Clothes care apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025179709-A1
Application number	US-202418933309-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 31, 2024
Priority date	Dec 1, 2023
Publication date	Jun 5, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A clothes care apparatus is provided. The clothes care apparatus includes a main body forming a clothes management room for accommodating a clothes therein and configured to spray plasma moisture air and detergent into the clothes management room, a sensor configured to detect a position of a polluted area of the clothes, a cleaning device including a friction portion configured to apply a physical force to the polluted area, and a moving device configured to move the friction portion to the position of the polluted area to allow the friction portion to contact the polluted area to press and rub against the polluted area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A clothes care apparatus comprising:
a main body forming a clothes management room for accommodating a clothes therein and configured to spray plasma moisture air and detergent into the clothes management room; a sensor configured to detect a position of a polluted area of the clothes; a cleaning device including a friction portion configured to apply a physical force to the polluted area; and a moving device configured to move the friction portion to the position of the polluted area to allow the friction portion to contact the polluted area to press and rub against the polluted area.

2 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device further includes a suction portion configured to draw in a polluted object generated from the polluted area.

3 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the suction portion comprises:
a suction motor configured to generate a suction force, a suction duct including a suction hole through which the polluted object is drawn in by the suction force, and a suction flow path formed within the suction duct, communicating with the suction hole, and through which the drawn-in polluted object moves.

4 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the suction hole is disposed on a lower side of the friction portion to draw in the polluted object generated from the polluted area in response to the friction portion pressing and rubbing against the polluted area.

5 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main body includes a support wall configured to support the clothes on the opposite side of the friction portion with respect to the clothes in response to the friction portion pressing against the polluted area.

6 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the friction portion comprises:
a friction body protruding toward the support wall, and
a friction member including a friction surface disposed toward the support wall to be in direct contact with the polluted area, the friction member disposed on one surface of the friction body facing the support wall, and
wherein the friction member is detachably coupled to the friction body.

7 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the friction member further includes a coupling surface formed to be couplable to one surface of the friction body, and wherein the friction surface includes a plurality of friction protrusions formed toward the support wall so as to rub the polluted area.

8 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the moving device comprises:
a first moving device arranged to extend in a first direction within the clothes management room, and
a second moving device extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction within the clothes management room, and connected to the first moving device so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the first direction along the first moving device, and
wherein the first moving device and the second moving device are disposed on an inner surface of the main body facing the support wall.

9 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 8 ,
wherein the moving device further includes a third moving device connected to the second moving device so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the second direction along the second moving device, and extendable from the inner surface of the main body in a third direction facing the support wall, and wherein the cleaning device is disposed at an end of the third moving device facing the support wall.

10 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the cleaning device further includes a spray portion configured to spray plasma moisture air and detergent onto the position of the polluted area, and wherein the spray portion is disposed on an upper side of the friction portion and the suction portion.

11 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a display portion on the main body; and a controller electrically connected to the sensor, the moving device, the suction portion, the spray portion, and the display portion.

12 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the friction portion includes a friction surface in contact with the polluted area, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a material of the clothes placed in the clothes management room and a material of the friction surface, and wherein the controller is configured to:
determine, based on the material of the clothes detected by the sensor, a suitable material of the friction surface,
determine, based on the suitable material, whether the material of the friction surface matches the suitable material, and
control, based on whether the detected material of the friction surface matches the suitable material, the display portion to display a pre-stored friction member replacement alarm.

13 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the sensor is configured to detect a type and level of contamination of the polluted area, and wherein the controller is configured to control, based on the type and level of contamination detected by the sensor, the moving device to adjust the time and intensity with which the friction portion presses and rubs against the polluted area.

14 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 13 ,
wherein the cleaning device further includes an ultrasonic generator configured to emit ultrasonic waves to the polluted area and electrically connected to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to control, based on the type and level of contamination detected by the sensor, the ultrasonic generator to adjust the intensity and time of the ultrasonic waves emitted to the polluted area.

15 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device further includes an auxiliary sensor for detecting the polluted area to determine whether the cleaning of the polluted area is completed.

16 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
based on a degree of wear of the friction surface detected by the sensor, the controller may compare the degree of wear of the friction surface to a pre-stored wear limit.

17 . The clothes care apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:
upon determining that the degree of wear of the friction surface is greater than the pre-stored wear limit, the controller is further is configured to control the display portion to allow the display portion to display the pre-stored friction member replacement alarm.

18 . A clothes care apparatus comprising:
a main body forming a clothes management room that accommodates a clothes therein, wherein an inner surface of the main body forms a support wall supporting the clothes and the main body is configured to spray plasma moisture air and detergent into the clothes management room; a sensor configured to detect a position of a polluted area of the clothes; a cleaning device configured to press and rub against the polluted area; and a moving device configured to move the cleaning device to allow the cleaning device to contact the polluted area, wherein the moving device includes a first moving device arranged to extend in a first direction within the clothes management room, wherein the moving device includes a second moving device extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction and connected to the first moving device to be movable in a direction parallel to the first direction, wherein the moving device includes a third moving device connected to the second moving device so as to b

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Hochae
• Kim Sojeong

Classifications

• D06F73/02

  having one or more treatment chambers · CPC title

• D06F35/00

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

• B08B1/12 Primary

  Brushes · CPC title

• D06F17/12 Primary

  solely by gases, e.g. air or steam, introduced into the washing liquid · CPC title