Standby Indicator Control in Household Appliances to Cut Energy Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household appliances in stand-by mode continue to consume significant energy due to continuously illuminated indicators, despite efforts to reduce power consumption as seen in existing technologies.
Innovation Solution
A control unit that changes indicators to a passive position after a predetermined waiting period, causing the on-off indicator to flash at set intervals, reducing energy consumption while alerting the user that the appliance is in stand-by mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If indicators remain continuously illuminated in stand-by mode, then user awareness of appliance status is maintained, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic flashing of the on-off indicator at predetermined time intervals instead of continuous illumination. The control unit is configured to flash the on-off indicator periodically while in stand-by mode, which reduces energy consumption compared to continuous lighting while still maintaining user awareness of the appliance's operational status through the visual signal.
2Use of energy by moving object
If indicators are turned off completely in stand-by mode, then energy consumption is reduced, but user awareness of appliance status is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit flashes the on-off indicator at predetermined time intervals during stand-by mode, providing periodic visual feedback to the user about the appliance's status while consuming significantly less energy than continuous illumination would require.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different operational states to different indicators: the on-off indicator flashes periodically to provide status information, while other program indicators remain in a passive position (off). This selective approach allows energy reduction in non-critical indicators while maintaining user awareness through the essential on-off indicator.
3Loss of information
If all indicators remain active in stand-by mode, then complete status information is provided, but power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent differentiates between critical and non-critical indicators, keeping only the essential on-off indicator active (flashing) during stand-by mode while deactivating other program-specific indicators. This selective activation provides sufficient status information for user awareness while minimizing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and isolates the essential status information function to the on-off indicator only, removing the need for other indicators to remain active during stand-by mode. This extraction allows the appliance to maintain core status communication while eliminating unnecessary energy consumption from redundant indicators.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a household appliance (1) comprising a control unit (2) which provides the amount of energy consumption in the stand-by mode to be reduced.