Ice making assembly for a refrigerator appliance

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a chilled chamber, an ice making assembly comprising an ice mold, a mold temperature sensor, and a water supply spout, and a controller in operative communication with the mold temperature sensor. The controller is configured to fill the ice mold with water using the water supply spout, monitor an ice mold temperature using the mold temperature sensor, determine a mold cooling metric using the ice mold temperature, determine that the mold cooling metric falls below a predetermined threshold rate or is outside a target range, and implement a responsive action in response to determining that the mold cooling metric falls below the predetermined threshold rate or is outside the target range, e.g., by providing a user notification or changing a harvest count threshold for the ice making assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, comprising:
 a cabinet defining a chilled chamber;   a door being rotatably mounted to the cabinet to provide selective access to the chilled chamber;   an ice making assembly comprising an ice mold, a mold temperature sensor, and a water supply spout; and   a controller in operative communication with the mold temperature sensor, the controller being configured to:
 fill the ice mold with water using the water supply spout; 
 monitor an ice mold temperature using the mold temperature sensor; 
 determine a mold cooling metric using the ice mold temperature; 
 determine that the mold cooling metric falls below a predetermined threshold rate or is outside a target range; and 
 implement a responsive action in response to determining that the mold cooling metric falls below the predetermined threshold rate or is outside the target range. 
   
     
     
         2 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the mold cooling metric is determined immediately after adding the water into the ice mold. 
     
     
         3 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein determining that the mold cooling metric falls below the predetermined threshold rate comprises:
 determining that the ice mold temperature has not dropped by a predetermined temperature drop within a predetermined amount of time.   
     
     
         4 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein determining that the mold cooling metric falls below the predetermined threshold rate comprises:
 determining that a multi-cycle average of the mold cooling metric falls below the predetermined threshold rate or is outside the target range.   
     
     
         5 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
 increasing a harvest time for ice formed within the ice mold.   
     
     
         6 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine a harvest count for ice formed within the ice mold, wherein the harvest count is an integral of the ice mold temperature relative to a predetermined temperature over time.   
     
     
         7 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , wherein the predetermined temperature is 32 degrees fahrenheit. 
     
     
         8 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 6 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
 determining a harvest count threshold based at least in part on the mold cooling metric; and   harvesting the ice in the ice mold when the harvest count exceeds the harvest count threshold.   
     
     
         9 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an air circulation fan for circulating air within the chilled chamber, wherein implementing the responsive action comprises adjusting a speed of the air circulation fan.   
     
     
         10 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an air circulation fan for circulating air within the chilled chamber, wherein implementing the responsive action comprises adjusting an operating duration of the air circulation fan.   
     
     
         11 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
 providing a user notification to rearrange objects in the chilled chamber.   
     
     
         12 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 11 , wherein the user notification is provided through a user interface panel of the refrigerator appliance of a remote device in operative communication with the controller through an external network. 
     
     
         13 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine that the mold cooling metric has returned above the predetermined threshold rate; and   reverse the responsive action in response to determining that the mold cooling metric has returned above the predetermined threshold rate.   
     
     
         14 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a rear cooling duct comprising a discharge proximate a top of the chilled chamber; and   a sealed system and an air circulation fan for circulating a flow of air through the rear cooling duct and the chilled chamber.   
     
     
         15 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 14 , wherein an air intake to the ice making assembly is positioned proximate the top of the chilled chamber. 
     
     
         16 . A method of operating an ice making assembly of a refrigerator appliance, the ice making assembly comprising an ice mold, a mold temperature sensor, and a water supply spout, the method comprising:
 filling the ice mold with water using the water supply spout;   monitoring an ice mold temperature using the mold temperature sensor;   determining a mold cooling metric using the ice mold temperature;   determining that the mold cooling metric falls below a predetermined threshold rate or is outside a target range; and   implementing a responsive action in response to determining that the mold cooling metric falls below the predetermined threshold rate or is outside the target range.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 determining a harvest count for ice formed within the ice mold, wherein the harvest count is an integral of the ice mold temperature relative to a predetermined temperature over time.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
 determining a harvest count threshold based at least in part on the mold cooling metric; and   harvesting the ice in the ice mold when the harvest count exceeds the harvest count threshold.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the refrigerator appliance further comprises an air circulation fan for circulating air within the refrigerator appliance, and wherein implementing the responsive action comprises adjusting a speed of the air circulation fan. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein implementing the responsive action comprises:
 providing a user notification to rearrange objects in the refrigerator appliance.