COMBINATION APPLIANCE COMPRISING A COOKING HOB AND AN EXTRACTION DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention is related to a combination appliance (10) comprising a cooking hob (12), which comprises a cover plate or work top (18) and an extraction device (14). The extraction device (14) comprisesa suction opening (24, 32) arranged above the cooking hob (12), a fan (36) for sucking air from the area above the cooking hob (12), a filter element (42) for removing particles and/or odours from the air sucked in, andan outlet opening (28, 34) for exhausting air. According to the invention, the direction of the sucked air comprises an at least major horizontal component and the outlet opening (28, 34) is arranged above the cooking hob (12).

Claims

1. A combination appliance including a cooking hob, which comprises a cover plate or worktop, and an extraction device, which comprises: a fan configured to suck air from an area above the cooking hob through a suction opening of the extraction device, a filter element configured to remove particles and/or odours from the air sucked in, which filter element is arranged or arrangeable upstream of the fan, and an outlet opening for exhausting the sucked-in air, into ambient air, wherein a direction of the sucked-in air comprises an at least major horizontal component and the outlet opening is arranged above the cooking hob.

2. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the extraction device is moveable in a vertical direction, so that the extraction device is positioned on the worktop of the cooking hob in an on-mode and positioned below or flush mounted with the worktop of the cooking hob in an off-mode.

3. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the suction opening of the extraction device is arranged at a level of a rim of a standard pot, which is positioned or positionable on a cooking zone of the cooking hob.

4. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the suction opening is arranged at a first side and the outlet opening is arranged at a second side of the extraction device, wherein the first and second sides are preferably opposite sides of a cuboid housing.

5. The combination appliance according to claim 1, having an at least approximately horizontal suction direction and an at least approximately horizontal blow-out direction, wherein the outlet opening is arranged at a level different to, and lower than a level of the suction opening.

6. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the outlet opening is arranged on a top side of the extraction device.

7. The combination appliance according to claim 6, wherein the extraction device comprises a cylindrical housing and the suction opening is a circumferential slot at an upper cylinder barrel surface.

8. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the extraction device is arranged or arrangeable in a centre area of the cooking hob, and is configured to suck in air from all sections of the cooking hob on which cooking zones are accommodated.

9. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the extraction device is arranged on the cooking hob with a specific assignment to one cooking zone or to a part of a total number of cooking zones, wherein the extraction device is split into two extraction device units with smaller dimensions and/or with lower performances.

10. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein an airflow in an interior of the extraction device at least in an area of arrangement of the fan is in a vertical direction.

11. The combination appliance according to claim 10, wherein the filter element is a panel filter arranged in horizontal alignment.

12. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the extraction device is controllable by remote control or by control elements arranged in a common user interface with control elements for the cooking hob, wherein control signals are particularly transmitted to the extraction device.

13. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the filter element is removable from the extraction device and/or the entire extraction device is removable or detachable from the cooking hob.

14. The combination appliance according to claim 1, wherein the extraction device includes a power supply unit comprising a rechargeable battery or comprising capacitive or inductive coupling means.

15. The combination appliance according to claim 1, said fan being an axial or a radial fan.

16. A combination appliance comprising a cooking hob having worktop defining a first cooking zone and a second cooking zone, each said cooking zone adapted to support a cooking pot for cooking; and a vertically movable first extraction device extendable through a first opening in said worktop adjacent to the first and second cooking zones between an off-mode position in which the first extraction device is flush with the worktop and an on-mode position in which the first extraction device extends above the worktop; the first extraction device comprising: a first suction opening disposed at a height corresponding to a rim of a pot when received in either the first cooking zone or the second cooking zone, thereby defining a substantially horizontal path for sucked air from pots in the first and second cooking zones into said first suction opening; a first filter located downstream of said suction opening relative to a first airflow path through the first extraction device; a first fan located downstream of said filter relative to said first airflow path; and a first outlet opening located downstream of said first fan relative to said first airflow path adapted to discharge air from the first airflow path into an ambient environment.

17. The combination appliance of claim 16, said first extraction device comprising a cylindrical housing, said first opening in said worktop being circular and adapted to accommodate the cylindrical housing therethrough, said first suction opening being a circumferential slot therein such that said first inlet opening is configured to suck in air from pots in all cooking zones of the cooktop, including said first and second cooking zones, along respective substantially horizontal paths.

