Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Jordan Andrew Waymeyer

Brent Alden Junge

Timothy Ray Jackson

Danister Abeygunawardana

Gregory Scott Carr

Louis Anthony Wantland

Jianwu Li

Brian Allgeier

Michael C Watanabe

Kira Lynn Hartlage

Erik Stennis

Joseph Thomas Waugh

Jeffrey Michael Colyer

Lokesha Kodigenahalli Chinnappa Reddy

Gregory Sergeevich Chernov

Timothy Dale Worthington

Richard DeVos

Vineeth Vijayan

Kyle Andrew Kozinski

Ronald Gary Foster

Darin Franks

Eric R Meyerholtz

Jose Rafael Padron

David C McCalpin

Paul Haney

Collin Dietz

Trent Daniel Jacobi

An autofill pitcher system of a refrigerator appliance includes a pitcher and a dispenser. The pitcher defines an internal volume. A cavity of the dispenser is configured to receive the pitcher. The dispenser also includes a fill tube and a chute. Water is provided to the pitcher via the fill tube and ice pieces are provided to the pitcher via the chute. The refrigerator appliance may be operable for, and methods of operating the refrigerator appliance may include filling the pitcher with water via the fill tube, filling the pitcher with ice pieces via the chute, and stopping fill when a level of water and ice within the internal volume of the pitcher reaches a preset level.

Autofill pitcher system with ice and water fill

An autofill pitcher system includes a pitcher and a dispenser. The pitcher includes at least one pitcher wall and an internal volume defined within the at least one pitcher wall. The dispenser defines a cavity. The cavity is configured to receive the pitcher. The dispenser also includes a fill tube and a sensor. The fill tube is positioned and configured to direct a flow of water from a water supply into the internal volume of the pitcher when the pitcher is received within the cavity. The sensor is positioned above the cavity and is operable to detect a fill level within the internal volume of the pitcher.

Autofill pitcher with fill sensor

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, a door rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber, and an autofill pitcher dispensing system. The system includes a removable pitcher defining an interior portion, a dispenser defining a cavity within the chilled chamber to receive the pitcher and including a fill tube for directing water from a water supply into the interior portion of the pitcher, an electrically operated sensor configured to detect an operational status of the system and generate a signal associated with the detected operational status, and a controller electrically coupled to the sensor. The controller is configured to determine when the autofill pitcher dispensing system is experiencing a leaking condition based on the generated signal.

Leak detection of an autofill pitcher dispensing system for a refrigerator appliance

A refrigerator appliance includes a chilled chamber comprising a plurality of storage locations, a lighting assembly comprising a plurality of lighting zones corresponding to the plurality of storage locations, and a controller in operative communication with the lighting assembly. The controller is configured to receive a request to identify an object stored in the chilled chamber, determine that the object is located within a target location of the plurality of storage locations, identify a target lighting zone of the plurality of lighting zones that corresponds to the target location, and illuminate the target lighting zone.

Method of operating a lighting assembly in a refrigerator appliance

A refrigerator appliance having a cabinet defining a chamber and a rotatably hinged door to at least partially seal the chamber or provide access to the chamber. The cabinet includes a resonant LC circuit transmitter and the door includes a resonant LC receiver to transfer electric power from the cabinet to the door.

Wireless power transfer to a door of a refrigerator appliance

A beverage-dispensing appliance may include a carbonation tank, a carbonator jacket, a cold water line, and an ice bin. The carbonation tank may define a tank volume, a water inlet upstream from the tank volume, a carbon dioxide inlet upstream from the tank volume, and a carbonated water outlet downstream from the tank volume. The carbonator jacket may define a jacket volume disposed about the carbonation tank. The cold water line may extend to the carbonator jacket in upstream fluid communication with the tank volume to direct a cold water flow to the tank volume. The ice bin may be spaced apart from the carbonation tank. The ice bin may define a drain aperture upstream from the cold water line to direct melt water thereto.

Beverage-dispensing appliance having a chilled carbonator

A refrigerator appliance having a cabinet defining a chamber and a rotatably hinged door to at least partially seal the chamber or provide access to the chamber. The cabinet includes an induction coil and the door includes a heat pipe to provide a wireless anti-condensation system to a refrigerator mullion.

Wireless anti-condensation system for a refrigerator appliance mullion

A free-standing appliance may include a cabinet, a water source, an icemaker, an ice bin, a cold water line, and one or more other features. The icemaker may be mounted within the cabinet downstream from the water source to receive water therefrom. The ice bin may be disposed within the cabinet downstream from the icemaker to receive ice therefrom. The cold water line may be mounted to the cabinet and define a cold water outlet downstream from the water source in fluid isolation from the icemaker.

