Laundry treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12480243-B2
Application number	US-202117562611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2021
Priority date	Dec 24, 2020
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

A laundry treatment apparatus includes: a tub, a drum rotatably provided in the tub, an agitator rotatably provided in the drum, a driver coupled to the tub and configured to provide power for rotating at least one of the drum or the agitator, and a clutch unit provided between the driver and the agitator to transmit the power from the driver to at least one of the drum or the agitator. The clutch unit includes: a gear unit configured to rotate based on being engaged with the driver, a rotary shaft coupled to the gear unit and configured to rotate the agitator, a housing coupled to the drum and that accommodates the gear unit and the rotary shaft, a coupler configured to reciprocate between the housing and the driver and rotate the housing, a moving unit including the coupler to reciprocate the coupler, and an actuator reciprocating the moving unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a tub configured to receive water; a drum that is rotatably provided in the tub and that is configured to receive laundry; an agitator that is rotatably provided in the drum and that is configured to move the laundry; a driver that is coupled to the tub and that is configured to provide power for rotating at least one of the drum or the agitator; and a clutch unit that is provided between the driver and the agitator and that is configured to transmit the power from the driver to at least one of the drum or the agitator, wherein the clutch unit includes:
a gear unit configured to rotate based on being engaged with the driver,
a rotary shaft that is coupled to the gear unit and that is configured to rotate the agitator,
a housing that is coupled to the drum and that rotatably accommodates the gear unit and the rotary shaft,
a coupler that is configured to reciprocate between the housing and the driver and that is configured to rotate the housing,
a moving unit that includes the coupler therein to reciprocate the coupler, and
an actuator configured to reciprocate the moving unit,
wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the moving unit by one or more revolutions, and wherein at least a portion of the actuator is disposed in the driver.

2 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the actuator is configured to rotate the moving unit in a first direction.

3 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the actuator is configured to rotate the moving unit by contacting the moving unit.

4 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the actuator includes:
a drive motor configured to generate rotational power; and a power shaft configured to be rotated by the drive motor, and wherein the power shaft is configured to rotate the moving unit by contacting the moving unit.

5 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the moving unit includes gear teeth that are configured to rotate in engagement with the power shaft along an outer circumferential surface of the gear teeth, and
wherein the power shaft includes a shaft gear that is engaged with the gear teeth at an outer circumferential surface of the shaft gear.

6 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein:
a longitudinal direction of the power shaft is disposed in a tangential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the moving unit.

7 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a transfer unit configured to be rotated by the actuator while being engaged with both the actuator and the moving unit to thereby rotate the moving unit.

8 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the actuator includes:
a drive motor configured to generate rotational power, and a power shaft configured to rotate by the drive motor, and wherein the transfer unit includes a transfer body configured to rotate the moving unit based on the rotational power being received.

9 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the transfer unit includes:
a transmission gear coupled to the transfer body and configured to rotate in engagement with the moving unit.

10 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the transmission gear includes:
a coupling hook coupled to the transfer body, a gear shaft that extends from the coupling hook to an outer circumferential surface of the moving unit, and a gear unit that is provided at an outer circumferential surface of the gear shaft and that contacts the outer circumferential surface of the moving unit, and wherein a longitudinal direction of the gear shaft is disposed in a tangential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the moving unit.

11 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein:
the drive motor or the power shaft is disposed in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the gear shaft.

12 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein:
the coupling hook is detachably coupled to the transfer body.

13 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein:
the coupling hook is coupled to the transfer body so as to repeat an operation in which, based on the moving unit being restrained, the coupling hook is separated from and coupled to the transfer body.

14 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a case coupled to the driver such that the moving unit is rotatably accommodated therein, wherein the case is configured to, based on the moving unit rotating, elevate the moving unit.

15 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 14 ,
wherein the case includes:
a receiving body to which the moving unit is mounted, and
an elevation rib that is provided at a first surface of the receiving body and that supports the moving unit, and
wherein the moving unit includes:
a movable body that is configured to rotate by the actuator and that supports the coupler, and
an elevation guide unit extending to be supported by the elevation rib along a circumferential surface of the movable body, thereby elevating the movable body.

16 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein:
the elevation guide unit extends such that at least a portion of the elevation guide unit is changed in height along the circumferential surface of the movable body.

17 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the elevation guide unit includes:
a lower support supported by the elevation rib at a first surface of the movable body, and an upper support disposed above the lower support at the first surface of the movable body.

18 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the elevation guide unit includes:
an elevation support extending from a first end of the lower support to a first end of the upper support, and a descending support extending from a second end of the upper support to a second end of the lower support.

19 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the elevation rib includes a plurality of elevation ribs spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance along a circumference of the receiving body, and
wherein the elevation support and the descending support correspond to a number of the plurality of elevation ribs and an arrangement of the plurality of elevation ribs.

20 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein:
a length of the elevation support is longer than a length of the descending support.

21 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising:
gear teeth engaged with the actuator at a first surface of the movable body to thereby rotate the movable body.

22 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moving unit is configured to reciprocate the coupler during rotation thereof.

23 . The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator includes:
a drive motor configured to generate rotational energy, and an output shaft that extends from the drive motor and that is configured to rotate by the rotational energy, and wherein the moving unit is configured to receive the rotational energy from the output shaft.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Park Jeongyeon
• Woo Seyoung
• Pyo Joonho
• Lee Taehee

Classifications

• F16D11/14

  with clutching members movable only axially (F16D11/02, F16D11/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• D06F23/04

  and rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis · CPC title

• F16D2011/002

  using an external and axially slidable sleeve for coupling the teeth of both coupling components together · CPC title

• D06F37/40 Primary

  for driving the receptacle and an agitator or impeller, e.g. alternatively {(D06F37/304, D06F37/308 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H02K11/20

  for measuring, monitoring, testing, protecting or switching (rectifiers H02K11/04; power electronics H02K11/33) · CPC title