Slide-Type Range Hood with Movable Jet Plenum for Pollutant Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional exhaust hoods for kitchen ventilation are large and obstructive, making it difficult to ensure complete capture and containment of pollutants without drawing a significant volume of room air, which can obstruct the view and require excessive air exchange.
Innovation Solution
A modular exhaust hood system featuring a shallow jet plenum that can be repositioned manually or automatically, allowing for independent positioning of each jet plenum to optimize airflow and visibility, with a horizontally-movable side barrier and sensor-controlled operation to adapt to different cooking appliances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large and tall hood is used to ensure complete capture and containment of pollutants, then pollutant capture effectiveness is improved, but the hood obstructs the view across the kitchen and occupies excessive space
Solution Approach 1:
The jet plenum is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be repositioned horizontally along the duct system. This dynamic configuration enables the hood to adapt to different cooking positions and appliance types, maintaining effective pollutant capture while minimizing the fixed space occupation and view obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The exhaust hood system is divided into separate modular components: a fixed duct system and a movable jet plenum. This segmentation allows the functional elements to be independently positioned and configured, enabling the jet plenum to be moved to optimal locations for pollutant capture without permanently occupying large fixed space.
2Reliability
If a large volume of room air is drawn to ensure complete pollutant capture, then capture effectiveness is improved, but excessive air exchange occurs leading to energy loss and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The jet plenum creates a localized high-velocity jet stream directly at the pollutant source rather than relying on large-scale room air movement. This localized approach concentrates the exhaust action where it is most needed, effectively capturing pollutants without requiring excessive air exchange throughout the entire kitchen space.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a high-velocity pneumatic jet stream generated by the plenum to capture and transport pollutants. This jet-driven mechanism is more efficient than conventional pressure differential approaches, as it creates focused airflow that effectively entrains and removes pollutants with minimal overall air exchange.
3Device complexity
If the jet plenum is fixed in position to simplify the system, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different appliances and cooking positions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The jet plenum is designed with horizontal movability along the duct system, transforming it from a static to a dynamic component. This allows the plenum to be repositioned to accommodate different appliance types, sizes, and cooking positions while maintaining a relatively simple overall system structure without complex mechanical actuation mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively captures and contains cooking fumes while minimizing air exchange, allowing for flexible positioning to accommodate various appliances and improving visibility during cooking, with automated control enhancing efficiency and user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a jet plenum positioned above the cooking appliance and configured to create a jet of air
Implementation Method 2
draws cooking fumes and pollutants toward the exhaust inlet
Data Source
AI summary
An exhaust device has a fan plenum with a fan and a jet plenum having a generally planar shape with one or more jet openings on a distal end thereof configured to create a planar jet. The jet plenum is movably attached at a proximal end thereof to the fan plenum to permit sliding movement of the jet plenum relative to the fan plenum. The fan plenum and the jet plenum each have a respective flow-transfer opening that overlaps the opening of the other, the respective openings being shaped and arranged to remain overlapped in all positions to which the jet plenum is moved relative to the fan plenum such that an interior of the fan plenum and the jet plenum remain in fluid communication to allow air to flow from the fan to flow from the fan plenum to the jet plenum.