Cooking top

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10072849-B2
Application number	US-201715435615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2017
Priority date	Jun 15, 2016
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a cooking top including a main body including a heating unit, and an air curtain device that generates an air curtain flow that blocks diffusion of air flow generated by the heating unit. The air curtain device may include an intake port formed at the main body, an exhaust port that extends laterally along an upper portion of the main body, a flow guide that extends from the intake port to the exhaust port, a drive unit installed inside the flow guide to generate airflow, and an airflow control device rotatably mounted at the main body to open and close the exhaust port and configured to operate the drive unit when the airflow control device is rotated to open the exhaust port so as to generate the air curtain flow.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking top comprising:
a main body including a heating unit; and
an air curtain device that generates an air curtain flow that blocks diffusion of air flow generated by the heating unit,
wherein the air curtain device includes:
an intake port formed at the main body;
an exhaust port that extends laterally along an upper portion of the main body;
a flow guide that extends from the intake port to the exhaust port;
a drive unit installed inside the flow guide to generate airflow; and
an airflow control device rotatably mounted at the main body to open and close the exhaust port and configured to operate the drive unit when the airflow control device is rotated to open the exhaust port so as to generate the air curtain flow,
wherein the main body includes an interface unit installed at a front part of the main body and having controls to operate the heating unit; and
the exhaust port is provided between the heating unit and the interface unit such that the air curtain flow from the exhaust port prevents the heating unit air flow from diffusing in a direction toward the front part of the main body.

2. The cooking top of claim 1 , wherein
the main body includes a connection pin fixed at the main body and extending in a direction parallel to a direction in which the airflow control device extends across the main body,
the airflow control device includes a hinge part that protrudes from a back surface of the airflow control device to receive the connection pin, and
wherein the connection pin forms an axis about which the airflow control device rotates to open or close the exhaust port.

3. The cooking top of claim 1 , wherein
the heating unit is installed at a position where an upper part of the main body is recessed so as to be disposed lower than the exhaust port, and
the interface unit includes a display configured to display an indicator in which an area of the indicator varies according to a heat intensity of the heating unit.

4. A cooking top, comprising:
a main body including a heating unit; and
an air curtain device that generates an air curtain flow that blocks diffusion of air flow generated by the heating unit,
wherein the air curtain device includes:
an intake port formed at the main body;
an exhaust port that extends laterally along an upper portion of the main body;
a flow guide that extends from the intake port to the exhaust port;
a drive unit installed inside the flow guide to generate airflow; and
an airflow control device rotatably mounted at the main body to open and close the exhaust port and configured to operate the drive unit when the airflow control device is rotated to open the exhaust port so as to generate the air curtain flow,
wherein the air curtain device further includes a drive control unit that transmits an operation signal to operate the drive unit when the exhaust port is opened.

5. The cooking top of claim 4 , wherein the drive control unit includes an optical switch installed inside the exhaust port to detect a change in light when the exhaust port is opened and the drive control unit transmits the operation signal based on the detected change in light.

6. The cooking top of claim 4 , wherein the drive control unit includes a push switch installed at the main body and positioned to be pressed by the airflow control device when the airflow control device is rotated to open the exhaust port and the drive control unit transmits the operation signal based on a state of the push switch.

7. The cooking top of claim 6 , wherein the airflow control device includes:
a guide part formed at a back surface of the airflow control device to guide forming the air curtain flow at a predetermined angle; and
a stopper part supported by the main body to be fixed at a predetermined angle when the exhaust port is opened,
wherein the stopper part protrudes from a back surface of the airflow control device and is installed at a position to contact the push switch when the exhaust port is opened.

8. A cooking top, comprising:
a main body including a heating unit; and
an air curtain device that generates an air curtain flow that blocks diffusion of air flow generated by the heating unit,
wherein the air curtain device includes:
an intake port formed at the main body;
an exhaust port that extends laterally along an upper portion of the main body;
a flow guide that extends from the intake port to the exhaust port;
a drive unit installed inside the flow guide to generate airflow; and
an airflow control device rotatably mounted at the main body to open and close the exhaust port and configured to operate the drive unit when the airflow control device is rotated to open the exhaust port so as to generate the air curtain flow,
wherein the airflow control device includes a guide part formed at a back surface of the airflow control device to guide the air curtain flow to have a predetermined form.

9. The cooking top of claim 8 , wherein the airflow control device includes a stopper part provided on the back surface of the airflow control device and configured to be supported by the main body to fix the airflow control device at a predetermined angle when the exhaust port is opened.

10. A cooking top, comprising:
a main body including a heating unit; and
an air curtain device that generates an air curtain flow that blocks diffusion of air flow generated by the heating unit,
wherein the air curtain device includes:
an intake port formed at the main body;
an exhaust port that extends laterally along an upper portion of the main body;
a flow guide that extends from the intake port to the exhaust port;
a drive unit installed inside the flow guide to generate airflow; and
an airflow control device rotatably mounted at the main body to open and close the exhaust port and configured to operate the drive unit when the airflow control device is rotated to open the exhaust port so as to generate the air curtain flow,
wherein the airflow control device includes a sealing part that contacts the main body when the exhaust port is closed to prevent foreign matter from entering the main body through the exhaust port.

11. The cooking top of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the sealing part or the main body where the sealing part contacts is formed of a magnetic material to allow the sealing part and the main body to contact each other by magnetic force.

12. A cooking top, comprising:
a main body including a heating unit; and
an air curtain device that generates an air curtain flow that blocks diffusion of air flow generated by the heating unit,
wherein the air curtain device includes:
an intake port formed at the main body;
an exhaust port that extends laterally along an upper portion of the main body;
a flow guide that extends from the intake port to the exhaust port;
a drive unit installed inside the flow guide to generate airflow; and
an airflow control device rotatably mounted at the main body to open and close the exhaust port and configured to operate the drive unit when the airflow control device is rotated to open the exhaust port so as to generate the air curtain flow,
wherein the drive unit includes a cross flow fan installed at a lower part of the exhaust port and configured to rotate about an axis that is parallel to a lengthwise direction of the airflow control device.

13. A cooking top comprising:
a main body including a heating unit; and
an air curtain device that generates an air curtain flow that blocks diffusion of air flow generated by the heating unit,
wherein the air curtain device includes:
an intake port formed at the main body;
an exhau

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Myungsang
• Ryu Jonggwan
• Kim Kwangyong
• Lee Youngmin
• Park Minhye
• Seo Jeongwon

Classifications

• F24C15/001

  arrangements for discharging combustion gases · CPC title

• H05B3/68

  Heating arrangements specially adapted for cooking plates or analogous hot-plates · CPC title

• F24C15/2028 Primary

  using an air curtain · CPC title

• F04D17/04

  of transverse-flow type · CPC title

• F24C7/046

  Ranges · CPC title