Outdoor lighting controls
First Claim
1. An outdoor lighting control for a lamp to be energized by an alternating current, comprising:
- a photosensitive means for varying its characteristics in response to ambient outdoor light;
an alternating current relay having a pair of contacts movable between make and break positions;
said alternating current relay having contact actuating means responsive to said photosensitive means and to the alternating current for biasing said contacts into the make position and moving the contacts into the break position;
said contact actuating means being sufficiently stiff and responsive to the alternating current to limit chatter in the contacts during passage from the make position to the break position to 15 milliseconds when the photosensitive means sense a transition between dark and daylight.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An outdoor lighting control includes a photosensor responsive to ambient outdoor light and an alternating current relay with a pair of contacts movable between make and break positions. The relay includes a contact actuating arrangement that responds to the photosensor and alternating current bias the contacts into a make position and move the contacts electromagnetically into a break position. The contact actuating arrangement is sufficiently stiff and responsive to the alternating current to limit chatter in the contact during passage from make to break to fifteen milliseconds when the photosensor senses a transition between dark and daylight. Preferably, the chatter is limited between 1 and 10 milliseconds.
33 Citations
7 Claims
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1. An outdoor lighting control for a lamp to be energized by an alternating current, comprising:
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a photosensitive means for varying its characteristics in response to ambient outdoor light; an alternating current relay having a pair of contacts movable between make and break positions; said alternating current relay having contact actuating means responsive to said photosensitive means and to the alternating current for biasing said contacts into the make position and moving the contacts into the break position; said contact actuating means being sufficiently stiff and responsive to the alternating current to limit chatter in the contacts during passage from the make position to the break position to 15 milliseconds when the photosensitive means sense a transition between dark and daylight. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification