Clothes treatment apparatus

Abstract

(EN) Disclosed is a clothes treatment apparatus ( 100 ) including a cabinet ( 1 ) having an opening ( 11 ), a tub ( 2 ) having a tub through-hole ( 27 ) and a tub aperture ( 21 ) communicating with the opening ( 11 ), a drum ( 3 ) rotatably installed within the tub ( 2 ) and configured to store laundry therein, the drum ( 3 ) having a drum aperture communicating with the tub aperture ( 21 ), a drive unit ( 6 ) having a rotating shaft ( 65 ) inserted into the tub through-hole ( 27 ) to thereby be connected to the drum ( 3 ), the rotating shaft ( 65 ) being movable in a radial direction inside the tub through-hole ( 27 ), and a drive unit support device ( 71, 74 , R, L) configured to support the drive unit ( 6 ) such that the drive unit ( 6 ) is movable in a radial direction with respect to the rear surface of the tub ( 2 ).

1 . A clothes treatment apparatus comprising:
 a cabinet having an opening for insertion or removal of laundry;   a tub having a tub aperture perforated in a front surface of the tub to communicate with the opening and a tub through-hole perforated in a rear surface of the tub;   a drum rotatably provided within the tub, the drum being configured to store laundry therein and having a drum aperture communicating with the tub aperture;   a drive unit having a rotating shaft inserted into the tub through-hole to thereby be connected to the drum, the rotating shaft being movable in a radial direction inside the tub through-hole; and   a drive unit support device configured to support the drive unit such that the drive unit is movable in a radial direction with respect to the rear surface of the tub.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive unit support device supports the drive unit using at least any one of attractive force or repulsive force between magnetic units, thereby allowing the drum to be moved in a radial direction within the tub. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the drive unit support device includes:
 a bearing housing provided at the outside of the tub such that the drive unit is supported by the bearing housing, the bearing housing having a housing through-hole into which the rotating shaft is inserted;   a housing receptacle provided at the rear surface of the tub, the housing receptacle defining an accommodation space in which the bearing housing is accommodated;   a first magnetic unit provided at an outer circumferential surface of the bearing housing; and   a second magnetic unit provided at an inner circumferential surface of the housing receptacle defining the accommodation space to exert repulsive force to the first magnetic unit.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the bearing housing has a cylindrical shape,   wherein the accommodation space has a cylindrical shape such that the bearing housing is accommodated in the accommodation space,   wherein the first magnetic unit includes a bar-shaped permanent magnet provided at the outer circumferential surface of the bearing housing, and   wherein the second magnetic unit includes a plurality of permanent magnets spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance at the inner circumferential surface of the housing receptacle defining the accommodation space.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a first magnetic force amplification unit fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the bearing housing, the first magnetic force amplification unit being configured to support the first magnetic unit and serving to amplify magnetic force of the first magnetic unit; and   a second magnetic force amplification unit fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the housing receptacle defining the accommodation space, the second magnetic force amplification unit being configured to support the second magnetic unit and serving to amplify magnetic force of the second magnetic unit.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , further comprising a vibration attenuation unit fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the housing receptacle defming the accommodation space, the vibration attenuation unit being configured to elastically support the second magnetic unit and the second magnetic force amplification unit. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising a spacer provided at the bearing housing or at the rear surface of the tub to maintain a distance between the rear surface of the tub and the bearing housing. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a third magnetic unit provided at the bearing housing; and   a fourth magnetic unit provided at the rear surface of the tub to exert attractive force to the third magnetic unit.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the drive unit support device includes:
 a bearing housing provided at the outside of the tub such that the drive unit is supported by the bearing housing, the bearing housing having a housing through-hole into which the rotating shaft is inserted;   a housing receptacle provided at the rear surface of the tub, the housing receptacle defining an accommodation space in which the bearing housing is accommodated;   a spacer provided at the bearing housing or at the rear surface of the tub to maintain a distance between the rear surface of the tub and the bearing housing;   a third magnetic unit provided at the bearing housing along the circumference of a virtual circle, the center of which is equal to the center of the housing through-hole; and   a fourth magnetic unit provided at the rear surface of the tub along the circumference of a virtual circle, the center of which is equal to the center of the tub through-hole, to exert repulsive force to the third magnetic unit.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising a magnetic bearing configured to rotatably support the rotating shaft inside the housing through-hole using repulsive force between the magnetic units,
