Fireplace with a standardized technological base

Abstract

A fireplace may include a combustion chamber having at least four adjacent vertical walls with an identical angle α between the inner faces of these adjacent vertical walls. The outer faces of at least two vertical walls have an interface for connecting a technical element, the outer face being chosen depending on the arrangement of the fireplace within a space. A fireplace having a combustion chamber with a door frame may be provided with lateral uprights having external lateral facets forming therebetween an angle β of between 85° and 95° and internal lateral facets, extending as a continuation of the internal wall of the combustion chamber and forming therebetween an angle σ of between 100° and 130°.

Description

FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to solid fuel fireplaces.TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND AND STATE OF THE ART

[0002] The design process of individual heating systems is specific in that it requires the integration two types of constraints that strongly influence the product design. The first set of constraints is induced by the functional aspects of the fireplace and the need to create efficient, safe, and easy-to-use products. The second is related to the aesthetic nature of the products and all the elements that will allow them to be integrated harmoniously and attractively into the living spaces where they will be placed.

[0003] The need to achieve very high levels of performance and to create differentiation aesthetically necessitates ever-increasing investments in the research and development of new solutions. Moreover, competition with many products from low-cost countries forces manufacturers in regions with high social and environmental standards to resort to advanced industrial tools. These processes indeed enable marginal production costs to be reduced but also require significant investments during their implementation (creation of foundry or injection molds, purchase and programming of robots, construction of templates, etc.). The weight of these investments on the cost price of products impacts competitiveness even more in niches where the quantities manufactured are relatively low.

[0004] The diversity of aesthetic sensibilities as well as technical and architectural constraints limit the capacity for standardization of solutions. This must therefore be combined with a delayed differentiation approach allowing for a wide range of products while capitalizing on common technological bases. This leads many manufacturers to offer different product variants from the same technological base. However, these variants are limited to product finishing elements (colors, cladding materials, etc.) and not to the structure and architecture themselves. Furthermore, the evolution of energy performance requirements for buildings and the increase in the price of buildable surfaces lead to the reduction of dwelling sizes. This further complicates the design of standardized solutions based on delayed differentiation principles as the common technical elements must be compatible with the most demanding product configurations in terms of compactness but also allow for the creation of larger fireplaces that can integrate into more spacious interiors.

[0005] From document U.S. Pat. No. 9,435,542, a fireplace is known comprising openings in the walls of the combustion chamber allowing for the accommodation of conduits for the introduction of gas or oil from a position outside the fireplace.

[0006] From document WO 03 / 036173, an insert for a fireplace is known to comprise, in the walls of the combustion chamber, two connections for connecting to combustion air supply ducts, of which only one connection is optionally connected.SUMMARY

[0007] The present disclosure relates to a fireplace subject to strong technical and architectural constraints with a standard base that allows its adaptation to any type of arrangement within a space, and aims to develop a fireplace with a standardized technological base allowing for numerous integration variations within the home, covering both compact or large independent fireplaces, flat or corner, as well as fireplaces embedded in flat or corner walls. The fireplace with a standardized technological base must cover this wide range according to customer needs while integrating harmoniously with the architecture of the building and its technical constraints. To do this, the fireplace presents particular geometric characteristics that allow for this standardization both aesthetically and functionally.

[0008] The characteristics described in the present disclosure allow for the objectives of delayed differentiation to be met. Primarily, the combustion chamber must meet particular geometric characteristics. Then, to further enhance the concept of standardization, the door frame advantageously also presents geometric characteristics that will allow it to integrate into different types of habitats with a common door offering a similar aesthetic rendering regardless of the environment. On one hand, the design of the combustion chamber and, more specifically, the connection area for standardized technical components necessary for operation of the fireplace allows for a wide diversity of arrangement of these components depending on the product configurations envisaged. On the other hand, the geometry of the door frame closing the combustion chamber allows for a continuity effect to be created between this frame and different possibilities of its extension depending on the product integration options. In combination with the geometric specifics of the chamber, the shape of the door frame also ensures geometric continuity between the interior and exterior of the combustion chamber at the fireplace glass level. This continuity results in attenuation of the separation effect between the interior and exterior of the combustion chamber and gives an impression of “open fire,” appreciated by users. The technical reading of the device is thus concealed in favor of the pleasure and staging of the fire.

[0009] More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a fireplace that uses fuel, preferably solid fuel, such as pellets, including a heating body with a combustion chamber equipped with adjacent vertical walls, each vertical wall being defined by a face turned towards the outside of the combustion chamber, called the outer face, and a face turned towards the inside of the combustion chamber, called the inner face, the outer face of at least two vertical walls including an interface allowing for a technical element to be connected to the outside of the combustion chamber, said outer face intended to be connected to the technical element being chosen according to the arrangement of the fireplace within a space, said fireplace being characterized by the inclusion of at least four adjacent vertical walls with an identical angle α separating the inner faces of the adjacent vertical walls.

[0010] In combination with the above fireplace having an identical angle α between the inner faces of the adjacent vertical walls or independently, the present disclosure also relates to a fireplace that uses fuel, preferably solid fuel, such as pellets, including a heating body with a combustion chamber closed by a door including a frame with lateral uprights, characterized in that the lateral uprights of the frame include external lateral facets forming between them an angle β between 85° and 95°. Preferably, the lateral uprights of the frame also include internal lateral facets fitting into the continuity of the internal wall of the combustion chamber and forming between them an angle σ between 100° and 130°.

[0011] The fireplace with an identical angle α between the inner faces of the adjacent vertical walls as well as the fireplace with the external and internal lateral facets of the door frame forming respectively between them said angle β and said angle σ further present one or more of the following characteristics:

[0012] the four adjacent vertical walls are tangent to a circle, said circle inscribed within the four adjacent vertical walls;

[0013] the perpendiculars to the four adjacent vertical walls that are centered on the interfaces intersect at the same intersection point;

[0014] the angle α is between 133° and 145°, preferably between 135° and 142.5°;

[0015] the two vertical walls at the ends of the four adjacent vertical walls form between them an angle γ between 39° and 75°, preferably between 45° and 67.5°;

[0016] it includes a fuel tank and two fuel supply tubes with a first tube connected to the fuel tank and a second tube connected to the combustion chamber, the first tube and the second tube being mounted in rotation relative to each other;

[0017] the first tube is mounted in rotation relative to the fuel tank;

[0018] it may include at the interface level an intermediate junction element positioning between the outer face of the vertical wall and the technical element, said intermediate junction element including a face inclined relative to the vertical wall in view of the technical element to be connected.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of the fireplace according to the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 2 shows another three-dimensional view of the back of the fireplace according to the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 3 shows a horizontal sectional view of the fireplace according to the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the combustion chamber equipped with four vertical walls with different geometric characteristics ensuring functional and aesthetic standardization.

[0023] FIG. 5 schematically shows two superimposed horizontal sectional views of a part of the combustion chamber equipped with four vertical walls for two different angles γ of 45° and 67.5°respectively.

[0024] FIGS. 6 and 7 show a horizontal sectional view of the combustion chamber with, for FIG. 6, an angle γ greater than 45° and an intermediate junction element disposed on one of the vertical walls of the combustion chamber and, for FIG. 7, an angle γ of 45° without an intermediate junction element disposed on one of the vertical walls of the combustion chamber.

[0025] FIGS. 8 and 9 show a horizontal sectional view of the combustion chamber with the technical elements connected to the back of said combustion chamber.

[0026] FIG. 10 shows different configurations of the fireplace arrangement according to the present disclosure in relation to a wall with three configurations of fireplaces against the wall in the upper part and three configurations of embedded fireplaces in the lower part.

[0027] FIG. 11 shows a vertical sectional view of the fuel supply device of the burner and the bottom of the tank.

[0028] FIG. 12 shows a three-dimensional view of this same device and FIG. 13 a partially exploded view of this device.

