U.S. patent application number 11/093198 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-01 for washing machine and deodorizing method thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kim, Hyung Gyoon, Oak, Seong Min, Park, Jae Ryong, Pyo, Sang Yeon, Yang, Byoung Yull, Yang, Hye Soon.
Application Number | 20050262645 11/093198 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34940403 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050262645 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yang, Hye Soon ; et
al. |
December 1, 2005 |
Washing machine and deodorizing method thereof
Abstract
A washing machine, which removes offensive odor from laundry
without a need to operate wash, rinse and/or dehydration modes, and
a method of deodorizing laundry. The washing machine includes a
deodorizing tub, into which objects to be deodorized are placed, a
duct to communicate with the deodorizing tub and to serve as a
passage through which air containing odor particles, which are
separated from the objects in the deodorizing tub, passes, and a
deodorizing agent spray device to spray a deodorizing agent to
separate the odor particles from the air passing through the duct.
The method of deodorizing includes the separating odor particles
from objects to be deodorized, and removing the separated odor
particles by dissolving the separated odor particles in water and
then discharging the particles.
Inventors: |
Yang, Hye Soon; (Yongin-Si,
KR) ; Yang, Byoung Yull; (Ansan-Si, KR) ; Oak,
Seong Min; (Masan-City, KR) ; Park, Jae Ryong;
(Suwon-Si, KR) ; Pyo, Sang Yeon; (Suwon-Si,
KR) ; Kim, Hyung Gyoon; (Suwon-Si, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700
1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
34940403 |
Appl. No.: |
11/093198 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
8/159 ; 68/12.12;
68/140; 68/19.2; 68/20; 68/205R; 68/24; 8/158 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06F 58/203 20130101;
D06F 25/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
008/159 ;
008/158; 068/024; 068/012.12; 068/140; 068/205.00R; 068/019.2;
068/020 |
International
Class: |
D06F 039/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 31, 2004 |
KR |
2004-39314 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A washing machine, comprising: a deodorizing tub, into which
objects to be deodorized are placed; a duct to communicate with the
deodorizing tub and to serve as a passage through which air
containing odor particles, which are separated from the objects in
the deodorizing tub, passes; and a deodorizing agent sprayer to
spray a deodorizing agent to separate the odor particles from the
air passing through the duct.
2. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the
deodorizing agent sprayer includes a deodorizing agent nozzle to
spray the deodorizing agent in mist form.
3. The washing machine according to claim 2, further comprising: an
air blast fan to generate power so as to circulate the air in the
deodorizing tub into the duct; and a heater to heat the air
circulated into the duct.
4. The washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the duct
comprises: a deodorizing duct, in which the deodorizing nozzle is
installed; and a blowing duct, in which the air blast fan and the
heater are installed.
5. The washing machine according to claim 3, further comprising a
water feed nozzle to supply water in mist form to the objects
contained in the deodorizing tub.
6. A method of deodorizing objects in a washing machine comprising:
separating odor particles from the objects to be deodorized; and
removing the separated odor particles by dissolving the separated
odor particles in water and then discharging the particles.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the separating
comprises at least one of supplying a hot draft to the objects to
be deodorized, applying mechanical impacts to the objects to be
deodorized, or dissolving the odor particles in moisture that is
supplied to the objects to be deodorized in a mist.
8. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the removing, air
containing the separated odor particles in a drum is circulated
into a deodorizing duct, and a deodorizing agent nozzle is operated
to spray a deodorizing agent into the deodorizing duct when the air
contaminated by the odor particles is circulated into the
deodorizing duct.
9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising circulating
purified air, which is obtained by separating the odor particles
therefrom, in the deodorizing duct and again back into the
drum.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the deodorizing agent
containing the separated odor particles is discharged to the
outside of the washing machine through a drain pipe.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein water is used as the
deodorizing agent.
