General Electric Company

Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Joseph Thomas Waugh

Tyler James Doering

Ronald Scott Tarr

Eric Kent Watson

Matthew William Davis

Omar Haidar

Brent Alden Junge

Jordan Andrew Waymeyer

Jonathan Charles Crosby

Kenneth U Nsofor

Andrew Reinhard Krause

Justin Tyler Brown

Steven Keith Root

Darin Franks

Daniel Stephen Renz

Ryan Joseph Thomas

Arun Madhav Talegaonkar

Jeffrey Martin Wood

Ryan Michael Hartlage

Geoffrey Lee Ranard

Eric Paez

Jose Rafael Padron

Erik Stennis

Kristin Marie Weirich

Bipin N Shaha

Carlos Gonzalez Juarez

Arun Talegaonkar

Tarr Ronald Scott,

Jeffrey Wood

Daniel Renz

A refrigeration appliance, a controller, and a method for operating a three-compartment refrigeration appliance are provided. Operations include operating a cooling system to provide cooled air to a first compartment then operating the cooling system to provide cooled air to a second compartment. After operating the cooling system to provide cooled air to the second compartment, the operations include operating the cooling system to provide cooled air to the third compartment prior to deactivating the cooling system following operating the cooling system to provide cooled air to the second compartment.

Refrigeration appliance and method for three-compartment cooling

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 modular lighting system is provided. The modular lighting system includes a first LED board. The first LED board includes one or more LED arrays. The one or more LED arrays include one or more ultraviolet LED light sources and one or more non-ultraviolet LED light sources. The first LED board further includes one or more constant current LED drivers configured to output a driver current for the one or more LED arrays. The modular lighting system further includes a second LED board. The second LED board includes one or more LED arrays. The one or more LED arrays include one or more non-ultraviolet LED light sources. The second LED board further includes one or more constant current LED drivers configured to output a driver current for the one or more LED arrays of the second LED board.

Modular lighting system for an indoor garden center

A method for operating a refrigerator appliance includes operating a dispenser of the refrigerator appliance to initiate a flow of liquid water or ice into a container positioned within a dispensing recess of the dispenser in response to a user input at a user input panel of the refrigerator appliance, receiving one or more signals from a sensor positioned at the dispensing recess after operating the dispenser to initiate the flow of liquid water or ice into the dispensing recess, and detecting a presence of the container in the dispensing recess based at least in part on the one or more signals from the sensor only after operating the dispenser to initiate the flow of liquid water or ice into the dispensing recess. A related refrigerator appliance is also provided.

Refrigerator appliance with a dispenser

Systems and methods for detecting a contamination status of an ultrasonic sensor assembly included in a refrigeration appliance are provided. An exemplary refrigerator includes a sensor assembly. The sensor assembly includes a first ultrasonic sensor configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal and a second ultrasonic sensor configured to receive the ultrasonic signal. The refrigerator is configured to perform operations comprising detecting whether the sensor assembly is contaminated based on one or more characteristics of the received ultrasonic signal. An exemplary method includes monitoring a change in a characteristic of a plurality of crosstalk components of a plurality of ultrasonic signals of over a period of time to detect a contaminated state of an ultrasonic sensor.

Detection of contamination status for refrigerator ultrasonic sensor assembly

A cooling system for an appliance includes an evaporator stage, a compressor stage coupled to the evaporator stage and a condenser stage coupled to the compressor stage. The condenser stage includes a condenser and a condenser cooling fan for cooling the condenser, and a condenser loop coupled between the condenser stage and the evaporator stage. A humidity sensor is configured to detect a humidity level in an area of the cooling system and a controller is configured to cycle an operating state of the condenser cooling fan from ON to a low speed or OFF prior to an end of a cooling cycle.

System to control external condensation on a refrigerator

Methods for monitoring a sensor of a refrigerator appliance are provided. The methods include activating an auto-fill feature of the refrigerator appliance and receiving a signal from a sensor of the refrigerator appliance. The method also includes displaying a message on a display of the refrigerator appliance if the sensor does not detect the container within the dispenser recess. The message can provide a user with feedback regarding the auto-fill feature and assist the user with properly operating the auto-fill feature.

Methods for monitoring sensors of refrigerator appliances

A method for operating a refrigerator having a driving assembly and an ice storage bin. The driving assembly is releasably engageable with the ice storage bin. The driving assembly has a motor fork. The ice storage bin supports an axle, to which a coupler is secured. The method includes engaging the motor fork with the coupler secured, rotating the motor fork in a first direction based on a user's input, and rotating the motor fork in a second direction opposite to the first direction for a predetermined time or by a predetermined angle at the end of the user's input.

Method of operating a refrigerator

A refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance includes a printed circuit board positioned within a door of the refrigerator appliance above a dispenser recess of the refrigerator appliance. An orthogonal light emitting device is mounted to the printed circuit board and is configured for directing light into the dispenser recess.

Refrigerator appliance

An ice making apparatus for a refrigerator is disclosed. The apparatus includes an ice making compartment; an icemaker disposed in the ice making compartment and including an ice mold body, the ice mold body defining therein a plurality of ice cavities for containing water therein for freezing into ice cubes, and a channel for transport of a working medium, the channel having an outlet; and a temperature sensor disposed in the ice making compartment and adjacent the outlet.

Ice making and water delivery apparatus

A method includes providing a standard supply of electrical power to a defrost heater during a standard defrost cycle for a refrigeration system of an appliance, detecting a high energy demand period during the standard defrost cycle, and enabling a reduced consumption of electrical power by the defrost heater in a low power defrost cycle.

DSM defrost during high demand

A method of controlling temperature for forming ice within an icemaker compartment of a refrigerator is disclosed. The method includes the steps of activating at least one of the compressor and the coolant pump during an icemaking cycle to provide cooling to the icemaker compartment sufficient to make ice at a first rate, and increasing operation of at least one of the compressor and the coolant pump to provide cooling to the icemaker compartment sufficient to make ice at a second rate, which is faster than the first rate. A related refrigerator is also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for controlling temperature for forming ice within an icemaker compartment of a refrigerator

A method and apparatus for circulating air within an icemaker compartment of a refrigerator are disclosed. The method includes the steps of activating the icemaker, filling the ice cavities with water, and activating the fan after a predetermined time after the ice cavities are filled with water. The apparatus includes a food storage compartment, an access door operable to selectively close the food storage compartment, an icemaker compartment on the access door, an icemaker disposed in the icemaker compartment, the icemaker including an ice mold body defining a plurality of ice cavities, an ice storage bin disposed in the icemaker compartment, a fan for distributing cold air within the icemaker compartment, at least one heating element attached to the ice mold body, a coolant pump, and a controller for regulating the fan and the coolant pump.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Joseph Thomas Waugh