Patent Application
20250154714
The present disclosure relates to a clothes care apparatus, and more specifically, to a clothes care apparatus including a double door.
In general, a clothes care apparatus refers to an apparatus for taking care of laundry, etc. by washing or drying the laundry. Among such clothes care apparatuses, a clothes care apparatus with a drying function may be equipped with a hot air supply device that supplies hot air to a space in which clothes are accommodated to dry the clothes, and may be equipped with a steam generating device to perform refreshing functions, such as removing wrinkles, deodorizing, and removing static electricity from clothes.
The clothes care apparatus is configured in the form of a cabinet in which a care room for accommodating clothes is formed. A machine room in which the steam generating device or the hot air supply device is included is located on the lower side of the care room. The care room and the machine room may be separated by a partition.
The clothes care apparatus may have a clothes support member disposed in the care room, designed to hold clothes. The clothes care apparatus may take care of clothes by the translational movement and/or rotational movement of the clothes support member, or may take care of clothes by providing airflow to the clothes support member.
One aspect of the present disclosure provides a clothes care apparatus capable of accommodating clothes between an inner door and an outer door.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a clothes care apparatus capable of removing wrinkles from clothes accommodated between an inner door and an outer door.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a clothes care apparatus capable of operating even when an outer door is open.
The technical objectives of the present invention are not limited to the above, and other objectives that are not described above may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art based on the following descriptions.
A clothes care apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a main body having a care room; a blower configured to guide an airflow while the blower is provided in the main body; and an inner door, which is rotatable, coupleable to the main body. The clothes care apparatus according to the embodiment may include an outer door coupleable to the inner door so that while the outer door is coupled to the inner door, an accommodating space, in which clothes are accommodated, is formed between the outer door and the inner door, the outer door including a clothes support member configured to support the clothes in the accommodating space, and the outer door being configured to rotate with respect to the inner door to open and to close the accommodating space. The inner door may include a partition configured to separate the care room and the accommodating space and an outlet hole to allow the airflow guided by the blower toward the clothes that are supported by the clothes support member.
The clothes support member may be mounted on a rear surface of the outer door facing the inner door.
The main body may include a communication hole at a rear of the outlet hole, and the airflow guided by the blower may be discharged to the outlet hole through the communication hole.
The inner door may include an inner door frame protruding from the partition toward the outer door and configured to form an edge of the inner door, and a discharge guider provided at a front of the outlet hole to guide the airflow discharged through the outlet hole toward the clothes.
The inner door may include a pressing plate configured to press the clothes supported by the clothes support member and a plate groove into which a part of the pressing plate may be inserted.
The pressing plate may be configured to be movable from the plate groove toward the outer door.
The inner door may include a pusher configured to push the pressing plate toward the outer door.
The pusher may include a pusher base disposed at a rear of the pressing plate and configured to be moved in a forward and backward direction, and a connecting protrusion configured to connect the pressing plate and the pusher base to move the pressing plate in response to a movement of the pusher base. The partition may include a pusher accommodating groove configured to accommodate the pusher base and formed by a portion of the partition while being spaced apart from the plate groove, and a guide hole configured to guide a movement of the connecting protrusion in the forward and backward direction.
The inner door may further include an elastic member provided between the pressing plate and the partition to elastically bias the pressing plate from the partition to the outer door.
The inner door may include a rail provided on side inner surfaces facing each other while forming the plate groove of the partition. The pressing plate may be configured to move toward the outer door along the rail.
The inner door may be connected to a heating wire such that the partition transfers heat to the pressing plate to increases the temperature of the pressing plate.
The main body may further include a water supply container configured to supply water to generate steam, and a drain container configured to collect water. The inner door may include a withdrawal hole provided in a lower portion of the partition such that the water supply container and the drain container are withdrawn through the inner door with the inner door being closed.
The clothes care apparatus according to the embodiment may further a controller configured to drive the pressing plate as the outer door closes the care room together with the inner door.
The clothes care apparatus according to the embodiment may further include a controller configured to control the clothes care apparatus. The controller may configured to drive the blower as the inner door closes the care room.
The blower may be a first blower, and the clothes care apparatus according to the embodiment may further include a second blower provided in the main body and controlled separately from the first blower to generate an airflow flowing into the accommodating space. The controller may be configured to drive the second blower as the outer door closes the care room together with the inner door.
A clothes care apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a main body having a care room, a blower provided within the main body and forming an airflow; an inner door rotatably coupled to the main body, and an outer door coupled to the inner door to form an accommodating space, in which clothes are accommodated, together with the inner door, the outer door being configured to rotatable with respect to the inner door to open the accommodating space. The inner door includes a partition provided to separate the care room and the accommodating space. The inner door includes an outlet hole provided at an upper portion of the partition to discharge a portion of the airflow formed by the blower toward the clothes. The outer door includes a clothes support member provided on a rear surface facing the partition to support the clothes provided in the accommodating space.
