Power Mode Definitions and User Interfaces

US TAG - TC 108 / October 4, 2002Bruce Nordman

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory http://eetd.LBL.gov/Controls

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LBNL: What We Do

U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory

Related to TC 108:• Codes and Standard (Appliances)• ENERGY STAR Specifications (IT, CE)• 1-Watt Standby Power Initiative• TC 59: Standby Power Test Procedure• User Interface Standard

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UI Background / Rationale

• Existing Power Management Controls:– Hidden, Confusing (Inconsistent), Absent

• Power Management Enabling Rates Low• Lots of Wasted Energy• Poor User Image of Energy Efficiency,

Product Quality

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Office Equipment Energy(Annual Electricity — TWh/year)

48.8

65.5

92.6

0 20 40 60 80 100

No Power Management

Now (ENERGY STAR)

Potential(100% Enabling)

$1.3B

$1.9B

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Solution

QuickTime™ and aGIF decompressorare needed to see this picture.• Create broadly similar interfaces for power / power

management control across all office equipment and consumer electronics

• Accomplish this by creating a voluntary standard for interface elements

• Institutionalize the standard through international standards, industry standards, and marketing to industry

• Expected Result: Increased enabling rates and use of existing power management capability

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Existing power-related ISO/IEC “Graphical Symbols For Use On Equipment”

Few U.S. residents can identify and define many of these

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Structure of Standard

• Static– Six principles: terms, symbols, indicators– Many overlap with existing standards

• Dynamic– Nine principles: behavior over time– More akin to design guidelines

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Three Basic StatesOn, Off, Sleep

• Within a state, device has consistent capability, behavior (e.g. state change)

• May have more states, but all mapped into forms of the basic three

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The Term “Power”

• For indicators, switches/buttons• Need standard translation• Possible “international word”

(voice)

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Power Symbols

• Drop as a symbol.

• Change meaning of from “Standby” to “Power”– Symbols and/or Indicators

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Indicators• Use Green / Amber / Off for

On / Sleep / Off• Blinking only for transitions

or non-power meanings• Possible standard (optional)

audio indications

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SleepMetaphor and Symbol

• “Sleep” is most compelling metaphor, and has clear extensions (e.g. “waking up”).

• is already common and seems clear

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Hibernate

• “Hibernate” is a form of “Off”

• Need a new term - perhaps “off”

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Dynamic Behavior (1)

Use “power up” to mean turn on or wake up, and “power down” for turn off or go to sleep.

Use flashing green on the power indicator for powering up and flashing amber for powering down.

Provide optional audio indications for power state transitions.

Alternating green/amber can be used to mean error if red is not available.

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Dynamic Behavior (2)The power button toggles between the two most common

power states.When a device is asleep, pressing the power button will

(usually) wake it up.Holding down a power button for an extended time will

trigger an emergency action.Usually, when a device is asleep, the input causing a

wake event should be discarded.Provide icons to show what types of input may be active.

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Moon: Construction

This use of moon seems OK re: Islam

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Implications

• Hardware• Protocols (e.g. ACPI, network)• Software (Operating Systems, Applications) • Labeling (ENERGY STAR, TCO)• Standards

– Existing (Symbols, Indicators, Safety, ???)– New (IEEE, general UI)

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What TC 108 Can Do

• Endorse the merit of a user interface standard (w/ or w/o endorsing its content)

• Forward the interface standard to all appropriate committees and working groups– TC 3, TC 16, ISO 145, JTC1 35, ???

• Consider the terminology for TC 108 standards

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Possible Discussion

• TC 108 future role• Safety aspects of power symbols and

indicators• IEEE standard role• Terminology

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Power ModesPower modes occur in:• Consumer usage (colloquial, products)

• Internal Terminology (interfaces, protocols, etc.)

• ENERGY STAR Specifications• Standards (test procedures, UI definitions)

• Other Energy Policy (regulations, energy standards)

For each, may vary widely by product type– Office equipment, consumer electronics, etc.

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Power Modes, cont.• We should strive towards harmonizing terms, metaphors, and definitions across usage contexts and device types• With fast evolution, test procedures need to anticipate

future products and technologies and be adaptable• With devices commonly connected, standards for the

information environment/context need to be part of any test procedures

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Questions/Comments

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PC Sample State Diagram

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Colors

• Accessibility re: Color Deficiency

• Studies for Traffic Signal Lights

• Can specify LEDs that are accessible