General Electric Company

Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.

Steven Michael Recio

Christopher G Hoppe

Craig Robert Vitan

Ashley Wayne Burt

Carl W Risen

Alex Gottsov

Jonathan Blair Talmadge

Craig Edward Wicke

Richard Dean Suel, Ii

Ryan James Scheckelhoff

Michael Wuttikorn Ekbundit

Eugenio Gomez

Mark Anthony Didat

Erick Graven

Steven David Paul

Scott Michael Gelber

Abhijeet Bhandwale

John Michael Todd

Alexis Christina Taylor

Joseph H Frazar

Byron Lee Boylston

Keerthi Vasan

Christopher Lawrence Beeler

Heather Rae Posthauer

Russell Katona

Douglas Laurence Robertson

John Schuckmann

Andrea Fattorini

Stuart Ian Gross, Jr

Craig R Vitan

Christopher Hoppe

Carl Risen

Steven D Paul

Joseph Frazar

Craig Vitan

A cooktop appliance including a sensor assembly including a body, a centerbody, a sensor, a first wire, and a second wire is provided. The body forms a plenum, a first wire path, a second wire path, and a sensor cavity. The body forms the first wire path and the second wire path each extending from the plenum from a first end to the sensor cavity at a second end distal to the first end. The centerbody forms a fluid path extending in fluid communication from the plenum to each of the first wire path and the second wire path. The body forms a top wall separating the sensor cavity from the fluid path. The sensor is positioned at the sensor cavity. The first wire extends through the first wire path and the second wire extends through the second wire path. The first and second wires operably couple to the sensor.

Cooktop appliance and dual wire sensor assembly

A cooktop appliance includes a cooktop panel defining a cooktop surface and an aperture defined through the cooktop surface. A heating element is positioned below the cooktop panel for selectively heating a cooking utensil placed on the cooktop surface and a temperature sensing assembly is configured for monitoring the temperature of the cooking utensil, e.g., to facilitate a closed loop cooking process. The temperature sensing assembly includes a temperature sensor slidably mounted within the aperture of the cooktop panel and a drive member operably coupled to the temperature sensor for selectively moving the temperature sensor between the extended position and the retracted position.

Temperature sensing assembly for a cooktop appliance

An appliance and methods for operating the appliance in a safety-critical operation are provided. The appliance and methods for operating the appliance include features that provide safe and intuitive ways to initiate and cancel safety-critical operations performed by the appliance.

Appliance and methods for operating same in a safety-critical operation

A method of operating a capacitive touch sensor, the capacitive touch sensor including an electrode, includes monitoring raw count data from the capacitive touch sensor and recording a first value of the raw count data when the raw count data exceeds a first threshold. The method also includes supplying a driven shield signal to the electrode after the raw count data exceeds the first threshold and recording a second value of the raw count data while supplying the driven shield signal to the electrode. The method further includes calculating a difference between the first value and the second value and registering a touch when the calculated difference between the first value and the second value is less than a second threshold.

Capacitive touch sensors and methods of operating capacitive touch sensors

Appliance and methods for operating same in a safety-critical operation using a touchscreen

An appliance is provided herein. The appliance may include a power supply configured to receive Alternating Current (AC) power and supply Direct Current (DC) power, a driver circuit configured to receive the DC power and illuminate one or more light emitting diodes (LED), and a fade control circuit configured to direct the driver circuit to fade the one or more LEDs from an on-state to an off-state in a fade-out operation. The appliance may further include a first switching device configured to direct the fade circuit to perform a fade-out operation while the first switching device is in a first state, and a second switching device configured to maintain AC power to the power supply during the fade-out operation, and further configured to sever AC power to the power supply upon completion of the fade-out operation.

Appliance illumination with zero standby power

Systems and methods for safely powering an appliance user interface without external power are provided. One exemplary method includes receiving power generated by rotation of a rotor. The method further includes monitoring for the presence of a safety condition and disabling passive braking of the rotor when the safety condition is present such that the user interface of an appliance is powered. An exemplary washing machine can include a basket and a motor which includes a rotor, the motor being configured to rotate the basket by rotating the rotor. The washing machine can further include a user interface and a motor control circuit configured to drive the motor. The motor control circuit can be further configured to receive power generated by rotation of the rotor, monitor for the presence of a safety condition, and disable passive braking of the rotor when the safety condition is present.

System and method for safely powering an appliance user interface without external power

A washing system and method for load size and water retention detection includes a cabinet, a tub position within the cabinet, a basket with a wash load received therein rotatably supported within the tub, and a drive system for rotating the basket. A controller is operatively coupled to the drive system. The controller rotates the rotatable basket to urge the wash load radially outwardly in the basket and then decelerates the rotatable basket with the wash load urged radially outwardly to or below a predetermined threshold speed. An amount of time from initial deceleration of the rotatable basket until the rotatable basket is at or below the predetermined threshold speed is measured and the measured amount of time is used to determine a parameter of the wash load.

Washing system and method for load size and water retention detection

Systems and methods for bypassing a centrifugal switch are disclosed. The systems may include a bypass relay operatively connected to the heating element and configured to bypass the centrifugal switch prior to the drum reversing rotational direction, and allow the heating element to remain energized during the drum reversing rotational direction. The centrifugal switch bypass circuit further includes a relay hold circuit operatively connected to the bypass relay and configured to cause the bypass relay to continue bypassing the centrifugal switch during the drum reversing rotational direction. The method may include, once the drum begins reversing the rotational direction, utilizing a bypass relay to bypassing the centrifugal switch. Finally, the method may include utilizing a relay hold circuit to cause the bypass relay to continue bypassing the centrifugal switch during reversal of the rotational direction.

Centrifugal switch bypass for reverse tumble dryers

A system and method of displaying appliance information to a user is provided. Reverse mount LEDS may be used in a seven segment configuration and correlating to any other icon or indicator. The reverse mount LEDs may be mounted on single sided printed circuit board to form an appliance user display.

Appliance user interface having reverse mount LEDs

An appliance including a motor drive, a power supply circuit electrically coupling the motor drive to a power supply, a cabinet having an opening, a door for opening and closing the opening of the cabinet, and a door lock. When the door lock is in a locked position, the door lock is configured to secure the door and close a pathway of the power supply circuit thereby enabling a current to travel from the power supply through a pre-charge circuit to the motor drive.

Method and apparatus for closing a pathway of a power supply circuit by configuring a door lock in locked position to pre-charge a motor drive

Systems and methods for delivering an additive to an appliance are disclosed. The systems may include a user interface configured to accept a user input and a controller connected to the user interface. The controller may be configured to receive the user input and cause an additive delivery system to deliver at least one additive to the appliance. The methods include receiving an amount of the additive to be delivered to the appliance and receiving a time at which the additive is to be delivered to the appliance during a cycle. The method may further include activating an additive delivery system to deliver the amount of the additive at the time to the appliance.

Bulk dispense user adjustable controls

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Steven Michael Recio