The main body may further include a communication hole disposed at a rear of the discharge hole, which is configured to guide a portion of the airflow formed by the blower toward the inner door.
The inner door may include a pressing plate configured to press the clothes supported by the clothes support member, and disposed at the front of the partition; and a plate groove into which a portion of the pressing plate is inserted. The pressure plate may be configured to be movable from the plate groove toward the outer door.
The inner door may include a pusher configured to push the pressing plate toward the outer door.
A clothes care apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a main body having a care room; a blower provided in the main body and configured to form an airflow; an inner door rotatably coupled to the main body; and an outer door coupled to the inner door to form an accommodating space, in which clothes are accommodated, together with the inner door and rotatably provided with respect to the inner door to open the accommodating space. The inner door includes a partition configured to separate the care room and the accommodating space. The inner door includes a pressing plate configured to be moved from the partition toward the outer door to press the clothes accommodated in the accommodating space as the outer door closes the care room together with the inner door.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, clothes inside the care room can be taken care of even when the outer door is open since the care room and the accommodating space are separated from each other.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, clothes care can be facilitated by removing wrinkles on clothes provided in the accommodating space using airflow.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, clothes care can be facilitated by removing wrinkles on clothes provided in the accommodating space using a contact-type pressing plate that applies a pressure to clothes.
The embodiments described in the disclosure and the configurations shown in the drawings are only examples of the disclosure, and various modifications may be made at the time of filing of the disclosure to replace the embodiments and drawings of the disclosure.
In the description of the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the drawings.
The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments and are not intended to restrict and/or to limit the disclosure. The singular expressions herein may include plural expressions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, the terms “comprises”, “includes”, and “has” are intended to indicate that there are features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof described in the disclosure, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. used in the disclosure may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The term “and/or” includes combinations of one or all of a plurality of associated listed items.
The terms “front”, “rear”, “upper”, “lower”, “top”, and “bottom” as herein used are defined with respect to the drawings, but the terms may not restrict the shape and position of the respective components.
Referring to
A control panel 250 may be provided on the outer surface of the outer door 220. The control panel 250 may be an input device for a user input. The control panel 250 may include a display that displays clothes care settings and clothes care operation information in response to a user input, and an inputter that acquires various user inputs.
The main body 10 may be provided with a clothes care room 11 in which clothes is accommodated and taken care of. The clothes care room 11 may be a care room 11.
The main body 10 may have the care room 11 formed therein, and the care room 11 may have a hexahedral shape with one side open. The main body 10 may have a front opening 10a formed on the front side thereof, and the main body 10 may be provided with the door 20 that is provided to be rotatable to open and close the front opening 10a of the main body 10.
The inner door 210 may be coupled to the main body 10 through a first hinge 17, see
The outer door 220 may be coupled to the inner door 210 through a second hinge 217, see
The outer door 220 may be coupled to the inner door 210. The outer door 220 may form an accommodating space 211 in which clothes is accommodated together with the inner door 210. The outer door 220 may be provided to be rotatable with respect to the inner door 210 to open the accommodating space 211.
As described above, the outer door 220 and the inner door 210 may rotate together with respect to the main body 10, and only the outer door 220 may rotate with respect to the inner door 210. In addition, even when the outer door 220 and the inner door 210 rotate together counterclockwise with respect to the main body 10, the inner door 210 may be separated from the outer door 220 and rotate clockwise.
Preferably, the inner door 210 may rotate with respect to the main body 10 after the outer door 220 rotates at a predetermined angle counterclockwise with respect to the main body 10. Here, the predetermined angle may be 120 degrees.
The outer door 220 includes an outer handle 220h on the left side, configured to rotate the outer door 220. The inner door 210 may include an inner handle 210h on the left side, configured to rotate the inner door 210.
The outer handle 220h may be positioned on the lower side of the inner handle 210h. The outer handle 220h may include an opening portion 220ha on the left side thereof, into which a user's hand is inserted. The inner handle 210h may include an opening portion 210ha on the left side thereof, into which a user's hand is inserted.
More specifically, in order to open the outer door 220 and the inner door 210 together, the user may pull the inner handle 210h forward using his/her hand, thereby allowing both the outer door 220 and the inner door 210 to rotate.
In the case in which only the outer door 220 is to be opened, the user may pull the outer handle 220h provided on the lower side of the inner handle 210h forward to rotate only the outer door 220.
In the case in which the inner door 210 is to be opened after the outer door 220 has been rotated, the user may pull the inner handle 210h to rotate the inner door 210.
As described above, the user may rotate the outer door 220 or the inner door 210 together or separately, as needed, which may increase user's satisfaction.
The main body 10 may include an upper surface 10b, a lower surface 10c, a left surface 10d, a right surface 10e, a rear surface 10f, and a periphery surface 10g provided along a circumference of a front opening 10a and facing the inner door 210.
