# US 12,180,637 B2 · Laundry treating apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,180,637 B2 - Document ID: US12180637B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/508,448 - Filed: 2021-10-22 - Published: 2022-04-28 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-23 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Sangwook Hwang; Jinhwan Son - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12180637B2 ## CPC - D06F 34/30: characterised by mechanical features, e.g. buttons or rotary dials - D06F 34/08: Control circuits or arrangements thereof - D06F 39/14: Doors or covers; Securing means therefor - D06F 58/04: Details (controlling or regulating devices D06F34/00) - H01H 13/14: Operating parts, e.g. push-button - H01H 13/20: Driving mechanisms - H03K 17/962: {Capacitive touch switches} - H01H 2235/01: Spiral spring - H03K 2217/96076: with spring electrode - D06F: LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES - H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract A laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet for forming an appearance of the laundry treating apparatus, wherein the cabinet has a laundry inlet defined therein, a drum disposed inside the cabinet, wherein a drum opening in communication with the laundry inlet is defined in the drum, wherein the drum accommodates laundry therein, and a control unit disposed in the cabinet to receive a control signal. The control unit includes a touch portion for forming an exposed surface outwardly of the cabinet, a circuit board spaced apart from the touch portion and positioned inside the cabinet, and a spring unit having a portion on one side in contact with the touch portion and a portion on an opposite side coupled to the circuit to connect the touch portion and the circuit to each other. The spring unit transmits an electrical signal input through the touch portion to the circuit board. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A laundry treating apparatus comprising: a cabinet that defines an appearance of the laundry treating apparatus, the cabinet defining a laundry inlet; a drum disposed inside the cabinet, the drum defining a drum opening that is configured to receive laundry through the laundry inlet; and a control unit disposed at the cabinet and configured to receive an input, wherein the control unit comprises: a touch portion that defines at least a portion of an exposed surface of the laundry treating apparatus, the touch portion being configured to receive the input, a circuit board spaced apart from the touch portion and disposed inside the cabinet, and a spring unit that connects the touch portion to the circuit board and is configured to transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the input from the touch portion to the circuit board, the spring unit having a first portion in contact with the touch portion and a second portion coupled to the circuit board. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spring unit comprises: a touch spring in contact with the touch portion; a circuit spring coupled to the circuit board; and a connection spring that connects the touch spring and the circuit spring to each other, and wherein each of a diameter of the touch spring and a diameter of the circuit spring is less than or equal to a diameter of the connection spring. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the circuit board defines a circuit through-hole that passes therethrough, and wherein the spring unit is coupled to the circuit through-hole, and the circuit spring is inserted into and fixed to the circuit through-hole. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the touch spring extends in a helix shape from the connection spring in a direction away from the circuit spring, and wherein the diameter of the touch spring decreases as the touch spring extends away from the circuit spring. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 4, wherein the connection spring comprises a first spring wire, wherein the touch spring comprises a second spring wire that extends from the first spring wire in the helix shape, and wherein portions of the second spring wire face each other in a radial direction, the portions of the second spring wire being spaced apart from each other in the radial direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second spring wire is configured to define a single surface that faces and contacts the touch portion based the second spring wire being compressed by the touch portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 6, wherein an entire area of the single surface defined by the second spring wire is configured to be in contact with the touch portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 3, wherein the circuit spring comprises: a contact spring that is in contact with the circuit board and extends in a helix shape from the connection spring in a direction away from the touch spring, a diameter of the contact spring decreasing as the contact spring extends away from the touch spring; and an insertion spring that extends from the contact spring in the direction away from the touch spring and is inserted into and fixed to the circuit through-hole. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the connection spring comprises a first spring wire, and the touch spring comprises a second spring wire, wherein the contact spring comprises a third spring wire that extends from the first spring wire in the helix shape, and wherein portions of the third spring wire face each other in a radial direction, the portions of the third spring wire being spaced apart from each other in the radial direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9, wherein a diameter of the insertion spring is less than or equal to a diameter of the circuit through-hole, and wherein a height of the insertion spring is greater than or equal to a depth of the circuit through-hole. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the third spring wire is configured to define a single surface that faces and contacts the circuit board based on the third spring wire being compressed by the circuit board. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 11, wherein an entire area of the single surface defined by the third spring wire is configured to be in contact with the circuit board. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the contact spring is fixed to and in contact with the circuit board, and wherein the insertion spring is inserted into and fixed to the circuit through-hole. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the connection spring is located between the touch spring and the circuit spring, and wherein the diameter of the connection spring is constant. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a door disposed at a front surface of the cabinet and configured to cover the laundry inlet, and wherein the touch portion is disposed at the door. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch portion is disposed at a surface of the cabinet and extends parallel to the circuit board. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spring unit is made of metal and electrically connects the touch portion and the circuit board to each other. ### Claim 18 (depends on 2) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the diameter of the touch spring and the diameter of the circuit spring is less than the diameter of the connection spring, and wherein the connection spring is configured to surround circumferences of the touch spring and the circuit spring based on the touch portion being pressed toward the circuit board. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spring unit is configured to be compressed and extended along an axis perpendicular to the touch portion, wherein the spring unit further comprises a third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion, and wherein a length of the third portion along the axis is greater than each of a length of the first portion and a length of the second portion along the axis. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The laundry treating apparatus of claim 19, wherein a diameter of the third portion is greater than or equal to each of a diameter of the first portion and a diameter of the second portion.