12. A washing machine, including a deodorizing tub having a fixed
tub and a rotary tub into which objects to be deodorized are
placed, comprising: a duct to communicate with the fixed tub
through which air containing odor particles, which are separated
from the objects in the deodorizing tub, passes; and a deodorizing
agent sprayer to spray a deodorizing agent to separate the odor
particles from the air passing through the duct.
13. The washing machine according to claim 12, wherein the duct
comprises a deodorizing duct having upper and lower ends, in which
the deodorizing nozzle is installed, the deodorizing duct being
installed on a rear surface of the fixed tub in a longitudinal
direction so as to communicate at a lower end thereof with a lower
part of the rear surface of the fixed tub.
14. The washing machine according to claim 13, wherein the duct
further comprises a blowing duct, in which the fan and the heater
are installed, to communicate with an upper end of the deodorizing
duct, to extend along an upper surface of the fixed tub, and to
communicate with an interior of the deodorizing tub at an upper
part of a front surface thereof.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 2004-39314, filed May 31, 2004, in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a washing machine and a
method of deodorizing clothes in the washing machine, and, more
particularly, to a deodorizing structure of a washing machine, by
which particles that generate offensive odors, such as the smell of
food or tobacco, and that permeate clothes are removed without an
additional washing operation, as well as a method of deodorizing
clothes in the washing machine.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A drum-type washing machine obtains washing power by force
generated by the free falling of laundry in a rotating drum, and
has a long washing time but reduces damage to the laundry and water
consumption compared to a conventional pulsator-type washing
machine. As a result, drum-type washing machines are increasingly
being used now.
[0006] Such a drum-type washing machine has various modes such as
wash, rinse, dehydration and dry, and is constructed such that the
above modes are selectively combined. In cases in which the
conventional washing machine is used to remove offensive odors,
such as the smell of food or tobacco, from laundry, the laundry
must be washed, thereby causing waste of electricity and water and
requiring a long time to wash the laundry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Therefore, an aspect of the invention provides a washing
machine, which removes offensive odor from laundry without a need
to operate wash, rinse and/or dehydration modes, and a deodorizing
method thereof.
[0008] In accordance with one aspect, the present invention
provides a washing machine comprising: a deodorizing tub, into
which objects to be deodorized are put; a duct to communicate with
the deodorizing tub and to serve as a passage of air that contains
odor particles that have been separated from the objects in the
deodorizing tub; and a deodorizing agent sprayer to spray a
deodorizing agent so as to separate the odor particles from the air
passing through the duct.
[0009] The deodorizing agent spray device may include a deodorizing
agent nozzle to spray the deodorizing agent in mist form. The
washing machine may further comprise an air blast fan to generate
power so as to circulate the air in the deodorizing tub into the
duct; and a heater to heat the air circulated into the duct. The
duct may include a deodorizing duct, in which the deodorizing
nozzle is installed, and a blowing duct, in which the air blast fan
and the heater are installed. The washing machine may further
comprise a water feed nozzle to supply water in mist form to the
objects contained in the deodorizing tub.
[0010] In accordance with another aspect, the present invention
provides a method of deodorizing clothes in a washing machine
comprising: separating odor particles from objects to be
deodorized; and removing the separated odor particles by dissolving
the separated odor particles in water and then discharging the
particles.
[0011] The separating may be achieved by one of supplying hot draft
to the objects to be deodorized, applying mechanical impact to the
objects to be deodorized, or dissolving the odor particles in
moisture in mist form supplied to the objects to be deodorized.
[0012] In the removing, air containing the separated odor particles
in a drum may be circulated into a deodorizing duct, and a
deodorizing agent nozzle may be operated to spray a deodorizing
agent into the deodorizing duct when the air contaminated by the
odor particles is circulated into the deodorizing duct.
[0013] The deodorizing method may further comprise circulating the
purified air, in the deodorizing duct, that is obtained by
separating the odor particles therefrom again into the drum.