The care room 11 may include a first airflow inlet hole 11a, a first airflow outlet hole 11b, and a steam outlet hole 43. The first airflow inlet hole 11a and the first airflow outlet hole 11b may be formed on the lower surface 10c of the care room 11. The first airflow inlet hole 11a may be arranged at a front portion of the lower surface 10c of the care room 11. The first airflow outlet hole 11b may be arranged at a rear portion of the lower surface 10c of the care room 11.
The first airflow inlet hole 11a and the first airflow outlet hole 11b may be arranged at adjacent positions. The steam outlet hole 43 may be arranged at the lower portion of the rear surface 10f of the care room 11. The steam outlet hole 43 may be arranged on the upper side of the first airflow outlet hole 11b.
The clothes care device 1 may include a second airflow inlet hole 120a and a second airflow outlet hole 120b. The second airflow inlet hole 120a may be formed at an upper portion of the rear surface 10f of the care room 11. The second airflow outlet hole 120b may be formed approximately at a central portion of the upper surface 10b of the care room 11. The second airflow inlet hole 120a and the second airflow outlet hole 120b may be arranged at adjacent positions.
In a lower portion of the main body 10, a drain container 15a and a water supply container 15b provided to be separable from the main body 10 may be installed. The drain container 15a and the water supply container 15b may be disposed on the lower side of the care room 11. The drain container 15a is provided to facilitate condensate treatment. The drain container 15a may be withdrawable forward from the main body 10.
Water may be stored in the water supply container 15b. The water in the water supply container 15b may be supplied to the steam generating device 40 and used to form steam. The water supply container 15b may be installed to be separable from the main body 10 for easy water replenishment. The water supply container 15b may be withdrawn forward from the main body 10.
The drain container 15a and the water supply container 15b may be provided at the front of the machine room 13. The machine room 13 is provided in a lower portion of the main body 10. The machine room 13 may be provided at the lower side of the care room 11. The machine room 13 may include a heat exchange device 30 that may dehumidify and heat the air inside the care room 11 as needed.
Inside the machine room 13, a circulation fan 32, a heat exchange device 30, and a steam generating device 40 may be disposed.
The heat exchange device 30 may be installed to supply hot air into the inside of the clothes care room 11. The heat exchange device 30 is provided with an evaporator 33, a compressor 35, and a condenser 34, through which refrigerant circulates, and provided to dehumidify and heat the air.
In the evaporator 33 of the heat exchange device 30, the refrigerant absorbs latent heat of the surrounding air while evaporating, and moisture in the air is condensed and removed. In addition, when the refrigerant is condensed in the condenser 34 through the compressor 35, the latent heat is released toward the surrounding air, thereby heating the surrounding air. That is, the evaporator 33 and the condenser 34 function as heat exchangers, such that the air introduced into the machine room 13 by the circulation fan 32 sequentially passes through the evaporator 33 and the condenser 34 to be dehumidified and heated.
The heat exchange device 30 installed in the machine room 13 may include a first duct 31 connecting the evaporator 33, the condenser 34, and the circulation fan 32. The first duct 31 may be connected to the care room 11. A first circulation path 39 may be formed within the first duct 31, and the first circulation path 39 may circulate within the care room 11 and the first duct 31.
The first duct 31 may be connected to the first airflow inlet hole 11a and the first airflow outlet hole 11b of the clothes care room 11. One end of the first duct 31 may be connected to the first airflow inlet hole 11a of the care room 11, and the other end may be connected to the first airflow outlet hole 11b of the care room 11. A first duct inlet hole 31a of the first duct 31 may be connected to the first airflow inlet hole 11a, and a first duct outlet hole 31b of the first duct 31 may be connected to the first airflow outlet hole 11b.
The air of the care room 11 is introduced into the first duct 31 through the first airflow inlet hole 11a, and the introduced air is dehumidified and discharged back into the care room 11 through the first airflow outlet hole 11b. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first airflow inlet hole 11a is arranged at the front side of the care room 11 and the first airflow outlet hole 11b is arranged at the rear side of the care room 11, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the positions of the airflow inlet hole and the airflow outlet hole may be variously changed as needed.
The first duct 31 may be provided to dehumidify the air introduced through the first airflow inlet hole 11a and discharge the dehumidified air through the first airflow outlet hole 11b. The circulation fan 32 may be provided on the first duct 31 to draw in air from the care room 11 into the first duct 31.
The machine room 13 may further include a steam generating device 40 that receives water from the water supply container 15b and forms steam. The steam generating device 40 may be arranged in the machine room 13. The steam generating device 40 may include a steam generator 41 that is connected to the water supply container 15b and receives water to generate steam, and a steam supply pipe 44 that guides the generated steam to a steam injection portion 42. The steam injection portion 42 may be disposed in a lower portion of the rear surface 10f of the care room 11. A heater (not shown) may be installed inside the steam generating device 41 to heat water.
