Laundry treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10087564-B2
Application number	US-201514634156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2015
Priority date	Jun 23, 2014
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A laundry treatment apparatus including a cabinet forming an appearance of the apparatus, a drum having a laundry space therein to accommodate laundry, a rotating shaft for rotatably supporting the drum in the cabinet, a balancer including a housing fixed to the drum, an accommodation space defined in the housing, a balancing unit movably provided in the accommodation space, and a housing power line provided in the accommodation space to supply the balancing unit with electric power, a shaft through-hole formed through the rotating shaft, a first power supply unit, fixed to the rotating shaft, including a connection line connected to the housing power line through the shaft through-hole, and a second power supply unit rotatably fixed to the first power supply unit to connect the connection line to a power source.

First claim

We claim:

1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet forming an appearance of the apparatus;
a drum having a laundry space therein to accommodate laundry;
a rotating shaft for rotatably supporting the drum in the cabinet;
a balancer comprising:
a housing fixed to the drum,
an accommodation space defined in the housing,
a balancing unit movably provided in the accommodation space, and
a housing power line provided in the accommodation space to supply the balancing unit with electric power;

a shaft through-hole formed through the rotating shaft;
a first power supply unit, fixed to the rotating shaft, including a connection line connected to the housing power line through the shaft through-hole, the first power supply unit comprising:
a first body fitted in the shaft through-hole, the first body having an outer peripheral surface at least partially fitted in an inner peripheral surface of the shaft through-hole;
a body through-hole formed through the first body; and
a first contact element provided at an inner peripheral surface of the body through-hole and connected to the connection line;

a second power supply unit rotatably fixed to the first power supply unit to connect the connection line to a power source, the second power supply unit comprising:
a second body fitted in the body through-hole and rotatably supported in the first body;
a second contact element provided at the second body and being in contact with the first contact element; and a power line for connecting the second contact element to the power source; and

an elastic support protruding from the first body and contacting the shaft through-hole so as to couple the first body to the shaft through-hole.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first power supply unit further comprises through-holes formed in the first body to communicate the body through-hole with the shaft through-hole, and
the elastic support comprises a C-shaped support body, and protrusions protruding from the support body, the protrusions being disposed in the body through-hole and pressed by the shaft through-hole.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first power supply unit further comprises a first through-hole and a second through-hole formed in the first body so as to communicate the body through-hole with the shaft through-hole, and
the elastic support comprises:
a C-shaped support body;
a first protrusion protruding from the support body and disposed in the first through-hole; and
a second protrusion protruding from the support body and disposed in the second through-hole,
wherein a distance between a free end of the first protrusion and a free end of the second protrusion is larger than an inner diameter of the shaft through-hole.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first power supply unit further comprises a through-hole formed in the first body so as to communicate the body through-hole with the shaft through-hole; and
the elastic support comprises:
a bar fixed in the body through-hole; and
a bent portion disposed in the through-hole and contacting the shaft through-hole.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a stator disposed in the cabinet to generate a rotating magnetic field; and
a rotor which is rotated by the rotating magnetic field generated from the stator, wherein the first power supply unit comprises a first body coupled to an outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft to secure the rotor to the rotating shaft, a body through-hole formed through the first body, and a first contact element disposed at an inner peripheral surface of the body through-hole and connected to the connection line, and
wherein the second power supply unit comprises a second body disposed in the body through-hole and rotatably fitted in the first body, a second contact element provided at the second body and contacting the first contact element, and a power line for connecting the second contact element to the power source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first power supply unit further comprises a first through-hole and a second through-hole formed in the first body so as to communicate the body through-hole with the outside of the first body, and
the elastic support comprises:
a first support comprising a first bar fixed in the body through-hole, and a first bent portion disposed in the first through-hole and contacting the shaft through-hole; and
a second support comprising a second bar fixed in the body through-hole, and a second bent portion disposed in the second through-hole and contacting the shaft throughhole.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a distance between a free end of the first bent portion and a free end of the second bent portion is larger than an inner diameter of the shaft through-hole.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the first bar comprises a first stationary end fixed to the first body and a first free end disposed in the body through-hole; and
the second bar comprises a second stationary end fixed to the first body and a second free end disposed in the body through-hole.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
a connection section disposed in the body through-hole for connecting the first free end to the second free end.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Hyundong
• Kim Jaehyun
• Kim Kyeonghwan

Classifications

• D06F37/225 Primary

  Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets · CPC title

• D06F37/40

  for driving the receptacle and an agitator or impeller, e.g. alternatively {(D06F37/304, D06F37/308 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F16F15/32

  Correcting- or balancing-weights or equivalent means for balancing rotating bodies, e.g. vehicle wheels {(suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by using freely rotating masses F16F15/14; compensation of inertia forces F16F15/22; compensating imbalance for testing purposes G01M1/30)} · CPC title

• D06F37/265

  Counterweights mounted to the tub; Mountings therefor · CPC title

• D06F37/06

  Ribs, lifters, or rubbing means forming part of the receptacle · CPC title