Clothing treatment apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a commercial dryer comprising: a cabinet having an opening at the front; a door that is rotatably coupled to the cabinet and opens and closes the opening; a drum rotatably provided inside the cabinet and having a clothing inlet that is provided at the front and can be opened and closed by the door, wherein the drum accommodates clothes; a duct module that is provided below the drum and includes a circulation fan for moving air discharged from the drum; and a drying module that is provided behind the cabinet, dehumidifies and heats the air that has moved from the duct module, and supplies the dehumidified and heated air to the drum. The drying module includes: a flow path duct that forms a flow path for guiding, to the drum, the air discharged from the duct module; a heat exchange unit including an evaporator, which is provided inside the flow path duct to dehumidify the air that has moved from the duct module, and a condenser, which is provided above the evaporator and heats the air that has passed through the evaporator; and a bypass hole that passes through the flow path duct so that the flow path duct communicates with the outside.

Description

Garment processing equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothing treatment device. More specifically, it relates to a commercial dryer capable of performing drying processes, such as sterilizing, removing wrinkles, deodorizing, and drying, on clothing by supplying steam or hot air to the clothing.

[0002] In general, a garment treatment device performs any course of treating garments, and may include a dryer that performs a drying process.

[0003] In the case of commercial dryers, bulky and heavy clothing such as bedding can be loaded in a wet state compared to household dryers, and they can be equipped to perform more drying cycles to dry a large quantity of clothing.

[0004] Accordingly, commercial dryers need to be designed to be much larger in volume and to supply a greater amount of hot air than household dryers, so that they can quickly dry a large amount of clothes.

[0005] When equipped with a drying module with a heat pump at the bottom of the cabinet and a duct module with a blower fan, as in conventional home dryers, there was a limit to increasing the flow rate of hot air.

[0006] To address this, commercial dryers have recently emerged that have a drying module located at the rear of the cabinet to increase the flow rate of hot air.

[0007] The above commercial dryer features a duct module at the bottom of the cabinet and a drying module at the rear. Air passing through the drying module is supplied to the rear of the drum, and air exhausted from the front of the drum travels back to the drying module through the duct module. Accordingly, the drying module features an evaporator at the bottom and a condenser at the top.

[0008] Due to the large cabinet capacity of commercial dryers, manufacturing them out of plastic can be challenging. Consequently, commercial dryer cabinets are typically made of steel. Consequently, they may not have a fastening mechanism for door attachment. In such cases, the door-to-cabinet bond is weakened, leading to problems such as clothes colliding with the door during the drying process, potentially opening the door. Therefore, enhancing door attachment during the drying process is a critical challenge for commercial dryers.

[0009] The present invention aims to solve the problem of providing a clothes treatment device that prevents the door from opening during operation.

[0010] The present invention aims to provide a clothing treatment device that facilitates opening of a door when stopped.

[0011] The present invention aims to solve the problem of providing a clothing treatment device that forms negative pressure inside a drum.

[0012] A garment treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention provides a structure that forms negative pressure inside a drum.

[0013] A garment treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a cabinet having an opening at the front, a door rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open and close the opening, a drum rotatably provided inside the cabinet and having a garment input port at the front that is opened and closed by the door to receive garments, a duct module including a circulation fan provided at a lower portion of the drum to move air discharged from the drum, a drying module provided at a rear portion of the cabinet to dehumidify and heat air moved from the duct module and supply the dehumidified and heated air to the drum, and the drying module may include a flow duct forming a flow path for guiding air discharged from the duct module to the drum, a heat exchange unit including an evaporator provided inside the flow duct to dehumidify air moved from the duct module, and a condenser provided above the evaporator to heat air passing through the evaporator, and a bypass hole provided penetrating the flow duct to communicate with the outside.

[0014] The bypass hole of the clothing treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may be positioned above the condenser.

[0015] The bypass hole of the clothing treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may be provided at the rear of the euro duct.

[0016] The bypass hole of the clothing treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may be provided with a plurality of perforations penetrating the duct.

[0017] The euro duct of the garment treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may include an inlet portion provided at the lower front side of the euro duct and provided to communicate with the duct module, and a supply portion provided at the front side of the euro duct and positioned above the inlet portion and provided to communicate with the drum.

[0018] The bypass hole of the garment treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may be arranged at a height corresponding to the supply unit.

[0019] The bypass hole of the garment treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may be arranged to face the supply unit.

[0020] The bypass hole of the clothing treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may be placed between the condenser and the evaporator.

[0021] The bypass hole of the clothing treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention may be placed between the circulation fan and the evaporator.

[0022] The drying module of the clothing treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention includes a case provided to accommodate the euro duct, and the case may include an external air inlet provided at a position corresponding to the bypass hole and penetrating so that the case and the outside are in communication.

[0023] The present invention has the effect of preventing the door from opening during operation.

[0024] The present invention has the effect of facilitating the opening of a door when stopped.

[0025] The present invention has the effect of forming negative pressure inside the drum.

[0026] Figure 1 illustrates the appearance of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 illustrates a cabinet of the garment treatment device of the present invention and a drying module detachably coupled to the cabinet.

[0028] Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 illustrates a duct module equipped with a circulation fan of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 illustrates the separation of the circulation fan from the duct module of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0031] Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the rear and interior of the drying module of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the mechanism of the auxiliary heat exchanger of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 9 illustrates the cabinet of the garment treatment device of the present invention and the drum removed from the cabinet.

[0034] Figure 10 illustrates the rear of the cabinet of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 11 illustrates the rear side of the drum of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 12 illustrates the appearance of the cabinet of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 13 illustrates a state in which the front panel of the cabinet of the garment treatment device of the present invention is removed.

[0038] Fig. 14 illustrates a sealing portion that seals the housing and front panel of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 15 illustrates a door of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0040] Fig. 16 illustrates the rear side of a drying module equipped with a bypass hole of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 17 illustrates the flow of air in which negative pressure is formed inside the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0042] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The configuration and control methods of the devices described below are intended only to illustrate embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Reference numerals used throughout the specification represent identical components.

[0043] Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0044] The clothing treatment device of the present invention may be equipped with a dryer capable of performing any drying course to remove moisture from clothing.

[0045] The garment treatment device of the present invention may include a cabinet (110) that accommodates a drum (150) capable of accommodating garments, a drying module (20) capable of supplying at least one of heated air (hot air) and steam to the cabinet (110), and a duct module (30) that provides a path through which air inside the cabinet (110) can be discharged to the drying module (20) or the outside.

[0046] The garment treatment device of the present invention can be installed as a commercial dryer. Accordingly, the garment treatment device of the present invention can be deployed in environments where multiple users repeatedly perform the drying cycle, or where a large quantity of clothing, such as blankets or bedding, must be dried, compared to a household dryer. Therefore, the garment treatment device of the present invention must be equipped to accommodate a larger volume of clothing than a household dryer, and must be equipped to supply more hot air than a household dryer to quickly perform the drying cycle.

[0047] To this end, the clothes treatment device of the present invention needs to have a cabinet (110) that is larger in volume than a configuration for accommodating clothes in a home dryer, the drying module (20) needs to be larger in volume than a drying module of a home dryer to generate a large amount of hot air, and the duct module (30) needs to be larger than a duct module of a home dryer to allow sufficient flow to move.

[0048] Accordingly, the clothing treatment device of the present invention may be provided such that at least one of the drying module (20) and the duct module (30) is arranged in a separate configuration from the cabinet (110) and is detachably coupled to the cabinet (110).

[0049] As a result, the garment treatment device of the present invention can sufficiently expand the volume of the cabinet (110) without being restricted by the installation space of the drying module (20) or the duct module (30). Accordingly, the cabinet (110) can be equipped to accommodate a large quantity of garments without difficulty.

[0050] In addition, the clothing treatment device of the present invention can sufficiently expand the volume of the drying module (20) without being restricted by the installation space of the cabinet (110) or the duct module (30). Accordingly, the drying module (20) can also increase the volume of the heat supply unit that heats air or generates steam, so that it can be equipped to generate sufficient hot air to dry a large amount of clothing or sufficient steam to sterilize and disinfect a large amount of clothing.

