LAUNDRY TREATMENT APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a laundry treatment apparatus and a control method thereof.

BACKGROUND ART

A laundry treatment apparatus is a generic term for devices for washing and drying washable items (to be washed) represented by clothes, drying dry items (to be dried), and washing and drying items that need to be treated.

A conventional laundry treatment apparatus for drying includes a drum providing a space in which clothes are accommodated, a circulation flow path for guiding air discharged from the drum to a drum, a fan for moving air along the circulation flow path, and a heat exchanger for sequentially performing dehumidification and heating of the air introduced into the circulation flow path.

The heat exchanger provided in the above structure includes a first heat exchanger for cooling air inside the circulation flow path, and a second heat exchanger for heating air passing through the first heat exchanger. Since air discharged from the drum is condensed while passing through the first heat exchanger, a storage for collecting condensate is provided inside or outside the circulation flow path. The condensate stored in the storage is discharged to the outside of the laundry treatment apparatus through a drain pump or stored in a drain tank provided inside the laundry treatment apparatus.

In order to collect the condensate in the circulation flow path, the storage of the conventional laundry treatment apparatus needs to be provided in the circulation flow path or as a chamber having a flow path connected to the circulation flow path (Publication No. KR10-2016-0059933). In the laundry treatment apparatus having the above-described structure, when the fan inside the circulation flow path operates, pressure inside the storage may be lowered, and the pressure drop inside the storage introduces outside air into an impeller housing constituting the drain pump (introduces outside air through a flow path connecting a drain pump and a drain tank). When outside air flows into the impeller housing, a water level inside the impeller housing is lowered, and thus it is difficult to drain all the condensate inside the storage through the drain pump.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

An object of the present disclosure devised to solve the problem lies on a laundry treatment apparatus for easily discharging condensate inside a storage and a control method of the laundry treatment apparatus.

An object of the present disclosure devised to solve the problem lies on a laundry treatment apparatus for minimizing the amount of remaining water inside a storage that stores condensate and a control method thereof.

An object of the present disclosure devised to solve the problem lies on a laundry treatment apparatus including a drain with excellent drainage performance and a control method thereof.

An object of the present disclosure devised to solve the problem lies on a laundry treatment apparatus for easily recovering condensate generated in a heat exchanger and a control method thereof.

An object of the present disclosure devised to solve the problem lies on a laundry treatment apparatus for increasing the accuracy of a water level sensor for detecting a water level inside a storage by minimizing a change in a water level inside the storage and a control method thereof.

Solution to Problem

The object of the present disclosure can be achieved by providing a laundry treatment apparatus including a drum providing a space in which clothes are accommodated, a circulation flow path for re-supplying air discharged from the drum to the drum, a heat exchanger including a fan impeller for moving air along the circulation flow path, a first heat exchanger for dehumidifying the air moving along the circulation flow path, and a second heat exchanger for heating air passing through the first heat exchanger, a storage in which condensate discharged from the air passing through the first heat exchanger is collected, and a drain for discharging water of the storage.

The drain may include a first chamber for receiving water of the storage through a chamber inlet and discharging water through a chamber drain, a second chamber positioned above the first chamber, a chamber communication hole connecting the first chamber and the second chamber, a pump impeller rotatably provided inside the first chamber, positioned below the chamber communication hole, and moving water to the chamber drain, and an exhaust flow path connecting the second chamber and the circulation flow path and guiding air inside the second chamber to the circulation flow path during an operation of the fan impeller.

The circulation flow path may include a first mounting part on which the first heat exchanger is mounted, a second mounting part on which the second heat exchanger is mounted, and a fan mounting part in which the fan impeller is rotatably accommodated and into which air passing through the second heat exchanger is introduced, and the exhaust flow path may include a flow path connecting the second chamber and the fan mounting part.

The circulation flow path may include a first mounting part on which the first heat exchanger is mounted, a second mounting part on which the second heat exchanger is mounted, a fan mounting part in which the fan impeller is rotatably accommodated, and a guide connecting the second mounting part and the fan mounting part and configured to guide air passing through the second heat exchanger to a rotation center of the fan impeller.

