Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268229-B2
Application number	US-202016776963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2020
Priority date	Feb 1, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes a drum and a lifter disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the drum and configured to rotate with the drum. The lifter includes a lifter frame installed on the inner circumferential surface of the drum and a frame cover coupled to the lifter frame. The lifter frame includes: a frame base coupled to the inner circumferential surface; a frame upper plate having a first water flow through-hole; and a frame sidewall that connects the frame upper plate to the frame base and that defines a second water flow through-hole. The frame cover includes: a cover upper plate having a water flow discharge hole configured to discharge, into the drum, washing water having passed through at least one of the first water flow through-hole or the second water flow through-hole; and a cover sidewall that extends from the cover upper plate to the frame base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a drum configured to receive laundry and to rotate about a rotation axis that extends in a front-rear direction of the laundry treating apparatus; and
a lifter disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the drum and configured to, based on rotation of the drum, rotate about the rotation axis, the lifter comprising:
a lifter frame installed on the inner circumferential surface of the drum, and
a frame cover that is coupled to the lifter frame and that protrudes radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the drum,

wherein the lifter frame comprises:
a frame base coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the drum,
a frame upper plate that is spaced apart from the frame base in a direction toward an inside of the drum and that defines a first water flow through-hole that communicates with an inside of the lifter frame and an outside of the lifter frame, and
a frame sidewall that connects the frame upper plate to the frame base and that defines a second water flow through-hole that communicates with the inside of the lifter frame and the outside of the lifter frame, and

wherein the frame cover comprises:
a cover upper plate having an inner surface that faces the frame upper plate, the cover upper plate defining a water flow discharge hole configured to discharge, into the drum, washing water having passed through at least one of the first water flow through-hole or the second water flow through-hole, and
a cover sidewall that extends from the cover upper plate to the frame base, the cover sidewall having a lower end coupled to the frame base and an upper end connected to the cover upper plate.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame upper plate and the cover upper plate face each other and extend in parallel to each other, and the frame sidewall and the cover sidewall face each other and extend in parallel to each other.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein an area of the frame upper plate is less than an area of the frame base,
wherein a projection plane of the frame upper plate onto the frame base is positioned within a circumference of the frame base, and
wherein the frame sidewall is inclined with respect to the frame upper plate and the frame base.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein at least a part of the first water flow through-hole is offset from at least a part of the water flow discharge hole.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the drum defines a water flow inlet hole at a region covered by the frame cover, the water flow inlet hole being configured to supply washing water into the lifter.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lifter frame further comprises a spacer that protrudes from the frame upper plate toward the inner surface of the cover upper plate and that allows the inner surface of the cover upper plate to be spaced apart from the frame upper plate.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the spacer is spaced apart from the inner surface of the cover upper plate.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the spacer is in contact with the inner surface of the cover upper plate.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cover upper plate comprises a dome that protrudes upward from a position corresponding to the spacer.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the dome protrudes from an outer surface of the cover upper plate and is recessed from the inner surface of the cover upper plate to thereby define a concave portion that receives at least a part of the spacer.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the dome comprises a plurality of domes that are spaced apart from one another and arranged along a longitudinal direction of the cover upper plate, and
wherein the water flow discharge hole comprises one or more water flow discharge holes that are respectively defined between adjacent domes among the plurality of domes.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more water flow discharge holes between the adjacent domes comprise a plurality of water flow discharge holes that are arranged along a width direction of the cover upper plate.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lifter frame is made of synthetic resin, and the frame cover is made of metal.

14. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame base defines a seating groove along a circumference of the frame base and a tab binding port in the seating groove, and
wherein the frame cover comprises a coupling tab that protrudes from the lower end of the cover sidewall and that is configured to insert into the tab binding port based on the lifter frame being coupled to the frame cover.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lifter comprises:
a plurality of front lifters disposed at a front portion of the drum and arranged along a circumferential direction of the drum; and
a plurality of rear lifters disposed at rear sides of the plurality of front lifters and arranged along the circumferential direction of the drum.

16. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a tub configured to receive washing water;
a drum disposed in the tub and configured to receive laundry, the drum being configured to rotate about a rotation axis that extends in a front-rear direction of the laundry treating apparatus; and
a lifter disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the drum and configured to, based on rotation of the drum, rotate about the rotation axis, the lifter comprising:
a lifter frame installed on the inner circumferential surface of the drum, and
a frame cover that is coupled to the lifter frame and that protrudes radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the drum,

wherein the lifter frame defines:
a first water flow through-hole at an upper surface of the lifter frame, the first water flow through-hole being in communication with an inside of the lifter frame and an outside of the lifter frame, and
a second water flow through-hole at a lateral surface of the lifter frame, the second water flow through-hole being in communication with the inside of the lifter frame and the outside of the lifter frame, and

wherein the frame cover defines a water flow discharge hole at a part of an upper surface of the frame cover, the water flow discharge hole being configured to discharge, into the drum, washing water having passed through at least one of the first water flow through-hole or the second water flow through-hole.

17. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the upper surface of the lifter frame and the upper surface of the frame cover face each other and extend in parallel to each other, and
wherein the lateral surface of the lifter frame and a lateral surface of the frame cover face each other and extend in parallel to each other.

18. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the lateral surface of the lifter frame is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the lifter frame and connects the upper surface of the lifter frame to a lower surface of the lifter frame, the lower surface being coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the drum and spaced apart radially outward from the upper surface of the lifter frame, and
wherein a cross sectional area of the lifter frame decreases as the lifter frame extends radially inward from the lower surface of the lifter fra

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Hyeonsik
• Kim Junyoung
• Lee Hong Min

Classifications

• D06F37/065 Primary

  ribs or lifters having means for circulating the washing liquid · CPC title

• D06F23/06

  and rotating or oscillating about an inclined axis · CPC title

• D06F37/06 Primary

  Ribs, lifters, or rubbing means forming part of the receptacle · CPC title

• D06F34/00

  Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers · CPC title

• D06F21/10

  about an inclined axis · CPC title