Patent Publication Number: US-11384466-B2

Title: Laundry treating apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), this application claims the benefit of an earlier filing date of and the right of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0008281, filed on Jan. 22, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a laundry treating apparatus having a detergent supply apparatus. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The laundry treating apparatus is an apparatus for putting clothing, bedding or the like (hereinafter, referred to as laundry) into the drum to remove contamination from the laundry. The laundry treatment apparatus may perform the processes of washing, rinsing, dehydrating, drying and the like, and the laundry treatment apparatus may be divided into a top loading type and a front loading type based on a method of putting laundry into a drum. 
     The laundry treating apparatus may generally include a main body defining an outer appearance, a tub received into the main body, a drum rotatably mounted inside the tub to put laundry thereinto, and a detergent supply apparatus for supplying detergent into the drum. When the drum is rotated by the motor while wash water is supplied to the laundry received in the drum, dirt adhered to the laundry may be removed by a friction with the drum and the wash water. 
     The detergent supply apparatus is provided with a laundry detergent supply function of supplying detergent or laundry detergent (hereinafter, referred to as “laundry detergent”) to enhance the washing effect. 
     Here, the laundry detergent means a substance that enhances the washing effect, such as textile detergent, fabric softener, and fabric bleach. For the laundry detergent, powder type laundry detergent or liquid type laundry detergent may be used. 
     In recent years, there is a problem in that the detergent component is not dissolved after washing and remains in the water tank or the laundry, and thus, the use of liquid laundry detergent with excellent solubility instead of powder type laundry detergent is gradually increased. 
     However, a laundry treating apparatus in the related art has inconvenience because the user has to open a door and then manually puts laundry detergent into a detergent storage container provided inside the door in order to supply the laundry. In addition, in the related art, injected laundry detergent is put into the tub by way of water supplied through a water passage, but it is difficult for the user to know how much laundry detergent is stored since the detergent storage container is provided inside the door, and there is a problem that the detergent storage container stored with laundry detergent should be frequently opened. 
     SUMMARY 
     A first aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a structure of a laundry treatment apparatus capable of storing a large amount of laundry detergent in a detergent supply apparatus and automatically supplying the stored laundry detergent to a drum. 
     A second aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a structure of a laundry treatment apparatus capable of automatically sensing the remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the detergent supply apparatus, thereby enhancing a user&#39;s convenience. 
     A third aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a structure of a laundry treatment apparatus capable of easily replenishing laundry detergent through the detergent supply apparatus when the laundry detergent stored in the detergent supply apparatus is insufficient. 
     A fourth aspect of the present disclosure to provide a structure of a laundry treatment apparatus capable of conveniently separating or combining the detergent supply apparatus for the replenishment and washing of laundry detergent. 
     In order to achieve an objective of the present disclosure, a laundry treating apparatus having the foregoing structure may include a tub provided inside a main body and a drum rotatably provided inside the tub; and a detergent supply apparatus provided to be inserted into or withdrawn from a front surface of the main body, and configured to supply laundry detergent to the tub, wherein the detergent supply apparatus includes a housing defining an outer appearance; a storage container disposed to extend in a front-rear direction of the main body to store the laundry detergent, and mounted to the housing; a laundry detergent pump provided at a rear portion of the housing to define a movement of laundry detergent stored in the storage container; and a remaining amount sensing unit that applies a current toward an inside of the storage container to sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the storage container. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the remaining amount sensing unit may include a terminal provided to protrude from the main body toward the storage container; and an electrode sensor fixedly provided at a storage container lid portion that opens and closes an upper portion of the storage container, one side of which is provided to be in contact with the terminal to transmit a current to laundry detergent stored in the storage container. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the detergent supply apparatus may further include a wash water dispenser fixedly provided inside the main body, and located such that a bottom surface thereof faces an upper portion of the storage container to define a moving path of wash water flowing in from the outside when the housing is mounted to the main body. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the wash water dispenser may include a dispenser cover disposed with a wash water passage in a predetermined shape along the surface to guide a movement of wash water flowing in along a wash water inlet portion; and a dispenser lid coupled to cover an upper portion of the dispenser cover. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the terminal and the electrode sensor may be respectively configured in plurality. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the terminal may include an extension portion fixedly provided at one side of the dispenser cover; and a contact portion configured to be bent from the extension portion so as to be in contact with the electrode sensor. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the extension portion may be fixedly provided at one side of the dispenser cover, and the contact portion may be configured to protrude through an opening portion of the dispenser cover so as to be selectively in contact with one side of the electrode sensor. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the electrode sensor may include a horizontal portion fixed to the storage container lid portion, one side of which is configured to be exposed to the outside so as to be in contact with the contact portion; and a vertical portion that is bent from the horizontal portion to extend in a direction crossing the horizontal portion toward an inside of the storage container. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the electrode sensor may be provided with an electrode to be in contact with laundry detergent at a lower end portion of the vertical portion. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, the storage container may include a first storage container and a second storage container which are provided to face each other at one side of the housing, and a manual detergent dispensing unit is disposed between the first storage container and the second storage container to manually put laundry detergent therein by a user. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, a third detergent container that guides the input of laundry detergent by the user may be mounted to the manual detergent dispensing unit. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, a lower surface of the housing may be disposed to be inclined to move the laundry detergent, and a detergent input hole may be disposed at one side of the lower surface to communicate with the tub. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, a lower side portion of the housing may be disposed to have a predetermined inclination toward the detergent input hole. 
