Laundry treatment machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11118294-B2
Application number	US-201916242192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2019
Priority date	Jan 8, 2018
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

A laundry treatment machine includes: a cabinet which forms an outer shape and has an input port through which laundry is input; a tub which is disposed inside the cabinet and stores washing water; a drum which is rotatably disposed inside the tub; a microphone assembly in which a plurality of microphones for speech recognition are spaced apart; a door which opens and closes the input port, and has an inner front surface, on which the microphone assembly is disposed, to which the microphone assembly is closely attached, that comprises a microphone hole, which communicates with the outside, formed in each portion where the plurality of microphones are disposed, so that it is possible to eliminate a space where the sound leakage occurs between the microphone assembly and the door.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment machine comprising:
a cabinet that defines an exterior of the laundry treatment machine, the cabinet having an input port;
a tub disposed inside the cabinet;
a drum rotatably disposed inside the tub;
a microphone assembly including a plurality of microphones that are spaced apart from one another; and
a door configured to open and close the input port, and the door including a front cover having an inner surface, and the front cover having a plurality of microphone holes to communicate with outside of the door, and the microphone assembly is disposed on the inner surface of the front cover, and
wherein each of the plurality of microphone holes is to communicate with a separate corresponding one of the plurality of microphones,
wherein the microphone assembly comprises:
one of the plurality of microphones to receive a user's voice; and
a circuit board to process an audio signal, received by the one of the microphones, into an electrical signal, wherein the circuit board includes a first side and a second side, and wherein the inner surface of the front cover is on the first side of the circuit board, and the one of the microphones is on the second side of the circuit board,
wherein the circuit board has a communication hole configured to communicate with one of the plurality of microphone holes on the front cover of the door, and to communicate with the one of the microphones on the second side of the circuit board,
wherein the microphone assembly comprises:
an adhesive member configured to adhere the circuit board to the inner surface of the front cover; and
a water repellent member covering the communication hole and configured to prevent moisture from flowing to the circuit board,
wherein the adhesive member has an adhesive hole configured to communicate with the communication hole of the circuit board.

2. The laundry treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the microphone holes is inclined downward through the front cover of the door.

3. The laundry treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein a depth of at least one of the microphone holes is at least three times larger than a diameter of the at least one of the microphone holes.

4. The laundry treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive member is disposed on front and rear sides of the water repellent member, and
wherein the adhesive hole has a same size as the communication hole of the circuit board.

5. The laundry treatment machine of claim 1 , wherein the door comprises:
a door frame that defines an internal structure of the door;
the front cover disposed on a front side of the door frame, a portion of the front cover having a curved surface that is convex relative to the front side of the door frame, and a portion of the front cover having a flat seating surface on which the microphone assembly is to be provided;
a door window disposed at a rear of the front cover to seal the input port; and
a rear cover disposed at a rear of the door frame.

6. The laundry treatment machine of claim 5 , further comprising a speaker disposed between the front cover and the rear cover,
wherein the rear cover has a speaker groove with a convex shape so as to provide a space for collecting sound from the speaker, and a speaker hole is provided at a lower side of the speaker groove to communicate with the outside of the door.

7. The laundry treatment machine of claim 6 , further comprising a speaker mounting member disposed in front of the rear cover, wherein the speaker is disposed on the speaker mounting member so as to face the rear cover of the door.

8. The laundry treatment machine of claim 7 , further comprising a vertical rib and a horizontal rib that protrude from a rear surface of the speaker mounting member,
wherein the vertical rib and the horizontal rib are disposed in a lattice shape on the rear surface of the speaker mounting member,
wherein the vertical rib and the horizontal rib protrude from a portion of the rear surface of the speaker mounting member, other than a portion where the speaker is disposed on the speaker mounting member.

9. The laundry treatment machine of claim 8 , further comprising an erroneous assembling prevention rib that protrudes from the rear surface of the speaker mounting member, the erroneous assembling prevention rib to be in contact with a lower side of the speaker.

10. The laundry treatment machine of claim 7 , wherein the rear cover includes a protrusion rib that protrudes from an outer circumference of the speaker groove toward an inside of the door.

11. The laundry treatment machine of claim 10 , wherein the protrusion rib comprises:
a first protrusion rib provided at an outer circumference of an upper side and left and right sides of the speaker groove; and
a second protrusion rib provided at a lower side of the speaker groove,
wherein the speaker is disposed to be inclined toward the second protrusion rib, and the second protrusion rib is longer than the first protrusion rib.

12. The laundry treatment machine of claim 6 , further comprising a speaker water repellent member to prevent moisture from flowing to the speaker.

13. A laundry treatment machine comprising:
a cabinet that defines an exterior of the laundry treatment machine, the cabinet having an input port;
a tub disposed inside the cabinet;
a drum rotatably disposed inside the tub;
a speaker for outputting an audio corresponding to an operation state of the laundry treatment machine, processing information, or speech recognition result; and
a door configured to open and close the input port, and the door including a space to receive the speaker,
wherein the door comprises:
a front cover; and
a rear cover disposed at a rear of a door frame,

wherein the speaker is disposed between the front cover and the rear cover,
wherein the rear cover has a speaker groove with a convex shape so as to provide a space for collecting sound from the speaker, and a speaker hole is provided at a lower side of the speaker groove to communicate with outside of the door.

14. The laundry treatment machine of claim 13 , further comprising a speaker mounting member disposed in front of the rear cover, wherein the speaker is disposed on the speaker mounting member so as to face the rear cover of the door.

15. The laundry treatment machine of claim 14 , further comprising a vertical rib and a horizontal rib that protrude from a rear surface of the speaker mounting member,
wherein the vertical rib and the horizontal rib are disposed in a lattice shape on the rear surface of the speaker mounting member,
wherein the vertical rib and the horizontal rib protrude from a portion of the rear surface of the speaker mounting member, other than a portion where the speaker is disposed on the speaker mounting member.

16. The laundry treatment machine of claim 15 , further comprising an erroneous assembling prevention rib that protrudes from the rear surface of the speaker mounting member, the erroneous assembling prevention rib to be in contact with a lower side of the speaker.

17. The laundry treatment machine of claim 14 , wherein the rear cover includes a protrusion rib that protrudes from an outer circumference of the speaker groove toward an inside of the door,
wherein the protrusion rib comprises:
a first protrusion rib provided at an outer circumference of an upper side and left and right sides of the speaker groove; and
a second protrusion rib provided at a lower side of the speaker groove,
wherein the speaker is disposed to be inclined toward th

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• An Junhee
• Kang Hyojeong
• Jang Hosung
• Jung Minseung

Classifications

• D06F39/14

  Doors or covers; Securing means therefor · CPC title

• D06F2101/00

  User input for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers · CPC title

• D06F2105/60

  Audible signals · CPC title

• D06F34/28 Primary

  Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress · CPC title

• D06F33/00 Primary

  Control of operations performed in washing machines or washer-dryers  (D06F31/00 takes precedence; details of control systems therefor D06F34/00; control of operations performed in domestic laundry dryers D06F58/32) · CPC title