Free-standing ice or beverage dispensing appliance

An indoor gardening appliance includes a grow module that is seated on a turntable that is rotatably mounted within a grow chamber and is rotated by a drive assembly. A position sensing assembly monitors an angular position using two proximity sensors, such as Hall-effect sensors, mounted below the sump, and the turntable includes a plurality of proximity indicators, such as magnets, positioned at various circumferential positions on the turntable. A controller is configured to initiate rotation of the turntable from a first angular position, determine that the turntable should have reached a second angular position, e.g., based on the operating duration or drive signal of the drive motor, and identify a drive assembly fault upon determining that the turntable has not reached the second angular position.

System and method for detecting a tower positioning fault using a drive assembly in an indoor garden center

A household appliance includes an outer casing, a water tank and an ice maker. The water tank may be attached to the outer casing. The ice maker is disposed within the outer casing. The ice maker is in fluid communication with the water tank. The household appliance may further include a pump disposed within the outer casing, at least one drain tube attached to the outer casing and a controller. The pump may be in fluid communication with the water tank and the ice maker to flow water from the water tank to the ice maker. The at least one drain tube may define an exit point, the exit point located vertically below the ice mater. The controller may initiate a cleaning cycle that includes pumping a volume of cleaning solution through the ice maker and directing the volume of cleaning solution through the at least one drain tube.

Automated cleaning for ice making unit

An icemaking appliance includes an ice storage chamber and a water jacket at least partially surrounding the ice storage chamber. A sensor assembly includes a sleeve, a conductive plug inserted into a first portion of the sleeve, and a temperature sensor inserted into a second portion of the sleeve. The first portion of the sleeve and the conductive plug are at least partially disposed within the ice storage chamber.

Sensor assembly for detecting ice level in a water jacket cooled ice storage chamber

An indoor gardening appliance includes a grow module that is seated on a turntable that is rotatably mounted within a grow chamber and is rotated by a drive assembly. A position sensing assembly monitors an angular position using two proximity sensors, such as Hall-effect sensors, mounted below the sump at the same circumferential position but at different radial positions. The turntable includes a plurality of proximity indicators, such as magnets, positioned at each of three circumferential positions on the turntable and at different radiuses to define a two-digit binary code corresponding to each of the three circumferential positions that is detectable by the proximity sensors.

Indoor garden center with a drive assembly utilizing positional feedback

A gardening appliance includes a liner positioned within a cabinet and defining a grow chamber, a grow tower rotatably mounted within the liner and defining a root chamber, a hydration system comprising a water supply tank for storing water, a supply conduit fluidly coupling the water supply tank to a discharge nozzle, a supply pump for selectively urging the water through the discharge nozzle and a water level sensor operably coupled to the water supply tank. A controller obtains a water level of the water in the water supply tank using the water level sensor, determines a conservative water supply schedule based at least in part on the water level, and operates the hydration system to provide the water in accordance with the conservative water supply schedule, the conservative water supply schedule providing the water at a slower average hydration rate relative to the standard water supply schedule.

Hydration system for an indoor garden center

A beverage dispenser includes a casing defining a dispensing recess and a plurality of mounting pockets. The plurality of mounting pockets are distributed along a vertical direction at the dispensing recess. A fluid conduit is disposed within the casing. An outlet of the fluid conduit is disposed above the dispensing recess of the casing. A drip tray is mountable to the casing at each of the plurality of mounting pockets. A plurality of sensors is disposed within the casing. Each of the plurality of sensors is positioned at a respective one of the plurality of mounting pockets. Each of the plurality of sensors configured to detect when the drip tray is mounted at the respective one of the plurality of mounting pockets.

Beverage dispenser with drip tray detection

A beverage-dispensing appliance may include a cabinet, a liquid line, a liquid level sensor, and a signal shield. The cabinet may define a mutually-orthogonal vertical direction, lateral direction, and transverse direction. The cabinet may define a dispenser recess. The liquid line may be mounted to the cabinet and define a liquid outlet above the dispenser recess. The liquid level sensor may be mounted to the cabinet and directed at the dispenser recess. The signal shield may be movably mounted to the cabinet. The signal shield may be movable between a blocking position and a permissive position. The blocking position may laterally bound at least a portion of the dispenser recess. The permissive position may be transversely spaced apart from the dispenser recess to permit lateral access thereto.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Jordan Andrew Waymeyer