to each other.

Accordingly, the weight balancer 200 may reduce vibration or noise generated by the laundry treatment apparatus 100 .

However, the weight balancer 200 reduces vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 by using its own load.

In other words, when the weight balancer 200 is coupled to the tub 120, the weight of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 inevitably increases significantly, and the weight balancer 200 is generally made of steel, so material costs may increase. can't help but

In particular, considering that the weight balancer 200 reduces vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 by using a load, it may be difficult to effectively reduce vibration of a specific frequency generated in the above-described dehydration cycle.

Therefore, there is a need for a means having the same or improved effect as the weight balancer 200 at a lower material cost and capable of effectively reducing a specific frequency generated in the dehydration process.

Hereinafter, a reduction unit 300 that can replace the weight balancer 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

3 is a view showing a front view of the reduction unit 300 coupled to the tub (120).

The reduction unit 300 may use the principle of a tuned of liquid column damper (hereinafter abbreviated as TLCD) in order to reduce vibration or noise generated from the drum 120 .

TLCD generally refers to a damper that contains a liquid in a U-shaped water tank and controls vibration by using the sway of the liquid. In general, TLCD can be used in buildings because it is easy to control low-frequency vibrations, and it can be seen as a principle of canceling vibrations of buildings by inertia.

In the present invention, by providing the reduction unit 300 using the principle of TLCD, vibration or noise generated from the laundry treatment apparatus 100 can be reduced.

The reduction unit 300 may include a reduction case 310 forming the exterior of the reduction portion 300 and a reduction unit 320 flowing inside the reduction case 310 .

The reduction case 310 may be provided in an approximately 'C' shape or a 'U' shape.

The reduction case 310 has an empty space 311 formed therein, and the reduction unit 320 can move in the space.

Accordingly, the space 311 formed by the reduction case 310 may be defined as the flow path 311 of the reduction unit 320 .

The reduction unit 320 may be formed of a fluid, and may include various types of fluid.

For example, the reduction unit 320 may include a first fluid 321 formed of water and a second fluid 323 formed of air. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto and has different densities, and there is no limitation on immiscible fluids.

The reduction unit 300 may be located inside the laundry treatment apparatus 100 . That is, unlike a typical TLCD located at the top of a building, the reducing unit 300 is located inside the laundry treatment apparatus 100 to reduce vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 .

The reduction unit 300 may be coupled to the tub 120 in the laundry treatment apparatus 100 to reduce vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 .

In particular, in the case of a front-loading type laundry treatment apparatus in which the inlet 141 is formed on the front surface of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 , the reduction unit 300 is coupled to the front surface of the tub 120 . desirable.

Considering that the driving unit 150 for rotating the drum 130 is installed on the rear surface of the tub 120 , vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 can be maximized from the front side of the tub 120 .

However, in order to avoid interference with the tub inlet 121 , the reduction unit 300 may be provided to surround at least a portion of the tub inlet 121 .

In particular, when the reduction case 310 includes a 'C' shape or a 'U' shape, the tub inlet 121 may be seated in a 'C'-shaped opening or a 'U'-shaped opening. .

In other words, the reduction unit 300 may be provided to accommodate the tub inlet 121 .

Accordingly, vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 is transmitted to the tub 120 , and the vibration or noise transmitted to the tub 120 may be reduced by the reducing unit 300 from the front.

However, the reason why the TLCD is generally located on the top floor of a building is to receive vibrations generated from the building as efficiently as possible. Accordingly, when the reducing unit 300 is located inside the laundry treatment apparatus 100 , it may be difficult to effectively transmit vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 .

To this end, the shape of the reduction unit 300 may be provided to correspond to the shape of the tub 120 .

4 (a) is a view showing the reduction unit 300 having a shape corresponding to the tub 120, FIG. 4 (b) is the reduction unit 300 of FIG. 4 (a) to the tub (120) It is a drawing showing a combined state.

4, the reduction case 310 is an inner ring case 313 in contact with the tub inlet 121, spaced apart from the inner ring case 313, the outer ring case 315 provided to surround the inner ring case 313 and An extension case 317 connecting the outer ring case 315 and the inner ring case 313 may be included.

The inner ring case 313 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the tub inlet 121 . Specifically, it may include a shape corresponding to the outer peripheral surface (121a) of the tub inlet (121).

