The internationalization of component design

The relationships that are shaping international component design in appliance controls are examined. Several new design principles that offer many advantages to the appliance manufacturer are discussed. An example demonstrating these international design principles is given. A common control that attempts to satisfy the power switching requirements of three different products, namely, a dishwasher for Europe, a refrigerator/freezer for Australia, and a window room air conditioning heat pump (with an electric heating element) for the North American market, is presented. The international differences that exist in power distribution systems, such as high-voltage two-wire/three-wire systems, 50/60Hz line frequencies, and 120/240 V line voltages, are discussed. Design practices to accommodate these changes and methods used for feature differentiation are reviewed