Clothing treatment apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clothing treatment apparatus comprising: a base; a cabinet fixed to the base and provided with a support panel and a fixed panel; a drum that has one end communicating with the support panel and the other end communicating with an air supply port, and provides an accommodation space for accommodating objects to be treated; a drain space that provides a space for moving condensate discharged from air passing through the first heat exchanger; a drain tank that provides a space for storing the condensate; a drain tank housing that provides a space for accommodating the drain tank; and a collection flow path for returning, to the drain space, the condensate discharged from the drain tank to the drain tank housing.

Description

Garment processing equipment

[0001] This application relates to a clothing treatment device.

[0002]

[0003] A clothing treatment device is a general term for a device capable of washing a treatment object (a laundry object such as clothing) and a device capable of drying a treatment object (a drying object such as clothing).

[0004] A conventional clothing treatment device capable of drying a subject to be treated had a structure including a drum that provides a space for accommodating the subject to be treated, a circulation path that guides air discharged from the drum to the drum, a fan that moves the air along the circulation path, and a heat exchanger that sequentially performs dehumidification and heating of air introduced into the circulation path.

[0005] The heat exchanger is provided to include a first heat exchanger for cooling the air inside the circulation path, and a second heat exchanger for heating the air passing through the first heat exchanger. Since the air discharged from the drum is condensed while passing through the first heat exchanger, a collection chamber for storing condensate is provided inside the circulation path. The condensate stored in the collection chamber is discharged to the outside of the garment treatment device through a pump or stored in a drain tank provided inside the garment treatment device.

[0006] In a conventional clothing treatment device, when the amount of condensate stored in the drain tank exceeds the capacity of the drain tank, the condensate is not stored in the drain tank and flows back into the drain tank housing.

[0007] To solve this phenomenon, a recovery pipe is provided on the lower surface of the drain tank housing to recover the condensate that has flowed back from the drain tank back into the drain space from the drain tank housing.

[0008] At this time, a recovery path is provided to guide condensate from the drain tank housing to the drain space. However, in conventional clothing treatment devices, the inlet and outlet areas of the recovery path are the same. Therefore, when the amount of condensate flowing into the recovery path is greater than the amount discharged from the recovery path, there is a problem in that the condensate flows back into the drain tank housing.

[0009] In addition, there was an inconvenience in that the user had to frequently clean the drain tank housing due to the condensate flowing back into the drain tank housing and accumulating in the drain tank housing, and there was a problem in that the condensate accumulating in the drain tank housing fell to the drum or the base, causing a malfunction in the operation of the clothing treatment device.

[0010]

[0011] The present invention aims to solve the problem of preventing the occurrence of a problem of backflow into the drain tank housing when the amount of condensate flowing into the recovery channel from the drain tank housing is greater than the amount discharged from the recovery channel.

[0012] The present invention aims to solve the problem of preventing condensate overflowing from the drain tank from being discharged from the drain tank housing and thus from falling onto the drum or the base.

[0013] The present invention aims to solve the problem of preventing sanitary problems from occurring due to condensate not being discharged from the drain tank housing to the recovery path and thus condensate accumulating in the drain tank housing.

[0014]

[0015] The present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, comprises: a cabinet having a base; a support panel fixed to the base and having an inlet and an exhaust port formed therein, and a fixed panel fixed to the base and having an air supply port formed therein; a drum having one end rotatably fixed to the support panel and communicating with the inlet and the exhaust port, and the other end rotatably fixed to the fixed panel and communicating with the air supply port, and providing a receiving space for receiving a subject to be treated; a heat exchanger including a first heat exchanger provided inside the base and removing water vapor from air, a second heat exchanger provided inside the base and heating air passing through the first heat exchanger, and a fan provided outside the base and moving air; a drainage space provided below the first heat exchanger and providing a space for moving condensate discharged from air passing through the first heat exchanger; a drainage tank provided in the cabinet so as to be retractable and providing a space for storing condensate; a drainage tank housing providing a space for accommodating the drainage tank; And it is possible to provide a clothes treatment device characterized by including a recovery path for recovering condensate discharged from the drain tank to the drain tank housing to the drain space by being provided so as to be in communication with the drain space.

[0016] The above recovery path may include an inlet provided at a higher position than the drain space and configured to move condensate discharged from the drain tank housing to the drain space; and a discharge port provided at a lower position than the inlet and configured to discharge condensate flowing into the inlet to the drain space.

[0017] The above recovery path may include a duct-shaped structure, and the area of ​​the outlet may be larger than the area of ​​the inlet. In addition, the outlet may include a rectangular shape.

[0018] The above drainage space may include a first inclined surface forming the bottom surface of the drainage space and moving the condensate discharged from the first heat exchanger; and a second inclined surface forming the bottom surface of the drainage space and moving the condensate discharged from the discharge port.

[0019] It may include a collecting unit having a collecting chamber that provides a space for storing condensate discharged from air passing through the first heat exchanger and a collecting passage that guides the condensate to the collecting chamber.

[0020] The above discharge port may be provided to contact at least one of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface.

[0021] The above water collecting unit; a drain tank supply pipe provided on the upper portion of the water collecting chamber to discharge condensate stored in the water collecting chamber to the outside of the water collecting chamber; a water supply pipe connected to the water collecting tank supply pipe to guide condensate stored in the water collecting chamber to the water collecting tank housing; and a recovery pipe fixed to the bottom surface of the water collecting tank housing to guide condensate overflowing from the water collecting tank to the water collecting space.

[0022] It may include a water supply port provided on the upper surface of the drain tank housing to guide condensate discharged through the water supply pipe to the drain tank; and a recovery port provided on the lower surface of the drain tank housing to guide condensate overflowing into the drain tank housing to the recovery pipe.

