Dryer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022074112-A1
Application number	US-202117467010-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 3, 2021
Priority date	Sep 4, 2020
Publication date	Mar 10, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A dryer includes a drum, a fixing panel that is spaced apart from a rear cover of the drum and defines a panel through-hole, a stator disposed in the panel through-hole and a rotor configured to rotate relative to the stator, a power transmitter including a housing fixed to the fixing panel, a first shaft located at the housing and coupled to the rotor, a second shaft located at the housing and coupled to the rear cover, and an interlocking gear located in the housing and configured to transmit rotational force from the first shaft to the second shaft, and a driving unit bracket that is disposed at the panel through-hole and defines positions for installing the stator and the housing such that a rotation axis of the first shaft extends through a rotation center of the rotor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A dryer comprising:
a drum comprising:
a drum body that defines a space configured to receive clothes,
a front cover that defines a front surface of the drum body, the front cover defining a drum inlet in communication with the space of the drum bod, and
a rear cover that defines a rear surface of the drum body;
a fixing panel spaced apart from the rear cover, the fixing panel defining a panel through-hole; a motor comprising a stator disposed in the panel through-hole and a rotor configured to rotate relative to the stator; a power transmitter comprising:
a housing fixed to the fixing panel,
a first shaft located at the housing and coupled to the rotor,
a second shaft located at the housing and coupled to the rear cover, and
an interlocking gear located in the housing and configured to decelerate a rotational speed of the first shaft, the interlocking gear being configured to transmit rotational force from the first shaft to the second shaft; and
a driving unit bracket that is disposed at the panel through-hole, the driving unit bracket defining positions for installing the stator and the housing such that a rotation axis of the first shaft extends through a rotation center of the rotor.

2 . The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the driving unit bracket comprises:
a ring portion that overlaps with a circumferential surface of the panel through-hole, that is fixed to the fixing panel, and that supports the stator; and a housing coupling portion that protrudes from an inside of the ring portion and supports an exterior of the housing.

3 . The dryer according to claim 2 , wherein the ring portion defines a plurality of coupling holes that face the circumferential surface of the panel through-hole, and
wherein the stator passes through the fixing panel and is fixed to the plurality of coupling holes.

4 . The dryer according to claim 3 , wherein the ring portion comprises a protrusion that extends through the panel through-hole and protrudes toward the fixing panel.

5 . The dryer according to claim 2 , wherein the housing comprises a plurality of fixing protrusions that are located at an outer circumferential surface of the housing and extend in a radial direction with respect to a center of the housing, and
wherein the housing coupling portion comprises a plurality of housing coupling jaws that protrude toward a center of the ring portion, each of the plurality of housing coupling jaws being located at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of fixing protrusions.

6 . The dryer according to claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of housing coupling jaws defines a housing coupling hole, and
wherein each of the plurality of fixing protrusions defines a fixing hole coupled with one of the housing coupling holes by a coupling member.

7 . The dryer according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of housing coupling jaws comprise a plurality of locking protrusions, respectively, each of the plurality of locking protrusions extending in an insertion direction of the housing, and
wherein each of the plurality of fixing protrusions is supported by one of the plurality of locking protrusions and extends in a direction crossing the one of the plurality of locking protrusions.

8 . The dryer according to claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of locking protrusions defines a locking groove that receives one of the plurality of fixing protrusions.

9 . The dryer according to claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of fixing protrusions defines a fixing groove that receives one of the plurality of housing coupling jaws.

10 . The dryer according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of locking protrusions define a plurality of locking grooves, respectively, each of the plurality of locking grooves receiving one of the plurality of fixing protrusions, and
wherein the plurality of fixing protrusions define a plurality of fixing grooves, respectively, each of the plurality of fixing grooves being coupled to one of the plurality of locking grooves.

11 . The dryer according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of locking grooves or at least one of the plurality of fixing grooves defines an inclined surface at an entrance thereof.

12 . The dryer according to claim 10 , wherein one of the plurality of locking grooves and one of the plurality of fixing grooves are configured to insert into each other based on the housing rotating about the center of the housing.

13 . The dryer according to claim 5 , wherein a number of the plurality of fixing protrusions is greater than or equal to three, and
wherein a number of the plurality of housing coupling jaws is greater than or equal to three.

14 . The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing panel is located between the driving unit bracket and the stator, and
wherein the driving unit bracket and the fixing panel support the stator.

15 . The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the power transmitter further comprises:
a driving gear defined at an end of the first shaft and configured to transmit the rotational force to the interlocking gear; and a driven gear defined at an end of the second shaft and configured to receive the rotational force from the interlocking gear, and wherein the interlocking gear comprises:
a first gear meshed with the driving gear and configured to be rotated by the driving gear, and
a second gear meshed with the driven gear and configured to rotate coaxially with the first gear, a diameter of the second gear being less than a diameter of the first gear.

16 . The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein the first shaft, the second shaft, and the rotor are coaxial.

17 . The dryer according to claim 1 , wherein a peripheral surface of the housing includes a flat portion and a curved portion that extends from the flat portion, and
wherein the driving unit bracket defines a recess corresponding to the flat portion and the curved portion of the housing.

18 . The dryer according to claim 17 , wherein the driving unit bracket further defines a bracket through-hole within the recess, the bracket through-hole being in communication with the panel through-hole.

19 . The dryer according to claim 2 , further comprising a sealing that is located at the driving unit bracket or the fixing panel and that covers the circumferential surface of the panel through-hole.

20 . The dryer according to claim 19 , wherein the power transmitter is located between the sealing and the motor along the rotation axis of the rotor.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Hyojun
• Cho Hongjun
• Lee Hyuksoo
• Hwang Yangguk
• Kim Hyeonjoong
• Kwon Oshin
• Kim Minji
• Lee Yeonju

Classifications

• H02K7/085

  radially supporting the rotary shaft at only one end of the rotor (H02K7/086, H02K7/09 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02K1/30

  using intermediate parts, e.g. spiders · CPC title

• H02K7/14

  Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans (with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06) · CPC title

• D06F58/02

  having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• D06F58/08 Primary

  Driving arrangements · CPC title