Secure non-contact switch

• US 8,699,200 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Peczalski, Andy, Rajula, Gangi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Stephen W
• Application Number:
  US12/871,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20110193663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 361/179
• US Class Current: 361/179
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A redundant non-contact switch reports a status as closed or open for a first member and a second member that move relative to each other between an open state and a closed state. In some embodiments, the redundant non-contact switch includes a wireless authentication (WA) pair and a magnetic pair. The WA pair may include a WA responder attached to one of the first member and the second member, and a WA interrogator attached to the other of the first member and the second member. The WA pair may be configured to register a WA status of closed or open, depending on a WA authentication between the WA responder and the WA interrogator. The magnetic pair may include a magnet attached to one of the first member and the second member, and a magnet sensor attached to the other of the first member and the second member. The magnetic pair may be configured to register a magnetic status of closed or open, depending on whether a magnet distance between the magnet and magnet sensor is beyond a threshold magnet distance. In some instances, the redundant non-contact switch reports the status as closed only if both the WA status is registered as closed and the magnetic status is registered as closed.

Claims

1. A redundant non-contact switch for reporting a status as closed or open for a first member and second member that move relative to each other between an open state and a closed state, comprising:

a magnet attached to one of the first member and the second member;

a first inductive power transfer coil attached to the same one of the first member and the second member as the magnet;

a combined coil attached to the other of the first member and the second member, the combined coil configured as a second inductive power transfer coil paired with the first inductive power transfer coil, the combined coil further configured as a flux gate paired with the magnet, the magnet and the flux gate are configured as a magnetic pair that is registered as closed when the first member and the second member are in the closed state; and

the redundant non-contact switch is configured to report the interlock status as closed only if the magnetic pair is registered as closed.

2. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 1, wherein the redundant non-contact switch is configured to report the interlock status as closed by closing at least one electronic switch.

3. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless authentication (WA) pair including;

a WA responder attached to one of the first member and the second member; and

a WA interrogator attached to the other of the first member and the second member;

wherein the WA pair is registered as closed when;

the first member and the second member are in the closed state; and

the WA responder and the WA interrogator successfully complete a WA authentication;

further wherein the redundant non-contact switch is configured to report the interlock status as closed only if the WA pair is registered as closed in addition to the magnetic pair being registered as closed.

4. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 3, wherein the combined coil is further configured as an antenna for whichever of the WA responder or WA interrogator is attached to the one of the first member or the second member to which the combined coil is attached.

5. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 3, further comprising at least one backup power supply configured to provide operational power to at least part of the WA pair in the event that a nominal power supply does not provide sufficient operational power to the at least part of the WA pair.

6. A redundant non-contact switch for reporting a status as closed or open for a first member and a second member that move relative to each other between an open state and a closed state, comprising:

a wireless authentication (WA) pair, including;

a WA responder attached to one of the first member and the second member;

a WA interrogator attached to the other of the first member and the second member;

the WA pair configured to register a WA status of closed or open, depending on a WA authentication between the WA responder and the WA interrogator;

a magnetic pair, including;

a magnet attached to one of the first member and the second member;

a non-mechanical magnet sensor attached to the other of the first member and the second member;

the magnetic pair configured to register a magnetic status of closed or open, depending on whether a displacement between the magnet and magnet sensor is within a pre-determined range; and

the redundant non-contact switch configured to report the status as closed only if both the WA status is registered as closed and the magnetic status is registered as closed.

7. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 6, wherein the WA interrogator includes an inductive power transmit coil and the WA responder includes an inductive power receive coil, the WA responder further including a backup power supply, and wherein the WA responder requires operational power to perform the WA authentication, the operational power being provided from at least one of the inductive power receive coil and the backup power supply.

8. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 6, wherein the WA responder, WA interrogator, magnet, and non-mechanical magnet sensor are arranged on the first member and second member such that the displacement between the magnet and the non-mechanical magnet sensor, and a displacement between the WA interrogator and the WA responder vary as the first member and second member move between the open and closed states.

9. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 6, wherein the redundant non-contact switch is configured to report the interlock status as closed by closing at least one electronic switch.

10. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 6, wherein:

the WA interrogator and the non-mechanical magnet sensor are both attached to the same one of the first member or second member; and

the WA responder and the magnet are both attached to the other one of the first member or second member.

11. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 6, wherein:

the WA interrogator and the magnet are both attached to the same one of the first member or second member; and

the WA responder and the non-mechanical magnet sensor are both attached to the other one of the first member or second member.

12. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 6, wherein at least one of the WA responder and the WA interrogator is configured to communicate a measure related to performance of the redundant non-contact switch to an external device.

13. The redundant non-contact switch of claim 6, wherein the pre-determined range of displacement between the magnet and magnet sensor has a magnitude of at least about 10 mm.

14. A secure non-contact switch, comprising:

two or more of;

a wireless authentication (WA) pair including a WA responder and a WA interrogator, the WA pair configured to register a WA status of closed or open, the WA status depending on a WA authentication between the WA responder and the WA interrogator;

a magnetic pair including a magnet and a non-mechanical magnet sensor, the magnetic pair configured to register a magnetic status of closed or open, the magnetic status depending on a magnet displacement between the magnet and magnet sensor; and

/or

an inductive power transmission pair including an inductive power transmit coil and an inductive power receive coil, the inductive power transmission pair configured to register an inductive power transmission status of closed or open, the inductive power transmission status depending on relative positioning of the inductive power transmit and receive coils;

the secure non-contact switch configured to report a closed status only if at least two of the two or more of the WA pair, the magnetic pair, and/or the inductive power transmission pair are registered as closed.

15. The secure non-contact switch of claim 14, wherein the secure non-contact switch comprises all three of the WA pair, the magnetic pair, and the inductive power transmission pair, and further wherein the secure non-contact switch is configured to report a closed status only if all three pairs register as closed.

16. The secure non-contact switch of claim 14, wherein the secure non-contact switch comprises at least the WA pair and the inductive power transmission pair, and further wherein one of the WA responder and WA interrogator is configured to receive power from the inductive power receive coil, the secure non-contact switch further including a backup power supply for the one of the WA responder and WA interrogator configured to receive power from the inductive power receive coil, and wherein the one of the WA responder and WA interrogator configured to receive power from the inductive power receive coil requires operational power to perform the WA authentication, the operational power being provided from at least one of the inductive power receive coil and the backup power supply.

17. The secure non-contact switch of claim 16, wherein the one of the WA responder and WA interrogator configured to receive power from the inductive power receive coil is configured to recognize when insufficient operational power is received from the inductive power receive coil, and to report such to an external device.

18. The secure non-contact switch of claim 14, wherein the secure non-contact switch comprises the magnetic pair, further wherein the magnetic pair is configured to recognize a magnitude of magnet displacement consistent with a magnetic status of closed that is at least about 10 mm.

19. The secure non-contact switch of claim 14, wherein the secure non-contact switch comprises the WA pair, further wherein at least one of the WA responder and the WA interrogator is configured to communicate a measure related to performance of the secure non-contact switch to an external device.

20. The secure non-contact switch of claim 19, wherein both the WA responder and the WA interrogator are configured to communicate measures related to performance of the secure non-contact switch to the external device.