     According to an example of the present disclosure, a discharge port may be disposed at a rear portion of the storage container to discharge laundry detergent stored by the operation of the laundry detergent pump, and laundry detergent flowing out through the discharge port may be mixed with incoming wash water to move toward the tub. 
     The effects of the present disclosure obtained through the above-described solutions are as follows. 
     First, the detergent supply apparatus may be mounted with storage containers for storing different laundry detergent, respectively, to store a large amount of laundry detergent. In addition, it may be possible to automatically supply an appropriate amount of laundry detergent to the tub through the operation of the laundry detergent pump in the washing process, and if necessary, the user may directly put a desired amount of laundry detergent into the manual detergent dispensing unit, thereby further enhancing the user&#39;s convenience. 
     Second, through a contact between the terminal provided at one side of the wash water dispenser and the electrode sensor provided at one side of the storage container, the remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the storage container may be automatically sensed to notify the user of the information, thereby enhancing the user&#39;s convenience. 
     Third, according to laundry detergent sensed through the remaining amount sensing unit, when the laundry detergent stored in the detergent supply apparatus is insufficient, the detergent supply apparatus may be withdrawn from the main body to open a plug, thereby allowing the user to easily replenish the laundry detergent. 
     Fourth, when withdrawing the housing, it may possible to easily remove the storage container provided in the housing, thereby further facilitating the replenishment and washing of laundry detergent. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a conceptual view showing a state in which a detergent supply apparatus is withdrawn from a main body. 
         FIG. 3A  is a perspective view showing a state in which the detergent supply apparatus is completely withdrawn out to the outside. 
         FIG. 3B  is an exploded perspective view of the detergent supply apparatus in  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a state of a housing. 
         FIG. 5A  is a conceptual view showing a state in which the detergent supply apparatus is inserted into the main body. 
         FIG. 5B  is an exploded view of the detergent supply apparatus in a state where a storage container is removed in  FIG. 5A . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which laundry detergent and wash water are mixed. 
         FIG. 7A  is a perspective view showing a state of a dispenser cover. 
         FIG. 7B  is an enlarged view in which portion “A” in  FIG. 7A  is enlarged. 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are conceptual views showing a state before and after a terminal and an electrode sensor are in contact with each other. 
         FIG. 9A  is a perspective view showing a state of the terminal constituting a remaining amount sensing unit. 
         FIG. 9B  is a perspective view showing a state of the electrode sensor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, a laundry treating apparatus associated with the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     According to the present specification, the same or similar elements are designated with the same numeral references even in different embodiments and their redundant description will be omitted. 
     Furthermore, a structure applied to any one embodiment may be also applied in the same manner to another embodiment if they do not structurally or functionally contradict each other even in different embodiments. 
     A singular representation may include a plural representation as far as it represents a definitely different meaning from the context. 
     In describing the embodiments disclosed herein, the detailed description will be omitted when specific description for publicly known technologies to which the invention pertains is judged to obscure the gist of the present disclosure. 
     It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are merely illustrated to easily explain the concept of the invention, and therefore, they should not be construed to limit the technological concept disclosed herein by the accompanying drawings, and the concept of the present disclosure should be construed as being extended to all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the concept and technological scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure. 
     The laundry treating apparatus  100  may include a washing machine for inserting fabric into a washing tub to perform washing, rinsing, dehydration, and the like and a dryer for inserting wet fabric to perform drying. 