[0023] The lower surface of the above drain tank housing may be inclined so that the recovery port can be provided at the lowest position.

[0024] The above water supply port and the above recovery port may be arranged closer to the fixed panel than to the support panel.

[0025]

[0026] The present invention has the effect of preventing a phenomenon of backflow into the drain tank housing when the amount of condensate flowing into the recovery channel from the drain tank housing is greater than the amount discharged from the recovery channel.

[0027] The present invention has the effect of preventing condensate that is not discharged from the drain tank housing from falling to the drum or the base.

[0028] The present invention has the effect of preventing condensate from being discharged from the drain tank housing to the recovery path, thereby preventing condensate from accumulating in the drain tank housing and causing a sanitary problem.

[0029]

[0030] Figures 1 and 2 illustrate examples of a clothing treatment device.

[0031] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a cabinet.

[0032] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a drum.

[0033] Figures 5 and 6 illustrate examples of a euro section and a heat exchange section.

[0034] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a base.

[0035] Figures 8 and 9 illustrate examples of the euro section.

[0036] Figures 10 and 11 illustrate examples of a water collection unit and a pump.

[0037] Figure 12 illustrates an example of a recovery path.

[0038] Figure 13 illustrates an example of a drain tank and drain tank housing.

[0039]

[0040] The configuration or control method of the device described below is only for explaining an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and reference numbers used identically throughout the specification represent identical components.

[0041] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprise," "include," or "have" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and therefore, unless specifically defined, do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0042] Expressions indicating relative or absolute arrangements, such as "in which direction", "along which direction", "parallel", "perpendicularly", "centered", "concentric" or "coaxial", not only strictly indicate such arrangements, but also indicate a state of relative displacement with an angle or distance such that tolerance or the same function is obtained.

[0043] Additionally, terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first," "second," etc., used herein may be used to describe various components; however, these components are not limited by these terms, and these terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. Accordingly, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a first component.

[0044] The term "and / or" includes any combination of multiple related listed items or any one of multiple related listed items. For example, "A or B" can include "A", "B", or both "A and B".

[0045] In addition, terms such as “front,” “rear,” “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “front end,” “rear end,” “top,” and “bottom” used in this specification are defined based on the drawings or defined based on the configuration or arrangement / arrangement state between configurations, and the shape and position of each configuration are not limited by these terms.

[0046] Hereinafter, a garment treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the garment treatment device (100) may be provided to include a cabinet (1) and a drum (2) that is rotatably provided inside the cabinet (1) to accommodate garments (targets of treatment).

[0048] The above cabinet (1) may be provided to include a base (15) forming the bottom surface of the garment treatment device, a front panel (11) fixed to the base (15) to form the front surface of the garment treatment device, a first support part (12) fixed to the front panel or the base to rotatably support one end of the drum (2), and a second support part (13) fixed to the base (15) to rotatably support the other end of the drum (2).

[0049] As shown in Fig. 3, the front panel (11) may be provided with a cabinet inlet (111) communicating with the drum (2), an outlet (115) for withdrawing the drain tank (7) to be described later, and an outlet (117) communicating with the base (15).

[0050] As illustrated in Fig. 2, the cabinet inlet (111) may be opened and closed by a door (112), the outlet (115) may be connected to a drain tank housing (116) fixed inside the cabinet (1), and the discharge outlet (117) may be provided to be opened and closed by a discharge outlet cover (118). The door (112) and the discharge outlet cover (118) may be rotatably fixed to the front panel (11).

[0051] The above front panel (11) may be equipped with an interface, and FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the interface is equipped with an input unit (113) and a display unit (114).

[0052] The above input unit (113) is a means for receiving a control command from a user, and the display unit (114) may be provided as a means for displaying a control command that can be selected by the user and a control command selected through the input unit.

[0053] As illustrated in Fig. 3, the first support member (12) may be provided to include a support panel (121) positioned on the rear surface of the front panel (11). The support panel (121) may be fixed to at least one of the front panel (11) and the base (15).

[0054] The above support panel (121) is provided with an inlet (122, panel inlet) that is connected to the drum (2), and the inlet (122) may be provided to be connected to the cabinet inlet (111) through a connecting body (123). The connecting body (123) may be provided in the shape of a pipe that extends from the edge of the inlet (122) toward the cabinet inlet (111).

[0055] The above connecting body (123) may be provided with an exhaust port (125) that guides air inside the drum (2) to the outside of the drum (2). The exhaust port (125) may be provided with a filter (127) that filters air discharged from the drum.

[0056] The above second support member (13, rear panel) may be provided to include a fixed panel (131) that is fixed to the base (15) and rotatably supports the rear surface of the drum (2).

[0057] Figure 4 illustrates an example in which the lower end of the fixed panel (131) is fixed to a panel mounting portion (152) provided on the upper surface of the base (15). In this case, the rear surface of the garment treatment device (100) will be formed by combining the rear surface of the base (15) and the fixed panel (131).

[0058] The above drum (2) may be provided to include a cylindrical drum body (21) having an empty interior, a drum front surface (22, front cover) forming the front surface of the drum body (21), and a drum rear surface (23, rear cover) forming the rear surface of the drum body (21).

[0059] A lifter (24) may be provided inside the drum body (21). When the drum (2) rotates, the processing object inside the drum body (21) will roll or fall inside the drum body (21) by the lifter (24).

[0060] The front surface (22) of the drum may be provided with a mounting hole (221) that communicates with the inlet (122) of the support panel, and the rear surface (23) of the drum may be provided with a drum shaft (25) that forms the center of rotation of the drum (2) and a plurality of drum supply holes (231) arranged to surround the drum shaft.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting hole (221) can be rotatably connected to the support panel (121), and the drum shaft (25) can be rotatably connected to the fixed panel (131).

