Laundry treating apparatus

• US 10,648,118 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: An, Kiyong, Park, Minho, Choi, Kihoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L.
• Application Number:
  US15/643,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20180010283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/04 adapted for rotation or oscillation about a horizontal or inclined axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/22 in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/225 Damping vibrations by displacing, supplying or ejecting a material, e.g. liquid, into or from counterbalancing pockets
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/42 Safety arrangements, e.g. for stopping rotation of the receptacle upon opening of the casing door
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/12 Casings; Tubs
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/04 Details controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/02 Suppression of vibrations of non-rotating, e.g. reciprocating systems; Suppression of vibrations of rotating systems by use of members not moving with the rotating systems F16F15/005 takes precedence ; layered products B32B; suppression of vibration in ships B63; relieving load on bearings, using magnetic means F16C39/06
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2222/04 Friction
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/08 with friction surfaces rectilinearly movable along each other F16F7/01 takes precedence ; one of the members being a spring F16F13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/1028 the inertia-producing means being a constituent part of the system which is to be damped
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/108 on plastics springs

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus is provided. The laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet, a drum accommodated in the cabinet, a tub accommodating the drum, and a dynamic absorber provided to absorb oscillation of the cabinet. The dynamic absorber includes a support plate coupled to the cabinet, a moving mass provided on the support plate, and a slider interposed between the moving mass and the support plate to apply a frictional force to attenuate a reciprocating motion of the moving mass.

Claims

1. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:

a cabinet;

a drum accommodated in the cabinet;

a tub accommodating the drum; and

a dynamic dampener provided to dampen oscillations of the cabinet, wherein the dynamic dampener includes;

a support plate coupled to the cabinet;

a mass body provided on the support plate; and

a friction plate interposed between the mass body and the support plate to apply a friction force to attenuate a relative motion of the mass body,

wherein the support plate includes;

a projection extending from an outer edge of the support plate to define an accommodation groove in the support plate to receive the mass body;

a first cabinet coupling extension extending from a first side edge of the projection and coupled to the cabinet; and

a second cabinet coupling extension extending from a second side edge of the projection and coupled to the cabinet.

2. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic dampener further includes one or more elastic dampers provided on opposing side edges of the mass body.

3. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of the mass body accommodation groove in a first direction is greater than a length of the mass body in the first direction,

the first direction is a moving direction of the mass body, and

an elastic damper is provided in a space defined between of the mass body and the mass body accommodation groove.

4. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of forming protrusions are defined on a bottom surface of the mass body accommodation groove, and the plurality of forming protrusions extend in the first direction and are spaced apart from each other in a second direction crossing the first direction, wherein the first direction corresponds to a moving direction of the mass body.

5. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a recess is further provided between adjacent pairs of the forming protrusions,

each of the plurality of forming protrusions has a length corresponding to a width of the mass body accommodation groove in the first direction, and

the recess has a length less than the width of the mass body accommodation groove in the first direction.

6. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a height of the projection from the bottom surface of the mass body accommodation groove is greater of a height of the plurality of forming protrusions from the bottom surface of the mass body accommodation groove.

7. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection is positioned around a periphery of the mass body.

8. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the support plate is provided on an upper end of the cabinet,

the mass body moves horizontally on the support plate, and

the first and second cabinet coupling extensions are coupled to left and right upper ends of the cabinet, respectively.

9. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the friction plate includes:

a lower slider mounted on the support plate; and

an upper slider mounted on a bottom surface of the mass body and slidably movable on a top surface of the lower slider, and

wherein the friction plate includes a plastic material associated with a predetermined frictional force.

10. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the upper slider includes:

an upper slider body;

a plurality of coupling protrusions protruding from a top surface of the upper slider body; and

a plurality of slider rails protruding from a bottom surface of the upper slider body, and

wherein the lower slider comprises;

a lower slider body;

a plurality of second coupling protrusions protruding from a bottom surface of the lower slider body; and

at least one rail accommodation groove recessed from a top surface of the lower slider body to accommodate the plurality of slider rails.

11. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of upper slider coupling holes are defined in the mass body to receive the plurality of first coupling protrusions, and

a plurality of lower slider coupling holes are defined in the support plate to receive the plurality of second coupling protrusions.

12. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one rail accommodation groove includes two rail accommodation grooves divided by a partition wall, and

at least two of the slider rails are accommodated into each of the two rail accommodation grooves.

13. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the dynamic dampener further includes an elastic damper provided on a side edge of the mass body,

a coupling arm protrudes from a bottom surface of the elastic damper, and

a coupling hole, into which the coupling arm is fitted, is defined in the support plate.

14. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an elastic groove is defined inside the elastic damper,

the elastic groove is recessed downward from a top surface of the elastic damper or recessed upward from a bottom surface of the elastic damper, and

the elastic groove is defined between a surface coming into contact with the mass body and the coupling arm.

15. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mass body is a single metal plate or a plurality of metal plates that are coupled together.

16. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic dampener has an oscillation absorption width in a range of 300 rpm to 400 rpm.

17. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic dampener has a mass ratio of 4% to 10% with respect to the laundry treating apparatus.

18. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic dampener has a mass ratio of 7% with respect to the laundry treating apparatus.

19. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mass body has a mass in a range of 3.5 kg to 10.5 kg.

20. A laundry treating apparatus comprising:

a cabinet;

a drum accommodated in the cabinet;

a tub accommodating the drum; and

a dynamic dampener provided to dampen oscillations of the cabinet, wherein the dynamic dampener includes;

a support plate coupled to the cabinet;

a mass body provided on the support plate; and

a friction plate interposed between the mass body and the support plate to apply a friction force to attenuate a relative motion of the mass body,

wherein the support plate includes a projection extending from an outer edge of the support plate to define an accommodation groove in the support plate to receive the mass body,

wherein the friction plate includes;

a lower slider mounted on the support plate; and

an upper slider mounted on a bottom surface of the mass body and slidably movable on a top surface of the lower slider,

wherein the friction plate includes a plastic material associated with a predetermined frictional force,

wherein the upper slider includes;

an upper slider body;

a plurality of coupling protrusions protruding from a top surface of the upper slider body; and

a plurality of slider rails protruding from a bottom surface of the upper slider body, and

wherein the lower slider comprises;

a lower slider body;

a plurality of second coupling protrusions protruding from a bottom surface of the lower slider body; and

at least one rail accommodation groove recessed from a top surface of the lower slider body to accommodate the plurality of slider rails.