EP3690104B1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: EP3690104B1
Application number: EP19215945.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Min Soo Seo; Jun Young Kim; Hong Min Lee
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2019-02-01
Filing date: 2019-12-13
Publication date: 2021-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-13
Also published as: CN111519395A; AU2021245188A1; AU2020200282B2; EP3690104A1; US20200248363A1; AU2020200282A1

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This present application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2019-0013925, entitled "LAUNDRY TREATING APPARATUS," filed on February 1, 2019 and Korean Patent Application No.10-2019-0130784, entitled "LAUNDRY TREATING APPARATUS," filed on October 21, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a laundry treating apparatus having a rotary drum in which lifters are provided.

Description of Related Art

Korean Utility Model Registration No.20-0358903 discloses a washing machine having a drum in which lifters are provided. A hook protrudes from one surface of the lifter, and a hook throughhole is formed in the drum such that the hook is caught by the hook throughhole.
The hook includes a neck extending from a lifter main body, and a head expanding from an end of the neck so as to have a larger width than the neck. The lifter is installed such that the head is caught by an outer surface of the drum in a state in which the neck is positioned in the hook throughhole.
However, in order to injection-mold the lifter having the hook as described above, a mold includes an upper mold configured to form an upper surface of the lifter main body, and a lower mold configured to form a lower surface of the lifter main body. However, there is a disadvantage in that undercutting occurs due to a part of the head vertically overlapping the lifter main body.
EP 3 190 220 (A2) relates to a lifter used for a laundry treating apparatus.
US 2013/081432 (A1) relates to a washing machine having lifters to lift and drop laundry in a drum.
DE 23 10 435 (A1) relates to a drum for washing machines or tumble dryers with one or more driver ribs consisting essentially of plastic, which are connected to the drum shell with the aid of sheet metal flaps to be bent or the like.
EP 3 138 946 (A1) relates to a laundry treating apparatus which performs washing by tumbling laundry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a laundry treating apparatus in which a lifter provided in a drum includes a lifter frame coupled to the drum, and a lifter cover configured to cover the lifter frame, in which the lifter frame may be easily formed by injection molding.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a laundry treating apparatus in which there is no restriction in terms of installation direction during a process of installing a lifter in a drum, and the lifter may thus be more easily installed in the drum.
Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a laundry treating apparatus capable of ensuring structural rigidity of a lifter installed in a drum and improving an aesthetic appearance of the interior of the drum by minimizing exposure of an unnecessary portion.
Aspects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other aspects not mentioned above may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.
In a laundry treating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a drum into which laundry has been inserted rotates about a predetermined rotation axis extending in a front-rear direction, and a lifter provided in the drum lifts up the laundry in the drum when the drum rotates.
The lifter includes a lifter frame and a lifter cover. An outer side of the lifter frame is covered by the lifter cover.
The lifter frame is made of synthetic resin and includes a frame base configured to adjoin an inner surface of the drum and having an opening portion, an insertion protrusion protruding from a bottom surface of the frame base, and a frame sidewall extending upward from the frame base and configured to cover at least a part of the opening portion.
A mounting slot is formed in the drum, and the insertion protrusion is inserted into the mounting slot. The insertion protrusion includes a vertical portion extending downward from the bottom surface of the frame base, and a catching portion bent toward the inside of the opening portion at a lower end of the vertical portion.
The lifter frame may have a catching protrusion protruding from an inner surface of the lifter frame and having a shape that is symmetrical based on a center in a plan view.
A planar shape of the frame cover may be formed to cover a region extending from the region in which any one of the mounting slots in a first group and the mounting slots in a second group is formed by a spacing distance between the mounting slots in the first group and the mounting slots in the second group.
The frame cover may be made of metal. The frame base may have a seating groove in which a lower end of the frame cover is seated. The seating groove may extend annularly along a circumference of the opening portion, and the catching portion may be disposed in an inner portion surrounded by the seating groove.
A coupling tab may be formed at the lower end of the frame cover, and a tab binding port through which the coupling tab passes may be formed in the seating groove.
The seating groove extends in the form of a closed curve along a circumference of the lifter frame, and a horizontal projection plane of the insertion protrusion may be positioned in the closed curve of the seating groove.
The mounting slot may include an insertion section S1 having a width W1 through which the catching portion passes, and a binding section S2 extending forward or rearward from the insertion section and having a width W2 smaller than a width of the catching portion.
The lifter frame may include a frame upper plate disposed at a position spaced apart from the frame base in a radial direction of the drum and connected to the frame base through the frame sidewall, and a fastening boss protruding from a bottom surface of the frame upper plate. The drum may have a fastening hole fastened to the fastening boss by means of a predetermined fastening member.
The pair of lifters may be spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction of the drum.
The frame base may include left and right sides that extend in the front-rear direction and are formed to be parallel to each other. The tab binding port may be formed in at least one of the left side or the right side, and the coupling tab configured to be inserted into the tab binding port may be formed at the lower end of the lifter cover.
The insertion protrusions may be formed at the left side and the right side, respectively. The catching portion of the insertion protrusion formed at the left side may be bent rightward from the vertical portion, and the catching portion of the insertion protrusion formed at the right side may be bent leftward from the vertical portion.
According to the laundry treating apparatus of the present disclosure, in which the lifter includes the lifter frame coupled to the drum, and the lifter cover configured to cover the lifter frame, the catching protrusion is formed to be symmetrical in a plan view. Accordingly, the catching protrusion may be installed to come into contact with the catching tab in any direction, even when the front and rear positions of the lifter are changed during the process of installing the lifter in the drum.
In addition, according to the laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure, the operation of assembling the drum and the lifter may be easily performed without considering the directionality of the lifter during the process of installing a plurality of lifters in the drum.
In addition, according to the laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure, the installation position of the lifter may be changed depending on the type of drum, an extra mounting slot for changing the installation position may be covered by the frame cover.
In addition, according to the laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure, the forming position of the insertion protrusion is disposed inward from the forming position of the coupling tab. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a particular portion from being structurally weakened and the insertion protrusion may be covered by the frame cover.
In addition, according to the laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure, the fastening boss is formed on the upper surface of the lifter frame that has relatively high rigidity. Accordingly, fastening force may be further increased when the fastening boss and the fastening hole are fastened by means of the fastening member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description of the following aspects in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a laundry treating apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lifter illustrated inFIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lifter illustrated inFIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a plan projection view of the lifter illustrated inFIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a raw material (a) cut to manufacture a large-capacity drum, and a raw material (b) cut to manufacture a small-capacity drum;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view (a) of a part of the drum corresponding to a part A illustrated inFIG. 5 and an enlarged view (b) of a part of the drum corresponding to a part B illustrated inFIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view (a) of a part B of the drum illustrated in (a) ofFIG. 5 and an enlarged view (b) of a part C of the drum illustrated in (b) ofFIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a lifter frame, andFIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the lifter frame;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A illustrated inFIG. 2;
FIG. 11 is a front view of the lifter frame, andFIG. 12 is a side view of the lifter frame;
FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a frame cover,FIG. 14 is a front view of the frame cover, andFIG. 15 is a side view of the frame cover;
FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a pair of front and rear lifters illustrated inFIG. 1;
FIG. 17 is a view illustrating the lifters illustrated inFIG. 16 when viewed from a front side;
FIG. 18 is a view (a) illustrating a state in which the drum illustrated inFIG. 1 is deployed and a developed view (b) of the drum having the lifters disposed according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 19 is a view (a) illustrating a change in height of a first fabric caused by the rear lifter in accordance with a rotation angle of the drum and a view (b) illustrating a change in height of a second fabric caused by the front lifter that constitutes a set together with the rear lifter;
FIG. 20 is a view illustrating an inner circumferential surface of a drum having mounting slots according to a modified example, in which (a) illustrates a small-capacity drum and (b) illustrates a large-capacity drum; and
FIG. 21 is a view illustrating another exemplary embodiment of the lifter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods for achieving them will become apparent from the descriptions of aspects herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects disclosed herein but may be implemented in various different forms. The aspects are provided to make the description of the present disclosure thorough and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It is to be noted that the scope of the present disclosure is defined only by the claims.
The shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, the number of elements given in the drawings are merely exemplary, and thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated details. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.
In relation to describing the present disclosure, when the detailed description of the relevant known technology is determined to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description may be omitted.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "including," and "having," are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The terms "connected" and "coupled" are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and can include electrical connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect. The connection can be such that the objects are permanently connected or releasably connected. The term "communicatively coupled" is defined as connected, either directly or indirectly through intervening components, and the connections are not necessarily limited to physical connections, but are connections that accommodate the transfer of data, fluids, or other matter between the so-described components.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as "inner," "outer," "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The term "or" as used herein is to be interpreted as an inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Therefore, "A, B or C" means any of the following: "A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C". An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive.
Hereinafter, a washing machine will be described as an example of a laundry treating apparatus, but the laundry treating apparatus is not limited to the washing machine. The laundry treating apparatus is an apparatus for treating laundry (or an object to be dried) such as clothes inputted into adrum 51 and may be a dryer or a washing-drying machine.
Referring toFIG. 1, a laundry treating apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include acasing 13 configured to define an exterior, awater storage tub 31 disposed in thecasing 13 and configured to store washing water, awashing tub 50 rotatably installed in thewater storage tub 31 and configured to receive inserted laundry, and amotor 25 configured to rotate thewashing tub 50. Adamper 16 configured to absorb vibration of thewater storage tub 31 may be provided in thecasing 13.
Adrum 51 may be rotated about a rotation axis O extending in a front-rear direction, and thedrum 51 may constitute thewashing tub 50. The rotation axis is approximately horizontal. However, the term "horizontal" does not mean "geometrically horizontal" in a strict sense. In a case in which an inclination is closer to a horizontal axis than a vertical axis even though the inclination is formed at a certain angle with respect to the horizontal axis as illustrated inFIG. 1, it will be said that thedrum 51 or thewashing tub 50 is rotated about the horizontal axis.
A laundry insertion port is formed in a front surface of thecasing 13, and adoor 21 configured to open or close the laundry insertion port may be rotatably provided on thecasing 13. Atubular gasket 22 is provided such that the laundry insertion port and an inlet of thewater storage tub 31 communicate with each other. Thegasket 22 is made of a soft material (for example, rubber). A front end of thegasket 22 may be connected to a circumference of the laundry insertion port of thecasing 13, and a rear end of thegasket 22 may be connected to a circumference of the inlet of thewater storage tub 31.
Awater supply valve 33, awater supply pipe 34, and awater supply hose 37 may be installed in thecasing 13. When thewater supply valve 33 is opened and the washing water is supplied, the washing water that has passed through thewater supply pipe 34 may be mixed with detergent in adispenser 35 that stores the detergent, and then the washing water may be supplied to thewater storage tub 31 through thewater supply hose 37.
An input port of apump 24 is connected to thewater storage tub 31 through thedrain hose 17, and a discharge port of thepump 24 is connected to drainpipes 19. The water discharged from thewater storage tub 31 through thedrain hose 17 is pumped by thepump 24, flows through thedrain pipes 19, and then is discharged to the outside of the laundry treating apparatus.
Thewashing tub 50 may include thedrum 51, afront cover 52 coupled to a front end of thedrum 51, and arear cover 53 coupled to a rear end of thedrum 51. Thedrum 51 may be formed in the form of a tubular (or cylindrical) body made by rolling up a metal plate (for example, made of stainless steel) having a plurality ofthroughholes 51h (seeFIG. 5) and then joining both ends of the metal plate. The water stored in thewater storage tub 31 may be introduced into thewashing tub 50 through thethroughholes 51h. A plurality of embossedportions 51a (seeFIG. 5), which are convexly formed by plastic processing, may be formed on an inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51, and thethroughholes 51h may be formed between theembossed portions 51a.
An opening portion may be formed in thefront cover 52 so that laundry may be inserted into thedrum 51. The inlet of thewater storage tub 31 communicates with the opening portion. Thefront cover 52 may be made of the same type of material as thedrum 51.
Therear cover 53 closes an opened rear side of thedrum 51, and aspider 26 connected to a drivingshaft 25a of themotor 25 may be coupled to a rear surface of therear cover 53. Thespider 26 is configured to transmit rotational force of the drivingshaft 25a to thewashing tub 50, and the drivingshaft 25a of themotor 25 may be coupled to a center of thespider 26.
A plurality oflifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b are provided in thedrum 51. When thedrum 51 is rotated, the laundry is lifted up by thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b.
Themultiple lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a include first and second lifters disposed in the front-rear direction of thedrum 51. Hereinafter, an example in which the first lifters arefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and the second lifters arerear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b spaced rearward apart from the front lifters will be described. However, the first lifter may be the rear lifter and the second lifter may be the front lifter depending on the embodiment.
Referring toFIGS. 1 and18, the plurality offront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a, together with the plurality ofrear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b, define sets (or pairs), respectively. Three sets of lifters 61 (61a and 61b), 62 (62a and 62b), and 63 (63a and 63b) may be disposed at equal angles about the rotation axis O, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, four sets of lifters may be disposed at an interval of 90 degrees or five sets of lifters may be disposed at an interval of 72 degrees about the rotation axis O.
Hereinafter, an example in which thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b have the same structure will be described, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.
Referring toFIGS. 2 to 4, each of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b includes alifter frame 620 fixed to thedrum 51, and aframe cover 640 configured to cover thelifter frame 620. Theframe cover 640 protrudes radially inward (toward the inside of the drum 51) from the inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51 and comes into contact with the laundry. Theframe cover 640 is fixed to thedrum 51 by means of thelifter frame 620 instead of being fixed directly to thedrum 51.
Thelifter frame 620 may be made of synthetic resin. Thelifter frame 620 is preferably formed by injection molding, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
A lifter made of metal is not only excellent in strength, but also luxurious and hygienic. In order to couple the lifter directly to a drum made of metal, it is necessary to weld the lifter to a raw material cut out in a shape of the deployed drum, roll up the raw material in a cylindrical shape, and then weld together the ends of the raw material where they meet each other. However, raw material that was flat becomes curved during the process of rolling up the raw material, and as a result, there is a concern that stress may be applied to the welded portions between the lifter and the drum and cause the welded portions to separate.
In order to address this concern, the present disclosure proposes a configuration in which aframe cover 640 made of metal is fixed to thedrum 51 by means of alifter frame 620 made of synthetic resin.
Meanwhile, referring toFIG. 3 andFIGs. 8 to 12, the whole of anouter surface 620a (seeFIG. 8) of thelifter frame 620 has a convex shape, and aninner surface 620b (seeFIG. 9) of thelifter frame 620 has a concave shape. Specifically, thelifter frame 620 may include aframe base 621, a frameupper plate 623, and aframe sidewall 622.