[0062] The support panel (121) is provided with a ring-shaped mounting rib that surrounds the inlet (122), and the mounting hole (221) can be inserted into the mounting rib and connected to the support panel (121). Therefore, the processing target fed into the cabinet inlet (111) can be moved to the drum body (21) through the inlet (122). The mounting hole (221) not only serves as a means for connecting the drum body (21) to the support panel (121), but also functions as a drum inlet that introduces the processing target into the interior of the drum body (21).

[0063] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the fixed panel (131) may be provided with a shaft support portion that supports the drum shaft (25). The shaft support portion may be provided to include a shaft through-hole (133) that penetrates the fixed panel (131) and into which the drum shaft (25) is inserted, and a holder (135) that prevents the drum shaft (25) from being pulled out of the shaft through-hole (133).

[0064] The holder (135) is detachably fixed to the fixed panel (131), and one end of the drum shaft (25) exposed to the outside of the cabinet (1) through the shaft through hole (133) can be rotatably fixed to the holder (135).

[0065] The above fixed panel (131) may be provided with an air supply hole (136) for supplying air into the interior of the cabinet (1). The air supply hole (136) may be provided with a plurality of through holes arranged to surround the shaft through hole (133). The drum air supply holes (231) provided on the rear surface of the drum may be provided with a plurality of through holes located within a space formed when the air supply holes (136) of the fixed panel are projected onto the rear surface (23) of the drum.

[0066] The above base (15) may be provided to include a base body (15a) forming the bottom surface of the garment treatment device, and a base cover (15b) coupled to the base body (15a) to form the upper surface of the base.

[0067] Inside the above base (15), a flow path (3) that provides a path for air movement and a heat exchanger (4) that exchanges heat with the air moving along the flow path are provided.

[0068] The above-mentioned duct part (3) is connected to an exhaust port (117) provided on the front panel of the cabinet through an exhaust port communication hole (151), and at least one of the heat exchangers constituting the heat exchange part (4) can be exposed to the outside of the cabinet (1) through the exhaust port communication hole (151) and the exhaust port (117). Therefore, when the exhaust port cover (118) is removed and the exhaust port (117) is opened, the user will be able to remove foreign substances remaining in the heat exchange part (4) to the outside of the cabinet (1) through the exhaust port (117) and the exhaust port communication hole (151).

[0069] As shown in Fig. 5, the flow path (3) may be provided to include a heat exchange path (32) provided inside the base (15) to provide a space in which the heat exchange part (4) is mounted, an exhaust path (31) connecting the exhaust port (125) of the support panel and the heat exchange path (32), and a supply path (35) that guides air passing through the heat exchange path (32) to the supply port (136) of the fixed panel.

[0070] The heat exchange path (32) may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the base (15) (Z-axis direction, longitudinal direction of the drum), and the exhaust path (31) may be provided to penetrate the upper surface (base cover) of the base and be connected to the heat exchange path (32). In this case, the exhaust path (31) may be provided along the height direction of the base (Y-axis direction, height direction of the drum).

[0071] The above supply path (35) may be provided to include an air supply duct (351) that guides air discharged from the heat exchange path (32) to the air supply hole (136) of the fixed panel, and a sealing portion (352) that guides air passing through the air supply hole (136) to the drum air supply hole (231).

[0072] As shown in Fig. 4, the sealing portion (352) may be provided in a pipe shape, with one end (the fixed end of the sealing portion) being fixed to the fixed panel (131), and the other end (the free end of the sealing portion) being provided to contact the rear surface (23) of the drum.

[0073] Accordingly, the air discharged from the heat exchange path (32) moves to the air supply port (136) through the air supply duct (351), and the air passing through the air supply port (136) can move into the drum body (21) through the sealing portion (352) and the drum air supply port (231).

[0074] As illustrated in Fig. 6, the base (15) may be provided with a partition wall (321). The partition wall (321) is a means for dividing the heat exchange path (32) into a mounting space (32a) where the heat exchange unit (4) is mounted, and a drainage space (32b) for discharging condensate generated during the drying process from the mounting space.

[0075] The above-mentioned partition wall (321) may be provided as a support plate (support body) that divides the heat exchange path (32) so that the installation space (32a) is located above the drainage space (32b). In order for the condensate inside the installation space (32a) to move to the drainage space (32b), the partition wall (321) may be provided with a plurality of drainage holes (326, condensate drainage holes).

[0076] The above heat exchanger (4) may be provided to include a first heat exchanger (41) provided in the installation space (32a) to remove (dehumidify) water vapor contained in the air, a second heat exchanger (43) provided in the installation space to heat air that has passed through the first heat exchanger, a refrigerant pipe (48) that forms a circulation path of refrigerant passing through the heat exchangers, a compressor (45) that moves refrigerant along the refrigerant pipe, and a pressure regulator (47) that controls the pressure of the refrigerant moving along the refrigerant pipe.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 7, the first heat exchanger (41, heat absorber) and the second heat exchanger (43, heat generator) may be positioned inside the base (15), and the compressor (45) and the pressure regulator (47) may be positioned outside the base (15).

[0078] In order to prevent air inside the heat exchange channel (32) from leaking to the outside, the base cover (15b) and the base body (15a) may be connected through a base fastening portion having a protruding structure. The base fastening portion may be provided to include a base fastening protrusion (156a) provided along the edge of the heat exchange channel (32) among the base body (15a), and a base fastening groove (156b) provided in the base cover (15b) into which the base fastening protrusion is inserted.

[0079] The above base (15) may be provided with a compressor mounting portion (158) for fixing the compressor (45). The compressor mounting portion (158) may be provided in a space located outside the heat exchange path (32) among the spaces provided by the base body (15a).