The exhaust flow path may include a flow path connecting the second chamber and the guide, or a flow path connecting the second chamber and the fan mounting part.

The drain may include a first body defining an upper surface of the storage and including the chamber communication hole formed therein, a first chamber forming pipe surrounding the chamber communication hole on a lower surface of the first body and defining a circumferential surface of the first chamber, a second chamber forming pipe surrounding the chamber communication hole on an upper surface of the first body, defining a circumferential surface of the second chamber, and having one open surface to which a pump motor for rotating the pump impeller is fixed, and a second body provided to close the first chamber forming pipe to define a bottom surface of the first chamber and including the chamber inlet.

The chamber drain may be provided through the first chamber forming pipe, and the exhaust flow path may connect the second chamber forming pipe and the circulation flow path.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a rotation shaft positioned through the chamber communication hole and connecting the pump motor and the pump impeller.

A diameter of the rotating shaft may be set to be smaller than a diameter of the chamber communication hole to allow air of the first chamber to be introduced into the second chamber through the chamber communication hole.

The exhaust flow path may include an exhaust hole provided through the first body, a connection flow path connecting the exhaust hole and a chamber exhaust positioned through the second chamber forming pipe, and an exhaust pipe connecting the exhaust hole and the guide or connecting the exhaust hole and the fan mounting part.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a flow path drain provided through a bottom surface of the connection flow path and discharging water inside the connection flow path to the storage.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a flow path valve configured to control opening and closing of the exhaust hole.

The exhaust flow path may include a connection hole provided in the guide or provided in the fan mounting part, and a connection flow path connecting a chamber exhaust provided through the second chamber forming pipe and the connection hole.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a flow path drain provided through a bottom surface of the connection flow path and discharging water inside the connection flow path to the storage.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a flow path valve configured to control opening and closing of the connection hole.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a duct drain hole configured to guide condensate inside the circulation flow path to the storage, and a protruding wall extending toward a bottom surface of the storage from any one of the first body and the second body and having a free end that is not in contact with the bottom surface of the storage.

When a water level inside the storage reaches a preset water level, the protruding wall may divide an inside of the storage into a space in which the chamber inlet is positioned and a space in which the duct drain hole is positioned.

The laundry treatment apparatus may further include a body through hole provided through the first body and connecting an external space of the storage and an internal space of the storage.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present disclosure may provide a laundry treatment apparatus for easily discharging condensate inside a storage and a control method thereof.

The present disclosure may provide a laundry treatment apparatus for minimizing the amount of remaining water inside a storage that stores condensate and a control method thereof.

The present disclosure may provide a laundry treatment apparatus including a drain with excellent drainage performance and a control method thereof.

The present disclosure may provide a laundry treatment apparatus for easily recovering condensate generated in a heat exchanger and a control method thereof.

The present disclosure may provide a laundry treatment apparatus for increasing the accuracy of a water level sensor for detecting a water level inside a storage by minimizing a change in a water level inside the storage and a control method thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a laundry treatment apparatus.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a circulation flow path and a heat exchanger.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a storage and a drain.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a drain tank and a washer.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 show a connection structure of a flow path controller and a drain.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show an example of a drain.

FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 show a drain according to another embodiment.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show a drain including a flow path valve, a protruding wall, and a body through hole according to an embodiment.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a control method of a laundry treatment apparatus.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Meanwhile, elements or control method of apparatuses which will be described below are only intended to describe the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to restrict the scope of the present disclosure. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of a laundry treatment apparatus and a control method thereof will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a laundry treatment apparatus 100 may include an accommodator 17 provided inside a cabinet 1 to provide a space for accommodating an object to be treated (clothes, etc.) therein, a circulation flow path 2 for re-supplying air discharged from the accommodator 17 to a drum, and a heat exchanger 3 for exchanging heat with the air introduced into the circulation flow path 2.

The cabinet 1 may include a front surface 11 positioned on a front side of the laundry treatment apparatus, a rear surface 12 positioned on a rear side of the laundry treatment apparatus, and a base 13 defining a bottom surface of the laundry treatment apparatus.

