Laundry treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11905642-B2
Application number	US-202117492266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2021
Priority date	Aug 9, 2018
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A laundry treatment apparatus is disclosed. The laundry treatment apparatus includes a cabinet, a tub arranged in the cabinet, a drum arranged in the tub and formed of a metal material, and an induction module configured to inductively heat the drum, wherein the induction module includes a coil formed by winding a wire, and a base housing including a base body arranged on the tub, and a fixing rib arranged on the base body to fix the coil, wherein the wire is drawn into the base body in one direction, wound around the fixing rib, and drawn out of the base body in the same direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet;
a tub disposed in the cabinet;
a drum made of a metal material and disposed in the tub;
a driver disposed at a rear portion of the tub and configured to rotate the drum; and
an induction module configured to heat the drum by induction,
wherein the induction module comprises:
a base housing comprising (i) a base body that is fixed to a circumferential surface of the tub and (ii) a fixing rib that protrudes from the base body, and
a wire comprising (i) a coil wound around the fixing rib and (ii) a lead wire extending from the coil along the base body and drawn out of the base body through a rear side of the base body adjacent to the rear portion of the tub.

2. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lead wire comprises:
an outer lead wire that extends from one end of the coil, the one end of the coil positioned at an outermost side of the coil; and
an inner lead wire that extends from the other end of the coil, the other end of the coil positioned at an innermost side of the coil.

3. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the base housing defines a first penetrated portion that receives the outer lead wire, the outer lead wire passing through the first penetrated portion and then extending along the base housing.

4. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the base housing further defines a second penetrated portion that receives the inner lead wire, the inner lead wire passing through the second penetrated portion and then extending along the base housing.

5. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the inner lead wire extends toward the rear portion of the tub along a longitudinal centerline of the coil.

6. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first one end of the coil is positioned adjacent to the first penetrated portion.

7. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the other end of the coil is positioned adjacent to the second penetrated portion.

8. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the one end and the other end of the coil are spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the tub, and
wherein the outer lead wire comprises:
a first outer portion that extends from the one end of the coil and passes through the first penetrated portion;
a second outer portion that is bent from the first outer portion at the rear side of the base body and then extends along the circumferential direction of the tub; and
a third outer portion that is bent from the second outer portion and then extends from the second outer portion toward the rear portion of the tub.

9. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a current supply that is fixed to an inside of the cabinet and connected to the lead wire, the current supply being disposed at a rear side of the cabinet.

10. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first penetrated portion is defined at the outermost side of the coil, and the second penetrated portion is defined at the innermost side of the coil.

11. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first penetrated portion is positioned at the rear side of the base body facing the rear portion of the tub.

12. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second penetrated portion is positioned at the rear side of the base body facing the rear portion of the tub.

13. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each of the first and second penetrated portions comprises:
an inner wall that defines a through-hole that receives the lead wire;
a lower inclined surface that connects a bottom surface of the base body to a lower end of the inner wall, the lower inclined surface being inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the base body; and
an upper inclined surface that connects an upper end of the inner wall to a top surface of the base body, the upper inclined surface being inclined with respect to the top surface of the base body.

14. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wire holder disposed at the circumferential surface of the tub and positioned at a rear of the base body.

15. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the wire holder comprises:
a holder body having an annular shape;
a wire insertion portion that is fixed to an inner circumferential surface of the holder body and defines a plurality of insertion slits receiving the wire; and
a holder connection portion that connects the holder body to the circumferential surface of the tub, the holder connection portion being made of a flexible material and configured to bend according to movement of the wire.

16. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising:
a boss disposed at the rear side of the base body and configured to limit a lateral movement of the lead wire,
wherein the boss comprises:
a first boss that defines a first wire accommodation groove that accommodates a portion of the outer lead wire that extends rearward from the rear side of the base body; and
a second boss that defines a second wire accommodation groove that accommodates a portion of the inner lead wire that extends rearward from the rear side of the base body.

17. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the base housing further comprises a wire guider that protrudes from a bottom surface of the base body, the wire guider being configured to fix, to the base body, at least a portion of the lead wire extending along the bottom surface of the base body.

18. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a height of each of the first and second penetrated portions is greater than a diameter of the wire.

19. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second boss is located at a longitudinal centerline of the coil, and the first boss is arranged between the first penetrated portion and the second boss.

20. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the wire extends from the first penetrated portion to the first boss along a bottom surface of the base body.

21. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fixing rib comprises a plurality of ribs that are curved along a rectangular shape, the plurality of ribs having rounded corners and straight portions, and
wherein the rounded corners have a semicircular shape, and circumferential lengths of the rounded corners are equal to one another.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Youngjoo
• Hong Sangwook

Classifications

• D06F39/04 Primary

  Heating arrangements · CPC title

• D06F34/24

  Liquid temperature · CPC title

• D06F58/04

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

• D06F58/206

  Heat pump arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/26

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