Adjustable Fan for a Microwave Appliance

The present subject matter relates generally to microwave appliances, and more particularly to fans in over-the-range microwave appliances.

Over-the-range microwave appliances are generally mounted above a cooktop of an oven range appliance. In addition to providing for heating of food and beverage items, certain over-the-range microwave appliances include a circulation system. When activated, the circulation system can draw fumes, smoke, grease, and/or steam away from the cooktop of the oven range appliance. Circulation systems generally include a fan for drawing a flow of air into the circulation system and a grease filter for trapping grease entering the circulation system.

Over-the-range microwave appliances generally have a radial blower fan that can be adjusted to recirculate or externally vent through an air vent. The installer of the microwave appliance can adjust the blower fan by removing certain parts to access and remove the radial blower fan, in order to reposition the fan. In other words, to switch venting directions after installation of the microwave appliance, the microwave appliance needs to be uninstalled and then reinstalled with the fan repositioned to change the venting direction. At times, installers may overlook ducting in the home and install the microwave appliance without properly orienting the blower fan to the functional position. This can lead to the failure of the magnetron and the cooking air not being vented in the desired direction for the consumer.

Accordingly, a microwave appliance with features for adjusting the circulation of the microwave appliance without uninstalling and reinstalling the fan would be useful.

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.

In a first example embodiment, a microwave appliance is provided. The microwave appliance defines a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction. The vertical, lateral, and transverse directions are mutually perpendicular. The microwave appliance includes a casing that defines a cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking and the casing defines a circulation conduit. The circulation conduit has an inlet and an outlet. A door is mounted to the casing and configured for permitting selective access to the chamber of the casing. A controller is disposed within the microwave appliance. The controller is in wireless communication with an external device over a network. A fan assembly is positioned within the casing. The fan assembly includes a discharge housing that includes a plurality of discharge ports, and a fan housing mounted within the discharge housing. The fan housing is selectively rotatable within the discharge housing. The fan housing includes an outlet configured to align with a selected one of the plurality of discharge ports. The fan housing includes a toothed gear. The fan assembly further includes a fan wheel rotatably mounted within the fan housing. The fan wheel is configured to circulate air through the outlet of the fan housing and the selected one of the plurality of discharge ports. An auxiliary motor is positioned adjacent to the discharge housing. The auxiliary motor is mechanically coupled to the toothed gear, thereby rotating the toothed gear and the fan housing. The controller of the microwave appliance is in operable communication with the auxiliary motor.

In a second example embodiment, a fan assembly is configured to be positioned within a casing of an appliance. The fan assembly includes a discharge housing that includes a plurality of discharge ports, and a fan housing mounted within the discharge housing. The fan housing is selectively rotatable within the discharge housing. The fan housing includes an outlet configured to align with a selected one of the plurality of discharge ports. The fan housing includes a toothed gear. The fan assembly further includes a fan wheel rotatably mounted within the fan housing. The fan wheel is configured to circulate air through the outlet of the fan housing and the selected one of the plurality of discharge ports. An auxiliary motor is positioned adjacent to the discharge housing. The auxiliary motor is configured to rotate the fan housing.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

provides a perspective view of a microwave applianceaccording to an example embodiment of the present subject matter mounted to an upper set of kitchen cabinetsabove an oven range appliance, e.g., along a vertical direction V. Microwave applianceshown inis commonly referred to as an over-the-range microwave. It should be understood that, in alternative example embodiments, the present subject matter may be used in any other suitable microwave appliance.

As discussed above, microwave applianceis mounted to upper set of kitchen cabinets. Upper set of kitchen cabinetsis positioned above a base set of kitchen cabinets, e.g., along the vertical direction V. Base set of kitchen cabinetsincludes countertopsand drawers. Microwave applianceis positioned above base set of kitchen cabinets, e.g., along the vertical direction V. Oven range applianceis received within base set of kitchen cabinetsbelow microwave appliance. In particular, a cooking surfaceof oven range applianceis positioned, e.g., directly, below microwave appliancealong the vertical direction V. Microwave appliancecan include features such as an air handler or fan assembly() that can draw cooking vapors and/or smoke away from cooking surfaceand out of the kitchen containing microwave and oven range appliancesand.