The clothes care device 1 may include a second duct 121. A blower 122 may be installed inside the second duct 121. The second duct 121 may be provided to communicate with the care room 11 to form a second circulation path 120 that circulates between the care room 11 and the second duct 121. The blower 122 may be disposed on the second circulation path 120.
The second duct 121 may be formed at the rear of the second airflow inlet hole 120a of the care room 11. The second duct 121 may be provided in an upper portion of the rear surface 10f of the care room 11 and may include a filter member 60 therein. The second duct 121 may be coupled to a top cover 130 arranged on the upper side of the care room 11. The second duct 121 may be coupled to the top cover 130 and have the blower 122 installed therein. The blower 122 may be provided inside the main body 10 and may form an airflow.
The blower 122 arranged inside the second duct 121 may be provided to draw in air inside the care room 11 through the second airflow inlet hole 120a and discharge the air through the second airflow outlet hole 120b.
The blower 122 may be arranged in the main body 10 and may be provided on the exterior of the top of the care room 11 to circulate the air inside the care room 11. The blower 122 may include a blower motor 122a that generates rotational force and a first blower fan 122b that is rotated by the blower motor 122a. The first blower fan 122b may be accommodated by a fan case 122c. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.
The fan case 122c may be coupled to a duct bracket 124 provided on the upper surface 10b of the care room 11. At least one duct hole 124a is formed in the duct bracket 124, and the first blower fan 122b is connected to each of at least one duct hole 124a to move air from the second duct 121 to the second airflow outlet hole 120b.
The second duct 121 may be connected to the second airflow inlet hole 120a and the second airflow outlet hole 120b of the care room 11. One end of the second duct 121 may be connected to the second airflow inlet hole 120a of the care room 11, and the other end may be connected to the second airflow outlet hole 120b of the care room 11.
The second duct inlet hole 121a of the second duct 121 may be connected to the second airflow inlet hole 120a, and the second duct outlet hole 121b may be connected to the second airflow outlet hole 120b.
A filter member 60 may be provided in the second airflow inlet hole 120a of the care room 11. The second airflow inlet hole 120a is formed at the rear surface 10f of the care room 11. A filter member installation portion 11c for installing the filter member 60 is provided on the rear surface 10f of the care room 11. The second airflow inlet hole 120a may be formed at a position corresponding to the filter member installation portion 11c.
The air inside the care room 11, entering the second duct 121, may be filtered by the filter member 60 of the second airflow inlet hole 120a. Dust and odor may be removed from the air introduced into the second duct 121 by the filter member 60. The air filtered by the filter member 60 may be discharged to the second airflow outlet hole 120b and a first clothes support member 110 through the blower 122. The filter member 60 may include a dust collecting filter (not shown) for removing dust or a device for deodorization.
The care room 11 during clothes care operates with the inner door 210 closed while clothes are hung on the first clothes support member 110. In this case, the care room 11 may circulate along a first circulation path 39 and a second circulation path 120.
The clothes care device 1 may include a dehumidification path 80 provided between the inner door 210 and the outer door 220 to connect the care room 11 and the outside during dehumidification of the inside. The dehumidification path 80 may be formed in plural.
The dehumidification path 80 may be formed between the inner door 210 and the outer door 220. At least one of the dehumidification paths 80 may be formed between the inner door 210 and the outer door 220. The dehumidification path 80 may be formed in at least one of the inner door 210 or the outer door 220.
The dehumidification path 80 may include an intake path 81 provided between the inner door 210 and the outer door 220 and introducing outside air into the care room 11 and an exhaust path 82 discharging the inside air of the care room 11 to the outside.
The outer door 220 is formed in a plate shape. The outer door 220 may include a mirror, glass, a panel, etc. The outer door 220 of the clothes care apparatus 1 shown in
The outer door 220 may be installed at the front of the inner door 210 and form the external appearance of the clothes care apparatus 1.
The intake path 81 is provided to allow air introduced through the first inlet hole 81a to flow and be discharged to the care room 11 through the first outlet hole 81b.
The inlet path 81 may include an intake path duct 218 that guides the air introduced through the first inlet hole 81a to move. The first outlet hole 81b may be formed in the intake path duct 218.
The intake path 81 may include a first damper device (not shown) provided to open and close the first outlet hole 81b. The first damper device may be provided inside the intake path duct 218. The intake path duct 218 may include a first damper device provided to open and close the first outlet hole 81b.
The exhaust path 82 may be provided to allow air introduced through a second inlet hole 82a to flow and be discharged to the outside of the care room 11 through the second outlet hole 82b. The exhaust path 82 may be formed in the inner door 210 and provided to discharge air inside the care room 11 to the outside.
The main body 10 may include a connecting path 90 connecting the second circulation path 120 and the exhaust path 82 to transfer the internal air of the care room 11 to the exhaust path 82.
