Patent Application
20250092595
The present disclosure relates to a technology related to a laundry treating apparatus with a 2-tank structure including a distillation tank and a washing tub. In some examples, a laundry treating apparatus includes a 3-tank structure including a storage tank, a washing tub, and a distillation tank.
Laundry (for example, clothes) may be cleaned using detergents and water, or cleaned through dry cleaning using chemicals such as perchloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene, and carbon fluorocarbon (CFC)-113 instead of water when cleaning using water is not suitable.
In some cases, chemicals used for dry cleaning may cause health risks and safety risks and harmful to the environment. For example, PCE is assumed as a carcinogen, and CFC-113 is known for having numerous side effects including having the possibility of destroying ozone.
The dry cleaning businesses may be run by relatively small stores in residential areas, and the risks may be posed to the general public when using such chemicals. In addition, it may be difficult to make profits with great costs to satisfy regulations about health risks, safety, and environmental constraints.
In some cases, alternative materials such as liquid carbon dioxide may be used for dry cleaning to make profits while suitable for health risks, safety, and environmental constraints.
In some cases, dry cleaning using liquid carbon dioxide may be performed by a laundry treating apparatus having a structure using a 3-tank including (i) a storage tank storing liquid carbon dioxide, (ii) a washing machine agitator performing washings, and (iii) a vaporizing separator for recycling waste carbon dioxide after washings.
In some cases, a laundry treating apparatus has a structure using a 3-tank including (i) a supply tank for supplying liquid carbon dioxide, (ii) a treatment vessel cleaning clothes, and (iii) an evaporation vessel for recirculating used carbon dioxide.
In some cases, the 3-tank structure may occupy a large space since miniaturizing a laundry treating apparatus is limited due to the vertical arrangement of each tank.
In addition, as for a storage tank and an evaporator, managing internal pressure for safety is important due to a high pressure of the laundry treating apparatus. In some cases, a mechanical safety device may be installed separately for each tank, which may lead to a complicate structure.
The present disclosure describes a technology for providing a distillation tank of a laundry treating apparatus of a 2-tank structure to perform each function of a storage tank and a distillation tank of a laundry treating apparatus of a 3-tank structure. Therefore, relatively less space may be occupied for installation due to a compact laundry treating apparatus.
The present disclosure further describes a technology for having an advantageous structure in respect of safety and cost by reducing the target of vessel pressure management for safety from a storage tank and a distillation tank to one tank.
The present disclosure further describes a technology for decreasing a total washing time by controlling to operate in a state where the internal pressure of a washing tub is relatively low, compared to the laundry treating apparatus of the 3-tank structure.
The present disclosure further describes a technology for decreasing a total washing time since operating in a state where the internal pressure of a washing tub is relatively low, compared to the laundry treating apparatus of the 3-tank structure, leads to a relative decrease in a time for reducing the internal pressure of the washing tub in a recovery process after a washing.
The technical goals to be achieved in the present disclosure are not limited to the technical goals described above, and other technical goals not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.
According to one aspect of the subject matter described in this application, a laundry treating apparatus includes a washing tub that defines an inner space configured to receive laundry, a distillation tank configured to store liquid carbon dioxide, a compressor configured to receive gaseous carbon dioxide evaporated from the liquid carbon dioxide in the distillation tank, the compressor being configured to discharge the gaseous carbon dioxide, a cooler configured to cool the gaseous carbon dioxide discharged from the compressor and to supply the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub, and a controller.
Implementations according to this aspect can include one or more of the following features. For example, the controller may be configured to, before supplying the gaseous carbon dioxide to the washing tub, control a distillation operation for reducing or removing impurities in the liquid carbon dioxide in the distillation tank. In some implementations, the controller may be configured to control an internal pressure of the washing tub at or below a preset level during a washing cycle to thereby reduce a period for reducing the internal pressure of the washing tub after the washing cycle.
In some examples, the controller may be configured to control the distillation operation to supply the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub separately from a washing cycle. In some examples, the controller may be configured to control the distillation operation to supply a preset amount of the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub. In some examples, the controller may be configured to discharge the liquid carbon dioxide from the washing tub to the distillation tank based on a completion of the washing cycle.