[0080] The above clothing treatment device (100) may be equipped with a driving unit (5) that rotates the drum (2), and the base (15) may be equipped with a driving unit mounting unit (157) to which the driving unit (5) is fixed.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 8, the driving unit (5) may be provided to include a motor (51) fixed to the driving unit mounting unit (157), and a power transmission unit connecting the rotational shaft (52, motor shaft) of the motor and the circumference of the drum body (21).

[0082] As shown in Fig. 4, the power transmission unit may be provided to include a pulley (53) that rotates by the motor shaft (52), and a belt (54) that connects the pulley (53) and the circumference of the drum body (21).

[0083] In order to move air along the above-mentioned euro section (3) (to resupply air drawn from the drum to the drum), the heat exchange section (4) may be equipped with a fan (49).

[0084] The fan (49) may be provided with an impeller that rotates by the motor shaft (52). In this case, a fan mounting portion (353) that provides a space for accommodating the impeller may be provided on the rear surface of the base (15), and a flow path communication hole (354) that penetrates the rear surface of the base (15) and connects the mounting space (32a) and the fan mounting portion (353). The motor shaft (52) may be connected to the impeller by penetrating the flow path communication hole (354).

[0085] In this case, the air supply duct (351) of the supply path may be provided to connect the fan mounting portion (353) and the air supply port (136) of the fixed panel. That is, a portion of the air supply duct (351) may be fixed to the rear surface of the base (15) and communicate with the fan mounting portion (353), and the remaining portion of the air supply duct (351) may be fixed to the fixed panel (131) and communicate with the air supply port (136).

[0086] As described above, the clothing treatment device (100) has the fixed panel (131) fixed to the upper surface of the base (15), and if the air supply duct (351) is provided to connect the fixed panel (131) and the rear surface of the base (15), there is a beneficial effect in increasing the strength of the rear surface of the clothing treatment device (100).

[0087] In addition, when the fixed panel (131) is fixed to the upper surface of the base (15) (when the rear surface of the garment treatment device is formed by the fixed panel and the rear surface of the base), the volume of the garment treatment device (100) can be reduced while the volume of the drum can be maintained the same, compared to when the fixed panel is fixed to the rear surface of the base (when the fixed panel forms the rear surface of the garment treatment device).

[0088] Since the air flowing into the above-mentioned flow path (3) moves through an area with low flow resistance, the path of movement of the air passing through the above-mentioned flow path (3) is affected by the flow resistance caused by the shape of the above-mentioned flow path (3) or a device located inside the above-mentioned flow path (3).

[0089] Experiments have shown that the degree to which the air movement path is sensitive to flow resistance is less when the fan (49) is located downstream of the flow path than when the fan (49) is located upstream of the flow path. That is, when the fan (49) is located downstream of the flow path, the phenomenon in which air passes through only a portion of the front surface of the first heat exchanger (41) or only a portion of the front surface of the second heat exchanger (43) can be reduced.

[0090] Accordingly, if the fan (49) is not installed upstream of the flow path (3) (front area of ​​the flow path, space where the exhaust flow path is located) but is installed downstream of the flow path (3) (rear area of ​​the flow path), the heat exchange efficiency between the air and the heat exchangers (41, 43) can be increased.

[0091] As illustrated in Fig. 8, in the garment treatment device (100) having the above-described structure, when the fan (49) rotates, air inside the drum (2) is introduced into the mounting space (32a) through the exhaust passage (31). The air introduced into the mounting space (32a) moves to the fan mounting portion (353) through the first heat exchanger (41) and the second heat exchanger (43), and the air inside the fan mounting portion (353) will be resupplied to the drum (2) through the supply passage (35).

[0092] The air passing through the first heat exchanger (41) is cooled by releasing heat to the refrigerant, so the water vapor contained in the air is condensed while passing through the first heat exchanger (41), and the condensate moves from the installation space (32a) to the drain space (32b) through the drain hole (326, condensate discharge hole, located in the area of ​​the partition wall where the first heat exchanger is supported or around it) provided in the partition wall. The condensate inside the drain space (32b) moves to the water collecting unit (6), and the condensate stored in the water collecting unit (6) is discharged to the outside through the pump (8).

[0093] The above clothing treatment device (100) is characterized in that the direction of movement of the condensate toward the water collection unit (6) is set to be the same as the direction of movement (A) of the air passing through the heat exchange path (32).

[0094] The water collection part of a conventional clothing treatment device was generally located on the side of the above-mentioned flow path part (3). The space where the inlet of the above-mentioned flow path part (3) is located had to be provided so as to be in communication with the above-mentioned drum (2), and the space where the outlet of the above-mentioned flow path part (3) is located had to be provided so as to supply air with a fan.

[0095] In addition, since the flow path section can minimize flow resistance when the inlet and outlet are arranged in the same straight line, in the conventional clothing treatment device, the rotation center of the fan is located at the center of the width direction of the flow path section. Therefore, in the conventional clothing treatment device, the location of the water collection section had to be set to either the left or right side of the flow path section. This means that in the conventional clothing treatment device, a water collection passage that moves condensate along a direction orthogonal to the direction of movement (A) of air passing through the flow path section is required.

[0096] If the above-mentioned collection channel is provided as a channel orthogonal to the direction of movement of air passing through the above-mentioned flow path, the speed of the condensate moving to the collection chamber decreases near the collection channel, and therefore, foreign substances (such as lint) remaining in the condensate are more likely to remain near the collection channel.

[0097] However, as shown in Fig. 8, if the position of the water collecting unit (6) is set so that the movement path of the condensate is the same as the movement direction (A) of the air passing through the heat exchange path (32), the possibility of the condensate and foreign substances contained in the condensate remaining in the drainage space (32b) can be reduced.