[0014] In yet another aspect of the invention, the deodorizing
agent containing the separated odor particles may be discharged to
the outside of the washing machine through a drain pipe. Lastly,
water may be used as the deodorizing agent.
[0015] Additional and/or other aspects and advantages of the
invention will be set forth in part in the description which
follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may
be learned by practice of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the
following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings of which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal-sectional view of the washing
machine of FIG. 1; and
[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a deodorizing
operation of the washing machine of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of
the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the
like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to
explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a washing machine of the present
invention comprises a housing 10 to define an external appearance
of the washing machine, a door 11, installed on a front surface of
the housing 10, which opens and closes the front surface of the
housing 10 so that laundry to be deodorized may be placed into the
washing machine therethrough, and an operating unit 12 installed on
the front surface of the housing 10 above the door 11 to manipulate
the operation of the washing machine.
[0022] A cylindrical drum 20 provided with a top surface that is
opened toward the door 11 is placed in the housing 10. The drum 20
serves as a deodorizing tub during a deodorizing process, and has a
double structure including a fixed tub 21 and a rotary tub 22.
Here, the rotary tub 22 is rotatably installed in the fixed tub 21,
and is operated by a driving motor 41 installed on a rear surface
of the fixed tub 21. The rotary tub 22 includes a plurality of
through holes 22a formed through side and rear surfaces thereof so
that the rotary tub 22 communicates with the fixed tub 21 through
the through holes 22a, and a plurality of lifters 22b installed on
the inner circumference thereof in a longitudinal direction to lift
the laundry.
[0023] A water feed pipe 44 to supply water to the inside of the
drum 20 is installed above the upper surface of the fixed tub 21.
One end of the water feed pipe 44 is connected to the rear surface
of the housing 10 to receive water supplied from an external water
supply source (not shown), and the other end of the water feed pipe
44 is connected to a detergent container 45 installed in the front
surface of the housing 10. A water feed nozzle 46, to spray water
to the inside of the rotary tub 22 to supply water having passed
through the detergent container 45 to the inside of the drum 20, is
connected to the detergent container 45. A drain pipe 42 and a
drain pump 43, to discharge the used water to the outside, are
installed on the lower part of the fixed tub 21.
[0024] A duct 30 to take air from the inside of the drum 20 and
then re-circulate the air into the drum 20 is formed on the outer
circumference of the fixed tub 21. The duct 30 is divided into a
deodorizing duct 31, which is installed on the rear surface of the
fixed tub 21 in a longitudinal direction and communicates with a
lower part of the rear surface of the fixed tub 21, and a blowing
duct 32, which communicates with the upper end of the deodorizing
duct 31, extends along the upper surface of the fixed tub 21, and
then communicates with the inside of the drum 20 at the upper part
of the front surface of the fixed tub 21.
[0025] A deodorizing agent nozzle 31a, to spray a deodorizing agent
in mist form so as to remove particles of offensive odor in air
that pass through the deodorizing duct 31, is connected to the
deodorizing duct 31. A conventional washing machine that provides a
dehydration mode comprises a condensing duct, to condense water in
air of high temperature and high humidity emitted from the drum 20
in the dehydration mode, installed on a rear surface of a fixed
tub, and a condensation water nozzle to spray water to the air
passing through the condensing duct. In an embodiment of the
present invention, however, the present invention does not
additionally comprise the deodorizing duct 31 and the deodorizing
agent nozzle 31a, but may use the conventional condensing duct and
condensation water nozzle as the deodorizing duct 31 and
deodorizing agent nozzle 31a. As a result, the present invention
may produce a deodorizing effect on clothes without any additional
element.
[0026] The blowing duct 32 is provided with an air blast fan 32a to
generate power so as to circulate air to the insides of the drum 20
and the duct 30, and a heater 32b to heat the air that is
introduced into the drum 20.
[0027] A deodorizing method of the washing machine of the present
invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 below.
