KITCHEN RANGE HAVING A COOKING CHAMBER HEATED BY A GAS HEATING SOURCE
A kitchen range is provided, including a chassis and having a cooktop accessible at least from a front face of the chassis with at least one cooking place and with a cooking chamber heated by way of a gas heating source, and with an exhaust pipe for guiding the exhaust gas of the gas heating source to a gas outlet, wherein a cooling device surrounds the exhaust pipe and wherein the gas outlet is provided in a back region of the chassis at a guard unit disposed at the chassis. The guard unit includes a front guard wall oriented toward the front face of the chassis and a back guard wall oriented toward the back region of the chassis. The guard unit extends upwardly beyond the cooktop and the gas outlet is disposed at the guard wall of the guard unit oriented forwardly in the direction of the cooktop.
The present invention relates to a kitchen range having a chassis and a cooktop including at least one cooking place and having a cooking chamber that can be heated by at least one gas heating source. The exhaust gas from the gas heating source is guided through at least one exhaust gas pipe to a gas outlet.
The prior art has disclosed a great variety of kitchen ranges, including gas-heated ovens where the exhaust gas is discharged outwardly through an exhaust pipe. During operation, the exhaust pipe may heat up considerably so that touching may even pose the risk of burns. Document GB 2 242 263 A discloses a gas-heated oven where the exhaust gas exits upwardly through a venting grille at the rear end of the oven. When installed as intended, the edge of the venting grille rests on a kitchen worktop beneath which the oven is mounted. The drawback is that a kitchen wall located behind the oven must be structured so as to exclude the risk of inadmissible heating up due to the exiting hot exhaust gas. Therefore, the oven is suitable to be installed in rooms having e.g. wooden walls only with restrictions. In these cases, stainless steel back walls, so-called backguards, tend to be required. If these kitchen ranges including an oven heated by a gas heating source are also provided with a pyrolysis function, this problem increases further since pyrolysis generates temperatures in the oven of far above 400° C. Even in normal operation and all the more in possible pyrolysis processes, not only the exhaust gas channel heats up but so does the region into which the exhaust gas is discharged. Then, the exhaust gas may even heat up the metal surfaces at the stainless steel backguard far enough for the steel to tarnish and visible surfaces to discolor.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a kitchen range providing more flexibility in positioning and imposing less strict specifications for any adjacent walls. Improved protection of appliances adjacent to the kitchen range is in particular intended and so is a reduced risk of burns upon touching.
SUMMARYA kitchen range according to the invention comprises a chassis and includes a cooktop including at least one cooking place. The cooktop is accessible at least from a front face of the chassis. Furthermore a cooking chamber heated by at least one gas heating source is provided. At least one exhaust pipe conducts the exhaust gas of the gas heating source to a gas outlet. The gas outlet is provided at a guard unit disposed on the chassis. The gas outlet is disposed in a back region of the chassis and in particular distanced farther from the front face than from the back face. A cooling device surrounds at least part of the exhaust pipe. This keeps an externally touchable surface of the guard unit cooler. The guard unit comprises at least one front guard wall oriented toward the front face of the chassis and a back guard wall oriented toward the back region of the chassis or toward the back face. The guard unit extends upwardly beyond the cooktop and the gas outlet is configured on the front guard wall of the guard unit oriented forwardly in the direction of the cooktop.
In particular is the externally touchable guard unit surface kept considerably cooler than an externally touchable guard unit surface of a conventional kitchen range not provided with such a cooling device.
The kitchen range according to the invention has many advantages. A considerable advantage of the kitchen range according to the invention is that the gas outlet is configured at the front guard wall so that the exhaust gas is not discharged immediately but is only released when mixed with cooling air. The exhaust gas is not discharged to the back or immediately upwardly but toward the front. This keeps the chassis rear panel cooler so as to avoid heat accumulation or overheating of the back panel. A building wall adjacent to or positioned immediately next to the back wall of the chassis is exposed to considerably lower temperatures than in the prior art. The still warm exhaust gas is kept away from the kitchen wall or building wall or the like and do not much heat up the region above the kitchen range. Another considerable advantage of the kitchen range according to the invention is that the cooling device even keeps the gas outlet considerably cooler. This keeps the surface temperature of an externally touchable guard unit surface considerably cooler. Since the cooling device surrounds at least part of the exhaust pipe, the hot exhaust pipe is also thermally insulated outwardly.
Exhaust gas in the sense of the present invention is understood to mean the product of combustion. After admixing cooling air or other air, the exhaust gas flow consists of a mixture of the original exhaust gas and the admixed air.