[0098] As shown in Fig. 9, the water collecting unit (6) may be provided to include a water collecting chamber (61) that provides a space for storing condensate discharged from air passing through the first heat exchanger (41), and a water collecting passage (62) that guides the condensate to the water collecting chamber (61).

[0099] The above water collection chamber (61) may be provided to include a chamber body (611) that is fixed to the rear surface of the base (15) and positioned outside the heat exchange path (32), and a chamber cover (612) that is fixed to the chamber body (611) and forms the upper surface of the water collection chamber.

[0100] The above water collection channel (62) is located inside the heat exchange channel (32), and may be provided as a channel that penetrates the rear surface of the base and connects the chamber body (611) and the drainage space (32b).

[0101] The above-mentioned water collection channel (62) may be provided to provide a path for condensate to move in the same direction as the direction of movement (A) of air passing through the heat exchange channel. FIG. 9 (a) illustrates an example in which the water collection channel (62) is provided along the longitudinal direction (-Z-axis direction, direction from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger) of the drainage space (32b).

[0102] From another perspective, the direction of movement (A) of air passing through the heat exchange channel (32) and the direction of movement of condensate passing through the water collection channel (62) may be set in a direction parallel to a straight line passing through the center of rotation of the drum (2). In addition, the direction of movement (A) of air passing through the heat exchange channel (32) and the direction of movement of condensate passing through the water collection channel may be set in the longitudinal direction of the drum (2) (from the front surface of the drum toward the rear surface of the drum).

[0103] When the direction of movement (A) of air passing through the heat exchange path (32) and the direction of movement of condensate passing through the water collection path are set to be the same, the condensate can easily move to the water collection unit (6), so that not only can the condensate be easily discharged from the drainage space (32b), but also the possibility of foreign substances contained in the condensate remaining in the drainage space (32b) can be reduced.

[0104] In order to facilitate the discharge of condensate from the above drainage space (32b), the bottom surface of the water collection channel (62) may be set lower than the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b). Fig. 6 illustrates an example in which the water collection channel (62) is provided as a groove in which the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b) is concavely bent.

[0105] Furthermore, at least a portion of the bottom surface of the water collection channel (62) may be provided to slope downward from the drainage space (32b) toward the water collection chamber (61).

[0106] In addition, the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b) may be provided to include a downwardly inclined surface toward the water collection channel (62). FIG. 9 (a) illustrates an example in which the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b) is provided with a first inclined surface (322), a second inclined surface (323) located on one side of the first inclined surface and connected to the first inclined surface, and a third inclined surface (324) located on the other side of the first inclined surface and connected to the first inclined surface.

[0107] The first inclined surface (322) may be a surface that slopes downward toward the water collection channel (62), the second inclined surface (323) may be a surface that slopes downward toward the left edge of the first inclined surface and is located on the left side of the first inclined surface, and the third inclined surface (324) may be a surface that slopes downward toward the right edge of the first inclined surface and is located on the right side of the first inclined surface. Unlike what is shown in the drawing, the garment treatment device may be provided to include at least one of the inclined surfaces.

[0108] When the water collecting unit (6) is provided in the location described above, it is difficult for the fan (49) to be located at the rear of the heat exchange path (32) due to the location of the water collecting unit (6) or the pump (8).

[0109] Accordingly, since the fan (49) must be positioned at a point spaced apart from the water collecting unit (6), it is preferable that the fan mounting unit (353) be positioned at a point spaced apart from the water collecting unit (6) along the width direction of the base (X-axis direction, width direction of the drum).

[0110] The rotation center (B, motor shaft) of the fan (49) may be provided parallel to the direction of movement (A) of the condensate passing through the collection channel (62), but may be provided to be located at a point spaced apart from the collection channel (62). Fig. 9 (b) illustrates an example in which the rotation center (B) of the fan (49) is located at a point outside the edges on both sides of the heat exchange channel (32) based on the width direction of the base (X-axis direction, width direction of the drum).

[0111] In this case, the flow path (3) may be further provided to include a connecting flow path (34) connecting the mounting space (32a) and the fan mounting portion (353). As described above, the fan mounting portion (353) may be connected to the heat exchange flow path (32) through the flow path communication hole (354). Accordingly, the connecting flow path (34) may be provided as a flow path that guides air discharged from the mounting space (32a) to the flow path communication hole (354). In this case, the connecting flow path (34) may be located at a higher point than the drainage space (32b).

[0112] When the direction of movement of air passing through the above-mentioned mounting space (32a) is defined as the first direction, the direction of movement of air passing through the above-mentioned connecting passage (34) may be set to a second direction different from the first direction. The first direction may be set to the longitudinal direction (Z-axis direction) of the drum (2), and the second direction may be set to the width direction of the drum (X-axis direction, width direction of the base).

[0113] Fig. 9 (b) illustrates an example in which the angle formed by the direction of movement of air passing through the mounting space (32a) and the direction of movement of air passing through the connecting passage (34) is set to an angle of 90 degrees or more and less than 120 degrees (an angle capable of reducing resistance to the passage due to the connecting passage).

[0114] The condensate stored in the above collection chamber (61) can be discharged to the outside of the collection chamber through the pump (8).

[0115] As shown in Fig. 10, the pump (8) can be fixed to the chamber cover (612).

[0116] The chamber cover (612) may be provided with a cover penetration hole (613) that is provided to penetrate the chamber cover, and a discharge pipe (614) that is provided to penetrate the chamber cover but is located at a point spaced apart from the cover penetration hole.

[0117] In this case, the pump (8) may be provided to include an impeller housing (81) that is fixed to the lower surface of the chamber cover (612) and surrounds the cover penetration hole (613) and the discharge pipe (614), a pump impeller (83) that is inserted into the cover penetration hole (613) and is positioned inside the impeller housing (81), and a drain motor (84) that is fixed to the chamber cover (612) and rotates the pump impeller (83).

