Abstract:
A clothes treating apparatus includes a reception unit for receiving clothes, a discharge duct for guiding air coming from an interior of the reception unit to the outside, a filter unit including a frame that is detachably inserted into the discharge duct and a filter provided in the for filtering air, and an attachment unit to detachably couple the filter unit to the discharge duct. The attachment unit includes a body provided in the frame and configured to rotate to allow coupling between the filter unit and the discharge duct, and a coupling part located at one side of the body for selectively coupling to the discharge duct through a through hole in the frame. The body defines a body through hole passing through the body, the body through hole being configured to prevent foreign substances from remaining.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0090942 filed Jul. 18, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
       FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a clothes treating apparatus. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In general, clothes treating apparatuses are home appliances for washing, drying, or in some cases both washing and drying clothes, and include washing machines, dryers, and all-in-one washer/dryers. 
         [0004]    Clothes treating apparatuses for drying clothes supply air at a high temperature (e.g. hot air) to the clothes, and may be classified as an exhaust-type clothes treating apparatus or a circulation-type (condensation-type) clothes treating apparatus according to the manner of air flow. 
         [0005]    The circulation-type clothes treating apparatus can dehumidify and heat air discharged from a reception unit and then re-supply the air to the reception unit when the air in a reception unit, which holds clothes, is circulated. The exhaust-type clothes treating apparatus can exhaust air discharged from a reception unit to the outside without circulation when heated air is supplied to the reception unit. 
         [0006]    In some cases, a clothes treating apparatus for drying clothes may need to remove foreign substances, such as lint, from air discharged from a reception unit. 
         [0007]    In the case of a circulation-type clothes treating apparatus, air discharged from a reception unit is dehumidified and heated by a heat exchanger and then the heated air is re-supplied to the reception unit. If foreign substances are not removed from the air discharged from the reception unit, the foreign substances can accumulate in the heat exchanger and lower heat exchange efficiency. 
         [0008]    Further, in the case of an exhaust-type clothes treating apparatus, if air in a reception unit is exhausted without filtration, lint or dust included in the exhausted air can be supplied to the home in which the clothes treating apparatus is installed. 
         [0009]    Therefore, in a clothes treating apparatus for drying clothes, air discharged from a reception unit is typically filtered. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    According to one aspect, a clothes treating apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive clothes, a discharge duct configured to guide air coming from an interior of the reception unit to an outside of the reception unit, a filter unit including a frame that is configured to be detachably inserted into the discharge duct and a filter provided in the frame that is configured to filter air, and an attachment unit configured to detachably couple the filter unit to the discharge duct. The attachment unit includes a body provided in the frame and configured to rotate to thereby allow coupling between the filter unit and the discharge duct, and a coupling part located at one side of the body and configured to be selectively coupled to the discharge duct through a through hole that is defined in the frame. The body defines a body through hole passing through the body, the body through hole being configured to prevent foreign substances from remaining in a space between the body and the through hole. 
         [0011]    Implementations according to this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, the attachment unit may further include a rotary shaft configured to rotatably couple the body to the frame, and the body through hole may include at least one of a lower through hole located between the rotary shaft and the coupling part or an upper through hole located between the rotary shaft and a free end of the body opposite the coupling part. The filter unit may further include an elastic support part configured to apply a force to the body so as to maintain the state of the coupling part inserted into the through hole, and a handle configured to apply pressure to the free end of the body so as to withdraw the coupling part from the through hole. The elastic support part may include an elastic body connecting the free end of the body to the handle. The elastic body may define a support part through hole located between the free end of the body and the handle to provide a moving path for foreign substances. The filter unit may further include a handle configured to rotate the free end of the body to withdraw the coupling part from the through hole, and the handle may be fixed to the free end of the body. The body may include a bending part located between the rotary shaft and the handle and may have a concave shape. The frame may include a second through hole located above the through hole to communicate the inside of the frame with the outside of the frame. The filter unit may further include a scraper provided within the frame and configured to reciprocate within the filter unit to thereby separate foreign substances remaining on an interior surface of the filter from the filter. The attachment unit may be located within a rotation region of the scraper. The clothes treating apparatus may further include a shaft passing through the frame, the scraper being fixed to the shaft, a driven gear fixed to the shaft and located externally of the frame, a driving gear located within the discharge duct and configured to couple to and drive the driven gear, and a motor located within the discharge duct and configured to rotate the driving gear. 
