EP2699849A1

EP2699849A1 - Fumes suction and/or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit

Info

Publication number: EP2699849A1
Application number: EP12726184.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pier Sandro CACIOPPO; Serena Graziosi; Paolo Faraldi; Luciano Antonini
Original assignee: Indesit Co SpA
Current assignee: Whirlpool EMEA SpA
Priority date: 2011-04-20
Filing date: 2012-04-18
Publication date: 2014-02-26
Anticipated expiration: 2032-04-18
Also published as: WO2012143864A1; ITTO20110350A1; EP2699849B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood (1), in particular for a household kitchen unit, comprising: an internally hollow chimney (2); a fumes inlet section (3) in said chimney (2); a motorized fan (4) housed in said chimney (2) on the side opposite to said inlet section (3); a suction volume (5) arranged inside said chimney (2) laterally with respect to said motorized fan (4); a soundproofing structure (7) housed in said chimney (2) so as to define at least one duct (8) which allows the fumes to flow from said inlet section (3) to said suction volume (5). The invention is characterized in that said inlet section (3), suction volume (5) and soundproofing structure (7) are symmetrical relative to a common plane of symmetry (PS). Furthermore, considering any point of the inlet section (3) and any point of the suction volume (5) located on the same side with respect to said plane of symmetry (PS), a straight line joining such points intersects said soundproofing structure (7).

Description

FUMES SUCTION AND/OR FILTERING HOOD, IN PARTICULAR FOR A HOUSEHOLD KITCHEN UNIT

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The fumes suction and/ or filtering hood has now become a household appliance which is substantially indispensable in any household kitchen.

It is known that the main function of a hood is to recycle the air saturated with cooking fumes; however, a hood may also play an important role in the exterior appearance of a household kitchen unit and must have certain characteristics, also specified by the law.

Modern hoods generally comprise an internally hollow chimney, a fumes inlet section in said chimney, and a motorized fan housed in said chimney, through which air is sucked into the chimney.

In fumes suction and/ or filtering hoods, in particular for a household kitchen unit, the inlet section is usually horizontal or slightly inclined above the cooking top, so as to be able to collect most odours and fumes produced by the latter.

Fumes suction and/ or filtering hoods, in particular for a household kitchen unit, may be:

of the suction type, i.e. sucking in cooking fumes and letting them out through a suitable chimney flue, and

of the filtering type (also called "recirculating hoods"), i.e. not discharging the aspirated fumes outside, but purifying the air through special filters and recirculating it into the environment.

It must be pointed out that suction-type hoods can be retrofitted to perform also the filtering function, in particular by positioning within their frame filters which trap the impurities (e.g. fumes, odours and fat molecules) contained in the aspirated air.

The hoods known in the art suffer from many drawbacks, in that they produce noise which is rather disturbing and which is caused by both the noise of the motorized fan and the forced flow of the aspirated air through the suction duct; in general, the higher the suction speed, the louder the noise produced by the hood. In an attempt to reduce the noise produced by the hood, the latest-generation models are equipped with soundproofing protections and feature specially sized pipes and suction ducts.

In these cases as well, however, the results obtained in terms of noise reduction cannot be considered to be sufficient to ensure satisfactory comfort in the environment where such hoods are placed.

Some models of hoods equipped with an external motorized fan (which is installed in a loft or a suitable closet) are quieter; nevertheless, also such hood models have some drawbacks, in that it is necessary to provide a suitable housing for positioning the external motorized fan, thus occupying spaces which could be used otherwise. Moreover, manufacturing and installing such hood models are difficult and expensive tasks.

In this frame, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit, which is realized in a manner such as to overcome the drawbacks of prior-art hoods, in particular in such a manner as to reduce noise as much as possible, also regardless of suction speed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit, which is realized in such a manner as to ensure satisfactory comfort in the environment where it is placed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit, which is realized in such a manner as to not be difficult and/ or expensive to manufacture and/ or to install. Said objects are achieved by the present invention through a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit, incorporating the features set out in the appended claims, which are intended as an integral part of the present description.

Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and from the annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit, according to the present invention;

Figs. 2a and 2b are simplified front views of a first and a second embodiments of the hood of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3a and 3b are simplified views of a variant of said first and second embodiments of Figs. 2a and 2b.

Referring now to the annexed Figs. 1 to 2b, reference numeral 1 designates as a whole a fumes suction and/ or filtering hood, in particular for a household kitchen unit, according to the present invention.

It must be reminded that the term "hood" refers herein to an electric appliance which is traditionally installed in a household kitchen and which typically comprises the following functional assemblies:

i) a suction system, which is the means through which the hood picks up the fumes and vapours coming from an underlying cooking top, and which generally comprises a fan assembly, e.g. a rotary turbomachine (formed by coupling together an electric motor, an impeller and an auger) that causes the air to acquire kinetic energy through aerodynamic action;

ii) a control system, which controls the functionalities of the household appliance and which is operationally connected to the user interface;

iii) a filtering system, which allows purifying the aspirated air through absorption of the particulate matter that constitutes fats and odours; and iv) a casing, which constitutes the means for physically joining and protecting the other functional assemblies and which determines the exterior appearance of the hood.

There is often also a lighting system, which allows generating light for illuminating the cooking top through one or more electrically powered lamps. Said hood 1 comprises:

an internally hollow chimney 2;

a fumes inlet section 3 in said chimney 2;

a motorized fan 4 housed in said chimney 2 on the side opposite to said inlet section 3;

a suction volume 5 arranged inside said chimney 2, laterally with respect to said motorized fan 4. As can be seen in the annexed drawings, said motorized fan 4 is positioned between said inlet section 3 and an outlet section 6, so as to aspirate the fumes from said inlet section 3 and let them out through said outlet section 6; in particular, said motorized fan 4 is positioned near said outlet section 6.

In addition, the hood 1 comprises a soundproofing structure 7 housed in said chimney 2, so as to define at least one duct, designated as a whole by reference numeral 8 in the annexed drawings, which allows the fumes to flow from said inlet section 3 to said suction volume 5.

In accordance with the present invention, said inlet section 3, suction volume 5 and soundproofing structure 7 are symmetrical with respect to a common plane of symmetry, indicated in Figs. 2a to 3b by a dashed-dotted line PS.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, considering any point of the inlet section 3 and any point of the suction volume 5 located on the same side with respect to said plane of symmetry PS, a straight line joining such points intersects said soundproofing structure 7.

Preferably, said at least one duct 8 is so designed that it is substantially "X" shaped.

In particular, said substantial "X" shape of the duct 8 relates to a front view of the hood 1 according to the present invention. It must be pointed out that, in the present description, the terms "front", "rear" and "side" refer to an operating condition of the hood 1 according to the present invention, i.e. a condition wherein said hood 1 is positioned above a cooking top (not shown in the drawings) so as to collect most odours and fumes produced by the latter.

The particular shape of the hood 1 according to the present invention allows reducing as much as possible the noisiness of said hood 1, also regardless of the suction speed of the motorized fan 4.

The particular shape of the duct 8 provides a non-straight path between said at least one inlet section 3 and the suction volume 5; as a matter of fact, the shape of the duct 8 provides a winding and tortuous path, so that the sound waves produced by the motorized fan 4 must necessarily meet the soundproofing structure 7 of the hood 1 and come out of said hood 1 greatly attenuated.

As a consequence, the hood 1 ensures satisfactory comfort in the environment where it is placed, without requiring difficult and expensive realization and installation.