In some implementations, the washing cycle may include a washing operation and a rinse operation, and the controller may be configured to, before the washing operation, supply the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub during the distillation operation, and, after the washing operation, discharge the liquid carbon dioxide from the washing tub to the distillation tank. In some examples, the controller may be configured to, before the rinse operation, supply the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub during the distillation operation, and, after the rinse operation, discharge the liquid carbon dioxide from the washing tub to the distillation tank.
In some implementations, the laundry treating apparatus may include a vacuum pump configured to reduce an internal pressure of the washing tub before performing a distillation operation by supplying the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub. In some examples, the distillation tank may be configured to store an amount of the liquid carbon dioxide for performing a single washing cycle. In some examples, the cooler may include a condenser. In some examples, the distillation tank may be configured to drain the impurities to an outside of the distillation tank.
According to another aspect, a method for controlling a laundry treating apparatus includes reducing an internal pressure of a washing tub to a vacuum state, and performing a distillation operation. The distillation operation includes firstly supplying liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub, performing a washing operation in the washing tub with the firstly supplied liquid carbon dioxide, after the washing operation, discharging the liquid carbon dioxide from the washing tub to a distillation tank, secondly supplying the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub, and performing a rinse operation in the washing tub with the secondly supplied liquid carbon dioxide, and, after the rinse operation, discharging the liquid carbon dioxide from the washing tub to the distillation tank.
Implementations according to this aspect can include one or more of the following features. For example, reducing the internal pressure of the washing tub may include operating a vacuum pump. In some implementations, the method further includes storing the liquid carbon dioxide in the distillation tank, operating a compressor configured to receive gaseous carbon dioxide that is evaporated from the liquid carbon dioxide in the distillation tank, the compressor being configured to discharge the gaseous carbon dioxide, and operating a condenser configured to reduce a temperature of the gaseous carbon dioxide discharged from the compressor to thereby produce the liquid carbon dioxide to be supplied to the washing tub.
In some examples, the distillation operation may include heating the liquid carbon dioxide stored therein to thereby produce the gaseous carbon dioxide from the liquid carbon dioxide. In some examples, the distillation operation may include draining impurities in the liquid carbon dioxide in the distillation tank.
In some implementations, the laundry treating apparatus may be miniaturized using a 2-tank having the advantage of occupying relatively less space for installment relative to a 3-tank structure.
In some examples, a distillation tank includes impurities such as sludge and used liquid carbon dioxide, but it is possible to supply pure gaseous carbon dioxide by removing the impurities through a distillation operation.
In some examples, the internal pressure of a washing tub is maintained relatively low during a washing cycle, and a relatively less time is spent to reduce the internal pressure of the washing tub in a recovery process after the washing cycle, thereby having the advantage of decreasing the total washing time.
In some examples, compared to a laundry treating apparatus of a 3-tank structure in which the distillation operation and the washing cycle are executed in parallel, as for a laundry treating apparatus of the 2-tank structure, the distillation operation and the washing cycle are executed in series, but a time for reduction of the internal pressure of a washing tub is decreased, having the advantage of decreasing the total washing time.
In some implementations, the laundry treating apparatus, by reducing the target of vessel pressure management from a storage tank and a distillation tank to one tank, has an advantage in respect of safety and cost.
The effects to be obtained in the present disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned effects, and other effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the attached claims.
In the present disclosure, a “terminal” mentioned hereinafter may be implemented as, for example, a computer or a portable terminal capable of accessing a server or another terminal through a network. Here, the computer may include, for example, a notebook, a desktop computer, and/or a laptop computer which are equipped with a web browser. The portable terminal may be a wireless communication apparatus ensuring portability and mobility and include (but is not limited to) any type of handheld wireless communication apparatus, for example, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a communication-based terminal such as international mobile telecommunication (IMT), code division multiple access (CDMA), W-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), long term evolution (LTE), or the like.
Hereinafter, example implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains may easily implement them. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in multiple different forms and is not limited to the example implementations described herein.
Hereinafter, example implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In some implementations, referring to
The washing tub 120 of the laundry treating apparatus may include a cabinet that forms an outer surface, a tub that is positioned inside the cabinet and supported by the cabinet, a drum that is positioned inside the tub and in which laundry is washed, a motor that drives the drum, a supply device that supplies liquid carbon dioxide inside the cabinet, and a drainage device that is formed at a lower side of the tub and discharges the liquid carbon dioxide and impurities.
