GB2563305B - Dual cooking appliance and method for cooling a dual cooking appliance - Google Patents

Description

DUAL COOKING APPLIANCE AND METHOD FOR COOLING A DUAL COOKING APPLIANCE

The invention relates to a dual cooking appliance, having a lower cooking appliance and an upper cooking appliance arranged thereabove, which are accommodated in a shared housing, a first fan and a second fan. The invention also relates to a method for cooling at least one housing wall of a dual cooking appliance having a lower cooking appliance and an upper cooking appliance. The invention can be applied particularly advantageously to integrated dual cooking appliances, of which at least the lower cooking appliance is capable of pyrolysis.

With dual cooking appliances of the relevant type, the first fan is used to take in and then discharge air from a ventilated cooking compartment door ofthe lower cooking appliance. The second fan is typically used to cool appliance electronics which are accommodated in a region above the upper cooking appliance. An underpressure generated by the second fan can also be used to take in cold outside air from the bottom up along an inner surface of the housing, as a result of which the housing is cooled on the inside. However, a cooling of the housing walls is in particular then frequently not adequate if the lower cooking appliance is suitable for pyrolysis. This is particularly problematic with integrated appliances, in which a surrounding piece of furniture could possibly be damaged by the heat generated by the dual cooking appliance. DE 10 2010 062 147 A1 discloses a domestic appliance with an outer housing, which has a side wall, and an air duct, which is embodied on the side wall, wherein the air duct is embodied inside the housing and a first boundary wall of the air duct is embodied by the inner surface of the side wall and a second boundary wall is embodied by a duct section arranged detachably on the housing. DE 10 2014 217 639 A1 and DE 10 2014 217 641 A1 disclose a cooking appliance with a housing, which has outer walls and in which a muffle is arranged, which delimits a cooking compartment with muffle walls, wherein at least one outer wall in a surface area adjoining an adjacent muffle wall has an indentation embodied to face the muffle wall, wherein an embossed box with a plurality of separate flat embossing elements is embodied in the indentation. Both documents also disclose an arrangement.

In order to be able to cool a housing for a cooking appliance in an effective and less labour-intensive manner, EP 1 431 670 A2 discloses proposing a housing for a cooking appliance with a housing wall, in which at least one air guiding element for guiding the air along the outer surface is arranged in an outer surface ofthe housing wall.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art at least partially and in particular to provide a simple and cost-effective possibility of improved cooling of housing walls of a dual cooking appliance, in particular with a pyrolysis function.

According to the invention there is provided a dual cooking appliance as defined in claim 1 and a method as defined in claim 10. Preferred embodiments are stated in the dependent claims.

The object is achieved by a dual cooking appliance, having a lower cooking appliance and an upper cooking appliance arranged thereabove, which are accommodated in a shared housing, a first fan and a second fan, wherein fresh air flowing across an inner surface of the at least one housing wall is taken in by means of the first fan and fresh air flowing across an outer surface of the at least one housing wall is taken in by means of the second fan.

This dual cooking appliance is advantageous in that a cooling effect on this housing wall can be intensified by the additional use of two fans for cooling the air on at least one housing wall. This additional cooling effect can be realized cost-effectively with easily implementable modifications to existing appliances.

The lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance can be the same or different cooking appliances, e.g. the lower cooking appliance can be an oven, while the upper cooking appliance is a steamer and/or a microwave appliance. The lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance may also be ovens at different heights.

The fact that fresh air flowing across an inner surface of the at least one housing wall can be taken in by means of the first fan may in particular mean that the fresh air can practically “only” be taken in across the inner surface and not across the outer surface by means of the first fan. The fact that fresh air flowing across an outer surface of the at least one housing wall can be taken in by means of the second fan may mean analogously that the fresh air can practically “only” be taken in across the outer surface and not across the inner side by means of the second fan. Fresh air can be understood to mean in particular unheated air, in particular ambient air.

One development which is advantageous for a particularly large-area cooling effect is that fresh air can be taken in in the region of a base of the housing. This can be implemented through openings in the base, through openings close to the base in the lateral housing walls etc.

In one embodiment, the at least one housing wall comprises a housing wall to the left (left side wall) and a housing wall to the right (right side wall). These housing walls may become particularly warm and moreover may be arranged particularly close to adjacent appliances, walls etc. Cooling them by means of fresh air flowing across both sides is therefore particularly advantageous.

In another embodiment, the housing walls have elongated, vertically aligned air routing ducts. This is advantageous in that the fresh air can flow across a particularly wide area of the housing walls.

