COOKING APPARATUS

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application, under 35 USC § 111(a), of International Application No. PCT/KR2025/012265, filed on Aug. 13, 2025, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0110792, filed on Aug. 19, 2024 and claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0201309, filed on Dec. 30, 2024, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a cooking apparatus having an exhaust device that draws-in contaminated air generated during cooking of food through another cooking apparatus and discharges the drawn-in contaminated air to the outside.

BACKGROUND ART

Cooking apparatuses are apparatuses that cook food by heating the food, and may be largely divided into a method that generate heat to food using electricity and a method that generate heat to heat food by burning gas. For example, cooking apparatuses may be divided into gas ranges, ovens, induction heaters, highlighters, microwave ovens, and the like.

Cooking apparatuses generate smoke and odor during cooking of food. Therefore, an exhaust device is provided in the room to exhaust the smoke and odor generated during cooking to the outside.

Recently, an over-the-range (OTR) microwave equipped with an exhaust device has been installed on the wall of the upper space in the room, and other cooking apparatuses (e.g., gas ranges, ovens, induction heaters, highlighters, and the like) are installed on a lower side of the microwave oven, on the floor of the room, thereby allowing a plurality of cooking apparatuses to be used in a certain area in the room.

In this case, the exhaust device provided in the microwave oven draws-in smoke or odor generated from the other cooking apparatuses installed on the lower side of the microwave oven from the upper side of the other cooking apparatus, and discharges the drawn-in smoke or odor to the outside.

The conventional exhaust devices only draw-in smoke and odors in a direction from the bottom of the room to the top of the room, that is, vertical direction and may not draw-in smoke or odors moving from the front of the microwave oven to the center of the room. As a result, conventional exhaust devices have low suction and exhaust performance.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

One aspect of the disclosure provides a cooking apparatus capable of drawing in air contaminated due to cooking of food from a front side and a lower side of the cooking apparatus and discharging the drawn-in contaminated air to the outside.

Technical Solution

According to one aspect, there is provided a cooking apparatus arrangeable above a cooktop on which food is arrangeable, the cooking apparatus may include: a cabinet; a lower suction unit arranged on a lower side of the cabinet and configured to draw in foreign substances; and a front suction unit arranged on a front side of the cabinet and configured to draw in foreign substances, the lower suction unit includes a lower suction port arranged on the lower side of the cabinet and through which the foreign substances are drawn into a lower suction path, and a lower suction path fan configured to allow the foreign substances to flow through the lower suction path to be discharged the foreign substances from the cooking apparatus, and the front suction unit includes a front suction port arranged on the front side of the cabinet and through which the foreign substances are drawn into a front suction path independent from the lower suction path and, through which the foreign substances flow independently from the lower suction path, and a front suction path fan configured to allow the foreign substances to flow through the front suction path independently of the lower suction path to be discharged from the cooking apparatus.

According to one aspect, there is provided a cooking apparatus arranged above a cooktop on which food is arranged and configured to draw foreign substances in air generated from the food on the cooktop, the cooking apparatus including: a cabinet; a lower suction unit arranged on a lower side of the cabinet and configured to draw in foreign substances; and a front suction unit arranged on a front side of the cabinet and configured to draw in foreign substances, wherein the lower suction unit includes a lower suction port arranged on the lower side of the cabinet, a lower suction path through which the foreign substances drawn in from the lower suction port flow, and a lower suction path fan configured to allow the foreign substances to flow through the lower suction path, and the front suction unit includes a front suction port arranged on the front side of the cabinet, a front suction path through which the foreign substances drawn in from the front suction port flow and which is provided independently from the lower suction path, and a front suction path fan configured to allow the foreign substances to flow through the front suction path.

According to the disclosure, the disclosure can efficiently draw in contaminated air generated from food regardless of a position in which the food is cooked on a cooktop using a lower suction unit provided on a lower side of the cooking apparatus and a front suction unit provided on a front side of the cooking apparatus, and improve the discharge capability of contaminated air.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a cooking system including a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B′ shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C′ shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a lower suction path fan is in operation.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a front suction path fan is in operation.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a front suction path fan is in operation.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a front filter of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is separated.

FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of a cooking apparatus and a cooktop according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which a lower suction unit of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is operated.

FIG. 11 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which a lower suction unit and a front suction unit of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are operated.

FIG. 12 is a control flowchart of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary diagram of an operation of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with some components removed.

FIG. 14 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which an opening/closing member closes a lower suction path with some components of a cooking apparatus removed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which a first cabinet and a second cabinet of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are separated.

FIG. 16 is a drawing in illustrating a rear side of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state in which a first cabinet is separated.

MODES OF THE INVENTION

The various embodiments of the disclosure and terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features of the disclosure to the specific embodiments, but rather should be understood to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the concept and scope of the disclosure.

In the description of the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the drawings

The singular forms preceded by “a,” “an,” and “the” corresponding to an item are intended to include the plural forms as well unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In the disclosure, a phrase such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase of the phrases, or any possible combination thereof.

As used herein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another, and does not limit the components in other aspect (for example., importance or order).

When one (e.g., a first) element is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another (e.g., a second) element with or without the term “functionally” or “communicatively,” it means that the one element is connected to the other element directly, wirelessly, or via a third element.

It will be understood that the terms “include”, “comprise” and/or “have” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It is to be understood that if a certain component is referred to as being “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “supported on” or “in contact with” another component, it means that the component may be coupled with the other component directly or indirectly via a third component.

Throughout the specification, when a member is referred to as being “on” another member, the member is in contact with another member or yet another member is interposed between the two members.

The term “and/or” includes combinations of one or all of a plurality of associated listed items.

The operating principle and embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings below.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a cooking system including a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B′ shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C′ shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a lower suction fan is in operation, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a front suction fan is in operation, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a front suction fan is in operation, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a front filter of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is separated.

The cooking system may include a cooking apparatus 1 and a cooktop 1000 arranged below the cooking apparatus 1.

The cooking apparatus 1 is illustrated by taking a microwave oven with an integrated hood as an example, but is not limited thereto, and may also be applied to an oven or an air fryer with an integrated hood, and the like in addition to a microwave oven.

The cooking apparatus 1 may be installed above the cooktop 1000. The cooking apparatus 1 may be installed on a wall to perform a hood function and may be referred to as a wall-mounted microwave or an over-the-range (OTR) microwave.

The cooktop 1000 may be provided as various types of cooking apparatuses capable of heating food F to be heated while the food F is placed on the cooktop 1000.

For example, the cooktop 1000 may be provided as a gas range, an induction heater, a highlighter or the like.

In addition, the cooking apparatus 1 may be referred to as a first cooking apparatus 1, and the cooktop 1000 may be referred to as a second cooking apparatus 1000.

The cooktop 1000 may include a first cooking zone 1100 adjacent to the wall on which the cooking apparatus 1 is installed and adjacent to a rear side of the cooktop 1000, and a second cooking zone 1200 arranged in the opposite direction of the first cooking zone 1100 in a front-rear direction (X) and adjacent to a front side of the cooktop 1000.

The food F may be placed at a first position (P1) on the first cooking zone 1100 or at a second position (P2) on the second cooking zone 1200 and may be heated by the cooktop 1000 to be cooked.

The cooking apparatus 1 draws in foreign substances, in other words, smoke and odor, in the air generated during the cooking of the food F through the cooktop 1000, and discharges the drawn-in smoke and odor to the outside. Hereinafter, air containing smoke, odor, or foreign substances will be referred to as ‘contaminated air’.

The cooking apparatus 1 may be provided above the cooktop 1000. The cooking apparatus 1 may be arranged to be spaced apart from the cooktop 1000 by a certain distance in an upper-lower direction Z.

The cooking apparatus 1 may draw in contaminated air present below the cooking apparatus 1. The contaminated air present below the cooking apparatus 1 may be air present between the cooking apparatus 1 and the cooktop 1000. The contaminated air present below the cooking apparatus 1 may be air generated during the operation of the cooktop 1000.

The cooking apparatus 1 may draw-in in contaminated air flowing toward the front of the cooking apparatus 1. The front of the cooking apparatus 1 may include not only the front side of the cooking apparatus 1 but also the front side of the cooktop 1000, and an area below the cooking apparatus 1 in front of the cooking apparatus 1 may also be defined as the front of the cooking apparatus 1. The structure for drawing in contaminated air flowing toward the front of the cooking apparatus 1 will be described in detail below.

The cooking apparatus 1 includes a cabinet 100 forming an exterior. The cabinet 100 may also be defined as a main body of the cooking apparatus 1.

The cooking apparatus 1 may include a cooking chamber 20 formed inside the cabinet 100 and a door 10 that opens and closes the cooking chamber 20 from the front.

The door 10 may cover the front side of the cooking chamber 20 whose front is open. The cooking chamber 20 may be provided on the inside thereof with a tray (not shown) on which food may be placed, and a motor may be installed at the lower side of the tray such that the food may rotate together with the tray.

The door 10 may include a handle (not shown) that is gripped by the user.

The door 10 may be provided to be slidable up and down.

The door 10 may include a viewing window. The user may visually check the inside of the cooking chamber 20 from the outside while the cooking chamber 20 is closed through the viewing window of the door 10.

The cooking apparatus 1 may include a control panel 30 that is arranged on the door 10 or on a front side 103 of the cabinet 100 and configured to receive information on cooking or exhaust of the cooking apparatus 1 or display information on the status of the cooking apparatus 1.

For example, the control panel 30 may be arranged next to the door 10 on the front side 103 of the cabinet 100 or on the door 10 such that the control panel 30 may be exposed to the outside even when the door 10 is closed.

For example, the control panel 30 may be arranged on the door 10, configured to move together with the door 10 and form at least a part of the exterior of the door 10.

The control panel 30 may be arranged on one portion of the front side 103 of the cabinet 100.

The control panel 30 may be arranged on one portion of the door 10 but adjacent to the door 10. The control panel 30 may also be arranged on the left or right side of the door 10.

The control panel 30 may provide a user interface for interaction between the user and the cooking apparatus 1. The user interface may include at least one input device and at least one output device.

The at least one input device may convert sensory information received from a user into an electrical signal.

The at least one input device may include a power button, an operation button, a course selection dial (or a course selection button), a pause button, and an end button.

The at least one input device may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a tact switch, a push switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a micro switch, a touch switch, a touch pad, a touch screen, a jog dial, and/or a microphone.

The at least one output device may visually or audibly convey information related to the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 to the user.

For example, the at least one output device may convey information related to the cooking course and the operation time of the cooking apparatus 1 to the user. The information related to the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 may be output as a screen, an indicator, a speech, and the like

The at least one output device may include, for example, a display and a speaker.

The display may be provided as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a digital light processing (DLP) panel, a plasma display panel, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, an electroluminescence (EL) panel, an electrophoretic display (EPD) panel, an electrochromic display (ECD) panel, a light emitting diode (LED) panel, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, but is not limited thereto.

The cooking apparatus 1 may include an electrical equipment chamber 40 formed outside the cooking chamber 20 in a left-right direction (Y) of the cooking chamber 20 and in which various electrical components are installed.

The cooking apparatus 1 may include a magnetron 41 that generates microwaves. The cooking apparatus 1 may cook food by irradiating the food with microwaves generated from the magnetron 41 to use the frictional heat resulting from the translational motion of water molecules contained in the food.

The electrical equipment chamber 40 may be equipped with a high voltage transformer (HVT) and a high voltage diode, a high voltage capacitor, and the like for providing high voltage to the magnetron 41.

The high voltage transformer receives AC power from the outside and transforms the AC power into high voltage, and includes a primary coil that receives AC power and a secondary coil that transforms AP power into high voltage. A filament coil that transforms the input AC power into low voltage may be further arranged in the electrical equipment chamber 40.

For example, the cooking apparatus 1 may include one or more heaters inside the cooking chamber 20, and may further include a steam generator that generates steam inside the cooking chamber 20.

The cabinet 100 may be positioned above the cooktop 1000, with a rear side 105 thereof fixedly coupled to the wall. However, this is not limited to the above, and a lateral side of the cabinet 100 or an upper side of the cabinet may be fixedly coupled to the wall. In addition, depending on the user's choice, the cabinet 100 may be used as a wall-mounted cooking apparatus 1 by being coupled to the wall, or may be used while placed on an installation surface.

The cabinet 100 may include an upper side 101 in which an exhaust port 102 of the cabinet 100 is formed.

The cabinet 100 may include a front side 103 in which an opening of the cooking chamber 20 is formed, a door 10 is rotatably hinged, and a front suction port 310 to be described below is provided.

The cabinet 100 may include a lower side 104 in which a lower suction port 210 to be described below is provided.

The cabinet 100 may include a rear side 105 that forms a part of an exhaust path 50 to be described below and is fixed to a wall.

The sides 101, 103, 104, and 105 of the cabinet 100 may each be provided as an independent panel shape and may be provided to be coupled to each other, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the sides 101, 103, 104, and 105 may be formed as one part.

The cooktop 1000 cooks food F while the food F is exposed to the outside. As a result, when the food F is cooked through the cooktop 1000, odor, smoke, and harmful gases may be generated, and the air present above the cooktop 1000 may be contaminated by the odor, smoke, and harmful gases. That is, the cooktop 1000 may generate contaminated air during operation.

Accordingly, the cooking apparatus 1 may include suction units 200 and 300 for drawing in contaminated air and exhausting the contaminated air. Contaminated air or foreign substances in the air drawn-in into the cooking apparatus 1 through the suction units 200 and 300 may be discharged to the outside of the cabinet 100 through the exhaust path 50 and the exhaust port 102.

The exhaust port 102 may be connected to a duct connected to the outside such that contaminated air exhausted through the exhaust port 102 may be discharged to the outside.

The cooking apparatus 1 may include a lower suction unit 200 provided to draw-in contaminated air or foreign substances in the air through a lower suction port 210 formed on the lower side 104 of the cabinet 100.

The cooking apparatus 1 may include a front suction unit 300 provided to draw-in contaminated air or foreign substances in the air through a front suction port 310 formed on the front side 103 of the cabinet 100.

The lower suction unit 200 may be referred to as a first suction unit 200, and the front suction unit 300 may also be referred to as a second suction unit 300. However, hereinafter, they are referred to as the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300, respectively.

When the food F is placed at the first position (P1) (see FIG. 10, most of the contaminated air generated from the food F is provided as contaminated air (A1) distributed below the cooking apparatus 1 due to the position of the food F, and thus most of the contaminated air (A1) may be drawn-in into the cooking apparatus 1 through the lower suction port 210 of the cooking apparatus 1.

On the other hand, when the food F is placed at the second position (P2) (see FIG. 11, the contaminated air generated from the food F is provided as contaminated air (A1) distributed below the cooking apparatus 1 and contaminated air (A2) distributed in front of the cooking apparatus 1 due to the position of the food F, and thus the contaminated air (A2) distributed in front of the cooking apparatus 1 is difficult to be drawn through the lower suction port 210 of the cooking apparatus 1, and only the contaminated air (A1) distributed below the cooking apparatus 1 may be drawn into the cooking apparatus 1.

The conventional cooking apparatuses are provided with only the lower suction port, and when food F is placed at the second position (P2), only a part of the contaminated air (A1) generated during cooking is drawn into the cooking apparatus, and the other part (A2) of the contaminated air is caused to flow to the front of the cooking apparatus without being drawn-in.

To prevent this, the cooking apparatus 1 may additionally include a front suction port 310 and a front suction unit 300 configured to draw in contaminated air distributed in front of the cooking apparatus 1 along with the lower suction port 210, to easily draw-in contaminated air (A2) distributed in front of the cooking apparatus 1 and exhaust the contaminated air (A2)

The lower suction unit 200 may include a lower suction port 210 arranged on the lower side 104 of the cabinet 100.

The lower suction unit 200 may include a lower suction path 230 through which contaminated air drawn-in from the lower suction port 210 flows.

The lower suction unit 200 may include a lower suction path fan 220 provided such that contaminated air flows through the lower suction path 230.

The lower suction unit 200 may include a lower suction duct 240 that forms a part of the lower suction path 230 and is provided to separate a front suction path 330 of the front suction unit 300 to be described below from the lower suction path 230.

The lower suction unit 200 may include a lower suction filter 250 that is arranged on the lower suction port 210 and captures foreign substances in the contaminated air (A1) passing through the lower suction port 210.

For example, the lower suction port 210 may be provided as a single hole, a pair of holes, or a plurality of holes formed on the lower side of the cabinet 100. For example, the suction port 210 may be provided as a suction panel having one or more suction holes. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the suction port in the following is defined as a general term for a structure having various shapes through which contaminated air or air containing foreign substances may be drawn-in from the outside of the cabinet 100.

The contaminated air (A1) distributed below the cabinet 100 may be introduced into the lower suction path 230 through the lower suction port 210. The lower suction path 230 may be provided as a space through which air flows, connecting the lower suction port 210 to the exhaust path 50.

A lower suction path fan 220 that causes the flow of contaminated air (A1) introduced into the lower suction path 230 may be arranged on the lower suction path 230.

A lower suction filter 250 may be arranged adjacent to the lower suction port 210 to remove foreign substances in the contaminated air (A1).

The lower suction filter 250 may be provided to be separated from the lower suction port 210. The lower suction filter 250 may be provided to be separated from the cabinet 100 such that the user may clean the lower suction filter 250.