         [0012]    According to another aspect, a filter assembly for a clothes treating apparatus includes a filter unit including a frame that is configured to be detachably inserted into a discharge duct of the clothes treating apparatus and a filter provided in the frame that is configured to filter air, and an attachment unit configured to detachably couple the filter unit to the discharge duct. The attachment unit includes a body provided in the frame and configured to rotate to thereby allow coupling between the filter unit and the discharge duct, and a coupling part located at one side of the body and configured to be selectively coupled to the discharge duct through a through hole that is defined in the frame. The body defines a body through hole passing through the body, the body through hole being configured to prevent foreign substances from remaining in a space between the body and the through hole. 
         [0013]    Implementations according to this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, the attachment unit may further include a rotary shaft configured to rotatably couple the body to the frame, and the body through hole may include at least one of a lower through hole located between the rotary shaft and the coupling part or an upper through hole located between the rotary shaft and a free end of the body opposite the coupling part. The filter unit may further include an elastic support part configured to apply a force to the body so as to maintain the state of the coupling part inserted into the through hole, and a handle configured to apply pressure to the free end of the body so as to withdraw the coupling part from the through hole. The elastic support part may include an elastic body connecting the free end of the body to the handle. The elastic body may define a support part through hole located between the free end of the body and the handle to provide a moving path for foreign substances. The filter unit may further include a handle configured to rotate the free end of the body to withdraw the coupling part from the through hole, and the handle may be fixed to the free end of the body. The body may include a bending part located between the rotary shaft and the handle and may have a concave shape. The frame may include a second through hole located above the through hole to communicate the inside of the frame with the outside of the frame. The filter unit may further include a scraper provided within the frame and configured to reciprocate within the filter unit to thereby separate foreign substances remaining on an interior surface of the filter from the filter. The attachment unit may be located within a rotation region of the scraper. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a longitudinal-sectional view exemplarily illustrating a clothes treating apparatus in accordance with the present application; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  3 A, and  3 B are various views illustrating an example filter unit in accordance with the present application; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  are views illustrating an example attachment unit provided on a filter unit in accordance with one implementation of the present application; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are views illustrating an example attachment unit provided on a filter unit in accordance with another implementation of the present application; and 
           [0018]      FIGS. 6A to 6C  are views illustrating an example attachment unit provided on a filter unit in accordance with yet another implementation of the present application. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Reference will now be made in detail to implementations of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. A configuration or control method which will be described below is only to describe implementations of the present application but does not limit the scope of the application. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings. 
         [0020]    As exemplarily shown in  FIG. 1 , a clothes treating apparatus  100  in accordance with the present application includes a cabinet  1 , a reception unit  3  provided within the cabinet  1  and having a space to receive clothes (e.g., laundry to be washed or laundry to be dried), an air supply unit  7  to discharge air in the reception unit  3  to the outside of the reception unit  3 , and a filter unit  9  provided within the air supply unit  7  to filter the air discharged from the reception unit  3 . 
         [0021]    An opening  11  and a door  13  to open and close the opening  11  are provided on the cabinet  1 , and the inlet  911  communicates with the reception unit  3 . Therefore, a user may supply clothes to the reception unit  3  through the opening  11  and take clothes within the reception unit  3  out of the cabinet  1 . 
         [0022]    If the clothes treating apparatus  100  in accordance with the present application is an apparatus only for drying clothes, the reception unit  3  may include only a drum  31  provided within the cabinet  1  so as to be rotatable. 
