Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11773529-B2
Application number	US-201916692847-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2019
Priority date	Aug 9, 2018
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet, a drum provided inside the cabinet and formed of a metal material for accommodating a treatment target, and an induction module spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the drum at a predetermined interval, inducing and heating the drum, where the induction module includes a base housing for accommodating a coil, a permanent magnet housing coupled with the base housing and provided with a holder in which a permanent magnet is accommodated, and a cover housing coupled with the permanent magnet housing, and the cover housing is coupled to the permanent magnet housing and therefore the permanent magnet is located between the permanent magnet housing and the cover housing. A joint force of the induction module may be enhanced to improve durability, and noise caused by vibration of a tub may be avoided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a drum disposed inside the cabinet and configured to accommodate a treatment object, the drum being made of a metal material; and
an induction module that is spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the drum and configured to heat the drum by induction, the induction module comprising:
a coil,
a base housing that accommodates the coil,
a magnet,
a magnet housing that is coupled to the base housing and that comprises a holder that accommodates the magnet, and
a cover housing coupled to the magnet housing to thereby place the magnet between the magnet housing and the cover housing,

wherein the magnet housing defines:
an opening portion that receives the magnet into the holder, the opening portion passing through the magnet housing from a lower surface of the magnet housing facing the coil to an upper surface of the magnet housing facing a lower surface of the cover housing, and
a plurality of through portions that pass through the magnet housing from the lower surface of the magnet housing to the upper surface of the magnet housing, the plurality of through portions being spaced apart from the opening portion and configured to guide heat generated from the coil to the lower surface of the cover housing.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the holder comprises a support portion disposed at a bottom portion of the holder and configured to support the magnet thereon.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the holder further comprises:
a barrier that extends upward from the support portion toward the cover housing and that is configured to seat the magnet at a lower portion of the opening portion.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the opening portion opens to an upper portion of the magnet housing and is configured to receive the magnet therethrough.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the holder comprises a plurality of support portions that extend from a lower portion of the barrier toward each other, the plurality of support portions including the support portion, and
wherein ends of the plurality of support portions face each other and are spaced apart from each other to define a predetermined interval therebetween.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the magnet housing comprises a plurality of holders including the holder, and
wherein the magnet housing further comprises a connector that connects the plurality of holders.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the connector connects upper portions of the plurality of holders.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of holders comprise:
a first support portion configured to support a first magnet;
a first barrier that extends upward from the first support portion and that defines a first opening portion configured to receive and seat the first magnet at a lower portion of the first opening portion;
a second support portion spaced apart from the first support portion and configured to support a second magnet;
a second barrier that extends upward from the second support portion and that defines a second opening portion configured to receive and seat the second magnet at a lower portion of the second opening portion, and
wherein the connector connects upper portions of the first barrier and the second barrier.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the connector connects lower portions of the plurality of holders.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one of the base housing or the magnet housing comprises a ring, and
wherein the other one of the base housing or the magnet housing comprises a hook configured to couple to the ring.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the ring is disposed at a rim of the one of the base housing or the magnet housing,
wherein the hook is disposed at a rim of the other one of the base housing or the magnet housing, and
wherein the base housing is configured to be detached from the magnet housing based on the ring and the hook being decoupled from each other.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one of the magnet housing or the cover housing defines a groove, and
wherein the other one of the magnet housing or the cover housing comprises a hook configured to insert into the groove.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the other one of the magnet housing or the cover housing comprises a plurality of hooks that extend along one direction, the plurality of hooks including the hook.

14. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the base housing, the magnet housing, and the cover housing comprises a joint that defines a hole configured to receive a screw.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the magnet housing is fixed to an upper portion of the base housing, and
wherein the cover housing is fixed to an upper portion of the magnet housing.

16. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
a tub that is disposed inside the cabinet and that accommodates the drum, the tub comprising a tub joint that protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the tub and that is configured to receive the screw,
wherein the induction module is configured to be fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the tub based on the tub joint being coupled to the joint of each of the base housing, the magnet housing, and the cover housing by the screw.

17. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cover housing comprises a clamp disposed at a lower portion of the cover housing and configured to fix the magnet in the magnet housing.

18. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the clamp is elastically supported at the lower portion of the cover housing and is in contact with the magnet.

19. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the clamp protrudes from the lower portion of the cover housing and is in contact with the magnet.

20. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of through portions defines a center of the magnet housing, and
wherein all the other of the plurality of through portions are arranged along edges of the magnet housing about the center of the magnet housing.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Youngjoo
• Hong Sangwook

Classifications

• D06F58/26 Primary

  Heating arrangements, e.g. gas heating equipment (D06F58/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F39/04 Primary

  Heating arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/04

  Details  (controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00) · CPC title

• H05B6/102

  the metal pieces being rotated while induction heated · CPC title

• H05B6/365

  using supplementary conductive or ferromagnetic pieces · CPC title