Theframe base 621 is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51. Theframe base 621 may have a ring shape (or a closed shape formed by a single line) opened at a central portion thereof.
The frameupper plate 623 is spaced apart from theframe base 621 in the direction toward the inside of thedrum 51 and connected to theframe base 621 by means of theframe sidewall 622. Theframe sidewall 622 may be formed in the form of a tubular (or cylindrical) body, such that a lower end of theframe sidewall 622 is connected to theframe base 621, and an upper end of theframe sidewall 622 is connected to the frameupper plate 623.
Theframe sidewall 622 is shaped such that a contour of a cross section thereof gradually decreases upward from the lower end connected to the frame base 621 (or in the radial direction of the drum 51) (or gradually decreases in a direction away from the inner circumferential surface of the drum 51), and the contour of the cross section is smallest at a portion that meets the frameupper plate 623.
One or more water flow inlet holes may be formed in thedrum 51 so as to allow the washing water stored in thewater storage tub 31 to be introduced to the inside of theframe cover 640. Any opening portion formed in a region covered by theframe cover 640 may be a water flow inlet hole. For example, some of thethroughholes 51h, which are positioned inside theframe cover 640, may be water flow inlet holes. Furthermore, mountingslots 511a and 511b,fastening holes 513a and 513b, and openingportions 512a and 512b, which will be described below, may be water flow inlet holes.
One or more water flow throughholes 624 and 624a may be formed in thelifter frame 620. Any opening may be a water flow throughhole 624 as long as the opening is formed in thelifter frame 620 and allows the inside and the outside of thelifter frame 620 to communicate with each other.
The water flow throughhole 624 may be formed in theframe sidewall 622 and/or the frameupper plate 623. The washing water stored in the concave space of thelifter frame 620 may be discharged through thewater flow throughhole 624.
One or more waterflow discharge holes 646h may be formed in theframe cover 640 to discharge the washing water in thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b into thedrum 51. The washing water in the concave space inside thelifter frame 620 may pass through the water flow throughhole 624, and then may be discharged into thedrum 51 through the waterflow discharge hole 646h.
Anouter surface 640a of theframe cover 640, which is exposed to the inside of thedrum 51 and comes into contact with the laundry, has a convex shape, and an inner surface of theframe cover 640 has a concave shape that corresponds to the convexouter surface 620a of thelifter frame 620. Theframe cover 640 may be made of metal, preferably stainless steel, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Theframe cover 640 may be formed by plastically processing (for example, pressing) a metal plate having a predetermined thickness.
Theframe cover 640 may include acover sidewall 645 extending upward from a lower end adjoining theframe base 621, and a coverupper plate 646 configured to cover an upper side of thecover sidewall 645. The coverupper plate 646 is approximately parallel to the frameupper plate 623. The plurality of waterflow discharge holes 646h may be formed in the coverupper plate 646.
Thecover sidewall 645 is shaped such that a contour of a cross section thereof gradually decreases upward from the lower end (or in the radial direction of the drum 51) (or gradually decreases in the direction away from the inner circumferential surface of the drum 51), and the contour of the cross section is smallest at a portion that meets the coverupper plate 646.
Thelifter frame 620 includesspacers 625 that protrude from the frameupper plate 623 and allow theframe cover 640 to be spaced apart from the frameupper plate 623. Thespacer 625 protrudes from the frameupper plate 623 to the inner surface of theframe cover 640.
The inner surface of theframe cover 640 may be spaced apart from the frameupper plate 623 to a degree equal to or greater than a length (or height) of thespacer 625 protruding from the frameupper plate 623. Thespacer 625 may be spaced apart from the inner surface of theframe cover 640 at a predetermined distance. In this case, the inner surface of theframe cover 640 is spaced apart from the frameupper plate 623 at a distance equal to a sum of the height of thespacer 625 and the interval between thespacer 625 and the inner surface of theframe cover 640. When theframe cover 640 is pressed by external force, theframe cover 640 comes into contact with the frameupper plate 623, such that theframe cover 640 is prevented from being deformed any further.
Alternatively, thespacer 625 may be configured to come into contact with theframe cover 640, depending on the embodiment. In this case, thespacer 625 protrudes from theouter surface 620a of thelifter frame 620 and adjoins the inner surface of theframe cover 640. Because thespacer 625 supports the inner surface of theframe cover 640 in the state in which the frameupper plate 623 is spaced apart from theframe cover 640, the state in which theframe cover 640 is spaced apart from the frameupper plate 623 may be maintained even though theframe cover 640 is pressed toward thelifter frame 620 by external force.
Thespacer 625 may have a cross-shaped rib structure. Specifically, thespacer 625 may include avertical rib 625a extending on the frameupper plate 623 in a longitudinal direction of the lifter frame 620 (or the front-rear direction), and ahorizontal rib 625b extending while crossing thevertical rib 625a. Thevertical rib 625a and thehorizontal rib 625b may be orthogonal to each other.
Referring toFIG. 10, the inner surface of the coverupper plate 646 may be spaced apart from the outer surface of the frameupper plate 623. That is, a predetermined separation space (or a gap gl) may be formed between the inner surface of the coverupper plate 646 and the outer surface of the frameupper plate 623, and the separation space g1 may serve as a flow path that guides the washing water to the waterflow discharge hole 646h.
A separation space g2 may also be formed between theframe sidewall 622 and thecover sidewall 645. Aseating groove 621r (seeFIGS. 8 and9) to be described below is formed in theframe base 621 and disposed at a position toward the outside of theframe base 621 spaced apart from theframe sidewall 622 at a predetermined distance. Therefore, the lower end of thecover sidewall 645 positioned in theseating groove 621r is spaced apart from theframe sidewall 622. Because the lower end of theframe cover 640 is spaced apart from theframe sidewall 622 by theseating groove 621r and the coverupper plate 646 is spaced apart from the frameupper plate 623 by thespacer 625, two points of theframe cover 640, which are the lower end of theframe cover 640 and the portion of theframe cover 640 supported by thespacer 625, are forcibly spaced apart from thelifter frame 620, and as a result, the state in which thecover sidewall 645 positioned between the two points is spaced apart from thelifter frame 620 is maintained.
The washing water introduced into each of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b is introduced into the separation spaces g1 and g2, and water flows formed in the separation spaces g1 and g2 during the rotation of thewashing tub 50 clean the outer surface of thelifter frame 620 and the inner surface of theframe cover 640. Foreign substances produced during the cleaning process may be discharged through the waterflow discharge hole 646h formed in theframe cover 640 or through the water flow inlet hole formed in thedrum 51. The flow paths are formed between thelifter frame 620 and theframe cover 640 by the separation spaces g1 and g2, and as a result, this configuration may be advantageous in maintaining thelifters 61a, 62a, 63a, 61b, 62b, and 63b in a clean state.
Theframe cover 640 may havedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 formed at the positions corresponding to thespacers 625. That is, thespacers 625 may be disposed below thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644. In the case in which the plurality ofspacers 625 are formed in the exemplary embodiment, the plurality ofdomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may be formed at the positions corresponding to the plurality ofspacers 625, respectively.
Thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may be formed on the coverupper plate 646. An inner surface of each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644, which faces thespacer 625, may be concavely formed, and an outer surface of each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may be convexly formed. The concave inner surface of each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may come into contact with thespacer 625.
Thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 are convexly formed by pressing the coverupper plate 646, which is made of metal. The plurality ofdomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may be disposed in the longitudinal direction of the cover upper plate 646 (or the longitudinal direction of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b). The one or more waterflow discharge holes 646h may be formed between theadjacent domes 641, 642, 643, and 644.
Thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may include two or more domes of which the depth of the concave portion of the inner surfaces thereof is different from each other. In more detail, thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may includelarge domes 641 and 644, each of which have a concave portion of a first depth, andsmall domes 642 and 643, each of which have a concave portion of a second depth smaller than the first depth. The height of the spacers 625a and 625d corresponding to thelarge domes 641 and 644 may be greater than the height of thespacers 625b and 625c corresponding to thesmall domes 642 and 643.
Thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may include the two or more domes having different sizes. Each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 may have a circular shape, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. Here, the 'size' may be determined based on the shape when the concave portion of the inner surface of each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 are viewed from above, and for example, the 'size' may be defined as a diameter of the concave portion. However, since the difference between the inner diameter and the outer diameter of each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644 is merely due to the thickness of the material, the size may be defined based on the outer diameter of each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644.
The size of thespacer 625 may also vary depending on the size of each of thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644. That is, in the case in which there are thelarge domes 641 and 644 and thesmall domes 642 and 643 as illustrated inFIG. 13, thespacer 625 corresponding to thelarge domes 641 and 644 may be larger than thespacer 625 corresponding to thesmall domes 642 and 643.
The twosmall domes 643 and 644 may be positioned between the pair oflarge domes 641 and 642, and the waterflow discharge holes 646h may be formed between thedomes 641, 642, 643, and 644. The plurality of waterflow discharge holes 646h may be arranged in a direction crossing thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b (or a direction orthogonal to the length of each of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b).
The water stored in thewater storage tub 31 is introduced into thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b through the opening portion. Thelifter frame 620 is a structure having one or more of the water flow throughholes 624, and the water introduced into thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b may reach the waterflow discharge holes 646h through thewater flow throughholes 624.
The washing water introduced into thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b is raised by the rotation of thewashing tub 50 in the state in which the washing water is in thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b, and the washing water is discharged (or sprayed) through the water flow discharge holes 646h in this process.
Referring toFIGS. 2, 3,10, and13 to 15, theframe cover 640 may include one ormore washing protrusions 603 and 604 having a ring shape or one or more washing rings protruding from the outer surface of thecover sidewall 645. The plurality of washingprotrusions 603 and 604 may be disposed in parallel with one another. In the exemplary embodiment, twowashing protrusions 603 and 604 are provided, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. In the case in which theframe cover 640 is made of metal, thewashing protrusions 603 and 604 may be formed by pressing.
Each of thewashing protrusions 603 and 604 has a shape corresponding (or similar) to the contour of thecover sidewall 645, and preferably, the washing protrusion may protrude to a predetermined height from thecover sidewall 645. Since the contour of thecover sidewall 645 decreases upward, among the washingprotrusions 603 and 604, the washing protrusion that is positioned at an upper side is smaller than the other washing protrusion.
A frictional force applied between the laundry and thewashing protrusions 603 and 604 generates an effect of rubbing the laundry, thereby improving washing power. In addition, because thewashing protrusions 603 and 604 assist in the operation of lifting up the laundry, physical force (for example, force for lifting up or striking the laundry) of a level as in the related art may be applied to the laundry even when the height of each of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b is decreased to be smaller than that in the related art.
Theframe cover 640 may be coupled to thelifter frame 620. Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, one ormore coupling tabs 648 may be formed at the lower end of theframe cover 640. As illustrated inFIG. 14, thecoupling tabs 648 may be formed at aleft side 645L or aright side 645R at the lower end when theframe cover 640 is viewed from the front side. Theleft side 645L and theright side 645R may be straight sections extending in the front-rear direction.
Referring toFIGS. 8 and9,tab binding ports 621h, through which thecoupling tabs 648 pass from above, may be formed in thelifter frame 620. Thetab binding ports 621h may be formed at positions corresponding to thecoupling tabs 648, respectively. Acoupling tab 648 passes through thetab binding port 621h, and the passing portion of thecoupling tab 648 is bent and caught by a rim of thetab binding port 621h (or a bottom surface of the frame base 621), such that thelifter frame 620 and theframe cover 640 may be coupled to each other.
Meanwhile, theseating groove 621r, which corresponds to the lower end of theframe cover 640, may be formed in theframe base 621 of thelifter frame 620. The lower end of theframe cover 640 may be inserted and seated in theseating groove 621r. In this case, thetab binding port 621h may be formed in theseating groove 621r.
Hereinafter, a structure in which thelifter frame 620 and thedrum 51 are coupled to each other will be described.
Referring toFIGS. 8,9,11, and 12, one ormore insertion protrusions 627 may be formed on each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and/or therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b. Further, referring toFIGS. 5 to 7, thedrum 51 may have mounting slots 511a1 in a first group G1 and mounting slots 511a2 in a second group G2. Each of the groups G1 and G2 may include the one or more mounting slots 511a1(1) to 511a1(4). Here, the 'group' is a set of mounting slots and may include one or a plurality of mounting slots.
The mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 and the mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 may include a number of the mounting slots 511a1(1) to 511a1(4) and 511a2(1) to 511a2(4) that corresponds to the number of the one ormore insertion protrusions 627. That is, in the case in which the mounting slots in the first group G1 and the second group G2 are used to install thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a, the number of mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 and the number of mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 may correspond to the number ofinsertion protrusions 627 provided on each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a.
Likewise, depending on the embodiment, in the case in which the mounting slots in the first group G1 and the second group G2 are used to install therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b, the number of mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 and the number of mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 may correspond to the number ofinsertion protrusions 627 provided on each of therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b.
The one ormore insertion protrusions 627 formed on each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a or therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b may be selectively fastened to the mounting slots 511a2 in the first group G1 or the second group G2. The position at which the lifter is installed may be determined depending on whether the one ormore insertion protrusions 627 formed on each of thelifters 61a, 62a, 63a, 61b, 62b, and 63b are inserted into the mounting slots that constitute any one of the first group G1 or the second group G2.
Hereinafter, the example in which the mountingslots 511a, which constitute the first group G1 and the second group G2, are used to install thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a will be described, but the mounting slots may be formed in the same manner in order to install therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b.
The mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 are formed in a region shifted rearward within a range in which the mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 overlap the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1. For reference, inFIG. 6, a first region M1 indicates a region in which the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 are formed, and a second region M2 indicates a region in which the mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 are formed. Hereinafter, as illustrated inFIG. 6, the mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 are disposed rearward from the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1.
Referring toFIGS. 5 to 7, the mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 are spaced apart from the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 in the rearward direction at a predetermined distance D. Therefore, when theinsertion protrusions 627 are installed in the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1, each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a is positioned further forward by a distance D in comparison with a case in which theinsertion protrusions 627 are installed in the mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2. As illustrated inFIG. 5, the metal plate of the large-capacity drum 51 further extends forward by a distance E in comparison with a case in which the drum is the small-capacity drum. In the case of the large-capacity drum (FIG. 5A), thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a are installed by using the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1, such that thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a may be installed relatively further forward in comparison with the case in which the drum is the small-capacity drum (FIG. 5B). Therefore, the laundry positioned in the region corresponding to the distance E may easily come into contact with thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a while thedrum 51 rotates.
The mountingslots 511a in the respective groups G1 and G2 may be disposed in rows in the front-rear direction. Particularly, the mountingslots 511a in each of the groups G1 and G2 are disposed in two rows. Further, when the entire configuration is viewed without distinguishing the groups, the mountingslots 511a may be arranged along common reference lines extending in the front-rear direction. Preferably, in the embodiment, the mounting slots are disposed on two straight lines parallel to each other.
In more detail, the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 may include two or more first mounting slots 511a1(1) and 511a1(2) arranged at a first interval T in a first row P1 extending in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 may further include two or more first mounting slots 511a1(3) and 511a1(4) arranged at the first interval T in a second row P2 parallel to the first row P1.
The mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 may include two or more second mounting slots 511a2(1) and 511a2(2) arranged in the first row P1 at positions shifted, by a second interval D smaller than the first interval T, rearward from the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1.
Furthermore, the mounting slots 511a2 in the second group G2 may further include two or more second mounting slots 511a2(3) and 511a2(4) arranged in the second row P2 at positions shifted, by the interval T, rearward from the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1.
Hereinafter, the mounting slots 511a1 and 511a2, which can be used to install thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a, are defined as being in a front lifter installation group, and the mountingslots 511b (see (a) ofFIG. 6), which can be used to install therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b, are defined as being in a rear lifter installation group.
The plurality of front orrear lifters 61a, 62a, 63a, 61b, 62b, and 63b may be disposed in a circumferential direction of thedrum 51, such that the plurality of front lifter installation groups may be disposed in the circumferential direction, and likewise, the plurality of rear lifter installation groups may also be disposed in the circumferential direction.
Hereinafter, the mounting slot belonging to the front lifter installation group is referred to as thefront mounting slot 511a, and the mounting slot belonging to the rear lifter installation group is referred to as therear mounting slot 511b.
Referring toFIGS. 8 to 12, theinsertion protrusion 627 may protrude from theframe base 621. Theinsertion protrusion 627 may include avertical portion 627a (seeFIG. 11) protruding downward from the bottom surface of theframe base 621, and a catchingportion 627b bent in the horizontal direction from thevertical portion 627a. The catchingportion 627b may protrude toward the inside of the ring-shapedframe base 621 when viewed from above.
As illustrated inFIG. 11, theinsertion protrusions 627 may be formed at left and right sides of theframe base 621, respectively, when thelifter frame 620 is viewed from the front side. Two ormore insertion protrusions 627 may be formed along one side of the frame base 621 (or in the front-rear direction).
Specifically, the insertion protrusion 627(L) formed at the left side of theframe base 621 may include the catchingportion 627b which is bent rightward. On the contrary, the insertion protrusion 627(R) formed at the right side of theframe base 621 may include the catchingportion 627b which is bent leftward.
Referring toFIG. 6, each of the mountingslots 511a and 511b may be shaped to have a length L1 in the approximately front-rear direction of thedrum 51. Each of the mountingslots 511 and 511b may include an insertion section S1 having a predetermined width W1, and a binding section S2 extending rearward or forward from the insertion section S1 and having a smaller width (W2 < W1) than the insertion section S1. In the exemplary embodiment, the binding section S2 extends rearward from a rear end of the insertion section S1, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. On the contrary, the binding section S2 may extend forward from a front end of the insertion section S1.
Furthermore, as illustrated inFIG. 20, to be described below, in the exemplary embodiment, the binding section S2 of thefront mounting slot 511a may extend forward from the front end of the insertion section S1, and the binding section S2 of therear mounting slot 511b may extend rearward from the rear end of the insertion section S1.
Meanwhile, referring toFIGS. 5 to 7, when installing thelifter frame 620 in thedrum 51, theinsertion protrusion 627 of thelifter frame 620 passes through the insertion section S1, and thelifter frame 620 is pushed rearward, such that thevertical portion 627a is moved forward along the binding section S2, and thus the catchingportion 627b is positioned below the binding section S2. In this case, since the bottom surface of theframe base 621 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51, and a width W3 (seeFIG. 11) of the catchingportion 627b is larger than the width W2 of the binding section S2, the catchingportion 627b cannot pass through the binding section S2 from the lower side to the upper side.
Meanwhile, theseating groove 621r may extend in the form of a closed curve along a circumference of thelifter frame 620, and a horizontal projection plane of theinsertion protrusion 627 may be positioned in the closed curve of theseating groove 621r.
That is, theinsertion protrusion 627 may be positioned inward from theseating groove 621r. In the case in which thecoupling tab 648 and thetab binding port 621h are formed on theseating groove 621r, the forming position of theinsertion protrusion 627 and the forming positions of thecoupling tab 648 and thetab binding port 621h may not overlap each other.
As described above, since the forming position of theinsertion protrusion 627 is disposed inward from the forming positions of thecoupling tab 648 and thetab binding port 621h, it is possible to prevent a particular portion from being structurally weakened, and theinsertion protrusion 627 may be covered by theframe cover 640.
Therefore, it is possible to ensure structural rigidity of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b installed in thedrum 51, and improve an aesthetic appearance of the interior of thedrum 51 by minimizing exposure of an unnecessary portion.
Meanwhile, referring toFIGS. 8 to 11, theframe sidewall 622 may include a sidewall leftportion 622L having a lower end connected to aleft side 621a of theframe base 621, and a sidewallright portion 622R having a lower end connected to aright side 621b of theframe base 621. At least one of the sidewall leftportion 622L or the sidewallright portion 622R may define an acute angle with respect to theframe base 621. Particularly, at least one of the sidewall leftportion 622L or the sidewallright portion 622R may be symmetric with each other when viewed from the front side.
Theframe sidewall 622 may have amold ejection port 624a formed at a position corresponding to theinsertion protrusion 627 when thelifter frame 620 is viewed vertically downward from above. Themold ejection port 624a may be formed in at least one of the sidewall leftportion 622L or the sidewallright portion 622R.
Thelifter frame 620 may be formed by injection molding. In this case, the mold may include an upper mold that forms the upper surface of thelifter frame 620, and a lower mold that forms the lower surface of thelifter frame 620.
The upper surface of theinsertion protrusion 627 may be formed by the upper mold. Since theinsertion protrusion 627 is positioned at the lower side of theframe sidewall 622, an opening portion, through which a portion of the upper mold defining the upper surface of theinsertion protrusion 627 may pass during the process of opening the mold, needs to be formed in a region that overlaps theinsertion protrusion 627 in a direction in which the upper mold is opened on the frame sidewall 622 (or a vertically upward direction from the frame base 621) so that a mold portion of the upper mold, which forms the upper surface of the insertion protrusion 627 (particularly, the upper surface of the catchingportion 627b), may be moved upward (or so that the upper mold may be withdrawn without undercutting during the process of opening the mold), and themold ejection port 624a is the opening portion. For reference, PL inFIG. 11 indicates a parting line formed by the upper mold and the lower mold.
As illustrated inFIG. 8, when thelifter frame 620 is viewed vertically downward from above (hereinafter, referred to as 'a plan view of the lifter frame'), the catchingportion 627b of theinsertion protrusion 627 is positioned in themold ejection port 624a (or overlaps themold ejection port 624a). Further, in the plan view of the lifter frame, an outer periphery of the catchingportion 627b is spaced apart from a rim of themold ejection port 624a, excluding theportion 627a connected to thevertical portion 627a.
