Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11286606-B2
Application number	US-202016778280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2020
Priority date	Feb 1, 2019
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes: a drum configured to rotate about a rotation axis 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 and a frame cover that is coupled to the lifter frame and that protrudes radially inward from the inner circumferential surface toward the rotation axis. The frame cover includes: a cover upper plate that is spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface and that defines a water flow discharge hole configured to discharge, into the drum, washing water received into the lifter; a cover sidewall that extends from the cover upper plate toward the inner circumferential surface; and an upper plate protrusion that protrudes from the cover upper plate toward the rotation axis.

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 toward the rotation axis, wherein the frame cover comprises:
a cover upper plate that is spaced apart from the inner circumferential surface of the drum and that defines a water flow discharge hole configured to discharge, into the drum, washing water received into the lifter,
a cover sidewall that extends from the cover upper plate toward the inner circumferential surface of the drum, the cover sidewall having a lower end coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the drum and an upper end connected to the cover upper plate, and
an upper plate protrusion that protrudes from the cover upper plate toward the rotation axis, the upper plate protrusion being disposed at a region of the cover upper plate where the water flow discharge hole is not defined, and

wherein the upper plate protrusion comprises a dome that is concave with respect to an inner surface of the cover upper plate and convex with respect to an outer surface of the cover upper plate.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper plate protrusion comprises a plurality of upper plate protrusions spaced apart from one another in 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 upper plate protrusions among the plurality of upper plate protrusions.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of upper plate protrusions are configured to, based on the laundry covering a space defined between the adjacent upper plate protrusions, separate the laundry from a portion of the cover upper plate to thereby allow discharge the washing water through the one or more water flow discharge holes.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a distance between the adjacent upper plate protrusions is less than a width of each of the adjacent upper plate protrusions.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper plate protrusion is a part of the cover upper plate and has been integrally formed with the frame cover.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the one or more water flow discharge holes between the adjacent upper plate protrusions comprise a plurality of the water flow discharge holes that are arranged along a width direction of the cover upper plate.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of upper plate protrusions comprise:
a first upper plate protrusion that protrudes from a first region of the cover upper plate, the first upper plate protrusion having a first protrusion height with respect to the cover upper plate; and
a second upper plate protrusion that protrudes from a second region of the cover upper plate, the second upper plate protrusion having a second protrusion height that is lower than the first protrusion height.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first region is an outer periphery region of the cover upper plate, and the second region is a central region of the cover upper plate.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lifter frame comprises:
a frame base that is coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the drum and that defines a seating groove configured to receive a lower end of the frame cover based on the frame base being coupled to the frame cover;
a frame upper plate spaced apart from the frame base in a direction toward the rotation axis;
a frame sidewall that connects the frame upper plate to the frame base; and
a spacer that protrudes from the frame upper plate toward an inner surface of the frame cover and that allows the inner surface of the frame cover to be spaced apart from the frame upper plate.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the spacer is spaced apart from the inner surface of the frame cover.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the spacer is in contact with the inner surface of the frame cover.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the spacer is disposed at a position corresponding to the upper plate protrusion.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the drum defines a water flow inlet hole in a region covered by the frame cover, the water flow inlet hole being configured to supply washing water into the lifter.

14. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the water flow inlet hole is positioned inside the lifter frame, and
wherein the lifter frame defines a water flow through-hole that is in communication with an inside of the lifter frame and an outside of the lifter frame.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the lifter frame is made of synthetic resin, and the frame cover is made of stainless steel, and
wherein the spacer is disposed at a position corresponding to the upper plate protrusion and is in contact with an inner surface of the upper plate protrusion.

16. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the frame cover comprises a coupling tab that protrudes from the lower end of the frame cover, and
wherein the lifter frame defines a tab binding port in the seating groove, the tab binding port being configured to receive the coupling tab based on the lifter frame being coupled to the frame cover.

17. 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.

18. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame cover further comprises a washing protrusion that protrudes from an outer surface of the cover sidewall.

19. 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 made of metal, that is coupled to the lifter frame, and that protrude radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the drum toward the rotation axis,

wherein the frame cover defines a water flow discharge hole at an upper surface of the frame cover and comprises an upper plate protrusion that protrudes from the upper surface of the frame cover toward the rotation axis, the upper plate protrusion being disposed at a region of the upper surface of the frame cover where the water flow discharge hole is not defined, and
wherein t

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