     The laundry treating apparatus may be divided into a top load type and a front load type.  FIG. 1  illustrates a front load type laundry treating apparatus, for the sake of convenience of explanation, and the technical concept of the present disclosure may not be applicable only to a front load type washing machine, and thus may also be applicable to a top load type washing machine. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the laundry treating apparatus  100  has a structure including a main body  110  defining an outer appearance, an operation unit  113  that receives various control commands from a user and has a display unit displaying information on an operation state, and a door  111  rotatably provided at a front portion of the main body  110  to allow the entry and exit of laundry. 
     The main body  110  may define an outer appearance of the laundry treating apparatus  100 , and may be provided with a space capable of receiving various components constituting the laundry treating apparatus  100  inside the main body  110 . A drum  112  that receives laundry loaded through the door  111  may be provided inside the main body  110 . 
     The drum  112  may include an outer tub (not shown) filled with wash water, and an inner tub (not shown) provided to be rotatable inside the outer tub (not shown) to receive laundry. One side of the drum  112  may be provided with a balancer (not shown) to compensate for eccentricity caused by rotation. 
     The operation unit  113  may include various keys for operating the operation state of the laundry treating apparatus  100  and a display for displaying the operation state of the laundry treating apparatus  100 . 
     The door  111  is to open and close a fabric entrance hole, and may be made of a transparent member such as tempered glass to look inside the main body  110 . 
     Furthermore, the laundry treatment apparatus  100  according to the present disclosure may include a detergent supply apparatus  200 . 
     The detergent supply apparatus  200  may be provided at an upper one side of the main body  110 . The detergent supply apparatus  200  may store laundry detergent having a broader concept including detergent and fabric softener to automatically supply the laundry detergent into the drum  112  in the washing process. Here, the laundry detergent denotes a material capable of enhancing the washing effect of laundry, and may denote liquid fabric detergent and liquid fabric softener. 
       FIG. 2  is a conceptual view illustrating a state in which the detergent supply apparatus  200  is withdrawn from the main body  110 . The detergent supply apparatus  200  may include a housing  210  defining an appearance, and storage containers  221 ,  222  mounted to the housing  210 . When the user grips a front portion  211  of the housing  210  and then pulls it out, the detergent supply apparatus  200  may be withdrawn out in a sliding manner from a front portion of the main body  110 . Similarly, when the user pushes the front portion of the housing  210  toward the main body  110 , the detergent supply apparatus  200  may be inserted into the main body  110  while sliding in a direction toward the main body. 
     However, in order for the user to withdraw the detergent supply apparatus  200  from the main body to replenish laundry detergent in the storage containers  221 ,  222  or to supply laundry detergent to a manual detergent dispensing unit  223 ′, the plugs  224  of the storage containers  221 ,  222  and the manual detergent dispensing unit  223 ′ must be made to be exposed to the outside when the detergent supply apparatus  200  is withdrawn from the main body. 
     The first storage container  221  and the second storage container  222  configured to store different laundry detergents may be mounted inside the housing  210 . In addition, the manual detergent dispensing unit  223 ′ for manually supplying laundry detergent by a user may be disposed between the first storage container  221  and the second storage container  222 . 
     The plugs  224  may be provided in the first storage container  221  and the second storage container  222 , respectively. The plugs  224  may be removed from the storage containers  221 ,  222  when rotated in one direction. When the plugs  224  are removed from the storage containers  221 ,  222 , the user will be able to supply laundry detergent to the storage containers  221 ,  222 . 
     In other words, when a lack of laundry detergent is sensed on the operation panel  113  of the laundry treatment apparatus  100 , the housing  210  is withdrawn out, and then the plugs  224  coupled to the storage containers  221 ,  222  exposed to the outside are gripped, and then removed by rotating them in one direction to replenish the laundry detergent in the storage containers  221 ,  222 . 
       FIG. 3A  is a perspective view showing a state in which the detergent supply apparatus is completely withdrawn out to the outside, and  FIG. 3B  is an exploded perspective view of the detergent supply apparatus in  FIG. 3A . 
     The detergent supply apparatus  200  may be made to be withdrawn from or inserted into the main body  110  by the user. When the user grips the front portion  211  of the housing  210  and then pulls it out, the detergent supply apparatus  200  may be withdrawn out while sliding from the front part of the main body  110 . When the detergent supply apparatus  200  is withdrawn from the main body  110 , the storage containers  221 ,  222  may be exposed to the outside. 