 wherein the magnetic bearing includes:   a rotating shaft magnetic unit provided at an outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; and   a housing magnetic unit inserted in the housing through-hole to exert repulsive force to the rotating shaft magnetic unit.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the drive unit support device includes:
 a bearing housing provided at the outside of the tub such that the drive unit is supported by the bearing housing;   a circumferential support portion provided within the tub to allow the drum in being moved in a radial direction within the tub via repulsive force between the magnetic units; and   an axial support portion provided at the outside of the tub to allow the bearing housing to be moved in a radial direction with respect to the rear surface of the tub via attractive force or repulsive force between the magnetic units.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the circumferential support portion includes:
 a first magnetic unit provided at an inner circumferential surface of the tub; and   a second magnetic unit provided at an outer circumferential surface of the drum so as to receive repulsive force from the first magnetic unit.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the axial support portion includes:
 a spacer provided at the bearing housing or at the rear surface of the tub to maintain a distance between the rear surface of the tub and the bearing housing;   a third magnetic unit provided at the bearing housing; and   a fourth magnetic unit provided at the rear surface of the tub to exert attractive force to the third magnetic unit.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , further comprising a housing receptacle spaced apart from the rear surface of the tub by a predetermined distance, the housing receptacle providing a space in which the bearing housing is accommodated,
 wherein the spacer includes:   a first spacer rotatably provided at the bearing housing to maintain a distance between the bearing housing and the rear surface of the tub; and   a second spacer rotatably provided at the bearing housing to maintain a distance between the bearing housing and the housing receptacle.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein the bearing housing includes a housing body spaced apart from the rear surface of the tub by a predetermined distance such that the spacer is fixed to the housing body, and a housing through-hole perforated in the housing body such that the rotating shaft is inserted into the housing through-hole, and   wherein the drive unit includes a stator fixed to the housing body and a rotor, to which the rotating shaft is coupled, the rotor being rotated by electromagnetic interaction with the stator.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein the drive unit support device further includes a magnetic force amplification unit configured to increase attractive force between the third magnetic unit and the fourth magnetic unit, and   wherein the magnetic force amplification unit includes a metal provided at the bearing housing such that the third magnetic unit is fixed to the metal, and a metal provided at the rear surface of the tub such that the fourth magnetic unit is fixed to the metal.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein any one of the third magnetic unit and the fourth magnetic unit includes a ring-shaped permanent magnet, and   wherein the other one of the third magnetic unit and the fourth magnetic unit includes a plurality of permanent magnets spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance so as to define the same circumference as a circumference of the ring-shaped permanent magnet.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive unit support device includes:
 a circumferential support portion provided within the tub to allow the drum to be moved in a radial direction within the tub via repulsive force between magnetic units; and   a slider unit provided at the outside of the tub to couple the bearing housing, to which the drive unit is fixed, to the rear surface of the tub while allowing the bearing housing to be moved in a radial direction with respect to the rear surface of the tub.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the slider unit includes:
 a slider body provided between the bearing housing and the rear surface of the tub;   a body through-hole perforated in the slider body such that the rotating shaft is inserted into the body through-hole, a diameter of the body through-hole being greater than a diameter of the rotating shaft;   a first guider configured to couple the slider body to the rear surface of the tub such that the slider body is reciprocally movable in any one direction of a width direction and a height direction of the tub; and   a second guider configured to couple the bearing housing to the slider body such that the bearing housing is reciprocally movable in the other direction of the width direction and the height direction of the tub.   
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 19 , further comprising a rear gasket configured to connect the rear surface of the tub and the bearing housing to each other.