Laundry treatment apparatus and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11920282-B2
Application number	US-202117373150-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2021
Priority date	Aug 9, 2017
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed is a laundry treatment apparatus configured to directly heat a drum containing laundry therein. The laundry treatment apparatus comprising: a cabinet forming an external appearance of the laundry treatment apparatus; a tub provided in the cabinet; a drum configured to rotate within the tub and to contain laundry therein, the drum being formed of a metallic material; an induction module provided at an outer surface of the tub and configured to heat the drum within the tub via induction by generating a magnetic field; andwherein the outer surface of the tub comprises at least one mounting portion that is configured to mount the induction module, with at least part of the at least one mounting portion being arranged radially closer to a rotational axis of the drum than a remaining portion of the outer surface of the tub.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet that defines an external appearance of the laundry treatment apparatus;
a tub provided in the cabinet and having a cylindrical shape;
a drum that has the cylindrical shape, that is configured to rotate within the tub and to receive laundry therein, and that is made of a metallic material;
an induction module provided at an outer surface of the tub and configured to generate a magnetic field to heat the drum within the tub via induction; and
a module-mounting portion located on the outer surface of the tub and configured to receive the induction module,
wherein the module-mounting portion comprises a flat region that is arranged radially closer to a rotational axis of the drum than a remaining portion of the outer surface of the tub.

2. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the module-mounting portion is located at an upper portion of the tub.

3. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the tub comprises a front tub portion, a rear tub portion, and a connecting portion that connects the front tub portion to the rear tub portion and that is arranged along a circumferential direction of the tub, and
wherein the module-mounting portion is arranged over the front tub portion, the connecting portion, and the rear tub portion.

4. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the induction module is arranged on a portion of the module-mounting portion that is positioned over a portion of the front tub portion, the connecting portion, and a portion of the rear tub portion.

5. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the induction module comprises a coil that is wound and extends between the front tub portion and the rear tub portion and that is configured to generate the magnetic field.

6. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the flat region is disposed at a center of the module-mounting portion, and
wherein the module-mounting portion further comprises:
a first connection region that connects a first end of the flat region of the module-mounting portion to the remaining portion of the outer surface of the tub; and
a second connection region that connects a second end of the flat region of the module-mounting portion to the remaining portion of the outer surface of the tub.

7. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the coil is located at a portion corresponding to the flat region of the module-mounting portion.

8. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the flat region of the module-mounting portion comprises a first flat region and a second flat region that are connected to each other via a connection region that is located at the center of the module-mounting portion, the connection region being curved or flat.

9. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the coil is wound to define a hollow center portion that corresponds to the connection region.

10. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the coil is disposed at a portion that corresponds to the first flat region and the second flat region.

11. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the connecting portion protrudes from outer circumferential surfaces of the front tub portion and the rear tub portion respectively in a radial direction, the connecting portion being disposed over the outer circumferential surface of the tub in the circumferential direction.

12. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the connecting portion comprises
a first coupling rib that protrudes radially outwards from a first region arranged at a first distal portion of any one of the front tub portion or the rear tub portion, that is bent, and that defines an insertion recess configured to accommodate a second distal portion of a remaining one of the front tub portion or the rear tub portion.

13. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the tub further comprises a plurality of extended connecting portions that are arranged in the circumferential direction of the tub and coupled to a fastening structure including a bolt or a screw.

14. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the plurality of extended connecting portions are not disposed at the module-mounting portion, and
wherein an angle between two of the plurality of extended connecting portions that are located on both sides of the module-mounting portion is 50 degrees.

15. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the flat region of the module-mounting portion is depressed from the outer surface of the tub.

16. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the flat region of the module-mounting portion has a rectangular shape.

17. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the connecting portion further comprises a second coupling rib that protrudes radially outwards from a second region arranged at the second distal portion of the remaining one of the front tub portion or the rear tub portion, and
wherein a radius of a first outer surface of the first coupling rib in the radial direction is equal to a radius of a second outer surface of the second coupling rib in the radial direction.

18. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the module-mounting portion is located at the upper portion of the tub that extends in a circumferential direction of the tub at a predefined angle for a virtual line formed by the rotational axis of the drum and a top outer surface of the tub.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Beomjun
• Park Bio
• Hong Sangwook

Classifications

• D06F39/04 Primary

  Heating arrangements · CPC title

• D06F37/267

  Tubs specially adapted for mounting thereto components or devices not provided for in preceding subgroups (D06F37/206 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D06F58/26 Primary

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

• H05B6/102

  the metal pieces being rotated while induction heated · CPC title

• H05B6/108

  for heating a fluid · CPC title