Clothes treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016186374-A1
Application number	US-201514982434-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A clothes treating apparatus is provided that may include an accommodation chamber, in which an object may be accommodated; a first heat pump cycle having a first evaporator, a first compressor, a first condenser, and a first expansion valve; a second heat pump cycle having a second evaporator, a second compressor, a second condenser, and a second expansion valve, and arranged such that air introduced into the accommodation chamber passes through the first evaporator, the second evaporator, the second condenser and the first condenser, sequentially; and a controller configured to control an operation of the first and second heat pump cycles. At least one of the first compressor or the second compressor may be provided with an inverter that changes a drive speed of the compressor through a frequency conversion. The controller may drive the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor within a predetermined drive range, by controlling the drive speed of the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor using the inverter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A clothes treating apparatus, comprising:
an accommodation chamber, in which an object is accommodated; a first heat pump cycle having a first evaporator, a first compressor, a first condenser, and a first expansion valve; a second heat pump cycle having a second evaporator, a second compressor, a second condenser, and a second expansion valve, and arranged such that air introduced into the accommodation chamber passes through the first evaporator, the second evaporator the second condenser, and the first condenser, sequentially; and a controller configured to control an operation of the first and second heat pump cycles, wherein at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor includes an inverter that changes a drive speed of the respective compressor through a frequency conversion, and wherein the controller drives the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor within a predetermined drive range, by controlling the drive speed of the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor using the inverter.

2 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor is driven n a first mode in which the drive speed is constant as a first speed, and a second mode in which the drive speed is varied from the first speed to a second speed.

3 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein when at least one of a peripheral temperature, an amount of the object, and an amount of initial moisture contained (IMC) the object is out of a predetermined range, the controller controls the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor to be driven in the second mode.

4 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a drive frequency of the inverter is controlled to be lowered at a specific time point when at least one of the peripheral temperature, the amount of the object, or the amount of initial moisture contained (IMC) in the object is higher than an upper limit value or lower than a lower limit value within the predetermined range.

5 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 3 wherein in a case in which at least one of the peripheral temperature, the amount of the object, or the amount of initial moisture contained (IMC) in the object is higher than an upper limit value within the predetermined range, the first and second compressors have a same drive speed in the first mode, and the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor which has the inverter ha its drive speed lowered in the second mode.

6 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor is driven in the first and second modes, and then is driven in a third mode in which the drive speed is maintained as the second speed.

7 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the drive speed of the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor, based on a condensation temperature of the respective condenser or a discharge temperature of the respective compressor.

8 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 7 , wherein if the condensation temperature of the respective condenser or the discharge temperature of the respective compressor is out of a predetermined range, the controller determines that at least one of a peripheral temperature, an amount of the object and are amount of initial moisture contained (IMC) in the object s out of a predetermined range.

9 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined drive range indicates a compression ratio range, and wherein the second compressor has a larger compression ratio than the first compressor.

10 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the second compressor provided with an inverter, and the first compressor is driven at a constant speed.

11 . A clothes treating apparatus, comprising:
a drum in which an object is accommodated; at least one evaporator; at least one condenser configured to heat air introduced into the drum; at least one compressor configured to form a heat pump cycle with the at least one condenser and the at least one evaporator; and a base frame including a first accommodation portion that accommodates the at least one evaporator and the at least one condenser, a second accommodation portion arranged in parallel to the first accommodation portion and that accommodates the at least one compressor, and a wall formed to partition the first and second accommodation portions from each other such that flow path is formed at the first accommodation portion.

12 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a first mount that mounts the first evaporator, and a second mount that mounts the first condenser are formed at the first accommodation portion.

13 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first and second mounts are spaced from each other along the wall such that a space is formed between the first evaporator and the first condenser.

14 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 13 , wherein air introduced into the drum is heated by first and second heat pump cycles, and wherein the at least one evaporator and the at least one condenser include a first evaporator and a first condenser provided the first heat pump cycle and a second evaporator and a second condenser provided in the second heat pump cycle arranged between the first and second mounts.

15 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 11 , wherein an entrance and an exit of the flow path are formed at two sides of the first accommodation portion, and wherein the at least one evaporator and the at least one condenser are arranged at two sides of the first accommodation portion.

16 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 11 , wherein a plurality of compressor mounts is arranged at the second accommodation portion along the flow path of the first accommodation portion.

17 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 16 , wherein air introduced into the drum is heated by first and second heat pump cycles, and wherein the at least one compressor includes a first compressor in the first heat pump cycle arranged at one of the plurality of compressor mounts, and a second compressor in the second heat pump cycle is arranged at another of the plurality of compressor mounts.

18 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor is provided with an inverter that changes, a drive speed of the respective compressor through a frequency conversion.

19 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one evaporator and the at least one condenser includes a first evaporator and a first condenser provided in the first heat pump cycle, and a second evaporator and a second condenser provided in the second heat pump cycle, and wherein the first and second heat pump cycles are arranged such that air introduced into the first accommodation portion passes through the first evaporator, the second evaporator, the second condenser, and the first condenser, sequentially.

20 . The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one compressor includes a compressor arranged at one of the plurality of compressor mounts, and wherein no compressor is arranged at another of the compressor mounts, such that air introduced into the drum is heated by a single heat pump cycle.

21 . The cloth

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Ryoo Byeongjo
• Park Daeyun
• Lee Yongju

Classifications

• Y10S165/913

  Condensation · CPC title

• D06F58/38

  of drying, e.g. to achieve the target humidity · CPC title

• D06F2105/26

  Heat pumps · CPC title

• D06F2103/02

  Characteristics of laundry or load · CPC title

• D06F2103/50

  related to heat pumps, e.g. pressure or flow rate · CPC title