In this case, the drum may be formed of a plurality of through-holes for the liquid carbon dioxide to be supplied, and a lifter may be positioned on the inner side thereof so that the laundry is lifted up at a predetermined height and then dropped by gravity when the drum is rotated. The cabinet may include a cabinet body, a cabinet cover that is positioned at the front surface of the cabinet body and combined therewith, a control panel that is positioned at an upper side of the cabinet cover and combined with the cabinet body, and a top plate that is positioned at an upper side of the control panel and combined with the cabinet body. The cabinet cover may include a hole through which the laundry is capable of entry and exit and a door that is positioned as rotatable right and left in order for the hole to open and close. The control panel may include operating keys that operate operation states of the laundry treating apparatus and a display that is positioned at one side of the operating keys and displays the operation state of the laundry treating apparatus.
The operating keys and the display within the control panel are electrically connected to a controller, and the controller may electrically control each element of the laundry treating apparatus. The controller may include an electric circuit, a microprocessor, a computer, or an electronic device. Details about the operation of the controller are described hereinafter. In some examples, the laundry treating apparatus may further include various sensors and other apparatuses. For example, the laundry treating apparatus may further include a sensor that measures a water level of the liquid carbon dioxide supplied inside the washing tub 120. The motor may be driven by the controller, and the drum within the tub may be rotated according to the drive of the motor. The controller may control operation as inputted by an operation signal from the operating keys and, for example, may control a washing cycle including washing, rinsing, dehydrating, and drying. In addition, the controller may control the display to display operation states related to the washing cycle, such as a washing course, a washing time, a dehydrating time, and a rinsing time.
The laundry treating apparatus of
The storage tank 110 stores liquid carbon dioxide, and the liquid carbon dioxide stored in the storage tank 110 may be supplied inside the washing tub 120 by gravity when a valve installed on a connection pipe between the storage tank 110 and the washing tub 120 is on. When the valve installed on the connection pipe between the storage tank 110 and the washing tub 120 is off, the liquid carbon dioxide stored in the storage tank 110 may not be supplied inside the washing tub 120 even by gravity.
For the laundry included in the drum inside the washing tub 120, a washing cycle including washing and rinsing by the liquid carbon dioxide may be processed.
When the washing cycle is ended, the liquid carbon dioxide and impurities included in the washing tub 120 may be moved into the distillation tank 130 by gravity when a valve installed on a connection pipe between the washing tub 120 and the distillation tank 130 is on, or the liquid carbon dioxide and impurities included in the washing tub 120 may not be moved into the distillation tank 130 even by gravity when the valve installed on the connection pipe between the washing tub 120 and the distillation tank 130 is off. Here, the impurities may include sludge generated in a washing cycle process.
The liquid carbon dioxide moved into the distillation tank 130 may be vaporized using the heat of the compressor 140, and through a distillation process as such, the impurities and gaseous carbon dioxide may be separated. In this case, the impurities located at the bottom of the distillation tank 130 and the gaseous carbon dioxide located at the upper portion of the distillation tank 130 may be separated without being mixed.
The compressor 140 may suction and discharge gaseous carbon dioxide, and the discharged gaseous carbon dioxide may be cooled and liquefied in the cooler 150 and converted into liquid carbon dioxide.
The cooler 150 may correspond to a condenser, and the condenser is a device included in a heat exchanger and may cool and condense the gaseous carbon dioxide passing through the compressor to discharge liquid carbon dioxide. The liquid carbon dioxide discharged from the cooler 150 may flow into the storage tank 110, and the storage tank 110 may store the liquid carbon dioxide. In the case of the laundry treating apparatus of the structure as in
The storage tank 110 of the laundry treating apparatus using the 3-tank may store liquid carbon dioxide corresponding to 2A that includes an amount A of liquid carbon dioxide for washing and an amount A of liquid carbon dioxide for rinsing.
A recovery rate of liquid carbon dioxide discharged from the storage tank 110 during a washing cycle of one time is about 98%, and liquid carbon dioxide that is not recovered may be supplemented from the outside. Specifically, when a water level of liquid carbon dioxide is sensed in the storage tank 110 and the water level is less than a predetermined reference, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplemented from the outside, or when the number of times of washing cycles reaches a preset number of times, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplemented from the outside.
Referring to
The liquid carbon dioxide stored in the storage tank 110 may flow into the washing tub 120 by gravity, and when a washing cycle is ended in the washing tub 120, the liquid carbon dioxide and impurities may flow into the distillation tank 130. The liquid carbon dioxide is evaporated into gaseous carbon dioxide in the distillation tank 130 by a second heat, the compressor 140 may suction and discharge the evaporated gaseous carbon dioxide into the cooler 150, and the cooler 150 may discharge the liquid carbon dioxide into the storage tank 110, emitting a first heat while cooling and condensing the gaseous carbon dioxide.
In the case of the laundry treating apparatus using the 3-tank of the structure as in
Referring to
Referring to
In some cases of the laundry treating apparatus of
In some implementations of the laundry treating apparatus having the 2-tank structure of
The implementation in
Referring to
Specifically, the compressor 330 may suction (operation S401) gaseous carbon dioxide to which the liquid carbon dioxide stored in the distillation tank 310 is evaporated before washing or rinsing. The gaseous carbon dioxide discharged from the compressor 330 may move (operation S403) to the distillation tank 310, and the cooler 340 may suction (operation S405) the gaseous carbon dioxide discharged passing a pipe inside the distillation tank 310.
The cooler 340 may discharge (operation S407) the liquid carbon dioxide by cooling and condensing the suctioned gaseous carbon dioxide, and the discharged liquid carbon dioxide may be supplied inside the washing tub 320. When washing or rinsing is ended in the washing tub 320, the impurities may flow (operation S409) together with the liquid carbon dioxide from the washing tub 320 to the distillation tank 310 through an on/off control of a pipe.
While such a cycle is circulated, a recovery rate of liquid carbon dioxide is 98%, and the liquid carbon dioxide that is lost may be separately supplemented from the outside.
Referring to
In operation S503, the laundry treating apparatus may determine whether to supplement inside a distillation tank. Specifically, whether to supplement may be determined based on a comparison between a water level corresponding to an amount of liquid carbon dioxide inside the distillation tank and a reference water level. More specifically, in operation S505, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplemented from the outside when the water level inside the distillation tank is less than the reference water level. Alternatively, liquid carbon dioxide may not be supplemented from the outside when the water level is greater than the reference water level.
In this case, the reference water level may be a water level corresponding to an amount for washing or rinsing of one time. In the implementations shown in
In operation S507, the laundry treating apparatus may first supply liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub. Specifically, until a water level of liquid carbon dioxide inside the washing tub for a set washing operation mode reaches a set water level, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplied to the washing tub through a distillation operation. In this case, the amounts of liquid carbon dioxide for each set washing operation mode may vary, and a water level corresponding to an amount for each mode may be previously set. Here, the set water level may correspond to a preset level. Accordingly, until a water level of liquid carbon dioxide sensed through a sensor inside the washing tub reaches the preset level, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplied to the washing tub through the distillation operation.
In operation S509, the laundry treating apparatus may perform washing among a washing cycle. For example, when it is previously set that washing is performed for 300 seconds, the laundry treating apparatus may perform washing by rotating a drum inside the washing tub for 300 seconds that is set.
In operation S511, the laundry treating apparatus may first discharge the liquid carbon dioxide inside the washing tub. After washing is ended, the laundry treating apparatus may discharge the liquid carbon dioxide and impurities inside the washing tub into the distillation tank through a valve on/off control of a pipe. In this case, the recovery rate of liquid carbon dioxide between operation S507 and operation S511 is about 98%, and a portion of liquid carbon dioxide may be lost while a washing cycle is performed. When the amount of liquid carbon dioxide stored in the distillation tank is less than a predetermined water level due to the loss, the amount of liquid carbon dioxide may be supplemented through operation S503.
In operation S513, the laundry treating apparatus may secondly supply liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub. Specifically, until a water level of liquid carbon dioxide inside the washing tub for a set rinsing operation mode reaches the set water level, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplied to the washing tub through a distillation operation. In this case, the amounts of liquid carbon dioxide for each set rinsing operation mode may vary, and a water level corresponding to an amount for each mode may be previously set. Accordingly, until a water level of liquid carbon dioxide sensed through a sensor inside the washing tub reaches the set water level, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplied to the washing tub through the distillation operation.
