DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a barbecue according to the preamble of Claim 1.

Barbecues fed with pellets are known in the relevant technical field.

For example, US patent 6,223,737 describes a barbecue comprising a reservoir containing pellets, connected to a feed screw for conveying the pellets to a burning area formed by a container of cylindrical shape.

The outlet of the screw faces a lateral wall of the cylindrical body in such a way that the conveyed pellets are discharged by gravity.

Thus the fuel is fed gradually during the cooking of the food.

Similar devices are described in US 8,267,078, WO 2013/116946, US 2012/060699 and US 7,900,553.

In these devices, the pellets, although moved by means of a screw, are poured from above, so that they fall by gravity, into the container in which burning takes place.

However, this feature has drawbacks in that, on the one hand, the falling of the pellets from above may make the burning of the underlying material less uniform, while on the other hand there is a risk that the material will start to burn while still falling, possibly causing flashbacks towards the pellet reservoir.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is therefore that of providing a pellet-burning barbecue structurally and functionally designed in such a way that all the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art can be overcome.

This problem is resolved by means of a pellet-burning barbecue according to Claim 1.

Preferred characteristics of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The invention according to the present invention provides optimal pellet burning and eliminates, or at least minimizes, the risks of flashback, by using a compact, simply constructed solution.

Moreover, the discovery on which the present invention is based makes it possible to obtain more uniform burning of the pellets.

The characteristics and further advantages of the invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred, but non-exclusive, example of embodiment of the invention, illustrated, for guidance and in a non- limiting way, with reference to the attached drawings, in which :

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a burner unit of a pellet-burning barbecue according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 is a partially sectional perspective side view of the burner unit of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a partially sectional perspective top view of the burner unit of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a partially sectional perspective side view of a burning area, which is a detail of the burner unit of Figure 1.

With reference to the attached figures, a pellet-burning barbecue according to the present invention comprises a reservoir 8 for storing pellets, and a cooking surface 9, preferably formed by a metal grid, on which the food to be cooked is laid, as illustrated purely schematically in Figure 1.

As illustrated in detail in Figure 1, the barbecue further comprises a burner unit 10 in which the pellets are made to burn to supply heat to the cooking surface.

In greater detail, the burning of the pellets takes place in a burning container 1 of the burner unit 10, formed, according to a preferred embodiment, by a tubular body, preferably cylindrical, facing the cooking surface. In other words, the burning container 1 has open upper and lower ends.

Preferably, the burning container 1 has a substantially vertical axial extension, and the burning of the pellets takes place at a lower end 11 of the burning container 1, at its open base, in ways which are more fully described below.

The burner unit 10 further comprises a fuel feed device 2 which receives pellets from the reservoir and conveys them to the burning container 1.

As shown in Figure 2, the feed device 2 comprises a screw 20 housed inside a conveying conduit 21, also preferably of cylindrical shape.

The conveying conduit 21 extends with an inclination relative to a horizontal direction, typically coincident with the surface on which the barbecue rests.

In other words, the conveying conduit 21 and the screw 20 are positioned in such a way that the screw 20 causes the material introduced into the conduit 21 to move upwards. Preferably, the inclination of the conduit 21 is in the range from 30° to 60° relative to the aforesaid horizontal direction . This range provides an optimal relationship between the overall dimensions and the efficiency of conveyance of the pellets.

According to a preferred embodiment, the conveying conduit 21 extends from an area below the pellet reservoir, with which it communicates via an opening 23, to the burning container 1.

Thus the pellets, which are introduced into the conveying conduit 21 through the opening 23, preferably by gravity, is conveyed upwards by the rotation of the screw 20. Clearly, therefore, in order to allow the pellets to be moved in an optimal way by means of the screw 20, the distance between the thread 26 of the screw and the inner surface of the conveying conduit 21 is preferably less than the size of the pellets themselves. Preferably, the screw 20 is made to rotate by an electric motor 24 associated with a corresponding reduction unit 25, both located at an end of the conduit 21 which is distal relative to the container 1, thus optimizing the overall dimensions of the burner unit 10 as a whole.

