Clothes care apparatus

Abstract

A clothes care apparatus may include: a clothes care device (CCD) including: a first housing including a care chamber configured to care for clothes, a circulation duct configured to receive air from, and discharge the received air to, the care chamber, and a controller; a clothes storage device (CSD) couplable to the CCD, the CSD including a second housing including a storage chamber configured to store clothes; a connecting duct detachably mountable to the CCD and the CSD; and a damper, wherein the connecting duct, damper, and controller are configured so that: with the connecting duct detachably mounted to the CCD and the CSD, a flow path through the connecting duct and between the circulation duct and storage chamber is formed, the damper is configured to open and close the flow path, and the controller is configured to control the damper to open or close the flow path.

1 . A clothes care apparatus comprising:
 a clothes care device including:
 a first housing in which a care chamber configured to care for clothes is formed, 
 a circulation duct configured to receive air from inside the care chamber and discharge the received air to the care chamber to thereby circulate the air, and 
 a controller; 
   a clothes storage device couplable to the clothes care device, the clothes storage device including a second housing in which a storage chamber configured to store clothes is formed;   a connecting duct detachably mountable to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device; and   a damper,   wherein the connecting duct, the damper, and the controller are configured so that:
 with the connecting duct detachably mounted to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device,
 a connecting flow path through the connecting duct and between the circulation duct and the storage chamber is formed, 
 the damper is configured to open and close to respectively open and close the connecting flow path, and 
 the controller is configured to control the damper to open or close so as to respectively open or close the connecting flow path. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the circulation duct includes a duct outlet configured to discharge the received air to the care chamber, and   the connecting duct is configured so that, with the connecting duct detachably mounted to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device, the duct outlet communicates with the connecting duct.   
     
     
         3 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the clothes storage device further includes a suction fan in the connecting flow path and configured to generate a suction force. 
     
     
         4 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein
 the connecting duct includes:
 a damper case in which the damper is accommodated; and 
 an extension duct slidably coupleable to the damper case so that, with the extension duct slidably coupled to the damper case, the extension duct is in communication with the damper case. 
   
     
     
         5 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein
 the damper case includes an insertion groove into which one end of the extension duct is insertable so as to couple the damper case and the extension duct, and   the connecting duct further includes a sealing member inside the insertion groove, the sealing member configured so that, with the one end of the extension duct inserted into the insertion groove, the sealing member seals between the extension duct and the damper case.   
     
     
         6 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the connecting duct is a first connecting duct,   the connecting flow path is a first connecting flow path extending from the circulation duct to the storage chamber, and   the clothes care apparatus further includes:
 a second connecting duct detachably mountable to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device, and 
 the second connecting duct is configured so that, with the second connecting duct detachably mounted to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device, a second connecting flow path through the second connecting duct and from the storage chamber to the circulation duct is formed. 
   
     
     
         7 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein
 the circulation duct includes a duct inlet configured to receive the air from inside the care chamber,   the clothes care device further includes a fixed duct with one end thereof fixed to the duct inlet, and   the fixed duct is configured so that, with the second connecting duct detachably mounted to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device, the fixed duct connects the duct inlet and the second connecting duct.   
     
     
         8 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein
 the damper is a first damper,   the second connecting duct includes a second damper, and   the controller is further configured so that:
 with the second connecting duct detachably mounted to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device,
 the controller is further configured to control the second damper to open or close so as to respectively open or close the second connecting flow path. 
 
   
     
     
         9 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the clothes care device further includes:
 a connection opening into which at least a portion of the connecting duct is insertable, and configured so that, with the connecting duct detachably mounted to the clothes care device and the clothes storage device, the at least the portion of the connecting duct is inserted into the connection opening, and 
 a cap detachably mountable to the connection opening and configured so that, with the connecting duct detached from the clothes care device and the cap mounted to the connection opening, the connection opening is closed. 
   
     
     
         10 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a coupling bracket coupleable to each of the first housing and the second housing and configured so that, with the coupling bracket coupled to each of the first housing and the second housing, the clothes storage device is coupled to the clothes care device.   
     
     
         11 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the controller is further configured to control the damper to close to thereby close the connecting flow path while performing a steam spray operation that sprays steam into the care chamber.   
     
     
         12 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein
 the controller is further configured to:
 perform a dry air discharge operation that discharges dry air to the care chamber after the steam spray operation is terminated, and 
 while the dry air discharge operation is performed,
 control the damper to open to thereby open the connecting flow path to allow a portion of the dry air, which flows to the care chamber, to be introduced into the storage chamber through the connecting flow path, or 
 control the damper to close to thereby close the connecting flow path to prevent the dry air, which flows to the care chamber, from being introduced into the storage chamber through the connecting flow path. 
 
   
     
     
         13 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein
 the clothes storage device further includes a humidity sensor configured to detect a humidity within the storage chamber, and   the controller is further configured to:
 while the dry air discharge operation is performed,
 based on the detected humidity, control the damper to open or close to respectively open or close the connecting flow path. 
 
   
     
     
         14 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein
 the controller is further configured to:
 in response to the detected humidity being greater than a predetermined humidity, control the damper to open to thereby open the connecting flow path to allow the dry air to be introduced into the storage chamber, and 
 in response to the detected humidity being less than or equal to the predetermined humidity, control the damper to close to thereby close the connecting flow path. 
   
     
     
         15 . The clothes care apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein
 the clothes storage device further includes a suction fan in the connecting flow path and configured to generate a suction force, and   the controller is further configured to:
 in response to the detected humidity being greater than a predetermined humidity, determine a rotation speed of the suction fan based on a difference between the detected humidity and the predetermined humidity.