Patent Grant
11867407
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Japanese patent application number 2020-136617, filed on Aug. 13, 2020, in the Japanese Intellectual Property Office, and of a Korean patent application number 10-2021-0038772, filed on Mar. 25, 2021, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The disclosure relates to a range hood. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a range hood having improved cleaning properties.
In order to collect oil contained in fumes generated during cooking, studies on range hoods, such as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (see below), have been conducted.
The range hood includes a fan configured to generate an air flow, a filter arranged upstream of the fan in the air flow path and having a hole through which the air flow passes, an electric motor configured to rotate the filter, and a grease collecting member that surrounds the outer periphery of the filter. Accordingly, grease contained in the fumes collides with the rotating filter to flow in the direction of the outer periphery of the filter so that the grease is collected by the grease collecting member provided to surround the outer periphery of the filter. In addition, the collected grease is recovered in the form of oil in an oil reservoir provided in the grease collecting member. In addition, the range hood includes a hood part, on which the filter is mounted, and a rectifying plate detachably mounted on a lower side of the hood part and configured to increase the suction power by providing a gap with respect to the hood part.
However, because the above-described range hood is configured to collect oil from the oil reservoir of the grease collecting member that surrounds the outer periphery of the filter, a cleaning operation, such as disposing of the oil collected in the oil reservoir, is required on a regular basis. In this case, there is a need to open the rectifying plate, and then access the grease collecting member located above the rectifying plate, which degrades the cleanability. In addition, because the grease collecting member is positioned to surround the outer periphery of the disk filter, when a large amount of oil is collected or oil having an increased viscosity due to deterioration is collected, the disk filter and the oil may come into contact with each other, causing the disk filter to be contaminated. In addition, due to the air flow generated by the rotation of the disk filter, air is always circulated, which allows the collected oil to be easily deteriorated (oxidized).
Therefore, with components according to the related art, such as the disk filter, the grease collecting member, and the like, there is a difficulty in collecting oil without long-term cleaning, and the components need to be frequently cleaned.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-139946
Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to provide a range hood capable of reducing the cleaning frequency and improving the cleaning workability.
Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.
In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a range hood is provided. The range hood includes a flow path, a fan disposed in the flow path to generate a flow of air that flows in the flow path, a disk filter disposed upstream of the fan in the flow path to filter the air, a motor connected to the disk filter to rotate the disk filter, a rectifying plate disposed upstream of the disk filter in the flow path, and a cover configured to cover an outer periphery of the disk filter, the cover including an outlet portion for oil to flow from the disk filter to the rectifying plate.
The outlet portion may include an outlet hole formed through a bottom surface of the cover, and further include a collection case disposed on the rectifying plate and configured to collect oil flowing from the outlet hole.
The fan, the disk filter, the collection case, and the rectifying plate may be sequentially arranged in a direction from an upper side to a lower side, and the outer periphery of the disk filter may be formed to be inclined downward such that the oil flows to the bottom surface of the cover.
The outlet hole may be formed at an outer periphery of the bottom surface of the cover, and the collection case may include an opening provided to allow oil drained from the outlet hole to flow into the collection case, the opening formed below the outlet hole to correspond to the outlet hole, and a storage space formed in the collection case to extend toward a center of the rectifying plate so that the oil introduced from the opening is stored therein.
The collection case may further include an oil detecting portion configured to detect an amount of oil accommodated in the storage space.
The disk filter may be inclined along one direction such that oil filtered out of the air may flow to the cover.
The cover and the rectifying plate may be inclined along the one direction to correspond to the disk filter.
A lower surface of the rectifying plate may be subjected to oil repellency coating.
The range hood may further include a body forming the flow path, and at least one of the disk filter, the cover, or the body may be subjected to oil repellency treatment or hydrophilic treatment.
The disk filter may be devoid of a slit in a central portion of the disk filter to increase a rigidity of the disk filter, and may be formed with a slit in an outer periphery portion of the central portion to allow the air to pass through the slit.
The central portion of the disk filter may be an area within a radial distance of less than 35% from a rotation center of the disk filter.
The collection case may be separably coupled to the rectifying plate.
The disk filter and the rectifying plate may horizontally extend in a front-rear direction, and the bottom surface of the cover may be inclined downward as being directed rearward such that the oil flows into the collection case.
The outlet portion may include an outlet flow path inclined downward such that oil flows from the cover to the rectifying plate.
The fan may include a propeller fan, and the range hood may further include a fan motor configured to rotate the propeller fan and a connecting shaft that connects the fan motor to the propeller fan to transmit a driving force from the fan motor to the propeller fan.
Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The same reference numerals are used to represent the same elements throughout the drawings.
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.
Meanwhile, terms “upper-lower direction”, “lower side”, “front-rear direction”, etc. used in the following description are defined based on the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by the terms. For example, referring to
Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
Referring to
Hereinafter, each component will be described.
The hood body 2 is provided, for example, above a cooking appliance 1, and includes a suction port 21 that suctions steam or fumes together with air, and an exhaust port 22 that discharges the suctioned air and the like to the outside. The suction port 21 is formed on a lower surface of the hood body 2 and opened downward, for example, forming a substantially rectangular shape. In addition, the exhaust port 22 may be formed on an upper surface or a rear surface of the hood body 2. For example, the exhaust port 22 may be connected to an exhaust duct (not shown).
The fan 3 is provided inside the hood body 2 and generates a flow of air from the suction port 21 to the exhaust port 22 inside the hood body 2. Although the fan 3 according to the embodiment employs a sirocco fan, the type of the fan 3 is not limited thereto, and other types of fans, such as a propeller fan may be used.
The disk filter 4 is provided inside the hood body 2 and forms a substantially circular shape. The disk filter 4 is configured to cover an opening 201a having a substantially circular shape and formed in an inner panel 201 (a bottom panel of a recessed portion forming the suction port 21) which forms the suction port 21 of the hood body 2. Here, the disk filter 4 is provided to be inclined downward as being directed along the X axis. For example, the disk filter 4 may be inclined in the −Y direction as being directed along the X axis. The disk filter 4 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed (e.g., 700 rpm) by the motor 5 inside the hood body 2.
Referring to
Further, in the disk filter 4, the slit 41 is not formed in an area A within a radial distance of less than 35% in the radial direction from the rotation center C, and the slits 41 are only formed in an area B corresponding to or outside a radial distance of 35% in the radial direction from the ration center C. However, the sizes of the areas A and B are not limited to 35%.
The rectifying plate 6 may be provided at the suction port 21 of the hood body 2 as shown in
In addition, the range hood 100 according to the embodiment is configured to collect oil separated by the disk filter 4 from the rectifying plate 6 located in the −Y direction from the disk filter 4 (e.g., below the disk filter 4).
Specifically, as shown in
The disk cover 7 is configured to surround the entire circumference of the outer periphery portion 4a of the disk filter 4, and has a substantially ring shape. For example, the disk cover 7 may include an annular shape. Specifically, the disk cover 7 has a ring-shaped groove 71 corresponding to the outer periphery portion 4a of the disk filter 4. In the embodiment, the front panel 201 of the hood body 2 is formed with an opening 201a. The opening 201a may cover the outer periphery portion 4a of the disk filter 4 in the X axis and Y axis directions. For example, the portion opening 201a has a shape that covers the upper surface and the side surface of the outer periphery portion 4a of the disk filter 4. In addition, the disk cover 7 may cover the outer periphery portion 4a of the disk filter 4 in the X axis and −Y axis directions so as to cover the outer periphery portion 4a of the disk filter 4 together with the opening 201a. For example, the opening 201a has a shape that covers the lower surface and the side surface of the outer periphery portion 4a. Further, the disk cover 7 is detachably fixed to the panel 201 forming the opening 201a.
Referring to
Oil flows out to a predetermined portion of the rectifying plate 6 by the outlet portion 72 of the disk cover 7 described above. In the embodiment, as shown in
Here, when the disk cover 7 is used, the disk cover 7 obstructs a fluid flow of fumes that does not pass through the disk filter 4 and but passes through the gap between the disk filter 4 and the opening 201a, so that the flow rate of fumes passing through the gap may be reduced. In addition, a fume collecting test based on BLT VU-08 “Oil Collection Efficiency Test of Filter” with an air volume of the fan 3 of 350 CMH and a rotation speed of the disk filter 4 shows a result in which a fume collection rate without using the disk cover 7 was 76%, and a fume collection rate using the disk cover 7 was 79%. That is, when the disk cover 7 is used, the fume collection rate is improved by 3%.
In addition, one surface (for example, the lower surface) of the rectifying plate 6 may be subjected to an oil-repellent treatment, such as oil-repellent coating. When the lower surface of the rectifying plate 6 is subjected to an oil repellent treatment, oil is less likely to stick to the lower surface of the rectifying plate 6, and thus the lower surface of the rectifying plate 6 is less likely to be contaminated. However, examples of the oil repellent treatment are not limited to the oil repellent coating. In addition, oil repellency treatment or hydrophilic treatment may be applied to the upper surface of the rectifying plate 6. Furthermore, oil repellency treatment or hydrophilic treatment may be applied to the disk filter 4, the disk cover 7, or the inner surface of the hood body 2 in which the flow of air is formed by the fan 3. In particular, when the disk filter 4 and the disk cover 7 are subjected to oil repellency treatment or hydrophilic treatment, oil may easily flow to the oil collecting portion 8 of the rectifying plate 6.
Effects of the Embodiment
According to the range hood 100 configured as described above, the disk cover 7 surrounding the outer periphery portion 4a of the disk filter 4 includes the outlet portion 72 configured to drain oil from the disk filter 4 to a predetermined portion of the rectifying plate 6, so that oil scattered by receiving a centrifugal force from the rotating disk filter 4 may be collected by the rectifying plate 6. As a result, the collected oil may be moved to the predetermined part before being oxidized by oxygen in the air and having an increased viscosity, and the disk cover 7, which is an oil flow path, is always cleaned by newly collected oil. That is, since the disk filter 4 does not come into contact with the accumulated oil, and the oil with an increased viscosity does not interfere with the rotation of the disk filter 4, the range hood 100 may be continuously used without cleaning for a long period of time, thereby the cleaning frequency may be reduced. In particular, in the disclosure, since oil is collected in the rectifying plate 6 that is easy to access by a user, the effort of the cleaning work is reduced while improving the workability.
In the improvement of workability, the effort regarding cleaning was quantified and compared. To quantify the effort required for cleaning, the calories were calculated based on details of a cleaning work, a Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) value thereof, and a working time according to the following equation, and was compared with a metal mesh filter according to the existing technology, and the related art (Patent Document 1) having a configuration for collecting oil in a reservoir of a grease collection member that surrounds the outer periphery of a disk filter.
Consumption calories calculated (kcal)=MET×work time (H)×body weight (kg)
(Calculated using the MET value shown in Table 2 with a body weight of 60 kg)
Reference: Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, ‘Physical Activity Standards for Health 2013’
MET is a value obtained by dividing an energy consumption of a given physical activity by the metabolic rate at rest in a sitting position (equivalent to about 3.5 mL/kg/min of oxygen intake).
In addition, the bottom surface of the disk cover 7 may be provided to be inclined downward as being directed along the X axis. For example, the bottom surface of the disk cover 7 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In addition, the outlet portion 72 is provided at the lower end portion of the bottom surface of the disk cover 7. Accordingly, oil moves to the outlet portion 72 of the disk cover 7 and easily flows out from the outlet portion 72 to the rectifying plate 6, so that the oil collection efficiency of the rectifying plate 6 may be improved.
Referring to
Other Modified Embodiments
Here, the disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment.
Referring to
In addition, the outlet portion 72 in the above embodiment is provided as a through hole formed in the bottom surface of the disk cover 7, but according to another embodiment of the disclosure, the outlet portion 72 may be provided by forming an introduction path for guiding oil from the disk cover 7 to the rectifying plate 6. In this case, one end 72a of the introduction path is opened at the bottom surface of the disk cover 7, and the other end 72b of the introduction path may be a component connected to the oil collecting portion 8. With such a configuration, oil may be reliably guided from the disk cover 7 to the oil collecting portion 8 irrespective of the position of the oil collecting portion 8. The introduction path may form an outlet path 72.
Further, in the disk filter 4, the slit 41 may not be formed in an area within a radial distance of less than 50% in the radial direction from the rotation center C, and the plurality of slits 41 are formed in an area corresponding to or outside a radial distance of 50% in the radial direction from the rotation center C. With such a configuration, noise during rotation of the disk filter 4 may be further reduced, and the oil collection rate may be further improved.
Referring to
As is apparent from the above, according to an aspect of the disclosure, a range hood with improved cleaning properties can be provided.
While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
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| 10-2021-0038772 | Mar 2021 | KR | national |
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