Accordingly, when the tub inlet 121 has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape, the inner ring case 313 may have a hollow circular shape as a cross section.

In particular, when the reduction unit 300 is provided in a shape corresponding to the tub inlet 121 , all regions constituting the inner ring case 313 may be in contact with the tub inlet 121 .

However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the inner ring case 313 may be provided to surround at least a portion of the tub inlet 121 while being spaced apart from the tub inlet 121 by a predetermined distance. At this time, the predetermined interval may be maintained so that the shape of the inner ring case 313 and the shape of the outer circumferential surface 121a of the tub inlet 121 correspond to each other.

The outer ring case 315 may be provided to surround the inner ring case 313 while being spaced apart from the tub inlet 121 in the inner ring case 313 .

In other words, the outer ring case 315 may be farther away from the tub inlet 121 compared to the inner ring case 313 .

A distance between the outer ring case 315 and the inner ring case 313 may be maintained along the circumference of the inner ring case or the outer ring case 315 . That is, the distance between the outer ring case 315 and the inner ring case 313 may be maintained at a constant distance.

Accordingly, the outer ring case 315 may also be provided in a shape corresponding to the inner ring case 313 . As a result, the outer ring case 315 may be provided in a shape corresponding to the outer peripheral surface 121a of the tub inlet 121 .

When the outer circumferential surface 121a of the tub inlet 121 has a constant diameter, the diameter of the inner ring case 313 may be greater than the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 121a of the tub inlet 121, and the diameter of the outer ring case 315 may be provided to be larger than the diameter of the inner ring case 313 .

The extension case 317 may be formed to extend in the left and right directions to connect the inner ring case 313 and the outer ring case 315 . Accordingly, the extension case 317 may extend in a direction away from the tub inlet 121 from the inner ring case 313 to connect the outer ring case 315 and the inner ring case 313 . Alternatively, the extension case 317 may extend in a direction closer to the tub inlet 121 from the outer ring case 315 to connect the inner ring case 313 and the outer ring case 315 .

Accordingly, a flow path 311 through which the reduction unit 220 can flow may be formed inside the reduction case 310 .

In addition, the reduction case 310 may be provided in a disk shape or a shape similar thereto.

On the other hand, the reduction case 310 is not in contact with the tub inlet 121, it is also possible to be provided to be spaced apart from the tub inlet (121). In this case, the inner ring case 313 may be provided to be spaced apart along the circumference of the tub inlet 121 . Unlike the aforementioned reduction case 310 , when the reduction case 310 is provided to be spaced apart from the tub inlet 121 , the reduction case 310 may have a larger diameter. Accordingly, the volume of the flow path 311 formed inside the reduction case 310 may increase, and the volume of the reduction unit 220 flowing to reduce vibration or noise generated in the drum 130 may also increase. have. In this case, the reduction case 310 can reduce vibration or noise generated from the drum 130 more efficiently.

On the other hand, TLCD is generally configured to reduce vibrations occurring in buildings, and is effective in reducing vibrations of low frequencies (<1 Hz). However, vibrations generated in the laundry treatment apparatus 100 may generally have a higher frequency than the aforementioned low frequency.

Accordingly, the reduction unit 300 can effectively reduce the vibration of the target frequency by adjusting the ratio of the volume occupied by the reduction unit 220 in the reduction case 310 .

To this end, the volume occupied by the first fluid 321 and the second fluid 323 in the reduction unit 300 may be formed to be different from each other.

For example, when the first fluid 321 is water and the second fluid 323 is air, the volume V1 formed by the first fluid 321 in the flow path 311 is the second fluid ( The volume 323 may be formed differently from the volume V2 formed in the flow path 311 .

Preferably, the volume V1 formed by the first fluid 321 in the flow path 311 may be greater than the volume V2 formed by the second fluid 323 in the flow path 311 .

In particular, the ratio of the volume V1 formed by the first fluid 321 to the volume V2 formed by the second fluid 323 may be 8:3. In this case, it is possible to more efficiently reduce vibration corresponding to 10 Hz to 24 Hz among frequencies of vibration generated by the laundry treatment apparatus 100 .

Meanwhile, the reduction unit 300 may include an opening 330 in which one side of the reduction case 310 is opened. That is, the reduction case 310 may form a closed curve to surround the tub inlet 121 , but may not form a closed curve including the opening 330 .