[0028] Schematically, particles generating offensive odor, such as
the smell of food, tobacco, etc., are first separated from objects
that are permeated by the offensive odor. Then, the separated odor
particles, together with air in the drum 20, are circulated into
the deodorizing duct 31 and dissolved in the deodorizing agent.
Thereafter, the deodorizing agent containing the odor particles
dissolved therein is discharged to the outside of the washing
machine.
[0029] Methods to separate the odor particles from the objects to
be deodorized are as follows. A first method involves applying
mechanical impacts to the objects to be deodorized. According to
the first method, when the rotary tub 22 containing the objects is
rotated, the odor particles are separated from the objects by
mechanical impact, such as fictional force between the objects or
between the objects and the rotary tub 22 and impact generated by
the falling of the objects in the rotary tub 22. A second method is
that heat is applied to the objects to be deodorized. According to
the second method, when the heater 32b is operated in conjunction
with the operation of the air blast fan 32b, hot draft heated by
the heater 32b is supplied to the inside of the drum 20. The hot
draft contacts the objects to be deodorized, and induces movement
of the odor particles stuck to the objects, so as to separate the
odor particles from the objects. A third method is that odor
particles permeating the objects to be deodorized are dissolved in
water. According to the third method, when a small quantity of
water in mist form is supplied to the inside of the drum 20 through
the water feed nozzle 46, the odor particles stuck to the objects
are dissolved in water and then are vaporized together with the
water, thereby being separated from the objects. Combinations of
one, two, or all three of the above three methods may be
selectively used or combined so as to improve the deodorizing
effect. Since the odor particles permeating the objects to be
deodorized have different adhesive strengths to the objects based
on the type of odor particle, in an embodiment of the invention,
the above methods are suitably combined based on the adhesive
strengths of the odor particles to the objects.
[0030] The odor particles separated from the objects by the above
methods float in the drum 20. In order to prevent the separated
odor particles from being re-adhered to the objects, the separated
odor particles are discharged to the outside of the drum 20.
[0031] For this reason, when the air blast fan 32a is operated, air
containing the odor particles in the drum 20 is circulated into the
duct 30. Here, the deodorizing agent nozzle 31a is operated to
spray the deodorizing agent into the deodorizing duct 31. Then, the
air ascending along the deodorizing duct 31 is mixed with the
deodorizing agent and causes friction with the deodorizing agent,
so as to allow the odor particles floating in the air to be
dissolved in the deodorizing agent. Conventionally known liquid
deodorizing agents may be used as the deodorizing agent. In this
case, the washing machine requires an additional device to supply
the deodorizing agent to the deodorizing agent nozzle 31a.
[0032] However, according to another embodiment of the present
invention, water is used as the deodorizing agent, and the water
that is supplied from a conventional water feed device may be
sprayed into the deodorizing duct 31 through the deodorizing agent
nozzle 31a without any deodorizing agent supply device. Generally,
water is a comparatively effective solvent. For example, 53.5 g of
ammonia gas may be dissolved in 100 g of water at room temperature.
The odor particles in the air are dissolved in water, and are thus
separated from the air. The water containing the odor particles is
discharged to the outside of the washing machine through the drain
pipe 42 and the drain pump 43.
[0033] Although the separation of the odor particles from the
objects to be deodorized and the removal of the separated odor
particles using the deodorizing agent were sequentially described
in the above deodorizing process for convenience, the two
operations may be substantially performed simultaneously.
[0034] As is apparent from the above description, the present
invention provides a washing machine, which removes particles of
offensive odor from objects to be deodorized without a need to
operate wash, rinse and/or dehydration modes, and a method of
deodorizing clothes, to reduce electricity and water
consumption.
[0035] Further, the washing machine and the deodorizing method of
the present invention prevent the deformation of laundry generated
by the washing.
[0036] Although a few embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without
departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the
scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *