Laundry treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11873601-B2
Application number	US-202217666176-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2022
Priority date	Feb 8, 2021
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a laundry treating apparatus comprising a drum including: a drum body defining a space to store laundry therein, a front cover, a rear cover, and a drum introduction opening defined at the front cover and configured to communicate with an inside of the drum body; a drying unit configured to supply heated air to the drum body; a fixing panel; a power transmission unit including: a housing, an input shaft, an output shaft, and a gear unit disposed in the housing and configured to transmit rotational motion of the input shaft to the output shaft; a motor comprising including: a stator, and a rotor; and a heat insulation part made of a material having heat conductivity lower than heat conductivity of the housing and configured to reduce an amount of heat that is transferred from the outside of the housing to an inside of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a drum including:
a drum body defining a space to receive laundry therein,
a front cover defining a front surface of the drum body,
a rear cover defining a rear surface of the drum body, and
a drum introduction opening defined at the front cover and configured to communicate with an inside of the drum body;

a drying unit configured to supply heated air to the drum body;
a fixing panel disposed at a position spaced apart from the rear cover;
a power transmission unit including:
a housing coupled to the fixing panel,
an input shaft having one end disposed at an outside of the housing and an opposite end disposed in the housing,
an output shaft having one end coupled to the rear cover and an opposite end disposed in the housing, and
a gear unit disposed in the housing and configured to transmit rotational motion of the input shaft to the output shaft;

a motor including:
a stator coupled to the fixing panel or the housing and configured to form a rotating magnetic field, and
a rotor configured to be rotated by the rotating magnetic field and to allow the one end of the input shaft to be coupled thereto; and

a heat insulation part made of a material having heat conductivity lower than heat conductivity of the housing and configured to reduce an amount of heat that is transferred from the outside of the housing to an inside of the housing.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat insulation part is disposed at a surface of the housing that faces the fixing panel.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the housing is coupled to the fixing panel so as to be disposed in a space isolated from a space in which the drum is located.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the heat insulation part is made of a material having heat conductivity lower than heat conductivity of the fixing panel.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the housing comprises:
a housing body having a hollow cylindrical shape, the housing body having an opening disposed at a surface thereof that faces the fixing panel; and
a housing cover coupled to the housing body and configured to close the opening, and
wherein the heat insulation part is disposed at the housing cover.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the housing body and the housing cover are made of a metallic material, and the heat insulation part is made of a non-metallic material.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the housing cover comprises:
a cover body surrounding the opening;
an output shaft through-hole defined at the cover body and configured to allow the output shaft to be inserted thereinto; and
an output shaft support portion protruding from the cover body toward the fixing panel and surrounding the output shaft through-hole, and
wherein the heat insulation part includes:
a cover insulation body coupled to the cover body; and
a support portion insulation body surrounding a circumferential surface of the output shaft support portion.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the housing cover further comprises a bent portion formed such that a region of the cover body in which the output shaft through-hole is defined protrudes toward the fixing panel.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the housing cover and the cover insulation body are formed integrally with each other.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the cover insulation body comprises:
a first insulation body disposed at a surface of the cover body that faces the fixing panel in a space provided by the cover body; and
a second insulation body disposed at a surface of the cover body that faces the housing body in a space provided by the cover body.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a cover through-hole defined at the cover body; and
a connection body inserted into the cover through-hole and connecting the first insulation body to the second insulation body.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the cover insulation body is coupled to the housing cover via insert injection molding.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
an output shaft bearing disposed inside the output shaft support portion and configured to rotatably secure the output shaft to an inside of the output shaft support portion; and
a seal coupled to the output shaft support portion and configured to restrict introduction of external air into the output shaft bearing.

14. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
a mounting portion provided at the cover body and configured to allow the stator to be detachably secured thereto.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the heat insulation part further comprises a mounting portion insulation body surrounding the mounting portion.

16. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the stator comprises:
a core having a ring shape;
a plurality of support bars protruding radially from an outer circumferential surface of the core;
a core insulation part surrounding the core;
a plurality of support bar insulation parts disposed at the core insulation part to surround respective ones of the plurality of support bars;
a coil disposed at each of the plurality of support bar insulation parts; and
a stator bracket disposed at an inner circumferential surface of the core insulation part so as to be coupled to the mounting portion.

17. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:
a bracket protrusion defined at the stator bracket; and
a protrusion accommodation recess defined in the cover insulation body and configured to allow the bracket protrusion to be inserted thereinto.

18. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a drum including:
a drum body defining a space to store laundry therein,
a front cover defining a front surface of the drum body,
a rear cover defining a rear surface of the drum body, and
a drum introduction opening defined at the front cover and configured to communicate with an inside of the drum body;

a drying unit configured to supply heated air to the drum body;
a fixing panel disposed at a position spaced apart from the rear cover;
a power transmission unit including:
a housing coupled to the fixing panel,
an input shaft having one end disposed at an outside of the housing and an opposite end disposed in the housing,
an output shaft having one end coupled to the rear cover and an opposite end disposed in the housing, and
a gear unit disposed in the housing and configured to transmit rotational motion of the input shaft to the output shaft;

a motor including:
a stator coupled to the fixing panel or the housing and configured to form a rotating magnetic field, and
a rotor configured to be rotated by the rotating magnetic field and to allow the one end of the input shaft to be coupled thereto; and

a heat insulation part made of a material having heat conductivity lower than heat conductivity of the fixing panel and heat conductivity of the housing, the heat insulation part being disposed at a position between the housing and the fixing panel or a position between the fixing panel and the rear cover.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• An Yongjun
• Yoon Seongno

Classifications

• D06F37/304 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of electric motors · CPC title

• D06F37/206

  Mounting of motor · CPC title

• D06F37/261

  Tubs made by a specially selected manufacturing process or characterised by their assembly from elements · CPC title

• D06F37/30 Primary

  Driving arrangements  (control circuits or arrangements D06F34/08) · CPC title

• D06F58/08 Primary

  Driving arrangements · CPC title