extractor hood

Abstract

Extractor hood (2) with a vapor screen (20) with at least one grease filter, preferably with a baffle filter, and with at least one grease collecting channel (23) which is arranged in the vapor screen (20) and designed to collect grease from the grease filter, characterized in that the grease collecting channel (23) is designed to be resiliently lowered by the weight of the collected grease at least, preferably completely, along the vertical axis (Z) relative to the vapor screen (20).

Description

The invention relates to a vapor extractor according to the preamble of claim 1.It is known to use vapor exhausts or vapor exhaust hoods when performing cooking processes on hobs, which exhausts or exhaust hoods are usually arranged above the hob, but can also be arranged laterally or can be laterally lowered.A vapor flue, which can also be referred to as a vapor flue, is a device for suctioning and usually for filtering the vapor formed during cooking, i.e. the cooking or frying vapor. Such an apparatus usually consists essentially of a housing in which a grease filter, such as a disposable nonwoven mat or a washable metal filter, is arranged. The vapor outlet further comprises a fan in order to suck an air stream with the vapor from the hob into the vapor outlet and to pass it through the grease filter, so that the grease can be removed as completely as possible from the vapor. The intensity of the air flow can be adjusted by the user via an operation usually at the extractor hood itself, by selecting a power level of the blower motor which generates the air flow.As already mentioned, vapor exhausts are usually designed as ceiling exhausts which are fastened above the hob to the ceiling or to a wall of the kitchen. Ceiling covers usually have a lighting which is directed from above onto the hob and can be switched on and off by the user via an operation usually on the vapor cover itself.If the exhaust gas flue is used, the flue is then discharged from the building into the environment, which can however lead to an energy loss of heat. Therefore, for reasons of energy efficiency nowadays, circulating-air vapor discharges are widely used, in particular in private households, in which the vapor is returned to the room, such as the kitchen, after the grease filter, so that no heat energy can be lost to the environment. Therefore, circulating-air vapor extractors usually have an additional odor filter, for example in the form of an activated carbon filter, in order to extract the cooking or frying odors as completely as possible from the vapor, which can be perceived as more pleasant by the user.As already mentioned, in the case of vapor exhausts, the grease filters have to be replaced after a certain time and either have to be replaced in the form of disposable nonwoven mats or have to be cleaned and reused when using washable metal filters.In the Asian market, instead of this, so-called baffle filters are used, which separate the fat from the vapour and guide it into a so-called fat collecting gutter in order to collect the fat. This grease collection trough should be cleaned after a certain filling degree has been reached. Therefore, such filters usually have a viewing window so that the user can view the grease collecting channel and thus visually recognize or monitor the fill level.However, it is disadvantageous in the case of baffle filters that the detection of the fill level of the grease collecting channel is not always provided by the viewing window. This can be due firstly to the fact that the viewing window is usually comparatively small. On the other hand, the viewing window can become clogged by the aging of the viewing window or by other deposition of grease. As a result, a direct view may not be possible or no assessment of the fill level may be visible. Visual feedback about the fill level of the grease collection gutter may also be missing.DD 1 42 651 B1 describes an extraction hood with variable extraction and filtering action, wherein planar structures are installed in extraction hoods of conventional designs in order to achieve an improved extraction and filtering action, and wherein the extraction and filtering action can be adapted by changing the geometry and position and the material of the planar structures in the extraction hood.DE 19 81 991 U describes a device for removing the vapour by means of a condenser, over which the vapour-air mixture is guided by a fan, wherein a suction device in the manner of a downwardly open hood with a filter is provided.US 2011 / 0 214 565 A1 describes an impact filter suitable for a kitchen hood, which is equipped with a grease separator that collects and discharges grease particles.DE 10 2014 108 237 A1 describes an extractor hood comprising a frame device, wherein a suction surface is provided on a receiving section of the frame device. The receiving section is also assigned a separate collecting channel for collecting contaminants.DE 197 53 687 A1 describes an extractor hood with a conically designed grease filter made of multi-ply