Drain pump and clothes dryer having a drain pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280553-B2
Application number	US-201515521188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2015
Priority date	Oct 24, 2014
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A drain pump is provided that may include a pump motor; an impeller connected to a rotational shaft of the pump motor. The impeller may include a circular hub, an impeller shaft that extends from a center of a lower surface of the hub, and a plurality of blades that extends from an outer circumferential surface of the impeller shaft and the lower surface of the hub in a radial direction of the hub. The hub may have a longitudinal cross section in which a thickness of the hub gradually increases from the center of the lower surface toward an edge thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drain pump, comprising:
a pump motor;
an impeller connected to a rotational shaft of the pump motor; and
a housing including:
a bottom surface;
a side surface that extends from an edge upwardly of the bottom surface; and
a pump case recessed from the bottom surface to accommodate the impeller, wherein a suction hole through which cleaning water is suctioned is formed at a bottom of the pump case, and wherein the impeller includes:
a circular hub;
an impeller shaft that extends from a central portion of a lower surface of the hub; and
a plurality of blades that extends from an outer circumferential surface of the impeller shaft and the lower surface of the hub in a radial direction of the hub, and wherein the hub has a longitudinal cross section in which a thickness of the hub gradually increases from the central portion of the lower surface toward an edge thereof.

2. The drain pump of claim 1 , further including a shaft covering portion that extends from an edge of the suction hole toward a center of the suction hole to cover an end of the impeller shaft.

3. The drain pump of claim 1 , further including a discharge port that extends from an outer circumferential surface of the pump case in a tangential direction thereof.

4. The drain pump of claim 1 , further including a pump motor supporting rib that protrudes from the bottom surface of the housing, wherein the pump motor supporting rib extends along an upper edge of the pump case.

5. A clothes dryer, comprising:
a cabinet:
a drying drum accommodated in the cabinet and in which an object to be dried is placed;
a suction passage that supplies hot air into the drying drum;
a heater provided in the suction passage to heat air introduced into the suction passage to a high temperature;
an exhaust passage through which hot air discharged from the drying drum flows;
a blower provided at a first position in the exhaust passage to forcibly flow air in the drying drum;
a lint filter installed at a second position in the exhaust passage; and
a lint filter cleaner that removes lint adhered to the lint filter assembly, wherein the lint filter cleaner includes:
a cleaner case that accommodates the lint filter;
a cleaning water supply device provided at an outside of the cleaner case to spray cleaning water onto the lint filter; and
the drain pump of claim 1 , which is provided at one side of the cleaner case to drain the cleaning water flowing through the lint filter together with foreign substances adhered to the lint filter.

6. A drain pump, comprising:
a pump motor;
an impeller connected to a rotational shaft of the pump motor; and
a housing including a pump case formed in a bottom surface of the housing to accommodate the impeller, wherein a suction hole through which cleaning water is suctioned is formed at a bottom of the pump case, and wherein the impeller includes:
a hub;
an impeller shaft that extends from a central portion of a lower surface of the hub; and
a plurality of blades that extends from an outer circumferential surface of the impeller shaft and the lower surface of the hub in a radial direction of the hub, wherein the impeller and the lower surface of the hub are rounded to direct water suctioned through the suction hole radially and then downward.

7. The drain pump of claim 6 , further including a shaft covering portion that extends from an edge of the suction hole toward a center of the suction hole to cover an end of the impeller shaft.

8. The drain pump of claim 6 , further including a discharge port that extends from an outer circumferential surface of the pump case in a tangential direction thereof.

9. The drain pump of claim 6 , further including a pump motor supporting rib that protrudes from the bottom surface of the housing, wherein the pump motor supporting rib extends along an upper edge of the pump case.

10. A clothes dryer, comprising:
a cabinet:
a drying drum accommodated in the cabinet and in which an object to be dried is placed;
a suction passage that supplies hot air into the drying drum;
a heater provided in the suction passage to heat air introduced into the suction passage to a high temperature;
an exhaust passage through which hot air discharged from the drying drum flows;
a blower provided at a first position in the exhaust passage to forcibly flow air in the drying drum;
a lint filter installed at a second position in the exhaust passage; and
a lint filter cleaner that removes lint adhered to the lint filter assembly, wherein the lint filter cleaner includes:
a cleaner case that accommodates the lint filter;
a cleaning water supply device provided at an outside of the cleaner case to spray cleaning water onto the lint filter; and
the drain pump of claim 6 , which is provided at one side of the cleaner case to drain the cleaning water flowing through the lint filter together with foreign substances adhered to the lint filter.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Shin Jinhyouk
• Kim Sungjun
• Kim Minseong

Classifications

• D06F39/085

  Arrangements or adaptations of pumps · CPC title

• F04D1/00

  Radial-flow pumps, e.g. centrifugal pumps; Helico-centrifugal pumps (adapted for pumping specific fluids F04D7/00; priming or boosting F04D9/00) · CPC title

• D06F58/206

  Heat pump arrangements · CPC title

• F04D29/22

  specially for centrifugal pumps · CPC title

• D06F37/26

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title