Cooktop extractor and methods for operating a cooktop extractor

Abstract

cooktop extractor (1) - a cooking zone (10) with at least one opening, - a case (5), - at least one radial fan (3) with at least one fan impeller, which is located below the cooktop (10) in top view and - a separating or filtering device (6), wherein the separating or filtering device (6) is arranged in the housing (5) and wherein the cooktop extractor (1) is designed to draw off steam rising above the cooktop (10) through the at least one opening in an exhaust air stream (2) generated by the at least one radial fan (3) downwards, below the cooktop (10) through the separating or filtering device (6), characterized in that a fan wheel rotation axis (200) of the at least one radial fan (3) is arranged such that an angle to the horizontal and an angle to a central plane (100) of the cooktop (10) perpendicular to the horizontal is less than 10°, and that an intake opening of the at least one radial fan (3) is located at the level of the separating or filtering device (6).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooktop extractor according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for operating a cooktop extractor.

[0002] Nowadays, it is known to position extractor hoods for extracting and cleaning cooking fumes and vapors rising from a cooking vessel placed on a cooktop below the cooktop or worktop, whereby the cooking fumes and vapors are extracted downwards from the space above the cooktop. The extractor hood can form a single mounting unit with the cooktop. It is known that the cooktops have at least one recess through which the cooking fumes and vapors are drawn downwards, below the cooktop, by means of an exhaust airflow. At least one fan generates the exhaust airflow. In the direction of the exhaust airflow, between the at least one recess and the at least one fan, at least one element for separating or filtering grease and oil particles from the extracted exhaust air is arranged.

[0003] German patent DE 10 2019 210 976 B4 discloses a cooktop extractor with cross-flow fans. Utility model DE 20 2018 105 372 U1 describes a cooktop extractor with a separation unit. Another cooktop extractor is known from EP 3 722 677 A1. The cooktop extractor disclosed therein has two fans with axes of rotation inclined relative to each other.

[0004] One disadvantage compared to extractor hoods is that these extractor devices are louder when operating at least one fan and have a higher energy consumption.

[0005] The invention is therefore based on the objective of providing a cooktop extractor that is quiet, energy-efficient and space-saving.

[0006] This problem is solved by a cooktop extractor with the features of claim 1 and a method for operating a cooktop with the features of claim 12.

[0007] Accordingly, a cooktop extractor is planned, featuring - a cooktop with at least one opening, - a case, - at least one radial fan with at least one impeller, located below the cooktop when viewed from above and - a separating or filtering device, wherein the separating or filtering device is arranged in the housing and wherein the cooktop extractor is designed to draw off steam rising above the cooktop through the at least one opening in an exhaust air stream generated by the at least one radial fan downwards, below the cooktop through the separating or filtering device.

[0008] The axis of rotation of the fan wheel of at least one radial fan is arranged such that the angle to the horizontal (horizontal plane) and the angle to a central plane of the cooktop perpendicular to the horizontal are less than 10°, in particular less than 5°. The central plane of the cooktop is the transverse plane of symmetry. It lies parallel to a plane that encloses a transverse side of the cooktop. It is assumed that the cooktop is essentially rectangular, as is conventionally the case. However, the cooktop can also be oval, for example. The axis of rotation of the fan wheel is preferably horizontal and parallel to the transverse side of the cooktop. Furthermore, an intake opening of the at least one radial fan is arranged at the level of the separator or filter device. This makes the exhaust air routing particularly simple and the air extraction efficient.When installed, the center plane of the cooktop is perpendicular to the kitchen front. The separator or filter device can be, for example, cuboid or cylindrical.

[0009] The at least one radial fan is preferably located in the rear third, particularly the rear quarter, of the cooktop extractor, extending from the kitchen front, and especially on the long side furthest from the kitchen front. This allows for a particularly large intake area. Furthermore, it allows for a significantly larger space to be provided for a base cabinet. Preferably, the radial fans are located above an exhaust duct that can be connected to the cooktop extractor and which is at least partially covered by the radial fans when viewed from above.

[0010] It is particularly advantageous if at least one radial fan is located outside the cooktop's electronics when viewed from above. The available installation height of the cooktop electronics is then available for the at least one radial fan.

[0011] Preferably, the distance between the top of the cooktop and the radial fan, in particular the top of the fan, is less than 3 cm.

[0012] The cooktop extractor preferably forms a mounting unit that can be inserted from above into an opening in a kitchen worktop as a pre-assembled unit.

