Cooking device

Abstract

Cooking device (1), comprising a hob (2) built into a worktop (3) and a vapor extraction system, whereby the vapor extraction device a vapor guide device (4), an intake duct (5) and an exhaust duct (6), a filter (7), a fan (8) for generating an air flow through the intake duct (5) and exhaust duct (6) and comprises a channel system (9), wherein the vapor guiding device (4) is arranged on one side of the cooking surface (2), wherein the intake duct (5) has at least one intake opening (10) facing the hob (2), wherein the duct system (9) is arranged directly below the hob (2), wherein the duct system (9) connects the intake duct (5) to the exhaust duct (6), wherein the filter (7) and / or the fan (8) are arranged in the duct system (9), characterized in that the vapor guiding device (4) comprises the intake duct (5) and the exhaust duct (6), wherein the vapor guiding device (4) with the intake duct (5) and the exhaust duct (6) is height-adjustable in several stages or continuously.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cooking device according to the preamble of claim 1, which is particularly intended for preparing food. The cooking device comprises a cooking surface with at least one cooking zone and a vapor extractor with a vapor guide device arranged laterally of the cooking surface.

[0002] The hob is built into a worktop that meets standard requirements, such as a certain level of heat resistance. In addition to the cooking elements required for cooking, it includes a hob housing, hob electronics, and possibly control elements. The vapor extraction system comprises a vapor guide device located on one side of the hob. This vapor guide device in turn includes an intake duct and an exhaust duct, a filter, a fan for generating an air flow through the intake duct and exhaust duct, and a duct system connecting the intake duct to the exhaust duct. The intake duct has at least one intake opening facing the hob to extract the resulting vapors from the hob. After being extracted through the intake duct, the vapors are guided through the duct system, first through a filter, and finally through the exhaust duct to an exhaust opening.Through these, air largely purified of cooking fumes emerges. The airflow from the intake opening to the exhaust opening is generated by a fan located in the duct system.

[0003] Such cooking appliances are known in the prior art which, in addition to the hob, have a vapor extractor arranged next to the hob. These vapor extractors are generally designed in such a way that the vapor extractor arranged next to the hob feeds the vapors through an intake duct to a filter. This filter is usually located inside the kitchen unit that supports the cooking appliance. The cleaned exhaust air is then released into the kitchen at the base of the unit or at its sides. This is usually released via exhaust openings in the unit. In rare cases, however, the exhaust air is also blown behind the unit, which can cause moisture damage to the unit and the house wall. Directly below the hob there is often a drawer, for example for cutlery or similar, while further compartments can be used to store supplies or cooking utensils. Drawers installed in these areas have a reduced depth compared to the kitchen unit.

[0004] Also known are the publications DE 10 2009 001 852 A1 and DE 10 2011 080 485 A1, which describe a housing containing a so-called downdraft extractor, i.e., a vapor extractor that can be retracted into the kitchen unit. In DE 10 2011 080 485 A1, the air extracted from the cooktop is passed through a filter system consisting of an eddy current filter and an expanded metal filter. After passing through a grease drip tray, the purified air exits the housing via a fan box at the base of the housing, which is located in the base of the surrounding kitchen unit.

[0005] US Pat. No. 3,698,378 A discloses a cooking appliance with a cooktop and a vapor extraction device. The vapor extraction device has a vapor guide device comprising an intake duct, an exhaust duct, and a fan for generating an air flow through the intake duct and exhaust duct. The vapor guide device is permanently fixed above the cooktop.

[0006] The publications JP 2007-333 358 A and DE 20 2004 005 942 U1 show extractor hoods that are installed in the kitchen worktop below the cooktop and feature a retractable vapor screen. With these extractor hoods, the purified recirculated air is discharged onto the operator side of the worktop, away from the vapor screen.

[0007] Such devices are extremely space-intensive. A steam extractor that extends the full height of a kitchen unit also requires considerable effort to install, as it requires complex exhaust ducts.

[0008] The document DE 43 24 507 A1 shows an oven with an oven muffle that can be closed by an oven door and with a removable condensate container arranged outside the oven muffle but inside the oven housing.