[0051] In addition, the garment treatment device of the present invention can sufficiently expand the volume of the duct module (30) without being restricted by the installation space of the cabinet (110) or the drying module (20). Accordingly, the duct module (30) can secure a path for a sufficient amount of air to move to the expanded cabinet (110) and the drying module (20), and a large-capacity filter described later can also be stably installed.

[0052] If the above cabinet (110) is provided with an opening through which clothes are put in, the drying module (20) and the duct module (30) may be provided to communicate with the cabinet (110) at a position that does not interfere with the opening.

[0053] When the opening of the above cabinet (110) is positioned at the front, the drying module (20) may be positioned at any one of the top, bottom, both sides, and rear of the cabinet (110), and the duct module (30) may be positioned at any one of the top, bottom, both sides, and rear of the cabinet (110) at a position that does not interfere with the drying module (20).

[0054] For example, the clothing treatment device of the present invention can place the drying module (20) at the rear of the cabinet (110).

[0055] Accordingly, the volume of the drying module (20) can be expanded to a greater extent than when the drying module (20) is arranged at the top and bottom of the cabinet (110), thereby maximizing the heating or heat exchange performance. In addition, since the drying module (20) is arranged at the rear of the cabinet (110) rather than being provided at the side of the cabinet (110), the overall width of the garment treatment device of the present invention can be reduced, thereby allowing the garment treatment device of the present invention to be easily arranged in a plurality of units in a limited space. In addition, since the drying module (20) is arranged at the rear of the cabinet (110), the flow direction in which the hot air is discharged can be aligned with the flow direction inside the cabinet (110), thereby reducing the overall flow resistance.

[0056] Meanwhile, the duct module (30) may be placed on either the upper or lower portion of the cabinet (110). This allows the overall width of the garment treatment device of the present invention to be reduced compared to when it is placed on the side of the cabinet (110).

[0057] The above duct module (30) can be placed at the bottom of the cabinet (110). As a result, the clothing treatment device of the present invention can position the opening of the cabinet (110) higher from the ground, and the user can easily take in and take out a large amount of clothing through the opening.

[0058] Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment in which the configuration of the garment treatment device of the present invention is detachably provided.

[0059] The clothing treatment device of the present invention may be manufactured such that at least one of the cabinet (110), drying module (20), and duct module (30) is separated from the other and detachably coupled to allow air to flow through.

[0060] In general, the drying module (20) is equipped with heavy components for heating air or supplying steam, and may be relatively heavier than the cabinet (110) or duct module (30). In addition, the drying module (20) may have more electrical components installed than the internal components of the cabinet (110) or duct module (30), and thus may require more frequent maintenance.

[0061] To this end, the clothing treatment device of the present invention can be designed so that the drying module (20) can be detachably attached to the cabinet (110). Accordingly, the drying module (20) can be transported separately from the cabinet (110) to easily install the clothing treatment device of the present invention, and if there is a problem with the electrical components of the drying module (20), it can be replaced separately from the cabinet (110), and some parts of the drying module (20) can be replaced by separating it from the bulky cabinet (110), thereby facilitating maintenance work.

[0062] Meanwhile, the garment treatment device of the present invention may be provided with the cabinet (110) and the duct module (30) as an integral unit. As a result, the connection between the cabinet (110) and the duct module (30) is strengthened, thereby preventing the possibility of air discharged from the drum (150) leaking to the outside.

[0063] In addition, even if strong vibration occurs in the cabinet (110) due to the movement of a large amount of clothing, the cabinet (110) can be prevented from being arbitrarily separated from the duct module (30). The duct module (30) can be placed inside the cabinet (110) and manufactured and transported at the same time.

[0064] This is only an example, and the cabinet (110) and the duct module (30) may be provided as separate modules and may be provided so as to be detachable from each other.

[0065] Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment of the internal structure of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0066] The clothing treatment device of the present invention is equipped with an exhaust type, and the drying module (20) and the drum (150) are arranged to communicate with each other, and the drum (150) and the duct module (30) are arranged to communicate with each other. However, the drying module (20) and the duct module (30) may be arranged so as not to communicate with each other.

[0067] As illustrated, when the garment treatment device of the present invention is arranged in a circulating manner, the drum (150), the duct module (30), and the drying module (20) can be arranged so that air flows through them. Accordingly, the garment treatment device of the present invention can be installed without difficulty, regardless of whether the indoor space is connected to the outdoors, as long as the installation space is secured.

[0068] The garment treatment device of the present invention may include a cabinet (110) having an exterior and an opening, a door (120) for opening and closing the opening, and a drum (150) rotatably provided inside the cabinet (110) to receive garments fed through the opening.

[0069] The garment treatment device of the present invention may include a driving unit (160) that rotates the drum (150). Accordingly, garments accommodated in the drum (150) may be exposed to hot air supplied to the drum (150) and dried while rising and falling within the drum (150) due to the rotation of the drum (150).

[0070] The above driving unit (160) can be placed in the cabinet (110).

[0071] Accordingly, the drum (150) and all components that rotate the drum (150) can be installed in the cabinet (110) itself, and can be maintained independently of the components of the duct module (30) or the drying module (20). In addition, since the entire configuration of the driving unit (160) is installed independently of the duct module (30), the duct module (30) omits a configuration for the driving unit (160) to pass through or be installed, so that the sealing performance of the duct module (30) can be enhanced.

[0072] The above duct module (30) may include a duct body (310) positioned lower than the drum (150) to receive air discharged from the drum (150), a circulation fan (330) positioned at the rear of the duct body (310) to move the air, and a fan receiving portion (320) that provides a space in which the circulation fan (330) is installed.

[0073] The above duct body (310) may be provided so that the outer surface is completely sealed to prevent air from leaking to the outside, except for air flowing in from the drum (150).

[0074] The above duct body (310) may be provided in any shape as long as it is provided so that air discharged from the drum (150) can be introduced at the top and the air can be delivered to the rear.

[0075] For example, the duct body (310) may be provided in the shape of a case that is positioned at the bottom of the cabinet (110) to support the cabinet (110) and is shielded on all sides.

[0076] Alternatively, the duct body (310) may be provided in a configuration in which a rectangular parallelepiped frame, etc., which is disposed inside the cabinet (110) and supports the internal components of the cabinet (110), is combined with a plate, etc., which shields the interior. For example, the duct module (30) may be installed inside the cabinet (110). The drum (150) and the duct module (30) may be provided to share a single cabinet (110). The duct module (30) may be installed inside the cabinet (110) that forms the exterior, or the duct module (30) may be installed at the bottom of the cabinet after the cabinet (110) is manufactured. This can prevent hot air or steam from leaking between the drum (150) and the duct module (30), facilitate installation and transportation, and enhance aesthetic appeal.

[0077] The fan receiving portion (320) may be coupled to the duct body (310) or may be provided to be supported inside the duct body (320) to receive the circulation fan (330).

[0078] The fan receiving portion (320) may be positioned rearward from the front of the duct body (310) to secure a space into which air discharged from the front of the drum (150) may be introduced. In addition, the fan receiving portion (320) may be positioned close to or in close contact with the drying module (20) to form a path for delivering the air to the drying module (20).

[0079] The above duct module (30) may further include a filter unit (350) that is positioned in front of the fan receiving unit (320) and filters foreign substances flowing into the circulation fan (330).

[0080] The above filter unit (350) is provided in front of the fan receiving unit (320) with a length corresponding to the width of the duct body (310) so as to be able to filter foreign substances discharged from a large amount of clothing without difficulty.

[0081] The filter unit (350) may be detachably provided on the duct body (310) so that accumulated foreign substances can be easily removed. The duct body (310) may include an entrance through which the filter unit (350) is introduced and withdrawn, and the entrance may be arranged at the front of the duct body (310). Accordingly, a user can check the status of the filter (350) and clean it without being limited by the configuration of the drying module (20) or the door (120).