[0029] FIG. 14 shows vertical sectional views of a part of the fireplace with the air inlet conduit oriented differently depending on the position of the air inlet respectively at the bottom in the left view and at the top in the right view.LEGEND(1) Heating body

[0031] (2) Combustion chamber

[0032] (3) Door

[0033] (4) Door frame

[0034] (5) Glass

[0035] (6) Lateral uprights of the door frame

[0036] (7) External lateral facets of the door frame

[0037] (8) Internal lateral facets of the door frame

[0038] (9) Internal wall of the combustion chamber

[0039] (10) Vertical wall of the heating body

[0040] e. Outer face

[0041] f. Inner face

[0042] (12) Lining of the combustion chamber

[0043] (13) Hearth

[0044] (14) Burner

[0045] (15) External lateral edge of the lining

[0046] (16) Interface for fixing technical elements

[0047] (17) Intermediate junction element

[0048] a. Inclined face

[0049] (18) Air inlet

[0050] (19) Extension of the door frame

[0051] (20) Ash removal device

[0052] (22) First screw

[0053] (23) First tube, also called upper tube,

[0054] (24) Second screw

[0055] (25) Second tube, also called lower tube,

[0056] (26) Tube junction device

[0057] (27) Wall

[0058] (28) Fireplace

[0059] (29) Tank

[0060] (30) Tank junction deviceDETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The present disclosure relates to a fireplace that uses fuel, preferably solid fuel, such as pellets. This fireplace 28 is intended to be integrated, in the center of a room, against flat or corner walls 27 as well as in the form of fireplaces embedded in flat or corner walls as schematized in FIG. 10. The fireplace 28 includes a heating body 1 comprising a combustion chamber 2 closed by a glass 5 mounted on a frame 4 of a door 3 (FIGS. 1 and 3). The combustion chamber 2 is delimited by several vertical walls 10 over all or part of its height (FIG. 2). The vertical walls 10 are each formed of a face turned towards the outside of the combustion chamber, called the outer face 10e, and a face turned towards the inside of the combustion chamber, called the inner face 10f. These vertical walls can be covered with a lining 12 disposed inside the combustion chamber (FIG. 3) with the face of the lining directed towards the inside of the combustion chamber defining an internal wall 9. In the absence of lining, it is the inner face 10f of the vertical wall that defines the internal wall 9.

[0062] According to the present disclosure, at least 4 vertical walls 10 / a, 10 / b, 10 / c, 10 / d form adjacent walls separated by the same angle α (FIGS. 2 and 4). According to the present disclosure, this angle α is preferably between 133° and 145°, more preferably between 135° and 142.5°. The same angle takes into account a small margin of error around the angle of + and −1°. Thus, if the targeted angle α is 133° between each of the adjacent walls, the angle α can be between 132° and 134°. Still according to the present disclosure, at least two of these adjacent walls are equipped with an interface 16 allowing for connecting standard technical elements, such as a pellet supply tube 25, an air or gas inlet 18, an ignition candle, an ash removal device 20, a smoke evacuation conduit, etc., on the wall of choice according to the arrangement of the fireplace in the room (FIGS. 8 to 10). Preferably, at least 3 adjacent walls separated by this identical angle α are equipped with an interface 16 allowing for the connection of different technical elements at the back of the fireplace. Preferably, the interface 16 is the same for all the vertical walls on which the interface is present. These interfaces 16 are formed of openings made through the vertical wall.

[0063] The fireplace has the geometric characteristic that the four adjacent vertical walls 10 / a, 10 / b, 10 / c, 10 / d are tangent to a circle visible in FIG. 5. This is referred to as a circle inscribed within the four adjacent vertical walls 10 / a, 10 / b, 10 / c, 10 / d. Preferably, the perpendiculars to the four adjacent vertical walls 10 / a, 10 / b, 10 / c, 10 / d that are centered on the interfaces 16 intersect at the same intersection point. Still preferably, the perpendiculars intersect at the center of the burner. Thus, the axis of the standard technical element is oriented towards the center of the burner. For certain standard technical elements, such as ash removal devices, it may be advantageous to decenter the axis of the device relative to the center of the burner. In this case, one or more of the interfaces may be equipped with an intermediate junction element 17 positioning between the outer face 10e of the vertical wall and the technical element. This intermediate junction element has the characteristic that its face 17a intended to be in contact with the technical element is inclined relative to the vertical wall. The perpendicular to the inclined face at the center of the junction element thus intersects the perpendiculars to the other interfaces or other junction elements at a point that is not centered on the burner. In the illustrated examples, the interface or the intermediate junction element has a substantially square shape with possibly rounded corners. It could take any form. By center is meant the middle according to the horizontal axis, the horizontal being defined as the perpendicular to the vertical axis of the fireplace in the position of use.