[0009] The invention aims to provide a cooking appliance that requires minimal space without compromising its functionality. Furthermore, the effort required for installation in kitchen furniture should be reduced.

[0010] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a cooking device having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the general description and from the following subclaims.

[0011] The cooking appliance according to the invention comprises a cooktop built into a worktop and a vapor extraction device. The vapor extraction device, in turn, comprises a vapor guide device arranged on one side of the cooktop, which has an intake duct and an exhaust duct. The vapor extraction device further comprises a filter, a fan for generating an air flow through the intake duct and exhaust duct, and a duct system connecting the intake duct to the exhaust duct. The intake duct has at least one intake opening facing the cooktop. The duct system is arranged directly below the cooktop. Vapors from the cooktop are taken in through the intake opening and sucked into the intake duct. This intake duct directs the air into a duct system that guides the vapors directly beneath the cooktop. Finally, the exhaust air is transferred to the exhaust duct.The air exits the exhaust duct through at least one exhaust opening. This vapor extraction system contains at least one filter for cleaning and a fan. The fan creates an air movement that serves both to extract the vapors from the cooktop and to discharge the purified air through the exhaust opening.

[0012] According to the invention, the duct system can be designed to be only a few centimeters or decimetres high, so that an assembly consisting of the cooktop and steam extractor or duct system can be less than 50 centimeters high. The cooktop also includes cooktop electronics, which can be subjected to a certain degree of cooling in this way.

[0013] While the filter and fan could ultimately be installed anywhere, the cooking appliance according to the invention provides for the filter or fan to be located in the duct system. The intake of vapors from the cooktop requires an uninterrupted flow of air through the intake duct. Exhaustion should also be as unhindered and targeted as possible. Additional elements arranged in these areas of the vapor extraction system could have a disruptive effect or require additional flow-promoting elements, so that the arrangement of the filter and / or fan in the duct system results in greater intake and exhaust effectiveness. An air flow converged in a duct is also easier to clean and set in motion, so that the filter and fan can be less powerful.

[0014] In another special embodiment of the cooking appliance, the vapor guide device or the intake duct and / or the exhaust duct are height-adjustable in several stages or continuously. With step-adjustability, the height of the vapor guide device or the intake duct and / or the exhaust duct could be adapted to the height of the cooking utensil on the hob and its position. For pans or short pots, a lower setting may be sufficient, while for large pots or pots and pans positioned further away from the vapor extractor, a higher setting is required. For particularly large pots, an even higher setting could be selected. The setting of the level can be carried out by the user, but it can also be done automatically.

[0015] In a further advantageous embodiment of the cooking appliance, the vapor guide device or the intake duct and / or the exhaust duct are designed so that they can be retracted into the plane of the worktop. Consumers desire a certain degree of order in the kitchen, especially during times when cooking is not in progress. This also includes ensuring that technical equipment does not impair the aesthetics of the kitchen. Furthermore, a retractable device facilitates cleaning of the worktop and cooktop, as there are no elements projecting above the worktop to hinder work.

[0016] In a further special embodiment of the cooking appliance, the exhaust duct has exhaust openings at its highest point, wherein the exhaust openings are arranged upwards and / or away from the hob and / or to the side. The vapors are sucked in by the hob, guided through the intake duct and transferred into the duct system. After leaving the duct system, they are guided through the exhaust duct to an exhaust opening. In order not to impair the air flow when sucking in the vapors, the exhaust duct is arranged according to the invention such that it is located at a greater distance from the hob than the intake duct. The air is therefore only blown out of the exhaust duct upwards, backwards or to the side. All three exhaust variants use openings that also point away from the hob user, so that they are not standing in an air flow.

[0017] In a further development of the previous cooking appliance design, deflectors are arranged at the outlet openings facing away from the cooktop and / or at the sides. These deflectors ensure that the airflow is always directed vertically upwards. Particularly with outlet openings facing a wall, this prevents the wall behind it from being affected. However, deflectors can also be provided for other reasons, such as structural furniture protection, which direct the escaping air in a direction other than vertically upwards.