The front surface 11 may include a cabinet inlet 111 for putting in and taking out clothes, and the cabinet inlet 111 may be provided to be closed by a door 115 rotatably fixed to the front surface 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface 11 may include a control panel. The control panel may include a display 114 for displaying a control command to be selected by a user, and an input interface 113 for allowing the user to select the control command displayed on the display 114.

The accommodator 17 may be provided as a drum rotatably provided inside the cabinet 1. The drum 17 may be provided with a cylindrical drum body 171 having an open front surface and an open rear surface.

In order to rotatably support the drum body 171, the cabinet 1 may include a front panel 14 for rotatably supporting the front surface of the drum body 171, and a rear panel 15 for rotatably supporting the rear surface of the drum body 171.

The front panel 14 may include a front panel body 141 fixed to the front surface 11 or the cabinet 1, a drum inlet 142 formed through the front panel body, and a drum exhaust hole 143 for discharging air inside the drum body 171 to the circulation flow path 2.

The drum inlet 142 may be connected to the cabinet inlet 111. Accordingly, when the door 115 opens the cabinet inlet 111, the user may put clothes into the drum body 171 through the cabinet inlet 111 and the drum inlet 142, or take out clothes from the drum body 171.

For filtering the air discharged from the drum body 171, the drum exhaust hole 143 may include a filter detachably fixed to the front panel body 141.

The rear panel 15 includes a rear panel body 151 fixed to the rear surface 12 or the cabinet 1, and a drum supply hole 152 formed through the rear panel body 151.

The drum body 171 is rotatable by a driver 18 provided inside the cabinet 1. The driver 18 may include a drum motor 181 and a belt 182 connecting a rotating shaft of the drum motor and a circumferential surface of the drum body 171.

In order to stir the clothes inside the drum body 171, a lifter 172 may be further provided inside the drum body 171. The lifter 172 may be provided as a board protruding from the circumferential surface of the drum body 171 toward the center of rotation of the drum body.

The circulation flow path 2 may include a first duct 21 connected to the drum exhaust hole 143, a second duct 22 connected to a drum supply hole 152, and a third duct 23 (connection duct) connecting the first duct and the second duct. The connection duct 23 may be fixed to the base 13.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 3 may include a fan 36 for moving air along the circulation flow path 2, and heat pumps 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 for sequentially performing dehumidification and heating of air moving along the circulation flow path.

The fan 36 may include a fan impeller 361 positioned inside the circulation flow path 2, and a fan motor 362 positioned outside the circulation flow path 2 to rotate the fan impeller 361.

The heat pump may include a refrigerant pipe 33 defining a flow path through which a refrigerant circulates, a compressor 34 for moving the refrigerant along the refrigerant pipe 33, a first heat exchanger 31 fixed to the refrigerant pipe 33 and transferring heat of air introduced into the connection duct 23 to the refrigerant, a second heat exchanger 32 fixed to the refrigerant pipe 33 and transferring heat of the refrigerant to air passing through the first heat exchanger 31, and a control valve 35 for controlling a pressure of the refrigerant.

The connection duct 23 may include a duct body 231 fixed to the base 13, and a duct cover 232 defining an upper surface of the duct body. As shown in FIG. 4, the duct body 231 may include a first mounting part 233 on which the first heat exchanger 31 is mounted, a second mounting part 234 on which the second heat exchanger 32 is mounted, and a third mounting part 235 (fan mounting part) in which the fan impeller 361 is rotatably accommodated.

The connection duct 23 may further include a guide 236 connecting the second mounting part 234 and the third mounting part 235 to allow air passing through the second heat exchanger 32 to move to the center of the fan impeller 361.

The air introduced into the connection duct 23 may be condensed while passing through the first heat exchanger 31, may be heated while passing through the second heat exchanger 32, and may move to the drum body 171 through the second duct 22 and the drum supply hole 152.