Referring toFIGS. 9 and 10, a catchingprotrusion 626 may be formed on at least one of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a or therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b. The catchingprotrusion 626 may protrude downward from the concaveinner surface 620b of thelifter frame 620.
Referring toFIG. 6, the openingportions 512a and 512b, into which the catchingprotrusions 626 are inserted, may be formed in thedrum 51. The pair of opening portions 512a1 and 512a2 for installing thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a may be spaced apart from one another by an interval D in the front-rear direction.
The catchingprotrusion 626 is selectively inserted into any one of the pair of opening portions 512a1 and 512a2 depending on whether theinsertion protrusions 627 are inserted into the mounting slots 511a1 in the first group G1 or the mounting slot 511a2 in the second group G2.
Catchingtabs 514a and 514b, which each come into contact with (or are caught by) the lower end of the catchingprotrusion 626, may be formed on rims of the openingportions 512a and 512b. The catchingtabs 514a and 514b may come into contact with the lateral surfaces of the catchingprotrusions 626 in the openingportions 512a and 512b, thereby restricting lateral movement of the catchingprotrusions 626.
Meanwhile, the positions of the catchingtabs 514a and 514b may be determined based on the relative positions of the mountingslots 511a and 511b with respect to the insertion section S1 of the binding section S2. That is, as illustrated inFIG. 6, when the binding section S2 is positioned rearward from the insertion section S1, the catchingtabs 514a and 514b are positioned in a firstconcave portion 626a at the front side of the catchingprotrusions 626. The catchingtabs 514a and 514b may extend rearward from the front end of the opening portion 512 to restrict the movement of the catchingprotrusions 626 when the catchingprotrusion 626 is about to move forward (that is, theinsertion protrusion 627 is about to move from the binding section S2 to the insertion section S1).
On the contrary, like the mountingslot 511a illustrated inFIG. 20, when the binding section S2 is positioned forward from the insertion section S1, the catchingtabs 514a and 514b are positioned in a secondconcave portion 626b at the rear side of the catchingprotrusions 626. The catchingtabs 514a and 514b may extend forward from the rear end of the opening portion 512 to restrict the movements of the catchingprotrusions 626 when the catchingprotrusion 626 is about to move rearward (that is, theinsertion protrusion 627 is about to move from the binding section S2 to the insertion section S1).
The catchingtabs 514a and 514b may be bent at a predetermined angle to the outside of thedrum 51 based on the portion connected to the rims of the openingportions 512a and 512b.
The lateral surfaces of the catchingprotrusions 626 may come into contact with the catchingtabs 514a and 514b even in the state in which the lower ends of the catchingprotrusions 626 are not inserted into the openingportions 512a and 512b. When thelifter frame 620 is about to move (that is, about to move in a direction opposite to a direction in which thelifter frame 620 is installed) such that thevertical portion 627a moves from the binding section S2 to the insertion section S1, the movement is restricted as the catchingtabs 514a and 514b interfere with the lower ends of the catchingprotrusions 626.
Referring toFIG. 9, at the lower end of the catchingprotrusion 626, the firstconcave portion 626a may be formed at a side facing the catchingtabs 514a and 514b. In the state in which thelifter frame 620 has been completely installed, the catchingtabs 514a and 514b may be positioned in the firstconcave portion 626a.
At the lower end of the catchingprotrusion 626, the secondconcave portion 626b may be further formed at a side opposite to the firstconcave portion 626a. When thelifter frame 620 is installed in a state in which the front and rear sides of thelifter frame 620 are changed, the catchingtabs 514a and 514b may be positioned in the secondconcave portion 626b.
In this case, the catchingprotrusion 626 may be formed to be symmetrical based on the center in a plan view of thelifter frame 620. That is, as illustrated inFIG. 9, the catchingprotrusion 626 may be formed to be symmetrical about the vertical and horizontal axes based on the center thereof.
In particular, the firstconcave portion 626a and the secondconcave portion 626b of the catchingprotrusion 626 may be formed to be symmetrical in both directions based on the longitudinal direction of thelifter frame 620.
Therefore, the catchingprotrusion 626 may be installed to come into contact with the catchingtabs 514a and 514b in any direction, even when the front and rear positions of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b are changed during the process of installing thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b in thedrum 51.
Therefore, the installation operator may easily install thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b in thedrum 51 without considering the directions in which thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b are installed.
Meanwhile, referring toFIG. 9,fastening bosses 628 may be formed on at least one of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a or therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b. Thefastening boss 628 may protrude downward from theinner surface 620b of thelifter frame 620. Thefastening boss 628 may extend from the frameupper plate 623. Two ormore fastening bosses 628 may be provided to be spaced apart from one another in the front-rear direction.
Referring toFIGS. 5 and 6,fastening holes 513a and 513b may be formed in thedrum 51. The fastening holes 513a and 513b may include a first fastening hole 513al formed at a position corresponding to the fastening boss 528 when theinsertion protrusion 627 of thelifter frame 620 is installed in the mounting slot 511a1 in the first group G1, and a first fastening hole 513a2 formed at a position corresponding to the fastening boss 528 when theinsertion protrusion 627 of thelifter frame 620 is installed in the mounting slot 511a2 in the second group G2. The pair of first fastening holes 513a1(1) and 513a1(2) are provided to correspond to the pair of fastening bosses 528, and the second fastening holes 513a2 including a pair of second fastening holes 513a2(1) and 513a2(2) may be provided.
Referring toFIG. 7, thefastening boss 628 may be selectively fastened to the first fastening hole 513al or the second fastening hole 513a2 by means of a predetermined fastening member (hereinafter, for exemplary purposes, a screw 98) based on whether theinsertion protrusion 627 is inserted into the mounting slot 511a1 in the first group G1 or the mounting slot 511a2 in the second group G2.
In the state in which theinsertion protrusion 627 is inserted into the mountingslot 511a and thelifter frame 620 is temporarily assembled, thescrew 98 passes through thefastening hole 513a from the outside of thedrum 51 and is then fastened to thefastening boss 628, such that thelifter frame 620 may be completely installed.
In this case, thefastening boss 628 may protrude from the inner surface of the frameupper plate 623 in the direction toward the inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51.
In the structure of thelifter frame 620, the frameupper plate 623 has relatively higher rigidity than theframe sidewall 622 having the plurality of holes.
Therefore, in order to more rigidly install thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b in thedrum 51, thefastening boss 628 to be fastened, by means of the fastening member, to thefastening hole 513a of thedrum 51 may be formed on the frameupper plate 623.
As described above, since thefastening boss 628 is formed on the upper surface of thelifter frame 620 that has relatively high rigidity, fastening force may be further increased when thefastening boss 628 is fastened to thefastening hole 513a by means of the fastening member.
Meanwhile, as described above, as illustrated inFIG. 7A or 7B, the installation position of thelifter frame 620 may vary depending on whether theinsertion protrusion 627 is inserted into the mounting slot 511a1 or the mounting slot 511a2. In any case, the mounting slots 511a1 and 511a2, the opening portions 512a1 and 512a2, and the fastening holes 513a1 and 513a2 are hidden by theframe cover 640 in the state in which the lifter is completely installed. That is, the mounting slots 511a1 and 511a2, the opening portions 512a1 and 512a2, and the fastening holes 513a1 and 513a2 are positioned inside theframe cover 640, and thus are not exposed to the inside of thedrum 51.
