Clothing processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12188173-B2
Application number	US-201917270783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2019
Priority date	Aug 27, 2018
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothing processing apparatus comprising: a cabinet provided with an inlet; a first chamber provided inside the cabinet to provide a space in which clothes are accommodated and communicating with the inlet; a second chamber provided inside the cabinet and forming a space separated from the first chamber; a supply unit, provided inside the second chamber, for supplying at least any one of air and moisture to the first chamber; a door having a first body rotatably fixed to the cabinet to open and close the inlet, and a second body fixed to the first body to form a front side of the cabinet; a control unit for controlling the supply unit; and a voice recognition unit, provided in the door, for recognizing a voice generated by a user and transmitting a control command corresponding to the recognized voice to the control unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a cabinet that defines an inlet;
a first chamber provided inside the cabinet and configured to accommodate laundry, the first chamber being fluidly connected to the inlet;
a second chamber provided in the cabinet, the second chamber being partitioned from the first chamber;
a supply module provided inside the second chamber and configured to supply at least one of air or water to the first chamber;
a door having that is rotatably coupled to the cabinet and configured to open and close the inlet;
a controller configured to control the supply module; and
a voice recognition module disposed on the door, the voice recognition module being configured to recognize a voice generated by a user and to transmit a control command corresponding to the recognized voice to the controller,
wherein the voice recognition module includes:
a chamber forming module that protrudes from and is installed on any one of an upper surface, a side surface, or a lower surface of the door, the chamber forming module protruding to an outside of the door and being exposed to a front of the door,
a microphone disposed inside the chamber forming module and disposed on the any one of the upper surface, the side surface, or the lower surface of the door, and
a communication hole defined at a front surface of the chamber forming module.

2. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the voice recognition module further comprises:
a seating body fixed to the door, the seating body defining the any one of the upper surface, the side surface, or the lower surface of the door;
wherein the chamber forming module defines an accommodating chamber protruded from the seating body,
wherein the microphone is fixed to the seating body and positioned inside the accommodating chamber.

3. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the upper surface of the door is concave and defines a first seating groove receiving the seating body, and
wherein the accommodating chamber and the communication hole are positioned outside the first seating groove.

4. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the communication hole includes two or more holes.

5. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the voice recognition module further includes an analyzer fixed to the door, the analyzer being configured to convert a voice transmitted from the microphone into text or code and to transmit the converted text or code to the controller.

6. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the door comprises (i) a first body that is rotatably coupled to the cabinet and configured to open and close the inlet and (ii) a second body that is coupled to the first body and defines a front surface of the cabinet, and
wherein the laundry treating apparatus further comprises:
a tape provided along an edge of a first surface of the first body facing the second body, the tape being disposed in a space provided by the first body and fixing the second body to the first body;
a tape through hole fluidly connecting a space between the first body and the second body with the outside of the door by passing through the tape; and
a sound generator provided in the space between the first body and the second body, the sound generator being configured to generate one or more sound signals.

7. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sound generator is configured to generate a sound signal indicating a time when the microphone starts recording.

8. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sound generator is configured to generate a sound signal indicating that voice recognition has been failed when the analyzer fails to convert the voice of the user into text or code.

9. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the tape includes:
a first tape provided along a left edge of the first surface facing the second body, the first tape being disposed in the space provided by the first body; and
a second tape provided along a right edge of the first surface facing the second body, the second tape being disposed in the space provided by the first body,
wherein the tape through hole includes:
a first tape through hole that passes through the first tape, and
a second tape through hole that passes through the second tape, and

wherein the sound generator is positioned between the first tape through hole and the second tape through hole.

10. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first body further defines a second seating groove that is concave in a direction far away from the second body, and
wherein the sound generator is fixed in the second seating groove.

11. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
a control panel comprising (i) a display module configured to display one or more control commands and (ii) an input module configured to receive input of a control command among the one or more control commands from the user,
wherein the first body further defines a third seating groove that is concave in a direction far away from the second body and accommodates the control panel, and
wherein the second body comprises a transparent area that exposes the control panel to the outside of the door.

12. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising an alarm module configured to generate a sound signal based on the control command being input through the input module or based on an error occurring while the control command is executed,
wherein the alarm module is positioned between the first tape through hole and the second tape through hole.

13. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first body and the second body are spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction, and
wherein the laundry treating apparatus further comprises a tape that attaches the first body and the second body to each other.

14. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the communication hole passes through a front surface of the chamber forming module.

15. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the communication hole is positioned outside a perimeter of the door.

16. The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the voice recognition module is disposed on the upper surface of the first bodydoor.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Choi Junyoung
• Nam Wansik
• Park Sunghoo
• Park Hyeyong

Classifications

• D06F73/00

  Apparatus for smoothing or removing creases from garments or other textile articles by formers, cores, stretchers, or internal frames, with the application of heat or steam  (combined with external pressure means D06F71/00) · CPC title

• G10L2015/223

  Execution procedure of a spoken command · CPC title

• G10L15/22

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title

• D06F2105/58

  Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user · CPC title

• G10L15/28

  Constructional details of speech recognition systems · CPC title