LAUNDRY TREATING MACHINE

• US 20130212894A1
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hyojun Kim, Junghoon Lee
• Inventors: LEE, Junghoon, KIM, Hyojun, KIM, Woore
• Granted Patent: US 9,441,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/82
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 25/00 Washing machines with receptacles, e.g. perforated, having a rotary movement, e.g. oscillatory movement, the receptacle serving both for washing and for centrifugally separating water from the laundry and having further drying means, e.g. using hot air control of washing or of washing and drying D06F33/00, D06F34/00; domestic laundry dryers D06F58/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/088 Liquid supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/22 Lint collecting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/24 Condensing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 21/003 Supply-air or gas filters

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry treating machine, and more particularly, a laundry treating machine including an air supply unit for supplying air, a tub for having the air supplied thereto from the air supply unit to treat the laundry, the tub having an air recovery opening formed in an outside circumferential surface thereof for recovery of the air to the air supply unit, a lint filter mounted to an inside of the air recovery opening for filtering the lint from the air, and a filter cleaning unit for spraying cleaning water toward the lint filter to separate the lint from the lint filter, wherein the filter cleaning unit is extended and branched to the inside of the air recovery opening for spraying the cleaning water to the lint filter.

Claims

1. A laundry treating machine comprising:

an air supply unit for supplying air;

a tub for having the air supplied thereto from the air supply unit to treat the laundry, the tub having an air recovery opening formed in an outside circumferential surface thereof for recovery of the air to the air supply unit;

a lint filter mounted to an inside of the air recovery opening extended along an inside circumferential surface of the tub for filtering the lint from the air; and

a filter cleaning unit for spraying cleaning water from the inside of the air recovery opening toward an inside of the tub and from an upper side of the lint filter to separate the lint from the lint filter.

2. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air supply unit is positioned on an upper side of the tub for supplying the air to a front of the tub, and circulating the air through the air recovery opening.

3. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the air supply unit includes;

a fan positioned over the air recovery opening for moving the air,

a heating duct for heating the air being moved by the fan, and

an air discharge hole for supplying the air heated at the heating duct to the front of the tub.

4. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tub has an inside circumferential surface of the tub used as a condensing surface for condensing moisture contained in the air.

5. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cleaning water sprayed from the filter cleaning unit is used as cooling water for cooling down the condensing surface of the tub.

6. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter cleaning unit includes;

a cleaning water line for supplying the cleaning water, and

a distribution nozzle unit for spraying the cleaning water being supplied from the cleaning water line.

7. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein the distribution nozzle unit includes;

a fastening portion connected to the cleaning water line fastened to the air recovery opening detachably,

an extension coupled to the fastening portion to extend toward the inside of the air recovery opening, and

a nozzle portion branched from the extension for spraying the cleaning water to the lint filter.

8. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the extension is extended to a position having a largest width of the air recovery opening, and the nozzle portion has first and second nozzle portions extended from an end portion of the extension toward width directions of the air recovery opening.

9. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein the distribution nozzle unit further includes;

a bend portion coupled to an end of the extension to be rotatable in a vertical direction of the extension and bent toward the lint filter, and

a rotatable distribution portion coupled to the bend portion to be rotatable in a horizontal direction of the bend portion for having the first and second nozzle portions coupled thereto to branch and supply the cleaning water.

10. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first and second nozzle portions include a plurality of nozzles for spraying the cleaning water to a tangential direction of the lint filter.

11. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the extension is extended to the other side of the air recovery opening, and the nozzle portion includes one pair of nozzle portions extended from the end of the extension to curve along a curved surface of the inside circumferential surface of the air recovery opening.

12. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one pair of nozzle portions are extended to tilt along a slope of the lint filter.

13. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one pair of nozzle portions include a plurality of nozzles for spraying the cleaning water in a tangential direction of the lint filter.

14. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the extension is extended to the other side of the air recovery opening, and the nozzle portion includes one pair of nozzle portions extended perpendicular to the extension from the end of the extension.

15. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the one pair of nozzle portions include a plurality of nozzles for spraying the cleaning water to a tangential direction of the lint filter.

16. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the one pair of nozzle portions include a plurality of nozzles for spraying the cleaning water at a slant to widen spread of the cleaning water in a width direction of the lint filter.

17. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lint filter includes;

a filter frame formed in conformity with an inside shape of the air recovery opening to form a space for flow of the air, and

a filter provided to the space in the filter frame for filtering the lint.

18. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filter frame includes a reflective plate for shielding a portion of the filter for preventing the cleaning water sprayed from the filter cleaning unit from introducing to the inside of the tub.

19. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filter frame further includes at least a guide rib extended along the curved slope of the filter.

20. The laundry treating machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter cleaning unit is formed passed through the air recovery opening to position at one side of the air recovery opening.