In this case, the opening 330 may serve to communicate the inside and the outside of the reduction case 310 . Therefore, it is possible for the reduction unit 320 to flow into the interior 311 of the reduction case 310 through the opening 330 or to be discharged from the interior 311 of the reduction case 310 to the outside. (open type)

However, referring to FIG. 5 , the reduction unit 300 may not include the opening 330 . 5 is a diagram illustrating a closed type reduction unit 300 .

When the reduction unit 300 does not include the opening 330 , the reduction case 310 may form a closed curve.

That is, the inner ring case 313 may be provided to surround the tub inlet 121 to form a closed curve, and the outer ring case 315 may also form a closed curve to correspond to the shape of the inner ring case 313 . Accordingly, the extension case 317 may block the flow path 311 formed inside the reduction case 310 from the outside of the reduction case 310 .

In this case, the fluidity for the reduction unit 320 to reduce vibration or noise of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 may be further increased. This is because, when the first reduction unit 321 flows, the volume occupied by the second reduction unit 323 changes. The phenomenon in which the volume occupied by the second reduction unit 323 is reduced or reduced may help the first reduction unit 321 and the second reduction unit 323 recover the volumes V1 and V2, respectively, more quickly.

However, when the reduction unit 300 does not include the opening 330 , it may be difficult to communicate the reduction unit 320 located inside the reduction case 310 to the outside of the reduction case 310 . This will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 8 .

Accordingly, the closed type reduction unit 300 converts the flow of the reduction unit 320 into pressure to more efficiently remove vibration or noise of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 .

On the other hand, the principle that the reduction unit 300 reduces the vibration or noise of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 is inertia as described above.

Specifically, when the laundry treatment apparatus 100 vibrates to the left, the reduction unit 320 moves to the right with respect to the reduction case 310, and when the laundry treatment apparatus 100 vibrates to the right, the reduction unit 320 ) moves to the left with respect to the reduction case 310 .

Therefore, when the shape of the reduction case 310 corresponds to the shape of the tub inlet 121 to form a closed curve, the movement of the reduction unit 220 may not be efficient.

As described above, the volume V1 occupied by the first fluid 321 is larger than the volume V2 occupied by the second fluid 323 . This means that the first fluid 321 is positioned above half the height of the tub inlet 121 .

In other words, in order for the reduction unit 320 to move in a direction opposite to the vibration direction of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 , the reduction unit 320 preferably forms a large contact area with the inner surface of the reduction case 310 .

For example, when the laundry treatment apparatus 100 vibrates to the left, the reduction unit 320 must move to the right and upper sides. However, the configuration that can guide the movement to the right and upper side of the reduction unit 320 is the outer ring case 315, and in the case of the inner ring case 313, it is difficult to guide the movement of the reduction unit 320. .

To this end, the reduction unit 300 may include a guide portion 340 capable of guiding the movement of the reduction unit 320 . That is, the reduction unit 300 may include a guide portion 340 coupled to the inside of the reduction case 310 to guide the movement of the reduction unit 320 .

Hereinafter, the guide unit 340 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 7 .

6 is a view showing the first guide part 341 .

First, referring to FIG. 6 , the guide part 340 may include a first guide part 341 positioned between the inner ring case 313 and the outer ring case 315 .

The first guide part 341 may be provided to be spaced apart from the inner ring case 313 and also to be spaced apart from the outer ring case 315 . Accordingly, the first guide part 341 may be formed to have a constant curvature.

The first guide part 341 may be provided to connect the front surface and the lower surface of the extension case 317 . That is, the first guide part 341 may be provided to connect the two extension cases 317 (one surface positioned at the front and the other surface positioned at the rear) in the front-rear direction.

The first guide part 341 may extend from the upper end of the reduction case 310 to surround at least a portion of the inner ring case 313 . However, it is preferable that the first guide part 341 is formed at a position always in contact with the reduction unit 320 irrespective of whether the reduction unit 320 moves.

The distance between the first guide part 341 and the inner ring case 313 may be the same as the distance between the first guide part 341 and the outer ring case 315 . In other words, the first guide part 341 may be located at the center of the inner ring case 313 and the outer ring case 315 .

However, in accordance with the target frequency to be reduced by the reduction unit 300 , the first guide unit 341 may be provided biased toward the inner ring case 313 or may be provided biased toward the outer ring case 3151 . Of course, it is also possible that the first guide part 341 has a shape having a different curvature.

