Laundry treatment apparatus and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10876247-B2
Application number	US-201816059289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2018
Priority date	Aug 9, 2017
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A laundry treatment apparatus includes: a tub; a drum configured to rotate within the tub and to receive laundry therein; and an induction module provided at an outer surface of the tub and configured to heat the drum via induction using a magnetic field generated by applying current to a coil formed by a wire that is wound within the induction module. The induction module includes a base housing configured to accommodate the coil, the base housing being mounted on the outer surface of the tub. The coil is formed with the wire being wound around within the base housing, and includes a straight portion and a curved portion, with a first radius of curvature of an inner coil portion of the curved portion of the coil being the same as a second radius of curvature of an outer coil portion of the curved portion of the coil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a tub;
a drum configured to rotate within the tub and to contain laundry therein, the drum being formed of a metallic material; and
an induction module provided at an outer surface of the tub and configured to heat the drum via induction using a magnetic field generated by applying current to a coil formed by a wire that is wound within the induction module,
wherein the induction module comprises a base housing configured to accommodate the coil therein, the base housing being mounted on the outer surface of the tub,
wherein the coil is formed with the wire being wound around within the base housing, the coil comprising a straight portion and a curved portion,
wherein a first radius of curvature of an inner coil portion of the curved portion of the coil is equal to a second radius of curvature of an outer coil portion of the curved portion of the coil,
wherein a length of the coil in a longitudinal direction of the tub is greater than a width of the coil in a width direction of the tub,
wherein the coil comprises a front portion disposed at a front side of the tub, a rear portion disposed at a rear side of the tub, and an intermediate portion disposed at a connecting portion of the tub between the front side of the tub and the rear side of the tub, and
wherein a width of at least a portion of each of the front portion and the rear portion is equal to a width of the intermediate portion in the width direction of the tub.

2. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the straight portion of the coil comprises:
a lateral straight portion comprising a front straight portion provided at a front portion of the outer surface of the tub and a rear straight portion provided at a rear portion of the outer surface of the tub; and
a longitudinal straight portion that is provided perpendicular to the lateral straight portion, and
wherein the curved portion of the coil is formed at a point at which the lateral straight portion and the longitudinal straight portion meet.

3. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a first length of a first portion of the wire that is located at an outermost position of the longitudinal straight portion of the coil is greater than a second length of a second portion of the wire that is located at an outermost position of the lateral straight portion of the coil.

4. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a first portion of the wire that is located at an outermost position of the front straight portion of the coil is spaced apart from the front side of the tub by a first distance, and
wherein a second portion of the wire that is located at an outermost position of the rear straight portion of the coil is spaced apart from the rear side of the tub by a second distance.

5. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first distance and the second distance range from 10 mm to 20 mm.

6. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the base housing comprises:
a coil slot that is configured to accommodate the coil and that has a width that is less than a diameter of the wire of the coil; and
base-coupling portions provided at both sides of the base housing and that are configured to couple the base housing to the outer surface of the tub.

7. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the base-coupling portions protrude from the both sides of the base housing, and define base-coupling holes into which fastening members are configured to be inserted.

8. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the base housing has a curved surface that corresponds to a curvature of an outer surface of the drum in the tub, and
wherein the coil is wound along the curved surface of the base housing.

9. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the induction module further comprises at least one magnet located above the coil and configured to focus a magnetic field generated by the coil toward the drum, the magnet being arranged to be lengthwise perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the wire of the coil.

10. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises a plurality of magnets, and
wherein the plurality of magnets are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the wire of the coil.

11. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the plurality of magnets comprise a plurality of bar magnets that each have a same size, and
wherein the plurality of magnets are arranged such that a magnetic flux density at the front portion of the coil or the rear portion of the coil is greater than a magnetic flux density at the intermediate portion of the coil.

12. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the coil in the longitudinal direction of the tub is equal to a sum of lengths of the front portion, the rear portion of the coil, and the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the tub.

13. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the tub is greater than a length of each of the front portion and the rear portion of the coil in the longitudinal direction of the tub.

14. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the straight portion of the coil comprises the intermediate portion and parts of the front portion and the rear portion of the coil.

15. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the curved portion of the coil extends from the intermediate portion of the coil.

16. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the front portion and the rear portion of the coil comprises the curved portion of the coil.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Woore
• Cho Hongjun
• Hong Sangwook

Classifications

• H05B6/36

  Coil arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/26 Primary

  Heating arrangements, e.g. gas heating equipment (D06F58/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F39/04 Primary

  Heating arrangements · CPC title

• H05B6/108

  for heating a fluid · CPC title

• H05B6/102

  the metal pieces being rotated while induction heated · CPC title