Clothes treating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9803313-B2
Application number	US-201514982434-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

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, 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, wherein at least one of the first compressor or the second compressor is driven in 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 and wherein at least one of the first compressor or 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.

2. The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when at least one of a peripheral temperature, an amount of the object, and an amount of initial moisture contained (IMC) in 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.

3. The clothes treating apparatus of claim 2 , 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.

4. The clothes treating apparatus of claim 2 , 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 has its drive speed lowered in the second mode.

5. 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.

6. The clothes treating apparatus of claim 5 , 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 an amount of initial moisture contained (IMC) in the object is out of a predetermined range.

7. 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.

8. The clothes treating apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second compressor is provided with an inverter, and the first compressor is driven at a constant speed.

9. The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the accommodation chamber is a drum.

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

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

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Ryoo Byeongjo
• Park Daeyun
• Lee Yongju

Classifications

• Y10S165/913

  Condensation · CPC title

• D06F2105/26

  Heat pumps · CPC title

• D06F58/38

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

• D06F2103/50

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

• D06F2103/02

  Characteristics of laundry or load · CPC title