In other words, in the state in which the at least oneinsertion protrusion 627 provided on each of thelifters 61a, 62a, 63a, 61b, 62b, and 63b is fastened to the mounting slot (for example, 511a1) in any one group (for example, G1) among the mountingslots 511a in the first group G1 and the second group G2, the mounting slot (for example, 511a2) in the other group (for example, G2) may be hidden inside thedrum 51 by the lifter.
In more detail, in the state in which the at least oneinsertion protrusion 627 provided on each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a is inserted into the mounting slot in any one group (for example, G1) of the first group G1 and the second group G2, the front end of each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a may be positioned forward from the mounting slots 511a1(1) to 511a1(4) and 511a2(1) to 511a2(4) belonging to the first group G1 and the second group G2.
In addition, the rear end of each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a may be positioned rearward from any of the mounting slots 511a1(1) to 511a1(4) and 511a2(1) to 511a2(4) belonging to the first group G1 and the second group G2.
Since all of the mounting slots 511a1(1) to 511a1(4) and 511a2(1) to 511a2(4) used to install thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a are positioned between the front ends and the rear ends of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a, the mounting slots may be hidden by being covered by thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a.
Manufacturers of laundry treating apparatuses sometimes produce various types of products having drums having different capacities. In this case, a metal plate having the mountingslots 511a and 511b, the openingportions 512a and 512b, thefastening holes 513a and 513b, and the like is cut out based on a predetermined standard, theraw material 51' or 51" (seeFIG. 5) cut out in this manner is rolled up, and the ends of the raw material are joined together so as to manufacture thedrum 51. In this case, the metal plate is cut to a predetermined length based on the standard of the drum. In order to manufacture two drums having different lengths, it is necessary to differently adjust the interval between thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b in accordance with the length of the drum.
For example, as illustrated inFIG. 5, the interval between thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b when the length of the drum 51' is long (see (a) ofFIG. 5) needs to be greater than the interval between thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b when the length of thedrum 51" is short (see (b) ofFIG. 5), so that the laundry may be uniformly lifted up by the front andrear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b even in the case of the large-capacity drum 51.
Therefore,extra mounting slots 511a are further formed in thedrum 51 in order to adjust the installation position of at least one of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a or therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b in the front-rear direction when the length of the drum is changed.
In the present exemplary embodiment, theextra mounting slots 511a are provided to adjust the installation positions of thefront lifters 51a, 52a, and 53a, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. Depending on exemplary embodiments, the extra mountingslots 511b may be provided to adjust the installation positions of therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b.
Theextra mounting slots 511a may be formed in thelifter frame 620 such that theextra mounting slots 511a correspond in number to the mountingslots 511a (hereinafter, referred to as 'installation slots') into which theinsertion protrusions 627 are inserted, and theextra mounting slots 511a may be formed at points spaced apart from the respective installation slots at a predetermined distance D in the frontward or rearward direction. The installation position of thelifter frame 620 may be changed by the distance D by separating theinsertion protrusion 627 from the mounting slot (for example, 511a1) and then inserting theinsertion protrusion 627 into the extra mounting slot (for example, 511a2).
Meanwhile, in the exemplary embodiment, theextra opening portions 512a are provided to adjust the installation positions of thefront lifters 51a, 52a, and 53a, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. Depending on the embodiment, theextra opening portions 512b may also be provided to adjust the installation positions of therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b.
Meanwhile, in the exemplary embodiment, theextra fastening holes 513a are provided to adjust the installation positions of thefront lifters 51a, 52a, and 53a, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Depending on the embodiment, theextra fastening holes 513b may also be provided to adjust the installation positions of therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b.
In this regard, a planar shape of theframe cover 640 may be formed to cover a region extending from the region in which any one of the mountingslots 511a in the first group G1 and the second group G2 is formed by a spacing distance D between the mounting slots 511a1(1) to 511a1(4) in the first group and the mounting slots 511a2(1) to 511a2(4) in the second group.
Therefore, the installation positions of thelifters 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b may be changed depending on the type ofdrum 51, and the extra mounting slots for changing the installation positions may be covered by theframe cover 640.
Meanwhile,FIG. 20 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In order to install thelifter frame 620 by means of thefront mounting slot 511a, thelifter frame 620 needs to be pushed forward after theinsertion protrusion 627 is inserted into the insertion section S1. In order to install thelifter frame 620 by means of therear mounting slot 511b, thelifter frame 620 needs to be pushed rearward after theinsertion protrusion 627 is inserted into the insertion section S1.
On the contrary, in order to separate thelifter frame 620 from thedrum 51, thelifter frame 620 is pushed forward or rearward to move the catchingportion 627b of theinsertion protrusion 627 from the binding section S2 and align the catchingportion 627b with the insertion section S1, and thelifter frame 620 is lifted up, such that the catchingportion 627b passes through the insertion section S1, and thelifter frame 620 may be separated from thedrum 51.
FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a pair of front and rear lifters illustrated inFIG. 1;FIG. 17 is a view illustrating the lifters illustrated inFIG. 16 when viewed from a front side;FIG. 18 is a view (a) illustrating a state in which the drum illustrated inFIG. 1 is deployed and a developed view (b) of the drum having the lifters disposed according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;FIG. 19 is a view (a) illustrating a change in height of a first fabric caused by the rear lifter in accordance with a rotation angle of the drum and a view (b) illustrating a change in height of a second fabric caused by the front lifter that constitutes a set together with the rear lifter; Hereinafter, description will be made with reference toFIGS. 16 to 19.
Each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a is disposed on the inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51 and extending in the front-rear direction. The plurality offront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a are disposed based on the rotation axis O at equal angles.
Therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b are disposed on the inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51 and positioned rearward from thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a. Like thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a, therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b are disposed based on the rotation axis O at equal angles.
Therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b are disposed to form a predetermined phase angle with thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a with respect to the rotation axis O. Here, the 'phase angle' is made by defining, as a rotation angle of thedrum 51, a point in time at which thelifters 61a, 62a, 63a, 61b, 62b, and 63c reach a point on the circumference. Assuming that thedrum 51 is rotated clockwise CW in the exemplary embodiment, therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b reach the same height prior to thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a by a degree corresponding to the phase angle Δθ.
As illustrated inFIGS. 16 and17, assuming that each of thelifters 61a, 62a, 63a, 61b, 62b, and 63b has a length C1 extending in the front-rear direction and a width C2 defined in the left-right direction (or a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction), a circumferential distance (C3 = Δθr, seeFIG. 19) corresponding to the phase angle is larger than 0 and equal to or smaller than two times the width C2 in the circumferential direction of each of thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a.
Referring toFIG. 18, a no-lifter region SE, in which there is no front lifter or rear lifter, is formed between any one pair of front/rear lifters (for example, 61a and 61b) and another pair of front/rear lifters (for example, 62a and 62b) on the inner circumferential surface of thedrum 51. The no-lifter region SE may extend from the front end to the rear end of thedrum 51.
Specifically, the no-lifter region SE passes between the two adjacent sets of lifters from the front end of thedrum 51 and extends to the rear end of thedrum 51. Specifically, the no-lifter region SE extends straight from the front end of thedrum 51 to the rear end of the drum while passing between the two adjacent front lifters (for example, 61a and 62a) among the plurality offront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and between the tworear lifters 61b and 62b that each form the phase angle Δθ with each of the two adjacentfront lifters 61a and 62a.
Since the no-lifter region SE extends straight from the front end to the rear end of thedrum 51, the laundry may be uniformly distributed to the front and rear regions of thedrum 51 in the no-lifter region SE.