     The detergent supply apparatus  200  may include a housing  210  defining an outer appearance, and storage containers  221 ,  222  mounted to the housing  210 . 
     The housing  210  defines an outer appearance of the detergent supply apparatus  200 , and may be defined in a shape that is open at an upper end thereof. The housing  210  may be defined in a shape extending in a front-rear direction of the main body  110 , and a plurality of storage containers  221 ,  222  may be mounted in a receiving space defined inside the housing  210 . 
     The storage containers  221 ,  222  may include a first storage container  221  and a second storage container  222 . The first storage container  221  and the second storage container  222  may be defined in a shape of a container extending in a front-rear direction of the main body  1110 , and provided with a space capable of storing a predetermined amount of laundry detergent therein. 
     The first storage container  221  and the second storage container  222  may be defined in a “⊏”-shape, and the first storage container  221  and the second storage container  222  may be mounted inside the housing  210  in a shape facing each other. 
     Different laundry detergents may be stored inside the first storage container  210  and the second storage container  220 . For example, fabric softener may be stored in the first storage container  210  and liquid detergent may be stored in the second storage container  220 , respectively. 
     A lower surface of the first storage container  221  and the second storage container  222  may be disposed have a predetermined inclination, thereby facilitating the flow of the laundry detergent received in each of the storage containers  221 ,  222 . The laundry detergent stored in each of the storage containers  221 ,  222  must be supplied toward the tub through the laundry detergent pump  230 , it may be disposed to be inclined with a constant inclination toward the rear side. 
     Each of the storage containers  221 ,  222  may include a receiving portion  221   a ,  222   a  in which laundry detergent is received and a storage container lid portion  221   b ,  222   b  configured to cover each receiving portion  221   a ,  222   a  to limit an external exposure of the laundry detergent. Furthermore, the storage container lid portion  221   b ,  222   b  may be provided with the foregoing plug  224  to allow the user to replenish laundry detergent through the removal of the plug  224  without removing the storage container lid portion  221   b ,  222   b . In addition, a front end of each of the storage container lid portion  221   b ,  222   b  may be disposed with a protrusion  222   b ′ configured to protrude toward the front portion, thereby allowing the user to hold it to more easily remove the storage container lid portion  221   b ,  222   b.    
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 3A , the first storage container  210  and the second storage container  220  may be mounted at one side of the housing to face each other, and thus the manual detergent dispensing unit  223 ′ may be disposed between the first storage container  210  and the second storage container  220 , thereby allowing the user to manually put laundry detergent therein. 
     Besides, the manual detergent dispensing unit  223 ′ may be configured to mount a third storage container  223  so as to guide the input of laundry detergent by the user, and the third storage container  223  may be divided into two regions through a boundary portion defined at a center portion thereof, thereby allowing the user to put fabric softener to one side, and to put detergent to the other side as a manual mode. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a state of the housing  210 . 
     The detergent input hole  214  may be disposed at a lower center portion of the housing  210 . The detergent input hole  214  is made to communicate with the tub (not shown) of the laundry treating apparatus  100 , and thus laundry detergent mixed with wash water may be moved along an inclined lower surface of the housing  210 , and then supplied into the tub (not shown) through the detergent input hole  214 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , an inclined portion  215  having a predetermined inclination may be disposed at a lower surface portion of the housing  210  to face the detergent input hole  214 . The laundry detergent pump  230  may be provided at a rear portion of the housing  210  to define a movement of laundry detergent stored in the storage containers  221 ,  222 . 
     Specifically, a discharge port (not shown) may be disposed to protrude at a rear portion of each storage container  221 ,  222  so as to discharge the stored laundry detergent by the operation of the laundry detergent pump  230 , and the discharge port may be coupled to the laundry detergent pump  230 . The laundry detergent moved from each storage container  221 ,  222  to an inside of the housing  210  through the discharge port (not shown) may be mixed with wash water flowing into the housing  210 , and then supplied to the tub (not shown) through the detergent input hole  214  as shown in an arrow direction of  FIG. 4 . 
     Furthermore, the laundry treatment apparatus  100  according to the present disclosure will be able to sense whether laundry detergent stored in each storage container is insufficient through a remaining amount sensing unit  240 . The detailed description thereof will be described later. 
