An icemaker appliance includes a cabinet forming an ice storage compartment; an ice maker provided within the cabinet; a first reservoir provided below the ice maker; a second reservoir provided below the ice storage compartment; and a circulation system in fluid communication with the first reservoir and the second reservoir. The circulation system includes a return line conduit; a first pump connected to the return line conduit to pump the liquid from the second reservoir to the first reservoir; and a cleanout line conduit in fluid communication with the first pump, wherein the first pump selectively pumps the liquid from the second reservoir through the cleanout line conduit.

A refrigerator comprising a refrigerator body provided with a refrigerating compartment, an ice maker, an ice-making air duct, a first fan assembly disposed in the ice-making air duct and an ice maker evaporator is disclosed. The ice-making air duct comprises an air inlet duct and an air return duct, which are both disposed in a foaming layer of the refrigerating compartment, and one ends thereof close to the ice maker extend into a foaming layer on a door body of the ice maker. The first fan assembly is detachably disposed in the air return duct, and may be integrally disassembled from and installed in the air return duct. The ice maker evaporator is disposed between the air inlet duct and the air return duct and at the side far away from the ice maker.

A water switch assembly for a nugget ice making assembly is provided. The ice making assembly includes a hollow auger rotatably mounted within a reservoir and configured for extruding ice. The water switch assembly includes a water supply pipe that extends vertically through the center of the ice making auger and reservoir. The water switch assembly is in fluid communication with a water inlet and includes a capacitance probe for measuring the water level in the reservoir. In this manner, the water switch assembly is configured to control the flow of water to the reservoir in response to the water level measured by the capacitance probe.

An outdoor unit includes a compressor compressing a sucked refrigerant and discharging compress, an outdoor heat exchanger exchanging heat between outdoor air and the refrigerant, an accumulator storing a liquefied refrigerant at a suction side of the compressor, a solenoid valve for storing the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger, and a controller performing control so as to feed the refrigerant stored within the outdoor heat exchanger during a defrosting operation, to the accumulator on the basis of an amount of refrigerant within the accumulator when operation is switched to a heating operation from the defrosting operation.

A countertop appliance, as provided herein, may include a dispenser casing, a water path, a water filter, a dispenser valve, an output storage tank, an internal storage valve, and an ice maker. The dispenser casing may define an interior cavity. The water path may be enclosed within the interior cavity. The water path may define a water inlet and an assembly water outlet. The output storage tank may be disposed along the water path to hold a preset volume of water upstream from the assembly water outlet. The internal storage valve may be disposed along the water path and configured to maintain the preset volume of water within the output storage tank. The ice maker may be downstream from the output storage tank to receive water therefrom.

A refrigerator of the present invention comprises: a storage chamber for storing food; a cool air supplying means for supplying cool air to the storage chamber; a first tray which forms a part of an ice-making cell in which water is phase-changed to ice by the cool air; a second tray which forms another part of the ice-making cell and can be in contact with the first tray during an ice-making process; a water supply valve for adjusting a flow of the water supplied to the ice-making cell; a water supply amount detector for detecting the amount of water supplied to the ice-making cell; and a controller for controlling the water supply valve. The controller controls the water supply valve to supply water to the ice-making cell as much as a first reference water supply amount, for supplying water to the ice-making cell at a water supply position of the second tray. After finishing the water supply as much as the first reference water supply amount, the controller moves the second tray to an ice-making position and determines whether the water supply amount of the ice-making cell has reached a target water supply amount by using the water supply amount detector. When the water supply amount of the ice making cell has reached the target water supply amount, the controller starts ice-making, and when the water supply amount of the ice making cell has not reached the target water supply amount, the controller moves the second tray back to the water supply position and controls the water supply valve to supply water as much as a second reference water supply amount which is less than the first reference water supply amount.

A batch ice maker can execute a pulsed fill routine in which a control system pulses water from a water supply into the sump until the sump reaches a predefined freeze routine starting level. Pulsing may begin after continuously filling the sump to a fill-approach level. A batch ice maker can execute a differential freeze routine in which the control system circulates water from a sump to an ice formation device until water level decreases by a predefined differential amount from a high control water level based on the water level in the sump at a point in time after the sump was filled to a freeze routine starting level. The high control water level can be set based on water level in the sump when sump water temperature reaches a predefined pre-chill temperature. The predefined pre-chill temperature can be associated with a switchover from sensible cooling to latent cooling.

An ice making device provides an ice tray and a frame to hold the ice tray. The frame has a proximal end with a motor and a distal end with a circular opening. An insert positioned in the circular opening with a projection provides a vibrating motion to dislodge ice cubes from the ice tray. An ice tray includes an integrated heating circuit for sensing capacitance and releasing frozen ice cubes. An ice tray also includes a raised flange to prevent water from splashing out of the ice tray.

In accordance with the principals of the present invention, an ice machine, tray, and process for producing high-quality, substantially clear ice is provided. A heat exchanger in the ice machine removes energy from liquid, cooling the liquid from room temperature to freezing temperature, then overcomes the heat of fusion to form ice. The tray containing a liquid is received in a freezing/mixing chamber. The tray includes an energy transfer surface in thermal contact with the heat exchanger to define a liquid/ice boundary layer. The tray further includes at least one freezing cavity having geometry defining surfaces to form the geometry of the ice. An egress area is defined in the tray above the geometry defining surfaces. A mixing mechanism is provided in operative communication with the liquid to create a velocity profile at the liquid/ice boundary layer to create a directional freezing process starting from the energy transfer surface of the tray in thermal contact with the heat exchanger and growing through the freezing cavity up to the egress area. The velocity profile at liquid/ice boundary enables impurities to be washed away during the freezing process, deterring impurities from getting entrapped in the ice. Impurities in the liquid are thereby washed away and concentrate in a pool away from the ice, ultimately in the egress area of the tray to be purged. In addition, in embodiments sensors can be provided to provide various functions selected from the group consisting of, for example, determining ice creation status, determining freezing height, varying ice creation, determining tray presence, detecting freezing/mixing chamber door position, determining liquid level, and combinations thereof.

A refrigerator of the present disclosure includes a tray configured to form an ice making cell, a water supply valve configured to control the flow of water to the ice making cell, and a controller configured to control the water supply valve, in which the controller controls the water supply valve to turn off the water supply valve to stop water supply while performing water supply and turns on the water supply valve again for additional water supply after the water supply valve is turned off.