[0013] The at least one radial fan is preferably a backward-curved radial fan, which is particularly compact and does not require a spiral housing. It is advantageous if the at least one radial fan discharges downwards or laterally. If the at least one radial fan discharges downwards and is located in the rear area of ​​the cooktop extractor, no air deflection is required on the pressure side of the radial fan. A straight duct can be connected to direct the air downwards, perpendicular to the cooktop surface. Odor filters can be installed downstream of the at least one radial fan. It is also conceivable to arrange an odor filter in the housing upstream of the at least one radial fan, in the direction of airflow. Preferably, the odor filters are located below the cooktop, adjacent to the opening, so that they can be removed through the opening.

[0014] The at least one radial fan can comprise a fan housing that is attached to a longitudinal side of the housing or alternatively is formed integrally with the housing.

[0015] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the impeller axis of rotation of the at least one radial fan lies in a horizontal plane and an intake opening of the radial fan lies in a plane that is perpendicular to the hob surface.

[0016] To make the cooktop extractor particularly compact and quiet, it is advantageous to use exactly two radial fans arranged symmetrically to a central plane of the housing (parallel to a plane enclosing one transverse side of the housing) and thus each located on one side of the separation or filter device. The impeller axes of rotation of the two radial fans are preferably aligned parallel, and the direction of rotation of the two radial fans can be the same, which offers advantages due to partial similarity. However, the radial fans can also be configured to rotate in opposite directions.

[0017] The two intake openings of the radial fans are preferably located in a plane that is perpendicular to the hob surface and extends in the longitudinal direction of the hob extractor.

[0018] Furthermore, a method for operating the previously described cooktop extractor is provided, comprising the following steps: a) Controlling the at least one radial fan in a normal stage to generate a volume flow through the exhaust device, wherein the generated volume flow is in a range of 0 to 650 m³ 3 / h and the electrical power consumption of at least one radial fan is at most 80% of a maximum electrical power consumption, b) Controlling at least one radial fan in an intensive stage to generate a volume flow through the cooktop extractor, wherein the generated volume flow is in a range of 700 to 750 m³ 3 / h lies.

[0019] One embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Identical or functionally equivalent components are designated with the same reference numerals in the figures.

[0020] The figures show: Fig. 1: A top view of part of a cooktop extractor with two fans with horizontally aligned fan wheel axes, Fig. 2: A spatial representation of an intake side of the fans of the cooktop extractor of the Fig. 1, Fig. 3: a longitudinal section through the cooktop extractor at the level of the fans, as well as Fig. 4: A view from a low angle of the underside of the cooktop extractor.

[0021] In the Fig. Figure 1 shows a cooktop extractor designed as a cooktop extractor 1. The cooktop extractor 1 comprises a cooktop (not shown), in particular an induction cooktop, with a recess that preferably forms a central opening.

[0022] In the following, a Cartesian coordinate system with three orthogonal axes is used to define the position of the components. The cooktop surface lies in the plane spanned by the X and Y axes. The Z-axis is perpendicular to the underside of the cooktop and defines a vertical axis pointing downwards.

[0023] The opening allows steam rising from the cooktop or from cooking vessels placed on it to be drawn downwards, below the cooktop, in an exhaust air stream 2 (symbolized by the arrows) by means of two fans 3. The fans 3 are free-running radial fans, each with an impeller (not shown) with backward-curved blades. "Free-running" means that the fans do not have a spiral housing. The fan 3 is therefore free-intake, free-exhausting, and preferably single-flow. The blades are curved in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation. It is also conceivable to use an impeller with doubly curved blades. Doubly curved blades are additionally curved in the axial direction, i.e., across their height. The curvature can vary in both the axial and radial directions. The impeller is only enclosed by the fan housing 4, i.e.,The blades are at least partially covered on both the top and bottom surfaces. Preferably, the fan impeller diameter is less than or equal to 190 mm, particularly 175 mm.

[0024] The extractor fan has a housing 5. The cross-sectional area of ​​the housing 5 is essentially rectangular with a first longitudinal side 50 and a second longitudinal side 51, as well as a first transverse side 52 and a second transverse side 53. The housing 5 also has a lid (not shown) positioned perpendicular to the sides and a base 54 arranged parallel to it.

[0025] On a rear side facing away from the kitchen front when mounted, and formed by the longitudinal side 51, the housing 5 has recesses 55 for the fans 3. The recesses 55 are preferably dimensioned such that the longitudinal sides 40 of the fans 3 furthest from the housing are flush with the longitudinal side 51 of the housing 5 facing away from the kitchen front, and the transverse sides 41 of the fans 3 are each flush with the corresponding transverse sides 52, 53 of the housing 5, resulting in a mounting unit with a rectangular cross-sectional area or a rectangular envelope. The fan intake openings face into the housing. The housing alone defines the intake space between the separator unit and the respective fan. This eliminates the need for additional air-conducting elements. Such a range hood is particularly compact, easy to install, and simple to transport.

[0026] The housing 5 has a width b in the range of 700 mm to 820 mm and a depth t in the range of 400 mm to 550 mm, and a total height h from the lid to the base in the range of 150 mm to 300 mm, preferably a maximum of 200 mm. Considering the area of ​​width b x depth t, this area is in relation to the cooktop area of ​​at least 0.7 and at most 1.

[0027] Inside the housing 5, a separation unit 6 is arranged. The separation unit 6 is directly adjacent to the recess in the direction of the exhaust air flow. Within the separation unit 6, the exhaust air flow 2 is split into two streams and deflected multiple times. The separation unit 6 is cuboid in shape and mirror-symmetrical about a central plane 100 and has two opposing outlets 60, 61. The two flow channels are formed by sheets located between two side walls 62, 63. The two side walls 62, 63 are closed and oriented parallel to each other. The deflections cause the water droplets, as well as grease and oil particles, contained in the exhaust air flow 2 to be accelerated outwards by centrifugal force, conglomerate, and be pressed against the wall of the separation unit 6 and separated. It is also conceivable to use other separation or filter devices for separating or filtering grease and oil particles, e.g.,... B.Expanded metal filters can be used. The shape can also differ from the design described here and may be, for example, round, hexagonal, or rotationally symmetrical.

[0028] The separator unit 6 is arranged in the housing 5 such that the exhaust air does not flow around the separator unit 6. For this purpose, the separator unit 6 rests with its side wall 62 against a first separating element 7, which extends to the longitudinal side 51 of the housing 5 furthest from the kitchen front. A second separating element 8 is provided between the other side wall 63 of the separator unit 6 and the longitudinal side 50 of the housing 5 closest to the kitchen front. The separating elements 7 and 8 prevent a connection between the two intake sides of the two fans and separate the intake chambers from each other. The separator unit 6 is positioned with its central plane 100 at the center of the longitudinal sides 50 and 51 in the housing 5. The central plane 100 of the separator unit 6 is thus coincident with the central plane and plane of symmetry of the housing 5.

[0029] The fans 3 are positioned with their impeller axes of rotation parallel to the cooktop surface or in the plane defined by the x and y axes, i.e., horizontally when installed. Furthermore, the impeller axes of rotation are aligned parallel to each other and parallel to the plane of symmetry of the housing 5 of the extractor hood (center plane of the extractor hood) or parallel to the transverse sides 52, 53 of the housing 5. The plane of symmetry of the housing 5 of the extractor hood runs centrally through the central opening in the cooktop and through the center plane 100 of the separator unit 6 and the housing 5.

[0030] In Fig. Figure 2 shows the intake side of the fans 3 in detail. In the illustrated embodiment, the fan blades 30 are backward curved, and each fan 3 is housed in a rectangular fan housing 31. In the illustrated example, the fan housing 31 simplifies the mounting of the fans 3. The fan housing 31 does not spatially restrict the intake. The intake side is defined by the housing 5 of the extractor hood.

[0031] The fan wheel axes 200 are located at the same height in the housing 5 and at the height of the separation unit 6. The exhaust air exiting the separation unit 6 can therefore be drawn in directly by the fans 3 without being deflected.

[0032] The fan housings 31 extend beyond the top surface of the housing 5, or the lid of the housing 5 (not shown). In plan view, the fans 3 are located outside the cooktop electronics, which are situated below a glass plate of the cooktop. The installation height of the cooktop electronics is therefore available as installation height for the fans 3. The distance between the top surface of the glass plate and the fans 3 can thus be less than 3 cm. The available installation space is therefore fully utilized.

[0033] The fan housing 31 does not have a spiral geometry, as is known from forward-curved fans. The fan draws in air centrally and in the direction of the fan wheel's axis of rotation 200. The exhaust air is deflected by 90° by the fan 3 and blown downwards, away from the cooktop. It is also conceivable to have the fans 3 blow outwards towards the transverse side 52, 53, away from the central plane. In other words, in the installed state, the air is then directed towards the adjacent cabinet.

[0034] It is conceivable that odor filters (not shown) can be inserted into the housing 5 through the opening in the cooktop. The odor filters are preferably located in the direction of the exhaust air flow in front of the fans 3 and are connected laterally to the separator unit 6. When the separator unit 6 is removed from the cooktop opening, the odor filters can be accessed or placed in the space adjacent to the separator unit. This makes replacing or cleaning the odor filters particularly easy.

[0035] As from Fig. As can be seen in Figure 3, the fans 3 can be arranged directly below the glass plate 9 of the cooktop 10. In plan view, the fans 3 lie completely below the cooktop 10. The fan wheel axes 200 are located in the z-direction at the level of the separator unit 6. The position of the fans 3 is chosen such that the outlets 60, 61 of the separator unit 6 are located below the fans 3 in a side view. The two fans 3 are designed to rotate in the same direction.