The lower suction duct 240 may extend upward (Z) from the lower suction port 210 to guide the upward flow of contaminated air (A1) introduced through the lower suction port 210.

The lower suction duct 240 may be provided to extend upward (Z) from the suction port 210 to a position adjacent to a lower side of the cooking chamber 20. Accordingly, the lower suction path 230 may be provided to extend upward (Z) from the suction port 210 and extend along the lower side of the cooking chamber 20 in the left-right direction (Y) of the cooking chamber 20.

The contaminated air (A1) guided through the lower suction duct 240 may be provided to flow from the lower side of the cooking chamber 20 to both sides of the cooking chamber 20 along the lower suction path 230.

A lower suction path fan 220 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20 in the left-right direction (Y) of the cooking chamber 20. A first lower suction path fan 221 and a second lower suction path fan 222 may be arranged on each side in the left-right direction (Y) of the cooking chamber 20.

However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the lower suction path fan 220 may be provided as a single unit on one of the both sides of the cooking chamber 20, and may be provided as three or more units.

Also, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the lower suction path fan 220 may be arranged on a lower side or an upper side of the cooking chamber 20 in addition to the lateral sides of the cooking chamber 20. However, in order to minimize the volume of the cooking apparatus 1, the lower suction path fan 220 may be arranged preferably on both lateral sides of the cooking chamber 20.

On one of the both sides of the cooking chamber 20 in which the electrical equipment chamber 40 is not located, a first lower suction path fan 221 may be arranged, and on a side in which the electrical equipment chamber 40 is located, a second lower suction path fan 222 may be arranged.

The second lower suction path fan 222 may be arranged to be parallel to the electrical equipment chamber 40 in the front-rear direction (X).

The rotation axis of the first lower suction path fan 221 may be provided to extend in the front-rear direction (X), and accordingly, the first lower suction path fan 221 may be provided to extend in the front-rear direction (X).

On the other hand, the rotation axis of the second lower suction path fan 222 may be provided to extend in the upper-lower direction Z, and accordingly, the second lower suction path fan 222 may be provided to extend in the upper-lower direction Z. This is because the space available for extension in the front-rear direction (X) is narrow as the second lower suction path fan 222 is arranged on the side in which the electrical equipment chamber 40 is located.

That is, in order to ensure the space of the electrical equipment chamber 40, the rotation axis of the second lower suction path fan 222 may be provided to extend in the upper-lower direction Z.

The lower suction path fan 220 may be a centrifugal fan, an axial fan, or a turbofan, and the type of the lower suction path fan 220 is not limited thereto. In addition, the lower suction path fan 220 may be of any one of the following types of fans: a backward type, an airfoil limit type, a radial plate type, and a Sirocco type, and the type of the lower suction path fan 200 is not limited thereto.

The lower suction path 230 may be provided to connect to the exhaust path 50 via the first lower suction path fan 221 and the second lower suction path fan 222.

The lower suction path 230 connected to the first lower suction path fan 221 may be provided to extend upward (Z) from the first lower suction path fan 221 and extend to the upper side of the cooking chamber 20 and connect to the exhaust path 50 at the upper side of the cooking chamber 20.

The lower suction path 230 connected to the second lower suction path fan 222 may be provided to extend in the left-right direction (Y) from the second lower suction path fan 222 and extend to the rear side of the cooking chamber 20 and connect to the exhaust path 50 at the rear side of the cooking chamber 20.

That is, the contaminated air (A1) distributed below the cooking apparatus 1 may be provided to be introduced into the lower suction path 230 through the lower suction port 210, flow through the lower suction path 230 through the first lower suction path fan 221 and the second lower suction path fan 222, move to the exhaust path 50, and then flow to the exhaust port 102 through the exhaust path 50 and be discharged from the cooking apparatus 1.

The front suction unit 300 may include a front suction port 310 arranged on the front side 103 of the cabinet 100.

The front suction unit 300 may include a front suction path 330 through which contaminated air drawn-in through the front suction port 310 flows.

The front suction unit 300 may include a front suction path fan 320 provided to allow the contaminated air to flow through the front suction path 330.

The front suction unit 300 may include a front suction filter 350 that is arranged on the front suction port 310 and captures foreign substances in the contaminated air (A2) passing through the front suction port 310.

For example, the front suction port 310 may be provided as a single hole, a pair of holes, or a plurality of holes formed on the front side 103 of the cabinet 100. For example, the suction port 310 may be provided as a suction panel having one or more suction holes. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the suction port in the following is defined as a general term for a structure having various shapes through which contaminated air or air containing foreign substances may be drawn-in from the outside of the cabinet 100.

The contaminated air (A2) distributed in front of the cabinet 100 may be introduced into the front suction path 330 through the front suction port 310. The front suction path 330 may be provided as a space through which air flows, connecting the front suction port 310 to the exhaust port 50.

A front suction path fan 320 that causes the flow of contaminated air (A2) introduced into the front suction path 330 may be arranged on the front suction path 330.

A front suction filter 350 may be arranged adjacent to the front suction port 310 to remove foreign substances in the contaminated air (A2). The front suction filter 350 may be arranged between the front suction port 310 and the front suction path fan 320.

The front suction filter 350 may be provided to be moved downward and separated from the cabinet 100. The front suction filter 250 may be provided to be separated from the cabinet 100 such that the user may clean the front suction filter 350.

The front suction path 330 may be provided to be separated from the lower suction path 230 by the lower suction duct 240.

The front suction path 330 may be formed as an independent space from the lower suction path 230, allowing the contaminated airs A1 and A2 flowing through the front suction path 330 and the lower suction path 230 respectively to flow independently before being connected to the exhaust path 50.

Depending on the arrangement of the cooking chamber 20, the front suction port 310 may be arranged below the cooking chamber 20 on the front side 103 of the cabinet 100 Accordingly, the front suction port 310 may be arranged adjacent to the lower suction port 210, but the front suction path 330 extending from the front suction port 310 and the lower suction path 230 extending from the lower suction port 210 may be arranged to be separated from each other by the lower suction duct 240.