expanded metal, characterized in that the conically designed grease filter made of expanded metal is formed seamless.DE 10 2007 056 715 A1 describes an extractor hood for extracting air with an extractor housing which has at least one extraction opening, a flat filter unit for cleaning the air extracted by a blower, and a baffle plate which at least partially covers the extraction opening, characterized in that the filter unit is accommodated in the interior of the extractor housing in such a way that the surface of the filter unit lies obliquely to the horizontal.DE 10 2007 055 308 A1 describes a filter device for an extractor hood with a collecting container arranged below a first filter element, wherein the filter surface of the first filter element is a body tapering downward, the lower edge of the first filter element represents a discharge region and the filter surface represents a first suction zone, characterized in that the filter device has a second suction zone separated from the first suction zone by the discharge region.EP 0 199 924 A2 describes a gutter for receiving the side edges of ceilings which are preferably suitable for shielding and have a curvature between the side edges, wherein the gutter is designed to be height-adjustable with respect to the ceiling elements.U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,219 A describes an extractor hood which has a vertically arranged grease extractor which opens into an exhaust fan which removes air and odors to the outside. The assembly has a first deflector at the inlet of the grease trap for causing a first vortex of the air laden with grease, impurities and odors and for its first discharge into a bucket provided under the grease trap. Finally, all fats and / or impurities not released in the fat separator are centrifugally discharged by the suction fan and passed through a pipe which also leads into the bucket.The object of the invention is thus to provide a vapor extractor with a grease filter, in particular with a baffle filter, with a grease collecting gutter of the type described at the beginning, so that the visual recognition or monitoring of the fill level of the grease collecting gutter for the user can be improved. This is to be effected in particular as simply as possible, economically and or intuitively usable. At least, an alternative to known vapor exhausts with grease filters, in particular with baffle filters, is to be created.According to the invention, this object is achieved by a vapor outlet having the features of the independent claim. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are evident from the following dependent claims.The invention thus relates to a vapor flue having a vapor screen with at least one grease filter, preferably with baffle filters, and with at least one grease collecting gutter which is arranged in the vapor screen and is designed to collect grease from the grease filter. The vapor outlet can be designed in particular as a ceiling outlet, so that the vapor outlet can be arranged above a hob.The vapor extractor according to the invention is characterized in that the grease collecting channel is designed to be resiliently lowered relative to the vapor screen along the vertical axis at least substantially, preferably completely, by the weight of the collected grease.Accordingly, the grease collecting gutter can be lowered obliquely or directly along the vertical axis downwards with respect to the vapor screen due to the amount or weight of the collected grease, which can be directly optically recognized or monitored by the user. This can be intuitively comprehensible to the user. This can also be carried out or implemented in a simple and robust manner, in particular without being adversely affected by dirt and or aging.In particular, the user can read or estimate the fill level of the grease collecting gutter directly optically, since the extent by which the grease collecting gutter protrudes downward from the vapor screen along the vertical axis is proportional to the fill level of the grease collecting gutter or to the amount of the collected grease in the grease collecting gutter.According to one aspect of the invention, the grease gutter is completely accommodated within the vapor screen if the grease gutter is empty. This can indicate the empty state of the grease gutter intuitively comprehensible to the user.According to a further aspect of the invention, the elastic lowering of the grease collecting channel can be effected pneumatically and or hydraulically by means of at least one metal spring, preferably steel spring, of an elastic element, preferably rubber. This allows the corresponding properties and advantages of such resilient elements to be implemented and utilized.An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic illustration of a kitchen line with a vapor extractor according to the invention; FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross section of the vapor extractor according to the invention from FIG. 1 with a grease collecting gutter accommodated completely within a vapor screen; FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. 