In another embodiment, at least one housing wall has at least one air routing duct (in particular a number of air routing ducts), which is formed by means of at least one vertically aligned embossing (in particular by means of a number of such embossings). Embossings can advantageously be introduced particularly easily into a housing wall, e.g. into housing walls present as sheet parts. However, in addition or alternatively, air routing ducts of other shapes can also be used, e.g. air routing ducts formed by air routing fins.

In one development the at least one embossing extends across at least 80% of a height of an associated housing wall. A particularly large-area cooling can thus be achieved. In other words, at least 80% of the height of the associated housing wall is provided with at least one embossing.

In one development, the embossings are a number of embossings arranged in parallel to one another. In particular, alternating raised and recessed embossings can be arranged laterally. Raised embossings can route air flows to the outer surface of the housing wall and recessed embossings can route air flows to the inner surface of the housing wall, or vice versa.

In one development, at least one air routing duct runs in an embossing or at least one embossing forms an air routing duct. In another development, at least one air routing duct runs in an intermediate space between two adjacent embossings or the intermediate space forms an air routing duct.

In another embodiment, the first fan is a fan arranged on a rear and the second fan is arranged on a top side of the upper cooking appliance. This permits a particularly effective ventilation effect with an arrangement which can be implemented particularly easily.

In one development the first fan is a cross-flow fan. In another development, the second fan is an axial-flow fan.

The rear can be a rear of a rear wall of the housing, in particular an outer surface. The rear can also be a rear of a cooking appliance.

In another embodiment, air flowing only across a lower sub-region of the at least one housing wall can be taken in by means of the first fan. As a result, a particularly strong cooling effect is generated on the lower sub-region. A lower sub-region of a housing wall can be understood to mean in particular that sub-region which is opposite to the lower cooking appliance or which is disposed at the height of the lower cooking appliance. This embodiment is particularly advantageous if the lower cooking appliance is able to heat up significantly, e.g. during pyrolysis.

Alternatively, air flowing across an upper sub-region of the at least one housing wall can also be taken in by means of the first fan. The upper sub-region can also be cooled on the outside by an additional air flow. An upper sub-region of a housing wall can be understood to mean in particular that sub-region which is opposite to the upper cooking appliance or which is disposed at the height of the upper cooking appliance. Here an air volume flow taken in along the lower sub-region is advantageously noticeably larger than an air volume flow taken in along the upper sub-region. For instance, a ratio of the air volume flow taken in across the upper sub-region to the air volume flow taken in across the lower sub-region can be 1:10, 1:5, 1: 4, 1:3, 1:2 or at least more than 1:1.

In another embodiment, air which escapes from a ventilated door of the lower cooking appliance can additionally be taken in by means ofthe first fan. As a result, the door can also be ventilated and/or its waste air can be effectively discharged. The door can have air outlet slots provided on its upper end to allow air to escape for instance. In an alternative or additional development, air which escapes from a ventilated door of the upper cooking appliance can additionally be taken in by means of the first fan.

In one development, the air outlet slots are directed into an intermediate space between the lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance or border such an intermediate space. This allows waste air to be discharged from the door through the intermediate space in an effective and space-saving manner.

In another embodiment, an air guide hood which leads from a front edge ofthe housing to the first fan is present between the lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance. This air guide hood can cover the lower cooking appliance in particular, in particular in a practically air-tight manner. This embodiment is advantageous in that a suction power ofthe second fan for taking in fresh air from below across the inner surface of the housing and possibly waste air from the door is particularly high because unwanted or parasitic air flows, in particular from an upper region ofthe housing, can be noticeably reduced.

In one development, the second fan is arranged in the region of the intermediate space between the lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance. Therefore particularly short air paths from the lower sub-region of the housing walls and possibly the door to the second fan can be achieved, which assists with maintaining a high suction power.

In another embodiment, the lower cooking appliance and/or the upper cooking appliance is an appliance capable of pyrolysis. Such an appliance capable of pyrolysis can be cooled externally particularly effectively and without complex additional parts.

In another embodiment, the dual cooking appliance is an integrated appliance for integration into a piece of furniture. An outer surface of the housing can then be arranged adjacent to a wall of a piece of furniture. The outer surface of the housing can have a distance from the wall of the piece of furniture, in particular a small distance of one to two millimetres. Alternatively, the dual cooking appliance can be an individual standalone appliance. An outer surface ofthe housing can then be arranged adjacent to a carcass (outer shell) of the cooking appliance.

In general, air routing ducts can be formed on the outer surface ofthe housing in that outwardly open depressions are covered by the wall of a piece of furniture or a carcass wall. The cover does not need to be airtight. Such depressions can be achieved for instance by a cover of an inwardly embossed (recessed) embossing and/or by a cover of an intermediate space between two outwardly embossed (raised) embossings.

Air routing ducts on the inner surface of the housing can be formed such that inwardly open depressions are covered by a thermal insulation (e.g. a thermal insulation plate). The cover does not need to be airtight. Such depressions can be achieved for instance by a cover of an outwardly embossed (raised) embossing and/or by a cover of an intermediate space between two inwardly embossed (recessed) embossings.

The object is also achieved by a system comprising a piece of furniture, in particular kitchen furniture, and an integrated dual cooking appliance integrated therein.

The object is also achieved by a method for cooling at least one housing wall of a dual cooking appliance having a lower cooking appliance and an upper cooking appliance, wherein air flowing across an inner surface of the at least one housing wall is taken in by means of the first fan and air flowing across an outer surface of the at least one housing wall is taken in by means of the second fan. The method can be embodied analogously to the dual cooking appliance and has the same advantages.

In one embodiment, therefore, air flowing across a height of the side walls which corresponds to the lower cooking appliance is taken in by means of the first fan and air flowing across a height of the side walls which corresponds to the lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance is taken in by means of the second fan.

In another embodiment, waste air additionally escaping from a door of the lower cooking appliance is taken in by mean of the first fan through an intermediate space between the two cooking appliances.

The above-described characteristics, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which these are realized, will become more clearly and easily intelligible in connection with the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment which is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an oblique view of an outer surface of a side wall of a housing of an integrated dual cooking appliance;

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the integrated dual cooking appliance with air flows in the side wall which are drawn in for an inner surface;

Fig. 3 shows an oblique view from above of a cutout of a lower cooking appliance of the integrated dual cooking appliance with surrounding housing, air cover hood and second fan; and

Fig. 4 shows a side view of the integrated dual cooking appliance with air flows in the side wall which are drawn in for an outer surface.

Fig. 1 shows an oblique view of an outer surface 1 of a (front view) right side wall 2 of a housing 3 of an integrated dual cooking appliance 4. The integrated dual cooking appliance 4 is provided for integration in a piece of kitchen furniture (not shown).

The side wall 2 has a lower sub-region 5 for laterally covering a lower cooking appliance G1 (see Fig. 2) and an upper sub-region 6 for laterally covering an upper cooking appliance G2 (see Fig. 2) arranged thereabove.

The side wall 2 has “inner” air routing ducts in the form of vertically embodied parallel embossings 7 which are distanced from one another. The embossings 7 are embossed or raised outwards. The side wall 2 also has “external" air routing ducts in the form of intermediate spaces 17 aligned vertically and delimited laterally by embossings 7. The embossings 7 are embossed or raised outwards. A left side wall (not shown) can be shaped analogously, in particular at least approximately mirror-symmetrically.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the integrated dual cooking appliance 4 with flow directions L1 of cool ambient air K which are drawn in for an inner surface of the side wall 2. The ambient air K is taken in by means of a first fan in the form of a cross-flow fan 9 at the front in the region of a base 8 of the housing 2. It then flows upward into the embossings 7 on an inner surface 10 of the housing 2, up as far as an intermediate space 11 shown in Fig. 3. There the ambient air K is deflected horizontally to the rear in the direction of the cross-flow fan 9 by means of an air guide hood 12 which extends horizontally and is flat. The air guide hood 12 extends practically across an entire depth and width of the intermediate space 11, in particular from a front edge of the housing 3 to the cross-flow fan 9.

Fresh air K flowing across an inner surface 10 of the side wall 2 is consequently taken in by means of the cross-flow fan 9, but only across the lower sub-region 5 which corresponds to the lower cooking appliance G1. This taken-in ambient air K is discharged to the rear out of the housing 3 by the cross-flow fan 9.

The cross-flow fan 9 is arranged at the height ofthe intermediate space, namely it is fastened here to the air guide hood 12, in order to generate short air paths on a rear of the integrated dual cooking appliance 4.

The embossings 7 are covered on the inside by a heat insulation layer (not shown), so that the air routing ducts are peripherally delimited by the embossings 7 and the heat insulation layer. Here the heat insulation layer does not have to rest in an airtight manner on the embossings 7, but can be distanced therefrom while maintaining a gap for instance.

If a front cooking appliance door 13 of the lower cooking appliance G1 is ventilated and has air outlet openings 14 on its upper edge, the air (waste air B) escaping from the air outlet openings 13 can also be taken in by means of the cross-flow fan 9. The waste air B is taken in here from front to back, as indicated in Fig. 2, below the air guide hood 12 through the intermediate space 11. Such a variant is particularly advantageous if the lower cooking appliance G1 is a cooking appliance which is capable of pyrolysis.

