Washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10145053-B2
Application number	US-201314051141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2013
Priority date	Oct 12, 2012
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A washing machine is provided. The washing machine may include a main body having a laundry loading hole formed therein, a door coupled to the main body to selectively open and close the laundry loading hole, a protruding part coupled to the door and selectively received in a protrusion housing coupled to the main body, a plurality of reed sensors provided in one of the door or the main body, and a magnet provided in the other of the door or the main body, outside of the protrusion housing so as react to the magnet and sense and opening/closing of the door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A washing machine, comprising:
a main body having a laundry loading hole formed therein;
a door coupled to the main body to selectively open and close the laundry loading hole;
a protruding part coupled to and protruding outward from the door;
a magnet provided in the protruding part;
a protrusion housing provided in the main body and configured to receive the protruding part;
a first reed sensor configured to react to the magnet to sense an opening and closing of the door;
a second reed sensor configured to react to the magnet to sense an opening and closing of the door, wherein the second reed sensor is farther from the magnet than the first reed sensor;
a dumbbell shaped circuit board including a pair of first insertion holes to which the first reed sensor is fixed and a pair of second insertion holes to which the second reed sensor is fixed at two opposite ends, wherein dumbbell shaped circuit board is disposed around the protrusion housing; and
a controller configured to determine the door is opened when at least one of the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor senses the opening of the door, and control a drum not to be operated when the door is opened, wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are electrically connected to each other in series, wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are arranged parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction, wherein the magnet and the first reed sensor are arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are arranged in parallel across a bridge formed at a center of the dumbbell shaped circuit board, extending between the two opposite ends.

2. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein when the second reed sensor reacts to the magnet, the first reed sensor also reacts to the magnet, wherein a circuit connecting between at least one of the pair of first insertion holes and at least one of the pair of second insertion holes is formed at the bridge.

3. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the laundry loading hole is formed in a top portion of the main body and the door is coupled to the top portion of the main body, and wherein the protruding part extends downward from an inner surface of the door so as to be received in the protrusion housing coupled at the top portion of the main body.

4. The washing machine of claim 3 , wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are provided at a front side of the protrusion housing.

5. The washing machine of claim 3 , wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are installed at a position below the magnet when the door is in a closed position with respect to the laundry loading hole.

6. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are longitudinally arranged horizontally in a longitudinal direction thereof, and stacked vertically, and are positioned below the protrusion housing, closer to a proximal end of the door that is rotatably coupled to the main body than to a distal end of the door opposite the proximal end thereof.

7. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the protruding part includes a plurality of protrusion parts coupled to the door, and each of the protrusion parts has a corresponding plurality of reed sensors provided in the main body.

8. The washing machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fitting hole extending horizontally through the protruding part; and
a locking part provided in the main body and configured to be received in the fitting hole when the door is in a closed position relative to the main body and the protruding part is received in the protrusion housing to lock the door.

9. The washing machine of claim 8 , wherein, when a distal end of the protruding part is positioned higher than the locking part, the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor sense that the door is opened.

10. The washing machine of claim 8 , further including a through hole formed in the protrusion housing, wherein the locking part is configured to pass through the through hole and into the fitting hole, wherein the locking part is coupled to the fitting hole to lock the door when the door is in the closed position, and to lock the door.

11. The washing machine of claim 8 , wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are disposed provided at a front side of the protrusion housing, and the locking part is provided at a rear side of the protrusion housing.

12. The washing machine of claim 8 , wherein the magnet is provided in a portion of the protruding part that is below the fitting hole.

13. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the door includes:
a reinforcing member provided at a central portion of the door and formed of a transparent material; and
a frame surrounding the reinforcing member.

14. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein a first length of the reed piece of the first reed sensor is different from a second length of the reed piece of the second reed sensor.

15. The washing machine of claim 14 , wherein the first length depends on a distance between the first reed sensor and the magnet, and wherein the second length depends on a distance between the second reed sensor and the magnet.

16. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the magnet pivotably moves toward the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor, wherein a traveling direction of the magnet is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor.

17. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:
a main body having a laundry opening formed therein;
a door coupled to the main body so as to selectively open and close the laundry opening;
a protrusion that protrudes outward from an interior side of the door, wherein the protrusion is configured to be received in the main body when the door is in a closed position relative to the main body to secure the door in the closed position;
a magnet provided in the protrusion;
a first reed sensor configured to sense a magnetic field generated by the magnet and be actuated in response to the magnetic field;
a second reed sensor configured to sense the magnetic field generated by the magnet and be actuated in response to the magnetic field, wherein the second reed sensor is farther from the magnet than the first reed sensor;
a dumbbell shaped circuit hoard including a pair of first insertion boles to which the first reed sensor is fixed and a pair of second insertion holes to which the second reed sensor is fixed at two opposite ends, wherein the dumbbell shaped circuit board is disposed around the protrusion housing; and
a controller configured to determine the door is opened when the first reed sensor or the second reed sensor sense the magnetic field generated by the magnet, and control a drum not to be operated when the at least one of the reed sensors senses the door is opened, wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are electrically connected to each other in series, wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are arranged parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction, wherein the magnet and the first reed sensor are arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the first reed sensor and the second reed sensor are arranged in parallel across a bridge formed at a center of the dumbbell shaped circuit board, extending between the two opposite ends.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , further including:
a protrusion ho

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Park Youngbae

Classifications

• D06F39/14 Primary

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• D06F37/42

  Safety arrangements, e.g. for stopping rotation of the receptacle upon opening of the casing door · CPC title

• H01H36/0006

  Permanent magnet actuating reed switches (H01H35/147 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R33/02

  Measuring direction or magnitude of magnetic fields or magnetic flux (G01R33/20 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F37/18

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title