email nick leth at gmail dot com. Need solutions? No worries. Now. |
Naturally enough, as a modern household with environmentally destructive aspirations, we have a reverse cycle air con. Air con? For those in a colder climate, that's an air conditioning unit. Reverse cycle? Means that it both heats and cools.
So we want the room temperature to be at a constant twenty three degrees celsius. When I say "we" I mean, my wife likes 23 and I'm happy to wear more or less clothes to suit.
What happens if the room temperature starts at 28 degrees? The air con has to cool the air. What happens if the room temperature starts at 18 degrees? The air con needs to warm the air.
Is that so very difficult?
Well, it must be a very difficult concept for someone. The air con needs to be told whether to heat or cool. Yet the air con does know the actual room temperature. It keeps heating or cooling till the room reaches the required temperature. But it can't decide for itself, whether to heat or cool.
If the air con is set to "heat" then it cannot cool. If it's set to "cool" then it cannot heat.
So, at least twice a year -- when we move from summer to winter, then back again -- we have to change the air con from "heat" mode to "cool" mode. Do we remember? Not all the time...
To change from heat to cool, we use the remote control. Press the mode button and watch the symbols. There is one symbol which looks a bit like a snowflake and another which looks a bit like a sun. Well, actually, both symbols look a lot like a circle with spikes.
Here's a guess: The possible snowflake means, it's snowing outside, start to heat the room. And the something similar but possibly a sun symbol means, the sun is shining outside, it's time to cool the house.
Or is it the other way around?!
There's only one way to find out: Turn on the air con, wait ten minutes, hold up your hand to test the temperature of the air being blown out.
And another thing...
There's a third possible mode: fan only. That is, move the air around but neither heat it nor cool it. A good option for a cool but humid night, especially since the fan mode may also "dry" the air.
It's been a long day. You step inside the house, feel the air con blowing air. You wonder, Is the air con struggling -- or is it set only to "fan"? Worse yet... Is it a stinking hot day and the air con is still trying to heat? How can you tell?
Well, first you find the remote control. Then you find your reading glasses. Then you try to remember how to unlatch the cover which hides the mode setting. Then you try to understand the mode icon...
Is that flower shape a fan? Or is it a spiky circle, possibly a sun or a snowflake.
Where is the long lost instruction manual?!
Here are some good ideas...
First, design an air con which can decide for itself whether to heat or cool.Okay, it's not as simple as it sounds. The logic may need to look at both room air temperature and outside air temperature: If they are both above the required room temperature then cool. If they are both below, then heat. And allow the air con owner to override.
Okay, it really is as simple as it sounds.
How can the owner tell whether the air con is heating or cooling? That's just as simple.
Our own air con has two display lights on the bit that blows. From anywhere in the room, you can see the two lights glowing: Two lights means, the air con is on.
The air con is on?! But I can tell that just by looking at the open air vents! by feeling the wind blow! by listening to the motor running! Why add two lights?!
Try this:
Add three lights, of different colours:
- Red light glows when the air con is heating.
- Blue light glows when the air con is cooling.
- Green light glows when the fan is blowing.
Let's design household appliances to be simple to use and understand.
After all... Why not?
Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com |
No comments:
Post a Comment