Clothes treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022074123-A1
Application number	US-202117466953-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 clothes treatment apparatus includes a first chamber for accommodating clothes, a second chamber under the first chamber, a blowing fan for suctioning air from the first chamber, a heat pump for compressing a refrigerant for heat exchange with the air suctioned by the blowing fan and discharging the heat-exchanged air to the first chamber, a steamer for generating and supplying steam, a water supply tank for supplying water to the steamer, a water drain tank for storing condensed water generated in the first chamber and the heat pump, a hanger bar positioned in the first chamber and configured to hold the clothes in the first chamber. The apparatus further includes a motor, a vibrating body for vibrating alternately in opposite rotation directions, and a motion converter for rotating together with the vibrating body and converting the vibration of the vibrating body to allow the hanger bar to reciprocate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A clothes treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet defining an inlet; a first chamber positioned inside the cabinet and configured to accommodate clothes through the inlet; a second chamber positioned under the first chamber and separated from the first chamber; a blowing fan positioned inside the second chamber and configured to suction air from the first chamber; a heat pump (i) including a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant for heat exchange with the air suctioned by the blowing fan and (ii) configured to discharge the heat-exchanged air to the first chamber; a steamer positioned inside the second chamber and configured to generate and supply steam; a water supply tank configured to supply water to the steamer; a water drain tank configured to store condensed water generated in the first chamber and the heat pump; a hanger bar positioned in the first chamber and configured to hold the clothes accommodated in the first chamber; and a driver comprising:
a motor,
a vibrating body configured to support the motor and, based on rotation of the motor, vibrate alternately in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and
a motion converter configured to rotate together with the vibrating body and convert the vibration of the vibrating body to cause the hanger bar to reciprocate,
wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate with different amplitudes and periods depending on a rotation of the motor.

2 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate at an amplitude that varies depending on a reciprocating period of the hanger bar.

3 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in either a first mode or a second mode,
wherein the hanger bar is configured to, in the first mode, reciprocate at a first frequency and a first amplitude, the first frequency being smaller than a resonance frequency of the driver, and the first amplitude being determined based on the first frequency, and wherein the hanger bar is configured to, in the second mode, reciprocate at a second frequency and a second amplitude, the second frequency being greater than the resonance frequency, and the second amplitude being determined based on the second frequency.

4 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in one of the first mode, the second mode, and a third mode, the hanger bar being configured to, in the third mode, reciprocate at a third frequency and a third amplitude, the third frequency being between the first and second frequencies, and the third amplitude being determined based on the third frequency, and
wherein the third amplitude is greater than the first amplitude and the second amplitude.

5 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in one of the first mode, the second mode, the third mode, and a fourth mode, the hanger bar being configured to, in the fourth mode, reciprocate at a fourth frequency and a fourth amplitude, the fourth frequency being greater than the third frequency, and the fourth amplitude being determined based on the fourth frequency, and
wherein the fourth amplitude is smaller than the first amplitude, the second amplitude, and the third amplitude.

6 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the steamer comprises:
a storage configured to store the water supplied from the water supply tank; and a heater configured to heat the water that is stored in the storage or supplied from the water supply tank, and wherein the steamer is configured to, using the heater, heat the water for a steam preheating time to thereby generate the steam.

7 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in the second mode for at least part of the steam preheating time.

8 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the steamer is configured to, based on the steam preheating time elapsing, supply the steam into the first chamber for a steam supply time.

9 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in the fourth mode for at least part of the steam supply time.

10 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the steamer is configured to, based on the steam supply time elapsing, stop heating the water through the heater, and
wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in the fourth mode for a standby time.

11 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to, based on the standby time elapsing, reciprocate in the third mode for a first wrinkle removal process time.

12 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to, based on the first wrinkle removal process time elapsing, reciprocate in one of the second mode and the fourth mode for a second wrinkle removal process time.

13 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to, based on the second wrinkle removal process time elapsing, reciprocate in the other one of the second mode and the fourth mode for a third wrinkle removal process time, and
wherein a total wrinkle removal process time is equal to a sum of the first wrinkle removal process time, the second wrinkle removal process time, and the third wrinkle removal process time.

14 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the compressor is configured to, based on the total wrinkle removal process time elapsing, operate for a drying process time, and
wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in the first mode for the drying process time.

15 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the blowing fan is configured to rotate based on the hanger bar reciprocating.

16 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to reciprocate in the first mode based on operation of the compressor.

17 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the driver further comprises:
at least one driver elastic member configured to apply elastic force based on rotation of the vibrating body, wherein the vibrating body comprises:
a first eccentric part connected to the motor and configured to rotate a first eccentric weight around a first rotation axis parallel to a motor rotation shaft, and
a second eccentric part connected to the motor and configured to rotate a second eccentric weight around a second rotation axis parallel to the motor rotation shaft, wherein the second rotation axis is located opposite to the first rotation axis with respect to the motor rotation shaft along a width direction of the cabinet,
wherein the vibrating body is configured to rotatably support the motor, the first eccentric part, and the second eccentric part, and
wherein the first eccentric part and the second eccentric part are configured to rotate based on rotation of the motor and vibrate the vibrating body alternately in the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction.

18 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the hanger bar is configured to, based on the hanger bar reciprocating, move in at least one of the first mode, the second mode, the third mode, or the fourth mode.

19 . The clothes treatment apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the clothes treatme

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Jang Semin
• Kim Minji
• Kim Jaehyung
• Jung Joosik

Classifications

• D06F58/12 Primary

  having conveying means for moving clothes, e.g. along an endless track · CPC title

• D06F58/206

  Heat pump arrangements · CPC title

• D06F73/02 Primary

  having one or more treatment chambers · CPC title

• D06F35/00

  Washing machines, apparatus, or methods not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• D06F58/203

  Laundry conditioning arrangements · CPC title