18. The combination appliance of claim 16, the worktop further defining a third cooking zone and a fourth cooking zone adapted to support respective cooking pots for cooking; the appliance further comprising a vertically movable second extraction device extendable through a second opening in said worktop adjacent to the third and fourth cooking zones between an off-mode position in which the second extraction device is flush with the worktop and an on-mode position in which the second extraction device extends above the worktop; the second extraction device comprising: a second suction opening disposed at a height corresponding to a rim of a pot when received in either the third cooking zone or the fourth cooking zone, thereby defining a substantially horizontal path for sucked air from pots in the third and fourth cooking zones into said second suction opening; a second filter located downstream of said second suction opening relative to a second airflow path through the second extraction device; a second fan located downstream of said second filter relative to said second airflow path; and a second outlet opening located downstream of said second fan relative to said second airflow path adapted to discharge air from the second airflow path into the ambient environment; wherein said first and second cooking zones are disposed in a left side of the worktop and said third and fourth cooking zones are disposed in a right side of the worktop, said first and second extraction devices being arranged at left and right lateral edges, respectively, the first and second outlet openings both facing and configured to discharge air away from the hob, each being at a lower height than the respective first and second suction openings.

19. The combination appliance of claim 16, said extraction device being separable from the hob and further comprising a dedicated power supply, said dedicated power supply being selected from among a rechargeable battery and contactless energy transfer means.

Description

[0029] The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings, in which

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a perspective view of a first embodiment of a combination appliance including a cooking hob and a first example of an extraction device;

[0031] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a section of the combination appliance of FIG. 1 with an airflow indication;

[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates schematically a perspective view of a second embodiment of a combination appliance including a cooking hob and a second example of an extraction device split into two units;

[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the extraction device of the combination appliance of FIG. 3 with an airflow indication;

[0034] FIG. 5 is an isolated illustration of the cooking hob of the combination device of FIG. 3.

[0035] In all figures the same or equivalent part are marked with the same reference numbers.

[0036] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate schematically a combination appliance 10 according to a first example comprising a cooking hob 12 and an extraction device 14. The cooking hob 12 is designed to be installed in a cutout of a kitchen countertop. The extraction device 14 is configured to take away cooking vapours occurring during cooking processes, in particular when cooking with uncovered cookware takes place. The cooking hob 12 comprises four cooking zones 16 indicated by circles imprinted on a worktop 18 of the cooking hob 12. Cookware is placeable on the cooking zones 16 for performing the cooking process, indicated by pots in the figures.

[0037] The cooking zones 16 are heated by means of heating elements (not shown) arranged underneath and close to the worktop 18. Said heating elements may be of electric nature as indicated in the figures, but other heating systems like gas cooking elements are considerable as well. One preferred cooking solution is induction cooking and, respectively, the heating elements are induction coils.

[0038] The cooking hob 12 is operable by a user of the combination appliance by means of a user interface 22, which is arranged at a front edge of the worktop 18, either laterally arranged as in FIG. 1 or centrally arranged as in FIG. 3. The user interface 22 may include any types of control units for providing control inputs to a control unit of the cooking hob 12. The present example is characterized by touch control elements and the control inputs are provided by the user on a touch surface of the user interface 22.

[0039] The extraction device 14 of the present invention is a vertical moveable unit, i. e. the extraction device 14 is arranged on the top side of the worktop 18.

[0040] According to the first example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the extraction device 14 is arranged in a central position of the worktop surface, which is also in the midst of and the closest position to all four cooking zones 16. In this position, the extraction device 14 is capable of sucking cooking vapours originating from cooking processes, in particular when cooking with uncovered pots 20, as illustrated in the figures. In order to take in the cooking vapours using the shortest possible route, the extraction device 14 comprises a cylindrical housing and the suction opening is a circumferential slot 24 at the cylinder barrel of the housing surface. Advantageously, the circumferential slot is positioned at an upper region of the cylinder barrel surface, namely at a height that corresponds with the rim of a standard pot, which is illustrated by the two pots 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As presented by the arrows 26 in FIG. 2, the sucked air, i. e. the cooking vapours, is moved from the pot rim to the slot 24 in nearly horizontal direction, which is the shortest way in this case. The air flows through the interior of the extraction device 14 passing a filter in a similar way as it will be explained in detail further down below with reference to the second example of the extraction device 14 according to the present invention. In any case, the filtered air is blown out to the ambient air through an outlet opening 28 arranged on a top side of the extraction device 14. The blow-out direction is vertical, which is orthogonally to the horizontal top side, illustrated by respective arrows 30 for blown-out air.