[0036] In Fig.Figure 4 shows the pressure side of the fans 3. The fans blow downwards. The pressure side is defined solely by the opening of the fan housing. The free cross-sectional area is rectangular. The fan housing has a cross-sectional area that is constant over its height. The opening comprises at least 85% of the cross-sectional area. A duct can be flanged to the fan housing. A conventional deflection is not required. It is also possible to connect odor filters required for recirculation mode to the fan housing or the straight duct, or to use additional duct elements for air distribution. Since the fans are located on the long side furthest from the kitchen cabinet, they blow directly into the space behind the cabinet when installed. This makes the exhaust air routing particularly efficient, thus increasing the efficiency of the extractor hood.

[0037] The arrangement of the radial fans 3 with essentially horizontally oriented impeller axes makes the extractor hood particularly compact. However, it is also conceivable that the impeller axes of rotation can be at an angle of up to 10°, preferably less than 5°, to the y-axis and / or the z-axis. In other words, the axis of rotation can be inclined or tilted at an angle of up to 10°, preferably less than 5°, to the y- and / or z-axis. It is also conceivable that the impeller axes of rotation of the two fans are tilted relative to each other. Even with such small angles, the aforementioned advantages of compact installation space and particularly simple airflow are still achieved.

[0038] It is also conceivable to use a radial fan with forward-curved impeller blades. A worm gear geometry can be used in this case. It is particularly advantageous if the extractor hood has a symmetrical design. However, it is also conceivable to arrange the radial fans offset from each other. The radial fans can also be housed or mounted within the extractor hood's casing.

[0039] It is also possible to attach the fans to the housing using a telescopic extension. Since the cooktop extractor is a mounting unit, it must fit into a cutout in a kitchen countertop. Both the cooktop extractor and the cooktop itself are installed from above. When retracted, the fans must therefore be covered by the cooktop when viewed from above. After installation, the position of the fans relative to the housing can be adjusted using a telescopic extension.

[0040] It is conceivable that the separating or filtering device is rotationally symmetrical and is surrounded in the intake chamber by the exhaust air stream exiting the separating or filtering device.

[0041] Besides the two-fan option, it is also conceivable to use a single fan that is located decentrally in the case.

Claims

[1] cooktop extractor (1) - a cooking zone (10) with at least one opening, - a case (5), - at least one radial fan (3) with at least one fan impeller, which is located below the cooktop (10) in top view and - a separating or filtering device (6), wherein the separating or filtering device (6) is arranged in the housing (5) and wherein the cooktop extractor (1) is designed to draw off steam rising above the cooktop (10) through the at least one opening in an exhaust air stream (2) generated by the at least one radial fan (3) downwards, below the cooktop (10) through the separating or filtering device (6), characterized by, that a fan wheel rotation axis (200) of the at least one radial fan (3) is arranged such that an angle to the horizontal and an angle to a central plane (100) of the cooktop (10) perpendicular to the horizontal is less than 10°, and that an intake opening of the at least one radial fan (3) is located at the level of the separating or filtering device (6). [2] Cooktop extractor (1) according to claim 1, characterized by , that at least one radial fan (3) is located outside of the cooktop electronics of the cooktop (10) in a top view. [3] Cooktop extractor (1) according to claim 2, characterized by , that the distance between the top of a cooktop and the radial fan (3) is less than 3 cm. [4] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the cooktop extractor (1) forms a mounting unit which can be inserted from above into an opening in a kitchen worktop. [5] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one radial fan (3) is a backward curved radial fan (3). [6] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one radial fan (3) blows downwards or to the side. [7] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the at least one radial fan (3) comprises a rectangular fan housing (31) which is attached to a second longitudinal side (51) of the housing (5). [8] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that in the direction of flow an odor filter is arranged in the housing (5) in front of the at least one radial fan (3). [9] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the fan wheel rotation axis (200) of the at least one radial fan (3) lies in the horizontal plane and an intake opening of the radial fan (3) lies in a plane that is perpendicular to the hob surface. [10] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the cooktop extractor (1) comprises exactly two radial fans (3) which are arranged symmetrically to a central plane (100) of the housing (5). [11] Cooktop extractor (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the fan wheel rotation axes (200) of the two radial fans (3) are aligned parallel and / or the direction of rotation of the two radial fans (3) is the same. [12] A method for operating a cooktop extractor (1) according to any of the preceding claims comprising the following steps: a) Controlling the at least one radial fan (3) in a normal stage to generate a volume flow through the cooktop extractor (1), wherein the generated volume flow is in a range of 0 to 650 m 3 / h and the electrical power consumption of the at least one radial fan (3) is at most 80% of a maximum electrical power consumption, b) Controlling the at least one radial fan (3) in an intensive stage to generate a volume flow through the cooktop extractor (1), wherein the generated volume flow is in a range of 700 to 750 m 3 / h lies.

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