Oven appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10215420-B2
Application number	US-201615218122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2016
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

An air distribution assembly for an oven appliance is provided. The air distribution assembly includes an air distribution manifold mounted to a housing of the oven appliance at an opening of the housing. An air handler draws air into the air distribution manifold through a manifold inlet, circulates the air throughout the air distribution manifold, and discharges the air through a manifold outlet. A variety of cooling air flow paths may be defined within the air distribution manifold and/or oven appliance, thereby providing optimal cooling with a simplified construction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oven appliance, comprising:
a housing defining a cooking chamber and an opening for accessing the cooking chamber;
an upper heating element array positioned within the housing at a top portion of the cooking chamber;
a baking stone positioned within the housing at a bottom portion of the cooking chamber;
a lower heating element array positioned within the housing below the baking stone adjacent the bottom portion of the cooking chamber;
an air distribution manifold mounted to a front of the housing at the opening of the housing, the air distribution manifold defining a manifold inlet and a manifold outlet, the air distribution manifold comprising a top manifold, a bottom manifold, and two side manifolds that are in fluid communication with each other and extend vertically about and define the opening of the housing; and
an air handler positioned within the air distribution manifold, the air handler being configured for drawing air in the manifold inlet and urging air out the manifold outlet.

2. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the manifold inlet is positioned in the bottom manifold and the manifold outlet is positioned in the top manifold, such that the air handler draws ambient air into the bottom manifold, through the two side manifolds, and out of the top manifold.

3. The oven appliance of claim 2 , wherein the oven appliance further comprises a venting channel positioned within a top of the cooking chamber and a rear cooling channel defined behind a rear wall of the cooking chamber, the venting channel being in fluid communication with the rear cooling channel through a rear channel outlet and with a venting channel inlet defined in the top manifold, such that the air handler draws heated air from the cooking chamber and from the rear cooling channel into the air distribution manifold through the venting channel inlet.

4. The oven appliance of claim 3 , wherein the venting channel is defined at least in part by a top wall of the cooking chamber and a perforated reflector positioned within the top portion of the cooking chamber.

5. The oven appliance of claim 3 , wherein the oven appliance further comprises a smoke reduction catalyst positioned within the venting channel.

6. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the air handler is positioned within the top manifold of the air distribution manifold.

7. The oven appliance of claim 6 , wherein the air handler is a tangential fan.

8. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the air handler urges air out of the manifold outlet through a manifold outlet channel, the oven appliance further comprising an air diverter positioned within the manifold outlet channel, the air diverter configured to divert a portion of the air exiting the manifold outlet channel into an elongated air nozzle positioned at the top manifold of the air distribution manifold and configured to urge a curtain of air into the opening of the housing.

9. The oven appliance of claim 8 , wherein a pressure equalizing manifold is positioned between the air diverter and the elongated air nozzle to receive and stabilize the diverted portion of pressurized air.

10. The oven appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a cooling air duct positioned at a lateral side of the cooking chamber, the cooling air duct extending between an entrance positioned at a back side of the oven appliance and an exit positioned at a front portion of the cooking chamber, the exit of the cooling air duct being in fluid communication with one or more of the side manifolds of the air distribution manifold.

11. The oven appliance of claim 10 , wherein the exit of the cooling air duct comprises a plurality of apertures opening into the two side portions of the air distribution manifold.

12. An air distribution assembly for an oven appliance, the oven appliance comprising a housing defining a cooking chamber and an opening for accessing the cooking chamber, the air distribution assembly comprising:
an air distribution manifold mounted to the housing at the opening of the housing, the air distribution manifold defining a manifold inlet, a manifold outlet, and a manifold opening that corresponds with the opening of the housing, the air distribution manifold comprising two side manifolds that extend vertically about and at least partially define the opening; and
an air handler positioned within the air distribution manifold, the air handler being configured for drawing air in the manifold inlet and urging air out the manifold outlet.

13. The air distribution assembly of claim 12 , wherein the manifold inlet is positioned in a bottom portion of the air distribution manifold and the manifold outlet is positioned in a top portion of the air distribution manifold, such that the air handler draws ambient air in through the bottom manifold and out of the top manifold.

14. The air distribution assembly of claim 13 , wherein the oven appliance further comprises a venting channel positioned within a top of the cooking chamber and a rear cooling channel defined behind a rear wall of the cooking chamber, the venting channel being in fluid communication with the rear cooling channel through a rear channel outlet and with a venting channel inlet defined in the top portion of the air distribution manifold, such that the air handler draws heated air from the cooking chamber and from the rear cooling channel into the air distribution manifold through the venting channel inlet.

15. The air distribution assembly of claim 14 , wherein the venting channel is defined at least in part by a top wall of the cooking chamber and a perforated reflector positioned within a top portion of the cooking chamber, and wherein the oven appliance further comprises a smoke reduction catalyst positioned within the venting channel.

16. The air distribution assembly of claim 13 , wherein the air handler is positioned within the top portion of the air distribution manifold.

17. The air distribution assembly of claim 12 , wherein the air handler urges air out of the manifold outlet through a manifold outlet channel, the oven appliance further comprising an air diverter positioned within the manifold outlet channel, the air diverter configured to divert a portion of the air exiting the manifold outlet channel into an elongated air nozzle positioned at the top portion of the air distribution manifold and configured to urge a curtain of air into the opening of the housing.

18. The air distribution assembly of claim 12 , further comprising a cooling air duct positioned at a lateral side of the cooking chamber, the cooling air duct extending between an entrance positioned at a back side of the oven appliance and an exit positioned at a front portion of the cooking chamber, the exit of the cooling air duct being in fluid communication with one or more of the side manifolds of the air distribution manifold.

19. The air distribution assembly of claim 18 , wherein a pressure equalizing manifold is positioned between the air diverter and the elongated air nozzle to receive and stabilize the diverted portion of pressurized air.

20. The air distribution assembly of claim 19 , wherein the exit of the cooling air duct comprises a plurality of apertures opening into the air distribution manifold.

Assignees

• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Froelicher Stephen Bernard
• Adelmann Christopher James

Classifications

• F24C15/2007

  from oven cavities · CPC title

• F24C15/025

  with air curtain closures · CPC title

• F24C15/006 Primary

  Arrangements for circulation of cooling air · CPC title

• F24C15/32

  Arrangements of ducts for hot gases, e.g. in or around baking ovens · CPC title