         [0023]    In such cases, the drum  31  may have a cylindrical shape, the front and rear surfaces of which are open, and may be supported by a front support unit  33  and a rear support unit  35  fixed to the inside of the cabinet  1 . 
         [0024]    The front support unit  33  may include a drum opening  331  communicating with the opening  11  and a front flange  333  supporting the front surface of the drum  31 . The rear support unit  35  may include a communication hole  351 , through which air is introduced into the drum  31 , and a rear flange  353  supporting the rear surface of the drum  31 . 
         [0025]    The drum  31  supported by the above-described front support unit  33  and rear support unit  35  can be rotated using a drum driving unit  5 , and the drum driving unit  5  may include a drum motor  51  and a power transmission unit  53  to transmit power supplied from the drum motor  51  to the drum  31 .  FIG. 1  exemplarily illustrates the power transmission unit  53  as including a belt connecting the circumferential surface of the drum  31  to a rotary shaft of the drum motor  51 . However, other driving mechanisms and methods may be used. 
         [0026]    The air supply unit  7  for supplying air to the reception unit  3  may include a discharge duct  71  to discharge air within the drum  31 , a supply duct  73  connected to the communication hole  351  to supply air to the drum  31 , and a connection duct  75  including a heat exchanger  77  and a fan  79 . 
         [0027]    As exemplarily shown in  FIG. 1 , if the clothes treating apparatus  100  in accordance with the present application is a circulation-type clothes treating apparatus, the connection duct  75  should be provided so as to connect the discharge duct  71  and the supply duct  73  to each other. 
         [0028]    Here, the fan  79  can circulate air within the reception unit  3  along the discharge duct  71 , the connection duct  75  and the supply duct  73 , and the heat exchanger  77  can dehumidify and heat air introduced into the discharge duct  71 . 
         [0029]    Alternatively, if the clothes treating apparatus  100  in accordance with the present application is an exhaust-type clothes treating apparatus, the connection duct  75  may be connected only to the supply duct  73  and the discharge duct  71  may guide air discharged from the reception unit  3  to the outside of the cabinet  1 . 
         [0030]    Therefore, when air is supplied to the inside of the reception unit  3  by the fan  79  provided in the connection duct  75  (if the connection duct  75  includes the fan  79 ) or when air within the reception unit  3  is discharged (if the discharge duct  71  includes a fan), air within the cabinet  1  is supplied to the reception unit  3  via the heat exchanger  77  and the supply duct  73  and the air supplied to the reception unit  3  exchanges heat with clothes and is then discharged to the outside of the cabinet  1  through the discharge duct  71 . 
         [0031]    The filter unit  9  to filter air discharged from the reception unit  3  is shown provided within the air supply unit  7 . 
         [0032]    If the clothes treating apparatus  100  in accordance with the present application is a circulation-type clothes treating apparatus, the filter unit  9  may be detachably provided in the discharge duct  71 . If the discharge duct  71  is located under the opening  11 , a user may easily mount the filter unit  9  in the discharge duct  71 . 
         [0033]    However, if the clothes treating apparatus  100  in accordance with the present application is an exhaust-type clothes treating apparatus, the filter unit  9  may be detachably provided in the discharge duct  71  or may be provided in the connection duct  75  to filter air supplied to the heat exchanger  77 . 
         [0034]    Hereinafter, the filter unit  9  in accordance with the present application will be described with reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B . 
         [0035]    The filter unit  9  in accordance with the present application may include a frame F inserted into an insertion hole  711  (with reference to  FIGS. 3A and 3B ) provided on the discharge duct  71  and a filter  93  provided in the frame F to filter air introduced into the frame F. 
         [0036]    The frame F may include a first frame part  91  and a second frame part  92  which are opposite each other and the first frame part  91  and the second frame part  92  may be foldable through a frame connection part  921 . Due to such configuration, a user may remove foreign substances, gathered in the frame F, from the inside of the frame F. 