The connecting path 90 may be formed inside the connecting duct 91. The connecting duct 91 may be coupled to the top cover 130. The connecting path 90 may be formed by coupling the connecting duct 91 to the top cover 130. The top cover 130 includes a connecting path hole 132. The connecting path hole 132 may be formed at the front of the top cover 130. The connecting path 90 is formed to be connected to the connecting path hole 132 of the top cover 130.
The connecting path 90 may be formed by being connected to the second circulation path 120. The connecting path 90 may be formed by branching from the second circulation path 120.
The connecting duct 91 is provided at the front side thereof with a connecting duct outlet hole 94, connected to the front opening 10a of the main body 10. The connecting duct outlet hole 94 may be formed on the front side of the connecting duct 91 such that air of the second circulation path 120 introduced through the connecting path hole 132 flows into the connecting path 90 and moves toward the front opening 10a of the main body 10 through the connecting duct outlet hole 94.
Inside the connecting duct 91, a second damper device 95 capable of cycle-opening and closing with the second circulation path 120 may be provided. The second damper device 95 may be formed to open and close the connecting path hole 132 of the top cover 130.
The connecting duct outlet hole 94 of the connecting duct 91 may be formed to correspond to the dehumidification path 80 formed in the door 20. The connecting duct outlet hole 94 may be formed to correspond to the exhaust path 82 of the inner door 210. The connecting duct outlet hole 94 may be formed at a position corresponding to the second inlet hole 82a of the exhaust path 82. The connecting duct outlet hole 94 may be arranged to be connected to the second inlet hole 82a of the exhaust path 82.
The exhaust path 82 may include a second inlet hole 82a and a second outlet hole 82b formed to discharge the air of the care room 11 introduced through the second inlet hole 82a to the outside of the main body 10 and the outer door 220.
The second inlet hole 82a is provided in the inner door 210 of the door 20. The second inlet hole 82a is provided in the upper portion of the inner door 210. The second inlet hole 82a is formed on the rear surface of the inner door 210. The second inlet hole 82a may be formed at a position corresponding to the connecting duct outlet hole 94 of the connecting duct 91. The air inside the second circulation path 120, i.e., inside the care room 11, which is introduced through the second inlet hole 82a, is discharged to the second outlet hole 82b. The second outlet hole 82b may be formed in the upper portion of the inner door 210. The second inlet hole 82a and the second outlet hole 82b may be formed to be in communication. The air of the care room 11 introduced to the second circulation path 120 may be discharged to the outside of the main body 10 through the connecting path 90, the inner door 210, and the outer door 220 during dehumidification of the care room 11.
At the upper end of the front opening 10a of the main body 10, a communication hole 16 installed at a position corresponding to the exhaust path 82 of the inner door 210 may be provided. The communication hole 16 may be arranged to correspond to the exhaust path 82 of the inner door 210.
The clothes care machine 1 may include a blower 122 that generates airflow to allow air in the second circulation path 120 to flow into the care room 11, and a hanger guide 140 that allows the airflow formed by the blower 122 to flow into the care room 11.
The air passing through the blower 122 may be moved to a guide path 130a formed inside the top cover 130. The guide path 130a may be a part of the second circulation path 120. The guide path 130a may be formed by the top cover 130 and the upper surface 10b of the main body 10, as a part of the blowing path 145 to guide the airflow supplied from the blower 122 to the clothes.
The clothes care apparatus 1 may include the hanger guide 140 that guides the air introduced to the guide path 130a to the upper side of the clothes hung on the first clothes support member 110. The hanger guide 140 may be arranged on the upper surface 10b of the main body 10. The hanger guide 140 may be attached to the upper surface 10b of the main body 10.
The hanger guide 140 may include a discharge plate 141. The discharge plate 141 may be arranged adjacent to the blower 122 and may form the second airflow outlet hole 120b.
The clothes care apparatus 1 may include the first clothes support member 110 provided inside the care room 11 to support clothes. The first clothes support member 110 may be provided in at least one unit thereof. The first clothes support member 110 may be formed in the shape of a hanger such that clothes may be hung thereon.
The first clothes support member 110 may be coupled to the hanger guide 140. The first clothes support member 110 may include a path 113 to guide airflow generated by the blower 122 to the clothes. The path 113 may be connected to the second airflow outlet hole 120b. The inlet hole 111 of the path 113 may be formed on the upper side of the first clothes support member 110. The airflow generated by the blower 122 may be discharged toward the inlet hole 111 of the path 113 to the lower side of the first clothes support member 110 through the second airflow outlet hole 120b.
The inlet hole 111 of the path 113 may be located upstream of the outlet hole of the path 113 in the direction of air flow.
The inner door 210 may include a partition wall 213 provided to separate the care room 11 and the accommodating space 211. The partition 213 may be provided to open and close the front opening 10a. The accommodating space 211 may be formed between the partition 213 and the outer door 220. The accommodating space 211 may be a space having an approximate rectangular prism shape. The accommodating space 211 may be a space for accommodating clothes provided between the inner door 210 and the outer door 220.