Microwave applianceis configured for receipt of food items for cooking. In particular, microwave applianceincludes a cabinet or casingand a doorthat permits selective access to an interior of microwave applianceand casing. Doorincludes a handlethat a user can pull to open door in order to insert food items into microwave appliance. Microwave appliancealso includes controlsthat permit a user to make selections for cooking of food items, e.g., a duration of a cooking cycle of microwave applianceand/or a power setting for the cooking cycle of microwave appliance.

As discussed above, oven range applianceincludes cooking surface. Cooking surfaceincludes heated portionsthat may be heated by heating elements (not shown), e.g., electrical resistive heating elements, gas burners, induction heating elements, and/or any other suitable heating element of combination of heating elements. Oven range appliancealso includes a doorthat permits access to a heated compartment (not shown) of oven range appliance, e.g., for cooking or baking of food items therein. A control panelof oven range appliancecan permit a user to make selections for cooking of food items, e.g., a duration of a cooking cycle of oven range applianceand/or a power setting for the cooking cycle of oven range appliance.

provides a side, section view of microwave applianceand oven range appliance. As may be seen in, casingextends between a top portionand a bottom portion, e.g., along the vertical direction V. Thus, top, and bottom portionsandof casingare spaced apart from each other, e.g., along the vertical direction V. In particular, casingmay include a front wall, a top wall, and a back wallas will be described further hereinbelow. Casingmay generally define a cooking chamberconfigured for receipt of food items for cooking. Doorpositioned adjacent to front wallof casingof microwave appliancepermits selective access to cooking chamberof casing. In particular, doorof microwave applianceis selectively adjustable between an open position (not shown) and a closed position (). In the closed position, doorof microwave appliancehinders access to cooking chamberof casing. Conversely, doorof microwave appliancepermits access to cooking chamberof casingin the open position. A user can pull on handleof doorof microwave appliancein order to shift doorfrom the closed position shown into the open position.

Casingalso defines a circulation passage or conduit. Circulation conduithas an inletand an outlet. Circulation conduitextends between inletand outlet. Inletof circulation conduitis positioned at or adjacent bottom portionof casing, e.g., such that inletof circulation conduitfaces cooking surfaceof oven range appliance. Conversely, outletof circulation conduitis positioned at or adjacent top portionof casing, e.g., such that outletof circulation assemblyfaces away from cooking surfaceof oven range appliance. Thus, inletand outletof circulation conduitare spaced apart from each other, e.g., along the vertical direction V.

Microwave appliancemay include a fan assembly, such as an axial fan or a radial fan. Fan assemblymay be positioned within or adjacent circulation conduit. Fan assemblymay draw or urge a flow of air (shown with arrows F) through circulation conduitwhen fan assemblyis in an activated state. Conversely, fan assemblymay not draw or urge flow of air F through circulation conduitwhen fan assemblyis in a deactivated state. When fan assemblyis in the activated state, flow of air F enters circulation conduitat, or through, inletof circulation conduit. In the present example embodiment, flow of air F is directed through circulation conduitto outlet, and flow of air F can exit circulation conduitat outletof circulation conduit. As described above, fan assemblyis described in a recirculation orientation where flow of air F is directed through circulation conduitto outlet, however, fan assemblymay be configurable to direct flow of air F in other desired directions. Fan assembly, and other possible orientations of fan assemblywill be described in further detail hereinbelow.

Microwave appliancemay also include an air filter. Air filtermay be mounted to casingsuch that flow of air F within circulation conduitpasses through air filterwhen fan assemblyis in the activated state. In the example embodiment shown in, air filteris positioned within circulation conduitat outletof circulation conduit. It should be understood that in alternative example embodiments, air filtermay be positioned at any other suitable location on microwave appliance.

As may be seen in, microwave applianceincludes a controller. Operation of microwave applianceis regulated by controller. Controlleris operatively coupled or in communication with various components of microwave appliance, including controls. In response to user manipulation of controls, controlleroperates the various components of microwave applianceto execute selected cycles and features.

