Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Choon Jae Ryu

Stephanos Kyriacou

Michael Goodman Schroeder

Ronald Gary Foster

Matthew R Hunter

Vineeth Vijayan

Andrew Poos

An ice maker appliance includes an ice box. The ice maker appliance further includes a mold body and a frost collector positioned in the ice box. The ice maker appliance also includes a working fluid loop. The working fluid loop is in conductive thermal communication with the mold body and with the frost collector.

Ice maker appliance control methods

A refrigerator appliance including a sealed cooling system with an evaporator in a frozen food storage chamber is presented. The evaporator includes a cover with movable louvers to allow chilled air to flow to the frozen food storage chamber in a first position and to block the flow in a second position, and a method of operation for such a refrigerator appliance.

Refrigerator fan cover with active louvers and method of operation

A method of operating an ice maker appliance includes directing liquid water to a mold body of the ice maker appliance. The method also includes determining that at least a portion of the liquid water escaped based on at least one of an ice making time, a harvest motor torque, or a temperature change rate. The method further includes providing a user notification in response to determining that at least the portion of the liquid water escaped.

Ice maker appliance leak detection

An appliance including a cabinet, a mount unit, and an ice tray is provided. The cabinet forms a freezer chamber and the mount unit is positioned in the freezer chamber. The mount unit forms a channel configured to releasably receive the ice tray. The ice tray includes a lip corresponding to the channel at the mount unit. The mount unit includes a rotor configured to rotate along a central axis.

Appliance with ice tray and mount unit

A refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, a door, an image module, and a shelf assembly. The cabinet may define a chilled chamber. The door may be rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber. The image module may be mounted to the cabinet. The shelf assembly may be disposed below the image module within the chilled chamber. The shelf assembly may include a support panel attached to the cabinet, a first shelf attached to the support panel, a second shelf attached to the support panel and spaced apart from the first shelf, and a weight sensor mounted on the support panel to detect stored mass at the first shelf and the second shelf.

Refrigerator appliance having a weight-detecting shelf assembly

An appliance including a cabinet forming a chamber. A track is attachable to the cabinet in the chamber. The track includes a pair of track arms at which a sensor is attached. A member extends between the pair of track arms, and an opening is formed at the member. A shelf includes a pair of support arms at which a frame is positionable. A mounting end of the support arms forms a tooth insertable into the opening at the track.

Refrigerator appliance and cantilever track with sensor

A refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, a door, and a shelf assembly. The cabinet may define a chilled chamber. The door may be rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber. The shelf assembly may be disposed below the image module within the chilled chamber. The shelf assembly may include a mounting bracket attached to the cabinet, a shelf attached to the mounting bracket, and a weight sensor disposed within the cabinet in cantilevered engagement with the shelf to detect stored mass at the shelf.

An ice making system for creating clear ice and an associated method are provided. The ice making system employs a first sealed refrigerant system connected to a heat exchanger. A second sealed refrigerant system is also connected to the heat exchanger for cooling a first refrigerant of the first sealed refrigerant system. A heat exchanger heater is at least partially contained with the heat exchanger for heating the first refrigerant. A pump in the first refrigerant system is activated after heat exchanger heater has warmed the first refrigerant, enabling a cooling cycle to begin. Once sufficient clear ice has been generated, the pump is deactivated.

Ice making system for creating clear ice and associated method

A refrigerator appliance with sensing for load determination including a shelf and shelf support with a resilient member positioned so as to be compressed by the weight of food items placed on the shelf. Changes in pressure or flowrate of a fluid in the resilient member are used to detect changes in the weight of food items. The appliance can be configured to execute one or more events based on the detected changes.

Appliance with sensing for load determination

A refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, a door, an image module, and a drawer assembly. The cabinet may include an inner liner defining a chilled chamber. The door may be rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber. The image module may be mounted to the cabinet and have a field of view within the chilled chamber. The drawer assembly may be disposed within the field of view of the image module. The drawer assembly may include an assembly frame supported on the inner liner, a slidable drawer movably attached to the assembly frame to move relative thereto, and a plurality of weight sensors mounted on the assembly frame apart from the slidable drawer to detect a weight of one or more objects received on the drawer assembly.

Refrigerator appliance having a weight-detecting drawer assembly

A method of operating a refrigerator, as provided herein, may include initiating a first image capture sequence at a camera module and identifying a first stored item based on a first two-dimensional image of the first image capture sequence. The method may further include determining an internal location of the first stored item within a chilled chamber or generating an expanded image of the first stored item and a second stored item spaced apart from the first stored item.

Methods for viewing and tracking stored items

A refrigerator appliance, as provided herein, may include a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a door rotatably hinged to the cabinet, a camera module, and a controller. The camera module may be mounted to the cabinet. The controller may be operably coupled to the camera module. The controller may be configured to initiate an operation routine. The operation routine may include receiving a purchase invoice, initiating an item recognition sequence within the refrigerator appliance, generating an initial recognition attempt of a first stored item based on the item recognition sequence, comparing the initial recognition attempt of the first stored item to the purchase invoice, generating a modified recognition attempt of the first stored item based on the comparison of the initial recognition attempt the first stored item to the purchase invoice, and recording a descriptor of the first stored item to an inventory within the refrigerator appliance.

Refrigerator appliances and methods for tracking stored items

A method for operating a refrigerator appliance, as provided herein, may include initiating an image capture sequence at a camera module. The image capture sequence may include a first two-dimensional image captured at the camera module and a second two-dimensional image captured at the camera module subsequent to the first two-dimensional image. The method may further include assigning an image score to the first two-dimensional image according to a predetermined grading scale, and assigning an image score to the second two-dimensional image according to the predetermined grading scale. The method may still further include comparing the image scores of the first and second two-dimensional images, and presenting one of the first and second two-dimensional images on a digital display based on comparing the image scores.

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Prospect, KY, United States of America

Choon Jae Ryu