In a preferred specific embodiment the guard unit is disposed behind the cooktop. This means that the guard unit is in particular provided at or behind the rear end of the cooktop. Preferably at least one control is provided at the front end or in front of the cooktop. The control is in particular provided at the end opposite the guard unit.
The guard unit also protects the area lying behind the rear end of the cooktop from heat influence for example from the cooking zones of the cooktop. The cooking zones of the cooktop are heated in different ways. For example electrically heated cooktops or induction-heated cooktops may be provided. It is also possible and preferred to provide gas-heated cooktops or cooking places. Or else a combination is possible so that some of the cooking zones are gas-heated while others are electrically and/or induction-heated.
In all the configurations, the guard unit also protects the area behind the rear end of the cooktop from splashes during cooking and/or roasting and/or from damaging heat influences.
Preferably, a back wall of the guard unit is substantially formed by a continuation of a back face wall of the chassis extending upwardly beyond the cooktop. This means that the back wall of the guard unit may be configured one-piece or integrally with the back face wall of the chassis. This allows an optically appealing design and ease of mounting.
Preferably, at least one flow restriction is assigned to the gas outlet or at least with one gas outlet. In this way, cooling air is admixed to the exhaust gas. An externally touchable surface of the guard unit can thus be kept cooler. A considerable advantage of a kitchen range so equipped is that cooling air is automatically admixed to the exhaust gas through the flow restriction. In all the configurations, the gas outlet is preferably oriented toward the front face of the chassis.
The guard unit in particular shows a height above the cooktop of at least 6 inch, 8 inch, 10 inch, 12 inch, 14 inch, 16 inch, 20 inch or 24 inch or more or an intermediate amount. The height is in particular between approximately 8 inch (or 20 cm) and 40 inch (or 100 cm) and particularly preferably between 10 inch and 30 inch. In advantageous configurations, an embodiment of the guard unit shows a height of approximately 12 inch (+/−20%) or approximately 20 inch (+/−20%). The height is in particular dependent on the intended application. A larger height is basically desired in particular if no cabinets or wall cabinets are provided above the kitchen range. A smaller height of e.g. 12 inch is in particular preferred if appliances or devices are intended to be positioned in the vicinity and above the location of the kitchen range such as a wall cabinet.
The gas outlet is preferably disposed a minimum of 4 inches beneath the top edge of the guard unit. This offers the advantage that the top edge of the guard unit is considerably cooler. Protection of the back region is further improved in normal operation, and also in pyrolysis operation, if any. In pyrolysis operation, the cooking chamber is heated up to a suitable temperature above 400° C. where it is maintained for a specified duration so that any organic residue in the cooking chamber is incinerated and even obstinate organic contaminations on the cooking chamber walls are discharged.
Advantageously, the gas outlet is arranged a minimum of 3 inches above the cooktop. This improves protection of the region immediately above the cooktop and also of the region at the back face of the chassis against high temperatures. Also the operator is better protected from warm or hot exhaust gas flows during operation. A vertical distance of the bottom end of the gas outlet from the cooktop is in particular at least 3 inches or 3.5 inches or 4 inches or 5 inches.
Preferably, the distance of the top end of the gas outlet from the top end of the guard unit is larger than the distance of the bottom end of the gas outlet from the cooktop. This improves protection from heat input of the back panel of the guard unit and thus of a wall located behind the guard unit in the room where the kitchen range is used respectively installed.
Particularly preferably, the guard unit comprises a top cover wall which is substantially closed. A closed cover wall provides ease of cleaning. Moreover, no substances can enter into the guard unit from above, thus contaminating the interior. The top cover wall might optionally be used to deposit kitchen utensils during operation.
In all the configurations, it is preferred for two exhaust pipes laterally spaced from one another to be inserted in the guard unit. The exhaust pipes are in particular connected in parallel. The exhaust pipes are preferably distanced from one another in the lateral direction by a (central) clearance and show in particular a lateral clearance (distance) from the side edge. In preferred embodiments, a lateral width of a central or lateral clearance as well as of an exhaust pipe is between ⅙ and ¼ of the lateral width of the chassis. In simple configurations, the lateral width of the clearances and of the exhaust pipes is approximately ⅕ (+1-20%) of the lateral width of the chassis.
The gas outlet comprises in particular a plurality of apertures arranged adjacent and in particular in parallel in the front guard wall of the guard unit. Narrow webs are preferably positioned between openings. A relationship of the width of the web to a width of the openings is preferably between 20:80 and 50:50 and preferably approximately 30:70.
In a preferred embodiment, the exhaust pipe is provided with at least one inlet port for cooling air of the cooling device, distanced from the gas outlet. This allows efficient cooling of the exhaust gas or the mixture. Preferably, the distance of the inlet port from the gas outlet is larger than is the diameter or a clear dimension of the exhaust pipe. Particularly preferably, the inlet port is situated beneath the cooktop or about at the level of the cooktop. The guard unit extends upwardly beyond the cooktop. The guard unit may for example show a height of a few centimeters. The guard unit in particular shows a height between approximately 10 cm and 60 cm. A suitable height may be e.g. 12 inch (circa 30 cm) or in another configuration, 20 inch (circa 50 cm).
It is also possible to provide two or more inlet ports at different height levels. It is also possible to dispose another inlet port comparatively closely to the gas outlet. This allows to additionally cool the wall immediately around the gas outlet separately and more intensely.
Preferably, at least one air outlet for cooling air is disposed in a region of the gas outlet. An air outlet is in particular provided in a top region and another air outlet, in a bottom region of the gas outlet. This allows particularly efficient cooling of the guard unit components immediately adjacent to the gas outlet so as to reliably prevent discoloring of e.g. visible stainless steel surfaces at the gas outlet by temperature effects from the exhaust gas.
In advantageous configurations, the cooling device surrounds the exhaust pipe over at least a longitudinal section over at least approximately half and in particular at least substantially the entire circumference. The cooling device may surround the exhaust pipe for example approximately 40% or 60%. In particular, it is also possible for the cooling device to surround 90% or more of the exhaust pipe. This allows particular efficient cooling. This structural measure keeps an outer surface of the cooling device considerably cooler than the outer temperature of the exhaust pipe so as to considerably reduce and preferably prevent the risk of burns upon touching.
In an advantageous specific embodiment, the cooling device comprises at least one cooling channel at least part of which is formed by the exhaust pipe and the outer walls of the guard unit. The cooling channel may in particular be formed substantially entirely or even completely by the exhaust pipe and the outer walls of the guard unit. This achieves particularly efficient cooling of the exhaust pipe. The cooling channel may in particular guide part of the air stream towards at least one air outlet namely in particular to the bottom and/or top air outlets at the gas outlet.
The cooling device is in particular configured for cooling the guard unit so that even in pyrolysis operation any visible, external stainless steel surfaces of the guard unit will not discolor due to the temperature. For example, two or more cooling channels entirely or partially surrounding one another may be provided accommodating the exhaust pipe in their center. In this way, the surface temperature obtained on the outer surface of the external cooling channel is noticeably lower than with only one cooling channel surrounding the exhaust pipe. Preferably, the cooking chamber and the guard unit are suitable for pyrolysis operation. In these configurations, the outer surfaces of the guard unit may for example be partially of stainless steel and in normal operation the visible and touchable outer stainless steel surfaces will not be exposed to temperatures high enough to result in tarnishing and thus discoloring of the stainless steel surfaces. It is in particular also possible to reduce and/or even entirely prevent these effects in pyrolysis operation.
Preferably, the gas outlet is disposed at a guard unit wall oriented forwardly in the direction of the cooktop. This arrangement is advantageous since egress of heat will not be high, neither rearwardly nor sidewardly. This eliminates the need for observing specific distances from adjacent appliances and the kitchen range is likewise suitable for a stand-alone position for example in a kitchen island.
The gas outlet is preferably provided with at least one baffle plate and/or a guiding plate. For example, a deflector slat or multiple deflector slats may be provided for guiding the exhaust gas flow upwardly in particular inclined. Thus, the waste heat will be advantageously dissipated.
In particular, the back face of the guard unit may preferably be provided with at least one additional cooling channel to which additional cooling air is admixed. Such an additional cooling channel allows the further reduction of the surface temperature on the back face and/or the top face of the guard unit so that installation and positioning of such a kitchen range involve no or comparatively little restrictions.
Preferably, the gas outlet of the guard unit is provided with at least one air outlet for cooling air. The cooling air may be fed through the cooling device and it is preferably not admixed with the exhaust gas.
The gas outlet is in particular followed by at least one air outlet each for cooling air in upwardly and downwardly exhaust gas outlet regions.