       FIG. 5A  is a conceptual view showing a state in which the detergent supply apparatus  200  is inserted into the main body  110 , and  FIG. 5B  is an exploded view of the detergent supply apparatus  200  in a state where the storage containers  221 ,  222  are removed in  FIG. 5A . 
     A wash water dispenser  250  may be fixed to the main body  110  of the laundry treatment apparatus. When the housing  210  is inserted into the main body, the wash water dispenser  250  may be located above the housing  210  to have the structure of  FIG. 5A . 
     The wash water dispenser  250  serves to define a moving path of wash water flowing therein. When the housing  210  is mounted to the main body  110 , the wash water dispenser  250  provided inside the main body  110  may be located to face each storage container  221 ,  222  mounted to the housing  210 . 
     The wash water dispenser  250  may include a dispenser cover  251  and a dispenser lid  252  disposed to cover the dispenser cover. 
     The dispenser cover  251  may be disposed with wash water passages  251   a ,  251   b  extending along the surface to guide the movement of wash water flowing in along a wash water inlet portion  251   c.    
     The wash water passages  251   a ,  251   b  may be disposed on a rear surface of the dispenser cover  251  to communicate with the wash water inlet portions  251   c ,  251   c ′ passing through the inside and the outside so as to allow wash water to flow therein. The wash water passages  251   a ,  251   b  may be defined by both sidewalls extending uniformly. When the dispenser lid  252  is coupled to the dispenser cover  251 , it is defined a closed space allowing wash water to move, and thus wash water may move toward each wash water receiving portion  253   a ,  253   b  along the wash water passage  251   a ,  251   b.    
     A plurality of wash water passages  251   a ,  251   b  may be provided. Each of the wash water passages  251   a ,  251   b  may extend toward each of the wash water receiving portions  253   a ,  253   b  disposed at one side surface of the dispenser cover  251 . 
     The wash water passage  251   a ,  251   b  may include a first wash water passage  251   a  and a second wash water passage  251   b . The first wash water passage  251   a  may communicate with one wash water inlet portion  251   c  to allow wash water to flow therein. The first wash water passage  251   a  may serve to guide the movement of the wash water toward the first wash water receiving portion  253   a.    
     The first wash water receiving portion  253   a  may be provided with a space in which wash water temporarily moving along the first wash water passage  251   a  is temporarily received. A plurality of wash water moving holes  254  may be disposed in the first wash water receiving portion  253   a , and wash water received in the first wash water receiving portion  253   a  may be discharged through the wash water moving hole  254 . 
     When the housing  210  is inserted into the main body  110 , the first wash water receiving portion  253   a  may be located to overlap with one partitioned region of the third storage container  223  provided in the manual detergent dispensing unit  223 ′ of the housing  210  in a vertical direction. 
     At this time, liquid detergent or powder detergent put into the third storage container  223  may be mixed with wash water and then supplied to the tub while moving downward through the wash water moving hole  254  disposed in the first wash water receiving portion  253   a.    
     When the housing  210  is inserted into the main body  110 , the second wash water receiving portion  253   b  may be located to overlap with another partitioned region of the third storage container  223  provided in the manual detergent dispensing unit  223 ′ of the housing  210  in a vertical direction. 
     Fabric softener put into the third storage container  223  may be mixed with wash water and then supplied toward the tub while moving downward through a plurality of wash water moving holes  254  disposed in the second wash water receiving portion  253   b.    
     The dispenser lid  252  may have a rectangular plate shape, and may be coupled to the dispenser cover  251 . When the dispenser lid  252  is coupled to the dispenser cover  251 , each of the wash water passages  251   a ,  251   b  disposed in the dispenser cover  251  may be closed. 
     In addition, in the present embodiment, the detergent supply apparatus  200  may be provided with the remaining amount sensing unit  240  to sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the first and second storage containers  221 ,  222 , and then notify the user of the information, thereby enhancing the user&#39;s convenience. When the remaining amount of laundry detergent sensed through the remaining amount sensing unit  240  is less than a predetermined capacity, the user may withdraw the detergent supply apparatus  200  from the main body and open the plug  224 , and then conveniently replenish laundry detergent. 
     When the detergent supply apparatus  200  is mounted to the main body, the remaining amount sensing unit  240  may apply a current to an inside of each storage container  221 ,  222 , and then measure the sensed current, thereby sensing a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored inside the each storage container  221 ,  222 . 
