Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies guidelines for the use of graphical symbols on air conditioning equipment. It is applicable to the selection and arrangement of graphical symbols used on different kinds of air conditioning equipment such as household air conditioner, commercial central air conditioning system, and other air conditioning equipment, e.g., humidifier, dehumidifiers, air cleaner, desk fan, room heaters.

Purpose

Out of the pursuit of comfortable and high-quality living environment, indoor air temperature, humidity, air velocity and cleanliness are constantly improved. Air conditioning equipment can maintain the thermal balance of human body to meet the sensory comfort needs, while air conditioning equipment for working environment meets the environment required for work and production. Air conditioning equipment has a set of graphical symbol system for equipment containing various information. Such systems serve various purposes, such as enabling users to:

— understand the function of the equipment;

— understand the operation method of the equipment;

— avoid unnecessary danger caused by incorrect use of equipment.

Through the preliminary investigation, following problems can be found in the use of graphical symbols on air conditioning equipment:

— the use of graphical symbols is not yet popular;

— the graphical symbols in use are inconsistent with standards;

— visual design is not convenient for people to read, for example, low background brightness, insufficient contrast between symbol and background colour, and so on;

— graphical symbols are too small and are obscured by decorative design.

This document is concerned with the use of graphical symbol system on air conditioning equipment. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for the use of graphical symbols on air conditioning equipment and enable users to use the equipment conveniently and effectively, also improve their quality of life. It is not the intention to limit design freedom, but to set guidelines and, where appropriate, specifications that reflect relevant research and best practice.

This document can improve the comprehensive level of air conditioning equipment from the following aspects:

— Technological benefit: improve the design of user interaction interface of air-conditioning equipment, help product design to be more standardized and consistent, and help to realize smart home/ office.

— Economic benefit: using standardized graphical symbols on air conditioning equipment can reduce the operation panel design cost for various languages and eliminate trade barriers.

— Societal benefit(s): using graphical symbols to convey status information, operation information and safety information of air-conditioning equipment can minimize the impact of language and cultural barriers.

— Environmental benefit(s): new graphical symbols (e.g. “energy saving mode” ”sterilization mode”) can help consumers establish energy-saving habits and create a healthy living environment.