Accordingly, the first guide part 341 may induce the smooth movement of the reduction unit 320 moving according to the inertia to cancel the vibration of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 . This is because the reduction unit 320 not only forms a contact surface with the inside of the reduction case 310 , but also forms a contact surface with the guide part 340 .

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 7 , the guide part 340 may include a second guide part 343 coupled to the inner ring case 313 and extending upward.

7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams illustrating an embodiment of the second guide part 343 .

The second guide part 343 may be coupled to the inner ring case 313 , and may extend in a direction away from the ground to be coupled to the outer ring case 315 . Of course, the second guide portion 343 may be spaced apart from the outer ring case 315.

Accordingly, the second guide portion 343 can provide the reduction unit 320 with a contact surface that is not sufficiently provided by the inner ring case 313 while the reduction unit 320 is moving.

Accordingly, it may be more smooth for the reduction unit 320 to flow in a direction for canceling the vibration of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 .

On the other hand, preferably, the second guide portion 343 may be coupled to the inner ring case 313 at a position capable of contacting the first fluid 321 .

Meanwhile, the second guide part 343 may be coupled to the inner ring case 313 and extend in a direction away from the tub inlet 121 . In other words, the second guide part 343 may be formed to be inclined upward in a direction away from the tub inlet 313 in the inner ring case 313 .

In particular, considering that the vibration frequency of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 to be offset by the reduction unit 300 is a relatively high (compared to TLCD) frequency, the second guide unit 343 may cause vibration of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 . It is possible to more smoothly guide the movement of the reduction unit 320 that moves to offset the.

On the other hand, as described above, the closed type reduction unit 300 has a problem in that it is difficult to adjust the volume of the reduction unit 320 .

To this end, the reduction unit 300 may include a communication unit 350 coupled to the reduction case 310 to selectively communicate the inside 311 of the reduction case 310 and the outside of the reduction case 310 . .

8 is a view showing the communication part 350 .

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 8 , the communication part 350 is provided in at least one of the inner ring case 313 , the outer ring case 315 and the extension case 317 to selectively connect the outside and the inside of the reduced case 310 . can communicate.

Preferably, the communication part 350 includes a first communication part 351 which is detachably provided in at least one of the inner ring case 313 and the extension case 317 and a second communication part provided in the outer ring case 315 . (353) may be included.

The first communication part 351 may be provided in a shape corresponding to a part of the inner ring case 313 or a part of the extension case 317 . Accordingly, when the first communication part 351 is separated from the inner ring case 313 or the extension case 317 , the flow path 311 may communicate with the outside of the reduction case 310 , and the first communication part 351 is When combined with the inner ring case 313 or the extension case 317 , the flow path 311 may be blocked from the outside of the reduction case 310 .

Accordingly, it is possible to increase the amount of volume occupied by the first fluid 321 in the flow path 311 through the first communication part 351 .

The second communication part 353 is preferably provided in the outer ring case 353 . This is because, when the first fluid 321 is provided as a liquid, it is easier to use gravity to discharge the first fluid 321 from the flow path 311 .

In other words, the volume of the reduction unit 320 can be adjusted through the communication unit 350, and the first communication unit 351 is particularly easy to insert the reduction unit 320 into the flow path 311, The two communicating parts 353 may be particularly able to smoothly withdraw the reduction unit 320 from the flow path 311 .

However, it is preferable that the reduction unit 320 leaking through the second communication part 353 is guided to the inside of the tub 120 . This is because reliability may decrease when the reduction unit 320 communicates with the same configuration as the electric part inside the laundry treatment apparatus 100 .

To this end, the second communication part 353 is coupled to the outer ring case 315 and the tub 120 to connect the passage 311 and the inside of the tub 120 to the sub passage 3531 and the outer ring case 315. It may include a valve part 3533 provided to selectively communicate the flow path 311 and the sub flow path 3531 .

One end of the sub-channel 3531 may be formed on the outer ring case 315 and the other end may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the tub 120 or inside the tub 120 .

As long as the valve part 3533 has a shape capable of selectively communicating the flow path 311 and the sub flow path 3531 , there is no particular restriction on the shape.

For example, the valve part 3533 can selectively communicate the flow path 311 and the sub flow path 3531 through rotation, and is slidably coupled to the outer ring case 315 to selectively communicate with the flow path 311 and the flow path 311 by an external force. The sub-channel 3531 may be communicated.

