Self-powered switches and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10141144-B2
Application number	US-201715427814-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2017
Priority date	Feb 8, 2017
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

Self-powered switches include an externally accessible user input member, a switch housing attached to the user input member, a permanent magnet held in the switch housing, a magnet housing held in the switch housing that is attached to the user input member, the magnet housing having a spindle that extends laterally outward from opposing sides of an upper portion of the magnet housing. The spindle is attached to the switch housing. The switches also include a magnet assembly that includes a coil and a shaft extending a distance beyond the coil held in the switch housing. A least one of the magnet assembly and permanent magnet moves in response to movement of the user input member.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A self-powered switch, comprising:
an externally accessible user input member;
a switch housing attached to the user input member;
a permanent magnet held in the switch housing;
a magnet housing held in the switch housing, wherein the magnet housing is attached to the user input member and is pivotably attached to the switch housing via at least one spindle, and wherein the magnet housing resides under a medial portion of the user input member; and
a magnet assembly comprising a coil and a shaft extending a distance beyond the coil held in the switch housing,
wherein at least one of the magnet assembly and permanent magnet moves in response to movement of the user input member to thereby induce a voltage to power a transmitter associated with the switch.

2. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spindle comprises first and second spindle segments that extend laterally outward from opposing sides of a medial portion of an upper portion of the magnet housing and engage receiving channels in opposing sidewalls of the switch housing.

3. The switch of claim 1 , further comprising at least one circuit board in the switch housing and comprising first and second electrical connections attached to first and second terminals of the coil.

4. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the user input member is a rectangular toggle, wherein the user input member is affixed to the magnet housing and defines a unitary sub-assembly therewith, wherein the magnet housing and the user input member pivot in concert about the at least one spindle between on and off positions of the switch, wherein the toggle has a perimeter comprising a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides, and wherein the at least one spindle comprises laterally outwardly extending spindle segments that extend outward from a medial segment of opposing sides of the magnet housing.

5. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the user input member comprises laterally outwardly extending first and second shaft segments residing above and adjacent corresponding first and second spindle segments of the at least one spindle.

6. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the magnet housing has an outer wall that has an upper portion that surrounds a rectangular cavity that holds a printed circuit board with a transmitter under the user input member, wherein the upper portion merges into a lower portion that holds the coil, and wherein the at least one spindle extends laterally outward from the upper portion of the outer wall.

7. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the magnet housing holds the magnet assembly with the coil aligned with the medial portion of the user input member, wherein the coil has a perimeter with a pair of opposing long sides joined by a pair of opposing short sides, wherein the shaft is an elongate plate that extends through the coil, and wherein the permanent magnet comprises a rare earth magnet.

8. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the switch housing is rectangular and comprises mounting brackets extending off each long end, and wherein the switch housing is an in-wall mountable housing.

9. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the magnet housing holds the magnet assembly with the coil and shaft, wherein the permanent magnet is held between spaced apart first and second plates that rise a distance above the permanent magnet to provide a cavity above the permanent magnet in the switch housing, and wherein an end of the shaft extends into the cavity and serially pivots to contact inner surfaces of the first and second plates to alter magnetic flux from the coil to the permanent magnet in response to movement of the user input member.

10. The switch of claim 1 , further comprising:
a top member and a bottom member held in the magnet housing, wherein the top member and bottom member hold the coil of the magnet assembly therebetween, the top member and bottom member comprising channels that align with a coil channel to provide a shaft channel that allows the shaft to extend below the bottom member a distance into the cavity, and wherein the top member comprises at least one coil terminal aperture through which first and second terminals of the coil extend; and
first and second magnet yoke members held in the magnet housing that attach to the top member and the bottom member on opposing sides of the coil.

11. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the switch housing comprises a mid-housing and a bottom housing, wherein the user input member has a perimeter with a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides, wherein the user input member also comprises a plurality of attachment members extending from the long and short sides that engage the magnet housing, wherein the mid housing has a rectangular perimeter with a pair of long sides joined by a pair of short sides that surround a rectangular open interior space, and wherein the mid housing comprises first and second attachment members that extend off opposing short sides thereof that attach to the bottom housing.

12. A self-powered switch, comprising:
an externally accessible user input member;
a switch housing attached to the user input member;
a permanent magnet held in the switch housing;
a magnet housing held in the switch housing, wherein the magnet housing is attached to the user input member and pivotably attached to the switch housing via at least one spindle;
a magnet assembly comprising a coil and a shaft extending a distance beyond the coil held in the switch housing; and
at least one circuit board in the switch housing and comprising first and second electrical connections attached to first and second terminals of the coil,
wherein at least one of the magnet assembly and permanent magnet moves in response to movement of the user input member to thereby induce a voltage to power a transmitter associated with the switch,
wherein the at least one circuit board includes a circuit board that is held by the magnet housing above the shaft and under the user input member, wherein the at least one circuit board comprises an energy harvesting circuit in electrical communication with the coil terminals and at least one capacitor for storing voltage sufficient to power the transmitter, and wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter that wirelessly communicates with a remote receiver associated with an electrical appliance.

13. A self-powered switch, comprising:
an externally accessible user input member;
a switch housing attached to the user input member;
a permanent magnet held in the switch housing;
a magnet housing held in the switch housing, wherein the magnet housing is attached to the user input member and pivotably attached to the switch housing via at least one spindle; and
a magnet assembly comprising a coil and a shaft extending a distance beyond the coil held in the switch housing,
wherein at least one of the magnet assembly and permanent magnet moves in response to movement of the user input member to thereby induce a voltage to power a transmitter associated with the switch,
wherein the housing comprises a bottom housing with a magnet cradle held therein and a mid-housing that is attached to the bottom housing under the user input member, and wherein the mid-housing and bottom housing have arcuate recesses that align and face each other to form laterally spaced apart and opposing pairs of circular channels that hold spindle segments of the at least one spindle.

14. The switch of claim 13 , wherein the magnet housing has a rectangular primary body that holds the coil and shaft therein, wherein the at least one spindle comprises laterally spaced apart first and second spindle segments that extend out

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Zhuang Alex
• Zhang George
• Gouhl Erik Jeffrey
• Zhang Harry
• Yang Andrew
• Lacey Darron Kirby
• Xiong Tom

Classifications

• H01H49/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of relays or parts thereof · CPC title

• H02K2211/03

  Machines characterised by circuit boards, e.g. pcb · CPC title

• H01H50/021 Primary

  structurally combining a relay and an electronic component, e.g. varistor, RC circuit (auxiliary switch inserting resistor during closure H01H50/543) · CPC title

• H02K11/33

  Drive circuits, e.g. power electronics (H02K11/38 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02K7/1876

  with reciprocating, linearly oscillating or vibrating parts · CPC title