PHASE CONTROL WITH ADAPTIVE PARAMETERS
First Claim
1. A method for determining a limit point on a waveform of an AC power supply coupled to a load through a switch in a field installable control apparatus, the method comprising:
- selecting a first point on the waveform as a test point; and
a process which may be repeated one or more times, the process comprising;
applying a control pulse to the switch at the test point on the waveform;
sensing the conductive state of the switch; and
if the latching switch does not remain conductive in response to the control pulse, selecting a new point as the test point on the waveform.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for determining a limit of a phase control power range includes applying a first gate pulse to a switch at a first firing angle near the limit of the power range, sensing the conductive state of the switch after the first gate pulse, and determining the limit of the power range in response to the conductive state of the switch. If the switch remains conductive after the first gate pulse, the first firing angle may be used as the limit of the power range. If the switch does not remain conductive after the first gate pulse, the limit may be determined by repeatedly incrementing the firing angle, applying a gate pulse to the switch at the incremented firing angle, and sensing the conductive state of the switch after each gate pulse until the switch is conductive after a gate pulse.
101 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method for determining a limit point on a waveform of an AC power supply coupled to a load through a switch in a field installable control apparatus, the method comprising:
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selecting a first point on the waveform as a test point; and a process which may be repeated one or more times, the process comprising; applying a control pulse to the switch at the test point on the waveform; sensing the conductive state of the switch; and if the latching switch does not remain conductive in response to the control pulse, selecting a new point as the test point on the waveform. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A field installable system comprising:
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a switch configured to control the flow of AC power from a line terminal to a load terminal; and a controller coupled to the switch and adapted to apply a control pulse to the switch and determine a limit point on a waveform of the AC power by sensing the conductive state of the switch after the control pulse. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method comprising:
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applying control pulses to a latching switch in a field installable control apparatus, where the latching switch is coupled between an AC power source and a load, and the AC power source has a waveform with cycles; and varying the amount of power delivered to the load by varying the points in the cycles at which the control pulses are applied to the latching switch; where the durations of the control pulses depend on the points in the cycles at which the control pulses are applied to the latching switch. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A method for operating a phase control device having a latching switch in a field installable control apparatus configured to control the flow of power from an AC power source to a load, where the latching switch has a variable operating point corresponding to a point on a waveform of the AC power source at which the latching switch is switched on, and where the operating point may vary over an operating range between first and second limits, the method comprising;
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placing the phase control device in an adjustment mode; adjusting the operating point of the phase control device to select at least one of the first and second limits; and adaptively constraining the operating point to prevent the latching switch from failing to latch during a line cycle of the waveform while in the adjustment mode. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method for operating a latching switch in a field installable control apparatus configured to control the flow of power from an AC power source to a load, where the latching switch has a variable operating point corresponding to a point in a cycle of a waveform of the AC power source at which the latching switch is switched on, and where the operating point may vary over an operating range having a lower limit corresponding to a point in the cycle that provides minimum power flow, the method comprising:
determining the lower limit by sensing a point in the cycle at which the latching switch becomes nonconductive when the switch is switched on at a point substantially earlier in the cycle than the lower limit. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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45. A method for controlling a switch in a field installable control apparatus coupled between an AC power source and a load, the AC power source having a waveform with a first portion having a first polarity and a second portion having a second polarity, the method comprising:
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applying a control pulse to the switch during the first portion of the waveform at a first point after the beginning of the first portion of the waveform; applying a control pulse to the switch during the second portion of the waveform at a second point after the beginning of the second portion of the waveform; where the time between the first point and the beginning of the first portion of the waveform is substantially different than the time between the second point and the beginning of the second portion of the waveform. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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Specification