The contaminated air (A2) introduced into the front suction port 310 may flow from the front suction port 310 to the lower side of the cooking chamber 20 along the front suction path 330 formed at the lower side the cooking chamber 20. The front suction path 330 may be formed outside the lower suction duct at the lower side of the cooking chamber 20.

The front suction path fan 320 may be rearwardly arranged in the front-rear direction (X) below the cooking chamber 20. Accordingly, the contaminated air (A2) introduced into the front suction path 330 may be provided to flow from the lower side of the cooking chamber 20 to the rear side.

However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the front suction path fan 320 may be arranged at the rear side of the cooking chamber 20 such that the front suction path 330 extends from the lower side of the cooking chamber 20 to the rear side of the cooking chamber 20.

The front suction path fan 320 may be provided as a pair, but is not limited thereto, and the front suction path fan 320 may be provided as a single unit or a plurality of units.

The rotation axis of the front suction path fan 320 is provided to extend in the left-right direction (Y), and the pair of front suction path fans 320 may be arranged in parallel in the left-right direction (Y).

The front suction path fan 320 may be a centrifugal fan, an axial fan, or a turbofan, and the type of the lower suction path fan 220 is not limited thereto. In addition, the lower suction path fan 220 may be any one of the types of fans among a backward type, an airfoil limit type, a radial plate type, and a Sirocco type, and the type of the lower suction path fan 200 is not limited thereto.

The front suction path 330 may be arranged to connect to the exhaust path 50 via the front suction path fan 320.

The front suction path 330 connected to the front suction path fan 320 may be arranged to connect to the exhaust path 50 from the rear side of the cooking chamber 20 in the upward direction Z.

That is, the contaminated air (A2) distributed in front of the cooking apparatus 1 is introduced into the front suction path 330 through the front suction port 310 and flows from the lower side of the cooking chamber 20 to the rear through the front suction path fan 320 to the exhaust path 50 formed at the rear of the cooking chamber 20, and may flow to the exhaust port 102 through the exhaust path 50 and be discharged from the cooking apparatus 1.

Hereinafter, the control of the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 will be described in detail.

FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of a cooking apparatus and a cooktop according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 10 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which a lower suction unit of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is operated, FIG. 11 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which a lower suction unit and a front suction unit of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are operated, and FIG. 12 is a control flowchart of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the cooking apparatus 1 may include a first lower suction path fan 221, a second lower suction path fan 222, a front suction path fan 320, a control panel 30, a magnetron 41, a contamination level sensor 60, communication circuitry 70, and a controller 80.

The controller 80 may include at least one processor 81 for controlling the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 and at least one memory 82 for storing a program and data for controlling the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.

The at least one processor 81 may include one or more processor chips for performing the above-described operation by using an algorithm for controlling the operation of internal components of the cooking apparatus 1, at least one memory for storing data in the form of a program, and data stored in the at least one memory, or may include one or more processing cores.

The at least one processor 81 may process various types of data and various signals using instructions, data, programs and/or software stored in the memory 82.

The at least one processor 281 may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), a many integrated core (MIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a neural processing unit (NPU), a hardware accelerator or a machine learning accelerator.

For example, the memory 82 may store information on the rotation speed of the lower suction path fan 220 and the front suction path fan 320 for each reference contamination level range.

For example, the memory 82 may store data required for various embodiments.

Depending on the use of data storage, the memory 82 may be implemented in the form of a memory embedded in the cooking apparatus 1 or in the form of a memory that may be attached to or detached from the cooking apparatus 1. For example, data for operating a cooking apparatus 1 may be stored in a memory embedded in the cooking apparatus 1, and data for expanding functions of the cooking apparatus 1 may be stored in a memory that may be detachably attached to the first cooking apparatus 1.

Meanwhile, the memory embedded in the cooking apparatus 1 may be implemented as at least one of volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)), or non-volatile memory (e.g., one-time programmable read-only memory (OTPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), mask read-only memory (mask ROM), flash read-only memory (flash ROM), flash memory (e.g., NAND flash or NOR flash), hard disk drive (HDD), or solid-state drive (SSD)).

In addition, the memory detachably attached to the cooking apparatus 1 may be implemented as a memory card (e.g., compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro secure digital (Micro-SD), mini secure digital (Mini-SD), extreme digital (xD), multi-media card (MMC)), external memory that may be connected to a USB port (e.g., USB memory), and the like, but is not limited thereto.

The memory 82 may include one or more memory chips or one or more memory blocks.

The controller 80 may control the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 such that only the lower suction unit 200 is operated, only the front suction unit 300 is operated, or both the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are operated.

The first lower suction path fan 221 may rotate or stop based on a control command of the controller 80.

The first lower suction path fan 221 may rotate at a rotation speed corresponding to a control command of the controller 80.

The second lower suction path fan 222 may rotate or stop based on a control command of the controller 80.

The second lower suction path fan 222 may rotate at a rotation speed corresponding to a control command of the controller 80.

The front suction path fan 320 may rotate or stop based on a control command of the controller 80.

The front suction path fan 320 may rotate at a rotation speed corresponding to a control command of the controller 80.

The control panel 30 may provide a user interface for interaction between the user and the cooking apparatus 1. The control panel 30 may include an input device 31 and an output device 32.

The input device 31 may transmit input information corresponding to a user input to the controller 80.

The user input may include a cooking start command, a cooking end command, and a pause command.

The user input may include information related to cooking food. For example, the user input may include cooking mode information, target cooking temperature information, and cooking time information.

The user input may include exhaust information for discharging contaminated air. For example, the user input may include a first exhaust mode in which only the rear suction unit 200 is operated and a second exhaust mode in which all of the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are operated. For example, the user input may further include a third exhaust mode in which only the front suction unit 300 is operated.