In operation S515, the laundry treating apparatus may perform rinsing among a washing cycle. For example, when it is previously set that rinsing is performed for 300 seconds, the laundry treating apparatus may perform rinsing by rotating a drum inside the washing tub for 300 seconds that is set.
In operation S517, the laundry treating apparatus may secondly discharge the liquid carbon dioxide inside the washing tub. After washing is ended, the laundry treating apparatus may discharge the liquid carbon dioxide and impurities inside the washing tub into the distillation tank through a valve on/off control of a pipe. In this case, the recovery rate of liquid carbon dioxide between operation S513 and operation S517 is about 98%, and a portion of liquid carbon dioxide may be lost while a washing cycle is performed.
After operation S517, the laundry treating apparatus may additionally perform a recovery process of the washing tub. The recovery process of the washing tub may include a process of converting the compression from 1-stage into 2-stage at the pressure inside the washing tub of X1 bar (for example, 30 bar), turning off the cooler at the pressure of the washing tub of X2 bar (for example, 15 bar), and discharging after the recovery is completed at the pressure of the washing tub X3 bar (for example, 2.5 bar). In other words, the laundry treating apparatus may perform a preset operation as described above when the internal pressure of the washing tub is reduced through the recovery process of the washing tub, and in the process, corresponds to a specific pressure.
In the case of the laundry treating apparatus of the 3-tank structure as in
Accordingly, as for a laundry treating apparatus having a 2-tank structure compared to a laundry treating apparatus with a 3-tank structure, a relatively less time may be spent using a relatively small pressure difference.
Referring to
In some implementations, an operation of supplying liquid carbon dioxide to a washing tub through a distillation operation in a laundry treating apparatus having a 2-tank structure may be executed in series in a state separated from a washing cycle separately. In some implementations, as for a laundry treating apparatus having a 3-tank structure, the distillation operation may be executed in parallel with a washing cycle. Although a difference in the process time by serial execution or parallel execution of the distillation operation and the washing cycle may occur, a relatively little time may be spent in the laundry treating apparatus with the 2-tank structure using a small pressure difference in a recovery process of a washing tub.
In some implementations, a miniaturized structure may be designed by using a laundry treating apparatus having a 2-tank structure.
In some implementations, a target tank of vessel pressure management for safety may be reduced from the storage tank 110 and the distillation tank 130 to the distillation tank 310, and thus a structure may be relatively simplified.
The electronic device or the terminal according to the above-described example implementations may include a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, a permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port that communicates with an external device, and a user interface device such as a touch panel, a key, and a button. Methods implemented as software modules or algorithms may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium as computer-readable codes or program instructions executable on the processor. Here, the computer-readable recording medium includes a magnetic storage medium (for example, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), floppy disks, and hard disks) and an optically readable medium (for example, CD-ROM and digital versatile discs (DVDs)). The computer-readable recording medium may be distributed among network-connected computer systems, so that the computer-readable codes may be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium may be readable by a computer, stored in a memory, and executed on a processor.
The example implementations may be represented by functional block elements and various processing steps. The functional blocks may be implemented in any number of hardware and/or software configurations that perform specific functions. For example, an example implementation may adopt integrated circuit configurations, such as memory, processing, logic, and/or look-up table, that may execute various functions by the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similarly to that elements may be implemented as software programming or software elements, the example implementations may be implemented in a programming or scripting language such as C, C++, Java, assembler, etc., including various algorithms implemented as a combination of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming constructs. Functional aspects may be implemented in an algorithm running on one or more processors. Further, the example implementations may adopt the existing art for electronic environment setting, signal processing, and/or data processing.
The above-described example implementations are merely examples, and other implementations may be implemented within the scope of the claims to be described later.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2022-0005494 | Jan 2022 | KR | national |
This application is a National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/KR2022/017020, filed on Nov. 2, 2022, which claims the benefit of and priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0005494, filed on Jan. 13, 2022. The disclosures of the prior applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2022/017020 | 11/2/2022 | WO |