     The remaining amount sensing unit  240  may be configured with a terminal  241  and an electrode sensor  242 . The terminal  241  may be provided at one side of the dispenser cover  251 , and the electrode sensor  242  may be provided at each lid portion  221   b ,  222   b  of the first and second storage containers  221 ,  222 . 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which laundry detergent and wash water are mixed. 
     A discharge port (not shown) for discharging the stored laundry detergent by the operation of the laundry detergent pump  230  may be disposed at a rear portion of each storage container  221 ,  222 . The laundry detergent flowing out through the discharge port (not shown) may be introduced into a side portion of the housing  210 , and the introduced laundry detergent may be mixed with wash water to move toward the tub. 
     Wash water may be introduced through the wash water inlet portion  251   c ,  251   c ″ disposed in the dispenser cover  251 , and at this time, the introduced wash water may be branched to the wash water passages  252   a ,  252   b  and the side portion of the housing  210 , respectively, and thus mixed with laundry detergent flowing into the side portion of the housing  210  to move downward by its own weight, and then move through the detergent input hole  214 . 
     The detergent input hole  214  may be disposed at a lower center portion of the housing  210 . The detergent input hole  214  is made to communicate with the tub (not shown) of the laundry treating apparatus  100 , and thus laundry detergent mixed with wash water may be moved along an inclined lower surface of the housing  210 , and then supplied into the tub (not shown) through the detergent input hole  214 . 
     In other words, laundry detergent stored in each storage container  221 ,  222  may be discharged through a discharge port (not shown) disposed at a rear portion of the each storage container  221 ,  222  by the operation of the laundry detergent pump  230 . and the discharged laundry detergent may be introduced into the housing  210 , and mixed with the wash water introduced into the housing  210 , and then supplied to the tub (not shown) as shown in an arrow direction of  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 7A  is a perspective view showing a state of the dispenser cover, and  FIG. 7B  is an enlarged view in which portion “A” in  FIG. 7A  is enlarged.  FIGS. 8A and 8B  are conceptual views showing a state before and after the terminal  241  and the electrode sensor  242  are in contact with each other. 
     When the detergent supply apparatus  200  is mounted on the main body, the remaining amount sensing unit  240  may be configured to sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the storage container  221 ,  222  in a manner of applying a current to each of the storage containers  221 ,  222 , and then measuring the sensed current. 
     The remaining amount sensing unit  240  may be configured with a terminal  241  and an electrode sensor  242 . 
     Each terminal  241   aa ,  241   bb ,  241   cc ,  241   dd  may be respectively provided at one side of the dispenser cover  251 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7B , different terminals  241   aa ,  241   bb  may be provided at both sides of the first wash water passage  252   a.    
     As shown in  FIG. 8A , the terminal  241  and the electrode sensor  242  may not be in contact with each other in a state where the detergent supply apparatus  200  is withdrawn from the main body  110 , and as shown in  FIG. 8B , the terminal  241  and the electrode sensor  242  may be in contact with each other when the housing  210  is pushed to be inserted into the main body  110  so as to couple the detergent supply apparatus  200  to the main body  110 . 
     For example, when the detergent supply apparatus  200  is coupled to the main body  110 , each of the different terminals  241   aa  and  241   bb  may be in contact with the different electrode sensors  242 , respectively. At this time, two electrode sensors  242  provided at the lid portion  221   b  of the first storage container  221  may be configured to be in contact with the different terminals  241   aa ,  241   bb.    
     Each electrode sensor  242  provided at the lid portion  221   b  of the first storage container  221  may be configured to extend in a vertical direction, and may be in contact with each terminal  241   aa ,  241   bb  when laundry detergent (e.g., fabric softener or liquid detergent) stored in the first storage container  221  is above a predetermined capacity. In this case, when a current is applied to one terminal  241   aa , the other terminal  241   bb  may sense a current flowing between each electrode sensor  242  and laundry detergent, thereby sensing whether laundry detergent (fabric softener or liquid detergent) above a predetermined amount is stored in the first storage container  221 . 
     If laundry detergent (e.g., fabric softener or liquid detergent) stored in the first storage container  221  is below a predetermined capacity, the two different electrode sensors  242  may not be in contact with the laundry detergent, and thus even if a current is applied to the terminal  241   aa , the current may not be sensed at the other terminal  241   bb.    
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 7B , different terminals  241   cc ,  241   dd  may be provided between the second wash water passages  252   b  branched from each other. When the detergent supply apparatus  200  is coupled to the main body  110 , each of the terminals  241   cc ,  241   dd  may be in contact with a different electrode sensor  242 , respectively. 
