COMBINATION APPLIANCE

Abstract

The present invention is related to a combination appliance (10) A combination appliance (10) comprising a cooking hob (12) and an extraction device (14). The cooking hob (12) comprises a cover plate or worktop (22) having an opening (24) or a recess formed therein. The extraction device (14) is arranged below the cover plate or worktop (22) and comprises a fan (36) for sucking air from the area above the cooking hob (12) through the opening (24) or recess of the cover plate or worktop (22), a particle filter (52′) for removing particles from the air sucked in, an odour filter (56) for removing odours from the air sucked in, and an outlet opening (30) for exhausting air. The particle filter (52) is arranged or arrangeable upstream of the at least one fan (36). According to a first aspect of the invention, the odour filter (56) is arranged or arrangeable upstream of the particle filter (52′) and preferably downstream of the opening (24) or recess. According to a second aspect of the invention, an integrative particle filter element (52) is provided, which is a particle filter element (52) including odour filtering means (72). As an alternative to the integrative particle filter element (52) an integrative odour filter element or a common particle and odour filter element is proposed.

Claims

1. A combination appliance comprising: a cooking hob, which comprises a cover plate or worktop having an opening or a recess formed therein, and an extraction device arranged below the cover plate or worktop, a fan adapted to suck air from an area above the cooking hob through the opening or recess of the cover plate or worktop, a particle filter adapted to remove particles from the air sucked in, which particle filter is arranged or arrangeable upstream of the fan, an odor filter adapted to remove odors from the air sucked in, and an outlet opening adapted to exhaust the sucked-in air into an ambient environment, wherein the odor filter is arranged or arrangeable upstream of the fan, upstream of the particle filter, and downstream of the opening or recess.

2. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the odor filter is removable through the opening or recess.

3. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the particle filter is included in or supported by a filter carrier, the filter carrier being removable through the opening or recess.

4. The combination appliance according to claim 3, wherein the odor filter is supported by the particle filter and/or by the filter carrier.

5. The combination appliance according to claim 3, wherein the odor filter is coupled with the particle filter and/or with the filter carrier, the odor filter and the particle filter forming a filter unit.

6. The combination appliance according to claim 3, wherein the particle filter and/or the filter carrier comprise(s) support means or connection and/or engagement means acting on or interacting with the odor filter.

7. The combination appliance according to claim 6, wherein the support means or connection and/or engagement means comprise: at least one of snapping means, clicking means and latching means, and/or a carrying device comprising fittings.

8. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the odor filter and the particle filter are surrounded by a common frame.

9. A combination appliance comprising: a cooking hob, which comprises a cover plate or worktop having an opening or a recess formed therein, and an extraction device arranged below the cover plate or worktop, a fan adapted to suck air from an area above the cooking hob through the opening or recess of the cover plate or worktop, a particle filtering means adapted to remove particles from the air sucked in, which particle filtering means is arranged or arrangeable upstream of the fan, an odor filtering means adapted to remove odors from the air sucked in, and an outlet opening for exhausting the sucked-in air into an ambient environment, wherein: the particle filtering means is an integrative particle filter element that includes the odor filtering means, or the odor filtering means is an integrative odor filter element arranged upstream of the fan and including particle filtering means, or the particle filtering means and the odour filtering means are integrated in a common particle and odor filter element.

10. The combination appliance according to claim 9, wherein the integrative particle filter element or the integrative odor filter element or the common particle and odor filter element is included in or supported by a filter carrier.

11. The combination appliance according to claim 9, wherein: the integrative particle filter element, or the integrative odor filter element, or the common particle and odor filter element is surrounded by a frame.

12. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein both the odor filter and the particle filter, or the integrative particle filter element, or the integrative odor filter element, or the common particle and odor filter element is or are of a flat shape.

13. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the recess or opening is covered by a lid or grid that is detachably coupled with a filter carrier and/or with at least one of the particle filter and the odor filter, or with an integrative particle filter element that comprises odor-filtering means, or with an integrative odor filter element that comprises particle-filtering means, or with a common particle and odor filter element.

14. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the particle filter and the odor filter and/or a filter carrier supporting both of the particle filter and the odor filter, or an integrative particle filter element comprising odor-filtering means, or an integrative odor filter element comprising particle-filtering means, or a common particle and odor filter element is or are removable either after removal of the lid or grid or in combination with removal of the lid or grid.

15. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein assembly and/or disassembly of at the odor filter can be done tool free.

16. A combination appliance comprising: a cooking hob having a cover plate adapted to support cookware for cooking food thereon and having an opening formed therein, and a cover adapted to fit within said opening and configured to inhibit passage of objects through said opening; and an extraction device arranged below the cover plate, the extraction device comprising: a filter carrier arranged directly beneath said opening and comprising a carrier housing, said filter carrier being removably installable in the combination appliance through said opening; particle-filtering means and odor-filtering means both removably supported by said filter carrier and removable from said combination appliance through said opening; and a fan having a downward-facing intake, said fan being configured to draw air from an area above the cover plate, through the opening therein, then through the particle- and odor-filtering means, and into an exhaust duct for recirculation of the drawn air back into an environment outside the combination appliance via an exhaust opening; wherein said fan is located downstream of said filter carrier along a suction-airflow path of air drawn by the fan from above said cover plate through the opening and then out of the combination appliance through said exhaust opening; and wherein removal of said odor-filtering means for either cleaning or replacement thereof does not require any tools.

17. The combination appliance according to claim 16, said particle-filtering means comprising a particle filter that includes aluminum mesh, the particle filter being removably installed within the carrier housing, said particle filter further being adapted to filter particulates and/or droplets that pass through said opening in the cover plate and to accommodate passage of air therethrough; said odor-filtering means comprising a carbon odor filter that is supported by said filter carrier, the odor filter being disposed upstream of the particle filter along said suction-airflow path.

18. The combination appliance according to claim 17, further comprising an illumination element disposed adjacent to the filter carrier and configured to illuminate the particle filter and/or the odor filter so that either or both may be inspected through said opening when they are installed in the combination appliance, said illumination element being adapted to be activated when said cover is removed from said opening.

19. The combination appliance according to claim 18, said cover being adapted to permit passage of air drawn by said fan through said opening, and to inhibit passage of objects of predetermined size.

20. The combination appliance according to claim 16, said particle-filtering means comprising a particle filter that includes first and second aluminum meshes disposed parallel to and spaced apart from one another thereby defining a filtration space therebetween, said odor-filtering means comprising carbon spheres confined within said filtration space between the first and second aluminum meshes, thereby yielding a common filter element comprising both the particle- and odor-filtering means that is removably installed within the carrier housing.

Description

[0031] The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings, in which

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination appliance comprising a cooking hob and a downdraft extraction device installed in a kitchen cabinet;

[0033] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the disassembled combination appliance of FIG. 1 with a frontal surface cut away;

[0034] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the combination appliance of FIG. 2;

[0035] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the combination appliance of FIG. 2, but with a first example of a specific filter assembly;

[0036] FIG. 5 is the filter carrier of the combination appliance of FIG. 2 in isolated illustration removed from the appliance including a second example of a specific filter assembly;

[0037] FIG. 6 is an example of a filter element in isolated illustration removed from the filter carrier of FIG. 5; and

[0038] FIG. 7 is an enlarged section of the filter element of FIG. 6.

[0039] In all figures the same or equivalent part are marked with the same reference numbers.

[0040] FIG. 1 illustrates a combination appliance 10 comprising a cooking hob 12 and a downdraft extraction device 14 installed in a kitchen cabinet 16. The cooking hob 12 is implemented in a cutout of a kitchen countertop 18 forming a top cover plate of the kitchen cabinet 16. The downdraft extraction device 14 is configured to take away cooking vapours occurring during cooking processes, in particular when cooking with uncovered cookware. The cooking hob 12 comprises cooking regions 20a, 20b arranged on a left half and a right half of a worktop 22 of the cooking hob 12, which left and right halves are separated from each other by a suction opening 24 for an intake of the cooking vapours, the suction opening 24 being arranged alongside a worktop centreline. The suction opening 24 is covered by a cover grid 26 for preventing items, e.g. cookware, to fall into the suction opening 24. Instead of the cover grid 26 a lid may be used for entirely covering the suction opening when the extraction device 14 is out of use, but for the operation of the extraction device 14 the lid is pivotable into an upright open position.

