US 12,454,450 B1
Leak detection of an autofill pitcher dispensing system for a refrigerator appliance
Joseph Thomas Waugh, Louisville, KY (US); Jose Rafael Padron, Louisville, KY (US); and Jordan Andrew Waymeyer, Louisville, KY (US)
Assigned to Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Apr. 30, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/650,696.
Int. Cl. B67D 1/12 (2006.01); F25D 23/12 (2006.01)
CPC B67D 1/1238 (2013.01) [B67D 1/124 (2013.01); F25D 23/126 (2013.01); B67D 2001/1263 (2013.01); B67D 2210/00036 (2013.01); F25D 2323/122 (2013.01); F25D 2331/81 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising:
a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;
a door being rotatably hinged to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber; and
an autofill pitcher dispensing system comprising:
a removable pitcher defining an interior portion;
a dispenser defining a cavity within the chilled chamber to receive the removable pitcher, the dispenser including a fill tube for directing water from a water supply into the interior portion of the removable pitcher;
an electrically operated sensor configured to detect an operational status of the autofill pitcher dispensing system, the electrically operated sensor also configured to generate a signal associated with the detected operational status; and
a controller electrically coupled to the electrically operated sensor, the controller configured to:
determine when the autofill pitcher dispensing system is experiencing a leaking condition based on an output voltage generated by the electrically operated sensor, the output voltage associated with the detected operational status;
determine a quantity of the output voltage generated by the electrically operated sensor;
compare the determined quantity of the output voltage to a first predetermined threshold output voltage range;
determine that the autofill pitcher dispensing system is experiencing the leaking condition when the determined quantity of the output voltage is within the first predetermined threshold output voltage range; and
determine that the autofill pitcher dispensing system is not experiencing the leaking condition when the determined quantity of the output voltage is outside of a second predetermined threshold output voltage range different than the first predetermined threshold output voltage range.