[0082] The above drying module (20) may be arranged at the rear of the cabinet (110) to supply hot air and steam to the interior of the cabinet (110).

[0083] The above drying module (20) may be arranged so that the front lower part faces the duct module (30) and the front upper part faces the back surface of the cabinet (110) or the drum (150).

[0084] The above drying module (20) may include a case (210) placed at the rear of the cabinet (110) and a heat exchange unit (240) placed inside the case (210) to dehumidify and heat the air.

[0085] The case (210) may be provided at a height that allows it to face the entire back surface of the drum (150) from the bottom of the duct module (30). The width of the case (210) may be provided to correspond to the width of the cabinet (110) or may be provided to be smaller. Accordingly, the case (210) may be installed without any problem in any space where the cabinet (110) can be installed.

[0086] The front-to-back thickness of the case (210) may be set to be smaller than the front-to-back thickness of the cabinet (110) and the duct module (30). As a result, the volume of the garment treatment device of the present invention can be designed to be compact.

[0087] The drying module (20) may further include a duct (220) disposed inside the case (210) to guide air discharged from the duct module (30) back to the drum (150). At least a portion of the heat exchange unit (240) may be disposed inside the duct (220).

[0088] The above-mentioned euro duct (220) may be provided to extend in the height direction of the cabinet (110) or the case (210) to receive air discharged from the duct module (30) and guide it to the back surface of the drum (150).

[0089] Figure 4 illustrates an embodiment of a duct module of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0090] It may include a duct body (310) that connects an intake part (316) through which air of the drum (150) is sucked in and an exhaust part (317) through which air passing through the intake part is discharged to the drying module, thereby forming a path for guiding air sucked in from the drum to the drying module, and a fan receiving part (320) that receives a circulation fan (330) that is arranged at the rear inside the duct body and forms a negative pressure, thereby forming a path for guiding air passing through the intake part (316) to the exhaust part (317).

[0091] The fan receiving portion (320) may include an inlet (3215) through which air passing through the suction portion (316) is introduced, an outlet (3216) through which air passing through the inlet is discharged toward the discharge portion (317), and a fan receiving body (321) that is provided to connect the inlet and the outlet and provides a space in which the circulation fan is accommodated. The inlet may be provided to be positioned in front of the outlet.

[0092] The above duct body (310) may be provided to provide a space within which air discharged from the drum (150) moves. The above duct body (310) may be provided in a case shape, or may be provided in a form in which a combination of frames forming a rectangular parallelepiped is provided and the frames are shielded with a plate.

[0093] The above duct body (310) may be provided with a high-strength metal material to support the cabinet (110).

[0094] The fan receiving portion (320) may be mounted on the duct body (310). The fan receiving portion (320) may be positioned at the rear of the duct body (310) and may be positioned at the rear of the filter portion (350).

[0095] The fan receiving portion (320) may form a flow path that receives air from the front and discharges it from the rear. The fan receiving portion (320) may further include a fan fixing portion (340) at the front for fixing the circulation fan (330) to the fan receiving portion (320). Accordingly, even if the front of the fan receiving portion (320) is opened to a greater diameter than the circulation fan (330), the fan fixing portion (340) can prevent the circulation fan (330) from being separated from the fan receiving portion (320) and protect the circulation fan (330) from external impacts or foreign substances.

[0096] The above circulation fan (330) may be arranged to be offset to either the left or right side of the duct body (310) or the fan receiving portion (320). As a result, the area of ​​the vortex or dead zone where air does not flow can be reduced compared to when the circulation fan (330) is arranged in the center of the duct body (310) or the fan receiving portion (320).

[0097] The above duct module (30) may further include a partition panel that is arranged in front of the fan receiving portion (320) in the duct body (310) and partitions the duct body (310) in the front-rear direction.

[0098] The above partition panel (313) may be provided to shield an area excluding the inlet area among the open areas of the fan receiving portion (320), and may fix the fan receiving portion (320) to the duct body (310).

[0099] The above protective panel (333) can be fixedly coupled to the partition panel (313). The protective panel (333) is positioned to face the circulation fan (330), and an area facing the center of the circulation fan (330) can be penetrated to serve as an inlet for air to flow into the fan receiving portion (320).

[0100] Figure 5 illustrates an example of installing a circulation fan of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 5(a), the duct body (310) of the garment treatment device of the present invention may include a first body including an outlet including an opening at the front and the suction portion at the upper surface and forming a path for air passing through the suction portion, and a second body disposed at the rear of the first body and including the discharge portion at the rear and forming a path for guiding air passing through the first body to the discharge portion. Meanwhile, the first body and the second body may be formed integrally or may be manufactured separately and then combined.

[0102] The above first body (311) can be supported by the filter unit (350) being installed thereon.

[0103] The above second body (312) may be provided to support the load of the fan receiving portion (320) and the circulation fan (330).

[0104] The fan receiving portion (320) may include an inlet (3215) through which air passing through the suction portion (316) is introduced, an outlet (3216) through which air passing through the inlet is discharged toward the discharge portion (317), and a fan receiving body (321) that is provided to connect the inlet and the outlet and provides a space in which the circulation fan (330) is accommodated.

[0105] It may include a space in which the above circulation fan (330) is installed, a fan receiving body (321) into which air introduced into the duct body (310) is sucked, and a connecting part (322) that extends to the rear of the fan receiving body (321) or is positioned at the rear of the fan receiving body (321) to form a path for delivering air discharged by the circulation fan (330) to the drying module (20).

[0106] The fan receiving body (321) and the connecting portion (322) may be formed of a material that can be manufactured using a foaming method. Accordingly, even if the fan receiving body (321) and the connecting portion (322) are formed with a complex structure to form a flow path therein, they can be manufactured to have a thicker thickness than when manufactured with a metal material or resin series. As a result, even if the circulation fan (330) is formed to be large enough to generate a large flow rate, the fan receiving portion (320) itself can absorb noise, the fan receiving body (321) and the connecting portion (322) can also ensure durability against high flow rates, and the overall weight of the fan receiving portion (320) can be greatly reduced.

[0107] Additionally, materials that can be manufactured using the foaming method generally have very low thermal conductivity. Therefore, even if the fan housing (320) has a large volume and high-temperature hot air moves inside, the heat loss rate can be significantly reduced compared to when manufactured using metal or resin materials.

[0108] The fan receiving body (321) may have an open surface formed in the front through which air flows in. The fan receiving body (321) may have a space formed on one side for accommodating the circulation fan (330), and a path formed on the other side for guiding the air supplied from the circulation fan (330) in the width direction of the duct body (310).

[0109] The above partition panel (313) may be coupled to the front of the fan receiving body (321) to shield a portion of the open surface of the fan receiving body (321) except for the protective panel (333).

[0110] The above connecting portion (322) may be positioned at the rear side of the fan receiving body (321) and may extend to the front of the drying module (20). The connecting portion (322) may have a path formed therein through which air moves, and may be provided with an exhaust port (3222) at the rear through which air is discharged.

[0111] The above-mentioned connecting portion (322) is provided separately from the fan receiving body (321) and can be fixed by being joined to the rear of the fan receiving body (321) through a force-fit method or a fastening member, etc. Thus, even if the extension directions of the flow paths formed inside the fan receiving body (321) and the connecting portion (322) are different from each other, the product can be manufactured without difficulty using a foaming method.

[0112] The above circulation fan (330) may include an impeller (331) that generates power to move air and a fan motor (332) coupled to the impeller (331) to rotate the impeller (331).

[0113] Referring to Fig. 5(b), the circulation fan (330) may be supported by being coupled to at least one of the fan receiving body (321) and the connecting portion (322). In this case, if the fan receiving body (321) and the connecting portion (322) are made of a material capable of foam molding rather than a metal or resin series, the rigidity for supporting the circulation fan (330) may be insufficient.

[0114] To this end, the clothing treatment device of the present invention may include a fan fixing unit (340) that is coupled to the fan receiving unit (320) and fixes the installation position of the circulation fan (330).