2 with a partially resiliently suspended grease collecting channel; and FIG. 4 is the view of FIG. 2 with the grease collecting channel hanging down completely resiliently.The above-mentioned procedure is described. Figures are viewed in Cartesian coordinates. A longitudinal axis X extends, which can also be referred to as depth X or length X. A transverse axis Y extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X, which can also be referred to as width Y. Extending perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis X and the transverse axis Y is a vertical axis Z, which can also be referred to as height Z and corresponds to the direction of gravity. The longitudinal axis X and the transverse direction Y together form the horizontal X, Y, which can also be referred to as the horizontal plane X, Y.FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic illustration of a kitchen row 1 with a fume hood 2 according to the invention. The hob 11 has operating elements 13 and is let into a work plate 10 of the kitchen row 1. A cooking point 12 of the hob 11 has cookware 3 in the form of a cookware 3.The extractor hood 2 also has operating elements 22 on its vapor screen 20. From the vapor shield 20 extends in the vertical direction Z above a flow channel 21 for guiding a received vapor in this direction. Within the vapor screen 20 or within the flow channel 21, the extractor hood 2 has a fan with a blower and an electric blower motor (not shown), so that odors and vapors can be drawn into the vapor screen 20 from below it and can thus be kept away from the kitchen of the kitchen line 1. The intensity of the air flow used for this purpose can be determined by selecting different power levels of the blower or of the blower motor.The vapor screen 20 has a plurality of lighting means (not shown) directed downward in the vertical direction Z, which lighting means form an illumination of the extractor hood 2, which can substantially illuminate the region of the hob 11 from above.In order to filter out fat from the vapor or from the air flow, a fat filter (not shown) is arranged inside the vapor screen 20, which is traversed by the air flow or by the vapor. In the vapor screen 20, a grease collecting gutter 23 is also arranged along the vertical axis Z directly or obliquely below the grease filter, so that grease can drip out of the grease filter downward into the grease collecting gutter 23.The grease collecting gutter 23 is resiliently held on the wrap screen 20 by means of metal springs (not shown) in such a way that the empty grease collecting gutter 23 is completely accommodated within the wrap screen 20, see FIG. 2.If the grease filter and thus also the grease collecting channel 23 fill during operation or use of the extractor 2, the spring force of the metal springs is overcome and the grease collecting channel 23 is lowered along the vertical axis Z due to the additional weight of the collected grease, see FIG. 3. Thus, the user can directly visually recognize or monitor the fill level of the grease collecting gutter 23 since the extent by which the grease collecting gutter 23 protrudes downward from the vapor screen 20 along the vertical axis Z is proportional to the fill level of the grease collecting gutter 23 or to the amount of the collected grease in the grease collecting gutter 23.If the grease collecting channel 23 protrudes completely downward from the vapor screen 20 along the vertical axis Z, see FIG. 4, the grease collecting channel 23 is completely filled and has to be emptied or cleaned, which can also be recognized directly and intuitively by the user.List of Reference Numerals (Part of the Description)X longitudinal axis; depth; length Y transverse axis; width Z vertical axis; height X, Y horizontal; horizontal plane 1 kitchen line 10 work plate 11 hob 12 cooking zones 13 operating elements 2 extractor hood; ceiling extractor hood 20 vapor screen 21 flow channel 22 operating elements 23 spring-mounted grease collecting channel 3 cookware; cookware

Claims

Extractor hood (2) with a vapor screen (20) with at least one grease filter, preferably with a baffle filter, and with at least one grease collecting channel (23) which is arranged in the vapor screen (20) and is designed to collect grease from the grease filter, characterized in that the grease collecting channel (23) is designed to be resiliently lowered by the weight of the collected grease at least, preferably completely, along the vertical axis (Z) relative to the vapor screen (20).The fume hood (2) of claim 1, wherein the grease gutter (23) is fully accommodated within the vapor screen (20) if the grease gutter (23) is empty.Extractor hood (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic lowering of the grease collecting channel (23) can be effected pneumatically and / or hydraulically by means of at least one metal spring, preferably steel spring, of an elastic element, preferably rubber.

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