Laundry handling apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10753033-B2
Application number	US-201615932343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2016
Priority date	Aug 18, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry handling apparatus provided with a washable filter in an air circulation passage for drying laundry. The laundry handling apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a cabinet, an outer tub disposed inside the cabinet, an inner tub rotatably disposed inside the outer tub, a circulation passage for guiding at least some of the air inside the outer tub to flow out of the outer tub and be resupplied to the outer tub, a fan disposed in the circulation passage so as to move the air, and a filter unit for filtering foreign substances. The filter unit comprises a filter net, which is disposed in the circulation passage so as to collect the foreign substances contained in the moving air, and a filter frame for supporting the filter net. The laundry handing apparatus comprises: multiple nozzles for spraying wash water onto a partial area of the filter net, a nozzle disposition unit, which is disposed in a position spaced apart from the filter net and has the multiple nozzles arranged therein, a nozzle water supply hose, which is connected to the nozzle disposition unit so as to supply the wash water, which is sprayed by the multiple nozzles, and a filter driving unit for allowing the filter unit and the nozzle disposition unit to move relative to one another so that the wash water is sprayed onto the entire area of the filter net.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laundry handling apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
an outer tub disposed inside the cabinet;
an inner tub rotatably disposed inside the outer tub;
a circulation passage configured to guide at least some air inside the outer tub to flow out of the outer tub and be resupplied to the outer tub;
a fan disposed in the circulation passage and configured to move the air;
a filter unit comprising:
a filter net that is disposed in the circulation passage and that is configured to collect foreign substances contained in the moving air, and
a filter frame that supports the filter net;

a brush disposed at a lower side with respect to the filter net and configured to contact the filter net in a direction transverse to a motion track of the filter net;
a plurality of nozzles configured to spray wash water onto the filter net;
a nozzle disposition unit that is disposed at an upper side with respect to the filter net and located in a position spaced apart from the filter net and that has the plurality of nozzles arranged therein;
a nozzle water supply hose that is connected to the nozzle disposition unit and that is configured to supply the wash water to the plurality of nozzles; and
a filter driving unit that allows the filter unit and the nozzle disposition unit to move relative to each other,
wherein the brush is configured to contact a region of the filter net that is sprayed by the wash water through the plurality of nozzles.

2. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are disposed in a direction transverse to a track of the relative motion.

3. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the circulation passage comprises a section that upwardly extends from an upper side to a lower side, the upper side and the lower side being defined based on a flow direction of air inside the circulation passage,
the filter net is disposed to laterally traverse the upwardly extending section of the circulation passage,
the nozzle disposition unit is disposed at a top side of the filter net, and
the plurality of nozzles are provided at a bottom surface of the nozzle disposition unit and are configured to spray the wash water.

4. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle disposition unit is fixed, and
the filter driving unit is configured to move the filter unit.

5. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the nozzle disposition unit is disposed at a lower side with respect to the filter net, and
the brush is disposed at a lower side with respect to the filter net.

6. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle disposition unit is disposed at a lower side with respect to the filter net.

7. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the filter frame comprises an edge frame configured to support the filter net along a periphery of the edge frame, and
the filter driving unit allows the edge frame to perform a rotation motion.

8. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the nozzle disposition unit protrudes in a direction of a rotation axis of the rotation motion from a part of the periphery of the edge frame, and
the plurality of nozzles comprise a first nozzle group comprising nozzles spaced apart from each other in one radial direction of the edge frame on the nozzle disposition unit.

9. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the nozzles of the first nozzle group are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance (d), and
when distances between the nozzles of the first nozzle group and the rotation axis (O) are defined as reference values (L), respectively,
the plurality of nozzles comprise a second nozzle group comprising nozzles arranged at a position distant from the rotation axis (O) by a distance (L)+(d)/2 obtained by summing respective reference values (L) and half of the predetermined distance (d), in another radial direction of the edge frame forming an angle (a) with one radial direction on the nozzle disposition unit.

10. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the nozzles of the first nozzle group are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance (d), and
when n is defined as a natural number of 3 or more, and a value obtained by dividing the predetermined distance (d) is defined by (n) as an equal value (d/n), and distances between the nozzles of the first nozzle group and the rotation axis (O) are defined as reference values (L), respectively,
the plurality of nozzles comprise a (n)-th nozzle group configured by nozzles arranged at a position distant from the rotation axis (O) by a distance (L)+(n−1)*(d/n) obtained by summing respective reference values (L) and (n−1) multiple of the equal value (d/n), in different radial directions of the edge frame forming an angle (a) with one radial direction on the nozzle disposition unit.

11. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the edge frame comprises a driven gear formed along the periphery of the edge frame,
the filter driving unit comprises: a worm gear meshing with the driven gear; and a motor configured to rotate the worm gear,
the nozzle disposition unit is disposed at a side of the filter net facing the driven gear, and
the nozzle disposition unit comprises a nozzle configured to spray wash water to the driven gear.

12. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the edge frame comprises a driven gear protruding in a direction of a rotation axis of the rotation motion along the periphery of the edge frame, and
the filter driving unit comprises: a worm gear meshing with the driven gear; and a motor configured to rotate the worm gear.

13. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the edge frame comprises a driven gear formed along the periphery of the edge frame,
the filter driving unit comprises: a worm gear meshing with the driven gear; and a motor configured to rotate the worm gear, and
the driven gear and the worm gear are disposed at a lower side with respect to the filter net.

14. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a rotation direction of the motor is reversely changed if resistance greater than a predetermined reference occurs upon rotation of the motor.

15. The laundry handling apparatus of claim 7 , wherein
the edge frame comprises a driven gear formed along the periphery of the edge frame,
the filter driving unit comprises: a worm gear meshing with the driven gear; and a motor configured to rotate the worm gear, and
the filter driving unit and the driven gear are provided so that the edge frame is rotated at speed in the range of 1 rpm to 6 rpm.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Myoungjong
• An Seongwoo
• Jang Semin

Classifications

• D06F2105/34

  Filtering, e.g. control of lint removal devices · CPC title

• D06F2103/42

  related to filters or pumps · CPC title

• 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

• D06F2103/18

  Washing liquid level · CPC title

• D06F34/14

  Arrangements for detecting or measuring specific parameters · CPC title