[0115] The above fan fixing part (340) may be made of a material with higher strength than the foam material.

[0116] For example, the fan fixing part (340) may include a fixing plate (341) made of a metal plate shape that can be fixed by being fixed upward by being fixed to the second body (312).

[0117] The impeller (331) may be arranged in front of the fixed plate (341) and placed inside the fan receiving portion (320), and the fan motor (332) may be arranged in the rear of the fixed plate (341) and placed outside the fan receiving portion (320).

[0118] The above fixed plate (341) may further include a through hole through which the fan motor (332) may pass. Accordingly, the circulation fan (330) may be coupled to the fixed plate (341) by inserting the fixed plate (341) into the through hole.

[0119] The above fan fixing unit (340) may further include a fixing plate (342) that is positioned between the fan motor (332) and the impeller (331) and coupled to the fixing plate. The fixing plate (342) may be provided to shield the through hole and may fix the circulation fan (330) to the fixing plate (341).

[0120] Figure 6 illustrates the drying module (20) of the clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0121] Referring to Fig. 6 (a), the drying module (20) may include a case (210) positioned at the rear of the cabinet (110) and the duct module (30). The case (210) may be positioned at the rear of the cabinet (110).

[0122] The above case (210) may be provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and its height may be provided to be equal to or smaller than the entire height of the cabinet (110).

[0123] Referring to FIG. 6(b), the case (210) may include a flow path duct (220) that forms a flow path for supplying air from the duct module (30) to the drum (150), and an auxiliary flow path (230) that is arranged on one side of the flow path duct (220) and forms a flow path for communicating the case (210) with external air. The flow path duct (220) and the auxiliary flow path (230) may be arranged to be separated from each other so that air therebetween does not move with each other.

[0124] A plurality of heat exchange units for dehumidifying and heating air may be installed inside the above-mentioned duct (220), and electrical components such as a compressor that supplies refrigerant for heat exchange with air to the auxiliary duct (230) may be installed.

[0125] The above heat exchange unit (240) may include an evaporator (241) provided inside the duct (220) to dehumidify air moving from the duct module (30), and a condenser (242) provided above the evaporator to heat air passing through the evaporator.

[0126] The above-mentioned duct (220) may be provided so as to communicate with the duct module (30) and the housing (140) or drum (150) of the cabinet (110) on the inside of the case (210), thereby forming a duct through which the air of the drum (150) circulates.

[0127] The above-mentioned euro duct (220) can be formed to extend in the height direction inside the case (210).

[0128] The above auxiliary flow path (230) can be placed on one side of the flow path (220).

[0129] The above auxiliary flow path (230) may be provided with a height corresponding to the height of the flow path duct (220), but may be provided with a width smaller than the width of the flow path duct (220). As a result, the amount of flow in the flow path duct (220) can be secured.

[0130] The auxiliary flow path (230) may be provided so as to be separated from the cabinet (110) and the duct module (30) and communicate only with the outside air. Thus, the auxiliary flow path (230) may be prevented from being heated by hot air or exposed to foreign substances discharged from the drum (150). As a result, electrical components may be installed within the auxiliary flow path (230) and operate stably.

[0131] The above-mentioned euro duct (220) may be provided in the shape of a duct placed inside the case (210) so that air can flow.

[0132] However, in order to simplify the configuration of the drying module (20) and reduce the weight of the drying module (20), the euro duct (220) may be automatically formed due to the configuration of the case (210). For example, the euro duct (220) may be automatically formed through the arrangement of the front plate forming the front of the case (210), the rear plate (212), the partition plate (217), and the side plate (211).

[0133] The above auxiliary flow path (230) can be automatically formed through the arrangement of the front plate, auxiliary plate (214), partition plate (217), and side plate (211).

[0134] The above auxiliary plate (214) may have multiple through holes installed in the height direction so that it can communicate with the outside air.

[0135] Referring again to FIG. 6(a), the case (210) may include a side plate (211) forming both sides and a rear plate (212) coupled to the side plate (211) to form the rear of the case (210).

[0136] The rear plate (212) may be provided to form the back surface of the duct (220) and block the duct (220) from being exposed to the outside. In this case, the case (210) may further include an auxiliary plate (214) that is arranged on one side of the rear plate (212) to form the back surface of the auxiliary flow path (230) and block the auxiliary flow path (230) from being exposed to the outside.

[0137] The above auxiliary plate (214) and the above rear plate (212) can form the back surface of the case.

[0138] The case (210) may further include a detachable plate (213) that is detachably provided on the rear panel (212) to expose the internal heat exchange unit (240) to the outside. Accordingly, the heat exchange unit can be cleaned or repaired or replaced by detaching only the detachable plate (213) from the rear plate (212) without detaching the entire rear plate (212) from the case (210).

[0139] The rear plate (212) may be provided with a back surface through which the heat exchanger is installed, and the detachable plate (213) may be detachably coupled to the through-hole area of ​​the rear plate (212).

[0140] Figure 7 illustrates an example of the internal configuration of the drying module.

[0141] Fig. 7(a) illustrates the internal configuration of the case (210) in the drying module from the rear, and Fig. 16(b) illustrates the internal configuration of the case (210) in the drying module from the front.

[0142] Referring to Fig. 7(a), the drying module (20) may include a heat exchanger (240) that is installed inside the case (210) and dehumidifies and heats the air supplied from the duct module (30) to generate hot air.

[0143] The above heat exchange unit (240) may include an evaporator (241) that is arranged in the duct (220) and cools the air supplied from the duct module (20), and a condenser (242) that heats the air that has passed through the evaporator (241).

[0144] The above evaporator (241) and the condenser (242) can be placed inside the duct (220) and can be placed in a vertical direction in the duct (220). The condenser (242) can be placed above and spaced apart from the evaporator (241).

[0145] The heat exchange unit (240) may further include a compressor (243) that receives refrigerant from the evaporator (241), heats it, and transfers it to the condenser (242), and an expansion valve (244) that expands the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser (242) to reduce the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant. The compressor (243) and the expansion valve (244) may be arranged inside the auxiliary flow path (230) and may be separated from the flow path duct (220).

[0146] The above heat exchange unit (240) may further include an auxiliary heat exchanger (245) connected to the condenser (241) and the evaporator (242) to exchange heat between the refrigerant and the outside air, and a switching valve (246) that selects whether the refrigerant delivered from the condenser (241) is supplied to either the expansion valve (244) or the auxiliary heat exchanger (245).

[0147] The above auxiliary heat exchanger (245) and the switching valve (246) are also arranged inside the auxiliary flow path (230) and can be separated from the flow path duct (220).

[0148] The auxiliary heat exchanger (245) and the switching valve (246) may be positioned above the compressor (243), and the compressor (243) may be mounted on the bottom surface of the auxiliary flow path (230).

[0149] The above auxiliary flow path (230) may further include an auxiliary fan (231) that induces external air to come into contact with the auxiliary heat exchanger (245).

[0150] The auxiliary fan (231) may be positioned above the auxiliary heat exchanger (245). Thus, when the auxiliary fan (231) is driven, the outside air can cool the compressor (243) in the process of reaching the auxiliary heat exchanger (245).

[0151] The drying module (20) may further include a control panel (232) that provides a command to perform a drying process by controlling one or more of the auxiliary fan (231), the compressor (243), the expansion valve (244), and the switching valve (246). The control panel (232) may be installed in the auxiliary flow path (230) to prevent exposure to hot air passing through the flow path duct (220). The control panel (232) may be arranged in a plate shape facing either the front or the rear of the auxiliary flow path (230). Accordingly, when the auxiliary fan (231) is driven, the control panel (232) may also be cooled by the outside air, and the control panel (232) may be prevented from interfering with the movement of the outside air supplied from the auxiliary flow path (230) to the auxiliary heat exchanger (245).