         [0037]    Inlets  911  through which air discharged from the reception unit  3  is introduced into the frame F may be provided on the upper surface of the frame F.  FIG. 2  exemplarily illustrates the inlets  911  as being formed on the upper surface of the first frame part  91 . 
         [0038]    Therefore, when the filter unit  9  is inserted into the discharge duct  71 , the inlets  911  are located within the insertion hole  711  of the discharge duct  71  and, thus, air discharged from the reception unit  3  may be supplied to the inside of the frame F through the inlets  911 . 
         [0039]    The filter  93  may include a first filter part  931  provided on the first frame part  91  and a second filter part  933  provided on the second frame part  92 . The reason why the first filter part  931  and the second filter part  933  are disposed opposite each other is to ensure that a sufficient amount of air is filtered by the filter unit  9 . 
         [0040]    In order to increase the amount of air filtered by the filter unit  9 , the filter  93  may further include a third filter part  935  provided on the frame connection part  921 . 
         [0041]    Further, the filter unit  9  in accordance with the present application may further include a scraper  95  to separate foreign substances remaining in the filter  93  from the filter  93 . 
         [0042]    The scraper  95  may be provided in any shape that allows it to separate foreign substances from the surface of the filter  93 . For example,  FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate the scraper  95  as having a bar shape that contacts the surfaces of the first filter part  931  and the second filter part  933 . 
         [0043]    The scraper  95  may be provided so as to be rotatable within the frame F, as exemplarily shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . In such case, the filter unit  9  may further include a shaft  951  provided so as to be rotatable within the frame F and configured such that the scraper  95  is fixed to the shaft  951 , a driven gear  953  provided at the outside of the frame F and fixed to the shaft  951 , and a driving unit  97  provided on the discharge duct  71  to rotate the driven gear  953 . 
         [0044]    The driving unit  97  may include a motor  971  fixed to the outside of the discharge duct  71  and a driving gear  973  located within the discharge duct  71  and rotated by the motor  971 . Therefore, the driving gear  973  and the driven gear  953  may be connected to each other only if the filter unit  9  is inserted into the discharge duct  71 . 
         [0045]    Since the driving gear  973  and the driven gear  953  are connected to each other or disconnected from each other according to whether or not the filter unit  9  is inserted into the discharge duct  71 , the filter unit  9  may be withdrawn from the discharge duct  71  while the driving gear  973  is being rotated. In order to prevent this from happening, a fixing unit  99  may be provided on the filter unit  9  to detachably fix the frame F to the discharge duct  71 . 
         [0046]    The fixing unit  99  may include only an attachment unit C, provided on the frame F to combine the frame R with the discharge duct  71 , or may include the attachment unit C and a handle H for operating the attachment unit C. Hereinafter, the case in that the fixing unit  99  includes the attachment unit C and the handle H (refer to  FIGS. 3A and 3B ) will be described. 
         [0047]    The attachment unit C may include a body  993 , provided within the frame F so as to be rotatable, and a coupling part  995  protruding from the body  993  and inserted into a through hole  915  provided in the frame F, and the handle H may be provided on the frame F so as to be rotatable and apply pressure to the free end  993   a  of the body  993  (the other end of the body  993  that is not provided with the coupling part  995 ). 
         [0048]    Here, the body  993  of the attachment unit C is combined with the frame F so as to be rotatable through a rotary shaft  994 , and the rotary shaft  994  is supported by a shaft support part  913  provided on the frame F. 
         [0049]    Further, an elastic support part  997  may be provided on the attachment unit C. The elastic support part  997  applies pressure the body  993  so that the state of the coupling part  995  inserted into the through hole  915  of the frame F is maintained, as long as no external force is input to the free end  993   a  of the body  993  (as long as the handle H does not apply pressure to the free end). 
