Laundry treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9702625-B2
Application number	US-201314138818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 31, 2012
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A laundry treatment apparatus includes a connection duct into which air inside a drum, which provides a laundry accommodation space, is discharged. The laundry treatment apparatus also includes a discharge duct configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the drum and connected to the connection duct and a filter assembly including a filter unit located in the discharge duct to filter air and an impurity remover unit configured to remove and compress impurities remaining on the filter unit. The laundry treatment apparatus further includes a drive unit secured to the impurity remover unit. The drive unit is configured to reciprocate in a longitudinal direction of the filter unit to allow the impurity remover unit to reciprocate over a predetermined area of the filter unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a cabinet defining an external appearance of the laundry treatment apparatus;
a drum rotatably supported within the cabinet and configured to receive laundry;
a connection duct that is configured to receive air discharged from the drum;
a discharge duct that is configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the drum and that is connected to the connection duct;
a filter assembly comprising:
a filter unit located in the discharge duct and that is configured to filter air;
an impurity remover unit that is configured to remove impurities remaining on the filter unit and compress impurities removed from the filter unit;
a housing located in the discharge duct, the housing being configured to support the filter unit and to receive the impurity remover unit; and
a slit that is configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the housing and that enables communication between an interior and an exterior of the housing;

a drive unit secured to the impurity remover unit, the drive unit being configured to cause the impurity remover unit to reciprocate over a predetermined area of the filter unit,
wherein the drive unit comprises a motor with a rotating shaft that is inserted into the slit and that is configured to be rotatably coupled to the impurity remover unit, the motor being located at the exterior of the housing and configured to reciprocate in a longitudinal direction of the filter unit along with the impurity remover unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cabinet has a filter insertion hole that is configured to communicate with the discharge duct, and
wherein the filter assembly and the drive unit are configured to pass through the filter insertion hole based on the filter assembly and the drive unit being inserted into the discharge duct or separated from the discharge duct.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein air discharged from the connection duct is introduced into the housing, and the housing defines a storage space for impurities removed from the filter unit by the impurity remover unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the filter unit includes a filter frame secured to the housing, an air introduction hole that is defined in the filter frame and that is configured to allow air discharged from the connection duct to be introduced into the housing, and a filter attached to the filter frame and that is configured to filter air that moves from the housing to the discharge duct, and
wherein the impurity remover unit is configured to reciprocate within the housing, separate, from the filter, impurities remaining on the filter, and compress the separated impurities within the housing.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the filter frame includes:
a first frame having the air introduction hole, the first frame being secured to the housing; and
a second frame rotatably coupled to the first frame, the second frame being separable from the housing.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the drive unit is configured to reciprocate in a longitudinal direction of the housing and reciprocate the impurity remover unit within the housing.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the drive unit further comprises:
a rack that is located within the housing and that is configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the housing; and
a motor gear coupled to the rotating shaft, the motor gear being located within the housing and engaged with the rack.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the impurity remover unit comprises:
a compressor to which the rotating shaft is rotatably coupled, the compressor being configured to compress impurities within the housing; and
a brush that is configured to protrude from the compressor and that is arranged to contact the filter.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the filter assembly further includes a scraper that is located at the filter frame and that is configured to separate, from the brush, impurities remaining on the brush.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the scraper has a plurality of scraper bosses protruding from the filter frame,
wherein the brush has a plurality of brush bosses protruding from the compressor, and
wherein the brush bosses are configured to pass through spaces between adjacent scraper bosses.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the compressor comprises:
a compression plate configured to reciprocate within the housing and compress impurities; and
a shaft support portion secured to the compression plate, the rotating shaft being rotatably coupled to the shaft support portion.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the compressor further includes at least one through-hole perforated in the compression plate.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the shaft support portion comprises:
a first flange secured to the compression plate and that is configured to receive the rotating shaft; and
a second flange spaced apart from the first flange by a predetermined distance, the second flange having a shaft penetration hole that is configured to allow the rotating shaft to penetrate the second flange, and
wherein the motor gear is located in a space between the first flange and the second flange.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a position sensing unit configured to sense a position of the impurity remover unit.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the position sensing unit comprises a sensor configured to sense whether the impurity remover unit reaches a threshold position to indicate whether a maximum quantity of impurities are stored in the filter assembly.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the position sensing unit comprises:
a first sensor configured to sense whether the impurity remover unit reaches a first threshold position to indicate whether the filter assembly is located in the discharge duct; and
a second sensor configured to sense whether the impurity remover unit reaches a second threshold position to indicate whether a maximum quantity of impurities are stored in the filter assembly.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the position sensing unit comprises:
a magnetism generator secured to the impurity remover unit; and
a magnetism sensor that is configured to generate a control signal based on the magnetism generator reaching a preset position.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the magnetism sensor is a first magnetism sensor configured to generate a control signal based on the magnetism generator reaching a first preset position, further comprising:
a second magnetism sensor configured to generate a control signal based on the magnetism generator reaching a second preset position.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the filter assembly further includes a housing configured to receive the impurity remover unit and to secure the filter unit above the impurity remover unit such that impurities, removed from the filter unit by the impurity remover unit, are stored in the housing, a first hole perforated in a bottom surface of the housing, and a second hole perforated in the bottom surface of the housing and spaced apart from the first hole by a predetermined distance, and
wherein the first magnetism sensor is fixed in the discharge duct at a position below the first hole, and the second magnetism sensor is fixed in the

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Jeongyun
• Lee Sangik

Classifications

• D06F2058/2854

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F58/02

  having dryer drums rotating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• F26B21/003 Primary

  Air or gas filters · CPC title

• D06F58/28

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F58/22 Primary

  Lint collecting arrangements · CPC title