Washing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957654-B2
Application number	US-201214237112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2012
Priority date	Aug 10, 2011
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A washing machine actively resolving unbalancing is provided. The washing machine includes: a drum accommodating laundry and configured to be rotatable; a balancing unit moving along the circumference of the drum and changing the center of gravity of the drum; and a wireless power transmission unit wirelessly supplying power to the balancing unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A washing machine comprising:
a drum accommodating laundry and configured to be rotatable;
a balancing unit moving along the circumference of the drum and changing the center of gravity of the drum;
a wireless power transmission unit wirelessly supplying power to the balancing unit;
a guide rail provided at the circumference of the drum and allowing the balancing unit to move therealong; and
a guide rail electric wire provided at the guide rail to transfer power supplied from the wireless power transmission unit to the balancing unit,
wherein the balancing unit comprises,
a frame;
a wheel disposed at the frame to roll along the guide rail;
a motor to rotate the wheel; and
a contact terminal contacting with the guide rail electric wire to transfer power supplied from the wireless power transmission unit to the motor.

2. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the wireless power transmission unit comprises:
a transmission coil unit generating a magnetic field from power; and
a reception coil unit generating power from the magnetic field generated by the transmission coil unit and supplying the generated power to the balancing unit.

3. The washing machine of claim 2 , wherein the reception coil unit comprises a reception coil and a reception shielding member provided within the reception coil, and the transmission coil unit comprises a transmission coil and a transmission shielding member provided at an outer side the transmission coil.

4. The washing machine of claim 2 , further comprising:
a drum motor generating rotary force; and
a rotational shaft connecting the drum motor and the drum to transfer rotary force of the drum motor to the drum,
wherein the reception coil unit is disposed at the circumference of the rotational shaft, and the transmission coil unit is disposed at the circumference of the reception coil unit such that the transmission coil unit is spaced apart from the reception coil unit.

5. The washing machine of claim 4 , further comprising a plurality of bearings spaced apart to rotatably support the rotational shaft,
wherein the transmission coil unit and the reception coil unit are provided between the plurality of bearings.

6. The washing machine of claim 5 , further comprising a bearing housing supporting the plurality of bearings,
wherein the transmission coil unit and the reception coil unit are provided within the bearing housing.

7. The washing machine of claim 2 , wherein a plurality of balancing units are provided,
wherein a plurality of transmission coil units are provided and a plurality of reception coil units are provided.

8. The washing machine of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of reception coil units are provided to be spaced apart from each other and the plurality of transmission coil units are provided to be spaced apart from each other.

9. The washing machine of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of reception coil units are insulated from each other, and the plurality of transmission coil units are insulated from each other.

10. The washing machine of claim 1 , wherein the guide rail electric wire is insulated from the guide rail.

11. The washing machine of claim 1 , further comprising a reception electric wire connecting the wireless power transmission unit and the guide rail electric wire.

12. The washing machine of claim 11 , further comprising:
a drum motor generating rotary force; and
a rotational shaft connecting the drum motor and the drum to transfer rotary force of the drum motor to the drum,
wherein the reception electric wire is connected to the guide rail electric wire through a hollow of the rotational shaft and the rear side of the drum, and across the outer side of the drum.

13. The washing machine of claim 11 , wherein the wireless power transmission unit comprises a plurality of transmission coil units and a plurality of reception coil units,
wherein the guide rail electric wire is provided as a plurality of guide rail electric wires and the reception electric wire is provided as a plurality of reception electric wires.

14. The washing machine of claim 6 , wherein the reception coil unit comprises a reception coil and a reception shielding member provided within the reception coil, and the transmission coil unit comprises a transmission coil and a transmission shielding member provided at an outer side the transmission coil.

15. The washing machine of claim 14 , wherein the reception coil unit further comprises a reception electric wire connected to the reception coil provided through a hollow of the rotational shaft.

16. The washing machine of claim 15 , wherein the reception electric wire is insulated from the rotational shaft.

17. The washing machine of claim 6 , wherein a plurality of transmission coil units are provided and a plurality of reception coil units are provided.

Assignees

• Park Jin Moo
• Kim Dong Won
• Min Byung Wook
• Seo Jeong Kyo
• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Park Jin Moo
• Kim Dong Won
• Min Byung Wook
• Seo Jeong Kyo

Classifications

• D06F37/22 Primary

  in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a horizontal axis · CPC title

• D06F37/225 Primary

  Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets · CPC title

• D06F37/203

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F33/02

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• F16F15/32

  Correcting- or balancing-weights or equivalent means for balancing rotating bodies, e.g. vehicle wheels {(suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by using freely rotating masses F16F15/14; compensation of inertia forces F16F15/22; compensating imbalance for testing purposes G01M1/30)} · CPC title