[0018] In another special embodiment of the cooking appliance, the duct system has a drawer on the side facing the user. The filter and / or fan are accessible through this drawer. If the kitchen unit in which the cooking appliance is installed has a corresponding opening for access, a drawer arranged in the duct system can facilitate access to the duct system, allowing either the filter to be removed and cleaned, or the filter and fan to be serviced. The opening in the kitchen unit can also be a drawer, but a flap or a plug-in attachment are also conceivable.

[0019] In a special design of the cooking appliance with a drawer, the filter and / or the fan can be pulled out of the duct system together with the drawer. Both the filter and the fan can be accessible after pulling out, but this can also be done in stages. When pulled out, only the filter is accessible initially. The fan can only be accessed after overcoming a locking function such as a catch or a safety screw. This arrangement also seems sensible because the fan needs to be accessed far less often, namely only during maintenance. The filter, on the other hand, must be cleaned regularly, so the drawer is operated at least every few weeks.

[0020] Without access to the fan through the drawer, it is also conceivable that the hob will have to be removed for the rare maintenance of this component, so that the fan can then be serviced via a maintenance access point in the duct system.

[0021] In a further improved version of the cooking appliance, the intake duct and exhaust duct are designed as a single piece, in particular as a single structural or assembly unit. Particularly when using a downdraft system, it is sensible to combine these two ducts, as installing a drive for height adjustment for a single structural unit then requires considerably less effort during installation. However, it is also helpful for assembly purposes if these elements are combined in at least one assembly unit. The single-piece design makes it easier to attach the duct system during installation. A special embodiment of the invention relates to a configuration of the duct system in which the two ducts have a common dividing wall, at least in sections.

[0022] In a further advantageous embodiment of the cooking appliance, the hob and the duct system are designed so that their walls touch one another or are formed as a single piece, in particular as a single structural or assembly unit. This feature of the invention allows the hob and vapor extraction system to be delivered and installed together. This significantly simplifies assembly. Logistics can also be simplified, as fewer individual components need to be assembled for a kitchen, thus reducing errors in the assembly of a delivery. A single-piece construction also allows for material savings.

[0023] The advantages achieved with the invention include, in addition to very simple installation in the corresponding kitchen furniture, above all easy accessibility to the cleaning filter, so that fat extracted from the vapors can be easily removed. The space available below the hob in the kitchen furniture is better utilized, and the additional inserts in the same furniture can be deeper, increasing the benefit for the consumer. Another significant advantage of the invention is the cooling of the hob electronics, so that a greater longevity of the electronic components can be achieved and potential damage to the electronics can be avoided, particularly during the warranty period. The filter is preferably provided between the duct inlet and the outlet duct. The filter is particularly preferably oriented plane-parallel to the partition wall.

[0024] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows Fig. 1 shows a section through a cooking device according to the invention and Fig. 2 shows a section through a kitchen unit with a built-in cooking device according to the invention.

[0025] In Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the cooking device 1 according to the invention. A cooking utensil 15 stands on a cooking surface 2, from which cooking vapors 14 rise. The cooking surface 2, with its cooking surface housing 12, is recessed into a worktop 3. The cooking vapors 14 are sucked in by a vapor extraction device. The vapor extraction device is extended out of the worktop to a sufficient height along its vapor extraction direction 20 to extract the cooking vapors. After the cooking process has ended, the vapor extraction device can be retracted back into the worktop along the same vapor extraction direction 20. The cooking vapors 14 enter an intake duct 5 through an intake opening 10. This intake duct is connected to a duct system 9, in which a filter 7 is arranged to clean the cooking vapors 14.The cooking fumes 14 sucked in by a fan 8 are then directed from the duct system 9 into an exhaust duct 6 after cleaning and are expelled as air through exhaust openings 11. The cooktop housing 12 and the duct system 9 touch each other, so that the cooking fumes 14 removed from the cooktop 2 pass past the cooktop housing on their way to the filter and absorb heat. This heat is waste heat from the cooktop electronics located in the cooktop housing 12. To clean the filter 7, a drawer 13 can be pulled out along its drawer movement direction 21, allowing access to the filter 7. After cleaning the filter 7, the drawer 13 is pushed back in along the drawer movement direction 21.

