Household ice maker and method of operating a household ice maker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11953253-B2
Application number	US-202217860285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2022
Priority date	Sep 2, 2019
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

An optoelectronic module for a light barrier for fill height monitoring of an ice collection container in a household ice maker includes a module housing, which bears a light passage surface located at the boundary between the optoelectronic module and the space outside the module for the passage of a beam of light of the light barrier. The module further has a printed circuit board accommodated in the module housing, an optoelectronic component mounted on the printed circuit board, serving as a light transmitter or receiver, with a main lobe axis, and a cylindrical light-guiding element for guidance of the light beam located in the beam path between the light passage surface and the optoelectronic component, and at a distance from the component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A household ice maker for an appliance, comprising:
an ice making vessel for producing pieces of ice;
an ice collection container for collecting the pieces of ice produced;
a holder frame for attaching the household ice maker in a storage space of the appliance;
a worm shaft disposed in said ice collection container;
a first drive unit for driving said worm shaft and having a first housing;
a rotatably disposed ejector shaft;
a second drive unit for driving said rotatably disposed ejector shaft and having a second housing; and
a light barrier for fill height monitoring of said ice collection container, said light barrier having at least one optoelectronic module, said at least one optoelectronic module having a first optoelectronic module attached to said holder frame or to said first housing of said first drive unit and a second optoelectronic module attached to said second housing of said second drive unit, at least one of said first or second optoelectronic modules is disposed on or above a virtual horizontal plane spanned by said ice making vessel relative to a situation in which the household ice maker is installed, said at least one optoelectronic module having an optoelectronic component, a module housing having a light passage surface, and a light-guiding element for guiding the beam of light and disposed in a beam path between said light passage surface and said optoelectronic component.

2. The household ice maker according to claim 1 , wherein said
light passage surface is disposed at a boundary of said at least one optoelectronic module for a passage of a beam of light of said light barrier to a space outside said at least one optoelectronic module;
said at least one optoelectronic module includes a printed circuit board accommodated in said module housing;
said optoelectronic component has a main lobe axis mounted on said printed circuit board and serves as a light transmitter or receiver
said light guiding element is cylindrical.

3. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , wherein said cylindrical light-guiding element is disposed in the beam path at a distance from said optoelectronic component.

4. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , wherein said cylindrical light-guiding element is disposed on said module housing.

5. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , wherein said cylindrical light-guiding element is formed in one piece contiguously with a section of a wall of said module housing forming said light passage surface.

6. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , wherein said cylindrical light-guiding element protrudes from a section of a wall of said module housing into an interior of said module housing.

7. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , wherein said cylindrical light-guiding element is a solid body.

8. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , wherein said cylindrical light-guiding element has a lens surface at an entry point and/or at an exit point for the beam of light.

9. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , wherein:
said printed circuit board has a longitudinal slot formed therein; and
said optoelectronic component engages into said longitudinal slot in a direction of the main lobe axis, in which a position of said optoelectronic component is able to be adjusted relative to said cylindrical light-guiding element before it is attached to said printed circuit board.

10. The household ice maker according to claim 9 , wherein said optoelectronic component is mounted on said printed circuit board with an orientation of the main lobe axis parallel to a plane of said printed circuit board and said cylindrical light-guiding element possesses a central axis that is coaxial with the main lobe axis.

11. The household ice maker according to claim 2 ,
wherein said module housing has a finger-shaped housing extension, into which said printed circuit board extends; and
further comprising a temperature sensor mounted on said printed circuit board within said finger-shaped housing extension.

12. The household ice maker according to claim 2 , further comprising an electrical heating element mounted on said printed circuit board at a distance from said optoelectronic component and below said cylindrical light-guiding element.

13. The household ice maker according to claim 1 , wherein the household ice maker is configured for installation in a refrigerator and/or freezer device of household equipment.

14. The household ice maker according to claim 12 , wherein:
said first optoelectronic module is an optical receive unit; and
said second optoelectronic module is an optical transmit unit.

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.

16. The method according to claim 15 , which further comprises setting the previously defined period of time to be at most 1 minute.

17. The method according to claim 15 , which further comprises setting the previously defined period of time to be at most 40 seconds.

18. The method according to claim 15 , which further comprises setting the previously defined period of time to be at most 30 seconds.

19. The method according to claim 16 , which further comprises setting the previously defined period of time to be at most 20 seconds.

20. A household ice maker for an appliance, comprising:
an ice making vessel for producing pieces of ice;
an ice collection container for collecting the pieces of ice produced, said collection container having a delimiting wall;
a holder frame for attaching the household ice maker in a storage space of the appliance;
a worm shaft disposed in said ice collection container;
a first drive unit for driving said worm shaft and having a first housing;
a rotatably disposed ejector shaft;
a second drive unit for driving said rotatably disposed ejector shaft and having a second housing; and
a light barrier for fill height monitoring of said ice collection container, said light barrier having at least one optoelectronic module, said at least one optoelectronic module having a first optoelectronic module attac

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Baumer Johannes
• Schenkl Johann
• Wilhelm Georg

Classifications

• F25C5/187 Primary

  with ice level sensing means · CPC title