Also with reference to Figure 1, but as illustrated even more fully in Figure 4, in the barbecue according to the present invention the conveying conduit 21 is connected to the lower end 11 of the burning container 1. Thus the screw 20, which faces towards the inside of the container 1, forms a bottom surface of the container 1, together with the walls of the conveying conduit 21. In practice, the surface of the thread 26 of the screw 20 forms, at least partially, the bottom surface of the burning container 1, where the burning of the pellets takes place.

According to a preferred embodiment, the conveying conduit 21 is connected at a lower base edge 11' of the burning container 1. Clearly, however, it would be possible for the conveying conduit 21 not to be connected at this edge, but to be joined to a portion of the container 1 located inside the latter. In this case, therefore, the bottom surface can be partially formed by a base wall of the container 1 connected to the base edge 11'.

With reference to Figure 3 also, the conveying conduit 21 preferably comprises a movable base 22, which forms part of the wall of the conveying conduit 21. Preferably, the movable base 22 is positioned under the burning container 1, thus forming, together with the terminal part of the thread 26 of the screw 20, the bottom surface of the container 1 as illustrated initially. In other words, the movable base 22 is positioned facing the burning container 1 and interposed between the lower end 11 and an upper portion of the screw 20.

According to a preferred embodiment, the movable base 22 is connected by a pair of plates 45 to a parallelogram-like structure, formed by the link 43 and the cranks 42 and 44, which transmits the motion provided by an actuator 40 by means of a corresponding shaft 41.

Thus the movable base 22 can be actuated under control so as to put the conveying conduit 21 into communication with a discharge area 50 which, according to a preferred embodiment, is formed by a collecting box 5. Preferably, the box 5 can be removed from the burner unit through an openable hatch 51. Also according to a preferred embodiment, the burner unit 10 comprises a support structure 52, formed for example by a set of plates fixed to a corresponding frame, on which plates the aforesaid components are supported and in which the hatch 51 is made. Thus, in the present embodiment, the movable base 22 can be rotated so as to allow the discharge of the pellets or combustion residues which are present in the burning container and are supported on the base formed by the screw and movable base 22.

This characteristic can also be advantageously used to interrupt the burning of the pellets if predetermined operating conditions occur.

For this purpose, the actuator can be associated with a control unit 7 provided to control the operation of the barbecue.

According to a preferred embodiment, the control unit 7 is also provided to control a fan unit 3 for providing a flow of air, preferably generated by a fan 30, into the burning container 1.

Preferably, the fan unit 3 comprises an air flow distribution chamber 33 which extends concentrically with the burning container 1.

The distribution chamber 33 is in communication with the burning chamber 1 via holes 12 made in a portion of the burning container 1 opposed to the direction of extension of the screw 20.

Thus the air can be supplied to the burning area in an optimal manner, without the risk that the conveyed pellets may impede the correct flow of the air. The use of a concentric distribution chamber also provides uniform distribution of the air, preventing a direct flow into the burning area.

Also for the purpose of optimizing the air flow, the fan unit 3 preferably also comprises an inlet chamber 32 which introduces the air flow generated by the fan 30 into the distribution chamber 33 at a position diametrically opposite the holes 12.

According to a preferred embodiment, the fan 30 is positioned on one side of the burner unit 10 and is connected to the inlet chamber 32 by a channel 31.

Thus the invention resolves the problem which was proposed, while providing a number of advantages. The use of the screw in the lower part of the burning container makes it possible to burn the pellets directly at the terminal portion of the screw, that is to say without the need to discharge them downwards by gravity. Thus any flashbacks or incompletely continuous or uniform burning of the pellets can be avoided effectively, since the pellets are fed from below.

The burner unit according to the present invention also makes it possible to rationalize the overall dimensions, thereby helping to make the barbecue more compact and therefore easily transportable.

Finally, by using a movable base, also associated with the burning container, it is possible to provide a high degree of safety and ease of cleaning of the barbecue.