Clothing treatment apparatus and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299847-B2
Application number	US-201916568712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2019
Priority date	Sep 12, 2018
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

A clothing treatment apparatus and method thereof is provided. The clothing treatment apparatus according to an embodiment includes a main body formed with a space to accommodate clothing, a sprayer disposed inside the main body and configured to spray at least one of steam or air toward the clothing while the clothing is accommodated in the space, and a door connectable to the main body to open and close the space, wherein the door includes a first inlet to allow air from an outside to flow, a second inlet connectable to the first inlet and through which the air from the first inlet flows to the space while the second inlet is connected to the first inlet, and a shutter configured to selectively move toward the second inlet to close the second inlet and move away from the second inlet to open the second inlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A clothing treatment apparatus, comprising:
a main body formed with a space to accommodate clothing;
a sprayer disposed inside the main body and configured to spray at least one of steam or air toward the clothing accommodated in the space; and
a door hingedly coupled to the main body to open and close the space,
wherein the door includes:
a front plate and a rear plate;
a first inlet disposed between the front plate and the rear plate to allow air from an outside to introduce in a gap between the front plate and the rear plate;
a second inlet connectable to the first inlet to allow the air from the outside which flows through the first inlet to flow into the space through the second inlet while the second inlet is connected to the first inlet; and
a shutter configured to selectively move toward the second inlet to close the second inlet and thereby block the air from the outside flowing through the first inlet into the space and move away from the second inlet to open the second inlet and thereby allow the air from the outside flowing through the first inlet into the space when the door is closed.

2. The clothing treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shutter comprises:
a rotational shaft connected to an inside of the door;
a driving motor connected to one side of the rotational shaft and configured to rotate the rotational shaft; and
a closing member connectable to the rotational shaft and configured to close the second inlet as the rotational shaft rotates.

3. The clothing treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a shape of the closing member corresponds to a shape of the second inlet, and
wherein an air tightness member to contact the second inlet is disposed on a surface of the closing member.

4. The clothing treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:
a processor configured to control the driving motor to be in an open state that opens the second inlet and a closed state that closes the second inlet.

5. The clothing treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first inlet and the second inlet form a main air flow path for the air from the outside to flow into the space, and
wherein the processor is further configured to control the driving motor to allow the shutter to be spaced apart from the main air flow path in the open state.

6. The clothing treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to control the driving motor to maintain the second inlet closed while the driving motor is in the closed state.

7. The clothing treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a processor configured to control a driving motor of the shutter;
wherein the processor controls the driving motor of the shutter to maintain the shutter away from the second inlet to open the second inlet when an operation of the clothing treatment apparatus is restarted subsequent to being stopped and the door has remained closed for duration of a time the clothing treatment apparatus is stopped and restarted.

8. A controlling method of a clothing treatment apparatus, the method comprising:
operating a clothing treatment apparatus which includes a space to accommodate clothing and a door including a front plate, a rear plate, a first inlet formed between the front plate and the rear plate and a second inlet;
closing the second inlet that allows air to flow from an outside to the space as a shutter rotates in a first direction to thereby block the air from the outside flowing through the first inlet into the space; and
opening the second inlet to thereby allow the air from the outside flowing through the first inlet into the space as the shutter rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction after the operating of the clothing treatment apparatus ends.

9. The controlling method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising:
stopping the clothing treatment apparatus from being operated while the door is open; and
opening the second inlet as the shutter rotates in the second direction after the door is closed.

10. The controlling method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
re-operating the clothing treatment apparatus; and
closing the second inlet as the shutter rotates in the first direction.

11. A clothing treatment apparatus, comprising:
a sprayer configured to spray at least one of steam or air toward an inner space of the clothing treatment apparatus; and
a door including:
a front plate and a rear plate;
a flow path formed by a first inlet formed between the front plate and the rear plate and a second inlet to allow air from outside the clothing treatment apparatus to flow toward the inner space; and
a shutter configured to move toward the second inlet to close the second inlet to thereby block the air from the outside flowing through the first inlet into the inner space while the sprayer is operated and move away from the second inlet to open the second inlet to thereby allow the air from the outside flowing through the first inlet into the space while the sprayer is not operated.

12. The clothing treatment apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the flow path formed by the first inlet and the second inlet is a first flow path, and the clothing treatment apparatus further comprises:
second flow paths through which the at least one of steam or the air from the sprayer is sprayed toward the inner space.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chae Gyeongryeol
• Chang Euiyoung
• Seo Eungryeol
• Lim Heetae
• Kim Judai
• Choi Jinyoung

Classifications

• D06F2105/44

  Opening, closing or locking of doors · CPC title

• D06F2103/56

  related to air ducts, e.g. position of flow diverters · CPC title

• D06F58/10 Primary

  Drying cabinets or drying chambers having heating or ventilating means · CPC title

• D06F2103/62

  related to systems for water or steam used for conditioning or finishing · CPC title

• D06F58/263

  Gas heating equipment · CPC title