[0118] The above cover penetration hole (613) is closed by the housing of the drain motor (84), and the impeller housing (81) is provided to communicate with the chamber body (611) through the housing inlet (82).

[0119] Accordingly, when the pump impeller (83) rotates, the condensate inside the chamber body (611) flows into the impeller housing (81) through the housing inlet (82), and the condensate flowing into the impeller housing (81) will be discharged to the outside of the collection chamber (61) through the discharge pipe (614).

[0120] The condensate discharged from the water collection chamber (61) through the pump (8) may be supplied to the drain tank (7) or may be supplied to the washing unit (155) that sprays water to the first heat exchanger (41). That is, as shown in Fig. 6, the clothing treatment device (100) may be equipped with a flow conversion unit (9) that controls the direction of movement of the condensate discharged from the water collection chamber (61) through the pump (8).

[0121] The above-described euro switching unit (9) may be provided to include a euro body (91), a valve supply pipe (92) connecting the discharge pipe (614) to the euro body (91), a washing unit supply pipe (93) guiding condensate inside the euro body (91) to the washing unit (155), a drain tank supply pipe (94) guiding condensate inside the euro body (91) to the drain tank housing (116), and a switching valve (95) controlling the opening and closing of the two supply pipes (93, 94).

[0122] The above washing unit (155) may be provided to include a washing passage (155a) formed on the upper surface of the base (15), a passage cover (155b) fixed to the base (15) to form the upper surface of the washing passage (155a), and a spray port (155c) provided to penetrate the upper surface of the base (15) and discharge condensate inside the washing passage to the first heat exchanger (41). The spray port (155c) may be provided as a slit-shaped through hole whose length in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the base is longer than its length in the length direction (Z-axis direction) of the base.

[0123] When the pump (8) operates while the switching valve (95) opens the washing unit supply pipe (93), the condensate inside the water collection chamber (61) will be discharged to the front surface of the first heat exchanger (41) through the washing passage (155a). Accordingly, foreign substances remaining on the front surface of the first heat exchanger (41) will be separated from the first heat exchanger (41) by the condensate discharged from the injection port (155c), and the condensate containing the foreign substances will move to the drain space (32b) through the drain port (326) of the bulkhead.

[0124] As shown in Fig. 3, a tank water supply port (71) is provided on the upper surface of the drain tank (7), and a water supply pipe (116a) connected to the drain tank supply pipe (94) of the flow conversion unit is provided in the drain tank housing (116).

[0125] When the above drain tank (7) is inserted into the drain tank housing (116), the tank water supply port (71) is located below the outlet of the water supply pipe (116a). Therefore, when the pump (8) operates while the switching valve (95) opens the drain tank supply pipe (94), the condensate inside the water collection chamber (61) will move to the drain tank (7).

[0126] Meanwhile, if an amount of condensate greater than the amount that the drain tank (7) can store is supplied to the drain tank (7), the condensate will move to the drain tank housing (116) in which the drain tank (7) is accommodated.

[0127] In order to prevent condensate inside the drain tank housing (116) from falling to the drum (2) or the base (15), the clothing treatment device (100) may be provided with a recovery pipe (116b) connecting the drain tank housing (116) and the drain space (32b).

[0128] One end of the above recovery pipe (116b) may be fixed to the bottom surface of the drain tank housing (116), and the other end of the above recovery pipe (116b) may be provided to pass through the base cover (15b) and be connected to the drainage space (32b).

[0129] As shown in Fig. 10, a water level sensor (63) may be further provided in the water collection unit (6) to determine the amount of condensate inside the water collection chamber (61).

[0130] The water level sensor (63) may be provided to include two electrodes (631, 632) that extend from the upper surface of the water collection chamber (61) toward the bottom surface of the water collection chamber (61) but are spaced apart from each other.

[0131] That is, the water level sensor (63) may be provided to include a first electrode (631) having one end fixed to the chamber cover (612) and the other end (free end) positioned inside the chamber body (611), and a second electrode (632) having one end fixed to the chamber cover (612) and the other end (free end) positioned inside the chamber body (611).

[0132] Meanwhile, in the garment treatment device (100) having the above-described structure, the pressure in the drainage space (32b) may fluctuate when the fan (49) operates. This is because the drainage space (32b) is connected to the installation space (32a) through the drainage port (326) provided in the bulkhead.

[0133] Since the above water collection chamber (61) is connected to the drainage space (32b) through the water collection path (62), a change in the pressure of the drainage space (32b) causes a change in the pressure of the water collection chamber (61), which means that the water level inside the water collection chamber (61) may decrease when the fan (49) is in operation, and the water level measured by the water level sensor (63) may not be accurate.

[0134] In order to increase the accuracy of the value measured by the water level sensor (63), as shown in Fig. 11, it is preferable that the free ends of the electrodes (631, 632) be positioned at a point (H) lower than the inlet (621) of the water collection channel.

[0135] FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which the inlet (621) of the water collection channel is provided parallel to the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b), but the inlet (621) of the water collection channel may also be provided to be inclined from the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b) toward the bottom surface of the water collection channel (62). In the latter case, the free ends of the electrodes (631, 632) should be provided to be positioned lower than the lowest end of the inlet (621).

[0136] The drum (2), the exhaust path (31), the mounting space (32a), the connection path (34), and the supply path (35) form an air circulation path, and the drainage space (32b) and the water collecting unit (6) form a drainage path that discharges condensate generated during the drying process to the outside of the circulation path.

[0137] As shown in Fig. 12, the recovery path (33) may be provided to communicate with the drain space (32b) so that the condensate discharged from the drain tank (7) to the drain tank housing (116) can be recovered to the drain space (32b).

