Comfort level display apparatus

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional comfort level display systems fail to effectively demonstrate the relationship between user comfort levels and environmental data, making it difficult for air-conditioning managers to adjust settings to improve comfort levels.

Innovation Solution

A comfort level display apparatus that integrates preference and attribute data of users with environmental data to generate comfort level values, allowing for the superimposition of comfort levels and environmental data on a display, enabling managers to adjust equipment accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If only comfort levels are displayed on the display, then the display content is simple and easy to understand, but the relationship between comfort levels and environmental data cannot be perceived

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverelationship between comfort levels and environmental dataVSAvoiddisplay content complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines comfort level data and environmental data into a single integrated display. The display unit shows both types of data superimposed on the same visual interface, allowing users to perceive the relationship between comfort levels and environmental conditions without requiring separate displays or complex navigation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a spatial dimension to the display by showing environmental data (such as temperature distributions) as background visualizations, and overlaying comfort level indicators on top of this spatial context. This multi-layered approach allows simultaneous presentation of multiple data types without creating a cluttered single-dimension display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of operation

If comfort levels and environmental data are displayed separately, then each data type can be clearly presented, but it is difficult to determine how to change environmental data to improve comfort levels

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair-conditioning adjustment decision-makingVSAvoidcorrelation between comfort levels and environmental data
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges comfort level indicators with environmental data visualizations in the same display space. By showing both data types together with clear visual relationships, the system enables users to directly correlate environmental conditions with comfort levels, facilitating informed decisions about air-conditioning adjustments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of information

If detailed environmental data and comfort level data are both displayed, then complete information is provided, but the display becomes complex and difficult to interpret

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of comfort and environmental dataVSAvoiddisplay interface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes multiple visual dimensions and layers to present comprehensive data. Environmental data is displayed as spatial distributions or background visualizations, while comfort level data is overlaid using different visual channels (such as color coding, icons, or numerical indicators). This multi-dimensional presentation maintains information completeness while avoiding a cluttered single-dimension display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different visual styles and levels of detail to different regions of the display. Areas with higher comfort level variability or more significant environmental deviations are shown with greater visual prominence and detail, while other areas use simplified representations. This selective emphasis maintains overall simplicity while providing detailed information where most needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3633280B1Comfort level display apparatus
Publication Date: 2021.07.21 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP3633280B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3633280B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3633280B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Perception of the relationship between a comfort level and environmental data is facilitated, and appropriate management of air-conditioning equipment is enabled. A comfort level display apparatus (100) has a preference storage unit (101) to store a preference of a user regarding an air-conditioned environment, an attribute storage unit (102) to store an attribute of the user, an environmental data value acquisition unit (103) to acquire an environmental data value representing a condition in an air-conditioned space, a comfort level value generation unit (104) to generate a comfort level value indicating comfort of the user in the air-conditioned space, based on the preference of the user stored the preference storage unit, the attribute of the user stored in the attribute storage unit, and the environmental data value of the air-conditioned space acquired by the environmental data value acquisition unit, a display data generation unit (105) to generate display data by synthesizing the comfort level value of the user generated by the comfort level value generation unit and the environmental data value of the air-conditioned space acquired by the environmental data value acquisition unit, and a display unit (106) to display the display data.