Clothes treatment apparatus having a heat pump module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11053631-B2
Application number	US-201816115784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2018
Priority date	Jan 5, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a garment processing apparatus for compactly optimizing the arrangement space of a heat pump system. A heat pump module is modularized by integrally mounting a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator in an integrated housing and is disposed at an upper portion of a tub.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A garment processing apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a tub provided inside the cabinet;
a drum rotatably provided in the tub and providing a reception space to receive laundry; and
a heat pump module configured to circulate a refrigerant among a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator and to re-circulate air discharged from the drum to the drum through the evaporator and the condenser,
wherein the heat pump module integrates the evaporator, the condenser, and the compressor in an integrated housing,
wherein the integrated housing includes:
a heat exchange duct part that houses the evaporator and the condenser and is connected to the tub to form a circulation flow passage for air; and
a compressor base part which is formed integrally with the heat exchange duct part and is configured to support the compressor,

wherein the compressor is a lateral compressor having a rotation axis within a compressor body,
wherein a bracket is coupled to and extends from the compressor body,
wherein the bracket is coupled to the compressor base part such that the compressor is suspended above the compressor base part and is positioned to be inclined with respect to a horizontal surface so that a rear portion of the compressor is lower than a front portion of the compressor, and
wherein the compressor base part includes at least one support that extends vertically to form a convex region to receive the compressor, and the bracket is coupled to the at least one support.

2. The garment processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the integrated housing is mounted at an upper part of the tub.

3. The garment processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a suction port of the heat exchange duct part is provided left of a center line of the tub at a left rear portion of the cabinet, and a discharge port of the heat exchange duct part is provided right of the center line of the tub at a right front portion of the cabinet.

4. The garment processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a fan duct part is fastened to a side surface of the discharge port of the heat exchange duct part, and wherein a suction fan is provided inside the fan duct part to suction air discharged from the tub.

5. The garment processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the suction fan is disposed between a side cover that forms a right side surface of the heat exchange duct part and a right side surface of the cabinet to allow a rotation axis of an impeller and a fan motor to extend in a lateral direction toward the right side surface of the cabinet.

6. The garment processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein
the suction port of the heat exchange duct part is connected to an air outlet of the tub that is provided at a rear of the tub, left of a center line of the tub and extending to the right through a tub connection duct, and
the discharge port of the heat exchange duct part is connected to an air inlet of the tub that is provided at a front of the tub, right of the center line of the tub through a fan duct part.

7. The garment processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the air inlet of the tub is formed at a right upper surface of a gasket provided at a front surface of the tub.

8. The garment processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the evaporator and the condenser are disposed right of a center line of the tub in an upper portion of the cabinet.

9. The garment processing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the evaporator and the condenser are disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the heat exchange duct part such that air flows in a direction from a left side of the cabinet to a right side of the cabinet.

10. The garment processing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the evaporator is provided to extend lower than an upper center part of the tub from an upper surface of the heat exchange duct part, and
the condenser extends lower than a lower end of the evaporator from the upper surface of the heat exchange duct part such that the condenser has a larger heat exchange area than the evaporator.

11. The garment processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compressor includes a discharge port to output the refrigerant, the discharge port being positioned at a front end of the compressor.

12. The garment processing apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a refrigerant pipe to carry the refrigerant between the discharge port of the compressor and the condenser.

13. The garment processing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the compressor includes a suction port to receive the refrigerant, and the suction port is positioned at a lower surface of the compressor.

14. The garment processing apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a refrigerant pipe to carry the refrigerant between the suction port of the compressor and the evaporator.

15. The garment processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compressor includes:
a compressor casing in which oil is stored;
an electrically-driven apparatus part provided at a front portion of the compressor casing and including a stator and a rotor; and
a compression apparatus part disposed at a rear portion of the compressor casing and including a rolling piston and a cylinder that move relative to each other,
wherein the oil is supplied between the rolling piston and the cylinder.

16. The garment processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one anti-vibration mount provided between the bracket and the support.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Myoungjong
• An Seongwoo
• Cho Sangho

Classifications

• D06F2105/26

  Heat pumps · CPC title

• D06F58/24

  Condensing arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/206 Primary

  Heat pump arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/04

  Details  (controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00) · CPC title

• D06F37/04

  adapted for rotation or oscillation about a horizontal or inclined axis · CPC title