The output device 32 may output operation information of the cooking apparatus 1 corresponding to the control command of the controller 80 in a visual and auditory manner such that the user may recognize the operation information.

The operation information of the cooking apparatus 1 may include information about a cooking-in-progress state, a cooking pause state, a cooking end state, a cooking mode, a target cooking temperature, a total cooking time, and a remaining cooking time, and information about a current exhaust mode and a current exhaust level.

The output device 32 may include at least one of a display that displays the operation information of the cooking apparatus 1 and a speaker that outputs the operation information of the cooking apparatus as a sound or speech.

The magnetron 41 may be turned on or off based on the control command of the controller 80.

The magnetron 41 may generate microwaves based on the control command of the controller 80.

The contamination level sensor 60 may detect the contamination level of the contaminated air flowing into the cooking apparatus 1 and transmit contamination level information about the detected contamination level to the controller 80.

The contamination level sensor 60 may be arranged on the exhaust path 50.

The contamination level sensor 60 may be provided as one unit, or two or more units. The two or more contamination level sensors may be the same type of contamination level sensor or different types of contamination level sensors.

The contamination level sensor 60 may include at least one of a volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor, a particulate matter (PM) sensor, and a gas sensor.

The gas sensor may detect at least one gas among carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, alcohol, methane, and formaldehyde, and the type of gas detected by the gas sensor is not limited thereto.

The communication circuitry 70 may include various communication circuits for performing wired communication and/or wireless communication with an external device (e.g., a server, a cooktop).

The communication circuitry 70 may include at least one of a short-range communication circuit and a long-range communication circuit.

The communication circuitry 70 may transmit data to an external device or receive data from an external device. For example, the communication circuitry 70 may support cellular communication, wireless local area network, home radio frequency (Home RF), infrared communication, ultra-wide band (UWB) communication, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth, AD-HOC, and/or Zigbee. The communication technology supported by the communication circuitry 270 is not limited thereto.

The communication circuitry 70 may also communicate with an external device through an access point (AP).

The communication circuitry 70 may also receive information about the cooktop 1000 from the cooktop 1000 in response to a control command from the controller 80 and transmit the received information about the cooktop 1000 to the controller 80.

The information about the cooktop 1000 may include information about a position in which food F is placed in at least one of a first zone 1100 and a second zone 1200.

The cooking apparatus 1 may also further include one or more heaters (not shown) that apply heat to the cooking chamber 20.

The controller 80 may be electrically connected to various components of the cooking apparatus 1 provided with the exhaust device and may control the various components. That is, the controller 80 may control the overall operation of the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300.

For example, the controller 80 may recognize the position of the food F based on the information received from the communication circuitry 70, and may control the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 such that only the lower suction unit 200 is operated or both the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are operated based on the recognized position of the food F.

For example, the controller 80 may recognize the position of the food F based on the information received from the communication circuitry 70, and may control the front suction unit 300 such that only the front suction unit 300 is operated based on the recognized position of the food F.

The cooktop 1000 may include a heating device 1500 for heating food F, a position sensor 1400 for detecting that the food F is located at at least one of a first position (P1) on a first region 1100 or a second position (P2) on a second region 1200, a controller 1600 including a processor and a memory, and a communication circuitry 1300 configured to communicate with the communication circuitry 70 of the cooking apparatus 1.

For example, the controller 80 may control the suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 such that when the food F is placed at the first position (P1), the suction fan 220 is driven to operate only the lower suction unit 200, and when the food F is placed at the second position (P2), the suction path fan 220 and the front suction path fan 320 are driven to operate to operate the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300.

For example, the controller 80 may control the front suction unit 300 to drive the front suction fan 320 such that the front suction unit 300 is operated when the food F is placed at the second position (P2).

For example, the controller 80 may control the lower suction path fan 220 based on a value sensed by the contamination level sensor 60 while the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are simultaneously operated such that the operation of the lower suction unit 200 is terminated when the sensed value is lower than a predetermined value.

For example, the controller 80 may control the front suction fan 320 based on a value sensed by the contamination level sensor 60 while the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are simultaneously operated such that the operation of the front suction unit 300 is terminated when the sensed value is lower than a predetermined value.

For example, the controller 80 may control the front suction fan 320 based on a value sensed by the contamination level sensor 60 while only the lower suction unit 200 is operated such that the front suction unit 300 is additionally operated when the sensed value is higher than a predetermined value.

For example, the controller 80 may control the lower suction fan 220 based on a value sensed by the contamination level sensor 60 while only the front suction unit 300 is operated such that the lower suction unit 200 is additionally operated when the sensed value is higher than a predetermined value.

That is, as described above, when the food F is placed at the first position (P1), the controller 80 may receive the position information of the food F from the communication circuitry 1300 of the cooktop 1000 and control the rear suction unit 200 such that only the rear suction unit 200 is operated. In addition, when the food F is placed at the second position (P2), the controller 80 may receive the position information of the food F from the communication circuitry 1300 of the cooktop 1000 and control the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 such that both the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are operated.

When the food F is placed at the second position (P2) and the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are operated, and the contamination level sensed by the contamination level sensor 60 is sensed to be lower than a predetermined value, the controller 80 may control the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 such that the rear suction unit 200 or the front suction unit 300 may be first terminated for the efficiency of the suction of the cooking apparatus 1 and only one of the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 may be operated.

In addition, when the food F is placed at the second position (P2), the controller 80 may receive the position information of the food F from the communication circuitry 1300 of the cooktop 1000 and control the front suction unit 300 such that only the front suction unit 300 is operated preferentially. When the food F is placed at the second position (P2) and the front suction unit 300 is operated, and the contamination level value sensed by the contamination level sensor 60 is sensed to be higher than a predetermined value, the controller 80 may control the rear suction unit 200 such that the rear suction unit 200 is additionally operated for the efficiency of suction of the cooking apparatus 1.

For example, the controller 80 may control the rotation speed of the rear suction fan 220 and the front suction fan 320 according to the contamination level value sensed by the contamination level sensor 60.

