Clothes treating apparatus

Abstract

A clothes treating apparatus including a cabinet having a laundry inlet; a door configured to open and close the laundry inlet; a drum inside the cabinet to accommodate clothes received in the drum through the laundry inlet while the laundry inlet is opened by the door; a sensing device including a sensor to measure a temperature or a humidity in the drum; and a holder on the door or the drum. The sensing device is separably mountable to the holder so that, when the sensing device is mounted to the holder, the sensing device is held by the holder and, when the sensing device is separated from the holder, the sensing device is allowed to move with respect to the drum, within the drum, so as to measure the temperature or the humidity in the drum while clothes accommodated in the drum are being treated.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A clothes treating apparatus, comprising:
 a cabinet having a laundry inlet;   a door configured to open and close the laundry inlet;   a drum inside the cabinet to accommodate clothes received in the drum through the laundry inlet while the laundry inlet is opened by the door;   a sensing device including a sensor to measure a temperature or a humidity in the drum; and   a holder on the door or the drum,   wherein the sensing device is separably mountable to the holder so that, when the sensing device is mounted to the holder, the sensing device is held by the holder and, when the sensing device is separated from the holder, the sensing device is allowed to move with respect to the drum, within the drum, so as to measure the temperature or the humidity in the drum while clothes accommodated in the drum are being treated.   
     
     
         2 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sensing device and the holder are configured so that the sensing device becomes separated from the holder according to an operation of the clothes treating apparatus. 
     
     
         3 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the sensing device includes a mounting groove recessed inward from an outer circumferential surface of the sensing device for mounting the sensing device to the holder. 
     
     
         4 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the holder is on, and inside, the drum. 
     
     
         5 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the holder includes a mounting protrusion protruding toward a center of the drum and coupleable to the mounting groove of the sensing device to mount the sensing device to the holder. 
     
     
         6 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein
 the mounting protrusion extends along a rotation axis direction of the drum, and   the mounting groove is recessed to correspond to the mounting protrusion.   
     
     
         7 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the holder includes a seating member recessed at sides of the mounting protrusion to allow the sensing device to be seated on the seating member when the sensing device is mounted to the holder. 
     
     
         8 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the holder includes a mounting protrusion protruding from a side surface of the holder and coupleable to the mounting groove of the sensing device to mount the sensing device to the holder. 
     
     
         9 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the holder includes:
 a first seating groove in which a central portion of the sensing device is seatable,   a second seating groove formed around the first seating groove to allow an outer portion of the sensing device to be seated on the second seating groove, and   a partition wall defining the first seating groove and the second seating groove.   
     
     
         10 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the holder further includes an extension protrusion protruding from the partition wall and coupleable to the mounting groove of the sensing device. 
     
     
         11 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a lifter protruding from an inner circumferential surface of the drum to allow clothes accommodated in the drum to move inside the drum,   wherein the lifter comprises the holder and a plurality of lifting members provided on sides of the holder in a rotation axis direction of the drum.   
     
     
         12 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein
 the mounting groove is provided in plurality, and   the holder includes:
 a plurality of hooks respectively coupled to the plurality of mounting grooves to fix the sensing device, 
 a coupling shaft provided to couple the plurality of hooks, and 
 a button extending from the coupling shaft so as to protrude out of the drum, and 
   the clothes treating apparatus further includes a stopper positioned outside the drum to press the button in response to rotation of the drum.   
     
     
         13 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the holder is arranged on a region, which faces an inside of the cabinet, of the door. 
     
     
         14 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the door further includes a pressing protrusion configured to press the sensing device while the sensing device is mounted to the holder to allow the sensing device to be put into the drum in response to the door being closed. 
     
     
         15 . The clothes treating apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sensing device includes a magnet inside the sensing device to allow the sensing device to be mounted to the holder through magnetic coupling.