Home appliance

• US 10,327,283 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Euisung, Park, Sunyoung, Shin, Sungyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell, Thor S
• Application Number:
  US15/123,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20170019952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0283 For heating of fluids, e.g. water heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/06 Control, e.g. of temperature, of power
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/108 for heating a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/365 using supplementary conductive or ferromagnetic pieces

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a home appliance. The home appliance includes a dispensing port, a heating flow path part communicating with the dispensing port, a heating device for heating water flowing through the heating flow path part, and a controller controlling the heating device. The heating device includes a coil part in which coils are stacked in multilayers.

Claims

1. A home appliance comprising:

a dispensing port;

a heating flow path part communicated with the dispensing port;

a heating device configured to heat water flowing through the heating flow path part; and

a controller configured to control the heating device,

wherein the heating device comprises a coil part in which coils are stacked in multilayers,

wherein the coil part is provided outside of the heating flow path part,

wherein the coil part is spaced a predetermined distance from the heating flow path part,

wherein the coil part and the heating flow path part face each other, and

wherein the at least one portion of the heating flow path part is a magnetic substance.

2. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the heating device comprises a frame on which the coil part is seated, and

the frame is coupled to the heating flow path part.

3. The home appliance according to claim 2, wherein the frame comprises a spacer spacing the heating flow path part from the coil part by a predetermined distance.

4. The home appliance according to claim 2, further comprising a sensor to detect a temperature of the heating flow path part, wherein the sensor is disposed within a region defined by the coil part.

5. The home appliance according to claim 4, wherein the frame comprises an opening through which at least one of an input end or an output end of the coil part pass, and

the sensor is disposed in the opening.

6. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the heating flow path part comprises:

a first guide comprising an inflow part and a discharge part; and

a second guide coupled to the first guide and defining a heating flow path through which water flows together with the first guide, and

wherein the second guide is a magnetic substance.

7. The home appliance according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input part to receive an input identifying a temperature of water dispensed from the dispensing port; and

wherein the controller configured to adjust current applied to the coil part according to the temperature inputted through the input part.

8. The home appliance according to claim 7, further comprising a discharge-water temperature sensor to detect a temperature of hot water discharged from the heating flow path part,

wherein the controller adjusts the current applied to the coil part so that the temperature inputted from the input part is the same as the temperature detected from the discharge-water temperature sensor.

9. The home appliance according to claim 7, further comprising an driving source operating by receiving current,

wherein the controller controls current of the driving source according to the current supplied to the heating device.

10. The home appliance according to claim 7, further comprising:

an inflow-water temperature sensor to detect a temperature of water supplied to the heating flow path part;

a flow rate sensor to detect a flow rate of the water supplied to the heating flow path part; and

a discharge-water temperature sensor to detect a temperature of hot water discharged from the heating flow path part,

wherein, in an initial operation stage of the heating device, the controller determines a current value to be supplied to the coil part on the basis of information detected from the inflow-water temperature sensor and the flow rate sensor to apply the determined current value, and

while the heating device operates, the controller adjusts current supplied to the coil part on the basis of the temperature detected from the discharge-water temperature sensor.

11. The home appliance according to claim 7, further comprising:

an inflow-water temperature sensor to detect a temperature of water supplied to the heating flow path part; and

a valve to adjust a flow rate of water supplied to the heating flow path part,

wherein, in an initial operation stage of the heating device, the controller determines a flow rate of water to be supplied to the heating flow path part on the basis of a temperature of water detected from the inflow-water temperature sensor to control the valve so that the determined flow rate of water is supplied to the heating flow path part.

12. The home appliance according to claim 7, further comprising a discharge-water temperature sensor to detect a temperature of hot water discharged from the heating flow path part,

wherein, in an initial operation stage of the heating device, the controller supplies a preset amount of current to the coil part, and

while the heating device operates, the controller adjusts current applied to the coil part according to the temperature detected in the discharge-water temperature sensor.

13. The home appliance according to claim 7, wherein the controller is disposed on one side of the heating device, and

a shield plate for preventing the controller from being affected by a magnetic field of the coil part is disposed between the heating device and the controller.

14. A home appliance comprising:

a dispensing port;

a heating flow path part communicated with the dispensing port;

a heating device configured to heat water flowing through the heating flow path part; and

a controller configured to control the heating device,

wherein the heating flow path part comprises;

an inflow part to which water is introduced;

a discharge part from which the heated water is discharged; and

a heating flow path to connect the inflow part to the discharge part,

wherein a flow path guide for guiding flow of the water is disposed in the heating flow path so that the water uniformly flows between the inflow part and the discharge part, and

wherein the flow path guide comprises a plurality of holes through which the water passes, and

the plurality of holes are arranged in a direction crossing a direction in which the water flows in the heating flow path.

15. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of holes comprises:

a first hole defined adjacent to an end of the flow path guide; and

a second hole defined adjacent to a central side of the flow path guide, the second hole has a size different from that of the first hole.

16. The home appliance according to claim 15, wherein the second hole is defined adjacent to the discharge part when compared to the first hole.

17. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein the flow path guide is disposed adjacent to the discharge part when compared to the inflow part.

18. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein the flow path guide is defined in the heating flow path part by a forming process.

19. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein the heating flow path part comprises:

a first guide; and

a second guide defining the heating flow path together with the first guide, and

the flow path guide extends from the first guide toward the second guide and is spaced apart from the second guide.

20. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein the flow path guide is disposed on a line connecting the inflow part to the discharge part in the heating flow path so as to change a flow direction of the water introduced from the inflow part.

21. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein the heating device comprises a coil part having a ring shape, and the heating flow path part comprises:

a first portion facing the coil part; and

a second portion not facing the coil part, and

the flow path guide guides the flow of the water so that the water introduced from the inflow part flows toward the first portion.

22. The home appliance according to claim 21, wherein the flow path guide is disposed between the second portion and the inflow part.

23. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein a plurality of flow path guides are disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a direction parallel to the flow direction of the water between the inflow part and the discharge part.

24. The home appliance according to claim 23, wherein the plurality of flow path guides comprise:

a first flow path guide; and

a second flow path guide disposed in a region between the first flow path guide and the discharge part.

25. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein a plurality of flow path guides are arranged in a direction crossing the flow direction of the water between the inflow part and the discharge part.

26. The home appliance according to claim 25, wherein a distance between two adjacent flow path guides is greater than a distance between one flow path guide adjacent to a side wall of the heating flow path part and a side wall of the heating flow path part.

27. The home appliance according to claim 14, wherein the heating flow path part comprises a pair of corner parts allowing the heating flow path to gradually decrease in section area as the heating flow path is away from the inflow part, and

each of the pair of corner parts is rounded or inclined, and

the discharge part is disposed between the pair of corner parts.