[0064] Preferably, the two walls at the ends 10 / a and 10 / d form, between them, an angle γ between 39° and 75° (FIG. 4). More preferably, the combustion chamber includes 4 adjacent vertical walls 10 / a, 10 / b, 10 / c, 10 / d, separated by an angle α between 135° and 142.5°, the two walls at the ends 10 / a and 10 / d then forming, between them, an angle γ between 45° and 67.5 ° (FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0065] Still in a spirit of standardization, the lateral uprights 6 of the door frame 4 have certain characteristics allowing for the use of a common door adapted to different product architectures and fireplace orientation in the room. The lateral uprights 6 visible in FIGS. 3 and 4 each have an external lateral facet 7 and an internal lateral facet 8. The external lateral facets 7 of the uprights 6 form between them an angle β between 85° and 95°. This construction allows for multiple possibilities of extension 19 of the door frame (FIGS. 4 and 10) and notably at a right angle, a particularly interesting variant in the case of corner integrations. On the other hand, the internal lateral facets 8 of the uprights 6 form, between them, an angle σ between 100° and 130° to offer an open view of the combustion chamber.

[0066] In its lower plane, the combustion chamber is delimited by a hearth 13 allowing for accommodation of the burner 14 for the fireplace (FIGS. 1 and 3) with the burner which, for example, can be circular in shape. By geometric construction, an interdependence (FIG. 5) arises between:

[0067] the maximum diameter, D, of the circle inscribed in the surface of the hearth 13 within the vertical walls and allowing for accommodation of the burner 14 of the fireplace as well as the lining 12 of the chamber.

[0068] the width (L67.5 & L45) and the depth of the chamber (P67.5 & P45) with 45 and 67.5 corresponding to the predefined angle γ.

[0069] the width (I67.5 & I45) of the internal walls 10 / b and 10 / c, i.e., the walls contained between the end walls.

[0070] With an objective of optimizing the compactness of the common elements to the different formal product variations, a choice of angle γ of 67.5° offers a particularly interesting compromise, as it allows for reconciliation of a compact and open chamber with faces 10 / b and 10 / c of sufficient widths to accommodate the technical elements (FIG. 8) (air inlet, pellets, etc.). An angle γ of 45° can also be an interesting option, as it implies that the angle μ between two separated walls 10 / a, 10 / c or 10 / b, 10 / d by a respective intermediate wall 10 / b or 10 / c, is equal to 90° (FIG. 7). This offers an advantage when certain technical elements connected to these walls must be positioned perpendicular to each other. This is notably the case between the symmetry axis of the burner 14 and its supply screw 24 and the rotation axis of the fireplace ash removal device 20 (FIGS. 8 and 11). In the case of an angle γ different but close to 45°, the intermediate junction element 17 positioned at the interface 16 can however be used to meet this possible constraint (FIGS. 2 and 6). More generally, the entire range of angle γ between 39° and 75°, preferably between 45° and 67.5°, allows for a compromise to be obtained between a sufficient chamber opening and a sufficient width of the internal walls 10 / b and 10 / c.

[0071] For aesthetic reasons, the internal lateral facets 8 of the uprights 6 can fit into the continuity of the internal wall 9 of the combustion chamber (FIG. 3). When the angle σ is between 100° and 130° and the angle γ is between 65° and 70°, and more precisely is 67.5°, this allows for a wide and open view of the combustion chamber while limiting the compensation angle ε necessary at the external vertical edges 15 of the chamber lining 12 (FIG. 4). This angle allows for compensation of the angle difference between the two end walls 10 / a and 10 / d of the chamber and the internal lateral facets 8 of the uprights 6 to ensure the continuity effect between the interior formed by the internal wall 9 and the exterior formed by the internal lateral facets 8 of the door frame. A low compensation angle ε allows for work with a relatively constant thickness lining and limitation of the risks of deformation at the thinned parts.