For example, regardless of the position of the food F, when the user inputs a first exhaust mode in which only the rear suction fan 220 is operated or a second exhaust mode in which the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are simultaneously operated into the input device 31, the controller 80 may control the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 based on the information input by the user.

An example of the control sequence of the cooking apparatus 1 is described with respect to the control sequence shown in FIG. 12. However, it is not limited thereto, and the cooking apparatus 1 may be controlled by the controller 80 through various methods and sequences.

The controller 80 recognizes the position of the food F (501).

For example, the recognition of the position of the food F by the controller 80 may be based on information input by the user through the input device 31.

For example, the recognition of the position of the food F by the controller 80 may be based on position information of the food F sensed by the position sensor 1400 from the communication circuitry 1300 of the cooktop 1000.

For example, the recognition of the position of the food F by the controller 80 may be based on position information of the food F collected from the communication circuitry 70.

For example, the recognition of the position of the food F by the controller 80 may be based on position information of the food F collected from the sensor of the cooking apparatus 1.

The controller 80 may identify whether the food F is placed at the second position (P2) (502).

The controller 80 may determine the operation mode of the cooking apparatus 1 as the second exhaust mode such that the cooking apparatus 1 is operated in the second exhaust mode based on the food F being placed at the second position (P2).

The second exhaust mode may include a mode in which both the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are operated.

The controller 80 may, based on the determination of the second exhaust mode, control the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 such that the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 are operated (504).

For example, the controlling of the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 may control the power of the lower suction path fan 220 of the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction path fan 320 of the front suction unit 300 based on contamination information received from the contamination level sensor 60.

For example, the controlling of the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 may control the power of the lower suction path fan 220 of the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction path fan 320 of the front suction unit 300 based on information input by the user.

The controller 80 recognizes the contamination status based on the contamination information received from the contamination level sensor 60 during control in the second exhaust mode (505).

The controller 80 recognizes whether the contamination level is in a decreasing state during the second exhaust mode based on information received from the contamination level sensor 60 (506).

For example, the contamination level may be identified as being in a decreasing state when a contamination level value lower than a contamination level value previously stored in at least one memory 82 is measured.

The controller 80 may determine the operation mode of the cooking apparatus 1 as a third exhaust mode based on the contamination level being identified as being in a decreasing state during the second exhaust mode (507)

The third exhaust mode may include a mode in which only the front suction unit 300 is operated.

The controller 80 may control the rear suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 to be operated such that the operation of the rear suction unit 200 is terminated and the operation of the front suction unit 300 is maintained based on the determination of the third exhaust mode (508).

The controller 80 recognizes whether the contamination level is in a decreasing state during the third exhaust mode based on information received from the contamination level sensor 60 (509).

For example, the contamination level may be identified as being in a decreasing state when a contamination level value lower than a contamination level value previously stored in at least one memory 82 is measured.

The controller 80 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to end the operation mode of the cooking apparatus 1 based on the contamination level identified as being in a decreasing state during the third exhaust mode.

The controller 80 may identify whether the food F is placed at the first position (P1). (510)

The controller 80 may determine the operation mode of the cooking apparatus 1 as the first exhaust mode such that the cooking apparatus 1 is operated in the first exhaust mode based on the food F being placed at the first position (P1) (511).

The first exhaust mode may include a mode in which only the rear suction unit 200 is operated.

The controller 80 may control only the rear suction unit 200 to be operated based on the determination of the first exhaust mode (512).

For example, the controlling of the rear suction unit 200 may control the power of the lower suction fan 220 of the rear suction unit 200 based on contamination information received from the contamination level sensor 60.

For example, the controlling of the rear suction unit 200 may control the power of the lower suction fan 220 of the rear suction unit 200 based on information input by the user.

The controller 80 recognizes the state of contamination based on contamination information received from the contamination level sensor 60 during control in the first exhaust mode (513).

The controller 80 recognizes whether the contamination level is in a decreasing state during the first exhaust mode based on information received from the contamination level sensor 60 (514).

For example, the contamination level may be identified as being in a decreased state when a contamination level value lower than a contamination level value previously stored in in at least one memory 82 is measured.

The controller 80 may terminate the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 based on the contamination level identified as being in a decreasing state during the first exhaust mode.

Hereinafter, a description will be made on an operation of preventing contaminated air from flowing back from the exhaust path 50 to the suction unit that is not operating in detail.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary diagram of an operation of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with some components removed, and FIG. 14 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which an opening/closing member closes a lower suction path with some components of a cooking apparatus removed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 13, both the lower suction path 230 and the front suction path 330 may be provided to be connected to the exhaust path 50. Accordingly, contaminated air flowing on the exhaust path 50 is provided to be discharged to the exhaust port 102 by the blowing of the lower suction path fan 220 or the front suction path fan 320, but at least a portion of the contaminated air may flow from the exhaust path 50 back to the lower suction path 230 and/or the front suction path 330.

For example, when one of the lower suction unit 200 and the front suction unit 300 is not operated, the fan of the corresponding unit is not driven, and thus the contaminated air on the exhaust path 50 may flow back to the path of the corresponding unit whose fan is not driven.

For example, when the food F is placed at the first position (P1) and only the lower suction unit 200 is operated, at least a portion of the contaminated air flowing to the exhaust path 50 through the lower suction path 230 may flow back to the front suction path 330 in which the front suction path fan 320 is not driven.

Accordingly, the portion of the contaminated air may be discharged back to the front of the cooking apparatus 1 through the front suction path 330 and the front suction port 310, which may cause the suction performance of the contaminated air to be lowered.

To prevent this, the controller 80 may control the fan of the unit that is not operated such that the fan of the unit that is not operated rotates at a lower speed than the fan of the unit that is operated when the lower suction unit 200 or the front suction unit 300 is operated alone.