The guard unit of the kitchen range may be called a backguard which is disposed at the rear end of the cooktop. In conventional prior art kitchen ranges, the guard unit may show tarnished coloring in the exhaust gas outlet region already after operating once only or else after a pyrolysis process or the like. On the other hand, when using a kitchen range according to the invention the temperatures of the touchable, vertical and/or horizontal surfaces of the guard unit and/or the chassis are reduced considerably so that the risk of burns is as a rule eliminated. Moreover, in normal operation and preferably even in pyrolysis operation there will be no discoloring and/or tarnishing.
The hot exhaust gases of the gas heating source are discharged through the exhaust pipe of the oven and in particular fed into an extension of the exhaust pipe where optionally a first cooling air stream may already be added. After entering into the guard unit which surrounds the exhaust pipe in particular entirely, a cooling air stream builds up around the exhaust pipe which stream is aspirated through the flow restriction assigned to the gas outlet and due to the Venturi principle caused thereby. Optionally, air can be actively conveyed through the cooling device. Optionally, second and third cooling air streams are admixed. Additional cooling air may be added in particular immediately at the gas outlet edge for cooling the visible surfaces at the gas outlet, thus preventing discoloring of the visible surfaces.
Further advantages and features of the present invention can be taken from the description of the exemplary embodiment which will be discussed below with reference to the enclosed figures.
The figures show in:
The cooking chamber 6 is accessible on the front face through a chamber door which can be opened and closed by means of a grip. The top surface of the cooking chamber 6 shows simplistically at least one gas heating source 5 which serves to heat the cooking chamber 6. One single gas heating source may be used. Or else, multiple gas heating sources may be provided which can be operated individually or collectively. The rear end of the cooking chamber 6 schematically shows a recirculation air blower which can be activated as required or as desired or as programmed.
The front face shows a number of controls 15 and optionally a display. The display provides information about the operating state and further information about the program and progress of each of the cooking processes.
The rear end is provided with a guard unit 9 which forms part of the chassis 2 and extends upwardly beyond the level of the cooktop 3. The guard unit may optionally be called a backguard and it is at any rate provided in a back region behind the cooktop 3. In preferred configurations and constructions the back wall 16 of the guard unit 9 is configured integrally with the back face wall 17 of the chassis 2. The walls 16 and 17 may be configured as one piece or integrally. Or else it is possible for the back face wall 17 to consist of multiple parts and for one of the parts to be configured as one piece or integrally with the back wall 16 of the guard unit 9.
This guard unit 9 extends upwardly beyond the level of the cooktop 3 between approximately 5 cm and 30 cm. Other dimensions are likewise possible. The guard unit 9 may in particular project upwardly approximately 50 cm or more. A higher variant ensures a still better splashguard to the rear.
The front face or front wall 24 facing the cooktop 3 comprises the gas outlet 8 through which the exhaust gases of the gas heating source 5 are discharged. The interior of the kitchen range 1 is provided with an exhaust pipe 7 not shown in
A bottom region 42 of the guard unit 9 shows inlet ports 38 for cooling air at the back guard wall 24. The bottom region 42 is somewhat narrower than the chassis 2 and is accommodated at the chassis 2 during mounting. The widths 47 and 49 of the exhaust pipes 46 and 48 shown in dashed lines are between approximately 15 and 20 cm, as is the width of a (central) clearance between the exhaust pipes 46 and 48 and the lateral clearances (distance) from the lateral edge.
As is shown in
At least in the region of the gas outlet 8, a flow restriction 11 is provided so that the still warm combustion gases are accelerated at least in this spot due to the flow restriction 11 so as to generate a Venturi effect and additional cooling air is aspirated through the cooling channel 22 from the inlet port 28. Moreover, further cooling air is aspirated through the inlet port 38 and conveyed through the cooling channel 27. The cooling channel 27 cools the back face 16 of the guard unit and the top surface 30.
A part stream of the cooling air exits from the air outlet 31 in the bottom region of the gas outlet 8. A part stream of the cooling air which is supplied through the cooling channel 27 also exits from the air outlet 32 in the top region of the gas outlet 8. The cooling air exiting from the air outlets 31 and 32 does not yet contain any exhaust gas. In other configurations, a minor portion of exhaust gas may be admixed. At any rate, the part streams are still comparatively cool at exiting from the air outlets 31 and 32 and thus protect the parts visible from outside of the wall 24 in the regions 33 and 34 from overheating. The air outlets 31 and 32 thus effectively shield the sections 33 and 34 of the wall 24.
The air flow on the front wall 24 approaching from the inlet port 28 contributes to effectively cooling the wall section 33 on the wall 24 immediately beneath the gas outlet 8. The section 34 of the front wall 24 above the gas outlet is cooled accordingly by the part stream of the cooling air through the cooling channel 27. In the top region the cooling channel 27 is also separated from the top wall 30 by a metal sheet 29 so that the top wall 30 is again considerably cooler than in the prior art. The cooling channel 27 and the metal sheet 29 reduce the temperature on the top surface far enough so as to eliminate any risk of burns as a rule.
On the whole, the invention considerably reduces the temperatures on the touchable surfaces in lateral and back regions of the backguard or the guard unit 9. In normal operation, the risk of burns is eliminated given proper handling. Even in pyrolysis operation the temperature is much reduced so that no discoloring and no tarnishing occur. The risk of burns is also considerably reduced. The hot exhaust gases 12 exiting the cooking chamber 6 are guided upwardly through the exhaust pipe 7. By means of the installed Venturi tube, the air speed at the gas outlet 8 generates negative pressure which aspirates cooling air from beneath through a number of inlet ports 18, 28 and 38. The cooling effect is optimized by way of an exhaust air channel tapering toward its end so as to further increase the air speed of the exhaust gas 12. In the exit region of the gas outlet 8, a negative pressure region is thus generated which takes care that cooling air is also aspirated in the top region 32 and in the bottom region 31 of the gas outlet. In this way the exhaust gases, which may still be hot, do not have any direct contact with the outer surfaces of the guard unit 9. Thus the operating temperature of the visible outer surface, in particular the surfaces 24 and the sections 33 and 34 and of the walls 30 and 16 is considerably lowered. The risk of burns is considerably reduced and even in pyrolysis operation there will be no discoloring or tarnishing.
Preferred specific embodiments are the subjects of the claims. Further advantages and features of the present invention can be taken from the general description and the description of the exemplary embodiment.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
Claims
1. A kitchen range, comprising: a chassis and having a cooktop accessible at least from a front face of the chassis with at least one cooking place and with a cooking chamber heated by way of at least one gas heating source; and with at least one exhaust pipe for guiding the exhaust gas of the gas heating source to a gas outlet;
- wherein a cooling device surrounds at least part of the exhaust pipe;
- wherein the gas outlet is provided in a back region of the chassis at a guard unit disposed at the chassis;
- wherein the guard unit comprises at least one front guard wall oriented toward the front face of the chassis, and a back guard wall oriented toward the back region of the chassis; and
- the guard unit extends upwardly beyond the cooktop and the gas outlet is disposed at the guard wall of the guard unit oriented forwardly in the direction of the cooktop.
2. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein a back wall of the guard unit substantially forms a continuation of a back face wall of the chassis extending upwardly beyond the cooktop.
3. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein at least one flow restriction is assigned to the gas outlet so that cooling air from the cooling device is admixed to the exhaust gas and a surface touchable from outside of the guard unit is kept cooler.
4. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the guard unit shows a height above the cooktop of at least 8 inches.
5. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the guard unit amounts to a height above the cooktop of at least 16 inches.
6. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the gas outlet is disposed at least 4 inches beneath the top edge of the guard unit.
7. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the gas outlet is disposed at least 3 inches above the cooktop.
8. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the gas outlet is distanced further from the top end of the guard unit than from the cooktop.
9. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the guard unit comprises a top cover wall which is substantially closed.
10. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein two exhaust pipes laterally spaced apart from one another are inserted in the guard unit.
11. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the exhaust pipe is provided with at least one inlet port for cooling air of the cooling device distanced from the gas outlet.
12. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the cooling device surrounds the exhaust pipe over at least a longitudinal section over at least approximately half and in particular at least substantially the entire circumference.
13. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the cooling device comprises at least one cooling channel which is at least partially formed by the exhaust pipe and the outer walls of the guard unit.
14. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the cooling device is configured for cooling the guard unit such that even in pyrolysis operation any visible, external stainless steel surfaces of the guard unit do not discolor due to the temperature.
15. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the gas outlet is provided with at least one baffle plate.
16. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein at least the back face of the guard unit is provided with an additional cooling channel to which further cooling air is admixed.
17. The kitchen range according to claim 1 wherein the gas outlet of the guard unit is provided with at least one air outlet for cooling air.
18. The kitchen range according to claim 17 wherein the gas outlet is followed by at least one air outlet for cooling air in upwardly and downwardly exhaust gas outlet regions.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 18, 2015
Publication Date: Jun 23, 2016
Inventors: Eugen KULEMIN (Beckum), Uwe KELLER (Gutersloh), Jens MICHEEL (Bad Laer), Michael WÖßMANN (Oelde)
Application Number: 14/975,250