Laundry treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236456-B2
Application number	US-201916548125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2019
Priority date	Aug 22, 2018
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a laundry treatment apparatus including a voice recognition unit coupled to any one of a cabinet and a door to receive voice of a user and convert the voice into an input signal for driving a laundry receiving portion, and a shielding portion coupled to at least one of the cabinet or the door to prevent vibrations or sound waves generated from the laundry receiving portion from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet forming an external appearance of the laundry treatment apparatus and including an opening into which laundry is introduced;
a laundry receiving portion disposed inside the cabinet to perform washing or drying of the laundry;
a door coupled to the cabinet to open and close the opening;
a voice recognition portion coupled to one of the cabinet and the door to receive voice of a user and convert the voice into an input signal for driving the laundry receiving portion; and
a shielding portion coupled to at least one of the cabinet or the door to prevent vibrations or sound waves generated from the laundry receiving portion or transmitted to the cabinet from being transmitted to the voice recognition portion,
wherein the shielding portion includes:
an installation portion coupled to the cabinet or the door to accommodate at least a part of the voice recognition portion; and
a shock absorber disposed between the installation portion and the voice recognition portion to prevent the sound waves or the vibrations from being transmitted to the voice recognition portion,
wherein the shock absorber includes a sealing damper coupled to the installation portion to accommodate the voice recognition portion,

wherein the sealing damper includes:
a sealing body configured to be accommodated in the installation portion; and
an accommodation groove disposed at the sealing body to accommodate the voice recognition portion, the accommodation groove corresponding to shape and thickness of the voice recognition portion.

2. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shielding portion includes:
the installation portion coupled to one of the door and the cabinet to accommodate the voice recognition portion;
a cover coupled to a front side of the installation portion to shield the voice recognition portion; and
a through-hole configured to penetrate the cover to transmit the voice to the voice recognition portion.

3. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the voice recognition portion includes a microphone configured to receive the voice and a printed circuit board (PCB) panel coupled to the microphone to covert the voice into the input signal,
wherein the cover is configured to contact a front side of the PCB panel, and
wherein the through-hole is configured to be aligned with the microphone.

4. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber includes a shock absorbing damper coupled to the installation portion and configured to be pressed on a rear surface of the voice recognition portion.

5. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the shock absorbing damper is formed of a material to change a shape of the shock absorbing damper when external force or vibrations are provided and to restore the shape of the shock absorbing damper when the external force or vibrations are no longer provided.

6. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber further includes:
a subsidiary damper coupled to the installation portion to attenuate the vibrations, and
a shock absorbing damper coupled to the subsidiary damper to support a rear surface of the voice recognition portion.

7. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the subsidiary damper includes:
a plurality of connection portions coupled to an inner surface of the installation portion to face each other; and
a fastening portion configured to connect the plurality of connection portions to each other and to be separated from the installation portion, and

wherein the shock absorbing damper includes:
a damper body configured to accommodate the fastening portion; and
a fastener hole configured to be penetrated by the fastening portion at both ends of the damper body so that the damper body is to be coupled to the fastening portion.

8. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sealing damper further includes a separation prevention protrusion protruding towards an inner surface of the accommodation groove from one side of the accommodation groove to attach the voice recognition portion.

9. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sealing damper is formed of a material to change shape of the sealing damper when external force is applied and to restore the shape of the scaling damper when the external force is no longer applied.

10. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber includes an interval maintainer configured to maintain a separated state between the voice recognition portion and the installation portion.

11. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the interval maintainer includes a connection spring coupled to a rear surface of the voice recognition portion and to the installation portion.

12. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the interval maintainer further includes a fixing line coupled to both ends of the voice recognition portion and to the installation portion to provide tension to the voice recognition portion.

13. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the interval maintainer includes a connection damper coupled to a rear surface of the voice recognition portion and to the installation portion to attenuate vibrations.

14. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet including an opening;
a laundry receiving device disposed inside the cabinet to perform washing or drying;
a door to open and close the opening;
an audio device to receive external audio and to provide an input signal for driving the laundry receiving device based on the external audio; and
a shielding device to couple to at least one of the cabinet or the door to block internal sound from the laundry receiving portion or transmitted to the cabinet from being provided to the audio device,
wherein the shielding device includes:
an installation device to couple to the cabinet or the door to accommodate at least a part of the audio device; and
a shock absorber disposed between the installation device and the audio device to block vibration or sound waves from being provided to the audio device,
wherein the shock absorber includes a sealing damper coupled to the installation device to accommodate the audio device,

wherein the sealing damper includes:
a sealing body configured to be accommodated in the installation device; and
an accommodation groove disposed at the sealing body to accommodate the audio device, the accommodation groove corresponding to shape and thickness of the audio device.

15. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the shielding device includes:
a cover at a front of the instillation device to shield the audio device; and
a through-hole configured to pass through the cover to allow the external audio to be provided to the audio device.

16. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 15 ,
wherein the audio device includes a microphone configured to receive the external audio and a printed circuit board (PCB) panel to convert the audio into the input signal,
wherein the through-hole is configured to be aligned with the microphone.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kang Hyojeong
• Ryu Hwanchan
• An Junhee

Classifications

• H04R1/28

  Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means {(combinations of transducers with horns, i.e. front-loaded horns H04R1/30)} · CPC title

• H04R1/04

  Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor (in electric hearing aids H04R25/00) · CPC title

• H04R1/028

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• H04R1/025

  Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture · CPC title

• G10L15/28

  Constructional details of speech recognition systems · CPC title