[0041] A casing 28 of the extraction device 14 is shown in FIG. 1 in transparent illustration. Said casing 28 provides a closed outer shell or first channel for a flow of the sucked-in cooking vapours on their way from the suction opening 24 to an exhaust opening 30 in a base area 32 of the kitchen cabinet 16. Said exhaust opening 30 is also covered, namely by an outlet grille 34.

[0042] The flow of the sucked-in cooking vapours through the extraction device 14 is driven by the operation of an extraction fan 36 arranged inside of the casing 28. Said extraction fan 36 comprises a bottom-sided intake opening 38 for sucking the cooking vapours from the interior space of the casing 28.

[0043] As illustrated by FIG. 3, which is a rear view of the combination appliance 10, a rear-sided fan outlet 40 is arranged for a horizontal exit of the air blown out backwards from the extraction fan housing 42. The fan outlet 40 is connected to a first end of an air duct 44 designed as a rectangular tube and forms a second channel arranged downstream the above-mentioned first channel. Directly at the passage from the fan outlet 40 to the air duct 44, an air duct bending by 90 degrees is implemented, which redirects the air flow from horizontal to vertical downwards. The air duct 44 may be guided alongside a rear side of the kitchen cabinet 16 and may be bent again by 90 degrees close to a rear lower edge of the kitchen cabinet 16 in order to direct the airflow towards exhaust opening 30 in the base area 32 of the kitchen cabinet 16. Accordingly, the second end of the air duct 44 is connected to the exhaust opening 30. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a solution of the air duct 44 with an inclined section of its downwardly directed portion, directed slightly to the right. Naturally, a solution with said portion arranged in an exact vertical direction is considerable as well.

[0044] The course of the cooking vapours from the cooking area through the extraction device 14 to a re-entry into ambient air is illustrated in FIG. 1 by dotted arrows 46.sup.1 to 46.sup.5. On their way through the extraction device 14, the cooking vapours pass through a filter assembly 48, which is arranged downstream directly behind the suction opening 24. Said filter assembly 48, which will be described in more detail further down below with reference to FIG. 5, includes a filter carrier 50 for providing a purification of the conveyed air.

[0045] The cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 further shows two power boards 54, one for the left cooking region 20a and one for the right cooking region 20b, the power boards 54 providing cooking zones in the left and right cooking regions 20a, 20b with electrical power. In the present embodiment, the cooking hob 12 is an induction cooking hob and the cooking zones are defined by induction coils (not shown) that are arranged below the worktop 22 of the cooking hob 12. Attached to the bottom side of the power board 54 assigned to the right cooking region 20b, a further circuit board is arranged forming a control electronics 58 for the combination appliance 10.

[0046] FIG. 4 illustrates schematically a front view of a combination appliance 10 having a structure similar to that one of FIGS. 1 to 3. The extraction fan 36 and the filter carrier 50 are presented in a cross-sectional illustration. The filter arrangement of FIG. 4 forms a first example of the present invention. Within the filter carrier 50 a grease filter 52′ is positioned in a horizontal orientation, so that the aspirated cooking vapours pass through the grease filter 52′ in a direction orthogonally to the filter surface. On top of the grease filter 52′ a carbon filter 56 for filtering out odours from the cooking vapours is arranged also in horizontal orientation. The carbon filter 56 may be supported by the grease filter 52′, which itself is releasably fixed to the filter carrier, without any particular fixation. Naturally, the carbon filter 56 may also be fixed to the filter carrier 50 in a releasable manner, too, and may be spaced from the grease filter 52′, as indicated in the schematic illustration.

[0047] A second example of the inventive filter arrangement is presented by FIG. 5, showing the filter assembly 48 of FIG. 1 being removed from the suction opening 24 and shown in an isolated illustration. In order to remove the filter assembly 48, the cover grid 26 has to be removed prior to the removal of the filter assembly 48. However, according to a modification, the cover grid 26 and the filter assembly 48 may be coupled together, so that the filter assembly 48 may be removed together with the cover grid 26 in a single movement.

