US-12624882-B2 - Refrigerator appliance including multiple in-door ice makers

US12624882B2US 12624882 B2US12624882 B2US 12624882B2US-12624882-B2

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet including a water inlet; a first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice; a second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice; and a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker, and wherein water from the first ice maker is selectively supplied to the water tank after a harvesting operation is performed within the first ice maker.

Inventors

Michael Goodman Schroeder
Choonjae RYU

Assignees

HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240731

Claims (20)

1 . A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising: a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet comprising a water inlet; a first ice maker provided within the freezer compartment, the first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice; a second ice maker provided within the freezer compartment adjacent to the first ice maker, the second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice; and a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker, and wherein water from the first ice maker is selectively supplied to the water tank after a harvesting operation is performed within the first ice maker.
2 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , further comprising: a water dispenser provided within a door of the refrigerator appliance, the water dispenser being in fluid communication with the water tank.
3 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , wherein the quantity of water within the water tank is selectively supplied to the second ice maker and the dispenser.
4 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 1 , further comprising: a main filter positioned at the water inlet within the cabinet to filter incoming water; a first water supply line fluidly connecting the water inlet with the first ice maker via the main filter; and a second water supply line fluidly connecting the water inlet with the water tank via the main filter, wherein the first water supply line is in fluid parallel with the second water supply line.
5 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 4 , wherein the water tank comprises: a first water level sensor configured to detect a minimum water level within the water tank; and a second water level sensor configured to detect a maximum water level within the water tank.
6 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 5 , wherein the first ice maker is positioned above the water tank along the vertical direction and the water tank is positioned above the second ice maker along the vertical direction.
7 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 6 , further comprising: an impurity water line fluidly connecting the first ice maker with the water tank; and a check valve positioned along the impurity water line and configured to selectively open and close the impurity water line.
8 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 7 , wherein the check valve opens the impurity water line only when the quantity of water within the water tank is less than the maximum water level after performing the harvesting operation within the first ice maker.
9 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 7 further comprising: a secondary filter positioned along the impurity water line downstream from the check valve, wherein water from the first ice maker is filtered through the secondary filter before being supplied to the water tank.
10 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 5 , wherein the water tank comprises: an air vent allowing air to selectively flow into and out of the water tank.
11 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 5 , wherein the second ice maker is positioned above the water tank along the vertical direction and the water tank is positioned above the first ice maker along the vertical direction.
12 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the first ice maker comprises: a sump configured to collect waste water from the first ice maker during a harvesting operation; a waste line fluidly connecting the sump with the water tank; and a pump configured to selectively pump the collected waste water from the sump to the water tank along the waste line.
13 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 12 , wherein the pump is activated only when the quantity of water within the water tank is less than the maximum water level after performing the harvesting operation within the first ice maker.
14 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 12 , further comprising: a secondary filter positioned along the waste line downstream from the check valve, wherein water from the sump is filtered through the secondary filter before being supplied to the water tank.
15 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 11 , wherein the water tank comprises: a pressure relief valve configured to selectively release air pressure within the water tank, wherein the water tank is maintained within a predetermined pressure range.
16 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 5 , further comprising: a controller operably coupled with each of the first ice maker, the second ice maker, and the water tank, the controller configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising: detecting, via the second water level sensor, that the quantity of water within the water tank is at the maximum water level; and emitting a notification to empty the water tank.
17 . A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliance comprising: a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet comprising a water inlet; a first ice maker provided within the freezer compartment, the first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice; a second ice maker provided within the freezer compartment adjacent to the first ice maker, the second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice; a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker; a first water level sensor configured to detect a minimum water level within the water tank; a second water level sensor configured to detect a maximum water level within the water tank; and a controller operably coupled with each of the first ice maker, the second ice maker, and the water tank, the controller configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising: performing a harvesting operation at the first ice maker; determining, via the second water lever sensor, that the quantity of water within the water tank is below the maximum water level; supplying leftover water from the first ice maker to the water tank after performing the harvesting operation and determining that the quantity of water within the water tank is below the maximum water level; receiving an input request from the second ice maker; and supplying a predetermined amount of water from the water tank to the second ice maker in response to receiving the input request from the second ice maker.
18 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 17 , further comprising: a water dispenser provided within a door of the refrigerator appliance, the water dispenser being in fluid communication with the water tank.
19 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 17 , further comprising: a main filter positioned at the water inlet within the cabinet to filter incoming water; a first water supply line fluidly connecting the water inlet with the first ice maker via the main filter; and a second water supply line fluidly connecting the water inlet with the water tank via the main filter, wherein the first water supply line is in fluid parallel with the second water supply line.
20 . The refrigerator appliance of claim 17 , further comprising: a secondary filter positioned between the first ice maker and the water tank, wherein the leftover water from the first ice maker is filtered through the second filter before being supplied to the water tank.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present subject matter relates generally to refrigerator appliances, and more particularly to refrigerator appliances including multiple ice makers using recycled water. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Refrigerator appliances generally include a cabinet that defines chilled chambers for receipt of food items for storage. One or more insulated, sealing doors are provided for selectively enclosing the chilled food storage chambers. Recently, refrigerator appliances increasingly include built-in ice makers and dispensers for dispensing the formed ice and chilled water. In certain refrigerator appliances, commonly referred to as side-by-side style refrigerator appliance, the fresh food chamber is positioned next to the freezer chamber within the cabinet. Such a configuration can permit easy access to food items stored on doors of the refrigerator appliances. In such implementations, ice makers may be provided within the freezer chamber or freezing compartment. A supply channel or duct may allow the formed ice to be dispensed through an in-door dispenser upon request. Further, multiple ice makers may be included in the appliance to provide additional ice, different ice styles, different ice sizes, or the like. However, certain drawbacks are prevalent in existing appliances. For instance, extra plumbing can be required to drain certain ice makers that do not fully utilize all supplied water. Accordingly, a refrigerator appliance which obviates one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks would be beneficial. In particular, a refrigerator appliance including multiple ice makers including improved water feed and recycling features would be useful. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. In one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet including a water inlet; a first ice maker provided within the freezer compartment, the first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice; a second ice maker provided within the freezer compartment adjacent to the first ice maker, the second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice; and a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker, and wherein water from the first ice maker is selectively supplied to the water tank after a harvesting operation is performed within the first ice maker. In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a refrigerator appliance is provided. The refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet forming a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, the cabinet including a water inlet; a first ice maker provided within the freezer compartment, the first ice maker configured to produce a first style of ice; a second ice maker provided within the freezer compartment adjacent to the first ice maker, the second ice maker configured to produce a second style of ice different from the first style of ice; a water tank in fluid communication with each of the first ice maker and the second ice maker, the water tank being configured to store a quantity of water, wherein the first ice maker is upstream from the water tank and the water tank is upstream from the second ice maker; a first water level sensor configured to detect a minimum water level within the water tank; a second water level sensor configured to detect a maximum water level within the water tank; and a controller operably coupled with each of the first ice maker, the second ice maker, and the water tank, the controller configured to perform an operation. The operation may include performing a harvesting operation at the first ice maker; determining, via the second water lever sensor, that the quantity of water within the water tank is below the maximum water level; supplying leftover water from the first ice maker to the water tank after performing the harvesting operation and determining that the quantity of water within the water tank is below the maximum water level; receiving an input request from the second ice maker; and supplying a predetermined amount of water from the water tank to the second ice maker in response to receiving the input request from the second ice maker. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate