Three-Way Switch for Home Automation Apparatus and Method

• US 20110141647A1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Watt Stopper Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Homerun Holdings Corporation
• Inventors: Garcia, Ben L., Rodriguez, Yan, Maurer, Steven Karl
• Granted Patent: US 8,373,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/166
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 11/0006 for converting electric switches H01H13/564 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/006 Containing a capacitive switch or usable as such
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 23/145 the actuating surface having two slightly inclined areas extending from the middle outward
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/03 Application domotique, e.g. for house automation, bus connected switches, sensors, loads or intelligent wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/56 for ensuring operation of the switch at a predetermined point in the ac cycle
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/14 Protecting elements, switches, relays or circuit breakers

Abstract

A switch for premises electrical circuits provides wireless control compatible with at least one home automation control system technology. A single switch design can operate two-, three-, and four-way circuits without alteration, and without recourse to coordinating remote switches. The switch includes processor functions for restoring a previous state after power interruption, and for establishing a state commanded during the power interruption. The switch uses two single-pole, single-throw relays for positive safety lockout, and adjusts relay actuation timing with reference to power waveform zero-crossing for contact arc reduction with inductive, tungsten, and capacitive loads.

Claims

1. A remotely-controllable electrical switch, comprising:

a housing having an outer envelope configuration compliant with standards for premises electrical power control devices;

a plurality of electrical terminals configured to attach to premises electrical wiring multi-ampere power conductors;

a first single-pole, single-throw relay and a second single-pole, single-throw relay, each configured to conduct multi-ampere electrical power from a common terminal of the plurality of terminals whereto first respective contacts of both of the relays are connected, to respective first and second runner terminals of the plurality of terminals, to each of which a second contact of one of the respective relays is connected, in response to application of an energization signal to an actuation element of one of the respective relays; and

a controller having a circuit switching routine that issues a relay deactuation command to deactuate a heretofore-actuated one of the respective relays and, thereafter, a relay actuation command to actuate a heretofore-deactuated one of the respective relays.

2. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of relay driver circuits, each configured to accept application and removal of a logic-level actuation command from the controller and to apply or remove an energization signal to an actuation element of a respective one of the relays in response thereto.

3. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises:

an envelope configured to fasten within a standards-compliant single-gang flush mountable box for premises electrical wiring.

4. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, further comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive commands from a command device external to the switch and transfer command information so received to the controller of the switch.

5. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a control operation sequence that accepts a transceiver-furnished state reversal command and that issues a relay deactuation command to a heretofore actuated one of the respective relays and a relay actuation command to a heretofore deactuated one of the respective relays in response thereto.

6. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a control sequence directing break-before-make relay timing.

7. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, further comprising an air gap switch configured to disable current flow through electrical paths within the switch from the common terminal to both runner terminals.

8. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, further comprising a power supply circuit having a rectification and isolation diode from each of the common terminal and the plurality of runner terminals to a common input terminal of the power supply circuit, wherein the diodes have like polarization with reference to the common input terminal.

9. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 8, further comprising an air gap switch configured to disable power supply output distribution to at least one functional unit within the switch.

10. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, further comprising an air gap switch configured to apply an operational disable signal to the controller.

11. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, further comprising a relay state timing control function configured to terminate application of a first energization signal to an actuation element of a first one of the respective relays at a time selected to perform relay contact separation near zero crossing of mains electrical power applied to the switch.

12. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 11, wherein the relay state timing control function is further configured to initiate application of a second energization signal to an actuation element of a second one of the respective relays at a time selected to establish conduction between contacts of the second relay at a time later than completion of contact separation in the first relay.

13. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 12, further comprising:

a first counter function configured to acquire a first clock-based count value corresponding to a time interval between successive zero crossings or between successive zero crossings of like polarization;

a second counter function configured to use the first count value as a basis for generating a count-based anticipated zero crossing time signal; and

a relay transfer start function configured to initiate transfer from continuous actuation of the first relay to actuation of the second relay in response to the anticipated zero crossing time signal.

14. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 12, further comprising a count adjustment function configured to initiate the relay transfer start function at a time differing from that at which the anticipated zero crossing time signal occurs.

15. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of diodes instantaneously directing input energy, from such of the common, first runner, and second runner nodes as has sufficient, properly-polarized voltage present thereon to energize the power supply, to a common feed point of the power supply;

a dual-relay actuation configuration, wherein timing of actuation from a first switch state to a second switch state depends in part on both a delay following removal of a relay actuation signal from a relay actively conducting in the first state and a delay following application of a relay actuation signal to a relay not actively conducting in the first state, and wherein timing of actuation from the second switch state to the first switch state depends in part on both a delay following removal of a relay actuation signal from the relay actively conducting in the second state and a delay following application of a relay actuation signal to the relay not actively conducting in the second state; and

a load status detector configured to discriminate between a first condition, wherein current is flowing in an electrical load connected to the switch, and a second condition, wherein no current is flowing in the electrical load connected to the switch, independent of the switch state.

16. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 15, wherein the load status detector further comprises:

an optoisolator, wherein the optoisolator includes a two-terminal, bidirectional, AC-compatible input section connected in current-limited fashion between the first and second runner nodes, and wherein the optoisolator further includes an output section that provides one of two distinct, logic-circuit-compatible states in response to existence or absence of a complete circuit drawing electrical current above a selected level from the mains power hot side, through the switch, through a load, to the mains power neutral side;

an interface function within a controller part of the switch, configured to distinguish the two optoisolator states as distinct logic states; and

a display control function within the controller part of the switch, configured to interpret the existence of the current-drawing circuit as a loaded state and actuate a display in event thereof, and to deactuate the display in event of the absence thereof.

17. A remotely-controllable electrical switch, comprising:

an insulated housing configured to mount within a standard wall-mount, flush-mount, single-gang electrical wiring box along with associated wiring for two-way or three-way switches;

a safety ground terminal, a neutral terminal, a common terminal, and two runner terminals, each configured to connect to at least one solid 12-gauge copper conductor;

an operator interface panel at the wall surface that includes a load status indicator, an air gap switch, and a rocker-style operator switch providing single-pole, double-throw, center-off, momentary-contact functionality, wherein one actuating pole of the rocker switch is located above the other in vertically-mounted orientations;

a first single-pole, single-throw, normally-open, coil-driven relay and a second like relay, each configured to conduct multi-ampere electrical power from the common terminal of the switch, whereto first respective contacts of the contact sets of both of the relays are connected, to respective first and second runner terminals, to each of which a second contact of one of the respective relay contact sets is connected, in the alternative, in response to application of a coil drive signal to one of the respective relays; and

a controller that, upon application of mains power with the air gap switch in its operational state, applies a coil drive signal to the relay actuated by the lower contact of the rocker switch, compares a resulting load state to a previously-stored load state, remains in that state if the load states agree, and reverses to drive the other relay if the load states differ, wherein coil drive signal application timing includes relay contact making and breaking conduction timing that coincides, with selected accuracy, with zero crossing of the mains power waveform, and wherein each break in contact conduction by a relay precedes making contact conduction by the other relay by a selected time interval.

18. The remotely-controllable electrical switch of claim 17, wherein the previously-stored load state is fixed to a deenergized state.

19. A method for controlling an electrical circuit in premises wiring, comprising:

establishing two substantially parallel electrical paths from a feed-side shared node, electrically proximal to a mains power feed, to a return-side shared node, electrically proximal to a feed-side terminal of a two-terminal load, thence through the load to a neutral-side terminal thereof, wherein the neutral-side terminal of the load is connected substantially directly to a neutral return;

interposing jointly within the substantially parallel paths, in a serial string, a plurality of manually-operable mains power routing selectors, wherein a first one of the selectors, electrically positioned at a first end of the serial string, and functioning as a divider to establish the parallel paths, includes two substantially matched interruptors, whereof first nodes share a connection to one of the mains power input and the load terminal not connected to neutral, and whereof second nodes are individually connected to the two parallel paths, and wherein another of the selectors, electrically positioned at a second end of the serial string, includes a single-pole, double-throw manually-actuated routing selector, whereof respective throws are connected to the two parallel paths, and whereof an electrically common point connectable to the throws in the alternative is further connected to that one of the mains power input and the feed-side terminal of the load whereto the two-interruptor selector is not connected, and wherein all selectors electrically interposed between the first and second ones have double-pole crossover functionality; and

displaying status of the two-interruptor selector on a status indicator component thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

delaying for a time interval sufficient to realize a first selected power phase;

deenergizing the coil of the heretofore-energized relay;

delaying for a time interval sufficient to realize contact release of the heretofore-energized relay;

delaying for a further time interval sufficient to realize a second selected power phase; and

energizing the heretofore-deenergized relay.