Accordingly, the communication unit 350 can adjust the volume of the reduction unit 320 located inside the reduction case 310, and the adjustment of the volume of the reduction unit 320 is the vibration frequency that the reduction unit 300 targets. means it can be changed.

Although the above-described communication unit 350 has been described in the closed type reduction unit 300 , it goes without saying that the communication unit 350 may also be formed in the open type reduction unit 300 .

Accordingly, the reduction unit 300 can effectively remove vibration or noise generated from the laundry treatment apparatus 100 while replacing the conventional weight balancer 200 .

In addition, since the manufacturing cost corresponding to the weight balancer 200 is reduced, vibration or noise generated from the laundry treatment apparatus 100 can be effectively removed more economically.

In addition, in particular, it is possible to effectively reduce the vibration of a specific frequency generated in the dehydration cycle in which the rotation speed of the drum 130 is relatively large.

Although representative embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention with respect to the above-described embodiments. . Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments and should be defined by the claims described below as well as the claims and equivalents.

Clothes handling equipment: 100 Cabinet: 110
Tub : 120 Tub inlet : 121
Drum: 130 Door: 140
Drive unit: 150 Detergent storage unit: 160
Water supply part: 170 Drain part: 180
Weight balancer : 200 1st weight balancer : 210
Second weight balancer: 220 Reduction part: 300
Reduced case: 310 euros: 311
Inner ring case : 313 Outer ring case : 315
Extension case: 317 Reduction unit: 320
1st fluid : 321 2nd fluid : 323
Opening: 330 Guide part: 340
First guide part: 341 Second guide part: 343
Communication part: 350 First communication part: 351
2nd communication part: 353

Claims (16)

a cabinet in which the inlet is formed;
a drum rotatably provided inside the cabinet;
a tub accommodating the drum and storing wash water;
a driving unit coupled to the tub to rotate the drum; and
a reduction unit provided inside the cabinet to attenuate vibrations generated from the drum; and
The reduction unit,
a reduction case having a flow path formed therein; and
and a reduction unit formed of a fluid and movably provided in the flow path. According to claim 1,
The inlet is formed in front of the cabinet,
The reduction unit is a laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that coupled to the front surface of the tub. 3. The method of claim 2,
The tub communicates with the inlet and includes a tub inlet formed on the front surface of the tub,
The reduction unit is provided to surround at least a portion of the tub inlet. 4. The method of claim 3,
The reduction unit is a laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that spaced apart from the tub inlet. 4. The method of claim 3,
The reduction case is
an inner ring case in contact with the tub inlet;
an outer ring case spaced apart from the inner ring case and provided to surround the inner ring case; and
and an extension case connecting the outer ring case and the inner ring case to form the flow path. 6. The method of claim 5,
and the inner ring case has a shape corresponding to an outer circumferential surface of the tub inlet. 7. The method of claim 6,
and the outer ring case has a shape corresponding to the inner ring case so that a distance from the inner ring case is maintained. 8. The method of claim 7,
The laundry treatment apparatus, characterized in that the inside of the reduction case is sealed from the outside of the reduction case. 9. The method of claim 8,
The reduction unit is
a first fluid occupying a first volume in the flow path; and
and a second fluid that occupies a second volume in the flow path and is different from the first fluid;
and the first volume is greater than the second volume. 8. The method of claim 7,
The reduction unit may further include a guide unit coupled to the inside of the reduction case to guide movement of the reduction unit. 11. The method of claim 10,
and the guide part includes a first guide part spaced apart from each of the inner ring case and the outer ring case to be provided between the inner ring case and the outer ring case. 11. The method of claim 10,
and the guide part includes a second guide part coupled to the inner ring case and extending upward. 13. The method of claim 12,
and the second guide part is inclined upward in a direction away from the tub inlet. 9. The method of claim 8,
The reduction part is coupled to the reduction case and further comprises a communication part for selectively communicating the inside of the reduction case and the outside of the reduction case. 15. The method of claim 14,
The communication part,
a first communication part detachably provided in at least one of the inner ring case and the extension case; and
and a second communication part provided in the outer ring case. 16. The method of claim 15,
The second communication unit,
a sub flow path coupled to the outer ring case and the tub, respectively, connecting the flow path and the inside of the tub; and
and a valve part provided in the outer ring case to selectively communicate the flow path and the sub flow path.

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