The accommodating space 211 may be formed by the inner door 210 and the outer door 220.
The inner door 210 may include an inner door frame 212 surrounding the accommodating space 211. The inner door frame 212 may protrude forward from the partition 213. The inner door frame 212 may form an edge of the inner door 210. The inner door frame 212 may be a quadrangular frame including an opening portion. An outlet hole 216a may be provided at the upper portion of the inner door frame 212. The outlet hole 216 may be provided in the shape of a slit.
A discharge duct 216 may be a hole that communicates in the front-back direction from the outlet hole 216a to a duct inlet hole 216b. The outlet hole 216a may be provided to discharge a portion of the airflow formed by the blower 122 toward the clothes provided in the accommodating space 211. The duct inlet hole 216b may be a hole through which the airflow discharged from the communication hole 16 flows into the discharge duct 216.
The communication hole 16, which is provided at the rear of the outlet hole 216 to guide a portion of the airflow formed by the blower 122 toward the outlet hole 216, may be provided at the upper portion of the main body 10. The communication hole 16 may be spaced apart from the duct inlet hole 216b in the forward and backward directions.
The height of the outlet hole 216a may correspond to the height of the communication hole 16 to communicate with the connecting path 90. That is, the communication hole 16 may be provided at the rear of the outlet hole 216. The inner door frame 212 may include a contact surface 212a facing the outer door 220.
The partition 213 may be formed in a quadrangular shape extending in the upper to lower direction. A partition hole 219 may be provided at a lower portion of the partition 213. The partition hole 219 may be a configuration provided in the partition 213 to allow air to enter the inlet duct 218. The partition hole 219 may be provided in the form of a slit.
The outer door 220 may include an outer door frame 222 forming a rear edge of the outer door 220.
The outer door 220 may include an outer wall 223 provided at the front of the outer door frame 220. The outer wall 223 may be arranged at the front of the outer door frame 222. The outer door frame 222 may protrude rearwardly from the outer wall 223. The outer wall 223 may be arranged to face the partition 213. A lower hole 229 may be provided at a lower portion of the outer wall 223. The lower hole 229 may discharge air from the accommodating space 211 to the outside of the clothes care apparatus 1 and may introduce external air into the accommodating space 211.
The external air may be introduced into the accommodating space 211 through the lower hole 229 and then guided into the first duct 31 through the first airflow inlet hole 11a through the partition hole 219.
The outer door 220 may include a second clothes support member 230 installed on the outer wall 223. The second clothes support member 230 may be installed on the outer wall 223 to support clothes inside the accommodating space 211. More specifically, the second clothes support member 230 may be installed on a rear surface 223b, see
Such a structure may allow clothes to be accommodated between the inner door 210 and the outer door 220, thereby providing the clothes care apparatus 1 with a more efficient storage space. While the inner door 210 is fixed to the main body 10 and only the outer door 220 is opened, clothes accommodated in the accommodating space 211 are allowed to be withdrawn or other clothes are stored, thereby enabling more efficient care of the clothes care apparatus 1.
Referring to
The first hinge 17 may be a central axis provided for the inner door 210 to be rotatable relative to the main body 10. The first hinge 17 may be inserted into a first hinge hole 217h of the inner door 210, and the inner door 210 may rotate clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the main body 10 around the first hinge 17 inserted into the first hinge hole 217h.
The inner door 210 may include a second hinge 217. The second hinge 217 may be inserted into a second hinge hole 227h of the outer door 220. The second hinge 217 may be formed on the lower side of a second hinge support portion 217a. The second hinge hole 227h of the outer door 220 may be formed for the second hinge 217 to be inserted thereinto.
The second hinge support portion 217a may be provided to be inserted into a hinge insertion groove 227. When the second hinge support portion 217a is inserted into the hinge insertion groove 227 and the second hinge 217 is inserted into the second hinge hole 217h, the outer door 220 may be rotatably coupled to the inner door 210.
With the second hinge 217 inserted into the second hinge hole 227h, the outer door 220 may be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise around the second hinge 217 with respect to the inner door 210.
With such a structure, the inner door 210 and the outer door 220 may be rotated together or separately with respect to the main body 10 as described above.
The coupling portion 233 may couple the support frame 231 to a holder support portion 234. The holder support portion 234 may be coupled to a pair of holders 235 such that the distance between the pair of holders 235 is adjustable. The pair of holders 235 may be provided in the form of tongs to fix clothes, such as lower garments.
Meanwhile, the airflow introduced to a side of the outer door 220 through the outlet hole 216a may be discharged to the outside of the clothes care apparatus 1 through the upper side, or may be introduced into the accommodating space 211 by moving downward. Among the airflows, the airflow introduced into the accommodating space 211 may be discharged to the outside of the outer door 220 through the lower hole 229 or may be introduced back into the main body 10 through the partition hole 219.
