Laundry treating apparatus

Abstract

A laundry treating apparatus includes a tub, a water supply, a controller, a drum, and a rotator. The rotator includes a bottom portion positioned on the bottom surface, a pillar upwardly protruding from the bottom portion, and a blade protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the pillar, wherein the blade extends from one end facing toward the bottom portion to the other end facing toward the open surface. The controller controls the water supply such that the water supply amount is equal to or greater than a preset minimum water supply amount in the washing process, and a vertical level of said one end of the blade with respect to the bottom portion is lower than a vertical level of a water surface corresponding to the minimum water supply amount.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
 a tub configured to receive water;   a water supply configured to supply water to the tub;   a controller configured to control the water supply to thereby adjust a water supply amount in a washing process to be greater than or equal to a minimum water supply amount that is preset for the washing process;   a drum rotatably disposed inside the tub, the drum having an open surface defined at a top surface thereof and a bottom surface located at an opposite side of the open surface;   a rotation shaft coupled to the bottom surface of the drum; and   a rotator rotatably disposed in the drum, the rotator comprising:
 a bottom portion positioned at the bottom surface of the drum, 
 a pillar that protrudes upward from the bottom portion, and 
 a blade that protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the pillar and has a first end facing the bottom portion and a second end facing the open surface, the blade extending from the first end to the second end, 
   wherein the first end of the blade is disposed below a vertical position corresponding to the minimum water supply amount.   
     
     
         2 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a vertical distance between the first end of the blade and the bottom portion is less than or equal to 0.25 times of a diameter of the drum. 
     
     
         3 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second end of the blade is located above the vertical position corresponding to the minimum water supply amount. 
     
     
         4 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the water supply to supply an amount of water that is less than or equal to a maximum water supply amount preset for the washing process, and
 wherein the second end of the blade is disposed at or above a vertical position corresponding to the maximum water supply amount.   
     
     
         5 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the rotator further comprises a protrusion that protrudes upward from the bottom portion and that extends in a direction away from the pillar. 
     
     
         6 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein a protruding height of the protrusion from the bottom portion is less than or equal to the vertical position corresponding to the minimum water supply amount. 
     
     
         7 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the first end of the blade is upwardly spaced apart from the protrusion. 
     
     
         8 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein a vertical distance between the first end of the blade and the bottom portion is less than or equal to 0.1 times of a diameter of the drum. 
     
     
         9 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the protrusion comprises a plurality of protrusions that are spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction of the bottom portion. 
     
     
         10 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein at least two of the plurality of protrusions have different protruding heights from each other with respect to the bottom portion. 
     
     
         11 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of protrusions comprise a main protrusion having an inner end connected to the pillar, and
 wherein a protruding height of the main protrusion is greater than a protruding height of any other protrusions among the plurality of protrusions.   
     
     
         12 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the protruding height of the main protrusion from the bottom portion is less than or equal to the vertical position corresponding to the minimum water supply amount. 
     
     
         13 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a protruding height of the inner end of the main protrusion from the bottom portion is greater than a distance between the first end of the blade and the inner end of the main protrusion. 
     
     
         14 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the blade extends along a circumferential direction of the pillar and is inclined toward one side of the pillar with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pillar, and
 wherein the first end of the blade is spaced apart from the main protrusion in the circumferential direction.   
     
     
         15 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the blade extends obliquely with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pillar, the blade comprising a plurality of blades that are spaced apart from one another along a circumferential direction of the pillar. 
     
     
         16 . A laundry treating apparatus comprising:
 a tub configured to receive water;   a drum rotatably disposed inside the tub, the drum having an open surface defined at a top surface thereof and a bottom surface located at an opposite side of the open surface;   a rotation shaft coupled to the bottom surface of the drum; and   a rotator rotatably disposed in the drum, the rotator comprising:
 a bottom portion positioned at the bottom surface of the drum, 
 a pillar that protrudes upward from the bottom portion, and 
 a blade that protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the pillar and has a first end positioned at a lower end of the bottom portion a second end positioned at an upper end of the pillar, the blade extending from the first end to the second end, 
   wherein the first end of the blade is disposed below a vertical position of a water surface of water in the tub for a washing process.   
     
     
         17 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a water supply configured to supply water to the tub; and   a controller configured to control a water supply amount in the washing process, the water supply amount being greater than or equal to a minimum water supply amount preset for the washing process.   
     
     
         18 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the vertical position of the water surface of water in the tub for the washing process corresponds to a water level in the tub corresponding to the minimum water supply amount. 
     
     
         19 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the second end of the blade is spaced apart from the upper end of the pillar. 
     
     
         20 . The laundry treating apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the rotator further comprises a cap coupled to the upper end of the pillar, and
 wherein a height of the cap is greater than a vertical distance between the second end of the blade and the upper end of the pillar.