Typically, the washing machine detects eccentricity of thedrum 51 before performing a spin-drying process, and when the detected eccentricity is within a reference value, the drum is accelerated such that the rotational speed of thedrum 51 reaches a predetermined spin-drying speed (or spin-drying RPM). Otherwise, a fabric distribution is performed to change the position of fabrics in thedrum 51. The fabric distribution is repeated if the detected eccentricity does not reach the reference value. When the number of times the fabric distribution is repeated reaches a predetermined number of times, it is determined that the fabric distribution has failed, and the spin-drying is stopped.
In the washing machine according to the present exemplary embodiment, a first fabric positioned at the rear side of the drum 51 (that is, the fabric to be lifted up by therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b) and a second fabric positioned at the front side of the drum 51 (that is, the fabric to be lifted up by the front lifters) flow with a time difference (or a phase difference) by the phase angle Δθ formed by thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b, and as a result, the fabric distribution may be more smoothly performed.
More specifically, referring toFIG. 19, when thedrum 51 is rotated clockwise CW in a state in which therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b are positioned at a lowest point (θ = 0) of thedrum 51, the first fabric begins to be lifted up first by therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b, and then the second fabric begins to be lifted up by thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a after the time corresponding to the phase angle Δθ has passed.
Assuming that the fabrics roll (θ < π / 2) and that a position P at which the fabric lifted up by thelifters 61a, 62a, 63a, 61b, 62b, and 63b falls is a position Pd, the first fabric lifted up by therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b reaches the position (or height) Pd and falls first, and then the second fabric lifted up by thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a reaches the position Pd and falls.
The first fabric and the second fabric move with a time difference without forming lumps, and thus may be evenly distributed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of times the fabric distribution is repeated, reduce the instances of failure to enter the spin-drying stage, and reduce the overall washing time including the spin-drying time.
In addition, since the fabrics flow with a phase difference when the fabrics roll or tumble, friction or collision between the fabrics caused by the relative movement occurs more frequently, such that contamination may be more effectively removed by the washing operation (that is, washing power is improved).
Meanwhile,FIG. 20 is a view illustrating a modified example in which the lifters are disposed, in which (a) illustrates a small-capacity drum and (b) illustrates a large-capacity drum. Referring toFIG. 20, one set offront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a andrear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b may be disposed in a row in the front-rear direction. That is, thefront lifters 61a, 62a, and 63a and therear lifters 61b, 62b, and 63b, which constitute one set, may be arranged on the same line without being spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction.
FIG. 21 is a view illustrating another exemplary embodiment of the lifter. The exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 21 provides alifter 64 including a lifter frame 620' and a frame cover 640' slightly different in shape from those in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, but similar in detailed configuration to those in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments. Therefore, constituent elements identical to the constituent elements according to the above-described exemplary embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals, and a specific description thereof will be omitted.
While the invention has been explained in relation to its embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
a drum (51) configured to rotate about a rotation axis (O) extending in a front-rear direction; and
a lifter (61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, and 63b) disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the drum (51) and configured to revolve about the rotation axis (O) when the drum (51) rotates,
wherein the drum (51) comprises:
an opening portion formed by penetrating and opening a part of the drum (51); and
a catching tab (514a, 514b) extending from one surface of a circumference of the opening portion to an opened portion,
wherein the lifter (61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b) comprises:
a lifter frame (620) installed on the inner circumferential surface of the drum (51); and
a frame cover (640) coupled to the lifter frame (620) and protruding radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the drum (51),
wherein the lifter frame (620) comprises:
a frame base (621) coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the drum (51) and having a seating groove (621r) formed along a circumference of the frame base (621);
a frame upper plate (623) spaced apart from the frame base (621) in a direction toward the inside of the drum (51); and
a frame sidewall (622) configured to connect the frame upper plate (623) and the frame base (621);characterized by
a catching protrusion (626) protruding from an inner surface of the lifter frame (620) and configured to come into contact with the catching tab (514a, 514b) when the lifter frame (620) is coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the drum (51), and
wherein the catching protrusion (626) is formed to be symmetrical based on a center in a plan view of the lifter frame (620).
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first concave portion (626a) and a second concave portion (626b) of the catching protrusion (626) are formed to be symmetrical in both directions based on a longitudinal direction of the lifter frame (620);
and preferably
wherein the catching protrusion (626) is disposed at a center in a plan view of the lifter frame (620).
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame cover (640) comprises:
a cover upper plate (646) having an inner surface facing the frame upper plate (623); and
a cover sidewall (645) having a lower end inserted into the seating groove (621r) and an upper end connected to the cover upper plate (646);
and preferably
wherein the frame cover (640) is formed to be symmetrical based on a center in a plan view.
The laundry treating apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lifter frame (620) further comprises an insertion protrusion (627) comprising a vertical portion (627a) extending downward from a bottom surface of the frame base (621), and a catching portion (627b) bent from a lower end of the vertical portion (627a) in a direction toward the inside of the frame base (621);
and preferably
wherein a plurality of the insertion protrusions (627) are provided, and the respective insertion protrusions (627) are disposed to be symmetrical based on a center in a plan view of the lifter frame (620).
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 4, wherein the drum (51) further comprises:
mounting slots in a first group; and
mounting slots in a second group formed in a region spaced apart from the mounting slots in the first group in a rearward direction within a range in which some of the mounting slots in the first group and some of the mounting slots in the second group overlap one another, and
wherein the insertion protrusion (627) is selectively inserted into any one of the mounting slots in the first group and the mounting slots in the second group, and a pair of the opening portions is formed in the inner circumferential surface of the drum (51) so as to be spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction to correspond to a spacing distance between the mounting slots in the first group and the mounting slots in the second group.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5, wherein a planar shape of the frame cover (640) is formed to cover a region extending from the region in which any one of the mounting slots in the first group and the mounting slots in the second group is formed by a spacing distance between the mounting slots in the first group and the mounting slots in the second group.
The laundry treating apparatus of any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a coupling tab (648) protrudes from a lower end of the frame cover (640), and the lifter frame (620) has a tab binding port (621h) formed in the seating groove (621r) such that the coupling tab (648) is inserted into the tab binding port (621h) when the lifter frame (620) is coupled to the frame cover (640);
and preferably
wherein the seating groove (621r) extends in the form of a closed curve along a circumference of the frame base (621), and a horizontal projection plane of the insertion protrusion (627) is positioned in the closed curve of the seating groove (621r).
The laundry treating apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lifter frame (620) further comprises a fastening boss (628) protruding from an inner surface thereof in a direction toward the inner circumferential surface of the drum (51), and a fastening hole (513a, 513b) is formed in the drum (51), such that the fastening boss (628) and the fastening hole (513a, 513b) are fastened to each other by means of a fastening member.
The laundry treating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the fastening boss (628) protrudes from an inner surface of the frame upper plate (623) in a direction toward the inner circumferential surface of the drum (51).
The laundry treating apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the lifter frame (620) is made of synthetic resin, and the frame cover (640) is made of metal.
The laundry treating apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the lifters (61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b) comprise:
a plurality of front lifters (61a, 62a, 63a) disposed in a circumferential direction of the drum (51); and
a plurality of rear lifters (61b, 62b, 63b) disposed respectively in the circumferential direction of the drum (51) at rear sides of the respective front lifters (61a, 62a, 63a).