CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2019/002992 filed on Mar. 14, 2019, which claims foreign priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Korean Patent Application 10-2018-0070038 filed on Jun. 19, 2018, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to washing machine, and more particularly, to a washing machine equipped with a pulsator.

BACKGROUND ART

A washing machine is a machine that uses electric power to wash clothes. In general, a washing machine includes a tub for storing washing water, a drum rotatably installed inside the tub, a pulsator rotatably installed at the bottom of the drum, and a motor for rotating the drum and the pulsator.

When the drum and the pulsator are rotated by the motor in a state in which laundry and water mixed with a detergent are put into the inside of the drum, the pulsator cleans the laundry by agitating the laundry put into the drum with washing water to remove dirt from the laundry.

When dehydrating the laundry, the pulsator is stopped or rotates at a low speed and the drum rotates at a high speed to perform dehydration of the laundry. At this time, when the drum rotates at a high speed, the laundry rotates at the same speed as the drum. However, because the pulsator is stopped or rotates at a low speed, friction occurs due to a difference in rotation speed between the laundry and the pulsator.

Damage to the laundry and the pulsator may occur due to the friction between the laundry and the pulsator.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

The present disclosure is directed to providing a washing machine to which a pulsator structure capable of preventing damage to a pulsator and laundry is applied.

The present disclosure is directed to providing a washing machine to which a pulsator structure capable of preventing frictional heat generated by friction between a pulsator and laundry is applied.

The present disclosure is directed to providing a washing machine capable of improving durability by applying different materials to a cap and a cover of a pulsator.

Technical Solution

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a washing machine including a cabinet in which an opening for putting laundry is formed on a front side, a tub provided inside the cabinet, a drum rotatably provided inside the tub, a pulsator rotatably installed on the drum, and a cap coupled to the pulsator to cover at least a portion of a front surface of the plusator, wherein the cap includes a hole formed to discharge air.

A plurality of the holes may be provided.

The cap may include a first cap and a second cap provided to cover a front side of the first cap.

The first cap and the second cap may be formed of different materials.

The second cap may include a metal material.

The plurality of holes may be formed on the first cap and the second cap, respectively.

At least a portion of the plurality of holes of the second cap may be connected to the plurality of holes of the first cap.

Air may flow through the plurality of holes by the rotation of the pulsator or the drum.

The second cap may include a cap blade protruding forward.

The washing machine may further include a driving device configured to independently rotate the pulsator and the drum.

The driving device may include a first shaft configured to rotate the pulsator and a second shaft configured to rotate the drum.

The pulsator may include a pulsator body on which a through hole to which the first shaft is connected is formed, and a pulsator cover configured to cover a front surface of the pulsator body and including a cap installation portion corresponding to the through hole, and the cap may be installed in the cap installation portion.

The pulsator body and the pulsator cover may be formed of different materials, and the pulsator cover may include a metal material.

The pulsator body may include a plurality of air holes.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a washing machine including a tub, a drum rotatably installed in the tub to accommodate laundry, a pulsator rotatably installed in the drum, a first shaft configured to rotate the pulsator, a second shaft configured to rotate the drum, and a cap configured to cover at least a portion of a front surface of the plusator, wherein the cap includes a first cap coupled to the pulsator and a second cap formed of a metal material to cover a front side of the first cap.

The cap may include a plurality of holes.

The plurality of holes may be formed on the first cap and the second cap, respectively.

The pulsator may include a pulsator body on which a through hole to which the first shaft is connected is formed, and a pulsator cover configured to cover a front surface of the pulsator body and including a cap installation portion corresponding to the through hole, and the cap may be installed in the cap installation portion.

The pulsator body and the pulsator cover may be formed of different materials, and the pulsator cover may include a metal material.

The pulsator body may include a plurality of air holes.

Advantageous Effects

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, damage to laundry and a pulsator can be prevented by an improved pulsator structure.

Further, generation of frictional heat due to friction between laundry and the pulsator can be prevented, thereby improving durability.

Further, quality and assembly ability can be improved by applying a cap and a cover having different materials.