The integrated dual cooking appliance 4 also has a second fan in the form of an axial fan 15 arranged on a top side of the upper cooking appliance G1. The axial fan 15 does not contribute or noticeably contribute to producing an internal air flow on the side walls 2.

In one variant, this may be noticeable in the upper sub-region 6 of the side wall 2, but compared with the lower sub-region 5, may result in minimal air flows in the sections of the embossings 7 there. Their flow directions L2 point top down counter to the flow directions L1. In particular, air can be taken in from a region above the upper cooking appliance G2 into the intermediate space 11.

Fig. 4 shows a representation ofthe integrated dual cooking appliance 4 analogous to Fig. 2 with air flows L3 of cool ambient air K on the side wall 2 which are drawn in for the outer surface 1. The position of the fans 9, 15 is only indicated here. The cross-flow fan 9 is covered by a rear cover 16. The outer surface 1 is covered by the wall of a piece of furniture or an appliance carcass (not shown).

The ambient air K is taken in at the front and rear at the height of the base 8 of the housing 2 by means of the axial fan 15, namely in a space between the outer surface and the piece of furniture. This ambient air K is routed upward in vertically aligned air routing ducts. The air routing ducts correspond to intermediate spaces 17 between the embossings 7 or an embossing 7 and a side limit 18 of the side wall 2. The intermediate spaces 17 are also covered by the piece of furniture, possibly with gaps.

The ambient air K flows along the outer surface 1 of the side wall 2 in the form of vertical air flows L3. An air throughflow opening 19, through which this ambient air K enters into the interior of the housing 2 and from there flows to the axial fan 15, is disposed at an upper edge of the upper sub-region 6 or even above the upper sub-region 6 of the side wall 2. The air throughflow opening 19 is embodied here in multiple parts with trapezoid sub-regions. The air flows L3 therefore flow practically across the entire height of the lower sub-region 5 and the upper sub-region 6 and cool these.

The present invention is of course not restricted to the exemplary embodiment shown.

The first fan therefore does not have to be a cross-flow fan 9. The second fan 15 also does not have to be an axial fan. The number of embossings is essentially arbitrary. The embossings also do not have to be aligned vertically. The intermediate spaces 17 between the embossings can themselves be embossings, in particular embossings embossed in a direction which is opposite to the embossings 7.

In general, "a", "one" etc. can be regarded as a singular or a plurality, in particular in the sense of "at least one" or "one or more" etc., as long as this is not explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression "precisely one" etc.

In addition, a given number can include precisely the number given and also a conventional tolerance range, as long as this is not explicitly excluded.

Claims (12)

1. A dual cooking appliance comprising - a lower cooking appliance and an upper cooking appliance arranged thereabove, which are accommodated in a shared housing, and - a first fan and a second fan, wherein - fresh air flowing across an inner surface of at least one wall of the housing is taken in by means of the first fan and - fresh air flowing across an outer surface of the at least one housing wall is taken in by means of the second fan.

2. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one housing wall comprises a wall at one side of the housing and a wall at an opposite side of the housing.

3. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least one housing wall has at least one air routing duct formed by at least one vertically aligned embossing.

4. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first fan is arranged on a rear side of the upper cooking appliance and the second fan is arranged on a top side of the upper cooking appliance.

5. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein fresh air flowing solely across a lower sub-region of the at least one housing wall can be taken in by means of the first fan.

6. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein additional waste air escaping from a ventilated door of the lower cooking appliance can be taken in by means of the first fan.

7. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in any one of claims, wherein an air guide hood is present between the lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance and extends from a front edge of the housing to the first fan. *

8. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance is capable of pyrolysis.

9. A dual cooking appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dual cooking appliance is an integrated appliance for integration into a piece of furniture.

10. A method of cooling at least one wall of a housing of a dual cooking appliance comprising a lower cooking appliance, an upper cooking appliance above the lower cooking appliance, a first fan and a second fan, wherein - fresh air flowing across an inner surface of the at least one housing wall is taken in by means of the first fan and - fresh air flowing across an outer surface of the at least one housing wall is taken in by means of the second fan.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein - fresh air flowing across at least one side wall at a height which corresponds with the lower cooking appliance is taken in by means of the first fan and - fresh air flowing across the at least one side wall at a height which corresponds with the lower cooking appliance and the upper cooking appliance is taken in by means of the second fan.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein waste air escaping from a door of the lower cooking appliance is taken in through an intermediate space between the two cooking appliances by means of the second fan.