Patent ID: 11953253
Assignee: BSH HAUSGERäTE GMBH
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 14:
15. A method for operating a household ice maker having an ice making vessel for producing pieces of ice, an ice collection container for collecting the pieces of ice produced, and a light barrier for fill height monitoring of the ice collection container, wherein the light barrier containing at least one optoelectronic module, the at least one optoelectronic module containing:
a module housing having a light passage surface disposed at a boundary of the at least one optoelectronic module for a passage of a beam of light of the light barrier to a space outside the optoelectronic module;
a printed circuit board accommodated in the module housing;
an optoelectronic component with a main lobe axis mounted on the printed circuit board serving as a light transmitter or receiver;
a cylindrical light-guiding element for guiding the beam of light and disposed in a beam path between the light passage surface and the optoelectronic component; and
an electrical heating element mounted on the printed circuit board at a distance from the optoelectronic component and below the cylindrical light-guiding element;
which method comprises the steps of:
determining a need for a fill height measurement at the ice collection container;
activating the heating element for a previously defined period of time;
deactivating the heating element; and
subsequently, with the heating element deactivated, carrying out the fill height measurement on the ice collection container by means of the light barrier.