Device employable in different circuit configurations using parallel wiring harnesses, a HVAC system employing the device and a method of manufacturing a HVAC unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513024-B2
Application number	US-201615050738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2016
Priority date	Jan 5, 2011
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A HVAC unit manufacturing method and a HVAC system are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the HVAC system includes: a controller having control board terminals, a parallel wiring harness having a first and a second connection header, the first connection header coupled to the control board terminals, and a switch having terminals. The terminals of the switch including: a pair of functional terminals configured to indicate a status of the switch and a pair of jumpered terminals independent of the pair of functional terminals and internally connected together within the switch, wherein designated combinations of the terminals indicate a circuit configuration for employing the switch in the HVAC system with each of the terminals having a particular design that dictates a specific corresponding connection header be used for each of the designated combinations, wherein a single one of the designated combinations of the terminals corresponds to the second connection header.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit, the method comprising:
interoperably coupling, using a first parallel wiring harness, a controller to a first electrical device, wherein the first electrical device comprises a plurality of terminals;
interoperably coupling, using a second parallel wiring harness, the first electric device to a second electrical device;
wherein designated combinations of the plurality of terminals specify a circuit configuration for employing the first electrical device with each of the plurality of terminals having a particular design that dictates a specific corresponding connection header be used for each of the designated combinations; and
wherein the second electrical device is similar to the first electrical device, wherein the first parallel wiring harness comprises a first connection header configured to connect to one of the designated combinations to implement a particular circuit configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each terminal of the plurality of terminals comprises:
a plurality of functional terminals; and
a plurality of jumpered terminals.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of jumpered terminals are independent of the plurality of functional terminals.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of jumpered terminals and the plurality of functional terminals are internally connected within the first electrical device.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one terminal of the plurality of terminals comprises a common terminal that is internally connected to at least one of the plurality of functional terminal.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical device and the second electric device comprise a limit switch.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical device and the second electric device comprise a pressure switch.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circuit configuration indicates that the first electrical device is connected to the second electrical device in series.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the circuit configuration indicates that the first electrical device is connected to the second electrical device in parallel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first parallel wiring harness comprises three cables connecting the controller to the first electrical device.

11. An electrical device comprising:
a contact;
a plurality of terminals coupled to the contact; and
wherein designated combinations of the plurality of terminals specify a circuit configuration for the electrical device with each of the plurality of terminals having a particular design that dictates a specific corresponding connection header be used for each of the designated combinations.

12. The electrical device of claim 11 , wherein the contact is configured to indicate a status of the electrical device.

13. The electrical device of claim 11 , wherein the electrical device comprises at least one of a limit switch and a pressure switch.

14. The electrical device of claim 11 , wherein each terminal of the plurality of terminals comprises:
a plurality of functional terminals connected across the contact; and
a plurality of jumpered terminals.

15. The electrical device of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of jumpered terminals are independent of the plurality of functional terminals.

16. The electrical device of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of jumpered terminals and the plurality of functional terminals are internally connected within the electrical device.

17. The electrical device of claim 11 , wherein the circuit configuration indicates that the electrical device is connected to another electrical device in series.

18. The electrical device of claim 11 , wherein the circuit configuration indicates that the electrical device is connected to another electrical device in parallel.

19. The electrical device of claim 11 , wherein the electrical device is operable within a Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.

20. A system comprising:
a controller;
a parallel wiring harness comprising a first connection header and a second connection header, wherein the first connection header is interoperably coupled to the controller;
a first electrical device comprising a plurality of terminals; and
wherein designated combinations of the plurality of terminals specify a circuit configuration for employing the first electrical device in the system with each of the plurality of terminals having a particular design that dictates a specific corresponding connection header be used for each of the designated combinations.

Assignees

• Lennox Ind Inc

Inventors

• Lisbona Randall L

Classifications

• F24F11/88 Primary

  Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits · CPC title

• F24F11/63

  Electronic processing · CPC title

• H05K13/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components · CPC title

• H01R29/00

  Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, {programmable connectors} · CPC title

• Y10T29/49169

  Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor · CPC title