[0041] With reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the already mentioned second example for the combination appliance 10, more specifically for the extraction device, will now be described.

[0042] Contrary to the extraction device 14 of the first example above, the extraction device of the second example is not arranged in a central position of the worktop 18 of the cooking hob 12. In fact, the extraction device of the second example is split into two extraction device units 14, which are arranged at the left and right lateral edges of the worktop 18 and which are in a mirror-inverted arrangement. The left one of the extraction device units 14 is allocated to the two left cooking zones 16, and the right one of the extraction device units 14 is allocated to the two right cooking zones 16, what means that the cooking vapours of a cooking zone 16 are sucked in from the respectively allocated one of the extraction device units 14, which is also the closest one to the allocated cooking zones 16.

[0043] The extraction device units 14 of the second example comprise a cuboid housing. The side wall of the housing of each extraction device unit 14, which side wall is facing the allocated cooking zone 16, includes a horizontal intake groove 32 forming the suction opening of the extraction device unit 14. In the same way as with the circumferential slot 24 in the first example, the horizontal groove 32 is arranged in a similar level as a rim of a mid-size pot 20, so that the flow of the sucked-in cooking vapours is nearly horizontal. The blown-out air (see arrows 30) leaves the cuboid housing of the extraction device unit 14 through a horizontal outlet groove 34 of the side wall facing away from the allocated cooking zones 16. Contrary to intake groove 32, the outlet groove 34 is arranged close to the bottom of the extraction device unit 14, which is therefore at a lower level.

[0044] As illustrated by FIG. 4, which is a cross-sectional view of the extraction device unit 14 of the second example of the combination appliance 10, the flow of the sucked-in cooking vapours through the extraction device unit 14 is driven by the operation of an extraction fan 36 arranged inside of the cuboid housing. Said extraction fan 36 is a tangential fan extending over nearly the entire width of the cuboid housing.

[0045] 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. 4 by arrows 26, 30, 38. Due to the operation of the extraction fan 36, the cooking vapours are sucked in through the horizontal intake groove 32, which is arranged directly below the top wall 40 of the cuboid housing, following the arrows 26 for sucked-in air. After entering the cuboid housing, the airflow is deflected by 90 degrees to a vertical downwards direction, thereby following the arrows 38 for internal airflow and passing the blades of fan 36. At the bottom side of the cuboid housing the airflow is deflected again by 90 degrees, this time from the vertical direction to a horizontal one, namely towards the horizontal outlet groove 34 through which the air is blown out, following the arrows 30 for blown-out air and returning to the ambient air.

[0046] On their way through the extraction device unit 14, the cooking vapours pass through a flat filter element 42, which is arranged downstream behind the horizontal intake groove 32, but upstream the extraction fan 36. The filter element 42 is mainly configured to filter out grease particles, but also a layer capable of filtering out odours may be included.

[0047] The filter element 42 is removable from its place inside the cuboid housing for cleaning purposes or for its replacement. Moreover, in FIG. 5 the extraction device units 14 are positioned flush-mounted at the worktop 18 of the cooking hob 12. In this embodiment each top surface 44 of the extraction device units 14 is made of the same material as the worktop of the cooking hob 12 is made of.

[0048] 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

[0049] 10 combination appliance [0050] 12 cooking hob [0051] 14 extraction device [0052] 14 extraction device units [0053] 16 cooking zones [0054] 18 worktop [0055] 20 pots [0056] 22 user interface [0057] 24 circumferential slot [0058] 26 arrows for sucked-in air [0059] 28 outlet opening [0060] 30 arrows for blown-out air [0061] 32 horizontal intake groove [0062] 34 horizontal outlet groove [0063] 36 extraction fan [0064] 38 arrows for internal airflow [0065] 40 top wall [0066] 42 filter element [0067] 44 top surface