Micro-electromechanical system based switching

• US 7,554,222 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kishore, Kuna Venkat Satya Rama, Premerlani, William James, Subramanian, Kanakasabapathi, Kumfer, Brent Charles, Park, John, Schelenz, Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis; Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US11/933,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20090115255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 307/113
• US Class Current: 307/113
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2071/008 Protective switches or relays using micromechanics
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 47/00 Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the relay and designed to obtain desired operating characteristics or to provide energising current
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 59/0009 making use of micromechanics
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/42 Impedances connected with contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/541 Contacts shunted by semiconductor devices

Abstract

A current control device is disclosed. The current control device includes control circuitry integrally arranged with a current path and at least one micro electromechanical system (MEMS) switch pair disposed in the current path. The current control device further includes a hybrid arcless limiting technology (HALT) circuit connected in parallel with the at least one MEMS switch pair facilitating the opening of the at least one MEMS switch pair.

Claims

1. A current control device comprising:

a first micro electromechanical system (MEMS) switch, said first MEMS switch having a source connection, a drain connection and a gate control electrode;

a second MEMS switch, said second MEMS switch having a drain connection, a source connection, and a gate control electrode, said second MEMS source connection being coupled to said first MEMS switch source connection, and

a circuit electrically connected with said first and second MEMS switch facilitating opening of said first and second MEMS switch.

2. The current control device of claim 1 further comprising a gate driver coupled to said first and second MEMS gate control electrode.

3. The current control device of claim 2 wherein said gate driver is arranged to change said first and second MEMS switch from a first conductive state to a second conductive state.

4. The current control device of claim 3 wherein said first and second MEMS switches are arranged such that a hold-off voltage of the first and second MEMS switches is the sum of the hold-off voltages for each of the first and second MEMS switches.

5. The current control device of claim 4 wherein said circuit is a hybrid arcless limited technology (HALT) circuit.

6. The current control device of claim 1 further comprising a third and fourth MEMS switch serially coupled to each other and disposed in the current path, said third and fourth MEMS switch being electrically coupled in series to said first and second MEMS switch.

7. A current control device comprising:

a first pair of micro electromechanical system (MEMS), said first pair of MEMS switches including a first and second MEMS switch arranged in series with the source connections of said first and second MEMS switches being directly coupled;

a first gate driver coupled to said first pair of MEMS switches; and

,

a circuit electrically connected with said first gate driver switch facilitating opening of said first MEMS switch.

8. The current control device of claim 7 further comprising:

a second pair of MEMS switches, said second pair of MEMS switches including a third and fourth MEMS switch arranged in series with the source connections of said third and fourth MEMS switch being directly coupled; and

,

a second gate driver coupled to said second pair of MEMS switches, said second gate driver being electrically connected with said circuit.

9. The current control device of claim 8 wherein said second pair of MEMS switches is serially connected to said first pair of MEMS switches.

10. The current control device of claim 8 wherein said second pair of MEMS switches is connected in parallel to said first pair of MEMS switches.

11. The current control device of claim 9 wherein said circuit is a HALT circuit.

12. The current control device of claim 11 wherein the HALT circuit is configured to receive a transfer of electrical energy from the MEMS switch in response to the MEMS switch changing state from closed to open.

13. The current control device of claim 12 wherein the hold off voltage of the first pair of MEMS switches is a sum of hold-off voltages for said first and second MEMS switches.

14. The current control device of claim 13 wherein the hold off voltage of the first pair of MEMS switching is two times the hold-off voltage of said first MEMS switch.

15. A current control device comprising:

a first MEMS switch, said first MEMS switch having a drain connection and a source connection;

a second MEMS switch having drain connection, and a source connection, said second MEMS switch source connection being coupled to said first MEMS switch source connection;

wherein said first and second MEMS switch further have a single common gate connection coupled to said first and second MEMS switch source terminals, said gate connection being arranged to change the state of said first and second MEMS switch.

16. The current control device of claim 15 further comprising a gate driver coupled to said gate connection.

17. The current control device of claim 16 wherein said first and second MEMS switch each include a gate control electrode, each gate control electrode is directly coupled to said gate control connection.

18. The current control device of claim 17 wherein said gate driver includes means to transmit a gate activation signal to said gate control electrode.

19. The current control device of claim 18 wherein said first and second MEMS switch change state in response to said gate activation signal being transmitted to said gate control electrode.

20. The current control device of claim 19 wherein said gate activation signal is a control voltage.