Controllermay include a memory and microprocessor, such as a general or special purpose microprocessor operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with a cleaning cycle. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. Alternatively, controllermay be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software. Controlsand other components of microwave appliancemay be in communication with controllervia one or more signal lines or shared communication busses.

Microwave appliancealso includes a magnetron. Magnetronis configured for generating microwaves and directing such microwaves towards or into cooking chamberof casing. Magnetroncan be positioned at any suitable location within microwave appliance. For example, magnetronmay be mounted to casing, e.g., at or adjacent top portionof casing, such that magnetronis positioned at or adjacent cooking chamberof casing. Controllercan selectively activate magnetron, e.g., in order to heat food or beverage items in cooking chamber, based at least in part on an activation signal received from controls. Further, controllermay also be in operative communication with fan assembly. Thus, controllermay selectively adjust fan assemblybetween the activated and deactivated states in order to regulate the flow of air F through circulation conduit.

Illustrated inis example embodiment of fan assembly. As may be seen in, fan assemblymay include a discharge housing. In general, discharge housingmay extend between a top side, a bottom side, a first side wall, a second side wall, a front side, and a back side, e.g., discharge housingmay be generally rectangular in shape. As may be seen in, discharge housingmay be divided into two sections in the lateral direction L, e.g., discharge housingmay be two independent sections. Discharge housingmay generally define a plurality of discharge ports, e.g., a first discharge port, a second discharge port, and a third discharge port. In example embodiments, the plurality of discharge ports,, andincludes three discharge ports, first discharge port, second discharge port, and third discharge port, facing in different directions. For example, first discharge portmay be defined in front sideof discharge housing(e.g., the first discharge portmay generally face forward along the transverse direction T), second discharge portmay be defined in top sideof discharge housing(e.g., the second discharge portmay generally face upward along the vertical direction V), and third discharge portmay be defined in back sideof discharge housing(e.g., the third discharge portmay generally face backward along the transverse direction T). As may be seen in, the plurality of discharge ports,, andmay each be defined as pairs of discharge ports, such as one port on each section of discharge housingforming pairs of discharge ports.

As may be seen in, a fan housingmay be mounted within discharge housing, e.g., fan housingmay include two sections, e.g., one in each respective section of discharge housing. In particular, turning to, discharge housingmay include an opening, e.g., a cylindrically shaped opening in each of first side walland second side wallof discharge housing. Fan housingmay include an outer surfaceand may be cylindrical, and concentric with openingof discharge housing, such that fan housingfits within openingin both of the transverse direction T and vertical direction V. In other words, fan housingmay be laterally, in the lateral direction L, positioned within, and rotatable within, openingof the discharge housing. For example, in the present example embodiment, fan housingmay be selectively rotatable within discharge housing. In particular, fan housingmay include an outlet, in each respective section within discharge housing, configured to align with a selected one of the plurality of discharge ports,, and. For example, fan housingmay be rotatable between a first position (as seen in), wherein outletis aligned with first discharge portand flow of air F is directed through first discharge port, a second position (as seen in), wherein outletis aligned with second discharge portand flow of air F is directed through second discharge port, and a third position (as seen in), wherein outletis aligned with third discharge portand flow of air F is directed through third discharge port. Notably, fan housingmay be rotatable within discharge housingwhile the discharge housingand fan housingare installed within microwave appliance.

Referring again to, in general, fan housingmay include a fan wheel, e.g., in each section of fan housing. In particular, fan wheelmay be rotatably mounted within fan housingsuch that fan wheelmay be configured to circulate air through outletof fan housingand the selected one of the plurality of discharge ports,, and. For example, fan wheelmay be mechanically coupled to a motor() generally configured to rotate fan wheelwithin fan housing. Turning again to, fan wheelmay be mounted within fan housingon a fan axis FA parallel to, and spaced apart from, a housing axis HA of the fan housing. As such, an inside gapof fan housingfrom fan wheelmay be non-uniform and progressively increasing towards outletof the fan housing. For example, as explained above, fan housingmay be selectively rotatable within discharge housingbetween the plurality of discharge ports,, and, and offsetting fan axis FA from housing axis HA may thereby keep inside gapof fan housingfrom fan wheelnon-uniform and progressively increasing towards outletof fan housingwith respect to the selected one of the plurality of discharge ports,, and.