     In this case, two electrode sensors  242  provided in the lid portion  222   b  of the second storage container  222  may be configured so as to be in contact with different terminals  241   aa ,  241   bb.    
     Different electrode sensors  242  provided at the lid portion  222   b  of the second storage container  222  may be configured to extend in a vertical direction, and thus provided to be in contact with the terminals  241   aa ,  241   bb , respectively, when laundry detergent (e.g., liquid detergent or fabric softener) stored in the second storage container  222  is above a predetermined capacity. In this case, a current may be applied to one terminal  241   cc , and a current flowing between each electrode sensor  242  and laundry detergent may be applied to the other terminal  241   dd , thereby sensing whether laundry detergent (liquid detergent or fabric softener) above a predetermined amount is stored in the first storage container  222 . 
     If laundry detergent (e.g., fabric softener or liquid detergent) stored in the second storage container  222  is below a predetermined capacity, the two different electrode sensors  242  may not be in contact with the laundry detergent, and thus even if a current is applied to the terminal  241   cc , the current may not be sensed at the other terminal  241   dd.    
     In other words, the remaining amount sensing unit  240  may be configured to sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the storage container in a manner of measuring the strength of the current. Specifically, when a current flows between each terminal  241   aa ,  241   bb ,  241   cc ,  241   dd , each electrode sensor  242 , and laundry detergent stored in each storage container  221 ,  222 , it may be possible to determine whether laundry detergent is stored above a predetermined capacity in each storage container  221 ,  222  through the measured current value. 
       FIG. 9A  is a perspective view showing a state of the terminal  241  constituting the remaining amount sensing unit  240 , and  FIG. 9B  is a perspective view showing a state of the electrode sensor  242 . 
     The remaining amount sensing unit  240  may be configured with a terminal  241  and an electrode sensor  242 . 
     The remaining amount sensing unit  240  may include a terminal  241  provided to protrude toward a storage container, and an electrode sensor  242  fixedly provided at a storage container lid portion  221   b ,  222   b  covering the storage container  221 ,  222 , and disposed to extend toward an inside of the storage container  221 ,  222  to be in contact with the terminal  241  so as to sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the storage container  221 ,  222  through a current applied thereto. 
     A plurality of terminals  241  may be provided at one side of the dispenser cover  251 , and one side of the terminal  241  may be provided to protrude from one side of the dispenser cover  251  toward the storage container  221 ,  222 . The terminal  241  may be fixedly provided at one side of the dispenser cover  251  to allow a contact portion  241   d  disposed to protrude from one side of the dispenser cover  251  to be selectively in contact with an upper one side of the electrode sensor  242 . 
     The terminal  241  may include an extension portion  241   a  fixedly provided at the dispenser cover  251 , a bending portion  241   b  configured to be bent from an end portion of the extension portion  241   a  toward the storage container  221 ,  222 , and a contact portion  241   d  disposed to protrude from the cover  251  to be in contact with a horizontal portion  242   b  of the electrode sensor  242 . 
     A fastening hole  241   c  may be disposed at the extension portion  241   a  of the terminal  241  to be fixed to the dispenser cover  251 . 
     The electrode sensor  242  may be provided to be coupled to each of the lid portion  221   b ,  222   b  of the first and second storage containers  221 ,  222 . An end of the electrode sensor  242  may be configured to be in contact with the stored laundry detergent, and the other end thereof may sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the storage container  221 ,  222  while being in contact with the terminal  241 . 
     The electrode sensor  241  may be fixed to the storage container lid portion  221   b ,  222   b , and one side of thereof may be configured to be exposed to the outside so that the electrode sensor  241  may include a horizontal portion  242   b  in contact with the contact portion and a vertical portion  242   a  disposed to extend toward an inside of the storage container. 
     The horizontal portion  242   b  and the vertical portion  242   a  may extend in directions crossing each other, and a lower end portion of the vertical portion  242   a  may be coupled to the electrode  242   c  so that when laundry detergent stored in each storage container  221 ,  221  is above a predetermined capacity, the electrode  242   c  may be in contact with laundry detergent to sense a remaining amount of laundry detergent stored in the each storage container  221 ,  222 . 
     The foregoing description is merely embodiments for implementing a laundry treating apparatus according to the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and improvements will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the concept and scope of the present disclosure as disclosed in the following claims.