Auto Water Dispenser Cutoff

A refrigerator comprising:

• a refrigerated compartment;
• a door to open and close at least a portion of the refrigerated compartment;
• a dispenser positioned on the door that is configured to dispense content into a receiver vessel, the dispenser comprising:
• a control unit;
• an actuation system controlled by and in electrical communication with the control unit for operation between a dispensing condition and a non-dispensing condition;
• a dispensing outlet connected to the actuation system and through which the content flows, when the actuation system is in the dispensing condition, from the dispenser and into the receiver vessel;
• a trough on the door located below the dispensing outlet that supports the receiver vessel and comprising a generally concave geometry for collecting overflow content spilled into the trough from at least one of the receiver vessel and the dispensing outlet;
• and
• a sensor coupled to the trough and in electrical communication with the control unit, the control unit configured to detect a level of overflow content contained within the trough based upon input from the sensor, wherein the sensor comprises:
• a pressure transducer;
• a capillary tube;
• and
• a hole at a predetermined location of the trough, wherein the pressure transducer is in fluid communication with the hole via the capillary tube,
• wherein the pressure transducer is configured to sense a fluid pressure of the overflow content contained within the trough and communicate the fluid pressure sensed to the control unit,
• wherein the control unit determines that an overflow condition exists when the fluid pressure sensed exceeds a reference pressure by a predetermined amount to indicate that a depth of the overflow content contained within the trough is increasing while the actuation system is in the dispensing condition and content is being dispensed from the dispensing outlet, and
• the reference pressure is a variable reference pressure measured in the trough immediately prior to content being dispensed from the dispensing outlet that represents an instant residual content level contained within the trough, and the fluid pressure sensed is measured by the pressure transducer at least twice while content is actively being dispensed from the dispensing outlet, and
• wherein the control unit alters the actuation system to the non-dispensing condition and thereby terminates dispensing of content from the dispensing outlet when the control unit determines that the overflow condition exists.