The base 13 may include a storage 61 (first collector) in which condensate generated when the air passing through the first heat exchanger 31 is condensed is stored. FIG. 4 shows an example of the case in which the storage 61 is positioned outside the connection duct 23, and in this case, the storage 61 and the connection duct 23 may be connected to each other through a duct drain hole 239.

A bottom surface of the storage 61 may be positioned at a lower point than a bottom surface of the first mounting part 233 to naturally drain condensate falling from the first heat exchanger 31 to the bottom surface of the first mounting part 233, into the storage 61.

In addition, the connection duct 23 may include a support to prevent the condensate from contacting the first heat exchanger 31 and the second heat exchanger 32 and to facilitate discharge of condensate inside the first mounting part 233.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support may include a support plate 237 for supporting a bottom surface of the first heat exchanger 31 and a bottom surface of the second heat exchanger 32, a separation plate 2371 for positioning the support plate 237 at a predetermined height from a bottom surface of the connection duct 23, and a support plate through hole 238 formed through the support plate 237 and providing a flow path through which condensate passes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the condensate stored in the storage 61 may be discharged to a drain tank 62 (second collector) through a drain 7. The drain tank 62 may be provided to be located at a point higher than the storage 61.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drain tank 62 may include a drawer 621 provided to be withdrawn from the cabinet 1 to provide a space in which condensate is stored, and a drawer through hole 622 formed through an upper surface of the drawer 621.

The front surface 11 may include an outlet 112 for putting in and taking out the drawer 621 and a tank housing 16 provided inside the cabinet 1 to accommodate a space in which the drawer 621 is accommodated.

The condensate discharged from the storage 61 through the drain 7 may move to the tank housing 16 through a tank water pipe 928, and the condensate discharged from the tank water pipe 928 may move into the drawer 621 through the through hole 622. A process in which condensate moves to the drain tank 62 from the storage 61 will be described below in detail.

The laundry treatment apparatus 100 may further include a washer 5 for washing the first heat exchanger 31 by spraying the condensate stored in the storage 61.

The washer 5 may be fixed to the duct cover 232 and may include a plurality of nozzles for spraying water to the first heat exchanger 31. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the washer 5 includes a first nozzle 51, a second nozzle 52, and a third nozzle 53. The three nozzles may be arranged in a width direction of the duct cover 232 (X-axis direction).

The condensate stored in the storage 61 may be supplied to the washer 5 through a flow path controller 9, or may also be supplied to the drain tank 62.

As shown in FIG. 6, the flow path controller 9 may include a housing 91 and a cover 92. Any one of the housing 91 and the cover 92 may be fixed to an upper surface (the duct cover 232) of the connection duct 23.

The housing 91 and the cover 92 may be coupled to each other to form a space 95 in which the water (condensate) supplied from the drain 7 is stored. The housing 91 may include a housing inlet 911, and the drain 7 may be connected to the housing inlet 911 through a drain pipe 717.

The cover 92 may include supply inlets 921, 922, and 923 for discharging water inside the flow path controller 9 to the outside. As described above, when the washer 5 includes three nozzles 51, 52, and 53, the supply inlet may include a first nozzle supply inlet 921, a second nozzle supply inlet 922, and a third nozzle supply inlet 923.

The first nozzle supply inlet 921 may be connected to the first nozzle 51 through a first water supply pipe 925, the second nozzle supply inlet 922 may be connected to the second nozzle 52 through a second water supply pipe 926, and the third nozzle supply inlet 923 may be connected to the third nozzle 53 through a third water supply pipe 927.

The cover 92 may include a tank supply inlet 924 for guiding water inside the flow path controller 9 to the drain tank 62. The above-described tank water pipe 928 may connect the tank supply inlet 924 and the tank housing 16 to each other.

In order to control opening and closing of the above-described supply inlets 921, 922, 923, and 924, the flow path controller 9 may include a valve 93 and a valve motor 94 for controlling an operation of the valve.

The valve 93 may include a disk 931 (valve body) for dividing the space 95 inside the flow path controller into a space in which the supply inlets 921, 922, 923, and 924 are positioned and a space in which the housing inlet 911 is positioned, and a through hole 932 formed through the disk.

The disk 931 may be fixed to a valve body rotating shaft 941 provided through the housing 91. Thus, when the valve body rotating shaft 941 is rotated by the valve motor 94, the position of the through hole 932 provided in the disk 931 may be changed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first nozzle supply inlet 921, the second nozzle supply inlet 922, the third nozzle supply inlet 923, and the tank supply inlet 924 may be disposed on a rotation path of the through hole 932 by the valve motor 94. Thus, when the position of the through hole 932 is controlled through the valve motor 94, only a desired supply inlet may be opened among four supply inlets.

Referring to FIG. 8, for example, when the drain 7 is operated, condensate inside the storage 61 may be supplied to the flow path controller 9 through the drain pipe 717. In this situation, when the through hole 932 opens any one of the three nozzle supply inlets 921, 922, and 923, condensate inside the flow path controller 9 may be sprayed to the first heat exchanger 31 through a nozzle connected to the open supply inlet. Thus, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 may enable hygienic management of the first heat exchanger.

When the through hole 932 opens the tank supply inlet 924 in a situation in which the drain 7 operates, the condensate of the storage 61 may be moved to the drain tank 62 through the tank water pipe 928. As shown in FIG. 5, the tank housing 16 may be connected to the storage 61 through a return pipe 718. Accordingly, the condensate overflowing from the drain tank 62 may be recovered to the storage 61 through the return pipe 718.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drain 7 may include a first chamber C1 receiving water of the storage 61 through a chamber inlet 722 and discharging condensate through a chamber drain 713, a second chamber C2 positioned above the first chamber, a chamber communication hole 715 connecting the first chamber and the second chamber, and a pump 74 for moving condensate introduced into the first chamber C1 to the chamber drain 713.

The pump 74 may include a pump impeller 741 rotatably provided inside the first chamber C1, a rotating shaft 743 inserted into the chamber communication hole 715 and connected to the pump impeller, and a pump motor 742 for operating the rotating shaft 743.

The pump impeller 741 may be positioned between the chamber inlet 722 and the chamber communication hole 715, and a diameter of the chamber communication hole 715 may be set larger than a diameter of the rotating shaft 743. The pump motor 742 may define one surface of the second chamber C2, and in this regard, FIG. 9 shows an example in which the pump motor 742 defines an upper surface of the second chamber C2.

As described above, since the storage 61 is connected to the connection duct 23 through the duct drain hole 239, a pressure of the storage 61 may be lowered when the fan 36 is operated. The pressure drop inside the storage 61 may cause outside air to flow into the first chamber C1 through the drain pipe 717 or the return pipe 718.

When outside air flows into the first chamber C1, a water level inside the first chamber C1 may be lowered, and in this case, a problem in that the amount of condensate to be drained by the pump impeller 741 is reduced and a problem in that a large amount of condensate remains in the storage 61 may occur. When the laundry treatment apparatus includes a detector for detecting a water level of the storage 61, a problem in that the detector is not capable of accurately measuring the water level of the storage 61 may also occur. The above problems may be overcome by stopping the operation of the fan 36 before the operation of the pump 74, but this disadvantageously increases a drying time.

In order to overcome the above problem, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 may include an exhaust flow path 73 for connecting the second chamber C2 to the circulation flow path 2 and guiding air inside the second chamber C2 to the circulation flow path 2 when the fan 36 operates.

When the second chamber C2 is connected to the circulation flow path 2, outside air that is introduced into the first chamber C1 during an operation of the fan 36 may be moved to the second chamber C2 through the chamber communication hole 715, and air of the second chamber C2 may be moved to the circulation flow path 2 through the exhaust flow path 73. That is, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 including the exhaust flow path 73 may prevent a water level of the first chamber C1 from being lowered during an operation of the fan 36. Therefore, the laundry treatment apparatus 100 including the exhaust flow path 73 may minimize a problem in which the drainage performance of the pump 74 decreases during an operation of the fan 36 and a problem in which a large amount of condensate remains in the storage 61.

The laundry treatment apparatus 100 including a detector 8 for detecting a water level of the storage 61 may also minimize a measurement error of the detector 8.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which the detector 8 includes a first electrode 81 and a second electrode 82. When the two electrodes 81 and 82 are connected by condensate introduced into the storage 61, current flows in a circuit included in the two electrodes, and thus if the lengths of the two electrodes 81 and 82 are adjusted according to a water level to be measured, a controller (not shown) may determine the water level inside the storage 61.

The exhaust flow path 73 may be provided to connect the second chamber C2 to the third mounting part 235 (fan mounting part) and connect the second chamber C2 to the guide 236. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the exhaust flow path 73 is provided to connect the second chamber C2 and the guide 236.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the drain 7 for implementing the above-described function, and the drain 7 according to the present embodiment may include a first body 71 fixed to the base 13 to define an upper surface of the storage 61, and a second body 72 fixed to the first body.

The first body 71 may include the chamber communication hole 715, a first chamber forming pipe 711 surrounding the chamber communication hole 715 and defining a circumferential surface of the first chamber C1 may be formed on a lower surface of the first body 71, and a second chamber forming pipe 712 surrounding the chamber communication hole 715 and defining a circumferential surface of the second chamber C2 may be formed on an upper surface of the first body 71. In this case, a surface of the first body 71 formed inside the second chamber forming pipe 712 may be a partition wall 716 separating the two chambers C1 and C2.

The second chamber forming pipe 712 may be provided in a cylindrical shape with an open upper surface, and the pump motor 742 may be fixed to the second chamber forming pipe 712 to form an upper surface of the second chamber C2.

The first chamber forming pipe 711 may be provided in a cylindrical shape with an open bottom surface, and the second body 72 may be provided to close the open surface of the first chamber forming pipe 711.

The first body 71 may include a drain hole 717a for supplying condensate to the flow path controller 9 through the drain pipe 717, and a return hole 718a for introducing condensate that flows back from the drain tank 62 to the storage 61 through the return pipe 718.

The second body 72 may include a chamber cover 721 that is fixed to the first body 71 and closes the open surface of the first chamber forming pipe 711, and a drain guide 723 provided on a circumferential surface of the chamber cover 721 and guiding condensate discharged to the chamber drain 713 to the drain hole 717a. The chamber inlet 722 may be provided with a hole formed through the chamber cover 721.

A chamber exhaust 714 for discharging air inside the second chamber C2 may be formed in the circumferential surface of the second chamber forming pipe 712, and the exhaust flow path 73 may be provided to guide air discharged to the chamber exhaust 714 to the circulation flow path 2.

As shown in FIG. 9, the exhaust flow path 73 may include an exhaust hole 731 formed through the first body 71, a connection flow path 733 connecting the chamber exhaust 714 and the exhaust hole 731, and exhaust pipe 732 connecting the exhaust hole 731 and the circulation flow path 2. As described above, the exhaust pipe 732 may be provided as a hose that connects the exhaust hole 731 and the guide 236 of the connection duct, or connects the exhaust hole 731 and the third mounting part 235.

The connection flow path 733 may be provided in various structures as long as the connection flow path 733 is capable of implementing the above-described functions. FIG. 10 shows an example in which the connection flow path 733 is provided on the circumferential surface of the chamber cover 721. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the connection flow path 733 may be provided in the chamber cover 721 and may be provided as a flow path connecting the chamber exhaust 714 and the exhaust hole 731.

Since there is a possibility that the condensate of the first chamber C1 flows into the connection flow path 733, a flow path drain 734 for guiding the condensate introduced into the connection flow path 733 to the storage 61 may be further provided on a bottom surface of the connection flow path 733.

FIG. 11 shows the drain 7 according to another embodiment, and the drain 7 according to the present embodiment may be different from the drain 7 of FIG. 10 in terms of the structure of the exhaust flow path 73. That is, in the exhaust flow path 73 according to the present embodiment, the second chamber C2 and the connection duct 23 are directly connected through a connection flow path 737, and thus the exhaust flow path 73 according to the present embodiment may be different from the exhaust flow path 73 of FIG. 10 in which the second chamber C2 and the connection duct 23 are connected to each other through the exhaust pipe 732.

As shown in FIG. 12, the drain 7 according to the present embodiment may also include the first body 71 and the second body 72.

The first chamber forming pipe 711 defining the circumferential surface of the first chamber C1 may be provided on the lower surface of the first body 71 (one surface of the first body, which faces the storage), and the second chamber forming pipe 712 defining the circumferential surface of the second chamber C2 may be provided on the upper surface of the first body 71.

An internal space of the first chamber forming pipe 711 and an internal space of the second chamber forming pipe 712 may be connected to each other through the chamber communication hole 715, the bottom surface of the first chamber forming pipe 711 may be closed by the second body 72, and the upper surface of the second chamber forming pipe 712 may be connected by the pump motor 742. The chamber drain 713 may be provided on the circumferential surface of the first chamber forming pipe 711, and the chamber exhaust 714 may be provided on the circumferential surface of the second chamber forming pipe 712.

As in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the first body 71 may include the drain hole 717a for guiding condensate of the storage 61 to the flow path controller 9 and the return hole 718a introducing condensate flowing back from the drain tank 62 into the storage 61.

The second body 72 may include the chamber cover 721 that closes the open surface of the first chamber forming pipe 711 to define the first chamber C1, the chamber inlet 722 formed through the chamber cover 721, and the drain guide 723 fixed to the chamber cover and guiding condensate discharged from the chamber drain 713 to the drain hole 717a.

As shown in FIG. 11, the exhaust flow path 73 according to the present embodiment may include the connection flow path 737 connecting a connection hole 736 formed in the connection duct 23 to the second chamber C2. The connection hole 736 may be a hole formed through the guide 236 or the third mounting part 235.

When the connection flow path 737 is provided to directly connect the second chamber C2 and the connection duct 23, the exhaust hole 731 and the exhaust pipe 732 of FIG. 10 may be omitted. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in order to discharge condensate introduced into the connection flow path 737, a flow path drain 738 may further provided on the bottom surface of the connection flow path 737.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show the drain 7 according to another embodiment, and the exhaust flow path 73 may include the flow path valves 735 and 739.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 14, a flow path valve 735 may be included in the drain 7 of FIG. 10 and may open and close the drain hole 717a, and according to the embodiment of FIG. 15, a flow path valve 739 may be included in the drain of FIG. 12 and may open and close the connection hole 736.

The drain 7 including the connection flow paths 733 and 737 described above may be a flow path that moves a part of air passing through the second heat exchanger 32 to the drum 17 through the storage 61 and the exhaust flow path 73 during an operation of the heat exchanger 3. This may result in some of the air passing through the second heat exchanger 32 exchanging heat with the condensate of the storage 61 (decreased drying performance, and increased drying time). The flow path valve 735 controlling the opening and closing of the exhaust hole 731 or the flow path valve 739 controlling the opening and closing of the connection hole 736 may prevent the above-described problem.

That is, if the controller (not shown) controls the flow path valves 735 and 739 to open the exhaust hole 731 and the connection hole 736 only when a water level of the storage 61 reaches a preset reference water level (to open a connection flow path only when drainage of storage is required), the above-described problem of decreasing drying performance or increasing a drying time may be minimized.

The drain 7 may further include a protruding wall 74 that divides the inside of the storage 61 into a space in which the chamber inlet 722 is positioned and a space in which the duct drain hole 239 is positioned when a water level inside the storage 61 reaches a preset water level.

The protruding wall 74 may be provided in any of the first body 71 and the second body 72 as long as the above-described function is implemented, and FIGS. 14 and 15 show the case in which the protruding wall 74 is provided as a board protruding toward a bottom surface of the storage 61 from a bottom surface of the first body 71. A free end of the protruding wall 74 needs not contact the bottom surface of the storage 61.

When the fan impeller 361 rotates, a pressure change inside the circulation flow path 2 may cause a pressure change inside the storage 61, and a pressure change inside the storage 61 may cause sloshing in the condensate of the storage 61. A change in the water level of the storage 61 may lower the accuracy of a water level measured by the detector 8, and the protruding wall 74 may minimize sloshing of the condensate of the storage 61, and thus a problem of lowering the accuracy of the detector 8.

The first body 71 may further include a body through hole 75 for supplying outside air to the storage 61. FIGS. 14 and 15 show an example in which the body through hole 75 supplies air inside the cabinet 1 to the storage 61.

When air of the first chamber C1 moves to the circulation flow path 2 through the connection flow paths 733 and 737 (when the pressure inside the first chamber is lowered), if outside air is supplied through the body through hole 75, a water level inside the first chamber C1 may be further increased. Thus, the drain 7 including the body through hole 75 may more effectively drain condensate of the storage 61.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a control method of the laundry treatment apparatus 100 including the drain 7 of FIGS. 14 and 15.

As shown in FIG. 16, the control method of the laundry treatment apparatus may include a drying operation S10 and a draining operation S20. The drying operation S10 may be an operation in which air is re-supplied to the drum body 171 after dehumidifying and heating of air discharged from the drum body 171 are sequentially performed. The drying operation S10 may be performed through the heat exchanger 3, and the drum body 171 may be controlled to rotate when the drying operation S10 is performed.

The draining operation S20 may be an operation of draining condensate of the storage 61. In the case of the laundry treatment apparatus including the flow path controller 9, the draining operation S20 may be an operation of moving the condensate of the storage 61 to the flow path controller 9. In this case, the condensate of the storage 61 may be supplied to the washer 5 by the flow path controller 9 (first heat exchanger washing), or may be supplied to the drain tank 62.

In the drying operation S10, the fan impeller 761 may rotate at a preset first number of revolutions, the flow path valves 735 and 739 may be controlled to close the connection flow paths 733 and 737, and the pump impeller 741 may not operate.

The draining operation S20 may be started when the water level of the storage 61 measured by the detector 8 reaches the reference water level. In the draining operation S20, the fan impeller 361 may rotate at a second number of revolutions set higher than the first number of revolutions, the flow path valves 735 and 739 may be controlled to open the connection flow paths 733 and 737, and the pump impeller 741 may be controlled to rotate.

When the number of revolutions of the fan impeller 361 is increased, the water level inside the first chamber C1 may be temporarily increased, and thus the laundry treatment apparatus 100 may drain the condensed of the storage 61 in a short time through the above-described control method, and the amount of condensate remaining in the storage 61 may also be minimized.

In the draining operation S20, an operation end time of the fan impeller 361 may be set to be the same as an operation end time of the pump impeller 741, and may be set to be earlier than the operation end time of the pump impeller 741. FIG. 16 shows the latter case. The flow path valves 735 and 739 may be controlled to close the connection flow paths 733 and 737 when rotation of the pump impeller 741 is finished.

While the fan impeller 361 rotates, it may take a relatively long time for the condensate remaining on a surface of the first heat exchanger 31 to fall to a bottom surface of the connection duct 23, and as shown in FIG. 16, when rotation of the fan impeller 361 is first terminated (when the pump impeller rotates for a predetermined time after rotation of the fan impeller is finished), it may by easy to recover the condensate remaining in the first heat exchanger 31 to the storage 61.

When the fan impeller 361 rotates at the second number of revolutions, condensate may be introduced into the connection flow paths 732 and 737, but the connection flow path may include the flow path drains 734 and 738, thereby preventing the condensate from flowing back to the circulation flow path 2.

In addition, when the fan impeller 361 rotates at the second number of revolutions, a change in the water level of the storage 61 may be large, but the protruding wall 74 described above is provided in the drain 7, and thus a problem of lowering the accuracy of the detector 8 may be minimized.

Since the structure and control method of the above-described laundry treatment apparatus describe are an example of the present disclosure, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described structure and control method.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the disclosure. Thus, the above embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims and all change which comes within the equivalent scope of the disclosure are included in the scope of the disclosure.