[0138] In addition, the recovery path (33) may be provided to include an inlet (331) that is provided at a higher position than the drainage space (32b) and moves the condensate discharged from the drainage tank housing (116) to the drainage space (32b), and a discharge port (332) that is provided at a lower position than the inlet (331) and discharges the condensate that has flowed into the inlet (331) to the drainage space (32b).

[0139] As illustrated in Fig. 8, the inlet (331) is provided to recover condensate discharged from the drain tank housing (116) and is provided so as not to be blocked by the partition wall (321). In addition, the inlet (331) may be provided at least on one of the upper and lower portions of the third receiving groove (371) provided so that the second heat exchanger (43) can be received in the supply path (35). However, as will be described later, the recovery pipe (116b) is provided so as to be arranged close to the fixed panel (131), so that the inlet (331) is preferably provided on the upper portion of the third receiving groove (371) so that the condensate can be easily discharged into the drain space (32b).

[0140] Since the above discharge port (332) discharges the condensate that has flowed into the inlet port (331) by gravity into the drainage space (32b), the discharge port (332) may be provided below the inlet port (331). However, it is preferable that the inlet port (331) and the discharge port (332) be provided on the same straight line to efficiently discharge the condensate.

[0141] The above recovery path (33) may be provided in a duct shape to discharge the condensate discharged through the recovery pipe (116b) into the drainage space (32b). Here, the duct shape may be manufactured and used in various shapes and sizes, such as a circular duct, a square duct, an oval duct, etc., depending on its purpose and installation environment. That is, the inlet (331) and the outlet (332) may be provided in respective shapes, such as a circular, square, or oval shape.

[0142] In addition, the area of ​​the outlet (332) and the area of ​​the inlet (331) may be provided the same or different. However, it is preferable that the area of ​​the outlet (332) be wider than the area of ​​the inlet (331).

[0143] If the area of ​​the inlet (331) is wider than the area of ​​the outlet (332), the amount of condensate flowing into the recovery path (33) through the recovery pipe (116b) may be greater than the amount of condensate discharged into the drain space (32b) through the outlet (332), so the condensate may flow back through the recovery pipe (116b) and flow back into the drain tank housing (116).

[0144] If condensate flows back into the drain tank housing (116), the condensate that is not discharged may fall into the drum (2) or the base (15), which may cause problems in the normal operation of the clothing treatment device (100). In addition, since condensate accumulates in the drain tank housing (116), the user may have to clean it frequently, which may cause inconvenience and sanitary problems.

[0145] Therefore, to prevent this, it is preferable that the area of ​​the outlet (332) be wider than the area of ​​the inlet (331). To this end, the outlet (332) may be provided in a square shape.

[0146] The above discharge port (332) is formed in a square shape rather than a circular or oval shape within the same area, so that the condensate flowing into the inlet port (331) can be efficiently discharged into the drainage space (32b).

[0147] The above drainage space (32b) may include a first inclined surface that forms the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b) and moves the condensate discharged from the first heat exchanger (41), and a second inclined surface that forms the bottom surface of the drainage space (32b) and moves the condensate discharged from the discharge port (332).

[0148] As illustrated in Fig. 12, the discharge port (332) may be provided to contact at least one of the first inclined surface (322) and the second inclined surface (323).

[0149] However, if the discharge port (332) is provided to be in contact with the first inclined surface (322), the recovery pipe (116b) is provided to be positioned close to the fixed panel (131) as described later, so that the length of the recovery pipe (116b) becomes relatively long so that it can communicate with the inlet port (331), which may cause a problem in that the efficiency of condensate discharge is reduced.

[0150] Therefore, to prevent this, it is preferable that the discharge port (332) be provided so as to be in contact with the second inclined surface (323).

[0151] In addition, assuming that the discharge port (332) is provided in a square shape and is provided to be in contact with the second inclined surface (323), the square may be formed of four sides, and the side closest to the second inclined surface (323) may not be in contact with the second inclined surface (323), and the side furthest from the second inclined surface (323) may be provided to be in contact with the second inclined surface (323).

[0152] That is, the above rectangle may be provided in a tilted shape so that the four sides are not located on the same plane.

[0153] However, unlike the above-mentioned outlet (332), the inlet (331) may be provided so that the sides of the square are positioned on the same plane or the angle of inclination thereof is gentler than that of the outlet (332).

[0154] Accordingly, even if the discharge port (332) has the same area as the inlet port (331) on a plane, it may be provided to have a larger area than the inlet port (331) depending on the difference in the angle of inclination. Due to this difference, the amount of condensate discharged through the discharge port (332) is greater than the amount of condensate flowing into the inlet port (331), thereby preventing the phenomenon of the condensate flowing back into the drain tank housing (116).

[0155] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 10, the discharge pipe (614) may be provided on the upper portion of the water collection chamber (61) to discharge the condensate stored in the water collection chamber (61) to the outside of the water collection chamber (61).

[0156] As illustrated in FIG. 13, the water supply pipe (116a) can guide the condensate stored in the water collection chamber (61) discharged through the discharge pipe (614) to the drain tank housing (116), and the recovery pipe (116b) is fixed to the bottom surface of the drain tank housing (116) to guide the condensate overflowing from the drain tank (7) to the drain tank housing (116) to the drain space (32b).

[0157] In addition, a water supply port (116c) is provided on the upper surface of the drain tank housing (116) to guide condensate discharged through the water supply pipe (116a) to the drain tank (7), and a recovery port (116d) is provided on the lower surface of the drain tank housing (116) to guide condensate overflowing into the drain tank housing (116) to the recovery pipe (116b).

