Method for operating a domestic refrigeration appliance, in which a misting rate is adapted, and domestic refrigeration appliance

Abstract

A domestic refrigeration appliance has a separate storage area in an internal space into which foodstuffs, forming storage items, can be introduced. A liquid fluid can be introduced in the storage area independently of the internal space. For keeping the storage items fresh in the storage area a first operating mode and a storage mode, different therefrom, can be carried out. In the storage mode an aerosol mist generated by a misting device of the domestic refrigeration appliance is introduced as a fluid, and a misting rate of the aerosol mist during the storage mode is matched to a setpoint misting rate in dependence on at least one misting device-specific influencing parameter and/or a fluid-specific influencing parameter and/or a storage area-specific influencing parameter. There is also described a domestic refrigeration appliance.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method for operating a domestic refrigeration appliance, the refrigeration appliance having an internal space formed with a separate storage area configured to receive foodstuffs to be stored therein as storage items and configured for a liquid fluid to be introduced in the storage area independently of the internal space, the method which comprises:
 keeping the storage items fresh in the storage area by operating the refrigeration appliance in a first operating mode and in a storage mode different from the first operating mode;   in the storage mode, introducing an aerosol mist generated by a misting device of the domestic refrigeration appliance as a fluid and matching a misting rate of the aerosol mist during the storage mode to a setpoint misting rate in dependence on at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a misting device-specific influencing parameter, a fluid-specific influencing parameter, and a storage area-specific influencing parameter.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises predetermining a constant setpoint misting rate over an entire storage time period of the storage items, and adapting a current misting rate such that the entire storage time of the storage items is divided into at least two time intervals and a misting rate in a first time interval of the storage mode is within a tolerance interval of a misting rate in a second time interval of the storage mode and the misting rates of the at least two time intervals lie within a tolerance interval of the setpoint misting rate. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the storage time period is at least two days and each of the first and second time intervals is one day. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15 , which comprises setting the misting rates in the time intervals with values of between 0.4 g and 0.6 g per 100 cm 2  during the storage mode according to at least one misting device-specific influencing parameter and/or a fluid-specific influencing parameter. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , which comprises setting the misting rates according to at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a water hardness and a storage area-specific influencing parameter. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 17 , which comprises setting a mist quantity to between 0.4 g and 0.6 g per 100 cm 2 , in 15 to 20 discharge cycles in the storage area with cycle times of between 55 seconds and 65 seconds, and setting a number of discharge cycles and/or a duration thereof during the storage mode according to at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of a misting device-specific influencing parameter, a fluid-specific influencing parameter, and a storage area-specific influencing parameter. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises adapting the misting rate during an implementation of the storage mode to a loading quantity of the storage area with specific storage items and/or a total volume of the storage area as a storage area-specific influencing parameter. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises adapting the misting rate during an implementation of the storage mode according to at least one fluid-specific influencing parameter selected from the group consisting of a temperature of the fluid to be misted, a temperature alteration of the fluid to be misted, a temperature in the surroundings of a tank comprising the fluid to be misted and a temperature alteration of a tank comprising the fluid to be misted. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises adapting the misting rate during an implementation of the storage mode according to at least one fluid-specific influencing parameter selected from the group consisting of a filling height of the fluid to be misted in a tank of the domestic refrigeration appliance and a water hardness of the fluid. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises adapting the misting rate during the implementation of the storage mode according to a total operating time of the misting device as a misting device-specific influencing parameter. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises adapting the misting rate during the implementation of the storage mode according to a service life of a component of a refrigerating circuit of the domestic refrigerating appliance. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the component is an evaporator of the domestic refrigerating appliance. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises introducing the aerosol mist in accordance with a type, a quantity and a position of the storage items in the storage area, which at times are at least locally limited in a storage area zone. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 14 , which comprises, for keeping the storage items fresh in the storage area, carrying out a refreshing mode as a first operating mode, and thereby introducing the fluid into the storage area for adjusting an application of the fluid onto the storage items in the storage area according to a reduced mass of the storage items in comparison with a fresh mass thereof and, as a result, to thereby increase a mass of the storage items. 
     
     
         28 . A domestic refrigeration appliance, comprising:
 a housing having an internal space with a separate storage area configured therein for foodstuffs as storage items;   a misting device for introducing a liquid fluid into said storage area independently of said internal space; and   a control unit for controlling said misting device in accordance with the method accordance with  claim 14 .