Such a structure does not only simply store clothes in the accommodating space 211, but also remove wrinkles in clothes accommodated in the accommodating space 211 by a portion of the airflow formed by the blower 122 being introduced into the accommodating space 211 from the connecting path 90 through the outlet hole 216a. The above-described method may be defined as a non-contact mode hereinafter.
The discharge guider 260 may be provided at an upper portion of the inner door 210 and may be bent downward as being directed toward the outer door 220. The discharge guider 260 may be provided at an upper portion of the inner door frame 212. The discharge guider 260 may be provided at the front of the outlet hole 216a.
The discharge guider 260 may guide high-temperature airflow, which is introduced into the outer door 220 through the outlet hole 216a, to the clothes provided in the accommodating space 211. Such a structure efficiently provides the accommodating space 211 with an environment in which wrinkles in clothes may be easily removed, thereby improving user satisfaction.
The inner door 210 may include a plate groove 281 into which a portion of the pressing plate 280 is inserted. The pressing plate 280 may be movable from the plate groove 281 toward the outer door 220.
More specifically, the pressing plate 280 of the inner door 210 may be disposed at the front of the partition 213, and a pusher 285 that may push or pull the pressing plate 280 forward and backward may be included inside the partition 213.
The partition 213 may include pusher accommodating grooves 286a and 286b provided at the rear of the plate groove 281, and a guide hole 287a communicating the pusher accommodating grooves 286a and 286b with the plate groove 281. The pusher accommodating grooves 286a and 286b may be spaced apart from the plate groove 281. The pusher accommodating grooves 286a and 286b may be provided inside the partition 213. The guide hole 287a may be formed between the pusher accommodating grooves 286a and 286b and the plate groove 281.
The pusher 285 may include a pusher base 286 accommodated in the pusher accommodating groove 286a and 286b and a connecting protrusion 287 disposed inside the guide hole 287a. The pusher 285 may be movable forward and backward within the pusher accommodating groove 286a and 286b. The connecting protrusion 287 connects the pusher base 286 to the pressing plate 280, and as the pusher base 286 moves forward and backward, move the pressing plate 280 forward and backward.
In the pusher accommodating grooves 286a and 286b, a first pusher accommodating groove 286a and a second pusher accommodating groove 286b may be separated from each other by the pusher base 286 that extends in the upper-lower direction. More specifically, the first pusher accommodating groove 286a may be a space provided at the rear of the pusher base 286, and the second pusher accommodating groove 286b may be a space provided at the front of the pusher base 286. The second pusher accommodating groove 286b may be connected to a pump P, and by the pump P, air inside the care room 11 may be introduced into the second pusher accommodating groove 286b, or air inside the second pusher accommodating groove 286b may be extracted into the care room 11.
When the air is introduced into the second pusher accommodating groove 286b by the pump P and the pressure inside the second pusher accommodating groove 286b increases, the pusher base 286 may be moved forward, and accordingly, the pressing plate 280 connected to the connecting protrusion 287 may press the clothes. In addition, when the air inside the second pusher accommodating groove 286b is extracted to the care room 11 by the pump P, the pressure inside the second pusher accommodating groove 286b decreases and the pusher base 286 may be moved backward, and thus the pressing plate 280 may be moved toward the inner door 210.
The operation of the pump P that moves the pressing plate 280 in the forward and backward direction may be controlled by a controller 152, see
With such a structure, the contact type pressing plate, in addition to the non-contact type structure shown in
The user may push the pressing plate 280 toward the partition 213 while keeping the outer door 220 open, and accordingly, the pressing plate 280 may be disposed in a first position adjacent to the partition 213. When the user pushes the pressing plate 280 once more toward the partition 213, the elastic member 289 may exert an elastic bias on the pressing plate 280 toward the outer door 220. In this case, the pressing plate 280 may be located in a second position in which the pressing plate 280 is farther from the partition 213 compared to the first position.
As the outer door 220 is closed, clothes within the accommodating space 211 may be subject to pressure by the pressing plate 280 located in the second position, allowing wrinkles on the clothes to be removed more easily.
The roller 283 may be movable in the forward and backward direction along a rail 281c. The rail 281c may be formed on side inner surfaces 281b of the partition 213. The side inner surfaces 281b may be surfaces that face each other while forming the plate groove 281. The side inner surfaces 281b may be surfaces facing each other while being spaced apart in the upper-lower direction as shown in the drawing, or may be surfaces facing each other while being spaced apart in the left-right direction.
The operation in which the roller 283 of the pressing plate 280 moves forward and backward along the rail 281c may be controlled by the controller 152, see
As the roller 283 of the pressing plate 280 moves along the rail 281b toward the outer door 220, the pressing plate 280 may press the clothes against the outer door 220. Accordingly, wrinkles on the clothes may be removed.