[0072] The fireplace includes two pellet supply tubes 23 and 25 with a respective screw 22 and 24, visible in FIGS. 12 to 14. The tube 23 in the upper position is connected to the fuel tank 29, and the tube 25 in the lower position is connected to the combustion chamber 2 via the interface 16 of a vertical wall 10. To optimize standardization possibilities, these tubes 23 and 25 include junction elements 26 and 30 allowing respectively a relative rotation between the two tubes and a relative rotation between the tube 23 in the upper position and the tank 29 (FIGS. 11 to 13). This, combined with the possibility of being able to position the tube 25 in the lower position on different interfaces 16 of the combustion chamber 2, allows for numerous variants wherein the tank 29 is positioned relative to the combustion chamber 2.

[0073] Moreover, in addition to being able to be positioned on different interfaces 16 of the fireplace, certain technical elements are designed so that their position on the same interface 16 can be adapted according to the integration or connection conditions of the fireplace. For example, the orientation of the air inlet conduit 18 can be chosen according to the air connection configurations of the fireplace with an air inlet in the upper part (on the right) or in the lower part of the fireplace (on the left) (FIG. 14).

Claims

1. A fireplace, comprising:a heating body having a combustion chamber equipped with a plurality of adjacent vertical walls, each vertical wall being defined by an outer face turned towards an outside of the combustion chamber, and an inner face turned towards an inside of the combustion chamber,the outer face of at least two of the vertical walls including an interface configured to provide connection of a standard technical element to the outside of the combustion chamber ,wherein the outer face is configured to be connected to the standard technical element being chosen according to an arrangement of the fireplace within a space,wherein the fireplace includes at least four of the adjacent vertical walls having an identical angle α separating the inner faces of the adjacent vertical walls such that the four adjacent vertical walls are tangent to a circle inscribed within the four adjacent vertical walls, andwherein for the at least two vertical walls including the interface, the perpendiculars centered on the interface(s) intersect at a same intersection point.

2. The fireplace according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber includes a burner, and the same intersection point is at the center of the burner.

3. The fireplace according to claim 1, wherein the fireplace includes, at the interface, an intermediate junction element positioned between the outer face of the vertical wall and the standard technical element, the intermediate junction element including, opposite the standard technical element to be connected, an inclined face relative to the vertical wall.

4. The fireplace according to claim 1, wherein the angle α is between 133° and 145°.

5. The fireplace according to claim 1, wherein the two vertical walls at the ends of the four adjacent vertical walls form between them an angle γ between 39° and 75°.

6. The fireplace according to claim 1, wherein the inner face of the vertical walls forms an internal wall of the combustion chamber or the inner face of the vertical walls is covered with a lining then forming an internal wall of the combustion chamber, the combustion chamber being closed by a door including a frame with lateral uprights comprising external lateral facets forming between them an angle β between 85° and 95°.

7. The fireplace according to claim 1, wherein the fireplace includes a fuel tank and two fuel supply tubes, a first tube of the fuel supply tubes connected to the fuel tank and a second tube of the fuel supply tubes connected to the combustion chamber, the first tube and the second tube being mounted in rotation relative to each other.

8. The fireplace according to claim 7, wherein the first tube is mounted in rotation relative to the fuel tank.

9. A fireplace, including a heating body with a combustion chamber closed by a door including a frame with lateral uprights, wherein the lateral uprights of the frame include external lateral facets forming between them an angle β between 85° and 95°.

10. The fireplace according to claim 9, wherein the lateral uprights of the frame include internal lateral facets fitting into a continuity of the internal wall of the combustion chamber and forming between them an angle σ between 100° and 130°.

11. The fireplace according to claim 5, wherein the two vertical walls at the ends of the four adjacent vertical walls form between them an angle γ between 45° and 67.5°.

12. The fireplace of claim 1, wherein the fireplace is configured to use a solid fuel.

13. The fireplace of claim 12, wherein the solid fuel is in the form of pellets.

14. The fireplace of claim 1, wherein the standard technical element comprises a pellet supply tube, an air or gas inlet, an ignition plug, an ash removal device, or a smoke exhaust duct.

15. The fireplace of claim 9, wherein the fireplace is configured to use a solid fuel.

16. The fireplace of claim 15, wherein the solid fuel is in the form of pellets.

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