         [0050]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  exemplarily illustrate the case in which the elastic support part  997  is wound on the rotary shaft  994  such that one end of the elastic support part  997  contacts the frame F and the other end of the elastic support part  997  applies pressure to the coupling part  995  in the direction of the frame F. 
         [0051]    The handle H may have any structure which may apply pressure to the free end  993   a  of the body  993 , and  FIG. 3  illustrates the handle H as including a handle shaft  991  to combine the handle H with the frame F so as to be rotatable and a body support part  992  contacting the free end  993   a  of the body  993 . 
         [0052]    Because the state of the coupling part  995  of the fixing unit  99  having the above-described structure, when it is inserted into the through hole  915 , is maintained by the elastic support part  997 , the coupling part  995  is combined with a fastening part  713  provided on the discharge duct  71  only when a user inserts the frame F into the discharge duct  71 . Therefore, withdrawal of the frame F from the discharge duct  71  may be prevented even if the driving gear  973  transmits power to the driven gear  953  by the driving unit  97 . 
         [0053]    Since the rotary shaft  994  of the filter unit  9  is located between the coupling part  995  and the free end  993   a  and the handle H is provided to apply pressure to the free end  993   a  located above the rotary shaft  994  of the handle H, when a user rotates the handle H, the coupling part  995  moves in a direction of being separated from the fastening part  713 . When the coupling part  995  is separated from the fastening part  713 , the user may separate the filter unit  9  from the discharge duct  71 . 
         [0054]    However, foreign substances may remain in a space between the body  993  and the through hole  915  of the above-described filter unit  9 . The reason for this is that a space between the body  993  and the frame F is narrow and the elastic support part  997  is provided at the rotary shaft  994  connecting the body  993  to the frame F. 
         [0055]    That is, when foreign substances introduced into the space between the body  993  and the frame F are caught by the elastic support part  997 , it may be difficult to discharge the foreign substances to the outside of the space formed between the body  993  and the frame F. 
         [0056]    As described above, the scraper  95  provided within the frame F separates foreign substances remaining on the surface of the filter  93  from the filter  93  using power supplied from the driving unit  97  and moves the separated foreign substances to the bottom surface of the frame F (the surface of the frame F on which the frame connection part  921  is located). Further, in order to maximize the filtration capacity of the filter unit  9 , the area of the filter  93  needs to be maximized and, thus, the attachment unit C may be located within a rotation region of the scraper  95 . In this case, since foreign substances separated from the filter  93  by the scraper  95  pass through the attachment unit C, a possibility of accumulating foreign substances in the space between the body  993  and the through hole  915  may be increased. 
         [0057]    When foreign substances accumulate in the space between the body  993  and the through hole  915 , the attachment unit C may not operate properly. Therefore, the attachment unit C in accordance with the present application may further include a body through hole  996  passing through the body  993 . 
         [0058]    As exemplarily shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the body through hole  996  passes through the body  993  and can discharge foreign substances, introduced into the space formed between the body  993  and the through hole  915 , to the outside of the space formed between the body  993  and the through hole  915 . 
         [0059]    The body through hole  996  may include an upper through hole  996   a  located above the rotary shaft  994 , or may include the upper through hole  996   a  and a lower through hole  996   b  located below the rotary shaft  994 . 
         [0060]    When the body through hole  996  is formed through the body  993 , as described above, the scraper  95  may move foreign substances located in the space between the body  993  and the through hole  915  while passing through the body through hole  996 . 
         [0061]    That is, when the scraper  95  passes by the body through hole  996 , the scraper  95  may move foreign substances, located in the space between the body  993  and the through hole  915 , to the bottom surface of the frame F through both side surfaces of the body  993 , and further drop the foreign substances to the bottom surface of the frame F through the body through hole  996  according to circumstances. 
         [0062]    Therefore, the fixing unit  99  in accordance with this implementation may prevent foreign substances from accumulating in the space between the body  993  and the through hole  915  of the attachment unit. 
