Portable Lighting System with Color-Coded LED Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Personal lighting systems for low or no ambient light environments, particularly for mobility-assisting devices, lack user-friendly feedback mechanisms to indicate operational states and battery status, making it difficult for users to understand system functionality and locate the device in the dark.
Innovation Solution
A user-friendly lighting system utilizing different colored LEDs to visually confirm operational modes, including 'on', 'off', and 'test' modes, with a low battery indicator and a selectively enabled night beacon, controlled by momentary switches to conserve battery power and provide easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple indicator lights and visual feedback mechanisms are added to show operational states, then user understanding and system feedback are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses different colored LEDs (red, yellow, green) to indicate different operational states of the lighting system. Red indicates battery replacement needed, yellow indicates low battery, and green indicates full battery. This color-coding system provides clear visual feedback to users without requiring complex display mechanisms or multiple identical indicators, thus resolving the contradiction between providing comprehensive information and maintaining simple device structure.
2Loss of information
If continuous lighting is provided to indicate operational status, then user feedback is improved, but battery power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic blinking of LEDs rather than continuous illumination to indicate operational states and battery status. The indicator lights blink at specific intervals to convey information such as battery level and system status. This periodic action maintains effective visual feedback for users while significantly reducing overall power consumption compared to continuous lighting, thereby resolving the contradiction between information visibility and energy conservation.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a night beacon with blinking light is added to help locate the device in dark, then device locatability is improved, but battery power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The night beacon function uses intermittent blinking at modestly spaced time intervals rather than continuous operation. This periodic activation provides sufficient visual cues for users to locate their mobility device in dark environments while consuming minimal battery power during the intervals when the beacon is inactive, thus resolving the contradiction between locatability and power consumption.
4Ease of operation
If momentary contact switches are used for mode selection, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of mode selection may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates visual feedback through LEDs that immediately confirm when a mode change has been successfully registered by the microprocessor. When a user presses a momentary contact switch, the corresponding LED illuminates to confirm the mode selection, providing reassurance that the intended operation was registered correctly. This feedback mechanism compensates for the potential unreliability of momentary switches by giving users immediate confirmation of their input, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides clear and intuitive feedback on operational states and battery status, conserves battery life, and allows users to easily locate the device in low light conditions, enhancing usability and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
A light sensor provides information about the level of ambient light to the microprocessor
Implementation Method 2
A motion sensor provides information about the level of motion to the microprocessor
Implementation Method 3
One or more lights can confirm that the lighting system is turned 'on'
Implementation Method 4
By using a set of different colored indicating lights
Data Source
AI summary
A compact portable path illuminating light can be coupled to mobility assisting devices such as walking sticks, canes and wheelchairs. A night beacon can automatically illuminate at timed intervals to assist a user in locating the light in the dark. This night beacon can be selectively enabled and disabled by a user. The status of various operating modes of the light are visually confirmed through illumination of several different colored lights.