Clothes treatment apparatus having heat pump module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10344424-B2
Application number	US-201715397975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2017
Priority date	Jan 5, 2016
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A clothes treatment apparatus includes a cabinet; a tub provided within the cabinet; a drum rotatably provided within the tub and configured to accommodate the laundry or a dry item therein; and a heat pump configured to circulate a refrigerant through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and re-circulate air discharged from the drum to the drum by way of the evaporator and the condenser, wherein the heat pump includes a compressor base supporting and disposed above the tub, a bracket disposed in an upper portion of the compressor base, fixed to an upper surface of the compressor, and transmitting vibration generated by the compressor, and an air-vibration mount disposed between the bracket and the compressor base and absorbing vibration of the compressor transmitted through the bracket.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clothes treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a tub provided within the cabinet;
a drum rotatably provided within the tub and configured to accommodate laundry therein; and
a heat pump configured to circulate a refrigerant through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, and re-circulate air discharged from the drum to the drum by way of the evaporator and the condenser, wherein the compressor is provided above the tub and includes a compressor base configured to support a compressor body and a bracket provided on an upper portion of the compressor base, wherein the compressor body is arranged below the bracket, and wherein the compressor body has a rotational shaft therein, and both end portions of the rotational shaft are arranged to face a front side and a rear side of the cabinet.

2. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bracket is fixed to an upper portion of an outer circumferential surface of the compressor body by welding, and supports the compressor body in a state of hanging on an upper portion of the compressor base.

3. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the compressor body is welded by three spots forming vertices of a triangle.

4. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the bracket has a fixed portion formed to be rounded to surround a portion of an outer circumferential surface of the compressor body in a contact manner.

5. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the compressor base accommodates the compressor body therein.

6. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the compressor base includes:
supports provided spaced apart from each other with the compressor body interposed therebetween; and
a lower connection portion connecting the supports.

7. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the outer circumferential surface of the compressor body is surrounded by the bracket, the supports, and the lower connection portion.

8. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the compressor base includes an anti-vibration mount provided between the bracket and an upper surface of the support and configured to absorb vibration generated by the compressor.

9. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the anti-vibration mount has a bellows shape, and is configured to absorb vibrations in vertical, horizontal, and forward/backward directions generated by the compressor.

10. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the support allows the anti-vibration mount to be mounted on an upper surface of the support to support a load of the compressor.

11. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the compressor base is supported by a back cover forming a rear surface of the cabinet in a backward direction.

12. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the compressor base is provided in a space between an upper side of the tub and a side corner of the cabinet.

13. A clothes treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a tub provided within the cabinet;
a drum rotatably provided within the tub and configured to accommodate laundry therein; and
a horizontal compressor having a rotational shaft within a compressor body, the rotational shaft arranged to face a front side and a rear side of the cabinet, wherein the horizontal compressor is arranged such that the rotational shaft is downwardly sloped toward the rear side of the cabinet to allow oil to be collected to a sliding portion of a compression part, and
wherein the horizontal compressor is provided above the tub.

14. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 13 , further including:
a heat pump including an evaporator, a condenser, an expansion valve, and the horizontal compressor, configured to heat exchange a refrigerant and air discharged from a drum to supply hot air to the drum, wherein the heat pump includes:
a heat exchange duct configured to accommodate the evaporator and the condenser therein and connected to the tub to form a circulation flow channel for circulating air; and
a compressor base integrally formed with the heat exchange duct and configured to surround an outer circumferential surface of the compressor body and support the horizontal compressor installed therein.

15. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the compressor base comprises a support surface in an upper portion thereof and supports the compressor body in a manner of hanging the compressor body on the support surface by using a bracket.

16. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the compressor base includes supports forming the support surface, surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the compressor body, and arranged to be spaced apart from each other while facing each other.

17. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 16 , wherein a rear end portion of the support is supported by a fastener on a rear side of the cabinet.

18. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the compressor body is provided below the bracket.

19. The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the compressor body has an outlet in a direction facing the heat exchange duct.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Myoungjong
• An Seongwoo
• Cho Sangho

Classifications

• D06F25/00

  Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air  (control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00) · CPC title

• D06F58/206 Primary

  Heat pump arrangements · CPC title

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title

• D06F58/20 Primary

  General details of domestic laundry dryers  (D06F59/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F39/04

  Heating arrangements · CPC title