[0048] According to FIG. 5, a rectangular filter element 52 is arranged in and supported by the filter carrier 50. The filter carrier 50 includes a carrier housing 62 and a carrier frame 64, which are separable from each other. In an assembled state, the carrier frame 64 forms an upper face of the filter carrier 50 and, in that, covers the upper side of the carrier housing 62. The filter element 52 is detachably coupled to one of the longer frame parts 66 of the rectangular carrier frame 64, but removable from the carrier housing 62 when coupled with the carrier frame 64. The filter element 52 has a circumferential frame 60 surrounding a filter surface, which is indicated in FIG. 5 with a partial surface area by 52a. The filter surface 52a provides a purification of the conveyed air. The rectangular filter element 52 is arranged in the filter carrier 50 in an inclined orientation, which is favourable with respect to the airflow making a turn from a topside intake to a horizontal outlet.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 1 by dotted arrows 46.sup.1 and 46.sup.2, the flow of cooking vapours is conducted from the suction opening 24 and the open top side of the filter assembly 48 through the filter surface 52a before leaving the filter assembly 48 by penetrating the lateral surface 68 facing the fan 36. In order to provide an extensive passage for the airflow on its way out from the carrier housing 62, the lateral surface 68 is open to a great extent, which results in remaining merely a frame section of the lateral surface 68.

[0050] As already indicated before, not only the entire filter assembly 48 is removable from the suction opening 24, but also the filter 52 is removable from the carrier housing 62, specifically for cleaning and/or replacing purposes. FIG. 6 illustrates such an isolated filter 52, which is an integrative grease filter element, which is generally a particle filter element that includes odour filtering means. Such kind of odour filtering means particularly has odour removing or reducing properties or includes odour removing or reducing elements. As specifically indicated by FIG. 7, which illustrates an enlarged section of the filter element of FIG. 6, the particle filter element is formed by the filter surface 52a comprising grease filtering aluminium meshes 70 adapted to retain grease particles or droplets from the cooking vapours passing through the filter 52. The filter 52 includes two or more of parallel arranged filter surfaces 52a with grease filtering aluminium meshes 70, the at least two filter surfaces 52a providing a space in between them, thus forming a cage-like structure. Inside of said space, carbon spheres 72 are trapped and, due to the mesh-structure, the carbon spheres 72 are kept in place. To this end, the mesh size of the aluminium meshes 70 is smaller than the diameter of the carbon spheres 72. The carbon spheres are adapted to filter out odours from the cooking vapours. In summary, with the integrative filter element 52 both odours and grease particles or droplets are filtered out from the cooking vapours, so that the air passing through this filter 52 is purified in a way that the filtered air can easily be returned to the ambient air of the kitchen.

[0051] The integrative filter according to FIGS. 6 and 7 is only one possible representative for a combined or integrative filter for removing odours and grease particles from air passing therethrough. Alternatively to the above-described embodiment of carbon spheres 72 trapped inside the grease filtering aluminium meshes 70, a grease filter element integrally covered by or including an odour reducing tissue may be used. Another alternative is formed by a grease filter element with integrated carbon fibre reinforced plastic tissue.

[0052] Both above-described filter designs are washable, e. g. in a dishwasher, specifically the grease filter 52′ according to the first example. Also the carrier housing 62 is separately washable after having been separated from both the extraction device 14, specifically from the suction opening 24, and from the filter 52 arranged therein.

[0053] Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to these precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0054] 10 combination appliance [0055] 12 cooking hob [0056] 14 downdraft extraction device [0057] 16 kitchen cabinet [0058] 18 kitchen countertop [0059] 20a,20b cooking regions [0060] 22 worktop [0061] 24 suction opening [0062] 26 cover grid [0063] 28 casing [0064] 28a,28b first and second casing parts [0065] 30 exhaust opening [0066] 32 base area [0067] 34 outlet grille [0068] 36 extraction fan [0069] 38 intake opening [0070] 40 fan outlet [0071] 42 fan housing [0072] 44 air duct [0073] 46.sup.1 to 5 arrows indicating air flow [0074] 48 filter assembly [0075] 50 filter carrier [0076] 52 filter [0077] 52′ grease filter [0078] 52a filter surface [0079] 54 power boards [0080] 56 carbon filter [0081] 58 control electronics [0082] 60 frame [0083] 62 carrier housing [0084] 64 carrier frame [0085] 66 longer frame part [0086] 68 lateral surfaces [0087] 70 aluminium meshes [0088] 72 carbon spheres