Convection fan assembly for a cooking appliance

1. Field of the Invention A fan assembly for a convection cooking appliance defines a self-contained unit including a housing, an internal fan unit, and a cover. The cover is provided with a centrally located, unobstructed opening for directing air to an inlet for the fan unit. The area of the inlet opening is equal to or larger than the sum of the cross-sectional inlet area of fan unit. During operation, air is drawn into the fan housing through the opening, directed radially outwardly through housing, and lead out through radial, peripherally spaced holes of the housing. The overall construction of the fan assembly eases manufacture and assembly, while defining a high performance convection system by establishing an efficient recirculating airflow, with relatively high air flow, pressure and velocity operating parameters.