In a preferred embodiment, the duct 8 of the hood 1 according to the present invention comprises a first lower branch 3A and a second lower branch 3B in correspondence with said inlet section 3; in particular, said first lower branches 3 A and second lower branches 3B are obtained by positioning a first partition element 7 A in proximity of said inlet section 3; in fact, in the annexed drawings it can be seen that said first 3A and second 3B lower branches are positioned at the sides of said first partition element A.

Preferably, said at least one duct 8 comprises a chamber 9 into which said first lower branch 3A and second lower branch 3B meet and from which said suction volume 5 extends.

In Figs. 1 to 2b, it can be observed that said suction volume 5 extends from a second partition element 7B that faces said chamber 9; in particular, said second partition element 7B is positioned under the motorized fan 4.

In accordance with the present invention, said motorized fan 4 comprises a centrifugal motor having a mouth 4A for sucking in the air contained in the suction volume 5.

As can be seen in particular in Fig. 1, the chimney 2 of the hood 1 comprises a rear wall 2P and side walls 2L; also, Fig. 1 shows (by means of dashed lines) a front wall 2 A of the hood 1, the front wall 2 A not being shown in the annexed drawings for the purpose of illustrating the internal architecture of the hood 1.

Preferably, said soundproofing structure 7 comprises a protrusion 10 projecting towards said chamber 9; preferably, said soundproofing structure 7 is associated with a pair of side walls 2L of the chimney 2, both comprising said protrusion 10. In the representation of Figs. 1 and 2a, the first partition element 7A and/ or the second partition element 7B and/ or the protrusion 10 have outer surfaces with sharp edges; it is however clear that the first partition element 7 A and/ or the second partition element 7B and/ or the protrusion 10 may also have bevelled, rounded or radiused outer surfaces, as shown in the representation of Fig. 2b.

Preferably, said first partition element 7 A and/ or said second partition element 7B of the hood 1 are made of soundproofing material, in particular coated with a waterproofing material. The presence of said waterproofing material prevents the soundproofing material from becoming impregnated with impurities (e.g. fumes, odours and fat molecules) contained in the aspirated air.

In particular, said soundproofing material may consist of a thermosetting resin foam, e.g. foam melamine.

The soundproofing structure 7 and the protrusion 10 may also be coated with said waterproofing material.

It is clear that the hood 1 according to the present invention may comprise filtering means (not shown in the annexed drawings), which filter the air in order to trap said impurities contained in the aspirated air.

The advantages of a hood 1 according to the present invention are apparent from the above description.

In particular, such advantages consist in the fact that the particular shape of the hood 1 and, most importantly, the particular "X" shape of the duct 8 allow reducing as much as possible the noisiness of the hood 1 according to the present invention, also regardless of suction speed.

Said "X" shape of the duct 8 provides a non-straight path between said at least one inlet section 3 and the suction volume 5.

In fact, the path between the inlet section 3 and the suction volume 5 is created by said first lower branch 3A and second lower branch 3B, said chamber 9 and said suction volume 5.

Consequently, the air in the duct 8 must follow a winding and tortuous path, so that the sound waves must necessarily meet the soundproofing structure 7 of the hood 1, thus coming out of said hood 1 greatly attenuated.

It is therefore clear that the hood 1 ensures satisfactory comfort in the environment where it is placed, without requiring difficult and expensive realization and installation.

The suction hood described herein by way of example may be subject to many possible variations without departing from the novelty spirit of the inventive idea; it is also clear that in the practical implementation of the invention the illustrated details may have different shapes or be replaced with other technically equivalent elements. Among the many possible variants, it is worth mentioning herein the one illustrated in Figs. 3a and 3b, which show a front view of a variant of the hood 1 of Figs. 2a and 2b.

In particular, in this variant said hood 1 comprises a septum 11 adapted to divide said chamber 9 in a substantially vertical manner.

In particular, said septum 11 is associated with said first partition element 7 A and second partition element 7B; the septum 11 may be separate from said first partition element 7A and second partition element 7B (as shown in Fig. 3a), or it may be manufactured as one piece with said first 7A and second 7B partition elements (as shown in Fig. 3b).

