Washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11078616-B2
Application number	US-201716462113-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2017
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is a washing machine including a drying function. Here, a height of a bottom end of a dryer disposed above a tub is lower than a height of a top end of the tub to have a space for integrating other devices having additional functions above the tub.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising:
a housing;
a tub disposed in the housing;
a drum disposed to be rotatable in the tub;
a dryer configured to supply hot air to an inside of the drum and disposed above the tub to deviate toward one side of the tub with a height of a bottom end of the dryer being lower than a height of a top end of the tub;
a connector which connects the dryer to the tub, and comprises an inside air inlet into which air in the tub flows and an outside air inlet into which air in the housing flows, wherein a height of a bottom surface of the outside air inlet is lower than a height of a bottom surface of the inside air inlet;
a suction hose which connects the inside air inlet of the connector to the tub; and
a residual water drain hose which connects the bottom surface of the outside air inlet of the connector to the suction hose.

2. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein a height of a top end of the dryer is lower than the height of the top end of the tub.

3. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the dryer further comprises:
a case,
a fan, inside the case, to suction air in a rear of the tub and blow the suctioned air toward a front of the tub,
a duct connected to a front lower portion of the case, and inclined toward a center of an opening disposed at a front of the tub, to guide the blown air toward the center of the opening, and
a heater, inside the case, which heats the air suctioned by the fan.

4. The washing machine of claim 3 , wherein
the case comprises a lower cover and an upper cover,
the duct is connected to a front of the lower cover and a bottom of the upper cover, and
the upper cover comprises a drawing part provided at an end near the duct and recessed toward the duct.

5. The washing machine of claim 3 , further comprising:
a spring which connects an outer surface of the tub to a top of the housing,
wherein the case of the dryer comprises a concave part provided to guide a blowing direction of the fan, and the spring is disposed to pass an outside of the concave part of the case.

6. The washing machine of claim 3 , wherein the dryer is inclined to allow the fan and the case to be parallel to a tangential direction of the opening of the tub.

7. The washing machine of claim 3 , wherein
a side of the duct that longitudinally extends in a direction in which the blown air is received into the duct forms an acute angle between an upper portion of the duct forming an inlet of the duct and a lower portion of the duct forming an outlet of the duct, so that the duct is inclined toward the center of the opening.

8. The washing machine of claim 4 , wherein
the upper cover comprises a fan cover disposed near the fan and a heater cover disposed near the heater, and
the heater cover comprising the drawing part comprises a metal material.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ryu Myung-Hee
• Lee Kyoung Woo
• Kim Dong-Won
• Jin Yongjie
• Park Jun Hong

Classifications

• D06F39/12

  Casings; Tubs · CPC title

• Y02B40/00

  Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers · CPC title

• D06F39/04

  Heating arrangements · CPC title

• D06F29/00

  Combinations of a washing machine with other separate apparatus in a common frame or the like, e.g. with rinsing apparatus · CPC title

• D06F58/20

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