EP0870992A2

EP0870992A2 - Suction hood with movable suction plane

Info

Publication number: EP0870992A2
Application number: EP98830200A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roberto Bertazzoni
Original assignee: Smeg SpA
Current assignee: Smeg SpA
Priority date: 1997-04-08
Filing date: 1998-04-01
Publication date: 1998-10-14
Also published as: EP0870992A3; ITMI970247U1; IT237409Y1

Abstract

A suction hood comprises a suction plane (1) connected through a duct (2) to a fan, as well as a horizontal fulcrum (7) arranged along the rear edge of the plane (1) and a connecting member (6) arranged between the plane (1) and the duct (2) so as to allow the rotation of the plane (1) around the fulcrum (7).

Description

The present invention relates to the suction hoods to be combined with cooking hobs for the suction of fumes, and in particular to a movable suction hood capable of being raised and lowered with respect to the cooking hob.

It is known that during the cooking fumes and vapors are produced which are preferably removed from the environment by means of a suction hood. Such a type of hood essentially comprises a suction plane connected through a duct to a discharging centrifugal fan. This fan provides the suction plane with the depression required to suck away the fumes and provides for the discharging thereof through a vent.

The main problem of prior art suction hoods is to "capture" as many as possible of the fumes produced on the cooking hob. In fact, it is clear that the suction plane has such a shape and size as to fit the underlying cooking hob, but it must be positioned at a certain height so as to allow an easy access to every point of the cooking hob. In other words, the minimum vertical distance between the cooking hob and the suction plane is set, as well as fixed by regulations, taking into account the need for easy positioning and removal of the cooking pans.

Since the cooking fumes do not necessarily rise vertically towards the overlying suction plane, the aforementioned distance determines the possibility of the fumes to escape the suction. In particular, the fumes produced at the edges of the cooking hob are more likely to escape along the perimeter of the suction plane.

In order to overcome such a drawback, it is possible to increase the size of the suction plane, though within certain limits owing to the greater bulk involved by such a solution. Some hoods reduce said bulk by telescopic members extractable during the use, which however result in a more complex and expensive structure. Also, the suction power of the motor may be increased, though with limits of cost, consumption and noise.

The object of the present invention is thus to provide a suction hood having improved performances, thereby overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of prior art hoods.

Such an object is achieved by means of a suction hood having the features recited in claim 1.

The main advantage of the hood according to the present invention is to maximize the suction of fumes while allowing an easy access to the cooking hob.

This is achieved by arranging the hood at a distance from the cooking hob slightly greater than the height of the pans to be placed on said hob, so that the suction plane lies at a very small distance therefrom and sucks all the fumes and vapors as soon as they are produced. In order to have an easy access to the cooking hob, it is sufficient to rotate the hood upwards in a raised position.

A further advantage of this hood is to achieve the aforementioned result by means of a simple, cheap and reliable structure.

These and other advantages and features of the suction hood according to the present invention will be clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of two embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side through-view of a first embodiment of the suction hood, depicted in the lowered position;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side through-view of a second embodiment of the suction hood depicted in the lowered and raised position;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic front view of the hood of Figure 2 in the lowered position;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic front view of the hood of Figure 2 in the raised position.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is seen that a suction hood according to the present invention essentially comprises a suction plane 1 connected through a duct 2 to a centrifugal fan 3 enclosed in a wall-furniture 4. The aforementioned members are fastened to a vertical plate 5 having provided therein a fume exhaust vent (not shown) at the level of wall-furniture 4.

The suction plane 1 is connected to duct 2 through a connecting member 6 extending almost vertically between the upper side of plane 1, to which it is pivoted, and the inside of duct 2. Such a connecting member 6 ensures the continuity of the fume path between the inner cavity of plane 1 and duct 2, which ends at the bottom in a mouth slanted at about 45°. In other words, the front wall 2a of duct 2 ends at the bottom above rear wall 2b, and the connecting member 6 covers the distance between plane 1 and the lower edge of said front wall 2a.

The suction plane 1 is further connected to duct 2 at the lower end of rear wall 2b through a horizontal fulcrum 7. Said fulcrum 7 is arranged along the rear edge of the upper side of plane 1, and plane 1 can thus rotate upwards around it (Figure 2). This rotation is possible thanks to the bevelled lower end of duct 2, which also acts as a stop for plane 1.

Obviously, fulcrum 7 could be also arranged below the lower end of wall 2b, the lower bevelling of duct 2 having then a smaller angle or even zero angle.However, it is clear that the position of utmost raising of suction plane 1 is defined by various factors, including its distance from duct 2 and the lower bevel angle of the latter.

When suction plane 1 rotates from the horizontal lowered position (Figure 3 and broken lines in Figure 2) to the raised position at about 45° (Figure 4 and continuous lines in Figure 2), the connecting member 6 in turn rotatcs with respect to plane 1 and is received within duct 2. It should be thus noted that the suction of the hood according to the present invention is possible in any position of suction plane 1, which may be arranged also in an intermediate position between the extreme positions illustrated in the drawings.

The mechanism for controlling the motion of suction plane 1 may be made in various ways, two of which are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

In the first embodiment of Figure 1, the connecting member 6 is pivoted at the top to a lever 8 which connects it, through a cable 9 and two pulleys 10, to a counterweight 11 sliding inside duct 2.

The second embodiment of Figure 2 is provided instead with a spring mechanism comprising one or more springs 12 which directly connect the connecting member 6 to a fastening point at the top of duct 2.

Several other equivalent mechanisms may be obviously applied, even of an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic type.

It is therefore evident that the above described and illustrated embodiments of the suction hood according to the invention are just examples liable to several modifications. In particular, the shape and size of the hood may be freely adapted to the cooking hob to be combined therewith and the single members may be replaced by equivalent ones. For example, the connecting member 6 could be replaced by a flexible member such as a bellows. In such a case the bellows would not be pivoted to plane 1 but just fastened thereon, while the motion mechanism would be directly connected to plane 1.

Claims

A suction hood comprising a suction plane (1) connected through a duct (2) to a fan (3), characterized in that it further comprises a horizontal fulcrum (7) arranged along the rear edge of said plane (1) and a connecting member (6) arranged between the plane (1) and said duct (2) so as to allow the rotation of the plane (1 ) around said fulcrum (7).
A suction hood according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a mechanism for controlling the rotation of the plane (1).
A suction hood according to claim 2, characterized in that the controlling mechanism is arranged inside the duct (2).
A suction hood according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the controlling mechanism is connected to the plane (1) through the connecting member (6).
A suction hood according to claim 4, characterized in that the controlling mechanism comprises a counterweight (11) connected to the connecting member (6) through a lever (8) and a cable (9) sliding on pulleys (10).
A suction hood according to claim 4, characterized in that the controlling mechanism comprises at least one spring (12) fastened between the connecting member (6) and a fastening point close to the top of the duct (2).
A suction hood according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that the fulcrum (7) is arranged at the lower end of the duct (2) and in that the latter has a bevelled lower end.
A suction hood according to claim 7, characterized in that the connecting member (6) is pivoted to the upper side of plane (1) so as to be received inside the duct (2) when the plane (1 ) is raised.