         [0063]    If foreign substances accumulate between the body  993  and the through hole  915  in spite of the presence of the body through hole  996 , the frame F may include a second through hole  917  located above the through hole  915  so that a user may remove the foreign substances. 
         [0064]    The second through hole  917  passes through the frame F and, thereby, a user may withdraw foreign substances located between the body  993  and the through hole  915  to the outside of the frame F. Further, when a bar is inserted into the second through hole  917 , the user may move the foreign substances to the inside of the frame F through the body through hole  996 . 
         [0065]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate an attachment unit C in accordance with another implementation of the present application. This implementation is distinguished from the implementation shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  in terms of the structure of an elastic support part  997 . 
         [0066]    As described above, when the elastic support part  997  is located on the rotary shaft  994  of the body  993 , a possibility of accumulating foreign substances in the space between the body  993  and the through hole  915  may be increased. Therefore, in this implementation, accumulation of foreign substances in the space between the body  993  and the through hole  915  may be prevented by changing the position of the elastic support part  997 . 
         [0067]    That is, the elastic support part  997  in accordance with this implementation includes an elastic body connecting the free end  993   a  of the body  993  to the body support part  992  of the handle H. The elastic body may be formed of any material (metal, plastic, rubber or the like) which may provide elastic force, to insert the coupling part  995  into the through hole  915 , to the body  993 . 
         [0068]    However, the elastic body may include a support part through hole  997   a  located between the free end  993   a  of the body  993  and the handle H. This serves to discharge foreign substances through the support part through hole  997   a.    
         [0069]      FIGS. 6A to 6C  illustrate an attachment unit C in accordance with yet another implementation of the present application. The attachment unit C in accordance with this implementation is provided integrally with the handle H. 
         [0070]    In this case, the body  993  may include a bending part  999  located between the rotary shaft  994  and the handle H and formed by bending the surface of the body  993  in a concave shape. 
         [0071]    That is, the bending part  999  may have any shape, as long as the rotating direction of the handle H and the rotating direction of the body  993  located above the rotary shaft  944  based on the bending part  999 , are opposite to each other when the handle H is rotated. 
         [0072]    Although the above-described implementations illustrate the clothes treating apparatus  100  only for drying clothes, the clothes treating apparatus  100  of the present application may be provided so as to wash clothes as well as dry clothes. 
         [0073]    In such case, the reception unit  3  may include a tube provided within the cabinet  1  to store washing water and a drum  31  provided within the tub. 
         [0074]    Further, a water supply unit to supply washing water to the tub and a drain unit to discharge washing water stored in the tub to the outside of the cabinet  1  may be further provided within the cabinet  1 . 
         [0075]    In some cases, the tub includes a tub opening corresponding to the opening  11 , and the drum  31  is provided within the tub so as to be rotatable and has cylindrical shape including a drum opening corresponding to the tub opening. However, the front support unit  33  and the rear support unit  35  of the clothes treating apparatus  100  only for drying clothes may be omitted. 
         [0076]    The discharge duct  71  of the air supply unit  7  may be provided to discharge air within the tub to the outside of the tub, and the supply duct  73  may be provided to supply air to the inside of the tub. However, the connection duct  75  may be provided to connect the discharge duct  71  and the supply duct  73  to each other, or may be connected only to the supply duct  73 , according to the drying method. The characteristics of the connection duct  75  according to the drying method have been described above, and a detailed description thereof will thus be omitted. 
         [0077]    As is apparent from the above description, the present application provides a clothes treating apparatus having a filter unit which may remove foreign substances from air discharged from a reception unit to receive clothes. 
         [0078]    Further, the present application provides a clothes treating apparatus having a filter unit which may be automatically cleaned to prevent drying efficiency from being reduced. 
         [0079]    Moreover, the present application provides a clothes treating apparatus which may prevent foreign substances from accumulating on an attachment unit to fix a filter unit to the inside of the clothes treating apparatus. 
         [0080]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present application without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, it is intended that the present application covers the modifications and variations of this application provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.