General Electric Company

Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Eric Kent Watson

John Keith Besore

Steven Keith Root

Jeff Donald Drake

Natarajan Venkatakrishnan

Darin Franks

Ronald Scott Tarr

Michael F Finch

Brian Michael Schork

Matthew William Davis

Omar Haidar

Michael Thomas Beyerle

Joseph Thomas Waugh

Timothy Allen Hamel

Derek Lee Watkins

John Joseph Roetker

David C Bingham

Richard DeVos

Meher Prasadu Kollipara

Denis Alagic

Darko Ilickovic

Subhash Viswanathan Kollengode

Donald Charles Ganiere

Kenneth U Nsofor

Sarah Lynn Kirchoff

Byron K Guernsey

Mallika Ravindra Patel

Paul Bryan Cadima

Timothy Scott Shaffer

John Kenneth Hooker

Errin Whitney Gnadinger

Alexander Pinkus Rafalovich

Timothy Dale Worthington

David Scott Dunn

Richard Dean Suel, Ii

Jonathan D Nelson

Jerrod Aaron Kappler

Joshua Stephen Wiseman

Timothy Martin Wetzel

William Hull Bicknell

Martin Christopher Severance

Ronald Gary Foster

Chad Michael Helms

Erick Graven

Jeffrey Alan Kern

Ashley Wayne Burt

William Newton

Gregory Michael Thomas

Andrew Leroy Reder

Randall Winfield Calmeise

Richard Dana Brooke

Brice Alan Bowley

Mingwei Shan

Derrick Douglas Little

Anthony A Cooper

Paul E McCrorey

Chris George Bissig

David Duane Warmuth

Kyle Robert Eden

Jason King

Craig Lung-Pei Tsai

Nagaraju Valluri

Rebecca Ann Eakins

Mark A Banta

Om Hari

David William Hicks

Telema Harry

Rita Barksdale

Christopher Paul Durand

Jeffrey S Weber

Alex Fernando Lobos

Timothy Neal Johnson

Neil Philip Smith

Frederick Pizzella

Charles Dawes

Yogesh Kumar Allimalli

Lijie Hao

Michael Kello

Rajendra Prasad Gottipati

Richard Devos

Donald Ganiere

Arti Arvindbhai Shah

Jennifer Amy Floyd

Irena Jozic Mcdowell

Tarr Ronald Scott,

Systems and methods for identifying relay contact position within an appliance. In one embodiment, an appliance includes a first motor, a second motor, and a relay. The relay can be configured to be adjusted between at least a first position associated with a first circuit of the first motor and a second position associated with a second circuit of the second motor. The appliance can also include one or more control device(s) configured to identify the position of the relay within the appliance. For instance, the control device(s) can provide a test signal to the relay and detect an output signal that is based at least in part on the input signal. The output signal can be associated with the second circuit. The control device(s) can determine whether the relay is in the first position or the second position based at least in part on the output signal.

Motor detection methodology and system

Compressors and methods for determining optimal parking positions for compressor pistons are provided. A method includes performing a current value evaluation for an initial time during operation of a motor of the compressor. Performing the current value evaluation includes measuring a motor current value at the time and comparing the motor current value to an existing optimal parking current value. Performing the current value evaluation further includes modifying the existing optimal parking current value to the motor current value when the motor current value exceeds or is equal to the existing optimal parking current value.

Compressors and methods for determining optimal parking positions for compressor pistons

A valve assembly for use with a washing appliance having a main controller includes a valve that is moveable between a first position that prevents water from flowing through a supply line and a second position that allows water to flow through the supply line. A control assembly separate from the main controller is configured to control the valve to move between the first position and the second position. The control assembly includes a flow sensor configured to output a signal representing an amount of water flowing through the supply line and a control unit configured to control the valve assembly based on the output signal of the flow sensor.

Valve assembly for use with a washing appliance

A heating apparatus for heating a subcompartment in a compartment of an appliance is disclosed. The heating apparatus includes an electromagnetic member disposed in the compartment, and a metal member thermally coupled to the subcompartment. The metal member is magnetically coupled to the electromagnetic member to generate an eddy current in the metal member in response to a magnetic field generated by the electromagnetic member for heating the subcompartment. A related heating method and a refrigerator incorporating such a heating apparatus are also disclosed.

