Water delivery system with water flow sensor for a refrigerator
First Claim
1. A refrigerator comprising:
- at least one of a water dispenser and an icemaker;
a system for delivering water to the at least one of the water dispenser and the icemaker, said water delivering system including;
a water inlet adapted to be connected to a water supply;
at least one water outlet fluidly connected to the at least one of the water dispenser and the icemaker;
a valve interposed between the water supply and the at least one water outlet for regulating an actual amount of water flowing to the at least one water outlet; and
a flow sensor positioned between the water inlet and at least one water outlet for sensing a flow of water in the system and generating flow signals; and
a controller linked to each of the valve and the flow sensor, said controller regulating the valve based on the flow signals received from the flow sensor to regulate the actual amount of water flowing to the at least one of the water dispenser and the icemaker.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A water delivery system for delivering water to a water dispenser or an icemaker of a refrigerator includes a water inlet adapted to be connected to a fresh water supply, a water outlet connected to at least one of a water dispenser and an icemaker, and a flow sensor in fluid communication between the water supply and water outlet for generating flow signals which are used by a controller to determine flow rate and flow volume parameters for the system. The water delivery system also preferably includes a filter positioned between the water inlet and the flow sensor. The determined flow parameters are used for indicating a need for a filter change and to regulate the volume of water flowing to the water dispenser and/or icemaker.
58 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A refrigerator comprising:
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at least one of a water dispenser and an icemaker;
a system for delivering water to the at least one of the water dispenser and the icemaker, said water delivering system including;
a water inlet adapted to be connected to a water supply;
at least one water outlet fluidly connected to the at least one of the water dispenser and the icemaker;
a valve interposed between the water supply and the at least one water outlet for regulating an actual amount of water flowing to the at least one water outlet; and
a flow sensor positioned between the water inlet and at least one water outlet for sensing a flow of water in the system and generating flow signals; and
a controller linked to each of the valve and the flow sensor, said controller regulating the valve based on the flow signals received from the flow sensor to regulate the actual amount of water flowing to the at least one of the water dispenser and the icemaker. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of delivering water to at least one of a water dispenser or an icemaker in a refrigerator comprising:
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sensing a flow of water between a water supply inlet and a water outlet through a flow sensor; and
altering a flow of water through a dispensing valve based on flow signals received from the flow sensor to regulate the actual amount of water flowing to the at least one of the water dispenser and the icemaker. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of enabling a consumer to alter a size of ice cubes produced by an icemaker in a refrigerator comprising:
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sensing a flow of water delivered to the icemaker;
permitting a consumer to manually set a change in a desired size for ice cubes produced by the icemaker; and
altering the flow of water delivered to the icemaker to establish the desired size for the ice cubes. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification