Energy Consumption Output Device for Dynamic Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical devices powered by energy storage, such as flashlights and battery-operated tools, face inflexible design limitations between maximum power output and longest operating period, failing to adapt to varying user needs, leading to inefficient energy use and potential premature depletion.
Innovation Solution
An energy consumption output device that assesses and outputs the remaining usability of an electrical consumer by determining its power consumption rate and residual capacity, allowing users to adjust operating modes for optimal energy use, extending device usability and preventing unnecessary activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If maximum power output is selected, then brightness is improved, but burn time is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of power output based on real-time monitoring of energy storage status and user behavior patterns. The system automatically transitions between different power levels (maximum, medium, minimum) to optimize both brightness and burn time, rather than being fixed at maximum output. This resolves the contradiction by making the power output adaptive to actual usage conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor energy consumption, remaining capacity, and usage patterns. Based on this feedback, the control unit adjusts the power output dynamically. The system can detect when maximum power is no longer needed and automatically reduce consumption to extend burn time, thereby resolving the trade-off between brightness and duration.
2Duration of action of moving object
If maximum burn time is selected, then operating period is improved, but light output is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts power output based on real-time conditions rather than being fixed at minimum output. When high brightness is needed, it can temporarily increase power consumption. When ambient light conditions improve or usage patterns suggest lower demand, it reduces consumption to extend burn time. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to achieve both extended burn time and adequate light output when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes operational parameters (power output level) based on monitored conditions such as remaining energy capacity, ambient light levels, and usage patterns. The system can switch between multiple power parameters (maximum, medium, minimum) to optimize the balance between light output and burn time, resolving the fixed trade-off by introducing parameter variability.
3Device complexity
If fixed design power output is predetermined, then device simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to varying user needs is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service by automatically monitoring its own energy status, usage patterns, and environmental conditions, then autonomously adjusting power output without requiring user intervention. The control unit makes real-time decisions about power level selection based on predefined algorithms that analyze multiple parameters. This maintains design simplicity while achieving high adaptability, as the system serves itself rather than requiring complex user configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements the ability to change operational parameters (power output levels) based on monitored conditions, transforming a fixed-design system into an adaptive one. The system can adjust between maximum, medium, and minimum power parameters dynamically, providing versatility without significantly increasing physical device complexity. This resolves the contradiction by enabling parameter variability through software/control logic rather than hardware redesign.
Data Source
AI summary
An energy consumption output device for outputting the still remaining usability of an electrical consumer which may be connected to an energy storage. The energy consumption output device has the following features: a unit for providing a residual capacity of the electrical energy storage; a power consumption ascertainment unit which is configured to ascertain a power consumption rate in an instantaneous operating mode of the electrical consumer; and an output unit which is configured to determine information concerning the maximum usability for a user of the energy consumption output device with regard to the instantaneous operating mode, using the provided residual capacity and the ascertained power consumption rate, and to output this information.