The plate groove 281 may include a base surface 281a that faces the pressing plate 280 and forms the front surface of the partition 213. The base surface 281a may be in contact with the pressing plate 280.
The partition 213 or the inner door frame 212 may be connected to the heating wire 290 and thus the temperature may rise. In the case in which the partition 213 is directly connected to the heating wire 290 and the temperature of the partition 213 rises, the pressing plate 280, which is in contact with the base surface 281a of the plate groove 281, may receive heat conducted from the base surface 281a, and thus the surface temperature of the pressure plate 280 may rise.
In this state, when the roller 283, see
Even in the case in which the inner door frame 212 is connected to the heating wire 290 and the temperature of the inner door frame 212 rise, the pressing plate 280, which is in contact with the inner door frame 212, may have a temperature rise over time corresponding to the temperature rise of the inner door frame 212. As the surface temperature of the pressing plate 280 rises thereby, wrinkles in the clothes may be removed more easily.
According to the structure of the clothes care apparatus 1 shown in
When the water inside the water supply container 15a is insufficient or the water inside the drain container 15b is not properly treated during the clothes care operation, the clothes care in the clothes care device 1 may not be efficiently performed or may not be performed at all. To prevent such limitations, the partition 413 may include a withdrawal hole 415 such that the water supply container 15a and the drain container 15b may be withdrawn to supply water or treat condensate while the inner door 210 is closed.
With such a structure, while the inner door 410 closes the care room 11, water may be replenished into the water supply container 15a or water inside the drain container 15b may be treated and then the water supply container 15a and the drain container 15b may be inserted back into the main body 10 without opening the inner door 410.
Hereinafter, the blower 122 of the clothes care apparatus 1 described above may be defined as the first blower 122.
The clothes care apparatus 501 may take care of clothes inside the care room 11 by driving the first blower 122, and take care of clothes provided inside the accommodating space 211 separately from the care room 11 by separately driving the second blower 142.
Referring to
A processor may control the communication circuitry to receive a user input regarding a clothes care course from an external device (e.g., the external server and/or the user terminal 1000 with which the network 900 is established).
In various embodiments, the user terminal 1000 may, based on receiving a message from the clothes care apparatus 1, 301, or 501 that allows the controller 152, see
For example, the user terminal 1000 may output the received message as it is, or may display the message as a moving graphic to drive the pressing plate 280 that needs to be moved and the blower 122 or 142.
In addition, the user terminal 1000 may receive a control input of the controller 152 from the user depending on whether the outer door 220 or the inner door 210 is open, and transmit the control input to the clothes care apparatus 1, 301 or 501. Thereafter, the user terminal 1000 may receive a command to terminate notification from the clothes care apparatus 1, 301, or 501 and terminate notification accordingly. The user terminal 1000 may receive a message from the clothes care apparatus 1, 301, or 501 indicating that clothes care has started in a final setting mode.
According to the present disclosure, the user is notified of the information about the clothes care apparatus 1, 301, or 501 through the user terminal 1000, thereby allowing the user to take an appropriate action according to whether the outer door 220 or the inner door 210 is open.
Referring to
The clothes care apparatus 501 may receive inputs, such as inputs regarding clothes care operations from a user, using other input devices, such as a control panel 250, see
When the inner door 210 is open (Yes in operation 1020), the controller 152 may control the first blower 122 to stop operating (1030).
When the inner door 210 is closed (No in operation 1020, the controller 152 may identify whether the outer door 220 is open with a sensor that detects whether the outer door 220 is open (1040).
When the inner door 210 is closed and the outer door 220 is open (Yes in operation 1040), the controller 152 may control to drive the first blower 122 and stop the driving of the second blower 142 (1050).
When the inner door 210 is closed and the outer door 220 is closed (No in operation 1040), the controller 152 may drive the first blower 122 and the second blower 142 (1060).
With such a structure, even when the outer door 220 is open while the clothes care apparatus 501 is in operation, the entire clothes care apparatus 501 does not stop operating, and only the first blower 122 may continue to operate, and thus clothes care in the care room 11 of the clothes care apparatus 501 may be maintained without stopping.
That is, even when the clothes provided in the accommodating space 211 is withdrawn or replaced, the clothes care apparatus 501 may operate while the clothes care in the care room 11 is maintained, thereby ensuring more efficient care in terms of the time and clothes control.
Unlike the drawings described above, the clothes support member 230 may be attached to the partition 213, and a configuration, such as a pressing plate 280 and a plate groove 281, may be formed on the outer door 220.
Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these inventive concepts may be embodied in different forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure, and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2022-0102990 | Aug 2022 | KR | national |
This application is a continuation application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111 (a), of international application No. PCT/KR2023/008538, filed Jun. 20, 2023, which claims priority under 35 U. S. C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0102990, filed Aug. 17, 2022, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/KR2023/008538 | Jun 2023 | WO |
| Child | 19025028 | US |
