Laundry machine

• US 8,677,785 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2009
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Han, Dong Joo, Son, Young Bok, Lim, Jae Yoen, Bang, Jong Chul, Cho, Ki Chul, Cho, In Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAN, NICOLE R
• Application Number:
  US12/432,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20100083711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 68/3.R
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/32 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/40 Opening or locking status of doors
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/28 Electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/30 Blowers
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2105/58 Indications or alarms to the control system or to the user
• 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 29/005 the other separate apparatus being a drying appliance
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/36 Control of operational steps, e.g. for optimisation or improvement of operational steps depending on the condition of the laundry

Abstract

A laundry machine includes a first laundry treatment space configured to receive laundry therein, a second laundry treatment space configured to receive laundry therein, and an air supply unit configured to supply air to the second laundry treatment space, the air supply unit comprising a fan, a heating part, a first sensor part for sensing a temperature of air supplied by the air supply unit, and a control part for controlling a temperature of the supplied air to be within a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A laundry machine comprising:

a cabinet;

a first laundry treatment space including a drum configured to receive laundry therein and wash the laundry;

a second laundry treatment space including a drawer configured to receive laundry therein and dry the laundry;

a single partition for partitioning an inner space of the cabinet into the first laundry treatment space and the second laundry treatment space, the single partition including a recess portion extending downwardly in an upper side of the single partition;

an air supply unit detachably mounted at the recess portion of the single partition in the first laundry treatment space and configured to supply air from the first laundry treatment space into the drawer of the second laundry treatment space independent of air supply to the drum, the air supply unit comprising;

a fan;

a heating part;

a first sensor part for sensing a temperature of air supplied by the air supply unit; and

a housing,

wherein the fan, the heater, an air inlet and an air outlet are provided at the housing;

a sensing part sensing whether the drawer provided in the second laundry treatment space is moved open; and

a control part configured to control the heating part based on a sensed temperature of the first sensor part, a first reference temperature and a second reference temperature, control the heating part to be off in case the drawer is moving open, and control the fan to be off after a predetermined time period.

2. The laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the control part controls the heating part and the fan to be off after an operation time period of selected course.

3. The laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the control part controls the fan to be on at a starting time of the operation of the air supply unit.

4. The laundry machine of claim 3, wherein the control part controls the heating part to be on, in case the sensed temperature is below the first reference temperature.

5. The laundry machine of claim 4, wherein the control part controls the heating part to be off, in case the sensed temperature is over the second reference temperature.

6. The laundry machine of claim 5, wherein a driving time of the fan is substantially longer than a driving time of the heating part.

7. The laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the control part is further configured to control a temperature of the supplied air to be within a predeteimined range of 10 to 20°

C.

8. The laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the first sensor part is provided at an end of a path through which air is discharged from the air supply unit.

9. The laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the control part controls the predetermined time period based on a circumstance temperature.

10. The laundry machine of claim 9, wherein the control part controls the predetermined time period longer than reference time, in case the circumstance temperature is over a reference temperature.

11. The laundry machine of claim 9, wherein the control part controls the fan to be on at a starting time of the operation of the air supply unit, and wherein the control part measures the circumstance temperature by the first sensor part when the fan is on.

12. The laundry machine of claim 1, further comprising a display part displaying information on the air supply unit, wherein the control part displays the remaining time of the operation of the air supply unit in the display part.

13. The laundry machine of claim 1, further comprising a second sensor part for sensing a temperature of the heating part, wherein the control part controls the heating part to be off in case that the heating part is overheated.

14. The laundry machine of claim 13, further comprising a fuse for turning off the heating part, in case the heating part is overheated.

15. The laundry machine of claim 1, wherein the control part controls the fan and the heating part to be on at a starting time of the operation of the air supply unit.

16. The laundry machine of claim 15, wherein the control part controls the heating part to be off, in case the sensed temperature is over the second reference temperature, and the control part controls the heating part to be on, in case the sensed temperature is below the first reference temperature.