Clothing processing apparatus and control method of clothing processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697107-B2
Application number	US-201615553413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2016
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothing processing apparatus comprising: a drum which provides a space for storing clothing therein; a driving part which rotates the drum; a storage part, which is fixed on at least one surface of the front surface of the drum and the rear surface of the drum and provides a space for storing liquid therein; a plurality of balancers which are fixed on the circumferential surface of the drum and provide a space for storing liquid therein; a plurality of flow paths which connect the storage part and each of the balancers; and a plurality of valves which open and close each of the flow paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a drum comprising a rear surface, a front surface and a circumferential surface connecting the front surface with the rear surface, and providing a space in which clothes are held;
a driving unit that rotates the drum;
a fluid storage fixed to the rear surface of the drum and defining an internal space in which the fluid is stored;
a plurality of balancers fixed to the circumferential surface, and each of the balancers having a separate internal space in which the fluid is stored;
a plurality of flow paths connecting the fluid storage with the space of the balancers, respectively; and
a plurality of valves that open and close the plurality of the flow paths, respectively,
wherein the internal space of each of the plurality of the balancers and the internal space of the fluid storage are configured to provide a closed flow path.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the balancers comprise four or more balancers, and the balancers are distant a preset angle with respect to a center of the drum from each other.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the balancers comprise a first balancer, a second balancer and a third balancer which are distant a preset angle from each other, and
the plurality of the flow paths comprise a first flow path connecting the first balancer with the fluid storage, a second flow path connecting the second balancer with the fluid storage and a third flow path connecting the third balancer with the fluid storage, and
the plurality of the valves comprise a first valve that opens/closes the first flow path, a second valve that opens/closes the second flow path and a third valve that opens/closes the third flow path.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the balancers comprises an inclined surface for moving the fluid stored therein along a direction in which each corresponding flow path is arranged.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first balancer comprises a first inclined surface for moving the fluid stored in the first balancer toward the first flow path, and
the second balancer comprises a second inclined surface for moving the fluid stored in the second balancer toward the second flow path, and
the third balancer comprises a third inclined surface for moving the fluid stored in the third balancer toward the third flow path.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
a first return-flow path that moves the fluid inside the first balancer to the fluid storage and that shuts off the fluid inside the fluid storage to the first balancer;
a second return-flow path that moves the fluid inside the second balancer to the fluid storage and that shuts off the fluid inside the fluid storage to the second balancer; and
a third return-flow path that moves the fluid inside the third balancer to the fluid storage and that shuts off the fluid inside the fluid storage to the third balancer.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first return-flow path moves the fluid inside the first balancer to the fluid storage, when the drum is rotated at a lower rotation number than a preset reference rotation number, and
the second return-flow path moves the fluid inside the second balancer to the fluid storage, when the drum is rotated at a lower rotation number than a preset reference rotation number, and
the third return-flow path moves the fluid inside the third balancer to the fluid storage, when the drum is rotated at a lower rotation number than a preset reference rotation number.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power generation unit that converts a kinetic energy of the drum into an electrical energy;
a charging unit that stores the electrical energy generated in the power generation unit or that supplies the electrical energy to each of the valves; and
a controller that controls the valves and the driving unit.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensing unit that determines a location of clothes inducing an unbalance of the drum;
a controller that controls the valves to allow the fluid supplied to the balancer located in an area of an overall drum area formed by the circumferential surface of the drum so as to increase the weight of the area symmetrically corresponding to the location of the unbalance inducing clothes.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Keunjoo

Classifications

• D06F37/225 Primary

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

• D06F2105/48

  Drum speed · CPC title

• D06F2105/00

  Systems or parameters controlled or affected by the control systems of washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers · CPC title

• D06F2103/26

  Imbalance; Noise level · CPC title

• D06F33/48

  Preventing or reducing imbalance or noise · CPC title