[0158] The above water supply port (116c) allows the condensate discharged through the water supply pipe (116a) to flow into the drain tank (7) through the tank water supply port (71). That is, the tank water supply port (71) is located below the water supply port (116c) and can be located on the same y-axis line.

[0159] Accordingly, the water supply port (116c) allows the condensate flowing in through the water supply pipe (116a) to flow directly into the tank water supply port (71), thereby efficiently discharging the condensate and preventing the condensate from flowing into the drain tank housing (116).

[0160] However, since the storage space of the drain tank (7) is inevitably limited, if the user does not discharge the condensate stored in the drain tank (7), the condensate stored in the drain tank (7) may overflow and flow into the drain tank housing (116).

[0161] Accordingly, to prevent this, the lower surface of the drain tank housing (116) is provided with the recovery port (116d), so that the condensate flowing into the drain tank housing (116) can be discharged back into the drain space (32b).

[0162] To this end, the recovery port (116d) may be provided at the lowest position among the lower surfaces of the drain tank housing (116). That is, the lower surface of the drain tank housing (116) may be provided such that both lower surfaces are inclined toward the recovery port (116d) with the recovery port (116d) as the center. Through this, the condensate flowing into the drain tank housing (116) can be drawn to the recovery port (116d) and discharged more efficiently into the drain space (32b). It is preferable that the angle at which the lower surface of the drain tank housing (116) is inclined, i.e., the inclination, be about 1% to 2% to smoothly move the condensate to the recovery port (116d).

[0163] The above water supply port (116c) and the above recovery port (116d) may be arranged closer to the fixed panel (131) than to the support panel (121). That is, it is preferable that both the water supply port (116c) and the above recovery port (116d) be arranged closer to the fixed panel (131).

[0164] Condensate flowing back from the tank water inlet (71) moves to the fixed panel (131) and is discharged to the recovery port (116d) located on the lower surface of the drain tank housing (116).

[0165] Accordingly, the water supply port (116c) and the recovery port (116d) are arranged closer to the fixed panel (131) than to the support panel (121), so that the reversed condensate can be recovered more efficiently to the drainage space (32b).

[0166] In addition, by arranging the water supply port (116c) and the recovery port (116d) close to the fixed panel (131), the length of the water supply pipe (116a) and the recovery pipe (116b) can be minimized, so that the discharged condensate can be moved more efficiently and the efficiency of the internal space can be improved.

[0167] The present invention may be implemented in various modified forms, and the scope of the invention 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. Base; A cabinet having a support panel fixed to the base and having an inlet and an exhaust port formed therein, and a fixed panel fixed to the base and having an inlet and an exhaust port formed therein; A drum having one end rotatably fixed to the support panel and communicating with the inlet and exhaust port, and the other end rotatably fixed to the fixed panel and communicating with the supply port, and providing a receiving space for receiving the subject of treatment; A heat exchanger comprising a first heat exchanger provided inside the base to remove water vapor from air, a second heat exchanger provided inside the base to heat air passing through the first heat exchanger, and a fan provided outside the base to move air; A drainage space provided at the bottom of the first heat exchanger to provide a space for moving condensate discharged from air passing through the first heat exchanger; A drain tank provided in the cabinet so as to be withdrawable and provide a space for storing condensate; A drain tank housing providing a space in which the drain tank is accommodated; and A clothing treatment device characterized by including a recovery path for recovering condensate discharged from the drain tank to the drain tank housing to the drain space, the recovery path being provided to communicate with the drain space.

2. In paragraph 1, The above recovery method is An inlet provided at a higher position than the drainage space to move condensate discharged from the drainage tank housing to the drainage space; and A clothing treatment device characterized by including an outlet provided at a lower position than the inlet and discharging condensate flowing into the inlet into the drainage space.

3. In paragraph 2, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the above recovery path is formed in a duct shape.

4. In paragraph 3, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the area of ​​the discharge port is wider than the area of ​​the inlet port.

5. In paragraph 4, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the above discharge port is formed in a square shape.

6. In any one of paragraphs 2 to 5, The above drainage space A first inclined surface forming the bottom surface of the above drainage space and moving the condensate discharged from the first heat exchanger; and A clothing treatment device characterized by including a second inclined surface forming the bottom surface of the drainage space and moving the condensate discharged from the discharge port.

7. In paragraph 6, A clothing treatment device characterized by comprising a water collecting unit having a water collecting chamber that provides a space for storing condensate discharged from air passing through the first heat exchanger and a water collecting passage that guides the condensate to the water collecting chamber.

8. In paragraph 6, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the discharge port is provided to contact at least one of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface.

9. In paragraph 1, A collecting unit having a collecting chamber that provides a space for storing condensate discharged from air passing through the first heat exchanger and a collecting passage that guides the condensate to the collecting chamber; A drain tank supply pipe provided on the upper portion of the above collection chamber to discharge condensate stored in the above collection chamber to the outside of the above collection chamber; A water supply pipe connected to the above drain tank supply pipe and guiding the condensate stored in the above collection chamber to the above drain tank housing; and A clothes treatment device characterized by including a recovery pipe fixed to the bottom surface of the drain tank housing and guiding condensate overflowing from the drain tank to the drain tank housing to the drain space.

10. In paragraph 9, A water supply port provided on the upper surface of the above drain tank housing to guide condensate discharged through the water supply pipe to the drain tank; and A clothing treatment device characterized by including a recovery port provided on the lower surface of the drain tank housing and guiding condensate overflowing from the drain tank housing to the recovery pipe.

11. In paragraph 10, A clothes treatment device characterized in that the lower surface of the above drain tank housing is inclined so that the recovery port can be installed at the lowest position.

12. In paragraph 11, A clothing treatment device characterized in that the water supply port and the recovery port are arranged closer to the fixed panel than to the support panel.

Images