Heating apparatus for an appliance

A dishwasher is provided having a wash chamber that is supplied with wash water by a water circulation pump assembly. The pump assembly has a motor, an inlet in fluid communication with a sump, and an outlet in fluid communication with the wash chamber. A macerator system is configured with the pump assembly and includes a filter screen disposed across the inlet and a chopper blade rotationally driven by the pump assembly at a defined axial distance upstream from the filter screen. The chopper blade is biased by materials in magnetic flux communication to the defined axial distance so as to maintain the defined distance in a running and stopped states of the pump assembly.

Dishwasher pump inlet macerator system

A dry fire protection system for a water heater is provided. The water heater includes a body having an elongated hollow for holding water to be heated, an inlet opening and an outlet opening in communication with the hollow for flowing water therethrough. A heating element is coupled to the body for heating the water within the hollow. The dry fire protection system comprises a sensing element disposed in the hollow of the body for detecting the presence of water in the hollow. The sensing element is spaced from and operably connected to the heating element. The sensing element is configured to generate a voltage in response to a temperature of the sensing element. A controller is operably connected to the sensing element for monitoring the generated voltage across the sensing element. The controller is configured to prevent a supply of electrical power to the heating element as a function of the generated voltage.

Dry fire protection system

A system and method of detecting phase angle in an inverter is provided. A shunt resistor is coupled to a controller which is part of an inverter circuit and a phase angle may be directly derived from the detected voltage across the shunt resistor. The detected shunt voltage may be used to adjust the power delivery from the inverter to the load.

Phase angle detection in an inverter

An gas burner assembly for a cooking appliance includes a main burner assembly, a simmer burner assembly positioned in a stacked relationship with and located below the main burner assembly, a venturi assembly for delivering a gas flow to the main burner assembly, a gas boost pump configured to control a pressurization of the gas flow, a gas valve assembly for controlling a rate of the gas flow, and an encoder coupled to the gas valve assembly, the encoder configured to track a position of the gas valve assembly and provide a signal to the gas boost pump for pressurization of the gas flow.

Gas burner assembly

An appliance for conditioning air of a room comprises one or more power consuming features/functions including a temperature controlling element for one of heating and cooling air. A controller is operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a utility state. The controller operates the appliance in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode.

Energy management of household appliances

A clothes washer is provided comprising one or more power consuming functions and a controller in signal communication with an associated utility. The controller can receive and process a signal from the associated utility indicative of current state of an associated utility. The controller operates the clothes washer in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to change the power consuming functions by adjusting one or more of an operation schedule, an operation delay, an operation adjustment, and a selective deactivation of at least one of the one or more power consuming functions to reduce power consumption of the clothes washer in the energy savings mode.

Energy management of clothes washer appliance

A household appliance system comprising an appliance control system having a common appliance interface provided on an appliance and a demand side management module connected to the common appliance interface. The module corresponds to one select utility of a plurality of utilities and is configured to communicate with the one select utility of the plurality of utilities. The appliance control system operates the appliance based on communications with the one select utility through the module.

Demand side management module

A standby power system for an appliance having a power input coupled to a main power source includes a power enabling device coupled between the main power source and power input of the appliance, a standby power state sensing device coupled to the power enabling device, and a power restore device coupled to the power enabling device.

Standby power reduction

A dishwasher is provided comprising one or more power consuming functions and a controller in signal communication with an associated utility. The controller can receive and process a signal from the associated utility indicative of current cost of supplied energy. The controller operates the dishwasher in one of a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode based on the received signal. The controller is configured to change the power consuming functions by adjusting one or more of an operation schedule, an operation delay, an operation adjustment, and a selective deactivation of at least one of the one or more power consuming functions to reduce power consumption of the dishwasher in the energy savings mode.

Energy management of dishwasher appliance

A method and system for monitoring an appliance is disclosed. The method includes establishing a wireless communication connection between a communication module in an appliance and a communication network, transmitting operational data in real-time from the appliance to an external monitoring system over the communication network, determining a status of a component of the appliance from the real-time operational data, and if a failure mode of the component is detected, initiating a service protocol corresponding to the component.

Appliance monitoring system and method

A system and method of managing energy use in a home, and more particularly to energy management of household consumer appliances, are provided. Existing appliances can be modified with add-on features or modules, and likewise new energy saving features and functions can be incorporated into new appliances. Communication among a home energy manager, an appliance, and a utility meter measures energy usage and/or a local generator controls operation of various appliances such as a refrigerator, washer, dryer, oven/range, microwave oven, dishwasher, HVAC system hot water heater, and the like.

Growing community of inventors

Crestwood, KY, United States of America

Eric Kent Watson