[0026] In Fig. Figure 2 shows a section through a piece of kitchen furniture into which a cooking appliance according to the invention is installed. The kitchen furniture comprises a body 19 standing on a base 18. Pull-outs 16 are built into the body 19, the pull-out shelves 17 of which extend almost across the entire depth of the body 19. It is also possible to insert shelves into the body 19 and use a door instead of the pull-outs 16. The body 19 is covered at the top by a worktop 3. A cooking surface 2 is embedded in the worktop 3, with the cooking surface 2 partially resting on the worktop, but with its cooking surface housing embedded in a recess in the worktop. The cooking surface electronics required to control the cooking surface are also located within the cooking surface housing 12. A further recess is also provided in the worktop 3, through which a vapor extraction device extends.This vapor extraction device is connected to a duct system 9, which is arranged directly below the cooking surface 2. In the . Fig. 2, only a small gap is visible between the duct system 9 and the hob housing 12. Not shown are a filter and a fan inside the duct system 9, which can be removed from the duct system for cleaning purposes by opening the drawer 13.

[0027] Since the cooking device described in detail above is an exemplary embodiment, it can be modified extensively by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the specific configurations of the duct system can also be implemented in a form other than that described here. Likewise, the vapor extraction device can be designed in a different form if this is necessary for reasons of space or design. Furthermore, the use of the indefinite articles "a" or "an" does not preclude the possibility that the relevant features may be present multiple times. List of reference symbols 1 cooking device 2 hobs 3 worktop 4 vapor guide device 5 intake duct 6 Blow-out channel 7 filters 8 fans 9 Canal system 10 Intake opening 11 Exhaust opening 12 hob housings 13 drawers 14 cooking fumes 15 cooking utensils 16 Extract 17 pull-out shelf 18 bases 19 Corpus 20 Vapor extraction direction 21 Drawer movement direction

Claims

[1] Cooking device (1), comprising a hob (2) built into a worktop (3) and a vapor extraction system, whereby the vapor extraction device a vapor guide device (4), an intake duct (5) and an exhaust duct (6), a filter (7), a fan (8) for generating an air flow through the intake duct (5) and exhaust duct (6) and comprises a channel system (9), wherein the vapor guiding device (4) is arranged on one side of the cooking surface (2), wherein the intake duct (5) has at least one intake opening (10) facing the hob (2), wherein the duct system (9) is arranged directly below the hob (2), wherein the duct system (9) connects the intake duct (5) to the exhaust duct (6), wherein the filter (7) and / or the fan (8) are arranged in the duct system (9), characterized by , that the vapor guiding device (4) comprises the intake duct (5) and the exhaust duct (6), wherein the vapor guiding device (4) with the intake duct (5) and the exhaust duct (6) is height-adjustable in several stages or continuously. [2] Cooking device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the vapor guide device (4) or the intake duct (5) and the exhaust duct (6) are designed in such a way that they can be lowered into the plane of the worktop (3). [3] Cooking device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the blow-out channel (6) has at least one blow-out opening (11), in particular at its highest point, wherein the at least one blow-out opening (11) is arranged upwards and / or pointing away from the cooking surface (2) and / or laterally. [4] Cooking device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized bythat at least one deflection device is arranged on the at least one blow-out opening (11) pointing away from the hob (2) and / or to the side. [5] Cooking device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the duct system (9) has a drawer (13) on its side facing the user, through which the filter (7) and / or the fan (8) are accessible. [6] Cooking device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the filter (7) and / or the fan (8) together with the drawer (13) can be pulled out of the duct system (9). [7] Cooking device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the intake duct (5) and the exhaust duct (6) are formed in one piece, in particular as a construction or assembly unit. [8] Cooking device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the hob (2) and the duct system (9) are formed as one piece. [9] Cooking device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the hob (2) and the duct system (9) are designed as a construction or assembly unit which has a construction height of less than 50 centimeters.

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