Cooking appliance having a downdraft ventilation system with a deflection blade

A ventilation system comprising:

• a duct arranged to convey an airflow therethrough and defining an upstream portion and a downstream portion, the duct being in fluid communication with a vent opening defined in a cooking surface;
• a blower comprising a blower motor having a speed of operation selectable between at least a first speed and a second speed, the blower being active into the duct and being operative to draw the airflow through the duct from the upstream portion to the downstream portion;
• at least one deflection blade operatively located into the duct downstream of the vent opening, in particular downstream of at least one set of louvers disposed in the duct downstream or in correspondence of the vent opening, to act on the airflow flowing along the duct from the upstream portion to the downstream portion, the deflection blade being located upstream the blower, the deflection blade preventing undesired temperature changes of at least one cooking vessel, particularly temperature reduction, by controlling the airflow path around/near such at least one cooking vessel being used for cooking.

A method of operating a cooking appliance comprising the steps of:

• arranging a duct in fluid communication with an aperture or a vent opening defined in a cooking surface, to convey an airflow therethrough to define an upstream portion and a downstream portion;
• disposing a blower comprising a blower motor having a speed of operation selectable between a first speed and a second speed, the blower being active into the duct and being operative to draw the airflow through the duct;
• disposing at least one deflection blade operatively located into the duct downstream of the vent opening, in particular downstream of the at least one set of louvers disposed in the duct downstream or in correspondence of the vent opening, to act on the airflow flowing along the duct from the upstream portion to the downstream portion, the deflection blade being disposed upstream of the blower, and the deflection blade being disposed into the duct to prevent undesired temperature changes of at least one cooking vessel, particularly temperature reduction, by controlling the airflow path around/near such at least one cooking vessel being used for cooking.