Laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes a drum and a rotator. The rotator includes a bottom portion disposed to cover at least a portion of a bottom surface of the drum, a pillar protruding from the bottom portion toward an open surface of the drum, and a blade disposed on an outer surface of the pillar and configured to generate a water flow. The bottom portion defines a communication hole communicating the inner space with an exterior of the bottom portion. Accordingly, the rotator may utilize the inner space to improve a space efficiency. In addition, the rotator may be rotated stably because the rotator is prevented from receiving a large buoyancy force during washing. In addition, a cleaning water flow may be generated inside the bottom portion of the rotator, so that a hygiene condition may be improved.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
 a tub configured to receive water;   a drum that is rotatably disposed inside the tub and defines a drum space configured to accommodate laundry, the drum having an open surface that is configured to receive the laundry therethrough and a bottom surface located at an opposite side of the open surface; and   a rotator rotatably disposed inside the drum, the rotator comprising:
 a bottom portion that is disposed at the bottom surface of the drum and covers at least a portion of the bottom surface of the drum, the bottom portion having a lower surface that faces the bottom surface of the drum and defines an inner space open toward the bottom surface of the drum, 
 a pillar that protrudes from the bottom portion toward the open surface of the drum, and 
 a blade disposed at an outer surface of the pillar and configured to generate a water flow based on rotation of the rotator, 
   wherein the bottom portion defines a communication hole that is in fluid communication with the inner space of the rotator and the drum space outside the bottom portion.   
     
     
         2 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a bottom rotation shaft that passes through the bottom surface of the drum and is positioned in the inner space, the bottom rotation shaft being coupled to the rotator and configured to rotate the rotator,
 wherein the bottom rotation shaft has an end coupled to a center of the bottom portion of the rotator, and   wherein the communication hole is defined at a position that is closer to the bottom surface of the drum than to the end of the bottom rotation shaft.   
     
     
         3 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the rotator further comprises a plurality of protrusions that protrude from the bottom portion toward the open surface of the drum and are spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction of the bottom portion, each of the plurality of protrusions extending along a radial direction of the bottom portion,
 wherein the plurality of protrusions comprise a plurality of main protrusions that cover the inner space of the bottom portion, each of the plurality of main protrusions radially extending from an inner end facing the center of the bottom portion to an outer end facing a circumference of the bottom portion, and   wherein the communication hole is defined at the outer end of at least one of the plurality of the main protrusions.   
     
     
         4 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein heights of the plurality of main protrusions from the bottom portion decrease from the inner end to the outer end. 
     
     
         5 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of protrusions further comprise a plurality of first sub-protrusions, each of the plurality of first sub-protrusions being disposed between a pair of main protrusions among the plurality of main protrusions, and
 wherein a protruding height of each of the plurality of first sub-protrusions from the bottom portion is less than a protruding height of each of the plurality of main protrusions from the bottom portion.   
     
     
         6 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of protrusions further comprise a plurality of second sub-protrusions that are disposed between one of the plurality of main protrusions and one of the plurality of first sub-protrusions, and
 wherein a protruding height of each of the plurality of second sub-protrusions from the bottom portion is less than the protruding height of each of the plurality of first sub-protrusions from the bottom portion.   
     
     
         7 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the bottom portion comprises a reinforcing portion that is disposed in the inner space and protrudes from the lower surface of the bottom portion toward the bottom surface of the drum. 
     
     
         8 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the reinforcing portion comprises a first reinforcing portion that is disposed about the center of the bottom portion and surrounds the bottom rotation shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the first reinforcing portion comprises a plurality of first reinforcing portions that have ring shapes and are spaced apart from another in the radial direction of the bottom portion. 
     
     
         10 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the reinforcing portion further comprises a plurality of second reinforcing portions that radially extend from the first reinforcing portion toward the circumference of the bottom portion and are spaced apart from one another along the circumferential direction of the bottom portion. 
     
     
         11 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein a main protrusion among the plurality of main protrusions extends in parallel to the radial direction of the bottom portion, the main protrusion having a symmetrical shape with respect to a virtual line passing through a center of the main protrusion,
 wherein the plurality of second reinforcing portions comprise a central rib disposed at the virtual line, and   wherein the communication hole comprises a plurality of communication holes defined at opposite sides with respect to the central rib.   
     
     
         12 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of second reinforcing portions further comprise a plurality of outer ribs that are disposed symmetrically with respect to the central rib, and
 wherein each of the plurality of communication holes is defined closer to the central rib than to each of the plurality of outer ribs.   
     
     
         13 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein a width of the main protrusion in the circumferential direction of the bottom portion increases from the inner end to the outer end, and
 wherein each of the plurality of outer ribs extends in the radial direction from the first reinforcing portion to the circumference of the bottom portion.   
     
     
         14 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein a bottom end of the first reinforcing portion is disposed closer to the bottom surface of the drum than to the lower surface of the bottom portion, and
 wherein a length of each of the plurality of second reinforcing portions protruding toward the bottom surface of the drum is less than a length of the first reinforcing portion protruding toward the bottom surface of the drum.   
     
     
         15 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the reinforcing portion further comprises a plurality of reinforcing ribs that are spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the bottom portion and that radially extend and connect together a pair of first reinforcing portions among the plurality of first reinforcing portions. 
     
     
         16 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises a plurality of blades spaced apart from one another along a circumferential direction of the pillar, each of the plurality of blades extending from the bottom portion toward the open surface along a direction that is inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pillar. 
     
     
         17 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the bottom portion faces the drum space, and
 wherein the communication hole penetrates the bottom portion from the upper surface of the bottom portion to the lower surface of the bottom portion.   
     
     
         18 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a driver located vertically below the bottom surface of the drum and configured to generate rotational force;   a drum rotation shaft connected to the driver and the bottom surface of the drum, the drum rotation shaft being configured to rotate the drum; and   a bottom rotation shaft connected to the driver and the bottom portion of the rotator, the bottom rotation shaft passing through the bottom surface of the drum and being configured to rotate the rotator.   
     
     
         19 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the drum rotation shaft defines a through-hole that receives the bottom rotation shaft, and
 wherein the drum rotation shaft and the bottom rotation shaft are coaxial.   
     
     
         20 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the drum rotation shaft and the bottom rotation shaft are configured to rotate together in a direction or to rotate together in opposite directions from each other.