Clothes dryer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10895034-B2
Application number	US-201916283623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2019
Priority date	Feb 23, 2018
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a clothes dryer. The clothes dryer includes a casing in which a first drum is provided, the casing being formed with an introduction opening of clothes, and a door provided at the casing to open or close the introduction opening, the door including a drum assembly. The drum assembly includes a second drum to be rotatable, so that clothes are introduced into and dried in the first and second drums.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clothes dryer comprising:
a casing having a first drum disposed therein, the casing comprising an introduction opening configured to receive an article of clothing therethrough;
a door attached to the casing and having an opening formed therein, the door being movable between a closed position in which the door closes the introduction opening and an open position in which access can be had through the introduction opening to an interior volume of the first drum;
a drum assembly disposed within the opening,
wherein the drum assembly comprises:
a second drum that is rotatable;
a first cover disposed at a first side of the second drum, the first cover having a first roller device to guide rotation of the second drum; and
a second cover disposed at a second side of the second drum, the second cover having a second roller device to guide the rotation of the second drum,
wherein the first roller device and the second roller device are provided to be in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the second drum.

2. The clothes dryer of claim 1 , further comprising a clothes treatment space formed by an inner space of the second drum and the first cover.

3. The clothes dryer of claim 2 , wherein the first cover comprises:
a first cover body having a through-hole; and
a cover door coupled to the first cover body, the cover door being movable between a closed position in which the cover door closes access to the clothes treatment space and an open position in which access can be had to the clothes treatment space, wherein
the clothes treatment space is in communication with an inner space of the first drum through the through hole.

4. The clothes dryer of claim 3 , wherein the first cover body and the cover door are each formed of a transparent material.

5. The clothes dryer of claim 3 , wherein the first cover body further comprises a first roller support portion to support the first roller device, and
wherein the first roller device comprises a plurality of first roller devices disposed on the first roller support portion, the plurality of first roller devices being spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction.

6. The clothes dryer of claim 2 , wherein the second drum comprises a drum body having a cylindrical shape and comprising a rear portion that is opened, and
wherein the first cover is coupled to the rear portion.

7. The clothes dryer of claim 6 , wherein the drum body and a front-surface portion of the door are each formed of a transparent material.

8. The clothes dryer of claim 6 , further comprising a drum driver that provides the second drum with a rotational force, the drum driver comprising a motor and at least one gear member.

9. The clothes dryer of claim 8 , further comprising a rack provided on an outer peripheral surface of the drum body and interlocked with the at least one gear member.

10. The clothes dryer of claim 9 , further comprising a rolling guide provided on the outer peripheral surface of the drum body, the rolling guide being contactable with the first and second roller devices,
wherein the rolling guide is disposed at opposite sides of the rack.

11. The clothes dryer of claim 10 , wherein the first roller device or the second roller device comprises:
a roller to roll on an outer peripheral surface of the rolling guide;
a roller shaft coupled to the roller; and
a sliding rail coupled to the roller shaft, the sliding rail being contactable with a guide side-surface portion that defines a thickness of the rolling guide.

12. The clothes dryer of claim 11 , wherein the first cover or the second cover comprises two roller support portions to accommodate therein the roller and the sliding rail, and
wherein the roller shaft penetrates the roller and the sliding rail and extends in opposite directions of the two roller support portions.

13. The clothes dryer of claim 1 , wherein the second cover surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the second drum, and
wherein the second roller device is disposed on an inner peripheral surface of the second cover.

14. The clothes dryer of claim 13 , wherein the second cover comprises a gear accommodating portion having an intermediate gear inserted therein to guide the rotation of the second drum, and
wherein the intermediate gear comprises an upper portion that is interlocked with a rack provided on the second drum.

15. The clothes dryer of claim 6 , further comprising a sealing member coupled to the opened rear portion of the second drum and configured to seal the clothes treatment space.

16. The clothes dryer of claim 3 , further comprising a protrusion provided on an upper portion of the cover door and configured to be received by the cover body,
wherein the cover door is a pull-down opening door configured to be opened by a downward rotation of the upper portion of the cover door with respect to a lower portion of the cover door.

17. A clothes dryer comprising:
a casing having a main drum disposed therein, the casing being comprising an introduction opening configured to receive an article of clothing therethrough;
a door attached to the casing and having an opening formed therein, the door being movable between a closed position in which the door closes the introduction opening and an open position in which access can be had through the introduction opening to an interior volume of the main drum; and
a drum assembly disposed within the opening,
wherein the drum assembly comprises:
a sub drum that is rotatable;
a first cover provided between the sub drum and the main drum, and comprising a through-hole, the main drum is in communication with the sub drum through the through-hole;
a drum drive device comprising a motor to provide the sub drum with a rotational force; and
a power transmission device provided on the sub drum and in communication with the motor,
wherein the first cover includes a cover door being movable between a closed position in which the cover door closes access to an inside of the sub drum and an open position in which access can be had to the inside of the sub drum.

18. The clothes dryer of claim 17 , wherein the drum drive device further comprises a gear coupled to the motor, and
wherein the power transmission device comprises a rack that is interlocked with the gear.

19. The clothes dryer of claim 18 , further comprising a roller device provided on the first cover, the roller device being contactable with an outer peripheral surface of the sub drum.

20. The clothes dryer of claim 17 , further comprising a second cover that surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the sub drum and provided with a roller device.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Cho Hongjun
• Ryoo Byeongjo
• Lee Youngjoo

Classifications

• D06F58/06 Primary

  Mountings for the rotating drums · CPC title

• D06F37/28

  Doors; Security means therefor · CPC title

• D06F58/08

  Driving arrangements · CPC title

• D06F39/14

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• D06F58/20

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