[0152] The auxiliary flow path (230) may further include an auxiliary partition plate (233) that blocks air passing through the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) from accessing the control panel (232). The auxiliary partition plate (233) may be arranged between the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) and the control panel (232) and may extend to an area where the auxiliary fan (231) is arranged.

[0153] Referring to Fig. 7(b), the front plate forming the front of the euro duct (220) may be arranged in front of the euro duct (220) and spaced apart from the front of the auxiliary flow path (230).

[0154] Alternatively, the case (210) may further include an additional plate that connects the partition plate (218) and the side plate (218) at the rear of the front plate to form the front of the euro duct (220).

[0155] The following description is based on an embodiment equipped with the above-described additional plate, but the same can be applied to an embodiment equipped with only the above-described front plate.

[0156] The above additional plate may be provided with an inlet portion (215) into which air passing through the duct module (30) is introduced at the lower portion of the euro duct (220), and a supply portion (216) disposed above the inlet portion (215) and through which air passing through the condenser (242) is discharged.

[0157] The above inlet (215) may be positioned at a position facing the fan receiving portion (220) at the bottom of the evaporator (241), and the supply portion (216) may be positioned at a position facing the rear body (152) of the drum (150) or the inside of the housing (140) on the rear panel (114) of the cabinet (110).

[0158] Accordingly, the air discharged from the outlet (3222) of the connection portion (322) is introduced by the inlet portion (215), rises by the power of the circulation fan (330), passes sequentially through the evaporator (241) and the condenser (242), is dehumidified and heated, and is discharged to the supply portion (216) to be discharged into the housing (140) and the drum (150).

[0159] The above evaporator (241) can cool the air and condense moisture, and the condensed water can fall from the evaporator (241) and be collected on the bottom surface of the duct (220).

[0160] The above drying module (20) may include a drainage unit (250) that communicates with the bottom surface of the euro duct (220) to discharge the condensate. That is, the drainage unit may be provided inside the case.

[0161] The above drainage unit (250) may include a drainage body (251) disposed on the bottom surface of the flow duct (220) to collect water, and a drainage pipe (254) extending from the lower portion of the drainage body (251) to the outside of the case (210) to discharge water. The drainage unit (250) may prevent water condensed in the flow duct (220) from evaporating again and flowing back into the drum (150), and may prevent the inside of the flow duct (220) from rotting.

[0162] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the structure in which the auxiliary heat exchanger of the clothing treatment device of the present invention is installed.

[0163] Figure 8 illustrates a state in which the switching valve (246) uses the auxiliary heat exchanger as an evaporator, but the switching valve (246) can change the flow path state to a state in which the auxiliary heat exchanger is used as a condenser.

[0164] Using the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) as an evaporator may correspond to a state in which the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser (242) passes through the switching valve (246) and the expansion valve (244) and is then guided to the auxiliary heat exchanger (245), and using the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) as a condenser may correspond to a state in which the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser (242) is guided directly to the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) through the switching valve (246).

[0165] Since the garment treatment device of the present invention is equipped with a commercial dryer, it is necessary to quickly dry a large quantity of garments. To this end, the garment treatment device of the present invention may consider increasing the cross-sectional area (241) of the evaporator to rapidly supply hot air from the beginning of the drying cycle, and increasing the cross-sectional area of ​​the condenser (242) to supply high-temperature hot air in the middle and end of the drying cycle.

[0166] However, if the area of ​​the evaporator and the condenser is increased excessively, a problem may arise in which the volume of the drying module (20) is excessively increased.

[0167] In addition, if the area of ​​the evaporator is increased, it may initially help heat the compressor (243), but if the compressor (243) is operating normally, an excessive amount of heat may be supplied to the compressor (243), which may cause the compressor (243) to overheat.

[0168] In addition, if the area of ​​the condenser is increased, it may help to quickly supply sufficient hot air at the beginning of the drying process, but if the compressor (243) operates normally, excessive heat may be supplied to the inside of the drum (150), which may damage clothing, and the temperature may uniformly rise throughout the circulating flow path, which may cause a problem of a decrease in the coefficient of performance.

[0169] To this end, the clothing treatment device of the present invention additionally arranges the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) and the switching valve (246), so that the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) can be converted into an evaporator (241) and a condenser (242) as needed.

[0170] For example, at the beginning of the drying process, the control panel (280) can control the switching valve (246) to control the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) to be used as the evaporator (241). Specifically, the switching valve (245) can guide the refrigerant delivered from the condenser (242) to the expansion valve (244), and the refrigerant passing through the expansion valve (244) can pass through the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) and then flow into the evaporator (241).

[0171] In this process, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the outside air in the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) and then flows back into the evaporator (241) to absorb heat from the air flowing through the flow path forming part (220). As a result, the energy of the refrigerant flowing into the compressor (243) increases further, so that the time it takes for the compressor (243) to operate normally and increase the pressure of the refrigerant can be shortened.

[0172] When the compressor (243) operates normally, such as in the middle or end of the drying cycle, the control panel (280) can control the switching valve (246) to control the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) to be used as the condenser (242). Specifically, the switching valve (245) can guide the refrigerant delivered from the condenser (242) directly to the auxiliary heat exchanger (245), and the refrigerant that has passed through the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) can pass through the expansion valve (244) and then flow into the evaporator (241).

[0173] In this process, the refrigerant is heated by discharging heat from the condenser (242) to the air flowing through the duct (220), and then moves to the auxiliary heat exchanger (245) to discharge some of the remaining heat back to the outside air. As a result, the refrigerant can be introduced into the evaporator (241) with a sufficient temperature and pressure while passing through the expansion valve (244) in a state where the enthalpy has dropped significantly. As a result, the heat exchanger (240) can be prevented from overheating, and the temperature difference between the evaporator (241) and the condenser (242) can be secured to be larger, thereby preventing the coefficient of performance from decreasing.

[0174] Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of the drum structure of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0175] The cabinet (110) may further include a housing (140) that is accommodated inside the cabinet (110) and accommodates the drum (150).

[0176] The above housing (140) may be provided in a case shape with the front open to accommodate the drum (150).

[0177] The housing (140) may be configured to have an open rear end. For example, the housing (140) may be composed of a bottom surface (141), two sides (142), and an upper surface (143).

[0178] The rear surface of the housing (140) may serve as an inlet for air to flow into the drying module (20). In addition, a through hole formed through the bottom surface (141) of the housing (140) may serve as a communication port (1411) for discharging the air to the duct module (30). That is, the communication port (1411) may communicate with the intake port (316) formed in the duct module (30).

[0179] The above-mentioned communication hole (1411) may be provided in the shape of a slit that penetrates the bottom surface (141) longer in the width direction than in the front-back direction.

[0180] The above drum (150) can be inserted from the front of the housing (140) and coupled to the rear support member (172) coupled to the rear panel (114).

[0181] The above drum (150) may include a drum body (151) having a cylindrical shape and providing a space for accommodating clothing.

[0182] The drum (150) may further include a front body (153) that is coupled to the front of the drum body (151) to maintain the shape of the drum body (151) and prevent the clothing from being randomly discharged from the drum body (151).

[0183] The above front body (153) is provided in a ring shape so that an inlet for inserting the clothing can be formed in the center.

[0184] The drum (150) may include a lifter (157) that is coupled to the inner surface of the drum body (151) to elevate the clothing, and may further include a drum back surface that is coupled to the rear of the drum body (151) and fixed to the rear support member (172).

[0185] The above drum (150) may further include an exhaust hole (154) through which hot air can move by penetrating the drum body (151).

[0186] The above discharge holes (154) may be provided in multiple numbers along the circumference of the drum body (151). Meanwhile, the discharge holes (154) may be positioned further forward than backward of the drum body (151). As a result, the hot air introduced into the drum body (151) can move as far as possible to the front of the drum body (151), thereby drying more clothes.

