Refrigerator appliance water filter with embedded leak sensor
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorStephanos Kyriacou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A water filter for a refrigerator appliance with a sensor embedded in the water filter and related methods of detecting a leak in the refrigerator appliance are provided. Such methods include, and the refrigerator appliance may be configured for, measuring, by the sensor embedded in the water filter, at least one of water pressure in the water filter and flow through the water filter. A rate of change of the at least one of water pressure in the water filter and flow through the water filter over time is calculated. When there is no system demand for water, a leak is detected based on the increase in the rate of change over time.
Claims18
A method of detecting a leak in a refrigerator appliance, the refrigerator appliance comprising a cabinet, a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet, a water supply line, a water filter coupled to the water supply line, and a sensor embedded in the water filter, the method comprising:
- measuring, by the sensor embedded in the water filter, water pressure in the water filter;
- measuring, by the sensor embedded in the water filter, flow through the water filter;
- receiving, by a controller of the refrigerator appliance, the pressure measurement and the flow measurement from the sensor;
- and
- detecting a leak based on the received pressure measurement and flow measurement.
A refrigerator appliance, comprising:
- a cabinet;
- a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet;
- a water supply line;
- a water filter coupled to the water supply line;
- a sensor embedded in the water filter, the sensor configured to measure water pressure in the water filter and flow through the water filter;
- and
- a controller in operative communication with the sensor, the controller configured to:
- receive pressure measurements and flow measurements from the sensor;
- and
- detect a leak based on the received pressure measurements and flow measurements.
A method of detecting a leak in a refrigerator appliance, the refrigerator appliance comprising a cabinet, a food storage chamber defined in the cabinet, a water supply line, a water filter coupled to the water supply line, and a sensor embedded in the water filter, the method comprising:
- measuring, by the sensor embedded in the water filter, at least one of water pressure in the water filter and flow through the water filter;
- calculating a rate of change of the at least one of water pressure in the water filter and flow through the water filter over time;
- determining whether there is a system demand for water in response to an increase in the rate of change of the at least one of water pressure in the water filter and flow through the water filter over time;
- and
- detect a leak based on the increase in the rate of change over time when there is no system demand for water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.