Refrigerator and ice-making assembly and methods for reliably forming clear ice

Abstract

A refrigerator appliance may include a cabinet, a liner, a conductive ice mold, a freezing element, a water dispenser, a water basin, a fluid pump, and a controller. The controller may be configured to direct an ice-making operation, which includes directing warm-up activation of the fluid pump to spray warming water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser, holding the freezing element in an inactive state while directing warm-up activation, detecting a preparation target temperature of the conductive ice mold above freezing temperature while directing warm-up activation, halting warm-up activation of the fluid pump in response to detecting the preparation target temperature, directing billet formation of an ice billet within the conductive ice mold following halting warm-up activation, and directing harvest activation of the fluid pump from an inactive state to spray warming water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser for a set harvesting period.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of operating an ice-making assembly comprising a conductive ice mold defining a mold cavity, a freezing element in thermal communication with the conductive ice mold to draw heat from the mold cavity, a water dispenser positioned below the conductive ice mold, and a fluid pump in fluid communication with the water dispenser, the method comprising:
 directing warm-up activation of the fluid pump to spray warming water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser;   holding the freezing element in an inactive state while directing warm-up activation;   detecting a preparation target temperature of the conductive ice mold above freezing while directing warm-up activation; and   halting warm-up activation of the fluid pump in response to detecting the preparation target temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the conductive ice mold is mounted within an icebox (IB) compartment along an air path, and
 wherein the freezing element comprises a fan mounted along the air path.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 directing billet formation of an ice billet within the conductive ice mold following halting warm-up activation, directing billet formation comprising directing ice-building activation of the fluid pump to spray ice-building water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser, and directing activation of the freezing element to a cooling state over a freezing period that covers directing ice-building activation.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the conductive ice mold is mounted within an icebox (IB) compartment along an air path, wherein the ice-making assembly further comprises a water basin mounted within the IB compartment, wherein directing warm-up activation of the fluid pump motivates the warming water from the water basin, and wherein directing ice-building activation of the fluid pump motivates the ice-building water from the water basin. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 detecting, prior to directing warm-up activation, a water level below a set threshold within the water basin, and   directing, prior to directing warm-up activation, a warm water flow to the water basin in response to detecting the water level below the set threshold.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 directing, following the billet formation, harvest activation of the fluid pump from an inactive state to spray warming water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser for a set harvesting period.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 holding the freezing element in the inactive state following harvest activation.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 directing activation of a heating element in thermal communication with the conductive ice mold to heat the mold cavity following harvest activation.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 detecting a harvest target temperature of the conductive ice mold above freezing while directing activation of the heating element; and   halting activation of the heating element in response to detecting the harvest target temperature.   
     
     
         10 . A method of operating an ice-making assembly comprising a conductive ice mold defining a mold cavity, a freezing element in thermal communication with the conductive ice mold to draw heat from the mold cavity, a water dispenser positioned below the conductive ice mold, and a fluid pump in fluid communication with the water dispenser, the method comprising:
 directing billet formation of an ice billet within the conductive ice mold, directing billet formation comprising directing ice-building activation of the fluid pump to spray ice-building water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser, and directing activation of the freezing element to a cooling state over a freezing period that covers directing ice-building activation;   directing the fluid pump to an inactive state following the billet formation; and   directing harvest activation of the fluid pump from the inactive state to spray warming water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser for a set harvesting period.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the conductive ice mold is mounted within an icebox (IB) compartment along an air path, wherein the ice-making assembly further comprises a water basin mounted within the IB compartment, wherein directing ice-building activation of the fluid pump motivates the ice-building water from the water basin, and wherein directing harvest activation of the fluid pump motivates the warming water from the water basin. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 detecting, prior to directing harvest activation, a water level below a set threshold within the water basin, and   directing, prior to directing harvest activation, a warm water flow to the water basin in response to detecting the water level below the set threshold.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 holding the freezing element in an inactive state following harvest activation;   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 directing activation of a heating element in thermal communication with the conductive ice mold to heat the mold cavity following harvest activation.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 detecting a harvest target temperature of the conductive ice mold above freezing while directing activation of the heating element; and   halting activation of the heating element in response to detecting the harvest temperature.   
     
     
         16 . A refrigerator appliance comprising:
 a cabinet;   a liner attached to the cabinet, the liner defining an icebox (IB) compartment;   a conductive ice mold mounted within the IB compartment, the conductive ice mold defining a mold cavity;   a freezing element in thermal communication with the conductive ice mold to draw heat from the mold cavity;   a water dispenser positioned below the conductive ice mold to direct an ice-building spray of water to the mold cavity;   a water basin removably disposed within the IB compartment below the conductive ice mold, the water basin comprising a basin wall defining a water reservoir;   a fluid pump in fluid communication with the water dispenser to motivate water from the water reservoir to the water dispenser; and   a controller in operable communication with the fluid pump, the controller being configured to direct an ice-making operation comprising:
 directing warm-up activation of the fluid pump to spray warming water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser, 
 holding the freezing element in an inactive state while directing warm-up activation, 
 detecting a preparation target temperature of the conductive ice mold above freezing temperature while directing warm-up activation, 
 halting warm-up activation of the fluid pump in response to detecting the preparation target temperature, 
 directing billet formation of an ice billet within the conductive ice mold following halting warm-up activation, directing billet formation comprising directing ice-building activation of the fluid pump to spray ice-building water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser, and directing activation of the freezing element to a cooling state over a freezing period that covers directing ice-building activation, and 
 directing, following the billet formation, harvest activation of the fluid pump from an inactive state to spray warming water to the conductive ice mold from the water dispenser for a set harvesting period. 
   
     
     
         17 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 16 , wherein the conductive ice mold is mounted within an icebox (IB) compartment along an air path, and
 wherein the freezing element comprises a fan mounted along the air path.   
     
     
         18 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 17 , wherein the ice-making operation further comprises
 holding the freezing element in the inactive state following harvest activation.   
     
     
         19 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a heating element in thermal communication with the conductive ice mold to heat the mold cavity,   wherein the ice-making operation further comprises directing activation of the heating element following harvest activation.   
     
     
         20 . The refrigerator appliance of  claim 19 , wherein the ice-making operation further comprises
 detecting a harvest target temperature of the conductive ice mold above freezing while directing activation of the heating element, and   halting activation of the heating element in response to detecting the harvest temperature.