[0187] The above-mentioned communication port (1411) may be arranged to be more forward than rearward of the bottom surface (141). The discharge hole (154) may be arranged in an area facing the communication port (1411). The discharge hole (154) may be formed to be much longer than the width of the communication port (1411) in the front-back direction. However, the discharge hole (154) may be arranged to be more forward than rearward of the drum body (151) so that at least a portion of it may overlap with the communication port (1411) in the height direction. As a result, the air introduced into the drum body (151) may be discharged while moving as close to the communication port (1411) as possible.

[0188] Meanwhile, the discharge hole (154) and the communication port (1411) can serve as a path for moving air, and the discharge hole (154) can be provided with a length corresponding to the diameter of the drum (150), and the communication port (1411) can be provided with a width corresponding to the width of the bottom surface (141). As a result, the clothing treatment device of the present invention can omit a separate duct structure that is arranged in front of the drum (150) and guides the air discharged from the drum (150) to the duct module (30), and can prevent the length of the cabinet (110) from being excessively expanded in the front-to-rear direction while also extending the length of the drum (150) as much as possible, thereby sufficiently securing a drying capacity suitable for a commercial dryer.

[0189] Figure 10 illustrates an example of the rear structure of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0190] The above cabinet (110) may further include a rear support member (172) that rotatably supports the drum (150).

[0191] The above rear support member (172) can form a center of rotation around which the drum (150) rotates and can serve as a rotation axis of the drum (150).

[0192] The above rear support member (172) can be fixed by being joined to the rear panel (114) forming the rear of the cabinet (110).

[0193] The above rear panel (114) can be fixed by being combined with the side panels (113) of the cabinet (110) and the rear surface of the housing (140).

[0194] The above rear support member (172) may include a rotation shaft (1721) coupled to the rear rotation center of the drum (150) and a bracket (1722) that fixes the rotation shaft (1721) to the rear panel (114).

[0195] The above sealing portion (180) may further include a rear sealer (182) that seals between the back surface of the drum (150) and the rear panel (114).

[0196] The above bracket (1722) is fixed to the inner surface of the rear panel (114) and may be made of a metal material that is stronger or thicker than the rear panel (114). The above rotational shaft (1721) may be provided such that one end is rotatably coupled to the bracket (1722) and the other end is coupled to the drum (150) so as to rotate integrally with the drum (150).

[0197] The above-mentioned rotation shaft (1721) serves to rotatably support the drum (150), and the power to directly rotate the drum (150) can be provided by the driving unit (160). As a result, the configuration of a separate driving unit (160) between the rear of the drum (150) and the rear panel (114) is omitted, thereby further securing the volume of the drum (150) and further reducing the gap between the drying module (20) and the drum (150).

[0198] The driving unit (160) may be arranged closer to the rear of the drum (150) than to the front. Specifically, the cabinet (110) may include a front panel (111) arranged in front of the drum (150) and side panels (113) extending rearward from both sides of the front panel (111), and the driving unit (160) may be arranged closer to the rear panel (114) than to the front panel (111). This prevents the driving unit (160) from interfering with a discharge hole provided in the drum (150) described below.

[0199] Meanwhile, the rear of the duct module (30) provided at the lower portion of the drum (150) may include a fan housing (3212) that accommodates the circulation fan (330), a fan motor (332) provided at the rear of the fan housing that provides power to rotate an impeller that generates a flow of fluid while rotating, and an outlet (3222) through which air passing through the outlet via the fan housing is discharged to the drying module (20).

[0200] Figure 11 illustrates an embodiment of the rear drum structure of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0201] The drum (150) may include a rear body (152) that is coupled to the rear of the drum body (150) and forms the back surface of the drum (150). The rear body (152) may be formed in a circular shape and may be coupled to the rear peripheral surface of the drum body (150).

[0202] The rear body (152) prevents the clothing from being detached from the rear of the drum (150) and allows the drum (150) to rotate around the rotation axis (1721).

[0203] The above rear body (152) may be provided to face the outlet through which hot air is discharged from the drying module (20).

[0204] The drum (150) may include a plurality of inlet holes (155) that penetrate the rear body (152) and introduce the hot air into the drum body (151).

[0205] The rear body (152) may have a connecting portion (157) positioned at the center facing the rotation axis (1721) and forming the center of rotation of the drum. The inlet hole (155) may be positioned between the inner surface of the rear body (152) and the outer surface of the connecting portion (157).

[0206] The rear body (152) may further include a plurality of radial ribs extending from the connecting portion (157) toward the inner circumferential surface of the rear body (152), and the inlet hole (155) may be formed between the radial ribs. The rigidity of the rear body (152) may be further reinforced through the radial ribs.

[0207] The above inlet hole (155) can be formed in an area sunken into the drum body (151) on the inner surface of the rear body (152). The lifter (156) can be fixed by having its rear end joined to the front surface of the inner surface of the rear body (152) and one end joined to the back surface of the front body (153).

[0208] The above drum (150) may further include at least one of a bushing portion (158) that reinforces the rigidity of the above coupling portion (157) and a shaft coupling portion (159) that is coupled to the bushing portion (158) and fixes the rotation shaft (1721).

[0209] The above bushing part (158) is made of a material that is thicker than the above connecting part (157) or has higher strength than the above connecting part (157) so as to stably support the above rotating shaft (1721).

[0210] The above-mentioned shaft coupling portion (159) may be provided in a disk shape that is coupled to the free end of the rotation shaft (1721) and has a diameter much larger than the diameter of the rotation shaft (1721). The shaft coupling portion (159) is coupled to the bushing portion (158) with a larger area than the rotation shaft (1721), so that even if an excessive load is applied to the rotation shaft (1721), the rotation shaft (1721) can be prevented from being detached or separated from the drum (150).

[0211] The above-mentioned shaft coupling portion (159) may also be provided with a material that is thicker than the above-mentioned coupling portion (157) or has higher strength than the above-mentioned coupling portion (157). The diameter of the above-mentioned shaft coupling portion (159) may be provided to be smaller than the diameter of the above-mentioned bushing portion (158).

[0212] Because the rear body (152) can be made of a relatively thin and light material due to the above bushing portion (158) and the above shaft coupling portion (159), the manufacturing cost of the drum (150) can be reduced, and the rotational moment for rotating the drum (150) can be lowered, thereby reducing the load on the driving portion (160).

[0213] The above rear body (152) can be folded rearward from the inner surface to secure an area or space where the rear sealer (182) can be installed.

[0214] The rear sealer (182) may be provided to surround the outermost portion of the inlet hole (155) and may be arranged along the inner circumference of the rear body (152). The entire area of ​​the outlet of the drying module (20) may be arranged within the rear sealer (182), and the rear sealer (182) may guide all supplied hot air to the inlet hole (155).

[0215] Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment of the front configuration of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0216] When the duct module (30) is installed inside the cabinet (110), the cabinet (110) may further include a cover panel (112) provided to shield the front of the duct body (310).

[0217] The above cover panel (112) can be arranged parallel to the front panel (111) and can be provided with a width corresponding to the width of the front panel (111).

[0218] The height of the cover panel (112) may be provided to be smaller than the height of the front panel (111), and may be provided to be smaller than the width of the cover panel (112).

[0219] The above front panel (111) may be provided with a height longer than its width.

[0220] The above cabinet (110) may further include a control panel (190) on the upper part of the front panel (111) for receiving a command to control the garment treatment device of the present invention or for displaying the status of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0221] The cabinet (110) may further include a payment device placed on one side of the control panel (190) to receive payment. The payment device may be equipped with any payment method capable of processing payment by inserting coins, communicating with a card, smartphone, etc.

[0222] The front panel (111) may be provided with an opening (1111) that connects the drum (150) to the outside. The cabinet (110) may further include a door (120) that opens and closes the opening (1111), and the door (120) may be rotatably coupled to the front panel (111) or rotatably coupled by a support structure inside the front panel (111) to open and close the opening (111).

[0223] Figure 13 illustrates an embodiment of the internal configuration of the garment treatment device of the present invention viewed from the front.

[0224] The above cabinet (110) can have a reinforcing frame (115) for fixing the side panel (113) placed at least on one of the front and rear of the side panel (113).

[0225] The above front panel (111) can be fixed by being combined with the above reinforcing frame (115).

[0226] A rotatable drum (150) may be placed inside the cabinet (110). The drum (150) may have an inlet (1531) positioned at the front that communicates with the opening (1111).

[0227] The garment treatment device of the present invention may further include a housing (140) accommodated inside the cabinet (110) and accommodating the drum (150).

[0228] In general, in the case of a household dryer, the drum (150) is provided in a cylindrical shape without a through hole formed on the circumference, and a support plate that rotatably supports the drum (150) is formed on the front and rear of the drum, and a duct through which the air is communicated with a duct module (30), etc., may be installed on the support plate.

[0229] However, in the case of a commercial dryer, the diameter and length of the drum (150) are much larger than those of a household dryer, and it is highly likely that a larger volume of clothes will be loaded into the drum (150) than in a household dryer.

[0230] Moreover, when a large amount of clothing is wet in the drum (150), the weight inside the drum (150) is much greater than that of a household dryer, so it is difficult to stably support the drum (150) with a resin-based support plate generally applied to a household dryer.

[0231] In addition, in order to dry a large amount of clothing accommodated in the drum (150), sufficient flow rate must be secured, but a duct through which the flow rate can pass cannot be installed with a resin-based support plate generally applied to household dryers, and even if the duct can be installed, the problem of the front and rear length of the cabinet (110) becoming excessively long may occur.

[0232] To improve this, the garment treatment device of the present invention can accommodate the drum (150) through the housing (140) and stably support the drum (150) through the lower surface.

[0233] The above housing (140) may be made of a metal material to stably support the support member (170) that supports the drum (150), and may be thicker than the cabinet (110).

[0234] In addition, the housing (140) is provided with a larger cross-sectional area than the drum (150) and is provided in a duct shape capable of moving air, so as to secure the maximum amount of hot air supplied to the inside of the drum (150).

[0235] In addition, the housing (140) is provided to receive air from the drying module (20) through the rear and guide the air to the duct module (30) from the front, thereby eliminating the need for a separate duct to be formed in the front or front panel (111) of the drum (150).

[0236] Specifically, the housing (140) may be provided with a ventilation opening (1411) on the bottom surface that supports at least a portion of the load of the drum (150) to discharge air introduced into the housing (140) to the duct module (30). The width of the ventilation opening may be expanded to the maximum extent to the width of the bottom surface of the housing, and the width of the ventilation opening in the front-back direction may be sufficiently expanded in the front-back direction of the bottom surface of the housing. As a result, by securing the area of ​​the ventilation opening, the garment treatment device of the present invention may supply sufficient air to the housing (140).

[0237] In addition, the drum (150) is provided with a discharge hole on a portion of its circumference, so that even if the drum (150) is extended in length to the front panel (111), the air inside the drum (150) can be easily discharged through the ventilation hole. As a result, the clothing treatment device of the present invention can secure a sufficient flow rate to dry a large amount of clothing as a commercial dryer.

[0238] Specifically, the housing (140) can be placed between the cabinet (110) and the drum (130) to form a path through which air moves.

[0239] The housing (140) may be provided in a duct shape to accommodate the drum (150) and prevent hot air supplied to the drum (150) from leaking out of the cabinet (110).

[0240] The housing (140) may be provided so that the front and rear of the drum (150) are open, but the circumferential direction of the drum (150) is shielded.

[0241] The housing (140) may be provided so that the rear can communicate with the drying module (20) and the front can contact the front panel (111). As a result, hot air supplied from the drying module (20) can be guided to the front of the drum (150).

[0242] In addition, the housing (140) may be provided to communicate with the duct module (30). In order for the hot air supplied from the drying module (20) to sufficiently travel to the front of the drum (150), the housing (140) and the duct module (30) may be provided to communicate at a position closer to the front panel than the rear panel of the cabinet (110).

[0243] The cabinet (110) may further include a support member (170) that rotatably supports the drum (150) within the cabinet. As a result, the drum (150) can rotate stably within the cabinet (110) without vibration or positional change exceeding a reference value while holding heavy or large quantities of clothing.

[0244] The housing (140) can be secured and supported by at least a portion of the support member (170). To this end, the housing (140) can be secured and fixed to the upper portion of the duct module (30).

[0245] The above support member (170) may be arranged on the bottom surface of the housing (140) and the outer circumferential surface of the drum (150), and may also be arranged on the lower sides of both sides of the drum (150).

[0246] The above housing (140) may be provided with a different shape from the drum (150) as long as it can accommodate the drum (150) and guide hot air to the front of the drum (150).

[0247] For example, the drum (150) may have a circular cross-section in the diametric direction, but the housing (140) may have a polygonal cross-section in the height direction.

[0248] The above hinge connection part (130) can be fixed by being connected to the housing (140).

[0249] The above hinge connection part (130) can be coupled to both sides of the housing (140), and can be coupled to the inner surface of the housing (140) so that the coupling between the housing (140) and the side panel (113) of the cabinet is not obstructed.

[0250] The above housing (140) may be made of a metal material and may be provided to support the support member (170) and the hinge connection member (130).

[0251] Meanwhile, the housing (140) can support the driving unit (160) from the outside of the housing (140).

[0252] Figure 14 illustrates an embodiment of a sealing structure of a clothing treatment device of the present invention.

[0253] The housing (140) may be provided with an open front so that the drum (150) can be easily installed or replaced inside the housing (140).

[0254] The clothing treatment device of the present invention may include a sealing portion (180) provided in the housing (140) to prevent hot air or steam supplied from the drying module (20) from leaking out of the cabinet (110).

[0255] Specifically, the sealing portion (180) may include the front sealer (181) coupled to the housing (140).

[0256] The above front sealer (181) may be provided to seal between the front surface of the housing (140) and the inner surface of the front panel (111).

[0257] The front sealer (181) may be coupled along the perimeter of the front surface of the housing (140). The front sealer (181) may be provided as an elastic member that is coupled and fixed to the end of the front surface of the housing (140).

[0258] The above front sealer (181) may be provided so as to be in contact with the inner surface of the front panel (111).

[0259] The area of ​​the front surface of the housing (140) may be larger than the diameter of the drum (150) and the diameter of the opening (1111). Accordingly, the front sealer (181) may be positioned outside the opening (1111) and the drum (150).

[0260] In addition, since the housing (140) is a fixed configuration inside the cabinet (110), the front sealer (181) can be maintained in a fixed state when coupled to the housing (140). Accordingly, the front sealer (181) can exhibit higher sealing performance than when coupled to a moving object such as a drum.

[0261] Meanwhile, since the front sealer (181) is arranged along the front perimeter of the housing (140), the support member (170) and the hinge connection member (130) and other components can be arranged on the inside of the front sealer (181).

[0262] The above duct module (30) can be placed outside the front sealer (181).

[0263] Due to the above front sealer (181), the interior of the housing (140) is connected to the drying module (20) so that hot air can move, but the hot air can be prevented from leaking between the exterior of the housing (140) and the interior of the cabinet (110).

[0264] Figure 15 illustrates an embodiment of the door structure of the garment treatment device of the present invention.

[0265] Referring to FIG. 15(a), the door (120) may include an outer frame (121) that is formed to be larger than the area of ​​the opening (1111) and is exposed to the outside, an inner frame (122) that is coupled to the outer frame (122) to open and close the opening (1111), and a hinge portion (125) that is arranged between the inner frame and the outer frame and rotates the door (120) relative to the cabinet (110).

[0266] The inner frame (122) may include a sealing portion (124) that adheres closely to the inner surface of the opening (1111) to prevent hot air from leaking out of the opening (1111). The sealing portion (124) may be provided in a shape corresponding to the opening (1111).

[0267] The inner frame (122) and the outer frame (121) may have a through hole formed through the center to visually expose the inside of the opening (1111), and the door (120) may further include glass (123) that is bonded between the inner frame (122) and the outer frame (121) to shield the through hole and allow light to pass through.

