US-12618568-B2 - Cooking hob with extractor hood

US12618568B2US 12618568 B2US12618568 B2US 12618568B2US-12618568-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cooking hob comprising: a body configured to act as a support for the cooking activity and having an upper surface and a lower surface; at least one cooking zone located at the upper surface of the body; a suction opening formed on the upper surface; suction elements placed in fluid communication with the suction opening and configured to suck cooking fumes, said suction elements comprising a motor fan having a rotation axis which lies in a plane substantially parallel to the upper surface and extending between a first and an opposite second end along the rotation axis, the suction elements are configured to divide the cooking fumes into a first and a second portion of the cooking fumes directed respectively towards the first and the second end of the motor fan.

Inventors

Orlando LEO
Manuele MARTELLI

Assignees

ELICA S.P.A.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20210601
Priority Date: 20200707

Claims (7)

1 . A cooking hob comprising: a body configured to act as a support for the cooking activity and having an upper surface and a lower surface; at least one cooking zone located at the upper surface of the body; a suction opening formed on said upper surface; suction elements placed in fluid communication with said suction opening ( 4 ) and configured to suck cooking fumes; wherein: said suction elements comprise a motor fan having a rotation axis, said motor fan extending between a first and a opposite second end along said rotation axis; said suction elements being configured to divide the cooking fumes into a first and a second portion of the cooking fumes directed respectively towards the first and the second end of the motor fan; the axis of rotation lies in a plane parallel to the upper surface the suction elements comprise a first and a second suction duct in fluid communication with the suction opening and respectively with the first and the second end of the motor fan, the fluid dynamic resistance of said first suction duct being substantially equal to the fluid dynamic resistance of said second suction duct; said motor fan being configured to suck the first portion of the cooking fumes through said first suction duct and the second portion of the cooking fumes through said second suction duct; the cooking hob comprises an operating unit for the operation of the cooking hob, for the control thereof and for the outflow of cooking vapors through said first and second suction duct and configured to contain at least one heating element capable of heating the at least one cooking zone and a command and control electronics of the cooking hob, said operating unit being arranged below said body of the cooking hob; the cooking hob comprises a pair of covering casings connected to each other so as to define a housing, said motor fan being arranged in the housing, said pair of covering casing defining the first and the second suction duct, wherein the covering casings are arranged and constrained below said operating unit and at least one covering casing is reversibly constrained to said operating unit to allow the motor fan to be reached.
2 . The cooking hob according to claim 1 , comprising a pair of covering casings connected to each other so as to define a housing, said motor fan being arranged in the housing, said pair of covering casing defining the first and the second suction duct.
3 . The cooking hob according to claim 2 , wherein said motor fan comprises an electric motor and an impeller, said impeller comprising a first half-part and a second half-part arranged at the first and the second end of said motor fan respectively.
4 . The cooking hob according to claim 2 , wherein said covering casings when constrained define an exhaust outlet in fluid communication with the motor fan, the suction elements being configured to expel the cooking fumes through said exhaust outlet.
5 . The cooking hob according to claim 1 , comprising: comprising a pair of covering casings connected to each other so as to define a housing, said motor fan being arranged in the housing, said pair of covering casing defining the first and the second suction duct; a first and a second filtering group arranged in the housing upstream of the respective first and second suction duct so as to filter the fats and the vapours that are present respectively in the first and second portion of the cooking fumes.
6 . The cooking hob according to claim 5 , wherein said first and second filtering group comprise respectively a grease filter comprising a metal grid and an activated carbon filter.
7 . The cooking hob according to claim 5 , wherein the suction elements comprise a suction chamber in fluid communication with the suction opening, said suction chamber having a first and a second outlet in fluid communication, respectively with the first and with the second suction duct, the first and the second filtering group being placed at the first and the second outlet respectively.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to a cooking hob according to the preamble to claim 1. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a cooking hob incorporating a hood of a type commercially known as a down-draft hood. BACKGROUND The hoods for domestic environments are now installed in all kitchens present in the homes, as their usefulness in extracting aeriform due to food preparation, i.e., cooking vapours, is now undisputed. It is therefore becoming increasingly important to have hoods for domestic environments that are actually able to eliminate the cooking vapours that are produced during the phases of food preparation. To this end, hoods have been developed which are able to both suck and discharge the sucked air outside the home by means of suction elements and filter it and introduce it back into the domestic environment. Among the various hoods on the market there are also the so-called down-draft hoods, which are often integrated in a cooking hob or alternatively in the top of a kitchen cabinet. In particular, the down-draft hood is configured to generate a downward current that is greater than the upward speed of the cooking vapour so that this vapour is sucked towards the cooking hob itself in a vertical downward direction. For example, a cooking hob comprising a body configured to act as a support for the cooking activity and having an upper surface and an opposite lower surface is known in the state of the art. This cooking hob further comprises at least one cooking zone located at the upper surface of the body. In addition, the cooking hob of the prior art comprises a suction opening formed in the upper surface of the body and suction elements placed in fluid communication with the suction opening and configured to suck cooking fumes. The suction elements of the prior art comprise at least one electric motor configured to generate a flow of cooking fumes through the suction opening. This electric motor has a rotation axis which acts in a plane orthogonal to the upper surface of the body. In other words, the rotation axis of the electric motor is essentially vertical, i.e., perpendicular to the walking surface of a domestic environment in which such a cooking hob is installed. Examples of such cooking hobs of prior art are known under the trade names of Bora Pure® and Bora Basic® and comprise a single single-suction electric motor and a pair of single-suction electric motors, respectively. An example of a cooking hob in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 is shown in document DE 20 2019 106084 U1. Problem of the Prior Art Disadvantageously, during the operation of the cooking hobs of prior art, and in particular during the suction of cooking fumes through the suction opening, the suction elements produce a noise which is particularly annoying for the user. The value of the noise generated during operation has become a parameter to which the manufacturer and/or the user pay great attention, so much so that the energy label must indicate the relative decibel value produced at a given operating speed of the electric motor. For this reason, there is a strong demand from appliance manufacturers for cooking hobs comprising increasingly quiet suction elements. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In this context, the technical objective underlying the present disclosure is to provide a cooking hob which obviates the drawbacks in the prior art mentioned above. In particular, it is an object of the present disclosure to make available a cooking hob comprising suction elements which, when operated for suctioning cooking fumes, produce a lower noise level than those of the prior art. The technical task mentioned and the objects specified are substantially achieved by a cooking hob comprising the technical features set forth in one or more of the appended claims. Advantages of the Disclosure Thanks to a preferred embodiment of the disclosure, it is possible to suck the cooking fumes produced by cooking food while producing an acceptable level of suction noise for the user. Thanks to the preferred embodiment of the disclosure, it is also possible to divide the cooking fumes within the suction elements, thereby enabling a more efficient filtration of the cooking fumes, i.e., a better removal of the fats and vapours present within such cooking fumes. LIST OF FIGURES Further characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the approximate and thus non-limiting description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a cooking hob, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which: FIG. 1 is a partially sectional perspective view of the cooking hob in accordance with the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the cooking hob in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional front view of the cooking hob in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective view from below of the cooking hob from FIG. 1 with a covering casing removed; FIG. 5 is a