As stated above, fan housingmay be rotatable between a first position where outletis aligned with first discharge port, a second position where outletis aligned with second discharge port, and a third position where outletis aligned with third discharge port. As may be seen in, fan housingis shown in the first position, with outletaligned with first discharge port. When in the first position, flow of air F may flow out of first discharge portof discharge housingin the transverse direction T, such that air may be recirculated through circulation conduit(e.g., as seen in). Turning to, fan housingis shown in the second position, with outletaligned with second discharge port. When in the second position, flow of air F may flow out of second discharge portof discharge housingin the vertical direction V, such that flow of air F may flow out an external duct (not shown) extending in the vertical direction V. Further, turning to, fan housingis shown in the third position, with outletaligned with third discharge port. When in the third position, flow of air F may flow out of third discharge portof discharge housingin the transverse direction T, opposite the direction of the first position, such that flow of air F may flow out back sideof discharge housingand out an external duct (not shown) in the transverse direction T.

Turning now to, in the present example embodiment, fan assemblymay include a toothed gear. Toothed gearmay generally be mounted to a first sideof fan housing, e.g., toothed gearmay define a pair of mounting holes, whereby toothed gearmay be coupled to fan housingvia fasteners through the pair of mounting holes. In general, fan housingmay be selectively rotatable within discharge housingwhile installed within microwave appliancevia rotating toothed gear. For example, toothed gearmay be a semi-circular gear, curved rack, or other suitable structure for rotating fan housingwithin discharge housingwhile the discharge housingand fan housingare installed within microwave appliance. Additionally or alternatively, fan assemblymay be configured to be used in other suitable appliances or structures such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC) or vent hood appliances.

In the present example embodiment, fan assemblymay include an auxiliary motor. In general, auxiliary motormay be mechanically coupled to various transmission systems, such as auxiliary motormay be mechanically coupled to a drive belt (not shown), or may be mechanically coupled to toothed gear. For example, fan assemblymay include a rack and pinion assembly, e.g., auxiliary motormay include a transmission, such as a gear (pinion), positioned to engage the toothed gear(rack) of fan housing. In other words, the pinion (gear) of auxiliary motormay be mechanically coupled to the rack (toothed gear). In particular, auxiliary motormay be positioned adjacent discharge housingsuch that auxiliary motormay be mechanically coupled to toothed gear, thereby auxiliary motormay be configured to rotate toothed gearand fan housing. In general, auxiliary motormay include a brushless DC electric motor, a stepper motor, or any other suitable type or configuration of motor. For example, auxiliary motormay include an AC motor, an induction motor, a permanent magnet synchronous motor, or any other suitable type of AC motor. In addition, auxiliary motormay include any suitable transmission assemblies, clutch mechanisms, or other components, such as gear. According to an example embodiment, auxiliary motormay be operably coupled to controller, which is programmed to rotate fan housingas described herein. In general, fan assemblymay be in signal communication with controller. For example, controllerof microwave appliancemay be in operable communication with auxiliary motor, such that controllermay rotate fan housingbetween the first, second, and third positions as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, auxiliary motormay be configured to identify and communicate the position of fan housingto controller, such as to allow precise angular control of the fan housing, e.g., when auxiliary motoris a stepper motor. For example, the precise angular control may include a stepper motor rotating fan housingin intervals of less than twenty (20°) degrees, such as intervals of less than ten degrees (10°), such as intervals of less than five degrees (5°). In other example embodiments, auxiliary motormay be a servo motor configured to use a feedback loop that includes an encoder to provide the precise angular control, or auxiliary motormay be a DC Motor with a sensor, such as an encoder or a Hall effect sensor, to provide the precise angular control.

Furthermore, turning to, controllermay be in wireless communication with an external device, such as one or more of a smartphone, referred to generally as external device, a temperature sensor, and a database, over a network. In particular,illustrates a schematic diagram of an external communication systemwhich will be described according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter. In general, external communication systemis configured for permitting interaction, data transfer, and other communications between microwave applianceand one or more external devices. For example, this communication may be used to provide and receive operating parameters, user instructions or notifications, performance characteristics, user preferences, or any other suitable information for improved performance of microwave appliance. In addition, it should be appreciated that external communication systemmay be used to transfer data or other information to improve performance of one or more external devices or appliances and/or improve user interaction with such devices.

For example, external communication systempermits controllerof microwave applianceto communicate with a separate device external to microwave appliance, such as external device, temperature sensor, and/or database. These communications may be facilitated using a wired or wireless connection, such as via network. In general, external devicemay be any suitable device separate from microwave appliancethat is configured to provide and/or receive communications, information, data, or commands from a user. In this regard, external devicemay be, for example, a personal phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop or personal computer, a wearable device, a smart home system, or another mobile or remote device.

In addition, a remote server, or databasemay be in communication with microwave applianceand/or external devicethrough network. In this regard, for example, databasemay be a cloud-based server, and is thus located at a distant location, such as in a separate state, country, etc. According to an example embodiment, external devicemay communicate with databaseover network, such as the Internet, to transmit/receive data or information, provide user inputs, receive user notifications or instructions, interact with or control microwave appliance, etc. In addition, external deviceand databasemay communicate with microwave applianceto communicate similar information.

In general, communication between microwave appliance, external device, database, temperature sensor, and/or other user devices or appliances may be carried using any type of wired or wireless connection and using any suitable type of communication network, non-limiting examples of which are provided below. For example, external devicemay be in direct or indirect communication with microwave appliancethrough any suitable wired or wireless communication connections or interfaces, such as network. For example, networkmay include one or more of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), the Internet, a cellular network, any other suitable short- or long-range wireless networks, etc. In addition, communications may be transmitted using any suitable communications devices or protocols, such as via Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, wireless radio, laser, infrared, Ethernet type devices and interfaces, etc. In addition, such communication may use a variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g., HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).

External communication systemis described herein according to an example embodiment of the present subject matter. However, it should be appreciated that the example functions and configurations of external communication systemprovided herein are used only as examples to facilitate description of aspects of the present subject matter. System configurations may vary, other communication devices may be used to communicate directly or indirectly with one or more associated appliances, other communication protocols and steps may be implemented, etc. These variations and modifications are contemplated as within the scope of the present subject matter.

For example, controllermay communicate with external device, database, and/or temperature sensorto determine existing exterior conditions, such as temperature, allergens (pollen), and smoke, inside and/or outside of a residence, whereby controllermay operate auxiliary motorto rotate fan housingto one of the first, second, and third positions in order to blow air from fan assemblyto a desired location. In one example scenario, when outside conditions are cold, e.g., temperature sensorcommunicates an external temperature (outside of the residence) of zero degrees Celsius (0° C.), controllermay operate auxiliary motorto reposition fan housingto the first position, recirculating the air through circulation conduitsuch as to conserve energy by not venting hot air externally (out of the residence) when cooking food. In another example scenario, when food being cooked produces unwanted smoke and vapors, controllermay operate auxiliary motorto reposition fan housingto the second position, such that flow of air F may flow out an external duct (not shown), e.g., ejecting the unwanted smoke and vapors outside of the residence. In other words, the position of fan housingmay be controlled by a user providing an input to direct the flow of air to a desired location, or controllermay automatically adjust the position of fan housingwhen cooking food in microwave appliance.

As may be seen from the above, a modular discharge casing in an over-the-range microwave appliance may include a fan housing. The discharge casing may allow the fan housing to rotate therein. Additionally, the discharge casing may be equipped with multiple openings, allowing the fan housing to be rotated and aligned with any of these openings. Advantageously, the fan housing may be rotatable within the discharge casing while the discharge casing and fan housing are installed within the microwave appliance via an auxiliary motor. Thus, installation and maintenance may be simplified and also flexibility may be provided for directing the airflow to specific locations or accommodating different configurations without removing the modular discharge casing from the microwave appliance, hence advantageously making the discharge casing of the over-the-range microwave appliance convenient for the users.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.