[0268] The inner frame (122) may be provided with a protrusion on the inner surface to be inserted at least partially into the inner surface of the opening (1111), and the sealing portion (124) may be provided with an elastic material that is combined to surround the circumference of the protrusion.

[0269] Meanwhile, the inner frame (122) may additionally be provided with a fixing member (126) that is provided to be detachably connected to a fastening member provided on the front panel (111).

[0270] The above door (120) may further include a handle (127) that can be grabbed by the user's body by having the outer surface of at least one of the inner frame (122) or the outer frame (121) sunken inward.

[0271] The above fixed part (126) and fastening part may be configured with a conventional hook and hook fastening part.

[0272] However, the garment treatment device of the present invention can omit a configuration such as a locking part that locks the door (120) to the front panel (111) and prevents the door (120) from being opened. As a result, the thickness of the front panel (111) and the door (120) can be reduced, and the length of the drum (120) can be further secured, thereby further increasing the drying capacity.

[0273] Referring to FIG. 15(b), the outer frame (121) may include an outer body (1211) that forms an exterior and has a center that is penetrated to expose glass (123), a joining protrusion (1213) that is arranged on the inner surface of the outer body (1211) and is coupled to the inner frame (122), and a grounding protrusion (1212) that is provided to be able to contact the front panel (111) by penetrating the inner frame (122).

[0274] An elastic material is combined with the above grounding protrusion (1212), so that even if the door (120) collides with the front panel (111), the door (120) can be prevented from being damaged.

[0275] The above grounding protrusion (1212) and the above coupling protrusion (1213) may be provided in multiple numbers.

[0276] In order to reduce the thickness of the front panel (111) and the door (120) and to secure more length of the drum (150), the structure for fastening the front panel and the door may be omitted. However, this is not limited to this, and a fastening structure may be used, such as fastening the door by magnetic force or fastening the door by a hook.

[0277] Figure 16 illustrates a drying module equipped with a bypass hole.

[0278] The above drying module (20) may be provided with a bypass hole (290) that penetrates the euro duct (220) so that it communicates with the outside.

[0279] The rear surface of the above-described duct (220) may be formed as the rear surface of the case (210). Accordingly, the bypass hole (290) may be formed as a plurality of perforations penetrating the rear surface of the case. Meanwhile, in the case where the rear surface of the above-described duct and the rear surface of the case are provided separately, the case may be provided with a plurality of perforations penetrating the case and may include an outside air inlet (218) communicating with the bypass hole. However, the following description will be made on the basis of the case having the rear surface of the above-described duct as the case.

[0280] Since the bypass hole (290) is provided in a positive pressure area to lower the pressure, the bypass hole may be provided anywhere in the duct where the positive pressure is always maintained by the circulation fan (330). That is, the bypass hole may be provided between the condenser (242) and the evaporator (241), or between the circulation fan (330) and the evaporator.

[0281] However, if it is installed at the bottom of the condenser (242), wet steam may flow out, which may lower the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger (220) compared to when it is installed at the top of the condenser and dry steam flows out. Therefore, installing it at the top of the condenser can minimize the reduction in the efficiency of the heat exchanger and maintain atmospheric pressure.

[0282] In addition, since the bypass hole (290) is provided to relieve the positive pressure acting on the door (120) in an area corresponding to the drum (150), the bypass hole may be provided in an area corresponding to the drum.

[0283] That is, the bypass hole (290) may be located above the lowermost surface of the drum, and may be located at a height lower than the top surface of the drum. In addition, since the supply unit (216) through which hot air is supplied to the drum is located above the rotation axis of the drum, the bypass hole may be located between the rotation axis of the drum and the top surface of the drum.

[0284] In this way, the positive pressure can be effectively relieved without lowering the thermal efficiency of the heat exchange unit.

[0285] Figure 17 illustrates the flow of air when a bypass hole is provided at the top of the condenser.

[0286] As with conventional clothing treatment devices, when the duct (220) is not connected to the outside, a negative pressure is formed in the first body (311) in front of the fan receiving portion (320) by the circulation fan (330), and a positive pressure can be formed in other spaces. That is, the air of the first body is sucked in by the circulation fan so that the pressure becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure, and the sucked air passes through the fan receiving portion and the duct and moves into the drum, so that the fan receiving portion, the duct, and the drum can be in a positive pressure state having a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

[0287] Therefore, there may be a concern that the pressure of the air passing through the drum (150) in the drying module (20) and reaching the door (120) is high, and the door may be opened by the air or clothing moving forward by the air.

[0288] Referring to Fig. 17, the bypass hole (290) is provided on the rear of the case and is positioned above the condenser (242). That is, the bypass hole may be provided at a position corresponding to the supply unit (216), and the bypass hole may be provided to face the supply unit.

[0289] Accordingly, the air inside the euro duct (220) is discharged to the outside through the bypass hole (290), so that the area inside the euro duct (220) corresponding to the bypass hole can be maintained at atmospheric pressure.

[0290] In addition, since the air inside the drum (150) moves to the duct body (310) through the exhaust hole (154) provided at the front of the drum by the circulation fan (330), the pressure may decrease from the rear to the front of the drum. Accordingly, an atmospheric pressure may be formed outside the drum based on the door (120), and a negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure may be formed inside the drum.

[0291] That is, pressure can be applied from the outside to the inside of the drum (150) by the negative pressure formed inside the drum (150). As a result, the bonding force between the door and the front panel (111) increases, thereby preventing the door from being opened.

[0292] The present invention may be implemented in various modified forms, and its scope is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Therefore, if a modified embodiment includes elements of the claims of the present invention, it should be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cabinet having an opening in the front; A door provided to be rotatably coupled to the cabinet to open and close the opening; A drum having a clothes insertion port that is rotatably provided inside the cabinet and opened and closed by the door at the front, for receiving clothes; A duct module including a circulation fan provided at the bottom of the drum and configured to move air discharged from the drum; A drying module is provided at the rear of the cabinet to dehumidify and heat the air moved from the duct module and supply it to the drum; The above drying module A duct forming a path that guides air discharged from the above duct module to the drum; A heat exchanger including an evaporator provided inside the duct to dehumidify air moved from the duct module and a condenser provided above the evaporator to heat air passing through the evaporator; A clothing treatment device characterized by including a bypass hole provided through the euro duct so that the euro duct and the outside are connected.

2. In paragraph 1, A clothes treatment device characterized in that the bypass hole is positioned above the condenser.

3. In paragraph 1, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the bypass hole is provided at the rear of the euro duct.

4. In paragraph 1, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the above bypass hole is provided with a plurality of perforations penetrating the above duct.

5. In paragraph 1, The above Euroduct An inlet provided at the lower front side of the above-mentioned euro duct and provided to communicate with the above-mentioned duct module; A garment treatment device characterized by including a supply section provided on the front side of the euro duct and positioned above the inlet section so as to communicate with the drum.

6. In paragraph 5, A garment treatment device, characterized in that the bypass hole is arranged at a height corresponding to the supply unit.

7. In paragraph 5, A garment treatment device characterized in that the bypass hole is arranged to face the supply unit.

8. In paragraph 1, A clothing treatment device, characterized in that the bypass hole is located between the condenser and the evaporator.

9. In paragraph 1, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the bypass hole is arranged between the circulation fan and the evaporator.

10. In paragraph 1, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the bypass hole is provided at a higher position than the lowermost surface of the drum.

11. In paragraph 1, A garment treatment device, characterized in that the bypass hole is located between the lowest surface of the drum and the highest surface of the drum.

12. In paragraph 1, A clothing treatment device, characterized in that the bypass hole is located between the rotational axis of the drum and the top surface of the drum.

13. In paragraph 1, The above drying module A case provided to accommodate the above Euro duct; The above case is A clothing treatment device characterized by including an external air inlet provided at a position corresponding to the bypass hole and penetrating through the case to communicate with the outside.

14. In paragraph 1, A clothes treatment device, characterized in that one side of the door is rotatably coupled to the cabinet, and the other side is detachably coupled to the cabin by magnetic force.

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