As a consequence, as shown in Figs. 3a and 3b, the septum 11 is substantially positioned in such a way as to match at least one stretch of said plane of symmetry PS.

It also allows subdividing said at least one duct 8 into:

a first portion of duct 8, which comprises the first lower branch 3A, a part of the chamber 9 and the suction volume 5, and which ends into the mouth 4A of the motorized fan 4;

a second portion of duct 8, which comprises the second lower branch 3B, a part of the chamber 9 and the suction volume 5, and which ends into the mouth

4 A of the motorized fan 4.

Also as concerns the variant shown in Figs. 3a and 3b, it is clear that the first partition element 7 A and/ or the second partition element 7B and/ or the protrusion 10 may have outer surfaces with sharp edges (as shown in the representation of Fig. 3a), or said elements may have bevelled, rounded or radiused outer surfaces (as shown in the representation of Fig. 3b).

It can therefore be easily understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described hood, but may be subject to many modifications, improvements or replacements of equivalent parts and elements without departing from the inventive idea, as clearly specified in the following claims.

Claims

1. A fumes suction and/ or filtering hood (1), in particular for a household kitchen unit, comprising:

an internally hollow chimney (2);

a fumes inlet section (3) in said chimney (2);

- a motorized fan (4) housed in said chimney (2) on the side opposite to said inlet section (3);

a suction volume (5) arranged inside said chimney (2) laterally with respect to said motorized fan (4);

a soundproofing structure (7) housed in said chimney (2) so as to define at least one duct (8) which allows the fumes to flow from said inlet section (3) to said suction volume (5),

said hood (1) being characterized in that

said inlet section (3), suction volume (5) and soundproofing structure (7) are symmetrical relative to a common plane of symmetry (PS),

and in that,

considering any point of the inlet section (3) and any point of the suction volume (5) located on the same side with respect to said plane of symmetry (PS), a straight line joining such points intersects said soundproofing structure (7).

2. A hood (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one duct (8) is so designed that it is substantially "X" shaped.

3. A hood (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one duct (8) comprises a first lower branch (3 A) and a second lower branche (3B) in correspondence with said inlet section (3).

4. A hood (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said first lower branch (3A) and second lower branch (3B) are obtained by positioning a first partition element (7 A) in proximity of said inlet section (3).

5. A hood (1) according to one or more of claims 3 and 4, characterized in that said at least one duct (8) comprises a chamber (9) into which said first lower branch (3A) and second lower branch (3B) meet and from which said suction volume (5) extends.

6. A hood (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that said suction volume (5) extends from a second partition element (7B) that faces said chamber (9).

7. A hood (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said second partition element (7B) is positioned under said motorized fan (4).

8. A hood (1) according to one or more of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that said motorized fan (4) comprises a centrifugal motor having a mouth (4A) for sucking in the air contained in the suction volume (5).

9. A hood (1) according to one or more of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that said soundproofing structure (7) comprises a protrusion (10) projecting towards said chamber (9), in particular said soundproofing structure (7) being associated with a pair of side walls (2L) of the chimney (2), both side walls (2L) comprising said protrusion (10).

10. A hood (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first partition element (7A) and/ or the second partition element (7B) and/or the protrusion (10) have outer surfaces with sharp edges.

11. A hood (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first partition element (7A) and/ or the second partition element (7B) and/ or the protrusion (10) have bevelled, rounded or radiused outer surfaces.

12. A hood (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first partition element (7A) and/ or said second partition element (7B) are made of a soundproofing material, in particular coated with a waterproofing material.

13. A hood (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises air filtering means that trap any impurities contained in the aspirated air.

14. A hood (1) according to one or more of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a septum (11) adapted to divide said chamber (9) in a substantially vertical manner.

15. A hood (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that said septum (11) is associated with said first (7A) and second (7B) partition elements.