For example, when food F is placed at the first position (P1) and only the lower suction unit 200 is operated, the controller 80 may control the front suction fan 320 such that the front suction fan 320 is driven at a lower speed than the lower suction fan 220.

As the front suction fan 320 is driven, the air blown by the front suction fan 320 may prevent at least a portion of the contaminated air on the exhaust path 50 from flowing back to the front suction path 330. This is because the backflowing contaminated air may be caused to flow toward the exhaust port 102 by the air blown by the front suction fan 320.

The controller 80 may increase the suction efficiency of the cooking apparatus 1 by controlling the front suction fan 320 such that the front suction fan 320 is driven at a lower speed than the lower suction fan 220.

As shown in FIG. 14, for example, when the food F is placed at the first position (P1) and only the lower suction unit 200 is operated, in order to prevent at least a portion of the contaminated air flowing through the lower suction channel 230 to the exhaust channel 50 from flowing back to the front suction path 330 in which the front suction fan 320 is not driven, the front suction unit 300 may include an opening/closing member 360 that is arranged between the exhaust path 50 and the front suction flow fan 320 and opens and closes the front suction path on the front suction path 330.

The opening/closing member 360 may close the front suction path 330 when the front suction unit 300 is not operated, thereby blocking a portion of the contaminated air on the exhaust path 50 from flowing into the front suction path 330.

For example, the opening/closing member 360 may be provided to open/close the front suction path 330 by a damper or an actuator.

For example, when the food F is placed at the first position (P1) and only the lower suction unit 200 is operated, the controller 80 may control the front suction unit 300 such that the opening/closing member 360 closes the front suction path 330.

However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the lower suction unit 200 may additionally include an opening/closing member that is arranged between the exhaust path 50 and the lower suction path fan 220 and opens/closes the lower suction path 230. In this case, when only the front suction unit 300 is operated, the controller 80 may control the suction unit 200 by closing the lower suction path 320 with the opening/closing member.

The front suction path fan 320 may be controlled such that the front suction path fan 320 is driven at a lower speed than the lower suction path fan 220.

Hereinafter, a module of a cooking apparatus 1 according to an embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 15 is a drawing in illustrating a state in which a first cabinet and a second cabinet of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are separated, and FIG. 16 is a drawing in illustrating a rear side of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state in which a first cabinet is separated.

As shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the cooking apparatus 1 may have the front suction unit 300 detachably coupled thereto.

The cabinet 100 may include a first cabinet 180 in which a cooking chamber 200 and at least a portion of a lower suction unit 200 including a lower suction fan 220 and at least a portion of a lower suction path 230 and an exhaust path 50 are located.

The cabinet 100 may include a second cabinet 190 in which at least a portion of the lower suction unit 200 including a lower suction duct 240, at least a portion of the lower suction path 230 and a lower suction port 210 and a front suction unit 300.

The second cabinet 190 may be detachably coupled to the first cabinet 180.

The cooking apparatus 1 may be provided as a module in which the first cabinet 180 and the second cabinet 190 may be separable and couplable as needed.

For example, when the size of the cooktop 1000 is provided to be approximately the same size as the lower side 104 of the cabinet 100, the front suction unit 300 is not needed. Accordingly, when the size of the cooktop 1000 corresponds to the lower side 104 of the cabinet 100, only the first cabinet 180 may be provided to be arranged above of the cooktop 1000.

For example, when the size of the cooktop 1000 corresponds to the lower side 104 of the cabinet 100 and only the first cabinet 180 may be arranged above the cooktop 1000. In this state, when the cooktop 1000 is replaced with a cooktop 1000 having a larger area and food F is cooked on the cooktop 1000, contaminated air may be distributed in front of the cooking apparatus 1. In this case, the second cabinet 190 may be coupled to the first cabinet 180, allowing contaminated air distributed in front of the cooking apparatus 1 to be efficiently drawn-in through the front suction unit 300 located in the second cabinet 190.

As described above, depending on the size of the cooktop 1000 or the location in which the cooking apparatus 1 is installed, only the first cabinet 180 may be installed or the first and second cabinets 180 and 190 may be selectively installed to increase the suction efficiency of the cooking apparatus 1.

When only the first cabinet 180 is installed, a first cabinet suction port 182 may be provided on a lower surface 181 of the first cabinet 180 to allow contaminated air to be drawn-in.

The first cabinet suction port 182 may be provided such that contaminated air may be drawn-in to the first cabinet 180 when the first cabinet 180 is independently operated.

The first cabinet suction port 182 may be provided to correspond to the lower suction port 210 located in the second cabinet 190 in the upper-lower direction Z, such that when the first and second cabinets 180 and 190 are coupled, contaminated air drawn-in through the lower suction port 210 may be easily moved to the suction port of the first cabinet 182.

The first cabinet suction port 182 may be provided to correspond to the lower suction duct 240 located in the second cabinet 190 in the upper-lower direction Z, such that when the first and second cabinets 180 and 190 are coupled, contaminated air drawn-in through the lower suction port 210 may be easily guided to the suction port of the first cabinet 182 through the lower suction duct 240.

The lower surface 181 of the first cabinet 180 may include a connection hole 183 provided to allow the front suction path 330 arranged in the second cabinet 190 to be connected to the exhaust path 50.

The connection hole 183 is provided to be in contact with a flow end 331 of the front suction path 330 provided in the second cabinet 190, such that when the first cabinet 180 and the second cabinet 190 are coupled, the front suction path 330 and the exhaust path 50 may be connected.

The connecting hole 183 is a hole provided to allow the exhaust path 50 to communicate with the outside, and when only the first cabinet 180 is installed, the connecting hole 183 may be provided to be closed by an opening/closing member or a user.

When the first and second cabinets 180, 190 are coupled, the front suction path 330 located in the second cabinet 190 is provided to be connected to the connection hole 183, and thus contaminated air drawn-in through the front suction path 330 may flow from the front suction path 330 to the exhaust path 50 through the connection hole 183.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these inventive concepts may be embodied in different forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure, and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.